Took a month long break, not writing anything besides a few personal Facebook posts, and my gosh I needed it. I went on vacation a couple weeks ago and wrote 2 chapters in five days, one for Tenga's Tower, and this one. for the first time in a while, it was fun. Hoping that will lead to more productivity in the future... oh, I also bought a new gaming computer so I might be able to play modern games now... and my modded to all heck games of XCOM 2. More material for the first time months, when it gets here that is.

And now, to the tail end of a recap.

"And that's about when we came here." Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "You know the rest."

Yang crossed her arms and shook her head. "Nowhere near all of it but let's roll with it." She glanced at Ruby. "So, everybody we know that's with XCOM… is not the person we know."

"Multiverse theory." Ruby nodded. "Not a theory anymore. Then again, we already knew that, didn't we?"

"Yeah. Tenga's tower had some weird stuff in it. I just never expected to meet you from a different Remnant." Yang fully faced Ruby. "You said, you swore, that I was not your sister, that I wouldn't let anyone touch my hair." She grabbed the silver strip and pulled it forward. "You talking about this? Halcyon… didn't get killed?" She sounded oddly hopeful there.

"If only," Nalia said. Yang craned her head to look over her sister and at the Viper. "Silia's dragon killed him over Urû'baen. Weiss made the final blow-"

"-And Penny's dad brought him back. Yeah. That part's at least the same. What else is different? Don't tell me I straighten all this."

"Again, that's too easy." Ruby shook her head. "When Kialandí came, he stabbed you in the chest to paralyze you." Yang sucked air through her teeth and winced. "Halcyon healed you and saved your life and turned half your hair the same gold as his scales. He managed to do the same thing later and it was fully gold."

"Oof." Yang looked up and down her hair. "Well, if it's Halcyon, I suppose it wouldn't be too bad." She paused. "You still get your bionics there?"

Ruby blinked then brought her bionic arm in front of her face. "You mean I still had everything that long?" She laughed without mirth. "I'd probably be a lot better put together if it happened so late." She caught the look Yang gave her and turned her head away. "The Nevermores practically blew me up as we were escaping the North Sanus Mountains. Aaron saved my life but not the right side of my body."

Yang growled. "As if I didn't have enough reason to hate those bastards." She shook her head. "Where I come from, Kialandí did that to you. Seithr Oil on the blade. It took Velvet nearly a month of Grimm killing to get it all off."

Ruby winced this time. She hadn't had the misfortune to run into the stuff yet, but she'd heard stories from elves and the Eldunarí. It didn't sound like fun. "Yikes." She clenched her metal fist. "At least we probably have similar technical skills with this stuff. I won't be talking over your head." She lowered her hand and caught a glint of something on Yang's left hand. She blinked and for the first time she noticed a golden wedding ring with a deep blue sapphire as the gemstone. Ruby smiled at her 'sister.' "Another thing that's different, you aren't married where I'm from." Yang's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened like this was the most surprising thing she'd heard all day.

Nalia leaned forward and stared at the ring. She hummed at it then looked at Yang's face. "I don't recognize the color, but that looks too specific to be from a store in Vale. You married a Rider, yes?"

"Yes!" Yang practically shouted. "I'm still single where you two are from?"

Ruby nodded. "Something about taking care of me since I was an absolute wreck, Halcyon being enough, and so many of the younger Riders, elves, and other humans seeing only their boss or… other things." She gestured an elbow at Yang's chest.

Yang looked down at herself and scoffed. "Of course… men are the same everywhere." A little smirk formed on her lips. "Then you find the rare one who isn't like that."

"Who is it?" Nalia purred.

Yang sighed. "I can't believe I'm not married to Brom where you're from. I can't imagine it any other way."

"What?" Ruby straightened.

Nalia chirped and almost fell off the side of the trailer. "The Brom that Aaron and I knew before the Fall?"

"The same one." Yang looked between Ruby and Nalia. "Why are you acting so surprised?"

