Chapter Text
They arrive on the docks of Romania where they find Phoenix’s van.
They sit in awkward -to juniper- silence, as Phoenix begins to drive them to the nearest agency control point. Phoenix, vigilantly checking her rearview mirrors, noticed the same few cars had been behind her for a while. As an agent and generally paranoid person, she took a right 3 times to be sure. After the 3rd turn, Phoenix knew she was being tailed… but now, they knew she knew. A hooded woman slides out of one of the car windows and begins firing at the van. Another one of the cars rolled down their window, and Phoenix knew she had to lose them before more gunmen surrounded her.
“We’re getting shot at!”
Juniper exclaims as Phoenix steps on the gas. The Zoraxis agents, despite Phoenix’s best efforts, continue to trail them.
“Phoenix, give me your gun!”
Juniper demands.
“What!? Hell no!”
“Come on! It’s not like I'm going to shoot you! It would be in my best interest to keep you alive!”
“How do I know you won't turn the gun on me once we’re out of danger?”
“You’re going to have to trust me!”
“Ironic…”
Phoenix hesitantly hands him their gun.
“Don’t make me regret this…”
He snatches it from her hands and shoots at the cars from the window.
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Phoenix’s van sputters and rolls to a stop as she pulls into control point Babadag. The van is completely beaten up and looks about as terrible as Phoenix and Juniper feel. Phoenix leans back in her seat and lets out a long exasperated sigh, finally able to relax. She looks over to Juniper to see him also leaned back in his seat and breathing heavily from the gunfight.
“Are you okay?”
Phoenix asks, allowing herself to show a little bit of care for the actor.
“Phoenix, don't pretend to care…there is only room in this duo for one actor and that spot is already filled.” Juniper grunts, arms behind his head, trying to relax in the passenger seat.
Phoenix rolls her eyes and swiftly takes her gun back before Juniper can remember what she lent him. As she gets out of the van, a stabbing pain in her shoulder hits her. She hisses and holds the source only to feel blood coming from it. She curses under her breath.
Throwing open the passenger side door, She reaches for the glove box right in front of Juniper. The second Phoenix’s hand gets close to his leg, Juniper flinches and looks flustered. She raises an eyebrow at him as she grabs gauze from the glove box. Now alert, Juniper watches Phoenix open the first aid kit. He debates with himself, whether he should offer her assistance… “maybe she'll wrap *my* wounds in return…” but he shakes his head and decides to let her do her own thing.
She wraps the gauze around her shoulder while walking over to a desk in front of the garage. She sits down and picks up a paper on the desk that reads;
“To the next Agent, Control Point Babadag has been evacuated following Agent Phoenix’s demolition of Zor’s nearby base. To reconnect to the Agency and restore power, follow the protocol outlined in this tape.”
An arrow points to a drawing of a tape similar to the tape next to the note. She turns on the projector in front of her and it immediately lights up to show a teal-colored screen with the words “Insert tape to proceed”
Juniper, finally determining the van as unfit for taking a nap, jumps out and sits on the stairs near Phoenix. He would never say it out loud, but being near her was sort of comforting. Not only was she the only non-immediately-hostile person around, she was the only person he knew, and the only person who knew him from before.
Phoenix, on the other hand, felt the complete opposite way. To her, she hadn't known who this man was in years. Whatever history they had was shoved aside. To her, he was now a stranger. The only reason she was keeping him around was out of duty to her agency… at least that’s what she tells herself.
She took the tape and put it into the projector. A picture of a radio flashes on the screen giving instructions to get the radio to be able to contact the recommunications channel. She straightens the antenna, flips the switch to be on the agency frequency, and tunes to channel 6.31. Suddenly a voice comes on the radio and startles Phoenix making her jump—Juniper can't help but snicker.
“Oh, put a cork in it,”
Phoenix says slightly flustered, as she tries to focus on the voice from the radio.
