Hello everyone again, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. For now I am taking things a bit slow for Siegfried as there are a lot of societal issues in City 31 that he will need to experience so I appreciate your guys' patience as he learns. I also plan to have each chapter not involved with an actual operation be Siegfried and some other agent of Chimera Squad, or some other individuals interacting with each other so don't worry, every agent will get some time with the fresh templar.

Chapter 2: First Contact

I quickly settled into the hotel that Director Kelly had me dropped off at, a quant building that is, as I was told, a short walk from Chimera Squad HQ. The room is a bit grandiose for my own tastes, with a small kitchenette and a queen-sized bed laden with soft linens. A moderately sized television set sits atop a large dresser and I peek into the bathroom, seeing an actual tub with accompanying shower head. I really need to remind Director Kelly about my compunctions with extravagant displays of wealth. She even left me with my own wrist-mounted computer, a 'Wristcom' as she called it. With a wristcom, I can access the intranet and pay for any services that I may need while staying here. I begrudgingly accepted this gift as it would be crucial to my continued livelihood in the city for my mission, and I can always pawn it off or give it back when I am done here.

I open my duffel bag and take out my two sets of training clothes. As a Templar, I have color-coded sets of outfits to wear for specific scenarios, with my dark orange and black trim set as my 'official' outfit for any important meetings where I represent the Templars in any formal setting. My current and secondary outfit are a dull yellow and green, respectively, and are to be used for more 'casual' occasions. Of course, living amongst the Templars rarely leaves one free time to consider formal and informal dress codes or activities.

I contemplated taking off my helmet and letting my psionic senses free when I hear a brief knocking on the door. I instantly run and set my back up against the wall next to the door, my hand hovering over my autopistol at my side. I gaze though the small gazing port on the door. I see what appears to be a tall man of African descent with a small wicker basket in his hands. He wears a thin smile on his face, and I can see his outfit is similar to the outfits of the officers of 31PD I saw while in the APC.

"State you name and business!" I say with a small amount of steel in my voice.

"Hey buddy! I get you are new around here; I was told by Whisper that you would be staying in this hotel and I wanted to make my acquaintance. My names Blueblood and I'm in Chimera Squad." At this the man holds up a badge with the same icon that I saw on the APC.

I relax and put my pistol pack in my pocket holster. "Very well!"

I slowly open the door and the man's face settles into a confused look as I come into view.

"Hey-uh you ARE Siegfried, right? I didn't get the wrong number?"

I nod my head, "You are correct, my name is Siegfried, Siegfried Ramirez, however on the field I have chosen the callsign Psion, so you may refer to me as either." I give a curt Templar salute.

"Ah, alright then. Well, my name's Blueblood, Whisper contacted all of the squad to let us know we have someone new to our family and since I was on a night patrol in the area, I decided to get you a little welcome gift."

He hands the small backet over to me. Inside I see a small assortment of confectionaries and sweet pastries, all wrapped beneath a film of plastic and tied with a dark purple string, a small card is attached depicting a smiling face and the words 'WELCOME!' displayed cartoonishly over a yellow star. I slowly reach over and pick the basket up and inspect the contents. I have not had a baked pastry since my mother and father were still together when I was chosen to join the Templar's ranks. I remember my mother tearing up and handing me a tiny cloth, filled with a small loaf of strawberry and walnut bread. She used the last of the strawberries from our ruined crop to make that loaf. The last memory of that day was my father donning his Templar armor and proudly escorting me to the walls of the Sanctuary, where I began my new life.

"Hey buddy? Siegfried? You good?" Blueblood asks with a worried look.

I shake my head and push the memories out of my head and simply state, "No, I was just thinking on the last time I had a baked good. I thank you for the gift." I stand there not knowing what to say when I remember some basic hospitality. "I am sorry, but I have nothing to offer you."

Blueblood laughs and waves his hand, "Listen don't sweat it, I wanted to get you something and seeing as how you're new to the city, I figured that I be your first good interaction. Although, if you want, you can join me in the nightly patrol. That way you can get a handle on the streets."

