Voices in my Head: Part 10.5
"NO!" Jake runs forward and grabs her arms. "Oh God, Sora, all you've done is lose four years of your life. Why would you do this? You're smarter then this. Don't you see? This perfectly shows that they're manipulating you."
Sora's expression changes to one of anger. She pushes him away. "They told me this would happen. I said that you cared about me. That the only reason we couldn't be together is because of my age. Now we're the same age, but you still push me away. They said you were only using me. I guess they were right."
"Sora, that isn't true. I do care about you. But I can't join these monster's, and you wouldn't want to either if..."
"Enough," Sora says, her voice distorted and echoing. "You had your chance, but you only proved the disloyalty of your species. You may prove us wrong by joining us. Otherwise, we have nothing else to discuss."
"Jake!" Ducan yells from behind cover. "I'm sorry man. You tried, but you have to get back so we..."
"Bullshit!" Jake grits his teeth. He points at Sora and says, "If anyone has anything to prove, it's you, because I'm still not convinced Sora is completely on your side. You're just manipulating her thoughts, making her think she's in control so she doesn't fight it. I know, because Sora would never betray us." He turns back towards the soldiers. "Duncan, when you first entered the cybernetics program, we were all put off. But as soon as Sora saw you, she ran up to you and gave you a hug, no hesitation. Do you remember what she said?"
"Yeah," Duncan answers. "She asked me if I was in any pain, and how brave she thought I was."
Jake nods. "That's right." He turns back to Sora. "She was constantly checking up on Alice to make sure she wasn't overworking herself. When Alexandra died, she cried for nearly three days straight. And just a few hours ago, despite that fact that she was fighting you for control, she exposed herself in order to save her friends. And it isn't just us. We've had many discussions about how wrong she thought EXALT was for turning their back on humanity, and she was pained by every loss of life at your hands. The only time she had any doubts about humanity was in regards to her powers, and you're just taking advantage of that."
The being controlling Sora laughs deeply. "Your words fall on deaf ears. Sora knows what she does. We have helped her see the error in her beliefs, and that includes her unconditional trust of you. Even now, you show irritation in her, just as you always have. You only seek to reacquire out of loyalty to the others."
Jakes eye twitches, and he clentches his jaw in rage. "That isn't true. Stop filling her head with your lies."
"Lies?" Sora chuckles. "She may be too afraid to read your thoughts, but I am not."
"Fine, you want the truth." Jake lets out an exacerbated sigh. "There are times when Sora can by irritating. And when we first met, she annoyed the hell out of me. I was sixteen, ready to go out and meet new friend, live my life, and yet here I was, forced to be tutored by some little brat barely into her teens. And I'm sure she didn't care much for me. She was young and had friends she wanted to be with, but was forced to interact with some strange foreigner that was too stupid to learn the language of his new home on his own."
Sora nods. "It is good to see you are honest. But with everything being as it is, I'm afraid we'll just have to destroy you and be on our way."
"I wasn't finished!" Jake yells. "That's how I felt then. But then I got to know her, and saw underneath her attitude, Sora was a pretty cool kid. We even had a lot in common, despite our vastly different upbringings. I might not have had the same feelings for her that she developed for me, but I was happy to consider her my friend." Pleading, Jake says, "Sora, if you can hear me, did you ever ask why I was in your house the day the aliens attacked? I came home that day to find my whole family dead. I was ready to give up, to end my life and join them. Then I remembered you. The thought that you might be in danger, and that I might be able to help you, it pushed me to keep going. We've known each other for what, going on two years? And in that time, especially the last three months since we came here, we've grown closer. And now, the thought that I might lose you to these monsters tears at me."
Sora frowns and shakes her head. "We tire of this prattle. If you will not join us, then die." Her eyes glow a deep purple. She raises her hand, a sphere of energy forming in it. The soldiers behind Jake fire, but the bullets curve and deflect around her.
Desperate for a solution, Jake suddenly yells, "Possess me!"
"Why?" Sora asks, the orb of energy ceasing it's growth. "Have you had a change of heart in the face of death."
"Shut up! I'm not talking to you!" In a softer tone, Jake says, "Sora, look into me. Take me over, and you'll see what I really feel. I won't resist."
"Don't, Jake," Duncan yells. "That's what it wants!"
