RP XCOM: The Story of Defiance.

[MarineAvenger]

Somewhere in the middle of Siberia
0600 hours local time


Elizabeth was on her way. She was excited to be finally putting her skills to work but there was still a melancholy feeling of her. "If only Uncle Lyle could see me now." She thought to herself. She huddled into her winter coat pulling her legs up to her face, holding them and laying her chin in between her knees. She closed her eyes and dozed off. She dreamed about the past a lot these past few days. She thought about her mother and the stories Uncle Lyle used to tell her about her mother's antics as a child. He once told her that she was like his sister in so many ways, right down to whenever she would be stubborn she curled her bottom lip under her upper and would sit there until Lyle would tickle her into submission. That was the thing about him she loved most. He didn't act like a father or that she was ever a burden to him, he would always hold her and sing her fears away or sit with her and kiss her knee whenever she scraped it. He was more than the world to her, and now he was gone.

She remembered the first Christmas she had spent with him in Sweden. It had been a freezing winter and that day the power went out at their house. So what he did was he got candles and burned them and he had given her the presents in the candle light. It wasn't much but what she got was an original Gameboy in all it's gray, blocky, glory with a Mario game. She had at one time thought it was stupid, but her uncle explained to her, "Look beyond the outside and see what the object really holds only then will you know the true worth of something." So he left her sitting there in the candle light sitting with the game in her hand. At first she didn't understand what he meant but the she turned it over and looked on the back. There scratched into it was a little message that had looked like it was mad with a pocket knife. To my little sister, I hope you get as much fun out of it as I did. It was that moment she realized her grand mistake. This object that she thought was a piece of junk was something that her mother had been given from her brother. Teary eyed, she ran upstairs and moved to her uncle's room. He was sitting on the bed holding a picture of him holding a girl and when he saw her she ran towards him and jumped into his arms bawling like a little baby. "I had once given that to my little sister in hopes that she would have as much fun as I had, and now that she is gone it was time to pass it on to someone else." Still crying she hugged him even tighter, "If you are ever in a situation where you are sad and need a pick-me-up," He took the game and turned it on playing the Mario game that had been inside, "Just play this and remember that I am always here for you Rin."

Elizabeth woke with a start, realizing that she was still on the VTOL-type aircraft. "Rin...he was the first person to only call me that." Asking how much longer it would be the man in the cockpit estimated another hour s she passed the time the only way she knew how. So she reached into her bag pulled out the game device and started playing Mario, the sad feeling she had felt slowly started to slip away...with a smile on her face.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “You Scratch My Back…”

Morrigan looks over her reviews of soldier activity and morale. As she comes across the sheet labeled Van Dam, she immediately grabs her bottle of whiskey and takes a hearty swig. She notices that her incident reports are significantly down, and is shocked to see Shen made no complaint when Scarlet visited Engineering. However, she frowns when she sees Scarlet had a mild confrontation with Ammelia in the mess.

"Knew I should have told her to stay away from her completely." Glancing at another paper on her desk, she hits the intercom and says, "Peg, can you get Ms. Atka...I can't pronounce...there's only one Atka. Can you get her for me?"

"Right away, Commander."

After about ten or fifteen minutes, the Inuit woman walks into the Commander's office, looking a bit out of breath with a bit of sweat on her forehead and neck. Atka takes a deep breath, and then asks, "You asked for me, sir?"

Morrigan raises an eyebrow. "Thanks fer getting her so quick, lass. I hope I didn't interupt anythin' important."

“Not at all. I was just working out in the gym, nothing that can't wait," Atka replies, sitting down. She is dressed in more proper clothes, probably having changed quickly.

"Well, your quite dependable. I like that." She pulls a water bottle from her desk and places it in front of Atka. "So how are ya doin', dear?"

"Alright, though things are getting a little frustrating, not having anything to do. Modya was right about that..." She drinks gratefully. "That was awhile ago though, he's been sulking lately for some reason." She puts down the drink. "I doubt that's really relevant to what you needed, though."

"Maybe not, but I like to know how my people are feeling." Morrigan taps her fingers together, looking for the right words. Finally, she asks, "Do you...know someone named Lilith...or rather Scarlet Van Dam?"

"I don't know her, but I've heard a lot about her...and I know a lot of people have strong feelings about that particular person," Atka answers readily.

"And me." Morrigan scratches her head. "Be honest, off the record. How unpopular has Van Dam made me?"

"Modya was a bit trigger happy about her...and I've heard a lot of angry voices...I don't think it’s doing wonders for your image. Personally, I support whatever you're trying to do...as long as it doesn't threaten my fellow soldiers," Atka says, a look of concern on her face. "I assume it has to do with combat skill rather than...social skills she possesses."

Morrigan grabs a piece of paper and writes on it. As she does, she says, "I'm afraid it doesn't matter how well she can socialize. She can fight, and fight well, and that is what is important." She slips the paper if front of Atka. It reads, 'Be a dear and pull the plug by your right foot out of it's socket. With your foot, and without making it obvious.'

What in the world...? Atka pauses for a moment in brief confusion, but then reaches around with her foot, eventually finding the plug in question. She presses her heel against it, and it comes out of the socket with a quiet 'fump.'

Morrigan smiles. "Ya know, they say they want to record my meetings for my safety, but I know it's really to make sure I don't speak too harshly of them." She gives Atka a pleading look. "Dear, believe me, I know the danger Scarlet brings with her, and I'd boot her out if they'd let me, but they say I've chosen too many inexperienced soldiers, and Scarlet is needed to balance it out."

"...are you saying the council are the ones keeping her in?" Atka says, allowing herself to show a decent amount of anger. "This is the worst sort of time to be dealing with this sort of bureaucracy..." she sighs in frustration, recomposing herself. "This has something to do with me specifically, then? What you needed, I mean," she asks finally.

Morrigan nods her head. "Now, please, don't get me wrong. I believe everyone deserves a second chance, and Scarlet has shown improvement. And if she learns to play ball, then good on her. But I need to know she actually means it, and it isn't just a show during her down time. I need to test her on the field, but I can't send her out there unless she's being watched by someone I can trust." Morrigan leans forward and cups Atka's hands. "And I trust you, dear."

Atka seems surprised. "T-thank you..." She is quiet for a few brief seconds. "So you want me to keep an eye on her at base and in the field?"

Morrigan shakes her head. "Keeping an eye on her won't be enough. I need someone to test and see if she can follow orders. Again, someone I can trust." She smirks. "Up for a challenge?"

Morrigan shakes her head. "Keeping an eye on her won't be enough. I need someone to test and see if she can follow orders. Again, someone I can trust." She smirks. "Up for a challenge?"

"Like I said, I haven't had much to do lately. I am absolutely up for a challenge," Atka responds without skipping a beat.

"Good on ya." Morrigan swings her computer forward, and starts typing on it. "Now, if your going to Command a mission, we can't have you out-ranked by the others. So I'll need to promote ya to an acting Specialist. Come back from your next mission, and you'll keep the title. Sound fair?"

Atka nods. "I'm very grateful for that...I usually act as a forward scout, so that might be an ideal role for me, though I understand Scarlet is a scout as well."

"And that's exactly why I need ya to be a scout too." Morrigan finishes typing and turns back to Atka. "With your training, you were probably going to be one anyway, and this way, you can stay close to her." Morrigan shrugs. "Besides, the only thing she seems to respect is boldness and courage. Seein' you on the front lines with her might impress her enough to follow orders."

"Understood. I'll do my best to get her to behave like a soldier should, rather than a mercenary." Atka sighs. How do I word this... "Commander, if you haven't already considered it, do you have a backup plan if she becomes dangerous or uncontrollable on the next mission? I have heard that she started senselessly beating on a sectoid at the end of her last mission...though I'm not sure if that's true or not."

Morrigan taps her fingers anxiously, not wanting to answer the question the only way it can be answered. Finally, in a low voice, she says, "She's been told to control herself. And we not only need those aliens in relatively one piece, but it sets a terrible example for the others, and makes me look the fool in front of the Council. If she does it again, order her to stop. If she doesn't listen..." Morrigan leans forward, her face dead serious. "...make her stop, however you need to. And that goes double if she does anything to threaten the team."

Atka nods. "I hope to God it doesn't come to that...I have no desire to kill someone on our side, regardless of how they are behaving...but I will not let harm come to others under my command, not from one of my own, most certainly. I have not forgotten my promise to you to do my best here."

"I know dear...and I feel the same way." Morrigan sighs. She clears her throught. "At any rate, I don't know when the next mission for her will come up, and you have some scout-training to attend to."

"Understood, sir. If you need anything else don't hesitate to ask...and should I fix the plug?" she asks with a bit of an amused smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Morrigan chuckles, then laughs loudly. "No, I'll 'find' it unplugged in a bot. Unfortunately, it's not a trick I can use often." She gives Morrigan a pleasant smile. "I don't like doing this, putting this much pressure on your shoulders. But aside from my senior staff, you're one of less then a dozen of soldiers, techs, and staff I know I can trust. And I might get close to my people, but that doesn't mean I give my full trust out easily."

"I appreciate that, Commander. I really do...it's not often that someone puts this much faith in my abilities," Atka responds sincerely.

"I'm sure you'll do me proud." Morrigan sits back. "Off with ya, then. And good luck."

Atka gives her a nod and a reassuring smile, and then heads back.

 

[Zain Shah]

This is a collaboration between Zain Shah as Madison Wheeler and DarkGemini24601 as Atka Ipiktok

May 14th, 6:00 A.M. Local Time, just after Operation


As Madison steps out of the debriefing room, she is met by a familiar face. Atka walks up to her. “How’d it go, Madison?” she asks, having a certain husky with her that looked happy to see Madison as well.


Madison slightly out of breath says “That was awesome! Getting to shoot those little bollocks-for-heads felt amazing.” Madison calmed down a bit “We did have a casualty.” Madison looks towards the burned body of the squad leader as he gets wheeled into the infirmary.


“At least he’s alive...it’s definitely a step up from Devil’s Moon. Well done.” Atka smiles. “I hope I can handle my first mission against these siquttipaa as well as you did.”


“We had lots of troops on this one so mistakes didn’t really cost us.” Madison pets Taqukaq “So how have you two been since I’ve been gone?”


“I’ve been good...bored, maybe, but I have been playing pool with Modya to pass the time. Keep losing to him, though,” Atka replies, looking a bit miffed.


“At least you’re making some new friends. I haven’t even talked to another human being besides you on the base yet but I guess that’s military life in a nutshell for you.” Madison undoes her ponytail and shakes her head.


“You could probably try talking to Ammelia Cross. I’ve heard she’s pretty friendly,” Atka says. “Do you plan on heading back to the room?”


“I definitely need to lie down and relax after that.” Madison stretches her arms.


“Should I leave you to it, then?” Atka says, yawning a bit, as it’s still early.


“We could head out to the shooting range instead.” Madison says energetically, a sudden burst of energy coming from her. “I could use the extra practice after the mission and you need to get ready for your first mission as well.”

