RP XCOM2: Liberation of Earth

[ZombieSplitter53]

Initial Codex Analysis

Onboard the Avenger
The Lab


Jennifer chewed on her pencil like a rat sharpening its teeth, a bad nervous habit that led to most of her writing utensils being covered in bite marks, but at least no one ever wanted to barrow them. She looked over the files of the Codex, and turned her head to the side, at the nearly smooth object they had taken to refer to as a Codex 'brain' on the side of the room.

She flipped the switch on the recording device next to her. "Dr. Jennifer Chambers, XCOM scientific staff and head of alien dissection and analysis, case 104-CB. Looking over the being known as the 'Codex', or at least what little it left behind when it expired, an object resembling, and thus referred to, as its brain."

Jen cycled through several images. "The Codex itself is quite the anomaly. It's existence as a being of mostly energy emanating from a solid form is reminiscent of some of the AI ship pilots XCOM had to face in the initial struggle, but these things... they are the most complex example of a bio-mechanical being I have ever even imagined. I will be sharing my notes with Lily..." She stopped the recording and moved back a bit. "I will be sharing my notes with Dr. Lily to see what she thinks of it."

She paused for a moment to watch Atka's fight with the alien being before recording more. "Based on the damage the Commander needed to be inflict to destroy both Codex and the clone, I am amending my previous analysis to change the hypothesis that the clones are much weaker then the original to the hypothesis that the original splits its remaining energy between it and it's clone when hit. If this is so, it means the Codex can only split a limited number of times, though because it's clone are just as deadly as the originals, I would still recommend attempting to kill a Codex in one blow. Hopefully, with more research, we can develop tech to blue screen these things."

The green haired scientist leaned back and thought for a moment. "Idea for a field experiment... situation permitting, of course. Force a Codex to split with the most health possible, then kill the original. It seems the clones are independent of the original, but can not clone. This is likely because only the one with the can do it. I would like to see if this remains true after the original dies, or if one of the originals takes the brain for itself."

She flipped off the recording device and walked to the brain before recording again. "Now for this blasted piece of..." She stopped and went back. "Now for the Codex brain, which has proved to be quite an undertaking in and of itself." She sighed, and knocked on it. "As of yet, I have not been able to figure out how it is able to seemingly teleport this completely solid object. The most plausible hypothesis is that they aliens have unlocked the secrets of matter to energy conversion, but if this is so, why is this the only instance of its use. Possible answer; it is extremely limited, and the Codex is one of the only, if not the only, example of its successful use."

Jennifer stared down at the brain, and at the devices continuously scanning it. "I... can not get into it. It has this far block all attempts at biological and mechanical scanning. I am afraid I will not be able to do much until we do more research into alien encryption. Current ADVENT encryption is not sufficient to crack this egg. This, of course, means bringing to pieces of bad news to Dr. Tygan. First, that I have no info to give him. Second, that I need to add another project onto his list."

She tapped on her lip. "Maybe... the ADVENT officers can help us in some way." She reached into a shelf and pulled out a specimen, a small implant. "We know they carry a brain implant that we believe allows them to draw upon the ADVENT psionic network for tactical considerations and communication with alien troops. If we had some way to... jack into their brain." She rubbed her brow. "But that would require a device we don't have... which would need to be built in a special facility we don't have..."

The young scientist turned off the recording without bothering to sign off the log. She walked back to her computer, and started typing her report, including everything she need from the research team.

 

[Frostlich1228]

Frostlich1228 & Dahlexpert
"The Culinarian's Apprentice"

On board the Avenger
Northeast of ADVENT Railway
Former Republic of Costa Rica
1017 Hours, June 7th, 2038
Level 4 cafeteria

Luke enters the cafeteria, surprised at how big it is. "Wow so this is the mess hall huh." Luke went up to the counter and sees no one in there. "Um hello, is there anyone there? huh, maybe there on brake."

Suddenly a girl with pig tails popped up from behind the counter, her face covered in chunks of vanilla cake and white icing. She gave the Luke a wide smile, "Hello sir! What can I get for you today?"

"Ah!" Luke steeped back and had a fire ball in his hand,thinking the person was an alien. "Wait a minute." Luke kept his fire in his left hand, and approached the weird lady.

Luke wiped some of the white icing off the lady, and tasted it. Luke eyes opened wide at how tasty the icing was and dissipated his fire. "Um Hi, what what is this weird stuff that's on your face."

"Uhh... It's... Cake..." She said slowly, oblivious of the fire due to chunks of the pastry blocking her vision, "You've never had cake before?"

"Luke gave the woman a confused look." What's cake?"

Catherine's expression dropped quickly as she turned around and started rooting through the fridge, pulling out three different cakes one at a time and setting them on the counter.

"Alright, get your shit ready, we're eating all this cake together right now, cancel all your plans, this is going to be your next few hours." She said, pulling silverware and plates from the cabinet below her.

"Um ok." Luke grabbed one of the forks and dug into one of the cakes, "Alright let's see what's so good about the cake." Luke bit into it, and his eyes widened because of how delicious the cake was. And started to wolf it down.

"This is....this is the greatest thin I ever eaten." Luke healed with tears coming do his eyes.

"Yeah pal! They're amazing! Wait... Let me guess... Your not from the cities are you?" She leaned over, smiling.

"I spent a few years in the city, but I spent most of my life in the slums. So me eating this might as well be heaven." Luke whips some tears from his eyes.

"You probably haven't had much good food at all, huh?" She asked.

"You have no idea. I lived off of bugs alien crap and other things that I relay don't want to mention." Luke continue to eat the cake until it was gone, then he liked the plate.

"Well... You certainly eat fast, you should've taken some time to really savor it..." She smiled brightly, "Oh well... Two cakes to go buddy! The one on the left is Lime Cheescake, and the one on the right is Chocolate brownie cake."

"What's a lime? and chocolate brownies, also is this cake made of cheese?" Luke asked actually curious about it.

"Heh... Okay pal, a lime is like an Orange, kinda citrus-y, a brownie is like a..." She stopped, taking a moment to think, "You know what, just eat them, see if you like them. And yes, Cheesecake is technically made of cheese."

"Alright, i'll try this one." Luke stick his fork into the chocolate brownie cake. Luke decided to take Catherine advice and eat it slowly. Luke eyes start's to get watery at how delicious it is. "I really like chocolate."

"Who doesn't? I don't even think ADVENT could resist the chocolaty goodness..." Cathy took a fork from her side of the counter and dug it into a piece of brownie cake, "Mmm, that's really savory..."

Luke swallows the piece of cake and whips his face. "I'm sorry were are my manners, my name is Luke Van Dam. And I've been eating crap for most of my life."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Luke, I'm Cathy." She smiled, "And don't worry, I'm not going to judge you."

"Thank you, I have to admit this is Delicious.I never had anything like this in my life."

"I live off this stuff, thank the el- Err... I'm happy I have high metabolism or else i'd be pretty pudgy by now." She laughed.

"You were going to say thank the elder wren't you, it's fine I understand if your from the city and you lived there for most of your life it's hard to get over."

"I'm sorry... Like I told someone else I don't really like them, that's why I'm here, but it was just something people said, even if they liked the elders or not."

"Like i said I understand, I lived in the colones I heard people say that constantly. So i'm used to people saying that. Don't worry it may take time for you to get used to not saying that." Luke finished off the chocolate fudge cake.

"Got, any more food?"

"Well, we still have the cheesecake." She replied, reaching her hand over and moving it in front of him.

" Ou yea, you sure you don't want any? I mean you been watching me eat for a while."

"Don't worry, I'm good." She said, reaching up to scratch her face, realizing that it was still covered in cake, "Oh right... Almost forgot, there's still cake all over my face... I'm going to use the restroom real quick, be right back!"

 

[Frostlich1228]

Part 2

"Yea alright." Luke watch the energetic woman leave.Luke digs into the cheesecake. interesting woman, she seems so happy and friendly a little to happy. But she is cute, huh this is the first time I didn't flirt with a woman on meeting her. huh should I flirt with her? for some reason I don't want to maybe it's because she's feeding great food. Luke eat's the Cheesecake "My this is relay good, is this meat? What kind of animal did this come from?"

As she comes out of the bathroom, her face clear, she answers, "No, it's cheese. It's processed cow milk. Specifically cream cheese."

Luke looks at the now clean Catherine "What in the heck is a cow, sorry I just never seen many animals in my life. Also what is milk?"

"..." Catherine sighed, then began to chuckle, "Well, I'm happy to explain these thing to you, but I have to ask, do they not have schools in the suburbs?"

"Um yea but, let's just say the food was the alien crap that they sell in the city. not very good for a child, but is was better then other things."

"But wouldn't you still know what a cow is? They never taught you what a cow was?"

"They don't have the best educational system around. It's all, humanity was vilont race and how the need the elders. Etc etc so I would like to know what a cow is, if you don't mind explaining it to me."

"Yeah... I remember that stuff from my orphanage actually, but I didn't stay there long enough to see all of it." She nodded, "So, a cow is this big ol' fat animal that comes in browns, black, and whites, all with spots. They have these udders that you can milk for... Well Milk, then... You can turn that milk into cheese and butter."

"Sounds tasty, man what people in the slums would have done to that. All that meat, and other recorcous you can get from it. What I would've given to have that. Hay were did you lear to cook?"

"Where did I learn to cook? My mom taught me, she made it so much fun, we made dinner together and I picked up as much as I could before starting cooking on my own, and after a lot of trail and error, I got pretty good at it."

"Hum, you know if we gave this to people in the slums. They will revolt in a second,and join us."

"Maybe I should be XCOM's PR agent, I'll just go around giving everyone free cake!"

"That might actually work.we might get an army yet." Luke looked at the energetic chef.

"So darling, what brings you here?"

"Well, I want to bring the old world back, a world where everyone could be who they wanted, from a mayor to a janitor! Me personally, I want to run my own restaurant and make people happy with all my food!" Catherine said, standing up.

Luke also so stud up"You know, I would have said that that is a terrible idea. But after eating your food That is an amazing dream." Luke grabbed Catherine arms " Don't worry darling,I will do ever thing in my power to make that dream a reality."

She was honestly surprised by that, "Well... Thanks!"

"What didn't think I would say that, were all hear for a reason any reason is a good one. Me i'm hear for a number of reasons that I don't want to get in to, if your here to make your own restaurant that's just as good of a reason to join."

Luke digs into the cheesecake. "This is pretty good."

"Good?" She said, taking a bite herself, "This shit's amazing! I'm pretty proud of this one."

"Well they were all relay good, though I would like to taste meat. This is delicious don't get me wrong, but I would love to try meat and other foods." Luke looks at Catherine

"Hay cat do you mind if I help from time to time with cooking?"

"You want to help me cook? Sure! I can show you what I know! I'm also pretty certain we could use more cooks in here, every single person helps." She replied, beaming.

"Well, I mostly want know how to cook in general. It should help latter down the line, pulse it would break the mold of me just training everyday."

"Alright, I guess that's fair... But cooking's not something you pick up instantly though, it's gonna take some time, probably a few months at least." She added, looking him in the eye.

"Your talking to some one who became a solder over night, and bad ass fire throwing psionic in two years. And who survived of anything he can get his hands on, how hard can cooking be?"

"Well, cooking and fighting aren't really the same things..." She said.

"True but I want to help, as compensation for you feeding me. It also help that your a beautiful lady to."

"Oh... And you're not just saying that?" She giggled quietly.

"No I'm not just saying that, I like being honest. And you are a beautiful woman, though a little too happy."

"Too happy?" She tilted her head to the side, "Yeah... I don't think there's such a thing."

"Well your easily the most energetic person I ever met, hands down. Luke finish off the cheesecake. "Huh, looks like we ate every thing damn."

"We? No, you ate most of it buddy, but that's fine." She smiled, taking his plate to the sink behind her. "I'd be happy to teach you how to cook... Having my own little apprentice sounds pretty fun!"

"Why do I fell like I will regret this, aw what ever. I have plenty of things I regret, at least this one will be beneficial to me."

"Oh you have no idea pal... For the first lesson, I'll show you how to cook streak with a flamethrower! It's really tricky, but nothing's better than that signature smoky flavor!"

Luke starts to get a sick smile "Ou I have my own personal fire,should be interesting seein psi fire in the kitchen."

"I was kidding! But then again... Psi Fire Steak... Tell me, how well can you control the flames? Could you distribute the heat evenly over the food?" Catherine asked, ideas flying through her head.

"Well I can try, never used my psi powers on food before. Might be fun to try."

"Well, it was great meeting you Luke, I'm looking forwards to a lot of fun together!"

"Yea, it should be interesting to say the least." Luke starts to leave the cafeteria "Thanks for the cakes, I think i'm going to come here more often to help out of course and enjoy the food and company."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “Old Grudges”

Northeast of ADVENT Railway
Former Republic of Costa Rica
1537 Hours, June 7th, 2038

Onboard the Avenger
Floor 1, Rear Block
Manufacturing Bay

Chief Shen rested her hands on the table in front of herself, her fingers wrapped around the cool metal edges of the table. A few tools were scattered in the peripherals of her vision, but her eyes were focused on the hybrid alloy deployable shield in front of her - a defensive device she preferred to call a "Bunker Shield" for brevity. She tapped her right shoe against the floor inesseciently, not because she was trying to restore blood flow to it but rather to keep her body active in addition to her mind.

The latter portion of Lily was hard at work analyzing the performance of the shield. She had seen it on the squad video feeds (a system that had been a nightmare to route through radio jammers and ultimately shared the screen with a great deal of static and bore a substantial delay), but there was something more analytical about assessing the equipment itself.

Although it had taken no direct hits, the Juggernaut 'weapon' was nevertheless battle-worn. Lifting her right hand, Lily traced a rugged circle of discolored metal that had collapsed about 1 cm into the 2 cm thick plating. "The ablative properties of the hybrid alloys seemed to have worked well enough... Though if this had been a direct hit..." It wouldn't have been enough, Lily reasoned. They needed a better model, and hopefully the next target would provide the less common, more pure alien alloys she coveted for a second version of the Bunker Shield.

