Chase woke up underwater.

His eyes snapped open. Pieces of charred metal and crumbling concrete tumbled past him in slow motion as they sunk to the bottom of the flood sublevel of The Acropolis. He felt his chest nearly explode out of his chest once he realized he was going straight down with them.

Water had been pouring down from the massive waterfall cascading around the mountain for half an hour now. He could still see the streams of freezing water gushing toward him. Chase swam upward, dodging debris as he made his way to the top. He broke through the surface and took in as much air as possible. Water spilled out his mouth as he panted like a dog. Whipping his head around through the darkness, he searched for any sign of the others.

Shaking his head, he waded through the water. It was about fifteen to twenty feet deep. Nothing to stand on. Nothing to keep him from drowning. Gulping, he focused on staying afloat. He wasn't a terrible swimmer, but he wasn't exactly Michael Phelps either. The sharp pain reverberating throughout his body every few seconds wasn't helping him focus.

As he swam, his mind went back to right before he woke up in the water.

They had been fighting Orion—and they had been losing. Oscar had summoned some sort of fire avatar that Chase had never seen him use before, but even that wasn't enough to take down Orion.

When the ground fell from beneath their feet, Chase thought that was the end for them. The next level of The Acropolis under the lab was several stories down. A fall like that should've meant instant death. As he rocketed through the air like a meteor, he closed his eyes prayed for what must've been the first time in years.

But it wasn't the end. At least, not for him.

His impervious skin and durable bones likely kept him from shattering to pieces once he hit the water. As for the others... He gulped and squeezed his eyes shut. He desperately hoped they managed to survive. But the twisting feeling in his gut suggested otherwise.

With his arms and legs burning, he pushed through the water until he came across a piece of the destroyed lab serving as an island in the sea of destruction around him. After pulling himself onto the massive slab, he laid on his back to catch his breath.

He stared up at the remains of the lab—or what was left of it. Sparking wires, exposed piping which brought even more water upon them, and whatever was left of the room stared down at him. The bright sun above seemed like a distant memory. The clouds in the blue sky seemed like they were frozen in place.

Chase blinked. His brain went silent for a moment.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he forced himself to climb back to his feet. He had to find his friends. If they were still alive, they wouldn't be for much longer. It was up to him to save them. He glanced down at his attire; his mission suit was torn and tattered in multiple places. A piercing ache reverberated throughout his body, but he was still in one piece. He had lost his sword to the water, but his holo-shield was still operational.

Things could've been worse.

As he developed his next plan of action, he heard someone coughing off to the side. His entire body went rigid. Activating his holo-shield, he turned and cautiously approached the area where the sound was coming.

Once he got closer, he lowered his shield.

It was the doctor. The one who created Orion.

Much to his surprise, she was still alive. The woman was draped over a set of monitors and computers that had been fully submerged. Somehow, they were still slightly operational. Blood stained her white lab coat and speckled her straw-colored hair. She paid Chase no mind as he approached her.

"Stop what you're doing!" he ordered.

She ignored him.

"I said—!"

Sneering, she glared at him over her shoulder. "I can stop him." She went back to typing. "I installed an obedience protocol in his system. If I can get these to work, we can shut him down."

Chase joined her in front of the shattered monitor. He could barely make out the image on the screen. "Why didn't you do that before?"

"He wasn't supposed to be like this," she told him, her voice cracking. A solitary tear slid down her face. "He was meant to be the best of us. Our savior. Years and years of work went into him." She wiped her face. "I thought I succeeded. I thought I created our final hope for peace in this world."

He scoffed. "Peace? You're kidding, right? You never wanted peace. You wanted control." He pointed out toward the destruction around them. "Look what you created?! You created a monster!"

"Don't you talk about him like that!"

Her piercing voice echoed throughout the flooding cavern. Chase stayed quiet, his gaze dropped to the floor. Even in the face of her own failure, she was still protecting him. He couldn't believe it.

"He'll be coming to stop me," the doctor continued.

