Oscar sat in a room on one of the upper levels of The Acropolis. Theo, Andre, and Stella filled in the other chairs at the table. Agent Strong assumed the head position. The man rubbed his temples, grumbling under his breath.

Everyone was quiet, stunned into silence. Then again, what was there to be said? They'd been caught resting on their laurels. The victories of the past lulled them into a false sense of security. Kismet capitalized on their complacency.

After Victoria's altercation with her brother in The Grid, Oscar and the others—barring Chase, Emily, and Stella—headed to the common room to play video games. He'd been kicking Theo's behind at a first-person shooter when the explosion hit. The sirens blared throughout the building shortly after.

Without a second thought, the trio of boys rushed downstairs to the epicenter of the blast. Unfortunately, they'd been too late by the time they got there.

They found Emily first. She'd been kneeling in a hallway in the medical wing, her eyes brimming with tears. That's how Oscar knew something terrible happened. She wouldn't speak to anyone, not even after they helped her to the infirmary—which was where they found Stella.

She was sitting on a bed, shoulders slumped and eyes fluttering dreamily. Blood seeped from her fingers, which were wrapped around her forearm. Unconscious, or dead, Kismet mercenaries littered the ground. After stabilizing the girl's wound, the group learned they'd been attacked shortly after the explosion.

The soldiers had been after Victoria, who was nowhere to be found. According to Emily, she left the facility with Apex. Oscar wasn't sure if he believed that, but who was he to question her? He hadn't been there.

In the aftermath of the attack, murdered and wounded agents were found inside The Watchtower. The technicians did a scan across their systems and discovered extensive amounts of research on Primonium had been swiped. And to make matters worse, Kismet made off with their repossessed Nexxus Industries shipment. They'd been on a mission.

After they helped Emily, they learned what went down in The Grid. Somehow, Apex managed to bust out of his cell and defeat Chase—who'd been in bad shape when he was wheeled into the infirmary. Upon seeing him, Stella was immediately sent to hysterics. He looked like he'd been pulverized by a jackhammer.

Oscar wouldn't have been surprised if he was declared dead soon.

Lycan and Apex managed to damage him. That thought alone chilled Oscar to the bone. Chase was supposed to be indestructible. He was invincible. He was their leader. But there he was, unconscious in a hospital bed fighting for his life.

Not to mention the condition of Director Shaw. He'd been rushed into the infirmary as well. While not as damaged as Chase, the man appeared to be in bad shape as well.

Oscar was afraid. In fact, they all were. He thought they'd been safe, that they'd been in control of the situation. After all, they had two of Kismet's most dangerous players captured. They intercepted materials crucial to their plans. Where did it all go wrong?

''What do we do?'' Theo asked, breaking the silence.

No one had an answer. How could they? They'd been ambushed at their own home. That wasn't supposed to happen. Two of their best fighters were injured and the CEO of Atlas was down for the count. That wasn't even including Victoria's treachery.

He still didn't understand that part. The girl just helped them fight Kismet a week ago. But now she was with Kismet? It didn't make any sense. For some reason, he felt personally betrayed. His chest ached and his body felt like something was crushing it slowly. He didn't even know why. They hadn't even been friends. In fact, they were barely acquaintances.

So why did he feel like this?

''We can't let them get away,'' Stella said. Her arm had been stabilized with a sling after her bullet wound was assessed. Luckily, it was just a flesh wound. Despite her injury, determination shone across her face.

Oscar dropped his forehead onto the table and sighed. ''And how do you expect we do that? They took off in a helicopter. Unless we've all got Theo's speed, there's no way we're catching up to them.''

He didn't want to be the pessimist—that was Emily's job—but he wasn't in the mood to optimistic. Especially if there was nothing to be positive about.

''Well we can't do anything with an attitude like that,'' she replied. He rolled his eyes at her. Standing up from her seat, she turned her attention to Agent Strong. ''Do we have any idea where they could be headed?''

The man shrugged. ''We've got no clue. Our analysts are reporting that their trucks and aircrafts have some sort of cloaking mechanism. Our satellites can't pick them up. We're pretty much in the dark.''

''Well...there's got to be some way we can track them down,'' Andre pointed out. ''Does Victoria have a tracker on her or something.''

