Outside of Orientation Room

Praesidium

Forty minutes (and a quick workout) later, Zoe walked out the door, with a look on her face like she'd just had a firework explode in her face- though she also did have an odd grin, too.

"So, how'd it go?" I said with a purposely overexaggerated smile. "Just basic rules, right?"

She looked at me, away from me, then at me again.

Then she burst out laughing, leaning against the wall while she did so. It lasted for several minutes, her face turning cherry red. She leaned against the wall, banging her fist against it.

"You-you-" She wheezed. "You knew all of that, from day one? During all those times we spoke. I-aye carumba! I mean, I knew you guys had secrets, but la madre que te pario, you knew all of that?"

I felt mildly amused by her reaction. It wasn't how I had reacted, but it fit her character. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your Illuminati friends? The fact that a polbo a fiera is the only thing that's been standing between us and the Collective? That our Glorious Chancellor is just as suspicious as I thought? That Patricia's just as much of a dumbass as I thought?" She rubbed her forehead. "Just, you guys, wow. I mean I knew you all had secrets, but this? Mierda!"

I shrugged. "That's XCOM, baby. Saving the world in one hand, holding earth-shattering secrets that could break it in the other."

"I mean I-I I'm speechless! It's just, wow! The Commander was there, an Andromedon, and Aegis! He was so tall!"

"Makes you realize just how little we are, right?"

She nodded. "I've never seen an Andromedon up so close - and alive. We're really working with them?"

I motioned for her to follow me. "Yep. Whole buncha Unions. IC doesn't tell us much more than that. When you look at it like that, the odds ain't so stacked, huh?"

She nodded. "I just, I don't really know what to say."

"I know. It's a lot - I sure know it was for me. Did the Commander say anything to you specifically?"

She pursed her lips. "He gave me this little talk about how working for you guys was gonna be a whole lot different then the 'lone wolf work' I did in South America. Teamwork and all that. But he trusted me." She snorted. "Guess he found my personality a bit out there."

"Trust me Violet-"

"You can call me Zoe, y'know."

"Yeah, but Violet sounds cooler. And Geist isn't really Geist - it's Lukas von Theil. But don't say that around him. Nicknames aren't new here. And trust me, you're far from the most 'out there' person here. Wait 'til you meet Kane. That guy...whew."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain later. Let me guess - go to Bronis, right?"

She nodded. I nodded back. "Alright. You think you can go at this on your own?"

"'Course I can. Can't be that hard to talk to the Russian man and find a bunk."

"And the file-reading." I pointed out with a singsong voice. "Lots more secrets there."

She rolled her eyes. "More secrets. What else is new?"

I tapped my exposed forearm. "Augmentations. They put you in the tank for a week or so, and then you're just like me. Moving cars, running at speeds that'd make Olympic athletes blush, and so, so much more."

"Now you're just making me impatient, aren't you?"

I gave a little smile. "Hey, nothing wrong with a bit of hype. Text me when you want to meet for dinner, eh?"

"Alright. And hey, your little guide wasn't too bad. Did you practice at all for that?"

"Ha, no."

"Alright then." We turned another corner, walking past the Mess Hall and down a somewhat empty hallway. "Where's the Overseer's Office again?"

"Oh, there's a few ways, but the closest is right over here. It's right down that way, take a right, go down the stairs, first door on your left."

She looked down the hallway. "Right. Thanks. I'll call you if I need anything, comprende?"

"Si."

She smiled at me, then walked off.

She's one of us now, I thought to myself.

You did a good job, Dawn.

Now let's see how she does.

Dark Star Lounge

Praesidium

A few hours later, I got a text from her asking her to meet me in Dark Star. Said she 'had questions'.

Well, I was more than willing to answer.

I found her in one of the lounge booths, drinking a glass of Coke with ice in it. I sat down across from her.

"You know, out of all the things I've learned, I'm honestly surprised you guys have a club like this." She took another sip. With that guy's demeanor, I would've thought he'd see it as a waste of time."

"He's not that tough of a guy. He's got a heart, you know. He's not totally made of stone."

She took another sip. "Still weirds me out. Don't know why, something's up with that man." She put her drink down. "Okay, so when did you guys get a fucking Muton on your side?"

"Oh, you met Spartacus?"

"Is that his name?" She muttered something about 'originality' under her breath. "No, I saw him wrestling the Oyariah in one of the gyms. Cristo, he's big. And green. I can't imagine people reacted to him positively. I know I sure wouldn't."

"I mean I haven't met the guy, but he seems nice. Mostly. Shoggoths, Mutons, what next, our own homegrown Ethereal? Vahlen's funhouse my ass."

"Eh, she's probably into some weird shit. Wouldn't surprise me."

I snorted. "Don't let the Commander hear you say that. Anyway…" I looked around. "Want to know a secret?"

"Sure."

"Well, it's really one of those open secrets that everyone knows about but you don't really bring up."

She smiled, rubbing her hands together. "Love me some secrets."

"Well, what if I told you that Patricia Trask was actually Creed's ex-girlfriend?"

She spat out the drink of Coke, spraying the table. She dropped her glass, which made a clank as she gave me a surprised look.

"What?"

"Yep. You heard me."

"No!"

"Yep. He slept with...that."

"Wow. That's not even funny."

"Really?"

"I mean, if I was anyone else, I'd be bustin' my ass laughing. But…" She shook her head. "That just sucks, man. How long were they together for?"

"Like a year or something like that, I think."

"Did you ever hear the tale of Patricia Trask the first psion?" I said, grinning.

"No." She got up and sat down next to me.

"I thought not. It's not a story XCOM would tell you. It's a XCOM legend. Patricia Trask was humanity's first psion, so powerful and knowing she could use psionics to influence people's minds to do her bidding...she had such a knowledge of the psionisphere she could even help kill an Ethereal."

"Wait. She actually helped kill an Ethereal?"

I chuckled. "Psionics, however, is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."

"Then what happened to her? Why did she betray us?"

"She became so powerful...the only thing she was afraid of was...well, nothing actually. Her logical mind relied upon others much smarter then her to convince herself she was right, to copy their mentality-"

"Wait." She held up a hand. "Did you just take the Darth Plagueis copypasta and change it to explain Patricia's betrayal?"

I smiled. "Oh dear. You've caught me. Tell me, how did it sound?"

She snorted. "Not half bad, actually. But that's why she betrayed us? Really? Because she thinks we're being controlled-puppeted by T'Leth?"

I nodded. "The Commander laid it out pretty well. In a way, our glorious Crazy Ex is killing all these people and leveling cities and bases because she believes she's truly doing the right thing. Logic's kind of her thing. Which would be fine, but the problem is is that she basically just mirrors the logic of whoever's smarter then her."

She looked down at the table for a moment. "So...she's kind of like a machine? Not even emotion works?"

I shrugged. "If emotion factored into the whole shebang, she'd still be here with her boyfriend." I took another sip. "But apparently the love of her life just wasn't enough."

