The Nexxus Industries building clashed with the scenery around it. The place was sandwiched in the middle of grassland with forests and mountain ranges stretching across on either side. However, it looked like something that belonged in a metropolitan city. Glossy metal paneling had been constructed into the tall walls. Perfectly-shined window panes, making up most of the second and third floors, caught the faint sunlight lurking beyond the thick clouds.

Shielding his eyes from the glare, Oscar whistled. While he admired the lab before them, the others scouted the building for a way inside that didn't include using the front door.

The Atlas agents were no where to be found. He figured they already found a way inside. Either that or they were somewhere else around the building. He was sure they weren't in yet because Kismet already had the place on lock down.

Armed guards dressed in black and red were stationed in front of each visible entrance. Two stood next to the glass double doors near the front, a few more protected the garage-looking section of the base level, and the rest patrolled the perimeter, roof, and parking lot.

Red laser sights scanned the asphalt like beacons of death. Oscar shuddered as the image of his body getting lit up with bullets popped into his head.

''So,'' he said after a brief period of silence. ''Anyone got any ideas?''

Chase stood there rubbing his chin. He seemed to be too focused in finding an opening to answer the other boy's question.

''Yo!'' He waved a hand in front of his face. ''Earth to Blondie.''

Theo and Andre snickered.

Chase didn't seem to find it funny. He shook his head at Oscar. ''I don't see anything yet.''

''Looks like our friends haven't either,'' Emily said while pointing towards her right. Oscar followed her finger until his eyes landed on the Atlas agents lurking in the grass around the building. They were lucky the grass was tall, as their dark blue uniforms clashed with the greenery. Though, they were far away enough to not be spotted by the Kismet guards.

Stepping up next to Chase, he joined the others in looking for an alternate entryway. Every entrance was guarded. While they didn't have a view on the backside of the place, he was sure they were also being patrolled.

Behind him, Emily sighed. ''This is a waste of time. Why don't we just rush them? They won't see it coming.''

''That's a good idea,'' Stella said. ''If you want to get us killed, that is.''

The two of them glared at each other.

''Jeez, you two really need to settle your issues,'' Oscar mumbled. ''Seeing you two at each other's necks twenty-four-seven is starting to get annoying.'' The two girls directed their piercing stares towards him. He innocently raised his hands. ''I'm just saying what everyone else is feeling. Don't hate the messenger.''

Chase shrugged. ''He's got a point.''

''Whatever,'' Emily snapped. ''Anyways, I don't think we're gonna magically find an opening to get inside. Some force is going to be required.''

''Rushing in like headless chickens is not a good idea.''

They both turned to Chase, who sort of turned into their de-facto leader. He looked down at the both, a golden eyebrow raised as they awaited his input. Realizing they were waiting for him to say something, he smiled, embarrassed, and scratched the top of his head.

''Oh...uh...well,'' he began. ''You're both right, to be honest. There doesn't seem to be any way we can get in there without being noticed. But that doesn't mean we just run out there and hope for the best.''

''What do you suppose we do then?'' Theo asked. His bounced on his heels, his coffee-colored eyes darting inside their sockets like pinballs. Oscar knew the kid was always hyper but ever since he got his powers, it seemed to have only given him more energy.

''Well, we're going to need a distraction— ''

Before he could finish, Andre moved past them. They all froze. The big guy paid them all no mind as he emerged from their cover and towards the building.

''What the hell are you doing?'' Chase hissed.

He turned around, grinning, and said, ''you needed a distraction.'' He then reached down and touched the pavement. The asphalt seemed to be crawling up his skin like a symbiote. Within seconds, cracked pieces of cement covered the exposed portions of his body, including his face.

He looked like a huge, rock monster straight out of a comic book.

Even though Oscar knew his power allowed him to take on the properties of solid substances, it was still a sight to behold.

Within seconds of stepping out into the open, the Kismet guards spotted him. It would've been hard no to; he was a six-foot-eight giant with stone encasing his skin. He continued forward valiantly, his expression as stony as his body.

Everyone else remained out of sight as they watched him. Oscar's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he took in the sight.

''The cojones on this guy.''

