RP XCOM: The Story of Defiance.

[Euan]

I really want to get out on the field.

It's been bugging me real hard. There's been a couple UFO landings - yes, you heard me - and I wasn't taken on the missions. I mean sure, they wanted to take their best troops, but still. I want to get out there, see how good these weapons are against those things. I want to know what it feels like to fight against them when you're on an even playing field. When you have others to support you. When you know you are making a difference to more than a few. You are not killing for the sake of food or ammunition or self protection. When you're fighting for freedom, research, engineering, the fate of all mankind. Not just the fate of seven strangers who rely on you to fill their mouths and keep them warm.

God, I know I should be happy I'm even here, in XCOM. With training facilities, dedicated cooks, enough food to feed an army (are we an army? Or a special task force? I wasn't really told). I'm just lucky I got pulled out. It got to the point where I found a small stash that could feed us all for a day and spread it out, pretending I found a different loot house every day. It kept people's spirits up, but at the same time I knew I couldn't salvage much more without moving the group. And there was nowhere safer than where we were in the country.

I intend to go down to the firing range today. Hopefully I can get my aim accurate enough to get on a mission. Can but hope, eh? Might drop down to engineering too - I hear they need a helping hand every so often. I don't really enjoy working with others but hell - what have I got to lose?

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ZombieSplitter53 and DarkGemini24601
“New Horizons”
Part One

Atka glanced up at the clock, having no luck in figuring out what to carve next. It was a bit early to be retrieving Ayame, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do with the next ten minutes. Putting away the slab of whale bone, she stood up and walked down to where Ayame was being kept. With a nod to the guards, she went inside.

As Atka entered the small cell, Ayame, laying on the cot, peeked an eye open. Seeing who it was, she rose to a sitting position. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s up? I was told I was done here. You’re not gonna probe me for more info, are you?”

Atka shook her head vehemently. “No, I don’t need to do that again. We’re not going to interrogate you any more. Like I said, your name has been cleared. I’m here to take you to where you’ll be staying on base.”

Ayame tapped her foot, seeming to size Atka up. After a moment, she shrugged, and put on a cautious smile. “All right. Lead the way. I hope it’s a room with a view.”

Atka chuckled. “In an underground base? I think you’ll be disappointed if you were expecting a window showing you the coast or something,” the Inuit woman said, and led Ayame out of the room. She started walking back to the room with her.

“Underground?” Ayame looked around in confusion as they walked through the hallways. “Where are we, exactly. This might come as a surprise, but there wasn’t a whole lot that was shared with me during those… friendly chats.”

“The extent of what I know is that we’re somewhere in Russia...and judging from how desolate it is up top, I’m guessing good old Siberia,” Atka explained. “They won’t tell us any more for fear that the location would be leaked. The aliens can speak our language, it would seem...so it’s best not to let them find out where we live.”

“So… you guys… fight… them?” Ayame gave Atka a look of disbelief. “Do you guys really think you have a chance?” She looked Atka up and down. “Wait, you don’t look Russian to me. I’d say you are one of those… Eskimos, right?”

Atka winced. “Inuit. And the project is an international effort, we’ve got plenty of Russian staff but we also have people from all over. As for our chances, well,” Atka said. “The troops just went out with laser weaponry, and they performed fairly well. Plus, we’ve got armor that would make Kevlar manufacturers weep,” she continued.

“Really?” Ayame smirked. “Some kinda world wide collaboration? With plenty of bells and whistles to kick some alien ass? No shot?” Ayame cracked her knuckles. “Sounds like my kinda party. Where can I sign up? You guys get medical, sick days? A week’s vacation each year?”

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that. The Commander was considering having you function as a base security staff member. If we think we can trust you on the field, you’d be promoted to an actual soldier, ideally,” Atka mentioned. “As for vacation time, I honestly have no idea.”

Ayame chuckled, lightly punching Atka in the shoulder. “I’m just jokin’. You’re cute when you’re naive. And I’d love to help out. Considering the way my last employment went, something tells me I’m out of a job at the moment.”

Atka looked confused for a moment, and then nodded slowly. “I’ll let the Commander know you are willing to accept her initial offer.” They reached Atka and Madison’s quarters.

Atka walked into the room with Ayame. The room itself was fairly simple, being almost a square. The door was on the right, and to the left side of the room there were two bunk beds, a total of 4 sleeping spots. On the back of the room was a set of dressers and storage, while on the right was a door to the bathroom and a long desk with two chairs and a mirror.

“This my room then?” She looked at the beds. “Oh, good, looks like I can switch my bed up if I don’t like the one I’m in.” She smiled at Atka. “Or do I have a roommate or two?”

“Two would be correct,” Atka responded. “You’ll be sharing this room with myself and another soldier, Madison Wheeler.”

“With you?” Ayame narrowed her eyes. “You… were told to keep an eye on me, weren’t you? That’s why you were the one to get me, and why I’m here, huh?”

“That is what I was told to do,” Atka said, and raised a hand. “However, it’s not like I’m distrustful of you. Precautions have to be taken, even if we aren’t so worried about you in particular. Let’s just say the Commander and myself had a bad experience with a mercenary before. I don’t think this will be the same way, though.”

Ayame shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to people keeping an eye on me. It comes with the territory, and the bad attitude. Just glad it’s someone I think I can trust myself.” She sat down on one of the beds, and looked up at Atka. “ Can I ask you a question?”

Atka nodded, lowering her hand. “Go ahead.”

“Why did you put yourself neck on the line for me? Keep… putting your neck on the line for me?” Ayame shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t exactly give you the best first impression. Most people would have just shot me, or at least left me out there. Was it just because you had your orders?”

“I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if I had treated you poorly or had ignored you entirely. You haven’t done anything worthy of my ire, and that means I’m going to give you a chance,” Atka said sincerely. “And I was right, wasn’t I? You don’t seem like a bad person, and you’re even willing to help out, not to mention you were honest the whole time with us.”

Ayame raised a finger. “Just ‘cause I’m honest doesn’t mean I’m a good person. I wasn’t exactly doing any good deeds in Illinois. It was nothing personal, mind you, but I did attack that convoy. I might not be as good a person as you think.” She laid back and stared up at the ceiling. “The looks from some of the people we passed on the hallways probably say that they don’t trust me.”

“I’m not blind to what you did back there. You have a chance at redemption, though,” Atka said, going over to the desk and sitting down at one of the swivel chair, turning to face Ayame. “I don’t think you’ll waste it, and I’m willing to bear the consequences of giving you this chance for now. In time, I hope people will come to realize to trust my judgement...and if they don’t, I can live with that too.”

Ayame rose to a sitting position, a big grin on her face. “You know what? You’re alright. Wish I had someone like you commanding me when I was in the military. Then I wouldn’t have had to break my commanding officer’s hand… oh, but, he had it coming. Was a little ‘touchy, feelly’, if you know what I mean.”

“Hey, at least you don’t enjoy killing people. That woman that I was arguing with when I met you? She did, and she was the mercenary we had to kick out of the project,” Atka explained. “As for commanding officers, I find that the Commander and myself agree on a lot of subjects, though you could say she’s less ‘naive’ than I am. I don’t think you’ll have problems with her,” the Inuit woman finished.

Ayame nodded. “Yeah, she seemed cool,” she said. “Cute butt,” she added under her breath. She jumped to her feet and gave a salute. “Well, boss, I promise I won’t let you down.” She suddenly made a sour face. She reached down and lifted the collar of her shirt, sniffing it. “Hmm… little rancid.”

“I’m sure we could find you something else to wear,” Atka said, smiling in amusement. “Probably not something of mine, though. It would probably be a little small on you.”

Ayame smiled. “Damn. Guess getting in your pants won’t be easy, huh?”

Atka raised an eyebrow. That’s twice in a short period of time someone had said something about me that could be interpreted…

“At any rate, I haven’t had a bath in… I don’t even want to think how long it’s been.” Ayame pointed at the bathroom. “Do you have a shower in there?”

“Unfortunately no...there are only shared ones per gender. Can’t have everything in a military base,” Atka lamented, missing her apartment for a moment.

Ayame shrugged. “At least they’re separated. I had to share one with every guy on my base.” Ayame placed her hands on her hips and grinned. “Not that I have anything to hide. Though a few of those guys did, believe me.”

Atka’s face turned a little red. I don’t think I want to know what that entails. “Right…"

Ayame’s grin widened, and she walked up to her new friend. “Aw, don’t be like that. Come on, why don’t you show me the showers? I promise I won’t peek. And maybe you can tell me a bit about yourself while I wash off a week’s worth of grime and shame.”

“That’s not why I was…” Wait, is she… Atka shook her head, and then nodded. “We can do that.”

“That a girl.” Ayame walked over to the door and opened it for Atka. “I might be a little too ‘unlady like’ for some people, but even I like a little girl talk from time to time. I want to know everything. Where you grew up, your favorite food, your high school crush… do the, uh, Inuits have high schools?”

“Not where I lived. After I joined up with the military I had to teach myself a lot of the things that the average Canadian learned in school...ate up a lot of my free time,” Atka explained, following Ayame. “And you’re telling me about being ‘unladlylike?’ I went on hunts with the boys, took my father arguing with some people to let me do that.”

“Let me guess.” Ayame put on a deep voice. “‘Boys hunt, girls gather, stop messing with the status quo.’ Had to hear something like that?”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

“New Horizons”
Part Two

“Something like that. For us, women can hunt, but its usually during a time of necessity, which wasn’t the case with me. I just was genuinely curious about what it was like, and ended up enjoying it,” Atka answered. “Life can be hard up in Nunavut though, especially with tribes like mine. We don’t want to get supplies from ‘civilization’, and I don’t think it’s always a bad thing.”

Ayame nodded. “Well, maybe you could teach me to hunt sometime. Wasn’t really an option. Though if we really are in Siberia, I doubt there is much to hunt up there anyway.” She frowned. “Not that I’d be allowed out anyway.”

“Give it time,” Atka replied. “We do have deer and maybe even moose out there, so not all hope is lost. I’d rather not hunt them with lasers or machine guns, though.”

“Finally,” Ayame said, practically prancing into the showers. “It’s been too long since I’ve had a good shower. And I’m not counting those baths I was given during…” Ayame trailed off, and slipped off her shirt as soon as she walked in. “You gonna join me?”

“So they did torture you…” Atka said, frowning. “Nice organization we work for, the Council.” she started to undress, albeit a bit self-consciously after the thought she had earlier.

Ayame just shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. At least he was ‘gracious’ enough not to leave any marks.” She slipped off the rest of her clothes and said, “I’m gonna jump ahead.” She ran into the shower room and turned on the shower, letting out the ecstatic sigh of a person eating their favorite treat for the first time in years.

Atka soon followed, relaxing in the stream of warm water. “I don’t think I could go back to life without warm showers…”

“What do you mean?” Ayame asked, her eyes closed as the warm water pelted her face. “You mean, like, before the military? Guess you didn’t have these in your village, huh?”

“Nope,” Atka replied. “Though the one in my apartment in Toronto is better than military showers, of course.” She reached over for some soap.

Ayame chuckled. “Nothing in life is as great as a high-powered shower head and enough time to enjoy it.” She looked over at Atka. “Want me to wash your back?”

A few worries crossed Atka’s mind, though she mentally kicked herself to ignore them. She shrugged. “Go ahead.”

Ayame walked over to Atka and rubbed some soap on her back, careful where she placed her hands. “I, um… I recognize that look, you know? You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“That’s not...I…” Atka sighed. “I hate to be so blunt, but are you…?” she trailed off, unable to fully ask something like that casually.

Ayame stopped for a moment. She cleared her throat, and continued washing Atka’s back. “I am. But I’m not some kind of deviant, you know. I’ve kept my eyes above the neck line, just like I promised. But, if I make you uncomfortable…”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you were doing anything like that,” Atka apologized. “I’ve just… never really known anyone like that. I’m not used to it is all.”

Ayame smiled, stepping away and returning to the shower head. “And I didn’t mean to imply you were implying something. I had to deal with a lot of that in the military. I shouldn’t have been so quick to be defensive.”

