Barracks, Praesidium
5/28/17
"No."
That was my parents' reaction to seeing their little girl's face for the first time after I'd gone under the knife, so to speak, as they stared at me through the computer screen. I was worried as to how they'd react to seeing my yellow-rimmed eyes and my hexagon-adorned skin. That, or how my muscles somehow doubled in size, and that I could tip over the family car without much effort.
And that wasn't even getting into my psionics and the menagerie of strange friends I had. You know how dads always freak the fuck out when their daughter brings home a boyfriend? Imagine his reaction when I would tell him about how one of my only friends there was a teleporting Japanese guy, my prime teacher was a near-emotionless German guy who actually made a "real" volcano for his students, and I had a Borelian weapons instructor.
I'd decided that the augmentations would be a good start, then we'd go from there.
"What did they do to you, Dawn?" My dad asked, openly gaping at my face.
"They...they made me better, Dad. So that I don't die when they send me out. Didn't you read the info they sent you?" They were clearly in shock, still getting used to my makeover. Couldn't completely blame them. Not sure why they'd neglected to read the report, but...
"I...Dawn, you're just so different!" Mom exclaimed. "I mean, your skin, your eyes...you're like a completely different person!"
"Mom, relax. I'm still me. I'm just a little different, that's all-"
"A little different? Dawn, you've changed, and in a lot of ways! You don't seem to be concerned about any of this at all!" She almost stammered. "Don't you think you're jumping into this a bit too quickly? I mean, you're eighteen, for Christ's sake! Have you even considered that this is going to be too much for you?"
My chest tightened as I heard the pain in their words. I knew they were concerned. I knew that they were scared. If I was in their position, watching my kid go through all of this, I would probably have acted the same way, no doubt about it.
The anxiety of knowing your kid, the child who you had raised for so, so long and put so much time, effort, dedication, and love into, could die at any moment? But the worst part is that, in this case, death wasn't even the worst fate. I could be turned into one of those Bringer things, like what almost happened to that Fatima woman.
Kunio had told me about what had happened during Caelior's rescue, and it wasn't pretty.
I was just glad one of those brain creatures hadn't shown up in Beijing. Would've made things a lot worse down there, I'd imagine. The mental picture of that...fuck it, I'm not calling it a thing - that'd be giving the Bringer too much credit. More like an abomination pulled from some sick interpretation of a Lovecraftian book. Only that in this case, Cthulhu sounds like the better alternative compared to the brain creature's master.
That singing he described...I couldn't even…
"Mom. Dad. Look, I know that this whole situation is stressful for you-"
"Stressful is an understatement!" Dad emphasized, pain in his voice. "We love you Dawn, but you just feel so numb to all of this insanity! You're a kid in XCOM! Doesn't that sound a little insane to you?"
"Dad, I know," I tried explaining. "I've thought about this, and I have a lot of support here. They have therapists, and my squadmates have been helping-"
"Squadmates? Squadmates? Dawn, listen to yourself! Is there anyone there even close to your age?"
"No!" I wasn't going to bring up that Lily chick. Probably a security risk. "Yeah, they're much older then me, but they have experience with this kind of stuff! A lot of them have killed aliens, hell, some of them fought in Beijing! And they're helpful! They've made me feel at home here." Well, as close as it could be to 'home'. No time for videogames or weekend slumber parties.
"Look," I sighed, trying to calm myself and this whole conversation. "I know this sounds cheesy, but this -" I gestured to the bunks around me, "This could teach me something. I've had to, and will have to, grow up a lot. I'll have to be a lot more responsible and mature when doing this. I can't exactly sit on my ass and text all day. I have to do shit in a structured fashion."
"Where are you going with this?" Dad raised a very concerned eyebrow. "Don't give me any of that bull that's 'going to prepare you for life'."
"Dad! No! I just…" I sighed. "It was a unique opportunity, and I could do a lot of good in this position, especially with my abilities."
"Is that why you decided to leave, Dawn?" He asked. "Were you tired of living 'normally'? Is this why you joined up with the PRIESTs instead of going to college? We could have afforded it! And here you are, off playing soldier!"
"And risked going into debt? Dad, we both know we would've had to take out loans to do it! It would've almost ruined you guys!" Granted, that was before ADVENT showed up, but still. "Dad! What's the point of getting a degree if we lose this war? What good would an archaeology major do if we're all slaves like the Mutons? Besides, I'm the only Human that can do what I can do. I can do much more here than anywhere else!"
"So that's how you see yourself? As a weapon?"
"Well...no...but...damnit, that's not what I mean!" I scowled. "The point is, I've made my choice, and I want to do this! And if you're concerned about money, the XCOM perks are great! Have you seen the benefits and what have you! The paychecks alone will make sure we won't ever have to worry about money again! Remember how you two both had to work multiple jobs in middle school to put food on our table? That's never going to happen again, ever! We're going to be fine, money-wise!"
"Money? You could possibly die anytime, and you're trying to legitimize this with money?" Mom asked. "Dawn...your life matters more than just money!"
Fuck. That didn't come out like I meant for it to. I sighed, batting some of the hair out of my eyes. I just wanted them to understand.
"Look." I stared at my parents with determination. At least, I tried to paint the picture for them. I wanted this. I felt empowered doing this. I could do things barely anyone my age could ever do or accomplish. I could have a greater impact on this conflict than many. Hell, maybe I could even kill one of those Ethereal fucks. Who knew? But yet...a part of me, a little voice in the back of my head, told me that my parents were right.
I shouldn't be doing this.
Did I really want to do this?
Was I being selfish?
