Prompt: Electrocution

Focus Agent: Neon

Featured Agents: Reyna, Chamber, and Brimstone

Timeline: Aftermath of the "Shattered" cinematic

Summary: On the mission to infiltrate Omega-earth, Neon's suit was damaged. Neon's greatest fear comes true when her lack of control causes her to hurt a friend. 

Control

  "Control. The gift so many yearn to give you. The one thing you will never have."

Neon's skin prickled. Electricity zapped and sizzled up and down her body. Her fingers twitched nervously.

  "Come on. We can't be late meeting our extraction at Tango site."

Killjoy led them through the underwater city. If all of her focus wasn't centered on keeping her power contained, Neon would have her neck craned to the sky, or lack of it. What little she took in, Pearl was a sight to behold. 

A small bolt of lighting slipped from her grasp. It ricocheted off the wall before fizzling out. Reyna's eyes shifted from her Vandal scope to look at her. 

  "Control, Neon," the Mexican agent reminded her meaningfully. "Remember what Sage and I taught you."

Reyna and Sage didn't get along often due to their different opinions on violence and how the world runs. It was an interesting experience being trained by both of them. The one thing their teaching had in common was control. They both wanted to help her learn control. 

And Neon failed them both. 

Another zap of lighting escaped. Then another. Killjoy flinched as it landed a bit too close for comfort. Neon grimaced as she scrambled for a better grip. Her back and shoulders burned and throbbed from the explosion that destroyed her suit.

  "We're almost there!" Killjoy urged. "Just hold on a bit longer, Neon."

  "I... I can't!" Her arms glowed white and her eyes flashed blue. The air around her electrified and smelled of ozone. Neon collapsed onto her hands and knees, the charge building within her. "GET BACK!"

With an anguished yell, Neon released all the power within her in a burst of light and deadly energy. Her body lifted off the ground for a moment before dropping back down onto the cobblestones. Through her hazy, gray vision, she saw a yellow jacket diving for cover and a slim, magenta figure thrown into a wall. 

Crumpling to the floor, darkness swallowed Neon, but she only felt relief.

Neon groaned. Her entire body felt heavy and sore. She pried her eyelids open and blinked to clear the fog. A glass cube greeted her, nearly identical to the one built for her during her employment with Kingdom. 

The Filipina agent shot up in the bed, ignoring the rush it sent to her head. She calmed slightly at the sight of a familiar agent sitting in a chair outside her containment. The well-dressed man turned a page in his book. He was the very poise of relaxed, not even sparing a glance at her when he spoke.

  "You're quite safe here, mademoiselle. You and your team made it back to Alpha-earth after a successful mission, aside from a few unfortunate casualties." He looked up from his book at last to nod to her. 

Neon examined at her back as best she could. Her shoulders were covered in white bandages. Beneath them, her skin felt cool as if an ointment had been applied to the burns. She noticed a second later the absence of the golden pack.

  "Where's my suit?" 

  "Being repaired by our genius friend Killjoy as we speak. I gave her a few inputs I have gathered from our past partnership."

  "We weren't partners. Why are you here, Chamber?"

  "Sage prescribed constant supervision until you awoke. As she is otherwise indisposed, I volunteered. There may be bad blood between us, mademoiselle, but while we are part of the same team, we must look out for each other, non?"

  "Don't call me that," Neon grumbled, hating that he was being the bigger person in their feud. "Who is Sage taking care of? Was someone else injured?"

Chamber stilled. He closed his book and pushed his glasses up his nose. Dread sank in Neon's gut.

  "Ah, Madame Reyna may have been unable to avoid your little burst of electricity. Obviously, without a soul and being unconscious, Sage needed to step in." Noticing the young agent's horror, Chamber quickly added, "She's quite all right, I can assure you. She's in no danger and is resting as we speak, last I was told."

  Neon's tingling shoulders sagged in relief, yet tears of guilt stung her eyes. She swallowed thickly. "Thank you for telling me, Chamber."

  "Rest, Neon," she heard him murmur distantly. Her body eased back into the bed, her surroundings fading as her eyelids grew heavy. "You are safe here."

When she woke up again, she felt stronger and sharper. Chamber was no longer in the chair. The young agent swung her legs over the side and sat up in the presence of their captain.

  "Brimstone," she began, embarrassed by the rustiness of her voice. Wordlessly, Brimstone rose and placed a glass of water in the small compartment with two doors on either side. Once he shut his side, Neon opened the other end and accepted the water gratefully. It was dangerous to be around water while her inhibitors were gone, but that's what the containment cell was for. 

  "You doing all right, kid?"

  "How's Reyna?"

  Brimstone frowned at the sudden change of topic, but he answered, "Reyna's fine. Sage healed her and she woke up about half an hour ago. Chamber told me you were worried about her."

  "I hurt her."

  "It was an accident."

  "Exactly!" exclaimed Neon, frustrated. "I should be in control so that accidents don't happen. Reyna and Sage, they've been trying to teach me, but I can't do it. If I can't control my powers, I'm a danger to everyone around me."

  "And that makes you different from the rest of the team?"

  "Nobody else is a loose cannon."

  "I wouldn't say that," countered the commander thoughtfully. Whom he was thinking of, Neon could only guess. "You will learn control, Neon. Not everyone here has it as hard as you. No one else has to contain enough electricity to power an entire city block. With restaurants. And hotels, if I remember you correctly." He sent her a small smile. "You're stubborn and committed. I have no doubt you will figure out a way. Sage and Reyna are not giving up on you, and neither am I."

  Stunned by his kind speech, Neon could only whisper, "Thank you."

Brimstone nodded and clapped his hands on his knees before standing like the old man he was. Pulling a device from his pocket, he slid her phone into the box. 

  "Keep me updated on how you're doing. That's an order, kid."

  Neon touched two fingers to her temple in a salute. "Promise, Commander."

  "Hey. Thanks for visiting me earlier. I'm fine, don't worry. My suit had it worse, totally fried. Killjoy's working on repairs, but... I have to wait in a containment room that can soak up my extra volts. Kinda boring. If... if the lights flicker around the base... sorry! Um, anyway, as soon as the suit's ready, send me out. I want payback!"