RP XCOM2: Liberation of Earth

[DarkGemini24601]

Black0ut and DarkGemini24601: “Sparks Flying, Part 2”

Tomislav’s expression darkened considerably for a moment. “Believe me, you’re closer to all of them than I really am,” he muttered inaudibly. After mulling over his next words for a few seconds, he said at a discernable volume, “I’ve lost a close friend and the only family I had left, though in that order rather than the other way around. Worst I ever had happen with a lover was them threatening to chop off my jewels, but they never went through with it,” he said with a touch of levity, trying to ease the tension.

More seriously, he continued, “I have lost plenty of people, though. Comes with being a leader. I don’t have great advice in regards to how I cope. At some point you just have to… understand that fate is out of your hands. You can do everything you can to protect your comrades on the battlefield, but you can’t be there for them every step of the way. Covering fire’s one thing. Trying to prevent your buddies from accidentally cutting themselves with a razor or tripping and falling is another.”

Kasun sighed. “What I’m trying to say is I don’t expect you to just automatically trust me. I don’t need you to, my life and Ayame’s life belong to us, and no one else. I’m not about to just tell you to fuck off and drive you crazy, though. Why don’t we… get to know each other better? That might help.”

“Your lives are yours to live, true, and I appreciate you wanting to get to know me in order to convince me otherwise. I… however still am a bit defensive about you. You seem a bit nicer than I initially thought you would be. I already knew who you were, as talk of a certain Serbian freedom fighter does make news around the ship, as my contacts had a field day finding out info on you. Didn’t suspect you to be in the Engineering area anytime soon, though.” Red replied, giving a smirk to mark his amusement. “My goal… was to figure out whether you’d be an ally or an enemy. And I think I have that figured out.”

“I suppose that’s good in its own way,” Tomislav decided. “Though you are missing out on a golden opportunity to ride on my motorcycle. I don’t extend the offer to many people.”

“I decided…” Red continued, despite Tomislav’s words, “That I consider you to be… an ally of sorts. And as such, will let you see my partner.” Red proclaimed, albeit slightly quietly.

As soon as those words were spoken, a slight rift formed on Red, not dealing any damage but rapidly moving Mark’s clothes. A silvery wolf missing an eye strode up to the two, his three tails seemingly moving of their own accord.

“Showoff. Could’ve just materialized in front of us, Charon.” Red complained, patting down his clothes.

What wrong with some wind? I don’t believe you’ve ever had to worry about my winds, nor have I ever hurt you… intentionally. Charon tried to counter weakly.

“Psychokinetic storms aren’t just ‘winds’... spirit… thing,” Tomislav responded, eyeing the thoughtform in front of him. “I’m assuming you’re a Reflection like that astronaut the Commander has.”

Technically, yes and no. If I were to die without a user, I’d be dead for good, whereas her reflection wouldn’t ‘die’. I am older than you in every sense of the word, yet younger than you at the same time. Charon replied cryptically, I have truly nothing in common with Blue World….

You are both supernatural entities, so that’s not entirely true, Phobos pedantically stated.

“Regardless of the semantics… nice to meet you, Charon. Did you know there’s a moon named after you?” Tomislav queried.

No, I did not. What planet does it orbit? Charon asked curiously.

“Which one was it again…” Tom mumbled to himself.

Pluto, fittingly, Phobos answered for him.

Interesting… and you, AI, what is your ‘prime directive’, as Red would put it? Charon asked, tilting his head slightly.

I don’t have any particular code of conduct I am bound to, though my emotional attribute is Fear, if that helps to answer your question. I enjoy exploring that emotion in others, and inducing it… when allowed, of course.

Well… if you wouldn’t do that to my human, I’d appreciate it. He’s kinda sensitive. Makes him too easy of a target.

Understood. I gathered as much, as as they say, ‘don’t go for the low-hanging fruit’. Scaring aliens is far more… complex a task. Much more invigorating.

“Alright…” Tomislav shook his head. “If we’re cool, I’m going to head out now. Take a look around the city, and get out of your hair before Phobos starts pissing someone off… an inevitability if he talks for too long.” With a nod, the Harrier hopped onto his motorcycle, placed his biker helmet on, pulled out of the ‘parking space’ created by the assortment of boxes, and sped off into the city.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Taxor_the_First and DarkGemini24601: “Mass-Muddle, Part 1”

Resistance Megacity “Matterhorn”
1939 Hours, November 10th, 2038
Onboard the Avenger
Level 2, Rear Block
The Bar

Samuel swallowed nervously, watching the group from afar. She looks like she’s having a good time, he thought to himself. … I’ll come back later. No reason to mess up her day by making her think about this again.

As he turned to go, however, he ran directly into Umbra’s folded arms, the Reflection blocking his escape by filling up the entirety of the doorway. “Whose side are you on?!” the Russian demanded. The shadow did not budge, playing the part of a bouncer. Shaking his head, Samuel turned back around. “Bloody hell,” he swore. “Fine. But whatever happens next is your fault.” With an intake of breath, he began to move forward, his stride noticeably less confident today than usual.

In the booth the two soldiers in charge of Maverick Squad were currently missing. With Christoffer and Olivia nowhere to be found (Adam was gone too), only Stacie, Heinrich, and Maxwell were present from that particular group. Stacie was sitting on the inner part of her side on her own, while Heinrich and Maxwell were both having a drink on the other end and quibbling about something. In the adjacent booth, the usual crew of Bonnie, Alan, and Holly were listening and laughing. Samson too was seated with them, having decided to spend more time with the squad after fighting alongside them. Arthur and Samara were absent, Samuel assuming they were making good on their musings that analysing the city they’d be fighting in soon would be a good idea.

When the Aerotrooper neared, Stacie was the first to notice his presence. Reflexively frowning, she coughed to get the attention of her two squadmates. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She got up from her table, meeting Samuel halfway.

The Russian lifted a hand to greet her before reconsidering the action, covering it by rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh… hey,” he said awkwardly. “You, uh… got time to talk?”

“Yeah. I do. Care to explain why your first instinct was to kiss your rampaging friend back there?” the Gunslinger questioned, crossing her arms menacingly.

Samuel paled slightly. “You wanna discuss this here?” he asked. “Of all places?”

“We can step out into the hallway if that would suit you better, but I’m not beating around the bush here. I want an explanation,” Stacie spoke with tranquil fury.

He sighed. “And so you should,” was the response. “Truth is, you answered your own question. Chloe was completely gone, and I needed some way to shock her back into reason. Short of beating her senseless… that was the first thing that came to mind.”

“She that ex you mentioned before?” Stacie questioned tersely.

“... yeah.”

“The fact that your solution to whatever the hell was going on with her was to make out suggests one or both of you don’t consider that relationship ‘over’,” Stacie pointed out with air-quotes to accompany the last word.

No, she doesn’t, Samuel thought glumly. “What else could I have done?” he asked, his tone pained. “I wasn’t going to win any physical battle, nor was I about to break her arms or something with Umbra just to stop her from attacking us.” He shook his head. “That wasn’t my first solution. It was the only one I decided was even remotely acceptable or viable.”

“Let’s say I concede that point. That still doesn’t answer whether or not that was just a tactical move, or if there was… something else going on there,” Stacie suspiciously pressed.

“Absolutely not,” the Russian answered. “Do you… honestly think I’d do that? Just abandon you when my ex enters the picture?” Rather than accusatory, his tone here was worried, as if wondering whether that was what people truly thought of him.

The flames surrounding Stacie dimmed somewhat. “I didn’t know what to think. That’s why I had to know.”

Samuel offered a cautionary smile. “No, I understand. Anyone in your position would be having the same doubts. And the timing wasn’t great, either. Just after we’d…” He fell into silence, a distant burst of laughter from Bonnie reminding him they were in a public place.

“Well, in your defense an assault by ADVENT isn’t something you can control.” Stacie sighed, rubbing the back of her head. “Look, Sam, for better or worse I do trust you. Just don’t expect me to be too friendly with Chloe. She might be your friend still, but to me she’s just possible competition.”

“Then you’re running in a non-existent race,” Samuel stated. “There’s no competition. The past few days have helped me realise just how shit my life would be without you there.”

“Appreciate the roundabout complement. Though while I’d like to be that logical, unfortunately I have the gut feeling of not liking her. Doesn’t help that she… is she a fucking vampire?” Stacie asked incredulously.

The Russian was evidently startled. “What the hell gave you that impression?” he asked, though his bewildered tone was not entirely believable.

“I saw blood on her mouth through the helm-feed, and the conversation you guys were having seemed to point itself towards something like that,” Stacie tried to explain herself, holding up her hands. “A few years ago I wouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion, but what with thoughtform-users in my squad in addition to our Phantom being a Jiangshi… it seems likely to me that’s what she is. Or maybe she’s just a psychotic cannibal. That’d… actually be worse.”

I concur, Merlux chimed in, mentally shuddering.

“I…” Samuel rolled his eyes. “Ah, fuck it. You’re right. She’s a vampire. Closer to Dracula than your Phantom. Even then that’s not really a good comparison. And it’s not like she can transmit it or anything.”

“She just… happens to eat people.” A thought occurred to Stacie. “The blood on her was… mostly red. So it… couldn’t have been ADVENT or alien…” she realized.

“Have you ever… run into an addict? Doesn’t matter what kind. Drugs, alcohol.”

“Yeah, there are people like that in the shanties no matter where you go,” Stacie replied. “Same case here?”

Samuel nodded. “And just like any addict without access to their poison, as soon as you waft it in front of them…” He sighed. “That’s why she was so out of it. And now all that work’s been undone. She’s fine, now. With the amount she probably consumed, I give it… a week? Maybe two. Then she’ll be hungry again. She’ll listen to me, so there’s that. But otherwise, I have no idea how to restrain her. Locking her up wouldn’t be a good look…”

“So… she’s going to try to murder everyone on the ship in a week?” Stacie’s eyes widened. “That’s not something to be calm about!”

“Eh? No, she won’t kill anyone.” At least, not intentionally. “Aside from the bite marks and maybe feeling a little lightheaded afterwards, there’s no side-effects. It’s more a case of trying to avoid everyone panicking that there’s a vampire on the loose and trying to stop her from being painted as the monster she isn’t,” Samuel explained. “Unless she decides she really likes someone, there’s no threat to lives. If there was, I’d be even more worried.”

“Still… kind of a problem though. That method of feeding is less benign than draining someone’s ‘chi’,” Stacie argued.

“Not arguing that.” The Russian looked away, frowning. “I’m working on it, don’t worry. Just… been a bit busy worrying about something else in the meantime.” He looked back at her, analysing her response.

“Well, you’ll have time now that matter is settled,” Stacie said with a shrug.

“Is it?” Samuel shifted. “I mean, I don’t want to dredge it back up if it is, but… are we good now?”

“We’re fine. I wanted to know what the hell was the meaning of that whole debacle, and now I know. The irritation is shifted off of you, and what remains is with her. You’ve got nothing to worry about on your end,” Stacie answered conclusively.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Taxor_the_First and DarkGemini24601: “Mass-Muddle, Part 2”

The Aerotrooper breathed a sigh of relief. “Good,” he said, his tone perking up. “And for the record, I have no intention of making you worry like that again. Took me too long to get into bed with you to just throw that away,” he quipped.

“I’m certain it was the other way around. I practically had to drag you there,” Stacie reminded him with a complacent grin.

“You and Umbra both,” Samuel muttered under his breath. “Yeah, I’m no womaniser.”

“Wait… what?” Stacie’s expression was the picture of confusion. “Umbra did what now?”

The Russian laughed nervously. “You know those times that night where I was… more forward than my words might have indicated I might be? Turns out my shadow is an excellent wingman.” He felt a small pulse of annoyance from the Reflection, as if it was questioning why he would reveal his secrets like this.

I can’t even begin to define the ways in which that is wrong, Merlux bemoaned.

“That… explains some things, but I wonder if I would have been better off not knowing,” Stacie said ambivalently. “All I can say is now every time I think I felt someone tap me on the shoulder or something I’m going to think it was your shadow.”

Samuel squinted slightly. “Oi! Hands off.” The shadowy hand that had appeared next to Stacie’s shoulder obediently faded away. “Think I liked it better when the damn thing was moping around in the back of my head. Least then I didn’t have to deal with it’s bloody sense of humor…”

“Why the hell an Ethereal’s Reflection would be a prankster is beyond me,” Stacie agreed.

“From what I’ve seen of the original owner, I’m a bit confused myself,” Samuel admitted. “Arthur said something about my own personality bleeding through yesterday. But… I’m not that much of an asshole, am I?”

Only about sixty-two percent of Azazel’s levels of asshole-ish-ness, Merlux reported to Samuel.

“God help me, I’m corrupting my A.I. just the same,” Stacie whispered melodramatically.

“Eh, he spends basically all his time with you. Not surprising there’d be some blending after a while.” The Russian chuckled. “Kinda jealous, actually.”

“Well, with Kasun having taken the eighth one we are legitimately all out now. So you’re out of luck,” Stacie replied with a chuckle.

“I meant the spending time with you bit.” Samuel shook his head. “Dammit, need to make those less obtuse. Besides which, I don’t need an AI. ADVENT can’t handle me as it is.”

“But apparently a flesh-and-blood vampire is too tough an opponent for you?” Stacie jabbed with a smirk.

“Hey, when Chloe’s fed she can beat me in a contest of strength easily. It’s what makes her addicted - drinking blood enhances her strength, reflexes, everything.” He shrugged. “Puts her at the top of her game. Tell me you wouldn’t want to feel like that all the time.”

“...why don’t we just use her against ADVENT? Sounds like she’s worth five soldiers,” Stacie pointed out jokingly.

Samuel raised an eyebrow. “You volunteering as her blood bag?”

“No, but we could always capture an alien or something for that purpose,” Stacie offered.

“Wouldn’t work. Apparently they taste like shit.”

“Dammit. Maybe someone’s into that as a fetish on our ship though, there’s still hope.”

The Russian chuckled. “Bonnie? She might appreciate the chance to relive her glory days, back when she was still ‘young and hot’.”

“We could always ask. Not like she has any shame,” Stacie suggested.

“Oh, they’ll get along well there.” Samuel said, shaking his head. “Bonnie’s got a few outrageous stories, but knowing Chloe she’ll have a few too. They might end up in a competition to see who can gross the rest of us out the most.”

“Lucky me that I can just bring along Merlux’s sonic device to drown you all out,” Stacie remarked with a chuckle.

“Is that how you’ve retained your sanity this long?”

Merlux flashed into existence beside Stacie. “Perhaps she’s been rendered deaf due to your inane conversations, and I’ve just been relaying auditory data to her. You have no way of knowing without detective work.”

