White walls. White lights. White...lab coats?

Oscar wasn't quite sure what exactly he was looking at. In fact, he didn't even know where he was at the moment. He blinked and it felt like it was happening in slow-motion. In fact, he felt like he trapped in a tub full of molasses. A numbness flitted through his body.

Slowly but surely, his muscles woke up and the feeling began to return to his nerves. Apart from his dry mouth, he hadn't been able to feel much of anything really.

After a few minutes, his line of vision focused. His eyes hadn't deceived him before; standing above him were a few people in lab coats. They held sleek, glass clipboards in their hands. From the bed he laid in, he could make out the digital interface bleeding through the transparent material.

Along with his senses, his muddled mind began to settle down. Soon after, the memories returned. They plagued his brain, painfully branding themselves into his psyche. His body ached in response. The van. The crash. The soldiers.

The fire.

Shooting up from the bed, his chest heaving, he frantically looked around the room he was in.

''Where am I?"

''Oscar, we need you to calm down— ''

He cut his brown eyes at the lab coat wearing woman at his bedside. ''Who are you? Where am I? Where are the people I was with?''

His heart beat inside his chest like a jackhammer, threatening to explode out from his ribs and onto his lap. Sweat formed on his brow and a million horrible thoughts raced through his throbbing head.

The beeping heart rate monitor next to his bed wasn't helping.

''Oscar, please,'' the doctor said. ''We'll answer all your questions but we need you to calm down.'' He could tell she was trying her best to keep her composure.

''Just sedate him,'' a voice near the door suggested as if it were some normal action. ''It's obvious he's not ready to talk right now. Let's try again in a few hours.''

He froze, his eyes widening. Shifting his nervous gaze to the speaker, he spotted them sitting in a plastic chair near the exit to the room.

She was beautiful with olive skin and brilliant eyes the color of sapphires. A navy-blue jumpsuit with a circular logo on the chest clung to her lean figure. Squinting at it, Oscar realized the word ''Atlas'' was printed in all caps within the circle.

Another pang of realization shot through him.

The Kismet guards mentioned it before he and the other captured River Hill students were thrown into a van. He had no idea what Atlas was then and he didn't have the slightest clue now.

''No!'' Clearing his throat, he tried settling himself down. ''I mean, uh, you don't gotta sedate me. I'm good. I promise.'' He feebly raised his hands to prove his point. As he did so, he noticed the IV drip attached to one of his wrists.

The girl with the intense eyes stared at him with a bored expression on her face. ''Finally.'' She got up from her seat and walked over to him. ''We've been waiting a while for you to wake up. Took you long enough.''

He frowned. ''Sorry?''

''Apology denied.''

He wondered if she knew he was being sarcastic. Regardless, he wasn't really feeling her attitude. If anything, he should've been the one with an attitude. He was the one who just woke up in some random hospital room after surviving an explosion with some terrorists.

''Can you start answering my questions now?'' He arched an eyebrow at the person standing next to his hospital bed. ''Are you guys with Kismet?''

''What? Of course not,'' the girl at the foot of his bed replied. ''We saved you from those jerks. Had it not been for us, you and your friends would've probably been killed.''

He blanched at the thought.

''Speaking of,'' he continued after recollecting himself, ''who are you anyway? And how do I know you're not lying to me?''

He thought it was a sensible question. The girl and the doctors could've easily been working with Kane and Kismet. Of course they'd say they weren't when he asked them. But, then again, they weren't wearing the same uniforms as the soldiers who captured him in the forest.

Now he wasn't quite sure what to believe.

''It's not my job to convince,'' she told him. ''However, I can answer your other question. My name is Victoria Shaw. You're at The Acropolis, Atlas' headquarters. ''

''Atlas? What the hell is Atlas?''

''I was getting to that before you interrupted.'' Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose and released an agitated sigh. ''Atlas is a global private military company. We work closely with the United States government with taking down special threats, such as Kismet—the people who tried abducting you.''

Oscar squinted. ''So...you're the good guys?''

She snorted. ''There are no good guys in this world. We just do our best to keep it safe.''

Nodding slowly, he took another look at the room. A few minimalist paintings and pieces of white furniture decorated the space. A window took up the wall furthest from him. Blue curtains shielded them all from the sunlight outside. He could barely make out the forest that seemed to surround the building.

''So...where am I? Somewhere in Antarctica? Maybe Russia? You could be Russian, ya' know.''

Victoria stifled a laugh. 'You're in Oregon.''

''What the....'' He flinched suddenly after remembering something. ''Does my family know I'm here? I've gotta tell them— ''

She raised her hand to silence him. ''We've made your uncle aware of the situation. However, we can't tell him and your sister where you are exactly because of security reasons. But they know you're safe.''

Sinking back into his bed, which happened to be the softest thing he'd ever laid in, he let out a sigh of relief.

''Any more questions?''

Smiling sheepishly, he raised his index finger. Victoria blew air out of her nose before motioning for him to ask.

''Are my friends okay?''

