VALORANT: Stories

Recombinant 020 (Various)

Recombinant 020

Pairings: Reyna x Sage / Viper x Killjoy / Fade x Neon

The process of their extraction was agonizingly dragging. Sage and Reyna were left with no choice but to lay low in the streets of Berlin when they were told they couldn't be picked up as soon as they requested. With Kingdom military personnel close by, they had to wait until the latter finished their shady investigation before the Vulture finally arrived.

Surprisingly, there was no agent onboard the Vulture. The only ones in the aircraft were the two pilots. One of them explained that Brimstone had just returned from his trip in Delhi and that his recruitment operation was one of the reasons for the delay of their extraction. Reyna handled the given cause with a nod and an urgent order to bring them back to headquarters as soon as possible.

The pilots nodded and gave their affirmative guarantee before Reyna could turn away and head to the back of the transport. She intensively observed Sage as the healer's eyes gradually left the black, hollow state it was subjected in, the violet tendril-like marks on her skin retreating back to the boy's hand.

Once soft brown eyes returned to visible existence, Reyna released a quiet breath before occupying the space beside Sage. It had been a fair struggle for the both of them when Reyna served as hers and Sage's eyes throughout their efforts in avoiding any encounter with Kingdom or any other civilian.

They didn't need to be singled out by the public for not only their rather bizarre choice of attire, but also for the singular Radiant child they rescued. Sage was cradling said child in her arms, who was clearly failing in fighting off the drowsiness that had been overcoming him since earlier. Ever since he came to fully realize that Sage was indeed trustworthy, he relaxed after sometime, but he didn't let up completely, or at least was still too afraid to release his hold on Sage.

Only at that moment did Sage regain her vision, and the feeling of rediscovering her natural ability to see was a wondrous yet terrifying experience.

Though she could now see and was fully aware of Reyna's presence beside her, neither of them said anything until the boy finally succumbed to the hands of slumber. They allowed more than just a couple of minutes to pass and let the child's sleep deepen a bit, talking to one another once they were sure the little one would not be roused awake.

"Mi corazón?"

"I am alright now." Sage replied, assuring Reyna that whatever the boy did to her eyes did not last any lingering side-effects. She brushed some of the blond hair aside, pinching a few tresses between her fingers before her eyes wandered to the part where the shadowy color of the child's skin could be found. "What have they done to him?"

The Vulture offered a decent amount of light, which allowed the two agents to have a much clearer view of the boy's appearance. Despite snuggling in Sage's arms, many things stood out, and each and every detail were audited by the couple with their own versions of pain and anger.

"Another child." Reyna murmured, her frustration towards the unspeakable things Kingdom might have done to the child palpable from her tone alone. "What is Kingdom doing with all these children? What are they hoping to gain?"

Sage didn't answer immediately. She continued examining the boy's features, noting particular traits that reminded her of two other agents in the Protocol. Even though she seemed to be far too preoccupied with her silent inspection, she had an answer in mind for Reyna's question.

Uttering it would send them both back to facing what happened recently. They've just fixed things between them and were thinking they'd never have to revisit the bitter memory of their tumultuous argument, but the reason behind these kids might just be connected to their resolved dilemma.