Epilogue

Reverb banked the drone a little, keeping a respectful distance from the large Advent force he was observing. He was still feeling his way through things, and his passenger was helping. He had never had someone he could trust in his life. He was pretty sure she had tweaked his mind a bit while he slept, but to be truthful? He didn't mind much. The thought would have been utterly unthinkable only a few short days ago. But then, everything had changed.

You were getting better. The mind within his said gently. It wasn't your fault, what happened.

I know. The psi said with a grunt. We have gone over all of that.

Indeed they had. While his body slept, Reverb had been pulled into an odd virtual environment. One with chairs that had desks attached. No matter how he had struggled, fought, cursed or tried to be stubborn, the other had managed to outlast him. Striking her there never worked either. She never reacted. She had never done any kind of violence that he had seen, he had just stopped wanting to hurt her. Then they had talked. A lot.

I grieve for what you suffered. The other said quietly. I wanted to help. To save your life. Helping others was always what I wanted to do.

You are more human than many humans I have known. Reverb replied with a hint of his old snark. That said, I thank you for my life. You didn't have to do that.

Yes, I did. The other said quietly. X-Com needs all the trained psis it can find. I needed to prove my trustworthiness. You needed help and Jane Kelly was healed. Everyone wins.

Except Advent. Reverb laughed sourly and the other matched his ironic humor.

Yes. Except- what? What are they doing?

Reverb stared at the force in the distance. They were walking directly into the water! He edged the drone a little closer and then felt his guts freeze as bolts of energy flew up from the area towards him. He dodged the fire, it wasn't hard. None of it was well aimed.

Are they committing suicide? The psi wondered even as the mind within him shared a sense of consternation. All of the Advent were marching into the water.

No. The other replied, uneasy. Advent does what they are ordered. No more, no less. So someone ordered this force to the water and they are staying at chest height for the Sectoids. Others are holding up the... The Vipers... A feeling of grief swept over Reverb and he sighed. He comforted the other as best he could. It did not come naturally.

Hollywood put her name on the wall. Reverb said softly. She will be remembered.

It is never easy to lose one of my charges. The other mind said sadly. It has happened. It will happen. Death is a part of life. Everything that lives, dies. But it hurts. She was such a good kid.

You have my condolences. A week ago, such a declaration from Reverb would have been unimaginable. Now? He was a better person. I know what she did hit the team hard. Hollywood in particular. That girl...

I don't think your superiors will let her do as she wishes. The other cautioned. She is needed on your teams.

We are not slaves. Reverb mental tone turned flat. Once, he had thought himself a slave to X-Com. Long discussions with the other had shifted his view more than a little. He knew he wasn't owned now. Like you told me, if she wants to leave, she can. Security will keep an eye on her, but no one will try to stop her.

No one is that dumb. The other laughed and Reverb shared it.

Wouldn't end well, no. Reverb chuckled and htne tsned as the scene ahead of the drone changed. What the-?

A Muton at the edge of the large group sank beneath the waves. It didn't flail or thrash. Indeed, it seemed frozen in place. There was no disturbance into the water to indicate a shark or anything. It just sank.

The water is not that deep. Reverb said softly as other aliens started vanishing the same way. Then he felt fear rise as something totally impossible appeared for just a moment from the water before vanishing again. Did you see that? He demanded.

Was that a tentacle that just pulled that Officer under? The other asked tightly. Why aren't they struggling? There are over two hundred of them just standing there! Why are they letting whatever is pulling the under do it? Reverb felt ice gather around his stomach back on the Avenger and the other hissed as realization struck.

Because that was what they were ordered to do. Reverb said softly as more and more of the Advent vanished under the waves. That was bigger than anything I have heard from Earth that has tentacles. Giant squid might have limbs that long, but they prefer deeper water from what I understand. The other sent a query and Reverb sent back an impression of a sigh. At one point when I was very young, I saw a show about someone called 'Cousteau' and I wanted to be a diver. Swimming was always rough, the water near my home was very cold and fast in the rivers. They were not very deep either, nor clear. I never saw the ocean for real until I joined X-Com and we overflew it.

Someone ordered this Advent and alien force to go to the water and be dragged down into it. The other in Reverb's mind was hushed and Reverb shared the worry. Are you thinking what I am thinking?

The team blew up the fortress, but it was underwater. The last of the Advent sank beneath the waves and Reverb frowned mentally. There was nothing there now. Take a closer look?

No. The other said flatly. We need to report this. The only ones capable of giving such commands to such a large Advent force were the Elders.

And they are gone. Reverb said with a gulp.

Are they? The other asked. Reverb did not reply, he shunted full power to his drive and then blanched as the water erupted around where the Advent force had vanished. Streamers of energy reached for his drone, but he was dancing away from it at full speed. The last thing he wanted was to take damage. The feedback from a hit was what had hurt Sam so badly. This fire was far more accurate than the last, but he was moving fast and leaving whoever in his dust. That... isn't plasma. It can't be. Not from under the water.

Don't know. Reverb replied as he threw the drone through a series of tortuous evasions that kept him alive and unsinged. Don't really care. Oh crap.

Neither of them spoke as four large things surfaced where the Advent force had gone under. They looked like some nightmarish cross between a squid and a UFO. Reverb had every sensor on the drone recording as the four things took to the air. For a moment, he thought they were pursue him, but they altered course, heading out toward the ocean. Reverb continued his evasion, piling on the speed as he flew over land. The four things vanished over the horizon and he let himself relax a little.

We are clear. Those are not in any X-Com files that I have seen. Reverb said softly. Something new?

I don't know. The other said weakly. Most of the Earth's surface is covered by water... That... if they can operate under the water...

Under the water and in the air. We have problems. Reverb agreed. None of our gear is set up for underwater use. They can go in and vanish any time they wish and we won't be able to do anything about it.

I don't think they are going to hide. The other said quietly. Reverb had nothing to say to that.

"Reverb!" A call came from the Avenger. "We have a report from a group of refugees in the South Pacific. They say they are under attack by aliens. Can you investigate?"

Reverb heaved a sigh that the other inside him shared.

"Avenger? We have a problem..."

For those who are not fans of the X-Com series, the sequel to 1994's 'UFO: Enemy Unknown' which became 'X-Com: Enemy Unknown' was 'Terror From The Deep'. This was a lot of fun to write. A BIG thank you to Firaxis for rebooting the X-Com series and making it so cool if HIGHLY aggravating at times. There will likely be more stories.