Semi-explicit sexual stuff in this chapter.
Avenger
The team stepped of the ramp with the exception of Robert as the Viper gently slithered right off. Madison saw something as he limped off the platform, "Hey people! Check this out!" The Texan said.
The group looked up to see a giant holographic poster on the air bay, the picture of their squad proudly standing together. With Eliza in the middle and Madison and Amir at the edges.
Robert was surprised to see himself standing on the left, between Madison and Eliza as he held his sniper rifle over his shoulder long broad black scaled shoulder. A flavor text was at the bottom.
Kill Team Charlie: Securing Tomorrow
"I take it you all approve." A voice asked, the team turned to see John... Followed by a scrawny and frail looking man who's forehead was heavily scarred. It took the operatives a moment to realize.
They were in the presence of the Commander.
"Sir!" Everyone saluted to the frail man, John looked at the Commander as the scarred man nodded before he looked back at the squad.
"At ease operatives." John then pointed at the technician, "Operative Madison, get some rest in the medical facilities."
The Texan saluted as he limped past the central officer and into the elevator, "Later ya'll!" he waved before the doors closed.
John kept his gaze upon the squad, as did the Commander. "Although there was a casualty, I must say. You all handled yourselves pretty well." John said, "Therefore the Commander decided to make a poster on your team. Helps the moral as well as show that we mean business."
The squad nodded before Robert rasped, "How is the rest of the resisssstance reacting to this?"
John crossed his arms, "Surprisingly well actually, most of them have heard the full story. How you were exposed to some chemical and turned..." John chuckled, "Most of them thought it sounded like the plot of a superhero comic while a few others are just glad that your on our side."
Robert nodded as he flexed his scaly neck.
"And what of the ADVENT?" Amir asked.
The Commander merely shook his head mournfully. Contrary to popular belief, the Commander was often depicted to the resistance as a strong figure of power, often times shown taking steps to ensure humanities resistance continued.
However whilst that may have been true, in all reality...
The Commander was a mute, he had lost his ability to speak after he suffered damage to the left hemisphere of his brain when they removed the cerebral implant. It was all they could do in order for the higher ups to save him. Fortunately, the Commanders mental state was not in the slightest effected as he was still able to direct efforts and carry out maneuvers against the ADVENT.
That in of itself, was the true testament to how for one would go to free his race against the ADVENT menace.
John sighed as he showed a tablet, a video of the most hated person to X-com was playing.
The Speaker. A man, like many others who sold his soul to ADVENT... If he even was human that is. Some resistance members theorized that he was a Thin Man, made to look human. Regardless, the footage showed him on the podium as always with the mark of ADVENT displayed everywhere.
"-And make no mistake. This cowardly attack on what should have been a day of celebration will not go unpunished. We will take steps into ensuring the safety of humanity and our allies who put there lives on the line of-"
"I've heard enough of this Suka." Dimitri said angrily. "It is all lies and he revels in it."
"Let the man say what he wants. You did good work today." John said as he lowered the tablet, "Now get yourselves some rest, you all earned it."
The squad nodded before they turned tail and left, in Robert's case... Literally.
ADVENT Compound
Xalah stood in line with the rest of her brethren as she stared forward. Her and her sisters formed a long orderly line as they all awaited to be accounted for, the sun was already beginning to dip over the horizon as they sky turned orange.
A Thin Man was busy taking attendance as he held a tablet in his hand, two large Muton's stood beside the humanoid to act as a front guard as his dark circular glasses hid his eyes. He finished typing in a new batch of info before moving onto Xalah. If there was one thing the Viper admitted, it was that the Thin Men unnerved her. Although the Elders had told that they were a new race to be inducted into the ADVENT... They felt unnatural yet familiar, as if they weren't meant to be.
The Thin Man then moved onto her, "Designation?"
"24473C." Xalah rasped, since birthing from an incubator, she was constantly taught her identification number. However her name had originated from what her fellow Sisters had given to her.
The Thin Man looked down at the tablet, browsing through the database.
"Hm, a very disappointing effort today 24473C. I will have to assign you a more suitable function in the near future."
"Yes superior." She rasped, she inwardly cursed but otherwise didn't say anything. She was tired, and she had simply wanted to get this over with.
The Thin Man went to the next spot, "Desig-" He paused as he looked up to realize that the section of the line was empty. Xalah tilted her eyes to see out of the corner of her vision. The Humanoid merely shrugged as he inputted a info on the tablet.
Terminated.
Xalah knew the missing Viper, Zaphira... She had been incubated in the same clutch as her. And now she was dead. It was likely that another Viper would take her place tomorrow.
It felt like hours before the Thin Man had finished, going back to the middle as he inputted the last of the info.
"That shall be it for today. Elders guide us."
"Elders guide us." The Vipers repeated before they slowly began to disperse. Xalah moved forward, attempting to look forward as she ignored the once occupied spot.
Before it was rare for a spot to be empty, but now it seemed to happen everyday, with a new Viper being put in it's place.
"Damn insurgents..." She hissed to herself.
But not before her thoughts drifted calm blue eyes that she had found herself lost in, she had attempted to dismiss the thoughts but she couldn't help it. A male Viper, fighting with the insurgents.
The thought of a male existing was already impossible enough, yet for him to be fighting for the human rebels? It didn't even in the add up in the slightest. She needed answers or at least some form of explanation.
She turned her head and slithered to the Thin Man as the humanoid nonchalantly operated the tablet. The Thin Man turned his head as he looked at her with a hint of annoyance.
