Bradford hated doing this without Eliza—but it was their only choice right now.
He was standing around the Hologlobe with the future members of Menace. Dolly had his arms crossed, standing next to Samhien. Mordenna was standing to Bradford's side as Vix leaned on the railing. Julian's presence was marked by his signature, stylized eye icon floating in the hologram. Finally, Argus stood on their own side of the Hologlobe, alone.
They'd had a few days to prep and get over to the destination—now all that was left was the pre-mission debriefing. Bradford could clearly remember the last time he had to give one of these as acting Commander; that would be Operation Gatecrasher, almost a year ago now. He hated having to step up like this, having to tacitly admit that Eliza was in the kind of shape she was in right now. They just... couldn't move forward otherwise.
He sighed. "Now that we're all here, we can begin. Julian, please pull up the file."
Julian rolled his eye. "What am I, an indexing AI? Pulling up the file."
The globe changed to display a location around old Canada, and with it, a picture of a location. It looked typical for a Blacksite, based on the photo they could get from the Reapers on short notice. It was handy that Argus remembered the exact coordinates to their old main lab. "Menace, our target today is a specific ADVENT Blacksite. As you all know, most projects can't be done without resources—and that's exactly what we're getting today. Inside that site are the material components Argus will need to put Eliza through the Siren... 'therapy.'" "Therapy" was too light a word and stuck in Bradford's throat. But he supposed he'd made his protests about that already. "As Argus tells it, it's very likely that if ADVENT hasn't already demolished it by the time we get there, they're likely going to try once we arrive on location. Mission priority number one is getting to the lab and holding out until we can secure all of the supplies Argus needs. After that, if ADVENT hasn't already toppled the place, we can save them the trouble and blow it up ourselves." He looked to Argus. "Any comments?"
"Right." Argus looked at the image of their facility, the blue light of it reflecting off of their armor. "I kept only minimal security around my former facilities, so unless they've changed the schedules after I was severed, it should be fairly easy to get in. Honestly, I expect the Overmind to be too busy cleaning up the PR disaster of me making it out and selling his secrets to have done anything with it yet—but he likely has Angelis assisting him now, who will remember. Time is of the essence. I have enough in there that one or two cases of material could stand to get destroyed, but I'd like to extract as much as possible."
"That can be arranged." Mordenna gestured to himself. "Due to the structure of our squad, I'll be acting as our scout. I still remember a lot from stalking targets back in the day, and lest we forget, I used to be a Reaper. I'll likely end up stowing the large portion of the material. After our walk-up and break-in, once we have everything, we'll be bringing Firebrand in close to get us all out of there. Easy in, easy out. Hypothetically. Any questions?"
Dolly spoke up. "What do the things we're going after look like?"
Argus was the one to reply to that. "Vials, typically yellow in color, since we use modified Meld as a suspension fluid." Bradford raised an eyebrow at hearing the word "Meld" after twenty years but Argus went on. "These will be in cabinets and stations at the facility. I'll need a few minutes while we're there to locate everything, but once we have everything on my list, the rest can go. I'd like to pick up a few more vials than I need, however—just in case the material is needed for additional changes as cleared by Eliza. The already harvested material might be useful to the research team, as well."
"More resources is fine, considering, well. The materials have already been extracted. Hopefully we can put them to better use, and stop them from being made ever again." Bradford looked around. "Any other questions?"
Nobody spoke up, just nodding. Seemed like the squad knew what to do. "Alright, Menace, you can suit up in the Armory. I'll be there to see you off shortly." Menace, sans Vix and Mordenna, filed out. After the last person filed out into the hall, Bradford looked up to Mordenna. "Status report?"
"We've been getting people into the Psi Lab and have the waiting list pretty much finalized. First two people are Banel and Herod." Mordenna chuckled. "People packed on once the notion of immortality was on the table. If I have any time between everything else I'll be seeing about speeding up the process with the Lab. I have some proposed changes that'll cut it down to about four days. Might ask Argus for some pointers—three days is a long shot but it would vastly move up our time schedules."
Bradford nodded. "If you can even get it down to four, I'll see about getting in there eventually." The staff would go in there at some point, so he hoped they could tank the slightly lessened personnel. "How's Jax on his new legs?"
Mordenna scoffed. "The pompous fiend figured out he can do nonhuman legs and is now walking around like a darn elk. So he's doing just fine, if more extra than normal." Even as Mordenna was complaining, there was a note of relief in his voice. "I have my armor ready to go for the upcoming mission, by the way. The mask is still largely a beta, but as long as it filtrates oxygen, s'all I need it to do for now."
Vix took a moment to sit on the railing. "My own armor is all ready, and I can confirm it makes the Void jumps just fine! I'll be extending the Network out there for the other people who can hook to it."
"Mostly just me and Jules. Vix herself, too." Mordenna rubbed his chin. "... I'm a bit worried about something Argus said, come to think of it."
Bradford crossed his arms. "And what's that?"
"The 'Overmind' they mentioned. Eliza gave us all a brief recap on what was said to her after she got done talking to them, and he stuck out at me. No doubt with an Ascended on the table and XCOM proving to stand a chance to topple the Collective... he's gonna turn his full attention towards us. And I don't like the idea of an Ethereal with enough clout to rule the other Ethereals focusing on us. Without Argus to stall and him likely shoving the Trio out of the way to introduce a more competent team... our time's gonna start running out fast." His face turned grim. "... we might need to use Eliza once she's done with her 'therapy' to open the Gate. I don't think we'll have time after that to explore other options. I don't think I'll even have the Sarcophagus up in time."
