X-COM Enemy Unknown - Season 3 - JOURNALS

[Sharkdragon96]

The following is a prematurely ended collaboration between Sharkdragon96 and Meaningofbread that takes place right before the events of the last terror mission.

INT. Mess hall -day

Persephone sits at a table alone with a worried look on her face. She glances uninterestingly around bustling cafeteria until she spots Anja sitting alone at another table. Remembering what Anna had said about what happened to her last night she slowly and hesitantly walks over to her table.

PERSEPHONE
"Uh... excuse me, but... are any of these seats taken?"
​

Anja looks up from the M.R.E in front of her.

ANJA
"Sure, grab any seat. What do you need?"

PERSEPHONE
"Oh, nothing. You just seemed alone and I'm not really sitting with anyone right now so I just thought I'd join you, if that's okay."
​

Anja looks down, slowly poking at cold food resting on her plate.

ANJA
"You can sit down. Excuse my English though. I'm still working on it."

PERSEPHONE
"Oh no problem."
​

Persephone takes a seat and starts eating, unsure of what to say next without sounding too direct.

PERSEPHONE
"You know you and Anna, were great on that last mission. I don't think the commander gives you guys enough credit."
​

A noticeable twitch passes across Anja's face.

She looks up with an exasperated look.

​

Persephone waits for a response and turns around to see Anja's expression.

PERSEPHONE
"Are you alright? I'm sorry, did I say something that made you feel uncomfortable?"
​

Anja turns to Persephone.

ANJA
"I... I'm sorry. I just feel so... so... what is the word for it? Confused? Angry?"

PERSEPHONE
"What's wrong?"
​

Anja sighs.

ANJA
"That alien... when it took control of me, I keep thinking it was my fault. I'm still haunted by it."

PERSEPHONE
"Why would you think that?"
​

Anja picks up her shiny new Major's badge, and flicks it around the table.

ANJA
"I was so mad. So angry. I wasn't paying any attention. I had just gotten heckled by the C.O and then I was... floating away."

PERSEPHONE
"Oh."
​

Persephone gives her an understanding look.

PERSEPHONE
"I guess that's kind of a valid reason. Though in your defense I'm not much of a fan of the C.O myself. I hate how he seems to be too busy concentrating on playing favorites with the higher ranking soldiers to focus on getting my low ranking friends some actual experience. I take it you're probably not on that favorites list of his."
​

Anja shakes her head.

Persephone pauses for a moment.

PERSEPHONE
"I hope I'm not being too invasive but... what was it like?"
​

Anja sighs, giving the prospect of sharing some thought.

ANJA
"If you don't see it coming, it's crazy. You feel an ice cold spear RAM-"
​

Anja gestures appropriately.

ANJA
"Right through your mind. Then, you start to feel floating, and away you are, watching the whole field of battle as you weren't physically there. You aren't in control anymore. The THING is.."
​

Anja pauses for a moment.

ANJA
"Then, you see yourself saying things that you wouldn't say. They start to take control of your voice, until your body is an empty husk. With you floating up above."
​

Persephone looks shocked.

PERSEPHONE
"I'm sorry, that must've been horrible."
​

Anja rubs her eyes, and sighs in exasperation.

ANJA
"Please I don't want to talk about it anymore."
​

Feeling embarrassed, Persephone goes back to eating.

All of a sudden the alarm goes off.

OFFICER BRADFORD
The following recruits report to the Skyranger ASAP!
COL Zhang,
MAJ Kjaer,
MAJ Farmer,
COL Conan,
CPL Stone,
and SQ Kasagi
We've got another terror sighting in Lyons France.
​

Persephone freezes in shock as her heart drops like an anvil.

ANJA
"Listen, I have to go. I wish I could talk more."

PERSEPHONE
"Huh? Oh yeah, likewise!"
​

Persephone shakes Anja's hand.

PERSEPHONE
"Good luck out there!"

ANJA
"Thanks!"
​

Just as Anja leave Persephone starts panicking.

She bolts out of the mess hall in search for Ayame, cursing under her breath as she runs.

 

[AaronBryant]

Aaron opens the door a solemn look on his face. "Dr.Faye its good to see you again!" he smiles. Dr. Faye returns the look "Im glad your here Aaron i had been missing you for so long. How are you." Aarons face goes dark serious even "Scared" he laughs "very scared". Dr. Fayes face goes heavy with concern "Aaron is this because of your Psionics?". "Yes i saw home some of them looked at me like i was a monster, other like i was an angel. I just want them to see me." His distress is evident on his face. Dr. Faye writes down notes "Do you have any aggression locked up?". "I think so. . ." he swallows.

"Dr. Faye Im worried that this will make me into something else." His face goes further into distress. "You may change for the better Aaron. Every one can change for the better." She says trying to have a reassuring smile. "but what happens IF I DONT!" His eyes flare bright white and purple "What happens if i get out of control and hurt someone with out even thinking about it. WHAT THEN? am i still a good person" his eyes return to copper " or a monster?". Dr. Faye uses everything in her not to yelp when she saw the change in his eyes "As long as you remain true to who you are then you will remain you.". Aaron laughs sadly.

"Has anything been different other than your aggresive mood swings" Dr. Faye inquires. Aaron cries a moment "Yea" he smiles "Ive been in a relationship with one of the Nurses. Ms. Jessica Chambers she makes me smile more than i normally do. She is scared of me to. . . I saw it i her eyes." Aaron stand and looks out the window on her door " I came here to give my life for the world to be safer what happens when the people who i care for most end up abandoning me." Dr. Faye almost starts crying "Did she say anything to make you think that?". "No she said she loved me. .. but i think she was just afraid of me. I almost couldnt say it back to her."

Dr. Faye retorts "because of your fiance?". His eyes begin flaring "YES" they fade "yes". "what about your loss makes it so hard for you to say those words?" Dr. Faye holds herself in her seat. "the people i love leave me or die and i dont want that to happen to Jessica she deserves some on who isnt in constant danger all the time." Aaron lays down in the chair and sighs "Im just being dumb i guess" Dr. Faye reassures him "Its ok to be afraid Aaron just do not let it consume you.".

Aaron stands and asks "May i leave i want to go see her?" Dr. faye smiles "Yes go feel better i have all i need.".

He leaves, Dr. Faye writes with a grimace Subject highly unstable and aggresive liability.

 

[Zain Shah]

Colonel Zain "BrownNose" Shah
Kills- 23
Missions- 14
Support

Zain gives an empathetic look "Aaron came out of those goddamn chambers and he has the gift...Poor guy, only in his early twenties and already he's sacrificing himself for the world. I feel bad for Jessica as well, this is the first time she's had a good boyfriend then within days of them being together, he completely changes." Zain fixes his hair "Jessica seemed upset about the whole thing but I need to stay positive around him. He's only got a few friends on base and we can't just leave him when he is in one of the most challenging parts of his life." Zain puts his palm out to see if he was psionic, as certain, he turned out to be not psionic without even visiting the labs. "I hope he hasn't changed too much, he's a cool guy and I fucking respect any dude who gives up that much of their life to a cause.

Zain stares at where him and Alexia had sex together a few days ago "Man, I am in the zone with Alexia right now, but I need to show that she's not just this person I only want to have sex with, I love her." He stops and gives a big smile "I told her I loved her, for a moment I thought she didn't feel the same way but luckily, she did." Zain continues with his previous statement "So as I was saying, I need to take her out on a date but I have no fucking clue where to take her? How to act? Jessica said I should ask Aaron." Zain laughs "If he can win over Jessica on a single date, he can probably help me as well...Alright, I think this'll do for now." Zain turns off the camera.

 

[AaronBryant]

I have Power, I am Scared

Aaron knocks on Jessicas Door a little late into the night. He is nervous scared even, this is the first jessica has seen him since his psionic testing had been completed. He has in his hand a change of clothes. Jessica slowly opens the door. Upon seeing Aaron, she gives him a worried look, and opens the door wider for him to come in. "Hey Jess i was hopin . . . you know if its not to much trouble . . . if i could maybe. ." He looks at her for a good long second and his thoughts return to the moment she said it and how he said it back. His face immediately calms and his eyes gently glow "May i spend the night?"

She gives him a nervous look, her eyes darting back and forth "Um...y-yeah Aaron. You...you can stay. H...h-how are feeling?". His face looks sad and he hides his eyes. "Sad. . . please dont look at me like that. . . .I promise its still me Jessica". "I-I am sorry, Aaron, I didn't mean anything. Please, come sit with me." She takes a seat on her bed. "We have a lot to talk about, don't we?". He uncovers his eyes such sad eyes the glow seeping from them his normal Copper hue sparkling brightly. "yes" he sits next to her on the verge of tears. Softly, Jessica says, "I'm sorry I didn't see you when you got out. They insisted on running a bunch of tests, and then you were immediately sent out to the field.

"Im not upset about that! You needed to rest any way and you were there the whole time i was stuck in that pod." he thinks about how scared she looked when he was in there. "What made you so scared when we were in there. . .i saw your face. . .before you told me that you loved me" He seems so serene for a minute. She looks hesitant "I was scared that the man I was about to confess my love to...wasn't going to be the man who comes outof that pod. Because...I really did mean it."

He hugs her digging his nose in her hair. "That was scary to. . . and i meant it to. . ." he pulls back to see her face. "I have this new power and yet " he lets out a half sob "Im like a child so weak and scared" He lays his head against her chest. Jessica cautiously hugs his head. "I'm not going lie to you...I'm scared. Scared for you...and a little scared of you. But I'm here for you, I promise. I don't plan to give up on you." His body tenses when she says she is scared of him. His body begins shaking and tears fall from his face. He clings to her and looks at her his eyes are blurry and almost all purple. They look like large purple drops. "Am i a monster?" His voice cracks.

Jessica eyes widen, and she wraps her arms around him. "Oh, God, Aaron, no! You're not a monster. I'm sos sorry I made you feel that way!". He sobs uncontrollably gripping her tightly almost like he was drowning. After a few minutes his sobbing ceases gradually he says close to her gasping for air every few moments. Jessica gently strokes his hair. Quietly she says, "I'm sorry Aaron. You've made such a sacrifice, and here I am being selfish."

He presses against her just being close to her makes him feel better. He had been holding in all his worry for to long. He regains himself and he is calm. He hugs her breathing her in again he looks at her and simply smiles. "I dont mean to be such a big baby" his eyes fade again shimmering if a little puffier. He goes behind her and hugs her again "what are you going to do with me if i start reading your mind" he half jokes.

