RP XCOM: The Story of Defiance.

[DarkGemini24601]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “Whispers of Power, Part 1”

April 26th, 2018, XCOM Headquarters, a day before Operation "Hatching Chrysalis"

Atka sat in her room on her bunk with her legs crossed. She had her eyes closed, and was concentrating intently. After a few minutes, she opened them, and outstretched a hand, focusing as hard as she could. A spark of blue, but nothing else. Frustrated, she took a drink of water, and then tried again, this time with her eyes open to focus on the results.

A thread of blue energy stretched out from her forehead, and spun around in her hand, having no apparent effect. An ability to attack the mind...but I can’t know the results until I actually try it on an enemy. It flickered with spikes of power, denoting the damaging effect it could have on a living being’s mind.

Desmond had his eyes closed on the foot of his bed, recovering from his latest training session. He sat in silence for about a minute when he felt it again. A spark of power could be sensed somewhere on base. Quickly throwing on his shirt and shoes he rushed out the door, following the trail like a bloodhound. Wandering through the halls, he finally found where the source of the energy was coming from. In front of the door however, was a husky that Desmond had never seen before. As he approached the dog began to growl.

Atka’s mindfray thread fell apart like shards of glass that dissolved into nothing. She stood up, and walked to the door, opening it halfway. “Can I help you?” she asked, patting Taqukaq. Good boy.

So my suspicions were correct. You are the source of power I have been sensing. Desmond grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her close. “We need to talk...now.”

Atka’s expression was one of surprise and confusion. “Wh-what do you mean? Who are you?” Taqukaq did not look pleased by Desmond’s threatening actions, eyeing him with the stare of an animal about to attack.

Desmond looked deep into the girl’s eyes, one that meant all seriousness. I think you know exactly what I mean. Come with me and leave the dog. We have some business to discuss.

How is he… Atka remembered that he could probably hear her thoughts, and tensed. If you’re planning to hurt me don’t think it’s going to be that easy...and people will notice if I’m gone for too long. Atka warned telepathically.

Desmond stared her down, his look not changing. If I wanted to hurt you, you would have been. If anyone asks, you were having lunch with a friend, now come on. We are taking a trip outside so dress warm. Meet me by the base exit in an hour. Desmond let go of her arm slowly and walked away, preparing for the trial that laid ahead.

Don’t get cocky. Atka walked back into her room, and once she was sure he was gone, pulled out a pen. She wrote down a message on a piece of paper directed at either Ayame or Madison, and then laid it down in front of Taqukaq. If I don’t get back and you should have been fed, show this to the girl with the strange eyes or the happy one.

Taqukaq loyally took the note and hid it under his doggy bed, lying down but still looking worried.

I’ll be fine. Atka smiled reassuringly, and went to retrieve her military clothing. She put on her amauti, or parka, over that for warmth, and opted to bring a laser pistol under her coat, as well as a flashbang. Satisfied with her gear, she tossed Taqukaq a treat and headed for the surface.

Desmond stood with his arms crossed as the girl approached. He noticed her raise an eyebrow as his choice of attire, or lack there off as he opted for his casual look of a plaid button up shirt over an undershirt, black jeans, and boots. He nodded at her and they both headed for the elevator, Desmond getting the permission beforehand.

Desmond stood in silence the whole elevator ride up, but finally spoke up as the elevator came into the mine shaft. “I hope you know how to climb, because you will be doing a lot of it.”

“I’m not too weak for some exercise, but let me get something straight. You don’t get to order me around, I’m doing this because I’m curious as to how you have similar abilities to me and could find me in the first place. Even if you are one of the lance corporals, that still doesn’t give you the right to expect me to follow you blindly.”

Desmond kept walking until they both reached the outside, the day cold, but the sun shining bright. “The fact I was able to find you gives me authority over you. Even if you don’t know it, I have been doing this a long time. So shut up and just follow me.” He kept walking a few feet but stopped for a minute. “For future reference, if you are going to bring weapons, at least conceal them better. I could see them as soon as I saw you.” He started walking again, his destination the cliff he found a couple of weeks prior.

“It doesn’t matter if you know it’s there, I wasn’t exactly intending to hide it in the first place. I just want you to know I’m not going to let you push me around. You might be taller and look tougher, but that doesn’t mean you are superior,” Atka retorted, but continued to follow him for now. Despite that, she was starting to have serious reservations about agreeing to this meeting.

Desmond continued walking but didn’t stay quiet. “This isn’t a game, if the wrong people were to find out about this we could be thrown in the brig and used as human test subjects, or worse just brand us traitors and execute us on the spot.” He turned his head to look at her. “I am just hoping I am doing this for the right reasons.” He said under his breath

“You are wrong about that,” Atka replied. “The Commander knows what I can do, though I haven’t told her about my latest development, though Alice will probably mention it to her later. Thus far, I haven’t been incarcerated, tested upon, or otherwise executed. Does she know about your abilities?” Atka asked with a serious expression on her face.

After a brisk walk through the forest they finally reached the cliff face. “No. If she was to know about my powers I would become a threat, a liability.” Desmond sized up the cliff. “Get ready, there is something you need to see.” With that he jumped onto the rock and climbed up at his usual fast pace.

Atka started to climb as well, though she didn’t try to match his base, having no intention of having a contest with him. “And why...is that, huh?” she asked while scaling the cliff face. “It wasn’t true for me...and I can’t see why...it would be true for you...unless you have a good reason…”

Desmond didn’t respond to her statement but thought it best to show her instead. Reaching the top he waited for her to clamber up the rock face and to the top. He pointed to the boulder on the end of the cliff top. “That is why.” He said pointing to the hole ten feet in diameter and five feet embedded in the stone.

Atka’s eyes widened. “You...did that? I thought these psionics only had mental effects…” she uttered in surprise. “If that’s true, though, that would make you even more valuable to XCOM, not a liability...if you have a power like that. The aliens wouldn’t stand a chance.” Atka looked over at Desmond with a much more gentle expression than she had been giving him earlier.

Desmond looked at her, and shook his head. “Not everyone would agree.” Desmond closed his eyes and began his usual stance. He slowly built up and released psionic waves so that the purple glow appeared around his body. He held out his hand and the rotating ball appeared once more in his palm, rotating at high speeds. “This is what years of training has accomplished, and this is not even scratching the surface of my research.” He gave her a stubborn look, “How do you think the lab techs, engineers and soldiers would react to this?”

“I know that Commander O’Brien wouldn’t consider you some sort of monster for it. Yes, there would be suspicion, maybe even fear...but running away from the problem isn’t the solution either,” Atka said, crossing her arms. “I planned on telling everyone before I went on another mission, so that I could use my telepathy to coordinate our efforts. If I just say nothing, people might die because I didn’t use my potential. That would haunt me more than fear or anger for misguided reasons.”

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “Whispers of Power” Part 2

“Then what would happen if your powers took life as well as saved them. The path we are walking is one that our enemies may have travelled down once. If reports are true the aliens have access to the same powers we do. Tell me, what do you think the repercussions will be if you accidentally lose it and end up frying a poor mans brain?” He dispersed the ball of energy and stood with his arms crossed once more.

“The same as if I panicked and blew up my allies with a grenade or rocket launcher,” Atka replied.

“The entire idea of learning to master my powers is so that doesn’t happen, and there is no point in having them if I don’t put them to good use. I don’t want to hear the overused ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’ adage, either. I intend to use my powers to save lives and defend humanity, not invade someone else’s planet,” Atka continued, undaunted by Desmond. “If you want to go with us following the same path, why learn them in the first place? I doubt you actually fear that result strongly enough to stop.”

The anger in Desmond’s eyes flashed. “You think this can just be learned? That these were given to us? Well, then you are more naive than I thought. You may try to save lives but I will use mine to get stronger. I am determined to make sure that these powers are not used against us. So that is why I continue my research.” Desmond sighed loudly. “If you really believe you can save lives then go right ahead. If you want training, I can’t promise you success, and if you want to help with research, we do it my way.” Desmond pointed his finger at her though. “But if you tell anyone about what I intend to do, I promise there will be hell to pay.”

“I’ve been told that I’m naive,” Atka said, quietly at first. “However, if all you really care about is power and yourself, you’re no better than Scarlet,” she continued, her voice rising in intensity. “And I see what you meant about not telling anyone, but not for the reasons you said. You haven’t told her because your reasons for searching for power are wrong, and not in line with XCOM’s aim. If you really think you can bribe me with the chance to expand my powers but at the expense of my loyalty to the Commander, you’re wrong. I’d rather figure out my abilities on my own than betray her trust.”

He shook his head and laughed. “You think I do this for personal gain? I do this to make sure no one will misuse these powers. If these powers were to fall into the wrong hands then think of the consequences. What would happen if someone were to lose control, and no one was able to stop them? That is my goal.”

Learning how to use them doesn’t prevent someone from discovering them on their own like I did, nor does it prevent people from learning from the invaders. Atka thought to herself. “I’m willing to accept that, then, but I’m still not going to be threatened into keeping my mouth shut. You took a risk in telling me, and I would hate to tell the Commander against your consent, but she needs to know,” Atka finished, still having a brave expression, but there was fear growing in her that she was going to have to fight to get herself out of this situation.

“I won’t threaten you to keep silent about yourself or to even help me, but I just want to be able to do my research without the looming eyes of the council on my back. So do whatever the hell you want! Undo what I have strived to achieve. Hell try to kill me if that is what you want, you know what that wouldn’t even be possible, you couldn’t use your power against me anyways, and you have seen first hand what mine can do. So run to the Commander, but just keep in mind the consequences that would follow if she were to find out about my true power. I will be locked away and forced to give up years of work!” He spat out the last word with a bit of venom, waiting for the girl to respond.

Atka took several steps back, not far from the cliff’s edge, her face pale. She was shaking. It wasn’t from the cold. “S-she’s going to find out eventually….you...you can’t keep something like this a secret forever…” she sputtered uncharacteristically, unable to contain the fear that Desmond was instilling in her.

Desmond was conflicted as to what to do in this situation. On the one hand he could keep this a secret and risk having problems down the road, or try to talk and potentially risk years of hard work. Desmond felt as if he was going to explode and kill the girl right there. It was then at that moment he saw the error in his judgement. He looked at the girl once more and saw the terror deep down in her eyes. His face softened and his resolve started to flee. He walked to the edge of the cliff and sat on the edge.

Atka clenched her fists, and her trembling stopped as she calmed herself. She took a deep breath, and then breathed out slowly, tiny blue lights flickering around her body, just for an instant. “Look...I know this isn’t easy for you, but don’t think it’s easy for me either. I’ve had to live with people distrusting me, resenting me for decisions I’ve made my whole career, and that includes my time here. Sometimes I’ve made mistakes, but other times I’ve done what had to be, even if it makes me unpopular,” Atka explained.

“There needs to be a degree of trust in the situation we’re in. We have to depend on each other to get through this war, and we can’t do that if we keep our powers secret. I can’t expect my allies to trust me if I don’t tell them what I can do,” the Inuit woman finished. “The same applies to you.”

Desmond shook his head sighed once more. “I will show you something that no one has ever experienced before. I don’t know if it will work but considering you have powers to it is worth a go.” Desmond got up and walked over to the Inuit woman. “What I am about to do may be dangerous, but if you are willing, it may show you why I harbor hesitation.”

“What would make it dangerous?” Atka asked cautiously.

“The fact that I don’t know how much resolve you have,” Desmond said in a worried voice.

Atka’s expression hardened. “Just because you made me nervous before and I’m not as much of a superhuman as you...or as tall as you...doesn’t mean I can’t be brave,” Atka said defensively.

“It is not about how much physical strength you have, it is about how well your mind will cope with what I want to show you.” He replied, “I wouldn’t force this on you but it might help you understand. Do you accept?”

“I can handle it. Just know that if something goes wrong Taqukaq is going to eat you,” Atka said, her serious expression lightening for just a moment.