However, her concerns about the shield were somewhat deflated looking at the scratch marks from stray fire from the Cleric's compaion. As opposed to the plasma SMG fire, the flying cyborg's magnetic carbine hadn't cut too deep into the shield's metal. "Well, at least it's reliable against ADVENT," Lily said to herself, oblivious to someone coming up the stairs and attracting her drone's attention. Rover nudged the Chief, prompting her to turn and acknowledge the visitor. "Oh, hi Gwen. Come to check on your toy? It held up pretty well," Lily told the Frenchwoman, stepping back from the table to gesture down at the battered but intact protective item.

"Yeah, it really was a great tool. Not many kills on my part but it served as a great support tool. At least that Irish woman... Uh... Morrrrrrigan? Yeah, that was her. Me and her made a good team. Even seemed to get the Commander's approval." Gwen put her hands behind her, shifting her weight on her feet. "Overall... I say we are a success my friend."

"For the most part, though..." Lily held up the shield, pointing to the scorch crater. "Without pure alien alloys a direct hit from a plasma weapon is going to eat straight through the shield, your armor, and you. So until I can make some upgrades you still need to be exceedingly careful around high-powered ADVENT weapons and any alien troops."

"Understood Captain." Gwen said, looking over the shield. "Man... Didn't even realize how beat up the thing got. You can repair it right?"

"Yeah, though I don't have an infinite supply of hybrid alloys. Hopefully we can get more along with some better stuff if this next op goes well. ADVENT transports are practically built out of the cheaper alloys and they often carry less adulterated samples for the aliens," Lily explained, placing the shield down on the table again.

"All that really means to me is try not to get our baby hit too much and to do well on ops. Got it boss." The Frenchwoman stretched out and pushed some hair over her shoulder, looking at Lily's drone. "Build him yourself?"

"Pretty much. I'd say 'unless you count restructuring an ADVENT drone cheating' but I think we steal enough from the enemy to render that criticism ridiculous," Lily answered. "Definetly did most of the new programming. Been working on this sort of stuff since I was a kid."

"Since a kid huh?" Gwen leaned against the table and shrugged. "When I was a kid all I was concerned about was being a proper girl and learning from my nanny."

"Well not everyone can be born the daughter of an engineer bright enough to be considered one of the world's finest," Lilt replied with a shrug, before qualifying, "Don't take that as egotism. I do my best to measure up to my father's accomplishments. I don't just automatically inherit his success like some princess."

"I use to be like that... A little princess. Though you hear the stories of princesses and wish to be one but then you realize it is only smoke and mirrors." The woman shrugged and sighed, shaking her head and looking at Lily. "Seems you and your dad were close. My dad was barely home and he despised me. Ma loved me but she was never around either. I was a princess without a king or queen."

"I assume things must have been tough on Leon too then. Not easy for a guy to grow up without having a caring or present father," Lily surmised.

At then Gwen laughed. "No, no... Leon is not my real brother. He is my adoptive brother. We are from two totally different families. After my whole family was killed, Leon saved me from execution. After that, he and his grandfather adopted me and we had been family ever since. Why do you think we have different last names?"

"Oh...right. " An-Yi rubbed the back of her neck. "I kinda... forgot you mentioned that. Everyone's family situation from the old guard is really weird so that sort of information doesn't really stick in the 'ol brain," she said with an awkward chuckle. "Sorry," Lily mumbled.

"No offense taken my friend." Gwen gave off a soft and sly smile. "You certainly are one of the most unique friends I have ever had. Thanks Lily. For uh... Being a friend."

"Haven't... had many?" Lily guessed. "Don't feel bad, neither did anyone here for the past 20 years."

Gwen snickered evily and wrapped her arm around Lily's neck. "Guess that means we will have to be life long friends. Maybe hook you up with Leon and make you my step sister."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself..."

"Yeah, your right... Leon hasn't dated anyone before... That would be tough." Gwen noted, rubbing her chin.

"He'd have less trouble than our Medical Chief... Kazuko would probably faint from being in close proximity with a woman for more than ten minutes," An-Yi said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh?" Gwen looked over the woman and got a suspicious look on her face, then got a mischevious look. "Is that so...? You got eyes for this guy despite that?"

"Oh, hell no. I enjoy making fun of him. Would never be interested in someone who worked for ADVENT," Lily replied sharply.

"Worked for Advent?" Gwen asked. "What, did he shoot innocent people or kick puppies?"

"He worked at their gene therapy clinics. Sure he helped some people but he also abetted their screening that causes people to disappear," Lily elucidated.

"He told you that himself?" Gwen asked, seeming a bit wary.

"I know most of what he worked on through Yakone, since she works under Kai's... partner of sorts. Dr. Robert Tygan. You probably haven't seen him around since he's such a recluse outside of the labs."

"Hm... Well this Kai doesn't sound like a bad guy. Have you ever just talked to him normally away from work? You know... get to know him?" Gwen shrugged. "You sort of throw yourself into your work too from what I have seen. Maybe a boy friend... not... that, just you know.. a guy friend, who knows where that could go. Not the point. Anyways, it might change your mind if you tried getting close to a coworker like that."

"If I am going to date anyone it is not gonna be him of all people," Lily growled. "I would rather be set up with friggin' Lester than him."

"Lester? Who is this guy now?" Gwen asked, now confused.

"You really need to meet more people around the ship. Matthew Lester. Pompous Specialist guy that reminds me of an English nobleman more than anything."

"Wow... you really hate this Kai guy..." Gwen noted, shrugging. "Anyways, not trying to presume anything about you. Just curious about my new friend is all."

"And you don't hate people that helped a puppet government of an occupying force?" Lily questioned incredulously.

"I hate some people... like the aliens that manipulated my parents or the soldiers who tried to kill me but in my travels me and Leon have met really good people who are just going on about their lives, unable to do anything. They are just looking for stability. We've met a lot better people out there then not. I know the reason we fight is to stop the alien occupants, but I won't forget the common man. The people who try and just make a life for themselves. Maybe... maybe he is one of those people. Just tried making a life for himself and finally saw the light. After all it takes courage to stand up against Advent, right? He must have had a lot of courage. Just like you." Gwen said with a soft smile, though she was having a hard time figuring out why she was defending someone she had never met.

Lily shook her head. "Leaving wasn't his idea. It was Tygan's. Kazuko probably would never have left if not for our Chief Scientist, who makes up a loss of marks against himself by being arrogant as hell."

"Have you ever asked?" Gwen asked with a sly grin.

"Already told you, I get my information from Yakone. She's had two years to learn alot about their circumstances. What the hell is your problem?" Lily growled.

"All I'm saying is... might be surprised when you don't get your information from the second source." Gwen said with a giggle, pushing off the table, walking away. "You might learn some thiiiings!" She called out as she ran out of engineering.

"What in the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Lily grumbled before returning to her work.

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601:“Clean Slate, Part 1”

Northeast of ADVENT Railway
Former Republic of Costa Rica
1537 Hours, June 7th, 2038

Onboard the Avenger
Floor 1, Front Block
Engine Room

Lily grit her teeth as she pushed on a heavy storage container. It was basically a fridge on wheels, with a blocky white metal exterior with exposed coolant tubes and hastily insulated electrical wires. The latter were connected to a power pack just above the frosty window into the container that was similar in design to the man-portable minigun's advanced battery. The window into the glass itself revealed the twisted expression of the Sectoid Leon had slain, frozen blood just visible on the top of its perforated torso. Bringing the container to a rest next to the examination table, Lily pulled out a phone. "Hey, Kazuko! Jenn's busy, so I need you to come down here. Need to split open an alien for study."

"Yes ma'am..." A less than enthused doctor replied, the call going dead. Around ten minutes later, Kai showed up dressed all up for the exam, though he looked at Lily with surprise and worry. "Y-You are still here? I thought you would have... You know... Dropped the corpse and ran."

Lily gave him a deadpan look. "I've seen these things shot up firsthand. I'm not exactly squeamish. And I need to be here to analyze what I'm hoping to find in this sucker's head."

"I-I wasn't implying you were squeamish..." Kai said in an offended mumble. The doctor closed his eyes for several seconds of silence and when he opened his eyes, his face was placid, devoid of emotion as he moved close to Lily, looking over the corpse. He turned over the head and sighed. "Looks like be was in a bad game of kickball. Were there no more intact specimens?"

"Nope, only Beta was able to pick one up. Only other ones we've bagged were before we had proper storage fridges, so they just rotted. We probably can't make a complete report on the Sectoid until we get a chance to kill one again. Though at least the head's intact. That's what I want to open up." Lily lifted up the wrecked wrist blaster on the alien's arm. "Dammit Leon, I needed that too.."

"Do not blame the soldier." Kai said calmly. "Old reports of earlier Sectoids state a neural link connects the weapon to the host's brain. It self destructs upon death without fail." Kai explained, grabbing a scalpel. "It is parts at least."

"Yeah, but the arc rifle temporarily severs that connection. And the power core sometimes gets ejected, or the mechanism survives," Lily replied. "Both would be useful in my studies and to add to my blueprints for future armor designs."

Kai only nodded in response, slowly but surely cutting an 'I' like shape into the head, after that peeling back the skin to show the weak skull bone, which Kai quickly cut away to reveal the complex brain housed in green goo. "What am I looking for exactly Lily?"

Lily pointed to a collection of wires linked into the extraterrestrial being's brain. "Those. That confirms that they still have implants to augment their psionic abilities, though we've never had a chance to study them in detail - let alone get a look at newer models."

Kai held his hand over the implant and although Lily could not see, a green circle surrounded it. The brain slowly sliced away with precision no scalpel could achieve and he reached in, taking out the mechanical device and he placed it on a tray.

Getting better Kai. Didn't even need my assistance on that one. Sukuna noted inside Kai's head.

"I know..." He mumbled to himself.

Lily grinned broadly and carefully lifted up the electronic mesh, placing it onto a black plate attached to a panel in the shape of a hand. "Alright, let's test this out. Send a little pulse of psionic energy into the handprint, see if the implants still respond."

The doctor took off one of his rubber gloves, doing as instructed. However, he did not hold back, sending a strong pulse into the implant, tapping into Sukuna's power as he did so for maximum effect.

The implants were jostled, and a small screen read 7819 Phylons. "Well that certainly works... Though I'd need to test without the implants on to see if it actually boosted your energy," Lily explained.

"Go ahead." Kai said, and when she removed the implant Kai tried again, using the same amount of power but as he did he shook a bit very subtly.

The values were roughly 500 points lower. "Yeah, that seems about right. Not enough of a difference to matter much for an application to our soldiers, but if I can replicate the procedure these use..." Lily glanced over the implants. "...and maybe perfect it. These things look rough like prototypes, not a carefully-crafted final design. They're almost... cheap."

"Probably not..." He grabbed his head stepping away from Lily. "...w-worth the effort on a grunt like him. Better stuff... Likely higher up."

"Yeah, we encountered an elite variant when we took the Avenger, but it got blasted before it could do anything. Probably had better implants." Lily raised an eyebrow. "I think you overdid it."

"N-Not in the way... You... Think..." Kai slowly released his hold over his mind, slowly letting everything sink in and when it did, he let out a sigh of relief, flashing a small smile at Lily. "U-Uh... S-Sorry bout that..."

"What, do you get off from using your powers or something now?"

"N-No... I... I put away my... My mind. It... Allowed me to work in such close proximity for so long... Without much trouble. But its... Taxing..."

"How do you put away your mind and still be conscious? That doesn't make any sense.”

"Complicated..." Kai explained, though he turned his back to Lily. "Y-You have what you want. N-Now you can... Go. I won't bother you further..."

Lily scooped up her equipment. "Lemme guess... Gynophobia strikes again?"

 

[DarkGemini24601]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “Clean Slate, Part 2”

"It always is around... I just need to be near a woman. Besides, ain't the only reason. I know you dread me, so I won't make you stay around any longer then needed." Kazuko told the woman, turning back to the trash where he threw out his other glove, though there was a hint of melancholy to his tone.

Lily was silent for a few moments before saying anything. "Did you know? Did you even suspect you were creating profiles that would determine whether or not your patients would be carted off to blacksites?"

"Hm? That? No, I had no idea whatsoever. I always reviewed patient files and made notes about whether or not they should be eligible due to some sort of health risk or some family history. However, sometimes I got a notice telling me that the person had dropped out of the procedure. Little did I know that they were being carried off. When I... Finally learned I... I-I was appalled. Felt it was all my fault..."

Lily maintained her cold, stoic expression. "If they ever told you that you could return to the way of life you had before, safe and sound without repercussion... would you accept that offer?" she asked with a degree of hesitation.

"Never!" Kai said, spinning back to look at her. "I wanted to use my powers for good, so that my skills as a doctor could help people! I helped no one but the Advent forces kill more. At least here... At least here I can make a difference. Brigid is proof of that."

He seems honest, Lily thought, her expression faltering - if only a little. Why can't I just believe him? Even if he stole... he stole… An-Yi squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them she blurted out, "Why did you have to show up and take that from me!"

Kai suddenly stepped back, holding up his hands defensively. "S-S-Stole what!? It couldn't have been underwear, I would die if I did that!"

Lily seemed to register that she had vocalized private thoughts, and glanced away at the metal floor. She tried to just dismiss it, to say 'forget it', but stubbornly couldn't drop the issue. "I was so close to being able to help her." ...no, no I wasn't. "All I wanted to do was pay her back for everything she had done for us..." To have her trust me so maybe I could fix things even if it meant sticking my nose where it didn't belong. "But you came along and helped Atka before I could!"

"O-Oh... That?" Kai lowered his hands, though scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry An-Yi... I really am. It wasn't my intention to just... Push you out of your work like that." The Japanese man shook his head and despite his phobia screaming at him he walked closer. "But you s-s-should still b-be proud of what you did! I don't know anyone who c-could have made implants like y-you did for your friend. While not as technologically advanced, they certainly were a marvel! Truly!"

"I still couldn't help the Commander when she needed me. All I could do was make her some shitty prosthetics that didn't lift her spirits at all. I just gave up and focused on the Avenger and let her wallow in depression for six years," Lily weakly chided herself. "I... I shouldn't be mad ar you. It's my own damn fault you beat me to the punch."

Kai really knew it was a bad idea but despite everything, he walked in front of Lily and put a hand on her shoulder, which caused blood to slowly leak out of his nostrils. "U-Um... well... I-I-I did nothing. Y-You made yours out of scratch while ours w-w-were brought. Y-Yours was a labor of l-love for a friend while i-it was just another procedure for me. Y-Y-You are... m-much more... v-v-valuable then I..." Kai managed to get out, though had to retract his hand lest he lose consciousness.