"Because Brom is no fun at all!" Ruby threw her hands up in the air. "You're one of the funnest people I know. I get opposites attract, but at least Ren enjoys Nora's energy. Brom… I can't think of a time he even laughed around me."

"Did Saphira survive the Fall?" Nalia asked. "He was a little bit of a troublemaker back then."

"Oohhhhh." Yang nodded. "She was an Eldunarí in the original Vault of Souls. If he acted like he did back when we first met him in Surda, not a chance. But after we brought Saphira, well, his Saphira to Ellesméra, he changed completely. He's not a troublemaker by any means, but he's not nearly as strict as he once was." Yang smiled. "The look on his face when the spell lifted and he felt Saphira again for the first time… I'll never forget it."

Ruby blinked off her shock and gave her sister a real smile. "I'm glad you found someone."

"Thanks, sis." Yang pat Ruby on the back twice then stared at her little sister's hair. Her eyes narrowed then bulged. "How long did you say you were here?"

"A couple months." Ruby shrugged. "It's been a while."

Yang locked eyes with Ruby then rested her hands on her sister's shoulders. "How long did it take for my silver stripe to change?" Nalia made a squeak of surprise.

Ruby looked over her shoulder at the Viper. Nalia sat as tall as she could while still sitting. The sides of her head were so high they almost curved upward. A quiet purr burst from her throat. Ruby quirked her face and looked back at Yang. "A couple weeks. What does that…" She blinked several times and her mouth dropped open as she thought she got what Yang was saying.

"You've been separated for months. I and several other Riders were only separated for a few weeks before it started changing for us." Yang squeezed Ruby's shoulders. "If Cerise was really dead, your hair would be changing. You don't have nearly as much as you used to, but I don't see anything that's not as it should be."

Ruby let a small gasp leave her mouth. She let her head fall and she leaned into her sister. Yang wrapped her arms around Ruby and pulled her close. Why hadn't Ruby thought of that? All she needed to do was look in a mirror. It was written in her hair. "She's alive… She's alive…"

"Yes, she is." Yang peeled Ruby off her and looked her little sister in the eyes. "We will find her. Even if we have to kill all aliens and ADVENT on the planet or follow them back to their own. You and Cerise will be back together again. I will never stop looking until we find her."

"Thank you." Ruby sniffed and ran an arm over her eyes to dry them. "But… where's Halcyon?"

Yang grimaced and took her hands back. "He's… gathering intel." She looked at the road passing by beneath them. "Something hit me as I ran out of the facility they brought me to and I dropped his case. He told me to leave him behind to spy on them." She shook her head. "Idiot hero. I'm going to strap him to my back and never let him leave."

"Trust me, I know the feeling."

The comms in their ears chirped to life. "Eyes up, people," the Commander said. "You're approaching Wolverine Camp. The Camp's commander has been informed of your approach and that you have a Viper with you. Still, keep your guard up. We don't want a repeat of Plymouth."

"I guess we're on." Ruby pulled her legs up and onto the trailer and stood up. She picked up her sniper from where it lay by the tank. As she did that, she stared at the tank. It had taken heavy damage. She hadn't gotten a good look at it before it rolled onto the trailer but she thought it had much more than cosmetic damage. While she'd never worked on this kind of tank, or even the version Vale had that looked incredibly similar, she knew she could figure it out. Most other mechanics couldn't.

Ruby keyed her comms. "Shadeslayer to Avenger, I've got an idea that you won't like." She took the silence as permission to continue. "Though its usefulness is questionable at best, these people went through hell to get this tank. Someone's got to try to get this thing running and shooting again. If that's not possible, someone who knows tech should be around to know what can be salvaged or just melted down." She felt the air heat up behind her. Yang was going to let her have it.

"And you think you can do it?" the Commander asked. "You said you built fighter jets before. That doesn't mean you can work with tanks."

"I've taken old fire trucks and turned them into tanks and I have plans for new ones back home that I drew up right before I came here. I can work this easy."

