Caelior's Quarters, Praesidium
My phone buzzed as I brushed my teeth, tasting the toothpaste in my mouth as the brush ran over my molars.
"What is it?" Caelior asked, his huge form towering over me as I sat on the Ethereal-sized counter in his bathroom, both of us in our robes, that sense of morning tiredness and fuzziness still quite prevalent in our linked minds. While we usually broke it off before we went to bed, lately we'd let it stay while we both slept, leading to the interesting case of being able to sense and see each other's dreams.
"New mission." I said, my glowing purple eyes looking at the white screen. While my voice was still very Ethereal-like due to the link, I'd gotten used to it enough, for now. Honestly, now that I'd done it quite a bit, it felt less weird and more...well, cool. "What is this…"
I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the mission brief.
Operation: Coronet
Mission Parameters: To assault an alien base in Alaska and safely extract a designated high-ranking Runianarch informant, as well as ensure the base's destruction.
"Hm?" He cocked his head as my confusion echoed through our connection, taking a moment to piece what I said together. "Wait, what. Extracting a defector?"
I nodded. "I don't get it. Don't defectors usually leave on their own?"
"The message did say this was a high-ranking one. Perhaps the sensitivity of the target requires it." He shrugged. "Makes sense to me, at the very least."
"We'll see, I guess." I looked at the screen again. "Huh. Carmelita's in charge of this one." I gulped.
"Didn't you and her have a confrontation a while back?"
"Yeah, but we've trained together a few times, and I'm not really sure if she likes me or not. I've never been on a mission with her before."
"Even if she doesn't like you, I doubt she'll let it affect the mission."
I spat out some toothpaste, rinsing off the toothbrush. "Just seems unusual. Usually I'm killing aliens, not saving them. Not that I have an issue with saving one if I have to." I looked at him communicating the need for mouthwash to his brain. He telekinetically opened the cupboard, somewhat filled with Human toiletries he stocked up for me.
As I popped some in my mouth and gurgled it, Caelior gently pulled some scraps of food from his mouth with telekinesis, putting them in the sink. "Well, let me be the first to wish you luck on that. Hopefully it goes well."
I spat out the mouthwash. "As long as it's not Argentina or Libya, I think it'll be fine. I'd take regular old aliens over crazy bloodthirsty mercenaries or Avatars any day."
"Fair enough. As powerful as I am, I would rather not encounter Trask again." A very large nail clipper floated out of the cupboard and into his hands, where he started clipping his fingernails. He noticed my slight amusement. "What? I cannot do it with telekinesis, you know." He chuckled. "Sometimes a physical tool is more useful than a psionic one."
"Fair enough. It just seems kinda comical, you know?"
"Says the human who needs everything for her downsized." He retorted jokingly. "I for the life of me will never understand how you live in such small houses and not go insane. There is such little space in there!"
"Tell that to the bugs that got in the house." I sighed. "Hey, I gotta shower. Mind breaking the link?"
He nodded, finishing up both of his hands. With a thought, our minds fully became our own once again. While our temporary links weren't very invasive, (and we'd never tried it for obvious reasons), being linked to him while I was in the shower, fully unclothed and cleaning myself would be a big breach of our Telepathic Rule Number 2. We could each feel some shared things through our link- like the taste of food that the other person ate in your mouth, the feeling of different clothes on you skin, and even in one case where I accidentally bit my lip and he briefly cringed, touching his lip like he'd done it, even though he hadn't.
Telepathy was a strange thing.
"When's the mission?" He handed me a towel as he put the mouthwash away, preparing to walk out of the bathroom and give me some privacy.
"Tomorrow. Oh hey."
"What?"
"You're still okay with me coming with you to your next Dreamscape simulation? Doing what I did with you back in Turkey?"
He nodded. "You being in my mind is nothing new. Though this time you'll have to worry about a whole army rather than just one Hiveship."
"I don't need an army, buddy." I nudged his leg. "I have an Ethereal."
"That you do. I have to say, you looked nice in that mini-me costume for that Halloween party."
"Hey, you helped with your paper-mache helmet."
He sighed. "How could I forget having to wash my robe because of all that cursed glue? Those survived the Fall of Gehtra IV, yet a liquid adhesive requires more clean-up."
"Is that my new strategy to annoy you?" I rolled my eyes. "Just mentally send you a picture of glue?"
He shrugged it off. "Do you wish me to show you that time you wanted to show me that Archangel training and you flew face-first into that bridge?"
I rolled my eyes.
"XCOM's keeping you busy I see. Let me know when you're done, and don't hog the water!"
"Please. You know my weak human ass doesn't need half the water you do."
"Whatever you say, little Soleur." He closed the door.
That word never got old.
Briefing Room, Praesidium
I walked into the briefing room, in my Aurora Armor, with my regular Psi-Rifle and Psi-Pistol. My Domination armor was still being run through some final tests, and as much as I wanted to wear it, I didn't want to incur the wrath of both XCOM Engineering and Research and Development.
I'm sure you can wear it soon.
The others in the room were talking or staying quiet, gathered around the holo-projector, all in their armor and carrying their respective weapons.
Let's see…
Our resident German Engineer Alwin Bopp was on his phone in the back, with his plasma rifle leaning against the wall. The team's two snipers Cassandra Rivera and River Wynn (nice name, if I do say so myself) were talking about kill counts or something. Cassandra perked up when she saw me enter, walking over to me. I hadn't seen her in a while- recent events had made sure of that.
"Dawn! Good to see you again."
"Same to you." I said. "Haven't seen you in a while."
She gestured to the ultra-violet sniper rifle on her back with a thumb. "Same old, same old. Killing aliens, taking their heads off, that sort of thing." She paused. "Listen, I heard about what happened in Libya. Haven't been around the barracks that much lately, training and all that. You doing alright?"
I nodded, tapping the side of my head. "Mostly. I'll get over it."
She winked. "I got your back. Squad Overseer's almost here, I think. Come and sit with me."
I followed her, taking a seat next to her. I took another look at the room, seeing who wasn't here. Carmelita, the Assault Rolf Sannes, and the team's MELD Operator Jonathan Bright weren't here yet.
"So." I said to Cassandra. "This op seems a little different, yeah? Saving an alien. Kind of ironic, no?"
"Tell me about it. Look on the bright side, though. If it goes well, we get another defector, intel on future Collective troop movements, and some Zararch codes. And we get to blow up an alien base. What's not to love?"
"Right on."
"Hey, what's up with the purple stripe on your helmet?"
"It's from South America. That chick I-"
The door slid open, with Caremlita, Rolf, and Jonathan behind her, the Korean woman carrying her trademark smiley face helmet by her side with a sword on her back and an Alloy Cannon on her hip. Creed followed them as well, the door closing behind them.
"Tell you later, Cassandra."
"Welcome, Mamba Team. Let's get started with the briefing."
The projector lit up in a warm cyan blue, its light illuminating the somewhat dark room. "As you know, your objective is a bit different from a typical VIP operation. Rather than killing, you will be extracting."
