It is here, finally!
About a billion grammar errors I expect, but that's part for the cause at this point.
Also yeah... X-COM story with Viper tag, but it took me nearly 40k words to introduce one xD
Hopefully it was worth the wait, certainly was fun to write.
Chapter 6: The Viper
Celia signalled the group to continue their slow advance through the mall. According to central the ADVENT VIP was just outside the building. But while it was a quiet evening in an even more quiet neighbourhood, they did not take any chances. Quick but careful advance, take out the escort, secure VIP and the evac. She stopped behind a pillar, briefly checking back in on the VIP location. "Central this is Blackstone, what is the location of the asset?"
"Approaching the entrance straight ahead Blackstone, move in to secure."
She nodded and the group continued slowly towards the entrance.
They stopped dead in their tracks as the VIP escort rounded the corner and saw the X-COM soldiers standing ready. But despite having their fingers on the trigger, something happened before they could react to the patrol.
The Viper spotted them, being right behind the front most trooper and beside the VIP. It moved with such speed no one had time to react, least of all the troopers.
The Viper spun around, and in a single fluid motion it slammed the stock of its rifle into the stomach of the VIP, sending him crumbling to the floor - Then blasted a hole clean through the ADVENT troopers chest, killing him on the spot. A sizzling sound could be heard from were the plasma had hit, slowly burning away at the armour and body.
The remaining trooper had only started turning around to see what was happening when the Viper coiled around him, locking his arms to his chest and squeezing him hard enough that any unarmoured person would have been crushed immediately. The trooper only managed to struggle for a second before the Viper struck again, fangs burring deep into the troopers neck. He twitched for moment, letting out a chocked scream before going silent.
The Viper looked to the X-COM soldiers, before calmly dropping her plasma rifle, uncoiling from the trooper and holding up it's open hands, in a signature sign of surrender. The body of the trooper slumped to the ground with a thud still slightly twitching, poisonous vapours slowly rising from the bite on his neck.
The VIP was gasping for air, struggling to pull himself up from the floor, but the Viper had hit him hard.
The Viper lowered it's head slightly in what almost looked like an attempt to seem innocent.
Celia spoke up, confused and anxious over whatever the hell had just happened.
"Commander you seeing this?"
The Viper seemed to peak up at that, a sudden intensity in it's eyes as it looked right at Celia. The cold, reptilian stare sent shivers down her spine. but Celia pushed it aside and held her rifle steady, finger on the trigger ready to take out the creature should the order come through.
The speed and ease at which the Viper had taken out the escorting soldiers had her on edge. There were no hesitation, no time for considering and no signs of remorse. It had moved in a blur, with lethal precision against what Celia thought it's allies.
"Blackstone this is the Commander, secure them both and wait for evac."
Celia blinked in surprise. The Commander wanted them to take in the Viper...alive? She made eye contact with a few of her squad mates, each looking tense with confusion and trepidation clear on their faces. Bringing in a captive seemed risky at best. Celia didn't even know they had cells for any, but orders where orders. She gave a quick not, more to herself than anyone else.
"Roger that." And so she signalled the squad to advance, rifles at the ready should the Viper try anything.
Clyde and Alva moved on the left flank, Alva securing the ADVENT VIP, cuffing him and pulling him up. Meanwhile Clyde had his rifle aimed firmly at the Vipers face, something it seemed frustratingly unconcerned with, It only gave him a quick look before turning it's attention back to Celia. She was finding the creatures watchful gaze more and more unnerving as it continued. It started the moment she asked for confirmation from the Avenger. It seemed likely that it knew she was the squad leader, the command structures were after all similar - at least when it came to the small, mobile strike groups that both they and ADVENT were using.
"I don't like this, we'll need rifles on that thing at all times" Muttered Johannes a bit disdainfully. Meanwhile Celia raised a hand to signal Stevens over from where he'd been maintaining overwatch, never letting her eyes of the Viper.
Clyde took a few steps forward to her right, so that he was side by side with Johannes. Looking between him and the Viper he swung up a pair of cuffs identical to the ones used on the VIP. "Here you go."
At that the Viper finally moved it's attention from Celia and over to the trio now, as Stevens had come up behind them. The Viper slowly held out it's hands in front, not a single change in posture or expression.
Why was it cooperating like this?
