The cries of unfortunate men were not unknown to her, as the moans of his injuries kept him in a state of dwindling consciousness and constant pain, June couldn't help but remember a time where she was but a normal teenager. Awaiting at the bus stop in the winter's normal chill seething at the bumps like a virus spread across her limbs, the best she could do was hold onto her brother's arm and close her eyes as the vehicle took its time to arrive at the designated position.
The muffled sound of instruments playing, of records, spinning, the faint humming of engines passing by at breakneck speeds, the way tires creased on grey roads, or the loud honking of horns. Just one look to the sky from that feeble position she was substituted to, gazing at the way those clouds moved, the shapes random, the coloration consistent with the ocean's reflection mimicking a darker azure tint. Back in Riverton, before ANZEN, before Katie, before the City.
As she dug through the dirt, throwing piles behind her with new pants of breath, those memories continued to echo. Sitting beside her brother, awaiting the bus, the commute to school, so natural no one would ever bat an eye if they managed to disappear one day.
In the end, unfortunately, that assumption was correct, as she remembered that grey chamber with only a lamp's light enlightening the darkness of the room. Presently, she couldn't help but wonder where this desire to save originated from. Maybe in the past, among the many corpses, she'd laid waste to, with blood on her hands and itchy skin signaling irritation, all she could do was scream.
"Ah, here it is."
What June simply pulled out was another strand of hair, this time, it is red, leaving her to sniff at it, uplifting a brow at such a discovery. To the naked eye, it'd seem like any regular ol' curl, but thanks to that special Eternal Sight, she was more perceptive than usual.
"I forget who this one goes to. Not Natalia or Azazel… I think I'll pull a Dad and give this one to Katie. She could use a new ability besides that useless Blade," Of course, the only problem with that conclusion was how she was gonna keep it without losing it, and that was when the sudden mumbles of an awakening man beckoned to her.
"Give it to me."
His groggy voice having been riddled with just early tiredness sent a chill down her spine, scaring her soul but leaving her body untouched of frightening emotions. As usual, the duo had reunited, with him now towering over her, one hand extended out.
June obliged in handing the strand into his open palm, walking by, shoving both hands into the conjoint bed pockets of her hoodie, all Jeff could do was stare at the back of her head. Tightening his fingers around the small Artifact, he couldn't help but wonder, following her to their final destination, about what exactly occurred when he was unconscious. After all, he was the more mature one out of the two, so he could see it better than anyone, that aura surrounding her soul- like she was glowing. There was no doubt that green had not only symbolized the actions she undertook with Convergence's lightning but that smile, just the edges barely seen from his eyes behind: it gave it all away.
But how can you fight on an empty stomach? They had a clear time limit they had to make, but the words of not Azazel, but Ace echoed within their minds. Or rather, not her older brother, but the ginger teen under the guise of the Scarlet King commanding them.
'The more time spent in the Remnant World, the more you lose your humanity. Not to mention the time operation, thanks to all that interdimensional energy, time in the Remnant World is cracked compared to Riverton and Evolutionary capitals. Be wary about how you spend your time. For an estimate: ten hours in the Remnant World is equivalent to about ten weeks in real-time. Like I said a second ago... Spend your time wisely.'
That being said, June's teeth tore away at the meat surrounding the bones, crunching it away between the individual rows, moaning at the taste, and nodding her head as she leaned her back. All for Jefferson to simply stare with wide eyes and a face that said it all. Like an imaginary sweatdrop appeared on her face, a sheepish chuckle escaped her lips, returning to normal as she bit off the fragments of flesh to sustain her growling stomach.
Their time to eat continued to disappear, but as she watched him take his turn to rejuvenate- vanquish the spirit of hunger residing in the stomach, she thought back to their battle, just minutes ago. Consciousness blatantly scattered between the waking realms of sleep and the other, the voice was muffled, but the more she cleansed her mind, the clearer his voice became.
'For the sake of such a lofty ambition, betraying your brothers and sisters without regard for who you are beneath those layers of edge. I want to know why!'
"Excuse me. When you were about to fight that man, you said something about brothers and sisters. Were you... related to that man?"
This question, while halting him from continuing to eat, didn't strike a chord of anger within him, for as he lowered the meatstick, he couldn't help but wonder about the tone she used. There was no obvious arrogance audible in the query, but there was a curious after taste accompanying her words. Meaning, as he let his arms fall and dark eyes search, there remained only one possible choice. Rather than enlighten the arrogant who seemed to believe only a single truth engraved into their brains their whole life, he had to switch gears and chuckle.
"Did I ever tell you what I wanted to be before I got hand-picked to be one of ANZEN's Agents?"