"I know that we see this differently. I know this whole thing is really, really fucked up for everyone involved. I know that you're worrying about me. In fact, I love that you're worrying about me. It shows that you care." I closed my eyes briefly. "I know-I know we're not seeing eye-to-eye here, completely. But I just want you to understand. I want you to know that your daughter wants this. I saw an opportunity, and I took it. Whether or not it will be worth it, well, we'll see. But…" I squinted an eye, holding back a tear. I touched the screen with my hand, just trying to feel closer to them.
"I love you both. I love Grace. No matter what happens to me, I will always love you. Okay? And if...if I die...I get captured...if I get turned into one of those things...I'll be there." I sniffled, gritting my teeth as I tried to hold back the emotion. "I'll be watching over you. You'll never be alone. I always-"
A klaxon alarm sound blazes through the barracks. My phone popped up with a text:
New York City under attack by Patricia Trask. Other entities yet to be determined. Force composition to be determined. Objectives unknown. Squad formations have been sent out.
Oh no.
"I-I gotta go!" I slammed the computer shut, pulling out the headphones, and slipping on my boots. I sure as hell wasn't getting deployed, but maybe I could watch it somehow. Wouldn't surprise me if they had more, ahem, secretive and direct ways of viewing the battlefield. As I tied my laces, I noticed Vihhelmina's shocked look on her face. I'd never seen her look like that before. Ever.
"What is it?" I asked her, as she turned to me.
"I may not be back," she said. "I'm being deployed."
Oh fuck. She noticed the color drain out of my face. She quickly put a hand on my shoulder, looking me dead in the eyes.
"If I die, Dawn, do not dwell on my death. Remember me as a friend and comrade. Remember me as a good soldier and helper." She pulled me into a quick hug, then ran off. I blinked, gaping as I tried to process what the actual fuck was going on.
Did she just say goodbye?
I ran into the hallway, which was somewhat surprisingly calm, considering the circumstances. I saw soldiers and support personnel running back and forth, probably to arm up. I tried asking around to see where I could find more information about the attack, but I got no responses. I looked around, maybe someone could-
"Dawn!" Kunio said, spotting me. He looked worried.
"Kunio! What's going on?"
"An operation. Big. Commander's calling in six squads to deal with it. I'm being deployed too."
"Oh. I-"
"Sorry, I need to go. Clock's ticking." he started to run, but he turned around. "Don't worry about me, I'll be back."
"But K-"
"Don't worry about me. I'll be back before you know it. Do me a favor, and stay calm." he ran off after that, presumably to armor up.
Good luck, buddy. Please don't die. My hands tightened as I repeated the message to myself, trying to stay calm as my heart started to beat faster and faster.
Patricia won't kill them, Patricia won't kill them…
Someone angrily rushed past me without a word, and would have hit me if I hadn't moved away at the last minute, holding her helmet in one hand, with her sword strapped to her back. Oh, it was Fiona. Maybe she knew something about this. I attempted to say her name, and raised a hand to try and get her attention.
"It would be wise not to interrupt her at this moment, little girl." a curt voice interrupted, and I looked behind me, to notice another Sovereign Agent, the one who looked like a DnD character with the odd robes and staff. What was his name again? Crevan?
Whoever his name was, he didn't waste any more time on me and continued his brisk walk, presumably after Fiona. He may be on our side, but I would be lying if I said he didn't creep me out. The whole wizard-robe-staff getup just...stood out, but it was the mix of his height and his creepy look on his face he'd briefly given me was just...off-putting.
What the hell was all that about? What did I do, walk into Sovereign drama?
Eh, better not to ask. It's probably classified anyways.
Not like either of them would answer me regardless.
I followed a group of soldiers to one of the Praesidium's several situation rooms, lined with big, fancy flat-screens, tables, and seats, to sit and watch...well, whatever they were playing.
Which were all currently generating footage of Patricia's rampage.
Lovely.
I'd heard that several soldiers died in this room when Patricia attacked the Praesidium, and sometimes when I'd wander into these rooms to kill time, learn or just try to meet some people, I would get this chilling feeling that the places I'd stood in or sat down in had been someone's final resting place.
Not helping.
The footage quality wasn't the best, taken from security cameras and phones, but it was enough to see some of what was going on. None of the stations were even running footage, all of it was coming from livestreams and social media. She was bringing the entire city down, and seemed to be killing anyone who resisted. The body count was going up by the minute, and all I could do was watch.
Super villains had a weakness. A silver bullet to end them with. And as far as I was concerned, she didn't have one. The most powerful human psion, sharing a mind-link...thing with the most powerful Ethereal.
How do you beat someone like that? Have T'Leth just pop out in front of her and go to town on her? It'd be a helluva show, sure, but I don't think the Imperator would respond too kindly to something like that.
So what else can we do? Lure her somewhere, then use a nuclear weapon or something? Take her on with a shitload of soldiers both of our Ethereals, and all of our Sovereign Agents? But even if we did, couldn't he just get another one? If she could be bent to his will, I'm sure other people could just as easily fall to him…
And how would we retaliate to this attack, anyway? Does the Collective have the equivalent of New York? Maybe somewhere on Vitakar or Desolan, perhaps?
I saw something that may have been a nanokine attack. I couldn't tell, but it definitely looked and sounded like one. Thunder follows lightning.
Why not kill them with a telepathic attack, then? Make it less painful and reduce the suffering? Of course she would make it painful, she's barely even human anymore, she probably doesn't even know what morals or mercy are anymore.
Bitch.
"Oh shit! Look!" I took another look at the screen. It was Fiona! She'd appeared and engaged Patricia in a very intense 1v1. I stared closely, trying to make the best out of the fuzzy footage we had. She was fighting her...then...then her armor cam went black.
