RP XCOM: The Story of Defiance.

[DarkGemini24601]

<Commander,

I have received a request by two of the former abductees. Inderpal Dassik, age 33, is the first. The second, who does not have a last name, is Qamut, age 24. They wish to become soldiers in project XCOM, though I specifically as for your approval due to the nature of these two. Both possess psionic abilities, and I wanted to confirm that it would be acceptable to introduce them at a delicate time such as this, with the psi labs under construction and the strange happenings related to it. They would be a valuable asset, provided they aren't distrusted by their fellow soldiers.

Assistant Manager of Records and Recruiter, Thomas Burrick>​

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

<To Mr. Burrick,

Your request to introduce to of the abductees into the X-COM project is underway. The choice to approve them or not would likely have been quicker, but as you said, these two are unique cases. With their psionic abilities, and with the current load of paper work and a hefty investigation going on, I have turned their review over to acting First Officer Aya Brea. In addition to being in the best position to know how the other soldiers might react, she is more familiar with psionics then I. I am confident she will get back to you shortly.

Project X-COM Commander
Lieutenant General Morrigan O'Brien>

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

<To Mr. Burrick,

With the coming Psionics Lab nearly complete, I have decided to approve the requested recruits, pending passing the introductory physical assessment tests. Please make sure they are aware of the demands, requirements, and dangers of being an X-COM soldier. Additionally, inform them that, just like the gene-mod soldiers, they should refrain for using their abilities outside of battle and training. However, all X-COM staff and soldiers have already been informed of the existance of psionics amongst the soldiers, and discrimination will not be tolerated. So, at the very least, that should act to ease their mind.

Project X-COM Soldier Liason & Acting Central Officer
Major Aya Brea

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
B5 Level, The Brig
400 Hours

Morrigan slowly sipped from a mug of Irish coffee, pacing just outside of the brig entrance. She knew something was off, and she knew Desmond insisted that they had the wrong person, even though his own investigation had led them to Lockheart. The more things ran through her head, the more confused she was. She had a sense that things fell into place and they must be right one second, then felt something falling through the next.

Whatever the case, they had a suspect, and there was an awful lot of evidence against her. Her proximity to Brigid. Her failure to report Brigid's presence in the lab. The memory Desmond had found showing her sneaking Brigid out of the lab. Margaret's note pointing a finger directly towards her. And, of course...

Morrigan slowly reached into the holster on her side, and pulled out a large revolver. She stood there, examining it, studying it. As she did, she could feel a fire buildi in her chest. Her anger built and built until she felt like she was about to explode. She slammed her hand against the wall, bolstered the weapon, and stomped into the brig.

The guards stepped away as their Commander walked by, either not trying to stop her advance out of loyalty, or out of fear. She headed towards the rooms in the back, and tried to sound as calm as possible as she spoke to the attendant. "Please bring Lockheart to an interrogation room."

The guard saluted and then took of. Morrigan slowly paced down the hall, growing impatient after only a few seconds. "Lockheart, you say. Do you mind if I ask why one such as she would be imprisoned?"

Morrigan glared through the special cell to her right. "Actually yes, I do mind. You are a prisoner, not a guest. Do not forget that."

Dante nodded. "Yes, Commander. My apologies." He turned his attention towards the large book he had been riding.

Morrigan walked a few steps away, then turned around and walked back to the cell. "Tell me, alien. Or Dante. Or whatever you want to be called. If Lockheart was a spy for the aliens, would you tell me?"

Dante put his book back down, and looked into the Commander's eyes. "I likely would. However, I was not privy to a lot of information. I knew of no human spies, nor any people like my own that looked so human. But that does not mean it isn't possible."

Morrigan scoffed. "So she could or could not be. How useful."

"Could she not be working for another human organization?" Dante offered. "I overheard some of the guards speaking of a rival organization."

"Yes, that thought did occur to me," Morrigan snapped, venom in her words.

Dante studied the Commander's expression. "I... I can say that I do not believe her to be a spy. Though, I would be more sure of that if I knew which of the sisters was in custody."

"Both," Morrigan muttered. "She has a split personality. Or at least, her files claimed as much. If she is a spy, I can see her using that to cover inconsistent behavior and suspicious activity, claiming it was the other one that did this or that."

"Interesting." Dante scratched his chin. "Even so, if she is a spy, she is a very good one. Even now, with what you have said, I still doubt her guilt."

Morrigan pulled the revolver from her side and held it up. "Someone has been messing with my child. We have a missing soldier, one tasked with guarding my daughter, and her weapon was found in Lockheart's room. And we haven't found any evidence that it was planted."

"But that doesn't mean it wasn't." Dante thought quietly for a few moments, his eyes darting between the weapon and Morrigan's angry expression. "Commander," he said slowly. "This... might come to a surprise to you, but despite the manner in which my people are now born, the concept of maternal love is not completely lost to me. I have an understanding of how protective human parents are of their offspring. Whether it be part of sentient intelligence or genetic instincts, they seem to be willing to do anything to keep their children safe."

"What is your point, alien?" Morrigan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Would you be willing to do anything to protect your child?" Dante asked.

"Of course," Morrigan answered.

"Willing to... kill... to protect her?"

"Yes," the Commander said with out hesitating.

"And do your people understand this?"

Morrigan considered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I believe they do."

"Then perhaps I can propose an... idea." Dante leaned against the glass, smiling his creepy Thin Man smile. "Something that will expose the suspects true nature."

Morrigan titled her head slightly. "I'm listening," she said, and Dante's smiles widened.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Morrigan sat down in front of the suspect, a sorry, pathetic looking thing, with the same dirty clothes she has been wearing since the day before. Her eyes were puffy and red, a clear line of red running down the front of her cheeks. Morrigan stared at her with a skeptical look, and slowly ask, "So... who am I talking to?"

"J-Jessica," the young scientist answered in a raspy voice. "A-Alexia tired herself... screaming at the guards."

Morrigan folded her hands. "So, do you... know why you're here?"

Jessica's lip started to quiver, and she bit down on it to make it stop. "Th-the guards said I... I-I was... a-a murder suspect." A tear rolled down her cheek, and in a pleading voice, added, "But I didn't. I couldn't."

"I'm often amazed by what I find out what people are capable of." Morrigan leaned forward. "Someone on this base has been manipulating my daughter. And someone made one of her escorts disappear. All signs are pointing towards you."

"I...I-I..." Jessica put on a small smile. "I could never do anything to hurt Bri..."

"Don't!" Morrigan slammed her fist on the desk, and Jessica jumped. "Don't you DARE say her name!" Jessica withdrew a bit, and Morrigan glared at her. "Oh, cut the act already! You've had multiple contacts with my daughter, and we found a note by the missing soldier pointing at you. One you missed when you wiped her computer."

Jessica shook her head. "No... no, it wasn't..."

"Desmond Walker said you told him that you found Brigid in the labs. Why didn't you report it?"

"I..." Jessica's expression turned grim. "I... I don't know. I can't remember."

"You can't remember." Morrigan tapped her fingers. "How convenient. Mr. Walker also showed me an image of you... sneaking Brigid out of the lab. Why would you do that, unless you were trying to hide something?"

"I... I can't remember..."

Morrigan sprang to her feet, so suddenly it made Jessica and the guards in the room jump in surprise. "That excuse got really old the first time you said it! And I'm tired of it." She reached to her, and pulled the revolver from her side. "This is the missing soldier's sidearm. A gift from her family. Her roommates positively identified it as hers, no mistake. We found it in your room. The only person who shares that room with you left for India before she disappeared. So tell me, how did it get in your room."

Jessica slowly shook her head, visibly shaking. "I... don't... I didn't..."

"Let me tell you what I think." Morrigan slowly paced the room. "You're a spy, maybe for EXALT, maybe for someone else. Your files are fake, specifically made to get you the best position possible here to extract information. Your family were probably more spies, who were conveniently at the sight of one of our missions so you could pass info to them. When my daughter came along, you saw the perfect opportunity to get close to someone close to me. But you got sloppy, and Margaret caught on to you. You found out, and had to get rid of her. I can only assume you kept this weapon as some kind of... sick trophy."

Mustering up what little courage and energy she had left, Jessica sprang to her feet and screamed, "I didn't kill anyone! I love this base, and everyone here! I could never..."

Morrigan pointed the revolver at Jessica's head, and the young lab tech's eyes widened in fear. "Shut the FUCK UP!" The two guards took a step forward. Morrigan turned her head towards them and yelled, "Get back, or I'll throw you in the brig as collaborators!"

The guards reluctantly stepped back, and Jessica slowly sank into her chair. "Please... please, Commander, you have the wrong..."

"Where is Margaret's body?" When Jessica didn't answer, Morrigan's body shook with anger. "She has a family! A husband, a daughter! Tell me where you hid her body!"

