twenty

Emily laid awake in bed, staring at the dark ceiling. Her ears listened to the soothing sound of the cold, post-midnight air rustling through the needles of the pine trees covering the mountain range The Acropolis hid inside of.

It was two o'clock in the morning. She wanted nothing more than for sleep to devour her body. But her mind was too active. Thoughts swirled around inside like a frantic storm. She kept coming back to one central question: why did he lie? That led her to believe Director Shaw had other plans for the confiscated Kismet shipment.

He told them they were retrieving machine parts. That wasn't the truth. Why did he want the Primonium? What use could he possibly have for it? And, more importantly, why didn't he just tell them. It was too much for her to comprehend. A slight headache ravaged her head. Grimacing, she rolled over in her bed and shoved her face into the cool side of her pillow.

This entire time she thought Atlas were the good guys. After all, they saved her and the others from Kismet. They were the ones trying to save the world. So why were they keeping secrets?

The images of the red liquid inside of the crates flashed across her vision. He wasn't destroying it. He very well could've been using it for research, but she didn't think that was the case. No. The man had a purpose for them. Emily needed to know that purpose was. Because if he was planning on using it, perhaps to create his own super soldiers, she would have to seriously question where her loyalties laid.

She wanted to trust Director Shaw. She really did, and she rarely put her trust in anyone. But now she wasn't sure. Apex's words echoed around her. She knew she shouldn't have been thinking about them, but she couldn't help it now. 

What if Kismet aren't the bad guys? The dangerous thoughts flooded into her mind, clouding her judgment. What if Atlas are just using us for our abilities.

She remembered what the Prime told her.

''We don't judge our brothers and sisters.''

Before, his words sounded cold and manipulative. But now? They almost sounded inviting. All she wanted was to be accepted. Kismet could've given her that. They could've offered her the opportunity to fully be herself without any repercussions.

She scowled. That's exactly what Apex wanted; he wanted to get into her head, for her to question herself and everything around her. She wouldn't let him win.

Tomorrow she'd learn the truth, even if she had to storm into Director Shaw's office herself and demand it from him. She desperately hoped he had a good explanation for his deceit. For both his and her sake.

#

''Good job with yesterday's mission,'' Director Shaw as he scanned over the mission report displayed on his computer screen. ''I had complete faith in you all. Keep that up and you'll become senior agents in no time.'' He adjusted his glasses and smiled at the six teenagers-turned-soldiers sitting in his office.

He sounded like a proud dad addressing his children after winning a basketball game. Emily watched the man, fishing for any subtle changes in his behavior. She was no therapist, but she was a decent judge of character. If he was lying or withholding anything, she'd most likely be able to tell.

''Yeah...,'' Chase said, his tone cold, distant even. He was doing a poor job of masking his suspicion. ''It was pretty routine.''

''Nothing out of the ordinary?'' the director inquired. He kept his gaze on the screen to his side. He then smiled at them. Emily and Chase shared a glance, worry crossing over their faces like shadows. Shaw was eerily calm; he didn't seem aware of their tampering with the Kismet shipment, even after Chase dented the lid of the container full of Primonium.

''Just asking so I can make any necessary edits to the mission report,'' the man added. ''It's procedure after coming back from a mission.''

''Nah, boss. Everything was fine,'' Oscar answered.

''You shoulda' seen it!" Theo exclaimed. He whizzed around the room, giggling like a child. He ended up on top of an unoccupied couch. ''It was amazing. I was like...zoom! Chase and Andre were like...pow! And Emily was like...hey, what sound do arrows make?'' He took a pause to use his inhaler.

''There were a ton of crates in that building, though,'' Chase said, ignoring his hyperactive friend. ''It got me thinking. Kane's machine must be huge if he's got that much equipment.''

Director Shaw nodded. ''If it's intended to spread the Primonium across the planet, I'd assume it would have to be of great size.''

''Are you sure that's what was in those crates?'' Emily interrogated.

This façade had gone on long enough. She needed answers. Now.

Director Shaw's forehead crinkled at her question. ''Is something wrong, Emily? You seem...upset.''

Chase cleared his throat while glaring at her from the corner of his eye. The look on his face screamed ''what the hell are you doing?''. She steadied herself. Normally, she'd heed one of his warnings but not this time. No. She needed answers.

''Depends on whether you're lying or not.'' She straightened her posture, her tongue sharp.

Director Shaw's entire shifted. It was like someone flipped a switch. His sharp features darkened, his mouth compressing into a tight, thin line. Everyone besides Chase cast the two of them strange glances.

''Emily, what are you talking about? What would he be lying about?" Stella questioned.

Emily shrugged. The director stared directly at her. His glasses did nothing to soften the blow of his harsh stare. Her stomach jumped. He really was lying to them.

Chase frowned. ''You sure you want to do this, Emily?''

Theo jumped down from the couch. ''Do what? What the heck is going on?'' Andre shrugged next to him. Everyone watched Emily intently, waiting for her to continue.

