Sunlight played gently over the heaps of the scrapyard, slowly dipping into the valleys. The faces of the industrial buildings were lit in gold, while they cast dark shadows to their rear, reminiscent of the retreating night. June stood by the gate, staring down the road back into the heart of the Block. After a moment, she turned. Shielding her eyes against the sun, she faced the white-and-gold tower at the far side of the old industrial district. Regis Towers.

The streets stood empty. It wasn’t unusual, at this time of day, yet it felt different. Tension hovered in the air. The world held its breath, and she held hers, too.

Scrap clattered behind her. A loud yawn broke the silence. “Ugh, I feel awful.”

“Sleeping on the scrap will do that to you.” June turned and grinned at Arelia. She was still in her flightsuit. Aside from the crumpled neck, she looked almost the same as the rich girl who’d swooped down on Tooly’s garage a few days ago. There was something about her, though. A light in her eye. Determination.

“What’s for breakfast?” she asked.

June shrugged. “See any rats around?”

Arelia shuddered. “No thanks.”

“You sure? They roast up real good,” June teased.

With a deep sigh, Arelia kicked off the ground. Her engines burst, and she alighted atop the gate post a few seconds later, one foot firmly atop the post, the other dangling. “It doesn’t feel real.”

“Missing your fresh fruit and croissants?” June asked.

“Eggs usually. Some bacon. Fresh brioche. Glass of orange juice.” Arelia trailed off longingly, staring at the distant tower.

June clicked her tongue. “I don’t know the last time I had eggs. Like real eggs? Chicken eggs? And bacon, damn.”

“Yeah,” Arelia whispered.

“Do you regret it? You can still go back,” June said gently.

“That’s not what you said last time,” Arelia accused her.

June shrugged. “I was trying to scare you. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t choose this. Wanted to make you think.”

Arelia shook her head. “I can’t go back. I won’t.”

They both stared out at the distant tower, lost in their thoughts.

June broke the silence. “You know, most people build up a base of supporters before they try to overthrow the boss.”

Arelia clicked her tongue, annoyed. “No one took me seriously. They all treated me like a kid.”

“You are a kid.”

Arelia glared at her with a ferocity to rival Sasha’s. Abruptly, she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Father said it: he was never going to let me take over. As long as he’s in charge, no one will even consider me a possibility.”

“Let me turn that back on you. Why are you so set on taking over the Regis Group? You have money, resources. You could do anything. Be anyone.” June gestured at the Block, at the world beyond it.

Arelia breathed out. She looked down at the Block, and June saw it the way she did. The dirt. The rust. Old buildings, decrepit and ruined. Cracked roads, trash blowing through the streets. Nothing worth saving. Nothing worth staking a life on.

“I know we’re… I know Father runs a criminal group. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Father sees everyone as… numbers. Animals. Disposable. Even the members of his own group.”

Arelia shook her head. “Not long ago, someone wiped out a branch overnight.”

June nodded guiltily. The culprit’s right over there.

“Father didn’t bat an eye. He didn’t hesitate to trade their lives for a few mercenaries. But those men, they believed in the Group. I remember some of them, the way they smiled and called me princess, like I was someone special. They had pictures on their desks. Loved ones. Children. And to Father, they were worth nothing.

“It’s not that I don’t understand. Father’s a big picture man. He wanted to destroy the Block. They were in charge of the Block, so of course they had to go. And because they were in charge of the Block, they didn’t bring in much money. He wasn’t going to kill them if he could help it, but they weren’t worth saving, either.

“I don’t agree with that. People aren’t animals. They aren’t numbers. There’s more value to a human than how much money their life can earn. Father doesn’t understand that. He can’t, and he won’t. As long as he’s in charge, the Regis Group will see the whole world like that, whether it’s the Block or their own men.

“Earlier, I ignored the goings-on of the Group. Let Father do as he pleased. But now Father wants to destroy an entire sector of the city. If I don’t take a stand here, when will I?” She turned. Her hair billowed in the wind, and her eyes flashed with determination. “I can’t wait for someone else—anyone else to stand behind me. By then, it’ll be too late.”

June smiled gently. “Well spoken.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Arelia’s face fell. She stared at the ground. “You aren’t taking me seriously. Just like everyone else.”

“It’s the privilege of youth to pursue ideals whole-heartedly.”

Arelia scowled. “I’m serious about this. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

“No one needs to believe you but yourself,” June said. This time, her expression was serious. The words had a lilt to them, almost a rhythm, as though she’d said them a thousand times and would say them a thousand times again. “Never let go of that. You’re only defeated when you give up your beliefs.”

With a kick, Arelia hopped off the post into the scrap. She was shorter than June, and had to look up, now, to look her in the eye. “Are you really Jun Solis? The perpetrator of the Summer Massacre?”

“What do you think?” June asked, tipping her head. Arelia turned toward her. A smile played over her lips, but despite that, somehow, the figure reflected in Arelia’s eyes looked incredibly lonely.

“I… don’t think it’s true. Or if it is, there was something else, something—” Arelia shook her head. “Back on the rooftop, you stopped Sasha from killing me. Me, a stranger. Seconds ago, I’d almost killed you. You could have done nothing, half-tried, and no one would have blamed you. But instead, you went out of your way to save my life. You wouldn’t kill in cold blood. Especially not your teammates. There’s no way. You can’t be her.”

June closed her eyes. When she opened them, the smile had become genuine, and her eyes were gentle again. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Arelia muttered. She hadn’t done anything.

There was a pause. They both stared at the horizon, watching the sun rise.