A picture of a Vitakarian woman in winterized Runiararch armor popped up. "This is Runi'algane'vitiary. She's a somewhat high-ranking officer in the Runiararch, equivalent to that of a Colonel. For a while, she's been feeding XCOM Intelligence intel on enemy movements in the Canadian and Alaskan area, as well as sending us intercepted Collective intelligence in general. It was in some part thanks to her that we were able to locate Revelean's Lab in the Arctic."
Rolf raised a hand. "What caused her to change sides?"
"Long story short, the events of Beijing made her reconsider who and what she was fighting for. She got into contact with XCOM Intelligence after one of her other officers who had a change of heart defected. She's been useful to us ever since."
Made sense, I guess. I'd learned from Carreria that Isomnum's colossal fuckup in China had caused one of the highest defection spikes ADVENT and XCOM had ever seen, matching and even surpassing after Aegis revealed himself in Korea. Wasn't too surprising to be honest. If you found out your leadership endorsed such madness...well, I couldn't argue with that.
"So why is she now deciding to defect?" Cassandra asked.
"Good question. The Zararch have been cracking down on all infiltration efforts since we captured the insurgent and traitor Volk in South America, and she is afraid she will be caught and killed. We've now decided it's as good of a time as ever to extract her. She had also shown interest in joining XCOM."
The screen changed again, showing a base in the middle of a snow-covered valley. "This is the base she's currently residing in. It's got your standard defenses- turrets, some snipers, and a wall surrounding the facility. The enemies there are a mix of Mutons, Vitakarians, Andromedons, and Custodians, with several Vanguards providing a psionic boost to their defenses. Shouldn't be too hard to get through. As for Algane herself, she'll have with her several datacubes with her." The image changed again to show several black datacubes. "These will be containing up-to-date data on troop movements, enemy plans, and Zararch access codes. Make sure she comes out alive." He gave us all a somewhat hard stare. "I know many of you do not have the highest view of aliens, but I am trusting you as soldiers of XCOM to make sure she is escorted out of there in a safe and secure manner."
We all nodded. Carmelita didn't seem to change her expression, though I could definitely tell she was ready to kill more aliens. She was probably one of the most xenophobic people here, but damn, she knew how to wipe out Collective forces with only a gun, a sword, and her Stinger modification.
The tentacle thing creeped me out so much. I'd make a dumb joke about hentai, but I tended to make enough mental sex jokes.
Hey, I'm a soldier, but I can still have fun.
"Here's the plan." Carmelita stepped up to the projector, switching back to the map of the base. Two snowy ridges around the base were highlighted, with several paths into the base marked. "Cassandra and River. You'll be taking positions in these two positions and providing overwatch. The rest of us will be attacking the base, while Dawn will be giving us telepathic protection and using her psionics to make our job easier."
"What about escorting the VIP?" I asked.
"The VIP will be located on the third floor, in her command office." That specific part of the base lit up. "You should be able to locate her with your mind. Once she's located and found, we'll cuff her for security measures and then split in two. One team composed of Cassandra, River, and Jonathan will escort her to the Skyranger, and the rest will deal with any stragglers or possible reinforcements while Bopp plants nanite charges around the base, which will consume most if not all of the base. Don't worry; they're on a timer and based off of GAIA, so you shouldn't have to worry about them accidentally eating you."
A few chuckles came from us.
Four parts of the base were highlighted in red. "The charges will be placed on the main structure, the landing pads, the ammunition depot, and last but certainly not least, the bases' one underground component, its CODEX server. After that, we'll meet up at the Skyranger, in and out. She's agreed to cut communication at a certain time, so unfortunately there'll be little time between this briefing and deployment. However, there's still a chance other Collective forces will take notice, so be prepared for the possibility that more enemies will show up." She paused. "Any other questions?"
Jonathan raised a hand. "With all due respect, how do we know this isn't a trap?"
"Algane's intelligence has been spot-on and very accurate. She's saved several hundred ADVENT lives in the region with her intel, and her help with finding Caelior...well, I don't think anyone needs to clarify that. JULIAN has been monitoring her ever since he came online, and further surveillance has revealed no red flags so far. However, do keep in mind that she's a Vitakarian, and naturally somewhat passive and naive. There is a possibility of that, though it's very low."
We all nodded.
"Very well. One more thing. As we'll be operating in a snowy environment, set your armor coloring to white. We'll want to get as close to the base as possible, as there are some Custodians patrolling outside the base. We have data on their patrol routes, so we should be easily able to take them out. But other than that, try to keep it quiet. Any other questions?"
No one said anything."
"Good, then. We leave in thirty minutes. Good luck, everyone."
Skyranger, en route to Alaska
I sat in the seat closest to the Skyranger's currently closed ramp door as we flew to our destination. I noticed that the heating had been turned up, due to the very cold weather outside. I could hear the howling winds through the aircraft's metal structure as the silent engines got us closer and closer to our destination. I eyed the currently dormant light that was placed next to the door, which would glow a telltale red, then green when we were good to go.
Was this how it felt when they dropped you over Germany, gramps?
I looked over at the others talking in the far corner, near the cockpit when Cassandra nudged me. "You ready?"
"Of course I am. Just glad to be on a mission that doesn't have me away from XCOM for days or months. Never thought I'd miss the Praesidium, but...there I was in Libya and Argentina, feeling homesick."
"Gets a bit homey after a while, yeah?"
I nodded. "It feels weird to say, but I've honestly felt safer there than anywhere else in my life. Honestly, I thought I'd feel vulnerable with my size and inexperience and all, but no?"
"I'm curious. What did you think the other would treat you when you got there?"
I pursed my lips. "Honestly, it was pretty much based off of the military stories I heard from my uncle and saw in movies. So, that kind of stereotypical shit. You know, stuff like you need to earn your place and you can't sit at this table, the kid's table is in the family section, things like that. Honestly, I kind of assumed that with y'all's reputation, more people would take offense at a kid with no experience walking in and expecting to be treated like them."
She chuckled. "Well, I'm glad we weren't that. But you did have some Priest training before this, yeah? What's that like, especially for a civvie like you?"
I shrugged. "It's like a boot camp, sort of. There are different Priest bases for people with different backgrounds- military or civilian. Military skips the boot camp stuff and goes right to the psionics, while for us psions it's a bit more relaxed with more focus on mediation and free time. There's more time being given to the psionics, obviously, but there's some boot camp elements in there. We even had a drill sergeant."
'Seriously?"
I smiled. "I'll tell you the many stories of Sergeant Farell another time." I looked at her rifle. "That's a U/V rifle, right?"
She nodded proudly. "Sure is. Neat trick about this guy is that you can't see the energy it's shooting without a modification to my Titan helmet. Cool part is that when your see it through the helmet, it looks purple."
"Really?"
"Yep. It's pretty neat."
"You non-psions trying to copy us now?"
"You wish. I'm perfectly fine with taking people's heads off with this from far, far away." She lightly patted the rifle. "You know, reminds me. My old instructor told us this quote about our guns. Pretty memorable."
