Summary: Helios sees behind the veil of Chilong. He knows his true identity. Shaojie Zhang.
An uneasy quietness arose between the two.
Zhang held his firmly fixed glare with trembling eyes. His emotions, slowly cracking that once calm mask of his, shifted between rage and contempt. Knuckles rubbed at his chest in a failing attempt to get his heart to calm down. How long had he known this information? What was his ploy? Did he probe his mind while treating him?
No, impossible for my mind with those locks I have on it.But perhaps… He growled at himself. Those locks weren't entirely foolproof, especially if he couldn't actively bolster their defenses while unconscious. Those dreams I've been having may have bled over to my surface thoughts. Maybe I uttered something while unconscious… Maybe.
Helios' gaze was equally intense, but it was more curious than hostile or judgmental. Pure curiosity like a young child, tilting their head back and forth, patiently waiting for their question to be answered.
Zhang shut his eyes tight. He continued to rub circles in his chest as he struggled to gain control over himself. Calm. Calm down before you slip. With all going on, he was thankful that the old gene mod that affected his adrenal system was non-functional — from what he could tell — or he would be feeling so much worse. Calm down and gather your thoughts. Figure out his game before you retaliate.
Still, his heart raced, barely toning down its beats. Opening his eyes again, that curious face Helios wore only made him angrier. His mouth opened. His throat trembled the words worked their way out with a snarl. He quickly shut his mouth. Stop and think, you fool. If he knew, if they allknew, would they have even released you in the escape? Treated you?
He nodded to himself. That inner voice could be a lifesaver.
Recalling old meditation methods, he took in several deep breaths and long exhales. It took a long while for his body to enter a relatively "calm" state. Yet, part of his mind was still racing.
One last deep exhale, one he could imagine his breath being laden with those orange-tinted pheromones. He opened his eyes. Still no changes from Helios. He was still waiting.
"Tch." Zhang sucked on his teeth. Let's start slow.
"How long have you known?" He asked, his voice low to avoid drawing attention. There was a hint of a predatory warning growl.
"Hm…" Helios' throat trembled as his eyes wandered all around. Mind riffling through mountains and mountains of information just for the right memory. He barely phased by the growl. "Depends on… which you wish to apply that to?"
Oh, he's going to start getting particular now. He let out a displeased snort. "Let's start with my name. Real name."
"Ah that." Helios hemmed and hawed. "A few days… after you gave me the name… Chilong. You shouldn't have… used… that callsign."
He huffed. Fair. He was too confident no one would recognize such a foreign nickname. "Now, XCOM? When? What do you know?" He wanted answers for that next.
Helios repeated his same mind-searching tick, which went faster than before. "Three days ago… since I recalled the files."
"Hm."
Three days… enough time for him to judge him. Enough time to share it with the others. What did he know of that time in his life? What did the aliens find on him from the Old World as they couldn't tear it from his mind?
"Truthfully," Helios drummed his fingers together, "the information of your… time with XCOM… is scant. Just a great deal of… speculation. Some information was redacted… or outright expunged."
Zhang narrowed his eyes. Why tell him this? Trying to disarm him again? He studied his face, studied his mannerisms, those odd ticks. It was hard to make sense of him now as he still wrestled with his whirling emotions in his mind. The man was so genuine and selfless before this. And those still lingered on him despite this sudden boldness that radiated off him. There was no hint of malice.
"Hm." Zhang was hesitant to say more. Ask more. His composure barely changed, but his mind slowly relaxed as he ordered his thoughts.
Seems he only knows surface-level information on me. Nothing deeper. He shouldn't know of that time. Thinking of that seemed to ease his mind just a hair. A dark secret he equally deeply hated and guarded with his life.
"But there was… another… file." Helios said. His eyes shimmered purple for a moment. "Another file.
"What. Now?" He wanted to strangle him. "Cut the dramatics."
"ADVENT. Highly classified… Locked tight."
"Cut. The. Dramatics."
"Zhao Jiahao."
