A stabbing feeling in the female's neck woke her suddenly, her pale hand flying to the pain automatically. However, there was nothing there when she retracted her hand, and she frowned, unsure if she had dreamed the phantom pain.

Rolling over to look at the clock, Indigo groaned when she saw what time it was. The red 12:34pm glowed mockingly back at her, just proving that her insomnia had not been getting better, despite the medicine her doctor had prescribed her.

Her window was cracked open, and she was sure that she had shut it the night before. Reaching out a hand from under the blankets, she grabbed the lock and pulled the window shut, latching it back in place.

Letting out a sigh, she rolled back over and reached under the bed for her two stuffed animals. Even though she was an adult living on my own, Indigo always carried two of her stuffed animals with her to hug whenever she was upset, or couldn't sleep. It was the only thing she had, since she didn't have a significant other living with her.

One was a small black dog, ragged and worn with love. A small rainbow W decorated the bottom of one of his paws. The other was a slightly larger than life white cat, with a huge pink bow around its neck. It was a replica of a character from one of her favorite movies.

She held them close to her chest in a tight hug as she shut her eyes again. The soft fur of the cat and the familiarity of the dog was comforting, and the girl eventually drifted to sleep.

~~~~

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

The alarm on the phone went off, eliciting a loud groan from the sleepy woman. Sitting up reluctantly, she hit the dismiss button and slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed.

She slid off the bed and stood up, the smooth wooden floor cool against her bare feet. Making her way to the bathroom, she began her morning routine of getting ready for another day at the agency. Today was a big day, after all.

~~~~

Pulling up to the dull grey building, Indigo cut the engine and sat back in her seat, collecting her thoughts before she went in. Today she'd be going out on another field mission, but it would be the most dangerous one yet.

Stepping out of the car, she shut the door and gazed up at the tall office building in front of her. "Well... No use standing here staring, I suppose." she mumbled quietly, locking her car and walking briskly to the building door. The clicking sound of her heels on the pavement were muted, but she knew the floors inside the building would echo that sound along the halls.

Once inside, she headed to her office, the second largest one on the top floor. She was only a step below the boss of this place, she she had more privileges that the other agents here. That's what you get after loyally working for 12+ years at this agency. Her record spoke for itself, hundreds of successful missions over years.

The phone on her desk rang as she sat down, the green symbol that was blinking letting her know it was her boss calling. She picked up the phone, butterflies flitting in her stomach. She knew why her boss was calling, but she was still a little nervous. Putting the phone up to her ear, she spoke. "Yes?"

"Are you ready for your mission today? If you execute this mission as well as you have all your others, you'll be pushed up to corporal status. That means you'll be working upstairs, if you know what I mean."

She took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. "Yes ma'am, I'm ready. The target is in position, and my partner and I have been scouting the location for some time now. We won't fail you, I promise." A phantom pain pricked at her neck again, more of an echo of the pain before. She hardly noticed it, her mind already set to mission mode.

"Very well, Agent Gunner. You and Agent Bullock will carry out the mission as soon as you've collected your weaponry, and a small plane is already waiting for you two out behind the building."

"Yes ma'am. We'll be gone within the hour."

"I expect nothing less from someone with your flawless track record. Good luck, Agent Gunner."

The click of her boss hanging up echoed down the line, causing Indigo's nerves to flutter again. Putting the phone back in its cradle, the unsettled agent left her office. She headed for the weapons room, already mentally choosing her weaponry.

As she walked briskly down the halls, her heels echoing as she knew they would, her mind was focused on the mission. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but what, she had no idea. Better to be safe than sorry after all, so she kept her guard up.

The sound of a masculine voice came from beside her as she stepped into the weapons room. "You're early." She turned to see Jason, her partner, smiling at her. "I'm not early, you're barely on time." she replied with a small smile.

It was rare for the male agent to come on time like this, but they both knew what today's mission meant for the country. It would ultimately either save or destroy the world as they knew it. Or so they had been told.

"So, I assume Agent Cleo upstairs already filled you in?" Jason said in a mild tone, falling into step beside Indigo as they went around the room picking out weapons. "Yes, she did. And, as you well know, we can't screw this up. Nothing can stand in the way of us completely finishing our goal, do you understand me, Agent Bullock?" Indigo's tone was slightly harsher than normal, but she had good reason for it.

In the past, Jason had some issues with killing or hurting people not involved in missions to complete the objective. While that was honorable, it wouldn't do for today's mission, especially considering where they were going.

"I know, I know. Geez, Indigo, you're like an overprotective girlfriend sometimes." Jason's gentle ribbing, which normally would have made the girl laugh, caused her to give him a scowl instead. She finished picking out her needed weaponry and strode toward the door, her longer legs carrying her swiftly through the halls.

Jason stared after her, a worried look on his face. Something was up with her, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what. Tucking a final pistol into his belt, he jogged after her, reaching the exit door mere minutes after her. He stepped through, noting she was already checking the plane over.

