Prompt: Captured

Focus Agents: Neon and Yoru

Timeline: Fade is the most recently joined agent at number 20

Summary: This is why Brimstone ran kidnapping drills. Neon and Yoru compete to protect the other from harm while in the hands Yoru's enemies.

Notes: Neon and Yoru are my two favorite agents in lore (my actual main is Killjoy). I love the hints of a sibling relationship they have in game. And I wanted at least one day to have two focus agents. It took so long to write this one because I couldn't decide who the bad guys were gonna be. And my space bar keeps sticking.

Protect You

Yoru woke up slowly. As he returned to consciousness, he kept his eyes closed a bit longer and used his other senses to get his bearings. 

He was laying on his stomach, his cheek pressed against the cold, slightly damp floor. He had been sprawled there for awhile, his face and fingers numb although the rest of his body ached. The air smelled dirty and stale like he was underground. He could hear rhythmic drips of water hitting the floor. Aside from that, there was no other sound. He wasn't restrained, but he certainly was not in friendly territory.

Finally, Yoru cracked his eyelids apart. He was greeted by a concrete wall and floor. Puddles of water gathered from where it dripped from cracks in the ceiling. It was dark, but with enough dim electric light to see. As his eyes adjusted, a noise escaped him when his head throbbed. Probably a concussion. 

A small whisper pierced the silence and Yoru's heart froze in horror.

  "Kuya? Are you awake?"

  No. Not her. 

Careful not to aggravate his injury, Yoru slowly rolled over to find Neon propped up against the wall. Aside from the disoriented look they probably shared, she seemed unharmed. 

  "Neon," he groaned. "Are you okay?"

  "Better off than you." Yoru took comfort in the fact her strong attitude was still intact. "Your head is bleeding."

  Yoru raised a gloved hand to the side of his head. It came away covered in sticky crimson with flecks of amber crystal. "Don't worry. Sage says head wounds bleed a lot. It looks worse than it actually is."

  "You got hit with a bat," the Filipina agent deadpanned. "You're probably concussed."

  She crawled to his side and held up her pointer finger, watching the way his pupils dilated. "Yep. Definitely concussed."

  "Thanks."

  "Don't mention it." She sat against the wall again. Yoru moved his hands underneath him when Neon's sharp glare made him stop. "Don't move. We don't know how bad it is."

Reluctantly, Yoru relaxed on his side. It was only then he noticed the blue wall of energy cutting them off from the other half of the room with the only door. Convenient. 

He could probably send a teleport through the force field. From there, he could figure out a way to shut it down and get them both out of here. 

Ignoring the pounding in his skull, Yoru concentrated on finding a rift. He reached for it to rip into it and create a teleport. He felt nothing, like he was grasping empty air. He tried again to no avail. 

  "Neon, can you summon your lightning?"

  The young agent concentrated for a moment, then shook her head. "No. It almost feels... muted. Like I can feel my lightning is still a part of me, but it's distant, out of reach. I suppose that's a good thing because they damaged my suit in the fight."

  "Not many things can suppress Radiance. Maybe it's Kingdom or the VALORANT Legion who has us."

  Neon raised a dark eyebrow. "You don't remember? That's concerning. It wasn't Kingdom or Omega Earth who captured us. It was a third party."

Yoru searched his memory. He and Neon were part of the scouting team in Tokyo, Japan. Yoru had been assigned because he knew the territory best. Fade had intel that the VALORANT Legion had plans to attack Kingdom Headquarters, codename Split, for radiantite yet again. Since Kingdom and the VP were not on friendly terms, they had to be stealthy. 

He and Neon had been paired together, taking the streets. After that, the details were a little foggy, but slowly became clear as pieces returned to him. A dart had hit his neck before he and Neon were surrounded by a Japanese gang, one Yoru recognized from his past. They fought back, but something–he now knew it was a bat–cracked against his head and everything went black.

  "Why didn't you run?" Yoru demanded. "You're faster than them. You could have reached Fade and Astra."

  "Because once you got knocked out, they put a gun to your head and threatened to kill you, idiot. I surrendered and they injected me with something. Then I woke up here seconds before you."

  "So they drugged us. Shit, I know who these guys are."

  "Who?"

Before Yoru could answer, they both perked to the echo of footsteps approaching the door. Neon scrambled to her feet and Yoru followed suit more slowly, ignoring Neon's disapproving glare.

  "Listen, Neon. Let me do all the talking. Don't say anything. Don't draw attention to yourself. These guys are dangerous and I think I know what they want." 

