It was Tuesday, Chase's favorite day of the week.

Why was it his favorite? Well, that was because it the day of his weekly sparring session with Victor. Every week, the two of them met in the wee hours of the morning to beat the crap out of each other.

Their battles, while were allegedly just to keep in shape, were fights for dominance. It was no secret that Victor was dissatisfied with Chase as a leader, but there was no way in hell he would relinquish control to him.

The thought of having to step down as leader nearly got him decapitated.

Grunting, he ducked beneath a vicious swing of Victor's infamous crimson blade. He tightened his grip on his own sword, raising it just in time to block another strike. It was moments like those where he was extremely grateful for his hyperstrength.

While Victor's abilities didn't enhance his physical capabilities, his strength and skill were enough to cut down even the most skilled swordsmen. Luckily, Chase wasn't too shabby with a blade himself.

After a few more parries, the two of them broke away from each other. They circled each other like sharks in the dimly lit training room they found themselves in. Their heavy breathing was the only sound filling the silence between them.

Sweat dripped from Chase's face. His skin was tinged red, mostly from exhaustion but he could already feel a few bruises forming beneath the surface. While he might have been bulletproof to a certain extent, he still suffered from internal injuries.

The two men had been fighting for about half an hour now. Everyone else in The Haven was still asleep—that is unless the sound of metal clanging hadn't woken them up already. This had been one of their longest sparring sessions to date. Yet, neither one of them seemed to indicate any signs of giving up—no matter how exhausted they looked.

He didn't like Victor much, but he couldn't help but respect his grit and determination.

The ex-assassin and bioterrorist had been trained well by Kismet. However, it was clear his energy was waning. He tiredly wiped the sweat from his heaving, tattooed-covered chest. His shaggy, midnight black hair clung to his pale skin.

Chase had to admit he was feeling drained too. Since he was able to summon more energy within his muscles, it meant he tired quicker than the average person. For years he had been training to expand his stamina threshold, but there was only so much he could do without taking a break.

Besides, he hadn't even had breakfast yet.

"Truce?" Chase suggested.

Victor studied him for a few seconds, his blue eyes narrowed into slits.

"Truce."

They both lowered their swords and cautiously approached each other. Once they were close enough, Chase extended his hand toward the other man. The black-haired Prime eyed it for a moment before snorting.

He turned around and made his way to the exit.

Scowling, Chase shook his head.

Even three years later the two of them had yet to become anything more than glorified roommates. He wasn't sure if they would ever be friends. Then again, there was a part of him that didn't even want to. While Victor may not have been entirely at fault for what happened to him, he was an adult now. He couldn't blame his childhood on his terrible attitude forever.

Chase let out a long exhale and made his way over to a bench in the corner of the room. The cool air slowly filling the room from an improperly sealed window felt soothing against his hot skin. As he sat down, he took a looking around the training room.

Not counting the central area of the bunker, the training ground was the largest room in the entire underground compound. Dummies made from tattered potato sacks, old brooms, and football helmets lined one wall while a steel cabinet converted into a weapons rack occupied the other. A few makeshift workout stations along with some dumbbells were positioned in the opposite corner. The old, padded mat that they used for sparring sat in the center of the concrete floor.

Chase was fairly proud of the setup. Staying fit and sharp was extremely important to him—even if they were hiding. There was no telling when Atlas would find them. They needed to be ready if, or when, that day came.

In the summers, they trained outside. But during the harsher winter periods, they retreated to their training room to keep in shape.

"You hold back too much on your swing."

Startled, Chase instinctively snatched up his sword and pointed it in the direction of the speaker. He lowered his weapon upon realizing who it was.

"I thought you left."

"Just thought I should let you know that."

Victor stood beneath the doorframe with his arms across. An unimpressed look covered his gaunt features like a shadow. "Put more power into your strikes."

"I was going easy on you, Vic," Chase countered. He rose from the bench and joined the other man at the exit. "I'd never hear the end of it if I accidentally killed you."

"Funny."

"Wasn't joking."

Victor huffed. "Just make sure you don't hold back when it counts. Alright, Sentinel?"

"You know I won't."

