X-Com: Abyssal
Chapter Four – Angel of Death
"Sirius, Cult of
The sect known as the Cult of Sirius most likely traces its origins back to the middle of the First Alien War, as several groups started to hail either the Sectoid Hierarchy or the Starspawn or both as the saviors of mankind. In the aftermath of the mission to Cydonia that brought Earth's victory, these groups quickly disappeared out of open sight as all information regarding the aliens and their intentions were revealed to the public. However it now seems clear that they remained active, although they tried to conceal their activities as much as possible during that period.
The formation of the Cult and other similar, but much smaller sects, is nothing more than the reappearance of a basic characteristic present on the human psyche and culture. Since the spark of intelligence started to gleam inside the brains of our ancestors, the Homo sapiens species always had a fascination with the skies. From the first civilizations to nowadays the skies and space have been associated to be the home of the gods. It's not clear why the Cult chose to name itself after one of the closer stars to Earth and not to Zeta Reticuli, which is supposedly the Sectoids home. However the star Sirius was the heavenly body chosen by the ancient Egyptians to represent one of the major figures on their mythology: Horus, the man-falcon that brings justice. Taking into regard the similarities between the pyramids on the Gizeh plateau on Egypt and the pyramidal structures found on the alien base at Mars it's likely that the Cult's choice of Sirius wasn't random but instead a way to vindicate their claims using human History.
The Cult only started to move into the open in 2027, with the opening of the Church of the Starspawn in Atlanta. Although there was a public reaction against them in the form of public rallies and media outcries, the sect's membership quickly swelled and their missionary spirit expanded their presence throughout the planet.
One reason pointed for this phenomenon was the general breakdown of society and massive public discredit on the world's governments in the 20's and 30's as Earth's problems worsened. Today this opinion still persists, that mankind saved itself from the alien menace on the first war to only find itself threatened by its own follies and errors.
The Cult's leadership has been most able to take full advantage of that idea, allowing it to expand its activities. One of the most notorious actions it undertook was probably the launch of the deep-space probes in the 2030s aimed into contacting the aliens and asking for them to come back and help solving Earth's problems. Mankind is unworthy, the Cult proclaims and only the Sectoid Hierarchy can bring us salvation".
- X-Com's UFOPedia
September 29th, 2044
Church of the Starspawn, Moscow, Eurasia
Every time Brother Xhin stepped into the cathedral that served as the Cult of Sirius main worshipping center in the territory of the former Russian Federation and the countries nearby it he couldn't stop to feel awe at the building. The once Christian temple had been built centuries ago and had suffered decades of neglect when the Soviet authorities had taken control of the building in the twentieth century. After the fall of the Soviet Union the Orthodox Catholic Church didn't had resources to buy it from the Russian authorities and it had remained in an abandoned state. Seven years ago the Cult had bought it at a hefty price from the Eurasian state in spite of the opposition thrown at the deal by the Orthodox Patriarch. However the general public support given to the followers of Sirius and the doubling of the original offer had quickly convinced the authorities to accept the deal.
As Xhin walked on the marble floor he looked in admiration at the fine sculptured ceiling, which stood suspended on carved arches. The old Christian altar had been replaced by a representation of the Starspawn, with a ten-foot Sectoid statue carved in gray marble towering over the now empty gathering area. Smaller chapels surrounded the central nave, each one displaying alien relics that had been gathered over the years. During the days when the cathedral was open, the followers would gather by those alcoves and worship the last remains of God's appearance on Earth. Now they were empty since the building had been closed for the meeting of the synod that ruled Cult of Sirius. The sect had taken its name from one of the stars closest to Earth and it reminded its followers of how close they were to the aliens.
A figure also dressed like Xhin stepped close to him as he stood admiring the restored frescoes displaying images of Sectoids landing on Earth with their UFOs and greeting humans. Xhin smiled at the man, which was taller than him and larger, with the gray tunic failing to hide the obvious fat of his belly. Xhin had been born in central Asia and his skin tone was dark and his eyes slightly slanted, making his appearance similar to the Sectoids. The other man had a bland and red face and light eyes and he acknowledged him with a warm expression. "Brother Vassilev, might you be touched by the Starspawn".
"Thank you brother Xhin. I welcome you to this humble temple".
"It's always a pleasure to return here, brother". And indeed it is.
"I heard you just come from Australasia. How are our brothers and sisters faring there?"
"So far the situation has been peaceful after they decided to leave X-Com. Our churches are on high alert but I'm confident that they will not be disturbed".
"Very good". His voice showed satisfaction and after he suddenly opened his eyes but Xhin sensed that it wasn't because of any threat. "Have you heard of our latest acquisition brother?" Hiss voice showed excitement and Xhin looked at the chapels trying to see if there was any change from the last time he had been here. Failing to found one, he looked back to Vassilev, who smiled and led him through the side corridor that gave access to the alcoves. It was only when the reached the last one that Xhin realized that he couldn't see it because of its hidden location.
The exterior of the cryogenic chamber had been covered by alien writing but in the front a reinforced glass wall revealed what was contained inside the machine. A Sectoid stood elevated three feet from the floor with his eyelids open, revealing the black eyes. As Xhin contemplated the small thin figure he wondered if it was still alive and frozen. However he quickly noticed that its skin showed signs at the abdomen and legs that someone had sewn and repaired it for aesthetic reasons. "We recovered it from the vicinity of a vessel that crashed in the Siberian tundra. The infidels took it away but He was found frozen under a layer of ice by a prospecting team last week. He probably was injured by the crash and walked away from the vessel before dying and being covered by falling snow. We were lucky one of our followers was present when they made the discovery".