“What about your mother?” June asked abruptly. “I’ve heard so much about your father, but…”

“She’s dead. Car crash.”

“Oh—I’m so sorry,” June said.

Arelia shook her head. “It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Barely even had my harness yet.”

They stared at the horizon again, awkwardly this time. Arelia sighed quietly. It didn’t bother her anymore. It was just annoying. Everyone seemed to expect her to break down crying when she talked about it, but she barely remembered it. Her eyes burned suddenly, and she blinked, annoyed at herself. It was old news. It didn’t matter anymore. She was okay with it.

June cleared her throat, then dusted off her pants. “I better go check up on that crazy kid. Who knows where he’s run off to.”

“I’ll hold down the fort,” Arelia offered.

“Alright, future boss,” June replied, shooting her a salute as she backed away, eyes crinkled in an earnest smile.

Arelia blushed furiously.

June chuckled to herself. That girl’s going to go places. She was still young, maybe a little too idealistic, but that was fine. As long as she held onto her ideals and ambitions, she’d be a formidable force in the future.

Without a particular destination in mind, she wandered the scrap. Only she and Arelia had been in the tent when she woke up this morning, so Sasha had to be out here somewhere.

A sudden clang rang out to her left. June spun and found a rounded metal shape hurtling down on her. She ducked, and it flew over her, glittering with faint green light. Her eyes widened. The collar!

She stood and looked up. Sasha stared down from the top of the nearest scrap pile. Before she could say anything, he jumped down the far side of the pile and vanished.

“Hey, come back!” June jogged around the pile, expecting him to be long gone.

To her surprise, he was crouched in the pile’s shadow, waiting for her. He glanced up at her approach. When she got within a few meters, he got up and backed away, then crouched again. His silver arm shifted a little, strapped against his body, and his fingers clenched.

“What?” June asked.

“I hate it.”

She tipped her head. “Hate what?”

His lips twitched into a momentary scowl. “Being powerless.”

June glanced over her shoulder at the thrown collar. In her mind’s eye, she saw him again, the way he’d been last night, under the collar. Limp and helpless, unable to resist or fight back. Silently, she compared that image to the fierce creature she’d come to know, who rushed off after snipers and bared his teeth at the slightest provocation, and her heart ached. Softly, she murmured, “Is it that bad?”

The scowl appeared again, deeper than before, but equally fleeting, almost a twitch. “When my harness is disrupted, I’m a lump of flesh trapped in a box. I can’t hear or see or smell. There’s only the cold metal and my heartbeat, growing slower and slower.”

Instantly, an image of her own hand throwing an orb and a flash of green light burst in front of June’s eyes. She flinched. Icy guilt smashed through her stomach. “I’m so sorry, Sasha. I had no idea.”

His eyes flicked to her, but he said nothing. Instead, he dug around in the scrap at his feet, then picked up a sharp-ended bar of metal. He glanced down the length of it, as if he was judging a blade, then slammed it into his thigh.

“Sasha!” June shouted. She ran to his side.

Before she could reach him, he jumped out of her reach, ten feet straight up onto a pile of scrap. The near-vertical pile was too steep to climb. She could only watch, helpless, as he drew the bar out of his leg. A single drop of dark fluid leaked down from the cut, but even as she watched, his skin bounced back. The slit disappeared into the rest of his skin, except for a few drops of dark fluid that welled up along its length.

“It’s not real. It’s not me. None of this is my strength. It’s all borrowed. All I am is a tiny scrap of organs that can barely even breathe on its own. Every time I get hit with that light, I remember that.” He raised the bar again.

“Sasha, please,” June pleaded. Her hands knotted into fists. She stared at the metal bar, stained with black. Her heart trembled, as if he’d stabbed her instead. I’ll never hit him with an EMP again. I swear.

“They used to punish me with a collar like that. It was the only thing I never got used to.”

“Please, Sasha. Come down.”

Abruptly, he dropped the bar. It clattered into the scrap at the bottom of the heap. Nonchalant, he hopped off the pile, as though nothing had happened.

June rushed over and grabbed the bar. She threw it out of his reach, so far she couldn’t see where it landed.

“If I get caught, that’s what’s waiting for me. Or worse.” He looked at June.

“I won’t let them capture you. No matter what,” June promised. Her hands shook, so she clenched them into fists. He’s gone through so much. I have to protect him.

Sasha’s brows furrowed slightly, bewildered. “That’s what I’m risking for you.”

“I understand. And I’ll risk everything to keep you safe.”

“No, I mean…” The furrow grew deeper. “I’m giving you that. If we get caught, I’m willing to take that punishment. That’s what I mean.”

June shook her head firmly. “I won’t let it come to that.”

“It’s okay. I’ve resolved myself. I’m not afraid.” He smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

June crossed to him. She dropped the bar and clasped his hand between both of hers. Ever so faintly, his hand trembled. “You are afraid, but that’s fine. It’s fine to be scared. There’s no shame in it.”

“I’m not scared,” he insisted firmly, yanking his hand away.

She met his eyes. Her gaze burned with resolve, so pure it hurt to look at. “I won’t let them catch you. And I won’t let them hurt you like that. Never again.”

Sasha looked away. Half to himself, he mumbled, “It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal. Whenever you get hurt, whenever you’re scared, it’s always a big deal. Don’t dismiss your own pain, Sasha.”

“Shut up. You’re weird.” He ran off over the scrap, out of reach, then out of sight.

June watched him go and sighed. She shook her head. “You can’t always run away, kid.”