Everything about the creature just screamed wrong. Celia would say she was a adaptive person, resilient even. It took a lot to unnerve her, or similarly throw her off. She had even gotten pretty used to seeing the clear intermingling of alien and human DNA, dr. Tygan had given a lecture of sorts to explain it.
To clear out confusion and let them know what to expect. Celia had tried her best to follow along, but mostly went away with "Aliens use heavy genetic engineering to improve their troops," and that was fine. She'd only seen a picture of the Sectoids from the invasion, small and frail, almost a perfect representation of a generic pop culture alien - but now they were clearly more human. Taller and more muscular, they didn't simply lie down and die the moment you looked at them funny.
But this reptilian creature... it was so far from human and yet so close. A giant intelligent snake, except with very... distinctive human features. It unnerved her more than it should. The plated armour it was wearing only provided cover to the top of it's chest, with a bit of support down the side stopping at what she guessed was the hips... another assumption that rubbed her the wrong way.
Celia forced her eyes away, braking her silent observation and turning to Johannes.
"Johannes, gather the weapons. Clyde, cut the shit and secure that Viper and Stevens, pile the corpses, were taking them with us."
The no joking tone seemed to bring people a bit back to reality. The wrongness of the situation still remained, and Celia knew she wasn't the only one who felt it as every soldier in the group kept throwing suspicious glances at the Viper. But Clyde put the cuffs on the Viper while Celia kept her weapon dead centre on the creature. If it moved so much as a scale she would empty the mag, no hesitation. Celia would never hesitate to admit that she trusted the Commander with her life - but if she had to choose between this snake and her squad? Yeah that was a no brainer. Her coms bussed, interrupting her thoughts as the pilot spoke up.
"Firebrand 2 minutes out, hope you are packed and ready."
"Roger that firebrand, we are ready. Evac zone is nice and calm."
Alva had a firm grip on the ADVENT VIP, keeping the man on his knees with one hand on his shoulder and a pistol in the other. Clyde on the other hand stood a few meters away from the Viper, cuffed or not he seemed hesitant on being anywhere near the creature. Celia wanted to comment but chose against it, biggest reason being that... Well she couldn't blame him.
They all knew the fangs on that creature, if it decided to strike - and it had shown itself very capable of doing that. Their chances would be minimal, especially if it hit the neck as it had with the ADVENT trooper. It would be a death sentence for the Viper itself sure, but it would not go down alone. Celia had no clue what the creature was thinking and so took no chances.
Aside from bringing it into the dropship and the Avenger.
But that was an order and not a choice made by her. Whatever the Commanders reason, it would be on her to take it from there. Celia and her squad just had to finish the mission and make it home unscathed.
As the Firebrand approached it lowered to land, something that briefly gave Celia pause until she considered that the pilot was informed of their captive. The Viper in question was silently observing the drop ship as it landed. Celia could only guess at what it was thinking, but the drop ship landing would at least make it significantly easier to get it on board. For some reason she did not think the Viper would have a problem with grapping a rope and getting pulled up the usual way. It had shown suspicious levels of cooperation and while she knew the Commander was following along on helmet cams, drones and whatever else... Celia wasn't sure, she felt like she needed confirmation that this was indeed the right thing to do, but the Commanders silence was in way confirmation in and of itself.
She'd given and order, what reason did she have to interrupt if it was being followed by the letter?
As the Firebrand made touchdown Alva dragged the VIP, who had thus far said nothing aside from a few grunts of pain from when the Viper hit him. Stevens and Johannes dragged the bodies and weapons in and secured them for the flight which only left the Viper. Clyde gestured with his rifle towards the ship, and with a small, almost too quick to notice passing look at Celia it obeyed and slithered up the ramp.
It 'sat' down at the far end and fit as well in the seat as anyone could have expected. Awkwardly finding a spot with it's long tail curled up beneath it, Clyde strapped it in, albeit only half as well as she had wanted, but it would have to do, these seats weren't made with giant snakes in mind. On final glance and Celia strapped herself in, before she gave the Firebrand the go signal.
The trip back to the base was normally one of peace, a time were they could loosen up and joke around, but there were none of that here. Each soldier were tense, with a hand on their weapon, ready to draw and fire on a moments notice.
The Viper was looking at her again, regarding her as If she was little more than a curious bug who crawled out from under the floor. Celia however maintained her stare, everyone in the squad had their eyes on the Viper. And the Viper seemed unnervingly calm, cuffed and strapped in it could do little to defend itself. It might be able to take out one of them with it's spit, maybe trash around with it's long tail, perhaps even break free. But it would be killed immediately afterwards, it stood no chance.