"Impressive. If only He could be still alive". Pity crossed Vassilev' face as he heard Xhin's regret. "If we hadn't lost the secrets of duplicating life of the Starspawn we could use His tissue to grow another being".
"Still, you have recovered a treasure Vassilev. With the dedication I've seen at this church and in other parts of the country it's no wonder how you've managed to swell our numbers by the millions here".
"The Elerium fire will clean us all. We are the keepers. The Starspawn will return". Xhin recognized the quote but it made him to swift uneasily because it reminded him of the matters he was here to discuss with the rest of the synod.
"You are troubled brother". Vassilev didn't possess psi abilities like Xhin had but underneath his fat image Xhin knew that he had an extremely acute perception. "I'm still not comfortable with the matters that will brought upon the synod to decide. We have been either postponing this for too long".
"The 'soiled' issue". Xhin nodded to Vassilev. When the existence of the aquatic aliens had been confirmed, the Cult's official position had been of considering them 'soiled' by the influence that Earth and mankind had exerted upon them for decades. They were not considered to be a part of the Starspawn but instead had been deemed as false gods since they had also failed to reply to any of the Cult's attempts to establish communication with them. As the fighting dragged through the years they had presented the aliens from the original contact to be the true saviors of Earth and attributed the present war to the fact that the aquatic aliens had been influenced by man's destructive behavior. Even the present situation at Australasia had shown them that. The local government had signed a peace treaty with the aliens and the Cult's leadership had been caught completely by surprise. Those infiltration missions had been reported on the Refusal, which was the term used by the Cult to name the first conflict between the aliens and Earth. But so far the aliens had refrained to infiltrate any of Earth's governments until now. Even X-Com had been caught completely unaware by the move.
"If the rumors concerning the 'soiled' are true then we need to re-evaluate our position". One of the most disturbing things that the Cult's leadership had heard was the possibility that the molecular network the aliens were implanting all over the seas could be used to contact the Starspawn. If they were confirmed true, then the synod would have to perform a drastic change of policy concerning the aquatic aliens. But Xhin also smiled for he had started to take steps towards that matter the moment he had heard about the possibility.
Apparently Vassilev missed his inner satisfaction for he simply spoke. "I've always been of the impression that we shouldn't maintain a neutral stance. The reactivation of X-Com has been an insult to the Starspawn and mankind and the ones responsible should be punished like the heretics were when they challenged us. X-Com is an aberration and it represents the worse of mankind. You also know that a number of the heretics took refuge there".
"Brother, we shouldn't get ourselves directly involved into this. We have worked very hard to achieve all of this". He opened his arms to the majesty of the chamber were they were speaking. I agree that X-Com is an abomination, but since we have no contact with the 'soiled' we need to use them to get as much information as we need".
"Use X-Com for what?" Xhin's suggestion made Vassilev nearly recoil as he took off his arms from his tunic.
"Think about brother Vassilev. These new aliens have refused all of our attempts of communication. The few bits of information we are receiving about their intentions or origins are coming from reports of our personnel infiltrated into official agencies. And despite all of our spiritual and temporal power we can't afford to be caught acting in collusion with the 'soiled'. There is already enough dissent on our ranks and we must keep ourselves united for the day of the second coming. X-Com might be weak and hardly a threat with their leaders nothing more than a group of money hungry officers and the majority of the soldiers mercenaries. But they are the ones who can clearly see what is the intentions of the 'soiled'. And there's growing interest on what might be the purpose of the sites that they are activating. We need to know what are their conclusions".
Vassilev still shook his head. "That won't be easy brother. The assassination of their leader has made security tighter. I can agree that we're better off the public light and presenting our message of peace but it will be hard to use X-Com to advance the calling of the Starspawn. I fear that we might be contradicting our faith, our nature".
The slight change on the man's feelings told Xhin that he now was ready to listen to the proposal he had planned on the past weeks. The defection of Australasia and Vassilev's unique position had presented the Cult with a unique opportunity if the rest of the synod could agree to his plan. Looking at the Sectoid figure towering above them, he muttered a prayer of appreciation before revealing his ideas to Vassilev.
We are the keepers. Xhin smiled to himself as he remembered the beginning of that particular mantra. And although Vassilev didn't share his psionic powers he could tell that he would see the wisdom of his ideas and start thinking about the possibilities they opened for exploitation. And he also lacked something else that Xhin had learned by himself regarding the gifted with the sight of psi: they possessed a special lingering for power, a certain urge to control at any costs. Psionics, like power was a drug, something that had to be carefully dosed and used only when strictly necessary if possible. And the reports made by X-Com of soldiers dying of mental stress during the use of Psionics also made a point regarding its dangers. That never ending need to control also gave him another advantage over Vassilev: the other brother would have more trouble foreseeing when his own ambition would prove too great, unlike him. We are the keepers of the keepers. He added mentally.
September 30th, 2044
North Pacific
"Hey Watkins, I heard they've given you pretty good odds for this one". Markovitch paused as her arms were already bringing up her helmet to her head and looked at Renton, who gave her a devilish smile and a wink. Word of her confrontation with Marsden in the shower area had already spread around the base, and most likely someone who was passing by the door had overheard it.