That bowl slipped from Zhang's hands and tumbled to the ground.
No. Time seemed to slow for Zhang as those words exited Helios' mouth. That once harsh look slowly gave way as his eyes widened in shock. A new sensation swallowed his mind, further consuming that once burning anger. One he didn't feel often. Fear. His blood ran cold.
"Or is it… Jiahao Zhao? Can't quite remember… how the surnames work." Helios looked at him for an answer. "Doesn't matter… just a false identity." He knew he wouldn't get a response. "You were a… Security and Tactical Advisor… to a particular city… in what could be considered… the remains of China."
No, no, no… That once-calmed heart began pounding against his chest again; racing to escape its cage. Racing to get away.
"Bodyguard… Personal bodyguard…"
No, of all things he had access to. Of all things he could recall. His mouth flew open. Throat moved. No words left his mouth. He wanted to say something. Tell him to shut up.
"To that devil mayor…"
Do not say her name. He wanted to launch himself at him, smother that babbling mouth. But his limbs refused to move.
"Kyon Votol."
"Stop…" A single croaked word was all Zhang could muster. Like a parched desert took over his tongue. His throat didn't want to work. It felt like there was a vice tightening around his neck, ratcheting tighter and tighter with each passing second.
Trying to speak again, only a wheeze came out. He brought a hand to his throat and vigorously rubbed it to force out a word, force out something, but only another wheeze came out. His tongue cleaved to the roof of his mouth. His other hand went to his chest; knuckles dug deep rubbing circles to try to calm that heart once more. It was for naught.
What is this feeling? His mind searched for answers, search for some sort of clarity. Fear? Dread? Terror? How long has it been since I genuinely felt those? They were such foreign sensations for him. Ones he thought he had conquered in the long, distant past, with only a few things rousing them to the surface: The Invasion. His defection. The horrors he came across while working for XCOM. Unlocking his psionics and what that entailed.
He looked away, closing his eyes tight. He struggled to breathe, struggled to swallow, to chase away a dizzying, burning bile creeping up the back of his throat. He barely felt this way during his imprisonment and the long torture sessions he suffered after his service with ADVENT. That false identity he would love to forget. A deep cover to give the fledgling resistance in their region an edge.
There was barely a lull in the emotional turmoil ravaging him. "Aaah… why, why, why?" He eventually mustered the ability to coax his throat muscles to utter something.
Eyes open once more, he looked back at Helios. The man was calm as ever, just tapping his pointer fingers together, waiting, waiting for a response. That odd calmness felt wrong to Zhang. How could he be so calm if he knew of that identity? Ofwhathedid. There was no doubt in his mind that there were many who wouldn't hesitate to kill him if they found that out.
What could he say if he could say anything? What answer was this Helios seeking, or was he toying with him? Do the others know? Was the rescue and tireless work to keep him alive all to give him a false sense of hope he would live only to tear it away like he did to so many when working for ADVENT? No. That didn't seem to be his nature, from what little he had experienced.
The minutes passed as his mind was flooded, overflowing with thoughts, reasonings, and ways he could explain and defend himself, but nothing was coming together as fear struck down one idea after the other.
A soft, yet firm grip to forearm and shoulder drew him from his thoughts. He hadn't noticed Helios had moved closer. He was oblivious to the fact that he was trembling fiercely since Helios' probing began. Shaking like a leaf barely anchored to a branch as winds whipped it about. He did not pull away. There was no strength in him to do so.
"It is… okay." Helios spoke calmly. "They," his eyes looked all around the surrounding area, "do not know. I have… told no one this secret."
Zhang didn't respond. His eyes did like Helios, looking all around. Was he telling the truth? If so, surely someone had heard them, and would have noticed his reaction.
Hm? Something caught his eye. Not just those faint purple shimmers in Helios', but there was something around them. Barely visible to his eyes, there was a faint purple bubble around them. Thin strings of energy pulsated, revealing a faint lattice-like web that sprawled out across the bubble. The world outside sounded distant. What the hell is this?
