RP XCOM2: Liberation of Earth

[Taxor_the_First]

Part 6

By the time the Inquisitor regained most of his senses, the squad was already moving. He sensed two entities rush towards him, and determined one of them to be the most threatening. Forming a blade of ice in his hand, he blocked and repelled their initial onslaught, the frozen weapon splintering a little as the blades met each other. Is that… my sword? Azazel asked incredulously, striking sideways to push Arthur away.

The Phantom staggered backward. “It’s a fine blade,” he answered, pushing forward again and forcing the Inquisitor to block each strike.

The Elder huffed, evidently pressured by his opponent’s aggressive combat. To the Phantom’s surprise, however, he had a counter. With the last free hand, Azazel pushed towards the ground, forcing a shockwave to blow Arthur backwards.

His distraction had been enough for Lucifer to approach, however. Standing on the stage right next to the dancefloor, the hulking robot prepared a barrage of magnetic fire. Azazel responded by freezing a slab of air between the two to block the initial torrent, and then moving sideways to dodge the rest, followed by a retaliatory psi lance that nearly sheared Lucifer’s left arm off.

Holly barely missed her shot, having arrived only a few seconds before. “Shit. Sorry!” she yelled as she ran sideways to escape anything the Inquisitor might try.

“Oh, damn,” Joy muttered. “Motion tracker’s messed up again.”

“We’ve got bigger issues!” Bonnie barked, unleashing the destructive force of her Coilgun in the direction of the Elder. Azazel ducked under the torrent, firing his pistols twice in her direction. Both were misses, but it was enough to force her back into cover.

“Now!” Samuel shouted, as Alan scurried away from the Elder, his traps now all placed. Bonnie unshouldered her launcher, preparing to fire all four of her Shard grenades one after the other. Arthur prepared to throw his Dragon grenade. Samara deployed her Psiburst. Lester drew back his arm, Exopolarity grenade in his hands. Lucifer aimed his Rail-Cannon. And all fired at once.

Azazel had time to realize exactly what was happening as several grenades flew towards him, and he noticed the proximity mine behind him. Clever, he noted, before the area around him was consumed in fire, metal, and explosive force. Weakened by Lucifer’s entrance, the ceiling above him cracked and fell, adding the crushing force of concrete into the mix.

As the squad rose from their positions to see their handiwork, there was silence. Dust hovered around the pile of rubble that had been the Inquisitor like small insects around flowers. The glass bottom of the dancefloor was cracked and shattered, the fences railing the outside blown and melted away. Fires danced on the carpet beside it, though guttering out. All was still.

Samuel frowned. That was… easy.

Lester was the first to speak. “Well, enough of this,” he said, moving from his position on top of the stage. “If they were willing to send an Elder after us, then I have no doubt they’ll be sending worse next. We need to go, now.”

“Still?” Joy muttered. “I don’t understand. Why is there movement? There shouldn’t be, I don’t-” She stopped. “Lester,” she said quietly. “Maybe… give the rubble pile a wide berth, yeah?”

The Specialist glanced sideways. His path from the back of the room to the front had taken him past it. “Why?” he asked. “There’s absolutely no way he isn’t dead in the-”

Without warning, a giant shadowy hand burst out of the rubble, seizing Lester by his lower right leg. He managed to fire his Blunderbuss once at the apparition before it squeezed, the force of its grip crushing first metal, then bone. The Specialist cried out in pain as half his leg was turned into little more than flecks of flesh and bone, before he was batted away by the hand.

“Master Lester!” Lucifer cried, both his Gremlin and Spark forms pursuing him across the floor.

The rest of the squad could only watch as another arm sprouted from the rubble, then another, and another. With a massive heave, the owner pushed the concrete and metal off of it, revealing a sight that chilled Samuel.

A Reflection?!

Its height reach the roof as it stood tall on two muscled legs. In fact, the whole being was like something out of a bodybuilder’s magazine. With four arms, it was clearly owned by an Elder, and the tetrahedral-shaped mask atop its head only gave weight to this assertion. From its two pairs of shoulders flowed streams of energy, much like ribbons. On its fists were gloves, or gauntlets of some kind, and what appeared to be something like a loincloth wrapped around its hips. It seemed like a cross between a boxer and a knight, with little clothing except where it mattered. All of this was entirely blackened, like the being was entirely constructed of shadow. It was a being of intimidating size, appearance, and probably combat ability.

And within its chest floated Azazel, his robes slightly tattered, arms crossed in two ‘x’ shapes over his chest.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” Samuel whispered, taking a step backwards as the rest of the squad did.

I’m afraid I’m serious, was the response, Azazel’s thoughts tinted by the presence of his guardian. You should be proud. You forced me to bring out Umbra properly to survive your onslaught. He pointed forward, with Umbra echoing the movement. But can you defeat me now?

“So that’s what the movement I was sensing was!” Joy exclaimed.

“That just means he’s had it out the whole time,” Samuel snarled. “Which means we can take him. Not one step back!”

Samara, however, seemed incredibly confused. “What on Earth are you all talking about?” she demanded.

“Do you not see the massive titan thing?”

“What?”

Her mind is not able to comprehend such a thing, so it chooses to ignore it, Azazel murmured. That merely eliminates her as a threat. Umbra clenched its fists. But as for the rest of you-

The Reflection stumbled forward, an impact from behind making it lose its balance. Turning around, Lucifer could be seen retracting his fist, a sweating and evidently in pain Lester hooked over his shoulder. The robot’s optics glowed an even more intense red than before. “How dare you attack my master in such a cowardly manner!” he seethed. “You will not lay a finger on anyone else so long as I remain operational!”

Azazel examined the machine. How is he seeing my Reflection? he wondered aloud, evidently not expecting the AI to be able to ‘hear’ his mental voice. I wasn’t aware XCOM had perfected psionic monitors…

“I can’t,” Lucifer responded. “But Master Lester can. And we are tied.” The modified SPARK unit raised the Helix rifle, which had been used to butt Umbra only a moment before, and fired.

Azazel merely folded his arms, waiting as the bullets impacted Umbra’s torso. The Reflection barely even flinched, bullets falling to the ground as they dropped off their target. Lucifer ceased fire after a moment, evidently unsure how to deal with an enemy that could withstand such punishment as if it were nothing. Umbra responded by reaching forward, tearing the weapon from his grasp, and crushing it in its hands.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

Part 7

Lucifer responded by launching himself forward, striking the helm of the Reflection with a metal fist. Umbra attempted to counterattack, but the devil dodged away. As his shadow initiated combat with the massive robot, Azazel turned around. I’m afraid your ordeal isn’t over yet, he said sadly, before firing a psi lance through his guardian’s back towards Alan.

The squad scattered, the lance striking the floor and kicking up some of the stone. “Any more bright ideas?” Bonnie asked.

“Working on it!” Samuel snapped back. How the fuck do we beat this? he wondered a little less confidently. Fuck it. When in doubt, shoot it until it dies.

With a massive sweep of two arms, Umbra smacked Lucifer sideways, causing the robot to stumble. “Lucifer…” Lester warned, his voice that of someone half-delirious from pain.

“I cannot allow this!” Lucifer insisted, ducking beneath a follow-up blow and delivering a few uppercuts to the Reflection’s head. Umbra reeled from the attack, but managed to block most of the robot’s attempts.

You may be faster, Azazel noted. But I have more arms with which to defend myself. The Elder inside slinging another psi lance in the direction of the rest of the squad (who were now firing upon him in an attempt to punch through the barrier that was Umbra’s back), the Reflection swiped forward, catching Lucifer in its grasp by the shoulder. The robot twisted free, however, kicking at Umbra and using the force to propel himself backwards.

“Lucifer, stand down!” Samuel ordered. “You’re not going to do much like this. You’re better off protecting Lester!”

The devil hesitated, but nodded, backing away from his opponent. “Very well,” he agreed, taking position along the wall. “Good luck.”

With no one to fight, Umbra turned around, seeking further prey. Following Azazel’s spray of icicles, it leaped forward on powerful legs towards Alan. “Why are you focusing me?!” the Ambusher demanded, rolling underneath the first strike. “Go for Samuel! He does more damage than me!”

You are all dangerous in your own right, Azazel stated as Umbra swatted Alan sideways, the Ambusher unable to escape four arms at once. He rolled to a stop, his new Thermo Repeater skittering away. Rather than attempt to retrieve it, he drew his Polarity Rifle again and settled with using that.

Umbra ignored the electricity arcing across its body and instead turned its attention to Arthur. Dodging a blast of Pulse energy from his Scatterblaster, it slammed a fist down, intending to strike the Phantom. Reflexes honed to a fine point, Arthur merely bounded backwards, activating his cloak to allow himself an escape. Azazel wanted none of it, however, and unleashed a wave of ice in the Phantom’s direction. He was frozen to the ground, the ice gripping his armor as if he’d just sat on a Slurry grenade.

Holly obtained the same treatment, the ice freezing her in such a way that prevented her from moving her upper body and thus contributing at all. Bonnie and Samara were targeted simultaneously, the two having grouped up in the standard fashion. The Grenadier backed away, seeing the massive titan coming, but Samara was slightly slower to pack up. She managed to raise her shield in time for Umbra to strike it rather than her, only for the Reflection to grip it by the edges and tear it away from her. The Juggernaut stumbled, and was slapped sideways into the wall, unconscious.

A psi lance flew towards the running Bonnie, distracting her long enough for Umbra to pursue Samuel relatively unmolested. As the Reflection closed in, however, the Aerotrooper activated his jets, ascending in an attempt to add a dimension of verticality to Umbra’s attacks. A good attempt, Azazel noted as the Russian was swatted out of the sky. But indoors, it's utility is limited.

Samuel grunted as he hit the floor, his glass visor obtaining a crack along the middle from the force of the impact. The grounded Aerotrooper scurried away before a fist slammed into the floor where he had been, Umbra’s strength once again demonstrated through the impact on his target. There’s no way I’m surviving a good hit or two from that thing, he thought rapidly. Half of us are incapacitated, the rest aren’t doing anything worthwhile-

His thoughts were interrupted as a wall of ice appeared before him, blocking his route and effectively cornering him. Swallowing, he turned around to face his nemesis. “That’s just rude,” he said, a waver in his voice.

Umbra’s approach was unstoppable. The angle was unforgiving, too - there was no way Samuel could push through and escape. Every option was considered and then rejected, every opportunity deemed useless.

And the Russian’s shoulders slumped. He was about to lose again.

He could do little more than watch as Azazel shook his head, Umbra raising a fist to crush him into the ground. I had such high hope for you, the Elder said, silhouetted against one of the few still-working strobe lights on the roof.

Wait. Silhouetted?

A stream of thought entered Samuel’s head. An idea borne of desperation, the only way out. Light, he thought. Umbra blocks everything. Bullets, fists, electricity… But it doesn’t block light. Otherwise, Azazel would be blind in there, and we wouldn’t even be able to see him. Which means…

A grin appeared on the Russian’s face, as he allowed his rifle to drop to the floor. “Something my father taught me,” he said wryly. “Never, EVER, lose hope.” In a smooth action, he drew his own Pulse Scatterblaster, aimed it at the Elder inside, and fired.

The effect was immediate. Umbra’s attack was interrupted by it staggering, the pain of its occupant manifesting itself. Azazel himself roared, hands reaching towards his singed chest. Samuel fired again, and soon even those hands were feeling the effects of high-intensity laser fire.

The Inquisitor cried out in obvious pain, his body contorted in such a way that looked as if he were appealing to some god or other to grant him relief. With the third shot, that ended. Azazel’s arms dropped to his side, and, like a sticker that has lost all its adhesive, he fell out the back of his Reflection, impacting the ground with a soft thud.

Umbra itself took a single, stumbling step forward, causing Samuel to back away the last three steps he could. Silently, the titan fell on top of him, prompting the Russian to put his hands up in a futile attempt to stop it. But the Reflection no longer appeared to have substance - it passed through him in a manner not dissimilar to a ghost, and when it hit the ground it dissipated into a flurry of darkened particles, like black snowflakes.

When Samuel opened his eyes again, all was still bar Azazel’s shaking chest, going up and down with some evident difficulty. With an enthusiasm that he honestly lacked, he adjusted his grip on his shotgun and moved to the Elder, aiming it at his head. “Tell me the truth,” he said. “Do I win this time?”

Azazel gave a raspy laugh. Yes, he said. It is as I said to Ember. A collection of weaker individuals, banding together, can take down a stronger one. You win. But… He coughed, a slight spurt of violet blood ejecting from the maw of his mask. But… I win too. And with that, his chest stopped moving, and he lay still.

Samuel stayed there for a time, almost as if expecting the Elder to rise from the dead again. But it never occurred. With a shuddering breath, he released the air pent up in his lungs, and holstered his shotgun. “Yeah, well… you made me work for it.”

 

[Taxor_the_First]

Epilogue

It was an odd sight, seeing a robot as tall as two humans stacked atop each other kneeling beside someone that seemed so small. Lester had already applied medspray to his ruined leg, but that only partially helped. His reactions were delayed when Samuel approached him, kneeling beside him much like Lucifer. “How are you feeling?” he asked, at a loss as to what else to say.

“Absolutely… fantastic,” the Specialist replied, though it was evident he was being sarcastic. “I’ve… lost that leg, haven’t I?”

Samuel forced himself to look. “... yeah,” he said. “No amount of modern medicine can fix that.”

Lester exhaled. “We have… cybernetics,” he said, though it was unclear whether he was assuring Samuel or himself. “I’m more concerned… about you. Is he…?”

“Dead.”

The Specialist gave him a piercing look. “Are you sure?”

Samuel folded his arms. “Positive.”

Lester pointed at Samuel’s shadow. “Then what’s that?”

Confused, the Aerotrooper turned around to look. He nearly shot the ground - where the outline of his form depicted by the light should have been was another shape entirely. Analyzing it, Samuel noted how close it looked to an Elder’s shadow.

“What the fuck…” he took a step back, only for it to follow him. “What did he do? What the fuck did he do to me?!”

“Samuel!” Lester snapped, part of his normal self showing through the painkillers. “Do you want to scare everyone else? Shut up, or you’ll spend the return trip with everyone shying away from you.”

Samuel gulped. “You want me to… keep quiet about this?”

The Specialist shifted. “I want you to look out for yourself,” he answered. “If you don’t want everyone getting scared of you, I would suggest you keep your mouth shut until we get back. Then we can work out what the hell-”

“Lester, you alright?” Holly asked, approaching them. “Uh… sorry, stupid question.”