“Glad we can actually talk about things, though. There are a lot of loner-types here...and that’s not really good for conversation or cohesion in battle,” Atka said, sighing. “As someone who is often selected as a field officer, it’s a bit stressful.”

Ayame turns her water off and starts ringing out her long hair. “Doesn’t surprise me, considering how diverse the selection of people here are. But even during my mercenary work, I knew how important it was to get along with others. Not that I really trusted them as far as I could throw them.” She smiles. “But if you show as much faithfulness in anyone under you as you did in a stranger like me, they’d be a fool not to follow your lead.”

“Thanks,” Atka said gratefully. “It helps to have the said with all that I’m doing… I worry sometimes that I’ll push them away by making decisions they don’t necessarily agree with.”

“That’s what a leader is, though.” Ayame reached to place an arm on Atka’s shoulder, but stopped short, and lowered back to her side. “Someone who knows what decisions need to be made. If you’re put in that position, then it’s because you know what you’re doing.” She lifted a fist up. “Anyone has a problem with that, just let me know, and I’ll kick their ass for you.”

Atka nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind, but I’d rather not have you get into trouble by getting physical, of course,” the Inuit woman said. “By the way, you haven’t told me much about yourself, you know.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

“New Horizons”
Part Three

Ayame bit her lip. “Yeah… I know. Not much to tell, really. I was born in America, raised by a military family. Joined up when I was old enough, but didn’t care for the structure. I… fell in with a bad group for a while, something I’m not all that proud of, and then I tried my hand at freelance work. And now I’m here.” She quickly walked back to the locker room, seemingly flustered.

Probably shouldn’t have pried…Atka redressed quickly. “I’ve made mistakes in the past too...don’t be too hard on yourself. I was told the same thing by a fellow soldier.”

Reluctantly putting back on her dingy clothes, Ayame said, “Listen Atka, I don’t want to come off cold. I only open up to people I like, and I like you. So maybe I’ll be a little more open later on. But for now, I’d like to give you a chance for you to know who I am now before I share who I was then.” She gave Atka a worried look, one of a person who knew the risk she was taking being so quiet.

“I understand,” Atka said after letting Ayame finish. “That said, mind if I call you Ayame? Miss Kasagi doesn’t sound right, considering you’re older than me,” she asked, her expression lightening again.

Ayame smiled. “It’s only right, considering I’ve been talking to you so informally. Maybe I should be addressing you by your last name.” She held the door open for Atka again, and added, “Come to think of it, I never asked what that was, did I?”

“We typically don’t have last names in Inuit culture, but the military recruiter wasn’t about to take that as an answer. I took my father’s name as my last name. Ipiktok,” Atka answered, heading back to the room with her friend. “By the way...how do you feel about dogs?”

“Dogs?” Ayame gave Atka a questioning look. “I love dogs. Not a big fan of… B-But I love dogs. Why, is Madison your dog?”

Atka chuckled. “Not at all, but I do happen to have a husky with me here. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t allergic or something.”

Ayame’s eyes lit up, and her pace seemed to speed up. “Really? Where is he?”

“I had someone walking him...he should be back by now,” Atka replied. Returning to the room, she opened the door, and was nearly tackled by a dark gray and white husky. “Glad to see you too, you bear…” Atka said. “We have a new friend here.”

Taqukaq looked over at Ayame, and glanced back at Atka with a curious expression that seemed to say: What’s with the eyes? Atka shrugged. I don’t know. The husky went over to Ayame, looking up at her with bright blue eyes.

“Oh, he is a handsome one,” Ayame practically squealed, dropping to one knee and offering her hand.

Taqukaq licked her hand, having the equivalent of a smile on his face.

“If you ever want to ‘talk’ to him, don’t hesitate to ask...he’s not the brightest star in the cosmos, but it would be good practice for my abilities,” Atka offered.

“Oh, nonsense,” Ayame said, giggling at the tickling in her hand, “He looks plenty smart to… abilities?” Ayame looked up at Atka. “You one of those dog whispers?”

Atka raised an eyebrow. “You don’t remember that very well, huh…” she sighed, hoping Ayame wasn’t going to be angry with her. “I have what I thought was the ability to communicate with animals with a form of empathy… but it seems to work on humans like telepathy as well. I used that to confirm that you were telling the truth during the investigation, but I haven’t used it on anyone since, other than Taqukaq here,” she said carefully. “I didn’t see anything beyond surface thoughts, if you’re worried about that. No memory.”

Ayame slowly stood up, her expression grim. “So you… didn’t poke around more than you needed to satisfy the vultures? I didn’t say anything… personal?” Ayame spoke in a low tone, her mood uncharacteristically dark compared to before.

Atka shook her head. “I had no reason to, and you said nothing personal. Ask the doctor that was in there if you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t have asked you about your past earlier if I already knew. I don’t intend to misuse my abilities, I’m not like…” Atka’s eyes widened as she spoke. “Oh my God.”

Ayame folded her arms. “What is it?”

Atka’s expression was one of shock, her worry about Ayame’s reaction overshadowed by her realization. “The aliens...have mental powers...and they’re not...unlike what I have. H-how is that possible?”

Ayame’s hard eyes softened, and she walked up to Atka, placing her hands on Atka’s shoulders. “You’re not the first one to have some… extrasensory abilities. Don’t immediately jump on the ‘I’m like them’ train, please.” She looked into Atka’s eyes.

“S-sorry...I just never thought about that before. I’m not like them...but there might be some sort of connection,” Atka said, calming down somewhat.

“And what if there is?” Ayame asked. “Having a gun doesn’t make you evil just because others with it hurt innocent people. It makes you evil if you do the same. But if you use that gun to protect the innocent…” She let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Atka. I have this… thing… about my thoughts, and my memories. What you did… it’s the reason I’m not still in a cell, right? Whether these abilities are similar to the aliens, just like them, or hell, even if they somehow came directly from them, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is what you do with them.” She smiled. “Can you… forgive me for my coldness?”

Atka laid a hand on Ayame’s shoulder. “You worry too much. I wasn’t angry with you, and you have wrong. I’m not so much concerned with my powers, I don’t believe they’re evil,” she corrected. “What has gotten me so worked up is what they might mean...about the aliens intentions. Think about it. They haven’t decimated cities intentionally, they’ve only been sending scouts and abduction teams...could they be searching for people like us? And if so, why?”

Ayame took a step back, thinking. “Well, it… it’s possible. I mean, if their technology is so advanced, why would they just go all ‘Independence Day’ on us and just start blowin’ shit up? But what do they want? Why would they care if you can use abilities like them?”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Grudges

"And this is one of the main power rooms." Daniel chuckled loudly. "You're gonna hate when it's your turn to guard this area. It's gonna bore you to death, if the hum of the generators doesn't drive you nuts."

Ayame nodded, peaking into the room. "That's a pretty big engine." She took a quick step forward to keep up with her guide. "So do you have a lot of guards here?"

Daniel nodded. "We've got a lot of people here from all walks of life, and a lot of really, really expensive stuff. We need to make sure people stay in line. And considering the guards don't have as much training as the soldiers, present company excluded, and we need to be prepared." He opened the door to the engineering. "Like this stuff. Though you won't have to worry about it for now. You'll mostly be patrolling the soldier barracks, and occasionally the staff quarters, until we... we, uh..."

"Can trust me?" Ayame slapped Daniel on the shoulder. "You don't have to sugar coat it. I know the risks associated with me, and that I'll have to earn people's trust." She smirked. "I'm up for a challenge."

Daniel nodded. "Well, good luck with that." He opened another set of doors. "This is the genetics lab. This is where they're using that meld stuff to enhance the soldiers."

Ayame glanced into the room and let out a long whistle. "I'm impressed. I don't think I've ever seen a room full of so much stuff I don't recognize. What does that.. big, swirling thing do?"

"Hell if I know," Daniel said with a shrug. "I say leave it to the egg-heads." They continued on, and Daniel glanced behind them. "Huh. Looks like we have a guest."

"I noticed," Ayane responded. "It's that green-haired girl from the lab."

"Maybe she just happens to be going this way."

Ayame shook her head. "No, she trying to hide the fact that she's following us. Doing a bad job of it, but she's defiantly following us."

Daniel opened the door to the gym "Well, what is she going to do, attack you in public or..."

Ayame launched forward, falling to the ground. "You!" Alexia screamed. "You're the bitch from Illinois, aren't you? What are you doing out of your cage?"

Ayame sprang to her feet, brushing herself off. "I'm out on good behavior. Why, did I cross you in some way?"

"You almost got my family killed!" Alexia slowly circled around Ayame, looking like a cat about to pounce. "Not that you'd care. It's all about the money with you people, right?"

"Hey, I'm sorry about your family, but it wasn't my job to watch for civilians." Ayame folded her arms. "It wasn't personal. I was just doing my job."

Alexia let out a sinister laugh. "Oh, no you don't. You don't get off that easily. Some of the worst things in history happened because people were 'just doing their job' or 'just following orders'. That's not gonna work here."

"So what are going to do about it?" Ayame asked. "Attack me? 'Cause I WILL defend myself, and I don't think some loud mouth little tart with a chip on her shoulder..."

Alexia let out a loud scream, lunging forward. Caught off guard, Ayame was knocked to the ground, Alexia landing on top of her. "I'll kill you!" She screamed, grabbing Ayame's arm and twisting it. Ayame let out a pained yelp, and Alexia yelled, "You're all the same! All you care about is your next paycheck! Who cares if you kill a nine year old boy in the process!"

"Get this psycho off me before I hurt her!" Ayame shouted. Daniel rushed forward, struggling to pull Alexia off Ayame and hold her. Ayame raised to her feet, a lot slower this time. She raised her hand to her neck, wiping away blood from the large scratch Alexia left. Wraping her right hand around her left arm, she wondered if it was sprained. "You're lucky I promised to play nice, or I'd ring your fucking neck."

"Just... why don't you head to the infirmary?" Daniel said, barely able to hold Alexia.

Ayame reluctantly nodded, and walked out of the gym. Behind her, she could hear the enraged scientist shouting, "This isn't over! You can't hide from me forever, and you will pay for what you put my family through!"

 

[MarineAvenger]

Knocking In Some Sense Part 1 (Zombie/Marine)


Elizabeth had returned to her room real quick to change into her work clothes and to switch out her contacts for the glasses and headed out to the Medical Ward. She passed a few coworkers and talked with them as she made her way through the halls and happened to bump into a peculiar girl on the way there. “Um...hi, are you on your way to the ward?”


Ayame looked down in surprise. “Uh, yeah. You are doctor?”


Elizabeth looked at the girl in front of her. “Yes I am, so what is your problem today?”


Ayame raised an eyebrow. “My problem? My problem is some nutjob jumped me in the gym. I need to make sure she didn’t sprain my arm, and I really don’t want these friggin’ claw marks on my neck to scar…”


This time Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “A girl huh…” Elizabeth thought to herself and a thought came to her mind. “Was her name Alex by any chance?”


Ayame chuckled. “Well, I didn’t stop to ask her name! Why, you didn’t send someone out to attack me, did you?” Ayame gave her a look that made it hard to know how serious the question was.


Elizabeth shook her head clearly seeing the joke. “No but I believe a certain someone will be on the receiving end of a stern talking to. Anyways come down to the ward and we can talk more in my office.”


Ayame quickly followed Elizabeth to the infirmary, not wanting to get loss in the unfamiliar base. Once they reached her office, Ayame jumped onto the examination table and said, “So why do you think you know who did this? I take it you know who I am?”


Elizabeth grabbed some ointment and started rubbing it on the girl’s neck. “Not you but I know a certain someone who has been known to not keep her emotions in check.”


Ayame nodded. “Really? Is she a science chick, green hair, pair of watermelons in her shirt?”


Elizabeth continued rubbing the ointment on the girl and said, “Yeah that sounds like her, don’t mind her to much, she can go off when she has reason to.” Elizabeth whispered under her breath, “Just ask my boyfriend…” She started to wrap bandaging around her neck. “So what is your story?”


