(During the ongoing Reno night, several police officers examine the scene at the Grand Mirage casino and investigate Sylvia’s kidnapping, while others remain at the station to sort things out. As the police officers at the station go about their business on their computers, they’re interrupted when Jax, Proxy, and Pulse enter and approach them.)

  Proxy: (amiably) Hey, officer! So… we’ve written down a car plate that we really need to track at the moment. I’m wondering if you can help with that.

  Officer 1A: (exasperated) Good grief, not another car plate! (quickly typing on his keyboard then flipping his computer to them) Here! You’ve got access to our ANPR systems! Do whatever you want and leave us alone! I don’t wanna end up like Greg!

  (The trio glance at the officer in bafflement as he hurriedly gets off his chair and leaves, surprised by his sudden, almost fearful cooperation, and an awkward silence ensues as they exchange glances before Proxy clears her throat and heads for the computer, another officer coming in to help out.)

  Jax: (blankly) So… uh… what exactly is going on? I expected a bit more… stubbornness?

  Officer 1B: (frowning) It’s just that the last time someone asked to track a car plate today, he broke poor Greg’s fingers and then his arm. He also had the guy call him daddy. He was terrifying.

  Pulse: Okay, that just sounds weird. Who was that guy?

  Officer 1B: I dunno. He was wearing a black tracksuit, acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

  Jax: That sounds just like Focus.

  Pulse: So he’s still active, huh? What is he up to?

  Proxy: (grinning) There it is!

  (Jax and Pulse glance at the computer, with Proxy finally detecting the car plate in question, an Audi Q5. She keeps switching between traffic cameras, seeing the car heading into an abandoned warehouse. Emerging from the driver’s seat is none other than Focus, with Flare emerging from the passenger seat, then the two open the trunk and carry an unconscious Sylvia along. Seeing this shocks Jax, Pulse, and Proxy.)

  Pulse: (shocked) That’s gotta be Focus! He’s the one behind Sylvia’s kidnapping! But… who is that girl?

  Proxy: Must be the Surge Beacon, I guess. After the run-in with the Sparks, perhaps Focus is trying to figure out who he’s truly up against, and no one would know better than the Sparks’ unofficial handler.

  Jax: And to avoid further trouble, he took the Beacon along. (faintly grinning) Have to say, it’s impressive how he managed to capture Sylvia, and with style too.

  Pulse: I guess we know where we’re headed now. We just gotta get there before Focus leaves.

  Jax: And are you sure that’s even doable?

  Pulse: (sighing deeply) Probably not, but we’re at least getting closer. If we miss out on him, then we’re still capable of tracking the Beacon. Besides, I’m sure Focus will do well with or without our help. Our primary mission is to figure out whoever is behind this mess. (to the officer) We’re leaving now. Thanks for the help, officer.

  Officer 1B: (blankly) No problem. I’ve got your ride ready.

  Pulse: (her eyes narrowing) Okay, you’re being too cooperative. What’re you plotting?

  Officer 1B: It’s just that Focus needed a ride as well, and he got it by kicking me out of my motorcycle. Might as well play nice from the start.

  Pulse: (flabbergasted) What has this guy done to you all?!

  (Pulse looks around in shock and sees the officers nervously keeping quiet about this, preferring not to speak about it. Meanwhile, back at an abandoned, empty, dimly lit warehouse, Sylvia slowly opens her eyes and wakes up. She glances around and finds herself tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse, her hands and legs cuffed, and as she looks ahead, she sees Flare and Focus approaching.)

  Flare: (to Focus) Okay, let’s get down to business. You’re ‘good cop’, I’m ‘bad cop’.

  Focus: (deadpan) You? Bad cop’? You’re ‘annoyingly naughty and obnoxiously loud cop’ at best.

  Flare: Hey, I can literally burn the world to a crisp!

  Focus: (firmly) And I can thoroughly dissect a living person with a straight face. Doesn’t that make me a worse cop?

  Sylvia: (blankly) You two look equally cute in my opinion.

  Both: (in unison, angered) CUTE?!

  Focus: (sternly) I’m a menace, mind you.

  Sylvia: (faintly smirking) With that baby-looking face? I think not.