"Hey, Indigo. I'm sorry if I upset you, I was just joking and-" Jason's ramblings were cut short as Indigo spoke loudly. "Don't. Don't apologize. Just get in, we have a mission to complete." Mentally the girl was furious with herself, she didn't know what was wrong and she had just snapped at her best friend for Adam's sake! That wasn't like her at all.

Shaking away the bad feeling, Indigo climbed into the back of the plane, then sat down near the back window. She was on the far side of the plane from Jason, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by him. Luckily, he put it down to nerves instead of demanding what was wrong.

The roar of the engines was heard as the pilot started up the plane, the gentle liftoff of the plane barely noticeable. Clear blue skies flashed past the windows in the cabin, not a cloud to seen in the sky.

Indigo was silent the whole ride, trying to force herself to focus on the mission. Something was bothering her, something as tangible as a whisper in the air. Trying to pinpoint it was nearly impossible, the answer seeming to be lost in a thick fog.

"-and I need to know you're alright." The deeper tones of Jason pierced the mental fog that had descended on the girl, causing her to look up in surprise. "... Did you say something, Agent Bullock?" she responded quietly, her gaze meeting his.

"You haven't been acting normally this morning, and I need to know you're alright." He repeated, his brown eyes locking with her bluish-grey ones. "I'm not just asking for the mission, you know." he added, his tone a little warmer.

Indigo sighed, and looked away, unable to look at Jason. "I'm fine. I have to be, the mission depends on it. I've just got a case of jitters, that's all." She responded in a normal tone. "... and even if I wanted to tell you what was wrong, I don't know myself." she mumbled quietly, her voice low enough that Jason couldn't hear her.

Jason sighed, and sat back in his seat. "Well, if you do need anything, please let me know. Your health, mental and physical, is more important than any mission."

Indigo didn't respond, already looking out the window next to her again. The rest of the plane ride passed in silence, a tension in the air that hadn't been there before.

~

"We're over the drop off zone, over."

The crackle of the pilot talking over the intercom startled Indigo into action, with Jason not far behind. They both grabbed a parachute and stood at the back of the plane as the hatch slowly began to slide open, revealing the snow covered land below.

"Alright you two, I'll come back around in an hour to pick you up, radio me if you need a sooner pickup, over."

"Hey." Indigo looked over at Jason as he spoke, her gaze drawn to his. "I'll see you down there, okay?"
Before the girl could react, he was gone, jumping out of the airplane with hardly a sound. Indigo quickly followed suit, walking out and falling for roughly 500 meters before deploying her parachute.

The two of them landed safely on the ground, cutting their parachutes loose and shedding the empty bags. Hurrying toward to small building ahead of them, they used the frostbitten foliage to hide in.

"Follow me." Indigo whispered quietly, sneaking around the side of the building to to backdoor. Her agent sense was warning her something was off, but since she was unable to locate what was wrong, she was being as cautious as she could be.

Jason nodded, and followed his partner inside the building, drawing his gun at the same time. The two of them crept forward, keeping an eye out for their target.

"You go left, and I'll go right. Sweep the building and we'll meet up on the other side, okay?" Indigo whispered, drawing her silenced Glock and glancing at Jason. "Be careful, we may have checked this place out, but this seems to easy. We haven't seen a single guard yet."

Jason nodded, and disappeared into the shadows, while Indigo started toward the right side of the building. She checked the first two rooms, but both of them were empty. The woman frowned, sensing a trap. Entering into the last room silently, there was still nothing.

Suspicious. Very, very suspicious.

Making her way to the meet up point with Jason, she waited for her partner to arrive. When he arrived around the corner, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Nothing on your side?" she asked quietly as she made her way to him.

He shook his head quickly, looked at Indigo with concern. "You don't think it's a trap, do you?" he said quietly, voicing both of their thoughts. The female frowned, her grip unconsciously tightening on her gun. "I don't know. We should get out of here just in case, I don't aim to die on this mission."

Jason nodded, and they started back toward the back entrance of the long building, the silence stretching awkwardly between the two.

"Jason-" Indigo's low voice cut off as she collapsed, the phantom pain in her neck that had been bothering her since this morning flaring up, blocking out all other senses. The woman's eyes fluttered as she fought to stay awake through the pain, a low groan escaping through her lips.

"Indigo!" Jason let out a yell as he heard her groan, rushing to her side and dropping to his knees beside her. "Indigo, what's wrong?!" his tone was frantic as his hands fluttered uselessly over her twitching body. He didn't know what to do, his training had never taught him what to do if his partner collapsed with no warning or injuries.

The woman went limp, her mind growing foggy. Everything she knew was slipping away, her partner's voice fading away as the serum she had been unknowingly injected with last night took effect. Everything she knew was blocked from her conscious mind, all replaced by only one thought in her mind.

Kill him

All was silent for a minute, Jason hovering over his fallen partner and Indigo struggling to hold onto something besides the only thought she could focus on.

