Right, this may have come as a surprise, or maybe not. I'm not sure if actually sends out notifications when chapters are reposted/changed. But in any case.
An X-COM 2 fanfic for whoever wants to read it, if anything I sure had (and still am having) fun writing it. It's far from finished of cause, but that 1.5kg pile of wet bacon in my skull refused to let the idea go, so here we are. Like the summary thingy said, it will eventually be Commander x Viper, but with a focus on hurt/comfort - It will take a uhm... well a while before we get there but hope you enjoy the story regardless of how much that parring speaks to you. I will be presenting a few heavy subjects in the story, main reason being that is that these stories are one way for me to deal with said subjects.
I don't have a beta reader this or my other story so hope you survive whatever errors you crash into
And with that I present ~ What Lies within.
Chapter 1: Extraction
ADVENT Gene clinic - Classified Location
Late February 2035 - Evening
"Signal received loud and clear. Okay Gate-crasher, your turn. Prepare for deployment, 60 seconds!"
Centrals head cleared a bit, as the pilot called out over intercom.
So far so good.
Ears still ringing from the X4 charges he carefully looked around. He'd thrown himself behind a concrete road barrier just as he gave the order to blow the charges. The Advent troopers around him were... well they were certainly wouldn't be a problem anymore. He pulled himself up, quickly moving to the Officers corpse and grapping his rifle and sidearm before scanning the area. The checkpoint was clear, the four Advent troopers were down and the civilians were fleeing the area.
The truck the X4 had been planted on was blown in two, crumbled metal scraps and rubble scattered around the plaza with smoke and dust still thick in the air
Central dusted himself off before he took another look at the unconscious ADVENT troops on the ground, quickly assessing the risk before deciding on what action to take.
"Aaah to hell with it," he grumbled to himself before pulling out a pistol and putting a single bullet into each.
Bang, bang bang... bang!
Letting out a sigh he holstered he pistol and put the rifle sling over his shoulder. Holding it ready he started moving on the asset, gate crasher would need all the help they could get. With that thought he started moving, staying in the shadows of the buildings and avoiding every kind of scanner he could see.
A short and thankfully uneventful run later and he was getting close to the area. There were gunfire nearby so gate crasher had already engaged the hostiles. Coming around the corner he let out a string of curses. Crasher-2 was down, and an Advent trooper has their weapon trained on a barricade, with crasher-1 hiding behind it. Central quickly raised his rifle before letting a single shot fly into the centre of the troopers back. They collapsed onto the road with a thud.
The ADVENT trooper weakly tried to pull themselves up.
"Morta... Beltor..."
"She's calling reinforments!" Avenger's voice rang out over the intercom. "Stop that-"
Central took two quick steps forward before planting his boot hard on the officers head, slamming it back into the concrete and knocking them out.
"-Transmission"
"Central reporting in" He said, kicking over the body of the trooper.
Avengers response was quick "You're late, what have you been doing down there?"
The visor clicked off the Advent trooper revealing the alien face underneath. Chin and mouth looked unchanged, but the nose was broad and flat, eyes enlarged and sunken in with the skull being significantly bulkier. You could not even call the things human anymore.
"Taking in the sights" he replied dryly.
Kelly came over behind him, taking a quick look at the Creature before her.
"What the hell are these things!?" Her voice was tense and rifle half raised, ready to put another bullet or 5 into the soldier.
"They're us. Least they used to be. Human hybrid soldiers. Advent's reward for obedience and servitude." He explain in a gruff tone. It wasn't pretty, more like a horror movie become reality. But it was their reality, at least for the moment he thought, as a reply came from the Avenger in solemn tone. "We've all heard rumours. Just never believed it was true."
"No one wanted to." Central responded. "But if we find what we are looking for today, promise you that's gonna change."
He took another quick look around, gunshots could be heard in the distance, but it seemed they were still in the clear... For now at least. He had a feeling that would change real soon.
"Let's move!" He called out signalling to the clinic on their right, with crasher-2 down they would have to be quick.
Having barely started moving the Avenger called out again.
"Dammit! Looks like that transmission went through. You have an ADVENT transport closing in on your position!"
Central responded quickly, calling out to Crasher-1 "You heard her, cover the left side!"
"Fire on anything that moves. Kelly follow me, we need to move on the package!" He quickly moved to the facility, smashing a window and jumping in. Kelly followed suit, but just as she came through the window the tell tale humming of an ADVENT dropship could be heard outside. He turned his head to see tree troops land on the road outside, the ADVENT officer barely had boots on the ground before calling out orders.
He looked from the sealed door to his side and back to the ADVENT troops outside.
"They're getting nervous. Now I know we're in the right place"
Crasher one fired a salvo with his rifle, sending one of the troops crumbling to the ground. "Well done crasher-1, fall back to our position!"