She scoffed, shaking her head. "I don't believe it. Praesidium, New York, Busan- it's insane!" She let off a string of curse words in Spanish that I didn't bother to translate. "And the Imperator thinks the same thing, too!?"

"Yep. You read his file, right?"

She nodded eagerly. "I can't get over the fact that he's basically a kid in Ethereal years. All this time I thought he waa the super-old, super-experienced leader with all this knowledge, but…" She scoffed. "I'm sorry! It's just all so...frustrating!"

"Welcome to the club. This whole war never should've happened, Zoe." I took another drink. "It's all because of the Imperator and his ego, thinking the Sovereign Ones are the bigger then, you know, the things that fucking destroyed the Ethereal Empire which gave birth to him and his brethren."

"And no one in the Collective has called him out on this?"

I shrugged. "Maybe the Battlemaster, but even that's a stretch. At the end of the day, despite his so-called 'honor', he still follows the Imperator. He knows this war is wrong, that it's pointless. Yet…" I shook my glass, hearing the ice cubes clink. "People like him, at the end of day, will follow orders. Like a dog, he prefers to remain leashed, as it gives him purpose." I scowled. "Honor means nothing when you can take an entire army out solo. I know he loves it. The carnage. The thrill of battle." I pursed my lips. "Make no mistake, Zoe. He's just as guilty as the rest of them. Complicity ain't an excuse for innocence."

"I read about his...friend." Zoe said, taking a drink. "She's killed a lot of people."

"Ah, Yang." Saying her name almost made me sick. "The daddy's girl who likes to play Battlemaster dress-up."

"She's dangerous."

"Oh, I know." I waved it off. "I may mock her, but I don't ignore how lethal she is. Sierra can tell you firsthand about that. She is quite powerful." I chuckled. "But at the end of the day, she's a tool just like the other Avatars. A woman with no purpose, twisted by her admittedly legit need for revenge to slaughtering her own people." I snorted. "She sees the Battlemaster as a father figure, and look where it got her." I took another drink.

"Permanently connected to him, in a fancy suit of armor, driven by rage and anger, doing what she's told like a good dog, just like him. The Battlemaster's own daughter figure. I know the type. People who're lost in life, they got nothin' left, no family, nothing like that. They find the first person that'll give them some credence and sign on with them. Now look at her. Even at Damascus, you can see it. She's a reflection of him now, just like the others."

"Sounds like you really hate her."

"I hate all of them. They're pathetic puppets sent to do their masters' bidding because they're horrible misguided people who bring out the worst in all of us. Patricia's the embodiment of false righteousness, Nico's the epitome of familial abuse, Yang was an empty shell turned by her masters into whatever they wanted her to be, Ivan was…" I shook my head. "Well, let's just say he was about as useful as a Panther tank's engine."

If you're looking for the pinnacle of the worst things ego can bring to the table, look no further than the Mori Twins." I put my drink down. "Well, that and terrible rap. Those bitches probably drop the n-word more in their videos than racists do at a Klan rally. Tyres...well, I mean he didn't like what happened to his country. Getting annexed like that, it's not going to roll well with everyone."

I almost bit my lip. "Things've changed. More and more of me don't feel loyal to ADVENT anymore. I mean, if things had gone differently and ADVENT in some alternate reality had annexed America, you'd bet I'd have some resentment about it. But it ain't right. The Collective isn't sustainable, not like this. If there's one thing I've learned about our enemies, it's that the Collective is becoming more and more of a huge tinderbox."

I flicked the switch on the lighter, the flame burning orange in the air for a moment before I flicked it off.

"All it needs now is something to light it up."

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What's with the lighter?"

"Took it off that fucker Eustacio's corpse. You like the engraving on it? All gold and shit. Not really my thing, but I keep it around."

"That's oddly ominous of you. So you finally realize that the all-powerful ADVENT is not all it's made out to be." She chuckled. "Little soldado's all grown up."

"Soldado?"

"Means soldier in Spanish. You like it."

"It has a ring to it. Rolls off the tongue."

"You think?"

"Eh, I took some Spanish in high school. I sucked at it big-time." I paused. "Guess it feels good for you to not be under ADVENT's thumb, huh?"

"I mean, you're not wrong. I may not like ADVENT all that much, but damn if I didn't say it's robust. I mean, would you sign on with them if they pulled a Paradise on us?"

I shook my head. "Hell no."

"My thoughts exactly." She looked around the club, the dark purple lights reflecting off the black tiled floor. "You know, this place is not so bad. Especially with that thing protecting us."

"That thing has a name. Just sayin'."

"Don't you find it creepy? That the Dreamscape is basically just you in a projection of his mind? Aren't you concerned with him seeing, well, everything?"

"I think a Sovereign One has more pressing issues than our minds. You meet anyone?"

"I met Clifton."

"Your teacher?"

"Yeah. Seems like a nice guy. Sounds like the opposite of Geist."

"Eah, Geist is...Geist. It's hard to explain."

Caelior's Quarters

Praesidium

"How did it go?"

I sighed, leaning against Caelior's side as the show played on the TV screen, our link slightly stronger than normal. "It went well. I guess." My 'linked voice' barely sounded like his anymore- I sounded like a female Ethereal now, with a mix of a Southern accent. Something about it was oddly beautiful, being able to sound so feminine in a unique alien way and yet so...deep.

"We talked, she read the files, we talked some more, got her all set up, and she's getting her augmentations tomorrow. Then her real tests begin."

"You are still nervous about her."

"Yeah."

A reassuring telepathic nudge touched my mind. Though I was the telepath, he was the stronger psion overall, and as such his mind has more influence. "You did all you could. You're her friend, and you taught me that's what friends do."

"Aww. You going soft on me?"

"Only when I want to."

"Looks like I have taught you a lot. Remember when we were chatting that night, and you talked about how XCOM changed you?"

He nodded.

"I think that'll happen to her, too. I've been thinking too much about what I can do for her, and haven't been thinking enough about what else others have."

I could sense his satisfaction. He clapped all four of his hands once. "Well done. You see? You figured it out."

"Huh?"

He tapped the side of his head. "Your mind is mine." He said, doing his best 'evil' voice.

"Ha ha." I said in a deadpan manner, rubbing my forehead. "I just stress too much these days."

"You do, and I'm concerned for you. I worry you have too much on your mind, considering your recent experiences."

"I just feel like I need a break." My voice got quiet. "It's like trauma after trauma. When's it gonna stop for good?" I sighed. "It's like a trauma conga line, one after the next. I get blown up, I fight evil mercenaries with a thing for skulls, and then I get stabbed by the crazed nephew of a drug lord I killed."

"Do you want a hug?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that would help a lot."

He gently telekinetically pulled me into his lap, wrapping all four arms around me lightly, but just enough to make me feel snug. "Don't worry about things like that now. You should be thinking about what makes you happy. How is that self-searching project going?"

I shrugged. "Think I'm stuck. I've asked all of my close friends about what I mean to them, but something's still missing. It's-"

I can sense you're stressing more. I can feel it. His four arms relaxed, letting me slip off his lap, sitting next to him. Do you want to talk about something else?

