Once the three boys got suited up, they made their way to the hangar to go after Kismet. Archie made sure the jet they'd be using was loaded with the coordinates of the terrorist's last known location. They'd just passed through the Oregon border and were headed southbound. Though, it was unknown if they were still moving in that direction. The tracker had been shut off, presumably destroyed, seconds after the boy genius reactivated it.

Oscar's stomach felt like an Amish person was churning butter inside it. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, which he had to wipe away every couple seconds. He didn't know if he had what it took to pull this off. It was just him, Theo, and Andre on this mission. None of them were experienced fighters. Theo usually just ran around punching people and Andre didn't have the most sophisticated of approaches when it came to taking on bad guys.

As for himself, he barely scraped by during combat training. He had the lowest marks out of everyone in the team. Chase, Emily, and Stella were the leading members of their squad. But none of them were available.

It was time for the B-team to step up.

He clicked the top off his silver lighter while staring out the window of the jet. Fluffy clouds passed over the hull of the aircraft, obscuring the sky as they sliced through it. The sun was beginning to set. Slashes of orange, gold, and purple painted the atmosphere. They were running out of time. If they didn't get to Kismet soon, they would vanish like they always did.

He couldn't let that happen.

The jet ride was going by faster than he expected, which did nothing to ease his growing anxiety. His heart skipped a beat when P.A.I announced they were just ten minutes outside of San Francisco. A mountainous peninsula stretched into a glimmering strait of water. Oscar's eyes lit up upon spotting the Golden Gate Bridge stretching out from the edge of the peninsula.

The famous structure was truly a sight to behold. It reminded him of a giant, wingless dragon. The thing went on for what seemed like miles. Tall spires of orange-painted steel reached for the sky. Thick suspension cords extended from the metal pillars, supporting the entire structure. Hundreds of vehicles passed over the bridge, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

''I think I see them,'' Andre said from the cockpit. Theo zipped over to him while Oscar jogged. They gazed out the front window to see two black blobs speeding towards the bridge. Squinting, he realized they were trucks. Armored trucks.

Andre was right. It was Kismet.

They seemed to have ditched the helicopter for Jeeps, most likely to help them blend in with the regular traffic. Though, their driving technique made them stick out like a sore thumb. It made Oscar wonder how any of them got their licenses. He then realized they probably didn't. They were criminals after all.

A silly image of the mercenaries waiting in line at the DMV to take their picture crossed his distressed mind. He let out a breath through his nose.

''You guys ready for this?''

Theo nodded while taking a puff from his inhaler. ''As ready as I'll ever be.''

The pilot of the jet informed them that they'd be taking the jet to the other side of the bridge and dropping them off there. That way, they could intercept the trucks before they managed to enter the city.

Oscar's eyes bulged when the aircraft shifted to the side. His back crashed into a nearby wall and reached up for a handhold on the city for balance. Rubbing his back, he scowled at the pilot. ''A heads-up next time would be nice.''

''Sorry 'bout that, Fuego.''

''Yeah, yeah.''

In a matter of seconds, they arrived on the other end of the suspension bridge. Drivers and passengers alike looked up at the jet hovering above them, their mouths agape and their eyes wide. If they didn't start paying attention to the road, they'd start crashing into each other.

''P.A.I,'' Oscar said, ''alert the San Francisco police department of the situation.''

''Of course.''

Oscar moved over the rear end of the jet, using the seats to propel him forward. Through the windows next to him, he spotted the Kismet trucks enter the bridge. They bumbled through the traffic, swatting cars to the side like bees. He rubbed the lighter in his pocket and prayed for good luck.

''Let's do this.''

The back entrance to the jet opened, the ramp extending. They were about ten feet in the air. He gulped, wind whipping at his face as he contemplated the drop. It'd surely break his ankles if he jumped. He brushed his curls out his face as he tried working out a way to get down.

Behind him, Andre's fingers pressed against the metal wall. The material crawled up his skin, covering it in a matter of seconds. He then swept Oscar off his feet, carrying him as if they'd just gotten married, and leaped out of the jet.

He held onto the boy for dear life for the entire five-second descent, screaming the whole way down. Andre's heavy feet cracked the pavement upon impact. He then released Oscar, who struggled to gain his footing.

Shortly after, Theo joined them on the bridge. Cars swerved around them, honking their horns as they went by. Oscar simply ignored them.

