Emily hated the butterflies she got inside her stomach right before a debriefing. She should've been used to it by now. It had been almost two years since she got her powers. Two years since her life changed forever, courtesy of Kane and Kismet.

She had been a part of Atlas' special task force for about a year. Before every mission, there was a debriefing with Director Shaw and a senior Atlas agent—usually Agent Strong, the team's designated overseer.

She had been in that mission room countless times. Still, it turned her blood to ice and caused goosebumps to rise against her pale skin.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled up the torso of her black and violet suit while Kai sat on her bed behind her.

"You know," the Hawaii-native began, "I'm really enjoying this view."

Emily shot her an unimpressed glare. "Cut it out."

"What? I'm just admiring you."

"There's nothing to admire." She walked into her spacious closet. After grabbing her bow and empty quiver, she joined Kai on the edge of her mattress.

Kai patted Emily's thigh and flashed the girl her warm smile. It was one of Emily's favorite things about the girl. Though, she seemed to have a lot of things she liked about Kai.

"Stop saying that stuff," the girl scolded. "You're cute. Even when you're being an idiot."

Emily snorted. She appreciated the confidence boost, but that didn't make it feel any less awkward. Awkward was the perfect word for their relationship. Kai wasn't shy about her sexuality in the slightest. From the time they found her controlling waves in Hawaii, she had been the image of confidence and beauty.

Perhaps that was what drew Emily to her.

Meanwhile, she was still finding herself. Though, Kai was helping. But she still had a long way to go. She was still learning. Still searching.

It wasn't easy; especially when everyone else continuously slapped labels onto her face any chance they got. She supposed she should've been used to it by now. After all, she'd been getting labeled by her peers since middle school.

But it was different now. The whole world was watching her every move, listening to every word she spoke. They saw how she and Kai interacted. Many had their theories, and many of those theories were publicized.

Emily Yumiko: the world's first lesbian superhero?

To some, she was an icon. To others, she was just searching for attention. And to a small, but vocal minority, she was an abomination. Not only could she shoot sonic rings from her mouth, but she also liked girls.

Oh, the horror.

In truth, Kai was a blessing, despite how Emily acted toward her sometimes. The girl was kind, thoughtful, and patient—all things Emily wasn't but needed.

It also helped that Kai was extremely beautiful.

She couldn't fathom why a girl like her would be interested in someone like herself. She was nothing special—apart from her superhuman abilities and genetic makeup. Other than that, she wasn't too noteworthy. Not her eyes, at least. She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous like Stella. She wasn't funny like Oscar or Theo. And she wasn't as strong or charming as Chase.

She was just Emily—volatile and anti-social Emily.

A sigh escaped her lips.

Beside her, Kai stood up from the bed and offered her hand. "You ready to go?"

Nodding, Emily took her hand. She let herself smile a bit. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Kai returned the gesture. Hand in hand, the two girls left the room and made their way to the mission debriefing room.

#

"You're late," Agent Strong growled as the pair entered the room. Kai apologized to the man while Emily simply rolled her eyes. "Take a seat. Quickly."

Emily did as she was told. Kai sat to her left. Three others were to her right. She leaned forward and realized them to be Theo, Danai, and Lucky. They, too, were dressed in their mission gear. Each of them had a tablet in their hands with the day's intel report on the screens.

After a few seconds, an agent standing in the corner handed Emily and Kai a tablet as well.

"What's the deal, Ashley?" Emily asked while leaning back in her chair.

Agent Strong lowered his shades at her. "That's Agent Strong to you, girlie. And to answer your question, we've got a mission for you lot in Cairo."

"Egypt?" Kai's eyes widened. "We're going to Egypt?"

"Yep!" Theo chirped. "We're gonna fight some scary tomb raiders."

Next to him, Danai facepalmed. "They're not tomb raiders...well not exactly. If you check the file, you'll see that they've robbed all sorts of historical and private sites. They've stolen artwork, artifacts, you name it."