"O-Okay... geez, heal yourself," Lily said with concern, stepping back.

Kai put his hand to his nose, wiping away the blood and he shook as if a cold air blew across him. "Always have to overdue thing..." He said embarrassed.

"Look... I'm sorry I've held that against you for so long. It's not your fault, and it's petty of me to be upset about that still," Lily admitted. "I hope we can get along better in the future."

He stared at her a bit in disbelief. "That sectoid is dead and not controlling you... right?"

Lily pulled out her wrench. "Don't make me change my mind," she growled, holding it threateningly.

"No, no, no! Getting along is good. Perfectly on boar- please don't kill me you terrifying woman!" Kai said to Lily. "I can give you bad... Cramps... Or something... With my powers!"

Lily cautiously lowered her wrench, and then laughed quietly. "You really are a doctor... that's the best threat you can come up with?"

"Pretty much... I'm not much of a fighter... Especially when any woman over the age of 14 could beat me in a brawl..." Kai said, looking down with a sigh.

What are you doing!? This is the best chance you have ever had with a woman! Even if it is... Her, don't let you phobia make you a wuss Kai! Sukuna yelled in Kai's head, though he ignored her.

"I want to reassure you, but those teenage Italian mechanics are kind of tough..." Lily said with a sly smile.

"Screw off..." Kai grumbled angrily.

"Hey, I'm being serious! Mostly..."

Kai rolled his eyes and turned his back to An-Yi.

No, no, no! Don't you dare make her leave Kai! Sukuna warned.

"Not my fault you're a meek city boy," Lily called out mockingly as she began to walk off.

Oh for the love of me... Sukuna said and she decided to take things into her own hands, forming herself into reality in a rare showing. In her most accurate Kai voice she mumbled, "Such a cute butt..."

Lily swiveled around at the off-sounding voice. Seeing no one but Kai, her eyes darted to his left and right. "Did you hear something? I could have sworn I heard some woman speaking..."

"U-Um..." He narrowed his eyes at Sukuna who gave Kai a sly look. "Did you hear what they said? Maybe someone was walking by."

"There's no one else in the lab with us," Lily replied, narrowing her eyes. "And I'm not going to repeat what I thought I heard."

"Hm... Well..." He glared at the woman only he could see and the Kami rolled her eyes, waving her hands at Lily, making her hands in a praying gesture. "Fine..." He grumbled. "Hey Lily... Little guy don't need my company." He said referring to the alien. "Wanna... Get a drink? A-At least I am... W-Willing to try ir for our... Relationship with one another..."

Lily shook her head. "Sorry, I've got things I need to do. Maybe another time though."

"Sure." He said with a smile and a nod, and when she left he looked at Sukuna with a dirty glare who huffed and disappeared.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Return of Grizzled Friendships Part One (ZombieSplitter53 and MarineAvenger)

On Board the Avenger
The Infirmary

Joe nodded to the ship's small medical staff as he walked into the medical bay, his usual cautious smile shown off. Today, he was visiting someone he hadn't got a chance to see for so long, he wasn't even sure what to say, short of, "Welcome back, Mr. Bradford." he did a small but elaborate bow to the second in command. "It has been much too long."

"That it has..." Bradford said, an eyepatch around his left eye from the time his face was shot by one of his own men in the base assault, and his voice deeper from the scarring around his neck from an IED. "You look like shit... Got older."

Joe chuckled. "Happens with age. Better that then looking like shit despite not aging, huh?"

"Hey... The nurses liked the scars." William quipped back with the man, holding out his hand to his old associate.

Joseph grasped it tightly. "How are you feeling, you not-so-old dog?"

"Constant headaches and joint pain from years of being in stasis, so most likely am already combat ready." Bradford noted, sitting back in the bed. "How are the girls? I bet they won't even remember me. Alex maybe, but Jenn was very much a little girl last I saw her."

"Well... Jenn works in the lab and is cherriful yet serious as always. And Alex... somehow convinced me to let her take up arms. She was actually on the mission you got you back on."

"Is that so?" Bradford chuckled and look down at the diodes attached to him, and he took them in his grasp and took them, ripping them off. Of course, the heart monitor went flat lined and a nurse rushed into the room.

"Central Officer Bradford! What do you think you are doing!?" She exclaimed as the man stood up.

"Going for a stroll with an old friend. I'll be back by supper, promise." Bradford responded, holding onto Joe's shoulder for support.

"Oh no you don't. Head Doctor gave strict orders you are not to go anywhere!" She said, approaching him.

"And I outrank Kazuko. Now leave me be. That's an order." William ordered the nurse, who looked dumbfounded and confused as Will turned to his old friend. "I wanna see them."

Joe nodded, smiling softly as he helped him walk out of the med bay. "They were in our room last I heard. Though you know I could have brought them to you, right?"

"And miss the oppurtunity to walk around? Not a chance." Bradford noted with a serious expression.

Joseph grinned. "I'm all for helping a friend. Just expect me to point a finger if the Commander tries to get on me about this." His expression turned a bit more serious. "It is good to have you back. I know you'll be a good addition, and Atka could use the support."

"Yeah, I noticed her... Different mood. Has she still not gotten over... Him?" Bradford asked the man helping him.

Joe let out a long sigh. "Not in the slightest. In fact, sometimes it feels she has become more bitter over the years. And I... I'm afraid Yakone suffers for it."

"Has the girl ever been told about her father?" He asked, Bradford curious as to what exactly had happened to his friends in his abscence.

"As far as I know... no," the Intelligence officer answered. "I doubt Atka told her, and only a few other people know, or suspect. You. Me. A few of the originals." He looked like he was going to name another, but said nothing more.

"Well... A thing to talk about with Atka in the future. I... Never found my husband. Last reports indicated to his death. That was years ago..." He told the man a bit sadly.

Joe lowered his head a bit. "Yeah. I know how you feel. To be honest, I had always held out hope that my wife was still out there somewhere. Really hard to write someone off as dead when you never saw them die. But I've tried to accept it in recent years. Though Jenn refuses to for some reason, despite barely remembering her."

"At least my evidence is a bit more concrete. There may still be some hope for you, however little it is. I am fairly certain." Bradford rubbed his arms. "You know I used to date women as well as men?"

"Did you know?" Joe helped him down a hatch. "Any catch your fancy back in the day? Or are you subtly trying to tell me you had a thing for my Vicky?"

Bradford chuckled. "I was married back in the day. So, no. I didn't fancy anyone then. As for now, men like me are in short supply and women my age." Bradford noted with a chuckle. "Shit luck, huh? At least you still have a shrivel of game."

Joseph shrugged. "As far as I've heard, those colonies are so sexually repressed, it isn't easy for even a straight man. Just another thing to do when we win this." He fell silent for a moment before mumbling, "Something just occurs to me."

"What's that?" Will asked, their close proximity meaning he could hear him even when mumbling.

"We're going to reeducate half of humanity, aren't we? There has been one generation under the aliens already, and who knows how long this will take? Sexuality. Freedoms. Self sufficiency. Self policing. Government. Rights. Education. Justice. All will have to be retaught. And it won't just be XCOM trying to set the curriculum."

"World is a free place. We will eventually figure out the right way. If not... I got a spry fourty years still to kill." Bradford noted as they neared the room.

Joe nodded and stopped outside the room. "What me to prepare them or do you want it to be a surprise?"

"Surprise of course." Bradford said, shaking his head as he opened the door and stepped in.

"Wait!" Joe shouted. "You need to..." The two half naked girls screamed, throwing things at Bradford. "...knock... first..."

He of course nimbly dodged the objects and backed out, shrugging. "Well... They've certainly grown." Was all he could say in his defense.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Return of Grizzled Friendships Part Two (ZombieSplitter53 and MarineAvenger)

After a minute, Alex opened the door, dressed and ready to kill. She was surprised to see her father. "Dad! Um... do you know this perv?"

"I take offense to that. Haven't so much as looked at a woman in years." William said, crossing his arms with a smirk as being in stasis doesn't make him a liar. "Man... You look so much older Alexis. Would probably have never recognized you now."

"Are you saying you know me?" Alexis shook her head. "The only people I know are in XCOM... or dead." She looked at him, and realized there was something familiar about him, something that compelled her to step to the side so he could come in.

"Wait, I recognize you." Jennifer said when she saw him. "From the mission footage. The man that was in stasis, yeah?"

"I'm a lot more then that man that was just in stasis." He said, crossing his arms. "I am Central Officer William Bradford. And... you girls look just like your mother." Will said proudly, smiling at them. "You were both so young... feels like yesterday to me."

Alex looked him in the eyes. She knelt down to get a look at him from below. "It... it is you, isn't it! You, uh... you look good for you age."

"Spend a couple of years in an oversized freezer. It will do wonders for your complextion." Bradford told the woman as he got to the ground with her and gave the girl a hug. "It is nice to see the little girls I watched torture their parents all grown up now. First Yakone, Lily, and now you girls... Makes things easier knowing our fighting kept you girls safe."

Jennifer walked over, looking a bit disappointed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bradford. I can't remember you. I can't remember a lot of things from the original XCOM."

"I expected as much. You were still very tiny. Still... The sentiments remain." Bradford told the girl with a smile.

"So are you going to taking your position back?" Alexis asked, the smile on her face facing saying she had forgotten the earlier indiscretion.

"Of course I am, though I am probably going to need to be more then just the central officer. I will likely serve in the field as well." He said certainly, standing up with Alexis. Bradford looked over to Jennifer though, and smiled warmly. "Something wrong Jenn?"

Jenn shook her head. "Just... wish I had more memories like Alex does. Of you. Of the Commander. Of Lily. Of..." She trailed of, giving him a small smile.

"I understand. But... well, to be honest, it was honestly pretty boring at the old base." He walked to the woman and put a hand on her shoulder. "All that's important to remember is that during X-COM, your mother and your father were a kick ass pair together. We wouldn't have survived without them. I hope you can live up to their legacy."

Jennifer nodded. "Right. Thanks."

Alexis nudged him in the back. "I'm a big shot soldier now, you know? Got a mission, and several kills under my belt now. Even helped bag a snake lady... even if we missed the chance to take it home."

"Don't let it go to your head miss." Bradford warned the girl. "Never get overconfident. Feel pride, just dont let it follow you into battle."

"I won't." Alex folded her arms. "But it would be nice if I got some praise from at least one of my elders. So far I've only been beat up, lectured, threatened, and in dad's case, given a plethora of worry over it."

"Let me see you in action next time. I will praise you up and down." Bradford told the girl with a smile.

"Yes, sir." Alexis saluted the man.

Joe placed a hand on Bradford's shoulder. "But let’s get you back before the nurses come hunting you down."

"I'm fine, I'm fine. First taste of freedom in a while, don't want to waste it." Bradford said, "After all... I'm sure all four of us have a lot of talking to do."

"We could go to lunch," Jennifer offered. "Catch up over a nice meal."

"Yeah... lunch sounds nice." He looked at Joseph with a smug look.

Joe rolled his eyes, and held the door open for the others. Alexis pulled Bradford along by his arm and said, "Don't worry. I'm gonna fill you in on everything to do with the name Chambers over the past twenty years."

"I assume all is forgiven for accidentally seeing you in your skivvys? I knew you girls since before you were potty trained. Perving on you is the last thing I would ever do." Bradford reassured both her and Jenn, laughing as they pulled him out. Slowly but surely, Will thought he was getting his family back.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Fire Meets Fire Part One (MarineAvenger and Dahlexpert)

In the early morning aboard the Avenger, adoptive siblings Leon and Gwen walked side by side down the narrow halls, both having a breakfast item in their hands, the two having gone out for lunch after their early morning, routine workout session. "Why did you do that to that poor guy? He never did anything to you." Leon teased the French girl as she covered her face in embarrassment.

"Oh my god, Leon! It was an accident! I didn't mean to drop the weight on his foot, it just slipped out of my hand when I was handing it to him. Oh... I am never going to hear the end of this, huh?" De Saint Pierre complained, lowering her gaze.

"Don't be such a downer. I will only tease you a week at most." Leon said with a snicker, nudging his sister playfully.

"Stop that." She giggled in return, nudging him back. "You big meanie..."

Luke and Lilith walked down the hallway, both seeming to be arguing about something. "Aunty, how many times do I have to tell you I'm not going to date anyone."

"Why not? I understand that you been around crappy woman most of your life, but your around woman that are respectable this time. You're not in the slums, and these aren’t those broods."

"I get that, but I just don't want to date. Don't want to get to attached to people." Luke responded.

Lilith sighed. “Luke I get that, but you do realize you can die any day. I'm just thinking about your legacy."

"But it's my legacy, and will settle down when I feel like it." With an annoyed look and tone.

As the two groups neared one another, the French girl watched the two Van Dams. "Hm... Wonder what his deal is..." Gwen said to Leon, getting close to him. "He seems like bad news."

"Oh come on, you always judge people too quickly." Leon said, nudging Gwen who giggled a bit too loudly.

Both Lilith and Luke turned to the sound of someone laughing. “Oh, another beautiful woman. She's a blonde with incredibly long hair too.”

Lilith looked at Luke. "Ugh... here we go."

Luke approached the two people. "Hey, you two need help carrying your food? Or to be more specific, ma’am do you need help carrying your food."

Lilith put her hand into her forehead, and whispered to herself, "And it's starting… well at least he's not flirting right off the bat."


"Nah, I'm fine." Gwen said, shrugging. "After all, if I needed a pack mule I already have someone." She said, kicking Leon's leg.

"Hey, what was that for?" The Canadian man asked.

"Making me laugh so loudly!" Gwen complained. "You know I am ticklish..."

"That's why I do it..." Leon mumbled.

Luke looked at the pair confused at what he was seeing. "So… are you two like a couple? Would explain the pack mule thing."

"What's it to you?" Gwen asked a bit suspiciously of Luke.

"Look doll face, I'm just asking and making conversation.” Luke turned to look as Leon. "To which if you two are a couple, man you have a beautiful looking girlfriend."

"Doll face!?" Gwen exclaimed, looking like she was about to charge Luke.

However, Leon stopped her just in time, though he crossed his arms with a not too happy look. "This is my sister, jackass."

Luke got a confused look "Sister? Well then you have a beautiful sister. Sorry for the confusion."

"Oh, go shove it up your ass!" Gwen yelled from behind Leon.