Jessica chuckles lightly. "I guess its only fair, since I constantly read your emotions." In a more serious tone, she says. "And you aren't being a baby. I should be more supportive. You're the one suffering, not me.". He looks at her and kisses her cheek. He begins massaging her neck and shoulders. "You suffer to you didnt get a say to the changes ive gone through . . . I didnt even ask you how you felt about them." He Kisses the spot on her back where here shoulders and neck meet. "No, you didn't, but what could I have said if you did? 'Screw the world, as long as I'm happy. You and I both know you really didn't have a choice, so why would I blame you for that?"

He hugs her humming gently his favorite song. He feels the softness of her skin the scent that was hers alone and simply loves it. He lets his mind wander and stumbles into hers. "I . .Im sorry i didnt mean to do that" apologizing and then realizing she might not have even noticed if he said nothing. Jessica smiles. "It's okay. I felt you inside me." She chuckles, realizing how suggestive that sounded, and tries to picture the most serene images she can think of.

He holds her again finding his way into her mind and trying to send images of mountains. Rivers with crystal water, and beautiful woods. "I love you Jessica" he squeezes her tightly and sheds a tear.

"I love you too," she whispers. "No matter what."

 

[Zain Shah]

This is a collaboration between Zain Shah and AaronBryant

Part 1

Aaron stares at the punching bag mad about being unable to use psionics on the mission. Trying to use them on the bag, he projects himself towards the bag mentally it does little more than sit there laughing at him.

Zain enters the gym and starts with some free weights; he eventually notices Aaron and walks over "Holy shit, is it true? Come on dude, you have to show me some of it."

Aaron look agitated and then smiles "I've been kept pent up in that damn pod for near 9 days. . sure ill show you what I've got. . . . Just stand back". Aaron focuses on Tytus for a moment and takes a boxing stance. His eyes glow purple and white his fists radiate white light and purple tendrils. He bounces on his feet and puts all his weight in to his punch and sends it past him. The tendril of energy burns bright white and purple and rip a hole through the punching bag shooting some stuffing out. Aaron falls to his knees huffing.

"Shit man, I could do with some of those powers." Zain tries to the same thing as Aaron only to pass wind instead of shooting purple tendrils "Guess I don't have the gift." He laughs but suddenly turns serious "You better not show that shit to Jessica, she'll go fucking crazy."

Aaron Frowns "It's a part of me now . . . actually its always been a part of me the machine only enhances what we already are. My dad always told me I was different" The purple tendrils appear in his hand again swirling in a beautiful pattern. Aaron concentrates forming a heart "And its not all bad." the heart bursts into spikes and shoots forward falling flat a few seconds later. "I just need practice. I need to let go of what ever holds me back from using this to the fullest and i can do whatever i choose with it. I know I am already his blade and this only makes that more so."

"Look if I was Jessica, I would think it's cool...no homo, but she worries about you. She spent the day crying and went to sleep, you need to remember that there is a life after this war."

The tendrils in Aarons hands dissipate and his eyes go back to there bright copper hue. "You're right . . . but that doesn't mean that this is a bad thing" he touches his brows together. "Why does this have to be bad!" his eyes begin glowing "Why is it so hard for people to understand me? I'm still me . . . the whole time i was testing i saw the looks she gave me . . . i saw the looks her sister gave me . . the looks Dr. Faye gave me . . and the look you gave me earlier. I'm still me." he slumps to his knees.

"It's not what you are, it's what you can be; you can kill people with your mind...You having your mind is like me carrying around a rifle, I'm not going to shoot it but people fear me because I can." He gives Aaron a pat on the back "How about this? No matter how fucked up we both get from this war, we stay friends." Zain puts his hand out.

Aaron takes the hand and stand up "There is a huge difference between the two Zain . . . you can put the rifle down." He shakes Zains hand.

"You need to promise me that this is only for the aliens...I know you want to get back at Tytus." Zain has a worried face.

Aaron looks away from Zain making a fist "I don't need this to beat him 'm stronger than i ever was just in my body alone Tytus is nothing compared to me now." His eyes glow faintly then fade.

"That's good to hear." Zain gives him a reassuring smile "Try not to get angry if people do think you're this new person, we don't know what could set off your abilities."

Aaron laughs the laugh is almost dark "That's just it . . . its so much easier to use when I'm angry. . . or when I'm just in the middle of all my feelings but that's such a hard place to reach I'm trying to figure out how to get back there but anger is just " He grins "easy, but I'm a very happy guy normally."

Zain laughs "I know that much." Zain becomes very curious "So will you have that ability to mind-control other aliens like that other sectoid?"

Aaron looks at his hand forming the ball of energy once again turning to look at Zain white eyes glaring with purple flowing in and out. "I don't know but if i do you had better hope they aren't around because they will feel there own turn on them harder and faster then they could even imagine."

"Do you feel any different in terms of your personality?"

"I just feel this urge to use it most of the time but ill get over it that the thing with having unused power i suppose". He smiles "I know its me though so that's good."

"Let's hope we don't have to make any more sacrifices in this war."

"we will but in the end when we stand tall we will be closer to what we once were." He stretches "I'm more than willing to give up a limb or two for my home."

"I won't ever fight for humanity, only the people I care about. The world is filled with people who don't deserve to live."

"There are so many more who do though" Aaron seems far off "We judge by disparity, we become disparity, while there is sadness in the world you the children of light must make your efforts to be the beacon on which others can look upon and know there is more than just mediocrity more than merely shame. There is hope."

"That's great and all but think about it...you gave your humanity to save all the terrorists, murderers, rapists and the government bastards. That's why I only fight for myself and my friends, the criminals in the world can go fuck themselves." Tears start running down his face.

Aaron looks to Zain and hugs his friend "I never gave away my humanity. I reclaimed it. Why are you crying?"

Zain's eyes fill with rage "They killed my uncle...the fucking American government killed my uncle. He died in a drone attack in Pakistan and for that, they deserve death." A vengeful look appears on his face with all his muscles strained to the point where it looked like his arms were going to explode.

Aaron feels Zains energy he feels his own begin to stir. He tries to hold onto his friend "Zain. . . . " He realizes as he says this that this is something he should keep in mind "Vengeance, is not the same as retribution." He lets go, "Forgiveness is victory always. They may not deserve it but you deserve to let go." Aaron sighs "Its something we both need."

"It's not for me, it's for my uncle. Those rich sons-of-bitches think they can come in and kill who they like just because they're some fucking rich twats." It seems as if Zain has a complete change in personality, he pushes Aaron back and starts growling at the punching bag. He charges towards the punching bags and starts punching it with unimaginable force.

Aaron thinks and then He reaches out to Zain not with hand nor words. Tendrils reach from his mind to Zains sending soothing thoughts. He focuses on Jessica and sends Zain thoughts of Alexia mental images of smiles. Aaron's nose begins to bleed and his legs get shaky.

Zain starts feeling drowsy and crashes onto the floor. A few moments later, he opens his eyes with blurry vision but soon it turns back to normal. He sees Aaron on the floor, oblivious to what Aaron did to calm him. "Hey Aaron, get up; what happened?"

"Zain you were getting kind of . . .wild so i tried to . . .calm you by putting thoughts of Alexia in your head." Aaron looks ashamed. "I just didn't want you to hurt yourself" he says looking at the ground he touches his nose, it's covered in blood.

Zain helps him up "Thanks man, I lose my shit sometimes...Come on, lets get your nose cleaned up at the sink." Zain helps him wash the blood off and helps to stop the bleeding "There, that should be better now."

" Thanks" He leans against the sink "um i saw some stuff. . . by accident you wanted my help? I dont know for what but i know that you do."

 

[Zain Shah]

This is a collaboration between Zain Shah and AaronBryant

Part 2

Zain scratches his head trying to remember "Oh yeah, I need your help with a romantic date for Alexia."

"Gentlemen always, thats the rule my father taught me and thats the rule i damn near live by. You must under any and all circumstances remain a gentleman. Open doors make sure she is doing okay yada yada. Set the mood, I spirited Jessica away she did some of the work ill admit but i had the idea which made me seem like the hero. The one thing no one gets down here is fresh air. That was the most refreshing thing about the date besides me." he laughs " You dont need alcohol and if you use it use it sparingly. You have to remember she is a rookie in that. Last and most important rule of all, You arent there to get laid. If that happens kudos but dont press for it dont look for it dont think about it. Not only does that fall into rule number one it makes her want you even more and waiting creates tension and when that tension snaps . . . . Well make sure you have a change of sheets." He sighs "Any questions as to what you should do specifically?"

"I'm not the best conversationalist, what do I talk to her about?"

"Life find out about her what her interests entail, the life she has lead up to this point, highschool, and music. Art sometimes is fun . . . its difficult to pinpoint what you should talk about specifically." he scratches his head.

"Thanks anyway for the advice...But wait, how did you get to the surface?" Zain inquires.

"I pulled rank . . . ." He looks sneaky "and she smiled." He grins.

"I guess I pull off some bullshit about me being a colonel so I'm allowed."

"Now your getting it" he winks and laughs.

"So what base are on with Jessica, you've had ages and I managed to get to fourth base in one night."

"we hit home . . . she hit home twice though" he grins.

"Nice" Zain pats him on the back. "So er...how was she?" Zain lightly elbows his arm.

"Hey what did i say about being a gentleman" Aaron taps his foot looking at Zain disappointed. He smiles "Pretty freaking awesome. I love older women dude."

"Looks like opposites attract; you got the older sister and I got the younger one."

"This is true our maturity is also inversed but i wont breach that subject for to long" he pulls the napkin out of his nose. "Zain, If i die you gotta promise that you will help Jessica find someone. I mean youll never find a guy as good as me" he grins " but she should have someone, She deserves it."

"Yeah and you do the same with Alexia, after all I have stood on the brink of death twice already and the third time's the charm."

"You could only die if i wasnt around I am way to much of a hero to let some one else fall." He flexes "But yea i will."

"I haven't had booze in days, do you wanna go back to my room and grab some beer?"

Aaron pauses "Um . . .I dont know what my head would um you know do one couldnt hurt though."

"Come on then." Zain leads the two out of the gym and on the way to his room, he asks "So what were you before you joined XCOM?"

"U.S.A. Marine Commando unit in Training I was top in my class hand to hand scored top of class in all my field exercises. I was going to have a damn good military career then I came here and once again TOP OF THE CLASS!" he flexes. "But strength and cunning only get you so far. I lack the intelligence of some, but im fine with being me i havent failed to miserably yet."

