Chapter 9

(A/N: If you couldn't tell, my update schedule is a bit scuffed. Don't expect consistency. )

The door opened with a small whir, the two walking inside slowly. Looking around, it was a simple and neat space. With a small wooden bookshelf to the side, and old Rock music playing, the atmosphere was pretty light.

Sitting at a small desk in the middle of the room was Brimstone. He was looking through a few papers, his calloused and scarred hands tapping on the table. Nearby, Killjoy and Viper stood in the corner awkwardly, in civilian clothes.

Killjoy was wearing a simple blue sweater, with her trademark green beanie.

Viper wore a pair of grey yoga pants and a navy green sweater, with that trademark scowl on her face.

"Umm... Hi?" Uzui spoke uncertainly.

"Yo guys! Viper, how ya doing! Killjoy! Brim!" Waving enthusiastically, Phoenix walked in swaggering.

"Phoenix. And Uzui was it?" Brimstone asked, looking up from the sheaves of papers on his desk.

"Yes. My name is Ishiyama Uzui…." Uzui nodded.

Getting up from his seat, Brimstone walked around, approaching him. They were about the same height, with a similar build.

"You look like Jett." Scratching his beard, Brimstone thought of the windy Radiant from Seoul for a second.

"Yes, Phoenix and quite a few others have made this comparison…" Replying, Uzui smiled, leaning against the wall. He subconsciously touched his white hair, scratching it.

The two stared at each other, both unwavering. It was quite intense actually. Felt like the time when he was in the military… Being inspected like this.

From behind, a cold voice sounded: "You are quite the interesting figure indeed. For no reason, you went all the way here, to the United Kingdom for vacation. Too bad some Radiant attacks cut you off. While a normal random civilian with no prior military experience would usually have run for it, in those two rare encounters, you not only went in without panicking but also managed to kill four Radiants under a month." Coughing, Viper finished her sentences, poisonous green eyes seemingly staring into Uzui's soul.

"Hmm…. Well, about that. Dunno." Uzui shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know. The coincidence in locations was not expected in the slightest, and of course, he still didn't know why he was here at all.

"Yes… Putting aside that uncanny accuracy of yours, nothing else seems to be out of order. We can tell you are not a 'mirror' for sure." Killjoy spoke, scratching her cheek.

"Mirror, huh? Is that what you refer to those Clones as?" Uzui tilted his head, before going on: "No offense man, but you were pretty weak for a….. Radiant."

Brimstone scoffed, shifting his foot. "Well, I'm not a Radiant for one, and second, those shots you took… Wasn't human." He shook his head, hand gripping a mug.

Smiling, Uzui nodded, not pressing any further.

"Anway, can we get to like the main topic?" Phoenix coughed out loud, tapping his foot impatiently.

"If you say so…." Brimstone took a sip, frowning a little. Then, he said something that quite shocked Uzui and the rest of the people in the room. "Ishiyama Uzui. Would you like to join the Valorant Protocol?"

Silenced reigned the room for a few seconds before Phoenix spoke:

"Damn… That was abrupt."

"Sure was…" Uzui rolled his eyes, still a little out of it. Seriously? This was pretty unexpected. He hadn't counted on this happening. Sure, he had human aimbot. But really? Recruiting him as an agent to a counter alternate-reality force in like a month or so? "Are you serious?"

"Dead." Brim nodded.

Viper looked at Brimstone, glaring. "You decided on this without any general agreement? God, what are you thinking? This is a horrible idea." She cursed bitterly.

"I agree." Uzui's eyes twitched slightly.

"Hm. So, do you want to join, or not? I'm not forcing anything." Sighing nonchalantly, the former soldier held out his hand expectantly.

Uzui had no idea. He was pretty bad at making split-second decisions. It would be rather awkward if he just stood there thinking for a while. Uzui didn't like making people wait. Actually, he despised being late. To school, work, whatever. It just didn't feel right. Or he was just impatient. So on the spot, with no hesitation, he shook Brim's gloved hand. It was a firm and tough grip.

Then, he stood there for a second, blinking, before he said one thing:

"Oh."

Another resounding silence went on before Phoenix burst out laughing.

"Pfft….. Uzui my dude, that is your reaction? This was obviously not through on your part, but congrats….. My fellow agent." The British lad slapped Uzui on the back.