Atka seems a bit surprised, but nods. “If you’re up for it, then sure. I’ll meet up with you there after I take Taq back to our room.”


Madison smiles at Atka and Taqukaq and heads towards the shooting range. After five minutes, she walks into an empty shooting range and picks up the one of the assault rifles on the rack. She walks over to where the targets are and immediately empties an entire clip into a single practice dummy.


It is not long before Atka enters as well, a marksman’s rifle slung over her back. She looks at the target with an eyebrow raised. “I see you’ve already started.”


“Sorry, couldn’t resist after a mission where you have to choose your shots carefully.” Madison observes Atka’s rifle “I see you prefer a more accurate rifle.”


“I know how to use the regular-issue ones, but this one does more damage in addition to it’s accuracy.” She sets up, aiming at a fresh target, and fires at its head, hitting the side of her target location on the dummy.


Madison walks over to the rack and picks up a gun more reminiscent of a LMG “I prefer to shower my victim with bullets, some of them are bound to hit my target.” Madison shoots at the same target, resulting in bullet holes all around the target as well as a few hitting the bullseye.


“I think you’ll do well with suppressing targets, then,” Atka says, while grabbing a normal rifle to make sure she can still use that effectively.


“What about a little shooting contest to get you prepared for your mission?” Madison once again changes her gun back to one similar to Atka’s.

“What do you have in mind?” she asks, curious.


“A little game called “Shoot the sectoid”.” Madison searches through the dummies to find two sectoid shaped dummy, putting them onto the shooting range. Madison explains “We get a clip each and we have to see who can nail the most in the target on the sectoid’s head.”


“Very well then…” Atka kneels down, steadying her rifle, and would take measured shots at the ‘sectoid’, rather than the rapid firing Madison uses.


“I guess I’ll start.” Madison lines up her rifle slightly below the target, knowing the recoil would push it up. She holds down the trigger and unleashes a flurry of bullets at sectoid’s head, controlling the weapon’s recoil as best as she can. Once the clip finishes, she takes a deep breath and says “You take your shots then we’ll see who did better.”


Atka opens fire, controlling her recoil and taking precise shots at the sectoid, firing a little quicker than she’s used to, but would hit more than Madison most likely. “Now...in terms of time you probably hit more than me, but I’m more about accuracy than spread. Not unless I’m using one of those sawed-offs.”


“I guess I sorta put myself up to lose against an opponent with better aim.” Madison walks over to her dummy and sees about half of the bullet holes inside the target area.


Atka checks hers, which has somewhere between ⅗ and ⅘ of her bullets taken. “Just keep in mind that with lanky enemies like the Thin Men spray isn’t going to be as important when they’re not taking cover, but when they’re moving...that’s when you light them up.”


“I guess but I think I’ll be spending more time in here.” Madison lets out a small yawn.


“I’m not saying you’re a bad shot, though. You’re better than a lot of other people here,” Atka affirms. “I think I’ll head back for now, see you around.”


Madison returns a smile and heads back to their room to get some sleep.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Collaboration between MarineAvenger (Elizabeth Rinly) & ZombieSplitter53 (Alexia Lockheart)

Someone to Relate to: Part One

Alexia took an offensive stance before the training dummy, and sent a quick jab to its chest, followed by another, then a quick upper cut. Not one to be pushed around, Alexia took her exercising serious, not only for health reasons, but for defense as well. She knew her self-taught fighting skills couldn't hold a candle to most of the trained soldiers on base, but at least she could defend herself against your everyday street punk.

Taking a moment to grab a drink of water, she noticed a group of half a dozen men that seemed to be doing nothing but watching her. She looked into the full length mirror to her side. She wore small pads on her elbows and knees, solid black gym shoes, and a bright red headband. She was dressed in a tight pair of shorts that went halfway down to her knees, and a loose fitting white tank top over a black sports bra.

Realizing her attire left little to the imagination, Alexia smirked. Jessica always complained that Alexia lacked proper modesty, and Alexia had always been a glutton for attention. Turning to the group, she asked, "Ya like what you see, boys?" A few of the men nodded while the rest simply watched like horny school boys.

Now wanting to show off a bit, Alexia waltzed over to the punching bag, and stared hitting it with a series of jabs, slow at first, then faster and faster. As entertained by the men watching her as they were, Alexia barely thought about what she was doing. She jumped back, a brought her leg up for a round-house kick. As her rapidly moving leg approached the bag, she had the sudden thought that this bag felt more solid then it did when she first got on base. Realizing too late that the bag was brand new, her leg connected.

Alexia slowly put her leg down, not surprised when she buckled to the floor. Pointing to one of the men, she shouted, "You. Infirmary. Now!"

Several minutes later, the soldier walked into the infirmary, Alexia on his back. "Hey!" She smacked him on the back of the head. "Watch those hands!" He carefully put her in a chair, and took his leave, flashing a smile as he went.

Elizabeth was still just getting accustomed to the base, but it was the first day of work. So she got out of her bunk and got ready, since her sleep attire usually consists of underwear and a loose T-shirt. Getting up in her normal work attire, she headed out towards the Medical Ward. You wouldn't know it by looking at it, but the base was surprisingly awake during the morning. Soldiers were hard at work or eating in the mess hall, scientists were researching away, and engineers running from place to place trying to keep things up and running. Finally arriving, Elizabeth greets some of her coworkers and sits down in her little exam room, calling in her first patient.

Alexia slowly walks in. Proud, she tries her best not to limp. As she jumps onto the examination table, she says, "Hey, doc. I was hoping you could help me with a tiny problem."

Elizabeth looks over to the soldier sitting on the exam table. "A small problem? From the limp you came in here with, I would suspect more than a slight problem. How did you hurt your leg?"

"I, uh...had a disagreement with a punching bag. I called him soft, and he said 'prove it'. Guess I was wrong." Alexia smiles to hide her embarrassment.

"Well, that's not good. I hope he apologized afterwards." Elizabeth giggles with the girl in front of her. "So, were you training for combat?"

"Combat training? No." Alexia can't help but smirk at the flattery, however unintentional. "I just work in the labs. But a girl needs to stay in shape, right?"

Elizabeth's face reddens a bit. "Oh yeah... um, sorry for the misunderstanding, uhh..." Elizabeth quickly dashes out the door to grab the file that was in the bin, and jumped back into her seat, opening the file and skimming the top three lines, "...Alexia? That is a real pretty name."

"Thank you." Alexia beams, again happy for the attention. "What was your name?"

"Let me check." She looks down at her name tag in a playful mood, "It says I am Dr. Elizabeth Rinly, but that is too formal, so just call me Ellie." Elizabeth looks at the girl again with a less than playful look and more of a I am sorry for what I am about to do look, and presses down on Alexia's leg...

Alexia lets out a cry of anguish. She gives Ellie a look of one about to curse up a storm, but can only manage, "Ouchy."

"Well, it isn't broken or fractured, but you might have a sprain. Let me just wrap it up, and try to stay off of it if you can." She gets up, walking over to the cabinet, and grabbing some ointment, a gauze roll, and some tape. She sits back down and starts humming along to the tune of "Drunken Sailor" as she put ointment on the girl's leg. "So you must get a lot of suitors wearing something like that to the gym."

Alexia laughs. "Yeah, maybe. But I might be a little flirty, but my body is a temple and all that jazz." She grins maliciously. "Besides, you're the one with the sexy doctor thing goin' for you. I bet you're slapping boys hands away with a stethoscope all the time."

Elizabeth lights up, her face a dark crimson. "No no no no no, I don't... um, I mean... uh..." She was just babbling now, but she had never been in a situation like this, "I don't usually catch anyone's eye." She fixes the glasses she is wearing. She would have wore her purple contacts, but she had to wait for them to get in.

"And modest too," Alexia says. She places a hand on Ellie's shoulder and adds, "Don't sell yourself short. If I was a dude, or I swung that way, I'd totally be telling you how your eyes sparkle like space crystals, or some such bullshit." Alexia bites her lip, realizing too late that she was embarrassing Ellie.

Elizabeth huddles up into her chair, and buries her head in her knees. Alexia starts feeling like she took things to far until Elizabeth starts bursting out laughing. "I have never had a friend quite like you before, Alexia. You sure are straight forward." She wipes the tears from her eyes from laughing too hard, and asks with a mischievous smile on her face, "Are you free tonight, Alexia?"

Alexia starts to answer, then stops to remember if Jessica works or not. Remembering that she doesn't, Alexia says, "Yeah, I am. And please call me Alex. I don't have many friends myself, but the few I do have call my Alex."

"Okay then, Alex, why don't we just hang out tonight. It is only my second day here, and I don't know a lot of people." Elizabeth was intrigued at the prospect of actually hanging out with someone on base.

Alexia nods. "Sounds like fun. You wanna go to the rec-room? Or just hang out in one of our rooms?"

"Well, do you drink yet, Alex? I was wondering if we could head to the bar." Truth was, Ellie just wanted something to take her mind off her uncle and have a good time, and there was a pool table she wanted to use. "I have never had a drink before."

Alex shrugs. "Sure, sounds like fun. But just so you know, I've never had a drink either." Not completely true, but technically, Jessica had the drinks before, and all Alexia got was the hangover. "But I'd like someone who can watch my back. Just as long as you promise not to have your way with me if I have a bit too much."

Elizabeth, startled at the statement, once more lights up and accidentally squeezes Alex's leg while she is finishing bandaging it. Alex lets out a high pitched scream. "Damn, girl." Alexia smiles through gritting teeth. "I deserved that, but ouch."

Elizabeth grins. "Sorry, anyway, your leg should be good, the ointment is homemade so it works really fast." She helps Alexia up and helps her get a feel for the weight on her leg. "So I will see you tonight then?"

"You bet," Alexia answers, feeling out her leg and smiling at the results. As she takes her leave, she says over her shoulder, "Can't wait."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

You're lucky you made a new friend. Or else you'd be grounded for messing our leg up.

Yeah, whatever, mom. Says the girl who intoxicated our body without telling me. At least you get a heads up.

Alexia cautiously walks into the rec-room. Though she was too proud to admit it, it was usually Jessica who made friends, and she was a little nervous to hang out with one of her own.

Elizabeth had no idea how to act. She was standing in front of her mirror practicing small talk, but she was never that good at it. She was more into lectures or long drawn out discussion. Doing things quickly was a pet peeve to hers; she liked things slow and methodical. So she walks out out of her room and heads towards the rec. That night she had the usual denim jacket over white button up, jeans, dark brown knee boots, and her flat cap, all complimented by her loose black hair and new purple contact lenses. She finally arrived looking around for Alex.

Comparing Ellie's attire to her own simple pair of black slacks and AC/DC shirt, Alexia wonders for a moment if she's under dressed, but her attention is then drawn elsewhere. "Were your...eyes purple before?"

"What...oh, no, no these are contacts, don't worry." Ellie smiles at her companion for the night, "You look even better casual Alex."

Alex blushes. "S...stop, your...you look better, anyway. I just look like I rolled outta bed and...do you...want to get a drink." Alexia turns away, used to embarrassing others, not being embarrassed herself.

