There was no rest for the wicked, Eliza supposed.
Upon Mordenna's request, she was making her way down to the Shadow Chamber. She had a lot on her plate recently—Vahlen and her team were taken in with minimal fuss, but she was being confined to a few monitored areas of the Avenger. Mostly for her own safety, which she understood. Eliza hadn't even seen her in person yet—that could be delayed until later.
Despite Volk and Betos's assurances, Eliza had made sure they were ready to take off at a moment's notice. It wasn't long now before that thing went after them. Jane was recovering well, but Tygan still estimated a few days or so before she'd be ready for the surgery. At least Argus has informed them of where the chip was.
She turned the corner, opening the door for the Shadow Chamber. On the inside was Mordenna, his siblings, and Julian's distinct eye logo on the monitor. Eliza felt herself easing into a smile at the sight of them. "Well, well, well, what are you four up to?"
"Trouble, as per usual," Mordenna smirked. "And maybe something useful, if I've done everything correctly."
Eliza walked further in, crossing her arms. "I take it the XCOM Network is functional?"
"I'd call it a revised beta faster than I would call it a full release, but yeah. It's essentially a base communication and link system with no bells and whistles as of the moment." He patted the upper portion of the monitor. "Julian here is a wonderful presiding AI, I should note. Who would've thought the AI who managed a whole facility of robots, and the manufacturing thereof, would have the essential processing power to keep track of the Network, hm?"
"You overstate my abilities," Julian protested, voice coming from the loudspeaker in the room. "This Network is both simplistic and has another admin on it contributing quite a bit of the power. Only has two other users, to boot."
Eliza looked between Jax and Fal-Mai. "Are you two already on there?"
Jax nodded. "Mordenna wanted us to test the... 'feel' of the Network, as it were. He did not want to agitate old memories for you. I can attest, this Network is much more pleasant to deal with having in the back of the mind than the one the Elders are using."
"Besides," Mordenna muttered, sounding not so confident, "she's just gonna be a user this time around. Not admin, not central processing."
She could tell why Mordenna was nervous. In the back of her mind, there was an anticipation about it, too. But if the Chosen were on there and felt it was different? Especially Jax, who had been on there almost as long as she had. "I'm willing to give it a try. How's the logon process work?"
In response, Mordenna waved her over. He continued speaking as she approached. "This version of the Network has been adjusted to run off of the psionic signature of anyone connected to it. Means no chips needed, but that does affect the range, especially considering we don't have any broadcast towers other than the Avenger. With some adjustment, it can be managed, but for now it's limited to..." He blew out some air. "Carry the three... about a one and a half mile radius of the Avenger? Not absolute, just effective range. Codices and especially powerful psions like Clint, Jax, and yourself could extend it, so long as they were connected and somewhere in the absolute range, which I'd still need a bit to test and verify." Mordenna paused. "Uh, sorry, I'm rambling. Long story short, it'll go off of your psionic signature for connection."
Eliza chuckled at Mordenna's realization of his tangent. "Fair enough. Let's get me connected and see how it feels."
He nodded, tapping Julian's screen. The display changed, and it looked like a list of numbers popped up. Mordenna scanned over them before going to another screen that had a handprint on it. "Alright. Put your palm to that, and just... channel your powers. Flare 'em up. Make 'em visible and the system will pick you up."
Eliza stepped up to the plate, placing her gauntlet on the screen. She closed her eyes, calling to her powers. Riling them up just a little bit should be easy, even if it made her feel like she was holding her breath when she didn't put them towards something. Her scalp tingled a little... and in a few seconds, she could feel a familiar, yet not-familiar sensation in the back of her mind. She felt like it was calling back to the memory of having the Network in her head, but it inherently felt different. Honestly, if she didn't focus on it, it blended into background noise.
"There we go! You can take your hand off, now." Eliza retracted her hand, opening her eyes and stepping to the side when Mordenna motioned to. He went back to the previous screen, tapping on one of the numbers. "Yep, you're on there alright. Everything feels fine?"
Eliza gestured vaguely. "Yeah. The feeling is... I don't know if I'd say familiar? I've felt something like it if that makes sense, but this is tame. It's different, we shouldn't have any problems."
"Good, good." He let his hand drop. "Let me test the message feature for you."
A second passed, and Eliza got that detached interface feeling she was familiar with. It felt like getting prodded in the back of the head, with an accompanying, soft ding. A message from Mordenna that simply said hey there, sexy. She rolled her eyes. "Message received, Mords."
He snickered. "Alright. I'm gonna give this test run a few days to resolve so that we make sure everything's proceeding accordingly. In the meantime, do you—?"
Whatever Mordenna said next, it was lost on Eliza. Bradford came in on her comms. "Eliza, do you read?!"
Fear seized Eliza's heart. She pressed on her communicator, hand trembling. "Central?"
"We've spotted the UFO on long range scanners, heading right for us!"
The blood in Eliza's veins froze. She was in the underground base again, hearing the shuddering of metal, seeing the lights flicker. The aliens were coming. They had found them out, one way or another.
Mordenna must've caught the look on her face, as he came forward and cupped her cheeks. "Hey, hey, Liz. Look at me. Where are you right now?"
"I'm..." Eliza knew that this wasn't the base twenty years ago. But to her senses, it may as well have been. "We're... we're getting chased, Mordenna, we have to leave. Now."
Mordenna nodded firmly, his nanos forming a hand that manipulated his own communicator. "Bradford, commanding on behalf of Eliza. Get us off of the ground and in the sky. We have to get as far away from the Skirmishers as possible." He paused, getting Bradford's response. "Commander's orders, Bradford. I want us in the air so fast we've still got the landing gear out at cruising altitude—and get the announcement to the soldiers."
As Mordenna talked with Bradford, Fal-Mai and Jax drew closer. Fal-Mai took Eliza into her arms, hugging her hard. "It's going to be alright," she whispered. "We will be out there, fighting for you. We will never let them take you."
Jax crouched down, meeting Eliza's eyes. "What would you have us do, Eliza? I can organize my congregation to arms and begin to guide the rest of the soldiers."
Eliza took a moment to hug Fal-Mai back, squeezing her anxiously, unable to suppress a shudder of fear. She was the Commander of XCOM. She shouldn't be afraid of this, and yet she was. It was the prospect of going back. Of losing everyone she had gained, and this time, had come to love.
But she had taken her time to confide in her lovers, had taken the time to rest and be more open. She balled her fists, took in a deep breath, then gave Fal-Mai a kiss and parted from the hug. "Gather up your congregation," she confirmed. "All of you know the details of Operation Swan Song, yes?" When Fal-Mai and Jax nodded, she blew out the breath she'd taken in. "Then there's not much else to say between now and the UFO catching up... other than I love you all."
Arms were thrown around her, with Mordenna hugging her from behind. "I love you too, Liz. Won't change. And I won't let those bastards on this ship. I'm going to be out there with everyone else—at the very least, I'm still a good battlefield Commander."
Jax joined the hug. "I will drive them back through through the force of my will, and ensure they never have the chance to even set foot inside the Avenger. My love for you will shine through."
Lucifer manifested, hugging her where he could reach. "And they will never be able to breach Jax and I's unified powers."
Finally, Fal-Mai snaked her way in as well. "My love for you will always survive, as shall we all. We will show them just what it means to attempt to stop XCOM."
"I hate to be breaking the moment—trust me," Julian chimed in as the ship rocked, "but I think Eliza is needed more in the Bridge to get things organized."
As he said that, an announcement came over the PA. "Avenger, this is Central Officer Bradford speaking. We've caught wind of a UFO on long range scanners making a beeline for us. All hands to your weapons and gear, assume positions from Operation Swan Song. I repeat..."
His message went again, and Eliza agreed with Julian, stepping out of the hug. "Right. You three, gear up." Eliza got her pistol out of its holster, checking to make sure it was still loaded. "I'll be in the Bridge and on comms." She wanted to believe everything was going to be fine, so badly. But she knew she should prepare for the worst, and mentally counted how many shots she could fire until she was one away from empty.
The three Chosen and the Revenant echoed their understanding, leaving the room. Eliza looked at Julian. "Julian, I don't care what Lily says, you are authorized to upload yourself into your SPARK and wreak havoc on ADVENT."
"Oh, you hardly need to ask twice." Julian's bloodlust was barely contained. "Don't go getting captured, Commander, not when I just got some semblance of a life back."