"Superior. I wish to ask a question."
The Thin Man looked at her for a second before he smiled warmly, however to Xalah it felt fake and eerie. "Very well 24473C. After all the Elders encourage questions."
Xalah nodded before she hesitantly rasped, "I wish to ask... About what I saw when I failed my objective."
The Humanoids smile immediately disappeared, now replaced with a condescending frown. "You were merely seeing things." The Thin Man said. Xalah paused as her head tilted back.
"Wh- But superior, I haven't even inq-"
"Silence!" The Thin Man growled, the two Muton's next to him menacingly stepped forward. "Listen carefully 24473C, you will not talk about this. You will not write about this. You will not even think about this, lest you wish to question the will of the Elders."
"I-" Xalah attempted to speak before she hung her head down, "Yes, superior."
"Then we both understand, I will overlook this discrepancy on your behalf. Elders guide us." The Thin Man said as he turned around, leaving the premises as the two Muton's escorted him.
Xalah turned her head and silently slithered into the compound, her brethren had been already organized in a tidy line as they each took a packet of rations for themselves. The words of the Thin Man still radiated in her head as she took a packet for herself.
A few of her Sisters were already in the room, each eating in a separate booth as they were kept apart. No talking or speaking was allowed, as with any other race of the ADVENT to increase efficiency.
She leaned on her coils as she sighed, her long tongue letting out a hiss as she unpacked her rations. It was always the same, since the day she even hatched as she silently ate the tasteless meat.
It didn't take long for her to finish before the left the room and entered the sleeping chamber. The gigantic room was dominated by a large row of pods, all big enough to fit an entire Viper. Most of her sisters were already getting ready as they slowly stripped away their armor, their bare scales were out for anyone to see.
The Viper next to her was busy struggling with her back plates. Xalah slithered up to her as she helped her, grabbing the plates and setting them down. The other Viper sighed in relief as she turned craned her neck to her, "Elders bless you Xalah..."
Xalah had known the Viper, her name was Mirna. They had been incubated in the same pod, Mirna was admittedly the runt due to her smaller size.
"Do not think much of it." Xalah said as she smiled lightly, "We must look out for each other after all..." A question then grazed her mind. "Did you know what happened to Zaphira?"
The Viper paused as she shook her head, "No I did not... But by the Elders... I miss her already."
Xalah paused as she stared down in thought, "There is also something else I wanted to tell you Mirna..."
Her Sisters eyes lit up, "Yes?"
She paused, the words of the Thin Man radiating in her head.
"I- nothing. It is best that we go to sleep."
Mirna nodded as Xalah passed her, arriving in her own pod as she undid the clasps of her armor. She sighed in relief as it finally came off, letting her breasts free from their confines.
They still hadn't issued the correct size for her, most of the breast plates they gave her were too small. So most of the time her venom glands had been constricted in the confines of her own armor. She had to admit, they were most definitely bigger then most of her other sisters, but she paid it no heed. She reached for her gauntlets as they came off automatically, allowing Xalah to place it into the nearby storage compartment at the end of her pod.
And without further ado, she slowly slithered into her pod, the glass closing up as she stirred, getting comfy as the pod replicated the perfect conditions for a her to sleep in. Damp moisturization condensed the glass as she closed her eyes.
Little did she know, her dreams were about to get really complicated.
Avenger Barracks
The sounds of commotion going on in the game room were evident as Robert sat on his bunk, his tail slipping off the bunk as he slouched against his bed frame with his Viper body. So far it was manageable integrating again, his long scaly fingers held a pencil as his earphones hung around his wide serpentine face.
The song, Take On Me sung by a-ha played on his iPod as Robert nudged his hooded head to the rhythm.
Currently he was drawing a doodle of the ADVENT Speaker, over-exaggerating every feature in order to make it more comical. The words, 'Blah, Blah, Blah.' were drawn in a speech bubble next to the figure. He turned the next page and chuckled, revealing another drawing he made a long time ago of a small Sectoid getting sat on by a Muton whilst saying the phrase 'Ayy lmao'.
He had a weird sense of humor to say the least, but after ADVENT had replaced the search engines with their very own monitored version, the internet was dead to them. As were the endless cycle of human culture that was stored inside.
He was literally a meme preserver.
Robert turned to the next page before he paused, their was a doodle of a Viper he had drawn and promptly abandoned a while back after he lost the inspiration to continue on. He stared at it, for no real particular reason, before he tightened his grip on the pencil.
And then he began to draw, completing the chest plate and gauntlets as he shaded it to symbolize it's darker color in contrast with the Vipers lighter toned body. His black scaled fingers held the sketchbook as he narrowed his eyes, inputting the finer details as he further worked on it's face.
Before long, he was finished as he added the last scale to her form, holding the sketchbook in front of his eyes as he paused the song. The Viper he had drawn stood imposing without a weapon, as she looked to the side. He had shaded her eyes to represent a darker color, such as red.
He was surprised with himself to say the least, he usually worked on doodles and minor sketches, not detailed pencil art. His blue eyes continued staring before he realized.
The face he had drawn seemed more... Confused than intimidating, as if it was conflicted.
His mind wandered back to the moment, when he held his mag pistol directly at ADVENT Viper. He remembered seeing her shake with her weapon as her face showed the exact emotion he had drawn.
