The air felt cold such as everything around: the ground, the walls, her body. She could barely feel the warmth of the sand beneath her freezing hands. She breathed in and out, trying to keep her breathing under control. Her black clothes changed for a crimson red, the same red that was painting the metal ground and walls. She sat there, holding onto the remaining strength she had to evaluate her chances of survival. She rose her left hand with difficulty while the other held on tight to her injury. Her left hand snaked in her side pockets on her pants and grabbed a flask. She exhaled as she looked at it. She tore down a piece of tissues from her outfit and placed it in her mouth. Holding the flask, now opened, her breathing increased in anticipation of the pain that was to come once the liquid was to make contact with her open wound. Then, she poured everything all at once.

The door opened and yelling could be heard in the headquarters. Agents nearby were curious about the sudden outburst and they hurried to the voices, identifying Phoenix's. The yellings were moving to the huge meeting room. It was a room filled with screens and computers that they often used to bring all agents to discuss. In here, four people were shouting violently at each other about something.

"Why are we even hesitating?! We heard her! She's still out there!"

"So is the enemy. We can't just head there with no plan and no way to communicate with her," Viper answered to the British calmly.

"And leave a friend to die alone on the field?! Are you out of your mind?!"

Phoenix punched the wall next to him, trying to contain his anger to not jump on the one responsible for this whole situation. The latter had been silent ever since they landed, his expression even more serious than usual. He gritted his teeth as he was still not talking.

"Is that it, Brimstone?!"

The latter frowned, avoiding his eyes. "This situation pleases no one, Phoenix," he finally said. "But we have no idea how it is back there, we can't just head there without any knowledge."

The door of the gathering room opened and some other agents stood there. In the middle of them was a tall brown-haired man with glasses. He was neatly dressed as always, his suit closed enough to his body that it showed his muscular forms. His face was usually serious or playful but on this day, it showed a completely new expression. The always collected man was overcome with panic, fear, and anger. He could not believe what he was hearing or seeing.

"Where is [A/n]?"

The pain finally stopped but her wound was still burning. A few tears were still running down her cheeks, her vision still blurry as she watched the remaining alcohol from the flask run out on the ground, mixing with her blood. Eventually, she was able to think straight, taking control once more of her body. She took off her earpiece to examine it. She opened it and saw that some circuits were burnt. She frowned but one thing did give her hope of some possible communication with the protocol. She could still be heard.

"Brim, what's all this about? Why are there only four of you?" Killjoy asked.

They all looked down, unable to find the right words to say. Killjoy's hands shook, realizing what their silence meant, and bit her bottom lips to calm down. On the other side, Chamber did not try to prevent his words of anger towards the people in front of him.

"How could you leave someone behind like this?" he said, judging their actions.

"Watch your mouth, agent," Brimstone warned him, glaring at him. "We had no other choice. If we stayed, we could have all died."

"Without even trying?!" he shouted louder.

"You were not even there!" the commander yelled back. "You've got nothing to say, Chamber!"

"If she's captured by the enemy, we're more than in big troubles, Brimstone! So I've got every right to say something!"

Sova stepped in front of the French agent to ease down the situation. "He is right, Brimstone. [A/n] could be used by Mirror Earth to get information or worst."

Brimstone massaged his temples, his eyes closed. "I know. But I can't risk anyone else's lives when we know nothing."

"I'll go," Phoenix said. "I can't leave her like that."

Brimstone shook his head. "You won't be able to make a proper judgment of the situation if I send you back there again."

Their discussion became heated once more as they debated about who should go back to Rabat to pick her up. Killjoy, who stayed silent ever since then, noticed something. She glanced around, looking for something on the screens.

"Shush everyone!" She stepped forward, placing a finger in front of her mouth. "Can you hear that?"

Everyone stopped talking and listened carefully. "...to Valorant, can... hear..." a faint voice came from the speakers in the room. Killjoy hurried to the control panel and boosted the sound to the maximum. "What a stupid question, I can't hear you guys."

"That's [A/n]'s voice!" Astra exclaimed.

