Hey everybody! This is probably the last chapter for now. I am going to be rewriting all previous chapters, however. There will be a ton of changes, so rereading will be needed.
Kath grunted as she fell into a patch of snow. Her rifle dug into the mound of white as she fell. The training course has proven difficult for her, especially this one jump. The system consists of moving around an environment while also targeting holographic enemies. She has no issue with the combat, but she always fails to land this jump. With another groan, Kath got back up as a buzzer sounded. The Commander and Bradford are on the balcony, on the back of the ship. The Commander shook his head, and his fist met his chin. He ponders on what to do to help Kath with this test. This particular test is for overall combat efficiency. Kath slithered towards the beginning of the course, as her squadmates scattered around. Most of them have already done this test, but Yenta has not yet, along with a few rookies. Very few pass this test on their first try. The only one that ever has was Todd Jackson himself, so he is Alpha's squad leader.
The Commander looked at Bradford and asked while leaning down on the bar that prevents them from falling, "She seems to be holding back," with a small pause, watching her restart the course, "like a fear of failure. I cannot tell if she is more afraid of the snow or punishment." Bradford joined the Commander in the relaxed stance, watching her do the test. "She shows much more spirit than the other rookies, hence why she has tried six times now." Their eyes watch the black and white viper weave between the obstacles and hit each target with incredible accuracy. The rounds in her magnetic rifle have a special tip on them that records her accuracy. A small display on the side of the gun shows her bullets and accuracy. This is a test, after all.
"Have we considered another pilot?" The Commander suggests, watching her move through the test, now slithering under a series of barbwires. Bradford looked at him with a look of uncertainty. "No, sir, we have not. Fire-Brand has proven to be all that we need." The Commander smiles at Bradford, posturing up from the bar. "I know. What if we lose her? Maybe we ought to try that SkyRanger project." Bradford sighed and followed the pose. "You mean the whole," he paused, trying to think of the word, "Arch-Angel project?" The Commander smiled and nodded again. "Precisely. That cannon we recovered from the supply raid should suffice."
"Sir, that cannon is pre-invasion tech. Are you sure it would be effective?" Bradford questions, doubtful that the cannon would work well. "John, a forty mike-mike auto-cannon, will always have some use. And with Shen around, I am sure we can upgrade it to our needs. Imagine having a cannon that could tear through a Secto-pod's armor?" Bradford nodded, considering the plan. "I'll let Shen know." He states as they both turn back to see Kath. She was coming to where she always fails. The part is a one-story tall jump to a ledge about 20 feet away. There is a bar that hangs half-way down, that they should grasp onto the edge. The distance and height make it hard to reach. Kath got to the jump point and coiled herself, preparing to jump. Kath jumps, propelling herself into the air. Her long, four-digited fingers caress the edge of the bar before slipping and plummeting to the snowy ground.
She hissed as she fell and groaned in defeat. She stays in the snow for a couple of moments, considering what to do differently. Kath slithers back to the starting point and meets Yenta. The slightly taller serpent of orange and tan welcomes her with a smile. "Pretty hard?" Kath shook her head and returned with only a hiss. Yenta shrugs, knowing that Kath needs her space. The other serpent looked at the course and hissed softly. Not in anger or defeat, but curiosity. It is a difficult thing to understand the mannerisms of a viper. Always hissing and licking the air. So many things are similar that it will be difficult to understand it all. Is she angry, or is she curious? Only experience will tell.
Yenta moves to the small gate at the front of the course. The rookies are around her. All dressed in white, warm clothing. There are several towers along the route, with a member watching them. They are to simply make sure that if they get hurt, which most do, that they do get attention. Broken bones are a common occurrence in this test. Yenta sighs once more as the buzzer sounds.
Yenta had her rifle raised as she moves inside. Pushing into the first room, Yenta meets the first obstacle. There is a holographic muton rushing her inside of the bland, office-styled room. Yenta aims her rifle at his head and nearly pulls the trigger before another foe appeared. A sectoid from the rafters was trying to use a psionic power! Her mind danced for a moment before she aims her rifle upwards. Her barrel aims at the wooden rafter-board, and she fires. The rounds splinter the wood, making the plank fall. The alien falls upon the muton along with the wood. Seeing both foes downed, she moves into the next room.
The next room was a warehouse, with a secto-pod therein! The massive, holographic display was very realistic, which made her eyes widen in shock! She does not expect them to shove incredible pressure onto a soldier at first. No wonder so many fail this test. The Commander says this is what a real mission is to be. No rest or preparation for what is to come. There are only a few other foes in this room: some soldiers and an officer. Yenta moved to the large cover-wall and postured there. Looking over the cover, she notices a large bundle of explosives, but she needs to act. She rushed over the edge and punched one of the troopers. As she moves along, her rifle tracked the explosives, and she fired at it. The cascade of rounds found a real mark on the cache and prompted a roaring, simulated explosion. The secto-pod started to send out long arcs of red energy and ruptured in an explosion. She had made it behind another wall of the cover when the storm of shrapnel hit the troopers.
Yenta pants as she leans against the metallic wall. With a groan, she slithers down the course. When she pushes through the door, she meets with another group of enemies. Instantly a trooper was there, trying to attack her with the stock of their rifle! The lightning reflexes of the viper reacted much faster than his hand could fall. Her body expertly evaded the blow, and the barrel of her rifle met his chin. With a pull of her trigger, she ends the simulation's programming. Looking down the course, she sees the group of soldiers with a group of hostages. The officer had his pistol out, nearly executing one prisoner. Her empathy reacts faster than her mind does. Her rifle traced his figure and fired. The rounds found a mark in his side, while the other troopers fired at her. Their own, red-trailed games hit her armor, prompting for an angry hiss. The rounds are mere forces of energy. The concept of the arc-lance is put into use here, only shocking the rookies.
