Emily hated secrets—especially after what happened the last time she told someone one of hers.

She also despised authority and being told what to do. Her father was to blame for that particular trait.

So, it wasn't really a surprise when she found herself wanting to figure out whatever it was Director Shaw was hiding from them. He didn't seem too disturbed about Kismet's actions. In fact, he spoke as if he had the entire thing under control. If that was the case, she was willing to bet he and his agents knew where Kane was going to strike next.

She just didn't know when. Or where.

Which is why she developed an ingenious plan to find solutions to those two variables.

When she first arrived at The Acropolis, she and the others were given a tour of the place. It was nestled in the center of a partially hollowed mountain that used to be a mining center during the 1800s. A waterfall shrouded the main entrance—it could even be seen from the windows towards the front of the compound.

During the tour, they had passed a room labeled 'The Watchtower'. Their guide, who had just been an agent on their break, gave a brief description of the place. It was Atlas' hub of intelligence; their network of satellites reported expansive data to the servers which fed into the supercomputers inside. They also had access to almost every network on the planet. If they wanted to, they could facially recognize a person from a grainy online video within twenty minutes.

It was the perfect place to find information on just about anything.

There was only one issue; only certain people were allowed inside.

She quickly learned that everyone carried a key card with them. One was given to her and the other a few days after she arrived. The cards gave people access to various parts of the facility. However, the devices weren't universal. Some rooms were only available to agents above a certain level.

The Watchtower was one of those rooms. It was only accessible by agents' level four and above. Emily and the others were only level one.

For anyone else, that would've shot down their ideas of getting inside. But it only made Emily want to try harder. A few minutes before, she managed to nick a key card off one of the guys who just ended their shift in The Watchtower. They would notice their card was missing soon, meaning she only had a few minutes to find what she needed.

Just in case someone decided to enter the room while she searched, she asked Andre to serve as her lookout. Though, since most of the agents were retiring to their quarters for the night, that happening was highly unlikely.

She and Andre were currently on their way there. A few agents passed by them in the corridors. No one paid them much attention. If anyone asked what they were doing out their rooms this late, she'd just say they were exploring the base.

Moments later, they arrived at their destination.

A silver door stood between them and the inside of The Watchtower. A small window in the center revealed the darkness within the room. Blinking lights from the server racks on the right side caught Emily's eye. The amount of hardware they had was impressive. The servers alone must have cost thousands.

In fact, The Acropolis itself must've cost millions to build.

She began to wonder where Pearce Shaw got all his money from.

''Ready?'' Andre asked her. He was a man of few words. Throughout the four years she'd seen him around school, she couldn't recall a time where he said a full sentence.

Nodding, she retrieved her stolen key card—the name and picture on the rectangle revealed it was from a man named Dennis—and swiped it against the scanner.

''Agent Dennis Owens. Designation A61.''

Emily cringed at the sound of P.A.I's voice.

A lock within the door clicked and Andre pulled it open. Muttering a quick ''thanks'', she ventured inside the freezing data room. The boy behind her closed the door and followed.

She rubbed her arms, which were exposed due to the black tank top she wore. The room was insanely cold; it was as if she stepped right into Siberia during the winter. Andre seemed to be feeling it as well, as she could hear his teeth chattering. He stood at the door with his arms crossed and his eyes trained on the door.

She was thankful for his help. Upon telling him her plan, she thought he would've declined. At first glance, he didn't seem to be the rebellious type. He hadn't even been her first choice to ask; it had been Chase. He'd been too busy flirting with Stella, so she didn't bother asking him.

Luckily, Andre was on board with her idea.

The girl made her way over to the computers and sat down at the first one. After booting it up, she smiled after the system didn't prompt her for any login information. They must've figured the key card was enough security. She shook her head. If anyone with bad intentions wanted to use The Watchtower, it wouldn't have been very hard.

Once she arrived on the computer's desktop, her eyes bulged. Hundreds of files covered the display. She couldn't even make out the navy-blue Atlas logo in the background. Scanning over the hordes of folders, she settled on the one she figured would hold the answers to her questions.

It opened and inside resided files of previous mission reports carried out by the Atlas agents. She scrolled down until she reached the most recent ones. Near the end was one labeled with the date she and her friends were captured by Kismet. She was almost tempted to open it but decided against it.

She didn't have any time to waste.

The next file was named with tomorrow's date. Her face lit up.

''Bingo.'' She clicked it.

A rectangle appeared on the screen and asked for a code. Emily scowled. She hadn't anticipated this. Everything up until this point had been so easy. Why was there added security on this one file?

Annoyed, she tried a few more combinations. None of them worked. She spent a few minutes trying to guess what the access code was but deep down she knew it was getting her nowhere.

She'd been so close.

She knew the date, but she didn't know the location of tomorrow's mission.

''Uh, Em?''

She spun in her chair. ''Yeah?''

Andre pointed at the window. Getting up, she walked over to the door. A curse slipped from her lips as she spotted a man walking towards the door. She ducked underneath the glass square and pulled Andre down with her.

It was Dennis; the man whom she stole the key card from. The key card which she left on the computer table. Alternating her gaze from the door and the table, she contemplated fetching the card. But if she did, she'd be caught by the Atlas agent outside.

Grumbling under her breath, she abandoned the rescue mission. She grabbed Andre's large hand and led him behind one of the server racks. The two of them hid there as they watched the door.

Her ears perked up at the sound of the lock clicking.