More silence came over the comms. "Wolverine camp promised us a combat medic for our assistance but they have asked for more time so she can train up her replacements. You have until we come back for her to do what you can to that tank, then you're on the Skyranger back here."

"Copy that, Avenger. I'll do what I can to get that thing operational again. Shadeslayer out." Ruby turned to face her sister. Yang clenched her fists as she glared at Ruby. "I know what you're thinking-"

"That you staying here alone is a terrible idea?" Yang scoffed. "I'm staying."

Ruby blinked. "Okay, I don't know what you're thinking, but no, you're not. You need to get on the Skyranger and tell the Commander and Central everything you know about MOCX." She glanced at Nalia. "You really can't stay. Make sure Yang gets on the transport." The sides of Nalia's head drooped as she looked between the two sisters.

"I'm not leaving." Yang's eyes flashed red for a second. "I've seen how bad you get when you don't have Cerise by your side. I don't want to know how bad you'll be with no one."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "I survived just fine until we found Nalia. I'm not a child anymore, Yang. You don't need to coddle me anymore."

"Since when is this coddling? And since when do you refuse it? Think about it. If something sets you off, no one will be there for damage control. Who knows what-" Nalia grabbed Yang's right arm and whimpered. Yang whipped her head around to face the Viper. Nalia shook her head. After a few seconds of staring, Yang shook her head and drew her own weapon. She stared out into the forest that the truck and trailer drove through. Ruby nodded at the Viper and received nothing in return.

Ruby stepped to her sister's side. Old buildings started appearing through the trees until they were riding through a suburban area. Many more cars lay abandoned on the road with few appearing fully intact. The buildings by the road weren't in much better shape. This place wasn't in nearly as much disrepair as Mountain Glen, but it gave off that same eerie feeling.

A little later the truck pulled off the highway and into a primarily residential area. A few turns later the truck approached a gate made out of salvaged metal. Nalia ducked her head and hid behind the truck's cab. The sisters stood on either side of the Viper shielding her from view. The locals and Sall exchanged a few words before the gate opened. The truck lumbered through the gate into the camp. The few guards on the wall stared at the tank but none appeared to notice the Viper hiding between it and the cab.

Soon after the gate closed, the truck pulled into a garage and the engine spun down. The local Resistance fighters dismounted the tank and trailer, taking their wounded with them. Ruby looked around the garage. It looked like a combination storage facility/machine shop in one. Not a unique combination but an efficient one. There were also a few posters of her hung up in several places. PR must have gotten more of those out than just Plymouth.

"Menace, listen up!" Sall called. Ruby turned her head to the mission leader. The man now stood beside the trailer between the cab and tank. "Our job is done here. Firebrand's going to set down in the intersection just north of here and take us and the newbie out." He focused his eyes on Ruby. "Before the rest of us leave, I'm going to introduce you to the camp's leader. You're staying here for a while. It's only proper." He shifted his gaze to Nalia. "Keep your head down. We don't need you getting shot again."

Nalia snorted. "As if I would let them do that again." She hissed as she poked at the translation button on her head. "That was way too loud."

"Learn your ABCs and you won't have to worry about it anymore." Ruby jumped off the trailer and followed Sall out of the garage. She heard Yang and Nalia do the same behind her.

Ruby stepped out of the garage and into a small crowd. Resistance soldiers she hadn't seen before spoke with the survivors of the mission. A few of them looked her way and did a double take, then their conversations started up again, only sounding more animated.

"Viper!" someone else yelled. Weapons were drawn all around, though not nearly as many as Ruby expected. Still, Ruby put herself in between the crowd and her husband's dragon and grabbed the hilt of her sword. Yang did the same right next to her.

"Weapons down!" one of the locals yelled, shoving down someone's assault rifle. "This one's with them!" The yelling continued for a while, only growing more intense. While it was increasingly hostile, very few had their weapons trained on Nalia anymore.

"What is going on here?" a single woman's voice came over the crowd. All the locals fell silent.

