Summary: Debriefings and the beginning of meetings. The Avenger was finally up in the sky and they were off towards a faction meeting. Meetings... she hated those, more or so the meetings she had to deal with the Council ages ago. She wondered if they would be just as stressful.
About a week had passed since they had acquired the power converter. Shen's calculations were a bit off, but she wanted the job to be done right the first time. Better to not risk everyone's lives by doing the job sloppily. She was nearly done with integrating the converter into the Avenger's systems, but she and her team needed one more day — or more — to double-check all the systems.
Jynn gave an all-clear for her to take her time. She wanted Shen's best work. Not a rush job. It had been a long time since the Avenger was flying smoothly, from stories she had heard, and she wanted it to be like that once more.
While that was going on, they did a few supply raids to prepare for their eventual departure. Much to the surprise of everyone on the Bridge, Bradford included, Commander Reeves was around for each operation — when the doctors weren't dragging her away for tests and therapy — and even took over the last few. Looked as if she was champing at the bit to get back in action after what had happened a week ago. Also, a fine way for her to better familiarize herself with the process and their soldiers. Who worked best with who. Everyone's attitudes while under pressure. And just how clever some could be in the middle of combat when another solution was needed.
And with how her recovery was going, the doctors became a tad more lenient with the amount of time she got to spend on the Bridge and walk around the ship. She was taking full advantage of it. Slowly trying to overcome that brave face, that mask, she was putting on for the crew. She knew she had to get back into the leadership role, but she was still hesitant. So much had changed. This was a new world for her to learn.
When questioned by Bradford later, in private, she was truthful about how she felt. She was still shaken up from what happened a week ago and then everything concerning her recovery. She still couldn't explain why she had such a sudden outburst, and it worried her. She knew she saw something almost eerily familiar to her, but she was still unsure. Something was there. It nearly took Errol's head off with a bullet.
It all fed into her doubts. Could truly lead XCOM right now? What if there was more damage to her than they knew? Was there more than just the chip the Elders implanted in her? Dr. Tygan and the others were still investigating everything dealing with her DNA, confinement, and everything the Elders had possibly done to her. A high task, but several of the scientists were looking forward to the task.
But she knew she couldn't let those doubts consume her mind. XCOM needed a fierce leader to give them — the whole Resistance — a fighting chance. So, she explained to Bradford she felt it was best she co-lead with him for a bit before fully taking over when more comfortable. Less stress for her recovering body. But he quickly pointed out she took over pretty quickly, especially once the doctors became more lenient on how long she could stay up and out of her room. She chuckled, since he was right about that.
Bradford gave her some encouraging words to try to help ease her doubts. It was a mixture of flattery of how she was during XCOM's prime and slight jabs at her stubbornness, but the words slowly worked their trick. She did punch him a few times for the jabs and bringing up her family but, thanked him for easing her mind.
It didn't take long for the two to develop an unspoken rule of sorts; venting their doubts, frustrations, and pains to each other in private. It helped them stay level-headed.
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"Today is the day this bird shall fly." Jynn hummed. She was stretching in her quarters. "If we had a budget like the old days, I'd give Shen and her team a raise… guess they'll have to settle for increased rations for a bit." She muttered as her back popped in a few places. "Or maybe find something rare for her to tinker and tear apart."
She stretched for a few more minutes before putting her boots on. "If I remember correctly, we'll be flying towards the Reaper's base in Russia for a meeting of sorts." She mumbled. "Volk is their leader. From what I heard, he can be a bit abrasive." She mumbled again. Though the name felt familiar to her. Even more so when she read the files gathered on them.
"Hm. Why? Why? Why?" She just couldn't put her finger on it. "Not the time to dwell on it. Just hope they play nice. John told me he's successfully cooperated with them in the past. Especially with these Skirmishers." Another interesting faction. "But seems like something's recently happened to strain those relations. Looks like XCOM will have to play peacekeeper in the meetings."
"Ugh, meetings…" Rarely was she fond of them. A great source of headaches in the old days. Especially with certain Council members and special handlers. "I remember John saying there was another person who wanted to speak with me, but in private. Never specified when."
Boots on, she tapped her feet a few times before getting up. "Hopefully both meetings won't be as abrasive as the Council… I do and don't miss them." They were always a tough crowd to please, especially as the war went south. Though with some files she read, seems like some of those "sudden demands" were caused by alien infiltration. Mind control. Explained how they got sold out and all the old bases were attacked.
"But I do have to thank them for helping XCOM find me. Hmph, Reapers and Skirmishers… then we have those Templars." Another faction, more mysterious than the others with their psionics. "John says his contact with them is sparse as of late. Something about being cryptic and waiting for the right time to join the fight in full force." She tapped her lip. "Wonder what they're waiting for."
As she was heading to the door, she stopped in front of the mirror. She couldn't help but study her reflection. A hand reached out and touched the mirror, hands tracing the outlines of those exaggerated cheekbones. She sighed. "Who knows if they would have ever found me."
She continued to stare at her reflection and examine herself. First off, her skin color. God, her skin. It was discolored, clammy, and several shades lighter than the light tawny to sepia brown skin she could fondly remember.