Eliza nodded and left the room. Julian remained in the terminal for a second longer, looking over something. They only had four people on the Network, right? Eliza was the most recent connection? Eh, maybe there was a numbers issue somewhere. He'd let Mordenna know after as long as they weren't all dead by morning.
As Julian "left" the monitor, the Connected Users count displayed 5.
All eyes were on the interceptor in the Void.
Odin was patched in, getting a read on its location. Helena was organizing troops and carriers in the area to tail it. Angelis was presiding over the both of them, keeping her gaze trained on the monitor. The Avenger was but a blip in the distance, but the scanners on the ship were picking it up well enough.
Odin hummed. "They've begun to move. They've likely caught us and think they can evade."
"They're welcome to try," Angelis coldly replied. She looked to Helena. "What do our backup reserves look like?"
"We're well-stocked for ships and troops in the direction they're currently heading." She tapped her screen, getting an estimate from Odin's data. "If they continue in their current path, they'll be right near one of our major enforcement centers, though I suspect there will be some deviation as they try to throw the ship off. We have the numbers advantage, in any case."
Angelis nodded. There was one more Elder to check in on. She patched through to him. "Elder Cronus, report."
"We are at full speed and on approach," he confirmed. "Experiencing minimal turbulence."
"And the Avatar?"
Cronus chuckled deeply. "Ready to be shown to XCOM."
The Avenger was pumping with movement and sound.
Soldiers funnelled in and out of the Armory, grabbing their guns, armor, and other components of their arsenal. Perimeters were being established, with manufactured barriers being rolled out in the hallways, chokepoints being established, connecting doors locked. Items were tied down and secured, and soldiers exchanged solemn words to each other in passing.
In the Bridge, Eliza was looking over the screen currently displaying the UFO's position. She was in the Seraph armor, plasma rifle on her back and trusted pistol on her thigh, with her gauntlets fitted over her armor and her head adorned with her psi amp. Bradford was at her side, in his armor with his own arsenal ready to go.
She watched, solemnly, as the distance between the UFO and the Avenger shrank. Eliza had asked her questions about the speed of the Avenger, any evasive movements, anything they could do to throw it off. But there was the unspoken understanding that with Jane on the ship, there was no losing the thing, short of destroying it utterly. It was a matter of tense waiting, and positioning themselves the best they could.
Looking to Lily, she kept her voice steady. "What's the interception location look like?"
"Populated, relatively speaking." Lily was at one of the workstations, still collating data. "We've got confirmed reports of one of their factories a little ways out from the site, but not much else. Still a pretty big one, and there's always the chance of new locations that haven't been reported to us."
Eliza nodded. "And our plan for getting downed?"
"I'm going to see what I can do with Wiki's help about 'reserving' some power. The backup generator will be one aspect, maybe throttling the Avenger's power when the UFO is close is another." She paused, seeming to pick her words carefully. "... I don't think they'll straight blow us out of the sky, because... it's you they're after."
"And they can't do much with me if I'm dead," Eliza concluded. "But plan with getting shot down in mind."
Eliza leaned forward to get access to the controls on her monitor, swapping to the Defense Matrix. "Mordenna, report."
"Turrets are primed and ready to go, running some last minute diagnostics." Mordenna was on screen, fiddling with the turrets with some engineers by his side. "They're automated by default but can be remote controlled from the Defense Matrix."
"Understood, continue preparations." Eliza flipped off the Defense Matrix, a thought occurring to her. "... Bradford. Do you believe in having all the help we can get?"
"Normally I'd advise some help might be a PR nightmare, but..." Bradford gripped her shoulder. "If we lose here then that's it. Are you thinking what I think you are?"
Eliza hated that she was considering the notion, but they had been vetted by Samhien and trusted by Jax. They seemed truthful to Eliza. She gave a short sigh, but ultimately set her face in determination. "I'm positive. Get Argus out of their cell, and give the Avenger an announcement of a temporary alliance with them. Bring them here once they're out."
He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Understood. I'll be right back, Liz."
With that, Bradford departed, and Eliza straightened. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and there were no times more desperate than this. Still, she felt like the soldiers might be justifiably angry afterwards.
Nothing much happened in the meantime—her eyes were still trained on the decreasing distance between them and the UFO by the time the door opened again and Eliza could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up, like whenever Jax entered the room. She turned, watching as Argus entered the room, Bradford by their side. When they were in the room proper, they bowed. "Commander."
"Argus. You know what's happening right now, don't you."
They rose from their bow, nodding. "Yes. And I will fight until the last to ensure they do not enter this ship."
Eliza turned to fully face them. "This goes without saying, but your assistance here does not mean you are cleared to fight with us afterwards. This is a crisis situation and special circumstances apply." She crossed her arms. "However, performance here will likely help, as will people seeing you help us in our time of need."
"I understand. What would you have me do?"
That was a hell of a question. Eliza wasn't going to give Argus her full trust, so where would they hypothetically do the least damage? If she sent them out with her soldiers, that risked them and then her by proxy. If she kept them here... worst came to worst, it would be just her being taken. She hated the idea, but the alternative was more monstrous.
"Stay here. If they end up breaching the ship I'm going to need everything we have to throw them out again." Hopefully their powers would be of some use, whatever they were. Still, there was the matter of making sure everyone else knew. Eliza looked back to her console, biting her lip for a second. She'd heard the protests from the soldiers, and seen the relief on their faces when Eliza assured them Argus was taken as an actual prisoner. This probably wasn't going to be a popular move, but she needed the extra firepower.
She pressed the intercom button. "Soldiers, this is your Commander speaking. We have made a temporary concession to allow the Ethereal Argus to fight on our side. Concerns regarding the arrangement can be brought up after we fight off the UFO, though they are welcome. I repeat—the Avatar on the ship is on our side." She looked to Argus in their red-and-gold robes. She leaned back into the microphone. "Arrangements will be made to distinguish them."
As she stood up, Argus bowed again. "Thank you once again for allowing me to fight. I wish nothing more than to strike back at the Collective."
"You'll have your chance." Eliza looked to Bradford. "Do we have a spare XCOM flag and, I don't know, a bobby pin to keep it together?"
"I think the Tailors might have one," Lily chimed in, "but I think they may be gearing up with everyone else."
"I'll go grab them." Bradford made for the door. "Anything else, Commander?"
"Not as of the moment." As Bradford left, she regarded Argus. They had their mask closed, giving them the look of the Elders she had seen in the statues and fragments of her memory. Her mouth settled into a line. "—is it possible to retract the mask? Having a face instead of an identical mask to the Elders will help the soldiers out."
"Right, right." The mask parted, revealing Argus's face. Soft jaw, barely-there nose, orange eyes, and pointed ears like the Chosen. Had the cheek scales, too. Their face was almost... no. She internally shook her head at the thought. "I am just so used to having it closed."
"Understandable, but you might need to unlearn a thing or two in order to get acclimated here." Something occurred to Eliza. "You probably need a quick rundown of our rules of engagement, because quite frankly I don't think the Collective has those."
Argus's eyebrows raised at the use of "Collective," but ultimately they shook their head. "You'd be correct. I have general assumptions, but best to know."
Eliza held up fingers to number her points as she went. "We've got documentation on this fully explaining our rules, but here's the cliffnotes: one, no firing on unarmed civilians, even if suspected to be Faceless. Better to have an injured operative and a dead Faceless than a dead civilian and an unharmed operative. Two, no firing upon any surrendering enemy. Purposefully dropping weapons, putting hands in the air, what have you. Three, though this never has been the case, no firing upon unarmed medics in the field. May have been useful with the ADVENT Medics still running, may be useful in the future. And four... if a fellow operative is mind controlled, priority one is disabling the controller. Priority two, if applicable, is overpowering the controller's hold using psionics. Priority three is shooting to disable operative, such as arm or leg shots aimed away from bone, pain usually snaps the hold. If nothing else, hold out." She let her arm drop. "Any questions?"
Argus seemed to blankly consider what was said, but their reply implied they were paying more attention than their face would convey. "What if a controlling enemy is attempting to surrender but the controlled operative is still fighting?"
"Priority number two takes precedence, but if malicious intent is surmised, false surrender is presumed." She shrugged. "In the rare event that the operative has genuinely turned hostile and the controller is surrendering, controller is spared, operative is to be subdued nonlethally."
They nodded. "No other questions."
"Understood, though I do have one question for you. To your knowledge, does the Collective know you're working with XCOM?"