“Bloody hell he really is starting to turn into you,” Samuel muttered. “Alright then. Suppose we got the important stuff out of the way.” He indicated the group still sitting in their booths. “Shall we?”

Stacie nodded. “About time we got back to the others. Who knows what they think is going on?”

“Knowing them, something dirty.”

The two made their way back, earning a few ‘knowing’ looks from the others. “You two done fuckin’?” Bonnie asked, burning any notion of subtlety with a swig of her glass.

“I’m not that quick,” Stacie responded with a roll of her eyes. “Have you really perfected the art of the quickie so much that you expect everyone else has?”

“Is it possible for an A.I. to get queasy? Because I think that’s happening to me,” Merlux groaned, his teardrop-shaped eyes seeming to lengthen slightly.

“Well, there was that one time-” Bonnie began.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Alan stated, shuddering. “Heard quite enough of that one already, thanks.”

“Heard? Aye, I was pretty loud that night wasn’t I…”

The Ambusher visibly paled. “Please, shut up.”

“Oh, was this when you two were working together before taking this ship?” Samuel asked, grinning. “Thought you seemed rather familiar with each other.”

Alan placed his head in his hands while Bonnie laughed uproariously. “Please kill me,” he muttered.

Stacie rolled her shoulders, and reached for the revolver at her hip. “Just give me a second…”

“Wha-” The Ambusher recoiled. “I wasn’t being serious! Put that down!”

“You die here or you live to experience our teasing,” Samuel stated, folding his arms. “Choose wisely.”

Stacie spun the cartridge. “Tick tock… I’ll give you ten seconds to choose, and then I’ll pick if you haven’t.”

“You’re having a laugh,” Alan said nervously.

“Five seconds…”

“Samuel, stop her!”

The Russian sighed. “Bloody hell, just say you want to live, how hard is that?”

“I want to live, I want to live!”

Stacie put her gun back in its holster. “Disappointing, but alright.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Taxor_the_First and DarkGemini24601: “Mass-Muddle, Part 3”

Samson raised an eyebrow. “You motherfuckers usually point guns at each other when you’re drinkin’?”

“Depends on how much I’ve had to drink,” Stacie responded nonchalantly.

“If she doesn’t get her Saturday bourbon she’s liable to kill you for anything,” Heinrich whispered.

Bonnie seemed to have a thought, placing her chin in one hand. “Hrmm. I wonder if the Megacity we’re taking a dump in has any special alcohol. You think that’s where everyone else went?”

“Ah yes, I recall Arthur saying something about being a wine taster before the war,” Lester said sarcastically. “He must be chasing down the remnants of some vintage or other. Definitely not doing the smart thing and analysing a battlefield we’ll be fighting on in about a week.”

“I believe Maverick Squad’s two officers are doing the same sort of thing, no?” a new voice added. Tomislav was leaning over the side of the booth that belonged to the group in question.

“Yeah. Chris and Olivia are out doing some scouting… though Oli said she was doing something else as well,” Stacie noted. “So what brings you here, Tom?”

“I heard we got a new Harrier on the staff. Wanted to see what he was like,” Kasun stated curiously.

Samson spread his hands. “That’d be my sorry ass,” he affirmed. “Now as I understand it, you the guy that created all the shit Harriers use, yeah?”

“The vast majority of it, yeah. You had a chance to try out any of the armor subsystems?” Tomislav questioned.

“Didn’t get past the primary,” the new Harrier stated. “Which brings me to my first point - where the fuck is the shotgun? Why do you not have a shotgun in that arsenal?”

Samuel raised his hand. “I use a shotgun.”

“You’re not a fuckin’ Harrier. I am. Will be. Whatever.”

“Because we have the shredder gun. That’s like a shotgun on steroids,” Tomislav replied with a shrug. “I prefer barbecuing my enemies, though.”

“The shredder what?”

Bonnie shrugged. “Look, either you stick with that rifle, or you become an Aerotrooper like Samuel.”

Samson scoffed. “Fuck that. I ain’t bein’ shown up by ‘asshole with a ghost’ here every mission. I’ll stick with bein’ different.” He turned to Tomislav. “Shredder gun, eh? Alright, you got my attention.”

“There’s that, and a few other inventions that are at the tail end of the pipeline right now. I can show you if you’re interested,” Tomislav offered. “Might make you more enthusiastic if the Augerrifle wasn’t enough.”

“Fuck it, I’m down. Either that or I keep listenin’ to bitch here.” Samson jabbed a finger in Alan’s direction, earning a confused look before he stood. “I better not come back to a buncha corpses, ya hear?”

Samuel rolled his eyes. “Worst comes to worst I can have Umbra hold her until security arrives. Or I could.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you,” Heinrich mumbled.

“I see your point,” Tomislav told Samson with a chuckle. “Follow me.” He began walking. The new Harrier followed, still unable to walk through the ship without looking at everything in his path like a small child in a new home. The original Harrier led Sam to main engineering, where the Serbian had moved the majority of his equipment to complete the larger projects at work. At the moment, the staff there were producing as much powered armor as they could, aiming to equip the entire roster of XCOM before the enemy arrived at the gates of Matterhorn. Tomislav was working on power armor himself, but the two designs he was constructing was much, much larger than anything else currently in production: the Bedlam Armor and the Pavise Armor.

The first was thickly plated rather than compact. Its legs were like the bases of towers, with only armor-covered circular servomotors at the knees showing any sign of the complex inner workings. The bottom of the boots on these pillar-like limbs were equipped with jetboots much more powerful than those attached to the heavy exosuits that Harriers typically wore. The main body was shaped like the upper chestplate of a piece of plated armor, with faint curvature that came to a flat point in the middle. The helmet - an oval-shaped dome with an inferno-colored visor in the front - was tightly packed into where the neck typically went on smaller armor. With the torso being large enough to fit the entire pilot, a neckpiece was unnecessary.

Then, from the sides of the bulky torso, more dexterous arms extended outwards with a similar round joint to the legs on the elbows. They were still roughly pillar-shaped, but were a degree thinner than the lower limbs, and had a heavy weapon worked onto either arm. The left had a standard-issue device - a hardened Chryssalid Chitin-purified Alien Alloy composite that could be propelled by elerium-powered jets for a tremendous punch. This was the Kinetic Strike Module. On the left arm, the slot was left open. The Harrier Superheavy Armor could be equipped with the typical flamethrower or shredder gun.

Tomislav showed the long-barreled weapon to Samson. “This is the Shredder Gun. Looks kinda like a sniper rifle had a baby with an automatic shotgun, as you can see. While this baby doesn’t have nearly the range as a marksman rifle, it does have a wider spread that remains deadly for longer distances than a typical shotgun. I think you’ll be plenty satisfied with this as your secondary weapon.”

“Alright yeah, that fuckin’ works,” Samson said appreciatively, looking over the weapon. “What’s the ammo like on it? Do I need to refill everytime I fire?”

“With an exosuit, you’ve got three single-use magazines,” Tomislav explained. “That’s the cost of the bigger payload. With the Bedlam Armor on, though, you’ll have twice as many shots - and the suit will feed in new ammunition without you having to do anything,” the inventor declared proudly.

“Well, if it’s as devastatin’ as you makin’ out, that should be more than enough.” Samson walked around the armor, examining it. Attached to the back was what appeared to be a tertiary weapon mount, built to aim over the wearer’s shoulder. “And I’ll be wearin’ this thing?”

“Yep. Certainly not for stealth missions, but for something like defending this city? These superheavy armors will be the closest thing we have to artillery and tanks,” Tomislav stated.

“Ah, if someone takes me on a stealth mission they ain’t expectin’ it to stay that way for long,” the new Harrier noted. “The fuck’s this thing on the back?”

“Managed to add another heavy weapon slot with the approperiate ammo storage on the opposite shoulder,” Tomislav elucidated. “You can either fit a heavy-duty mortar onto it, or a weapon called the Metal Storm. The name isn’t exactly mine,” Tom admitted. “The Chief and I were looking around in prewar documents, and we came across a blueprint from the good Aussies in Brisbane. They hadn’t perfected it, but they’d made a beauty prototype we turned into this lovely lady.” He removed a tarp from the side of the gigantic armor, revealing a weapon with dozens of small coilgun tubes laid into a plus-shaped super-barrel. “Say hello to the Gauss Tornado.”

“Daaaaaaamn,” Samson breathed. “Last invention of a country that no longer exists, sure, but holy shit is it a good one.” He brushed a hand over the weapon, caressing it like he was in love. “When will this be ready? In time for the party?”

“Hopefully. If ADVENT takes six days to mobilize… it’d be ready in time. Otherwise it’ll come a bit late… but if I’m not here to complete it the engineering team will still make sure the Bedlam Armor reaches the battlefield soon,” Tomislav informed him. “Same for the Pavise Armor, which is for Saint Pierre and Vermaak.”

The Pavise Armor was a design with the bulk more evenly distributed. The armor was slightly less thick overall than that of the Bedlam variant, but - as it consisted of large interlocked plates like a chunky, super-thick, ultra-durable chainmail - this suit was much more resistant to damage. Its limbs were shaped in such a manner that they could firmly hold onto whatever they were pressed up against. Toppling the suit would be nearly impossible. The chestplate was more condensed, as the extra servos necessary for the increased stability took up space beyond the shoulder-pads and hip-plates. The helmet was very much the same, save for the fact that the visor was taller and accompanied by four small dots on the corners; they were targeting designators for the tractor beam system worked into the armor.

“This thing is a beauty too, though it was way more of Shen’s brainchild than mine. Underneath the main layers of plating is a system of armor-wide tracks that can utilize the mobility servos to patch up damaged spots and make them more resistant to exploitation than they were before getting shot. Plus, taking some cues from our dear Ember’s suit… the metal-cannibalizing repair system can now repair plating that’s been shredded by special munitions. And to top it all off… this baby has an energy shield that it can project around itself and allies in a dome. You can shield your allies… or trap enemies inside it with you. Pavise Armor is a fitting name indeed, if I do say so myself… though Ms. Brown did suggest ‘Christine’s Revenge’ at one point as well.”

Samson turned to look at him, grinning. “You really proud of these, aren’t you?”

“I feel like a father having watched his sons grow up, so yeah, I’d say I am,” Tomislav admitted.

“Then we’ll be sure they live up to their full potential.” The former bodyguard had a gleam in his eye. “Or at least, I will. If ADVENT had any doubts about fearin’ our names… we’ll squash them into the dirt with those punks they call their army.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 1 - Tomislav Kasun]

Alpine Megacity “Matterhorn”
November 11th, 2038 A.D.
1015 Hours, Local Time
Upper Business District
Oberes Bleu Highway

The engine of Tomislav’s motorcycle emitted a rumbling purr as he sped down the freeway. A skilled driver, he kept his eyes on the road. On occasion, though, he would check his mirrors or glance to the side to observe two things. The first was the design of the cars and the odd motorbike that accompanied him on the Megacity road. Most of them were sleek and futuristic in nature, which left the motorcycle enthusiast a little disappointed. They look way too clean and shiny, Tom internally groaned. The second thing of interest was how high up he was currently. A glance to the left revealed the lower bands of the city, which were blurred as he raced past them. A look to the right unveiled the mountain peak, and the tops of tall buildings; the highway he was on was on stilts. It was a raised bridge that towered about ten stories into the air - a remarkable feat of engineering.

Although he was no construction worker, Tomislav was still impressed by the alien-directed handiwork. Like many others had before him, the Harrier reflected that if the aliens had only come in peace, they would have been hailed as venerated allies by nearly all of humanity. They picked invasion instead though. They dug that grave. They can kindly let us put them into it. Kasun shook his head, lowering his speed for a moment as a truck transferred lanes and moved in front of him. “Don’t get distracted on the highway, Tomislav,” the resistance soldier chided himself. I didn’t come here to think about the war, he recalled remedially. I wanted to visit that block again.

The street Tom had found on his initial trek through the Megacity was 204 Hellblau Schnee Straße, a German name for Light-blue Snow Street (the city designated its sections by colors in addition to traditional naming conventions). Situated in the ‘blue’ business district, Hellblau Schnee boasted some pleasant coffee shops and technology stores. Shen’lustus had been kind enough to donate some credit cards to XCOM’s operatives so that they might make some purchases during their stay, and Tomislav had put it to good use for some brunch at a particular cafe he had discovered along his favored street.

Taking a left down a long, two-lane exit ramp, Tomislav began to lower his speed to 50 kph. He found himself on a large city street, where traffic was moderate and prompted him to halve his speed further. However, unlike the semi-gridlocked cars surrounding him, the motorcycle-bound man was able to (a bit recklessly) weave his way through the sea of vehicles to reach his destination faster. This earned a few surprised honks from the more obedient and simple-minded of drivers, but ultimately Tomislav didn’t run into anything. He reached 204 Hellblau Schnee Straße after several minutes of bobbing and weaving - parking his vehicle in an alleyway designated for those travelling through this part of the metropolis on bikes. Several other vehicles the size of his were there, an indication that the smart way to travel through the tight city blocks was via motorcycle.

Twirling his keys and then placing them in his wool jacket pocket, the Serbian made his way to the glass doors of the cafe. An electronic bell dinged twice upon his entry, and Tomislav smiled at the counter-workers before making his way into the line. There were currently five people in front of him. The nearest two were a young couple that were anything but happy. They were bickering about something. Tom caught phrases suggesting it was a matter of attention and possible infidelity, but he endeavoured to tune them out as much as possible. Despite his attempts at ignoring the pair, the mother, father, and child at the front were taking awhile to decide on what to do, and the couple’s conversation eventually wormed its way into Tomislav’s ears.

“-honestly, do you think I’m blind? You’re in this for the sex, I swear!” the cherry blonde lady practically hissed at her boyfriend.

“Will you keep it down?” the brown-haired man groaned. “I think that girl in front of us in only ten, jeez.”

“Don’t try to pin this on me!” the girlfriend complained indignantly. “You’re the one that’s been hanging out with other women. One of them is your ex, for christsakes!”

“You’re the one trying to change the subject! You know, for all your talk about how I apparently don’t really love you, you’re the one that is always asking for me to buy more damn jewelry for you!” the boyfriend snapped, throwing up his hands. “I’m not as rich as you wish I could be, so sue me.”

“That’s not the issue. You aren’t willing to commit because you think it’s hard or something. Or maybe you just get bored of the same body after a month or two. I really ought to report you to-”

“For the love of-!” Tomislav finally shouted. “Will you two shitheads shut your mouths! It’s like someone’s constantly bashing together cymbals next to my ears!”

“Fuck off, we’re having a conversation here!” the other man growled, balling a fist angrily. “Stay out of it.”

Tomislav trembled slightly in frustration - both at the inaneness of the conversation and the uncomfortable parallels the local was drawing between himself and the Harrier. His hand reflexively moved down towards his jacket, where he was concealing a pistol just in case he needed to use it for self-defense.

