As the latest fan of an absolutely incredible game, I had a story idea bouncing in my head that begged for some proper writing. Hence, this story. Don't know how many chapters it will be but I hope you enjoy the ride. Critique is always welcome!

"Good morning, Carolyn."

Oblivion receded and she woke, feeling strange. The sheets felt thick, clinging to her skin uncomfortably. She shed them and they fell in a lump at her feet. At which point she realized the sheets, her bed and her skin were damp with sweat.

It wasn't warm. It hadn't been warm then either. But even going near that memory made her hands tremble.

Carolyn Wheeler picked up her transcribe and opened its display. The vivid colors washed out the gray shadows sunrise cast through cloaked blinds. Razor sharp resolution and swimming text forced sleep to recede, banishing the tender traces of nightmares unremembered. This time.

CAROLYN WHEELER / EMAIL

From: Alex Yu
To: Carolyn Wheeler
Cc:
Subject: New Project Request

Ms. Wheeler,

Nice job on the congressional hearings. Senator Bakker likes rattling people and you didn't give him an inch.

I have something new for you. Come by my office and we'll talk. Be ready to clear your calendar for the next month. This is important.
-Alex

"What?"

TranStar Industries typically required email correspondence to be handled through a dedicated terminal, for security reasons. As a public relations worker, she had special exemption due to her travel schedule. Even so, she didn't get many emails directly from TranStar's former CEO.

Not since Talos I.

Carolyn groaned, left her transcribe on the nightstand and padded across the carpet of her studio apartment to the attached bathroom. Ten minutes of scrubbing wiped away all traces of sweat, fatigue and guilt. Another twenty was enough to put her face on, tug her TranStar corporate uniform on and face the day.

Parting the curtains, she stared at the Looking Glass display of the Yakima Training Center's exterior.

The images of the sun-soaked landscape made the small, cramped quarters feel like they were above-ground, instead of six levels below it. At the moment, her display was set to overlook the grounds of the main multi-purpose administrative offices of the Yakima Training Center. It gave her an ample view of the shaped rock beds bordering the base, as well as the dead brown shrub-steppe the facility was located on.

This was a place for training soldiers for conflicts in the Middle East, or had been. Now it was TranStar's, purchased six years ago for some top-secret research which was probably tossed two years ago when Earth fell.

"Carolyn, pick up, pick up!"

Transcribes were amazing contextual tools. A soft AI assistant could make decisions on how to handle incoming calls based on a thousand factors. It'd evidently opted to connect her caller directly, likely due to the fact that Carolyn was at a window before work hours and the caller was her nephew.

"Oi, I'm barely awake," she said, a stern complaint in her tone that she knew he'd overlook immediately.

"Boring. Guess what?"

Carolyn huffed an affectionate sigh, even as she flipped on her work terminal to glance over her itinerary for the day. Her eyebrows shot straight up, once she saw cancellation notices everywhere.

Whatever Alex Yu wanted to talk about, it didn't look like it'd be a quick conversation.

"Your mum decided she'd had enough of you and is giving you away?" she said at last, shaking her head as she fetched her briefcase.

"Hey!"

"You found that girl you fancy, didn't you Sam?"

"...Maybe…"

Carolyn chuckled as she stepped briskly down the barracks hallway of Sublevel Six, eyes on the bulk elevator at the end of the corridor. Two soldiers stood at attention at the end, waiting for her, along with a third stationed permanently in the elevator.

The psychoscope fitted over his face never failed to remind her of the place that'd created it, as well as the place where the end of the world had come from.

"Right. Here's what you do. Ask for her name. Ask which barracks her family's assigned to. By the time she's answered both, look at her feet. If they're pointed at you, check her eyes. Good eye contact? If the answer to both is yes, invite her to a match. If she's not meeting your eyes or pointing her feet towards you, she doesn't fancy you or at least not the conversation at this particular point. So you might as well let her be and have a go another time, just in case it's circumstantial."

"...You're having me on, Auntie!"

"Would I do that?"

"Definitely!" Sam's laughing reply came without hesitation, but the guileless joy in his voice warmed her heart as little else did. "When are you coming back to London Camp?"

"Sam, I'm about to go into work. Soon. I don't know. Message me, won't you?"

"Bye!"

Carolyn shook her head and waited for the elevator to come to a complete stop. Sublevel Twenty. Security for the Beast Below.

The fencing of the bulk transport rattled open. Carolyn didn't take a step out but simply nodded at the two soldiers and their P210 Assault Rifles aimed at her on the other side. The third in their squad tapped on his psychoscope and studied her impassively for a moment. He nodded sharply and the ranks parted.

"Ma'am?"

She glanced back, surprised to be addressed by the soldier stationed in the elevator. The young man coughed, cleared his throat, then leaned forward. Amused, she did the same.

"Does that work?"

