UFO Assault: Large UFO
The Citadel, Training Area
Creed violently threw her to the ground as she once again failed to predict his moves. Everything in his body language indicated two left steps and then a sharp right attack. But no, he'd just dashed in front of her, lifted her off a few inches and threw her to the ground. Times like this she realized just how much stronger than her he actually was.
"You fell for it again," Creed tsked as he circled her, no sign of amusement on his face. Though if Patricia concentrated a little, she could sense the jumps of amusement that rippled through him. Despite what he showed, he seemed to be enjoying this a little too much.
She could sympathize, he'd put up with her tampering with his mind, even if they weren't making as much progress as she'd like.
A few more tests with Creed and she'd gotten the basic emotional manipulation down, which essentially boiled down to two methods. Brute force, by which she'd force whatever emotion she wanted on the person in question, which could lead to some rather unexpected outbursts.
The thing she'd found with brute-forcing it was that it was only temporary, and Creed had known he was being manipulated afterwards, so it's effects would depend on how successful she was, though Creed was an excellent person to test on, since he'd been able to resist her attempts several times, usually at her insistence.
The second method was far harder and more subtle, directly using memories and thought of the person to achieve the desired result. That she still hadn't been able to replicate, aside from that first time she'd found some accidentally and unintentionally used them. What she needed to work on was actually reading the mind of a person, and fully understanding it.
She could listen to the voices around her, but making sense of it was like being stuck in traffic during rush hour, trying to find one very specific car. It was staggering how many thoughts were formed, processed and vanished within the span of seconds, creating mental white-noise that hid the actual coherent thoughts.
She was tired of picking out odd images, words and feelings. But it was proving to be frustrating. She hadn't even begun to think about how to access memories, but that would come, it had too. It was possible to at least view them, but Patricia didn't know how to access them directly.
So, while taking a break, Creed had suggested a way to improve her concentration and reaction at the same time. She would use her psionics to predict his attacks, and then react accordingly.
A simple task, she'd thought, it couldn't be more difficult than this.
It was not.
She'd never thought how difficult it was to both move and use her abilities at the same time. Her constant movement made it difficult to concentrate, especially while she was also watching Creed for visual cues as to when he'd attack. But when she'd actually try and concentrate, she'd unconsciously stop, giving Creed the opportunity to charge in and knock her to the ground.
As he'd just done.
"You should have gone left," she groaned as she pushed herself up, glaring at him. His lips twitched.
"I did that to make a point," Creed noted dryly. "Stop watching my motions. Quit paying attention to my body language. Whatever you see is what I want you to see. Try to predict my movements on what your eyes can see and I'll beat you every time,"he said as he tapped the side ofhead sarcastically. "Remember this? Stop letting me beat you up and use that intelligent mind of yours. This is rather disappointing, to be honest."
She gritted her teeth, not quite sure how to take that. "That was either a nice insult or a very backhanded compliment," she said, rolling her shoulders. "Which is it?"
"Read my mind and find out," Creed challenged, beginning to pace back and forth.
At the beginning, she would have likely tried something like that. But now she was just tired, both of the training and Creed's smug jests. She took a firm stance and raised her gauntleted fists, watching the relaxed SEAL.
So how to get inside his head and still have a chance?
She was out of options. Time to actually go on the attack, because what did she have to lose? Everything outside of Creed faded as she let all the frustration and anger of the last few hours bubble to the surface, the air rippled around her as she lowered her armed and stormed toward Creed to beat him up.
His amused look turned to surprised and he raised his fists and took a stance as he prepared to defend against her. She threw a punch with her left fist and at the same time focused her thoughts into a pinpoint and focused directly on Creed.
She was instantly swamped with meaningless chatter and images, but the clarity her emotions brought disregarded that and focused on two imaged clearer than the rest. From Creed's perspective, she saw him first block her punch, then a two quick strikes to her chest with his opposing hand.
This flashed though her mind in milliseconds and the moment Creed blocked her punch, she spun around his left side as he threw a quick punch where her chest had been. Just as she'd seen.
No, predicted.
Unbalanced, he quickly tried to turn around, but not quick enough as Patricia kicked him in the back. He didn't quite fall to the ground, but instead used that to go into a roll and come back up faced against her. His expression was now one of elation, much to her chagrin. She scowled, not in the mood and focused her thoughts directly on him.
She witnessed his plot an attack from different angles, all happening within milliseconds before he seemed to decide on one. Other flashes of other attacks still appeared, but she figured that the clearest one was likely what he was going to do.
With speed that beliedhis size, Creed charged her, left, right, left, just as she'd seen. Next would follow two alternate punches and then a surprise kick to unbalance her. She knew if those failed, he'd follow up with two quick punches to her chest. Should those succeed, he'd strike her unbalanced side.
It would be better to let him succeed, though the issue then became how to fake it or worse, let him hit her and negate the damage. She could block the punches, her appearing to be unbalanced was what was important.
He closed in on her and threw alternating punches, both of which she blocked easily. Now came the kick, She let it land on her left leg and pulled it back just milliseconds before his full weight could be put on it. She let herself stumble to keep up the illusion.
Her flank exposed, she knew exactly where Creed would attack, and as he moved to punch her to the ground, she quickly pivoted to the side, letting him stumble forward and then thrust her palm toward his chest. A surge of power abruptly rushed through her and a faint purple shockwave burst from her palm outward as it connected with his chest.
Creed was thrown back almost five feet, rolling over until he came to a stop at the edge of the training mat.
The world came rushing back to her as she realized what she'd done. "Damn it!" she swore frantically as she rushed over to Creed's motionless body. She quickly knelt down and rolled him over to his back.
"Hey! Get up!" She told him, slapping his lightly on the cheek. Nothing. Damn, he seemed fine and was breathing normally. She placed her fingers on his neck and his pulse was strong, nor did any of his bones seem broken or damaged, minus bruising of course. No, it seemed she'd knocked him unconscious.
She'd worry about how she'd done that later. Right now, she might as well test the limits of her abilities, or at least experiment with them. She placed her palm on his forehead and closed her eyes. The white noise that normally accompanied his mind was faded, almost non-existent.
All she needed was to project something. She ultimately decided on two words.
Wake up.
He gasped and jerked up, eyes wide and panting. She immediately put her arm around his shoulder to support him. "Hey, hey, it's fine. Calm down."
