Chase awoke to the smell of bacon sizzling on a grill in the kitchen. His mouth immediately started to salivate, and his stomach rumbled with the ferocity of a lion's roar.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had bacon—or a home-cooked meal. For the past few months, he had been on a strict diet of stale cereal, lumpy oatmeal, and water. Yawning, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat on the end of the soft mattress.
He didn't even remember falling asleep. After Pearce showed his group to their rooms, he knocked out as soon as his head hit one of the plush pillows on the queen-sized bed that had been assigned to him. It was as if he had fallen asleep on a cloud in heaven.
Anything was better than his pillowless cot back at The Haven.
As he sat on the edge of the bed, he frowned at the thought of their compromised base.
It had just started to feel like home to them. They had begun to settle into their routines, built schedules for everyone, and even started decorating the underground bunker. Right when things started to resemble any sense of normalcy, it had been ripped away from them.
Atlas ruined everything.
Orion ruined everything.
Chase's hands clenched around the metal bedframe until it snapped. The frame folded inward, causing the mattress to fall into the open space—taking him with it. He cried out in surprise as he was flung from the bed onto the floor. Groaning, he rubbed his elbow and picked himself up.
Victor—who he was sharing a room with—shook his head at him. The man was tugging on a black muscle shirt with his back facing the blond.
"You're a menace to furniture everywhere."
Chase laughed sarcastically while shooting him a pointed look. "Ha-ha, very funny." As he watched him, he scratched his scruffy beard. "You see your dad yet?"
"I saw him last night when we walked in."
"I know that. I meant did you talk to him yet?"
"Talk to him..." Victor chuckled. He turned around sporting a deadpan expression on his pale face. "No, I haven't talked to him. What am I supposed to say to him? 'Hey, dad, long time no see. Sorry for trying to murder you all those years ago'. Yeah, no thanks. I'll continue avoiding him until we leave."
"You can't do that. He's your father."
"Oh really? Just watch me."
Chase pursed his lips at him. "You gotta relax, Vic."
"Don't," Victor pointed a finger at him, "Don't call me that."
He held his hands up innocently. "Jeez, my bad." He dropped them back to his sides. "Look, all I'm saying is that you've gotta relax a little. I'm sure he's forgiven you for what you did."
"That's what you think." Shaking his head, Victor grabbed his katana and the sheath he kept wrapped around his hip. After tying the strap around his waist, he teleported to the door. "I'll see you in the kitchen."
"Yeah, alright."
Chase shook his head as he watched him teleport away.
He's got serious issues.
The blond wasn't sure if he'd ever fully work through them. For all their sakes, he hoped he did.
After changing out of his clothes and into some threads he found in the room's walk-in closet, he ventured into the bathroom across the hall. Isra was wheeling Archie out of it; the latter sported dried toothpaste on the corners of his mouth while the former laughed while he tried to rub it off.
"It's not funny," he grumbled while wetting his thumb. "Why won't it come off?!"
"I told you not to use so much toothpaste," Isra chastised.
"Yeah, yeah." The boy's eyes perked up as he passed by Chase. "Oh, hey, fearless leader. How'd you sleep?"
He shrugged. "Better than I've slept in a while."
"You can say that again," Isra said. She stretched her arms before twirling around on one foot. "I haven't had this much energy in forever. Those beds were real comfy."
Chase smiled and nodded. "Yeah, they were." He glanced over his shoulder and to the kitchen at the end of the hall. He saw Emily, Andre, and Victor making themselves plates of food from the immaculate spread being presented on the massive marble island. Platters of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast, and fruit were arranged in an orderly fashion. Pitchers of juice adorned the entire setup, along with stacks of plates and rows of clear glasses.
Chase's stomach growled again.
"Go get your breakfast, guys," he told Isra and Archie. "I'll be right behind you."
"You better hurry up," Archie warned him.
"Yeah," Isra added. "Andre's gonna eat all the bacon if you don't join us soon."
He turned his head to see Andre stuffing his face with strips of greasy bacon. He didn't look ashamed. Not one bit. The guy could eat an entire farm if someone dared him to.
While Isra pushed Archie down the hall, Chase entered the bathroom and grabbed a toothbrush wrapped in plastic film. He opened it, applied a dab of paste to the bristles, and stuck it in his mouth. As he brushed his teeth and stared at himself in the mirror, he noted how Pearce Shaw had really thought of everything.
He was truly taking care of them.
