Warnings: there is going to be NSFW in some parts, violence, mention of blood and mental health. It's going to be angsty. This warning is simply going to be copy pasted to all chapters.
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Once more, just like all the times before, you were currently boarding the small aircraft that was going to lead you to one of the portals to send you back on Omega Earth along with Iso. And just like last time, Sova came by to give you some encouragement before you left.
He had a firm hand on your shoulder as he spoke, a warm smile on his face. "I believe in you, and I believe that the training will come in handy." Sova said, giving your shoulder a small squeeze as he spoke warmly. "And remember what I said, if anything happens, immediately radio in and I'll come by." Sova continued.
"Will do, I'll do my best and I'll hope that I'll be able to apply the same methods on the field that I used in the simulation training." You said, giving him a small nod and a small nervous smile. You weren't as nervous as the last time you had to go, but there was still nerves as always. "Good. I believe in you, I know you got this." Sova finally said before giving you a final pat on the shoulder and then sending you on your way.
You made your way towards the small aircraft, boarding it after you picked up your weapons. You took your usual seat, the one that gave a nice view of the sky when you were in the air. Iso followed suit soon after, making his way to the other seat. "Good morning." He said, immediately greeting you as he came in.
It was a small change, where he was the one to break the silence and start conversations, but you were really liking it. It helped you ease your nerves a bit, giving him a smile. "Mornin'." You greeted him back, this time turning towards him instead of looking out the window of the entire time.
"Was Sova giving you a pep talk?" He asked you curiously as the aircraft finished getting loaded up, preparing for takeoff. "Er-... Yeah. He was." You reply a bit hesitantly, letting out a small laugh. You didn't want to develop too much- with all the situation behind it, you weren't ready to just fess it up to Iso.
"I see. And you're feeling okay?" Iso followed up, slight curiosity on his face, his tone a bit gentler. "After the last mission, just want to make sure you're okay-" He continued as he tried to justify his question, looking as if he felt like he overstepped. "It's fine- yes I'm doing okay." You said with a smile of your own, reassuring him.
"Good." He said, nodding slightly. The aircraft took off, launching itself in the air just like the last times to transport you to one of the portals. There was a moment of silence as you two were being flown in, not too sure how to continue with the conversation.
"I know it's a sensitive topic but... Why did you have a panic attack last mission?" Iso asked, his curiosity was starting to get the better of him again. He knows that he's asked this question multiple times before and that every time you shut him down. But he still wanted to try, both to make sure I wouldn't happen again but also out of concern.
You hesitated for a moment, your gaze was staring out the window once again, just like the times before, looking at the clouds below. It was obvious that Iso didn't believe what Sova I put down on the report for a second- how many times he keeps asking this question, you knew that eventually he would figure it out. You just didn't know if you should fess up now and get it over with or just continue hiding it.
You have been doing a lot better since, you've improved a lot your mental health and your anxiety after the entire ordeal with Omega Earth Iso - but it was still a bit embarrassing to you. And it felt embarrassing to imagine telling him that the reason you had a panic attack was because of his Omega doppelganger.
"Well..." You started off, taking a deep breath. You weighed your words and try to figure out the best way to say it without just straight up outing your feelings. You carefully thought over your wording as Iso patiently waited for you to continue. "I... I didn't want to kill Omega earth Iso." You finally said, hoping that he wouldn't over question it.
He remained silent for a moment, also trying to figure out what to say on his end. This entire conversation felt like it was on eggshells for both parties, it was uncomfortable and awkward. "Why not? He's not me-he's the enemy." Iso asked once more, careful with what he said.
You once more had to consider what you said, taking an extra moment to reply. "It's complicated. But- ... He looked hopeless. Sad.... Desperate. And it honestly made it harder to shoot last time." You said, I'm trying to be as careful as you could with your wording to not let on too much on assumptions.
"I see. You pitied him." Iso said in a softer tone, this time not pushing further. He stopped questioning about the panic attack and didn't ask for any more details, as if understanding that it was awkward and probably painful to talk about still. "So that's why you were doing simulation training." He mumbled out to himself.
You heard him mumble, even though you knew he wasn't really addressing you directly, you still gave him a hum of acknowledgment. "Yea..." You simply said. It was part of the reason, though not the entire one.