Yenta moved to the large, black crate and postured there. Her concealable form allows her to move around the chest without being exposed. She peeks around the box and takes shots at the foes. Their simulations end swiftly. The upset viper slithers towards the next marker. She finds the gap between the two platforms. Her eyes meet the gaze of the Commander up on the deck. He is intently watching, and she knows that. His piercing eyes see right to her soul. Jackson was watching from one of the towers. The squad members are always wearing different clothing here, to intimidate the rookies and wearing large sets of armor, with heavy, white jackets over their forms. The orange goggles do not allow eyes to see his own. Crossing his arms, he watches her look at the bar. The timer continues to count down as all eyes watch her now.
Yenta's mind dances around in her head. She knows that everybody is watching her, waiting for her to complete this. The bitter cold licks at her scales through her heavy clothing. "I can do this- I can do this." She repeats to herself as she sizes the jump up. The viper closed her eyes as she coils together. Yenta recites a small prayer, lunging upwards to the sky. As she moved upwards, it was amazing to see how large she truly is. When they maneuver on the ground, their coils look smaller and compact. But with her figure reaching for the sky, it reveals the actual size. She never felt longer than right now. Her fingers find a grip on the slippery, cold bar and hold it firmly.
Kath softly hissed as she remains with the rookies. She felt jealous of Yenta, as she was able to do that remarkable feat of agility. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to stay warm while also feeling bitter. She was about to leave and turned around. She was met by Shen, who is even wearing a heavy winter jacket. The cold of the Arctic is not to be feared. "Oh! Lily, what brings you out here?" Kath asks, looking at her. Despite only being here a week, and having gone through vigorous training and work, she has made time to meet those she will work with. Kath has spent time with Lily quite a lot, learning about human technology.
"Actually, you, Kath. The Commander wants me to show you something." She says, smiling widely and walking back towards the warmth of the ship. "And you should probably warm up. Your scales look like frost." Kath stifled a laugh, finding it ironic, as her scales are black and white. Following Shen back inside, Kath feels her anger melt away like the snow in between her scales.
Yenta groaned as she moves along the bar, finding the ledge finally. Yenta pulls herself up and huffs. A cloud of mist forms before her mouth as she tries to take a small breather. No rest for the weary, however. Yenta instantly finds a viper approaching her. The viper aimed to fire at her, but Yenta moved quickly. Her tail swipes at a nearby crate, and it collides with the viper. It stuns her just long enough for her to act. Yenta moved like lightning and ensnared the digital copy of her kind. Realizing that she would try to subdue the viper, the Commander manually shuts off the hologram. Yenta was confused for a moment before moving on.
"She still will be loyal to her kind. I assume all the others will be too." The Commander adds as both he and Bradford watch her finish out the course. Yenta jumped down onto the small series of steps that lead downwards. No more enemies stagger her approach, and she passes through the gate. The buzzer sounds again, declaring her victory. The Commander turns around and starts to walk back into the ship. "I think we found our next Alpha member."
Jackson shook his head, knowing what this means. All of the others had to work and train to get into Alpha, while Yenta simply passed the test. He sighs as he slides down the ladder and meets with Lewis. He pulled his mask down and laughed. "Last thing you'd expect, huh? Where's my twenty, man?" Lewis chuckles as Jackson hands him the money. "I do not know, man. It'll be hard not to shoot her in a battle." Lewis shrugs. "All I know is: if you shoot a member of X-com, the others will shoot you." Lewis is much more accepting of the idea of using aliens against ADVENT.
Lazarus sighs as he slithers along with the barren, white lands. Supposedly Ember-17 is out here somewhere. Taking the Star too close to the base would get him shot down, so moving on ground is his best chance for right now. His coils and scales may hate the cold, but he will survive. His armor is the best the Elders could offer. The layers of material do protect him from the cold, but only so much. His reptilian nature hates every moment of the cold wastes.
"It has to be somewhere, right?" Lazarus asks himself as he slithers. Indeed he is not just slithering pointlessly in this horrible cold? Passing over hills and mounds, he hopes he will find it. Hours have passed since he last saw his ship. His tactical-map always has it marked for him, so finding the way back is easy. And if that did not work, following the big snow mark would be easy to utilize. Lazarus nearly lost hope, after countless snowy dunes crossed, when he heard a familiar noise. He instantly hugged the ground and let his camouflaged armor conceal him. What was black and purple is white and silver. The armor is adaptive to both combat and the environment.
Watching the sky, he sees a black transport fly over him. It is carrying troops visibly, and an APC on the bottom! It is headed to a battleground of some sort. He was relieved to have seen something, but now he has to follow that craft. Lazarus starts to pursue the ship as fast as he can. Not wanting to lose sight of the vessel, he moves quickly in the snow. Crossing one final hill, he finds a camp of ADVENT. It looks much more like an old stockade, with walls erected around a central housing unit. He sees landing pads all scattered around, with dozens of patrols on foot and on vehicles. Lazarus hugs the ground, and he activates his visor. The visor zooms in and starts to display the location. The display on his helmet starts to reveal it all to him in close detail. He is seeing the many supplies, the vehicles, soldiers, and a truck of some kind. It is hauling a large, rectangular power source. He can see another car next to it, with a gigantic cannon on the bed. He already knows what is happening. Either assault of a resistance haven that is particularly stubborn, or they found something else worth destroying.
Lazarus looks at the central housing unit and looks for who might be leading this operation. It was easy to find the ADVENT commander therein. With a wide window revealing him, Lazarus sees the leader. He is dressed in the armor of white as the rest of the soldiers. Lazarus pulled out his rifle and aimed the sight up to his head. He calculates the shot and places his finger on the trigger. The temptation to kill him nearly takes over as he contemplates his plan. Realizing that not exposing himself would be better than one commander, he puts his rifle back away.