He gave a brief nod and a few seconds later, the panicked look in his eyes faded and he shook his head. "That…wow…uh, how did you do that?"
"I don't know," she admitted, sitting on the ground beside him to get more comfortable. "It was…almost instinct. I just reacted and knew exactly what to do."
"Huh," Creed muttered, confused. "Well, it's an interesting development. You seemed to be doing pretty well without that extra…push."
"Yeah," Patricia muttered as she looked away. "I…guess it worked."
"All we need to do is get you agitated, I guess," Creed noted with a smile. "You become a lot more focused when angry."
The way he said it, she wasn't sure if he meant it in a good way or not. She didn't really know either. Anger had always been her ultimate fallback, what she drew upon when nothing else worked. And there was a lot to draw upon. But…she wasn't sure she wanted that as her primary source of power.
"I need to get better at managing it," she admitted. "I don't want to rely on that."
"I agree," Creed nodded, wincing. "But you don't go to it first, which is a good sign. Hopefully you know a better idea of what to do now."
She eyed him worriedly. "You sure you're alright?"
"I have a massive headache," he answered, waving a hand dismissively. "But I'll live. Should really expect it after getting thrown around like that."
"Sorry," she apologized again. "I really didn't mean to do that."
"I know," he chuckled. "I'd have figured you'd have at least warned me if you could do that."
She smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not if I wanted to surprise you."
"Uh-huh, because that's definitely something you would do," Creed noted wryly. "You can let go of my shoulder now, I can support myself."
Oh, right. She realized she still had her arm around him. Well, he was definitely awake now, no need to keep helping him. She pulled her arm back and instead clasped his arm and hauled him to his feet, then let go.
"I think that's enough for today," Patricia said, going to get a drink from her water bottle. "You're sufficiently tired."
"Me?" he snorted. "You get that from my mind or just guessing?"
"Both, I guess," she shrugged and took another sip. "You feel exhausted, and after our…what, four-hour workout, I'd think it perfectly reasonable."
Creed appraised her, something in his eyes she couldn't quite place. "So, I'm curious. How much can you…read a person now, for lack of a better word?"
She took a seat on the bench and he took one right beside her. "I can get a pretty good read on emotions now," she answered seriously, since she felt he deserved to know. "Like I can tell if you're angry, happy or sad just from being around you. If I concentrate specifically on you, I'll be able to get a more accurate reading, naturally."
He nodded, cocking his head. "You have another water bottle?"
She winced. "Nope, sorry."
"Not your problem," he waved his hand. "Was stupid not to bring more of my own."
"Yes, it was," she agreed.
"So, when you sense someone, can you tell who it is?" Creed continued, resting his hands on his legs. "Or is it just…blank?"
Patricia hesitated. "Technically, yes," she answered hesitantly. "Each…person, I guess, is unique. Like when I sense you…I know it's you, though it's only because I'm familiar with you. I can tell each person is unique, but I can't get much more unless I either figure it out myself, or read their mind."
"So the mind-reading is what you're struggling with," Creed pinpointed, nodding, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I thought you said you could hear people's thoughts?"
Patricia leaned back. "I can. It's still there, at the back of my mind. I'm too tired and am used to it by now that it doesn't really bother me anymore, but if I listen, they're all there. The problem is that so much of it is jumbled, congealed and loud that I can't get anything useful out of it," she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, deliberately ignoring the voices around her.
"If I do manage to pinpoint a mind, I run into the same problem," she continued. "You have thousands of tiny, half-formed thoughts that are created and dismissed within milliseconds without you ever realizing it. It creates something like white noise, making it extremely difficult to find the coherent thoughts and images. That's why I can't tell exactly what you're thinking now."
"Ah, that makes sense," he said, his features relaxing and morphed into contemplation. "You mind if I ask a question?"
She opened her eyes and looked at him curiously. "That sounds ominous, but sure."
"Right," he continued. "Do you want to read minds?"
She paused before answering, because honestly, that hadn't been her concern. The actual ramifications of these powers were extensive, yet she'd pushed them to the side and as a result, wasn't sure her answer would satisfy him. She lifted her water bottle and tossed it to him. "You ok with sharing?"
He caught it. "Sure. I've probably drunk worse."
"Thanks," she said sarcastically and he took a drink.
"I don't know," she finally said after a minute of silence. Staring straight ahead, she tried voicing the complicated and conflicting emotions she had. "I've not really thought about it that way, to be honest. I've just been so focused on mastering these abilities that I've never really focused on the….well, consequences," she sighed.
"This can be a potent weapon. If I can predict the aliens, or for that matter, anyone else who tried to harm me or my soldiers, then yes, I want to know how to read minds. The thing is, I'm not sure that I can switch this off once I get better. I can now sense people's emotions instinctively without even trying. I'm not sure I want to extend that to reading minds.
"I suppose I want it to be my choice," Patricia admitted. "I don't want to know everyone's secrets, but at the same time want to use it to increase our chances of survival. I told you about Newfoundland, how I…linked everyone, and it worked. But I did it without them knowing, and I'm not sure that's right or not."
She shrugged again. "Sorry, that probably wasn't what you wanted to hear."
"I disagree," Creed stated flatly, shaking his head emphatically. "Had you not said so, I would have guessed you'd put quite a bit of thought into it. I want just curious as to how you viewed this power."
"You don't need to hide it," Patricia pointed out. "I know that this is dangerous, that it can be abused. But I don't know how I can really prevent that."
Creed looked ahead for a moment. "I'd say, keep the mindset you have now. Your powers are a tool, and I would suggest you use them as such. When you see a situation that calls for your powers, use them. Don't hold back."
They were both silent for a while. "I don't think I can really keep this a secret much longer," she admitted, an inevitability she'd realized over the previous days. "Someone is going to get suspicious, if they aren't al-" she inhaled sharply as she sensed a person with an icy calmness and determination getting closer.
There was only one who she'd ever sensed who was even remotely like that: The Commander.
"He's coming," Patricia warned. "The Commander."
Creed raised an eyebrow. "How do you know-"
"Trust me," she insisted. "There isn't anyone who even remotely feels like him."
Creed frowned. "Which is?"
Patricia paused, trying to find a word to explain it. In the end, it wasn't that hard. "Cold."
Creed looked like he wanted further elaboration, but it wasn't the time or place. "Is he coming here?"
"I think so," she nodded as she sensed him getting closer. "I guess just act natural."