Bradford's stomach turned into lead, and he rubbed his mouth. He didn't want to do that. He didn't want to put Eliza anywhere near the line of fire, even if she would be better equipped to do so at that time. He wanted to reject Mordenna outright. But... he raised a fair point. They were getting to the point in this war where Eliza was already in danger directly. From the sounds of it, they'd garnered more attention than they'd bargained for. He lidded his eyes, hating himself for what he would say next. "Fine. If... if it comes to that, and she's ok with it... Eliza will be on that mission. But we are drawing extensive plans for it. We need Samhien on location—no, more than that. Maria. But..." He sighed again, feeling a headache coming on. "Later. That is far later. And I still want to look into alternatives where possible."
Mordenna came over, easing a hand onto Bradford's shoulder. Vix even came up and hugged him, which Bradford returned. Vix was his step-daughter, after all. Mordenna spoke, voice soft. "Trust me, Brads. I don't like this any more than you do. I'll be watching for alternatives in my free time, maybe see if Argus's login can be used instead. But..." It was Mordenna's turn to sigh, and his free hand tapped against his leg. "Argus said it themselves at one point—they've likely fully voided the protocols for them. Considering Eliza was able to access old permissions in our own Network... and Odin's likely been shoved to the side? I'll still look for what can be done, don't worry."
"Thank you." He broke the hug off, keeping his hands on Vix's shoulders. "Vix, sorry the adults are being grim. Your mother's going to be fine, we're just... worried for her."
Vix nodded, looking somewhat sobered, herself. "I understand. I'll be working with dad too. Wiki thinks there may be a way to create a new authorization on the ADVENT Network—she just needs to reach out to a few Codices that have contacted her."
"Good." Bradford dropped his hands. "Well, Mordenna. Got a mission to handle. Best we get down there."
Mordenna took hold of Vix's hand. "Best we do."
Before, Argus would have been happy being executed after spilling the Collective's secrets. Now? They supposed they got more than they asked for.
They were moving in tandem with Menace One-Five, facemask on and robes—now dyed the signature blue and silver of XCOM—dragging through snow. The area was carpeted in white, snow obscuring the path and giving Argus some slight eye strain from the brightness of it. The group was relying on Mordenna in front to guide them, who had Vix trailing behind as their beacon for the moment. The entire sky was an overcast gray, and falling snow was gathering on Argus's armor, only being kept off of their skin via circulating their psionics against it.
Were they any more psionically apt right now, Argus would simply be levitating themself—and perhaps the others—over the snow to save them all the trouble. However... they knew the restrictions of them coming out on this mission; it was easy enough to remember by the weight on their temples. Mordenna had taken the time to make and modify the suppressors Argus had heard mentioned in regards to them. They were wearing them now, and Argus could confirm that they were working; they got the distinct feeling that Ossio couldn't emerge and their psionics felt lesser. Still there, but they weren't playing with a full hand anymore.
Fine with Argus. They were simply happy to assist.
The snow was ankle-deep, and Menace was leaving tracks. Julian and Dolly effortlessly made their way through it. Samhien and Argus simply had to trudge through the snow—and though they had two people in front, Vix and Mordenna seemed to be leaving only one set of tracks. Speaking of Mordenna, he was nigh impossible to see against the background of white. He'd changed into new armor in the Armory—something that was distinctly a Reaper coat, furry on the inside, with a sleek mask and under armor. His coat was gray in the Avenger—but here it was a white that almost completely matched the snow. The only indication that he was there was subtle movement in front of Vix. Even then, if Argus wasn't looking? They'd fully think that Mordenna had disappeared on them, perhaps using his distraction cloak.
Argus trusted that Mordenna was leading them to the correct location—it was snowy forests for miles around, and they couldn't quite say they'd memorized the square mile area. Looking back, what tracks they could see seemed straight. Mordenna had the Network in his head, so he probably had a good fix of the coordinates they needed to go to. If not that, then perhaps his natural wayfinding ability.
The walk was long, quiet, and without much event. The trees began to thin, and Mordenna came to a stop by a tree. His white coat was visible against the nearly black bark for all of three seconds before the colors of his coat shifted and took on darker tones. He looked back at the squad, holding up a hand for them to stop. Past the treeline was the hazy form of the facility, partially obscured by the fog of the falling snow. It still looked relatively intact, thankfully.
"Menace, I've got a gameplan." Mordenna's voice sounded slightly filtered. "Contrary to our previous approaches—busting the door down from afar, fighting in, then fighting out—what we're gonna do here is a little different. Sneakier. I'm going to coat Vix, Argus, and Samhien in my nanos. The four of us will sneak in, then on signal, open fire in the facility and clean up the security detail, doing our best to keep collateral to a minimum. On that mark, Julian and Dolly are cleared to break in. From there, we're going to protect Argus as they look for what they need and pass it off to me. Once we have everything, we call Firebrand in close and then skedaddle. Any questions?"
Julian stationed himself behind the tree that was widest, but still close to the facility. "Still blowing the place up as we leave, I presume?"
"That's the plan. If there's no other objections? Argus, Sammy, on me."
Argus nodded, drawing closer to Mordenna. The scarf that was around his neck dissolved into a cloud of nanomachines, and they watched as Vix and Samhien disappeared from sight. The nanos clouded their vision for a second before disappearing, and they made the reasonable assumption that they were invisible to the naked eye as well. Mordenna remained visible, if only just, stalking out from behind the tree and motioning to follow as his coat once again shifted to match the snow. Argus trailed behind, doing their best to quiet their psionics further as they mainly followed Mordenna by the footsteps he left.
The approach to the facility was cautious. Argus could see a few MECs posted in positions they remembered delegating, along with the turrets up top. Not much else of a guard, which was reassuring and concerning. The Overmind and Angelis wouldn't leave their old workplaces alone for long. If not to destroy them, then to take the resources within and use them in completing the Avatar Project. The silence was deafening as Mordenna led them around, looking for an unguarded door. He found it just as Argus was going to try to comment that there was one that usually went unobserved, and his camo changed once again as he approached the facility, fiddling with the door pad.