Lazarus sees the fortress spur to life, as the troopers start to load into the transports. Lazarus even sees the commander leave his post. "Maybe I ought to tag along." He said, slithering down the hill, remaining close to the ground. He makes sure to evade the patrols, afar, and stand still when they come close to him. Lazarus moved to the landing pads and stayed close to one of the heavy transports. Rarely used for battle deployment, but moving vast amounts of cargo or armor. The giant craft was lifted by six thrusters that belched out a flame hotter than the sun—a colossal framework of yellow arms and beams. The framework is filled with black cargo containers of all sorts. Many of which are filled with rations or munitions. Lazarus slithered into the slim gap between the crates and found a spot to rest. Either way, he is going where this craft is going.
Yenta hurries along as she weaves through the groups of people in the hallways. She was called to the bridge by the Commander himself. It did seem to be necessary, as she was told to come immediately. Usually, whenever the Commander requests somebody, it is for a promotion or something special. The serpent of yellow and tan crossed through the heavily guarded door and saw the giant blue globe. The holo-globe is relatively old technology now, built in the mid-2010s, but it is still very usable.
"You wanted me, sir?" Yenta asks, slithering to the tall man. He was staring into the globe, seeing all of the alerts and active missions. He turned around and crossed his arms. "Yes, it regards your performance today." Yenta felt a pang of fear run through her scales after hearing his words. She felt confident about it, but the Commander has a way of terrifying his soldiers. "What about it, sir?"
"You are the second one ever to pass that test on their first try." Yenta felt almost a chill beneath her scales. A sense of pride, but a small sense of worry. Uncertainty has been her companion for days now, but that feeling has seeped away slowly. "And as such, I am going to assign you to Alpha squad. Only the best are there. I have high expectations, Corporal Yenta." The Commander smiled before adding: "You are dismissed to your new quarters. Jackson will show you there."
Coming up behind her is Jackson, still wearing heavy clothing from the bitter cold. He did not say anything, having already been told what to do. The Commander spun back around to the globe, as Yenta reluctantly followed the human deeper into the ship. Todd Jackson is somewhat intimidating. A soldier born in the ashes of war, refined by the Commander's skills. Yenta slithers behind the human towards the quarters. Once they reach a small hallway, she sees a yellow door with a large, white A inscribed upon the door.
Jackson opens the door, and the room is revealed to both of them. The assorted bunk-beds in the place, and the various furniture. The large TV with gaming consoles setting there with it. A large wooden table sits in the middle of the room, with random items scattered on it, from a few books to some weapon parts.
Jackson stood there and spun around to face Yenta. He crosses his arms and pulls his mask and hood down. "The others may trust you, but I don't. I've fought too many of your kind to trust them. Don't get too comfy." Jackson huffed as he walked back out through the door, back into the Avenger's halls.
Travis Lewis is leaning against the wall in his bunk, being the top one. He sets his book down and hops down. He walks over to Yenta with a huge smile and extends his hand to shake. "Travis, you're Yenta, right?"
Yenta was reluctant to grasp the human's gloved hand, not understanding the gesture all that well. She nervously returns the motion and nods shyly. "Yeah. Kath is the other viper."
Travis chuckled at seeing her nervousness. "Don't you worry about us. Todd has had a rough life since you aliens came around. As far as I am concerned, you are one of us now." He smiled at her and walked towards the old bunk assigned with Alex before they lost her.
"This one is yours. It gets pretty cold here, so feel free to ask for an extra blanket." Travis offers, as Yenta sits down on the bed softly. Some of her items had already been transferred here, such as her armor and weapon, and the clothing that happened to fit her serpentine figure.
Night falls on the Avenger, with the sun vanishing behind the white hills. Nights here are long and bitter. Most of the crew is taking refuge within the warmth of the Avenger, as the temperature drops harshly. Alpha squad is within their bunks, with Yenta awkwardly sitting on her bed. Travis, Michael, Richard, and Todd are all scattered about in the room. Michael and Richard are playing on the gaming system on some sort of the first-person shooter. Travis was sitting at the table with Todd, messing with his gauss rifle. Todd is leaning back in the chair, with his arms crossed and a stoic look upon his face.
Travis looks over at Yenta and notes her silent suffering. His blue eyes gave beams of warmth to the viper as she sat there. He smiled at her and motioned for her to come to sit at the table with them. Yenta was reluctant to accept the offer but consented to it. With a nervous sigh, Yenta slithers over to the table and the seats. The viper awkwardly positions herself on the chair, which boasts an old, blue cushion.
Travis asks: "Any idea where Kath will end up? I have a feeling it will be Gamma." Travis says, trying to spur a conversation to life. A stoic soldier and an awkward serpent. Both are out of their element here. Todd is a trained killer with little social skills if any. Yenta is a soldier too, bred from birth, but had her world ripped apart before her. Todd shook his head.
"If she even gets taken on the team." He said bluntly. Jackson has a way to not cut around the bush and to cut straight to the point. Yenta shifted around in the seat awkwardly. Sitting with a soldier who would gladly kill her is a hard thing to do naturally. She shrugged at the question, "I do not know. I am certain she will be useful here. The Elders-"
Todd interjected, stopping Yenta in her sentence. "Don't you dare viper. If you as much as say one polite word about them, you'll be skinned." Yenta lost color in her face after hearing his words. Travis leaned forward and rolled his eyes. "Todd, you do have to get over it. She left the Elders, don't you get that?" Todd stared daggers at Travis, clenching his fist.
"So? She's still one of them. How can we trust her? It's probably just another trap." Todd has only expectations for the worst, so he will always be prepared for it. Yenta, oddly, understands his fear of her. Her kind has occupied their world for decades now, killing and slaughtering. "Just trust me, Todd. Just try to calm down a little, yeah?"