Her mouth moved to form the words to shot back at the verbal jab from the leading seaman, but her own team leader nudged her with his armored elbow in a gesture to remind her that the Triton's automated control system was about to initiate the descent. Of the three leading seamen that assisted Petty Mellow on command of the squad Gutierrez was the quietest one, a short and stocky Cuban that had spend most of his youth on the streets of a slum on the outskirts of old Miami before he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant and joined X-Com to get a steady income to pay for the expenses. He didn't talk much either underwater or above it he was extremely pragmatic about running the team.
His elbow made her to accidentally gaze upon Marsden, who was seated one seat to the left across Renton and was about to place her own helmet. Both women glanced at one another before the black-haired woman turned forwards as Renton kept his diatribe. "Maybe we should start taking odds between both of you and see who manages to get out of this first". Markovitch saw Marsden's eyes flash with anger for a second at the comment from her own team leader but Gutierrez's voice was finally heard. "If you want to drown, fine with me".
"Hey Luis, maybe she was the one who placed a lot of money on her death. After all it's her fourth mission. Most rookies who survived never get past this point and she's only trying to make sure that her coffin is comfy". The newcomer's voice was of Seaman Kern, who along with Fowler composed the rest of her team and was seated in front of Gutierrez, holding a dim yellow gas cannon between his legs. His remarks were sometimes nearly unbearable and arrogant. Moreover his cynicism about the whole war and X-Com in general didn't give Markovitch a favorable impression of him although most soldiers simply ignored him and didn't take seriously at all. "We are going to drop into the 'Trench', one way ticket to us all to the pits of hell. Like Crazy T would say: yuppie!"
Some of the other soldiers onboard the Triton that hadn't also placed their helmets yet either rolled their eyes at Kern's comment or cursed but Markovitch's own helmet was already placed and she couldn't hear them. 'The Trench' was the reference to the underwater canyon that ran alongside the Alaskan coastline, towards the Aleutian Islands on its way to Japan and it reached a depth of more than fifteen thousand feet in some locations. It was actually the fault line that separated the Asian and Pacific tectonic plates and it was highly volcanically active with the area close to Japan being called the "Ring of Fire" due to the number of volcanoes existent there.
But she wasn't interested in such details since she was thinking of both Renton and Marsden. Both had just flooded their helmets and were standing in front of one another with their weapons clutched on their laps, with Renton holding one of the gray gauss rifles while Marsden had been assigned a yellow gas cannon. Somehow she could tell that there was something going on in between both that went besides differences in personality but she couldn't tell what. But the Triton suddenly dropped and the light for deployment turned itself on, forcing her to forget about such thoughts for the matter.
On the bottom, the troopers couldn't see the immense walls that surrounded the trench and climbed straight up until the continental sea shelf since the whole area was surrounded in a sea of darkness. Below the thick high pressure waters white sands rested flat against Earth's crust in one of the places of the planet closest to the liquid rock that formed the mantle. However, despite the proximity to the lava the entire area was extremely cold and the few marine life present had to adjust to an environment where the high pressure would crush any exposed human.
When Markovitch stepped out of the Triton her padded feet didn't raise much sand as it set upon the small ripples that sea currents had carved on the ground. 'Bugeye' had already moved and was using searchlights to guide the troops to the USO as it moved towards the landed alien craft. As she stepped outside more troopers followed right behind her. The ten men squad would advance in a column formation until the USO with the SWP acting as the point soldier. They had no idea of the location of the craft so they would conduct a sweep of the entire area with Renton's team following her own while Petty Mallow and Burton stood between the teams.
The blue shape of Gutierrez's aqua-plastic armor stood against the yellow back of 'Bugeye' as Markovitch eyes turned towards the left. The NCO was guiding the underwater tank while she and Kern covered the right flank while Fowler kept a watch on the left with his hydro jet cannon. They were keeping roughly a thirty feet distance between every trooper to that a grenade tossed by the aliens wouldn't get two fish with the same stone.
Every fifty feet one of the soldiers in the flanks would activate a chemical flare and throw it to give some light to the landscape. The flares worked like the grenades riding on her shoulders: a pin placed near the bottom of the grenade would activate an adjustable timer and would open a small compressed gas chamber. Since it was nearly impossible to throw objects underwater the gas jet would propel the explosive like the rounds on Marsden' gas cannon, with the difference that the only way to point it was the soldier's hand and his brain. The grenade gas jet would work a maximum of five seconds before shutting off. At that point the weight of the explosive and Earth's gravity would make the cap to point down and the chamber would throw a final burst of gas to send the grenade towards the surface. The trick was that the trooper would have to make a quick mental calculation of the angle that was necessary for the grenade to reach its intended location. A low angle quick release of the grenade would carry it the most distance while holding the grenade a while longer with a high angle allowed it to be thrown over obstacles. Unfortunately the strength of the gas jet made it that most soldiers found it difficult to hold the grenade for enough time after it was activated so that it would take its intended route. A weak grip on the grenade most likely would meant that it would be improperly released and would either overshot its intended landing zone or worse, fly straight upwards and land near the unskillful soldier.
But in the case of the chemical flares there wasn't a danger that they would explode. Grabbing another from its belt a strong green light suddenly turned itself on as Markovitch activated it with the glow showing as yellow in the pink atmosphere of her helmet. The cylindrical object flew on the water to the front and right of her, before it finally landed on the sand and immediately attracting the attention of an abyssal fish with large fins and a transparent body which starting swimming towards it. Looking backwards she saw the blue turned to gray figures of the six other aquanauts that were following her team. The corridor of flares that they were deploying would sure get the attention of every alien on the portion of the trench were they had landed but since they were only facing a small alien survey ship it had a minimal alien crew. Previous encounters of the craft had revealed it to only carry four to six aliens in a small vessel that was twenty feet in length, again in an arrow configuration like the Escorts she had taken before.