Sure. I guess I have something. It's kinda personal.

Ask.

So...when you were little, did you ever, like, want another sibling? I know you call me one, but did you ever wonder what it was like to not be an only child?

He cocked his head, his orange eyes getting slightly brighter. I will admit, I did. I did not tell my family, as they were too focused on...other things, but I did ponder what it would be like to have another member of the family. Though such was rare to begin with. His cheeks turned a lighter purple. Mainly to show off.

Ass.

He snorted. It started when one of our neighbors, who already had a son I was friends with, got another child, a daughter, from the Creators.

I communicated my confusion through the link. I thought that was super hard to do.

Not so if you were skilled or connected enough. Anyway, he invited me over to see the child, and I held it for some time. It was enlightening, and as you say, adorable.

Enlightening how?

When I held their child in my arms, wrapped in a comforter, there was something about it, something about how fragile the life in my hand was. It was a little, small reminder of life and who I was. I saw how excited my friend's family was to have a new addition - granted, they were Ethereals, so it was a limited reaction, but still. I wanted that joy. His head slumped a little. I wanted to do my best to be an example to a little brother or sister- and to be truthful, a little one born into my family would have the privilege of having the 'Destroyer of Immortals' as a sibling. He shook his head.

Destroyer of Immortals. As you say, 'it makes me cringe'. And looking back, it seemed like more of a selfish want for my own ego rather than an actual want for self-growth.

And with me, it's different?

Of course. Now, I see myself as a sort of a living example as to the mistakes I do not want repeated. And yet… He played with my brown hair for a few seconds, something he did from time to time. That it is nice to have a psionic tree-climber who refuses to wear footwear as an adopted member of my family.

Hey! I tapped his bare foot with mine. You're doing the same thing, silly.

He smiled. Another evil alien corruption of my mind.

I rolled my glowing purple eyes. Did you ever have a teacher, like I do Geist? I think I saw something in one of your dreams.

Ah. You must have seen one of my sessions with Kumuana.

Who?

One of the oldest and most experienced trainers in the Maelstrom. She used to be leader of the Division one thousand years ago-back then before she stepped down and became a teacher.

What was she like?

Hmm. You know how you speak about your deceased grandmother and wish you had such an elder figure in your life?

Yeah.

It was somewhat similar to that, but with an aspect of a firm, guiding hand in her lessons. She had many years of experience on the battlefield and in the strategic planning room, but she took my power and turned it into a formidable weapon. And she also introduced me to Amera as a training partner, so…

Bet you're grateful that happened.

He smiled. I sensed his satisfaction. She thought that we would make good friends. He shook his head. I suppose I got lucky, didn't I?

I smirked. I wished getting a life partner was that easy.

I wish winning this war was that easy.

Mood.

Do you want me to show you some of it?

Some what?

The training.

Sure, why not?

I stiffened as he projected a memory into my mind, something we did on a near-daily basis. I closed my glowing eyes, my body slumping as his mind and mine mixed. The world around me shifted, changing from his room to that of a massive indoor arena. The place was huge, like a football stadium, with lines of rising blocky seats surrounding an oval center, where we stood. Me-Caelior was standing in the middle of it, the vast yet empty arena giving me a sense of loneliness.

Standing in front of me was a woman dressed in what Caelior had described as upper-brass Maelstrom clothing- though more ornate than what he wore before he lost his gear. What was worthy of note was that rather than the 'regular' Ethereal helm design, two hook-like extensions sticking from her helmet, with silver and blue-colored strips of cloth hanging off.

"Caelior!" The woman shouted, her voice femine and sounding older then Sana or the Second Guardian.

"Yes?" I stood at attention, his Ethereal body feeling rapt and stiff.

"You have improved your scores, young one." She said, striding over to me. "Yet I feel that you are lacking a connection to the others in your group."

"My power is greater," The young Caelior said, clasping his hands behind them. "They are not my concern. I can manage myself well enough."

Wow, you really were an arrogant ass.

Quiet, ape.

"Arrogance will not help you achieve victory, Caelior." She said sharply. "On the battlefield, connections and comradery are what allow you to persevere. Every recruit that goes through here has a partner - it is tradition. Rest assured that this was not an easy choice, but in my judgement I have decided the two of you will make a reliable pair. I want you to meet Amera."

A door opened in the back of the arena and an Ethereal female walked out, dressed just like him. Her hands were kept under her robes as her helmeted head swiveled to look at him.

"This is Amera. She is the second-highest scoring in your class. She may have less power, but she scores much higher on her tactical simulations than you. I believe the two of you will make excellent training partners."

She walked up to 'me'. "It's an honor." She said, "Working with a natural birth is something I never imagined I would be doing."

"I shall leave the two of you to discuss." With that, Kumuana turned and walked away, one of the massive doors closing behind her. 'I' crossed my arms.

"I do not need more lauding for my abilities then I already get from the others, Amera."

"Ability of a person is only one facet of their character." She scanned 'my' clothing, stopping at my helmet. "The engravings on your helmet look familiar. Are they inspired from Watisware?"

'I' nodded. "Indeed. How did you know?"

"You enjoy his artwork?"

"I do. Why are you bringing it up?"

"I find that one's taste in art can say a lot about them."

'I' cocked my head. "And what does mine say?"

"That you have many conflicts within. You seek to express yourself through great acts and displays, yet on the inside you feel incomplete. That there is much you seek to achieve, yet your mind is clouded. That your focus, while you believe is on the right things, should be directed towards other beliefs."

'I' cocked my head.

I see why you liked her so much.

Indeed. But we had so much to learn from each other. Do you want me to continue?

Nah. Sorry, but I'm getting tired. Need my beauty rest.

Very well.

He broke off the link as I fully returned to my body.

"Well you two certainly had chemistry."

"While I find comparing our relationship to a chemical reaction odd, yes, things changed. She thought I was too arrogant- which in retrospect was true, and I thought she wasn't worthy of me. But we complemented each other well. She had a natural talent for planning and coming up with strategies, and I taught her how to use her power more effectively. We played off each other."

I placed my hand on his. "That's sweet."

"It was." He looked away. "But that is for another time." He said quietly.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Later. I don't want to ruin the moment."

His tone of voice said enough.

"In other news, I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?"

"You remember my famous battle, the one that made the Imperator notice me?"

I nodded.

"How about I take you on a first-class tour of it?"

My eyebrows shot up as I shifted, almost jumping up in surprise as a blot of excitement shot through me. "What? Wait, seriously?"

He nodded. "The Big One."

"You want me to see it?"

He nodded. "As a sign of trust, and to learn. As dangerous as the Imperator is, the Collective is not the biggest threat out there. You're young, but you're mature enough to handle it, I think you're ready to see it."

I nodded. "Thank you for trusting me with this. You won't regret it."

"Thank you, Dawn. Next time, if you feel like it, do you want to go…" He stopped, searching for the right word. "Go deeper next time?" He touched the side of his head.