"I hope this isn't permanent. Even lighter than my brother and mother!" She wondered what the aliens did to screw up her skin tone so badly. "Just can hear my dad now as he would be fussing over me, 'My girl! Dangnabbit, what happened? You passé blanc! Lighter than yo couzins down in da swamps!'" Her Cajun accent rose to the surface.
Then her clothes. Who knew how loose they were going to be. She was gaunt. Some of the crew lovingly referred to her as a 'walking corpse'. John wasn't fond of that. She found it hilarious, minus a few people who were still questioning her future leadership. She chuckled before sighing once more as her eyes fell on her nose.
Three distinctive red slashes. Scar marks. They almost looked like open wounds, but the flesh had healed.
"The aliens had to do something to cause that…" She had never seen scars like them before. They looked so unnatural, even more so against her discolored skin.
She then ran her fingers against her shaved scalp. A little fuzz was coming in. "To think I miss my hair the most." She straightened herself back up. Enough of that. "Still on the long road to recovery. Hopefully, within a month or two, I'll have meat on my bones once again. And maybe some hair"
"Let's see how things are below." She headed for the Bridge.
As usual, Commander Reeves got sidetracked on her way to the Bridge. She had to talk to the various personnel and there was usually a doctor or two just around the corner, ready to badger her with questions and a quick examination scan with a Gremlin.
Whatever keeps morale up. She thought as she was finally able to make it to the Bridge.
"You are too trusting, John." A rather gruff voice said.
"Hmm?" A new voice she had never heard. And they were on a first-name basis with Bradford? Had to be this Volk character. She slowed her stroll into the Bridge to catch the conversation.
"The Skirmishers are ADVENT." The voice continued.
With the venom in the voice, she felt like she knew who was talking. "Must be Volk." As she came in sight of the monitor, it confirmed her suspicions. She recognized that burly, bearded mug from images in the files. "Yeah, it's him."
"ADVENT is the enemy. The enemy is food." Volk finished, taking a sip of his drink. The way of life for the Reapers. There were many things written in their profile that Commander Reeves had a hard time believing before she saw some footage. They really did consider the aliens' food. All of them.
"He sounds like a piece of work." Commander Reeves thought. What a fun time it would be working with him.
"Try not to bring that up when we meet, Volk." Central did his best to hold back the annoyance in his voice. "I want everyone to play nice." He closed his eyes and shook his head.
"You?" He looked to be in disbelief. "Take their side? After all, we've seen these years?"
"Look, I'm not exactly havin' drinks with 'em, but they did hold up their end of the bargain." He glared at him. "And remember the other joint operations we've done a few years ago? The Train? And that Quarry?" He understood the hesitation, especially since there was news floating around that some rather brutal ADVENT captains had recently defected to the Skirmishers' cause. But he also felt Volk shouldn't be doubting what XCOM was doing, especially since he knew him.
"So, what about you? What would Petrov think? Heard she's running your American branch pretty well." A smirk crossed his face. "Occasionally works with those various Skirmisher clans around those parts. Especially the Kestrels."
"He must not like these Skirmishers…" She mumbled. "Wait…" A thought struck her. "Will our meeting involve them too?" Again, she mumbled and rubbed her chin. "He's withholding information from me again. Damn it, John…" The mumbling switched to a grumbled growl before she entered the room.
Volk opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it. He returned the glare only for it to soften. "You have a point. But they're still alien." He wouldn't let that go. "And Petrov has been keeping that branch alive and well." He muttered. Something he hated to admit. At least Petrov was staying away from the alien tech. "Especially with that trouble." His lips curled into a frown as he snorted. "Thanks again for the help with relocating. Threw that thing off our trail for some time."
"Any time, for an old friend." Central chuckled.
"But," Volk growled as he furrowed his brow, "we'll wait and see how this meeting goes." Another fierce glare was on his face. Then he caught sight of someone coming behind Central. The Commander. "Hm?" He studied her appearance for a moment before shaking his head. "Volk out." The transmission was cut.
"Actually think they might show up…" Central muttered under his breath. Their talk could have gone worse. He was rather glad Volk remembered those joint missions and had a soft spot for Petrov. He needed to get in contact with that young Reaper again. "Wonder who he'll send…"
"He seems like a rather charming fellow." Commander Reeves finally made her presence known. Still rubbing her chin.
"Commander!" His head snapped in her direction. He nearly jumped out of his skin.
She simply chuckled.
"Your voice is sounding better." He was wondering how long she had been then.
"Thanks." She smiled. "So…?" She gestured her head to the monitor.
"Ah! Well," he cleared his throat and quickly straightened up, "as you just saw, that was Konstantine Volikov, 'Volk' to his friends."
"Leader of the Reapers as you debriefed me on days before." She nodded. "And I've been reading up."
"Yes, he and his Reapers are a big part of the reason why you're standing here today."
"I know." She nodded. "Though he seems a bit… disgruntled, if I can put it lightly."
He chuckled. "Volk may be a little rough around the edges, but he's the real deal." He went over to the console and brought some information up on the monitor. "Besides, a few things have him up in a twist."
"Something about the Skirmishers?" She looked at the screen.
"Yes, they're another one of the top three resistance groups operating independently from us that we consider a legitimate threat to ADVENT."