Ruby blinked and glanced at her sister. Yang's eyes were just as wide. Nalia's head was cocked. "Did you hear…" Ruby didn't finish the question. Yang and Nalia nodded just the same.

The crowd parted and a single woman, a little on the shorter side stepped through. Her jet-black hair was up in a ponytail. She wore a black t-shirt under a black tactical vest. Worn jeans covered her legs. A modified Atlesian assault rifle hung on her back, one that had Ruby's hands all over it. The woman's emblem was three white chain links with the center one broken inside a black vertical hexagon. Ruby had to fight to keep her jaw up as she stared into her sister in law's eyes.

Viki's eyes lit up when her eyes met Ruby's yet that was the only change in her. "If the posters are right, you are Ruby 'Shadeslayer' Rose, right?"

Ruby stood there for a second before nodding. She saw a few more of the posters on the buildings across the street as well. It looked like someone was trying to get Ruby's name out there. "Yes, I am."

"What does that even mean?" the man who tried to play peacekeeper demanded.

"She slew a Shade, Captain." Viki said simply. She looked past Ruby at the Viper. "Though I am wondering why you brought an alien into my camp."

My camp? Ruby thought, unable to process it. That was different.

Sall coughed into a fist. "Sergeant Rose, this is Viki Benson, codename 'Chain-break.' She took charge of Wolverine camp shortly before we found you."

Ruby nodded and gestured at Nalia. "Viki, this is Sisar-Nalia-sis." Viki blinked at the stressed name inside the name. "She is with us. It looks like the Elders' mind control isn't as strong as they believe."

Viki stepped forward, causing many of her people to gasp. She ignored them and only stopped when she was face to face with the Viper. "Are you really?" Viki whispered, none of her previous hardness in her voice. Nalia didn't move, but Viki's shoulders dropped a fraction and her eyes lit up again. The woman nodded and turned to the crowd. "Anyone who hurts this Viper or any alien that fights with XCOM or any forces on our side will be treated as if they hurt me. Is that understood?" There was a chorus of 'Yes ma'am!" and 'Yes Sir!' "Good. Now get back to work, all of you. Make sure our people weren't followed." Everyone with weapons jogged out in various directions while others dispersed throughout the camp.

Viki turned to face Sall. "I am sorry about your reception. I tried to let my people know about your arrival but evidently the word did not reach everyone." She paused. "Or they are unhappy with our allies hosting aliens."

"No shots were fired, so no harm done," Sall waved Viki off. "You can't blame them."

"No, I suppose not." Viki held out a hand to where the Skyranger was just setting down. "You will be safe returning to your transport. None of my people will hurt you."

"I should hope so." Sall looked over his shoulder. "Menace, move out!" He turned his gaze to Ruby. "Watch your back. They may not be happy with you."

"I'll manage." Ruby nodded at Viki. "I think I won't have a problem here."

Sall nodded as well. "Even so, be careful." He followed most of the rest of Menace, leaving Ruby with her family.

Viki finally smiled and relaxed in their presence, finally looking like herself. "It is good to see you all again."

"You too, sis." Yang raised her arms like she was going for a hug but stopped herself short. "I take it you want to keep our relationship under wraps for now?"

"For now. I would love to claim you all, but they hardly believe what I can do, much less what you can." Viki's smile fell as she looked at Nalia. "Especially with you." Nalia hummed and the sides of her head raised. Whatever she said got Viki to smile again. She looked past the group and she scowled. "Forgive me, sisters, I must speak with the jar heads that thought stealing a tank was a good idea." She marched past the others without another work.

Ruby and Yang locked eyes. "What alternate timeline turned Viki into that?" Yang asked.

"I am curious and terrified." Ruby glanced at Viki then back at Yang. "Feel better about leaving me alone now?"

Yang nodded. "A little." She gave Ruby a look. "But when you get back to the Avenger, we are going to have a long talk."