Never did he ever even notice a Viper put on such a detailed expression, it felt as if his keen reflexes that came with his Viper body allowed him to see things he would have otherwise never notice as a Human.
He was about to pick up his pencil before the door at the end of the hallway slammed open, revealing Madison as he held a packet of beer. "Hey Robert! Ready to crack open a cold one with the boys!?" The Texan yelled loudly as he walked past.
Robert merely rolled his eyes, "Where the hell did you even get that beer? And what happened to Eliza?" Robert asked as he slithered off his bunk and went into the Game room behind Madison.
"Eh, the beer? Found it. And Eliza said she was going to train her skills on the shooting range, you know how she's like."
Currently Amir was busy playing Contra on an ancient NES they had found in the abandoned basement of a pre-war house. The gaming council had to be older than Robert's iPod.
Dimitri on the other hand... Was watching anime, old clips from Fist of the North Star to be precise.
"Good lord." Madison said, "Are you still watching those Japanese cartoons?" The Texan asked with disgust. Dimitri turned his bald head as the Russian stared at the screen without even turning his head.
"It is not a cartoon cowboy! It is fucking awesome!"
"Yeah, yeah. That's nice ya crazy Ruskie, now turn that bull crap off so I can watch wrestling."
Robert shook his head as Madison and Dimitri argued, he was about to open the door to the bathroom before Amir cursed, putting his controller down.
"I was so close..." He turned his head to Robert. "Robert, I apologize for asking once more but did you know how the code went again?"
Robert paused as he thought for second before he rasped, "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, B, A, Select, and Start."
Amir looked down at the controller as he followed through before looking up, a small grin plastered his face. "Ah, thank you my friend."
"No problem." Robert rasped as he went into the bathroom. His tall snake like body having to duck a tiny bit under the doorway as he turned on the lights, silently slithering up to the sink as he placed his scaly hands and let his arms support him.
He looked at the mirror once more, his serpentine face and blue eyes peered back. He sighed as he stooped his head lower, turning on the water before he splashed his face.
However as a few droplets got into his nose, creating an itch as he felt the need to sneeze. He reared his head back as he scrunched his flat nostrils, attempting to hold it back before giving in. He covered his mouth before he leaned forward.
"Achoo!"
A cloud of pure cryogenic liquid came rushing out of his fangs as he blasted the mirror, ice beginning to develop as Robert pulled his head back in shock. The entire bathroom now had mist seep around the floor, as if someone had poured a bucket of dry ice on the ground.
"Uh... Guysss?!"
Alleyway
Xalah hid in the shadows as she awaited the moment to strike, with the sound of a gunfight drawing near. The firefight had died down momentarily as she chose the perfect moment, springing out of cover as she aimed her weapon, only to see that nobody was there. Just an empty street.
She tilted her long head in confusion before she felt a smooth and scaly hand wrap around her chest, right underneath her breasts. Her eyes widened as she looked down, realizing she no longer even wore armor as her body was completely exposed, she hissed in surprised before she felt another hand wrap around her shoulder, the mysterious Vipers arms felt comfortable and it's hands felt like ice, making her feel like liquid as she almost sank behind. Xalah tilted her head in an attempt to get a better look at who it was before the figure did it for her, tilting it's long head forward and into her view.
It was him, the insurgent Viper.
His black scales glistened, giving him a calm look despite his fearsome appearance. His piercing blue eyes stared at her, his face now dangerously close to hers as Xalah felt her heart beat against her chest, unsure of what to make of this feeling before she attempted to speak, however words failing her as she sputtered and hissed.
The Viper merely stared at her, before the sides of his mouth seemed to stretch upward.
He was grinning.
As if on que, she felt his left hand slowly trace her scales, making her shiver as her eyes widened. His scales still so unbearably cold as his long fingers splayed themselves on her smooth underbelly.
"H-Haa..." Xalah panted, she felt something awaken inside of her, as if it had been buried away only to be opened at the right moment as her loins felt as if they were on fire. The male merely hissed a chuckle as she felt his hand kneed one of her breasts, his long fingers just barely filling the scaly mound as she looked down, shaking. She couldn't even comprehend the reason on why her venom glands felt so... Sensitive.
"O-Ooh... E-Elde-"
She attempted to form a sentence only for him to softly nibble on where her neck met her hood. Needless to say, that broke her.
Xalah hissed out as she threw her head back, arching her back against his muscular chest. She felt his body beat in tune with hers, the sensation was absolutely amazing. He pulled his serpentine head away to smile mischievously as his face was close to hers again.
Her red eyes were wide as she stared into the blue of his once more, no words needed to be said as she panted, her long tongue almost lolling out of her mouth. She felt his fingers reach down, her body now receptive as she leaned against him, feeling his hands trawl further downwards as he was just about to reach the spot.
And then she woke up.
ADVENT Compound
The Viper gasped as her red eyes opened, her hands pressed up against the glass as she squirmed before the damp moisture of her pod calmed her senses. She breathed in and out as she looked at the condensed glass, her tail coiling at the bottom in agitation.
It her a second for her to steady her breathing, the glass growing mistier by the second as her breath warmed it.
Xalah fell back as her head rested, her hands covering her eyes as she slowly groaned. Her mouth curling into a frown.
What was happening to her?
Research Labs
"That seems to be normal... At least to a Viper's standard." Richard said as he used a small wooden tool to inspect Roberts gaping mouth, "Now tell me, does this hurt?"
Robert paused before he shook his hood.
