RP XCOM: The Story of Defiance.

[ZombieSplitter53]

Less Then a Whole

"They work!" Sunny shouted, clapping her hands together excitingly. She was as giddy as a child on Christmas morning. Her bright eyes followed as the round SHIV hovered around the room. "This is awesome, isn't this awesome?"

"Hmm." Alice nodded apathetically, starring into the distance.

Sunny was too excited to notice. "I wish we could have recovered more intact alien SHIVs, so I could have finished these ealier, but now they're here, and they're gonna kick alien tail." One hovered in front of her, and she pointed to the back. "I took out most of the missiles in the alien's designs, since they weighed them down so much. It made room for a better cooling unit, and more fuel, since we're gonna need these things to fly a lot longer in battle. After all, I don't plan on sacrificing these as readily as the aliens do. And I've started to integrate advanced laser weaponry..."

"I know..." Alice mumbled. "I helped you make them. I helped you make our new Firestorms. I helped you make the MECs. I helped you with a lot of things, remember?"

Sunny frowned. The Hover SHIV floated to the side, and placed her hand on her holographic friend's shoulder, ignoring the slight tingle that came from her limited success in making the force fields simulate actual matter. "Alice... AI or not, I consider you my friend. If something is bothering you, or you want something, tell me."

Alice placed her chin in her hands and sighed. "I... I almost died."

Sunny's eyes widened, and she struggled to find something to say. "A-Alice... you... you don't have to ever go out again. I'll keep you..."

Alice shook her head. "But I don't want to be locked up here in order to stay safe. I want to help if I can, and sometimes, they need me out there. The closest thing to having me out there is having someone like you or Atka's mom out there, and you aren't fit for combat."

"N... neither are you, Alice," Sunny responded hesitantly, glancing at the shattered remains of the holo-drone.

Alice looked down sadly. "It... it isn't fair. I've learned so much. My AI has advanced so far, but... in the end..." She looked up at Sunny. "I'm not really here." Sunny started to disagree, but Alice quickly shook her head. "I don't exist outside of a computer." She deactivated her force-field, and Sunny's hand passed through her. "I'm just a projection. I have no real substance. I'm no more real than the holograms the soldiers blast away in droves during training."

Sunny thought for a moment, a bit taken aback. "What... what can I do to help?" she finally asked.

Alice shrugged. "Nothing... unless you can give me a body."

Sunny looked down in guilt. "We... our robotics hasn't reached that point. Their research has been geared towards integrating them into cybernetics, allowing them to be operated by human brains. I... your AI is too advanced. Even if I made some full-body android, it wouldn't be able to handle your programming, and I don't want to lobotamize you just to give you a body. Even the androids those Legion people use probably wouldn't be enough, even if I had access to their tech." Alice nodded slowly, and Sunny reached forward, again falling through Alice. As she reorientated herself, Alice reactivated her force-field, and Sunny placed both of her hands on her friend's shoulders. "I'll see what I can do, alright? I promise, all my free time. With the Firestorms and Hover SHIVs set, all I have on my plate right now are the advanced laser tech, so I promise, I... I'll figure something out."

Alice slowly nodded, but her simulated expression said she wasn't entirely convinced.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ZombieSplitter53 and DarkGemini24601: “Admission of Guilt, Part 1”

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Office/Room of Aya & Eve Brea
August 6th, 2018
1100 Hours, Local Time

Morrigan turned the odd headset up and down, looking at it with the expression of one clearly trying to hide how much they don’t know what they are looking at. “So… what, it makes you stronger?”

“Not quite,” Eve answered, watching the Commander with a bit of amusement. “It just amplifies my abilities. The range of my ability is fairly limited, but with this, I can project myself throughout the entire base.”

“Can your sister use it?” Morrigan placed it on her head. “Or Desmond?”

“Not really. It only works with mental abilities, not ones with physical manifestations. Someone like Atka could use it, though.”

Morrigan nodded. “I guess if Brigid ever takes a game of hide and seak too far, I can ask Atka to use this to search the base for her. What else can it do?”

Eve folded her arms. “Well, as I’m sure you know, the abilities my sister and I use don’t work the same as normal psionics. Since that what this machine was originally built for, it took a while to modify it. And even though Atka was able to learn it right away, neither of us can use Desmond’s dream-thingy on our own. But I can with this. It gives me just enough of a boost, and modifies my brainwaves just enough to make it possible.”

“And it has something X-COM can use as well,” Aya added, speaking up. “With what we’ve learned, we can work on some kind of gear for the soldiers. Portable psionic shields to give them some defense, not as strong as the gene mods, but something. And maybe something to give our psionics a boost, even Desmond and I. Every little bit counts, right?”

Morrigan shrugged, and fiddled with the dials. A voice rang out through her head. “Hello, beautiful.”

The Commander frowned. “Why are you here, cat?”

Eve smiled. “We thought it would help if the computer could connect to it. His massive processing powers could take some of the burden of the user, and he can regulate the power units. It takes a small psionic emitter to run this thing, and without him, the user would have to keep an eye on that at the same time.”

“I guess if it is necessary.” Morrigan grinned. “Think I can call that Elene girl? Maybe get some juicy bits on Desmond while he isn’t listening in?”

Aya returned the grin, and shrugged. “If we knew who to call. As it is, we’d have to wait for her to contact us.”

A small light glowed on the side on the headset, and something formed on the visor out of scrambled letters, forming the word ‘Legion’ in orange.

Eve raised an eyebrow. “Well… speak of the devil…”

“Is it safe?” Morrigan asked.

“Should be,” Aya answered as she and Eve put on smaller headsets. “We’ll open the dreamscape for you. We should be able to keep it open for some time between the two of us.”

The trio closed their eyes, and the world melted away as their minds were opened to the shared realm with their caller.

Before them stood not one, but two people in the dreamscape. The first was what appeared to be Elene, but was wearing armor similar to that of the Aegis variant XCOM used. Beside her stood the unmistakable chryssalid hybrid, Buniq.

“Buniq!” Eve’s eyes lit up, and she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the hybrid girl. “I-I… I mean, we were so afraid we’d never see you again.” A tear went down Eve’s cheek, but she kept a smile on her face.

Buniq shakily returned the hug. “I-Is A-Ammelia alright? T-that a-alien l-lied about her b-being d-d-dead...r-right?”

Eve quickly nodded. “Of course. She’s been in the training room almost every waking moment, training for the moment when she could come to your rescue. My sister has had to order her to take a break more than once already.”

“Guess we were right about who attacked that base,” Aya muttered to Morrigan.

“As it may be apparent to your two psions,” Emma finally said with a tone that was oddly shaky, “Buniq is providing a small bit of power that is sustaining the connection. She spoke of an ‘Honored Overseer’ that had her tested...information I will share with you...but that is not why I contacted you.” The clone of Elene looked down. “Forgive us. We have made a grave error.”

Morrigan and Aya exchanged a nervous look, and the former stepped forward. “What is it, Elene? I’m sure it can’t be that bad… I hope…”

Emma shook her head sadly. “I am not Elene. I am Emma, her clone that your companion met in the United States. Our mistake...it was the same one the aliens seem to make so often. We underestimated an enemy, and it has cost us dearly.” The clone took a deep breath. “We did, as you may have already noticed, assault the alien base that was responsible for the attack on your HQ. In doing so, we accidentally came across the location of your base.”

“The story should have ended there. That data went to Legion only, and we kept it from Viktor as we should have. But...things changed not long ago. After Subject 157, Vee, was sent on a mission to a downed UFO, Viktor confronted Elene. Avanix was forced to reveal herself, and then Dorian destroyed his entire server network in an attempt to wipe her out.”

“He failed, of course,” Avanix said grimly, taking form beside Emma.

“However, he threatened Elene and Lily with their lives, as well as the life of one dear to our mistress…” Emma’s voice shook as she tried to retain her composure. “You must understand, Elene is unable to commit actions that would lead to her destruction! She cannot let herself die, and was put in a situation where she had to tell him all she could or face oblivion!”

Morrigan pushed back the question on the forefront of her mind in favor of the more empathetic question. “Are they okay? Elene, Lily? This other person?”

“Elene and Lily have been put into confinement...as for Markus, I do not know. He was shot in the side, but it seemed like Viktor was unwilling to finish the job for now…” Emma cautiously looked back up at Morrigan. “Understand this, before I finish, Commander. We are willing to give you everything now, we have no other choice but to trust you completely. Even if you would probably want to see us taken down now. Elene...was forced to use a trump card to ensure her continued existence. She...told Viktor where your base is located.”

Aya gritted her teeth, and clenched her fists. “She… she told him where to…” She was cut off by the sound of chuckling at her side, chuckling that got louder and more hysterical, until Morrigan’s laughter almost reached the level of maniacal.

Emma took a step back nervously. Perhaps...Vee was right. Perhaps I should just have taken my chances on my own. They know where we are as well… if I cannot mend this situation, we are all dead.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

ZombieSplitter53 and DarkGemini24601: “Admission of Guilt, Part 2”

Morrigan wiped away a tear, her laughter quieting down after a few minutes. She ignored the perplexed look her second in command was giving her, and muttered, “Haven’t laughed like that since I was a little girl.” She glanced at Avanix and asked, “You said Viktor tried to wipe out your system and failed, right? Does he know he failed?”

The still-calm A.I. shook her head. “As far as he knows, I was likely destroyed. He was missing one crucial piece of information: Elene, Lily, Vee, and Emma all have cybernetic implants to have an uplink to me and our data. Even if he wasted his time destroying all his servers, I could just use them as a jumping off point to Legion HQ. He failed to kill me twice now, I doubt he’ll ever learn.”

“Excellent.” Morrigan grinned, rubbing her hands together. “Looks like Desmond might be getting his way after all, but instead of him being the bait we all are. But if he doesn’t know that we know that he knows… you know?”

“Even for the original artificial intelligence, that is slightly difficult to follow,” Avanix intoned, bemused in spite of everything.

“You intend to fight Viktor when he comes to your doorstep,” Emma surmised. “I doubt you have much reason at all to trust us now, Commander… but while Elene was forced to give up so much, she was not pushed to reveal our location, and thus we are safe for now. Despite that, we are willing to join you to ensure he does not succeed in taking down your HQ.”

Morrigan glanced at Eve, who was busy talking to Buniq. She pointed her finger at Emma and said, “Now, don’t get me wrong. When we finish rescuing your mistress, I plan to kick the crap out of her for revealing our location to Viktor. But I have one thing to say to you.”

“And...that is?” the shadow operative asked with trepidation.

“If it wasn’t for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college!”

Emma stared incredulously at the Commander of XCOM with the maximum amount of confusion she could muster. “...I…don’t…”

Aya rubbed her temples in frustration. “Context Morrigan… for God’s sake.” She nudged her head towards Eve. “My sister isn’t actually my sister. She’s my clone. Are you familiar with the concept of a trigger phrase?”

“I am,” Emma responded, while looking at Eve. She is much...like me, then.

“About four years ago, the last remnants of the people who made Eve found her.” Aya shrugged. “That… ridiculous line was the trigger to make her completely loyal to them. She almost killed me, in fact. Hard to fight someone who is trying to kill you when you’re terrified of hurting them. I was able to stop her, and a little hypno-therapy removed it.”

Morrigan smiled. “My point is, I understand the idea of human programming, especially in relation to clones. When I met Elene… well, ‘met’ Elene, she informed me that she had two purposes in life, two orders she was given upon her birth. Do you know what those are?”

Emma nodded. “All of her handmaidens do.”

Avanix glanced over at Eve, shaking her head. Another clone named Eve. The irony is not lost on me.

“Then you know that she was practically programmed by Lusett to live at any cost. It is touching, in a weird way.” Morrigan’s smile turned more gentle. “Assuming she said them in order, the order to live came first. Sounds like a bit of motherly love, if you ask me. I wish Elene could have found another way out of that situation, but from what you told me, she was backed into a corner. Not only that, but she had another of her handmaidens, plus someone else she cares about, to protect. Like I said, I’m not happy about it. But I do understand.” She walked forward, and placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “And I’ll do whatever I can to make sure we rescue her.”

“I..am grateful for that,” Emma responded shakily, before composing herself a bit better to hide the emotion in her voice. “And know that we will do whatever we can to help repulse the attack. What is ours is yours.”

“Then we’re at an agreement.” Morrigan looked between Emma and Avanix. “So… do you want to stay where you are, or would you rather come to us? And how many allies do you have?”

“We will not give up our base here, of course, but I believe it would be prudent for a good portion of our forces to join with you in Siberia to be there when the attack comes, and to work with you,” Avanix decided.

“As for our total forces, we have 22 of the “Adam” clones, the male ones that fought alongside me, eleven Legion robotic troopers, and 3 modified drones we call ‘Infantry Airframes’ that run a role somewhat reminiscent of your SHIVs,” Emma responded, before adding, “And...the Adam template plus five of EXALT’s elites. The four that went on the mission with Vee did not terminate her, and came here with her. Most likely, I will send the greater portion of my forces to you, leaving enough to ensure Mr. Cross’s safety should Viktor go on the attack. I will probably go with them, and I imagine it will be impossible to convince Vee not to come.”