Leon shook his head. "She isn't one to be complemented by men."

"What? I'm just being honest. She's a beautiful looking. A blond bombshell at that."

Lilith came behind Luke and put her hand on his shoulder. "All right lady killer, lay off this one. She's not having it."

Lilith looked at Gwen. "Oh and lady don't give him attitude. He will see it as more of a challenge and try to wear you down." The gray skinned woman explained.

"See how big his ego is when I send his testicles permanently into his throat!" Gwen threatened, this time Leon actually had to shove her back because her pushing was getting annoying.

"Look, just who the hell are you and the playboy?" Leon asked with a bit of an arched eyebrow, curiously looking over Lillith's skin.

"My name is Lilith Van Dam, and the playboy here is my nephew Luke. Nice to meet you both.”

Luke laughed. "Oh and blondie... I would love to see you try and do that. I personally don't think you can."

"Luke don't antagonize it, or try to excuse using your fire on them." Lilith groaned in annoyance.

Luke sighed in response. “Fine fine, I wasn't going to torch them. Just talking to the blond beauty there. Though I do love those fangs she has."

"Why you little ass!" Gwen pushed away from Leon and ran past Lilith, smacking Luke right across the face. "Enough already! Are you supposed to be charming!? Well you aren't! All you are is a creepy, rapey sounding little... toad! Now stop it!" Gwen yelled at the man, having to be pulled back by the shoulder by Leon.

Luke looked at his aunt "How long does that make that?"

"Two weeks. Truth be told I'm amaze you lasted that long."

"Damn still not a record." Luke went up to Gwen, ignoring Leon. "Look lady, let me be honest. I'm a flatterer, and I'm also a honest guy. If I think you’re beautiful or a bombshell them I'm going to say that. Now if I wanted to be a rude asshole I could have said you got nice tits and a fine ass, or, ‘Hey baby, how much?’!" Luke started angrily, though put his hand to his mouth. "Uh... I can't say that. Man that was low." Luke extended his hand "Let's try this again shall we? My name is Luke Van Dam. You got name?"

Gwen's face went completely red, but not from being embarrassed, but from being so angry it made her shake. Leon pulled her away and glared at Luke. "You didn't help your case none there buddy..."

"Well that's her problem. Like I said I'm honest. So do you both have a name, or were you born without one? I just really would like to know who you people are."

"It is common to mention your name to someone. " Lilith mentioned.

"I'm Leon Sinclair and my sister is Gwendoline De Saint Pierre." Leon said reluctantly, not too happy with the way Luke was talking to his sibling.

Gwen looked even more unhappy. "I don't care how damn honest you are, if you don't stop trying to hit on me, I can, and will go to someone superior to us and turn your ass in for sexual harassment. It isn't funny, and it isn't cute. It is annoying and irritating, especially coming from some no class, no looks brute such as yourself."

"Well nice to meet you both... and um… Gwen? If you can't handle a small compliment you got some issues. I may be a brute, but I have manners at least. I'm not hitting on you, I’m just complimenting you. I'm not one for commitment. Also no class? Honey, the way you’re acting, you belong in the slums too. "

Lilith got in front of Luke. "I'm sorry, my nephew has been around some questionable people most of his life. He recently had his old ways beaten out of him, but he kept his flirting habits."

"Yeah. That damn commander in Alaska really humbled me. I will get him back if we get to Alaska."

"Yeah, well maybe he also needs to learn that some people don't like being complimented. Not being one for commitment just makes it all the more worse. People like you care for no one but yourselves. That is why I vow to wait till marriage. Maybe even longer if I am not sure about the man I one day marry." Gwen told the two Van Dams. "Besides... Leon is a much more capable man than you." She shot at Luke. "He could run circles around you in every way!"

"Woman, you don't know me! You don't know what I been through! If I were to guess, you were raised in the colonies. Probable taken care of most of your life, you softy. You don't know what you're saying!"

Lilith looked at Leon. "Is this normal for you, or this just an extreme case?"

"Well it doesn't help you nephew is sort of a giant ass, but this is pretty normal for her. She hates guys like him, and she has met a lot of them." Leon said to the woman.

"I'll have you know that I grew up in old world France! And yes, I was pampered by a nanny because my mother was too busy with work and my father hated me and even he didn't have time for me! To make matters worse, Advent killed my mother in an accident, my father was a back stabbing liar, and I saw my nanny, the woman who raised me almost all of my life have her brains splattered against a wall until that man over there took me in!" Gwen yelled, pointing to Leon. "And ever since that day, he has trained me to look after myself! I am not a delicate little flower anymore, I am not just some thing to look pretty, and I am certainly free to having my own likes and dislikes!"

"You call that tough? At least you remember your parents. I lost my mom and dad, not to mention my entire village when I was three. The aliens wiped out my kind because they thought they would be a threat." Luke pointed towards his aunt. "My aunt and I were the only ones that survived, and she took me to the slums because she didn't want me near the aliens. And for the past 17 years of my life I lived worse than an animal! I barely had food or water. I had to scavenge loot and kill to get what I needed for basic stuff!"

Lilith looked at Luke. "Alright Luke that's enou-"

"And to add the icing on the cake, the reason my aunts skin is gray is because it's my fault. I got sick one day to where she thought I was going to die, so she did the only thing she thought was right. She joined Advent to save me! And It turns out I became a red psion out of it. You talk about your little past, but that is nothing compared to what I been through! Compared to me, you're a spoiled brat that can't take something as simple as a compliment! You are a worthless, pathetic brood!"

"Luke!" Lilith yelled

"What is it!?" Luke yelled back.

"Your hands are on fire. You’re letting your powers slip again."

 

[MarineAvenger]

Fire Meets Fire Part Two

Luke looked at his hands and saw fire is slowly coming out of them. Luke calmed down and his fire started to dissipate. "You are a worthless slab of meat that knows nothing about the world." Luke went past his aunt. "You can talk to them if you want. I'm done talking to this brat."

"Oh yeah!? Well I've spent nearly the last decade of my life barely scraping by never even having a place to settle down so I could actually accomplishing something! And you're psionics don't make you anything other than a muscle brained lout who thinks a little bit of fire makes him special. Well it doesn't! You are all smoke and mirrors with no substance!" Gwen yelled at him as he walked away, Leon finally restraining Gwen, telling her to walk and clear her mind.

As the French girl stomped off angrily, the Canadian man sighed. "Well... at least they are apart now..."

Lilith sighed. “God dammit Luke... I'm sorry about that. Luke is… well he's a very caring person. His life was very hard and it's kinda… well mostly my fault. I wanted him nowhere near the aliens and that made him a ruthless killer that did very terrible things. He's been with the resistance for three years and changed a lot but he still feels guilty." Lilith rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, but what brings you two to XCOM since you heard our reason?" Lilith said while trying to smile.

"Well... I've been fighting Advent ever since I could hold a gun. My Mom, Dad, and Grandmother were murdered by the aliens, which left me in the care of my grandfather. For many years we moved from cell to cell in both Canada, and after I saved Gwen, the US. I've been able to fire a gun since I was seven. That would make it about almost fifteen years as a freedom fighter, at least for me." Leon told the woman, crossing his arms. "Oddly enough though, the names June and Leon Sinclair aren't too popular, but my greatest achievement is the massive uprising near the Vancouver area a couple years back. Was a huge spectacle my grandfather was apart of planning. Beat Advent for days but eventually we were pushed back. It was after that we traveled south, however... granddad stayed behind. Said he wanted to stay in the country and fight where his wife had died."

"Hm… well that's quite the accomplishment. It seems you're quite the freedom fighter. I joined because… well the reasons my nephew said. I joined to get payback against Advent. Though for three years all we did was fight Advent when they were getting too close to our outpost. I have to admit you sound like quite the soldier." Lilith looked at the directions both Gwen and Luke went. "Now what will we do about them? Do we let them vent or just leave them as is?"

"I say leave them. Better they most likely don't interact with one another... ever. Somethings never change." Leon said. "Come on. Me and you grab a coffee. I'll tell you why Gwen hates your nephew. At least the context of it."

"That sounds nice... Hell, you and him could be friends. I know he didn't make the best first impression, but he's a good person."

"I have made friends with worse people than him. I tend to be a strong leader. I say it is the sole reason I lived so long in the resistance movement. It is a gift that I cherish." Leon said humbly, and he turned. "Besides... despite what you may think with your discolored skin, you are still a lovely older woman. You should be proud. Not many would retain their natural beauty with such a hindrance."

"Hm… I appreciate that the complement. Not many people call me beautiful anymore. Though I have to thank my genes. My tribe were made in the dense of the Alaska cold weather, so training is normal for me. Though it's nice to have a natural leader on the team. Luke is a born soldier, he can take orders pretty well, and he's very skilled with most weapons, though he prefers big ones. I think you two can work really work well together on the battlefield for many fights to come."

"Perhaps... just needs to keep that ego a bit in check while on the field." Leon noted, holding his arm out to the woman courteously. "So, shall I escort the beautiful woman to get that coffee?"

Lilith grabbed Leon’s arm "I would love get coffee. You aren’t a flatterer like my boy now, are you?" Lilith said jokingly.

Leon laughed. "Oh no, nothing like that. It's..." Leon shook his head, his laughter dying, but his light tone was still there. "You were hard on yourself about what Advent did to you. I just think maybe you deserve an afternoon where you feel wanted. With your nephew cooling down, and Gwen likely venting... I am sure me and you have the free time to give you a good time you likely haven't had for a while."

"Such a gentleman. Not many of those nowadays. Your grandfather would be proud of you, and so would your parents."

"Thanks. Luke is lucky to have you supporting him." Leon told the woman as he led her towards the cafe area where the two would have their beverages. "So just how old are you?"

"I'm 44. Probably the one of oldest people here. Been through alot in the past twenty years. Seeing my sister and her husband die, taking care of their kid, trying to be a decent influence on him. But not a good one ‘cause I joined ADVENT, hence the gray skin and a few other things." Lilith said while drinking her coffee.

"Few other things?" Leon asked.

"Me being a top commanding officer in ADVENT, then me betraying ADVENT and murdering them in cold blood. Burying all 250 members of our tribe and then fighting ADVENT for three years. Yeah… other things."

"I see..." Leon sat back, shrugging. "Well... not much to say to that other then I am glad you are on the right side this time. Would be a waste with you in Advent."

"Yeah, I have enough knowledge about ADVENT to slip into a few of their back doors. Give XCOM a few one ups if the Commander ever needed it. So, your sister... you said you would explain why she hates guys like my nephew?

 

[MarineAvenger]

Fire Meets Fire Part Three

"Right... was a guy named Devon. Close friend of mine, and while they weren't exactly close, Gwen had developed a bit of a crush on him. She tried getting close to him, but he kept pushing her away, being callous. He wasn't looking for anyone, but eventually he agreed they could be together out of sheer pity and the need not to have her stalking him. However, he turned to Advent, murdered his brother, and we murdered him in retaliation. After that, she became distrustful, even more so than her near execution made her."

Leon took a break to drink some coffee, and when he put his mug down he sighed. "The more cells we visited, the more men she found trying to be heroes. The ones thinking the world was their bitch and that they were invincible, could do anything from the sheer fact they had a six pack. She grew resentful, hated them all. Saw them all as scum bags, no matter their origins. She sees Luke as a guy like that, and the fact he tries to compliment her when she finds him appalling... that is very uncomfortable with her. Like if a creepy old man came up to you and groped you. That sort of uncomfortable."

Lilith took a sip of her coffee "Well, Luke used to be like that. Not because he had muscles or wanted to be a hero. To him, he felt if the world is going to treat him like less than an animal because he was in those slums, then he’d give them that person. When Luke got his powers he became a murderer. A blood thirsty person taking out anyone that got in his way. Most women saw that power and threw themselves at him. Either out of fear or they thought they could use him. Either way, Luke went down a rotten path and I couldn't take it. So I took him out of that environment and put him in the colonies with ADVENT around. That forced him to calm himself."

Lilith took a deep breath. "But then we joined the resistance, and those feelings returned, but worst than ever. The commander of that base humbled Luke by beating the crap out of him and making him do difficult chores. Then I told him about his parents and the village, and that's when I think Luke started to change. I told him if he acted the way he acted in our village he would have been killed. I'm not sure if it's out of pity or shame, or the hours of therapy, but Luke changed gradually. He became more respectfully towards everyone, but he felt ashamed about his old self. His flirting is just him complimenting their looks. He means nothing by it. It's just him putting up a front. He just like being honest now."

"Yeah, well compliments are always nice, but Gwen is not just some... other carbon copy girl. Even I would get extremely creeped out and defensive if someone just kept throwing compliment after compliment after me. Take what I did for example. I complimented your looks, not even knowing your age. I subtly told you how valuable you are to us and you probably didn't even realize. People like restraint and subtlety. He is a bulldozer when it comes to that stuff. Some... looser girls might like that, but Gwen has been hurt too much to take any chances. And the fact he called her worthless and delicate... that cut her really deep. Especially with how hard she strives to try and make herself the best soldier she can be. It is all she has aside from me, and even then... she loves me to death, but she occasionally shows her moments of just wanting to be able to take care of herself. She doesn't want to be that helpless girl about to be executed. She wants to be like me, or the Commander, someone other than a victim."

"I understand that, and Luke after a while will stop flirting. It's just a one time thing with him. But you sister calling him a muscle head brute that cares for no one for himself... that cut deep as well. That reminds him of the person he used to be. He wants to erase from his memory, and he wants to be like his father. A respectable man. One with morals and has honor and something to stand for. That's the person he wants to be." Lilith lightly giggled. "Sounds like they both could get along if they wanted to, both ashamed of their past, but they use it to motivate themselves to be better."

"And both too hot headed to sit down and admit they are wrong..." Leon sighed, then got a certain look about him. "I have a proposition for you... one that I am sure will blow you away and leave you, and admittedly me, both satisfied with what we desire deep down."

"Alright, I'll take any suggestions that I can if it means both of them will be level headed."

"Mind... coming back to my room so we may discuss this further?" Leon asked with a smirk.

"You do realize I can hurt you if this is some sort of sexual advance, right?" Lilith asked the man.

"Should I be flattered you think this is a sexual advance?" Leon asked as he finished his coffee. “Don’t worry, it isn't. Just teasing.”