It was almost as if they had never left The Acropolis. In a way, they were all his surrogate children. Chase rinsed his mouth and left the bathroom. As he entered the kitchen, he realized he hadn't seen anyone else in the mansion apart from his group.
No wife, no small children roaming about. Not even a butler.
Pearce Shaw was alone. Utterly and hopelessly alone.
His daughter, Victoria, didn't leave with him when he was removed from Atlas. She opted to stay behind to help usher in the new recruits. Though, it wasn't like she and her old man had the strongest of relationships in the first place. Pearce and Victor had been estranged for nearly a decade. There practically was no relationship between them anymore.
And his wife... She had been dead for a long time.
Pearce Shaw truly had no one.
Chase couldn't begin to think about how lonely he must have felt since leaving The Acropolis. A pang of sorrow burrowed into his heart.
He started to think showing up at the man's lake house might have been a blessing in disguise. But not for them. For Pearce. Isolation wasn't good for anyone. Loneliness could drive even the sanest men to the brink of insanity. Everyone needed company sometimes.
Chase's eyes flickered over to Victor for a split moment.
Even if they didn't want to admit it.
That was why Chase valued his group so much. They were more than just a band of refugees fleeing Atlas. They were more than just Primes that the world desperately wanted to control. They were a collective. A tight-knit community. A family brought together by hardship, shared experiences, and—most of all—love for each other.
That was why he had to get the others back. He couldn't let them be taken to The Vault.
It just wasn't an option for him.
They would be rescued, one way or another. If that meant facing off against Orion and the Jaegers again, then so be it. He would do anything for his family.
After piling food onto his plate, he joined the others around the long table in Pearce Shaw's massive dining room. Everyone was spread out around the table as they ate their breakfast. They all wore smiles on their faces as they talked amongst each other. Emily teased Andre as he continued to stuff his face with food. Isra had picked up a grape and tossed it across the table, landing it inside Archie's cup of apple juice—likely using her probability powers to aid her prank. The bespectacled boy simply shot her glare before continuing to eat. Even the permanent look of disdain had been washed away from Victor's face as he sipped from his tall glass of orange juice.
Chase took a bite from his buttered toast and looked around the table. His brow furrowed.
Their host wasn't among them.
"Where's Mr. Shaw?"
"He said to meet us in his basement when we're finished," Emily told him. She shrugged. "Sounds pretty ominous if you ask me. Why does his lake house have a basement anyways? Wouldn't it get flooded?"
"You'd think so," Archie replied, "but Mr. Shaw's always three steps ahead. At least." He winked at her. "Besides, it's where he keeps his toys."
"Toys? What is he, five years old?"
Andre cracked a smile. "What kind of toys? We talkin' frisbees or hula-hoops? Maybe some action figures?"
"God, you two are annoying." He rolled his eyes at them. "You think a multi-millionaire like Mr. Shaw doesn't have access to stupid amounts of technology not accessible to the general population?" He laughed. "Please. If anyone can help gear us up for a fight against Atlas, it's him."
"Well, I hope so. We'll need all the advantages we can get," Chase said. "Eat up, everyone. We need to get going on this plan. Our friends don't have much time before they get moved from The Acropolis."
Everyone nodded and continued eating their breakfast.
Before taking his own advice, he took one last look around the table. They all looked like one, big family. For once, no one appeared to be weighed down by the incessant fear of being hunted down by Jaegers. They seemed content. Relaxed. At home, even.
Chase smiled, but it didn't last.
Just like their short stay at Pearce Shaw's lake house wouldn't.
They couldn't stay. They had a mission to complete. People to save.
But it wouldn't hurt to relish in their brief refuge. Besides, things would be kicking up soon. A few days of relaxation and peace would do them a world of good.
#
After breakfast, Chase led the group down another long hallway that ended with a mechanized door with a hand scanner installed into the wall. He arched an eyebrow at the setup. His slightly warped reflection in the polished, metal doors stared back at him.
Archie hadn't been kidding. Whatever was in the basement was quite obviously worth keeping under lock and key.
"How are we supposed to get in?" Andre scratched the top of his afro.
Chase's eyes lit up. "Archie did say Mr. Shaw always stays three steps ahead..." He placed his hand on the scanner and waited for the red bar to read his prints. After a few seconds, the scanner turned from blue to green. A robotic, feminine voice chimed to life from a hidden speaker.
"Welcome Chase Masterson. Designation A01. Codename Sentinel."
