Prompt: Breakdown

Focus Agent: Killjoy
Featured Agents: Viper and Brimstone

Timeline: The destruction of Everett-Linde and before Chamber's recruitment

Summary: As the VALORANT Protocol investigates the tragedy of Everett-Linde, Killjoy becomes emotional over the deaths of her fellow scientists.

The Fracture

Viper kicked a rock into the pit. It clattered against metal until it hit what was left of the Radian Collider with a loud bang. Killjoy flinched at the noise. The disturbance created a ripple of energy, nothing more.

Viper hoisted her Phantom and gave the place an unimpressed look around. "Well, there's not much left of this place."

Killjoy couldn't muster up the energy to shoot her a glare, though she wanted to. The Everett-Linde Facility was quiet. Too quiet. Klara had never been here while it was operational, thanks to the tension between Kingdom and the VALORANT Protocol. She imagined it was just as busy and lively as the labs she used to work in. In her mind's eye, she could see the excited scientists working around the Radian Collider, their white lab coats billowing in the dry wind. Faces bright as they toed the edge of breakthrough.

Now the facility was eerily silent, not even a note of birdsong to fill the void. The only movement was the invisible breeze throughout the new ghost town.

Details were still a little unclear as to what happened. That's why Brimstone sent Killjoy and Viper to investigate. Kingdom had already come and gone, taking the survivors with them and abandoning the disaster to be forgotten.

Something had happened to the Collider, that much was obvious. From the shattered machine, a blue crack split the two biomes, one side desolate desert, the other a green forest. The divide continued farther than the eye could reach, leaving its potential damage to the imagination.

Viper had a device in her hand, one of Killjoy's own creation. It beeped rapidly as it read the contents of Radiantite in the area. While Viper had been doing their job, Killjoy had yet to move from her rooted spot. Her cheeks flushed with guilt.

"It's off the charts," Viper reported with some awe in her mechanical voice. "No doubt we'll have some run ins with the VALORANT Legion here."

She put away the device and began typing into the wrist computer on her suit. Killjoy had offered to make some upgrades, but Viper was adamant about no one touching her equipment.

"Since this may be a potential battle ground, we need to give it a codename." Killjoy could see her smirking behind her mask. Her green eyes flashed maliciously. "Hmm. Split is already taken. How about.. Fracture?" She entered in the new codeword, then looked at Killjoy for mock approval. "What do you think?"

"Is this some kind of joke to you?" the techie spat. "People died here."

Viper shrugged. "And soon more people will die here. Why get weepy over a few more?"

"Maybe because they weren't soldiers. They were scientists like you and I. We worked with some of them!"

"Emphasis on the past tense," Viper snarled.

"None of this affects you? How can you be so cold? Innocent scientists died here and we don't know who's responsible."

"They're not innocent. You and I know that better than anyone. As for what happened here," Viper flicked the safety of her Phantom off. "that's our mission, Little Mouse, so let's get back to it. You can go cry to Raze or Brimstone later."

Killjoy's face burned with rage and embarrassment as she glared at Viper's back. Tears pooled in her eye and she angrily swiped them away before they could smudge her glasses. Sparing one last glance down the pit at the broken Collider, Killjoy followed her partner.

They didn't find much. Kingdom had wiped as much evidence as they could find and it was too dangerous to approach the Collider. Although they left with more information than they had before, Killjoy couldn't help but feel failure as they returned to base. All those poor scientists and their families... VALORANT couldn't avenge them. Killjoy couldn't avenge them.

 * * * 

Klara left a voicemail in Brimstone's inbox a few days later. Brimstone didn't pick up often during work hours, but he always followed up either in person or a callback. Killjoy didn't care which, she just needed to get it off her chest. 

He came to her lab that night. Killjoy was burning the midnight oil, bent over her latest project. She could hardly work on it, tears blurring her vision, fingers tinkering idly on their own accord. 

A large, heavy hand rested on her shoulder while the other gently pried her invention out of her hands. Killjoy let her hands fall into her lap. She couldn't look up at him, knowing that if she did she wouldn't be able to hold it in.

"Klara." His voice–saying her name so tenderly and filled with concern–broke through her barriers. Tears slipped down her face as she raised her head. Liam's gray eyes were soft with a kind of love reserved only for her. 

Klara broke down.

She didn't care what Viper thought or what she would say about her crying over scientists they barely knew. Scientists who willingly worked for a corrupt company. Scientists who were just like her, exploited for their genius. Scientists who wanted to make the world a better place. 

Those gentle hands cupped her head and guided it to his broad chest, holding her close as she wept. 

No words were exchanged. None were needed. 

Killjoy just let it all out.

Notes: I'm gonna finish this one month challenge a year later, smh. Sorry it took me forever to finish this. Not my best work, but I kinda forgot where I was going with this. It was kind of fun making Viper so mean, tho. I usually explore her soft side, but she's still a very cold character.