The blonde woman caught the movement, and her eyes started to widen. Things slowed down for Tomislav as his A.I. went into a damage-control mode.

You appear to be at risk of an altercation that might draw the attention of the peacekeepers, Phobos cautioned his user. Disengagement from this situation is advised.

I’ve got a better idea, Tomislav thought coldly. Fix this your way.

Really? They’re not a direct threat themselves, I’m surprised you would-

Do it!

Phobos mentally chuckled. As you wish.

Time took on its normal pace again, but the woman suddenly began sweating, her eyes wide. “G-God, I think there’s a s-s-spider on my neck… there’s a spider on my neck!” she panicked, and dashed out of the business.

“H-Hey… wait just a damn second!” her boyfriend cried out, running after her.

Tomislav breathed a sigh of relief. “Better.” The family ahead of him had - after briefly turning their heads to regard the couple’s strange retreat - decided on an order, and had moved down the aisle to collect their food and drink. Tom approached the counter, and tersely ordered a sandwich and a coffee, taking his meal with him and departing from the cafe. He walked down the street, businesspeople passing him by - only black silhouettes to the perturbed soldier. He took a sip of his steaming brown-black drink, hoping the motion would distract him from the troubling thoughts running through his head. It didn’t.

Dammit. What is she to me? Tomislav had to ask himself. I’ve never stayed together with someone for very long. Truthfully, he was starting to reach the average length of his romances with Ayame. I don’t deserve someone like that, not after… not after letting Lena go up in flames. I’m damned to perdition for that.

And you fear that she’ll find out about your pyromania. Your sociopathic side.

For once, Tom didn’t rebuff the A.I. His mind was drifting… drifting back to times past. Yeah. I really didn’t get along with other people, did I? Both before and after I watched that family die.

***​

One memory prior to the Jovanovic fire passed through Tomislav’s head. A group of children had been playing catch, using stacks of trash, mechanical junk, and the husk of a broken-down bus to make the game more interesting. They noticed the young, fiery-eyed Tom walking down the street, and had invited him to join them in their game. A fifth player would make things a lot more interesting, the leader of the children had reasoned. He gregariously extended the offer to Tomislav, who, after merely staring at the boy with an icy gaze for a few seconds, agreed to join them.

Things had gone normal at first. The beaten-up ball was passed between the hands of the three boys and two girls present. They were all young children, the eldest being 11 years of age. They were having plenty of fun, and the game got more and more exciting as the speed of the passes had increased. Tomislav got lost in the motion rather than the excitement, however. It was beginning to get dark, and as the sun went down another source of light caught his eyes. A small trash-fire was had been lit by one of the boys. A girl had moved towards it after catching the ball, and passed it to the boy next to Tom. She chastised the seven-year-old next to her that had started the fire, warning him it could spread and interfere with the game. Callously, she had stomped it out.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 1 - Tomislav Kasun] - Continued

The ball went to Tomislav. In a fit of impotent rage, he had thrown it with all his might at the forehead of the girl that had put out the beautiful fire. The sphere elongated for a moment, then slammed into her at full force. It bruised the girl, and caused her to fall back on her back hard - getting cut by a few shards of a broken bottle. Horrified, the other kids had gone up to their fallen friend - save for the leader, who threw a punch at Tom. The amber-eyed boy blocked the strike, and delivered a smashing hit to the ringleader’s gut to knock the wind out of him.

Sucking air back in, the game leader questioned why Tomislav did such a thing. And the worst part was that Tomislav simply replied, ‘she pissed me off.’ There was no remorse. He was just irritated. Reminded why he avoided socializing with other people. They didn’t understand him. Friends were just a pain.

***​

Mother got onto me about that when she found out. But she couldn’t fix me… fix the unfeeling monster I am. Tomislav clutched a hand over his heart, stopping in his walk with his guilt clenching the coldly-beating organ in his chest. There’s only one reason I changed. Only one purpose for me putting on the facades I do.

***​

Another memory played itself out. This one was the last thing Tomislav remembered of his hometown. The children from before had gotten older, as Tom had. He encountered them again, playing baseball. The encounter was not by choice. He usually went down a different street to avoid the game group. But today, that street wasn’t safe. A Resistance group had laid down mines all along it to delay ADVENT forces trying to move into the area to quench rebellious elements in the town. So, regretfully, Tomislav went down the road he avoided.

The group immediately recognized him. The girl he had injured several years ago still had the scars the amber-eyed boy had given her. Even with him being a teen now, she knew exactly who he was. Without hesitation, she grabbed the baseball bat she had been using for an innocent game, and swung it at Tomislav’s face. “You motherfucker!” she screamed at the fiery-eyed teen.

Something about his eyes was more dead than usual. Part of him had died along with Lena, and he had never forgiven himself for letting her perish. He dodged the inital set of swings, but began to wonder why he was defending himself. The other game-players were beginning to approach with blunt instruments of their own. He wouldn’t be able to fight all five of them at once. And they had reason to hate him. He deserved what he had sowed, right?

So Tomislav stopped dodging. The blows began to brutally rain down on him. His shoulder, his ribs, his leg, his chest, his face. They came in quicker and quicker, until Tom finally collapsed to the ground. The attacks ceased from two of the game-players, but the rest continued to kick him while he was down. The baseball bat of the scarred girl cracked over his head, and drew blood. “Serves you right,” he dimly heard her say. “Goddamn soulless creep.”

Then everything went black. When Tomislav woke up, he was in his bed, and his mother was tending to him with what first aid skills she knew. Damjana asked what had happened. Tomislav didn’t say much, only explaining that it ‘wasn’t his fault’ and that ‘you don’t need to worry’. His mother disagreed, and soon decided that Pozega had gotten to be too dangerous with the Resistance fighting there and gangs on the streets. A week later, she left the city with her son. Two years passed in that time afterwards before they joined the Resistance themselves, unable to continue running from the looming conflict.

***​

Over those two years I learned that to prevent people from hating me, I had to pretend to emphasize with them, Tom remembered, starting to walk again while he reminisced about those two dozen months. I taught myself how to fake smiles and laughs. How to pretend like I felt sorry for people I couldn’t care less about. He sighed. I’m not an unfeeling person. I can make genuine friends, like Emile and Vera, he conceded. But why the hell should I genuinely feel more guilt than I already do? People suffering and dying due to this war isn’t my damn fault. To hell with that.

A man ran into the aimless Harrier. “Hey, watch where you’re going,” the businessman mumbled as he walked by.

The impact brought Tomislav back into reality, and he looked down at his jacket - now covered in steaming coffee. The heat didn’t bother Tom, but the dampness pissed him off. Glancing around, he searched for the culprit of the spillage - only to find that a crowd surrounding him masked the identity of the man. “Goddammit,” Tomislav sighed. He went to a crossing, and moved to the sidewalk on the other side of the street - walking into an area that was sunny where he could hang up his soaked article of clothing.

Laying it out over a bench, Tomislav looked around. The grassy area surrounding him was a graveyard, though it didn’t seem so gloomy to him. He sat down on the bench for a moment, and started to relax… only to hear soft sobbing from behind a nearby gravestone. Can’t catch a break… Getting up with a muffled groan, Tom stepped around the tall stone marker, finding a woman kneeling before it. “Who was it?” Tomislav asked at length.

The woman looked up with puffy blue eyes that might have been beautiful if she didn’t look so woebegone. “M-my husband,” she spoke through sobs.

“How’d he die?” Tom asked.

“Car accident. It’s been two days, but I’m still so… so… I don’t know how I’m going to go on without him,” she bemoaned miserably. “I couldn’t even bear to watch the cremation. I just…”

“You feel empty. That tends to happen when you’re so close to someone, and they get stolen away from me.” That’s why I avoid closeness like Emile did. Better to falsify goodwill while understanding that those near you might be taken away by cruel fate.

“You’ve… l-lost someone close to you too?” she whispered. “How do you… get through it.”

Tomislav scowled briefly, then moved his expression to a more neutral yet callous expression. “By not making the mistake of getting too sappy again. We’re all going to die someday. Accept that and don’t open your heart up so much. It’ll just get holes poked in it.”

The woman’s teary eyes widened. “T-That’s horrible! How could you… could you…” she shook her head, and dropped the roses in her hands - running off and leaving Tomislav alone again.

“Good riddance. Sentimental bitch,” he muttered - though the words and his anger were insincere. He felt them directed mostly at himself. “I really am horrible, aren’t I?” he murmured, reaching down to pick up the flowers. “A horrible, inferno-loving monster that has to hide his true nature.” A shuddering breath passed down his chest. I’ll just keep on pretending, like I always have. Do I love Ayame, or is it just a physical attraction? Hell if I know.

Tomislav reached into his pants pocket, and procured a pack of cigars and a lighter. He lit himself up a smoke, placing it between his lips and letting out a puff of black smog. The small box was put up, but he lifted the lighter up to the flowers - igniting them and causing them to turn brown, then black. The amber-eyed man watched intently, continued to smoke. This is who I am. No one needs to know. I’ll just make sure no one finds out my true nature. That way, I’ll remain content. That’s the best path for me, he thought, attempting to be resolute but finding that doubt lingered.

Right?

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 2 - Robert Tygan]

Resistance Megacity “Matterhorn”
1530 Hours, November 12th, 2038
Onboard the Avenger
Floor 5, Central Block
The Living Quarters

A cup of freshly-brewed coffee in hand, Robert entered the living quarters. It was the chief scientist’s afternoon break. Typically, he didn’t leave his workstation during the brief holdover period. However, this was an unusual occasion: there wasn’t much for him to do currently. After he had performed the legwork needed prior, he had given engineering the green light for power armor production. The rest had gone over to Shen; Vahlen was currently studying the plasma weapons provided by the European Overseer, seeing how she could adapt the alien-sized laser guns to models compatible with human hands. Most of the work going on was outside of Tygan’s hands, and he found himself with a strange period called ‘free time’.

Walking down the entrance corridor, Tygan heard a conversation from the couch just around a corner. His curiosity got the better of him, and he paused in place briefly. The scientist took a sip of his hot coffee as he eavesdropped.

“You’re no fun at all,” the voice of a teenage boy grumbled. “I think it’d be cool.”

“Well I think it would be dangerous,” a slightly-older teenage girl riposted.

“Why don’t we settle this with a vote. You don’t get to be a banana republic dictator,” the boy complained. “What do you think, Jabes?”

A preteen boy stammered, “U-um… I’m not sure…”

“Think about it,” the older boy pressed his sibling. “We’ve been cooped up in this stupid ship for months. We haven’t even seen the entirety of it. I say we do some exploring for once! Like, even if we don’t leave the ship… I hear the power core looks awesome.”

“That’s in the labs though, Junior,” the teenage girl countered. “We’d get in trouble.”

“I hear the catwalks are cleared out right now… and I know an access tunnel up to them,” Junior replied deviously. “We’d have to go now, though. Come on, Jabes, don’t you think that’d be awesome?”

“I-It does sound cool…” Jabes started to concede.

Robert chose this moment to step around the corner, approaching the three children with an eyebrow raised. “The flaw in this plan of yours is that many of the science staff pick this location to take their break. Therefore, you’ve revealed your aims.”

Jabes blanched, and hid behind his sister - who was remaining confident in the face of the old man. Junior was nervous, but did his best to mask it with a brave face as he retorted, “W-we can still get away with it. How are you going to stop us?”

“Do I need to report you to the security officer?” Robert questioned evenly. “Because I’m sure Mr. Strand would be happy to guard that access tunnel.”

“I’m friends with uncle Chris!” Junior protested tensely. “He’d take my side here!” the boy declared of his surrogate family member.

“Well, I’m his superior. I do believe he’d be obligated to obey my instructions,” Tygan responded. However, his brow furrowed when he noticed that Junior was trembling now. Did I frighten him? I didn’t mean to. The Chief sighed in frustration. He had never been a people person, much less good with children. The scientist’s memories drifted back in time, to before the war.

***​

5:34 P.M., November 24th, 2016 C.E.

The table had been set lavishly, moreso than Robert had ever experienced in his early childhood. Atop it sat a variety of foodstuffs. The center boasted a swirl of turkey meat with spices lining the skin. It was flanked on either side by salad bowls with dressing nearby. Then there were the mashed potatoes, the assorted vegetables, and even a few fruits saved from the earlier seasons. The others were already digging in. A man in his mid-twenties was seated next to a daughter of eight years and a son of seven. They didn’t particularly interest Robert at the moment though, as he sought to gain the attention of his younger sister, Isabel.

“This certainly is an impressive meal,” he remarked to the woman with long, braided hair.

Isabel smiled. “I’m glad you approve. Made it myself.”

“Did you now?” Robert responded a bit incredulously. He paused for a moment with a troubled silence.

Isabel considered leaving it be, but as the pause continued she elected to speak up. “What’s wrong, Rob? Out with it.”

“I’m just… considering what could have been, I guess. You showed such promise in high school and in college. I figured you were going to start a great career. You could have been anything you wanted to,” he reflected wistfully.

Isabel frowned. “This is what I wanted to do though, Robert. I wanted to have a family. The smiles that I see on Miranda and Carson’s faces every day,” she stated, gesturing towards the two happily-eating children, “are enough to keep me content. I think you’d find that being a parent is more fulfilling than you realize.”

“My work is important, though. I have aspirations to launch space exploration into a completely new era,” Tygan insisted. “If you’d come with me, I’d be even further along than I am now. I just don’t understand-”

“You don’t understand!” Isabel said with a flash of anger. Calming herself down, and offering a reassuring smile to her slightly-concerned children, she continued more evenly, “it’s something you have to experience for yourself. Maybe we’re just more different than we ought to be as siblings. You’ve always been obsessed with your work. I’ve dreamed smaller, sure, but I…” Isabel sighed. “Just forget it. Let’s enjoy our dinner, no sense in spoiling Thanksgiving.”

***​

By now, Robert knew what she was going to say. ‘But I’m more human than you’. Maybe she had a point. I haven’t exactly tried to get out and make friends. To encounter the full range of human experience. Though honestly, I wonder if it’s too late to-

“Uh, mister? You alright?” the elder daughter of Maxwell questioned Tygan. “You zoned out for a minute there.”

Snapped back to reality, Tygan adjusted his tie. “Did I, now? My apologies.” He glanced over at Junior - who didn’t seem like he knew what to think of the scientist right now. Might as well just… “Children aren’t allowed within the labs,” he began. ...try, for once. “Without an escort, that is. I don’t have much to do at the moment… so why don’t you three accompany me?”

The eyes of all three children lit up at that. “R-Really?” Jabes asked. “You’d do that for us?”

Tygan shrugged. “Well, perhaps the trip will inflame one of you. Make you interested in the sciences. There’s always room for more inventors of tomorrow.”

