Emily never thought it would've been Oscar.

In fact, he was the last one she would have expected to be the mole. It made more sense for it to be one of the newer members or some disgruntled Atlas employee. She never thought it would be one of their own.

The original six had now been reduced to the original five.

Why did it have to be him?

The hurt caused by his confession still lingered throughout her like a ghost pain. It stung her like a swarm of bees. She hadn't been angry with him—not how Chase had been anyway. She was just disappointed.

But there had been no time to dwell on it. Before Oscar was cast out of The Acropolis, courtesy of Stella, he told them of a plot to attack the meeting scheduled at the Pentagon in just a few days' time. According to him, the rogue Primes were planning on getting rid of Senator Crane for good.

Except Emily didn't believe that for a second. Despite not having any proof regarding Crane's treachery, she knew he was behind it. No one could convince her otherwise.

The attack on the Pentagon wasn't for him; it was just meant to look like that. The actual targets were the other government officials still opposing the PRA. It had to be. They were truly the only ones preventing it from being ratified. If they were eliminated, nothing would stop Crane from achieving his goals.

An hour after Oscar came clean, Director Shaw called a meeting. As they had been drafting up a plan of action, they got the chilling call from an Atlas agent.

The apartment building Oscar's uncle and sister lived in had exploded. The firefighters attributed the explosion's catalyst to a series of bombs hidden throughout the complex. According to the authorities, they had been set off remotely.

The fire engulfing the building had been stopped by Oscar himself. Videos of the event hit the internet within minutes of it happening. But once the flames were quelled, he had vanished. No one had seen or heard anything from him since. Atlas agents were still searching for him.

Two days had passed since they received the news.

Emily could still remember the looks on everyone's faces as they sat around Director Shaw's office. Suddenly, no one was angry anymore. Theo and Andre looked horrified. Guilt had stained Chase's entire being. Stella had seemed shocked but tried to mask it with indifference.

As for Emily, she couldn't believe it.

He had mentioned his family had been threatened, but she didn't really think anything would happen to them. After all, who would attack the family of a Prime affiliated with Atlas? That was like asking to be hunted down and thrown in jail.

But now they were dead because he did the right thing. He had paid the price for it. Emily wasn't sure if she would've done the same. Her family—specifically her younger brother—meant everything to her. If someone had threatened them, she would have done whatever to keep them safe.

If only she had seen Oscar's side before they pushed him away.

Now he was alone.

Emily scowled at the thought of him by himself; hiding and hurting. No one deserved to go through what he had endured. But instead of being his friend, instead of understanding his dilemma, they discarded him like a broken toy. They branded him a traitor. And enemy.

He didn't deserve that.

"Emily!" Stella's shrill voice yelled.

She jumped in her seat, her features twisted in irritation. With her eyes narrowed, she glared at the girl. "What?" she hissed.

"Are you even listening? We're going over the plan again," Stella said. "We need to make sure this goes smoothly. Senator Crane and the other government officials must be protected at all costs."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening."

She wasn't.

Stella rolled her eyes before Chase resumed speaking at the head of the mission planning table.

The whole Prime Task Force, along with a few Atlas agents and Director Shaw, were piled into the room. The Pentagon mission was slated to be their most important one since the Battle of Adak Island. This time, they were shorthanded; not only had they lost a valuable support member in Holly, but now Oscar was gone.

While he had never been an amazing team member, he was powerful. He came good in big moments.

They needed him; now more than ever.

"We'll be split into two teams," Chase explained. He held his hands behind his back as he stood in front of a hologram of The Pentagon hovering above the table. "Each team will be protecting a different set of politicians as they travel throughout the building."

As he droned on about the plan, Emily counted the arrows in quiver sitting near her feet.

Archie had recently restocked her supply. She now giving her thirty standard arrows and one set of five arrows for each special type she had—sonic, electric, explosive, flashbang, and gas. They were made out of lightweight material, along with the quiver, meaning she could carry the whole thing across her back with no problem.

It made for moving quickly during battle or a chase that much easier.

She could have done with a few more sonic arrows, but she would make do with what she had. If worse came to worse, she could always use her own sonic abilities. The only downside to using them was the strain they put on her vocal cords.

Chase cleared his throat as he zoomed in a portion of The Pentagon's map. "Team One will consist of me, Starchild, Force, Blur, and Titan. Team One will be captained by Reverb. Your members are Pisces, Neon, Vortex, and Field."

He held his hand out and an Atlas agent handed him a tablet. "You all will find one of these in your transports. A more detailed overview of the plan and what your specific jobs will be can found within them. If you have any questions, refer to your team leaders."

Everyone nodded, accepting their orders.

As their squad leader made his way to his seat, Emily caught his eye. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before averting their gazes elsewhere.