A thought crossed your mind, and part of you wanted to ask, anyways the atmosphere was already a bit awkward and sensitive, so it wouldn't crash the mood... "Say... Was there a reason why you didn't talk to me outside of missions?" You asked, knowing that the question was probably going to result in a very avoidant answer.
He tensed up, the awkward atmosphere seeming to get worse. He looked away immediately. "... There was." He simply said but didn't seem ready to develop. "Did I do something?" You asked once more, curiosity getting to you.
"No-..." His answer sounds a bit more strained, looking like he wanted to avoid talking about it anymore. But since he didn't say it directly yet, you taunted once more. "So it was a personal thing? But why?" You asked once again, careful to not sound too insistent.
"... It's personal." He simply replied, not wanting to answer further. You took the hint, not asking about it anymore. Soon enough, thr aircraft landed at your destination, allowing you to acces the portal to head to Omega Earth. You two prepared, you were heading back to Icebox again.
Before you went to step in the portal, Iso put an arm in front of you to stop you. He looked down at you, expression still unreadable. "If my Omega doppelganger is there, don't hesitate. And if you feel unwell, please, tell me." Iso said, his voice firm as he spoke. You nodded, and he finally removed his arm for the two of you to walk through the portal.
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Unlike the two first times you two had been on a mission in Omega Earth, this time there was agents from Omega watching over the site. You two had gotten a bit of trouble, but nothing you couldn't handle. Currently, you and Iso were backsite on B, holding your ground and trying to take down as many of the opposing agents as you could.
You two took the same positioning as you always did-where he would cover the front and you would be behind him-making sure no one's going to flank and also making sure he doesn't get himself killed. You had already used one of your abilities to give him a bit of a boost, allowing him to react much faster.
You were constantly checking the exit of kitchen, making sure no one was going to try to get you guys from behind. You held your gun tightly, holding it up and ready to shoot at any moment. Your head snapped back towards Iso when you heard him let out a small grunt, watching as he took cover behind the wall.
He had an open wound on his arm, blood seeping through the white fabric of his hoodie. You were quick to react and use one of your healing abilities immediately, one of your hands reaching out to touch the wound and provide some relief. You couldn't care less that you now had blood on your hands, briefly wiping it off on your pants before going back to holding your gun and watching the flank.
"Thank you." Iso exhaled as the wound closed up pretty fast, catching his breath before he prepared to swing the corner once again. You decided to take a few steps forward and check the Gap in the wall that gave a bit of a view on the other side of B site, hoping that you could try to help and get a pick through that Gap.
You peaked it, and to your luck, there was the enemy Skye, currently too busy using her healing ability to have her attention on the gap. You quickly took am and shot- watching as their healer dropped dead almost instantly. You quickly sidestepped and went back to your spot beside Iso, who was still working on getting kills by peeking off the wall.
"Their skye is down." You said to Iso as he took cover once again. He reloaded his gun once more, nodding to you before letting out a cuss. "Good job-I'm almost out of bullets." He said, a frown on his face. Without thinking you just took his gun and gave him yours, since you were just working on covering, you could make shift with the remaining bullets.
He gave you a small nod, preparing his own Shield before peeking the corner once again, this time preparing to push in. He put up his wall like Shield, making it move forward as he used it for cover to gain some space. You trailed directly behind him, making sure to stay behind him as his personal Shield served as cover.
He continued to move forth and head straight onto the side, overstepping Omega Skye's dead body as he went around to try to flank them. More gunshots were heard and you stayed at the ready to provide extra support. When Iso was starting to push up a bit too far- you reacted quickly to use your ultimate to avoid any accidents happening.
You peaked out from behind him, now facing the main entryway to B site, where there was the multiple containers. There was 2 Omega agents, Viper and Phoenix, both trying to get a shot at Iso for over extending. You immediately outstretched your arm towards the two- your radiant powers starting to flow through you a bit more vividly.
"Your life is mine!" You declared loudly, making a motion as if you were scooping up something with your outstretched arm before pulling it back towards you- then sending it Iso's way. You could feel the Omega's agents life force flow through you for a brief instant before it got sent right back off to Iso, allowing him an overheal to push right into the two.
