Felix sat down on the bench. The air was cold and sterile, and the light was sharp and white. His black trench coat was folded beside him, hiding the massive hole in its upper torso. On top of it was a torn up white mask.
Through the windows, he watched the injured agent slowly recover.
The only sound was that of the heart monitor.
His gaze scanned over the medical equipment in the patient's room.
An unwelcome wave of memories flashed with every beep. A blinding white room, full of endless needles and glass tubes were set on the table. Wires and other apparatus connected to monitors, connected to his chest.
But as the door on the corridor slid open, a familiar voice broke the silence, "What's with the long face? Did something happen to your back?" Maria asked, drenched in rainwater.
"Did you get the key?" Felix gulped.
"Mission success." She responded, "So, care to tell me who she is?"
"Agent CT-2 from Cygnus Enterprise."
"Oh? From Project HERCULES? I think I read something from her file once. She's one of Cygnus Enterprise's Advanced Armor users if I remember correctly."
"Why did you have her file?" His eyebrows curled.
"Would you believe me if I said it had something to do with my hacking skills?"
He looked at her with an exasperated expression, while she shot back with a smug grin.
Felix turned towards the room. But as his gaze landed on a syringe, he tried his best to hold back his squeamish expression.
"Still afraid of needles?" Maria immediately noticed his discomfort, asking with a confidence-destroying scoff.
He shot her an irritated glance, before dismissively asking, "…So, about the key?"
"To be honest, it was actually easier to get without you around." She shrugged.
"Why's that?"
"Hm, reasons…"
"... How many did you kill?"
Ignoring the question, she opened her palm, revealing the small black chip. From it, a holographic, light-blue sphere is projected, crafted with circulating lines of letters and digits.
"So then, what's it for?"
"I can't make out its data the way that it is. But it's called a key, so it has to open something."
"And you're sure this is it? We don't want to make the same mistake twice..."
"Just because you're bad with tech, doesn't mean I am."
"I'm… I'm not saying that. I'm just saying, what if it's a decoy?" He argued.
"If it were, it shouldn't have had a three-tier encryption lock and a dozen guards trying to keep me from it."
"Then what about the suspect?"
"Taken care of. Permanently."
Felix's mismatched eyes widened, "You… you were supposed to take him in for questioning. This is Harbinger all over again."
"…There was a struggle, okay?"
"What is wrong with you?"
Maria stuck out her tongue, "A great, many things."
Suddenly, he smiled and whispered to himself, "And to think I'm the one who got called a murderer…"
She shrugged, turning towards the sleeping agent, "Did she call you that?"
"No, I encountered someone and… besides, it's not the first time…"
"But… it still hurts, doesn't it?" She asked understandingly.
"… Yeah." He nodded with a distant smile.
"If it makes you feel any better, I got called a monster." She gestured for him to scootch over so she could sit.
He slouched, sliding his things so she could fit, "Are you not?"
Maria's eyes lowered, noticing the torn white mask. Her expression softened, "…Can't believe you kept that thing."
He picked it up, his thumbs running through it, "Yeah… I'll keep it until I get replaced."
"Replaced, huh?" She took it from his hands.
"Look." She put the mask on his face and explained, "When you put on this mask, you become the Blue Phantom. An agent doing your job. Don't think about repercussions, just know that you have to kill." She then took it off and continued, "But when you take it off, you're just… you. Okay? Not a murderer, nor an assassin. That's not you. At least, not the way I see you. Understand?"
"Then, what about the people I've killed before becoming this Phantom?"
"Well, instead of carrying that weight on your shoulders, we'll just have to blame it on the Blue Phantom."
"Hm…"
"We're all hiding behind masks, you just more literal than others." She jested.
"Right, I suppose."
"But… is that really what's bothering you?" She asked as she watched him force out a despondent smile.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Come on…"
"Well… there's..."
The young man's words echoed in his ears, "I don't want to lose another family member."
Felix remembered the gentle smile of a white-haired woman in the snow.
"It's nothing. I'll figure it out on my own."
"You can rely on me, y'know?"
"I know. I'll ask you when I get it sorted."
"Way ahead of you." She said as she already headed out the door.
Felix got up and then approached the window wall and placed his palm on it. On his face was a worried expression as she watched the brown-haired woman breathe weakly.
After grabbing his things, he walked toward the door. But before his hand could reach the knob, he heard a faint voice speak, "Thank… you." The woman muttered out weakly.
He looked back again and smiled, "You're welcome. Get better soon."
~