Chase nodded. She was right. He would have to keep Orion off her until she managed to activate his obedience protocol. But he couldn't do it on his own. He had to find the others.

He scanned the dark sea around him. There was nothing but water and shadows. Now and then, a piece of shrapnel fell from the sky and dropped into the murky depths around him. But there was no sign of anyone. Not even Orion.

He scanned the water again for anyone breaking through the surface.

His eyes widened.

Swimming toward him was Andre. A barely conscious Emily was latched to his back. A massive weight floated off Chase's shoulders. He quickly jumped back into the water and helped Andre bring Emily ashore.

He swept Andre into a massive hug. "Wasn't sure I'd see you again, Big Guy."

Andre grinned. "Same here." His eyebrow raised once he spotted Dr. Johansson.

"She's trying to stop Orion," Chase told him. "I dunno how, but she says she has a way to do it."

"I hope so."

From the ground, Emily wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. Her teeth chattered as she tried to talk. "We...we were falling..." She had somehow managed to keep hold of both her bow and quiver—though, quite a few of the arrows were missing. "Something caught us. Slowed us down before we hit the water."

Andre looked back to Chase. They nodded at each other.

"Cassie."

That was the only explanation for why they survived the fall. Cassie was the only one capable of doing something like that. She had still been in the room when the floor gave way.

Chase's eyes widened. If Cassie saved them, that means she was down below with them. The girl was their best bet at defeating Orion. They needed to find her before he did.

"Have you seen her?" Chase asked.

Andre shook his head.

"What about the others? Stella? Theo? Victor?"

"We haven't seen anyone," Emily said. "We barely managed to find you."

As if right on cue, a puff of black and red materialized a few feet from the trio. Victor tumbled out of the cloud before falling to the ground. Blood covered his face, and his eyes were barely open. Cassie rolled out of his limp arms.

The trio rushed over to them.

"What happened?" Emily asked. "Are you alright?"

Victor pointed a trembling finger toward the water. "He's coming." His eyes closed and his head dropped to the ground.

Chase's stomach dropped.

Orion was hurtling toward them, his speeding body creating ripples in the dark water as he flew through the air. Even from where he was standing, he could see the malice in the Prime's golden eyes. He had rediscovered his javelin, the bronze tip catching the faint light streaming down from the sky.

"Get down!"

They all dove to the floor. 

Orion soared past them, his javelin narrowly missing Chase's body. The Prime skidded to a stop on their island. His expression was steely, and his eyes burned with enough fury to melt a glacier. He twirled his javelin in his head before attaching it to the holder built into his black and gold suit. His eyes moved past Chase and toward Dr. Johansson. He scowled.

The blond got back to his feet and activated his holo-shield.

He and Orion met eyes. The world around him slowed to a halt. His own ragged breathing filled his ears as they came to out a standstill.

Since the day Chase saw those golden eyes, he had been afraid. Terrified, even. Not many things scared him the way Orion did. The sheer power, the lack of morals and a conscience... He thought he had been invincible, untouchable. A true force to be reckoned with. No one had ever been able to truly hurt him before.

Not before Orion.

He shouldn't have been created. His mere existence was a threat to everyone. But he did. And he was going to kill them all if he didn't do something about it.

Chase remembered how shell-shocked he had been after the attack on The Haven. Not only had he let his team down, but he let himself down.

Not anymore.

Orion scared him. But that was okay. It was time he faced his fear.

He activated his holo-shield. The blue glare stung his eyes, the low hum of the hologram worming itself into his ears.

"This ends here."

"Yes," Orion said. "It does."

They both ran at each other, fists cocked back.

Chase slipped out the way of a punch before driving his fist into Orion's midsection. He put every ounce of strength he had into that hit. The Prime staggered backward, his hand snapping to the impact point. Seething, he came at Chase again.

He slammed a haymaker upon Chase's shield, shattering it into floating particles of light. The blue glow vanished. Darkness returned to the flooding cavern. Gulping, Chase lifted his fists. They were the only things that could save him now.

He preferred them anyways.

