A/N: I'm not going to say much about this one beyond the fact that I think it is art. Beautiful art.
Title: Vipers and Specialists
Author: FloridaMan
Clover locked the door behind him and turned towards his team. He trusted that they took care of any bugs in the room. "Now that we're all settled in, what do you guys think?"
"About what?" Marrow asked. "Bradford, the ship, or the crew?"
"Anything really," Clover said with a shrug. "Ironwood puts a lot of trust in Commander Bradford and while we're working on this joint exercise, I'd like to get your opinions."
"I get the sense that Commander Bradford is a man of strong will and determination," Vine said. "He has a deep, unshakable bond with his men and they with him. It's quite admirable."
Harriet scoffed. "That just makes it all the harder to pull out any secrets they may be hiding. I'll admit he's got a good poker face, but not everyone else. They're hiding something. I know it."
"Hiding what? Where they keep the dessert?" Elm folded her arms across her chest. "Ironwood had the ship scanned top to bottom for any surprise additions XCOM added to the ship. If there was anything strange or unusual, Ironwood would have put a stop to it."
"I don't know, Elm," Marrow said, grimacing. "Harriet's got a point. Some of these troops give me the creeps. Did you notice how many quadruple amputees there were? Why are there so many of them?"
Elm frowned. "Perhaps they're just dedicated soldiers and XCOM has good prosthetic technology? It's not uncommon for huntsmen to have combat prosthetics." Her tone was unsure, as if trying to convince herself.
"But multiple soldiers with the same prosthetics at the same places?" Marrow gave her a pointed look. "I don't know about you guys, but I'll definitely be checking them out over the next few weeks."
"That's fine," Clover said. "But be subtle about it. Ironwood wants to know everything he can about XCOM."
"What about Winter?" Harriet asked.
"I'll handle her. You focus on snooping around the decks. Vine, see if you can assess their combat capabilities. Elm, Marrow, get friendly with the staff if you can. They might let something slip."
"Yes, sir," they chorused.
Elm had to admit, for a paramilitary group working outside of the kingdom's authorities, XCOM knew how to get things done. Everyone moved with a purpose and did their duties diligently. The only times she saw this become lax was around the recreation areas. And when soldiers became lax, tongues wagged.
She figured the bar would be the best place to start. After all, alcohol was the best social lubricant. Elm met up with a pair of rookies, Faunus from Menagerie. They were a little nervous at first, given her Atlesian heritage, but they warmed up after a few drinks and a couple of embarrassing stories of Marrow (payback for that prank at the promotion party last month).
It was about an hour or so into the conversation when Elm spotted something odd in the back corner of the room. Four figures dressed up in brown dusters and dark face masks. Their attire was like something out of a Grimm apocalypse movie. Weirder still, they didn't even drink anything. They just sat around their table like it was a campfire, staring across it at each other, unmoving. Elm tried to recall seeing them before, but she couldn't, not even when they entered the room and she had a clear line of sight on the door.
Elm asked her two new buddies about them.
"Oh those guys? They're just some survivalist camp that was picked up before us. They've been outside of the walls for a long time. They like to stick together."
It wasn't unheard of for groups of people to do such things, but there was something about them that gave Elm the creeps. So for the next week, as she tried to build some friendships in the Bar, Elm attempted to find out more about these strangers while subtly making her way towards them. The results were less than fruitful.
She found out they were called the Reapers and that they often acted as XCOM's scouting and hunting division. However, Elm found out the hard way why they were so good at that. Despite their quite unique appearance, they always managed to disappear from under her nose. One minute they were sitting peacefully, and the second Elm looked away, they were gone.
Worst of all, Elm suspected they knew she was trying to dig up information on them and they were just toying with her. The Reapers in the bar had a usual spot, but every time Elm tried to sit closer to them, they would sit at another table further away. Elm was pretty sure those face masks were hiding smug grins when they saw her frustration with them.
She only hoped the others were having a better time with their jobs.
Marrow was beginning to regret this mission. He did some digging on the amputees he saw, and found out they were called MEC Troopers. He then found out why they were called MEC Troopers when they got suited up. If that wasn't enough, he had to be curious enough to ask how they became MEC Troopers. He really should have asked that before lunch.
But horrifying, voluntary amputations aside, he regretted trying to walk into the MEC bay to observe the parts they used for the troops while said troops were out for lunch. He was inspecting one of the arm cannons, the flamethrower ones, when the door opened. Marrow had an excuse ready on his lips for why he was there, but upon turning around, he saw no one.
Figuring it was just someone passing by that tripped the door function, Marrow turned back around, only to leap back with a choked yelp.
Standing barely a few meters away was one of those "Reaper" guys that Elm mentioned. He just stared at Marrow from behind that face mask of his, green eyes boring a hole through Marrow's head. He wasn't armed, nor did he stand like a security guard. He just stood there as if he was always there.