  Neon shook her head. "No way. You're injured. Brimstone's protocol says..."

  "I know what Brimstone says!" Yoru snapped. "Just trust me. Please."

The door banged open before Neon could agree or more likely continue protest. Yoru instinctively stepped in front of her, glaring at the men who filled the room. A tall, burly man covered in scars stepped forward. Yoru assumed he was the leader. 

  "Ryo. Welcome home. It's been a long time since you've been spotted in Tokyo."

  "Well, I've been busy dealing with threats far bigger than you."

  The leader smiled. "And in doing so, you left your beloved city for the likes of us to flourish. Why? Why abandon your mission?"

At this, Yoru sealed his lips in a grim line. The VALORANT Protocol was still kept secret from the public, and Yoru be damned if he was the one to compromise it.

  The Japanese man huffed at Yoru's defiance, but played it cool. "See, Ryo, there have been rumors–nothing concrete and very little evidence to support–that Radiants have been running around bombing from Kingdom sites and prominent cities. Everyone has seen what happened to Venice and the Radiants responsible. Shortly after that catastrophe, you disappear." He stepped up close to the shield barrier and stared straight into Yoru's brown eyes. "I remember specifically you defending other Radiants like yourself. Are the Radiants planning an uprise? Is that what was so important that you would leave your little vigilante crusade behind?"

  Instead of answering, Yoru demanded, "Who are you? I know your gang, but not you."

  The man spread out his hands. One particularly deep, white scar on his face reflected the light of the energy wall, giving him a sinister look. "My name is of no importance, but you may know me as The Oni. And you, Ryo, are the Blue Samurai. You tore down my operations, and I will have my revenge."

He nodded and four of his buff goons surged forward. The wall came down and both agents were grabbed before either one could move. Two men held Neon back while the two others dragged the Riftwalker away.

  "Wait!" shouted Neon as she struggled uselessly. "Ryo doesn't know anything. I've been part of the Radiant operations much longer."

Yoru shot her a glare that screamed "Shut up". Her claims weren't even true. 

  The Oni smiled at her as if he were humoring a child. "And would you willingly spill such secrets? I think not."

  "He won't talk."

  "I don't need him to. Be patient, my dear. It'll be your turn soon enough."

 * * * 

Neon paced the small space for hours. Her gold nails were chipped and worn from nervous chewing. In the unbearable silence, she could hear Yoru's screams, though she was unsure if they were real or her imagination. 

As she waited impatiently, Neon tried to summon her lightning. A power she was once so afraid of, now she was afraid to be without it. She reached deep within and grasped at her radiance. Each time, the power slipped through like water and slithered away. Neon nearly screamed in frustration.

After what felt like an eternity, footsteps marching down the stairs echoed outside the door. Neon paused her pacing and stood tense, eyes glued to the door. 

A pair of the Oni's goons dragged a beaten and bloody Yoru inside the basement and across the floor. Sending Neon a warning look, one of the men turned off the energy wall and the other threw Yoru's limp form in with her. The wall returned before he even hit the floor. 

Neon collapsed onto her knees beside him and assessed his injuries. His jacket that he was so proud of was torn and bloodstained. It hid most of his potential injuries. Along with his head injury, he now sported a black eye, swollen and cracked lip, and a myriad of bruises and cuts. 

 "Yoru? Kuya?" Neon called softly, resting a cautious hand on the older man's shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

 A grunt responded, granting Neon some relief. With gentle hands, she helped him roll onto his back. 

  "You idiot. You should have let me handle them. Brimstone's capture drills instructed that the the most unharmed agent is to take the brunt of the interrogation."

  "They don't want information." Yoru's voice sounded thick from his abused lips. He spat a glob of blood and saliva onto the concrete floor. "I told you, I know what they want. They want revenge."

  "On you," Neon finished. "Why?"

  "They operate in every kind of illegal trade you can think of: drugs, weapons, you name it. But they specialize in Radiant trafficking. They identify and kidnap Radiants and sell them to the highest bidder."

A chill ran down Neon's spine. She knew as well as any Radiant that the world was unkind to those who gained powers from the First Light. They weren't seen as humans anymore, but as something alien. Still, the true extent of the prejudice didn't feel real until now, staring her in the face.

  "Before the VP, I was a vigilante here in Japan," Yoru continued. "I took down drug and weapon deals, but my main focus was the Radiant trafficking rings. I took them down before I left, but it seems they have risen again in my absence."