"Does any soldier apart from me not have military background cos I swear that everyone's like high rank military around here."

"Its a military base dumbass. What did you expect?" He looks at Zain cock eyed.

"Yeah but still, I got into XCOM by being a motherfucking hunter yet at the same time they're recruiting military soldiers with tons of experience." They reach Zain's room; Zain grabs 2 cans of beer and throws one to Aaron.

Aaron catches the can. "You were a damn good hunter then!" he sips the beer bitter and bracing.

"I guess so." He chugs the entire can, crushes it in his hand and throws it in the bin. He grabs another can.

Aaron cocks his head "I bet you i could put a sexy spin on this whole psionics thing."

"What? Pleasure her with your mind? You'd literally be mindfucking her." Zain laughs, only taking a sip from the can.

"Yea id be inside of . . ." Aaron looks disgusted "OH GOD I LOST MY MIND VIRGINITY TO YOU!" he makes a retching face then starts laughing.

Zain chugs down the second can "It'd be cool if you had like a fucking psionic penis, imagine your dick glowing purple then shooting tendrils." Zain starts to become drunk.

Aaron sips "Really?" He laughs "thats kind of gross man! But i just have to get the finnese of this down im all brute force with it right now and emotion".

"You need to start thinking of uses after this war and I think using it for sex is the only option you have...Think about it, you'd be known as the guy who doesn't even need to touch women to pleasure them." Zain starts laughing hysterically "I thinks I'm fucking wasted."

Aaron sips his beer "You sure are! and Jess would be the only women to get that. On the other hand Its funny thinking that in history i will be known as the first psionic. I am the first of a new breed" he sighs "its weird" he sips the beer and it is empty.

"The world's gonna be fucked up after all this." He tosses Aaron another can "You don't plan on being sober, do you?"

Aaron looks at the can and replies "I dont want to hurt you by accident man."

"Come on, if I can take that sectoid getting me then I can handle you." He pushes the beer can towards Aaron.

"God twist my arm a little more then" he chugs the can "There use happy?" he eyes glow they seem to almost drip and sag "OGGY BOGGY" he laughs "Your a jerk!"

"I try my best to be a dick." He sits down onto the floor.

Tendrils sloppily pop and slither out of his head and then fade away "This feels weird Zain. . . mind if i crash?"

"We got two extra beds so I don't see why not." Zain clears his stuff off of one of the empty beds.

The tendrils steady him "Thanks man" Aaron lays down and falls asleep.

Zain looks at the wall clock "I'm really not tired." He spends about an hour on his laptop doing who-knows-what and eventually goes to sleep with his laptop still on, on his lap.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Name: Ayame Kasagi
Rank:Corporal (Somehow Promoted)
Class: Assault
Operation: Hot Savior
Mission Objective: Investigate Downed UFO
Kills this Mission: None (Again)
Status: Irritated, but in one piece.

Again, Ayame finds herself sitting on a dropship, but she feels a bit more confident this time, maybe because she got her first mission out of the way, maybe because she believes this mission will be easier. More then likely, it has mostly to do with the fact that Anna is with her again, and this time, Aaron sits next to her. They smile at Ayame, and Aaron says, "Don't fret, with these new abilities, I'll destroy anything that gets near you!" His eyes glow a fiery deep purple. Ayame is surprised, seeing the result of the psionic powers for the first time, but she smiles, confident that Aaron will stay true to his word.

As the group piles off the dropship, Farmer tosses a battle scanner, spotting nothing. Ayame runs forward, taking position behind a dead tree near Anna and Aaron. Ayame glances at them, and wishes she could see Anna's face behind her helmet. She notices Aaron grinning, and smiles, wishing she could be so confident. She suddenly hears a noise in front of her, just catching sight of several Thin Men before they run for cover. I've wanted to take one of you down for a long time.

Seeing Jorn run ahead, activating the cloaking field on his armor as he goes, she stands up, eager to join him. "Kasagi, take position behind the log in front of you and fire." Ayame sighs, but follows her orders. She takes aim at a Thin Man, thinking to herself, No way I'm gonna hit it from here. I'm an assault, get me up close. Ah, fuck it! She shifts her aim, firing instead at the Thin Man's cover, destroying it. "It's all yours, Anna," Ayame says over the Com.

"Good thinking," Anna runs behind a destroyed tree, taking down the target.

Ayame sees a laser shoot past her, followed by the satisfying sound of a Thin Man dying. She looks ahead, and is startled to see a Thin Man drop dead just from the funny look Jorn gives It. "Can you do that too, Aaron?"

"Pretty sure I can," Aaron answers, "and I can't wait any longer to try!" He runs up next to her, about to do so on a nearby Heavy Floater, but he frowns, likely having received a different order. He instead fires, and misses completely. "DAMN IT, SHOT WIDE!" His eyes burn with an incredible intensity that sends shivers down Ayame's spine.

"I'm popping some smoke to protect Oudwater and I," Anna says, and does so. Seeing her chance, Ayame runs forward and takes cover next to Anna. "Oh, fancy seeing you here," Anna says.

Ayame smiles. "What's a lovely lady like you doing in an alien infested neighborhood like this?" She takes aim, getting ready to ghost and then run&gun, but receives the order to hunker down. "Damn it," she grumbles, again following orders.

"Relax, Ayame," Aaron says, "You'll get your chance. You'd better. I'd better." As if to test Aaron's statement, Oudwater is told to take a shot, which he misses, and Aaron is told to weaken it for Jorn to go for the capture without Ayame getting a chance.

I guess I shouldn't complain if we got a capture, Ayame thinks, sighing as she and Anna run forward a bit. Her eyes dart back and forth, and she wonders if she saw another Heavy Floater as Anna runs up next to her. Sure enough, she see's Farmer fire at something, scoring a hit. She sees Oudwater run forward and fire another wide shot, and gets ready to run&gun, but is stunned when she sees Farmer is given the kill.

As she starts shaking in anger, Anna places a kind hand on her shoulder. "I know you're upset, and I'll be happy to help you vent later, but you gotta keep your cool for now." Ayame gives her a reluctant nod. "Good. Remember what I've told you about keeping your temper in check." Ayame gives her a more sincere nod, and the pair run forward.

Following Farmer's directions as he hovers in the air, the group takes off to the left, heading towards the ship. Upon reaching it, Ayame looks in wonderment at the UFO, never having been able to see one this close before. Ready to run towards, she quickly realizes she isn't going to get a chance to see the inside, or any more action for that matter. As Jorn is ordered to run in, Aaron gets the command to blast the two discovered Sectoid Commanders, and Farmer and Jorn are told to finish them off, Ayame slumps against the tree she's next to, wondering if she could barrow Anna's helmet to hide her disappointment. She does so just fine with out it, though, not letting on to the others how annoyed she is. At least I feel my tactical sense is improving. That's good, because it looks like the only way I'm gonna see any action is if I get right into the aliens faces and put myself in as much danger as possible.

 

[AaronBryant]

I stand before you Friend and Monster

A collaborative effort between AaronBryant and Zombiesplitter53

Aaron walks off the drop ship with Ayame face cold slightly angry. "You did good congrats on your promotion when Stevie has finished we should all be out there firing our minds and guns." He smiles slightly "I heard your first mission was . . .Hell. . . " His face looks angrier. Ayame looks down to the ground, a sad expression crossing her face. "It...wasn't the most pleasant first experience. I guess I shouldn't complain, since I made but...I don't know."

Aaron puts his arm around Ayame the armor making him seem as close to a titan ad can be. "You were dealt the worst hand" He squeezes her close "you are allowed to complain and Had i been there non of that would have happened!" Aarons eyes glow a cold pale white purple ebbing and flowing from the center churning and splintering into smaller fragments. Ayame's worried look turns to concern, but she pushes it aside. "Thanks, Aaron. I know you would have. Luckily Anna was thereto talk me down. I just wish I could have had more of an impact. On both missions."

"You are getting stronger though you will get there" He seems hollow as he says this then his eyes fade to his copper and they are bright and smiling again. "When you get there Stevie and i will be waiting. READY to lay down the good word on the alien sons of bitches" he thumps his chest laughing. He takes off some of his armor sweating. Ayame does the same, stretching as she does. "So what can you do? I mean, with the psionics?" She gives him a reassuring smile.

"Not much" His eyes flare again and his hand glows the tendrils glaring purple and white. "Think . . . Loudly of a shape." His smile seems sad now in his mind he thinks of Jessica and telling her he loved her. Ayame squeezes her eyes shut and thinks of the most complicated shaped that comes to mind, a dodecahydron.

"Open" The tendrils begin climbing over each other making a square first. The square gets 2 more sides sweat forms on his brow. 2 more sides appear his eyes burn like light bulbs. 2 more sides appears the shape is swirling up and down in and out. The last 2 sides appear and he smiles and the tendrils burst apart and fade. He falls to his knee the greaves clinking on the ground he puts on a shirt and steps out of his greaves into some pants.

"Cool. So does it feel...what's the right word? Um, good? You know, to have that power inside you?" she asks cautisously. "Some times. . . I havent told any one yet but i feel a spiking feeling in the base of my skull if i try to hard with it or use it for too long i got a nose bleed when training it the other day but the spike gets weaker every day." He grins saying "ill show you what i can do to the enemy" he motions for her to follow him.

Ayame follows him with a look of cautious excitement. Aaron opens the door to the gym. He takes a boxers stance he thinks about tytus . . . no he changes his mid at the last second and searches for his power in thoughts of Jessica. His eyes flare brightly and almost beautifully the purple dancing across his eyes and the white burns through clearly. He gathers his energy, and punches at the bag 20 feet away from him puting a one two combo on. The bag has two small holes that appear in it. His nose drops a bit of blood "There it is" The glow from his eyes recedes.

Ayame looks on with wonderment. "That was awesome, Aaron! You've like a...oh! You're bleeding Aaron!". "Dont worry about it. I think you were about to say i looked awesome or something" his nose drops more blood he wipes it and stands tall solemn. Ayame smiles. "Yeah, you're kinda lile a superhero. Like, Psionic Man. Just gotta work on the after effects. You said it's getting better, right?". "Yeah" he wipes his nose again, looking at the blood he remembers Tytus "I just wish it would GO AWAY!" He punches the bag again his eyes now flaring. He is seething "I just want to be strong . . . so strong that i can protect every one." There is a swirling nether and dark colors flare in his eyes.