Two Hours Later
Sitting in the Mess Hall, poking at my pot roast, which I'd normally devour, I tried to just...make sense of what had happened that day.
What I definitely did not expect to happen that day was the fucking Imperator showing up. I saw it through Kunio's helmet cam, and it was just so...unreal.
He was...huge. His form and armor was incredibly intimidating, and from what I'd seen for files and video, had the most gold incorporated into his armor. Probably to make himself look even more important, but what really stood out to me was his massive height. He was just so….big.
And incredibly powerful.
A threat we'd all have to fight eventually, be it tomorrow, next week, next year, it would have to happen eventually.
But how do you fight something that doesn't try to play fair, like the Battlemaster, and kill you without a second thought?
How can you fight a hammer, if you're just a nail to them?
Project Nolan Training Center
6/01/17- 4:10 PM
I'd heard about MECs. I'd read a bunch about them, and was lucky enough to see a suit once or twice. But I'd never met one of the pilots in person.
Until now.
I'd been taking a break during my free time with the Dreamscape, after I'd gotten done with some messing around with my biopathy. Time and speed had been my key priority right now, as the enemy wasn't certainly sitting around and waiting for my abilities to take effect. I'd been trying to think and play around with ways to shorten it when a MEC pilot showed up.
Her name was Sierra Morrow, and upon initially meeting her, I was already intimidated. She'd been in XCOM since Australia, fought in all the major battles, and was one of the most experienced Archangels in existence. She had hundreds of kills, if not a low thousand, and she had faced an Avatar - the Battlemaster's Avatar of all people and survived.
Barely, but she had.
That is what badass sounds like. Seriously, if that didn't check all the boxes for being a soldier, I didn't know what did. Oh, and she was almost seven feet tall.
"You're a biopath?" She'd asked me warily. I didn't blame her - she'd been under the knife for her Shale procedure when I'd joined up.
"Yep. I was just taking a break. Can I ask why you're here?"
"Teens in XCOM. Interesting," she shrugged her massive shoulders. "To answer your question, I'm here to test my augments. I've been awake for a few days, and need to understand my limits. I suspect I will be needed very shortly."
"Oh! That's neat! Um...do you mind if I tag along? I haven't done any training here with anyone besides Geist."
Sierra cocked her head at me. "How proficient are you with your abilities?"
"Decent. I can handle a rifle okay, and my psionics are decent."
She paused for a moment, then nodded. "Couldn't hurt. Alright, I'll take care of the sim details. You want to go now?"
"Sure!"
And that's how I ended up in the Dreamscape with her. Truthfully, I was excited to fight with someone besides Geist, and a non-psion as well. She'd refused the offer of any guns or grenades.
Well, her funeral then.
"So." I coughed. "Are we going to get started? I've never worked with a MEC before, so I'm sorry if I sound kind of anxious. You do know how to use your augmentations, right?" Hopefully I didn't sound a dick saying that.
"Yes. I'm going to do something. Do not be alarmed." Something about her voice sounded artificial, but I didn't want to ask why. What she did next...straight out of the horror movie.
Her skin...retracted, seemingly melting her own face off, leaving only a face of bare metal. Oh, and with glowing red eyes as well.
Holy fuck. XCOM made a T-800 in real life. If she says 'I'll be back' or 'Come with me if you want to live', I'm gonna leave the simulation.
I gaped and stared, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I was sure she could see through that too. I had no words.
"Ok, that's new." I squeaked out. "Uh...we ready?"
"Put on your helmet," she ordered, which I obliged, trying not to piss off Terminatrix. "Follow my lead. You are a telepath, yes?"
"Well, biopath, ma'am-" I said. After seeing that, I was really on edge.
"If you can sense them, tell me tell me where and how many. You can do that - yes or no?"
Jeez lady, I'm not incompetent. "Yes! Geist has been teaching me some techniques. I'm getting better, but don't expect me to show up on the battlefield anytime soon. And um, don't expect any melting. Still takes me a while to do that. My shooting's pretty decent, though."
"Then let's go. Start it, T'Leth." The air shimmered, and so it began. I projected my mind, searching for targets. It had become more seamless as I'd trained more and more in XCOM. I kind of felt bad for the other telepaths I'd trained with. They'd missed so much, and could learn so much from this.
"Uh...five or six, something like that." Andromedons, Mutons, and Vitakara. Standard ground troops. I was going to tell her that I could kill them easily, then (after thanking me!) she ran through the wall and started fighting.
Okay then. I'd let her kill some things, while I'd kill the rest. I immediately zeroed in on the three Vitakara, ignoring the Cobrarian. As intriguing as controlling such a flexible creature would be, I let her fight them. I focused on the Vitakarian minds. As I killed two, I decided to hijack another's mind, to watch Sierra as she fought.
And boy, did she fight.
She ripped the Andromedons apart like they were nothing, took multiple plasma shots to the chest and shrugged them off - without any armor, mind you, and made them mincemeat. She was the literal physical embodiment of 'rip and tear' and I was really tempted to ask T'Leth to play Doom music as she slaughtered them.
By the time she'd gotten to my impromptu video camera, I flipped the kill switch and neutralized all three targets. I walked through the hole in the wall, into the bloodbath she'd created.
"Uh...you didn't want me to save them for you, right? Thought I'd step in, help you a bit in there, if that's okay…." I took it all in. "Wait...holy shit. You did all that with your hands?" She strode over to me, covered in blood, and patted me on the shoulder. "No, good job. I'll give you a few more next time. Up for a few more?"
Well, I was kinda bored, with nothing to do. Fuck it. I might even make another friend.