I consider his offer, joining him will make my efforts easier in the long run, and the longer I spend with him alone the more I can probe him for info. However, Geist's words echo in my mind, 'Remember Siegfried, you are to infiltrate Reclamation and secure the information or assistance required to arrest Selina. After that, your time in City 31 is over and you will return.'

I do not want to make these connections with Chimera Squad for I know they must be broken, but for the moment the risk of a small connection with Blueblood is far outweighed by the rewards of intel.

I nod my head, "Very well Blueblood, I shall join you."

Blueblood lets out a breath he was holding, "Oh sweet, I was thinking that you were nervous, I will gladly accept your help. Come on, we still have a few more blocks to walk."

He motions for me to follow and we exit the hotel, the nightlife of City 31 getting into full swing, or at least, as much as it can in the quiet neighborhoods around this district, which I learned was called Angler's Point. I follow behind Blueblood, covering his back and all my training with the Resistance comes unbidden back to my senses, as if reawakening from a dormant sleep. I began scoping out alleyways and opening my senses, both physical and psionic. I immediately sense the emotions of dozens of individuals around me, happiness, stress, despair, fear, anger, elation, euphoria, all these emotions come flooding into my mind and I feel the onset of a migraine, so I immediately begin pulling back my senses.

"Hey man you good?" Blueblood came over and showed a look of concern as he helped me right myself. I knew that I had underestimated my ability to cope with my perceptions and now needed to divulge more info on my abilities.

"Yes, I am fine," the pain in my temples slowly subsided as my brain was no longer pelted with so much sensory information, although there remained a subtle throbbing that would no doubt remain for a day or two. "I merely strained myself with my psionics."

At the mention of psionics Blueblood looked at me suspiciously, "Psionics, you have those abilities? And you don't have a neural dampener?"

"Neural Dampener?" I questioned. Such a device was unfamiliar to me and from the name alone I felt myself shiver at what it could do to someone who has a developed 6th sense like I do.

"Woah, Whisper mentioned you might not be all that used to modern living but uhm. Well, uh, a neural dampener is a device that must be worn by all psionically gifted citizens of City 31, as a precautionary measure against psionic crime."

I stood there contemplating what Blueblood just said. Deliberate stifling a person's psionic potential, especially to one who has awakened, must put them in a great deal of pain. It is unfair to those psionically gifted and more so to those who were taken by the foul Elders and experimented on to bring out their gifts. I decided that now in this circumstance, it would be better to hide my opinion.

"I see. Well, I apologize for giving you a scare Blueblood." Seeing that Blueblood still looked at me somewhat awkwardly at mine own ignorance, I needed to start some type of conversation. "Speaking of, why do they call you Blueblood? I can't imagine that you actually have blue blood."

He chuckled at that, hopefully it was enough to defuse the tension.

"Well Siegfried, it's because I used to be a boy in blue. I once served with 31PD before joining up with Reclamation, so I still have my 'blue' blood so to speak."

I was about to ask another question when a scream punctured the tranquil air. It was female, coming from a west north-west heading and sounded about 3 or so block away. Without thinking, I lurched up and broke into a sprint, passing by small crowds of people and glancing back confirmed that Blueblood was keeping pace right behind me, his hand ready to unholster the pistol at his side.

We both turned down an alleyway and discovered a woman barely standing, her stance wobbly and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Crouched to her side was a Sectoid rummaging through her purse, he wore a bandana over his lower mouth and large black goggles covering his eyes, his clothes a tattered mess, as if it were the only pair he owned since liberation. At the sound of our footsteps the sectoid stood to his full 6-foot height and ran behind the woman, pulling out a small pistol and aiming at her swaying head.

Blueblood and I froze on the spot, with Blueblood raising his pistol at the Sectoid as I stood nearby, ready to ignite my psiblades, but waiting to see how law enforcement should approach this scenario, after all, I did not have a badge yet and I did not want to start my brief career with an unprofessional incident.

"Hey man, put the gun down!" Blueblood declared, putting a large amount of authority in his voice, no doubt from all his experience and training making this child's play for him. "Nobody has to get hurt here! We can talk about this."