Ayame takes a step back. "Calm down Aaron. You scaring me. A little.". His body shakes and he snaps out of it the psionic energy disapating. "Im still learning . . . Sorry." Aaron begins pawing the ground as if he doesnt know what to do with himself. "It's okay Aaron. I'm here for you. If you feel like you're losing control, I'll be there to smack you on the head to snap you out of it, okay?" she grins cheekishly.

Aaron laughs "Good luck reaching it" he pokes her. Ayame pouts, but then smiles to show she isn't really upset. "So how are things going with Jessica. Is she taking it okay?". "She seems less scared . . .but only less." he seems lost in his thoughts "I dont want to scare her. It hurts to know im upsetting her. "It isn't your fault," Ayame says, walking up to him and placing a hand on his arm. "Just be careful. I can tell by your tone that the two of you are probably getting serious."

"Yes" he shiver "I find myself having darker thoughts. It is good to have friends who can pull me back to the light" he stares at Ayame. "Anytime." Ayame gives him a curious look. "How serious have you two gotten?". " when i was in the psi lab . . she told me she loved me" he seems confused. "I had to fight every instinct in my body just to tell her how i felt. They all told me not to say it it was more frightnening than the freaking robo-rex."

"So, do you not love her back then?" she asks sadly. Aaron laughs "I do like i said everything in my being was telling me not to say it. That was fear though. I kept thinking about my fiance.". "Oh, I see. It's like when I told...someone her that I loved her. I kept thinking of my first love, and how i might be betraying her. I'm glad you were able to push past that as I did.". "Yea" he smiles "Ayame whats a gualoa?" his face looks concerned "I dont think im saying it right."

Ayame cocks her head. "Why? Who called you a guilao?". "You did" he laughs "First time we meet you were raving and ranting and guilao stuck out to me.". "I did? I did, didn't I?. I'm sorry. It means...um, ghost...but it is also a racial slur for white people." Ayame's face turns beat-red. Aaron looks at her then busts out laughing falling down and rolling over "Thats good stuff" he wipes the tear from his face. "Ayame. . . i told this to Stevie and i need you to know it to. If i die you have to remember Jareth13 promise?"

"Jareth13? Can i ask why?" she seems concerned. " The name is my favorite fighter in the dungeon and dragons campaign i used to play." He winks "as for what its for Its a surprise, but if your really curious you could just pop a cap in my ass". Ayame shrugs. "I think I can wait a while longer. Just promise me you'll fill me in once we win this war.".

"Sure then it will be a mut point" He sighs "Ill be living off my pension in the mountains of tennesse forging, fishing, farming, hunting, and smiling." His eyes glow gently "Jessica and i will pop out a few kids Uncle Stevie and Auntie Ayame will come visit and we will be free and happy. Ill come visit your family and laugh at your" he laughs "Twin niece is it? Ill be the big old Guilao when im old telling storys about when our people couldnt fly with out effort. When they couldnt move things with there minds when we had to be heros using just our body and skill."

Ayame smiles pleasantly. "It sounds like you've got it all planned out. And it sounds like a wonderful plan that I' d love to be a part of. And I bet my niece would get a kick out of you, a real superhero. Maybe you should say hi to her the next time I call her.". He smiles "Yea lets do that she likes comics?". Ayame nods. "Comics, manga, sci-fi movies, and the like. And she's very enthusiastic about it all."

"AWESOME" he exclaims with near child like delight. "Shes gunna have some pretty awesome birthdays. I got all the classic stuff" he grows silent for a minute and he cries, not sobbing or blubbering silent tears. "Im glad i met you Ayame. I dont know who or what would be with out you. I would have fallen deeper into depression i know that much." he wipes his tears away "I promise that as long as i draw breath I will protect you and your niece!". Ayame wipes away his tears. "I know you will. But...since you had me promise you a final wish, can I make one?"

He laughs "Yea go ahead". "If..if you make it...and I don't, promise me you'll keepa close I on my sister. I don't trust her husband, no matter how many transparent lies she tries to feed me.". "Abusive?" He has a scowl. Ayame nods. "I can't say for sure, because like I said I'm only reading between the lines, but I'm pretty sure he's only abusive to her, not Ayaka, not that that makes it okay. Just promise that if you find out this is true, you'll take them away from him.". His Eyes glow fierce "Ill do all i can" he grins darkly forming a dark purple ball in his hand.

"Nonono, none of that. If I'm right, he's a scumbag, but if you hurt him, I know Guì yīng would feel responsible. Promise me you'll take them away from him, and nothing more." She looks at him with a serious face. "Gah yes mame" his eyes return to normal. "Good." She glances at her watch. "Speaking of which, I was supposed to talk to them today but the mission dashed those plans. I better hurry and go schedule another meeting if I don't want to end up waiting a week.". "well hurry then!" he crosses his arms around his shins.

"Thanks, Aaron." She makes for the door. "And...just thanks. You know, for everything. Psi powers or not, you're definitely still the Aaron I love and respect." She gives him one last quick smile, and takes off.

 

[Frostlich1228]

CLASSIFIED Security Footage

Office of Dr. Franziska Van Damm, Head of Cryssalid Research.
Time : 4:36 PM

The Camera flicks on to show Dr. Van Damm leaning back in her chair watching the door intently, she takes a clipboard off her desk, examines it for a minute for laying it back down on the table.

The door opens the door and Anna steps though, She gives Dr. Van Damm a cold stare before taking a seat.

Dr. Van Damm sits up and crosses her arms. " Good Afternoon Ms. Stone... "

Anna sits down quietly and continues to stare at her.

Dr. Van Damm gives her a suspicious look before saying. " This is not your normal Check-Up as you might've guessed Ms. Stone... I brought you here because I wanted to ask you a few questions... "

" About what? " Anna says in a untrusting tone of voice.

" Your chat with Dr. Faye the other day... How did it go? " She replies.

Anna's eyes stare into the Doctor's, her gaze even colder than before. " If you must know it went well... "

Dr. Van Damm adjusts the height of her chair before asking. " What did you two do there? "

" She asked me a few questions and we left... "She hastily replies. " Why do you want to know? "

The Doctor's face turns serious for a second before returning to a Smile. " I Know she told you everything Ms. Stone... "

Anna's Face turns to shock. " B...But how? Faye said that room wasn't being monitored! "

Dr. Van Damm Grins Smugly before replying. " You just told me, of course... "

Anna's is speechless for a second before slamming her fist on the table in anger. " God Dammit! Don't do anything to her... Not all of the people here are as Cold Hearted as you... "

Dr. Van Damm leans back in her chair and pretends to be shocked. " Me? Cold Hearted? The Reason I kept this Information from you was for your own good... "

Anna quickly stands up and looks her in the Eye. " My own Good?! You thought keeping the fact that I had a Monster living inside me a secret was a good idea?! And worse Yet, The fact that this thing could control me?! "

Dr. Van Damm keeps her composure. " I did indeed... Would you really want everyone in the base to know that you are a Ticking Cryssalid Time Bomb? They would try and remove the problem themselves wouldn't they? And before you ask... The reason I didn't tell You is because with Commander Odd sending you out in the field despite my many Letters Advising him against it, I didn't want to cloud your mind with thoughts about it... "

Anna Clenches her fists in anger. " I want you to tell me Everything that you know about my condition... Now... "

Dr. Van Damm Chuckles to herself. " Oooh A Threat! And here I thought you were the Calm Calculating Type... or is that just the Cryssalid speaking? " Dr. Van Damm takes a sip of some Coffee on her Desk. " Fine... I'll tell you everything... I suppose it doesn't matter now... If I don't you'll just go out there and tell everyone anyway... "

Anna sits back down, a look of Anger still on her face.

Van Damm Thinks for a second. " Where should I Start? Ah Yes! I'll start by telling you that some of Dr. Faye's information is false... "

" What Information was false? " Anna Says, Still glaring at the Doctor.

" Everything she knows is spot on... Except the fact that the Emybro does not have the Strength to take control of your body on it's own... Well... Not with you Alive at least... "

" So you're saying that I need to die before it can take control over my body? "

Dr. Van Damm cracks her neck. " Yes, That's Exactly what I'm saying... Now let's continue on to the things that Faye Does not know, Our most recent discoveries... " Dr. Van Damm pauses for a minute. " First of all I was given Authorization to use the Psi Scanner they developed in the Labs... And I used it on you during one of your check-ups... We detected some sort of faint Psychic resonance in your brain- "

Anna Interrupts her. " Are you telling me that I'm Psychic? "

Dr. Van Damm Sighs. " No... You're not Psychic... We found that the Psychic Resonance we detected was coming from the Embryo inside you... Originally we had no idea why it was giving off this faint resonance... But then after we used the Psi Scanner on some of the Cryssalids We killed during the Alien Base Assault we found something amazing... All of the Cryssalids had no Resonance in their brains... Except for one... When we scanned this one further we detected a Psychic Resonance almost exactly like the one we found in your Brain... We then took DNA samples of all of the Cryssalids we retrieved from the Base and the Battleship, They were all pretty normal Except for the one Which we found The Resonance in... This Particular Cryssalid had a Mutation in the part of a Cryssalid's DNA that we Associate with Embryotic Growth and Development, This mutation must be what the Embryo inside your brain must have... So, me and the other Scientists did some tests to find out what this means... And I came Up with a Brilliant Theory...These Special Cryssalid... Or Broodmothers, As we have started calling them, Must be the reason Why Cryssalid are almost completely invulnerable to Psi Attacks... It also Explains why the Aliens would ever use such a Uncontrollable, Instinct Driven, Killing Machine of a creature in their armies... The Broodmothers must be how the Aliens control their Cryssalid forces... I think that the Broodmother Cryssalids Must act like a Queen, something that is the Head of a sort of... Hivemind... That Controls the Cryssalid forces... These Broodmothers must be far more Intelligent than normal Cryssalid, because of their psionic ability... This means that these Cryssalid must have enough Intelligence to fear for their lives... This, you see, must be how the Aliens control them... All they have to do is enslave the Broomother by threatening it's life, and Massive groups of Cryssalid, Fall into line... "

Anna has been sitting there silent this entire time, listening closely and paying attention to every word that has come out of Van Damm's mouth.

Dr. Van Damm takes a sip of her Coffee, before saying. " But That's just my Theory... Too bad that we haven't found a Living Broomother to test it though... " She puts her Mug down on the table. " That's all I've found out so far Ms. Stone... Everything Else I'm sure Faye Covered...

