Chase and his exiles had been at Pearce's lakehouse for just over three days. He hadn't planned on extending their stay so long, especially with their window to save the others closing with every passing hour, but the plan still needed work.

He was still making tweaks and revisions, making sure everything was in order before they set off for The Acropolis. If they were going to do this, they were going to do it right. No mistakes. No half-assed strategies. They would get in, hit hard, rescue their friends, and get out.

Fighting would be kept to a minimum. Their main and only priority was extraction.

He made it a point to beat that into everyone's heads—specifically Victor and Emily. Out of everyone, they were the two who posed the biggest threat to the plan. Emily could be difficult to work with at times, but Chase knew she respected him enough to follow orders. As for Victor...

The jury was still out on that one.

It only took one split decision, one moment of madness, for the man to unravel. He might not have donned the Apex persona anymore, but it was still very much a part of him. Still, he had faith the man would fall in line.

Bella was depending on him. So were the others. He was crucial to their plan.

Everyone was crucial. They all would have to be on their A-game for everything to go according to the tightly woven script Chase and Pearce Shaw created.

That was why he was stood on the man's private dock staring out at the still lake ahead of him. It was a beautiful day in Thunder Bay. Few clouds dotted the blue sky above and a nice breeze had begun to roll through. The sharp, sweet smell of conifer trees tickled his nose as he ran his fingers along his dirty blond beard.

It had gotten a little longer than he would've liked. He left his shaving material back at The Haven.

His face fell.

They left almost everything back at The Haven.

He picked up a rock that had been sitting near the base of the dock. With a quiet grunt, he flicked his wrist and tossed the stone across the water. It skipped for what must've been half a mile before sinking. Sighing, his shoulders dropped.

All he wanted was a home and security.

With Atlas, he had that. His whole life had changed after the Battle of Adak Island. After Kane activated his machine and introduced Primes to the world. The Acropolis had been his home for three years. It had been where he learned to control his powers and lead his time.

It was where he fell in love with Stella.

Then President Crane ripped it out from underneath him. The PRA ruined everything and sent him running from those he used to call friends. They weren't his friends anymore. They were enemies who wouldn't stop until he was defeated—one way or another.

He just wanted a home. That's all he wanted.

"What's on your mind, Blondie?"

Turning his head, he spotted Emily and Andre joining him on the boardwalk. He faced the water again and shrugged.

"A lot. Where do I even start?"

Andre nodded. "We get it."

"Big day tomorrow," Emily said. A red-tipped arrow was poised between her fingers, one of her upgrades courtesies of Pearce Shaw. "You ready?"

"Not sure," he replied honestly. "But I'll have to be."

He didn't always feel the pressure of being a leader. However, it was starting to weigh down on him like a ton of bricks. Usually, that wouldn't have felt like anything to him. At the moment, it might as well have been the entire sky.

"We've got your back, Chase," Emily told him.

Andre placed a large hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring nod. "Always."

He smiled at them. "I appreciate it, guys. Honestly. I'd have lost my mind a long time ago if it weren't for you two."

"Oh, I know," Emily replied with a smug grin. "Someone's gotta keep you in check."

Andre snorted. "You're literally insane."

"Me?" Emily rolled her eyes. "If anyone's insane, it's Victor? I mean, come on. He's been practicing his Samurai skills in the basement for the past four hours. Alone. With no breaks. Who does he think he is?"

"Someone committed to the mission," Chase answered.

Both Emily and Andre shared a look before chuckling.

"Anyways," she began, "it's almost time to get going. We don't have much time until Atlas sends our friends to The Vault."

"I'll be right there," Chase told her. "Just...give me a minute, yeah?"

"Whatever you say, Sentinel." Emily made her way off the dock and back to the lakehouse. Before following behind her, Andre gave his leader one last look.

"We're gonna get them back."

Chase nodded. "I know we are."

Andre then jogged after Emily.