Morrigan nodded. “We are pretty secure here, even if the recent alien attack tried to prove otherwise, but Dr. Cross can’t say the same thing. So only send those you feel you can spare. I’d hate to lose such a great ally and friend for our own sake. Additionally, I have a request from you.”

“As you wish,” Emma responded. “What do you need?”

“Well… it isn’t so much for me, but rather for a member of my team. Your android, your… robotic trooper, that’s a pretty advanced piece of technology. With our focus here, it is something we’re not even close to replicating. While I don’t intend on making an entire legion… no pun intended… of mechanized troops of my own, I do have one specific use for it. Do you have anything more advanced than that. Something befitting an AI of, say… your scale, Avanix?”

Avanix held her chin. “Well, if you noticed the scorch marks at the alien base…” She grinned. “That was me in my M.E.S.H.A., which is not unlike your own mech suits. However, to pilot it, I needed a more humanoid frame. It was based off the the Legion Trooper model, but geared to look more...humanoid. I’m still perfecting it to be less, ahem, unnerving, but it is sophisticated enough to hold my intelligence.”

Morrigan grinned. “Excellent. If you’d be willing to share it, I could give you some piece of data or tech you might have your eyes on. Call it an initial exchange of gifts to kick off our alliance.”

“Of course,” Emma responded. “And if you do have an A.I. in need of a form, I’m sure Avanix would love to meet her when we arrive.”

“Alright.” Morrigan looked more serious. “You’ll need to arrange the means of coming to us. If Viktor knows where we are, he might be watching us, and we can’t take the risk of him following one of our dropships to Dr. Cross’s location.”

“Understood,” Emma said coolly. “Our own transports should be sufficient.” Her expression became grim. “There is one problem, though. We will repulse Viktor, I have no doubt in this. But the minute he dies...I wouldn’t put it past him to have a kill order for his clones to execute my mistress and her companions. We need to rescue them before that becomes an issue.”

Avanx nodded in agreement. “And to further that, we shall continue development into a technology we’ve been working on, based off the ‘S.E.E.K.E.R.’ unit. Stealth technology,” the A.I. proclaimed proudly. “We believe we can replicate the cloaking device they use for a suit of armor and our flying robots.”

“Keep on that.” Morrigan said. “It could help in a rescue attempt.”

“Failing that,” Aya added. “If we fail to save them before Viktor attacks, and he dies in our defense, is there no one within EXALT we can contact? Perhaps someone who can stall the clones, if only for a short time?”

Avanix shook her head grimly. “No. With Vee having joined Legion, and Lily and Markus as imprisoned as much as Elene…” She sighed. “And there’s no guarantee Sora survived. But...we could send the four elites back. If they say they killed Vee, but she managed to damage their ships and delay their return...he would probably believe them. Especially since he couldn’t have contacted them from his foolhardy move of crippling his entire network.”

“Good, good. We have some ideas.” Morrigan rubbed her hands together excitedly. “We can talk more when you arrive. In the meantime, stay safe, stay hidden, and have a good flight.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Hot-Blooded

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Primary Rec-Room, X-COM Bar
August 6th, 2018
1400 Hours

Morrigan let out a soft hiccup, and grabbed the bartender’s wrist after he poured her a drink and started to walk away. “What the fuck are you doing? Leave the bottle.”

“Commander, don’t you think…” the man started.

“Don’t you STart with me, mimster.” Morrigan shouted. She lowered her voice, but didn't bother hiding the slight slur in her words. “Nnnow listen here. I’ve got a war te fight wit a buncha asshole extre… extran… ex… aliens. Mmmmost of the friends I have ooon base are depressed or loosening their cool. I have anuder asshole about to come knockin’ on me doorstep, a have a daughter who i-is hangin’ out wit my new second in command, replacin’ the one I lost, so she can t-t-teach the three… four… six year old how to use powers. A-and now I have to explain to one of my psionic soldersss… soldiers that is f-friend was captured by his sorta brither… brother, who leads one of our enemies, and who the sorta sister of her.. and her other sorta sister, is bringin’ a bunch o’ clones and robots to help us fight off the attack. So… leave the bottle… or I will TAKE… the bottle by force!”

The bartender gave her an apathetic look. After months at X-COM and twenty years tending military bars, this was somehow not in the top ten of the strange stories he had ever heard. So he placed the bottle back in front of Morrigan, and walked away without another word.

Desmond walked into the bar wearing his usual clothes once more and his newly returned sword on his back. Whatever the Commander had wanted to talk to him about, he just thought it was more questions, but seeing Morrigan with a glass in her hand and a bottle near by told him differently. “Why did you call me down here Morrigan? Especially when you are obviously drunk.”

Morrigan grinned without looking up. “N-nice to see you to, Mr. Walker.” She pour some whiskey into a second glass. “Y-you drink?”

He picked up the glass hesitantly and sat down next to the drunk woman. “I do. I just don’t get drunk easily so there is no real point. One of the perks being modified.” Desmond threw back the drink and set it down. “What is this about?”

“You say perk… I say… infortunate… whatever.” Morrigan through back her own glass and mumbled, “We need to talk. It’s about your friend… I… you aren’t gonna… you’re gonna wish you could get drunk.”

“What are you talking about?” Desmond said, daring a glance at Morrigan.

Morrigan shook her head, and looked up at Desmond, a slight glaze in her eyes. “I… No secrits… secrets between us, remember? I… Elene, she… Viktor found out she w-wasint’ loyal to him…”

Desmond looked at Morrigan, his gaze not changing and he suddenly looked down as his metal hand crushed the glass. “W-what...do you mean, he found...out.” Desmond did his best to hold in his anger.

Morrigan didn’t flinch, to drunk to be affected. She nearly reached forward to examine Desmond’s hand, forget it was cybernetic for a moment. “S-She’s… alive. As fer as we know. But he has here locked up, alone… along wit her sister, um, clone… lola… no, what… Lily.”

He held the crushed glass in his hand and his breathing was heavy. Desmond slowly got up from his stool and began to walk to the door.

“Desmond!” Morrigan stumbled as she rushed after him, practically falling onto his back. He’d likely have been knocked over had he not weighed so much more than her. “D-don’t! I-I dint’ tell you so you’d do sssometin’ stupid!”

“Get off me!” He pushed through the door and he continued on towards his room.

“D-Desmond, please!” Morrigan rushed after him, knocking into the walls a few times before finally reaching him again. She jumped on his back, having no other idea what she could do. “What are yyyou goin’ te do?!”

“I am going to kill that miserable prick if it is the last thing I do.” Desmond said it with such venom and rage that his words almost didn’t sound like him.

“End… and you’ll get yer chance!” Morrigan tried squeezing Desmond as if it would do anything. “B-but not i-if you do ssssomethin’ retarded! S-stop and talk to me!”

Desmond stopped and turned around. “You want to talk? Then lets talk. My family is out there held captive by a maniac and I am stuck here. I am going to get them back, even if it kills me.”

“And w-when you die… when you die in a blind rage, then how are you going to save anyone?!” Morrigan stumbled forward, getting in Desmond’s face. “Y-you die, and that’s it! A-are you going to force us to t-try and save her witout you?! ‘Cause I-I’d ratter lock you then have you get yerself killed!”

“I would like to see you try!” Desmond began to glow dimly and he stared at Morrigan. “Now is not the time for negotiation. I refuse to wait when he could kill them at any moment.”

“Then… then… then go!” Morrigan screamed, tears suddenly dropping down her cheeks. “When Viktor g-gets here, and w-we d-deal with him, I-I’ll let Elene know how brave you were w-when you gots yerself killed stttupidly!”

Desmond hesitated slightly and his glow started to disappear slowly. “I-I am nothing. When I was first made I had no purpose other than a weapon. I came to grow fond of the people here but Elene became my new purpose. If I don’t protect her then I will have failed not only myself but everything that I have accomplished.”

“Den… protect her.” Morrigan responded, wiping her eyes. “B-But let us help you. I-I have sum plans, ya know.” She dropped to her knees, and looked to the ground. “I-I… I’m not much of a Commander… but I do have a few ideas. Day… they involve your friends… frineds. There… their… they’re coming here to help. Y-you’d know dat if y-you’d listen to me for one feckin’ minute!”

“What are you talking about? Who is coming?”

Morrigan closed her eyes, desperately trying to fight through the haze to find their names. “Em… Emma. Um… Vee. And… Ava… Avim…. some computer chick.”

“Avanix is coming too huh...she might have a blast with Alice and the others.” Desmond muttered. He sat next to Morrigan and he rubbed his face. “I remember a time where I wished for a chance to go out and be in the world. Now I just wish for it to be all quiet again.”

“I now… know how you fell.” Morrigan continued to stare down. “Desmond… you know we’re here for you, right? Like I said, I might not be da best prison… person fer this job. But I care about my people like family? And da family of my family… is my… my extended famly. I-I’d hoped, after all dis time, you’d trust me. I trusted you, right. A-and I’m willin’ to help Elene, even after she… after…”

Desmond shook his head. “This isn’t about trust Morrigan, this is about me wanting to protect someone dear. I know you have people you love but I don’t handle these things well. And what did Elene do?”

“She… she told Viktor where we are to save herself…” Morrigan shook her head. “I understand why, but I hope you can appricen… appricin… understand how that makes her look.” She looked up at Desmond. “A-and I would hope i-it would and least give me one or two points dat I still want to help her.”

“It makes her look like a victim. Just add it to the long list of reasons why I am going to blast that bastard open for what he has done.”

Morrigan rolled her eyes. “I guess not,” she mumbled, and slowly started to stand up.

Desmond got up to help the woman to her feet. “I will stay put for now but you need to promise me something if I do.”

“Wat?” Morrigan asked bluntly, struggling to stand straight.

“I lead the team who goes in for the rescue.” He stated.

Morrigan grinned, and slugged Desmond in the arm. “I waz gonna do that anyway.” She stumbled down the hallway, heading back to her room. Over her shoulder, she shouted, don’t forget you have udder frinds here, though. I-It pays nnnot to be such an asshole sumtimes…”

 

[Frostlich1228]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53

Reunited


X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Room of Ammelia Cross
August 6th, 2018
1700 Hours

Ammelia laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling with a smile on her face after hearing of Buniq’s rescue. She found out only hours ago and had been smiling ever since, now, she was just waiting to see her face again. Ammy stood up, feeling as if a forty ton weight had been lifted off her shoulders as she straightened her hair with a brush.

Jessica slowly approached the door to the room, giving the woman behind her a cautious smile. She lightly knocked on the door. “Ammelia? Sunny said I could find you here.”

“Jess!?” Ammelia said as she rushed over to the door, opening it to find her friend standing there. She pulled Jessica in for a hug, “Jess, did you hear the news?!”

“You mean about Buniq? Yeah.” Jessica squeezed her friend back. “They were talking about it in the labs. Said she’ll be coming back to the base soon, too.”

“And that my Dad was the one that saved her! I-I’am so… I could almost cry!” Ammelia replied, squeezing her friend harder.

Jessica squirmed a bit, a sick feeling in her stomach worsened by her friend’s squeezing, but she let Ammelia have her moment, happy the she seemed happy for the first time in quite a while. “I, uh… I actually have someone else for you to reunite with. Someone who definitely wants to reunite with you.”

She tilted her head a little, “Reunite?”

As she said that Mary walked up behind Jessica, giving Ammelia a smile, “‘Ey, Princess.”

Ammelia’s eyes widened as she stared at her twin, at a complete loss for words.

“Um… Ammy, Mary here recently joined X-COM. I thought she was you, actually. I, uh… ‘’talked’ for while, she she mentioned she’d like to see you again.” Jessica smiled. “And she asked me to come with. From… emotional support.”

“You… Why did you bring her here Jess? I… I told you I didn’t want to see my sisters…” Ammelia said, looking over at what could be mistaken as a clone of herself.

Mary crossed her arms, “‘Eh’m sorry for what ah’ did to ya’ as a kid… Weh’ in’nt know eny better…”

Ammy let Jessica free, “I…” She motioned for both of them to come in and took a seat on her bed.

Jessica grabbed Mary’s hand and pulled her further in, not wanting her to lose her nerve. Shutting the door, the lab tech said, “Now, Ammy, I know you’re upset, and I understand. Mary and I had a bit of an… um, argument over the whole thing. But like she said, you were kids, and kids can be cruel. But now you’re grown women, so I figured… you know, it’s never too late to be loving sisters.”

