As punishment for the outcomes of her last two missions, Stella was put in charge of training the third wave of Atlas' Prime recruits. She didn't personally have anything against the newbies; in fact, some of them were quite pleasant to be around. However, they all were pretty young in age.

Some of them could be pretty immature. It didn't help that Angus, Theo, and Zach were considered to be senior members of the squad. The three of them weren't exactly model citizens. Lucky was the only one who carried himself like an actual adult.

The Prime gene tended to be found in the newer generations of human beings. The few adults who exhibited abilities often entered programs to have their powers dampened—or removed entirely. Others resorted to a life of crime, which landed them a cell in The Vault. The rest hid among society, suppressing their abilities.

Those who hadn't volunteered to join Atlas in their mission of protecting the world.

Stella had been chosen to lead them.

Fewer missions were carried out by her team over the years. Thus, General North created the Jaeger division. They handled most of the day-to-day work while Atlas' instructors made sure the young Primes were ready to enter the battlefield.

Stella wasn't exactly sure when that would be.

Sighing, she stepped into The Battlefield—the simulation room that served as the central training area for Atlas agents. The white paneled walls were fitted with cutting-edge technology that projected a completely fabricated environment from terrain to climate. Hidden platforms in the floor simulated different terrains, ranging from hilly grasslands to frozen tundras.

The Battlefield tried to prepare them for any and every situation.

Though, Stella knew some things could only be learned on the field.

As she entered the simulation room, she noticed the recruits standing in a single line waiting for her to arrive. When they saw her approaching, they stopped talking and straightened their postures. They looked like little soldiers in their grey and navy-blue training Atlas uniforms.

She suppressed a smile, remembering the old days when she and the original members of the Prime Task Force would show up to training in their gym clothes. Memories of Oscar and Theo constantly showing up late to practice and Agent Strong—their head instructor at the time—yelling at them resurfaced in her brain.

Her smile melted away at the thought of the past.

So much had changed.

She tried convincing herself that it was for the better. They were making the world a better, a safer place. Without them, everything would've been thrown into chaos with no one to rescue it.

The world needed them.

She was on the right side. At least, that's what she told herself to sleep at night.

As she settled in front of the recruits, she noticed Victoria was among them. She nodded at the lieutenant. The daughter of the former director of Atlas—and a close friend of hers—was one of the few Atlas agents who stayed with the company after the PRA was signed and President Crane was inaugurated into office.

Despite her obvious ties to the past, General North trusted the now twenty-four-year-old enough to remain a part of his team. She even accompanied the Jaegers on scouting missions from time to time. Mostly, she handled the training sessions of the recruits in Agent Strong's absence.

"Ready to get started?" Victoria asked as she tied her black hair into a bun.

Nodding, Stella did the same with her dark brown curls. She faced her group and offered them a smile.

There were ten of them involved in that day's training exercise. Those who weren't present were most likely in orientation or somewhere else in The Acropolis.

"What are we doing today?" Spencer Long asked. He readjusted his thick-lensed glasses, which were wrapped tightly around his head with an elastic band.

"Please don't let it be another civilian rescue," Daku Aoetearoa whined, his New Zealand accent coming through heavily in his voice. "I'm honestly tired of having to catch training dummies out of burning buildings."

Bumi Devanagari, their recruit from New Delhi, India, snickered. "Didn't you drop one last time?"

Daku's cheeks reddened. "It was an accident."

"For a healer, you sure are clumsy."

"Shut it, Rock Girl."

Bumi stuck her tongue out at him as she folded her bare, muscular arms over her chest.

Stella rolled her eyes at them before urging them to be quiet. Once everyone was silent again, she began explaining the day's activity.

"No, we're not doing any civilian drills today." She pointed an accusatory finger at Daku. "But we will be doing those later this week, so be ready. You all definitely need more practice caring for civilians during battle. That's a crucial part of your job."

"I thought our job was to punch bad guys and be badass superheroes?" Thomas, nicknamed Gyro for his ability to alter gravity, asked. He had his arms folded across his chest. An obnoxious, blue and green dyed mohawk sat atop his head.