"And if my memory is correct, they consist of ADVENT defectors?"
"Correct."
"And let me guess, they hate each other?"
"Correct." He nodded. "They hate each other." A bit of a grumble escaped his lips as he rolled his eyes. "Misunderstandings mainly because they are alien and some Reapers shoot first before asking questions." He shook his head. "Even after some of the joint work we have done."
"Ah." She nodded. "Looks like getting them to cooperate will be a hassle in the future."
"Still…" He paused. The pause piqued her curiosity. "We've made some unlikely progress."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Volk's Reapers may have found you, but they weren't acting alone." He explained.
"Not acting alone…? Besides XCOM you mean?" Her brow twitched. Seemed like there was more information withholding going on.
"About that…" He chuckled nervously, glancing ever so slightly at her. He couldn't look her in the eye.
She cast a slight glare at him. "We're going to talk later about anything else you all are hiding from me."
"Following doctors' orders on not overloading you with information." He quickly defended himself. She just continued to glare. He quickly cleared his throat. "Back to the Reapers… the Skirmishers tipped them off. Those that were Elite Troopers were able to help us home in on the possible locations they were holding you."
"They actually took information from the Skirmishers? Guess those joint missions years ago helped." Looked like she had another group to thank for her being here.
"They did. Along with some palm greasing from us." He smirked. "And then another group assisted to a point."
"Let me guess, we're going to try to get the two to be 'partners' in this war?" She asked. Then she raised a brow. "I'm going to take a rough guess that the other group is the Templars."
"Something like that. And yes, them." He shook his head. "Cryptic bunch, haven't had contact with them in a while." He grumbled. Such an annoying faction to get ahold of. "But they helped Dr. Marin track some odd psionic patterns and chatter. Which in turn helped the Skirmishers and Reapers."
"Right, Dr. Marin. Head of our Psionics research." She nodded along to what he said. "He wants to pick my brain later… not looking forward to that."
"Follow." He gestured for her to follow him to the hologlobe. "For now, both of the Reapers and Skirmishers in this region have agreed to suspend hostilities, provided you serve as the go-between." Markers appeared for both factions; New Libya and Russia respectively. And then another marker in the middle. Southwest Asia. Looked like Turkey. Must have been the meeting point.
"Oh… Joyous." Heavy sarcasm dripped from her voice. Made her think of the Council all over again.
"Since trust doesn't come easy between these two, we'll be heading for a nice, quiet spot on neutral ground." He explained. Images of an abandoned city appeared on a nearby panel. How the invasion ravaged so much.
"That's a smart move."
"Not taking any chances with this, Commander."
"Smart." She nodded.
"Though intel on this area is weak and we're picking up strong chatter on the comms, not to mention we'll be ending a decade-long blood feud in a day or two." He shook his head.
"So, we'll do the research that we can for the area and prepare our soldiers for the worst." Already her mind was formulating a plan.
He nodded. "I'll relay that information to our soldiers that have been selected for this meeting."
"Good, good." She nodded. "Need to review the soldiers later." She thought.
"Heard anything from Shen?" She was curious to see how far along the engineer was on getting the ship flying.
"No, not yet, but I can check in now." Central said. He tapped his earpiece and gestured for Commander Reeves to do likewise to listen in. She did. "Shen - status report, are we ready?"
"Short answer? 'Yes'. But you might all want to hold on to something." Shen answered. Just as she said that, the entire ship shuttered as the lights flickered. The faint hum from the engines grew louder and louder. New life was surging through the circuitry and metal.
Commander Reeves chuckled as she quickly braced herself on the nearby railing. "I wonder if you would have given us a warning sooner."
"Apologies, Commander. Excitement." Shen chuckled. "But we're finally in the air!"
Some excellent news for the day.
It was a bit of a shaky startup, but the Avenger was finally back to full capacity and they were heading off to the rendezvous for the important meeting. Before leaving, they said their goodbyes to the haven before fully leaving. Hopefully, they would see them again sometime in the future.
After prying a few more secrets from Central's lips as they hashed out how to handle the meeting, Commander Reeves made her walkabout around the ship. There was excitement in the air; she could hardly blame the crew. The Avenger itself was a beacon of hope to them. She was passing through the bar when her eyes noticed the display case. A picture sitting inside; a memory of the past.
Dr. Shen, Dr. Vahlen, and Central Officer Bradford. "To think this was taken twenty years ago." She chuckled and sighed. Her eyes focused on Dr. Shen. She missed the old man. He had wisdom for ages. "You poured your heart into this ship Raymond, and your daughter continued the work. I know you would be proud of her." Something to be positive about.
"Speaking of doctors." She mumbled as she started her walk about again. "I haven't seen Dr. Tygan in a while. I noticed he and his team finished the research on that chip a few hours ago." She mumbled. She cleared her throat when she felt the back of her throat ache.
"Still feel pain from that chip extraction." She rubbed her neck. "Still wonder why mine was implanted like that and not like all the others." That was something that had been bothering her ever since they told her how that procedure went. That stumped even the doctors, especially Tygan.
Even Betos, leader of the Skirmishers, had no answers when Central asked her if it was uncommon for these brain chips to be inserted from a different location. She said no.