"What, the feet?" Carolyn grinned at him, not minding the light breach of discipline on his part. "Most of the time. Have a conversation with someone, let them settle into it and their feet will tell you where they want to be. If they're aimed at you, that's good then. But if they're aimed away, they're probably pointed at where they'd like to be whether that's the door or simply another person. Next time you're at mess, watch conversations and see for yourself."

"...Will do, Ma'am." Despite the unblinking glare of the psychoscope on his face, there was an earnestness to his abashed chuckle as he retreated back to his post. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it."

The unexpected conversation was the most memorable part of her journey through Sublevel Twenty, given the layout was identical to the research sublevels from the previous ten floors. The real difference lay at the end, when a concealed supply closet door yielded to reveal another security checkpoint.

Once more patient with the scrutiny, Carolyn passed the time responding to several queries about the quarterly statement coming up next month. She didn't bother to look up until a soldier positioned himself right in front of her.

"Ms. Wheeler, you're clear. I've updated your keycard access for the day. Your employee tracking bracelet's been updated as well. Mr. Yu is on Sublevel Thirty. Don't stray."

"Of course, Corporal, thank you."

With the niceties concluded, she stepped into the secure elevator and descended into the Beast Below. At least, that's what the researchers she'd talked to called the top-secret wing of TranStar's already secret underground installation buried beneath what was supposed to be a warehouse for the decommissioned Army base.

Arrival on Sublevel Thirty revealed a...much more opulent floor than she'd seen in the Yakima Facility so far. For one thing, the flooring was some kind of gorgeous hardwood, oak or mahogany probably, she never remembered which. An elegant carpet stretched the length of the corridor. Offices lay at the end, with branching corridors leading to what were probably VIP quarters.

Of course. TranStar never skimped on its luxury. Even on Talos 1.

Carolyn made a show of admiring a few of the landscape paintings along the way as well as the ornamental displays holding vases and antiques from China. She was probably monitored at this point and she didn't want to tip off her audience how nervous she was. Because she was. In the two years since the invasion of Earth, she'd never seen Alex Yu again and she'd been in no hurry to repeat the experience. Meeting TranStar's former CEO would almost certainly prompt more horrific memories of surviving the invasion and she didn't know if she'd be able to keep her composure if that happened. In her line of work, composure mattered.

At last, she reached the end of the corridor and accessed the security point-of-entry, admitting her to a tastefully appointed sitting room complete with a desk for Alex's executive assistant as well as a Looking Glass display presently showing some desolate beach in what was almost certainly Scotland.

"Ms. Wheeler?" the admin asked, still seated behind her desk. The label on her station read Ira Chaudhary. The admin herself was a pretty young thing, mid twenties with black hair arranged to cascade decorously down her shoulders over the otherwise austere TranStar corporate uniform. Carolyn knew makeup well enough to appreciate how much careful time and attention Ms. Chaudhary paid to hers.

"I believe Alex wanted to speak with me," Carolyn said, coming to stop before the admin desk with her briefcase by her side, expression neutral. She knew nothing of why she was here and obviously Alex and his admin knew she was coming but formalities still had to be observed.

"Yes, Ms. Wheeler, go right in."

With an appreciative nod, Carolyn stepped to the door and walked through when it admitted her.

Opulence remained the TranStar word of the day down here. Every surface, floor, wall and ceiling, was a darkly burnished bamboo. Books spilled out of several bookcases against the wall but they were as decorative as the series of display cases, various leather-bound upholstered chairs and a coffee table Carolyn was quite sure had come from somewhere royal. Looking Glass displays on the walls projected the illusion of windows.

The sight of Talos 1's arboretum outside was breathtaking. Literally. Though the interior of this office was different, the visual impression of being back aboard the space station was so striking Carolyn realized she'd stopped breathing.

"Ms. Wheeler, won't you come in?"

Alex Yu rose from his desk at the far end of the room. Though neatly organized, a keen eye could easily spot that this was the only part of his office that saw habitual use. Alex wore a TranStar corporate uniform, same as any employee. On Talos, their suits were color coded but on Earth the uniforms remained the same, with only the waist-affixed keycards color coded to reveal corporate division.

The heavy-set Yu looked solid, even massive in his uniform. At least at first. A closer look as she approached revealed a face that'd aged, lost weight, gained grey in the hairline. The events of the last two years had carved deep fault lines in the cracks of his face.

"Mr. Yu," she said, coming to a stop before her former boss.

As a public relations worker of her rank, she reported to the VP of News and Communications, who reported up to the CEO of TranStar. Alex had been relieved of that title, so she'd heard. Down here, though, his offices and ability to clear her schedule suggested he'd lost none of his authority.

"Have a seat."

So, it was to be a real conversation then. Nodding amicably, Carolyn chose one of the leather-backed chairs and settled in. Alex took one facing her. He'd let her pick where to sit first, and hadn't put himself behind his desk as reminder of his authority. Interesting choice.