Desmond nodded. “Then brace yourself…” Desmond placed his hand on the woman’s head and closed his eyes. He concentrated, trying to connect his mind with hers. The theory worked much like telepathy but at a much more personal level. After a minute of concentration, Desmond opened the gates. Memories started to flash in the woman’s mind. Memories of pain, hunger, sadness, loneliness, and all the torture he had endured throughout the years flashed by. One after the other they played like a home movie and after only a few minutes, it was over. The memories stopped and the woman had witnessed important fragments of years of compiled memories, conveying his pain. Desmond dropped to a knee, breathing heavily as he waited for the woman to respond.

Atka stepped back, her breathing rate quickened. Her eyes shone with a dusty blue light that was only slowly starting to fade. She put her hands over her face, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down, but the glow shone through regardless.

“Now you have experienced what I have endured my whole life. I trained and trained and this is all I have to show. Now you see why my research is personal to me.”

Atka lowered her hands, and nodded slightly. “I understand...but you’re wrong to think Morrigan would do something like that to you. She didn’t let Ayame be treated like that, and she wasn’t exactly our ally at the time. Neither would she treat you like some sort of...lab rat, like you weren’t even human…” Atka said, her voice affected by the strong emotions she was feeling.

“I wouldn’t let the Council or anyone else do that to you, I would fight them if I had to. At that point, they would be as bad as the enemy, and I hope to God that never becomes true,” Atka continued, clenching her fists. The glow was still apparent in her eyes for a few seconds more before it dimmed entirely.

“If that is what you feel, then go ahead and tell her.” Before he let her feel satisfaction though he spoke up. “But if you are wrong, if Morrigan or the Council do what you say they won’t, I will leave XCOM, and I will take my knowledge with me, and that is not a threat. It is a promise.”

“I can live with that,” Atka responded, sighing and letting out the tension from her body. “Just know that personal pain isn’t everything. I won’t argue who has felt more suffering in their life, but I will tell you this: if you ever find yourself in command, you’ll understand that being a leader can be just as painful as individual pain. Every person you lose...it hurts.”

Desmond nodded. “Then lets go tell the Commander then, before I change my mind.” With that, sensing the conversation had ended Desmond motioned for the woman to follow as he proceeded to descend the cliff face. Atka followed him back down and returned to the base.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger, DarkGemini24601, & ZombieSplitter53: “Whispers of Power” Part 3

The Commander’s secretary casually examined herself in a mirror, apparently trying to see if there was anything stuck in her teeth. Noticing the two approaching soldiers, she quickly put the mirror aside and cleared her throat. “Ahem, can I… can I help you?”

“Is the Commander available? We have an urgent matter to bring to her attention.” Desmond said in a serious tone.

“Um, hold on…” She hit the intercom. “Commander, there are two soldiers that would like to talk to you. They’re two of you… frequents.”

“Send them in,” The Commander replied, and the secretary hit the switch to open the door.

Atka walked in first. “Commander.” she shifted her head slightly in the direction of a certain plug, though did her best to be discreet about it. “I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Desmond walked forward a stern look on his face. “Let’s just say that you should-” Atka elbowed him in the side, giving him a contained but frustrated look.

Morrigan grinned, and pulled a small device from her desk. She flipped a switch and examined it, her grin widening. Looking up, she said, “The Council is gonna get suspicious if their recording device keeps unplug ‘mysteriously’. So I had Dr. Randolf whip this jammer up for me after she told me about… ahem.” Her eyes darted over to Desmond, and she simply smiled.

“Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure-” Atka stopped. “I...never did get your name, you know…I’m Atka Ipiktok, for starters.”

“Desmond...Desmond Walker.” He nodded in response.

“I just wanted to make sure Desmond could talk without fear of the Council overhearing,” Atka explained, able to complete her sentence now.

“So this is about… Desmond?” Morrigan sat back in her chair. “I thought it would have been about… though I suppose he wouldn’t be here if it was…”

Desmond raised an eyebrow. “You hurt me Commander, you really do but this is about the two of us I am afraid.” Desmond looked at her directly. “You may want to prepare yourself.”

“You make it sound a lot worse than it actually is, you know,” Atka protested.

“Well this is a lot easier for you than me,” he retorted.

Morrigan smiled. “Well, it’s nice to see the two of you being so… chummy.” She folded her hands and leaned forward. “So, lay it on me.”

Desmond looked at Atka and she did the same. “Well don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“You know how I have telepathic abilities, Commander. Well, when I was testing out Alice’s holographic simulation, I panicked briefly and ended up accidentally manifesting that power further, though it had no effect on the light constructs, obviously,” Atka began. “That would lead us into what Desmond has to say…” she looked meaningfully at him with a reassuring expression.

Desmond sighed and shook his head. “Well might as well show her.” Desmond outstretched his hand and repeated the same process he had on the cliff. He started to glow a bright purple and the rotating orb appeared in his hand, spinning at high speeds and emitting the same low hum. “Lets just say, I made a ten by ten hole in a wall of solid stone with this.”

“Desmond has psionic abilities similar to what I have, but his are much more developed,” Atka explained, the tendril of spiked blue energy appearing in her hand but going nowhere.

Morrigan looked at the two of them in disbelief for several moments. She quickly waved her hands for them to put their powers ‘away’, and they did so. She sat back, obviously at a loss for words. “Sunny’s… computer… toy thing didn’t mention the extent of your abilities. And now Desmond has the same powers, but even stronger?” She let out a deep sigh. She glanced at the cat silently sitting in the corner, seemingly for answers, but the animal only gave a blank look, seemingly as surprised as her.

Desmond nodded in response. “Yes, and these are the abilities that our enemy have been using. The fact that humans even have the capability of these feats suggests that the aliens already know about us. I have accumulated a large amount of research on these abilities, but I am hesitant to actually give it to you at the moment to be honest.”

Morrigan smiled. “Well… to be honest, there isn’t much I could do with it anyway.” She looked over at Atka. “And you mentioned you could communicate with animals when you first got here. But your abilities have… evolved since you came here, is that right?”

Atka nodded. “First it was the test to see if I could communicate with humans telepathically...and after that I manifested this sort of...mind fray ability. I’ve yet to test it on the mind of an enemy, but judging by the unconscious response I had...and the way it looks...I imagine it would function as an attack on an enemy’s mind.” Atka didn’t exactly look proud of that fact, though she understood that she would only be using it on her enemies.

“Well that is a way to put it but yes. The ability you used, judging from the way you described it, most likely overloads the target’s brain with sensory information, thus hindering it’s brains normal way of functioning.” Desmond respond with his hand on his chin.

Morrigan tapped her fingers in thought. Again, she glanced at her feline companion for answers, but got nothing but a soft meow. She looked between the two soldiers. “I’m… doing what I can to earn the Council’s trust. And I’m making progress. Slow progress… very slow, but progress none the less. But at this point, if it got out to them, I… don’t know if I can protect you from them.” She looked into Desmond’s eyes. “I must admit, my trust in you has been going up and down as of late, but for now, your potential is too great for me to lose you.” She looked at Atka. “And you.... well, frankly, I just like you, and you’ve gone far to earn my trust, so I can’t lose you either. So… do you know what needs to be done?”

Desmond stepped forward to answer that. “For now, you need to do nothing. Don’t mention this to Bradford, Vahlen, or even the Council themselves. For now I will handle the research into psionics like I have for the past few years. As for Atka…” He looked over at the woman. “She can either help me or go her own way. I could train her to use her powers but frankly this is unexplored territory.”

“I’m not so sure I can keep my abilities a secret like you have, Desmond...there are already four other people that know of my powers, and that doesn’t count Alice…” Atka said carefully, looking worried after what Morrigan had said about the Council.

Morrigan raised an eyebrow and grabbed a pen. “Who are the other people that know?”

“You’re not going to...be angry at them, are you?”

Morrigan shook her head. “Of course not, I just want to know who I’m dealing with.”

“Thomas Burrick, Modya Dragomirov, Sonya Randolf, and Ayame Kasagi. I trust them, which is why I wasn’t so afraid to tell them, though Modya found out on accident during the holographic session. I planned on going public at some point anyway...though that’s being brought into question as a valid choice, I see…” Atka sighed.

Morrigan shrugged. “I know Mr. Burrick can keep a secret, and Ms. Kasagi has her own issues to worry about, so she shouldn’t be a problem. And the A.I. told Sunny anyway, and considering how much access she has to the files on base, I’m not too worried about her either.” She thought for a moment, trying to remember Modya. “Modya… was with you during the training, so that was unavoidable.” She let out a slow sigh. “Mr. Walker is right. For now, we should keep this between us as much as possible, It might get out eventually, but we’ll worry about that when the time comes. I’ll talk to Mr. Burrick, Dr. Randolf, and Ms. Kasagi. Make sure you let Mr. Dragomirov know not to say anything else. And don’t tell anyone else, either of you.”

“Commander, there was one more thing I wanted to bring up.” Desmond interjected.

Morrigan gave him a ‘now what’ look. “What’s that, Mr. Walker?”

“I wanted to know if you would help me with some of my research if it isn’t too much to ask. Really all I need is some private space, a personal computer, and I require an engineer known as Ryan Gregory to assist me if at all possible.”

“You… understand that your access on the Computer would be limited, right? Very limited.”

“All I require are a couple of special programs, and the ability to keep tabs on my breakthroughs.”

Morrigan nodded. “Very well, Mr. Walker. But make sure Mr. Gregory doesn’t become aware of your abilities, alright?”

“Done.” He said with a nod, and Desmond stepped back not needing to add anything more.

Morrigan looked to Atka. “And it is up to you how much you wish to… work on your abilities. As long as you don’t tell anyone else about them. And if you do decide to do so, only discuss how they develop with myself, Desmond, or Dr. Randolf’s AI, understand?”

Atka nodded solemnly. “Understood, sir.”

Morrigan rubbed her eyes, overwhelmed by all the new information. “You, um… you’re dismissed…”

Desmond nodded walking out with a salute. He just wanted to lay down and sleep, but there was a lot of work ahead of him.

Atka didn’t move immediately, looking down for a moment, and then back up. “I...I hope the situation changes as time goes on. I don’t relish the idea of having to hold back when I could save the lives of my fellow soldiers with this power…” Atka trailed off.

Morrigan looked up at her and smiled. “I know, dear. It probably doesn’t seem fair, having the power to help others and not being able to use it. But until I think the Council will be more accepting, I need you to be a little careful. For both our sakes.”

A tendril of spiked blue energy wound itself in the air in a helix for a moment, and Atka stared at it for a few moments in silence. “Understood, sir.” It began to shrink back down, and disappeared.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
A Little Spliced Up

X-COM Genetics Lab

"And how are the brain chemistries coming along," Dr. Vahlen asked, glancing over the computer screen.

"Great... I mean, good, doctor." Jessica pulled up a several charts. "With the introduction of serotonin in the subjects after the procedure, nearly all accounts of mood swings and uncontrollable emotions have been eliminated."

"Good work, Ms. Lockheart. And what of the new augmentations?"

Jessica smiled, looking back at Vahlen. "The work on the adaptive bone marrow is coming along nicely. We're still having problems bioelectic skin, though. The potential side effects on the soldiers are too great right now. We need some more time..."

Dr. Vahlen nodded. "Take all the time necessary. We won't proceed unless we're sure it is safe."

Eva walked into the gene lab. "Wow, so this what evolution looks like." Eva got a smile on her face. "Excuse me, are you Dr Vahlen?"

"I am," Vahlen answered. "How can I help you?"

"Are you here for an augmentation?" Jessica asked with a smile.

"Actually, I am. I've been meaning to come to you for a while, but I had to clear my head. My name is Eva Aegerter, it's nice to meet you."

"Aegerter?" Jessica turned to the computer. "Aegerter... Aegerter... ah, here you are. It... looks like your medical records check out."

"So what kind of augmentations were you interested in, Ms. Aegerter?" Dr. Vahlen asked.

Eva scratched her head. "Wow, I feel like I'm at a fast food restaurant. 'Hi, welcome to gene modification, may I take your order?'"

Jessica giggled. Dr. Vahlen glanced back at her, then shrugged. "We are hoping to make these augmentations voluntary for as long as possible, so it is up to you how much you wish to receive."

Well at lest I got one person to laugh. "Right, I was hoping to get the Hyper Reactive Pupils. And Smart Macrophages. They both sound really useful to any solder."

"Excellent choice," Jessica said. "It comes with a side of mashed potatoes."