Stella pursed her lips at him. "Part of being a superhero is saving people. Hence the word hero."

Thomas snorted.

Victoria squinted at the boy and stomped up to him. Gulping, he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Go run a lap."

"What? Why? I didn't even—"

"Wanna make it two?"

Groaning, Thomas shook his head. He shot the two girls a scathing glare before taking off into a run around the perimeter of The Battlefield. Stella and Victoria smirked as they watched him.

"As I was saying," Stella continued, "we won't be doing any civilian drills today. Instead, I figured we would have some fun."

The recruits' eyes lit up as they exchanged glances. Excited murmurs rippled through the group as they speculated what she meant.

Stella cleared her throat before smiling.

"Well?" Spencer asked. "What are we doing?"

"We're going to play a classic little game I like to call..." She paused, building up the suspense. Once she could see they were all practically begging for her to reveal it, she obliged. "Capture the flag."

Smiles and cheers broke out as the ten recruits slapped hands. Their spirits had been visibly lifted. Much of their training occurred in classrooms and the simulation room. Not much combat and real-world situations were a part of their curriculum—which Stella found strange.

When Director Shaw was their leader, her team had been trusted with a plethora of missions. There was a huge gulf in experience between the two phases of the Prime Task Force. At nineteen, Stella was flying through the streets of New York and other cities across the world in pursuit of rogue Primes.

But these new Primes? Most of them hadn't even encountered a rogue yet. Nevertheless, one that posed an actual threat.

Stella wondered if that was a good thing or not.

Too much exposure could have gotten one of them hurt—or killed. But not enough would run the risk of them being unprepared when the time came for them to go out on a real mission.

Sometimes, she wondered if General North even intended to send them out into the field. His use of the Jaeger division—and the introduction of Orion—suggested he didn't have much faith in them.

Frowning, she shook her head. None of that was important at the moment.

All that mattered right now was their game of capture the flag. And she was going to make sure her recruits had a good game.

They deserved to have a bit of fun.

She replaced her frown with a big smile and clapped her hands together. "Alright, everyone! Let's get this party started."

#

Stella hovered above The Battlefield as it altered its appearance.

The white walls shifted until they presented a misty pine forest. Mountains, topped with a thin layer of snow, lingered in the fake background. Gears turned and the sounds of pistons pumping filled the room as the ground raised and lowered in random areas. Grass and dirt had covered the ground, protruding from the panels on the floor.

Fog poured in from an unknown source, clouding the scene. In the center of the map stood a white flag. A red ring circled it, indicating that it had not yet been claimed by a team. Each side of The Battlefield had another ring of light, which was where the flag had to be taken to win the game.

The two teams, split into five members per side, stood on opposite ends, waiting for Stella to give Victoria the go-ahead to start the game. They were all poised and ready in their bio-suits, the glowing, colored lines pulsing through the fog swirling around them.

Team One elected to call themselves the Fantastic Five. Stella wasn't too sure about the name, but it wasn't too important. How they performed in the game was what mattered.

Team One was led by Bumi, who went by Geo. She would be running defense alongside Darren Thomas, codenamed Ironwhip for his control over certain metals—which usually meant the fifteen-foot chain he kept coiled around his wrist. Indiya, Olivia, and Kossi—known professionally as Tattoo, Blink, and Vulcan, respectively—would be running offense.

Team Two, who hadn't picked a name like the others, was led by Thomas. His partners on offense were Spencer—or Stretch—and Samantha, whose weather-based powers earned her the codename of Tempest. Daku—codenamed Paladin—and Susie—codenamed Siphon—hung back to protect their base.

Stella had attempted to split the teams evenly so the game would be even, but with everyone's abilities being so unique, that task was easier said than done.

She cast a glance up to the control room built above the simulation center. She gave Victoria thumb's up. The other girl responded with a nod before beginning the sequence from within the room.

A countdown, starting from ten, blared from the speakers in the corners of The Battlefield. Once it reached zero, a sharp tone played.

Then the players exploded from their spots and gunned it for the flag.