And yet.
There it was, sitting relaxed as if it was any other trip to the park. Tongue flicking out at steady intervals as it stared them down.
Celia hated the thing already.
Hrefna made her way down the hall, it wouldn't be long now before the drop ship arrived. The mission had taken a... a rather unexpected turn. The Viper taking out the VIPs escort and knocking them to the ground caught everyone off guard, but straight up surrendering like that? Coupling it together with the quick reaction on noticing the X-COM soldiers left her two possible explanations.
Option one and the most probable was that this was a trap.
If their running theory were correct it was all but impossible for anyone with a chip to even consider disobeying, no less turning on their allies. Tygan was still working on the officer and the chip they had, but Hrefna believed she already knew most of it, at least the parts that regarded her. There were the case of the Skirmishers, the independent resistance faction exclusively run and operated by ADVENT deserters if one believed the rumours. Aliens whose chip for one reason or another stopped working, joining together to fight their evil mind controlling overlords. A bit too good to be true in most circumstances, but the planet was under control of aliens and psionics were a real thing. Well Central had pretty good intel and even better sources to get it from, so she was quite comfortable in running with that narrative.
But while it was a possibility, it seamed more likely that it had a modified chip, perhaps one capable of being tracked at long distances. They could use the Viper as bait to find the Avenger.
Bringing the Viper back was a risk, and a massive one at that. But every scanner on the ship was running full power searching for any and all ground and aerial movement. Should they find the slightest trace of them being followed... Well she would give the order to have the Viper executed and dropped from the ship. As curious as Hrefna were, and she were really curious - she was not about to doom the resistance because a Viper pretended to surrender. Hence why she had immediately given the order for Tygan and Shen to redecorate one of their unused supply rooms. It was barebones and improvised, but Shen had reluctantly assured her that it could be done in the limited timeframe. There were no toilet or such, not even a sink, but Hrefna did have a bed brought along with a few blankets. A translucent panel separating the room in the middle had been placed, allowing them to interrogate the Viper without... well with significantly diminished risk of getting venomous spit in the face.
But Hrefna wasn't too worried about that, because while the first option of a trap was the most likely, she did not believe that to be the case here happening. First and most importantly was the drop ship, which had been flying for 4 hours now, with only 30 min before reaching the Avenger. All without a single sign of any alien interceptors or transports. None flying anywhere near them or the Avenger for that matter. Either ADVENT was waiting until the very last moment to launch their force or, they had no idea where they were or what had happened to their VIP.
Option two seemed to fit the circumstances better, but likewise held too many unknowns for Hrefna to fully know what to expect. It was... a bit exhilarating to be in the dark like this.
The Viper, for one reason or another- aside from hunting down the Avenger - wanted to get captured. A goal they were so set on that killing ADVENT troopers and knocking down a VIP was considered acceptable. Which begged the very interesting and obvious question of why?
Hrefna came to the now repurposed storage room, it's was pretty big, more space than what their soldiers had. At least individually if the barracks was split equally among the people there. But it was a storage room, clean grey ceiling panels and floor with lighting and ventilation spread around the ceiling as it was in the rest of the sip. Lighting was the same soft yellow that was found on most of the Avenger. She looked around, observing the progress as Shen, Tygan and 2 engineers worked. Shen looked up and Hrefna gave her a small nod in greeting. "Shen. Tygan. How's the room coming along?"
Shen's reply was swift and frustrated. "The cell you mean."
Hrefna gave her another quick glance, watching her an an engineer fasten the wall cover over the insulation provided by Tygan. They did not know if the Viper had a similar implant to what Hrefna had, but Tygan had made a scaled up psionic shield for the room to be safe.
"The cell, yes."
Shen much like her father was very... hesitant on housing any kind of alien on the ship. Hrefna had only now learned that she had repeatedly, and without leaving room for discussion, shot down Tygan anytime he'd mentioned the idea. While a bit harsh Hrefna did not have to think long about why. She was her fathers daughter, and Raymond had been sceptical at best and even hostile on a few occasions at Vallen and the science teams relentless pursuit of knowledge. The man had been an idealist and Hrefna had loved him for it, a voice of reason and morals. But they had been at war, still were at war really. Showing the aliens respect and compassion felt pointless, when the aliens seemed to view war crimes as a matter of foreign policy. They had been hopelessly outmatched, and even with the constant breakthroughs in military equipment and constantly improving understanding of the aliens, it had never been enough. Hrefna would catch Shen later, but for now they had a prisoner of war coming.
