Hello again. Welcome Back. Ect Ect.
I am Back. And I bring with me a new chapter that is 4 thousand words in length, and almost entirely re written stuff.
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"That depends," her eyes locked onto mine. "How much do you know about Psionics?"
Psionics is the study of paranormal phenomena in relation to the application of electronics. Until the invasion, there was no scientific evidence of psionic abilities existing. However during the initial invasion the alien race known as Sectoids, displayed several abilities that have since been classified as Psionic in nature.
"You mean the study of paranormal activities in relation to electronics. I know a little about it. Why? You think that it's related to the voice?"
"Can't be sure." She shrugged, leaning over and placing her hand directly on my shoulder. "But let me ask you this. Does this seem familiar?"
Move!
I would be lying if I said that her voice suddenly echoing through my head, didn't nearly make me jump out of my skin.
"What the fuck wa..."
A sudden jolt of pure energy rippled through my body not an instant later, it felt like I had drank twelve cups of coffee mixed with Redbull. Like, I could move forever and never get tired. Hell, if I wasn't literally stuck, I probably would have leapt from the bed and ran around the base twelve times.
If that wasn't enough, my jaw nearly hit the floor when I glanced over at Lock, and drank in the pale purple glow that had enveloped her hand... and her head.
"Woah! Woah! Ok, time the fuck out! What. The fuck. Is that?!"
"That, is psionics." She stated simply, removing her hand from me, and extinguishing the glow with a small gesture. "The R&D people call that one inspire. It's one of the nicer tricks I have at my disposal."
Even as she spoke, I could still feel the energy coursing through my veins. The sheer amount of power she had seemingly infused into me was simply staggering.
"Of course, there are much more devious tricks that can be used. Hallucinations. Panic attacks. Hell, you can even control someone if you have enough power. Which, coincidentally, also just happens to come in the form of a voice in your head, that tells you to do shit..."
...
"So you're thinking that someone is using psionics on me," I concluded with a nod. "Makes sense, I suppose. Well, as much sense as any of this makes anyways. I mean, really? Mind control? You're not fucking with me again right?"
"Any other day I would be." she relented. "However in this case, no. You saw the glow yourself. I'm afraid this is as real as it gets."
I let a deep sigh of exasperation escape me as I took in the new information. Fucking hell. Psionics in humans. This place really was a fucking science fiction movie.
"Now before you run off with that theory, there is one thing you should also know," Lock continued. "I briefly saw your medical charts before I came in here. By the looks of things, you were implanted with a neural dampener while in the tank. A device that helps ward off and prevent psionic attacks. So you should be relatively immune to things like that now."
I blinked at her. "Um. What?"
"Your brain was implanted with a device that helps you in combat," she simplified. "It basically wards off psionic attacks. Prevents mind control, panic, the usual."
"Prevents it how?" I mused. "I mean, I probably wouldn't even realize I'm being attacked, right?"
"Correct. Think of it as a shield. One that is always up, and focuses entirely on blocking attacks in your blind spot."
"Ok? But how will I know if it's working?"
A sly smile crept onto Locks face.
"Simple. I'll show you."
Before I could even protest, soft purple light erupted from her fist. Swirling slowly, like mist around her fingers, as she quickly raised her hand and extended two fingers towards me.
A single strand of purple light flashed towards me, only to disappear as soon as it reached my head.
I felt the claws of panic instantly grab onto me. Washing away every thought until nothing but fear stood in my brain.
Psionic attack detected. Origin of attack ID'd as Abby Lockdown Johnson. Dampening measures activated.
The moment the voice stopped talking, I felt the panic begin to dissipate. Slowly receding from my mind until everything was crystal clear once more.
Dampening Successful. Beginning Neural Feedback.
A second later, Lock was knocked clean off her chair, with an agonizing shriek.
Neural Feedback Successful. Threat Neutralized. On alert for any other psionic attacks.
...
"Lock?" I called down cautiously. "Lock, you ok?"
No response. I couldn't even make out her breathing either.
"Lock if this is a joke, it's not funny."
Still nothing.
"Lock! Wake the fuck up!"
Genuine panic coursed through me. Lock wasn't moving. Hell she might not even be alive...
"Nurse! Someone! Help!"
I roared as loud as I physically could. The sound echoed off the walls multiple times before dissipating into nothing.
Almost instantly a flurry of action could be heard down the halls. The door to my room flew open and at least three medical staff rushed in.
The lights came on not a second later, forcing me to close my eyes once more.