"Alright, at least that isn't- Oh!" Richard drew back the tool as it was now completely frozen, mist came off of it. "Well that was a surprise."
The Viper's tilted his head down, "Sorry."
Richard merely dismissed him, "Do not apologize, I think I've come to learn what the cause is."
"Ya do?" Madison asked. The Texan was sitting down, alongside Dimitri and Amir as they all held a beer in their hands. "Because I'm gonna have to grab a flamethrower to melt the ice in the bathroom after this."
"Robert, tell me what happened before hand." Richard asked.
"Well... I was washing my face and... I got a little water in my nose. So I sneezed." Robert hissed.
Richard nodded as he put a hand to his chin in thought. "Then it appears that you involuntarily ejected some form of cryogenic liquid from your fangs."
"But doctor,-" Amir spoke out, "-Vipers use poison spit from their fangs, why is Robert different?"
"Excellent question..." Richard said, "I was looking through the scans again and I came across a startling discovery. Robert has high levels of nitrogen circulating around his body and unsurprisingly, where his inside gland is located."
"And what does this mean?" Dimitri asked.
"It means that the male Viper's body can create cryogenic liquid from normal bodily function and spit it out just as a Viper spitting poison would."
"So basically, you're saying that the Viper gal's spit poison and Viper men literally spit fucking liquid nitrogen?" Madison asked before he shook his head, "Jesus Christ... Thank god you didn't sneeze on me Robert, otherwise they would've had to bury me as an ice cube."
Robert scratched the back of his hood before he turned his serpentine head back to Richard, "What should I do now?"
"Well, I believe you should be careful in the future. Who knows what might happen if you accidentally use it when there are personal around? Until you figure out how to control your fangs, refrain from using them, then we shall see."
Robert nodded at Richards words, "Right, control fangs, don't sssneeze. Sound's easy enough."
"I'm glad you understand, now if you excuse me. I need to write this report to the Commander." Richard then mumbled to himself as he left the lab, "I wonder what he might think of cryo bombs..."
Madison then stood up from his seat, crushing his empty beer can. "Welp, that's done and over with. Let's all get back to the barracks. I gotta tell Eliza about this later."
"Go on without me." Amir said as he threw out his beer can, "I must do my day to day prayer."
"Right, right. I see your off to go praise the Lord of Light Mr. praying man." Madison said wryly.
Amir rolled his eyes, "That is from Game of Thrones, that has nothing to do with Zoroastrianism..." Before the Iranian tilted his head in thought, "...At least I do not think so."
Madison shrugged before he left the room, followed by Dimitri. Robert was about to slither to the doorway before he heard Amir speak.
"Oh, and Robert."
The Viper turned his head to see the Iranian man.
"Know that I shall pray for your safety, it is by no coincidence that Ahura gave you that form to help fight against the evil of the ADVENT."
"Uh... Thanks, Amir... But why are you telling me thissss? I'm like the least religious person... I mean, Viper now...? You can think of."
"It does not matter, we are all in this together are we not? Whether it is cosmically or morally we both fight for the same purpose, and that in itself is a good enough reason."
Robert paused before he nodded, "Right. I understand. Thanks again Amir." Robert said as he turned his head.
"Do not think much of it. Get yourself some sleep."
The Viper left the room, his head deep in thought as he pondered at Amir's words. Everything happens for a reason, perhaps his transformation did too, perpetrated by some otherworldly cosmic force to help protect the people he had grown to care for. He shook his head as he got into the elevator, the doors slowly closing as he sighed.
One thing was for sure, destiny had a weird sense of humor.
ADVENT Compound
Xalah groggily awoke as her pod automatically opened, the cool air nestling against her scales as she yawned loudly. She slowly rose from her sleep as the rest of her Sisters were already up. Her eyes felt as if they were struggling to stay open as her scaly eye lids drooped.
Mirna tilted her head as she stretched her arms out before she turned her head, her smile quickly turning into a frown.
"What's wrong Xalah? Did you not sleep well last night?"
She shook her head, "Do not worry yourself, I'm fine..." Xalah paused as the image of the males face flashed in her mind before she shook her head and silently hissed. "D-..." Xalah paused as she corrected herself, "Did they assign you a function yet?"
Mirna looked down at the side of her pod to check the interface before she sighed, "They put me on patrol in the city. What about you?"
Xalah checked hers before she tilted her head in confusion, "I'm on guard duty for a supply train."
"Oh, that must be nice." Mirna admitted, "It'll probably be boring for me. Maybe when we come back you can tell me what it was like."
Xalah smiled, "Of course Mirna..."
They all slithered up, putting their armor on in preparation for today. Xalah sighed as she got out of her pod, reaching into her locker to take out her gear. She fitted her gauntlets on before she placed her chest piece back onto her body. It felt uncomfortable, but at least she was protected.
Most of her brethren were already leaving the room. Each of them being already assigned an objective for today.
She slithered out as the plates extended out on her back.
Hopefully the day would remain uneventful.
Avenger
Robert gently awoke from his slumber as his blue eyes blinked, he slowly arose as was everyone else. He was about to check his sketchbook before Madison walked out from the game room wearing an apron saying 'Kiss the Chef'.
"Rise and shine people! I made some breakfast for y'all, even vegetarian for you Amir." The Texan said gleefully.
The Viper turned his head to see the rest of his team rising up, Dimitri cursing as he fumbled with his boots.
Amir was putting on his coat and Eliza was already ready for the day as she wore her combat fatigues.