"The psionic shields have been mounted, with a thin protective steel plate on top. Need another minute or two to make sure ventilation is working as it should, we haven't used this room before now. It certainly wasn't mean to be a prison cell that much is clear." Shen finished with another not-so-subtle jab at Hrefna, who just gave a half shrug in response.
"Hopefully it will only be temporary" She responded neutrally, while still holding her words true. It would only be temporary, like Shen had said it wasn't build to be a prison cell. Hrefna wasn't entirely sure how strong Vipers were and if this one would simply be able to break out.
In any case, Hrefna wasn't a fan of meaningless killing, but letting the Viper go after this wasn't an option. They had no clue how much or little ADVENT knew of the AVENGER and X-COM. They had built the ship originally of cause, but the place had seen quite a few changes in the restoration process. The less they knew the better.
Although thinking about it, If ADVENT ever managed to locate the Avenger... Hrefna was pretty confident a few changes in the restoration process would do little to help them.
But let's hope that never happens.
Hrefna noted that the cameras had been mounted as well, which meant the cell was as ready as it was ever going to get with their limited time frame. With that she opened up coms to central. "Central what's the eta on Blackstone?"
The reply came quickly, "they are 10 minutes out."
"Excellent, make sure the hangar is clear, don't want to risk... anything happening" On either side. Is what she wanted to say, but the vague comment hopefully got it along. There were countless people on this ship who had lost friends and family to the aliens. Blackwing for one wouldn't mind, and she suspected Alva was much the same, her old haven was wiped out when she and a few others were out scavenging. Hrefna doubted anyone would do something stupid, Blackwing for sure wouldn't unless ordered to, but she wasn't too sure about Alva. Once again Hrefna found herself missing the 'old days' where they got a full psychological profile along with the new recruits. Now they were a mystery box, each person potentially carrying secrets and ulterior motivations, and X-COM had only themselves to rely on to sort the good from the bad. Hrefna really hoped they would never have to deal with an undercover ADVENT operative in their ranks. Chip or not, such a person had the potential to end the life of anyone on the ship with the press of a few buttons.
But there she had to trust that Central and the numerous people working intelligence and recruitment to do their job well.
With everything ready she left the cell with Tygan. Shen and her engineers quickly returned to their work on clearing out room for facilities.
"I must admit, I am very curious to see what this Viper has to say."
"Assuming they speak English. They have stayed silent thus far." Tygan replied quickly.
"True, but I'm finding it hard to think of other reasons for their cooperation. Unless they have surgically implanted explosives to put the ship out of commission."
"I... I would not have thought of that. You think we should be worried about that?"
"No. It's not ADVENT's style, but we need to make sure she doesn't hold a chip or other such devices for tracking our position. It seems unlikely, we would've picked them up on scanners by now, but I don't want to take any chances."
"She? You mean the Viper?"
"I might not be an expert in xenobiology Tygan, but with the Vipers it is... glaringly obvious."
He merely gave a nod in response.
"Want us to scan her for a chip immediately?"
"No, want to have a chat with her first. If this is some half hearted assassination or sabotage attempt there's no need for spending time on her."
"Understood, I'll return to my research, call if you need me."
"Will do."
Hrefna looked down at herself, the oversized sweater seeming glaringly out of place in the steely no nonsense corridors of the Avenger.
Social customs and expectations she mussed.
Commanders and leaders having to present cold hard and professional. A cosy loose sweater hardly matched that, but with the planet taken over by aliens? Yeah strict rules for clothing wasn't really high on the priority list, hell even the soldiers were encouraged to customize their weapons and armour - within reason of cause. A bright pink vest might not provide the best chances on a stealth mission.
To hell with it she thought as she pushed the button and the door hissed open.
Stepping in she found 3 soldiers standing guard and a Viper staring right at her.
She pulled out one of the chairs to the middle of the room where she sat down and immediately started with a rather simple answer. One she did not expect to get an answer to right away.
"So... Why are you here?"
The response came almost immediately, soft but hoarse voice, clearly alien. "You don't believe ADVENT sent me" A statement, not a question.