Elizabeth smiles at the prospect that she's in control now. "Yeah, sure, I wonder if they have spiced rum?" She had never tried it, but she heard it was strong. "You hungry?" She asked picking at the bowl of assorted nuts.

"Thanks." Alexia takes a small amount and glances at the bottles behind the bar. "I think the one with the pirate is spiced rum."

"Hmm, that would make sense." Elizabeth calls to the bartender and tells him which bottle. Taking out two glasses and ice, he pours the drinks and leaves the bottle. Both Elizabeth and Alexia take a glass, and Elizabeth announces, "To poor judgement!" She downs the whole glass in one swig. It was a burning mixture of sweet and spicy.

Not wanting to be showed up, Alexia mimics her new friend. Emptying her glass, Alexia tries to act tough for about two seconds, then lets out a series of coughs.

I can't believe you did that!

Di...dinit you...

No! I took shots!

I think I'm gonna die...

"Ha ha ha ha ha." After a series of laughter, Elizabeth startes to hiccup. "Hic hic hic." According to normal standards, the two girls are probably lightweights. "Well <hic> that is <hic> some strong stuff."

Alexia continues to cough for a moment, then mutters, "I-I d...don't know what your...you're talking about.....t-tasted like water to me."

"Maybe some <hic> water is what you <hic> need. I think <hic> I will have some <hic> more." How did it go, if you are scared enough, hiccups go away? Well, this was definitely scary.

"Me...too...b-but I think I'll drink...a tad slower." Alexia carefully refills the two glasses. As she lifts her drink, she says, "Ya know Ellie...y-your alright. I hate to admidit...but I don't make friends easenly. D-don't get out much, ya could say." Alexia drinks a bit slower, but still makes the face of someone swallowing fire.

Elizabeth takes the glass away from Alexia in order to get her to stop, putting down her own glass as well. She calls for a couple of waters to the guy behind the counter, and they both chug down the water. "Huh......much......better."

Alexia nods. "W-well, I'm glad...one of us...has some sense."

Tell me about it.

You b-be quiet, hyp...hypocrite.

"Well now that is probably one of the most awesome things I have ever done!" Elizabeth was feeling as giddy as a college girl, though that was mostly due to the alcohol. "I have to thank you for this Alex, I could kiss you..." After a second pause and a look at Alexia's face, Elizabeth turns red once more.

Alexia cracks up. "I-I cood...c-could do the same...a-and I'm not even...n-not that I have a problem with..." Alexia's face starts to match Ellie's in color.

Aha...uuuuhh, Alex? I think you should call it a night.

I-I s-said be quiet...w-weird voices in my brain...I'm just havin' fun...wit my best friend...

"Well, now that we are officially drunk, why don't we do something else fun tonight?" Elizabeth asks.

Alexia smiles. "What...d-did ya have i-in mind...b-bud?"

"I dunno, I am too drunk to think." Elizabeth feels ecstatic and crap at the same time, and that makes her wonder if she would even remember tonight. "We could just hang in one of our rooms tonight.."

Alexia frowns. "Can we go t-to your room. M-my roommate is weird. Like...like...super weird."

"Sure, why not." So the girls got up and head to Elizabeth's room, stumbling through the halls while they were still drunk. Finally, they arrive at the Ellie's room.

Opening the door, Alexia is taken aback by how neat the room is. The bed is neatly made on one side, the closet all spiffy on the other. Alexia walks up to the closet and asks, "Why do you have so much of the same clothes?"

Elizabeth looks over to the girl, collapsing in her computer chair near a desk at one end of the room. "Cause it makes it easier to decide, why else." She says with the cuteness of a preschool girl.

"I guess that make sense." Alexia lays on the bed. "It's so nice in here. My room is such a mess."

That's cause you're a slob, drunky.

"I am not," Alexia mumbles out loud.

Elizabeth hears the last comment, but just brushes over it. "So what is your story Alex."

Alexia, don't you dare...

"I'm the non-dominant personality of someone with disassociated identity disorder," Alexia says nonchalantly. "This bed is really comfortable!"

"Wait, what did you say?"

Alexia looks up for a second. " The non-dominant personality of someone with disassociated identity disorder, didn't you hear me before?"

Elizabeth's eyes widen, and she jumps up onto Alexia and pins her down, her hands on Alexia's shoulders and her face getting a few inches from Alexia's face, "That is SO cool, Alex!"

Alexia raises an eyebrow. "You...you think so?" If she notices she's pinned down, she doesn't care. "Most people call me...well, us, a freak."

"What are you talking about? That makes you one of the single coolest people here. I am kind of jealous. You are never alone. It is like having a sister with you all the time...wait, it is a sister, right?"

Alexia laughs loudly. "Now that would be weird, huh? But yeah, we're both girls." She tilts her head slightly. "Your a special kind of person. So nice, so understanding. Or...is it the booze talking?"

Elizabeth shrugs. "Probably both honestly." She finally rolls off Alexia and lays next to her friend. "You know, you are the first person I have ever had a relationship like this with." She looks over to Alexia and holds her hand, "Thanks for this, truly."

Through slightly droopy eyes, Alexia looks into Ellie's. "I should be thanking you. You'd think with the two of us, me and my sister, I mean, we'd never be lonely, but the way people react when the find out..." She smiles. "I guess what I mean is...I'm glad I hurt my leg today."

"Yeah, I am too, maybe I will meet your other half sometime, too, but I am too tired to continue. You crashing here tonight?"

Alexia yawns. "Well, I hate to...impose..." She closes her eyes. Squeezing Ellie's hand, she mumbles, "But if you don't...mind..." Her grip softens, and her breathing slows as she drifts off, the smile still on her face.

 

[Dahlexpert]

Warning the fallowing is for a mature audience.

The birth of Scarlet
Las Vegas Nevada 2004

Lilith is in a hotel room, getting her "World rocked" after the business is over Lilith puts on her close.

All right buddy that will be 475 dollars.

I thought it was 400 dollars, what's the extra 75 dollars for.

The extra 75 dollars is for releasing your load inside me you bastard, PAY UP. The client pays scarlet 475 dollars.

Thank you for your business, now beat it I have other clients to deal with, Lilith's client leaves the room and Lilith goes to the bath room to clean her self up.

Fucking bastards, I'm not a cum dumpster,I keep telling these people that and they keep cumming inside me any way, fucking pricks Lilith turns on the shower and takes off her close. I need to get this crap out of me. Lilith starts to scrubber self. A little voice starts whispering around the room.

Why the hell are you doing this.

What who is saying that, were are you. Lilith open the curtens and sees her self. Why are you accepting this you hate doing this you hate being a slab of meet you despise being a sex toy made flesh, why do you keep doing this.

You again I thought you were goon, god damn therapies.

No amount of therapy will get rid of me pig, As long as you have this anger and bitterness and need to escape this life I will be there.

Stay away from me if I wanted out ill get out my self now leave, Lilith throws a shampoo battle at the alternet version of her self and breaks the bath rooms glass mirror.

Damn ghost. Lilith finish her shower and leaves the hotel.

Scarlet heads to her place of business and pays her boss the 400 dollars from the client.

Her boss that's 3,000 tonight can I go home now.

Not just yet girly I have one more client for you.

What I payed you my nightly dues, 3,000 dollars my job is done.

Lilith's boss slaps her in the face, Your job is done when I say it's done and this is a very special job. Lilith's boss takes the 75 dollars that fell out of Lilith's pocket. you see you still haven't learned to respect how things are done here butch get out here.

Lilith's boos goons pick up Lilith and ties her to a wall, Lilith struggles trying to get free.

Butch this worth less hore tried stealing money from me, give her 25 lashes and bring in her mother to see this.

Lilith's mom walks into the room and sees Lilith tied up. Did Lilith steal money again.

Yep your daughter held 75 dollars from me, you no what that means, lashes yep and I want you to see this.

Lilith's mom looks at Lilith with disappointment as she see her daughter take 25 lashes to her back and front. Ok that's enough don't want her to Scared up. Lilith's boos goons release Lilith from her bonds.


Lilith bold her fist in anger, And charges her boss. You worthless scum Lilith punches her boss in the face and drops him to the ground.

Lilith get's on top of her boss and continues to punch him, DIE DIE DIE YOU WORTHLESS LUMP OF MEAT DIE!

One of the goons kicks Lilith in her eye, knocking her on her back.

You worthless bitch the goons stark kicking Lilith in her gut and stomping on her. How fucking dare you you worthless slut.

Who do you think you are, Enough The goons quit mugging Lilith.

I see we have a broken piece of property here, and you no what we do to a broken tool right boys. Lilith' boss pulls out a gun and shoots Lilith in her leg.

Lilith cry's in agony and start's to crawl away, Lilith get's shot in her back.

See we can't have people running around her with free will and you well you are just a nobody and no one will miss a prostitute. lilith get's shot in the back, and stops moving.

Get this piece of trash out of here.

The goons drag Lilith's body out side and through's her in the street.

 

[Adrammalech]

// ROLLING OUT //
This is a collaboration between Adrammalech, Frostlich1228, and ZombieSplitter53.
Emily Fischer / Ammelia Cross / Sunny Randolph
X-COM Headquarters
Siberia, Russian Federation
1:42 AM

Emily felt like she was shocked awake, a loud and obnoxious alarm blaring from all sides of the room.

“The following persons are to report to the Situation Room A.S.A.P.: Stewart, Jack; Campbell, William; Cross, Ammelia...”

“We get it!” yelled Billy as some object flew from a bed and clattered against the intercom in the room.

“Orlov, Nika; Fischer, Amelia. The following persons are to report to Engineering A.S.A.P.: Randolph, Sonya.” The alarm finally subsided, but a light in the corner continued to strobe, just to be irritating.

Emily sprung to her feet and walked out of the room to see six large military duffels sitting on the ground. Each of them is marked with a name, and a note that says “Situation room within 5 minutes - Do not trade gear.” She grabs a hold of hers and pulls it inside.

“There’s equipment outside, everyone.”

Sunny turns away from her computer to watch everyone file out of the room. “G...good luck,” she whispers, too nervous to speak up. Once Rick got there, however, she’d be on her way to engineering to join them in her own way.

Emily waved sincerely to her. Everyone got their bags and brought them inside, commenting on their armor and weapons. Nika seemed pleased, but Dallas scowled at a shotgun with only one practical shot. Billy grinned widely, protecting his bag like a kid trying to hide a Christmas present.

Emily pulled out her short and slim assault carbine, looking quite pleased with it. A manual inside said it would be easier to aim and maneuver than a normal rifle. She looked around at everyone getting ready, wondering if now was a time for chit-chat. She looked at Ammelia who was checking out a couple of small automatic guns.

“Nervous?” she asked.

“Of course,” Ammelia replies, “People are going to be shooting at us in a few hours…”

“A fair point,” Emily said worriedly, shrugging her shoulderpads around her neck.