I shook my head. "Sorry, not ready yet for that. After Sicarius, I just don't-I know you mean well, but I need some time." I took his hand. "I know you appreciate doing it, but I need some time, okay?"

I could feel his hesitation. "I understand." He paused. "I…I understand you." He felt disappointed- Ethereals were big on thoughts- but he knew that I knew. He pursed the edges of his mouth, as he had no lips, rather just grinding his teeth together. "Goodnight."

As he walked off to bed, I couldn't help but feel that Alaska had hurt him more than he had hurt me.

Research Labs

Praesidium

The scientists and I were gathered around the lab table, an azure blue hologram of some cellular structures projecting in the center. I'd been a bit busy with them recently - my injury had put a hold on our work. Up until now, I'd melted some lab rats and test subjects, particularly different organs and parts of their body while hooked up to some sensors for testing.

And it looks like they'd gotten some results.

"Well, Dawn, thank you again for melting all of those targets. We think we've gotten something conclusive out of it. Again, this is fringe theory right now, but...well, it's a start. It will need some explanation on your end, though."

"Oh? What is it?" It was very clear that there was a divide here - though not a hostile one at all, more of an intellectual one. They were the ones with the degrees, doctorates, and years (if not decades) of experience. I, on the other hand, was a teenager who got a B in biology, a C in chemistry, and just so happened to have biopathy. I did the melting, they did the thinking.

Overall, at first glance, we looked like nothing compared to the Ligna Twins. Our brainpower didn't match them, we were outclassed psionically, and we had only decades of experience, compared to their thousands.

However, we had two things they never would: an artificial intelligence, and a friendly Sovereign.

Kornblum had been running simulations through JULIAN, using his advanced computer processors and accelerated learning capabilities to conduct experiments and other important projects at speeds no living being could match. Our Sovereign on the other hand, while not personally participating in the research (although the idea of him sitting at the table in a lab coat seemed funny) had Agents with incredible scientific minds and who knows how many years of experience- Weir told me that Ir Nara was going to send us some files on biopathy soon.

Couldn't wait for that.

"Do you know what apoptosis is?" O'Flaherty asked.

I shook my head.

"Well, it's essentially a programmed cell death, a natural process, but our theory is that you induce it on a mass scale. There are two activation mechanisms for this process - the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. In the intrinsic, it involves mitochondria-"

"Powerhouse of the cell."

Weir rolled her eyes.

O'Flaherty shook his head, grinning. "As I was saying, the intrinsic pathway involves internal cellular signals that make the mitochondria increase their permeability, releasing certain proteins that trigger the process of cell degradation, ultimately causing the cell to die. In the extrinsic process a protein called TNF, or tumor necrosis factor, is released by macrophages, a type of white blood cell. TNF binds to certain receptors in other cells, and triggers the apoptosis process inside them."

"The other possible form of cellular manipulation from your biopathy - so far at least - is that of destroying extracellular matrices." Kornblum added.

I had no idea what they were talking about. "Umm...I don't want to sound like a dummy, but what's that?"

"Extracellular matrices are essentially three-dimensional networks that help form the major parts of your body, like organs and tissues. Cells have proteins on their surface, integrins, that bind to integrins in other cells and the components of the matrix. This is the foundation for all working parts of your body. Without them-splat."

I pursed my lips. "Okay. So...how do I cause cell death then? I've never heard of any of those in my life, and I can do biopathy just fine."

"That's one of the many unknowns here." Kornblum said. "Somehow your mind's influencing the cells and initiating some kind of biochemical reaction that causes the cells to either detach from one another and the matrix, or undergo mass apoptosis. Or both at once. Again, this is way ahead of what the scientific community already knows."

Weir stepped in. "One of our current theories as to how you can do what you do is that somehow, when you draw upon the Psionisphere to use your telepathy you somehow use that energy from another dimension to destabilize the cell's natural cycles and...well, half of it's guesswork, honestly." She shrugged. "We're a long way from getting true answers, Dawn. But with JULIAN and the Sovereign, we'll get something out of this."

"Destabilize it? How?"

She shrugged. "Again, we don't know, and I doubt even the Twins did. Then again, they didn't have an AI or an undersea space crustacean capable of leveling planets, so there's that."

"I know I don't know much, but I'll do what I can." I said. "I'm not one of you, but I'm not going to let you down. Whatever you need doctors, you're going to get it."

"We appreciate your help, Dawn. Never thought I'd be working with a teenager, or an AI with the temperament of a sarcastic asshole, but then again, if you'd told me five years ago me aliens would invade...well, things change." She sighed. "This isn't stressing you out, is it?"

"No. Not really. I mean, working in a science lab with actual scientists and not my science teacher? Doing things that actually help people?" I waved my hands. "With all this technology and tools? It's cool! I mean, it's not going out there and shooting aliens, but…" I looked down. "I feel sorta out of my depth."

"Why's that?" O'Flaherty asked. "Did any of us say something?"

"No. No, no!" I said. "None of you said nothin'. No, it's just that I feel like I'm making you guys look bad by being here just because of the way I was born, while y'all worked for years to get here. I've never been to college, and I'm the first in my family for a while to not go." I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking it."

"We all start somewhere." O'Flaherty said. "My family was poor and we had to work extra just to get by. Weir here was raised by a single father. And Kornblum grew up in an orphanage."

The other two scientists nodded. "Don't feel bad about yourself like that. You're here, aren't you?"

"I guess."

Weir nodded. "Don't beat yourself down like that. We're not asking you to solve equations or write a thesis."

"I am never writing one of those again." O'Flaherty said.

"What's college like, anyway?" I asked. "It's not all partying, right?"

"It can be if you want it to be." Kornblum said, barely looking up from his computer. "Makes high school look like a cakewalk. It's all about time management, really. You get your work done, but you don't get caught up in what's pretty much adult life, lite edition."

Weir snorted. "That's one way to put it. I don't know why the movies always portray it as a twenty-four-hour orgy of sex, drugs, and lchohol."

"Because it sells well to audiences?" I shrugged. "I mean, I like parties as much as the next guy, but there's always too much of, well, anything."

"Guess you had to be there." Weir hit a button on the hologram, changing the display from the current picture to the next, showing diagrams of multiple alien species. "We looked at information from Geist and Bronis about your strategic targeting of multiple different organs. Can you go into some detail about that?"

"Of course. Where do you want me to start?"

Weir clicked the hologram again, zooming in on an Ethereal body, with the brain highlighted. "I believe you and Geist have been doing some research into target specific body parts, like the arteries?"

I nodded. "I've been practicing on parts of the body like that. I'm decreasing the amount of time, but I've been looking at other parts, most notably this." I tapped the hologram again, zooming in on the brain, with multiple parts of the organ highlighted.

"The brain."

I nodded. "Augmentations can do a lot, but they can't let you function without a brain. Been making progress on that too, but check this out." The picture zoomed in again. "Neurons. Heart and soul of the nervous system. Not too hard to visualize them, but the hard part is concentrating on them during a battle with lots of distractions. However, as I said, it's a work in progress, and with the Domination armor almost in play, it might get a little bit easier. Still takes too much power to just outright melt all of a person."