The regular chips, or implants, put into civilians? They could be placed anywhere, except for the brain. The usual location was usually in the back or shoulder blades. The closer to the spine, the better. ADVENT needed to keep track of any "questionable" emotions or thoughts a civilian could develop.
But for those brain chips, they had always been inserted it at the back of the head, right in the middle — or just about the middle — of the occipital bone. Vertical or Horizontal. It didn't matter. Her people had extracted enough chips from those who defected and passed "initiation" to have the placement well memorized. It was always done that way for ADVENT and important civilians; made it near impossible for those civilians, usually scientists or important figureheads, to remove them if they had a change of heart.
"Though I do remember, Tygan said they were developing brain chips for civilians." A disheartening development. But it seemed like ADVENT was growing wise to how easily some of the resistance could locate and remove the chips on any civilians that left the cities.
"Still happy they didn't have to crack my skull open."
Immediately, she could picture the back of Tygan's head vividly in her mind. Those nasty scars. She heard he passed out while operating on himself. The doctor confirmed it a while back in a nonchalant manner when he noticed her staring at it. Caught her completely off guard. "Really happy."
"Just wonder how the Skirmishers remove theirs…"
She had seen a few photos of Skirmishers in the files. She noticed one common trait to most of them, besides those tribal scarification marks and tattoos. There was a prominent scarred line running just below the mid-part to the base of the skull. She found herself tracing that area on the back of her head. "So happy that didn't have to happen."
She heard from a few soldiers who had worked with some Skirmishers — and there were a few file entries — about how they went about removing those chips. A ritual of sorts after new recruits were extensively retrained — as their removal from that tactical information flow from Psionic network(whether caused by a defect, malfunction, damage to or intentional disabling of the chip) caused disorientation and made most useless in combat — and fully initiated into their respective clans. It was most likely an additional, extensive test to make sure they wouldn't go back to the Elders after they had a long time to have a nice, clear, and quiet head. Freethinking. But they had their chip extraction refined art. A crude art, but casualties and mental impairment were rare.
Perhaps they could get a recording of how those procedures went? She knew Dr. Tygan and Dr. Tyler, head of their medical team, were looking at a way to remove chips without extensive surgery. It would be wonderful if they could develop some procedure quickly, especially with the possibility of civilians being implanted with brain chips. She knew a few of the crew had those blasted things stuck in their skulls. At least they had devices to disable them. Made everyone feel more at ease.
So it looked like her chip was a special case of odd placement.
"Still don't like that." She let out a heavy sigh as her shoulders fell. Something about it didn't sit well with her.
"At least my nose doesn't ache anymore, especially when I think of that thing." Her mind drifted to something else, but she growled and rubbed the three slash scars across her nose. Another gift from her previous capture. Another reason she wasn't fond of going down to the research area — or any of the labs — as it caused old pains to flair up from memories and from that suit.
The suit they pried her out of was still there, and it made her uncomfortable. She couldn't remember much from her imprisonment. Memories were still foggy, but she hated the thing. She also felt like there was a presence coming from it. Something calling her. Something malevolent in nature. But she told no one that. She didn't need them to worry about that. No more mental examinations. Something she was growing tired of those. And she knew Dr. Marin would be champing at the bit if whatever it was was psionic in nature.
"If Vahlen was still around, I know she would be holding me down for tests." A laugh trailing off into a snort came from her. Something to cheer her up before she reached Tygan's lab. "I hope she's alive. I hope we can find her. Hopefully, she's not cooking up anything dangerous." She shook her head.
"Knowing her, if no one's there to restrain that excitable and curious nature of hers, she's cooking up something."
As she reached the lab, she heard a familiar voice talking beside Tygan.
"Really?" She let out an exasperated sigh. It was Bradford's voice. A quick peek in and her suspicions were confirmed. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Why am I not surprised…"
Looked like he too had noticed Tygan's latest report about the chip. She had a feeling he wanted to filter out anything she couldn't "handle."
"No more of that." She grumbled as she finally entered the room.
"And to think so much of my own research is based upon this simple design…. If only I had known." Tygan sounded as if he was wrapping up what he was telling Bradford.
Bradford grumbled, his chin resting under his hand. "Not that you would have known… There is still a lot to speculate on." He cursed a few things under his breath. "Especially that one idea." There was disgust in his voice. He hated to even mention it. To even think of it.
"Greetings, Dr. Tygan." Jynn made her presence known. She felt a shiver go up her spine as she spied that Stasis Suit tucked away in a corner. Still close to the examination table, they would hold discussions for her tastes. She just had to bear it.
"Greetings, John." She acknowledged him too.
Bradford flinched, turning his head ever so slightly to look at her. Caught again. He knew he would get a lecture later.
"Ah, Commander. Excellent timing." Tygan, on the other hand, was stoic as always, but polite.
"I noticed you and your team updated your progress report and wanted to see what you had to say." She explained.
"Yes, there's been some progress on the chip that was extracted from you." Tygan nodded.
"I'm all ears, Doctor." She did cast a glance at Bradford, not too surprised to see he didn't want to make eye contact. A chuckle slipped from her lips.