"What was it?"
"He used to say that your gun is like a time machine. You're not killing the enemy, you just move them ahead to a time where they're no longer alive."
I snorted. "That's kinda funny. I'm going to have to use that one sometime."
"By all means. My wife finds it hilarious."
"I'm sure she does."
The intercom beeped. "Lightning Sky to all. Ten minutes to drop. Get ready."
"You heard him, everyone." Carmelita spoke up - she'd been pretty quiet this whole time. "Everyone remember the plan?"
We all nodded.
"Remember, we'll have to do this as quickly as we can. Algane's got limited time where she can cut communications before her higher-ups suspect something's off. When I tell you all to go loud, go loud. We go in, kill enemies, grab her, plant charges, get out. Simple and clean."
Got it.
Let's get this defector.
Northern Alaska
The Skyranger gently set down on the snowy ground, in the middle of a clearing surrounded by trees. The light by the door turned red, then green. Carmelita jumped out first, followed by everyone else. As soon as I stepped off the ramp and hit the ground, the cold hit me. I wasn't chattering my teeth like in Antarctica, but it did feel pretty damn cold. The wind continued to howl as we walked farther away from the Skyranger, which lifted off into the sky and disappeared into the cold night sky. The snow crunched under my boot as we walked into the trees, the white powder lightly hitting my helmet as it dropped off the branches.
Feels like Christmas all over again.
"Base isn't too far from here." Carmelita beckoned to our two snipers. "Scout ahead, take your positions on the ridges. Let us know if anything's in our way."
The two of them nodded, taking off at a breakneck pace in different directions until they melted away into the forest. The smiley-faced helmet turned to the rest of us. "Stay in a close formation, but spread out a little. Look for movement on your HUDs. Jonathan, if we encounter any Custodians, melt them. We don't want any gunfire yet."
"Understood, Overseer."
"Dawn, let us know if you sense anyone."
"Can do."
We set off, our little merry band of XCOM operatives making our way through the cold Alaskan forest. The whole place had its own brand of prettiness; there was just something almost magical to me about being in a place like this. All the snowfall, the thousands of icicles hanging from the trees. We moved out from the forest into an open space near a cliffside, and...wait. Was that, in the sky...
"Is that the Aurora Borealis?"
"Yep." Bopp said. My eyes widened with embarrassment for a moment, not realizing that I'd said that thought out loud.
Oops.
It was even prettier than the pictures, by a wide margin. The colors of green, red, blue, violet- so many I couldn't think of at the moment, it was just so gorgeous, watching them tower in the sky above me like that, drawing me so many times over. It was like watching a painting come to life, projected onto the sky for all to see. I didn't say a word. I just quietly breathed as I gazed in awe at them.
The Northern Lights indeed.
"Keep moving, people." Carmelita spoke up again. "We're here for a mission, not to sightsee. You can look at your helmet pictures later.
Sorry.
We moved past the cliffside, and trekked down the side of a rocky slope, me sneaking peeks at the glowing sky every so often.
Can't beat this view.
The comms crackled.
"River, reporting in."
"Cassandra, reporting in. We've taken up positions, got our eyes on the base."
"Do you see anything out of the ordinary?"
"Negative." River said. "I have eyes on our VIP. Third floor of the central building, fifth room to the left from the elevator. "
"Just as planned. Enemy makeup?"
"Mutons, Sectoids, Custodians and Vitakara. Little over sixty in total, we think. Nothing that can't be handled. There are three Sectoid Transports parked on a landing pad, scans show they're empty. JULIAN's communicating with her right now. She's going to cut the communications and defenses soon. As soon as she does that, you've got forty minutes to an hour until someone comes to check up on them."
"Copy. We're almost there."
We moved down the slope and back onto flat ground, where we moved up to a hill, taking cover as we got within viewing distance of the base. Peering at it through my sights, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Wall, force-barrier gate, guards, a few turrets.
Just like the simulations.
"Okay, defenses and communications should be disabled in three...two...one...now."
The turrets suddenly went limp, the force-barrier gate dissipated, and the lights on the communication tower went dark.
"That's our cue, Mamba Team. Everyone, go loud!"
I opened with a psionic attack, downing the several Borelians guarding the gate as Carmelita charged the gate, her glowing orange sword in hand. A Custodian aimed its plasma rifle at her, as if about to fire, but her sword's business end got to it first, chopping its head off and sending sparks flying as its headless body hit the ground. Rolf threw a grenade at the gate, blowing a hole in the wall and allowing us to pour through. As I moved in, I noticed several enemies dead, lying on the ground, their heads smoking.
Our two snipers must be busy.
I killed ten Mutons with a thought, who barely had a chance to react to our little entrance. Jonathan's nanite swarm started to eat into a Sectoid, its shrieking as the golden cloud rapidly consumed its head, eating through its armor like it was nothing. Carmelita turned a Borelian's head into a yellow mist, stabbing another Vitakarian in the chest, cutting through his armor like it was butter. Bopp fired his plasma rifle, hitting a Muton in the head.
"Damn it, Bopp!" Cassandra moaned. "That one was mine!"
"Try to keep up, sniper!"
I smirked. "Try to keep up, mortals!" A group of disheveled Vitakarians running out of a small barracks pulled their own grenades, causing a chain explosion that illuminated the area in an orange-blue plume of flame. Green streaks of plasma, psionics, and bullet trails lit up the darkness, cutting through the snowfall like contrails in the sky. Aliens and machines left and right were cut down with ease, our little squad making short work of the enemies.
Enemies would scramble out of their buildings, looking dazed, confused, or both, only to have their heads blown up with a shot from our snipers. Nanites would eat through their armor and flesh, consuming them from the inside and out. My psionics killed tens of them by the minute, penetrating their minds like a scissor through wet paper, ending them instantly. It was almost alluring to see us cut through them. I kind of felt bad for them- training your whole life (or programmed can't leave the machines out) only to get curb stomped by us in less than a minute.
In a way, it made you understand what it was like for regular ADVENT soldier to face an Avatar - I refused to call them Harbingers, on account of that sounding like they were trying way too hard to sound intimidating (plus, you had to admit, it kinda sounded ridiculous) - or Ethereal on the battlefield. Seeing something so intimidating, so powerful, coming at you like a force of nature.
"Dawn, with me." Carmelita ordered. "Let's get her!"
"On it." I watched as another nanite swarm from Jonathan began eating into several Custodians trying to flank us. I extended my mind, killing a squad of Borelians with a telepathic command. "Coming to you!"
We made our way to the entrance of the main building quite easily, me taking care of the two Vitakarians in the front with a thought. Carmelita charged through the sliding door, breaking its alloy frame in two as her kinetic speed sent her body flying into another Vitakara cowering behind the door.
Word of advice - when several hundred kilograms of Titan Armor and a genetically augmented Korean lady literally too angry to die charges into an unprotected Vitkarian with no armor on, don't look at the results of that equation. The Vitakarian had almost liquefied upon impact, her bones shattering and skin rippling as her limp body flew into a nearby wall, leaving the...blob… of what was left dripping blood and guts through the hole it's created.
