(The tense, deafening silence continues in this large, empty room, where several soldiers swarm Flare and the others, aiming their weapons at them. They look around at the soldiers in surprise except for Focus, who remains frozen in place, bowing his head in indecision. Among those soldiers are the soldiers of Team Gamma and their leader, who take their positions in anticipation. The way it looks like, those soldiers are only after one of them: Flare, who clenches her fists with a grimace.)

  Commander Cromwell: (icily) Welcome back… Project Flare.

  (“Project Flare”. The moment Commander Cromwell utters this phrase, a massive migraine takes over Flare’s mind, causing her to clutch her head in pain, and she experiences several flashes of faint, obscured memories released all at once. She remembers seeing that same Aegis emblem one too many times, even back in that incident ten years ago. Revisiting that memory, she can finally notice that emblem on each of the soldiers she hid away from. Additionally, the phrase “Project Flare” echoes repeatedly in her mind, as if this wasn’t the first time she was referred to in that manner, all in incoherent, jumbled words.)

  Commander Cromwell (flashback): Project Fl — .

  Commander Cromwell (flashback): Project Flare.

  Researcher 1A (flashback): Project Flare is exhibiting stable — .

  Researcher 1B (flashback): Project Flare.

  Soldier 1A (flashback): Project Flare has escaped!

  Researcher 1C (flashback): Project Flare is unstable! Seize her now!

  Commander Cromwell (flashback): You’re a revolution… Project Flare.

  (Her eyelids jolt back up, her pupils narrowing as she looks around at all the soldiers surrounding her once again. Soon, Sylvia ends up walking over to Commander Cromwell and Commander Locke, much to the Sparks’ surprise.)

  Jackpot: (clenching his jaw) Okay, now what’s the deal here, Sylvia?!

  Sylvia: It’s simple. We agreed that Flare needs to be captured. Forget about the fact that she’s the key to Infinity’s plan coming to fruition, but she’s just too unstable to rely on. You know that more than I do. You’ve seen it yourself.

  Boltix: (clenching his fists) But that’s none of our business. What’s that got to do with finding Stone?

  Sylvia: (shrugging) Aegis will only help us under the condition that we don’t interfere with their business. That’s their business. None of our business, like you said, so step aside, Boltix.

  (Boltix, Jackpot, and Mistrick are initially reluctant, passing glances at Flare and at each other, but then they understand exactly what Sylvia is talking about as they reminisce about Red Flare’s rampage back at the cavern. Boltix specifically remembers how Red Flare effortlessly dominated him with undeniable wickedness. As a result, the three slowly leave Flare’s side and join Sylvia and the commanders, leaving Flare stunned. Commander Locke makes a gesture with his head, signaling Gauntlet to assume his position, and he obliges, stepping away from Flare and aiming his single gauntlet at her.)

  Gauntlet: Nothing personal. It’s the job.

  (Shortly after that, Commander Cromwell clears her throat, as if signaling Jax, Proxy, Pulse, and Hunter to join. Hunter obliges without a flicker of hesitation, joining Commander Cromwell and tightening his grip on his dual glocks in anticipation. Proxy and Pulse remember their own encounter with Red Flare and the way she effortlessly got them out of her way back at the cavern, kicking Proxy in the face, punching Pulse in the chin, and then punching Jax in the gut, sending him crashing into a wall, all in quick succession. They end up joining Cromwell’s side, remaining sharp in anticipation, and only Jax and Focus are still standing with Flare, both in indecision.)

  Commander Cromwell: (sharply) Jax. And you too, Focus.

  (Jax clenches his fists with an indecisive grimace, and as he glances at Focus, he sees him instinctively shielding Flare through gritted teeth, standing right in front of the commander, though his eyes show anything but firmness. Jax then remembers his first encounter with Red Flare; the image of Red Flare wickedly grinning at him while pinning him to the ground can’t leave his mind. He also remembers the sound of her hysterical laughter back then.)

  Red Flare (Flashback): (wickedly grinning, glancing at her fiery palms) Now that’s what I’m talking about! This power never felt so good! I could burn this dung hill of a world into a crisp a million times over on the mere whim… just because I can! Hell, I might actually get on with that the moment I’m done with you, see how it goes for me! After all… who’s gonna stop me?

