Weeks passed and they felt like months. The skycraft lumbered slowly through the sky to avoid radar detection, occasionally landing to gather supplies and pick up fresh recruits while sending their soldiers out on a mission they often stayed at for months to follow. They blended together and I quickly lost track of time.
My one and only reference remained Luis and his health. Steadily, I saw the frailness in his body vanish, and the way his ribs grabbed at his skin receded upon waking from his comatose state. Still, some medical procedures occurred almost every week. The humans of Xcom had clearly integrated many of Advent’s technological advancements, most of which were gene therapy and nanomachines.
These procedures were performed right there in his bed, I was even allowed to stay at his bedside. And each time they shot a group of the microscopic robots into a damaged area, I met his eyes from across the room, trying to reassure him.
As far as I understood it, these varied from the combat stim ones I used to carry, at least in their long-term effects. Whereas ours were built implicitly for maintaining one’s body on the battlefield with little regard to antibiotic effects or rejecting tissue as a whole, these were purely medical.
Each of them was outfitted with enough genetic material and biological tissue to create about two square centimeters of bone, stem cells, muscle, blood vessels, organ tissue, or skin. Nerves, they said, would have to be manually reattached with these robots if there was enough left to be used, or simply be made by Luis’ body over a long period.
His lower abdomen, right shoulder, and most of his forearms were the most damaged areas. When they had initially unwrapped his bandages, a sickening feeling in my stomach rose up. Meanwhile, only seven of his fingers remained in total, though none were left unscarred. I suspected it was the gun he was holding at the time that tore them in directions they usually shouldn’t bend.
Then there was his right eye.
I avoided the question when he had first asked me, simply reassuring him that it was alright. But I already knew that eyes were such a complicated part of the body to replicate, that his chances of regaining it fully were slim to none.
So when the lead doctor, a man named Slipper – probably a code name, given that everyone seemed to smile whenever I tried to pronounce the unnecessarily complicated human word for shoe – arrived in the room one day while Luis was teaching me about playing a card game, a small metal box in hand, I knew what was coming.
“If you’d allow me,” he addressed me with a slight nod. My eyes shot to the case and back to him as if to warn him about Luis’ reaction. But still, I slithered to the side. He approached and opened the case on the table next to Luis’ bed.
He explained as he produced, “This is something Advent had been cooking up to put into their new trooper models. We swiped the facility before they could begin and made adjustments that removed some unwanted features. The MK 01, is technically still a prototype, so you would be one of the first humans to test it.” He held a gray metallic sphere, smoothed to perfection, in between his fingers, presenting it to the bedridden man while turning it.
“The lens has the ability to magnify, analyze structure, receive written notes from HQ, night vision, and seventy-five-hour recording storage. The delay will be the same as in your other eye, so that shouldn’t be a point of discomfort.” I had to admit, the doctor was making a good case.
But Luis’ expression betrayed his deep skepticism. “So what, you just plop this in my eye after you scoop out the rest with a spoon?”
“We would have to remove the dead tissue in your eye socket, of course. Then we connect it to your optic nerves which the nanos already prepared.” The man’s tone remained calm and assuring, just as he had been the months prior.
And of course, Luis looked to me for my opinion. As much as I liked that he trusted me enough to help him with such a decision, it made me uneasy. ‘Am I supposed to decide this for you?’ I asked myself.
Slipper noticed the glances we exchanged and nodded then sighed. He placed the artificial eye back into the container and closed it. “I will let you think about this. Isra, don’t forget to report to Marshal again. Your therapy session should be weekly,” he reminded me, speaking in code of course, and exited the room.
For a moment, we stayed quiet, both looking back and forth from the case and then each other again. I approached and coiled myself next to his bed, tentatively grabbing his upper arm, slowly massaging the spot where just a month prior was a hole. It felt real. Of course it did, it was still him. But just the knowledge of its artificiality made it strange to the touch. Perhaps it was just my imagination and bias, but he felt colder at that spot. Almost like my own scales.
I suppose even if you force back something lost, it won’t be the way it was.
“Should I do it?” He broke me out of my thoughts. I looked into his…eye, so full of conflict.
“I don’t think they would offer it to you if it wasn’t safe,” I replied, unsure of what else to say.