"Dawn, you sense her?"
"Yep. Third floor, just like you said. She's fine, but she has a few Borelians guarding her."
"Won't be an issue. Follow me."
We moved up the stairs, past the second floor, and onto the third, entering a hallway. Three Borelian guards were outside a door which I presumed was where our VIP was. They dropped dead with a thought as we moved to the door.
"Two Borelians inside, along with Algane."
"Take 'em out."
I entered their minds, having them turn their guns on each other, two comrades filling their skulls with plasma as we burst into the room. The two soldiers lay dead on the floor, yellow blood and guts dripping from their skulls. Standing in the middle of them and holding her hands up, rapidly blinking (a sign of worry or shock for Vitakara) was Algane, in her Runiararch armor, with some yellow bloodstains all over it.
"XCOM?" She said, almost stuttering in decent English.
"Who else?" Camrelita grunted. "We're here to get you out."
Algane looked at the dead bodies. "Did you really have to do that?"
"Yes. Wrists out." Carmelita unhooked some restraints from her waist, the alien woman following her instruction as her wrists were bound. "Where are the datacubes?"
Slightly shaking (she was nervous, couldn't really blame her), she nodded her head to a black bag on her desk. "In there. Along with some personal items."
I quickly checked her mind, finding nothing suspicious. "She's telling the truth."
"Search the bag real quick, just to be sure."
"On it." I walked over to the bag, opening it and taking a peek inside. Some datacubes, some folded clothes, a holoprojector, and a pistol. I looked at her. "What's with the holoprojector?"
"Pictures. Family pictures."
I did another quick psionic check, just to be sure. No lying either. I zipped up the bag and slung it over Algane's back.
"Go time." She nodded.
"Dawn, I'll escort Algane. You provide cover."
"Got it, Overseer."
I walked out through the door into the hallway, checking both sides before looking back into the room, lowering my gun. "Coast looks clear, let's-"
A door opened, revealing a half-dressed bulking borelian in a shambled officer's uniform. She looked at me, growled, and charged, baring her teeth as she roared straight towards me.
Fuck! She must've been sleeping!
There was little time to raise my gun.
I remembered the punching bag in the gym.
I dropped my gun as she got closer and closer, paws raised. I dashed towards her, sliding to the ground as I raised my fist, sliding right between her legs as my armored fists' kinetic momentum made contact with her unprotected left kneecap. It tore through flesh and bone, dismembering her lower leg as golden blood spewed out of it, seind the thigh and foot flying as she fell to the ground. I grabbed her by the other leg, flipping her over and using her own weight against her, slamming her to the floor with a crunch as I finished her off with a fist to the face, breaking her skull with a squelching sound.
I got up, looking at the mess I made. "Coast is clear!"
The two walked out, looking at the dead body of the Borelian, Algane's blue eyes brightening and blinking.
"Good job, Dawn. Let's go." She tugged Algane into the elevator, as I grabbed my gun, following them. As it dinged and began to move down, I looked down at my fists, noticing the golden blood on it, dripping onto the floor. I sensed the Vitakarian's shock and horror at what the two of us had unleashed, hearing her thoughts as I observed her mind.
Will they do that to me?
I saw media files of the woman with the smile on her helmet. Zararch reports suggest she may have issues relating to containing her anger and rage. Will she hurt me?
The other sounds irregular compared to an adult human. She sounds young. And why is that purple strip displayed on her forehead? Does XCOM hire children now? If I recall…
"You'll be fine, Algane." I spoke up. "Carmelita here is a very experienced veteran. You'll be alright."
She said nothing, simply blinking again.
Well, I tried.
The door opened as we ran into the lobby and outside, being greeted with the smoldering wrecks of three Sectoid Transports, burnt (and burning) buildings, and many corpses. A group of Contamination Operatives charged out one of the remaining buildings, readying their acid launchers.
"Contamination Operatives!" I yelled. "Get back."
"No need." Algane reached for a datapad on her wrist, hitting a button. Something blinked, and the Andromedon's tanks exploded in a flurry of orange and green, treating through their suits and melting them. Across the base, another building that looked look a storage shed erupted into fire, green acid spewing from their ruptured tanks and killing them.
I killed them with a thought as they and everything around them melted to spare them the pain.
"The hell was that?" Carmelita looked at the Vitakarian.
"Backup." She said, "If you did not show up, it would provide an ample distraction for me to slip away."
I grimaced.
That's a little dark.
"Carmelita, come in."
"Go ahead, Jonathan."
"Base is almost cleared out, no one made it past the wall. Just a few stragglers hiding. Base looks clear."
"Anything else?"
"Negative."
"Well, that's our cue. Dawn, find Bopp and cover him as he plants the explosives. The rest of us will group up, clear this place, and evacuate."
I nodded. "Got it!"
I ran away from the building, taking a right as I saw Bopp take down a Muton with a headshot, kneeling next to the depot.
"Dawn?"
"Yep!"
"Cover me while I do this. Keep an eye out, would you?"
"Done."
I felt around with my mind, getting nothing as I waited for a minute before I heard a click behind me, Bopp activating the charge. "One down. CODEX server is next. Follow me."
I followed him to a small bunker door across the base, 'guarded' by several dead Mutons and two dead turrets, currently offline, their barrels pointed towards the ground. The sliding door was already open, like it was waiting for us.
"Guess the alien didn't lie when she said she disabled all she could." He chuckled. "Well, then. Makes this easier."
We walked down a flight of stairs and into a blast door, which I hit a green button, opening and revealing an oddly warm climate-controlled room with several black and purple servers, humming as various lights danced across their consoles. He placed a circular charge on one of them hitting several buttons before it clicked on.
"Two down, two left."
I activated my radio. "Carmelita, status on the VIP?"
"Cassandra and River are almost here, ready to escort her away. Skyranger's going to land about a hundred meters from here to pick us up."
"We've got two charges left, Overseer. Haven't faced any resistance yet."
"Good. Jonathan and Rolf are cleaning up the rest. You should be clear."
Bopp and I ran out of the small bunker, moving over to the main building as I sensed a Muton taking cover behind one of the overturned Transports, killing it with a thought. Seeing something move in one of the few standing buildings, I threw a Dynamo grenade at it, getting some explosive results when a Custodian's arm flew out of the flaming structure.
Gotcha.
"Nanite charge is set, one more to go!"
He got up and ran to the landing pad, the smell of burnt metal filling my nostrils as I sniffed.
Smells like my mom's mechanic shop on a bad day.
I shot a Custodian in the face as Bopp finished planting the last charge on the landing pad.
"Let's go, Bopp!"
"Got it. Carmelita, all charges are planted. Set to blow in five minutes."
"Good job. Let's get out of here, everyone. How's our VIP?"
"A little chilly, but she's alright." Jonathan said. "We're clear of the base, no enemies in sight."
"We'll come to you." Rolf said, his gun firing. "Just gotta finish off this Muton and-urk!"