"Don't make an old woman feel all flushed with that talk and I will follow you. Lead the way" The gray skinned woman said with a smile.

"I'll keep that in mind." Leon said, standing up. "As for my plan... will need to pull in a favor with Yakone..."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and Frostlich1228: “The Dual Rangers, Part 1”

Northeast of ADVENT Railway
Former Republic of Costa Rica
0734 Hours, June 8th, 2038

Onboard the Avenger
Floor 2, Central Block
Laundry Room

Yakone hummed to herself, laying quite literally on top of a washing machine and dryer as she spun a weathered basketball in her hands. The Inuit-Caucasian wasn't in her usual attire, instead being dressed in a plain gray shirt and a pair of white shorts as her main outfit was receiving a cleaning session. She was too busy daydreaming about being part of a team and winning a match to notice the washer ding.

Another minute passed and a pair of maintenance crewmembers - two Italian teenagers - came into the shared room and placed their clothes in the washer and started it up again. That Yakone did hear. "Whoawhoawhoa I just finished!" Yakone complained, leaning over the edge of her high ground.

Tiziana yelped in surprise, not having noticed Yakone, while her companion Viviana apologized. "I'll just get it out..." she tried the handle and found it sealed. "Uh..."

"W-We'll be right back. Need our tools!" Tiziana explained in broken English before running off, her older friend following.

Yakone rested an arm over her head. "Great... now I'm gonna be late. The fate of the world hangs in the balance you two!" she yelled after the Italian mechanics as they rounded the corner out of her range of vision.

After a few seconds, a rugged man with a large scar across his eye walked into the room, carrying a backpack filled with clothes. His eyes locked onto Yakone, and then onto the washing machine, trying to hint that he wanted to use it.

"Uh... sorry man, this one's jammed," Yakone called out to him. She pointed to one across from her to the right. "That one should work fine."

"Thanks." He said simply, "You're one of the ones who went out on our first mission, right?"

"Yep." Yakone took on an announcer voice. "The one, the only, Yakone Ipiktok!!!" More normally she qualified, "that's me. What's your name, big guy?"

"Marx Tvarnov." He replied, opening the washer, "That was good work out there, despite a few hiccups."

"Hey, you try being cuddled to death by a snake lady, mister Proletarian Revolution." Well, maybe you'd actually be able to enjoy it since you're a guy." Yakome shrugged with a grin at her own set of jokes.

"Trust me, I wouldn't exactly be thrilled being choked by an eight foot tall snake monster, even if it did have things that vaguely resembled breasts if you squinted hard enough." He replied, pushing his shirts into the washer.

"Eh, I think they're more like seven feet. They aren't that big. Their boobs, now that's debatable, but you can never beat the genuine human article," Yakone insisted. "That's aside the point though. Regardless of whether they have venom sacks or copied something from human women they still die to bullets or a well-placed sword strike as surely as anything else - provided you've breached their armor."

"Yeah, the same might not be said for things that they could send at us in the future." He said, turning to face her, "I don't understand how some of my old comrades could feel anything but disgust for those monsters, I sincerely hope they were joking... Or drunk."

Yakone snickered. Comrades? Oh you are just falling into my trap. "Well, comrade, I'd say they're just lonely. Pretty sure the whole reason Vipers look that way is to encourage people to, y-know, not hate them. Doesn't mean they'll hesitate all that much when one of those scaled bitches spits poison on them or levels a carbine in their direction."

"Maybe you see something in them that I don't, but those fangs and predatory glare are pretty obvious indicators of what one would really do if it caught you." He spoke, turning back towards his clothes.

"Not really, I don't swing that way," Yakone said with a roll of her eyes. "Just going by observation and knowledge of how a guy thinks."

He stopped for a second, "I didn't imply that. I wouldn't."

Yakone raised an eyebrow. "Not sure what you meant then. Any why's that?"

"I meant that I wasn't sure if you were fooled into not hating them." Marx corrected, "And I don't want to bring it up..."

"Oh, no, death to the xenos," Yakone asserted. "And now you've just made me more curious. You can't just bring something up and then try to drop it..."

"I didn't bring anything up, I said I wouldn't imply something like that, and now you're pressing me about it." He said quickly.

"Oh, come on! You're a freedom fighter, you don't get to be such a pussy about your opinions. You should state them loud and clear!" Yakone exclaimed in a manner meant to be both insulting and encouraging not unlike the style of a drill sergeant.

"Well, mine aren't exactly popular, alright? Mostly because people can't accept that I believe the way I do." He responded with a frustrated tone.

Yakone chuckled. "There you go again. Teasing me with tidbits." The Inuit-Caucasian hopped down from her perch. "Look, as long as you aren't an ADVENT sympathizer there's very little you can say that would really bother me. We're the Resistance, we're in this together. Even if I were to disagree with you I would still fight alongside you like we'd never had any problems."

He sighed, clenching his fists in frustration, "Fine! I can't stand homosexuals and people like them!” Happy?”

Yakone rolled her shoulders. "I guess. Was it really that hard?" She leaned against the washer. "If you're expecting me to call you a bigot or something you're gonna have to be disappointed. All I really care about is that you're not unwilling to fight alongside those people. If you refuse to stand and fight next to them because of what they're into then that's a problem, but if you just don't agree with their lifestyle, who the fuck cares beside me for curiosity's - or maybe nosyness' - sake."

"They... Do make me uncomfortable when they're around... That's why I don't bring it up, if I don't know, It doesn't bother me and I can focus on what I'm doing." He responded, closing the washing machine.

"Well, if someone's staring at your crotch you tell them to fuck off, and failing that you give them a good hit," Yakone advised. "But otherwise there's no need to be uncomfortable. I haven't heard of anyone here that's flamboyantly gay, and I don't even know anyone that is besides one person and they're not interested in romance for their own reasons."

"I know it's not exactly rational... But just the idea of them unnerves me..." He replied, sighing once more, "For most of my life, I was far away from cities, raised by devout Catholic who passed many of their beliefs onto me... My parents weren't exactly fond of those sorts of people... Homosexuals are as foreign to me as ADVENT was, and like ADVENT, I was raised not to approve of their behavior. So, many of the feelings I have for one I share for the other, they were both very similar for me as I was growing up, they were both foreign things that I didn't fully understand and that my parents taught me to mistrust, and those teachings stuck."

"Well, I don't know much about the Eastern Orthodox side of things, but I'm Catholic too y'know?" Yakone told the Russian man. "And any traditional Inuit beliefs I have don't really have to deal with that sort of stuff. I've just learned to look past it. Maybe it helps that I'm more in touch with my masculine side so I can appreciate why, say, another girl might like another girl even if I'm not interested myself, but it doesn't bother me as much." The Inuit-Caucasian groaned. "Though if your parents were obsessed about it I can see how that would be passed on. Maybe you just need time or exposure. I can assure you most people like that you wouldn't even know they're gay unless they told you."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and Frostlich1228: “The Dual Rangers, Part 2”

"I hope so... So... Your mother is the Commander?" He asked, turning the washing machine on.

"Yeah..." Yakone slumped down against the dryer she was leaning against. "I'm kind of surprised and disappointed that everyone seemed to find out so quickly. But it was inevitable, I guess."

"Well, maybe you should stop introducing yourself with your last name." He remarked, "Sounds like you don't like people finding out, why's that?"

Yakone sighed. "Don't have a good relationship with her is all. Don't like the comparison. We're not much alike."

"A lot of parents aren't like their kids I'd imagine, I feel like there's something more going on between you two." He replied, cracking his neck.

"Try nineteen years of negligence," Yakone said irritably. "She's a selfish bitch, end of story."

He lowered his head slightly, "Well... I'm sorry to hear that... Makes you wonder why she ever decided to have a kid in the first place."

"She didn't," Yakone explained simply. "She and my dad were just reckless during the first war, and that recklessness resulted in a kid my dad doesn't even know he fathered - if he's even still alive I mean."

"So... Your mother's been fighting all this time? For twenty years? And during the first war, when we needed her the most, she was sleeping around with her soldiers?" Marx asked, crossing his arms.

"We were on the run for the first ten 'Dark Years', but yeah, most of the time we've been fighting." Yakone raised an eyebrow. "But as much as I dislike her please don't compare her to a hooker, that's a ridiculous stretch. She had a boyfriend but she was on half of the missions X-COM went on and was a Lieutenant before it all came crashing down."

"I wasn't trying to, it just seems like she should've spent more time training than cuddling with her boyfriend." He countered, "Just from that, it doesn't sound like she was taking the war very seriously."

"I don't know, maybe she should have. But two things," Yakone began, walking towards Marx. "First of all, people aren't just going to train 24/7. We all need some sort of distraction. That's just the human factor. Even I have some recreational time, but you better believe I work my ass off for our cause." Yakone stopped in front of Marx, her expression darkening. "And second, what the fuck do you think you know? You may have picked a target that I don't really care for to judge instantly, but I told you maybe two or three things and you made an absolute assessment of someone's character! Turn down the pretentious, asshole!"

"Well, from what you said she sounded pretty terrible, and considering your her daughter, you would know firsthand." He stood straight up, "But, that was the past, I suppose it only really matters what she's doing now, and I like what I see so far."

"Let it never be said she doesn't get the job done in the past or present, even if she's an ass about it," Yakone insisted. "That's the only reason I bother following her orders. She's gotten results."

"Fine, I can admit that she's done well as the leader since the first war." He replied, "Maybe she should've been leader from the start."

"Yeah, I heard the commander before her wasn't the most confident until it was too late. But I'm not about to speak ill of the dead."

The washer let out a loud beep, and Marx transitioned his clothes over to the dryer, "Hopefully we've got what it takes to win this time, the fact that they see us as ants might actually work in our favor."

"Oh, it will. Just like the enemy attacked us in stages in the first war like some sort of experimental invasion... at least until the 'Day of Judgement' when they brought in the Battleships and Sectopods out of nowhere. It lets us build up our tech without being stamped out."

"Yeah, it kinda begs the question, if they were going to do that anyway, why not do it at the start?"

Yak shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they saw it as a game and got bored. Or maybe they had something that made them accelerate their plans. I imagine we might find some answers when we start hitting the hidden alien facilities."

"Along with an absolute horror show I'd imagine... I don't think any of us are exactly thrilled to see what's in those bases." Marx added.

"I agree with that. But at the end of the day we have no choice if we want to know what the Elders really want and how we can beat them."

"They'll give us something we can use to get past their psionics eventually, we just need to know how to get to them and where they even are."

"Well, for the second part I've got no idea of course, but for the former... We don't need to get past their psionics per say. We need to match their psionics," Yakone stated, swirling some biokinetic energy around her hand with an emerald shimmer.

His eyes widened in awe. "While that is impressive... I think it'll take a lot more to even come close to matching them."

"Yeah... but I've got time to catch up." Yakone grinned. "And not all of them can be as powerful as the only one that's ever been fought by someone who survived the encounter."

"I hope you're not assuming that one was the strongest, because more than likely that wasn't their leader, maybe at most a higher up." Marx responded, "I can't see them bothering to send a powerful elder against what they see as ants."

"From what I heard he seemed to regard HyphenCOM as something more than just a nuisance. Dunno what his rank was but he had an honor guard and everything."

"Then maybe you're right... But I still don't think you'll be able to overpower one alone, it'll probably take a group of psions working together to pull that off, or maybe something that makes you as powerful as a group of psions, if such a thing exists." Marx agreed.

"Nah, I doubt there's anything that ridiculous,” Yakone responded.

The two Italian girls returned with wrenches in hand. Yakone gave a sigh of relief. "Took you two long enough.." she complained.

"Sorry, door had busted lock along the way and had to fix that," Viviana explained as Tiziana pried open the stuck locker.

"Seems like everything is constantly in need of repair," the other mechanic complained as she freed Yakone's drenched clothes.

"Well, I gotta change into my work clothes anyway... I'll just dry these off out on the deck when I'm done with work if they're still all wet." Yakone grabbed her soaked clothing and ran off, waving to Marx. "Talk to you again sometime!"

He gave her a wave as he waited for his clothes to finish drying, "It was good to meet you Yakone, I looking forward to fighting alongside you."

 

[Dahlexpert]

New powers develop, and growing up

Northeast of ADVENT Railway
Former Republic of Costa Rica
12:34Hours, June 8th, 2038

Onboard the Avenger

Central block

Floor 5 living quarters.

Lilith wakes up from her nap, to see Luke has not returned for yesterday’s argument “Has he really been up there for a whole day? Surely he’s calm down by now, so what is he still doing up there.” Lilith gets dressed and decides to go check up on her nephew. Sigh Luke what have you been up to?

Lilith leaves the living quarters and starts to go to the flight deck “Ou Luke what have you been doing?” When Lilith gets to the flight deck she sees Luke laying on his back looking at the clouds, she looks to her left and sees there is a plate there and that there is crumbs all over it. “Well he’s eaten so clearly he’s calm down, but what is he doing up here still.” Lilith approached Luke and sees that he’s sleeping still wearing his close from yesterday. Lilith walks up to Luke and sit’s next to his, Lilith gets next to Luke ear and gently says “Luke it time to wake up, you don’t want to waist the whole day now do you?”

Luke eyes starts to slowly open and he turns to his aunt. “Hay aunty, good morning.” Luke says yawing after talking.

“Morning sleepy head, you had a hectic night. Lilith looks around and sees that the flight deck is in check nothing damaged or burning. “Hum I see you weren’t too angry with Gwen after you two argued.”

“No I was pissed at that blond bastard, I was throwing fire balls for a good while. That is until well.”

“Well what, did something happened?”

“So I kind of have a new power that came out of nowhere.”

“What!” Lilith screamed in shock “A new power, how do you learn a new power out of knower? How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, I was just throwing fire balls and using my powers as normal. And then well, its better you see for yourself.” Luke slowly stood up and looked behind him, Luke raised his palm and an explosion came out of it.

Lilith looked at Luke in amazement “Wha…..How did you do that!? That’s impossible did you just make an explosion?”

“Yea, it just kind of happened. Last night when I was venting throwing fire balls and stuff it just happened. So now I can now do firecracker, the reason why I was here all day and night was to see if I can switch between my fire and my explosions, and I can.”

“That’s incredible I wanted to see if you were ok after yesterday.”

“Ou yea, that blond woman sigh I don’t understand that woman but I messed up didn’t I?”