"I'm looking forward to it." Ruby backed away. "See you back there." She turned around and walked back toward the tank. On the ground beside it, Viki was tearing into the three people crewing the vehicle. The way she yelled at them, she sounded like a drill sergeant. Without the swearing and other colorful language anyway. In no universe could Ruby imagine Viki using that kind of language. After a few minutes of verbal grilling, the three soldiers marched away in perfect sync. Ruby could imagine seeing them holding their tails between their legs.

"That was fun to watch," Ruby said as she walked to Viki's side. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Viki shrugged. "Vale Civilian Defenders. I took what my unit commander said to heart."

Ruby raised her eyebrows. "I guess that makes sense."

Viki cocked her head. "You sound surprised. You're the one that suggested I…" she trailed off and her shoulders slumped. "You're not the Ruby I know, are you?"

"Yeah." Ruby's jaw dropped. "You have someone else here?"

"Our Chief Medical officer, well, our soon to be former Chief Medical Officer. She claims to know me and so many in the Riders' command, but I have no memory of her."

"So, not Velvet."

Viki nodded. "Not Velvet. Her name is Dahlia Bloodmoon. Does it sound familiar?"

"I've met a lot of people, but her name is not familiar."

"Hmmm…" Viki looked out of the garage then back at Ruby. She gently grabbed her sister in law's hands as her eyes grew sad. "You should go see her. Nalia told me about the machine in your head. Maybe Dahlia can help."

Ruby grimaced and pulled her hands away. "Invidia and a high-tech alien on the Avenger can't make heads or tails of it. What makes your person any better?"

"Another point of view may make the difference. You've told me that more than once."

Ruby looked away. She wanted to fight but she never yelled at Viki and she didn't want to start now. "Okay. I will."

"Thank you." Viki let go of Ruby's hands. "Now, tell me what you can do with this hunk of junk my people brought in."

Ruby took a deep breath then faced the tank. That she could do. "Big things right now, I'll need to replace a lot of the armor plating. You can see why. Many of the guide wheels need to be realigned or replaced. Some of the treads themselves will probably have to be replaced as well. That's what I know for sure. I saw the turret rotate once so that at least isn't in terrible shape. But the only gun I heard fire on that thing was the one mounted up top. Don't know if that's because of ammo or problems with the guns themselves. At least I don't see or smell anything leaking, but I'm still going to want to check all the wires and pipes to be sure."

Viki nodded. "You will have my best mechanics to work with you on this… but now I insist you go to our doctor. It will take time for my mechanics to come. We recently stole one of ADVENT's power packs and they're working on installing it on one of our technicals."

"If you insist." Ruby gestured to the garage door. "Lead the way." Viki took the suggestion and left the garage first. Outside, Ruby saw a few more XCOM branded propaganda posters, most with her face on it. "I don't know whether I should be honored or creeped out with all these." She gestured at one as she passed it.

"To be honest, you have the friendliest face out of all the soldiers XCOM has sent." Viki looked over her shoulder at Ruby. "And once I saw you, I had this many printed because if one of my people saw you in the field, they would bring you here." She paused and looked away. Her head sunk a little bit. "I… was kind of hoping you could take over for me here."

"Take over? I'm with XCOM. I go where I'm needed."

"If you are needed here in the long term?" Viki faced Ruby again. "What if I'm not doing enough here? What if I'm the problem? I own a bakery in one of the safest parts of Vale. You have experience in this kind of leadership. You are much more qualified to lead these people than I am."

Ruby sighed. This was the Viki she knew. Confident until she compared herself to her super famous and powerful family. "I'm not sure about that." Ruby gestured back toward where the crowd once gathered. "It takes a special person to silence an angry mob like that. Those people who used to be soldiers respect you. They wouldn't have taken that grilling otherwise."

Viki dipped her head. "You really think so?"

"Like you said, I ran a Huntsman Organization for years. I know how those kinds of people think." Ruby looked down the road they walked. A clinic sat on the other side of the street, which aside from a camouflage tarp over it, looked like it was built within the year using modern equipment, not scraps. Ruby cocked her head. "This place wouldn't look out of place on Patch. You've got a good construction crew here."

