Rayne followed the strange girl who'd rescued her from the Legion through the alleys, their route twisting and turning as if the girl didn't want her to know where they were going. Of course, Rayne knew every inch of the city so she wouldn't be lost.
Perhaps the overly complex route was meant to shake off any pursuers.
Or maybe she was hoping Rayne would calm down a bit before they reached their destination. And, true, the walk was helping her calm down a bit, but every time she closed her eyes she could still see Ami on the floor, barely clinging to life. Each time she remembered it, rage bubbled up inside her again.
She was angry at the Legion for doing that to him. She was angry at him for not being careful enough. She was angry at the girl in front of her for not stopping it.
And, she was angry at herself for leaving him there. For not doing better to protect him. For a million things, really. Maybe she should have told him that she loved him one more time.
But pining for what could have been was useless.
"Here." They finally arrived at a nondescript building in the lower levels of the Residential District, and the girl phased through the door before opening it up for Rayne.
The room beyond the door was a living area of sorts. A soft rug welcomed her, and a pair of chic sofas faced each other across a coffee table. On one side was a TV, and the other had an old lava tank. The globby lumps floating in it glowed a soft blue.
And, in the middle of one sofa, sat Jase Rosales. He hadn't changed much since she'd last seen him. He had a new tattoo or two, and an extra ring in his ear. His hair was also shorter.
Rayne stood in the doorway while the girl who'd escorted her floated behind him and stood at attention, like one of Angela's goons. She pulled off her mask as she landed, and turned to Rayne with a blank expression on her face.
Jase glanced between the two of them, frowning slightly.
"Juney?" he asked, looking at the girl.
"Hospital. I left it in Lightning's hands. But..." The girl looked away like a child who had just destroyed their parent's favourite mug.
"Damn." Jase leaned forward, glowering. It wasn't long, though, before he glanced up and gestured for Rayne to sit on the other sofa.
She complied warily. Was he still with Angela in some way? What could he possibly want with her?
"Rayne." Jase looked at her, regret etched into his face. "I'm so sorry. I'm sure Juney did her best to save Amias. We'll provide what support we can for him, but I don't know how much we can do beyond paying the bills."
"What do you want, Jase?" Rayne asked, perhaps more coldly than she'd intended.
"Your safety."
"Why? Why the hell do you want that now of all times? Tell me what you're really after."
Jase sighed, glancing behind him at the girl - Juney presumably - before turning back to Rayne.
"Fine. I suppose I shouldn't try to pull anything. I'll give it to you straight, Rayne - I want you and Amias to join us."
"Why should we?"
"The Legion. And Angela."
A shiver ran through Rayne at the mention of her old boss. No, their old boss. Assuming Jase didn't still work for her.
"Angela manipulated the Legion in the hopes that they'd take down both you and Amias. I don't have proof, but the three of us suspect that that's the case."
"Which three?" Rayne asked.
"Myself, Juney here, and I'm sure you remember Niko."
"Walker? That annoyingly friendly kid?"
"The same. He's working for me as a tech expert at the moment. I'd like you to join our heist team when you're feeling up to it."
"And what about Angela?"
"She's after us too. I figure she'd want us and the Legion eliminated. Jacob's got a Miracle now. The Legion calls him Whiplash. She also has someone else, someone they call Twinblade. Twinblade, funnily enough, is a former colleague of one of ours."
"And where do Ami and I fall into this?" Rayne looked at him carefully. Was he lying? Was he omitting anything? If she wanted to protect herself and Ami, she had to make sure she knew as much as possible. Even if they'd worked with Jase in the past, that was a long time ago.
People changed.
"I was hoping to take care of two things at one there. Firstly, getting you to join us. Amias's Miracle would work very well with our current team, and I figured you two were a package deal. I also know you're both very good at what you do. Secondly, I wanted to have you close so I could protect you if need be."
"Why?" Rayne glowered at him. "When we went to prison, nobody tried to help us. You all left us to rot. Why act all compassionate now?"
What was he not telling her?
"I..." Jase looked down, gathering his thoughts.
The girl behind him looked on, completely focused on Rayne. She was kind of creepy, the way she looked so empty. Like a doll.
"I always felt bad about how things shook out back then," Jase finally said. "I didn't want to defy Angela, and I had Juney here to protect at the time. I didn't want to give Angela any reasons to hurt her. Now, Juney can protect herself much better. And...we've lost too many already."
Rayne raised an eyebrow, and Jase continued.
"You may not know her, but Meadow was one of ours. She came with us when we ditched Angela. And now she's dead. Killed in prison. Just like Phantasma. We're a small group. Paris left, after he caused us far too much trouble. I just...can't stand losing anyone else. And I don't want to let in anyone I can't trust. Angela's making a grab for power, and I need all the help we can get. You and Amias were...people I could trust, back then. And you're already in the thick of things, so I don't have to worry about dragging you into something you'd never touch otherwise."
Rayne glanced behind him. Juney stood as still as a statue. Even more so than Angela's thugs. But now she was starting to place the kid. A kid Jase had picked up off the streets several years ago. One he'd kept far away from everyone else.
"Fine," Rayne said. "I'll help you. But I have conditions. First off, do everything you can to save Ami. And when he's okay again, he gets to make his own decision. Secondly, I don't want you to keep anything from me. Thirdly, I want Hot Rod dead and the Legion to fall."
"Agreed, with a stipulation. I can't have the Legion falling too quickly. Like it or not, they're our best bet against Angela and Team Chaos. I want both of those groups run out of town before we disassemble the Legion."
"Deal." Rayne stood and reached over the coffee table. Jase did the same, and they shook hands.
A contract. For protection, and for mutual benefit.
This was her best path to survival now.
