Emily wasn't a huge fan of museums.

All they did was highlight the shitty things white dudes did hundreds of years ago. Most exhibits were populated by history pieces on the various wars throughout the centuries, inventions stolen from people whose names who had been forgotten, and the mistreatment of minorities everywhere.

Frankly, they were depressing.

If she had the option to visit the famous Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C., she would've declined wholeheartedly. She'd rather spend her valuable time cuddled up with Kai in the common room back in The Acropolis.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the option.

A new presentation detailing the rise of Primes across the world had been in the works ever since the Battle of Adak Island. After a year and a half, it was finally done, and the creators had invited Atlas' young Primes for the unveiling.

Emily originally had no plans on attending. Unlike Stella, she wasn't one for the spotlight. The entire thing seemed like a waste of time anyway. But Director Shaw insisted the team make an appearance. He said it'd be good for their image.

What a joke.

No matter what they did, some people would always hate them. That wasn't going to change, and she knew that. Going to some stupid museum expo wasn't going to make things any better.

But, after much convincing from Kai, she figured she'd play the part. It would only be for a few hours.

So, there she stood on a stage in front of a massive crowd of people with phones in their hands and smiles on their faces. Some of them wore Atlas t-shirts and sweaters (which were being sold at the front door).

Emily glanced over her shoulder and peered at the slideshow playing on the wall behind her. A highlight reel of all her team's best moments flashed before her eyes. She recognized the time when Theo successfully thwarted a runaway armored truck full of stolen cash. Then there was the time when Andre shielded a group of bystanders from a terrorist attack in France.

The one that drew the most reaction from the crowd was the mission where Stella and Chase defeated a Prime in Greece. The couple had successfully defeated a man who nearly flooded an entire island with his weather-manipulating abilities.

The audience cheered and hollered as they saw Sentinel and Starchild working in tandem against the villainous Prime known as Tempest.

In truth, the man hadn't been a villain at all. He had just been driven to the brink of madness due to various mental illnesses and lack of attention from his community. But the public didn't know that. They just saw the flying superhuman who was dousing an entire island in torrents of unforgiving rain.

The public didn't know a lot of things. They saw everything in black and white. Good versus evil. Heroes against villains.

Emily had seen enough to know that was rarely the case.

"Everyone give it up for the world's first-ever superheroes!" Katherine Marbury, their host and head director of the exhibit, announced.

Emily faced the crowd. She froze as she watched as they gave her and her fellow superhumans a round of applause. She didn't know whether to smile or frown, so she ended up doing a bit of both.

"What's with the weird look on your voice?" Kai whispered in her ear.

"I don't know," she replied through gritted teeth.

Once the crowd stopped, Katherine resumed her introduction of the event.

"In honor of these brave individuals who protect us from danger with their extraordinary abilities, we have created a wonderful experience where you can learn more about them and how they came to be."

Emily's nose wrinkled. They were speaking as if she was some experiment created in a lab for their pleasure.

"We've got some fun thing for you guys today," Katherine continued. "There's a simulation room where you can feel what it's like to be Sentinel or Blur or Starchild. We've got sections detailing every member of the Atlas team. And, at the end of it all, you'll be able to ask your favorite heroes some questions!"

A few of the kids in the crowd let out a few cheers at the prospect of being able to meet their heroes.

The crowd began to disperse as a group of tour guides began leading people to various parts of the exhibition, leaving Emily and her friends alone on the stage with the exhibit's director.

Emily shifted her feet and fought off a frown. She didn't think she'd have to answer any questions. She was literally only there because Director Shaw asked.

She cursed.

"Emily said a bad word," Zach announced.

"Shut it, dweeb."

"Isn't this cool?" Theo exclaimed. He zipped off the stage and to a wall displaying a poster of Theo in his mission suit. He recreated the pose, complete with the goofy grin and wild-eyed look. "We're like celebrities!"

"Or mascots," Danai countered. "This whole thing feels like we're being objectified."

Emily nodded. "I agree."

Stella rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Oh, lighten up, will you? They made this for us. They're praising us for our good deeds. This is a good thing."

She shrugged. The girl could've been right. She also could've been wrong.

They would never know.

Katherine stepped up to the group with a huge smile on her face. "It's truly an honor to have you all here. It is a bit of a shame Sentinel and Dryad couldn't make it. People were looking forward to meeting them."

Emily had almost forgotten their team captain and the Scotland native weren't present. They had gone to Ireland for a mission, causing them to miss out on the day's activities.

Lucky them.