The new cripple glared at her while Samuel looked around self-consciously. Is he trying to live through me or something? he wondered, panicked. What do I even do about this? Is there any way to evict someone else's shadow from your own?

“We should move back to the ship,” Lucifer stated, reaching down to pick up his master. “Once ADVENT learns their Inquisitor has fallen, we can likely expect far worse on the way.”

“Grab the body,” Lester instructed. “I’m sure… the scientists… will want a look…” He started dozing on the devil’s shoulder, the blood loss getting to his head.

“Aw… that’s almost cute,” Holly remarked. “If it weren’t for the whole missing limb thing, anyway…” Samuel didn’t reply, causing the Sharpshooter to look at him oddly. “Are you alright? You look distracted.”

Before he could say anything, Arthur strode towards them. “There is another presence here,” he reported. “I can feel it.”

The color drained from Samuel’s face, thankfully hidden behind his helmet. “Where?” he asked.

The Phantom stopped for a moment. “This way,” he said at last, drawing his shotgun and moving towards the back area. Shrugging, Holly followed him. Samuel was more reluctant, but complied anyway, also drawing his own shotgun.

They found Ay hiding in a cleaner’s closet.

The Sectoid gibbered at them when Samuel kicked the door down. Of course it would be you! he shrieked mentally. Who else but the rash idiot and his friends?

Three weapons cocked in his direction. “You’re coming with us,” Samuel ordered.

Ay spat at them. I will do no such thing, he insisted. You think I am bound to do what you ask merely because you show force? Fool! You should just shoot me! He shook his oversized head. You are just as bad as your father, just as bad as Coatl. All of you, weaklings that would spare an enemy for no reason other than to help you sleep at night.

Samuel scowled. “Don’t you dare mention my father,” he warned.

He died slowly, you know, the Guru taunted. With plasma turning his insides to crispy mush, screaming in pain, revoking his gods, his leaders, everything he’d ever believed in just to make the pain stop. When it was already far too la-

Samuel had had enough. As the Sectoid talked, his grip had tightened on his shotgun until, in a fit of rage, he very nearly punched him. And he would have, if Umbra hadn’t beaten him to it.

The Reflection slammed its fist into Ay’s skull, crushing it against the wall like an overripe tomato. As the three soldiers stared at the apparition, shocked, it retracted its fist, allowing Ay’s body to crumple to the floor, before fading into Samuel’s shadow once more.

Arthur was the first to speak. “As I thought,” he said. “Congratulations, Samuel. It seems the Inquisitor left you a little gift.”

 

[MarineAvenger]

"Seeing Red" Part One (DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger)

Lower Precinct of North America
1059 Hours, October 19th, 2038
Control Tower, Chicago Megacity

Desmond pulled his jacket tighter over himself as he looked over at the woman who walked besides him, not saying anything at the moment. It seemed like the situation he was in should have elated him. In a way, it did. In another way, it made him sick to his core. “The meetings are usually all the same. Information is just passed around and we develop a best course of action. Nothing more glorious then that I’m afraid. Nigella usually leads off and runs the thing but it differs depending on the intel we get on a given day. Make sense?” He asked the newest addition to his task force.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Ember replied with an exaggerated shrug. “The chance to meet what I’ve got to work with for my appointed mission will counterbalance the tedium.” A smirk started to form on the 1st Captain’s face as she thought to herself. “Jezebel will be there, right? I’m not gonna beat the shit out of her or anything…” Ember traced a trio of fingers down the three slanted scars on the left side of her face. “I actually like the way these look. I’ll probably thank her.”

The colonel’s mouth twisted slightly, as he told her, “Well I don’t like them. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place and she’s already gotten her thanks handed down.” He responded vaguely, letting out a frustrated sigh. “How do you enjoy our apartment so far?” The father asked in an attempt to change the subject and in the interest of avoiding silence.

“It’s better than a dingy old starship by several degrees,” Ember responded with a chuckle. “Come on, dad, you’ve got me curious now. What the hell did you do to the poor cat?”

“Let’s say I reminded her not to overstep her authority when it comes to prisoner management. Unlike what she did to you, soulfire doesn’t exactly leave many physical scars. But she will sure remember the one I left on her.” He remembered his rage he felt in the moment and how he almost had lost his control and made the treatment lethal. I bet it made the aliens smirk with how their monster was falling in line. Worst part is the revenge almost felt good. He thought to himself. The sour taste in his mouth only intensified.

“Ouch,” Ember responded, though there didn’t seem to be real sympathy in her tone. “Those aren’t wounds that can be licked.” The zealous crusader shook her head. “You didn’t have to go that far, though… she was just punishing a petulant prisoner is all.” Ember’s brow furrowed in contempt at the person she had once been.

“She was punishing my daughter. She was punishing you… in my eyes in a way that was excessive. That is all.” Those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. His brother had once told him that when he was growing up. He refused to forget his past failures, but for some reason hesitated from giving that advice to the other soldier. Deep down he knew it would likely have been pointless.

“Not like the damage she did was permanent. I could easily heal these scars, but again, they look too badass to discard,” Ember replied resolutely. “Try not to break the cat, anyway. Despite her failure in Antarctica she’s a talented psion from what I’m told. We shouldn’t misuse any weapons we have. The only way to make sure XCOM doesn’t rise a third time is to crush them with such absolute force that there’s nothing left,” the Captain stated, forcefully clenching a bloodred gauntlet to accentuate her point.

“Even your mother?” Desmond asked stonily.

Ember groaned. “Lady Cordiam told me not to kill her. Said the High Commander promised you she would be spared. I don’t like it… but I won’t disobey a direct order from the Steward of the Path.”

“Unlike how it should seem, I still have feelings for her.” The Colonel let his daughter know, looking down at her. “Wish to know why?”

“Because you’re a little too sentimental?” Ember responded with a sarcastic tinge.

He nodded. “Perhaps. But because she gave me you. So no matter what happens, I am going to make you a promise.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“I promise that no matter what, you will always be my number one priority. And one day, will reunite you and your mother. Sound good?” He asked with a smile. One that Yakone never got to experience before, and by extension Ember.

She was taken a little aback by this, but crossed her arms and huffed an ‘alright’. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t enjoy subduing her by force when it inevitably comes to that, though.”

“Of course I will. I hold reservations myself.” He nodded and then turned to a large pair of doors. “We are here.”

Ember cracked her neck. “Alright then.” She pushed open the doors with a thrust of both of her palms, striding confidently into the chamber within which the other seven members of the task force were waiting. From the opposite end of the room, the Colonel’s chair was currently empty. To the right of it, the fully-armored Major Nigella Blukersey was seated, having a discussion with the woman across the empty seat between herself and the shieldbearer Lucia “Aegis” Judex. Then came the two lieutenants - the senior officer going by the moniker “Church”, and his junior officer dubbed with the callsign “Venom”. Then came the three special operatives: the model soldier Commando, the evolved feline Bombay, and the elite scorcher Ignis.

Desmond strode into the room, walking with more authority than he had with Ember before, having seemed to change at a moment’s notice. He waved a dismissive hand at everyone before the tried getting up to salute, giving Bombay a stare that lasted a half second longer than it otherwise should have and went to his seat. “Thank you all for coming when called for. It is good to see everyone was able to attend.”

Jezebel slinked deeper into her seat, while Desmond’s second-in-command offered him a grim nod. “I wish it could be under better circumstances, however. I must regretfully report that the most heinous of crimes has been committed by the Resistance. They have killed an Elder.”

“Eh?” Ember questioned in surprise. “How the hell’d they manage to do that?”

“In response to an attack on one of the truthspreaders in Xi’an - a city that XCOM seems unusually interested in for one reason or another - a low-ranking Ethereal was deployed to deal with the disturbance in the heart of one of our megacities. Despite his ranking, he was powerful, possessing a skilled command of psionic abilities and a reflection as well. XCOM managed to kill Coatl'Promethoth nevertheless,” Nigella answered somberly. “It appears they’ve improved their arsenal further since their last appearance, and this was enough to take the Inquisitor down.”

“Inquisitor…” Ember echoed. “That heretical bastard that… that…” she trailed off, a grimace forming on her features as her head pounded. What the hell… he was a weak-minded fool, why do I feel sick to my stomach?

 

[MarineAvenger]

"Seeing Red" Part Two (DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger)

“Does the rising star need a moment?” Thomas Kenway asked, running a knuckle along his gray mustache as he glared at Ember.

“I’m…” the 1st Captain started to retort.

He didn’t deserve that fate, he might have been the only Declension that-

Ember reached up to her forehead, clenching a gauntlet tightly for a moment. There was a faint electric crackling between her fingers, and then the creases on her brow disappeared. “I’m fine. The death of an Elder is merely surprising, is all. It’s unprecedented.”

“Whether or not we wish to acknowledge the fact…” The Colonel cut in harshly, looking between the two, “is irrelevant. Elders are mortal. They all are. XCOM is getting stronger by the moment and I am sure their connections are as well. I suggest we begin stunting their growth.”

Lucia folded her black-suited hands together, meeting Cain’s gaze. “Do you have a plan in mind for how to suppress them?”

“For that, I have a simple plan. While they move forward, we move back. They need to stop for supplies. I doubt they are that self-sustained as to be able to provide everything they have themselves. XCOM has been known to leave hope wherever they go. We go there, and take that hope away. Nigella, I will need you to go over our sighting reports and try and pinpoint some locations. If we can find some key settlements they have, we can cut them off. Take those supplies for ourselves. We may need them if we wish to go forward with our new large scale operation.” Verrater explained, looking to Church and Venom. “You have those two at your disposal to send where you wish.”

“Understood. Since it appears the Luxumba is currently somewhere in Asia, I will likely be heading there personally in the name of quick response to threats. Understandably not all of us can come there, but I will likely take others in addition to our team’s lieutenants.”

Ember smirked widely. “Great... so the opportunity has already arisen for me to make that so-called ‘cadre’ of vagabonds suffer. I can hardly contain my excitement, you know.”

Desmond looked at Ember and slowly nodded his head. “Take Miss Ignis with you as well. Lucia, Jezebel and Jayden will stay here until further notice. I have assignments for the lot of you I need done. And in the meantime, it will give you time to work out any flaws you may have before going up against XCOM’s elite.” He looked at Jayden specifically when he said that.

Williams met his CO’s gaze, though while he maintained his decorum a questioning glint did shine in his eyes. “May I ask what precise flaws you are referring to, sir?” he asked respectfully.

“You are a good soldier, I will give you that, but the fact still remains you are one of lowest ranking members. If you wish not to stay in that position, I would suggest taking special care to specialize in certain areas. I’ve taken the liberty of picking out some combat simulations specially made using data gathered from combat footage with the rebels. Learn how they fight. We all have our specialties. You will be our all-rounder. Understood?” Cain asked in a way that was left no room for question.

“Yes, sir,” Commando responded with a hand over his heart. “I understand.”

Ember rested her hands behind her head as she started walking around the table from the left towards her seat. “Bit of a shame I won’t get to fight alongside this one feisty feline, but what can you do? Too many’s a crowd,” the zealous crusader conceded. “Still a shame though,” she reiterated, leaning down and whispering something further in Procellae’s ear that made Jezebel’s eyes widen slightly and her cat ears perk up.

Elise looked over the two women with a curious gaze, shifting in her seat as she looked to the Colonel next. “S-Sir? I do have a question… both for… for you and for our Major.” When the man nodded, the hybrid alien woman continued with a deep breath. “Why was she promoted to the rank of Captain without so much as a reason why!?” The woman suddenly outburst, pointing straight at Ember. “She may be your daughter but she doesn’t deserve special treatment! Some of us have worked very, very hard and yet the position is handed to her as if she deserves it! A few weeks ago she was just another filthy rebel!”

The 1st Captain began laughing. In contrast, Major Blukersey was as calm as the antarctic landscape when she replied, “I can reassure you that this was not my decision, Moreau. I am not about to argue with the Honored Overseer’s judgement, however. He felt that Ember would be best suited to a high rank to serve as an exemplar of ADVENT’s strength, to be projected to our forces and the civilian populace alike. She will not be directing strategic measures - her rank will be used for a limited range of tactical situations.”

“Brother recognized my cunning,” Ember added once she had gotten over her initial burst of amusement at Elise’s frustration. “As well as my power. It would be rather ridiculous for me to be below the rank of someone unskilled in psionics, now wouldn’t it?”

“B-B-But… but… but…” Elise looked to everyone staring at her and she crossed her arms. “I don’t see you able to spit acid…” The girl of German descent muttered.

“Enough.” The Colonel cut in, glaring at both Elise and Ember alike. “Save it for after the meeting. As for the rest of your assignments. Lucia, you will be heading to Europe to investigate a matter for me. There have been a series of raids there that are a bit too organized and I need to know their cause. Jezebel, you will be assisting Williams in his training. Am I clear?”

Lucia nodded her assent. “I will carry out that task dutifully, sir.”

“Crystal clear,” Jezebel meekly responded, only meeting the elder Verrater’s gaze enough to signify compliance - not directly aligning her eyes with his for fear of staring into those fiery red orbs.

“Good. You all depart within the week. Make your preparations accordingly. I expect things to go right. Dismissed.” Cain stood, walking to leave quickly, and with a sense of purpose not known to the others.

Everyone else seemed to follow soon after, Elise standing up and waiting by the door for Church, who placed a hand on her shoulder, saying something to her that elicited a smile as the two departed together. The masked Ignis -of which the design mimiced a gas mask- followed as well, heading in the same general direction, telling Jayden and Bombay in passing she was going to get some R and R before making any deployment plans.

***

The place of residence for the Colonel’s elite task force was not unlike other barracks throughout the building, though the biggest difference immediately was the space. In a room that would usually hold thirty people sleeping altogether with no other purpose, here, there were only three bunk beds, able to keep six people bedded, Elise and Thomas to one, Bombay and Lucia to another, and Jayden currently having one bunk alone, though one bed was left for Ignis whenever she decided to actually sleep in it. For their unofficial member Daniel Hunnigan, there was no special spit placed for him - just as their wasn’t for either of the Verraters or the Major, as they had their own apartment much like the nonpresent Special Lieutenant himself.