"We'll see about that."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, studying one another's faces as they waited for someone to break the silence.

"Ahem."

Chase and Victor broke eye contact to glare at the person standing in the hallway.

"You guys done staring into each other's eyes?" Emily asked them with a smirk on her lips.

Her black bow was slung across her slender shoulders, along with her half-full quiver. She was dressed in a tank top, cargo pants, and black boots that were wet with melted snow. Chase figured she must've just come back from her morning hunting session. The forests were usually full of squirrels—and the occasional deer. Since she was the only decent archer in the group, she was tasked with hunting duties.

However, the winters made her weekly hauls lighter than usual.

Chase cleared his throat and faced her. "You get anything good today?"

She gave him a quick shake of the head. "Not much other there these days."

"How're we doing on food?"

She dropped her gaze to the ground. Her shoulders dropped at the mention of their food supply. While she hadn't answered, her silence had given him all the information he needed.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his thick hair.

Coming across food they didn't have to catch themselves was no easy task. Since Atlas had branded them as fugitives, they rarely made the risk of venturing into the city for supplies. Every now and then he would send a small squad into town to pick up the essentials—medicine, nonperishable food items, and water supplies—but he didn't risk anything more than that. Luckily, they sometimes received help from a couple who owned a farm a few miles away in the form of packaged meals and homemade winter clothes. But he knew he couldn't rely on them forever. Sooner or later, he would have to develop a new plan of action.

Though, he hadn't heard from them in a few weeks. Christmas was coming up and they usually always stopped by to drop off some cookies for the younger members of the group.

Late at night when he couldn't fall asleep, he wondered if they had given them up to Atlas.

Alas, only time would tell if they had.

At the moment, he had more pressing matters.

"We'll be fine," Chase said. He offered Emily a smile. "We were here last year, remember. We'll pull through."

She nodded.

"I'm sure we have enough stale cereal for breakfast today," he added. He patted her shoulder. "Time to start the day."

"They're not gonna be happy about that. It's still early."

"I don't really care. We can't just be sleeping all day. Everyone's gotta pull their own weight around here."

Victor nodded. "He's right."

Well, that's a first.

Emily rolled her eyes at them both. "Yeah, yeah."

They may have lived underground, but they still had chores. Everyone had their own job and routine. Archie was in charge of security and surveillance, using the shabby cameras outside their bunker to keep an eye out for any threats. With his experience repairing cars at his dad's old autobody shop, Andre made sure their vehicles were in pristine shape should they ever need a quick getaway. Kai oversaw their meals. The others filled in wherever they were needed.

They had a good system going. Life was as good as it could be for them, considering the circumstance.

"What chores do you do exactly?" Emily asked as she, Chase, and Victor made their way down the corridor, which would eventually lead them back to the common room.

"I supervise," Chase answered. "And lead. That not enough?"

Victor snorted. "You're very liberal with the word 'lead'."

He ignored the man's snide comment.

"I dunno," Emily continued. "Hey, isn't it your turn to do dishes this week?"

Chase rubbed the back of his reddening neck. "You sure it's my week? Pretty sure Matteo was supposed to do them."

"Nope. Just checked the calendar. You're on dish duty, Sentinel."

Groaning, he facepalmed. He continued down the hallway, shaking his head in dismay as he did so. "C'mon," he said, "let's get everyone up."

#

Once everyone had been practically dragged out of their cots, they all convened around the wooden table in their makeshift dining room. Bowls of porridge whipped up by Kai sat on the table along with a few pieces of fruit.

Chase sat at the head of the table, his hands on either side of his bowl. He watched his group eat hastily. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips. Soon enough, they would have to start rationing. Three meals a day just wasn't possible until they could stock up on more food.

"Slow down before you choke," Kai chastised as Emily wolfed down her breakfast.

"What?" she waved her girlfriend off. "I'm starving."

"Hey, did you forget to put sugar in this or something?" Mateo asked as he examined a spoonful of the beige concoction in his bowl. "It's a little...bland."

Andre chuckled. "Bland is an understatement."

Kai narrowed her eyes at the two boys. "Would you two like to be on cooking duty?" They both shook their heads. "That's what I thought. Besides, we ran out of sugar a week ago."