Releasing a deep breath, Chase let his gaze linger over the horizon for a few more blissful seconds. For a moment, everything was perfect. Still. Peaceful. In the back of his mind, he knew it was temporary. The peace wouldn't last.

They would be going to battle soon.

A battle they had to win.

His hands curled into fists at his side.

A battle he would make sure they would win.

#

About an hour later, Chase and his team found themselves convened in Pearce's basement once again. This time, they were all geared up in the equipment the man had crafted specifically for them. Archie had even been gifted a fully mechanized wheelchair that could be controlled via a headband that computed his brain's synapses. He had it tucked beneath the curls of his sandy afro.

They were stood around a table projecting a holographic schematic of The Acropolis. Pearce Shaw helmed one end of the image while Chase held point at the other. The rest of the crew filled in between them, forming a tight circle.

Victor lingered on the outskirts, his blue eyes narrowed and his arms folded as he listened to the two men speak.

"Everyone got the plan?" Chase asked.

"For the millionth time," Isra said, exasperated, "yes! We get the plan."

"Just making sure. We have no room for error. Everything has to go perfectly if we want this to work."

"It'll work," Archie said. "Atlas likely aren't expecting us. And even if they are, they won't know what hit them."

The group high-fived as they gushed over their plan. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Victor even looked slightly less peeved than he usually did.

Chase didn't let himself celebrate. He didn't even let himself smile. The time for that would come after—after they rescued their friends and safely escaped The Acropolis. Not before. Not a moment before.

He clapped his hands together, the booming sound recapturing everyone's attention.

"Thank you," he said. "Make sure you've got all your stuff. Hit the bathroom now before we board the ship."

"Is there not a bathroom on the plane?" Isra asked timidly.

"There is."

"So..."

He squinted at her. "Just do as I say."

"Alright, alright. Jeez, Mr. Grumpy Pants."

Chase waved the group off and they began to disperse. He glanced at Pearce, who simply smiled at him. He looked like a proud father.

"You've grown a lot since the first time I met you," the man said. "I'm glad to have been a part of your journey as a man and as a leader."

"I owe a lot of that to you, sir. But you already knew that."

Behind him, he heard Victor scoff. He turned around, his brow furrowed at the black-haired Prime.

"Problem?"

"Don't you have a dad?"

Chase stiffened. His mouth puckered into a tight frown. "Yeah, I do. Haven't seen him in years. Yet, yours is standing right in front of you but you've barely said three words to him since we've been here."

Victor turned his head.

Pearce raised his hand at Chase, urging him to settle down. "It's fine. He doesn't have to—"

He slashed his hand through the air, his face rapidly turning a bright red. His blue eyes bored into Victor as he stomped up to the man.

"It's not fine. It's not fine at all," he said, his tone firm. "I know it's not my place but...for Christ's sake, get ahold of yourself, Victor! Do you know what I'd do to see my father in person again? I'd do anything! We all would! You've got yours right here, ready to make amends for what happened in the past. But what do you do? You push him away! You push everyone away!"

Victor lifted his head. "Back off, Chase."

"Or what? What're you gonna do?"

"I'm warning you. Back. Off."

Chase raised his chin and straightened his posture.

Victor's upper lip twitched. He blew air from his nose before shaking his head. "Look, it's not easy for me, alright? You don't know what's it like inside my head."

"Then enlighten me."

Pearce Shaw remained behind the two young men, standing in silence as they argued.

Victor raked a hand through his shaggy hair. He let out an agitated groan as he buried his face into his hands.

"For years, I thought of myself as a monster. A fucking...machine. Something for somebody to control." A shuddering breath left his mouth. "Even after I killed Kane. With him gone...I thought things would get better. They only got worse. Things only ever get worse for me. They never get better. For so long, I was alone. I still am."

"You're not alone, son," Pearce said. His voice cracked as tears filled his eyes. "You were never alone."

