Elissa said nothing, folding her legs up under herself, to curl into the smallest space possible. She made sure both of her pistols were ready to go and then forced her hands to stop trembling.
"Fox, I wish you'd have been more optimistic about this." she muttered, for suddenly the nerves overwhelmed her, leaving her gasping in panic, her hands over her ears at imaginary sounds.

She had heard what he’d said, but she’d been too ashamed to process it. But now she remembered it clearly. [i][color=a2d39c]”How about a negative on that one? You know I don’t leave people behind.”[/color][/i]

[i][color=6ecff6]You call him your friend? He's damning you to torture if you get caught. Like last time you trusted anyone. A mercy kill could have saved you from all that pain, but your partner wouldn't do it. She abandoned you.[/color]
But Fox wouldn’t leave me behind... would he?
[color=6ecff6]Suuure he wouldn’t. To save his own skin he would. You’re nothing, not to him or the rest of them, not to the ones who got rid of you in the first place.[/color]
Just... j-just stop, please!
[color=6ecff6]Never, because I’m a part of you. As long as you exist, I do too.[/color]
Just leave me alone and let me focus! I don’t... I-I d-don't want you here right now!
[color=6ecff6] Oh, now, is that any way to talk to a friend? You were all too glad for my company all last year; when you were stuck in that box with no light or sound or anything but your own fear. And me. I was always there, feeling what you felt. When I finally made myself known, you were all too glad to talk to me, anything to make the terror go away, right?[/color]
Shut up! J-just… shut up and... and g-g-go away!
[color=6ecff6]Of course. I always indulge my friend’s wishes. Just so you know, this is the last mission they’re ever going to trust you with, as broken as you are. You’re useless to them; you can’t even get yourself to focus at all. You’re burned by tonight, I guarantee it. And then, since you already know too much about them, it’ll be back in the box until you die, and see if I ever come back to check on you. I bet you won’t last three hours before you’re begging--[/color][/i]

There was a flash of pain, the non-imagined kind, and a salty, coppery taste as she bit the inside of her own wrist to bring herself back and stop the panic. But nothing could erase those words tumbling around inside her skull.
This wasn’t good. She wasn’t ready. She needed to focus.
She could still hear that voice. Once her savior, or so it seemed. Once just hearing that laugh made all the pain and fear go away, but now... It was going to drag her back down.
“P-Patch, d-do you… do you…” her voice was shaking as the panic fought to overwhelm her, drag her back to the dark of her own imagination. “D-do you...—C-could you—D-did y-you... D-did you b-bring a-any—anything-g c-c-calming, o-or anything? P-please? I… I can’t…”