Dr. Vahlen shook her head. "Joking aside, you'll be quite pleased with these. Not only will your vision be better then you'd ever think possible, but the improvement on your macrophages will allow you to almost instantly fight off the effects of Thin Man poison."

Eva got a big smile on her face. "Immune to poison, that sounds like an excellent advantage to have. And my sight will improve too." That will make my design damn near complete.

"I'll make the preparations." Dr. Vahlen tapped Jessica on shoulder and stepped into the next room.

Jessica looked up at Eva with a curious look. "You know... we've had a few soldiers that were willing, but your the first that was this eager. You're not... I don't know, worried? Scared about is poking around inside you?"

"Heh. I had people like you poke inside me before, darling. This is nothing new to me, and besides, I see this as an opportunity to improve myself."

Jessica smiled. "Well, I'm happy you're as willing to improve yourself as I am to improve you." She frowned. "Not... not that I think you need improvement or anything. I'm sure you're an exceptional person. We just want to make you... more exceptional."

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say you were blushing, and couldn't wait to poke around inside me, just to see what makes me different then anyone else."

Jessica chuckled, running her fingers through her hair. "Well, it's my job. It's why I studied biology and Genetics. I love to learn about people. Learn what makes them tick, what makes them special. This job lets me do that even more." She shook her head. "Though I never expected to, you know, actually poke around in someone."

Eva chuckled, having fun messing with Jessica. "Well, since you like studying what makes people tick, you're going to love what makes me different. And believe me, you have never see any one like me before. So I hope you enjoy the show, and try not to stare for too long. It's kinda embarrassing."

Jessica's face reddened as Dr. Vahlen reentered the room. Having learned not to ask, she turned to Eva and said, "The preparations are complete. Follow me, please."

"Great. Thanks for the talk, and I hope you enjoy the show." Eva went with Dr Vahlen to the augmentation room.

Dr. Vahlen led Eva into the next room, waving her hand towards the large pod before them. "Please remove everything but your undergarments and step into the pod. Place the breathing device into your mouth and nose."

Eva did what Dr Vahlen, but before she takes off her pants, she points to the window. "Any man that takes a picture of this will be hunted down by me, and I will destroy your phones." Eva grinned as Jessica stepped into the room. "Now, as for the women, don't hate because my body is slim and has some muscles on it. And Jessica, what do you think? Not bad, right?"

Jessica reddened even more. "Y... you're quite lovely. I wish I could pull off your... ahem, look."

Dr. Vahlen rolled her eyes. "I can assure you, you have nothing to worry about. Now, the process will take a few days, during which time you will be sedated and submerged in a special biological fluid that will provide your body with nutrition and keep you muscles strong." She gave a reassuring smile. "As the Americans say, you'll wake up feeling like a million dollars."

"Bucks," Jessica mumbled, grinning.

"Yeah, can I just have a million bucks and roll around in it instead?" Eva asked.

Jessica nodded. "Well, if we win this war, people will owe so much to soldiers like you, you might get your wish." She sat down at the computer. "I'll be sure to watch your vitals closely, so everything will be okay, alright?"

As Eva stepped into the pod, Dr. Vahlen whispered to her. "Don't worry. We've made sure everything is 100% safe. Ms. Lockheart just worries. She watches the vitals of all our patients for any signs of trouble, but nothing has come up yet."

"Don't worry, Doc. I've been through something much worse than this, so even if it does hurt me, it wont hurt much. Just give me a moment." Eva released her restriction to level 7. "Okay doc. I'm ready."

The pod slowly closed as Eva placed the breathing tube into her mouth. As the pod quickly filled with a viscous orange fluid, Jessica glanced into the pod, giving Eva an encouraging smile. Eva gave a quick wink to Jessica because she didn't want to move, the sedatives taking effect. At long last, my mission can finally start and I can become a true super solder. And once this is done, the aliens better worry, because I will be the one to take them down.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 “Despair, Part 1”

XCOM Headquarters, around 2230 hours in Moscow, 27th of April…

Modya stepped out of the viewing room for the mission that had just been completed. He ignored the worried conversations about Desmond Walker from various staff members from within. It was a disaster. There was no other way to describe it. Civilians had been saved, but so many more had died in the initial attack. The aliens had killed nearly a million people. It was horrific, with so many lives lost, with so much of the city in ruins, with so much fear instilled into the hearts of every…EVERY human being that had witnessed the atrocity the invaders had wrought upon Moscow.

The Russian shakily brought a cigarette out of his pocket, and lit it, bringing it up. This…this is hell… He thought to himself as he began to smoke. He tried to lean against the wall, but couldn’t bring himself to just stay there. Slamming his fist against the wall in frustration, Modya pushed himself back up and started walking down the hallway.

The rocketeer had two shots of Vodka in the bar, and then headed to the memorial, on his second cigarette. With him was a framed picture of the fallen Megumi Shimizu, which he laid upon the table next to a portrait of Adrian Ivankov.

Modya he sat down on his knees in front of the table. *The following is translated from Russian. * “What…what did you ever do to deserve this…why do we have to suffer through this!” he yelled, looking up as if expecting an answer. There was none.

Modya clenched his fists, trembling, and then lowered his head, his anger starting to fade, replaced by sadness. “We cannot win like this…losing so many…so much blood shed. They [the aliens] have taken the lives of warriors, and that is understandable to a point. And yet…” Modya’s expression wavered.

“And yet their fight without a trace of remorse, their methods are brutal and cruel…and now to attack an entire city? To attack Moscow, to attack my country? They are monsters…monsters that would take people like you from this earth.” Modya looked up at the two frames, tears forming in his eyes.

“I failed you, Adrian…my cowardice cost you your life. Megumi taught me to move past that and redeem myself…she was brave, fitting of her station…but in the end that same bravery lead to her death. What…what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Modya asked, his heart heavy and his voice shaking. “That we will die no matter what we do? That there is no hope?”

Modya closed his eyes as the tears began to flow. His shaking hands clasped against each other as his back lowered. “Please, God, I beg of you…let this stop…don’t continue to allow good people like this to die senselessly,” he whispered. “Don’t let Desmond be dead…if anyone should die…it should be me…I am not so noble, nor so brave…” the Russian continued bitterly, feeling as if there was a hole in his chest. “Just…protect us…don’t let this be the end of humanity…”

“I beg of you, don’t let this happen again,” Modya pleaded quietly.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “Despair, Part 2”
0000 or 2400 hours, midnight in Moscow, and the beginning of April 28th

Modya returned to his room, the pain he felt having faded very little, if at all. He put out the cigarette he had, and laid on his bed, unable to sleep. He just stared at the ceiling. It was all Modya could do to keep from breaking down again.

A light knock came from the door. Outside the room, Modya heard Jessica say, “Modya? Are you in there?”

Modya glanced over at the door, silent for a few seconds. He tried to speak, and started to say Jessica’s name, but his voice gave out and he went silent again.

“Modya?” Jessica asked again. “Modya, please, some of the other soldiers said they saw you heading to your room. I want to talk to you. Or you could just talk to me. Please, just… open the door.”

“...it’s unlocked.”

Jessica slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Noting the look of despair on Modya’s face, she simply sat next to him. Her eyes occasionally darted towards him, but she was afraid to say anything.

Modya let out a shuddering sigh. “I’m...not sure what you want me to say. That I feel like hell? Because I do.”

“I know.” Jessica practically whispered. “I… remember how I felt when I found out my family was in danger. It was an empty feeling, eating away. To know that… that thousands of my countrymen were lost so senselessly…” She shook her head. “I don’t know how I’d feel. But I do know I wouldn’t want to be alone.”

“I got to thinking about why we even went there in the first place. Twenty of us? Don’t make me laugh,” Modya said, without a trace of humor. “We didn’t make that much of a difference. Megumi and Desmond...they died simply to appease the council. To hell with the council.”

Jessica shook her head. In a stern voice she said, “You’re wrong. Desmond… he might still make it. And even if he doesn't, he and the others… do you really think they died for nothing? I’m not saying they deserved to die, but we saved a lot of people today. That has to account for something, and I don’t just mean appeasing the Council.”

Modya closed his eyes. “It doesn’t change the fact that our chances are slim. We can barely fight those...chryssalids...and the aliens probably have worse.”

“But we’re improving, right? Our technology is advancing by leaps and bounds everyday.” Jessica gave Modya a begging look. “You can’t just give up on us. If we don’t try, if we give up hope, then everyone we have lost really would have died in vain.”

“You’re asking me to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders, and that’s something I...cannot...do…” Modya answered weakly, opening his eyes.

Jessica laid down next to Modya, her face even with his. “No, Modya, not by yourself. But I am asking you to share that weight with your comrades. I know it isn’t easy on you, but everyone else is going through this. Do you think I’m not worried? I worry everyday. Worry that my work won’t be enough. Worried that some equipment I helped develop will break down. Worried that… that someone I care about will leave and not come back…”

Modya was silent for awhile. Then… “I’m not sure why you put up with this...with my pain. It’d be easier if you just distanced yourself.”

Distance yourself, huh? It sounds to me like he doesn’t want to care about anyone because he can’t deal with pain.

Jessica closed her eyes for a moment. Without opening them, she says, “Because Modya, I… I-I care too much. I know that I’m setting myself up to get hurt. But I run that risk because being close to others is what makes me human.” She opened her eyes, and in a stern voice added, “It’s what separates me from those monsters.”

Modya did not say anything in response, not sure what he could say. He couldn’t look Jessica in the eye.

Don’t let him ignore you, Jessie.

I… don’t know if I can reach him, though.

You have to. If you really care about him, you need to reach him, even if it hurts him.

“Modya… do you think the aliens have the… capacity to get close to each other? Or do you think that learning to distance themselves for others was the first thing they learned to do before slaughtering an entire city?” Jessica spoke in a stern voice, a degree of anger in the back of her throat. “Because I think that they’ve separated themselves from others, from their emotions, and from their souls. And when they slaughtered your countrymen by the boatloads, when they sent out that freakish abomination that killed that woman you were so fond of, their “distancing” allowed for them to feel zero guilt. So you’ll excuse me if I don’t want to be like that!”

Modya’s expression hardened, and he got up, facing away from her. “Just...get out.”

Maybe… you should leave before he…

What, throws me out? I don’t care. I care about him. I’d rather he hate me then let this destroy him.

Jessica jumped to her feet, grabbed Modya’s shoulders, and turned him towards him. “Stop it!” She shouted. “Why are you doing this? I know you heartbroken over what happened. But aren’t you also angry? Enraged? Pissed the hell off?! Because I would be! I’d want to make sure I stop those things, and prevent them from killing anyone else!”

Modya tried to take a step back, but couldn't with her tight grip keeping him in place. “Kakego cherta...what is with your sudden changes of mood? Are you crazy or something? You sure as hell seem to think I’m stronger than I actually am…”

Jessica slapped Modya, hard enough to send waves of pain through her hand.

Damn, Jessie! I can’t believe I’m the one saying this to you, but calm down!

“Don’t you ever call me crazy! EVER!” A tear welled up in her eye. “I’ve had to deal with people calling my that all my life.” She released Modya, painfully rubbing her hand. “And maybe you’re right. Maybe… maybe you aren’t as strong as I thought. I thought there was something there, but… but if it is there, it looks like I can’t reach it.”

Modya said nothing, looking down at the floor.

Jessica stared at him, expecting him to say something. When he said nothing, she let out a loud scoff and turned around, heading for the door. “Have a good night, Modya. I hope you can figure this out on your own, since you obviously don’t want my help.”

There was no response.

Jessica took one last look at Modya. “I… I hate you…” She stepped out and slammed the door behind her. She marched down the hall, tears streaming down her face.

Modya was silent for a moment, and then shakily reached for his pistol, bringing it to point at his head. “Bog chert voz'mi.”

What are you doing?! You’re just gonna leave him like that?

What do you want me to do? You were right. He isn’t as strong of a person as I thought, and he…

And neither were you! You had to rely on others to get through your hardest moments. And do you remember what you did when you were that depressed?!

Jessica stopped suddenly, and looked down at her wrists. Her eyes widened, and she did a 180, rushing back to Modya's room. Bursting through the door, she practically tackled him, wrenching the raised gun from his hand and throwing it across the room.