''You there!'' a mercenary barked. The others in their area pointed their weapons at him. Multiple crimson lasers danced across Andre's chest. ''Stop right there!"

He didn't heed their warnings. In fact, he seemed to be picking up speed.

''What is he doing?" Stella whispered.

''I've got no clue,'' Oscar replied. ''But he looks like a freaking titan.''

The others watched on silently, a potent mixture of fear and anticipation on their faces.

''Last warning!''

Andre kept going.

Gunfire rang out in the cold air. Deafening cracks and pops echoed throughout the hills. Bursts of fire exploded from the barrels of the Kismet guard's guns. They all trained their weapons on the boy staggering towards them.

None of them even made a dent in his rocky skin.

The bullets crumpled and fell to the ground, the sound reminding Oscar of heavy rainfall.

''What the— ''

The mercenary was cut off by a huge shoulder being rammed into the chest. They were given a one-way ticket into the floor, courtesy of Air Andre.

Oscar turned to Chase. ''I thought you were the one with the unbreakable skin, Blondie.''

Chase scoffed. ''Yeah, so did I.''

''Shouldn't we be helping him?" Emily asked, readying her bow with an arrow. ''He won't be able to fight them all.''

Chase nodded. ''You're right.'' He faced the rest of the group. ''Keep your distance and find cover if you can. Call for help if you need it. Everyone got that?''

''Got it.''

''Good. Let's do this.''

They all simultaneously rushed into battle. Well, the others did. Oscar hung back a little. His heart felt like he'd just been injected with lethal levels of adrenaline. While he wanted to join his friends and help Andre fight off Kismet, something was holding him back.

He couldn't bring himself to use his fire. He barely called up it. When the others practiced controlling their abilities with Atlas' scientists, he struggled to convince himself to do the same. Whenever he tried to, the memory of his parent's death stabbed at his psyche.

But the others needed him. If they got hurt because he wouldn't help them, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. He already failed his parents; he couldn't fail his new friends too.

Letting out a shaky breath, he sprinted from his position.

The group of teenagers were using their element of surprise. Most of the guards were so focused on Andre that they didn't anticipate another attack from five other superpowered beings. And, with the support from the Atlas agents who made their presence known moments after, the mercenaries were beginning to drop like flies.

To his right, he watched Emily shot an arrow towards the roof. It sunk into the chest of a Kismet soldier, who yelped and fell, his gun firing into the air as he did so.

He kept running. He was headed to one of the armored trucks in the parking lot. A pair of guards raced after him, bullets zipping past him. Covering his head, he slid like a baseball player and pressed his back into the door of a truck.

Those years of playing t-ball as a kid were starting to pay off.

His chest heaving, he peaked around the vehicle to get a read on his assailants' locations. They had split, slowly converging on both sides of the truck. If he didn't move soon, he'd be turned into an Oscar-shaped slice of Swiss cheese.

''Puedo hacerlo, puedo hacerlo.''

The warmth curled up his hand like a snake. Glancing down, he spotted the budding flames coming from his palm. Soon, they were the size of baseballs. The guard to his left was the closest to him so that was who he went after first.

He launched the fireball into their chest. The flames expanded upon impact, causing them to drop the ground and roll around while they spread.

One down, one to go.

Spinning on his heel, he faced the other guard. They delivered a punch to his jaw, which sent him sprawling to the floor. Stars dotting his vision, he struggled to get back to his feet.

''Jeez, are you on 'roids or something?''

''I hate teenagers.'' The man pulled a pistol from his thigh and aimed it at Oscar's head. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he was tackled into the truck next to him. He'd been hit with so much force that the black metal dented.

He went unconscious almost immediately. At least Oscar hoped they were unconscious. He shuddered just thinking about the other possibility

''Thanks, Blondie.''

Rolling his eyes, Chase extended a hand towards the fire-wielder and helped him up. ''You alright?''

''Me?'' He dismissed the question with a wave of his hand and a nervous smile. ''Yeah, I'm fine, man. I had it all under control.''

''Yeah, I could tell.''

''Come on,'' he ordered. ''Atlas is taking care of the other guards. They left the entrance open.''

Oscar nodded. They bolted away from the firefight going on behind them and joined the others at the entrance to the lab. Theo held up a keycard he snagged from one of the unconscious guards slumped next to the door.