Jessica shuddered, tears streaming down her face. "I... I can't... I didn't... kill..."

"What did you do to Brigid?" Morrigan placed the revolver against Jessica's forehead, eliciting a whimper. "Did you expose her to any of that alien shit?! Did you plan on using her?! Taking advantage of her?! Using her as a hostage?! Tell me!"

Jessica sobbed loudly, too far gone in her sorrow and fear to respond. Morrigan glared at her, like she was staring at a hideous monster. She watched as the girl before her shook violently. She watched as the tears dripped down her face one by one. She watched as Jessica watched her in terror, a young girl of nineteen looking into the eyes of a killer.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

This young woman, not even in her twenties, looked into the eyes of an executioner. Not even old enough to drink in her home country, still childish enough to keep her hair green, and she looked at a woman, a villain, as that creature stared at her with murderous eyes, intent on ending her life for something she... no, IT, blamed the young girl for.

Morrigan's arm shook, the weapon suddenly feeling incredibly heavy. Tears ran down her cheeks as she imagined seeing herself through Jessica's eyes, and was disgusted and frightened by what she saw. The gun dropped from her hand, clattering to the ground. Morrigan collapsed, the pain, the guilt so overwhelming, it threatened to consume her. She sobbed loudly, and felt her world falling apart. What kind of monster had she become? How could she turn into such a viscous creature such as this? The terror she saw in Jessica's eyes was like a knife in her chest.

Morrigan jumped slightly at the feeling of someone touching her shoulder. She looked up, and was shocked at the sight of Jessica wrapping her arms around her Commander, ignoring the guns pointed at her by the guards. "What... what are you..."

"I'm sorry." Jessica slowly stroked Morrigan's hair, like a mother comforting a child. "It's okay. You don't have to cry."

Morrigan shook her head, and in a pleading voice, said, "I-It was empty... is... e-empty. The gun, I... I wouldn't..."

"It doesn't matter," Jessica responded gently. "Even if it was loaded, even... even if you would have, I understand."

"Stop... please, I..." Morrigan muttered in a defiant tone, but made no move to stop Jessica. "I... I wanted to, though. I was so... hateful, so angry..."

"Ssh." Jessica pulled Morrigan close, placing the Commander's head against her chest. "You... in your eyes, I wasn't just a killer. I was also hurting the most important thing in your life. You had every right..."

"To shoot you?" Morrigan sat up, giving Jessica an unbelieving look. "What if I did? How could I be forgiven? How could... I be forgiven for the way I just..."

"Quiet," Jessica said firmly. "You were angry. Anger makes people do stupid things, things they normally would never do in a million years. It wasn't you, it was your anger. Now, I've already forgiven you. So knock it off."

Morrigan stared at her in disbelief. After a moment, she smiled softly and nodded.

Jessica stood up and turned to the two confused guards. "Alright. One of you bring me back to my cell. The other, bring the Commander to her room. I don't care if you have to give her a sedative, just make sure she gets some rest. She is in no condition to do her job like this." She raised a stern finger. "And not ONE word about what you saw here, got it?"

The guards exchanged a look, and nodded. As one moved to help the Commander, the other escorted Jessica out. She reluctantly walked into a cell, and sighed as she slumped down to the bed, laying down and almost immediately passing out.

 

[BMPixy]

“Was he finally free from the fear
of the hawks and peregrines surely near?
Without a doubt, definitely not.
Had he the idea of what path to take
to ensure that he meet the desired fate?
As with any case, absolutely not.
But regardless he took desperate flight
in pursuit of the fruit, to cure her plight.”
-An excerpt from a draft of “A Blue Dove for A Princess” by Fay Henderson

XCOM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
1467 Hours Local Time
Fay Henderson

Gently the craft landed, the rotors still deafeningly loud, especially in the closed confines of the craft’s cargo bay. I suppose there is something poetic about me being brought in with the cargo. Another tool, another piece of equipment to be used in this war. A glance is shared with the pair of security guards aboard the craft with me, and the landing ramp slides open, sending light flooding into the bay. The slim one nods, and I grab my gear and stand. Two duffel bags, all my worldly possessions that I deemed essential enough to bring. I follow the slim one’s lead as we step down the ramp, weaving in between the various staff moving to remove the cargo. The buff one takes up a rear position, following a few paces behind me.

“Rest of the new recruits arrived a few hours ago,” the slim one says, “You’re the only one we had to grab from North America, as you probably figured.” I nod wordlessly in response as I examine the environment. The Chinook’s rotors spun to a halt, as the ceiling hatch seals itself, concealing the location of this base from prying eyes. All around the hangar are stacked crates of varying sizes, scattered in between moving equipment and other paraphernalia.

“You’ll be bunking with the rest of the soldiers in the barracks on level one. You’ll be in room C6-3. Currently empty, used to be occupied by those who were lost on Triumphant Vengeance, an op we hit a li’l while back,” the slim one continued, talking quite animatedly. “Mess is also on level one, along with the ranges and other training facilities.” Once more I nod in understanding, regardless of the fact that he cannot see the movement.

“When you’re called out on an op, you’ll be coming here to the hangar. To get here from the barracks just head through the armory, into mission control, and then go out the door right across from where you came in,” he further explained, seemingly not pausing for breath, “Other places you’re authorized to visit without an escort are the med bay, some areas of the refugee center, the bar, and the rec room. Any questions?” As he talked, we passed through the mission control room he spoke of, the staff monitoring the massive holographic globe in the center or their computers. I believe one of them was playing Space Invaders instead of working.

Pausing for a moment to think, I replied, “Your names?” The slim one stopped suddenly, and palmed his forehead.

“Gah, can’t believe I forgot to give you our names,” he said ashamedly, “I’m Macintosh, my burly buddy back behind us is Bowman.” Bowman grunted noncommittally at being named. “I mean, it’s not like our names really matter, we’ll probably not see you again as we’re mostly on escort for recruits, but it’s still bad manners from us.”

“You,” Bowman corrected. Blunt. I like him already.

“Whatever, asshole,” Macintosh replied with an annoyed shake of his head. “Anywho, you’ll probably want to run through the armory, maybe try some of the stuff out on range. I didn’t say XCOM was beyond the bleeding edge for no reason,” the guard finished with a smirk.

“Will judge,” I said. I waved a simple goodbye at the two guards, stepped through the door, and proceeded to the armory.


1554 Hours Local Time

Adjust aim upwards three-pi over one-ninety-two radians, to the left pi over ninety-six radians. Inhale gently, hold breath, steady aim. Slight twitch on left hand, correct for error. Target sighted, firing.

With a mighty thwoom the simulated round flew down range, impacting the target in the torso. A meaty hole was torn through the simulated alien, a species known as a Muton, and the target crumpled, to be replaced seconds later with a fresh one in a different position. I must admit, this holo-range is quite impressive. Whoever created this must be some sort of technical genius. And this gauss weapon feels… right. I suppose Macintosh was right, this technology is simply amazing. I slipped out the charge pack, depleted instantly from the sheer power of the single round it put out.

A gauss weapon that doesn’t need to have its barrel replaced every round or two, and is man portable? I know a few people in my old unit for whom this is merely a passing fantasy, and here I am holding one. Once again, like everything on this base, this is a technical marvel the likes of which mankind has only dreamt of in fiction.

Another simulated round exited the barrel, this time striking something vital in a holographic alien robot, labeled a Cyberdisc, the HEAT ammunition wrecking the internals, causing the mechanized unit to fall to the floor and explode. Hit the charge pack release, slide out, grab new pack, insert.

I certainly will be spending a great deal of time on the range here. First, I need to familiarize myself with the arsenal of weaponry I’m going to be expected of using, and then I’ll have to learn alien behaviors, vital points, and offensive capabilities, and then keep up with any special training I am assigned. Of course, I can handle all of that. If I weren’t, I’d be Army rather than Marines.

“Oorah... ” I muttered quietly, as another round flew down range, and pulverized some flying robot-squid-shark the display told me was named a Seeker, the headpiece shattering into dozens of holographic pieces.

Not to mention, from what I heard from idle banter from the other soldiers present, there are facilities here dedicated to... augmenting the human form. I might have to examine them, and perhaps find time to undergo any procedures I might require to remain on peak performance. After all, as Father always said, 'The entire body is a weapon, the gun is merely a tool to enhance the weapon, hone it’s strength to a lethal point. But even the sharpest blade may shatter when made of poor materials, and as such even the largest gun does little when the body behind it is weak. Do not be weak.’

And while once I thought myself at the peak of human performance, now I realize that in order to push myself further, I must simply ignore the human portion. I am the weapon, the bolt from the blue, striking down the foes of those who wield me. Another computer-generated bullet tore through the skull of a Thin Man. I am the dagger in the night, quickly ending any fight before the conflict can see light. As such, if necessary, I shall be re-forged to better serve my purpose. That much is certain.