Ayame shrugged. “I was part of that attack in Illinois. I was brought in for questioning, and when they figured out I was just a hired hand that didn’t know anything, and my employers screwed me over, I was offered a job here. I was happy to take it, but I didn’t have much a choice. It was that, or a nice little cell in the brig.”


“Well then, welcome aboard I guess. So what did you do to have Alex go off one you like this?” She said finishing wrapping the bandages around her.


“I’m not entirely sure.” Ayame thought for a moment. “She said something about almost killing her family. Were they in Illinois during that attack?”


Elizabeth put a finger on her chin. “You know I never really thought to ask her about her family.” A look of dread spread on her face. “Oh crap, I never asked…”


Ayame smirked. “Guess you got something to ask her about. In the meantime, I’m gonna have to watch my back around her. It’s not like a can just beat the crap out of her, right?”


“I am more worried about what she might do to herself than anyone else. I will see her after work and ask her about it and see if I can calm her down for you okay?”


Ayame weakly lifts her arm, wincing at the pain. “Yeah, for a science geek, she sure packs a punch. But that’s not the worst of it. You wanna know what is?”


“You mean other than being assaulted by someone the same day you are released from custody, what could be worse?” Elizabeth snaps her finger against a needle and slowly puts it in the girl’s arm. “This morphine should help with the pain.”


Ayame winces worse at the sight of the needle then she did at her pain, looking away as Elizabeth injects her. “I, uh… what’s worse is, if she not just some crazy girl, and I really did do her wrong, then I can’t even be mad at her. She said that, just because I was just doing my job, that doesn’t mean I’m free of guilt. And she’s right. The next time she sees me, I don’t know if I could even bring myself to defend against her, you know?”


“Trust me, I have been in that situation before, it always seems to work out.” She couldn’t help but think of that day when Desmond went off on her. He had apologized but there was still something that worried her when she thought about that deadness in his eyes. “Anyways I will talk to her so don’t you worry about it too much, alright.”


“Really?” Ayame smiled. “Well, thanks doc. You’re a big help, even if she doesn’t listen to you.” She jumps to her feet, rolling her arm and letting out a sigh of relief at the lack of pain. “I’d hate to have to watch my back the whole time I’m here, especially from such a cute one like that…”


Elizabeth looks at the girl and then winks coyly. “Don’t worry, even if she doesn’t listen…” Elizabeth pulls a needle out of almost nowhere. “I will stick her.”


Ayame walks out the door wondering to herself, “Where did she pull that thing out?” She glanced back and grinned. “Boyfriend, huh? Too bad, she’s a cute one, too…”

 

[MarineAvenger]

Knocking In Some Sense Part 2(Zombie/Marine)


As Ayame left the Infirmary and rounded a corner to the left, Alexia quickly came around the corner from the right, having had a hard time letting the guard let her go. She rushed into the the medbay and immediately started scanning the room, like an animal on the hunt.


Elizabeth was on her way to the supply room when she spotted Alex being dragged by a guard. Thinking on her feet Elizabeth walked over to the guard. “Excuse me but do you have the time?” The guard looked at the girl with confusion and looked at his watch. “Well it is…” He didn’t finish as Elizabeth slid behind him and pushed him over. She grabbed Alex and said, “Run!” As the two girls ran towards her room.


“Wow, you’re crazier than me!” Alexia shouted, adding, “Wish I had thought of that,” under her breath.


“You owe me for this!” She managed to get out in between her panting. After a few minutes they finally busted through Elizabeth’s door and collapsed on the floor. “It is times like these... I am happy... I don’t have a roommate…” She wheezed out.


Alexia collapsed next to her. “So, uh… why did you… do that?” She takes a deep breath. “How did you even know I wanted to get away from that guy?”


Elizabeth waited a few seconds to respond. “Cause I know… Jess would...kill you if I...didn’t.” Elizabeth rolled to her side looking at Alex. “So...explain to me...why you attacked...that girl…”


“How do you know about that!” Alexia gave Elizabeth a wide-eyed look. “Did you see her? Where did she go, I wasn’t finished with her.” She moves to stand up, but collapses again.


“I was the one who treated her wounds Alex! How could you do that? Especially after what you helped me do with Desmond!” Elizabeth saw Alex try to get up a second time but sits on Alex’s hip. “Explain.” She said with the voice of someone ordering a dog.


Alexia gave her a stern look, but was clearly attempting to hide a look of shame. “I… you… you don’t understand. She…” She scoffs. “She was part of that attack in Illinois. My family was there, and they got caught right in the middle of it! They could have been killed!”


Elizabeth slaps Alex across her face, Alex’s face filled with surprise as Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears. “Listen to yourself Alex! You don’t think I know what that feels like. My uncle did die, and my boyfriend goes out into battle, so don’t you ever say I don’t know. Second, this is not who you are. You would never do something like that, she was only doing her job. What if it had been me instead of her? Would you have attacked me?”


Alexia gave a pained look that had nothing to do with the red mark on her cheek. “I… you wouldn’t have done something like that. You’re not a trained killer. She chose her line of work, and she doesn’t deserve to get away with it just because it was ‘her job’.” She hesitantly added, “What if Desmond was fighting her group, and he was killed? Would you let her get away with ‘she was only doing her job’?”


Elizabeth let out a sigh and closed her eyes. “Yes I would…I wouldn’t like the outcome but yes I would have forgiven her in time.”


“Even if she didn’t care?” Alexia practically begged. “Even if she didn’t think she did anything wrong? How could you forgive that?”


“Cause that is who I am Alex. I did the same thing with Desmond. He hurt me worse than anyone ever had, he hurt me bad, but because you talked to him I could learn to forgive him. I learned his reasoning. Have you even considered asking her to get her side of the story?”


Alexia gave her a confused look. “Her side? What could she possibly say to me? Do you really think she’d feel bad like Desmond did?”


“I believe anyone can. If you learn the reason behind their actions you can better understand their situation. You don’t have to forgive them, you just have to accept the decisions they made in that situation.”


Alexia gave a frustrated look, but sighed. “I… I’m not sure if I can be forgiving as you, but I’ll try. For your sake, and Jessie’s…” Alexia’s eyes widened. “Oh god, what have I done…”


Elizabeth hugs Alex, a smile on her face. “That is all I wanted to hear Alex, and don’t worry I will be with you when you go to see her.” She lets go of her friend, climbs off her and asks. “Deal?”


Alexia shook her head. “You don’t understand. If Jessie finds out… no, when she finds out, she’s never going to forgive me.” She rocks back and forth slightly, wrapping her arms around her legs. “What… oh god, what if that woman makes a complaint. I might have just destroyed her career!” She looked as though she was about to cry.


“Wait! Don’t cry, I made sure I told her that I would talk to you, so she probably won’t complain if you just apologize.”


Alexia jumped to her feet, and ran out of the room. A moment later, she ran back in, and asked, “D-do you know where she is?”


“Well last time I saw her she took a left out of the ward so my best guess is towards the soldier barracks so if you hurry…” She was cut off as the girl ran out of her room. “Yeah thanks Ellie for getting me away from that guard and holding me in your room until I came to my senses.” Elizabeth said to herself. “Yeah no problem Alex…” Elizabeth sighed as she closed her door and got ready to change into her pajamas. Helping friends was exhausting.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger and ZombieSplitter53
Sharing Secrets

Morrigan worked on several of the dozens of requests she had before her. From item transfers, to request for meld work, to requests for not receiving meld, to mail requests, Morrigan was both relieved to have so many people counting on her, and overwhelmed. Needing a break in pace, she noted the time and remembered her appointment with Desmond. She placed the papers to the side and sat back, wondering exactly what she was going to say.

Desmond had been on his way to the Commander’s office only a few hours after he found a note on his desk saying to come at an exact time. He had just finished having lunch with Rin so she insisted on walking him there.

“What do you think this is about?” She looks at him with her purple eyes almost disappointed at the fact she had to leave him.

“No idea, but whatever it is it must be important so I will have to see you after you get off work.” He kissed her and she went down the hall as he stepped into the secretary’s office to see the Commander.

Nodding at him, the secretary said, “She’s expecting you. Go on inside.” She hits a switch, and the door opens slightly.

Desmond walked in, the Commander sitting behind her desk as usual. He walks up to a chair and sits down nodding his head to greet her. “Commander.”

“I’m glad you’re so prompt. I wanted to ask you a few question about your unique… abilities.” The Commander leaned forward folding her hands. “And please, this isn’t an interrogation. I’m just curious, so to speak.”

Desmond visibly tensed at her abruptness and squints his eyes. “What specifically do you mean Commander, I have many abilities so I would like to know what you think you know.”

The Commander bit her lip, wondering what the best way to go about this. “Desmond… do you happen to know what the extent of our security footage is?”

Desmond remained cautious, hoping that she didn’t find out his secret. “Considering the nature of this organization, I would say pretty extensive. So why don’t you enlighten me as to what you want to know.”

Morrigan smiled. “You sure are a nimble man. I saw you up top, jumping around like some kind of monkey, running around dressed like you were at the beach, despite the frigid weather. I didn’t realize the extent of your training…”

Desmond sighed making sound like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but in reality he was relieved she didn’t know about his actual abilities. “Well no use trying to dissuade you. I know your type, you won’t let me live this down so… What do you want to know?”

“You’ve mentioned before that you weren’t very strong when you were young, right? That these scars of yours are from surgeries.” Morrigan looked into Desmond’s eyes. “And yet you seem to be one of the greatest physical specimens I’ve ever met, ever even heard of. Surgeries or not, you are a lot better off than I’d expect.” She leaned back. “Where… where did you learn to move like that?”

Desmond stared back at the Commander. “Commander...there have been some things I have not been completely honest about. If you are willing I will answer what you want to know but what I will be telling you is something that would more than likely get you killed if you weren’t a higher up.” Desmond leans in. “I will tell you but keep in mind you are treading on some mighty thin ice here. Is that clear between us?”

Morrigan laughed. “I’m treading on thin ice, huh? Not used to hearing that from someone under me. But I’ll bite. Tell me, what are these secrets that could get me in trouble. I feel like living a little dangerously.”

“Alright then. I was not lying when I said I had surgeries as a child but the scars on my body from those surgeries only makes up about 1 percent of the total. I also told you that I was a part of a covert special operations group under the CIA, but that is not the whole truth in fact far from it.” He leaned back and folded his arms. “The people who trained me were not of the conventional military type. These guys were not military but from something else altogether. They trained me, beat me, tortured me, and starved me just to make me the perfect agent. By the time I returned to the special forces I was so top secret that even the Vice President didn’t know of my existence. Now you see why I am not so forthcoming with my past military record and why my past records are kept under wraps.” He leaned far back signaling for the Commander to speak.

The Commander seemed to take the whole thing in stride, never breaking her gaze. In a low voice, she asked, “Tell me… what reason do I have to believe any of this? This whole thing is so secretive, I’m sure if I made any attempt to verify it, I’d come up with nothing. You understand how suspicious this whole thing is, right? If you’ve lied before, why should I believe you now?”

“You don’t have to believe me. Hell shoot me for all I care, throw me in the brig and interrogate me, but the point is this goes beyond anything the human race has ever known and this organization is built on secrets and lies. The aliens won’t stop to wait for us to stop being at each others throats to attack us. I told you this in hopes of gaining your trust but if that is not enough the I will have to go further to prove my point.”

Desmond stands up, grabs a pen off the Commander’s desk, and stabs his finger, piercing the skin so blood would show. “I am human, just like you. So don’t believe me if that is what you want, but this organization needs good people, and I am one of the best.”

Morrigan immediately reaches into a drawer and pulls out a first aid kit. “Are you crazy?” She grabbed his hand and started looking him over. “I told you, this isn’t an interrogation. If it was, you’d already be in the brig. Don’t start cutting your ear off to prove your loyalty.” She shook her head. “Listen, Desmond, I’m paid to look at everyone with a degree of scepticism. The Council seems to think someone would have reason to spy on us, though they’ve been reluctant to say who or why. I don’t need you doing stuff like this, please.”