  (Jax remembers the way this particular side of Flare faintly glanced back at him, Pulse, and Proxy upon uttering that last line, as if she was intentionally sending that message to them back then. He then reminisces about the second time he encountered that side of Flare, when she viciously attacked him and then relentlessly launched a flurry of fire lances right at him, dealing constant damage to his muscular form, all with a wicked smile. However, he also remembers what he saw between Flare and Focus previously, the way she rested her hand on his.)

  Jax: (thinking to himself) This girl… what is she, really? More importantly, how does Focus see her?

  (Focus remains rebellious in his stance against Commander Cromwell, hesitation evident in his eyes, but as he turns to Jax, he’s shocked to see the resigned look on his face. Jax clenches his fists and reluctantly leaves the duo’s side with a bowed head, taking Cromwell’s side instead and leaving the two in disbelief. They look around, seeing everyone surrounding them: Commander Cromwell, Commander Locke, Sylvia, Gauntlet, Hunter, Boltix, Jackpot, Mistrick, Pulse, Proxy, and now Jax, along with all of those soldiers ready to engage. Commander Cromwell passes Focus a stern glance, whose hands start trembling in reluctance.)

  Commander Cromwell: (sternly) Agent Focus.

  (Focus notices Hunter’s sharp glare, who keeps holding his dual guns tight, as well as all of the others looking right at him, some in confusion, and others in subtle distress. Flare too glances at Focus as she stands behind him, her mouth gaping in concern. He clenches his shaking fists and bows his head with a grimace, leaving the silence for a few moments, but then he finally breaks the silence.)

  Focus: (muttering softly, his head bowed) Stand down, Flare. Please.

  (Her pupils narrow in disbelief, and her bottom lip trembles as Focus utters that line. She steps backwards with a whimper, seeing Focus slowly turning towards her. A deafening silence hangs between them at this moment, with Focus slowly raising his head to meet her gaze.)

  Flare: (whimpering) Focus…

  Focus: It’s gonna be okay.

  Flare: (muttering) Those other people… yeah, I saw it coming. What am I to them anyway? Just another mess to be sorted.

  Focus: It’s only until we deal with Infinity.

  Flare: (still in shock) But… you? Why you?

  Focus: (resigned) We’ll stop Infinity from reaching you. You’ll be fine.

  Flare: (finally snapping) Fine?! Do you have any idea what they wanna do to me?!

  Focus: (desperate) We’ll protect you! You can count on us! On me!

  Flare: (muttering again) But then again… this was your mission from the start… wasn’t it?

  Focus: Flare… please.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Flare: First, you called for backup from those guys… without telling me.

  Focus: I… I didn’t want to — .

  Flare: And then you barely put up a fight for Ethan. You just… let them have him. And now… you’re asking me to stand down. (snapping at him again) You were planning to do it all along, weren’t you?!

  Focus: (his voice breaking) It’s not like that!

  Flare: (through gritted teeth) Then what is it?!

  Focus: (choked) I’m trying to save you! Please! Just… don’t go! You don’t have to do this!

  Flare: (quietly) So that’s how it is. Same old story.

  (Flare keeps her head down, her lips parted in shock, and Focus remains still with a hurt expression and fearful eyes. The silence continues for a while, and the others watch without saying a word, with Jax being particularly concerned, but then suddenly, Flare starts quietly chuckling, much to Focus’s surprise, and then she starts laughing loudly for a while.)

  Flare: (with a wry grin) Say it, Focus! Go ahead! Call me ‘Project Flare’! Call me a Surge Beacon! Call me a monster, a weapon! (her grin trembling) That’s what I am, right? That’s how everyone sees me. I’m sure you do too!

  Focus: That’s not true! Please, just listen!

  Flare: (chuckling dryly) I did listen. That was my mistake. I let my guard down. (maintaining that dry grin, her eyes starting to well up) I actually trusted you.

  Commander Cromwell: (scowling impatiently) This is a waste of time. (to the soldiers) Open fire.

  Focus: (panickedly) No, wait!

  Flare: (sharply) Don’t, Focus.

  Focus: (turning to her once again) Flare?

  Flare: (meeting his gaze, devastated) You already chose them.