"What are we waiting for?! We know she's still alive and out there! Let's go!" Phoenix pressed on.

"Wait," Viper stopped him. "Let's hear what she has to say first."

"I hope I am reaching you guys or I'll be saying my last words to a wall, which is kind of sad," she chuckled but quickly caught, some blood spitting out of her mouth. "I'm," she started, hesitant, "heavily injured. I have been shot at by Mirror Phoenix that's why I haven't been able to reach you all to the airplane on time. I've stopped the bleeding for now with... what I had. It kind of burns like hell but you get used to it I guess," she snickered. She caught her breath then spoke again. "I'm still in Rabat. Right now, I'm hiding in the hallway next to B site, in elbow. I'm safe right now, I think, but Mirror Earth is still there."

People around the room frowned, scared to hear her next words. Chamber stood there without talking, his heart sank when he heard she was heavily injured. He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to dash out of here to head right to her. He could not bear the sound of her broken voice, of her drying voice.

"They have not reached me yet. But I know for a fact they have not all left. I don't know how long I can stay alive without being discovered or without... dying of blood loss. I will be waiting near the landing site and if, within forty minutes, I see no one," she paused, knowing that this news would not please everyone. She tried to find words that would make it sound as smooth as possible. "I will make sure no one can capture me."

Her words turned everyone's blood cold. Despite not saying the exact words they knew what she meant and it saddened them. It was impossible for Chamber to stay one more minutes listening to his partner's last words.

"Now that I said everything, if anyone could record my next words so it can be transmitted to everyone around the base. It will be my last words."

He dashed out of the room and made his way to the arsenal. Brimstone followed behind along with Phoenix.

Brimstone called out for the French agent but the latter ignored him. He opened the door of her workshop. The emptiness of the room suddenly hit him. There was no music, no tinkering, no yelling or singing. Her smell was barely present. It was as if she had never been there. Then, he noticed something out of place on her desk. It was a chess piece and more precisely, the queen. It angered him even more and he hurried to grab a vandal but Brimstone was quick to stop him. He glared back at the commander, Phoenix with Sage and Skye were right behind.

"Where should I start? It's not so easy, huh? Maybe I should start at the beginning," she pondered for a second, looking at the side, noticing the sun going down. "You should see the sky right now, it's beautiful. I remember when I first arrived here, Yoru surprised me balling my eyes out." She smiled as she was reminded once more of her encounter with the Japanese agent. "You were laughing at me first, saying I was a baby or whatever. I thought you were a piece of shit back then, not gonna lie. But, in the end, you stayed by my side, making stupid jokes to erase my sadness. You shouldn't hide your kind heart like this, Yoru," she chuckled. "Oh, and I remember the first time I tried to use the kitchen. What a disaster it would have been if Astra and Jett had not come to the rescue. You girls have always been awfully patient with me, giving great advice."

"Take off your hand, now," Chamber ordered, his voice cold and deep.

Brimstone did not move, instead, he tightened his grasp on his wrist. "I'm your superior here, Chamber. Don't forget that."

The French man broke free from his grasp and summoned his handgun. He pointed it at the face of the old man, his eyes filled with anger. Sage quickly tried to step in to ease the tension, being very cautious about the words she was using. "Chamber, lower your gun. Don't make the situation even more complicated than it is."

"Then, explain to me why we have not left for Rabat, yet?!" he yelled, still glaring at Brimstone, pressing him to respond.

The latter sighed, stepping closer, Chamber's cold golden gun pressed against his forehead. "I'm surprised someone as collected as you are is ready to jump without a plan."

"But we don't have time to waste!" Phoenix jumped in. "If we don't leave now, she's just gonna..." He could not bring himself to end this sentence. The truth was still difficult to admit.

"That's why we have to think quick," the commander added, still glaring at the French sniper.