"Negative, you go! I'll hold them off" he called out. Central inwardly cursed but didn't object, they needed all the time they could get. Kelly ran up beside him, pulling out her data pad and making short work of hacking the console. There was a audible click and the door slip open.
Central moved in, gun at the ready. "Moving to secure the package," he called out as he moved through the dim lit room. Checking left he found nothing but dark metallic walls and empty bio-pods.
"Let's hope this is the place" Avenger called out.
Left side clear, he turned right and stopped for a moment before lowering his rifle. He let out a sigh of relief before responding "This is the place".
"Are you sure?" Avenger responded. Central moved forward quickly, eye traveling over the sealed tank before finding what he was looking for. He pulled the leaver quickly, stepping back as the doors retreated. Illuminated in green light and submerged in a liquid that was now draining, was who they had been looking for. He let a small smile cross his lips as he spoke. "Yeah I'm sure."
As the liquid in the tank drained the figure slumped against the glass. They were wearing a big heavy looking suit with multiple circular attachment points, with a sealed helmet and tinted visor making it impossible to see the face behind it.
Kelly moved up behind him, speaking in a rush. "Looks like there's an access panel attached. Let me get a better look and I might be able to-"
Central cut her off, smashing the stock of his rifle into the glass of the tank, shattering it.
He threw the gun to his left just in time to catch the person as they feel out. He position them over his shoulder, adjusting his stance a bit as he got ready to move to the evac zone.
Avengers interrupted him in a frantic tone.
"The entire ADVENT security grid just lit up! Firebrand is holding nearby for evac, it's now or never central!"
Central would have chuckled if it wasn't for the situation. Seemed like ADVENT finally noticed what they were doing. "Understood, we're on the move" he responded, moving back towards the door they had entered through.
He had barely made it to the door before a series of shots dented the wall just in front of him with heavy metallic clangs.
Those were advent rifles he noted, based on the sound. Had they hit anyone- his thoughts were immediately answered by Avenger calling out "No! Central. Crasher-1 is down, you have to get out of there!"
Dammit.
He took a quick look around the corner, seeing several toopers moving on the building. ADVENT was not playing around, seemed they were done with tactics and were now just rushing in to stop them. Which would have been a problem in itself, however the front door was the only way in and out of the building. Central had counted on Crasher-1 to hold the door, but now they need a plan b. "We need another exit! NOW!"
Kelly let out a burst from her rifle sending on of the troops scrambling into cover, last round had barely left the barrel before she retreated from the opening, pulling the pin and throwing a grenade at the back wall.
The grenade exploded in a flash of fire and shrapnel, blowing a car sized hole in the wall.
"Cover me!" He called out, getting ready to move past the door to the new exit.
Kelly gave a quick nod, checking her remaining ammo before switching to full auto and spraying bullets at the ADVENT soldiers.
Central kicked into motion, moving as quickly as he could. Stepping carefully over a few badly bend pieces of metal from the wall, he made it outside into the clear night. Firebrand - their evac drop ship, was hovering just above and had just thrown down the ropes. Central quickly strapped in himself and the asset, just in time as he heard another burst from Kelly's rifle followed by a number of ADVENT shots in response. He saw Kelly speed around the corner, just in time as a hail of fire flew past her, some rounds even punching through the wall she had been using for cover.
Central gave the signal, getting them both pulled up, Kelly rushed them, quickly grapping a rope and following. Central watched as a group of ADVENT soldiers spilled out from the hole in the wall, taking aim towards the ship. "Get us out of here!" he ordered, just as Kelly made it in and the hatch started closing. He ducked as a series of bullets hit the door with a metallic 'thunk'.
"Now god dammit!"
The Firebrand redirected it's engines and accelerated away from the site, quickly leaving behind the city and the army of ADVENT forces moving on the building.
The back room of the gene clinic stood empty. Screens and consoles flickered, struggling to show a clear picture with Another screen turning black in a flash of sparks. ADVENT troops had secured the clinic and were now waiting outside, forming a massive perimeter, almost locking down the entire city block.
Inside, the sparkling electronics were outshone by a wave of electricity and psionic energy. A bright blue flash that would have forced anyone near to look away. It pulsed for a moment before the light dimmed and a figure rose. A clearly feminine body, golden orange skin in a constant state of flux, appearing and disappearing at once - like it could quite settle on were it wanted to be, blinking back and forth like a bad signal. It's face was featureless, safe for glowing white eyes and a black mechanical head.
The entity immediately looked towards to pod, the prison that had housed the commander for so long. For a brief moment the battle torn clinic was silent, but only for a moment. The entity bend over backwards, letting out a piecing scream as it was engulfed in purple light - With a bright flash and a wave of energy it was gone. Disappearing with out a trace as quickly as it had arrived.
With one last flicker the power went out, leaving the clinic empty, safe for bullet casings, an empty pod and scattered debris from the battle.
The Avenger - Classified Location
Late February 2035 - Early morning
The first thing she noticed was a pounding headache, every single heartbeat sending a stabbing pain through her head. There was a voice though… she thought.
