J A X O N

As we walked through the valley, I couldn't help but acknowledge the sense of deja vu that washed over me. Just a few short months ago, we'd been nearing the fortress through the forest, expecting to see the ruins that Delphinium had created. I still hadn't forgotten the wave of helpless fear I'd felt when we saw the massive edifice looming in the distance, fully intact and ready for war.

But we weren't in the woods now. The seven of us trekked through a single valley that pierced the semi-flat plains surrounding the fortress. Far beyond the crater-like shape that Imperium's fortress was nestled in, the forest peeked over the cliff's edge.

The fortress itself could barely be seen in the distance; Hunt's men were having a standoff at one of the checkpoints for the trucks transporting in supplies. It was quiet so far, but I knew it wouldn't stay that way.

Then, a few gunshots rolled out over the area. They were a way off, but we were getting close. My hand tightened on the gun I was holding. No matter how tumultuous things were with Benny, the tension in our crew, or Gigi's descent into madness, our primary issue was with Imperium. At first, I'd been a bit skeptical of Delphinium's idea to come here, but now that we were getting so close, I could feel the thrumming in my veins that I often got before a fight. I loved it, loved the adrenaline, loved the uncertainty.

I glanced over my shoulder to the rest of my team. They were armed to the teeth: Kane with the two broken pieces his spear—which seemed to function like a normal metal sword, Jake holding a gun in each hand, the others carrying countless other knives, daggers and firearms. As usual, I carried my own arsenal of dangerous weaponry in my backpack. Even if the others didn't have enough munitions, I had enough of my own creations to rearm them several times over.

Facing forward again, I followed behind Delphinium, who led the group. She was marching through the canyon—with purpose and suppressed rage—like a queen leading an army, knives gleaming at her sides. I knew from her body language that she was ready for this, maybe even more ready than the rest of us. It was clear that she wanted it more than anyone else.

Another few shots rang out, much closer this time. We all tensed at the sound of staggering footsteps above the ravine before a body careened over the side and fell into the middle of our group with a thud. It was a soldier bearing the symbol of the ONNT—one of Hunt's men.

"He's already dead," Arlo told us in a low voice. As soon as he'd finished talking, a series of gunshots began to fire out again. The two groups were at war once again. We had to get there before there was no one left to save.

Ahead of me, Delphinium slipped out her daggers as we ran up the hill that would bring us to the outpost we were seeking. I pulled out a gun of my own making from my backpack without breaking my eye contact with the checkpoint that was coming more and more into view. There were two smaller buildings on either side of the road. Between the two, in the distance, stood the pale outline of the massive fortress. Bodies lay everywhere, mostly fallen ONNT soldiers. The gunshots were coming from one side, but from the angle we were at, I could only see a few Imperium agents. They hadn't caught a glimpse of us yet.

The gunshots became more frenzied, like the shooters inside the building were getting desperate. We rounded the building, soft and stealthy as mice.

There, surrounding one side of the outpost, was a group of Imperium operatives—recognizable by their black and gold accented attire. There were too many to count, but the ONNT soldiers had shot down a good amount, seeing the dead bodies that littered the ground. But it was obvious that they would eventually win; Imperium had the superior weapons, soldiers and the upper hand.

We'd come at the perfect time. As soon as the fight came into view, another Imperium truck pulled up and a flood of dark soldiers exited from it. It appeared to be all Imperium needed to extinguish the rest of the ONNT soldiers still alive in the building.

Delphinium didn't waste any time. She ran for her old comrades, brandishing her daggers and her mental power. Giving a half-shrug, I followed her, beginning to open fire on anything gold and black. Before they could get a glimpse at who was shooting at them, I rippled out of view, completely invisible.

Kane launched his spears at such a high velocity that the two bodies they impaled were thrown back and stuck into the ground. Only after we'd made a dramatic appearance did Imperium begin to fight back, opening fire on our whole group. The ONNT soldiers returned their aggression with some bullets of their own. I added to the deafening ruckus, taking out targets left and right. Kane flipped the Imperium truck over, sending it flying into several of their men. Though no one could see it, I couldn't hold back the smile on my face. This was my element. I thrived in it.

I flipped my backpack off my shoulder and riffled through its contents before I found what I'd been seeking. Making sure to stay away from where Delphinium was locked in rapid combat with three different soldiers, I lobbed the metal balls into the Imperium army. The second they hit the ground, spires of glowing electricity shot out and electrocuted the nearby men.

As I took a second to admire the lethal beauty of my creations, something hit me in the back. I stumbled and fell, losing my concentration and becoming visible again. I looked over my shoulder. Apparently, an Imperium soldier had seen me throw the weapons, watched them come from an invisible source. From there, he must have made a guess as to where I was. He still stood behind me, advancing with a shining knife in his gloved hand.

I scrambled to my feet. He wouldn't kill me. My gun had flown out of my hand from the unexpected impact, but I still had my bag full of weaponry.

He took a few swipes at me, trying to push me closer to the army of his brethren. I dodged them but didn't move back. The soldier would have to fight me one-on-one.

Another swing of the knife and he clipped my lower chest. I didn't have to look down to know that it was nothing more than a scratch. I waited until he was mid-swing to drop down and sweep his legs out from under him. It was a trick that I'd seen many street fighters pull. It worked. He stumbled to the dirt floor, but swiped his knife outward one more time. My leg burned with sparking pain.

