Chapter Text
The room was dark with the only source of light being the small window with metal bars on the heavy metal door.
Fade was sitting in a corner as far away from that light as possible. She didn't want anyone seeing her and considering her situation she probably doesn't deserve the honor of light anywhere near her either.
Suddenly the metal door opened and in came the big boss man and the masked vault of secrets.
"Oh? What's this? Another interrogation I'm guessing?"
"Oh goodness no! Infact we have a proposition. If I were you I'd wanna hear it out"
Then the boss of the group. This large tall man in his 40s stepped up infront of her.
"After careful consideration we decided that we are recruiting you to join the team. During your stay with us you may look for whoever you're looking under out supervision. And no going behind anyone's back, got it?"
Fade looked behind the man where a figure with bright blue eyes was looking at her and giving her a slight nod of the head.
Fade looked up
"When do I start?"
She said that as a way of sounding confident, but that confidence started to waver once she was walking down the Valorant protocol halls. Walking wasn't the issue, not at all. The issue layed with the stares and eyes glaring at her. Some were full off fear, some with hatred and some with confusion and doubt. She could easly sense negative emotion and she wasn't a fan of it.
The biggest issue with it all was the fact that these people is who she will be working with. People who she might have to entrust her life to.
'If they won't trust me. I won't trust them. Team work goes both ways.'
That said, it still didn't feel nice or comftrable.
"Here we are. I look forward to working with you comrade!"
A slight smile of welcome showed on Sovas face. Besides Cypher and Brimstone, Sova was the only agent she managed to meet during her time in and our of her jail cell. Those three were also the only ones who didn't reek of fear or anything truly negative aimed towards her.
"This is my room?"
Fade asked carefully, looking at her personal agent card who was also her rooms entry permit.
"Yes. Brimstone had all your belongings brought into the room already. Besides you and Brimstone the only ones with access to this room are Sage and Skye with their medical permit incase of an emergency. You're welcome to decorate your room however you see fit, you will be notified of any mission that we shall send you on. Also we take turns cooking meals. It's all shown at the cafeteria doors. Any questions?"
"Yes. How come you're not afraid of me, after I....you know-?"
"If I were to face you on the battlefield then I might be a bit afraid but you're on my side, which is another strong ally that I can rely on and that isn't something I shall ever fear. Besides, there are way scarier things in the world than nightmares."
Fade was listening closely. Once Sova finished she both thanked him and wished him farewell with a simple nod, before opening the doors to her room with a simple card swipe.
The door swooshed open and revealed a dark windowless room full of dust and a few boxes.
Besides that there was a bathroom, a closet, a bed and a simple work desk. Basically the bare minimum. Fade was pleased with that.
She didn't have many belongings. A few books, a laptop, her favorite coffee mug, a wallet and clothes. It wasn't much but it was all she needed. Working as a bounty hunter wasn't easy. She traveled from place to place looking for him taking any odd jobs she could find. From body guard to assassin nothing was too low. The only jobs she didn't accept was murdering children. That was a low she was never going to cross. It's the only thing that kept her human in her mind. She slept in abandoned buildings or some run down inn, she wasnt particularly picky.
She liked the simplicity and darkness of the room, but the bedsheets weren't to her liking. She decided that she will go out and buy some dark colored bedsheets later in the week. For now she needs to get familiar with her new found "home". She checked the time over her phone 17:30.
Fade sighed as she left the room in hopes of finding herself something to eat. She entered the cafeteria that was just around the corner to her left. As she was walking she was thinking if she should add some kind of soundproofing on her walls. Just in case if anything comes up, you can never be too careful.
Before entering Fade took a look at the previously mentioned cafeteria food schedule.
Breakfast 7:00-10:00 (7am-10am)
Lunch 12:00-16:00 (12pm-4pm)
Dinner 18:00-22:00 (6pm-10pm)
Reading further it stated the agents code name and which meal they're preparing. It seemed to be a job for 2 or even 3. Another thing to not look forward to. Luckly for her she just arrived and she wasn't written down for any days of the week. She would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved.
She then entered the almost empty cafeteria. Besides her there was Phoenix who was talking over the counter to Jett and Yoru who were arguing about the meal that they will be making. The idea behind agents preparing food without a menu is to try and get familiar with different cultures. Or so Fade guessed considering what was unfolding right infront of her. At the back of the room were Sova and Omen who were playing cards probably waiting for the food. It did smell quite nice which made Fade quite curious about today's menu. Not that she was picky.
She took a look around. There was a vending machine with snacks and spike energy drinks and in the kitchen there was a coffee machine. There was also a couch that was facing the TV which was connected to a console. Behind that there was a dart board. And under the coffee table there were some magazines and board games. On the other side of the wall to which the TV was bolted to was a sound proof room with a few beanbags and a big bookshelf full off books. Fade made sure to take note of that as she will be visiting it later.
She decided to approach Sova and Omen with a very simple question in mind. As she was walking through the room the 3 agents turned their heads giving her a look of caution as if they were ready to act the second she stepped out if line. She didn't mind it, infact she found it rather reasonable.