She checked the tablet next to her bed as she analyzed the info, "Looks like we've got a mission after breakfast soldiers."
"Really now? What type and where to?" Dimitri asked as he finished strapping on his shoes.
"Supply raid... in west Kentucky." Eliza turned her head to Robert, "Isn't that where you used to hunt?"
The Viper smiled to himself, "Yeah..."
Madison immediately bumped into him, "Looks like ya ain't huntin' deer no more, 'cause now we'll be huntin' ADVENT now!" The Texan said as he chuckled, "That reminds me, Kentucky's the only place I haven't checked yet..."
"Checked for what?" Amir asked.
"For god damn Twinkies that's what!" Madison said in frustration. "Damn ADVENT bastards are probably stockpiling 'em somewhere."
"Right..." Eliza said as she sported a confused expression before putting the tablet back down. "Regardless, once breakfast is over get ready to gear up."
Everyone nodded as they walked into the next room, Robert slithering alongside them as he grabbed his iPod.
He never left without it after all.
West Kentucky, 11:00 am
The wind whipped past her scales as Xalah stood by the edge, she had recently got on about three hours ago as she held her rifle. There were a few ADVENT troopers on the train as they patrolled
And the supplies were the usual, mostly resources and gear. However the most notable was a gigantic vaulted container of some sort that was placed in the middle of the train. She passed it a few times and she swore she could hear something stir inside it. However nobody told her what exactly it was, instead telling her they were going somewhere to... 'Wait.'
Regardless, standing there unfortunately gave her time to think as she looked at the rushing forests pass by. She sighed, the dream last night had been way too real, and the worst part was that she felt completely empty and denied when she had woken up.
She dismissed those thoughts before the train slow down, the rails grinding against the wheels as the train came to a complete stop.
Xalah hissed in confusion as she looked at the Trooper next to her. "Why have we stopped?"
The Trooper merely pointed at the forest, as a few Mutons came in view, hiding amongst the underbrush. When she peered closer, she realized that there were Troopers as well, wearing actual camouflage.
An officer came up as he gave a command, the soldiers responding as they stepped of the Train. Xalah still hadn't caught on, there mission was to transport the supplies to a depot, not abandon it halfway there.
And then she saw it, a tiny spec over the horizon as an insurgent air transport came into view.
Her red eyes widened as she realized what the true objective was. This was not a transportation mission, this was an ambush. Although normally she would've been glad that they was a change of tactic, she instead was worried.
"What if..." She shook her head, "Don't be stupid... He was not real." Xalah denied to herself before she slithered off the train, following the Troopers.
Skyranger
"-I'm telling you cowboy, I do not understand!"
"What do ya mean ya don't understand!? If ya had a tiny version of a the Speaker, would ya torture him!?"
"Why does he have to be tiny!? Why can't he just be-?!"
"That's enough you two." Eliza said as she put a hand to her receiver, "Firebrand, ETA?"
The buckles unhatched as the squad stood up from their seats.
"5 minutes, we should be-" Firebrand paused on the receiver as she spoke again, "Wait, somethings not right. The Train has stopped."
Robert tilted his head in confusion, however before he could speak, Bradford's voice was heard.
"Stopped? Where?" The Central Officer asked.
"About 10 miles from it's target destination. The ETA is now 2 minutes."
"That can't be right. The primary objective remains the same, but I'm putting up a new side objective. Figure out why they've stopped, and approach with caution."
"Copy that sir." Eliza said before she stood up from her seat, "Alright team, were entering this one a little earlier then usual. Keep your eyes peeled and your safety off."
"Yes ma'am." Madison said as he smiled, setting up his GREMLIN. Everybody was now set on preparing as Dimitri spun his cannon experimentally and Amir seemed to meditate in order to soothen his nerves.
Robert checked the scope adjustment for his gauss rifle before grabbing his iPod and scrolling through it. He picked out another one of his favorite songs, Another One Bites the Dust by Queen.
"30 seconds to target destination."
They all nodded as Eliza looked at a tactical map on her wrist tablet, "Robert, you'll be dropped off first, make sure to set up on the small nearby plateau. Use your Gauss rifle to cover us and watch out for threats."
Robert gave a thumbs up before he hissed, "Understood."
Eliza turned her head, "As for the rest, we stick together. Keep a Overwatch on each others back and we'll get through this."
As if on que the doors opened as Robert slithered off his seat, a single rappel line coiling down as he put his hand on it.
"Hey Robert!" Madison yelled. The Viper turned his head to the Texan, "I'll see you on the other side Partner!"
Robert smiled, "You too." Before he slid down, holding onto the wire as he reached the bottom before letting go. His scales meeting the soft grass as the Skyranger carried on to it's next destination. Leaving him beside a small dirt plateau that covered the entire clearing.
He paused his song before he grasped on to the dirt and quickly climbed.
Forest
They all lied in wait, the foliage being there cover as Xalah slithered into the foliage. Aiming a beam rifle at the clearing.
So far it had been a few minutes ever since she had taken position. The ADVENT Troopers and Mutons were silent as well, pointing their weapons directly at the train as the sound of wind and birds were the only noises heard.
And then they arrived, the insurgents.
A squad of them it looked like, yet one of them was missing. Xalah took a moment to realize the one sporting a mustache and a hat was the human she had shot in the leg. The image of the male Viper carrying the human over his shoulder flashed in her mind.
Her breathing immediately increased before she calmed herself.
