Getting smacked around a parking lot was not how Chase expected his day to go.

But there he was, taking yet another strike to the chest from King's heavy fist. He toppled over the hood of a car before falling onto his stomach. He groaned as his body hit the concrete. As he picked himself up and dusted off his mission suit, he realized having indestructible skin was pretty useless if he could still feel pain.

Why couldn't I just get both?

He didn't get much time to dwell on the question because King had pushed the vehicle separating them aside like a paperweight. Chase gulped.

This was a different kind of challenge for him. He wasn't used to fighting someone who was just as strong as he was. In fact, King was the only Prime who matched him pound-for-pound. They both possessed some form of hyperstrength and were impervious to most physical attacks. The only difference was that King seemed to feed off each blow Chase managed to land on him.

With a simple thought, Chase activated the holo-shield attached to his wrist. Then he retrieved the sword attached to his back. He twirled the blade in his hand, ready for whatever King was about to throw at him.

The bearded Prime wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"That might as well be a toothpick," King mused.

Chase frowned, brow creasing.

A toothpick? Seriously?

He pushed the thought out of his head and glared at the man. "It's not too late to surrender."

King chuckled. "Now why would I do that?"

He shrugged. "Worth a shot"

Hoping to catch the Prime off guard, he swung his sword at his head. King raised his arm and blocked the strike with his palm. The blade bounced off his skin and sent ripples through the metal. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes for a second.

A grin spread across his lips.

Chase took a shaky step backward. Uh oh.

The man's fist slammed into his face. He felt the force enter his entire body. It swept him off his feet and sent him careening across the parking lot. He crashed into the door of an SUV. With his vision blurred, he groggily looked around. He groaned and rubbed his throbbing back.

"Jesus," he muttered.

In and around the parking lot, vehicles were currently trying to leave the area. The rogue Primes had begun their assault on the Pentagon a few minutes before. Chaos had quickly followed. Traffic had been backed up within the parking lot due to the high volume of cars trying to push through the exit.

Luckily, Senator Crane had already been extracted from the area. The Primes wouldn't be able to go after him as long as Chase and his crew were there to thwart them. He just hoped Emily's team had managed to keep Mr. Lwando alive.

Once his vision refocused and the intense throbbing in his back reduced to a dull ache, he peeled himself out of the crumpled SUV and stumbled forward. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one had been inside. Fortunately, no one was.

He turned his attention to King, who was running right at him.

A feral look filled his dark eyes. Chase searched for his sword but didn't see it anywhere. Cursing, he summoned his holo-shield and raised it above his head just in time to block a thunderous strike from the man.

The noise rippled through the parking lot. His shield shattered on impact. Sparks flew from the device on his wrist as an invisible force pushed them a few feet away from each other. All the car windows in the vicinity shattered and fell to the floor.

Chase tried calling upon his shield. Nothing happened. He glanced at the device and nearly cried upon seeing the flashing red icon on its small screen.

You've gotta be kidding me.

King's punch had wrecked his holo-shield. The guy had some serious power. But Chase had more. He cocked his fist back and launched an uppercut at King's chin. The man's body flew backward and skidded across the asphalt.

Grinning, Chase admired his handiwork for a moment while the Prime climbed back to his feet.

Above him, Stella floated in the air and shot bolts of crackling light at Shadow, who was hovering within her signature aura of darkness. The two of them created a spectacle in the sky, often blocking out the sun above. Shadows painted the ground, occasionally broken by a sliver of gold. It was almost like their battle was creating a solar eclipse.

It was truly a sight to behold.

On the other end of the lot, Lucky and Theo were tag-teaming Goliath. The giant of a man chucked motorcycles, security booths, and pretty much anything else he could get his hands on at them. Lucky conjured up forcefields to help protect Theo, who was stinging the massive Prime with lightning-quick punches.

While they were faring well against their opponents, Chase was still struggling with King. It was clear punching him wasn't going to work—and punching was one of his best skills. He needed a new gameplan.

But he didn't have one.

So, he did the next thing he could think of.

He ran.

Or, rather, hobbled. He hadn't realized it before, but his ankle had sustained a blow during his crash into the SUV King threw him into. Pinpricks shot up as his leg. They nearly brought tears to his eyes but he didn't let them stop him.

King chased after him like a lion racing behind an injured gazelle. As Chase weaved his way through parked vehicles with his heart thumping in his chest, he tried to come up with a strategy. He glanced over his shoulder to see how far behind King was. The man had stopped moving. He sported a confused expression as he looked around.