Agent Strong shook his head. ''All our agents are fitted with trackers in their suits for safety but hers has been deactivated. She must've been anticipating we'd try searching for her with it.''

Theo threw his hands into the air and let out sigh of irritation. ''This is a disaster. How're we supposed to find them then?''

They all fell silent again. No one had any ideas. Along with murdering people, Kismet had an affinity for disappearing. They prided themselves on their ability to vanish. Oscar likened them to ghosts—or fantasmas, as his mother would've called them. Frankly, it was starting to get annoying.

After a while, Oscar noticed Agent Strong taking his sunglasses off. He arched an eyebrow at the man, as he rarely removed his shades.

''I might have an idea.''

''Well...what is it?''

''If anyone can help up find her,'' he said, ''it's Agent Hamilton.''

''Agent Hamilton?'' Stella asked. ''Who's that?''

The senior agent rubbed the top of his bald head and scowled. ''You'll see.''

Oscar and his friends were instructed to head to an area on the fourth floor known as Archie's Playpen. That name alone was enough to put him off. He wasn't really interested in visiting someone's playpen. It sounded like the lair of a predator; and he wasn't talking about lions.

If he was being honest, he didn't know what to expect from this Agent Hamilton person. He never heard of him before. Of course, he didn't know every agent in the Atlas, but he'd heard enough names to recognize most of them.

He was curious. Would he be some hardened war-veteran or a suave spy with bags of knowledge? Atlas agents came from all sorts of backgrounds; some came from the military, others from the CIA. The possibilities for what this particular agent could be like were pretty much endless.

The four teenaged Primes journeyed down the corridor that led to the workshop. People passed by them, desperately trying to secure the facility and clean up the damage. The Grid suffered immense amounts of damage and the hangar wasn't in the best condition either.

Soon, they arrived at the end of the hallway. A silver door faced them. Obscured versions of their reflections decorated the shiny metal. A small nametag with the words 'Archie's Workshop' was plastered on the wall next to it.

''Er.'' Oscar fiddled with the lighter in his pocket. ''Anyone wanna do the honors?''

Andre stepped up and knocked his huge fist against the door. No response. He knocked again. This time, a voice behind the door yelled, ''I'm busy!'' The big guy furrowed his brow and pounded his knuckles on the metal, harder this time. The noise echoed down the hall. Whoever was inside wouldn't be able to ignore a sound like that.

Oscar narrowed his eyes. ''I don't think this guy is going to help us.''

''Open up!" Theo yelled. ''We need your help!"

Grumbling, followed by things falling and a few curses, could be heard from within the room. Moments later, a series of locks clicking and pistons retracting sounded. Oscar flinched, stepping back as the door opened.

Standing before them was a short, pasty, dirty-blond kid with square glasses. Bored green eyes stared back at them. Oscar blinked a few times, not quite sure if he was seeing correctly. The guy couldn't have been older than thirteen. He looked like he belonged in middle school.

''Yes?'' he asked.

The others exchanged glances of confusion.

Stella smiled at him. ''We're looking for Agent Hamilton. We were told they could help us with something.''

''Okay.''

''Er, could you tell us where he is, maybe? It's important.''

''I'm him.''

Stella's jaw dropped. ''Y-You are?''

''Yep,'' the boy replied. ''Head of technologies. Agent Archibald Hamilton—but don't call me that.'' His eyes were glued to a half-baked device in his hands. It looked like a fusion between a calculator and a football. ''What do you need?''

Oscar erupted into laughter. He doubled over, holding his stomach as he failed to control himself. ''I'm sorry but this is hilarious.'' He looked at his friends, still giggling. ''This guy is supposed to help us? This guy? He looks like someone plucked him straight out of an after-school special.''

The boy glared at him. He pushed his glasses farther up his nose. ''What's so funny? I'll have you know I'm Atlas' highest-ranking engineer. Have been for about two years.''

Before he could reply, Stella intervened. ''We didn't mean to offend you. We were just expecting someone...else?'' Even she was struggling with being respectful.

''If you want my help, I'd suggest you get him to stop laughing at me.''

It took him a few moments, but Oscar eventually quieted down. Beside him, Stella urged him to apologize. He did as he was told, albeit begrudgingly.