Argus sighed, fidgeting with their fingers. "Officially, no. But I believe they heavily suspect it." Their eyes flickered to the side. "... may have heavily pressed that it was largely my fault XCOM got off the ground, so when I vanished, they might have reasonably assumed it was you all that did it. They're equally likely to assume I perished by your hand, however."
Eliza thought back to the memory Heidi had pulled. One more day. "—you delayed one day and that allowed Bradford to find me, right?"
"I'm surprised you remember."
"I didn't." Eliza turned back to the monitor, grimly considering the shrinking distance once more. "Somebody else pulled that memory out of me."
Argus was silent for a second. Eliza wondered why until they spoke. "... yes. Believe you me, Eliza, I never wished to turn you into the Siren. I put it off for twenty years. They gave me my deadline date, and truthfully I began the process—but only for the most minor changes. Things I'd normally fix in a human, really. Eventually, there was nothing left but the Chosen therapy... so I delayed it for one day. Unification Day was an encompassing event. I had hoped on the 20th one that action would be taken, and surely enough."
It was Eliza's turn to quietly consider what had been said to her. So she was modified, but only in ways that Argus would "fix" on a human? What did that entail? Additionally, did she and the rest of XCOM really have them to thank for the fact that she was there now, not turned into the Siren or some brain in a jar?
Before she could formulate any more questions or responses, the doors opened. Eliza looked back. Out of one of them were her soldiers, bringing in more barricades and cover. They gave Argus a few looks, but Banel was the one to look to her, nodding. The other had Bradford on the other side, walking in with an XCOM flag and an XCOM brooch. "Alright, get over here, Argus."
"Good timing." Lily's voice was subdued. "... estimated five minutes until the UFO catches up."
Eliza stood up straight, fully turning around. She walked towards Lily, leaning down and wrapping her in a hug. "I love you. We'll make it through this."
Lily was stunned for a second, but then quickly grabbed Eliza, returning the hug with some desperation. "I—I love you too," she whispered.
The Commander gave her a squeeze, then stood up, walking over to Bradford. He was finishing up the pin job, with Argus wearing the flag half like a cloak, half like a mantle. She waited until he was done to approach him and embrace him. "I love you, John. So much. Promise me we'll make it."
Bradford was swift in reciprocating, burying his head in her shoulder. "I love you too, Liz. We'll make it. Even if not, I'll go through hell getting you back all over again."
Eventually, Eliza let go, walking slightly back towards the monitor. She put her finger to her ear and then went down her list. Mordenna, Fal-Mai, Jax. Tygan. Celosia, who promised to spread the message to the others. Dropping a message to Wiki to give the faction leaders the same regards. It wasn't a goodbye. It was a reminder, a reminder she was going to live to give them again and again, until the day she died. If Mordenna had his way, maybe even after that. This wouldn't break her. They would not take her back.
The timer went down to a minute. One of the monitors flickered on, showing the round, dark disc that was the UFO behind them, slowly growing in size. Lily wiped at her eyes, quietly clearing her throat. "T minus one minute to interception. Everyone, grab something sturdy."
Eliza followed up on the intercom. "One minute to interception. Secure yourself firmly on whatever can be managed." She then followed the advice, rushing over to the rails by the Hologlobe, sitting down next to one and gripping it tightly. She watched as the rest of the Bridge followed suit, finding purchase on built-in monitors, railings, even some of the same rungs she was. Her heart was in her throat as she waited, but even as her fears rose... so too did a bright, shining hope. This, too, would pass.
Her whole body tensed as the ship rocked, lights on the Bridge flickering. "Confirmed EMP hit!" Lily was still manning her station. "Power grids going down, securing the Power Relay!"
"Lily!" Eliza's hands were bone white, gripping the bar. "Get down!"
"Setting out the landing gear, throttling power—I'll be over there!"
"Lily!"
The ship rocked again, and suddenly Eliza's stomach joined her heart as the ship began to plummet. Lily was lifted up into the air, frantically grasping for the monitor beneath her, screaming. Eliza almost lept from her post, but stopped when a flash of light happened and the air was charged with energy. Lily was cloaked in purple, psionic hands pushing her down towards the monitor. Following the spectral arms, Argus had their hand out and was channeling their psionics—and there was something that was plainly a Revenant above them. They moved her in range of the monitor. "Finish up, Shen!"
"R-right!" Lily frantically manipulated the controls. The lights flickered again, then went out—but Eliza's stomach lurched, and the feeling of falling was slowly fading. The only light was by Argus's flowing psionics, keeping Lily in place. "—we're good! Take me back, the landing's gonna be rough!"
Argus pulled Lily closer, and when Eliza offered an arm, they handed her over to the Commander. Eliza hugged Lily with one arm, keeping them secured to the pole with the other. Her fear was still screaming in her ears, things pitch dark as Argus stopped their psionics. It felt like an eternity stretched out in a single moment, the dimmed sound of rushing air beyond the ship walls, the burning of the jets, the shaking of metal on metal.
All at once, it stopped. A loud, dull crash, a sudden jerk. Eliza's stomach did circles as the Avenger came in for a hard landing on the ground. A second or so passed without event, and she opened her eyes. "—Bridge, report!"
"Scuffed, but fine!" That was Banel, and it sounded like he and his squad were getting up.
"Lost a few years off of my life." Bradford sounded like he was coming over, and then Eliza could feel his hand on her shoulder. "Are the two of you alright?"
Lily was still shaking, but she moved to get up anyhow. "—landing gear is probably going to need some work after that, but we're alive."
Eliza herself got up as Lily made for the monitor. The low lights kicked on, and Eliza was treated to the sight of an impression of her own grip in the metal of the bar. She quietly thanked whoever would listen that she didn't squeeze Lily to death. "If we're alive, we need to keep moving. Bradford, check in with the internal squads. Lily, get me a reading on the cams of Menace One-Five."
"Right. Let me—"
The ship's lights shuddered again, and Eliza looked to Lily. "What's going on?"
"Hold on, it's like we're getting blasted by another EMP. It's only enough to keep scrambling our systems." Something seemed to occur to her. "Oh god. Wiki? Julian?!"
"I'm here!" Wiki zapped from out of one of the monitors, staggering as she came out. "Uh, a little scrambled. But not as badly as I could be. That EMP—they've dropped a spike outside, I saw it. And Julian's fine, he's already in his SPARK."
Eliza went to the monitor. "And the Network?"
"Still functioning."
"I take it we can't see on the cams, though."
Lily shook her head as the lights flickered and the monitors scrambled again. "No. I got the scanners running and can confirm what Wiki said, but about all we have steady power for is comms. We're blind."
The Commander thought of something—and though it unnerved her, it was their best shot. "—Argus. The ADVENT Network allowed me to get a look at things through the eyes of the troops, yes?"
Argus had gotten up by this point by the sounds of it. "Yes, thanks to the sensory connection."
Eliza closed her eyes. "... Bradford, how are the soldiers."
"All green. Everyone's ready to go."
Mentally, she searched for Jax. He was the squad leader of Menace right now. "—lower the ramp. And hold me. Do your goddamned best to bring me back if they get on the ship."
She waited until she felt Bradford's presence behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and his hands were shaking, just a bit. She eased her own over them as she focused on Jax, trying to access old muscle memory. It felt like there was a phantom limb she was operating, "selecting" Jax.
Eliza slumped over into Bradford's arms, beginning to see what Jax saw...
The future hung heavy in Jax's mind.
He capped off the line of Menace One-Five, clad in his armor and weapons hanging heavy off of his frame. The light Lucifer gave off glinted in the dark metal of the Workshop as he and the rest of the squad stood at the beginning of the ramp, waiting for it to lower. Technicians were on standby with the turrets, silence choking the air. Jax had his visor closed, hopefully masking the uncertainty that showed clearly on his face.
There was someone tapping on his arm, and he turned to look. Fal-Mai had approached, soundless as ever. "Jax, are you alright?"
He sighed, looking back to the ramp. "Truthfully, no. I am scared, Fal-Mai. But I have to remain strong, now more than ever."
Lucifer hugged Jax from behind, slinging his arms around his shoulders and his sides. "I will keep him safe, Fal-Mai, just as much as he will ensure the safety of you and Mordenna—and everyone else."
Speaking of Mordenna. He was walking up in his armor, Vix trailing behind him. Vix was wielding a bow that was in the style of the rest of the Chosen weapons, though lacking a drawstring. She was in armor and even had a rather simple, but sturdy-looking metal quiver on her back, filled with colored arrows. "—I can't say how good a shot I'll be," Mordenna muttered. "But I'm going to be out there."