"I don't think we should try to hide anything," Creed suggested, glancing towards the door. "I get the feeling it would end badly."
He had a point. A very good one. The Commander wasn't an idiot and would likely not come right here at this point in time unless he had very good reason. And this time, she doubted it was to have a friendly sparring match again.
A minute later, the door hissed open and the Commander walked through, and after spotting them, made his way over to them. Both of them snapped into a salute as he approached, his expression unreadable.
The only thing Patricia could really sense was curiosity, but nothing more. Mostly because she was trying not to read the Commander as much as possible. There were some things that she shouldn't do, and reading his emotions, deliberate or not, was probably a very bad idea.
He stopped right in front of them, appraising them silently. "At ease," he finally said. "Hard at work, I see. Good."
"Yes, Commander," Creed instantly answered. "Is there something we can do for you, Commander?"
The Commander turned his gaze to Patricia. "Yes, actually. Patricia, I'd like to speak with you. Come with me."
Though his face betrayed nothing, she could feel Creed's primary emotion turn to concern. Which she had to echo, but she did find it endearing that he cared that much. But there was probably nothing to worry about. The Commander wasn't someone to be feared.
Usually.
Only if you were his friend. He clearly had very little empathy for his enemies.
His hands clasped behind his back, he strode out of the Training Area, Patricia at his right. They kept walking for a few minutes, the tension becoming almost unbearable. What unnerved her even more was that the Commander felt no different to her, she was almost the exact same from the first time she'd sensed him to this very moment.
"Is there a problem, Commander?" She asked, not wanted to go on in silence anymore.
"I highly doubt it," was the even answer. "No, I just have some questions. Some I hope you can answer."
She swallowed. "And these questions are?"
He glanced at her, a small smile on his face. "First, I feel like I owe you an apology. I've yet to follow up on your…headaches. Are they still posing any problems?"
Yeah, he knew something. The question was so pointed only an idiot would miss it. "No, Commander," she answered shaking her head. "They haven't affected me for awhile."
They reached an elevator and both stepped into it. "Good. I'm curious, Patricia, how long have you known you were psionic?"
Damn it. He was not going to be happy. Best not to make it worse than it likely already was. "Soon after Vahlen examined me," Patricia answered truthfully. "With Vahlen's reaction and…certain other circumstances, it was the only explanation that made sense."
The elevator opened up and they both walked out and into the hallway. "So, why didn't you ask to be sure?" The Commander asked as they walked, his feelings impossible to determine from his tone.
"Honestly?" Patricia shrugged. "I figured you would have told me if I was psionic. Aside from that, I didn't want to interrupt you further if I was wrong."
"Hmm…" the Commander pursed his lips. "I'd hardly qualify you exhibiting psionic abilities as an 'interruption.' I believe it might actually be essential to our own efforts."
Patricia had to agree with that. Stupid idiot, she cursed herself. "That being said, I believe I do owe you an explanation for not informing you of our own results," the Commander continued. "Vahlen deduced that you were psionic, and it was my own mistake to refrain from informing you. The truth was neither of us believed you would develop any abilities without training, or believe it would get much worse for you than it already was," his lips twitched. "That, and there were some other projects I felt should take priority."
They finally arrived at his office and as the door hissed open, they walked through. "Though I did not account for you deducing this, let alone training yourself to use it."
The door closed behind them and he turned to finally face her. "So, I'd like you to explain what exactly you've been doing, what you can do and how you've been doing it."
She gave a sharp nod. "Yes, Commander,"she said, then proceeded to tell of her initial plan to train with Creed to master her powers, quietly, until she mastered them, then tell the Commander and let him sort it out.
"It's gotten to the point that Creed and I were debating telling you now," she finished. "Someone was going to notice eventually, and judging from this conversation, someone did."
"Fascinating," he muttered. "So, you can read people's emotions, yet you haven't learned enough to read minds."
"Not deliberately," Patricia corrected. "I can sometimes pick out random words, phrases and images. But I'm not good at pinpointing something specific."
"So these…demonstrations on missions," the Commander continued, eyeing her thoughtfully. "Accidental?"
"I…" she paused, then shrugged. "I don't know. The first time it happened, it was. I just…tapped into everyone and had them hold for the signal. I'm still not sure how I did it. But…later, yeah, I've been trying to utilize my abilities more."
"Like when you told me how many soldiers were in that facility," the Commander recalled with a small smile. "I'm surprised I forgot that. Which makes me wonder if you, intentionally or otherwise, suppressed the memory of me seeing that."
"Ah…" Patricia wasn't certain how to answer. "No, it wasn't my intention…though I might have wanted you to forget you heard that and accidentally…made it happen."
"Hmm," the Commander rested his chin on his hand. He was taking this very well, far more reasonably than she was expecting. "And Newfoundland?"
"I tried out the timing trick on Soran," Patricia admitted. "And was sensing each building for life. It's also how I knew to shoot that chryssalid embryo."
"That timing trick," the Commander redirected. "How do you do it?"
She hesitated, not quite sure she could explain it. "I sort of try to…" she waved her hands absentmindedly. "Connect with them, so to speak. Focus on something simple, like a countdown. I plant a cue, or suggestion, like attack or open and they do it all at once."
"Yet you can't read their minds," the Commander noted curiously. "Even though you can influence them to this degree."
"Newfoundland was easier for several reasons," Patricia explained. "First being that there was almost no one there. The only people I could feel were my squadmates, which made it significantly easier. It also helped that Soran has a more distinct signature than most."
The Commander raised an eyebrow at that. "Really. Explain?"
She shrugged. "Oddly enough, the best word I can use to describe is empty. Though that's not exactly accurate, he still feels things, he's just not emotional about anything. Neutral would likely be a better word."
"Interesting, but irrelevant," the Commander commented. "Well, your little Newfoundland demonstration certainly made an impact on Soran, as he was the one to bring this to my attention. Though I had noticed something was off about you on the mission, I just couldn't put my finger on it."
There was silence between both of them. "So what now?" She asked.
"You're going to get sent down to Vahlen and let her run whatever tests she deems appropriate," the Commander stated. "Afterwards, you are free to continue training as you were."
She blinked. "What?"
Now she sensed amusement from him. "This is a field in which we have no experience," the Commander said, looking at her, the corners of his lips curled up. "We have no choice but for you to continue developing your powers, and as it seems what you're doing works so far. I see no reason to halt that."