As the door opened, Bradford came in over the communicator Argus had been provided. "Menace One Five, watch it. We've got multiple bogeys approaching on long range scanners. It's possible you got here at the last moment. Get in there and secure the supplies pronto."
Mordenna moved into the facility, speaking so quietly that Argus only heard him on comms. "Going as fast as we can to avoid arousing suspicion until we pop the fireworks. Anything up with those ships?"
It was a moment, but Bradford responded. "... Shen says one of them looks a little weird, and I concur. Could be transporting a Sectopod, but it's too far away to say for certain. They're approaching from the southwest."
"Really are going to demolish this place," Mordenna grumbled. "You heard him, Menace. Ghost team, after me. Party crashers, on standby."
Mordenna's coat was less concealing in the darkened halls of the facility, but he was still well-obscured. He looked around at a junction for a moment before Argus spoke up, trying to talk just under their breath. "You'll want to take a right here for the shorter path."
"... don't know why I wasn't asking you for directions in the first place."
They went ahead, and Argus continued to guide them through the admittedly labyrinthine facility. It had to be large to accommodate all of the processing facilities and cold storage, but in their opinion? It didn't have to be laid out like a maze-but Angelis insisted and the Overmind had no reason to not comply with her wishes over Argus's. Thankfully, everything they needed was at the center, since they'd been gathering the materials they needed at hand before Gatecrasher happened.
Eventually, they reached the main room. It was high-ceilinged, with balconies jutting from the walls; they served as observation decks and high ground in case of intruders. Cases stood upright, full of vials and other containers of biological material. The green caskets they were sure XCOM was familiar with were set against the walls—but it wasn't just human bodies. Muton, Sectoid, Chryssalid, Gatekeeper... there were even arrays of organs clumped around metal that served as Archon genetic material. All candidates for the material needed for the Siren project. All dead. Nothing to be done.
In the middle of the room was a long operating table—about as long as the one in Tygan's lab. Behind it a ways, at the edge of the working area, was an upright tube identical to the one Eliza had been placed in as the battery for the ADVENT Network. Argus grimaced, watching as Mordenna paused. For Eliza's own sake, they were glad she was neither here to see this, nor could see it even if she was there. This would have been her hell for a few months. Now? That hell was on the Avenger.
The guard was minimal. A few Troopers on the balconies, a Sectoid here and there. Really nothing XCOM had to worry about. Mordenna eventually took out the Disruptor Rifle from his back, aiming at a Sectoid on the ground floor. "Menace, pick a target, communicate it. Fire on my mark."
Argus had been given a Plasma Rifle, but it was hardly something they needed. Their psionics still felt strong enough for a few telekinetic shows of power. They pooled their power into their hands. "Third Trooper, south side, second floor."
"Second Trooper, south side, second floor," Samhien followed.
"First Trooper, east side, second floor," Vix concluded.
There was a moment of silence as Menace tracked their targets, waiting. All at once, Argus could see their allies appear out of the corner of their eye, the security detail began to react, and Mordenna fired. "Mark!"
Bursts of plasma went up to the second floor, and Argus went with their own attack. Their psionics enclosed around the Trooper, and with a flick of the hand, they were violently thrown out of the window. Trying to maintain good force against the suppressors was hard, but judging by the crunch outside, Argus did it hard enough.
There was movement outside, and more shots. Mordenna swapped to his sister's shotgun. "Argus, get to looking! Wrecking crew, get in here!"
As Argus ran into their working area, the gunfire continued. They hadn't been in here personally for twenty years, but they still largely knew where everything was. Largely. When surgeries went through here, it was them guiding a team of scientists and doctors in what to do. They opened drawers and cabinets, looking for the vials they would need, getting a few that they did.
There was a crash through the wall, and Argus spared a glance. Dolly was on the scene, firing back at incoming mag fire. "Got one of the turrets on the roof, Julian's trying to get the other one!"
Mordenna broke one of the windows, leaning out to shoot. "Fine by me! Need those things down for Firebrand to get close anyway."
There was another crash, which Argus at first thought to be Julian—but it was on the opposite side of the building and far louder than just a SPARK making an entrance. They looked up, and...
It was Zuriel. Their gazes locked for a second before plasma sparked off of his shell. Samhien had fired, and Argus held up their hands towards him. "Ceasefire!"
Mordenna whipped around to see who it was. "—oh. You. What the hell are you doing here?"
"Cocytus and I were here to destroy this facility. What are you doing here?"
"Getting some stuff out of here and then destroying this facility before ADVENT does."
"We can work together then." His one-eyed gaze went towards Argus again. "... Elder Argus?"
"That would be me," Argus confirmed, going back to searching for vials. "Long story short, the Elder who convinced Cocytus to defect has defected themself. Watch my back as I find these."
They could hear Zuriel flying closer, plates unlatching. "What are you looking for... and why did you leave?"
"Vials marked 'Berserker,' 'Sectoid,' and an elusive one marked 'Entoini.'" They genuinely didn't know where that one was. "Those ones should be at the opposite end and are a good start. As for your other question? Same as Cocytus. My fellows are supremely unreasonable, to put it mildly."
Argus heard drawers and cabinets being opened. "I just didn't imagine the dissatisfaction extended so far..."
"Hate to interrupt," Julian spoke up, "but where's your slash-happy companion?"
"Outside," Mordenna answered. "Just saw 'em cleave a MEC in half."
"Mordenna?" Mordenna looked over at Argus. "I've started getting more vials than I can carry."
"Alright, hold on." Mordenna came over, scarf disappearing once again and forming into a case. "Put them in here for now, it'll morph to whatever you need. I'll be carrying them when we get out of here."
