The Atlas Complex

This brief anecdote discusses the duality of humanity. It has a side that is dark, depraved, and self-destructive. However, it is also capable of compassion, empathy, and sacrifice, as evidenced by Romito 2, a 10,000-year-old skeleton of an individual with dwarfism who survived to adulthood. His survival proves that he was cared for and valued simply because he existed. The chapter rejects a binary interpretation of human nature and recognizes that both darkness and compassion coexist within every person.

While tracking Nicolás “Nico” Ferrer de Varona, an Atlas Six initiate and her son Gideon Drake’s best friend, the mermaid Eilif instead encounters Callum Nova, another Atlas Six member. She recognizes this as her last chance to fulfill her deal to capture someone from the Alexandrian Society and confronts him. However, it goes badly. Callum resists her magic and subdues her Navy SEAL backups using his emotional manipulation. Their brief standoff ends with him hinting at his impending death before overwhelming her, too.

When Eilif comes to, the mysterious Accountant has arrived to claim her. In her final moments, she curses him and tells him that when his doom comes, he will know it and be unable to stop it from happening. She also notices that he has a “W” symbol visible in his otherwise obscured form, which is a hint at his true identity as James Wessex.

The Alexandrian Society summons Nico to a meeting with a logistics officer named Sharon. During the meeting, she confronts Nico about destroying government property and causing several deaths, including of CIA agents. She also says that Gideon, who came along to the meeting, cannot be there since he is not a member of the Society and that he needs to have his memory wiped. Nico argues for leniency. Despite her initial resistance, she eventually agrees to a temporary placement as a part of the Society’s administration under strict monitoring.

The chapter then flashes back to Nico’s reunion with Libby in Paris and the aftermath of his kiss with Gideon. The three escaped the scene of an assassination attempt and talked over the situation in Nico and Gideon’s apartment. Libby explained Atlas’s intentions to end the world using an experiment to open the multiverse. She said that to keep the Society’s archives from killing them one by one, they needed to kill one of the other initiates. They discussed their options, and Nico refused to do anything without Gideon.

Returning to the present, following the meeting at the administrative offices, Nico and Gideon discuss their relationship. Despite Nico’s selfish tendencies, Gideon chooses to stand by him. However, their talk is interrupted by another assassination attempt and a note left by Libby saying that it’s Nico’s choice if he comes with her, which he ultimately decides to do.

Tristan is in Atlas’s office. The phone rings, and Tristan answers to find a representative from Human Resources on the line. Tristan identifies himself as the new Alexandrian Society researcher, having replaced Dalton Ellery. After some prodding, the caller tells him that a new archivist is coming. After the call ends, Libby enters, and Tristan updates her on the situation. As Libby and Tristan retreat to his new bedroom, she opens up about her guilt regarding the collateral damage caused by the wormhole she created to get back to the present. Tristan also struggles with his own complicity in her actions and the death that followed. Their talk leads to a passionate kiss, which is interrupted by Nico’s arrival, breaking the closeness they momentarily shared.

Parisa Kamali is in a Manhattan hotel lobby. It’s been a month since she left the Society's manor house. Several assassins approach her. Rather than panicking, she embraces the situation and orchestrates a chaotic yet calculated dance with her assailants, using her telepathic abilities to outmaneuver them and dispatch them one by one. Once they’re dead, she goes upstairs to her room and meets up with Dalton. While Parisa assumes that the assassins came from Atlas, Dalton assures her that this isn’t the case. He also suggests that she could replace Atlas as the Caretaker of the Society and offers her the prospect of creating a new world together. However, Parisa is still hesitant. She gets a call from her husband, Nasser, who plans to meet with her the next morning in Paris. She pauses her plan to hunt Nothazai, the leader of a rival organization called the Forum, and instead decides to go back to get Libby before Atlas can. The chapter concludes by revealing that Nasser never arrived for their meeting.

This chapter focuses on Julian Rivera Pémy, the first of a group called the Ezra Six. His life is shaped by his rough upbringing in the Bronx. After his magical talents were discovered, he began a career in technomancy (a combination of technology and magic) at the CIA, where he eventually reached the top. While most, including his own family, didn’t know any of his secrets, Ezra did, which was part of why Julian agreed to join his group.