Soon Tygan started going through his usual motions of explaining things. Jynn had grown used to it by now. He was a hard character to read at times, but she was slowly picking up on his quirks. In a way, he reminded her of Dr. Vahlen, but more subdued but just as excitable when unfamiliar things needed to be picked apart and examined.
"I've managed to break down several key components of the chip implanted into your skull. My analysis reveals that its primary function was that of a conduit, passing a vast amount of data directly to your cerebral cortex." Tygan started.
"Interesting…" Her brow furrowed as she studied the diagrams. Already there was a lot to take in. Schematics breaking down the various parts of the chip. Where the chip was usually located in its host. She could feel that scar in the back of her mouth throb again, along with the scars on her nose.
"With the primary connection severe, much of that data is lost. Several fragments do remain, hover. 'Ghosts' if you will. Observe." He tapped the screen.
"Tygan, do you think that's a good idea?" Central asked.
Her eyes waited for the screen to change. "Wonder what he'll… show… me…" Even as she was thinking, she felt her jaw go slack at the sight. Her blood ran cold.
"Tactical combat simulations. War games." He stated.
"Tygan." Central let out a low growl, noticing her reaction
It was like a blast to the past for Jynn, and not a nice one at that. Old memories came to the forefront of her, especially ones she never knew she had. Her eyes intensely locked onto the screen, watching the simulations play out. She recalled each one, but were they genuine memories or fake ones? Then it wasn't just the operation simulations that shocked her.
Next, she saw glimpses of the old XCOM base being simulated. Those important meetings with Dr. Vahlen, Dr. Shen, and so many others. Those nerve-wracking meetings with the ever-demanding Council. Meetings with other military branches for joint operations, family… Just what did they not simulate? Why all of this? Why was she just starting to remember some of these simulations in such great detail? She felt so deeply unsettled. And so… weak.
"Commander?" Bradford noticed her reaction growing worse. She was shaking like a leaf and growing paler by the second. He quickly moved over to help keep her upright, moving her towards the table for added support. "Tygan, cut that off!"
"The sheer volume of encounters you were processing was astounding. It… It is truly remarkable that you survived as long as you did." Tygan's attention turned back to her. It didn't surprise him to see her paler complexion, nor the fact she was now leaning against the table to get her bearings.
"Right." He quickly cut the feed before looking back at them. He studied her expression. He could tell something resonated inside her. Looked like that one theory was ringing true, but he wouldn't bring it up unless she did. She didn't need the stress. But he had come to learn how quickly she could deduce things.
"Sorry… just a lot to take it." She cleared her throat, rubbing it vigorously. The scar was aching like crazy.
"Need a seat?" Bradford asked.
"No, I'm fine. I can lean."
"Mm…" Tygan nodded, giving her a moment to catch herself. "Though this may seem disconcerting, there is still some 'good news'."
"Good news?" Sounded like a joke to her.
"It is, in a way." Bradford patted her shoulder.
"This 'chip' bears a striking resemblance to a medical implant I briefly assisted in developing at the Gene Therapy Clinic in New Providence."
"And?"
"My understanding was that the implants were intended for high-ranking ADVENT Officers only, Captains or above. Retrieving a chip from such an officer would be the only way to know for certain."
"Already something new for the resource list, I see." She chuckled. "How would you like the soldiers to get your Captain? Dead or Alive?" A little joke to get her mind back together.
"Preferable dead, Commander." A slight smirk appeared on the doctor's face. Was there a hint of a chuckle, too? Maybe. "A greater understanding of these implants would undoubtedly benefit us all."
She nodded. "And answer a lot of questions… though I have a feeling we won't like them."
"Do you have any suspicions?" He was curious to hear her thoughts. Though he wouldn't be phased if she didn't answer.
"Doctor, I believe the Commander has had enough for today." Bradford was starting to get defensive. He found himself quickly stopped when a hand was placed against his chest.
"No," Jynn took in a breath, "it's fine. Better to share it now before I forget."
Central was going to retort, but he backed off. "Very well."
"A moment." Commander Reeves rubbed her throat once more. Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! EASE YOUR THOUGHTS! She yelled in her mind. It was taking forever for the scar to stop aching. She took a few more deep breaths to calm herself. The aching eventually eased up, though her thoughts were still running wild.
"Now my thoughts…" She paused as she searched for words.
"Mm?" Tygan already had something to jot the information down on.
"From the information that you just shared, to watching those simulations, and from how I just reacted," she paused, looking down, "I have a feeling they were using me to run some kind of 'war'."
One could hear a pin drop in the room.
"Commander…" Bradford sighed, crossing his arms. "I think you're just a little stressed out." He didn't want to accept that. No. He didn't want to thinkabout that.
"Well, it—it's just me speculating!" She sputtered. "At least they were using me for all the necessary tactical information for something if not a war."
"No, no, that is a fascinating theory." Tygan was furiously jotting it down in his notes. "One we've… thought of ourselves."
"You have?" Oh, questions for her to ask later. She cast a glance at Bradford.
"Doctor…" His attention was fully on Tygan. He tensed when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, even more so when his eyes met hers. Oh, she was going to kill him later.