Argus nodded, putting the vials into the case, going back to searching. They were grabbing extras, yes, but if push came to shove they would take only what was needed and go. They weren't looking forward to using any of these, and were happy that one way or another, this facility would be destroyed when they left.
The gunfire and fighting died down for a moment, and Argus was still searching when they heard Cocytus speak. "Hunter Mordenna. It's to my understanding—and from what I can see over there—that you all are taking resources from this place?"
There was the sound of a mag being swapped. "Yes. Just some things we need and then we leave. Then you, ADVENT, or our X4 charge can bring this place to the ground."
"I take it XCOM has not forgotten our deal?"
Julian replied next. "What deal?"
There was a heavy moment of silence. Argus picked out a canister of Gatekeeper genetic material and filed it in the case, having enough time to go for another before Cocytus spoke again. "I'm not fond of people going back on their word, Ref-Il."
"And I'm not fond of many things," he shot back. "Being called 'Ref-Il' is one of them. Having to work with the person who chopped off my sister's arm is another. No, we haven't forgotten, just some of us don't know. Need to know basis. Trust me, we are also concerned about the 'monstrosity' beneath the Earth and we'll deal with it in time. We have more pressing matters right now."
"And the total destruction of this planet and possibly others is not pressing enough?"
"Cocytus, please." Zuriel's voice was pleading. "Let's just work together with them for now. We don't have to fight."
Another moment of silence, where Argus imagined Mordenna and Cocytus shared a hate-filled gaze. Eventually, Mordenna sighed. "You heard your buddy. We're not here to cause any more trouble for ourselves than we're already in. We've got ADVENT ships incoming and what's likely a Sectopod, so we need to get ready for that."
"About that." That was Lily. "It's definitely a Sectopod, and we have a clearer visual—it's colored differently than normal. Mostly red paint job, and it looks like it has either additional weapons or additional tech mounted to it. At their clip, it's coming in a few minutes."
"Alright," Mordenna replied, "that's absolutely a Sectopod on the way, and a tricked out one at that. Argus?"
"Halfway done," they replied. They were now going to look for just the essential vials with danger coming so close. "Any luck with that 'Entoini' vial?"
"Nothing yet." From the sounds of it, Zuriel was searching judiciously. "I'll keep looking."
"Please do, it's essential."
With that, they put their full attention back to searching. They were getting close to all of the regular vials they needed, and just needed that last one. It was a species that they'd never adapted for combat, but had similar abilities to what they were going to give to Eliza as she became the Siren. It would be essential to making that work, as well as balancing the mixture. Without it, they'd have to dedicate more time to research what the new balance should be, and Void help them if they needed materials they either missed here or just didn't have on this planet. But as they continued searching, they were beginning to wonder if it wasn't here after all.
In the middle of them looking up at the tube and wondering if they should check the compartment in there, Mordenna spoke up. "Menace, look alive, the party's come to us. Zuriel, was it? Leave Argus to search, we're going to need all the firepower we can get."
"Don't order him around," Cocytus bit.
"Oh, I'm sorry I'm trying to issue tactical orders here. Let me just keep the Gatekeeper Prime looking for samples when we could use that cannon of his to take people down and ensure those very samples don't get damaged."
"Dad..." Poor Vix. Seeing her father argue like that couldn't have felt nice.
Argus took their eyes away from the cabinets and looked over at the argument in time to see Cocytus and Mordenna at each other's throats. Cocytus scoffed. "Why am I surprised that the Chosen who lost one of his Sight-gifted eyes has trouble seeing anyone but himself?"
"If I hear one more word out of your goddamn mouth—"
Argus spotted movement and quickly hoisted one of the smaller caskets, hurling it past Cocytus and Mordenna, flattening an incoming MEC. "Mordenna, leave commanding Zuriel to Cocytus, since that's clearly a problem. Cocytus, please don't insult the father of two. And Menace, please cover me!"
Message sent and received, Mordenna quickly vanished from sight, likely with his distraction cloak up. Cocytus said something under their breath, looking towards Zuriel. "Zuriel, on me. Elder Argus needs our support."
As Zuriel floated away, Argus acted on their suspicion, and opened the injection port for the tube. Bingo. There was a canister in there... but as they took it out and looked it over, they realized it wasn't labeled. That would be a monstrous problem if they assumed this was the right one without testing. They quickly looked around, locating a computer with a testing port. Running over, they slotted in the tube... and the terminal was asking for a login. Fantastic. "—Julian? I need some assistance!"
"Currently attempting and succeeding at gunning down ADVENT! What could you possibly need me for in looking for little vials?"
"I think I have the last one I need, but it isn't marked! I need to test it in one of the terminals, but I am very certain they voided my login info!"
"Fine. BIT incoming."
As requested, Argus twisted around to watch Julian's BIT fly in smoothly, spotting the terminal Argus was at. Argus moved to the side and let it approach, the XCOM logo flashing on the screen as it presumably began to work.
"What are these encryptions," Julian mused. "This is probably going to take a hot minute, as I can't just brute force this, I'm sure."
Fine by Argus. They went back to grabbing other vials they needed, then some extras. The next vial they grabbed, they had to hug to their chest as the ground shook. There was a cry of "hard contact!" from Samhien, and Argus figured that was their Sectopod. Gunfire, and then—
Their psionics closed in on themselves.
Argus doubled over, clutching their head and dropping the vial into the case, which thankfully manifested a tendril to catch it and add it to the rest. Their head was absolutely pounding, ears ringing with the nigh complete loss of their psionics. What—what was doing this? They spared a glance in the direction the squad was and saw Mordenna flicker into sight, staggering back. Samhien steadied himself against a wall for a second, then went right back at shooting what was presumably the Sectopod. Vix blipped out of sight for a moment, then dashed for Mordenna, who quickly grabbed her arm to steady her. He couldn't see Zuriel, but could only imagine how the Gatekeeper Prime was holding up to total psionic suppression. Did the Overmind or Angelis already put a unit variant out the door?