"I wonder whose fault that was," mumbled Isra from the other side of the table. The young girl was sat between Cassie and Archie, who was fiddling with a bulky looking device that looked like a handheld computer.

"Hey, I didn't know the box was almost empty," Mateo protested.

Chase stifled a laugh upon remembering the sugar incident. The young shapeshifter had used up the last of the group's sugar to make tea. Of course, that hadn't gone over so well with everyone else. A few of them were still upset with the fourteen-year-old.

Mateo and Isra continued arguing across the table while the others engaged in conversations of their own. As Chase watched them silently from his lone perch at the end of the table, he couldn't help but smile a bit.

Despite coming from different walks of life, they all looked like one, large family. There was a togetherness about them that he couldn't quite describe. The sight of it made his heart warm with happiness. They didn't have much, but as long as they had each other they would make it through anything.

Smiling, he began eating his porridge.

Mateo and Andre had been right; it was bland.

"So, when's the next run, boss?" Andre inquired after a few minutes. "I assume you've seen the pantry."

Chase grimaced. "Haven't really figured that out yet. The snow is starting to pick up outside and I don't want to risk getting caught in a blizzard."

The energy in the room deflated like a balloon.

The disappointment was evident in the faces of everyone sat at the table. He needed to say something—quickly. Keeping morale high, especially during the most difficult period of the year, was imperative. The last thing he needed was people resenting him.

"But I'll get to work on a schedule soon," he added with a smile. "We'll get back out there soon enough."

Mateo's hand shot up. "Can I go on the next one—"

"No!" everyone yelled at once.

The brown-haired boy slunk into his seat. "It was just a question..."

A chorus of laughs went up around the table. There was no way they would let the boy tag along on a mission into the city. While Isra's ability gave her slight power over probabilities, Mateo seemed to be the epitome of "bad luck". No matter what the kid did, trouble usually followed.

As Chase raised his spoon to his lips, he noticed Archie stiffen in his wheelchair. His gloved fingers had tightened around the device in his hands.

"Andre," Archie's said.

Grunting out a response, the man glanced at him.

"Wheel me to the security room, will you?"

"But I'm not done eat—"

"It's important."

Andre blinked twice before his eyes widened. He immediately shot up from the table, grabbed the handles of Archie's wheelchair, and pushed him down the hall. The others didn't pay them any mind, but Chase couldn't help but feel a bit of unease. A ball of tension had formed in his throat as he watched the two of them disappear down the corridor.

Victor must have been having a similar reaction, as exchanged a worried glance with the blond Prime.

What was that about?

It could have been nothing. After all, Archie did tend to get separation anxiety from his security setup. He spent most of his time in front of the screens, analyzing data from various servers, checking newsfeeds, and monitoring the cameras around their hideout. He worked hard to help keep them safe. While Chase appreciated it and wished everyone else showed the same initiative as him, he constantly urged him to take a break now and then. He like he hadn't slept in days.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Bella asked from beside Victor. He noticed the girl was rubbing her stomach. In fact, she had been doing so a lot more often than what was considered normal.

Chase eyed her and Victor as the gears in his head started to spin. Though, he decided to keep his mouth shut. There was no use in jumping to conclusions without asking questions first.

"Probably just some more scouting," he replied. "After yesterday's scare, we should keep on the lookout for anymore—"

The sound of wheels skidding made him stop midsentence. Everyone turned their heads to the source of the noise. Andre stood at the mouth of the corridor, his hands tightly gripping the handles of Archie's wheelchair. The boy in the chair was heaving, his green eyes bulging.

"Archie?" Chase rose from his seat.

He swallowed hard as his face reddened.

"I've got some bad news."

Victor squinted at him. "Well? Spit it out, kid."

Archie swallowed hard and adjusted his crooked glasses. The tension built up in the room as everyone fell quiet. Everyone passed around apprehensive looks as they waited for his answer.

A spike of fear stabbed at Chase's heart. He didn't even need Archie to reveal what the new he had, for he already knew what was about to be said.

"The Jaegers," Archie announced, his voice trembling. "They're here. They found us."