Nothazai and Julian go over footage of Callum and Reina at the Hague. They are interrupted by a call from an agent, saying that they had to kill Nasser after he started making threats.

Nico gives Gideon a tour of the manor house. Gideon senses something wrong about Libby, which reminds him of his mother. Her absence, along with that of Atlas, concerns him. He also reflects on the differences between his and Nico’s outlooks on the world and how Nico does not seem appropriately concerned about Libby’s warnings. However, Gideon does not voice any of this to him.

Nico calls Reina and pleads for her to answer amid ramblings about the impending danger of Atlas and the archives. She ignores him and prepares for the day. Callum wants to get Tristan’s attention, so he asks Reina’s opinion on photos of himself and Tristan’s sister. Reina is skeptical of his plan to antagonize Tristan’s family, especially his father, Adrian Caine. Callum questions Reina’s efforts to effect lasting change in the world, citing the ever-changing nature of humanity and their own limitations. She is undeterred. As they prepare to attend a press conference, Reina channels her power into him and instructs him to use fear as a tool to achieve their goals.

Libby is in the reading room, trying to focus, when Nico interrupts her with his usual banter. They discuss Atlas’s whereabouts and Nico’s attempts to persuade Reina to participate in Atlas’s multiverse experiment. Libby expresses skepticism and frustration with Nico’s persistence, saying that worrying about the initiation ritual to gain full access to the Society is more important. Nico challenges her passive approach and suggests that merely living in the Alexandrian archives might not be enough to ensure their survival. Libby wrestles with the idea of trusting Nico and the strength of the connection between them. She reluctantly agrees to channel their combined magic to transport them to the gardens outside. Despite her frustration with him, Libby acknowledges that he has a point about their need to take action.

As Libby makes her way back to the reading room, she bumps into Gideon. Despite his mild-mannered demeanor, Libby senses his apprehension. He mentions his administrative work in the archives’ paper filing system, and Libby, feeling possessive over the Society, finds his presence invasive. She turns to Tristan for refuge, and they have sex. Afterward, they talk about whether they should perform the experiment. She dismisses the need for Reina’s involvement, as she’s “just a battery” (123). Libby realizes that Tristan is the only one who sees her for who she truly is.

Callum receives a threatening message from Tristan, who warns him to stay away from his sisters. Callum brushes it off and proceeds to the Gallows Hill pub, where he meets with Tristan’s sister, Alys Caine. During their conversation, Alys warns Callum about her father’s growing impatience with him. Callum, however, remains nonchalant and playful. The discussion shifts to Tristan, and Alys expresses concern about the rift between him and his father, but Callum remains evasive.

When Alys leaves, Reina joins Callum. She expresses her frustration with his lack of progress in fulfilling their agreement to deliver Tristan to Adrian. After a brief issue with a police officer, Callum convinces Reina to give him her phone to look at a recent message from Parisa. Callum interprets her urging for Reina to reach out to her as a sign of desperation. Despite Callum’s advice to reach out to Parisa, Reina refuses. They turn their attention back to attempting to rig a parliamentary election in their favor.

Parisa meets with Sharon, seeking information about her missing husband. Despite Sharon’s initial reluctance to assist with what she perceives as a domestic issue, she eventually reveals that Nasser is dead due to a hit put out on Parisa by the Forum. Parisa grapples with the news. Sharon, despite her initial hostility, reveals her own grief and frustration over her daughter’s illness, prompting a moment of shared vulnerability between the two.

Later, Parisa meets with Dalton, and they discuss their next steps. They talk about performing the multiverse experiment, and Dalton says that Atlas is a hindrance to the plan. The chapter ends with Parisa reaching out to the others. Libby replies, asking where they should meet.

The interlude returns to Atlas, who has a deep desire not to exist in this universe.

Years earlier, Ivy, one of their cohort, realizes that one of them will have to die, and the rest of them decide that Ezra must be the one to go. To get out of it, Atlas and Ezra decide to use time travel. However, when they meet up again, the group has already begun to die off. Atlas, too late, accepts the price and sacrifice needed for power. As soon as Atlas meets Dalton, he knows how dangerous Dalton will be.

Dalton tries to talk to Parisa but struggles to communicate his thoughts and feelings to her due to his fragmented mind. He finds some solace in his connection with her, even as he grapples with his destructive potential. Ultimately, he realizes that what he has set in motion cannot be stopped.