"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."

She smiled and nodded.

Her abilities, while unconventional and not particularly useful in a fight, could spell the difference between success and failure. The girl's control over probabilities was surely an advantage for them—Chase just wasn't sure how yet.

A blast of air entered the cabin as the airlock was disengaged. The back door lowered itself to the ground. The early morning twilight met his eyes as the scenery around them slowly became visible. Once the door lowered until it became a ramp, the team stepped out onto the grass.

"The Acropolis is north of here," Archie's said, his voice coming through their earpieces. "The entrance to the vents is near the base of the waterfall. You'll have to stay hidden, as the surveillance cameras can only see what's in the open. If you stay in the shadows of the trees and close to the water, you should be golden."

"Thanks, Glitch." Chase opted to use his codename. It was mission time. He turned to the rest of his group. "Everyone ready?"

They all nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

#

The five of them jogged through the sparse foliage. Fallen logs and thorny shrubs were their only obstacles. They were due to arrive at the waterfall in fifteen minutes. Once they did, it was go time. All their preparation, all their hard work, would be called upon soon.

They were going to be tested. Rescuing the others, especially from a place as secure as their old headquarters, would be no easy task. They all knew that. They all knew the risks. Still, there was nothing they wouldn't do to free their friends.

Chase glanced at Victor, who was just a few steps ahead. The man would teleport to the top of a tree now and then to survey the area. No one was following them. No one was waiting for them at the end of the treeline. Atlas hadn't sent out any ATVs or jets their way either.

The element of surprise was still on their side. They were going to need it.

"Hold up." Archie's voice crackled to life in his ear.

Chase immediately stopped in his tracks and held his fist up. The others followed suit.

"What is it?" Emily asked, keeping her voice low.

He shrugged and waited for Archie to explain. "Talk to me, Glitch."

"There's a car up ahead. Not sure who it belongs to."

"Is it Atlas?"

"Doesn't look like it. It's a red Mustang. Gimme a second." A brief pause followed. "Two people are standing outside of it. One of them kinda looks like...no that can't be."

Chase pursed his lips. "Looks like who?"

"You're not gonna believe this."

"Try me."

Archie gulped. "It's...it's Oscar."

Andre surged forward, his eyebrows lifted so high they nearly left his face. "Oscar? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. He's with some little girl. She looks like she could be his sister."

They all knew it wasn't. Oscar's sister died the same night they kicked him off the team. Chase's expression soured at the thought of that night. He wasn't proud of how handled that entire situation. Finding out Oscar's uncle and sister were killed in an apartment fire just hours later didn't help ease his guilt.

Oscar might've been the mole feeding information to the rogue Primes President Crane hired to push his PRA, but he was still one of them. He only did it because he felt he had to. When he finally did come clean, they cast him out like a pariah.

They weren't there for him in his time of need.

Some family we were.

"What do we do?" Isra asked. "We're not actually going to approach them, are we? I mean, that's Inferno. He's not someone we should be messing with."

"Inferno." Emily snickered. "I don't care what he calls himself these days. That is Fuego."

"We need to find out what he's doing out here," Chase announced. "I don't think he ended up in Oregon by sheer chance." The last time he checked, Oscar had been camped out in the streets of Los Angeles. California and Oregon weren't that close. There had to be a reason he was in the forest right outside The Acropolis.

"Revenge," Victor said.

Everyone turned to him, confused.

"Huh?" Isra asked.

"He wants revenge. On Atlas." Victor shrugged. "I don't blame him."

Chase nodded. It made sense. But if Oscar was looking for revenge, that meant he would be trying to hit the base. And if he was trying to hit the base... He shook his head. Their entire plan would go down the drain if Inferno launched an attack on Atlas during their rescue mission.

They couldn't let that happen. Not before they freed the others.

"We've gotta intercept them," he said. "Maybe we can even get them to help us. We could do with some."

Emily rubbed the back of her neck. "You sure that's a good idea, Sentinel? We're not exactly on the best of times with Mr. Fire Hands over there."

Andre nodded. "Reverb's right. He may attack."

"He won't," Chase promised. "Besides, if he hits The Acropolis before we get inside—or while we're inside—things won't end well for us. Trust me."

"Agreed," Victor added.

Emily and Andre simply shrugged. They didn't argue anymore. With that issue settled, the group made their way toward Oscar and his companion with a little help from Archie back in the Dragonfly.

He spotted the red muscle car through the trees. As they got closer, Oscar froze. A panicked look had filled his face.

Guilt flooded Chase's body. For years, Oscar had been on the run alone. At least Chase had a community. Oscar had nothing. Had he been in his shoes, he would've wanted revenge too.

But that would have to wait. All their differences needed to be pushed aside until the mission was complete. After that, Oscar was free to do whatever he wanted with Atlas.

Chase emerged from the trees and held his hands up. "Oscar, we just—"

He didn't get to finish, as the pyrokinetic Prime and the little girl with him took off running in the opposite direction. Cursing loudly, he sprinted after them. Andre and Emily did the same. Victor vanished in a puff of swirling, black and red particles.

Chase shouted for Oscar to stop. He tried to seem nonthreatening, but he figured the fact that he was yelling forcefully and chasing them down while wearing a full mission suit wasn't helping. He spotted Victor materialize on the top of a cliff a few yards ahead of them. Oscar and the girl had started to climb the vines scaling up the craggy surface.