The armored vehicles were in the center of the bridge. People had exited their cars and darted to the sidewalk for safety. The sound of metal crunching, horns blaring, and tires screeching stabbed at his eardrums. Oscar shook his arms out, trying to relieve the tension building in his body.

''Theo,'' he said, turning to the speedster. ''You mind getting a head start for us? We need to stop them from getting back here.''

He nodded. ''On it.'' He was gone shortly after, weaving between parked cars at the speed of light. Oscar faced Andre.

''You mind playing some defense, A-Dog?''

''Are you seriously going to call me that?''

''What? You prefer Titan?''

Andre smiled. ''Actually, I do.''

Oscar rolled his eyes. ''Okay, Titan. Well, I'm gonna need you to hang back here in case they do make it past us. You're the strongest and the only one capable of stopping a speeding vehicle.''

''Got it.'' The two of them bumped each other's fists. ''Wait, what're you doing?''

He grinned. ''I'm gonna light some shit up.'' He took off sprinting towards the Kismet trucks, his hands swirling with burning flames. The lines on his black suit pulsed brightly with orange light.

Bullets broke the air, eliciting the screams of the civilians on the overpass. Oscar immediately took cover. Peaking through an opened car door's window, he spotted mercenaries hopping out the two trucks and advancing forward. They fired their weapons at Theo, who sped around them like a pesky fly.

He capitalized on their distraction and hurled a fireball in their direction before diving behind an abandoned SUV. The men yelled and shot at him. He ducked as the projectiles said overhead.

My turn, pendejos.

He willed his fire to swirl around his forearms. It was a trick he'd been practicing during training. Once he'd conjured a suitable amount of flames, he revealed himself. The mercenaries were sticking new clips into their rifles. Tiny flames eclipsed his irises. Before they could finish reloading, he pointed his arms at them.

Swaths of blistering flames spiraled towards them, charging the air as they went. The soldiers tried to move but they couldn't escape his wrath. The fiery blasts spread across the pavement, nearby vehicles, and the soldiers' uniforms. Fortunately, Oscar didn't have to worry about hurting any civilians as most cleared out from the area when the fight first started.

He moved forward, preparing to finish the job. His confidence faltered when his flames died. It was like someone snapped their fingers and eradicated them. An icy breeze passed over his skin. His heart jumped into his throat.

It was Frost.

The woman strolled through a gap between to cars. Shards of ice filled one hand while the other doused the flames crawling across the floor beneath her. Her was expressionless but a malevolent glint filled her cold eyes.

Oscar shivered but managed to keep up his false bravado. ''We meet again, Frosty.''

''This time,'' she said. ''You won't make it out alive.''

A barrage of ice-knives hurtled towards his head. Yelping, he dove to the side. Popping up onto his feet, he ran along the edge of the bridge to try and flank her. She must've anticipated this, as she continued firing blades of frozen water at him. One sliced through the mesh of his suit, nicking his skin.

Sucking in a breath, he dropped behind a pickup truck and held his bleeding arm. He examined the wound. It wasn't deep; he'd live.

''Get the Shaw's out of here,'' he heard Frost yell to her soldiers. ''Lycan and I will deal with these insects.''

Lycan?

As if one cue, the beast of a man leaped over his position and bounded over to Andre. He'd took on his wolf-human hybrid form again, his fanged teeth gnashing at the air as he hopped over empty vehicles. Andre, whose skin now resembled the stone beneath his feet, held his ground. The two engaged in a thunderous battle, delivering heavy blows that could be heard across the bridge.

In a matter of seconds, Frost and two Kismet soldiers were upon him. The guards fired their weapons, but he was already gone. They were no longer his priority. He needed to stop the Shaw siblings from leaving.

He approached one of the two armored Jeeps. They'd stopped moving, as the traffic build up was too dense for them to power through. His face fell when he spotted Victoria in the back of one of the vehicles. Apex sat beside her.

The man saw him too and disappeared, only to re-emerge on top of a nearby car. He gripped his blood red katana tightly. Replacing his Atlas-issued jumpsuit was his Kismet armor; the scarlet plating reflecting the harsh sunlight.

''Victoria told me about you.''

Oscar fought off a smile. ''She did?''

Apex rolled his eyes. ''Yeah. She told me you're incredibly annoying.''

He furrowed his brows, pursing his lips. ''Yeah, well, you're both evil.'' He directed a volley of fireballs at the Prime, which he dodged by teleporting to another car. He sat cross-legged on a four-door sedan, yawning.