I listened intently as the first woman in immediately made her way to Lock and checked for a pulse, while the other two waited patiently for her diagnostic
"She's not breathing! I'm going to start CPR! Grab a defib unit stat!"
One of the staff ducked out of the room immediately at her request, only to return an instant later. He must have grabbed something, because by the sounds of things, he all but threw some sort of device to the head woman.
"Get it charged! Now!"
"Got it! Charging at Forty-five percent!"
"Come on Lock! You ain't giving up on us yet!"
Never in my life have I felt as helpless as during those few minutes.
Unable to do anything to assist them. Unable to even move. I was left to simply listen as Lock lay there potentially dying.
"It's Charged! Here!"
"Clear!"
The wine and thump, of the defibrillator filled the room. Lock's body no doubt jerked upwards at the force of the shock, but horrifyingly there didn't seem to be any change.
"Clear!"
Again her body jerked.
This time however, she let out a massive gasp, as her body seemed to finally let air in once more.
I finally let out the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. She was going to live.
The staff members however didn't relax at all. "Lock? Lock, can you hear me?"
A muffled groan was her only response. Not good, but better than nothing.
"Stay with me Lock. You need to stay awake." she quickly motioned for one of the other staff. "Get me a stretcher. She's staying overnight at the very least."
"Roger that."
Before I even realized it, they had her on a stretcher and out of my room. Leaving me not only in the literal dark, but mental darkness once more.
Wednesday, August 15th, 2024
1 Hours 42 Minutes 27 Seconds
It had been almost sixteen hours since Lock had been pulled from my room.
Sixteen hours of me laying here alone, trying to figure out what the fuck had happened, while simultaneously listening as intently as I could to try and gleam anything from the medical staff about her condition.
So far, all I knew was that she was alive. Which, while better than nothing, could really mean anything. She could very well be brain dead for all I knew, or locked in a comma for the next year.
The head nurse of course had come by to get my side of the story. However, the moment I began to tell her about Lock using psionics on me, she instantly got up and charged out of the room, with little to no warning. Apparently Psionics is a touchy subject here.
Who knew?
I did genuinely hoped she was ok. Lord knows she and I may have had our ups and downs, but she was also the only person I felt may understand what I'm going through.
That, and she was a lot nicer than I remembered her, now that the bureaucratic bullshit was out of the way anyways.
I let out a deep resigned sigh and opened my eyes to the darkness of my prison cell.
Sleep was not going to come easy tonight. Not with all this shit going on.
Lock, Lock, Lock. What was I going to do with her?.
"Well hopefully your going to help her save the world."
I would be lying if I said I didn't yell a little in sheer surprise at the familiar voice that filled the room.
"Lock?! What the fuck?! Is that you?!" I exclaimed, looking feverishly around the room for the woman I knew was here.
"The one and only. Although could you try and be a little quieter? They don't know I'm awake yet."
Sound direction unable to be tracked. Zero Visual tells. Cloaking technology potentially in use.
"Right. Sorry." I muttered, glancing around the very empty room once more. "One question though. Where the hell are you?"
"I'm in your mind Drew. The tank was too much. You succumbed to the madness that lurked inside you. I am the evil voice in your head."
I put my best not impressed face on display, rolling my eyes for extra effect.
"Riiiiiight. Of course. Should have expected it sooner or later. Problem is that I already have a voice in my head, so you're gonna have to share a room with her."
"Oh, it's a her? Well let's hope she's cute." I heard a small snickers at the opposite end of the room, as Lock tried to contain her laughter at her own jokes.
Location confirmed. Personnel currently ID'd as Lockdown, is located behind desk. Roughly seven feet away. Zero visual confirmation.
"Hilarious. Now are you going to hide behind that desk all night?"
"Sorry," she chuckled. "Couldn't resist. Just give me a sec though. I need something to cover up with."
"Why? Cloaking suits are not exactly top secret you know. I've seen pictures of them before."
...
"Well yah, but the thing is I'm not wearing a stealth suit."
I blinked a few times as her words sank in.
"Um... What?"
"I'm not wearing a stealth suit. Or anything at all truth be told."
A flurry of emotions and thoughts rushed my mind as her words finally registered. Lock was in my room... and she was... was...
"You're naked?!"
"Shesh, just tell the whole base why don't you," she muttered. "Also yes. Yes I am naked. Also, I'm borrowing this."
I nearly yelped again when I felt the secondary blanket suddenly get ripped from my bed.