The host pulled out a small pad from her jacket pocket and extended it towards Stella. She arched a perfect eyebrow at the woman.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just that my daughter is such a huge fan of you. She's always running around the house saying she wants to be just like Starchild when she grows up."

Emily pretended to gag, which earned her a pointed stare from Stella and an elbow to the ribs from Kai.

Stella flashed their host her trademark smile and took his pad. "No problem. I'm sure your daughter is a wonderful kid." She took the pen that was clipped to it and scribbled her signature inside before handing it back.

Katherine clutched her pad, thanked her, and then jogged off to speak with a group of observers.

"Jeez, they act like Stella's a pop star or something," Emily mumbled.

"Sounds like someone's jealous," Oscar chirped from behind her.

She rolled her eyes. "No one's jealous, Oscar."

"Yeah, yeah." He joined her at her side and sighed. "It's cool. I know what it's like to be ignored by the public. At least you have some fans, though."

She supposed he was right. She had seen some people taking pictures in front of her poster. And people didn't seem to completely hate her.

"Alright, everyone," Stella said. "We should start making our rounds. Interact with the people. Now is a perfect time to let them know that we are the same as them."

The group grumbled in agreement. Except for Emily. She simply shook her head at the girl.

They weren't the same as regular humans. Everyone knew it. In her opinion, pretending to be equal was just as bad as acting like they were superior. But she supposed people didn't like being threatening by things stronger than themselves.

Stella was the diplomat of the group; it was her job to make sure they all looked and acted their best for the public. But Emily wasn't into respectability politics. She didn't enjoy putting up a front just for the betterment of others—despite the omission of her sexuality to those not within Atlas.

Over the past few weeks, Kai had been encouraging her to make a public announcement of some sort. She insisted that living in her own truth could help inspire people around the world. After all, she would be the world's first lesbian superhero.

She'd be an idol for many.

The only problem was she couldn't stop thinking about what people might say. What would her parents think? What would the internet trolls say underneath her posts? Sure, she could always turn comments off, but the news would surely talk about it. What would they say?

Would people turn on her? Would her image be tarnished? Would she end up like Oscar? Forgotten and belittled?

Her jaw clenched.

No. She couldn't do it. Not now at least.

She turned to Kai, who had just finished taking a picture with two girls dressed in Pisces merchandise.

"They really went all out with the promotion," she said with a sly smile.

Kai shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm not complaining. I kind of like the designs they made for me."

Emily laughed.

The other girl smiled and grabbed her hand. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she frantically looked around. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, relax. No one cares."

Emily pursed her lips but kept her hand in Kai's.

"See? This isn't so bad." Still smiling, Kai began to lead her down one of the more populated halls. "Now come on. I want to see what it's like to be Stella for a few minutes."

#

Much to her surprise, Emily was having a good time.

The Smithsonian had done a good job with their exhibit. There were plenty of attractions and activities for everyone to enjoy. Colorful banners draped from the ceiling, each one portraying a different member of the Prime Task Force. Sleek televisions screens, playing a different taping of a mission, were placed in random intervals around the gallery.

Laughing children skipped across the tiled floor, their gleeful smiles lighting up the rooms. Some of them even ran up to her and asked for an autograph. A few even requested a picture.

No one ever asked her for pictures.

Soon, a smile had been plastered across her pale face. Her dark eyes twinkled with joy as she walked alongside Kai.

"See," Kai said as they turned the corner into a fairly empty corridor. "I told you it'd be fun."

"Yeah, yeah." Emily waved her off. "I'd still rather be back home." That was a lie. She didn't mind the museum after all. In fact, she wished all her interactions with the public were like this.

But they weren't. And if the PRA was signed, they'd never be. A scowl replaced her smile as Senator Crane's face surfaced within her psyche. They couldn't let him win. There was too much at stake; their freedom, the freedom of others, and the lives that would be lost because of the government's agendas.

They couldn't let Crane win.

Beside her, Kai checked the time on her phone. "Looks like it's almost time for that Q & A thing."

Emily threw her head back and groaned. "Do we really have to do that?"

"Yes, Em. It'll be fun. I promise."

She was finding that hard to believe.

As the two girls turned around to head back down the hall, they spotted Oscar burst out the men's room off to the side. His phone was clenched in his shaking hands and a worrisome look covered his face.

Emily and Kai froze in their tracks.

He hadn't seen the two girls yet. His widened eyes were solely focused on the device in his hands. Even from across the hallway, Emily could hear his heart thumping in his chest.