"You will not even think about it." The Thin Man's words radiated in her mind as she steadied herself and aimed her rifle.
"It wasn't real... It wasn't real..." She quietly whispered to herself.
They held off, only a few more seconds and then they would fire. May the Elders have mercy upon them.
Train
"Where the hell is everybody?" Madison asked, "Usually they would have some poor bastard guarding the thing."
Eliza narrowed her eyes, "Keep an eye out soldier..."
Amir climbed up the platform as he put a hand on one of the supplies before spotting a gigantic vaulted container, "It appears that they are storing something big at the bottom of the train."
Eliza nodded, "Dimitri, get one of those crates open. We'll cover you."
The Russian nodded as he tugged on one of the supplies, opening the top of it before peering inside.
"Well? Anything good?"
"Bah! Nothing." Dimitri said before he opened another, "This one too!? What is this дерьмо!?"
Amir turned his head, "Why are all of the crates we've seen so far contain nothing?"
Eliza was about to speak before her receiver crackled to life.
Plateau
Robert didn't know why, but he held a very bad feeling about this. The music now finished as he did constant sweeps with his scope to see if anything was out of the ordinary. He hissed again as he got into a better position, shifting and slithering onto the next rock.
He peered through the scope again before his eyes widened. ADVENT, and a lot of them by the looks of it, hiding in the underbrush as the aliens crouched low.
The Viper immediately reached into his receiver, "Guys! It's a trap!"
Train
"Guys! It's a trap!"
There eye's widened before all hell broke loose, the loud sound of mag fire being heard as ADVENT hidden in the woods suppressed them.
Madison and Eliza were immediately helped up onto the train as they slammed themselves against cover. "God damn bastards! They were waiting for us this whole time!" The Texan yelled as he sank further into cover.
Amir and Dimitri hid behind two crates as they were peppered with fire.
"Command! We need EVAC! STAT!" Eliza yelled out.
"Copy that! Hold on for as long as you can!" Bradford affirmed through the transmission.
She nodded before she put a hand on her receiver, switching to a different channel, "Robert! Shoot these fuckers!"
Plateau
"With pleasure." Robert rasped before he aimed, the head of a Muton came into his sights as he fired. It's face now becoming a non-existant orange mess as it fell back into the bush.
He swiveled his rifle, spotting a Trooper that had gotten a little too courageous in front of another that was crouching in the grass. He hissed before he aligned the shot and fired, the bullet going through the first ones heart and the second ones head, literally killing two birds with one stone.
As he relieved the pressure, he noticed his squad now taking steps to regain control over the field. Dimitri getting out of cover first as he brushed the entirety of the forest with his mag cannon, firing it off with wild abandon.
This gave time for the rest of the team to briefly get out of cover and empty their rounds into any target they saw. The goal wasn't to win the battle but survive until the Skyranger made a round back.
Forest
Xalah hissed as she ducked down, the mag fire destroying the foliage overhead as a few unlucky Troopers were caught out of position and promptly torn apart, the leaves turning orange from the amount of blood.
There was no way she could fire without getting exposed. A few Mutons reloaded as they fired back again, attempting to suppress the insurgents only to be gun down, one of the Mutons pausing as he was struck by a purple wave of psi energy before slumping to the floor, dead. There was only four of them and yet they had turned the ambush on it's heels as the insurgent counter strike was super effective.
"We're losing the offensive!" An Officer yelled before he typed in his wrist tablet, "I'm releasing it!"
Xalah had no time to comprehend what he meant before the large container on the middle of the train opened.
An ungodly roar was heard as she froze.
She had heard that sound once, when she was still a trainee, she had remembered hearing the awful noise nearby as it had broken loose, killing a few Troopers before a few Mutons miraculously held it down.
A Berserker arose from the container, it's colossal body shaking with pure anger as it roared to the sky in rage.
"By the Elders..." Xalah whispered.
Train
"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Madison yelled as the rest of the squad stared in shock at the unveiled creature.
The Berserker turned it's head to the squad as it began to pick up speed, knocking away crates and supplies as it's steps made the cart wobble.
"Amir!" Eliza yelled.
"On it!"
Immediately the Psi-Operative used stasis, a bubble of psionic energy surrounded the creature as it slightly slumped, frozen in place.
However Amir seemed to tire, "I-I do not know how long it will hold."
"That's fine, just make sure it stays like that until EVAC arrives!" Eliza yelled as she fired her weapon at a Muton that had peeked out of a tree, nailing it in the body as it fell back.
Dimitri kept firing his mag cannon before a courageous Muton stepped out of cover and fired a bolt of plasma as it tapped him in the shoulder, making the Russian flinch, the green liquid burning his armor before slowly moved onto his flesh. "Agh! Cyka Blyat!"
"Dimitri!" Madison yelled, the Muton that had fired immediately paid for it's actions as a shot from Roberts Gauss rifle came from the plateau, striking it in the head as it fell over.
"I'm fine! The damn Suka grazed me! Use the drone to get me targets!"
Madison was about to say something before Eliza spoke, "He's right Madison! Get your GREMLIN to scan the area!"
"Yes Ma'am!" The Texan said before he signaled his drone, the robot hovering above as it revealed targets within the foliage.
Dimitri was in the process of bringing out his grenade launcher before Eliza gave the order. "Now!"
"Eat this Mudak..." Dimitri muttered before he fired, the plasma grenade whizzing through the air before it landed on a rather occupied bit of foliage, the ADVENT that hid in it yelled something before it blew up, tossing their corpses through the air as Amir took the opportunity to fire upon a few stragglers.