"I know." Jake smiles. "But it's the only way. If I'm not being honest, then you can have me. But I have faith in Sora."
Sora laughs sinisterly. "As you wish." The flow of energy from the shadows to Sora intensifies, and another extends to Jake.
Before his eyes, Jake sees a blank white landscape all around him. Several feet ahead stands Sora, her expression one of despair. Behind her stands a tall, slender alien with four arms, two of its hands resting on her shoulders, the other two pressed against her temples. As it speaks, its voice is loud and booming, sounding as though it comes from everywhere at once. "You are not nearly as powerful as this one. Where it not for those implants, you would have no power. However, if this one wishes it, we will let you join us."
"Is that right?" Jake takes several determined steps towards them. A surge of energy erupts from the alien, and Jake falls back. Wiping away the blood that leaks from his nose and eyes, Jake asks, "What's wrong? Afraid Sora will see right through you. I might not be very strong, but hopefully I have that little extra energy she needs to kick your ass out of her."
He pushes forward, each surge of energy knocking him back. He gets up each time, ignoring his pain and pressing on. As he reaches Sora, a final blast of power makes him drop to his knees. He vomits a mouthful of blood, and looks up at the alien, smiling. "What compels you forward?" The alien asks. "Why not concede?"
Jake shrugs. Panting heavily, he answers, "I don't know. If I had to guess, I'd say it's one of those pitiful emotions such a superior species like yourself likely cast off ages ago. Maybe determination, maybe perseverance. Maybe even love." Sora lifts her head, her eyes gleaming with hope. Jake gives her a weak nod. "What do ya say, Sora? You wanna stay with this asshole?"
Sora smiles. She pushes away from the alien, and crouching by Jake's side, she says, "I'd say...that this thing made a big mistake trying to control us both at the same time."
Duncan shakes his head. "Please, Major Russo, just give him a little more time."
An angry looking soldier wearing a Major's insignia let's out a sarcastic laugh. "You should have ended this with a handful of grenades from the start." He raises his hand to order the attack. Before he can do so, a wave of psionic power flows through the energy link between Jake and Sora, and then between Sora and the hidden alien. There is a squeal of pain from the back of the room, followed by a brilliant flash of light, and finally the sound of something hitting the floor. Moments later, the three Sectoids rush forward, weapons raised. Before they can fire, Sora turns to them and releases the ball of energy from her hand. It explodes in the middle of the group, and the three aliens slam into the walls and ceiling with a sickening crunch.
As the energy between Sora and Jake dissipates, Jake drops to his hands and knees, blood spewing from his mouth. "Oh God," he cries out, wiping his mouth. "That hurts a lot more in real life. Taste a lot worse, too."
Sora runs to his side. "Oh, Jake, I'm sorry." She looks him up and down. "I guess I messed everything up, didn't I?"
Jake takes a seat on the floor and smiles. "I have no idea what you're talking about. As far as I'm concerned, that went perfectly."
Sora laughs lightly, and she wraps her arms around Jake. The two embrace for several moments. As Sora pulls away, she stops as her face comes within inches of Jake's. She closes her eyes and leans forward.
A loud crackle of electricity rings out, and Sora lets out a scream before falling to the ground. In a panic, Jake lifts her onto his lap. "Nice shot." The major walks up to the soldier standing over Jake and places a hand on his shoulder. "Bag her."
"What are you doing!?" Duncan runs up. "You don't understand, sir! You didn't see everything, she..."
"I saw enough to make an accurate assessment of the situation." Russo looks down at Sora with disgust. "This traitor, now little more then an alien in human clothing, found herself in a corner, so she double crossed her new allies in the hope that she could trick us into taking her back."
"Please sir," Duncan pleads. "She was just being controlled. And Jake here risked his life to..."
"And I suppose those abilities she showed after killing the tall one were just a miracle or something." Russo gives him a look of annoyance. "Don't be a fool. She's a spy. She's probably the one who opened the door for them."
"Sir, with all due respect, I can't let you..."
"Restrain him." The soldiers around Duncan point their weapons at him, and he quiets down. Looking down at Jake, Russo asks, "Now, are you going to give us trouble too?"
Livid, Jake practically barks out, "You'll take her over my dead body!"
"Oh, I don't think we have to go that far." Russo takes the Arc Thrower from the soldier next to him and fires at Jake.