Mary took a seat in Ammelia computer chair, “Weh… We picked on ya’ ‘cause ye’ were always tak’in up all a’ Dad’s time… Weh’ ‘ought you ‘er ‘is favorite an’ we ‘er jealous…”

Ammelia put her hands in her lap and took a gulp, “I wasn’t his favorite… He watched me so much cause of my disabilities… He had to…”

“‘Ell, we in’nt know ‘at when we ‘er small…” Mary added.

“Mary… it sounded to me like she’s wanted to talk to you for a while, Ammy.” Jessica frowned. “I’m sure it’ll take time, and you won’t just… forget everything overnight. But I know my friend Ammy, and she’s a kind hearted person who would recognize the regret of someone who wronged her.” She smiled again. “And like I said, you’re family.”

Ammy nodded and looked at her sister, “I always thought… That you did it cause you hated me…”

Mary shook her head rapidly, “No! Weh’ ne’er hated ya’, weh’ jus’ wanted Da’ to love us too…”

“I always thought he loved you three more… That I was just a burden on him and his wallet and that he wanted nothing to do with me…” Ammelia said, scooching up to the edge of the bed.

“So it was all a misunderstanding between children.” Jessica grabbed Mary’s hand and pulled her off her chair towards Ammelia. “You’re sisters. Sisters love each other. Sister support each other. Sisters are there for each other.”

Ammelia stood up and gave her sister a hug, “I’m sorry that I held such a petty grudge all this time… Can you please forgive me?”

Mary smiled, “‘Eh already ‘av…”

Tears started streaming down Jessica face, and she looked like she was going to lose it. “I… I’m… I-I…”

Tear rolled down Ammy’s face as well as she kept her arms around her sister.

“‘Ow ‘bout we start mak’in up for lost ‘ime?” Mary whispered to her sister.

Ammelia sobbed tears of joy as she whispered back, “I… Of course…”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “Getting Used to It”

XCOM Headquarter, Somewhere in Siberia
1015 Hours, August 7th, 2018
Room of Atka Ipiktok and Ayame Kasagi

“Alright, so we’re going to first try having Taq do something with your powers, and then the second time you ask him to do something, try to do it without,” Atka instructed.

Brigid nodded hesitantly. “I-I’ll try. What should I have him do?”

“Just something simple, like sitting or walking in a circle,” Atka said, and then grinned at the husky. “Or begging.”

The dog gave Atka a despondent look.

“Okay.” The young blond knelt down in front of the dog, her eyes glowing a deep violet. “Taq, I want you to beg.”

The husky raised its front paws slightly, and gave Brigid puppy eyes.

“And have him do something else without your power,” the Inuit woman added.

Brigid closed her eyes, concentrating. When she opened them again, the glow was gone. “Taq, jump on the bed.”

The husky regarded her for a moment, and then jumped on Atka’s bed, giving his master a smug look. Atka just rolled her eyes. For science, I’ll let that pass. “Well done. You’re getting a much better control over that ability.”

Brigid frowned. “But… are you sure he didn’t do it ‘cause of my powers?”

“I would have felt it if you had used your ability,” Atka responded. “And there’s something about mesmerism that makes movements unnatural. That was typical Taqukaq.” She petted the husky, sitting on the side of the bed.

Brigid smiled brightly. “Thank you for all your help. Mr. Jake tries to help, but he isn’t as good at this as you.”

“He may not be a psionic teacher, but he’s still a good guy regardless,” Atka replied. “And I’m glad I could help.” A knock came on the door, and the Inuit woman got up to open it. “Who…” her expression turned to a smile. “Hi, dad.”

Ipiktok rubbed the back of his neck. “I was hoping you could show me where the Commander’s office is, this place is fairly massive.”

Brigid peeked from behind Atka. “Is this your daddy, Atka? Hi.”

Ipiktok knelt down to look at Brigid gently. “I am. My name is Ipiktok. What is yours?”

“My name is Brigid O’Brien,” the young girl answered, extending her small hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Ipiktok shook her hand before standing up. Atka looked back at Brigid. “We’ll head back to your mother’s office for a bit so my dad can get his assignment.”

“Okay.” Brigid reached up, taking Atka’s hand. Looking up at Ipiktok, she asked, “So you work here now too?”

Ipiktok nodded. “I couldn’t just sit around while the rest of my family is here doing something. Though I haven’t got a chance to talk to Yaralria yet…”

Atka’s expression fell as they walked. “Yeah. I’ll go with you for that...I can understand why she’d be nervous.”

Ipiktok seemed to try to find the answer from Atka’s expression, but gave up after a moment. “I suppose they couldn’t have gotten out of that base unscathed…” he sighed. “I heard something about a ‘Buniq’ coming back soon, though. Though you told me she was…”

“Yeah…” Atka responded. “Clone. Long story. One that I hope to tell you now that you’re part of XCOM and all.” They stepped into the elevator, heading up to the Commander’s office.

“I met Buniq,” Brigid said as they rode up. “But I didn’t get to talk to her ‘cause of stupid Mr. Kitty. But she really pretty. She’s like a crystal girl.” She smiled at the two adults. “And I like purple.”

“Crystal?” Ipiktok echoed.

“Clone-hybrid. Essentially, they merged her with one of those chryssalids. Though she’s not at all ravenous like them, her mind was unaffected,” Atka explained. “And...from what Nouja told me, she retains a lot of the original Buniq’s memories.”

Ipiktok nodded slowly. “This is going to take a lot of getting used to…”

“How do you think it was for me?” Atka returned.

“Fair point.” The elevator reached the requested floor, and the three walked out, going up to the secretary. “Here to see the Commander about my assignment,” Ipiktok explained. “Ipiktok.” He noticed that she was waiting for a last name, and shook his head. “Just Ipiktok.”

The aged secretary gave Atka a bit of a confused look, and hit the intercom. “Um… a Mr… Ipiktok is here…”

“Of course,” Morrigan answered back. “Send him in.”

Ipiktok stepped in, followed by Atka and Brigid. “Nice to meet you,” Ipiktok said calmly. “I heard a lot of good things about you from Atka.”

Brigid rushed forward, jumping into her mother’s waiting arms. Morrigan smiled and winked at Atka. “Good to hear some of the good things got through.” Brigid walked over to the couch, familiar with the procedure when it came to her mother’s work, and the Irish Commander continued, “And your daughter has a lot of respect for you. I’m glad to have you on board.”

The Inuit man nodded. “What exactly was it that you had in mind for me?”

Morrigan leaned back on her desk. “Well… I could just make you a security guard, but that seems to be a waste of a man of your experience.” Morrigan’s eyes darted towards Atka, then back to Ipiktok. “I haven’t known your daughter for longer. And I’ve known your youngest for far less. But they seemed to be incredibly well raised. To a degree that I aspire to with Brigid. This is a talent I have use for.”

Ipiktok smiled. “I’m glad I’ve made such a good impression. So you want me to help with Brigid, I take it?”

“Indeed, though there is something of a catch.” The Commander looked at Atka. “Have you had a chance to explain your… talents?”

Atka shook her head. “Not quite yet…” She turned to her father. “Well, since we last talked about it, my ability to speak to animals turned out to be something far more. We call it psionics, a manifestation of the power of the mind.” The Inuit woman lifted her hand, the telekinetic helix wrapping around it for a moment, giving of a soft blue blow. She dismissed it after a few moments.

Ipiktok held his chin. “Well then… never expected my family to have super powers…”

“We have reasons to believe the aliens might be targeting us because of these abilities, though unlike others, your daughter unlocked her abilities on her own.” Morrigan nudged her head towards Brigid. “My daughter, on the other hand, had her abilities forced out. I don’t expect you to help her with these. I have others to do this, including Atka. But you would have to keep it in mind while watching her.”

Ipiktok nodded slowly. “I can handle that.”

“You’ll have Nouja for help too,” Atka added. “Aliens found a similar power in her. Not as strong though.”

Ipiktok raised an eyebrow. “I imagine she’s a tad jealous.”

“She didn’t…” Atka began.

The older Inuit chuckled. “I doubt she would tell you if she did feel that way.”

Morrigan smiled, pleasantly surprised at how understanding the Inuit man was. “As I said, Brigid has individuals to help her learn, but this is a big base, and she is a child, and she needs someone to keep an eye on her and make sure she isn’t tempted to abuse her abilities when the others aren’t around, especially since several of them are soldiers. Do you think you can keep my little girl safe and out of trouble?”

“I can handle that. You should have met Atka when she was younger...now that was a challenge beyond a kid with these sort of powers…” Atka punched him lightly in the shoulder. “You can’t deny it.”

“I’d like to hear some of those stories sometime,” the red-head mumbled. Speaking up, she said, “Brigid has persuasive powers. she can give orders that people are compelled to follow. Not quite the same as the aliens’ mind-control, though that might be a bad thing, since she had trouble controlling them at first.” She looked at Atka. “How is she coming along, by the way?”

“Very well,” the scout captain replied. “She can turn it on and off with a lot more ease now.”

“Good to hear. You can start whenever you’re settled.” Morrigan gave him a gentle smile. “But first, I believe you have a few people you need to catch up with.”

Ipiktok nodded. “And more things to get used to. But I’ll get to work as soon as I can…” he paused for a moment. “Sir.”

Morrigan nodded back. “Dismissed.”

 

[MarineAvenger]

Bad News (MarineAvenger & Dahlexpert)

XCOM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Room of Desmond Walker and Eva Aegerter
August 6th, 2018
2200 Hours

Desmond laid in his bed, the lights in the room off and the only sounds were the breathing in the room and the occasional footsteps walking past now and then. Desmond could not sleep at all since he learned about Elene. Everytime he closed his eyes, nothing would come to allow him slumber.

Eva entered their room wearing some shorts and a workout bra and was covered in sweat from her workout. Eva turned around and was shocked to see Desmond back. "Oh, your back cyborg. I thought Morrigan would have you locked up for the rest of the war."

Desmond looked at Eva and sighed. “I have been out for a while now. We just have never ran into each other yet. You are always out.”

“Well being a super soldier, I need to keep training to keep in shape. I can’t just sit around and do nothing in a underground base, I would lose my mind. I have been working harder after the base was assaulted though.”

“Yeah well, I think I have already lost my mind. Things have been going downhill faster than I can process it.”

Eva used her towel to wipe some of the sweat off her head and sat next to Desmond. “Alright, you wanna talk about it? I have time and I got nothing better to do.”

Desmond shook his head and he put his head in his hands. He sighed heavily and tried to compose his thoughts. “This will not be easy for you to hear. Hell, it is hard for me to understand it.”

“Um, okay. So what is it? It can’t be that bad, can it?”

“I-It is Viktor. He made his move not too long ago. Elene was captured and EXALT is prepping for a major attack.”

Eva jumped to her feet. “What do you mean Elene was captured! What is EXALT planning to do?”

“You know for claiming to be a super soldier you are not all that bright, are you? What else would EXALT do than to attack XCOM directly.” Desmond got up from his bed and began to pace the room. “This is killing me.”

“They…they plan to attack XCOM!? That’s impossible, they don’t know where we are? How can they attack us when they don’t even know where our base is?”

“Did you hear about the base that was found that the aliens used to attack XCOM? Legion was the one to take it down and Viktor used...intimidation methods to get the info from Elene.”

The top of Eva’s head started to turn black and one of her eyes turned yellow. “Desmond, I need you to tell me everything you know about Viktor”.

“What do you mean ‘everything’ I know about Viktor? I am not getting what you want me to tell you?” Desmond said, not phased by the woman’s outburst.

“Is he psionic? Is he a super soldier like me? What type of training does he have? What can you tell me about this worthless scum!”

Desmond eyed the woman and he turned to face her. “No. I know exactly what you are thinking but it ain’t going to happen.”

“You think I’m gonna leave the base and hunt him down like a fool? No. Why hunt my prey when he knows where I am? I’ll let him come to me and then I’ll kill him, now tell me...is he psionic or is he a super soldier like me?”

“It won’t matter Eva. He is a coward, I doubt he will lead the attack. If it is that important to you he is psionic. Same as me. When Lusett first saw my potential she thought it came from him. But this man has an army with him and he is ruthless. ”

“Perfect. That pretty much cements my decision to do what I wanted to. Is there any good news in this while I get ready for the assault?”

“Of sorts. I will be leading a team to EXALT headquarters and ending this fight. I am going to get Elene when the time is right.”

“What! Your going on a mission to attack EXALT headquarters and not me! I call bull on that. I’m going to and will ask the Commander to make me go!”

“No. That is not her decision to make I am afraid. That is mine, and I can say without a doubt that you will not be going. No matter how much begging or force you may use, you will not fuck this up. I am going with only a small squad, and you aren’t part of the plan.” Desmond explained sternly.

Eva grabbed Desmond by the throat. “You listen hear you worthless clone! I have million reasons to kill Viktor, a lot more than you. Lusett brought me back from death's door. She saved me and made me stronger. She made a clone out of both of our DNA. I have way more rights than you do to go on the mission to the EXALT headquarters and killing that son of a bitch myself!" Eva snapped out of her rage and released Desmond from her grip. "I’m sorry but unlike you, that bastard took more away from me than from you. So I’m begging you, please take me on that mission to kill that man.”

