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The aircraft floor shuddered as they cut through the thick, snow-filled clouds. A sticky silence filled the cabin. None of the Jaegers spoke—they were likely too busy mulling over their inability to capture the other Primes.

Stella found herself watching Orion for most of the ride to their temporary headquarters—which was a barn that belonged to a farmer who lived near the forest. All their gear and vehicles were stored on site. Before she went after the escapees, she needed to collect new information and draft up a new plan of action.

She also needed to tell General North what happened. That was a phone call she wasn't looking forward to. Not at all.

Until then, she tried psychoanalyzing Orion.

Over the past couple of years, she had become quite good at reading people. Just one interaction was usually enough for her to get a clear view of a person.

But this man—this being—was different.

Everything about him was different.

He was beautiful but in an intimidating way. His skin reminded her of the color of warm caramel, yet it was cold to the touch. And it wasn't because of the low temperatures outside. His eyes, bright like gold heated to its melting point, were devoid of the warmth they should've held.

He rarely spoke.

She wasn't sure she had ever heard his voice. Though, she had only met him the day before when they were leaving headquarters for North Dakota. Perhaps he would finally say something to her now.

Yawning and stretching her taut muscles, she stepped out of her seat and carefully made her way over to him.

He was sitting away from the other agents. Or maybe they were sitting away from him. She could tell they weren't quite comfortable with him around. They had just started to let their guards down around the other Primes and now there was one who was made in a lab like a new vaccine. Their distrust was more than justified. Stella was still skeptical of him herself.

She still found herself taking up a seat beside him. He didn't acknowledge her joining him in the back of the aircraft. His eyes were closed and his head was hanging ever so slightly. But he wasn't sleeping. It almost looked like he was meditating. Maybe he was.

Her fingers fidgeted with the end of her long braid. Chewing on her bottom lip, she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"How are you doing?" she finally asked him.

Orion opened one of his eyes and tilted his head.

"I'm just...you know, checking in," she quickly added, her cheeks going red. "I am your commander after all."

He chuckled. "Yes, you are." His voice was deep and rich like honey. She had never heard a more pleasant sound before.

She swallowed hard as she felt her blush spreading across her face. "You were amazing out there. I've never seen anything like that before."

"I could have done better," he replied. His brows furrowed as he stared at his hands. "I should have destroyed the other van. It was my fault they escaped."

"No, no." She waved his words off. "That was on me. But don't worry. My team will find them. Trust me."

He nodded and smiled.

Well, he seems like a human to me.

"I can tell the others are...wary of me," Orion said. He peered at the Jaegers in front of him. "I can't say that I blame them." He flipped his hands over as he stared at them, almost as if he wasn't quite sure what he was looking at. "Existing is...quite new to me. I am still coming to grips with it."

Stella nodded slowly even though she had no idea what he was feeling. How could she? She had twenty-years to learn how to be a human. Orion had a few weeks.

"They'll warm up to you eventually," she told him. She pursed her lips. "Actually, they probably won't. They barely like me. But that's the Jaegers for you. I promise everyone else at Atlas is much more welcoming."

"You're probably right."

He kept his eyes on his hands. Stella shifted in her seat as she watched him. A few seconds later, the pilot announced that they would be landing soon.

"Well, it was nice talking with you," she told Orion. "I'll see you around."

"Yes," he replied as he looked at her. "You will."

#

Stella was dreading her call with General North.

Upon arriving at the abandoned barn, she found herself pacing in front of the makeshift communication center built in the center of the hay-covered floor. A television screen along with a few speakers and a computer sat before her. The general's contact had already been pulled up on the screen. All she had to do was press enter on the keyboard.

A bead of sweat formed on her temple as she bit her fingernail.

Sighing, she started the call. After a few long, agonizing rings, the man picked up.

He was sat in his office back at The Acropolis with a cigar hanging out the side of his mouth. The wrinkles in his forehead revealed themselves as he squinted at her.

"Good afternoon, sir—"

"So, let me get this straight," he interrupted, his tone sharper than a knife. "You let them escape?"

"Er, not all of them sir," she replied through gritted teeth. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to stand up straight and kept her expression neutral. "We're working on tracking down the others."

"Which ones didn't you get?"

"Sentinel, Titan, Reverb, Apex. Archie and Isra are with them as well."

General North paused and stroked his bushy mustache. "Did you manage to capture Black Hole?"

She nodded.

The man smiled from ear-to-ear. "Excellent news." He dropped his smile and replaced it with a look of disappointment. "Still, it is concerning that you allowed such high-profile targets to escape."

"I promise it won't happen again, sir."

"Oh, you're right about that."

She blinked at him. "Excuse me? I'm not sure I get what you mean."

"You won't be leading our next encounter with The Exiles."

She blinked again. This she was more agitated than stunned. "You can't do that."

"I can and I will." The man took a drag from his cigar. The gray smoke poured out from his mouth like the snout of a dragon. "We cannot allow them to slip through the cracks again."

"This is my squad," Stella protested. Her lip curled as she stomped her foot into the ground. "This is mymission."

The general arched an eyebrow at her. "Don't forget who you're talking to, Starchild."

