Work Text:
Team Rainbow operators were the cream of the crop but they still had little choice on where they were going like any military personnel - they went to where the job needed them to go. As a mixed-bag CTU, that often meant globetrotting as much as any regular deployment and, sometimes, it meant globetrotting three to four times more than any other deployment. It wreaked havoc on Rainbow’s personnel at first, but when the idea of ‘partying hard’ after an operation was introduced on the Rainbow expense account, suddenly people bitched a lot less and performed a lot better despite the moment’s notice that they’d get regarding a new operation.
Highly armed terrorists in a compound outside Salt Lake City with an agenda and hostages meant that the afterparty was on U.S. soil, something that Valkyrie appreciated simply because it meant she knew she’d be getting a drink she liked. Of the deployed operators, she was the only American. The roster called for those with a specific skillset, and Valkyire was the best at making sure the team’s backs were covered in hostile territory. One of the more recent additions, the kid from the 707th SMB, was also on board. This chapter of separatists had a high-tech compound, supposedly founded by a paranoid and unstable Silicon Valley startup guru who just lost a few too many marbles by the time the ‘sink or swim’ moment came and he ended up taking hostages, a dozen child brides, and armed himself to the teeth.
It had only been about a week since the end of Operation White Noise, where Dokkaebi and Vigil were brought into Team Rainbow and put through their first operation. As far as Valkyire knew, Dokkaebi had a fairly quick psychological evaluation. What she didn’t know is that Dokkaebi altered her medical records so that it showed her as being ready for the next deployment. Luck was on the hacker’s side - she found a doctor about to transfer to another military base and set it up as if they had cleared her for duty. Of course, when Vigil went in there’d be another doctor and no one was wiser for it.
Glaz, Buck, and Sledge made up the rest of the team for the compound raid. Alltogether it was a quick, efficient run. By the numbers with no casualties on their side. Valkyire’s SPAS was getting up there in age and operational capacity but she still swore by it and judging by the three tangos she blasted that tried to blow her own head off, it was a worthwhile swear. Four levels, all cleared. Cameras and phones hacked, Valkyrie putting up her own behind them, just to make sure that it all went well. Glaz had set up in a tree nearby, picking off people during the chaos while Buck and Sledge were the tip of the spear.
Valk had done a lot of work with Team Rainbow by now and each Operator was unique to say the least but something about Dokkaebi was a little more unique than usual. The woman was one-handing her machine pistol while tapping away on her milspec grade laptop. She had eyes forwards, backwards, up and down. She made a mental note to get some tips in the future.
And once the operation was over, she was going to make good on that note. Even if it was during the afterparty, she figured someone as equally driven as her wouldn’t mind. The tiny bar outside the base wasn’t much to look at or appreciate but it had beer. That was enough. Valkyire spotted Dokkaebi - off duty, she wore clothing that fit more of a hipster than a Team Rainbow operator, though Valkyrie wasn’t much different. Hiking boots, jeans, a flannel. She practically made Buck look like less of a lumberjack.
“Hey, Nam. Am I interrupting?”
Dokkaebi looked up from her tablet, pushed up her glasses and shaked her head.
“I can talk. What do you need?”
“Figure since we’re two parts of the ‘Team Rainbow surveillance’ group, we should talk shop. Maybe I could get myself a tablet that tough. My rig is a lot smaller.” Valk took a seat in the booth opposite Dokkaebi.
“The phone?” Dokkaebi said with a growing smirk.
“Yeah. Not exactly standard issue. I call my mom on that thing.”
“Size isn’t everything. You have better resolution on anything I’ve ever used with those Black Eye cameras.”
“My time in intelligence gave me an appreciation for high-res visuals.”
“And sound,” Dokkaebi said.
“Right. The more you know about what’s around you…”
“The better things go. I understand the concept. You should get a drink, I’ll show you the models I can get for you.”
Valkyrie nodded and stood up, half-turning back. “You want anything?”
“No. I already have everything I need. Thank you.”
Dokkaebi’s eyes never left her tablet as she tapped along. Valkyrie wasn’t even wise to the fact that Dokkaebi had hacked into her phone in the first ten seconds of the conversation. As Valkyrie went to the bar and made small talk with the bartender, Dokkaebi had… everything. Names, numbers, dates, passwords. She fought a toothy grin and instead kept on a small yet knowing smile.
After browsing Valkyrie’s e-mails, her social media, notes and games she ended up on texts. Dokkaebi’s brows shot up when she saw a name she recognized. “Elżbieta.” Her thumb hovered over the name on her tablet and almost without hesitation she tapped. Valkyrie and Elżbieta were having some fairly intimate conversations. From the dates and times it was pretty much whenever they were both awake. The last message, sent from Valkyire, read simply “Done with the op. Alive & well. Miss you, babe. XO.”
She nearly fought the urge to gag, looking up at Valkyrie at the bar. The serious, no-nonsense woman who was so driven she could headbutt away any issue was being… chummy with Ela? She wondered if it was one-sided, a fluke, maybe a joke, one-night stand or maybe even straight girls acting a little too chummy. It wasn’t. Ela’s messages were worse. Though Ela was a rapid texter, often telling tales, complaining, and sending pictures and links to romantic getaways that she wanted to try, as well as new weapons. The occasional selfie was there and as Dokkaebi scrolled up she caught a glimpse of Ela having sent a nude selfie, with Valkyrie chastising her underneath.
“Don’t do that. Stuff like that can always be found.”
“No shame :)”
“Good. I was gonna keep it anyway.”
“hoping u would”
Dokkaebi exited the phone entirely, sitting and staring at the wallpaper of her tablet’s main screen with a confused expression. For one, she didn’t think she’d see a polish woman’s pubic hair. Secondly, she didn’t think that pubic hair would be dyed the same color as the hair on her head. To top it all off, it was… a confusing situation to say the least. She’d have to read up on Team Rainbow’s fraternization policy later, not that she’d ever weaponize their affair. She hadn’t met Ela yet, only knew her by name and at a glance the conversation had been going on since Operation Orange Sky ended… but by then the messages were already very intimate. Did they get close in the Middle East? Dokkaebi felt the urge to investigate further, just because she was driven by her need to know.
The clank of a beer bottle and Valkyrie’s body slipping into the booth again pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Sorry. Bartender and I had some strong opinions on craft beer. Always want the best America has to offer when I’m home, you know?”
Dokkaebi quietly shook her head. Valkyrie was the one person so far she felt that she could be friends with. Intelligence operative, had an appreciation for technology that she did and was a no-nonsense, driven individual. Aside from Vigil, she never had been anything close to resembling a friend to anyone since she joined the service, the 707th just a seemingly unending exercise in alienation for a variety of reasons, and Valkyire’s relationship with Ela seemed to be a good starting point for Dokkaebi. Maybe it was time to make friends who understood her.
“So,” Dokkaebi led. She flipped her tablet and it had a page up, an inventory of tablets like her own. Ruggedized, high-performance, impact resistant. “I can get you any of these. I want to know something in return.”
Valkyrie gently took the tablet in one hand, drinking from her beer in the other. After a swig, she looked up and made eye contact at Dokkaebi, the girl was smiling like crazy.
“Sure. Anything non-confidential I’m open to talking about.”
“... who is Elżbieta?”