  (Focus’s eyelids jolt upwards in disbelief and panic, his pupils shaking, then suddenly, the soldiers open fire, the blasts skipping past the stunned Focus. However, this first round of blasts gets easily canceled out by a burst of fire coming from Flare, who starts to adapt an intense fiery aura. The sheer intensity of her flames slightly knocks the others back, while she stands still with her head bowed. Focus, however, is standing still in disbelief, seeing several fire lances forming around Flare. He desperately reaches out to calm her down, but when Flare looks up at him, she knocks him back with a burst of fire, a scowl forming on her face.)

  Flare: (scowling) What’re you looking at?

  (Without even a flicker of hesitation, she releases a swarm of fire lances at the surrounding soldiers, taking them out one by one. The Sparks look around at all the soldiers getting taken out while shielding Sylvia, while Jax and the others operators get Commander Cromwell and Commander Locke out of range and behind the soldiers. Focus looks around, struggling to make up his mind, and he grits his teeth as he turns to Flare.)

  Focus: It doesn’t have to be this way, Flare!

  (She doesn’t pay heed to Focus’s words and propels herself into the wall ahead of her with the flames under her legs, her fiery aura blazing as she skips past the rattled Focus. The soldiers attempt to fire at Flare, but she blocks their round of blasts with a burst of flames. Hunter sharply aims at her with one gun, ready to fire at her, but suddenly, Focus lands a punch at Hunter’s hand through gritted teeth, causing him to send his shot wayward, much to the others’ shock.)

  Jax: Focus?!

  (This allows Flare to pierce through the wall with a fiery kick and make her way out of the room. Without even looking back at the others, Focus desperately jumps into the hole on the wall as well, going after Flare. The soldiers rally together as they recover their strength, while Gauntlet and Commander Locke take a look at the hole in the wall through gritted teeth. In a few moments, they join the Aegis operators and the Sparks with Commander Cromwell, all surprised at Focus’s interference.)

  Proxy: (surprised) What was that just now?!

  Hunter: (scowling) Focus.

  Commander Cromwell: (coldly) Doesn’t matter. We’re heading for the Fire Surge Beacon at once. She won’t leave this place no matter what.

  Pulse: And if Focus tries to stop us?

  Commander Cromwell: Then detain him. Simple as that.

  Commander Locke: (turning to Gauntlet, firmly) You’ll be going after her, Gauntlet. Get ready.

  Gauntlet: (nonchalantly) Yeah, sure, was gonna do that anyway, though with just a single glove against a scarily powerful Surge Beacon, I suggest that you don’t get your hopes up, commander.

  Boltix: (to Sylvia) Soooo… should we go after her?

  Sylvia: (shrugging) The sooner we deal with this mess, the better, so knock yourselves out.

  (Boltix nods then grabs Mistrick along and uses his Kinetic Surge to jump high into the hole on the wall. Jackpot pulls a pair of grappling hooks out of his Creation pot and grapples into the hole, following the duo. Jax, Proxy, and Pulse jump into the opening as well, while Hunter runs for the room’s exit, tightly clutching his dual guns with a scowl.)

  Hunter: (internally, scowling) It was obvious from the start that it will turn out this way. You’re losing your edge, Focus, and your purpose. What’re you up to now?

  (Meanwhile, Commander Cromwell and Commander Locke head outside the room through an alternative exit, escorted by several armed soldiers, both from Aegis and the Ironclad Response Unit. Cromwell reaches for her watch and promptly presses on a few buttons, activating a loud alarm all over Aegis HQ. The rest of the soldiers inside that base receive that alarm, including the soldiers keeping an eye on Shay, who’s seated on a bench in a hallway with no handcuffs.)

  Soldier 1A: (looking around) What is it?

  Commander Cromwell: (via communicator) The Fire Surge Beacon is on the run. I repeat, she’s on the run. All units, move in to intercept. The Surge Beacon must not leave headquarters.

  Commander Locke: (via communicator) The Ironclad Respond Unit is authorized to assist. You’ve been provided with the approximate location of the Surge Beacon inside the base. You’re free to engage the target.

  Soldier 1B: (via communicator, directly to Commander Cromwell) And us, ma’am? We’re guarding Mr. Gallagher at the moment. Should we abandon our positions?