She hadn't expected him to give her a squad of her own. In fact, she was sure Stella was against the idea. Had the two of them not been on the same side, they surely would have been archenemies. She scowled at the thought of their last interaction in Director Shaw's office.

Nevertheless, she was thankful that Chase still trusted her. She wouldn't let him down.

Director Shaw thanked Chase before taking the floor. He removed his glasses and took a look around the room with his ice-blue irises.

"I don't think I have to tell you what this mission would mean for us," he began. "This may be your last job under my leadership. If our time has indeed come to an end, I would like to thank every single one of you for your courage and bravery. Not many people would do the things that you all have done." He smiled, but the truth was in his eyes. "If we're going to go out, let's go out with dignity."

The whole room mumbled in agreeance. Emily could feel everyone's spirits lift once the man finished his short speech.

He was right. It could be their last mission with Atlas. Even if they succeeded in protecting Senator Crane and the other politicians, it would take a minor miracle to get the majority of the United Nations to change their stance on the PRA.

Today was all about pride and showing the world that Primes could be a force of good, not evil.

Emily stood up from her seat, her bow in hand. A determined expression settled on her face like fresh snow on the ground. "Let's kick some ass."

#

"How do you pronounce this guy's name?" Angus asked with his tablet in between his gloved hands. His baseball bat, recently shined and buffed, rested against his thick legs. "La...wando?"

"Lwando," Kai corrected patiently. "It's South African."

"Well, it definitely ain't American. That's for damn sure," the redhead replied.

Emily rolled her eyes at him. She was glad she wasn't stuck in the backseat of the Atlas transport her team sat in. They five minutes away from the Pentagon. The meeting between Senator Crane and a select few of the United Nations officials was slated to start in the next hour.

It was Atlas' job, along with the security within the building, to make sure they survived. Senator Crane would love nothing more than for them to die and to be replaced by officials who believed in his regime.

Emily liked ruining people's days. It was fun. She just hoped she would be able to ruin his.

"Alright, everyone," she said from the passenger seat of their armored truck. "We have been tasked with guarding Mr. Lwando and his entourage from the moment they entered the Pentagon until the moment they get in their vehicles and reach the safety checkpoint."

"I thought we were protecting Senator Crane too," Theo said.

She resisted the urge to facepalm. "I've got a feeling he won't need too much protection."

From the backseat, Kai shot her a warning glance. She sighed in reply.

"Senator Crane is the responsibility of Chase's team," she informed her squad. "Our mission is to protect our targets. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Isn't this exciting?" Zach asked. He was practically bouncing in his seat. If it wasn't for his seatbelt, his head would have hit the roof. "This is my first mission. My first mission! Isn't that cool?"

Emily shook her head as he continued rambling.

They arrived outside the Pentagon a few minutes later. Men and women clad in black suits met them on the curb. Among the security detail and a few people dressed in traditional South African garbs was their target, Mr. Gwede Lwando—the permanent United Nations representative from South Africa. Because of him, the PRA hadn't been made into an official world document yet.

His bravery and resistance were the only things preventing Crane from winning.

Emily just hoped it didn't get him killed.

As she and her team exited their truck, Mr. Lwando approached them with a large smile on his round face. He was a short, stocky man with dark skin weathered with old age. A gray, bushy mustache sat atop his lip.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." His voice was soft and inviting. "I appreciate you and your people for protecting us on our journey."

She blinked a few times, confused. She hadn't been expecting that sort of reception. In her mind, everyone hated Primes. Even the good ones.

It was nice to see someone didn't.

"We're going to do everything in our power to keep you safe," she told him with a curt nod.

Behind her, Angus stepped up with his baseball bat resting on his shoulders. "Stick with us and we'll make sure ya' don't get hurt."

Mr. Lwando nodded at the boy.

Once the rest of the team got acquainted with their target, they made their way inside the Pentagon.

#

During the meeting between Mr. Lwando and Senator Crane, both of the Atlas squads began setting up throughout their section of the building. Chase's team took the conference room itself, blocking every entrance and securing the roof above.

As for Emily and her team members, they guarded the hallways leading to their positions. She had Kai and Angus guarding the corridors adjacent to her while Danai—who remained outside—patrolled the various skylights dotting the ceilings. Zach was currently zipping around the entire compound and keeping watch for anything suspicious.

The halls were perfectly designed to defend. They weren't too narrow, but they also didn't offer much space to hide. Portraits of past presidents lined the cream-colored walls. The lights from above gleamed off the polished tiles below Emily's feet. A few cameras were tucked away in the corners, their heads moving around every now and then. Their feeds were hooked up to the tablet in Emily's hand. She could see everything in this sector of the Pentagon.

No one was getting anywhere near the meeting room.

Emily kept her eyes peeled as she peered down the halls. The various workers passed her by as she stood by with her bow in hand. Most paid her no mind, but a few shot her a few nervous glances. She simply told them to "keep it moving".

