As she waited for Chamber to wake up, she decided to work out a bit. His gym was well-equipped, having everything one could wish for. She was used to going to the gym when she was upset, and she always felt great after a good workout session. After a good hour, she stepped out and was on her way to her room to shower and change. Suddenly as she was walking peacefully, her worries finally leaving her mind, she noticed something very strange from the corner of her eyes. She turned her head to what caught her eyes and saw the man she was waiting for talking to someone in the corridor she was told not to go to. She opened her mouth, about to call him, but something within her stopped her. She did not understand this strange feeling she was getting from looking at him from a distance but she knew to always trust her instinct, it had never failed her. She frowned and quickly walked away before he would notice her.

Chamber was going through some paperwork when he heard a knock before the door opened. He did not have to look up to know who it was. Just by the sound of his footsteps and his behavior as he walked in, he knew. He closed his eyes, trying to stay composed. He had not expected such a guest to arrive as he warned them to not come for the time being.

"I thought I told you I did not have time for you," Chamber said finally turning to look at his unexpected guest.

The man shrugged his shoulders, making himself home in the chair by his desk. "Désolé, frérot. You did not tell me you had a guest."

He rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall. "Because I did not plan to introduce her to you yet."

The man snickered, readjusting his thick-framed glasses that complimented his brown eyes. He crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. "Alright, other me. What do you plan to do with [A/n]?" Mirror Chamber asked.

Chamber smirked, sitting down at his desk. "You will see when the time will come."

"Keeping secrets, I see." Mirror Chamber looked annoyed but he knew himself, it was no use trying to get information on him. "Is she trustworthy at least?"

Chamber nodded. "If I'm doing this well, this should not be a problem. She might want to kill me at the end, but it'll be too late before she realizes."

"She seems like an interesting woman. You seem to be having your fun with her." Chamber frowned, unsure of what his double wanted to say by this. "I could help you, you know. She would not see the difference."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at the absurdity of a suggestion it was. "Find yourself someone else if you want to have 'fun'. You're just going to ruin everything."

"Are you scared she might like me more?"

He was starting to get on Chamber's nerves. He wanted to end this conversation quickly as he had better things to do. "I am just careful with her ability to sense danger. She might be able to differentiate us this way. And her instincts are... surprisingly sharp. So, don't ruin it and leave now."

"Whatever you say," Mirror Chamber finally said before stepping out, his smile never fading. 

It was difficult to work with someone else especially when this 'someone' is you. You know yourself better than anyone would which makes it more difficult to fully trust yourself - or another you. Chamber wrapped things up in his office and hurried to join [A/n]'s side before something went wrong. He reached the main entrance and saw her leaning against the wall as she looked outside through the window. Her back was facing him and he thought of giving her a scare but she noticed him as soon as he closed in.

"Took you long enough." She seemed more distant than usual. He suspected that her lack of sleep was the reason for her negative mood.

Chamber placed both hands on her shoulders and leaned closer. "Mes excuses, ma princesse. I had some urgent things to take care of."

She rolled her eyes and turned her head. He saw the bags under her eyes and frowned. He heard from his steward that she had woken up around three in the morning and knowing how late they fell asleep, it worried him to see her this way. It had been a long time since he wanted to ask her more details about her insomnia but he was afraid it would upset her.

"[A/n]." She hummed when he called her name, a faint smile featured her face. "Did you have trouble sleeping? You were not in bed with me when I woke up."

She looked away, her eyes distant. "Yeah, I had some... unpleasant dreams. It has nothing to do with you or the bed! You're both very comfy," she joked, chuckling at her humor.

He could not help a smile to form on his face at her comment but he quickly dismissed it to keep a serious atmosphere between them. "Do you want to talk about it?" He felt her froze in place at his question and she appeared nervous all of a sudden. "Maybe I can help you release a bit of tension."

"I appreciate it, Chamber, but," she paused, clenching her fists to keep her cool, "I'm fine."

"You're clearly not. There's no point in lying when you look so... sad."

She glared at him, stepping away from him. "I'm telling you, I'm fine," she insisted, her tone deeper.

He did not like how this conversation was turning but he needed an answer. If not now, he would never be able to get information out of her. "I'm here for you, alright? I just wish to help you."

"Then, don't talk about it!" she shouted, pushing him away. Her attitude changed totally to something Chamber was not used to. He never actually saw her being mad. "I've got every right to keep my secrets. Don't you agree, Chamber?" she said, gritting her teeth. She was very defensive now, refusing to let him get a glimpse at her secrets.

He hated this tone she was using. "I would not play that game with me if I were you. You will regret it."

She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "And what are you planning to do then? Throw me away once I'm not useful anymore? I'm sure you're used to it."

Did she guess his plan already? It would not surprise him but it was quite inconvenient. "I always get what I want, [A/n]." His voice was deep and his eyes cold, lacking this worry they bore just a minute ago. "Or should I call you [F/n]?"

Instinctively, she reached behind her back and immediately pointed her gun to his face. Chamber backed a bit, surprised she had a gun on her. She probably hid it with her ability. He rose his arms and glared back at her. "Say that name one more time and I won't hesitate to shoot."

He started to feel nervous as he lost control of the situation. "I would advise you to stop that right now." He looked behind her and saw Frédéric ready to take action if something was to happen. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Are you underestimating me?" She stepped closer, making him back away.

