Hello once more.

First and foremost, I wish to thank you all for your support. I honestly and truly do appreciate it all. Though I suppose that can't be really conveyed through a short text blurb, but still.

This chapter was... interesting to say the least. Not a whole lot changed but I think the overall refinement helped a lot in showing the that Drew is very much a person and not a robot.

Also as I side note, I mayhave become the DM for a new D&D group... so yah sorry if the updates take a while, but fleshing out a 400,000km/squared game world is not exactly the easiest thing ever.

Hope you all enjoy this one, and remember to keep dropping those reviews and PMs with your thoughts and feelings on how things are progressing.

Cheers


Wednesday, May 4th, 2024

0315 Hours

"...What?!"

True to his nature, the Commander didn't react at all to my raised voice. Hell, he didn't even blink, making me wonder if he was deaf or simply just enjoying the aftermath of dropping several atomic level mind fucks onto me.

"I want you to become Lockdown," he reaffirmed, repeating his previous statement in the same manner one might talk about the weather. "And by proxy, help me win this war."

My back hit the back of the chair behind me, as I stared at the man before me with such a mixture of emotion I didn't even know where to begin.

During our trip to the facility, I had come up with some pretty fantastic and impossible theories as to why a group like XCOM had need for a nameless grunt like myself. They ranged from simple matters like being a new recruit, all the way down to impossible circumstances, like being selected as the test subject for a new super soldier serum.

Yet despite all these theories and thoughts, it seemed the actual reality of my situation was even stranger than any of the fantasys I had come up with.

I mean me? Become Lockdown? What did that even mean? Did they mean physically or mentally? Or both? Was that even possible? Did they have some type of cloning machine that they would transfer my mind into? No wait, that makes no sense. Clones wouldn't need my mind. He must mean to turn the current me into Lockdown. Jesus, just what kind of fucked up medical shit did he have planned for me? Wait. Lockdowns a woman. Does that mean I would also have to become...

My breath began to hitch a little as scenarios and scenes ran amuck in my brain.

No. No fucking way could they mean that. There was no logical reason for it. None. What so ever.

There was only one way to be sure though.

"Commander?" I hesitantly spoke, sitting back up in my seat. "What exactly do you mean by becoming Lockdown? Do you mean physically? Or mentally or what?"

"Both." he replied passively. "By the end of the operation, you will hopefully be almost identical to her in every way that counts."

He was serious. He wanted me to undergo some sort of operation to become another Lockdown.

What. The. Fuck.

"Ok." I breathed. "You're going to have to give me a little more information than that. Like what does the operation entail exactly? What changes can I expect? Why choose me for this operation?"

"I would normally provide such details," he answered gruffly. "However, all of that is classified as above top secret. So until you agree to everything, I can't fill you in."

My eyes narrowed at him. Confusion washed over me once more. Just what the fuck was he playing at? Above top secret? He had been sharing stuff of that level with me wily nily up till this point.

"Ok. But how am I to decide if I don't know what exactly is going to be done to me." I asked, clenching my hands together tightly.

"Simple," he chuckled, reaching forwards to tap the pile in front of me. "Only an utter idiot would say no to the proposal."

That comment hit its mark.

Me? And idiot just for wanting to know what exactly they planned on doing to me before deciding to become a woman for potentially the rest of his life? Just what the fuck was their goals here? Was this all some big joke to them? Did they take pleasure in confusing the fuck out of people? Or were they just deliberately seeing how long it took before I snapped?

It didn't matter at this point. I was done playing games with them.

I slammed my hands down on the front of mister big shots desk. "Clearly this is some kind of sick joke you're pulling right now, so this is what's going to happen. You're either going to start making some fucking sense, or I'm going to stop being so god damn polite."

The Commander remained ever impassive, but Lock. Oh boy, I could feel Locks eyebrows raise tenfold at my demands.

It came as no doubt in my mind that she was currently working out the best way to neutralize me. The only question was would she speak first or go straight to threat neutralization.

"Private...?" She hissed menacingly. "I would advise you to withdraw your threat immediately."

Threats, threats and more threats. Not getting your way? Just threaten them. That was the way XCOM seemed to work, so I may as well take advantage of it.