Acting as field medic and referee, Stella lowered herself just above the tree line. She watched as three members from each team advanced on the flag's position. Two others were left at the base for protective measures.

A good strategy from both teams.

Looks like they've been paying attention in class.

As she got closer to the action, she pinched her index finger to her thumb, pressing down on the rays of light around her. She had learned this trick a few weeks ago after toying around with spectrums. Her ability allowed her to manipulate the light around her just enough to partially obscure her figure, meaning she could appear invisible to a certain degree.

People would still be able to see her silhouette and shadow, but she would be invisible to the naked eye for a time.

It was perfect enough for her to observe the game without getting in the way.

Below her feet, she spotted Gyro and Stretch wandering through the fog. They both squinted as they searched for the objective.

"Where the hell is the damn flag?" Gyro asked as he waded through the forest. "Are we even going the right way?"

"Hold on," Stretch told him. He threw his head to the sky, his neck stretching upward like a piece of pulled taffy. Soon, he was looking above the tree line. His neck retracted back until it resumed its normal length, which was already rather long. "This way."

Gyro shuddered. "God, that's freaky, man. That doesn't hurt?"

"They don't call me Stretch for nothing."

The two boys grinned at each other before taking off in another direction.

Stella lifted back into the air and searched for another pair of Primes. She quickly found Tattoo and Vulcan racing toward the flag. Unbeknownst to the pair, Tempest was creeping up behind them.

The blond stepped out into the open and held her hands to the sky. A dark cloud manifested in the air above the trees. Tattoo and Vulcan skidded to a stop before casting their gazes upward.

"Sam?" Tattoo asked Vulcan.

The boy with the black dreadlocks nodded. "Sam."

They spun around to face Tempest, who was slowly walking toward them. Before they could attack, torrents of rain came crashing down on them, flattening them to the ground. Smirking, Samantha dissolved her cloud before dashing away.

Stella flew backward, careful not to get any rain on herself. She hadn't worn her mission suit and wasn't really in the mood to get her favorite pair of sweatpants wet.

"If I get pneumonia, I'm going to kill you!" A shivering Vulcan yelled as the rain sizzled off the glowing magma rocks embedded in his skin.

Tattoo quickly got to her feet and held out her arms. Unlike the others, much of her skin wasn't covered by her suit. Her wide array of tattoos were left exposed to the air. The one on her left forearm, which was of a horse, rippled against her skin.

It jumped from her tanned skin and landed next to her. Except now it was a full-sized, brown-haired mustang. It neighed and reared its front legs. Tattoo quickly mounted its back, slapped its side, and rode off after Tempest.

Vulcan, who had gotten back to his feet, glared.

"She didn't even ask me if I wanted to ride," he grumbled as he trudged behind them. "Not cool, Indiya. Not cool at all."

Stella stifled a laugh before lifting back into the air.

Elsewhere at the flag, a battle was occurring.

Stretch and Gyro had arrived at the objective. Geo and Ironwhip were pushing back against the two boys.

Geo stepped away from the flag, her bare feet sliding against the ground as she moved. With a grunt, she stomped on the ground with one foot and kicked up a piece of The Battlefield's terrain. Her control over rocks extended to the ground that the simulation room was constructed out of. She jumped up and kicked the floating piece of rock, sending it hurtling toward Gyro.

He yelped before altering his gravity. His body floated off the ground for a moment before he locked himself to a tall tree. Smirking, he stood horizontally on the bark as he watched Geo's attack sail harmlessly wide.

"Stretch!" he yelled from his perch. "Grab the flag and let's go!"

"On it, dude!"

Stretch lumbered forward with his lanky legs before lashing out an arm. It shot out for about twenty feet before wrapping around the flag. Once free from the magnetic holder in the ground, he retracted his arm and took off sprinting in the other direction.

"Ironwhip!" Geo yelled while throwing more rocks at Gyro. "Don't let him get away!"

Ironwhip grinned. His shaggy, black hair, which was dyed red at the tips, fell into his pointed face. The look of malice in his eyes made Stella shudder.

