Junko had returned to the Octarian hideout a few days prior. She had been given reassurance that the civilians down there had been fed, relieving her of her stress. She was given permission to take a break from her work, under the reasoning that she had recently been captured.
Junko hadn't told her plans to Ken, or anybody else, yet, and she wasn't entirely sure if she should. There was no way that she'd be given approval to raid the Presidio, even with Michael and his friends helping her.
The welcoming of the Octarians was a great thing to experience. She loved everyone here, and it was of great importance to her that they all survived long enough to see through this whole ordeal.
In the main room, she passed all the families, some smiled at her as she walked past. She got to the end of the room, which ended in a railing overlooking the flowing water. Junko leaned against the railing and look ahead, the rest of the sewer being too dark to see.
Junko stood, looking into the darkness for a while. Occasionally her eyes would play tricks on her and make her think she saw something, but blinking helped make the strange sights retreat out of vision.
After a while, she felt the hand of someone small touch her arm.
She looked down at her side, a young Octarian girl had walked to her.
"Junko?"
"Yes?"
"What are you looking at?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing, really. I'm just thinking to myself."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, it's nothing important. Just thinking about work."
"Junko?"
"Yes?"
"What did you do before we came here?"
"Oh, well I was in the military, you know this."
"What was it like being in the military?"
"I'll admit, it wasn't the most fun thing. We had to work really hard all the time, but it was worth it, because now I can help all of you."
"When are we going back home?"
The question stabbed at Junko. Most people here knew that they weren't going back to Octo Valley, not any time soon at least. But she hadn't thought that the kids wouldn't know.
"Well… um." Junko looked to the side, unsure of what to say. She decided that a small lie wouldn't be too bad with someone so young. "S-Soon. We're going back home soon."
"Really?"
"Yes, we are."
The kid suddenly hugged Junko.
"What's this for?"
"I just wanted to say thank you."
"It's no big deal, really."
"Well it is to me."
Junko just smiled and returned the hug.
"Do you want to come play with me and my friends?"
"Uh, sorry but not right now. Sometime later today, alright?"
"Alright."
She ran off.
Junko reminded herself. 'One day we'll be able to get out of here, everyone's lives will be better then. All the trouble will be worth it then.'
3 days until the Presidio…
What's wrong with the name Micheline, Anon360?
I'm genuinely curious about this.