With their gear on, they ran through the common areas into the Situation Room. The giant glowing blue globe beamed down at them, a large blip flashing menacingly over Japan. One of the officers pointed to the lift, the one Emily was brought on when she first came here. One lift ride and a few passages later, they wound up in a large bay with a massive plane in it. Several other soldiers were already there.

“Ok, soldiers,” the officer shouted, “Welcome to Operation Averted Devastation. Today we’ll be dropping into a subway station in Japan. There’s a bomb somewhere in the station and you’ll be broken up into three task groups searching for it. Central will be in touch to provide you with tactical information as you proceed. The three squad leaders will be as follows: Clark, Isaac; Townsend, Devin; Stewart, Jack. You may pick your squads if you must but it is highly recommended you take the men and women from your barracks.”

“All agreed?” Dallas asked.

Ammelia looks over to him and nods. Everyone else gave the same assuring nod.

“Is everyone present and ready?” the officer shouted.

“Sir, yessir!” the soldiers shouted in unison.

They all filed into the plane, a massive cargo-bay looking room with seats just for the soldiers. The giant metal door of the bay shut as the last soldier got inside, a loud bang rumbling through the walls. The soldiers all quietly looked at each other nervously, most of them strangers, as the engines began to spin up around them. The plane lifted vertically off the ground, rising past the ground as it took off for Japan.

Meanwhile, Sunny arrived in Engineering, taking her place in front of an oversized version of her own computer. “H-how many?”

“Three,” Dr. Shen said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure you can do it by yourself.”

Sunny gave him a confused look. “Yeah, why? Y-you said there was only three, r-right?” Shen shrugged, and Sunny turned back to the computer. After a long series of keystrokes, three large monitors lit up with the view of three S.H.I.V.s. Two smaller monitors lit up underneath each of the larger ones, and Sunny quickly cycled through them to make sure they had a positive feed on all the soldier cams.

One of the engineers walked up behind Shen. Looking with wonder as Sunny’s hands flew over the keyboard, her blank eyes darting rapidly between the screens, he asked, “How the hell is she doing that? Even with an A.I. assisting her, an adult human’s brain couldn’t possibly process that much information so quickly, let alone a child’s.”

“That’s classified, son.” Shen answered. “Let’s just say some not-so-nice people poked around in her young brain, and left a few presents she didn’t want. But she got them, and she’s using them on our behalf.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Sister Squabble

X-COM Staff Showers, 1500 Hours

As the warm water pours down her body, washing away the sweat and alien slime that comes with a full day's work in the labs, Jessica reflects on everything that has happened to her in the short time she's been with X-COM. In the back of her mind, she can vaguely feel her sister's consciousness coming to surface, but she doesn't greet her. She glances at the two other woman in the showers as they exit to the lockers, leaving her alone.

Jessica...what time is it...where are we?

We're in the showers. It's mid-afternoon.

What, really? That late, huh?

Yeah...that late...

What's wrong?

Oh, nothing. I just woke up in another room, in a bed with another girl next to me, and no pants on.

What, I woke up in the middle of the night and took them off. It's how we always sleep.

Not with another girl!

Jessica raises her head, letting the shower pelt her face and wash away her frustration.

You sure drank a lot, considering how hard of a time you gave me. Do you even remember what happened last night?

Yeah, of course I do. Ellie and I went to the rec-room, had a few drinks, flirted with each other about our outfits. Then we went to her room, started making out, then I took off her shirt...

"Y-You what!" Jessica yells out loud. "How could you do that?"

Relax, Jessie, I was kidding. Jeez, you're acting like a jealous wife. What am I not allowed to have friends? Guess I'm just some voice in your head that doesn't deserve a life of...

"Knock it of." Jessica stomps her foot. "That isn't what this is about, and you know it!"

"Then what's it about?" Alexia shouts back. The two women from earlier stick they're heads back into the showers, and Alexia yells, "What are you looking at!?" The women quickly back away and leave.

Jessica folds her arms. "Alex, do you even realize that you told Ellie about us?"

"So?" Alexia shrugs. "She seems like a nice person, and the only thing she said about it was that she thought it was cool."

Jessica frustratingly tugs on her hair. "Of course she did, she was drunk. And she drank almost as much as you, and she's a lot smaller, so she was probably even more drunk then you. And you were smashed! Just because I wasn't in control doesn't mean I couldn't feel how intoxicated we were. The only reason I didn't try to stop you was because taking over would have been like having a drunk punch me in the face."

Alexia stomps her foot much like Jessica had. "Just because I don't have your social skills doesn't mean I have no concept of judging someone's character. I like Ellie, and I trust her."

"What about Crystal?" Jessica asks.

"I...she..." Alexia stammers. "She was different."

"What about Maggie? Or Daniella? Or Joshua?" Jessica shudders. "Remember how he told me I was 'the one', and even when he found out about you, he said he thought it was cool. What happened?" Alexia remains silent. "Alex! What.....happened?"

Alexia sighs, rubbing her eyes. "Three days later...we were pelted by eggs when we showed up for school. Had to watch our backs for the rest of year..."

"And change schools the following year." Jessica shakes her head. "It was bad enough when I told Leon. But he's a high position lab tech, and he knows disclosing that information might get him in trouble, especially considering what we know about him. We have no reason to believe Elizabeth..."

"Well, I still trust her!" Alexia practically screams. "She's my friend, and that's that. Why can't you just trust me?"

Jessica grits her teeth. "Stop trying to make me feel guilty to avoid the situation. I've got enough to worry about with my co-workers pushing me around like a child to worry..."

"What?" Alexia squeezes her fists. At Jessica's silence, Alexia lets out a nervous chuckle. "Jessica, something happened, didn't it? It was back at that meeting, wasn't it? Damn it, I knew I should have pushed for you to tell me. Especially with how you've been acting in the labs. It's those three that have been giving me funny looks, isn't it?"

Jessica walks up to the wall, pressing her back against it and sliding to a sitting position. The water drips down her face, and her expression is sullen. "Yeah...yeah, it was them. They've been pushing me to fall in line with them."

Why didn't you tell me about this? I could have helped you. It's what I'm here for, right?

Jessica shakes her head. "No, Alex, it's not. I don't want it to be. You're my sister, not some personality disorder I created to fix the problems I couldn't deal with. I'm too weak, and you know it. I have to solve my own problems."

What if...what if I've only told you you're too soft...because I'm afraid if you don't need me anymore, I'd just disappear.

Jessica chuckles. "Shut up, Alex. I know that isn't true. I know you wouldn't do that. You just don't want to admit that you feel I left you out."

I know...so what happens now? Do you still not want my help. I can stay out of your way while encouraging you. I could have done that in the first place.

"I know...I'm sorry. I should have told you." Jessica climbs to her feet and turns off the water. Grabbing a towel, she adds, "I still want to handle this myself, but I promise I won't leave you out anymore."

And Ellie?

Jessica shrugs as she grabs her clothes. "We'll just have to kill her. Where do you think we can hide the body?"

Very funny.

Jessica smiles. "Sometimes I might not show it, but I do trust you. If you think she'll be cool with us, then I'll give her a chance. I just hope you're right about her."

Yeah. Me too.

 

[MarineAvenger]

XCOM Base, Siberia
1300 Hours

Desmond took a deep breath as he prepared his body for the impending workout. He has been practicing his powers for most nights now and he was getting better at self control, the progress was slow but it was there. He still hasn't gone on mission so intel was slow getting to Avanix. He could hold off EXALT but for how long he would not know. For now however he was training and that was all he had to focus on. Over the course of two hours he had preformed 200 pull ups, 100 50lbs bench presses and around 5 miles on the treadmill. Near the end of his work out he noticed that a new bag had been put up where the one he had smashed once been. At least his outburst had been detained but he had no way of knowing who knew what exactly. He had to be more cautious in his actions or else his cover might be blown. Another hour flew by and Desmond had begun to notice that recruits and veterans alike had been watching his movements. His shirt had been off and his scars were out for all to see but he didn't care, scars were scars everyone has them...everyone. He finished his workout and proceeded to leave when a group of about a dozen soldiers were blocking his path. "You think your big shit cause you were beat up in the past rookie?" Desmond recognized this man, he was Ryan Gregory a big muscled engineer from the engineering wing, big machines and industrial equipment if he was correct. The other eleven were all from engineering as well and they all looked to be his goons.

"Just cause your a soldier doesn't mean your more important than the others here so stop your showing off." Desmond looked at him with a look of just utterly not caring, "Whats it to you Oil Can, if you think that way then you better beef up that lump of muscle in your head cause we are all equals here." Ryan was physically getting angry, "If you believe that then you are more gullible than you believe," Ryan sweeps his hand across the gym, "Us techs and engineers are being pushed around by you hot shots all the time and frankly we hate it, and you flaunting in the gym just shows how much better you think you are." His voice was getting louder as well. "So why don't we show you how much better we are!" Ryan's posse all hailed in agreement and Desmond said, "Alright then if that is how you feel how about you 12," he sweeps over the crowd in front of him, and then points his thumb towards himself, "Against me." The whole gym seemed to gasp at once and even the group was stunned, Desmond reached out his hand and Ryan grabbed it, "Alright then, we accept."

The group of twelve and Desmond there stood in the boxing ring in the middle of the gym, Desmond standing there in only his green cargo shorts he works out in and the Engineers in black sport shorts and XCOM Engineering T-shirts. The bell rang and the group began to surround Desmond. Desmond not even raising a hand stands there in the middle with Ryan. Ryan advances towards Desmond and knocks him straight in the jaw and continues to wail on Desmond, not giving an inch of ground and not moving to defend himself Desmond takes each blow and after 5 minutes of the assault Ryan just stops right in his tracks. "Come on fight back." He hits Desmond, "Come on!" He hits him even harder, "FIGHT ME!" He sends his face straight towards Desmond's face but this time Desmond grabs Ryan's arm and pulls him towards himself. Taken by surprise Desmond's shoulder plows into his stomach and using the force of the impact Desmond lifts the great man and slams him onto his back, knocking the air out of him.

The whole gym goes immediately silent and even the ring of men around Desmond step back in fright. Ryan finally getting his breath back and teary eyed said, "Why didn't you fight back! We had to prove that we were equal! We had to!" The man begins to break down and Desmond just replied, "I already proved that we were equals." Ryan just gets angered by the comment, "How! I couldn't even beat you in the ring, HOW IS THAT PROVING US EQUAL!" Desmond just looks down at the crying man, "If I didn't think you equal I would have fought back, you don't need to be my equal in strength but you are no more less important than any man fighting here, without you there is no us that is the balance that has been found and that is why we are equals. Not on the plane of physical prowess but by the need we create for each other. Those who are too blind to see that fact don't deserve the right to be called brother in arms." A look of understanding spreads across the big man's face and he begins to break down even further. Desmond outreaches his hand towards the man and he firmly takes it. "Remember that fact, we are like birds of a feather, we will be forever as one," Desmond slams his fist against where his heart is, "Brothers of XCOM." The whole gym raises up in a large "Huah" and the men and Desmond all left, taking different paths, but no less equal.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Fate Part 1
XCOM Base, Siberia
1800 hours

Desmond had become quite popular on base after his little stunt in the gym. Honestly this was exactly the opposite of what he had known for most of his life, he had been neglected and beaten in order to overcome pain, but here and now he was someone. Someone who was needed for something other than killing. He had gained a big rep with the engineering crew and Ryan was treating him like a friend he had known all his life.He had offered to take Desmond to the Medical Wing but he had decided against it. Desmond had to learn to better endure pain, it was just what he knew. Now of all times he had to remember that he was not one of them, he was a clone and soldier of death. He wasn't even Desmond, it was all just a mirage a fake alias to hide his true intentions. Sometimes Desmond felt torn between his real self and the alias he had taken, but such was the cost of free will. He still was just a clone and he didn't deserve the life he was given by EXALT, even if it wasn't a life worth living.