"ETA 1 minute! Just hold in there team!"
And hold out they did, clearing the forest of ADVENT as they made there stand.
Forest
"That's it! I'm calling in reinforcements, we've lost too many." The Officer spat as he rose out of the foliage.
"Wait!" Xalah attempted to warn before a high powered Gauss round shot through the Officer's neck, a giant hole forming as he chocked on his own blood before falling over, turning the grass orange.
Xalah breathed in and out, now panicking as she had no clue where the sniper was. She knew that there had to be a fifth one, but didn't know the insurgent was away from the battlefield. She attempted to pass the underbrush, slithering next to a Trooper only to watch him get shot in the chest as he fell back like a chair.
She retreated behind the tree as she attempted to steady her breathing. She was going to die here, she wasn't going to make it back to tell Mirna about her day, she would die. Alone and afraid.
Plateau
Robert wiped the moister from his scales as he looked through the scope again, this time spotting a Muton that was attempting to fall back. He breathed in before he fired, nailing it in the head as it was knocked back from the force.
He reloaded his last magazine as he gritted his fangs, so far he had scored more kills then the magnetized bullets he held. Something which would've been impossible if he had been human.
He peered his scope again before he zoomed in, he could've sworn he saw a figure hide behind one of the trees.
Robert hissed, squeezing the trigger as he awaited for the target to show itself.
It's scaly head slowly peaked around the corner before Robert paused, his blue eyes widening as he saw the red of another.
It was her, he didn't know how he was able to tell but he just simply knew. The same Viper from the Statue as he saw her red eyes look around, her scaly hands holding her beam rifle shakily.
Robert's serpentine face turned into a frown as his fingers shook. "C'mon... It's an enemy... You don't think about the enemy..." Robert reasoned with himself as he whispered before he closed his eyes.
"God damn it..." He rasped as he looked through his scope again, firing off at a nearby stick.
The mag round blew the wood clean off, the shot having the intended effect as she retreated back behind the tree. He grimaced as he slowly stood up before slithering away, quietly.
What he did was insanity, pure and simple. He didn't take the shot, instead warning her with it to stay where she was.
Regardless he climbed down before he spotted two more targets, two Mutons as they hid in the underbrush.
He would have to join his squad later.
Train
"I-I cannot hold the beast for long!" Azir said as he began to sweat, his arms now shaking as he attempted to keep the stasis on far longer than possible.
"Just- Hold on!" Eliza said as she gritted her teeth, "Firebrand, do you-"
Suddenly the transport revealed itself as it floated over the treeline, hovering over the clearing, 5 rappelling hooks descended as the grass blew from the wind. "Did someone call for EVAC?" Firebrand said wryly.
Eliza smiled in relief before she brushed her hand, "Let's go people!"
Dimitri was the first as his left arm stood limp, followed by Madison as the Texan grabbed hold of the wire before being pulled up to the ramp.
Eliza put a hand on Amir's shoulder as he now began to shake erratically, his skin now turning pale as his nose began to bleed. Not a good sign.
"Where the hell are you Robert..." Eliza said as she scanned the clearing, her prayers were answered when a black Viper came out of the bush. "Robert! Get your ass to EVAC!"
The Sharpshooter heard her as he slithered towards the Transport.
However that was when things went to hell.
"E-Eliza... I cannot-..." And then Amir passed out in her arms.
"Oh fu-" The ranger turned her head to see the bubble shatter as the Berserker was free again, it roared to the air. She was forced to move as she hoisted Amir on her shoulder before running like hell, grabbing onto the rappel line as she went up.
Madison was holding onto the side of the ramp as he looked down. "C'mon Robert! You can make it!" The Texan yelled.
Robert rasped as he slithered, attempting to get across the clearing, he was merely a few meters away before disaster struck.
The Berserker let loose a surprising amount of speed as it's big meaty hands grabbed onto the last wire, the Skyranger immediately tilted as it's engines strained.
"Mayday, Mayday! We got a Berserker holding onto the rappels!" Firebrand yelled through the receiver.
The black Viper paused as his eyes widened, his friends were in danger as the Berserker pulled even harder, slowly bringing the aircraft down as Eliza struggled to hold Amir and her own rappel at the same time as her legs flailed from the shaking.
There was no way he could get on now even if he had superior reflex and precision, nobody got close to a Berserker and lived to tell the tale.
The choice was obvious.
He raised his pistol before firing, the mag bullet precisely striking the rappel as it snapped, allowing Eliza to be pulled up and the Skyranger to fly away.
Madison's mouth hung agape as he watched from the ramp, his eyes twitching before he leaned forward in despair.
"ROBERT!"
He spoke no more as the ramp closed, allowing the Skyranger to fly away.
Forest
Xalah hesitantly left her cover as she crawled on her belly, slithering like a real snake as she held her beam rifle. It seemed as if the Insurgents had fortunately left, which meant she had made it.
A roar broke her out of her thoughts as she grabbed her rifle in instinct. She paused before she looked at the clearing through the bush.
The Berserker was roaring in anger at the air transport as it slowly flew away. It's body trembling with rage as it turned itself to face something. Xalah attempted to see what it was before her heart stopped.
Standing there, the thing she had dismissed ever existing stood there on it's coils.
The male. The one that had plagued her thoughts and dreams as her red eyes widened.