"Ms. Wheeler," Alex continued. "A lot's happened since the last time we spoke on Talos. Before we get to our agenda, I wanted to take the opportunity to say how sorry I am for what happened, to you personally. You knew the risks, just as I did, but no one regrets the loss of life more than I do. I've spent the last two years doing everything in TranStar's power to walk those mistakes back, accepting full responsibility for what happened to Talos, to Earth, to find a future for all of us. I wanted you to know that."

Oh my. Carolyn's nerves had been buzzing since the message from Alex this morning but her emotions had been a simmering mix of anxiety and disinterest to cover her fear of what was to come. She hadn't expected an apology, though.

And it made her furious.

How dare he apologize! Billions of people, dead, because of TranStar's research. Because of Alex's projects and the inadequate security measures taken. Because no one had been careful enough to make sure Mimics weren't on board the Space Shuttle Advent.

Because she hadn't seen them either. Billions dead and it was her fault too and being furious with Alex Yu was a welcome relief from having to be so furious with herself.

"I also want you to know it wasn't your fault," he said, after gravely studying her in the lingering pause of the conversation.

"Thank you, Mr. Yu," she said. Years of PR made it reflexive to sound sincere, appreciative, dutifully subordinate.

"I mean that, Carolyn." He studied her a moment more. "It's time you knew. They weren't on your shuttle."

"Beg pardon?"

"Two years ago, it wasn't the Advent. Satellite and onsite cameras put Talos I in the clear. It was another shuttle. From the Moon. Still TranStar, still our responsibility. But not yours."

"Why hadn't I-"

But she knew, of course. TranStar had hushed the whole matter up. Public relations were always far better informed than most people outside of the corporation suspected, in large part because of their need to research and prepare statements in advance of secrets breaking to the public. But at the time, she hadn't been working public relations.

Sue had been the air traffic manager for TranStar's Seattle office. Ground zero for the initial outbreak. Months of time lay under the anesthetizing fog of distant trauma and a steady refusal to go near that part of her memory. Someone else in public relations had handled it.

And she would never have known, if not for Alex.

Carolyn flinched at the effort it took to cudgel her brain into analyzing the angles. People were her specialty but it took objectivity to be effective. With something this personal, she was neither objective nor effective.

So she sniffled and nodded once. "You're sure?"

"Talk to Renna Baker, you know who she is. Tell her I said so. You can see for yourself." An empty offer, given she'd never take him up on that. Watching camera feed of the outbreak risked seeing Sue die and if she saw that, Carolyn was reasonably certain she'd tug one of those soldiers' pistols out of their holsters and shoot herself on her way out.

"Thank you." For if she'd never do it, it was apparently an offer made in good faith.

"Don't mention it."

Carolyn's eyes shifted as she caught the nuance in the tone. She had enough composure back to discern several layers of meaning there. The casual. The 'you can't tell anyone'. And beneath both, a sincere 'it's the least I can do'.

"Was there anything else you wanted to see me about, Mr. Yu?"

The heavyset former CEO leaned backwards in his chair for a moment. A face like his had the frown practically carved into it and she saw it in full force. When he leaned forward, she knew enough already to know this might be the most personally important meeting she'd ever been in with the man.

"There's been a development, Ms. Wheeler. I need to be off-site for the next week and, unfortunately, it's at a critical time for something I've been working on here. I need you to…"

"Mr. Yu?" The pause was unusual. Alex Yu was many things but rarely at a loss for words.

"I need you to be yourself. I'll leave more formal instructions tonight but what I need right now is someone I can trust. And I believe I can trust you, Ms. Wheeler. You're the right person for this."

"You want me to...talk to an experiment?"

"You won't be alone. Some old friends will be on hand to help, they'll take care of the experimental procedures. What I need from you is to be a bridge. Of every human being on Earth, you're practically the only one who can be."

Carolyn nodded. People work was her specialty after all. When Alex rose without further explanation, she rose with him. He circled his expensive, disused furnishings and settled himself back behind his desk.

"My admin will give you directions," he said, tilting his head towards the door. She almost made it before he spoke up again behind her. "And Ms. Wheeler? When I'm back next week, you'll have a month's leave. In London Camp, airfare all handled. My word on it."

Once more, the wheels turned in Carolyn's head. What was his angle? She'd already agreed to go along with this unusual request. He let her choose the seat, tendered an apology first and then led with an assignment, offering the reward after the fact. There were a couple of ways she could think of for him to play this situation that would work better, and he knew how to work people well enough to do it. Why this approach?

Still thinking, she gave him a nod and stepped out.

Ira Chaudhary looked up from her terminal before spinning it around to display a floor plan. Of course, the admin could have sent a copy to Carolyn's transcribe but that would have left a record and this was clearly not that kind of assignment.