It made perfect sense, true, but she was getting off with practically no punishment. "You're not going to punish me?"
"It would accomplish nothing," the Commander dismissed. "True, I would have like you to report this far earlier. But I do attribute some of this as my fault, for not sharing our own findings. However, from this point on, I expect you to inform me of all new developments, no matter how trivial," his eyes now turned hard. "Should you fail to report something now, then there will be disciplinary action taken. Furthermore, should Vahlen need you for any additional tests, you will comply. Am I understood?"
She nodded quickly. "Yes, Commander."
"That's all I ask," he nodded once. "Though I do wonder, how did you convince Creed to be…well, experimented upon."
Patricia shrugged. "I asked him. I explained what my goal was and why I wanted it. He agreed."
"Still," the Commander mused. "You weren't just asking for a sparring partner."
"No," Patricia agreed. "But he's my friend."
Friend. That might have been the first time she actually had thought of him as such. She got along with most of the soldiers here, but there weren't any she would have labeled as friends except maybe Abby. With Creed it had just sort of…happened. She smiled at that, Paige would have been happy she'd found another friend besides her.
Though there was still one little matter to resolve. "Are you going to make this public?" She asked.
"I'll inform all the Squad Overseers," the Commander answered. "But aside from that, I'll leave it to you to decide how best to let that information spread. I can't guarantee that the Overseers will keep it to themselves, but I won't spread it around."
She nodded. That issue she'd have to discuss with Creed, but there was one lingering question. "You're being awfully lenient," she noted. "Not to mention trusting. Why?"
"You're one of my soldiers," he answered simply. "I trust you. You're an adult, and capable of making responsible decisions. I suppose I believe you won't let me down."
Instinctively, she formed her hand into a fist and placed it over her heart in his salute. It seemed appropriate now. No Commander had ever said anything like that, they certainly appreciated her, of course. But none of them had treated her as a capable person outside her field. Yet the Commander did just on the basis of she was one of his soldiers, an almost unheard of respect for someone of her rank.
"Thank you, Commander," she said, quite possibly the sincerest she'd ever been in her life. "I won't let you down."
The Commander snapped into his own salute. "I know you won't, Patricia," he stated with absolute certainty. "Vahlen will inform you when she wants to run the tests. Until then, dismissed."
Almost numb with shock at what had just transpired, Patricia left his office. She had some fairly important decisions to make soon.
The Citadel, Mess Hall
"So, might I ask a personal question?" Soran asked Shun as they walked through the food line. It was clearly an American who'd chosen tonight's meal, since nearly every dish was some kind of pizza. He hadn't understood the fascination with this food at first, but after having it a few times, he had to admit it was really good.
He wondered why it wasn't more popular in Japan. A shame. Shun didn't seem quite as impressed, simply picking up a piece of cheese pizza and walking to a nearby table. "If you want," she answered. "Let's find a table." The Mess Hall was actually rather full tonight, soldiers gathered in groups of four or five chatting together. Once Soran got his food, he joined her at a table and sat down opposite her.
She took a sip of water and appraised him. "So, what's on your mind?"
"If your primary job wasn't traditional intelligence work, then what was it?" He asked, wondering if she would actually give an answer.
She raised an eyebrow. "My, curious, aren't you? Think you can trick me into revealing state secrets?"
Soran just looked at her, wondering if that was meant to get some kind of reaction. "No. It wasn't my intention. I'm just curious as you noted."
"Hmm," she started eating, speaking in between bites. "Well, I suppose I can tell you some things. I primarily participated in stings, cracking down on criminals and terrorists."
A particularly interesting word choice. "I was led to believe terrorism is dead."
She scowled. "What do you call IEDs placed in buildings or shopping centers? Criminal activity? No, Islamic terrorism is dead, but small radical groups still exist. Rebels against the governments. They don't have the numbers, support or funding to pose a threat, so they take it out on the civilians," she waved her hand. "But their damage is limited and it's the last gasp of a dying movement. The Chinese government has grown tired of these groups and allocated enough resources to finally wipe them out once and for all."
A rather bold move, Soran noted, and likely one that wouldn't work. "More will just appear, you know."
"Perhaps," Shun shrugged. "But it'll take them years to reform, if they even do so at all."
"So is that what you primary focus on," Soran continued. "Putting down anti-government rebels?"
"No, it's not," Shun amended. "I've been called on some raids, but I've primarilybeen focused on the Triad. If there is an immediate threat to the Chinese government, it is the Triad."
Interesting. "You consider the Triad to be a greater threat to China than the United States or Russia?"
Shun smirked. "Are you honestly surprised? No civilized country poses an…immediate threat. There are certain expectations, and I doubt the United States would hurt us through drug trafficking and child smuggling."
Soran winced. "Point taken, so is there progress being made?"
"Major progress, actually," Shun answered, a small smile growing on her face. "For the first time in years, the Triad is losing a lot of ground. We learned that there was some kind of dispute several months back that led to one of the head of the Triad leaving. He apparently took quite a few valuables, judging from how bad the Triad seems to want him dead."
Soran frowned. "How do you know that?"
"Because the Triad seems to believe he went to us," Shun answered. "Around the same time he left, we received a massive info dump containing an unprecedented amount of information on the Triad. Names, operations, locations. Enough to cripple the Triad for years. We immediately moved and I spent a few months helping cleanse them from China. He must have had a contingency in place in case they turned on him."
She raised a glass. "If I ever see Mr. Zhang, I'll have to thank him for his contribution. Right before I arrest him, of course."
Soran blinked. He was fairly sure he'd heard that name before. If he was right and it was the same Zhang…well, she was going to be in for an unpleasant surprise. "Why arrest him?" Soran asked, cocking his head. "He seems to have performed a great service."
"And that excuses the crimes of his past?" Shun retorted, shaking her head. "Regardless of what he did, it certainly wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. Self-preservation and revenge don't equal forgiveness for his crimes.
Hmm. Should he break the potentially bad news to her now, or wait to confirm?He was fairly certain he was right, but if not…at best he might get a dishonorable discharge, especially if Shun decided to make a scene out of it. The Commander would know, and at the very least needed to know about a potential issue within the ranks.
Although, he was also curious as to how the Commander would handle that. He was a very different Commander than what Soran was used too, he'd actually seemed to listen when he'd brought forth his suspicions about Patricia and had been very surprised when he'd confirmed it.
