"Confronting the Truth"

Sage had been waiting for what felt like an eternity for the perfect moment to talk to Viper. They had been paired up with Guess for the training exercise, and Viper had barely spoken to her, only communicating through curt commands and gestures. But when it was finally just the two of them, Sage saw her chance. As they walked back to their quarters, Sage fell into step beside Viper, trying to appear nonchalant. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, trying to sound casual. Viper glanced at her, her expression unreadable. "What is it?" Sage hesitated, unsure of how to broach the subject. But as they entered Viper's quarters, Sage felt a surge of determination. She had been wanting to talk to Viper about what happened when they were locked up together, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity. "Viper, I wanted to talk to you about something," Sage said, her voice steady. Viper raised an eyebrow, her expression skeptical. "What is it?" Sage took a deep breath. "I was thinking about what happened when we were locked up together... and I was wondering if you... felt anything." Viper's expression didn't change, but her eyes seemed to flicker with interest. "Felt anything?" she repeated. Sage nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. "Yeah. Because I did. And I was wondering if maybe... we could... talk about it." Viper's expression turned cold, her eyes glinting with disdain. "Don't want a relationship with," she said, her voice flat. Sage felt a pang of hurt, but she tried to push on. "I know. I just... I thought maybe we could... discuss it." Viper stood over Sage, her eyes blazing with intensity. "The only thing I want from you is your body," she said, her voice low and husky. Sage felt a shiver run down her spine as Viper's words cut through her like a knife. She had been hoping for something more, something that would make her feel seen and heard. But instead, Viper's words made her feel like nothing more than a object, a thing to be used and discarded. "And I want to hurt you," Viper continued, her eyes glinting with malice. "So if you come to my lab again... you won't get the option to leave." Sage felt a chill run down her spine as Viper's words hung in the air, a threat that was both explicit and implicit. She knew that she had misread Viper completely, and that she needed to be careful around her. With a sense of trepidation, Sage nodded and backed away, knowing that she had to be careful around Viper from now on.