Desmond smiles. “You actually sound like you might care Commander, I won’t be cutting off any appendages so don’t worry. Just realize that I took a great risk telling you this, and you wouldn’t be the only one in danger if anyone found out about this.”

“You’re not the only one with a secret, you know.” Morrigan sat back down after treating his hand. “Between the empaths, mentally enhanced, and mentally split individuals, I have my hands full.” She let out a deep sigh. “But… I do appreciate your honesty, and I’m pretty good at keeping a secret.”

Desmond nods his head. “Be sure that you do, I wouldn’t want you to disappear on us.” If the Commander got the joke she wasn’t laughing. “Thank you Commander, now is there anything else you needed clearing up?”

Morrigan shrugged. “No, I suppose not. Though I hope that in the future, you’ll be more open with me.” She gave Desmond a cautious look. “I understand that you don’t want to put anyone at risk, but secrets make my job harder.” Her eyes darted back and forth. “How much.... how much of this does the Council know about?”

“About me, absolutely nothing but it wouldn’t surprise me if they could find out.” Desmond gets up clearly seeing that the meeting was over. “Commander, if secrets make your job harder than I am guessing you chose the wrong line of work.” He walks away not looking back. “Cute kid by the way, though you may want to keep that picture more hidden.”

Morrigan suddenly sprang to her feet. “And what is that supposed to mean?” She grabs the picture off her desk. “Are you trying to say something? Because there is one, and only one, subject that I will ALWAYS take serious, and you just found it.”

Desmond stopped dead in his tracks turning a whole 180. “Commander you misinterpreted that. I didn’t mean that as a threat. She is a cute child. In fact I am jealous, I never had any siblings or extended family so I never really had someone like that.” He walks back towards her. “Commander I have done many things, but threatening a child has never been one. I give you my honor as a soldier on that one.” He stared into the Commander’s eyes with complete seriousness. “I am sorry.”

Morrigan looked back, the intensity in her eyes suggesting she was barely holding her emotions in check. After a solid minute of staring at Desmond, she finally relaxes. “I… no, I’m sorry, I just…” She falls back in her chair, as though she had lost all of her strength. “Listen Desmond. A lot of people like to talk about how having others, like loved ones, leaves you weak. Leaves you open and vulnerable. And that might be true, to an extent.” She looks at the picture, a loving look spreading across her face. “But it also gives you something to fight for. Something to push you forward when things are at they’re worse. So when you are at your lowest point, and you don’t care what happens to you anymore, having someone like my Brigid gives you a reason to go on.” She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

Desmond nods his head. “You know until a short while ago I wouldn’t have believed that but...let’s just say a feisty spirit is what I needed to get my heart into gear.” Desmond turns his back towards the Commander once more. “That girl is lucky to have a mother like you, you know. We may not know it but I guess we are lucky to have a Commander like that as well.” He walks out without another word, his thoughts returning to Rin once more.

Morrigan continued to stare at her daughter’s picture for a while longer, before reaching for her computer and bringing up the video phone.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

Knock Knock, Council Calling

The large room was far more organized than it looked. Cables, pipes, and machinery were strewn across the floor in misshapen clusters, with only the occasional lab coat to break up the picture. The signs above each device lit up green and red periodically, signaling an "open" or "closed" state. In a windowed area on the side of the room in a raised position in the wall stood Penny, looking up from her tablet every so often to examine an aspect of the colossal mess before her, then returning her tablet and scrolling down to the next section of the document. She was so focused on her work that she didn't hear the three suits enter until the one in the center cleared his throat.

She turned around, the coat swirling around her legs like some inelegant dress. She took in the men before her, noting the outfits and the opaque shades, and narrowed her eyes.

After a moment of silence, she said, in a somewhat hostile tone, "Can I help you gentlemen?"

The one in the center smiled and offered his hand. "Excellent to meet you, Ms. Anderson. You can call me Brown." When she didn't raise her own hand, his smile faded and he withdrew. "We've come to have a... discussion with you."

Penny sighed. "I've told you people a thousand times. I have no idea where my father is, and nor do I have any idea if he's even still alive." She turned back to the window, raising her tablet again. "And as far as I'm concerned, it makes no difference to me." She stayed like that for some time, continuing whatever managerial task she had been doing before until she realized that the suits hadn't left. She turned her head to the side slightly. "Go on. You have my answer, again. Go."

Brown sniffed. "We aren't here to talk about your father, Ms. Anderson. We're here to talk about you."

That got her attention. She swiveled around on her left heel, her expression one of suppressed curiosity. "Oh?" she said, attempting to maintain her snarky tone. She began walking slowly towards Brown, each step deliberate and confident. "Usually when men such as yourselves show up, he's all they want to talk about. Trying to get me to help them find him, either to arrest him, kill him..." She paused. "... or hire him. And I tell them the same thing, each time." She stopped, only a few centimeters from his face. "Piss off."

She turned and began walking away again. "But you're here to talk about me, instead? A likely story."

Brown smiled, although the charisma usually associated with it had been upset by Penny's proximity. "Specifically your line of work, Ms. Anderson." He gestured out the window towards the hall, where a number of lab coats could still be seen scurrying around with clipboards and pens.

Penny stopped walking mid stride, and her shoulders drooped. "Look, our funding was cut, ok? Some of us weren't about to take that during wartime." She held up a hand. "Sorry, I know. 'Peacetime', isn't it?" She shook her head, a callous laugh escaping her. "The whole world knows that's pure bullshit. Government can go on all it wants about 'unverified sources', and 'fabricated evidence', but the people know the truth. It's hard to hide a war when the whole world is the battlefield." Another swivel, hands held out as if to say 'what did I do wrong?' "Black markets only crop up when there's something lucrative to sell. And what they're selling sure as hell isn't 'fabricated'."

"I assume that is how you got your hands on alien technology."

"Ten points to the man in the suit. Bonus ten if you can figure out which one." She sighed and folded her arms, the tablet sticking out of one of the corners. "Most of the people here are volunteers. People who are giving up their own time to help develop something - anything - that can help. People who are scared enough to start believing in rumors about abductions, bomb attacks, brutish apes in ornate green armor, even giant insect things that turn victims into their own offspring." She looked out at the machines. "How could I say no when I myself shared their concerns?"

Brown remained silent for a moment. "What if I told you there was a way you could do something very similar, but somewhere your work would actually affect the outcome of this conflict?"

Penny's response was almost immediate. "How?"

Brown smiled. "That depends on your own willingness to trust me. If you don't, we wipe your memory of us, and you wake up tomorrow morning with a slight headache and a blocked nose, believing whatever you want to believe. But if you do -"

"- I go with you, and you show me how deep the rabbit hole goes. Yeah, yeah." Penny tapped her foot, not looking away from the experiment-riddled concrete floor. "You can't be more specific than that? I want to know more if I'm going to trust you."

Brown shook his head. "Unfortunately, due to your known... acquaintances, we can't be telling you much more than that. We hope that you understand the need for secrecy." Penny nodded, almost as if she had been expecting this answer.

"Alright, fair enough." She remained silent for a moment, deep in thought. After a few minutes, she exhaled sharply, muttered "To hell with it," and shook her head. She looked up and into Brown's face. "Where do I sign?"

 

[Adrammalech]

// JUST TRESPASSING //
This is a collaboration between Adrammalech and DarkGemini24601.
Emily Fischer / Atka Ipiktok / Thomas Burrick
X-COM Headquarters: West Wing
Siberia, Russian Federation
11:41 AM

Emily worked her way through the winding passages of the headquarters, looking busy despite having nowhere to go. She flashed her I.D. at a guard who lethargically nodded her through, walking through a wing filled with locked and guarded doors embedded in the walls. She had awakened in a rule-breaking kind of mood and felt ill at ease knowing so much couldn't be seen. She walked further down, running her fingers along the braille on the placards, growling in boredom as she saw the intriguing lab equipment and robotic tables through the door windows, blocked by the idle scowls of armed guards.

She stopped as she peered in a window with a massive turbine-looking thing embedded into the wall, small balconies surrounding it. Steam burst from the sides and lights of flickering orange and undulating blue cast a lurid glow throughout the room. Most importantly, she saw no one inside, despite a few workstations shoved into the corners. She grabbed the door knob with a hopeful stare and turned it, smiling contently as it gave way.

She walked into the room, grasping onto the railing of the little balcony that overlooked the much larger floor shared with the titanic generator. She hopped over the little barrier and walked up to it, staring at it for a moment. At least three times taller than her, it was obvious now that this was the power room.

“They guard empty rooms full of beakers and test tubes, but they leave this sitting here?" Emily thought out loud. "Maybe everyone's just at lunch or something.”

She walked up to a small panel inlaid to the front of the turbine, a large warning painted on right next to it, reading CAUTION in big yellow letters. She read all the text on it curiously, trying to restrain herself from touching everything.

Meanwhile, Thomas Burrick and Atka Ipiktok walked down the corridor just outside the door.

“You know, there’s one thing I’ll never get used to,” Thomas mused.

“The fact that I have to work in a room where no one else is allowed in. It’s awful for social contact.”

Atka gave him a dumbfounded look. “Thomas, you work the night shift. Why would there be any social contact in the middle of the night anyway?”

“...you make a good p-” Thomas stopped, glancing over into the generator room. “I’m fairly certain that’s not one of the engineers…” he said, half to himself. The assistant manager of records walked over and opened the door. “Excuse me. Who are you?” he asked, having to speak a little loudly due to the mechanical noise the generator gave off. Atka stood beside him, looking amused.

“Oh,” Emily replied, trying not to jump at their arrival, “don’t mind me. I’m just...inspecting. The couplings. Yeah. I’ll be out of your way, now.”

Emily started to the door, trying to look innocent as she did.

Atka chuckled. “I think you need a bit more technical knowledge before you can be a good liar about something like this.”

“I’ll have you know, I’m a coupling inspector,” she said, standing up straight and pointing back randomly, “and those right there are couplings.”

Thomas sighed. “I’m not going to report you, you know. I just want to know who you are, and why you were down here.”

Emily sighed and hung her head. This was easier when I was younger and cuter, she thought to herself. She pulled out her I.D. and flashed it towards them.

“My name’s Emily, I’m a soldier,” she replied, “I was just having a look around. Don’t worry, I didn’t touch anything.”

“Fair enough,” Tom replied. “Perhaps I could buy you a coffee? Thomas Burrick, Assistant Manager of Records. My friend here is Scout Specialist Atka Ipiktok.”

“Records, huh? I thought you were a scientist,” Emily looked back momentarily. “Sure, I can go for a coffee.”

“Good to hear,” Thomas replied, and start walk towards where they could get some, eventually arriving in a room off to the side of the mess hall with a table and a few chairs, as well as a brewing machine. “How do you like it?” he asked.

“Not bad,” she said with a diplomatic smile.

He smiled in amusement, and started brewing some coffee in a standard way for the three of them.

Atka sat down at one of the chairs. “You were on Operation Averted Devastation, right? That was almost flawless…” Atka said with an impressed tone. “And no, a SHIV being blown up doesn’t count as a casualty, though I feel bad for Sunny having to get those things rebuilt.”

“I was, and thanks. We probably could’ve gotten out with it intact, but we figured it wasn’t worth the risk,” Emily explained. “I heard you were the leader on that mission with the crazy one. Scarlet or something? And you held it all together.”

“I don’t know if ‘held it together’ is the right phrase. I kept everything from falling to pieces, but it certainly could have gone more smoothly. That kid heard things he shouldn’t have, not to mention that we had some near misses the whole time through,” Atka said with a sigh. “I’m hoping my next mission is a bit easier than that...I don’t think I’ve ever had a soldier under my command that stressed me out that much.”

“Well, as a lot of people have said, she’s gone now, so that’s one less issue. Not that all of our combat staff are exactly stable…” Tom added. “It’s too bad we couldn’t get an actual counselor here...we probably could have used one.”

“Yeah, I feel like I got lucky, my squad was all calm and sociable,” Emily said, “I don’t know if I could’ve led the way you did. I probably just would’ve knocked her out and carried her back to the jet.”