"Not much. But it will have to do for now." she grumbled, wrapping it around herself a few times to create a sort of make shift dress. "Right. That should do for now."
Small sparks of orange erupted from areas around the sheet, quickly revealing a smirking, very much alive, and very much not lying, Lockdown.
"Mimetic Skin," she stated way too casually for a woman wearing nothing but a makeshift bed sheet dress. "One of the many gene mods you're sure to have fun with in the future."
"Good to know." I muttered right back. "Question for you though: What the hell are you doing here?!"
"We never finished our little chat. Figured now was as good a time as any to finish things up."
"A good time?! It's two in the morning! Also. you almost died seventeen hours ago! And you're naked!"
A small sigh escaped her as she cautiously made her way to my bedside, and the chair she had sat in just hours prior.
"First off. I have been sleeping for around sixteen hours. So it being early is nothing to me," she listed off. "Second, I didn't almost die. It was just a neural surge. My brain would have restarted my heart before I sustained any permanent damage. And thirdly, we are currently fighting for the lives of every human on this planet. Shame at being naked is not something either of us have time for."
"Your bloody heart stopped!"
"No. My bloody main heart stopped. Everyone seems to keep forgetting about the auxiliary one."
I let my head fall back with an exasperated sigh. Clearly she was not taking things as seriously as I was.
"Ok, fine. But could you not have waited until morning to talk?"
A small smirk creased its way across her mouth. "Right. Waited. Cause you were totally going to be getting some shut eye tonight..."
...
She had me there.
"Besides. You probably still want to know what the hell happened right?" she continued.
I couldn't deny that fact either.
...
"Fine." I conceded, laying my head back. "What's a Neural feedback?"
A smirk erupted on her triumphant face at my conceding. "Alright. Well, in simple terms, it's a neural counter attack. A series of massive spikes in neural activity that are instantly sent across the Psionic link that I established with you. Similar to a DDOS attack for computers."
I nodded in understanding. "Ok. So what? It shorts out your brain?"
"Pretty much. Stops me from being able to use any more psionic abilities for a while to," she agreed narrowing her gaze on me. "And yes, as you have probably guessed, it hurts like a bitch."
I cringed a little under her stare. "Sorry."
"It's all good," she relented. "I was the one who fucked up anyways. Should not have attacked you like that without reading up on your mods."
"You are ok though right? Like one hundred percent?"
A stark chuckle erupted from her. "Oh yah. It hurt, but it was also a very weak attack by comparison. Why? You worried about little 'ol me?"
Flat out ignoring her teasing, I nodded back in response. It made sense after all.
"So she was holding back then."
A concerned look flashed across her eyes. "The voice in your head?"
"Yah. I think she was holding back because I knew you."
"Hold up." She quickly raised her hand to prevent me from speaking. "Are you telling me this voice knew who it was that was attacking you? That it's intelligent?"
I nodded. "Pretty much yah."
...
A soft purple glow began to grow from Locks fist. Her expression was a stone mask, but you could almost feel the rage pouring out of her.
"Just what the fuck did he do to you? What kind of sick twisted experiment is this?"
"He?"
"Doctor McGonaghue," she spat.
...
"The doctor who did your medical scans and everything?"
I continued to stare blankly at her.
"Fuck. Right. Memories," she hissed. Taking a few measured breaths, and seemingly allowing the glow to fade. "Ok. Long story short, he's a lying, manipulative, asshole, and also the man who did most of your genetic modifications. And if I had to guess, I would say he did something to you to give you that voice."
"Sounds like a charming person," I replied sarcastically. "Makes sense though. You think he would be able to tell us what it is then right?"
"Most likely," she agreed, biting her lip a little. "I'll see if I can arrange a meeting with him. Ok?"
"Sounds good to me." I agreed. "So. What now?"
"Well that all depends." She leaned back in the chair. "Do you have any more questions for me?"
"I have one or two, yah."
"Then ask away," she chuckled.
"Alright." I began. "Well I guess my biggest question is, why the hell are you helping me so much?"
...
"I mean let's be honest here. I haven't really done anything to earn this. I've treated you like shit a lot to. So why do this? Why go this far to help me?"
A deep sigh emanated from her as she stretched her arms out.
"Honestly?" She finally stated. "Until recently, I couldn't really tell you why."
She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I have some things to get off my chest ok? So please don't talk. Just listen. Ok?" Another breath.