A development like that would have been kept under heavy wraps in practically any military, but the Commander had just told him. Why? He doubted it was a slip of the tongue, but hadn't wanted to press him any further. Perhaps he could when he spoke to him about this…issue.
"Mind if I ask you a question?" Shun asked, crossing her arms and resting them on the table.
He shrugged. "Of course."
"What did you do?" Shun asked curiously. "They don't let just anyone into the 1st Airborne Brigade."
"Are you asking me to reveal state secrets?" Soran asked, letting some amusement creep into his voice. "I feel that nearly every interesting mission I've been on would be considered classified."
"Then be general," Shun amended. "I deserve something."
It was only fair. "Fine," he let out. "I was…well, a scout is such a generic term, but it fits rather well. I kept track on enemies, reported on their positions for hours, enduring some rather harsh conditions and were able to track them if they ever left."
"Sounds fun," Shun commented.
"Oh it was," Soran recalled. "So much fun. On occasion, I'd even do some light infiltration. Disguise myself and report from inside. Though I was really only doing it a few hours before the eventual sting. Still, it's interesting to play a different person from time to time."
"Interesting is a term for it, I suppose," Shun muttered. "I assure you were pretty good if they never caught onto you?"
Soran chuckled. "I was competent enough. I don't exactly consider the thugs and criminals I was sent after to be the most intelligent of humans. I highly doubt my…acting would hold up if I was sent to infiltrate an actual military or intelligence group. Even the Triad would likely discover me rather quickly. Nah, scouting is what I'm best at. I just have some additional talent my superiors like to utilize if they deem it safe."
"I would not have guessed that about you," Shun shook her head. "Our roles should really be different. I've never been given a mission to infiltrate, but have likely seen more combat than you. Is it difficult readjusting to…you?"
"Not really," Soran dismissed. "Imitation is easy, it's just a matter of making the right sounds and gestures. Sound and look sincere enough and people will believe you. I've never been a very…emotional person, so I taught myself to imitate those around me," Soran took a sip of water. "I suppose that's a reason I had a small talent for infiltration. It's something of a natural extension of what I've been doing most of my life."
"Are you doing it now?" Shun asked.
He gave her a smile, a genuine one. "I see no reason too. I'm not a robot, Shun. But it takes a lot to get a reaction out of me."
"Maybe the Commander could use your talents in infiltrating the aliens," Shun suggested wryly. "See how well you fit in with a muton."
Soran actually laughed at that. "Yes," he replied, shaking his head. "Though I'd probably have better luck with a sectoid. I'm not that muscular."
"No, wait," Shun rested her chin on her fist. "Ah! You could go in as one of the thin men! All you'd have to do is get some of those glasses, change your hair color, your skin color, almost your entire face…hmm. Actually no, that might not work."
Soran chuckled. "For some reason, I'd think those thin men would notice if I started walking among them. They might have some kind of special smell they use to detect their kind. Not to mention I don't speak their language."
"Alright, perhaps you're better off as a soldier," Shun conceded, chuckling. "Just an idea."
"An interesting one-" Soran began, but was cut off when his wristband suddenly buzzed. A mission, time to get ready. He gave Shun an apologetic look. "Guess I'll have to put my abilities to work."
Shun nodded. "Good luck."
Soran stood and gave her a nod and smile. "Appreciated. I'll speak to you later."
The Citadel, Barracks
Soran finished a quick entry, tapping on his tablet while putting his pistol in his holster. Samuel walked over, rifle in hand. "You ready?" He asked, his helmet distorting his voice.
Soran finished up and sat the tablet down and put his own helmet on. "Yes," he answered as his HUD initialized. He grabbed his rifle and stood. "Let's go."
They both walked out of the Barracks, maintaining a brisk pace as they made their way to the Hangar. "What was that?" Samuel asked while they walked.
"Just personal notes," Soran shrugged. "Just stuff I find interesting and note throughout the day. I usually try to add something before going on missions, just in case I don't make it back."
"I suppose you would have it sent to someone if that happened?" Samuel wondered, glancing over at him.
Soran frowned. "No. But I figure someone might find it interesting if they manage to get into it."
"Hmm," Samuel looked ahead. "You don't have any family you'd want to inform?"
"None I'm close to," Soran admitted. "I just had too many issues with them. Better for us to part ways."
"Ah," Samuel commented. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Soran answered nonchalantly. "I'm perfectly fine with my life as is."
"Well, let's hope this mission keeps up that streak," Samuel said as they turned a corner. "I'll try not to get you all killed."
Soran gave a grin under his helmet. "I'm not worried. You'll lead us well."
"The promotion was a bit sudden," Samuel noted with a shrug. "But I'm told Creed's promotion to Squad Overseer was the same. I guess the Commander trusts me enough to lead a mission."
"Has the Commander told you what to expect here?" Soran asked.
"A large UFO," Samuel revealed. "He's sending Myra down as well so he clearly thinks we'll need the extra firepower."
Soran blinked. Hmm, he hadn't expected that. "I thought it was just going to be Marten, Blake, Friendly and Sarah?"
"It was," Samuel nodded. "But I suggested using Myra, since the last time one of these kind landed, it…didn't go well. At least from what Marten described."
Well, good foresight for Samuel. The aliens were definitely in for a surprise. "Blake is the medic, right?"
"Yep," Samuel confirmed. "A replacement for the previous combat medic. He's good, I've heard."
Ah, right. Soran remembered the former combat medic had been one Abigail Gertrude. He'd had yet to meet her since her transfer to XCOM Intelligence, but he'd seen her after the EXALT raid. Based on her profile, he wouldn't have guessed her to be the intelligence type. But appearances could be deceiving, of course.
The doors to the Hangar slid open and Soran saw the rest of the squad waiting for their approach. All of them snapped into a salute as Samuel approached, Soran included once they stopped walking.
"Our pilot arrived?" Samuel asked Marten.
"Not yet, Overseer," Marten answered, shaking his head. "But he's coming."
Soran looked over to see Myra in her MEC suit being hooked into the MEC skyranger transport. At least she'd be ready to go once their pilot arrived. "You know who it is?" Soran asked.
"Fallen Sky," Friendly answered. "I think." He looked at Samuel for confirmation.
"Correct," Samuel confirmed. "The Commander's informed me it's a large UFO."
"Damn it," Marten muttered. "Let's hope this one goes better."