He lost me.

He ducked behind a white van and pressed his back against it. While he hid for a few moments, he racked his brain for a plan. Nothing was coming to mind. How was he supposed to defeat someone who fed off his attacks? It was hopeless.

Words of encouragement from his father rang in his ear. He clenched his fists at his side. A newfound sense of courage rushed through him.

I can't give up.

He had been through worse. Much worse. The Battle of Adak Island had been the most nerve-wracking and terrifying experience to date. If he had lived through that, he would live through this. He just had to think of a way to beat King.

People were counting on him. He couldn't let them down. He glanced at his shield device. It was still malfunctioning.

"Screw it," he grumbled.

Exhaling, he stepped out from behind his hiding place.

King, who stood in the next aisle over, turned in his direction. A smile pulled at his thick lips. "Hiding now? I thought Sentinel was a warrior."

Chase fought off a scowl. He wasn't going to let himself get worked up. Not now. He had a job to do.

He walked up to the man with his fists raised. King chuckled with a shake of his head.

"This won't end well for you," he said while rolling his neck and cracking his knuckles.

"It's funny that you'd say that," Chase replied. "Because I was about to say the same about you."

They circled each other with their eyes narrowed.

King swung first. Even with his hurt ankle, Chase nimbly dodged the hit. He swiftly retaliated with a heavy right hook of his own. It connected but did nothing slow the man down. King then lifted his leg and thrust his boot at the boy. Chase caught it and forced him backward.

Without missing a beat, he jumped off his good leg, spun in the air, and delivered a kick to the side of King's face. It was a move he had learned from Emily during their training sessions. He was glad she had taught it to him.

Grunting, King retreated with a hand pressed against his reddened cheek. "Lucky shot."

Chase snorted. "Yeah, yeah."

The pair clashed again. This time, Chase had a plan. Albeit, a half-baked one. But a plan was a plan. He had come to the conclusion that King couldn't fight forever. If he could last longer than him, he might have stood a chance at winning.

That meant he had to be smart, as he didn't have unlimited stamina either. Fighting intelligently wasn't exactly his strong suit, though. But it wouldn't hurt to try.

King threw a hefty haymaker his way. He narrowly dodged it and replied with a cracking strike to the man's gut. He felt the shot rock through King's body. The man exhaled sharply, his eyes widening for a moment. A silent cough left his lips.

Chase grinned.

Adrenaline and confidence surged through his veins. He stepped on the gas and threw a barrage of strikes King's way. The man blocked and absorbed most, but he was starting to slow down.

I've got him.

However, Chase could feel his own fatigue starting to set in. He couldn't continue at that pace for much longer. And if those attacks couldn't drop the Prime, he wasn't sure what would.

As he jabbed at King's head, the man caught his fist and threw it to the side. Off-balanced, Chase desperately tried to regain his footing. King charged at him like a bull and smacked into him with his shoulder, throwing him to the ground.

He tried to get up but was quickly pinned down by King's knees. The man's first punch hit his cheek. A splintering pain traveled through the right side of his face. Spots dotted his vision. The taste of blood filled his mouth.

That hurt.

The second punch glanced off his chin. His head nearly flew off his neck as it rocked backward and hit the concrete. Pain flared in the base of his skull.

"They told me you were unbreakable," King grumbled while rubbing his knuckles. "Let's put that to the test."

The man pummeled Chase with hit after hit. He felt his face swelling with each one. More sports filled his sight. Soon, he could barely see anything.

Taking in heavy breaths, King finally got off of him.

"Hmph," the man huffed. "You're still alive."

Chase went limp against the ground. He could barely hang onto a single thought. He felt his consciousness fleeting from his body.

His bloodied lips trembled as he tried to speak.

"W-W..." The words struggled to leave his throat, which was slowly filling with blood.

"You're trying to talk?" King crouched beside him with his head tilted. "Crane was right about you. You really are something."

If he wasn't minutes away from death, Chase would've been surprised at his words.

Emily had been right. King and his crew of rogue Primes had been working with Senator Crane. But now it was too late to do anything about it. He had to focus on staying alive.

He was in no condition to fight. He couldn't even get back to his feet. All he could do was lay there with his face staring at the gloomy sky.

"Why are you doing this?" he finally managed to ask.

King kept his mouth shut.

Calling on all the strength he had left, Chase propped himself up on the nearest vehicle. With his chest heaving, he rested his aching head on the car's door and stared lazily at the man before him.

"He...he wants to get rid of us. All of us. Why are you helping him?"

"You're naïve."