“You have reached the advanced operatives division, recommunications channel.”
The screen changes to show the numbers “1 4 6”
“You should see a reactivation code on the screen. Enter this code in the radio.”
Phoenix notices the number switches on the radio and quickly flips them to the shown numbers.
“Reactivation key received. Your location is: Control Point Babadag. This facility was recently evacuated.”
“Guess I won't be fashioning those silver bracelets just yet”
Juniper says smugly. Phoenix ignores him and continues listening to the radio.
“For security purposes, you will need to confirm your identity.”
The tubes connected to the wall begin to make a noise as a small cylinder travels through, stopping across the room from Phoenix.
Phoenix picks up the cylinder from across the room with her telekinesis and sets it down in her lap. She examines it for a moment.
“The hell is this? Some sort of new technology?”
She mumbles as she continues to examine the cylinder.
“Oh c’mon, you’ve never seen a capsule before?”
Juniper says, annoyed, as he gets up from the stairs and walks over. He takes the capsule from Phoenix and places it in the small contraption next to her.
Suddenly the contraption begins to twist the sides of the capsule, almost as if it was solving a puzzle, and opens up to reveal a compartment for an earpiece and something rectangular.
The voice on the radio continues;
“Place an item of identification, as well as your broken earpiece, inside the capsule to connect to a handler.”
Phoenix places their earpiece into the capsule and realizes the rectangular part must be for a passport. She tries to stand but an agonizing stabbing pain prevents her. She groans.
“Juniper, can you do me a favor and grab my passport from the glovebox of the van?”
“What’s in it for me?”
He immediately retorts. She sighs tiredly.
“I don't know, what do you want?”
“I want a guarantee that I won't get arrested.”
Phoenix scoffs at Juniper's absurd demand. “Oh no, you're definitely getting arrested. That's not up for debate.”
“Then make me a deal.” Juniper walks up to Phoenix, grinning as though he already knows what he wants. “Guarantee, I won't be executed.” He finally says, stopping in front of Phoenix with his arms folded.
“I’ll do my best. ”
She says with a shrug shooting pain through her injured shoulder. Juniper is a little annoyed by her nonchalant response to what could very well be a life-or-death situation for him.
“Promise me”
Juniper demands. Phoenix sighs once more, “All you want is my word? Really? What happened to the whole, ‘you don't trust me’ thing?”
Juniper thinks for a second, considering her words. After a few seconds of careful deliberation, he says, “Promise me, on your dead father.”
Phoenix stiffens up. With yet another tired sigh, she clears her throat and extends a hand.
“I, Agent Phoenix, promise to you, John Juniper, that I will try my best.”
John, accepting her promise, grabs her hand back and shakes it with a firm grip. Satisfied with her promise, he walks to the van, gives her the passport, and without another word quietly sits back down on his spot on the stairs.
“John, how the hell do you remember that?” Phoenix thinks to herself, before putting the passport into the slot.
She re-seals the capsule and sends it back through the tube. Phoenix sits back as she now waits for any sort of response.
Phoenix notices a moldy sandwich sitting on the desk, she picks it up and inspects it.
John makes a disgusted sound
“Looks like someone left their sandwich before leaving, that thing looks so old its mold has mold… wait, what are you-”
Phoenix takes a bite out of the sandwich, John audibly gags
“Why would you do that?”
John asks with disdain as he holds back vomit, Phoenix continues eating. He stands up.
“You are going to scrub your mouth once you’re done”
He says, skin crawling from the disturbing sight. Phoenix simply continues eating away.
“You’re welcome to look but the odds of finding those are slim, considering-”
Phoenix tries explaining, before Juniper cuts her off.
“I don't care just look”
“Well if you care so much, why don't you look?”
Phoenix grumbles, taking another bite from the heinous sandwich. Juniper cringes
“I will”
He says quickly, as he turns and bolts up the stairs. Phoenix shrugs and continues her decrepit dinner.