Paris, Jase and Manifest sat at a table in the lair, a large tablet sitting between them. On the tablet were blueprints for the prison, which one of Jase's people had worked hard to get. The layout wasn't too complex, but there would be plenty of security for them to bypass.
Right now they were waiting for Itera, Magnetic and Mist to arrive. Jase apparently also had someone else he wanted at the meeting, but Paris hadn't met them yet. In the meantime, Manifest was talking his ear off about an old TTRPG campaign.
"So then our barbarian decides to just beat up the bartender. The wizard tried to stop him, but when the cleric joined in, there was little to be done. Me, I'm of the mind that my party can do whatever they want. So the bartender ends up slumped across a table while the cleric and barbarian start drinking up a storm. And the wizard is just screaming for them to stop before the local guard comes."
Paris started tuning him out again. Where were the others? Did nobody else take this seriously? Even Manifest, as great a right hand as he was, drove Paris nuts at times. The guy seemed to be obsessed with TTRPGs. Not that they were bad. Paris himself enjoyed a good campaign as much as anybody else.
But right now they were supposed to be discussing Phantasma's rescue! Couldn't anyone else see that?
"Randy! Aubrey!" Jase cut off Manifest when Magnetic and Itera entered the room. "Good to see you. Have a seat. We'll start as soon as Juney and Meadow get here."
Meadow must have been their new addition. Magnetic and Itera took their seats and checked over the tablet blueprints.
"Wow, you actually got them," Magnetic said.
"Juney's good at what she does," Jase replied proudly.
"Is she your daughter or something?" Paris asked. "You always seem so attached to her. And she's the only one you've given a nickname to." He wasn't particularly interested in the answer, but it would be better than the alternatives.
"Nah, we ain't related," Jase answered. "I took her in when she was about fourteen. I like the nickname and as for the rest, maybe I'm just proud of how far the kid's come. She's a good kid. Listens, doesn't question orders, gets stuff done. She could show a bit more ambition, but I don't mind her laid-back attitude either."
"Thanks, Jase." Paris was startled at the voice and when he looked up, Mist's head was poking through the ceiling.
"Hey, Juney! Gonna join us?"
"One minute. Meadow's getting ready." Mist floated back up through the ceiling as Jase laughed. Paris just wanted to groan. Did no one understand the concept of punctuality?
But sure enough, a short while later Mist came back - through the door this time - with another woman beside her. That must be Meadow. She looked irritated, dressed in long black sleeves and pants with what looked like a couple knives sheathed at her waist.
"Hey, Juney. Meadow. Take a seat and we'll start discussing our plan." Jase waved to the empty chairs and the girls sat down.
"So what's the plan, Boss?" Manifest asked.
"First off, I have an adjustment to make. Randy, you're off the Phalanx. Instead, Paris, you'll get Meadow."
"What?" Paris asked, glaring. "You can't just take my people like that."
"I can when they're my people. And after that last fight, I'm not sure Randy's a good fit for your team. Instead, he'll be reassigned to the heist team. Meadow will serve you much better."
"Can I be reassigned too?" Itera asked.
"Sorry, Aubrey. Your Miracle's indispensable to Paris at the moment. You don't have to fight, but keeping everyone patched up is vital. Unlike the Legion, we can't go running to the hospital for every little broken bone."
Itera sighed and sat back.
"You won't be needed for this next job, though. That'll be entirely Paris, Ryder, Meadow and Juney."
"May I raise a concern here?" Paris asked. "Are you going to continually shuffle the Phalanx? And where exactly are you reassigning Magnetic?" Jase let out a long sigh.
"Did you notice that during your last attack the military didn't show up? Just left you and Achilles to scuffle on your own? Wonder why that is?"
"The B Team," Meadow said. "While you were playing villain, the rest of us were launching a city-wide attack to keep the military occupied. And you still managed to botch killing Achilles."
Embarrassment clouded Paris' face as he glared at Meadow. "And what do you bring to the table? Is Meadow your real name or is your Miracle making flowers bloom?"
"Real name Meadow Rich. No alter ego name. Two weeks ago, I got a Miracle that lets me shoot bullets. They're potent, and disappear after impact, leaving no trace. I can fill a dummy with holes faster than you can blink. Jase figured I'd be better utilized helping you wipe out your hero nemeses."
"And that's Meadow!" Jase declared. "You can call her whatever you want for branding purposes so long as she agrees to it. And she'll be taking care of any military personnel you run into if things go sideways."
Paris nodded and calmed down. Meadow would indeed be a good addition to his team. But what to call her? He pondered through names as Jase outlined the plan.
"First off, Juney's gonna use the air ducts to confirm Phantasma's location. She'll report back and act as a lookout while the rest of you move in. The biggest problem will be getting through the security checkpoints. Military personnel badges allow them to move through the checkpoints they're authorized to use. The higher rank they are, the more checkpoints they're cleared to go through. Without a badge, the doors won't open.
"Randy as a member of the heist team will get you a badge. Juney's gonna get into the spare badge room, configure one to open the necessary checkpoints - no more, no less so we don't tip off the military - and Randy will use his token to retrieve the badge. Then you three move in.
"Use the badge to take the exact route. Juney'll pop her head out of the ducts to tell you where to go. Once you're at the cell door, things'll get a bit more complicated. Solitary doors require a badge, a randomly generated code, and someone in a control room to grant you access. Ryder, you'll create a tool to open the door with. Force it open if you have to. And once you've got Phantasma, you just need to get out.
"The room's under surveillance so they'll know as soon as you get her out. You need to escape with your skins intact. Juney will keep acting as a scout, but you'll probably need to fight your way through several officers. Hence why we're doing this at three a.m. The shift change happens at midnight, noon, six a.m. and six p.m. The shift with the least amount of personnel is midnight to six. By striking in the middle of that shift, we can pretty much guarantee extraneous personnel are at home tucked nicely in their beds.
"Try to get out with the minimal amount of conflict. And make sure you aren't followed as you escape. If the officers need to die, go ahead and kill 'em. Any questions?"
"Why is Paris coming?" Meadow asked. "It doesn't sound like he's doing much."
"My poison gas can take out several officers if need be," Paris replied quickly. Had she really just implied that he was useless? The nerve!
"Paris is also the one who wants to recruit Phantasma. It'd be best if he was the one to talk to her," Jase added.
"What kind of tool do you want me to use?" Manifest asked.
"Hopefully a jumbo crowbar works. If not, you and Meadow can use your powers to smash the door to smithereens."
"Got it."
"Can I take a nap after the job? I don't like getting up when it's dark," Mist said.
"I'll give you a week off after this," Jase said with a smile. Mist smiled back and nodded.
"Where are we pulling the badge to?" Magnetic asked.
"Little shack a bit from the prison. A safe spot for you. I'd say we pull it to base, but we need this to happen in as small a window as possible. The more time passes, the more likely the military will notice an unauthorized badge."
"As long as I don't have to face officers or the Legion again. That Jumper and Musclehead are real pieces of work."
"No worries on that end. And Aubrey will be waiting back at base to patch up any injuries that happen, though I assume Ryder will set up some kind of shield to keep the raygun shots off of you."
"Can do."
"Anything else?" Jase looked around the room.
No one spoke up, so he grinned and nodded.
"Let's crack that prison wide open fellas!"
A cheer rose through the room. Even Paris felt himself getting caught up in the excitement.
Jase really was a brilliant leader.