The two of them circled each other like sharks. This time, Chase struck first. A heavy right that sounded like a thunderstrike connected sweetly with Orion's chin. No blood, but it was clear the strike hurt him. Orion replied with a quick jab of his own. Chase sucked in a breath as pain flared through the bridge of his nose.

They took turns pummeling each other, their strikes echoing around them like a thunderstorm. Orion wrapped two strong arms around his midsection and wrestled him to the ground. All the air left Chase's lungs once his back hit the floor. Stars peppered his vision momentarily.

Orion prepared to drive his elbow down into Chase's face, but a sonic arrow from Emily threw him to the other side of the makeshift island.

"Thanks," Chase said between pants.

"No problem." She notched another arrow and prepared to fire. This time, Orion was ready. He snatched the shaft out the arrow and raced toward her.

She tried to run, but he was fast. Too fast. It was clear whatever Dr. Johansson had been doing in the lab before they showed up made him stronger than ever before.

In one swift motion, he grabbed her off the ground and pulled her to him. Then he drove to point of the arrow into her eye.

A bone-chilling scream ripped through the air. He dropped her to the floor. Writhing in pain, Emily clamped a hand over her swollen eye. Red rivers poured through her fingers, dripping down her pale hand.

Chase couldn't do anything but gawk with his mouth hung open.

"Emily!" Andre shouted. He shifted his skin to the concrete beneath his feet and charged at Orion. He unleashed a series of wild, angry punches but not a single one fazed the Prime. Andre backed off, his mouth slightly ajar and sweat trickling down his skin as he transformed back.

Orion flicked his hand toward Andre. A bolt of black energy—eerily similar to Cassie's abilities—sent him tumbling back into the water.

Chase's lips puckered as he glared at the man. Lifting his fists again, he prepared for round two. But Orion didn't charge. He didn't attack. He simply stood there, just a few feet away from a whimpering Emily and an unconscious Victor. Cassie remained by his side, her dark eyes wide with fear.

"When I was born," Orion began, "I was given a mission. Protect the people of this world. No matter the cost. My life was destined to be dedicated to you." The muscles in his face tense as he mulled over something. "Crime and Punishment."

"Huh?" Chase screwed his face at him. "What're you talking about."

"Crime and Punishment," he repeated. "Written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. A tale of a man who believes himself to be a 'superman', but is quite literally a normal man with too much pride. I studied that story, desperately searching for its meaning."

Chase stayed quiet. He wasn't much of a reader.

Orion glanced down at the Atlas logo stitched into the center of his suit. He ripped it off and studied the patch. "Atlas is run by crooked men with flawed morals and a broken view of the world." He glanced at Dr. Johansson. His eyes narrowed. She froze under his glare. "I was created by a woman with impure intentions. I was never meant to be a savior for all. Just for some."

Dr. Johansson turned around with tears in her eyes. "Orion, my love, you don't know what you're talking about." She left her post and limped over to him. She stopped inches away and lifted a hand to caress his face. "This...this isn't you. This isn't what I wanted you to be."

He snatched her hand before she could touch him. "What did you want me to be? A weapon? A pawn for Atlas and General North?" He shook his head. "I'm much more than that." He looked past her and at Cassie, who remained by Victor's side. "When you put me in touch with that child, I saw something. She's far more powerful than I could hope to be. She holds the power of the universe itself inside of her. I saw it. I felt it."

Chase stole a glance at Cassie. He knew exactly what Orion was talking about. He might not have fully understood the extent of the girl's abilities, but everyone could see she was special. He could feel it in the air when he was around her, in her words when she spoke.

She was the one.

"She showed me something," Orion said, his attention back on Dr. Johansson. "A danger is coming. I alone won't be able to stop it."

"You have to stop this," the doctor pleaded.

"I will," he promised her. "I will stop it all. For you." He lifted his head to look at everyone on the island. "For all of you."

Ice water replaced the blood in Chase's veins. He staggered backward. The terror in his chest crawled upward into his throat, wrapping its treacherous fingers around it until he couldn't breathe.

