Warp: The Hell at Home - Part 2

Life, Failure / Mishap

Upon returning from Hell  , Warp finally realises that it's about time he spoke with his boss about the things he's been struggling with.

Frank walks into the command tent. His armour still smoking from the hellfire flare, scanning for the familiar form of L. He sees her speaking with Brainiac, sending a telepathic message out to all nearby Century forces and it becomes apparent that a number of Zaebos cultists had indeed tried to infiltrate the perimeter.   She finishes up with the superhero and spots Frank entering the tent, her stoic demeanour and mask hiding any obvious sign of a reaction on her part, "Ah, Frank. Welcome back."   "Thank you ma'am, it's good to be back. How did Arc and her team fare with their extraction? "   "They took some damage from the demonic forces, but no-one was lost. They're getting patched up at the medical tend and then they're going to stand down. I hear from Brainiac that the operation was a mitigated, if somewhat unconventional, success."   "It was, decisions were made that would certainly be deemed unconventional, and we did end up making a bargain with a second demonic entity known as The Scarlet Bride, with the aim of weakening Zaebos and releasing the souls she had ensnared," Frank looks about the tent in case of any none Century personnel, then deciding he doesn't much care either way in that moment, removes his helmet before turning back to L, "Only time will tell if that decision will come back to haunt us"   "I'm sure your team made the best decision you could with the Intel at your disposal," she says, returning his display with a raised brow beneath her mask, "I'll be sure to read the reports when they come in. Was there something else you needed to discuss?"   "Yes, but I would prefer to speak privately if possible"   "Brainiac, can you give us the room?" She says, allowing the hero to nod before clicking her fingers to the nearby Century agents and pointing them outside. A moment later the tent is left to just the two of them and Lithium takes the moment to seal the door flap to give them some privacy. She takes a moment to make sure no-one else is coming through before removing her own mask and giving him a moment to speak, her stoic expression changing little with the unfolding situation.   Frank takes a deep breath before looking Lithium in the eye, "I need to be taken off The B-Team," he pauses briefly to steel himself before continuing, "Reason being, that my treatment has been failing for some time now, and I freely admit, that I have been concealing the fact from my therapist in case she or yourself had me removed before this operation took place, because I needed to see this through. Now that it is, I will freely accept any penalty for my decision not to bring this to you sooner"   Lithium sighs and, for the first time, Frank can see a little of the burden she bears washing over her features as she pinches the bridge of her nose, "Okay, Frank. I'm going to give you one chance to not say what you just said," her expression becomes stern and Frank suddenly feels a little like a deer in headlights, "Dr Tamsin already knows you've been hiding things, Frank, she's not an idiot, and she's been keeping me informed about your difficulties. I kept you on this assignment because I knew you wouldn't let it rest until you'd completed the mission. Don't forget Frank, I was raised the same way you were. We have our missions, and we don't rest until they're finished," her expression softens ever so slightly before she continues, "Century isn't like Schurk. We're not interested in breaking people, so if you think this is what you need, then fine. But I would strongly recommend thinking twice, maybe take some leave, relax a little, before you make any big decisions."   Frank looks away, feeling not unlike a scolded child, but nodding his head all the same, "I am admitting it, because I KNOW neither Dr Tamsin nor you wouldn't find out about it eventually, I don't want to permanently destroy the trust you've placed in me" He looks back at her, "I don't want to leave the team permanently, though I'll definitely take you up on that vacation, and I still want to build that project I brought to you, but I can't keep going like this, and I don't know what to do anymore"   "Alright, Frank. That's more like it," she says, preparing to put her mask back on, "Take two weeks and then come and see me. We'll talk about this and your project. Wheels are turning behind the scenes, and this win will go a long way to assuring people that you can be trusted. Just don't fuck it up now, okay?"   “I will do my best” Frank says with a strained smile, “If it isn’t too presumptuous, I’d like to recommend Agent Belmont take my place for the duration of my absence”   "Belmont, eh?" She says, nodding as she puts on her mask. Frank doubts she knows the name off the top of her head, but he hopes his recommendation might hold a little sway, "I'll check their file and see what I can do. Now, if there's nothing else?"   “Nothing, thank you for everything”   "Sure, Frank," she says, pausing for a moment as she opens the tent flap, "Good work today."   Frank nods in thanks before donning his helmet once more and striding out into open air. He pays one more visit to the medical tent to check on Harmony, before departing for home.