“Well yes and no, the reason she acted that way is because of her past. You just triggered some bad memories for her.”

“You seem to know some things about her, is there something I’m missing.”

“Well me and Leo had a talk after you two left, and after talking we both agreed. Your both the same, you both use your past to motivate you.

“What are you getting at? How are me and her the same, she lived a life of being pampered and I lived a life of crap!” Luke shouted

Lilith extended her hand “Luke calm down think about it, what did she say to you yesterday, she said what happened to her and her parents didn’t she.”

Luke calmed down and thought about it.” Sigh yea she did, Sigh I need to fix this don’t I?”

“Yes you do, do you need me to help I could ask Leo to set the day.”

“No a man deals with his problems head on, he doesn't rely on his aunt to help him. I’m going to give her a couple days to cool off then I will go find her and handle my business. Luke went past his aunt got his plate and went to the elevator “I will see you down stirs Aunty.”

Lilith looked at Luke and for a breath moment she saw Lukes father going to the elevator. And whispers to herself “Ou Edward your son is finally growing up, he might just be the person you wanted him to be.” Lilith says with tears coming out of his eyes “There might just be hope for your son yet.”

 

[Taxor_the_First]

You Never Call, You Never Write

NE of ADVENT Railway, Former Republic of Costa Rica.
Aboard the Avenger, Computer Room
10:14 AM, June 8th, 2038


“Alright, this is the computer room. And there’s an access corridor to the Situation Room through there too,” Alan said, thumping a fist on the wall next to the door. “You remember how to get back to the room?”

“This time, yeah,” Samuel answered, glancing at the door.

The motion did not go past the Ambusher unnoticed. “Why’d you ask me to show you here, anyway?”

“I’m part of the Intelligence team. I need to know where I’ll be working.”

“Did you have to get me to do it? Why not just ask one of your future colleagues?”

Samuel shifted. “I didn’t want to look bad in front of them,” he admitted.

Alan narrowed his eyes. “Since when did you give a shit about ‘looking bad’ in front of someone?” He held up a hand. “Ah, forget about it. I’m grilling you like you’re an ADVENT saboteur. Just hurry up and transfer your pre-war porn collection or whatever before anyone else comes along.” With that the Ambusher moved along, back in the direction he’d come.

The Russian shook his head before entering the computer room, flipping the lights on inside. It didn’t make much of a difference – with all the blinking lights and screens in there the room had already been lit up prior. He moved forward into the tangle of cords and devices, stepping around a couple of pillars that looked suspiciously like servers. A screen in relative privacy caught his eye, hidden behind several other devices. Samuel moved towards it and sat down, examining the control systems before him.

It took him a few moments to remember how to use such a device, the last time he’d done so being years ago. Waving the mouse to wake the computer up, he examined the screen before him. There it is.

She picked up on the third tone. “Commander, back so soon?” she asked. “Not quite ready yet, unfortunately. If you’d just give me one more day-“

“I’m not the Commander, Chloe.”

The woman on the other end stopped talking immediately. “… Samuel?”

A smile appeared on his face. “Glad you remember my name.”

“And your voice.” Chloe chuckled. “I knew you were on the Avenger now, but… it’s nice to hear from you directly. There was still that nagging worry after…”

“I’m fine.”

“I tried to tail them,” she blurted. “I had people following that convoy all the way back to Moscow, but once they were in there I lost them. He could be there, or he could have gone out of the city in one of the many other convoys. I had them all followed too, but-“

Samuel sighed. “Chloe. Calm down.”

“They could have taken him anywhere,” she finished lamely. “I… I’ll keep looking, but…”

“I know you would have done the best you could have,” the Russian reassured her. “And you’ll find him eventually.”

“If he survives that long,” Chloe said, a little dejectedly. “Not that it’ll stop me looking.”

The Russian cleared his throat. “Can we… not talk about this? It’s still a bit of a fresh wound.”

“Of course. How’s XCOM been treating you? Anyone giving you trouble?”

Samuel scoffed. “What, you going to tell the Commander to court martial anyone that does?” He shook his head. “I’m not a child anymore. Haven’t been for years, and even then I could hold my own.”

“I know, I know. Maybe I’m just being a little overprotective.”

“What about you? Still happy being the Overseer?”

Chloe thought for a moment. “It’s been tough, I won’t lie. Doesn’t help that half of the people Isaac left me thought they should have gotten the job over me, but I brought them into line pretty quickly. Being in charge has forced me to be a little more… formal, which has been difficult.”

Samuel shifted in the seat. “What about your… cravings?”

The Overseer made a ‘hah’ noise. “Yeah, hard to look responsible when you’re creeping into people’s cabins at night. It’s starting to look like progress, though. I don’t have that desire nearly as much as I used to, certainly less than when it started.”

“So you finally learned restraint, then?” the Russian asked, a smile on his face.

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

She still has a sense of humor, even after this long? “What about ADVENT? Any major issues with them since we left?”

“A lucky patrol here and there,” Chloe responded dismissively. “Usually just a few Troopers, though. I think it’s just meant to be more a reminder that they know we exist. No all-out assaults though.”

“None at all?”

“We don’t look like anything special from the outside, remember? That’s how Isaac designed this place and that’s how I’m keeping it. Expansion is a bit hampered by trying to keep a low profile, yes, but I think of it like this; you can’t expand anything if you’re dead.”

“Survival at all costs,” Samuel agreed. “Martyrs don’t get to see what their sacrifice enables.”

“No martyrdom here, don’t you worry. I’m too young to die.”

He laughed at that. “You’re older than I am.”

Chloe shushed him. “Nobody else knows that,” she said.

Nobody alive, anyway. The Russian shook his head, removing the thought. “Your accent’s gone down a bit,” he noted. “Spend too long around people that speak English as a first language?”

“Non,” the Overseer responded lightly. “People notice an accent, though. Makes it harder for me to blend in. I’ve just been trying to dampen it.”

“You stand out anyway.”

“… I thought you were going to flirt with me there. Perhaps something along the lines of ‘your beauty shines through-‘”

“Keep talking and I hang up.”

Chloe giggled. “Sorry. Temptation was too great.”

Samuel folded his arms and leaned back. “I thought you said you were getting a hold of yourself,” he said dryly.

“I said I was getting better, not that I’d mastered it.”

He shook his head. “… anyway. I wanted to ask, while I had you available. This ‘Commander’… you’ve been working closely with her like dad used to, yeah?”

The Overseer did not answer immediately. “Oui,” she said at last. “Why?”

“I’ve heard a few rumors. Thought I’d get an impression from someone that works with her before I make a judgement and go to her expecting something she’s not.”

“Hmph.” Chloe considered her response. “If I had to describe her in a word, I’d say ‘angry’. Not as in ‘someone stole my lunch’ angry but a sort of fury that’s been congealing for years. She’s driven, though, which is why Isaac kept working for her, I guess. Why ask me? Didn’t Isaac tell you at some point?”

Samuel grimaced. “Never really needed to know before now,” he said quietly. “And what about XCOM itself? Do they actually have a chance at making a difference, or have I joined a suicide squad?”

“As flowery and ridiculous as this is going to sound, we have to believe they can do it,” the Overseer responded. “For better or for worse, the Commander – your Commander, now – has declared war. And since surrender isn’t exactly an option…”

The Trooper nodded slowly. “… I suppose we won’t get a better chance than now, will we?” he admitted. “And the fact that the Elders seem to be starting to crack down, too.”

“Isaac was the first step,” Chloe said. “He’s resilient, but he still knows a little too much. He’ll crack eventually. Either we go now, or later when the enemy knows more about us.”

“Which is never a good thing,” Samuel acknowledged.

“Hey. Cheer up. If there’s one other thing I can say about your Commander, it’s that she’s clever. She’ll pull you through…” A chuckle. “… whether you like it or not.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” the Russian said. “That said, I should be getting back. People will be wondering where I am.”

“Oh.” Chloe seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Make sure you call again, alright? I’ve missed that accent of yours.”

“Yes, it’d be a great loss to the world were I to stop talking altogether,” Samuel said dryly. He shook his head. “I’ll talk to you again later.”

“You better.” The link was severed, and the screen before him blinked once before returning to the black desktop.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “The Struggle Begins, Part 1”
(As Maj Blukersey) & (As Col Verrater)

North American Continent
Upper American Precinct
Specifically, Yellowstone
Caldera, June 3rd, 2038
2012 Hours, Local Time

Sleek black bulldozers hummed with the power of advanced batteries connected to the unique power network of Caldera. The vehicles that typically ran on batteries charged by elerium were instead charged by thermal energy, but they ended up functioning the same. They were beginning the task of removing the ruins of the Elder statue XCOM had toppled, though ADVENT fully intended to erect a new one soon. The psychological value of the 15 year old monolith had been lost, however. The damage had been done.

An ADVENT officer in unique armor turned away from the viewscreen displaying the construction to face a set of lower-ranking commissioned soldiers. "Who was responsible for the defense units assigned to protect the ceremony?" She asked, her cold voice resonating in a sleek helmet more akin to that of a Stun Lancer - though with a full face visor that obscured everything.

An Officer wearing the badge of a Lieutenant stepped forward, trying to mask a slight trembling from fear. "Lieutenant John Tanner," he identified himself.

"Explain yourself, Lieutenant Tanner."

"I-I prioritized the Speaker's safety. We did not know of their intended target, and we certainly weren't aware of the importance of the unmarked facility with a-all due respect, Major Blukersey."

"You should have anticipated the risk considering how strategically important the former site was," Blukersey said with a calm that nevertheless sent chills down John's spine. "However, you are not to be faulted for failing to guard a facility that the Protectorate deemed for authorized personnel only. You are demoted to a Specialist role, please leave my presence."

With a salute entailing a hand across his heart, Specialist Tanner left, grateful that was the only punishment he would receive today. The Major promoted one of the officer's in the room - all Sergeants formerly under his command - to his position and then departed herself. With a swiftness enabled by her streamlined, lightweight armor, Major Blukersey walked towards the elevator of Chicago's Command Tower, typing up a report to send to her commanding officer so he could read before she made it back to the command center.

Hours passed until Blukersey finally got her report done and when she brought it to her commander officer, he did not look happy. Sitting at his desk, the Colonel of Advent's human forces, Cain Verrater, was looking at the video feed that XCOM had put into their systems. Although he didn't look angry, he didn't show much more emotion other than that, and when he heard the words 'XCOM lives!' and the feed cut out, all he did was replay it. He didn't even seem to notice the Major until she slightly shifted in her spot. "I am sure everyone is pissed over the statue..."

"Those beneath our rank, yes. Those above are more concerned with the fact that this organization thought destroyed has apparently returned as terrorists," Blukersey replied stoically, tilting the elliptical dome that was her helmet down a few degrees to glance at the feed. In a lower volume, she added, "The Overseer of Africa confirms that is indeed Atka Ipiktok."

"I see..." Cain responded, sitting back. "What is being done, Blue?"

"Security is being tightened in North America at sites of political or military importance. In addition, we are doubling efforts to track down rebel cells. XCOM will be denied as many allies as we can burn out. And finally, I have a recommendation." Blukersey stood up straight again. "Requesting permission to assemble an elite task force with the express purpose of hunting and eliminating XCOM."

The Colonel thought for a few moments, leaning forward. "Permission denied."

"They have duplicated Protectorate cloaking technology for a dropship that they used to get into Caldera undetected. Several of their members are psions, particularly their powerful leader that is confirmed to have fought and killed a Codekeeper on her own. They managed to hack the ADVENT network," the Major listed levelly without her tone rising in intensity. "I acknowledge your order but I do not understand it. They are a dire threat in this one's opinion - an opinion formed after a thorough analysis of their known capabilities."

Cain sighed and stood up. "Aliens think humans below them. That we are subservient because we are inferior. Well... that is simply not true. What you think you know is nothing important to me right now Major. Do nothing of the sort. I wish to analyze them further. There are things someone like you simply would overlook." He said not in a hurtful way, but an analytical way.

"We are beneath the Elders in wisdom and power, but not below any others in terms of potential," Blukersey insisted dogmatically. "But I don't see how that relates to the issue at hand." She crossed a hand over her heart. "Nevertheless I will trust your judgement, sir."

"That is all I ask. Monitor their activities and track their movements, nothing more. Leave the fighting for the zealous grunts who would gladly throw themselves into death. I want everything you can gather on them." The Colonel approached the Major and put a hand on her shoulder. "And Blue... I want the Commander alive at all costs. As well as any operatives we manage to capture. If we indeed get prisoners I want them brought to me personally, understood? With William Bradford in their hands they have a tactical edge, but that also will make them a bit overconfident. Especially after their first win."

"Yes, sir," the Major acknowledged. "That will not conflict with my other orders. The Elders requested we take their psions alive if possible without jeopardizing our defensive objectives."

Colonel Verrater nodded and he put his hand on her neck. "Keep up the good work Major. I will see you when you return to the apartment after your duties tonight."

Blukersey nodded, and departed for now.

When she had left the Colonel took in a deep breath, rubbing his nose. He stepped out and waved away his guard, merely going to the bathroom. Cain stood before the sink, taking some water into his hands and splashed his face with it, looking at his soaking face in the mirror. After a few moments he said, "What has all of this been for?" Verrater asked himself, taking a few deep breaths as he sent his fist into the mirror with a yell, throwing a tantrum completely destroying fixtures, breaking everything there was to break, even kicking down the door, stepping out. He made his way down to the training area, his frustration, his anger and his sadness fueling a rare moment he would have to unleash hell.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “The Struggle Begins, Part 2”
(As Maj Blukersey) & (As Col Verrater)

North American Continent
Upper American Precinct
Specifically, The Great Lakes
Chicago, June 8th, 2038
1605 Hours, Local Time

Major Blukersey sat in a large room filled with computers. It wasn’t terribly wide in its octagonal area, but it was tall. This particular chamber was build within a thick but internally hollow structural beam square in the center of the Command Tower in Chicago. There were no windows, and only the occasional door every five catwalk levels that would only open for authorized personnel. She was one authorized into this area, and one of the few allowed to be at the central databank at the top.

“Request for local datakeeper,” the Stun Officer spoke to no one direction in particular. Not that it matters. They are always listening, Nigella thought to herself with mild awe and plenty of respect.

