False Gods | The Prime Archives #3 ✓

sixteen

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.