She shook her head. He raised his own; the two of them now formed a lock as their eyes connected.
"I wanted to be a teacher. Something about the thought of educating children about the ways of the world through my methods brought me something beyond joy. The thought of seeing my beloved daughter in my class one day, raising her hand, asking questions, me, answering them. It brought me a sense of... happiness. Though, that joy originated from a future that never came to pass. I applied to become a teacher at the resident high school you previously went to, but needless to say, when I figured out what the Board was supplying as lessons, I was so... disappointed. For example, have you, your brother, your cousin, or Kima ever learned about slavery?"
June nodded, "Of course. Black people were kidnapped from Africa to be made into pawns of white people. That's basic middle-school English, isn't it?"
"What else do you know? Lemme guess, about the Civil Rights movement: Dr. King said I have a dream, marched once, the Bill was passed, and now we all live happily, don't we? It's never that easy. The lessons the Founder passes down in his education system are nothing but myths, little fantasies that teach the world about nothing. 'There was once racism, but now it's ended thanks to me.' The Founder isn't unforgivable because he's a murderer, because he's heartless, but because he ensures the teachings of the world he carved anew from nothing but basically, ashes are nothing. He teaches us that we don't exist. Ryosuke Satoru is one of the only Blasians to reside in the Riverton Capital, a household name, being regarded as the right-hand man of the Founder. Surely, he would've done something for us! He wouldn't let this injustice stand, but, in the end, he... he didn't care for us.
If we'd lived by the teachings of the Old World, at the very least, they'd be informed. Black folk endured all types of racial injustices, ranging from slavery to pure segregation. Warriors who fought for America, who laid down their chance at continuing their lives, building upon the very foundation of the States. Do you think Dr. King just marched on Washington or Brother Malcolm spoke as loud as the choir that plays from the Heavens and it happened like a snap from a finger? Even now, as hard as they both tried, it will continue to seep into the foundations of this world, no matter what color. Evolutionaries, hybrids, white, black, Hispanic, it doesn't matter. Whether it's the Founder's ANZEN or the Bureau's Head, the Elite will ensure the minority stays the minority.
Why do you think I became an Agent? I wasn't dazzled by the promises of the Artifact's godlike power, I'm not like that. I was promised the opportunity to educate my child, to provide for my baby girl, and maybe if I could get through this shit and end it, I could finally reach a desirable end. I could stand beside a desk, be a professor, maybe not to my daughter, but children in need of their ignorant minds being enlightened. I exist, I want to prove that to my daughter. I want to do all the things I couldn't do before, and maybe I won't succeed, at least I tried. As long as I do that... I can die without regrets. Or rather, that's what I thought."
'Yes... that's the way I thought before I met you, young girl. That day, I was so focused on the past, on ridding myself of the demons crawling up my back, I couldn't look to the future. Hatred was what I was so destined to destroy with every weight I lifted, but maybe I've realized something more. Something... beyond that.'
"I don't like fighting. You gave me hope, of all the people, I never expected someone like you, to remind me of the thing I'd sought out for all this time. You say that I'm the one who gave you the will to move forward- the desire to save people with your words, your actions. Right now, I wouldn't mind it. If I were to die right now, in this barren wasteland that resembles Hell... maybe I'd perish without regrets. For being by your side, for inspiring just one youth of the knowledge of the path successfully is all I wanted. Thank you, June Wilder. If I can die having brought any light to racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America, or the Capitals of the New World, all credit is due to you.
You, June, are my light, for I am to perish shortly, you will carry on the legacy of my lessons within your mind- within your heart, to continue forevermore. Promise me that."
There remained a sickness that could never be cured, the fruit of knowledge gifted unto man as Adam took a bite from the forbidden fruit, no longer deciding to live within ignorance. Maybe this was occurred here, within this abandoned landscape where monsters roamed, there lit a blazing ball of hope in the palm of his hands, offered from him to be handed down to her. Racist cancer that could never fully be plagued, for violence wasn't the answer, as she took his extended hand in his own, that smile of hers was the same as a virus. One you could never wash away no matter how much medicine you ingested, for it was contagious; that childish innocence bleeding off her ivory teeth onto his ebony face.
As of right now, there was only one thought coursing through her brain, Among the tens of thousands of words she could muster up as thoughts, she could only fit together a couple, ones that flowed so elegantly she felt as talented as a poet.
'I never had a father who loved me for me. Until now. Thank you. What more is there to say?'
As they embraced, he whispered into her ear.
"You're a good kid."
To Be Continued - Next Chapter: Katie, Natalia and Azazel raid the ANZEN facility to get new comrades.