 

[MarineAvenger]

A New Toy

Desmond slid the glittering sword out of it’s long scabbard and admired the glint of the blade of the work that he and the small help from the engineers had created. The handle was wrapped in jet black dyed leather, the same color as the scabbard and the blade had a subtle but distinct blue hue to it that was the result of the elerium infusion and had two of his clan symbols milled into the alloy near the guard. The end of the hilt had a polished steel cap with an XCOM insignia pressed into it.

At first he had planned on only the edge for being infused but it was difficult to say the least to have only a partial amount of the blade to be infused without making the rest of it brittle but he wasn’t complaining. It was forged with lesser conventional means then he had first forged his first blade but the weapon had turned out better than he could have ever hoped.

He gave a faint smile at the comfort of having a blade like this in his hands once more and he felt he should at least show the woman who had allowed this. He slid the blade back into it’s holder and slung it over his shoulder and headed off.

Morrigan was laying down on her desk, trying to catch some much needed shut eye until a buzz came from her intercom. Morrigan slapped a lazy hand on the button and asked groggily, “What is it?”

“Um, you have a visitor.”

“Send them away…” She waved her hand in the air. “I am trying to sleep.”

“It is Desmond, ma'am.”

Morrigan raised an eyebrow and slowly sat up and fixed her hair lazily. “Fine, send him in.”

Desmond strolled into the office and gave a smirk at seeing the Commander so messy. “Hope I am not disturbing anything.”

She poured herself a drink and sat back. “No, I was just catching some shut eye. Nothing important.” She took note of the sword on his back and gave a hint of a smile. “So that is it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sarcasm noted and yes. The sword is finished.” He took it off of his back and handed it to the Commander.

“A little heavy isn’t it?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not for me. Besides that is to be expected, it is rather dense even with the alien alloys.”

She held it in her hands and handed it back to Desmond. “Well I am glad you are happy.”

He smiled warmly and nodded. “I couldn’t have done it without you Morrigan. I won’t let you down.”

“I have no doubt Desmond. Now please, can I get back to sleep now?” She asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“You don’t need my permission. I will see you tomorrow Commander.” He put a metallic hand on the woman. “Take it easy. I know this isn’t an easy time.” He slung the sword over his shoulder and walked out with a new sense of determination in his step.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Uncanny and the Invincible – Elene Exalt and Co.

New York City, United States of America
1100 Hours, July 1st, 2018
Cross Technologies Tower, the 10th Floor

Holographic Elene gazed over the humanoid model with approval. It was similar to the Legion trooper, but was more female in design. Rather than a ‘bucket’ head, it was designed to look like an actual human, skirting close to the uncanny valley. Synthetic, metallic blond hair and human yet blank eyes accented this. The eyes themselves were like shut-off computer screens that mimicked the shape of the human eye. With a hum, the machine came to life, the eyes flicking on.

In them was the symbol of Avanix, the familiar orange triple-ring connected by sporadic lines. “Uplink to the robotic model prototype ‘Angelis’ successful,” the A.I. intoned, “Though I am disappointed that it could not have wings.”

“Stealth armor of flying suits, picking one,” Emma responded.

“I would do it myself if I wasn’t running the risk of handing over jetpacks to Viktor,” Avanix explained as she closed her fingers and pumped her arm experimentally. “More precise than the Legion servos. Well done, Emma, I see your skills in engineering are improving under Mr. Cross’s ‘wing’.” The A.I. chuckled at her own joke, though it sounded a little forced.

“If you are satisfied with that model, we can test out the MEC suit,” Elene concluded.

“Understood.” Avanix walked into the side room. There was a small balcony with computers overlooking the recently-finished MEC.

Emma turned to the two clones technicians, Avanix walking down to the suit. “Prepare the Angelis frame for connection to the Mechanized Experimental Super Heavy Armor.” Old-fashioned robotic ‘arms’ descended around Avanix’s ‘Angelis’ form, disconnecting the unit’s limbs and lifting it into the mech. The frame connected to the MESHA with a few sparks and a whirr.

“Calibrating systems to M.E.S.H.A specifications now,” Avanix echoed. The mech stepped off the platform, seeming fully functional. “Much more effective than removing human limbs like XCOM does,” Lusett’s A.I. decided. “Shall I use the laser lance?”

“Hey, hey, hey! Let me see this thing in action!” Vee demanded, appearing behind Elene on the holgoram’s projectors. The Queen of Destruction watched, enthralled, as the laser lance punched through a target. “Can’t wait to see this thing with a K.S.M., flamethrower, or grenade launcher…”

“I had an idea for a more powerful EMP pulse…” Lily said at length.

 

[Dahlexpert]

The fallowing is a collaberation between Dhalexpert & Frostlich1228

The young soldier meets another veteran mercenary

Ashley is in the shooting range with her daughter teaching her how to shoot.

Now for your high aim for the shines, you understand.

Yes I got it mom.

And watch out for the recoil.

Cassia fires a few shots at the target.

Ammelia stood in the booth next to her, steadying her sniper rifle on the barrier between her and the range. She took at shot at the farthest target, hitting it about 6 inches from the center. Ammelia then quickly reloaded and fired a quick shot at the target, hitting a little closer to the middle. She repeated this once more and her shot landed in the ring next to the center of the target.

Ashley notice Ammelia's shooting and is mildly impressed by it. "Wow your not bad for a newbie sniper.
wait your Ammelia cross right?

"Newbie Sniper? I'm a Corporal." She said, almost pouting, "And yes, I'm Ammelia Cross."

"Kid just because your a corporal doesn't mean your not a new bey sniper. And to get straight to the point with you and to see how you will react, my name is Ashley Van Dam.And yes i'm related to Scarlet.

"Another one? Let's hope your less crazy, but I doubt the Commander would've hired you if you weren't." Ammy replied.

"OU don't get me wrong I can be just as if not more dangerous/crazy as my cousin but I chose not to be. But back to your sniping skills is decent for a newbie."

"I guess being condescending runs in the family." she sighed, "I've been trying to practice my quick shot, but as you can see, it stills needs a bit of work."

Alright kid give that gun. Ammelia gives Ashley the sniper rifle, Ashley starts the training simulation.

Ashley fires the rifle at the target's and hit's every single one of them in the head. Wow I still got it, after 10 years of not sniping.

"Wow, Impressive..." Ammelia said, looking at the targets.

Yes well unlike you I've been sniping since I was a kid with my hunting rifle, and then I joined the military to so that's why i'm so good at it. Now as for you, you are not ready for this weapon. Ashley gives Ammelia a marksman rifle here see how this works.

What do you mean I'm not ready?" Ammelia stared daggers into her, "This weapon's got me this far, it'll get me farther."

"Kid this weapon is a beautiful weapon, a sniper rifle is the most deadly weapon on earth it needs per scion and perfect accuracy. This weapon is give to people that are marks man and elite soldiers that can hit any target from any distance.You on the other hand are no elite, you got caught not once but twice by a seeker on the same mission and your extremely luck to be able to walk right now. So what i'm saying is this weapon is meant for long range, that marks man rifle is good for mid to long range so with that gun, you can stay close to your teammates and not be far away."

Ammelia quickly snatched the sniper rifle out of her hand, "You know what? I'm tired of you and your family always keeping me down. Telling me I'm a kid that can't handle myself, but look who's still here. That's right, me. You may not be as insane as Scarlet, but you're just as arrogant. Your entire family are just a bunch of dime a dozen mercenaries who only fight for a pay check, but think they're god's gift to mankind. X-Com needs soldiers who fight for the good of the world. Not for the good of themselves!"

Ashley rubes her temple." your an idiot every member family of my family has sacrificed them selves constantly for the good of the world. We don't care for money of fame we care about defending the weak the people that the planet ignores. Now you are a kid that response that you gave about my family a tribe that you no nothing about you don't know what motivates us or what our passion is so don't be talking about things you no nothing about.

"Now than. Ashley takes back the sniper rifle and gives Ammelia back the marks man. I gave that rifle so you can be closer to your comrades and so you won't be that far away were if you get caught by a seeker again every one will be able to see it and have to ask were you are."

" I'm so sick and tired of all of you! I can't wait until the Commander kicks you out too! If I never see another Van Damm for the rest of my life it'll be too soon!" She said, stomping her foot in frustration. Ammelia threw the marksman rifle on the floor and turned around, walking to the door.

" Um miss why are you yelling at my mom?" Cassia says in confusion.

Ammelia turned around slowly and looked at the child, "I... You have a little girl with you?"

"Yes and right now she seems to be the most marcher one out of the two of you , She actually takes advice instead of ignoring them." Ashley says with anger in her voice.

Ammelia lowered her head, feeling extremely bad about what she said about this little girl's family. "But... I need practice to get better with the Sniper rifle. If I quit now I'll never become a expert sniper.