Todd stood up in a wave of fiery anger. "One of those things killed Alex, and you want me just to let it go? What about all of the recruits we've lost?" He yelled at the other man, who stood up in response.
"I know, Todd! We have all lost something. I know Alex was important to you, but you have to let go. Isn't that what we were taught?" Travis and Todd stared each down for several moments. Yenta felt a nervous flush over her scales as she watches them argue over her place on the team. "I am sorry, Todd Jackson. I will try to gain your trust." Yenta said to him, trying to reach some form of agreement with him. His eyes glared at her as he turned away. Everybody in the room watched him leave out the side door, which leads into the hallway.
Yenta sighs as she retreats to her bunk once again, as the others return to their amusements. They know better than to push the issue with Jackson. Yenta decides that giving the angry human space to think would be better than trying any problems.
Lazarus jolts back awake, having fallen asleep in the frame-work of the ship. He groaned, feeling the cold seep into his scales. His muscles are cold and rigid. The serpent struggles to move for a moment, flickering his violet eyes open. Lazarus groans a second time, forcing himself into action. Hearing the sounds of metal grinding around him spurs his body into movement. Lazarus squeezes back out of the tiny entrance that he came through. Peeking out, he finds that he is still within the wastes of the cold.
"Now, to find out where I am and why." He pushes his form through the hole and slithers down to the ground. The darkness surrounds the new camp and gives him proper cover in the night. His armor worked well in the day, but it operates even better in the night. Lazarus slithers to the closest wall and peeks around. His visor protects his eyes as he spies around. Lazarus instantly notices the large group of APC's and the trucks again. The APC's are being boarded along with the trucks.
"Where are they going?" This camp looks much more like a staging point for a mission. He is entirely unaware of what this operation would be though. Lazarus silently moved to one of the trucks and maneuvers beneath the axle. The massive bar on the bottom gives him a nice place to hide. With the engines all humming to life, he knows that they are about to leave. Lazarus positions himself on the large bar and rests there. The heat from the truck will hopefully warm him up somewhat.
Lazarus cannot believe where he has gone within the week. This all started with that mission when he killed that psionic operator. As he was crushing her body, he felt different. Watching the panic in her eyes, and seeing that viper made him think. It was odd, thinking about what he was doing. Never before did he consider the ones he slaughtered, seeing them all as infidels that must be purged. His allegiance is yet to be seen, as with his faith. He knows that he cannot help X-com either. He's killed too many for them to accept him. Where can he go? The Elders will kill him if he's spotted anywhere, and the humans would do the same. He is at an impasse. How does he wish to die? At the hands of his former masters or the ones, he fought to destroy?
He chooses a different, unseen option. He'll fight for himself and his kin. Not for the glory of any, but the freedom of his people. But before Lazarus can do any of that, he needs to know who he is. What is a being that learns not his name? Before he can seek repentance with X-com, before he can fight the Elders in full faith, he must have his questions answered. As he told the Warlock: "I will have the truth in all things."
Lazarus thinks about what he will do when the time comes. Ember-17 is home to many answers, so surely that place will help him, right? Apparently vipers are tested upon there. Indeed they have the truth of himself? A viper like Lazarus is not created by chance.
Lazarus is blasted out of his trance when the truck comes to a halt. He hears the cadence of boots hitting the ground and the car deploying the cannon. He tensed up, hearing the metal grinding. It hurts his ears to listen to it. Lazarus slithered out of the truck's underparts when he could. He dashed for a pile of snow upon a hill. He concealed himself there, seeing what is happening. In the close distance, he sees- the Avenger. The giant ship of X-com resting in the wastes is positioned next to a series of hills and cliffs. He now knows the truth of all of this. They found them.
The buzzers all around the ship blare to life—red lights and screeching alarms sound. The ramp on the front of the craft creaked open, with every single available soldier rushing out. The training course is still set up too. Both of the vipers got battle-dressed and armed themselves. The Commander stopped both of them at the bridge.
"This is your chance, vipers. You can gain the trust and respect of your fellow soldiers here. Good luck." The Commander stated before turning to the holo-globe. It has already simulated the entire battlefield and all active elements on the field. Without a moment to spare, he starts to issue orders in real-time, getting ready to push back the siege.
Both Kath and Yenta slither out of the base with great haste and meet some other soldiers. Travis is positioned upon the deck of the Avenger, taking shots at advancing units. The SkyRanger is even taking off from the ramp. Despite the rushing winds around him, Travis's aim is still real. He was finding marks in the forms of enemies in the darkness. His thermal sight does come in handy here. Spotting the white-armored soldiers would be much harder without it.
The large cannon in the distance was already primed to fire at the Avenger. The Vipers will have a baptism of fire into the ranks of X-com.
Both forces clash in the middle, with the ADVENT APC's on the flanks, spraying into the ranks. The rounds find marks in X-com and ADVENT alike. Fortunately for X-com, their armor protected them from lethal hits at that distance. Jackson leads the X-com forces on the ground, while the Commander issues orders to the squad leaders. ADVENT has battleplans instead of direct orders. Rarely do they have direct intervention from command.
Every single tool that ADVENT has is being utilized here. Sectopods, tanks, chrysalids, fighters, everything. They will not have X-com escape this. Even battleships are on their way here but will take some time to arrive. X-com has the SkyRanger and sparks, in the manner of armor. Rockets fly across the battlefield as X-com tries to destroy the Sectopods and tanks. Tracers dance across the sky, with all forms of munitions screaming across the dark. X-com will fight for every single inch of ground, while ADVENT will do the same. Neither will retreat today.