Junior rolled his shoulders. “Well… uh… I’m grateful for the chance to see the core and all, but I’m not sure the technical stuff would be for me.”

Robert motioned for the trio to follow him back down the corridor. “Not many do, initially. I was a bit of an anomaly in that regard. But the mathematics that are associated with the sciences is something anyone can do, given the time and effort to memorize information you need to know. You just have to be persistent, and… there are calculators for when mental math fails you.”

Junior laughed. “Yeah… I guess there is that.”

Hm. I brought someone youthful genuine amusement, Robert noted as he led the group into the laboratory. I do believe that’s a first.

 

[Dahlexpert]

The fallowing is a collaboration between Dhalexpert&Zombiesplitter53
Touring the MEgacity

Resistance Megacity Matterhorn
On board the Avenger
Barracks

Luke sat in a chair thinking to himself. "Why is XCOM protecting an Elder. This is some bullshit. We're now working with the thing that took our planet? And killed our people?"

Lilith sat nearby and finished tying her shoes."Yes Luke, I understand, but this is our home now. I mean, we were going to take a megacity at some point. This way we're not destroying the city to take it. Now come on. Let's go. I want to see our new home. And were bringing the Chambers with us."

"Why are we bringing them with us?"

"They've never been in a Megacity before. True, we're never been in this Megacity, but there are some things I want to handle with them, and that is us having a normal day alright?"

"Sigh, fine, come on. Let's get this over with."

Luke and Lilith, made their way to the Chambers quarters. Lilith knocked on the door and asked, "Hey, Chambers you in there?"

It was Jennifer that opened the door, Alexis sitting on her bed, lacing her boots. "What's up, Lilith? We were about to go out."

"Great so are we. We're about to go to the Megacity. Mind coming along?"

Alexis stepped over, giving a worried look. "Is it really okay for us to go out there?"

"I don't see why not. This is sorta our new home after all. We're no longer in enemy territory."

"Yes we are," Luke said. "As long as that damn Elder is still alive, we are still in enemy territory."

"Luke come on now, the Commander settled things with the Elder. We're fine for now."

Jennifer smiled. "It would be nice to see our first megacity."

"Agreed. Besides..." Alexis stepped out and took Luke's arm. "Someone has to make sure this one stays in line."

Lilith couldn't help but smile. "Aww, I always love seeing you two together, it's sweet."

Luke started to blush a rare sight from him. "Sh...Shut up."

Jennifer giggled. "Come on. Let's go before Luke loses his nerve."

Alexis nodded and pulled Luke towards the lift. "Now if you see someone in an ADVENT uniform, please don't go nuts and attack them, okay?"

Luke clenched his fist but tried to calm down. "No promises. After all, we have been fighting them for months."

"Come on, son, this is going to be fun. It's rare that we can act normal in a city."

There group made their way off the ship, though not before being given a rundown of the rules while in the city. As the entered the city proper, the Chambers sisters tried to act cool and collected, but the way the looked around at the tall buildings, pristine streets, and technological marvals made it obvious that they were impressed.

"Hum, it's been a while since I've seen a city. It's quiet impressive." Lilith looked at Luke and draw his anger growing just being there. "Luke, you promised to stay calm while your here."

"Tch. This whole place is wrong. Best to just get them out and get it over with." Luke looked around and sees people staring at them. "And it would seem the feelings are mutual."

Jennifer followed his gaze. "Well, that isn't exactly fair, Luke. Remember that they're spent this whole time being told how dangerous we are, and now they're expected to just except us into their city." She sighed. "Makes me wonder what the Elder here told everyone to have them except us like this..."

"And I've seen what their masters have done, and you expect me to work with the bastards that kidnap their own people and experiment on them. And to protect people that are okay with it!?" Luke shouted.

Everyone within earshot fell silent, all heads turning his way. In the distance, a child cried, and a woman hurried to leave the area. Alex let out a slow sigh. "Seriously, Luke. I thought you had more fact then this."

Jenn folded her arms. "Even if that is what you believe, do you really want to attract ADVENT's attention?"

Lilith walked to Luke and put her hands on his shoulders. "Luke, I understand your anger. Remember, we have seen the atrocities of the aliens. They haven't. So for now, keep calm, okay? If not for these people, do it just for us."

Luke clenched his fist and steam came out of his nose. "Fine. I will play nice, for now at least."

"Well then... perhaps something to take our minds off things," Jennifer offered. "I believe there is a museum not far from here we can visit."

"Something tells me that's only going to make me angrier. As long as there is a bar near by, then fine, we'll go to this museum.

Lilith shook her head. "Luke, for the love of all that is holy, please just try and have a good time, alright? No fighting."

"Yeah, alright, fine. I get it already, I'll be on my best behavior."

The group walked down the street, Jennifer hanging back to chat with Luke, not that he was in the chatting mood. Walking next to Lilith, Alexis whispered, "I think this was all a bad idea. He

"Look, Luke has a good reason to be a little upset. You can't tell me that even you have a trouble being here, in the heart of your enemy city."seems a bit too unstable here. Maybe we should just go back to the ship."

"What do you mean, 'even me'?" Alex folded her arms. "Remember that I've been fighting them since I was three. Of course it is unnerving. But I can control myself. I'm worried he can't."

Lilith sighed and said. "Listen Alexis, remember me and Luke used to live in a city like this long ago, so half of the stuff he's saying is not him talking out of his ass."

"I'm not saying it is. And I'm not saying I don't understand. I just... hope we can trslust him not to fly off the handle. Of he snaps, it could ruin everything the Commander has worked for."

 

[Dahlexpert]

Part 2

"I get that, but Luke does understand what the Commander has done. Even though he personal wants to kill the Elder and the ADVENT solders here, and take the city that way. At least then there would be no ADVENT solders. Look, I need you to just keep Luke calm alright? So do what you always do, can I count on you?"

Alexis nodded. "I'll do my best."

The four arrived at the Matterhorn Museum of Transportation. As they approached the check in counter, Jenn said, "Oh... shoot. We don't have any credits."

"Credits?" The chipper, seemingly oblivious young reception woman giggled. "You must be new here. The museum is free of charge. Every vehicle here is owned by Elder Shen'letusus, and he loves people seeing his collection."

"Hmm, I guess even Elders take pride in something, huh?" Luke said as they entered the museum.

Alex elbowed him softly when they were out of war shot of the receptionist. "Hush, you. Internal monologue. Don't..." Be eyes widened in shock as she started forward.

"Darling, what's up? Did something catch you off guard?"

Alexis squealed and ran forward. It took all her willpower not to jump over the guard rail. "Look at this! Do you know what this is?!"

Jennifer joined her by the display. "Some... old... train?"

"This... was the very first Japanese Bullet Train!" Alexis ran to the large vehicle next to it. "And this is one of the old trains that ran on burning coal! These... these are pieces of mass transit history!"

"Never thought I would see you act like this in front of a train," Luke said. "It's just a train hun. This is the first time I'm seeing you as a engineer. I kinda like it."

"I always used to read about various automobiles and trains and planes. Things that were lost to technological advancements from the aliens. Oh!" She pointed to a sign to the next room. "Old muscle cars! I hope they're in good condition."

She ran ahead, and Jennifer giggled. "At least she's having fun, eh Luke?"

Luke kept his scowl,, but seemed to be lighten up just a bit. "Yeah, she does. I haven't seen her have this much fun since we went swimming together." Luke sighed and looked were Alexis went. "Better follow her, make sure she doesn't get her hands on something." As Luke left, Lilith stood next to Jennifer.

"Well, he's lighting up, so it's something. I'm surprised your not gushing over this stuff to."

Jennifer smiled at her. "It is all interesting, but I have more self-control. Guess that makes me closer to how you are, while Alex is as easily excitable as Luke."

"Well I did live in a megacity for years, so I'm used to that. Though. I'm sure Luke is trying to enjoy Jennifer chuckled. "Come on. Let's join them."

The group of four made their way through the museum, Alexis gushing over the sight of a variety of vehicles from across Earth history. Carriages, cars, and military vehicles abound, with everything from motorcycles to an old stealth bomber in the massive building.

They came to an area in the back, which seemed to be closed off from the visitors. "Oh," Alexis sighed in disappointment. "It looks like that's where the collection of alien vehicles are." She pushed Luke a bit, pointing towards an attendant standing by the entryway. "Go find out why it's closed."himself, even though he's being an ass."

"You sure you want me doin'... You know what? Screw it, fine." Luke made his way to closed parts of the museum and asked the guard. "Hey, why is this place closed off?"

The man looked back towards the room, then to Luke again. "Well, Master Shen'letusus wants to move the contents of the museum somewhere more secure, though he hasn't shared why. I'm sure he has his reasons, of course. Anyway, he wants to move this stuff first since it would naturally be the hardest to replace, so he is here supervising."

Luke sighed. "Fine, thanks for your time." He made his way back to Alexis and said. "Well, they're moving them to a place more secure. Not sure why though."

"Probably because of the inevitable fight between us and the forces they'll send to kill the Elder here and retake the city," Jennifer offered. "The lady at the front did say all of this is from the Elder's personal belongings. Strange... never thought of an Elder as a being that cares about material goods."

"Then this might be out only chance to see it." Alexis stepped close to Luke and whispered, "Let's sneak in."

Lilith stepped forward, shaking her head." We arrive in a mega city, with their laws and you just said you didn't want to undermine what the Commander has done. But you want to sneak into a restricted area, because of curiosity."

"Well, um... yes?" Alexis scoffed. "It isn't like they have ADVENT guards. It is just one guy. You two can distract him, and Luke and I will sneak in for, like... five minutes. Just long enough to look around. We won't get caught."

Lilith rubbed her head." Ugh, wait here." Lilith made her way to the guard. "Hey guard man, let me ask you something."

"Me?" The man smiled, and bowed his head at the sight of her grey skin. "E-excuse me, miss. I did not recognize you out of uniform. What can I do for you?"

"Right, do you mind if me and my three kids go through? I'm just trying to have a nice day with them? Or will there be any trouble?"

"U-um... I... I guess if someone with ADVENT is with them..." He removed the rope barrier, holding it to the side. "Just... avoid the Overseer. He seems to be under some stress lately."

"Right. As you were." Lilith made her way back to the twins and Luke. "Alright, we're in. There is just one problem." Lilith looked at her son. "The Overseer might be in there, so Luke, be nice. I'm warning you."

"Luke will be as well behaved as Brigid in front of the Commander." Alex pulled him along. "Come on. Let's see some alien cars."

Luke followed Alexis in, trying to keep his composure, and his nerves. Once inside though, he was at awe at he saw. "Amazing so this is an alien vehicle huh?"

Alexis stepped next to him, looking at what looked like a car, but was much smoother and slicker, looking like a an aerodynamic plane with six wheels instead of wings, and it was quite big. "You think this is an alien truck, or a normal car for really big aliens?"

"Or a transport. So it could be a truck. I mean based on earth vehicles, this could be a truck. The question is to what species?"

The Iiequwugin-jjuuga. Don't... try and pronounce it with your human tongue. It isn't possible without at least two tongues.Behind the pair, they could feel the slight pressure of a powerful psionic being approaching. Turning, they saw an Elder step out of a doorway and move towards them, the dimmed overhead lights reflecting of his imposing ornate mask.

Lukes eyes started to glow red at the sight of the Elder. Lilith held Luke's shoulder and said, "Luke! You said you would behave yourself." Lilith turned to the Elder. "I'm sorry for him Elder, he has a grudge against your kind."

A grudge?The Overseer look between everyone.Oh, I see. You are not of my people here. You must be with XCOM. I... oh, right. When you see my kind, your preference is to shoot first, shoot some more, continue shooting until our weapons are spent, and when we are dead, maybe ask a question or two. I imagine seeing me is not very pleasant.

"That, and he's seen your black sites. And the avatar project. He also believes that your people ordered the destruction of our village."

This... is a possibility. I could not know for sure. Though, young man... you do know that it is unlikely that I personally took part in this destruction, right?

"I don't care. The moment your kind came down and wiped out my people, I wanted to kill you. All of you." Luke pointed his finger at the Elder and a small spark came out. "If it wasn't for your people, I would still have my parents. I would not have lived as a scavenger in the wilderness." Fire started to appear around Luke's arm. "And if it wasn't for your kind, my aunt wouldn't be what she is now!" Luke yelled as his arms are engulfed in fire.

Shen's body instantly started to surge with power, and the room felt like the gravity had doubled. Luke in particular felt the weight of the world as an incredible amount of telekinetic power threatened to crush him.I understand your pain, human,the Elder stated, unusually calm in mental tone considering the tense situation.My people have brought you so much anguish, as well as so many others. I will not make excuses. I will not expect forgiveness, or an understanding of what the desperation we now face would lead us to do in the face of our impending extinction. What I do expect, however, is for you to recognize that I have turned my back on my entire race in order to aid your cause. I also expect you to stand down... or I will be forced to defend myself.

Luke grinned at the Elder. "I want to see you tr-" Lilith punches Luke's head, and then wrapped her arm around his neck, and continued to choke him.

"How many times must I tell you to behave yourself, you little pissant?" Luke's fire immediately extenquished.

"Ow alright, alright god damn it, I'll play nice!"

 

[Dahlexpert]

Part 3

The heavy air in the room immediately dissipated, Jennifer letting out a sigh of relief as she was the least trained of the bunch and thus the most overwhelmed.

Shen's impressive aura of energy similarly vanished as if it was never there, and he nodded his head to Lilith.Thank you. To tell you the truth, I was not looking forward to a fight. We are in a museum, after all. I would hate to damage any of my lovely belongings.

Lilith released Luke and looked at the Elder. "No problem, sorry for my son. He still has a problem holding his anger, were as for me, I can understand a truce, even if I do want to kill you."

Shen chuckled lightly, a laugh that echoed slightly behind his mask.Well... I can appreciate your honesty. Though it is ironic considering the majority of the people I am trusting my life to want me dead almost as much as those they will be defending me from.He looked her up and down.Your skin tone... were you with ADVENT at one time?

"Yeah, years ago, I joined to save my son here. However, he never need the medicine, and I was stuck with my decision."

Luke shook his head and rubbed his neck. "Yeah and we come to find out, that we never needed it to begin with." Luke said, finally regaining his composure.

Because your believed medical problems were actually the awakening of your psionics, I presume.Shen moved foward, holding out a hand as he slowly circled Luke.It was not any noise you made that drew me out here. It was the sense of two powerful psions. You in particular, young man, have incredible power. I could tell that you share a color with me before you even used it. It is always a pleasure to meet One with your skill. Who can say how far you will go if given the chance...

Luke look at the Elders hand, as he spun around him. Luke took a deep breath, and cracked his neck. "I'm fully aware of how strong I am, and my powers are growing rapidly. Now as for the other psion, who is my better half..." Luke looked at Alexis. "So hun, are you going to keep standing there or are going to talk to the Elder to?"