"Then listen to me, the reason why I gave you that Rifle is because you have to start out small before you get to bigger and better things. I want you to become a great but greatness takes time. You think what I did to those target's in one day no it took me years to get to that level and whether you believe me or not. I don't want you to be back in that hospital with a broken spine again, I want you to become better".

" But I can't just quit! I'm already getting so much better, not to mention the Commander made me sniper because she thought I was good enough to handle it." Ammy replied.

"I don't want you to quit I want you to get better then you are now, your not bad right now but as you notice some of our enemy's now charge us and can also go inadvisable so you have to be ready for that."

"Well I can take down the Seekers before they cloak with a good enough shot. Also, I've been taking classes on how to shoot precisely while moving, that should help me deal with the Chryssald." Ammelia said.

"Relay because the last time I saw the second the second a Seeker sees us they turn invisible now the Cryssalads That's good that your taking classes on how to shoot a moving target but I think you would learn better from shooting a moving target in the traingsimulator then any book".

"But your trying at least and that's all I can ask for but at least give the marks man rifle a try and mind you this is coming from a person that's been sniping since she was 12 years old. All i'm asking is just try it out alright."

"Fine, I will... I'll practice with this weapon, but I won't use it in the field. I'm not going to test out a new weapon while my friends lives are on the line." Ammy replied, picking the marksman rifle up off the floor.

"Fine by me you can use this as practice weapon,and it might just make you better. Oh on Ammelia drop the fucking arrogants just because you killed some aliens don't get cocky because the most arrogant people that you see on a big mission, they don't make it."

"I'm not Arrogant!" She said, furiously, "I'm just tired of your family looking down on me as if I'm some sort of toddler with a gun!"

"Hum kid were you a civilian before you came to X-COM?"

"Yes, But I was trained by one of the best!" She Added.

"That's the thing yes you were trained but before you came here you no matter what type of training you did you were a civilian through and through."

Ashley sighed "Look the reason i'm hard on you is because I still see you as a civilian but unlike most civilians you have some combat experience, but if I were to guess if this war never happened you would still be a civilian living your Daley life."

"Well, yeah..." Ammy answered.

Sigh "Look you may not like me but all i'm asking of you is to be a little more cautious Because I want to remind you that you got lucky with that surgery, And if and I mean if that happens to you again there will not be a second time surgery to fix you."

"If I wasn't cautious, I would've died long before that. But I get what you're trying to say..." Ammelia responded.

"Good to hear now if you excuse me I need to take my daughter back to my room. She has a play date with the commanders daughter."

"Well, I hope she has fun!" Ammelia gave Cassia a big smile.

"Common Cassia I have to take you home so you can play with the commanders daughter."

"Alright by miss.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

Backstage

Transcript of conversation between the Overseer and agent Samantha Steele, aka "Iron Huntress".

Overseer: Report.

Huntress: Based on information the agents I command are giving me, the overall alien offensive state has dwindled, at least in the Asia-Pacific region, and aside from that last stronghold in India.

O: "The agents you command"?

H: I deemed agent Malkovich unworthy of his status.

O: I see. Anything else you deemed him "unworthy" of?

H: His life.

O: I assumed as much. Very good. I detected no discernible drop in performance, which indicates a seamless transition. See to it that it remains so.

H: Yes, sir.

O: I expect no less.

H: I know.

O: Any alien operations at all?

H: Only small ones, nothing worth our notice. Occasional single abductions, here and there. Deliberate sightings to incite panic, the usual. Distinct lack of sightings of craft or squads of more than five aliens at once, however.

O: No shows of force, then.

H: None whatsoever.

O: Theories, Huntress?

H: They could potentially be crippled by that offensive you... uh, alerted us to, and indeed many non-official sources are insisting to that effect. However... (lapses into silence)

O: Speak up. Don't let stage fright assault you now, Samantha. Tell me what you're thinking.

H: ... I think it's the opposite. Nothing concrete to go on regarding that line of thinking, not yet, but... well. Call it a hunch. This inactivity makes me uneasy, and I've had enough experience with the Pirate gangs to know when someone's plotting a swift, brutal revenge strike.

O: Agreed. I'm glad to not be the only one with such a premonition.

H: We would have enacted your directives regardless.

O: My agents aren't the ones I need to convince. What about EXALT?

H: They still seem unaware of our interference. Getting into their operations covertly is still impossible, but operatives with no connection to us remain viable for small raids on their operations. The amount of times we've busted open warehouses full of propaganda is starting to make me feel like we've gone back to the Cold War.

O: After Moscow, you may be more right than you realize.

H: They've stepped up operations recently, almost like they're filling in the gaps left by the aliens. It feels more like an organization going to war than one merely campaigning for it, now.

O: And Legion?

H: Next to nothing you don't already know. Either there's actually not much going on there, or they're really good at keeping under our radar.

O: (muttering) Por que no los dos?

H: Sorry?

O: Nothing. Anything else?

H: I'm having trouble with agent Ridley. Permission to remove him?

O: Denied. He's cheated death too often to end his streak like this.

H: (irritated sigh) As you wish. Then there is nothing else.

O: Very good. Report back to me immediately if you notice any difference in alien, EXALT or Legion activity. Any inconsistency, any disruption. This is a time of heightened tensions, Huntress. Even if we don't exactly know why, it would be best to have an edge - any edge - over the major players in this game. I have a nasty feeling that events are coming to a head. Soon, I think we will find out.

End transcript.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Mind Over Matter Part 1 (MarineAvenger and DarkGemini42601)

Desmond stood in the middle of his room and took in a deep breath and got ready to try and contact his ‘allies’ on his own for once instead of waiting for them, he needed to talk to Elene. “No matter what she may think of me now.” he said out loud and sat crossed legged on the ground and concentrated to reach out with his mind.

Avanix, you there?

I am always here. A sleep cycle would be problematic and unnecessary. One moment, I shall retrieve Elene.

After about a minute, the ‘dreamscape’ took shape again, Elene standing on the other end of the starry void in her typical attire. “Desmond. What is it?” she asked smoothly.

“Oh nothing much. I was just going over some footage from a recent battle and I found something rather peculiar that I thought I might want to inform you of, if you are not still holding a small grudge about before.”

“I was informed that I was in the wrong somewhat, and you were in the right. Somewhat,” Elene emphasized the last word with a raised eyebrow.

“Well a little forgiveness is better than nothing though that may not mean much now.” He said, his tone showing he was trying to make a point.

“As long as you don’t ask me to become a pacifist, I can offer some forgiveness” Elene said with a small smile.

Desmond did not share a smile. “Elene, I thought that there would be minimal secrets between us, but it appears that I was made a fool.”

Elene’s smile faded. “What are you talking about, Desmond?”

“You know a close friend of mine reminded me of the importance of trust and although I know your standing somewhat in the matter and the fact we both equally hate Viktor would make the fact that you made a clone of yourself open knowledge with me. You must imagine my surprise when I see a clone of my friend fighting side by side with one of my commanding officers and almost causing a bloodbath on both sides due to a certain alien.”

Subject Negative Zero crossed her arms. “The identity of Emma as my double never came up. I did not realize that fact would upset you. As for the dealings with XCOM, while it was a welcome opportunity to build trust with them, I did not anticipate their presence on the landing site. It was a possibility, but they do have that Overseer helping them as well…our intel is equal in that regard. And in regards to A.I., though we might be outclassed in that department.”

Avanix sighed, fading in beside Elene in her mechanized angelic armor. “You wound me. But it is a fact that this ‘Cheshire’ has more processing power than me.”

“Little known to most he has a lot more power than you. As for the deception is doesn’t really anger me it just makes me a little surprised that I wasn’t informed you had an outside operative.” He turned to Avanix and looked her up and down. “Classy. Never thought I would ever see you in a humanoid form.”

Avanix held a hand open, looking at it for a moment. “Something I was working on the side. But I have to affirm what my mistress is saying. Emma’s existence was not unknown to you, we have mentioned her in the past. The fact that she is a direct clone of Negative Zero did not seem entirely relevant in the past.”

Yeah definately not relevant.” He said sarcastically. “I thought she would just be a business partner or something. Not a clone of you who I could possibly see out in the field.”

“There is no reason she would have faced you in combat, being that she is independent from EXALT. And as I explained, her contact with XCOM was unprecedented,” Elene countered. “If I had thought you might meet her, I would have informed you. If it is her similarity to me that bothers you, understand that Lily is much like Lusett, and Vee much like Ms. Aegerter. This you already knew, yet you said nothing to this effect.”

He held his hands up in his defense. “You know what...it is nothing to get in a debate now, it is over and done with and I am just glad I found out before it would be an even bigger surprise. So, anything new back at the base? Viktor hasn’t set the place ablaze yet has he?”