"No one… can hear us." Helios said. Two finger snaps followed his words, causing the psionic dome to brighten for a few seconds before returning to its faint outline. It felt like he was reading his mind.
"What…" Zhang paused, clearing his throat as he felt that vice trying to seal it once more. "What is your game? What do you want from me? To squirm like some insect?"
"Conversation." He tilted his head to the side. "Check to see… if this wealth of… knowledge crammed in my skull… was true. Aaaaand…" He paused, mouth open mid-sentence. His eyes glazed over as he stared blankly. As quickly as that came over him, his eyes and mouth snapped shut. His throat trembled as he made a few clicking noises and shook his head. "Sorry… And to satisfy… an itch. A terrible… programmed… habit."
Zhang's brow twitched. "CONVveerrrr—Conversation?" Like an oppressing noose, his throat tightened to strangle the word to hold back that waxing rage.
"A terrible… programmed… habit." Helios simply repeated himself.
"So… So you say."
Zhang was still unsure. Helios' words sounded genuine, but his mannerisms, the reasoning, what madness it was. How he broached this subject made that guarded part of his mind scream that it was still a trap.
He carefully searched his thoughts. Faint memories, unsavory memories of his double life crept in. How to satisfy this "itch" of his and gauge his true intentions? Something was coming together. Be careful.
"Conversation. Tch." He scoffed at that once more. "What do you want to know of that miserable, two-faced tool of the Elders?"
"Hm?" Helios sounded puzzled at first, pulled his head back as it lulled to the side until it reached just the right angle of a quizzical tilt. "Hmmm…" There was a faint twinkle in his eyes before he lurched forward.
Before Zhang knew it, Helios was right in his face. He frowned and pulled back as far as he could move. Helios still hadn't let go of his arm.
"Hmm… heh, heh, heh." That bushy scale mane shook with each chuckle. "Separation… You hatethat… identity… don't you?"
"Who wouldn't?" There were many things he wanted to forget. Especially that damn sadistic mayor.
"Good… good." Helios sounded pleased. Pulling back, releasing his hold on him. "Double… agent. A mole for those… against the Elders' rule?"
Zhang rubbed his arm, still carefully gauging Helios' mannerisms and tone. It all sounded genuine, almost delighted at his response. Unconsciously, those tense shoulders of his relaxed, but his fingers still trembled..
"Hm. Mhm." Helios tapped his lip. "Undercover… undercover… You did… what you had to do… to survive. To play such a… role to please Them. To gather… information."
Survive. Zhang closed his eyes, hearing that word. That was too kind of a description of what he did as that man for several years. Things he barely, if not rarely, entertained as a Triad.
"Yes." The hostility in his voice was waning. Taking in a deep breath, he sighed as more vestiges of that time dug themselves up and began tapping at another old lock. It all weighed heavily on him.
"I…" Should I? "I…" Would he care? Would this change anything? Like it all matters… death would be nice. That tongue continued to loosen. "I've done many things… Subjected so many to untold atrocities during my time with ADVENT. There is… so much I regret."
The taps grew to knocks. Terrible memories slipped through those forming cracks. So much to regret. He barely tried to stop it. I can still see their faces, hear their screams, their thoughts. Her sick laughs. "Many lines were crossed. Especially working with her. Tch. 'Rehabilitation' sessions." He spat.
Helios listened intently, nodding along. Carefully weighing his words and reactions. A stoic face shifting to sadness, then disgust, then to burning further. His mind was dutifully at work amending those files, satisfying that itch. "Hm. Mhm." He nodded once Zhang finished speaking. "Yes, yes, yes."
Zhang winced, feeling a larger crack form in that lock and more taps against others begun to falter. Shit. No. That brief slip-up, succumbing to the along pent-up guilt was putting everything at risk. Closing his eyes, he focused his psionic and wrestled with the maelstrom of emotions in his mind. Not now. Not ever.
It took some time, but once everything was wrested under control, he gave his full attention back to Helios.
"What else do you want from me?"