No sooner did Blukersey conclude her stray thought did the datakeeper answer her call. With a brief flash followed by a swirling of solid particles of light, a Codex formed in front of the high-ranking ADVENT soldier. The shimmering being was unarmed, but Nigella knew it could correct that misleading vulnerability at a moment’s notice. In̵͂̄̅ͮ͛̂͊qͤ͂̒ͯ̚u̷͗̊iŕy?ͨ͊̂ͧͮ it asked mentally, establishing a connection that required more focus than a normal telepathic link; the Codex was always under load in her mind managing an amount of data that would incapacitate a human.

Show me the status of the investigation into the identities of the remaining unknown XCOM operatives, Nigella asked mentally. With a nod, the datakeeper standing across from the officer rested her hands on input panels and brought up eight pictures on a large viewscreen. They showed each of the eight XCOM guerillas that had appeared in Caldera. Atka Ipiktok, Lilith Van Dam, and Luke Van Dam already were named therein. Text began to form, showing the progress the Codex had made combing the vast ADVENT database for answers. The names “Leon Sinclair”, “Gwendoline De Saint Pierre”,and “Morrigan O’Brien” appeared, but the purple-haired riflewoman and the bombastic swordswoman merely came up as blanks.

“Curious. Why couldn’t you find these two?” Nigella mumbled.

The Codex shrugged. Tͣ̐͒͌͗h̸͂̆̊̈͌͑eͦͫ̏y̵ͥ̂ ͆͐a͡ȑ́̈ͦ͌ͫͦe ̴̓ͨ̓̇n͌̔́̏o͋͆̑̌̾̚͝tͪ̀̚ ͛ͯͯ͞i̿͊̏ͬnͫͣͩ̒͊ ̎̂͛̆o̸ͪͫ̊ͧ̍̑ͧu̔͋͐̃ͤ̉͘r ̉̽̄d͑̀̈́a̶̎͂͐̈́̎tͩ̎̆ͤ͐̚a͆̅̽ͪ͆ͦͨb̏ͨ̿ͩͮ̊a̓̊͌̉sͥ̏̐̾ͤ̐e̓̏ͨ̂͒̿ͨ́.̶̉̓ͫ́̍͑ͫ ̏ͭ͂̃͌ͬ̚L̾̃̌ͮ͒ͥ̈͠ĩͩ̽k͗̄͂͆ͥ̍͢ẻ́ͮl̡y̔͗̿҉ ̏̓̊ͭb̴͆ȍͮ͞rͭ̿̽͗͆ͨͧ͠nͧ̏̅ͦ҉ ̈́̊͋͑̉ō̅͗̉u̶͋̌̓̇t̽́̂͛̓sͫ̾̇̅͗ͨȉ̏̆ͮͭͩ͌d̂̂̏̇ͦ͋̽e ̾͊̃ͨ̋̀ẗͮ͛̄̀he̍͒ͨ͑ͪ̉ ̆͒ͥ͒͗r̛ͬ̈́ȩͦ͑́̄̎̑a̐ͤ̂͐̈͏cͪ̎͋ͣ̋̓hͤ̿ ̍̉ͨͬ̿öf A͆͑̅ͭ̂̌̈͏D̍̍͟V̌̑̈́̇̑EN͗ͫTͮ̓̉̋̉ ̀̂r̛ͤe̋͑̊̐̚g͑̿͏i̓ͥ̀ͮ҉s̷̾̐ͪ͌t̡r̄̒́́͊̈͛ả̧̒ţ̍͌̈iͦ̽o̅̓̀̽̑n̄ͮ͆̕.̈̑ͭ

Possibly. You would understand the error better than I would. Notify the Colonel to come here to see the results. The Codex acknowledged the order and vanished into the computers like a surge of electricity to carry out the order.

It took a while, but eventually the Colonel did show up, albeit a underdressed. Instead of in full uniform he wore normal pants and a shirt with a jacket on that showed his name in his chest and his rank on his arms. "What is it Blue? I was enjoying that nap..."

Blukersey gestured up at the names and faces. "The Datakeeper was able to identify the terrorists... most of them. Two were not found in the ADVENT files whatsoever."

"I see... Well I am sure they are just no one." Cain noted as he looked at the two unidentified people. He looked for a long time, and several times Nigella would notice a tightening on his jaw. "Yep, no one. See, why the worry?" He asked, trying to keep a casual manner.

"Do you recognize either of them?" She questioned.

"No, of course not." Cain said plainly, though deep down it was a lie. "Neither of them are anyone."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

"In the end it doesn't matter. If their data isn't on file we'll just have to compensate." Nigella pressed a few keys and brought up some other pictures. "From what we have been able to gather, the first unknown soldier" Nigella pointed to the one with the purple hair "has healing biokinetic abilities. The other" she gestured to the one with the sword "has demonstrated healing biokinesis as well, but also displayed imbuing and the ability to combine the two as a defensive measure. We already know the extent of their leader's abilities of course from past data, but she appears to have expanded to Physical Enhancement and possibly Mind Reading as well judging by the reported attempted intrusion from the local Datakeeper's feed."

Cain chuckled. "Don't assume you know her. She likely was holding back considerably." The Colonel told the woman, though his eyes seemed glued on the swordswoman. "Datakeeper... Run through all cam and troop footage. Analyze any unheard names that we don't have on record. Maybe they spoke their names in a callout or something. A first name would be a start... Or maybe we got lucky and used their last."

A̴̎͒n͒͐a̛l͒͋ͪͭͨͨyͮ͋̃̚̚͘z̶i̧ͨͬͫn̷̏̿͆̌ͮ̓͛g̴ͭ.͋̓͜.ͪ̓͞.͒ͩͫ̐̃͊ ͥ̃tͬͦ͜e͑ͯ̕a͜m̛͛̌̇͛͂ͬ ̑̔̋ͭͦ̆w̴i̓͠tͫ͆ͭ̃ͦ͏h̀̆̍͆̚͞ t̢͒̆̂̑hͬ̀̒̇͂͂e ͟u̷͐ͦͤ̒ͦ̎ͨn̵k̾nͫ̋͛ͥͨͬ͐͘oͩͧ͌̽w̔ͦǹ̸ͭ̈͌ ͗͐̇̅̿̇tẅ̑̊ͯ͆ͩͩo̍͆̍̿ͨ͗͝ ̨s̑ͫ̽̆͂͢ol̸̓̐ͫ̀̽͂d̑͊̔ͩȋͧͥͧe͊̌̑̕r̐͘sͪ͗̌͝ ͛ͨ҉di̾dͫ̇ͧ̾ͫ ͨ̂̈́̐̿̿̄i͜n̎̒ͫ͛̋̚͞ ͯ̔̍ͬf̋͒̔ͮͪȃ̑̀̓͋ͦ̐͝cͮ̎͟ţ͊͒̒͆ ̀ͥͣ͒ǔ͂̾̊ͭŝ̍̋ͦe͊̿ ̐ͭ͘n̿̈ͨ͌̀a͑mͧe̋ͮ̀̚ṡ̔.̉̆̆̉̓̀ ͫ̍̚Iͨ͛̀n̓̆̽fͨo̴̽̍ͤr͢mͪ͐́a͆́͠lͪ̔́lͫ̅̀͑ͬy̅̈́.̓͘ ̶ͭͯ̎ͦ̇̎̌N̨͑ͣ͋̈́̔ͫaͫ͗ͯ͢m̄͋̾͘ȇͩ͡sͦ͊͛ͯͭͯ ͗͗̏ͥ̔ͮ̆d̒͐͂̓ͫͫ͡o̅͒ͮͫ ̛͆̓nͮoͯ̿̾̌ͣͪ̄ẗ̂͘ ͦ̈́́͗ͧ͜m̐͒ͯ͏ȧ͐t̵̃͗c͑ͫͨ̐̑̚͏h̸ͥ͌͊̈ͭ̏ ̢͋͌̋a̢̽̇ͧͥ̔̐̊ş̃͊̎̓ͦ̏ ̐͗s̀u͊̂̄̅̏͏r͒̿̽n̓͑ͧ̐̊̾a̿͌͊̒̿m̛eͨͣ̎s͋̋ͬ̓̌̒ͣ.̴̀̓͑̾̽ͦ ͋̅̉̄ͣ̕Dͭ͜i̎̎ͮ͒̔s͑͢p̄̆̾ͥͤlͬa̾̓͒ͬ̋̇͢yī̚ng̊ͪ͐ ͐̄f́̈́or͛͋̉̂ͮͭ͌eͣͦ̊̅̾̌n͛aͨ̒ͬ͢mͫͦͮ̂ͫ̈ͤe̾͘s͛͐ ͆̈́͏n͂ͬ͆͊̈͢ȯ͜wͭͯ̓̓͌. ̡͋The two pictures that were previously unlabeled were labelled "Alexis" and "Yakone". "Alexis. Origin: Roman Catholic. Meaning: 'To help, to defend'." A brief pause for another search. "Yakone. Origin: Canadian Inuit. Meaning: 'Red Aurora'."

It is Alexis... I wonder if Jennifer is still alive. And her... I need to make sure. Desmond thought privately, then spoke out loud, "Datakeeper, cross reference Yakone's picture with the XCOM Commander's and give me a probability in genetic relations."

A picture of the two - as close to headshots as ADVENT had available - appeared on either side of a blue line in the middle of the screen. Cͩ͂r͊̇̚̚o̍̉ͤͥ̅͠s͒ͣͬ͘sͦ̏͐̀-͛͆ͦ҉r̨̈͊̑ͦͨ͆e͊͒̚̚f̓̈ͦ͢e͞r͊̌̅͟ĕ̷̍n̾c͡ī̿̑͆͞n̔͡g̓͛̿̑͋͂͡.́ͩ̽̚.ͭ͑͑ͥͧ͆͢.̅ͥͩ̔̇͢ Lines were traced across their features.
Rͭ̄̃ͧ̚͘a̶ͣ͌c͌ͥͨ͗ͭͥͦe̓ͦ̇͛̐͋̄ ̇̀͋ͭ̀̚mͥā̊̎͋̆ͬ͂tͣ͋̀̎̒c͐ͧͥ͑ͥ҉h̽ ͗̽́̓͗̃͋f̡ͭͮ̂͐͋oͮ̾ͥ̆͌u̓n͆̇̇d̋͐͞ ̶̆͐͐̽̂̍a̋̋͂s̊ͮ͒ ͏In͊͌͋͋̊ų̿̄i̛͆ẗ̈́͆͆͂̏̈́,ͨ̀ͫ̇̍̌ͨ̕ ̡bͫ̒̋̎utͨ͆ ̄̏ͤ̆̔̈͊͏y̶̿̌o̎͗̑̿̏́u͊͌ͦͦ̃͆͘n͏ḡ͛͗̍ͩe̿҉rͬ̽ ̸̃̾̋ͫ̾̉s̐ͬͣ̾u̕bͬ̋̿̓̈̊̀jͤ̽̆e͋ͩͬ̈́̆̂̚c̅̔̍͠t ̢ͮ̆̍H̒̕aͮ͏s͛ͩ͐ͧ͞ ͬͨ͟h̐ͣ̽̿a̋̄l̷f́͐̑̓̈ͩ̚ ̓͛ͭ͂̋̈̎͞C͐ͭ̾̑͠a͐ͤuc̍͒͊̓ͯ͒̏å̵̍sͤͭ̌ͭ̽͛̌í̔ͪͩ̄̇̓͘aͬͨͩ̾̉̉̚n̨̓ ͣͥ̄͌̅fe̓̇̀a̶̓̈ͨͩ̋t̄ͪͯuͮͨͫ̂r͒̚e̅͂̌͗͐ͨs̐͞ ̀̀͂̇as͊ͨ͐ͭ͊́́ ͮ̐̈̚҉w̅ͧ͐̆́̽͐͜èͫͧl͌l̅ͣͯͭ̇.̒͊ͫ͌̿ The datakeeper then gave her verdict. "Genetic Relation Probable 89%. Atka Ipiktok is the probable mother of subject: 'Yakone'. Adding to databank."

The Colonel let out a sigh. She... she looks in her inner twenties. It... its possible there were others but... no... not after what I saw. That wasn't like her. "I see... this is... interesting information." Cain forced out. "Anyways... I am sure we will be seeing XCOM again soon, and when we do I would like you to keep a very, very close eye Datakeeper. Even if the information seems moot, everything may make a difference." He looked to the Major and he turned to her. "Major, I have a task for you. Go see to it that all patrols that go out for now on will transmit directly to here. Understood? I have a few more questions I would like to ask our brain here."

"Yes sir." Blukersey saluted with a fist over her heart, and then went to make sure all data about XCOM would be closely monitored.

When she was confirmed to be gone, Cain turned back to the Datakeeper. "Cross reference my face with that of Yakone's... Now." He spoke, crossing his arms. "I want to know probability of genetic relations."

W͒͋̈͂ͩ͆̒o̿͆ͫ͌̏r̸̓̽k̷̑͒̋̏i͒n͗͠g̷̈̋̿ͫ̋͐͋.̿ͫ̂̇͒ͦ̃ The Codex then gave her verdict after a similar process to the last. "Genetic Relation Proability 88%. Closeness to the measure for the mother strengthens probability by 10% for a total of 98%. Adding findings to databank and encrypting for the eyes of ADVENT Peacekeeping Forces Rank: Colonel - plus comparable Protectorate Ranks - and above only."

"No... delete that information from all records. Keep the probability of the mother, but not the father." He ordered the computer like being, crossing his arms. He looked at the pictures of both Alexis and Yakone. "Datakeeper, mark these two as priority targets. Send the target reports to all Megacities around the world. However, the priority is set for capture, not kill. Additionally, add another report. If anyone is to kill these two females... they get sent to me personally for interrogation."

"Secondary orders acknowledged. Primary order... brought into question. This Protectorate Trustee is outranked by the ADVENT Colonel but would recommend preserving any essential data for further use. Are you sure you want to delete the data?" the speakers that acted as the Codex's 'voice' cautioned.

"Yes. It is useless data and would only hinder the Elders. Do you wish to make things harder for your masters?" Cain asked the Codex, keeping the annoyance and threatening tone out of his speech seeing as that may just anger the Datakeeper or fly over its head.

"Understood. Deleting secondary cross-reference."

"That is all Datakeeper. Thank you for your time." Desmond said with a bow, turning to leave. When he was out of the records room, heading down a hall, that was when he stopped, falling against a wall. "Yakone... my... daughter?"