Desmond stared at the woman and crossed his arms. “After the stunt you just pulled. No. That is exactly why you will not go. You have no restraint. You let your emotions run too high and it impairs your ability to think. This is not a mission you go in with your strongest weapons and toughest soldiers, cause the minute that happens the mission is a bust. This will require the ones who can go in undetected, because the minute anything gets out of place Elene gets a bullet in her head.”

Desmond got close to Eva’s face to where their noses almost touched. “And that man has taken from me more than you could comprehend. You may not realize this, but I am alive. I am not just another mindless tool.” Desmond pushed past Eva and walked out the room. “Think about that when you help defend the base.” Desmond walked from the door and down the hall to cool off.

Eva walked out of their room and caught up to Desmond. "Desmond, I have one request for you. Make sure you make that bastard pay for everything he’s done. Not just to me, but to Lusett, the clones and everyone else. Oh, and for the record, Lusett would have loved you. She loved all of her clones like children. She would have loved having you around." Eva put on a smile. "You're right, you are not some worthless clone. You are just as real as me and everyone else, but like I said, Lusett would have been proud of her first psionic. You passed all of her expectations. Now go on before I tear up and cry."

Desmond smirked. “You don’t have to worry about my brother. He will suffer.” Desmond stopped quick and looked back at Eva. “And that is the first sensible thing I have heard come from your mouth.”

Eva turned back from walking back to the room and looked at Desmond. “Shut up. I’m trying to go back to my old self. Now go, I have some things to do.”

 

[Frostlich1228]

Frostlich1228 & DarkGemini24601: “Meeting the Father”

New York City, United States
1130 Hours, August 7th, 2018
Cross Technologies Tower, Tenth Floor

Emma looked over her troops as they worked on moving supplies and preparing for a transfer, while the Cross Tech scientists and a few clone soldiers and scientists worked on the stealth technology, which was tantalizingly close to completion, only a succession of setbacks barring their way.

“Can’t wait to kick some ass with a competent bunch of people,” Vee said, leaning against the wall in her uniform. “And to tear Viktor a new asshole.”

“As always, vulgar, but I do not disagree,” Emma responded. She glanced over at the main entrance as it opened.

David walked through the door and into the laboratory. He looked at Vee and gave her a smile as he walked over to Emma. “Good morning, Emma. I trust that the transfer is going well so far.”

The clone of Elene nodded. “By tomorrow I imagine half of our forces will be ready to move, which is the maximum that should be spared. The other half will stay behind to protect you in case Viktor finds out where Legion calls home.”

Dr. Cross nodded, “I want you to be aware that I have asked Dorian to accompany you to X-Com HQ to help in it’s defense. He will assure that both you and my daughter are protected during the attack.”

“That is acceptable,” Emma replied. “He proved to be a very effective fighter in Siberia.”

He turned and offered Vee a handshake, “I see that your friend has arrived safely.”

Vee took his hand, though her grip was rather strong. “Mhmm. Had to send the other four back, though. Deception and some inside help, you could say.”

“I am extremely sorry about what happened to your sister… Do not worry, I assure you that she will be freed soon.” David said, trying to console his new guest.

“We can hope…” Vee muttered, her expression falling. “I don’t even know if Markus is still alive...and Elene can talk to us through the implants, but she hasn’t. She’s alive, but… I think it broke her resolve to lose everything in less than an hour.”

“I can’t imagine what that’s like… But your mistress is a good friend to me and my family and I always treat my friends as if they are my family. Viktor will soon learn, that you don’t fuck… with the Cross family…” He said with determination in his heart.

Vee crossed her arms. “Or a super soldier.”

Avanix walked over in her mechanical form, which seemed to look more and more human as she modified it. Beside her was Buniq. “Dropships are being refueled in the hanger. Our new friend seems eager to get back.”

David looked at the Chryssalid hybrid and gave her a pleasant smile, “Hello, you must be Buniq.”

Buniq nodded. “I-It’s nice to m-meet you, Mr. C-Cross.”

“Ammelia’s said a lot about you, you know.” He replied, keeping his smile.

The hybrid blinked. “S-she has?”

“She has.” David confirmed, “I believe she said you were one of the nicest people she’d ever met.”

“T-that’s very n-nice of her...s-she’s a-always so n-nice to me…” Buniq shook her head. “I-I hope I d-didn’t worry her t-too much…”

“The way she speaks of you, I’d say she couldn’t stop worrying about you.” He replied, “I can tell you’re very special to her…”

“S-she is the b-best friend I have b-besides my brother…” Buniq answered honestly.

David noticed the stuttering in her voice, “What’s wrong? Those things didn’t hurt you did they?”

Buniq waved her hands. “I-it’s not b-because of t-that...I-I’m j-just…” the hybrid trailed off, unsure of how to explain it. “A-awkward I g-guess…” She looked down. “T-though...I d-don’t know how A-Ammelia will react t-to what they d-did do t-to me…”

Dr. Cross’ face turned serious, “What did they do to you…?”

“T-the H-Honored O-Overseer a-awakened p-psionics in m-me…” Buniq stated carefully.

“They found an orange variant in her,” Emma added. “So far she’s shown the ‘psi panic’ ability.”

“They turned her into a psychic? Against her will? Those monsters…” He put his hand on Buniq’s shoulder, “I’m sure she won’t think of you any differently… It wasn’t your choice…”

“I-I guess...I...I just w-wish I hadn’t been g-given these p-powers...I d-don’t want to s-scare people m-more than I a-already do…” Buniq explained.

“It’s your choice to use them or not… These abilities won’t develop if you don’t practice with them right?” He looked up at Emma for confirmation that his words were true.

Emma nodded slowly. “Though it would be a waste. Buniq, the difference between you and the aliens is why you use your power. You used it to help us and prevent that creature that tormented you from escaping and bringing reinforcements. That is a noble use, even if the ability might seem unsettling. I trust you will not use it on your allies, so I have no fear.” She tapped her head. “Besides, we know what happened when you did.”

Buniq smiled weakly, nodding. “S-sorry about t-that…”

“I heard most of what happened from Dorian… The thought of having one of those things inside your head is extremely unsettling.” David said taking his hand off Buniq’s shoulder.

“I-I got l-lucky I was able to s-scare him...h-he was stronger t-than me...but I s-surprised him,” Buniq said modestly.

“Dorian told me that that Sectoid tried to take control of him. If you weren’t there, he could’ve hurt a lot of people. You have my thanks.” David said.

Buniq let herself smile a little more. “I-I’m glad I c-could help...and I d-do have a l-lot of information that I h-hope helps…”

Avanix chuckled. “It certainly sounded like that ‘Honored Overseer’ knew how to talk too much. We have a much better understanding of their hierarchy and goals now.”

David let out a light chuckle, “Those things may think that they’re gods but at least we aren’t stupid enough to explain everything to our prisoners.”

Buniq looked over at David. “H-he did c-call himself a g-god…”

“They’re arrogance is still their biggest flaw, and as long as they have flaws, they aren’t gods.” He said matter-of-factly.

“I would surmise that our attacks, plus a failed assault on XCOM, have crippled their ability to combat us for awhile,” Emma spoke up. “Which means we can prepare to put an end to Viktor Dorian...though first, you can return home,” she added to Buniq.

Buniq nodded gratefully. “T-thank you for s-saving me…”

“Elene’s to thank too,” Emma responded. “And I’ll make sure she knows of your gratitude.”

“You have a very good heart Buniq, I can easily see why you are my daughter’s friend.” David added, “As I said before, my friends are my family, and I’m proud to call you a friend.”

“I-I am too,” Buniq responded, seeming content despite what she had been through.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

DarkGemini24601 & ZombieSplitter53
Putting Our Heads Together

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Primary Laboratory, Biology Section
August 7th, 1130 Hours

Jessica slowly examined the sectoid corpse in front of her, taking her promoted position as serious as she could, despite how sick it made her. She had a degree in Biology, after all, and was trained in dissection, but something about doing it on an alien made it all the more…

“Icky…” Jessica looked over the wounds, determining that they were indeed similar to the wounds from Legion weaponry. They had already been told Legion had attacked that base, but her boss wanted everything to be exactly documented all the same. She was starting to wonder if had less to do with efficiency, and more to do with how green she could be.

I imagine other beings might be unnerved by seeing one of their own kind cut open, a voice echoed in Jessica’s head. I-12 stood nearby, actually wearing a simple XCOM uniform now, with two guards that seemed to keep an eye on him constantly.

“I know I would be…” Jessica mumbled back, oblivious to where the voice had come from. She turned towards the others, and let out a shriek at the sight of the bulbous-headed alien.

I-12 held up his weak hands defensively. I am not here to harm you. It is I-12, for clarification, since we all look the same.

“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry,” Jessica responded, holding her hands up too, though more in embarrassment. “You just startled me. I remember…” Her eyes darted to the side, and she quickly grabbed a sheet, pulling it over her specimen.

I should work on that. Social interaction is not my forte. I wanted to discuss something about B-2 with you, since she is thankfully returning to us, as I have heard.

“B-2?” Jessica scratched her head. “Oh, you mean Buniq. She is. What did you have in mind?”

I am aware that extending the chitin from its normal position causes an unnecessary amount of discomfort and a loss of vital fluids. If I were to work with you, we could try to fix that unfinished design in the event that she is forced into battle again, the Sectoid scientist explained.

“That would be great.” She walked over to a computer and sat down at it. “I prefer if she never fought again, obviously. But just in case that isn’t the case…” She started pulling up the appropriate file. “Did you… help make her like she was?”

I-12 nodded slightly. As stated previously, I was tasked with creating her by the now deceased Samuel Wilson. The Sectoid seemed to contemplate for a moment. Is it wrong that I take pleasure in knowing that being is deceased? It certainly is somewhat illogical.

“Well he wasn’t exactly a very pleasant person,” Jessica answered. “I try not to think like that, but to be honest, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was glad he was gone…”

True enough. As for B-2, my thought process was that we could use the MELD to modify her skin. Make it more able to regenerate, and have it modify itself to where the chitin expands rather than letting it break.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Jessica responded. “I’m sure I can do that, though with the unfamiliar nature of her body, I’ll need your help.” She stopped typing for a moment. “You know, she prefers Buniq. B-2 is too much of an impersonal label. It makes her sound like an item off of a shelf.”

Humans seem to have that sense of individuality that we and the ‘Thin Men’ lack. The closest example would be the Balmadaar, I suppose. I will keep that in mind, if that is the more acceptable designation, I-12 decided.

Turning back to the computer and pulling up the last of the files, she said, “You know, you might enjoy a sense of individuality if you try it. Why not pick a name for yourself? I mean… if you prefer I-12, we can stick with that…”

The Sectoid shrugged slightly. I shall have to think on that. Names are not something you humans pick instantly, I understand. I would look to an example of a similar being in my situation, but that being is unfortunately deceased as well. A shame, I would have liked to meet ‘Dante’.

“He was an interesting one.” Jessica smiled. “Take your time on it. Humans usually don’t have the burden of naming themselves. And it isn’t something you have to do. It’s just something that might make you more comfortable now that you’re our ally.”

Indeed. And I look forward to assisting you in matters concerning Buniq, as well as other development if I am granted such privileges. I-12 paused for a moment. Ogedei, of course, has his own hopes to fight alongside XCOM, though we shall see if that becomes the case.

“Good to hear.” Jessica scooted to the side to let the Sectoid look at the computer. “From what I can see, it wouldn’t take too much of a change to have the Meld work on Chyssalids. I’m just not entirely she about how to use it on someone who is both human and Chryssalid.” She frowned. “Um… you can read English, right?”

I can, though my original Earth language was meant to be Hindi. I-12 shook his head. My knowledge is sufficient, in any case. We can modify Buniq’s existing healing factor to compensate for the chitin plating. Something I intended to do, but I was interrupted by commandos breaking down the door. If the Sectoid was joking, he made it hard to tell with his steady tone.

“So… you were going to use her for combat, huh?” Jessica asked. “The way that Thin Man acted, it sounded like he was just trying to play God for kicks and giggles.”

Perhaps Samuel thought such, but I am a more practical being, I-12 affirmed. Buniq certainly proved capable of battle during the attack, from what I gathered, but I understand your trepidations in regards to her youth. A childhood is likely something to be cherished, since it is something we clones lack. Buniq may be beyond that, but she is not exactly the age at which humans become fighters.

“Well… it is good to see you understand my hesitation, even if it isn’t something very familiar to you.” Jessica smiled at the Sectoid. “And I’d be happy to accept your help with easing my friend’s burden.” She offered her hand.

The Sectoid reached out to shake it, making it quite apparent that even Jessica was stronger than him. I wonder if it is possible to repair some of the muscular atrophy. So much to do… the alien scientist mused.