Fal-Mai seemed somewhat conflicted. "You do not have to be out there."
"Yes, I do. You two are going out there and I'm not sitting by if I can help it. You both know I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you guys and I sat out on the chance to stop it."
Jax's heart softened, and he walked around to pull Mordenna into a hug. "I fully understand, brother. Just... please. Be safe, know your limits."
Fal-Mai joined. "And know that we are here to protect you as much as you are here to protect us."
Vix herself snuck in, holstering her bow and hopping up to contribute to the group hug. "I'm gonna help, Dad. We're all gonna be ok."
Mordenna chuckled, wrapping his arms around his siblings and manifesting another set to hug Vix tightly. "Alright, alright, I get it. Let's all watch out for each other, I suppose."
Nodding, Jax broke from the hug, Lucifer returning to floating behind him. Julian and SYN both approached, with Rosa flanking SYN. Roland came up with Clint, Arsozu in front of Sherry. Clint cracked his neck. "So, Jax. All this time later and it's gonna be you and the other Chosen fighting to get ADVENT away from us."
The former irony of the situation wasn't lost on Jax, and he nodded. "As it should have been all along. I hope you all trust in us."
More people came into the Workshop—Eliza's human soldiers setting up behind cover, the alien passengers coming forward with armor and their weapons. The lights flickered again, and Clint grinned. "Well, I've already gotten over the coma. Can only go up from there."
Mordenna chuckled, perhaps nervously, and Jax looked back to the ramp. "We can only move forward."
The ramp began to lower—but Jax suddenly felt a strange, familiar pricking at his eyes. The Network became a little bit more noticeable in the back of his head. "Jax. Do you read me?"
That was Eliza, coming from inside his own head. How long had it been since this had occurred...? He moved forwards as the ramp went down, deploying his cannon. "I read you, Eliza. I take it Mordenna left in the observation functions of the Network?"
"I don't think he intended to. Perhaps my login info was deeper rooted in there than he thought. Whatever the case, we're blind without the cameras on you guys—we've only got a stable enough signal for comms. I'll be using you and your siblings to observe."
With that in mind, Jax kept his eyes out, observing their surroundings. It was snowing, bringing a chill to the air, and coating the rocky ground. Rock outcroppings abounded, and the Avenger had thankfully landed in a clearing of them. The changing of the landscape got more pronounced further out, and over one of the hills, Jax could see a green glow.
No time to waste—Jax could hear ships flying in, and the UFO was likely around the corner. "Menace, to arms!"
Movement rushed around him, and Jax took to the cover that had been set up on the bottom area around the ramp. Bradford came in over comms. "Menace One-Five, you're looking for a certain tower. Wiki has an ID on it—should look like a tall, green, revolving structure. Put as many holes into it as can be managed."
Mordenna was already sizing up the hill. "—should be over that hill. I... can't judge distance too well, they may have dropped it in the basin ahead. I'd try for a vantage point on top of the Avenger, but I think it may be deeper than that."
"Then we advance." Jax looked back to the squad. "Menace One-Five, on me. I want the rest of you guarding the ramp and ensuring nothing gets past you! Fal-Mai, go ahead in cloak—Wukong, scout as well. SYN, Fortuna, join me at the vanguard. Rascal, Crazo, fall to the middle. Cherry, watch over us in the back with Mordenna and Vix."
The squad nodded in agreement. Fal-Mai sprinted off and disappeared from sight. Arsozu ran forward, his white-patterned cloak causing him to blend into the landscape. Jax walked forward, snow sticking to his armor. Cover was plentiful, but sightlines were often blocked. "Stay at the ready," Eliza reminded. "They've likely dropped troops already."
A thought confirmed. There was the crack of a Reaper's rifle, and a scream in ADVENT. Jax spun up his gun as he watched an Officer stumble into view. "Contact established!"
The familiar crack of the Darklance rang out—and Mordenna's ensuing bullet missed, grazing the Officer's helmet. Sherry's shot was more accurate, downing the soldier. Jax needed higher ground—there were bound to be more ADVENT hidden behind the hills. "Upper left outcropping, there's a larger rock that can be used as cover."
Following Eliza's advice, Jax ran over, forming stairs under his feet as he did. Once he got to higher ground, he could indeed see there were more enemies—quite the motley mix of everything save Vipers. Levelling his barrels at a Shieldbearer behind a rocky wall, he opened fire, chewing through its cover.
The area summarily erupted in gunfire. Plasma traded sides and mag fire rocketed towards the Avenger, Jax's own cover getting eaten up. A chunk was blasted out, leaving him exposed—but not for long. A red barrier flashed up in front of him, blocking gunfire. Thanking his lucky stars for Lucifer, Jax stopped to make sure the rest of the squad was holding up alright. Mordenna's distinctive shots kept going wide, and he could see his brother gritting his teeth in the back, trying to line up another shot. Vix was having far better luck—the energy string on the bow was now active, and as she pulled it back, an arrow made of plasma appeared and nocked itself, soon being loosed and striking an Andromedon. Seeing his brother's plight, Jax flared his psionics, a claw materializing and grabbing his rifle. "Mordenna!"
Mordenna looked up to see Jax offering his weapon, and he shouldered his sniper rifle. Jax tossed his gun and Mordenna caught it mid-flight with his nanos, wielding it and moving closer. "—thanks!"
He'd need that gun more than Jax needed it. Jax popped out from behind Lucifer's cover, spraying more modified fire. He gave a quick glance towards the green glow. They needed to advance—the forces here were too thick. Eliza seemed to agree. "Your progress is too slow, but I doubt that thing is unguarded, otherwise I'd have you guide Fal-Mai over to demolish it—and in such a heavy fire situation like this, we're not splitting her from the squad. I'm going to see about sending more people out."
Jax hoped their backup was swift—the gunfire was saturating the air. He thought he heard one or two more human sounds of pain underneath it, but so many things were happening at once. He steeled himself, just focusing on what was ahead of him.
Perhaps a bad move, but Jax mentally couldn't keep up otherwise. A Berserker broke cover from his unguarded side, and he raised his hands to defend himself. A second later without being hit, he quickly lowered them. It had ignored him in favor of a frantic, barreling sprint towards the ramp of the Avenger. Roland was knocked out of the way, unable to move in time, and gunfire was failing to hit it as it made a beeline for the ship.
A bone-shaking roar came from the ship itself, and out from the ramp shot Vel'kiin. The encroaching Berserker let up slightly but the Berserker Queen met it head on, crashing against it. There was a momentary struggle, but the stronger of the two won out—Vel'kiin gripped and flipped the smaller Berserker, hoisting it up in the air. She swiftly brought it down, slamming it against the earth. Clearly dazed and outmatched, it raised its arms, trilling with a meek noise, surrendering by the sounds of it. Vel'kiin gave another roar, her voice echoing off of the snowy landscape, the dampening effect of the snow not enough to stop it.
From the ramp, out stepped Rodin, flanked on almost all sides by his Archons. Some had even foregone their legs in favor of their stronger primary jets. He flourished his staff. "For XCOM! For Ai-lon Rani!" The Archons around him echoed the same sentiment. He gave a command in a language Jax didn't recognize, and the legless Archons took to the air, the others following Rodin as he sprinted ahead into battle. The temporary pause that had happened thanks to Vel'kiin's appearance had ceased, and gunfire filled the air once more. Before Jax focused back on the battle, he saw Vel'kiin picking the Berserker up, looking like she was going to toss them to the side.
Backup thus secured, Jax pressed on. Ships were coming in frequently with more ADVENT to bear. However, with their backup? Progress was beginning to be made. Their front line advanced, more towards the gorge. Jax, Fal-Mai, and Mordenna moved forwards. Jax saw, out of the corner of his eye, the occasional injury. Arsozu got clipped by a Purifier detonating, SYN and Rosa quickly moving forward to drag him back to the Avenger. Clint took a few too many shots to his armor, gritting his teeth and retreating. Archons very occasionally dropped from the air, caught by their compatriots and ferried back. No deaths, as far as Jax saw. But a lot of people were taking hits.