"Nothing… nothing." Helios said. "That's all… for now. My query… has been satisfied. Vision and understanding expanded." He put his fingers together to make a picture frame before stretching them out to place Zhang in the middle. "Blanks filled… More things make sense. Why you were… interned at that facility. Such a dangerous game… to play."
Zhang raised a brow. Such strange mannerisms. He was glad the questioning looked to be coming to an end. His mind did not need to slip again. But he felt like he still needed to speak. Confess his soul to him and apologize for his hostility. How his emotions clouded his mind to make him assume the worst. Old habits he needed to control.
Helios retracted his arms. His hands fell back on his lap. "I'll keep this… between you and I. I have no… intentions… in telling the others. Too dangerous."
Zhang's eyes stayed heavy with a single brow raised. Did he just hear that? Another weight lifted from his mind. "Thank you." He could live a little bit longer.
Zhang looked around the campsite. Looked at the various individuals in the group. All victims of the Elders and their mad machinations. More memories of that past came to the forefront of his mind. He grimaced. Is it possible…? He didn't want to continue the thought with the risk of his mind going again, but that guilt continued to gnaw at his heart. Were any of these people victims of his? Detained, interroga— No. "Rehabilitated" before being unceremoniously executed if there was no more use for them, or if they show some promise whether it be in their genetics or sheer hardiness and skill, they would be shipped off to some other ADVENT facility for experimentation.
Were any of them sent to that place? Are any of them here? That guilt was dying to know.
He returned his attention to Helios. "Are…?" That vice returned, causing his voice to trail off.
Helios nodded. Like he knew what he was about to say. "There is a… possibility… some are victims of… Zhao's… handy work."
Closing his eyes, his shoulders fell. A sigh slipped loose. Faint taps started again and he quickly pushed them back. Gāisǐ…
"The data is… out of my reach. Possibly… lost… but." Helios paused.
Wondering if he was trying to be dramatic again, Zhang took a quick peek. He saw Helios head turned to the left. What was he looking at? He followed Helios' gaze.
A bit away from the main area of the campsite was a group of what he could best assume were Hybrid humans, spliced with untold amounts of alien DNA that twisted and changed their forms, barely keeping anything of their original selves. He wasn't sure exactly who Helios was looking at, if not the entire group, but one quickly stood out with how quickly they snapped to and looked back at Helios. As if they could sense his gaze.
A strange crystalline-looking being. Sharp. Slender. The light from the fire danced across the facets of their silver and rust-colored chitinous shell. From the base of their neck to their head, their hair, if he could call it that, looked like smoke, wicking back and forth like the flame to a candle. Four luminescent blue orbs — he would assume were eyes from that distance — focused on Helios. An equally brightly colored tongue slipped out like a viper's tongue before they unhinged their jaw like a snake.
He glanced back at Helios. The man bristled in response to what he could assume was a threat.
"May not be so… forgiving." Helios finished his train of thought. He lingered a little while longer before turning his head away. Zhang did likewise.
"I can only imagine." Zhang said. He wouldn't blame them.
"That is… Skiv. She's not… fond of me." He shook his head. "Not fond of… many… to be truthful."
"Why?" It felt like a pointless question, but curiosity was taping at the door. Zhang took a quick peek back and was surprised to see she hadn't stopped her threat display.
"Believes I'm… complicit with that… facility." He shook his head. He was a victim, like everyone else. "And she is always suspicious… Likes to… challenge authority."
"Huh." Someone to tread carefully with. Or to completely avoid.
"And she doesn't… like you much. Has said rather… unsavory… words to describe… you."
Zhang raised a brow. "Why?"
"Your psionic displays." "She doesn't… like psions. Picked… several fights already… with those who've had their… collars… removed."
"Hm." He shook his head. "I see keeping my distance from her."
"That would… be best. Especially…" Helios paused, biting his lip. He looked down, avoiding making eye contact with him and to avoid looking back at Skiv. It didn't take much for Zhang to figure out why.