His serpentine face slowly followed the transport as he seemed to smile, Xalah's thoughts were immediately clouded in confusion. She wasn't seeing things, this was real. It was all real if the Berserker noticed it too.
Wait... A Berserker had noticed him.
"Oh no... Elders no!" Xalah whispered to herself as she watched on.
Train
Robert was genuinely happy, everyone had gotten away with the exception of himself and he was fine with that. He raised his Gauss rifle at the Berserker as he intended to take it down with him.
And then he made the most fatal rookie mistake.
*Click*
Robert's blue eyes widened.
"Oh shi-"
The Berserker roared directly at him before it charged forward, forcing Robert to throw away his empty Gauss Rifle as he jumped to the side. Narrowly avoiding it as he took out his knife and pistol.
If he could get one well aimed shot, then he could potentially take this thing down. He turned his body around only to see that it had already recovered.
And its arm was already in the process of swinging.
He felt his body get flung as he took a nasty sideways hit from the creature, his snake like body falling to the ground as he grunted, his pistol cluttering from his hands and onto the grass. He attempted to reach for it until the Berserker grabbed him by the chest, he responded by gritting his fangs as he took his knife and stabbed it in the arm, the knife getting stuck in as its yellow blood stained the blade.
Big mistake.
It roared out before slamming him into the ground, forcing him to gasp out as it did it... Again, and again, and again. His breath being squeezed out of his body as his hands attempted to claw out of the Berserker's grasp. The creature merely growled before it slowly began to apply pressure. Robert struggled weakly as he attempted to do anything, even breath only to find out that his lungs were too crushed.
Darkness bit at the edge of his vision as his eyes began to droop.
So this was how it he was going to die. Asphyxiation.
He looked up in defiance before he sputtered a tiny hiss, "F-uck, yo-u..."
The Berserker growled as it raised him up, preparing to finish him with one final slam before someone fired at it, the beam hitting it's back as the creature roared, letting go of him as Robert fell on the ground and gasped breaths of fresh air. His body going into overdrive as his eyes looked around before he spotted his savior.
It was her. The Viper he had chosen to spare as she had her rifle pointed at the Berserker. Her scales shining off the sun, giving her an almost otherworldly appearance as she hissed at the creature. Her red eyes narrowed as she reloaded her weapon with her delicately long fingers, her body slithering threateningly manner, as if she was protecting a life long mate.
What was she doing? There was no way she was going to fight that thing and win.
His eyes widened as he watched the Berserker turn it's head to her before rearing it's legs.
No... No, no, no. He couldn't let this happen, he just couldn't. He needed to do something. Anything.
And then his body obeyed, his scales slowly shifting as he coiled back up to his full stature as he stood intimidating. His blue eyes sparked with unnatural fury as he unfurled his fangs.
The Berserker turned around as soon as it realized he was up again, but it was already too late.
Robert opened his mouth wide as he blasted the creature with pure ice, the frozen liquid quickly becoming solid as it spread all over the front of the Berserker, making it grind to a halt as it roared out in surprise and shock. Robert quickly grabbed his pistol as he wiped the frost from his scaly lips. The Berserker letting out it's angriest roar yet as it rung in his ears.
The black Viper merely shook his head, "Oh shut the fuck up you cunt." before he raised his pistol and fired, hitting it directly in the face as it's head jerked. And then he fired, again, and again, and again until the click of his empty mag pistol remained. He dropped it, now useless as he let out a sigh of relief. The Berserkers head now non existent as it's yellow blood became frozen after dripping on the ice.
However his senses came back as he noticed the Viper from before, slowly slithering up to him as she looked at him, wide eyed. Robert paused as he stared back, the two of them almost lost in the colors of there eyes before Robert came back to reality.
The sound of a distant convoy was heard.
He turned his serpentine head to her, she seemed shaky as she looked at him.
"Y-... You were the one who was at the statue." Robert rasped.
She paused as she seemed to be conflicted, she took a moment before she responded. "I was..." Before she paused again, shakily reaching her hand out. "Are you.. Real?"
Robert was surprised at the question, "Well, we both won't be anymore if we stick around here... What is your name?"
"I- it is 24473C."
The black Viper shook his head, "There's no way that can be your name. That sounds more like a designation."
She paused again before she felt a heavy weight lift from her shoulders, "Xalah... It is Xalah."
Robert was about to question her further before the sounds of the convoy was heard getting even closer. Robert instinctively grabbed hold of her wrist, making her flinch as she looked at him with surprise. Robert had to admit, her scales felt smooth and warm. "C'mon! The ADVENT will be here any minute now!"
"But what of your name?! Please I must know!" Xalah hissed pleadingly.
The former human paused as he looked at her, before he rasped.
"Robert... Robert Carter."
Okay, stuff to clear up. Before anyone comments about how the Thin Man and the Viper are said to be the same just genetically altered, I know. I'm just implying that the Vipers don't know that as they are the original forms.
Second, I might have miscalculated the explicit 'later chapter' thing in the summary. So I changed it, snake bewbs for everyone!
Third, Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Few people in India and Iran still worship it even today because it is a religion that originated from Persia... Wow I talked about religion right next to a text line that says snake bewbs... Oh boy. (Oh and by the way, George R.R. Martin said that the Lord of Light is based off of Zoroastrian religion. So their's some food for thought.)
And that's it except for Disclaimers for XCOM and pretty much any song I use in this story.
Translations: Shit - дерьмо