"As compared to just melting the entire target." O'Flaherty commented. "Makes sense."

I nodded. "While I in a morbid way admire Mortis' skill to just melt entire crowds, I'll never be able to replicate him exactly. I'm not intent on just learning from copying him precisely, but if I just follow what he did and nothing more, I'm not really learning. I want to innovate and yet…" I trailed off. "I don't know. I feel like I'm just not there yet. I just feel like I'm trying to play catch-up."

"It's a start, Dawn." Weir stared at the hologram. "Watson and Crick didn't figure out DNA in a day, and we won't figure this out in a day either. So, what else is on your mind?"

I looked at the hologram again. "Well, I was doing some thinking, and had this idea about chemical reactions..."

Gym

Praesidium

Sierra lifted the weight, slightly gritting her teeth as she raised it above her head, her legs bending as her body of nanites and super-reinforced metal gave her the superhuman strength needed to tip over the huge crate filled with concrete while I stood there in my workout clothes, my mouth wide as she held it in place for a full minute before setting it back down.

"Jealous?" She grinned.

I put my hands on my hips. "Maybe a little. Kinda wish I didn't need to sweat anymore like you do. Now it's all batteries and nanites in there. I'll go green with envy when you start mind controlling people."

"Oh? Can you tear through a swarm of Chryssalids with your bare hands?"

"Can you melt the brain of a Lesser Hive Commander?"

"Can you fly?"

I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Not as well as you."

"Oh," she smiled. "When I showed you how to be an Archangel in the Dreamscape, you crashed into a skyscraper."

I snorted. "Hey, that was fun at least. Doesn't beat the rush of killing Skull Brothers left and right in the hot desert sand, though." I cracked my knuckles. "I did better than you in that regard."

"You got me." She smirked. "Want to do some more lifting, or do you want to move on to something else in the gym?"

I shrugged. "I mean, we lifted some concrete blocks, you outran me on the track, and you kicked my ass in the ring when teaching me some moves."

"Hey, you didn't do that bad. I let you trip me."

I rolled my eyes. "And I'm so grateful for your mercy. I think my hand's still sore from punching your metal shin. Jealous."

"Hey, part of me misses pre-MEC me, back in the good old days where I didn't have to constantly watch out for banging my head in doorways or feeling like my head just barely touches the ceiling."

"And that's why I'm sticking to being good old flesh and blood me."

"C'mon. Let's go sit on mats for a bit." We walked over to a section of the gym where the floor was covered in soft workout mats, her massive body towering over me. We were both wearing near-matching tank tops and workout shorts, as I copied her, in her own words, 'action hero look'. She wasn't wearing anything on her feet, just shedding her skin and using her huge chrome legs and feet to walk.

Thankfully, she kept her face like...her face.

I sat down next to her as she rummaged through her bag, pushing aside her shoes and socks to grab a plastic tray of those MEC 'food tubes' (as I called them) and put one in her arm.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She said as the tube clicked into place. "What's up?"

"It's very hypothetical."

She shrugged. "Why not?"

"So say we end up winning this war. The enemy loses, we come out on top, that kind of stuff. Have you ever thought about what you would do after this ends?"

She paused, giving me a suspicious look as her skin returned to her metal areas. "You're thinking ahead today."

"It's a legit question. I mean, war isn't meant to last forever. There's gotta be peace, y'know? And yeah, we're definitely going to fight more enemies in the future, but we can't be fighting all the time, right?"

"True."

"I mean, you were in the Marines, right?" She nodded. "You all didn't constantly deploy and fight all the time. You had leave, times between deployments, things like that."

She nodded. "Yes, but this is different. XCOM, like the marines, is my life. My job. I'm not really a normal person anymore. There's barely any of the flesh and blood Sierra Morrow that walked in."

She sighed. "Remember when I told you earlier about going through the MEC surgery, and how children and sex weren't my priorities?"

I nodded.

"I mean, kids were never really on my mind. Back in the Marines, I figured that if I had a kid then got killed in combat, I'd leave my potential kid without a mom."

"That's fair. My uncle and aunt never had kids because of that, too. I mean, I don't see myself doing that. Yet. I don't want to wake up to be 40 and have a husband and kid that don't care about me and feel like I wasted the last 20 years of my life."

She cackled. "Ha! Makes sense, right? Anyway, I always figured I'd get married and have a husband. Companionship's always a good thing, but the comradery from the others in my squad gave me that belonging. Here, it's the same thing. There's not really anyone here I'm into, but I'm sure if I wanted to get married there's going to be at least one guy out there who finds cyborgs attractive."

"Have you seen the internet?"

"Enough of it. Aren't you teenagers supposed to be more savvy with it then us adults?"

I smirked. "Maybe. I guess...I'm just nervous."

"About what?"

I shifted. "I'm nervous about what I'm going to do when there's no more fighting to be had here. I know I can't just step away from XCOM. I can't just go 'welp, war's over, see you guys next time' and walk on down to my family home in Nashville. I have a responsibility here. If anything, I might become like a teacher-trainer-sorta person. But I don't want my life to just be about XCOM, y'know?"

"I know what you're saying. Everyone here's probably thought about that, and anyone who's said they haven't is probably lying. You know I spoke with the Lion about that?"

My eyebrows shot up as my eyes widened. "The fuck?"

"You should've seen the look on your face. When we were taking Turkey, he asked me about being a soldier, about how I could have chosen to be, say, a mother instead. I gave him my reasons, and we had an interesting conversation about purpose, and fighting."

"Let me guess - very deep and philosophical?"

"In a way."

"Elijah had that effect on me, too. He called me 'Lioness', you know."

"That's kind of adorable."

"It was. I guess I'm just getting so caught up in the now and what comes next that I'm thinking about my future. It;s like, I've seen it in Star Wars where the clones train their whole lives to fight, then a few years later, they all get tossed away. Parts of me want myself to be that cool old veteran that tells stories and is like that but can still kick your ass. But I also want something else than just XCOM. Maybe a little cabin out in the woods, a beach house away from everything, somewhere quiet, right?"

"I mean...count me in." She lightly elbowed me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "If we both make it out of this, sign me up for that. But…" She trailed off, looking at her skin. "Sometimes I look at the gen 2 MECs that used to be the original generation, where the procedure was more crude and they lost some emotions. They weren't replaced, just upgraded. That's not how the Commander does things - that's not how we do things."

"It's not just that, though."

"Hm?"

I gestured to her arm. "We can't fight forever, Sierra. Some day this war is going to end. And sure, we can train for the next one after that, but do you really want to commit your whole life to it? No offense, but do you really want to spend your entire life as a brain in a literal jar? I mean, yes, in your mind you're still you you, but with this?" I tugged at my own skin. What's the line between human and not human for you?

"That is something I find is less important than I thought it was," she mused. "Being Human is about retaining what you were. It can't be just a collection of body parts, otherwise those just with cybernetic limbs wouldn't count. It can't be 'natural', because every soldier here can't be classified as that."