Desmond was halfway to his room when he finally smelt himself. He had a hard time deciding what he actually smelled like but it was a tie between half rotten fish or month old veggies. So he headed to the shower to try and keep up appearances. He stripped down and turned the shower on to its hottest temperature. The water was a welcome relief to his aching muscles and he was struggling to stand from the muscles in his legs loosening. He continued to wash himself while going over the events that had transpired the hours before. He had no idea what he was doing. These bonds would only lead to unwanted consequences and he hated himself for falling prey to his emotions. Why couldn't he just be taken away from all this and go back to his old life of torture and despair, at least then he wouldn't have to deal with all this and go back to something familiar.

After a few more minutes of washing he turned the water off and proceeded to dry himself. He dressed up in the green cargo shorts and XCOM shirt and walked out, hopefully washing away his sins with him though however unlikely that was. He just walked through the halls with no destination in mind and after about half a hour of wandering he chanced upon the Medical Wing and decided that a check up was all he could afford to do at the moment so he walked in and was guided to an exam room near the very back of the clinic and was instructed to take off his shirt and wait for the doc to see him and left him waiting. Desmond started to doze a few minutes later...

Meanwhile on the other side of the wing in the supply room Elizabeth was taking stock and whipping up some of her special ointment. She was still a little jarred from the night before but she was still okay going into work that day. Her uncle always said she was small but full of spunk. She smiled at the memory and proceeded on with her routine. It was weird waking up next to her best and may she add only friend with no pants on considering she had them on the night before but believed better not to know why they were off. After the hangover seemed to calm down she had gone over the night before. A split personality huh, even though that fact puzzled her a tiny bit it no less meant Alex was her friend, after all she slept with the girl with no pants on so that already made her feel like a sister.

While still mesmerized by the fact she made a friend so quickly a woman popped into the door of the supply room, "Hey Elizabeth you have a patient waiting for you in your exam room." She turned her head around and responded to the girl, "Okay thanks for the heads up I got it." The girl made a wave motion with her hand and mumbled, "Good luck getting that one to cooperate." Elizabeth had no idea what she meant but packed up her tools and headed towards her exam room. She opened her door and entered with a smile and her eyes closed and said, "Hey there I am Dr. Rinly sorry for the wait!" When she opened her eyes she was startled by the man in front of her. He was laying up against the wall and was breathing softly but what scared her was the huge mess of scars all over his chest and legs. Her mind went wild trying to find a reason for that much damage but nothing came to mind.

She slowly and quietly approached the man and got a closer look at him. He was fairly tall looking and his body was in perfect condition. His muscles were toned all over and not an inch of fat looked to be on him. He had appeared to have a slight stubble and he had jet black short cut hair. She looked at his file which appeared to be the thickest she had ever seen. All the incident reports and medical exams was monumental and that was only in the first week. "Who is this man?" She thought to herself. She stealthily approached him to get a closer examination at the scar tissue and long lines of scars on his chest.

She slowly slid her hand down one of the larger ones on his left peck but the man jumped to life as in almost a split second and grabbed her armed with the strength of no normal person. "WHO ARE YOU?" She was frightened at the sudden outburst and the vice grip around her arm, "Your hurting me!" She said in anguish. The sinister look on his face left as quickly as it had appeared and a look of sorrow replaced it as his grip on her arm lessened. He lowered his head and responded "I... I'm sorry... are you okay?" She nodded in response though when she pulled up her coat sleeve her arm was red and a slight purple had began to appear. "Ouch..." was all she could respond.

Desmond couldn't believe what he had done to the doctor. He must have dozed off and was dreaming about his torture again."Shit..." he whispered under his breath. "What is wrong with you? Are you crazy or something?" The response by the doctor startled him and a bigger wave of guilt washed over him. "I'm sorry, I will be going." He got up with his head held low and he proceeded towards the door. "Wait." Desmond's hand stops at the door handle and he turns. "No I am sorry that was uncalled for. Please forgive me." Desmond walked over to the doctor and sat back down.

How could she have said that to the man, especially after what she had told Alex the night before. "I think we got off on the wrong foot here, I am Dr. Rinly but you can just call me Elizabeth. What is your name?" The man didn't say a word but grabbed some ointment and some nearby gauze and held out his hand. Elizabeth didn't know what he meant by the gesture until the man spoke up, "Your arm." She was caught unaware but she still cautiously gave her arm to him. He opened the jar of ointment and began to rub it on her arm. She was surprised on how softly he handled her, like a mother treating her child's first scrape. While applying the ointment the man spoke to her. "My name is Desmond, sorry for lashing out I was caught in a bad dream was all." She could at least relate to that, her sleep has been corrupted from sad dreams as well. "It's fine Desmond we all have low days." He smiled at her with an expression that said You have no idea. He finally finished with wrapping her arm in gauze when she finally spoke again. "So why are you here?" He looked up at her and just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know myself to be quite honest."

She was intrigued by this man but was no less cautious with him. According to a warning from one of the head nurses there were some real screwballs at the base, maybe this guy was one of them. "If that was the case," she thought to herself, "why is he so gentle?" She put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Well while you are here might as well give you a good once over." So she examined him as per the normal check up and cleared him. While doing the eye test however she was startled at the semi glow of red that covered up a majority of his iris. "Those are some cool lenses you got. I got some too but they are in purple." He averted his gaze from her and whispered under his breath, "They are real." That fact puzzled her even more but she continued either way. When the tests were done she scribbled on her clip board and said to him, "Your are in amazing shape for a man your age, how did you get like that?"

Desmond didn't answer that and a look of disappointment came on the woman's face. With a few more scribbles on her clip board she gave him the okay and said he could be on his way. So Desmond got up not bothering to put his shirt back on and left without another word.

Elizabeth stood in the door way watching the man leave when the woman from before approached her. "I can't believe this, you actually got him to take a full examination without him leaving early? Either you are something else or that guy just really likes you." Elizabeth's face brightened a little as she watched the Desmond leave. "I wonder how much pain that man must carry." She asked as a final thought and the woman to her left just shrugged and walked away. Elizabeth walked back into her exam room, her day not going to be the same after that encounter.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

X-COM Commander's Office
Six Hours after Operation: Averted Devastation

"Assault?" Bradford asks, scanning a soldier's report.

"Aye." The Commander nods in agreement. "Give that man a shotgun and tell him to stick it in an alien's face."

"Alright, that just leaves Delta." Bradford pulls out the appropriate papers. "First, the unit leader."

"Good man, a lot of leadership potential." Morrigan thinks for a moment. "Make him an assault as well. He seems like he'd function well up close and personal."

"Campbell?"

Morrigan smiles. "Well, the man's name practically comes with the subtitle, 'lookin' forward to blowin' stuff up for you'."

"A rocketeer then?"

The red-head leader shakes her head. "I believe he has potential with other explosives too. Make him a heavy."

"Alright. Fischer?"

"She has potential with grenades too, but in a more supportive role. Make her a medical support."

"Sounds good. That leaves Cross and Orlov. They got the least kills on this mission."

Morrigan stands from her chair, and slowly starts pacing the room. "Cross may have only got two kills, but they were both against hard to hit enemies in high stress situations. And there is no denying that those eyes of hers may have been the only reason we succeeded."

"And leading the others to the nodes did mean her having to take point," Bradford adds. "Took quite a bit of bravery, especially for someone with such little field experience."

"That it did, but I don't need her making a habit of it, especially when her eyes can be overloaded like before." Morrigan thinks, then says, "Mid-range sniper."

"Okay, and Orlov?"

"Now, her I'm not so sure of." The Commander takes Nika's report from Bradford. "Her kills were less impressive, as was her general performance. She did well, there is no denying that. I'm just... unsure."

Bradford looks the Commander in the eyes. "If you're hoping to spare her feelings, remember that a teacher doesn't hold back a student out of malice, but rather because they are afraid the student didn't learn well enough to prepare them for the next grade."

"Aye, I see your point," Morrigan responds. "And this is no classroom. Pushing her forward too quickly could get her killed." Returning to her seat, she says, "Let her know she has a promotion coming, but I need her to do a bit more training before we grant it. Make sure she understands it's only because we are worried for her safety."

Bradford nods. "Will do, sir."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Progress
April 1st, 2018

Enjoying one of the first breaks she's had since coming to X-COM, Morrigan sings along to Da Vinci's Notebook's Another Irish Drinking Song playing on her radio while childishly moving and swaying Shalquoir's front legs back and forth in a dancing motion. The cat looks to the side, her expression one of an animal that desperately wishes it had the ability to roll its eyes. The intercom buzzes, and Shalquoir lets out a soft meow that almost sounds like a sigh of relief.

Releasing her frustrated feline friend and turning her music off, Morrigan hits the intercom and says, "Send 'em in." As her senior staff enter the room, the Commander leans back in her chair. "Alright, everybody, I'm in decent spirits today, so I hope you have some good news. Let's start with the soldiers and staff."

Bradford lifts a clipboard and flips through some papers on it. "Well, Commander, after the expected drop after our first mission, base morale on base has increased significantly, especially after our successful bomb disposal mission in Japan. There was a small drop after Dragon Strike, but it is mainly due to worry related to the discovery of a fourth kind of alien aggressor and the possibility that there will be more to come."

"A worry I share with them," Morrigan says, suppressing a shudder.

"As for incident reports," Bradford continues, "There was a verbal confrontation between two female soldiers in the mess, but it was dissolved before it got too heated. There was another between a female soldier and a male security officer at the shooting range, this one involving serious threats. However, neither of them threatened the other with a weapon despite both of them holding one, and they went their separate ways without having to be told to do so, so no action was taken. Finally, a male soldier had a physical altercation with a few male engineers in the main gym. But because there were no serious injuries, and the main two aggressors were reported to be shaking hands afterwards, again, to disciplinary action was taken."

"Boys will be boys, as they say." Morrigan chuckles quietly to herself.

"Finally, your plan to allow a bar on base has met with success. Since it opened, reports of drinking outside of the rec-room have dropped by nearly 65%, and there have been no reports of intoxication during missions."

Trying her best not to give an 'I told you so' expression, Morrigan simply says, "Good the hear. Now, how are the lab boys doing?"