Sounds a lot easier than the last two ones, doesn't it? She was pace counting the steps that they had taken to calculate the distance covered between the squad and the Triton, which now was barely visible at the back. How wide is this trench anyway? Only the NCOs had an idea of the location of the alien craft on the underwater canyon. She knew that the Triton had landed close to one of the trench's rock walls although she hadn't seen it because of the darkness. When the form of Gutierrez turned towards her she rose her free hand and showed her index finger, followed by the back of her fist. One hundred yards already. You'd better know where you are leading us.
The dry suit she and most of the squad were wearing had a thick insulation layer to protect them from the coldness of the waters and the liquid she was breathing was also warmed to keep them from going into hypothermia. But even then she was constantly flexing her fingers to that they wouldn't go numb due to the glacial temperatures. It reminded her of the conditions on Mars, although there the X-Com soldiers were packed into nicely warmed power suits and the planet's low gravity made it much easier to fight than in the bottom of the ocean where even a single step would be stressful due to the pressure of billions of tons of water above them.
'Bugeye' was keeping a steady pace, digging into the sand with its tracks and leaving a paired trace as it continued its scouting mission. Until all the troopers suddenly heard a high-frequency sound on the seascape, with its echo being reflected by the Trench's walls a moment later.
Scanning with her eyes for the direction of the sniper, Markovitch found it impossible to see the alien that had just resumed its weapon fire at Coelacanth and had scored another hit. The tank had stopped and was trying to determine the location of the alien with its searchlights while the troopers in the squad that possessed heavy weapons had started to fire indiscriminately to the flanks with explosive ammunition. But the black waters kept the alien hidden from the sight of the humans, showing only brief glimpses as the high-explosive shells detonated against the sand or simply disappeared on the depths of the canyon.
Crouching down and looking at the tank to see the direction to which it was pointing Markovitch saw bubbles of a dark liquid flowing out from its main body. The Coelacanth had turned to her opposite side with Gutierrez taken refuge behind the SWS while Fowler had switched the ammunition on his hydro jet cannon into phosphorous rounds and was starting to light up the entire area as the high inflammable material on the shells dispersed and ignited.
Suddenly a black humanoid shape revealed itself over fifty yards away from the squad. It had thick arms and legs, reminding Markovitch of the Mutons she had faced on the previous war but it was shorter than that particular species of aliens. The outline of its head at the distance made it appear that like her it was also wearing some sort of helmet but what caught her attention was the weapon that was carrying on its hand as kept constantly firing it.
A cranking sound followed by the bubbling noise of an air release marked the demise of 'Bugeye' as the alien finally managed to kill the aquatic tank. The reinforced plastic of the SWS's sensor pod shattered into a million pieces as the sonic beam penetrated the hull and broke down the molecular connections of the circuits inside. But Markovitch only heard the sound as the searchlights immediately went off, obscuring the wreckage of 'Bugeye' and Gutierrez into darkness.
The alien was visible and apparently trying to put out the pieces of phosphorous that had became attached to its body with one of its limbs. Pointing her harpoon jet at the frantic figure Markovitch squeezed the trigger built into the handgrip, releasing an elongated dart shaped projectile that swam quickly towards the Gillman while she fought back the recoil of the weapon.
Arrgh!. She nearly dropped the weapon as an intense feeling of burning went through her right leg, accompanied by the banshee wail of a sonic round. Her body tried to compensate for the sudden loss of balance but her left foot didn't get a steady stand on the sand and she felt down. A shot came out of Kern's gas cannon and together with more incendiary rounds from Fowler's cannon the shots brought down the alien, which felt into the sand releasing streams of tiny bubbles from the wounds it had received all over its body.
When she finally opened her eyes after the pain had become bearable she realized that she had felt on her side and that her helmet's visor was half-covered by sand. She couldn't tell how bad she had been hit since she had felt into her injured leg and an icy burning was replacing the pain as the frozen water came into contact with her injury. That sonic shit is worse than plasma!
But her attention was quickly taken by the partial vision ahead of her. A sonic round caught Fowler straight on his belly and sliced his body into two pieces with the upper portion falling slowly in the water next to the legs. The immediate death of the trooper caught her by surprise. There must be a second alien out there! Rolling her body until her belly was downwards she used her hands to try to get into a firing position. But a series of cracking sounds from Gutierrez's gauss avenged Fowler's death a moment later though as he and Kern fired back at the alien. The soldiers then stood on her tracks to see if there were more ambushers lurking around while the rest of the squad caught up with them.
By now she had recognized the species as Gillmen, the other species of aliens that had been encountered so far by X-Com on the second war. As a chemical flare rose above the position of the alien it revealed its fallen shape in the middle of the sea bottom. On her side Kern stood down from his firing position and started to move and take Fowler's position in the formation while another soldier in light blue armor walked past her.
The dark blue shapes of Renton and Mellow stopped by her as she finally managed to get into a sitting position and looked at her wound. Shock came to her as she realized that the sonic round had literally dissolved a two-inch portion of the side of her leg and suit, with blood floating away in the water.
The injury looked serious enough to her but as Renton kneeled by her side and examined it he gave a thumbs up to Mellow, who simply brought upwards his torpedo launcher and resumed his pace following Gutierrez and the other soldiers. I guess I'll pull it off unless he just decided that the USO is more important than me.