She went on with her last words, a memory after the other popping in her head. She felt tears coming but she did her best to stop them. She did not want any pity from them, afraid that it will influence their judgment. "Who did I forget? Oh, right, Brimstone and Sage," she paused for a second to gather her thoughts. "I have no words for everything you two have done for me. I've lived longer and was able to meet all these amazing people thanks to you two." The five agents gathered in a hurry all the resources they needed to bring her safely home as she went on, seeing her life flashes before her eyes. "I don't think I was able to return about half of what you did for me on this day. Thank you again. Now, for my two best friends who made my days here unforgettable." She felt her heart tightening as she pictured in her head images of her time with Phoenix and Killjoy. "I wished I had more times to be with you. You are the best humans there exist. I also wished I had talked to you a bit more about myself. Maybe you'll hear my story after my funeral, if you do, please stay my friends even after I leave. I love you both so much." The airplane's engines were turned on and the agents were ready to take off. "I think I'm missing one person now and how could I forget you?" Chamber climbed in the ship, ready to save her, no matter what. "You've been the worst to me, being an asshole and enjoying driving me crazy. But look at you, taking an important place in my life now. At first, I would have never imagined even remotely appreciating your presence. And here I am now, asking to be by your side. Remember about that date I promised you? To the movies, was it? I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. I have tickets in my room, you can take whoever you want with you. They're for you, after all." She felt herself drifting away, she fought back the urge to sleep, knowing she should stop here. "Oh man, this is no good. I should get moving before I fell asleep. Thank you all for everything. I hope to see you soon, or at least, I wish you the best."

She ended the call, her numb body wanting to drive her to sleep for a painless end. For a minute, she wondered if it was not for the best. Maybe she could just sleep. It would stop her nightmares and the undying pain in her heart. Suddenly, she rose her hand, gun in hand, to her right. Turning her head, she saw a pair of very expensive shoes then, as she looked up, a very expensive suit. She chuckled as she finally was able to meet his eyes.

"Hello, Chamber," she said, her voice weaker than before.

"You are not looking so great," he said, his golden gun also pointed towards her.

"I have looked better, have I not?" she joked, struggling to keep her arm up. "Are you the grim reaper coming to bring me to hell?"

He chuckled and walked closer to her. "I can be the savior that brings you back to safety."

"If that safe place is back in Mirror Earth then that's a big no for me."

"You don't believe in me?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I know you're working with our Chamber so you would not try anything weird to break your contract with him."

Mirror Chamber rose an eyebrow, curious. "So you know we have made a deal?"

"It's pretty easy to guess in fact. And I saw you back at Chamber's castle."

"It is not a castle but yes, it was me. How did you know?"

She stayed silent for a second before answering. "You're just different."

He lowered his gun and crouched down next to her. She did the same, her arm falling heavily against the hard ground. "He was right when he said you had amazing instincts."

She chuckled. "He did? I'm honored to hear him say something honest about me."

The man next to her looked down at her wound. It was not pretty and was going to leave a nasty scar for certain. He frowned, only able to guess how much it must have hurt. "Are they coming to get you?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Then, you should follow me. I can hide you from my teammates. You'll be safe with me."

She shook her head, refusing to follow him. "I can't do that, Chamber."

He frowned, not understanding her reasoning. "Why is that? You will die here if we do not do something."

She shrugged, her head falling against his shoulder, her strength slowly leaving her. "Then keep me company until I'm certain that no one will come."

He stayed silent and listened to her demand. "You should not fall for someone like him, or rather, me."

"Oh, I know that," she admitted, looking at her hands covered in blood. "But I think it's too late."

"How long before we reach our destination?" Skye asked Brimstone.

"Ten minutes."

"Can't we hurry this up? We don't have that much time in our hands!" Phoenix pressed on. He walked around the ship, very stressed about making it on time.

Sitting in a corner, Chamber stayed silent, trying to not think of the worst-case scenarios. He could not afford to lose her.

"Someone's coming," [A/n] said.

Chamber placed a hand on top of her head, looking behind him at the sound of distant footsteps. "I'll distract them."

He was about to stand up but [A/n] grabbed his forearm, her blood spreading on him. "Don't. It'll be too suspicious if they discover that you were hiding me."

"What should we do then?"

The woman took a hold of her weapon and pointed it at him. "I'll make sure to make up for all this."