"I have questions later for the both of you. And any other senior staff that knows." A growl left her lips. "But just think about it, John." She sighed deeply. A sickening thought had entered her head. "About a month or more ago, ADVENT was running like a well-oiled machine and the resistance was still losing the war, badly."
"Go on." He wasn't sure why he asked. He knew where it was going.
"But now, a few months later, a few months since I've been pulled out of that station and out of the suit… how well-oiled has that machine been?"
Central closed his eyes tightly. Not that theory. It couldn't be true.
Tygan, on the other hand, was quickly filling in the gaps. His eyes beamed with excitement and faint concern.
"Just think." That serious tone in her voice never dropped.
Bradford's eyes went wide. No. It finally clicked.
"Commander, you're not implying…?" He didn't even want to finish his sentence.
She sighed and nodded. "It may or may not be a stretch, but I believe they were using me–"
"As ADVENT's tactical advisor. Yes." Tygan in just as she was saying it. That caught her a bit off guard. One of his quirks she was getting used to.
"I was—IwastheirCommander." She didn't want to say it, but she did. Such a sickening thought for her. How long had those Elders had her in that machine? How long had they been using her against the Resistance? Against her friends? "I hope I don't sound insane to you, doctor." There was some nervousness in her voice.
"No, not at all Commander." He glanced up from his tablet. "What you shared actually sounds reasonable and may very well be true, but until we are able to acquire an adequate subject that I can extract the chip from, I cannot work from only mere speculation."
"Well, that's somewhat reassuring." She rubbed the back of her neck.
"Though if anything else comes to your mind pertaining to this subject, Commander, I am more than willing to listen." He finished his last bit of writing. "I do suggest you take some time off now. I do apologize for any fowl memories this may have brought up for you."
"Uh…" She was a tad surprised by how he was acting. Always a hard one for her to read. But she could tell his words were sincere. "I'll keep that in mind, Tygan. And no need to apologize." She smiled. "I have to face this whether I want to or not."
He simply nodded.
"We'll leave you to your work, Doctor. Hopefully, next time we speak, it'll be after you autopsy the Captain." She made her leave.
"Likewise, Commander." He nodded again.
"Central." She gestured for him to follow her. "A word."
Bradford glanced at Tygan. "We'll. Speak. Later." He grumbled. He quickly followed after Commander Reeves, like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Tygan chuckled. Even more so at the sight. "What an interesting duo they are." But something caught his attention. "Hmm…" Just before the door shut behind the two, he noticed something on the back of her head.
"I thought those markings were fading… maybe the sudden emotional stress brought them back." He mused. One of those diamond marks looked like it had reappeared. "Intriguing, we'll have to run more tests, find more info on what else the Elders did to her." He knew she would hate more invasive tests. "Need to send a note to Dr. Marin and Dr. Tova."
As Bradford shut the door behind them, he let out a sigh as he turned to face her.
"Commander… Jynn… Yes, I know I shouldn't be keeping secrets from you, but I was worried with how you would react from the–" He froze and sputtered out a cough as something wrapped tightly around his chest. He drew his arms back. "Command..er?"
"Shut up, will you." She was hugging him, her face buried in his chest, a bit awkwardly, as they were roughly the same height. Her breathing was a bit unsteady.
He waited for a moment for her to let go. Then another. And another. Looked like she wasn't letting go anytime soon. He hesitated for a moment, still tense from the sudden hug, but he slowly wrapped his arms around her. A few pats her back to help her calm down. He was glad no one was around to see this.
They stayed like for a few minutes until her breathing finally steadied. It took a moment, but she finally pulled her face away from his chest. Her face was wet. Wet from tears.
"Thanks… for that." She sniffled as she pulled away from him.
"Wel—Welcome." It took him a moment to release her from the hug.
"Sorry for the mess, gah." She gagged from stress as she wiped her face clean of tears.
He looked down, a bit surprised by the wet spot on his shirt. She had cried quite a bit. He shook his head and chuckled. "It's fine Comma— Jynn." He felt it was more appropriate to refer to her by name. "You just went through a lot."
"Right." She sniffled. "Right. Just processing a lot of memories and reprocessing the real ones. Repressing the simulated ones."
"I don't want to imagine how rough that was. Even more so with that speculation you came up with."
"It was… painful. Especially seeing faces of those who aren't around anymore. And ones that didn't even exist." She sighed and looked away. "Still coming to terms with that. And seems like you guys were thinking that about that theory too."
"Right." He nodded. "…Right. We'll fill you in on that. In pieces."
"Okay." At least that was a start. "Really makes me miss the old days even more." She nervously chuckled.
"We all do, Jynn." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We may not be able to change the past, but we can change the future."
She nodded. "Yeah, yeah... It's gonna be one hell of a job to do that."
"Shouldn't be too much for XCOM to handle." He grinned.
"Glad you have more faith than I do right now, John." She laughed. She punched his arm.
He laughed. "Well, that cheered you up now, didn't it?"
"It did." She had to admit.
They both started laughing again until a loud growl caught them by surprise. A stomach growl. Jynn blushed from embarrassment. Her arms wrapped around her stomach.
"Hungry?" He nudged her.
"Seems I am." She chuckled nervously.
"Well," he looked at his watch, "there should be something fresh in the mess hall right about now." He looked back at her. "Wish to go now?"