Emily nodded slowly as she scrolled through the information on the tablet. Their targets were a group of international individuals who operated in the underground market. They stole expensive pieces of artwork and sold it back to shady buyers for a profit.

"This is terrible and all," Kai said while placing her device on the table, "but why exactly are we going in for this one? I mean, can't the FBI or something handle this?"

"Normally, yes," Agent Strong answered. "But these aren't just normal thieves. They're being led by a Prime from Algeria who we've been calling Sandstorm."

Theo grinned at Emily. "Wanna know why we're calling him that?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Please enlighten me, Theo."

"He can control—"

"He controls sand," Danai finished.

"Hey, I was explaining that!" Theo protested.

Emily nodded. "Interesting. So, we're going to a desert to fight a Prime to controls sand. I'm not really sure this is the best of plans. Couldn't we have waited for him to rob a place in, oh I don't know, Iceland? Or maybe some place where there isn't a lot of sand?"

"That's what I said," Lucky grumbled.

"That's not an option," Agent Strong replied curtly. "They're supposed to be conducting some sort of transaction with a European buyer in one of Cairo's marketplaces. We might not get the chance to arrest them like this again."

"Who's the buyer?" Kai inquired.

Agent Strong rubbed the top of his shiny head. "We don't have a full profile on her, but she's been operating under the name Calypso Argyros. She seems to be a collector of sorts. She's been funding Mustafa and his crew for months to steal artifacts for her."

Lucky frowned. "Why can't people just follow the law? It's honestly not that hard."

"Criminals don't care about the law, son," Agent Strong replied.

Emily pursed his lips and glanced down at the tablet in her hands. She studied the detailed plan for the mission about five times before looking up again. It was a decent strategy. It had backup contingencies for almost everything. Everyone had a job that was mapped out to the most minute of details.

In fact, it was better than decent. It was near perfect.

Still, Emily couldn't help but feel it wouldn't work.

"You're leading today, Reverb," Agent Strong said, resorting to using her codename.

She blinked a few times before nodding at him. A nervous sigh left her lips. "Got it." After switching off her tablet, she laid it down on the table and stood up. "I won't let you down, Ashley."

Agent Strong rolled his eyes at her. "Just get to the hangar. Your flight leaves in twenty minutes."

Theo jumped up from his chair and zoomed over to the door. His brown eyes bounced around in their sockets as he grinned. "Let's go stop some tomb raiders!"

Danai facepalmed. "I already told you they're not tomb raiders."

Emily glanced at Kai, who was smiling proudly at her.

"You're gonna do great," she said while gently squeezing her hand.

"I hope so," Emily muttered. Sighing again, she exited the room, her team following behind her.

#

"Any sign of them yet, Vortex?" Emily asked Danai through her earpiece.

"Not yet, Reverb. I'll keep you posted."

Emily grunted out a reply.

At the moment, she was trying her best to blend in with the locals and tourists milling around the open courtyard that lurked just a few miles away from the base of the towering pyramids in the distance. She wore a long, black abaya with purple trimming coupled with a headscarf of the same color. Her bow and quiver hid under her cloak, invisible to the naked eye.

The hijab covered the lower portion of her face so that only her eyes were visible. She was grateful for it, because not only did it mask her appearance, but it also shielded her mouth from the sand swirling in the air.

Her disguise was crucial to getting close enough to Sandstorm and his gang. If she had just walked out into the marketplace with no mask, it would've drawn too much attention to her. It wasn't every day that a pale-skinned, Asian girl could be found in the bustling streets of Cairo. The tactical bow hanging over her shoulder would've made things even worse.

She kept her eyes peeled for the Algerian Prime as she made her way through the dirt road. People ignored her as she passed by them, most of them speaking in a foreign language. They all were oblivious to what was going on.

Danai was trailing Emily and providing the group with a view from the sky. Her control over the wind made her the perfect option for surveillance and recon. Lucky was following Emily as well, except he opted to take all the back alleys in order to stay out of the public view. As for Kai and Theo, the two of them were parked nearby in a military-grade Jeep waiting for Emily's signal to join in should a fight break out.