She nodded. ''They're better than okay. You were the last one to awake from your coma. Our scientists are still trying to understand how you all survived. Especially you.''

A lot about that sentence confused him. Like her, he had no idea how he was alive either. He had been caught in a fiery van explosion. Normal people didn't live through something like that either. But, according to Kane, he and the others weren't normal people.

The second part of her answer rang another bell in his already confounded head. She said something about him and his friends waking up from a coma. He had been under the impression that he'd only been asleep for a few hours. Not a few days.

''Wait a minute,'' he said. ''A coma? How long was I out for?''

''Two weeks,'' the doctor beside him said as they checked something on their glass clipboard.

Oscar's eyes nearly popped out their sockets. His mouth agape, he attempted to process how he managed to sleep for fourteen whole days. He couldn't even sleep in on a Saturday morning.

You've gotta be kidding.

''Your friends woke up relatively fast,'' Victoria added. ''Then again, Chase was the only one to receive an injury worst than a broken bone. You, on the other hand, were found in the middle of the burning Kismet transport.''

''But how is that possible?''

''We're still trying to figure that out— ''

Victoria was cut off by the door opening. She turned on her heel to acknowledge the newcomer. She tilted her head at the man who just entered. ''I thought you were supposed to be in Oslo, old man?''

He chuckled. Oscar noticed he shared the same icy irises that Victoria possessed.

''Our boys finished their mission ahead of schedule,'' he answered, pushing his thinly-framed glasses further up his nose. ''And I had to get back in time for our guest to wake up.'' He smiled warmly at Oscar and extended a hand towards him. ''I'm Pearce. Pearce Shaw. You can call me Director Shaw. Whatever you prefer.''

The boy shook it with an air of caution.

He looked harmless enough. While his gaze reminded Oscar of ice, an aura of trustworthiness and authority surrounded him.

''You're probably wondering how you're even here right now.''

''No kidding.''

''We've been running tests but when my scientists told me Primonium was found in the van you and your friends were in, I had a feeling I knew what happened.''

Oscar made a T-sign with his hands. ''Hold up. Primonium? The heck is that?''

He was pretty sure that element wasn't on the periodic table. Then again, he did fail chemistry.

''It's a relatively new element,'' the doctor, who was still reading off their clipboard, said. ''Deposits of it are hidden in the deepest caves all over the world. It's incredibly volatile and poisonous to touch. Well, except for Primes that is.''

Primes...there goes that word again.

''That's what Kane called us.'' He faced Director Shaw. ''I'm not sure if I believed him but I saw one of his soldiers do something freaky.''

The man nodded. ''From what we know, Kane has several Primes, which is just our fancy word for enhanced humans, at his disposal. We've been trying our best to bring them in but to no avail.''

Oscar felt like he'd just been punched in the gut. His stomach churned and his mouth felt like the Sahara Desert. There was no way any of this could be real. It was like something out of a comic book. Except he was the main character this time.

''No, no, no. This can't be happening,'' he mumbled under his breath, his fingers tangling themselves in his curly hair. ''So, you're telling me I'm some sort of superhero?''

Victoria scoffed. ''Super, maybe. Hero, not so much.''

He mocked her snide comment. She glared in response.

''You and your friends are special, Oscar,'' Director Shaw said. ''During the crash, your body was exposed to the Primonium. Now, we're not exactly sure how the element works yet, as its structure suggests it's not native to this planet, but it can alter the DNA patterns of people who possess a certain DNA pattern. We call those people Primes. They only make a small fraction of the human population.

''While you were asleep, we did some extensive blood and DNA sampling. We hope you can forgive us for not receiving consent first, but we had to see how you were affected. Somehow, your changes occurred instantaneously while you were in the fire. We noticed your skin cells developed a more...complex...structure. It's similar to that of a Pompeii Worm.''

Oscar pursed his lips. ''You mean to tell me I have worm skin?''

''No,'' Director Shaw replied with a laugh. ''You're immune to fires and extremely hot temperatures. It's the reason why you didn't burn to death.''

Woah...soy mas fuerte que el fuego.

''So, I'm fireproof?''

''Among other things.''

''Other things?! There's more?''

''If what my data analysists have been reporting is true, then I'm certain there is much more. Your file is...quite interesting, to say the least.''

Oscar arched an eyebrow at him. ''I have a file?''

''Yes, you've got a file,'' Victoria said while rolling her eyes. ''Jeez, dude, keep up.''

''It's not every day you wake up feeling like a comic book character. You try it and get back to me, okay?''

That seemed to shut her up. He grinned victoriously.

Director Shaw motioned for her to settle down before redirecting his attention back to the boy in the hospital bed. ''We were waiting for you to wake up to conduct more tests. Would you be up for that?''

''Yeah, I guess.''

''Great. I'll have someone come in with some clothes and you can meet us outside when you're done.'' His smile widened. ''We're really happy to have you here. Oscar.''

''It's great to be here...I guess.''

Giving a curt nod to the doctor at the boy's bedside, he and Victoria exited the room. The doctor followed shortly after.

