(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.

  (Flare and Focus are still driving through a highway at the moment, on their way to the excavation site. The latter is taking the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead and occasionally glancing at the GPS for directions, while the former crosses her arms with a bored expression, the silence between them both deafening and awkward. She momentarily glances at Focus but then glances away, looking at the road ahead as well.)

  Flare: (in a dull manner) When are we gonna get there?

  Focus: (deadpan) Just be patient. I know it’s a lot to ask for, especially when it comes to you, but the situation calls for it.

  (Flare groans in boredom then crosses her arms and legs, aimlessly glancing at the car’s ceiling as the deafening silence takes over once again. Focus momentarily glances at Flare with a side-eye, noticing that she’s bothered with the silence, and he sighs deeply, clearing his throat as to speak.)

  Focus: So… uh… what were you doing this whole time?

  Flare: (taken off guard by the question) Oh?

  Focus: (blankly) Was it something I said? If you don’t wanna talk about it, then don’t. I preferred the silence anyway.

  Flare: It’s nothing, really. It’s just… I didn’t expect you to ask about this.

  Focus: (shrugging) I’m just curious, that’s all.

  Flare: (chuckling nervously) Well, it’s nothing special. Hiding away from society, living on scraps, sleeping on a messy couch. You know? Stuff like that. (faintly grinning) I had to find some way to avoid starving to death.

  Focus: I expected that much. But how did you end up that way to begin with?

  Flare: No idea. My memory didn’t go that far. I just saw myself in a burning God-knows-what in God-knows-where because of God-knows-why and figured I had to adapt. (lighting up her palms with a small flame and glancing at it) Of course, that little thing about me complicated stuff even further. It even had people like you go after me. (glancing at Focus) What about you? What’s your deal?

  Focus: (while making a turn to the left, firmly) I’ve got nothing exciting to say either. I’ve been molded into a Surge user the moment I learned to walk and talk. That’s about twelve years of rigorous training. Throughout this time, I performed countless operations for Aegis under the grid, quietly taking out whatever was identified as a threat, some all by myself and others by cooperating with other operators, all while constantly honing my Surge. In fact, this situation right here is the first time I failed an assignment.

  Flare: (smirking) Is that so? Was I really too much for you?

  Focus: (unamused) I had you on the ropes.

  Flare: Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that. (frowning) But seriously, though… how do you feel… about all you’ve been put through?

  (Focus is taken aback by this question, glancing at Flare with a surprised expression, and she slightly bows her head with a soft frown, as if embarrassed by her own words. He opens his mouth as if to say anything, but he struggles to find the words to respond to this. This silence is broken when Focus notices that they’re close to their destination, and he promptly stops the car at a rocky area.)

  Focus: (firmly) The excavation site is nearby. We’ll proceed on foot.

  Flare: Oh, we’re here?

  Focus: (unamused, stepping out of the car) That’s what I said.

  (Flare rolls her eyes and steps out of the car as well, Focus locking it with the key before heading off on foot. They walk through the lush area, Focus setting aside the bushes and branches in his way as he navigates the tricky terrain with Flare following behind him. The two eventually see the excavation site ahead, a giant hole dug out in the ground and surrounded by other geological ruins.)

  Focus: There it is. The exchange site.

  Flare: (pointing at the giant hole, in awe) Look at how far this hole goes. What’s the deal with it?

  Focus: That’s what we’re here to find out.

  Flare: (cockily) I bet the Sparks are waiting for us down here. They sure missed us much.

  Focus: And so is the client. This is our chance to figure out our foe.

  Flare: (cracking her knuckles, grinning) Alright, then. YOLO.

  Focus: (deadpan) Would you stop saying that already?

  (Flare glares at him in annoyance, and Focus sighs deeply then approaches the giant hole with the former, glancing below at the depths of this hole with his hands in his pockets. He and Flare nod and each other, the latter doing so while letting out a chuckle, and then they so daringly jump into the hole to head to its deepest depths.)

  Flare: (excitedly) Woo-hoo!

  (Focus keeps his hands in his pockets with an unbothered expression as he continues his descent. As he sees that he’s getting closer to the ground, he acrobatically uses his hand as a pivot and performs a front flip, landing smoothly on his feet, while Flare uses the flames underneath her legs to slow her descent until she lands on her feet as well. The two glance around at their surroundings, having set foot on the underground area of the excavation site, then they glance at a tunnel ahead of them.)

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Flare: (chuckling a bit) Don’t mind if I do.

  Focus: (deadpan) Yeah, sure, let’s just head into any tunnel out there and hope it isn’t some gigantic, man-eating gerbil’s hiding spot.