…
Yeah someone... someone was definitely speaking, but it sounded like she was underwater, or maybe they were really far away. Where were she even? Hrefna blinked her eyes tiredly, her entire body was shaking, freezing and sweating. She clenched her fists weakly.
Another voice - no the same voice as before. What was it saying? She took a shaky breath, trying to steady herself, trying to make sense of where she was. She tried to open her eyes, but everything was too blurry for her to make out.
Something grabbed onto her shoulders and legs, then: For a moment, she was floating before landing hard on something again. Her body shook slightly making her vision spin for a moment.
"Carefully!" She heard someone say. "There's potentially decades worth of atrophy to contend with!" Atrophy... such a funny word, what did it mean again? She felt like someone touched her arm but couldn't be sure, her mind was bussing.
"Wish we had more time..." another voice... different from before.
She tried to open her eyes again, to see what was going on, who was speaking...
It was blurry at first, but sharpened a bit, enough for her to make out a... a sort of... red-ish tinted room - no, was that a ceiling or a wall maybe?
The voice from before spoke out again
"I don't disagree. But as it stands now we risk loosing the patient if we don't begin the removal procedure immediately." Something blocked her vision, moved across it briefly before disappearing again. The world cleared up a bit, she could see a face. He looked serious, but his glasses were nice...
...
Hrefna shook slightly as her eyes drifted shut, like the small motion caused her to fall asleep.
She blinked a few times, attempting to stay awake, to try and focus. Another face moved into her vision, though only eyes and a nose, they were very close to her face. They moved away again before she had time to make out any details though. Something tapped her head slightly. "We're ready" the voice called out... not the first one, she noted. That was the second voice, the one who was too close to her face.
"Good. Then let's get on with it." Another voice responded, different from the last two but somehow oddly familiar...
She heard a hiss as something pulled on her head. The red tint moved away...weird. She saw two faces again, the one with the glasses and another one that - blinding light forced her eyes shut again. She groaned as another wave of pain wracked her head.
"Remarkable" she heard the glasses say... no wait, the person with the glasses, not...
The light subsided slightly, as another face moved in front.
"Just like 20 years ago..."
She blinked, not understanding.
"... We were still calling it a war back then." The person- man said. He had a beard. Why did he have a beard?
"We had no idea what was coming." he said. She squished her eyes shut as memories flashed through her head. Explosions, soldiers... Something in the sky - On the ground. Fighting, people talking, planning and coordinating.
"... response from the cerebral cortex. Good, prepping for cranial intrusion" She blinked again. She saw him pull up a... tool of some kind. Her mind flashed again. It was a... a thin man, the reptilian human hybrids... holding a similar looking one. She felt a spike of panic and fear punch though her as her mind blacked out.
...
"I've managed to identify the connection. Prepping to make final incision." the glasses said.
She twitched, her entire body snapping back into reality. How long had she been out?
"These readings are getting really erratic." voice one...no two said.
"Of cause they are. These implants were never designed to be removed. We are risking severe-"
"No plan b people. Do it!" The third voice...maybe...said.
The glasses pulled forth something, like the tool from before only...
She blinked. No... no, no, no, no, no, no no! Not again, pleas- Pain, searing and raw racked her head. Buildings blew up, two people shook hands... and that was when it ended. What exactly she wasn't sure. A wall blew up, familiar looking creatures rushed in, fired at the people...
"Doctor!"
Something moved on her rapidly, she reached for her gun only to find it wasn't there, the explosion must have thrown it. She heard a loud, panicked hiss drift through her mind. She swung her head around just in time to see the bud of a riffle move towards her face.
"No signal..."
...
...
She was floating for a time... peaceful... weightless... unbothered in a beautiful silence.
A figured materialized from the darkness in front of her... or had it always been there? She had never seen it before but, despite it's fuzzy shape and weird had, it seemed perfectly... Familiar.
Maybe, maybe she had felt it?
It was strange looking for sure, extremely tall with no visible hands or legs, and yet elegant in it's own way. Maybe even regal looking. Long flowing robes, a tall blocky and yet curved helmet covered it's head. She couldn't quite decide on what belonged to the creature and what was clothing or amour. It raised a long, spindly arm and opened it's palm towards her. The world swirled with purple light, flooding into her and pushing her back. She closed her eyes and gave in against the onslaught.
The darkness faded.
A ringing sound filled her ears.
The purple turned blue... Then white, moving slowly from left to right. A flashlight, someone was shining a flashlight in her eyes. "Pupillary response normal. Vitals Stabilizing. Procedure complete"
How rude.
The glasses left, now only the beard remained- No the man with the beard. Why did she... ?She blinked again.
"Told 'em it would take more than that to keep you down..."
"Welcome back... Commander" he said, before turning and... walking away.
Another shudder and she drifted into unconsciousness.
Mostly just an into, but let me know what you think ^^