Although the city had numbed its wailing, the aftermath was still heavy. The villain hadn’t been apprehended, so it wasn’t over—it never was.
Juniper arched forward, muscles screaming in aching protest. Her back hurt, and her legs burned with fury. Every time she moved, it felt like her bones were fighting against each other. She’d been moving nonstop, ran into a flaming building, had a death fight with a mad cape, went on an hours-long journey, and kicked some pyro ass but the evening pain was creeping in.
Not to mention the fact she was roided up from near death, fatigue clawed at her.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, just for a while, to stop. Only a second, just a little breather. Have a little rest. The thought of sinking into her bed, pressing against a pillow, felt unreal. Distant and dreamy.
[Beware!!!]
[You have been ailed by debuffs.]
Power: 9
Endurance: 5 (-1)
Dexterity: 7 (-2)
Reflex: 12 (-2)
Durability: 11
Energy: 9
Charisma: 4
[Muscle Fatigue (-2 Dexterity, -2 Reflex, -1 Endurance)]
Movements become sluggish. Coordination falters. Reaction speed slows. May lead to muscle spasms.
Juniper exhaled. “Uhhhh.” she ground as she squeezed her eyes wide and shut.
Ignoring it all was the best option. Her body felt wrong–limbs weren’t entirely moving at her command. Unresponsive. The only good thing was that Sys-chan had stopped yapping. Even she realized She was at her physical limit.
[ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 (ᴗ˳ᴗ)]
The footsteps around her made her snap, out of her daydream.
She blinked.
The safe house was being filled up with people–dozens of folk, all faceless in the grand scheme, They all wore suits and dresses. Their movements were efficient. They spoke in formal tones, almost mechanical, murmuring about logistics and data.
A portable server was being set up in the lounge room she sat in. Its cables spilling like the veins of a living organism.
Terminal was among them, helping and working the machines with ease. Watching him tinker with the hardware was relaxing for her. It was familiar, a safe thing. It reminded her of Remy, whenever he did any work on an electronic device that she couldn't.
Juniper sat stiffly on a worn-out coach. She felt like a complete outsider. She sank deeper into the fabric of the coach. As she finally realized. She was surrounded by dozens of strangers. Evelyn’s people. Voices humming, electronics buzzing, keys clicking haphazardly. It all crammed into her mind, the space became uncomfortable.
Her back tingled.
A woman approached her from behind, high heels tapping against the floor, laptop under her arm. Indoor sunglasses shielding her eyes. The tightness of her face made her an uneasy figure to gauge. She seemed cold and impatient.
"You," she snapped, pointing at Juniper. "Move."
Juniper’s mouth hung open, but not a single word came out. This woman, who probably wasn't a cape was telling her to fuck off. Her body struggled to react. It took a while for her brain to boot up, her legs didn’t obey, stalling. Half a minute of wiggling her toes inside, the boot, woke her legs.
But when she finally got up, her knees buckled.
She stumbled–Two steps forward, then a complete misstep and her shin hit the edge of a table, sending sharp pains across her leg.
She hit the floor hard.
The woman didn’t even stop. She slid where Juniper had sat, already working on the laptop, already pretending Juniper didn’t fall in front of her.
She stiffened her jaw. She felt humiliated. Forcing herself, up expecting a reaction from the crowd, nothing came. Just a quick glance, a reaction. Anything.
Nothing came.
The “Assistants” kept on working hard, their gazes flickered over the screens. Mechanical, robotic almost, just distant.
She shoved the moment into her list of noteworthy cringe memories and walked away. Some part of her wanted to shout at the woman, the little girl inside of her wanted to cry. She didn’t have the energy to do that.
***
Evelyn had summoned them into her makeshift office. They closed the door behind them, sealing them inside. The tapping of keyboards topped, leaving only the unsettling silence.
The room felt even smaller.
Evelyn had changed completely. Away was her businesswoman attire.
She sat in tight militaristic skin–wet and tactical, black suit, a flak jacket around her chest. There was a sidearm, holstered to her waist, her reddish hair yanked into a messy ponytail. It was sexy, in a femme fatale kind of way, but Juniper didn't have time to oggle the older woman, bar the fact that it was her boss.
The scent of damp fabric mixed with something very harsh.
Smoke.