I didn't have time to check my newest injury. Again, I disappeared from view. I couldn't see the soldier's face because of the dark facial covers they all wore, but I saw his head move from side to side as he looked for any clue of my location. He was confused.

That could be used to my advantage. Aware of how my fast, ungrateful footfalls would kick up dirt, I ran to the side. Another soldier saw it and shot at the place I'd been only a split second before. The warmth of the bullet brushed my skin. Imperium had evidently trained their soldiers to be very, very good.

It was a pity for them that I was better.

The first soldier was up again, searching for where I'd disappeared to. The sun caught his blade. I lunged forward and kicked him in the back. His arm instinctively swung back and I snatched his knife hand. The blade fell into my hand and I took no time to stab it into his back. I was already running for more soldiers by the time the body fell face-first into the dirt.

After picking up the gun I'd dropped earlier, I joined the thick of the battle. Soldiers fell as I gunned and knifed them down. I hadn't stopped running since I'd taken out the first man. My heart pounded in my ears, a reminder that I needed to keep going. I wasn't even sure if the sweat and blood running down my arms and legs was all mine. Adrenaline made me forget about my wounds. The smile remained on my face. I was unstoppable.

I surveyed the chaotic battlefield around me, trying to gauge which of my teammates most needed my help. Delphinium was a killing machine; bleeding bodies of her victims lay in a trail behind her. Not far away was Jake, lazily sending icicle after icicle into the hearts of soldiers that stupidly ran toward him. Kane had somehow retrieved his broken spears and was fighting through the onslaught of Imperium operatives with them. Finn and Arlo were nowhere to be seen; I could only assume they were in the building with the ONNT soldiers. Or...I'd been there with them when we blew up the weapons factory and seen how they'd flirted...

Closest to where I stood was Riley, who was locked in combat with a soldier nearly twice her height. Surprisingly—given their significant size difference, Riley was holding her own. I knew that she wasn't as gifted with knifes or guns as the rest of us, but her snaking vines were beginning to hold the soldier down to the ground. That was—until he sliced through them with a sword and lunged for her.

I moved into action. Holding the gun out before me, I shot him twice through the abdomen and once I reached them, stabbed him through the back for good measure. Riley had to scramble out of the way to avoid being crushed by the falling body.

"Jaxon!" She yelled, her head turning both ways to search for where I stood. "I had him!"

I gave a scoff to convey to her that I thought she clearly did not. She gave me an eye roll before turning and going to fight another enemy.

ONNT soldiers burst out of the checkpoint building, our distraction enough to pull the Imperium army's attention—and gunfire—away from them. Arlo and Finn led them, flames bursting forth from the latter's hands to clear a safe pathway out. The tides of the battle were turned as Hunt's men were no longer trapped. When the surviving soldiers joined the fight, the energy and bloodlust of our side resurged.

With a guttural scream, Delphinium shattered all the windows of the two buildings and sent the shards streaking into the remaining Imperium soldiers. Her head held high, Riley watched from a distance as several vultures swooped down and clawed the men to shreds. Using my gun, I picked off the rest of the men.

Soon, there was only one soldier still standing. He ran for Delphinium, screaming, "Traitor!" just like Benny had the last time we were here. But this time, she was ready. We all watched on as she sidestepped the first rapid lashes of his swords and caught the blades on her own. Twisting her blades around the agent's hands, she made him drop his two swords and face her weaponless. She grabbed the man tightly around the throat with one hand and turned so they could both look at the two buildings.

She snapped her fingers. With a rumbling seeming to come from deep within the earth, the two buildings shook and then crumbled to pieces. "Do you see what a traitor can do?" She snarled to the slowly asphyxiating soldier. "Do you see what happens when you make an enemy out of me?" Waving her hand in a sweeping motion, she gestured to the dead bodies littering the place. The dirt was soaked red with blood.

Delphinium turned to point toward the fortress in the hazy distance. "That's your home. Your only solace." Her hand dropped and her voice turned to steel. "You should be thanking God that you won't be alive long enough to watch me destroy it with my bare hands." With that, she dragged her blade across the soldier's throat and let him fall at her feet.

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The car ride back to the small airport we'd flown into was, for once, not as quiet and awkward as the last few had been. Delphinium and Kane still weren't speaking to each other, but at least the others were being a bit more talkative.

"Mr. Hunt called us four times," Finn said, looking down at his phone. I had no idea how he hadn't lost it during the fight.

"What the hell could he want? We already saved their men." The rest of Hunt's soldiers—after thanking us profusely for saving their asses—had parted ways with us and gone back to the military planes they'd arrived here in.

"I'll call him back once we get to the airport," Finn decided, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "It can't possibly be anything bad, right?"

"Knowing our luck?" Arlo said, giving Finn a deadpan look. "We count ourselves lucky if our lives aren't threatened once a day."

We got out of the car and began walking toward Hunt's plane that we'd arrived in. The team was in high hopes now that we'd taken out a small part of Imperium's army. They were getting along more than they had been lately.

At least, until Riley stopped in her tracks, her face as white as a sheet. "Oh, God."

I followed her gaze and saw who was standing off to the side. My heart plummeted.

There, feet firmly planted between us and the plane, was Benny.