He uncoiled his chain and brandished it like a whip. His grin widened. Then he took off after Stretch, who was swinging from tree branches like a spider monkey.

Ironwhip copied him, his chain aiding him in his pursuit.

"We've got incoming!" Bumi shouted, her voice carrying throughout the forest. "Don't let them get back to their base!"

Stella's eyes widened as she smiled. The game was doing a magnificent job of showcasing their abilities and teamwork skills. It reminded her of herself and the original team. They had played capture the flag often as a way to hone their skills. It was nice to see the recruits had taken to the activity the same way they had.

Floating above the canopy of leaves, she searched for where the action was headed.

Stretch was barrelling back toward his base. Ironwhip was right on his tail. He lashed out with his weapon, nearly coiling it around his prey's ankle.

Beneath them, Vulcan and Tattoo had caught up to Tempest, who were duking it out in an empty clearing. Sheets of rain and the occasional thunderbolt came down from the storm cloud above them. Vulcan surged toward her, throwing burning rocks coated in magma at his opponent. Tattoo had activated another one of the pieces of art decorating her caramel skin; this time, it was a purple and white tiger. It swiped a massive claw at Tempest, who barely dodged it.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Watch it!"

"Sorry!" Tattoo chirped.

Stella moved away from them and continued following Ironwhip's pursuit of Stretch. They were nearing Team Two's base, which was still being guarded by Paladin and Siphon.

As Stretch dropped to the ground from the branches he had been swinging on, Ironwhip got the drop on him. Before the former could move any further, the latter's metal chain had encircled around his waist.

Stretch blanched as he twisted his elastic torso. "Hey, buddy... Can we talk about this?"

"No."

Ironwhip punched the boy in the face, sending him crumpling to the ground.

Stella frowned as she watched Stretch cry out in pain, his hands covering his nose. Dropping to the ground, she made herself visible and pointed a disapproving finger at Ironwhip.

"That was too far," she told him. "You didn't have to—"

"Watch out, Ms. Stella!" someone yelled from behind her.

She instinctively dove to the ground just as a silver rod flew over her head. It smacked into Ironwhip's chest, causing him to drop the flag he had just picked up from the fallen Stretch.

Siphon sprinted toward the flag, picked it up, and bolted for her base. But not before retrieving her staff with his free hand. As she passed by Ironwhip, she winked cheekily at the boy. The black-haired boy growled in frustration as he picked himself back up.

His aggression was starting to worry Stella. If he didn't take it down a notch, she feared he might have accidentally hurt someone. What scared her, even more, was that it might not have even been an accident at that point.

Ironwhip seemed to be intent on hurting someone.

"Remember everyone!" she yelled while flying back up into the air. "This is just a training drill!"

No one seemed to be listening. They were all too busy fighting each other.

Sighing, she face-palmed.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Luckily, the game was almost over. Siphon was nearing his base. Her teammate, Paladin, was at her back, warding off any would-be interveners.

As she watched Paladin getting ready to win the game for his team, she froze.

"Wait a minute," she said. "Where's Olivia—"

Before she could finish her sentence, a swirling portal opened right in front of Siphon. She didn't have time to stop. Yelling, she disappeared into the opening. Another one opened up a few feet in the air facing the ground. Her echoed yell returned as she was spat out onto the floor. Groaning, she rolled over and clutched her shoulder.

Blink stepped out of the shadows with a mischievous grin on her face. She sauntered over to the Siphon and stood over her.

"Close. But not close enough."

She took the flag from the other girl's hands, opened another portal, and disappeared into it. Seconds later, The Battlefield's speakers announced that the game had been won by Team One. Cheers broke out on the other side of the simulation room while Team Two helped their defeated teammates back to their feet.

Stella returned to the ground and ran over to where Siphon laid. Paladin joined her moments later. He quickly got to work at her side, his hands pressed firmly against her shoulder. A faint, pink light encased the region he touched.

"Thanks, Daku," Siphon said through gritted teeth.

He nodded. "No problem. That was a nasty fall."

Stella patted the boy's shoulder. "Good game, guys. You were so