Realistically, it wasn't good to split up because of how far away from each other the two teams would be and how the fights would always be uneven in the enemy's favour. But practically, if they wanted to actually defend the radianite, they had to split up.
Maybe, Fade thought as she ducked behind cover and started retreating, still able to hear the bullets Mirror Skye was firing at her last position. Being practical is good. But where are the rest?
From her position, she could hear the telltale crackle of electricity alongside the rapid footsteps from Mirror Neon as she ran this way and that, checking all hiding spots probably with her arm already amped up and ready to unload a thousand volts onto the first unfortunate living thing she saw.
Not wanting to risk being that unfortunate living thing, she sprinted out and spoke into her comms "Neon, I'm coming back to you."
"I got Skye!" Neon suddenly yelled, not into the comms but out loud.
At the same moment, her comms crackled to life.
"Three here, they're trying a split attack," Chamber reported.
Skidding to a stop, Fade whipped around. So Mirror Neon was alone and likely heading back to her fallen teammate. Fade's heartbeat accelerated, thumping in her ears. That meant she was also heading back for Neon.
Worried about Neon's position and the speed at which Mirror Neon could run, Fade slung her gun around her shoulder and started to run back the way she'd come, not caring about the noise she was making. Briefly, she wondered how the hell Neon had gotten to her so quickly. Hadn't she been at the other side of the radianite crates?
Unslinging her gun as she approached, Fade said "Neon, I'm here," and charged out into the open with her gun out. She completely wasn't expecting to see Mirror Skye up and holding a gun to her Neon's head, and was even more caught off guard when someone hiding around the corner threw themself at her.
It felt like someone had just thrown a lit fuse box at her. Fade's nerves went haywire with pain as something teeming with live electricity bodied her.
Screaming, Fade collapsed onto the floor. The leftover volts caused her body to jerk and twitch, and she just barely managed to groggily look up, vision spinning, to see Neon — no, Mirror Neon — standing over her.
Distantly, Fade could hear screaming, but the ringing and thumping in her ears all but drowned the sound out. Was she dying? She couldn't tell. Everything was a messy blur, the nauseating smell of charred skin was filling the air, and her ears were buzzing.
From far away, Fade heard yelling, Mirror Skye screaming, then something flew at Mirror Neon and sent both of them hurtling off somewhere beyond Fade's fuzzy field of vision.
As her body slowly recovered from the shock, Fade used weak, rubbery arms to prop herself up. She winced at a sudden pain on her upper arm that nearly had her falling back onto the ground. Glancing over, Fade found her skin bight red and slightly charred in some places. Shuddering, she looked away and tried not to think about it.
Her lucidity was perfectly timed, because at that moment Astra's voice came over her comms. "We've driven them back," she announced in that overly cheerful voice of hers. "We're coming over now. How are you two doing, Fade, Neon?"
Glancing at where Mirror Skye was, Fade winced when she realised she could still see smoke slowly trailing from her prone body. That very easily could have been her if Mirror Neon had held on to her for any longer.
Speaking of Mirror Neon, Fade also became aware of aggressive Tagalog being thrown around and turned her head to see the two Neons arguing with each other.
Neon was waving her hands around, poking at Mirror Neon's chest while pointing at Fade. The crackling electricity rolling at her fingertips and jumping off Mirror Neon didn't bother either of them.
"Wonderfully," Fade muttered into her comms, finding herself tired and lacking the willpower to match Astra's energy. "There seems to be a battle on who can speak angry Tagalog faster, and I think our Neon's winning."
There seemed to be some final verdict the two agreed on, because Mirror Neon muttered something then glanced away. She looked at Fade and her expression turned painful. She looked so pained and regretful that, despite the fact she'd nearly killed her, she resembled Neon so much it made Fade's heart twist.
Mirror Neon hurried off to where Skye was, picking her up and leaving.
Glancing back at her own Neon, Fade offered a small smile before she was practically smothered in a hug.
"I thought you were dead," Neon whispered. The way she was shaking was evident with the close proximity the two were in. "When she shocked you, your body was reacting to the electricity and not you. Your screaming was so painful. It was like watching a film of me kill you. It was horrible. Would I do that? If it was your mirror, would I—"
Fade immediately became aware of how Neon's shaking turned to crying, and she quickly started shushing Neon and running her trembling hands through wild hair in an attempt to calm her down.
"It's alright, that wasn't you," she said. "It wasn't you. Your mirror has had different experiences to us. You're different. And maybe, judging by how your mirror didn't do the same to me as you did to Mirror Skye, it's harder for you to kill me than you think."
Fade couldn't lie, and tell Neon that she wouldn't be able to kill Mirror Fade at all. She was absolutely sure Neon could, under the right circumstances. But Neon didn't need that right now. She just needed reassurance and gentleness and time away from their mirror selves.
The last one was already dealt with, and Fade was all too willing to give the first two.