"If you want to. I mean...yes! Looks like we both did pretty well. Besides, I've got nothing else to do right now, and you're the first person I've actually fought with in the Dreamscape besides Geist. But, um...you got any other surprises in there I should know about?"
"I don't think so."
I could tell she was lying about having something hidden up her sleeve, but I played along. "Alright, cool!"
"Stay with me. Let's see what else T'Leth has in here."
An hour later, I panted, reloading my assault rifle after the two of us made short work of the street block. It had even given Sierra a run for her money, downing those Titans like that.
But she had me, a telepath, with her. Made things much easier for us both. As we turned the corner, trying to catch our breath, we saw our next group of enemies. An entire park filled with Andromedons, Titans, Berserkers, and a Herald or two.
Ah shit. Gonna have to get creative with this one. Let's see, maybe I can mind-control the Titans to- Sierra tapped my shoulder.
"I've got these guys."
"All by yourself?" I gaped. "Are you insane? Your rifle's almost out of ammo!"
She simply cocked her head, and her voice sounded amused. "I'll be back."
"What the fuck, Sierra?!" I shouted, whipping out my gun as the horde began to approach. You know what? Fuck it. If I'm gonna die, better make it a bloodbath for them. As I creeped into one of the Titans' minds, seeing if they could get some damage on the Herald with their melee attacks, I heard something from above.
I heard the roar of what sounded like aircraft engines in the distances. What just happened? The hell, did she call in an airstrike or something?
No, because this is XCOM. In XCOM, you don't call in the airstrike.
You become the airstrike, of course! Why not?
Up there, in the sky, like a guardian angel coming to save me, was the Valkyrie MEC I'd only heard rumors about. With Sierra at the head.
It was beautiful. At least as tall as the Battlemaster, with giant wings and arms with god knows how many weapons on it, coming to save me. Man, if I could, I would pain the living shit out of that thing. But not now. Now was time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fireworks. I stepped back as a ClF3 warhead hit the dead center of the group, turning them to ash in a massive explosion. She sprayed napalm at the Andromedons, who cooked while she did a 360, flying around as we watched them burn.
I...I had no words, yet again. Only my facial expression is similar to that of a yellow-haired creature. She landed next to me, the both of us staring at the carnage.
"That was AWESOME!" I looked at her, barely able to contain my excitement. She nodded at me.
"This what you wanted?" She asked through the radio.
"Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes! I wanna do that again!"
"Maybe later." She chuckled, giving me a thumbs-up with her MEC hand.
Truly a magnificent day.
"And Dawn?"
"Yeah?"
"You were pretty good out here. If you want to sit with me in the Mess tonight, feel free. I think a few of my friends would like you."
Mess Hall, Praesidium
6/01/17- 6:30 PM
I sat next to my new MEC pilot friend, food in front of us, waiting for her Archangel buddies to show up. I was still a little creeped out by her de-skinning trick and red eyes, but she'd stayed 'normal' for now.
Was there ever truly a normal in XCOM?
"Sierra! How'd the Dreamscape go-" A man who I assumed to be Ted stopped in his tracks, looking at me. I decided to smile and wave.
"Hi." The woman next to him, who I assumed to be Anna, just stared. I looked at Sierra.
"Have they seen me before?" She shook her head.
"I don't think so." The two Archangels paused for a moment, looking at me. Then they looked at each other, as if puzzled or something. They then reluctantly sat by Sierra, giving me some room.
"Who's this, Sierra?" The guy asked. Great, I need to go through the explain-who-I-am-and-watch-the-adults-react trope. But before I opened my mouth, Sierra took care of it for me.
"This is Dawn Conley. I spent a few hours in the Dreamscape with her, trying out my augs. She's a biopath."
"I...she's a what now?" The woman asked with a frown.
The guy just nodded. "A biopath. Same thing Sana and Mortis can do."
"Oh." They both looked at one another, then at Sierra and me. The woman was the first to extend a hand, followed up by the guy.
"Anna Pavlova."
"Ted Holden." I shook both of their hands, smiling.
"Always nice to meet new people! I can't say I'm too experienced here - only been here since May. But I'd be lying if I said this place wasn't incredible! There's so much to learn and do. The other soldiers have been really helpful with getting me up to speed with everything."
"That's...good." Ted said, probably still a little surprised that a teenager works for XCOM now. "So, if you don't mind me asking, psion-to-psion, how the biopathy trick works?"
"It's kinda interesting. See, it's like normal telepathy, right? Only you have to go really deep into the mind." I peered at him. "Are you a telepath?"
"Dynamo."
"Ah, ok," I nodded. "Well, you know the basics of how regular telepathy works? You have to go past that. If you go deep enough, you can figure out the cells. In my case, I simply told my test subject' cells to split apart. Next thing you know, the scientists are dragging me away from a Sectoid whose head just melted off."
"Must've been ugly." Anna noted.
I nodded. "Gave me a ton of nightmares for a while after that. Next thing you know, Bronis showed up at my PRIEST facility, asked me to join. I said yes, and here I am!"
"Must be a lot different for you,." Sierra said. "Always a period of adjustment for civilians."
"Eh, once you get past the Illuminati, Sovereign Ones, and the worldview-shattering information, it's not all bad." I chuckled. "The augs are pretty cool, the armor is neat, and the information you can learn is really something. But I guess it's something you get used to here?"
The trio nodded. "You do. Though whenever you think something's enough, it gets even crazier. The three of us joined up shortly after Australia."
My eyes widened. "So you were in Sherman?"
Nods all around.
"Um...Beijing?"
The nods were less enthusiastic.