Victor sniffled. "Yeah, well, it sure did feel like it." He wiped his eyes before continuing. "When I found Bella, I vowed I'd never let anything happen to her. To us. But then the Jaegers came and I couldn't save her. I couldn't fucking save her." He slammed his hand onto the table, short-circuiting the hologram for a split-second. Two twin streams of tears spilled down his white cheeks.

"We're going to get her back," Chase told him. "I promise you that."

"You don't know that, Chase. You don't."

"You're right," he conceded. "But I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we do."

Victor shook his head. "You don't get it. I have to get her back." He faced away from him. "There's...something I haven't told you."

Chase exchanged an apprehensive look with Pearce Shaw.

"Told me what?"

His stomach twisted into knots. He had a feeling he already knew what Victor was about to say.

The man exhaled heavily. "Bella and I..." He took another calming breath. "I know it's incredibly stupid and, trust me, we didn't plan for this to happen. It just...it just happened, okay?"

"Spit it out, Victor."

"She's pregnant. She's pregnant, okay?"

Chase's jaw nearly hit the linoleum beneath his feet. He felt like someone shot him with a stun gun.

Pregnant...

"How?" was all he could muster as a reply.

Victor rolled his eyes. "What do you mean how? I'm sure you passed Sex Ed."

"I know how," Chase quickly said. "I just..." He rubbed the top of his head. "That's just...a lot, you know? I mean, we're fugitives. How are you going to raise a kid in that?"

"Like I said, it wasn't planned. It just happened."

Chase turned to Pearce, expecting to see the man enraged. After all, they were in no position to be having children. Not with this much danger and uncertainty in their lives. Surely the man would share his sentiments.

Surprisingly, he didn't.

He looked overjoyed.

Happy tears had replaced his somber ones.

"I'm...I'm going to be a grandfather?"

"Not unless I get her back," Victor told him. "That's why I have to get her back. I gotta see my son."

"Son?" Chase shot him a dumbfounded look. "How do you know it's a boy."

"I don't."

"Then how—"

Victor smiled to himself. "It's just a feeling I have."

While Pearce gushed over the prospect of having a grandchild, Chase still felt like he'd been sucked up by a tornado and spat out like a cherry pit. His head swam and he gripped the edges of the glass table for support.

Bella was pregnant.

That changed things.

But the more he thought of it, the more he realized it didn't change a thing. They were going to rescue the others. No one would be left behind. No one would be killed. Victor was going to be reunited with Bella and he was going to raise his son.

He felt it deep in his soul.

Everything would work out just fine.

Pearce walked up to his son and gripped his shoulders. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you from Kane. I should've never let him take you. It's my fault for what happened to you. To this day I still haven't forgiven myself."

Victor shook his head, his jaw set. "It's not your fault."

"It is, son."

He rested his hand on his father's. In one swift motion, he pulled Pearce in close and wrapped him in a hug. Sobbing uncontrollably, he buried his face into the crook of his neck. Through his cries, he mumbled, "I missed you, dad."

Pearce hugged him back, tears now spilling down his face. "I missed you too, son." He gave him a few loving pats on the back. "I missed you too."

Coughing awkwardly, Chase looked away from the scene. "Er, I'll be upstairs... Yeah. I'll be upstairs." He speed-walked toward the exit of the basement, letting the two of them have their moment.

As he made his way to the rest of the lakehouse, he couldn't help but smile.

It was about time.

#

Chase was beginning to wonder if Pearce Shaw's lakehouse was secretly a military base. It certainly didn't look like one, but with all the fancy gadgets and hidden compartments around the massive mansion, it surely could've been used as one. It was like a luxury fort—if such a thing even existed.

He didn't think they did. Growing up, he had seen dozens of military bases. Luxurious wasn't the word he would've used to describe them. They were usually the opposite of luxury.

With arms folded across the blue lights in the chest of his suit, Chase watched a set of grass-covered metal panels open in the ground in Pearce's backyard. The sound of rusty gears turning filled the air. Sunlight poured into the opening, revealing a set of stone stairs leading downward. Dirt crumbled inside the gaping hole, which housed an aircraft.

