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Viper sat in her lab late one night working away with her poisons, the mice scurried away in the huge enclosure she had set up for them. Pity, she used to hate killing mice in her lab back in Alaska, but times have changed. Her name went from Sabine to Viper. She had nearly everything stripped away from her. She poisoned her foes on the battlefield, even ones who looked exactly like the people she worked with, Viper only faltered once, and that was against the Genius of Germany, Killjoy.
Killjoy ran alongside Sage and Omen towards the spike site, they were planting this go-around. Her fingerless gloves were cold in the icy winter-scape of what was commonly referred to as the Icebox. Bennett Island was treacherous around this part of the year, although Sova was having a blast in his homeland. He seemed to be just fine in the weather, taking down one Kingdom employee as soon as they landed before sauntering off into B site.
It was her first mission with Viper and Omen, they seemed to have a kindred history due to their conversations, referring to Viper by her birth name, not codename. Killjoy only knew it was her name after he snipped at her with Sabine as more of a taunt rather than a term between friends. She needed to snoop around in Brimstone's files once she got back home from this mission. Killjoy smacked her face to wake her up from her chilly stupor, she needed to focus, she had the spike, meaning she had the biggest target on her back. She was lucky she had her team beside her, but it didn't mean she couldn't be picked off while heading to the site.
"We have the site, go, Killjoy," Omen voiced over the earpiece communications she had set up.
"En route," she voiced, one hand on a phantom and one hand voicing over the headset. She picked up her pace and made her way to A site. Though she was lurking around the drop-off point and was ensuring no one was flanking before heading off to the point. She tossed the spike to Omen,
"I'm sorry for handing it off, I have a bad feeling about the back site, and I need to lock it down before anyone tries to flank," she said.
Omen only nodded, before taking the spike and teleporting off to plant it. Killjoy headed back to back site, only to find her turret and bots out of commission. Confused, she approached slowly, pulling her phantom up into position. Before she saw someone walkout from the center flank.
They had a yellow puffy jacket on, and she looked exactly like Killjoy. Which turned her into panic mode, she wasn't told she would have a doppelganger upon joining the Protocol.
"Who are you?" Killjoy held her weapon shakily, it was herself, right?
"Mein Gott, who the hell are you?" her double asked, pulling her vandal to her chest, they were in a standoff.
"Um, pretty sure you're me, so whatever you're doing to my bots, I request you cut it out." she huffed. Her hands still wavering, she needed to get ahold of herself.
"They didn't tell me I'd have a double," the other Killjoy shook as well, if anything were the same, they were curious of each other.
"Nor did my team," Killjoy aimed at her head "Whatever, I'm sure I can analyze your corpse at the base."
"I was thinking the same thing," the other smirked, before raising her rifle.
And so the standoff went into a shootout.
"Killjoy, one minute until detonation, what's going on back there?" Sage asked over comms.
"I'm er- a little held up, there's a slight problem back here, I'll clear it up soon." She said back as a bullet entered the box beside straight into her shoulder. She hissed at the other Killjoy when all of the sudden she heard another hiss, the familiar snakebite of Viper. Right at her feet, deploying the neurotoxin at her feet. She jumped and ran over to a separate box, her feet stung, the venom had already gone through the boots seeping into her skin, she sucked in a breath.
"Friendly fire Viper!" She said as there was another one knocked over to her doppelganger.
"Hm, we should have told you there were mirror-versions of ourselves." she chuckled on top of the crate from the center, pistol trained on her while the vandal was aimed at her double.
"H-hey! why are you aiming at me?" her double raised her voice. "It's me, Killjoy!"
"Mein Gott," The real one sighed, "Are we pulling this scheiße today?"
"Silence," Viper hissed at both of them. Obviously struggling to tell her Killjoy apart from the Doppelganger.
"Viper, there's no need to do this," her doppelganger said. "Just shoot the other one and if it's wrong, just kill me and switch after we analyze both corpses."
"Are you shitting me? Do you know how easy it would be for us to gain intel from each other if we don't choose the right one?" Killjoy looked up to Viper, who was frowning even more now.
"What's my name?" Viper said to the doppelganger.
"Well, you've never told anyone it, I'm fairly certain of that," she said before Viper chuckled and shot her straight in the skull. before turning to the other Killjoy.
"Why didn't you just say my name and get it over with?" Viper asked, bending down to help Killjoy up.
"I think you would kill me if I called you by name, considering how tense it was with Omen earlier." She sighed, grabbing her shoulder.
"Move your hand," Viper huffed through her mask, pulling Killjoy's hand away from the wound, and checked the back.
"Good, clean through, we can patch that up on the way back with Sage." She looked up at the sky and watched the spike detonate.
"Get to the ship," Sage yelled as gunfire was following them. Viper pulled her vandal to her chest and slung Killjoy's healthy arm over her shoulder.
"Killjoy's wounded, and needs the 'mirror' explanation," Viper sighed, hauling her over, making sure her feet weren't touching the ground. The rubber on her boots had melted to reveal bare feet after the socks and shoe material were stripped from the neurotoxin. Her feet had chemical burns. Viper scowled at the sight.
"I'm sorry maus," she sighed as Killjoy was grinning.
"Hey! I'm just glad your toxins became more potent, that's what you've been working on right?" Her grin didn't ease the pulling of Sabine's heart, she injured Brimstone's adoptive daughter, and he's short-tempered when it comes to her being injured.
Viper sat her down in the aircraft, pulling her duffel bag over so Killjoy's feet weren't on the ground.
