The cost of your choices.

[ACSRS: Quiet Stratagem]

The girl who had helped her catch Misaka took her from Joule and laid her down on a bench.

"She'll be fine in a moment." The girl noted, turning to Joule "Queen wants you back at the car so you can convince your friends too."

Joule's gaze hardened but she turned and walked back. As Misaki said, they were still there. The windows were blacked out though.

Joule stood there for a moment before turning her phone back on. A missed call from Saten came up.

"Hey Joule. You okay? Your phone was off and-" there was a pause "I'm just checking in."

Joule called back quickly and as they were nearly at the park anyway, she told them to meet her here.

The three of them waved to her a short time later when they arrived and Joule nodded.

"You look worried. What's wrong?" Kuroko asked quickly when she saw Joule's face. Joule took a breath and nodded before starting.

"Something is going on, something bad."

Uiharu and Kuroko snapped to attention right away with Saten only a moment behind them.

"What is it?" Uiharu asked.

Joule looked back towards the park "Someone is targetting Misaka and the sisters. It's the sort of thing that Misaka might end up helping if she were to try and stop it."

Kuroko's eyes widened "And so your plan was to not tell her?"

The others looked at Kuroko who glanced between them and Joule "You don't see? This is what Misaka tried before, she tried to keep us out of things like this. How is this different?"

Joule looked away "I'm telling all of you at least of keeping it to myself?"

Saten shrugged "I mean, it's still bad but I can kind of see the reasoning with how Misaka would probably act if she knew someone was going after her."

"Something like 'let them come, I'll blast them?'" Uiharu suggested.

Joule nodded "So we need to deal with this without her, right?"

"No!" Kuroko spoke firmly "This is exactly the same problem."

"You mean you want to put her in harms way?" Joule asked "When you, a trained member of judgement could deal with it?"

Kuroko pointed at Joule "What's with you all of a sudden? You're not normally like this Joule?"

She was right, Joule took a step back and looked away "I just want to keep her out of danger. I want to help her and the sisters."

Uiharu's expression was soft "Joule, what are you going to tell her when it's over?"

[ACSRS: So, I Decided]

"I don't think we'll talk after this." Joule admitted "I don't think I'll be able to be her friend anymore."

The members of Judgement frowned at that, confused. It was Saten who asked the question "Joule, what's happened?"

"I made a deal." Joule said quietly "A deal to keep her out of danger and to stop her running right into the danger we're trying to keep her away from."

"What sort of deal could...?" Kuroko began. Joule made a quick mental link with them all and sent her message along it.

"Mental out, the deal was with her, a way to bypass Misaka's protection to keep her from wanting to get involved. I betrayed Misaka's trust."

Uiharu gasped. Kuroko looked disgusted and Saten just looked sad.

Joule continued out loud "I- I can't expect you to help me after that but even if we don't speak again, can you at least stay with Misaka for the rest of today to make sure she stays safe."

They were all quiet for a moment.

Kuroko was the first to make her choice "I'll keep an eye on Misaka."

There was a look in her eyes, something that further twisted Joule's insides. Anger, pity and the betrayal she expected.

Saten was next "I don't know how much help I could be, I'm strong and I have my ability but..."

Joule didn't expect anything from them anyway. It was only now that she understood that she had given up more than Misaka's trust. She'd been such a fool.

"I want to come."

Joule's eyes shot back to Saten who had just spoken.

"Regardless of all of that, I want to come. You're not doing this without some help."

Uiharu looked between the others and sighed.

"I have my laptop at least. I'll help too."

Kuroko looked at them. She wasn't angry and she didn't have the same look that she did when she looked at Joule. It was more of a look of exasperation. A feeling like 'It's only natural that you made that choice.'

Joule couldn't say anything more so she turned to the car.

"You catch all that?"

She didn't say it out loud but the message was recieved.

"Yeah."

The door swung open and Joule nodded to Saten and Uiharu before walking to the car and sliding in the back.

A moment passed and Saten slid in next to her and Uiharu after that. They only looked a little surprised to see the girl in the front.

Misaki waved a remote at Kuroko who was still standing outside and Joule felt something shift in her.

"She'll keep my secrets now." The telepath said before the car's doors closed.

The car drove off.

Back in the park, Junko watched her queen leave and the two girls approach. She gave them a smile and a wave as she looked to the girl next to her.

"Misaka, look, it's your friend."

The girl's eyes opened slowly, taking in the park.

There wasn't any sparkle, the orders had been written and now she was able to act of her own will again. Only the natural reflection of light was there as she looked up.

Misaka waved to the two girls who looked slightly upset, likely at whatever they'd learned of what was going on.

"Kuroko, how are you doing. Are you okay? You look...?"

Railgun stood on shaky legs and walked over to her.

Junko smiled, hopefully they'd be able to make this day enjoyable for all of them. Who knows? This might even end up mending the rift between the two level 5s. At least it might put them on speaking terms at least.

End of chapter.

The next few chapters will take the focus off Joule's POV for a bit and move it to Junko. Why am I not using Kuroko, Uiharu or Misaka as the POV? Well it was either going to be Junko or Kuroko and I really didn't want to write a few chapters from Kuroko's POV as she calms down.

A few thoughts:

Is Joule being too hard on herself? Probably. Is Kuroko being too hard on her? Yes. What Joule did was a bit dumb. Oh, I don't mean the betrayal, I mean not explaining everything to the others.

At the same time, is Kuroko right? Should Joule have just told Misaka? This goes on to Joule's issue of she doesn't have enough information. But seeing how Misaka is one of her best friends, how could she do this? Joule understands people doing bad things in a way that the others (Not counting Misaka) don't get. Being kidnapped and used as a living mind control weapon by a villain will do that. Misaki tells her that they need Misaka for a project and Joule thinks "Well, time to just hide her. I hid for months and was fine."

Of course, she wasn't mind controlled into hiding so there are some differences but she is stuck in the idea of "This is for your own good and I don't care how our relationship breaks after."

Only that's not true. Joule is an empathetic person. She's not cut out for the things she's trying to do. She's just seen everyone else do it. And by "It" I mean act needlessly reckless in an attempt to help the people you care about.

I was originally going to have only Saten come with them but then I realised that Uiharu probably wouldn't let Saten (Her friends and a civilian) go into danger "alone"