Over the past months, she had learned how to link different heart rates and patterns to certain moods. A steady heartbeat was normal. A faster one often indicated dishonesty. But Oscar's...she couldn't quite get a grasp on what he was feeling.

He could've been afraid, or nervous. It could've even been both.

"What's up?" Kai asked. She glanced at Oscar. A frown pulled at her full lips. "Is he alright?"

"I...don't know."

"Maybe we should go ask him..."

She started to nod but immediately decided against it. They wouldn't talk to him. They wouldn't learn anything that way, as Oscar could've easily lied about what truly was bothering him. In her experience, true knowledge of a situation often came from just watching.

So that's what they were going to do.

Grabbing Kai's hand, Emily pulled her behind a display case full of memorabilia from past Atlas missions. The pair crouched behind the wooden cabinet and watched Oscar fiddle with his cellular device.

"Why're we hiding?" Kai asked.

She urged her to keep her voice down. Peeking her head out from behind the display case, she watched as Oscar received a call. She heard his heart skip a beat as he nearly dropped his phone.

Wait a minute...why is he alone?

Earlier, he had been roaming around the museum with Theo and Andre. But the two other boys were nowhere to be found. Something was going on. He was hiding something.

"What do you want?" Oscar hissed into his phone.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried focusing on the voice coming through the other line. Their words were warbled and obscured by static. Sneering, she waited for Oscar to reply to whatever had been said.

"You did what?!" He brought his hands to his face before exhaling loudly through his nose. "Look, I can't be talking to you right now."

A pause.

"No...I promise."

Another pause. A longer one this time.

Emily narrowed her eyes at him. What are you doing, Oscar...?

"Alright," Oscar grumbled. "Bye." He ended the call and stuffed his phone into the pocket of his camouflage jacket. His face red, he turned on his heel and made his way back to the front of the museum.

Moving out from behind the display case, Emily and Kai exchanged a wary glance.

"What the hell was that about?" Kai asked.

"No clue," Emily replied. "But it didn't seem good."

"I think we should ask him about it," she suggested. "He looked really spooked."

She nodded slowly. She had intentions of asking him about his phone call, but she didn't feel like being chastised by Kai. "Maybe it was his uncle or something."

"Maybe." Kai checked the time. "Come on, it's time to go."

Nodding, Emily followed beside the girl as they left the hall.

#

"Okay, everyone," the host of the presentation said from the podium on the stage. "If anyone has any questions for our guests, now would be the time to ask them."

Emily and her friends were sat in a row of chairs overlooking the sea of onlookers. Many of them were snapping pictures and recording for their social media. A few had taken up formed lines behind the microphone stands placed in the aisles.

The first question was for Stella. A woman had asked how they picked people to join the Prime Task Force.

It was an interesting question. Emily thought back to when they had received their first couple of Prime-related reports. They had come from the big island of Hawaii. The natives took to multiple news outlets to tell the world about the "girl in the ocean". Some saw her as a goddess. Others labeled her a terror that would eventually sink the islands under the ocean.

Little did they know that the girl they feared was one of the nicest human beings on Earth.

Emily glanced at Kai, who was sitting quietly with a polite smile on her lips. They didn't choose her; she had gotten her powers by chance. Everyone had. Some of them became heroes. Others became villains.

But they all had one thing in common: none of them were chosen.

"We can't really disclose that information," Stella answered. "But we make it our mission to respond to every Prime sighting and report we get. If the individual is compliant and willing to join the team, we often extend an invitation to them."

Another person stepped up to the microphone. "How come it's only kids who are on the team? Should we really be trusting the safety of the world in the hands of children?"

The group of Primes shifted in their seats and traded annoyed glances amongst each other.

This time, Emily decided to answer.

"Some of these children are braver than the men who fight in your military," she retorted, her tone sharp.

Stella cast her a pointed stare. "Excuse her." She cleared her throat before flashing the crowd a bright smile. "For reasons unknown, many of those who were affected by the Primonium fall into the age range of thirteen to twenty-five. Many of those who are older didn't want to change their lifestyles. Which is completely understandable. Everyone isn't cut out to be a hero."

Emily masked a chuckle. She didn't always get along with the girl, but she could throw some shade when required.

"Those who refused our offer have been enrolled in a program where we help them maintain their current lives," Stella said. "Any more questions?"

A few other people in crowd stepped up and asked the standard questions, such as "what was it like to be a superhero", "how do you chose who goes on what mission", "how fast can Blur really run", and "does Fuego constantly set things on fire at headquarters?".

