Pool Recreation Complex, Praesidium

7/24/17- 7:00 PM

I dipped my toes in the pool, waiting for my friend.

Honestly, I hadn't expected Caelior to take me up on my offer of hanging out in the pool. Although Ethereals weren't a fan of deep bodies of water, XCOM's pool was nowhere close to 'deep', save for the Olympic-sized section the next room over. He was willing to hang out with me here - and I even brought some food.

Had a feeling he'd like it.

I looked around the empty room. It wasn't usually like this, but it was in the evening, and rarely anyone came. Even so, our privacy wouldn't be disturbed. I was wearing the two-piece I'd wear when I came here to hang out with my squadmates. It felt good, being in the water and just...floating around. It was peaceful, and when it came to swimming, my augmented body more than knocked it out of the park. My comrades had shown me another neat trick that I hadn't considered- my lungs being able to hold air for quite a while underwater - in my case, a little over ten minutes - and that was without practicing at all. The first time I did that, it almost freaked me out how natural it felt, as-

"Hello, Dawn."

I turned around, and my eyes widened. I didn't expect him to wear his robes and helm into the pool (he wasn't), but he had replaced his clothes with something that looked extremely similar to a once-piece, leaving only his hands, forearms, lower legs, and feet exposed.

"Caelior! I...where'd you get that?"

"Custom made."

I looked up and down at him, visually scanning him. What stuck out to me most was just how similar his feet looked; it had an arch just like a human's, along with a heel and five toes, and the toes themselves looked slightly thinner and longer than a human's.

"You look good. I think black works for you!" His suit also showed off just how much physical prowess Ethereals had over us. He didn't look like a massive bodybuilder or anything, but although they had lean forms, they were a bit heavy. I could see some visible muscles slightly bulging from his arms, torso, and legs, just like my body.

"I appreciate it. Why are you looking at my feet?" He sat down next to me, crossing his legs. "Do they look that different?"

I shrugged. I knew Ethereals had toenails, but I'd never seen them up close like this. They looked more like claws- actually, more like a witches' fingernails. They weren't comically sharp or pointy in any way, but they certainly stuck out. The nails were clear, but blended with the purple skin tone.

"Alien?" He finished. "It makes sense for bipedal species like yours and mine to have such a design for our feet. It is good for gripping, balance, and stability, no?"

"Makes sense to me, I guess." On a closer inspection, I noticed that if I looked close enough, I could see some veins under his skin. They were a bit harder to see compared to ours', as their blue-and-purple veins blended in well with their skin, while ours could stick out like a sore thumb.

"I see. Would you like to go in now?"

I grinned. "Of course, with a little style. Check this out, big guy." I stood up, walking over to the diving board. I climbed the stairs, walking to the edge on my tiptoes as Caelior got up, watching.

His head tilted, as I felt his voice in my mind. What are you doing?

I grinned at him. Sometimes our conversations were just us sitting there, talking through our minds. He'd told me that although he liked talking verbally, he sometimes preferred it when it was quiet, and I was fine with that.

Check this out, Caelior. Sometimes it pays to be small.

I took a few steps back, angled my legs and feet, and ran to the edge of the diving board, leaping off and curling myself into a ball.

"Cannonball!"

I hit the water a second later, sinking down as the water bubbled around me. Pre-augmented me, I would've closed my eyes while doing this, but my modified eyes were more than capable of not being affected in the slightest by it. I spread my arms and legs, propelling myself to the surface. Caelior looked down at me, feet at the edge of the pool, shaking his head.

"What?" I laughed, shaking my wet hair, flinging droplets everywhere. "The water's cool, and it's not deep at all!"

"The water is not the issue. Why enter like that when you can simply wade in?"

I shrugged. "Why not?"

"Unlike your species, we are not as buoyant. More bluntly, we sink. However, wading is...acceptable." He floated over the pool, vertically lowering himself into the water until only his upper torso, neck, and head stuck out.

"Caelior, I didn't-"

He smiled. "You meant no insult. Besides…" He extended his two upper arms, lifting water with his telekinesis. Noticing my widening eyes, he grinned, shaping it into a large, floating orb of water, glinting as the overhead lights shined through it like the sun.

"Water is malleable. I prefer to shape it, instead of swim"

I chuckled, smiling at Caelior's little creation. "Yeah. That's, that's wonderful. It looks great!"

"Ethereal children like-" He cleared his throat. "-liked to do this a lot. It was practice and a little fun. When it comes to telekinesis, water is one of the most malleable things you can experiment with. You can make many shapes, make waves, and even..."

He flicked a finger, and a second, smaller, sphere split off from the orb of water, which flew over my head- and then splashed me.

"Ah! You little-"

He smiled. "Splash your friends."

"Remind me to never take your purple ass to a water park!"

"Do not worry. Such a place is distasteful and horrifying on its own."

He played with his makeshift orb for a few more seconds, splitting it into two, then three, then four orbs before letting them go, collapsing them back into countless little droplets. He looked at me, his head cocking inquisitively.

"Dawn, would it be taboo for me to ask to touch the hair on your head?"

"What? No, no, that's not creepy at all! Why? Do you want to?"

He nodded. "I would. I have wondered what it feels like. And, it looks intriguing to me."

"Well, nothing's stopping you. Here." I turned around, grabbing some of my hair and holding it out. "Don't tug it too much. It hurts if you do that."

I felt his long fingers touch my hair, weaving it between his fingers as he examined it. I didn't have eyes in the back of my head, but I could tell he was doing the cocked-head motion again.

"How does it feel?"

"It's unique. It is finer when compared to Borelians. It also matches your eyes. A characteristic of your species?"

I shrugged. "It's a coincidence on a biological level, I guess. There's lots of hair colors, natural ones at least. We also use a lot of dyes to give ourselves hair colors like blue or pink, that don't occur naturally."

"So I have seen. Unfortunately perpetuated by Quisilia's Avatars."

What did he mean-oh. Those people. What were they called? The Moron Twins?

I'd come upon a few of their 'videos' on Twitter, and besides the horrible quality, editing, and constant insertion of hashtags and emojis, the very idea of filming yourselves kill people with families, post it online, and make fun of it was sickening. I bet that if Quisilia didn't have such a high investment into Twitter's stocks, they would've been taken down almost immediately.

Besides just the video, it was creepy listening to them talk. Besides their butchery of the English language, when they spoke with the masks on, it didn't sound like they were just talking - their voices were heavily distorted, as if someone else was talking at the same time. It was definitely the Avatar link, but it made them sound barely human. Hearing such a mix of light-and-low-pitched voices at the same time was downright eerie, if not just plain creepy.

Ignoring even that, they didn't seem that good at their jobs if they were going to livestream themselves in combat. I had a feeling they'd be no match for Fiona or the Chronicler. Hell, they were barely over a year older than me.

If that wasn't enough, their parents were still quite alive - and had to live with the shame that their two insufferable kids were not only mass murderers, but traitors. I remember the interview ANN did with them - the mother couldn't stop crying, and the dad just looked...crestfallen wasn't the right word, but it'd have to do. It was like someone had ripped his soul right out of him. Of course, they condemned their actions, but man, when they spoke, it hurt.

"Why'd they do this to us? We raised them well, gave them a good life - and they turn on us and their people by doing this? Killing soldiers and mocking them online? We knew they were torn up when their brother died - but we never thought they'd do something like this! We thought ADVENT might straighten them out after that whole misinformation thing with their phone calls, but we never thought they were capable of this!"

They'd promptly disowned them, and had been pretty quiet since. I doubt it affected the Twins much- they didn't upload or post anything the day of the interview, though. Shame it took this much to shut them up.

Ugh.