His connection cut out suddenly and with no warning. A snap and some kind of flash echoed through his mic, along with a body hitting the ground. As Bopp planted the third charge, I took another look into the sky.
Pretty.
"Third charge is set!" Moving towards the last one!"
"Rolf! Respond! Rolf!" She paused. "What the fuck happened?"
"I don't know!" Bopp yelled, as he took off a couple dozen feet away from me, me turning away briefly as I shot another Muton. "He was on the other side of the base and-what the fuck-aagh!"
Something purple flashed behind me, followed by a cry. I turned around, aiming my gun at- nothing. Bopp's body fell to the ground with a thud, his neck twisted in a direction that did not look healthy. I felt nothing from his mind. My heart pumped faster as I realized someone was picking us off - and quick.
What? A teleporter, maybe? Avatar? Ethereal? But who?
"C-carmelita!" I stammered. "There's a teleporter here, I-I t-think! Don't know what or who, but it just killed Rolf and Bopp!"
"Shit. Get out of there, Dawn."
"Fuck!" I yelled, as I made a mad dash past his body, knowing his armor would begin a self-destruct sequence soon. I ran past the landing pads, into the open space between the pads and the central building. Caremlita was on the other side, I knew if I could reach her-
"You."
A telekinetic wave hit me, lifting me off my feet and slamming me into the metal ground, a knife of pain shooting through my back as I hit the ground. A piercing telepathic attack hit me, like nothing I'd felt before. I shrieked as it bore into my head like a drill through a tunnel, a cry of pain coming out of my mouth. As I tried to focus, something about the attack didn't seem right. It felt like…
A mix of two minds were doing it, not just one.
Oh no.
Another attack hit me from the side slamming me into a wall as I tried to ward off the attack. A purple flash appeared in front of me as a black figure grabbed me by the throat and slammed me into the wall again, a telekinetic vice wrapping around as the hold tightened around my throat. As I gasped for breath, I looked at its face - no not a face! A near pitch-black Avatar mask, staring right at my face, emanating pure anger.
No.
It's not you!
It's him.
It's Nico.
"XCOM's little slattern, the puppet child of the Commander." He spoke, but the voice wasn't human. It was young, but distorted. A mix of male and female spoke, the layered youthfulness of the two voices creating a strange, twisted harmony of disgust and contempt. "So young. So much potential, twisted by ADVENT to serve them. Your slaughter of my family has not gone unnoticed."
His hand released the grip, only for his other hand to drive a knife into my neck, a sharp pain emanating as he stabbed my throat, using telekinesis to do so. The knife got in, but refused to move as I tried to scream.
"Genetic modification. No matter. It will not save you."
With a telekinetic pull, my throat was ripped open, giving the knife more leeway as it cut through my Adam's apple with another swipe. My scream went silent, as I tried to yell, but nothing came out. I felt more pain spreading through the gash, a stinging touch that started to burn. His free hand glowed with psionic power, as he was probably preparing to finish me off. "My uncle will be avenged, and XCOM will be lesser for your loss."
Fear filled my mind as his hand glowed purple, preparing to end me once and for all.
Not like this. Not like this!
A primal battle cry rang through the night as Carmelita landed next to Nico, her Stinger tentacle shooting out from her wrist and wrapping around his right arm. She swung her orange sword, its heat washing over me and cutting through the cold air, slicing off his knife-wielding arm with one clean swipe. She retracted her Stinger, whipping out her shotgun and shooting a round into his groin. He screamed in pain, an eerie mix of two sexes as the noise that came from his throat was not human. The telepathic scream was directed everywhere, causing the both of us to cringe as he disappeared through a purple portal, me faintly seeing an Ethereal with a orb helm on the other side as he vanished.
I fell to the ground, blood spurting out of my throat as the pain continued to spread through my body like wildfire. My nerves felt like they were on fire, my body twitching as my limbs, toes, and fingers began to vibrate, as my back arched, my mouth opening to let out a sickening gurgle, only for blood to spit out of my mouth, staining my screen.
"Dawn! Dawn!"
Carmelita stood up, rushing over to me. "Fuck! Lightning Sky! I need an immediate landing at my location. I have a soldier down with possible poisoning symptoms. Base is not hot, I repeat, base is not hot!"
I didn't hear the radio reply as my vision began to slowly fade and I lost control of my body. My whole armored form seized as my nerves were filled with lightning bolts of pain and agony. A nauseous feeling filled my guts as I felt like I was gonna-
No. Nonononono. I'm not dying! I'm not fucking dying to some inbred cartel fuck and his psycho girlfriend! No!
I tried to lift an arm, but the fire shot through my veins, another gurgle coming out of my mouth as more blood, and some bile to the mix, began filling my mouth and helmet. The stench caused me to retch.
I'm not drowning in my own vomit. I'm not drowning in my own vomit.
"Hold on, Dawn!" Carmelita yelled as I saw the Skyranger in the distance. "You're going to be okay! The VIP's safe! You're going to be fine!"
Fine.
This is fine.
This isn't fine.
I'm gonna die.
Just like Argentina.
The Skyranger landed a ways away behind Carmelita, the door opening as Cassandra, River, and Jonathan ran down the ramp, with Algane looking out from the door. Carmelita picked me up in one swoop, as the other women grabbed my fallen gear, Cassandra injecting something into my neck. Jonathan picked up Nico's dismembered limb, the hand still holding the knife. My neck began to numb, a wave of drowsiness slowly overcoming me as I stared up into the night sky, still, beautiful and colorful.
Beautiful.
I was carried into the Skyranger, placed on the floor as the other filed in and stepped around me, the door closing and the aircraft lifting off.
Nico.
The black mask, staring at my face, the rage and hatred bearing down on me as he slashed my throat.
Why do you hate me?
It's your uncle, isn't it? Because of what I did to him? What ADVENT did to your family?
They deserved it, didn't it? Course, you don't see it that way.
I coughed again as blood trickled out of my throat, my vocal cords failing me.
What did Sicarius tell you? That killing us all would bring them back? Did she promise you Mexico if you won? Or was it just a friend, hm? Someone to lean on who 'helped' you more and more, without realizing what she was really doing?
Or was it something more than that?
Another wave of pain shot through my body, the noise around me muted as Carmelita said something to me.
Gone too far. Can't fix you, can't bring you back. Unsalvageable.
Do you deserve it? Nah. Just a puppet on strings, like the rest of 'em.
Like the rest of them, who would they be without their Ethereal?
Nothing.
Unlike you, I don't need an Ethereal to get the job done.
A slave to darkness.
Were you ever really in control?
The image of the mask was in my mind- I couldn't get it out. The grip of his hand around my throat, his knife cutting my throat open, the distorted voices blended together, speaking to me in an unholy matrimony of pain, anger, and false righteousness.
I slowly faded into unsciouness, darkness enveloping me, leaving me with only a single thought full of hate as I fell asleep.
Nico Murillo, I will kill you.
XCOM Medical Bay, Praesidium
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
"Vitals look good. How's the throat?"