A half-hearted apology left her lips as she stared at the floor. She ran her tongue over her teeth as she tried to prevent a sneer from appearing on her lips. At her sides, her hands curled into fists.

"Who'll be leading the team then?" she asked. "Surely not Angus. You and I both know he's not—"

He raised his hand, silencing her.

"Way to throw your comrade under the bus," he said with a slight chuckle. "But you're right. He's got a long way to go before I put him in charge of anything. Besides, he's not who I had in mind."

She frowned. "Then who?"

Though, she already had an idea of who he was thinking about.

"Orion."

He was replacing her with someone who hadn't even been alive for a whole calendar year. For someone built in a lab. The Jaegers wouldn't respect him. While she was sure they didn't like her, they respected her enough to follow her orders.

Orion wouldn't get that from them. Not right away, at least.

General North's decision felt like a punch in the gut.

"According to the footage I received, he performed exceptionally well today," the man continued. "Were you impressed?"

She could barely hear him. Her anger and confusion were drowning out every noise around her. They were boiling within her; it made her face hot and her chest tight. Her mouth twitched as she tried to stop herself from sneering at her boss.

"General North, please don't do this," she pleaded. "Just...just give me another chance. I won't let you down."

"He will be leading the next mission."

"But—"

"End of discussion."

She knew she wasn't going to win this battle no matter what she said. So, like the good little obedient child as, she lifted her chin and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"That's what I like to hear. Now, get back to headquarters."

With her face burning, she quickly thanked him before ending the call. The screen went dark. She caught her distorted reflection in the black mirror. She clenched her jaw as she stared back at herself.

Behind her, someone cleared their throat. She turned to see Angus leaning against a rusty tractor. A smug grin rested on his lips. Lucky was stood beside him.

"I take it your call with the boss didn't go well," he said.

"Shut up."

Lucky lifted a brow at her. "What happened?"

"I'm not in charge anymore."

Angus' blue eyes lit up.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You aren't either."

"Oh." His shoulders slumped. "Who is then?"

"Orion," Lucky guessed. A sullen look encompassed his sharp features. "I'm not so sure I agree with that decision."

Stella snorted back a laugh. "Neither do I." She scoffed. "But there's no changing his mind now."

Angus clapped his hands together. "Well, there's no use mopin' around over it." He looked at Stella. "What's our next step? We got any word on where they might be hidin'?"

"General North wants us to return to base."

"Ouch," Lucky said. "We are in trouble."

"You think?"

Angus shook his head. "Unbelievable." Rubbing his shoulder, he cast a dirty look her way. "This is your fault. I'm not sure how exactly, but it is."

"I'm not doing this with you right now, okay?"

He shrugged at her. "Just saying." The boy turned toward Orion, who was standing by himself near the entrance to the barn. "Look at him, the freak. Can't believe they made a Prime in a freakin' lab."

"Shut up," Stella hissed at him. "He is not a freak." She glanced at him. "He's actually really nice...even if he is a little weird."

"I'm sure he's a pleasant person," Lucky agreed. "Though, I have to agree with Angus. It is a bit strange that he's not truly a human being."

"Being human is overrated."

He laughed.

Angus crossed his arms and glared at Orion. "Hey!"

The man turned on his heel, eyes wide with surprise. "Yes?"

"You think you're gonna replace us?" The ginger spat on the ground and rubbed it into the dirt with his shoe. "Think again. We're here to stay."

"I was not planning on replacing you."

"You couldn't even if you tried," Angus continued. He jabbed a finger at him. "I could take you myself if I wanted to."

Stella facepalmed. They all knew that wasn't true.

Not only did Orion possess more powers than any of them combined, but he was also the perfect physical specimen. He could probably defeat Angus without using any of his abilities if he wanted to.

The golden-eyed Prime cocked his head at the boy. "Was that meant to be a joke? I'm sorry, I don't quite understand humor yet."

Angus shot Stella and Lucky a dumbfounded look. "Can you believe this guy? He just called me a joke to my face." He cracked his knuckles and took a step toward him. "You better watch your step buddy."

"Alright, tough guy," Lucky said while placing a hand on his friend's chest to hold him back. "That's enough from you."

Angus squinted at Orion and puffed his chest out. He pursed his lips and screwed his face to appear as menacing as possible. While he looked older than he did when he first joined Atlas, he still seemed like a child. The way he acted certainly didn't help.

Orion simply shrugged at him and turned back around.

"What is wrong with you?" Stella asked.

"That was embarrassing," Lucky added.

Angus rolled his eyes. "He didn't even look scared."

"No kidding," Stella said. "I don't think any of that would've scared anyone."

"Yeah, yeah."

She stifled a laugh. After checking the time, she figured it was time to head back to The Acropolis. If Orion truly was going to lead the rest of the hunt for The Exiles, their presence was no longer needed in North Dakota.

"Time to go," she told her companions. "Let's get out of here."

Nodding, the three of them made their way out of the barn and back to the aircraft parked in the middle of the wheatfield surrounding the farm. Before leaving, Stella took one last look at Orion.

She wasn't sure how she felt about him taking her job. It wasn't his decision, but she couldn't help but feel hurt.

Would he truly do a better job than she had done? She wasn't sure.

Only time would tell.

She just hoped General North hadn't lost complete faith in her.

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