Anna's rage seems to be gone, she looks down at the desk before asking. " So are you going to let me tell my friends any of this? "

Dr. Van Damm smiles. " If I say No will you do it anyway? I'm not your Enemy Ms. Stone... Even though I may seem like it... to tell you the truth anyone else here would've just killed you as soon as they found out... I'm the one stopping them, I'm telling them that the Information you can give us far outweighs the risk of keeping you alive... I'm not asking you to Thank me Ms. Stone... I'm just asking you to understand that I'm only here to help you... "

Anna get's up and leaves the room without saying another word.

Dr. Van Damm Leans back in her chair, watching her slowly walk down the hall and out of sight, she then gets up and closes the door, before pressing a button on her Laptop, causing the Camera to click off.

*End of Video *

 

[Grelite]

To: psilabs@science.xcomhq.net
From: s.zhang@officers.xcomhq.net

I have been spending some time monitoring our 'gifted' soldiers; Bryant and Lemonade; in the interest of seeing whether this could influence the performance of the troops. In my investigation I have stumbled upon something curious. The result I mean to share as it concerns me greatly.

From the reports I received from your lab I had understood that the manifestation of the psionic powers had been purely telepathic, unable to directly influence the physical; no telekinesis has been observed. Yet I have read in reports from people close to Bryant that they can observe his powers actively, being described as purple tendrils and glowing eyes. These reports are consistent, but it has not been observed by any camera: on all footage his powers have no visible manifestation.

My theory is that Bryant may be, perhaps unknowingly, influencing the minds of the people close to him to make them see what he thinks is real. This is something I consider to be dangerous to himself and the people around him. Should this escalate, how devastating could the results be if he can influence people like this when he has only just discovered his power. None of these reports have been listed concerning Lemonade. It is for that reason that I volunteer for the programme and suggest an eye is kept on Bryant.

Signed,
Colonel Shaojie Zhang

 

[Dahlexpert]

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

The following is a collaboration between Jhon Markith & ZombieSplitter53

Training with the Best
Part One

Project X-COM Base Corridors
Outside Psionic Testing Laboratory
1800 Hours, Day Nine of initial Psionic Testing

Ayame stands outside of the psi-labs, watching the subjects, Aaron in particularly, as their pods are radiated with an odd, purple light. Stevie walks up, "You are here to?"

"Yeah," Ayame says without looking away. "What do you think is going on in their heads right now. What do you think it feels like to have some strange psychic energy pumped into your head? Can't be pleasant."

"Well, if it is anything like the shit that goes through my head, then it must not be good." Stevie smiles, then looses it, "You know that with him and the other two in there, there will be an even bigger chance of you going in now."

Ayame gives him a look of realization. "You're right, Stevie. I'd rather not have to get to go out there because Aaron is getting a blast of...um, purple to the head, but what's done is done, I should really get ready, shouldn't I?"

"It'd be for the best," Stevie walks over to Ayame, "It's up to you when you train, how you train, and who shall train with you." Stevie looks at Ayame, "Just one tip, you have seen the hell it is on the cams. Well, its worse than hell in the real fight."

"Well, to be honest, I'd love to train with a front-liner like you. No kids stuff like when the three of us fight or have contests, no advise like with Zain. Real training."

"You are an assault too, aren't you." Stevie puts his hand on Ayame's shoulder, "If so, I might be of great help."

"That would be great Stevie. I know I can count on any bit of training you can give me. Especially since I'm not that great with shotguns. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Well, we could do what I do usually in training." Stevie scratches his head, "I start out with lifting weights, then hand to hand and finally I take my time at the shooting range." Stevie looks at Ayame, "Nothing against you, but I think we might need to do twice the normal time, mainly for the fact of your inexperience on the field. Don't worry, I have your back all the way."

"Please, don't hold back in fear of insulting me. I'll do whatever you say...sir." Ayame gives Stevie her best salute.

"You don't have to salute me, I only earned two ranks, either way, lets get started." Stevie and Ayame walk to the gym to lift weights, "Lets start with bench, what should I put on for you."

"Um...twenty kilos," she says, blushing slightly.

"That is decent, but we will have to push harder, lets start whenever you are ready, we won't take a real break until 45 minutes has past. Sound good?"

"Sounds good, Stevie. And I'm ready. Just promise you won't go easy on me."

"Sure thing," Stevie gets in spotting position, "Lift up on three, 5 sets of 10. One, two, three."

Ayame grabs the weights and begins. She does a decent job for the first two sets, but starts to struggle half way through the third set.

"Come on Ayame, push, its all in your mind!" Stevie yells.

Ayame pushes herself harder, powering through he rest of the set, as well as the fourth. As she starts the fifth, she again struggles right at the beginning. "...I...I-I c-can't..."

"You can't? You can't?!" Stevie yells, "Look at George Washington, General of the American Army and the first President. Do you think he had times when we said he couldn't? Of course, but he got over those times and won the Revolution with the other Generals as well." Stevie yells louder and louder, "His men where no grade of soldier, no, they were everyday men, yet, even with the odds against them, they fought, if you can't fight when there is no hope in sight, then you don't deserve to fight."

Ayame pushes even harder, moving slower then before, but making her way through the set. Completing it, she sits up, painfully rubbing her arms. She suddenly starts cracking up, switching between laughing and wincing.

"How do you feel," Stevie says a lot quieter than during the lifting.

"Well...in a word, sore. But I'll make it. You're good at motivation speeches by the way. I wish you had picked a General for either Chinese or Japanese history, but at least you picked someone I would know about."

"Sorry about that, the biggest Chinese name I know is Confucius, and as for Japanese names, no clue." Stevie looks around at the stations, "Well, I think squats will be next."

Ayame clumsily takes a swig from a water bottle and jumps to her feet. "Bring it on."

"So what to start with. Lets push it, not too much of course, but just enough."

"Sure," she takes her position. "How many should I do?"

"Lets do 5 sets of 10 again, just find your happy place, or if that isn't your style, then think of something that just makes your blood boil, something you can't stand, then take it and turn it into strength." Stevie says putting a deep and hard tone on strength.

Ayame closes her eyes, moving slowly at first. She envisions in her mind the people she hates the most, specifically her uncle, and starts moving faster. When she begins to tire, she decides to instead try the happy place idea, and thinks of her friends, all together with her at the end of the war. Nearly finished but almost at her limit, she focuses specifically on Persephone, embracing her in her arms and giving her a passionate kiss. She finishes the set strong, and steps away, falling at one knee.

"Great Job, but there is still much to do."

Ayame pants of a few moments, then climbs to her feet. "Of course. (Pant) What's next?"

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

The Following is a collaboration between Zain Shah & ZombieSplitter53

Catching up with Good Friends
Part One

X-COM Base Primary Shooting Range
1100 Hours, After Operation Hot Savior

Zain has been spending quite some time at the range while he is not out on missions. He picks up a plasma rifle and delivers a head-shot to the shooting dummy. He then attaches a scope to it but also moves the target further away, and he misses "Damn it."

"That's not like you to miss such an easy target," Ayame says, walking up behind him. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh Ayame...I guess I'm just out of practice after the alien base. That shit was fucking intense...Anyway, how'd your first mission go? You're alive, so I guess not that bad."

Ayame shudders. "It went horrible. The Commander almost got me killed."

"Oh, wow." Zain examines Ayame's body for any injuries. "Seems like you're gonna get hit even more usually than from me."

"Ha ha Zain, very funny. I wish I could be so light-hearted about being slashed by one of those stupid bugs."

"Actually, they slashed me up pretty bad; now I have a Chrysalid scar on my chest. It was all the fucking Commander's fault, he said to just run to the door so we didn't pay attention to anything else. and a Chrysalid scratched me." Zain rubs his chest in pain.

"That is exactly what happened to me! He told me to run into an alleyway blind, and I found myself facing down four aliens. I'm lucky all I got was a light scratch. If that Muton..." Ayame's eye suddenly widen with realization, and she looks like she is about to panic.

Zain grabs hold of her shoulders and looks in her eyes. "I panicked on my first mission too, but you have to stay strong and try to block out emotions you may feel."

Ayame shakes her head rapidly. "N-No. You don't understand! The Muton, it was...supposed to fire at me, but it...b-but it..." Ayame looks like she is about to hyperventilate.

"It went for a civilian, didn't it? Listen, none of these are justified but some are more justified than others. God kept you from dying for a reason, which we may not know yet, but we will...soon." Zain gives her a friendly hug.

Ayame calms done a bit. "I hope you're right, Zain, because the thought that someone died so I could live makes me sick to the stomach."

"There wasn't anything you could do, it was the Commander's fault for putting you into such a tough position...Don't beat yourself up over it." He pushes the hair on Ayame's face to one side.

Ayame smiles at him. "Thanks, Zain. That means a lot to me. I can see why Alexia likes you...oh, sorry, you probably didn't want me to know about that."

"How...er...How is it that you know about us?"

Ayame nervously scratches the back of her head. "I helped Jessica carry Alexia to their room the night you...you know. Man, was she pissed. I don't want to alarm you, but she said something about getting a rape kit. I hope she's calmed down since then."

"Yeah, she's cool with it now." Zain leans over towards Ayame. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about the whole thing." Ayame makes a motion to show her lips are sealed. "Thanks, so how did it feel to get your first kill, huh?"

Ayame frowns. "I don't know. I'll tell you when I get one." She looks down at her new badge. "I honestly don't even know why they bothered promoting me. I didn't do anything but save two civies and miss a lot."

"It's alright, everyone gets scared of shooting those things for the first time, but eventually you'll get used to it, and you'll start shooting them like you shoot these targets."

Ayame nods. " If you think so, then I'm sure its true. Just gotta have a few more of those weird dreams."

"What weird dreams?" Zain inquired.

Ayame shakes her head, laughing. "No, its stupid, you'd laugh at me."

"Come on, is anything really stupid now that there is an alien invasion?"

"Yeah, my dreams. I, uh I had a dream I trained with myself, but it wasn't exactly me. I mean, she looked like me, but she was different, more mature. And she claimed to be as real as me, but from a different X-COM, one that didn't make it."

"So does that mean we will make it?" Zain sounds hopeful.

Ayame shrugs. "I don't know. It was a dream, like I said, and even if she was real, she might just be from some alternate world or something. But we are doing a lot better then they did. She seemed genuinely surprised when I mentioned that we were trying to unlock powers in people."

"Alternate world, huh?" Zain ponders for a moment "What happened in her timeline?"