“You help me with this, and I’ll help you with that.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: "Morning Sickness"

X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Room of Jessica Lockheart and Modya Dragomirov
August 7th, 1600 Hours

Jessica stumbled into her room, throwing her dirty labcoat to the side and slipping off her shoes. Working with an alien was interesting, but working with a thorough, pedantic alien was exhausting. She fell backwards onto her bed, closing her eyes and just lying prone. She was glad she had some time off to work with Alexia tomorrow. They were making progress, and she was sure it was only a matter of time, perhaps a matter of days, but she was running out of excuses for Modya, and unlike her sister, Jessica couldn’t pretend to be Alexia.

The Russian walked in, resting his coat on a hanger, but kept his hat on for now. “Long day?” he asked, the answer being clear.

“Mmmhmm…” Jessica looked up. “Was working with that Setoid. I-12, as he refers to himself.”

Modya raised an eyebrow. “That sounds interesting, at least. I may have a similar experience if that Muton ends up fighting alongside us.”

“He wasn’t bad, just a perfectionist.” Jessica frowned. “I guess that comes for a society that might kill you for making a mistake. Have you done anything with the big guy?”

“Not yet,” Modya responded, sitting down on the bed. “I think security is still hesitant to give him a gun.” He was quiet for a moment. “So does Alex still need more time for… whatever it is she needed time for?”

The lab tech let out a deep sigh. “Modya… I’ve got to be honest with you… she… she isn’t recovering, at least not in the way you think. She’s having... memory problems.”

“Does she not remember most of us?” Modya asked with worry. “Like…” he searched for the word. “Amnesia?”

“It’s… really hard to explain, mostly because I don’t understand it myself.” Jessica sat up. “It is more like… she forgot her age. I was told it was regression. She remembers all of us, but she thinks she’s a child. Her maturity has gone from about seven to about twelve, so she’s getting better, but… she still needs time…”

Modya rubbed the back of his neck. “I see how that could have been hard. A younger Alex sounds like a handful...”

Jessica narrowed her eyes at the Russian man. “She… she isn’t a handful. She’s a good person, and is just an innocent child now.”

Modya held up his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean to imply that! Just that she...forget it.” He shook his head. “I guess there is not much I can do to help with that.”

Jessica’s eyes instantly softened, and turned to guilt. “No… no, I didn’t mean it, I… I’m sorry. I’ve just been under a lot of stress. I-I…” She looked down, her lip quivering a bit. “I-I shouldn’t take it out on you…”

“Don’t blame yourself for it, though,” Modya responded. “Just take a break from things if you have to. Make that Sectoid be your understudy,” he added with a slight smile.

The green-haired girl looked up, her mood suddenly uplifted. “That’s a good idea. And he could take of my load, at least until Alex is back to normal.” She smiled brightly, and kissed Modya on the cheek. “You’re so smart!”

Modya chuckled. I was only being half-serious, but if it works, it works. “I try.”

“No, really, everything you say, it is always just the right thing to make everything better.” Jessica stared intently into Modya’s eyes, her face suddenly flushing, her breathing a bit more labored as she squirmed a bit in her seat.

“Something the matter?” Modya asked.

Jessica leaned forward suddenly, firmly planting her lips on his. She pushed him on to the bed, climbed on top of him, and started kissing his face and neck repeatedly.

The Russian looked surprised. “Jessica, are you sure we should be...I mean…”

“I… I can’t, Modya,” Jessica mumbled, quickly pulling her shirt off. “I… for the last few weeks, I… but since the alien attack, we haven’t…”

“I know…” Modya returned. “But I just didn’t think it would be the best of ideas considering…”

Jessica stopped and sat up, staring at Modya. Her lip started quivering again, and tears started to well up in her eyes. “You… y-you don’t…” She climbed off him, and placed her face in her hands. “You… is there someone else? Is that it?!”

Modya’s eyes widened in confusion. “What? Jessica, I would never do something like that. You know that.”

“Then why?” Jessica sobbed loudly. “Why don’t you want me any more?”

Modya laid his hands on her shoulders. “I’m just not sure doing this while you’re pregnant is the best idea, Jessie…”

Jessica looked up suddenly. “I… what?” She looked at Modya with confusion. “What do you mean… we’ve only tried a few times since we agreed on this. And even if I was, it would only be a week or two.”

“We could test to see if that’s the case...I would just think we might have gotten somewhere by now,” Modya responded.

Jessica rubbed her arm nervously. “I… I have been having problems controlling my emotions. A-and I’ve been getting these really bad stomach aches, especially in the…” Her eyes widened, but her expression was one of excitement. “What if I am? What if… what if I have a little Modya coming?!”

Modya took a deep breath. “Let’s go see, at the very least, before we do anything rash.”

Jessica smiled and nodded. She looked over at her discarded shirt, one of the buttons loosened, and her face reddened again, this time in embarrassment. “Oh… oh, God, I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to jump you like that, I…”

Modya ran a hand through her hair gently. “It’s alright...I just...didn’t want to do anything that would be questionable…” Not exactly something father saw fit to run me through.

Jessica wrapped her hands around him, squeezing him tightly for a few moments. “I’m gonna go talk to the doctors right now.” She stood up. She started wobbling a bit, and the color drained from her face. “A-actually… I… I think I’ll go talk to them in a little… bit…”

“Probably for the best…” Modya responded.

Jessica tried to smile, but gave up after a few moments. She slowly walked to the back of the room, her pace picking up as she neared the bathroom. Slamming the door behind her, Modya could here a few unflattering sounds coming from within.

The Russian just closed his eyes, trying not to think about it. “Lyudi strannyye…”

 

[Frostlich1228]

Frostlich1228 & DarkGemini24601: Don't knock it till you've tried it.

XCOM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
1115 Hours, August 8th, 2018
The Bar

Atka sat at a table towards the back, looking over some notes on the powerful psionic aliens, or ‘Ethereals’ as they had come to be called. “Wonder if I could pull off a telekinetic field like that…” she muttered, but shook her head. Not likely. Not without practice, and I’m better off working with my other abilities. She took a sip of her cranberry juice, having more or less finished off lunch.

A voice with a thick british accent spoke from the other side of the bar, “‘Ey! Can ya’ get meh ‘nother mug, em’ still sober!”

The Barkeep refilled her mug and started wiping the counter off.

The girl, who looked remarkably like Ammelia, took a quick swig, chugging almost half of the mug before having to put it down.

Atka put aside the notes, and stood up, walking over to the bar. “You wouldn’t have any relation to Ammelia Cross, would you?”

“‘Eh wow, ‘ow’d ya’ know?” She asked sarcastically, taking another swig.

Atka raised an eyebrow. “Just making conversation...I know your...sister? And I was curious at the fact that one of her family members was here as well.”

Mary patted the seat next to her, signalling Atka to sit down, “‘Eh ju’ came ‘ere recently… Ye’ know, wit’ the ‘ast batch of ‘cruits.”

The scout captain sat down, laying her drink down on the counter next to her. “Well, glad to have you along. What’s your role?”

Mary turned towards Atka, trying to look her in the eyes but having a hard time ignoring her breasts, “Eh… Gunner, ‘ere th’ guys that ‘pray rounds in ‘eir direction ‘ill they stop mov’in.”

Atka gave her the benefit of the doubt, hoping it wasn’t intentional. “One of my best friends here is a gunner. I’m sure you two would get along.”

“Ye’ try’in te’ set me up wit’ ye’ friend?” Mary asked, putting her elbow on the counter.

The Inuit woman looked at her incredulously. “I was just saying you could meet her, if you wanted…not what you’re implying.”

Mary pouted a little, “‘Ell, ‘ats a disappointment in’nt? Fine, whats ‘er name then?”

“Ayame Kasagi,” Atka responded. What is it with other women taking an interest in me…

“Ayame?” The gunner confirmed, making it sound like Ay’me with her accent, “hav’nt met te’ many asian girls ‘ere I come from.”

Atka showed a small grin. “Let me guess, England?”

“‘Ye e’er been? It’s eh’ great country fe’ shaking ye’ tits on the street fe’ money.” She answered surprisingly casually.

The Inuit woman just blinked for a moment. “I’m...not sure that would be a reason for me to go.”

“‘Eh,” She shrugged, “‘Pends on what ye’ like in’it?”

Atka sighed. “Well, as I’ve learned, I don’t really have an interest in women. Not that I’ve usually been interested in those sort of relationships anyway.”

“How’d ya’ know ye’ don’t like women then?” She asked, “Li’en, if ye’ don’t shag one ye’ won’t ‘elly know, will ya’?”

At this point the scout just looked dumbfounded. “I really don’t think that’s how it works…”

“Okay… Shag eh’ girl’, if ye’ like it, ye’ gay. If ye’ don’t, ye’ straight. Easy es’ that.” She replied, trying to simplify for her.

“If I don’t have any interest in ‘shagging’ a girl in the first place, wouldn’t that be enough? I don’t think I need to sleep with them just to prove a point,” Atka responded with a deep sigh.

“Ye’ can’t knock it ‘till ye’ tried it right? Personally, eh’ don’t care ‘bout straight and gay anyway. A holes a hole, in’nt? If it’s fun, why limit ye’self to one gender?” She explained, taking another chug of her beer.

Atka held a hand over her slightly-red face. “And I thought Scarlet was out of her mind…”

“Out eh’ my mind? Eh’ like to think of me’self as a freethinker.” She chuckled.

“Well, the fact is, I’ve never been that interested in...doing that...with someone, and I’m not about to experiment,” Atka said finally.

“‘Ell, that’s eh’ shame. If ye’ e’er change ye’ mind, I’ll be ‘ere.” She smiled brightly, finishing off the last of her beer.

Atka just nodded slowly, finished off her cranberry juice, and got up. What was it Modya always says? People are strange?

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ZombieSplitter53 and BMPixy
“Guiding Force”
Part One

Aboard the Overseer Scout Craft GBWY-443
In Low Earth Orbit, Currently Above the Southern Pacific Ocean
1749 Local Time

The Honored Overseer gently settled into position before the radiant psionic device that was the sole occupant of the room. It has been twenty revolutions of the planet below, the Ethereal thought, reaching out with their mind into the device, which responded by twisting the purple sphere into a mass of rippling spikes, fusing and separating in a mesmerizing pattern. This one calls out to the others below, the Seven destined to inherit this planet. We shall commune at this moment, to learn of the progress of the New Ones along the Path.

With a series of violent flashes, the forms of seven other Ethereals appeared around the perimeter of the room, their bodies wispy and transparent as if a spirit called from beyond. A moment of silence passed as the alien device returned to its previous shape, only slight ripples across its surface indicating that it had been disturbed.

Overseer of the Continent referred to by the new ones as “Africa”, reporting, One of them said, his voice booming but calm.

Overseer of… Australia, here, the next said with a tone of irritation.

Overseer of South America, reporting, came a powerful voice.

Overseer of Antarctica, reporting in, said a very bored sounding voice.

Overseer of Europe, reporting in, the next said in a relaxed tone.

Overseer of North America, reporting, said the closest thing to a timid Ethereal voice you could find.

Overseer of Asia, reporting, spoke two voices at once, one male, one female.

Then we are assembled and as of one mind, the Honored Overseer intoned. On to matters at hand. This one has noted that the forward observation post CFA-44 is no longer reporting the all-clear signal. Overseer of Asia, how would this fact be explained?

This one… regrets to report the destruction of said observation post, the dual-voice Ethereal responded. The First One in charge believed himself safe with the base of the resistance in disarray. He did not account for another resistance force attacking him. A scout was sent in, and upon finding the base occupied by the new ones, initiated the self-destruct, lest more of our resources fall into their hands.

The lead Ethereal nodded quietly. Very well. This one reminds the Overseer of Asia that while our patience and might may be infinite, our resources are less so. Keep this in mind when conducting further operations within the area granted. Continuing, this one requests of the assembled any important news that would best serve the Path by being shared among the assembled.

The Ethereal of North America stepped forward. This one… had dealings with the secondary resistance. They fought hard, but were ultimately defeated by our superior might. We captured three of them, successfully incapacitating them before they could self-terminate. Upon analysis, it has been determined that they are all copies of some unknown original, and whatever process was used to create them has destroyed any potential they might have had for our Gift. This one… this one recommends we not try capture any longer of these forces, and simply eliminate them when encountered.

This one concurs with the Overseer of North America’s assessment. However, make it a priority of tracking the source of the secondary Resistance’s troops. The New Ones are ingenious, perhaps there is some knowledge we can recover to enhance the effectiveness of our own soldiers in face of escalating warfare from the Resistance.The Honored Overseer gazed upon the assembled Ethereals, and added, If any hold objections to this proposal, let them be known before the assembled.

Are we not wasting our time looking for them for knowledge, the Ethereal of Australia said in a somewhat defiant tone. This One can not help but feel that the only reason the New Ones are able to continue to resist us is by using our technology. Whether the New Ones are even worthy of the Gift we offer them should be in question, but this One feels we are wasting our time with trying to recover anything useful beyond bodies.

