Chapter Text
To be entirely honest, Fade wasn’t sure how she ended up in the Valorant Protocol. She was just looking for him . And sure, she knew that she gambled a risky bet by blackmailing agents, but she supposed she should’ve anticipated being used after getting caught. She didn’t mind all that much, though. Sure , most of the agents are less than delighted to have her join, but it wasn’t like she had much of a choice (She did apologize upon joining, but their reactions were only natural, she supposed). Having a bed to sleep in and being well fed all the time was a plus, though. And they were working with mutual benefits: to have another agent against the Omega– or whatever it’s called– Earth, and more resources to find him . So everything worked out, mostly. She really shouldn’t be complaining. But working with co-workers who may or may not hate you for blackmailing them in a field of work that deals with weapons, death, and radianite may not be the best situation to be in. None of them went out of their way to attack her– maybe a few snarky remarks or harsh glares here and there– but during missions and training she could tell they were extra careless with their bullets and abilities around her, often leaving her Prowler to tank a few hits or causing a few scratches. It makes controlling the nightmare, well, more of a nightmare to deal with. But it doesn’t bother her that much, though. She’s had worse, and it could be worse. It could always be worse.
She was equally unsurprised when the heads of the protocol arranged for her a mission to enter a portal that supposedly brought her to the mirrored Earth. If she wasn’t in her current situation, she would have definitely done a double take, but here she is, in another world, apparently. Thankfully, her head stayed on her neck, and she came out unscathed for the most part. But the lingering fear from the other world clung onto her, and she wasn’t sure why.
Laying idly on the bed, Fade received a notification– from Brimstone– asking her to come to the meeting room to debrief to the agents who were going to investigate further,
Was my report not thorough enough? Fade scowled at the message.
Fade sat up and tried to compose herself, stuffing her Nightmare into the corner of her mind. Swallowing down a sigh, Fade headed toward the room.
Upon entering the room, she surveyed the scene: there was Brimstone, of course, the vampire lady, the girl that was always rambling about technology, and the sparky girl that was part of her capturing team.
All of them exchanged wary glances at her, though she couldn’t quite tell what kind of expression Reyna had, but it was mildly concerning. The last thing she wanted was to get her soul sucked out of her body, but then again, she would no longer have to deal with her nightmares…it'd probably be worse to be killed by Reyna, though.
Brimstone cleared his throat, bringing Fade back to reality, “Sit down. I’d like you to debrief the surroundings they’ll be thrown into immediately after exiting the portal.”
Fade opened her mouth, but Brimstone quickly added, “I know you already wrote a report, but I think an oral version of it right now may be necessary.”
“This wouldn’t need to happen if everyone just read them before each mission.” Killjoy muttered quietly, crossing her arms.
Ignoring the comment, Fade decided it would be easier if she just complied and got it over with. She described the area, the large amounts of radianite, possible areas where Omega agents may enter from, where the most important terminals are for information. Everyone in the room knew nobody was really paying attention, but Fade supposed she just had to follow standard protocol.
Once they were done, Brimstone dismissed the other three, leaving Fade behind.
“So…” Fade busied herself by tapping her fingers on the table.
“Right so…” Brimstone sighed, rubbing his temples, “I think we know both damn well how well you’re settling in with the agents, so I’m going to cut the crap about asking you that. I know some of the agents especially are against you, but we can’t really control the bunch to that extent. So, I just wanted to ask if there’s anything we can accommodate for.”
“Wow, didn’t know I was worth so much here.” Fade deadpanned.
“Don’t make this difficult.” Brimstone replied flatly.
“Hm. Don’t really think I need anything. A place to sleep and food three times a day is all I can ask for, plus our little conditions. Don’t worry, a couple of bullets won’t make me leave. As long as you don’t stray from what we agreed upon, I’ll be working here. As for the agents, I don’t take it personally, I did blackmail you all with the worst I had. It’s only natural. Plus anything extra for me might make the situation worse.” Fade shrugged.
“Oh, but there is something you could get, actually. A larger coffee supply might help decrease Cypher’s complaints.”
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Like most of the Valorant PROTOCOL, Neon did not have the best image of the new agent. Especially since she faced the nightmare abilities head on. The raw fear she felt when she saw a glimpse of home, and the maddening feeling of losing control of her own powers as she slowly sank into darkness is not up there in her good memories list. And the blackmail did get under her skin more than Neon would like to admit. But Fade was right, in a sense. At any moment, her surge protector could fail or she could get too caught up in her head– she didn’t even want to think about the irreversible damage she could cause. That didn’t make what she did right but, the new agent also intrigued her. The very fact that her nightmare abilities were so destructive and could fend off an entire group of trained agents was…incredible, to say the least. But the silver lining was that Fade could control such abilities so well, so perhaps Neon could find a way to keep her powers in check one day too.
Nonetheless, Neon mentally winced when Brimstone had called her, Killjoy, and Reyna to have a mission debrief with Fade. It was the first time she saw the Turkish agent up close without worrying she was going to get killed, though. While she noticed her intense features, markings, and heterochromia, her face was…much less intimidating than she thought. In fact, her eyes seemed tired, and despite the bravado she carried in her remarks and body language, the look of anxiety still appeared in small fragments on her face. Or maybe it was the twitching leg she hid under the table, or the way her gaze darted around the room every now and then. She wasn’t sure, and it made Neon even more confused about Fade's motives. Not that she really cared of what they were, but she was concerned if they’d impose danger on the PROTOCOL. But, Brimstone and the rest of the higher ups know what they’re doing, probably. Not that she really had a say in these decisions, anyway. The most important thing she needed to focus on now was her next mission to Omega Earth in the next few days. This was big. Not only because it was the first time they’d be going offensive on the mirrored world, which might cause massive issues if they mess up, but it was yet another opportunity to prove herself. She could do this, control her powers, and be helpful, like her parents have. She has to take the last few days to refine her movement, aim, and abilities so they could have a successful mission. Neon spent most of her remaining days in training rooms to practice, but the day before her departure, she realized a certain agent was already training inside the room she often went to.