She shrugged. "It's different for everyone. Different people have different lines. I'm not here to tell you what yours are. I've found mine, and I'm content with my choices. Even if I'm not flesh and blood, it does seem that emulating it helps for others. It takes people some getting used to, but…" she trailed off, the overarching point made.

"I mean, I get that, but don't you think they'll eventually find a way to make MECs without taking away all of your body parts? I mean, all I 'lost' was some consistency in my eye and skin color. I mean…how are you going to handle that when this is all over? You can't use your MEC to go shopping. You can't use it to take guys out on a date. And no offense, but having that lack of senses after surgery…

"It's not that bad," she chuckled. "At least its…well, difficult to explain. Maybe I've just gotten used to it, but its not affected me as much as I feared. And I don't need my MEC to do everything - the body I have is more than good enough."

"Thanks, mom."

She lightly shook me. "That's sweet. Though I think I'm the cool aunt kind of figure."

"That you are."

"That's the spirit. Want to do some more weights, then get something to eat?"

"Sounds good, Sierra."

Barracks

Praesidium

Zoe had gotten out of her augmentation implementation a few hours ago, so I'd decided to check up on her, see how my Argentinian friend was doing. She was sitting in her bed in the barracks, legs dangling off the sides of it as she looked at the wall. Her skin had the hallmarks of genetic modification, hexagons and all.

"You're back." She said warily, yawning. "I think I'm still claustrophobic after being in that damn tank." She definitely looked bulkier than the last time we'd talked, her muscles on her legs, arms, and abdomen more present and obviously larger. "They say I can tip a car over, but I feel like I can barely walk a few meters without yawning."

"Being tired after the gene mods is normal." I sat down next to her. "Just rest, alright? We're not gonna throw you into the frying pan just yet."

"Well, yeah." She rubbed her arm. "You'd think that with all those eggheads in there they'd find a way to make it not hurt. I can barely stretch my arms without them feeling like cardboard."

"Hey, when I got mine, I just napped the whole time."

"They let you do that?"

"Yep! You'd be surprised with how much you can get away with here. It's almost all adults here- 'cept us, of course." I playfully elbowed her. "Hey, you can walk, right?"

"Si."

"You wanna see something cool?"

"I guess. What is it?"

I pursed my lips. "You like animals, right"

"Yeah. Why?"

I simply grinned. She cocked her head.

"I don't understand."

Shoggoth Playground

Praesidium

"Mierda! Get that thing away from me!" Violet shrieked as a Shoggoth trailed her across the Playground, holding various toys as if to say please play with me.

"C'mon, it's not going to hurt you!" I turned to look at Slyvia as we both rolled our eyes. "Newcomers, right?"

She snorted. "Always fun watching the new bloods see the best my petting zoo has to offer."

"Those things belong on my plate as calamari, not as weapons! How are you holding one in your lap?"

I looked at the Shoggoth, trilling on my lap as it played with some Legos. I frowned, placing my hands over where it would have ears if it were a person. "I'm sorry. She's new here, she doesn't understand the sacrifices you make."

It rocked back and forth, emitting a low-pitched thrill as it banged two bricks together, flopping its tentacles. Was it trying to say something?

"Alright. Get off me for a second buddy, and stay there, okay?"

It trilled again, much happier this time, crawling off of me and sitting on the floor with some of its tentacles tucked under it like a sleeping dog. I stood up, walking over to Violet, who was currently almost frozen, staring at her Shoggoth pursuer with wide eyes who had stopped for the moment, holding out a Rubik's Cube like some kind of peace offering.

"Hey, chill out. They're not gonna hurt you, alright?"

"Nada, it's not that, They're just fucking creepy!"

I shrugged. "I mean, Vahlen made them. That's kind of her M.O, being a 'lil crazy. Mad science, experiments that make your skin melt off, sleeping with war criminals-"

"Wait, what?"

I waved a hand. "That gives nailing a whole 'nother meaning. Sorry, inside joke." I snickered. "But, hey, try them out, okay?" I jokingly elbowed her. "Hey. If you try to play with the Shoggoths, I'll show you how to use the Annihilator Cannon later."

"The Annihilator Cannon? I don't even know what that is." She crossed her arms.

"Wellll….maaaybe it can one-shot an Executor?"

"An Executor? Really?"

"I've used it."

She raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "And I'll tell you what the Body Pillow Incident was."

She thought it over for a moment. "Alright. I'll do it."

"Seriously, that's what made you say yes?"

She grinned. "C'mon. You know I love some juicy details."

"Yes! Okay, follow me. And watch."

She followed me over to the Shoggoth that'd been chasing her. "Sit down like this, cross your legs. It's easier for them to crawl up."

She followed my instructions. "Crawl isn't exactly a term that sounds appealing to me."

"Trust me, they're cuter than you think." I looked at the Shoggoth, and beckoned. It crawled over to us, its tentacles lightly slapping the floor. As it inched closer to her, she seemed to tense up.

"It's alright. It's just curious."

"Right. Sentient killer calamari going to sit in my lap. Nothing to be concerned about."

It put down the toy, using its tentacles to grip onto her legs, lifting itself into her lap. She gingerly poked its rubbery skin, getting a little sharp thrill out of it.

"That's good, right?"

Slyvia walked over to us, sitting down. "I see someone overcame their fear of XCOM's pets?"

"That remains to be seen." One of its many tentacles poked her hand, wrapping it around her index finger. "They know what humans are like, but you're new. They know you're okay, they're just inspecting you."

"How smart are they?"

"Oh, very!" Slyvia beamed like they were her own children. "Rubik's Cubes are easy for them, and some can even take apart and rebuild a plasma rifle!"

"No way."

"Yes way. They put the bomb-sniffing dogs I used to train to shame."

"You used to work with dogs?"

"Yep! Worked in Boston PD's K-9. Bombs, drugs- my dogs could sniff it. But these guys? They're like dogs in so many ways, and yet at the same time so different. They're quite literally a manufactured lifeform, you know. Their mom is a test tube."

The Shoggoth from earlier crawled over to me, still holding the two Lego bricks. I let it crawl into my lap, clicking the plastic bricks into place.

"Hi." I said. "Did you miss me?"

It slightly rocked its body from left to right, like it shaking its head and saying no.

Cute.

"So they just...grab people and kill them?" Violet asked. "Is that how they work?"

Sylvia nodded with pride. "Right on! Those tentacles of theirs can snap your neck without breaking a sweat-if they could sweat, of course! They can kill most Collective infantry, no problem, and these guys can even take on Bringer troops. Their skin's highly resistant to gauss and plasma, which makes them pretty hard to kill."

"So this could snap my neck and kill me right now?"

"Not really. They're trained to identify humans and not attack them. Unfortunately, that means we can't use them against SAS soldier or Avatars, but…" she shrugged. "They already have a reputation. Hell, the Vitakarians are downright scared of 'em."

"If I had a few of these where I came from, things would've been so much easier." Violet trailed off, saying something in Spanish as her Shoggoth pulled at her hair, shooing it away.