Sarah raised her hand, pointing her thumb at Myra behind her. "We've got a massive robotic soldier. I think this will go a bit better."
"Let's not celebrate yet," Soran cautioned. "The aliens won't just give up because of our MEC."
"Then I'll settle for their burned corpses," Sarah shrugged. "Ah, there's our pilot."
Soran turned and saw Tristin, or "Fallen Sky" walking toward them, aviation helmet in hand. His expression was one of complete seriousness and gave a quick salute as he approached Samuel. "Your squad ready?" He asked.
Samuel motioned to the skyranger. "After you,"
"Load up!" Tristin yelled as he jogged to the skyranger.
"Yes," Samuel added, taking the lead, his rifle at the ready. "We've got a UFO to raid!"
Skyranger, En route to UFO landing site
Soran flexed his right hand as the skyranger sped through the skies. Despite his warning, he got the impression that the soldiers around him were going into this mission a tad overconfident. While having a massive robotic soldier would no doubt increase their odds, it didn't negate the alien's lethality at all.
Well, they had a medic with them in case things went bad. Blake sat across from him, seeming completely at ease with his hands resting on his legs. The med-kit was strapped to his belt, with several additional charges beside it. Good to see him prepared, though Soran wasn't sure he'd ever seen him deployed on a mission before.
"You wonder why they've set down?" Sarah asked, looking over at him. "Seems like a massive risk, especially since we have satellite coverage over the US."
"Maybe they don't know that?" Friendly suggested.
Soran blinked under his helmet and sent an incredulous glance over his way. "Do you honestly believe that?"
"Perhaps," Friendly shrugged. "The only other possibility is that this is a trap."
"Which is why we should be prepared for ambushes," Samuel stated, shifting his feet. "But this would be a rather poorly done ambush. It's an amazing lack of subtlety."
"These are aliens who think all they have to do to pass for a human is put some glasses and a hat on them," Blake pointed out and they all chuckled. "I'm not sure how subtle they really are."
"More than you think, Private Harkin," the voice of the Commander interrupted. "Underestimate them at your own peril. Now, Laker Team, you're heading towards Idaho. As you've heard, the aliens have sent down a large UFO for unspecified reasons. Based on previous instances, we're assuming they're conducting some sort of research, in which case it's imperative that we put an end to them."
"What's the area look like?" Samuel asked.
"The UFO has landed in a forest," the Commander answered. "Fallen Sky will drop you off just outside the outskirts. Sneaking up to them will likely be difficult with Myra accompanying you."
"We can get into positionbeforehand and let Myra know when to strike," Sarah suggested. "It might work to our advantage."
"We also run the risk of drawing to much fire on her," Soran pointed out. "Remember the aliens don't use bullets."
"I'll make the decision on the ground," Samuel stated. "I want to see the area first. Do you have an image of the area?"
"Affirmative, Overseer," Central answered. "Note that this isn't real-time. The craft is generating a signal that's disruptingour images of the area. But this was captured just after it landed."
An image appeared in the upper right of Soran's HUD. It showed the UFO in the middle of dozens of flattened and splintered trees. He would have thought they would have developed a more…refined method of landing in tight spaces. He supposed that they had more things to worry about than wood that wouldn't even scratch the metal.
"Requesting a map of the full area," Samuel requested. "It'll be useful for planning our attack."
"Sending now," Central confirmed.
"Fallen Sky to Laker Team, strap in," Fallen Sky interrupted, his voice tense. "I've got bogeys approaching."
All of them wasted no time and strapped in, which most of them were in the habit of not doing since nothing usually happened on the flight over. "Fallen Sky, what's going on?" Samuel demanded.
"We're a few miles from the landing zone," he answered. "It appears the aliens have set up air sentries?"
"What kind?" The Commander demanded.
The skyranger suddenly jerked and made a hard right. Soran could hear something hissing by outside. "Cyberdisks!" Fallen Sky swore. "They're using cyberdisks!"
"Damn it," Samuel muttered. "Will that be a problem?"
"Give me a second, and hold on!" Was his tense response. Soran gripped his restraints, and just in time and the skyranger suddenly pulled up and twisted around. He was thoroughly disoriented now. The hisses nearby must be the skyranger's return fire.
"Woo!" Fallen Sky shouted. "Got it!"
"Can we land?" Samuel demanded.
"Not really safe until we clear out the remaining two cyberdisks," Fallen Sky answered. "Gray Sky, what's your status?"
"Holding back for now," the voice of the MEC transport pilot answered. "I don't exactly have the maneuverability you do."
"Drop me off," the voice of Myra broke in, as emotionless as he remembered. "I'll lock down the area."
"Do it," Samuel ordered. "They know we're here now and might converge on our position. We need to land as soon as possible."
The skyranger shook as cyberdisk rounds hit around the aircraft as is jerked side to side. "Deploying now," Myra informed them as Soran heard the skyranger's weapons fire again.
"You got the last one?" Fallen Sky asked as he pulled the skyranger into a sharp turn.
"Affirmative," came Myra's robotic response. "Come in for a landing."
"Moving in, Laker Team, prepare to deploy!"
The lights in the skyranger flashed to the familiar solid red. "Prepare to deploy!" Samuel shouted as he unbuckled his restraints and stood up, grabbing a handle above his head. The rest of them followed suit, the floor under them shaking from the fire.
With an unhealthy-sounding crash, the skyranger slammed into the ground, shaking them and almost causing Sarah and Marten to lose their balance. But then everything righted and the ramp opened and landed on the green grass, blowing gently in the wind.
The smell of melting metal and gas filled the air, along with the sound of a massive autolaser being fired. "Deploy!" Samuel shouted and they charged out into the Idaho fields, Soran ready for the upcoming alien attack.
United States, Idaho
The skyranger roared behind him as Soran charged out into the field. The sounds of cyberdisk cannons drew his attention upwards, where the machine was firing at the fleeing skyranger. A few seconds later, dozens of red pulses lit up the area around the cyberdisk, and Soran looked back to see Myra firing upwards.
Samuel pointed up at the lone machine. "Take it out!"
All of them raised their weapons and began firing. The cyberdisk attempted to retract into its disk shell, but it couldn't do it fast enough to avoid the burning beams that sliced, burned and cauterized the delicate mechanisms within it. The result was that the transformation was incomplete, and the cyberdisk slowly lost altitude, weeping yellow liquid from gaps in it's shell.