He glanced at the others over his shoulder. They all looked pleasantly surprised. Except for Victor. The long-haired Prime had his arms folded and his attention elsewhere. Shaking his head, Chase gestured toward the now open doorway.
"After you, everyone."
"Sweet," Archie said as Andre wheeled him inside. "He kept all our biometrics from the facility and uploaded them here."
"Makes you think," Emily added while rubbing her chin. "Was he expecting us?"
Andre shrugged. "Or maybe he knew we'd need his help eventually."
"It doesn't matter why or how," Chase told them. "Let's just be thankful that he did it."
He led them through another, much darker corridor. The floors were sloped downward slightly like a ramp, taking them deeper and deeper into the earth. The faint smell of wet soil and stagnant water filtered in through the vents near the ceiling. Recess lights hid above them, dousing the hall with muted light. The walls around them were bare and constructed out of solid steel. A dark blue carpet covered the central strip of concrete ground beneath their feet. Squinting, he spotted a glass door at the end of the hallway.
Unlike the other door, this one was open and not protected by a handprint reader.
"I guess we go this way."
As Chase held the door open for the others, he took his opportunity to look inside. The room was large with incredibly high ceilings. Metal tables with wheels on the bottoms were placed around, each one covered with a tarp. Huge, human-sized glass cylinders were pushed toward the back wall. On the right side of the room was a computer setup that made Archie squeal in delight.
"It's official," the boy genius said. "I already love this place."
The last remaining sector of the room appeared to be a small training center. It possessed a wide assortment of different weights, treadmills, an obstacle course, and even a small shooting range.
Emily's eyes lit up. Her hand inched for her back where her bow would have been.
"I can't wait to get some practice in," she mumbled. "I've been itching to let some arrows in."
"Settle down, everyone," Chase ordered. Though, he was trying to contain his own excitement as well. Pearce Shaw's basement was amazing, much like the rest of his house. "We're here to come up with a plan. I'm sure we'll get to mess around in here later."
"You're such a killjoy," Isra whined.
He shot her a sharp glance and she gulped.
"Kidding?"
Victor snorted. "Why'd he even call us down here if he wasn't going to be here?"
Chase couldn't help but agree with him. There was no sign of Pearce Shaw inside the basement. Although, the space was fairly large. There was a chance he could've been somewhere else outside of their view. However, that wasn't the case, as the glass doors behind them swung open again.
In stepped Pearce Shaw with a bright smile on his face.
"Excellent," he clapped his hands together. "You're all here. Now we can begin." He gestured at a large, glass table in the center of the room near his computer setup. "Follow me."
They accompanied him to the table, which came to life with blinking lights and a digital interface across its surface as soon as the man placed a hand on the glass. Semi-transparent blueprints of The Acropolis were stacked on top of each other toward the bottom right corner of the table. In the middle was a rundown of the different patrol units within the compound. Live feeds of various floors from inside the facility played sporadically around the table.
Chase's eyes widened.
"How do you have this much intel?" Emily inquired, her hands gripping the side of the table as she inclined her head.
"Like I said," Pearce began, "I still have people on the inside who work for me."
"Lucky us," Victor grumbled. He had remained behind the group, seemingly uninterested in the proceedings.
His father cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyways, this is what we have to work with. I fielded out some calls last night and found out that The Vault expects to receive your friends in four days."
The words hit Chase like a sledgehammer to the gut.
Four days. That's all they had to save them.
"We'll make it work," he said. His blue eyes scanned the table again. "So, where should we start?"
Emily pointed at the security feed from The Acropolis' temporary holding cells. "I'm guessing there."
While they couldn't see the containment units or the inmates inside, they could see the pair of security guards patrolling the area. They weren't well-armed, only equipped with a handgun and a baton. And if there were only two, taking them out wouldn't be too difficult.
"That's where you'll need to get to," Pearce told them. "The Acropolis' vent system hits almost every major area in the compound, but the passageways that lead into that sector aren't big enough for you to crawl through."
"How far can they take us?" Chase asked.
The man pulled up a picture of The Lab, which was on the floor above the holding cells. "That's the farthest they'll take you. If you can get to the vents from outside, you'll have to make your way to The Lab and begin your extraction from there."
Chase frowned. That made things a bit harder.
While The Lab wasn't usually crawling with security guards and agents, it was chock-full of cameras and other security measures. Because of the sensitive material housed in The Lab, the facility amped up the surveillance in the area. Sneaking in and out of the sector wouldn't be easy.