In the center of the room it was more specialized for comfort, with a semi-circle couch of red color, with a coffee table in front of piled with books or magazines that belonged to their separate owners. On the far right side there were private bathrooms for the men and women as well as a communal shower that was up to the team who used it and when. On the far opposite side there was some weights as well as a punching bag and pair of treadmills to use for recreational workouts; if there ever was such a thing when it came to training of the team’s calibre. On the wall the couch faced towards was a massive television that the team had to use however they wanted, whether for news or for the collection of movies Elise kept special. Other than some spread out lockers for clothes, there was not much else in terms of differences from the rest of the soldier quarters.

Currently Church and Venom sat next to one another on the couch, Elise having her head in the elder man’s lap as she lazily watched the flashing television, her leg swaying over the side of the couch. Thomas for his part read an old, thick book which he was merely grazing over to see if it garnered interest.

Her fists connecting with the punching bag, the woman codenamed Ignis was wailing faster and faster against the inanimate object, for once not wearing her mask, which currently resided in her locker. She looked in her late twenties and early thirties, with her hair buzzed short. She had hazel colored eyes that matched her rather dark-shaded hairstyle well. Her caramel-colored skin marked her of latino descent, and her dress consisted of a top cropped so it revealed her abdomen, wearing a complementing pair of tight shorts. The jacket laying off to the side had the last name ‘Montoya’ stitched onto the front. On the back, the stitching was faded, as if something had been ripped from it.

Aegis was in the process of running at a brisk pace on the treadmill - notably wearing her alabaster armor in order to push herself to her physical limits of mobility whilst wearing the heavy white regalia. Commando watched her absentmindedly, his thoughts more focused on the expectations that had been laid out for him than the clone before him. Jezebel laid on her back on her bottom bunk, her legs (and tail) splayed out over the sheets lazily, distractedly - for different reasons than Jayden.

 

[MarineAvenger]

"Seeing Red" Part Three (DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger)

The scene played itself out for a few more seconds. However, as Lucia began to wind down her rigorous exercise routine, there was a pair of knocks at the door. Rather than asking for permission to enter, however, they were more of a statement of an inevitable arrival - a presumptuous calling card for the raven-haired woman that stepped through the gap left behind by the sliding door and entered. The light reflected off Ember’s red highlights as she took in the room in which the other members of the task force resided. “Kind of a dump compared to my quarters, but it’s utilitarian at least,” the 1st Captain observed.

The sound of everything seemed to cease except for the low sound coming from the T.V. so it wasn’t obnoxious for the other people in the room. The woman known only by her callsign, ‘Ignis’ was the first to speak. “Not all of us have a silver spoon up our ass, Verrater. Whatcha doing here?”

Ember chuckled. “I like your fire,” the brainwashed soldier decided. She was silent for a brief moment, and for some reason Jezebel rolled onto her face as if hiding something. Ember smirked, and then continued, “I figured it was only proper if I came to meet those I would be fighting alongside. A decision born mainly of curiosity, I’ll admit. I’m not as… stiff as the Major about protocol.”

“The woman is as stiff about protocol as they come.” Thomas spoke up as his eyes went back to his book, more curious about the print then the woman. “It would be hard to compare anyone to her. Even an Elder.”

That earned a slight grimace from Ember. “See, that’s something I don’t understand about you lot - or even father, for that matter. The Ethereal Ones are our betters, both in strength, wisdom, and rank by itself. Why all the contempt?”

Aegis hopped off the treadmill for surprising grace, considered the bulky gear she currently had on. “Don’t presume that applies to all of us. I would disagree with you a bit on the wisdom part - they can be fallible, or they wouldn’t have had to cleanse their ranks of dissidents - but I don’t hold them in ill will.”

“None of us hate them per say.” Elise called out from Thomas’ lap, not wanting to sit up. “They are just weird. They aren’t human. It’s just hard to get used to a species that aren’t you. Isn’t that right gramps?” She asked, reaching up to tug on the sniper’s mustache, which caused him to grumble.

“I guess it’d be that way if you didn’t have your eyes opened like I did,” Ember mumbled neutrally. “Regardless, though, satiate my curiosity. Tell me about yourselves.”

“Going to need to be more specific there, Red. Not going to pour heart and soul into the first date,” Ignis told the captain frankly as she went back to striking the bag.

“I would hope there wouldn’t be a date at all, that’s not-” Jayden began.

Jezebel rolled her eyes. “For the love of all that is holy, it’s just a metaphor you dickhead!” the feline complained.

“Not like the rules that govern the masses even apply to those on the top anyway,” Ember stated smugly.

“Pfft. I’m out of your league.” Montoya noted in a cold way that still kept that fiery tone. She struck the bag a few more times before deciding to state, “Name’s Isabelle. Better than using that dumbass callsign all the time. I go by Izzy for short.”

“Cute. I’ll remember that,” Ember snarked. “As for where to start… hm… why do you all fight? What’s the driving force?” She glanced at Jayden. “You don’t need to answer; you already told the me from before, after all.”

No one seemed to want to go first for whatever reason, and so to start things off, it seemed that Venom forced herself to be first. “Well… I am a test tube baby. I was genetically made to be half Viper, half human. Best of both worlds I suppose. Like a… Thin… Woman?” She tried to explain.

Church glanced down at Elise and sighed, knowing she would insist on him going next. “I prefer knowing my future is secure. I’d rather not live a life of retirement so I put my knowledge of the old world army training into use. I’m fed and have a cushy life in old age. Don’t have to work with old bones when you have genetic modifications.”

When Isabelle said nothing, she glared at Ember and then glared at her punching bag. “As if I would tell you. Want to know, go read my file. That’s where all you deserve to know is.”

Ember narrowed her eyes, something tugging at the back of her memories. Didn’t that loser name an… “No, it couldn’t be,” the 1st Captain declared with a widening grin. “That’d be too funny. You don’t happen to know a guy by the name of Leon Sinclair, do you?”

Izzy fist slammed on the bag one last time, swinging it side to side without any other blows being landed on it, the woman a statue. “Mention that name again, and I will whoop you so hard you will wish you never crawled out of your daddy’s sack. We clear?” The woman growled.

A guffaw was the reply that initially escaped Ember. “I’d like to see you try. At the same time, though, no need to get all ruffled. I never said I liked him… anymore, anyway.”

“Is that so?” The woman asked, rolling her tongue across her cheek as she gave Ember a hard glare. “Care to explain?”

“Yakone Ipiktok was his stupid lover that looked past his faults in the name of this childish image of love when they served together in XCOM. Enlightened as I am now,” Ember specified, “all of his flaws become all-too clear. Especially that fucker’s propensity to run from his problems like a coward rather than face them like a man.”

There was a slight shift in Ignis’ gaze, and the soldier slowly nodded, looking back to the bag. “Yeah… glad you came to understand that too.”

“Suppose we have something in common then, former Reaper… we both want to put an end to that particular craven XCOM sergeant,” Ember declared with satisfaction.

Izzy decided she had nothing more to say to the captain, turning and announcing she would be going for a drink before briskly leaving rather suddenly.

“Touchy… bit too sensitive,” Ember muttered, now a bit dissatisfied. She noted Jezebel’s features scrunch up slightly. “Don’t get too jealous over there… my compliment from earlier stands, kitty. Like I said, got no interest in Sinclair now.”

“Must you Verrater?” Elise spoke up in defense of Jezebel, giving her a sour look. “You don’t need to tease her like that, you know?”

Ember’s lips twisted upwards, almost as if at a jagged angle. “Who said I was just teasing?”

“You really need someone to kick in that smug look of yours.” The German hybrid muttered angrily, turning her attention back to the television. “By the way, I don’t believe you are truly free of the rebels. You are and always will never be one of us. We don’t need pretend golden converts like you coming in here and making us loyalists look bad.”

“You’re half-right,” the 1st Captain replied irritably. “I’m not one of your little special operatives. I’m better than you.” The young woman crossed her arms. “As for my loyalty, well… I’ll let my actions convince you of that. Spilling some XCOM blood should suffice nicely.”

“Alright, fine. Then I issue you a challenge then.” Venom stood, her green face turning a certain shade of purple from the color dotting her cheeks. “I want you to kill your previous boyfriend, and prove you killed him. If you can do that, then I will give you any reward you want with no questions asked. Put your money where your mouth is, you traitor.”

“Where XCOM is concerned, I’d call treason honorable,” Ember retorted. Her expression returning to that infuriatingly confident smirk, she continued, “I was planning on killing him anyway, so that won’t be a big deal. Armor cam will take care of the proof. Not sure I’m interested in snake cloaca though, so my reward will require some pondering.”

Jezebel couldn’t help but snicker at Elise’s expense. “You oughta lighten up a little about her. Seems like she’s taken after my example.”

“Shut up you!” Moreau snapped at Bombay irritably. “I am still a normal human woman! Not a real snake just like she isn’t technically a real cat! You’re just jealous you are some Elder pet while I am the pride and joy of the genetic division. Remember that.”

“Rowr,” Procellae muttered under her breath with a swish of her hand.

“I’m the big sis of the Honored Overseer himself. Big difference between that and a pet, bitch,” Ember returned with a snarl. “I don’t care if some lowly human scientists like you. That makes you a slightly higher-profile insect.”

“You really are delusional if you think the Honored Overseer actually sees you as family. You are human, and he is an Elder. The fact you wish to blindly see yourself as more than just a pet makes me laugh at the delusion of grandeur you have about yourself. Big sis. Please, it is more ridiculous than calling a dog your precious little child.” Elise retorted back smoothly, turning up her chin coldly as she crossed her arms.

“Continue to be so small-minded and petty at your own risk,” Ember replied tersely. “Fools like you tend to die one way or another.”

“And idiots like you will have chains around your neck faster then your can even think of protest. After all…” She turned her head from Ember, “I may be part snake, but you are the true animal.” The woman stated matter-of-factly, sitting down with a grace that completely contradicted her anger from before. And from her cold shoulder, she already saw herself as the winner of the argument.

“Could an animal do this, you stupid motherfucker?!” Ember growled furiously. The servos in her armor froze up, and then her expression became placid. A moment later, Venom felt another mind overtake hers. Not of her own will, Elise’s hands reached up around her throat and squeezed. Who’s got something around their neck now?

 

[MarineAvenger]

“Enough of this childish shit.” Kenway snapped harshly, standing up as he looked to the woman strangling herself. “Release her now or I swear to God I will cut your throat while you are in there.” The sniper warned, narrowing his eyes showing no signs of a bluff.

Venom grinned widely with a smile that wasn’t hers. “That’d be scary if my Crimson Regalia didn’t have a localized forcefield for a helmet,” Elise felt herself say. Then, suddenly, she was free - but not in time to stop herself from falling onto the floor on her face.

Returning to her body, Ember cracked her knuckles, pushing away the numbing buzz she would sometimes get from inhabiting a body whose biochemistry didn’t match hers. “It’s cute you guys think you pose a threat to me.”

“No, but the Major and Colonel will hear about this incident. Let me assure you of that. Be a bitch who gloats all she wants but you go to far harming another of this task force. I will not stand for this incivility, from anyone.” Church said authoritatively, looking down at Elise trying very hard to fight the urge to show her sympathy.

“Hmph. If you’re useful I won’t kill anyone of you - that'd be a waste. But don’t forget your place, Lieutenant.” Ember scowled derisively. “Have fun with earning me a slap on the wrist. See if I care.” Ember straightened her shoulders and walked past Church. Without warning of her intent, she seized Jezebel’s chin. Before she could protest, the young woman forced her tongue down Bombay’s lips in a fiery kiss she held for a few moments before pulling away.

“W-wha...why…?” Jezebel sputtered.

“Something to feel good about,” Ember told the feline with her smug smile having returned. With that said, she sauntered her way towards the door. “Be seeing you losers on the flight to Asia,” the 1st Captain declared before the door shut behind her.

 

[MarineAvenger]

"Berserk"

Western Kazakhstan Waterfront
0913 Hours, October 21th, 2038
Onboard the Avenger
Floor 6, Central Block
The Secondary Briefing Room

Leon’s fist coiled into a tightened ball, staring at the television screen of the situation room with a horrified, betrayed, and angry look on his face. His first love, the woman he had almost lost entirely several times now truly was. She was a turncoat to the ADVENT Protectorate, of which means he didn’t know. All he knew was that there was a tight knot in his chest. “Why show me this?” The Sergeant asked angrily, turning a hateful gaze to the Central Officer who brought him there in the first place.

Bradford held a grim look of sadness overtook him. He didn’t know what emotion to expect out of the soldier, but anger had been at the bottom of the list. “You had a right to privacy learning about this Leon. Atka knows. And news is spreading. I had a feeling you deserved to be told personally then by word of mouth.”

“So what is it we are going to do now, huh? What’s the gameplan to get Yakone back!?” Leon asked forcefully, gesturing a hand towards the woman dressed in red battle armor. The look Bradford gave him twisted his gut into a blazing fury.

“For now Leon, we have no gameplan. The best we can do is hope and pray we find a way to get her-” Bradford jumped back as Leon’s fist punched the monitor which held the reborn Ember on it, sending spiderweb like cracks all along it and distorting the image of the woman who was paused there.

“No! I have no more fucking hope to hold out for or fucking prayers to give! I am asking how we are going to get her back! And the best answer you can give me is that BULLSHIT!?” The Grenadier yelled at the Trooper.

“Lower your tone soldier before I am forced to send you to the brig to cool that head of yours.” Bradford warned in an authoritatively way, keeping his tone level and trying to keep in control of the situation.

Leon turned on Bradford, the man’s senses training him to know when a fist was going to come his way, Bradford holding up his arm to defend against the blow that would otherwise have glanced off of him. This time however, the force of the blow was enough to send the Central Officer off his feet and sliding backwards. He landed with a grunt, grabbing his communicator. “Get a security team to the secondary situation room now! Get a psionic containment device now!” He watched as Leon took the broken hilt off of his belt, scrambling back and through the door, hitting the console as he ran out to shut and lockdown the room as he made an escape.

“Leon! What are you doing!? Stop this immediately, you are going to get us into a lot of trouble!” Psyma yelled as he manifested himself besides the soldier, yelling at the top of his metaphorical lungs to try and get through to the soldier but he was too lost in his anger.

The psionic sword manifested itself once more, though unlike before the blade burned with psionic energy, glowing off the blade like a star going supernova. The orange glow began extending up his arm as Leon’s eyes glowed a fierce orange, bringing down the weapon into the nearest console, quite literally slicing through it as if nothing was there, sending up sparks everywhere. “LEON!” Psyma yelled, covering his eyes and cowering in fear, powerless.