"Hm?"

"I'm Argentinian. I was one of the lucky ones to not get nabbed by the Collective. Formed a resistance and then this maga comes down and saves our asses. Then she gets blown up-"

"Hey!"

"And then I went to the States and lived on ADVENT's tab until you all came to recruit me. And now I'm here, playing with killer calamar and realizing I really had no free will thanks to EXALT." She snorted. "But you Americans aren't all bad."

"Of course. As long as you don't say the o-word?"

"O-word? I'm sorry, what's that?"

"Oh, the o-word? It's nothing much. It's liquidy and black, and it's buried deep underground-"

She rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, very funny. Though I suppose bananas and communism was enough for you to pull our strings in South America." She shook her head. "Though I guess if it goes well we can pull the aliens' strings, huh? They fuck around, they find out."

Slyvia reached into her bag and pulled out a bell, ringing it. "Feeding time!" Right on cue, mine crawled towards her, thrilling. The other stayed in Violet's lap, trying to probe her hair.

"Vogherc, feeding time! You can play with her hair in a minute."

The shoggoth looked at the 'Ethereal' hand Slyvia was holding, then back at Violet. It shook its body, and touched her face with a tentacle. She yelped, giving it a light slap, causing it to warble and fall onto the floor, splaying it tentacles as it rolled across the floor like a lovecraftian dreidel of death.

Slyvia rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry about that one. It's got a weird interest in people's faces for some reason."

Violet stood up. "Whose idea was this again?"

"Vahlen."

"Loco bruja." She shook her head. "And I thought my abuelita was weird."

I smiled. "Oh, this is only the start."

Training Room

Praesidium

I took her into the main training room, her eyes widening at the hundred or so XCOM soldiers gathered there, spread across the massive space in groups, fighting each other.

"Welcome to the Training Room, our little proving grounds. If you want to learn, this is the second best place to do it."

"Second?"

"I'll get to that in a minute. Here, if you look to you left and look to your right, you'll catch some of XCOM's most fabled legends."

"Like who?"

I pointed with two fingers. "See those two over there?"

She squinted. "That ripped dude and the Asian chick throwing punches at each other?"

"Yep. The big guy? That's Kane McTaggart. The only man in history to punch an Ethereal to death. And next to him's Carmelita Alba. South Korean special ops. She's the one who saved me from that Avatar."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. She blew his balls off and chopped off his left arm."

"No kidding?"

"Heh. I wish."

"That's…" She trailed. "Pretty based."

"Based as fuck, I'd agree. See, you may be good, but all these adults?" I waved a hand. "Could make us mincemeat if they wanted. We recruit from all over. GIGN, Navy SEALs, SAS, Spesnatz, you name it. Even from people who're recruited from the rank-and-file parts, they've got years ahead of us in terms of everything. Experience, knowledge, things like that. We may have the power, but they've got us beat everywhere else." I flexed an arm. "That's why we get these upgrades. To even the odds."

"You trying to scare me, amiga?" She said.

I shrugged. "It's the truth. There's a reason I'm the last on the scoreboard when it comes to fighting in the ring."

"Like fist-to-fist?"

"Oh yeah. Pretty much everyone has kicked my ass."

"I'd like to try-"

"Dawn!"

I turned around, seeing Kunio walk up to me. "Saw you were here and-" he paused, looking at Violet. "Who's this?"

"Oh Kunio, this is Violet, from Argentina."

"So this is the Violet I've heard so much about." He extended a hand. "It's a pleasure."

She reluctantly took it. "So you're the teleporting man."

He gave a little smile. "That's me."

She released his hold. "Dawn here spoke about you all the time back in my country."

"Did she now?" He gave me a sly look.

"She did. Did you really survive a face-to-face encounter with one of those Bringer monsters?"

"I did. And I heard you almost got yourself killed and my little friend here had to bail you out."

Violet smirked. "Don't we all learn?"

I interjected myself into the conversation. "Hey Kunio, why'd you show up? I don't have anything on my phone…"

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to do a simulation with me, but seeing as you're busy with your friend-"

"It's fine Kunio, we can do it later."

"So you want me to find someone else?"

I nodded.

He smiled at me, walking away. "Have fun, you two!"

"He seems nice."

"He is. He's been a hell of a person to lean on, and pretty much the first person here to actually try to become my friend. Speaking of, who have you met yet?"

"Besides the Commander, Bronis, and Clifton? Pretty much it."

"Mm." I nodded. "I hope you don't mind, but I've asked some of my friends to come and meet you. All of these people," I waved a hand at the hundred or so people here. "You're going to be working with them, living with them, fighting with them. Connections both here and out there. I actually have an ADVENT General on speed dial."

"No shit?"

"No shit. I saved her and her boyfriend from- well. That's a long story. But I'm just going to give you the run-around here so you can get familiar. Wait. Did Clifton show you the Dreamscape?"

"Yes. It was raro to say the least. It felt so real." She shivered a little.

"Well, you're in a Sovereign's mind, soo…kinda the point."

"As long as it helps me kill shit. Now where were those friends of yours?'

"Oh! I said. She's right over-"

Violet walked headfirst into Carreria's furry form still looking at me as she was going to ask something.

'What the-" She froze in her tracks, staring at the huge Borelian in front of her.

"Hello, little human." Carreria rumbled in her best English, managing a cheesy smile full of her razor-sharp teeth.

Poor Violet's face went white. She turned to look at me. "Dios mio! Es decir a Yeti…o extraterrestre peludo!"

Oh dear.

Dreamscape

I put the helmet on, locking it into place with the rest of my armor.

Go time.

I rolled my shoulders, my helmeted head staring at the armory that T'Leth spawned for us prior to any simulations. I gave it a quick look-over, deciding to use a weapon I didn't use often- the psionic SMG.

It was a neat little thing- it looked like a P90 from Stargate, but more angular, black, and with a modern touch to it. Very good for close to mid-range combat, and great for tearing apart Custodians, Runiararch, and even Vanguards. Like the psi rifle, it worked great in short bursts, as firing it for a long duration drained your psionic reserves even faster, due to it being fully automatic.

I'd gotten better with the Domination armor, though fully mastering it would take time. It was a fun tool, being able to simply walk near your enemies and causing them to start melting with little effort on my part.

But hopefully- and in an odd way- I was hoping I didn't need it.

Because, finally, I would be helping Caelior directly.

He stood next to me, in his XCOM-made armor, at the ready, staring forwards into the glowing blue door that would take us to our target. Which in this case, was a remade Salt Lake City, a near-exact copy of when he held the line against the Collective, but with some modifications.

"Are you sure you're ready, sister?" He asked. "This is going to be big, Dawn. With your flashback-"

"Caelior, it's okay." I held up a hand. "I'm alright. If something happens, you'll know."

"Soleur, I understand, but we're going to be doing this more than once. I don't want you to get overwhelmed. Considering your mental state- I just want to make sure that if we do this in real life, your PTSD isn't going to trigger."