"Yeah, right" the Sectoid scoffed. "As soon as I put the gun down you or your partner there will put one between my eyes, or hell, maybe even try to call for backup and gun me down! No way man! I am leaving, slowly, and you're not following us. YOU GOT THAT?!" The Sectoid shouted, not particularly with any confidence, mostly just panic.

Looking at the situation, it should have been a simple enough scenario for him to subdue the woman without letting her be alerted, but somehow, he messed up, and now he's panicking. I looked at the options:

I let Blueblood shoot his semi-auto pistol, which is more accurate than my autopistol, and hope he hits the Sectoid.

Unlikely due to how much of his body is being covered by the civilian.

We let the Sectoid leave.

Breach of protocol and shirking our own duty, which is an obvious no.

I attempt to eliminate the Sectoid with a Volt or other Psionic power.

However, he is a sectoid, he will be able to sense my drawing in of Psionic power, even with my Neurohelm, thanks to the proximity. He is panicking though, so perhaps a suitable distraction will mask my own power from him. I look to Blueblood and motion my head to the Sectoid, hoping he takes the hint.

Blueblood only nods and lowers his weapon. "Hey man you got a name?"

The Sectoid is flustered at the question, not expecting at different response. "Uh yeah, Marvin. Why'd you wanna know?!"

The corner of Blueblood's lip curls up into a slight smirk. "I just wanted to ask why are you doing this man? Your clothes are in tatters, you look like you haven't eaten since liberation day." Looking at the alien, I realize he is, in fact, slightly emaciated from what I can see on his forearms, perhaps Blueblood has a greater perception than I thought.

"Yeah, I'm hungry alright!" The Sectoid shouts, clearly losing his composure and what is left of his concentration.

I begin focusing my own powers, careful not to let it slip into my gauntlets, lest they ignite and ruin what opening we have. Instead, I channel my power into my legs and my greaves, my own psionic power reinforcing my muscles and tendons. I have one shot at this, and I wait, like a mantis staying stock still amongst the leaves of flowers, waiting for my opening.

"Look, Marvin" Blueblood continues, slowly inching towards the panting Sectoid, "I get what you're going through now, I've met a lot of people who've gotten into some hard times. Prejudice, expectations, and responsibilities gnaw away at you until you become desperate, and then you're left with just trying to scrounge to survive with only yourself looking out for you. But taking hostages and resorting to crime isn't the answer, if anything, you're just making other people's lives worse. Let us help you. City 31 has numerous programs to help the disenfranchised. We can get you help."

Blueblood's tone shifts from an authority figure to an almost fatherly tone, which is clearly influencing the Sectoid. Marvin's shaking grasp on the gun falters and he slowly lowers it to his side.

"B-but you can't help me after this" Marvin says with a quivering voice, "If knowledge of this goes on my record, I go back to the detention centers, and when you go back, you're placed at the back of the list. I'm going to stay there for months or even years! I can't take that risk." Some bite comes back to Marvin's voice, as his own mind backs himself into a corner.

Blueblood just shakes his head and puts on a warm, sincere smile. "Yes, we can. I don't have to book you or take you in. We'll take you down to a clinic, get you a neural dampener so you don't do this again, and we'll see what we can do with the xeno-aid and assimilation program. We can fill out some paperwork saying that the transition has been rough, and you've fallen on hard times. The city is willing to help you Marvin, you just need to let us help you."

Marvin's breathing slows and he looks down, contemplating Blueblood's words. Eventually his stance lightens, and he moves the woman away from and his gun is moved to his side.

I unleash the power stored in my legs and burst forward, stunning both my partner and the Sectoid. By channeling my psionics into my legs and head, I slow my perception of time and increase the automatic control of my legs. Things begins to move in slow motion. I bend my knees and jump to the left, preemptively dodging the pistol of the Sectoid as he slowly raises it towards me. I plant my left foot on the wall of the alley and, with one more push, launch forward off my left foot, directly towards the Sectoid, who already has discharged a round where he perceived me to be. With my left leg used to vault off the wall, I pivot my body towards the left and reach my right leg around, a wide sweep of my leg aimed at the Sectoid's now exposed head after moving his hostage away. He pulls the woman closer, but not fast enough as my boot swings forward and connects with the Sectoid's jaw, I feel the crunching of bone through my psi-enhanced nerves.