“I am SICK and TIRED of losing EVERYTHING I ever care about!” He yelled, striking the inanimate object over and over and over as he vented his inner rage and turmoil in the most unhealthy way possible. “JAREN!” He kicked the console, turning around and sending the sword through the central table. “YAKONE!” The Grenadier kicked the sliced in half metal furniture so hard it slammed into the wall as if it weighed nothing to him. Power surged in him that left a sweet yet sour feeling in the back of his mind.

“WHY CAN’T I EVER CATCH A BREAK!?” He yelled as loud as his lungs would allow, turning and slashing his weapon in the air, leaving a huge gaping gash in the ceiling of the private situation room. “WHAT THE FUCK IS THE POINT OF FIGHTING IF EVERYTHING IS A FUCKING DEFEAT!?”

He turned and saw himself, or a least of hollow visage of the man Leon Sinclair stood for staring back at him through the reflection of broken glass in the monitor he had punched. Now where the once noble and kind hearted man stood was a snarling, deformed beast he hardly recognized that glowed with an inhuman power that he strangely found sickening and delightful. What semblance there was left of Leon caused his already bruised fist to strike the screen once more. “FUCK!” The screen cracked further. “FUCK!” He found himself grinning back at him with teeth showing. They taunted and tormented him so. “FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!”

Leon’s fist was sent through the glass screen and into the electrical components behind it, sending sparks flying and sending electrical jolts of agony screaming through his nerves, the man letting out a primal yell that was not entirely from the pain of the electrical burns. He pulled back his hand, collapsing to his knees and leaned forward with his good arm keeping him from slouching against the equipment that hadn’t been destroyed entirely yet.

From his lips escaped a sorrow-filled cry, warm droplets of tears running down his face as the man let out almost a child-like, innocent cry that couldn’t even begin to encapsulate the feelings he held inside. He hit his hurt fist against the console, smearing blood from profusely bleeding wounds onto the alien metal.

The Canadian man breath heavily, laboring as all the air had gone from his lungs. He stared at the smear of blood for a few moments before he fell to the side, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as much like a little kid after a tantrum, all his energy was exhausted. He lay motionless on the ground as the door was blasted open using a small explosive, lightly armored soldiers with conventional weapons coming into the room.

William came in behind them, looking around at the complete carnage with a look of complete shock on his face as the security team began placing psionic restraints on the unconscious man, getting ready to haul him to a cell. “Good god Leon… what the hell came over you?” The Central Officer asked breathlessly, saying nothing more as he was lifted and was slowly dragged off. Something caught the older man’s eye as he turned to leave, staring down at the broken sword hilt that lay on the ground bloodied and now completely useless. He had his reservations but he went and picked up the piece of equipment, looking down at it. What the hell happened? He asked himself, once more looking in awe at the sheer brutality the room before him was destroyed by.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Reflections of a Avaricious Deity
Part One

The deep blackness of eternity stretched out at all angles and sides, no light to be seen and yet the three present were completely illuminated. Shen'lutusus looked around slowly, trying not to make it obvious he was more interested in the darkness then the meeting. So drab, so... uninspired, he thought to himself. Could use some of my personal dreamscape. Could use a splash of color at least. Please, someone, spill a can of mental paint or something.

Next item of note, one of his many superiors, this being his direct superior, Zemsis'jiputer, droned on, doing little to add any flair to his little presentation of facts. It would seem that a radical by the name of Volupta'Aergianmacaria has resurfaced after nearly four cycles of silence. She has joined the one believed to be Jan’tialamacaria in her movement in the defense of planet 921 in the Sevary sector.

The other attendant, the always pleasant to work with Tien'lyssigan, let out a mental grunt. So much effort for a planet of apathetic monkeys. We have what we need here. Might as well torch that planet and the traitors in one swift attack. Clean the galaxy of their filth.

I will pass your opinion on to my superiors, but somehow I doubt they'll agree, Zemsis stated. It was hard to say if he was being serious or sarcastic. One... final note. How are things going with the growing resistance movements in Europe, Shen'lutusus?

Shen sighed as he stared down at his folded hands. I wonder if this is what human schools are like...

Shen! Tien mentally shouted, sending ripples of psychokinetic energy out that momentarily disrupted the shared dreamscape. Answer the blasted question!

Yes, of course. I... Shen thought for a moment. He was sure he had heard the question, but was drawing a blank.

If Tien had been verbally speaking, he would be doing so through clenched teeth. How are you handling the dirant infestation across Europe, you... He muttered something in a variety of languages. What Shen could pick up was very flattering.

Dirant... oh, right, the... the rebels... Shen waved a dismissive hand, one of many human gestures he had unapologetically picked up. Things are fine. I'm taking care of it.

The other two Elders exchanged a glance, and Zemsis asked, Can you perhaps... elaborate on that answers, Lutusus?

Shen internally groaned. Well, I have increased ADVENT activity throughout the megacities as much as possible without alerting the ever fragile minds of the masses. I additionally have a growing spy network throughout the slums at known, or believed, locations where the resistances hide. It is only a matter of time before I crack down on them. But I need more time. That little message XCOM let out created a lot of civil unrest. It was bad enough when it was initially let out, but a recent hack job to the east had it played again in some of the slums.

Zemsis nodded. Good to hear you are taking this all serious. Regardless, part of the XCOM extermination task force will be deployed soon to assist in your endeavors.

Shen scoffed, folding his four arms. I do not need that... over hyped, powered up team of lap dogs coming here.

Regardless of how you or I feel about it, you have your orders, Zemsis countered. I believe it is only a single individual, one you likely won't actually have to interact with directly. Deal with it.

Shen rubbed the side of his mask. I think I enjoy the idea of this person operating here without coming to me first even less to be honest.

Tien let out a gruff mental chuckle. Perhaps, if you were better at handling your own problems, you wouldn't need the help from ADVENT's strongest team of pets. Must be... incredibly embarrassing for you. Bad enough your work on that pathetic sphere of weak minded fools has been so unproductive.

Hey, insult me all you want, but not my labs. My personal lab alone has advanced any number of military projects, and I have a human teenager who is closer to perfecting true, autonomous, self learning, sentient artificial intelligence then we have been since that whole copy and paste splinter A.I. fiasco. As for my ability to deal with the resistance, tell me, Tien... Shen smiled under his mask as he said, That operation you personally handled in South America... specifically Chile, was it? How did that go?

His fellow Elder's air of arrogance quickly evaporated. Never... never you mind.

Shen's smile only grew. I mean... you were given so many resources with which to make your team. Surely the rumor of the... utterly embarrassing failure was merely an exaggeration, right?

That is enough, Shen'lutusus, Zemsis said before Tien's anger could boil over. You have proven your point. In our near infinite power and glory, we tend to underestimate these humans. Though their ideals be folly, they follow them with a passion that makes them unpredictably stronger than expected. If this was not the case, we would not have lost one of our own. We need to learn from past mistakes, or we risk repeating them.

Shen bowed his head. Well said. He looked to his side. Hmm? Finished already... of course not. In fact...

He reached his hand to the side, and under it materialized the mental image of his person security. Anja looked around in confusion, until she noted the two other Elders and yelped, dropping to her hands and knees. "I-I... E-Elder Shen, please..."

Tien's anger reached its peak, and his image shuttered and shook as he struggled to maintain the link through his wrath. How dare you... you bring a human in a meeting of three Elders, you... you...

Shen looked down at the cowering woman. She seems to be giving you the respect you desire.

That is not the point! Mere mortals are not to intrude on the realm of gods without their direct summons!

But... I summoned her. Besides, the Egyptians had their mortal gods in the forms of Pharaohs to live amongst humans. The Abrahamic religions had a single, omnipotent God that still spoke directly to the humans. And in the old beliefs of Greece, there were many a time when the gods would directly...

I care not for the human's old religions, mythologies, and superstitions!" Tien glared down it Anja. I believe we are finished here. Call me when we have more important matters to discuss that do not involve his idiotic beliefs and lessons in human culture. With that, he disappeared.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Reflections of a Avaricious Deity
Part Two

Zemsis calmly turned to look at Shen. You play a dangerous game, playing at his wrathful nature like that. You do little for yourself by alienating your fellow Elders.

Shen raised his two right hands. I swear but the guiding light of the Path, I believed every word I said today. Zemsis stared at him for a few moments in silence before finally disappearing himself. Shen closed the dreamscape and telekinetically rose Anja to her feet. That was quite brilliant. Thank you for getting me out of that meeting, my dear. Expect a credit bonus at the end of the month.

"I-I h-hope it'll be worth the... near heart attack and the ire of a very angry sounding Elder," the Finnish woman stated, taking several deep breaths to calm herself before getting to the reason why she was here. "I-I, um... I have those reports for you, if you are ready."

Yes, please. Go ahead. Shen lifted the round device used to communicate with his brethren and moved to put it away as he listened.

"Well, SNY-101-2 is back to work. She seems to be doing a lot better. No problems to report so far."

Excellent. Keep a close eye on her though, just in case.

"Of course. Work on the atmospheric element condenser mechanism has... well, slowed to a stop. The techs say they, uh..." Anja read her notes to herself before saying them out loud. "They are running out of ideas to... compensate for the micro reactions needed to complete the... materialization of complex combinations of elements."

Yes, well, tell the team to work on it for another week. If nothing comes up, I will put the project on hold and reassign them. No point in having them work on a dead end.

"The new line of SHIVs are just about ready to be presented. Do you... still want to delay doing so? It might raise some suspicions."

I have an idea or two for why the work won't be good enough. Tell Africa they'll have to wait at least another week, possibly two.

"Alright. And finally, subject KA-SC-29 had her first litter this morning."

Excellent. I want one. Fetch me one before the science team take them all away.

"M... Master Shen..." Anja adjusted her glasses. "Don't you think you have enough pets? I mean... what about Bergy and Tren?"

I am afraid I conducted an experiment with them involving the best bird food one can find, and an open window. After two weeks, I do not believe they are coming back.

"What about Temple?"

Escaped his cage. Can't find him.

"Kip? Doni? Septim? Eis?"

Please, Anja, fish do not count.

"Bonobo? What about Bonobo? You were so insistent on getting him."

Shen shook his head. You know... after you get over the novelty of saying you own an alligator snapping turtle, you realize there is little you can actually do with it. He lifted his hand to silence the blonde before him. Won't you indulge my avarice... please? You know I don't have to ask.

"I know." Anja sighed. "Just... remember that a kitten needs more attention and affection then fish or a turtle."

I am aware. It will be a personal experiment. An Elder's capacity to care for a Terrian feline. Perhaps I will write something on it. Shen finally sat in his comfortable chair, sighing to be in a relaxed position after a long day. You can... oh, Ms. Hämäläinen. I just received word that someone from Colonel Verrater's little anti-XCOM group is coming to Europe. Of course, I wasn't told exactly when, where, or why. See if you can find that out.

"I-I'll try. Somewhere in Europe is... a little vague." Anja's head sulked down a bit, and she involuntarily shuttered. "I hope it isn't that new Ember lady. She... scares me."

A new member you say? Shen groaned a bit, the sound echoing in his mask. Just what we need. More of them. When did this happen?

"A-a few days ago, sir. You... really didn't know?"

I was off planet, remember? And catching up on that little ADVENT pet project is not exactly on the top of my list of things to catch up on.

Anja nodded, and stepped up to his computer, going through some files. She did it with impressive ease and skill considering the complex language everything was in. "I had a feeling that might be the case. That's why I made sure to save a recording of her coronation for you to watch." She hit play, and stepped away.

Shen watched it with body language that screamed boredom at first. That boredom quickly changed to confusion. Captain Ember... Verrater? Long lost... no... no, she... He watched with a renewed intensity. By the time the video had ended, he was visibly shaking in anger, his heart filled with a degree of wrath that would put Tien'lyssigan to shame.

"M-m-master... please..." Anja was on the floor, the pressure in the room so great it felt like the gravity was five times stronger.

Noting his suffering secretary, Shen closed his eyes and calmed himself, the waves of pure energy he was giving off subsiding. As Anja slowly rose to her feet, Shen sat back once more, feeling a thousand years older all of a sudden. Forgive me, my dear. I just... was ill prepared for this turn of events. I... did not even know they had her. It goes to show how out of the loop they keep me...

Anja took a hanky out of her pocket and wiped the sweat from her brow. "What... will you do now?"

Shen remained silent. Without being able to see his face, Anja wasn't even sure he had heard her at first. Finally, he said, I do not... know. This represents a shift in power that... I will have to ponder on this for a good while. I... would like to be left alone.

Anja bowed her head. "Yes, sir." She quickly exited, giving her master the solitude he requested.

After several minutes of silent contemplation, Shen pressed a hidden switch on the wall, revealing the Elder mask he had coveted so much. Now what, Acra? he asked out loud, and naturally, got no response.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

XCOM Mission Parameters

Avatar Forge, within the rainforests of what was once Thailand
2030 Hours, October 24th, 2038 [No Time Pressure]
Uncover the truth about the Avatar Project.

XCOM Forces

Menace 1-5

Alpha Squad
CPL Strand, Christoffer [Paramedic]
SQ Belle, Stacie [Gunslinger]
SQ Ashworth, Emmeline [Phantom]
SQ Bauer, Heinrich [Grenadier]
SQ Brown, Olivia [Ambusher]
SQ Dominguez, Maxwell [Aerotrooper]
SQ Brock, Adam [Enforcer]
Fulmach [SPARK]

Beta Squad
CMDR Ipiktok, Atka [Ambusher]
SQ Tvarnov, Marx [Ranger]
SQ Kasagi, Ayame [Phantom]
SQ O’Brien, Morrigan [Specialist]
SQ “Red Hawk”, Mark [Specialist]
SQ Van Dam, Luke [Grenadier]
SQ Chambers, Alexis [Aerotrooper]
SQ Yokolov, Samuel [Aerotrooper]

Operation Sanguine Moon

At long last, Seshat has decoded the data pertaining to the last stop on the path of the Avatar Project research: a structure marked only by the name “The Forge”. It is sitting out in the middle of nowhere in Thailand, protected from detection by vast patrols and sensor arrays. It will take all of Firebrand’s jamming technology and assistance from Seshat just to get us in without being immediately detected. The benefit of the secrecy is that they are nowhere near reinforcements. The defenses at the site are all that we have to worry about.