  (Flare steps into the tunnel with Focus, the two glancing warily at their surroundings. The walk is uneventful, boring, and tedious, with the two aimlessly navigating the tunnel in a straight line, until they eventually reach the end of the tunnel and come across a large and wide area with many alternative pathways, seeing tunnels at the upper walls of the area.)

  Focus: So many pathways, and yet we’ve got no idea where to go. Could our foe be looking for something down here?

  Flare: (blankly) You know, it’s areas like this that make me feel that we may be walking into a — .

  (She gets cut off when a giant black mist submerges the entire area, and she and Focus glance around through gritted teeth. Boltix, Jackpot, and Stone make their entrance and confront the duo, who turn to them with firm expressions.)

  Stone: (firmly) Long time no see.

  (Meanwhile, back at the surface, Jax takes the wheel as he, Proxy, and Pulse head off in their Jeep through a highway, the former occasionally glancing at the car’s GPS to track down Flare and Focus’s approximate location. Commander Cromwell links up with them once again back at Aegis Headquarters with a firm expression.)

  Commander Cromwell: (via communicator, firmly) This is Commander Cromwell. The soldiers that have accompanied you have successfully detained Sylvia and are on their way back to HQ. We’ll bring her in for interrogation. What about you three?

  Proxy: (via communicator) We’re on our way to Focus’s location as we speak. He appears to be relatively still at the moment, (faintly smirking) and given that the signal is glowing brighter than ever, I’d say that everyone is here. Focus, the Beacon, and the Sparks. It’s gonna be messy.

  Commander Cromwell: You must interfere at once. This is the best chance we’ve got at getting this whole mess sorted. You’re tasked with figuring out whoever is behind all of this. If the Sparks stand in the way, capture them, and if you can no longer confront the culprit, then you shall link up with Focus and capture the Surge Beacon. This is your list of priorities. Understood?

  Pulse: (via communicator, firmly) Understood, Ma’am.

  (Commander Cromwell ends the transmission then glances firmly at the large screen ahead of her, which displays a blue signal representing the helicopter escorting the captured Sylvia, who is seated with the cuffs on her hands and legs with a bitter expression. Meanwhile, Jax, Proxy, and Pulse get closer to the location, parking the car at a plateau and stepping out of it.)

  Jax: We’re here.

  (The trio stand at the edge of the plateau and glance at the excavation site far below and the giant hole dug in the ground with a firm expression, and then they drop off the plateau and get ready to join the action. Meanwhile, back at the underground area of the excavation site, Flare and Focus confront Boltix, Jackpot, and Stone through gritted teeth.)

  Stone: We’ve been expecting you.

  Focus: (firmly) You took the words right out of my mouth. Sylvia led us here hoping that you’d get the job done, so you better give it your best shot.

  Boltix: (grinning) Don’t worry ’bout that. This is our last chance to secure the bounty, so you know we’re going all out. The question is… will you?

  Focus: Only if you’re worth it.

  Jackpot: (faintly chuckling) Coming off a little strong there, huh?

  Flare: (smirking) Oh, I like where this is going. Wanna throw hands? (lighting up her fists with fire) Then let’s throw hands.

  (Flare and Focus take their fighting stances, covering each other’s backs as Boltix, Jackpot, and Stone surround them in the black mist battlefield. Focus glances at his foes with a stern, battle-ready expression, and Flare envelops herself in her flames with an excited grin.)

  Flare: (excitedly) YOLO.

  Focus: (muttering in annoyance) What did I just say?

  (Jackpot kicks things off by launching several missiles at the duo from his pot, and Flare blows them up with a burst of fire. This initial attack gives Stone the chance to move in at Focus’s right side for a blow, but he quickly blocks the blow and gets sent skidding back a bit. As Focus regains his balance and eloquently dodges Stone’s next blow, getting in behind him, Boltix propels himself at him for a blow, but Flare sees this coming and uses the flames underneath her legs to propel herself at Boltix, landing a punch at his face that sends him off track. He eloquently and acrobatically regains his footing while launching a thunderbolt at Flare, who quickly forms a fireball to cancel it out, getting sent skidding back.)

  Boltix: (snickering) I’m no easy target, mind you.

  Flare: (grinning as well) Good, cuz neither am I.

  (Jackpot pulls out a pair of rocket-powered roller skates out of his pot and quickly puts them on midair, then he pulls out a pair of plasma guns as well, and upon touching the ground, he takes off and repeatedly spins around Focus, repeatedly shooting at him. The detrimental effect of the mist starts to kick in, and Focus struggles to move eloquently in the thickness of the mist, but he pushes through that and envelops himself in a faint, electric, navy blue aura, using his Superhuman Surge to boost his reflexes and dodge Jackpot’s blasts. He lunges at him for a blow, but Jackpot launches a burst at him from his roller skates, sending him skidding back. Even before he sets foot on the ground, he acrobatically shifts himself midair to dodge a blow then kicks him in the chin, sending him skidding back. However, as he moves in for another blow, Flare collides with him after getting sent flying herself, and the two crash into a wall.)