''So,'' the boy said. ''What do you need help with?''

''You know what happened earlier right? With Kismet and everything?'' Stella asked.

He blew air from his nostrils. ''Of course I did. I don't live under a rock.''

Oscar frowned at him. The guy was a bit of a jerk. Granted, he'd just laughed at him for a minute straight, but he'd been a prick way before that. He was lucky Emily was currently out of commission. Had she been in attendance, she'd have ripped into the kid.

''We need to figure out where Kismet is headed next,'' Theo told him. ''They left about thirty minutes ago. Is there any way you could track their location?''

Archie paused. He murmured to himself a few times before readjusting his glasses. ''Maybe.'' He turned around and entered his workshop. ''Follow me.'' The others walked in behind him.

Oscar could barely see anything. The place was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from a setup of computer screens of varying sizes. As he ventured deeper into the room, his hip hit the corner of a desk. He cursed and pressed his hands to the side of his waist.

''Jeez, man,'' he hissed. ''Turn a light on or something.''

''It hurts my eyes,'' the kid replied.

''What're we supposed to call you, by the way?'' Theo asked. ''Since you don't like Archibald.'' Oscar didn't blame him. It was an archaic name.

''I go by Archie.'' He sat down in a chair in front of his screens. He typed something on his blocky keyboard—a contrast to the touchscreen ones seen throughout the facility—and lights blinked on.

Now that Oscar could see, he wished he couldn't. The room was incredibly messy, even more so than his own. Papers, books, and graphic novels were strewn across desks and chairs. Dirty clothes could be seen hiding in corners, harboring funk and other strange smells. The odd pizza box could also be seen on a table.

''I think you need a maid,'' Andre quipped.

Archie ignored him. ''We've tried tracking down Kismet's vehicles, but they've been scrambling our systems. We can't get a read on them—''

Oscar faked a yawn and tapped the imaginary watch on his wrist. ''We already now that part. Get to how we can actually find them.''

''Look, do you want my help or not?''

''Well...yeah.''

''Then shut up.''

He recoiled, surprise at Archie's guile. Shrugging, he went silent and motioned for him to continue.

''Thank you,'' Archie said. ''Now, while they've scrambled our systems, I think I've come up with a way to locate them.'' He began typing on his keyboard again. All of his screens displayed different pieces of a map of the United States. A few more keystrokes later and the map zoomed in on the west coast. ''We're in Oregon.'' He pointed at an area labeled Chehalem Mountains. ''If they were reported going south, they'd be heading down towards California.''

Oscar arched an eyebrow. He wondered if Kismet's base was in the golden state. After all, the Nexxus Industries warehouse had been located there. It would've made sense for their headquarters to be nearby.

''Can you do your techy-techy stuff and get it done?'' Theo inquired.

Archie snorted. ''What I do isn't 'techy-techy' stuff. It's complicated work that requires a large amount of intellect and delicacy.''

Oscar and Andre shared a look while trying to hold in their laughs.

''We know that,'' Stella told him, her tone diplomatic. ''What's your idea for finding them?''

''Victoria may have turned off her tracker, but I might be able to remotely access it and turn it back on.''

Oscar's eyes lit up. That'd surely tell them where Kismet were headed. He just hoped they weren't too far away. As far as he knew, helicopters couldn't move that fast. And the jets in the hangar were more advanced than the average aircraft in their class. If they found Victoria's signal quickly, they might've stood a chance at chasing after her.

''Can you do it?'' Andre asked.

Archie shrugged. ''Maybe.''

''Gee, that was convincing,'' Oscar grumbled.

The boy ruffled his thick mop of dirty-blond hair; the style resembled Albert Einstein's. He then cracked his knuckles and went to work on his keyboard. The map of the western coast was sidelined to about three screens while the rest were occupied by a multitude of command boxes and GPS interfaces. A white circle sat in the center of a gray background. Gray text underneath it revealed it was the icon for Victoria's transmitter.

''Let's...try...this,'' Archie said while continuing to type.

Oscar moved behind him, placing his hands on his swivel chair as he watched him work. The silver dot blinked, an annoying chime emitting from hidden speakers somewhere in the room. The others stood around with curious expressions.