Lazarus was watching the pathetic battle before him. Such a futile attempt to destroy X-com. The Commander is far too wise to be taken here and overly prepared. Shooting down the Avenger is a different story, but he has had time to get ready. The Watchers on the edge of the camp saw the attack coming, but the base could not leave in time. Instead of rushing to leave, he took the time and prepared—the thunder of the cannon booms across the sky as the cannon fires. The big round hits the shields of the craft, giving a massive hit to the energy pool.
"All Elements: that cannon must be destroyed! Do not let it fire again!" The Commander declared over the communications, as they pushed forward. The stalwart defense of X-com is nigh unbreakable. Their offense would falter, if not for the Commander's guidance. Lazarus was about to leave when he saw the giant pillar of purple flames hit the ground. The sky lit up with the beam of energy. He burrowed into the snow quietly, waiting to see who it is. His violet eyes scan the flames for any form of life therein.
After a few seconds, the flames clear and reveal the Chosen therein. It is the Assassin. She quickly got up from her meditating stance and stood near the cannon. He draws her sword and points it to the Avenger, with her troops moving for a mighty charge. Lazarus felt anger boil within him. He despises the Chosen and their false gods. He postured up and shook the snow from his figure. The viper drew his pistol and aimed it at the back of the Chosen. With a pull of the trigger, the round strikes her armor but gets her attention. She turned around and saw Lazarus on the hill. She growls, and with a snarl on her lip, and she says: "Traitor! You are worse than the humans we fight today!"
Lazarus chuckled softly, putting his pistol away and drawing his blade. The long, glowing blade revealed to the world. Nobody is around them, this far apart from the battle. "Prove your mettle, Talu." Talu'Falis is her name. A very few beings know of that. The Chosen decided to fight Lazarus blade to blade. She did not vanish into the wind, but chose to fight with honor and for glory.
Lazarus gripped the handle of his blade and prepared to fight. His coils prepared in the snow as she rushed towards him. She jumped upward to bring the edge down upon him. The viper dodged to the side and let her blade glide across his own. Her sword found a home in the snow, as his own riposted. The glowing, purple sword twisted and slashed across her torso. He followed the movement through, barely getting through her armor. She yelled in pain but was quick to keep fighting. Her foot kicked his side, pushing him away. A viper in close combat is lethal.
"You have been training." The Assassin says, feeling her blood upon her hand. "Yes, Blade-sister. Now fight with honor, and I may spare you the pain of the sarcophagus." They went back at each other, each time moving closer to the battle. Their blades dance in the darkness, with each clash flashing brightly. Both of them went to strike high but caught the other's edge. Lazarus brought their swords to their torsos and looked her in the face, being mere inches away.
"The Elders are false, turn away now!" Lazarus protests to her. She responded by separating their blades and slashing at his stomach. The edge landed true and revealed the oily blood inside. He gasps, feeling the stinging wound in his stomach. The most pain was because she hit his former injury. "Then die with your gods!" Lazarus yelled as he went to strike her again.
Both masters of the blade move in their dance of death. Each movement was a flawless story. Every muscle was in perfect unison with their sword. As they fight, X-com continues to push forward towards them. The ADVENT forces are failing, as expected. The Assassin was sure to make every single movement of her katana a flawless move. Their metal met dozens of times, with each resulting in a glorious flash of light. The sparks of metal and energy falling to the ground and vanishing in an instant. They move back and forth along the ridge. They are switching from one-handed combat to using both hands. Masters of their trade- except Lazarus has been trained in even more than she was.
Lazarus learned under all of the Chosen. The sword-work from the Assassin, psionics from the Warlock, and his gun-play with the Hunter. The apprentice of their arts, destined to surpass them all. The Elders wanted one champion of their children, and he was to be that victor.
Their fight went on for several minutes, with the warriors gaining intensity. Lazarus and the Assassin both make a move. The Assassin knows that if Lazarus falls, he dies for good- while she cannot pass without her sarcophagus being destroyed too. The Assassin drove her blade through his stomach, while his own found the same mark within her own. Lazarus seemed to be unphased by the blow, as his sword was ripped from her form. With the glowing edge being raised into the sky, it swung and cleaved into her neck. The blade went deep into her throat but left her head connected. Rage filled Lazarus as he pulled it out and turned again, and again, and again. Slash after slash and strike after strike. Her head was soon divorced from her shoulders, and the purple flames engulfed the area.
Lazarus gasped, finally feeling the gap in his stomach. He turned and saw the humans approaching him and started to flee. Lazarus scrambled to the snowy hills, hearing the shouts of the humans behind him. His blood stains the snow as he runs. As he exits as quickly as he can, Lazarus activates the button on his wrist. Far away, the Star roars to life, melting the snow beneath it with the engines' flame. As he moves away, he hears the shouts getting closer and sees the flashlights on the end of their weapons cresting the hill.
Lazarus hears the SkyRanger in the sky. It had chased down the fleeing transports and shot them down. The newly added cannon to the bottom of the ship has proven useful, despite lacking upgrades. Lazarus hears it coming down for a strike. It tilted downward as it comes closer to him. Lazarus grabs his rifle as he slithers as fast as he can. When the SkyRanger came just close enough, he stopped instantly and aimed at the right thruster. The purple beam of energy shot forth from the barrel and found a mark in the fuel-line. The rupture sparked a flame, and the craft was forced to flee, to prevent crashing.
Lazarus grinned, before continuing. Some magnetic rounds whiff past his hood, as he sees the Star approaching. The trail of purple and red soars to the ground, with the craft stopping on a dime almost. The ship spun around, exposing the opening ramp. Lazarus pants as he moves through the snow. His armor brushes the hills of snow, almost gliding him along. To finish his journey to his refuge, Lazarus dives into the open entrance to the ship. The ramp instantly folds and locks back to the figure of the Star.
