Chapter Text
Time seemed to slow as the elevator fell, and Agent Phoenix curled up on themself instinctively, bracing themself as the bombs went off. As blackness overtook them, and they waited to reset back to when they first entered the elevator, they thought. Everything had gone perfectly, but... had there been some tool they hadn't grabbed? An extra battery? But even as they thought and thought, they just couldn't figure out what they'd done wrong...
"You did nothing wrong." A mighty voice, deep and rumbling, yet at the same time gentle as candlelight, rang out from the darkness. "This is simply how things end."
Phoenix looked around for the source of the voice, but all they could see was blackness. As the voice's echo rippled around them, the meaning of the words sunk in.
"How things end? What do you-" they stopped midsentence as their eyes widened, and they shakily felt their throat. From the pitch darkness, the voice let out a soft chuff.
"Yes, you may speak here." It said, and Phoenix could feel the presence grow closer. "However, I feel as though there is something else that requires your attention."
Phoenix suddenly spotted something out of the corner of their eye, and with surprisingly little effort, swam closer until they recognized what it was: a briefcase, sat atop a small table. With shaking hands, they opened it, turning on the transmission recorder that sat inside.
"To the ----- board of directors,"
Phoenix startled- that was their Handler's voice! They got closer to the recorder, eager to hear what he was saying, desperate for some kind of answer.
"From agent supervisor ------, this is my final report on the Juniper incident. Shortly after the television broadcast cut out, Zoraxis defense headquarters was destroyed, in an enormous blast. The agent at the scene, hereafter referred to as 'Agent Phoenix'... well we haven't found a body yet. If they did survive..."
Handler paused for a moment, sighing, but Phoenix's blood froze in their veins, and yet they kept listening, gripping tight to the table and ignoring the looming presence behind them.
"Right before they disarmed the warheads, Dr. Zor addressed the agent, directly. If Zor's taken a personal interest, well to be plain, it is my strong recommendation that we prepare for direct engagement. Thanks to Agent Phoenix, Zoraxis cannot operate in the dark anymore. Zor's strategy is already changing, and we need to be prepared for anything."
The recording stopped, and Phoenix let go of the table, floating back until they hit something unseen. Their eyes were flooded with tears, and they looked up, finally catching a glimpse of something in the void with them.
".... how long ago was that recorded?"
"Time has little meaning here." The voice said, its tone softening. "But what he said is true; you left no body to find. You are ash, swept into the water, not even the most dedicated search team would find you."
They lost what little control they had left over their emotions and wept, sinking lower and lower into the void until they were caught by something that gently lifted them back up, holding them steady.
"I am... sorry, my child." The voice said, and Phoenix could just barely hear what sounded like great lengths of fabric hitting each other, like the curtains in each of the mansions they'd snuck into. "I cannot send you back there as you were, not even with that little trick of yours."
"Then why are you even here?!" Phoenix shouted, pushing away from the solid mass. "Are you some god of death or something?! Here to take me to heaven or hell or whatever?! Well, if you're going to take me, can I at least see Juniper first? I just wanna BEAT HIM UP, UNTIL HE TELLS ME WHY HE THOUGHT WORKING FOR ZORAXIS WAS A GOOD IDEA!!!"
The figure was still, and the voice was silent, until Phoenix burnt out their anger, and only tears remained.
"No," it said at last. "I am not one of Death's, but while they were elated to finally have you in their clutches at long last, I was able to convince them to let me have you instead."
"But why?"
"Because you are an extraordinary human, with an extraordinary ability. One that leads others to say you already are one of my kind, so I wished to make if official, and welcome you to my flock."
Phoenix stared up, and up, and up, as the figure's outline was slowly revealed, lit up by gleaming beams of fire, but yet they still couldn't make out what it was. All they could tell was it was immense. Its words settled in once more, and Phoenix floated back further away, crossing their arms indignantly.
"Join your flock? I can't! "
"My child, listen-"
"No! I'm not your child! And I don't care if I'm dead, I'll find some way to get back! Didn't you hear the report? Zor is still out there! The agency needs me! Handler needs me!"
"And I have a way you can get there."
They froze, all their focus on the massive figure in front of them. Bit by bit, rolling flames spread across the silhouette, revealing what had been hidden in the darkness.
At first it was too big, and Phoenix was too close, to see it all at once. They could see only in pieces; the sparking claws, the light glinting off the beak, the flaming feathers spread out wide; until they could get enough of a distance away to see the enormous phoenix, a real phoenix, in its entirety. It was bigger than the Zoraxis defense headquarters, than the Agency headquarters, and Agent Phoenix nearly fainted as it closed the gap between them in an instant.
It caught them in its claw, and Phoenix thought, in a detached way, how odd it was to be held by a bird bigger than a building. The phoenix let out a gentle croon, and a wave of tiredness took hold. Despite their best efforts to stay awake, consciousness slipped away from them, and the last thing they saw were the immense wings wrapping around them protectively.
"Rest, my child. I will teach you all you need to know...."