Marrow chuckled a bit to ease his own nerves. "Sorry, I didn't see you there. I'm Marrow, one of the Ace Ops."
The Reaper said nothing.
Marrow tried to keep a grin on. "Ah, shy guy, huh? That's okay. I see a lot of those back in Atlas, but you can talk to me."
The Reaper silently stared at him, and then glanced at the arm Marrow had been inspecting.
Marrow got the hint. Time to play it cool. "What, this? I was just checking out the arms and seeing how they compared to the Atlas paladins. These aren't too shabby for people working outside of Atlas. Did you guys just scrape up a bunch of the parts from Beacon? I'm surprised the General let you get away with that."
Still no response but a blank mask that now seemed to judge him.
Thankfully, Marrow's stomach gave him an out, growling loudly. "Whoops, better go get some chow. Nice talking to you!"
Marrow left as calmly as he could, but he could still feel those green-lighted eyes home in on the back of his head.
And that was just the start of Marrow's troubles.
Since then, no matter where he went, Marrow always kept bumping into that Reaper. Get some chow? The Reaper was always sitting within sight. Go to the training rooms? The Reaper would sit on the benches while Marrow worked out. Just walking down the halls? The Reaper was always ten meters back. The only saving grace was that the Reaper didn't follow him into his quarters, but he was always outside when Marrow got up.
He asked around about the behavior, but the responses didn't do much to quell his nerves.
"The Reapers lived out in the wilds. Had to eat just about anything. Maybe they think you're lunch?"
"He's probably tracking you, trying to keep his skills sharp on the ship."
"Maybe the guy, or girl, likes you?"
Marrow would have preferred the final one, but in a lot less creepy manner.
There was something in the walls of the ship. Vine could feel it. Of the Ace Ops, Vine had some of the best perception skills, making him the 'Danger Radar' as Marrow would put it. But that Radar was going off quite often when he patrolled the ship. It even made joining the meditation sessions with the other XCOM operatives quite difficult. Pipes do not hiss like that, nor do they move around each other.
Vine inquired the young Lie Ren about the noises
"Some operatives found some snakes during a mission and brought them back. They broke out of containment after Kuo Kuana and they're good at hiding in small spaces."
The response was plausible, in Vine's opinion, but how many snakes were on this ship? He was no biologist by any means, but surely they could not have reproduced so much. Not to mention, the amount of food to maintain their supposed size and lengths if Vine was hearing things right. Perhaps there was something in the water?
Nonetheless, Vine figured it would be best to ask the resident experts. Dr. Tygan seemed like the best choice.
"You're referring to the Vipers on board?" Tygan asked. "Interesting. Most people don't even notice them. But to answer your question, the Vipers are… mutations, to put it best. But don't worry, they're kept under control so long as they're fed."
"Fed with what?" Vine had heard stories of large snakes eating deer, but he wasn't sure that would be enough with these.
Tygan only shrugged. "Whatever the Reapers feed them. Don't worry, they've assured us that the snakes don't eat people, but I wouldn't go bothering them in case they do."
Vine kept his face neutral. "I see."
Vine wasn't sure how he was going to break this news to the team.
"For someone who's supposed to be dead, you're looking quite healthy," Clover said as he took a seat by Winter's bedside. He had been briefed about Winter's condition by Ironwood, and respected Winter even more for going through with it. From what little he gleaned, Winter was lucky to be alive.
"No thanks to you," Winter said with a smirk. "XCOM could use your luck from time to time."
"I take it back. Merlot must have done something serious if Winter Schnee has acquired a sense of humor. What's next? A terrible taste in men?" Clover noticed Winter look away quickly at that, but decided not to comment on it. But he did make a note to look into that Qrow guy that was hanging around. Clover decided to change the subject. "The General sends his regards and he wanted me to check up on you. How're you feeling?"
Winter sighed. "Better than I was. More than I probably deserve. At least Weiss has kept me company."
"That's good." Clover eyed the door and then moved closer. "Winter, you've had the most experience with XCOM so far. What can you tell me about them?"
Winter stared at him. "I thought Ironwood would have gotten over his trust issues with XCOM after recent events."
Clover grimaced. "Saving you certainly helped relations, but this is Ironwood we're talking about. He doesn't like unknowns."
Winter shook her head. "Some things never change. But I do owe my life to XCOM for saving me, and I am technically dead to Atlas. I'm not sure how much help I can be."
Clover nodded. "Fair enough. I'm just wondering how much you've seen."
"Very well. Ask away."
"Alright. What do you know about the Reapers?"
Winter blinked. "Reapers?"
"You know, the guys in the brown trenchcoats?"
"I thought they were huntsmen or special soldiers. I paid them no mind."
Clover sighed. He only hoped one of the others would be lucky enough to find more on these mysterious troops.
There were a lot of things Harriet didn't like about XCOM. They masqueraded as some Vale militia when they clearly weren't, popping up at the Vytal festival like they owned the place. They had the gall to take over an Atlesian ship and call it their own. Their Commander kept things too close to the chest when he should be deferring to Ironwood. The soldiers were way too buddy-buddy for her liking, not at all acting like the professionals she heard about.