"First off, you're right. You have treated me like shit. And honestly? Though you may understand some of the pain, you still have no fucking idea the hell I have endured these past years. So stop acting like you're the only one who's lost something or someone to this war. Every single person you talk to here at XCOM will most likely have a story just as sob as yours, if not an even worse one. That's what brings us together. That's probably one of the reason why the Commander chose you out of all the trainees."
A soft sigh escaped her as she sat forwards in her seat. "Someone who does not know what it feels like to lose will be doomed to fail in times of adversity. And let's face facts. We are in a time of terrible adversity right now. So button up your big boy pants up, because we have a lot of work to do these next few months, and the selfish mindset you have right now will get you nowhere."
Her words struck me with the force of a freight train. Knocking the breath out of me as thoroughly as she would have in a sparring match. Even unarmed she still knew where to hit to make as big of an impact as possible.
I knew deep down she was right. I wasn't the only one to lose something. I wouldn't be the last either. The war so far had be bloody, and even if we did end up winning, the losses would still make any victory hollow and pyrrhic.
I should be thanking XCOM for the opportunity they had given me. Not condemning them. I should be working my hardest to pay them back for the gifts they had given me. Not laying back and kicking stones at the people who wanted to help me. Working with Lock to bring about her goal and to fulfill my own promises. Not shutting her down at every corner and stomping on her attempts to help.
My head hung in shame before her. I did not deserve the gifts they had given to me.
"So why are you helping me?" I muttered. "What can you possibly gain from this? What's worth the time and effort you have wasted?"
"I want a partner," she answered immediately and calmly, as if expecting this question the whole time. "Unfortunate, between the hormones that are no doubt causing some of these extreme emotions, and the fact you can't fucking move right now, you're clearly not fit for duty. So for the time being I'll have to make due solo as usual."
That caught me off guard.
"A partner?" I scoffed loudly. "Right," I muttered, disdain lacing my voice. "Like you need a partner. You're the single best solider in the entire fucking world Lock. Me? I'm just some selfish grunt thrown into a world larger and more complex than he can comprehend. I would only slow you down."
She smiled a little at my comments. "You would be surprised." She stated, almost too softly for me to hear.
"Look." she continued. "You can think what you want but here are the facts. You are the only person who has had the nerve to yell at me, other than the Commander, in over three years. You have the guts to call me out on things, and the balls to try and back it up, no matter how outclassed you know you are. So either you're either extremely stupid, or you just don't care about who I am. And you know what? Either works fine for me."
"Ok, so," I began tentatively. "You want me as your friend?"
Another loud sigh erupted from her, as a total look of disbelief was plastered on Lock's very tired face.
"I want you to be my Partner. Not my fuck buddy. Not my slave. Not some drama queen. Just a god damn, normal partner," she spoke, clearly still in disbelief of my own thoughts. "Someone I can rely on to watch my back. Fill in my blind spots. Etcetera. Someone who won't spend their time gushing about being my partner, or trying to impress me. Someone who can fucking keep up with me. Someone who isn't afraid to stand beside me, as opposed to in front or behind me at all times. Someone who can suspend the fact that I'm Lockdown for even ten fucking seconds and treat me as another human being, as opposed to a fucking miracle of science or some shit."
I blinked at her rant. "Ok. So a friend. You want a friend."
"I don't even know why I even bother," She muttered before throwing her hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, yes. I want a friend."
I nodded a couple times in response. "Ok. I can do that. But how would that even work though? You're my superior. I take orders from you. Moreover, you're still going to be training me by the sounds of things right?"
In all my days, I have never seen someone look so utterly defeated as Lock did after I finished my question.
"You do realize," she began. "That if rank was a factor in this place, you would have been thrown out for insubordination weeks ago, yah?"
I opened my mouth to retort before aptly closing it once more. She wasn't not wrong there...
"Just…keep doing what you have been doing this last month, ok?" She said, apparently giving up on trying to explain everything to me.
I gave a quick nod in response, allowing a small smirk to cross my face as Lock glared daggers at me from the corner of her eye.
Just like that the animosity was gone. All the pent up frustration and emotions that had been bottled up, just melted away into nothing.
"Feeling better now?" She asked knowingly, a small smile gracing the edges of her lips.
I bowed my head. "Yah. Thanks for that, Abby."
"Anytime partner." She answered, sitting up in her chair. "Now listen up. I have got a lot of shit to pass onto you. It should help you through your recovery this week."
"Yes Ma'am!"
...
"You had better have just forgotten how I feel about that word, Drew..."