"M-Menace," Mordenna said, sounding like he was in pain, "retreat the psions back into the building! All others, focus on that Sectopod!"
The heavy gunfire of the Sectopod's cannon began to ring out, and Argus braced themself on the operating table. They could hardly think with this pounding headache, which was likely what was intended. Nigh complete psionic suppression... they knew they had the technology—even Mordenna was able to make it on his own—but the Overmind must've been truly cross to deploy it like this.
There was movement close to them, and they fumbled for their rifle, looking up. Thankfully it was Zuriel and Cocytus, with the former being carted in by nanos from the latter. Zuriel looked catatonic—his eye was dim and his plates were twitching. Cocytus made sure he was set down gently, then came over to Argus. Their own movement was somewhat stilted, which Argus understood. Specters did have some psionic capability. "Elder Argus, I hate to ask this of you when you're in such a state, but could you please—?"
"C-certainly," Argus replied. "I'm not going to be going much anywhere else at the moment. J-just focus on the Sectopod."
"Right. I will be back. Stay safe." With that, Cocytus made their way back over to the fight. They didn't have to walk far—the corner of the building exploded with a deafening sound and a screech, giving Argus a partial look at the Sectopod. As was described, it had a crimson body, with white highlights here and there. It definitely had extra mounted turrets, but as it turned, Argus noticed an extra protrusion hanging on the back as well. Judging by how it was glowing, it may have been the source of the disruption. That was further supported by it seeming to keep its back away from the fighters whenever possible.
Argus, bereft of anything else to do, figured they should share the knowledge. "—there is a pack on its back that is likely the source of the psi-null field!"
"Figured that was the case," Mordenna replied, sounding strained. "This thing is keen on us not shooting at it, at the very least! Dolly—"
The Sectopod turned, and there was a burst of gunfire—then the sound of cracking glass. Cocytus dashed into sight for a second, causing the Sectopod to look elsewhere, fire flying at its back. Argus watched as Dolly staggered into the facility... the front of his containment suit cracked, with a small bit of the suspension fluid beginning to leak out. Rightfully, he seemed afraid to stem the flow, just in case the force of pushing against the glass caused a containment failure.
This was going bad, fast. The logon was still being cracked, this new Sectopod had taken out three of their heaviest hitters now... maybe they should've spared everyone the trouble. Maybe they should've just taken the vial and run. They took out their Plasma Rifle, watching as the Sectopod kept its back to the building. Maybe...
Argus shakily aimed the gun, firing a beam of plasma at its back.
Their shot struck true—the pack splintered, and it felt like Argus could breathe again. They quickly dropped their gun, striding forwards to get a better view of the thing. They could stop it. They just needed a better viewing angle. Dolly looked up as they passed, but didn't stop them.
Mordenna looked up as they walked out into the snow. "Argus, what are you—?"
Argus didn't wait any longer. The Sectopod turned to face them, and they brought up their hand. The suppressors felt heavy on their head as their psionics cloaked the Sectopod. First its guns, falling in on themselves with the sound of metal being stressed. They reached further, psionics rising, straining as it was forced to kneel, shaking. The violin of their signature began to fill the air, reaching a crescendo as their psionics pressed inwards on it. With a final burst of exertion, they clenched their hand shut. There was a flash of their psionics, and the sound of metal popping and crunching—and soon, the Sectopod was little more than a red ball of scrap.
There were a few moments where absolutely no one spoke. Argus's psionics felt truly alive—was this what their powers felt like in the Avatar? They felt like they could do that and so much more. They turned to Mordenna, who was quick to say something. "Argus. Do you have everything from the facility?"
They blinked. "Y-yes, just need to test the last vial and maybe get some backups—"
"Open your mask."
... alright? They weren't going to disobey a direct command. Argus channeled their psionics, allowing their mask to open.
Before they could react, Mordenna whipped out his pistol, shooting them.
Not more than three seconds later, Argus dropped to the ground, a tranq dart sticking out of their neck. The violin that had been ringing in his ears died down to nothingness. Mordenna watched their motionless body in the snow before sighing, moving and picking them up. "Menace, we almost have what we came for. The case is in the lab, I want someone to pick it up. I'm on Ethereal wrangling duty. Somebody take Dolly's X4 and plant it. Julian, progress on the workstation?"
"Just got it cracked. Scan results show 'Entoini,' whatever that is."
"That's our vial. Whoever's picking up the case, add the vial. I'm going to check on everyone and then signal for Firebrand."
There were nods from the squad, and Mordenna moved inside, still trying to do damage control before he even thought about anything. Dolly was against the wall, "bleeding" containment fluid. Mordenna kneeled down. "—I'm glad that wasn't worse."
"That makes two of us," Dolly replied. "... please tell me there's something they can do. I have someone to live for."
Repairing the suit would normally be a cinch—but it was where they'd put Dolly while they were doing it that was the sticking point. "We can." Mordenna gestured at the cracks with a free hand, and some of his remaining nanos split off, sealing the miniature holes the fluid was leaking through. "There's your triage for the moment. We'll get something more permanent going at the Avenger."
Dolly nodded, and Mordenna moved on. Sitting on the floor the best a sphere could, Zuriel was still in the lab proper... looking like a porcupine with the shrapnel jutting out of him. Must've been from the Sectopod destroying that side of the building—Mordenna did think he heard a scream from in there underneath the explosion. He always seemed to attract the most damage between him and Cocytus. Mindful that Zuriel attempted to mediate, he came over. "—Zuriel. If you need aid—"
"Back off." That was Cocytus. They didn't say anything further, simply pushing past Mordenna to see their companion.