Modya looked at her with a surprised look. “I…”

“How could you!” Jessica screamed, pounding on Modya’s chest. “How could you do that to me? If you killed yourself, I… I-I…” She started sobbing loudly, uncontrollably. “Don’t you.. don’t you… know how… how I feel…”

Modya had an equally pained look, and pulled Jessica close to him in an embrace. “I’m... I’m so sorry... forgive me,” he begged of her in a whisper.

Jessica shook her head. “No… I shouldn’t… sh-shouldn’t have left… I’m so sorry.” She sobbed louder. “I… I almost.... I… almost killed…”

Modya looked surprised. I... I am such a fool. He held her tighter, trying to keep her from breaking down further.

“You’re… the first man I…” Jessica mumbled, desperately trying to hold herself together. “And I almost… I should have known… I shouldn’t have abandoned you.” She reached down, slipping off her bracelets. “I… should have… known…”

“You don’t need to apologize to me... I put you in this position,” Modya responded, looking at her wrists with a pained look.

Jessica continued to shake her head. “I can’t… I can’t lose you Modya. Please… I know I’m being selfish, but… but please don’t leave me…”

“I promise... I promise you I will never, not by choice,” Modya said after a moment. And I’m an even bigger one for what I’m about to do. He put a hand on Jessica’s cheek, and kissed her.

Jessica looked into Modya’s eyes. She reached up and gently grabbed his head, placing her lips against his. She held on to him for several seconds, until the stress of the moment finally caught up with her, and she passed out.

Modya’s eyes widened, and he looked over her in concern for a moment, breathing more easily when she realized what had happened. He sighed, realizing there was no way he could carry her all the way back to her room, especially with all the lights dimmed in the hallway. He put his arms under her, picked her up, laid her down on his bed, and then sat beside it, dutifully waiting for her to wake up. “Lyudi...lyudi strannyye.”

 

[MarineAvenger]

Operation
April 26th 0000 Hours

As soon as the Skyranger touched down on base, a medical team that had been called on was waiting in the hanger. They rushed Desmond out of the Skyranger and carried him on a stretcher all the way to the Medical Ward. The OR had been prepped as soon as the report came in on a critical and it was clean and ready to go. He was placed on the operating table and the surgeons got to work.

They cut off whatever was on him and exposed his chest, taking great care to avoid the missing appendage on his left side. While the surgeons prepped to cut him open, the assistants were doing their best to clear out his air ways and get oxygen flowing into what blood he had left flowing. Fresh blood bags were hanged and inserted into his right arm. "Let's hurry people!" The head doctor barked, "He did his job now lets do ours."

With oxygen and blood being pumped into him, his abdomen ready to be cut in to, and the okay they begun the operation. They started by trying to open up the areas around the holes and to assess the internal damage. The doctor slid his scalpel across a hole and blood started to pour from the wound. "He has massive internal bleeding. His intestines seemed to have been spared for the most part but it will take a lot of work to patch them up."

The doctor continued to work hard but little progress was being made. "Try to increase suction, we need to be able to clear out any excess blood so we can sow up the hemorrhages. It was difficult but one by one, the large hemorrhages on his lower intestines were sown up. "He is lucky those things had bad aim, or else there would nothing to operate on." The doctor thought to himself. After hours of repeating the process on his internal organs, Desmond's body was as patched up as the top doctors could make him. After suturing the wounds on his body and disinfecting them, the doctor's took a sigh of relief.

As they prepared to end the operation, things took a turn for the worse. A long beep came from the heart monitor and the doctors swarmed once more. "He is going into cardiac arrest! Nurse prep the defibrillator!" The nurse grabbed the unit and wheeled it over, turning on the machine and setting the voltage. The doctor took the paddles in either hand and called "Clear!"

Desmond's body jolted but there was no effect.

"Clear!" Once more but no effect.

"Clear!" Another jolt, but still no life.

"C-Clear!" One last time, but the machine still droned on.

The mood in the room suddenly turned from one of optimism, to one of horror. The soldier they had worked so hard to save, laid dead on the operating table. From the other side of the operating mirror a cry could be heard. The doctor hanged his head low. A pounding soon came from the window, followed by a female voice saying. "No, no! Once more! Just one more time!" The doctor just shook his head, not seeing any real point to beat the dead horse. "Please!"

After a second the doctor walked back to the machine and prepped it once more. No one looked in his direction, but the banging on the window stopped. He rubbed the pads together slowly and hovered them above the patient's chest.

"...C-clear..." He slowly dropped the paddles and the man's body jolted once more.

Life soon returned, as a fast paced "beep" returned to the monitor. The doctor let out a sigh of relief. He rubbed his head with a clean rag and proceeded on cleaning up the rest of the wounds on the man's body, covering them with gauze. He walked out of the operating room and cleaned his hands. He then walked over to the nearest chair he could find, and began to cry tears of joy.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

May 1st, 2018

<Commander, the Council would like to say we are pleased with the recent developments in the X-COM project. Your recent integrations of the alien technology are quite impressive. Furthermore, your soldiers have done an exceptional job, considering the difficult and unexpected conditions they were forced to fight in.

We realize that the Council has had a tendency to be... harsh... in the past. The recent mission in Moscow, however, has shown us that our trust in you was not misplaced. While the loss of soldiers was very regretable, the vigor they showed in their duty was impressive. Furthermore, the combination of the civilians evacuated, and those that escaped on their own because the distraction the soldiers provided, gives us an estimated three hundred and fifty lives saved that would have otherwise been lost. The Russian Council members were impressed.

Sadly, the India Council members opinions greatly differ from the rest of us, and they have decided to withdraw from the X-COM project. Never the less, we will push on without them. We hope you will keep up the good work. And remember... we are always watching.>

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

New Toys

"All right," Jessica said. "Try it now."

Sunny shook her head. "No... it's, um... still not connecting."

Jessica let out a frustrated sigh. She stepped away from the table, slowly looking around Sunny's room. "Are you... sure we wouldn't be better off in engineering."

Sunny gave Jessica a nervous smile. "W-we have everything we need here," she said, glancing at the tools surrounding the cybernetic arm. Her eyes traced the wires running between the arm and the computer. "B-besides, I'm still n-not used to... being around so many people."

"Oh, um... I wasn't complaining." Jessica walked back to Sunny's side. "And I hear you. I'm not used to so many others, either. I usually had a hard time finding people that... that I enjoyed being around."

"B-because of... of your sister?" Sunny gave Jessica a guilty look.

"My sister... what do you..." Jessica's eyes widened, looking at the computer. "Did... did you look at my file?!"

"Please don't be mad at her, Ms. Lockheart." Alice materialized on Sunny's bed, a begging look on her face. "It was my fault. I do background checks on everyone Dr. Randolf has regular contact with, and I let it... um, slip, I guess is the word. And she immediately told me that I shouldn't have told her."

"I-I'm good at keeping secrets." Sunny offered. "I have a lot that I-I'm keeping now."

Jessica looked back and forth between Sunny and her holographic friend. After a few moments, she let out a deep sigh. "It's... okay. I trust you." She smiled. "But I think you owe me a secret." Sunny nodded, and ran over to her bed, rifling through the top drawer of her nightstand. "Um, Sunny, I was just kidding. You don't..."

"I-It's okay." Sunny returned, and handed Jessica a photograph of a young Russian woman.

"Wow, what a pretty lady." Jessica said. "Is she your mother? Sister?"

"M-my mother." Sunny smiled. "W-when I was... being held, I-I didn't wish for much, b-because I didn't really know what I was missing. But my when my caretaker s-started to... grow attached to me, I guess you could say, he gave me this picture, and told me it was my mother."

"What... happened to her," Jessica asked, afraid she already knew the answer.

"She, um... died." Sunny took the photo back, looking at it with a longing stare. "She was forced t-to work for the people h-holding me, and died in a fight w-with Mr. Zero, my guardian. Before she died, she gave him what he needed to rescue me." She smiled. "She never met me. N-never even knew what I looked like. But Mr. Zero said she did everything for me. Fought for me, w-worked for people she hated for me... and d-died for me."

Jessica placed her hand on Sunny's shoulder. "Sounds like good, old fashion motherly-love. She obviously knew how special you would be." She cleared her throat. "Well, um... thanks for sharing that."

Sunny nodded, and turned back to the arm, making a few adjustments. "Maybe... if we adjust... this..."

Jessica glanced at her notes. "A little more... there." She looked at Alice. "How about now? Try to... wiggle a finger."

Alice closed her eyes. After a moment, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Lockheart. No response."

"M-maybe I should turn up the signal strength?" Sunny offered.

Jessica shook her head. "The settings are meant to simulate normal humans, right?"

"That's correct, Ms. Lockheart," Alice answered. "The settings simulate average human neralogical response. They cover approximately 90% of the X-COM staff."

"Right, so even if we got this thing to work, if we turned the signal strength up, only the people with about a hundred notches on their knives would have the will to operate it." Jessica scratched her head.

"Maybe i-it's a mechanical problem." Sunny turned to Alice. "Can you do a quick diagnostic check, please?" Alice nodded, closing her eyes. As the arm occasionally twitched, Jessica rubbed her brow, a deep frown covering her face. "A-are you okay, Jessie?"

Jessica slowly nodded. "Yeah, I'm... okay, but I'm not the one... do you know Desmond Walker." Sunny cringed, and Jessica let out a grim chuckle. "Of course you do, silly question. Anyway, my friend Ellie has a thing for him, and she's as broken up on the inside as he is on the outside. Hasn't left the infirmary since he got back." She glanced at the mechanical arm, its fingers moving up and down. "If we could just get this thing to work, at least we'd have some potential to help him get back what he lost." She sighed sadly. "Assuming he survives, that is..."

"W-we could... see how he's doing," Sunny offered. Jessica nodded, and Sunny turned to Alice. Seeing her still working on the diagnostic, she turned to the computer. "Cheshire?"

A mangy cat, it's fur dark red with black stripes, materialized on the table. "What can I do for you, sunshine?" It asked in a deep, British voice, a wide grin spreading across it's face.

"Cheshire, can you check on the condition of D-Desmond Walker for Jessica and I?" Sunny asked.

"Only if you can ask without the stutter," Cheshire answered, stretching.

"Well, that's not very nice," Jessica said angrily. The cat twisted its head 180 degrees, its grin widening. Jessica let out a loud yelp, cringing.

"Relax, love, just having a bit of fun." He twisted his head the full 360, looking back at Sunny. "I'll be right back, dear." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Jessica chuckled. "Did you... purposely program him to be so condescending?"

Sunny nodded. "I was going for a bit o-of authenticity. Besides, h-he isn't so bad. He just likes to joke around."

"I'm surprised you give him the authority to do as much as Alice."

Sunny smiled sheepishly. "A-actually, he represents the base's main CPU. He can do things that Alice can't do. He, uh... h-he can do things even I can't do." Jessica gave her a look of disbelief. Sunny shrugged. "The systems are too advanced. We needed a program to keep everything under control, and prevent the wrong people from getting into it."

Jessica sighed. "Well, uh... he'd be hard to trick with that attitude. So I guess I should wish him luck. Hopefully no one can get around him. There is more then one way to skin a cat, after all."

"That isn't my favorite metaphor." Cheshire materializes behind her, making her jump. "Please be sure to avoid it in the future."

"Desmond?" Sunny asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

The cat sat on the table. "Well, he's stable, for now. Made of some really strong stuff, that one. But he's not exactly out of the woods. It'll take a miracle for him to make it, and even if he does..." He pulls off his left arm and waves it around. "...he's gonna be needing another one of these." He reached back, using his arm as a backscratcher.

"Tasteful," Jessica frowned. "At any rate, that's all the more reason to finish this."

"Diagnostic complete," Alice said, smiling. "I have found no problems, Dr. Randolf. Everything appears to be in working order."

Sunny scratched her head, hesitantly saying, "If it's not a mechanical problem... m-maybe its a biological one."

Jessica looked over her notes, and glanced at the charts displayed on the computer. "I, uh... I hate to say it, but it looks like we'll have to increase the meld. We need an even stronger symbiosis between man or machine. Otherwise, the user's nervous system won't let them so much as scratch their nose, let alone fight on the battlefield."