"NO!" Jake runs forward and grabs her arms. "Oh God, Sora, all you've done is lose four years of your life. Why would you do this? You're smarter then this. Don't you see? This perfectly shows that they're manipulating you."
Sora's expression changes to one of anger. She pushes him away. "They told me this would happen. I said that you cared about me. That the only reason we couldn't be together is because of my age. Now we're the same age, but you still push me away. They said you were only using me. I guess they were right."
"Sora, that isn't true. I do care about you. But I can't join these monster's, and you wouldn't want to either if..."
"Enough," Sora says, her voice distorted and echoing. "You had your chance, but you only proved the disloyalty of your species. You may prove us wrong by joining us. Otherwise, we have nothing else to discuss."
"Jake!" Ducan yells from behind cover. "I'm sorry man. You tried, but you have to get back so we..."
"Bullshit!" Jake grits his teeth. He points at Sora and says, "If anyone has anything to prove, it's you, because I'm still not convinced Sora is completely on your side. You're just manipulating her thoughts, making her think she's in control so she doesn't fight it. I know, because Sora would never betray us." He turns back towards the soldiers. "Duncan, when you first entered the cybernetics program, we were all put off. But as soon as Sora saw you, she ran up to you and gave you a hug, no hesitation. Do you remember what she said?"
"Yeah," Duncan answers. "She asked me if I was in any pain, and how brave she thought I was."
Jake nods. "That's right." He turns back to Sora. "She was constantly checking up on Alice to make sure she wasn't overworking herself. When Alexandra died, she cried for nearly three days straight. And just a few hours ago, despite that fact that she was fighting you for control, she exposed herself in order to save her friends. And it isn't just us. We've had many discussions about how wrong she thought EXALT was for turning their back on humanity, and she was pained by every loss of life at your hands. The only time she had any doubts about humanity was in regards to her powers, and you're just taking advantage of that."
The being controlling Sora laughs deeply. "Your words fall on deaf ears. Sora knows what she does. We have helped her see the error in her beliefs, and that includes her unconditional trust of you. Even now, you show irritation in her, just as you always have. You only seek to reacquire out of loyalty to the others."
Jakes eye twitches, and he clentches his jaw in rage. "That isn't true. Stop filling her head with your lies."
"Lies?" Sora chuckles. "She may be too afraid to read your thoughts, but I am not."
"Fine, you want the truth." Jake lets out an exacerbated sigh. "There are times when Sora can by irritating. And when we first met, she annoyed the hell out of me. I was sixteen, ready to go out and meet new friend, live my life, and yet here I was, forced to be tutored by some little brat barely into her teens. And I'm sure she didn't care much for me. She was young and had friends she wanted to be with, but was forced to interact with some strange foreigner that was too stupid to learn the language of his new home on his own."
Sora nods. "It is good to see you are honest. But with everything being as it is, I'm afraid we'll just have to destroy you and be on our way."
"I wasn't finished!" Jake yells. "That's how I felt then. But then I got to know her, and saw underneath her attitude, Sora was a pretty cool kid. We even had a lot in common, despite our vastly different upbringings. I might not have had the same feelings for her that she developed for me, but I was happy to consider her my friend." Pleading, Jake says, "Sora, if you can hear me, did you ever ask why I was in your house the day the aliens attacked? I came home that day to find my whole family dead. I was ready to give up, to end my life and join them. Then I remembered you. The thought that you might be in danger, and that I might be able to help you, it pushed me to keep going. We've known each other for what, going on two years? And in that time, especially the last three months since we came here, we've grown closer. And now, the thought that I might lose you to these monsters tears at me."
Sora frowns and shakes her head. "We tire of this prattle. If you will not join us, then die." Her eyes glow a deep purple. She raises her hand, a sphere of energy forming in it. The soldiers behind Jake fire, but the bullets curve and deflect around her.
Desperate for a solution, Jake suddenly yells, "Possess me!"
"Why?" Sora asks, the orb of energy ceasing it's growth. "Have you had a change of heart in the face of death."
"Shut up! I'm not talking to you!" In a softer tone, Jake says, "Sora, look into me. Take me over, and you'll see what I really feel. I won't resist."
"Don't, Jake," Duncan yells. "That's what it wants!"