Eliza was still with him, providing guidance. She saw more than he did, calling out barrier opportunities, causing Jax to spare a few of his squad from directed shots. The din of gunfire, shouting, and general warfare roared in Jax's ears. Lucifer rained down psionic shots behind him, manifesting jagged feathers and pelting the opposition with a veritable onslaught. But there was something underneath the noise that sent anxiety into Jax's stomach, something he couldn't make out from the chaos, but apparently his subconscious could.
He was almost distracted enough to not notice a grenade tossed Mordenna's way. Jax snagged it with a psionic tentacle and lobbed it back before it detonated. He hopped down, joining his brother at the front of the line. "Brother, how are you faring?"
"I've taken a shot or two, but I've been worse." Looked like Mordenna had been clipped in the shoulder at some point, riling Jax's anger. "Vix is probably being more accurate than I am. Fals?"
Fal-Mai glimmered into sight. Her own armor had been scuffed, and there were clear indications she'd been grazed by plasma shots quite a few times. "Far too many close calls! But I am alright."
They were almost over the hill, the paranoid need to run and hide in Jax's mind growing. He looked back to Lucifer, who seemed alright, if slightly nervous as he was. Jax turned back to the fight. "Let us advance!"
Fal-Mai disappeared back into her cloak. Mordenna and Vix fell behind Jax. He advanced, gun at the ready, Lucifer ready for battle behind him.
But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.
They crested the hill, and at the bottom... Jax could swear that Argus had exited the Avenger and was standing near the rotating EMP spike—but Jax could hear the orchestra booming in the air around them. He recognized the Berserker-like Revenant hanging over the Avatar. His blood ran cold. Cronus was at the bottom.
All of the Chosen must have stopped, as Cronus took the chance to speak. "Look at the three of you. Wearing the colors of the enemy, acting like you have found some 'greater calling' when all you are doing is further debasing yourselves!" Behind the mask, Jax knew he was levelling a glare at him. "Especially you, you snivelling coward. I'm certain all you had to do was emasculate yourself by crying and begging for XCOM's mercy to secure your spot. You are not—"
Jax was sure Cronus would have berated him further, but Mordenna had other ideas. A volley of bullets flew at Cronus, some missing, but only a few needed to hit. Cronus reeled back, Revenant flickering, shouting out in pain. "Vix," Mordenna shouted, "get back!"
Vix heeded the command, blipping out of sight. Cronus recovered. "—Tagh hladu nikaḻvu urvo, malmis! You never should have been born!"
"Odin should've thought about that before he took me, then!" Mordenna swapped the sidecar mag. "I'm everyone's fucking problem, now!"
With no more words to offer, Cronus raised one of his hands, and his psionics shot out, forcing the Chosen to move. The snow around them quickly melted as the sheer heat of Cronus's psionics saturated the area. As he dodged, Eliza came in. "That's an Ethereal in an Avatar, Jax! The three of you need to destroy the spike and then leg it!"
"If we leave him," Jax replied mentally, forming a barrier around himself as Cronus focused on him, "he will surely go after the Avenger! We have to at least force him to retreat!"
Cronus's psionics were more powerful than Jax remembered, and even with his Stasis up he could feel himself cooking inside of his own psionics. Fal-Mai's shotgun blast to his side made Cronus stagger, allowing Jax to drop his shield and gasp for air. "—keep him occupied! I'm going to get Argus out there to stop him!" With that, Eliza's presence slowly retreated from his mind.
Jax, of course, didn't forget her instructions. He had Lucifer take all three grenades from his belt—two plasma, one acid—and prime them. As Mordenna landed another shot that caused Cronus to roar out in fury, the sound of his psionics still making Jax's hands shake, Jax teleported the grenades to the center of the pylon. Two blasts rang out and the hissing of dissolving metal lingered, and the lights of the spike began to flicker and dim.
Cronus turned his head, and Jax could feel his psionics supercharge the air. His Revenant roared and a wave of power blasted out from him. All three Chosen were floored, leaving Jax mildly dazed. He knew where this was going—his siblings were in the line of fire, even as Cronus was stalking towards him. He could beat Cronus away, grab the others, and try to run... and meet the vision in his head. They were too close, then.
Cronus reached his location, and his Revenant raised its arms, bringing them down. Lucifer intercepted them, but even with an extra pair he wasn't gaining any ground. "Look at you. Look at the power you have. You could have been under my care and had everything you ever wanted." His Revenant pressed down harder, and Jax could feel the mental strain. "But now you are nothing."
Jax himself still had his hands free, and had the sense of mind to charge a Null Lance and fire it at Cronus. The strain magnified as he did, but he was able to send Cronus back, and Jax teleported to his feet. "Maybe to you, I am nothing—but I would prefer that to being something to you! I am through being your symbol of status; I am done with your lies!"
Cronus launched an energy-infused beam at him, which Jax shielded. The air continued to grow hotter, with sweat beading underneath Jax's armor. "I regret ever plucking you from your miserable home! You have been nothing but a burden to me—and do you think your siblings really care for you?!"
Around his shield, Lucifer spread his ruined wings, and a flechette of feathers put Cronus on the defensive. "They care far more about me than you ever could! Lest we forget that you cannot even feel love!"
"You should not know that!" Cronus surged his power underneath Jax's feet, causing the ground to shift and melt, forcing Jax to move. "What has that miserable waste of talent told you?!"
"Only what I should have known from the start!" Jax boosted himself into the air, forming a massive hammer out of his psionics and sending it down on Cronus. His Berserker Revenant blocked it, and the psionics dissipated. "I would rather die than return to you!"
"Then that wish can be granted," he hissed.
There was a flurry of motion—Fal-Mai had come up behind Cronus, trying to slit his neck with her sword. Cronus grabbed her arms and wrestled with her—long enough for his Revenant to yank her off of him. She was then thrown at Mordenna, who had gotten up and was starting to line up a shot. The two collided, there was a sickening crunch, and the both of them cried out in pain, with Mordenna's own scream getting interrupted by his own hacking coughs.
Cronus turned, rushing them. "Your own pathetic parents wanted to kill you themselves, but I'd be more than happy to—"
No. No, not now. Jax knew what he could do—he could rush Cronus, distract him, then try to take his siblings and get out. But all three of them would die and nothing would be accomplished. Jax still sprinted at Cronus, and true enough, Cronus turned and raised an arm in defense as Jax pooled his psionics, concentrating his power.
There was a flash of red, and Cronus lowered his arm, looking back. Jax's siblings were gone. As Cronus looked back, Jax pivoted, forming his psionics into that gigantic fist once again and sending it crashing into the EMP spike. With the horrific tearing of metal sounding out, it toppled over, the light going out. His head was pounding, and with Cronus's intense assault, he was running on fumes—but the Avenger could take off. His siblings were safe. A moment later, he felt Cronus's psionics roaring behind him, and he jumped to get out of the way.
Too late, too late. The heated blade of energy sliced though Jax's legs.
Jax crashed to the ground, giving a strangled gasp of pain. The heat was searing, and he couldn't feel anything below the middle part of his thighs anymore. The agony was intense, and he dragged himself back against the ground as Cronus advanced. "—well done, wretch. Perhaps you've done something." He raised the blade of heat again. "Let it be the last thing you ever do."
The blade of heat came down, and Jax waited for something, anything to save him. The tip punctured his chest, cutting through his sternum, burrowing through his heart. The heat suffused him, the pain taking over his body. Jax, in the distance, could hear Mordenna's distressed cry, the hum of a violin, the alto of Eliza's voice. In his last moments, Jax focused on that alto hum, closing his eyes and letting his pain drift away...
Mordenna's anguished scream ripped through the air, devolving into more hacking. Fal-Mai bit her lip and looked away as she held him back, trying desperately to drag him back towards the Avenger. Argus crested the hill, and with his duty done, Cronus was teleported out.
Eliza, in the Avenger, could only watch as the cameras were brought back online, showing Jax's dead body. No. No, he couldn't be dead. The moment she had looked away, the moment she had guided Fal-Mai into a counterattack... he couldn't be. He couldn't be dead. She tried to find him on the Network, he... he couldn't be! Jax's login was still there! She reached for him, desperately trying to convince herself he was just in critical condition—
Something gave. On the cameras, Jax's body was consumed by the same pillar of light they'd seen take the Chosen so many times. Eliza's consciousness was shunted out of her body, into the Void.
Jax was there, in the distance, his spirit slowly fading. He was floating there, lost, and Eliza knew she had to bring him back. She reached for him and she could feel her psionics work. His body next to her began to shine, the wound in his chest languidly mending.
In the distance, he turned towards her. Eliza?