Not easy at all.
His eyes widened. He turned to Victor.
Their resident teleporter would be the key to getting in and out of The Lab without being spotted. His ability allowed him to make jumps with two other people maximum. That meant in about two—or three—trips, he could get them to the holding cells.
"Victor, how many jumps can you make in a short amount of time with other people before getting drained?"
He furrowed his brow as he thought. "Not sure. I don't teleport with other people too often." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe three? Four?"
"We'll need more than that if we're going to get ourselves and everyone else out," Emily pointed out.
Chase nodded. "She's right."
"What if we only take two people to the holding cells?" Andre suggested. "The rest can stay behind as lookouts."
"Good idea, Andre," Pearce said. He glanced at Chase.
"That is a good idea. Great job."
Now they needed to come up with an entry and exit strategy. However, Pearce assured them that they would be supplied with a jet and four ATVs to assist with their mission. They would be hidden in the forest, waiting for them as soon as they escaped the facility. All they had to do from there was drive to the rendezvous point where Pearce's jet would be waiting for them.
With that settled, Chase turned their attentions towards contingencies should anything go wrong. Because something almost always went wrong. They quickly came up with a few strategies, taking ideas from everyone as they went.
"Our main priority is to get everyone out the building," Chase told them. "Avoid combat but if you have to, do what you need to do to ensure your survival. If we can't do that, we get the kids out. That means Isra, Cassie, Mateo. If any other children are being held captive in the facility, we'll try our best to get them too."
Everyone nodded.
"If worst comes to worst..." He paused so he could look everyone in the eye. "I'll stay behind to make sure you all get out."
The group froze. Eyes went wide. Even Pearce seemed taken aback.
"Are you sure?" Emily asked him.
"It's my fault they got taken. I'll do everything in my power to make sure we get them back."
Emily shook her head. "You always were the honorable one."
"Guy think's he's a knight or something," Victor quipped.
He rolled his eyes. "My codename is Sentinel."
"It should've been Captain Noble," Archie joked. The others laughed. Chase eventually joined in, even if it was at his own expense. He'd take the hits. He knew they were coming from a good place.
"We can work out the specifics the closer you get to leaving here," Pearce told them. "For now, I have gifts."
Isra's face lit up. "Santa Claus?!"
The man chuckled. "Something like that." After he deactivated the table, he beckoned them over to tarp-covered desks nearby.
Chase arched an eyebrow at him. "What did you get us?"
"I had these made a few months back," he admitted. "Not sure why, if I'm being completely honest. Part of me hoped something in the world would change. Maybe I'd be reinstated as director of Atlas. Maybe you all would come back." His blue eyes drifted to the floor for a moment as his lips pulled into a frown. Shaking his head, he put back on a smile. "Anyways, take a look at your new mission suits."
He ripped off the beige covering on one of the tables, revealing seven matte black suits. They were similar to their old Atlas suits, but they didn't sport the blue logo on them. There were also more lightweight armor plates built into the dark, Kevlar mesh. White lines ran through the material and an LED number had been stitched to the center like a jersey. All of them read out "00", likely due to not being programmed.
Everyone immediately convened around the table as they marveled over their new threads. Chase remained beside Pearce and Victor as he watched the others pick up the suits and examine them.
"He even made me one!" Archie spun his chair around. "Can I be green? I always told myself if I ever got a suit, it would be green."
The man nodded. "Yes, you can be green, Archie."
"Sweet."
Chase turned to Pearce and shook his hand. "We really appreciate this. You have no idea."
"It's the least I could do." He dropped his gaze. An ashamed look crossed over his face. "After the PRA got signed, I should've taken it upon myself to look after you all. I should've never let you go on the run like that."
"It wasn't your responsibility, sir—"
"But it was." He peered at Victor for a moment. "I already abandoned one child. I shouldn't have done the same to you and the others."
Straightening up, Chase shook his head. "You didn't abandon us. If it wasn't for you, we would've ended up with Kane all those years ago. And who knew what the world would be like now if that had happened." He placed both hands on the man's shoulders. "You saved us. You took us in when we needed it the most. I'll forever be grateful for that, Mr. Shaw."
"Mr. Shaw..." Pearce scoffed. "Come on, Chase."
"Right." He smiles sheepishly. "Pearce."
"There you go." Using the sleeve of his black sweater, he wiped his eyes and smiled. "Enough of that." He jogged over to another table and pulled back the tarp. "Let's get onto the fun stuff!"