Alexis obviously looked uncomfortable just being this close to an Elder, let alone talking to him. "I, um... so I'm... considered strong?"
Yes. In your own way. I can sense that you are on the cusp of increasing it as we speak.He reached a hand towards her, and she flinched, taking a step back.I was... merely sensing your energy. I wasn't going to touch you.

Alexis ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, well... if it is all the same to you, I'd rather you did neither."

Lilith rubbed her head and looked at the Elder. "Right, see these two were kinda raised to hate your kind. You know my sons reasons, and his girlfriend, well... she's been in XCOM since she was three. So yeah they're kinda not used to seeing one of you. Actually, I think this is there first time seeing a Elder up close."

Alexis nodded. "Saw one of your kind last mission, but it was wearing some new skin."
I... see.After some silence, the Elder folded his two sets of arms in a human-like gesture and said,Listen, can't you four cut me some slack? I am betraying my people and risking my life to help humans. I am defending your species. And while I have committed my share of crimes against humanity, I have also made great strides to treat them right. I don't have to do that, you know. An Elder treating humans as more then mere play things.

The four stood in stunned silence at the aliens proclamation. After a few moments, Jennifer said, "You speak... strangely."

Shen tapped the side of his mask like one would the side of their head.It's called telepathic communication, dear. I am speaking into your mind.

This got a chuckle out of Alex, and Jenn rolled her eyes. "I meant the manner in which you speak. It is very... human sounding."
So I've been told by my fellow Elders.

Luke moved forward to where he was in front of the Elder, and starred up at him. "Heh, it's rare that I look up at something. Well, someone. Look, I came off as very aggressive, but you are trying to help humans. And even though you done horrible things to humanity, I have also done my fair share of bad things to people. So maybe, just with you, I can start trusting you."

The Elder bowed his head slightly.This is all I ask for. After all, when the Protectorate comes, their goal will be to kill us both. Best we live by working hand in hand then die at each other's throats when they come.He waved his arms.I ask that while you are here, you enjoy my collection from around our little corner of the galaxy. And when you are done... do you have any funds?

"Like... money?" Alexis shook her head. "No. We're broke."
Broke... I am not familiar with that term in this instance. I will remember it. In the meantime, I would like to offer you a meal as a sign of appreciation for XCOM's cooperation in our endeavors here.He turned to Lilith, her being the oldest and assumed head of the group.As long as you are alright with excepting my gratuities.

Lilith shook her head. " Of course, I appreciate and I'm sorry about my son."

All is forgiven and forgotten.Shen looked back the way he had come.

A few seconds later, a blonde woman in her late twenties walked over, typing on a computer pad. When she reached them, she produced a card and said, "Alright, this has enough funds to pay for a meal at any restaurant in the city, with a little extra for desert and a nice tip. I'd recommend the Golden Lion. It's on the corner of Roscoe and... um..." She trailed off when she looked up and saw Luke. "And... uh... h-hello."

"Did my little display of fire, scare you?" Luke said in an almost disappointed tone.

"Fire?" She blinked a few times, and shook her head. "N-no, I... I didn't... see any... um..." Her cheeks turned a bit rosey, and she quickly offered him the card. "I, um... I-I hope I... put enough on for... for you, sir."

Alexis narrowed her eyes, and inched a bit closer to Luke.

Luke rolled his eyes, and brought her closer to him. "We very much appreciate it, thank you for this. One question though. Are there any apartments nearby?"

Anna's eyes widened in surprise. "I-I, uh... um... th-there are... d-down the, um... street, uh..."

Alexis brought her lips close to Luke's war and whispered. "I will kill you both. You know that, right?"

Luke whispered back, "Did anyone ever tell you that you get jealous very easily?"

"I believe you have," she answered, reluctantly taking a step back.

A red-orange glow surrounded Anja, and she slowly floated out of Luke's arms and to Shen's side.Please forgive Anja if she has acted in a peculiar fashion. Other then scientist at my lab, she does not interact with other humans often. In fact, before today, when was the last time you left the lab?

"Um... it was eleven months, twelve days, and two hours, sir," she answered softly.
That sounds about right. Of course, I tend to be a bit protective of her. While she might not be of my people, when you have had someone following you for nearly twenty of your years, one tends to grow... attached, so to speak.

"One year in a lab, that's no way to live." Luke moved towards Anja and said. "Tell you what. Why don't I..." Luke turned to Alexis. ...and my girlfriend take you out for drinks?"

"Um... I..." Anja looked up at Shen, who subtly nodded. "Um... okay. Just... a few drinks though, okay?"

"Of course. Nothing to bad." Luke looked at Jennifer." And you're coming too Jenn, just because."

Jennifer nodded. "Okay. That sound good to you, Lilith?"

"For you four, yes. Me, I need to train the Elder's soldiers. Well, retrain them, because let's be honest, we have been roiling over ADVENT's grunts for months, so best to retrain them to fight the coming battle."

Oh, what a delightful idea,Shen said, steepling his fingers.What better way to acclimate our people to working with XCOM while simultaneously giving them a leg against the coming attackers by having them learn XCOM tactics to combine with their own training? And who better to teach it then one who has had both training? I shall inform them that you are coming before I continue my work.

"Continue..." Anja shot him a worried look. "If you're going... how are you going to come with us if..."
I am not, dear. Please, enjoy yourself. I am sure I can trust these people with your safety... right, Luke?

Luke smiled at Shen. "Oh, but of course, she will be just fine. She may be piss drunk tomorrow, but she will be unharmed."

Keep it within reason, young man.Shen warned. He turned to Lilith.Good day. It was a pleasure to meet you.

"Nice to meet you too Elder. I look forward to training your men."

As Lilith left, Luke looked at Alexis. "Hey honey, mind if I borrow you for a little bit?"

Alexis shrugged. "Okay. For what?"

"Just come on." Luke grabbed Alexis' hand and walked her out the museum. Once out, Luke brought Alexis close to him. "Lady, how many time do I have to tell you that I love you. And you getting jealous is not good for you."

Alexis sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I get jealous. It just... pops up when I see another woman so close to you. I don't mean to. It just... happens, you know?"

Luke kissed Alexis and brought her closer." I understand you can't help seeing another woman all over your man and getting ancy. That's why I asked for an apartment. Just you and me in a something like a house. No, mom, dad, sister, or aunt. Just you and me in a room, with a shower and a bedroom. And no one around, which means you can be as loud as want to get."

Alexis laugh, and placed a hand against his chest. "You really do think of everything, don't you?"

"I try my best. After all, I have to make you happy, right?" Luke kissed Alexis again and pat her butt. "Now come on. We have two women to get drunk, and embarrass the hell out of."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 3 - An-Yi Shen]

Resistance Megacity “Matterhorn”
1745 Hours, November 13th, 2038
Onboard the Avenger
Level 1, Rear Block
Main Engineering

Wiping some sweat off her brow, Lily observed the fruits of her labors. The three basic variants of power armor now had many articles produced. The armor and subsystems of the SPARK units had been updated. The first Pavise Armor - designed especially for Gwen - was nearing completion. Despite all the progress she had made in preparation for the coming storm, An-Yi was left with a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction. She had trouble immediately identifying why, but she did know that the nagging tug on her heart was affecting her productivity.

“Hey, McCaffree!” Lily called out to her assistant mananger. “Mind taking over on the assembly line for me?”

“I’m on it. Where are you going?” he asked idly.

“Just gonna take a walk. Need a break, I think.” Unlike her counterpart in the labs, the engineering chief didn’t schedule her breaks. They were usually this spontaneous. Accordingly, Peter didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary in Lily’s abrupt departure.

As the Chinese-German woman walked down the hallway in the underbelly of the Avenger, she tried to figure out what was disrupting her focus. I got plenty of sleep last night. I’m not forgetting an important task. She traveled up the gravity lift, stopping off at a random floor and passing down another corridor. She froze at the door to a gym she used to frequent with someone else. Oh. Of course.

In times passed (that now seemed so long ago), An-Yi had visited the gymnasium with her best friend, her surrogate sister: Yakone Ipiktok. We were so close, weren’t we? Lily thought to herself with painful nostalgia. The two had been through everything together. They’d grown up on the run from ADVENT, fugitives from a twisted law. Still, they’d managed to keep one another happy despite the troubled childhood they were subjected to. They’d both aspired to make the world a better place, so that no one else would have to go through what they had.

But then things had begun to change, Lily conceded. Or had they really? she had to wonder. Perhaps the darker parts of Yakone had just gotten worse. Her anger. Her arrogance. Her childishness. Yakone had started to fall from grace. She gave into the poorest parts of her character. And throughout her struggles with herself and others, An-Yi hadn’t been sure how to help. Because I’d tolerated those facets of her. Told myself that was just who she is. Never could have known she’d get so bad. Or… should I have? An-Yi began to realize what feelings had distracted her from her work.

Guilt.

“Of course,” Lily whispered in repetition, feeling as if a knife were slowly being lifted towards her throat. “I should have been there for her. Helped guide her through the character issues she was having. Maybe then she wouldn’t have broken up with Leon, and would have been… happier, before we lost her.” Perhaps it would have led to a different fate. Maybe Yakone would still be-

The engineer shook her head vehemently. No, she couldn’t let herself go that far. There was nothing she could do about it now, and to blame herself for Yakone’s capture was absurd if she thought about it rationally. But that didn’t remove the regret she carried over her failure to help Yakone. Her friend had needed someone to pick her up when she was falling down. But instead An-Yi had just watched with wide eyes. No, I didn’t even look. I averted my eyes.

Lily closed those orbs of hers, a dampness rimming their lower halves. “I just threw myself into my work,” she admitted self-loathingly. “Avoided the conflict, and kept my nose out of it. Hoping that Yakone would just fix it all herself. That maybe Atka would help, or that Leon might talk some sense into her. Knowing… deep down, that I knew her best. That if anyone could help her, it was me. But I was afraid to ruin what we had. Afraid I’d mess up. Afraid…” Lily choked on the words. “...that I’d end up as dead to her as Atka once was.”

The Chief recalled with the deepest remorse the last time she’d spoken with her friend. A moment in time she’d tried to forget. I made so many mistakes. And when I tried to fix them, it was too late.

***​

Minutes before the launch of Operation Verity Zenith.

Yakone vigorously flicked the hair on the top of her head from side to side, trying to get the short, frazzled mop into the proper arrangement for her helmet. If she messed it up, the arrangement would cause her no small amount of irritation for the course of the mission. It was certainly a strange thing to be obsessing about right before a critical operation. As Lily rightfully saw it on her approach, however, it was a means for Yakone to cool her nerves. She rarely showed signs of taking these things too seriously - even when she did.

The Inuit-Caucasian Ranger smiled when she saw An-Yi walk up. “Hey, Lily. Come to see me off?”

“Yeah. Couldn’t just let you run off to storm that tower without at least saying good luck,” Lily replied with a nod.

The Marauding Crusader grinned. “Believe me, I’m excited. We’re about to change the world for real.”

Lily tapped her foot. “Yeah. Glad to… uh… see that you’re doing better,” she noted. “I heard you and Leon worked things out.” Probably best if I don’t tell her that I told him where she was, though.

Yakone smirked. “Yeah. Don’t ask me how we fixed our mess of a relationship. It didn’t make any damn sense to me then, and it doesn’t make any to me now. I’m just glad that we don’t hate each-other anymore.” She stretched out her arms lazily, letting out an exaggerated yawn. “I feel like a million bucks.”

“D… did you…?” Lily began to ask, but the words caught in her throat.

The Ranger tilted her head slightly. “Did I what?”

“I… er… did you have fun with him the past few hours?” An-Yi asked, flustered. She had really meant to ask if Yakone had learned anything from their spat, but found herself unable to risk challenging the fiery woman for fear of doing damage to their own relationship.

“Oh yeah. We hung out, had some light drinks… went and did the dirty.” Seeing Lily’s eyes widen, she chuckled. “I’m just fucking with you. Wouldn’t do that right before an op. Not time for that level of intimacy just yet.”

“Th-That’s not what I meant,” An-Yi protested.

“Then what did you mean?” Yakone questioned, confused.

“I… n-nothing, forget it. I’m just…” Lily sought an excuse desperately. “Nervous. Worried about this mission and you. It won’t be easy.”

“I’ll be fine, Lily,” Yakone insisted - buying the lie. “You know how tough I am. I can do this.”

“I believe you,” An-Yi answered quickly. “Doesn’t stop me from… being tense, though.”

“I’ll make it back home.” Yakone went over to her friend, and hugged her tightly. “I’ll be back in no time. Don’t you worry.”

She never did make it back to the Avenger, despite that promise.

***​

I was so clumsy with that meeting. There were so many things I should have said, Lily thought in retrospect. I should have been a better friend. I should have been there for her. I should have stood up to her when she was wrong. “Yet time and again I screwed up!” An-Yi’s fist impacted with the wall nearest her - bruising her knuckles and eliciting a yelp of pain.

The sting brought the Chief to her senses. “I messed up… that much is undeniable,” she conceded. With a sigh that exhaled all the negative feelings, Lily slowly calmed herself. “I just have to do better in the future. If… w-when we get you back, I’ll be there with you every step of the way, Yakone. I’ll be your challenger and confidant and ally… I’ll be the friend I should have been. I swear.”

Shen shook her head. Making that declaration was easy. The hard part was going to be actually bringing the Marauding Crusader back.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

Russia
Ved'mavud Forest
Forty-Eight Miles Southeast of Moscow

A large, ominous building jutted from the trees of the Russian wood known as Ved'mavud forest, renamed as such by the locals for the strange phenomena that occured there shortly after Advent arrived. The structure was cuboidal in shape, coated with a dull black substance to hide it from scans. It clashed harshly with the surrounding woods and even the animals knew to avoid the place. All was silent until the front of the building began to suddenly rumble, causing the nearby birds
who were brave enough to approach to abandon their perches, causing a few dried leaves to fall and drift to the forest floor. Two large black slabs jutted from the building, then parted, revealing a massive elevator almost the size of the building itself.

A number of Advent soldiers sporting assault rifles walked out first, alongside a shipping container, along the same size as those used overseas, hovering weightlessly above the ground. The container was segmented in places, allowing multiple different things to be stored apart from eachother. Two of the units took a position in the front of the caravan, the remaining four took places in the middle, scanning the forest carefully for any threats. Following them was two stun lancers who moved to stand at the back of the caravan, eyeing a large black cell carefully, the bars of which were facing backwards towards the building. Lastly, an ADVENT MEC, donned in red armor, stepped off the elevator, his weapon scanning the area as the other soldiers prepared to depart.