A twinge of fear came to her as she worried that she might bleed to death on these cold waters but Renton's hands came to her helmet and made it turn towards him. The leading seaman's hairs on his scalp could be seen despise the pink fluid and he grinned at her, which immediately set her worries at ease. She could feel a sense of protectiveness instead of grief or pain on the other soldier towards her, which said that the injury wasn't that bad. Then he took out a yellow rectangular box from his belt and held it out with its right hand while using a grip on its top. A green bubble formed on a small hole on its side and taking the semi-rigid mass with his other hand he simply placed it over the wound. Then he ordered her to stay put and left, heading towards the direction taken by the rest of the squad.
The area was still lit by the chemical flares and after the team had left, Markovitch found herself standing in a patch of yellow sand completely surround by deep black. I guess I'll just have to wait until they come back for me.
Madhouse Rock, Western Pacific
The team had finally picked her up and got back to the base after they had found and assaulted the USO. They had found three more Gillmen inside and had killed them all but had lost another soldier in the process.
"How are ya feeling?" Like shit. The answer to Gutierrez's question came naturally to Markovitch's mind, as she stood seated on a white marquee on the base's medical section. The walls of the observation room had been painted in a light blue tone and a table filled with surgical objects and plastic flasks was nearby. The doctor that had just left after patching her up had told her that later they would implant a patch of muscle graft grown from her own muscular cells to replace the portion that had been taken away by the sonic beam. He had just gone through the exit door taking the sample section to be flown away to land and cloned back at San Diego after taking care of her wound. For now she would have to wear clutches to move around on the base and had been taken away from combat duty until her leg had fully recovered, something that they had told her that would take from two to three weeks.
"Not bad". The wound gave her a terrible itching and she only wanted to take away the white bandages and scratch at it. The leading seaman stepped inside on his light blue jumpsuit and smiled. "Bullshit. I've taken one of those myself. Don't worry, they'll patch you just fine".
Her head and face still felt sticky from the breathing liquid and she only wanted to get out of the dirty dark blue swimsuit that she had worn underneath the diving suit. "Meanwhile you'll just have to find somebody to replace me. I'm useless gear for now. Why would you care meanwhile?"
Gutierrez looked at her in surprise and shook his head while scratching his scalp. "Watkins, I already have to put up with Kern. Please tell me that I'm not in charge of a team of clam heads".
The remark made her apologize. "Ok, sorry for being a 'clam head'. I'm just not in a good mood now". The leading seaman simply nodded in appreciation and replied. "Well you never seen to be anyways but I have good news: when you get out of here grab your stuff and move it to the squad's barracks".
The news that now she was considered an experienced soldier made her to open her eyes and look at the short soldier. "I thought I could only get there after my fifth mission". To her question he simply pointed to her injured leg. "That counts as the fifth. The NCOs just talked about it after debriefing and Mellow wasn't sure but me and Renton managed to convince him otherwise and Barnby didn't object. You've been kicking some serious alien butt lately and you deserve some sort of a reward".
"Is that so? I never heard of somebody getting a promotion just because they got shot at".
"And survived. Something rare around here and it wasn't really your fault".
"I wonder how some people in the squad will take it. Wouldn't it sound as if I'm getting ahead of all the others?"
"Don't worry. You're the only one left on the rookie section anyways after Ballinger bought it in the USO assault. And so far you've taken pretty much care of yourself. I don't know from what rock you crawled out of but you're not one of those wannabe kids that think playing soldiers is cool or just someone who has a grudge against the aliens". The mention of the aliens made her frown and Gutierrez noted it but didn't pursue it.
"In any case, just try not to do mistakes and you'll do fine. But watch out for her: she seriously hates you I think". He looked at his watch. "Well I have to go now".
"Just one question: what's going on between her and Renton? Those guys are on the same team but they seemed to hate one another". The question made him stop halfway towards the door. "Well just stay out of their way. Everybody here dies eventually". The answer didn't answer a thing but she just settled her back on the pillows and decided to leave it for later.
October 3rd, 2044
Norfolk, Virginia, US
The mess hall of the main military US headquarters was several blocks away from the X-Com section of the base but for Dr. Camay the quality of the food and the general mood made worth the travel. In the weeks after her arrival at Norfolk she had barely gotten to know anybody on the base besides the scientific personnel with whom she had been working in alien physiology, one of the few subjects where she could contribute to X-Com's research. But in her case it also allowed her to continue her own secret analysis of the alien's molecular control capability, a mixture of mental powers and some unknown physics that allowed them to influence and control things as great as the climate and as little as the mind of a human.
The most logical explanation was that it was somehow related to the psi powers used by the aliens on the first Alien War. However, they were somewhat different to the point that even humans with high skill psi scores were prone to manipulation from the aliens. There was still no explanation for why it happened and most of the few theoretical concepts learned from the research made during the last conflict didn't seem to apply. Also there wasn't anything that could power a working psi device to test any of these. At least not yet, she corrected, hoping that the team responsible for Zrbite research would come up with results soon. Most of the effort at Norfolk was being put into other areas and deciphering the alien mineral's secrets was not considered a high-importance project by whoever was in charge. Officially, the Council had dismissed the project as either 'impossible' or 'inconsequential'. However the budget line that referred to this controversial research had never been erased or even discussed by at the meetings. Camay knew that it was because even the Oil Cartel knew eventually their influence over the world's energy production ability will only vane in the future. While forbidding any use of sonic weapons or anything powered by Zrbite and locking it down they also made sure that if any single country made a breakthrough they wouldn't be caught completely unaware. But at least it kept the Inspector General occupied and away from her own activities.