"Alice, run a simulation using the current settings, but i-increase meld by..."

"200%," Cheshire said, grinning widely.

"Make it 30%," Jessica spat back, nudging the cat and raising an eyebrow, surprised at the feeling of fur.

Alice closed her eyes, and the arm started moving, the fingers moving about. Sunny clapped her hands together, and shouted, "It's working!"

Jessica shared in her excitement. She glanced at her watch, and frowned, saying, "Sorry, Sunny, I've gotta go. I didn't realize how late it was, and I have to check on... a friend. He hasn't been doing so well lately."

Sunny nods. "G-good luck with that."

Jessica quickly walked up to the door. Before exiting, she smiled back at Sunny. 'We did good today. We'll be pumping these things out by the end of the week, I'm sure."

As Jessica stepped out, Sunny smiled widely. Cheshire popped his arm back on and pulled the skin away, revealing a robotic arm. Sunny gasped. "I-I-I wish you... who even showed you that!?"

"It's called the internet," the cat responded in a thick Austrian accent before poofing away.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

"Chryssalids" lecture by Atka Ipiktok
>Officer Training School, XCOM Headquarters
>Recorded at 1100 Hours
>Opening File...

Atka Ipiktok walked to the center of the room, glancing around at those present. There was a medium-sized audience in the chairs creating a half-ring before her. The XCOM banners with red backgrounds barely moved, slightly affected by the air conditioning. She stepped to the side of the podium, standing in the center. Atka took a deep breath, and began.

“As you all are aware, we have encountered another type of alien amidst the invader’s forces. It is unlike the previous ones we have seen,” Atka began. “These ‘chryssalids’, as they’ve come to be called after Operation Hatching Chrysalis, seem to be the deadliest predator the Earth has ever witnessed. They are not sentient, it would seem, but they possess a cleverness that poses a risk to us.”

“In addition, they have four legs that can be used as melee weapons, which we have seen firsthand. Along their backs is some sort of sensory organ cluster, the science team suspects, but investigation into that is still underway. They are speedy, and very, very agile. The chryssalids should not be taken lightly.”

Atka looked over her audience, sighing. “I’m sure you know this,” she started to say, recognizing the anxious gazes of some of her audience, “But they also have a disturbingly…virulent…reproductive cycle. We witnessed this horror in Moscow. The chryssalids appear to inject their victim with an egg using a ‘tongue’ of sorts that has a beak or hook at the tip. It’s reasonable to guess they inject their victims with some sort of psychotic drug that…reanimates the subject’s nervous system temporarily, and gives the fledgling chryssalid the ability to control its host,” Atka said, shuddering in spite of herself. “Once that happens, the subject has a few minutes at most before the chryssalid reaches maturity and sheds its host.”

One of the members of the audience raised his hand. “Wouldn’t that mean that Moscow is overrun with those things?” he asked.

Atka paled. “It…it is certainly possible, though I hope that’s not the case.” Composing herself, she continued, “All of that said, there are ways to fight these things. As I observed during the mission, they seem to ignore our SHIVs in favor of living targets. We can use their viciousness to our advantage. Have a soldier, preferably a scout or assault, draw their attention. Lure them into a trap, while the SHIVs could likely blast away with them at impunity. A firing squad in the back could clean up whatever is left.”

“Also consider that the chryssalids are melee fighters only. Deal with them at range if possible, but understand that we can’t be too defensive with these things when they are unleashed on civilian populations. They will slaughter them if we hide in cover, and then we have to deal with more of these demons than before,” Atka added.

“Finally, something to think about. The only other troop that joined them on this mission was the floaters, who the chryssalids couldn’t harm. I think that says something about the ability of the others to control the chryssalids. If they truly fear them that much, it means they cannot work together easily. That’s a weakness in itself, and one we should exploit to the fullest. That is all.” Atka returned to her seat, the others giving her nods of approval, but there wasn’t much clapping as the grim reality of this new enemy still was fresh in their minds.

>End of Recording.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Resurgence Part 1
Somewhere in the Mountains, Japan
December 18th, 2012

Desmond had not been adjusting to life in the mountains very well. It was cold and it snowed almost constantly. He was dropped off via jeep and was just left there, high up into the mountains. He had no idea where he was or what he was doing. All his instructor told him was that he was here to learn, but he didn't say by who, or worse yet, where he was supposed to be going. He walked, and walked, but for what seemed like eternity Desmond walked in what he thought was a snowy Purgatory. He was hungry, cold, and fatigued but for some unknown reason he just kept walking.

The only thing that Desmond knew was that he was going down. The slopes were perilous and one wrong step and he would disappear from the face of the earth, never to be recovered or seen from again. He continued to walk, and walk, and walk until finally his legs gave in and he fell onto the hard ice he had been standing on. During the spring this might have been a lake but there was no way to tell. He laid there, snow piling up on his person when he saw a figure, a silhouette against the snowy winds and the figure came into fruition. He spoke in a language foreign to him but he recognized as Japanese. After he didn't respond the man had spoken in poor English. "Why you come?"

Desmond attempted to get up but just fell back down. "I don't know, I was just dropped off here for training and I was told nothing else. I have been walking for hours, please...help me."

The man shook his head. "No, you weak. I have no reason to save weak being."

Desmond tried to get up again but fell again. "Can you at least tell me where I am?"

He shook his head again. "No."

Desmond attempted a third time but managed to get to a knee. "What can you do?"

The man turned his head slightly and responded. "I can kill you."

The man pulled out a knife from leg and rushed Desmond. Desmond's eyes widened and he lazily jumped right, his arm still getting cut by the blade. The man turned almost immediately and rushed him once more. Whether it was the adrenaline or the fear in him he held his ground. This time the man aimed for his gut but Desmond caught the man's arm with his hand, pushing it sideways, and kicked out his legs with a sweep. The knife skidded away and Desmond leaped for it.

The man was faster and grabbed his leg, causing him to slam into the ice. His vision filled with stars and he just laid there helplessly as the man walked over and picked up the knife. The man slowly walked towards Desmond standing over him like a giant.

"Goodbye." The man plunged the knife, it's final destination was straight to his heart.
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XCOM Base, Siberia
May 2nd, 2018

Desmond started going into cardiac arrest again and a team of doctors swarmed him. The head doctor yelled out commands and they got the defibrillator ready. They kept paddling him until his vitals came back and calmed down. The doctors calmed, they all took a breath and went about their business. He had a team monitoring him constantly, and although he was somewhat stable at the moment, his vitality wouldn't hold out forever. The doctors weren't hopeful he would survive, and even though they had said nothing, everyone knew it. Elizabeth was at his side whenever she could be, almost never leaving his room. Some people came to see her now and then but she didn't hear them, hell she didn't see them. All she could do was try and be there when Desmond woke up...he just had to.
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The knife plunged but Desmond rolled away just in time using a lot of his reserved strength. The man approached, aimed once more and attacked again. Instead of dodging he caught his hands mid stab and he did his best to hold them back. It was a constant struggle but Desmond was just too fatigued to continue. He pushed the knife to his side and using his remaining strength, punched the man in the jaw. The man rolled and landed on his knees, staring Desmond down.

"You are stronger than anticipated, but still weak. You are sloppy, and you have no balance. You are weak.." The man put away his knife and stood above Desmond. "Who are you?"

Desmond wiped the snow from his face. "My name is..." The man didn't let him finish as he slammed his foot onto his chest, causing the air to be knocked out of him. After he recovered the man asked again. "Who are you?"

Desmond closed his eyes. "Des..." Another foot slammed down on his hand causing him to scream in pain. "Who are you?"

Desmond clenched his fist, "I..." Another barrage of stomps and kicks slammed down on to him. When the man stopped he bent down and got close to Desmond's face. "Who...are...you?"

Desmond laid limp having almost no strength at all. "Nobody...I am nobody." The man nodded his head.

"Correct, you are no one. You are never somebody. To be that, you must earn it, but if you desire to be somebody, you must cast away who you think you are, and become someone reborn."

Desmond had no words. After a minute he nodded his head.

"Good, then you will now travel the path that greater men have walked and come out as a man reborn into the world."

Desmond nodded once more. "When do we begin?" The man's face grimaced. "Now."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

“Guardian Spirits” - Atka Ipiktok

800 hours, XCOM HQ, Somewhere in Siberia

Atka stared at the chunk of whale bone that sat in front of her. The Inuit woman spun her carving knife in her hand, unsure of what to shape next. It didn’t help that her thoughts were clouded by the atrocity that had occurred in Moscow. She glanced up at the first carving she had ever made, sitting at the top-right corner of the desk.

It wasn’t Atka’s best work, lacking many of the intricacies her mother later taught her and the styles she had adopted. Despite that, the courageous-looking amaruq (as wolves are called in Inuktitut) was special to Atka. Her thoughts drifted back to the first hunt she went on…

Late Spring of 2004, Nunavut Territory, Canada

The Inuit hunting party moved quietly across the hills overlooking the tundra plains dotted with patching of melting snow. Their breath was visible in the cold air, as the mornings were only slightly above freezing. There were seven in total, three of them experienced, adult hunters and fathers, accompanied by four children. There was the wizened Siluk and his two sons, Ugalik (18) and Qamut (12). The bold Kangaq had come as well, joined by his son Kataktaq (8). Finally, there was the clever Ipiktok and joined, surprisingly, by his daughter, Atka, also eight years old.

The children followed the more experienced hunters, snug in their parkas. Qamut rubbed his hands together with anxious energy. “You think we’ll find the herd, Ugalik?” he asked his brother in Inuktitut.

“If they’re around here. We’ve done this before, you know,” Ugalik answered.

“I’m sure we will,” Atka reassured Qamut with an enthusiastic smile.

“No one asked you.” Ugalik glared at Ipiktok’s daughter after he spoke those words. “Why are you even here, anyway?”

Atka returned his look with a sarcastic, infuriating grin. “Let me see…because I wanted to hunt and because my father said so?”

“You are pushing it, shrimp…” Ugalik shot back.

“U-uh…guys…a-and Atka…” Kataktaq said timidly.

“What is i-“ Ugalik stopped when he looked over to see Siluk hold a finger to his dry lips. The older hunter furrowed his brow, giving the children a stern look, and then motioned for them to come over.

The seven knelt or laid down, concealing themselves. Their prey, a gathering of musk oxen, or umingmak, was gathered on the plains just below the hills. However, competition for the umingmak had arrived.

Upwind from the umingmak, a pack of amaruq had begun to sneak towards the gathering. They were nine in total, led by an Alpha female with a dark gray fur coat and opal blue eyes. She was intent on her task, only looking away from the umingmak to check on her pack.

“W-what should we do?” Kataktaq asked quietly.

Kangaq looked over at Siluk, and started to smile. The old hunter’s eyes sparkled, and he said simply, “Watch. You can learn from the master hunters. All of you.”

Atka smiled, and laid in a snowbank, watching. Masterful hunters, huh? Let’s see what you can do, amaruq…

The alpha took a deep breath, and leapt at the umingmak, followed by her pack. The amaruq went after the calves, giving chase to one young umingmak in particular.

The Inuit girl frowned. “Isn’t it cowardly to go after the weak and helpless?”

Ipiktok shook his head. “It’s not that. She doesn’t want to risk the lives of her pack needlessly.”

The umingmak did not have time to form the traditional ring of adults defending children, and so only the calf’s parent came to its defense. By then the amaruq had bit the calf’s legs and forced it to its knees.

The amaruq turned their attention towards the approaching threat. One of them snarled at the angry mother, and galled her into directing her furious gaze upon himself. She prepared to charge. When the moment came, the wolf leapt to the side, beginning a deadly dance akin to a matador and a bull.

Atka’s eyes sparkled as she watched the other wolves go on the offensive while the ‘matador’ nimbly dodged charge after charge, keeping the furious umingmak focused on him. The others started to draw blood and weaken the umingmak mother, but she was determined now to eliminate the foolish amaruq that had dared to harm her calf and then taunt her so.

Siluk chuckled, nudging Ipitkok. “Your daughter sees it. She has the spirit of an amaruq.”