Dr. Vahlen takes a step forward. "Quite well, Commander. Our research in the various alien materials are complete, and we a currently working on ways to apply them to our own technology. After his autopsies of some of the sectoids, Dr. Wolfe is still deciding whether to focus more on the drones or the thin men. As you requested, I've left it to his discretion."

Morrigan nods. "Good. The man is quite brilliant, but unfortunately, we need to keep him happy if we hope to utilize his brilliance."

Glancing at her notes, Dr. Vahlen continues. "We are still waiting for your approval to start researching a way to stun the aliens without killing them."

Morrigan frowns. "I don't like the idea of putting my people in danger by forcing them to run right up to the enemy, and then bringing a live one on base. But... I must do a lot of things I don't like." Shes sighs deeply, then says, "Approved, doctor."

Dr. Vahlen nods. "Thank you, Commander. One final note, we have asked the construction crew to begin building a genetics lab."

Dr. Shen steps forward. "I've also asked them to work on a facility for cybernetics. I feel it has as much potential for use with the meld substance as genetics, possibly even more."

Noting the look the two doctors give each other, the Commander quickly says, "Easy, you two. You'll both get you chance with the meld." Looking at Shen, she asks, "How is engineering doing."

"Repairs are underway on our SHIVs, though it'll take time with the one of them being almost completely destroyed and... let's just say a few malcontents got to it before we could recover it. As for applying the labs findings, we are focusing on armor over weapons, as you requested. We are confident we'll have new armor ready be next mission."

Morrigan raises an eyebrow. "That's good to hear, but don't be forgettin' about the weapons entirely."

"Not at all, sir," Shen responds. "While we aren't even close to reproducing the alien weapons, we have high hopes of learning from them and making a new batch of weapons utilizing lasers, from laser pistols to laser LMGs. Dr. Randolph even thinks she can design a laser mini-gun for the SHIVs." Shen looks over his notes, and finding nothing else, asks, "I take it I am free to start designing an alien containment facility?" Morrigan frowns again, but nods. "Thank you sir."

The Commander's computer beeps rapidly. "It's the Council. You're all dismissed. Please keep up the good work. We might win this war yet."

As the senior staff take their leave, Morrigan opens the transmission from the Council of Nations. The screen displays a man, almost completely silhouetted in darkness. In a deep voice, he says, "Commander, the Council is thus far pleased with your work with the X-COM project. However, we feel there is a lot of room for improvement. The files attached contain all the areas we expect for you to work on in the coming month. And please remember, we are always watching you."

The screen goes dark, lighting back up a moment later with the aforementioned list. At the top of the file is the letter 'C' under the word rank. Morrigan stares at the list for a few moments. Then, with a shrug, she glances over to Shalquoir and says, "Well...we're passing. I don't no about you, but I think that's pretty good for the first month. Time to celebrate." She pulls a small can of caviar, the cat jumping on the desk at the sound of it opening and greedily lapping it up. Morrigan pulls out her best bottle of Irish whiskey and pours herself a glass.

 

[Adrammalech]

// MEET CUTE //
Emily Fischer
X-COM Headquarters
Siberia, Russian Federation
6:16 AM

As the Skyranger returned, a couple of officers escorted everyone back through the base’s passageways, back to the Situation Room. As they entered, a legion of scientists, engineers, and officers applauded them as they walked through. Emily smiled a bit at the reception, although she wondered if the excitement was because they had succeeded and survived, or if it was the first time the project had done both.

She moved through the celebration, wanting to get back to the barracks. Although part of her wanted to sit and bask in the glory, a plane ride after an hour of adrenaline on two hours of sleep was taking its toll. As she got to her floor, she walked through the common area, where a couple male soldiers raised their glasses towards her and cheered.

“Come on, Private! We’ll toast to your victory!”

She wheeled around, moonwalking towards her room.

“Maybe later, I’m tired as shit,” she said, drumming up her drowsiness.

“Ah, come on. Who turns down free drinks?”

“Sorry boys,” she smiled.

As she turned back around, she collided with a middle-aged looking man in a beige suit and boxy glasses. While it felt like a small bump to her, he flew backwards, a box full of letters and papers flinging out of his hands. The soldiers laughed raucously at him as he blushed, trying to scoop everything back up.

“Sorry about that,” she said.

“Oh, uh, it was my fault,” he stammered, “was looking at the papers.”

Emily crouched down and helped him pick up the stuff he dropped.

“You uh…a scientist or something?”

“No, no, nothing so interesting. Just a mailman.”

“A mailman?”

“’Correspondence technician,’ so yeah, mailman.”

“Sounds dull,” she blurted out.

“It is, but I like it that way.”

“Are you the only one?”

“The only one I know of. I get the messages, and deliver it to the barracks personally. I guess I…uh, well, I’ll be around a lot as long as this project is going.”

She pushed all of the envelopes and papers into one disheveled pile and placed it on the box, not even pretending to make it fit. He shrugged awkwardly at it.

“I’m Ben.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him. He was pretty handsome for an older guy. There was just something unsettlingly normal about him. His name was normal, his job was normal, his clothes were normal. He was too normal. She looked at his security badge: ‘Benjamin Ceymotch, Correspondence Technician.’

“Emily Fischer,” she replied.

“Amelia Fischer?”

“Everyone calls me Emily.”

“I have something for you, uh…” he looked in the heap of papers. “Well, I can bring it back to you later.”

“Sounds good,” she said. “If you don’t mind, I need some sleep.”

“Oh, yes, sorry,” he said, pushing his glasses up his face. “I didn’t mean to keep you. Sleep well.”

She brushed by him as he looked at his disorganized pile. She felt a little mean for that, but she was just too tired and too stressed to care. As she entered the room, and the door closed behind her, she sighed in contentment. Silence. Sunny was in Engineering, everyone else was celebrating, and she was alone.

She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off everything she had on her, until she was down to her undershirt and pants. She prepared to fling herself onto the sheets, but the computer in the corner caught her eye. She wanted to know more about that mailman. She didn’t trust him.

Emily jumped into Sunny’s chair, feeling way taller than the screen, but not wanting to mess with it. She went through the log-in process, barely remembering the password she made up on the spot before. As she finished saying “nine,” the little girl on the screen popped up and welcomed her. She dug around for what she was looking for: personnel files.

Welcome to the XCOM Database.
Please Enter Command...
> Retrieve Staff Profiles
Please Enter Authorization
> **********
Restricted Authorization Confirmed...
> B. Ceymotch, Non-Essential Staff, XCOM
Retrieving Profile...
Downloading...

Benjamin Ceymotch
Age: 42
Nationality: American
Job: Correspondence Technician
Duties: Sorting and collecting mail and electronic correspondences from family members and acquaintances of X-COM recruits and distributing them to their barracks when approved by security personnel.
Background: Ben got a Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University, but dissolved his own practice only a year after finishing his education. Since then, he has been reticent and modest, throwing himself entirely into whatever work he could get. His qualifications got him several low clearances for [RESTRICTED], and used them to get jobs outside his field of study before his recruitment to X-COM.
X-COM Analysis: Ben is efficient at this job and his natural shyness means he is a blending and non-disruptive member of the staff. Although he was once a talented psychologist, time since education and practical use means his effectiveness has likely rusted off. [RESTRICTED].
Appearance: Ben is a mundane looking man and generally blends in to his surroundings. He wears a short haircut, brown and black suits, solid color ties, and khakis.​

“Well, I’ll be damned. I’ll make sure I show you what I think of your little meet cute, Doctor,” she whispered to herself.

Emily continued browsing the databases, making her way to the incident reports. After a brief search, she found one with Ammelia’s name on it. The report had nothing she didn’t know already, information on her bruises and a form-filled medical report. There was no one charged, though, and she couldn’t access the suspect. She growled angrily at being restricted, but thought it might be better if she doesn’t know the soldier’s name. Sunny might’ve gotten in trouble if she kicked his ass, anyway.

She backed out of what she had gotten into, trying to make sure she left nothing open or saved. Still, she had the sinking feeling Sunny would find out. She hoped she wouldn’t mind. She also made sure she was logged out completely and that the hand scanner was wiped off, so no one could abuse her access. She walked back to her bed and scrambled into the sheets, drifting to sleep quickly.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Pushing Back: Part One

X-COM Staff Barracks

Jessica & Alexia's side of the room lied in its usual state of decay, far worse then even the worse disaster areas, but Alexia was seemingly unaware of this. More likely, however, she didn't care. Dr. Vahlen had seemingly received high praise from the Commander, and she in turn passed that praise to the lab techs. While she left most of the hard stuff to Jessica, Alexia had been working hard herself, and felt she deserved to celebrate a bit.

With Elizabeth busy with work thanks to the latest pair of missions, Alexia was having a party of one in her room. And with Leon thankfully out, either a workaholic or having an off schedule with hers, Alexia was dressed as casual as Jessica would allow. She wore a matching set of bright pink underwear, and a tight black t-shirt featuring a zombified cat and the text 'I can has brainz?' in green, glow-in-the-dark letters. It was at least two sizes too small for someone with her bust, but it was her favorite shirt, partially because Jessica didn't care for it.

Having sworn off alcohol, at least for a while, Alexia occasionally chugged on some grape soda while standing in front of a full length mirror, bobbing and weaving as she danced along to Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy by Tata Young.

I pick all my skirts to be a little too... sexy
Just like all my thoughts, they always get a bit... naughty
When I'm out with my girls, I always play a bit... bitchy
Can't change the way I am, Sexy, Naughty Bitchy me.

You're a dork. You know that, right?

Am I now? 'Cause Francis told me he saw you dancing like this while I was asleep.

Was not! He probably just thought you were me.

Uh huh, sure, keep telling yourself that. But you know as well as I do that he can tell us apart better then Mom can.

Lost in her own little world as Sharp Dressed Man starts to play, Alexia didn't notice the knocking on the door, at least not until the second, angrier knock. Quickly turning down her music, she scampered over to the door and opened it a crack. Suddenly, the door was pushed all the way open, barely missing Alexia's head. Three lab techs, two men and a woman in their late twenties or early thirties, forced their way in. It took Alexia a moment to recognize them as the three who had been giving her sister a hard time.

"God, what a dump," Karen said, glancing at the mess on the bed with a snooty look.

"Tell me about it." Wěi shook his head. "How some dirty little scamp got to room with Dr. Wolfe is beyond me."

Kenneth smirked, nudging Wěi and bobbing his head towards Alexia. "Oh, I can think of one reason." The pair laugh as they undress Alexia with their eyes.

"So that's how you get a way with being here, huh?" Karen folded her arms. "Walking around like a slut and flaunting yourself."

Alexia placed her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, but last I checked, I was in the privacy of my room, and the great Dr. Wolfe isn't here. You three are, though, and I'd like to know what makes you think you have the right."

The smiles faded from the three techs' faces. Kenneth cleared his throat, and calmly said, "I'm pretty sure we've talked about you falling in line. But maybe you're a slow as you look.

Are you sure you don't want any help. "Cause I would so love to knock all of their teeth out.