What those include is largely unknown, though. Our Codex was not programmed with data on guard rotations, so we’ll have to go in fairly blind. Lucky it is, then, that we are used to that. The main building takes precedence over all else, so we’ll want to get a team in there as quickly as possible - leaving no chance for the enemy to vacate vital equipment and samples from the area. To make this work, however, two squads will be deployed. The first - Alpha Squad - will be tasked with providing a diversion. They will land first, and wait for the second squad to be picked up from the Avenger.

Once the Skyranger is en-route with Beta Squad, Alpha will go loud and deal with the external defenses. This will give Beta the opportunity to infiltrate the main building itself, and discover what lies inside.

***​

As Alpha Squad began its flashy distraction outside of the main building of the Forge, the Skyranger flew towards that alabaster-walled structure that sat in the middle of the Asiatic forest. It stood out significantly from the lush greens and faint browns surrounding it, the large building’s clinical, bleached look making it easy to spot from a distance. It was only due to the lack of people in the area - and the traps and turrets set up around the perimeter - that no one had ever set foot near the facility before. From above, however, it wouldn’t be too difficult to get inside from the roof… provided that the Skyranger’s occupants could take out the anti-air turrets diligently watching the skies.

Opening the hatch prematurely and causing fast-moving air to rush in, Atka spoke at an audible level through squad communications. “Well, we don’t have a mortar to make the shots this time… but I think we can manage without. Tvarnov, why don’t you try out the new toy that Shen gave you? Give those magnetic grenades of Luke’s a little push so they hit their mark below.”

Nodding, the Russian flexed his new powers, pulling the grenades off of Luke’s belt and causing them to hover in his hand, then, after lining them up, he shot the grenades towards the enemy defenses, ripping them off their mounts and violently pulling them apart, sending metal shrapnel outwards in all directions.

“Good show, Marx.” Morrigan lifted her weapon, still adjusting to her new gear. “That should help with getting out of here as well.”

With the anti-air defenses in a wrecked heap, the eight members of Beta Squad were able to be dropped from a low altitude onto the metal plating making up the exterior of the ‘Avatar Forge’. They were not initially met with any resistance - there was not a soul in sight on the roof. They located their entrance - the shaft of an elevator surrounded by heating vents - and descended two floors onto the location in which Seshat’s data was completely blacked out. In all likelihood, the ground floor contained the ultimate result of the Avatar Project. With this fact in mind, the squad tensely looked around… and yet there still was no sign of any enemies.

Alexis searched their surroundings cautious, ready to defend at any moment. “Hate to use an old cliche, but does anyone else think it’s too quiet?”

Ayame nodded, her body tense and ready to strike. “I know they’re busy outside, but you’d think we’d at least have a small welcoming party. This… stinks of a trap…”

“Well I don’t know. ADVENT never thought anyone could come here, or know about it. So maybe there will be low defences. But knowing our luck, I’m sure there will be something waiting for us.” Luke looked at his new amp weapon, and smiled. “Now if we have amazing luck, then Ember would be here to.

“In the middle of an alien facility out in the middle of nowhere?” the Commander shook her head. “I find that unlikely.” Atka stepped forward, staying near the front with the swordsman and swordswoman that made up the squad’s vanguard. Beta passed through a hallway that was stark white save for a collection of blinking lights and tubes - in which flowed the same sickly green material that had been seen in the alien blacksite in Antarctica. All of it led to a large door - more impressive than the one in the Skyscraper where the splinter AI had been found, but still alien nevertheless. “Morrigan, Red, get on opening that door.” The pair of Gremlins went to the access panel, but almost immediately after they started trying to hack in, a trio of Codexes flared into existence in front of the door.

Two of them were blown apart by the reflexive fire of the squad, but the third emerged from the initial barrage unscathed. Warning. Unauthorized personnel have entered the Forge, it rather robotically psied all around itself.

What?! No, hold them back! I am not to be disturbed! A powerful psionic voice rang out from within a room beyond. You two! Deal with them… or at least hold them off a few more minutes until I can complete the transfer.

Once that order was given, the door began opening on its own, the circular alloy barrier coiling out of the way. It revealed an ‘airlock’ chamber of sorts, containing massive vats of genetic material that were rapidly drying up, as well as a variety of biometric scanners and storage containers. The Codex vanished from sight, and behind where she had been just a second before stood a pair of - surprisingly - ADVENT soldiers. Both were adorned in red armor, though one of them wore a suit more blood-red in color complete with a full-face visor helmet. The other’s armor was crimson, and lacked on apparent helmet.

While the expression of Major Blukersey was impossible to discern at the moment, that of the woman beside her was clear to see. With an excited, conceited, and vicious grin rivaling a shark’s in its cruelty, Ember Verrater smiled broadly. “Well, well, well… here you all are. In the flesh! For the moment.” In a flash, a pair of advanced-looking alloy swords were in her hands. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Black0ut, Dahlexpert, DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, Taxor_the_First, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Sanguine Moon” - Part 1

Atka’s eyes widened in shock. “Yakone!”

“Tch. Wrong number, Yakone’s not home. She’s moved to a permanent new address called oblivion,” Ember retorted with a hint of irritation.

“Well, Commander, I could say I told you so, but now is not the time.,” Luke looked at Ember “ So, look at you Yakone! All dressed up playing the role of ADVENT. Cocksucker. Scratch that. Captain Asshole. Is that better for you. Or, oh! Captain Dumbass.” Luke continued to mock the former XCOM soldier.

Nigella, if you’d create a wall of ice broken only by his location, that’d be appreciated. Ember cracked her neck. “Alright, if you’re done… you’re first.” Ember placed one foot backwards for a moment, and made a motion as if she were about to sigh - momentarily disarming the squad. Instead of groaning, however, she suddenly surged forward. Blukersey conjured up a pair of miniature glaciers on either side of Luke, momentarily isolating him and giving Ember a temporary 1v1 against Luke. That was all she needed. Surrounding a hand in an electrified whirlpool of midnight green, Ember impacted her palm against the Grenadier - narrowly dodging a blast of superheated energy on the way.

Alright Luke she’s in close range, let’s go for a firecracker. Luke moved his hand trying to use his fire cracker, but nothing happened. “What the hell, why can’t I use my powers!”

Ember didn’t give him a straight answer, instead offering a brief laugh before pressing the activation switches on her swords and coating them in volatile fusion energy. She took a swipe, and if Blue World didn’t materialize between her and Luke at that moment, the swords would have garroted the Grenadier. Instead, they damaged the Reflection, exposing some of its helical skeleton with how much destruction they had wrought.

Alright I don’t have my powers for now, but that’s never been a problem for at least thirteen years of my life. Time to get to work.” Luke dodged a follow-up slash of one of Ember’s swords, and used her momentum to grab her head and send her face first into the ice. Luke then backed away from Ember and readied his Febrigun.

Ember was quickly back up on her feet - and judging by the fact that she was still grinning, some sort of force had prevented her face from smashing properly against the glass. “Thank you, forcefield helmet,” the zealous crusader muttered. She parried a punch from Blue World, not able to block its immense strength completely but instead having the impact slide off the edges of her blades. She used the power of the hit to slide backwards, standing beside Blukersey again as the rest of the XCOM squad broke the ice apart using psionic abilities or gunfire.

Alexis held her hand forward, and barrier appearing in front of Luke. “Yakone… I can’t let you hurt Luke, or any of my friends… of your friends. Please, stop this.”

Ayame held her sword firmly. “We’ve been over this, kid. I don’t think she cares.” She inched closer to Marx in case the pair of swordsman had to team up.

“Are you ready?” Morrigan asked quietly.

“I am.” Marx answered steadily.

Typhoon Substructure is ready and operational, Vyssini said in her head. We’ll have to put all our practice to the test if we hope to keep up with her movements.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to echo Chamber’s sentiment,” Samuel stated, pumping his shotgun in an obvious attempt to intimidate. “No matter who you once were, you’re not laying a hand on any of us. If we have to play rough to ensure that…” He glanced at the ground beside him, where his shadow waited. “... then I’m game.”

Marx’s attention turned to a simple note in his pocket, if only for a second, muttering, “Sorry… might not be so possible right now…”

Luke shook his head, and after a moment he made a small fire in his hand. Luke looked at the Commander and telepathically told her. Hey Commander, we have a situation for your little plan to get her back. I don’t know what she did, but for a moment, my powers wouldn't work. So the you gave me is even more apparent, I’m not sure if it can get to longer range or not, so be careful

Ember’s smirk only seemed to crack wider, and she let out a tremendous laugh. “Oh, this is going to be fun. Here, let me open up with a party trick the good Major taught me.” A green glow supplemented the orange-colored fusion flames around the 1st Captain’s right sword, and with a powerful swing she sent the charge flying off. It barreled towards Atka, Ayame, and Samuel, and passed through the physical defenses they attempted to put up. When it hit them, it did no damage to armor; instead, each felt a shallow wound sliced open on a different part of their body (as the slash was diagonal). Ember seemed slightly disappointed that they didn’t drop dead. Huh… still need to work on the external biokinesis I see.

Marx looked back and forth between her and his allies, “Harmful biokinesis now? Not bad, hope that’s something you’ll keep when I’m done beating the Ethereal out of you.”

“Big words,” Ember responded with a smug tone. “Just try and back them up!” She activated her overdrive, coating herself in a burning emerald glow that caused her crimson cape to flutter as if battered by the wind. “I’ll enjoy watching you fail and die.” She charged back into the fray, this time going for Marx. Her fusion blades met his in a whirlwind of blows, causing burn marks to appear on Marx’s swords from the heat that outmatched the strength of his melee laser weapons. Her speed along was staggering even without physical enhancement, as she moved like a raging monsoon with just the biokinetic buttressing and her powered armor to up her mobility.

Marx buckled when hit with the tremendous force, deciding to let it push him down instead of taking it. As he hit the floor, the alloy floor pulled up around him into a suit of armor, hopefully durable enough to help counter their differences in speed. The Ranger rolled backwards to get himself off the floor, bending more metal to launch himself towards her, both blades prepared for a downwards swing.

Ember let her red-and-black armor take the hits from flying alien metal head-on. Combined with her imbuing, it was durable enough to take them without a scratch, and her quick reflexes - borne from the PCS that oncemore resided within her brain stem - allowed her to counter Marx’s slashes with a cross from her blades. She used a burst of physical enhancement to push forward with that ‘x’, sending Marx tumbling backwards. His armor sparked furiously, spitting out flaming shards of electricity before he impacted with the wall that rapidly closed behind him. “Better luck next time.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Black0ut, Dahlexpert, DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, Taxor_the_First, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Sanguine Moon” - Part 2

Nigella focused on the momentarily-stunned Ranger with an uplift of her right palm, intending to take him out of the equation by crushing his internal organs. Before she had the chance, however, her eyes widened, and she rolled to the right, then ducked low, then moved to the left. The first move got her out of the way of a bolt launched from Atka. The second prevented a spray of heatwaves from Luke’s Febrigun from melting her armor. The third dodge saved her from a barrage of lasers aimed from Alexis’ rifle.

“Just like those Prowlers,” Atka growled in frustration. “She sees it all coming.”

Luke thought for a moment and came up with an Idea.” Commander, I need you to distract the Major. “ Luke then turned to Alexis. “Darling, ready to make a huge explosion?”

Alexis held her hands together, a sphere of pure oxygen in a small shield forming. “Ready when you are. I just… hope this is enough without being too much. Just tell me when.”

“Right.” Luke loaded his Febrigun and fired at the Major trying to shed her armor, and keep her on her feet.

He managed to accomplish one of those things. Nigella didn’t stay in one place. She was constantly in motion, moving rapidly out of the way of Luke’s attacks in the way only a prescient being could manage. The barrage did have the effect of turning Nigella’s attention momentarily to Luke. “Begone,” she mumbled, trying to collapse his lungs. The Grenadier felt an effect similar to asthma take place, but his vital organs did not implode. “...hm,” she neutrally noted, her efforts frustrated by the biofield currently emanating from Alexis and encasing Luke. “They’ve adapted.”

“Who the hell cares? They’re still weaklings.” Ember placed her swords in their sheathes for a moment, preparing to switch tactics for a moment while Luke prepared his combination attack with Alexis. Seeing a hopeful opening, Marx quickly launched an alloy shard from the floor towards Ember, trying to give himself the time he needed to get back up.

“Quickly, Luke!” Alexis yelled. “Before they try and hit you again!” She shot her share of concentrated oxygen forward, bringing it to a rest between the two opponents.

“Right, this is going to be fun.” Luke tried to use firecracker again but nothing happened. “Okay, the old fashioned way.” Luke fired his Shard grenade into the oxygen bubble, the explosion was enough to not only shred the armor of the two enemies, but also knocking them back a few feet. “BOOM, suck on that you two mind-washed monsters!”

The smoke and dust from the initial explosion settled, and Nigella’s armor had a few rents along its length - the Major having taken a bit more damage than the Captain. Ember, for her part, had only suffered minor scratches along the length of her Crimson Regalia. This was, however, enough for her smile to turn into a scowl. “Cute. How about I kill one of yours in reprisal for damaging my armor?” She lifted her PDW - which was of alien design now, and glowed with the bright green hue of plasma. “All your weaknesses… I know them by heart.” She pulled the trigger, aiming the weapon straight for Ayame. Nigella backed her up, creating four walls of ice to box Ayame in from all sides except from the front, where plasma barreled towards her.

“Crap.” Ayame turned and slashed at the wall. This combined with the sustain fire from the others cute a hole for her to escape, but not before the plasma shots ripped into her armor and started boiling away her side. She dived through the ice wall, and - with a heart wrenching cry of pain - used the effects of her cryomedkit to stop the spreading of the flesh eating plasma before it could cause any more damage. She ducked to the side, panting heavily as she tried to keep from passing out.

“Feeling the burn huh, bitch?” Ember snarled victoriously. She tossed her PDW back on her back, and oncemore pulled out her swords. “Together?”

“Indeed.” Nigella drew her shockstaff, and ignited the two tips with a storm of electricity.

The two soon weren’t the only ones in the room, however. The door behind them started loudly creaking as the spiral-shaped door unwound itself, revealing a being that XCOM had never laid eyes on before.