One lancer stepped up to the cage, making sure their passenger was docile and asleep, thoroughly convinced, the trooper spoke into his helmet comms, passing the information forwards to the front.

As the caravan began to move forwards, the MEC, stepped back onto the elevator as the doors closed behind it, but not before an engineer in a white coat rushed out to confront the soldiers. He crossed his arms angrily as the soldiers turned towards him, "What the fuck is this? Command said I'm supposed to be heading out with you guys." The soldiers turned towards one another silently as they faced forward again and resumed walking. The engineer squinted suspiciously, "That silence better have meant, 'welcome aboard' or I'm going to have some words about this."

After a few minutes the caravan was out of sight of the base it had came from, the forest in front looming with an uncertain danger, nothing was making sound around the group, not even birds. The engineer felt goosebumps on his skin as he heard something in the cage move, but it could've just been his imagination. The live cargo was supposed to be asleep, with psionic dampeners and everything. He couldn't have been in any danger... not with all this security... right?





Frostlich1228: "The Black Witch of Russia"

About an hour had passed since they left and the silence was beginning to be maddening. How could a forest be this quiet? The engineer thought. He coughed, trying to do anything to break the silence. "What's in there exactly? No one told me were going to be hauling a... whatever that is..." The engineer spoke up, side stepping further away from whatever was in there.

Once again, the soldiers refused to talk to him, clearly frustrating the engineer, "Oh Elders... why did you decide to let these guys talk in static-y bumble-speak."

One of the soldiers nearest to him clicked a button on his suit, what the Engineer hoped would be an actual conversation was a much more simple, "Quiet."

The silence quickly returned again after that, the engineer could swear something was trying to talk to him, somewhere in his mind, or was it from that cage, he couldn't tell. He began to look around in paranoia, suddenly hearing something behind him, he looked back and was relieved to find nothing but a stun lancer checking out the cage. As he turned around again, he heard the lancer behind him talk in their strange way, causing the two soldiers closest to him walk over and look into the cage.

"What's up...?" The engineer asked, "Look, I have to get to the outskirts checkpoint, they told me they need me in Moscow, they have a transport ready and everything."

The soldier behind him switched the mic in his helmet on, saying quietly, "She's awake."

"What? How?" The engineer said, baffled, "You guys drugged her right?"

"We're not sure," The shocktrooper said. "She may have gained some sort of resistance to the drug, she has been moved around a lot before this."

"She can't like... Get out... Right?" The engineer asked nervously.

"Of course not. Psionic dampeners will keep her from trying anything funny, and then there's us," The stun lancer answered neutrally.

"Yeah... Yeah okay..." He answered as the soldiers returned to their positions.

After a few more minutes of moving, the engineer could've swore he heard something rustle the bushes behind them, but when he turned around, nothing was there. He gulped loudly, "Oh, you can't be fucking serious right now..."

All of a sudden, the low, shrill voice of a woman came out of the cage, the engineer could almost feel a chill cling to each of her words, "I know... I know that voice... I've heard it..."

The engineers blood froze as the stun lancer behind him slammed on the cage, telling her to quiet down. He noticed his heart pumping now, unable to ignore it with the silence of the surrounding woods.

She spoke again, "You can speak.. I cannot bite...Not from in here..."

The engineer dreaded it deep in his core, but spoke anyway, "H-How do you know my voice?"

"I know much... Whether it was from this world or not... I cannot say... But I have heard you..." She replied, piercing more fear in him with every word.

Closer now, the Engineer, in his paranoia, clearly picked up the sound of rustling behind them. He turned to one of the soldiers in front of the caravan, "Alright, there's something in that fucking bush, I'm sure of it!"

One of the troopers turned to his ally, speaking between eachother in their coded language. before heading to check the bush. As they were doing it, the Engineer debated moving, but closer to the cart, to that woman, didn't seem like the best idea either. He simply looked around, counting the soldiers still guarding the cart to keep his mind busy. But by doing that, he ended up with a terrifying realization. They we down a trooper, one of the units in the front. It must've happened while the others were moving to check the bush. He turned to try to warn the others, to tell them to come back, but that idea was short lived as the search party was nowhere to be found.

The other Advent troopers began to realize this too and raised their weapons as the woman began to speak once more, "What a lovely forest... So quiet... The Ved'mavud..."

As the remaining soldiers pivoted around, checking their surroundings, she continued, "Do you know why they call it that?"

She paused, adding to the dread in the air, "Ved'mavud... It means... Witchwood... They say Advent woke something up here... Something old... Powerful..."

The unit's sergeant finally gave an order to check the perimeter, but there were few of them now, it was supposed to be a simple delivery of rather inconsequential cargo to a point only a few miles from the original base. There wasn't supposed to be anything dangerous out here. How were they tracked? This trip had been planned rather suddenly. Even a leak could not have set up an ambush this quickly. As the Engineer's thoughts raced, he turned to see the dead body of the stun lancer next to him, laying face down in the snowy slosh under they.

"Guys..." The engineer forced out, causing the Advent officials to turn his way and see the body. The sergeant quickly tried to open up a comm to the base, but was receiving nothing but static in return.

"They say that the spirits here despise Advent..." the prisoner continued, "They say that they hunt all that come through... Dragging them off like cattle to the slaughter..."

The sergeant turned towards the engineer, saying, "Retreat! Fall back to the base!"

As the Engineer headed around the cart towards them, two screams echoed through the woods, the source of which was revealed when he turned the corner, the bloodied corpses of the two remaining soldiers easy to see. He took two steps back out of fear, then bolted into the woods, looking back in order to see if anything was following him.

Thunk.

The Engineer hadn't gotten far before he ran into something, something large and certainly alive.
He turned to look up at it, but by the time he saw what it was, he was out cold.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

Resistance soldiers came out of the forest through the treeline, dragging the Engineer with them by the collar of his jacket. Their leader stepped up, wearing a stolen Advent helmet, painted black with a red cross clearly spray painted on, "Well, whoever you are lady, that distraction wasn't half bad. Really scared the shit out of them didn't you?"

The woman smiled from within the darkness, "I figured that rustling was some kind of ally... Animals tend to avoid this place, They also don't like me very much... How did you find this thing?"

"Well, that was a good call, I think you've earned a get out of jail free card," he replied, motioning for some of his group of a dozen stealth fighters to break open the cage. The rest of the fighters began to check the contents of the caravan while the captain watched the unconscious Engineer, he looked up for a second, "And as for your question, those big clanking boots make huge tracks. We were already fielded when our tracker pointed them out, so we decided to give 'em a follow and see what we found." The man looked down at the fallen engineer. "I wonder what we can do with this guy..." he spoke, rubbing his chin, "Ransom might just be too risky... Doesn't seem like he's a very high rank exactly either..."

One of his soldiers cracked a smile, "How much you bet he was just heading to Moscow to get fired? Seemed like a serious douche."

"We'll figure it out," said the captain, waving it off for right now as they finished cutting into the cell with an alloy saw.

The woman smiled wickedly as the psionic dampeners were sawed off, picking herself up off the floor of the cell, and walking one wobbly foot forwards at a time towards the cell door.

"So where'd you come up with that story anyway? Haven't heard one quite like it." He said, turning away from the engineer and towards the now opened cell door.

"Well... It's not entirely a story..." She responded ominously as fresh evening air and radiant moonlight touched her face, revealing her features. The first thing they noticed was her hair, black and inky, falling down her shoulders. Her eyes were sunken and dark, like that of a zombie, it had clearly been a long time since she had seen the light. Her body was so skinny, her ribs just visible under her skin, like she hadn't eaten for a week. The clothes she wore were dirty and stained, no shirt was provided for her, only a well worn bra and pants, it seemed the cage had some sort of internal heating, even though it was off now, she seemed to be enjoying the cold. All of a sudden, a dark fog pulled up and behind her, from it appeared a figure of a large, skeletal hand, clearly inhuman, reach up and grab her shoulder.

She whispered a name, very softly and silently, "Korelyive..."

After her word rang out, the figure took a much more intimidating shape, half of a Chryssalid's torso climbed over her shoulder, it's head forming next to hers, it was a skeleton at first, then as it gained strength, flesh and scales formed around it, completing the visage of the creature. The resistance soldiers backed up, some drew weapons on her, but the leader, just as shaken as his men, held up a hand.

"That's... That's a hell of a trick..." he stated, staring into the eyes of the Reflection, "You are on our side right? We wouldn't want to have to do something we'd regret..."

Instead of her, the creature spoke for her in a voice that mimicked her own, but with an added hollowness and menacing intensity. I assure you... We are not your enemy unless you make us one... Our hatred is for the 'Elders', not you...

"That's good to hear..." He replied, still a little wary of the woman as he ripped the coat off of the engineer and handed it to her. As she swung it onto herself, the warm, soft leather, took some of the cold off of her form. The captain then turned his gaze towards the Engineer, explaining to the woman, "So, I think I'll let you decide what we do to this guy, he's certainly not important enough to take with us."

After some thinking as some words whispered back and forth between her and her reflection, now beginning ot vanish into the fog it spawned out of, she decided, "You should take what you can and leave him in one of the containers... After the scare he's had today, I think we should let him send the report to his supervisors, let him tell them stories about 'Chernaya ved'ma Rossii'."

"Well," He shrugged, "You heard the lady, strip the thing for parts, but leave this loser a little heated cubby hole to cry to his mommy in."

"So, 'Witch', mind telling me your name?" The captain asked, motioning for her to follow.

"My name?" She smirked. "Anna... Anna Stone."

"And where would you like to head now that you're free, Anna?" He asked.

"I think I know a place..."

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

The Next Day

Anna looked over the meeting place the captain brought her to, it didn't seem like much exactly, but that was clearly the point. As she entered, she kicked the snow off of her boots and found a seat, waiting patiently for her escort to arrive.
Surprised was she when a billowing gust of air began to blow in her direction - shuffling strands of her hair. The dead brown leaves and the skeletal remnants of ones that had fallen even earlier were pressed down into the dirt by landing gear, and then with a shimmer the Skyranger revealed itself to the black witch. The hatch opened up, and became a ramp. Standing at the top of that pathway was a woman with silky brown hair and bright hazel eyes. Olivia scrutinized the emaciated woman below her carefully. “Anna Stone, I take it?” the corporal asked calmly but cautiously.

“Yes,” Anna said simply, standing up, “I take it you fly the Skyranger?”

A disbelieving voice came from further back in the Skyranger. “Maybe she would if I wanted to die!” Firebrand scoffed.

Olivia rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m aspiring to be able to fly it one day… but Danielle says I still need more training.”

“Like hell you do. Believe me, you’re getting the accelerated crash course. If a flight school still existed you bet your sorry ass my dad would have put you through all of it,” the younger Slater remarked incredulously.

“And my father has taught me plenty already,” Olivia defended herself. “Elitist,” she mumbled (though there didn’t seem to be genuine ire in her tone).

Anna looked between the two, following their conversation despite knowing very little about each of them. “Perhaps… You should get your own ship… I’m sure the- I mean… I’m sure you have a spare, correct?”

Olivia shook her head. “This is the only dropship we have. XCOM doesn’t actually have that much equipment, even with some… recent developments you’ll see for yourself. What we do have is top-notch, though.”

“Plasma?” Anna asked. She was still wearing the engineer’s leather coat. “If so, you are progressing quite fast… or… That’s not right, you’ve been around for a while…”

“I’m… not sure I follow,” Olivia responded with a befuddled look.

“Trying to pin down our R&D’s not gonna be easy for you. Just take a look for yourself when you get to our base,” Danielle remarked from the pilot’s seat. “If the aliens can’t keep track of us, some person that was just a prisoner isn’t going to be able to guess squat.”

Korelyive slowly manifested herself over Anna’s shoulder, gazing over at the woman before her. I would not quite say she is simply… some prisoner…

Anna looked over and patted her reflection on the head, whispering, “Not quite yet.”

Olivia’s hand immediately went to the SMG on her hip. “What the hell is that?” she questioned tersely. “Why do you have a transparent Chryssalid with you?”

“She is my partner…” the witch replied before noticing the position of the woman’s hand, “And harmless… well, not quite harmless… but not a threat to you or XCOM…”

My claws are reserved for our mutual enemy… The reflection added with a chitter, finishing the final touches on her head and claw’s transparent form.

“Yeah, well… the last time we encountered a Chryssalid that looked like that it was trying to eat one of our squads,” Danielle retorted nervously, looking back from her chair. “Forgive us for being wary.”

Korelyive lowered her head slightly, looking away as Anna responded solemnly, “What… happened to her?”

Olivia took in a breath as if about to speak - but, eying Korelyive, didn’t go through with her statement. What’s going to happen if I tell the truth? Seems like any way I put it might antagonize them.

Allow me, then. The angular head of Olivia’s Thunderbird formed, swiftly accompanied by its wings wrapped defensively around Olivia. “Like any enemy in battle, it was slain,” Onimiki informed the pair.

“That’s what I was afraid of…” Anna sighed, eyeing her reflection sympathetically.

It is… Fine… I have long accepted that my people may be too far gone to save... The Chryssalid spoke sadly, Your lives were in danger… some things must be done.

“Hopefully with her body, XCOM can begin research on how to save them, I still have hope.” Anna stated optimistically.

“Well, the Commander’s fond of a saying a departed friend of hers told her. Quite simply, he just warned her, ‘bah. Never lose hope’,” Olivia retold with a faint smile. “So I can agree with that. Despite how hard things have been the past few months.”

“Perhaps we are not so different, you and I, I think I can see a kindred spirit within you.” The witch said, finally pulling her attention up to her Thunderbird.

Onimiki was observing both Anna and her partner with his electric blue eyes. “So you are a Reflection user, eh?” he rumbled. “Curious... just what are you two capable of?” he questioned.

“Korelyive possesses the unique ability to absorb the lifeforce of those she reaches into.” Anna explained, “Sadly, as she is bound to me. She cannot move very far, though she can pass through walls...”

I have spent much time aiding my partner with her psionics, teaching her how to spread fear into her enemies and cause them to drift into the cold embrace of paranoia. The strengths of my kin live on through her.

“So you can drive people nuts like that Hive Queen that Judgement Squad fought. Grotesque… but I suppose we can use everything we can get right now,” Firebrand conceded. “Now, if you two are done showing off, would you please sit down and get strapped in? I’d rather not get caught away from the Avenger only for them to get attacked... a second time.”

“Of course,” The former prisoner replied, stepping her way onto the Skyranger and strapping herself in. As she looked around the interior, everything felt right, everything snapped into place in her mind…

This was where she was meant to be...