After several charges, the umingmak had taken the fight dangerously close to the Inuit hunters in concealment. They watched silently as a controlled fire began to burn in the eyes of the umingmak cow. Both Atka and the Alpha female realized what she intended to do.

The umingmak charged, planning to divert her course to the right and smash into the male amaruq. He would not have been able to dodge in time. It never came to that, though.

The Alpha female dashed in front of her subordinate, and with a loud crack took the hit meant for him. She was knocked back into the side of the hill, and lay still.

In a fury, the amaruq pack descended on the umingmak in a flurry of tooth and claw. They took her life and then two went to finish off the calf. Atka stood up quickly and ran towards the fallen Alpha.

“Atka, stop, what are you doing?!” Ipiktok protested futilely. Siluk’s expression became serious and he and the others ran after Atka, ready to draw their spears if necessary to protect the foolish girl.

The amaruq turned their gaze on the humans, angry that they would become between them and their fallen leader. The Inuit brought up their spears defensively, instinctively.

Atka knelt beside the amaruq Alpha, who was close to death. W-why, the girl thought to herself. Her eyes widened when she felt their minds connect, and she received an answer.

Images of the amaruq pack flashed in Atka’s mind. She found herself able to interpret it as: For my pack. The Alpha did not understand how she was able to communicate with the young girl, but she was too far gone to wonder anymore.

An image of the pack was transmitted again. Are they… A concept of shelter, of safety. …safe? The amaruq inquired of Atka.

Atka conveyed a feeling of confirmation. Yes, they are.

The Alpha female seemed relieved. She slowly shut her eyes, relaxing as Atka stroked her fur sadly. Be…be at peace… Atka thought to the Alpha female before the amaruq’s heart ceased to beat.

The other amaruq were growling now, and Ipiktok dragged Atka away from the body. “What were you thinking? We may have to fight…”

“I-I spoke to her.”

“What?” Ipiktok asked, confused.

“I don’t know how…but I can communicate with them. Please, trust me, father…”

Ipiktok let her go, and Atka walked closer to the wolves, but went no further than Siluk and the other men. We will leave now, we do not want to fight. Your leader…she is at peace, Atka reassured the amaruq, relaying the ‘conversation’ she had with the Alpha female to them as well.

The amaruq looked confused for a moment, and then relaxed. They back off for the moment, and looked at Atka. Let us go to her now, they asked, or more likely demanded.

Atka put her hand on Siluk’s shoulder, who was looking at the amaruq in wonder. “We should go now. They won’t follow.”

Siluk looked down at Atka. “You are special indeed, child…I am glad I brought you along.” He nodded to the others, and started leading them back.

The Inuit went a safe distance away as the pack mourned the loss of their leader. Kataktaq walked beside Atka. “That…that was so cool! How did you do that?”

Atka looked at him, as confused as Siluk had been. “I…I don’t know…”

Kangaq shook his head at the equally astounded Qamut and the jealous Ugalik. He turned his head in Atka’s direction. “Believe it or not…I think you touched their spirits…their essence, their mind…whatever you wish to call it. That is something I have almost never heard of, and legends of people who could were usually exaggerated.”

Ipiktok nodded. “But we saw you do that, daughter…there can be no doubting that you have a special kinship with the amaruq, and perhaps other animals as well.” He smiled. “That is something I am proud of…that my daughter is so special.”

830 hours, XCOM HQ, Somewhere in Siberia

Atka ran her hand along the sculpture of the Alpha female. She was the first Atka had connected with using her powers, and the Inuit woman had always admired the bravery the amaruq had shown that day. To Atka, she was her guardian spirit. “Perhaps…perhaps I could make someone else something special like this,” the scout mused. “A guardian spirit of their own…or something equally precious to them.” She looked at Ayame and Madison, still asleep. She would probably talk to them about something they might want scuplted when they awoke.

Atka glanced at the clock, and back at the slab of bone. “Soon,” she warned it, and stood up. It was time she went to check on Desmond. As she walked towards the medical ward, a thought occurred to her. Has anyone…has anyone ever told him he is special? That he has extraordinary ability, like my father had told me? It was difficult to tell with Desmond Walker, but it was a concern Atka had for her friend nevertheless. “Perhaps I’ll ask him, when he pulls through.” He has to…for Elizabeth’s sake.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Zain Shah & ZombieSplitter53
Roommates Catching Up
Part One

Jessica and Leon's Room
2000 hours

Leon is at his desk in the corner of the room, staring at a computer screen while scratching the stubble on his chin. The screen displays updates from the labs whilst Leon is observing a photo of a thin man corpse.

Jessica steps into the room, her focus gazed on some papers she is looking over while mumbling to herself. She looks up, jumping slightly at the sight of Leon. "Oh, Leon! I'm sorry. You spend so much time in the labs, I sometimes forget we share a room."

Leon doesn't move his face from the computer screen "It's fine. I've just been working non-stop for the last couple of days trying to identify this alien creature... So, what have you been doing?"

"Well, I was moved over to the genetics lab once it opened." Jessica smiles. "Putting that genetics degree to use, you know." She glances over Leon's shoulder. "So, um... what exactly do you do with that thing?"

"Cut it open." Leon replied. "But this one is challenging, because it possess the ability to create poison clouds, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where the gland that secretes the poison is." Leon gives a deep sigh after a close look at the photo, and closes it. "Now I wish I could be doing genetic modifications. Seriously, I have not given you enough credit for completely changing the genetic code for a human being." Leon looks at Jessica with a look of awe, a rare action by him.

Jessica blinks rapidly, caught by surprise by the unexpected compliment. "Th... thank you, Leon. But to be honest, the meld makes my job a lot easier. You have the hard job, having to analyze the aliens. I might make it easier for the soldiers to fight, but you let them know exactly what they're fighting."

"You're becoming a ...good scientist, even if your other actions on the base don't quite reflect that." Leon gave her a cheeky smile.

Jessica scratches the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess Alexia and I can be a bit childish. But thank you. And I've read your reports on the autopsies, and I have to admit, you know what you're doing. It was a good idea to put you in charge of them." She gives Leon a cautious smile. "I have to be honest, after our first meeting, I didn't think you'd be capable of complimenting me. I was afraid you'd spend most of the time... telling me what I was doing wrong..."

"At first, I thought you were one of the few scientists who didn't really have a gift for science, but after these last few days, I realized that I am in the minority of people who are devoting their entire life to science." Leon stares at his computer screen for further updates then immediately pulls up a window on his computer screen. "Modya Dragomirov, age 26. A bit old isn't he, for a 18 year old." Leon gives her the same cheeky smile.

Jessica looks taken a back, her eyes widening. "What... what are you talking about?"

"I may not flirt with other people, but I know when someone else is. I'm not your father, nor am I a great person to talk to about relationships, but just remember why you are here." Leon stands up from his chair and gives her a serious yet calm look.

Jessica's eye twitches, and she shudders a bit. "What... what are you talking about? Have you been watching me? Because I'm not sure what I think about that, but I know it isn't a pleasant thought."

"I haven't been following you; in fact, I was intending on meeting you earlier, but instead you were with your little boyfriend so I simply... watched from a distance."

Jessica lets out a soft chuckle. "Watched from a distance. Kinda creepy." She folds her arms. "Modya isn't my 'boyfriend', per se. He's just a friend that needed some help, and I gave it to him. And even if he was my boyfriend, what does it matter to you?"

"You are the closest thing to a... friend I have." The words stuck in Leon's throat. "So don't... friends talk about their relationships." Leon's lack of social skills are evident.

Jessica's harsh gaze softens. "I... I didn't realize you felt that way. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." She clears her throat. "W-well, like I said, Modya was going through a hard patch, and I was trying to help him. That's also what friends do. They help each other, especially when they're hurt in some way."

"There's no reason to be sorry for an incidence that was out of your control. I acknowledge the fact that you two are friends, but do you want to be more than friends?"

Jessica's face reddens a bit. "I... I-I don't know. I've never had much luck with men. They usually just look at me as something to put on their arm to make themselves look better. And like you said, he's a bit older then me. But... I don't know, he's nice to me, in a 'nice' nice way, not a 'acting nice' way."

Leon seems confused. "What's the difference? If someone is acting nice to you, doesn't that mean they are nice to you?"

Jessica scratches her head, not sure how to explain it in a way that won't embarrass her. "Sometimes there is a difference between being nice because you like someone... a-and being nice to make someone think you like them, to get them to do certain... favors. And I feel like Modya is the former, you know?"

"And by favors, you mean sexual interaction? So you're saying that this man does not care to have intercourse with you; isn't the point of having a relationship to have a mutual agreement?" Leon's head filled with questions.

Jessica's face turns beet red. "I... n-no! I-I mean, sometimes. B-but companionship is more important. You can do... do... that... with anyone. B-but a true relationship should be about being with someone who's company you enjoy, and if... s-sex is part of it, th-then that's a bonus. B-but not if they say they like your company, when all they want is to use you and leave you!"

"Relationships are harder to understand than alien biology. Why not just tell someone that you want to be in a relationship and they decide based on their opinion of you? It's just another flaw in our race." Leon sighs.

Jessica gives an equally puzzled look. "I... I can't argue with you on that one. I guess people are just complicated that way..." Desperate to change the subject before she turns red as a cherry, she says, "W-why don't we talk about the problem you were having with the aliens? Maybe my knowledge of the Meld can help. I mean, it's their Meld, so surely they use it too."

Leon doesn't seem to want to end the topic "So, do you enjoy Modya's company? And do you want to have ...ahem, sex with him?"

Jessica let's out an exacerbated laugh. "NO! I mean, I-I don't know. I barely know him, and I'm not that kind of girl. I mean..." Her face continues to redden, her legs shaking a bit. "I do like Modya. I-If he... if I thought he was... I-I need to now I can trust... I just... want my first time to be with..." She trails off, unable to articulate properly out of embarrassment.

"Just say yes or no! I'm not going to judge your opinion." Leon puts his hand on Jessica's shoulder, showing signs of sympathy for the first time.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Resurgence Part 2
Somewhere in the Mountains, Japan
January 18th, 2013

A month had past since his arrival at the Japanese sanctuary. It was told that it once served as a rest stop for Buddhist missionaries who came to Japan to spread their religion. It was worn and old in some places but overall it was kept in shape. He hadn't been told much but what he had learned was that there was no escape, as soon as he agreed to come, he was here until he was told otherwise.

For the past month, Desmond was worked night and day, when he asked how much longer or are we almost there, all the man would say was, "As long as it took to become someone." He heard those words constantly and Desmond couldn't help but remark the irony in that statement. He was not human, he was a science experiment, how could he ever become someone worth while? So, Desmond did what he was told. He slept when he was told to rest, he ate when he was allowed rations, and he never talked back. All the things that had gone on at EXALT but a different setting.

His day consisted of getting up early, running through the snow for at least an hour on end, running an obstacle course for speed and agility, breakfast, meditation, more running, building up his strength, hand to hand lessons, lunch, weapons training, running, obstacle course, logic testing, combat lessons, dinner, meditation, and finally rest. It had only been a month but he had adjusted quickly until it almost became like clockwork. When Desmond laid down on his sleeping mat at night, he would just contemplate. He seemed to do it every night when he thought about it but it made no difference. This was the path that he had chosen, whether or not he accepted that was another question entirely.
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Somewhere in the Mountains, Japan
April 22nd 2014

Desmond got up before anyone came to get him. He walked outside which was calm, although still the chill remained. Things had become easier in the sense that he was adjusting. After about more than a year, Desmond was on his path. He had become a formidable opponent with a katana and hand to hand, nowhere near the point to where the man who trained him was but he was learning. After a while he had picked up on the system that was run here. Everyone was either a master or an apprentice, whether or not a single master had multiple students or the other way around, that was how things worked. For one reason or another, Desmond really never had any problems with the other apprentices. They all either kept to themselves or avoided him so eventually he did the same.

"They are nobody, just like me. Just like all of us." The foolish dream of becoming somebody was gone. Now all he dreamed about was to gain knowledge and power. What he couldn't make up for, he made it up. No matter what anyone would say he would strive to prove them all. "They are nobody." That phrase had coursed through Desmond's every thought. It was the mentality he had in battle, both physically and mentally. It was him, he was nobody.