After a few long, agonizing moments of weakly struggling, Indigo froze, and gave into the only thought that she could remember. She had lost the mental battle, and was no longer in control over what she knew or did.

Pushing Jason away with one movement and standing with the next, she stared with blank eyes at the other agent. She drew her Glock and pointed it at him, her unseeing gaze focused on the target.

"I-indigo?" Jason stood slowly, raising his hands above his head as he realized she was pointing a gun at his head. He didn't understand what was going on, but he had to be careful or someone was going to get hurt. "Indigo... It's me, Jason? You know, your long-time partner at the agency? Please, this isn't you, I don't know what's wrong, but I want to help you." his tone was quiet, and soft, one similar to what you would use to soothe a troubled child. He had no idea what was going on, but she didn't seem to recognize who he was.

Agent Gunner didn't move, the gun's barrel shaking ever so slightly as she continued to aim it at Jason. "You are the target, and my job is to eliminate you." her words were robotic, a cold unfeeling tone that wasn't like her.

"Indie..." Jason's tone was pleading as he used the special nickname he had given her when they first started working as a team. "Please... I'm not the enemy here. Put down the gun, and we can talk this over. I promise, I'm not going to hurt you."

The female's eyes softened briefly at her nickname before hardening again, the slight bit of mental control she had regained fading again beneath the serum's fog. "You're lying to me. You are the target, and my job is to eliminate you."

A bit of hope glinted in Jason's eyes as he took a step toward Indigo, shortening the distance to 12 feet away from her. "I know you're still in there. This isn't you, I can tell you don't want to do this. Please, Indie... Come back to me. You don't gave to do this."

The girl's hand twitched, the subtle part of her that didn't want to hurt this man taking control for the briefest of instants. "I... " the word slipped from her lips as the gun in her hand started to tremble. Indigo battled for control of her own thoughts, some tiny part of her screaming that this was wrong.

Jason took a small step closer, his tone low as he spoke. "It's okay, Indie. I promise, no one is going to get hurt if you just put down the gun, and walk away." He took another step closer, causing the woman to flinch as he approached.

The gun in her hand trembled even more as he came closer,  coming to the point of full on shaking. Even if she fired off a shot now, it was unlikely she'd hit Jason.

End it

The new thought was pushed into her serum controlled mind, erasing the last one. Indigo slowly raised the gun to her own head, the small part of her that was still fighting telling her it was better to end herself than her partner.

Jason froze, his eyes widening as his partner rested the shaking gun against her own head. "Indie, please! You don't have to do this! Please, don't do this, it won't solve anything." The man edged even closer, knowing his only chance now was to wrench the gun away from her before she hurt herself, or worse.

Indigo slowly let out a shuddering breath, with the finality of knowing it would be the last she ever did. Her finger, resting on the trigger, tightened slightly, nearly pushing it past the point of no return.

Jason chose that moment to act, lunging at Indigo to knock the gun from her hand. Her eyes widened and the gun fell from her hand, hitting the floor with the sound of a muted shot. The woman's eyes widened in shock as she felt it. The bullet went through her right leg, completely shattering the bone.

"Indie!" Jason's yell seemed to reach the girl as if from a distance, the foggy feeling now from shock instead of a drug. Indigo fell silently, an unspoken plea on her lips as her gaze found his. He dropped to his knees beside the girl once more, fumbling for the walkie talkie on his belt. "We have a Code Alpha, I repeat, a Code Alpha. Agent Gunner is down, I'm requesting immediate pickup!"

His gaze fell to the woman as she struggled to breathe, the shock, blood loss, and sudden absence of the controlling serum making it hard for her to stay awake. "Indigo, you have to stay awake! Please, I've called for pickup, you have to stay awake until they get here!" Jason yelled frantically, his brown gaze meeting her bluish-grey ones.

She blinked slowly, struggling to reopen her eyes after every blink. "Jay... son..." she breathed, forcing the bubbles of air on her tongue into words. "I'm... sorry..." Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized what she had almost done to him.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, it wasn't your fault." Jason said in a low tone, mentally hating himself for not being able to stop her before she had been hurt. "Please, you have to hold on, just a little long-" he was cut off by the sudden sound of the plane outside, and the shouting of the retrieval team.

"That's our cue." he mumbled as he scooped her up carefully, heading outside at a light jog, careful not to jostle her. The gun was left to lay forlornly on the floor of the building.

Indigo dimly felt Jason hand her over to other, louder person, who then set her on a long, flat surface. She could no longer focus on individual words, or faces, the fog from blood loss starting to consume her.

"Please... Indie, you have got to hold on." The whispered words of her partner barely made it though the mental fog. She blinked once more slowly, and then no more.

___________________________________

Tehe
Been a while since I've written some good angst like this, kudos to ShadeFinder for pushing me to finish some writing for the November writing thingy.

Hoped ya liked it, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

//Fun fact, this oneshot was over 3000 words, even before the authors note//

Until next time,
~©@$$/@