''You really do suck. You'd think someone with fire powers would actually know how to use them.''

Oscar's mouth twisted into a sneer. His blood boiled and his air around his doubled in temperature. Heat waves vibrated around him, the warmth tickling his own skin. Apex, noticing the phenomenon, tilted his hand curiously.

Yelling, Oscar slammed his hands onto the asphalt. His battle instincts had taken over. Flames spread from his palms before shooting skywards like geysers. One launched the car Apex sat on into the air. It tore through a few suspension cords before dropping into the water below.

Apex teleported again. He stood on the pavement, his breathing labored. His constant jumping was beginning to take its toll. ''Not bad. Not bad at all.''

''You ain't seen nothing yet.''

It was time for him to pull out the big guns. He had one more trick he'd been practicing. He called it the Fire Grenade—the name really said it all.

Pressing his fingertips together, he conjured a sphere of fire and pressed it into itself. The flames swirled within each other as he packed them into a compact ball. Grunting, he cocked his arm back and threw it at Apex.

The man stared at the ground as the fiery sphere rolled near his feet. The two of them waited for it to explode but it never did. It just flopped around on the street like a fish out of water. Oscar's face fell.

''That's not supposed to happen.''

Apex laughed. ''That was cute.''

Scowling, he caught the man off-guard by lobbing a fireball into his chest. He went crashing into a van behind him. Oscar didn't let up. He fired blast after blast at the man, making sure he couldn't muster up the strength needed to teleport away. Eventually, he had him pinned against the door of a pizza delivery car. Apex was on the backfoot now. It was time to end this.

Memories of his meltdown in Calgary and during his first simulation battle popped into his brain. He'd been too weak to do what needed to be done then. But he couldn't let that happen now. People were depending on him.

He took a deep breath.

Charging his fist with red-hot fire, he held it back and stepped up to Apex. The man coughed, smoke rolling off his suit. Sweat glistened off his pale skin.

''You think you've got what it takes?'' he croaked. He let out a dry laugh.

Oscar remained tight-lipped. He urged his mind to be clear of any thoughts. He couldn't allow himself to get distracted.

''Go on then,'' Apex continued. Bearing his teeth, he craned his neck forward. ''Do it.''

He surged forward but he could already feel his courage leaving him.

''Do it!"

He froze. His fist quivered.

Could he do it? Was he capable of intentionally taking someone's life? If he did, it would make him no better than them. He was supposed to be the hero, not the villain. Heroes saved lives. But here he was, contemplating whether he should take one.

He could already hear his mother condemning him. What would she think of her mijo? He couldn't become a murderer. Not even if he was extinguishing a threat like Victor Shaw.

The man before him chuckled, yanking him from his thoughts. Hanging his head, Oscar dropped his hand, his flames dying along with his nerve.

Apex shook his head in disappointment and rose from the floor. ''Pathetic.'' He then brought his hands together as if he were clapping. Oscar reached for the man, albeit in vain.

A flash of red blinded him. He raised his arm to shield his eyes. A deafening crack sounded shortly after, followed by a burst of energy. He was thrown off his feet and sent crashing into a vehicle. A sickening crunch filled his ears as he collapsed, pain flaring throughout his body.

More screams rang out. Fires crackled around him. He hadn't caused them, not this time.

Through his blurred vision, he spotted the huge patch of pavement that'd been scorched by Apex's attack. Part of the ground had been blown away, holes and gaps giving way to the sea below. Vehicles rested upside-down or on their sides, gasoline leaking onto the concrete. A few cars had crashed through the side barriers and were teetering towards the water. Bodies littered the ground. Most weren't moving.

A sob bubbled in Oscar's bloody mouth. The metallic taste overwhelmed his senses, which distracted by the agony plaguing his body.

Shapes and bright colors bobbed around him as he began to fade in and out of consciousness. Sirens pierced the air behind him. Above him, the jarring chopping of helicopter blades could be heard. Someone called out his name. He tried yelling back, to let him know he was alive, but he couldn't. His voice wouldn't work.

Tears streamed down his ashen cheeks. The pain began to swallow him whole, the sensation exploding in his brain like illegal fireworks. He glanced down and noticed the tears and holes in his battle suit. Parts of his flesh were bleeding. His muscles felt like they were molten lava bubbling underneath his skin.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fainted, the cold darkness embracing him.