Ayame shudders. "There are some...disturbing parallels with our X-COM. She said her Commander Odd started to ignore the advancement of his lower ranked soldiers in favor of focusing almost exclusively on his 'favorites'. Then he started to even ignore the safety of his non-favorites, and ended up getting a woman named Aribeth, who was a friend of my double, needlessly killed."

"It all came crashing down when a series of malfunctions and just plain bad luck resulted in him losing practically all the soldiers he sent to that big ship we attacked using those relays a while back. This wasn't his fault, but he had neglected training and hiring soldiers so much that they just couldn't recover after that, and were unprepared when the aliens invaded their base."

"At least we made it further than them; that has to be a good sign. I know the Commander is playing favourites right now but trust me, you'll get your moment in the spotlight." Zain pats her back.

Ayame nods, "I know I will. I just have to be patient. In the meantime, I'm gonna work hard to train when I'm awake, and hopefully my doubles can give me some more training while I sleep."

"You're a good marksman or markswoman, I don't really know, but you can shoot those dummies easily. You have to stop being afraid of the aliens and just imagine they are exactly like one of those dummies."

Ayame smiles. "Kinda like imagining everyone is in their underwear when making a big speech, right?"

"Uh...yeah, if that's how you want to think about it." He thinks about a naked Muton for a second and shudders "Anyway, if you don't mind me asking," he whispers, "How're things with Persephone? You know about my love life already."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Training with the Best
Part Two

"Something a bit simple for a sec..." Stevie thinks for a moment. "How about sit'n twists?"

"Um, sure...how do you do a sit 'n twist?"

"Well, it helps with balance and your core, all you do is get a weight, balance on your butt, cross your legs, with your back off the ground as well, and lift the weight from one side to the other .It might be better if I show you." Stevie takes of a 45 pound weight from the rack and does each step as he said. "Do you think you got this?"

Ayame grabs a 25 pound weight and mirrors him. "Like this?"

"Yes, now since you are new at this, you might want to do 3 sets of 50 instead of 3 sets of 100, witch can be considered usual for sit'n twists." Stevie gets up and puts the 45 pound weight back on the rack.

Ayame begins, slowly at first, then quicker. As she does, she keeps an eye on Stevie to make sure she is doing it right.

As Ayame goes on through the sets, Stevie nods to confirm her success, "Great, now back to some heavy lifting, dead-lift, you know what that is, right?" Stevie smiles.

"Y-Yeah," she says, standing up. "Wow, and I thought I had a hard routine. Do you do this every time you work out?"

"Pretty much, except I use heavier weights," Stevie says while setting up the dead-lift station, "It might be tough, but I push through. So what do you want for the dead-lift, and once again 5 sets of 10."

"Hm...give me 25."

"Sure thing." Stevie gets it set up. "All yours."

Again, Ayame starts off strong but struggles near the end, this time finishing by thinking about the next time she,Stevie, and Aaron will get to hang out. In the end, she stumbles away from the machine, woozily but confidently asking, "What's...next...chief?"

"What's next is a short break." Stevie smiles.

"Well...if you...insist." She smirks and takes a seat on a bench, wiping the sweat off her head and neck and taking a drink of water. She pulls at her shirt repeatedly to fan herself, and asks, " How often do you exercise Stevie?"

"Every other day. I try to relax a little on the days I don't, and on days of a mission I too."

"Good, cause if you did this every day, you probably collapse in the middle of a mission. "

"Well, if I didn't, I wouldn't be in fighting condition," Stevie drifts away, "how do you think Aaron is doing right now."

"Dreaming, I hope. I'm just worried about what will happen when he gets out. This probably sounds selfish of me, but I kinda hope he doesn't turn out to have any abilities."

"I believe that God will give him the power he needs, if he needs the power, then God will gladly give it to him, if he doesn't, then God will give the strength he needs in another way, either way, I know Aaron will respect it. Just like me, he is a man of God." Stevie says smiling, then looks at Ayame, "So what do you believe."

"I...have an unusual way of thinking, or at least that is what I'm told. I believe that God is a kind of...observer. I believe that the greatest gift from God is the gift of free will, and if He influenced things too much, it would take away our free will. So, He only interferes when there is an absolute need. Kinda weird way of thinking, huh?"

"Not really, just look at where we are at."

"Thanks Stevie. I appreciate that."

"No problem, we have two more small work outs and off to hand to hand, I don't think you will have a problem with that."

"Nope," Ayame says, hoping to her feet. "I think I can handle it."

"Then lets finish this with pull ups, 5 sets of 10, and leg presses, also 5 sets of 10." Stevie looks at Ayame, "Which one to knock out first."

Ayame grins. "Now these I can do." Ayame walks over to the pull-up bar, powering through the sets. As she finishes, she smiles at Stevie, saying, "It helps when you're as light as I am, doesn't it?"

"True, very true, but it gives me an idea of how strong you really are."

"I hope that's a good thing," Ayame says, walking over to the leg press.

"It is, now lets finish the part of the session, then we can get to hand to hand combat"

"You got it," she says, again powering through the exercise. As she steps off of it, she say, "My speed is very important to me, so I make sure that my legs are in top condition."

"That's a good thing, you might be like me; a dodge, a shot, and on to the next." Stevie smiles, "Off to hand to hand."

"Thank you, Stevie. This is...um, this is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I've...been watching you. You know, because you're such a good assault."

"I'm not that great, I just get caught up in the heat of the moment sometimes, and sometimes I get the song Eye of the Tiger by Survivor in my head, but go on."

"Don't be so modest. I mean I watch all of my friends out there, of course, but when I found out I was going to be an assault, I started paying special attention to you. So, in a way, you've been a sort of teacher to me without even realizing it. I hope that doesn't sound weird or like I'm some kinda stalker.

"Of course not, you were just doing what you thought was right, you wanted to know how to move on the battle field. You don't have to, because like karate has different styles of fighting, so does war. I have my way, which might be a little reckless, and you might have your own." Stevie gives Ayame a friendly pat on the back.

"Thanks." She walks over to the sparring mat and puts up a defensive stance. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Stevie smiles.

 

[AaronBryant]

Name: Aaron Bryant
Current Rank: Psi. Major
Mission Name: Sacred Fist
Mission Objective:

• Locate the ship
• Netreulize any enemy forces

Kills This Mission: 2 Dead Aliens
Total Kills since joining X-COM: 20
Status: Sneaky

The Commander gave me a new toy to try out today hopefully it will allow me a chance to use my psionics. Ghost armor stealth stuff that would make me seem like a newbie to any one else. I felt like a predator donning this stuff. We climbed out of the drop ship big farmer moved up first trying to get us as much info on the LZ as possible. He threw his scanner out he relayed that the entrance was close. Commander had us sneak around the side. Jorn went a hug way out front and then i got to go stealth following Jorn. Jorn and I Heard something it sounded pretty big, so we got in closer and heard nothing. Jorn and I go around the corner and we get first contact. "COME AND GET ME FUCKERS!" i scream loudly and juantily. John Took the beserker leading it off from us opening our options a bit. Jorn went for a fray. After that. . . I felt my energy welling inside of mei felt a fierce white hot glowing intensity and then . . . I shot it out scrambling the fuckers brains like a blender and i watched him fall. After that the snipers cleaned up and we set up by the doors. Nothing was behind door number one so we moved to the next one and sure enough another muton pack. The commander had me release another mindfray. . . it was such a delicious feeling. I didnt even care that jorn got to end him. The snipers cleaned up the beserker again and Ana "Stone cold killed the other" ha. We kept moving on through hearing this insane yowling. It kept sounding like it was behind us. Chrysalids came up on us and i blasted one with jorn. I instantly went for the flay but there mind was so strange no logical way of thinking at least not as i knew it . . .i couldnt get past it and failed. but the rest of the squad cleaned my failure. As we got ready to move on we had a bunch of elites on our ass Its to bad for them i had such a lovely blaster launcher and i set them ablaze. I took them and made them weak. Jorn John and Oud all advanced to kick there ass and two went down Ouds didnt though. Anna covered them with a smoke and Jorn got blasted. Instead of ripping his mind apart he went up and humiliated the alien by capturing him. We pull up to another door and find two commanders behind it Oud and Anna soften one of them up and then John takes one in for questioning. The Commander brought me up right on the other and I blasted his face off misson done. I can now inspire my allies with out a word though to be honest i think i was enough of a bad ass before to do that Aaron signing off.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Catching up with Good Friends
Part Two

Ayame gives him a surprised look, then smiles. "I got to hand it to you, Zain, you kept your promise not to tell anyone so well, I forgot you knew." She then frowns. "I...I'm not sure about me and Persephone, though."

"Well, you're lucky I didn't say anything about it while I was drunk." Zain looks worried. "What's wrong? I thought you two agreed to be together after the war."

Ayame droops her shoulders. "I feel like I made a mistake, pushing her so hard. I've always been like this, being so emotionally dependent, but now I'm afraid it's going to really hurt someone. That Cryssalid attack made me realize how easily I could die, and what happens to her when I do. I build up on this relationship, just to cause her to come crashing to the ground. Hard."

"I felt the same when I was critically wounded; while I was stabilized, I couldn't help but feel like my time was coming to an end, and yet I'm still here. You need to trust your ability and your teammates, and soon you'll be killing aliens left, right, and center."

"But what if that doesn't matter," she practically pleads. "What if I become the best soldier here, only to be picked off by a weapon malfunction or a lucky shot. I don't care if I die defending the Earth, but what I do care about is making my friends sad over my passing. And I went ahead and told Persephone I loved her, setting her up to be the most hurt. As much as I do love her, with all my heart, I wish I had never told her that."

Zain smiles off in the distance. "I told her I loved her when...you know...doing IT." Zain looks to Ayame again. "Me and Aaron made a pact to help Jessica or Alexia find someone if one of us dies."

"Then I need you to do the same for me, please." Ayame grasps Zain's hands. "I begging you, promise me if I die, you'll see to it she isn't alone. She can't be alone, she doesn't deserve it. She's too good of a person. Please help her get past me. I'll do anything you ask if you just promise me this."

"I don't think I know any other homosexual people, but I'll try. As for the you-doing-anything thing, you can owe me one for now." Zain gives her a warm smile.

"Thanks Zain, I appreciate it. And I don't think Persephone is as picky as I am, as long as its a good person. Just don't try to hook her up with some jackass that'll just want her for her body."

"Oh man, I was thinking about Dr Lee and her." He says sarcastically.

Ayame lightly punches him in the arm. "Very funny, jerk."