"This place was refurbished by Dahlia alone before I got here over a year ago. She said something about people not trusting a run-down hospital or clinic. She's tried helping with other buildings and, well…" Viki pointed at a pile of burnt rubble three buildings down. "That would have been our food storehouse. I don't know how she managed it"

"Sure sounds like she's from Remnant." Ruby and Viki walked into the building together. A man sat behind the desk in a lobby that looked just as nice as the outside. Yet another poster of Ruby was hung behind the receptionist. "Hello? I'm here to see Dahlia?"

The receptionist looked up with a bored expression. "Doctor Bloodmoon is currently in surgery. You'll have to…" He blinked as he straightened in his chair. He looked over his shoulder at the poster then back at Ruby. "You're… My apologies. Doctor Bloodmoon is eager to meet you. But as I… rudely said, she's performing surgery on one of our wounded soldiers. I'll take you to her office. You can wait for her there."

"Thank you." Ruby turned to Viki. "Do you need anything else from me?"

Viki shook her head. "Not now. I will prepare a place for you to stay while you are with us." She turned around and left the clinic.

The receptionist led Ruby deeper into the clinic to a small office. He left her there and returned to his desk. Now with some free time, Ruby set her laser sniper on the floor and started disassembling it. She needed to figure out why the heck there was any recoil on the gun. It didn't take her long to find it. For whatever reason, Shen thought it was necessary for the inducer to slam backward for the shot to form. That needed to be changed… or toggleable and cranked up for the recoil she used so much on her ballistic weapons.

After an hour or so, and three tear down and reassemblies later, the door to the office opened. Ruby looked up from her polishing at the newcomer. Dahlia, she assumed, wore a red shirt under a pristine white lab coat. A pair of brown grizzly bear ears stuck out of brown hair. The rest of her hair was up in a ponytail. She stared at the clipboard in her hands over circle rimmed glasses. "Victor told me I had a patient waiting in here. What is the reason for your-" Dahlia looked up and locked eyes with Ruby. She straightened so fast her feet almost left the floor. "Ruby!" She dropped her clipboard and yanked Ruby out of her chair and into a hard hug. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Ugh… yeah… Breathe…" Dahlia let Ruby go. The Rider stepped back and took a few breaths. "Not even Yang hugged me that much."

"Yang's here too?" Dahlia sounded even more excited.

"Not here, here. She's flying back to the Avenger." Ruby stared at Dahlia. "Do we know you?"

Dahlia's smile vaporized. "Not you too… I helped Velvet build the first hospital in Mor'ranar Vera? I took over your bionics production after you had to step down? My mom made your first bionic limbs and led both of the surgeries needed for them?"

Ruby shook her head after each one. "Sorry. Multiverse theory isn't much of a theory anymore. It's a fact."

Dahlia sighed. "As if this world couldn't get more complicated." She smiled at Ruby. "Just know where we're from, we're good friends and we have each other's backs no matter what."

"Good to know."

"Now," Dahlia sat behind her desk, "what brings you here if you didn't know me before today?"

"Unlike a lot of people, apparently, ADVENT managed to capture me. They put something in my head that cuts off my Aura and magic… and my link to Cerise."

Dahlia shot out of her chair, a look of horror on her face. "You should have started with that!" She marched around her desk, grabbed Ruby's bionic arm, and dragged her out of the room. "I am going to look at that, remove it, and get you back to full strength."

"Whoa! Dahlia I can walk myself." Ruby tried to pull away but Dahlia held tight.

"Not fast enough." Dahlia pushed into an examination room and practically threw Ruby onto a table.

"Are you always this rough with your patients?"

"Only my friends or when it's urgent. You're both." Dahlia put on a mechanical gauntlet. It glowed blue and two small drones popped out. "You are going to stay right there and let me use these to scan you." She pulled a piece of medical equipment from the wall as the two drones hovered over Ruby. A blue beam came out each drone and swept over the patient's body. Dahlia positioned her device over Ruby's head and slowly ran it down her body.