  Focus: (sternly) That baby-looking face is capable of vandalizing your pretty, mature face. I just need a reason to do that, and a good enough reason would be a lack of cooperation.

  Flare: (cracking her knuckles, grinning) Alright, sweetheart, listen up! We’ve got questions for you, and we can get our answers in more ways than one! We can do this the easy way, or we can — !

  Sylvia: (groaning, cutting her off) Just tell me what you want and get this over with. I’ll tell you everything.

  Both: (in unison, baffled) Wait, what?

  (An awkward silence ensues as Flare and Focus glance at Sylvia in bafflement, who rolls her eyes with an annoyed expression. The two glance at each other in surprise, shrugging at each other and feeling clueless, then they start whispering to each other.)

  Flare: (whispering to Focus) Okay, you’ve probably been through more interrogations than I did. Does that happen?

  Focus: (whispering to Flare, blankly) Yes, supposedly after a few hours of torture and blackmailing, but not like this.

  Flare: It’s so convenient it almost feels like she’s setting us up. You feel that too, right?

  Focus: (firmly) What kind of trap should we worry about again? Let’s just see where it takes us.

  Sylvia: (clearing her throat, unamused) Are you gonna start asking questions or what?

  Flare: (annoyed) But I wanna make it fun! You can’t just take the easy way out and spill the beans from the start!

  Focus: (sighing deeply) Nevermind. (to Sylvia) Now tell me… who paid the Sparks to go after us? Surely they must have contacted you beforehand.

  Sylvia: (firmly) Trust me, I’ve got no idea who this guy could be. All of our contacts have been via messaging and a single phone call, and even so, he left no name, not even an alias. The only thing I’ve got on him is the location from which he made the call. He’s also sent an exchange site that the Sparks will head over to given that they capture you. That’s all that I’ve got, so don’t ask for anything else.

  Focus: And how do I know you’re being honest?

  Sylvia: (glancing at the desk beside her) You’ve got my laptop over there. I’ll show you everything I’ve got stored in it. (faintly grinning) However, I can’t do it when I’m all tied up like that. Both ropes and cuffs? That’s kinda excessive. At least untie the rope around me.

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  Flare: (fiercely) Nice try, pretty-face! Ain’t gonna happen!

  Focus: (sighing deeply, to Sylvia, sternly) Just don’t try anything funny.

  Sylvia: (snickering) Come on now. I’d just get beaten to a pulp, so why even bother?

  (Focus signals Flare to pick up the laptop on the nearby desk, and she reluctantly does so, while he unties Sylvia with a stern expression. Flare opens the laptop and places it on Sylvia’s lap, letting her start it up. She types in the password and uses her fingerprint to start up the laptop, then she quickly heads for her files, specifically the locations she’s got. She turns the laptop and shows the duo a picture of a certain excavation site.)

  Sylvia: This is where the exchange was supposed to be made. The client asked the Sparks to head there regardless. (sneering) I think you know what I’m on about.

  Focus: (narrowing his eyes) So you’re basically handing us the legitimate location of your client while having the Sparks ambush us? You’re playing a dangerous game there, Sylvia.

  Sylvia: (confidently) I figured that the transparency would motivate you to head there. It’s either you two get dealt with and I receive my share of the bounty… or you get to figure out whoever’s after you. Surely the risk is worth the reward, don’t you think?

  Flare: (unamused) Never before have I felt that much offended by something I one-hundred percent agree with.

  Focus: This is an excavation site, correct? What’s the deal with it?

  Sylvia: (shrugging) Don’t ask me. That’s the client’s own business. You go figure it out yourselves if you’re really curious. As I said, I also know from where he first made the call. That could help you if you’re trying to figure out where he’s setting up his base of operations. (pulling out a flash drive) I’ll upload both this and the exact location of the excavation site to this flash drive, and then it’s up to you to make the best of it. I suppose that makes us even.

  Focus: Only for now.

  (Sylvia smirks at this as she connects the flash drive to the laptop, and after a while, she uploads both the locations of the excavation site and the mysterious client’s possible case into the drive and hands it over to Focus. He grabs it and inspects it with a firm expression before placing it in his pocket.)