"You had big plans for me," Orion told the doctor. "And for my brothers and sisters. But they won't become the weapons you wished for them to be. They will become saviors. Guardians. Gods." He blinked. "Just like me."

"Orion, please—"

"I will carry out the mission," he said. "I promise."

She opened her mouth, but the words were stifled before they could come out. Orion had clamped his hand around her neck. It snapped in his fingers like a twig. The sound would haunt Chase for an eternity.

Her body hit the floor, blue eyes wide open.

"I will give you a choice, Sentinel." Orion looked to Chase. "Surrender now. Join me in making this world a better place."

"Or?"

He didn't answer.

Chase attempted to summon another holo-shield. As the blue disk began to form on the device attached to his wrist, it exploded in a puff of smoke and sparks. Grimacing, he tore it from his arm and threw it into the water.

A defeated sigh left his lips.

He stared directly into Orion's blazing eyes. A madness he had never seen before resided deep in his irises. Whatever sanity had been there before was gone.

Fighting him would be futile. But Chase didn't care. Someone had to stop him.

Cracking his knuckles, he got into a fighting stance. He ignored the pain and fatigue seeping through his muscles. Now wasn't the time to give up.

"Sorry, Orion. Can't do it. I hope you understand."

"I don't," he replied. "But I fear I'll never understand your kind."

The Prime retrieved his javelin from its holder and prepared to throw it. Chase prepared for the worst. Not many things could break his skin, but something told him a projectile thrown by him would do the trick.

A million different thoughts flooded through his head. Through the raging tempest in his mind, he latched onto a single one.

Stella.

He had no idea if she survived the fall. She had barely survived her bout with Orion. He cursed himself for not keeping their family together. She had been right all those years ago—they were stronger whole. He wished he had realized that before.

But it was too late now.

"I admire your strength, Sentinel," Orion told him. "I will not forget you."

The javelin left his hands. It twirled through the air like a lightning rod as it arced for Chase's chest. He sucked in a breath as he watched the point get closer.

It stopped centimeters away from his sternum.

A sparkling, black aura had enveloped the spear. His eyes widened.

Cassie, now on her feet, stood behind Orion with her hand outstretched. Her black hair fluttered around her like a cape. A dark look filled her eyes, which were fully black as she used her powers.

Orion spun on his heel, his eyes wide.

Cassie hovered into the air, debris particles and wind swirling beneath her bare feet. The same aura surrounding Orion's javelin encased her frail figure. A snarl curled her lips as she pointed at the golden-eyed Prime.

"You won't be hurting anyone, anymore." Her voice wasn't her own. At least, not entirely. It sounded like dozens of different voices were speaking all at once, using her body as a vessel.

"Amazing..." Orion marveled with wide eyes.

Cassie let out a deep yell as she stretched her arms out around her. Before her, a small, black circle—darker than anything Chase had ever seen before—materialized in the air. It grew by the second, quickly reaching a monstrous size.

Chase felt his body being drawn toward the spiraling sphere of dark energy. His heart skipped a beat upon realizing what it was.

A black hole.

Everything around them would be sucked inside within a matter of minutes. They had to get far, far away.

Cassie turned to Chase as she contained the rip in reality. "Get the others. Get as far away as you can."

"You can't control it," he told her. His feet slid across the concrete as the strength of her black hole increased.

"I can," she argued. "But now for long. You all need to go."

He shook his head. "I can't let you do this. It'll kill you."

"But it'll also kill him."

Orion had taken to the air, but the black hole prevented him from escaping the flood sublevel. He bellowed in pain as it brought him back down to earth.

"You have to go!" Cassie shouted. "Now!"

Tears sprung in Chase's eyes. He couldn't let her do this. He was supposed to protect her, keep her safe. Not let her sacrifice herself. But she was right. This was the only way they could stop Orion.

Sniffling, he nodded and ran over to Emily. She had one arm pressed firmly against her bleeding eye.

"Andre?" she asked him between cries.

Chase scanned the water. He didn't see him.