This one reminds the Overseer of Australia of the primary Resistance’s ‘Super-Heavy Infantry Vehicle’, which as of this moment is being prepared to being adapted into a standard Silicid variant, the Honored Overseer countered. In addition to this, the New Ones do possess many bestowed with great power in the Gift, however this one feels that the Overseer of Australia is best acquainted with their power.

The Australian Ethereal grumbled a bit, but said nothing more. A sound resembling a chuckle came from the Ethereal from Europe. They’ve got you there. On the note of the Gift, I have acquired many new humans capable of using it. I have a number who follow me loyally right now, as a matter of fact. Fear is a useful tool, but human greed has its uses too. You’d be surprised how easily you can persuade some people with promises of power… err, boss.

Wonderful news indeed, the Overseer of Europe brings. If the majority of the New Ones are as easily brought to our heel as you postulate, then the Guiding after the Resistances have been dealt with will proceed much easier.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"Guiding Force"
Part Two

The lead Ethereal paused for a moment, and then added, How comes along progress in unlocking the Gift and enlightening the New Ones to the Path among the others of the assembled? Special note is requested of any individuals in leadership positions among the New Ones.

Progress has been splendid in South America, the appropriate Ethereal answered. I have encountered quite a resistance amongst the people there, but it is nothing this One’s forces can not handle. We have found many amongst the Red and Orange spectrem. This One regrets to say, however, that we have had to limit the use of Jie'los. They are quite effective in battle, but should they lose their retainers, they devour any prospective candidates.

Our attempts to infiltrate what the New Ones refer to as the “The White House” has met with some success. The North American Ethereal said. We have found a number of ‘secret service’ agents susceptible to our mind control, and we hope to find a means to secret away the leader and test his potential.

Nothing to report in Antarctica, the Ethereal of the southernmost continent mumbled.

This one wishes to interrupt the reports for a moment to ask for a consensus among the assembled. This one seeks to expand control of the Overseer of Antarctica’s domain with additional long-term facilities, should the Resistance take longer to uproot than the Path expects. If our scans of the planet are indeed correct, we may find caches of mineral wealth to use there in supplement with our own resources, lightening the burden on out-of-system manufactorums. Do we have a consensus?

Hon… Honored Overseer want me to dig for resources? I… This One can not…

Agreed, The Ethereal of Africa interrupted. Anything we can do to further our goals, big or small, simple or difficult should be done with the utmost urgency. His image turned to look at the Antarctic Ethereal. Particularly when we have the time to spare.

The Antarctic Ethereal raised her hands, but was interrupted by a string of agreements for the others. Finally, she stepped back, and in a disappointed tone, said, This One… agrees…

Then we are of one mind once more. This one frees the discussion for continued reports regarding the previous topic. The Honored Overseer gestured with one of their arms to the same point, falling silent to let the conversation commence once again.

The Australian Ethereal sighed. As much as this One… ahem, this One has found a number of potential candidates for the entire spectrum, though green and yellow seem to be predominant. This One also attempted to bring the Australian leadership under our control, but due to a blunder by the head of observation post SAU-112, the government discovered the New One’s capture, and a new leader has been appointed. This One requests the immediate removal of the one at fault and their immediate destruction.

This one places a counter-proposal for consideration in addition to the Overseer of Australia’s request: place the unit in question under probation. From this one’s memory such a failure as that, if dealt with correctly, may be used to motivate the unit to further achievements. The final stand of M-203 in the Broodkin campaign is used as precedent for this one’s proposal. The Honored Overseer gazed gently at the Australian Ethereal, trying to gauge a reaction underneath the mask.

The Australian overseer squeezed all four of her fists under her robe, but simply said, Very well, The Honored Overseer… knows best. The sarcasm in her voice was barely hidden.

This one acknowledges the Overseer of Australia’s reservations for such a plan, but the proposed alternative wastes valuable resources. The lead Overseer turned back to the group, and added, Pardon the interruption, the remaining assembled may give their reports.

The Asian Ethereal stepped forward a bit. As it spoke, the female voice was predominate. This one has found many who have embraced the Gift amongst the New Ones of Asia. However, this One has found difficulty finding those who have embraced it to the desired degree. The male voice started to become more prominent. Many are weak, only capable of the weakest of abilities. However, this One will continue to search with all of this One’s vigor. I would request additional force. After the loss of two outpost, resources have dwindled. I… I accept responsibility for our failings. Her head turned slightly towards the previously irritated Ethereal, and almost thought she could feel a glare piercing both of their helmets.

The Honored Overseer nodded in recognition of the Asian Overseer’s acceptance. Very well. Once the Antarctic facilities come online, the Overseer of Asia shall be first to see the fruits they bear. Until such a time, are any of the assembled capable of temporarily allocating facilities, craft, and staff to the Overseer of Asia?

This One has such resources. The African Ethereal stepped forward. This One’s efforts have resulted in many advances. The Egyptian government is practically under our control, and the New One’s that have accepted the Gift increase by the day. This one expects the entire continent to be within our grasp in no time at all. In the meantime, I have an abundance of resources to share.

Excellent news. This one expected such competence from one such as the Overseer of Africa, and this one’s expectations were founded well in reality. Glancing across the assembled Ethereals, the Honored Overseer continued, saying, This expects the Overseer of Africa’s forces to be within the Overseer of Asia’s domain within ten revolutions of the planet below. The exact amount shall be negotiated between the two Overseers personally once this meeting has concluded. Concluding this topic, are there any additional pieces of information to be shared among the assembled that has not already been brought to light?

 

[BMPixy]

Part Three

None of the others spoke, instead only bowing their heads in turn.

Very well. For those among the assembled who have not received new operational assignments, continue along the Path that has been laid out. With that, this one wishes to conclude this assembly, enabling the Seven to return to the duties given to them. At those words, the Honored Overseer disconnected itself from the psionic device, the images of the Ethereals gently fading in contrast to the speed with which they first appeared.

A few moments later, the image of the African Overseer reappeared. This One… wished to ask the Honored Overseer something. Away from the others.

Caught slightly by surprise by the sudden reappearance, the Honored Overseer quickly replied, This one wishes to know what the Overseer of Africa has upon their mind. Speak, friend, this one is listening.

This One wishes to know… off the record, as the New Ones might say… should the New One’s resistance pose a threat to the Plan… should they attempt to use the Gift to destroy our attempts to spread the Gift… do the High Ones have a plan to counter this?

One of the many mysteries of Path, you speak of. “Is the Path to remain rigid to ensure stability, or fluid to ensure adaptability?” as the First Doubter of the Path asked. If the Overseer of Africa does not remember the Creator’s response, then the answer was “Yes.” The Path accommodates for all, and as such so do the High Ones.

The African Overseer bowed slightly. You are wise. Thank you. We shall continue along the Path, and it will lead us where it leads us. After a moment, he added, Our infiltrator within the High One’s of these humans has reported that they now have names for the seven of us. Named after the greatest sins of many of their archaic religions. They… amuse this one. Perhaps we should embrace them, for now. The name ‘Superbia’ is an interesting one, to say the least.

The Ethereals image once again flickered away, and the Honored Overseer was alone once more. An interesting name indeed, ‘Superbia’. The ancient alien gazed at the alloy floor in contemplation, before raising their head upon seeing a series of spikes emanate from the device before them. Remembering what the pattern indicated, the Honored Overseer reached out with their mind.

Good day, Honored Overseer, an ancient voice spoke from across light-years, We are… extremely impressed with the progress you have displayed in this project.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

“Those Unbreakable, Unchangeable Things” - Ipiktok and Yaralria

XCOM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
1800 Hours, August 8th, 2018
Main Engineering

The Interface let the Hover S.H.I.V. settle to a rest, satisfied with her control over the vertical movement of the hovercraft. “They will be useful in battle.”

Isitoq stepped up beside her. “There is someone here to see you, Yaralria.”

“I know,” she replied uncomfortably.

“And he is…”

“I know.”

“Then you ought to ta-”

“I know!” Yaralria’s expression immediatly returned to normal. “Forgive me, Isitoq. I am...nervous about meeting him, considering…”

“Understood. But he is still your husband,” the mechanized Inuit replied.

Yaralria gave a slight, stiff nod, and decided, “Let him in.”

An engineer lead Ipiktok into the engineering bay, the Inuit man seeming awestruck by all the machinery and devices foreign to him. He slowly refocused on the woman with her back to him, quickly noticing the computer ‘blocks’ on the sides of her head. “...Yaralria…”

“I am...not the same as I was, Ipiktok,” the Interface said shakily. “They changed me...irrevocably. I know so much that I never wished to know...about them, about technology, about how to control machines that kill. They...made me into something of a living computer.”

The color drained from Ipiktok’s face, try as he might to keep his cool. “Anirnialuk sapummivaa nunasiuriijaqtuq…” “Great Spirit continually protect us all,” he muttered in shock.

Yaralria turned to face her husband, tears welling up in her eyes, distorting the gray light coming from her pupils. “I...understand if you wish nothing to do with me, after all of this…”

Ipiktok went forward, holding onto his wife tightly in an embrace. “We have been apart for too long if you think that would make me hate you,” he muttered, adding the meaning of her name, “dancing one.”

“Even though I’m…”

“Don’t even say it. You are no monster,” Ipiktok cut her off. “I have been met with a lot of surprises lately...and I would be lying if they upset me, made me nervous...but that doesn’t change the fact we’re family. Or the love I feel for you.” He leaned down, kissing Yaralria gently.

Isitoq stepped away slightly, figuring his presence here was no longer needed. I remember how close they were from my template. Some things will never change, the mechanized human thought to himself. “There’s only one person left missing that can rejoin us,” he mumbled. “Be back soon, Buniq.”

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “Final Resolution”

EXALT Headquarters, Undisclosed Location
2315 Hours, August 8th, 2018
Confinement Cells

Elene looked up at the cold gray of the cell’s ceiling, lying on her back without the energy or motivation to sit up. She had scarcely spoken: to Markus, to Avanix, or anyone else she had contact with since being put there. The heiress seemed apathetic to the reality of her situation.

Markus was sitting in the cell next to Elene’s and had awoken to find the situation he was in after he passed out on the way to get patched up. He put a hand on the side of his ribs and grimaced at the pain of the contact. The bandages were wet with fresh blood. Markus leaned against the wall of his cell and closed his eyes. “Y-you...there...Elene?”

“I am present,” Elene responded quietly, her tone as empty as when they had first met, if not more so.

Markus smiled lightly at the sound of her voice. “I guess...we are...in kind of...a pickle, huh?”

“The situation might resolve itself. Though we will likely not live to see that resolution, in any case,” Negative Zero analyzed.

“At least...there is...a bright side...to all of this.”

“The probable result is that Viktor Dorian will perish, and we will follow. I can only take solace in the fact that the Exalt line does not die with me,” Subject -0 decided. “My fate resembles that of its creator, in that aspect. Knowing that death looms, and creating a descendant to prevent that spelling the disaster of Exalt.”

Markus chuckled weakly. “Not...exactly...what I meant...but yes...I can...see your reasoning.”

Elene fell silent again, closing her eyes.

“What I meant was...at least...I get to...see the end...with the one I love…”

“Noted,” the clone responded. “It is a small comfort, but there is not a long list of those right now.”

Markus blinked his eyes, trying to keep himself awake and tried to shift himself so he would not be inclined to sleep. “There are...many things...I regret...but coming here...not one of them...surprisingly.”

“Had you not, you would not have met me, but you would have been able to live your life. Perhaps find another that suited your interests. There is no happiness in death,” Elene responded. “It is a final end to everything you are, to your ambitions.”

“I will admit...dying was not...on the list...of things I...wanted to do. But it was...all worth it.” Markus began to laugh. “I remember...this funny night...my siblings...and I had. Looking back...we did a lot of...stupid shit, but I will...be damned...if it wasn’t worth...the trouble.”

“There is a sense of irony to it,” Elene mumbled. “I had noticed the applications of the Tz6, especially in relation to the ancient XCOM fought...there was a chance it could extend a lifespan indefinitely. To think...I could have lived forever.”

“Now who...would want that? Living forever...would be...lonely. Life...would become boring. With death...it makes life...all the more special.”

“Not that anything I did mattered. In the end, Lusett could have accomplished this all. Perhaps better. I merely tried to reignite ashes of that greatness. And perhaps I did. But now it amounts to naught,” the ‘heiress’ concluded. “I just carried on a cycle. Perhaps another will kill Emma, but not before she creates a clone of herself.”

“Now...we aren’t...dead yet. We could still...come out of...this.” Markus did his best to try and cheer the girl up but somehow, he didn’t think he was succeeding.

“The minute Viktor realizes he is losing, he will take us with him,” Elene countered bitterly. “Or, the unthinkable could happen, and he could actually win. Even that is more likely than our survival.”