Elene shook her head with amusement, but it quickly faded. “No...though the next time you encounter EXALT, expect to see the combat drones. As unfortunate as it is, I have to feed him fragments of my research, or he will realize something is amiss. That’s not to say that what he doesn’t know far outclasses the modified alien drones. Avanix?”

The A.I. nodded. “The modified Drones we have in Cross Technologies are going to potentially be upgraded with stealth technology if we can unravel how the Seekers work. Research into psionics is finally underway with the two Sectoid captives. The powerful one is especially useful...though I think Emma enjoys its interrogation a bit too much. Most importantly...we have tested our first MEC trooper, piloted by yours truly in a modified robotic body.”

“Well, I wish you luck though I would refrain from mass producing psions. Me and my comrades here feel that too many people with these powers would be a bad idea.” He looked at Elene’s face and smirked a little. “What about you Elene, you seem more chipper than last I saw you.”

“I...well…” Elene turned to the side, turning slightly red. “Be quiet, Vee…”

Desmond chuckled and took a step forward. “What are you keeping from me Elene?”

 

[MarineAvenger]

Mind Over Matter Part 2 (MarineAvenger and DarkGemini42601)

Elene straightened her coat, not facing Desmond. “Nothing important, I assure you. Mr. Grathem and I are merely closer than before, is all.”

He turned to Avanix and raised an eyebrow. “What is really happening?”

“Elene and Markus are in a romantic relationship,” the A.I. replied without hesitation, facing Elene’s glare. “He would figure it out eventually, not telling him would only make things awkward for you.”

“Implying you didn’t make it worse…” Elene muttered.

“Good for you Elene.” He smiled. “It is nice to see you taking a leap of faith. Though it wouldn’t be that awkward, I have told you I am in a relationship of my own haven’t I?”

The heiress raised an eyebrow. “You stated you had someone close to you that gave you something to protect. I did not realize you had someone that close to you.”

Avanix shook her head to the side. “Vee, I do not believe asking ‘is she hot?’ is an appropriate response.”

Desmond put hands around his mouth and shouted, “Probably better than you Vee!” He said teasing.

Avanix sighed. “I am not some sort of interpreter, you know.” She stepped back, fading out of view to allow a frustrated Vee access.

“For your information, I could get any man or woman I wanted, buddy…” the Queen of Destruction responded.

“Except for me and Markus you mean?” He smiled smugly.

“You mean the only other people I can even talk to besides my sisters and mindless clones?” Vee growled. “And Viktor doesn’t count. I’d rather shove a snake up-”

Elene impassively put a hand over Vee’s mouth. “Please don’t elaborate.”

“Well it seems you really have all the emotions of the group now don’t you Vee?”

Vee sighed as Elene carefully pulled her hand back. “Well, I don’t think that’s so true anymore. Markus helped my little sister with that, now didn’t he?” She smirked at Elene’s lack of a comment. “Though Lily’s still a robot as always. Which, I gotta admit, is weird. Reviewing Avanix’s footage, Lusett said some...ahem, saucy things. Surprises me that a more direct copy of her is so...boring, but I suppose we haven’t figured out what determines emotional capacity in clones yet.”

“Well not all clones are created equal. Look at me and Viktor…” He smiled and pulled the sword off of his back. “I also have something you might be jealous of Vee.” He stated, swinging it around.

Vee stared at the weapon like a child at a christmas present. “You...forged…” she snapped her fingers. “Elene, I have a new project for us.”

“That would be lower on the priority of the other things we could do, but…”

“So you’re saying there’s a chance?” Vee took that shred of hope from Elene’s response.

“You know Vee, if you want a sword so badly you have to make it yourself. It is tradition. Besides, it takes a bit to get ahold of a weapon like this and your preferred method of combat would probably be ill suited for a sword.” Desmond interjected.

“You think I can’t use one, huh?” Vee grinned. “Unlike mister ‘pure psion’ over there, I have a number of genetic modifications. Got ‘Iron Skin’ and ‘Muscle Fiber Density’ awhile ago, and “Adrenal Neurosympathy” recently, in addition to everything else I already had.” She removed her green contacts for emphasis on her orange eyes.

“Don’t matter how modded you are it is how well you can use it. Spend three years in a remote enclave in Japan and then we can talk about swordplay.” He gave her a smug smile.

“Again, I have the knowledge all in my head, and I bet you’re physically weaker than me now,” Vee boasted. “Might even be that Eva’s weaker than me.”

“I would like to see you say that to her face but I doubt artificial is as good as the real thing…” He lifted an arm and it started to glow red. “Remind me to spar you sometime.”

“When that eventually becomes possible, sure,” Vee responded. “I wonder which is better, gene mods or psionics…”

Elene cleared her throat. “With the capture of the Sectoid Commander, we might be able to figure out further genetic modifications to make it the former. Though…” she looked at Desmond. “Research into that field would be aided by the data you’ve compiled thus far.”

He crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders. “Someday. It is not that simple as to just transfer info, especially since everyone is on such high tension. Besides, wouldn’t want hot head here to get any ideas about cheating.”

“Cheating? Oh, come on...that’s giving us an edge. And it might help Emma not get her brain invaded again,” Vee responded sullenly.

“Can’t give you all the power.” He waved his hand dismissively, like an owner to a dog at Vee. “You keep your mods, I got my brain power.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Friends on the Outside

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Level B5, The Brig

Alexia laid back on her somewhat uncomfortable cot, humming quietly to herself. She was glad to have sometime off of work, but was quickly growing extremely bored. Unsure why she was still stuck there, she felt a growing irritation against Desmond, the Commander, and X-COM all together. She thought about talking to Jessica about it, but she knew she would just tell her to relax, and it wasn't their fault, and that would just irritate her more.

Jumping from her bed suddenly, she figured a little activity would relax her, or at least tire her out. She saw it in movies, after all. She laid on the ground, flinching at the cold against her back, and quickly started a series of sit ups.

Around the tenth one, she noticed a guard standing outside her cell. She ignored him, but her remained up to twenty, and by thirty, she finally stopped and asked, "You want something, or are just enjoying the view."

"A little of both, to be honest." The guard knelt down, slipping a food tray into the cell. "Lunchtime."

Alexia's expression twisted in an odd mix of joy over filling her belly, and the fear of X-COM's prison food, somehow worse then the food in the mess. She collected her lunch, bringing it to her bed and opening the tray. She was hit with a delicious smelling aroma, and looked at the large burger with a sense of confusion. "The hell's this? Last meal? 'Cause this ain't prison food."

The guard glanced down the hallway. Looking back to Alexia, he said in a low voice, "This blond soldier brought it, asked if we could give it to you. Boss said no, but I, um..."

Alexia raised an eyebrow. "Well, Ammelia I see, but why would you risk breaking rules for a prisoner?" She took a bite, chewing carefully in case Ammelia snuck a file into the food.

The guard rubbed the back of his neck, and looked like he wasn't sure himself. "Um... I guess because I know you aren't guilty. I mean, I was there when the Commander interrogated you... I mean, one of you."

Alexia shrugged. "So. It could have all been an act, right?"

The guard shook his head. "No. I know it wasn't. I... know you aren't guilty."

Alexia tilted her head. "How? What makes you think you know so much? What makes you think you know anything?"

"I... I can't say." The man looked away. "It isn't something I can... talk about. But I'm sure..."

"Piss off!" Alexia snapped. "You're just playing nice to get information from me. Well, it won't work! I don't know anything, and you, the Commander, and everyone else can kiss my ass!"

The guard cringed, and Alexia was taken aback by how genuinely hurt he looked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I'll be back when you're finished to get your dish."

He turned and walked away, getting half way down the hallway before Jessica ran up to the bars and called after him. "Wait! Please, Alexia didn't mean it. She's just upset. Please, it's so lonely in here. Just... if you could keep us company, even for a little bit..."

The guard sighed, and returned to the cell. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just felt..."

Holding up her hand, Alexia said, "Stop. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Like Jessie said, I'm just a bit... on edge." The sorry girl walked back to her bed, sitting down and placing her hands over her eyes.

The guard let out another sigh, amd unlocked the cell. Being sure to lock it behind him, he grabbed a chair, the only furniture in the cell besides the bed and a small desk, and sat down in front of Alexia. "It's fine. I don't blame you." He chuckled. "So, uh... there's really two of you in there, huh?"

Alexia looked up at him. "Yep. I'm Alex. Sis is Jessie."

"Jake," the guard offered with his hand, and got a grease covered hand to shake in return.

He quickly wiped the grease on his pants, and Alexia smiled. "You don't find the split personality thing... unbelievable, considering what the Commander said? Or at least a little weird?"