  Flare: (annoyed) Hey, watch where you’re standing!

  Focus: (unamused) What have I got to do with this?

  (The two get back up on their feet and take their fighting stances, only to be taken by surprise by none other than Boltix, who propels himself at the duo and punches them both in the gut, sending them crashing through several rock walls. Focus manages to shift his body out of Boltix’s way, then he lands a roundhouse blow at his nape, sending him tumbling into the ground. This allows Flare to regain her balance then kick Boltix in the face, sending him crashing through a wall on the right. She and Focus take their fighting stances as Boltix quickly emerges from the rubble with the yellow, electric aura of his Kinetic Surge.)

  Boltix: (with a smug smile) Forget about the rest of the Sparks, I can pummel you two all by myself without breaking a sweat.

  Focus: (unamused) That’s a little weird coming from the receiving end of the previous blows.

  Boltix: Oh, yeah? Let’s see you build on that.

  (Boltix propels himself upwards then swipes his energized palm at them, launching a thunderbolt that strikes the ground they stand on. It crumbles and collapses, but Flare and Focus jump off one of the falling rocks and head right at Boltix. However, their movement is slowed down and made jankier by the black mist that submerges the entire area, then a mist copy of Mistrick kicks Flare in the back, sending her into another tunnel, to Focus’s shock, who also gets kicked to that tunnel by another Mistrick copy.)

  Mistrick Copy 1A: (grinning cockily) Ha! Take that, firefly!

  Flare: Firefly?!

  Focus: (unamused) You’re a copy, I see. Where’s Mistrick off to? Another nail appointment?

  Mistrick Copy 1B: (nonchalantly) She doesn’t have to waste time on you when she can have us do all the work… again. (bitterly) Her usefulness is always limited to keeping the mist intact.

  Flare: (baffled) Woah. You girls hate her that much?

  (She gets interrupted when Boltix shows up once again for a blow, and despite blocking that, she gets sent flying further into the tunnel. Before she manages to regain her balance, she receives a punch at her face, sending her flying further and crashing into a wall. Focus attempts to join the action and help out Flare, but he gets intercepted by another Mistrick clone. The clone attempts to kick him in the face, but he acrobatically dodges it then firmly stands on his feet, seeing several more Mistrick clones swarm him.)

  The Mistrick Clones: (in unison, ) Come to mama.

  (Focus grits his teeth and takes a firm fighting stance as the Mistrick clones lunge at him all at once. Meanwhile, Flare regains her balance and propels herself to the right midair to avoid Boltix’s next blow, and the two jump off opposite walls and propel themselves at one another. Flare and Boltix smirk at each other as the former’s fiery fist collides with the latter’s electric one. Meanwhile, it’s none other than the mysterious infinity mask, walking around with a group of masked soldiers and watching the fight unfold from his watch, having placed several surveillance cameras in the area. He switches the camera to Focus’s struggle with the Mistrick copies, then he switches the camera once again to take a look at Jackpot and Stone trying to keep up with this chaos.)

  ???: Good going. I’ll admit that much. Perhaps what they needed all along was just a little push. Whether they get the job done or not, their involvement will undoubtedly further my plans. (to one of the soldiers) You completed the excavation of this site, correct?

  Soldier 1A: (firmly) Yes, sir. I confirm once again with certainty that everything is ready.

  ???: It better be that way. The course of action that we’re set to approach at this moment represents our first major step towards our shared vision, payoff for a decade’s worth of patient, proficient planning. Our mere presence in this area is a major risk, so we must make the most of it.

  (The infinity mask pulls out the Catalyst — a green, palm-sized crystal whirring with energy — out of his pocket, then he raises it upwards and activates it with the glow of the purple infinity sign on his mask. The crystal glows with energy, and the infinity mask holds it forth, heading for a tunnel with his group of soldiers closely following. Meanwhile, Jackpot and Stone go through a tunnel in an attempt to catch up with Flare and Focus and join the action, but the fight got out of hand so quickly that they simply couldn’t catch up anymore.)

  Stone: (gritting his teeth) Where are they now?

  Jackpot: (nonchalantly) We should’ve accounted for this when we decided to take Boltix along. Did we really assume he wouldn’t propel himself to the other side of the Earth and pummel those two all by himself?

  Stone: (sighing deeply) I guess. He better be up for it, then.

  (The two reach the end of the tunnel and find themselves at a more open area with multiple alternate routes. Suddenly, however, someone crashes through the ceiling, and it’s none other than Jax in his exaggeratedly muscular form, with Proxy latching onto his back with an excited grin. Some more players have arrived to join in on the game, by the looks of it.)