Juniper resisted the urge to cough as Evelyn’s cigar burnt acridly, crawling into her throat, and settling there. Suffocating and itching it. She hated it.
Her world had slowed down. Limbs were heavy, her thoughts messy, like she was walking in a swimming pool filled with glue. The mixture of whatever the fuck Evelyn’s street doc had pumped her with, was slowly draining her system. Leaving her empty and drained.
Terminal stepped forward, shoulders tense, but controlled. He shifted from screen to screen in the dimly lit room. Annemarie was on the edge, jittery, and restless.
Terminal spoke up first. Voice firm, much more confident.
"We have confirmation. Multiple vans rigged with explosives, prepped for deployment in high-density civilian zones."
The words hit like lead in Juniper’s gut.
More!?
More fights!?
More work.
Hadn’t today been enough?
The thought was beyond selfish. Childish even. But the exhaustion gnawed at her bones. Those bombs could be targeting her neighborhood. Her siblings. She had no reason to complain. She should have been more enthusiastic about the matter.
Annemarie’s whole body coiled, her hands clenched into fists, as she slammed a table, scattering papers across the room... Jaw tight. Eyes sharp and dark.
"So what are we waiting for," she snapped.“So let’s fuck them in the asses,”
Juniper grimaced. A graphic image she’d rather not have in her mind at the moment.
Evelyn exhaled smoke, shaking her head. “No.” Her voice was authoritative. Unshaken. “We’re underpowered here. Without my main capes, we’re useless. We’ve done enough.”
The tension in Juniper’s shoulders loosened, just a little.
I can go home?
Then she saw it.
The eyes flickered in Evelyn’s gaze.
Satisfaction.
Annemarie saw it too. And snapped completely.
“You mean you got what you wanted,” she spat. “You got what you needed, and now people’s lives don’t matter anymore. You got your leverage, and now you’ll sit on it until your next little meeting with whatever council of fuckwits you report to.”
Her voice shook with barely restrained fury.
Why was she so pressed?
Evelyn didn’t flinch. “I won’t deny it.” A pause. Then, with the same tone. “We’re capes for hire on a bad day, Anne, you know this. Vigilantes on a good day. Can you guess what day it is?”
Annemarie turned, eyes cutting to Juniper, then to Terminal.
“C’mon,” she said, voice raw. “You guys are with me, right? We’ve got proof of the big bad. Let's bust him on his balls. What’s one more push?”
Juniper shook her head.
What if she didn't want to look another murderous cape in the eye?
Juniper's vision started to blur at the edges, her skull shaking like it was caught in a seismic quake. Her body felt off—muscles tightening, cramping.
Then the pain hit.
A sharp, seizing bolt ran up her leg, running down her spine like lightning.
And then—
Pain
“AAHH—!”
Her knees buckled. The world tilted.
She barely registered the fall before firm arms caught her.
[BEWARE!!!]
[ADDITIONAL DEBUFF ACQUIRED]
[Adrenal Crash (-2 Charisma, -1 Endurance, -1 Energy)]
She barely registered her arms. Everything was completely off. Her body was aching, and her vision was shifting, yet the a throb around her head.
She skimmed over the message.
The sensations were hardly bearable. But there was warmth anchoring her in place.
Evelyn.
The older woman held her securely, grip firm but careful. She had surprisingly strong muscles for the lean frame.
"You’re okay, Juniper. You’re fine."
The words hit instantly. A command, a truth. It had to be.
She sucked in her breath, whatever nausea she had receded. A soothing calm settled around her, washing over her exhaustion. It wasn’t physical and it wasn’t just reassurance.
It was her, Evelyn.
She had an Aura around her, a presence– and it warped her mind, into something absolute. Bringing out relief in the messiest paths of her psyche.
The relief she felt was real.
It felt good.
She could stay like this. Stay, stuck in Evelyn’s arms forever.
Her lips moved before she could stop them.
"Big sis," she murmured...
Evelyn didn’t react. Something flickered in her expression, but she reacted with fright, her eyes darted away—gone before Juniper could register it. Instead, the woman turned to Annemarie, stern.
"She’s overworked. She can’t handle another run, much less a high-speed pursuit. I’ve already let the SCRA know. I suggest you do something else, Annemarie, you're obsession with fire is going to put more than your life in jeopardy."
Obsession with fire?