The Star takes off with his command, blasting off into the night's sky. The mixture of midnight black and purple-red flame. Lazarus's adrenaline is wearing off, and he feels the sting and agony of the wound. His vision is blurring, and his strength is fading. Lazarus rips his helmet off and throws it off of his form. The black viper slithered drunkenly around his ship, trying to find the medical station. He stumbles into the walls several times, failing to find the correct room.
Lazarus finally stumbles into the correct room, spotting the medical table. He slithered to the table, and he struggles to get atop of it. The injured serpent rips his armor from his figure, exposing the savage wound upon his stomach. He lays down on the table, reaching for the control pad. Lazarus fumbles around with it, failing to see the buttons correctly. He groans and mumbles dozens of curses. His finger traced the correct button's outline, as his strength fails, with his vision fading into black.
Back at the Avenger, Yenta leaned against a wall of the training course, catching her breath. The viper had scored several kills, even rescuing a rookie from the control of a sectoid. Jackson hated to admit it, but she performed well and showed humanity. He did not expect empathy from an alien, let alone a worthless viper. Kath was actually in the SkyRanger with Fire-Brand. She was operating the cannon installed and aided in the destruction of a sectoid and the tanks. Travis never left the perch atop the Avenger. He ran out of ammo, having killed a score of troopers. The combination of sabot rounds and the thermal sight made him a lethal asset to the team.
Travis always hunted when he was younger, making his aim as pure as silver. He has claimed that he has never missed before, but nobody argues with his precision. In truth, Travis did spot Lazarus and the Chosen fighting but chose not to mention it.
To avoid further attacks, the crew spent the last part of the day packing the camp away and lifting off. The Avenger sustained little damage during this attack, but several soldiers were wounded. The operation planned to occur in this sector will have to wait until they evade the patrols. One siege is easily repelled. Several in short succession is not as easy. The Avenger relocated several hundred miles, still hidden away in the far north. X-com is trying to collect intelligence on a classified facility known as Ember-17. The Councilman said that the secrecy of this project is second to only the Avatar project.
As all squads were returning to their bunks or the infirmary, Yenta was slithering in the halls. She spotted Travis and Todd talking in the lobby outside of the infirmary. Travis has his arms crossed while talking to him. "Listen, man. We've been through a lot together, but you're out of line. You need to find your loyalty. Are you loyal to yourself, or X-com?" Todd was about to say something, presumably in anger, before Yenta came up to the pair. His eyes glared at her, meeting her green eyes. His fists clenched as he turned away and walked down the hall. Travis sighs as his hand moves away from his ShadowKeeper.
"Anything I can do to help, Captain Lewis?" Yenta asks, trying to be helpful. Her predator armor has scuffs and scratches, burns and scorches from this one battle. She will need to get it repaired before their next battle. "I'm afraid not, missy. Todd has lost a lot to this war, including his family. He'll take time to adjust."
Yenta sighed, not being able to help this situation at all. With ADVENT, there was rarely an issue she could not fix. Most of the problems regarded killing something, but the feeling still applies. "I am sorry, Captain."
Travis shrugs, walking away. The issue will be confronted again; she just knows it. Social intricacies like this are new to her. Any insubordination was dealt with harshly in ADVENT, usually resulting in termination. Having to deal with emotions and mental status is entirely new to her. Yenta slithers back down the hallways, thinking to herself. In one week, her entire world has changed drastically. She is going from a mindless soldier to a resistance fighter and killing humans to kill ADVENT soldiers. A traitor by all definitions. How can she fight for the humans, when all of her kind stands against them?
But Yenta knows the truth. The truth behind the Elders and ADVENT. She knows their atrocities and the sins of the past and present. With her psionic chip removed, she can finally think clearly. Instead of having the Elders think for her, she now independently acts. No longer is there a looming presence within her mind, telling her everything to do. Rebellion is rare, if existent, in ADVENT. Any soldiers that do break free typically escape reality as a whole. One pull of their trigger, in a helpless hope for peace.
It pains Yenta to know that countless of her kind are enslaved to the Elders. Where they all came from is a mystery. Are they merely a product of the Elders' creativity, made in a laboratory? Unquestionably they must have come from somewhere. A lot of her pondering was ceased when she crossed the threshold into the Alpha squad bunk-room. Entering the room, both Richard and Michael are inside. Michael is in the corner of the room, at the rusty stove, trying to make some food. A slightly burnt scent is caught by her forked tongue, which escaped from her stoic expression. The tiny gap in her lips allows ease of tasting the air. Their nostrils are weak at best, so their tongues do all the smelling.
Yenta slithers over to Michael and goes beside him, looking down into the skillet. Inside of the pan seems to be some form of meat, with strange plants upon it. Cooking is alien to her, just as she is to the humans. The only foods she has eaten were ADVENT rations and some measly MRE's. Her tongue flicked out dangerously close to the food, and Michael chuckled and softly pushed her away from himself some. "Watch the tongue, girly. Don't want your saliva on the spices." Richard, from across the room, chuckled heartily. "She's just curious. Probably never smelled burnt food." Michael tossed a tissue-box at Richard, which struck him in the shoulder. They shared a chuckle, but Yenta was awkwardly there.
"I mean no offense." She said, moving away from him a short distance. Her verdantly green eyes tracked the meat sizzling in the skillet, wondering what is happening. She was taught to kill, not to cook. All of these things are entirely new to her. Before joining X-com, she did not even really know what taste was. Everything tasted the same to her. If that was her chip or the lack of flavor in the food is unknown to her.
Michael chuckled again. "No worries, Yen'. Alex tried to teach me to cook, but you see how far she got with that." Richard was playing that gaming console again, on some stealth game. "Yeah, it's a miracle that he hasn't burnt the bunk down."