"Where'd you get all this stuff? It's almost the apocalypse out there."

"I built a good chunk of it," Dahlia said as she slid the device back into the wall. "The rest we salvaged from Ann Arbor, Detroit, or smuggled out of Toronto." She sat down beside a fridge and opened it. She pulled out a couple bottles. As she closed the door, it sounded like something shrieked inside. "You still like strawberry soda, right?"

"Yeah." Ruby pushed her torso off the bed. "What was that sound."

Dahlia glanced at the fridge. "The thing needs some DW… WD-40." She shook her head. "They have a lot of things here that are just a little off of home." Something beeped and she stood up again. "There. Your results are in. Come on over." The doctor tapped some keys at her computer.

Ruby blinked at the fridge. She swore she heard a Sectoid shriek like that before. It was probably a defense system to scare people away. She got off the bed and walked to Dahlia's side. The doctor handed over a bottle of strawberry 'Fanta.' Ruby stared at the as yet empty screen as she opened her drink.

A window with an X-ray looking image appeared on screen. "Okay, let's see what I… can…" Dahlia blinked as she trailed off. Her smile turned into a look of confusion. "Uh, what?" She glanced at Ruby. "How…" The doctor stared at the screen and threw a sideways glance at Ruby. The two mini drones appeared over Ruby's head and started scanning her. Dahlia took a step away from Ruby and toward a pair of wicked looking saws with guns attached. Ruby stiffened. What the heck was going on?

The computer beeped and both women stared at the screen. A series of waves appeared and Dahlia relaxed. "I am simultaneously comforted and even more confused."

"What's wrong with me?" Ruby asked, not relaxing at all.

"According to this," Dahlia pointed at the screen with the X-ray, "you should be dead."

Ruby blinked. "Can you explain?"

"ADVENT tech is roughly on the same level as ours. Of course, there's the natural variance of technology between worlds… that's something I never thought I'd say… but I can identify most of their stuff. Some of the Skirmishers we've been in contact with have let me examine some of the Biotech ADVENT put in them. But this thing, I've never seen anything like it." Dahlia pointed at the base of Ruby's brain. "Without getting too technical, this amount of interference would have at least paralyzed you. The stuff in your brain itself, I don't know how you, anyone, can survive that removal." She pointed at the waves. "Unless you're a really convincing fake, you are Ruby."

Ruby slumped her shoulders. That was a worse prognosis than she got from Tygan and Invidia. "I take it you can't remove it then? Or at least shut it down."

"Not until I know every nanometer of this thing." Dahlia scratched her head. "I'll have to see if I can get back in touch with the Skirmishers. They'll at least know how to get the info."

Ruby sighed. "Thanks anyway." She turned away. "I suppose I should get to that tank." She didn't make it two steps before Dahlia grabbed her right arm. Ruby glanced back at her. "What?"

"I don't care how long it takes," Dahlia stated in the Ancient Language, "I will find a way to disable that thing."

That was a little more comforting. "Invidia promised the same thing."

"Glad I'll get to work with her again." Dahlia waved her hands at Ruby in a shooing motion. "Go on. Go work on your instrument of death. I'll work on trying to fix you."

"Got it." Ruby turned to leave the room again but paused halfway. "Viki said you were here before she was. What did she do to get all the respect I've seen out there?"

Dahlia laughed. "I'm having a hard time believing it myself. We were attacked by ADVENT and they had these purple and orange creepy crawly things. I'd rather face a horde of either Grimm or Yoma than one of those things. Anyway, she took down a half dozen of the things with her rifle and one of their own claws." She shook her head. "The Viki I knew would only hurt mosquitos. Wonder what happened there?"

Ruby blinked. "That's different. I might have to ask her. See you later." She left the room and walked to the clinic's exit. Did this day have any more surprises? Also, what the heck is a Yoma?

More people! More friends! There's an explanation for all this, I'm not (completely) picking and choosing. Thank you to rsclaymore for Dahlia and so many other things from her version of Remnant, and for also serving as my beta reader for some time.