It was an exact replica of the ones the agents used at The Acropolis. Four sets of wings with two on each side. Massive, spinning blades capable of rotating horizontally instead of vertically were built into each wing, utilizing a hover-gyro technology Archie helped develop for them a few years prior. Five jet thrusters were also placed on every significant point of the aircraft.

"A Dragonfly?" Chase gave Pearce a dumbfounded look. "How'd you manage to sneak this off the base?"

"I had this here even before I left my post as director." He winked at the blond captain. "Once I learned about the PRA, I started planning ahead. Way ahead."

Yeah, no kidding.

He wasn't complaining. Had it not been for his proactiveness, Chase and his crew wouldn't have had any way to fight back against Atlas.

They didn't have the tools to do so before. They were forced into the shadows, made to live off scraps and cower from the light. But they had the tools now. It was time to fight back.

Chase journeyed down the steps leading down to the aircraft. Pearce walked alongside him while the rest of the group followed them in.

"It smells like old feet and mud down here." Isra plugged her nose and fanned her face.

Her description was accurate. It smelled horrible beneath the surface. Chase figured it was due to their proximity to the water.

"Suck it up," Emily told her. "Besides, it's not that bad. Just wait until you experience one of Andre's farts."

The big guy cut his dark eyes at her and wagged a menacing finger at the girl. "Watch it."

She held her hands up innocently.

Upon arriving at the bottom of the underground garage, Pearce Shaw patted the hull of the aircraft, the dull sound echoing around them.

"The ship is still a part of Atlas' systems and records, meaning you won't get flagged when you enter their airspace," he explained. "Well, not at first. It'll probably take them a few minutes before they realize this particular craft has been out of commission for nearly five years. Once they do realize, they'll be on top of you. Someone'll have to stay behind to make sure they don't seize your getaway vehicle."

Chase cursed under his breath. He hadn't thought about that.

The team was already thin; just six members—one of which was a teenager and the other was confined to a wheelchair. They couldn't depend on any reinforcements either. He looked around, analyzing everyone's faces to see who should stay behind to watch their aircraft.

After a while, Archie cleared his throat and rolled himself to the front.

"I'll watch the ship."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Won't be much use inside the facility anyways." He smiled at his own expense and pushed his crooked glasses up his nose. "Might as well do something useful, right?"

"Thanks, Archie."

"Yeah, yeah."

He faced Pearce again. "Anything else we should know?"

"The Dragonfly is armed with missiles and ballistic cannons. Ammo is quite low on both, as I wasn't able to secure any extras after lifting the vehicle from The Acropolis, but it should be enough to last a fight," he replied. "Should there be one."

Archie's green eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together and grinned at the aircraft. "This'll be fun."

Chase hoped they wouldn't have to use any of them.

"You all should get going," Pearce told them. "My sources have said the extraction is happening tomorrow afternoon. You'll want to get there before then."

"Right."

Pearce stuck his hand out toward him. Chase gladly took it and nodded.

"Take care of yourself out there."

"I will."

The man glanced past him. "Make sure you look after them too."

"Will do, sir."

"I guess this is it then."

"Oh, god, is he gonna cry?" Emily faked a yawn. "Skip. Can we board this thing now? We've got people to rescue, agents to fight."

Pearce was able to find humor in her disrespectful words. He simply smiled and gestured at the Dragonfly. "Be my guest."

As she walked past him, she gave him a side-hug. Soon after, the others joined in. Within seconds the eight of them were involved in a group hug. It almost brought a tear to Chase's eye. Once they were finished, they all made their way to the back of the aircraft where the entrance to the interior was.

Before he stepped inside, Chase took a deep breath.

He stole one last look at Pearce.

The man simply nodded at him.

Here goes...

"Alright, everyone," he began, "let's get this show on the road."