"C'mon," he told her. Scooping her from the ground, he threw her over his back before moving to where Victor was.

He wasn't unconscious anymore, but he didn't look to be in the best shape to move. The blood on his face had dried, causing his shaggy hair to stick to his wet skin.

"What's going on?" he slurred.

"No time," Chase answered. Tears spilled from his eyes. "Can you teleport?"

Victor tried lifting his head from the ground. A wounded cry left his throat. He shook his head.

Not good.

There was no way out if Victor couldn't teleport. The water was only going to keep rising and he couldn't find an exit.

He turned toward Cassie.

Orion had latched onto a metal pole to keep from getting sucked inside. With his free hand, he threw blasts of energy Cassie's way. She cried out as a few hit her body. The black hole shrunk in size as she dropped a hand to press it against her singed shoulder. Chase felt the gravitational pull of the black hole let up.

No...

"We have to help her," Emily said.

"I know."

But what could they do? They couldn't get too close, and they still needed to escape. Though, there would be no escaping if Orion managed to overpower the girl.

Pebbles from the cavern walls around them started to float through the air. Cracks riddled the rocky surface. A low groan from the pressure-filled the air. Chase gulped.

They didn't have much time.

"Go!" he heard Cassie shout. "I got this!"

Her black hole started to grow again. Chase grit his teeth as he focused on keeping his feet planted on the ground. He turned to Emily. "Into the water."

She nodded.

With Victor back to his feet, the three of them dropped into the water and began their swim to safety. Through the haze in the cavern, Chase could see the metal grates built into the rock wall that gave way to the base of the mountain range The Acropolis was built atop of. They were big enough for them to fit through. If they could reach them, they would be safe.

They just had to get there.

He hoped the others who fell with them managed to figure that out as well.

Chase and Emily frantically swam through the brisk water. Droplets lifted around them, suspended in the air like frozen tears. Had they not been about to die, he would've stopped to marvel at Cassie's powers. He didn't have that luxury.

"Come on," he muttered, water filling his mouth as he pushed himself further. "We gotta make it. We gotta." Emily was right behind him, one hand stifling the blood trickling from her eye and the other propelling her through the water.

Chase didn't see Victor.

He stopped and turned around, letting Emily swim past him. Victor had remained in the water a few paces behind them, his head pointed toward the island in the dark sea.

"Victor! We have to go!"

In the distance, he could see Orion charging at Cassie. With every attack he threw her way, her black hole decreased. She might've possessed an insane amount of raw power, but she wasn't trained. She wouldn't be able to both fend him off and charge up her attack.

Victor turned slightly toward Chase. The two of them locked eyes.

The message was clear.

"Think about Bella." Chase could feel his throat closing up.

"I am."

"You don't have to do this, Vic."

"You and I both know none of us are making it out of here if I don't."

They went silent.

"Take care of Bella for me, Sentinel," Victor told him. A wry smile played on his lips. "And my son too."

"Please..."

"See you on the other side."

It took everything within Chase to not break down in tears. Before he could continue arguing, Victor had already teleported away.

All he left behind was his familiar cloud of black and crimson particles.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Chase turned and swam away. He caught up with Emily, who was just approaching the grates at the end of the cavern. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Victor battling Orion.

He was conjuring up the same energy blast he used when he escaped The Acropolis half a decade ago. The explosion went off, dousing the walls in red light for a moment. Orion was flung away from Cassie. Exhausted, Victor dropped to his knees.

Chase watched through his tears as Cassie's black hole began to collapse in on itself. The walls around them began to break. The water rose in monstrous waves and crashed down around their island. The Acropolis was beginning to cave in. More debris from the vertical tunnel above dropped down.

He saw something crash down onto Orion. Clouds of dust and smoke filled the air. The waves of water continued to rise. Cassie rose above them all, her arms stretched out like an angel. Her black hole reached peak size, the energy within glowing with black light.

Then it exploded, sucking everything in its immediate vicinity inside.

Swallowing the massive lump in his throat, Chase turned away and he kept swimming.

And he kept swimming.

And he kept swimming.