Once she reached the table with Sova and Omen the three agents went back to their business and the other two agents looked up to face her.
"Hello there Fade. Need something?"
"Greetings"
Is what she heard from Omen and as much as it suprised her she shit him a small smile and a nod.
"I was wondering if I can use that coffee machine over there"
She turned around facing the kitchen area as if she can see the machine through the wall.
"Yes. You're welcome to use it as you please. Infact everything here, unless belonging to someone else is yours to use. Now then. I answered you're question. How about you join us for a round?"
Fade looked over to Omen who nodded and gestured over to an empty chair next to him.
Fade sat down as she decided to join them for a few games of poker. The game had no bets or chips. It was just a game for good time and a silent competition for the best pokerface, which was pretty much tied.
Around 50min later there was a sound of a bell.
"FOODS UP! WHO'S HUNGRY?"
Jett yelled across the room grabbing everyone's attention. Fade didn't even notice but there were quite a few agents roaming the cafeteria. Omen and Sova got up to get their food. Fade stayed seated waiting for everyone to get their share. Or at least that was the plan, untill Sova turned around.
"Come. Let's eat"
Fade got up and followed Sova. Getting to the window she grabbed a plate and went through the options. It didn't seem as anything too special and the options weren't that big, probably because it was dinner. Fade decided on something light on the stomach. A bit of rice and omlette rolls. She didn't bother with seasonings, after all she's been living with 'Whatever is edible' mentality most of her life.
SHe sat down next to Omen and Sova and they were all soon joined by Cypher.
"Hello there dream seer. How is the protocol so far? To your liking I hope?"
"It's been good. I have no complaints."
She didn't mind any of it. Infact she was suprised that she got what she did, she was expecting a room isolated from everyone else, cold and dark without any options of a ceiling light or decoration and maybe a chair and some boxes. Instead she git a fully equipped room which she was more than welcome to decorate to her liking. She was quite content with that, but the bonus she really enjoyed was the coffee machine option and the three warm meals a day, it was quite a luxury.
"That's good to hear. Now then, I wanted to let you know that the agents who were sent out have just returned from the mission. They don't know you're with us yet so you can expect a bit of an reaction"
Fade nodded in understanding and was prepared to take it all.
"No worries. We got you're back, you're our comrade after all. You can count on us"
"Thank you, but if possible I'd like to face it myself"
Sova smiled.
"I'd expect nothing else from my ally"
Speaking of the said agents must of had some magic with it because lo' and behold, the doors to the cafeteria opened showing Reyna Breach Sage and Neon entering the cafeteria.
All four of them looked around and immdeatly noticed Fade. Sage didn't really pay her much mind, on the other hand Neons fear spiked as she grabbed onto Sages hand as they headed off to get some food. Reyna and Breach glared at her, Breach with hatred and Reyna with cation and warning. They stood there looking, then Reyna turned away and went after Sage to get some food. Breach on the other hand started fast walling with pure rage towards Fade.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS B**** DOING HERE??!!"
Everyone went quiet. Even the air was standing still and the tension was so tight you could cut it with a single touch of a butter knife. A couple of unexpected agents flinched, a few looked away or into their food and some were looking right at Fade. Fade felt anxious and started trembling. She didn't really have anxiety but glares stares and whispers from these people gave her some form of a panic attack. She could feel her heartbeat in her lungs and head. She took a deep breath and focused her attention on Breach. Calmly even if she was shaking. She wasn't scared but all this tension and people who all seemed to be turned against her made her anxious. She started hopping with her leg.
Then suddenly Omen touched her shoulder showing her she's not alone. Sova stood up.
"Why wouldn't she be? She was invited to join us and is now a part of the Valorant protocol"
"WHAT? WHO LET HER IN?"
Cypher then stood up.
"That my friend. Would be me with permission of Brimstone ofcourse"
"HAVE YOU GONE INSANE? THIS B**** IS CRAZY! SHE'LL KILL US ALL FO F***S SAKE!"
"Calm down brother. She's part of the team. We need to learn to trust her so she can trust us. We need to work together. I'm sure once we get to know her it won't be so bad"
"OH YEAH AND WHO SAYS THAT? HOW CAN YOU HE SO SURE?!"
Breach got mad and slammed his arms on the table sweeping away all the food left on Fades plate shattering the plate itself.
"I trust my instincts more than my eyes. If I'm wrong then you can come to me. But for now calm down, nothing will come from what you're doing now. Even if you are angry."
Breach took a deep breath and anger turned into suspicion and hatred as he looked at Fade.
"Fine. But ONE miss step and I'll kill you myself. Are we clear?"
Fade look him in the eyes.
"Crystal."
"Good. And clean this shit up!"
He kicked the broken plate on the ground and walked away to get some food. After that some whispers started swirling around the room and eventually they went back into their usual chatter.
Fade crouched down to pick up the plate. Her hands were still shaking as she was picking it all up, which caused her to cut herself. She winced but ignored it.
Sova stood up to approach her. Before he could see her cut, she quickly hid her hand into her pocket.
"No need to clean it by hand. We have a bot for that. We will clean it up later. Go get some more food from the window."