"He's been awfully quiet lately, let's hope for the better." Zain looks at the clock ."Oh great, need to go to my psychiatrist in an hour."

Ayame looks around, suddenly realizing she's been in the shooting range for a while and doesn't even have a gun. "Then I guess you better get ready, just like I should actually start doing what I came here to do."

"I don't have to get ready, she already thinks I'm someone who hurts himself and that I'm an illegal drug user."

"A...drug user?"

"Oh...um...it's nothing, don't worry don't worry." Zain starts talking fast and breathing fast.

"I hope you aren't doing anything stupid again," Ayame says, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually I did something stupid, but now someone has all my cocaine, and they're probably on base." Zain confesses.

"Cocaine!" She slaps her hand over her mouth, and after making sure no one is listening, she says more quietly, "Are you out of your fucking mind! Does Alexia know you do cocaine?" She's a sweet girl, and you better not get her hooked on that shit!"

"Relax, I stopped taking that shit after I took it once in X-COM."

Ayame lets out a sigh of relief, but says sternly, "Make sure it stays that way."

"I haven't taken it in months, but I'm sure someone else has. I left it in a bin and I looked the next day, and it was gone."

"Well...who do you think...no, I'm sure there are dozens of people who would have taken it. But it's their problem now, not yours. You made the right decision throwing it out, and they made the wrong decision taking it. So don't think about it, but don't make the same mistake, or else."

"So I guess I shouldn't mention that I used to smoke pot as well." Zain smiles cheekily.

Ayame rubs her brow. "You're kind of a pain in the ass, you know that, right?"

"More like a college kid trying out drugs, but I have to admit, weed is fucking awesome." Zain smirks.

Ayame crosses her arms. "I'm serious, Zain. You're in your late twenties, a high ranking soldier in a major multinational military organization, and you just told a girl you love her. At least try to act as mature as I am, that shouldn't be too hard. You're not a college kid any more."

"I may be an adult, but I still have the maturity of a teen. Maybe that's how me and Alexia are in love."

Ayame shrugs. "I give up. Just...just try to be more mature, okay? For Alexia's sake. You're much older then her, and she'll be looking at you as a role model."

"Okay, Mom!" Zain says it in the voice of a teenager, then smiles. He then goes back to his usual voice. "I'll try, I promise."

"Good, I don't want to ground you from your little friend and send you to your room without dinner." Ayame grabs a laser rifle. "Did you want to train with me before you leave?"

"Sure, I still got time but I'm not gonna settle for that puny weapon." He picks up a plasma rifle and completely decimates the dummy with it.

Ayame shrugs, and switches for a plasma rifle of her own, blasting her own dummy. She smiles broadly at Zain.

"Nice, see, you can shoot, you just need to forget that they're aliens. In fact..." Zain walks up to the dummy and draws what he calls a Muton face: 2 barely circular circles as eyes; a curved line for a mouth and a dot for the nose.

Ayame stifles a laugh, and fires, blasting it's head. "How's that?"

"That might not be the best interpretation of a Muton, but just imagine every Muton has this face and you'll be fine."

Ayame bursts out laughing. "Yeah, you're right! It kinda takes away from how intimidating they are if I imagine them looking like that!"

"Hey, they still look pretty intimidating." Zain squints at his drawing.

Ayame can't stop laughing. "Yeah, from the neck down!"

Zain smiles. "Haha, very funny." Zain then follows it up with, "I think I'll get to my appointment early so she is at least a little nicer to me; nice catching up with you."

Ayame forces herself to stop laughing. "Ahem...anytime Zain. I always enjoy it. I hope we get a chance to hit the field together."

"That's if I don't kill myself on base." Zain walks out of the range and towards his room.

Ayame lifts her plasma and it takes aim. Noticing the pen Zain left behind, she walks up to the dummy and draws her own silly face on it. She examines it, and with a smiles, blasts it into pieces.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Training with the Best
Part Three

Ayame starts taking several quick punches and kicks at Stevie, taking the fight more serious like she said she would, but still making sure to keep her temper in check. "So, where did you learn to fight, Stevie?"

"Learned on my, uh," Stevie takes a direct blow to the stomach from Ayame, "Own, it pays off when you grow up were I grew up." Stevie throws each punch patiently and quickly.

"And where was that?" Ayame spins to the left, dodging the punch and sending out a swinging fist.

"A bad part of the town in Detroit, Michigan."

"I see." Ayame goes for a leg seep, but Stevie dodges. "Was it that bad? I'm sorry, I've never been to America, unless you count that last mission."

"It was mainly the dicey part of Detroit, there were great areas in..." Stevie blocks an uppercut from Ayame, "...Detroit, we were never really that wealthy with money."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ayame blocks a pair of rights and then a pair of lefts. "Of course, my family was a bunch of poor farmers, and we loved each other, but when I was adopted by my uncle, he was pretty well-off, but a bit spoiled by it, so I guess its a matter of perspective."

"Sometimes its not, sometimes its hell either way. If you like killing, then war is for you." Stevie kicks.

Ayame takes the kick hard in the side, distracted by Stevie's words. She falls to one knee, coughing violently and clenching her side.

"You are going to have to get up, that's like a mosquito bite compared to plasma." Stevie reaches out to Ayame, lending a hand.

"Ugh, sorry, what you said just kinda hit home." She rises to her feet. "I...I don't like killing...do I?"

"I never said that, but then again, you don't exactly know until you do kill for your life on the field. I don't like war or killing."

Ayame starts fighting as intensely as before, but with a troubled look on her face. "What if..." She asks hesitantly while blocking a front jab, "What if you have killed before? What if you've tasted that first kill, the first time blood has been spilled by your hands, but you end up doing it again? Do you think that means you enjoy killing?"

"Well," Stevie dodges a left kick, "If you have tasted blood before, then that was in the past, people can have the tendency to change over time."

Ayame thinks for a moment, letting loose a rapid series of kicks, before finally saying, "Well, people do keep telling me I've changed. I just hope its all change for the better."

"I think you have changed since you got here." Stevie unleashes a barrage of jabs, "Remember when we met, we bumped into each other, and you were completely different in a greater way."

Ayame chuckles. "Didn't, ugh...didn't I snap at you like some kind of angsty brat? I'm not going to claim to be very mature now, but I sure wasn't very mature back then. I guess I've learned to act my actual age, not the age that I look, huh?"

"I think you are a very mature young lady, but you have your edges, just like me, the edges that is."

"Well, I'd say we should iron out our edges, but they're what makes us who we are, so I'd say keep them, just try to improve on them." She lets out one last high kick, then falls to the ground, exhausted.

"You okay?" Stevie smiles, "You have good idea, you know that?"

"Thanks," she says, panting, "And yeah, I'm fine. just a bit tired is all. You're one hell of a trainer."

"Thank you, and you are a great pupil." Stevie smile, "Next up is the firing range."

"Lead the way," Ayame says, jumping to her feet.

"Sure thing." They walk to the firing range.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

The following is a collaboration between Sharkdragon96 & ZombieSplitter53

Spring's Return
Part One

Ayame stands in front of a mirror in her room, her top off. She turns around, and examines the long scratch running down her back. Her expression is a mix of fear and wonderment. Hoping that Ayame is in a stable enough mood to talk about what'd happened, Persephone walks in and gasps, staring in shock at the giant scratch on her back. Seeing Persephone's expression, Ayame quickly says, "It's okay, Persephone. The doctors said it'll be fine, Probably won't even leave a scar." Despite her words, she turns her back away from Persephone and the mirror, and quickly slips on a shirt.

Persephone gives a shaken sigh. "I...I swear I thought you were going to die right then and there! I thought that...that..." Persephone clenches her fist. "GODAMNIT! THE COMMANDER IS LUCKY THAT I DON'T WALK IN AND FUCKING STRANGLE HIM! HE SENT YOU OUT INTO THE OPEN WITHOUT ANY FUCKING REGARD FOR YOUR SAFTEY!"

Ayame searches for the words to calm Persephone down, but fails to find them, wondering if Persephone should be allowed to be as angry as she is. She sits on her bed, shaking her head, and finally say, "I...thought I was going to die, too..."

Persephone sits down next to her with her head in her hand. "This is not at all what I had in mind when I signed up for this. I saw this as an opportunity to do something great for the people I care about that I've lost, now here I am stuck underground watching helplessly as you almost get yourself killed. I can't stand this!"

Ayame face contorts in despair, as she desperately tries to hold in her sadness. "Persephone, I...I don't think we should...sleep in the same bed anymore. I-It was a m-mistake."

Persephone looks at her worryingly. "How? What good is that going to do?"

"I was wrong." Ayame says, her voice cracking. "I-I don't r-really love you, I-I-I just thought I did. I-I shouldn't...lead you along anymore. I'm sorry...if you're disappointed." Persephone's eyes widen as she feels a black hole start to form inside her, sucking away any feelings of happiness. She turns away from Ayame, unsure of what else to say. Tears start leaking from Ayame's eyes, and she desperately wipes them away before Persephone can turn and see them. "Y-You should...p-probably f-find someone else. M-Maybe a nice...scientist...or engineer. Someone...who isn't out on the field...s-someone you don't h-have to worry about...dying all the time."

"I can't! Just... No! I mean..." Tears start running their way down Persephone's face. "When I first told you at the shooting range that we might have something, part of me wanted to tell you that just because I was afraid if I didn't, our friendship would be tainted because of what you said while you were drunk, as well as to give you some kind of extra motivation out in the field. But as we became closer and closer I discovered how much of a truly amazing person you are! I know I bitch and moan about all the bullshit I put up with here, but the time I've spent with you here makes it so much less stressful. I don't know at this point whether or not I'm going to see action and help do my part for humanity, but if there's one thing I'm one hundred percent positive about, it's the fact that I genuinely love you, and the one thing that would pain me more then the idea of you dying on me would be the idea of you dying on me without you knowing that!"

Ayame bursts into tears herself, wailing like a child who was just beat-up by a bully. "How could I do this to you?! I knew that if I admitted my love to you, it would make it so much harder for you if I died, but I told you anyway!" She slouches, having lost the strength to sit up straight. "I'm a monster, worse then the aliens! All they can do is kill someone you love, but I went and created someone for you to lose! I don't deserve your kindness! I don't deserve your company! I don't deserve your love!" She starts shaking violently, grasping herself as she rocks back and forth.