Oscar didn't particularly enjoy that last one.

The last question of the event was asked by a mousy, spectacle-wearing man with a tape recorder in his hand. His stringy, black hair sat atop his head like a dead animal. Fixing his glasses on his beak-like nose, he gripped the microphone and cleared his throat.

"Benson Snyder. Channel Seven News," he said.

"What's your question Benson?" the host asked.

"Well, with the whole PRA situation and Senator Crane pushing for it to get signed by the UN, I'm sure everyone at Atlas is feeling a little rattled."

Emily screwed her face at the man. "That's not a question."

"Forgive me." He snorted back a chuckle. "I suppose my question is...what is Atlas going to do about the large number of civilian deaths that have occurred during these Prime-related events? Why should the people get behind your campaign to oppose the PRA, which has proposed many acts and regulations that will help protect us normal people."

Emily's lip curled at his final statement. She could see in the man's eyes that he thought they were freaks. Monsters. Abominations.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Concern expressions filled the faces of the adults standing in the audience. Some nodded, agreeing with Benson's stance on the PRA. Others began demanding an answer from one of the Primes.

"What are you playing at, huh?' Emily shouted.

Everyone began to quiet down, their eyes trained on the small girl on stage.

Benson smirked. "What do you mean?"

"You some kind of troll?" She rose from her seat and took a step forward. "Did Senator Crane or one of his lackeys send you?"

"Emily, that's enough," Stella warned.

"No," she argued. "It's not." She pointed at the short man in the center aisle. "He wants to know what we're going to do about the PRA. Why don't you tell him about how we save hundreds of lives all the time?"

"Miss Reverb, it was merely a question—"

"Screw that." She stepped down from the stage, despite the cautions from her friends. "What're you playing at, Benson?" The crowd parted for her as she stomped up to the man. "We're not you're enemy. We also don't need the government controlling our every move."

"Are you saying you're above the law?"

Her lips parted slightly as she glared at him. "No, of course not. Stop twisting my words!" She balled her hands into fists at her side. Heat was practically radiating from her skin now.

"Emily, I said that's enough." Stella left her seat and joined her on the floor. She placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured at the stage. "Come on."

Just as Emily was about to oblige, Benson mumbled something. She sneered at him over her shoulder.

"What was that?"

"You people are dangerous," he spat. "You get innocent civilians killed and you don't even care. You're not heroes. You're living weapons. Ticking time bombs. And, sooner or later, one of you is going to explode."

Emily snarled at him. She felt her fingernails stab into the flesh of her palms. She bit down on her lip to prevent herself from screaming at him. It wasn't like he didn't deserve it, though.

"Emily, cool it," Stella ordered.

She wouldn't. Instead, she stormed over to the reporter and settled in right in front of his face. Her hand shook at her side; it took every fiber of her being to prevent herself from smacking him upside the head.

"See?" He looked around at the crowd. "You're no hero."

Her vision went red as she slapped the tape recorder out his hand. "Report that to your news channel, you weasel."

The man took a step backward and she prepared to lunge at him. She never got the chance to, as Andre and Angus had stepped down from the stage. The two burly men held her back as she lashed out at Benson.

He simply laughed as the crowd gasped and took videos. "See this everyone! Primes are not our friends!"

"Why you little—" She struggled against Andre's massive arms, but he wasn't budging.

"Cool it," he ordered. His stern, uncompromising tone paralyzed her for a moment. He never got mad. But after seeing the disappointed look in his usually warm eyes, she knew she had messed up. Big time.

She took a few calming breaths and told him to let her go. He obliged.

"Bad move, Emily," he said.

Suddenly, she felt all the eyes following her. Embarrassment filled her like water seeping into a sinking ship. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she looked around for an exit. After spotting the museum doors on the other side of the room, she prepared to flee.

And she would have too if someone hadn't come running in first.

Everyone's attention snapped to the breathless Atlas agent who was making their way over to them. Emily squinted at them.

What the...?

Stella met the agent, concern written across her flawless features. "What's wrong?"

"It's The Vault," they answered in between breaths.

"What about The Vault?"

The agent panted a few times before answering. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as they watched the agent. After what seemed like an eon, they finally got a response.

"It's been attacked."

#

At the posting of this chapter, Hidden Enemies has been finished. I'll probably be posting the entire thing onto my Patreon soon. However, I'm not leaving you guys out either. Would you like to see this book updated twice a week now? And if so, do you have a particular day you'd like to receive a new chapter? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!