It wore streamlined armor colored a midnight violet color mixed in with true blacks, With the way it was structured - particularly in regards to the aerodynamic shape and the tight neckpiece - the armor the hybrid wore looked almost like a diving wetsuit. The helmet, however, was bizarre and alien - a full-face visor not too dissimilar from Blukersey’s, but colored a deep purple hue that glowed with power. In its left hand was a bayoneted rifle similar in basic composition to a Muton plasma rifle, but where it differed was in its lighter weight and violet coloration. In the right, it opened up a palm - telekinetic force whipping around and causing the stark white hair protruding from the top of the helmet to billow fiercely. Forming in the cup of the hybrid’s hand was a pulsating violet orb, which swirled with energy that suggested great destructive power.

Ember smiled devilishly, moving to the side slightly with Nigella to get out of the being’s way as it entered the middle room where the two sides had been fighting. The combat momentarily ceased, and the temperature of the room seemed to drop. “You should count yourselves honored that this is the final thing you’ll ever seen,” Ember remarked with a chuckle.

“Witness… the culmination of the Avatar Project’s efforts… and the step taken to ensure the survival of the venerable Elders,” Blukersey spoke reverently.

Before you, the human-Ethereal hybrid declared with a powerful voice - the same one from before, but less fearful and terrifyingly confident, is an Avatar. Forming from psionic wisp behind the Avatar was a ghostly rendition of an Ethereal - the spiritual remnant reflecting the body the Elder had once inhabited.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Black0ut, Dahlexpert, DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, Taxor_the_First, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Sanguine Moon” - Part 3

“So it’s true.” Alexis took a step back, both out of fear, and out of shock of what this being represented. “They really were trying to use human DNA to make Avatars.”

“Be strong,” Morrigan stated, lifting her weapon. “Just think of it this way; at least this one we don’t have to hold back on. It… can’t be that powerful.” Despite her reassuring words, she wasn’t so sure about them.

Allow me to show you, humans, just what I am capable of. The Avatar surged forward alongside its two human subordinates, rushing straight for the Commander herself. It pushed the violently-spinning sphere it its hands forward. Wary of trying to block with Blue World, Atka instead activated her physical enhancement, increasing her speed to a level that she was able to narrowly sidestep the telekinetically-propelled hybrid. Instead of hitting her, the powerful core within the Avatar’s hand drilled into the ground - creating a six-foot deep hole in the alloys. Your life shall end when it collides with the Pulsar Core.

“Then we’ll have to kill you before that happens!” Thanks to her enhancements and combined with Vyssini’s processing power, Morrigan was able to move behind the trio with incredible speed, narrowly to the point of throwing herself off. Caring little for conducts of war, she aimed directly at the back of the Avatar’s head with precision aim and fired.

Surprised by the burst of speed, the evolved Ethereal staggered forward - a violet barrier becoming visible and splintering behind it, dealt some serious damage by the surprise attack. Infidel. Putting a hand behind itself, the hybrid launched a wide wave of telekinesis to catch Morrigan in the blast and knock her into the roof with a painful thud before gravity took care of the rest to bring her back down to the floor.

Ember, for her part, turned to face her mother. Tilting her head slightly like some sort of ghoul, the grinning 1st Captain declared, “I’m not supposed to kill you, but… you know, accidents happen, mother!” she growled gleefully, rushing forward with an intense series of swipes.

Please let this be enough, Atka thought to herself, putting all of her psionic power into her enhanced musculature. She was quick to dismiss the slow-paced Reflection at her side, turning it back into the potent supernatural weapons that were her icy helixes. Grinding like chainsaws, she used them with her psionically-enhanced reflexes to block the flurry of attacks directed her way by Ember. “Think about what you’re doing!” she desperately pleaded between strikes, shards of ghostly ice similar to sparks flying off her whirring helixes with each blow the two exchanged. “This isn’t you, they’ve turned you into an animal, Yakone!”

“Rrrrr! For the last time, she’s dead and gone! Get over it!” Ember screamed with more fury than Atka had been expecting. Strengthening her muscles, Ember started to go for a powerful downward pair of strikes - her head pounding all the while. Shut up, damn you!

-will break free, I swear to-

Seeing it coming due to the blind anger the Captain was displaying, Atka was able to create the icy webbing she had learned to turn her helixes into, overlapping a defensive net that was able to take the hit. She could also retaliate, sending the spiky tips of the two reflection weapons zipping into Ember’s armor, ripping two deep rents into it. “Struck a nerve, did I?! Yakone, listen to me! You’re stronger than this! Break out of this state!”

Nigella brought her shockstaff to bear, going after the pair of Aerotroopers in addition to Marx. She used one hand with part of her concentration in play to cause an aerobic buildup in his muscles, rendering him sluggish and fatigued, while jabbing her potentially-deadly melee weapon left and right at the two XCOM troopers.

Samuel yelped at the attack, jumping backwards in an attempt to dodge the staff. He quickly realised he wouldn’t be fast enough, however, and with the last few seconds remaining to him attempted to figure some way out. His answer was given to him as Umbra materialised, blocking the Major’s attack with a lower arm and attempting a retaliation with its other three. Shit! Samuel thought, his mind panicked. Dammit. I hope Arthur was right when he said I should have full control over this thing…

Nigella’s eyes widened, and she staggered backwards - two of the blows having landed. One was more glancing than the other. The first merely caused her to slide an inch. The second, on the other hand, caused a loud crack and pop from her left shoulder. “B-blasphemy! You should not have that Reflection!” she decried. Her shock at foreseeing the use of the deceased Inquisitor’s companion attacking her clearly had the Major shaken.

“It was a parting gift!” Samuel shot back, his eyes quickly dancing across the field to both ensure Alexis hadn’t taken any hits and to discern any opportunities. His eyes alighted on Hawk, who he briefly remembered being told also had a Reflection. I hope he’s thinking what I’m thinking, Nemesis hoped, before Umbra began pressuring Nigella once again with slow but multiple attacks. The soldier stalked forward after it, conscious that he could not keep much distance from his Reflection.

Red did notice, but before he could even ask for assistance, Charon began growling, loud enough for all forces to hear. How dare you harm my charges… you don’t even deserve any civility from me… Having said that, the spirit opened a strong Rift behind the struggling Nigella, and began to slightly drain Red to try and increase its power.

Pulled by the powerful psionic forces, Blukersey was drawn into the psychic hurricane. Her armor tore and rent itself apart, and with a shattering of her helmet her face was revealed. Nigella was no longer entirely human - not even close to the extent that the low-level hybrids in ADVENT were modified. Her skin was a gray color, and veins of pulsating blue power cracked the flesh in some places. This worsened as she was battered by the psionic storm. Not quite defeated just yet, though, she jammed her staff into the ground and held herself in place with a constant stream of cryokinetic ice. Even as her flesh was torn apart, she managed to heal it back in place - slowing suffering more and more from the damage the rift was causing her, but not enough to be taken down. “You… will not… make me bow, terrorists!” she yelled over the fury of the tempest.

Coming to her aid was the Avatar, who - having taken Morrigan momentarily out of the fight - seized partial control of the rift himself, causing it to die down enough that Blukersey’s healing outpaced the tearing of her flesh. Unhand the loyal disciple, you heathens, he rumbled, lifting his pulsar core and firing off a beam of energy from the center of the core at Charon, hitting the Reflection with enough force that he was forced to cancel his attack to sustain his form.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Black0ut, Dahlexpert, DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, Taxor_the_First, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Sanguine Moon” - Part 4

Ember, in the meantime, was still wrathfully delivering attack after attack into Atka’s defenses. Despite the pounding headache the part of her that was still Yakone was inflicting, the 1st Captain wasn’t about to give in. She was angry enough that her willpower was able to compensate for the trouble her conscience was causing her, and this proved to outstrip Atka’s ability to protect herself after awhile. Seeing a hole in the battered helical webbing, Ember thrust her left sword forward - the fusion blade melting through the shoulderplate of the Commander’s armor and coming out the other side. This, luckily, merely disabled the mechanical hand Atka had, but the other blade followed up with an upward slash that separates two sides of the Inuit woman’s armor, burning her flesh badly and causing her to loosen a strangled scream, falling onto her back.

“How do you like that, huh? You stupid bitch! You waste your time trying to appeal to my ‘sensibilities’, and you get pushed to the edge of death!” Ember shouted at her mother, kicking her vindictively in the side before turning her attention to those that Nigella was struggling with. “I’ll kill you all… every last fucking one of you,” she muttered, momentarily holding the side of her head. And you’re going to watch, dammit!

The reason for Ember’s pain was that she was fighting with the mental leftovers of her old personality. Within her head, within her dreamscape, Yakone had remained in the position she had been in since the Honored Overseer’s reprogramming and domination of the Inuit-Caucasian’s mind. The blade Ember had thrust through Yakone metaphysically remained jammed through her broken body. Despite the forces at work to try and permanently shatter her psyche, Yakone wouldn’t give in. And even now, she struggled - trying to pull herself away from the impaled position she currently resided in. Every time Ember hurt those she cared about, her resolve grew just a bit stronger. I will… come back… I won’t… let you…

“You’ll watch! You’ll suffer, just like they will in their final moments!” Ember yelled out loud, starting to take strides towards the enemies that remained in action. The damage her armor sustained, was, even now, starting to mend itself due to the regenerative servos channeling her biokinesis into metal repair.

The shadow of a blade appeared behind the brainwashed Yakone, Marx brought the blade down towards her viciously, wanting to go for consistent, but savage blows into any part of her upper body he could strike, as if cutting down a tree, or hacking apart a freshly killed deer.

Not having paid attention to him, Ember paid the price. Her black-spiked shoulderplate and the gray flexible alloys were cut into rents, and then into ribbons - blown open by Marx’s strikes. The last round of hits he managed to get in before Ember defended herself brought with them a shower of crimson that most assuredly was not from the paint on her armor. Some of her ribs sliced in half, and her side bleeding profusely, Ember withdrew her overdrive aura from her armor plating onto her flesh itself to recover. She healed faster than Yakone had in previous weeks, but the agony the pain-numb Russian had inflicted upon Ember slowed her down.

As if watching from a TV screen inside a prison cell, the run-through Yakone smiled weakly. Nice one…she thought - to her lonesome, as he could not hear.

“Grrrah! I’m sick and tired of you fucking insects!” Ember roared. “My turn,” she darkly added, moving to retaliate as she regained proper functionality in her body. “And your turn to get silenced.” She delivered a pair of strikes to lock her blades with Marx’s. Her wrists flashing with a physical enhancement rush, she forced his swords wide alongside hers. Then, with a rapid push of her palms forward, she activated her Bioelectric Overwrite - not completely nullifying the Russian’s orange psionics, but weakening them to the point where his alloy plating that he had took on became a burden and hard to control. This gave Ember all the opportunity she needed to hit him with a vicious trio of slashes, breaking his extra armor open, then his normal armor, and finally slashing across his stomach - only narrowly missing the opportunity to deal a fatal blow.

Marx stumbled backwards, looking down at his stomach when he began to feel the contents of his body shifting. The Russian took his as a sign to hold the wound tight with his arm, pulling in any stray dirt he could to try and block and clog his wound.

A green aura surrounded Marx, one that spread to Atka as Alexis walked over. Their wounds starting to heal, Alex stood between Ember and her battling colleagues. “You’ve done enough damage. I might want to save Yakone… but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let Ember cause any more trouble.” A shield formed in front of her, and she folded her arms. “You’ll have to go through me to get to them… let's see you try.”

“Oh, so you’ve got a deathwish too… I’m happy to oblige! Too bad there’s no Leon here… but then again, I’m sure he’ll be all the more afraid when eight people die before him!” Ember bellowed.

“No… you’ll have trouble with her,” a recovered Blukersey told her niece. “Deal with the other Aerotrooper.” Blukersey swapped to her mag rifle, aiming it at Alexis and firing.

Ember narrowed her eyes at her comrade, but ultimately obeyed - her mental programming momentarily overruling her pride in the name of obedience to a superior. Allowing her armor to regenerate further during the transit time, the 1st Captain started marching towards Samuel. “So you’re the guy that took down Azazel, huh? I ought to thank you… he was the most pathetic an Ethereal could be. Though I’d prefer if you died and gave me that Reflection… I can put it to better use…” she searched for a name, muttering, “whoever the hell you are,” without any sign of recognition for Samuel.

Umbra settled into a defensive stance above him while Nemesis blinked. “Aw come on, you don’t even remember me?” He shook his head. “Bloody rude.” His voice tremored a bit, despite his outward confidence. Evidently he was well aware he’d just been singled out by a very powerful foe.

Ember paused for a moment - partially due to the recollection she was experiencing and the ideas it brought with it, and partially to buy more time for her armor to mend. “Ooh, I remember you now… the fake Russian that talks like an Aussie.” A demonic grin then characterized her features. “How have you been holding up, Sam? Your dad being melted into a pile of disgusting sludge probably hasn’t been fun, huh?”

“You know, the last person to bring that up had their head crushed between Umbra’s fist and a concrete wall,” Samuel scowled. “Granted, Sectoids don’t have your ridiculous armor. Where’s your helmet? You could get shot like that, you know.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Black0ut, Dahlexpert, DarkGemini24601, Frostlich1228, Taxor_the_First, and ZombieSplitter53: “Operation Sanguine Moon” - Part 5

“Why don’t you try it, wise guy?” Ember retorted. Satisfied with the level to which her armor integrity had returned, she refreshed the overdrive on it, and surged forward like a murderous tidal wave - running a circle around Samuel. “Too slow, too slow!” She swiped her blades once, causing thin wounds to weep blood on the Russian’s torso.

“Do your fucking job!” Nemesis snapped at his shadow, firing a retaliatory blast of pulse energy at his opponent. She easily dodged the shot - or maybe his aim had been off the whole time - and the follow-up slams Umbra attempted met similar failure. “So this is what ADVENT felt like when you were still sane…”

Content in the fact that Samuel probably wasn’t going to be able to hit her, Ember began hitting him with physical attacks - her burning-hot blades impacting with the solid shadows that comprised Umbra again and again. “Make your peace… or don’t, dying in utter remorse would make me happy after all!” Ember cackled with unrestrained malefic cruelty.

Umbra rocketed a fist into the ground, now seemingly giving up on actually hitting its target and instead trying to disrupt the flow of her movement by creating obstacles. The metal was punctured, and wrenched upward by the Reflection’s withdrawal, creating a jagged barrier in Ember’s circular path. “I’d rather not have to deal with your mother if I kill you,” Samuel snapped, but again the uneven tone of his voice betrayed his lack of confidence. Damn, what I wouldn’t give to be able to raise ice walls like he did.