The Omega Viper and Phoenix looked weakened already from having some of their life force stolen- distracting them enough to let Iso rush them. It didn't take long for both their bodies to be dropped. There was 4 bodies total now- the first kill that iso had done on their enemy harbor, then you with skye, and these two now.
Iso came back very fast, his weapon still up at the ready. He immediately stood to your side, his eyes quickly glancing over you to make sure you hadn't taken any injuries while he had rushed. After a few seconds he finally spoke up. "You okay?" He asked you softly, relaxing his stance a bit since there didn't seem to be any imminent threats.
"Yep- you?" You responded instantly, trying to get a good visual on him to make sure he didn't get any additional injuries. "Im okay, the overheal tanked the shot." He said with a small smile . "Good." You said with a small nod. It seemed the fight was over now, finally having the site cleared.
You prepared to do the radio back, having Iso keep an eye out while you prepare to start talking in the earpiece. "Hey, we ran into some trouble but cleared it out. 4 Omega agents, Skye, Viper, Harbor and Phoenix. All dead. But the site's clear now." You started to say, giving a quick report on the situation.
Before you could get an answer back- a sense of dread hit you. "IT'S YOU AND ME!" Could be heard loud and clear in the silent air of icebox. "NooO-" you started yelling before you got pulled into the pocket dimension once more- the exact thing you didn't want happening again.
You can tell if this was just a cruel joke at this point or if Omega Iso just really couldn't let you go, either way you only had 3 bullets, and you were hoping that would be enough. You held your gun up tightly, this time you weren't going to hesitate and you're not going to freeze.
As soon as the purple Shields dropped, you saw Omega Iso - and this time he didn't look so much like a beaten puppy like the last few times. There was still an air of sadness on his face, but he looked also very angry. "You're just as bad as my world's (Y/n)." He said, raising his gun towards you.
Before he could pull the trigger on you, you already had your gun up and aimed at him. You pulled your trigger, this time without hesitation. It only took one bullet, watching us the pocket dimension shattered into thousands of purple fragments, watching as the enemy Iso's body dropped. This time you didn't close your eyes, you watched him, watched the blood splatter from the shot taken on his head.
"I'm sorry." You said, but this time it wasn't shaky or panicky like last time- it was an apology for giving him a false hope, for giving him a glimpse of something he couldn't have. Even if he was dead you still said it, even if it was pointless this time.
Just a second later you were back in your original spot, letting out an exhale as you let your gun fall to rest. There was silence once more, and you were facing away from your Iso. After a moment, you felt his hand on your shoulder. "Hey-" he started, and you immediately turned around, giving him a sudden hug.
He didn't say anything else, quietly wrapping his arms right back around you, offering a reassuring embrace. You stayed like that a short moment, squeezing him tightly before finally stepping back. "Sorry- it was kind of out of the blue-" You mumbled out.
"It's fine, don't worry." Iso said, giving you a small smile. "I finished doing the radio out since you got taken- they'll be here in a few minutes." Iso said , once more holding up his gun at the ready just in case since it seemed that Omega agents were good at just doing random surprise attacks.
You gave him a small nod, moving somewhere else so that you're back was at a wall, standing behind ISO. You were leaning a bit on the wall, using it as support. You were silent, stuck in your thoughts-but this time they weren't as overbearing as before.
You killed him- and this time it didn't feel like torture. This time you were able to do it, understanding he's the enemy and nothing more. It still sent a shiver down your spine, remembering the site of the bullet hole in his head in the blood splattering behind it- it was definitely not a pleasant sight, but it was necessary.
Soon enough backup came, and just as promised, Sova also came along. He quickly came to check up on you first to make sure everything was okay. "I'm okay." You reassured him, giving Sova a nod. "And the Omega Iso?" Sova asked, his question underlining a much bigger one that he couldn't quite say in front of everyone for the sake of keeping your secret.
"Dead." You said, your expression still hard-but the corner of your lips raising just a bit. Sova spotted the ghost of a smile on your lips, taking it as a sign that this time you didn't hesitate. Nothing else was said between you two, he simply gave you a pat on the shoulder and then moved on, securing the site properly with the other agents.
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You and Iso were sent back first, considering you were the first two on site, you got dismissed faster. Of course there was also the fact that you two had used up all your abilities and practically had nothing left ammunition wise-which would make you pretty useless anyways.