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 4 - Atka Ipiktok]

Resistance Megacity “Matterhorn”
2100 Hours, November 14th, 2038
Onboard the Avenger
Level 2, Rear Block
The Bar

At their typical set of booths, the Mavericks were enjoying a drink together. Olivia and Christoffer were on the far right, each having a beer in front of them. Across from the squad’s second-in-command, Stacie was drinking from a bottle of bourbon. Next to the Gunslinger was Heinrich, who was gratefully consuming a South American wine that his squad leader had found in the city. Behind the first booth, Adam was sitting with a tag-along with the team – the Chilean sniper Valentina. Ayame and Maxwell were not currently present. Instead, the group was joined by someone that had been visiting them on occasion: their Commander.

Atka had donned more casual clothing, wearing an old tattered white shirt and tan-colored pants. She sat in a chair pulled up to the first booth, and held a whiskey in her hands that she was abstaining from relying on too much. The hesitance came from a desire to interact with Maverick Squad while sober, both to make the encounter authentic and to set a good example for her troops. There was another element to the choice, though. She was trying to drink less for the sake of her daughter, should Yakone be brought back home.

The conversation currently didn’t pertain to the brainwashed Ranger, however – and Atka didn’t intend to bring it up if at all possible. The Mavericks were enjoying themselves, and she was trying to do the same. Thus, for now, while she dispelled the thoughts of the hard road ahead, Atka listened to the others.

“So Christoffer looks at the mall with these wide eyes, and asks me: ‘Olivia, what is that place?’” the Algonquian-Caucasian retold with barely-contained laughter.

The others didn’t refrain from chuckling at Chris’s expense, save for Adam, who merely shook his head (being unversed in everyday things himself) and Heinrich, oddly enough. Noting his hesitance, the tipsy Maverick Gunslinger questioned, “come on, Heinrich, isn’t that funny?”

“I refuse to reply to that question,” the Hispanic-German maintained. “He brought me back this drink. I can say nothing deriding for today.”

Christoffer smiled weakly. “I appreciate the loyalty, even if it is bought.”

Heinrich just gave a thumbs-up in response as he guzzled what remained in the wine glass, which earned a laugh from Olivia. “That’s not even the worst part, though,” the Ambusher remarked with sparkling eyes. “We ended up stopping at a restaurant, and he had no idea how to order! He just stared at the waitress with these wide eyes like he was a deer in headlights. But he was prideful, and didn’t let me come to his rescue. Instead, he reaches down… and tries to barter with the beer in his pack.”

A roar of laughter came from a surprising source – the former Shieldbearer himself. “Even for one who has seen little of the old world or the one we currently live in, I am not blind to the concept of money! How the hell did you screw that up?”

“We all worked together communally in Svalbard!” Christoffer complained indignantly. “I think it was a much better system than trading paper and electronic coins.”

“Works on a smaller scale,” Atka finally spoke up, shaking her head. “Traditional economy doesn’t work all that well with national-scale trade.”

“I guess not… was never really something I had to deal with, though,” Christoffer defended himself.

“Hey, I’m not attacking. Just telling,” the Inuit woman responded, rubbing her chin. “I suppose that is yet another thing we’re going to have to fix, though. ADVENT’s whole ‘credit’ system is going to be hard to wean the public off of. They’re conditioned to conflate obedience with success…”

Stacie raised her hands in an ‘x’ of protest. “Count me out of dealing with any of that stuff. I imagine you don’t want to mess with it either.”

“I guess it is less of a ‘we’,” Atka conceded with a shrug. “Those are questions for people more versed in the politics of the old world, not a rag-tag band of freedom fighters. Some would argue that we shouldn’t be breaking the current system without a plan to fix it beyond just returning things to the way they were, but…”

“To hell with that?” Olivia questioned.

“To hell with it,” Atka confirmed. “Never stopped us before.”

“Sure as hell never stopped Yakone,” Stacie noted with a chuckle. She frowned when the others fell silent. “…come on, we can talk about her, right?”

Atka cleared her throat. “O-Of course. I just…”

“It’s just the elephant in the room,” Olivia helped her. “Not something that brings a lot of joy… but we can’t be afraid to mention her. No sense in just trying to forget she existed. We’re trying to get Yakone back, after all.”

Atka nodded slowly. “Yeah. You’re right, as per usual…” She smiled faintly. “You and your mother both really know how to get under my skin in a good way.”

Olivia rubbed the back of her neck, humbly responding, “I try.”

Feeling as if she could open up a little more, Atka remarked, “I do wonder if there was anything I could have done to change the outcome we got. Though… no matter how I look at it, Yakone was going to get captured in that fight one way or another, and we couldn’t have come to her rescue before. This battle’s going to be our best chance to get her back…” The Inuit woman sighed. “I just wish I could have spent more time with her before this conflict really started accelerating. I know I can’t change the past,” she admitted. Not that far back, anyway. “But I still feel regret for how I treated her in the past.”

“Surely there must be some happy memories, at least,” Adam noted rather sagely. “If your interactions had only been cold or full of hate, there would have been no relationship to repair. There must be something.”

Atka closed her eyes, thinking long and hard on the proposition that the clone was presenting. “I guess there was one thing we did together that brought both of us joy… and a fair share of amusement. I haven’t thought about it much. All the bad blackened the memories out.” She concentrated, making a brief use of her dreamscape to recover the decayed memories. They came into focus, and as they did, Atka recounted the story to the Mavericks.

***​

If there was but a single task that mother and daughter could perform together, it was training. Psionic development had initially fallen to Nouja, and had latter been passed on to Chandra. But the task of showing the determined young girl how to fire a gun had fallen to her mother. They would spend the warmer months – when indoor work had been completed in the winter – outside, developing proficiency with firearms with Yakone.

Atka saw her daughter’s potential from the first time the determined teenager had picked up a gun. Yakone had excellent hand-eye coordination, as evidenced by her first couple of shots hitting near the target. The only factor that had caused wild misses was the recoil. At first, the rebel-in-training had been upset by how far off the mark she had been. Before she could really throw a fit, though, Atka had done her best to explain the reason why Yakone had missed. There was plenty of animosity between them even then, but to Atka’s surprise, Yakone listened to her.

Wanting badly to improve and be considered capable of combat duty, Yakone kept trying. She kept an ear open to Atka’s advice. Slowly but surely, she began to hit closer and closer to the target. Each time her shots would go wide, Atka would offer constructive criticism. Yakone accepted it intently, using the knowledge the old soldier was imparting to her for improvement. A few weeks passed in this manner, and then after that meteoric period, Yakone was accurately hitting the target.

Atka had been nothing short of proud. For once, the two had gotten along enough to produce something positive. Yakone was becoming immensely talented with her firearm, and this allowed her to improve her sword skills as well. If not for her desire to use the blade, Atka had thought, she would be able to be a sniper. What surprised and warmed Atka’s otherwise-frigid heart more than the progress Yakone was making in her training, though, was the fact that Yakone actually thanked her. The Commander’s daughter had expressed gratitude for her mother’s assistance. Humbly, Atka had accepted it, and shared with Yakone how impressed she was. In a rare moment of goodwill, the two had smiled together.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 4 - Atka Ipiktok] - Continued

“So I guess there were some good times,” Atka admitted with a wistful sigh. “And certainly, there had been more in recent months than there ever were before. I just… hope that we are reunited someday soon. So we can enjoy an abundance of happy gatherings. I’d love nothing more than to have her sitting at this table with us.”

Christoffer nodded. “Then let’s make a promise right now, with all of us present.” He lifted his glass, and one by one the other Mavericks did so as well. “We’re going to bring Yakone home. No more what-ifs or maybes. Let’s swear together that we’ll bring her home, and allow her to continue her crusade against the alien occupiers at our side.”

“I’m onboard for that,” Stacie readily accepted the challenge.

“As am I,” Olivia agreed. “The path ahead might be difficult, but we’ll still fight through it.”

“Cowards die a thousand times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death once,” Adam quoted. “We will bravely and boldly move to free our marauding crusader from the enemy’s grasp!”

“Sounds good to me,” Heinrich responded confidently. “Let’s do this.”

“Count me in,” Valentina declared, smiling at Adam with a certain look that Atka recognized.

Chuckling, the Commander noted, “That admiration, or something else, Contreras?” A shade of pink touched the Sharpshooter’s cheeks. “I see,” Atka replied with a louder guffaw. “And I’m with you all as well. We’ll bring Yakone home, I swear to God. I owe her, and even if I didn’t I’d still be obligated as a mother to travel to the ends of the Earth in her name.” I see now why Morrigan feels the way she does. Have your daughter taken away from you, and you’ll fight to the death to ensure no one ever hurts her again.

“I’m coming for you, Yakone,” Atka whispered assuredly. “Just you wait.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 5 – Ember Verrater]

Tibetan Megacity “Zenith City”
November 14th, 2038 A.D.
2230 Hours, Local Time
Peacekeeper Garrison
Penthouse Suite

With a smirk plastered onto her features, Ember studied her visage in the mirror. The First Captain’s bangs were messily cropped 45 degrees to the right in indistinct waves. In total, there were seven clumps – four of which were dyed a deep crimson color. The rest of the clustered locks that lay in-between each red wave were her normal jet black. The hair on the back of Ember’s head now reached down to the middle of her back, and was equally as frazzled. It stood up in places as if struck by electricity, adding to her wild, predatory panache.

It didn’t grow out in a completely natural way, now did it? Ember reflected as she captured the downward black plume in her hands. She held the mass of hair lovingly, proud of the fact that the locks had been extended via a fresh application of her biokinesis. The further improvement is all thanks to you, Praclaritas, she told the sentient armor on her body lovingly. Like a drug, Ember had become addicted to the rush of power and strength she felt while wearing the armor. Considering that Praclaritas took a long time to disconnect with her Crimson Regalia – and would still be attached to her back regardless – it was as if Ember had been married to the clothing.

I am wearing you as much as you are wearing me right now, Praclaritas told her in a satisfied tone. We are one in holy matrimony.

“It feels great,” Ember mewled, letting her hair fall back down again. “And I love the new look I have going.”

The armor-encased eyes on Ember’s shoulders shifted back and forth, panning over the woman in the mirror as he shared her thoughts. Ah, I see. You have distinguished yourself from the person you were before.

“I’ve been reborn,” Ember echoed. “It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing that you’re ascended to heights you could have only dreamed of before. And become a mighty person you might have loathed in the past.”

Interrupting Ember’s victorious basking was a knock on the door. With a sigh of irritation, she walked out of the bathroom – traversing a soft carpet floor with her metal boots until she reached the hallway door. Opening it up, she was pleasantly surprised to see a certain Mogul in the entryway. “Wasn’t sure if I’d see you until the transfer to Europe,” Ember remarked with an eyebrow raised.

“I managed to come early,” the well-dressed cat-lady responded, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. “Wanted to see you.”

“Just can’t stay away, can you?” Ember questioned with amusement in her voice. “Come on in, my pussy cat.”

“You really have no shame, do you?” Bombay asked rhetorically, proffering an embarrassed chuckle as she entered. Her eyes drifted to the armor Ember was wearing. “I heard about the upgrade.”

“Don’t be creeped out. Praclaritas isn’t going to compete with me for you,” Ember replied with a smirk.

“You act as if I’m a prize that you’ve already caught,” Procellae pointed out, crossing her arms. “Don’t get so coc-mmmph!”

In a flash, Ember had closed the distance between the two of them, and was giving Bombay a passionate kiss. “Oh, but you are mine, kitty,” the 1st Captain declared when she pulled her lips away from the other woman’s. Ember reached around her catch’s shoulders, removing the leather jacket that Procellae wore.

“W-what are you…?” Jezebel wondered, losing her composure.

“Should be obvious. I want to have some fun, Jez,” Ember replied without hesitation.

“Y-You’re still wearing your armor, though. Are you going to take it off?”

“It feels so wonderful to wear, though,” Ember complained, removing the fur scarf from around Jezebel’s shoulders and then starting to yank upwards on her shirt.

Jezebel initially resisted. Intent on correcting that hesitance, Ember removed her gloves and gave a quick caress down her sides of the other woman. Soon Ember had her melting into the loving touch. The Mogul dimly realized that Ember’s fingers felt better on her skin than they should have. Neural biokinesis was being applied to massage away her resistance with waves of pleasure. “B-But how can I repay you if you’re mostly covered up?”

“Don’t worry about it. I want you really bad right now. I’ll worry about recompense later if I need it.” Ember removed Jezebel’s shirt and undid her bra in a fluid motion, leaving the transformed cat’s hairless chest exposed to her greedy eyes. “Hm. Not as big as mine,” Ember spoke with a bit of disappointment, cupping the twin mounds in her hands. “Plenty round, though. A visual feast.”

“Stop talking, you devil,” Jezebel whined.

“And why would I do that?” Ember retorted, kicking off her boots and tossing Bombay onto the bed. The 1st Captain hopped onto it after her. “Your red face just makes the whole pretty picture,” she stated whilst pulling off the remaining clothing from Jezebel’s legs and waist in one fell swoop.

“I hate you…”

“No you don’t.” Ember retracted Praclaritas’ eyes into the rest of the armor for the sake of privacy. “You can’t resist me.”

Jezebel’s eyes lit up a little. “If you can do that… couldn’t you take most of the armor off without severing the connection between you and your Silicid?”

Ember shrugged. “I guess I could… though I don’t want to take him fully off.” Unfortunately for her, Ember’s partner was visible under and even over her skin as gray-colored discolorations and silicon-based flesh. Not a very flattering look on my back. But… you think you could reshape the armor to hide the discolorations and leave little to the imagination? Ember requested.

As you wish. Praclaritas reshaped the Crimson Regalia further, shedding much of his metal to either side for the moment and decreasing the density of the armor until it was more like a bikini. Dome-shaped red metal hugged Ember’s chest, and a black line ran down either side of the middle of her stomach and straight down the center of her back. The three strands connected to an extremely short skirt on her waist. “That better?”

Jezebel’s eyes darted over Ember’s body. “Very much so.”

“Still going to be the one on the offensive.” Ember’s hands darted downwards, and she began her assault.

“H-hey… not so… not so fast!” Jezebel protested.

“What are you going to do about it?” Ember riposted.

“Mmm…”

“I thought so. Heh… should I add another? How about too?”

“Ahhh! Don’t be so rough!” Jezebel pleaded with hints of actual desperation in her voice.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Ember contested.

“Are you… even going… to listen to anything… I… ask… for?” Bombay panted.

“Nope. Just give into me.”

“F-fine. G…g-getting close a-an…”

“Shut up and scream!” Ember gleefully prompted, some final ministrations leaving her partner convulsing in pleasure. “Not so bad, now was that?”

“I’m…really…tired…now,” Jezebel whined, her chest rising and falling.

“Too much neural biokinesis, I guess…” Ember laid down beside her. “That’s fine. Watching you melt was wonderful enough for me.”

“You… sure you… don’t want me to… after I get some rest…?”