I'm sure. But that doesn't mean I don't want your moral support.

Alexia casually walked over to her mirror. As the others watched in confusion, she pressed a switch on the top, and a shudder covered the reflective surface, revealing a picture of a kitten cuddling with a puppy. "Is she ignoring us?" Wěi asked.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Pushing Back: Part Two

"No, I'm not," Jessica said, turning towards the three. "You've made it clear that there is no ignoring you."

"Is that sass I hear?" Karen asks. "Listen, bimbo, we told you we weren't going to put up with this crap. And yet you continue to delay our work with your nonsensical worrying. If it wasn't for you, the genetics lab..."

"Is on it's way," Jessica interrupts, folding her arms. "Dr. Vahlen put in for it's construction yesterday. And I discussed the delays with her, and the possibility of being too cautious, but she said when it comes to screwing around with people's DNA and sticking things in them, there is no such thing..."

"And that's why you were told not to listen to her, or encourage her." Wěi rubs his temples. "Are you really that stupid that you..."

"I guess I am." Jessica raised her voice slightly. "But honestly, I don't think I'm the one being stupid."

All three of the techs were taken aback. "What... did you just say?" Karen took several steps forward.

Jessica took a cautious step back. "I... I, um." She stammered for a moment.

Come on, Jess. Don't let them push you around like a bunch of school yard bullies.

Jessica scowled at Karen. "Yeah, that's exactly what they are!"

"I beg your pardon?" Karen raised an eyebrow.

Jessica takes a determined step forward. "You keep talking to me like I'm some stupid child, and that you know everything. But all you're doing is acting like high school bullies. Why should I listen to you? Why don't you do something to prove your point instead of pushing people to just go along with you!"

Karen angrily bit her lip. Stomping forward, she shouted, "How the fuck do you think..." As she stepped in front of Jessica, she was greeted with a solid jab to the nose. She quickly backed away, holding her face in pain.

Jessica looked down at her fist in shock. "Was... did I do that?"

Hell yeah, you did that! Hit her again!

Karen rushed forward again, and Jessica quickly jumped back and brought up her knee, driving it into Karen's stomach. The woman stumbled backwards, struggling to catch her breath. The two men stepped forward, cautiously approaching with raised hands.

Uh, listen, Jessie, I'm really proud of you right now. But sometimes being brave means knowing when to ask for help, right?

You... you don't think I can take them?

Just because we share the same strength and reflexes doesn't mean you'll know what I know about fighting. Jessie, they're gonna kick your ass, switch now!

Wěi quickly dashed forward, and Alexia ducked down at the last second, and sent a solid jab to his left knee. As he limped to the side, Kenneth swung his right arm into Alexia's right side. She shifted her weight at the last second, avoiding a broken rib, and wrapped her arm around his. With a quick motion, she twisted Kenneth's arm behind his back.

Hey, can I break his arm? I've never broke someone's arm.

No, Alex, you can not break his arm.

Oh, you never let me have any fun.

Alex pushed Kenneth away and took a defensive stance.

Now just keep this position, and they shouldn't attack, at least not if they're as smart as they claim to be.

Jessica struggled to keep the stance, hoping the three techs before her couldn't tell she had no idea what she was doing. "So..." Her eyes dart from Karen, to Kenneth, to Wěi, and back to Karen. "Um... what happens now? I could always just drop my arms and let you go to town on me. I'd love to see you explain how the three of you had to defend yourself against one one hundred and..... five pound girl in her room."

Wěi started to take a step forward, but Kenneth grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. Holding her head up and pinching her nose shut, Karen mumbled, "Fuck this, I'm leaving. I need to go to see if this bitch broke my nose."

The three shuffled out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Jessica collapsed to the ground, her strength leaving her. "Man... I can't believe I did that. I stood up to all three of them!"

Yeah, and in your underwear, no less.

Jessica let out a small yelp, having forgot about her skimpy attire. "Oh, god, now they're going to around and tell everyone..."

What, that they saw you panties after they burst into they're room and you had to beat them up? Something tells me you won't have to worry about them for a while, now that they know you're not gonna put up with their crap.

Well, thanks Alex, I really mean it. Now you take over, alright. That, uh... took a lot out of me.

Alexia climbed to her feet. With a content smile, she opened up her mirror and turned on Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas, now having a whole new reason to celebrate.

 

[Frostlich1228]

X-Com Barracks, Room 3B
2300 Hours Std Time

Ammelia sits in a chair in the middle of the room with her hands in her lap, while an Average looking man types into a computer in front of her. After a few minutes he backs away from the computer, "Alright, It's done, all you have to do is push that button right there and that should contact him."

Ammelia smiles at him, " Thank you so much sir, it's been a nightmare trying to get in contact with my dad. "

He nods back, "Hey, don't mention it, it's my job as a Correspondence Technician to help people get in contact with family. Also, Sorry for the wait, it took a lot longer than we expected to get these set up... "

" It's alright Sir, I'm just happy knowing I can finally talk to my dad, he's probably worried sick. "

He walks over to the door and picks up a large duffel bag, " If you have any problems be sure to call me. "

" Thanks, " She says giving him a wave goodbye, "I'll call you right away if something happens! "

He gives Ammelia a wave back before walks out the door, duffel bag in tow.

Ammelia scoots her chair into the desk and presses the button that he showed her, she hears an repetitive ringing noise coming from the computer, after a few seconds she hears a loud ding before a voice speaks to her through the monitor.

" Ammelia! You have no idea how good it is to see you! What took you so long to contact me? " The voice sounds exactly like her father's.

" Dad! it's really great to hear your voice, I would've done this a lot sooner but they had a few unexpected delays. "

" I... " He stops talking for a moment, " What happened to your eye? It's black... did someone hit you? "

Ammelia touches her eye, she thought it had healed by now, but she was wrong, " This? I got it during training, I sparred against this man a few days ago and he gave me a mean right hook. "

David's voice grows angry, " They made you spar against someone that had way more experience than you? "

" It was my choice, I thought I could take him... "

He sighs, " Baby, you have to stop fighting people that are stronger than you, he could've broken your arm or something! "

" If she doesn't fight people that are better than her then she won't get any better, David... " A voice off camera says with a hint of a French accent.

" Yeah... I guess you're right Dorian, " He says in a defeated voice, " I just don't want her to get hurt... "

" Don't worry dad, they're not going to put me in the hospital, it's just practice."

" So, I see you have bunk beds, are your roommates nice? " He asks, his voice becoming calmer.

" They are! there's Emily, Dallas, Billy, Nika, and Sunny. "

" Have any of them been on a mission yet? " He says curiously.

" Well, all of us went out on a mission yesterday. "

" They send you out on a mission already? How did it go? What did you do? " He says, looking me in the eyes.

" I think that Information is classified Dad... " She says, sadly.

" Ah, " He nods " That makes sense... I guess your commander wouldn't want to just give mission info away to civilians. "

Ammellia's smile returns, " Don't worry, everyone came out without a scratch, it was a Complete success. "

" Nice job honey, I guess I should've trusted Dorian's training, " He gets up from his chair, " Alright baby, I'll call again in the morning, it's got to be late over there and I want to make sure you get enough sleep, goodnight. "

She gives him a wave, " Good night dad! I'll make sure to talk to you in the morning! "

The Video cuts off with another ping. Ammelia sits in her chair and sighs a little to herself before getting up and falling into her bed.

 

[Adrammalech]

Emily Fischer
X-COM Headquarters
Siberia, Russian Federation
1:24 PM

Emily woke up, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she got out of bed. Some people were still asleep, so she quickly threw on some clothes and went outside. The group certainly earned its rest yesterday. As she walked out of the barracks, Ben was waiting for her already, with an envelope in hand.

“Hey, Emily,” he said. “I found that letter.”

She yawned and looked at him irritably.

“Thanks,” she replied. “Can you hold onto it for a minute? I want to show you something.”

“Show me something?”

“Yeah, follow me.”

Emily walked a little ways down the hall where there was a supply closet wedged between the barracks entrances. She looked around and went in. Ben thought it was strange, but wasn’t entirely averse to the idea of being in a closet with her. As he followed her inside, Emily grabbed him and pushed him against the wall, her arm pressing against his neck.

“Listen, buddy, I know what you are.”

“W-what? What are you talking about?”

“I’m not crazy, or asking for help, or anything like that. I don’t need a psychobabblist forcing me to talk to them and I certainly don’t need one following me around, pretending to be my buddy, you got that?”

“What? I’m not a psychowhatsist, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

She looked at him skeptically, baring her teeth.

“You going to tell me you got a doctorate to shuffle mail around and accidentally bump into me?”

“I-I was a psychologist, once, but not anymore, I quit, I just wanted a boring job, with no pressure! I swear!” Ben explained quickly, continuing in a whisper, “And, well, you ran into me. I was just worried you were going to hit me.”

“I saw your profile, I know the story about you quitting and I don’t buy it!”

“If you saw my file then you know they didn’t hire me for that! They even told me I couldn’t ‘climb,’ that they wouldn’t hire me for anything else or pay me more!”

“Why would you accept less money than you’re qualified for?”

Ben looked away, frowning. “Because no one would get hurt from this job.”

Emily began to feel bad for him, as he was clearly distraught over something. She squirmed a little, feeling as though she had it wrong. She let him go and gave him some space.

“I’m sorry, I may have…jumped to conclusions,” she said begrudgingly.

“I’d never try to trick someone into talking like that, even if I did still do that,” he said sincerely, straightening out his suit. “That’s not my style.”

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been shaken down,” he said, looking a little disappointed.

“I can…take that letter, now.”

“Oh, right. Here you go,” he said, presenting the envelope to her.

She looked at the letter’s address and postage, anger welling up in her body as she recognized it. She ripped it open quickly and started reading to herself.

Dearest Amelia,

We tried to check on you at the military base after the attacks, but the general said you had quit to do something even more dangerous, somewhere secret. He said that this would reach you somehow. I know it has been years since we have spoken, and we’ve both done things we probably regret. Your father prays every night for you, and we are very proud that you are fighting for us. You’ve grown into such a brave and incredible woman. Please stay safe, wherever you are. If you ever return from your secret mission, I hope you’ll come see us sometime. We would love to see you again.

Love,
Susan​

Emily looked up in a rage, crumpling up the letter into a ball. She tried to storm out, but her head fought against her. She grabbed her forehead and tried to fight it, but fell back against the wall. She squinted hard, but her eyes pried themselves open.

“Emily?” She barely heard him. “Why are you staring like that? Are you ok?”

// MEMORY: REASONS //
Amelia Fischer, 14
Home of Robert and Susan Fischer
Stratham, New Hampshire, USA
August 1st, 2005 - 9:44 AM

Before the harbor.

“Hi there, Amelia,” Dad says. Come over here and sit with us, we need to talk about something.”

I groaned. I’d rather just go to go to school. I sit on the chair and look at them expectantly.

“Amelia, I don’t kn–”

“I told you Dad, I like Emily more.”

“Well, yes. It’s about that, too. We know you’ve met your…real parents.”