Seeing the Sectoid jerk backward and lose his grip, I prepare to land and stop pumping psionics into my legs and head, instead rerouting power to my arms. Time begins to continue at a normal pace, and the Sectoid is launch back from the force of my kick while the woman still stands dazed in place. I land softly on the ground and dash to the Sectoid grabbing him up and pinning him into the wall, pumping my own psionics through my arms and around the Sectoid, attempting to stifle his own now-active mind. Blueblood is not too far behind, though, as he puts a pair of cuffs on the Sectoid and places a triangular device near where a human Ear might've been.

Immediately I sense the aura of the Sectoid lessen and vanish. Confident he is no longer a threat psionically, I return to the woman and project my own aura of Solace onto her, calming her down as she comes back from the mind daze.

After a call to 31PD, the Sect- Marvin, is arrested and taken away in a 31PD vehicle. The woman, whom I learned was named Denisse, explained how she was late returning from work and tried to take a shortcut before her babysitter left. Both Blueblood and I offered to escort her home after the incident and after seeing her return to her apartment Blueblood turned to me, his face a mix between acknowledgement and frustration.

"Listen, Siegfried," he started, "You did really well out there, I've only ever seen one other person do anything like that, and that's Zephyr."

I am intrigued at another individual that can use techniques similar to mine own. I keep this Zephyr person's name in mind as a person of interest in the future.

"But" his voice changes, he now speaks to me in the same manner as an instructor talks to an initiate in the Templars, "I had successfully talked him down. I might've been able to get him to surrender peacefully. Now we have another prospective alien citizen being carted off to the detention facilities. Worse off, when this hits the news, all the anti-aliens extremists will be emboldened by this."

I can sense that his anger at me, at least part of it, comes from a greater understanding of the repercussions of events past what transpired here. Due to his greater knowledge and experience, honor dictates I listen and obey my superiors.

I kneel on the ground and lower my head, "I apologize for my actions Blueblood, I was merely concerned with making sure the hostage was secured and in so doing, disregarded your own efforts to resolve this manner peacefully. I only hope you show leniency in your reprimand."

Blueblood stood there for a moment; his mouth slightly open at my display. He looked around the street and scratched the back of his head. Clearly, he was not respecting this type of response, eventually he let out a heavy sigh and held out his hand to bring me up.

"Look, I don't know what kind of unit you're used to operating with, but we don't do this heavy reprimanding stuff unless it's really serious. What happened here was not a mistake on your part and you had no way of knowing since you just got into the city. What you did was exactly was 31PD are expected to do, well, maybe not exactly what you did but, the point still stands. Here in the city, there's a lot of tension between the aliens and the humans, though, and part of what Chimera Squad need to do is help bridge that gap, to get us on the same field. Don't sweat it too much, but you surprised me this night. Let's get you home and then we can have a more official debrief tomorrow when you're added to the group."

I nod, "Thank you Blueblood. Your personal sense of justice reminds me of one of my old instructors. I think you'd like him."

He smiled at that, and we made our way back to my hotel, making some small talk about the different districts and the ratio of alien to human between them.

I arrived at my hotel room around midnight and after wishing Blueblood farewell, I collapsed on my bed and removed my Neurohelm. Free from containment, I felt my psionics flow across the room and seep into my outfits and the objects around me. Noticing the basket, I reached out and pulled the basket towards me, unravelling the plastic wrap and examining the goodies inside.

My eyes settled on a small cube shaped loaf of bread. I unwrapped it as was faced with the familiar scent of strawberries. A strawberry walnut bread rested in my grip as memories flooded back into my mind unbidden. However, I decided to recline in the bed, take a bite of the bread, and let memories of simpler times lull me to sleep.