"Well, like I said, I know you aren't lying." Jake returned the smile. "And weird? Ate you kidding? I'm doing my customary volunteer guarding for the brig right now, but I'm normally in the civilian quarters and refugee area. I have three roommates, these teens from back home... and please don't judge me, it was their idea to stay with me, and I would never..."

"Whoa, chill dude." Alexia laughed. "I won't accuse you of something unless you gave me cause to do so. Besides, my little Russian love-bud is, like, seven and half years older then me."

"Sorry." Jake nervously scratched the back of his head. "Tired of people making accusations, even as a joke. Anyway, I was on guard duty, when suddenly, two of the girls, Rei and Hitomi, run up to me. Both are frantic, and look like they're on the verge of tears. They grab my hands and drag me along without explaining anything. We get to the commons area, and they point to the corner that has a large couch pushed against it. I take a peak, and there's a girl behind. She, uh... she had these... crystals in her skin, and, uh..."

"Buniq?" Alexia asked.

Jake nodded. "Guess you know who she is. Anyway, the girls were heading back to their room from their lessons, saw her, and freaked out. They... have a good reason to dislike Chryssalids, and screamed when they saw Buniq, thinking a Chryssalid was in the base. They immediatly saw their mistake, but it was too late. So there I am for twenty minutes, trying to convince a crystal girl to come out of her hiding spot, with help from her cybernetic brother, all the time the two girls are crying and trying to tell Buniq how sorry they were and begging her to forgive them. And no sooner did we get her out, but Keiko, my third roommate, walks by, spots Buniq, and screeches. Took another twenty minutes for her to come out again, and this time I have three girls crying behind me. So no, I don't think your split-personality is all that strange."

Alexia grinned as she finished the last of her food. "Wow, that's quite a predicament. Sounds like you had your hands full."

At the sight of the young lab-tech's wavering smile, Jake asked. "Alex, why are you still here. Surely, the Commander realizes your innocent by now."

Alexia sighed. "It... doesn't matter, does it? Too much evidence against me to just let me walk, no matter how she feels now."

"But, your innocent!" Jake insisted. "It... it isn't fair."

"You talk as though you can read my mind."

"Well... not exactly..." Jake cringed, and Alexia scooted closer, her expression saying he wouldn't get away without explaining himself. "Listen, I... I came here from one of those big abduction ships. They had a lot of fun with me. I'll spare you the grim parts. But ever since then, I can feel peoples... emotions. I can feel what they feel, in the most literal sense. I haven't told anyone, even after the psionic soldiers were relieved, because even if it isn't the same as mind reading, people don't like having their minds invaded, especially by a guy that doesn't have full control of it." He let out a grim laugh. "But that's no excuse. I should have said something during the interrogation."

"Nah!" Alexia waved a dismissive hand. "It isn't like you can prove what you feel. And besides, you heard what the Commander said about throwing you in the brig as collaborators."

"Still, I should say something now." Jake put a determined look on his face. "I won't let you suffer in here because I'm a coward."

"Shut up," Alexia said nonchalantly. "You are gonna keep your mouth shut. I'll be out of here in no time, I'm sure. And once I am, then we can talk to the Commander about you empathic abilities. Until then, I don't want you to pointlessly risk yourself."

Jake looked like he was about to argue, but a stern look from Alexia shut him up. Jake jumped at the sound of his supervisor shouting, "Wiewiora! What the HELL are you doing in there!?"

"Cool your jets, man!" Alexia shouted back, clenching her stomach in pain. "Your prison food punched me in the gut. This guy was just making sure I wasn't gonna die of your poisonous slop."

Jake flashed her a grateful smile, and quickly exited the cell, walking down the hall while receiving a stern ear-lashing about proper procedures and deceptive prisoners. Alexia layed back on her bunk, wondering if she made the wrong choice by not excepting his help.

 

[Dahlexpert]

The perfect bio weapon is born.

After about a week of bathing in meld and getting her augmentations put into her body. The pod emerges and Eva falls to her knees and shortly get's back up to her feet.

UM Mrs Aegerter how.....how are you felling?

Heh heh heh I..... I FEEL GREAT I FEEL STRONGER THEN I EVER DID BEFORE. this is amazing (I never thought that I would ever achieve this and now that I have. I have completed lucet's work finally.)

So Eva your upgrades gives you and iron like skin. And

I don't care about what the others are I'll figure them out when I finally go out into the feld, besides I need to test this new body in the simulator and to see how this new healing factor I have works.

Um Eva you need to rest and manly eat and drink water, you've been in the meld container for about a week your body food.

Eva's stomach starts to growl. Hum yea that might be a good idea and i've haven't drunk water in god nows how long. Yea i'll eat first and then i'll go back to training. Eva leaves the science wing.

Wow we have to watch her closely. I mean we never gave some one six modes at once before, we have no idea on how her body can handle it.

True but Eva is Jessica's pet project so she's her's to handle.

Yea but Eva has no idea what's going on with Jessica.

Fell free to tell her if you want to i'm avoiding her.

Yea she kinda scares me, it's probable best that she doesn't know about Jessica.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ZombieSplitter53 and DarkGemini24601: “Secondary Psionic Progress”

Nouja looked over her sculpture of an Orca whale with restrained approval. It was well-crafted, but was lacking in the details her older sister seemed to be able to manage. I don’t want to mess it up by trying to add all of that, but… Nouja sighed, putting the carving away for now.

“You okay?” came a voice from behind her, a blond girl with Asian features giving her a cautious smile.

“I’m alright...just having some trouble with something. Art, you know…” Nouja responded, looking the girl over curiously.

“Oh, I hear you.” Eve casually sat down next to the Inuit girl, her tone instantly changing as though she was speaking to an old friend. “Now, technical stuff, I’m all over that. But when it comes to anything creative, I’m usually a C+ at most. But what are you going to do, right? Best work with the talents your creator gave you, whomever that might be.”

Nouja nodded. “Yeah, though my sister’s typically better than me at all of the stuff we can do. Hard to find something to beat her at when she’s a better hunter, artist, and psion.”

“I didn’t know Atka was artistic, too.” Eve placed her chin in her palm, frowning. “Sucks having to live in your big sister’s shadow. You’re always trying to live up to her, but she’s always ahead. The best you can do is try to find a niche of your own and hope she doesn’t turn out to want to do that, too.”

“You know Atka?” Nouja asked with a hint of surprise. And how I feel, apparently.

“Yep.” Eve smiled. “I met her, and saw her during that big fight. She’s pretty cool, though that doesn’t mean you should beat yourself up. Like my sister tells me, or at least tries to tell me. ‘You’re your own person, so don’t try to be anyone else. Especially me.’ Referring to herself, of course.”

“Right,” Nouja began. “What brings you down here, though?”

“You, mostly,” Eve answered casually.

“Why is that?” Nouja said carefully. “I didn’t think I was an object of that much importance…”

“Well, my main job here is to assist my sister in her work, and while it isn’t exactly the biggest thing, part of her job is to make sure the psionics on base are comfortable with their abilities.” Eve shrugged. “I can’t really handle the soldiers, but someone that’s new to this, maybe.”

“Well...I haven’t really developed them too far beyond what I already have,” Nouja explained. I have the telepathy down, but I’m still figuring out this ‘ESP’ and ‘mindfray’ stuff.

Oh, cool! I can hear you in my head and… Eve cleared her throat, and said, “Uh… I mean, that’s a good start. Though you shouldn’t feel pressured to develop them if you don’t want to. You’re not a soldier, and no one expects you to force yourself to fight.”

“Well, it’s not like it hurts us ‘blues’ to use them. It’s part of me, and I won’t deny it,” Nouja said lightly. “The powers are cool, after all…”

“They are, aren’t they?” Eve scooted a bit closer. “I mean, some people talk about how scary they are to have, but I think they’re awesome. Especially if you know who to use them responsibly.”

Nouja smiled. “Yeah. I’m not going to do anything like ESP the showers or read someone’s personal secrets, after all…” The first option would be hilarious, though, Nouja thought to herself.

Eve smirked. “I don’t know. There are some cute guys on this base.” She frowned. “Hmm, now I’m a bit jealous.”

Nouja shrugged. “I mean, I can’t use it very well right now…” And you are a little young for that sort of thinking… she mused to herself.

Eve sighed. “You know, I know there are plenty of people that would kill to have a body that looks as young as me, but why could I have aged normally until I hit adulthood. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a guy that’ll go out with me, or even take me serious for that matter?” Realizing she had switched the conversation about Nouja to herself, she smiled sheepishly. “Oh… sorry.”

Nouja looked at her incredulously. “What do you mean, aged normally? You’re older than you actually look?”

“Yeah, about twenty, give or take.” Eve shrugged as though it didn’t mean a thing, despite her previous complaints.

“Oh...I feel dumb now. I thought you were younger than me…” Nouja said with confusion and a little amusement.