"Leave it to me," Myra stated as she stormed past to them where the cyberdisk was falling. It hit the ground with a crash and she stopped around five feet before it, then unloaded a barrage of laser fire which caused the cyberdisk to explode in a small fireball a few seconds later. She turned back to them. "Threat neutralized."
"Good work," Samuel nodded, turning towards the forest where the UFO was within. "Fallen Sky, Gray Sky, status?"
"We're in Hawkeye protocol now," Fallen Sky answered. "The skies are clear for now. Proceed."
"No point sneaking in now," Friendly muttered as he walked up by Samuel. "They know we're here."
"Agreed," Samuel nodded. "We're in for a tough fight." He motioned towards the dense forest. "Advance! Be ready to fire!"
"Yes, Overseer!" they shouted and began moving inward. The forest was dense, but flat, at least to Soran. The tree trunks would provide moderate cover, but he didn't exactly feel safe here. Leaves cracked under their boots as they walked, the silence only permeated by the faint hum of the UFO that only grew louder the closer they got.
Soran frowned as he thought he glimpsed something ahead. Squinting, his eyes widened a few seconds later. "Take cover!" He shouted as a hail of green plasma fire tore through the forest directly at them. Luckily the denseness worked to their advantage and the worst that happened was the scorched trees. Myra was similarly unaffected, the plasma missing her large chassis.
Soran peeked around his tree trunk as more plasma fire slammed into nearby tree trunks and whizzed past his helmet. He took a few precious seconds to figure out what they were facing. Mutons. A lot of mutons. There were no less than eight, also taking cover behind tree trunks and laying down a steady stream of suppressive fire.
Now the green light show was joined by sizzling red lasers as the squad began firing back. A muton screamed as one of Samuel's beams tore into it's face and it collapsed to the ground. Sarah and Marten both targeted one on the far left, targeting it's body that was sticking out of cover far too small for it's hulking frame.
Soran heard Myra grunt and quickly glanced back to see her take a step back, the area by her shoulder sizzling, green plasma residue indicating where she'd been hit. She responded by blasting the muton who'd shot her, and not only eviscerated the muton, but also shattered the tree.
With a snap and groan, the tree began falling to the right, forcing one to the mutons to fall back else he'd get crushed. Soran raised his rifle and took aim. Once the shot was lined up, he fired. The red beam sliced into the leg and the muton fell to the ground with a howl. Not a killing shot, but it set up Blake to send a laser beam directly into it's head.
"More coming!" Marten warned as he began firing in short bursts. Soran looked beyond the remaining muton to see he was right. Six more were charging their position, providing much needed reinforcements to the aliens.
"Myra, burn them out!" Samuel ordered. "Lay down suppressive fire. I don't want a single return shot!"
The quickly disintegrating distance between XCOM and the aliens suddenly became a lethal laser trap, as beams of red crisscrossed and moved, killing several unsuspecting mutons in the process. Tiny fires were starting as a result of their weapons, adding to the lethality of their tactics.
But it worked, the mutons knew that XCOM couldn't keep this up forever and had opted, wisely, to wait. Which would have been an excellent strategy, had Myra not been with them. Her MEC suit allowed her to charge over within seconds, setting her up on their right flank.
Soran watched in fascination as she slammed the butt of her rifle into the ground, which had a spike attached to it for supposedly just such an occasion. Which confused him until he realized that the attachments on her arms were shifting and moving. "Flushing them out," she stated as she raised her arms.
Cones of flame burst from them, washing over the mutons position setting everything in their path alight. The effect was vicious and immediate as the mutons howled in pain and began running back, their heavy green armor heated to oven temperatures, cooking them inside it.
Myra kept advancing her wrists spewing more flame as the immediate area around her was scorched and beginning to turn into an inferno. The fleeing, disoriented mutons were easy targets for the squad, as they were mowed down with surgical precision. Myra stopped in front of a muton writing on the ground, lowered her wrist to it's face and blasted a cone of flame on it.
No sound remained except for the crackling of flames as the fire spread through to nearby trees. However, the flames weren't nearly large enough to worry about developing into a forest fire, they'd burn out soon. Myra stomped back over to her weapon and picked it up.
Samuel motioned them forward, closer to the burning area. A wall of flame was still between them and the UFO but they could just-
A burst of…something suddenly blew the wall of flame away and the largest outsider Soran had ever seen stepped through, flanked by two smaller ones, several drones flying overhead and even more mutons behind it. It was a deeper orange than the smaller outsiders, but seemed identical in almost every other way.
Instead of the regular plasma carbine the outsiders typically wielded, this one had a rifle that was nearly as tall as he was. This outsider was almost as tall as Myra, who towered over them all.
"Do they ever stop?" Sarah muttered as she began lining up a shot.
"Kill them!" Samuel ordered and they all began firing at the new arrivals. The outside immediately leapt into cover, using their limited immunity to the lasers to begin getting into flanking positions.
"Myra, Sarah, Blake! Take out the left one now!" Samuel ordered as plasma began flying at them again. "Soran, Marten! Suppress the right one! Me and Friendly will take the big one!"
"Copy!" Soran yelled and began firing short bursts at the outsider that was taking an uncomfortable angle near him.
"Grenade out!" Marten yelled as he tossed it towards the crouched outsider. It exploded and forced the outsider briefly into the open. Soran immediately fired a sustained beam into it, temporarily freezing it in place. Marten joined in. "We've got this one!" Marten shouted. "Kill it now!"
Another beam, which he assumed was from either Samuel or Friendly, joined their attack and a few seconds later the energy overload proved too much and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Soran quickly reloaded, glancing frantically forward as the new wave of mutons began taking entrenched positions.
The outsider Myra was trying to pin down was proving more adept than theirs. It kept moving, shooting at the much less nimble MEC, scoring shots that while not very damaging, were adding up. The outsider leader was not even firing yet, just staring and seeming to appraise the situation.
The inaction was finally coming to an end, as four laser weapons fired on it simultaneously. It simply absorbed the lasers, then raised it's hand and orange energy began converging on it's palm. A second later, a sizzling orange laser shot right at them, forcing them to cease firing.
Soran pursed his lips. That was going to pose a problem for them. Outsiders could absorb and reflect energy, so it made sense that a larger one was going to be able to do it even better. The bad news was that it was essentially invincible unless all of them focus fired it down.