It was dinnertime and most of the hall was occupied with a mass of servicemen in white, blue and green uniforms, ranging from sailors to marines and other ground personnel. A few dispersed civilians could also be seen, with their colorful and bright clothing standing out in the lines of tables and chairs. She was one of them, with her already advanced age contrasting brightly against the general youth ness of other mess attendants. So far none of the servicemen had even approached her table although it was more for respect than anything against civilians.
She had no problem in eating her lunch by her own but this time a figure also in white lab coveralls approached her, holding a plastic tray with a juice bottle and a boxed sandwiched inside. By the look of the newcomer she realized that the man was barely past his thirties with its forehead and eyes still clear of any wrinkles although his brown hair was starting to turn white. "I'm sorry to disturb, but are you Dr. Camay?"
"Why yes. And who might you be?" From the insignia she already knew that he belonged to the X-Com contingent at the base.
Holding the tray with just one hand the man extended his other hand. "Robert Elliquist, doctor. I'm a scientist myself back at the X-Com research facility but in a different department".
"What department doctor?"
"Xenopological studies, doctor, I'm investigating their culture". The reference made Camay to take a look again at the scientist wondering if he was one of the type that would get himself lost for years in a isolated tribal environment to study them. He looked too much clean and civilized for that but it only made Camay to realize that most likely he lived on that same sort of environment inside X-Com. "That's very interesting doctor to say the least".
"Oh yes and I would like you to ask you a number of questions over lunch if you don't mind doctor".
The request made Camay curious and worried: the alien psi powers were a major part of their culture. Was he going to ask her about them inside a military mess hall where they could be overheard by soldiers?
As he sat down in front of her he noticed her apprehension and replied. "Don't worry doctor. I have done a research on you and I'm are that some of the topics you have covered on your, if I might say, brilliant career are currently not as well seen by the general public. What I would like to know is a bit more of your own personal contact experiences with live aliens. You are one of the few scientists beside me to have been able to have direct communication with aliens since the military take all the captured ones for interrogation and never release them alive. And time is always short nowadays since the extravagance of my project will sure be ended if the Council decides to cut more funding".
"I'd say so far you have been lucky in keeping your research alive? How do you manage that doctor?"
He made a sly smile. "By convincing the Inspector General of the worthlessness of this project to any of the war effort doctor. Studying the alien culture is something that will need to be done but it won't change the war balance and it doesn't bring any controversy at the Council meetings".
"But I'm afraid you are mistaken doctor". The half lie came next. "I'm afraid my contact with aliens basically resumes to when I was fighting them in the first war and dissecting their bodies down at the lab". She didn't add the fact that she had studied all alien life forms encountered so far, from the Aquatoids and Gillmen and the species they used in their terror attacks for the molecular control research.
"Exactly doctor. What I'm trying to find is if there's something on the anatomies of the bodies you have investigated that is common to all of them".
The devices. The name stuck in her tongue as she thought of an appropriate response to the query. It had been found out that all aliens possessed a device located in their body that somehow connected them to a global conscience network. Every time that one of the sites had been activated the small-boxed devices had gone active in response. Nobody knew why the reason at X-Com and the alien technology was simply removed and destroyed for safety reasons. But she had removed the device in surgical operations performed on live aliens and had discovered that the creatures would die the second it was removed.
"There are indications to that matter doctor". She decided to stick to the official explanation to the millimeter.
"Doctor, I understand security clearances. However what I'm trying to determine is how great the absorption of the species and their culture can vary inside the alien society".
Picking a carrot with her fork she brought it to her mouth but remained silent. He sighed and continued. "I had expected it. But in any case I wonder if you could still help me. See I believe I have strong evidence already of the Gillmen being a natural species rather than being developed by the Aquatoids". She looked at him. The Gillmen had first been encountered on the second year of the war and it had been a surprise for both scientists and military commanders.
The autopsies and interrogations of captured prisoners had revealed them to be humanoid reptiles that had green skin and were fully capable of living either on the land or underwater. The official version was that they had been developed from human and reptilian DNA to provide the Aquatoids with a army to take the Earth's oceans.
"You are saying that the Gillmen are like the Snakemen of the previous war? Something that the Aquatoids picked along? That sounds ridiculous".
"Just bear with me doctor. There aren't genetic similarities between Aquatoids and Gillmen. However it is known that the same doesn't apply to Gillmen and humans".
"Of course. The aliens didn't simply create the Gillmen out of nothing: they used humans and that's why we share a lot of DNA with them".
"But in that case why didn't they use also Aquatoid DNA? And why haven't we found the same genetic markers that are equal to both humans and aliens on them". The comment drew hard looks from the sailors that were close enough to hear it and Elliquist dropped his voice. "I believe they once were a fully matured and independent species before they were conquered by the Aquatoids".
She shook her head with a strand of hair falling to her face. "That argument has been used over and over, doctor". Removing it and tucking it back to her ponytail she continued. "The truth is that it would imply that an intelligent species has been living on the bottoms of the oceans of this planet for thousands of years without being discovered or even reported. That would be either the greatest case of blindness or a major error being done in the whole logic".
"I know it sounds preposterous but my research has shown that there might be the right answer. Gillmen it seems, have their own mythology which his preserved on a mental tradition close to our oral or written ones, with the only difference being that they use their mental powers in the process".