If everything went according to plan, a fight wouldn't be needed.

As Emily kept walking, her earpiece crackled with noise.

"Sandstorm has been spotted," Danai chimed. The sound of wind rushing sounded in the background. "He's a few yards ahead to your left."

"How many men are with him?"

"About four."

She cursed under her breath, earning a few disapproving glances from some old women nearby. She apologized to them in Arabic; she had learned a few words and phrases during the plane ride from America to Egypt.

"I've got your back, Reverb," Lucky told her.

Emily caught sight of him in an alley a few feet away from her. He was dressed in casual clothing, but she could see his mission suit underneath his button-up shirt. His luxurious black hair was tied into a man-bun atop his head.

She thanked him and took a deep breath. Through a gap in the crowd around her, she spotted their target.

A man with rough, grainy skin and a thick beard the color of tar stood near a rundown building with four other men in dusty cargo pants and sweat-stained tank tops. They all wielded assault rifles with extended clips.

Emily gulped. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. She couldn't tell if it was because of the sweltering heat or the fact that she wasn't sure if the plan was going to work.

Most likely both.

"Engaging," she whispered. She carefully waded through the road and made her way over to Sandstorm.

The man was leaning against a beat-up pickup truck. A pair of shades covered his eyes and a toothpick interrupted the space between his thick lips.

"Blur, Pisces," Emily said. "Have the truck on standby. They've got a vehicle."

"Copy," Theo replied.

Emily let out a calming breath and continued toward Sandstorm. She emerged from the crowd and sauntered up to him. Lifting her chin ever so slightly, she stopped in front of the man and his crew.

He tilted his head at her. "Can I help you, little girl?"

"Yes," she answered slyly. "Yes, you can."

His comrades chuckled and nudged each other. Sandstorm pulled his sunglasses down a bit and peered at the girl. "Who are you?"

"I think you know the answer to that question."

He looked around for a moment before walking up to her. "You're the buyer?"

She nodded.

When she had first read the strategy the Atlas agents developed for this mission, she almost thought they were playing a prank on her. They wanted her to pose as the buyer of the artifacts. She had thought they were out of their minds—that is until she learned that Sandstorm and his group had never met their buyer face-to-face before.

That meant anyone could pose as the customer, so long as they were a girl and could pass for a European. Emily didn't look like a European in the slightest, hence the headscarf. But she was a girl. And that was all that mattered.

Sandstorm studied her and scratched the top of his head. "I expected you to be...taller."

"And I expected you to be handsome."

He chuckled and wagged a finger at her. "I like you." His smile disappeared. "Do you have what I came for?"

"Do you have what I came for?"

He snapped his fingers and one of the men retrieved a case from the back of their pickup truck. He lugged it over to them and dropped it onto the sand.

"It's all in there."

"Open it."

Sandstorm frowned. "You don't trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone."

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, desperately trying to figure each other out. Emily held her breath as she struggled to maintain her steely demeanor. Behind Sandstorm, she noticed his accomplices had their hands tightened around their weapons.

The civilians around them paid them no mind. In the distance, Emily spotted Lucky moving into position. He caught her eye and sent her a look that said: "I'm ready when you are."

"Open the case, Mustafa."

Sandstorm snorted but obliged. He ordered his men to open the trunk. They unlocked the clasps and revealed the artifacts inside. A few gold cups encrusted with jewels, rare coins, and other pieces of stolen history laid inside.

Emily's eyes widened. She had no idea they had gotten their hands on so much stuff.

"You look surprised," Sandstorm noted.

Clearing her throat, she directed her gaze back to him. "I'm just amazed that you managed to get it all."

"Well, this is what we agreed on."

"Right."

She suddenly grimaced. The string of her bow was beginning to dig into her skin. Gritting her teeth, she shifted slightly in order to relieve the pressure of her arm.