Hrefna twitched into a half smile, the Viper was smart. But that wasn't news to her, Vipers were generally smarter than most people. Hrefna studied her face for a moment, but it was a careful neutral mask. "ADVENT has a habit of fighting to the death. There's a reason you are the first prisoner on board. Aside from the VIP you so diligently secured for us." Loop around back to the subject.
I want to know why you did it.
The Viper was silent, she only continued to stare at Hrefna, and then quickly to the soldiers behind her.
Hrefna leaned back a bit, thinking of another direction to take things in. "If you have a chip or similar tracking they won't work."
No reaction, except a tongue flick, but those were almost constant so Hrefna had dismissed them as unconscious actions.
"Even the psionic chips can be blocked with a bit of work. ADVENT should know that better than anyone."
A small deliberate pause.
"Which makes me wonder, if not a trap - which this is clearly not, then why are you here? Why would you let yourself be captured, risk torture and interrogation, only to bring us silence? No, you are here for something else aren't you?"
But the Viper remained silent, watchful and aware, but silent none the less. The tongue flicks continued, though it seemed logical to conclude that it was a similar method of sensing their surroundings as the snakes on earth. They where very different of cause, but one could not deny the similarities. The bigger question was regarding the glaringly obvious humanoid torso, but then again - the Viper was an alien. What they thought they knew or recognised about their anatomy at a glance? Yeah it was about as useful as a helicopter ejection seat.
She'd wait for Tygan's autopsy before dedicating anything to memory. However her thoughts were interrupted as they Viper straightened a bit. "I am here to bring an offer to the Commander of X-COM, not one of their little soldiers" The Viper replied in a tone that was as neutral as any other they had said.
Hrefna tried to keep a neutral face at the comment, but a quick glance to the left told her that Stick was trying and failing to hold back a chuckle while Blackwing - ever so vigilant gave him an elbow to the ribs, all without a hint of distraction. The Viper however noticed the little exchange. Hrefna guessed her half smile didn't help hiding it because the the Viper narrowed it's eyes in realization.
"It is you." it said simply, reptilian eyes studying her with a newfound interest.
"In the flesh."
The Viper flicked her tongue again before speaking. "Our matriarch wishes to speak with you."
Hrefna raised an eyebrow. Well that was... unexpected.
The Viper matriarch was their ruler right? Hrefna thought she'd heard about that, or read it, somewhere. She couldn't be sure, and the thought confused her more than it helped. In any case it wasn't what she had been expecting, maybe a demand for surrender, a threat or two but this? A wish for communication from the ruler of the Vipers. For sure an interesting development.
But, Hrefna reminded herself. As the commander of X-COM she was likely the most wanted person on the planet, a single step onto ADVENT territory and there would be an army on them in minutes.
Hrefna sighed internally, they'd exchanged one 'trap or opportunity' scenario for another. Except now the pendulum had swung in the opposite direction. It seemed more likely than ever to be a trap, would be an easy one too, and yet... The possibilities if this offer was genuine were high enough to make it tempting.
Clever.
ADVENT was ruled by the elders, and only the elders. Hrefna had seen the golden statues, heard the propaganda. ADVENT still hadn't let up their search. Patrols were out this moment, thousands of them if the intel was right. The elders for one reason or another, seemed to think catching or killing her was a massive priority, dedicating obscene amounts of resources to it. But this was uncharacteristically sneaky for a trap if they were behind it. Hrefna had skimmed through almost 20 years of records with so many ADVENT battles and skirmishes that she had long since lost count. Not once had they pulled something like this. If anything they had gotten less stealthy. Best they did were ambushes and coordinated simultaneous strikes.
So why the change of pace? Desperation perhaps? Hrefna hadn't been free for that long, only about 2 weeks and while ADVENT was erratic and aggressive. Desperation just... It would have several implications for how X-COM should proceed, and she would not count on it until she had solid proof. They had no clear reason to be desperate. As it was now, they held the planet, X-COM was just a small thorn in their side, barely a nuisance.
Or maybe, maybe the Viper was speaking the truth. Hrefna's mind jumped to the skirmishers, ADVENT deserters fighting against the alien government. It seemed almost too good to be true she mussed, an upstart resistance movement getting approached by what seemed like a deserting leader from the opposite side? Well they didn't know the motivations of this matriarch, it could just be a complicated way to deliver demands for X-COM to surrender.
Well let's pretend I take the bait.