Yenta shrugged softly, slithering over to Richard instead. She'll have to try that food when it is done. The viper coiled next to the human, who is reclining on a bean-bag of sorts. She watches the screen dance about, with the characters fighting and such. She is uncertain if this is a real video of a simulation of types. They were shown videos and such during her service to ADVENT, mainly for flash-training. Richard is dressed in comfortable clothing, while Yenta is still within her battle-armor. Richard looks at her and asks: "Aren't you going to get out of your armor?"
"Well, in ADVENT, we only had our armor. I guess I'm not used to having freedom." Yenta shrugged as she removed herself from that position. She awkwardly scrounged through the drawers of her dresser, looking for something comfortable to wear. Unaware of social ques and intricacies, the viper undressed there, forcing both humans to avert their eyes. She put on a t-shirt, and then a black hoodie. The curious viper stuck her hands in the large pocket on the slightly oversized hoodie. She found it odd but liked the warmth to her hands.
On the other end of the ship, Todd was leaning off the rear balcony by himself. The cold winds brush against the scruff of his beard. He is thinking about everything he has fought for, what he has lost, and what is to come. Fighting with the aliens was something he never expected to happen. His goal was to kill them all, and now he cannot. Todd heard the door behind him click open, and he figured it to be Travis or a squad-member. When he turned and looked, Todd saw Kath. The viper of black and white, adorned in an orange hoodie, with black, wool gloves. She looked just as shocked as him. The viper slithered closer: "You come here too? I found this place on my first few days of being here. It helps me to think." She came, trying to make a conversation with him, to his side. She leaned on the bar, looking over at him.
"Didn't think you aliens could think." He said coldly, with scarcely a hint of care in his tone.
"We couldn't. Until you guys saved us." Kath said, with a smile. The bottom of her fangs poked through her chiseled face. Todd has never considered it like that. How did they save them? From what were they rescued?
"And I'm sorry about what we've done to your world. We didn't have a choice-" Todd shook his head at her. He hardly accepts that. He wants to forget the past, but he cannot. Every time he sees a viper, he hears the screams of his family. The day ADVENT raided the camp, killing everybody he loved.
"It still happened, however. I lost everything, what would you know of that?" He said, facing her and clenching his fists.
"I don't. I never had anything, unlike you." Kath said and slithered back out the door. Todd felt a pang in his heart, looking back over the frozen wastes. He grips the bar tightly, feeling his anger boil within himself.
Kath slithered in the hallway, looking down. She was in the upper deck, where few people go. Mostly storage rooms and electrical rooms too. She turned the corner and bumped into Travis. They both were taken aback, but he smiled and chuckled. "Oh, hey, Kath. What are you doing up here?"
"I was going to the balcony, but Jackson was there." She said, looking down again. Her eyes look dim, hinting at a sorrow within.
"Aw, I know what happened. How about we go practice together? I can show you some sniping tips." Kath nods happily and follows him back down the hallway to the training room. Training with a sniper as proficient as he could give excellent skills. Kath and Travis go into the training room, with Travis bringing his gauss rifle.
Once they got inside, Travis started to explain the rifle before Kath smiled a little too widely.
"I'm sure you know how guns work already."
"That I do." Kath giggled softly, showing some life within her. Yenta is much like her sister, being colder but wiser. She spoke up first to the Commander, trying to keep her head on her shoulders. The same when she surrendered willingly. She is not a happy-go-lucky like Travis here.
The duo began to practice shooting the rifle at the farthest targets. Travis eventually got behind Kath and put his arm on the outside of hers and assisted in firing at the targets and guiding her hand with every shot. His finger discretely felt the scales on her hands, noting their hardness but smoothness as well.
Far away, in the warmth of the Star, resounds a gentle hum. A soft, shrill tune. Lazarus had received a grave wound and stabbed through by his former ally. His time had nearly come until he reached the safety of the ship. The viper of black and red slipped back into the world of the living by little chance. The surgery table was swift in finding the ailment and treating it quickly. The series of long mechanical arms, accompanied by dozens of smaller, more precise tools. The surgery table was invented to limit the needs of a specialized surgeon. It can administer many treatments, such as sealing a hole in a viper's body.
Lazarus flickered back to life, with his violet eyes catching the lamps' blazing light above him. He could not find the strength to move at first, and the pain in his stomach kept him pinned to the bed. The steering, piercing hole in his stomach was his only companion. Lazarus groaned deeply, trying to move. The painkillers have numbed the pain somewhat but clouded his mind. The medicine is terrific for ignoring the problem but terrible for thinking clearly.
Lazarus postured up on the table after nearly half an hour of fruitless struggle. Every attempt he had made only returned him to the cold of the metallic table. The myriad medical arms that surrounded him all disengaged and departed from him. His right hand met the side of his head, right in front of his hood, and groaned.
Lazarus has been asking himself many questions. His mind danced around as much as it could. Curious as to why he helped X-com and not stayed away. Was it his pride against the Chosen? No matter how much he denies it, he still has the urges to obey the Elders' will. He does not have a psionic chip, right? They always told him that he did not have one. Is that why he feels that way at sundry times?
Lazarus shook his head. He will get his answers sooner or later. There is so much that needs to be answered and revealed. Who and what he even is. It is difficult to fight for something when you know not what you are.
His mind is spinning. Lazarus softly rubbed the temples of his head, pushing the tips of his index fingers into the tiny divot in his skull, protected by his scales. Looking at himself, he discovers that most of his chest armor was removed by the operating table and left it within the grasp of the medical arms. The majority of his suit remains upon his form too.
Lazarus groans as he maneuvers off of the table. His coils meet the ground in a silent congregation. With a wince of pain and a muffled cry, Lazarus slithers out of the medical room. Finding his way into his bedroom, Lazarus strips his armor down meticulously. Despite his dulled senses, his fingers still move with precision and grace. From pure memory, he pulls his armor off of his scaled figure. Lazarus neatly stacked all of the armor plates and crowned it with his helmet.