He skidded to a stop. Something told him those vines wouldn't hold once he and his team began their ascent. Victor was at the top. He'd be able to slow them down enough for Chase to figure out another way to scale the cliff.

As he watched Oscar frantically try and climb, a loud snap echoed throughout the forest. Then he fell through the air like a stone being dropped from a skyscraper. His back hit the ground with an agonizing smack.

Chase, Emily, Andre, and Isra cautiously converged around him.

"That was a nasty fall, man." Andre crouched beside him. "You okay, Oz?"

"He freaking ate it." Emily doubled over laughing. She wiped tears from her eyes. "Funniest thing I've seen all day."

Chase rolled his eyes at her. The guy's back could've been broken, and she was laughing. Some things truly never changed. He stepped forward and gave her a disappointed look. "Hey, knock it off. He's right in front of us."

"That just makes it funnier," Isra mumbled.

Ignoring her, he turned his attention to Oscar. He sported a scruffy patch of facial hair that matched his long, unkempt hair. His feral eyes only added to his panicked demeanor. While he looked like he was in considerable pain, it was safe to say his spine was still intact.

He extended a hand toward him.

Oscar stared at it for a few seconds before slapping it away.

Chase couldn't say he was surprised. What was he expecting? A big, warm hug and tears of joy? The guy wasn't happy to see him. Not in the slightest. He didn't have a reason to be.

He sighed. "Look, I know I'm probably the last person you expected to see out here but—"

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" he hissed. "You been following me?"

"No one was following you." The blond squinted at him. "We should be asking you the same thing. You know this is where The Acropolis is, right? Not really a smart idea to hide out in their backyard."

"You don't think I know that?" He snorted as he brought himself back to his feet. "I've got business to take of."

"What kind of business, huh?" Emily asked. "Gonna take the place all by yourself? Good luck. You wouldn't make it past the front door."

"Not by myself." His gaze shifted to the top of the cliff where the little girl was slowly backing away from Victor. "Is that who I think it is?"

Chase nodded.

"No way." He rubbed his temples. "How'd you manage that?"

"Long story." Chase crossed his arms. "I can't let you attack the base."

Oscar tensed. His eyes flickered from the blond to the other two Primes with him. "You gonna stop me?"

"I will if I have to."

"Stella already tried it," he replied with a sneer. Holding his hands out, Chase watched light trails of smoke pour from his palms. "You don't wanna end up like she and her new boyfriend did."

"You saw Stella?" Chase's eyes lit up. Then his face twisted in annoyance. "Wait a minute. New boyfriend? What're you talking about?"

He shrugged. "She was with some guy. Golden eyes. Short hair. Stupid powerful."

Stupid powerful...

His heart stopped for a moment. He exchanged a worried glance with Andre.

"Orion," they both said simultaneously.

"That's his name?" Oscar shook his head. "Lame."

"As if Inferno is any better," Emily countered.

He jabbed a finger at her. "Watch it before I burn your face off, Reverb."

She grabbed her bow, her free hand lingering near the mouth of her bow. "Try me."

Before things could escalate any further, Chase stepped in between them. He faced Emily. "We don't have time for this." Then he turned to Oscar. "Look, Atlas captured some of our friends a few days ago. They're in The Acropolis and we need to get them back."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You're planning on attacking them, right?"

He stayed silent.

"Look, I'm not here to stop you from doing that. I know you've got your reasons." He exhaled and ran a hand over his head. "If you help us free our friends, you'll be free to do as you please. They'll already be in a frenzy trying to stop us that they won't be able to focus on you until it's too late. It's a win-win."

Oscar rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"C'mon, Oz," Andre prodded. "We need your help."

He shifted his gaze back to the top of the cliff. The little girl and Victor were engaged in a heated Chase. The older Prime teleported about, dogging weak blasts of fire from the girl. They were oblivious to the conversation happening beneath their feet.

Oscar turned back toward Chase. "Call Apex off."

"He goes by Victor now."

"Whatever. Call him off."

"Call your little mini-me off first. She's gonna end up setting the whole forest on fire. Then we'll never make it inside the base."

Grumbling curses, Oscar faced the cliff. He then cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted something in Spanish. The little girl turned his way and dropped her hands. From where Chase stood, he could see her tilting her head at him. In the blink of an eye, Victor teleported behind her, grabbed her shoulder, and brought them both back to the ground.

She stumbled forward, her face red with anger.

"It's alright, Xiomara," Oscar told her. He held his hand out. "They're on our side...sort of."

Xiomara carefully moved behind him and took his hand.

"Who's she?" Emily asked. "And why is she cooler than you?"

"I rescued her."

Chase nodded slowly. He had been under the impression Inferno only destroyed things. It was nice to see he had been rescuing captured Primes too—even if it just was Xiomara.

Victor shot the little girl a scathing glare. "This little devil nearly burned me."

From behind Oscar's back, she stuck her tongue out at him.

"So," Oscar said, "what's your plan to get inside? I'm assuming you have a plan, right?"

"Oh, I have a plan," Chase told him. He smiled. It was starting to feel like the old days again. They were just missing Stella and Theo.

A wistful look filled his eye. Part of him wished to go back to the old days. Back when they were still a team and his family was still alive. But he knew there was nothing helpful about longing for the past. He had to focus on the future.

And the future was right in front of him.

He nodded at Chase. "Well? What's your master plan?"

"I'll explain on the way." He pointed in the direction of the waterfall hiding the secret entrance into The Acropolis. "For now, follow me."