So Carolyn took her time walking down corridors made up to resemble antique manor houses long since razed in the invasion. It'd be a long time before she saw beauty like this again. Maybe not in her lifetime. TranStar might find a way to win but even if they could wipe out every Typhon tomorrow, Earth would still be missing most of its population.

Two more guards posted outside of another security door gave her a wary look, once she arrived.

"I'm expected?" she said with an indifferent shrug. "Carolyn Wheeler."

One checked his transcribe, then nodded and waved her through. Upon entering, Carolyn promptly forgot the two men entirely. She'd stepped into a comfortable studio suite, one shockingly familiar. A bed in one corner, kitchen on the other, a workspace next to a living area...and a wall-length sea of glass overlooking San Francisco. Looking Glass, obviously. But a view she'd seen so many times before.

She'd just stepped into Morgan's simulation.

Except this time, Morgan sat in her workstation chair, combing through emails and several reference works, by the looks of it. Dear God, had she been wiped again? But then why had Alex sent her in here?

Abruptly, Morgan spun on her chair and peered at her. The elegant complexion was striking, ethnic with her Chinese/German heritage, and with a certain fierce intelligence in those rather pretty eyes. The expression on that face was striking too; fierce yes but also curious.

"Dr. Yu? It's Carolyn. Carolyn Wheeler? I'm not sure what you remember…"

Morgan's expression cleared as recognition flashed in those dark eyes. She tilted her head slightly and the gaze sharpened, a head to toe examination as if looking for faults. Or checking her out, unlikely as that was.

"Alex sent me," Carolyn continued. "He wanted me to look in on an experiment for him? Suppose you'd be mixed up in it, of course. Don't imagine you have coffee? I haven't had a chance to get a cup and, judging by how this day's already been, I'm not likely to."

Nodding, the younger Yu slid out of her workstation and stepped confidently into her kitchen. A brief examination of her cupboards turned up coffee pods which were fed to the coffee maker. In moments, an enticing smell of brewing filled the air.

"I didn't realize you were here. At the-" Carolyn bit off revealing the name of the base, as she realized this might be part of the experiment. "Well, at your flat, anyway. I don't remember ever coming here before but Alex...he can be a patient man but he wasn't especially patient about this request. Which is why I'm here."

While the coffee brewed, Morgan swiftly deposited last night's dishes into the cleaning station while Carolyn walked to examine the view. Breathtaking. Her gaze drifted from the Golden Gate Bridge to the viewscreen mounted on the wall nearby. Among other things, it displayed the date. Accurately. That was one theory done away with, at least.

Morgan pressed a cup of coffee into her hands before gesturing for her to sit down on one of the black leather-bound chairs while TranStar's former Vice President of Research settled onto the couch. Once both women were comfortable, Carolyn filled the silence with a sip from her coffee.

No bite from Morgan. People didn't like awkward silences. They naturally tried to fill the space with conversation. Police interrogators had long since learned the trick too; let a suspect talk long enough and they'll eventually tell you what you want to know. Public relations had always known the technique. Only this time, Morgan seemed willing to wait it out.

Not the Morgan that Carolyn was used to. But a lot could happen over two years.

"Dr. Yu, let me be candid with you. I don't know the nature of your work here, or what Alex's experiment is. I'm not even sure what I'm doing here, to be honest. He said he'd update me with instructions later today but he left me with no guidance for this conversation. So, why don't you tell me what you've been up to and I'll see how I can help, shall I?"

Morgan stared at her a moment longer. There was a curious flatness to it, an absence of calculated expectation. Perhaps an absence of any expectation at all. Was that genuine surprise?

Then the former VP rose from her couch and padded barefoot across the apartment floor to slide back onto her terminal workstation's chair. She tapped several buttons and brought up a video by the time Carolyn followed her around the fabrication counter space.

A recording played out before her. Alex in a small room filled with monitors and a quartet of Operators. Strapped to a table was a Mimic. The sight of it instantly stole Carolyn's breath and she actually took a step back. Morgan watched her instead of the video, and her expression seemed a little sad.

"I need to know if you see us. I mean, really see us."

Alex and four Operators, standing around an examination table. A Typhon strapped to it, an impossible Typhon. Larger than most Greater Mimics, smaller than a Phantom, it held a human shape. Not the suggestion of humanity with shadowy indistinct lines but the same oily shadow substance of the Mimic bound into the silhouette of a woman.

Then Alex reached out his hand and the Typhon took it, shaking his while changing hers. Changing from shadow to human flesh. Carolyn had seen a video report of a Greater Mimic imitating a human (badly) but never something as flawless as this.

Morgan looked at Alex from the table as he leaned over to speak. "We're going to shake things up. Like old times."And she smiled.

"Morgan, what is-"

Horror kicked in a second too late.