The black serpent mumbles to himself as he sighs. After a moment to let himself rest, Lazarus slithers over to the large desk in the corner of his room. His black and red coils position themselves atop the bundle of blue fabric and filling. The huge cushion could be a bed to some.
Lazarus activates the computer and looks at the maps.
"Where did I go?" Lazarus stares into the holographic display, watching it formulate the map. His eyes bounce around the colors of the screen, watching it construct the environment. It reveals that he flew several dozen miles away and tucked away within the safety of a snowy wasteland. Despite only being landed for a couple of hours, the Star is already covered in snow. Fortunately, the technology used to make the Star is not hindered by the frigid winds.
Lazarus sighs, knowing that he is safe for right now. Losing his upright posture, Lazarus aimlessly looks around his room. Seeing the armor, weapons, and clothing spread about prompted for another sigh. Lazarus picks up his helmet and links it to the computer. His mind raced back to that viper he saw during the battle. He had forgotten about her once he was captured. The day he met her seems so distant now. Tapping on a small button, it showed the video recordings of the helmet. Lazarus slims the recordings to portions when that viper is in view.
"What was her name again?" Lazarus said while racking his brain for memory. Starting the first clip, it showed the viper charging the ADVENT lines. Seeing her fight for a cause that hates her confused him. What could she be fighting for? Lazarus already knows that her chip is broken, which is why she is freely fighting. A gift that few appreciate: freedom. Yenta and Kath are the first ADVENT vipers to be given such a changing gift.
Lazarus watches the viper weave in the lines of fire, dodging and evading the lethal bullets. Watching her move flawlessly reminds him of just how much training they receive. All of her years in ADVENT as a deadly, killing-machine has molded her into something new. The Elders never thought that their troops could rebel. The Hybrids are different, given their human DNA. The Vipers have been under the Elders' reign for so long now that many do not even know their homeland.
His violet eyes watch her slither across the battlefield, killing the enemy and saving her allies and mercilessly ending the lives of ADVENT while keeping a watchful eye over her new friends. It shocks Lazarus. She changed her loyalty so quickly. She fights with such intensity that one may think she has fought for years with them. Her empathy bound her to X-com, to fight the Elders. Lazarus finds his loyalty to his kind, not a banner. Each night that he lays awake, dodging the terrors of his dreams, he finds himself in a reverie of being a king, an emperor even. To lead his people to freedom beneath his colored banner, and to bring death to the Elders.
His dream was ended when the video met the moment when the blade met his stomach. He winces, feeling the pain again. Lazarus groans, feeling his wound throb. Despite it being closed and healed, the tender spot will vex him for several days to come.
Lazarus decided to end his dreaming further and slithers into the side room. He was finding himself, once again, in the bathroom. Lazarus turns the water on again and enters the shower. He turned the water hotter than before, as he still feels cold. Scrubbing his scales, he accidentally loosened a few plates, allowing the water to find the oddly colored skin beneath. Lazarus groaned, feeling the scalding water hit his bare skin. After that, he lightens on the scrubbing of his scales. Lazarus spends the next hour boiling in the shower. His cleaning routine was ignored after the first ten minutes. He happened to clean the same scales several times over.
After finishing up and drying his scales off, Lazarus looks at himself in the foggy mirror. Using his hand, he wipes the mirror off with a towel, revealing himself to his own eyes, staring into his own eyes, his mind dances. What do others think of him, and what does he think of himself? Not knowing where he comes from, Lazarus is as mysterious to himself as to others. He envies the humans, with thousands of years of the culture built up to now. What does he have? The only semblance of a culture he has he stole from the humans. That silver cross he stole from that human he finds himself wearing around the ship. Without the Elders to judge him, he can wear whatever he wants now. Several years ago, Lazarus presented himself before the Elders wearing a human's ring. He learned not to wear human attire before the Elders.
Lazarus chuckled to himself and blew a small cloud of frozen mist in the mirror. The glass freezes over from the nitrogen. Slithering away from the mirror, Lazarus goes into his kitchen. It is conjoined with the living room of his. It is a vast, dark purple cushion that functions as a couch and a TV hanging on the wall. The kitchen is on the room's edge, with only a fridge and stove, sink, and cupboard. Lazarus rarely, if ever, has cooked. The black viper goes to the refrigerator and pulls out some synthetic meat. The real stuff is much better, but that is a luxury he cannot have. Lazarus happily accepts the slightly miscolored slab of chemicals and various materials. Grabbing several large portions of it, he slithers over to the couch.
Lazarus coils on the giant cushion and starts to eat chunks of meat whole. He turns the TV on and relaxes. The holographic display shows images much larger than the TV itself, offering a realistic presentation of something. Nature shows projects around the user, during news and entertainment display in front of the user.
Lazarus lazily chooses a random news channel. All of them cover the same thing, with the same opinion. With the most recent battle, the Speaker dismissed it as a full-scale training event. Simulated wounds and realistic settings. Lazarus shakes his head and immediately turns it off. "Incredible how long I believed all of this…" His right hand met the edge of his hood as he took another large swallow of meat.
The black and red serpent lazes about after finishing his meal. The snake shakes his head, trying his luck at getting back up. After hitting his wound several times, he gives up and lays back down. Lazarus coils himself tightly together and snuggles between the bundles of coils. Veiling his eyes behind the scaled eyelids, Lazarus tries his luck at sleeping. He has a bad feeling about this one.
Everybody falls into the sacred hallow of sleep, with Lazarus joining them last. Even the Commander found a night of rest. Kath slept soundly, with pleasant dreams keeping her company. Yenta was plagued by uncertainty as she tried to sleep. X-com is so alien to her. She will gladly fight the Elders, but she could do without all of the glares and side looks. Jackson found little rest, thinking about what Kath said. The rest of the crew found rest as the hum of the Avenger rocked them to sleep.