  Sylvia: (grinning cockily) Got anything else?

  Focus: Now that you mention it… (sternly) how do you know about Aegis? How did you know about Surges to begin with?

  Sylvia: (her smirk widening) Your secret isn’t as securely hidden as you think. I was fortunate enough to pick up the breadcrumbs and piece it together. Frankly, I understand. It would only make sense that one would try to cover up such an incredible power, but I’m not that desperate. While you see impending conflict, I see opportunity. The true nature of Surges will surface soon enough. It’s already happening with all of the incidents that have occurred lately, can’t you see? And when this becomes public knowledge, I’ll be looking forward to seeing how you’ll deal with it. It will be quite a radical change, and neither Aegis nor the entire world would be ready for it.

  (Focus narrows his eyes down and glares at Sylvia with a stern expression, who keeps smirking at him. He subtly tilts his head at the rope on the ground, signaling Flare to pick it up, and with a smirk, she does exactly that, which baffles Sylvia and causes her smirk to waver. Before she knows it, she finds herself tied upside down, the cuffs still on her hands and legs, and she furiously watches Flare and Focus head for the warehouse’s exit.)

  Sylvia: (exasperated) WHAT THE HELL IS THAT FOR?! I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING, DIDN’T I?!

  Flare: (grinning) Sorry, pretty-face, but the idea sounded so fun I couldn’t resist!

  Sylvia: (furiously) THIS IS DISRESPECTFUL! YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS! YOU’LL GET BEATEN TO A PULP, AND THEN I’LL HAVE YOU ENDURE A GREATER HUMILIATION, THE GREATEST YOU’LL EVER RECEIVE! YOU HEAR ME?!

  Focus: (deadpan) Good, good. Keep the angry thoughts coming. It makes time move fast. Oh, and we’re taking your car. We need transport after all, and your car was really comfy on the way here.

  Sylvia: (frustrated) Wh-Wh-What the hell?! You can’t just do that!

  Focus: We can, and we just did. (opening the door and waving to her, deadpan) Laters.

  (Flare and Focus head outside the warehouse and close the massive door, leaving Sylvia yelling in fury. Flare was just about to sneakily get into the driver’s seat, but Focus promptly beats her to it and sits down in the driver’s seat with an unamused expression. A disappointed Flare then heads to the passenger seat and sits down while crossing her arms and pouting.)

  Flare: (muttering in annoyance) Jerk.

  Focus: (deadpan) Ask me that in a less critical moment, with a less expensive car, and in a sunnier time of day, and perhaps I’ll consider it.

  Flare: Uh-huh.

  (Focus plants the flash drive into the car’s GPS device, which displays the location of the excavation site he and Flare are heading for, then he drives off. Meanwhile, back at Aegis Headquarters, Commander Cromwell glances at the large screen ahead of her with a grim expression, the screen displaying a glowing red dot that represents Flare and Focus’s approximate location [the point equidistant from all detected Surge users, including Flare, Focus, and the Sparks]. She then re-establishes contact with Jax, Proxy, and Pulse, who — at the moment — are driving a police Jeep and heading for the abandoned warehouse, Jax taking the wheel, Pulse in the passenger seat, and Proxy in the backseat.)

  Commander Cromwell: (to the trio, via communicator) This is Commander Cromwell. What’s the latest?

  Pulse: (via communicator, firmly) We’ve recently figured out that Focus is the one behind the Grand Mirage incident and Sylvia’s kidnapping. He wasn’t alone. Someone else helped with that, apparently a Fire Surge user, and we suspect that she may be the Surge Beacon we’re looking for.

  Commander Cromwell: (muttering to herself, shocked) Fire Surge user… girl… Beacon… could it be…?

  Jax: (via communicator, nonchalantly) Yeah, and we’ve also traced the two of them at a warehouse, carrying Sylvia along, of course. We’re heading there now.

  Commander Cromwell: (snapping from her trance, attempting to speak firmly) Acknowledged. Whenever you make any other breakthrough, update me at once.

  Proxy: (via communicator) Will do.

  (Commander Cromwell ends the transmission and then keeps glancing at the large screen ahead of her and the glowing red dot displayed in it. She grimaces and clenches her fist as she thinks to herself.)