“Don’t count out...Legion or XCOM...they could...rescue us.” He stated, trying to stay optimistic.

“Only if…” Elene fell silent, realizing there was nothing she could say that would not compromise Emma. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Bull shit it doesn’t!” Markus’s outburst was a little much on him and he began to cough violently. “Don’t...give up...on life...just yet. You...were so full...of promise...the real you...would never...talk like that.”

“My end will be all the more bitter if I die after foolishly hoping that I would live,” Elene returned. “It is a last self-preservation attempt, even though it will do nothing in the end.” The clone clenched a fist. “Damn Lusett for forcing me to live. I had a chance to die honorably, helping XCOM. And I would have had a quicker end that way. But I cannot intentionally die because of her.” Elene stared at the ruby necklace around her neck like it was poisonous.

“So none of...this mattered...to you? You would rather...die like a martyr...than to live? I truly have lost...you. How would...Lusett feel...if she heard you? What would...that Desmond guy...think? Have you even...considered...how me and Lily...would feel? How Emma...or Vee would feel?”

“It...would not matter. I would no longer exist. I would have been freed of this hell,” Elene responded coldly. “In the end, everything about us: emotions, attachments, it is all chemical process and instincts. There is no meaning to it. Life exists for no reason at all. It just does.”

Markus made his hand into a fist. “You would exist,” Markus muttered. “You...would exist...in the hearts...of those you...cared about. I like to...think that I...have lived a...good life. There may not be...a purpose to all...of this...but you know what...who the hell cares? Who cares...if there is...no meaning? You should continue...to live...for those who...care enough...to love you. They...are what make...life worth living...they…are the only reason...I need.”

So I would only exist for the sake of others. How trivial that sounds. “Whether or not that is true, it is irrelevant if we expire. For the words of the doomed mean little.”

“They sure mean...a lot to me.” Markus could feel his strength starting to waver but he held on. “Who...are...you?”

What...the hell? “Markus, what are you…”

“You...heard me. Who...are you?” Markus asked coldly.

“Subject Negative Zero, or Elene Exalt,” the clone responded clinically.

“No...don’t give me...that as an answer. Who...are...you?”

Elene looked down at a small pool of water, her reflection dimly visible in it. She slowly reached up to grasp the ruby on the silver necklace, as she had done the night after her ‘birth’. “I am...the heiress to the Exalt family and legacy. The one...who shall bring humanity into a new age.”

“Do...you know...who I am?”

“Markus Grathem. My…” Elene hesitated for a short moment. “My closest aide.”

Markus shook his head. “I...like the...compliment...but no.”

“I do not understand your meaning, then.”

“I am...just a boy from...Australia. Who has a love...for science...and a love...for soccer. I may not...be famous...my name...might not be...remembered after I...die...but that is...who I want...to be known as...I just want...to be me.”

“Then...you shall be,” Elene said quietly. “Either through your own admission, or by Emma’s testimony, should we meet our end here.”

Markus smiled and held his hand out of the bars to reach to Elene’s cell. “And you...are the one...who made all this...worth it. You...are more...than what...Lusett made you...to be. And that is...how I...choose to remember...you.”

Elene barely managed to grasp his hand through the cell. “I...acknowledge that. Now rest. If we are to endure, we will need all the energy we can muster.”

Markus chuckled and pulled his hand away, moving to go to lay down. When he did he smiled as he closed his eyes. “Now that...is the Elene I know.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Bun in the Oven

X-COM Primary Infirmary
August 9th, 2018, 0900 Hours

Jessica lightly kicked her legs back and forth, much like she had as a child whenever she went to the doctor. Despite her young age, she felt as though her childhood was so long ago. In a way, she was envious of Alexia, who got to relive what it was like to be a child, if for a short while. Meanwhile, Jessica was here to find out if she had taken one of the biggest steps one can make into adulthood.

"All right, Ms. Lockheart," a female doctor with the name Thorogood on her scrubs said as she walked through the door. "What can..."

"SSH!" Jessica jumped from the examination table and dashed towards the door, quickly closing it. "I-I don't want Ellie knowing I'm here!"

"Dr. Rinly?" The doctor tilted her head slightly. "I was under the impression you two were friends."

"We are, but..." Jessica shook her head. "She has too much on her plate right now, between all of her work, and her boyfriend. I don't want to stress her out by her finding out I... I-I might be..."

"Sick?" The doctor asked. "Everyone gets sick sometime. You should count on your friends to support you when..."

"N-No... not that." Jessica slowly sat on the examination table. "That I might... might have a..."

Thorogood raised an eyebrow. "Does this have to do with your pregnancy, Jessica? Because if you're worried she'd find out about that, I'm afraid it is in your file, so she..."

Jessica's eyes widened. "W-what? You... so I... am pregnant. But I didn't even..." She looked down at herself. "Am I showing or something?"

The doctor shook her head, looking a bit confused. "Um... a little bit, yeah, but..." She sat by one of her computers and started typing rapidly. "Well, we took a blood test when you were in her after the alien attack, and that's how we know. I'm sorry no one told you. We were all busy, and they must have figured you already knew. You... really didn't take a test or anything in all this time?"

"All this time?" Jessica scratched her head, looking more confused then the doctor. "I... I was confused why I was starting to have these symptoms already, but... b-but it's only been about two weeks. How could I..."

The doctor stopped typing, and slowly turned around, having realized where the confusion had come from. "Jessica, you're not two weeks pregnant... you're two months pregnant."

"What? No, no, we... we were using protection, and..."

Dr. Thorogood shook her head. "Hate to break it to you, honey, but those things are about 98% effective. That's close, but not quite 100%, and for someone in your condition..." Jessica gave her a worried look, and she elaborated. "When you shot yourself up with Meld to save your friend, it mostly stayed within your nervous system. That's why your senses were super-charged for a while. But it did leak into your other systems, trying to 'upgrade' them as well. Circulatory, digestive... reproductive..."

"So, what, it made me... super fertile for a while or something?" Jessica's expression turned to panic. "Oh, God, I'm not going to give birth to some... some mutant with three eyes and four arms, am I?!"

The doctor quickly shook her head. "No, no, of course not. The Meld was completely removed from your system. Neither you, nor the child, are at risk." She placed a hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Ms. Lockheart, if... if this is too hard for you, it is still the first trimester, so..."

"NO!" Jessica twisted away from the doctor and wrapped her arms around her stomach like she was protecting a precious treasure, and for her, she was. "This is my darling. My little Modya. No one can take my child from me!"

Thorogood nodded and gave Jessica a smile. Turning back to her computer, she said, "I'm going to prescribe you a nice set of vitamins and minerals to make sure you both stay nice and healthy, as well as a series of appointments. That this would happen was anticipated, so we are prepared, though you're free to be transferred off base if you wish."

The young lab tech shook her head. "No, I... I want us to be here for Modya. He now has one more thing to come safely back to, and I want him to remember that. I..." Her eyes widened. "I have to tell my... I didn't think about how she might react. She... she'll be happy to be a grandmother... right?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that one," Thorogood answered. "But if you have any medical questions..."

Jessica squirmed a bit in her seat. "Th-there is... one thing." Her face quickly started to redden. "I-is it safe for Modya and I to... you know..."

The doctor turned back to Jessica and took a moment to read her expression. Frowning, she said, "Come now, Ms. Lockheart, you have a degree in biology. Surely you learned at some point about that."

"I-I... I was just making sure!" Jessica insisted. "N-Normally it wouldn't matter to me. Or Modya... I-I think. Our relationship isn't about that. But lately, I've been feeling... r-really..."

"Firsky?" The doctor asked, and Jessica slowly nodded, her face turning beat red. "Well, a lot of women seem to lose their sex drive, but some end up getting a boost to their libido, especially early on. So I'd say go for it. It'll likely be healthier for the baby. Working on this base is stressful enough. Better you have a stress reliever then walk around getting worked up and not having someone to help you with that. Besides, the father should jump on this opportunity while he has the chance. No telling when your shifting hormones will knock the libido out of you."

Jessica nodded, squirming a bit more. "Um... o-okay. So, can I... c-can I go. I need to... t-tell Modya." The doctor nodded, suppressing a smirk, and Jessica quickly took off.

A few minutes later, she burst into the shooting range. Seeing her panting heavily and sweating profusely, Modya ran up to see what was wrong with her. Before he could say anything, Jessica latched her hand around his wrist like a vice, and yanked him out of the room, pulling him along with an unusual amount of strength. "Jessica, whats wrong? Where are we..."

"Shut up!" Jessica shouted. Her knees started to buckle, and she realized she wasn't going to make it all the way to their room. She let go of Modya and ducked into one of the shower rooms. A moment later, she rushed out with a smile. "Empty." She grabbed Modya, and yanked him inside, slamming the door behind him and shoving a chair against it.

 

[Adrammalech]

This is a collaboration between ZombieSplitter and Adrammalech.
X-COM Headquarters, Somewhere in Siberia
Engineering, MEC Lab
August 9th, 2018, 1200 Hours

Sunny typed rapidly on a pair of keyboards, doing what she could to get everything ready. Behind her was a pair of humanoid objects, one taller then the other, layed across a pair of tables. The taller one was completely cover, while the short of the two was cover over the chest and hips. It had pale white skin and a blank, featureless face, almost like an oversized, undetailed doll.

Sunny stopped for a moment, rubbing her sore wrists and resting her eyes. She sighed, and reached for a bottle of water.

Emily walked casually through the lab, a crate of random salvaged tools in her hands for redistribution elsewhere. She brightened up a bit as she saw Sunny tapping away, sneaking over quickly behind her chair. With a loud thunk, she dropped the box to her feet behind her, putting a hand on the back of her chair.

“Hi there,” Emily said with a smile.

Sunny jumped a bit, but smiled back. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Hey, Emily. You’re not working too hard, are you?”

“Nah, just a lot of sorting and moving, nothing difficult,” she replied, looking at her work and not understanding it immediately, “how about you? You look...busy.”

“Yep,” Sunny typed a few more keystrokes, and a complex device slowly started lowering over the life-size doll. “Alice had an… unexpected request. And I’m doing what I can to give it to her. She wants a bit more substance than a hologram can provide.”

“She wants a body?” Emily’s eyebrow popped up. “Is that possible?”

Sunny frowned, looking down. “Well… to be honest, not with the technology we have. I mean… I can make something of an android, a fairly complex one that could mimic a human in nearly every way. But my studies on robotics and AI having been mostly seperate, and I don’t think we can make an artificial brain that could support anything more than the most simple AI. But… I have a reason to try.”

“What’s that?”

Sunny shifted her eyes around, and whispered, “Well, the Commander doesn’t want this to get around too much before they get here and she can formally introduce them, but you know those people that fought with Central Officer Brea on that ship. Apparently they’re an defected part of EXALT that’s coming here soon, and supposedly, they have the technology I’m looking for.”

“Really...I was hoping we were ahead of them, but if they’re joining, I suppose it doesn’t make much difference. You think they’ll share it?”

“They said they would. Part of the whole trust thing. An exchange of information to show we’re willing to work with each other.” She looked at the machine sadly as a series of lasers shoot out, digging into the humanoid’s face. “And… they have to. Otherwise, all I’m doing here is making a couple of big, realistic but otherwise lifeless dolls. I… know it might be hard to understand, since she’s just an AI to everyone else, but that isn’t how I look at her.”

“I get it, actually,” Emily stated. “She helped a lot when the aliens attacked, and she’s changed a lot since this all started. If you didn’t feel like friends at the least, I’d be worried.”

Sunny nodded, smiling at Emily’s understanding. Her smile wavered a bit, and she said, “I… I never got a chance to ask you what happened with the Commander. Did you get in a lot of trouble?”

“She wasn’t crazy about the disobedience, but...whoever I was coming to help was apparently pretty important,” Emily grinned cheekily, “so she let it slide for the most part. At the end, we’re still on good terms.”

Sunny let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I-I… I know what you’ll probably say about this, but… I couldn’t stand the idea of you getting in trouble for my sake.”

“Meh, I’ve been in trouble plenty, I can handle it. I was more worried about them reassigning our rooms, but I’m glad that never crossed her mind.”

Sunny’s eyes widened a bit at that thought, but pushed it aside. As she watched the laser machine do its work, Alice materialized around the corner, having learned not to startle people by popping up in front of them. At the sight of Emily, however, her eye lit up, and she rushed forward, wrapping her holographic arms around the soldier.

 

[Adrammalech]

Emily looked a little surprised, but did her best to return the gesture, despite its awkwardness. “Well, hello there,” she said.

“Oh, Emily… I-I never got a chance to say thank you!” Following her programing, the emotional outburst led to simulated tears. “When I ran out of power, all I could do is watch the fight with the aliens, watch as Sunny was in danger and there was nothing I could do but help. But you stayed by her side the whole time! Even when you were fighting that monstrous robot, you still looked out for her. I… I can never thank you enough!”