*~*~*
Agent Phoenix awoke with a choked gasp and sputter, sitting up and pushing themself away from the water before another wave could splash them. They continued to cough for a few moments, before they finally caught enough breath to look around. They were... on a beach. Somewhere in Romania, if things went right. Carefully, they stood, testing how each of their legs held their weight, before stretching out, pressing against the small of their back-
Being careful not to pin any of their feathers under their hands.
They gingerly flexed their wings, staring transfixed at the way they bent, how naturally they were able to control them, the bright glow of their feathers, and- wait, was that a tail?! Something on their head twitched, and as their hands flew up to feel what was there, they thought on everything they'd been taught. Everything was still in their mind, they didn't think they could forget any of it if they wanted to, but they could only focus on a bit at a time.
First things first, though: they had to get find somewhere to get their bearings. Taking another glance around the beach, they spotted their jacket and their hat, both strewn nearby. They carefully draped the jacket over their shoulders, neatly folding their wings underneath, and crammed the hat over both of their "ears", and glanced back at their tail. It was small; easily hidden by the jacket as well, but part of them worried the tip might poke out if they weren’t careful.
Now, however, they couldn't be as cautious as they wished. Though the sun was still high in the sky, they knew it was only a matter of time before it set. Time they couldn't afford to spend out in the open, especially if they were being looked for.
Steeling their resolve, they walked up the sand, away from the water, until they found a road, and they walked along that. Hopefully, they could find somewhere to crash for the night.
'Hopefully somewhere with a mirror.' They thought, feeling their wings twitch uncomfortably under the jacket.
*~*~*
Phoenix flopped back on the bed, feeling their wings spread out wide across the covers. As they tiredly rubbed their face, they let out a silent sigh. Of course their voice couldn't stay when they came back, of course they could only have it when they were dead. They just considered themself lucky they could still write Romanian, else they wouldn't have anywhere to crash for the night.
After a few minutes, they got back up, glancing at the door to check the chair was still wedged under the doorknob before heading into the bathroom. The mirror was decently sized, more than big enough for them to take a look at themself, and they stared, transfixed, at their wings as they carefully stripped out of their shirt.
The glowing feathers passed through the fabric like magic, there weren't even any holes to indicate anything had happened. They slipped the shirt back on, and added their jacket, and the wings passed through both harmlessly. That... was less than ideal for keeping them hidden, and Phoenix frowned as they stripped back down.
Their tail sat at the bottom of their back, the bright feathers only extending out a few inches, and they watched in fascination as they twitched and moved. They found that they could control them as easily as the wings, and had the same odd property of passing through their clothes.
On their head were tufts of feathers sat right above their ears, and responded to their emotions as if they were a cat's ears, added to their silent expressiveness. These too could be controlled, and Phoenix spent a few minutes testing this out.
And there were plenty more feathers besides, scattered around where their natural hair grew, though these smaller feathers, delicate and soft like down, were easily hidden by their clothes.
All in all, Phoenix had to admit they were amazed by their new features, though it would make going anywhere incredibly inconvenient. It'd make them stick out no matter where they went, and that... wasn't exactly ideal, when their job involved needing to blend into crowds and disappear into the shadows.
An echo came to the front of their mind, something the phoenix had told them, a way to hide, to appear as if they were a normal human. Staring at their wings, they narrowed their eyes and focused- and to their surprise, the wings actually disappeared.
Checking themself out in the mirror, they found that all the feathers had vanished, though there were still light markings, not unlike tattoos or scars, showing where they had been. Phoenix could still feel them, in a detached sort of way, similar to how Handler had described the phantom pain from his leg. Unlike his leg, however, Phoenix could still feel their wings, and knew that if they willed them back-
At the thought, the wings came back, but only the wings. Phoenix practiced controlling each new part of themself for what felt like hours before willing everything away, settling back on the bed with a silent sigh.
Another echo came to the forefront of their mind, and they looked at their hands, thinking. From what they'd been told, they should be able to create fire without the use of a lighter or anything, but... their gaze wandered up to the ceiling, where a smoke detector linked to a sprinkler sat. A silent threat to any smokers, and a clear, unspoken rule. No fire.
With another sigh, Phoenix leaned back against the pillows, turning on the TV to try and drown out their thoughts, flipping through channels until something caught their attention.
"- and the body of formerly acclaimed actor, John Juniper, has still not been found. Similarly, the body of the unknown hero who prevented the launching of the nuclear missiles has also not been found. People are taking this as a possible sign that either or both may have somehow survived, but this is incredibly unlikely."
The news anchor took a moment to rearrange the papers in front of her, before looking back up at the camera.
"International authorities are investigating anything and everything that might provide clues to whereabouts, dead or alive, so please, if you know anything, do not hesitate to call."
She cleared her throat, and placed the papers to the side.
"In other news-"
Phoenix changed the channel, flipping through until they found something more relaxing. They stretched out with a yawn, sinking into the pillows as exhaustion took hold. They felt their wings wrap around them, cocooning them in warmth as their eyes slid shut, and sleep fully took them under.