Sage walked over and frowned at the sight, and looked at Viper.
"Was the neurotoxin really necessary to discern which Killjoy was ours?" Sage asked, leaning down and pulling an orb from her belt and began healing her legs.
"I don't want you to scold me after your failure in the past," Viper stood up and walked off. Leaving Killjoy with even more questions, and a now frustrated Sage working on her wounds.
"So," Sage broke the silence, "You met yourself yes?"
"Ja, it was an experience, we thought the same and fought very similar, which is why it took me so long." Killjoy held the heating pack on her already-healed shoulder wound.
"So, radianite comes from this mirror-realm," Sage continued, giving Killjoy a pair of socks to wear because they didn't have any spare shoes aboard the craft.
"Ah, this leaves me with more questions." Killjoy furrowed her brow.
"Are you and Sab- I mean Viper, okay?" Sage asked sitting up next to Killjoy.
"Yes, in my opinion, it was a good idea to use the neurotoxin on the both of us. I didn't think it would be so potent though, Viper only was able to tell us apart after asking which of us knew her name." Killjoy reflected, Viper hesitated a lot today, it would have been easy since Killjoy knew it was her throwing the toxin and mentioned the friendly fire. But she supposed Viper was as thorough as herself.
"That," she paused, "Makes sense. I'll go apologize to Viper after she cools off a bit, she definitely seems stressed." Sage said standing up.
"I'll fix up my bots while you go do that," Killjoy sighed as they neared the Protocol's headquarters. She hobbled off to find a worried Brimstone who patted her on the shoulder.
"Everything alright?" he asked, noticing the lack of shoes.
"Yes, it was just a mishap with the neurotoxins. Nothing to worry about," she said heading off to her lab, leaving a now irritated Brimstone, who watched Viper exit the landing pad with her duffel bag and a stern and concerned look on her face.
"Viper, did you launch a snake bite at Killjoy?" Brim asked, his tone was full of concern.
"And her double, don't get it twisted, I fired at both to try to find the right Killjoy, I wouldn't take a risk that I can't manage," she hissed, heading back to her lab. She needed to find a way to not harm her employees but harm the other doppelgangers.
Killjoy knocked on the door to Viper's lab, before being opened by the raven-haired scientist, her emerald eyes boring into Killjoy's. Before allowing her entrance into her lab. It was sterile and clean. Likely to prevent any biohazards from going unchecked.
"Why are you here maus?" she asked, checking her clipboard and pouring a flask into a beaker, causing it to turn the familiar neon green of Viper's toxins.
"I wanted to say thank you," Killjoy rubbed the back of her neck.
"Oh," Viper placed a seal onto the freshly-made toxins. "After today and Brimstone's scolding of the both of us, I figured he made you come here to demand an apology."
"No, nein, I knew you had trouble telling us apart. So the toxins were just a precaution." Killjoy said as Viper looked down to see a pair of fuzzy socks on her feet.
"I don't know how you can wear those and not be sweating," Viper sneered.
"Ah, Sage said to keep my feet covered, one for the poison, and two, to prevent frostbite. Winter in Russia is harsh after all." Killjoy smiled like an idiot.
"I'm glad I got the right Killjoy, I really did not want to embarrass myself if I chose wrong." Viper sighed, putting down her clipboard onto her counter.
"Ah, wouldn't be the first time I accidentally died. Sage is a fantastic healer to bring people back from beyond the grave like that," Killjoy sighed in content, sitting on the small couch on the side of the laboratory, likely only been used when Viper was working late.
"I suppose," Viper hummed, swerving her swivel chair around to meet Killjoy's face.
"Are you working on making your toxins more potent?" Killjoy asked, looking over at the counter, "I think it's already quite potent enough."
"No actually," Viper crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm trying to make it safe for all of the Protocol to not be affected by my poison, but still harm the doppelgangers from the Mirrorverse."
"Ah!" Killjoy sat up, looking excitedly at the whiteboard, filled with information that finally made sense. "Is that why you needed blood samples from us earlier this week?"
"No that was for Sage's blood transfusions, I just took a small sample from the deposits and worked from there." Viper said, eyeing the blood vials all labeled from various members from the protocol, excluding Omen, considering she already had a good idea of his genetic makeup, that and the fact that needles couldn't penetrate his skin. So she had a sample of his outfit instead, which was now lying in an evidence bag.
"Are you trying to avoid what happened today? It wasn't your fault Viper-"
"Sabine," Viper cut her off.
"What?" Killjoy asked, now confused, tilting her head to the side.
"Just call me Sabine, it seems to be easier for you." Sabine shrugged. Turning back to her countertop.
"Are you sure? Wouldn't the others be inclined to use your real name then?" Killjoy stood up, walking over to viper.
"They know their place, besides, it would make sense for Brimstone's daughter to call the other founder by her real name." Sabine sighed before standing up and turning back to Killjoy.
"Don't wear it out," she said tossing Killjoy a box, "My name that is."
Killjoy looked down at the box and opened it, inside was a pair of black boots, identical to the ones she had on earlier today. But this one had Viper, no, Sabine's logo on it.
"You didn't have to get me a new pair of boots Sabine, I was just going to get a new-"
"They're invulnerable to my toxins, so the same mistake won't happen again," Sabine stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Apparently, we're going to be working together more often, so I'd prefer if we didn't have to get you new shoes every mission."
"Ah," Killjoy looked down and smiled at the shoes, "Thank you for the help,"
"Anytime little maus."