"I know." Jake smiles. "But it's the only way. If I'm not being honest, then you can have me. But I have faith in Sora."
Sora laughs sinisterly. "As you wish." The flow of energy from the shadows to Sora intensifies, and another extends to Jake.
Before his eyes, Jake sees a blank white landscape all around him. Several feet ahead stands Sora, her expression one of despair. Behind her stands a tall, slender alien with four arms, two of its hands resting on her shoulders, the other two pressed against her temples. As it speaks, its voice is loud and booming, sounding as though it comes from everywhere at once. "You are not nearly as powerful as this one. Where it not for those implants, you would have no power. However, if this one wishes it, we will let you join us."
"Is that right?" Jake takes several determined steps towards them. A surge of energy erupts from the alien, and Jake falls back. Wiping away the blood that leaks from his nose and eyes, Jake asks, "What's wrong? Afraid Sora will see right through you. I might not be very strong, but hopefully I have that little extra energy she needs to kick your ass out of her."
He pushes forward, each surge of energy knocking him back. He gets up each time, ignoring his pain and pressing on. As he reaches Sora, a final blast of power makes him drop to his knees. He vomits a mouthful of blood, and looks up at the alien, smiling. "What compels you forward?" The alien asks. "Why not concede?"
Jake shrugs. Panting heavily, he answers, "I don't know. If I had to guess, I'd say it's one of those pitiful emotions such a superior species like yourself likely cast off ages ago. Maybe determination, maybe perseverance. Maybe even love." Sora lifts her head, her eyes gleaming with hope. Jake gives her a weak nod. "What do ya say, Sora? You wanna stay with this asshole?"
Sora smiles. She pushes away from the alien, and crouching by Jake's side, she says, "I'd say...that this thing made a big mistake trying to control us both at the same time."
Duncan shakes his head. "Please, Major Russo, just give him a little more time."
An angry looking soldier wearing a Major's insignia let's out a sarcastic laugh. "You should have ended this with a handful of grenades from the start." He raises his hand to order the attack. Before he can do so, a wave of psionic power flows through the energy link between Jake and Sora, and then between Sora and the hidden alien. There is a squeal of pain from the back of the room, followed by a brilliant flash of light, and finally the sound of something hitting the floor. Moments later, the three Sectoids rush forward, weapons raised. Before they can fire, Sora turns to them and releases the ball of energy from her hand. It explodes in the middle of the group, and the three aliens slam into the walls and ceiling with a sickening crunch.
As the energy between Sora and Jake dissipates, Jake drops to his hands and knees, blood spewing from his mouth. "Oh God," he cries out, wiping his mouth. "That hurts a lot more in real life. Taste a lot worse, too."
Sora runs to his side. "Oh, Jake, I'm sorry." She looks him up and down. "I guess I messed everything up, didn't I?"
Jake takes a seat on the floor and smiles. "I have no idea what you're talking about. As far as I'm concerned, that went perfectly."
Sora laughs lightly, and she wraps her arms around Jake. The two embrace for several moments. As Sora pulls away, she stops as her face comes within inches of Jake's. She closes her eyes and leans forward.
A loud crackle of electricity rings out, and Sora lets out a scream before falling to the ground. In a panic, Jake lifts her onto his lap. "Nice shot." The major walks up to the soldier standing over Jake and places a hand on his shoulder. "Bag her."
"What are you doing!?" Duncan runs up. "You don't understand, sir! You didn't see everything, she..."
"I saw enough to make an accurate assessment of the situation." Russo looks down at Sora with disgust. "This traitor, now little more then an alien in human clothing, found herself in a corner, so she double crossed her new allies in the hope that she could trick us into taking her back."
"Please sir," Duncan pleads. "She was just being controlled. And Jake here risked his life to..."
"And I suppose those abilities she showed after killing the tall one were just a miracle or something." Russo gives him a look of annoyance. "Don't be a fool. She's a spy. She's probably the one who opened the door for them."
"Sir, with all due respect, I can't let you..."
"Restrain him." The soldiers around Duncan point their weapons at him, and he quiets down. Looking down at Jake, Russo asks, "Now, are you going to give us trouble too?"
Livid, Jake practically barks out, "You'll take her over my dead body!"
"Oh, I don't think we have to go that far." Russo takes the Arc Thrower from the soldier next to him and fires at Jake.
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