“Who knows, maybe my little accident will claim her life! I certainly wouldn’t fucking mind!” Ember growled, having to momentarily stop in her dash and reconsider her options. “Hmph. Let’s try this for a third time… that’s the charm, right?” She dispelled her defensive aura completely, even knowing that Umbra could soon retaliate. Instead, she put her bloated confidence into her abilities, and caused her sword to glow like a star before swiping another one of her metabolic waves at Samuel - this one more potent than the others.

And it showed in the effect. Seeing it coming, and correctly deducing that his new Reflection wouldn’t be able to block it as it hadn’t last time, Nemesis attempted to step to the side to dodge it. He was too slow, however - the wave sliced into his stomach at an angle, externally doing nothing but internally cutting the skin open. He fell to the ground with a cry of severe pain, clutching a hand to his armor. Umbra similarly reacted, but resorted to curling itself together over the top of its master much like a turtle shell. That’s… going to need surgical attention, Samuel thought dully, pain muddying his mind.

“Hehehehe…hahaha!” Ember laughed gleefully as she watched him writhe. “All of you are going to die here… there will be no escape.” She imbued her fusion blades, starting to beat Umbra down until it began to shimmer unstably.

N-no… no, you’ve done enough! “God dammit!” Yakone screamed in denial in the mental prison she found herself in. Gripping the blade that ran through her chest tightly - with anguish that threatened to scatter her pscyhe completely - she began pulling herself off. And with a red wave of pain - she came free for the moment.

What… what the hell did you just do? “N-no… I’m Ember Verrater, the 1st Captain,” Ember insisted furiously.

Yakone gripped her head, for a moment having control of her body back. “I’m Yakone Ipiktok, dammit all!” Luke felt the psionic energy rush back into him, and Yakone twisted her head to look back at the Grenadier. “D-don’t hesitate… don’t let her… hurt anyone else, please!” she cried out desperately.

Luke started to smile. He could feel his powers coming back to him. “Nice to see you’re still there Yakone. And don’t worry, I won’t.” He looked at Ember, his eyes completely red out of anger and his powers rushing back to him. “Eat this you ADVENT scum!” Luke fired his firecracker and pyrokinesis at Yakone. One critically damaged the armor, while the other went into the cracks burning her flesh. “Oh, you think that’s bad? I’m just getting started, so stand up and heal. There is plenty more where that came from.” Luke used himself as a mortar and fired multiple explosions at Ember.

Ember managed to seize control of herself once more, but only enough to try and rapidly heal herself - her armor in tatters. “Damn you, damn you all, god fucking dammit!”

She was hit with subsequent explosions, Luke - knowing that she’s wasn’t done yet he - used his psi lance to fire area of bullets to further destroy her armor and damage her scarf.” Get up, I know you can take more than this. I will make you suffer for hurting my friends. Yakone come on now, keep fighting if you're still there!”

Half of her exposed skin covered in crimson blood flowing freely, Yakone briefly broke through to offer a weak, sad smile. “S-sorry… Luke… Alex… everyone… I… I…”

“I’m going to fucking murder everyone of you goddamn shit-faced dickheads!” Ember screamed, wrenching control from her other self. “I’ll-”

We shall- the Avatar began, coalescing power between his hands.

“Die!” As the Elder Avatar looked to overwhelm his opponents, Ayame suddenly materialized behind him, surprising everyone, even her allies who assumed her out of the fight. She thrust her blade forward, the weapon crimson red with her own blood, and pushed her muscles to the limit to drive it through the being’s back and out its chest. With a yell of exertion, Ayame sent her energy through the blade, and blood covering it erupted into spikes that caused further internal injuries.

His heart exploding, the Avatar let loose a bloodcurling, inhuman, spectral scream. It fell limp onto Ayame’s crimson blade, which was now bleeding into violet as Ethereal blood poured over her solidified red fluids. The ghostly specter of the Ethereal inhabiting the body held up its four hands in agony, and with a final cry of abject despair and derision exploded into a cloud of psionic dust. With that, a second Elder had been slain at XCOM’s hands.

Nigella’s features went as stark white as the tattered walls, and she stepped backwards. “...Ember. We’re leaving.”

“Fuck, no! We can still-”

“We’re leaving, now!” Nigella interrupted her. Healing her ally with what energy she had left, the Major used an icy helix to hook onto the wrecked armor of the 1st Captain, and dragged her furious, goaded-beyond-reason niece out of harm’s way and towards a door.

“Don’t let them get away! We… we can…” Atka coughed, blood rimming her lips.

A wall of imbued ice blocked the way, allowing the squad to merely hear, “Next time we meet you’re all getting sent straight to hell!” Ember insisted at the top of her lungs.

“G… goddamn cryokinesis,” Atka mumbled, lowered her head back onto the cold metal floor.

Marx growled, “After all that she got away? Dammit! Motherfucker! If we could’ve just gotten our hands on her…”

Luke looked at Marx. “Calm down, we have to many injured. Besides we killed another elder, their top people are crippled. Plus we now know that Yakone is in there. I call this a win, now we just raid the place.” Luke went to the commander and sat next to her. “Sorry boss, I still need to work on keeping my mouth shut huh?”

Marx turned towards him, “You really should, just give her a break.” As he said that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out Catherine’s note, taking a second to look at it in silence.

Once Alexis was able to start healing Atka, the Commander leaned on the Aerotrooper to weakly stand. “We were… close… I only… fear that they’ll try to further indoctrinate her…” Atka looked downwards, unable to stop a few bitter tears from rolling down her face. “She’s just out of reach…”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

“The War Within” – Ember Verrater

Less than an hour after Operation Sanguine Moon.

The capital city of the Asian continent glimmered with multicolored lights as the alien dropship approached. Pure white spotlights danced across the starry sky – appearing to outshine even the heavens from an earthbound perspective. They were joined by passionate supplementary lights, tinted hot pink and rose red. A late-autumn festival was currently underway in Zenith city. The Blossom Fall Waltz was a local tradition that celebrated the founding of the megacity in which it took place; this was a time of revelry, retrospect, and sometimes-raucous celebration.

Such a beautiful nighttime scene would please the hearts of most people when witnessed from the rare vantage point that allowed one to look over it all from above. Ember Verrater was not one of those people. For the past forty-five minutes since her retreated from the Avatar Forge, the first Captain had been stewing in the passenger section of the extraterrestrial aircraft. Her anger threatened to boil over into physical violence towards the older woman beside her for perceived cowardice. “We almost had them,” Ember insisted through gritted teeth.

“That is the third time you have said that,” the Major replied evenly. “And as I have told you each and every time, the risk of our capture was too great. With the Avatar slain, there was nothing worth fighting for in that situation.”

“It’s always fucking protocol with you…” Ember shook her head. She’s as pathetic as Atka. Worse, even. Maybe it’s a good thing she doesn’t even remember we’re relatives after all. Dumbfuck.

“We both have an obligation to the Elders,” Nigella continued unabated. “We both are valuable to them. Falling into enemy hands over a petty matter like revenge-”

“Petty?” Verrater echoed incredulously. “Fucking hell, you’re such an automaton. You could never understand how absolutely disgusting XCOM is. Their flimsy ideals and laughable morals that they take all-too seriously…” Ember’s face scrunched up. “That alone would be bad enough, but as far as individuals go…” The 1st Captain slammed a crimson-covered fist into the chair, denting the metal and sinking halfway into the metal – covering up half of the black star on the back of her hand. “Good nonexistent GOD, Luke! What a fucking brainless manchild he is! Alexis is a dumb bimbo, but surely she could have done better than that dickhead!”

O-or maybe you’re just jealous they have some vestige of love, while you’re a heartless-

“You’re the worst of them all!” Ember snarled. Dimly noting a confused stare from Nigella, she muttered, “I’ll be back in a minute. I need to smack a bitch.” The dropship’s interior faded away as the ADVENT elite soldier closed her eyes, and entered her dreamscape.

Obsidian-colored structures rose up from the void with the sound of smoothly-moving metal all around. Crimson lights and a red sun lit the glorious megacity that made up the overall expanse of Ember Verrater’s mind. With a vicious smile, she walked down the empty streets – past effigies of the various staff of XCOM hanging from nooses or impaled on spikes jutting out from the skyscrapers. She came to a crimson sportscar with jet black, opaque glass, and climbed inside. The psion drove down to the prison in which the remnant of who she had once been was locked away, and entered with a bloodred backlight casting her in a semi-godlike corona-silhouette.

Yakone sat on the cold steel floor with her legs crossed and her head initially bowed. Her clothing was in incinerated ashes around the spot where she sat. The only article of attire that preserved the benevolent personality’s modesty was a tattered blue cape, wrapped around her trembling form. The cold air within the mental jail cell had long since dried the blood that had poured from Yakone’s body when she had broken free from the verge of being forever subsumed by her malevolent counterpart. The crimson stains had tarnished the cherished cape, turning splotches of the fabric a grotesque violet, or – at worst – a dark shade of red. Despite her sorry state, the wild-haired Inuit-Caucasian tilted her visage up to stare down Ember with midnight green eyes that radiated defiance.

“Trying to act tough? Tch,” Ember arrogantly chided, taking imposing strides towards Yakone.

“Is it just an act? Do you really think I’m about to give in? That I ever will?” the remnant rhetorically asked the Captain.

Verrater’s expression darkened, and she glowered at her double. “No. You’re resilient. I would know.” She shook her head. “But you’re a fool. You will never ever be yourself again. Don’t get cocky just because you grabbed power over our flesh for a few seconds. I won’t allow it to happen again. What you fail to realize is that I have powerful allies. Their titanic shadows will blot out the sun for you. They’re the ones that hold all the power, not you nor me. And by submitting to them, I gain access to their assistance in achieving a bliss where I am me, and you taste oblivion.”

“I guess that’s well and good if you are fine with being secure as a slave,” the woman on the ground said with a tired smirk.

Surging forward, Ember seized Yakone by the throat, and held her off the ground, twisting and breaking her doppleganger’s windpipe. “Shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch! You’re just a figment of my imagination, a piece of the past I will stamp out! You understand that, goddammit?”

“Through force of will, Yakone bent her mental avatar’s neck back into place. “Strike a nerve? As much of a ghost as I may be, I’m your more human half. I’m more happy than you’ll ever be. You’re nothing,” Ipiktok declared. “Merely a nightmarish monster molded into a human shape! You think that makes you scary? That you should be feared?”

“Yes, you…!”

“I don’t! I’ll never give in! You’ll never end me because Patrem has clouded your understanding – my understanding – of myself! As long as that remains the case, we’ll never break!” Yakone cried out with a fire in her eyes.

With a howl of unbridled rage, Ember flung Yakone into the back wall. The impact created a loud boom, shattering part of the structural support and some of Yakone’s bones. But – true to her promise – Yakone held firm. She didn’t collapse or fade away. She merely eyed Ember with an unbroken gaze.

Ember had the strange notion that those orbs had successfully damned her soul to perdition with the intensity they contained. “I will suppress you. I will become the person I desire to be. Count on that.”

“You can try, but you won’t” Yakone began to retort.

The 1st Captain didn’t give her a chance to finish. She withdrew immediately from her dreamscape, and was back in the dropship oncemore. When she opened her eyes, Blukersey asked, “Did you get what you wanted?”

“No,” Ember growled with frustration. She clenched her fist, retracting it from the broken chair. “Not yet.”

 

[Dahlexpert]

Friends catching up
On board the avenger

Engineering

Alice Is working on a Gremlin working on the evasion system that Shin assiend her. “Hum hay Spark what do you think? Think this systems would do?

Sparke looked at the other Gremlin and looked back at Alice and started to beep.

“Ou hush you, these systems will help us defeat ADVENT as well as the clocking systems.”

Sparks beeped at Alice again and went behind her. Looking at Luke.

“Yo red I think your pet likes me.” Sparks started to beep at Luke

“Luke hay it’s been a while, I haven’t seen you since you rescued me. So you're with XCOM huh, how long have you been with them? Has it been years of monts or did you just join them?”

“I’ve been with them since the unification day, I was a part of the team that blew the Elders statue.”

“Wow that long huh, that was about six months ago.” Alice looks Luke up and down. “Wow Luke, I have to say, I couldn't see with all the armor on you before but you look like you got in shape. I mean when we first met you look like you were about ninety pounds.”

“Yea, Xcom has some pretty good food here i’m also one of the cooks here. I think you will like the main cook she’s very upady.”

“Ou a cook with good personality that sounds wonderful, I think I just made a new friend without meeting he. I’m sure the second we meet the entire ship will implode with happiness.”

“Nice to see you haven’t changed, I think Ayame will have a heart attack if you two meet.” Then again can some one who is undead get a heart attack?

“Ou come on Luke i’m sure it won’t be that bad, now onto the fun question.” Alice crossed her legs. “So do you have a girlfriend, or are you still a flirt?”

“Well you will be happy to hear that I do have a girlfriend now, her names is Alexis Chambers you probably seen her in engineering.”

“Wait, you mean that purple haired woman with the big bust and damn near perfect figure that woman. Wow Luke I have to say you do have great taste in woman, I have to talk to her.”

“Wait wo, I don’t think that is a good idea. I don’t want your happy go lucky personality to rubbing off on her. Besides I like her how she is now, you can still meet her just don’t bore her with your tech talk.”

“Fine fine I get it, so Luke I have to say you look different. I mean when I first met you, you looked like someone that didn't care for life you looked like a dead man that just wanted to die. But seeing you now you look different. Not just with you letting your hair grow a little, or the beard you got. But your demeanor, you seem happy like genuinely happy you seem like you're full of hope and joy you look a lot better now Luke.”

“Well when I first came to the magcity I did just come from the wilderness, so back then I did want to die and was miserable. But I have friends now a woman that I love, I’m around honorable people who will give there lives to help me and I will do the same for them. Pretty much I have a family now, a really big family. These people are my combat brothers and sisters and I will do anything to protect them.”

“Wow that’s definitely something to stand for, I’m glad to see that you're happy now Luke god know you deserve to be.”

“Yea, so Alice how is your robot project going?”

“It’s not even in the development stages, sigh I wish I could work on my robot project. I want to do what I was supposed to do, i've been coming up with ways to make new robots. But the commander doesn't trust me yet nor Shin, if they did I would have came up with a few designs by now.”

“Hay come on it will take time for people to trust you, but if people gave my aunt a chance then they will give you one.”