On an early morning run Desmond had been allowed to run ahead and he did, climbing the rocks he had deemed safe enough and jumping from ledge to ledge, slope to slope. He was by no means an expert, but Desmond had become proficient at free running. He rounded a slope and came upon something unexpected. In the distance, smoke could be seen bellowing on one of the near by mountain ledges and he went to investigate. He slowly approached, taking great care in footing and weight distribution. When he peeked around the corner he saw the source of the smoke. A small private aircraft had crashed into the mountain but Desmond only found tracks, no people. He followed the tracks until he rounded a corner, met face first with a pistol and a man.

He was a short man, average build if not on the short side. He had dirty blonde hair but had aged with time and showed streaks of gray in them. He had dim blue eyes behind a round rimmed pair of eye glasses. "Stop right there, I know how to use this." The man's stance was sloppy and the gun was shaking wildly. "I am a very powerful man and I have connections. I can make you a very rich man with a simple phone call." The man laughed "You probably can't understand me, alright...Do...You...Speak...English?" The man pronounced each word like Desmond was a child. "I understand perfectly, I just don't give a rat's ass."

The man furrowed his brow in anger. "Look here body, I said I have connec..." Desmond rose a hand to stop the man. "Yeah, yeah you got connections, but what do I care. We are up in the mountains your connections or your money are useless."

The man stiffened his arm. "Then I demand you get me out of here. I am a powerful man, and unlike you I have important things to be doing." The man's face was all the more evident that made Desmond wonder if this guy was for real. Desmond let out a sigh and in one swift motion, he sliced the man's hand off that was holding the gun. "Ahhhhhhhh!" The man clutched his arm and fell to the ground. "Who the hell do you think you are!"

Desmond put the tip of the katana under the man's chin lifting it up. "I am nobody, same as you will be." With that he sliced the man's throat and turned around, leaving the man to die.

When he returned Desmond was greeted by two men in black monk robes. "The master requests your presence." Desmond rose an eyebrow at the fact they said requested instead of demands. He nodded and the two men guided him to a whole other part of the compound he had never seen before. Built into the side of the mountain, was a castle that looked like it belonged in an old samurai movie. He climbed the front stairs and the monks stopped as a man emerged from the castle. It was the same man who had trained him, the same that beat him when they first met.

"It is an honor for you to meet the master. Do not squander this opportunity." Desmond nodded and he and the man entered the castle. After about climbing ten flights of stairs, they came upon a large, ornate door. It was covered with depictions of heroic battle, blushing geishas, and green dragons. When the large door opened they entered, in the middle of the room, an old man knelt on a cushion facing them, with two more cushions laid out in front of him. Desmond and the man knelt down on the cushions and bowed in unison. The roomed smelt of strong incense, a smell that Desmond had become used to but this one was sweet and spicy all wrapped into one perfect aroma.

"It has been more than a year since you arrived to us, child. Now it is past time you found out what you have been serving for all this time." The old man adjusted himself and began. "We are known as the "Kage no Gundan", The Army of Shadows. We are a league of shinobi who were first established as spies for the first emperor of Japan's feudal monarchy. We have survived over the years because we are the best. We are not men, but walking shadows. That is why you repeat the same phrase over and over, to remind you of what you are, and your purpose." The old man coughed a couple of times before continuing.

"You have trained, and you have learned our ways. Now it is time for you to become a true member of the Kage no Gundan, a Kagemusha, a Shadow Warrior. In this you will become a full member of our forces and in time, you will become as good as my son has."

Desmond looked over at the man to his right, now figuring out why he had been so formidable. "In time, I will die, and my son will take my place. You have already had apprenticeship with my son so that makes you next in line after him. You will train and you will become one true to the shadows, or you will forever be nobody, drifting along like the shadow that drifts with you. Will you accept this honor, and become a Kagemusha?"

Desmond nodded. The old man also did and ordered something from the man two his right. He got up, retrieving a box and handing it to the old man. "Then take this and keep it with you always. Welcome, Kagemusha."

Desmond opened the box and inside was a worn leather necklace with a strange pendent. "If you don't mind me asking, what is that symbol?"

The old man slowly nodded his head. "It is the symbol of my clan, the Otohara."

Desmond nodded and put on the necklace. It dangled down to his chest and laid still. Desmond closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, he had finally achieved what he had dreamed for, an opportunity to be somebody.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Roommates Catching Up
Part Two

Jessica bites her lip. "I-If he's as good a man as he seems to be, and I get to know him more, th-then..." She clams up, but slowly nods her head up and down.

"See, I've completely simplified relationships to a single question." Leon returns to his arrogant self. After basking in the glory of his new idea, Leon finally shows Jessica the computer screen with the thin man's body. "Can you see anywhere where the thin man could have poison stored?"

Jessica blinks rapidly, shocked by Leon's ability to switch from a touchy subject to something else so nonchalantly. Just grateful to move on to something else, she looks at the computer and says, "Um... off hand, no. B-but... the Meld is designed to integrate different biological components into a being with ease. Could it have been built directly into it's lungs. Maybe the aliens biologically manipulated it so it would be immune to it's own poison, and the poison is part of it's respiratory system."

Leon opens up his X-COM scientist account on the computer and writes a message saying: 'Someone open up the thin man's lungs and send me the photo.' "We'll know our answer soon enough." Leon swivels his chair around to talk to Jessica. "So, what have you been able to do with this meld so far?"

"Well, we've done work on some of the soldiers' eyes to improve accuracy and reaction time. And using what we've learned from your autopsies, we've been able to hasten healing and strengthen muscle fiber density." Jessica thinks for a moment, then adds, "Oh, and I've been working with the engineers to develop advanced cybernetics."

Leon almost jumps from his seat "C-Cybernetics? You need to show me everything you know so far; one of my areas is the integration of robotic parts with the human body. WE CAN MAKE REAL LIFE CYBORGS!" By this point, Leon grabs Jessica's shoulders, shaking her like an ecstatic child.

Jessica chuckles nervously. She quickly grabs her personal labtop and brings up the appropriate files. Handing the computer to Leon, she says, "It still technically in the developmental stage, but because of how easy meld makes everything, we should have fully functional cybernetics soon. Most of the limbs are being manufactured now. We're just working out the kinks for making the necessary connections between the machines and the human nervous system." She smiles. "With, uh, with my specialties being in biology but not anything mechanical, and the engineer I'm working with being a master of robotics but not biology, any impute you could offer is sure to speed things along."

Leon smiles and then pulls out an old flash drive with "Experiment Notes" written on it after rummaging through his suitcase. He reluctantly passes it over to Jessica ."This is all the work I've gathered through my experiments." He closes in on Jessica's face "Do not let anyone else see this; this could send me to prison for more than a lifetime."

Jessica's eyes nervously dart back and forth. "Um... okay, I won't. B-but... if I find something I can use, what should I say if someone asks where I came up with it?"

"It's easy, those idiots in the labs will believe anything. Just say something like you had an epiphany." Leon returns to his arrogant tone.

Jessica shrugs, placing the flash drive in her pocket. "Alright, though I don't think you give the other techs enough credit." She gives Leon a cautious smile. "I mean, they might not be as smart as you, but considering how smart you are, even a genius would look dimwitted when compared to your brilliance, right?"

"Now you're getting the idea." Leon smiles at Jessica, however, moments after, his computer starts beeping with the message "Leon Wolfe is requested at the labs." Leon quickly shuts the screen and leaves without saying goodbye.

Jessica considers being upset about the rude end of the conversation, but realizing this was somehow the best conversation she'd had with him, despite her embarrassment. She cuts her loses, and sticks the flash drive in her computer.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Resurgence Part 3
Somewhere in the Mountains, Japan
December 17th, 2015

Desmond had risen high in the past three years. He went from being the lost little boy in the mountains to a full fledged Kagemusha. In the late fall season, the master had died and a new one took his place. Now the next member of the Otohara clan was in charge and after him, Desmond would take his place. The past year he has been groomed for command. His training regimes were rougher, his equipment better, and his skills ever increasing. He wore the honor around his neck proud, a reminder of what he left behind, and what he had become.

In time, Desmond would have his own apprentice to train. He would finally become a true master of the Kage no Gundan. Life was good, but Desmond couldn't help but think what EXALT was doing, it was not like they could just forget about him. He pushed the thought from his mind when he saw two monks in black robes approach. Desmond bowed and asked, "What does the Master require?"

The old monks bowed back and the one on the right spoke up to answer. "He requires you for a...delicate matter. It would best be discussed in private."

Desmond nodded and bowed once more, making his way to the castle. He walked up the flights of stairs and when he arrived at the giant doors, he noticed there were more guards than usual. Whatever was going on, it was something big. Desmond was let in to the Master's sanctum and was left there with the man that had once been his master sitting in the middle of the room on a cushion.

Desmond knelt down on the cushion and bowed low. "What is going on? Why the large amount of security?"

The Master nodded his head. "Yes, I thought you would notice. There is something that we have been keeping from you. Me finding you out in the mountains was no coincidence. There was deal between the Kage no Gundan and the people who sent you. We were to train you and in return they would fund our organization. Unfortunately, when my father died, the contract became void and we fear an attack, for you."

Desmond nodded. He was not mad but rather not surprised that this had happened. "So you mean to say this was all a lie, all the training and knowledge you gave me, all of it was for money?" Desmond said with an eerie calm in his voice.

The Master shook his head. "At first it was about the money, but something changed. When my father let you be apart of Otohara clan, he had confidence in that you would stay with us, than rather leave." This time the Master bowed low to Desmond. "We have soiled our honor as shinobi. Please, forgive this transgression on you."

Desmond sighed, shaking his head slowly. "Don't apologize for the transgressions of the past. For now tell me what you know of this attack."

The Master sat back up. "We know that the attack will not be conducted directly from them, they have hired a mercenary group for their dirty work. We have no idea when it will happen, but it is expected soon."

Desmond looked out the window that was behind the Master. The last rays of the day were starting to dip behind the mountains. "No time better than now, I would assume."

The Master nodded. "I think the same. So that is why I have a special assignment for you..."
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Desmond stood in the Master's sanctum along with him. His weapons were with him and his clothes were already on and ready for the incoming battle. He wore the black armor of a master of the clan. A black hood covered his head along with a face mask covering the lower part of his face. His katana at his back, he stood looking out the window as black consumed the mountains.

The Master looked over at him. "Desmond."

Desmond's eyes widened. It was the first time he had said his name since the first time they met.

"There is something I must ask. That man in the mountains, what purpose did you have to end his life?" The Master's eyes pierced his own.

"He would not have survived. It was an easier death than the one that faced him."

The Master raised an eyebrow at him. "That all."

Desmond smirked and shook his head. "He was also a pretentious man, and sort of an asshole."

The Master laughed at the remark, another thing that surprised Desmond. "Yes he was, I would have done the same just for the latter. There is no room in this world for people like him. Remember that."

Desmond nodded. "It is time..."

The Master nodded as well. "So it is."

With that last remark an explosion was heard along with gunfire in the distance. The time had come.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Aftermath

Moscow, Russia
May 4th, 2018
1200 Hours, Local Time

Amanda let out a soft yelp as a large chunk of the building next to her fell to the ground. She looked at the devastation around her. There didn't seem to be a single building that wasn't severely damaged, or a single car that hadn't been on fire at one point. The worst, however, was the smell. The air had the stench of death.

"Damn," she mumbled. "This is awful. How do you recover from something like this?"

"They'll recover," Kris answered. "They're Russians. Stubborn bastards survived civil wars, two world wars, and the fall of the Soviet Union. They'll survive this. If not for themselves, then as an FU to the aliens."

"Ssh!" Arturo held up a hand. "Did you hear something?"

"What is it, Max?" Amanda stepped to his side, listening. The three soldiers whipped they're rifles up as a humanoid figure stepped out of the shadows. The shell that had once been human slowly turned to the soldiers. As it approached, the soldiers needed only to slowly back away to keep it at a distance. "What... what's wrong with it? I mean, I know it isn't from one of the Remero remakes, but these things were moving faster then this on the video footage."

"I don't know..." Arturo kept his weapon leveled, every instinct telling him to fire. He held off, however, not wanting to miss the chance to watch one of these 'zombies' up close.