I feigned a chuckle. “Real parents?”

“Amelia, your mother and I, we can’t have kids of our own. When we saw you in the orphanage, twelve years ago, we knew you would be our perfect little girl. We didn’t tell you because we thought you’d be happier not knowing. Obviously, we never expected you to find the real ones…”

“We never wanted to hurt you, Amelia,” Mom said, “You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know…I’m sorry,” I said sadly. “But I like being with my real mom. And I have a sister now! A real one!”

“We…know about that too,” Dad said worriedly.

“Yeah, I saw her last week! She’s 6, and she looks just like me, she has my hair, and my eyes, and…”

“Amelia, we want you to stop seeing them.”

“W-what? Why?”

“It’s not right, to have two sets of parents. That’s not healthy for you. God brought you into our home, and we’d like you to stay in it.”

“Why would you do this? I don’t understand…”

“It’s for you, hun,” Mom says, “We want you to be happy. And we don’t want you to be disappointed again.”

“No!” I raise my voice. “You’re being selfish! You don’t like that I have another mom, and a sister, and you’re being…you’re being jealous and-and selfish!”

“Amelia, we didn’t want to tell you this…”

“Robert, no, she’s too young,” Mom said angrily.

“She’ll find out eventually, Sue, better she hear it from us,” he said. “Amelia, your sister…she passed away.”

“W…what? What are you talking about?!”

“Your sister was in a car accident, with your mother. They took her to the hospital…but…”

“No, y-you’re lying! You just want me to stay with you!”

“Amelia…”

“EMILY! My name is EMILY!” I shout. I jump to my feet and storm for the door.

“Emily, come back,” Dad says. “You need to process this.”

“I’m going over there to see for myself! And if you’re lying, if you’re lying, I’m never coming back!”

“Emily!”

The door slams shut.

 

[Adrammalech]

“Whoa,” Ben whispers.

Emily opened her eyes, her hand darting to the top of her head and holding it in pain. She growled at her parents for causing this. Her eyes suddenly focused on Ben, who was watching her with interest.

“Uh, sorry about that,” she says nervously.

“What was that?”

“I have…perfect recall.”

“That’s extremely rare,” Ben pointed out.

“Well…I do for some memories. Usually I can use my flashbacks myself, but certain things…they’re not optional, for me.”

“What was the, uh, context for that?”

“I was adopted from a group home in Concord. My ‘parents’ brought me to Stratham, where my 'parents' happened to be. I met my little sister when I was 13, and spent a lot of time with them in secret. Even though I probably should have hated them, I was excited to have two families, especially one with a sister.”

He watched with interest, seeming to genuinely care about the story.

“Were your parents telling the truth?”

“Yes,” she replied after a pause, “she’s dead now.”

“I’m sorry you went through that,” he said sincerely.

“Thanks, but…It was a long time ago. I’ve made peace with it, but it leaves a mark on you.”

“Did you stay with your birth parents?”

“No. My sister died because they didn’t put her seatbelt on. I never talked to or saw them again.”

"But you kept their nickname."

"I kept my sister's nickname for me. She had a hard time pronouncing 'Amelia,' so she made up something new that she could say easily."

“At least you could go back to your adoptive parents, right?”

“I did…just not when you’re thinking.”

“What happened?”

“It’s complicated,” she said defensively. “What you’re asking, it’s private territory.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for prying,” he replied, “I’m a curious soul, I guess. I know you don’t really trust me, but if I could help in any way, I’d be glad to.”

Emily thought to herself. She could use someone to talk to, and if he was a psychologist, maybe he could say something helpful eventually. She had to scare him into staying quiet, and hope he wouldn’t report anything to anyone else. She scratched her head, wondering if she actually trusted him to not tell anyone, or if he was manipulating her somehow.

“I used some bullies from school to take me somewhere, to distract me. I had been in high school about a week, and I just wanted to escape. I pretended I had no family, that I was normal and everything was fine. I’ll tell you what happens, a little bit. But it stays between us – no friends, no family, no one on base. You tell anyone, and I never talk to you again.”

He recoiled a little at the last line, the idea having a surprisingly visible effect on him.

“Of course. Everything stays between us, I promise.”

Emily leaned back against the wall, focusing herself. She closed her eyes calmly. Her senses shut and reemerged elsewhere, and her body went still.

“The boys chuckled to themselves…” she whispered.

20 minutes later…

“Bethany,” she said, finishing her last flashback.

Emily gripped the side of her head, the headache causing her visible agony. She normally didn’t get them, but the forced flashback followed by several in a row was utterly draining. Still, she felt better sharing – a sentiment that was balanced by the fear of him doing the same.

“That’s all you get, for now,” she groaned.

“Your story is fascinating, to say the least,” Ben replied. “Thank you for sharing it with me. If you were so capable 10 years ago, I imagine the aliens are trembling now.”

“So far, it’s been good,” she said with a pained smirk.

“I’d offer you some food or something, but I imagine you just want to lie down.”

“Yeah…that sounds good, right now.”

“Perhaps next time we can talk in a place less grungy.”

“We’ll see.”

He smiled at her modestly and walked out, disappearing into the common area crowd. Emily waited a moment to compose herself before returning to her barracks, feeling a little weight lifted off of her, but a little scared for the future as well.

 

[Dahlexpert]

I'm at my peek

Lilith is in the training room going to work on a punching bag.

Your getting better, I never seen you this determine before it reminds me of that prostitute determined to get free and live her own life.

Thanks but Even though were free from that life, were still fighting to change the world huh.

And we were doing that one bounty at a time, I mean since we became mercenary's we took down drug lords pimps, Corrupt senators and terrorist not bad fore a ex prostitute.

Hay your Scarlet right.

Relay, has my name not been spread through out x-com.

OU it has I just wanted to meet the woman in person, So what makes you think your better then me or any one on this base.

HA what makes me better then all of you, is that unlike all of you that joined this program because you thought it was your sworn duty as humans to protect the planet, not knowing what your up against. now me I joined this
program because I desire a challenge I love pushing my self to my breaking point, and finding out that I that I have a hole nother level above my original breaking point I enjoying war, war to me is a perfect opportunity for me to show my skills, and when the aliens came I saw it as a new challenge to test my skills.

Wait you joined this program because you see it as a challenge to test your self, You really are a monster who sees war as a challenge to test them selves.

Ha i'm a monster please, humans since they were crated have done one thing and that's fight one another why else do we go to war with one another it's because one side thought the other was weak and they think they can destroy the other.

you truly are insane if you think that's how the world works.

OU is that so tell me boy let's put your theory to the test, you a dog of the military who can't even think for him self on the battle field, versus me a well trained killer.

Lilith yeals to the crowd any won want's to help this small men, no one steped forward to help the x-com soldier.

Looks like your all by your self here, tell you what i'll let you strike first.

The soldier swings a punch at Lilith but Lilith swat's the mans punch out of her way. Is that all you got please tell me it's not.

What the hell she just swatted my punch like it was nothing the solider get's a little angry Damn it that was a test to see if you can actually dodge my attack The man charges Lilith and swings wildly.

Lilith grabs both his fist and gives him a swift headbutt. Alright i'm done toying with you. Lilith charges the man and punches him in the gut and fallows it with a quick uppercut once the man is down Lilith put's her foot on the man's neck.

Now because your a soldier i'm not going to fully beat you down, but I hope you enjoyed my little demonstration.

Lilith get's her foot off the mans neck, any one else wants my out of x-com please come and see if you can injure me. the x-com soldiers leave the area and act like nothing happened,that's what I thought.

Did you break his jaw.

No he just got the wind knocked out of him he's fine, best we get out of here.

Lilith grabs her gear and leaves the gym.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Band of Brothers
XCOM Base, Siberia
1600 hours

Ryan was giving his all in this fight, his strikes were more focused and faster than their last lesson but he still had much to learn. Desmond had grown fond of the combat lessons he was teaching the large engineer and it offered a relief to the boredom of life on the base. "You are getting better Ryan." Desmond was having no problem dodging and weaving through his attacks but improvement was present. "But still so much to learn."

Desmond ducked low after a roundhouse was aimed at his head and he used the movement to tackle the big man into the mat effectively winning the sparring match. "Your opponent will use any means to get you off your feet so be on the look out." He extended a hand and helped the man up, "You have to admit I am getting better." Ryan responded with a smile and his chest heaving. "Yes but that doesn't mean anything. Training and preparation are useless until you are in that particular situation. Again."

Ryan went to one side of the ring and took up a defensive stance whereas Desmond took a more balanced one. "Good, never start with an aggressive stance, gives away your plan to much." The bell rang and the two men ran at each other like horses out of a starting gate and exchanged blows. Ryan was keeping up but Desmond could match him and then some. "Never go straight on the attack..." Desmond side steps Ryan and tries to flank his right side but Ryan turns to match his position. "Analyze, Strategy..." Desmond blows get quicker and more varied, giving Ryan a hard time trying to keep up. "And Attack." Desmond goes on an all out assault and drives Ryan into a corner but Ryan used his superior mass to slam back Desmond with a shoulder. Desmond stumbles and Ryan rushes forward looking for a take down but Desmond slides under the blow and hits Ryan's calf near his waist bringing the man to a halt and a knee and Desmond ends up behind him and sends a fist to the lower half of his back narrowly stopping near a vertebrae.

"If this was a real combat situation you would be paralyzed from the waist down and probably spitting up last night's grub." He helps up the man once more, "Remember never charge unless you are three steps ahead of the enemy." He slaps the big man on the back. "Alright that is all for today, keep practicing and you might be a quarter the soldier I am. Ryan smirked, "Funny coming from a man nearly half my size, see you tomorrow Desmond." Ryan walks away but Desmond calls out, "Don't forget to practice with the shotgun!" Ryan waves a hand and keeps walking.

On his way down the halls he is met with the scowling face of Central Officer Bradford. "You know you are supposed to salute superior officers." Desmond rolls his eye, "Bradford, get the stick out your ass and loosen up to much protocol makes any man crazy." If Bradford got the jape he wasn't smiling, "Look I approved you for the XCOM project because you were a valuable asset but we do have rules on base." Desmond was frankly too tired for a lecture from a senior officer so he tried to be brief. "Look if there is something wrong here Bradford just speak up we are both men here." Bradford stared at Desmond with a look of not attitude per say but a look of authority. "Just following up on some reports of fighting among the staff and there was such a report against you and Staff Sergeant Gregory, care to explain?" Desmond thought this would come up eventually. "Just some tension that needed to be released, that's all." Bradford just nodded his head. "Well if there are any problems just let me know." Desmond nodded in agreement. "Alright deal." Desmond saluted and left to do what he had set out to do.

Finally getting to the Commander's office Desmond handed off a letter to her and walked off. The secretary opened the letter and it said,

Dear Commander,

I have recently been training an engineer with the name of Ryan Gregory and I am recommending him for at least a chance to become a part time soldier along with his job in Engineering. Granted this only means to keep him in reserves until he is needed but he shows great promise under my tutelage and he is eager to learn.

Walker