Well, Mordenna wasn't going to press this. He hated Cocytus, but he wasn't going to get XCOM on their bad side while they were vulnerable. He grumbled, looking back to Vix. She'd trailed after him into the facility, and he was quick to kneel in front of her. "Vix, honey, are you ok?"
Vix nodded. "The psionic disruption was... scary. But I'm ok. What about Argus?"
Right. Mordenna set Argus down, looking at their forehead. The suppressors were completely burnt out, and Mordenna took them off of their head. It made enough sense that an Ethereal in an Avatar could burn them out. Maybe he could've just let them stay awake, but he'd immediately gone into damage control mode. Still, that was... frightening. Convenient that they no longer had to deal with the Sectopod, but frightening that Argus had enough psionic strength to compact the thing. He'd get them to the Infirmary, let them wake up, and explain the situation at a better time.
They had to get there first. Mordenna picked up Argus again, looking back to see that Julian had taken up carrying the case. The X4 had been placed on one of the pillars, as well. He searched for the flare on his belt.
"Wait."
That was Cocytus. Mordenna turned around to see them standing by Zuriel, with a hand on his plate. Mordenna bit back more hostile responses before he spoke. "What."
Cocytus looked to the side, towards Zuriel, who returned their gaze. They sighed. "—I know we haven't gotten off on the best foot." Mordenna had to remind himself not to go "oh, you think?" "But we are allies. As we have come to your aid, I request yours."
Julian looked between the two of them in disbelief, but ultimately looked to Mordenna to reply as the rest of the squad did. Looked like this was his call. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Cocytus was going to ask. "If it's helping Zuriel, sure."
"Precisely." Cocytus let their hand drop. "I don't have the resources to assist Zuriel in his state, not since I split from ADVENT. I know your Avenger has the tools and personnel needed to heal him. Will you take him?"
Mordenna looked over the two of them for a second before responding. "Fine. But you're not coming with."
"It's a deal."
Zuriel's eye shifted to Cocytus. "Cocytus—"
"They have nothing for me on that ship, Zuriel. And I am not welcome there, as evidenced. I will wait for you." They locked their implied gaze with Mordenna's. "This need not be stated, but if you detain him or he is given back to me and you have done something unnecessary... I will hunt your ship down. And I will destroy it. I expect him to be given back to me the moment he is recovered."
"Fine. I don't exactly know how he's going to fit on our recovery ship, and we're not bringing in the Avenger this close when there was heat in the area."
"Zuriel can assist with that. Zuriel?"
"I don't want to leave without you..."
Cocytus's voice was soothing towards Zuriel. "I'm sorry. You will have to. Know that I will be waiting for you."
Gingerly, Zuriel floated off of the ground, towards Mordenna. "... I can create a portal to your ship. I just need to know where it is, if you would let me borrow your knowledge."
Mordenna looked up at the massive Gatekeeper, weighing his options. Zuriel definitely wouldn't fit on the Skyranger. The only way of getting him to the Avenger in a reasonable time would be to let him make the portal via Mordenna's memories. They could be double agents of ADVENT. If that was the case, they missed a golden opportunity or two to kill Argus, or disrupt their gathering of materials. True, they showed up with suspicious timing, but would ADVENT really go this far with units made before the Overmind likely had his full attention on Earth?
Mordenna juggled it for a bit more before sighing. "Alright." He walked up to Zuriel, placing his forehead on his shell. He probably couldn't open it without risking tearing himself up with the shrapnel, so he'd make things easier. He brought the location of the Armory to his mind, presenting it.
Zuriel entered his mind, took one look at the memory, and then promptly left Mordenna's head. He floated away slightly, eye glowing as Mordenna could see him channeling a massive amount of psionic energy. With a cosmic hum, it coalesced, and in front of them was a swirling, purple portal. Mordenna could see out of his organic eye that it led through the Void and into the Avenger's Armory.
Fair enough. Mordenna gestured for the rest of the group to head on through. With some understandable hesitation, they did, filing into it. He hugged his daughter before she went through, and waited for it to be just him and Cocytus left on the other side. Cocytus was the one to initiate conversation. "When Elder Argus awakes, please do give them my regards."
"They're the reason you two broke free, huh," Mordenna surmised.
Cocytus nodded. "Out of all of the Elders, I believe them most qualified to handle that which lurks beneath the earth. You would be smart to treat them well."
"Elders and I don't have a good track record. If you were made any earlier, you would know. But I'll keep it in mind." Mordenna moved towards the portal. "Clear the area in five minutes, we're blowing this place to hell. You'll have Zuriel back as soon as we're done with him. Just don't do anything funny."
"The same to you."
With that, Mordenna moved through the portal, feeling the bottom of his stomach drop out as he was transferred great distances over the Void. It reminded him of when he used to be able to teleport through the Sarcophagus—and soon, there would come a time where he would be able to do that again. He just had to keep working.
His foot touched down on the metal of the Avenger. It was the Armory, alright, and all of Menace was there—plus Bradford, who had his arms crossed and looked like he'd been watching the portal like a hawk. As Mordenna fully stepped out of it, it closed. Something occurred to Mordenna just then. "We should probably tell Firebrand to just head back, right?"
"I've already notified her," Bradford assured. "Waited to see you guys start to come through the portal, of course. Gather up, Menace plus one, we're going to do the debrief and then we'll get... Zuriel, was it?" Zuriel nodded. "We'll get Zuriel here to the Infirmary."
Menace assembled in their usual line, with Zuriel capping them off at the end. Bradford straightened, looking like he was mimicking Eliza's usual pose for this. "Menace, we had a few close calls on this mission, but ultimately, we made it out. From the sounds of it, all of the vials are secured, and we're giving Cocytus those 5 minutes to clear out. Samhien, accompany Zuriel to the Infirmary. Dolly, get down to the Workshop, we can see about helping you out. Julian, get those vials to the new room. Mordenna..."