“Well, not everyone’s cut out to be a leader, and it certainly isn’t the funnest job in the world sometimes,” Atka affirmed. “The feeling of bringing everyone home safe is one of the best there is though...you don’t always get that lucky.”

“Yeah, but we’re doing well. Hopefully that keeps up, I rather like the way my squad is doing, and the crazy people are being booted...or so I hear.”

“I would like to say the same, but I know that some of my squadmates have been getting their genetics modified, and it sounds like that’s not the best for their mental health…” Atka sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I really don’t want to be proven right about that whole process being a terrible idea.”

“That does sound a little...out there. I personally wouldn’t, but this is a new enemy, so I guess I understand wanting an edge.”

“I just hope we don’t become like them in the process…” Speaking of which...am I still getting through? Atka telepathically conveyed to Thomas.

For no reason Emily could discern, Tom winced. Please...warn me first. I’m not used to that at all, be nice about it if you intend to use me to hone that...ability of yours.

“You alright, Thomas?” Emily asked, noticing his wincing.

Both he and Atka looked to the side. “I’m fine, just a brief headache,” Tom said carefully.

 

[Adrammalech]

“Alright then,” Emily said, glancing between them. “So, Atka, that’s a pretty name. Where you from? Military girl like me?”

“In a sense, yes. I was born in a small Inuit village in Nunavut, Canada. Lived there until I was eighteen, and then sighed up for the military. Learned everything I know about ‘civilized society’ since then. Training for the military and educating yourself at the same time wasn’t the most relaxing thing I’ve ever done, I’ll tell you that,” Atka explained.

“I imagine not, I kind of did something similar,” Emily replied awkwardly.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Atka asked with a curious look.

“It’s a long story,” she replied, “but technically, I never finished high school. I was self-taught, in a way, in a bunch of different places.”

“Sounds like an adventure,” Thomas remarked, pouring some of the coffee, and giving both of them a cup before sitting down. He had a sip of some of his own after it had cooled a little.

“It certainly was, I’m a curious soul,” Emily said, “gets me into situations like getting caught in power rooms.”

“That’s also a symptom of being stuck in this base for so long,” Atka replied. “I had someone ask me if we could go hunting up on the surface...and I suppose it’s possible, but it would require a lot of work to get the permission necessary...and hope that we’re not so far north that there isn’t anything out here.”

“Huh, I’m surprised we can go outside at all. After all, they blindfolded me when I came in, so I figured it was a two-way street for that.”

“Well, considering we’re somewhere in good old massive Russia, I doubt it really matters that we can see the surface,” Atka said.

“Hey, even I don’t know exactly where we are,” Tom chimed in. “I wonder sometimes if the Commander does,” he finished, only half-joking.

“Not sure if I should hope she doesn’t,” Emily replied, “but that would be a hell of a testament to security.”

Atka thought for a moment. “Do you know if any of your fellow squad members have gotten gene mods yet, or is it fairly limited so far?”

“Nope, none of mine,” she said with a hint of relief in her voice. “Kind of hope it stays that way. As long as we’re not losing anyone, at least.”

“That is going to be a problem, potentially,” Thomas said grimly. “If things are looking bad, it may no longer be optional.”

Atka paled. “You think they would force me to become one of those...MECs that engineering conceptualized? I...I would never let them violate me in that manner…”

“I don’t know what to think. It’s still too early to say anything for sure,” Tom replied.

“I guess if there were no other options,” Emily shrugged, “but I’d just focus on making sure things never look bad. Call me an optimist, I guess.”

Tom nodded. “Besides, Atka, you have nothing to worry about, con…” he trailed off, though attempted to make it appear as if he just stuttered at the end of his sentence.

Nice job, Burrick…

Emily took another sip of coffee, her eyes narrowing at the two of them.

“So, a brighter topic,” she said, “how’d you two meet? Gotta be a story there.”

“Nothing special, I was acting as a recruiter at the time and retrieved Atka for the project,” Thomas said, composing himself quickly. Give me a break, I was up all night and I went from being tired to having coffee. This isn’t exactly me at my most tactful.

“Really, that’s it? You two seem close,” Emily said with a playful smile, glancing over at Tom. “If not a bit tired.”

“Well, you need someone to talk to when you’re stuck in a base like this,” Tom replied. “We’re not in that sort of relationship, though, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Oh, no no, I was just thinking of my recruiter, he ran off to parts unknown right after I got here,” Emily stated, “but I have someone that I talk to too. In a friend way. So I get it.”

“Well…” Atka said, standing up. “I’m going to head to the gym to train for awhile, you’re welcome to come, Emily. Let’s let the records manager finish up his work so he can get some much-needed rest.”

“I’d be glad to. It was nice meeting you, Tom...if I can call you that,” Emily replied.

“That works,” Tom replied, and then yawned.

Emily and Atka got up from their seats, leaving to go towards the gym. Emily felt a little fortunate that she had gotten away with her little trespass, and a little relieved that she had a new target of curiosity for the day - her two new base buddies.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Poisonous Hate

Ayame slowly sat on her bed, grateful for the morphine dumbing the pain but not so grateful for how woozy it made her felt. Despite it being the middle of the day, she laid back, figuring she deserved a short nap, when a knock came on the door.

Reluctently getting up, she opened the door with a "Yeah, what so you want", and was taken aback by the site of her attacker at the door. As the young scientist stepped forward, Ayame instincts kicked in. She hit Alexia with a leg sweep, and as she fell back, Ayame rushed behind, put her arms in a full nelson, and wrapped her arms around Alexia's waist. The two dropped to the floor, and Ayame squeezed, shouting, "Your a persistent little bitch, aren't you."

Struggling to break free but unable to move, Alexia answered, "No, please, let me go. I just came to talk."

"Then talk, and I'll let you go if I like what I here!" She waited for a response. After a few moments of silence, she realized Alexia had slumped, and she immediately released her grip. Alexia dropped to the floor, and Ayame started to panic. "Oh god, oh god. It was just a hold. I wasn't trying to hurt you!" She looked around for some water, and seeing nothing, ran up to Atka's nightstand amd rifled through it, producing a bottle of water.

As she brought it back to Alexia, the young scientist slowly rose to a sitting position. Ayame offered her the water, which she took, greedily chugging the bottle. Wiping her mouth, she reluctantly said, "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Ayame looked her over. "Are you alright?"

Alexia nodded. "I'm fine. I just over exerted myself. I didn't intend to run around so much today, and I guess I was running on adrenaline." She sighs. "I wanted to... say I'm sorry. I was out of line... way out of line. And I was hoping you'd maybe... not file a complaint."

Ayame folded her arms, and in a smug tone, asked, "That depends. Do you forgive me for putting your family in danger?"

Alexia nodded. "Yeah, I do..." Noting Ayame's skeptical look, she shook her head. "Okay, fine, I don't. I don't know if I ever can. I... I hate you. So if you're gonna tell the Commander on me..."

"Relax, kid, my lips a sealed." Ayame dropped down, sitting next to Alexia. "Just 'cause I'm not as regretful as you'd like me to be doesn't mean I don't understand why you're pissed. You had every right to go off on me. I'd probably have done worse."

Alexia nodded. "Well... I won't attack you again. And I'll try to... to forgive you. I just can't make any promises. But I'll try, for my sister's sake, and for my friend's sake."

Ayame shook her head. "Don't do it for their sakes. If you're gonna go past those feelings, do it for yourself." She cautiously put a hand on Alexia's shoulder. "I deserve that anger, that hatred. But you don't deserve what it does to you. Don't let it eat away at you. Hatred can make a monster out of the most innocent of people."

Aleixa shrugged. "I went a little too far, but I'd never actually kill you. I was just really mad." Ayame reached down and started unbuttoning her shirt. Alexia raised an eyebrow and said, "Um... listen, I'm flattered, but..."

Ayame grinned. "Come now, dear, I don't think either of us have the energy for that right now." Opening her shirt, she pointed at a large, faded scar above her left breast, where her heart would be. "Trust me, hate can be a poison. I know first hand that it can drive an innocent girl insane, even drive her to murder."

Alexia looked at the scar for several moments before slowly nodding. She climbed to her feet, brushing herself off and saying, "I, uh... I better get back to work before they start looking for me."

Alexia left without another word. Ayame watched the doorway for several minutes, fearful that she might have damaged another innocent heart, before standing up, putting her clothes in order, and leaving the room, deciding that she should get back to work herself.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Video Log
Dr. Sonya Randolf
LASER WEAPONRY & ARMOR, SHIV UPDATES, CYBERNETICS, & HOLO-TRAINING

Sonya sits in front of the camera, recording from her personal computer. Behind her is her shared room, the beds in various states, from neatly made to messy. On her bed sits a young blond girl, dressed in pink and white Sweet-Lolita dress, with a bright pink bow in her hair, dangling her bare feet over the side. Sonya's expression is more relaxed then before, obviously more comfortable then when she was in the crowded engineering.

"It looks like th-the laser technology is a success," She says with a smile. "N-not that I would have had the s-soldiers use the laser weapon i-if I didn't think they would. B-but it still doesn't compare to the alien tech, so we n-need to keep working on it. Dr. Shen had this idea about u-using elerium power sources a-and portable magnetic accelerators. W-we are also working on e-even stronger armor, a-and armor equipped with g-grappling hooks for getting quick e-elevation.

"The SHIVs are in good condition, b-but I'm afraid they aren't enough. I-I have a few ideas to e-enhance them, b-but I need to wait until we aren't using materials for soldiers, s-since they are more important.

"The cybernetics lab is operational, b-but I'm afraid I'm off l-little use in there right now. M-my knowledge of engineering isn't enough without a healthy understanding of bio-e-engineering." Sunny lifts up a massive text book on the human body. "B-but I'm studying, s-so hopefully I can help out soon. In the meantime, I've been using what I-I do know to design cybernetic limbs, a-at least at the b-base level. I h-hope I can help build o-one of my favorite comic b-book heroes! That would be a dream come..." Sunny trails of, blushing slightly.

"Um... I think that's everything..." Sunny stops to think, and the young girl clears her throat. Sunny smiles and says, "Oh yeah! The Commander has asked us if we can come up with a way to speed up t-training. W-without a healthy supply o-of alien to practice on, the idea of a-an accurate training regiment was kinda hard. B-but thanks to the diverse nature of X-COM, w-we can use technology from companies all over the w-world to develop new holographic technology!" She glances back at the girl on her bed. "It's still in the developmental stage, b-but my preliminary tests using projection technology from Miazaki Inc, voice simulators from Chandler Technologies, 3D imaging producers from Cross Technologies, force-field tech f-from Tokyo Spectrums, A.I. systems developed by Dr. Shen, and advanced computer processors developed using the computers recovered from alien crafts have been successful. I-I'll be sure to keep my log updated."

She turns and smiles at the girl behind her, who returns the smile, before hitting a button, cutting the feed.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
Sunny Disposition
Part One

Sunny sits at the massive computer terminal in her room, her eyes wide and glazed over as she stares at the screen. Complicated math formula's flash on the screen, Sunny quickly answering them as they come up.

Ammelia pushes the door open, wearing a grayish tank-top and brown shorts, stumbles into the room, flinging herself onto her bunk. She looks over at Sunny, seemingly hypnotized by her computer screen. "Hey, you all right?" Ammelia says worriedly.

"She's fine," said a young girl's voice with a British accent, coming from Sunny's bed. "She's just doing her daily mental exercises. She'll be done in a few seconds."

Ammelia turns around, puzzled. She knows she heard someone speak, but there is clearly no one else in the room. "Hello? Is someone there?" She says, expecting someone to come out from under one of the bunks.

"You... can't see me?" The voice asks, puzzled. "Maybe there is something wrong with the holo-projectors. Wait, what was your name, Miss?"

"Uhh... Cross..." Ammelia says hesitantly, not knowing what to make of this disembodied voice. "You're a Hologram?" She turns her head left and right, looking for some sort of projector.