"I certainly do not," he assured her. "But you are at my house and at any moment this situation can turn against you. So, please, put this gun down."

[A/n] gritted her teeth, her eyes clouded with anger. They stayed like this a few more seconds before the woman cursed and lowered her gun. Chamber finally relaxed, putting his arms down. He extended a hand to her but she violently pushed it away before dashing outside. He rolled his eyes, keeping his anger in check then followed her, but as he passed the door she was nowhere to be found. He cursed her camouflage ability and returned inside, having no more energy to waste. This woman was a pain in the ass, he thought.

[A/n] arrived at the base, her fists still tightly clenched, her fingers turning white. She stormed down the hall, hoping to not meet with anyone on her way. Flashes of her conversation with Chamber started to play in her mind, infuriating her even more. She punched the wall next to her, unable to contain her anger. She winced in pain, holding her fist. The woman tried to control her anger but the whole situation drove her mad to no end. She hated people poking their heads where they were not supposed to. He did some research on her without her agreement. Her past was something she tried to hide like many people around here. She knew Cypher was already aware of many things about her but at least he did not hide it from her. She rested her forehead against the wall, bitting down her lips to ease her nerves. But then, she heard a familiar voice call out for her.

"Oh, [A/n]! You're back earlier than I thought, girl," Phoenix said as he walked closer to her. "How was Paris?"

She heard his footsteps getting closer to her from behind and she straightened up to not look suspicious. "Great," she said, her voice sounding harsher than she intended.

Phoenix frowned, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You alright, girl? Did something happen?"

She flinched under his touch, remembering Chamber. "Nothing. I need to go. See you."

[A/n] walked away without addressing another word. The fire agent called out to her but she did not answer and locked herself inside her workshop. She slid down the door and hit her head against it to make her forget. He was stuck in her mind, no matter how hard she would hit this door, he kept appearing. All of a sudden, as she opened her eyes, she saw him standing there looking at the guns neatly organized. He picked one of them and inspected it. The woman froze in place, staring at this figure. It shrunk and shrunk. The silhouette of a man became a silhouette of a child. Then a devilish laugh echoed in the room and the figure of a child turned to her. It was the ghost of her dreams.

She knew him. Who was he? 

He was there. Where? 

He died.

He shouldn't be here! 

The child pointed the gun at her and shot. She laid on the ground, avoiding the bullet. The sound deafened her, her ears ringing. He readied to shoot again and she made a run for her gun at her desk. She pointed it at him, her hands shaking, making it impossible for her to aim properly. His smile looked like the devil's grin as he rose his arm once more. Then, she shot.

And again. And again. She kept shooting but he was still standing, the bullets going through him. He pulled the trigger once more and she screamed in horror, closing her eyes, the gun falling on the hard ground. Her door was suddenly opened and footsteps hurried to her.

"[A/n]! What is happening?!"

"No! Leave me alone! I didn't do it! Please!"

"[A/n]! What's wrong with you? Can you hear me?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

She did not hear the voices of her worried teammates as they tried to hold her while she struggled to break free from her demons. "Brim, what's wrong with her?"

The commander frowned, not having a clue on how to handle the situation. Sage was not here to help them this time, he had to do something. "Did something happen when she arrived here?"

Next to him, Phoenix tried to grab her arms. "I dunno! She was really weird when I saw her in the corridors! I followed her here and heard gunfires! [A/n], girl, wake up!"

Killjoy had a scowl on her face as she saw her best friend having a crisis. She knew he had to be the reason it happened as he was not with her. She stepped out of the room and tried to reach Chamber, but to no avail. She cursed and regretted even thinking it was a good idea to let these two get closer. It was obvious that he did not care about her. She hated herself for letting this happen as she heard her friend's screams of pain. She was emotionally unstable, and someone playing with her feelings was the worst thing that could happen to her.

Chamber had not shown himself all day which was both good and bad. Good because [A/n], who finally fell asleep, did not have to see him, bad for her two close friends who wanted to have a word with him. Killjoy and Phoenix stayed by her side in her bed to check on her if she needed to. Now and then she would wake up in sweats, mumbling apologies to someone who was not here. They had never seen her like this and Brimstone refused to give more details about what happened. He knew more than he would lead on. After all, Brimstone and Sage were the ones who went to recruit her back then, so they must know something that no one else knew. However, they could not bring themselves to ask her when they saw how it could drive her insane. 

On the other side of the headquarters, the commander was worried about her condition. The mission was closing in and she was supposed to be at the center of this operation. He sat at his office and sighed, looking over backup plans just in case. He knew she would recover but it was bad enough this time that she had hallucinations. He heard a knock at his door and told whoever it was to come in. He massaged the bridge of his nose and looked up to his guest.

"Did you need me, Brimstone?" the man dressed in white asked.

"Cypher, your timing is perfect. I do need you."

Cypher sat down in front of him as the commander pointed to the chairs. "I'm not sure if I'll be useful to you as it's probably about Chamber. I can't wrap my hands around this guy."

"I just need you to be on the lookout. I'm afraid he's planning on using one of our agents. I need to know when he is around [A/n]."

The Maroccan agent nodded, already aware of the situation. "I have seen them growing closer but I did not see anything out of the ordinary, until now," he explained to his superior. "I'll make sure nothing goes wrong."

__________

"Mes excuses, ma princesse." = My apologies, my princess.