''Everyone ready?'' Chase asked.

They all nodded.

''Alright. Let's do this.''

No one was in the hallway when they stepped inside. Cold air swirled around the corridors, the low hum of an air conditioning unit filling Oscar's ears. The ceiling lights were bright like the sun but flickered every few seconds. After a few seconds, they cut out completely, shrouding the place in a veil of darkness.

''Stella, can we get some light?'' Chase asked.

She nodded and held her palm out. A small sphere of light floated above her hands, illuminating the hall. Shadows cascaded against the walls as they delved deeper into the Nexxus Industries lab.

The end of the hallway split off into two other directions while continuing forward.

His heart and mind racing, Oscar's hand snuck into the pocket of his suit. His fingers brushed against the cool metal of his lighter.

''What now?'' Theo asked.

''I have no idea,'' Oscar replied. He turned to Chase, who was surveying the three different corridors. ''You got a plan, Blondie?''

''Stop calling me that,'' Chase said. ''The rest of Kismet has got to be in here somewhere. They definitely know we're here, so we have to find them before they try to escape.''

''Maybe we should split up to cover more ground,'' Theo suggested.

Emily snorted. ''Haven't you watched any movies? Splitting up almost never ends well.''

Oscar nodded. ''I've seen enough movies to know that splitting up is a terrible idea.''

Theo's face fell. ''It was just a suggestion.''

''We're not splitting up. I take it we all can agree on that.'' Chase ran a hand over his face. ''Anyone got any other ideas?'' No one said responded. In order to drown out the awkward silence that manifested between them, Oscar pretended to be interested in the nondescript walls of the hallway.

''This is some interesting architecture,'' he mumbled.

''Just leave everything up to me, why don't you.''

As Chase worked on formulating a plan for the group, the sound of footsteps sounded down one of the halls. Oscar's eyes widened as he spotted shadows approaching along one of the walls from an adjacent hall.

Uh oh.

Theo was the first to react. He sped over to a wall that had a large metal grate on it. Luckily, it was just large enough for someone to crouch inside. The boy gestured for someone to help him remove it.

Chase quickly ripped the grate from its fixtures and whispered for everyone to climb inside. After they all successfully crawled into the exposed vent, Chase pulled the metal grill back into place, holding it there as a small squad of Kismet soldiers marched by.

The grid's slits were slanted in a way that only made them see-through from inside. As long as they stayed perfectly still and quiet, they wouldn't be spotted. At least, Oscar hoped they wouldn't be. Judging by the distant gunfire outside, they wouldn't be getting any reinforcements any time soon.

''Anything out there, Frost?'' a guard asked.

Oscar's eyebrow raised with curiosity. Frost?

A woman with platinum blond hair cascading down her shoulders stepped dangerously close to the covered ventilation shaft. Oscar noticed that she wore a slightly different getup to the standard Kismet mercenaries. While the base was the same, hers possessed a few extra armored plates. He remembered seeing Apex in an identical uniform a few weeks ago; the only difference was that his armor was scarlet and the woman's was the color of icy water.

Oscar figured the extra protection indicated their status. Apex seemed to be Kane's right-hand man. Perhaps this woman, Frost, was of a similar rank.

Her eyes were the same color as the armor decorating her chest and shoulders. She squinted at the ventilation shaft, almost as if she could see right through the metal grid.

But that couldn't have been possible. Right?

Oscar held his breath until he went blue in the face. His throat tightened when Frost got even closer. A wave of cold rushed over him as if he'd just jumped into a freezing lake. He shivered. The metal walls of the tunnel shuddered slightly as he moved.

''Captain?'' a guard asked.

Frost remained silent. Instead, she reached out with her hand and let her pale fingertips brush across the aluminum of the grate. The cool air that was tickling Oscar's skin grew colder as glittering ice crawled around the metal.

Woah.

He had not been expecting that. Director Shaw said that the only other Primes working with Kismet were Apex and Kane himself.

Frost flinched at the sound of her walky-talky blaring at her hip. Grumbling curses, she snatched the thing from its holster and pressed a button. Her frigid features were twisted in annoyance. ''What?'' Her voice was cold and unforgiving.