"It's fine. I'm not hungry. I'll pick myself something from the vending machine"
"I understand. Just make sure to eat a proper meal tomorrow."
Fade nodded as she left the cafeteria.
She was about to enter her room when someone stopped her infront of her door.
"Fade. Could I please have a moment?"
Fade looked over her shoulder with both if her hands in her pocket. It was Sage.
"Oh? Did you come here to yell at me?"
"No. Give me your hand"
Fade took her left hand out of her pockets
"The other hand"
Fade slightly rolled her eyes knowing her secret was out. Even though it wasn't anything big it was still annoying.
"It's just a cut but it's pretty deep. Let's go into the medical ward so I can treat it. I don't need radiance for it but it's still better to patch it up"
Fade nodded.
As they walked past the cafeteria there was a purple figure leaning on the cafeterias door frame, glaring at Fade with Jealousy and another warning for Fade.
Fade put her head down to not anger the 'Empress' and walked past her with Sage.
Once they arrived Fade sat down at the medical table on the chair as she waited for Sage to come back with a medkit.
Once Sage returned she started asking Fade a few questions.
"Fade. Why did you try to cover this up? Honestly I was lucky to have noticed otherwise I'm not sure if it would be treated properly"
"My room is equipped with a medkit. I'm sure I'd be fine"
"That's true. However, I want you to place at least a bit of trust in me. In us."
Fade looked away as Sage put a bandaid on Fades index finger. Once she was done Fade stood up.
"Sorry. But could you wait a little longer? I have a few questions"
Fade sighed and sat down.
"As you were picking up the broken pieces you were shaking quite frantically which is why you cut yourself right?"
Fade was silent which gave Sage the answer.
"I don't want to push you into telling me anything you don't want to, but from my perspective it seemed like a mild panic attack. That's not good, so I will give you these"
Sage pulled out a small bottle from her pocket, which Fade quickly scanned over with her eyes and then raised her eyebrow.
"They're pills to help with anxiety and mild panic attacks like yours. They help stabilize your breathing and help slow down your heart in attempt to put it into its normal beating pace. Make sure to take them in these situation. Have at least one pill and some water on you at all times. You can only take two per day and DO NOT take them while feeling completly normal as it can be lethal. There's 30 pills in here. If you need more talk to me. All the instructions are written on the bottle."
Saying that she handed the bottle over to Fade who put it into her left pocket, as her right one was stained with her blood.
"Is that all?"
"Yes. For now. Make sure to change you're bandaid before sleeping and once you wake up. If bleeding by then doesn't stop, then come see me."
"Got it. Have a good night"
"Yes you too Fade. Take care"
Fade left into the dark hallway and disappeared with the shadow. After her entered another person who had her purple glowing eyes set on someone.
Fade entered her room and set the bottle of pills down on her desk throwing herself into her bed. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath. She opened them again after a few minutes and immediately got up. She checked the time. 19:30.
She went into her closet and put on a hoodie. She opened the top drawer on her desk and took out a small box taking out a cigarette and a lighter, then leaving the her room and taking the hallway to her left. After walking past some rooms, all the way at the end of the hallway there were a set of stair which led to the rooftop. The roof top was split into half with one half having a roof and glass walls and the other half having ¼ of it covered with a roof and surrounded with railing. There was a table there with a few chairs and an ash tray. The one showing her around protocol was Sova who was kind enough to show her the way to the roof where she could have some time to herself.
She lit her cigarette and took a smoke when she sensed someone coming up the stairs. She turned around as the glass doors opened, finding Viper standing behind her with a box of cigarettes in hand. Looking at the box they were light ones which Fade used to use when she was a teen. But now? Let's just say she didn't find them fulfilling.
"Didn't think I'd find someone here. What brings you around?"
Viper wasn't afraid of her but she didn't like her either, which made sense because she didn't like anyone in the protocol. At least considering Fades current read on Vipers feelings.
"Stressful evening. You? I don't believe I saw you I'm the cafeteria?"
"I have my good delivered to my room. I'm usually there at my lab. As for my business here. Isn't it obvious?"
Fade raised her eyebrow knowing full well that the answer she got was the only thing she was gonna get out if her.
Viper took out a lighter but it didn't want to work. It was probably out of gas. Without a word Fade raised her lighter willing to lend it to a fellow smoker.
"Thank you"
Fade blew out the smoke.
"Don't mention it"
Viper lit up her cigarette and handed the lighter back to Fade.
"I see you have the light type. Which ones are these?"
"Marlboro Silver"
"I used to have those. But eventually they weren't enough. I stuck to the brand but I have Reds now."
"I see. Honestly I'm thinking of quitting all together. Though they're light, they're still a form of lung poison. I used to have Reds aswell. I guess you went to strong and I'm starting to quit."
"Shows we are all different."
"Hmp. Maybe, though I believe you might get rid of those yourself...at some point"
"You may be right. But for right now. It's all I've got"
That said Fade left the chemist by herself as she returned to her room. As the doors closed behind her she layed down on her bed.
She didn't bother with the bandaid or a shower. She just closed her eyes covering them with her arm.
"I guess this is where my nightmare begins.."