"All three of you were in Florida, right?"
More nods.
"Um, can I ask you guys something?"
"Sure," Anna said. "You can ask us anything."
"What was it like? Fighting the Dragon?"
"Hard. Really fucking hard.," Anna said, grimacing. "She's an expert telekine. Doesn't help that she's linked to the Battlemaster, which means he's usually close by. But we almost got her, damnit." She slammed a fist into the table, causing our trays to rattle.
Ted raised an eyebrow. "Did we though?"
"Fine. We didn't," Anna corrected. "Just need the right tools next time."
"Indeed." Sierra added. "Next time will be more...even."
"You'll kill her?" I asked.
She nodded firmly, a thin smile appearing on her face. "Yes."
I nodded. "You know, I'm surprised she's with the Collective in the first place. I read her dossier. She's Chinese, the same place that the Bringer fucked over, all thanks to the Imperator. And the Battlemaster."
"Please kid, if nationality mattered, spies and traitors wouldn't exist. She could be Iranian and it wouldn't matter one bit." Ted shrugged, drinking some water. "Besides, there's no telling what happens to you when you link your mind to an Ethereal."
I nodded. I knew cognitive dissonance was a thing, but that - that was just plain fucking idiocy. How the hell could you be loyal to the Imperator, much less the Battlemaster, after they've let all that shit (cough cough, Paradise), fly?
Eh, I suppose the Ethereals do have their methods of twisting people.
"So...so you feel comfortable here?" Ted asked, shifting the topic.
"It's certainly better than high school," I said. "I get to do stuff that practically no one else my age can do, and I can use that power to do my part in the war. I figured I'd do the most by coming here, and make a dent, y'know?"
"You want to do your part. Respectable." Anna said.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not being deployed yet. I've still got a lot of training to do. Geist's been an awesome teacher. He's a little weird, sure. But he really knows his shit. Couldn't have asked for more." I thought of something. "So you asked me, now I get to ask you - can you shoot beams out of your hands?"
"Oh yeah. I've gotten really good at it," he nodded. "But, while not to completely change topics, I've always wanted to know what it's like, going into people's minds and all that."
"It's...ah, how do I say this?" I thought briefly. "It's like moving yourself out of your own body, and into someone else's. You're taking them over, and essentially taking their free will away and being like, 'I am the captain now.'" I paused. "It's...kind of like that." I return to slurping my soup.
"Well, you seem pretty nice, Dawn," Ted nodded. "If you have some free time for the Dreamscape, how about we meet up, practice some stuff? I know a few psions who would be interested in working with a biopath. We've all seen a lot, and maybe we could teach you a few things? Check with Geist, obviously, but I think it'd be good for all of us."
"Sounds like a plan!" We shook, gave each other our usernames for the chatroom, and parted ways.
With friends like these, maybe it won't be entirely bad after all.
Shoggoth Playground
5/29/2017- 7:23 PM
Never in my life would I have imagined watching a bunch of Lovecraftian octopi and calling it fun.
But you know what they say, truth is stranger than fiction.
The place itself was nice, at least. Pools, some waterfalls, and some kiddy obstacle courses for the creatures to play and explore in. There were also a lot of toy blocks of various types for them to build with, seeing as they were surprisingly intelligent for creatures of such a variety.
They were absolutely fascinating - making that admittedly cute trilling noise as they crawled around and explored, finding intriguing ways to spend their time, like building Lego...creations (jealous), climbing, and eating...whatever was in those purple sticks.
One of the tentacled master builders stopped what it was doing and noticed me. It began to travel towards me, the Lego airplane - a generous interpretation if one was so inclined - in one tentacle, the others traversing across the floor, propelling it towards me.
Aaaaand I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going.
"It's okay, she won't hurt you!" A voice called out. "They're quite harmless towards humans. Vendesh! Here, girl!"
It's a she? How do they, wait- do they...nope nope nope. Not thinking about that.
The Shoggoth trilled, and crawled over to the woman, who was wearing an XCOM uniform with a symbol that I didn't recognize. Probably meant 'Shoggoth Handler'
"Slyvia Allais, Shoggoth Handler, pleasure to meet you." She extended a hand. I took it, surprised she wasn't surprised about my age then most people here at first glance. I smiled.
"So this is where you train the Lovecraftian horrors straight from hell?" The both of us chuckled lightheartedly.
"Yep! Cute Lovecraftian horrors, though." She sat down, crossing her legs, indicating for me to do the same, which I reluctantly did. She guided the Shoggoth onto her lap, which squeed.
"Awww, look at you! Did someone grab an airplane?" She gave it a head pat, which it responded in kind with a tentacle wrap around her hand for a few seconds. She looked at me, smiling. "Want to say hi?"
I shrugged, trying to hide the what the actual fuck am I doing face and nodded.
"What's your name?"
"Dawn Conley."
"Oh, that's a great name! I've never met a Dawn before." Kinda the point, but it's a nice one. She looked at it. "Vendesh. You want to meet a friend?" It trilled again. Kinda sounded like a very quiet blender. "That means yes!" She whispered to me with a smile. "Ready?" I nodded.
The Shoggoth crawled over her lap and across the floor onto mine. It felt...completely new, different than my old dog, certainly. It curled some of the tentacles in my lap to support itself, and began to...explore. A tentacle on my left arm, a tentacle on my right, and one on my head, feeling my hair.
Stay calm, Dawn. Don't freak.
"She loves hair in particular, more than the others. Not sure why, though. How does it feel?"
"Weeeird. But she's...really something. It's so surreal. They're immune to telepathy, right?"
"Yep. But these little buggers are quite resilient things. I'm assuming you're a psion or something?"
