Elites Chapter III: New Empire Rising

XXXII

South Mediterranean Sea
July 31st, 2018
9:42pm Local Time
After being on the sub for over a full day, Stone and the others were rearing for a good fight. "To think, after two years of searching, fighting, and losing we're about to waltz right into Endgame's biggest stronghold. No matter how it turns out, this is the end for me." Robert said calmly. Sam asked "So you're thinking of walking away?" Rob only lay against the wall of the submarine, his silence speaking a thousand words. "You can't just leave. They need you more than you know. There's still bad people out there." Robert looked up, calmly replying "After Endgame is gone, there won't be much need for all of us. With the second team being planned, We won't be needed worldwide. Jay and the others, they'll get around just fine without me." "And what makes you say that? The fact that maybe you don't get the girl?" Sam replied sharply. She was clearly losing her patience. Rob replied "Because they'll have you. Your mind will be their greatest asset, and Amber already holds my power. They won't need me." Sam froze in her steps, and sat down right beside Robert at a loss for words. After a moment, she broke her silence, asking "So what will you do next?" Robert responded "Once Endgame is gone, I'll sit, and watch the sun rise on a peaceful world. I'll witness not only the end of an era, but a new beginning." Sam replied "Sounds peaceful..."
August 1st, 2018
4:37am Local Time
Everyone was asleep when the proximity alarms on the sub were triggered. "This is it." Stone muttered under his breath. "Alright, everyone look alive. We're going in. Silicon, broadcast our docking codes."
Only minutes later, Sam noticed lights through the cockpit. The sub passed over the dropoff and was towered over by a massive fortress. "I always hoped I'd get to discover Atlantis." Sam said "I thought it would be bigger, and grander." The sub continued to power towards the West Wall of Atlantis. The lights grew brighter as they were closing in on the lion's den. Suddenly, part of the wall opened up in front of the sub. Water rushed into the new cavity, and the sub was pulled in with the current. After only a few seconds, the submarine was inside of Atlantis. Through the murky waters Stone could make out a pair of rails the Sub started riding along, as well as a dock that was sliding out to meet them. The gate quickly shut behind them, locking the Elites in a tank. The water was quickly drained below the dock, and the submarine was suspended by the rails. With more soldiers preparing to board, they needed a fast escape route. Stone pulled up a panel in the floor, and saw a dark pool of water below him. He ushered everyone into the water, and jumped in behind them as the panel closed. As the panel closed, soldiers began boarding the sub, prepared to move on to their next target.
Below the Sub, Stone was rapidly searching for a way. He pressed his hand against the metal floor of the hangar, and sensed a current pulling water out of the pool. He swam over, slowly running out of oxygen. His right arm deployed a sharp edge, and he cut through the screws and pulled the vent out. Everyone swam through in front of him as the current sucked them all through the shaft.
After nearly a minute of flowing with the current, they were spat out on the other side of the vent, in a large dark room. There were pools where the water from the hangar settled. "So, what now?" Kane asked. Stone turned to Caleb and asked "Think you can give us some light?" Inferno stuck his fists in the air, and his hands spat flames. "Find a way out, quickly! These cartridges run out quick and I only have but so many." Kane circled around the entire room in under a second, returning to Stone. "I found a vent that leads into some sort of generator. It's a long drop though." Kane led Stone over to the vent, and he pulled the cover into the room. Below them, there was a massive generator fan spinning, and a catwalk connecting the exit to the generator controls. All that stood in their way was a 70 foot slanted wall. Stone thought for a second, before saying "We're gonna have to slide down that wall." Silicon quickly interjected "No way. Considering the width of the platform, and the height we're falling from it would be nearly impossible for all of us to land safely." Stone replied "That's why I'm gonna guide you all down. I can use my cables to make a rope to slide down. As long as you have gloves and hold on tight, you'll be fine." He shot his grappling hook through the floor, and used it as a tether as he slid down the side of the wall. After 20 seconds, he was safe on the ground. He fired the second half of the cable into the ground several feet behind him. Now you guys just hang on tight and slide!"
Bismuth was the first to take the leap. She removed her mask and used it to zip-line down. Inferno, McKay, Lovelock, and Silicon followed behind her. In under a minute they were all on the platform. "Bismuth, go find out where the prisoners are being held, Inferno will cover you. Silicon, find the surveillance hub and hack it. This place has to go dark. McKay and Lovelock will come with me to take down Kaiser." Stone said calmly. Lovelock was sitting in the corner of the platform, her eyes closed. "What are you doing?" Inferno asked. Lovelock opened her eyes as they returned to steel grey. "I just looked forward into 500 different timelines to see every outcome of our encounters." "In how many do we all get out of this?" Stone asked. Lovelock went pale as she recalled what could happen. Finally she spoke "Three." Silicon replied "That means there's a less than one percent chance your plan works." Stone continued "We've come too far to turn back. This ends only one of three ways; we make it out, we get caught, or we get killed. If we get killed, then the world is doomed; we fail at our jobs. This is a scenario where failure is less than an option, it's suicide. We're the Elites. We've dismantled corrupt corporations! Liberated cities that ran rampant with crime! We've looked Endgame in the face twice and lived to tell the tale. We've done it before, and we'll do it again!" Suddenly they were interrupted "Such optimism for an Elite I must say." Sergei said from across the catwalk. "Kaiser had been expecting you all for a while, but we never expected it to take so long to finally get here." Multiple operatives stood behind Sergei, armed with automatic weapons, and winged jetpacks. They swarmed around the Elites. Stone used the metal plates in his suit to shield his team from fire. He and McKay quickly engaged. Mckay ran along the walls knocking them off the edge as Stone fired darts off his suit to immobilize the operatives. Sergei bolted at Stone, and hit him with his robotic arm. The force of the blow slammed Stone backwards into the control panel, smashing it. Suddenly, the generator fan started whirring as it spun faster. Stone stood back up, and yelled "GO!" The other Elites ran for the exit as Stone continued to face down against Sergei. He attempted to jump kick Sergei, only to fall backwards onto the platform on impact. "If you're supposed to be the muscle then your friends are in real danger." Sergei said, his tone a playful one. Stone instantly retaliated, firing off a grappling hook at his opponent. Sergei grabbed the metal hook before it could pierce through his chest. He tugged on the cable, and Stone was pulled at him, and knocked onto the ground.  As Stone fell, he swept Sergei's leg. Before Sergei hit the ground, Stone knocked him backwards over the platform edge. The cable attached to Stone's arm began to stretch out as Sergei shrieked as he fell closer to a painful demise. Stone quickly began retracting the cable, struggling to hold himself on the platform as well. Suddenly his cable started pulling back quickly. In only seconds, Stone had pulled the cable out of the fans, but Sergei was no longer attached. Stone slowly looked over the edge and saw the damage. His face went pale behind the mask, staring at the fan blades, he saw what was left of his opponent, caught in the spinning blades. "Well, that's gonna haunt me forever. What's everyone else's statuses?"
Silicon stood inside the surveillance hub with the guards lying on the floor. He said "I'm uploading the schematics for the citadel to all your displays. The cameras will go dark in five-four-three-two-one. Cameras are on a relay for the next ten minutes. We're on the clock."