"No." I snarled, letting the annoyance and anger that had been building inside me for the past twelve hours finally boil over. "You have dragged me halfway around the world with zero explanation as to why. You have threatened me multiple times for things that were out of my control. And now you expect me to not be confused or concerned by the life altering operation this man is proposing?! Fuck. That. Entirely."

A disappointed scowl creased the commander's face as he looked up at me. "I would have expected a man who endured as much training as you did to have a little more self control and restraint when it comes to things like this." He grumbled, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I barked right back at him, "You sit there all smug faced and smiles, while dropping shit on me left right and center, then expect me not to react at all to the fact you want me to undergo a fucking sex change!"

SMACK!

I felt Locks palm connect quite solidly with the top of my head.

"Fuck, that hurt." I cursed, glaring in her direction.

She was openly gaping at me, with her palm still held high in the after swing. To her, I was at that moment, probably the most unbelievable and idiotic person on the face of this planet.

"He does not mean physically identical, you utter idiot!" She roared right into my face, shaking her head in utter disdain, before turning her attention towards the Commander.

"Commander, permission to take Drew to the infirmary to get him checked out?" She quipped, sneaking glares of contempt and utter bafflement towards me as she spoke. "Clearly he is not physically able to have this conversation right now."

"Permission denied," he answered, seemingly unfazed by either of our actions. "It was simply a misunderstanding."

Her eyes narrowed at the commanders ruling. It was very clear that she was hesitant to allow me to remain in his presence.

"He does not understand the full picture just yet," he assured her, waving in my direction. "The only attention he requires is answers to his questions."

One last look of displeasure crossed her face, before she all but shoved me back into my seat.

She took a few deep breaths, allowing her mask of neutrality to slide cleanly back into place before sitting back down in the chair next to me as if nothing had happened. The perfect picture of statuesque once more.

There was no mistaking the look in her eyes now though. She was in full predatory mode. Prepared for anything.

The Commander, true to form, stayed seated and silent, waiting patiently for Lock and me to return to our seats before taking a few deep breaths and speaking once more. "Now that we are back to civilized conversations, allow me to explain."

"Just please start making some sense here," I firmly stated, still frustrated by my own confusion.

Leaning forward to tap the pile in front of me, he seemingly undisturbed, continued forward with his agenda. "The details of this mission are documented in the folder at the very bottom of the pile. I suggest you read them before you jump to any more conclusions about my wants and wishes." He explained, gesturing for me to proceed with his directions.

Reaching under the stack, I quickly extracted a darker, more official looking folder and set about opening it up for viewing. I froze completely however, when I caught sight of the presidential seal that adorned the front cover.

"This operation is sanctioned by presidential order?" I uttered mindlessly, disbelief now plastered on my face.

"No, we were thinking of launching one of the largest retaliation missions in human history without any monetary backing, or approval of our own governing body." I heard Lock mutter off beside me. "Báichī."

I shot her a glare before quickly returning to opening the official package.

Inside the folder sat several sheets of very dense legal paper, each one topped with red top secret print, and the name Operation Jailbreak.

Every single page was completely peppered with seals, signatures, dates, resource amounts, fine print, and legal jargon from top to bottom.

This was as official as things got. A complete analysis and documentation of the upcoming operation, which was all well and good for commanders and captains, but unfortunately for me, also meant I could barely understand half of what was being said.

"Um, Sir?" I began, unsure how to explain my predicament. "Not a lot of this is going to make much sense to me."

Seemingly unsurprised, he simply nodded and pointed to the last page. "Bottom of page twelve."

A quick flip to page twelve revealed what he wanted me to see. There, right near the end of the confusing jumble of information sat a single neatly hand-written paragraph, that much to my surprise, summed up the entire documentation quite well.

Operation Jailbreak, which entails the personalized training, psychological refit and complete genetic modification, of one Drew L. Crawford, has been approved by all official members of project XCOM, the Global Resistance, and the Council of Nations. Contact will be made with Drew to explain the terms and conditions behind this contractor ** **** ** *** *********** ** ******** *** *****. The project is to be spearheaded and managed by Commander ***** * ****** and **** Lockdown *******. The Council also recognizes that should Drew choose to accept the offer, this event will mark the beginning of Operation ***** *****, and the beginning of our full scale retaliation against the invaders. All resources and information will be transferred immediately upon retrieval of the completely signed document.