Eve shook her head. “It’s alright. I’m used to it.” She smiled again. “But back to you, my friend. From the sounds of things, you’ve been taking steps to improve your abilities. Do you mind if I ask what those entail?”

“I was practicing with Atka for awhile...though for ESP I’ve just been trying to look at different sections of the civilian quarters. Mindfray is harder alone since I can’t tell if I’m getting that much better,” Nouja responded.

“Hmm…” Eve rubbed her chin in thought. “It’s a shame you’re too young to use the holo-training room.” She perked up. “But the old shooting range was converted into a sorta holo-rec room. You could use that. It’s a little unusual, but you could ask the computer to simulate enemies and read the psionic energies of your attacks.”

Nouja nodded. “I’ve been there before with Buniq, though I didn’t realize it could do all that too.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty incredible. The processing power off this bases computer makes the NASA computers look like an Atari 2600.” Eve gave her an encouraging smile. “Try it the next time you’re there. Just… not with Buniq. I don’t think she’s up to it.”

“Of course, I’m not going to subject her to something like that. She doesn’t have psionic powers anyway, as far as I know,” Nouja returned.

Eve nodded. “Good to hear. So, did you have any questions for me? Anything I can do to make things more comfortable for you?”

Nouja shook her head. “It was nice of you to talk to me, though.”

Eve placed a hand on Nouja’s shoulder as she stood up. “If you, or any of the others need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, alright?”

“Alright. See you around...uh…” Nouja blinked. “I forgot to ask your name. I’m Nouja, if you didn’t already know that.”

“I did.” Eve extended her hand. “Eve Brea. The pleasure is all mine.”

Nouja took it after a few moments of thinking, unused to the gesture. “Nice to meet you, Eve.”

 

[MarineAvenger]

Dreaming of Forgiveness Part 1 (MarineAvenger and ZombieSplitter53)

Desmond paced around one of the base’s hall trying to get up the words to say to Jess and Alex. It was hard enough having to ask a day off from being a bodyguard for Brigid but now he wanted to face the girl he basically put in jail. Taking a deep breath he walked into the jail and stepped in front of the guards. “Leave us, I need to talk to the prisoner...alone.” He tried to make it sound convincingly menacing and crossed his arms.

“Now, wait a second,” the older of the two started. “Just because you’re a soldier, and have those fancy mind powers, doesn’t mean…”

“He might need to ask her questions about classified knowledge,” the younger offered. “You wouldn’t want to get in trouble for hearing something you shouldn’t have, right?”

The older of the two grumbled, but walked away. The younger one gave Desmond a quick smile, and followed his partner.

He dropped the facade and let out a relieved sigh as he walked into the uncomfortable looking cell. “Jessica...you awake?”

Jessica opened her eyes, and looked up at Desmond. “Y… yeah.” She sat up, and put on a smile, though there was obvious hesitation behind it.

He stared at her for a moment, losing the words he had come up with and just sat down on the bed. “I hope you don’t resent me for this. It is not the outcome I would have preferred to happen.”

Jessica’s eyes darted around a bit. “Well… just… just tell me it wasn’t personal or something. That you just followed a trail that was out of your hands, and you had no idea it would lead to me.”

“You are my girlfriend’s best friend and are one of the most innocent souls here. If this was personal I would need one hell of a good reason.”

Jessica nodded. “Then of course I don’t. Any more than I resent the Commander for her part. You were just doing your job.”

He shook his head. “I don’t feel like I did. Something is missing in this equation and I am determined to find it, if nothing else to get you out of here.”

“Don’t worry about it too much, Desmond.” Jessica tilted her head down. “You’re a soldier. You have a lot of responsibilities. That you took the time to do this investigation is a lot already, but you don’t have time to burden yourself for my sake.”

“Unfortunately, this is not only for you sake but that of so many others. Morrigan, Brigid, Ellie, Modya, even myself. If I don’t see this through then I couldn’t forgive myself. You will be out of here soon, that is a promise.” His look showed that he was determined and he wouldn’t be swayed.

Jessica looked up as if to argue, but instead simply smiled. “Alright, Desmond. Thank you.”

He nodded and thought of something he wanted to bring up. “Uh, Jessica, now may not be the time to ask this but, how would you like to participate in a little experiment?”

Jessica gave him a nervous look, suddenly remembering a prison movie Alexia once made her watch. “Uh… u-um… what kind of experiment?”

“A hypothesis I had about psionics being linked to a person’s mind. I have something I would like to test, though all the strain will be on me seeing as you are not gifted.”

Jessica let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, okay. For a minute there, I… never mind. Sure, go ahead.”

He sat down on the floor and concentrated as a wispy line of red connected Desmond’s head to Jessica’s and the shadowy ‘dreamscape’ he was so familiar with came into existence. When he opened his eyes what he saw was something he was not expecting. “Wow...well this is unexpected.” What he saw was almost an exact copy to Jessica standing next to her and he had a sudden thought. “Alex?”

“No, I’m Shirley Temple.” Alexia scoffed. “Who do you think I am?”

Jessica stared at her sister uneasily, trying to hide a shudder. “K… kinda weird.”

“It seems that I was right. She did show…” He muttered “How you feeling Alex?”

Alex shook her head. “In a word, bitter.” She crossed her arms and glared at Desmond. “You know I’m not as forgiving as goody-two-shoes here, right?”

“Alex, please,” Jessica said, her eyes darting to and from Alexia like she was looking at the sun.

“Don’t Jessica. Alexia has every right to be mad.”

“You’re damn right I do!” Alexia took a step forward. “So tell me, if I sock you one in here, will it hurt out there?”

“Alex, you need to calm down and to stop being mad at the wrong person. If anything I am trying to help you and if you do anything that gives someone cause to suspect you it will not end well. What happened here was most likely unavoidable. Besides I need my strength to hold this place together so it might not be the best of ideas.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dreaming of Forgiveness Part 1 (MarineAvenger and ZombieSplitter53)

“Relax, I’m not going to attack you.” Alexia scowled. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna yell. Do you realize how miserable it is for us? Despite all my trouble making, Jessica has never been locked up. She puts on a brave face, but…”

Jessica shook her head. “Alex, please this isn’t helping anything.”

“It’s helping me feel at least a tiny bit better.” Alexia pointed an accusing finger. “He could have not reported us. Unless he actually thinks we did it!”

“Alexia, that’s enough. That isn’t fair.”

“And you call this fair?”

“No, but all your yelling is just…”

“I’LL YELL ALL I WANT!”

Jessica shrieked loudly, suddenly crawling up into a ball and rocking back and forth. Alexia’s mood instantly changed to concerned, and she took a step towards her sister, but looked afraid to get any closer.

Desmond walked forward calmly and put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Alex I don’t think you are guilty, but I had an obligation to Morrigan to protect her daughter. Who is to say that if I didn’t take the bait whoever behind this wouldn’t just kill her or you outright like they most likely did to Margaret.”

Alexia looked at him, studying his expression, then slowly nodded. “I… I know. I’m still mad, but… I didn’t think about Brigid. I couldn’t live with myself if…”

He squeezed her shoulder briefly and tried to muster a smile. “You are strong, both of you. You will get past this for the better.” He signaled Alex to go to her sister and took a step back.

Alex nodded, and cautiously approached Jessica. She slowly placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder, and got another terrified shriek in return. Alexia looked back at Desmond, her eyes full of guilt. “Desmond, we… we need to end this. I can’t be here. I… wait, hold on.” Alexia stepped away from Jessica and closed her eyes. A few moments later, she disappeared.

Desmond reached out and tried to help the poor scientist but before he touched her he stumbled and yelled out in pain as the dreamscape flickered and distorted. “This was probably longer than I should have done.” He reached out to Jessica and touched her arm. “I am ending the connection, just hold on.”

Jessica looked at him with a worried looked, wiping a tear away. “You didn’t tell me this would hurt you.”

He gave a pained look. “I didn’t count for the length of the conversation…”

Jessica nodded and closed her eyes, waiting for the link to end.

The ‘dreamscape’ slowly faded and after a bit of easing the connection was cut and he opened his eyes and fell to his side, covered in sweat and regaining his breath. “You...okay...Jess.”

“Am I okay?” The young scientist rushed to Desmond’s side and looked him over as best she could. “You can’t do that to yourself. Why did you even want to do that? So Alex could yell at you?”

He smirked and did his best to try and sit up. “To be honest there wasn’t really a plan, though it seemed to have the effect I intended with this visit.”

“I’m sorry for what she said.” Jessica helped Desmond up and walked him to the bunk. “She didn’t mean it. She’s just angry. And, um…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry for how I acted. To you, and her.”

He shook his head and then looked into her eyes. “You needed this...you both did. Now that she vented she will begin to accept this. Hopefully in time we can be completely back to the way we were.”

“Maybe,” Jessica seemed to whisper to herself. “If she doesn’t hate me after this.”