"Say I agreed. When and where would this meeting take place?" From the corner of her eye she caught a twitch from Blackwing.
"On neutral ground. You will arrive with minimal forces, and my matriarch has given her word that she will do the same."
On 'neutral' ground, Hrefna could at least give the Viper points for being original. ADVENT controlled most of the planet, there were very few places that could be called neutral. Most of those were abandoned cities from the invasion, radiated wastelands long since deserted. And with minimal forces too? Truly the most obvious trap of the decade.
Central and his team had determined that at any given point and location, ADVENT was at most 30 minutes away from deploying an small army. Antarctic or the Sahara, 30 minutes was all they needed. If Hrefna agreed to this there were no way they could ever pull back in time. Even assuming they managed to evac, which was a big if, who were to stop the oncoming ADVENT forces to follow them back to the Avenger? As much as Hrefna wanted this to be true, it would be suicide for the resistance.
And a second hand promise that this matriarch will do the same? It was half hearted at best, though to be fair X-COM didn't exactly have an open frequency for easy contact.
Optimistic or a fool.
The Viper was looking at her expectantly, and for the first time Hrefna started to doubt the aliens intelligence. Did she truly see this as a reasonable offer?
Maybe both
"No." Was the simple answer she gave the Viper, a single word that birthed several reactions. Blackwing relaxed ever so slightly, Stick huffed and the Viper froze.
"No? What do you mean no?" The Viper had straightened, a sharp glint in her eyes as emotions broke through it's neutral mask.
"I mean no. As tempting as this is I simply cannot afford to trust you, or your matriarch for that matter."
"She would not lie." The Viper declared vehemently, now standing right up against the translucent wall.
Hrefna tilted her head, there was a truth in the Vipers words. At least she believed her own words, but it changed little. Hrefna softened her tone a bit, before continuing. "I'm sure you are right. But I don't know you, or your matriarch. A single message is all it would take to break us, so we're careful who we put our trust in."
The Viper was silent for moment, reptilian eyes boring into hers.
"A single message." A slight hiss. "Sounds like a fragile resistance."
Hrefna smiled in response. "And yet here we are. Alive and well. ADVENT forces are grasping at smoke, while we strike from the shadows."
The Viper did not respond so Hrefna continued.
"So when you can give me a reason to trust you... I might reconsider the offer. But until then." She gave slight shrug. "I'm afraid my answer remains no."
She gave the Viper a few seconds to reply but nothing came, other than an intense glare.
With that she pushed herself up from the chair, flinching slightly from her scars before turning to leave the room. The Viper remained silent as Stick, Celia and Blackwing followed her out. The moment the door slit shut behind them Hrefna turned to the trio.
"I want a guard on this door at all times, we have someone watching the camera as well, but rather safe than sorry. I trust you three can figure out a rotation?"
"Of cause Commander" Stick said before the others could answer.
Blackwing then spoke up just as Hrefna was about the leave the group. "And if the Viper breaks out?"
Hrefna stopped, giving it a brief thought before answering. "Shoot her." She'd prefer the Viper remain alive, but if it came between X-COM and the Viper the answer was easy.
Hrefna turned her focus back to Central who was patiently waiting for her decision.
"I understand your hesitation with the Templars Central. But I think we might need them as much as they need us. Psionic operatives were a significant force during the invasion, but we lost that knowledge in the assault." She spoke slowly and surely, eyeing him for his response. Central was an honest man, and he knew to speak up if he had any disagreements. At least Hrefna remembered him like that, but that was 20 years ago.
But there was nothing, he only nodded once before voicing his agreement. "Then it's decided. We move to northern Europe and start scanning down the location of the Templars."
Central relayed the order to his team, they would no doubt be discussing angles of approach, possible areas of interest and such. They knew very little about the specific location of these factions, and considering they'd been successfully hiding from ADVENT for all these years? Yeah should be a pain to get their location. But the templars where psionic soldiers, a valuable skill set. Tygan seemed more than capable at his job but, there was no reason to re-invent the wheel if the Templars already had the knowledge they were seeking.
Coms bussed as Tygans voice came through. "Commander, I've finished my report on the ADVENT officer. I believe Central should join us as well."
A stone settled in the pit of her stomach, mind immediately jumping to the conclusion she reached a few days ago. Might as well get it over with, at least then she wouldn't be carrying the burden in secret anymore.
Tygan spoke a quick "Central, Commander." In greeting.
