Chapter Text
“ Psst! Hey! ”
Proxy stopped in her tracks and turned to see Sparks gesturing over to her. “What?”
Sparks glanced down the hall and kept her voice low. “Just come with me.”
Proxy obliged despite her confusion. “What's going on?” she asked, only to be met with silence. She had to walk a bit faster to keep up with Sparks’s urgent pace. It wasn’t worth the waste of breath to press for answers now.
Sparks ushered her into the clinic and pulled the door shut behind them. “The scar on your neck.”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Some new girl has case with same symbol. Do you think-?”
Proxy’s stomach lurched. “You can’t be serious.” Sparks nodded grimly. She tried to grasp at whatever straws she could. “What did she look like? Did she say anything? Maybe it was someone else.”
Sparks shook her head. “Didn’t get good look. Tallish? Brunette? She didn’t say anything. I only really saw case before I came for you. What do we do?”
“If it’s actually her and she was hired what can we do? I guess it means she can't do anything to me either, but -” Proxy gave a frustrated sigh. “Could you just not heal her or something?”
“Look, just stay with me, ok? I can make sure nothing happens.”
Proxy pressed her fingers into her temples, hiding her face in her palms. She let out a frustrated huff. Sparks’s offer didn’t do a whole lot to soothe her nerves. Still, she’d take all the help she could get. “Yeah, thanks,” she murmured, taking another moment before letting her hands down. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted you to be wrong this badly.”
Much to Proxy’s dismay she couldn’t camp in the clinic forever. Sparks had been kind enough to collect Proxy's equipment for her, but the mission still needed doing despite the looming possibility of an eye-thieving Frenchwoman in the ranks. Sparks led the way through the halls as her stressed satellite stayed a bit closer than she would on better days. Every now and again Proxy bumped her elbow on her gear, who muttered a tense “sorry” before drifting away again.
The chatting of the mercs in the garage grew nearer. Proxy felt her teeth grind slightly from the anxiety clamping her jaw. Her thoughts were peppered with replays from the first and what she'd hoped to be the last run in with Aimee. The stress alone was enough to render her dizzy and nauseous. Sparks paused just before the door out to give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Proxy managed to calm herself somewhat with a deep breath. “Alright, go.”
As soon as Sparks opened the door Proxy started her headcount. An uneasy sort of relief washed over her as nobody new stood out from the crowd. Hope that this micro-fiasco was nothing more than an agonizing misunderstanding reluctantly lingered. Proxy trailed along behind Sparks to join Nader, who was sitting on the front of an EV next to her modest pile of equipment.
Proxy hopped up and sat next to Nader while Sparks opted to stand on the floor between them. Proxy kept an eye on the room as everyone else waited for the call to go. Even though her first scan came up negative nothing felt quite right - the sensation of being watched was too strong and hostile to be ignored. She looked over to watch the door, her pulse spiking when she noticed an unfortunately familiar figure in the back corner of the room. Of course, the blind spot she didn’t check on their way in. The sickly mix of anger and dread in her stomach crystallized when she accidentally made eye contact.
“ Shit. ”
Proxy tapped on Sparks’ shoulder a bit harder than she intended, making her flinch. Sparks had also seen the proverbial elephant in the room. “It will be alright,” she replied, unsure of what she could offer up for comfort. Her friend wasn’t exactly in an enviable position.
“You know that if she tries anything we’d take care of her. The brass shouldn’t hear about it,” Nader added. “Even if they did, it’s not like they’ll fire me. I can handle a dock in pay.”
Proxy was thankful for the moral support but was completely unable to speak. She had invested most of her focus in breathing.
“Alright you lot,” the detached voice of a commander crackled over the intercom. “Your ride is here, get a move on.”
“Mmm, about time.” Nader slid off of the EV, stretching a bit before gathering up her gear. “At least the most you’ll have to be around her is here and on the flights. You know how those sniper types just sit and camp in the back all day.”
Proxy smiled a bit, taking what little comfort she could in a small helping of smack talk. “Yeah, that does sorta help.” She adjusted the straps of her pack after dropping to the floor. “So does having you two play bodyguard for me. Makes me feel special or something.”
“Well,” Nader chuckled, “it's what friends are for, no?”
The trio joined the throng of the other mercs heading out to the helicopter. Proxy kept herself between Sparks and Nader and tried her best to ignore the burning sensation of eyes on her. Despite her friends doing what they could to make her feel better the worry wouldn't stay at bay. “Does anyone else know that it’s her ?”
“I have not told anyone,” Sparks replied. “Not my information to spill.”
“Same here,” Nader added.
“Cheers. Best to keep it under wraps.” Proxy wasn’t quite sure if she wanted the rest of the team to know yet - or ever, for that matter. Outing Aimee as her attacker would probably give her an excuse to paint a target on her back and finish what she started.
Most of the seats in the helicopter had been taken already, leaving only a cluster of seats up front free. Proxy stiffened. She was far from ready to be stuck anywhere near the unwelcome newcomer, much less right next to her.
Nader noticed the same issue. “Hold on, I’ve got this.” She set her sights on Vassili who had claimed the seat farthest in the back. An easy target. “Hey,” she said with a tap on his shoulder, “I need that seat.”
He grimaced. “What for?”
“Not you.”
“I sat here first!”
“Good for you, I hope you enjoyed your stay. Someone else will be sitting there very shortly.”
He stared at her defiantly in an attempt to hold his ground. It proved to be in vain as Nader towered over him with a stone cold glare that made him shrink back in the seat. “Ugh, fine,” he grumbled, undoing the straps and slipping out of the way to go sit up front. “Asshole.”
“What was that?”
“N-Nothing.”
Nader smirked. “That’s what I thought.” She gestured over to Proxy to welcome her to the newly annexed seat.
Proxy avoided eye contact with the very disgruntled Vassili on her way to the back of the cabin. “Thanks,” she whispered before she settled in. Nader just responded with a little smile and went to sit up front with Sparks. She watched the door anxiously only to look away the moment Aimee crossed the threshold.
The last bits of reality were sinking in. Proxy pulled out her earbuds instead of joining in on the conversation with others as she normally would. From liftoff until their final descent she kept her head down, twiddling her thumbs, vainly trying to drown out her thoughts with music. There wasn't anything else to be done. All she could do was hope for the best.
The mission went off without a hitch. If it weren’t for the knowledge that Aimee was lurking around it would’ve been one of the easiest days in Proxy’s recent memory. Much like Nader predicted, once the final briefings were given Proxy saw nothing of her until they regathered for the lift back. There were a couple times where they caught each other sneaking glances but they never really looked for long.
The constant stream of anxiety steadily eroded Proxy’s energy to near nothing. She was just barely able to manage a meager dinner of beans on toast and a shower before clambering into bed. Despite the exhaustion she couldn’t drift off with her nerves getting the best of her. She took a rain check on sleep, opting to idly switch between checking a few social media feeds and messaging Sparks to kill the time.
Hey, how are you feeling?
like absolute shite
of all the people mercserv
could’ve sent, they sent her
I regret giving her their info
Yeah. I guess it is better she
is on our side though.
She didn’t try anything either.
but how much were you watching her?
Hmm… maybe just little bit. )))
we can’t keep doing this if she stays
Try not to think of that.
We have couple days before
next mission, give yourself
time to relax.
Nader offered for you to
come over sometime if you’d
like. Maybe tomorrow evening?
sounds good. I’ll get back to you in
the morning though I’m shattered
Alright, sleep well.
you too