Good luck and Godspeed, Commander

And just to add one more thing to the list of what-the-fuck moments for the day, there was an agreement clause, and a blank line with my name underneath it, waiting for my signature.

I was for the millionth time that day alone, completely speechless. I mean really. First the underground base, and now this? This was all science fiction. Genetic modification? Mental refit? These were all things straight from fucking Star Trek. What was next? God damn phasers?

"I thought you were joking earlier when you said XCOM developed genetic modification." I chuckled, shaking my head as I tried to comprehend the magnitude of the offer before me.

"I told you before," Lock explained. "Every major breakthrough comes from XCOM."

"So it would seem." I agreed, sitting back up in my chair.

"Ok, so you want me to agree to being genetically modified." I began, watching as the Commander nodded in agreement with my statement. "Which begs the question, what exactly is this genetic modification procedure?"

"It's a newly developed surgery that splices your DNA with DNA from other sources." Lock answered almost mechanically. Clearly this was a question she was used to answering. "It will effectively turn you into a multi-species hybrid like me."

I raised an eyebrow at her, glancing up and down her form quickly before gesturing. "Well it certainly doesn't look like you are a hybrid to me, so it must be all internal changes then?"

"More or less," she agreed. "I'm not an expert on it, I just underwent the treatment. Thought it's worth noting that because of this, I will be the one responsible for training you to become a member of my squad. Both before and after the treatment is complete. "

"Ok," I nodded. "Then if it's ok, could we get an expert in here to explain what exactly is going to happen to me?"

"We can only do that after you signed the contract," the Commander spoke flatly. "This is a top secret technology. We can't give you any information regarding it until you have signed the confidentiality clause."

I raised an eyebrow at that statement. "You seemed more than happy to give me top secret information without the clause earlier." I reminded him, frowning slightly at his sudden need to follow rules.

"Oh come off it." he scuffed. "You saw the seal. This is a completely different level from what I told you. Besides, there is no need to worry. Everything was explained to the president and he approved it. He would never approve something that was not safe or humane."

I nodded slowly, it made sense after all. However even a blind man could see that there was very clearly something else was going on here. Something behind the scenes that neither the Commander nor Lock wanted me to know about until after I had signed my soul away to them. That fact alone gave me pause on my decision.

Yet, he was also very much right. There was simply no denying the letter before me. It was signed by far too many high ranked officials to not be completely authentic, and anyone of those officials could have easily opposed it should the procedure not have been as he said, humane or safe.

And then there was the fact that it had also clearly labeled me as one of the keys to success in any of these future endeavors.

Me. Drew L. Crawford.

I was apprently one of the keys to possibly mounting a counter attack against the invaders, and to potentially retaking our entire fucking planet back.

Not Lock.

Not the Commander.

Me.

Simply put, they were apparently comfortable gambling almost this entire operation on my willingness to join up with them, for reasons unknown to me at this time.

That's some serious expectations I was going to have to be able to live up to.

"Do I have to make this decision right now?" I coughed out, eyes still glued to the paper in front of me, reading it over and over again just to make sure I hadn't misinterpreted anything like last time.

"You can if you desire," the Commander snarled in disgust. "But remember, every minute you waste thinking over what is quite honestly, a very easy decision, more and more people die!"

I raised a perturbed eyebrow in his direction, complete caught off guard by his sudden lack of tact and calm.

"You just don't get it, do you?!" He roared, seemingly growing more and more exasperated as he spoke. "This is the chance you have been waiting for! The chance to make a real difference in the war. Far more of a difference than you would have ever made while in the normal stasis rotation!"

My journal entry. Winston Churchill. Apparently he and I read the same kinds of books.

Granted, it was one thing to think or write those things, but to hear them put into words by someone as surprisingly charismatic as the Commander? I could scarcely contain my growing excitement as to the prospect of what he said.

He paused to stand up and began to aggressively pace around his office while gesturing furiously as he raved. "What we are offering you right now goes far beyond the realm of science fiction. We are offering to give you back something you lost. To be one of the first people on the planet to receive genetic modifications, to be one of a kind."

His breathing was becoming a bit labored as he soldiered on.