"Recovering. Nanites are doing the trick. Her vocal cords are a mess, though. Might be some speaking issues. What about the blood thinner?"
Blood thinner? What?
"She's going to have trouble moving for a bit. Collective-level chemicals, nasty. You have experience with it, don't you?"
"Yes."
I blinked, darkness slowly turning to light as I found myself in the Medical Bay.
Again.
I need to stop waking up here after missions.
I opened my eyes, squinting as the blue light from the ceiling hit my eyes with a truck. I tilted my head ever so slightly to the right, seeing two doctors confer with each other by a computer. One human, and one...Dath'Haram?
Wait, what?
"Her nervous system will be fine; her modifications will help her resist. Whatever the Avatar had on it, it could have hurt her more provided she was not treated so quickly."
Something about the Dath'Haram sounded familiar. Almost like…
Her?
The human doctor noticed my eyes, walking over to me. I recognized her - it was Erica!
"Dawn, you're awake."
I tried to say something, but found only a hoarse gasp coming out of my throat.
"Don't speak right now. Your vocal cords are heavily damaged right now, and you may have trouble speaking for a while."
"Don't try to move your limbs either." The Dath'Haram turned to me, giving a warm smile. "We meet again, Dawn Conley. Remember me?"
Malliena?
From Argentina?
She noticed my raised eyebrows. "Indeed. However, how I got here is not important - your current condition is. An irony, no?" She shook my head. "You saved me from my own people, and now I must save you from my people. Blades of the People indeed."
"Suffice to say, Dawn, your condition, while not terrible, is not that great either. You will be making a full recovery - no doubt about that. But the blood thinner has done some damage to your neck's healing, and your vocal cords will need some major repairs. If you must, you can communicate with us or any of the staff with your telepathy."
What did it do to my body?
Malliena blinked several times before responding. "Your spine was throttled a bit, which is why you'll have issues with moving. However, luckily for you, nothing was severely damaged or broken. However, the most prevalent issue here is with your neck."
How so?
"Your voice will sound radically different, and you will be unable to yell or produce high-decibel sounds. You will sound extremely hoarse, and it is very likely that your voice may sound like a heavy whisper for a maximum of three weeks. While surgery and nanomachines can fix it, it will take time for the effects to come into action- and you will be able to speak relatively soon- as this part of the body is complicated, and with it being essential to speech and communication, requires precise and careful care to manage and repair."
Will I be able to eat?
"Yes, though until your initial surgeries, which will happen within the hour, we will be feeding you liquified food using a tube."
Ugh. Gross.
I blinked. Anything else?
"No."
What happened to the mission?
Erica tapped something on her tablet. "The target and almost everyone got away, but Rolf and Bopp were killed. I'm sorry."
Goddamnit. More XCOM soldiers dead.
Fuck me.
Can you put me under, please? I...I really don't feel like being awake.
Malliena nodded. "Will do. Rest well, Dawn."
"Good to see you again as well, though I wish it were under better circumstances." Erica said. "Feel better soon. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry about the team."
I am too.
Malliena injected something into my IV, and I was fading back to sleep within moments. I couldn't get the memory out of my head, seeing the black mask, feeling the knife in my neck, the cold, biting snow, the Aurora Borealis lighting up the night sky as I nearly died, Carmelita's roar as she chopped his arm off and shot Nico in the groin.
Hope he got his family jewels blown off.
Prick.
XCOM Medical Bay, Praesidium
Well, here I am, going back to my journal after...jeez, I don't even know long. Things have been so crazy lately.
No matter.
Well, I'm in the hospital. Again. The doctors tell me that physically everywhere else but my neck, I'll be fine. Unlike last time, I can shower and walk around without having to worry about falling over. Unfortunately, I also can't speak. Well, kind of. I could, but my voice is really low and raspy- very creepy, even. So I'm just stuck using telepathy for now.
Still can't get the taste of that liquid food out of my mouth. Ugh.
Anyway, Carmelita visited me yesterday pretty briefly, and told me I did a good job. The defector's fine, which is nice- just wished the whole op went better. I gave her a thanks, but I don't think I can really enunciate just how thankful I am for what she did.
I still can't get it out of my head. The fear and terror I had- it was even more than South America. Seeing him there, right in front of me, hand wrapped around my neck, ready to kill me.
And that voice.
So...alien.
It's one thing to hear Trask talk with a super-deep and distorted voice, sounding like a male Ethereal that's technically still a child. But with someone so young sounding like an alien that's their age equivalent, for some reason, it feels even weirder. It felt like he wasn't really in control, that Sicarius' influence was stronger than him. The way he-she-they spoke, the anger, the hatred, the contempt, it shook me.
I've never felt something like that.
Who was really in control?
I wonder.
Why didn't he just snap my neck or cut me in half with a portal? Why didn't he teleport me somewhere and capture me? Why didn't he do something more creative like teleporting me into space, or opening a portal to a hostile environment? Why did he drag it out? Did he want me to be afraid before he ended me? Regret my decision? Was he just trying to be a standard stereotypical villain intimidating, like Trask in Ankara?
Well, I hope it was worth losing an arm and your crotch over.
After what happened, I have to admit, personally, that I'm afraid of going out into the field again. I legitimately believe that I can't defeat him- not alone. As far as I'm concerned, the only way for me to win against him is if he just stands still and lets me melt him (highly unlikely), Fiona comes in and finishes him off (slightly less unlikely, but still), or he does something stupid, like accidentally teleporting into a volcano (extremely unlikely).
Jokes aside, I..I have doubts about going out. Sure, Carmelita saved me that time, but I can't rely on others to do things. I can't wait for Fiona or someone else to save my ass. I have to get better.
But could I have really gotten out of that situation without help?
No. I'd be dead.
We're not about one-man armies, but I can't defeat an Avatar on my own. I'm not that good. No one here is that good. And no, our Ethereals and Agents don't count.
Do I just have to accept that he could kill me anytime out there, and I can't do a thing about it?
I shivered as I stopped typing, closing my eyes for a moment as I breathed in and out again.
Remember what Matellian said.
Focus only on your lungs and mind.
Push aside the chaos, and think of the good things.
Godamnit, Dawn. Are you really ready to keep doing this?
What happens when the next trauma event hits? Are you gonna keep going, or are you gonna break? Surely the Commander knows how to handle you. Surely Yates knows what to do?
Right?
I didn't know how to approach this. I knew seeing such things like this were inevitable. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't keep the world from exposing me to the darker side of this war. I made a decision, and had to live with it.
Am I seriously having second thoughts?
No! I shook my head. Not now. You have a job to do.
I had a job to do.
I sat up in the bed, looking at myself in the mirror across the room. The nasty scar on my neck was still there- a nasty looking thing, a jagged line across the midsection of my neck. It slightly hurt to the touch, as it was covered in stitches, but they'd be removed soon.
Looks like someone tried to use a guillotine on me.
Another scar for the collection.
I turned back to my journal, writing.