"Better now than never." She shrugged. "Hopefully they have something edible."
"Now the cooks aren't that bad." He laughed. "If Warren is free, he's probably cooking up a storm."
"I know, have the old base food on my mind again." She chuckled. "Warren… the medical Specialist right? Mountain man?" She asked. Little tests for herself to see if she could accurately recall what she learned from meeting the respective soldiers or their files. "Heard that name float around."
"That's him. Can't miss the beard and messy bun. And we did find him out in the backwoods. Nearly shot Thibideaux in the foot!"
"Sounds like a fun story to hear over lunch." She wouldn't mind learning more. "Thibideaux…" She muttered the name. "Roy Thibideaux? I think I saw his name in the Memorial."
Bradford nodded. He closed his eyes and took in a sharp breath. He could remember that day. The Quarry. Many losses for XCOM, the Reapers, Skirmishers, and Templars. But a bonus was the start of an alliance between the four. He sharply exhaled. "You would have liked him." A quick laugh to cheer himself up. "Cajun like you."
"Oh, Cajun you say?" She easily figured that from the man's name. A hint of that Louisiana Cajun accent slipped out.
"Just like that!" His eyes lit up. How he missed that. "Reminded me of your father when he wasn't being all 'professional' for the military."
"Really? Oh, I wish Roy was still alive so I could get to know him." Made her wonder just how thick his accent was. Her father had learned how to tone it down. Though if he was tired, or you ticked him off, it came out in full force.
"Well, let me tell you about him. Really loved his Kentucky Bourbon. The smoky kind."
Bradford started his story as the two made their way to the mess hall. The troubling thoughts from early seemed to melt away as they enjoyed a meal and chatted with the various personnel and soldiers. Those that knew Thibideaux, added on to the stories Bradford was telling. All of it was very insightful for Commander Reeves.
It was also a way to keep the moral up. Showed she cared to learn about the fallen. And wanted to get to know the living better. It did, at times, make leading stressful situations harder, but Commander Reeves like to treat her soldiers more than just a bunch of bodies to throw into the war. They were people to be remembered.
The rest of the day passed by quickly, setting up a time for the Commander to talk to Betos sometime tomorrow morning, before Bradford reminded her of one more meeting. That special private meeting in her quarters. Her curiosity was nipping at her tongue. She wondered who it was.
"Oh, John," since they were just outside her Quarters and no one was in earshot, she dropped the title, "has the team finished identifying that sniper from that operation?"
"Hm?" He was just about to open the door. "Oh, that thing? They have, but it matches nothing in our database nor with the Reapers."
"Shared it with the Reapers, huh?" That surprised her.
"They're been fighting as long as we have and have seen some things." He shrugged. He finally opened the door. "Though they could be of some help, as they have a sniper problem of their own."
"Right, I remember." She recalled the file she read about the Reapers. She entered the room. "Something called 'Chosen'?"
"The Chosen. They call the one pestering them the Hunter." He followed behind her and went over to her desk. "Supposedly, there are two more. One for the Skirmishers and one for the Templars." He quickly explained. "The Assassin and Warlock are their respective titles. Each one different, but all equally annoying from what they've told us."
"Hmm. Right, the Hunter… Assassin… Warlock." She raised her hand to her chin. Before she knew it, she was biting her thumb. More information to process, more things to worry about for the future. Did the Elders ever stop with their madness? "Well, hopefully we'll be better prepared for that four-armed sniper again." Perhaps that was their Chosen? Hopefully not.
"Alright, we should be patched through now." Central said. "Commander, this is the Informant."
"Huh?" She glanced up. More or so, the name caught her attention. A barely interesting codename. But something else did too. The person was shrouded in darkness, two lights barely illuminating them. But something about their form, how they sat, arms on a desk, hands foddering, it was all so… "Familiar." She walked over.
"Hello, Commander." They spoke. A deep baritone voice at that was exceeded authority. Their voice sent chills down her spine. She knew this voice.
Why? Why? Why? Her thoughts raced. Then it clicked. Like clockwork, her entire demeanor changed. She stiffened straight, eyes at attention. "Spokesman." She responded.
There was a slight chuckle. A chuckle? She didn't know for him or any of them to have a sense of humor. "The Council you once knew is no more. Its membership have all sworn loyalty to the ADVENT Administration." He continued.
The chuckle caused her to relax slightly, but not fully. She was suspicious.
"With one exception." He paused.
"You." She seemed to relax a bit more. He was another hard read for her, especially out of all the Council members.
"It is good to see you again."
"Likewise." She couldn't lie. She enjoyed dealing with him the most out of the entire council. He was the most reasonable, truly understanding the impossible task XCOM was up against. Still, he spoke the impossible demands of the Council but knew when to be positive when they were turning the tides of the war at one point. And when he was sincere, hewas sincere.
"In the days since your capture, I have done all I can to aid the Resistance from the inside. It was these resistance operatives that provided the intel leading to your extraction."
"Skirmishers, Reapers, Templars, and many others, I presume." She mumbled and nodded.
"As of now, Resistance forces are currently somewhat… disorganized."
"I have noticed, if not at each other's throats." She added.