"Not me personally, no. Never really did that anyway, and even if I did, that's a big no-no on the regulations. You put dye in it, and you can get almost any color. Green, blue, orange, pink- you name it. Some people are naturally born with red hair, though."

"I see. I admit, it is hard to imagine you with such colored hair."

I chuckled. "It's more of a me thing, really. You guys don't have any hair on your bodies, right?"

"We don't, though it is an amusing thought. I've noticed that Humans tend to style their hair more often than Borelians, in ways that seem rather unnecessary."

"Maybe, but I like it," I shrugged. "There's lots of different ways to do it, though some are harder than others. Braids, ponytails, dreadlocks - we've played with our hair for millions of years and come up with some interesting stuff. I'd do some of it here, but…" I sighed. "Rules are rules. Did it all the time in highschool. I loved having a ponytail. I guess letting it look like this isn't all bad, but it's just hair."

He released his extremely delicate grip on my hair, and I turned around.

"You want to swim now or something?"

He shook his head. "No. My experiences with water have not been pleasant, though I am hardly unique. "

"What do you mean?"

He paused for a moment, turning his head away from me, which in a funny way was the only part of his body now not underwater. "How familiar are you with Sicarius?"

"The one with the orb helmet? A bit. Why?"

He sighed. "Back in the Collective, quite a while back before Earth, I held a strong dislike of her. You must understand, this was back when I was arrogant and prideful, and not like how I am now. I believed that she did not belong with us in our Collective, that she was too young and too weak, even though she was...accomplished."

I gulped. His tone of voice seemed sadder, like when he was talking about his past girlfriend or family. I didn't say anything; I crossed my legs, hung my arms on the edge of the pool, and just floated there while he talked.

"It got to a point where the Imperator became extremely furious with how I viewed her. So, he teleported me to a deserted planet for several months as a punishment. When I...fell there, for lack of a better term, I landed in a large lake. It was not filled with any harmful wildlife, but I had never been in such a deep body of water before. Some recreation pools, yes. But this was quite new. I had to use my telekinesis to hurl myself out before I drowned."

I slightly gasped. "Caelior, we can leave if you want to. I didn't-"

"No. This is fine. It was not traumatic as you fear, just...an unpleasant surprise." He continued speaking. "I had several fits of rage while I was there, but I eventually accepted my fate and ate some of the local wildlife to survive. Eventually, Quisilia picked me up from there, and the Imperator never spoke of it again. While I still harbored hatred for her, I never spoke of it again."

"Until now?"

"Not quite. The therapy has allowed me to voice my emotions. To be honest, Dawn, I feel better now that I can talk to people whose job it is to care. I was an asshole- a really big asshole."

"Did you just say asshole?"

"A Human term I find appropriate in this case."

"I've never heard you say that before."

"Your language is quite expressive in ways my own is not. Besides, it is an accurate description of me back then."

I snorted.

"But that is for another time, Dawn." He inched closer to me, until he was right next to me, our arms almost touching. "I have people who care here now. More than anyone in the Collective. The truth is, while some Ethereals have more empathy and open emotions than others, your kind are, for lack of a better term, kind."

"That's sweet." I smiled. I could tell he was happy about this; he was relaxed, and although his mental defenses were weak right now, you could feel his happiness, be it from the sound of his voice or the warm, relaxed feeling of the aura around him. "I'm glad you feel that way about us."

"But what about you, Dawn? What do you think of me?"

"As a person?"

"However you see me, yes."

I smiled at him. "Caelior, I think you're one of the best people I know. I know you've been through a lot, and you've done a lot of things you regret. And I get that. You were taken advantage of by people who only saw you as a tool, a weapon, a plaything to throw around."

I reached out and lightly took his hand.

"But I think you're much more than that. You're young, like me. You've got centuries, millenia to grow and develop. You gave me a chance to have a friend like no other, and I don't regret it one bit. Going into each other's minds, hanging out, sleeping over...I feel like you get me, you know? You're like me, buddy. Teens in war who've had to make decisions. I know you want to be better, and you've done a stellar job. I feel comfortable around you, and I'm not going to trade that for anything."

I gulped.

"When I talk with you, you understand what bugs me. You in me and I trust in you. And I don't feel like there's very many other people who do. I don't care that you're an Ethereal. Hell, in some alternate universe you could be a Muton or Vitakara and I wouldn't give a shit. You're a good person, Caelior. I know we haven't known each other for very long…"

I pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his torso, leaning my head against where his stomach was.

"But I care about you. A lot. And I'm not going to abandon you. I'm not going to leave you. If you need me…"

I felt all four of his arms wrap around me, pulling me tightly into another hug.

Then I'll know right where to find you.

His voice softly echoed in my head as we stayed in each other's arms, just floating in the water. We didn't talk- we didn't need to.

Because we had each other.

There's no one else like us in the world, Caelior.

I know. That's why I trust you so much. Because you're there for me. When there was no one else, you were there.

When I needed to open up and vent, you were there. You listened to me, and you taught me things.

You taught me things too, Dawn.

I felt the walls between our minds weaken.

Can I come in?

Yes.

Like in Turkey, I slipped into his mind. I smiled, lowering my defenses.

Come in if you want to.

As I went into his mind, feeling his memories, I felt his presence inside my head. I grinned, closing my eyes. I felt slightly sleepy, going into his mind, like a fish swimming through a current.

Pictures and images flashed by me like an old-school film reel.

Home.

A two-story house appeared in front of me, surrounded by lush green grass.

Family.

A large group of Ethereals appeared in front of me, wearing helmets and robes of various colors. Most were adults, but a few were children. I noticed one of them was wearing...was that Battlemaster armor?

Mother.

An Ethereal materialized in front of me in what looked like a kitchen. Her helmet was off, and was wearing white-silver robes, extending a hand which was holding what looked like a child's toy.

"Caelior. You are special. You will do great things."

Father.

Another Ethereal replaced her, this one with purple robes, his helmet off as well. He stood next to me, watching as I used telekinesis to lift a huge boulder, hovering it in the air while a crowd of much larger, older Ethereals dressed in what looked like scientists' garb took notes on paper-thin tablets.

"I am so proud of you, my son. I cannot emphasize how grateful I am that you were born. Your mother and I will always love you. We will always be there for you, even if we may no longer breathe."

They were never there for me when I needed them.

They lied to me.

They all lied to me.

The image went fuzzy, replacing that with another Ethereal woman, sitting next to me on a rock overlooking a gorgeous cliff with an orange-red sun glowing in the evening sky. She took her helmet off, her orange eyes burning into my mind. 'I' took mine off, leaning towards her.

Amera.

My first and only love.

It changed again, to another scene of the woman. She lay on the ground in different robes, half of her face burnt off, her limbs mangled, the light from her eyes gone. Everything around me smelled burnt. I was sobbing, crying as I held her limp hands in mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a massive thing on the ground.

Black, shaped like a squid.

Synthesized! Run! Run away!

The memories went quiet for a while, before reappearing. I was in his mind - but there was someone else too. A voice.

Trask's voice.

My heart skipped a beat as pain shot through my body. I screamed, but no sound came out of my mouth.

It went black, changing again to a part of the Praesidium. Standing in front of me was-

No. Not her!

Purple lightning shot out of her hands, hitting me in the chest.

So much pain.

Once more, the scene fizzled out, a new palette of various colors slowly becoming clearer to me. I was sitting on the ground, my legs crossed. I was staring at- Dawn! I reached for my helmet, taking my mask off.

"How do I look?"

"You...Caelior, you look great, buddy."

As 'I' looked at Dawn, a single word appeared in my mind.

Sister.

Human sister.

I gasped as I felt my connection slipping away, everything going white as my whole body tinged.

I felt his power, as if it was coursing through me.

The power to lift mountains.

The power to crush armies.

The power to reduce fleets to splinters.

I felt his mind.

I felt his power.

His body was like a furnace - no, an engine overflowing with power. Seeing it made me realize just how much I was outclassed by an Ethereal- the intelligence, the power- stacked up against me, I was nothing.

But I could feel him inside my head, too. Seeing things from my perspective - smaller, more minute, yet deadly all the same, just like him. There was no doubt about who'd win a fight, but we shared one thing.

We were both unique.

We were together in this.

I felt the words coming to my mind, as did he.

I opened my mouth, he opened his mouth.

"I am here for you."

I blinked as everything became normal again. I looked down, yelping as I was levitating in front of him, being balanced by a light telekinetic field. I saw my reflection in the water, noticing my eyes were glowing purple.

Then I looked back at him and saw his face.

His eyes were glowing a brighter orange than normal, his cheeks a darker purple than usual. His voice was cracking, like he was sobbing- but there were no tears.

"I...I haven't done that with anyone in so long. It's been centuries, and I...haven't found anyone to trust in that time. I thought I was so much, that I had so much. Then I lost it, then I got something back, then I almost lost it again."

He put up a weak smile, his body slightly vibrating.

"But you. You are here with me now."

He pulled me closer to him, leaning his forehead towards me. I reciprocated, touching my forehead to his. I remembered what this meant- a sign of friendship, a sign of true trust.

"I will not lose you. Not after all of this."

"I won't lose you either."

Pool Recreation Complex Changing Room, Praesidium

7/24/17- 7:55 PM

I changed back into my normal clothes, putting my wet two-piece in the bag. I had plans to sleep at his place tomorrow - he needed some alone time after what just happened.

Which was nothing I'd expected.

It had felt good, to be honest. Being in his head gave me a sort of comforting feeling, like being in a warm house after walking through a cold snowfall. A sort of feeling that was like home, knowing that you were safe and protected.

He hadn't brought up what he'd seen in my head, though he promised to talk about it tomorrow. That was fine by me - I didn't really have any traumatic or memories that would negatively affect someone. Hell, the most painful thing I remember happening to me was twisting my ankle in the gym in eleventh grade.

I shook my head, throwing on my shirt. The whole thing had been a mix of euphoric and enjoyable. Being in the mind of something so much older and powerful then you gave you a new perspective on some things. Just like in Turkey, I had felt his power, his reach, the extent of what he could do. It felt almost...addicting, like an adrenaline rush. But I felt like we'd both learned something about ourselves. We'd learned to trust each other even more, showing each other parts of our lives and what made us, well, us.

We hadn't talked much after that, just hugging it out for a few more minutes and quietly drinking the root beer floats I'd brought over while engaging in a quiet, reserved telepathic conversation about each others' day. Seeing him drink through a straw out of a floating plastic cup was kind of funny. I'd be lying if we didn't feel a little odd after the memory show, as I guess we were both getting used to what we'd seen. The memories hadn't been transferred permanently, mind you like Aegis had during my training. But you could remember seeing the memories, clear as day.

It wasn't a bond, obviously; Ethereal bonds didn't work like that, and there wasn't anything romantic about it. At most, it was a mental 'sneak peak' into each other's minds.

And we were both okay with that.

Still, as I got dressed, I couldn't shake the overarching feeling of fear in his mind. I sense in his post-Collective memories that in XCOM, he had a greater sense of comfort and happiness; training with Aegis, talking with Yates, and hanging out with me - these moments and experiences made him feel happy. But he had a reserved well of fear bottled up in him. He didn't say it, but he was afraid that the Collective would come after him again to kill him for good. Trask, the Battlemaster, the Overmind, Quisilia - he still feared them. He knew he was stronger and more powerful than ever, but he wasn't invincible.

He was still mortal. Like me.

Like all of us.

Dreamscape

7/26/17- 2:30 PM

When it came to using the Dreamscape, the possibilities were almost endless in what you could think of - provided T'Leth allowed it, of course.

My beat-down with Patricia had earned me a little fame- and infamy in XCOM, as the official notice sent out after my 'talk' with the Commander and Chronicler (which was basically just me standing in front of the two and promising not to do that again) has gotten a few chuckles from my friends. Personally, I think some of them were jealous that such a thing was against rules, as Patricia and her disposition to killing her former friends and targeting civilians made killing her a revenge fantasy for many people here.

Better to do something like that here than to do it in real life, I guess. Much less danger here than out there.

But one thing I loved doing were the solo missions, like my first test with Geist. It was simple enough; you against whatever Papa T cooked up that day. It felt a bit intimidating, having to work on your own without a team. I really enjoyed working with MECs, as well...well, they're killer cyborgs. What's not to like about having a friend who can rain down fire from above, or who can take an Oyariah Titan in one-on-one melee and win?

But I digress. I was quite happy with who I was now.

No need to tear out my guts and replace them with metals anytime soon, thank you very much. I had a mission to do, a simple one; fight through some enemies, and grab some kind of valuable intel at the end.

With a nod, the battle began. The inky black room that was the Dreamscape turned into a large park in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, sparsely dotted with trees and benches. I dashed, taking cover behind a statue, scanning the area.

Damn.

There were some Vitakara and Mutons walking around, seemingly on patrol. I had the element of surprise, which was good. The downside? There were at least eight Custodians walking around. I couldn't use my telepathy on them.

But I didn't need to.

I went into the minds of a small group of Mutons nearby, seizing control of them with relative ease.

Fire on the Custodians. Everyone besides me is the enemy.

The Mutons began firing at the robot soldiers, providing a distraction as I dashed out of cover, shooting a Borelian in the head twice with my Psi Rifle, the psionic bolts tearing through her helmet and killing her instantly. Her partner began to raise her gun, but she too dropped dead with a single thought.

Don't focus on the dead. Keep moving, keep shooting. Keep it fluid.

I took out a Dynamo grenade, pushing the button and throwing it at several Mutons in the parking lot. The grenade activated, reality ripping apart as the hulking green aliens were torn apart with purple energy, painting the concrete and cars with yellow blood and burnt scraps of metal. What used to be five Mutons were now charred corpses.

Man, the science guys make good shit, Gotta thank them next time I see them.

I looked over at my merry band of Mutons, who were keeping the Custodians busy. One of them charges a Custodian, grabbing it by the left arm and smashing its muscled fist into it until it went limp, only to get gunned down by the surviving drones. I lined up my rifle, taking another Custodian down with a few chest shots, keeping my bursts short. While it was kind of amusing to watch the two sides fight like AI from a video game, I wasn't here to play around.

With another grenade, they both went up in purple fire.

Four grenades left. Make 'em count.

I ran across the parking lot and down the street, following my HUD markers.

Bang!

A plasma bolt shot past my head, the projectile burning into the concrete. I dropped, taking cover behind a stone fountain I immediately mentally scanned the nearby area, looking for the culprit. I found a Cobrarian sniper on a nearby houses' roof, looking for targets.

She immediately fell face-first into a car roof, her neck snapping with a sickening crack a second later.

Easy. But I let my guard down back there.

C'mon.

I got up, crouching as I walked past the fountain, scanning for anyone trying to kill me. Finding nothing, I moved on to another street, where I took cover behind a dumpster, where across the street, another obstacle awaited me. Two Archons were hovering over a large McMansion, while several Titans and a small horde of Custodians patrolled around it. I sensed Cobrarians and Vitakara in the house, guarding something.

Guess he wants me to go in there, then. Gotta take them all out, then.

I primed another Dynamo grenade, throwing it at the clustered Custodians holed up by a garage. I ran from cover, shooting at the Archons who dodged my shots, throwing plasma at me. The garage exploded as the psionosphere ripped it apart, killing everyone inside. The Titans, weidling a mix of clubs, hammers, and shields, charged me.

Not today.

I penetrated their minds, the hulking menaces freezing in their tracks as I took control of them. Oyariah minds were somewhat odd in that, while far from being as dumb as a Muton, their minds felt oddly simple. You could feel the raging fanaticism in their minds, the borderline zealotry fueling them, like crusaders trying to burn a heretic or witch at the stake.

Which made their minds much easier to control.

Not today, boys. This witch is gonna live another day.

They turned around, charging the house. I'd felt more enemies in there, so while I'd fight the Archons, they'd do the clean-up work. They ran past the Archons, smashing through the front walls and letting their melee weapons fly.

Alright, time for the discount Archangels.

I aimed for their base, targeting their thrusters as I fired in longer bursts than usual, trying to hit something. While a few shots hit them, blowing some of their engines, they were still flying, albeit trailing smoke.

I stole a glance over at the large house, where my co-workers, covered in alien blood, were finishing clubbing the last of the enemies inside. I killed them with a thought, focusing back on the Archons who were circling the house.

Okay, you've had your fun. Game's over.

I primed another Dynamo grenade, throwing it into the air as the two zoomed closer to me to get a better shot. It detonated point-blank in one of the Archon's faces, disintegrating it instantly. The second, while not too close, got hit pretty bad. It slammed into the ground, flailing wildly as it tried to get airborne again, to no avail. I walked over to it, shooting it in the head.

Not a bad throw. Guess all that basketball has paid off. Imagine that.

I walked into the collapsed house, which the Oyariah had brought down with surprisingly little effort. I stepped over the bodies, having to lift up a few fallen wooden beams to clear the path. I made my way into the ruined kitchen, where a dead Vitkarian's body with a dented-in head slumped over my target: a pristine-colored black box, with a handle and a few blood splatters on it.

Before XCOM, if I'd seen an image like this, I probably would've run to the nearest bathroom to vomit. I'd seen gore in movies and video games, no problem? But in reality (or as close to it as you could get here), that'd be a whole 'nother story.

I pushed aside the corpse, grabbed the box, which was surprisingly light, looking it over.

Well, mission accomplished, then. Had to admit, that was short.

The simulation ended a second, transporting me back to reality. I took my hand off of the orb, breathing in and out. While I didn't physically feel tired from that, the exhaustion from doing that in real life still got to you.

Not bad.

I was getting better- particularly at the mind control. The grenade throw was good, but I could've just used my telepathy to take them out. I'd handled the non-biological enemies pretty well, though my aim needed some work. Burst-firing the Psi Rifle was easy enough on its own, but in the heat of combat you could forget to, and risk overheating and damaging it.

Two things you definitely didn't want happened to you.

I sighed, walking out of the Dreamscape room to check my schedule. Lunch was next, then I had some free time.

Maybe another visit to the Shoggoths, if I could.

Gym, Praesidium

7/27/17- 11:50 AM

The ball flew past the goalie into the goal, hitting the net.

"Goal!" Rouvin Gould, our team's resident Scot, threw a hand into the air. "That's another for humanity!"

Nalena, the Cobrarian goalie, shook her head hissing as she slithered over to the scoreboard, marking another down for our team. I had to say, fighting an all-alien team was interesting. There were four people in total on each side - me and Rouvin being the humans on this one, with a bored-looking Dath'Haram scientist named Dainten leaning on our goal, waiting for the next round to begin.

And of course, to make this perfectly normal and in no way out-of-the-ordinary team complete, my fourth teammate was an Oyariah.

Because sure, why not?

The opposing team wasn't anything to scoff at either. Having a Cobrarian as a goalie made things tough, though she only used her hands and not her tail to catch. A hulking Borelian male, Jarine was the team's muscle, while a pair of female Vitakara, named Trella and Cairu respectively, backed him up. Everyone was wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt like me, even Xarian, whose own shirt looked a bit baggy on his massive form. Only difference being that on the human shirts, the lettering was in English, while the Vitakarians had what I presumed was their own language inscribed on it.

Cairu - I'd heard that name before. Apparently, she was the sister of Nartha, the one and only OG alien defector. He himself was close with a few XCOM soldiers, but he wasn't around here often, as he was probably on Vitakar doing...stuff with the Nulorian.

Even though those guys were on our side, they were still a nasty bunch. I mean, bombing schools and hospitals? Wasn't exactly something I approved of. But I remembered what the Commander said about them, having to become ruthless and all because of the Zararch. Besides, we had no one else on Vitakar with connections like them.

A necessary evil, I suppose.

I'd seen a little bit of Vitakar here and there from the Dreamscape and pictures Carreria showed me. She wasn't wrong when she said Vitakar was a more intense version of Earth. The weather, the extreme environments - it was like the biomes on Earth turned up to eleven. It kind of explained the Vitakarian races, in an evolutionary sense. Extreme environment, extreme adaptations. Cold environment? Grow fur like the Borelians. Water-based environment? Grow gills like the Sar'Manda. Super hot and sandy environment? Become a snake, of course.

Because why not, right?

"Alright! Next round!" Trella clapped her hands. "Vitakarians three, humans and Oyariah two."

Xarian chuckled, cracking his stone knuckles. "Ready for another round, little one?"

He'd been calling me that since this game started, and honestly, I thought it was kind of adorable. Besides, I wasn't going to argue with the literal mountain with arms and legs. I was kind of jealous, honestly. Having naturally grown layers of stone that are actually bulletproof? Being able to whack each other over the head with giant hammers in your free time and just shrug it off like it was nothing?

I wouldn't lie - if reincarnation was a thing, I wouldn't mind being an Oyariah in another life.

The goalie blew the whistle, and the game began. Xarian, being the biggest guy on our team, went after the Borelian, blocking him while Rouvin handled the ball, passing it to mw while dodging the two Vitakarians, who were occasionally squawking at each other in their own language, making moves at both of us. They were fast - the two of them were stronger than us humans, and had served in the Runiararch for several years combined - more military experience than I'd ever had.

My only advantage was being a bit more experienced at this game, and even that was stretching it.

Rouvin kicked the ball to me, moving further up the field in front of me to line up a shot to the goal. Trell was tailing me, while Xarian was busy dealing with Jarine and Cairu. I dashed closer and closer to Rouving, kicking the ball in his direction-

"Sike!"

Trella came out from behind me, intercepting the ball and moving in the direction of our goal.

Damn!

I cursed under my breath, pivoting on a heel and turning around. She was fast. Not a bad move, either. I went after her, who was taking turns passing with Jarine. Dainten, noticing the incoming enemy team, took a defensive stance, snapping to a state of readiness inhumanely quickly. I kept forgetting that their reflexes were far superior to a humans' and with genetic augmentation, even better.

Cairu kicked the ball, and it flew right into Dainten's hands. He smirked, raising his hand.

"I have the ball!"

Oh, he was just rubbing it into them, wasn't he?

If Trella was rolling her eyes, she definitely was. You couldn't tell due to the solid-orb eyes, but if you looked closely at the skin around the eye, the way it subtly moved could tip you off that they were, in fact, rolling their eyes.

A bonus from hanging around a lot of aliens, I guess.

We all moved away from the goal to the half-court area, where he tossed the ball with an overhand throw, and everyone immediately shot into action. I made a mad dash for the ball, getting my hands (well, foot- this was soccer, so getting your hands on it if you weren't the goalie was breaking the rules) on the ball and kicking it to Xarian, whose momentum carried him across the court. For such a large creature, he was fast. There was something intimidating and fascinating about a massive hulk of rock and flesh barreling across the court. Think of the Oyariah as you will, but don't let it be said that their biology doesn't give them some unique advantages.

C'mon, you can do it.

The Borelian was tag-teaming him along with Cairu, while Trell and Rouvin were each trying to one-up each other. I was keeping up with Xarian (albeit he couldn't exactly run at full speed or he'd put us all to shame) as he passed it to me, navigating behind me, acting as a walking roadblock to prevent anyone from flanking me like last time.

"Go, human! I have your back!"

Thanks, bud.

I ran closer and closer to the goal, watching the massive snake lady rapidly uncurl her body, her two eyes watching me as I prepared to kick.

Not today, nope rope.

I kicked the ball, sending it right past her head and into the goal net. The buzzer went off, giving my team another point. She shook her head, picking up the ball and tossing it to Xarian.

"Three for three, Oyariah. Not bad, Human."

The game ended shortly after and we all walked off the field. Rouvin wiped some sweat off his head. "You did pretty good there, Dawn. You play this a lot before coming here?"

I shrugged. "Eh, played a bit of soccer here and there casually."

"Football."

I raised an eyebrow. "Hey, at least us Americans use the metric system now. Not that I really ever had an issue with it in the first place. Kind of weird saying 'meters' instead of feet now. I'll get used to it, though." I smirked, deciding to add a little joke to the mix. "What do you mean, I have to use meters to describe how tall I am? I'm not 1.8 meters tall, I'm actually one assault rifle and one bald eagle tall."

Rouvin chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Okay, that one wasn't bad. Anyway, I grew up using it. Just glad it's a universal thing now. Heard ADVENT's going to be calling your soccer football now, and your football, the one with the touchdowns American Football."

I snorted. "Fair enough. But hey, call it whatever you want, it's still fun."

"Oh yeah. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got some training to do. Later!"

I plopped myself down on a chair, grabbing a plastic bottle of orange juice and chugging it. Xarian walked over to me, his massive form overshadowing mine and sitting done next to me, preferring to sit on the floor, as his weight would've broken any chair.

"Enjoyable game, human. It's not the Fighting Arena, but I suppose it will do."

"Fighting Arena? That's where you guys go to relieve stress by whacking the shit out of each other?"

He chuckled, which sounded like the ground rumbling before an earthquake or landslide. "Are you surprised? It is not as if your species does not engage in such sport. . However, our natural physiology is ideally suited for more...engaging combat."

I smirked. "I'm jealous. Closest thing that I ever did to fighting someone was telling my extended family to shut up about politics on Thanksgiving."

"I am unfamiliar with your holiday, but I hope that such was enjoyable. Or did you not mean physically?"

"Um, verbally." I cleared my throat. While the mental image of the family Thanksgiving dinner devolving into a fist fight was funny, the aftermath… not so much.

He laughed. "Ah, I suppose it is not inherent in your species. In my youth, we engaged in such combat in the areas daily." He noticed my raised eyebrow. "Yet it is less common for you?"

"Well, we do have boxing, and wrestling, and rugby, but those aren't really the same thing." I shrugged. " But I have to say, I'm pretty jealous of the stone armor."

He chuckled again. "Many are. But you have the Gift, no? That is something to be proud of."

I smiled. For such a big, intimidating guy, he did his best to be nice. He wasn't really failing per se, as I didn't feel threatened by him at all. No, no I was more intrigued then nervous, anyway.

"Yeah, I am proud of it. Granted, I'm a little young than the others, but I do a good enough job here. Besides, it's a hell of a job. Wouldn't trade it for anything."

"I have heard. You can do biopathy, yes?"

"The melting one, yes. It's a bit messier than what Sana does, but I'm happy with what I got on the genetic lottery."

"I see."

I paused. "I have a question about your culture."

"You may ask."

"Uh, I heard that you guys worship the Ethereals. But, you don't see them as god-like figures, right?" He nodded. "But if you don't see them as gods, then what do you see them as?"

"As something more," he answered. "The universe acts on forces and laws that are incomprehensible. Inexplicable. Higher power, be it derived from law or the irrational, exists. The Gift is the expression of this, and the Elders are they who embody the higher power of this universe. Beings of immortality and power, worthy of devotion and respect."

He paused. "Yet even they can schism and question. They are not a monolith. Thus, choices were made. Your species is young, but you possess a connection to the beyond that we cannot. Cultivate your gift, little one. One day there will be others who look upon you as we do the Elders. Perhaps it will even be us."

I nodded. While I was very interested in this conversation, I could both see and not see what he was saying. The Oyariah saw the Elders as something more than Human - I mean Vitakarian, thanks to their psionics and lifespans. While not seeing them on a level of a figure like a god or creation myth, they saw them as figures worthy of being worshipped.

"There aren't any Vitakara who aren't Oyariah that see the Ethereals like you do, right?" A small part of me wanted to give him a piece of my mind for formerly worshipping a group of crazed maniacs or scam artists using their power and influence to control people and make them do their bidding - but then again, that wasn't too dissimilar from some religions and cults I'd heard of in the past.

At least he wasn't screaming "Die, heretic!" and trying to burn me at the stake.

"No. We do not proselytize, nor do we force our beliefs on others who do not wish to understand. To do such would be...pointless. They understand us, and that is all that is required. I can, of course, tell you in more detail, if you wish."

"That's fair. I don't suppose you can tell me more?" I guzzled more orange juice. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious."

"Ask. I will answer what I can."

"So if you worship the Ethereals, how does all of this-" I waved my hand around. "Affect that? By siding with us, you're joining the side which has captured, killed, and turned multiple Ethereals to our side. Hell, we've got an Ethereal locked up right now."

He nodded. "We do not worship Ethereals, but it is a fair question." There was a pause. "I believe that Aegis has been truthful, akin to the Battlemaster and Sana'Ligna. I am familiar with him, I have met him, and seen his actions for my people. I am disinclined to disbelieve, especially when Sana'Ligna has similarly removed herself from the conflict. I could only choose between the Elders I knew, and the ones from which there are only stories. In the end, I trust my eyes and experience, and my race is being misled. The loyalty owed to the Elders is strong, and for that I do not blame them, but the Imperator is not the way. It is...not ideal to fight and kill my own kind. But, as a member of Aegis' Honor Guard, I must do what I can."

"I'm sorry, Aegis' Guard?"

"He assigned me the role and honor as the first of such after I arrived at XCOM. Hopefully, in the future, more of my kind will see the light. But for now, I am alone."

You had to feel some pity for him. Barring his beliefs, this whole 'Ethereal divide' thing clearly affected him. He'd been indoctrinated from day one to worship them, and then he sees one fighting against his kind- and not only that but to discover that us Humans had killed several more had to do something to his mind. He seemed alright, but I wouldn't blame if he'd had a serious conflict of faith.

"It was quite surprising to learn from Aegis the lies they told us. I once believed they rewarded the Godkillers generously."

"Godkiller?"

"One who has killed an Ethereal. The Commander, Moira Vahlen, Patricia Trask, Franklin West, and Kane Mctaggert, I assume."

I recognized all but one of those names. 'Franklin West' didn't ring a bell. Maybe a dead veteran? I'd ask Sierra about that next time I saw her.

"I'm assuming all expect the last one helped kill the Ravaged One?"

"The one greatly weakened by the Machine-Gods, yes."

I raised an eyebrow. "Machine-Gods?"

"You may also know them as the Synthesized, yes."

Oh. Well, if anything, it's an interesting use of terminology. "I'm a little familiar with them."

"You are?"

"Caelior accidentally showed me one in the Dreamscape once."

"You are familiar with Elder Caelior?"

"We're very good friends. Very close."

He narrowed his beady black eyes, as if trying to run the information through his head. "I have had few interactions with him. Aegis is...older than him. More mature."

"You're not wrong, though he's improving. Honestly, I guess we're close because of our respective circumstances."

"Your youth?"

"One of them, yes. We're both prodigies among our respective species, though for different talents. I'm humanity's first biopath, and he was one of the Empire's strongest telekines."

"While I am aware of the Elder's history, I am not so familiar with your kinds' outside of several of your religions and belief systems. You are truly the first biopath of your kind?"

"I am."

"And you are...how many of your years old?"

"Nineteen."

"I see. Atypical of your species, I presume?"

"It is. I have hard days and easy days. I wake up, follow my schedule, practice when I can, make sure I have fun when I need to, rinse and repeat. It's not all that hard, though. The higher-ups know that I'm a teenager, and don't give me anything stressful or over-strenuous I wouldn't be capable of if I wasn't an adult. "

He nodded. "It is good they understand. Everyone has a limit in what one can do. It is a sign of a good leader when one understands what those they command can and cannot do. A soldier is not useful if one is pushed too far. It is like a saying we have. 'A stone is broken not by one strike, but by many cracks'."

"What's it mean?"

"It means that to destroy or be destroyed, there is no one simple way. For something to be destroyed, it requires many minute details and aspects. I imagine your people have equivalent metaphors. Over time, something can be created, like a civilization or weapon. But its ultimate collapses is the result of a culmination of events. The stone, let's say. A stone, if I was to hit it with one of my warhammers, would be crushed. However, I cannot destroy all of it, as small pieces will scatter, some perhaps too small for me to see. To truly destroy the stone, I cannot just simply require my hammers. I need more tools, more strategies."

"That's...actually kind of poetic."

"It is. Now, if you would excuse me, Dawn." He got up, towering over me, as the court's soccer nets were switched out for basketball hoops. Two groups of Vitakara walked onto the court, some beckoning Xarian. "I need to show the other races that a Titan does simply not just dominate the battlefield, but the court."

"Mind if I watch?"

"I do not."

As I watched him walk onto the field, I sipped my drink again, watching the game unfold.

XCOM never ceased to surprise me - and I had a feeling that'd never stop.

And I was fine with that.

Caelior's Quarters, Praesidium

7/25/17- 7:05 PM

I stopped outside of Caelior's door, knocking. It opened, and I walked in, the door closing behind me. Caelior was laying on his bed, his helmet off, his head on his pillow, staring at the ceiling. I noticed there was a large cardboard box leaning against the wall.

Huh?

"You okay, buddy?"

"I'm...I'm fine Dawn. How are you doing today?"

He sounded different than normal. More deadpan, more worn out.

"Do you want me to leave, give you some alone time?"

He shook his head. "No, that's not needed."

I nodded, heading into the bathroom to change. When I walked out, he had sat up, leaning against the wall.

"Before we watch the movie we talked about, I'd like to discuss yesterday with you."

"Of course."

He patted the part of the bed next to him, and with a nod, he telekinetically lifted me up and plopped me down right next to him, my legs dangling off the bed.

"What's up?"

He sighed. "I have been thinking a lot about our telepathic interaction yesterday. I want to know your thoughts on it."

"My honest thoughts?"

"Yes."

I looked at him, right in his eyes. "I appreciate it, Caelior. You showed your trust for me, and you wouldn't have done that if you didn't feel ready for it. I didn't see everything, but I saw a few things."

"Like what?"

"I saw your mom, your dad, your family, that Amera women, um...Caelior, I don't-"

"It's okay."

"I saw Trask capturing you - both times, and then you unmasking in front of me."

"I see. Thank you for your honesty, Dawn. If you wish to know what I saw, I shall tell you. Some were blurrier than others, but I remember. The earliest one I remember was something about you playing with a plastic figure, with some song about being 'plastic and fantastic'? The next one was you going to school, and then going on a trip to some valley. Next one was you in an educational institution, watching the Ravaged One attack New York. The one after that was you getting a positive psionic test from the PRIEST facility in your birthplace, and your subsequent awakening. After that, it was your first time using biopathy, and then the psionic Overseer meeting you. That was all."

Poor Caelior heard the Barbie song. I hope it didn't get stuck in his head.

"Feel like so long ago, you know. Bronis walking in and asking me if I wanted to join up. And then meeting you."

"Does it?"

I shrugged. "We're not immortal. Guess humans remember things differently. Besides, the last two years have felt like a century with all that's happened to us. One day, I'm worried about my college acceptance letter. The next, I'm worried about shooting people and telepathy."

"I understand how you feel, Dawn. I cannot say without lying that my life has not changed so much recently, for the better." He clasped his hands together. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

I shook my head. "No! I mean, you lifted me out of the water, but that was it."

"I didn't mean it like that. The way I acted, the emotions I showed. Did they make you feel uncomfortable or scared?"

"No, Caelior. You didn't. You were being yourself. I'm not going to shit on you because you were sad and expressing your emotions. What kind of friend would I be if I did?"

"I appreciate that." he pursed his lips, looking down at his legs and feet. "I have not been so emotionally open with anyone like that in a very long time. While I have had some personal talks with Aegis and Yates, I am not as good friends with Aegis and Yates as you. While Aegis has been a good teacher, he is not very emotionally open. And while I confide in Yates, as she is an excellent medical professional and is very good at her job, I am not friends with her."

"I see."

"Did you want to talk about any of the memories you saw?"

I shrugged. "Some of them were a bit intense. Don't you-"

"I have lived through them once. Talking about them again will not hurt me."

"Alright. Um...I saw Amera and you. I saw your parents and family members. I saw you fighting Trask, and meeting me."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Do you have any questions about them?"

I decided I was going to respond, but I'd stay away from the more impactful stuff. I didn't want to

"Um...I saw an image of your family, and I noticed one of your family members was wearing Battlemaster armor."

"Correct. My mother's great-grandfather. A natural birth, but retired. He re-entered service when the Synthesized invaded. He was close to the Battlemaster Tenabri. He died in the late stages of the war, destroyed by a Director Flagship while covering a colony's evacuation."

"I'm sorry. I...I don't know what to say."

"He and I were not on good terms, because of my, well, you are aware of how I was back in the Empire. I look back now and realize his various criticisms of me were correct. 'You are too arrogant', he said. 'Power is useless without strategy, Caelior'." His head dipped. "He died believing I was a useless child who did not deserve this power. And here I am, not even loyal to what's left of my kind anymore."

"Hey." I reached out, taking his hand. "You're doing the right thing here. If the Imperator keeps doing what he's doing, your people are gonna wind up extinct. Caelior, you took down a Hiveship. You've pulled Cleanser Ships out of the sky. You're doing good things, for good people."

The footage of Caelior yanking a Cleanser Ship onto a battalion of Andromedons in Florida never got old.

"I know. I just wonder what my family would think of me if they were still alive. I know they would be proud of me for developing my talents, but…"

"But you're not with the Empire's remnants anymore?"

He nodded. "My family's views towards aliens was not exactly one of respect and love. They might have said that my mind would be corrupted, or that I had been tricked. But I was already tricked once by my own kind. I do not want to go back, Dawn. I can't go back. I have been taken advantage of adults of my species before. It won't happen again."

His fists tightened, their around me beginning to-

"No. No." He let go of his hands, the field dissipating. "I'm not losing control."

"Are you alright?"

"I am fine. Mostly." he cleared his throat. "Were you going to say something?"

"Yeah. I can't say that I haven't had issues with adults in the past, but I can relate. Growing up, a lot of adults I trusted, especially in my family, told me that I had to respect them because they were older and 'more experienced' than me. Which would make sense, only they'd turn and start spewing racist shit and conspiracy theories they got off Facebook and Twitter and stuff like that."

"I see. Well, I suppose adults can be universally flawed, then." He smiled. "I have a gift for you."

"Oh?"

He got off the bed, walking over to the large box. With a telekinetic wave of a hand, it opened. With the addition of a second hand, an Ethereal-sized bed and frame was lifted out of the box.

"I recently found out the bed I sleep in is able to be modified into a bunk. I found it slightly distasteful to have you, my good friend, sleep on the floor after all you have done for me."

I watched as Caelior lifted the bed above his, the two connecting with a click!, while he pulled out a plastic bag, ripping several small screws from it which guided themselves into the holes connecting the two beds, locking them together.

No scissors required.

'"Do not fear. I have sheets and a pillow for you."

I got off the bed, taking a look at the bed. I watched as he 'made' the bed for me, manipulating the sheets and pillows to be near-perfectly aligned, as they hovered in midair, one by one being folded and attached to the bed.

Telekines and their powers.

"Wow. That's...damn."

"Do you like it?"

I snorted. "I don't like it! I love it! But uh, how do I get up and climb down?"

I meant that as a joke- I could easily use my augmentations to jump down if I had to, and I could easily use the structure of the two beds to climb up.

"Like this."

I was suddenly (gently) lifted onto the bed, landing softly onto the freshly made bed sheets. I laid my head back, sinking into the pillow. It felt even more comfy then the bed I had in the barracks. Then again, it was made to fit an Ethereal, so my small human form had more than enough space to move around on it.

"Caelior, This feels great!"

"I am glad you like it. Again, I thought it appropriate, since you and I are friends. Feel free to use it whenever you please. If there is anything else you require, please let me know."

"Oh, I'm more than happy right now. You have no idea how noisy it can get in the barracks."

"I can imagine. Now, I believe you said something about a movie?"

Ninety Minutes Later

The credits rolled as Caelior shut the TV off, putting the remote down.

"That was...very good. I see now why you recommended it to me. It was, how do you say... wholesome?"

"Wholesome. Right."

"It was. Giving those two robots emotions with so little speaking, including the one that disposed of waste, was most creative. While we had many automated systems in the Empire, some of which disposed of waste, I never would think such a miniscule idea could be given such personality."

"I saw this in the theaters with my family when it first came out. Best kid's movie ever, no exceptions. Loved it so much I went and saw it again, much to my sisters' chagrin."

He laughed. "You are lucky to have a family like that. But I would be more than happy to see this again."

"No problem. I got that disc version I gave you for my birthday. I was so psyched when I opened it. My mom brought it over when the family came as a kind of nostalgic thing. Remind me to thank her the next time."

"That is nice. I'm glad things have gotten better with your family as of late. I was not expecting the conversation I had with them to go so smoothly."

"What, you expected them to freak out on you and start calling you names?"

He shrugged. "I thought they would be more intimidated or afraid of me. But I am thankful they view me in a less negative light now." He paused. "You never told me what their occupations were."

"Dad's a bartender, mom's a mechanic. Funny story on how they met, actually. Dad was driving home one night when his car broke down. Mom just happened to be around when that happened. She pulled over, and helped him fix it long enough for him to get it to a repair shop- her repair shop. The two hit it off, and when the car got fixed, my mom handed my dad her number along with the bill."

"So... humanity's first biopath would never have existed if it was not for a faulty car part."

I burst out laughing. "When you say it like that, yeah. It's a good story, though. The two of them have been married for twenty-four years, with no signs of stopping. If that's not a good marriage, I don't know what is. But yeah, they're great people. They loved us, took care of us, put up with our bullshit, all of that. How about yours?"

"Mine is not so poetic as yours. My father was an engineer working on spaceships. My mother worked at...what you would call a 'zoo' in English. They met via a social network- something close to what you would call a 'dating app'. My father came to appreciate my mother's calm and caring nature- that is what made her so good at her job. My mother loved my father's intelligence. After a decade, they bonded. When they discovered my mother was pregnant a decade later, they were...ecstatic would be an understatement. They lived on a colony world one system away from the homeworld, one of the first established in our species' history. Out of all that time, only one other natural birth had been conceived and born there."

"Wow."

"Natural births are very important to the Empire. When I was born, there were celebrations on the planet. From the moment I was born, as one of your sayings goes, 'I had a silver spoon in my mouth'. I was expected to achieve greatness, and I suppose in a way they never thought possible, I have."

"And here I was growing up in a typical middle-class American household."

"Everyone starts from somewhere. Not many ask about my parentage."

"Well, they're important to us. Parents raise you and help you become who you grow up to be."

"I suppose. Though I never had a biological sibling…." His head turned to me, his burning orange eyes staring at mine. "I am proud to say that I have one now, albeit not through blood, and very small."

"You mean that?"

"I do. I know we have known each other only for a month, but...you have done a good job of relating to me. You understand me, I understand you. You realize that human youth and most Ethereal youth are quite different. Your kind's young are more adventurous, rebellious, curious. You opened up to me, and I, in turn opened up to you."

"That's...thanks, Caelior."

"And that is why I am proud to call you soleur. Sister. Because you care about me. Like a loving sibling should."

I almost blushed. "Thanks."

"Alternatively, I could call you human-soleur, which means 'human-sister', but it means the same."

"No problem. Brother."

He grinned, flashing his set of teeth. "Then we are even indeed. Graneu staluten brainue minkl'ine. Do you know what that means?"

I shook my head. I'd been reading the Ethereal script Aegis sent me over the past few days, and while my mind has been adjusting, I had a ways to go. The second-to-last word partially translated in my head to 'brain', so I wasn't totally out of the ballpark.

"Um...something to do with the brain?"

"Shared minds think alike. Graneu, which is similar to your word 'generous', staluten, which means 'mind' in relative terms, 'brainue', which means think-"

"Brainue?"

He nodded. "The reason you hear 'brain' and other English words when I'm saying that particular word is because you are getting adjusted to the language. Since the word being translated means 'think', your mind connects that work, in this case think, with a word associated with the brain. In this case, think."

"Oh."

"See? You are learning. The final word, minkl'ine, means alike. So, 'shared minds think alike'."

I pursed my lips. "That makes sense. Sounds a lot like 'great minds think alike', though."

"Indeed it does. The term originated from the first truly bonded couples in our history and the power of linked minds. Over time, it changed, but...well, you understand."

"Since we're similar, we see some things similarly."

He nodded.

"I know it is late, but...another time, would you like to do the memory exchange again?"

"Hmm?"

"It is something close friends did in the Empire, show each other memories to experience another life, albeit temporarily. I-"

"Yes. Yes, I'd like to do that again. If you want to."

He smiled. "Then in that, we are in agreement."

Shared minds do think alike.

Commander's Office, Praesidium

8/1/17- 2:30 Pm

I sat down at the Commander's desk, unsure of why I was called here. All the message said was that I had to 'talk to him immediately'.

The Commander appraised me opposite his desk. "Dawn. Welcome. Thank you for coming."

I nodded. "Yes sir, but why am I here?"

"In short, it concerns you and your safety," he said. "I've become appraised of a potential development during the negotiation, one you should be aware of, even if it is now just a rumor."

"Uh...okay?"

His eyes directly fixated on mine. "In short, it is almost certain the Collective has identified you. They know that you are a Biopath and are now being deployed on operations. We are not certain how they verified this, but it is unfortunately faster than we anticipated. What is unconfirmed is that they have designated you as a target of Sicarius."

What?

"I'm sorry….what?"

I think my heart almost leapt out of my throat.

"Yes," he nodded, completely serious. "Directly from Sana'Ligna. Given her profile and current actions, I have little reason to doubt her."

I blankly stared at him, my mouth open. In any other situation, I would've looked like a slack-jawed moron. But here, it was a perfectly normal reaction.

"I don't know what to say." My voice quietened, as I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. "What does this mean for me?"

"A few things, the first is which we will need to consider your safety when there are deployments," the Commander laced his fingers together. "The number of missions you are deployed on may be consolidated, at least until we verify if there is truth to this. You will also, as a consequence, may be assigned to more high-profile missions due to the necessity of expertise in the event of an Ethereal encounter. You will be safe here, but there will be some precautions taken. It is earlier than I would like for anti-Ethereal training, but you will need to prioritize that in the Dreamscape."

I was trying to hold my reaction back, trying to hold it together in front of him.

But I wasn't doing a very good job. My whole body was shaking as I kept trying to process the thought.

I swallowed. "Does this mean I can't use my biopathy in the field?"

He shook his head. "No. But it should be used sparingly, if you can employ your telepathy, do so. However, you are not the first to be targeted, and you won't be the last. XCOM cannot afford to handicap itself. Do not be reckless, but do not let fear dominate. Understood?"

"Yeah. I just...no offense, sir, but I don't want to spend all my time cooped up in here."

He nodded. "And as I said, you won't be. However, there are considerations to make here, and there is no point risking you for little reason."

"I get it, sir. But why would they want to capture me?" I asked. "They must know I have the Restraints, and that if they try to take them out, I'll die."

He frowned. "Undetermined. Perhaps as a bargaining chip. Perhaps to attempt to reverse the restraints. Ultimately, it does not matter, both because the possibility is unacceptable, and because I have no intention of letting it occur. You have conducted yourself well thus far, and it is important you are appraised - even if this hopefully turns out to be a false rumor Sana heard. "

I gulped. "Um, thank you, sir. Can I go now? I...need to think about this."

"Of course," he nodded. "Take care, Dawn."

I barely listened to him as I practically ran out of his office.

Mess Hall, Praesidium

Ten Minutes Later

My hands shook as I sat on the chair, staring blankly at the wall as the food sat in front of me, ignoring the bustling people around waiting to be served. I'd tried to eat the roast, but...it tasted bland. I couldn't focus on it, not after what the Commander told me.

My heart was beating like crazy.

They know who I am.

They are coming for me.

They want you dead, Dawn.

I gulped, clenching my hands as I tried to think about something, anything else. Guns, psionics, my friends, something.

But I couldn't. I just...I couldn't.

If you never joined XCOM, you never would've had to worry about this.

I gritted my teeth, putting my head in my hands as I groaned. "No." I whispered to myself. "It's my choice, my consequences. Can't quit now."

Okay, let's think about this again.

The Collective knows - somehow. Mortis knew, which in turn he told Sana, who then told the Commander.

Nice of her at least to do that.

Maybe I'll dislike her a little less now.

So now Sicarius is coming for you now, and probably her little boy toy is coming for the ride too. Obviously, the Imperator's gonna want you dead. But the Commander also said that 'capture' might be a thing, too.

Gee, I wonder why.

Doesn't the big guy in gold know that the Manchurian Restraints will kick in?

Then again….

"Dawn?"

I turned around, sensing Kunio's presence. He had a worried look on his face as he sat down next to me with a tray of food.

"Hey, Kunio."

"Are you alright?"

I groaned. "Do I look alright? Course I don't."

"Did something happen?" He asked, this time with a more concerned tone.

"The Collective knows about me. They know who I am. Mortis told Sana, who told the Commander. They're sending Sicarius to kill me. Can you believe that shit? I'm a fucking celebrity now." I choked out the last bit.

Don't cry.

Not here.

Not in front of him.

Not in front of them.

All the color on his face instantly vanished. "Oh. I see."

"Yeah. But there's talk of them capturing me."

"Capturing you?" He frowned. "Ah."

I sniffled. "Yeah. They probably want me to be….well, you know. Like the others."

"Dawn, that's not going to happen."

"How do you know?" I said meekly. "I can't fight an Ethereal. I can't even tickle one for my own sake. At least Mortis sounded 'concerned', whatever the fuck that's good for. Who knows, maybe he might...ah fuck it, what does it matter? I've got a target on my back, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it."

I felt a tear about to drip from my eye.

No! Don't.

I dropped my head to the table, staring at the metal.

I can't beat her.

I'm dead if I try.

How're my parents going to feel when they get the notice I'm dead?

My mom almost lost her brother...she can't lose me.

This is my fault.

This is all my fault.

"Dawn?"

I looked up, realizing I'd just said all of that aloud. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be. Do you want to be left alone?"

I thought for a moment. "Yeah. I guess. But before you go, I want you to promise me something."

"Of course."

"If I go. If I die...look after my family. Make sure they're alright, keep them safe. Tell Grace..." My voice cracked, my face beginning to turn red. "Tell her that I loved her very much. Tell her I wished we could've spent more time together. Tell her I treasured every moment growing up with her. I know there are times she wishes that she was born with what I can do. She thinks it's only a gift, without realizing what else it means to be me. I love being here, but...I'm glad it's me here and not her. Tell her one day, she'll understand. Tell her that she can have my shit, that she can hang my armor on the wall, that it'll always be there, looking out for her. Can you do that?"

"I can."

"My parents, well...just tell them how I was. Tell them I was at home here. Tell them I enjoyed every damn second of being here. I know we had our differences, and that this wasn't the life they wanted for me. But this is the life I have- and it's the one I want. Every time I pick up a gun, every time I put my armor on, something just feels right, like I was made for this. I want to go out there and fight, because I like doing it."

I groaned. "Maybe I should've seen this coming, Kunio. I'm humanity's only biopath. Of course they'd want me out of the picture."

Kunio scooted closer to me. "Do you want me to leave?"

"I don't really know. I just don't know what to do. I'm going to have to deal with this sooner or later, but I don't know how."

Kunio turned to his food for a moment, taking a drink. "I think I have an idea."

"Mm?"

"Fiona once mentioned that she fought Sicarius in Florida. She might be able to give you some information on her and how she fights. Dreamscape's probably going to help, too. You're not thinking about fighting her, are you?"

"I'm not that fucking stupid. If I was a Sovereign Agent, then maybe. But it couldn't help to know more."

"Just making sure, Dawn." He sounded genuinely concerned. Who was I to blame him? "I'm worried about you."

I smiled. "Thank you for that. It means a lot. But...I think I'd like to be alone now. We'll talk later, I promise."

"You sure?"

I nodded. "I'm sure. I'll call you later."

Once Kunio left, a grin crawled onto my face.

You want to do this, Sicarius?

Okay.

Let's play.

I looked at my phone. "Julian?"

His insignia popped up on my screen. "Yes?"

I took a swing of my soda. "Send me every bit of information XCOM has on the enemy operative named Nico Murillo. I don't care if it's his blood type or or his favorite food. If it exists in your database, I want it."

"May I ask why?"

"Call it a personal matter."

"That was rhetorical. I am always listening, and you are a very reckless girl if you are going to do what I suspect you are. Similarly, your friendship with the Ethereal that threw an aircraft carrier into Japan and killed thousands of soldiers touches my little electric heart. Now, please explain to me what you actually intend if you want me to help and not also inform the Commander."

I glared at the phone. "Fine. Settle in."

"I'm listening."

"You think I want to fight him, don't you?"

"From your emotional state and mannerisms, yes."

I smiled. "No. I don't want to fight him - difficult as that may be. No, Julian, I want to understand him. We both know damn well I'll get butchered to pieces if I go up against him by myself. If anything, if someone ever does kill these Avatars, it's almost certainly going to be someone more powerful and experienced than I ever would be. I simply want to know what makes them tick, how they operate, how they do what they do. Is that so bad?"

The AI paused for a moment. "By itself, no. Fine, you will get your information. But do be careful in how it is used - I'd hate to read your obituary. If you die in a stupid way, I will ensure that is how you are remembered."

I sighed. "Thanks, Julian. I appreciate it."

Two can play at this game, Ethereal.

To be continued in:

The Woman with the Ashen Hair