"Yeah? Well, enlighten me." He coughed and dragged a hand against his mouth. "I've got time."

King chortled before continuing. "We don't care about the PRA," he explained. "We've been promised protection and a large sum of cash. Once the thing gets signed, we'll disappear for the last time."

Chase shook his head in disbelief. "It's...just about money then?"

"Isn't it always?"

He didn't know what to say.

How could he just turn on his fellow Primes like that?

Then it hit him. Primes weren't a community. They were far from it. They weren't brothers and sisters; they were just a select group of people who happened to possess a similar gene code. In all honesty, they didn't owe each other a thing.

But Chase couldn't accept that. Primes everywhere deserved to live a life free from persecution and invasive laws that would strip them of their freedoms. Primes were still human beings and they deserved their basic rights.

Spitting blood onto the floor, he glared at King.

"You're...a...coward..."

"You Atlas lapdogs never cease to amaze me," King said as he rose to his feet. "Being the hero gets you nothing. You think these people appreciate you for saving their lives? They don't. They'll pretend they do, but they don't. Before Crane found us, we were outcasts. Our communities forced us out and treated us like monsters. Circuit was laid off from his job once they found out what he was. Viper was stripped of her Ph.D. and ostracized in her field. As for me, I was left homeless after my landlord discovered I was a freak. That's how they treat all Primes and that's how they'll always treat them."

Chase shook his head. "You're wrong." He tried standing up but his legs gave out from beneath him. He slumped back against the car, his face screwed in a mixture of desperation and disappointment.

C'mon, Chase. You gotta get up.

He tried again but was met with the same result. He was going nowhere. Gritting his teeth, he hung his head and glared at his shoes.

King nodded at him. "You've got heart, kid. I'll give you that."

He then walked towards the boy. He tried crawling away but never even made it a foot away. King's foot pressed down on his back, forcing him into the ground. He fought and thrashed beneath his hold but it was no use.

"But I've got a mission to complete," the man said. "Crane wanted you gone. He offered me a special bonus if I could get it done. And I could use that money."

Chase squirmed beneath the man's boot but there was no escaping him. He was done for.

"Get it over with already then," he spat with his face pressed against the floor.

King started saying something, but he never finished. Chase felt the man's boot leave his back. A gust of air rippled across his skin. Rolling onto his back, he gazed up at the sky.

Stella had King in her arms as she rocketed upward. Her dark hair flowed behind her like a cape. The man screamed as they reached for the gray clouds above. A golden aura surrounded the girl, an indicator that she had tapped into the rawest form of her abilities.

She was quickly fading from view.

The sounds of King's yells echoed in the atmosphere. Then they stopped. Nothing but silence followed.

Theo, Lucky, and Goliath had stopped fighting to look at what was going on. Shadow was nowhere to be found. But if Stella was in that state, Chase was willing to bet she had defeated the woman.

Nobody made a sound as they watched Stella and King disappear into the sky. Chase's heart climbed into his throat as dread filled him like a bucket collecting rainwater. He waited anxiously for her to come back down.

C'mon, Stella. C'mon.

He knew her powers were unstable whenever she was in that state. They could stop working at a moment's notice, killing both her and King.

A thunderous clap tore through the upper atmosphere. The sky exploded with light for a split second. The clouds bled with streaks of gold and a blast of warm air expanded outwards. Chase was forced to turn his head and cover his face with his forearm.

Squinting, he turned his head back to the sky. His eyes widened as he saw the faint silhouette of a body falling from the clouds.

Oh no...

Tears welled in his eyes as he watched it drop back down to earth.

But then he saw Stella emerge from the sky. She floated downwards toward the ground, her eyes engulfed by ethereal light. Her hazel tresses hovered around her head like a halo. The golden aura remained around her figure once her feet touched the ground in front of Chase. She looked like an angel. Tiny speckles of light that resembled constellations danced across her bronze complexion, pulsing in and out of focus like vibrant stars.

She was a goddess; a stunning yet dangerous powerhouse of energy and beauty.

"Woah."

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

A shaky breath escaped his lips as he watched her.

Sirens wailed in the distance, most likely coming to assess the damage and arrest the defeated rogue Primes—the ones who were still alive at least. Relief came over him as he laid on the ground. Stella sat down, cross-legged and with her eyes closed, next to him. She rested her hand on his chest.

For a moment, Chase forgot where he was. Nothing else existed except for him and the glowing girl next to him.

"It's over," she whispered.

And, for the moment, he believed her.

But deep down, he knew their troubles were far from over.