He trailed off for a second, as if deciding what should be done with Argus. Mordenna readjusted their grip on them. "I'll take Argus down to the Infirmary and explain the situation to them when they wake up. After that I'll likely assist in getting Dolly patched up, then work on the new room, and proceed from there."
"Sounds good by me. Menace, you're hereby dismissed. Good work out there."
With that, Menace began to split off. Mordenna looked towards the equipment part of the Armory, thinking. He could shuck off his armor and his siblings' weapons later. He needed to get Argus down to the Infirmary. His gaze shifted to Vix, looking at him expectantly. "... you did good out there, V. Put up your weapons if you want; your father is going to take Argus over to the Infirmary."
She nodded, zipping over to the equipment racks and beginning to put up her weapon. Mordenna trailed after Zuriel and Samhien, who were making for the door. He was halfway through wondering how Zuriel would make it through the door when he simply popped out of sight near it, with Mordenna getting flashes of him slipping through the Void to be on the other side of the door. Fair enough. Mordenna caught up to Samhien, ducking under the doorframe and minding Argus as they walked after Zuriel. Mordenna was thankful the hallways were designed for the biggest of the aliens—there was still a little room to walk by Zuriel on either side, and enough room on top that he wasn't pressing the shrapnel against the ceiling.
Mordenna walked a little closer, deciding to open some conversation. "You and Cocytus seem awfully close, Zuriel."
"I'm sorry for how protective they were..." Zuriel's "voice" was strained, probably because he had multiple pieces of metal sticking out of him and was likely still bleeding. "But, um, yes. We are close. They just want me to be safe. I just... I just wish they could come with me."
Mordenna sighed. "We have our reasons to not let them on our ship."
"I understand, I do. But..."
Mordenna could tell this wasn't a good line of conversation, and sprung for another. "Well, you were right in saying they were protective of you. Maybe too protective."
"I know. But, well... I don't think I can blame them. Every excursion I have been out on, I have sustained injuries. Twice, it has been serious. I need to have a talk with them—I just need to get back with them after this."
"That, you have our word on," Samhien replied. "I'm qualified to treat Gatekeepers, and we have a very excellent healer on staff. I suppose the biggest challenge will be fixing your shell."
"And we can muddle our way through that," Mordenna followed. "But first things first, we need to stop you from looking like a spiked ball."
Zuriel gave a gentle laugh. "Your kindness, I appreciate it. I trust that you all will work together with us well. Cocytus is just... more suspicious than I."
"Got that right," Mordenna muttered.
Eventually, they made it to the Infirmary. Zuriel teleported in as Mordenna and Samhien took the door. They... really didn't have a bed for Gatekeepers. Mordenna came forward, summoning the last of his nanos. "Hey, Sammy, move the middle Chosen bed."
Samhien nodded, doing as instructed. As he did, Mordenna guided his nanos to the spot where it used to be. It was simple, and a little hollow—essentially just a structure to hold Zuriel upright. He'd refurbish it a bit once he got his other nanos back. Seeing it finished, Zuriel floated over, gently setting himself down on them. Mordenna got some strain notifications from the nanos, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. Just a few cautions. "You got him from here, Sammy?"
Samhien nodded, taking a stepping stool out from next to a cabinet, using it to begin assessing him. "For now, yes, I'll likely ask for the other medics to come in and assist, but I can manage that."
"Good to hear. Excuse me..." Mordenna made his way to one of the other Infirmary beds, setting Argus down. They looked kind of peaceful, sans the dart in their neck. Mordenna took a moment to take it out. All that power... and Argus used it to practically powderize a Sectopod. They could really bring this ship down at any moment, and Mordenna wasn't a fan of that. On the other hand... they were completely and utterly willing to assist XCOM in whatever they needed them to do. Mordenna just didn't know where he stood on this guy. He wanted to trust Argus—Argus had shown time and time again that they were very capable of acts of good. Saving Jax's life, at least attempting to stand against Cronus, and now saving the squad. But there was too much blood on Argus's hands, and they had too many reasons to betray XCOM. But yet again...
Argus began to stir. He'd give the Avatar body credit—it could filter toxins fast. "Rise and shine, Argus, and sorry about the impromptu nap."
Argus mumbled something, trying to sit up in bed. Clearly their limbs weren't on the same page as the rest of them, as they flopped back into the bed as they tried to support themself on their arms. "Wh-where...?"
"The Infirmary. On the Avenger, I should be clear. The mission was a success, we've got the vials in, I just..." Mordenna rubbed the back of his neck. "You burned out your suppressors, and I just didn't know what to do or say about it in that situation. So I just shot you with a tranq dart."
Argus blinked a few times, rubbing their face. "Less light..."
"Oh, alright." Mordenna drew the privacy curtain, dimming their little section of the room. "That better?"
"Much, thank you. I need to... need to ask about shades at some point." Argus gave up on sitting up, simply folding their hands on their lap. "... I'm sorry for my... outburst. I felt as if we needed that Sectopod destroyed promptly."
"You're not wrong about that, just... surprised all of us." Mordenna sat on the edge of the bed. "Julian is taking the samples down to the room, and we picked up Zuriel to heal him before handing him back to Cocytus."
"He got hit?"
"During the explosion, yeah. Surprised you didn't notice."
"... a lot was going on."