Ember shrugged. “Maybe. We’ll see.” Soon enough, Jezebel fell asleep – worn out by Ember’s modified touch. Reflecting on the sensations she had given the Mogul, Ember’s thoughts drifted to another conquest that awaited her.

***​

A little less than a week ago, information had come in that one of the Overseers had allowed the Luxumba to land in his capital city. Shen’lustus had gone rogue. Quickly assessing the situation, the Protectorate’s higher-ups had determined that an orbital bombardment was out of the question. Too costly, and too delicious of propaganda for the Resistance. Instead, ADVENT would be mobilizing an attack force led by the Colonel himself, who would be taking the task force with him. Major Blukersey had broken the news to Ember not long after these decisions were made.

Ember was, of course, filled with excitement on that glorious day. A rematch with XCOM was falling into place, and this time – with Praclaritas donned – she was confident she could crush them. There was no doubt in her mind, no hesitation, no fear. Rather, excitement permeated the First Captain. She had quickly become obsessed with the coming battle, and had trained long and hard to ensure that her defeat of XCOM would be humiliatingly crushing.

She didn’t intend for it to be swift, though. Thinking on it over the past few days, Ember had decided that she wanted to kill those she hated the most slowly. Atka, Leon, Luke… they would all be bleeding on the ground, begging for a mercy that wouldn’t come. The excitement had built into an energy that even training could not contain. After growing out her hair, and spending hours upon hours in combat simulations honing her skills, Ember found himself needing a direction for all that vigor. The siege of Matterhorn couldn’t come soon enough.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

The Paths we have Chosen
[Part 5 – Ember Verrater] - Continued

Maybe that’s why I was so damn horny, Ember thought to herself, gazing over the sleeping form of her lover. "Heh… guess you got knocked out by all my pent-up frustration, Jez." Ember hopped up from the bed, pacing around it and recovering all of her Crimson Regalia. "Transform back into your usual mode, Praclaritas." The sentient armor bent himself back into shape, and the tall spikes popped back out of Ember’s shoulderpads.

Praclartias’s eyes darted up to Ember. Where are we going?

"Need to keep training. Can’t contain myself."

A mental chuckle emanated from Praclaritas. This last day of waiting is going to be murder on you, is it not?

“Yep,” Ember agreed readily. “Will get through it somehow, though. The light at the end of the tunnel’s painted red by the blood of my enemies, after all. God, I’m going to enjoy cutting them to bits.” With a nod of resolution, the inflamed soldier departed from her quarters – leaving her lover behind to go kill the remaining time before the storm came.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Report from Strategist Nyo-Kwang Metharom

November 15th:

1402 Hours - Coalition reconnaissance aircraft flew over Matterhorn, attempting to gather some last-minute data about the possible locations of enemy defensive emplacements. Out of the fifteen that were sent there, only three returned intact. The rest were shot down by AA emplacements. The final data transmitted by these ill-fated planes suggests that all seven primary ‘levels’ of the megacity are covered in dozens of these turrets.

1436 Hours - The main reclamation force began moving up the mountain.

1503 Hours - The main reclamation force encountered token resistance along the way to the city. This primarily took the form of automated defenders. Minimal casualties.

1547 Hours - There was no further sign of defecting forces on the path to the megacity. At their current pace the assault team will arrive in one hour.

1640 Hours - The main bridge into the city has been destroyed. It was detonated less than thirty minutes ago in an attempt to preclude entry into the city. It will still be possible to enter, but now a landing zone will need to be secured for low-flying transport ships. Officers present are consulting amongst one another about how to achieve such a safe zone.

1701 Hours - The Protectorate has offered to send a unit to assist. It is currently on its way.

1726 Hours - The Protectorate ‘gatecrashers’ have arrived.

***​

The sun had almost completely set by now. The light was fast-fading below the horizon line - a visual zone completely visible from the elevation the treasonous forces of Matterhorn stood on. At the edge of the city, along a tall wall encircling the lowest band of buildings, a sizeable defensive force was gathered. It was not primarily infantry, however. Instead, there was a profusion of cannons set up along the ramparts. They were cutting-edge mortars that could accurately pinpoint a location and fire off explosive salvos to that target site. Each was manned by three people: a topographer that kept an eye on the security footage coming in constantly from hidden cameras on the mountainside, a targeter that designated where to fire, and a cannoneer that did the actual firing.

Just outside of their firing range was the sizeable ADVENT army that had come to their doorstep - only to find the sidewalk caved in. Patiently waiting for the enemy to either attempt to cross the treacherous domain, try to fly over it, or attempt something else entirely, the artillerymen waited. The third option had been chosen, unbeknownst to them for some time… but they soon found out just what was coming their way.

From the darkness that cloaked the crater where the bridge once was, a massive beast suddenly rose upwards. It was hard to make out at first - covered in thick alloy plating that made it an indistinct black mass against the late evening sky. However, as bluegreen lines flared on the power armor that encapsulated the creature’s body, its general form was revealed. It had four giant legs that spanned out from shoulder-joints, then a primary elbow, followed by a secondary elbow, and finally wrists that allowed for the twisting of seven-fingered claws. From the front of its abdomen, three heads coiled outwards.

The trio of faces, extended outwards by twelve-foot long wormlike necks, were shaped vaguely like that of a canine such as the guardian of hell the beast resembled. Their maws, filled with razor-sharp teeth, were large enough to swallow a smaller mortar and its manner whole. The inhuman screech the alien let out would have been bad enough on its own. It sounded like the grating of steel against slate - a crumbly scratching noise that portended death. Due to the thick, two-layered armor (that had a hollow space in-between), that sound echoed and doubled upon itself, becoming booming in addition to unnatural.

The Kerberant reared its heads, letting out that incredible screech in an attempt to terrify. The effort was largely successful at first. The defenders stared up at it, paralyzed by awe and dread. However, their inaction was quickly broken by the shout of the commanding officer on the wall. “Open fire!” he screamed urgently. A chorus of booms quickly followed his orders. Mortar shells were launched in a storm of metal spheres that rained horizontally towards the Kerberant at incredible speeds, propelled by magnetic dynamos that shot them out of the cannons.

A few of them hit the creature, blowing deep rents in the armor and - in two places - drawing black, ichorous blood. The rest were deflected, thrown off course by the residual magnetism within them being redirected. The culprits were a dozen Seraphim hidden within the Kerberant’s hollow armor, working overtime to protect their living vehicle. To make matters worse, they were not alone. Towards the back of the beast’s armor, plates lifted up to allow a swarm of jetpacking, insectoid Keepers armed with magnetic weapons into the air. They were small and swift, and thus AA emplacements were unable to reliably target them. A few were blown apart. The rest began to shoot at the human soldiers scrambling up onto the walls.

Capitalizing on the opportunity the chaos gave it, the Kerberant dived towards the gates of Matterhorn. It smashed into them at speeds unbelievable for a creature of its size. The force of the impact collapsed even the reinforced alloys the giant doors were made of, forcing them off their hinges. As they fell inwards, those three grotesque heads lashed out to the right, biting down on some of the larger cannons and ripping them off their foundations. The artillery turrets were then tossed off the mountain, tumbling through the air a great distance before smashing into the ground and then rolling down hundreds of feet to icy graves.

Soon, the mobile fortress was not alone. A host of Chryssalids began to leap up the cliffsides, accompanied by robotic floaters that - for all intents and purposes - were invisible to the ravenous aliens. They skittered up the city’s walls, and began devouring whatever infantry remained, turning them into more Chryssalids. While they did so, the Floaters hurled impulse grenades into the remaining cannons - creating holes for the Chryssalids to dive into. Cannoners, targeters, and topographers alike were consumed. Soon, the initial defenses of Matterhorn were in shambles. The final portion of the emplacements to fall were the anti-aircraft cannons. Once they had been destroyed, ADVENT was clear to begin their entry into the city.

***​

1749 Hours - The first ADVENT troops have entered Matterhorn.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “Storm Surge”

Alpine Megacity “Matterhorn”
November 15th, 2038 A.D.
1804 Hours, Local Time
Settlement Ring One
Hauptgrau Street

When ADVENT arrived, the main street - along with the entire first settled band of the mountain - was abandoned. The towering structures - the marvels of alien engineering - were unsettlingly lightless and empty. It was quickly determined that there was no ambush lying in wait, however. Such a tactic was used primarily by the Resistance, and it appeared that Shen’lustus was not opening up with guerilla warfare. Instead, the first signs of defenses were sighted across from highways that rose onto the next level of the city. The defenders were intent on fighting from the high ground.

All of this information trickled in to the person ultimately in charge of the assault on the megacity that was in open rebellion of the ADVENT Coalition. This officer was the man in charge of the Peacekeepers, and thus held ultimate power over the world government itself. Cain Verrater was surrounded by his armies. Infantry was present in copious numbers. Tanks flanked the grunts as heavy fire support and alloy walls. Artillery was mixed in-between. Troop transports were grounded, having done their duty in getting these forces into the city itself. And immediately around him was his anti-XCOM task force, present both to hunt and kill the traitorous Overseer of Europe and to deal with the troublesome resistance cell that had been confirmed to be in the city.

Desmond stood with datapad in hand, looking down at it as he reviewed plans and other documents that had been procured and drawn up from scratch. In a rare occasion, he stood in full body armor, which consisted of a synthetic weave tactical suit under all of his armor, temperature controlled and -as a last resort from the like of bladed weapons- a final line of minimal protection. Over that was his specially-made ADVENT plated armor, coated black for his liking. The pure alien alloy itself was interlocked in such a way so that freedom of movement was possible, the plates moving with his body instead of holding static, though was not as bulky as originally designed due to his preferred fighting style. For effect, he wore a long coat over it that fell to about the back of his knees. He would be the first to admit he was a major stickler for flair.

Attached to the front of it was a tactical vest that held a radio capsule strapped to the back left shoulder in case his helmet comms were to stop working for whatever reason. Multiple paper maps of the area, spare clips, and two mementos were concealed as well within the pockets. One being an old set of dogtags which did not belong to him, but his deceased brother; the other being a ring - a band made of titanium which was engraved with the alien text ADVENT used so that no ordinary person could read it. The engraving roughly translated into the latin phrase, ‘Belli in Pace’. Peace in war.

Cain turned off the pad and handed it to Blukeresy, resting one hand on his hip as his other cradled his mask, a smooth plate of black alloy. It had a black strip of glass going across which was connected to a piece of hardware that acted as something of a tactical computer for him. Not as precise and streamlined as an artificial intelligence, but he didn’t exactly need one. It was more as something to give him a better situation, not tell him how to fight. “So, this is off to a wonderful start.”

“It is good that we have secured a staging ground for further attacks, though fighting an uphill battle is certainly going to make this assault a challenge,” Blukersey noted, going over the information as it came in. “Combat engineers in three units so far have reported that their scouting drones have been destroyed. It appears that many places on this level have been booby-trapped with mines.”

Ember crossed her arms. “Hmph. Cowards. If they’re unwilling to just get it over with and fight us, then they must not be confident they can win.”

“Wars and battles are not all chaos and running around. Tactics exist to minimize casualties,” the older Verrater slightly chastised. “Course they could come out and rush, but that would be retarded. In the most extreme of the word. Just like we are being sent in when the aliens could merely send a battleship or two and level the place. Tactics.” There was a slight grumbled added to the end of the sentence.

“Heh. Aside from the fact that I wouldn’t get to make mincemeat of XCOM’s forces personally, I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Ember responded with a laugh.

“That would lead to the deaths of millions of innocent civilians,” Jayden growled.

“Oh no, the poor civies that are part of a megacity in open rebellion. I care so much about what happens to them,” Ember retorted derisively.

“Stop it,” the Colonel told Ember with an irritated glance. “I agree, Jayden. I’m just saying it is something they could do but choose not to. Now, as for how we deal with this highway problem, there are several options we could take. Guess the only thing we need to do is choose one. Can risk our troop carriers to drop down on their positions, could try and hope the artillery can bring their position down, or advance the tanks with troop support behind them in the trucks. I’m open ears for opinion.”

“I’d advise against the first option,” Aegis replied, “if it can even be called one. Shen’lustus invested heavily into anti-aircraft defenses. We’d likely suffer massive casualties if we tried to send dropships in.”

“The artillery could be useful, but attrition may not be the wisest choice. Reports suggest that much of the other European forces remain loyal to the former Overseer,” Blukersey stated. “The longer we take with this siege, the more likely it is that some other city will act and attempt to outflank us. If we can cut the head off of this rebellion swiftly, it would preclude an all out war on the continent.”

“Well alright then, air or land then? What would you suggest we do, Blue?” Desmond asked, taking Aegis’ input into thought but wanted to hear from his second first.

“I would suggest a two-pronged attack. Send in unmanned bombers and anti-infantry aircraft like the Hellstorms to one site to harass the enemy and make them believe an attack is coming from that direction… then gather a heavy force with some of our best troops and plenty of tanks to push one of the bridges in particular. All we need to do is open up one entryway into the second level, and then we can start spreading out from there. We’d be fighting in three directions, but they’d have to defend from those directions from so many areas that it’d be difficult to stop us,” Nigella reasoned. “The breach is going to be the hardest part, really. The spread, the slowest.”

The Colonel nodded with a slight smile and looked off into the distance. “We have our plan then. Radio our aircraft to tell them to start scrambling together some bombers and I will relay the orders to the tank division. Jayden, Aegis, you get the rest of the task force ready to deploy. I would like to oversee this mission through myself to assess my team.” Finally he looked to Ember and turned to her. “As for you, you will be staying by my side throughout this offensive. No joining the main body to go have fun, no running off to do your own thing, by my side. You do things on my orders. Hear me?”

The First Captain clenched her fists. “Why are you…”

This is not an argument you are likely to win, Praclaritas mentally whispered to her, trying to be a voice of reason. Go along with it for now.

Ember sighed. “If you want to waste my power in a vital movement, then go ahead I guess…” she grumbled.

Desmond put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. “Don’t think of this as a punishment. But there are going to be tough individuals coming along with XCOM. I don’t need you being reckless and doing something both you and I would regret. You are still bound to the rules like everyone else, no matter how special you are. So are you going to mope or going to help your father win this siege?”

“I’ll do as you ask,” Ember conceded for the moment. “Just understand that I am meant to be the blade that executes XCOM. When they show themselves, I’m your best option for taking down their psions.”

“If you wish to be a blade, then understand I am your wielder. We will take them down. Just have patience. Okay?” Without waiting for an answer, he rubbed her arm and placed his face mask where it belonged, the protective covering sealing with a hiss. A deeper, mechanical voice came through that was still very much Desmond’s though. “You have your orders. Go.”

Patience? But Bombay needs to be able to walk, Ember internally complained. Can’t do that if I need her to blow off steam. Externally, she saluted with a fist over her heart, and then marched off to ready the lower officers for the target offensive.