"Yes. While you and the other soldiers were out training, small cameras and holo-projectors were built into the tops and bottoms of the four corners of the room." In a disappointed tone, the voice says, "I'm sorry, sis. I can't think of a way for you to see me with your special eyes."

Ammelia gives a confused look. "Did you just call me Sis?"

"I... I'm sorry, Ms. Cross." The voice sounds even more disappointed. "I just thought since your father gave both of us the ability to see, we were kind of like sisters. I apologize if that was too forward. I'm still learning."

"It's fine, I've just had a bad experience with sisters," Ammelia replies with a tone of sadness in her voice. "You said my father made you? I remember him talking about holographic AIs, but I didn't think he would make so much progress so quickly..."

"I am actually the product of many people and companies," the voice answers, sounding more chipper. "Cross Technologies produced my eyes, so to speak. I am able to interact with people in a similar way you can, using technology developed by your father. The cameras in the room are used to make a 3D image in the computer. I interact with the virtual images of people in the computer, and the projectors create an image of me in the room that replicates what I do. So in a way, you are talking to me when I'm not really in front of you, while I talk to you even though you're not really in front of me."

"Fascinating..." Ammelia was always interested in new technology, especially technology related to her father. "What should I call you? Do you have a name?"

"Sh-she's an Artificial Linguistic Integrated Computerized Entity," Sunny says shyly, turning around in her chair. "B-but I prefer Alice..."

"Alice, huh? Well it's nice to meet you." Ammelia smiles brightly. "Now I know my father didn't name you; he's a genius when it comes to inventing, but he is terrible at coming up with catchy acronyms." She giggles.

"Dr. Randolf named me," Alice says. "Though I think she was more worried about what it would spell then..."

"U-uh, Alice," Sunny interrupts. "C-can you run a full diagnostics?"

"As you wish," Alice responds. "It was nice meeting you, Ms. Cross."

Ammelia gives a wave in the direction Sunny is facing. "it was nice meeting you too, Alice."

A moment later, Sunny stands up and nervously rubs her hands together. "I-I'm sorry about that, Ms. Cross. I d-didn't think you'd be able to see a hologram, s-so I told her not to talk to you w-without me, b-but I forgot to tell her what you look like, a-and she hasn't learned how to ask for details she's missing yet." Sunny looks down. "I-I hope she didn't bother you."

"Oh, of course she didn't bother me. I actually enjoyed talking with her." Ammelia sits down on her bunk. "So, how've you been..." she stops, trying to remember her nickname. "...Sunny, right?"

Sunny smiles. "I-I've been good, Ms. Cross. I've been busy... b-but I'm sure not as busy as you. I-It must be tiring, always having to train, a-always having to be ready to go out."

"Our training is tiring, you're right..." Ammelia replies. "But don't you have to manage all the SHIVs by yourself? That can't be easy either..."

Sunny shakes her head. "I-I just control them out on the field. And supervise their improvements. A-and the repairs. The engineering crew does most of the hard stuff." She walks over to Ammelia, asking, "Can... I sit next to you?"

"Of course." Ammelia scoots over and leaves a spot for her on the bed. Sunny sits next to Ammelia. She sits in silence for several moments, occasional lifting her head as if to say something, but keeps loosing her nerve. "Are you alright?" Ammelia asks with a caring tone. "You seem a little stressed."

"I-I'm okay, I just wanted... w-wanted to ask if..." Sunny looks up at Ammelia. "If I could see... your eyes..."

"My eyes? I don't see why not." Ammelia smiles and gently places both of her index fingers on her contact lenses, taking them out and revealing her normal, milky white eyes that glisten slightly in the light of the room.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Sunny Disposition
Part Two

"Wow," Sunny exclaims, looking deeply into them, transfixed. "It isn't fair," she mumbles, seemingly to herself. "Such... emptiness, such loss. I want to fix them... to make them whole..."

"That's what my dad's been trying to do all my life... He wants to make me a normal girl, and he's getting a little closer everyday. " Ammelia says, her grin fading to a sliver.

Sunny looks away, her expression grim. "When I was little... y-you know, younger then I am now, I was never allowed outside. Never allowed out of m-my small room, except for surgeries. W-when Mr. Zero rescued me, and I left my prison, I-I could barely see. Y-years of sitting in a dark room, s-staring at computer screens... I-I needed a lot of work done to make my eyes w-work right. B-but when it was over, I got to go outside. And w-when I was seven, I got to see the sky for the first time. I got to see flowers. A-and colorful pictures. And faces out of shadows. I-it was like I'd been blind, and I got to see for the first time."

She looks up at Ammelia, tears slowly dripping down her cheeks. "B-but it isn't fair. Y-you never did anything to anyone. You were innocent, as innocent as me. Why d-do I get to see, b-but not you? Y-you don't just deserve to see enough to fight. Y-you deserve to see details. To look at pictures, and see the blue sky. Y-you deserve to l-look at y-your own beautiful face in a mirror. I don't understand why I get to see, but you don't."

Ammelia sighs. "My bodyguard, Dorian, told me that life isn't fair. He told me it will kick you when you're down and spit on you when you're weak. But he also told me that to only way to beat life is to be happy, despite everything that it throws at you... I'm happier right now than I've ever been... I refuse to let life get the better of me... And even if my father never perfects the SAaIDA, I thank him for getting me this far and giving me a chance to protect the people I love..."

Sunny nods. "M-Mr. Zero... m-my bodyguard, I guess... he said something like that. H-he said we can't expect things to fall into place. He said that, i-if you expect happiness to come to you, y-you'll be disappointed. Y-you need to find it yourself, a-and sometimes that means f-fighting for it. B-but he also said sometimes people try to find happiness b-by stealing it from others, i-innocent people that deserve that happiness, and they need help." She looks into Ammelia's eyes again. "I was thinking... if I could help someone, someone who deserves help... then I should do it..."

Ammelia sits in silence for a moment before replying, "Maybe you should..."

Sunny smiles widely, and jumps to her feet. She runs to her computer and pulls out a massive book on human biology. "I-I've been studying human eyes, a-and I've been talking with one of scientists in the labs." She stumbles to the floor under the weight of the book, but quickly stands back up. "A-and I've been studying y-you're father's work. I-I think it can improve your eyesight even more!" She excitedly points at her computer. "A-Alice's systems for collecting data are different from the SAaIDA, but the way it generates an image w-works on the same principles. B-but she can generate a more complete picture, w-with details, a-and colors, because her CPU can p-process so much more data at once then then human brain."

"Maybe you can send the schematics to my father. He might be able to use your ideas to help cure blindness permanently! " Amellia says, getting a little excited at the possibilities.

"D-do you think he'd be interested?" Sunny looks down, again rubbing her hands together nervously. "I-I mean, I'm sure if we could come up with something that c-could process images as fast as a computer, we could make some kind of... Ocular Implants. They w-wouldn't be perfect... but they'd be a lot more detailed. B-but I'm... I'm so young. People usually d-don't... they don't take me... serious..."

"Don't worry, my dad is known for his... unorthodox business decisions. Hiring a child prodigy, who, might I add, worked for the most advanced military projects in world, definitely wouldn't be one of his craziest."

Sunny smiles. She runs up to her computer and logs back in, and looks back. "I, um... I have a lot of preparations to do. I-I need to gather my notes, compile all my data, cross reference i-it with what I've talked about with others, a-and make sure I haven't made any mistakes." She frowns. "I-I'm sorry. I wanted to talk with you more... b-but the quicker I send m-my data to your father..."

You don't have to do it now, you know. Maybe you can send it to him after we win this thing. You seem like you need a little longer to iron out the fine details. Besides, I think you're working hard enough as it is." Ammelia says, getting up off the bed.

Sunny looks back and forth for a moment in thought. Finally, she let out a sigh. "You... you're right. I'm sorry. If I rush it, I-I could make things worse. Make a mistake." Sunny turns back to her computer and signs off. "So, um... d-do you want to... do something? D-do you know how to... p-play chess?"

 

[Adrammalech]

// A MODEST CELEBRATION //
This is a collaboration between Adrammalech and ZombieSplitter53.
Emily Fischer / Jessica Lockheart
X-COM Headquarters: Common Area
Siberia, Russian Federation
April 24, 2018 - 7:16 PM

Emily watched in sorrow as the eight ball fell into the pocket beside her.

“Three in a row,” Billy laughed at her.

“Yeah, yeah, it's just not my day.”

“If you say so, it never seems to be your day,” he said with a wink, walking back towards the barracks.

Emily grumbled as she plopped onto a bar stool, swivelling towards the soldier tending the bar as usual.

“Fake screwdriver?” he asked.

“You know it.”

She waited momentarily for a glass of orange juice to be slid to her, taking sips idly as she looked over at the other soldiers.

Jessica casually walked into the room, smiling at all the happy faces around her. This seemed to be one of the few places on base where everyone wasn’t tense.

Now, remember, just a few drinks. We don’t need to have a repeat of the last time… the last two times...

We’ll be fine. This time, the two of us can watch each others back.

Jessica walked up to the bar and sat next to Emily, and waited for the Bartender to walk by.

Emily looked over in surprise at the green-haired girl, something she hadn’t seen since her brief stay in high school.

“Hey, what’s up?” she said, swiveling towards her.

Jessica smiled at Emily. “Not much. Just trying to have a good time.” In a low voice, her tone one of someone sharing a secret with an old friend, she added, “I’m not really good at this drinking thing, but I want to give it another shot.” She glanced at Emily’s drink, and she turned to the approaching bartender. “I’ll have one of those.”

The bartender raised an eyebrow. “One… of those....” Jessica nodded, and the bartender shrugged, fetching her a ‘screwdriver’.

“If you’re looking for a buzz, you’re going to be disappointed,” Emily said with a grin.

Jessica shook her head. “Just trying to have some fun with going overboard.” She took a cautious sip. “Wow, this is great. I can’t even taste the alcohol!”

“That’s probably because there isn’t any,” Emily replied grinning, “it’s just orange juice.”

“It… it’s only…” Jessica blushed. “Well… don’t I feel silly.”

Ha! Now, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.

Sh… shut up! I didn’t know!

Jessica smiled sheepishly. “W-well… I don’t need a drink to have fun, right?”

“Certainly not, but I won’t begrudge you if you want a real one,” Emily said, “I just don’t drink personally. If anything, it’s good news for me if you can’t tell the difference. Don’t wanna seem too stuffy, ya know?”

Jessica nodded. “So… your friends don’t know you’re…” Jessica shrugs. “Well, do you mind if I hang out with you for a while. Maybe I can cover for you if they say anything.” She looks around the room. “Besides, I don’t really know anyone here, and most of the other people I know are busy.”

“Of course,” she smiled, “I’m always happy to have company. Got a specialization yet?”

“Specialization?” Jessica thought for a moment. “Genetics, I guess. They got me in the genetics lab now. What about you?”

“Oh, I thought maybe you were...I’m a soldier, support specialist, and such.”

“Support?” Jessica looked a bit excited. “So, what, you take care of the other people out there? That’s cool. So you're, like, everyone’s guardian angel, huh?”

“Here’s hoping,” Emily raised her cup casually, “no one in my squad has gotten hurt, so I haven’t really needed to worry about it yet. I imagine I’ll learn more about it later.”

Jessica frowned. “Well, I guess losses are inevitable in war, but that’s why we have medics and supports, right? To keep those losses as low as possible. And if they made you a support, they must be confident that you’ll do just that!” She gave Emily an encouraging look.

“Thanks, I’m hoping they're not too inevitable,” Emily said with a worried look, “I rather like my team so far.”

“So you’re all friends?” Jessica thought of the others she had met since coming to X-COM. “That must be hard, knowing that at any time…” Jessica shook her head rapidly. “Well, to, umm… to good friends.” She raised her glass. “My they outlive us all, or at the very least, outlive every alien we come across.”

“I can metaphorically drink to that,” Emily replied, returning the gesture, “I imagine you scientist types are coming up with all kinds of toys for that.”

Jessica nodded rapidly. “Oh, yeah. At least in a way. Mostly we’re just busy learning how to use all of the alien’s toys. Take my work, for example. I’m using the meld stuff to, um… to enhance the soldiers.” Her smile dropped momentarily, and she cleared her throat. “It’s not the most… humane thing, but at least they can kick better alien butt, right?”

