Minimum Wage Heroes

*Crimson City - Military Headquarters*

In the center of Crimson City was a very oblong shaped building - an imposing tall building that served as the military's headquarters. All the above ground levels were mainly for the public. The bulk of the base was subsurface levels that housed several hundred soldiers.

The police had been decommissioned as it was clear the only threat to humans at this point was not someone who could just be handcuffed and dragged away. So, the military became the sole form of law enforcement and was decked out with anti-angel weaponry.

Such as bullets laced in unholy energy.

A few well placed shots can send a low level angel packing back home. They also had other weapons that coursed with enough unholy energy to get the job done.

However, when the heavy hitters show up there's only one division that can handle the job - slayers. They are considered a branch of the military so of course everyone else takes the credit. They're also the ones that provide the unholy energy for the weaponry/buildings as one of the few ways to give back to those they wronged in their prior life.

The 3rd and 4th sublevels are just dormitories for all the soldiers who live on base. Jun had one bunk bed to himself, and Iris/Jayden shared the other one - Jayden slept on the bottom and Iris slept on the top.

Currently, Jun sat with his back against the wall with his eyes closed, Iris laid under her cover, and Jayden had his earbuds in listening to music. But they were all thinking about the same thing: Axel.

"You know…" Jun finally broke the silence. "It's not like we don't understand what the less appealing sides of being a contracted slayer are."

"To regulate us." Iris responded. "Free food. Free room. Minimum wage. And all we have to do is battle otherworldly creatures every day."

"Ifwomafowcters", Jayden mumbled since he was facing the other direction.

"What was that?" asked Jun.

"I said….I'm not a fucking side character!" Jayden yelled as he threw his pillow across the room.

"That's what your take away from all that was? Your role in his perception of the world?" Iris said clearly annoyed.

"The guy upstaged us out there!" Jayden barked back. "He did in a single swing what we couldn't even do with the three of us combined. Have we really been screwing ourselves by listening to these militards all the time?!"

Militards…was Jayden's favorite word.

"Calm down, Jayden. Yes, he lives outside the rules and he clearly benefits from it. For now. For those that choose to lead that life, there is no good end waiting for them. We all decided to become contracted because we all carried that regret from our previous lives. That we could've done more if we hadn't…made mistakes. We did this knowing that we were placing the shackles on our own feet." said Jun.

"Ugh." Jayden moaned out. "I think your biggest mistake was taking that online motivational speaker course."

Iris laughed at Jayden. "Oh, oh! What was the one the other day before we ambushed those angels? 'We're the chosen few here today to make a difference. We, the accursed, shall rise again to redemption!'. I had never been so uninspired in my life. I literally had a resting bitch face that whole fight."

Jayden and Iris laughed together at Jun's expense. However, Jun chuckled to himself a little bit at the sight of his teammates enjoying themselves. There was one other driving force behind becoming contracted that they were all a little afraid to say out loud based on the circumstances.

That maybe, by winning this war they would earn a ticket out of the Underworld. There's no solid evidence saying they would, but anything was better than the Pits of Misery.

Jun looked down at the palm of his hand and flexed his fingers a bit.

"....do you guys ever still feel them?" He asked aloud.

"Who?" Iris asked.

"The other person. The one we pushed aside so we could be here."

Both Iris and Jayden's face sunk a little at Jun's words. It was something none of them liked thinking about - the fact that they inhabited a stranger's body when their soul was sent back to Earth. It was something chosen completely at random.

"I used to. It was like a gnat that was hovering around your ear but couldn't quite get it." Jun started. "But eventually…it was like they just vanished."

"Same." Jayden whispered.

"Yeah." said Iris.

And just like that, the silence had set back into the room as they dropped off into their own chasm of thought.

Jun stood up from his bed, "But hey, whether we wanted it or not we're here. And whether THEY want it or not, they need us. They'll realize it before it's all said and done. And Axel will have to learn to work with us or test his luck elsewhere. We're the heroes who answered the call of this and any other city that may need us."

"Damn straight. We're the main characters." Jayden nodded.

"Not to mention we do get SOME power boosts just by defeating the bad guys. Even if we don't take the core." Iris added.

"Now my friends, let us rest our bodies for the fight will surely-"

*knock* *knock* *KNOCK!*

They all turned their attention to the loud knocking at the door. "What the hell?" said Jayden.

Jun walked over to the door. They didn't have a peephole so he just assumed it was one of the higher ups possibly looking for a report of what happened out in the city today. Jun unlocked the door, swung it open, and almost jumped backwards.

"Y-you!"

"Who is it?" Iris asked.

Before Jun could utter a word, half of Axel burst through the door. "Hey, long time no see my favorite contract workers!"

"Whoa whoa, what the hell are you doing here?!" Jayden yelled as he jumped up.

"Well, turns out I have no place to stay and I don't know my way around this city. Anddd the only people I know happen to be three very generous slayers." Axel happily admitted.

"But how..did you get in?" Iris asked. "And how did you find us??"

"This compound like almost every other building was built using unholy energy. Not only does it offer protection from the angels, but it inadvertently masks our energies. Even celestial vision shouldn't be able to detect us in here." Jun chimed in.

"Ohhh Jun." Axel said as he walked further into the room. "Different menus buddy. This system of ours goes much deeper than you think. Your celestial vision and mine are not one in the same. I can see..." He blinked his eye once and his pupils lit up.

Through his vision, Axel could see energy signatures all throughout the building as well as outside of it. "Everything."

"Still doesn't answer how you got in here." Jayden stated.

Axel chuckled and peaked over his shoulder at the strewn bodies of dead soldiers in the hallway. Streaks of blood painted the walls like a B rated slasher flick. His sword was held tightly in his right hand.

Jun walked closer and looked past him to see the gruesome scene.

"Well you might find the answer quite shocking." Axel chuckled.

That's when Axel's blade quickly drove straight through Jun's stomach.

"Silly Jun, you can try all you want - but you can never wash away the sin."