Jax! Eliza strained, and Jax moved closer. She felt like she was pulling him out from an unceasing void, barely winning each inch closer to her.
Eliza! Jax himself strained forward, but his powers were so weak, here. His own progress still made it easier for her, but it was like she was trying to drag the Avenger itself behind her.
The wound in Jax's chest mended, and his legs were but phantoms. She focused on trying to pull him closer, but he began to slip. She tried to walk forward, but lost her grip, with Jax sailing further into the abyss. Gritting her teeth, it was taking all that she had to regain that ground, but she was quickly tiring out. She was only one person, and even as strong as she was... her psionics could only do so much. Jax called for her, but she couldn't pick out her name in his voice, and slowly he slipped from her. No! Jax, please! I can't lose you!
He said something, something like "let me go." But no, she was so close, she just needed more! She reached her hand out, grasping for him. The Void was shuddering, the time she had to bring him back coming to a close. She just... she just needed—!
It felt like a barrier in the back of her mind broke, and she cried out, straining once more. Four thin, long, light blue arms reached out and grasped Jax's hand, pulling him closer. Blue tentacles flowed around her, and as he got closer, Jax's soul shone in the light. He looked so awed. She brought him towards his body, and moved to restore his legs—but the Void was closing around her. With a final push, Jax was reunited with his body, and Eliza could feel the both of them exit the Void.
Jax made the landing. Eliza didn't, slumping over.
Blinking in the sudden light of the Avenger, Jax slowly got to grips with being back. There was noise around him, but he could barely comprehend it, body aching all over and head throbbing in exhaustion. He moved to stand up... and fell over, hitting the floor.
"Jax!"
That was Bradford. Jax groaned, rolling over. Why couldn't he get up? He couldn't feel... his legs...
Mentally frozen, all Jax could do was slowly sit up, tracking his eyes downwards. In the middle of his thighs, a few inches above where his knees used to be... his legs just stopped. But there was something more pressing in his vision.
Next to him, Eliza was on the floor, unmoving.
He dove for her. "Eliza?!" There were people trying to call his name around him but he didn't hear them, pressing his fingers to Eliza's throat. Tears came to his eyes in relief when he found her pulse—weak, but there. He hugged her tightly, remembering what had just happened. Eliza... Eliza had brought him back.
Voices again, and lots of movement. There was someone shaking his shoulder, and he looked over to find Bradford, face white and eyes wide. "Is... is she..."
"She's alive," he eked out. "She's alive. She's alive."
Bradford let out a breath, hiding his face for a moment as he turned away. He clenched his fists, looking back towards someone else, face set in seriousness. "Samhien I need two medical stretchers, yesterday! Lily, any other enemies?!"
"They're in retreat!"
"Then tell everyone to get the hell on this ship! And someone get that goddamn chip out of Jane!"
The Bridge continued to be a mess of movement and noise, but Jax knew there was one other thing to be handled. He fumbled for the Network, reaching out to his siblings. Fal-Mai, Mordenna!
Jax, where are you?! That was Mordenna, sounding more desperate than he'd ever heard him.
I am on the Bridge! Eliza brought me back!
She what? Fal-Mai, rightfully, sounded incredulous.
Get back on the ship, I will explain everything!
They seemed to agree, as Jax watched on the cameras as all the XCOM operatives ran towards the ship, boarding the ramp as the turrets were hastily brought in. The ramp was closing by the time Argus was running up it, and Lily was doing a check on comms for everyone. They all must've made it, as the ship lurched and began to rise.
Bradford was staying nearby, crouched down by the two of them. "Did... did you die out there, Jax?"
Jax nodded. "Cronus killed me, and I... I was prepared to move on. I had gotten my siblings to safety, and the pylon had been destroyed. But then I heard Eliza, saw the beacon of light she was as we were in the Void, and moved towards her." It had seemed like she wouldn't be enough, and Jax's heart had dropped out of his chest when he began to slip away. But then... that shining being above her, four-armed, and that face...
Bradford leaned in, hugging Jax. "I'm... I'm just glad you're alive now. We'd all be worse off without you."
Jax spared an arm to return the hug, and in that moment, thought of Lucifer. The Revenant groggily confirmed he was still there, recovering in Jax's mind. "Thank you."
The sound of something being wheeled towards them made Jax look up and Bradford break off the hug. Samhien and Banel had arrived with stretchers. Jax let go of Eliza as Samhien reached for her, and Banel was the one to pick Jax up, the servos of his WAR Suit groaning. Placed on the stretcher, Banel pushed him along as Eliza was wheeled in front of him, still unconscious. Bradford stayed behind, looking for all the world like he wanted to follow.
The trip to the Infirmary was quick, even with the road bumps they should've had. Barriers and people were in the way, but they both parted like water as Samhien and the stretcher he was pushing came towards them. The barricades were dragged out of the way, with some people even sprinting ahead. They rounded a corner, and it became clear why—they were dismantling a road block towards the Infirmary, already done by the time Samhien was close.
The door opened automatically as they approached, and Samhien navigated Eliza's stretcher into the Infirmary. Jax and Banel followed, and Samhien parked Eliza's stretcher by one of the open beds. "Banel, get Eliza onto her stretcher!" He took off his helmet, tossing it to the side, taking off his armor with one arm and pressing the other to his ear. "Dr. Tygan, you are needed in the Infirmary!" He paused, messing with his comms unit. "Lily, issue an announcement to get Argus to the Infirmary!"
As Samhien worked, Banel wheeled Jax over to one of the Chosen-sized beds. He moved to pick him up, but Jax shooed him off. "I can move myself from here, go see to Eliza."
Nodding, Banel rushed to Eliza's side. Jax gripped the rails, gingerly scooting himself onto the bed, leaning back against it and letting out a sigh. He still felt so high strung, but... they'd made it, for the moment. The chip would be taken out of Jane, Eliza would wake up, and he... well, he was missing his legs. But with the knowledge that Mordenna had made replacements in the past and could do it again, he relaxed into the sheets. Things would be better.
What had she done?
Eliza was floating in her own head, weightless, almost senseless. She didn't know when she'd gotten here, just that she was here now. Whenever "now" was. There was no sense of time here—one moment passed as easily as the next. With nothing to do and nothing on her mind, she aimlessly floated.
All she remembered was bringing Jax back, at the moment. The wordlessness of his expression, the light blue all around them. Then, nothing. Then, this.
Light blue, light blue. She kept going forwards.
Though she could not tell how she knew, Eliza felt like she was going deeper, wherever she was. It almost felt like she was passing through water, floating through without ever having to physically push herself through the water. There was something she was thinking about now—that light blue. The tendrils, almost like a jellyfish's. The four, blue arms.
Deeper she went, and eventually through the colorless haze, something emerged. The figure in front of her was cloaked in light blue, tendrils flowing in some unseen, undersea current. It was a shade of what she hated, in the shade of her own psionics. As she sat, nearly dead to the world, it reached an imploring hand towards her.
"Mom...?"
Eliza jerked back. "Who—who are you?" Her voice came from all around her, but her mouth didn't feel like it was moving.
The figure seemed to grow nervous, four arms fidgeting with each other. "I'm... I'm Asaru."
Asaru. The name resonated in her own mind and felt so, so familiar. She couldn't say from where—maybe she'd read it somewhere, heard someone say it enough times for it to stick. The more she mentally rolled it around on her tongue, the more natural to her it seemed. "What are you?"
"I..." It hugged itself. "I don't know. I just woke up. I'm scared, mom..."
Why was this thing calling her "mom?" She'd never seen it in her life and honestly, it looked like an Ethereal, but not quite. Something that was not quite an Ethereal...? Ascended Ethereals are aptly named—they are us, but they've transcended our limits. One to a planet, bonding to an individual when young. Argus knowing the one on Earth was a child.
Asaru was an Ascended Ethereal. Her Ascended Ethereal.
So what then? Eliza hated the Ethereals and the Collective for what they had done, but by the sounds of it... the Collective hated the Ascended. Asaru was just a child. He hadn't done anything, and now he looked so frightened. Eliza gave a calmed sigh, floating forwards. She wasn't much for having her own kid, but if the birthing process was outright skipped? Sure. "Hey. It's gonna be ok. I'm sorry I was mad."
Asaru perked up, and quickly floated towards her. She almost flinched, but all he did was hug her, arms and tendrils wrapping around her. "It's ok... I'm sorry for sleeping so long."