“There is enough hate in this world Jessica. You two are as close as sisters can get so I don’t think she will hate you.”

Jessica nodded in agreement, but her expression said she wasn’t sure about that. “I think we both need to get some rest.”

Desmond nodded and adjusted his coat. “Well, then I will leave you to it then. To be honest Alex isn’t the one who concerns me. The fact that Modya doesn’t know is what concerns me. Nothing is scarier than a Russian with a vendetta…” He stated.

Jessica tried to give him a reassuring smile. “Modya will… be mad. But he’s more mature than Alex. I’ll explain it to him, and he’ll be okay. With time, at least.”

“I will hope so. I seem to be losing allies as of late, whether of my own actions or what nothing seems to go my way. I just hope you are right.” He said optimistically. He turned and walked out the door of the cell and waved a hand behind him as he did. “Hang in there, I will ask someone to bring you fresh clothes sometime soon. It is the least I can do.”

Jessica watched as he walked off. Once he was out of sight, she laid down and closed her eyes. “Alexia? I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… it was just so unexpected.” She didn’t get an answer, and simply laid there, trying to fall asleep.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Office of Commander O'Brien

Morrigan crossed the last 't' and dotted the last 'i', finishing her paperwork for the day. She wouldn't have much work for a few hours, but was unsure how to spend her time. She almost wished she could have been the one Commanding in New Delhi, but that couldn't happen.

She considered having Desmond return Brigid so she could spend time with her, but Brigid didn't want to see her at the moment. Morrigan had informed that the 'green-haired lady' was put in the brig for the disappearance of Margaret. She could hardly believe she had told her, and couldn't remember what had compelled her to do so. But whatever the reason, Brigid was mad at her, and Morrigan had ordered Desmond not to inform Brigid of his involvement in Jessica's arrest. At least one of them could keep her happy.

A buzz from her computer told her she had a call. With the screen not showing it was the Council of Nations, nor Bradford, she casually hit enter without even bothering to fix her messy hair or make herself presentable. "Morrigan O'Brien, this year's winning of both the Commander-of-the-Year and Mother-of-the-Year awards," she answered sarcastically. "What do you want?"

A familiar face popped on the screen, and frowned. "Geez, Morgie you look like garbage."

Morrigan put on a forced smile. "Hi, Daniel. I see you're as charming as ever."

"I'm serious, Morrigan. You have a lot of responsibilities, besides just Brigid. You need to take better care of yourself."

Morrigan scoffed. "If I wanted to be lectured, I'd call my parents. What did you call for, besides to flatter me."

"Is Brigid there? I wanted to talk to her."

"No. Had you sent a message ahead of time, she would have been."

"Damn. I wanted to talk to her before we went on this big mission tonight." Daniel tapped his fingers against his desk. "Where is she?"

Morrigan smiled. "She said she missed the park you would take her to when you had time. One of her escorts took her to see if we could recreate it in our little holographic recreation room." Reaching for her intercom, she asked, "I can call her back here though. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if she got to see you."

Daniel shook his head. "No. Let her have her fun. Besides, I only have a few minutes. I'll talk to her when I get back."

"Alright." Morrigan grinned. "How's your other half? Still arguing about you joining back up with the Army?"

"Arguing is over." Daniel sighed. "She left me. Said she wasn't willing to sacrifice part of her youth waiting for a man who could die at any point."

Morrigan laughed. "Wow. What a fecking wagon." She gave him an encouraging smile. "Guess you just don't know how to pick 'em. There's Carrie, myself, and of course that girl back in military school. What was her name?"

"There was nothing wrong with you," Daniel insisted, his expression serious. "We didn't work out because of me. And don't you forget that." The two stared at each other for several uncomfortable seconds. Daniel cleared his throat. "A-anyway, um... Brigid is doing fine, right? I'm paranoid that she'll end up coming in contact with that alien stuff and turn into one of them."

Morrigan flinched. Trying to hide the nervousness in her voice, she said, "If, uh... if she grows an extra arm, I'll make sure you're the first to know."

Daniel gave her a suspicious look, but a tap on his shoulder made him drop it. "Alright, gotta go. Make sure she knows I called, and that I love her, and that I'll call again in a few days."

"I will." Morrigan grinned. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Love you, bitch."

"Love you too, prick." Morrigan let out a sigh of relief as the screen went blank. Darting her nervous eyes towards the picture of Brigid on her desk, she grabbed her keyboard, and brought up a progress report for the psionics lab.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Refugee Area, Central Lounge Room

"What I don't understand is why we need to go to school in the first place," Hitomi complained, slipping off her left shoe and rubbing her foot.

Keiko nodded in agreement. "Yeah. After all we went through anyway, why not give us a break? We can go back to school after the war."

"And what if it takes a while, hmm?" Rei slowly cleaned her glasses, an annoyed look on her face. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to start high school when I'm eighteen."

"I... didn't think about that." Hitomi responded, pulling a small deck of cards from her pocket.

"Of course you didn't, that's what I'm here for, Rei said matter-of-factly, and Hitomi stuck her tongue out in response.

"At least the school days aren't as long." Keiko said. "We don't even have to clean up after class. This must be what American schools are like. I'm not used to so much free time."

"Wow, now you have, like, two extra hours each night to not study and not do your homework," Hitomi responded with a grin, and got a stuck-out tongue of her own.

As Hitomi dealt out the cards for a game of hearts, Rei sighed. "This would so much better with four players. We could play majong if we had four players."

"There aren't that many people our age here, or close enough to it to want to hang out with the random Japanese girls." Keiko thought for a moment, then smiled. "We could ask that crystals girl."

Hitomi shook her head. "You kidding? The way you screamed at her? She probably hates us now."

"Hey, you two screamed at her first," Keiko said defensively.

Hitomi poured at her near-sighted friend. "I only freaked out because Rei freaked out."

Rei rolled her eyes at her less mature companions. "The point is we all scared her. And after all she went through. From what I heard, it was awful. The last thing she needs is to think she frightens children."

"We should do something nice for her." Keiko scrunched her nose in thought.

"Oh, I know!" Hitomi clapped her hands together. "We could bake her a cake!"

"The key to happiness for you might be in your stomach, but the answer to every problem isn't pastries." Rei frowned. "Besides, we have no way to cook it"

"And we have nothing to give her, or anything to use to make her something," Keiko added sadly.

"I don't think any of that would be necessary." Rei pushed her glasses up, something she often did when she had come to a conclusion. "We shall offer her the gift of friendship. The next time we see her, we will simply ask her to play with us."

"What if she says no?" Hitomi asked.

Rei shrugged. "Then we will walk away, and simply ask her again the next time we see her. And we shall keep doing so until she feels comfortable with us to give us a chance."

The three girls nodded in agreement, the girls continued with their game in silence for a while. A security guard approached them and asked them if they were alright in English, and Rei, having the best grasp of the language, said that they were.

After a few minutes, Keiko said, "I had this dream last night. You wanna hear about it." The other two nodded, amd she continued. "I was me in the dream, but an older me. And I was in this big, round glass case, and this military guy kept yelling at me. But I used these powers to make illusions, and broke out and stared moving through the base, I think it was a base like this. And I think Jake was there, but I didn't get to finish the dream, though. I was kinda disappointed."

"Well, I wasn't." Rei cringed. "I was trapped in this huge house, and none of the doors or windows would open. And every so often, I would be attacked by zombified sectoids. And I don't know how they kept biting me without mouths, but my dream... my nightmare, didn't care about that detail. I'm happy that dream didn't get to the end. I woke up in a cold sweat."

Keiko looked at her other friend. "How about you, Hitomi. You having pleasant dreams, or scary ones?"

"Um... pleasant." Hitomi answered hesitantly, her reluctance to answer only increasing her friends' curiosities. "It wasn't anything exciting. I was just with someone I... I liked. Amd we were talking, and hugging, and... a-and kissing..."

"Really?" Keiko's eyes lit up. The romantic of the group scooted closer. "Was is it a cute boy? Was he tall and dashing?"

"Not exactly." Hitomi's cheeks started to redden.

"Well, who was it then," Keiko insisted. "Was it someone we know?"

"M... maybe..." Hitomi's eyes darted away from her nosey friend. Rei suppressed a gasp, her face suddenly matching the hue of Hitomi's.

"Come on, you can tell us," Keiko pushed.

"Ahem." Rei raised her voice a bit. "Maybe we should drop it. You're embarrassing her."

Keiko raised an eyebrow at Rei. "Why does it look like you're the on ewho is embarrassed?"

Rei quickly shook her head. "I'm... not... it's just got in here."

"Oh. Then I'll go get us some drinks." Keiko jumped up. As she walked away, Rei gave Hitomi a serious look. Hitomi simply smiled, and Rei couldn't help but smile too.