Apparently Overseer Bronis is going to visit me soon. He's got some news that I, and I quote, 'will be very pleased with'. Also going to meet with Kunio and Sierra again. Wonder how they'll react to this. If nothing else, it's a decent story. Staring an Avatar into its face right before it gets its asses kicked.
In many cases, the Avatars no longer felt just human to me. Their mind was no longer really their own, bound by telepathic strings that they could never be free from. What Caelior and I was different - it was temporary. This, though? I couldn't imagine having an Ethereal in my head forever, relying upon it like a lifeline.
Without their Ethereals, who would they be? Patricia, while still the (pre-defection) first Human psion and pioneer of Human psionic theory, could easily be beaten by Aegis or an Agent of T'Leth. The rest of them, even if awakened, could be taken out by ADVENT or XCOM psions.
It gave me a small yet off sense of pride, knowing that the power I had was my own and my own alone- it didn't come from anyone else but me. Sure, one could make the argument that Aegis had put a lot of information in my head that would've taken me months, if not years to study. And yes, that was true, but at the same time, I didn't instantly learn new tricks or skills- I worked at them, developing them, giving them time. Meanwhile, Trask went from a telepath to...well, everything because of Ethereal science. She didn't earn it. She just said yes, and boom.
What was power and skill worth if you didn't put time and effort into it?
Guess that makes me better. Ha!
But, I couldn't help but think.
What was Nico really fighting for? Oh sure, you could say revenge for his family - not that it really meant anything. Besides maybe them being good parents (outside of them very obviously having a kid to continue the line of cartel leaders, if nothing else), they had no legitimizing reasons in my eyes for making them seem like good people. His dad was nearly just like his uncle, and while his mother was less involved, she definitely didn't have clean hands, either. She was one of the people in charge of body disposal, namely dropping corpses in acid to get rid of the evidence, among other things.
What a happy family.
I did wonder how much he'd been radicalized, though. If his 'intentions' were something he originally really wanted, or just twisted by Sicarius. Which honestly, he probably was. In fact, it made Sicarius just as guilty and complicit in bastardizing him. It wasn't like me to break up a happy couple, but this was the exception. This wasn't love- this was just, as I said before, a cycle of abuse. I was half sure that Sicarius thought what she was doing to him was helping him, just like the Imperator did to her. But all she was really doing in the end was turning Nico into a copy of her- a poor child who had lost everything and turned into a weapon full of hate and anger, directed bluntly at whatever their superior wanted gone.
They needed help, not radicalization.
But the only help for them I saw was a quick, peaceful death.
But with what Nico and Sicarius knew and had done, I don't think they even deserved that.
And I was going to make damn sure I'd be the one to pull the trigger.
Medical Bay, Praesidium
It was evening when Carreria came to visit. The lights were dimmed, and the lava lamp on the nightstand next to me was on, the mix of orange and purple from the glimmering device lighting up the room in a lukewarm orange shade. The door opened, her furry form walking into the room, sitting down next to me as my head turned towards hers.
She smiled at me, showing her sharpened teeth. "I see my little cub has gotten a new scar."
I did. Avatar almost got me.
She let a small growl come out of her mouth, before stopping herself. "My apologies. Us Borelians have some reservations about psionics. My bad." She clasped her clawed hands together. "I heard about what happened. Is it really true that Carmelita severed his arm?"
Hell yeah she did. It was pretty badass. If it weren't for her… I made a throat-slicing gesture with two fingers. I'd be dead. Have to admit, I didn't really like her all that much, but damn!
"Still, the fact that you stood up to and survived an Avatar encounter is highly respectable. The scar on your neck displays it. Us Borelians see scars as something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed of. Wearing a Gahtz-J'krain on your skin is something, back home, would at the very least earn me a salute or a 'thank you' for my service."
"Gaha-Juh-what now?"
"Gahtz-J'krain. 'Mark of Scour'. A term from our tongue to describe the marks of battle on one's skin. A reminder that war scours both the flesh and mind, and requires bravery and courage to fight in. Many Borelians, if they get one, will shave that part of their body so it is easier to see. " She tapped her fingernails together. "And many males do see a woman with many scars...attractive."
Carreria, you dirty dog.
She snorted. "'Dog'. Hmm. I do remember one of my ADVENT captors calling me a 'Wampa Bitch'. I found it catchy. When Sandeath heard that, he has never let me forget it. He may not be able to fight, but he is far more skilled with his tongue than his muscles. He has a way with words, I tell you."
I raised an eyebrow. You guys do take your fighting seriously, don't you?
"Someone must fight the wars that our less...determined evolutionary cousins will not." She patted her massive forearms. "These hands were not made for diplomacy or trade." She closed her fists. "They were made to pound the enemy!"
I like the gusto.
She shrugged. "What can I say that I have not already?" She stood up. "And I will promise that if I get my claws on that little puppet, I will rip him to shreds." She growled. "I will help you chop down that family tree of depravity and scum."
It was always both intimidating and fascinating to see a Borelian furious. Their hair seemed to perk up when they got angry, kind of like a cat. Their eyes also seemed to dilate a bit, and to top it all off, their bared teeth and claws ready to tear you apart combined with a battle stance made them look even more like an angry polar bear.
Remind me to take Carrerian and her husband to the Nashville Zoo if we all made it out of this. A part of me wanted to see her reaction to the bears up north which looked so much like her.
"But other things have been taking up my time. My mate's expecting me, but when I told him I was visiting you, he told me to take as long as I needed. We've been talking about...family."
I raised an eyebrow. "Your parents? In-laws?"
"No. That is for another time. Children."
Wait, you're not thinking about having children now, right?
"I may be a soldier, but I am not stupid. This war is no place to raise young. I cannot be a parent if I am out constantly fighting- and if I'm dead. No. Assuming we have victory- somehow, we've been thinking about starting our family on Earth, not Vitakar, even if your kind liberates my homeworld."
Why here?
She simply pointed a clawed hand at the Chimera Division badge on her uniform. "We would be outcasts on Vitakar. My people - all Vitakara - have been indoctrinated into believing the Elders and Collective can do no wrong. That kind of mental programming cannot be undone in a day, week, month, or year. Even if ADVENT took over and it was safe for us, many would still see us as traitors, those that turned away from the Ethereals. Our own parents and families would look down upon us in judgement and shame. It will be too much for us."
So here? People would be xenophobic towards you!
"Perhaps. But they would know we fought for Humanity, and have a better image of us." She shook her head. "My sons or daughters may grow up around aliens, but at the very least they will know who their parents are. Besides, we have done research. Alaska or Russia do not look so bad."
You're looking there?
"After the former is liberated, of course. I've seen the pictures. The Aurora Borealis there is very much like home. Very few places on Earth that are so similar to it."
It's a pretty sight. I think your kids will enjoy the lightshow.
"That they will." She stood up. "I'd better be going now. Goodnight, Dawn. I hope your throat heals soon."
Night Carreria.
I watched her as she walked out, the door sliding shut behind her, laying my head back on the pillow.
This is nice.
Medical Bay, Praesidium
"Afternoon, Dawn."