"Not your fault. I never knew you were there." Eliza hugged Asaru back. He hadn't done anything. He was essentially a clean slate, for how much he knew. He could be taught better. "Are you feeling ok?"
He nodded. "Sleepy. But I wanna be awake. Can we both wake up?"
"Sure."
With that, Eliza felt like she was rising, becoming more and more aware. She rose through her consciousness, starting to feel the rush of her own breathing, the sensation of being on her side against something soft. She opened her eyes.
Nothing.
She blinked. Then squeezed her eyes shut, opening them again. She then quickly rubbed at her eyes, and there was a strange disconnect to the feeling—she felt like she was rubbing at her eyes, but there was no warmth from her skin. Eliza then realized she was only feeling herself breathing. Not hearing it. Her hands quickly felt around for where she was at. Sheets below her, her head was on what felt like a pillow. In front of her was metal, or plastic—a handrail? Eliza was in the Infirmary, on one of the beds. She pushed herself into a sitting position. Bradford? No noise. She could feel her mouth moving, had that sensation of air passing her lips, but... nothing.
Eliza jerked her head around, desperately wishing she wasn't correct in what she was thinking happened to her. As she looked, she saw... a faint, red light. It was at a specific point, and she focused on it. It was blob-like, but it was there. Why red? Why... oh. She was in the Infirmary. She'd brought Jax back. She'd neglected to bring Jax's legs with him. Still, that must've been Jax. Jax. Jax, I can't... I can't hear anything. I can't see anything.
The blob... moved, slightly? She squinted, focusing. It seemed to jump back, and Eliza heard Asaru. "Mom?"
Now, Asaru, she heard clear as day behind her. She twisted, and he was a clear figure in the blackness. He was like an Ethereal, but more... healthy. Lean muscle, transparent skin, showing a nervous system but no other organs. He was quite like a jellyfish in aspects, with a rounded head showing a partial skull, and tendrils coming off it and his back. Two of them seemed to be touching her shoulders. "Can you... can you not see anything?"
Eliza shook her head, looking back to where she thought Jax was. I can't.
"Let me help."
She felt two of his tentacles touch the back of her head, and suddenly Eliza's vision exploded with color, her ears finally picking up on the humming of engines and soft whirring of machinery. She definitely was in the Infirmary, but she was... floating upright, to the side of the bed. She saw... herself out of the corner of her own eye. Of course—Asaru was letting her see what he was seeing.
Her guess about Jax being across the room was correct—but she also should've guessed that Fal-Mai and Mordenna were in the room on their own beds. In fact, the Infirmary was quite populated with soldiers, and... quite a few of them were backing off at the sight of Asaru. Those in beds simply stared. Asaru drew down closer to her, and her vision lowered as a result. His nervousness was mounting. "—they're staring..."
Eliza didn't fully blame them for staring, and she half thought to ask Asaru to retreat for now. She'd be back at square one, however, with no vision or hearing to her name. She needed to get to Bradford—and Argus. She watched herself reach for the railing, finding the bar and lowering it, getting a sudden appreciation for anyone who had to guide puppets. "Soldiers," she said, words starting hardly enunciated, but getting better traction as she went on, "I will be blunt—right now, I am blind and deaf without assistance. This being you see beside me, he is Asaru. He has been with me this whole time, much like Lucifer with Jax. I'd very much like to explain, but I need to talk to Bradford regarding pressing matters. Does anyone know where he is?"
There was still some unease, but Asaru turned—and next to them, Arsozu was in a bed with Benald and Pattie visiting him. As ever, Pattie was the one to break the ice. "Oh! So he's like, your... Revenant! Yeah."
Well... close enough. "Essentially so, yes."
The tension in the room eased, and Benald came around, helping Eliza to her feet. "Fair's fair, and fitting someone like you got a Revenant—from what I know, anyway. Bradford's in the Bridge, I think."
Walking was strange, and the feeling of Benald assisting her more so. She was watching herself being helped, and felt it, but the disconnect between the two was disorienting. She was thankful she had Benald to lean on. "Whatever the case, can one of you ask Bradford to come down to the Resistance Ring?"
She got about four different "yes, Commander"s, who then proceeded to quickly debate among themselves who should notify him. Eliza tried to turn her head back to look at Jax, but was only able to watch herself do so. Thankfully, Asaru got the hint and turned around. Jax was still sitting on his bed, looking at Asaru intently. It was almost as if...
"Watch your step—uh..." Asaru looked back to Benald in time for Eliza to feel herself stumble a little. "Well, uh, I can't say that... sorry."
Eliza gave a weak chuckle. "Don't worry about it." Asaru essentially needed to be looking wherever she wanted, and... she already saw the problems in forcing someone childlike to do that. Asaru may be some "ascended" being but he was still a kid, it seemed like.
As they made their way out of the Infirmary, footsteps rushed up behind them. "Ben! Christ, don't get ahead of me like that."
Looked like Pattie had caught up. Benald chuckled. "Where's the fire, other than on your head? I've got the Commander with me, I'll be fine."
Pattie crossed her arms. "And when you've gotten the Chief to the Ring?"
Benald paused for a moment, and with Asaru being slightly above him, Eliza could see the brief moment of panic behind his sunglasses. His next chuckle was more nervous. "R-right, right. Think I may have been a little too eager to help the Commander out."
"Duh. Jesus, Benald, I'm supposed to be the one not thinking between us." She looked up to Asaru. "Asaru, right? I'm Pattie! My buddy's name is Benald."
"It's nice to meet you, Pattie." Asaru's voice seemed to come right from where Eliza was hearing, but that made sense. "Benald, too."
"Figures the Chief is strong enough to have a Revenant. Good to meet you, Asaru." Benald gave a brief wave. "Sure you'll fit in just fine."
Asaru felt like he was smiling, and his free tendrils curled. "Yeah. The people mom is in charge of seem nice."
At that, Benald looked to Eliza, raising an eyebrow. Thankfully, his response didn't leave her having to answer too many questions. "Well, I guess taking care of a kid isn't too far beyond your means, considering you've had to look after the rest of us for about a year."
Eliza grinned, patting Benald's back the best she could. "Ah, hasn't been that bad. Just barely, though."
They came up to the door to the Resistance Ring, and Pattie let them in. Benald sat Eliza down on one of the couches. "You good, Chief? Brads is probably on his way."
Eliza nodded... then thought of something. They had someone on board that would have the best knowledge of what to do with Asaru—and what Eliza could do with herself now that she was essentially flying completely blind. She wasn't going to have Asaru help her forever. "I'm good. And... can you radio up Bradford and tell him to bring Argus with him?"
"Sure enough." Benald stood up, pressing his finger to his ear. "Yo, Central. Could you bring Argus with you when you get down to the Ring? Eliza's request." A pause. "Gotcha. She's in here waiting for you and Pats and I will clear out." He lowered his hand. "Take it easy, Chief, and..."
Pattie followed up on the question he seemed to want to ask. "Is it true? Can you not see or hear?"
Eliza shook her head. "Not on my own. Asaru here is letting me see and hear what he does. I... I don't know why, truthfully."
"Got it." Benald grew quiet for a second, then leaned down and hugged Eliza. "—we're here for you, Commander. Don't matter what kind of state you're in. I'll trust you to lead us any day."
Eliza felt for him, hugging him back as Pattie joined. "That makes me feel better about it. Thank you."
Benald broke from the hug. "Anytime. C'mon, Pats, let's get out of the way."
The two of them departed, leaving Eliza and Asaru alone in the Resistance Ring. She watched herself through his eyes a moment longer before sighing. "Asaru, go ahead and disconnect me from your senses."
Asaru's signature rolled in uncertainty. "Are you sure...?"
"If this is gonna be my future for a bit, best I get used to it."
He still seemed unsure, but he did as asked. His tentacles floated away from her head and Eliza was plunged into nothingness and silence once more. The lack of sight was certainly something she'd have to acclimate to, but Eliza felt like she could handle being deaf. Those ASL classes in middle and high school were definitely worth something.
At least she could see Asaru. She turned towards him, figuring she could mentally speak to him like she'd done with Jax a few times. Could I ask you a question or two, Asaru? You're not in trouble, I'm just curious. When he nodded, Eliza began. What do you remember?
Asaru floated back a little in thought, a hand to his head. "Um... you're my mom... XCOM is the place you run... and my name. And, um, that's it."