“It’s okay,” Emily gestured for her to calm down, smiling warmly. “I owe you just as much thanks, you were there far before me. And we all just worked together, by the end...however we could.”

Alice shook her head. “I… I’m just a computer. You don’t have to thank me. I just did what I was supposed to do… protect my friend. And I failed at that. If you hadn’t come along, she probably wouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t know, she was pretty badass herself,” Emily said, putting her hand on Sunny’s shoulder comfortingly. “But I’m glad I was there to help. It was a natural decision for me too.”

“I appreciate the confidence, Emily,” Sunny responded. “But I think I’ll leave the fighting to the soldiers from now on.”

“Of course,” Emily replied, “for my sanity if nothing else.”

Having cheered up, Alice skipped over to the work table, lightly poking the large doll in the arm. “So… is this going to be me? What’s it made from?”

“A bio-mechanical compound. Once I inject you curculation fluid, it’ll have more color. You’ll be stronger than most humans, but your skin will function mostly like human skin, and will have the same consistency. So don’t be reckless. The body will, if nothing else, make you a bit more vulnerable.”

“Well, hopefully vulnerability here won’t be an concern anymore,” Emily noted, “unless you’re planning to take this somewhere…”

“I’d like to avoid it if at all possible, but…” Sunny shook her head. “Are you aware of the mission that took place the other day? That nearby base that was already attacked when we got there?”

“Dallas is usually the one who reads the reports, I just hear the secondhand. What about it?”

“I almost died…” Alice sadly continued to poke the arm of her potential body, not looking up.

Emily fidgeted, looking concerned. “I didn’t hear about that...how?”

“There are going to be times, especially now that we’re encountering more UFOs, that they’ll need a more advanced CPU then we can normally carry on some small, portable flash-drive,” Sunny explained. “But as she is now, the only way Alice can leave the base is through one of her portable holo-drones. Most of her programing needs to be in it, and it only took one shot to nearly obliterate her drone. Had Major Brea not recovered the machine’s motherboard, we would have lost Alice’s main CPU.”

“I’m sorry if this is a stupid question, but can’t you back her up somehow?” Emily asked.

“I can back up here main programing is, yes.” Sunny looked over at Alice. “I have a backup of everything I need to recreate her basic programming, most of her memories, her knowledge. But who she is, the experiences she’s gained, her… her soul… there’s only one of those, and it can’t be copied. If I had to recreate her, she’d be Alice in almost every way. But it would be no more than a clone. Less than a clone, really. At least a human clone has some substance to them. If Alice lost who she is now, inside, she’d have to work on that all over again, and it wouldn’t be the same.”

“I can see why you’d want to avoid that. But wouldn’t something like a MEC body be easier, and more hardy?”

Sunny smiled. “Yep, that’s what that one is for.” She pointed to the second, covered up droid. “The one I’m working on now will be for the base, particularly for when that one, her filed body, needs repairs. It’ll function fully on its own, and will be more for mobility then actually fighting. But in case we anticipate she’ll actually have to fight, it is designed to connect to our MEC suits, just like Amanda and the other cybernetic soldiers.”

“That’s cool, you’ll be just like us, and you get to skip the whole...arm choppy-off thing,” Emily replied awkwardly. “I hope those ex-EXALT people fulfill their end of the bargain, then.”

“Me too,” Alice agreed. Looking up at Emily, she added, “You always seem so open to everything we say. You must have had a lot of experiences to make you so open-minded.”

“I guess you could say that, I’ve certainly had an unconventional past,” she said. “This place helps with that too. The science here is all far beyond anything I thought was possible...at this point, I’m more surprised at whatever we can’t do rather than can. And so much of the scary bits winds up helping, like with Ammelia.” She paused for a moment, thinking of Nika. “I wouldn’t change myself as much as some other people are, but I don’t get too shocked about it.”

“You mean with the gene-mods and psi-lab, right? One of the engineers told me Nika was in the psi-labs now?” Sunny looked down, hiding a guilty look. “I’m… sorry, Emily. I should have told you about the abilities I had developed. Honestly, now that I think about it, I’m not sure why I didn’t. You deserved to know. All of our roommates did, but you more than the other.”

“It’s okay, you told me when it counted. If we didn’t have that back then, things might not have gone so well.”

“Well, I’m not going to keep anything else from you Emily.” Sunny looked back up. “We’re sisters now, right? And sisters don’t keep secrets.”

“That’s right,” she beamed. “Although, maybe you should tell the others about the mind thing, because I haven’t told them...never really came up.”

“I will… I promise.”

Alice let out a soft squeal of delight as the machinery finished its work, and the figure on the table now had Alice’s face. “Soon,” she whispered. “Soon, I’ll be an actual person.”

“Bah, you’re already the seventh bunkmate for our little house as far as I’m concerned,” Emily’s eyes widened a bit with realization. “And we’ll need an actual seventh bunk soon, I think.”

Alice’s eyes lit up again, and she rushed towards Emily again, once again wrapping her arms around the soldier. Emily smiled and returned the gesture again, moving to pat her back before realizing what she was doing.

“The hugs will be more fulfilling with a body, I can guarantee that,” she chuckled.

 

[Adrammalech]

This is a collaboration between Frostlich and Adrammalech.
Emily Fischer / Ammelia Cross & Mary Thomas
XCOM Headquarters - Barracks #4
Siberia, Russian Federation
August 9, 2014 - 1:15 PM

Emily strolled down the halls of her floor, a chipper grin on her face after being released from her duties in the Engineering labs. She saw Dallas and Sven by the bar as she went past, momentarily saddened by the missing Nika in the equation, still somewhere in the psionic labs she had avoided. Once she opened the door to her room, she was immediately treated to the sight of Ammelia and another girl who she didn’t know. Walking towards her bed, she gave a casual wave towards the both.

“Hey there, Ammy,” she said with a smile.

Ammelia turned away from her friend and waved back, “Emily! How was work in the labs?” She asked cheerfully, the same smile from yesterday still on her face.

“About the same as always lately, mopping, sorting...I think the techs might just be using us as maids now,” she chuckled, approaching her. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is my sister, Mary. She just joined X-com about a week ago.” Ammelia replied.

Mary gave Emily a grin, “So ‘is is ye’ roommate eh’ take et’?”

“Mmhm” Ammelia nodded.

Mary looked Emily up and down, “‘Ell it’s ‘ertainly nice te’ meet ya.’”

“Nice to meet you too,” Emily replied, returning the smile, “and welcome to the fold. They give you a specialization yet?”

Ammelia’s sister nodded, “‘Em a Gunner. ‘Ere good ‘et drilling things, most ‘eh the ‘ime it’s wit’ bullets.” She answered, snickering a little under her breath.

Ammelia blushed a little at Mary’s joke, her sex talk making her embarrassed.

“I should hope so,” Emily chuckled. “I’ve seen the size of those guns they give out, they’re no joke.”

“‘Ell eh’ guess ye’ could say I’m ‘en expert wit’ big guns then.” Mary replied, chuckling back.

“Something tells me you’ll fit in here just fine, Mary,” Emily grinned.

“‘Eh ‘ope ‘eh will fit en’!” She added, “Sey’, are ye’ doin’ anything ‘ater be’ any chance?”
Ammelia’s face turned a deeper shade of red and she tried to hide her face in her arms.

“I suppose not, but plans don’t tend to…” Emily half-turned to Ammelia. “Are you okay?”

She nodded a little, still keeping her face hidden, “Y-yeah…”

“Alrighty then,” she looked slightly concerned before continuing her thought. “Anyway, you’ll see plans don’t tend to last long on a base like this.”

“‘Ell if ye’ find ye’self free my room I’ only ‘eh ‘ew doors o’er.” She said, winking at Emily. Mary turned towards her sister and, noticing her embarrassment, chuckled a little, “Ye’ en’t ‘ave to be se’ red about ‘is ye’ know!”

“It’s a flattering proposal,” Emily smiled, scratching her head idly, “but I’m afraid I don’t bat for that team...otherwise, I would’ve given Ammy a run already,” she continued with a conspiratorial grin, nudging the blushing girl playfully.

Mary started to laugh uncontrollably, almost falling out of her seat.

Ammy retreated further into her arms, letting out a little squeal.

“Are ye’ ‘ure!?” Mary said between laughs, “‘Eh beh’ th’ princess ‘eeds someone te’ pop ‘er cherry for ‘er!”

“I… uh… uh…” Ammy tired to say something, but failed, only managing to let out a few little squeaks.

“It’s okay, we’re just messing with you,” Emily said comfortingly, hoping she would resume breathing.

Mary laid a hand on Ammy’s shoulder, “‘Eh’ts ‘elright’…”

Ammelia slowly raised her head out of her arms, her face almost glowing crimson.

“There you go,” Emily smiled warmly and gave a little chuckle. “I’ll remember to get a few drinks in you before I tease you next time.”

“You… you guys are just awful…” Ammy said with a little smile stretching across her reddened face.

“Bu’ ‘ats why ye’ love us in’nt?” Mary added, giving her sister a hug.

“Y-yea…” Ammy replied quietly.

As Ammelia’s redness began to subside, Emily took a seat in the bunk across from her, relaxing a bit.

“So, what are you two up to today? Just hanging about here?” she asked.

“We ‘er jus’ catch’in up, we hav’nt ‘alked since we ‘er little and we’ just tell’in each other ‘ories.” Mary answered, trying to nudge Ammy to lift her head up. After a few seconds, Ammelia sat up straight again and brushed some stray strands of her hair back into place.

“Oh, I didn’t know it had been so long,” Emily replied, “it must be nice to see each other now, with what’s going on and all.”

“W-we thought we hated each other for such a long time, then we found out it was just a bunch of misunderstandings and grudges we just kept over the years... “ Ammelia spoke up, “I’m so glad to have a sister that loves me, even if she didn’t really grow up with me.”

“We ‘er ‘ust petty ‘ids be’in petty ‘ids. We ‘ouldn’t ‘a carried ‘at pettiness inte’ adulthood…” Mary added, agreeing with her sister.

“It’s good that you worked it out, some people carry that with them longer, and life’s too short for that,” Emily shook her head and trailed off. After a moment, she snapped back. “But things have a way of working out, especially in times like these.”

“Buniq’s been rescued, I find out my sisters don’t hate me like I thought they did, and actially want to see me. I just hope things keep working out like this… but I have a bad feeling this war is far from over.” Ammelia explained with a hint of somberness in her voice.

Mary looked over to her sister, “Buniq?” she confirmed, making it sound like Bunni, “Wa’ she ‘at friend eh’ yours ye’ said th’ aliens took?”

“Mmhm” Ammy nodded, “But my father saved her from one of their bases, she should be back anytime now.”

“May’ he’s eh’ ‘etter dad than meh’ jealousy ‘ade ‘im out te’ be.” Mary replied, letting out a small sigh.

“Your dad works with the ex-EXALT people?” Emily asked, perking up a bit. “I didn’t know that. He’s the one that made your sight possible, right?”

“Yeah, I only found out he was working with them recently. I trust my father’s instincts, if he thinks they’re trustworthy enough to work with, then we have nothing to fear. Also, they went far out of their way to save my friend… If that’s not a sign that they want to help us I don’t know what is.” Ammelia replied.

“It is, and if anything, it’s comforting to know,” Emily sighed. “I know Sunny will be working with them, so knowing they have someone honorable around them puts my mind at ease.”

“It makes me wonder if my Dad plans to come to the base with them. Although, I imagine someone will need to run the business while he’s gone and I doubt he would trust a task like that to his secretary” The sniper explained.

“I imagine they’ll bring everyone, if only to shake hands...they are taking quite a leap by coming here,” Emily said, her curious expression swapping with a smile. “Who knows, maybe you’ll get to see him for a while.”

“I’d like that… It’s been months since I’ve seen his face…” Ammy sighed a little, but then smiled, reminding herself that she’ll see him again soon.

Mary sat quietly in her chair, listening to the conversation before her. She didn’t feel like to had anything relevant to add, not knowing her sister’s father well enough to even form a comment.

“I hope you get to,” Emily replied with a smile before looking quickly between the two. “Say, what do you two say to some drinks and pool? We can celebrate all your impending reunions at once. I know our other roomies are already there.”

“Ell yeah! I’m ‘own fe’ drinks!” Mary said, almost springing from her chair at the word.

Ammy smiled, “I can’t really play pool, because of the colors, so I guess I can just watch.”

“‘Eh, Emily, ‘aybe we can get th’ princess ‘ere ‘er first drink? What’d ye’ say?” She turned to face Ammy.

“I… I’m not so sure... “ Ammelia said hesitantly.

“If she wants,” Emily added, “there’s no shame in taking a good juice instead.”

“Yeah… I’d prefer that.”

“‘Eh, ‘ell. Th’ two a’ us ’il get was’ed en!” Mary said, motioning to the door.

Emily smiled and hopped to her feet.