I was finishing up my daily delivered lunch and cleaning the steak sauce off my face with a napkin. when the Psionic Overseer was walking in. By now the rest of my body, save my neck, was practically fine. I still felt drowsy from the surgery though, so sometimes I found it a bit difficult to use the silverware.
Hi Bronis.
He paused for a moment before shrugging it off and sitting down. "Sorry about that. Forgot about your throat."
It's fine. Hurts to talk anyway. Pretty maddening, though.
"Can't say I can relate, but I'm glad you're feeling better after Alaska. Are you doing alright?"
I tapped the side of my memories. I don't know how to feel. I've been having nightmares of...him. Like, I'll be going about my family business, and then he just shows up. After what happened, I'm nervous that if I go out there again, he'll show up.
He nodded. "I can understand that. I myself probably have a few targets on my back for my significance to XCOM."
It's not just that. I feel like I keep on having traumatic moment after traumatic moment. I'm fine with killing people, but, well, I don't know. I shook my head, looking down. I got blown to bits in Argentina, I saw a whole city burn in Libya, and now this. I don't know if I can keep taking this and shrugging it off.
"You're worried that you might be reaching your psychological breaking point?"
I guess that's one way to put it. I'm just worried I'll get to a point where I'm going to snap or have a breakdown. Like, don't get me wrong, Yates and the rest are doing a great job, but I can't help but feel that it's not enough.
"I understand that. Seeing and encountering such situations at an age like yours can be more distressing for you then adults.
I know XCOM's doing it's best, but it feels like something more needs to happen. Doesn't help that I'm practically a loner here due to my age.
He smiled as I sensed a strange change in his attitude, one from 'calm with a tinge of worry' to one of satisfaction. "Well, Dawn, that's actually why I'm here.'
What? I don't understand.
He tapped something on the tablet he was holding. "The Commander and Yates had a discussion recently about you several days ago, while you were under."
Uh oh.
"She brought up to him what you just said to me, actually. The lack of people around you your age has been mentally affecting you, with the isolation and feeling of being the 'odd one out'."
I nodded.
"So, after some deliberation, we decided to bring in someone you're quite familiar with to XCOM."
My heart almost jumped out of my throat and my eyes widened as a bolt of lightning flew through my body. "What?" I almost yelled out in a raspy voice that would've made Darth Vader cringe. My plate slipped off my lap and almost hit the floor, landing on an Aegii barrier he made, which he floated over to the trashcan, dematerializing it and allowing the trash to take itself out.
"Wuh-who is it?" I rasped out, before realizing that I was verbally talking, placing a hand over my mouth.
"Your friend Zoe, or Violet. Whatever she calls herself. I interviewed her two days ago, and she accepted our offer."
A mixture of surprise, happiness, and confusion flew through my mind. B-but what about the Priests? Wasn't that an option for her, too?
"She didn't want to join the Priests, actually."
I raised an eyebrow. What?
"She doesn't exactly put her wholehearted trust in ADVENT. She still has her misgivings about them, and she thinks that her talents would be wasted. So, she'll be joining us."
Sounds like her. When does she come?
"She'll be here in three days. Argentina's still a hot zone, and her people are being relieved by the ADVENT army and special forces. She's in North Carolina right now at an ADVENT base. Doctors are just running some medical checks on her and giving her some nutrient boosts- god knows when she last went to one." He shook his head. "But I have faith she'll do well here, even with her somewhat unrestrained personality."
Hey, if XCOM could deal with me, we can deal with her. I tried to chuckle, but only made a strained, hoarse sigh. Damnit. It's maddening not being able to physically speak. I scowled. The Commander tell you how we're going to train her?
"Clifton Berger's going to be her main instructor, I suppose. He's got a lot of experience with both military service and Dynamo psionics- he'll do a fine job. He did survive an encounter with the Battlemaster and his Avatar. If nothing else, that'll have her respect him."
She's not as unruly as she sounds, man. It's not her fault she was born into the environment she grew up in. And the more we hung out, the better she got around me. Bronis, with all due respect, I'm sure the Commander wouldn't mind if I helped out with her initial training?
"Not at all. The Commander is looking forward to how she integrates and aids the war effort. We could always use more powerful Dynamo psions, and with her unique background, she'll be a valuable asset.
Just like me is something I didn't say to him. While I was happy Violet came, well…
I don't mean to sound insensitive, sir, but I don't suppose Mary qualifies for this place?
"I'm sorry, who?"
Mary Stevens. My Priest Aegii friend. I'm sure you guys have been monitoring our talks.
"Oh. Her. I apologize, Dawn, but as much as you and her have good records, she is, well…"
Not experienced enough?
"I'm going to be honest with you, Dawn. I understand why you'd want her to be here, but we have plenty of psions as is. And while she fits most of her minimum requirements, I'm not entirely sure if her psych profile will be compatible."
Yet you let Kane in is something I also didn't say. Do you have any idea how she talks about Aegis and XCOM? How much that would help her with her psionics?
Instead, I tried to hide my slight measure of disappointment. I see. Thank you for being honest, Overseer. I understand.
"Well, if nothing else, I have to go. I hope you feel better soon."
Wait. One more thing.
"What is it?"
I grabbed my phone, bringing up the file I'd been working on, with some help from Caelior. Having your mind linked to Ethereal brainpower was incredibly helpful. I'd written and processed information at least two times I'd normally would, if not more. It wasn't only that- I'd gained a wholly new understanding of Ethereal-level science and math. It was a bit freaky for me one night when Caelior and I were talking about the math we'd learned in school, and for me to then explain how 'dark matter equations' worked, saying what he was going to say as I unconsciously sensed it through our temporary link, my eyes glowing a soft purple like a flickering violet candle, my voice deeper and very, well, Ethereal.
When our minds joined, it just felt right. Having each other in our heads, connected on a closer level then ever before, never being truly alone. I could never wield his power, neither did I want to, but having such knowledge, wisdom, and memories that weren't mine in my head was an experience like no other.
Only one of the many unique feelings of unity we shared.
Here you go. It's unique at the very least, but I think it has potential.
He scanned his tablet, his eyes moving up and down the page. "Hebe Initiative?"
I thought the Commander would like the Greek touch.
"I'll have to look at this later." He pursed his lips. "Interesting. Well, thank you again for your service, Dawn."
I nodded. Thank you, sir. I hope you give my idea some consideration.
"You can be sure I will."
I hoped he did.
As he left, I took a look at my phone again, quickly scrolling through the bullet pointed list at the end as my little TL;DR for impatient readers.
Am I sure this is a good idea?
I thought it was a good idea myself, and Caelior did too. But it had its risks. If it became a thing, I could make my life a reality for many others my age, giving teenagers around the world the ultimate fantasy come true.
But at the same time, they could very well go through the trials and tribulations I had, and would.
But, with all things in this world, I had hope.
One day, I would not be alone.
One day, the people that ran XCOM would be old or dead.
XCOM would need new recruits, from new places, backgrounds, and skills.
XCOM would need some new blood.
To be continued in
Old Friends, New Objectives