She didn't need anyone distracting her. Nor did she need anyone getting caught in the crossfire of battle should one start.

Though thirty minutes had passed since Senator Crane and Mr. Lwando entered the conference room and nothing had happened. Maybe Oscar had been wrong. Or perhaps those rogue Primes realized they had been compromised. She didn't care what the reason was. She was just glad they hadn't shown up yet.

A sense of unease wriggled inside of her like a ghost seeking to take over her body. She shifted her feet and scanned the halls again. There was nothing. In fact, no one had passed her by in a few minutes.

Maybe everyone's working.

She furrowed her brow. Something didn't feel right. Pressing her finger to her ear, she activated her communicator.

"Pisces, Force," she started, "you two see anything?"

Kai was the first to respond. "Nope. All clear down here."

"Force? What about you?"

"Everything's a 'okay over here. Nothin' outta the ordinary."

Emily nodded. "Good to hear. Vortex? How's it going outside?"

"I don't see anything out here," Danai answered. The sound of wind rushing sounded in the background. "I'm checking the parking lot now."

"Let me know if you find anything."

"Got it."

Danai closed off her channel. Emily did the same. She tapped her foot against the ground impatiently. To help soothe her boredom, she pulled out a black-tipped arrow and fiddled with the head.

Maybe this mission is going to be a piece of cake.

"I knew this thing was gonna be a waste of time," Angus chimed in. "I mean, who in their right mind would attack The Pentagon? Everyone knows the American government is the best there is. There's no way they'd let somethin' like that fly."

"You never know," Kai countered. "These same Primes broke into The Vault and broke out one of the most dangerous superhumans in the world."

He paused for a second. "Touché, Water Girl."

Emily rolled her eyes at his nickname for the girl. It was easily the worst one she had ever heard.

"Force, shut up," she hissed into her communicator. "Stay focused."

"Aye, aye, cap'n."

Out the corner of her eye, she spotted the door to the conference room open. A few of the security guards and Chase's squad spilled out in the hallway, quickly followed by Mr. Lwando, his party, and Senator Crane.

"It's a shame we couldn't come to an agreement," Senator Crane said while shaking Mr. Lwando's hand.

"I wish you luck in the presidential race, Senator Crane," the man replied with a smile. "I just do not think I can bring myself to support your policy. I do hope you understand."

A sinister smile stretched across Crane's lips. "Oh, I understand. It's clear I won't be able to change your mind."

Emily narrowed her gaze at the senator.

"Well," Senator Crane said as he stared at the South African. "I hope you have a safe trip back to Johannesburg." Without waiting for a reply, he began walking down the hall with his security at his back. Chase and his squad followed behind.

Emily caught the senator's eye as he passed her. He chuckled as he went, his hands stuffed in his pockets. She pursed her lips at him as he turned the corner up ahead.

"He's up to something," she whispered. "Everyone, keep your guards up."

Her hand twitched at her side, eager to snatch an arrow from her quiver. Something was about to go down. She could feel deep in her bones.

"Honestly, Reverb, I think you're just being paranoid," Angus told her. "Nothing's going to—"

A high-pitched whine assaulted her eardrums. She quickly pressed her hands to her ears. Pain flared in the base of her skull as she dropped down to one knee. She tried calling for her team, but no one replied.

The sound was familiar. During her training back at The Acropolis, she had come to recognize several noises the average person wouldn't.

This one, in particular, was a signal jammer.

Her heart skipped a beat as she rose to her feet. She looked to Mr. Lwando and his small group of people traveling with him. They all sported confused expressions while covering their ears.

She walked toward them. "We need to go!" she shouted over the noise. She went to press her communicator before dropping her hand. There was no use. Kai and Angus wouldn't hear her anyway.

She was on her own.

You've got this, Em. You've got this.

Clenching her jaw and desperately trying to block out the piercing wail reverberating around her, she led Mr. Lwando and his group down the hall.

She never even made it ten steps before the overhead light fixtures within the corridor exploded.

They went one by one, a petrifying symphony of shattering glass and sizzling sparks dancing on the tiles below. Within seconds, the entire hall was shrouded in darkness. Emily squinted as she tried to see through the shadows.

"Stay close," she whispered to those behind her. She slowly pulled a sonic arrow from her quiver and notched it.

She couldn't trust her eyesight. She had to depend on her other senses now.

She shut her eyes and focused on the noises around her. There were the ragged breaths of those crouched behind her and glass crunching beneath her boots. In the distance, she hears screams. Beyond that, she could hear electricity crackling.

The sound kept getting closer and closer until it entered their hallway.

Emily's breath hitched in her throat. Goosebumps rose against her porcelain skin.

"What is going on?" Mr. Lwando asked urgently.

"It's them," she answered. "They've come."