''Alright,'' Archie said. His index finger slid his glasses up his nose. ''Hmm. Looks like I'm going to have to internally activate the tracker's power configuration. Thank God for the internet.''

The fire-wielding Prime pursed his lips. ''English please? Or Spanish. Just anything but whatever you just said.'' He wasn't well-versed with it came to technology talk. To him, it felt like the kid was speaking a foreign language; which was ironic, considering he was bilingual himself.

''I'm turning on the tracker myself,'' the boy clarified. After a series of clicking, the gray dot turned red. ''Got it.'' Archie grinned, revealing the silver and neon green braces covering his teeth. Oscar nearly rolled his eyes.

''Where is she?'' Stella asked, moving next to him.

He stiffened in his seat. ''Could you all move away from me? I get nervous when there's too many people close to me.'' After they spaced themselves from the boy, he continued. ''All I did was turn the tracker on. Now I've got to pinpoint the signal. I'll only have a few seconds, as she'll realize it's on soon. The trackers are designed to make a noise whenever activated remotely.''

''Are you just going to talk about it or...,'' Oscar said.

Sighing, Archie got back to work.

On the map, Rings emitted from the mountain range The Acropolis was nestled in. They reminded Oscar of the sonic halos Emily shot from her mouth. He still had no idea how her vocal chords didn't disintegrate when she used her powers. Though, she wasn't able to use her ability much due to its hazardous effects.

''And finally, pinpoint the location...''

The map zoomed moved from Oregon into Northern California. It settled just outside of San Francisco. The dot was travelling at a steady pace. If it kept going like that for about an hour, it'd find itself passing over the Golden Gate Bridge. They needed to get to them before that happened. San Francisco was a dense city. If they ditched their vehicles and managed to shut off Victoria's tracker again, they'd be gone for good.

''You sure that's where they are?'' Andre asked.

Archie nodded. ''The signal is fairly accurate, give or take a few miles. Though, if you're looking for a helicopter, those margins should be negligible.''

Oscar brought his hands together. He grinned. ''Perfect. We should probably get a move on.''

Stella frowned. ''You don't even have a plan, Oz.''

''We'll wing it then,'' he told her. ''Look, Chase and Emily are down. They're the strategy guys. We don't have time to waste trying to come up with one. If Kismet gets into the city, we can kiss any chance of catching them goodbye. Capisce?''

''Um, not trying to shut you down or anything, dude,'' Theo said, ''but you remember the last time we winged something, right? In case you don't, let me remind you. We almost died. I, personally, do not enjoy almost dying.''

Andre cleared his throat. They all went quiet, turning their attention to the soft-spoken giant. ''Oscar is right. We don't have time to argue about this. We have a responsibility to stop them.''

Oscar grinned and draped an arm around him. ''That's the spirit, A-Dog.'' Andre shook his head at the nickname.

Stella's frowned deepened. ''I still don't think this is a good idea...''

''We've gotta do this. It's up to us now.''

The girl thought for a second. He could see the gears turning in her mind. After what felt like forever, she shifted her injured arm and exhaled. ''Fine. But if this goes south, it's on you.''

He gulped. Responsibility wasn't really his thing. Considering both she and Chase wouldn't be present for this mission, he realized he'd have to fill in as the squad leader. Theo was too erratic and scatterbrained to do it and Andre wasn't assertive enough to take charge. While he wasn't exactly a leader himself, he was the fourth most qualified out of the six of them.

But Stella was right. If they got hurt by jumping in head first, he'd be at fault. That was a risk he was willing to take, though. Kismet had done too much damage. They needed to be stopped; once and for all.

''Good job, kid.'' He patted Archie on the back. The kid returned the gesture with a sharp glare as he shimmied away from the other boy's touch.

''Please...don't do that.''

''My bad, man.'' Oscar held his hands up. ''Anyways, thanks for the help. We owe you one.''

''Yeah, you do.''

The group of Primes rushed towards the exit, preparing to head over to the hangar. Before Oscar could leave, Archie called his name. He turned around, an eyebrow raised. ''Yeah?''

''Kick some ass, yeah?''

He almost scolded the boy for his language, but then he remembered he wasn't Stella. Instead, he nodded curtly. ''You got it, boss.''

And with that, he took off sprinting after the others.