"The ADVENT officers appear to be similar, if not physically the same as the common ADVENT trooper in terms of power and agility. However, field reports indicate a more developed mental acuity, as the officers do provide tactical directives to the subordinate ADVENT forces."
"Now if that's genetic engineering or specialized training? I do not, though I suspect the latter."
A small nod.
Central was the next to speak up, directing his question at the dead officer on the table.
"I take this was... easier than your last procedure Doctor?"
The helmet was removed, leaving the altered skull clear to see. The back of the head was cut open with wires connected to the chip inside. The look gave her goose bumps, especially because as far as she had understood, it was what she herself had gone through. Well almost, with her they dug it out instead of connecting it to a computer.
"Yes, I find the process to be far less disconcerting when the subject has already expired. The results however... It is best if you see for yourself."
And there it was. The stone in her chest seemed to sink even deeper, she swallowed once to try and prepare for what she knew would come.
Tygan turned around before pressing on the screen, causing the images to change. It was the two chips side by side, but Hrefna couldn't be sure which one was hers. The glaring similarity only cemented her belief. One clear difference on the screen was the signal or coding underneath.
"My autopsy of the ADVENT captain has confirmed the existence of an implant. Design is similar to the one extracted from you Commander, but there are differences."
Here it comes.
Central crossed his arms, taking a step forward.
"What kind of differences?" His voice was low and seeking.
She almost chuckled, but managed to hold it back. She did not remember him being this confrontational. She could've used him being a bit more of his stoic self, at least then she would be the only one drowning in dread and guilt.
Tygan seemed unfaced, not even turning to look at he pointed at the screen again.
"The data you see is being pulled directly from this ADVENT captains implant. The sequence here -" He said pointing. "- Is essentially you Commander. Or at least the tactical information they where processing through your mind.
Why did I have to be right...
"As you can see, the data is nearly identical."
She let out a breath, but no new air came in. From the corner of her eye she saw Central turn to face her.
"They where using you against us."
She prepared for the worst for the storm of fire and curses that would follow... but it never came. That was all he had to say.
They used you against us.
While not specifically untrue it also didn't come close to doing it justice.
20 years Central Officer John Bradford. That's is how long long they used me as you so eloquently put it. 20 years of me, unknowingly assisting ADVENT in slaughtering and conquering this planet. Eradicating any resistance we found and turning millions of innocent civilians into mindless alien hybrid soldiers. I'm grateful for my freedom, don't get me wrong. But my past is paved in the blood of innocents, people I swore to fight for and protect.
You freed me. And for now it's working in our favour. But after 20 years we are still no closer to understanding how and why they are here. Billions are dead and we are stuck in a constant cycle of hit and run in a stolen alien cargo ship.
ADVENT is at this very moment searching every nook and cranny on this planet in order to kill or capture me. What I'm trying to say is that perhaps you should've blown up the clinic instead of breaking me out.
at least that's what she wanted to say.
...
Stop.
You are being selfish, selfish and stupid.
You are no good to anyone dead.
A deep breath.
Her lungs where burning for air, but she stopped herself from breathing too quickly. Central was looking at her, but she couldn't focus enough to guess what he was thinking.
The tension was finally broken by Tygan.
"Yes. However..."
Hrefna grasped on to the distraction like her life depended on it. She looked up, desperate for a piece of good news, something - anything they could use.
"The ADVENT data is showing signs decay. Removing the Commander from their network has likely caused significant damaged.
...their what?
"Network?" Central asked, mirroring her curiosity.
"Yes, what we are seeing here is a psionic network. These implants are capable of receiving and transmitting information - A great deal of information, somehow encoded in a stream of psionic energy."
Hrefna's mind was blank for a moment, before she got a thought.
"Are they... Have they made a psionic hivemind with these chips?"
"I hesitate to use that term here, but it does seem to be fitting. Now my working theory is that they use this network to augment the tactical readiness of it's troops. Even disseminating orders from it's central command. Observe..." He finished before switching tab on the screen and pressing a few buttons.
The dead ADVENT captain suddenly jerked, like a spark of electricity was sent through it.
Central took a step back.
The captain twitched a few more times as Tygan began talking.
"Even in the subjects diminished condition, the implant continues to have an effect. A truly astonishing accomplishment."