Suddenly, the undead man started spasming wildly. His chest erupted, and one of the crystal like arachnids burst out, its shell a pale purple. It practically slammed into the ground, and as the team looked on in awe, the creature slowly rose to a standing position. Noting the figures before it, the monster ran forward, but stumbled after only a few feet.

As the creature laid gasping for air, Kris slowly circled around it. "It... looks like it's dying. Why? None of the teams reported seeing anything like this."

"I'm not sure." Arturo carefully crouched in front of the chryssalid. It impotently swung an arm at him, but he easily ducked away. "Perhaps it... is starved. But considering the human host, it shouldn't be like this immediately after emerging."

"Maybe it's... supposed to die," Amanda offered. The other two gave her a questioning look, and she continued. "There was another soldier at the Officer Training School the other day. She was discussing these things in front of a group, and she purposed the idea that the fact that these things were paired with flying enemies wasn't an accident. If that's true, then maybe the aliens can't fully control these things."

"Then perhaps these things have a limited life span, to protect from them breeding out of control." Arturo looked around. "That would explain why we aren't being over run by these things. The city should be filled with them."

"So... these things will always die off quickly?" Kris asked, a look of optimism on his face.

"Maybe." Arturo stood up. "Though with the aliens' mastery of genetics, these might have been programmed to die quicker. A field test, if you would. Perhaps the lab boys could tell us if they had something to test." He pulled out his laser pistol, firing at the quivering creature's chest. After poking it a few times, he pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around the chryssalid's front claws. "Kris, grab the back. Amanda, cover us."

Kris mimicked Arturo's actions, and they lifted the strange alien, heading back to the skyranger.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Resurgence Part 4
Somewhere in the Mountains, Japan
December 17th, 2015

Desmond and the Master ran outside the castle and to the front entrance. The Master pointed to the higher ground above them and Desmond grunted in response, the two diverging and climbing the slopes with breath-taking speed. The two ran parallel on either side of the pass that lead from the castle, hoping to end the fight as quick as they could.

The fight in the main courtyard was already in full motion, and it was not going well for their forces. They outnumbered the mercenaries three to one but many of the fighters were only apprentices, and they couldn't do much against guns. Desmond and the Master jumped into the courtyard, hoping to turn the tides of battle.

Desmond took out his katana while in the air and landed with a roll, taking out two mercenaries as he came out of it. A mercenary turned his gun on him but was met with a blade impaling him as the Master landed. The two ran towards the battle, cutting down mercenaries in almost perfect synchronization. However the battle was not turning in their favor as for every one they cut down, 10 of them were killed. They fought back, but it was to little more success as more mercs entered the courtyard. The Master jumped up onto one of the low hanging roofs and yelled the command. "Kōtai!" ("Retreat!")

Desmond nodded when he met the gaze of the Master and the two retreated from the dojo, a different path then the others. They had ran for miles in the snow covered mountains. Lucky for them the night was calm, but the cold was still a cold knife against their backs. After some time, they stopped, wanting to get a feel of the surroundings.

"Fate has a sense of humor it seems..." The Master stated, "Where you journey began, it now must end."

Desmond looked around, realizing it was indeed the frozen lake where the two had met so many years before. "So it seems."

The Master and Desmond sat on the ice, facing one another, meditating and saving strength for the coming battle.

Hours passed when finally the men stood up, seeing that they had finally found them. The jeep rolled down the mountain road, stopping just 10 yards away. Headlights pointing at them, the audible sound of guns cocking could be heard, getting ready for the order to fire.

"Patient 42, it is time that you returned to your rightful masters." The voice was familiar. It was the voice of the man who was in charge of him during his time at EXALT. "Desmond! Get over here. Leave the man and get your ass over here, or we will shoot.

The Master looked at Desmond and nodded. Desmond slowly unsheathed his katana, letting it hang low. He turned to the Master, and drove the blade into him.

The Master's eyes widened and when Desmond pulled the blade out of him, he fell to the ground, with a look of happiness on his face.

Desmond did his best not to show emotion, but deep down he was screaming inside. Desmond dropped the blade on the ice and walked over to the jeep. He slipped inside and the jeep drove away. A blizzard had begun outside, covering the window and another part of his life he had left behind. Desmond laid his head on the window and closed his eyes.
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The Master nodded. "I think the same. So that is why I have a special assignment for you. When we are confronted by the people who come for you, you must kill me in order to gain their trust."

Desmond's face was one of surprise as he shook his head. "I can't do that. We must be able to survive together, you can't let the last of the Otohara clan die off for no reason."

The Master sighed. "If we were to escape together, we would not survive. There is no civilaztion for miles, and we would be constantly on the run. All the supplies we have are grown during the warmer seasons, when low in the mountains, fertile land is no longer covered in snow. We would not survive, but you must. In you lives the only part of our organization left. You survive, and perhaps we may live once more."

Desmond didn't understand at first. He thought it out and finally nodded. He was never trained to become the Master, he was trained so he could bring back the clan and lead it once more. After a long silence Desmond nodded, understanding the final mission he was given.
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XCOM Base, Siberia
May 7th, 2018

Desmond could hear the sound of a heart beat monitor and the other sounds that came from a medical room. He couldn't help but notice he had almost an empty feeling on his left side. He slowly opened his eyes, letting out a groan as he did. When he opened them fully he took in the scene around him. On his left was Elizabeth, her eyes wide with shock and tears in her eyes. Around him some doctors were wide eyed as well, not believing the sight they were seeing.

Elizabeth started crying loudly as she ran over and hugged him, not caring for the wounds on his body. She cried and cried and Desmond remembered what had happened. He wrapped his right arm around her. An African American woman came up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." She said in a heavy Jamaican accent. She tilted her head and asked, "Do you know who you are?"

Desmond nodded his head. "Somebody." He thought to himself.

 

[Frostlich1228]

Frostlich1228 & DarkGemini24601
Visiting a Friend

X-Com Medical Bay
0900 hours, Local time.
Date, May 6th, 2018

Ammelia sits just inside the medical bay, her hands resting in her lap as doctors rush past her, going from room to room, most of the doors, never staying closed for more than a minute. Ever since Operation Hatching Chrysalis the Med-Bay has been more active than it's ever been before, more than likely because of all the injuries sustained during the mission.

Ammelia has been feeling incredibly guilty since that mission, most of the people that were injured were far better than her. That first Cryssalid would've been the end of her if her shot hadn't hit it's foot by complete luck; maybe Andrews would still be alive if she hadn't missed her first two shots...

Atka walked by Ammela after checking on Desmond, worried about the man who had revealed his unique abilities to her little more than a day ago. She stopped when she saw Ammelia. That's the one that I met after Valiant Crusade... The Inuit woman went over to Ammelia, her gentle brown eyes showing her concern.

"Hey, sorry that I never apologized to you for acting so cold after my mission. Are you alright?" Atka said softly to her.

Ammelia looked up at her, " Atka? Yeah... I'm fine... "
But I really shouldn't be...

Atka sighed. "I made a mistake in not opening up to you earlier...you don't need to make the same one," Atka pointed out, sitting beside Ammelia. "Talk to me."

" I suppose you're right...", she sighed, " You saw the footage from that mission, didn't you? If I wasn't so lucky out there, I'd be next to Desmond, or worse... I deserve to be in there more than him... ".

Atka shook her head. "That's my job...that was Megumi's job. It's the role of scouts and assaults to be in the frontlines. I know it's not easy having to stay back in relative safety, but you're a sniper," Atka explained. "And you certainly don't deserve to be wounded or killed, none of us do."

" Desmond rallied all of those soldiers with his speech, he saved so many people, he took charge of his squad in their time of need and led them to safety...", she replied, " The only reason I'm not dead right now is because I was lucky... and if it wasn't for Yamazaki's leadership and bravery, the entire squad might not have even reached the evac at all...".

Atka ran a hand along her loose black hair. "That's not your responsibility, though. Leaders are the ones who lead. In Moscow, you did your job...you may not have done it perfectly, but that's not something you should expect. You should aspire to it, but not expect it to come easily," Atka stated.

"And Desmond...not a lot affects him. It makes him courageous, but I think he loses something along the way. And that's not necessarily courage...just being hardened," Atka countered. "...probably shouldn't say bad things about the guy in intensive care, should I..." The Inuit woman sighed. "You're not expected to be perfect, brave, or commanding. Perhaps you will be called upon for that role someday, but you could be ready for that by then."

Ammelia looks up into Atka's eyes, " I didn't expect to be perfect... And I know that it's not my responsibility to lead... But it was my responsibility to protect my squadmates... And look what happened out there... I was fumbling my gun... while Andrews was being ripped apart... "

Atka laid her hand on Ammelia's shoulder. "I don't think it's unnatural to be terrified of those things. You shouldn't feel guilty about that...we couldn't have dealt with them effectively upon first contact."

" But my inexperience caused me to drop my gun! I should've steeled myself... Maybe then Andrews wouldn't be dead... ", she says, brushing a loose strand of her hair back.

"I know you don't honestly think being this hard on yourself will somehow bring him back," Atka replied sternly. "You made mistakes. We all do that. All I'm asking is that you learn from them, hating yourself for making those mistakes doesn't do anyone any good."

Atka looked down slightly. "I've made worse mistakes than that, and it's cost more than just one person their life...but I can't hate myself, I can't be stuck in the mire of the past...and the same goes for you."

" You're right, beating myself up isn't getting me anywhere... ", Ammelia brings Atka in for a hug, " Thank you... ". Most people wouldn't have bothered talking to me... But she's different...

Atka smiled. "No problem. I'm glad to bring back a bit of light in such a dark time."

Ammelia releases Atka, fixing her hair by brushing a few strands back into place. " Are you here to see Desmond? ", she asked, her smile returning.

"I just checked on him, though if you plan on doing the same I can go with you," Atka answered.

" Sure, I'd like that, " Ammelia said, getting up from her chair.

Atka joined her in walking towards Desmond's room.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Precautions

X-COM Base
Siberia, Russia
The Office of Commander O'Brien

"I'm not sure exactly where she got her data from," Dr. Shen said, a skeptical look on his face, "But now we can start production of fully functional cybernetic limbs."

"And what of your Mech project?" Morrigan asked, knowing full well she wasn't going to like the answer.

"We're ready to proceed." Dr. Shen placed his hand on his chin. "You are aware that, in order for us to continue, we can't simply wait and hope we get someone with a wealth of military experience who just so happens to be a quadriplegic?"

Morrigan gave a 'no shit' look, and asked, "Does this mean you've actually found a volunteer to have their arms and legs chopped off?"

"Yes, two in fact." Shen pulled out two sheets of paper with bios on the soldiers. "Imahara, Grant, who witnessed the carnage in Moscow firsthand, and Ortiz, Amanda, who saw the aftermath. I hate to take advantage of their rage over such a tragedy, but better to use any volunteers then to force soldiers to join the program."

Morrigan nodded. "Alright, proceed. And one last thing." She let out a deep sigh. "I'm sure you've heard from Dr. Vahlen about the precautions I'd like to take."

Shen nodded. "I have, but I am confused. I thought the Council was becoming more lenient on you. Why would they impose..."

"It wasn't... their... idea..." Morrigan folded her hands. "We are facing the possibility of creating dangerous weapons faster then we can learn to keep them under control." She leaned forward. "And we can't just keep pumping out the most dangerous of these without a backup plan."

Dr. Shen nodded. "You are right. We can not take the risk that any of the soldiers can turn on us at any time. I'd hate to lay suspicion on anyone undeserved, but we can not throw caution to the wind."

"So can you do it?" Morrigan asked. "I need a self-destruct that won't leave anyone injured. Even if they turn on us, I won't kill someone like that. And we can't take the risk that the self-destruct would be used on the wrong person."

"I believe so," Shen answered. "In fact, Dr. Vahlen and I both anticipated this might be necessary. We'll have it figured out by the end of the week."

As Dr. Shen turned to leave and opened the door, Morrigan cleared her throat. Shen turned around, and Morrigan said in a low voice, "Discuss this with no one. I don't want anyone to know about this but you, Vahlen, Bradford, and myself." Shen nodded, and exited. Morrigan sat back and closed her eyes, slowly shaking her head.