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“Phoenix? Agent Phoenix. Are you there?” I spoke once again after I found out that they turned off my view of their ocular implant, leaving me to rely on the secondary body camera that was deliberately pointed at the ceiling. “Agent, I need to see your surroundings. Let me take a look around.”
“N-no. You’re not.” They wheezed, clearly trying not to choke out any tears. “You’re not. Please. I’ll just try to tell you what I’m seeing.”
“Agent. This is insubordination. While I don’t reprimand you for most of your quirks, what you’re doing is dangerous!” I clenched my fingers around the pen I was holding. “Turn on your ocular implant.”
“Handler Sir.” Their voice was flatter than usual, causing a shiver down my back. “Believe me when I say this. You don’t need to see it.” Their voice was clearly fighting back nausea. “The smell here is horrible. I’m so glad you don’t get to smell this.”
“I just need a visual or description of what you see.” My fingers fidgeted over the keyboard, uneasy while I hovered over the command to call an EVAC team. “Can you at least do that for me?”
“There is no way our agent can return back to duty. There’s a struggle. I think it’s blood loss that caused it. No point in applying first aid, we’re too late.” A rueful laugh was transmitted, shifting the camera slightly.
By the time they corrected the view, the spot of blood on the wall burned into my eyes, providing a visual of what they’re trying to shield me from.
“Get back to base. Now.”
“... Please call EVAC. I don’t think I can drive back in this way. I’ll meet them at the back entrance of the base. And please choose the people with the strongest stomachs. It’s bad bad . I already have the intel the agency told us to get. So if there’s any silver lining, it’s that.”
“Agent…” I trailed off, thinking of what to say. Agents coming across their coworkers’ deaths always required a certain finesse. “Look, it’s not your fault. I don’t blame you for withdrawing. I will see if I can pull some strings to give you a break.”
“... Thank you. You have no idea. You really don’t.”
“Would you like a story while we wait?”
There was a set of footsteps as they turned on their oculars, giving me a view on the catwalk as they glanced at the sky. Their body camera was also properly placed, giving me a view of the rooftop, the surrounding area hidden from any urban settlements.
"Mr. Crane, we need to talk.” One of the members of the EVAC team approached me in the breakroom, face stern as they held a folder. “It’s about your agent. We think it would be best if they would take a long leave.”
“I was already planning for that. I have to ask. How bad is it?” I turned to them, making sure to put away my cup of tea.
“Well… I think it’s better if you read it yourself.” They handed me the folder, thicker than usual. “But to be direct, we can’t exactly say how many there are in that room. But there should be at least a few dozen. Please call the handlers to come down soon just in case anyone recognizes their missing agents.”
“... So, we found them?”
“Yes, sir. Although we need confirmation. It was horrible. You must’ve seen it, right?”
“No, Agent Phoenix turned off their oculars before I could take a good look. They also redirected their body cameras as well.” I sighed, only to pause when I was given a sympathetic gaze.
“That’s fortunate. Don’t think about the descriptions on the report too much. I mean it, Sir. We’ll send you a bottle to help you through it.”
… And I’m so thankful they did.