"That, we're in agreement on." Mordenna got a notification from Julian that he'd dropped off the samples and had taken them out and set them aside for the scientists to organize. He sent a message back thanking him, and called those nanos back. "Whenever you can stand, you're free to leave. I'm gonna have to see about your burnt-out suppressors, but honestly... I think the cat's out of the bag now. They're cold comfort after everyone saw you fry them. Things are gonna be a little bit more shaky around here for you, because now we're just gonna have to take it on faith that you won't do anything. I know you've been vetted by Sammy a thousand times, but... you're working against a very bad precedent, here."
"Fully aware. And I'll be off to work the minute I can walk."
"Good to hear." Mordenna stood up, stretching. "I'm going to head down to the Workshop to assist Lily in patching Dolly's suit up, then see about making those shades for you. Afterwards I'll be available to assist with the room however possible, but most of my work is gonna be on refining the process for the Psi Lab and getting the Network and Gate up to shape."
Argus nodded. "If you need any assistance with the Psi Lab, and I can give a few tips if I can look over the process for it."
"That would be appreciated. Just take it easy for now, I'll let Bradford know you're without an escort for the time being." He moved to leave, looking back at Argus. Their expression was neutral, but Mordenna could see some sort of... sadness, in their eyes. "... take care, Argus. I think, eventually, we'll come around."
Argus nodded, and Mordenna walked out, leaving the Avatar to rest.
What did it mean when your nightmares had to come true, Eliza wondered?
It had been a few days since Operation White Screech—or at least, Eliza would trust it had been. She'd slept for a while a couple of times. Going about her routine had so much more of a disconnect to it when she had to blindly navigate her way to the bathroom, try to remember the layout of her own ship when she got turned around, and try to stand on her own two feet when everyone else was trying to help her. Granted, she got why, and accepted it at times. She just knew she couldn't be entirely babied for this.
Thankfully, she was adjusting. Her psionic blindsight had advanced to the point where people with psionics had clear outlines, and now she could see psionics sort of "bouncing" off of things. Almost like a form of echolocation, and she was beginning to treat it as such; she'd use her cane a majority of the time, but when she was looking for an item or just wasn't sure where she was, she'd send out a short burst of her psionics, letting her get a feel for her environment.
She was still largely deaf, of course. Largely. She'd learned that there was noise to other's signatures. When she saw Jax, it was a background of rolling thunder, a constant rumble that filled her ears with white noise. Fal-Mai was wind, howling over an empty prairie, the grasses whispering as they swayed.
As she walked with Mordenna, his were slightly hard to hear—but it was frost. The popping of wood freezing to its core, the crunch of footsteps through icy leaves. She let herself get lost in hearing it as she held his hand, letting him guide her to their destination. She wanted to focus on anything but where she was going right now. She had been able to approach it from a place of detached duty before... but as the time drew closer, fear was beginning to take over. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to become the very thing that haunted her nightmares ever since Mordenna brought her existence up. But she had to. For the sake of everyone else... and for her own sake.
She wanted to see her soldiers. Wanted to hear her lovers' voices. Wanted to feel the warmth of her children in her hands.
They eventually reached the door that she knew used to belong to the Chosen Holding Cells. She watched as Mordenna knocked on the door, his psionics casting a dim glow on everything around him. It opened, and the room beyond was bright—which made sense, as she could "see" Argus in there. They walked in, and Eliza got a blind look at the room. There was an operating table in the middle of the room that assuredly had her name on it, and a few other facilities around. Notably, it looked like a portion of the room had been walled off and had another door leading to it—her living quarters, perhaps. Other machinery neatly lined the room.
This was it. This was her new server room, wasn't it? How many nightmares would she have about the phantoms of this place? How long would they have to keep her on her back? She squeezed Mordenna's hand for comfort, and he squeezed it right back. Argus stepped forward, and she could see Ossio emerge. The Revenant placed a hand on her shoulder, then Mordenna's. With that, her mind opened, and she got the feeling they were in a three-way conversation. Mordenna was the first to speak. "Is everything ready?"
"We have everything prepared for each stage of the process," Argus replied. She could see a few other people in the room—what looked like the outlines of Tygan and Sherry, and a figure that was holding their own mote of psionics. It was likely Samhien. "It's just the process itself that is left." They turned their gaze to Eliza hesitantly. "... Eliza?"
She got the distinct feeling they wanted to ask if she was ready, but knew what her answer was going to be. Eliza wasn't really ready, and she didn't think she'd ever be. But this was the reality of the situation she had to deal with. "... I'm as ready as it gets," she replied after a moment of mental silence. "I'll scream. I'll tell you to stop. I'll probably go catatonic at times. Do not stop, not until it is done."
"The process won't be that painful..."
"It's not about the physical pain." Eliza looked Argus right in the eye. "This was my Sword of Damocles, Argus. Before, it seemed like I would never have to get cut by it. But now? I have to throw my neck on the blade. I've had nightmares about the Siren. I've had nightmares about you. And I am saying that, no matter how I plead, you are to finish the process. Don't make this any harder than it has to be on me and hesitate."
Argus was stunned into silence, the violin of their signature quieting. Seeing that they didn't have anything to say at that, Mordenna turned to her, kneeled, and brought her into a hug. "I'll be dropping by whenever I can," he started, voice soft and seemingly only directed at her. "So will everyone else. The soldiers want to leave you stuff in support, so when your new eyes come in... look for that. I love you, Liz. More than anything in the whole universe. You can make it through this."
Eliza hugged him back, putting all of her non-enhanced strength into it. "I love you too. I'll make it through this, whether I like it or not. Give all my other partners my love."
Mordenna squeezed her, then backed off from the hug, standing. She could see him saying something to the people behind her, then nodding. He directed a quick thought at Argus, who similarly nodded. Then, Mordenna slowly left the room, he and Eliza sharing a last glance as he departed.
Eliza looked back to Argus, the operating table, and the four-armed Chosen reappearing one more time, disappearing from her blind sight as soon as she came.
God help her.