  "It's not your fault," Neon assured him softly. "You know how dangerous the threat we now fight is."

  "I know. I'm just... angry that I left my mission unfinished. I don't think it will ever be finished."

  "What mission is that?"

 Yoru didn't answer. A cough made him groan and wrap an arm around his ribs.

  "Give me a run down."

  "Still concussed, a few broken ribs, broken fingers, a sprained wrist, and a shit ton of bruises and cuts." 

  "What did they do?"

  Yoru's brown eyes looked into hers. The normally cold and angry look in them was now soft and gentle. "Don't worry about it. Let's focus on how we're going to get out of here."

  Neon huffed, but let it go. "It would be a lot easier with our radiance. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss my lightning."

  Yoru hummed in agreement. "The drug is still in our system. I think it suppresses Radiance. These guys aren't smart enough to develop it themselves. I think they must have bought it from the black market and that's how their Radiant trafficking ring was able to rise again so fast. They'll have to give us another dose eventually."

  "What about comms? Trackers?" 

  "First thing I checked. Missing and fried. Yours."

  "Same," Neon grumbled. "Then I guess all we can do is sit and wait for the others to find us."

  Yoru scowled, but there was barely any heat behind it. His eye lids were fluttering. "I hate waiting." His words were quiet and slurred together.

  Neon crawled by his head and ever so carefully placed it in her lap. Her fingers ran through his spiky black and blue hair, combing through the matted blood. "Me too, kuya. Me too."

Despite her attempts to sooth and comfort him, Neon tried to keep him awake through talking. She wasn't as talkative as Killjoy or Raze and eventually she ran out of things to say. 

The peaceful silence was abruptly interrupted by the now familiar echo of boots on stairs. Neon's head perked up and she braced herself, a powerful sense of protectiveness surging. Yoru mimicked her movements albeit sluggishly. His gloved hand gripped her wrist warningly. 

  Neon ignored it and scowled at the men who filled the room. "What do you want?"

 The Oni stepped forward. "I'm sure your partner has already figured it out, though revenge on him is only part of the prize. See, those questions I asked earlier were not rhetorical. If there is indeed a Radiant uprising, my crew and perhaps all of humanity is at risk." He squatted down to be eye-level with Neon. "I don't care about the entire world, but I have... a business with a high demand for Radiants. A Radiant uprising would be bad for business. And if it's important enough for Ryo to abandon his war..." He shook his head disapprovingly, letting his sentence hang unfinished.

  He straightened and towered over the two agents. "I want to know what you two kids are a part of and if it's going to affect my operations here."

  "We won't talk."

  The Oni shrugged. "I assumed as much. You both look tough and are probably trained for situations like this. Even if I don't get the answers I'm looking for, it will be enough to watch Ryo suffer."

 Neon's grip on Yoru tightened, though careful not to aggravate his wounds. "I won't let you touch him again." Her voice was low and dangerous. If she could, her eyes and arms would be glowing and sparking.

  The Oni just looked amused. "All in good time. I did say you would have your turn, girl."

At this, Yoru struggled to sit up, a desperate and furious look overcoming his pain. The blue energy disappeared and like before two buff goons walked in and gripped Neon's arms. 

  "Get your hands off her!" Yoru snarled. He managed to get one foot under him and rise onto one knee. His efforts proved futile when one man planted a boot on his chest and knocked the beaten young man down.

The Filipina agent calmly let herself be dragged away from Yoru and into the other half of the room. The wall returned, cutting them off from each other. 

Instead of taking her upstairs, Neon was forced onto her knees in the middle of the room. They were going to torture her in front of Yoru. Neon mentally cursed them in every Tagalog curse she knew. Nanay would throw her tsinelas if she could hear her thoughts right now. 

  "What are you waiting for?" demanded Neon when no one made a move. "Do it already!"

The one merely glanced at her and his lips slowly curled into a smile.

People were coming down the stairs, their steps sounding slow and heavy. There was a liquid sloshing sound. 

Two men emerged carrying a metal tub between them. They set it down before Neon and the movement caused water to spill over the sides. A pair of hands squeezed each shoulder and panic suddenly seized Neon's heart. She wasn't exactly afraid of water, but only of the consequences when her and water combined. 

  "Wait," was the only thing Neon was able to get out before her head was shoved under the freezing water. The cold shocked what little air was in her lungs and water flowed into her mouth. She twisted and struggled against the hands holding her down. Her hands slipped on the rim of the tub. 

Her chest burned, her throat hurt, it was dark, and she couldn't hear anything other than her frantic heartbeat. 