"With this new tech we can not only make your eyes good, but expand their range! We can not only repair your legs, but make them even stronger than before! Do you get it yet? This procedure won't just make you whole again. It will make you stronger, faster, and smarter than anyone else on the goddamn battlefield!"

He paused mid-speech, glancing in my direction to make sure I was following what he was saying before powering onwards once more.

"And it doesn't even stop there! Imagine rifles that practically aim themselves! Armor that can take point-blank grenades with ease! Ships you thought were only prototypes! We will not only give you your body back, but also give you weapons, equipment, training and resources that you could only dream of!"

He quickly made his way back to his chair, slamming back into it with steely determination fixed in his eyes.

"And all that we ask of you in return, is that you be a fucking man, and serve us to the fullest extent of your capabilities. That you help us take our goddamn planet back for these wretched invaders, who have taken far more from us these past years than anyone has any right to!"

I sat in my chair completely caught off guard.

There sat the single most slimy and seemingly distrustful men I had ever met, completely exhausted after delivering to me a charismatic speech worthy of an Oscar, and practically begging me to help him do exactly what I had always dreamed of doing.

Saving the fucking planet.

It was very clear to me now, this was an offer only a total fool would refuse.

I have been called many things in my life, but never a fool. And I wasn't about to start now.

Hardening my gaze, my mind now set on a made decision, I reached across his desk for the pen that sat right in front of him.

The ink flowed perfectly as I carefully traced out, then filled in the last space on the document with my own signature.

My signature. It now sat alongside the presidents, and almost every major government and military leader in the world.

It was truly a sight to behold. A sight, I never thought I would witness in this lifetime.

Taking the documents carefully from me, the Commander motioned for me to stand. He reached out and grasped my hand, gratitude etched across his face as he shook.

"Thank you, Private. Thank you for your sacrifice".

His choice of words confused me at the time, but I quickly dismissed them as the product of this exhausting ordeal, and shook his hand vigorously in return. Thanking him profusely for the chance to serve.

Soon enough the fan fair was over, and I was back outside of the Commander's office with a rather stone-faced Lockdown standing right beside me.

Something was still bothering me though. Something in the back of my head told me I was forgetting something very important, and while normally I was one to trust my instincts, this time I wrote it off as a completely exhausted brain demanding that we find some place to sleep.

"So where to now?" I asked, stifling a yawn as I spoke.

No response from my stone face friend.

I waved a couple times in front of her face, but still nothing. She was very clearly miles away right now, off in a land of her own thoughts. Though, I could have sworn I saw flashes of purple in her eyes for a second.

"Hey," I whispered, nudging her lightly with my elbow. "Earth to Lock?"

Her head suddenly snapping to me at physical contact.

"It's Sergeant to you, Private." She stated coldly, before turning on her heel and marching away from me at a startling speed.

"Oooook then." I muttered absentmindedly, quickly jogging after her in hope she was headed to our bunks.

Clearly someone else was tired as well. Though I couldn't really blame her for that. I'm sure dealing with me the past day was not the easiest thing in the world.

I would have to make it up to her at some point. Seeing as she and I would probably be seeing each other a lot more the coming weeks.

Soon enough, we arrived at our destination. A small room furnished, with nothing more than a desk, a small night stand, and a rather comfortable looking bed.

"These are your quarters," she explained in an almost mechanically manner, before motioning to the room across from mine, "And that's mine. Sleep for as long as you need, then come find me. Your training starts tomorrow."

Without giving me a chance to respond, she turned once again, opened the door to her room and all but slammed it shut in my face.

"Thanks? I think?" I muttered, turning away from her door, and entering into my new quarters.

"Home sweet home." I joked lightly, closing the door behind me in a much quieter manner to my Sergeant.

My duffel bag was thankfully sitting beside the door, having obviously been dropped off here by either Lisa or some grunt during my meeting with the Commander.

However my rifle and combat gear were missing from the pile which gave me a slight pause. Hopefully they just locked it up or something. I would have to ask Lock about that in the morning.

Several yawns racked my body.

Clearly it was well past time to get some rest.

Quickly stripping down to nothing but my underwear, I lethargically made my way over to the bed and slipped under the covers.

Unsurprisingly, I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.