"Myths? Do you mean they have a religion?"
"No, it's more of a tradition, stories that are passed from one generation to another. Like children or religious stories".
"But how have you determined that?"
"By examining unclassified reports of interrogations being made on the aliens. The intelligence personnel censor most of the information contained but things like details from their society are revealed. Unlike any aliens ever encountered we have found that there are two genders anatomically and genetically separated, full sexual males and females theoretically capable of sexual reproduction, although the military kept out the part if they ever recorded any couplings made in captivity". The notion of aliens having sex also disgusted Camay and expressed it to Dr. Elliquist, who was quick to stop and apologize".
"It's better if you get to your point doctor".
"Yes, madam. Well, when those reports were released to the scientific community a number of social scientists including myself started to wonder if it was possible for more complex patterns of social behavior to exist inside alien societies. Sexual reproduction by an intelligent species would sure mean the existence of a collective conscience regarding the way they see their society as a whole. That's another aspect we are also trying to figure out, if they have something like families or larger communal institutions or even if there's social differentiation between sexes. But going back to my point, another thing we start to notice on the recordings made of their interrogations was the reference to what was translated into nearly metaphysical expressions. Terms such as 'Paradise', the 'Fallen Ones' and others made us to wonder to what they are referring since those words were always spoken in the past tense".
"Could just be that they are longing for the stars. Depends on your point of view, doctor, although nowadays nobody wants to believe the story that the aliens are trying to contact the Starspawn".
"Oh, I'm well aware of how the Inquisitor General sees such opinions expressed on the scientific papers we present to him. Somehow I've discovered that it's easier to get authorization if those ideas are left out of our final research".
Elliquist smiled and but Camay didn't find it amusing enough and kept looking at him with a neutral expression unwilling to be seen as a potential troublemaker. "Anyway, those matters aren't important to my research. What I want to discover is how Gillmen society might have been organized before their take-over. See, there wasn't any data available on that on the few materials available from the…" The conversation carried on during the rest of the meal although Camay didn't said much and preferred to listen more. At the end she decided to go back to the cafeteria at the X-Com barracks since she was bored to death.
October 5th, 2044
Brooklyn, New York City, US
John Delaney was dead. He wasn't physically deceased yet but he was sure the clock was ticking against him as he saw the news on the visionset about the death of the admiral that was in charge of X-Com days ago. He had seen the warnings before as he had watched a number of Cult advertisements on the networks and knew that something wrong had happened.
Not something, he told himself, but an inevitable step that he had taken, choosing to ignore all consequences because they would be even worse. Telling the visionset to disconnect he considered what actions were still available to him. He couldn't go back to the Cult now or even require police protection since they would simply think that he was insane. And meanwhile they could start to suspect of his abilities and police officers weren't much sympathetic towards the aliens in general.
Getting up from the sofa, his eyes crossed the beard and beret of the Che Guevara poster that his female friend had chosen to be projected on the wall behind the visionset. 'No pasarán', the phrase written below the red and black face said, in a handwriting more likely to have been made up by a graphic designer who had come up with the idea of the entire projection. From his college studies he knew that the expression wasn't even close to reality, having being said more than a century ago by a communist woman in a European civil war that predated Guevara's time. He disliked the thing although he didn't suspect that it had anything to do with the historical errors that it displayed.
Or probably it was the fact that he was staying at the place of an old girlfriend for the time being to hide after fleeing Atlanta. He hadn't spoke to her in years but the moment he had called her from a pay phone on the train station he had sniffed that she would take him. Delaney and others like him called themselves 'sniffers' because of their ability to sense feelings on other persons. The feeling was akin to scent, in the way that fear, aggression, love or sympathy had a different 'taste' to it. And like the human nose can be trained to detect hundreds of different odors so his mind could recognize if not what another person was thinking at least what he or she was feeling. The sensation could awkward to him or even unpleasant if he was in the middle of a crowd since it could be very unpleasant. And he also had to take great care into hiding it since he could be in a lot of trouble if it was discovered. Physical beatings on known psis were common even if they never used their psionic powers.
The owner of the apartment where he was staying never knew about his ability and the same applied to both his parents and childhood friends. In fact, the majority of the ones who possessed it never had any idea about their 'god's gift' like it was called at the church on Atlanta. In primary school the kids would tease or bully the ones that were too quiet and silent, calling them 'freaks' and no one was really interested in knowing something that would mark them as a stigmata all their lives. Except for the Cult, which was always interested in psi capable people.
Although their official policy was to follow the law, which meant that the 'gifted' brothers and sisters would never use their abilities in public or otherwise risk a criminal prosecution, the Cult had plenty of uses for psis, especially in detecting spies or individuals prone to emotional manipulation. Delaney had been at their service for more than fifteen years until he had decided to leave them days ago.
He had came to the conclusion that he had been manipulated by the Cult in the same way that he had helped to do to hundreds of people. It was something that he had always known for the start but now he had finally gotten tired of it.
But now he sensed that his time had run out as he felt the presence that he had sensed before walking down the outside corridor stopping in front of the door to his apartment. And he also knew exactly who it was since he had been with the man many times. Only this time the coldness he felt was something knew that he couldn't place but he had a strong opinion about what it meant.