She figured he must've realized his key was missing and borrowed someone else's to look for his own. The man cautiously entered the room with a flashlight in his hands. The beam of light passed over various points as he looked around. Another key card could be seen in his other hand.

Emily sucked in a breath. Internally chiding herself for the sharp noise, she clamped a hand over her mouth.

Fortunately, he hadn't heard her.

''Ah, there it is,'' Dennis muttered. He strolled over to the computer where his card was and pocketed it. Upon noticing that the screen was on, he scratched the top of his head. ''Someone must've left this up.'' Shrugging, he exited out of the folder Emily opened and shut the display off.

She frowned.

Dennis took one last look around the room before making his way back to the door. Just as he was about to leave, one of the server racks behind Emily creaked. The sound cut through the quiet darkness, alerting everyone in the room. Turning her neck slowly, she glared at Andre. His broad shoulder had accidentally nudged one of the shelves, causing the noise.

Her eyes flared as she cursed him silently.

The man at the door squinted in their direction. Raising his flashlight, he clicked the thing on and shone the light in their direction. Just as he was about to take a step forward, the phone in his pocket rang.

A lame pop song blared from the cell phone's tiny speakers. For Emily's ears, it felt like she was in the front row of a concert. She clamped her hands over her hearing aids and hoped he would answer the call.

''Hello?'' Dennis raised the phone to his ear. ''Yeah, I found it. Must've left it on accident. I'm on my way back now.'' His voice faded away and the door closed behind him.

Emily let out a breath and shook her head at Andre.

''Seriously?''

He shrugged apologetically.

''Did you find what you needed?'' he whispered.

She see-sawed her hand. ''It's enough.'' Standing up, she motioned towards the exit with her chin. ''C'mon. Let's go tell the others.''

#

''Let me get this straight,'' Theo said while rubbing his chin. ''You snuck into The Watchtower and looked at classified information?"

Emily ignored him.

''What were you trying to find?'' Chase asked as he sat down onto his bed.

The five of them—herself, Oscar, Andre, Theo, and Chase—were all convened in the latter's room to discuss what information Emily uncovered. She opted not to invite Stella, considering she'd probably snitch on them. After all, it was basically in her DNA. She'd been the hall monitor back when they were in the fifth grade.

''Information.''

''On what exactly?''

Emily pushed his door closed. ''Atlas knows where Kismet is planning to attack next. It's happening tomorrow.''

That caught Chase's attention.

''Where?''

''Er...I didn't really get to find that part out.''

Now she lost it.

Chase rolled his eyes. ''So, basically, your little espionage mission was a waste of time?''

She set her jaw while narrowing her gaze at him.

''You said tomorrow?'' Oscar asked. She nodded. ''I heard some guys talking about a jet leaving in the morning at ten. I take it that's not a coincidence.''

A grin replaced her scowl. ''No, it's not.'' She turned to Chase. ''Now we know when.''

He chuckled. ''Alright, alright.''

''We're not seriously thinking about sneaking on, right? Right? I mean, that's crazy talk! Director Shaw specifically told us not to get involved. So...we shouldn't get involved,'' Theo said. He'd gone red in the face again. Andre patted his back while the boy caught his breath.

''We have the chance to do something with these abilities,'' Chase countered. ''I mean, I can lift a car. My skin can stop a sniper caliber bullet. Don't even get me started on Andre's powers. Those Atlas agents can't take on Apex and Kismet alone.'' He gestured at the group. ''But us? They'll need our help.''

Emily nodded. ''What blondie said.''

He shot her an annoyed glance, with which she replied with a sly smile.

''I don't know guys. I think Stella and Director Shaw were right...''

She rolled her eyes at him. He'd come around eventually. Up until this point, Oscar hadn't said anything. His attention was focused on his silver lighter. A sullen look shrouded his face.

''What about you, Oz?'' she asked. ''You in?''

He froze for a moment before speaking. ''I want to help...really, I do. But I just don't think I can.''

She tilted her head at him. ''And why not?''

''My powers...I don't want to use them, as crazy as that sounds. You've all got cool abilities but mine is just something that destroys. Plus, I can't even really control it. What if I accidentally set one of you guys on fire or something?''

Theo stifled a laugh.

Chase walked over to Oscar. ''Look, I get it. Or, maybe I don't. But we were given these abilities for reason. I know we were. We've got the opportunity to use them for good. Don't let your fear control you.''

Though his words weren't directed towards her, they made her feel better about the entire situation. And she hadn't even been thinking about not participating. Upon studying his demeanor, she concluded he was a natural leader. It showed in the way he walked, his words, and even his actions.

She remembered how he tried to keep everyone calm when Kismet first discovered them in the woods. Even the time where he protected Theo from some bullies back at school showcased his leadership.

Normally, she wasn't a follower, but if she had to follow someone, it'd be him.

Oscar must've felt the same way because he looked up from the ground and nodded at Chase.

''Alright,'' he grumbled. ''I'll do it. But if we die, I'm going to kill you.''

Chase grinned and clapped his back, nearly sending the boy to the floor. ''Oops. My bad. Still not quite used to my strength yet.''

''So, what's the plan?'' Andre asked.

Emily thought for a moment. ''Well, if the jet is leaving at ten, we should meet up at the hangar by nine thirty. We can figure out the rest from there.''

''I'd prefer a more concrete plan but under the circumstances, this'll do,'' Chase said. He looked at the three other boys. ''Everyone good with that?''

The others nodded.

''Great. See you all in the morning. Now, get out of my room. I'm tired.''

''You don't have to tell me twice,'' Emily muttered.

Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked out the door.