Sandstorm's brows furrowed as he watched her. "You have no money with you."

"I was going to wire it—"

"We agreed on cash."

"Uh...I..."

Lucky's voice crackled in Emily's ear. "What's going on?"

She ignored him. Her heart thudded in her chest as Sandstorm loomed over her. His gaze traveled down to her arm. Before she could move away, he snatched her wrist and brought it up to his eye. Part of her sleeve slid down, revealing her black and purple mission suit.

He snarled and shoved her backward. "Atlas."

There goes the plan.

Sneering, Emily removed her headscarf and heavy shawl, revealing her Atlas uniform. She quickly equipped her bow and notched a black-tipped arrow. "Surrender now and no one has to get hurt."

Around them, people were starting to take notice. Some of the shops began to close their doors and windows while those in the street were trying desperately to get to safety.

Sandstorm's men aimed their rifles at her, their faces adorning hateful looks.

"Surrender?" Their leader laughed. "You're funny, little girl." He held his hand out towards the ground. Beneath him, grains of sand began to pool together and swirl beside his boot.

Emily never let him get the chance to do more than that. She released her arrow into the chest of one of his comrades. He fell to the ground clutching the shaft sticking from his sternum. She then let out a few rings of supersonic energy at Sandstorm, which reduced him to his knees before her.

He pressed his hands to his reddening ears and let out a distressed yell.

The two remaining men quickly aimed their guns at her. Unfortunately for them, she was quicker than they were.

Emily launched two sonic arrows at them, sending them crashing into the building behind them. Dust and pieces of sandstone rained down on top of them as they groaned in pain.

Seconds later, Lucky emerged onto the scene. His disguise was gone as well. He shook his head at Emily.

"So much for the plan."

"It wasn't my fault," she retorted. "He was too observant for his own good."

"I'm beginning to think you like all of this conflict."

She shrugged as she made her way over to Sandstorm, who was still writhing around on the ground. She unclipped the pair of Prime-nullifying handcuffs from her hip and prepared to put them on the man.

"Mind taking care of the crowd for me?" she asked Lucky.

He nodded and turned around to face the cluster of people who had begun to form around the scene. "Nothing to see here! Please, carry on with your day." He flashed them his Atlas ID card in hopes it would get the people to leave.

It didn't.

While Lucky handled the onlookers, Emily focused on Sandstorm. He had tried to crawl away from her, but she had pressed her knee into his throat. She notched an arrow and pointed it at his forehead.

"If I even see one grain of sand move, I will end you," she threatened. She wouldn't, of course, but he didn't know that. She supposed she had the media to thank for that. They always portrayed her as the violent and no-nonsense member of the group.

Usually, she detested it, but it was proving to be useful at the moment.

The man beneath her instantly stopped moving. His eyes went wide as he gaped at the arrow inches away from his face.

Grinning, Emily unlocked the handcuffs and began to wrap them around his wrists. Before she could finish, someone approached them from the side.

A woman in a white, flowy dress was approaching. Her black hair and olive skin caught the light from the sun above. An innocent, yet treacherous, smile adorned her lips. She reminded Emily of the Greek goddesses she had seen in textbooks in her old history classes.

Wait a minute...

She blanched.

"I'd appreciate if you could get off of my partner," the woman said. Her voice was smoother than silk and coated in a Greek accent. It was sultry like a jazz artist's and more persuasive than a top salesman's.

At that moment, all Emily could focus on was the woman's voice. She dropped the handcuffs and climbed off of Sandstorm. Her entire brain had gone blank as she stared at the lady in front of her.

The woman, whom Emily now realized was the real buyer smiled. Her green eyes glinted. However, they looked slightly unnatural; almost as if they were glowing.

The woman, Calypso, took another step forward, her smile widening. She looked past Emily and at Sandstorm, who was climbing back to his feet.

"Now, Mustafa," Calypso said, "I believe we have some business to attend to."