Just when she was about to slip into blissful unconsciousness, there was a roar of water and her head was yanked out into open air. 

Neon slumped against the tub, to tired to do anything other than breathe and cough up water. Everything was blurry and distant as if her head was still underwater. She could hear Yoru screaming, but couldn't understand what he was saying. He was banging his fist against the energy wall. Huh, looks like it's not electrified. 

As breath returned to her, Neon's surroundings sharpened. 

  "You bastards!" Yoru was shouting. "I'm the one you want. Leave her alone!"

  "Kuya..." The nickname came out in a raspy cough, barely enunciated and scraping against her raw throat. Yoru heard it anyway and his rage softened.

  "Shhh. Don't speak, imouto." Yoru only called her that when he's worried. "Just breathe. It will all be over soon."

  The scarred face of the Oni came into view as he crouched beside her. "He's right. This will all end if you just answer my questions. Who do you work for?"

Neon shook her head and regretted it when the room spun and her head felt light.

  "Why are you bombing cities and Kingdom sites? What is your end goal?"

Neon spit water and saliva in his face. 

  Enraged, The Oni stood and wiped his face. "Dunk her again."

  "No!"

This time, Neon was prepared and held her breath before she was submerged again. The freezing temperature was not as shocking, but still felt like a cold slap to the face. 

They held her under for longer this time. Neon remained calm until the minutes ticked by and the bubbles around her face grew tinier and fewer. Her struggles were weaker and her torturers were unrelenting. 

Finally, they pulled her back up again.

Yoru wasn't screaming this time. He was begging. Neon never thought she would see the day Yoru would beg. 

  "Please stop," Neon wheezed. Her breaths were wet and shallow. 

  The Oni placed his ear closer to her blue lips. "What was that, sweetheart?"

  "Stop."

  The gangster grinned triumphantly. "So you are ready to answer my questions. You broke sooner than I thought."

  Neon put as much heat in her glare as she could muster. "Not... talking. I'm warning you."

  The Oni rolled his eyes. "You're hardly in a position to make threats." He nodded to his men. "We can do this all night until you talk."

  Realizing their captor wasn't going to listen, the panic returned. "Wait! You don't under–"

They shoved her head underwater again and Neon screamed.

 * * * 

Yoru never felt so helpless. His pleas fell on deaf ears, so he could only watch the girl he thought of as a little sister suffer. Like a pot boiling over, Yoru was a mixture of overwhelming emotions: rage, fear, guilt, and other feelings he couldn't describe.

He understood why Neon was so afraid. She wasn't scared of anything except of herself. Even unable to access her powers, Neon still warned their kidnappers of the potential threat. Or maybe she knew something he didn't.

Trying to ignore the painful sounds of Neon losing oxygen, Yoru searched for signs. If he hadn't been watching, he would have missed the white sparks at her fingertips. They were weak at first, but they gradually began to build a charge. Yoru glanced at the water covered floor and his heart sank with foreboding. Neon's suit was damaged and there was nothing to protect them from what's to come. 

The gangsters failed to notice the danger, too occupied with their fun. When Neon's muffled scream broke through the water, Yoru knew their time was up. 

He immediately reached into the rift and placed the Samurai mask around his mouth and nose before entering the dimension. Through the blue tinge, Yoru witnessed the powerful surge of electricity explode from Neon. It slithered through the water, killed the power, and knocked men to the floor, spasming and writhing. 

In seconds, it was over. 

Deeming it safe, Yoru removed his mask and returned to the physical dimension. Out of the rift, the room was pitch black aside from an occasional spark from the lightning Radiant. 

  "Neon, are you all right?"

  The long stretch of silence caused Yoru's worry to grow. Then there was a cough and a raspy whisper, "I'm here. I'm fine."

Yoru inched closer, following the flickers of light. "Can I touch you? We need to get out of here before more of them show up."

  "Yeah. I should be good."

Yoru grabbed the girl's arm and helped her stand, ignoring the small electric shock that zapped him upon contact. Supporting each other, they climbed up the stairs together to the ground floor. 

  "Listen," Neon breathed suddenly.

Gunfire echoed from outside. 

  "That must be Astra, Cypher, and Fade," Yoru realized.

  Neon's shoulders slumped with relief. "They found us."

  "Yeah."

Their nightmare was over.

Translations:
Kuya – Big brother (Tagalog)
Nanay – Mother (Tagalog)
Tsinelas – Sandals (Tagalog)
Imouto – Little sister (Japanese)