"She's one of… Jiahao's… victims… isn't she?" He hated saying that name.
So far, he had no recollection of someone called Skiv in the memories he could access. Then again, that could have been a nickname or a new name the Elders gave her. Tch. He sneered. He learned the Elders loved stripping the names and identities of lesser creatures to reshape and rename them to something more "fitting" or to make them into a mockery of who they and their culture once were if those lesser creatures "rebelled" when they asserted Their dominance over them.
Just the faintest memory came to mind; it was his days undercover when the Elders wanted him to be on the ground to go over a Resistance Cell they wiped out to see if he could "psionically" ID old "friends". That day he learned of another of the Elders' dark projects. A hulking beast of a Hybrid man that looked more like a barbarian than a soldier. He was busy cannibalizing any corpses he was allowed to touch and gathering skulls and other morbid trophies. He kept his distance, even more so when one alien handler slipped and referred to him by his project name. It started with a "W". Half of the world barely left the alien's mouth before the Hybrid was on top of the alien, like a maddened animal trying to tear their heart out.
"Do not DARE utter that word." The words the Hybrid kept snarling as ever available Trooper worked to get him back under control before several "control rods", ash black javelin-like rods embedded in his body were activated, fully subduing the monster.
At a later date, Zhang learned the full word — still distant in his mind — and the context behind it. A mythological creature from the folklore of some indigenous people in North America. Something strongly taboo. The Elders did not care. It was something They could build upon. Something They could twist and mock. They crafted a nearly obedient monster, but that onewordwould backfire on Them. A few more incidents and the project name was changed and that word was barred from ever being uttered again. Unless a person was feeling suicidal in the barbarian's presence.
"I pray we never encounter him. What a monster." Zhang mumbled as he pushed that memory away. "I pity the person he once was. With how he reacted to that one word…"
It was rare when a human Converted Hybrid would retain memories of their past life. When they did, it usually caused problems sooner or later. Especially if their brain chip was ever compromised. He wondered if the barbarian held onto a sliver of who he once was and that's why he hated that word.
"Ah, you finished… your soup?" Helios noticed the empty, turned-over bowl on the ground. He picked it before picking out each blade of grass. "Would you like…seconds?"
"Hm?" Zhang looked at him, then at the bowl. His hand went to his stomach. He felt content. "No. I am good."
Helios nodded and placed it next to his medical supplies.
"Ah!" Helios raised a finger before he rummaged through his medical supplies once more. A few seconds later, he brought out another container of salve, bandages, and gauze pads. "Nearly forgot! Need to… cover some of those wounds… on your back."
Zhang raised a brow before chuckling. He shifted, turning his back to him so he wouldn't have to move. "Work away."
As Helios worked away treating and covering Zhang's back, someone came over to him.
"Hey, Helios." A low, rough male voice said. There was a faint rumble of a growl in their throat.
"A moment… Karris."
Zhang peeked over his shoulder to see who this Karris was. His brows scrunched together before one raised in a mix of concern and confusion. Why is there orange blood coating his face? And is he… is he licking it?
It was immediately obvious the man had to be hybridized in some way(though he retained a fairly human appearance) as both sets of his canines were oddly elongated, curving over other teeth and his lips. And he was passively licking the blood covering the lower half of his jaw. A hand that had claws like a bear picked at those teeth.
Helios found a moment to pause and look at Karris. Barely blinking an eye at the bloody sight. "What is it? Are those… implants on your head… alright?"
"It's not me." Karris replied. Unconsciously, that teeth-picking hand went towards his head and picked at several black and red square nodules that lined the shaved sides of his scalp. "It's for him." With his other hand, he pointed at Zhang. "We've got a cot open for Chilong in the triage cabin. Number 2."
"Ah, good to… hear. Thank you." He nodded to him before looking at Zhang. "Chilong," back to that callsign for now, "Care to… finish this task on a… more comfortable cot?"
Zhang thought for a moment. That sounded nice. He nodded.
"Karris, help me… with my supplies."