"Yeah. I'm a telepath. Biopath, actually."
She nodded. "That means you melt things, right?"
"Yeah." I slowly patted the Shoggoth's head, while a tentacle further explored my hair. Great. Good Shoggoth. Don't choke me out, okay? "I tell cells what to do, and they do it. I could theoretically do the opposite with healing, but I'm sticking to the melting for right now."
"That must be a lot of pressure for someone your age."
"It is." I said quietly. "But I chose it. And it's not all bad. I have a great support network. Commander definitely made sure I'd be helped. I have a good teacher in Geist, and soldiers have been offering to do sims with them. Most people have gotten used to me by now. But...I never really saw myself as doing this, but you know what? It's not bad. Not bad at all-"
Plop.
A tentacle lightly slapped the top of my head. Then the Shoggoth did it again. Pat. Pat. Pat.
Is it headpatting me? The hell?
She laughed. "She's copying you! Look!" I slightly turned my head, looking at a mirror across the room. It is!
In response, I giggled, rubbing its rubber-like skin. It trilled again, rubbing my hair again. I looked disheveled, but I didn't care. Unusually wholesome for XCOM, but then again. That's XCOM, baby.
"Good Shoggoth. You're cute. Good girl." Maybe this wouldn't be so weird after all. It paused for a moment, then turned to the airplane it had been neglecting up until now. It handed it to me, along with a group of bricks its tentacle had enrolled.
"What do you….oh, you do want me to help you build your little airplane?" It let go of both of my hands, and stared, I think, at the airplane. I reluctantly put a piece of the unfinished right wing on, and it gave a small trill. I looked at Sylvia, who was holding up a phone, recording. She nodded, saying go on, it's okay with a nod. I attached another piece, being rewarded with another trill.
"I used to play with these so much when I was younger, you know." I wasn't really talking to anyone specific in general, but Vendesh and Slyvia could definitely hear me. "My sis loved dolls, I played with Legos. So creative, you know? Just take one block…" I attached a brick to the 'tail' of the craft, with a satisfying click! Sound. "And you can do so much with them. You can make anything out of them, you know?"
Kind of like cells. They made up every part of you.
And I could control them.
Is that what I was? A puppet-master, telling these little things to do whatever I wanted. Just toys for my own satisfaction?
It was all about control. All at my fingertips. I put two bricks together.
Click.
I pulled them apart.
Click.
You could do so much with these things, you know. So many things could be done, created, destroyed, what had you.
You just had to think. To imagine.
Kinda like biopathy.
So much potential in so little.
This brought a smile to my face.
"Dawn? You there?" I snapped out of my Lego trance. I looked at Sylvia, and nodded.
"I'm just fine, Slyvia. I can stay for about another half hour. Your Shoggoths are really quite interesting. You've done a great job." I smiled. "Say, would you have any of these Legos you could spare? It's...just an idea of mine."
Dreamscape
5/30/2017- 10:47 AM
Normally, standing in front of an Ethereal would've made me feel much more scared. But my mind was consumed by quite different thoughts. Kunio was, well, not very good. He had to rest, and his encounter with the Overmind was, from what I heard, really fucking bad. Carreria had a brief funeral for the fallen Borelian, and she'd brought her mate with her. Nice guy. Didn't get a chance to talk to him, though.
But still...that old man nearly killed my friend, and damn near an entire XCOM squad.
He'd pay. Though probably not by my hand. I wasn't ready.
But one day I would be. And that day would come.
Wasn't all bad news, though. We had kicked some serious alien ass all across the board. Sierra had absolutely wrecked the aliens in Jakarta, and seeing the Firestorms in action was like something out of a movie. She'd gone full Gundam on their asses, and I wasn't complaining.
We'd apparently hit a Sectoid shipyard too, incurring massive damage to the Collective's spacefaring capabilities. Caused a lot of damage, it would seem, though I didn't have access to the actual details. The mental image of Patricia throwing a tantrum when she'd hear the news made me smirk.
Awww, did somebody lose a shipyard? Whatcha gonna do, cry like a baby and go on another rampage, making the Collective look even more evil? Really selling its benefits there, aren't you? Should've stayed with us. But, this is what you get for selling us out so you and your Avatar friends can get their knees dirty for the Imperator.
Morons. All of them.
I wonder what the Battlemaster thinks of all this. He seems to be the only guy in the Collective with his head on straight.
But what stood out the most to me was the burning of the Haramolian forests on Vitakar. Granted, the Nulorian were mostly to blame, but we did give them some support and killed a few Bladedancers and politicians. I felt kind of bad for them, honestly. Out of all the Vitakara, they really hadn't done that much in this war. Well, that crazy Speaker motherfucker is one, but he was an...exception. They were mainly medics, and besides their Bladedancers, weren't as good of fighters as we are. Kind of like literal tree huggers.
But this is war, I guess. You gotta do what you gotta do. Though there was a part of me that didn't like that.
"Dawn?"
"I'm here, Aegis. Just thinking."
"About?"
"Everything."
"Do you wish to do this another time?"
I held up a hand. "Aegis, you're good. And you had to delay this until now because of more important things. I'm fine. Besides," I smirked. "How could I say no to training with an Ethereal?"
"Very well. Now…" He walked closer to me, towering over me. "I did not expect the first Biopath of your kind to be as young as you are, but you have shown an aptitude for your talents and displayed maturity."
"Thank you, sir. It means a lot. I figured I could do a lot of good here with what I can do, and I figured that I'd have some very experienced and seasoned people to train me."
"An understandable motivation. You have improved your biopathic talents since arriving?"