"Yes, and hopefully you will remedy these conflicts, so we stand united." He nodded. "If we are to defeat ADVENT and their alien masters, you must change this before it is too late."
"I'll do what I can." She glanced at Central who was standing by. "We'll do what we can." Her people were just as important.
"What you are seeing are classified reports of missing civilians from across the world."
The screen suddenly changed to show the reports.
"Hmm…" She skimmed it as it went by. One thing she was thankful for since her former capture was that no one needed to teach her the alien language. Fully hard-wired into her whether or not she liked it. The rest of the human languages were also hard-wired into her. Another lovely bonus; made getting to know some personal so much easier.
"Like the abduction reports long ago." She commented.
"Their numbers are growing. We suspect they have been taken to a nearby ADVENT black site, though its exact location remains unknown."
"Just like those reports." She shook her head. She noticed how several reports looked like ADVENT issued ID cards. That didn't sit right with her. "I have a feeling whatever is in that black site will be worse than what we recovered from those alien ships 20 years ago."
"Only time can tell." He said. "Truthfully, there may be several more of these black sites spread across the globe."
"Right." She nodded. That was to be expected with the Elders. Back during the Old War, they had several alien bases to spread out their abduction and experimentations.
"Time is short, Commander. We need you to take charge of resistance operations throughout the world."
She nodded quietly. Oh joy, getting booted into this mess even faster than I thought. First the meeting with the Reapers and Skirmishers and then this… She thought.
"Establish contact with the local cells and bring them into the fold." He raised himself slightly out of his chair, both hands pressing down on his desk. "Find this black site and shut it down. Save our world." His words were heavy and harsh. He settled back down into his seat.
The world is on my shoulders again… She thought. Heavier than I remember.
"The clock is ticking. Good luck, Commander."
"Thank you, Sir."
The connection cut shortly after she responded. The monitor went back to the screen saver.
Commander Reeves let her shoulders drop as she let out a heavy sigh.
"Well, I see his goodbyes haven't changed." She looked at Central. She tried her best to stay calm, but a nervous chuckle peaked through.
"He really hasn't changed much, Commander." He chuckled. "Though he may a be a bit softer."
"Jynn, we're in private." She scolded.
"It's a force of habit." He shrugged, but smiled.
"Now, do you have any more surprises for me planned?" She looked at him. Her brow twitching, expecting another surprise to be sprung onto her.
"No, none!" He raised his hands. "Except…" He went over to the computer again and brought up the file database. He typed something. Accessing a private part of the ship's server.
"Except… What?" She asked through gritted teeth.
"This." He moved back to show a report and to the side of it, a picture. A picture of her family.
"My parents and brother… why?" Old memories flooded her mind. Good ones. Sad ones. And harsh ones.
"Full access to their files, to what happened to them during those 20 years." He answered. "Trying to ease up on withholding information from you."
"John…" She felt her eyes water. She turned her face away and quickly rubbed it.
"Hey…" He went over to her. He was hesitant at first, but he wrapped his arms around her. "Hey..." He really didn't know what to say for a moment like this. He wasn't too surprised that she buried her face into his chest, nor to hear her weep so loudly. Losing family was always hard to accept. He missed his every day.
They were in the hug for a good few minutes. More than Central would have liked because of the awkward position, but she needed the hug.
"Feeling better, Jynn?" He felt her sniffling had become less frequent.
"…Yes." She was a bit muffled. She slowly pulled away from him, and he did likewise. "Sorry, made a mess out of your shirt again." She sniffled in between laughs.
"It's fine, need to take a shower soon."
"Thanks for unlocking the files." She gave him one last quick hug before finally taking a seat. She was a bit woozy from all the crying.
"It's fine, Jynn." He shook his head. "I know you've been wanting to know the truth for a while and the MIA marker on your brother's file has been rather tempting, hasn't it?" He nudged her.
"Yeah…" She looked sheepish. "At least it got you to update your passwords."
He chuckled, patting her shoulder a few times. "Get some rest, Jynn. In about 10 hours, you have a meeting you have to attend." He started to head to the door.
"Don't remind me." She rolled her eyes. "I hope all faction meetings aren't going to be like this."
"You've gotta get used to it, Jynn." He laughed. Wishful thinking that wouldn't hold. "I've been dealing with this for 20 years!"
"I know… see you later down in the Bridge 10 hours from now."
"Rest well!" He gave her a thumbs-up before finally leaving.
As the door shut behind him, he leaned against it. His hand clutched the spot where she had dug her face into his chest. It was still damp. He felt a tad light-headed, his heart was still beating fast. "Come on, get it together, John." He mumbled to himself.
"No time for feelings like those. That time has long passed… 20 years ago." He said in a solemn tone. He took in several deep breaths. His heart rate slowly returned to normal. "Better." He grumbled as he headed to his quarters.
"Need to shower, change, maybe have a quick nap, and then get things prepared for this meeting." He mumbled his thoughts. "Hope Jynn rests well for now. Her plate is fuller than ever." He sighed. His heart rate picked up again as he thought about her. That agitated him.
Focus now! He cursed in his mind. "Love can't blossom on a battlefield." He muttered to himself. "Especially 20 years too late." He sighed. It was hard pushing that out of his mind. He still had a crush on her.