I walked over to him, hugging one of his legs. "I know. And I appreciate you care. Let's...let's just see how this goes, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

And with that, he took my hand, and we walked through the door.

We appeared in a football field that had seemingly been turned into an ad-hoc ADVENT command center. The NPCs (my personal nickname for the Dreamscape-generated friendlies) were rushing around, yelling orders and running around. One in a General uniform walked up to Caelior, and the two had a conversation for a few minutes, all while explosions and gunfire echoed in the distance.

"Just like we practiced, Dawn. Collective heavy armor and aircraft coming at us fast. Maybe there will be Cleansers, maybe there won't."

Fuck. Just hearing that, while being in an environment that felt so real made me feel scared. I hadn't been on a battlefield this big in months- and even though it was fake, the stakes were still very real.

Be calm. His telepathic voice flowed through my mind. Remember what we talked about. You stay behind. I do the work.

I closed my eyes for a minute. Right.

"Are you ready, sister?"

I took a deep breath, then let it out. "I am."

"Okay. Let's do it."

We both closed our eyes as we linked, our minds seamlessly flowing together as almost one. It wasn't a true bond, far from it. It didn't need to be permanent, but worked. I wasn't his Avatar, but he didn't need one.

We were something more.

As my eyes glowed purple. He lifted himself into the air, floating away from the football field and towards the front lines. I nonchalantly turned around and walked to one of the many empty lines of seats, where I sat down, the seat creaking as we focused in tandem.

Let's begin.

We couldn't see through each other's eyes, but what we could do was watch through the cameras in our helmets, the quantum data streams sending who knows how many megabytes of information to either or in a matter of milliseconds as he set himself down on top of an office building, watching as rows of Collective heavy armor and units marched towards him.

It's time.

I 'wrapped' around his mind, bringing his thoughts into a nice, clean stream as he raised his arms, throwing several dozen Executors into the air, the air around them crackling purple as he levitated them for a second before slingshotting them into the Collective lines, using their kinetic energy and compressed telekinetic energy in tandem, the ground shaking and concrete cracking as metal and flesh broke, the screams of Vitakarians and Andromedons being silenced as hundreds of tons of alloys crushed them.

With a flick of a hand, more and more of the enemies were torn off the ground, hundreds, if not thousands getting plucked up in huge waves before being thrown at their allies, creating an almost tornado-like telekinetic vortex of enemies slamming into the ground almost every second like a kinetic strike, the shockwaves and pressure shattering bones and splitting armor as he moved forward, making extra sure the ADVENT soldiers behind him weren't hurt by his actions.

Good...good.

We're good.

He moved forwards, looking at the sky as several waves of Sectoids and bombers broke through the cloud cover, readying their payloads.

Focus, sister.

My teeth gritted as I cleared his mind, removing all other distractions, almost muting the world around him, the voices of the ADVENT soldiers and the battlefield going silent as he raised a second hand towards the bombers, forming a telekinetic field and freezing them in mid-air for a moment before bringing his hands together with a clap, compressing the space and pulverizing the ships with a sickening crunch, letting them fall to earth with barely any effort.

Good job.

I-we-are doing a good job.

Drift.

We flow together.

As he floated down the block, the feeling of unity from the Hiveship returned. Here on the battlefield, even though I stayed behind and melded our minds together, there was a feeling that I couldn't really describe. As he moved his hands, so did mine. Our two brains felt like they'd been amalgamated into one. It was like were two bodies with one mind- almost.

With the Avatars, the link was permanent; even without the mask, there was still a connection, forever. They couldn't reverse it- they were bound forever.

But we had a choice.

We had freedom

And we loved each other.

Family to clan, big brother to little sister, mentor to student.

That was a strength the Avatars didn't have- they were close, but there was an unfamiliarity there, there wasn't a true emotional connection. I could tell some cared about their Avatars, but it was foreign of them to love an alien, to see one as a member of their own family.

And that connection made us stronger.

Those Heralds up ahead? Slam them?

Yes.

It was like being in an out-of-body experience as he formed a telekinetic shield around himself and slammed into a line of Heralds, using his own body as a weapon with his combined psionic energy, levelling the ground around him and causing the floor under me to shake, surprising me as I was quite a ways away from him. He sensed my surprise.

Was that too much?

Fitting of the storm name, bro.

Bro? Seriously?

Fight now, talk later.

The sky hundred with explosions as Executors fired a hail of plasma at him from off in the distance. He raised a smaller hand, clenching it into a fist as the metal rubble from his telekinetic bodyslam flew into the air, his telekinetic power molding them into a massive aerial wall, the scraps shielding him and his allies, taking the beating as the Executor's rounds, turning into orange, molten slag.

The alien tanks were lifted into the air and crushed into a ball not five seconds later.

Our hearts beat almost in sync as the adrenaline flowed through our bodies, fire burning through our sinews as our nerves acted almost like they were in sync as I felt what he felt.

I-we-feel the power.

The voices in our heads flowed as one, my thick Southern accent and his distorted tone mixing together to create something we only felt in our dreams and our deepest links. It revoberated as he lifted several battalions of Mutons, and with a flick of his fingers, turned them into a mess of green and yellow pasta, the sickening collective squish and the crunching of the armor music to our ears. His power, my concentration, molded into one.

How am I doing?

You're doing great.

Above!

Around me in the stadium, soldiers yelled and ran around as my sensors blinked red, my HUD showing the highlights of several Andromedon Cleanser ships moving towards our location.

They believe they can defeat us.

We are the storm we were meant to be.

That was it.

In this moment, right now, I was no longer just me, and he was no longer just him.

We were together now, something more.

As he drew upon his telekinetic power, and I drew upon my telepathic power, the energy flowed to the tips of my fingers and toes. I could have run from the stadium, like the rest. I could have been afraid, like the others.

But...I didn't need to.

He didn't need to.

Because we both had each other.

I breathed in and out, closing my hands, him following suit, as 'we' reached out with his telekinetic power, gripping the ships, and with a hard yank, pulled as the ships were torn from their atmospheric positioning and drifted towards Earth. I could feel their hulls bend and crack, the Andromedons inside scratching at their suits as the glass cracked, fluids spilling out as their limbs cracked.

Closer.

We must bring them closer.

My forehead started to heat up, and sweat began dripping down my neck as our fists tightened, the ships creaking as I looked up, seeing fiery white and orange streaks in the sky like shooting stars, coming down to Earth.

The ground. Put them in the ground.

The strain on my mind increased as they got closer and closer to the ground, as my knees began to shake.

Dawn, we're almost there.

I gritted my teeth as we pulled and pulled. The ships arced over the city, slamming into the ground in a diagonal formation away from the city, the ground shaking as a huge plume of soil and dust rose up in the distance.

We have done it. We-

I fell to my knees, a raging migraine tearing through my head as I grabbed my helmet. I moaned with pain as I felt the tug of his stress and power on my whole body.

Dawn!

The simulation ended a moment later, my hand flinching away from the orb as I staggered away, falling to the floor.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I…I think I'm okay." I said.

And then I passed out.

To be continued in:

A Very XCOM Christmas