Chamber backed up a bit with a smile. "You better not die then."

"I see Rabat! We're getting there!"

"Any sight of [A/n]?"

"Back off or I shoot him!" With a gun pointed at Mirror Chamber's head, she advanced towards the landing side, passing all the Mirror agents.

"Well done, Chamber, getting captured by an injured agent," Mirror Phoenix made fun of him, pointing his gun at them.

He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "I do not think you have the right to say something, my friend." Phoenix clicked his tongue, not adding another word.

"There she is!"

Everyone's ears picked up at Sage's outburst and looked down. "Fucking hell, she's surrounded," Skye cursed, noticing the tense situation.

"Hey, who's that in front of her?" Phoenix noticed that she was holding hostage the French man. "Look at her, having a hostage! She is giving us an opportunity to save her, let's go!"

"Prepare for the landing, it's about to get rough!"

[A/n] was looking at the different agents in front of her, trying to come up with a plan to stay alive for just a few more minutes. "So, ma jolie, what are you planning to do now that you shot my hand and got yourself a handsome hostage?" Blood was pouring out of his right hand from [A/n]'s bullet. His suit was stained in red at this point, a mix of his blood and hers.

She chuckled, her hand holding her gun shaking. "I wouldn't mind keeping the handsome hostage alive, I wouldn't want to ruin this beautiful body."

"I'm sure this body is even better than your own Chamber's."

"Who knows? Maybe, maybe not."

"Would you like to find out?"

She rolled her eyes, his flirting behavior the same no matter which Earth. "Now's not the time to flirt with me, Chamber."

Mirror Chamber hummed in agreement, a smile on his face. "I apologize but it is always entertaining to tease you, [A/n]."

"I guess nothing much changes between our worlds."

He chuckled sadly. "I guess so."

Time was running out for her as she felt her legs giving up on her. She held onto his shoulder to not fall in front of the others so they would not take advantage of the situation. "My time is running out."

He stayed silent for a minute, becoming more serious now. "Do you have something to tell him?"

She tightly grabbed onto his vest, her legs shaking. She rested her head against his back, her skin turning pale. He smelled just like him. "Do I?"

"I can tell him what you told me earlier."

"Don't," she ordered him. "There are things that are better unsaid." She paused, her hand holding her gun falling to her side. She breathed him in, the smell of his cologne appeasing her mind. "Thank you, Chamber, for listening to me and for agreeing to dirty your expensive suit."

He smiled sadly, clenching his fists. "Anything for you."

But as she resolved herself to end her life herself, a sound kept the last flame inside her heart alive. She shot her head up and saw the protocol airship. She could not stop herself from smiling at the sight. Mirror Chamber let out a sigh of relief as he heard the engine of the plane from behind him.

"Fuck, backup is here!" Viper cursed. "Evacuate now!"

[A/n] released Chamber and started to shoot in the direction of the fleeing agents as the ship was getting closer to the ground. "I'll pay you back for sure, Chamber."

"I'll be coming back to you then," he said before teleporting someplace else with his cards.

The door of the airplane opened followed by a line of smokes that landed between the female agent and the Mirror agents. Gunfires were shot through the smokes, one bullet landing in [A/n]'s shoulder. She cried out from the pain and fell to the ground. Sage hurried to her and quickly used her healing to prevent any more blood loss.

"[A/n], Can you hear me?" Sage asked, trying to keep her awake.

"Yes, I can," she managed to say, her voice hoarse from the screaming.

"Stay awake, alright? We're here for you, so don't die on us now."

Despite her constant talking, [A/n] could not prevent her brain anymore from putting her to sleep. Her eyes slowly closed, the last image she saw was her Chamber calling her name in worry. With a smile on her face, she fell unconscious in the arms of the one she wanted to see the most.

_______________________________

Man I'm not going easy on you with the cliffhanger lately haha (and I love it)

Got the idea while listening to Die for you (music Riot made for the tournament thingy) and it was what started me writing this story :) It was a very hard chapter to write to be honest and I dunno if I really succeeded in conveying everything I wanted but I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless!