Today had been a good day for progress thus far, which immediately made Argus suspicious.
No good thing came without the gut punch to follow it up. Which was why even though Argus had been testing their limits on improvements to the Avatars and the other Elders had either been leaving them alone or even praising them, they were still prepared for the world to come down on their head. The punchline was coming and Argus was just waiting for it to hit.
Nothing so far, however. Argus was making a few finishing touches to the full upload protocol on their personal Avatar. They'd been doing enough "stellar work" that Angelis's watchful eye had abated just a bit. Argus had been pushing out improvements to all of the Avatars thus far in the initial run of four in order to avoid suspicion. Getting the chance to implement the most important part before they applied it to the others made their blood rush. Their hands were flying quickly and precisely, testing sequences, refining genetic odds and ends. Their Phantom...
They'd never named it, did they? Argus looked back for a second. Their Phantom was essentially watching their back in a way, but also contributing to their work. It turned in sequence, second hand on its clock face spinning quickly though the other hands did not move. "... never named you. I'm sorry. You've always been such a part of me and I guess I just... resigned to the fact it wasn't going to matter soon enough."
It offered a hand back to them, patting their shoulder. It wasn't ever the talkative type, but Argus always got its meaning whenever it was trying to convey itself. "You might say it's fine, but I'm giving you the option to define yourself. There's a chance we'll make it out of this yet, after all."
It looked back to its work, taking its hand away and working again. But Argus got the feeling loud and clear. Ossio. Her name was Ossio. Whether it always was or was just now, Argus was just fine with that.
Back to work, then. Argus was praying to whoever would listen that the full upload would be correct the first time around and there wouldn't be any major difficulties. After all, it was a very one-time deal, and once they did that... they couldn't spare any time testing things out. Undoubtedly they'd have to book it like mad in order to stay alive after effectively making an enemy of the entire Collective. Maybe XCOM, too, considering. Would they even get the chance to plead their case to XCOM? To Eliza? Or would she automatically assume that—?
Suddenly, the quiet corner of the Void they'd staked out for themselves grew to a nigh-deafening symphony. Hurried, accusing whispers. A slighted, furious orchestra. An ensemble expressing their anger right to the note. The two-toned rage of the universe, swelling to a dizzying high as the Trio, Angelis, and the Overmind materialized behind them.
Ossio's hands stilled, and she quickly and safely wrapped up her work, ducking behind Argus. Argus turned—but not before starting the full upload sequence before they turned around. "Elders. To what do I owe the pleasure—?"
"Silence, Esvensthia." Oh. Oh no. The Overmind was using Argus's actual name. There was no coming back from what they found out, but what did they find out? "Lest your tongue cause you a quicker death than what you've already earned."
They were sure the Overmind wanted them to stay silent, but they had to buy time for the upload to complete. "What have I earned, Overmind? At least grant me the dignity of knowing my crime."
Odin leaned in. "Please. The lot of us could smite you on the spot now in front of the rest of the Collective without another word, you sentimental waste of talent."
Ouch. Now that Odin mentioned it... there were hazy forms behind the five Ethereals in front of them, undoubtedly the rest of the Collective spectating what was sure to be an unwinnable trial. Odin was right, too. The energy in the area was downright murderous. Any other Ethereal would just have to take their death sentence laying down.
But Argus was not just any Ethereal, and they had done plenty of listening.
"I wouldn't take someone as thorough as you to go for the throat and be done with it, Odin." First blow was the politeness, gone. Odin would never resist a chance to drag things out, Argus just needed to remind him of that. "Or am I to assume you would let the others kill me without so much as a jab?"
Odin bristled, perfectly taking the bait. "Oh, I have words enough for you, failure. Out of all of the worlds we have prized eyes on, you are the worst waste of space I have ever encountered."
"Even compared to Helena? Cronus?" Argus cast a hand out at him. "I've got memories to spare regarding you always fleeing to me whenever one of your insults to them didn't stick quite right. So above it all you pretend to be but the minute you can't spark validation off of those you hate? Suddenly I'm not the worst Ethereal in the room. You run to me because you know anyone else in the Collective would see you for what you are—hopelessly dependent."
Odin practically lunged, but it was Cronus who spoke next. "He—he's spoken to you as such...?"
Odin wheeled. "Please, are you going to believe this skin sack of hot air?! You I suppose I would expect to do so, thickheaded as you are—"
"Read my mind." As the two of them looked to Argus, Argus brought up every memory of Odin appearing in their area of the Void, cornering them just to have a listening ear. "Since you lack the grace to take this defeat in stride, I invite every Ethereal in this meeting to see just what you debase yourself to."
There were no takers, but there didn't need to be. None of them would take Argus to bluff while they were at death's door. Argus turned to the other two members of the Trio. "And don't the two of you grow smugly silent. All three of you would like to think you're all superior to each other, but me most of all. And yet I'm the one who practically has to play therapist to you three without so much as a shred of thanks. Were I any more spiteful than I am, I'd heartily claim that it was because of you three that I never, ever got any work done." Their attention shifted to the Overmind, who was almost... impressed. "But the reason for that, well, I could elaborate. But only if I know my crime."
The Trio were struck dumb, shrinking back as the Overmind came forwards. His aura was suffocating, but for once, Argus felt no want to cower and supplicate. Yes, they were half doing this to buy time. But the other half was to finally, finally stand up. "I must say, Esvensthia, I never expected this out of you. Quite frankly, I expected you to clam up and submit to your fate, leaving Angelis to work on the Avatar Project alone. But you've defied those expectations. So, in exchange for hearing just what it was that made you hesitate—although I have a few guesses—I will let you know." He turned. "Elder Odin. The file."
One of Odin's Phantoms appeared, handing him a file. He handed it off to the Overmind, fixing Argus with a stare that would've killed lesser creatures. Even as the Overmind held it in his hand, Argus knew what it was. "Elder Odin, in one of his validation trips I suppose I should call them now, decided to make some backups of the files in your little area here. Always good to have copies of everything, just in case something might get lost." He opened the file. "I honestly, from the bottom of my heart, did not think you could ever disappoint me more than you have in the past." Anger began to enter the Overmind's signature. "Clearly, I was wrong. An Ascended. You hid an Ascended from the rest of us."
"I did." Argus stood tall underneath the Overmind's unbearable signature. Ossio was keeping them updated on the upload—just a little more time. "Though it wasn't the reason why I stalled, which I'll certainly get to if you allow me. Yes, I hid him from you. From the rest of the Collective. And there's a good reason for it." Argus met the Overmind's gaze. "Because not me, not you, not any one of us will ever be enough. We're inferior to them, and we always have been! That fact will never change, but why must it be the rod we beat ourselves with?" Argus flung their hands out at the jury, words spilling from them. "We grew so complacent at being 'better' than any other species we ever came across, and what good did that do us? Look at where we are now, all wasting away on life support, forced to put your futures on the one you hate the most!"
"Your life grows shorter by the word," the Overmind hissed, rage and jealousy tinging his unflappable persona.
"And you..." Argus pointed at him. "You are the worst among us. Creating a 'Collective' where we all pretend to be equal while you wordlessly hold yourself over us. Conditioning us to think we could never stand against you with our powers united. Leading us on a universe-spanning conquest that will never truly have an end so long as new planets are born. Tricking yourself into thinking you are better than all life we encountered. If you're so advanced and all-powerful then why? Why would you need to seek out and kill the Ascended as some millennia-old grudge? Because you know."
The upload just needed their go ahead at this point, but Argus was still talking. "I know. We all know that you are the single worst waste of talent amongst all of us! So when allowed the feelings that I have my right from birth to keep, so when I look at the rest of you and see such two-faced personalities and games, so when I look at any other species..." Their hand returned under their coat. "I see so much more. I feel so much more. I would go as far as to fall in love with a human."
The disharmony of the Void conveyed the Collective's gasping, even the Trio bunching up, flabbergasted. The Overmind's signature was almost deathly quiet. "What."
"You heard me, you dying lump of refuse!" Argus advanced, but the Overmind held his ground. "I fell in love with her! I loved Eliza like you used to love Angelis! And since all of you had your heads thoroughly stuck in the ground regarding just what I could do, I was able to stall for twenty years! I waited one more day before finally resolving to work on the Siren Project, and I am the reason XCOM lives! Because it was you who let me keep my 'useless emotions' instead of neutering them! You are the reason why we are failing, Zenithan!"
As they uttered that last sentence, they authorized the upload. Zenithan, enraged, raised his hand to strike at them, to finally wipe them off this miserable piece of existence.
With the feeling like they were getting pulled back by a bungee cord, Argus was rocketed out of the Void.
For a fair few moments, Argus simply laid still, not daring to move, hardly daring to think. They couldn't have done that. They couldn't have pulled that off. They just laid back on their bed, nervously smoothing their hands over the cushioning of their pod.
Wait.
Argus blinked. They were staring up at the ceiling of the Forge facility they had been housing their Avatar in, four hands pressed against their bed. Ok. Ok, they'd made it. They were, at the very least, in the Avatar. Bracing themselves, Argus tried to project back out of the body—but it was like a phantom limb had been cut. There was no disconnect to the feeling of lying in the Stasis Chamber, of merely getting a remote report of what the Avatar was feeling. Just... feeling like they used to. They kept smoothing their hands over the mattress.
A scientist—Duncan—came over, looking into the suit. "Elder Argus, it's good to see you. Are you taking the Avatar for another test?"
Oh, he didn't know yet. Argus prayed they could get out of there before Duncan could learn. They moved to get up, feeling monumentally groggy. Getting used to full, unmitigated control over a physical body thanks to the full upload was no small task. "Certainly am. Would you please mind opening the tube and helping me out? I'm testing something right now and I may have under adjusted..."
"Of course!" He went for the control panel to the side. Good thing Argus had someone on the outside, because they tried to access the Network—and was summarily stonewalled. Still on it, but no access. Odin probably still wanted to track them. They had to work fast. The glass parted and their assistant reached in, helping Argus onto their feet. Argus stumbled, leaning on them for support. "Is everything alright, Elder Argus?"
"Mostly," they muttered, emotionally drained and not having too much heart to lie so much. "Like I said, did some calculations wrong. Need to take a walk. Could you help me to the front of the facility...?"
He nodded as the door opened, another scientist and her Trooper escort coming in. "Oh, Elder Argus. You probably noticed, but I went ahead and fitted the Avatar with the outfit you submitted."
Actually, they hadn't. They looked down. Sure enough, the burgundy armor with dull silver accents and red, gold-accented robes had been fitted onto them. The last time they'd been in this body, they had just been in the standard suit. A quick roll of their shoulders confirmed that the psionic implants were in, too. "I've noticed now. Thank you, Udaya."
She bowed. Next to her, the Trooper turned their head to the left ever so slightly... and then back to Argus, mouth hanging open slightly. Oh no. They closed it, uneasily handling their gun.
Their unease didn't go unnoticed. Duncan looked at the Trooper. "Is there something wrong?"
Their mouth pressed into a line... and they hesitantly raised their gun at Argus. "Elder Argus is wanted for high treason against the Collective. Orders are to kill on sight."
"You're—" Udaya pushed their gun down. "You're kidding."
"Do not handle a soldier's gun, citizen," they shot back, raising it again.
Argus's assistant blinked a few times. "... XCOM. XCOM's coming, they must've hacked into the Network to misidentify Elder Argus."
"I—no, this was... this was handed down from the highest station, consult the others!" The Trooper began to back off, gun still raised.
Udaya lunged, wrestling for the Trooper's gun. "Go! Get Elder Argus out of here! I'll—"
The Trooper's rifle discharged, and Udaya crumpled as she was shot in the hip. Argus looked to Duncan. "Restrain the Trooper, make sure Udaya makes it!"
"But—"
"Drop me!"
Unwilling to disobey such a direct order, he more helped Argus to the floor than dropped them, running at the Trooper. As he did, Argus reached forwards. Their mind and instincts were sluggish, but if they could just...
It was enough. As he lunged, the Trooper's weapon was yanked out of their hands, and they were tackled to the floor. It barely felt like enough. Udaya was shot, Argus couldn't just leave without making sure she got proper—
UNAUTHORIZED TELEPORTATION COMMENCING.
A Network message screamed across their mind, confirming that this day was about to get worse. Argus mentally called to Ossio but she was nowhere to be found as the Void tugged around them, with Argus unable to bring enough energy to bear to resist. No. No, they weren't going back, not like this, not when they were so close—!
Argus was suddenly thrown onto their front, face-first into broken, decrepit pavement. Not the Void, and the Collective never paved the inside of their central fortress as such. What just...?
They looked up, almost wishing they hadn't. What greeted them beyond the nigh-blinding sunlight was the sight of quite a few familiar individuals. Right next to them was XCOM's most prized medic, Sherry, staring at them with disbelief with a thoroughly deactivated Codex brain on the end of a Skulljack. Near her was her wife, March, her shotgun already aimed at their head. The AI they unsuccessfully tried to prize out of the tower, Julian, was in his SPARK, gun also trained on them. Banel was close, the barrels of his gun spinning. But worst of all was Jax, his psionics quickly dying on his gauntlets, the helmet that obscured his face doing nothing to hide his hesitation as he probed at Argus's signature, identifying them.
Sherry raised her rifle. "Menace, spotted the target, preparing to—!"
"No!" Jax rushed forwards, holstering his gun. He kneeled at Argus's side even as Julian roughly told him to get out of the way in so many words. "No, please, this is not—this isn't one of the others."
"Jax," March began, "that's an Avatar, an Elder, I don't know how many more things I need to say—"
March suddenly fell silent, as did the rest of the squad. Jax had a hand near Argus, half-turned, as if undecided if he should really be helping Argus up. The sunlight was truly blinding. They never tested light sensitivity, did they?
Sherry swallowed. "Commander, you cannot be serious." What? What was Eliza saying? "This—this is an Elder! You can't tell me that—" More silence... but Sherry looked significantly less appalled. "Right. Jax, you heard the Commander."
Jax nodded, turning to Argus. "... Argus. Please, come with me."
... he wasn't going to kill them. XCOM wasn't going to kill them. Not immediately. That was still worlds better than what Argus had expected. Argus struggled onto their hands and knees. "—I couldn't run if I tried. I'm... I'm still weak. Bind me, knock me out, do what you will, just take me away from the rest of the Collective."
Julian popped into sight, leaning around Jax. "Forgive me for what seems to be faulty audio processors, but what did you just say?"
As Jax picked Argus up—but not before moving their hands to their front and binding them in very red psionic shackles—Argus continued. "I'm through. I'm done. You all are only seeing me now because I've just made myself public enemy number one of the Collective." They moved their head towards Jax, using him to block out the sun. "... sorry. I... I messed up the light sensitivity in the Avatar, my eyes..."
"Hush, you are fine," Jax softly replied.
"I don't know how inclined I am to believe what you're saying," Julian said, "even considering who's carrying you. I somehow can't get it through my carbon fiber skull that an Elder of all people sounds like they want to defect."
They began to move. Judging by the glimpses Argus could spot between bright sunlight, they were in one of the Lost cities. XCOM must've ambushed a squad here and based on that Codex brain, used the Codex's ability to deep interface with the Network to auto-authorize a teleportation regarding the Avatar Project. Hm. They were lucky they were the one pulled. "I know it's unbelievable, but I'll tell you anything you want to hear and more once we're in a more secure location."
"An Elder willing to defect and spill their guts?" March sounded rightfully incredulous. "Commander, I can't help but think this is a trap."
Silence. Argus wished they were on the comms so they could hear Eliza's part of the conversation. Argus tried to reach for the Network again—but there was nothing. That teleport must've severed them, or maybe Odin finally cut them off when they disappeared. Still, Argus had something in their favor. "You can very well check the Network. I just barely made it out because a kill-on-sight order was issued while I was still in my facility."
Jax was strong enough to carry Argus in one arm, it seemed, as he used the other to create some shade for them. "Mordenna, can you confirm that?"
As they waited for the reply, Argus called Ossio again. This time they got something of a response, a deep feeling in their mind of her presence. Their psionics were slow to come back and get used to the Avatar, it seemed. Argus flexed their hands. How powerful were their psionics, now? They didn't dare test at the moment. The sheer impression of power they got from Jax's psionics was hard to believe. If he was capable of breaking out of Odin's control... but Argus was in the Avatar...
"Well, well." With the shade, Argus could now turn their head to see Banel. "Public enemy number one, is that right?"
"As far as it goes now, yes," Argus muttered. By the Void, they were tired. They just kind of wanted to go to sleep. Proper sleep, not the kind of sleep where they projected into the Void in order to save the strain on their physical body. Which... was probably going to be burned now that Argus had escaped into the Avatar. Eh, the Collective could do what they wanted with it.
"Tell it to the judge," Julian responded. "The judge being the Commander, of course."
They supposed they'd have to. Nestling back against Jax, they could feel themself getting groggier. "... Jax," they said, voice low enough that only he could hear.
"... yes, Argus?"
"Thank you. And I'm sorry. I... I might just sleep for a moment, if everything is clear."
"That tired?"
"Unbelievably so." Argus's head thumped against his chestplate. "Believe me... I have no intentions of running. I'm just..."
Tired. Exhausted. Thankful to have finally gotten away from it all, even if their future may be a short interrogation followed by an execution. At least then they could provide useful information to those who actually needed it. But Argus was far too tired to finish the sentence, and slipped into blissful sleep.
Their sleep was dreamless, and for how long they dozed, they really couldn't say. All they knew was that by the next time they woke up, they had been moved to a different place. Bleary-eyed, Argus blinked a few times. They were in a white room now, laid against the wall on a raised portion of floor with a cushion on it that was likely a bed. There was a panel on the wall and one door out. Argus hadn't really pegged Eliza as one to take prisoners, but those VIPs had to go somewhere. The Chosen too, they supposed. It made further sense in that latter regard, considering this area felt very psionically walled-off. The Void here, as familiar as it was to Argus, seemed trapped, with either a refusal or inability to move past the walls of the cell. Must've been Jax's holding cell.
It was still far more luxurious than being trapped in life support and having to work for the Collective. Argus eased onto their feet, noting that the psionic shackles on their hands had been exchanged for actual ones. They were far less groggy now, merely just tired—and when wasn't that the case? Argus stretched, revelling in the feeling of having muscles to stretch. With their hands cuffed in front of them, it left them free to press their hands to the wall, feeling over it. Breathing and not having it be labored. Appraising non-simulated colors... even if the white, well-lit cell wasn't doing too good for their light sensitivity. Well, at least the others had a weakness, as they knew they'd specified the same details for the eyes across all the others.
They stayed like that for a bit, stretching what they could and running their twenty fingers over the walls, floor, bed, and panel, which they looked at the options for and decided to leave alone. Argus only stopped when the panel began to speak. "Argus." That was Jax. "May I come in?"
The panel said Communications Open so Argus figured they could respond. "Of course."
Just a few seconds later, the door opened. Jax was in his full, new combat armor, but his visor was open, allowing Argus to see that his eyes had shifted to a brilliant red. Beyond the door was Mordenna, against the wall and glaring directly at Argus, his sniper rifle on his back. The two of them didn't hold the staring match long, as Jax stepped in under the doorframe and the door closed behind him. Argus had added some extra height to the Avatars in order to accommodate the extra set of arms, but even with that, Jax towered over him. Why Cronus insisted on that ridiculous height, Argus would never understand.
Jax's eyes and face were far more kinder than Argus had seen them before—and far kinder than they expected them to be now. "How are you feeling, Argus?"
Argus's hands lowered, finding their robe and fiddling with it. "Better. Better than I've ever been, now that I'm away from the others. Still sleepy, psionics are coming back slowly, but that's hardly a drop in the bucket." Still, something bothered them. "You shouldn't be treating me kindly, Jax-Rai."
"Just 'Jax' will do," Jax softly interrupted.
"Jax. My point stands. I'm an Elder, by rights you should be pinning me to the wall by my neck and taking out your frustrations on me."
He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "That is not my place to be angry, and venting my anger at the ones who abused me and my siblings by using you as a proxy... it rings hollow. It is precisely something Cronus would do."
"That is something he'd do," Argus muttered. It seemed Jax was doing his best to distance himself from his "father." Argus was happy about that, even if Jax was still entitled to be angry at them, in their eyes. "Still, I haven't been innocent. I've been a bystander as the three of them took out their frustrations on you." Argus worried that they'd occasionally contributed to that.
"And what could you have done?" Jax gestured to Argus. "Intervene and risk your own life and station? Besides... you did, once. Didn't you?"
... of course. The one time they were able to stop it all, and perhaps the most crucial. "Yes. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't."
Jax lidded his eyes, turning to the side. "... why? Why did you stop him that time?"
"Even someone as blind as I could see he was going to kill you, Jax. And I had enough of standing by." Argus balled up their robe in their fists. "... I only was able to stop him due to the severity of it. By reminding him that the Collective would likely look down on his actions. I can't plead to someone's empathy if they have none, so I had to appeal to his pride and how the others observed him. Rather cold reasoning, on reflection." Argus hissed at themself. "And all that talk of him loving you afterwards was maintaining the facade, as much as I detested doing it."
"It was still reasoning that got him to stop," Jax gently rebuffed, "and... I understand why you had to say what you did." He closed his eyes. "So he was going to kill me..." Jax opened them, looking back at Argus. "If you are telling the truth, then I have even less reason to use you as some misbegotten voodoo doll, attempting to stick pins in your back and expecting the rest of the Collective to twinge. Especially since you are so unlike them."
"There's a few reasons for that, with one of them being we're just physiologically different." At Jax's raised eyebrow, they continued. "I suppose you could say I am the last of the unmodified Ethereals. All the rest... well. They deemed such 'trivial' emotions like love and empathy 'blinding.' And with research I contributed to, effectively emotionally neutered themselves."
Jax's expression was one of conflict, but most of all, he seemed... relieved. "... So it was never love. It was never love that called for everything he, Helena, and Odin did. It was never love that spurred him to..." Jax paused, looking like he was trying not to think of something—likely the incident. "... but. You can love? You can feel empathy?"
Argus nodded. "I never would have stopped Cronus otherwise. I..." They swallowed. What a feeling. "I never would have stalled so long on the Siren project without them. It is not justification for my actions, however; merely reason."
The Warlock stared at Argus for a moment before sighing. "—I heavily suspect Mordenna won't like you, despite the good you've attempted to do. He has built you up in his mind as being just like the others, and he will do his best to make you live up to that vision." Jax's eyes softened. "But I see you for who you are. I am sure you have your own misdeeds to answer for in time, but... I cannot truly hate someone who has undoubtedly walked a path similar to mine. You tried, Argus. And that is enough to me. I would not be standing here today without you."
Jax's acceptance was almost too much to handle. He should've been shouting down Argus and accusing them of never lifting a finger to help except when it was obvious to do so. It was the right thing for him to do. "I... I cannot understand how you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Jax."
"I have had my fair amount of introspection and change since you last spoke to me," he began. "I have had time to unlearn some of what Cronus had instilled in me. There are some aspects that still take time, but next to him? You are a saint. And like Eliza herself, I will always be willing to extend a hand to those who genuinely want to work on themselves, as was provided to me." He crossed his arms. "I will do my best to convince the others that you genuinely wish to work with us—at least, I assume that is your intention?"
Argus nodded. "If you all will have me. I have certainly a lot of atoning to do, and the rest of my immortal life to do it. Not true immortality, but like yourself."
"Eternally young?"
"Exactly so. And I intend to use that eternal youth to repent." Argus went quiet for a second. "... especially towards Eliza. She has all rights to decide I'm truly beyond salvation and simply interrogate me and then have me killed."
Jax's mouth pressed into a line. "I don't think she will go that far..." But even as he said that, Jax sounded uncertain. "But I cannot help but feel that, despite your best intentions and what she usually likes to hear out of people wishing to reform, she will not be too fond of you trying to take your punishment lying down. Whatever that punishment may be."
"I don't imagine struggling and being haughty is the answer, however."
"Certainly isn't." Jax gestured to Argus. "I'm not saying your attitude is the wrong one—it's one of the better ones for the situation. But she will not like it no matter what you do. It's just a matter of how much she'll dislike it depending on how you comport yourself."
Not exactly heartening, but Argus already considered themself immeasurably lucky that they were taken in alive. "I just hope she believes what I'll say. I'm more than willing to completely sell out the Collective and everyone in it, and help Eliza however she needs it."
Jax nodded... then something seemed to occur to him. He took a look back at the panel on the wall and the door, then back to Argus. When he next spoke, his voice was lowered. "Argus. You may have... worked on Eliza to a certain capacity, yes? Does a Revenant that's not a Revenant mean anything to you?"
Revenant? Hm. Argus pondered that for a second, and figured they must have found out about Phantoms on their own time. Honestly, that was the better name to Argus, and they mentally adopted it. Jax must've been talking about the Ascended Ethereal, then. They kept their voice low. "—the Ascended Ethereal inside Eliza, yes? Is he out, or?"
"Not yet." Jax blew out a breath from his nose. "I... I'm unsure how Eliza would react to the knowledge. On one hand, an Ethereal. On the other... a child, unaware of their surroundings."
"Very unaware. Unawakened Ascended have very little understanding of what's going on outside. They usually get a majority of their information from their host once they awake."
"You speak as if they are well studied."
Argus let go of their robes. "—as studied as roaming planet to planet, killing them as we found them gets."
Jax's eyebrows raised in shock. "—you would have a child killed?"
"The Overmind has in the past," Argus bitterly replied. "Trust me, I disavow what he says, and did what I could to hide that Ascended. It's why I'm here now."
"The Overmind?"
"He's the head of the Collective. He prefers not to be known to the 'lesser species' but, well. I escaped, and I'm not fond of him." Argus rolled their shoulders. "The Collective harbors jealousy for the Ascended—they were us, but with the fortune to become more than they were, ascending to a new state of being. What you know as Ethereals were the ones left in the dust. But if the Collective is jealous..." What was that human phrase... right. "The Overmind is a green-eyed monster. He is the one behind our galaxy-spanning conquest to destroy them, searching out planets where one might be and conquering them under the pretense of simple invasion. He finds the Ascended, interrogates them, then kills them. He abhors their entire existence for the pure fact that they became more where we couldn't, and spread themselves across the stars through their ascension. Nowadays, we had the dual mission of finding them and compiling species for the Avatar Project, stopping here when we discovered the psionic aptitude and resistance that humans harbor."
Argus allowed a moment for it all to sink in, with Jax turning to the side and closing his eyes in thought, raising his hand to his chin. Though, as Jax thought, something occurred to Argus. "—come to think of it, how do you know there's an Ascended in Eliza?"
Jax's eyes shot open, and his vision darted to the side. "I... I have been training her... and I kept seeing signs of it."
That sounded very much like a lie. Argus had only been able to find the Ascended with extensive searching of her psionic profile. But then again, if Eliza was being trained psionically, her increased powers could lead to an awakening for the Ascended. Perhaps there was some truth in there, but it certainly wasn't the whole story.
Not Argus's place to pry, however. They were far from being in the position to get an answer out of Jax. "I'll take your word for it. Still, yes. I am aware of him, and... I think it's the right thing to do for now, keeping his existence a secret. That can be confronted when I'm not freshly here, potentially agitating the issue."
He nodded. "I had hoped so." Jax looked to the door again, his voice going back to its usual volume. "... I'm sure my siblings will have questions to ask. As will Eliza. I'm going to see what I can do in regards to convincing them to send Fal-Mai in next—while she does not have the inclination to be kind towards you as I do, I also get the feeling she doesn't, well. Hate your guts. That might give more time to Mordenna and Eliza to get their thoughts in order and hopefully not threaten you in here."
The thought that Jax was putting into this... "I don't deserve that kindness, Jax. Eliza or Mordenna killing me would just be a justice to the world at large; one head cut off of the menace that is the Collective, stump burned with righteous flame."
"Maybe you don't. But you do deserve to be heard out." Jax fully turned towards the door, reaching for the panel. "Eliza heard me and my siblings out. Our crimes are not equal, but for your consideration and actions against the Collective... there is a chance. And I will see that you are fairly granted it."
With that, Jax opened the door, stepping through and closing it behind him. There was the low hum of voices beyond, but the walls were too thick to even begin to let Argus hear the conversation. They simply slumped back against the wall, sighing. They didn't deserve being heard out, but it seemed that Jax was bound determined to see that they were. It was... nice, in a way. Actually getting to talk to someone they didn't secretly hate and be heard... It reminded them of the scientists at their Forge. They hoped to the Void that they were ok... but they knew what the likely outcome was.
They were almost lost enough in thought that they missed the door opening again—almost. Fal-Mai stepped in, her mask hanging off of her right arm. Making sure the door closed behind her, she gauged Argus for a quiet moment. The Assassin of XCOM was quite different in how she carried herself—instead a mask of calm, passive grace, she was openly appraising them, perhaps with a suspicious eye.
Her first words to them also demonstrated how much she was now allowed to speak her mind. "Your robes are garish."
Argus spread out their hands—as much as the cuffs would allow, anyway. "The Collective has a standard dress code." The worst part was that Argus liked the robes. Maybe they could go with a different color combination, but they genuinely thought they looked good.
"It's a garish dress code."
"I can see why you'd say that."
Fal-Mai went "hmph." "I do not know what to make of you, Ethereal. We have never talked before now and I had been convinced up until today that would remain the case forever. At the same time, I do not hate you. Do not mistake this for leniency—I know your crimes. I know what you almost did to Eliza."
Argus took the chance to stand up properly. "And you'd be right to judge me by those crimes, Fal-Mai. Whatever my 'good' intentions may be, I am no less guilty of what I have done. I am not here to justify myself or attempt to convince you all to spare me. Only to tell you what I know and offer whatever help you'll accept out of me."
Fal-Mai went back to staring at them. It was clear she was deliberating on a response—up until she drew the blade from her back and pointed it at them. "Open your mask."
That blade was as sharp as the day it had been forged for her. Argus wasn't going to disobey even if it hadn't been part of the equation. Channeling their psionics ever so slightly, the mask parted and exposed their face. In the end, they had decided that humans truly did have the widest range of features suitable for the Avatar, and so went for that for the face—with some of the genetic weirdness ironed out. In the metal of Fal-Mai's blade, they could see their orange-red, slightly enlarged eyes, the purple, swirling, circular tattoos across their face, the scale-like protrusions on their cheeks like the Chosen's, and their white hair, currently done up in a somewhat-messy braid probably thanks to being roughed up a little bit. They'd looked in mirrors before, but naturally there was something more poignant about seeing themself like this.
Fal-Mai's blade went under their chin... and she took her arm away. Her hand stayed in mid-air, maintaining the blade in its position. The nanos in her arm shifted, giving her a hand once more. "At any moment, at any time, I could command this blade to surge forwards and pierce your spinal column. As granted to me by the ones you claim to disavow, I am sure you know that this blade will sever even the thickest armor and toughest skin. I feel as if you will be truly honest when you realize how much your life is on the line. Now, tell me. Just why are you running from the Collective? Why only now, when the war turns against you and perhaps your future with the Elders is not as assured?"
Argus tried to avoid swallowing, forcing themself to look at Fal-Mai and not keep their vision concentrated on the blade. "—it's not that the war was turning against us. If anything, I welcomed that. I only got the chance to escape because XCOM was making a good enough case against the Collective. They needed the Avatar Project to be actively worked on, with Jax fighting back Odin as the catalyst. And I, the Collective's best geneticist and shining hope for the Avatar Project, was pushed into finally focusing on it. I'd gotten the idea before then to make my own Avatar advanced enough to have even a chance at escaping them, but it gave me the excuse to now shore it up in the limelight. What you're seeing now is a nearly finished version of the Avatar. Which is why it's all the more important that I help all of you in stopping the Collective."
Fal-Mai squinted at them. "I'd heard from Jax that you were different than the rest... would it not have been easier to go along with the others?"
"I did. For far too long." Argus looked away. "For far too long I was complacent, even enabled them, thinking there was nothing I could do as the Collective conquered planet after planet. I numbly went with my orders, slow in my projects, but inevitably producing results knowing that less would have me killed. Or forcibly converted into an Ethereal like the rest of them were. It was easier. But it wasn't right. So once the chance presented itself, I began to scheme against the Collective in any way I could. Making my Avatar and escaping was the final act—if I provide information to their biggest enemy after that, fair game. But I would have already done my damage otherwise. Of course, revenge is only part of my reason to escape and lash out. The simple crux of the matter is that someone needed to do it, and I may as well join XCOM in doing so."
"Am I to extrapolate from your statement that you would join XCOM if possible?"
"Of course, and I'd be perfectly willing to show you how to get to where the rest of the Collective lies as well."
Fal-Mai looked them over once more. "If you are lying, there will be a fate worse than death in store for you. You will wish we would grant you the mercy of dying."
Argus looked back at her. "I've already gone through such, being party with the Collective. It would be no different, though no less deserved."
It was another few moments of analytical silence before Fal-Mai's blade returned to her back, as annoyed as she looked. "... this is far from what I had imagined this would be. You are almost infuriatingly easy to deal with, and I don't like it."
They let the breath they'd been holding out, letting their mask pieces fall into the holdings for them on their collar. They'd let their face show for a bit. "I know how it feels to deal with others whom you practically have to pry your own fingers off in order to manage with them. I'd like to not replicate that."
"You just must excuse me if the defections are becoming harder and harder to believe."
"Quite understandable. You don't have to believe me, but I'd like to help out, and I'll let you know anything I know at your request."
"I will let Mordenna and Eliza ask those questions. They are very determined to ask them. Jax is... trying to tell the rest of us that you can be worked with." Genuine heat entered Fal-Mai's gaze, enough to make Argus falter. "If you make a liar out of him, I will personally cut your limbs off, bit by bit, and forcefully feed them to you. Do not betray his goodwill, is this understood?"
The lengths the Chosen leaned on and defended each other nowadays was so pleasant to see—even if this was how Argus was seeing it. They nodded quickly. "It's very much understood, and I'd never willingly make him a liar."
"Good." Fal-Mai's gaze calmed. "You do not seem like a liar, Argus. But I still have my reservations. The rest of your kind have not exactly made a good case for forgiveness." She blew a breath out of her nose, looking away. "But... I have been doing my best to learn from Eliza and what she teaches. So, at the very least, and as my brother asks... I will give you a chance." She looked back at them. "Only if Eliza herself deems you worthy of redemption. She is the one who has ultimately been harmed the most by you, and if she decrees it, I will kill you myself."
The attachment the Chosen were showing towards Eliza was also heartening, but Argus did hope they weren't staking their entire self worth upon her. Especially in Mordenna's case, and he probably had the most reason to do so. "I find that fair. Do you have anything else to ask of me, Fal-Mai?"
Fal-Mai contemplated that for a moment. "—if you are so intent on helping... There are aliens on this ship whose biology have been modified against their will by a certain human. Would you be able to do anything for them?"
The Assassin must've been talking about the rulers they'd been using as genetic templates. Argus felt a twinge of guilt—it had been their idea to use the rulers to avoid genetic degradation of the clones and DNA samples. "I'd have to look them over, but in all likelihood, yes. My research contributed to bringing you and your brothers into existence, it can contribute to righting the wrongs done to the rulers."
Her face softened just a bit. "Good. They deserve at least that much." Her face returned to calmness, but not a mask. "I will be thinking about you, Argus. I still have much to go over in my own head on how to deal with you. Keep your composure with Mordenna and Eliza as you have with Jax and I and I think my opinion will improve. Is this understood?"
Argus nodded. "Clearly."
Fal-Mai nodded back. "Then I have no more questions. I suppose I'll pass on the fact that you've been generally agreeable to me, as I don't favor lying." She blinked a few times, as if something occurred to her, but whatever that was, she didn't elucidate. "Whatever the case, carry yourself wisely, Argus. It is that or the grave."
With that, Fal-Mai turned and left as quietly as she came. Argus was left to their thoughts once more. They hoped they could repair things with Fal-Mai if things shook out well. Fal-Mai had been previously smothered under Helena's notions and ideals, and it seemed she was finally allowed to express herself. Eliza truly had been doing fine work, patching up the damage the Trio had caused. They half wondered how Mordenna was faring, now.
They didn't have to wonder for long. The door opened without quite as long a pause as last time, with Mordenna ducking in under the doorframe. His eyes fixed on Argus's face, tracking over it as the door closed. His face was calm, almost neutral—but Argus could see the familiar, cold disgust in his eye. As much as Mordenna would hate to learn, his mannerisms mimicked Odin's when he was still out of the chamber.
Mordenna's voice brought them out of their comparisons. "Come over here." When Argus didn't move immediately, wondering, Mordenna narrowed his eye. "Don't make me repeat myself."
Well, Argus wasn't in a position to make him do that. Argus approached Mordenna—
—and faster than they could realize it, Mordenna's boot was colliding with their face. The force of it sent them careening to the floor, unable to catch themself with their hands bound up in front of them. Pain radiated in the right side of their face, the first pain this body had known. They readjusted a bit to not be laying on their arms so much, and that was met with a stomp to the spine. "Stay. Down. You're going to be down there until I damn well say otherwise."
There would be no damage to the teeth, and even if one had been knocked loose, it'd grow back. But that didn't exactly mitigate the fact that Argus was sure Mordenna's boots were steel-toed. They closed their eyes, staying on the ground and not responding.
"Now that we've got that all established..." Mordenna leaned down, causing more weight to be put behind his foot. "You're gonna hear me talk for a bit, Elder. Because lord knows I was never allowed to talk back to my old man. Jax may be forgiving and Fal-Mai may have only had the one brush with her 'mom,' but I'm not exactly the 'forgive-and-forget' type. So I'm gonna go ahead and let you in on some details, just so you know where I stand. You're gonna nod all agreeing-like now."
True to Mordenna's word, Argus did. Mordenna continued. "Mm, good start, but hard not to comply when the big bad Chosen has his heel on your back, hm? Probably not so lovely to have the situation reversed." Even if Argus could plead their case, they wouldn't. This was just part of the justice.
"Regardless... I had a vision of you a while back, we'll call it a tip off. In that vision, I heard you saying just why you didn't step in any time Odin decided to break out the belt. To keep heat off Eliza, yes?" When Argus nodded, he continued. "All well and good, I get that. But words aren't exactly salve of the soul. So I've got your reason. But that doesn't erase the feeling of it, Elder." Mordenna began to grind his heel into Argus's back. "That doesn't remove the sensation of the burning heat, the force upon your back that cooks your organs inside out, literally beginning to fracture your brittle bones as it presses down on you. Doesn't replace the fifteen years of suicidal ideation, the fact that you've lost count of how many times you've killed yourself, only the fact that you know XCOM's got no match on being your own cause of death."
Mordenna further lowered himself, increasing the pressure. It was getting hard to breathe, but the pain they were feeling now probably wasn't even a fraction of what Mordenna had felt. "How many of those lashings did you see? Did you see the first one, where Odin smacked me for asking questions and reduced me to tears? How about any of the ones after?" His voice dropped to a hissing, seething whisper. "How about the ones where he killed me, hm? Pushed so hard that my ribs splintered and pierced my lungs? Burned me so well and through that my heart was cooked to a crisp?"
His hand whipped out and caught Argus's braid, pulling their head back and forcing them to look at Mordenna. His eye was wide and full of hate and pain. "Look at me. What about the one time he grabbed me from my sanctum and did it again? And again? And again? Lost count of how many times he'd bring me back just to scorch me again, telling me how worthless I was. Telling me I could lash out all I wanted—he had the rest of his rotting life to make me cooperate. And I did, that day."
His grip on Argus's hair grew stronger. "I wouldn't ever describe this to anyone else. It wasn't Eliza's fault she was laid up for the whole time I was getting smacked around, and I no longer blame Jax and Fal-Mai. Any of the other Elders? They'd laugh. And nobody else would really understand. But you... you're in a rather unique position, Argus. You may have known what was going on, but did you? Did you really? If Eliza really does see the best in you and you end up walking around on this ship, I want you to see me and be reminded of just what it was that you sat out on. Normally I wouldn't hold people to crimes they couldn't help. But you're an Ethereal. I could hold you accountable for any crime I want and it wouldn't come close to being proper justice for all the pain you guys have caused."
Mordenna did a sharp press of his foot, making Argus wince. "So live with it. Live with it, a fraction of what I've got to carry around every single day for the rest of my life. Live with knowing I was getting beat within an inch of my life, sometimes past that. Maybe you couldn't stop it. But you got off infinitely easier than the rest of us who had to deal with everyone else around you. I want you to take that guilt to your goddamn grave, do you understand me?"
Argus could only nod again, but it wasn't as if Mordenna needed to instruct them to do that. They knew perfectly well Mordenna's own screams ringing off of the pillars in the Meeting Hall, and eventually... they just stopped looking. But that was because they had the privilege to avert their eyes, wasn't it? Mordenna never did. Mordenna had to go through it, every time. What was what Argus experienced in the face of that?
Their eyes heated up. Mordenna's face twisted in disgust. "Don't. Don't even pretend you could empathize with me. Don't pretend like those aren't crocodile tears—"
They couldn't help it. Between the pain and sorrow, Argus half-choked back a sob. But that immediately made Mordenna stop, the disgust slowly fading from his expression. He was left looking at them in disbelief. "... you're serious. You are actually serious."
"Y-yes," Argus managed. "I—I'm sorry."
"Don't... don't apologize, it's not like..." Mordenna trailed off, then gave a frustrated sigh. He let go of Argus's hair and stepped off of their back, stalking off. "I hate you." Before Argus could respond, there was the sound of the wall being kicked. "Correction." A kick. "I want to hate you." Another few kicks, and Mordenna's voice grew more heated. "But you are making this really fucking hard on me! Every single one of these—" Mordenna continued to take out his frustrations on the wall. "—goddamn kicks could be to your stomach! They should be! But every time I try to fucking express my anger, I'm—I'm just him! I'm just Odin all the fuck over again! Why do I constantly have to—"
The door opened, and Argus could hear heavy footsteps pounding into the room. "Mordenna?!" That was Jax. There was a moment of tense silence, then a rush of footsteps. Jax's voice was tender and low once he spoke again. "Mordenna, did they do anything?"
"No. N-not a damn thing, and that's—" A thump of flesh against metal. "I—I can't fucking d-deal with it, Jax. I..."
Risking it, Argus twisted to look. Jax had Mordenna in his arms and Mordenna had his face buried in his brother's shoulder, weakly beating on his chestplate with his fist. Morbid curiosity satisfied, Argus went back to their position on the floor. Well. They thought they had been prepared for whatever Mordenna would do, but they were clearly wrong. They could still withstand it, of course, they just wished they could wipe away their tears without moving so much...
It seemed Ossio had woken up enough to comply. A purple, psionic hand appeared and wiped at their eyes, swiftly disappearing afterwards. Thankfully, neither Jax nor Mordenna seemed to notice. With Ossio there, Argus would at least have a source of comfort.
Eventually, they could hear Mordenna's breathing get under control, and it sounded like he was rubbing at his face. There was movement towards their spot, and they'd be ashamed to say they flinched. There was a pause. "... I'm done. I said all I wanted to say. If you can... if you can pull yourself together, face Eliza, and still want to join and help out... fine. I can deal with that. As long as you remember what I told you."
Argus would always remember. They'd likely take what Mordenna had instilled in them to their grave. They nodded, letting go of a shaky breath.
"Alright." Footsteps, away from them. "I'm done. Give them a few minutes to cool off. Then let Liz in."
"I think she wanted to get Samhien, so I'm sure Argus will be given their time. Head out, brother, and please take care of yourself."
"I'll... I'll try." The door opened and just one set of footsteps left. Jax's tread came close to Argus, and Argus was gently moved so they were sitting against the side of the bed. They tentatively opened their eyes, seeing Jax once more. "Are you alright, Argus...?"
They took in a deep breath, sighing it out. "It wasn't as if it wasn't warranted."
"Argus, please answer the question."
"... side of my face still aches," they said, muttering. "My back is sore. But Mordenna didn't do all that much physical damage, and I've certainly had worse regardless. Especially compared to him."
"Your pain is valid regardless of what others have gone through." Jax pressed his hand to the side of Argus's face, and they could feel his psionics slightly mending whatever damage was done to his cheek. Maria must've been teaching him on the side. "My brother has been through a lot—but so have you. His pain, however, is also still valid. So while I will have to ask you to excuse him, I will not apologize on his behalf. He may do that if or when he is ready."
Argus nodded. "Of course, and... Mordenna gave me things to think about. You ought not to worry about it too much."
"If you insist," Jax replied, not looking entirely convinced. "Gather your strength and calm your mind. Eliza will be in eventually. Be honest and kind, and she will see you as you are."
Jax stood up, exiting the room once more. Argus didn't move for a minute or so, but did eventually gently reposition themselves onto the bed, laying against the wall. Eliza. Eliza, Eliza, Eliza. It'd been nearly a year since Argus had last seen her. They couldn't imagine this new meeting going too well, but it wasn't as if things could get worse than they had. Argus had hope that they could explain their case, yes, but it was small. The anticipation and stress was hardly bearable.
It was a while. Above the ship's engines, there was the sound of what could be movement outside of the cell, though it was hard to pin. After a few minutes of no interruptions, Argus eased into sitting up. "Ossio."
Ossio gently formed in front of them, and quickly leaned in to hug them. They leaned into her, sighing. "Wasn't what I was asking you for, but it's more than appreciated. Are you handling alright?"
She parted from him, nodding. The hands of her clock had finally budged from their minute to midnight position, now a quarter to six. Her form seemed clearer now, and Argus supposed their psionics were acclimating to the Avatar. Well, that was one theory proved—psionics moved with the consciousness. Or the soul, but Argus supposed those were linked? One of the Collective had that as their specialty, but it was an Ethereal they never associated with much.
"Good to see. I might have you hiding for a little bit until I can introduce you properly, ok?" Ossio nodded again. They were glad someone was holding together out of the two of them. In response to that thought, she eased one of her hands on their shoulder. "Just be my rock for the moment. I know you're not exactly the bravest, but well, we can suffer together."
Her second hand rolled around sarcastically. Before they could continue talking to her, they heard movement outside the door. Ossio wasted no time in jumping back inside, and Argus moved their mask back into position so perhaps the eye contact would be less awkward.
The door slid open, and Samhien was the first to enter. He was in his armor and had his gun on his hip, but his helmet was currently off. He came to a stop near the wall and nodded at Argus, passive.
Then Eliza entered.
Eliza had changed much since Argus had last seen her. There were still so few signs of aging around her face, and while she had mild bags under her eyes, they looked like they had been much worse at some point in time. Her irises were a brilliant light blue, reflecting her psionics, and her hair had grown and bleached, likely thanks to her powers. Her muscles and physique had only developed with her time outside of the tank, genuinely looking like she could snap them in half—and probably would, given half the chance. Templar-like gauntlets were on her hands and a laurel wreath-like psionic amplifier sat on her head. As she entered the room, her eyes fixed on Argus, and she adjusted her gauntlets. Her expression was guarded, but not as hard as they were expecting. "Argus."
"Eliza."
Eliza took in a breath. "So you remembered."
They'd been scolded once for using her full name. They wouldn't use it again without her permission. "Yes. What... what do you remember of me?"
"Nothing flattering," she muttered. "... maybe one thing that gives you credit." She sighed. "Before we get sidetracked, I'm going to establish some framework." She nodded to Samhien. "This is Samhien Kai, one of the best Skirmishers I know."
Samhien bowed. "Thank you, Commander."
"Samhien here isn't a full-blown psion. But he's got enough psionics to get a read on other people's emotions... and figure out if they're lying." Eliza clasped her hands in front of her. "We're going to start this out with questions, just information-related ones. Once I have some decent answers out of you, we can talk in private. Understood?"
They nodded. Psionics were wide and varied, and thanks to the heightened senses of the Avatar, they could tell from here that Samhien had a few hints. Nothing major, as Eliza described.
"Fantastic. First question." Eliza pulled a datapad off of her belt and tapped on it. "We recently noticed a vastly increased uptick of progress on the Avatar Project. Was that in regards to the Avatar you currently inhabit?"
"Yes." Argus knew there was no reason to lie. "I am the Collective's chief geneticist and overseer of the Avatar Project. The increased focus on the project was due to increased attention on me, and a majority of the work went into the Avatar you see now."
Eliza glanced over to Samhien, and Samhien nodded. She continued. "How far along are the other Avatars?"
"They're usable, at the very least, but not up to form. I had been advancing work on my own Avatar in secret before I was ordered to rush the project, and so I then worked on it in tandem with the other Avatars."
Another glance. Another nod. "And you are completely in that Avatar? No puppeting?"
"Yes, much to the Collective's... collective chagrin."
"And why's that?"
"I was never quite liked in the Collective. I 'never got projects done on time,' 'always had something contrary to bring to the argument,' and was 'needlessly sympathetic.' I was assigned to this planet with three of the other tolerated Ethereals from the Collective, known as the Trio. Names are Cronus, Odin, and Helena—the ones taken from Earth, at least."
"Those match up," Eliza said, talking to herself more than anything else. "'Tolerated.' So they weren't liked either?"
"Not particularly. Caustic with each other, often letting themselves be blinded with their pride, spite, or perfectionism, respectively. But they at least went along with what the Collective wanted. I was and am of a different bent—both in philosophy and physiology."
Eliza raised an eyebrow. "Explain?"
"Philosophically? Every fiber of my being was against what they were doing. Before we were on this galaxy-spanning conquest to cure our wasting disease, we had a different objective. The Overmind had a different objective. He was on a quest to kill every last Ascended Ethereal." Eliza motioned for them to explain. "Ascended Ethereals are aptly named—they are us, but they've transcended our limits. Physically, psionically, and in some cases emotionally. Their only 'downside' is that younger ones have to be bonded with a more physical species for energy and protection, but after that? They stand proud on their own. The Overmind has been using Ascended-countering technology in order to kill them as we find them. It's jealousy that drives him, but once the degeneration began to afflict us? That took over from there."
"What is the population of Ascended Ethereals like?"
"One to a planet, as far as I know."
"And has he found the one here?"
Argus thanked the Void that they had the sense to put their mask back on, as looking Eliza in the eye was impossible right about now. Telling Argus about the Ascended would be disastrous right now—but how far did Samhien's detection go? Argus didn't want to deceive, but being truthful in this scenario would not be a good thing. She asked if the Overmind found them... "Not until recently, and while I don't know exactly what his plans are, I can hazard a guess he'll have Angelis take over the Avatar Project in order to seek them out." Now for a distraction. "It's a child. The Overmind never let such trivial matters delay him—not like he has the emotional capacity to do so."
Eliza's face twisted, but thankfully, she latched onto the new line of conversation. "Somehow I didn't expect anything less from the Ethereal leading the Collective. Still, is that a metaphor, or?"
"No. Aside from philosophically, I differ physiologically from the other Ethereals." They took in a deep breath. "I will give you the short version—the Collective have emotionally neutered themselves. They have cut out their ability to feel certain 'hampering' emotions. Like I told Jax, I am perhaps the last 'true' Ethereal left. One that still has their full emotional capability, for whatever that's worth."
She seemed taken aback by that, looking to Samhien. Samhien seemed more concerned than anything else, but he nodded, affirming that they were telling the truth. "If I may speak?" Eliza nodded to him. "Thank you, Commander. I think that is worth much, as you would not be here today without it, yes?"
"Full emotional capacity doesn't negate what they've done," Eliza countered. "If anything, that may make what's done worse."
"If they lacked the emotions of their peers, then I would say the alternative is the worse scenario. For Argus, there is hope of redemption and working against their past actions." Samhien's brows pushed together. "A being lacking love, empathy... they would never care about the consequences of their actions unless it directly hampered them, yes? There would be no hope of them turning themselves around, and I think that is the undesirable scenario."
Eliza sighed. "Always interesting working with a bigger idealist than me..." But even as she said that, that guarded part of her expression seemed to waver. She looked back to Argus. "But regardless, to the meat of the matter. Where are the rest of the Ethereals?"
"Locked up in the Sanctuary, last I checked. The location is back on our homeworld. You would need to make use of the Gate you took from them in order to hazard a chance of going there, and even then, the Network will take some convincing." They drummed their fingers on their leg. "From what I recall, the Network requires two authentications—essentially two passwords. One more data-oriented, the other? A living signal. One without the other will generate a feedback pulse at the gate and fry whoever's trying to go through. The data is easy enough, and I imagine Mordenna would be able to grab a currently valid ID off of the Network whenever he wishes. The harder part is the biological ID. Active agents such as the Collective's forces and their Avatars would have access. Theoretically, the Chosen and I would as well—but I'm sure Odin has voided their access and will be shortly working on mine, if he hasn't already."
Eliza thought for a moment. "What about an Avatar they may have forgotten about?"
"An Avatar they—?" Oh, right. The Avatar XCOM stole. That thing was hardly in working condition with minimal specs. But given the right tools... "Hard to say, but with my cooperation, it could receive the changes it needs to house someone and be able to access the Gate." Argus smoothed their hands over their robes, thinking further. "I'm not too much of an expert with working with the Network, certainly not to Odin's extent, but I did essentially have to take a course in it when I—" They stopped up, looking at Eliza. "... you. You likely remember when."
"I do." Eliza's fingers twitched on her left hand. "So you're saying you could rig that thing up to allow access to that Sanctuary?"
"Yes." Glad to drop that topic, Argus went on. "Cooperation with a Network Admin would assist in getting it set up, and we might need a proxy Network here to fall back on for the psionic connection to the Avatar. If you are understandably not willing to work with me, Mordenna would also serve that purpose."
"Mordenna was thinking about establishing an XCOM Network of sorts."
"He's on the right track, and I can assist him with the biological aspects of it." Argus rolled one of their hands. "With some work on my end, linking with the Network should be something all of your units can handle, so long as they've got even minimal psionics. Maybe even given enough time, I could work on a device that could do it without psionics, but the close use of Elerium might introduce the chance for psionic radiation..."
"Mordenna's one step ahead of you in a lot of things, it seems, but an alternative to everyone going psionic sounds nice—provided you can be trusted to work with us." Eliza sighed, looking at Samhien. "... nothing?"
Samhien shook his head. "Elder Argus has been honest through and through."
"Just call me Argus," Argus replied. "I'd like as much distance from the Collective as possible."
"Fine by me." Eliza squinted at them, contemplating something. "What's the candidacy for piloting the Avatar?"
"Previous experience with interfacing with such a Network so extremely, for one. Psionic aptitude would also be necessary, considering the Avatar was built with that in mind. The presence of psionics alone wouldn't be enough—they'd have to be honed and trained."
She closed her eyes. "... that narrows it down to just me, then. And how is it piloted?"
"A Stasis Suit or Stasis Suit equivalent is the only way I—"
"No." Eliza's answer was quick and sharp. "No way in hell I'm ever climbing back into one of those suits. I hope to god you know why."
"Then I would need time to research alternative solutions. With assistance, perhaps re-authorizing me or one of the Chosen would work."
Eliza opened her eyes, staring at them for a few moments. Her judging gaze was quite powerful, and Argus averted their eyes, nervously fiddling with their robe. When she spoke, her voice was measured. "Samhien, you may leave. The rest of my questions towards Argus are too personal to be filtered."
Samhien bowed again. "Of course, Commander. Please be safe."