Once everything was gathered, the three headed to the cabin with the open cot. It was musty, and fairly quiet, minus the moans of the injured. Several doctors, former ADVENT doctors, were hard a work trying to treat them.
They carefully maneuvered their way around the cots, bed, and doctors to the open cot, one in the corner by a small window. Once there, Zhang got settled and Helios got back to work treating his back. Helios gave a fair warning to Karris to clean his face after eating. Not everyone would tolerate that. Karris gave a half-hearted "okay" before leaving.
Curiosity biting at his mind, Zhang wanted to know what that was about. He asked in a hushed whisper. "What was with the blood?"
Helios eyes shimmered purple for a moment. Zhang winced, feeling something poke at his mind until he realized what was happening. He opened it.
"It is… complicated." Helios spoke in his mind. "A product of his… splicing. He…as well as a few others… have no qualms eating aliens… hybrids… and…" He paused, his eyes were full of sadness. "Humans. Purposefully done… in a way. 'Refuel' on the battlefield… if cut off from the main army. And a weapon of… terror."
It took some time for Zhang to process everything said. It just sounded wrong. "Seriou—" He bit his "psionic tongue" as a memory flashed in his mind. One he had sometime before they came to the cabin. "No. I believe. I understand. Witnessed such a Hybrid that ate those he killed. A barbarian. I have even witnessed the newer Berserker units do the same."
"Mhm. Mhm." Helios nodded. Memories banks search for who he could be describing. Scales clicking and clacking, he bristled as a flood of nonsense came up that he quickly had to shut out. Closing his eyes tight, he sighed. "Such traits… have caused some tension. Some are… willing to understand. Others… are not."
"Not surprised by that."
About ten minutes passed before Helios was finally done. He bid Zhang fair well as he left and immediately shifted gears to helping someone else. Which was cut short by another doctor chastising him in a hushed voice that he "needed some rest" and they dragged him off and out of the cabin.
Zhang let out a bemused chuckle. How long had the man been awake? How altered DNA could make one forget how to function "properly".
He shifted about, getting comfortable in the cot. There was a blanket, but he was far too hot to use it; he hadn't noticed his fever had subsided greatly. It was moved to the side, still in reach if he needed it.
"So much to take it. So much to learn." He mumbled to himself. His eyes drifted to that window. It was dusty and full of cracks. The shadows of rustling branches danced on the surface. "Still have to tread carefully with Helios. Looks can be deceiving. I know that too well." He smirked to himself.
He wondered how much Helios knew of that man, Zhao. Did those files stored deep in that skull contain everything that man had done?
"Push it away." He muttered. Not something he wanted to dwell on right now.
After a few moments of deep breathing, his thoughts calmed down as he slumped down into the cot.
"I wonder," he mumbled, "what the morning will be like?" Most likely more conversations with Helios and him finally talking to the others. If his body didn't do a 180 on him. Hopefully, the others would be pleasant and welcoming. Even though he knew he still had to tread carefully.
He rubbed his chin, only to quickly recoil from an odd, rough sensation. "Wait." Hand returning to the chin, he felt a series of rough pricks. It felt wrong. He dragged his fingers across his jawline a few times. Long. Rough. Bristly hair.
"What." He grabbed a handful and tugged. He winced.
"I have a beard…" Not a style he liked. How much time during his imprisonment for his hair to grow out?
"Wonder what I look like?" He had a feeling the beard only exaggerated his emaciated and damaged look. "I can tell it's not that long." He wondered if his captors trimmed it. It still felt unruly.
"My head… Is it…?" Curious, he touched his head next. Buzz cut with a little fresh fuzz coming in. He pursed his lips. Puzzled by his odd finding. "
"They shave my head, but let a beard grow?" He had to contain an urge to laugh. "Makes no sense." He shook his head.
He closed his eyes and nestled deeper into that cot.
"Makes no sense." How he wanted to know the logic by his captors' decisions. "Wonder if anyone has a razor I can borrow." He already had his mind set to do one thing in the morning if he got the chance.