  Commander Cromwell: (thinking to herself, grimacing) The Beacon… it’s gotta be her. I thought I’d never hear from her again, and yet here we are. She’s evolved into one of the most powerful Surge Beacons we’ve ever detected. (faintly smirking) Project Flare… was a success.

  (Meanwhile, Jax, Proxy, and Pulse finally arrive at the abandoned warehouse, and Jax stops the car then steps out of it. Pulse steps out of the passenger seat, and Proxy from the backseat, and the trio look around, noticing that Flare and Focus have already left.)

  Jax: (sighing deeply) Oh, man. Couldn’t they have waited a few minutes?

  Pulse: (deadpan) Or maybe you were just too slow. I knew I should’ve taken the wheel.

  Proxy: (blankly) So… uh… if they’re gone, then… what’re we doing here again? Shouldn’t we just head off elsewhere?

  Jax: (grinning) Not so fast.

  Pulse: (slyly) That’s right, you are.

  (Jax glances at her with a side-eye and an unamused expression then heads for the warehouse’s entrance, Proxy and Pulse following. Jax stands in front of the entrance and slightly enlarges the muscles of his arm, then he punches the entrance and forces it open. To Proxy and Pulse’s shock, they see none other than Sylvia tied upside down inside the dimly lit warehouse, who notices them through gritted teeth.)

  Sylvia: (gritting her teeth) Alright, who the heck are you?!

  Proxy: (baffled) Um… what am I seeing right now?

  Jax: (grinning) Ha! I knew Focus would do something like that!

  Pulse: (blankly) Huh. Well… lemme contact the commander.

  Sylvia: Commander?! Oh, god, you’re Aegis operators. (sighing deeply) At least put me down, will ya? I surrender.

  Jax: (letting out a chuckle) As if you’ve got a choice.

  (Meanwhile, a camera captures Flare and Focus as they head through a highway and approach the location of the excavation area, and back at the site, the mysterious masked man watches this through his watch, his expression as unreadable as ever and the purple infinity sign in his mask only slightly glowing. The Sparks give him company during this uneventful moment, their expressions wavering between firm anticipation and annoyance.)

  ???: (firmly) The duo are approaching our location. Get ready, Sparks. They know you’re waiting.

  Stone: So you were right. But how did you know? And what did Sylvia have to do with this?

  ???: She had an important role to play, and I let her in on that even before you first failed. I know about her Surge just like you four do. After what happened, I anticipated that Focus would have the necessary intel on Sylvia Anderson and her association with you, so he and the Beacon would go after her as a start. Of course, it’s either that Sylvia would capture them herself with her Surge… or she would be kidnapped, and by the looks of it, it was the latter.

  Jackpot: Hold on! Sylvia’s kidnapped?! Where is she now?!

  ???: I wouldn’t know. However, she certainly played her part well and gave the two of them the intel they needed. With that bait, they willingly jumped into the trap and into my hands. Now… this matter will be decided by your own performance. (sternly) I will not tolerate another disappointment, Sparks. You either get this done right here and now… or you can forget about me and your bounty. Remember your mission. Capture the Surge Beacon and bring her to me. Alive and subdued. I’ll add a bonus if you kill the Aegis operator, and that bonus will increase if you hand him over alive as well.

  Boltix: (sternly) And what about Sylvia? Are you just gonna get your business done at her expense?

  ???: I would assume that she’d be held captive by Aegis, given that they sent some other operators to assist. She’s smart enough to handle her own if that’s the case. (icily) Besides… if everything goes according to plan, Aegis would no longer exist. The world will no longer stay the same.

  Mistrick: Cut the crap. You can do whatever villainous mastermind stuff you want for all we care. We just wanna get something out of this.

  ???: Then you better see this mission through. Understood?

  Stone: (firmly) Understood, sir.

  (The mysterious masked man heads off elsewhere, leaving the Sparks waiting at the excavation site. The quartet head deeper underground as they wait for Flare and Focus to inevitably arrive, and they’re approaching the location in their car as of this moment. The impending showdown is brewing, and all sides are unwilling to lose so easily.)