Oscar shot up from the ground with a start. His warm was a slick with sweat.

Upon taking in his surroundings, he realized he wasn't on the ground. He wasn't even on the Golden Gate Bridge anymore. He found himself on a hospital bed in the infirmary. A few other Atlas agents, including Chase and Emily, occupied a few of the others. Nurses and doctors walked around, holding glass clipboards as they assessed their patients.

He swung a leg over the side of his bed and immediately regretted it. His back felt like Chase took a couple swings at it with a sledgehammer. Pain shot down his spine and lingered around his lumbar region. Wincing, he held the small of his back like an elderly man.

''Puta madre.''

Apex's red eyes flickered in his mind, taunting and goading him. The man's sinister laughed echoed through his head. A scowl pulled at his lips. After the explosion he caused on the bridge, he disappeared—likely taking Victoria and his accomplices with him. There was no way Theo and Andre could've held them on their own.

Oscar gripped the railing bordering his bed. He let them get away. His weakness gave Apex the opportunity to make his move. His weakness got himself hurt. It got people killed. He suddenly felt the need to vomit. All those lives claimed by the energy blast? They were on him.

He tried his best to do it. He really did. But something within him prevented him from making the decision to end Apex. Maybe he'd gotten in his head. Or maybe the man was right. Maybe he really was pathetic. His shoulders slumped as he let out a deep sigh.

''Keep it down, will you?'' Emily hissed from her bed. She was rubbing her bruised neck absentmindedly as she stared in the other direction.

He was still surprised she hadn't left the infirmary yet. She hadn't sustained any major injuries, save for a few busted blood vessels around her throat. Then again, there was no other place for her to be. Atlas was still working on securing the base while regrouping. Everyone was still trying to get to grips with the day's earlier attack.

''How's your neck?'' he asked her.

She huffed. ''It's fine.''

The two of them sat there for a moment, listening to the shallow and ragged breaths of the recovering Atlas agents around them. Oscar didn't know what to say. He couldn't push his failures out of his mind. He had the chance to stop Apex and he didn't. Now Kismet was gone. And he was to blame.

''I heard what happened on the bridge,'' a groggy voice said from beside him.

He froze. It was Chase. He was awake, which was a miracle in itself. His wounds also seemed to have been healing at a rapid pace, as his eyes didn't look like they'd been attacked by a swarm of wasps anymore.

The blond sat up in his bed rubbing his face.

''Don't remind me,'' Oscar grumbled. He brought him knees to his chest and hid his face between them.

''You hesitated again, didn't you?'' Chase said. It sounded more like a statement than a question. Oscar kept quiet. ''You can't keep putting us in danger like this. You're going to have to step up sooner or later.''

He grit his teeth and faced him. ''Everyone's not a soldier like you, amigo. I'm not cut out for...for whatever it is we're supposed to be doing.''

Chase narrowed his eyes and shook his head. ''We have a responsibility— ''

''Screw that, man!" Oscar kissed his teeth. ''You don't know what it's like to be afraid of yourself. Of what you can do. My parents died in a fire and I have fire powers. Do you realize how fucked up that is?''

''Oscar, I— ''

''No, you don't,'' he continued. ''You don't take other people's feelings into account, Chase. All you know is results, results, results.'' He wiped the angry tears from his cheeks. ''I can't kill people, man. Even people like Apex. I just...I can't, man.''

''You done bitching yet?'' Emily quipped from her bed.

He raised his middle finger at her, keeping his head down.

''Oscar,'' Chase said. ''Look...you're right. I can be a little insensitive. I guess I didn't realize that before. Everyone didn't grow up like me and I'm starting to realize that. I didn't mean to upset you, honestly. It's just that if we don't stop Kismet, more people will die. All the Atlas agents who've given their lives to stop them will have been in vain. I can't let that happen.''

Oscar didn't say anything after that. The guy was right, even though he didn't want to admit it. They did have a responsibility to take down Kismet and stop their nefarious plan. But there had to be a way to do it without taking a life. There just had to be.

Belief was fleeting fast, though. Perhaps the only way to defeat the monsters was to become one himself.

''Well,'' Emily said, ''that was melodramatic. You two done? I wanna get another nap in.''

''Yeah,'' Oscar replied, his voice sullen. A defeated expression rested on his face. He laid back down on his bed as the aches across his body became too much to bear. He wished for sleep to take him again. ''We're done.''