You two took the portal and then got onto the small aircraft to head back towards the protocols headquarters once more. As soon as you got in the aircraft, you let yourself fall into the seat you usually took, letting out a sigh as you relaxed. You were relieved-relieve that you didn't leave this mission in a panicked mess, feeling overly anxious or like something bad was happening.
Iso followed suit, taking his own seat. He looked over at you and how relaxed you seemed. "Haven't seen you this at ease after a mission in a while." He commented briefly, making himself comfortable too. "Yeah... Some stuff that happened on the other ones. This time it went well." You said, not really thinking about your words as you spoke this time, your eyes were shut as you were relaxed in the chair.
"... What do you mean stuff happened-I was with you the whole time on the other ones-?" Iso said, immediately curious by the words you said. And that's when you realize the slick mistake and slip up you did. Your eyes shot open, your head snapping his way as you had a slightly nervous expression on your face.
He took note of your reaction, a frown forming on his face. "(Y/n), the only time something could have happened without me knowing is if it happened in my doppelgangers ultimate." He said, suspicion growing on his face. You were realizing just how close he was getting to the truth of it all-and it wouldn't take him long to piece it together.
Your first instinct was to make sure that your earpiece was off, looking at him as you did so. You knew he was going to figure it out in the next moments what are you like done or not and you were hoping that his own comms were off. Iso got the hint, reaching up to his earpiece and taking it out, turning it off instantly. He looked back at you expectedly. "What happened. You're not avoiding it this time."
"I'll tell you, but just promise me- promise me you're not breathing a word of this to anyone." You said immediately, your tone very serious as you pushed away as much as you could your anxiety. "Depends -" He started to say. "No, that won't cut it. You need to keep quiet about this- because the only person who does know is also keeping quiet." You said, your tone firm.
"Who knows?" He asked you just as firmly. "Sova." You replied, and you knew he would start piecing things together once again. You watched him as he started thinking, and you could already see he was putting the pieces together in his head-but still missing the key element.
"Fine. I won't say anything, but I want the truth." He said, leaning back in his seat. The aircraft had taken off, which gave you about half an hour to explain everything. And that's exactly what you did; the only detail you left out was your feelings for him. Instead, when it came to talking about why you had a moment of weakness with Omega Iso, you simply said it was because of the familiarity.
But for the rest you were completely honest with him. You also explained that Sova knew, and that the simulation training was the result of telling him the truth. It left Iso a bit speechless, not expecting that confession- on how you weren't able to shoot the first time because of just how familiar his doppelganger was.
It took him a few moments before finally speaking up, his silence was starting to make you a little more anxious. "I see. It all makes sense now." He said, leaning back in his seat. He took a few seconds before speaking up again. "You... You're not comparing me to him still... Right?" He asked you a bit more quietly, even though he wasn't looking at you directly, there was something that changed in his face, though you couldn't quite put your finger on it.
"No, I'm not. It was honestly driving me insane more than anything- because I'm more than aware that you aren't not the same person- Omega version of you has his own traits, and in a way it makes you two different." You said, leaning back in your own seat letting out a slightly shaky breath. You were feeling of it anxious from The talk, but you were relieved it was finally out.
Iso looked up when he heard your shaky breath, understanding you were anxious from this confession. He did the first thing that went through his mind, getting up and taking the few steps that separated the two of you in the small aircraft. He stood in front of you, arms open. "Hey-" he started to say, and you took the hint pretty fast.
You stood from your seat and gave him a hug, yet another one that day. "Thank you for telling me." He said as he held you, one of his hands rubbing your back gently. You two stayed like that for a moment, up until the moment you had to separate to sit back down for the landing.
When back at protocol headquarters, You two went to do the report, this time you were able to give most details out, just leaving out anything that had to do with your secret. This time there was nothing much- so you didn't have to consciously leave out too many details.
When all of this was over, you left the conference room where you had done your mission report in, and for once not feeling completely drained or anxious to no ends. You felt well, maybe a bit tired but generally well. You felt a hand on your back, looking back towards whoever put their hand on you.
Iso stood beside you, smiling down at you. "You should go rest, you deserve it." He said before he went on his way, his hands leaving its spot on your back as he headed towards his dorm, leaving you with a faint blush on your cheeks and butterflies in your stomach once more, just like the first time you two met.
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