Chapter Text
Cypher’s POV
Cypher groaned, rubbing at his temples with a gloved hand. The insistent hammering at his temples was not letting up in the slightest, and continued to send sharp pulses of pain right behind his eyes with every gunshot. With any luck they’d be ready to head back to the compound soon and he could get some much-needed sleep. And painkillers. Definitely painkillers.
Checking his cameras again, he noted Jet engaging with the enemy ‘Sage’, and Brimstone standing over the bodies of ‘Reyna’ and ‘Breach’. ‘Sova’ was to Omen’s left, and with a quick message on his part, swiftly dealt with. That just left ‘Raze’. As if on cue, one of his tripwires triggered and Cypher swiftly drew his gun. Colorful explosions assaulted his eyes and his head gave another unhappy twinge of pain as a loud explosion of gunfire echoed off the stone walls. Aiming he pulled the trigger twice, punching two holes directly through its head. Fuck, that’s loud.
“Cypher.” He barely stifled a flinch, turning to see Omen stepping out of the shadows.
“Omen.” He gave a nod to the wraith, holstering his gun and stepping back.
“You are not quite as you normally are.” Gee, what a surprise! Loud noises and eyeball-meltingly bright sunlight were generally not conducive to dissipating a migraine. What was surprising, was the fact that the wraith actually noticed.
“I’m fine.” He recalled his tech, before stalking back to the helicopter.
“Yo Cy! Awesome shot!” Phoenix’s loud voice distinctly did not help the pounding ache behind his eyes and the bright tongues of fire curling atop his jacket weren’t either.
“Cy, bud… you okay?” Hazel eyes held a hint of concern as they stared directly into bionic blue. Since when could he move that fast?
“Just fine.”
The fire-user didn’t seem convinced in the slightest, but moved aside with a soft “Alright.”
The flight back was hell. Pure, unadulterated hell. The migraine had only gotten worse, causing him to be hypervigilant to every sound. Jett’s snores, the squeaking as Breach cleaned something on his bionic arms, the tap of Phoenix’s feet on the floor as he discussed something with Brimstone in soft voices. Everything combined to trap him in a living hell. WIth an exasperated sigh, he tugged his hat over his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep against the side of the carrier.
Omen’s POV
Something was definitely off with Cypher. Off to the point where the information broker’s normally impassive mask was cracking, even with the help of the literal mask obscuring his features, and the team noticed. His normal reaction times were a tad slowed, not obvious to the untrained eye, but Omen noticed and he’d bet Brimstone did as well. A tiny flinch with each loud gunshot and he’d selected a shadowy spot well away from any patches of bright sunlight. Add those to the fact that he’d managed to sneak up on Cypher when he was dispatching ‘Raze’, and something was clearly wrong.
The man was currently asleep, judging by the way he was slumped against the gunmetal grey side of the helicopter with the brim of his white hat covering his eyes, head lolling with each change of direction as they flew onwards.
“... Cypher. Something’s not quite right.” That caught Omen’s attention. Moving silently closer, to hear better over the whump of the chopper blades, he eavesdropped on the conversation that Phoenix was quietly having with Brimstone.
“I agree.” Brimstone conferred in a voice just as quiet. “I haven’t seen him like this, ever. He’s definitely hiding something, possibly a head-related injury based on his reaction times.”
“What’s wrong with those? He seems as sharp as ever to me.” Phoenix questioned with a glance at the man in question.
“They’re ever-so-slightly slowed.” Breach called from across the carrier, stomping across the floor as he rose to join the conversation. Omen hissed softly, glancing again at Cypher to ensure the man remained asleep. Since it was very likely that he was in pain, it would be best if he could sleep through most of the nine hours they had left in the chopper until they returned to base. Luckily for Breach’s vocal cords, he only shifted slightly before settling again.
“Usually the man’s got such swift movements I have trouble believing he’s not a Radiant. Not today.”
“I’ll have Sage check him out once she gets back to base.” Brimstone replied.
“He’s not gonna like that.” Phoenix countered. “You know how he gets.”
“I’ll have you drag him there if he puts up too much of a fight. Omen too if necessary. I assume you heard the plan?” Brimstone turned to him.
“Of course.” Omen replied.
“Good. This stubborn ass is gonna get help whether he likes it or not.” Phoenix said before flopping down next to Jett.
Cypher’s POV
Cypher woke to the sound of footsteps thudding on the metal floor as his team members departed the helicopter, and swiftly rose to follow after them to where Brimstone was barking orders
“Well done on the mission everyone. Once the other team arrives back at base, we will debrief and discuss our next move. For now, get some food.”
Cypher was so distracted by trying to hide the stabbing pain in his temples caused by Jett and Phoenix's exuberant shouts at the prospect of food, that he almost missed Brimstone’s next order. “And someone haul Cypher to the medbay once Sage gets back.” Wait what?
“There’s no need for that.” He countered, coolly.
“Bro, you’ve been off even before the mission began.” Phoenix said.
“Even Phoenix noticed, and he’s not exactly the most observant. You’ll be going.” Breach quipped, tapping at something on one of his arms.
“I’m fine.” Cypher countered, before stepping out of the room. Showering swiftly, before blow drying his hair and replacing his mask, Cypher headed directly to his room. He had stockpiled some painkillers there, just so that he wouldn’t have to endure the harsh fluorescent lights of the medbay every single time he had one of his frequent headaches. Just his luck that this time, he hadn’t enough time to take some before leaving for his mission and they’d noticed. Plus, the pills had a nasty habit of knocking him out for a few hours. Not exactly the best idea to be fighting medically-induced exhaustion during a gunfight. Hanging his jacket on the back of the chair at his work desk, he placed his hat carefully atop it and removed his boots before swallowing two of the painkillers dry and collapsing onto his bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow he slid into an exhausted slumber.