"Interesting..." Angel mused from the other end of the phone.
"You in?" Twin asked, refusing to let her know just how eager he was for her help. If he didn't frame this as Team Chaos doing Angel a favour, who knew what she'd demand in return.
"Sure. I'll give you my three Miracle cards for the operation. You've already met Whiplash and Twinblade, and then I have one more. She'll be the one in charge - she's proved far more reliable than the other two. Normally I'd have Whiplash handle things, but he's been quite disappointing as of late."
"We appreciate any help you can give us," Twin said, hiding his relief.
"Of course. I will get a share of this...nuclear reactor, right?"
"Certainly."
"Looks like I'll be doing some research of my own. Who would have thought the city was so delicate? One little slip of the finger and it all goes down..."
Twin couldn't help but grin. Their minds worked so similarly.
"They'll have to do whatever we want. Now, Angel, if you had that power, what would you ask for?"
"You'll have to find out when we get it," she replied coyly. "When do you want to move?"
"Friday. I know it's fast, but whoever's down there is also aware of us. I'd like to knock them out before they cause any more trouble."
"Fine by me. I'll tell Jacob and Justin not to disappoint me again. They'll be ready to meet you on Friday morning, 8:00 sharp."
"Early riser? I like it. I'll probably have two of them cause trouble in the main city to act as a distraction, along with two or three of mine. The rest will head for the Underwing with Ferry."
"Good plan. Text me a meeting point. I look forward to your results, Twin."
Cold Snap groaned from her bed. She had never recovered from that shot to the shoulder she received a while back, and when Twin had finally managed to find a doctor who would help her, it turned out that she had a projectile lodged in her shoulder. No wonder it had hurt so bad.
Apparently her tissue was already mostly healed around it, so removing it would extend her recovery. Her shoulder might never fully recover, but she didn't want to be out of action any longer than necessary. She'd told them she'd tough it out. If Twin was planning to move soon, she did not want to be left out.
Already, she felt like she was losing her mind. At least they had a better description of that weapon now. Unlike rayguns, it shot actual physical matter. Shell would probably be able to defend against it with her Miracle, but the rest of them would have to either preemptively dodge or wear armor.
When Twin had heard the cause of Cold Snap's suffering, he'd looked pretty angry. She was pretty sure his play would be to take out the gunner. And probably steal their weapons for Team Chaos. It would be far easier to take on the military if they had superior weapons.
Whatever the plan, she'd be in on it. She was going back to Team Chaos today, and she couldn't wait to get back in action.
And she definitely wanted revenge.
"So?" Aila asked, raising an eyebrow at June, who'd dropped by her house unannounced. Her mom had assumed they were friends, and the two girls were currently sitting in Aila's room.
"How's the job going?" June asked, her expression still unreadable.
"Fine," Aila said tentatively.
Truthfully, the new job was going very well so far, and it paid better than her last jobs combined. She was grateful to Jase and June, but still couldn't bring herself to trust them fully. They still didn't know everything about her powers, and she'd prefer to keep it that way. The only reason they took any interest in her was her Miracle. Without it, they'd be liable to screw her over and toss her to the curb.
"Good. We got you something." June reached into her bag and pulled out a bundle of clothes that she tossed to Aila.
She awkwardly caught them, then started looking through them. A long-sleeved hooded shirt that would be just a little baggy, a pair of pants, socks, and gloves. The shirt had a zipper up front, and the entire outfit had a monochromatic colour scheme. Three shades of grey were used throughout the outfit, and a sun emblem was embroidered on the back of the gloves.
"Little slapdash, but it got done quick," June added, pulling a matching mask and pair of boots out of the bag. "If you want changes, let us know." She handed the boots and mask to Aila much more carefully. It made Aila want to roll her eyes.
But this...
It was her disguise no doubt. They could call on her any day now. Aila felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety. She'd finally be able to repay the one who'd saved her life. On the other hand, she more or less belonged to Jase officially now.
He'd gotten her that job, and he could probably just as easily get her fired and unhirable.
"It's fine," Aila said, gingerly looking over the mask. It would cover her full face. Perfect.
"Welcome to Solstice. Officially. If you ever wanna drop by, let me know. I'll also text you if I notice any big things going on. You'll probably wanna hop in and stop 'em, right?"
Aila nodded slowly. It was really starting to sink in that she'd be doing this. Shouldering the fate of the world and fighting those terrifying people. If she failed...
She didn't realize her hands were quivering until June held them in her own, running a thumb over the surface of the mask.
"You'll be fine. We'll all be your backup. We're here to support you."
"Why?" Aila asked, glancing up at June.
"Survival. If this keeps up, we'll all go down. Besides, while the powers were cool at first, I don't need them. If people are just going to use them to hurt others, I don't want anyone to have them."
"You really don't sound like a criminal right now," Aila chuckled. "You sound like you belong with those heroes protecting the city or whatever."
"I'm a criminal. The first time I met Jase, I lied to a military officer and helped him steal something. But we're not like Angela. We have lines we won't cross. When Paris crossed them, we dumped him."
Aila couldn't help but be grateful that if someone unscrupulous was going to find her, it was someone like Jase.
"June, my mom thinks you're a friend who's over to hang out, so it would probably be weird for you to leave so quick..."
What was she doing? She wasn't sure herself.
"Wanna stay for an hour? We can talk or play games or whatever friends do. I can get snacks too."
June looked at her blankly, though was that a smile she saw in the other girl's eyes?
"Kay. I dunno what friends do, but I can try it. To stay undercover."
Aila couldn't help but laugh.
"I'll go grab some chips then. I'll be right back."
If it was to keep her secret from her mom, Aila had no choice but to entertain this expressionless girl for a while. It definitely wasn't starting to sound like fun to her.
