Chapter Text
“Sir, this is by far one of the worst places to be on a mission,” Phoenix said while frowning at the narrow path available. “The smell here is… well, it’s bad.” They held back the urge to cough as they looked at the narrow walkway they were given. Their feet wobbled “Are you sure this is a good place to sneak into?”
“Oh, Agent. I’m quite sure this is the safest path to take.” Reginald answered as they walked down the path. “I say, it’s better off than risking it. The priority is stealth here. We can’t risk you accidentally burning those files.”
“Those are my own files and it was just one time.” Phoenix huffed, minimizing the amount of air they breathe. “I can bet I will probably run away from this mess by the end of it. What do you say? 2 bucks?”
“You’re on.” Reginald chuckles, only to pause when they hear a scuffle not long after. “Agent, I think those voices are familiar. Tread carefully.”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve to dredge up all my fears.” Their contact was nearly snarling as they seemed to be speaking to someone from the corner. Maybe even arguing. Phoenix pressed down on their lips to listen to the scuffle.
“Oh? And you’re going to let another of our coworkers take the fall for your shenanigans? Hm? Take accountability. I am disgusted at what you’re doing. It’s one thing to point out the truth to save your own hide, and another thing entirely to make someone else the mole all because you don’t want to fall to whatever Zoraxis has in store for people like you.” The vitriol in the other person’s voice was unmistakable as there was soon the sound of fighting followed with a thud.
Phoenix covered their mouth as they snuck closer, eyes closing as they pressed their body to the wall so they wouldn’t trip down the narrow path. They opened their eyes, trying to get a closer view on the two people in the darkened section of the sewer.
Their contact was pinned on the ground, a fellow agent under the grasp of a Zoraxis operative. The assailant was wearing something dark, hair covered to look like a threatening silhouette that hovers like the grim reaper.
The pipes and valves were tightened, no loose objects to grab with their telekinesis to cause a distraction with. The room itself was dark, which didn’t help with the visibility problem. The flashlight in the EOD agent’s hand soon fell on the ground with a clack and a thud, barely clinging to its light.
The operative seemed to whisper something in their fellow agent’s ear, causing the latter to freeze in place. They laid there, limp as the operative turned to Phoenix with a cruel smirk. “Well, if it isn’t the great Agent Phoenix. I’m surprised you took this route. I suppose the anonymous tip I received was right.”
“Agent, they got compromised. Who managed to breach our network?!” Reginald exclaimed as he tried to hack into more cameras. “The entrance got sealed, agent. Be careful!” His hands were trembling as he tried to look into overriding the commands.
Agent Phoenix clenched their fist as they stared at the surroundings more, only to pause when they noticed a new item amongst the pipes: a wrench. They couldn’t be sure if they missed it the first time but there was a presence of blonde hair tips from the corner of their eye. They received a chill as their telekinesis made contact with the cold metal. Swinging it towards someone would only spell disaster—there was too tight a space and they could hit their fellow instead.
They looked around, trying to find something to change. They looked up, maybe something bit more loose. But that could mean intel could get muddied.
“Agent, do it. We can restore the intel even if it gets soiled. We have to prioritize our agents’ lives.” Reginald’s voice was calm and controlled, soon grounding Phoenix into a state of calm as they raised the wrench up to switch the valve.
“How dare you!” The operative shrieked as the dirty sewage enveloped them and their fellow agent, who managed to grab the dropped flashlight to smack them in the face with it.
The agent managed to get up, staggering towards them as Phoenix supported their escape, occasionally stopping to let out a shot on corners. when they heard footsteps approaching.
“Agent, are you alright?” Reginald spoke gently as they made it to the evacuation vehicle, winching slightly as the agent in question coughed violently.
“Sorry, Sir. I wasn’t careful enough.”
Phoenix frowned at the response as they sat in their seat, choosing to feel the wheels bump in the road.
“Don’t be sorry, agent. At least we managed to save your life.” Reginald patted their back as his agent closed their eyes, wondering who is the operative that interfered today.