Emily’s expression became a little more worried. “I heard about that, sounds like a risky move, but I imagine the reward is pretty big.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes no reward is big enough to cover the cost,” Jessica mumbled, mostly to herself. Speaking up, she said, “At any rate, it keeps me busy. That’s why I’m here. My birthday is in about a week, and I don’t think I’ll have time to celebrate then, so I’m taking advantage of my time off.” Returning to her low tone, she added, “I’m not used to celebrating it alone, though…”

“Oh?” Emily perked up a bit, “My birthday is today, I haven’t told anyone though.”

“B-but, why not?” Jessica placed her hand over Emily’s. “If it’s your birthday, you should have fun with you friends. I know it’s a bit embarrassing, but your birth, like everyone else’s, is a miracle, and it deserves a celebration!”

You sound so corny, you know that?

Yeah, yeah.

“Well, it’s hard to argue with that… I just haven’t had a celebration in years, I didn’t have much of a ‘normal family’ to celebrate with,” she explained.

Jessica chuckled. “Well, my family isn’t too normal either, mostly thanks to my sister and I.”

Speak for yourself, weirdo.

“But if that’s the case, then how about the two of us celebrate?” Jessica tilted her head. “I don’t know how great my company is, but people usually tell me I’m entertaining… for better or for worse.”

“Nonsense, you’re great company for the better,” she said reassuringly. “And we can celebrate yours too, you know, in case you don’t get the chance.”

“That would be awesome… umm.” Jessica shook her head, the sheepish look returning. “I just realized I sat down next to you and never told you my name.” She extended her hand. “Jessica Lockheart, Lab Tech, Genetics Lab, at your service.”

“Emily Fischer,” she said shaking her hand, “and, well, I already told you the latter part.”

Jessica took another drink. “I guess I’m not the best with introductions. I met this young engineer named Sunny, and did the same thing, forgetting to tell her my name. And I met another soldier, Ammelia, and I was so excited to meet her, I forgot to tell her my name too.” She lightly knocked on her head. “You’d think I’d learn, huh?”

“That’s pretty impressive, considering I live with both of them,” Emily said with a smile.

“Really?” Jessica nodded her head in thought. “Small world, huh?” She folded her hands and gave Emily an inquisitive look. “Well, I guess if I’m gonna be friends with everyone in the same room. I should get to know them. And you seem like the kind of person I’d like to know. So tell me about yourself.”

“Oh, there’s not much to know about me,” she waved her hand modestly, “I was born in Germany, but I can’t remember it, I was raised in America...I joined the Army when I was 20, later I got a medal for pulling a truck off someone, then a couple years or so later I’m here.”

“For… pulling a truck…” Jessica thought for a moment.

She’s exaggerating.

I know that! I’m not that dense, thank you very much.

“You, um, you look so young.” Jessica glanced back and forth. “Just between the two of us, how old are you? 22? 23?”

“28, actually. Today, anyway. But thank you,” she said smiling.

“Really? Well, I hope I look that good when I’m that age.” Jessica raised an eyebrow. “N-not that I’m… trying to flatter…” She cleared her throat. “So, uh… y-you wanna play pool?”

“Sure thing,” Emily said, hopping out of her seat excitedly. “How about...loser owes the winner a birthday cake, next time any of us can go to a bakery again.”

Jessica followed suit, saying, “I like the sound of that. But I warn you, I’m pretty good.”

No, I’m pretty good.

Oh, how hard can it be? Umm… how do you play, again?

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53:
“Holodeck”
Part One

The PA system rang out through the X-COM base hallways and areas of gather. <Attention all X-COM Staff and crew. Tests on new equipment will be conducted in the Shooting Range today. It will thus be closed from 1200 to 1400 hours. Please stay clear of the range at the appointed times. Would SPC. Ipiktok and SPC. Dragomirov please report to the Shooting Range at 1150 hours. I repeat. SPC. Ipiktok and SPC. Dragomirov, please report to the Shooting Range at 1150 hours.>

Atka got up from her desk and her ‘artist’s block'. Sighing, more in frustration with her inability to think of something new to sculpt, the Inuit woman retrieved clothing appropriate for the shooting range. She gave the piece of whale bone a hard look. “I’ll figure you out…” she muttered, and walked out the door.

Modya put on his ushanka and coat. “They want us to help test, huh? Nu, eto chto-to.” He straightened his coat, and started walking towards where he had been asked to go.

As 1200 drew near, the two specialists approached the shooting range. Two guards stood outside, making sure no one entered. Seeing the two approaching soldiers, one lifted a clip board. He nodded at the two soldiers, and held the door open for them. Atka and Modya walked into the shooting range, and looked around. I wonder what we’re going to be testing here…

As the two stepped forward, a blond girl peeked her head from within the range. “Ipiktok? Dragomirov?” She asked with a British accent.

“That would be us,” Modya replied. Atka nodded to affirm his statement.

The girl smiled, and hopped over the railing. She wore a dark red and black gothic-lolita dress, with a headband featuring a cartoonish skull on it. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Dr. Randolf wishes she could be here herself, but there are rules about her being in the shooting range, after all.”

Atka looked her over for a moment. “I feel like we’ve met before…” she said with a curious expression, trying to place the girl before her.

“We have, though the first time we did, I was on a computer screen.” She smiled cheekily. “It’s nice to finally meet you in the flesh… in a manner of speaking. Can I… call you Atka?”

Atka nodded, and her eyes widened. “You’re... the A.L.I.C.E system?” she said in surprised realization.

Modya glanced over at Atka. “Why is it that you always know more about the staff here than me?” he asked, not knowing what the scout meant.

“Oh, how rude of me.” Alice turned to Modya. “Forgive me, my programming is still learning. I’m Alice. I was created by Dr. Sonya Randolf to assist in the operation of the SHIVs. And, as you can see, I’m also here to help develop the bases holographic technology.” Alice spun around, giggling as she did so.

“We... have holographic technology and an A.I. Well... chto yavlyayetsya neozhidannym.” Modya said slowly.

Atka chuckled. “So,” she began, turning back to Alice, “I’m guessing you have something to show us regarding this holographic technology?”

Alice nodded. She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. A moment later, a sectoid ran out from the shooting range, leveling it’s weapon at the group. Modya’s eyes widened and he pulled his heavy laser rifle up, sending a beam of energy at the sectoid. Atka was also reacting, pulling up her strike rifle, but wasn’t as surprised as Modya was.

The sectoid disintegrated in a brilliant flash of light. Alice gasped. “Oh my. I suppose I should have expected that. I really need to learn to explain myself better.”

“Ty napugal …” Modya shook his head. “You surprised me... that’s all,” he said in his defense, waving his hands in an ‘x’ dismissively.

You’re a terrible liar, Modya… Atka thought to herself. “How well do you think you captured their behavior in combat?” Atka asked, lowering her strike rifle for the moment.

“Well, I’d like to say ‘very well’, but approximations based on captured video aren’t going to be perfect. That’s why you're here. Between the two of you, you’ve encountered every alien we’ve seen.” She glanced at Modya and frowned. “Just give me a moment, please.” A chair materialized behind her, and she sat down. She pulled a computer out of thin air. “There is something wrong with my programming. I can’t understand everything you're saying.”

Modya rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I was speaking Russian... that’s not so much an error and just a limit-... e... something you can’t do yet.”

Alice looked up. “Of course, how silly of me. Dr. Randolf only programmed English for me. I’ll have to ask her if I can download other languages.” She stood back up. “I was hoping we could run a few combat simulations.” She points towards a table on the left wall. “These vests are designed to pick up directed energy signatures from the holographic weapons, registering hits, and since the holograms are made of light, the laser weapons will function the same as if the aliens were real. Is that… satisfactory?”

“Just one question. Is it possible to program in explosives, or is that still in development?” Modya asked, something of an eager fire in his eyes when he mentioned his weapons of choice.

Alice nodded. “We have specially designed grenades for you to use that will simulate explosions, and a special rocket launcher that is directly linked to the system, so it will do the same.”

“Try to use those as a last resort like normal, Modya,” Atka said with an amused smile, and went to retrieve her weapons and armor of choice, though paused when she was looking for a secondary weapon. Sighing, she picked up a laser pistol instead of a sawed-off. The Russian soon followed suit, arming himself with the simulation grenades and rocket launcher.

“We have designed an urban combat simulation for you today.” Alice snapped her fingers, and several ‘buildings’, cars’, and ‘debris’ materialized. “We are still working on directed force-fields for moving holograms, so you won’t be able to interact with the aliens much. But they do work for the stationary objects, so the buildings and such should feel solid, if a bit… artificial.” She smiled. “That reminds me, we can test how that is coming along too!” She extended her hand towards the two. “Do you mind feeling my skin and my sleeve, and telling me how real they feel?”

Atka raised an eyebrow, and reached over to touch Alice’s hand and then her sleeve, half-expecting her hand to phase through. To her surprise, it was stopped by the materials as though solid, but with an unusual feel, as though she was touching a doll.

“It’s definitely progress,” Atka started, “but it is still easy to tell the effect is synthesized. If you could disperse heat to the body that would be a step in the right direction, but I don’t know how easy that is…”

“That is an excellent idea,” Alice responded. “We adjusted the projectors so the force-fields would have no heat at all, but perhaps we went too far.” She nodded. “I will be sure to pass this information to Dr. Shen.” She stepped back and motioned for the ‘city’. “Please take your places.”

Atka nodded to Modya, and ran over to a piece of rubble in the center of the street, setting up her marksman’s rifle on top of her cover. Modya took a position on the corner of a building a few meters behind the scout, looking over the heavy rifle he had in his hands for a moment before focusing on the artificial environment.

"Now, please remember, and this is important." Alice raised a stern finger. "This is very important for accurately judging the programming of the aliens. Just because the holograms can't hurt you doesn't mean you shouldn't take it serious. Please fight as though your life depends on it. Because what we discover today will go a long way towards the training of all the other soldiers."

A moment later, a set of three sectoids ran forward, one psychically enhancing the other, and took positions a hundred feet from the two soldiers.

Atka looked through the scope on her strike rifle, and a beam of red energy shot at the sectoid mind-merged with the other. Modya held his fire, moving further into the building and preparing to push open a door and open fire from eighty-five feet away.

The two remaining sectoids doubled up, and one let out a cry. Above them, a drone and a floater swooped down, hovering approximately twenty feet in the air.

“Modya, I could use a little help here!” Atka called out in warning, and tossed a flashbang into the air at the floater, knowing that it would only briefly overload the drone’s sensors. She opted to keep using her strike rifle for the increased damage, though it was not as effective at a closer range such as this.

The russian rocketeer ran to the side of the window, and opened fire on the floater, having developed an understandable hatred of the species.

The floater flinched in pain, letting out an angry cry. As it turned its attention towards Modya, the drone quickly dropped down, taking cover behind an overturned truck. The sectoids started firing at Atka, one firing rapidly from its position while the other rushed forward.

Atka pulled back, her quick reflexes being more than enough to compensate for the hail of fire from the sectoid, though some wizzed very close by her. This is one of these times it pays to be small and fast… Atka thought to herself, and hid behind the wall that Modya was at not so long ago. She peered around the corner, and a with another lance of energy shot at the sectoid moving forward. The gray ducked behind a similar building, and Atka grimaced in frustration.

Modya did not let up on the floater, blasting it until it shattered into fragments of light. After taking in a deep breath, he took out an anti-personnel grenade and tossed it behind the truck. The satisfying ‘fizz’ and ‘boom’ of exploding circuitry confirmed the kill.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “Holodeck, Part 2”

Now faced with enemies at multiple positions, the two sectoids backed off, running to where the drone had been. At Atka’s left, a Outsider burst through a door. Seeing Atka, it rushed towards an alien pod, shooting on the way. From behind it, two drones flew out, periodically firing their repair beams at the Outsider.

From behind Modya, a voice called out from behind some rubble. “Who’s there! Help me, I’m trapped!”