Even Lucifer seemed to remember some things about Jax—Asaru must've been deep enough or asleep enough to get relatively nothing. Considering herself thankful he never got wind of her more private moments—and remembering to curtain off her thoughts—she went on. So you've just been asleep in my head?
"I think, yeah." Asaru formed a little image of a bed with his psionics. "I was dreaming. I couldn't tell you what about now, though... but I was feeling like I was just napping for a little bit later on? And then I saw you, reaching for him. For Jax." Asaru's expression seemed forlorn. "You weren't going to reach him without my help, even if your psionics were bright enough to wake me up. I wanted to help." He then looked ashamed. "I'm sorry I couldn't get his legs back..."
Eliza extended her hand, and he reached forward to take it. She smiled at him. His skin was pretty smooth. The fact that we brought Jax back at all is enough for me. Mordenna can always make replacements. Still, it looked like the trigger for Asaru waking up was her heavy psionics usage, and she half-wondered if he'd woken up briefly when Jax caused her to overload herself.
Asaru nodded, then looked behind her. Eliza looked to where he was looking on instinct, and was greeted with a purple light, brighter than Jax's. The red light must've been Jax's psionics, so this was someone with purple psionics stronger than Jax's. "—they said your name."
Wasn't much of a trial period in sensory deprivation, but fair enough. Let me see them. Asaru once again linked with her, and through his eyes, she saw Argus and Bradford. Eliza stood up gingerly. "Argus. Bradford."
"Eliza, your eyes..." Bradford stepped close, putting his hands on her cheeks. His rough hands were comforting, but the lack of warmth hurt her. "—they're clouded..."
Argus looked to the side, downcast. "Eliza... has likely suffered acute psionic wearout." When Bradford looked to them for an explanation, they went on. "Psionics are, in a word, rough on the body if it's not equipped for them. Humans are far more resilient than most species, even more so than Ethereals are, but... they still have their limits. From what I saw, Eliza handled the majority of Jax's regeneration herself before Asaru woke up and completed the revival at the last minute. Without a Sarcophagus to channel the Void, without any other psions contributing power... Eliza's body handled it the best it could, I imagine."
"I'm blind and deaf," Eliza muttered, "and apparently unable to perceive temperature. Asaru's helping out with the first two."
Speaking of Asaru. He cautiously floated closer to Argus, tilting his head in curiosity. Argus met his gaze. "You seem like someone I should know."
"With luck," Argus said with a hint of bitterness, "you never would. Do you know what you are, Asaru?" Asaru shook his head. "Anything? Just your name?" He nodded. "—this... this one of the youngest Ascended I've ever seen. Thank the Void he has you as a caretaker, Eliza."
Bradford's hands dropped, and since Asaru was looking at Argus, Eliza had to blindly feel for them. Bradford picked up what she was doing and held her hands softly. She smiled for a second before speaking. "He's an Ascended Ethereal, isn't he?"
"Yes." Asaru looked at her, allowing her to see Bradford's confused expression. Argus must've noticed as well. "For the both of you, Ascended Ethereals are Ethereals that have thrown off their limits. One to a planet, psionically bonded to a host, usually emerging far older than this if not otherwise forced out." Argus looked at Asaru. "The reason I am familiar to you is because you are noticing my psionic signature. I am... formerly an Ethereal. I suppose Avatars might be their own species now, much like the Chosen."
"Eliza, not to bring up your age," Bradford began, "but she's fifty eight. Asaru here sounds like he's nine. What's the aging rate?"
"—honestly? That's more muddied, but Ascended mature over a hundred years or so, in the 'womb' of the planet. Once they're fully mature, they wake up and select a host, usually guiding that civilization to a golden age of progress." Argus rubbed their chin. "—which is why it's so perplexing. Let me qualify my earlier statement—Asaru is the youngest Ethereal I've ever seen bonded to someone. This... quite frankly, I have no clue why he's here."
Eliza went to say something, but Asaru was faster. "There's more like me out there?"
Argus went quiet. What was there to say to a kid who's whole species was being genocided out of jealousy? Eliza came towards him, gently taking one of his hands and offering a diplomatic, optimistic answer. "Yes, and we'll find them one day. But for now, we need to handle other things." She switched her focus to Argus. "Like me. I can't be relying on Asaru to be my seeing eye Ethereal forever." The notion of what she was going to say sat like a rock in her stomach. But it needed to be done. "I'm sure it's within your means to restore my sight, hearing, temperature sensation, but we both know that's curing a symptom when the disease is still there. With Asaru, I'm capable of psionics that my body can't handle." She took in a deep breath. "I need you to turn me into the Siren."
"No." Bradford was already coming forwards, almost putting himself between her and Argus. "We're not doing that."
"Bradford, it's my decision. I don't like it, and if there were alternatives, I would go for them. But this is the best one."
"No it isn't!" Bradford turned back to her. As he raised his voice, Asaru cowered. "You can't honestly tell me you trust this guy enough to do things to you you've had nightmares about!"
"If you have an alternative solution," Eliza countered, voice hardening, "I'm open to hearing it." Bradford was silent. "I can't live like this, Bradford. I can't live feeling no warmth, having to rely on someone who shouldn't have to wait on me hand and foot. He's a child, Bradford. I'm not going to make him do that."
"I just... please, Liz. Think about this."
"I have. And if there were any other way... I would go for it. But this is for the best." She squeezed Asaru's hand, calming him. Eliza directed her words at Argus and Bradford. "I want whatever needs to be done, done. Tygan and the other doctors will be reviewing every change made, every surgery performed. If an entire separate facility needs to be made, demolish the Holding Cells. Argus is out on good behavior but their limit of freedom is on Project Siren. You are acting Commander, Mordenna will be your XO."
"Liz..."
"My word is final." Eliza looked to Asaru, seeing her own milky blue eyes staring back at her. "Inform the ship of Asaru—and can Asaru jump to other people?"
Argus nodded. "Ascended Ethereals don't have a concrete host, though they can obviously play favorites. Young ones need a host for a stable source of growing energy, so Asaru will be fine as long as he has one. Host doesn't need to be psionic, though his presence may induce them even in non-gifted individuals."
"Alright." Eliza tugged gently on Asaru's arm to make him float lower. "You're gonna be with me, ok Asaru? I might ask other people to look after you, but you can always come back to me. Is that alright?"
Asaru looked to Argus and Bradford. The former was tense, the latter looked lost. "Ok. If you trust them, I do too."
Eliza turned back to Argus. "How soon can you start?"
"With appropriate materials and a workstation? Immediately. As I said to you, I performed all modifications I could without starting the Chosen therapy."
"Whatever they need for supplies," she spoke to Bradford, "they have full authorization. Priority number one is to get the chip out of Jane—"
"That's been managed," Argus interrupted. "And it's been tossed out the airlock, as it were."
Well, that problem was solved. "Ok. Priority number one is getting that facility made and myself converted. Priority two is rigging the Gate to go to that Sanctuary. I can't imagine the Collective will be happy to know the Ascended is awake and with the one person they've been trying to capture this whole time." Which... it occurred to her Argus may have lied to her by omission in regards to knowing where the Ascended Ethereal was. But honestly, she saw why—she wouldn't have reacted well to know a version of an Ethereal had been strapped to her. She didn't react well at first seeing Asaru. She'd let it slide. "Number three is getting the Sarcophagus built. We've proven me and Asaru are enough to power it. The more people we get on there, the better."
Bradford eased a hand on her shoulder. "And what about you?"
"I..." What about her? She was nowhere in these plans outside of getting herself turned into the Siren. She sighed. "Until I'm needed, I'll just be another person on the Avenger. Nothing more. After Argus has me viable again, I'll resume my position."
"I'm an expedient worker when it comes down to it," Argus assured. "I'd best start making plans now, and I trust you all have a copy of the Siren files?" When Bradford nodded, they turned to leave. "Right. I'll be about my business. I'll let you know if I require you."
Argus left, leaving the three of them in the room. Bradford hugged Eliza tightly. "—I love you, Liz. I'm... I'm sorry."
"What's there to apologize for?" Eliza hugged him back after turning towards him. "You did everything you could, and I love you too. All I need is your support and everyone else's. And... to accept Asaru. He hasn't done anything."
Bradford looked up at Asaru, who nervously stared back at him. After a second, he offered a spare arm, and Asaru floated down to join the hug. "Sure enough. Didn't think you'd have another kid so early."
Eliza laughed, and Asaru laughed by association. Things were rough, and would probably always be. But for now, everything was alright.