Annemarie crossed her arms. Boots tapping against the floor once, then twice, and then she stomped it.
"I’m going. With or without her."
Evelyn sighed, glancing down at Juniper. Then glanced back at Annemarie.
"Juniper you think you can do another run? "
Juniper forced the words out of her mouth.
"I-I don't think so."
Evelyn leaned in, whispering, "Annemarie's, going to be reckless, with or without my input, I'd rather not see her hurt, if you can accompany her, one more time, I'll make it up to you."
Juniper swallowed. She knew she should've refused, but...
"in this state?" she murmured.
"We’ll jack you up one more time. You stop one of the vans, you go home. Then you can rest." Her voice dropped lower, almost fond. "Annemarie, when's she like this, I can't stop her without hurting her. "
Her body screamed at her, every muscle felt sluggish, and her mind caught between clarity and haze.
[Jun, you can walk away. It wouldn’t be wrong. It wouldn’t be cowardly.]
Syschan’s voice rang in her mind, bright and weightless.
[But tomorrow won’t wait for you. The crisis won’t freeze-frame just because you’re tired. Even if you set aside the whole alien mind-melting disaster, you have something rare. You may very well be the catalyst, that ends this. You matter in all this, whether you like it or not. I won’t command you, but I will ask you to not give in so easily]
Juniper's hands budged.
"Do I really have to?"
[A role exists, and you are shaped for it. This is it, the moment, where you can break those limits. Your heart’s heavy, your breath’s shallow—You know what you have to do.]
She came back to it, reality. Her breath came out heavy. She pushed herself upright, her legs cramping, body protesting every movement, she gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand, slipping out of Evelyn's grasp.
"Fine. One more run," she said groggy.
She locked eyes with Evelyn, exhaustion carved deep into her expression.
"This is not how first days are supposed to go."
Evelyn smirked, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Mine was ten times worse," she murmured. "I’ll tell you about it another time."
Annemarie exhaled, her frustration eased, and she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Alright, Let’s get her back into shape."
Evelyn nodded to Annemarie.
"Help her into the bathroom before she collapses."
Juniper didn’t react as Annemarie half-dragged her through the sea of assistants, navigating between narrow spaces and dim lighting.
They seemed less like assistants and more like a drone swarm. She honestly thought most of OBB would consist of capes, but it makes, sense since they were a defacto agency.
Annemarie’s fingers were warm around her wrist—steady, solid. Juniper’s wrist. For a moment she wondered if she could used to all this touching. It felt nice being, cared for.
As they stepped inside, a moment of silence played out...
Then, softly, "Sorry for asking you to do this. And thank you." Annemarie whispered to her. "I'm sure you're wondering why, I'm like this...I can't tell you right away. Thanks"
The words surprised her more than they should have. Annemarie wasn’t really thankful for anything.
They reached the sink. Juniper gripped the edge, steadying herself as her body rebelled against her.
Behind them, Evelyn stepped into the cramped space, holding a syringe. Blue liquid.
More steroids.
"Hold her down," Evelyn ordered.
Juniper didn’t resist. Annemarie hesitated, then she did as she was told.
The needle pierced her skin.
Rummaging inside, then, with a sharp sting.
She felt the rush flow into her bloodstream.
Like fire in her veins. The fog lifted. The weight disappeared. Clarity hit like a fresh gust of wind, leaving her alive in a way she hadn’t realized she was missing. She felt better than ever.
[Debuffs lifted.]
[Minor Buff applied]
[Combat Stimulant Active]
+2 Dexterity
+2 Reflex
+1 Endurance
+1 Energy
[Suppresses fatigue and pain for 3-6 hours. Temporarily boosts reaction speed and coordination. Increases stamina and energy output. Causes withdrawal symptoms after wearing off]
Evelyn’s voice became cool and clinical.
"You’ll feel serious pain tomorrow, but it should wear off in a day or two."
Juniper started rolling her shoulders. Her body still felt wrong, but at least it moved how she wanted it to.
A shadow passed by the door. Messy black hair peered inside.
Terminal peeked in. "Is she okay?"
Annemarie stiffened, narrowing her eyes.
"Dude. Bathroom full of women."
He had the sense to look sheepish before ducking back outside. The words registered in him longer than they should have.
Juniper barely had time to register the exchange before Annemarie helped her up.
"Time to move."
