Chapter Text
"You're sending me away."
Sage has a hard time containing the hurt in her voice. In front of her, Brimstone looks guilty, but unflinching. Underneath the desk, Sage's fingers grip the edges of her robes as she tries her best to push down the quiver in her lip and the betrayal in her chest.
"I'm not, Sage," he assures her, voice soft. "I'm just giving you leave for a week."
He says it like it's a self-evident fact and not just an excuse to force her off the field; he has already asked her, and she has already refused. But Sage knows he's doing it for good reasons and it's making her not want to argue, because he genuinely cares about her and about the protocol. She feels the guilty prickle of ice on her jaw, right where the crystals bite into her skin. She should be resting but she cannot bring herself to. Not when they're under attack.
So Sage would at least like to pretend to fight his decision. For dignity's sake. She swallows thickly to still her voice and smooths out the crumpled fabric over her thighs.
"Do I have a choice?"
That seems to catch him off guard; he blinks, twice, then presses his mouth into an apologetically thin line. "I would rather have you agree right away, so we can spare ourselves the trouble."
Sage knows what this means. This is her last chance before he pulls rank - or worse.
"Can I at least ask why? With the Legion being this active, is it really a good idea to send me away?" You just came back from the dead, she almost wants to add, but decides to keep her tone respectful. You only have two radiant healers. So why me and not you?
"They're slowing down, I'm hoping it's because they're running out of steam," he confides. "In all of our most recent reports, it's the same four names, over and over, so we think something happened on their side. Mutiny, maybe. Cypher and Fade are working on getting us more intel."
Something had changed, that much is obvious. But Sage had been so busy in the medbay, so exhausted by every resurrection that she hadn't paid close attention to those details. Just to how much more gruesome the injuries she had to stitch back together had become, since the sanctuary.
"The last two attacks were nine days apart, which is why I'm only giving you a week," he explains when she does not reply.
"Are you sure you want to gamble this on intuition?" she asks.
She knows him too well to believe that's it. One week with him and Viper as sole leaders is begging for another knife in his back, without her to keep it together - the figurative wound, of course, and also the people who still count on her to bring them back from the dead each time they put their lives on the line. Especially now, because Sage is good at reading people, and she notices things, so she has noticed how differently they all look at Viper. Not enough for a mutiny of their own, of course, but the atmosphere gets just that much more tense when she's around - that's probably why Sage doesn't see her come out as much anymore.
Brimstone pauses for a second, studying her face. She doesn't flinch, doesn't shy away from his gaze. "What is the real plan, Brimstone? If you don't want me to fight it, at least give me the truth."
Finally, he sighs and reaches under his desk, pulling out two thick folders that he then puts on the desk in front of her. They're unmarked, but blue - agents evaluations, she deduces.
"I want to test Sova and Skye as leaders in real conditions, so they'll be taking on your responsibilities during the week, without you as a safety net," he explains. "That's why I need you off the base."
She feels like she's just been punched in the gut.
"You're training replacements."
It hurts, but it makes sense. As much as she would like to keep ignoring it, her condition is worsening; she can't blame the pragmatic leader for making a pragmatic decision. His exemplary levelheadedness is why she chose to follow him in the first place. Sage's gaze is fixed on the files, studying the loose pages that stick out of the pile; she knows her own handwriting is on quite a few of them. She doesn't even realize her arm moved until she feels the prickle of ice under her fingertips. She tucks her hair behind her ear to play it off, though she knows it will not deceive anyone in this room.
"Yes and no," Brimstone stops her, obviously aware of her train of thoughts. "It's true that this is in response to what has happened to both of us recently, but my main goal is to bring more agents to the top. We're getting big, Sage, we need more help if we don't want to keep running ourselves ragged. Sova and Skye are responsible people and have both shown great leadership on the field, but they haven't really managed teams without any of us three looking over their shoulders. I hoping to rearrange some of the responsibilities after your leave to make this protocol a five-seater."
She nods, still processing. It all makes sense, except one detail. "I understand Skye will take on my role, but what about Sova?"
Brimstone's stone facade cracks, and suddenly, he looks like a child caught in the act.
"Well..." he seems to struggle to find his words for a few seconds. Sage squints at him, suspicious. "Sova will be replacing Viper. She's... leaving with you?"
She just stares at him. He places another folder in front of her - thinner, this time, and the first paper on the stack is a hotel pamphlet.
"I've arranged for you two to stay on a resort for the week," he continues, but the sweat on his brow tells her he's trying his best to move on. "It's a five hours flight from base, with KAY/O on call so if anything happens you'll be home within the day. You'll get prepaid cells and fake IDs once you're there, just in case, and-"
"Liam."
He stops in his tracks, looking guilty.
There are many questions she wants to ask, but the one she lands on is: "Has Viper agreed to this?"
"I'm, uhm... Meeting up with her after this," he admits. "I'm hoping she'll be easier to convince if I already have your approval. You know how she gets, haha." Before she can answer, he waves her down. "Listen, the last few weeks have taken a big toll on Sabine. With both of us down, she has had to pick up the slack, and I can tell she's not dealing with it as well as she'd like me to believe."
"Three birds, one stone, then," she asks. To be fair, it's an airtight plan; if there is one way to get Viper to agree to take time off, it's by making it sound like training.
"Kind of," Brimstone agrees with a chuckle. "I know that if I send her home alone in Seattle, she'll find a way to overwork herself, just with a different view. I'm hoping you can help me make sure she actually relaxes."
Sage smiles. It's easy to forget, sometimes, that out of all of them he is the one who has known Viper the longest.
"I can't believe you've managed to talk me into this," she shakes her head. "Are you going to give her the same speech?"
Brimstone laughs wholeheartedly. "Only if she starts arguing with me, I promise. You are nowhere near as bad as her when it comes to taking paperwork to the beach, so I trust you on that." He gestures for her to take the smaller file with a smile. "I'll mark you down as unavailable from tomorrow on, then, KAY/O will be waiting for you at 6am on the landing pad. Pack lightly, it's quite warm over there. Oh, and don't tell Skye, the surprise will be part of the test."
When she exits his office, Sage takes a minute to rub her temples. Skye is a good choice, she knows, and they've already gone over everything she needs to do in case Sage is incapacitated multiple time. It'll be good training. And if it takes some of her workload off later her on, it'll be even better - inventory and mission reports can get a little overwhelming when you're dying.
Hopefully it'll be worth spending an entire week alone with Viper, of all people. It's no secret in the protocol that the chemist cannot stand in the same room as Sage for longer than a few minutes before harsh words are exchanged. She finds herself hoping that Brimstone fails to convince her to leave her post. It's not that far-fetched a fantasy, to be fair, because he usually seems more pliable to her criticism than anyone else's at the protocol - and vice versa.
Sage stands there long enough for Viper to show up at Brimstone's door, clacking footsteps echoing down the hall to announce her arrival. She looks as sharp as ever, if a little tired around the eyes. Lightless, perhaps, might be a better word. Sage supposes it's exhaustion, she probably doesn't look that much better herself, with how little sleep has been helping lately. She only realizes she's staring a little too long when Viper acknowledges her with a brief nod before swiftly entering the office. Not even a minute later, her voice resonates with unbridled fury.
"You're sending me away?!"