With that, Samhien exited the room, leaving just the two of them alone. The last time they'd been alone with Eliza... that had been that final, fateful day. They day they'd resolved to give XCOM one more chance to find Eliza—and certainly enough, they did. If Argus looked at it a certain way, perhaps they really were the one reason XCOM was alive today. Perhaps not everything they had said to the Overmind was all giff. But Argus would never take full credit, or even any at all. After all, some of it was their fault in the first place...
"Did you care?"
Eliza's voice snapped Argus out of their thoughts. "Beg your pardon?"
"I'm not blind, Argus." Eliza crossed her arms, looking at them cautiously. "Twenty years. You 'took' twenty years to change me into a Chosen. You didn't even have to do that much, did you? Could've just reduced me to a brain in a jar and been done with it. XCOM can't exactly work with me unless they could've scraped me out of that tank and put me in something else to communicate with me, and god knows they wouldn't have come prepared for that. Only took barely a year for Jax, Mordenna, and Fal-Mai to be converted—and in the last case, made. The speed with which you developed the Avatar I'm seeing now has me convinced that you could've managed turning me into a Chosen in mere months. I can't think of any reason why you'd do that... save for one. So, did you?"
Argus paused for a moment, planning their response. "... I had enough of what the Collective was doing, Eliza. For countless years, I had simply sat by and done their bidding. Slowly and with as much protesting as I could manage, yes, but I still did. Even up until the moment I broke free, I was still having humans march to their deaths, into those gene clinics. Somebody had to break the cycle. Somebody had to at least start the end of the Empire. Who better than the Ethereal they hated the most?" Argus looked down. "... and... do you want the truth, Eliza? Or something easier to swallow?"
"I didn't get this far not facing the facts," Eliza responded. "I'm an idealist but I'll consider them when offered them."
Argus nodded. She... she wasn't going to like this. Argus wasn't going to like this—but it was something that needed to be said. "Alright. The shortest possible answer is yes. Yes, I did care. But my reason for that... isn't entirely noble and just. I had initially become interested in you because of the color of your psionics, Eliza. It isn't often that alternative psionic colors show up in humans. So in an ocean of violet, when the waves broke and revealed a swimmer clad in light blue... my attention was garnered. You weren't off the mark—once you were captured, Odin just wanted to reduce you to 'the essentials' and be done with it. I stopped him, and had to fabricate something good enough to justify my intervention."
"And that was the purpose of the Siren files?"
"Yes. I had never wanted them to actually see fruition. They were intended to get the Collective off of both you and me. They were successful, of course, hence why the occupation lasted twenty years. One of the tradeoffs of Odin relinquishing control over the 'battery' of the Network was that I had to be the one to acclimate you to it."
Eliza's gaze grew slightly bitter. "Hence the lying?"
Argus deflated slightly. "Hence the lying. But, as I worked with you, caught glimpses of who you were... something else developed. A sense of respect—and kinship, from your struggle at Contact. I knew all too well what it was like to try to wrest control in the face of impossible odds... and fail. But as the years passed and I checked up on you..."
"Don't." Eliza squeezed her eyes shut. "Don't say it."
"Do you want the truth?"
"I can't. Not if you're about to say what I think you're going to say."
Argus understood what seemed to be Eliza's disgust. What a case of Lima syndrome. Besides, how much did Argus actually know about Eliza? They knew about her military history and some of her before that, but... did they actually know about her as a person? Maybe if they came to terms with that...
"It was that. But now that I think about it..." Argus drew their arms up, for want of hugging themself. "I do feel that, for you. But I know comparatively little of you. And what sort of love can really take root on a foundation so thin?"
Eliza's eyes opened, burning with indignation. "If you suggest what I think you're about to suggest, this conversation is over."
"I... I don't think I'm going to suggest that." Argus knew there wasn't a chance in hell of rekindling things—as much rekindling could be done for such a one-sided affair. "But I wanted to say this; I won't say... I won't say I love you. Because I do not know you, and I don't want to put you through that. Even if I had a chance, I'd need far more time than I rightfully have to build something more stable. So I did love you. Now..." Argus grew quiet. "Now I just want to do what's right. I don't care if I'm killed after—it's what I would deserve. But I at least want the chance to rectify things, if you will allow it."
Her gaze cooled, and she rubbed at her mouth with a hand. Argus's stomach was rolling with nervousness, now that it possessed the capacity to do so. After a while, Eliza spoke back up. "Never was one for capital punishment. Killing someone just doesn't have the same amount of consequences as a life sentence, and... there's always the chance for them to do some community service, metaphorically speaking. Granted, some exceptions apply and we can't give everyone a trial, but... I've always been a champion of giving people second chances, haven't I?" She hesitated. "... I'm going to thoroughly run this by all of my soldiers. Back then I had a solid belief the Chosen could be turned around. To give you credit, you've given me a lot to work with. But... what you've done reaches out so much farther than what the Chosen have ever done. You said it yourself—you spearheaded efforts on the Avatar Project, making you culpable for the gene clinics. That already puts so much more blood on your hands than the Chosen combined. And not everyone will find that capable of being forgiven."
"As I thoroughly understand. They have all rights to deem me unforgivable."
"As they do. The most you might see is assisted research with Mordenna and Tygan. Letting you out of the ship is out of the question and I'm going to float the idea of psionic suppressors by the soldiers in regards to what it would take to even think of letting you out of here." She looked back at them, dropping her hand. "But I'm not letting you out of here until the vote is pretty much unanimous. Don't get your hopes too high up."
Argus nodded. "The fact that you are considering it at all is good enough for me. Thank you."
"Of course." Eliza observed Argus for a moment. "... I don't know what else to say, really. Still in disbelief, I guess, and still trying to figure out how much I actually despise you. Because... well, you were honest with me." Eliza's gaze shifted to the side, almost nervously. "I'll be honest with you. I'd... I'd convinced myself that I'd totally hated you once I got out of the tank. Then I just didn't think about it for the longest while. But... some things recently made me reconsider that... and with everything in mind, I understand that you've been forced to do a lot of things, underneath the circumstances. I know a lot of what you've had to do, you wouldn't ever do if given the chance. That doesn't mean you don't have some fault, of course, but... I sympathize. I do. I don't want to have nuanced feelings about an Ethereal, but. Here I am."
Honestly, Argus didn't have much to say to that. Today had pretty much mostly surpassed their expectations. They would've considered it good if they'd died the minute they came into XCOM's custody. Having an actual shot at joining, however small... and hearing Eliza offer that? Hearing Eliza not totally hate them? It was better than they ever could have hoped. So instead they nodded again, looking down.
"... now I really don't have much left to say." Eliza tapped her datapad, putting it back on her hip. "Anything else to declare before I go, I suppose?"
"Other than you may tap me for information at any time? Not much else."
"I'll keep that in mind. Do you need to eat, or anything like that?"
They shook their head. "Much like the Chosen, the Avatar draws a large amount of its energy from the Void. About as much as I'd ask for is a sleeping mask, maybe. I... I overtuned the light sensitivity for the eyes..."
In response to that, Eliza pressed a finger to her ear. "Wiki? Adjust lights in cell three to... hm, 40%?"
As asked for, the lights dimmed, making things far more bearable. Quite the soothing sensation, not having their pupils constantly constricting. "Thank you."
"You may be a prisoner but I'll still work for reasonably good accommodations. I'll see about that sleeping mask... and perhaps float the idea of some correctional lenses by Mordenna. I got the impression he worked out what he wanted to when he was in here."
He certainly had. "I would appreciate that."
"Noted." Eliza turned to leave. "Thank you for the information, Argus. And... I'll see what I can do, in general. Please don't burn me on this."
Eliza left, the absence of her psionics leaving the room more empty than when she hadn't entered. With the lights down, Argus felt sleep calling to them once again. Their arms were getting a little sore—
With a sudden click, the cuffs all opened. Scared they'd accidentally used their psionics for a moment, they froze—but after a moment of reflection, that wasn't the case. Did Eliza just...? Well, Argus wasn't going to idly reject help granted. They gently placed the cuffs on the floor next to the bed, curling up tightly and hugging themself for comfort. They'd done it. They were away from the Collective, in a new body, and with even the slimmest hope of working with XCOM.
Maybe now, things could stand to change.
