False Gods | The Prime Archives #3 ✓

twenty-eight

"Landing in five minutes," Archie announced from the Dragonfly's cockpit. The sixteen-year-old had elected to co-pilot the aircraft with the help of the highly advanced autopilot system—a system he designed with other Atlas engineers years ago.

Chase had no clue how a child was able to create such complex technologies, but Archie wasn't a normal kid. Had he not known any better, he would've thought the boy was a Prime too.

"Back into your seats, everyone," Chase announced from his own.

The rest of the group, who had been sitting around the central table near the back of the aircraft, moved back into their seats and strapped in. Powerful winds whooshed around the walls of their ship as they quickly descended from the sky. Chase gripped his armrest as he felt gravity pulling him down.

He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. He had been expecting a softer landing.

"Sorry!" Archie yelled. "Still getting the hang of this!"

"Didn't he design the damn thing?" Emily grumbled. "How does he not know how it works?"

"I heard that!" Archie said. "I designed the autopilot, not the aircraft. I've got no clue on how to fly the thing."

Chase narrowed his eyes in the direction of the cockpit. "Then why'd you volunteer..."

"Shut up," Archie replied sharply.

Seconds later, the Dragonfly's wheels touched down. Through the front windshield, Chase noticed they had landed in a clearing in the middle of a pine forest. The trees loomed large over them, their expansive arms covered in leafy needles swaying in the morning breeze.

After unbuckling his seatbelt, Chase journeyed into the pilot's den. Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise over the snowy slopes in the distance. When they left Pearce Shaw's lakehouse, it had been approaching midnight. The flight from Thunder Bay to the mountain range The Acropolis was nestled in took about six hours, leaving them with little time to prepare for the day's mission.

"How far away are we from the tunnels?"

Seemingly ignoring the question, Archie typed something into the control panel in front of him. A live feed of the waterfall that housed The Acropolis' main hangar appeared on one of the dashboard's tiny screens. Archie typed something else and the image vanished. He turned to Chase.

"About a mile or two."

"What was all that?"

"I was checking to see if they sent any units out into the woods after us," he explained. "We're in the clear. For now."

Chase nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Good work." He shuffled out of the cockpit and joined the others at the back of the aircraft as they waited for Archie to let the rear door down.

Emily shouldered her bow and quiver. Her expression was stern, focused. Andre and Victor also looked locked in. This wasn't new to them. Dozens of missions had been carried out between them—on both sides of the law.

Isra was the only inexperienced member of the team.

She was pacing about the cabin, her hands pulling at the ends of her brown hair. Her tan skin was flushed red and her eyes wouldn't stop moving.

Chase placed a hand on her arm, stopping her. She lifted her head at him, her big, doe-like eyes staring into his.

"It's okay to be nervous," he told her. "It's your first mission. We've all been there before."

"I just...don't want to mess up."

He winked at her. "You're the luckiest one on the team. You couldn't mess up even if you tried."