"I've narrowed it down another minute and a half since I got here," I explained. "Geist has been keeping track. I'm still getting used to seeing people melt, or at least parts of them."
"You will learn," Aegis said. "In time, of course. I did not become who I am today overnight. It will take time, courage, focus, and much resilience on your part to succeed, of which I will become a part of. You will be working with me, and more soldiers, in here soon. Now, may I ask you to do something for me?"
"Yes?"
"I would request to look inside your mind. Biopathy intrigues me, and I would like to see how you perform yourself while you do so. It will help me understand your perception and view, and help me formulate a regimen and plans."
He noticed my surprised expression. "I will not look at any of your private moments. I am skilled at doing this."
I gulped, and nodded. "Sure thing. Go ahead."
"Prepare." Aegis did not move, or give any other physical indication he was starting. But I definitely felt the overpowering mind touch my own.
E.T Phone Hoooome…..
Memories and moments flashed by in an instant. I couldn't see clearly, but I could make out what he was doing. Searching, looking for my 'melting moments'. I wasn't in control, but I could certainly sit back and watch like in a movie theater. It was surreal, watching your life go by so quick.
Ah, he found something. Wait. Wait…
Oh fuck. Oh no.
He saw it.
There was a brief pause. I could almost hear him breathing. Then, it continued. The memories stopped occasionally, Aegis watching happen again and again, all while mentally taking notes. After another minute, it stopped, and he removed his finger, glowing with energy as I blinked my eyes. I felt mentally fine, like nothing had happened.
"You get what you need?"
"Yes." He said. "You are a unique case, which is why I am interested in training you." He paused. "You are aware you are not the only one?"
"Only...biopath? Yeah, I know about the Twins-"
"Good." He let out what seemed like a slight sigh. "There may come a time where you will have to fight one or the other. Their biopathy is beyond you. You may never be able to become as skilled or powerful as them - but you can become skilled enough to hold your own."
He paused briefly. "Sana is less dangerous, but Mortis, he would kill you in an instant. However, there is a very low chance of that ever happening. But, you must learn to extend your power beyond what it currently is. Melting simply one target is not good. You must learn to expand, take on many minds in an instant. Because we know you have the potential to do more. You must learn to focus your power under fire, to properly manage it."
He looked at me. "The point of this is that we will deploy you when we, and you, think you are emotionally and physically ready. You are our only biopath, and a young one at that."
He paused. "But we shall see how you perform soon enough. How secure are your telepathic defenses?"
I remembered Geist's mental attack a while ago. I slightly shivered. Still, he'd been helping me after that, but that shit was still really unnerving. "Okay, I guess? I'm not great, but I am improving."
"Noted," the Ethereal said. "As a telepath, it is inevitable that you will have to defend yourself against a telepathic attack. Your defenses must be sufficient to repel unwanted intrusions. Now, we will begin with a test. It is a simple one. Attempt to withstand my attacks off as long as you can. Understood?"
"Yes Aegis." I nodded.
"Let me know when you are ready to begin." I nodded, and began to concentrate.
Remember what Geist taught you. Imagine a wall around your mind. Focus, concentrate and breathe.
Breathe, Focus. Concentrate.
I felt my power coalescing around me, but I thought only of my mind and the vault I had just locked it in.
"Okay. Go when you're ready, Aegis." My voice sounded distant.
It began a moment later.
First, it was a slight twinge of pain at the back of my skull. Like someone was flicking me, over and over. No matter. I balled my hands up and closed my eyes.
Breathe. Exhale. Inhale.
A sharp jolt went through my head. It sounded like someone scratching chalk against a board. Only that this was much slower, and much louder. Sounded almost like the chalk and board Mrs. Dobson used.
Fucking hated that class.
As the chalk continued to scrape across the board, the ringing in my head began to escalate. It was almost like a fire alarm, but it was as if the chalk and fire alarm had had a baby, and it was throwing a massive tantrum inside my head, screaming and screaming as the god-awful mixture of noises beat like a drum again and again in my head.
Ugh….
My legs began to buckle, feeling like jelly. I tried to maintain my balance, but the noise was incredibly off-putting. I felt like I should...kneel. Lay down and just give in. It'd all be over soon...I smiled as I thought of it…
No! It's the telepathy! Ignore it, Focus Dawn, focus!
I tried to take a step towards Aegis, attempting to show my defiance towards his attacks. I stopped short of him as my mind suddenly felt more constricted, as the walls around my mind began to buckle and tighten. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep the alien mind out of mine.
C'mon Dawn, you can do this. Don't give up now. You're better than this. I tried to focus, trying to gather my strength to fortify what I had left protecting me. I knew this was only the start, but that wasn't going to stop me.
Then he stepped towards me, and my defenses felt even weaker. I heard screams, cries, both of pain and sorrow. Who were they? Why were they- no! Focus! He's trying to distract you, goddamnit! Think! Focus! Breathe! Concentrate! Remember what he said-
BOOM.
A massive wave of telepathic pain shattered the walls around me like a bulldozer going through a wall at a hundred miles an hour. My head...cracked. Shattered. Lost any collection of being held together. A wave of confusion and fear overwhelmed me. I took a step back….and fell on my back, losing any sense of direction. I attempted to drag myself away from him with my hands, but I was like a turtle trying to flip itself over; no matter how hard I tried, I was simply aimless and limited.
"You-fuck! I'm-I'm gonna-agh!" I tried to think of something, say something, but it just didn't happen!
Was this how Kunio felt when the Overmind attacked him? Did he feel this helpless and in pain when confronted with such a power? I knew the Overmind was extremely old, and with age came experience, but I knew that Aegis sure as hell wasn't as old as him, and yet here I was, falling apart thanks to Aegis' power.