''Er...Captain, Apex needs you in the development room,'' a nervous voice crackled through the communication device. ''Now.'' Frost acknowledged the request and shut off the walky-talky.

She turned to the couple of armed guards around her. ''Come on.'' They nodded and continued their journey down the corridor.

Relieved, Oscar let out a deep breath and turned around to check on his friends. Panic pricked at his body when he didn't see them. He noticed that the ventilation shaft turned sharply to the right. Pursing his lips, he crawled down the small tunnel after them.

After sustaining multiple knee abrasions, Oscar found his group of friends stopped at the end of the metal burrow. They all were fixated upon the grate on the base that led into a brightly lit room.

''Thanks for leaving me behind back there— '' Oscar never got to finish, as Emily kicked out at him. Her foot caught him in the face, leaving it stinging but caused him to shut his mouth. Stella was a bit nicer about it and pressed a finger to her lips. She then pointed down. Wriggling past Andre and Theo, he tried to get a look at what they all were looking at.

Upon peering through the grid, he spotted a few people wearing yellow hazmat suits with the Nexxus Industries logo traveling down their backs. A couple of Kismet guards stood around the inside of the room, their guns held tightly in their meaty hands.

Oscar's hands clenched into fists against the metal floor of the vent once he saw Apex standing next to the Frost, their dark red and ice blue uniforms—respectively—contrasting. They spoke in hushed tones, their intense gazes focused on something Oscar couldn't see.

''What're they looking at?'' Oscar whispered. Stella shrugged.

''When will it be done?'' Apex asked a man who had the visor to his yellow hood raised. Terror encompassed their reddened face.

The man shuffled his feet. ''Well, sir, it won't be ready for a couple of weeks. Maybe more.''

Apex's crimson eyes flared like burning embers, though his expression didn't change. ''Kane can't wait that long. You need to speed up the process.''

''Sir, w-we don't have the money to accelerate development in such a way. If we take any more money out of the company's accounts for this project, people will begin to suspect—''

''Kane will provide your lab with the funds,'' Apex interjected. He unsheathed the crimson sword hanging from his hip, the noise grating Oscar's ears, and pressed it to the lab technician's throat. ''Get it done. Do whatever you have to do.''

''B-but w-we don't have—'' The man looked like he was going to wet himself on the spot.

Sneering, Apex pressed the tip of his blade further into the man's neck. If his hand slipped just a tad, the doctor would've found a slit in his throat. ''If you don't get it done...well, let's just say that you don't want to know what will happen if you don't.''

The Nexxus worker stuttered as he tried to issue a response.

Apex put his sword away and faced the exit of the room. ''Take me to the lab. Kane wanted a progress report on the other thing he has you working on.''

Oscar's eyebrows rose. He glanced at Andre, who was beside him. The guy seemed to be just as confused as he was.

''Yes, sir. If you'll just follow me.'' The man nervously stepped around Apex and began to lead everyone out of the room. The lights switched off as everyone exited.

The six teenagers hiding in the ventilation shaft above the room waited until the place was empty before descending from their hiding spot.

Someone turned the lights back on and Oscar's eyes widened as he stared at the behemoth of a machine located on the other side of the room.

''What the hell is that thing?'' Emily asked, stepping closer to it.

''Language,'' Stella chided. Emily scoffed and shot the girl a sideways glance.

Oscar laughed to himself at their exchange.

The machine before them was shaped like a cylinder with various clear tubes built into the sides. A black screen with a small keypad jutted out from one side, while gauges, buttons, levers, and knobs were installed on the other. The Nexxus Industries logo ran down the face of the large device in bold typeface. Though, the Kismet insignia overshadowed it.

''Well,'' Chase said, a large frown present on his chiseled face. ''This is interesting.''

Theo zipped around the contraption. ''It looks like some sort of bio-weapon,'' he revealed once he stopped to use his asthma pump.

Oscar opened his mouth to ask what the heck a bio-weapon was but never got to. The sound of footsteps approaching the room set off the alarms in his head. The others looked around at each other, trying to figure out what to do next.

Almost as if they all produced the same thought at the same exact time, they dispersed across the room and hid for what felt like the hundredth time that day.