“Hum I sure hope so, but I don’t know these people despise ADVENT and I was one of the engineers that helped make the MECs there fighting.”

“Hay now you're on our side, i’m sure once people start to trust you then they will let you go on with your project.”

“I hope so, I have so many ideas. I can give it a flamethrower a grenade launcher. No wait a rocket launcher with a grenade launcher and a minigun, or better yet give it a some kind of rail gun and make it a tank medic. Or stealth assassin MEC.”

Luke gently smiled at Alice. “See that’s why I like you Alice, you take the most outlandish thing and knowing you will eliminate them one by one before you find something you like.”

“That’s what being a genius that has a lot of free time can do, that’s why I like being here. I can come up with so many ideas that I couldn't do before, any way Luke I have to work on the rest of these gremlins. We will talk again soon promise.”

Luke rubs Alice hair. “Yea try not to be too much of a stranger.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlexpert & ZombieSplitter53
Moments Like This
Part One

On Board the Avenger
The Gym

Alexis slowly walked along on her treadmill, transfixed by the woman next to her, and huge smile on her face as she ran along on her own exercise machine. "Do you... always look so happy when you you are doing tedious workouts?"

"Well... yeah!" Vicky laughed, glancing at her daughter. "Don't you enjoy it? Jennifer says you're in here all the time."

"She is," her other daughter confirmed, doing sit-ups nearby. "But I'm pretty sure she does it to stay in shape, not to enjoy herself."

"Oh, but getting to work out and stay in shape like this is something to enjoy and celebrate!" Veronica dialed up the speed a notch. "Being cooped up in a spaceship being experimented on didn't really give us room to work out, and that small mobile home V.V. and I were in for the past decade didn't have room for all this awwwwwesome equipment. Honestly, I was afraid my rump was getting too big. No one wants to meet their long lost husband with a fat, out of shape butt."

Alexis laughed. "Please, mom, you're beautiful. Heart of a forty year old, body of a thirty year old..."

"And mind of a sixteen year old that just got her driver's license," her mother finished for her, flashing her winning smile once more.

Luke entered the gym wearing some sweat pants and a t-shirt. He saw Alexis working on a treadmill, as well as a woman that never see before. "Well well, how are you doing honey? Man you look good in your workout gear. So, I have this great idea for us and your family. But first, who is this person you're talking to?"

Alexis blushed, embarrassed to be flattered so in front of her mother. "U-um... Luke, this is..."

"Veronica Liliana Loveheart the fifth, at your service!" Vicky jumped of her treadmill, grasping Luke's hand and shaking it fervently. In a half whisper, she added, "Actually, my mother's name was Teresa. I just add the "The Fifth" part to make my name sound cooler."

Luke shook Veronica's hand. His eyes widen the moment he realized who this is. "Oh, um... Alexis, this is your mother, isn't it?" Luke rubbed the back of his head. "Um, hi. My name is Luke Van Dam. "I'm Alexis' boyfriend, or future husband if you want to go there."

Alexis face palmed. "First words to her and that is where you go?"

"Future husband, huh?" Vicky grinned. "You didn't tell me you were shopping for wedding dresses Naughty girl."

Alexis stepped off her treadmill and turned away, completely embarrassed. "Mom, please..."

Her mother leaned close to Luke and whispered, "She is so cute when she's embarrassed, isn't she?"

"I like her already," Luke said to himself. "Yes, she's extremely cute when embarrassed." Knowing Alexis didn't like Luke embarrassing her, he went to her and gave her a hug. "Aw, sorry love. I wasn't expecting to meet your mother. Well, here anyway."

Alexis smiled. "I know. At least things seem to be going better then with dad the first time."

"Oh? Did Joe play the part of the fussy dad?" Veronica wagged her finger. "Come here, Luke. Let me get a good look at you."

"Um alright, just don't try to steal me from your daughter." Luke moved in front of Veronica.

She gave an almost seductive chuckle. "No promises." She slowly circled around him, looking him up and down. "Impressive frame. If you were alive back before the aliens, you would have been perfect in commercials about how milk helps you grow big and strong." She placed her hand on his chin, moving his head left and right. "Handsome. I can see why Alexis is attracted to you. Little too macho for me, but perfect for her." She held her arms out. "Lift me."

Luke looked at Alexis, wondering what was going on. He turned back to Veronica and did as she said, picking her up as if she was a child. "Is this good for you?"

"Oh, you're even stronger than you look." Vicky leaned forward and whispered, "And are you treating Alex... well? If you know what I mean." She winked.

"Aaaand we're done." Luke gently put Vicky down. "And to answer your question, yes I do. Very well." Luke shook his head. "Anyway, back to the reason I'm hear. Hey darling, I have another family bonding idea."

"Oh?" Alexis nodded. "That would be nice. Try and get dad out of his funk, and do something as a family. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was training with the Commander yesterday, and found this nice beach area. Figured we can go there, and I'm willing to bet nether you or your sister know how to swim?"

"Well, it isn't like we had much of an opportunity to learn," Jennifer defended, joining them."

"Does that mean you're going to teach us?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly what it means." Luke looked at Jennifer. "Also, I can see Jenn in a swimsuit, or just her underwear."

"Pft, you wish." Jennifer folded his arms. "Keep talking like that, and I won't come."

"Oh, yes you are." Veronica stepped behind her youngest and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Don't be so modest. I know you have something for just this occasion. Besides, I'll need your help to get your father to come along."

Jenn sighed. "Okay... I guess I'll come too."

"Great, I can't wait to see you Jenn." Luke looked at Alexis. "But she doesn't have the body you have darling, though seeing you in your underwear is always nice for me to see."

Alexis cheeks turned beet red and she stomped her foot. "Luke. Not... in front... of my mother!"

Veronica cracked up. "Oh, you two are so cute! Though wait until you see me, Luke." She gave him another quick wink, and pulled Jenn towards the exit.

Luke shook in reaction to those words." Ugh, I can't tell if your mom is messing with me or not."

Alex couldn't help a big smile as she traced her finger across his chin. "How does it feel to be on the other side of that flirting? I bet Jennifer is secretly laughing at you."

"Shut up. So this is what's like to be on the receiving end of bad flirting. I'm so sorry Gwen. Well... not really. And I'm still going to tease Jenn."

"Please do. It is always amusing." Alex walked past him. "We'll meet you outside in a half an hour. I hope you'll bring your aunt too."

"Yeah, alright, fine. I'll see you in a bit."

Thirty Minutes Later

The family of four stood outside the ship, patiently waiting for Lilith and Luke. The ladies had on t-shirts and shorts with bathing suits underneath. Joe had a simple pair of black swim trunks and an A-shirt that showed despite getting older, he still took care of himself. He looked fairly down an out, but was obviously trying to be strong for the sake of the other three.

Finally Luke and Lilith came down off the ship. Luke was wearing a black swim trunks, and a green tee, while Lilith was wearing a bathing suit and a hat. "Well, I should have known this was one of Luke's ideas."

"Yeah, isn't it wonderful!" Vicky quickly stepped up to her. "High, I'm Veronica, Alex and Jenn's mom. You must be Luke's mother... or are you actually his sister? With that figure, you look so young!"

Lilith couldn't help but smile at the compliment. "Why thank you. Actually I'm his aunt. But it's nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah, great, we're all good." Luke folded his arms. "Can we get to the water?"

Veronica huffed. "That eager to see my half naked daughters?" She waved her hand dismissively. "Alright. Lead the way to this special beach you mentioned."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Moments Like This
Part Two

Luke led the way to the spot he had trained with the Commander at. Once there, the group sees the open ocean and a few rocks. "Well. what do you think? Nice, huh?"

"I'd say it's perfect!" Alexis took in a deep breath. "The air is so crisp and fresh, and the view looks great. I can't wait to try out the water. In fact..." She quickly tossed off her cloths, tossing her shirt and shorts to the side. Underneath she had on a purple two piece that complimented her hair and was quite revealing. She ran forward, yelling, "Come on, Luke! Let's go for a swim!"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Luke took of his shirt, reveling his strong figure. "Here I come!"

"Luke!" Lilith yelled while rubbing her head.

"What?" Luke realized that this is the first time Alexis' family saw him with his shirt off, reveling his scars on his back and his sides. Some were deeper then others. They also got a good look at Luke tattoos. "Oh right, I forgot about those."

"I know you said you had been in a lot of fights, but I didn't realize it was this bad." Joe looked him over. "Was this all from your youth?"

"Yeah, every single one. I forgot that this this the first time you guys seen these."

Lilith walked to the Chamber's family. "Yeah, this is from a past that we don't like to talk about."

"Well... I think they give you character." Veronica smiled softly, and walked over, knocking him on the chest. "Shows that you can take a licking and keep on ticking, and that you faced adversity and fought past it. I'm more interested in these tattoos."

Lilith stepped next to Veronica. "His tattoos is more of a tombstone. See, that wolf tattoo is a part of our old village, and the military tattoos represent his parents."

"Oh... I see." Veronica drowned. "Sorry. Hope I didn't sound insensitive there."

"It's fine. I moved on some time ago. Anyway I feel like getting in the water." Luke made his way to the water with Alexis.

Lilith looked at her son. "Right, Luke moved on from most of his past, so you don't have to worry about what you said."

Veronica let out a long sigh. "There really is no easy way to say this, so better mention is now then later; Joe told me about the... quetionable things Luke did in the past. He also told me how it drove a wedge between the two, but they worked past it."

"Yeah, I'm sure he would have told you eventually. But they did and they're strong for it. Look, what do you think of what he did and what he's doing now?"

"What do I think?" Veronica thought about it. "Well... it was terrible, of course. But I can see he is a changed man. And not just from Luke himself. In the way people talk about him, especially my family. In the way he carries himself. In the way he smiles at my daughter. I think he has done well, and I'm glad Alexis could be a good influence on him."

"Yeah, I'm proud of the man he is today, and I'm glad he did it himself." Lilith looked at Jennifer. "Jenn, get in the water, and make sure Luke and Alexis are not doing anything. And have some fun. I'm sure Luke would just love to tease you about you swimsuit. Best get it over it."

Jennifer tensed up a bit, and shook her head. "I... I'm not really a water person. I mean... people relax at the beach too, right? I could... enjoy myself with a nice nap and let them have their fun."

"Get in the water! Luke is not going to bite you. Besides, learning to swim is very important. You need to learn and have fun. I'm sure Luke is not going to do anything to you."

Jennifer slowly nodded, not looking too pleased as she slipped off her shorts and top. She was wearing a red one piece that showed off her good figure, much better since starting to work out more, without being as revealing as her sisters. As she slowly made her way to the water, Veronica told Lilith, "I don't think she's afraid of your son, you know? I think she's just shy. After all, she is basically competing in a popularity contest she has already lost." Veronica shook her head. "I know how she feels. The stories I can tell you about me and my sister..."

"I understand it to. I also had a sister who was better then me in every way. But this is something she needs to get over. Luke will continue to complement her because that's just how he is. Hopefully she will look past his complements and find herself as a person."

"Yeah." Veronica laid down on the beach. "Though she'll need to remember that Alexis is not better then her in every way. They both have their strengths and weakness. It is something I learned with my sister. It is something I wish you were aware of. I'm sure there was plenty Lilith Van Dam could do better then her sister."

"Oh, there are. After all, I'm alive and Luke is alive and she's not. I owe my life to her. She gave her life for us, and I know see that she was thinking of us during her last days. And I'm sure she's happy to see Luke the way he is."

In the water, Luke is standing next to Alexis. "So darling, ready to go into deeper water? We can start your practice there."

"Yeah, of course." Alexis started wading in, saying, "Show me what you got."

"Y-you are qualified to teach her how to swim, right?" Jennifer took her time joining them, only in the water up to her ankles. "How well do you really know how to swim yourself?"

"Well, nice to see you green. Love the bathing suit by the way. And as for my qualification." Luke started to swim out into deeper waters, he dived under the water, and disappeared from their view.

After a few seconds, Alex stared to look worried. "W-where did he go?"

Jenn shrugged. "Maybe he drowned. Wouldn't say much for his swimming qualifications."

"That isn't funny," Alex spat back, moving to where Luke had dived until the water was just below her chest.

Luke rose up from the water, picking Alexis up by her waist. "Hey baby. What, did I scare you or something?"

Alex pouted. "Warn me before you disappear like that. How was I supposed to know the difference between you swimming and you sinking?"

"Look for the bubbles?" Jennifer offered sarcastically.

"Shut it, I think I proved I can swim. Now Jennifer, get in the water so we can start."

Jennifer grumbled as she reluctantly moved forward, joining her sister and shivering a bit. "It's cold."

"I think it's refreshing," Alex countered. "Just give it a minute and you'll get used to it. Now come on, Luke. Show me how to swim like an... ophidian athlete."

Jennifer raised an eyebrow, and after a minute, she said, "I think she means Olympian."

"Alright, let's not go that far, I'm not that good. Alright first, let's start with holding your breath under the water. So you two dive your heads under the water."

"Oh, this should be easy." Alex nudged her sister. "Bet I can beat you in length. We both know who is in better shape, after all."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Whatever." They both dropped down, sitting under the water. Alexis lifted an arm above it to give Luke a wave before pulling it back down.

Luke watched the water for a good thirty seconds, after that Luke told them to stand up.

Alexis quickly did so, her sister standing up a bit more calmly. "Oh, I could have gone longer then that," Alexis whined.

"Oh, I know you could have, but there is something very important we need to do. We're going to start treading water. This is very important, so let's get started." Luke squatted down to make it a little easier. "So all you have to do is just move your legs back and forth, and move your arms too. Also, this will tire you out a bit, that's why I'm here."

The girls nodded, and moved out a bit. They started tredding slowly. Jennifer seemed to get a handle of it pretty quickly, though Alex struggled a bit, bobbing up and down. "What..." she bobbed under the water and came back up, coughing. "What... am I... doing wrong?"

"Relax," Jennifer said softly, her eyes closed as she calmly tredded the water.

Luke went behind Alexis and grabbed her shoulder. "Just relax darling. Be calm about it." Luke put his hands on Alexis' waist. "Take things nice and slow, alright?"

Alexis nodded, and tried to slowly her movements. After a minute, she finally started to get the hang of it, leveling off. "How's that? Not bad, huh?"

"Yeah, not bad, not bad at all. Also your sister is doing pretty good too. So Jenn, nice going."