How long could I possibly last against the Overmind, or even Patricia?
I had to work harder. I had to become better.
I opened my mouth and screamed, only no sounds came out. I was frozen, helpless, cowering before the Ethereal, his bare hands wrapped in purple energy. I had to make it stop.
Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop.
"P...pl….pleeeee...staaaaph!" My words were slurred, not even complete. Yet it was all I could muster through the pain.
And it did stop. Aegis recalled his attack, and drew his arms under his robe, leaving me on the ground, staring at the ceiling, panting, trying to regain a sense of myself. I was limp, exhausted, trying to find enough strength to stand up. I could barely move my arms as is.
A telekinetic grip lifted my body, and leaned me against a wall. Aegis offered me a hand, which I leant on, trying to regain my balance.
"You must be better." He said.
Oh, fuck you asshole.
"That...hurt. Oh...it...fuck me, I can't even…"
"Rest. Can you listen to my words?"
"Yes." He nodded. I slumped against the wall, staring at him. I had gotten my ass kicked and had been reduced to almost nothing.
0/10, wouldn't recommend.
"You were acceptable." Aegis said. "For a beginner. But you must become better. Against an enemy like the Overmind, or even Quisilia or Macula, they would overpower you without significant effort. You have power, Dawn, but do not rest under the delusion that you are as powerful and skilled as them. No single Human will ever match an Ethereal."
I took a heavy breath. "Then how do I get better? How do I beat you, or another Ethereal?"
"You do not."
"Sorry?"
"You will not defeat an Ethereal alone," Aegis said flatly. "I did not use all of my power to defeat you. My brethren will not be so considerate." I looked at him with a dazed stare, still recovering from the mental assault. He probably sensed my fear.
"You cannot fight and beat one alone." He emphasized. "You must trust that your squad can carry their weight as well as you do. And they will. You must trust them to do their part, as you will yourself."
"And after I learn how to survive one?" I asked.
"Then you will learn how to defeat one - but not alone." He answered firmly. "You will train with others here, form bonds of cooperation and unity with your fellow soldiers. But do not focus on that now, Dawn. You will get there eventually. But first you must know how to survive before you can fight." He offered me a hand, which I took, shakily standing up.
"Okay. Let's do this. But can I rest for a minute?"
"Certainly. But not for too long."
Barracks, Praesidium
5/31/17- 9:30 PM
My birthday was tomorrow.
I knew that in the grand context of everything that was going on, I shouldn't be thinking too much about it, but still. I was going to be nineteen. Nineteen! I was almost out of the teenage years, couldn't believe it. I was growing, physically and mentally.
I didn't know how they did birthdays in XCOM, but I didn't want to ask. Could it be a surprise party of some sort? Wouldn't be a huge one, hopefully. I was more of a small party person. I wasn't an introvert, but I wasn't entirely an extrovert, either. I'd gone to my fair share of parties before coming here. I'd mingle, talk, drink, what have you, shit like that. Wouldn't consider myself a 'partier', but I could have fun. Then again, if there wasn't a party, I wouldn't really care that much, either.
Regardless, it wouldn't be the same without my parents or sister around, though.
"You look excited." Lian said as I yanked the floss out of my teeth before disposing it. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Do I now?"
"I guess so. It is my birthday tomorrow."
She paused. "Oh, right! You're going to be nineteen, right! Wonderful." She smiled. "That's good. You should be happy, yeah?"
"I guess." I looked down. "Won't be the same with my family around."
"Hey." She put a hand on my shoulder. "You've got us. We're your family. Don't ever be afraid to talk to us. That's what friends are for."
I shook my head. "I know Lian, thank you. It's, well, it's just that, do I act too juvenile or unprofessional around you guys? I mean, I just feel like the odd one out sometimes, y'know?"
She nodded. "I can understand how you'd feel that way. You're younger than all of us, and you don't have much military experience."
I looked at her. "Can you be honest with me for a minute?"
"Sure."
I sighed. "Do you think…" I couldn't find the right words. "Do you think that I should really be here? Do you think it's right for me to be here, learning all this shit, shooting guns, doing all these sims?"
"Are you asking if I think you belong?"
"Yes."
"You chose to come here, yes?" I nodded.
"As a friend, Dawn, if you want me to be honest - whoever truly decides that is up to you. When I first joined up with the PLA, I was a young girl just like you. Confused, scared, and worried that I wouldn't do as well as the other recruits."
"Then why did you join?"
"Because I was a patriot," she answered. "I was, admittedly, slightly naive about the truth of the Communist Party, but what really drove me was...pure. I believed it. I still believe it. I saw the best way to serve those ideas was to join. And I did. I was a good soldier, and I did what I was told. Then ADVENT and the invasion happened. People started to ask questions about loyalty, country, what have you. I heard rumors of people defecting. Not me, I don't run like that, but then..." Her look turned dark.
"Beijing?" I said quietly.
"Yeah. I don't want to talk about it. It was...not good." She shook her head. "Anyway, it's getting late. I'm going to sleep soon. But in answer to your question Dawn, I think you're a good person, and you want to learn. Get better. But ultimately, the only person who's really going to tell you that is yourself. Night."
As she walked out of the bathroom, leaving me alone, I stared at the mirror, looking at the new and improved me. The old me looked like a string bean compared to who I was now. Hell, I probably could rip the old me's head off without much effort if I wanted to.
But for all the augs did, it was the person that had them that mattered. The one that used them.
I had been given a gift. An opportunity.
One I couldn't waste, and I wouldn't.
To be continued in Chapter 5:
Letting Loose