She wanted to be able to trust Director Shaw and Atlas if she was going to be working them. And the only way to be she could develop that trust was if the man provided her with a suitable explanation for his lies.

''There were bags of Primonium in one of those crates.''

He rubbed his chin. ''I see. And what led you to go snooping throughout the shipment?''

''We had a chat with your son yesterday,'' Chase admitted. ''He said you were lying about what was really in those boxes, so we went to go make sure.''

Stella frowned at both Emily and Chase. ''Why would you listen to a word that psycho said?'' She smiled weakly at Director Shaw. ''No offense.''

''None taken.''

''Well, crazy or not, he was right.'' Emily pointed at the director. ''Apex said you knew all along that there weren't machine parts in those containers. I didn't want to believe him, trust me, but what he was saying got us thinking.''

Seemingly irritated, Oscar threw his hands up. ''You're really going to let a confirmed psychopath turn you against the man who saved our lives?'' He stood up and gestured around the room. ''Seriously? These people have let us into this amazing facility, helped us control our powers, and gave us everything we asked for and you still don't trust them?'

Emily scowled. ''I'm just trying to make sure we're not making a mistake in trusting them.''

''What do you want to ask me, Emily?'' Director Shaw asked. ''You've obviously got something you want to say. So, go on. Ask.'' He was challenging her; testing her to see if she'd crack under pressure. Would she freeze up and drop the entire thing? No, she wouldn't do that. She had to see this through. She had to know for sure whether he could be trusted or not.

She eyed the man for a moment. What if he lied again? That was surely a possibility. After a long internal debate, she decided to just ask the question. After all, an answer was better than nothing. 

''Did you know that there would be Primonium in those crates?''

A long pause settled in the room. The tension thickened in the air like a thick gas; it was practically visible. The man removed his glasses, folded them, and sat them down on his glass desk. He huffed, almost laughing to himself. Emily's body filled to the brim with nervous energy. She feared if he didn't say something soon, she'd spontaneously combust.

Finally, he cleared his throat.

''Yes,'' he said. ''I did know.''

Emily's face fell. She blinked a few times processing—or trying to, at least—the information. The others gaped at the man. Some appeared to be shocked while the others quietly expressed their feelings of betrayal. Even Stella looked skeptical of the man's answer.

''I may be the CEO of this company but there are people above me,'' Director Shaw elaborated. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. ''I have orders just as you do. I don't decide everything that goes on. They wanted the Primonium intact.''

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

''Why not just tell us? Why lie?''

''They preferred it if I kept you in the dark. Less questions that way.'' He chuckled humorlessly. ''Looks like they were wrong about that.''

''Who's above you then?'' Andre asked. ''Can they be trusted?''

The man nodded. ''There is nothing to be worried about. My benefactors are good people. They just prefer their confidentiality.'' He exhaled and equipped his glasses. ''If it means anything, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I had no ill intent by deceiving you. I was just following orders. I hope you all understand.''

Emily noticed he hadn't answered Andre's question. Before he revealed he had superiors, she'd been under the impression he was fully in charge of Atlas. That apparently wasn't the case. He'd piqued her interest now. Who were these people he worked for? How could she be certain they weren't the real bad guys. As of right now, she wasn't sure what to believe.

But at the same time, he'd never given her a reason to question him. Oscar had been right earlier; Director Shaw displayed great kindness thus far. He could've easily had her and her friends experimented on and kept as lab rats. Had Kane gotten to them, that certainly would've been their fate. He and the Atlas agents saved them from that.

She couldn't help but wonder who Shaw worked for. They couldn't have been any worse than Kane, though. Kane was a monster. He was too engrossed in his delusions of a better world that he couldn't see he was on a course to destroy it.

Atlas couldn't have been too bad if they were trying to stop that.

''Well...this was interesting,'' Oscar said, breaking the chilling silence. He sent Emily an unimpressed glance. ''You done with your interrogation session, diabla?'' She flicked him off, earning a cheeky grin from the boy.

''Any other questions?'' Director Shaw asked.

No one spoke up. Emily got all the answers she needed—for now. She'd find out who were pulling the strings above Shaw's head later. In the time being, she'd dedicate her efforts to defeating Kismet and making sure they couldn't hurt anyone more people than they already had.

She turned her attention to the pine forest outside Winter was upon them, and with it came the snow. It decorated the verdant trees, covering everything in a glittering, white blanket. The burned in the afternoon sky above, its light reflecting off the wintery veil. It was cold. Unforgiving. Beautiful, even.

Director Shaw had lied to them. But he was just following orders. While she couldn't relate, as she had her own issues with abiding to any kind of authority, she understood. The man had more than just himself to think about. She was sure he simply did what he thought was best. He couldn't be blamed for that.

Still, she wasn't sure if she could trust him one-hundred percent. Only time would tell. For now, she'd fight in this war against Kane and Kismet. That was what mattered now. But after that was done, she wasn't sure what she'd do. She rested her chin on her palm, continuing to take in the sights outside the window.

Only time would tell.

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