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “Department Divisions, Part 1”

Northeast of ADVENT Railway
Former Republic of Costa Rica
1012 Hours, June 9th, 2038

Onboard the Avenger
Floor 1, Front Block
Engine Room

Doctor Robert Tygan gazed over the occipital implant suspended in a container with a see-through glass cylinder structure. Imperceptible mechanical arms rotated the alien biotechnological marvel slowly in front of the African American scientist. The canister was even more unique that that, he knew. For he had designed this special containment device on his own.

The field the chip was suspended in prevented it from sending out any sort of radio signals and more importantly isolated it from the ADVENT psionic network. Tygan had gone to the trouble of designs such a field in the past two years so he could study any similar implanted devices they recovered instead of having to destroy them. Beforehand, having an exposed chip would have lured ADVENT to them. And aside from laying some sort of trap, that sort of direct attention from the Coalition was unwanted.

Tygan's thoughts were briefly on the containment cylinder, but only briefly. The implant within was what had truly gotten his attention. He had spent time decoding data contained within - not all of it intact - and what he had found was most interesting indeed. I should show the Central Officer my findings later. He ought to know just what he was used for. Unfortunately for Robert - and the Central Officer as well - the Chief Scientist knew he had matters that demanded his attention for now.

"Are you done staring at that thing?" Yakone asked, leaning on a wide table balanced on her elbows. Her hands were against the side of her slouched head, and she did not bother to suppress a yawn of boredom. The labcoat in place of her normal blue jacket seemed out of place for her, but she dressed professionally when working in the labs - if only here.

"Yes, yes, Ipiktok. I am quite finished. Flammel, could you bring out the X1 Rifle?"

The physicist with brown hair swept up in the front nodded, and went to a locked cabinet. He fumbled around for the keys for a second, and then slid the appropriate one in, and twisted. He pulled open the door, and gingerly pulled out an old weapon. AJ brought it over to the table and laid it down.

Yakone looked over it with a mixture of fascination and distaste. Even if she had seen the gun before, she found herself torn between pride in the original X-COM and distaste for the person that had wielded it. The weapon was a beam laser rifle. It was sleek and practical, and was black - though some of the paint was peeling off to reveal a dull gray-brown rusting exterior. The trigger had a faint marking labeled 'D/A', and the stock was proudly emblazoned with the XCOM symbol.

Tygan glanced over at the other scientist in attendance. "If you could assist Dr. Flammel in opening up the rifle that would be appreciated, Miss Chambers. The last time Ipiktok assisted, and she nearly broke the receiver."

"W-well, their is no shame in... not being an expert in weaponry, right?" Jennifer said, silently hoping she didn't break it herself as she helped with the weapon.

"It's less a matter of expertise and more of a matter of precision," Tygan replied, "something you have that she often does not."

Yakone opened her mouth to retort, but ultimately kept her snide comment to herself. Rarely did she allow herself to snap at her tutor, knowing she might lose his help if she did. Instead, the Inuit-Caucasian - with difficulty - swallowed her pride and waited until the weapon was opened up to talk again. "So what are we working with today, Doctor?"

Robert pulled out his clipboard, flipping through a few pages of notes that had check marks in the top right corner next to their titles. "We've successfully reverse engineered the coolant system that prevents the weapons from overheating, worked out the correct measurements for the barrel, and replicated the working parts. I believe we are finally ready for prototyping."

Yakone grinned, though made a couscous effort to make sure her expression didn't stretch too wide. "Great. So... it's finally time to test out the interchangeability?"

Tygan nodded with a sigh directed at her overenthusiasm. "I'll leave you to that part. Let me know when you are ready."

Yakone bobbed her head in turn. "Got it!" She ran over to another desk, grabbing a ballistic rifle off the counter, and returned with it. She began pulling the weapon apart until it was fully disassembled, and under the careful watch of AJ began to remove parts from the old laser rifle and put them in place of whatever bits of the assault rifle needed to be swapped out.

As Yakone speedily worked, Robert stepped to the side with Jessica. "I read your report on the Codex remains." Dr. Tygan shook his head. "Seems like we need a new facility for everything. Between the decrypting power we're going to need a specialized chamber for, and the cybernetically altered enemies that will require a room with equipment that will allow you and Kazuko to work alongside Shen and any other engineers she might need to assist... we've got a lot of excavation and construction to do. It's lucky for us that's left to her and Megalos to work out."

Jessica nodded in agreement. "Even with the facility, however, there is still a limit to how much we can do without alien decryption codes, which we won't get through normal hacking. At least not safely. I tried to extract them from the implants of the Officer they brought back, but most of the code had self destructed. We might have to get them from a live specimen, maybe even one on the field while they'd be using them, but we have no means of doing so I am aware of."

"That will require further examination," Tygan agreed. "However, there was something in your report I believe is incorrect. I don't think the aliens have matter conversion. The Codex ability to teleport is most likely a psionic ability."

"O-oh... you think so?" Jennifer asked, trying not to look self-conscious. "I mean... th-they could. I mean... i-it doesn't... look like the normal... blink ability. Though I guess there are... plenty of things we don't... know about the Codex yet... sorry."

"Well, aside from descriptions provided by ADVENT I've never seen the ability in action myself," Robert stated. "I imagine they perform a secondary blink to shift their brain to targets. The extra 'brains' may merely be illusionary copies."

"Right, right. Of course. Of... of course..." Jennifer reached into a side pack. "Um... I-I had some ideas about fighting the Codex's. Like, uh... like disorientating them before hitting them with... with mind frays and flash grenades. Might stop them from splitting, you know?"

"Perhaps that could work. We can't always rely on the Commander being in the field, so flashbang grenades would be the more reliable choice. If that works. And when we see another one of those." Tygan took the flashdrive from her and placed it in his labcoat pocket. "Though do remember that your focus should be on analysis and data collection first. Leave tactical decisions to Central and the soldiers on the field. We don't have a lot of cadavers for through study on hand right now, but after this next supply raid we will. You'll be fairly busy with those when that happens."

Jennifer smiled. "Yes, sir. I promise, I won't let you down. Thank you."

"I've got it!" Yakone called out from the other side of the room. She triumphantly held up a rifle that externally looked like a ballistic one, but the end of the barrel and the power pack thrummed a distinct red as she turned it on. "Just give me a target."

"Right." Jenn walked over to the computer, bringing up a target for the trigger happy girl.

Yakone cautiously cloaked her skin with her Overdrive composite ability - just in case the weapon exploded - and took a shot at the target. A streak of red energy flared and cut straight through, singing a protective barrier behind the cut-out drawing of an old Sectoid. "Damn! That's awesome!" Yakone hollered with glee.

Jennifer cried out in glee, clapping her hands excitedly. "It worked great!" She quickly composed herself and covered her mouth. "I mean... sorry."

"This means we can begin test firing outside the Avenger," Tygan stated more cooly. "If the weapon consistently works along with the other variants we know how to produce, we'll be good to move to the production phase. You can go speak with Shen, tell her to produce the other weapon variant prototypes. Then you can testfire them. Flammel, begin finishing your work on piecing together my predecessor's notes on maintaining the weapons and updating them."

The African American turned to Jennifer. "As for you, Chambers... deliver that sample of Viper venom we got from that field operative kill a few months back. Tell him to work on an immunization program on the side, though he'll need fresher samples in the future. Other than that your work will likely pick up soon when we hit that supply line."

"Right. Lots of new bodies to cut open and peek inside." Jennifer bowed her head to him, and headed towards the exit. She paused briefly by Yakone and said, "Good job."

Yakone raised an eyebrow. "Thanks," she said, not having expected the praise.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “Department Divisions, Part 2”

Over in Engineering, Jack carefully pieced together an old revolver someone had found in a supply run. "Not bad," He muttered to himself. "Still nothing on what they have, though..."

"And not as much punch as our magnums," Lily remarked as she glanced over a notification sent to her from the research labs. "Test firing complete, prepare a beam pistol, carbine, battle rifle, PDW, Laser Puncture Rifle, and Rotator for us to test. R. Tygan." Lily groaned. "So much for working on these implants... we've got some weapons to take apart and some new receivers and barrels to build people!" She called out to the numerous soldiers working with her to prepare weapons for the supply raid that was pending.

There was a collective murmur from the nonessential engineers, as that meant a longer shift. "Blame Tygan not me. But if you want shiny new laser weapons you'd better keep up the good work!" the Eurasian Chief urged them on.

"I don't mind working a double shift if it means you get to work on the implants," Jack offered, never seeming to mind working under someone years younger then him.

Lily shook her head. "Don't worry about it. This is more important, both overall and to Yak, and psi research takes forever anyway," Lily stated as she began to work on disassembling a PDW on her desk that had the design of an orca painted onto it.

Jack rubbed his chin with one of his massive hands. "So, are the laser weapons complicated? Never really got a chance to handle one."

"Not really... the only reason they weren't created sooner that the invasion was because we had issues with creating a small enough power source for the electron stream. Now, we have that thanks to study of the alien power sources: the miniguns use a similar power pack that our old lasers did. We just haven't had the manpower to maintain and produce modern versions until now," Shen elucidated. "Get one of the magnums, would you? I'll show you how to convert it to a laser version that Yakone came up with."

Alright." Jack stepped away, and returned with a fairly well maintained magnum, handing it to Lily.

Lily took the high-caliber revolver and laid it down on the table. "Alright, first part is just pulling it apart like routine maintenance," she said as she did so. "Now, there are a few pieces we need to replace. The main working parts need to be swapped out." Lily opened a drawer, and pulled out similar mechanisms that nevertheless had a slightly more advanced look to them. She placed them within the center of the gun, and attached a barrel that looked like it had a glass tube on the inside. "Give it the proper beam barrel, and instead of the normal revolver rounds, we put in these." She held up a pack of six white tubes that fit neatly into the six chambers. "They're rechargeable and reusable, so we don't eject them when they're spent - hence why the receiver always must be replaced."

Lily handed the revolver to Jack. "I hope to eventually - when we upgrade our lasers to those pulse guns alien robots use - get rid of the need for charge packs and just make the guns rely on coolant systems and an elerium battery instead, but for now we can't make our own Elerium Cores so that isn't feasible."

"Still, it is quite ingenious to use an already made conventional revolver and convert it," Jack commented. "Saves on parts."

"And it's good for the sentimental." Lily got back to work on the PDW. "I don't think Yak could bear to give up this gun. Redoing the artwork or just slapping the panel on wouldn't be the same to her, especially not after Gatecrasher."

"It all makes caring for these weapons more meaningful, knowing they're all personal to their users." Jack watched Lily work. "I wouldn't want to be the one to end up making a mistake on the weapon of the Commander's daughter. I like my head where it is, secure on my shoulders."

"Yakone's the one you should be afraid of kicking your head off your shoulders if you damaged Orca," Lily replied, installing a beam receiver into the Inuit-Caucasian's weapon. "See if you can prep a beam carbine for me."

"You got it, boss." Jack retrieved a carbine and got to work on it, showing his abilities as a quick study. "May I ask you a personal question, Dr. Shen?"

"Depends on what it is, Irons," she replied neutrally, carefully locking the new components into her sister's personal defense weapon and then reapplying the plating.

Finishing the disassembly of the carbine, Jack asked, "Who did someone as young as you end up becoming such an expert in engineering? You were one of the originals, weren't you?"

"Yeah. Call it nepotism if you want, but my father was the Chief of Engineering before me. When he passed, the role fell to me. I can't say I'm as good as my dad with this stuff, but I did learn for the past 20 years under his tutelage. McCaffree is talented and all, but... he didn't have the desire nor the... this may sound a bit egotistical... charisma to be in charge."

"Well, you have that and change." Jack frowned. "If... if you don't mind my saying so."

Lily shrugged her shoulders. "I don't mind the compliment, no. I just don't want to let it get to my head. Overconfidence can kill..." She sighed, lifting up the Beam PDW. "That's why I worry about my sister..."

The oversized engineer's frown deepened. "You're referring to her last mission, right? She did seem to get a bit reckless."

"She didn't have a chance to get more reckless, but believe me... she can get worse than that with her crazy ideas. She's quick and clever, but she seems to think she's untouchable with that and her righteousness."

"A dreamer with a heroine complex?" Jack asked.

"Pretty spot on description there," Lily replied.

"Have you shared your concerns with her?"

"I've... tried before, but she usually just brushes it off before I can get anywhere. And she has too much of a temper to press the issue."

Jack inclined his head in understanding. "Comes with the age. I am just curious as to why her mother hasn't talked to her."

Lily winced. "Probably best if you don't go down that rabbit hole," she warned Jack. "Especially since Yakone should be getting here soon."

"Oh?" Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. Didn't know I might be touching a nerve. I've always had my father's questioning nature."

Lily shook her head. "Not a big deal. Just figure that it's not my place to talk about their family issues. I've found I can fix just about anything mechanical you put in my lap, but relationships? I can't repair those."

Jack let out a grim chuckle. "My ex-wife would tell you I'm the same way."

"Hey, at least we have something in common with relational mediocrity," Lily responded, turning to the stairs as Yakone - now wearing her typical attire since she was out of the lab - came up the stairs. "Got your PDW ready for you. Once the other weapons are ready we can take them outside for testing."

Yakone smiled broadly. "Perfect..." She eagerly took the PDW and looked over it, particularly eyeing the new barrel, and then made sure her decals were still on the SMG-Carbine hybrid weapon. Once she was certain it was only improved and not adulterated, she glanced back up again. Her gaze drifted over to the imposing man a bit behind Lily, and she waved over at him. "Uh... hi."

He offered one of his oversized hands. Though his expression remained neutral, his tone was inviting. "Jack Irons. Full time Engineer, part time assistance in maintenance. Weapons are my specialty, though I am at best second to Dr. Shen here."

Yakone shook it vigorously, though due to a difference in frame the effort didn't translate to much extra motion. "Nice to meet you John Henry!" she said with a grin.

Lily put a hand over her face. "That is... I don't even have words to explain how stereotyping that is..." (Even if it is kind of accurate.)

"I wouldn't hate being nicknamed after a folk hero," Yakone insisted, glancing at Lily briefly before returning her gaze to Jack to gauge his reaction.

Jack slowly smiled. "You wouldn't be the first one to make that observation. And the pleasure is all mine."

"See? It's fine," Yak told Lily, who merely sighed and went to go help the others prepare the weapons for a test ride.