When Meadow and Randy left for the job, Jase had taken June aside and quietly instructed her to follow them discreetly. She'd agreed without a word and left. No telling what Angela might try to pull, and running into the Legion wouldn't be a good prospect either.
Of course, what could go wrong had gone wrong - and very wrong. Not one, but two of Angela's people had found them and split them up in the hopes of capturing them. Why did she have it in for Jase so much anyway? She was just a bitter old lady who got mad when her pawns moved on their own.
But they weren't pawns - they were people. Jase knew that perfectly well - everyone had their own thoughts and feelings, and everyone would have a trigger that could cause them to betray you. Even June could betray him under the right circumstances - though she could only see that happening if Jase lost all his memories and turned into another Angela or something.
Jase maintained control over his people by making them feel like part of the team. Giving them agency and moderating their actions, and doing what had to be done to maintain their cooperation. Angela, on the other hand, ruled entirely through fear.
Fear. A delicate leash, but a highly effective one as well.
The only evidence she needed was standing in front of her - Jacob, tightening the chains around Meadow and looking at Juney like she was some kind of toy he wanted to take and break. He was more scared of Angela than Jase, so he was helping her. It wasn't exactly that simple from her understanding, but nothing was ever truly simple.
"Let her go," June said again. She'd escaped his chains, but Meadow was still stuck. Jacob glared at her.
"Shoulda let me take you. You're the one Angel really wants, brat." He pulled on his chains and Meadow cried out again, though she was obviously trying to tough it out. Blood seeped onto her clothes and June's gaze hardened.
"I offered to let you take me if you let her go," June said coldly. "You broke the agreement. Now I can't trust you."
"As if you wouldn't have broken it as soon as she was safe," Jacob scoffed.
"My actions seem like a moot point in your hypothetical," June replied.
As she was talking with him, Meadow was squirming in her restraints, probably trying to find a good way to escape. June would help by keeping him distracted.
"Don't act like you've got some moral high ground. You're just like us. Jase just pretends you aren't."
"Don't compare Jase to Angela." June's blood boiled at his words. Jase was different. He was nice. He'd saved her when she was all alone. Angela had tried to hurt her.
They were worlds apart.
"Poor kid. You're so far in denial. Isn't it obvious Jase just wants a convenient kid at his disposal who's been brainwashed to do whatever he wants? What proof do you have that he actually gives a damn about you?"
"I don't care if he does," June said, barely holding back from punching him. "He doesn't have to actually love me. So what if I'm a puppet? I'm a happy puppet. Can you say the same?" Jacob's eyes widened at her death glare.
She knew exactly what kind of ruthless world Jase was from. She had considered the possibility that she was a carefully molded tool for his use.
But she didn't care. She'd always been shaped and twisted by others into what they wanted. The difference with Jase was that he didn't hurt her. Even when she offered to do dangerous things for him, he wouldn't let her unless there was no other way.
Angela, on the other hand, had no such consideration. June knew - Angel's people were used until they had nothing left to give, then were discarded on the side of the road.
Maintaining assets was crucial. Even if June was nothing but an asset, if she was taken care of she didn't see a need to complain.
"I ain't no one's puppet," Jacob said darkly, focused more on her now. The chains around Meadow loosened slightly. Perfect. Another push and Meadow would be free.
"You seem awfully defensive for someone who's not a puppet. Sure I didn't pull a wrong string?"
That did it. He roared and flung a pile of chains at her, focusing all his might on getting her. Of course, they went right through her. She wasn't stupid enough to pull a stunt like that without taking precautions.
Now that Meadow was free, she should run. Find Randy. That would have been optimal. June could distract him and disappear, while the two of them found an alternate route out.
But Meadow wasn't acting optimally.
She unleashed a hail of bullets at Jacob. Of course. She was mad at him for hurting her. June also knew that Meadow was prideful. She probably couldn't take losing.
As the projectiles hit, Jacob let out a cry of pain and redirected his focus at her. The chains whipped away from June and they were almost back where they started - though now Meadow was better ready to deal with it. She dodged them, letting more shots loose as she did. Most of them were knocked away by more chains, but a couple did injure Jacob. He'd have a rough next couple weeks recovering from that.
Scenarios flew through June's mind. Meadow losing, Meadow winning, June's involvement in each outcome. The consensus: she'd be no help here. Better to find Randy. Meadow would probably be better able to handle herself if she didn't have to worry about him. June motioned with her hands, and Meadow nodded.
Time to fly after Randy.
She melted into the ground and flew along the alley, keeping an ear out for anything other than Meadow's fight with Jacob. Sure enough, Randy was close. Jacob's associate was with him - probably another one of Angela's. He had some kind of weird thing going on - he had a shield that just erased Meadow's bullets with a slight buzzing sound. When he'd gone after Randy, the shield had changed into a pair of scythes connected by an ethereal string. Now he was back to the shield, pressing it up against Randy's throat.
"Stop it," June said coldly. Both men looked at her, surprised at her presence.
"The hell?" Shield Guy asked, losing concentration enough for Randy to shove him away. June quickly moved between the two, ready to fight if necessary.
"What are you doing here? Nevermind." Randy gasped for breath as he voiced his confusion. Right. Jase hadn't told anyone else about June's mission.
"Insurance," June replied quietly. "Get out as soon as you can." She took a step forward, glaring at her new opponent.
"Friend of his? Y'know, he's a backstabber." The man split his shield back into two scythes, twirling one like it was a toy of some sort. The weapon was a strange, glowing blue. The other scythe was a similar red. Obviously a fabrication of a Miracle, similar to Ryder, Barrier Maiden or Knight Errant's.
"So's Angela," June said with a shrug. "But I guess you probably know that." The man glared at her, raised a scythe and threw it at her. She ducked it easily, not wanting to reveal her Miracle yet if he didn't know it.
"This is between me and Randy, imp. Get out of the way."
"What's between you and him is between you and me too. Randy's part of our team."
"So you're another Phalanx member?" He growled in annoyance. "Which one then?"
June didn't respond. Instead she ran towards him, making for an imaginary knife concealed under her shirt. He moved appropriately, stepping back and dodging her strike until he realized her hand was empty.
"You frickin' kid. You had me scared for a second." Scythe-Man chuckled and swung at her with his weapons, one after the other. Luckily, June was good at dodging. She'd practiced a lot of combat techniques since Jase had picked her up. The strategy she preferred was letting her opponent exhaust themselves and taking a single good blow to knock them out.
In this case, she was just trying to buy time. She tried to rotate the battle so that Scythe-Man's back was to Randy, but she had no idea where he'd gotten off to and Scythe-Man was a decent fighter. She couldn't lead him around by the nose.
Whatever. She'd win by dragging this fight out anyway. As long as he didn't land a decisive blow or find out her Miracle, Juney had the upper hand.