The door simply opened in front of him without a sound and he saw the figure of Delacroix standing there with one hand on his black jacket pocket and the other in front of his belly. "You should get the door fixed Delaney. In these days you never know who might break in". The sudden apparition made him stumble backwards and he crashed back into the sofa as back of his knees hit it. The X-Com officer was dressed in civilian clothing, with a black jacket and pants and also dark soft hat that was covered with raindrops. There was moisture all over his face also but he didn't seemed to matter. "Good. I was about to tell to have a seat but I can see that you read my mind first". The sarcastic tone of Delacroix's voice arose the temperature on his blood since the man knew that he wasn't able to control minds or read thoughts. He was simply joking with him and he tried to control his anger and fear and he placed his arms on the soft cushion of the sofa to get up again.
Delacroix smiled, something that didn't make Delaney easy but make him stop his movement right away as he patted his leather jacket. "Easy John, just imagine that I have a gun under my pocket and stay cool right there. I'm only here because I need information".
"You have a weapon there for sure". He had known Delacroix for so long that he didn't expect anything less. "In fact you might as well have two of them for what I know about you". Delacroix smiled at him, remembering the additional small caliber pistol he had attached to his leg in addition to the semi-automatic he was holding with his concealed hand just in case. Delaney's next sentence made him to his slight grin into a tight face. "And I can tell that most likely you are here because you're about to kill me".
Still with his hands on his pockets, Delacroix shook his head. "No wonder the Cult decided to get you years ago. And it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't after your head at this very same moment. After all, like they say if you're a psi: either you're with the Cult or you're against us. Isn't that right?"
The cold feeling Delaney felt through the room sent him shivers. "Hey, want do you want Delacroix? I've told all I know about the Cult and their activities. And how did you find me here? I haven't told anyone to where I was going and I made sure that I left no trace". Delacroix shrugged. "I remembered that you once mentioned to me that you had particularly enjoyed a weekend with a female friend of yours up here. That both of you had had a lot of fun at her apartment. From the stuff you told me then it wasn't hard to see that it would be the first place if you would go if you ever decided to run".
Delaney looked in suspicion at the dark clothed man. "You knew for long I was going to run away?"
"Everyone does once in a while, either running from something or from themselves. What I found surprising is when people decide to stay and face the heat. But I've never placed you into that category. That's why I knew exactly to where you would most likely run to".
He carefully started to move away from the sofa and towards the door. "What do you want from me? I've told you everything I knew".
The X-Com officer looked at him carefully and his voice was slightly raised. "No you haven't. For a start and among other things you haven't told me why you decided to leave the Cult without informing me first. And why are they so mad right now that you decided to jump the boat on them?"
"Look, I got tired of all of their religious mumbo-jumbo as you know. And I also was getting fed up running your double game at the same time that they used my powers. The aliens don't care a damn about the idiots who pray for them every night, that's pretty obvious". That wasn't the whole truth but Delaney knew better than to give Delacroix the entire story. Something bad was going to happen; he knew it and he wanted to be as far away as possible. He immediately sensed that the man hadn't bought it like he had hoped.
"Don't give me that regret talk Delaney or that you've decided to turn chicken after all this time. On the last years you simply looked the other way around while giving me information about the Cult without caring to what they would do to you if they discovered. Why have you decided to change now? What is going on in Atlanta that I don't know?"
"Nobody knows! That's the point. I've told you before about how the suspicions of the elders concerning the new aliens. But their ambiguity has been growing more and more. Before I left I heard talk about how they should join with the aliens and how the 'corrupt sinners' should be punished". Delacroix didn't flinch at the mention of X-Com, although Delaney felt that the other man had disliked the expression. He strongly suspected that Delacroix worked for the organization but he simply wasn't sure. But it didn't matter. From what he knew and had seen of the man's past it didn't matter to whom he worked for.
Looking around the apartment Delacroix nodded. "Very well, then". He took his hands from his pockets and crossed them in front of his chest, a gesture that Delaney didn't find too comforting since he felt that the man had decided to give him some room but that it would only last for some moments. "What's your opinion on that?"
"Look Delacroix, when I met you years ago you made me saw how pointless it was to keep following the Cult. I wasn't a youngster anymore like when I joined them". The officer's arguments hadn't been restricted to simple persuasion.
"I don't want to get myself involved into his anymore. A lot of bad things have been happening like the killings of X-Com personnel that appeared on the news and a number of people at Atlanta have also been missing. I don't know if it's revenge or just people who were simply on the way and had to be removed. The only thing I know now is that I'm not going to trust anyone because they can be the person who has been sent to kill me".
As soon as he had finished the words Delaney realized in horror what were Delacroix's intentions all along, although the man had somehow managed to hide them from his psionic powers. But by the moment he had stopped feeling the sentimental flash Delacroix had taken out his semi-automatic from his pocket and pointed it at him. "Relax". He said calmly. "For he whose name wasn't been found written in the Book of Life has been cast to the lake of fire". Delacroix then pressed the trigger three times and the other man felt dead on the floor.
Placing his gun back to the holster Delacroix kept speaking at the dead body as he grabbed it and set it down on the sofa. "You knew too much. Your only value to me was when you were inside them. I guess those alien powers didn't made you clever enough to realize that". Reaching for his jacket pockets he took out the objects he had been holding before. They were both white phosphorous grenades and when ignited they could reach a temperature of several hundred Celsius degrees. He pulled the pin on one and threw it to the sofa and also primed the other one but sent it to the other corner of the living. The phosphorous started to burn immediately, sending thick columns of smoke. Delacroix then opened a window and left the apartment through the fire escape ladder. By the time the fire engines started to arrive he was well away from the building and on its way to the nearby train station.
André Galvão, 2003