But worst of all, Vine told her that the ship was infested with snakes. Big ones, no less. Gods, ever since he pointed it out, she couldn't be sure of the usual ship sounds she heard. If this mission wasn't so damn important, she would have jumped ship and asked to be working anywhere else in Atlas or Mantle. That was the nice thing about Solitas. Snakes couldn't survive in the cold.
Unfortunately, she had a job to do tonight because Clover's luck didn't seem to cover her. She had to patrol the halls of the Avenger during the night. If anyone asked, she couldn't sleep and needed a walk around. Convenient enough, since it was hard to sleep with the sound of snake-like hissing nearby. She only wished she had an excuse to keep her power arm pack on so she could punch one of those snakes if she saw them. If she could get away with it, maybe one of the Reapers too for feeding them.
'At least it's a quiet ni-' Harriet's thoughts were completely derailed as a distinctive hiss echoed from the intersection ahead. Compared to the relative silence she stood in, it sounded like a streaking missile crossing the tundras. Fear rose up, but adrenaline kicked in to quash it. 'Come on, Harriet. It's just a snake. Just because it has fangs doesn't make it smarter than you. It's an animal, not an old Taijitu.'
Forcing herself to move forward despite the hissing sounds, Harriet reached the intersection and peeked around the corner. Sure enough, there was a snake, or rather part of the tail hanging out of a ceiling vent. Far as she could tell, it was about as thick as her wrist at the widest, but there was no way to tell how long it was. It twitched and twirled almost lazily.
"Guess Vine really wasn't pulling my leg. There are snakes on the ship. I should probably get something to take care of this pest." As Harriet said that, the tail began to pull up quickly, almost like it heard her. Harriet's first instinct was to grab the tail, but she remembered that no animal liked that at all. So she let it go, but listened closely as it crawled through the ceiling, following its hissing and scale-scraping sounds down the halls. She kept an eye out for an opening, so that she could grab it and neutralize it.
The snake took her quite a ways away from her original spot, all the way down to some of the storage rooms on the lower floors. Perhaps it did hear her, but Harriet was nothing if not persistent. Eventually, the sounds turned mid-hall towards a storage room. Harriet's gaze followed it, but gave pause at the sign on the door.
Danger Noodle Den:
Open at risk of cuddles
Harriet wasn't sure what the heck a 'Danger Noodle' was but her prey was inside. She reached for the door when she heard a voice call out to her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Vipers get extra cuddly at night."
Harriet whipped around to see one of the Reapers standing several meters away. A woman by the sound of her voice. Harriet just glared back at her.
"There shouldn't be a vermin infestation to begin with. I'm going to get that snake and then toss it overboard!"
The Reaper showed no emotion behind their mask, but after a moment, she shrugged. "Feel free to try, but don't say I didn't warn you." She turned away and walked off.
Harriet scoffed as she tapped the door controls and stepped inside. It was pitch black inside, the hallway light offering very little brightness. She could hear the hissing again from the back of the room. It was out of the vent now. Grinning, she stepped further in, but then the door slid shut, cutting off her light.
"Damn it." Harriet fumbled with her pockets for a moment before pulling out a small penlight. She clicked it on and the light showed immediately on the snake's tail. It was out in the open now. "Gotcha, you little… rat…"
As her light trailed up the snake's body, it became thicker and thicker until it was as big as a small child, but it didn't reach the head like she thought, it was just the waist. The light went up further to reveal a torso and arms. And finally, it showed the snake's head. A twisted amalgamation of a cobra's head and a human face. It stared back at Harriet with a small tilt to its head, as if curious to her intrusion.
But just as Harriet realized what she was looking at, something else moved into the light. Something bigger. Harriet slowly brought up her light and realized that what she was chasing wasn't an adult snake, but a child. The adult she was facing now was glaring unamused at her with a frightening amount of intelligence.
'I immediately regret this.'
It took every ounce of control Harriet had not to freak out. She kept the light trained on the giant, towering snake as her other arm reached for the door panel. The moment she felt a button, she got ready to run and pressed it. In an instant, everything changed.
The button she pressed was not the door button, so she ended up speed running right into a metal wall, knocking her down.
The button she pressed was the room light button, and once Harriet's eyes adjusted to see exactly how many giant snakes there were, she knew she was doomed.
The Vipers descended on her, and the Reaper was right. They were very cuddly. But Harriet really wished they weren't.
Bradford sighed and pulled up the ever growing List document.
629. Reapers are to not obviously stalk allied groups that come aboard the ship. We know you can stay hidden.
629a. This goes double for allied groups with members who have Ophidiophobia.
629ai. This doesn't mean you can try to give them Ophidiophobia.
629b. We were aware of the Ace Ops attempt at digging for intel. Consider this experience as their punishment as well.