Sighing, Oscar dropped his head onto his pillow and stared up at the bright ceiling. He was stupefied by the information just given to him. Not only did he survive a deadly car crash, but it somehow turned him into some sort of superhuman with fire retardant powers. And, according to Director Shaw, it did something else to him too.

If he thought his day was crazy now, he had another thing coming.

#

took Oscar a couple of minutes to fully get out of bed. His legs were no stronger than jelly and he nearly collapsed to the ground upon his first attempt to walk.

''I guess that's what being in a coma for two weeks does to you,'' he mumbled as he stumbled over to the table with the clothes on it.

A few minutes ago, someone came in and laid out a pair of gray sweatpants and a dark blue jacket; both bearing the Atlas logo—a kneeling man holding up the world behind the letter A. He had to admit, their merch was pretty stylish. While changing into the clothes, he noticed that his silver lighter was on the table. His eyes lit up as he picked it up.

The lighter was the last thing he had from his parents. Well, besides his little sister, of course. They both happened to be the most important things in his life. His expression hardened as he thought about Isabella. She was probably worried sick. Victoria said his family hadn't been given details about what happened to him. He needed her to know he was alive. It would've crushed her to know her brother was dead.

He rubbed his fingers against the lighter's base. A sad smile found its way onto his face. He had carved his initials into the metal. The fire starter was a gift from his father for his thirteenth birthday. According to the man, it was a family heirloom; though, he wasn't sure why an old lighter was such a cherished item.

But he never went anywhere without it. It was a piece of him now; a constant reminder of what happened to his parents and what he failed to do.

His eyes watered and he angrily wiped away the tears. They had been dead for years, but it always felt like it just happened. He feared he'd never truly get over it.

Shaking his head, he finished putting on the clothes provided for him.

Exiting the room, he grinned at Victoria and did a twirl. ''How do I look?''

''Like an idiot.''

That certainly wasn't the response he'd been looking for. Scowling, he jogged up to the girl as she began walking down the wide hall.

''Hey, what's your deal?''

She glanced at him out the corner of her eye.

''Are you seriously ignoring me? I'm literally standing right next to you.''

''And I thought Theo was gonna be the only annoying one,'' she grumbled while pinching the bridge of her nose. ''Also, I don't have a 'deal'. But keep asking me stupid questions and I'll put you in another coma.''

With his eyes narrowed, his frown deepened. ''Jeez, alright. I was just trying to be friendly.''

''No offense—or take offense, I don't really care—but I don't need friends,'' she said, her words cutting like tiny knives. ''I've never had any and I don't need any now. The only thing on my mind is the next mission and making sure it gets complete.''

He blinked at her. It was all making sense to him now. Her hard-ass attitude was just a front. For what, he wasn't sure yet. Though, he was theorizing daddy issues. But from the way Director Shaw seemed, she had a good dad.

''Next mission, huh? You some kinda secret agent or something?''

''Something like that.''

''Oh yeah? What's your next mission then?''

''To get you to The Lab.''

''The Lab?''

She face-palmed. ''It's where they're going to be testing you. Our researchers and scientists work there.''

He rubbed his chin as they made walked down several hallways. At one point, he began to take notice of the sheer size of the building they were in. And they hadn't even changed floors yet.

They finally turned into a corridor with double glass doors at the end of it. A silver rectangle was built into the wall next to them. Through the frosted glass, Oscar could see multiple people in lab coats bustling around with various types of equipment in their hands.

Upon reaching the doors, Victoria swiped a transparent key card across the metal panel. A ring of green light blinked around the scanner.

''Agent Victoria Shaw,'' a robotic, yet feminine, voice announced from a hidden speaker. Oscar nearly jumped out of his skin. ''Designation A027. Welcome, Arsenal.''

''Why'd it call you Arsenal?''

Victoria rolled her eyes. ''It is called P.A.I. Stands for Progressive Artificial Intelligence. They pretty much run The Acropolis. And Arsenal is my codename.'' Oscar nodded slowly.

''You flatter me, Ms. Shaw.''

Oscar shuddered. It reminded him of the movies where the A.I eventually grew sentient and takes over the world. He hoped that was only a film occurrence and not something that could happen. The gears in his head started turning. What other technology these Atlas people have hidden away in their headquarters?

The doors to The Lab opened. A rush of cold air slapped him across the face.

He was about to find out.

His jaw dropped to the floor. Awe suffocated his mind as he wandered inside. Machines and contraptions of all shapes and sizes were placed around the room. Men and women stood around sleek devices and expensive-looking equipment.

Oscar felt obsolete just standing in the room.

On one side, large, glass cylinders lined the wall. He noticed two people floating inside of clear containers. Black wires resembling frozen lightning were attached to the black, form-fitting suits they wore. Thick smoke swirled around the cylinders, making it hard for Oscar to identify who the people were.

Before he even got the chance to ask about that, Director Shaw—accompanied by two lab coat wearing lackeys—strolled up to him with a big smile on his clean-shaven face. He held his arms out as if he was Jesus speaking to his prophets.

''Welcome to The Lab, Oscar.''