  Commander Cromwell: Negative. Stay put.

  Soldier 1A: Understood, ma’am.

  Shay: (muttering) Fire Surge Beacon, eh? Are they talkin’ ’bout… Flare?

  (Shay and the two soldiers keeping an eye on him watch as several soldiers rally together and run through the hallway, clutching their weapons close and using their watches to track down Flare. On the watch, several blue dots represent their allies, while their sole target is represented by a red dot constantly on the move. Leading those soldiers is the leader of Team Gamma, who’s surprised to see a blue dot rapidly approaching the red dot, chasing after her.)

  Team Gamma Leader: (surprised) Someone’s already caught up to the Beacon.

  (Meanwhile, Flare runs through an empty, wide corridor with a grimace on her face, her pupils vibrating and her fiery fists trembling. She forcefully closes her eyes and sharpens the look on her eyes, shutting away the last evident hints of devastation on her expression. However, she notices Focus running after her with a desperate grimace.)

  Focus: (desperate) I’m only trying to help! We can make this work, Flare! You don’t have to — !

  (Flare angrily propels herself backwards to elbow Focus, but he sidesteps out of the way. She then immediately turns to him and swings her fiery fist at him, which he blocks with the back of his hand, only for Flare to launch a burst of fire at him using her other palm, sending him crashing through a wall. She moves in for him with another burst of flames ready, but he cancels it out with his fist, sending her skidding back.)

  Flare: (through gritted teeth) Stop talking already! Don’t pretend like you care!

  (She launches a barrage of fire lances at him, and he acrobatically jumps upwards to get past them. She looks up at him and launches another burst of fire at him, which he cancels out with a kick as he lands on the ground behind her. She quickly turns for another blow, and he holds down her fists through gritted teeth.)

  Focus: (his voice breaking) I don’t want to do this! Please don’t make me!

  Flare: (scowling) But that’s what you’re ordered to do, isn’t it?! Then go ahead! Capture the Surge Beacon like you were told!

  (She knees Focus in the gut, knocking him back, and then she lands a fiery punch at his face, laterally launching him through the air. She moves in on him for another punch, but he acrobatically pivots backwards to avoid the punch. Upon regaining his footing, he runs beside her, their respective navy blue and fiery auras touching as Flare attempts to bump into him and tackle him. He doesn’t lose his balance despite that, keeping up with her through clenched teeth.)

  Focus: Just think about it! You can’t escape them! Even if you do, they won’t stop looking for you, and I won’t be able to help! Just stand down, and I’ll make sure nothing happens to you! I promise!

  Flare: (snapping at him) Then why are you looking at me the same way everyone else is, like some monster that needs to be put down?! Be honest with me, Focus, for once! Do you fear me?!

  (Focus’s pupils narrow in reaction, his breath emerging ragged and heavy, no longer moving as fast as he is. His lips part and tremble, and his fists involuntarily shake. With him lagging behind Flare, she emerges in front of him and launches several fire lances at him, but he sidesteps out of the way, increasing his speed to catch up with Flare once again. She then attempts a fireball close to him, but he quickly stomps the ground in front of Flare, disorienting her. This allows Focus to jump in and stand in her way, ready to land a punch at her gut. However, his vision suddenly blurs, and his entire body shakes to the point of palpable hesitation, with his heart beating loudly.)

  (This brief moment of hesitation allows Flare to quickly regain her balance and land a powerful, fiery punch at his gut, launching him through the air and sending him crashing into a wall. She then grabs Focus by the neck and slams him into the ground, his pupils narrowed and his body feeling weak as she stands on one knee.)

  Focus: (weakly) Flare…

  (Her pupils widen, the devastation and pain in her expression returning, but she quickly shuts it away as she glares at Focus with a scowl. She launches a burst of fire from her free palm right at his chest, sending him crashing through the lower floors and finally out of her way, leaving a massive hole in the ground. She starts panting in exhaustion, her eyes starting to well up, but she quickly notices her other pursuers arriving: Jax, Proxy, Pulse, Boltix, Jackpot, Mistrick, and Gauntlet. She stands upright once again and glares at her new opponents.)

  Flare: (sternly) Bring it on.