Or borderline sci-fi necromancy - although thinking about it, that would still be an astonishing accomplishment. It didn't have to be pretty or good to qualify for that. It unnerved her to think she'd had a similar chip in her skull just a few weeks ago. Even in death it was still enough to make the body twitch.
A macabre curiosity of hers wanted to see what the limit there was, muscles could be made to respond to electrical inputs, and the chip was already planted in the brain. She couldn't imagine it beyond the aliens capability.
But then again, what need did they have for semi functional zombie-like soldiers? They had more than enough troops to hold the entire planet.
"A central chain of command... Is this something we can exploit?"
"Potentially - But I would need access to their network to be sure."
"I'm guessing that won't be easy."
"We would need an active link. And that would mean hacking a live ADVENT officer."
"Like I said, not easy."
"Still it's the best lead we've got. Your call Commander."
"It's not much of a question. How do we do it?"
It was their first real chance at striking ADVENT where it hurt. Right now they where simply a nuisance and Hrefna was fairly sure it was only a matter of time before an ADVENT patrol got lucky.
"I've laid out a design for a tool called a skull jack. I've sent the specs to Shen and she assures that she can make a batch of them. However Shen mentioned the need for a new workspace to construct and test more experimental equipment, I'm sure she'll contact you about it soon."
"I'll see to it."
Celia was the one standing guard. To her credit she spotted Hrefna as soon as she rounded the corner. "Commander?"
Celia looked at her watch, but didn't comment any further than that small motion and a swift salute.
"Here to speak with the prisoner?"
"Indeed."
"Want me there?"
"No, It won't be long"
Celia gave a nod swiping her card to unlock the door.
The door slit open and Hrefna calmly entered, looking around she found the Viper awake, reptilian eyes following her every movement.
Hrefna slowly sat down, but failed to keep the flinch off her face as her chest ached.
"You are hurt."
Hrefna looked up and studied the Viper for a moment, pondering what to say. Should she be honest? Maybe tell it a vague half truth? In the end she settled on the later, the less the Viper knew the better.
"Scars from another life, turns out dying wasn't for me."
A small pause as she studied the Viper, she was calm, but expectant.
"But I'm not here to speak of old scars."
"Then why are you here?" A seeking question, but there was something underneath.
"I'm trying to figure out what to do with you." Hrefna settled on telling the truth here, the time felt different from when they first spoke. The Viper also seemed more... at ease, despite the situation.
"I will fight for you."
Hrefna froze for a moment, but quickly recovered from the sudden strange declaration.
"No, you will not."
The viper straightened, arms crossed and head tilted ever so slightly. Her face shifted to a look of steely determination as she spoke the next words.
"You say you need trust, to accept my matriarchs offer. So let me prove my dedication. I've already shown how capable I am, I took down the patrol before your soldiers managed to fire a single shot."
Hrefna was about to retort but stopped herself. She did not know why, but a faint shadow of a smile crossed her face. Something about the Vipers mannerisms brought forth a weird but... happy sense of familiarity. She pushed the thought aside, to ponder later.
"I'm not questioning your capabilities, I know full well what you can do."
"Then why deny me this?"
Confused and frustrated. Emotions clear as day. Either a very very good actor or... or this was really why she was here. The truth of the meeting.
Hrefna got up and slowly approached the Viper.
"Because I am not the only one you need to convince. In X-COM we do not fight alone, we launch attacks in teams. They fight together, they live together and they train together."
Hrefna was now standing against the wall, face to face with the Viper. Every scale on it's angled face clear, the fine details in it's eyes where the bright blue faded to grey near the edges. The tongue flicking out in increasing intensity despite the separating wall between them preventing her from smelling anything.
"I'm not against idea. But many on this ship have lost friends and family to ADVENT. Veterans from the invasion or not, you will find little sympathy or understanding from the people here."
"I do not need their sympathy. I am a Viper, trained to fight and win from my birth. I will prove myself worthy of your trust, with or without them."
Hrefna chuckled at it's sheer determination. Some of the intensity faded from it's face at the sound. The previous mention of teamwork seemed lost on it, but perhaps this could still work, the Viper just needed a push in the right direction.
"I have much power on this ship, but I am not controlling my people like ADVENT is. They have a will of their own - convince them and you convince me."
They observed each other for a long moment, neither of them breaking the eye contact. But then after what must have been a solid two minutes the Viper gave a small bow. Eye contact maintained, but a bow none the less. "If that is what it takes, then so be it."
Let me know what you think ^-^