The two drones circling the massive outsider suddenly fire a small sustained laser, but not at any of the soldiers, but directly into the outsider. Well, well, it seemed they'd taken some inspiration from XCOM. "Look at the drones!" He shouted as the outsider raised its palm again to shoot another laser.
This time it aimed at a much larger target: Myra. The beam slammed into her and began cutting into the armor. She began firing at the outsider, but her weapon only added made it more powerful. The smaller outsider that had been harassing her leapt toward her, still firing.
That gave Sarah and Blake the opportunity to hit the elusive alien. Blake managed to freeze the outsider with his sizzling red beam, and Sarah immediately joined hers. Myra noticed and one blast later the outsider became overloaded and exploded.
Soran and Samuel aimed at the drones above and began firing. One exploded thanks to one of Samuel's lasers hitting it, while the other was taken out by Friendly who'd taken a forward position to get a better shot.
The battle was slowly turning in their favor as they could now focus on the massive outsider and remaining mutons. Myra unleashed another torrent of flame at a covering pair of mutons, who stood no chance. But Soran noticed that she was in much worse shape than earlier, her armor was scorched, torn and pieces falling off. She couldn't keep this up forever.
Now the massive outsider began firing its massive weapon, streams of plasma bursting out at previously impossible speeds. All the soldiers ducked back into cover as the outsider suppressed the area. Soran sucked in his breath. A weapon like that would cut through Myra if it was sustained for even a few seconds.
Samuel had the same idea. "Return fire!" He yelled and the area was filled with red bursts and beams as they continued ravaging the area. Soran perked up as a familiar sound reached his ears. Chittering.
"Sectoids," he hissed as he reloaded his rifle.
His assumption was proven true when Blake pointed behind the outsider. "Sectoids!"
Soran took a closer look at the approaching alien. Both of them had the augmented black arms. Leaders. Not good. Purple energy converged around their heads as they gathered psionic energy.
Plasma fire from the mutons and outsider raining around him, Soran still tried taking aim. "Disrupt them, now!" He shouted as they thrust their heads forward. One purple strand went towards Friendly, the other towards Samuel.
Samuel stumbled back, then aimed his rifle at the approaching sectoid. "Get out of my head, freak!" Then fired a beam that sliced it's augmented arm off, forcing it back with chitters of pain.
"Ahh," Friendly groaned as he sank to a knee, clutching his head. "I'm…not feeling so good."
The other sectoid was dashing into cover, and the outsider took the opportunity and stormed over to Friendly's position. Samuel, Blake and Marten all fired at it, but it simply just absorbed the energy, gathering it into itspalm which began glowing a bright orange. Friendly tried firing at it, but the sectoid had disoriented him so much that his laser went wild.
With an almost contemptuous look, the outsider picked him up by his neck and held him in the air, dangling him a few feet off the ground. The hand clutching Friendly's neck glowed with energy, and he started screaming as the outsider used that energy to burn through Friendly's neck.
The decapitated body fell to the ground, the head landing close by it. It's target dead, the outsider turned to the rest of them.
Soran looked around at the rest of the squad. All of them were under fire from the mutons, who were slowly advancing as XCOM was stalled by the outsider. Myra was in bad shape, some sparks flying from exposed parts in her chassis every few seconds. The outsider was no less damaged than before and the sectoids were still out there, and they'd use their psionics at the earliest opportunity.
"We have to fall back!" He shouted at Samuel. "There's too many!"
Samuel locked his helmet on him, and Soran could almost see the thoughts running through his mind. They might be able to win this. Might. And chances were high that they'd lose at least another soldiers, not to mention they'd have to deal with whatever was still remaining at the UFO.
The aliens had sent a small army with this one, and as well-equipped and trained as XCOM was, even they couldn't take down a force this large without serious casualties. The aliens weren't going to go anywhere, and Soran didn't see a reason they should risk losing everything for a dubious victory. They had to know when to retreat.
Samuel evidently came to the same conclusion. He gave Soran a nod. "Blake pop smoke and fall back! Use whatever you have!"
Blake tossed several canisters of the pink smoke around them and everyone else began tossing grenades at the mutons, outsider and sectoids. Soran tossed a flash-bang at the place he'd seen the sectoids, figuring it'd be better there.
"Fallen Sky we need an evac!" Samuel called as they dashed back towards the field, occasionally stopped and turning back to offer some return fire. Myra was now weeping what looked to be oil from several gaps, yet still continued firing back at them, her wide suppressive fire slowing their advance.
"Heading there now," came the voice of Fallen Sky. "Gray Sky is right behind me."
"Ah!" Sarah gasped and spun to the ground, clutching her arm. Blake knelt beside her and hauled her up. Soran winced as he saw where the plasma had hit, already eating through her armor and skin.
"Hold still!" Blake encouraged as he sprayed with the Med-kit on her wound, sloppily, but it had to work as they kept running.
"Enact the Zeus Contingency!" Samuel ordered as the skyrangers roared overhead and moved to set down.
"Copy that," the Commander acknowledged as the ramps lowered. Soran knelt by the ramp, firing into the forest as Blake and Sarah stumbled on first, then Marten, and finally Samuel.
Myra had attached herself into the MEC skyranger and just in time, as the aliens were storming out of the forest and plasma began blazing in their general direction. Soran leapt inside the skyranger which immediately rose as the ramp was closing. The adrenaline beginning to fade, Soran pulled off his helmet and sank into the closest seat he could.
That could have gone better. But at least they'd managed to mitigate their losses.
After-Action Report
Operation: Disintegrating Shard
Personnel:
Laker 1 (Squad Overseer): Specialist Samuel Roche
Status: Active
Kills: 7
Laker 2: Specialist Marten El-Amin
Status: Active
Kills: 6
Laker 3: Specialist Sarah Liber
Status: Wounded (Estimated Time: Three Days)
Kills: 4
Laker 4: Specialist Glenn Friendlein
Status: Deceased
Kills: 4
Laker 5: Specialist Soran Kakusa
Status: Active
Kills: 2
Laker 6: Specialist Blake Harkin
Status: Active
Kills: 3
Laker 7: MEC Soldier Myra Rodriguez
Status: Active
Kills: 14
Mission Director: The Commander
Pilot 1: Tristin Ward – Call sign: "Fallen Sky"
Pilot 2: Barney Kimon – Call sign: "Gray Sky"
Artifacts Recovered:
None. Tactical Retreat