Atka’s cover was quickly destroyed, being no more than a pile of rubble anyway. Having no other choice, she dashed for a car, but the Outsider’s expert aim was enough to compensate. It nailed the scout in the back, her armor flashing red.

The scout ducked behind the car. “Dammit...that should have been enough…”

Modya considered the voice for a moment, but then his attention was quickly snapped back to Atka. He trained his rifle on the Outsider, but hesitated, realizing he couldn’t do enough damage to kill it quickly. The final solution, then… He pulled out his rocket launcher, and took aim at the group, letting a rocket scream out from the barrel of his launcher at the offending Outsider and drones.

In a simulated explosion of light and sound, the drones went flying to the sides, disappearing before they hit the ground. The Outsider crashed into the ground in front of Atka, struggling to aim at her with the arm that hadn’t been blown off with both its legs.

Atka dropped her strike rifle and whipped out her pistol, blasting it in the arm. Realizing that without her shotgun, she couldn’t actually sever it easily, she panicked, firing at it again, and doing...something else. There was a spark of blue energy around her head, and her eyes seemed to glow blue for a moment. A thin, almost invisible, thread of energy struck out at the Outsider’s head but then dispersed. This was because, being a construct of light, it was not affected by the power Atka had just manifested.

Modya pulled his heavy rifle back out and started moving back towards where he heard the voice, a beam of red energy cutting through the neck of the Outsider just as the blue energy sparked. What the hell was…?

“Wait!” Cried the voice. “Who are you!? Are you more of those suited freaks?” A hand reached out from the rubble, waving around for someone to grab it.

“I wouldn’t be saving you if I was, holographic man,” Modya countered, trying to help pull him out with one hand, but kept his rifle held tentatively in the other, worrying that said ‘suited freaks’ would show up at any moment. Atka shakily picked up her laser strike rifle. What did I just do?

As Modya’s hand wrapped around the hand, a burst of green mist erupted from between the pieces of rubble. A bright green light shined around his head, simulating the effects of the poisonous mist. To his right, two more Thin Men could be heard hissing, rushing towards the closed door.

Modya swore in Russian, and blasted at the buried Thin Man wildly, not accurate but still effective. Atka set up in a position where the enemy wouldn’t flank her, hoping to provide fire support for Modya.

The buried Thin Man cried out in pain, another green light forming where it had been. The door next to him burst open, and the two Thin Men opened fire on Modya.

Uncovered, he had little chance against the alien marksmen. The simulated ‘plasma’ connected several times with his armor, and it lit up in several places red, registering critical failure. Modya’s eyes widened, but then when he felt no pain he remembered the truth of the exercise. “YA nikogda ne umer do…”

Atka grimaced, and ran to the truck, her sights reaching down through the window, exposing the Thin Men. Several lances of red light shot at them, a few missing the dexterous infiltrators. One of them was slain, and exploded into a cloud of green light as it was impaled by two shots from the human.

The remaining Thin Man momentarily looked at Atka, but turned back to Modya for the killing blow. Behind Atka, she heard the familiar sounds of sectoids, the pair standing directly behind her. As the three aliens prepared to fire, there was a sudden silence, and everything stood still.

Atka took a deep breath, and lowered her weapon. “That was…” A pause. “...more realistic than I expected,” she said finally, not knowing what else she COULD say.

“Are you okay?!” Alice shouted, suddenly standing where one of the sectoids had been. She pulled out an unknown device and pointed it towards Atka’s head, scanning her. “I don’t know what happened to you. Some kind of… I don’t know, I don’t have enough data. I apologize, I should have ended the exercise when that happened.”

Atka held up her hands. “You don’t need to worry, that wasn’t your doing… that was mine, however unintentional…”

Modya stood up, walking over to the other two. “You’re telling me you created that blue light?"

The Inuit woman shook her head. “No...no...not that. I probably should have just come out with it when I realized my powers were growing stronger…”

The Russian gave Atka a look of disbelief. “Hold on...what do you mean by powers, my friend?”

“Intriguing.” Alice looked Atka up and down. “Searching…” She frowned. “I’m… not finding any data on this. Perhaps it is in the classified files I don’t have access to. Regardless, it is quite interesting.”

“Well, when I mentioned it to the Commander I could only communicate in a sort of empathic or telepathic manner with animals...but that expanded to outright telepathy, and whatever I just did...it was like when the aliens try to use their powers to make us panic, I think. Their powers show up as a purple energy, though, not blue as mine manifested…” Atka explained, looking perplexed.

“Analyzing…” Alice closed her eyes. “Compiling possibilities…” Opening them again, she said, “Perhaps you were born with extra-sensory abilities, and exposure to the psionic radiation emanating from the sectoid bodies brought back to base have enhanced your natural abilities.” Alice smiled, and turn to Modya. “And you, sir. Do you have any of these abilities?”

Modya gave her a blank look. “No, and I’m not quite sure I understand what you just said, anyway...I don’t have those ‘psionic’ powers...and I didn’t think humans could, either.”

Atka sighed, her serious expression replaced by a small smile. “Well, I planned on bringing this up before my next mission anyway, so this isn't the worst thing in the world,” Atka I figure I can use these abilities against the aliens.I initially thought I would just use telepathy to ‘talk’ to my squad, not attack them with psionics.”

“Well, that would be interesting. I wish I could simulate how the aliens think.” Alice tilted her head. “Speaking of which, how were the simulations? Did the aliens act in the same way they do out there. And please, be honest, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings.” She smiled. “I can assure you, you can’t, at least not until my AI has received more upgrades.”

“Well, those flying bastards were as aggressive as I remember,” Modya pointed out bluntly. “And the Outsider was as dangerous, if not even more so with the drones at his side, as the real thing.”

Atka rubbed her back, remembering the ‘hit’ she had taken. “That goes for accuracy too, you know,” she lamented. “As for the Thin Men, they were as clever as always, though the sectoids might have been more aggressive than usual...and unfortunately we can’t replicate their ‘psi panic’ skill here. Not that I would want to experience that…” Atka said quickly, shaking her head.

“And the drones?” Alice asked. “Did they act appropriately?”

“I’m pretty sure they did,” Modya said. “It couldn’t be that hard for a robot to imitate anoth-...that didn’t come out well, did it?” The Russian sighed.

Alice smiled. “I told you, you can’t hurt my feelings. Though I do appreciate the attempt to try not to. And I am glad that I did well. I was afraid I would not make them aggressive enough.”

“Well, they don’t have a sense of self-preservation, so it makes sense,” Atka said. “That said, I’ve heard that all the aliens lately have been rather aggressive lately...and that scares me. What could make different species willing to die just to deal damage to us?” she wondered with a concerned look etched on her features.

Alice stopped to think. “Maybe I should have taken this more into account. As I said, I am still learning.” She snapped her fingers, and the holograms vanished. She looked at the two soldiers. “Regardless, I feel this was a very successful day. Not only for developing the aliens’ AIs, but for developing training exercises.” She gave Modya a sheepish look. “I… apologize for the deception with the Thin Man. I was told to go all out, but perhaps I went too far.”

“It is fine,” Modya replied. “I would have been angry if you’d actually stored poison in there.”

Alice gave him a look of confusion. “This was just a simulation. Why would we have really poisoned you?”

“It’s a joke, Alice,” Atka said gently, trying to suppress an amused smile that was creeping across her face nevertheless.

“I must study humor more.” Alice looked at both of the soldiers in turn. “This was… enjoyable. I hope we can see more of each other. You two are interesting, and I feel I have learned a lot from you. We have finished early, so you are free to use the facility by yourself. I will go compile my data. Have a nice day.” Alice vanished from sight.

“Will do, Data…” Atka said quietly.

“Who?” Modya asked, to which Atka just smiled and shook her head.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Disturbance

Desmond had spent the past few days just taking it easy. There was the occasional sparring session but stuff like that was never fun for him. Elizabeth had come to see him whenever she could, but with the past few missions, she had her hands full. Ryan was always a sight for sore eyes but even he was busy as of late. Desmond had other options as well but he felt time that it would be good for some alone time. Lucky for him he never saw to much of Eva. She always was doing her own thing and that was cool with him.

Desmond had always been so busy during his time at EXALT that he felt like he had more time on his hands then he knew what to do with. His surplus of novels helped to alleviate the boredom but even those became stale whenever he spent a long time reading. Chess was not an option as anyone who had played him lost with almost no competition. He wondered to himself if this is what normal people dealt with on a day to day basis. Any time he had he would try his best to meditate and he was making great progress in his tolerance with psionic energy. He wouldn't guess it but using even a small amount of energy could wipe a normal man completely out of energy. He continued his research on developing new powers but he always hit a bump in the road whenever he was close to a breakthrough as if his own brain was a constraint on his powers.

Whatever the cause, Desmond had nothing better to do with his time. So he had done what any nonsensical man would do in a situation like this, he headed to the bar for an earlier afternoon drink. The bar had almost no one in it but that was expected at this time of day. He sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of whiskey. He didn't know why but any other drink had always tasted off to him, but whiskey was the only one that didn't. He sat at the counter for a time just watching the other few patrons that were there. A pair of scientists stood in the corner, playing a round of darts, still in their lab coats. The only other person was an older looking woman on the right side of the bar at a table, picking at what appeared to be french fries. Desmond smirked as he shook his head. How was it that the bar had better food then the stuff they served in the cafeteria.

Desmond sipped away at his whiskey but he could never truly get drunk. He didn't know if it was due to his fitness or from his powers, Desmond had just never gotten fully drunk. All it did was numb his powers and make it a little harder to concentrate for extended periods. As he sat in silence he thought about all he had experienced at XCOM. He had met people that he never would have met before, and has experienced emotions he never thought he would. He most of all couldn't believe he had fallen in love. There were times Desmond wondered if Elizabeth would still think that if she knew the whole truth. It was one of those questions that he hoped never to learn the answer too.

Desmond smiled and took another sip of his whiskey when something happened. He couldn't feel it at first due to the alcohol but it was there. It was the same feeling whenever he gave reports to EXALT. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where it came from but it had come from somewhere on base. The sudden surge had left him with a headache and he hunched over, laying his head in his arms, a wave of nausea washing over him.

"Hey buddy, if you are going to hurl don't do it on my counter." Desmond paid no mind to the bartender. His eyes were wide and he was starting to sweat. It was there, like a voice trying to call out to him. Then as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone. He was at a loss of words at the phenomena. He had never felt this way before. He took a moment to steady himself and collect his thoughts. Whatever had just happened was no one time deal. Whatever or whoever had caused that made Desmond wonder, "Am I wrong in this, or did that feel strangely familiar?"

As if on time, Elizabeth walked into the door of the bar. She saw him and rushed over. She quickly began to notice his pale skin and his sweating and asked, "Either you can't handle alcohol or you just seen a ghost my friend." She sat next to him and ordered some food leaving Desmond to think to himself, "Not a ghost, but something a lot more terrifying."

 

[Dahlexpert]

worried sick

Eva for the last few days has been puzzled, she is wondering what is going on out side the base and how many people are being killed she is also thinking about her mother and family who thinks she's dead, lately Eva could careless about Desmond and his relationship with one of the solders, she has been to busy worrying about her mistress and when the aliens will stop messing around.

Damn it's been 2 week since I came to this underground hell hole, i'm so use-to having my mistress guide me and send me on missions, but now that I joined x-com it reminds me of my time in the military just training waiting for an a assignment now that I think about it I have no idea what my old squad mates are doing now, probable fighting the aliens now that I think of it just like every one else out there.

Damn this is driving me crazy I can't stand siting here when thousands out there are dying, and this is nothing this is only a skirmish this is tip toeing, this is not a full out war yet and that's what scares me the aliens are holding back because if this is there elight solders then we should win this in 3 months but the aliens are just messing around testing us getting a fell for out tack ticks and once there serious were in trouble.

Eva looks at her hand, God I hate holding back my strength but once the aliens get serous maybe the commander will allow me to go all out but in order for me to go all out I need meld in my blood I need to find a scientist to augment me.