Persephone, startled by Ayame's sudden panic attack tries her best to calm her down. She places a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Shhhhhhhh. Shhhhhhh. " She gently rubs Ayame's shoulder. "You're not a monster, Ayame. You're a human being just like the rest of us. Flawed, compulsive, hot-headed, self righteous, self centered, occasionally self destructive, but also compassionate, intelligent, kind hearted, trustworthy, and beautiful. We were made to be flawed, but that's just what makes individuals, those creatures were pulled from a test tube with the intended purpose to destroy. The difference between us and them is that we actually have something worth fighting for."

Ayame sobs loudly. "I didn't mean what I just said, Persephone. I really do love you, more then I thought possible. I don't want you to leave me. I want to be with you, to hold you, to kiss you, to make love to you. I want to live with you, to grow old with you, and to call you my own. But I can't take it! I'm not nearly as scared about dying for my own sake as I am about making you shed a single tear over my passing. If I had never said anything to you, if I had kept my big mouth shut, you wouldn't have to suffer like this. I pulled you closer and closer to me, all the while pulling you closer and closer to the edge, like some demented person who isn't willing to die without taking someone with her."

Persephone pulls Ayame in closer. "You, know. A friend of mine once said, you die twice in life, once when you are dead and a second time when someone remembers you for the last time. I want you to know that no matter what happens, in the end I don't regret spending a single millisecond with you." Persephone leans in and gives her a kiss.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Spring's Return
Part Two

Ayame closes her eyes, lost in the tranquil feel of Persephone's lips. She pushes away all other thoughts, wishing she could stay in this moment forever. Within seconds, all of Persephone's outside worries seem to vanish. She wraps her arms around Ayame, and pulls herself in closer, feeling the warmth of her skin against her own. Ayame starts to lift her arms, but drops them. She pulls away from Persephone, slowly so she doesn't get the wrong idea, and says, "I thought...you wanted to wait until after the war before we start anything. I don't want to think of our first kissing as being something you did because I was blubbering like a baby." Her eyes betray her true desires.

"I know what I said, but another friend told me that its the decisions we don't make that we wind up regretting the most." Persephone pauses for a moment. "Not that I think that will happen to you, but...Oh shit, I guess you're not the only one with a big mouth!"

Ayame smiles. "You have some great friends." She wipes the tears from her eyes, and leans forward for a another kiss. Persephone proceeds to return said kiss. Her nerves seem to calm even further as they continue, she can feel Ayame's heart racing in sync with her own. Ayame stops just long enough to say, "You don't know how much I wanted this. How much I needed this. Needed you. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Persephone hesitates for a moment and proceeds to start taking her shirt off.

Ayame blushes, looking surprised. "I, uh, what are you...not that I'm complaining, I just...don't want...to force you..."

Persephone smiles. "I wouldn't force myself to do anything for you if I didn't love you."

Ayame returns her smile, and slips off her own shirt. She compares herself to Persephone, and suddenly covers herself up in embarrassment.

"Hey." Persephone leans in and gives her a reassuring look. "Does it look like I care?"

Ayame shakes her head, immediately dropping her arms and wrapping them around Persephone. "I don't know why I'd even think so for a moment."

Persephone feels a pleasurable tingling sensation all over her body as the two huddle into each other, she lets Ayame stroke her breast and the tingling intensifies. As she gently moves her hands all over Persephone's body, Ayame asks her, "Have I told you how gorgeous I think you are? And I don't just mean...these. I mean your beautiful face, your long, silky hair, your soft, smooth skin. You could have anyone in the world, and you picked me. That makes me feel so warm inside, I think I might burst."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, you know that? Don't be so hard on yourself!"

"I know." Ayame starts kissing Persephone's neck slowly, starting below her chin and making her way down to her chest. She shakes with delight, as if every kiss she gives Persephone is a kiss she is receiving herself. Persephone gives a sigh of tranquility and pleasure as she puts her hand against Ayame's chest to feel her heart racing. Ayame giggles. "Heh heh, that tickles." She reaches down and slowly runs her hands down Persephone's sides. Persephone stiffens her legs as the tingling intensifies from her legs to he waist. Her whole body at this point starts quivering.

Ayame gives her a hesitant look. "Do...do you want to go any further? Because it's okay if you don't."

Persephone ponders for a moment, thinking back on Jessica's advice about not diving in head first, as well as what happened between her and the only other person she'd gotten this far with. But she glances back at the uncontrollable horror she felt when she thought Ayame was dead. How that moment would've haunted her for the rest of her life. "If you don't want to, I can completely understand, but I want you to know, if we don't win this war, there is no one I'd want to endure the apocalypse with more then you."

Ayame's expression brightens more then it has in a long time. She stands up, and slips off the rest of her clothes, standing in front of Persephone. Her face turns red, and she mumbles, "I...I've only ever done this once before, and she took the lead...so I don't really know what I'm doing."

Persephone smiles confidently. "Well, I'm not very experienced either, so I guess we'll just have to try our best." Ayame nods. She sits back down next to Persephone, and starts kissing her again.

 

[Jhon Markith]

Colab between Jhon Markith and AaronBryant

Just a Worried Friend

Dr. Faye enters the over look of the psionic chambers seeing one of Aarons friends watching over him. "Is your name by Chance Stevin Steve?"

"Sure is, who is asking." Stevie say while staring through the window.

"Dr. Faye, I never thought he would be in the first round of this. . . ." She sighs "I am the base Shrink."

"I see," Stevie turns to look at her, "So how is he doing."

"He hast seen me since he was cleared for the field. . ." She looks sad and happy "He was bright and doing well before he left though and for that i am relieved. He is scheduled for an Evaluation after being released though."

"I just want to make sure that he is ok, so how has the project come thus far."

"We should find out soon" she says with a worried look on her face "He is coming out of the pod with in the hour. . . What if he becomes a monster?" She looks horrified "I cant believe I just said that about my own patient I'm sorry."

Stevie say sympathetically "I don't blame you, its something you don't have any experience with so what can you predict."

"What is going through your head right now. . . I enjoy Aaron on a professional level but you were his first friend in the whole project . . this must affect you?" She asks her curious nature coming through.

"I'm not affected to much because, just like him, I'm a man of God, and I know he will protect Aaron." Stevie says with a small smile of happiness.

Dr. Faye smiles "I'm glad too then" she wipes her face. "After my meeting with him you should talk to him he is going to feel distant and alone if this does work and if it doesn't he will feel inferior and beyond sad." she takes a last look turns to Stevie "I wish you the best of Luck Col. Steve".

"Thank you Ms. Faye, and the best to you as well." Stevie says smiling, he then stares back through the window.

An hour passes The pods creep open.

"So he is free for the moment, I should go say hi, haha." Stevie walks to the main window.

Stevie observes as Aaron falls out of the pod shaky and unsure. His eyes glow purple and white flowing around each other. His hands raise and sparks of purple and white appear around his hand that flow and ebb his face looks solemn and content at the same time. Suddenly a ball formed by tendrils of energy appears in his hand and he smiles slightly.

Stevie stares in bafflement, "Is that supposed to happen."

A Doctor steps close to him "He is the first in a new breed of being humanity will never be the same. Its so disconcertingly wonderful."

"Wonderful in power you mean, what is he going to be like on personality terms." Stevie asks in a concerned voice.

The doctor laughs "Paltry as long as he isn't a sociopath or a psychopath we have done our jobs. We made a living weapon this will be the advancement they write about more than any other in the history books mark my words."

"You laugh like you don't care, are you heartless or something." Stevie says angrily.

"I don't know him, but the scientific advancements that are evident far outweigh any negatives." He watches as Aaron demonstrates his Power.

"But he was a human being, Do you even care if he is one now." Stevie's anger grows.

"Don't be stupid he is still a sapien just more neurologically inclined he is better than a human. You soldier should thank us." He jeers at Stevie.

Stevie balls up his fists, "Ok, ok, if he goes on a rampage or something because of what he has become, then what the fuck are you going to do, kill 'm."

"Obviously, but it doesn't matter" he puts his face against the glass in almost childlike wonder "He is so beautiful. . ."

"Yes it does, would you want to be killed because of someone else's decision. "

"No but that's why I'm a scientist and not a lab rat" He continues to stare.

"Wait, what did you say, did you just say he is a lab rat," Stevie's arm contracts, he throws a punch to the doctor, stopping an inch from his skull.

"I did" the doctor continue to pay attention to Aaron as he is limping out of the Psi-Lab "But now he is more like a god." he turns to him and smiles "Have a lovely day." he walks away.

"You, you, you bastard," Stevie whispers, "You are not a human," Stevie holds his right fist in his left hand then shouts "you have no soul, this man had a family, what would they think of him in this state, you... you... you will be punished one day."

"Then may god strike me down" he coughs rapidly then Laughs leaving the room".

Stevie waits for Aaron.

Aaron walks through the door "I'm still alive. . ."

"Yes, its great to see you back." Stevie's fists are still balled up, "so what was it like."

Aaron stumbles "I cant even describe. I feel like I have the power of Gods word all in my head . . . or death I'm not sure." I have to go see Dr. Faye now. "I . . ." his eyes glow faintly " feel good though" his smile seems dark tendrils form in his hand "Alive."

"You ok man." Stevie looks worried.

"I TOLD YOU IM FINE!" His eyes flare and the tendrils dance wildly. "Just a little pent up after spending like 9 days in a pod . . . i need to work out . . . a lot." the glow fades away "walk me to her office?"

"Sure thing." Stevie escorts Aaron to the office.

Aaron seems lost in thought wrapped up in the severity of the even which has just happened in his life. He wonders at what will happen beyond this war. "What do you think is going to happen to me after this war. . . I don't think the council will just give me up."

"I don't care what they do, I'll be with you man, I will get you out of their hands alive." Stevie smiles, "You think you up for a small drink." Stevie holds out a can of Miler Light beer.

"No Alcohol for a while they said don't know what it will do to my abilities." he seems distant as though detached from himself

"Oh yeah, that might be smart." scratching his head, Stevie smiles.

" I'm the first. . . . ." he looks on the verge of tears. "I wonder in 20 . . .100 . . .500 years who will I be?"

"You will be you, the man who believes no matter what, I believe God gave you the power to help you, but he cant make you use it," Stevie stands up from a chair, "You are the only one who can control your outcome, now are you going to doubt God's decision."

He looks lost searching for an answer he turns. His eyes glowing so gently "For the first time in my life I don't know. . . . truly I don't." He walks away.

"You don't have to know, al you have to do is do what you've been doing, have faith."

"You are welcome," Stevie smiles, "See you at the bunk, with who is left."