He contemplated for a second, looking at the case. “What color is the, uhm, pupil?”
“I believe it's a black lens,” I recalled.
“Hmpf,” he snorted, “Do you think they’d allow me to make it blue?”
At first, I was confused, but then he began to chuckle at my lack of understanding. “It’s a joke, Isra. Though, think having one eye colored like yours would be quite fitting, don’t you think?”
I pulled my lips up in a smile. Humor in such situations was still so very foreign to me. But it started to grow on me, his approach.
“I think I like yours better,” I hissed softly and leaned in to kiss his forehead.
Such forms of affection were a new thing I had picked up from watching the soldiers. The humans partnered on the skycraft held hands and kissed each other’s faces all the time, so why shouldn’t I?
It made him smile, temporarily forget about the bed he was forced to lie in, the same walls he would stare at endlessly. I liked being his distraction. Strange, it had been such a point of contention when we first met.
“I doubt they’d want me shooting in the field with only one eye’s worth of depth perception, I guess. As much as I like the idea of an eyepatch,” he chuckled.
“You’d look great with one, like those men in the TV you showed me.”
“Just need a hook and a peg leg, ey?” He made a gesture with his hand to symbolize having a metallic hook on his hand.
I wanted to share in the obvious joke, but I couldn’t help myself from imagining how bad it could have been if he had lost more of his arm. His fingers were pale and thinner than before, the nails refusing to grow, too. As much as I tried to hide my dour expression, he spotted how I looked at his hand and put it back down beneath the blanket.
“I’ll sleep on it,” he concluded.
“Good idea, it’s getting rather late,” I looked at the clock on the wall. The moon would be high in the sky already. “I need to go see Fetra,” I said as I rose.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” His tone felt warm and soothing, something I came to take for granted if I wasn’t paying particular attention to his tenor.
“Sleep well.” I turned off the light at the door.
“You, too,” I heard from the bed as the door slid shut.
As I slither down the hallway on the way to the bridge, I cross paths with some Xcom soldiers. It struck me rather oddly at first how they didn’t seem to react strangely to my presence. While it made sense they wouldn’t be scared of aliens, the fact that I very rarely caught even the slightest glimpse of discomfort was more than a little confusing.
They greet me with a respectful nod, others with a quick hand gesture similar to a solute. All in all, the crew of the skycraft was used to having allied aliens around them. Made even more apparent by a small cluster of people at the doors to an elevator. Two humans, a young viper, and a sectoid all stand around in a circle.
They laugh about something as I round the corner, then shift their eyes to me. “Ah, captain,” one of the humans, a woman named Kara, calls out.
“Tonight then?” The viper, Marika, asks with anticipation in her voice.
“Probably, I am just about to talk to Fetra about it. Be on standby, in any case,” I reply as I activate the elevator.
The man, Trio – another code name – looks stalwart as always, his thick brow constantly lowered as if disseminating the entire room. The sectoid Varre seems more interested in returning to their conversation, and the two women exchange a look of excitement.
“How’s he?” Marika asks as the elevator slows and the doors part. She is much smaller than me, her colors a mix of black at the back and a reddish hue at her stomach. Part of her tail is missing and she wears a long, green button-down coat.
“Recovering. He’ll join us soon, I think.”
“Would be nice to finally get to see all those skills in action that you keep talking about,” Kara snorts with stifled laughter.
“I’m sure those aren’t the only skills he’s got,” Marika hisses with a snicker as the doors close and I can’t hear anymore. I wonder what she meant.
While the elevator hummed away, my thoughts were gnawing at the edges of my mind. Fetra was kind, protective, and downright parental in her care for not only me but all other aliens. And yet she is undoubtedly the most dangerous person in the entire carrier.
When she had initially led me through the halls to introduce me to the sleeping quarters of my squad, the canteen where both humans and aliens ate at the same tables, and the armory, we weren’t flanked by guards. At first, I thought it was confidence that I would be an ally, but I soon came to realize it was confidence in herself. She wasn’t fully human, that much anyone could have told from her pale, silver hair and purple eyes. But the real danger lay just below the surface.
The doors slid open and I entered the main command center. A large holographic table takes up most of the space, a group of humans and a sectoid are gathered around it, pointing out certain structures. A viper of yellow and red coloration slides past me and into the elevator, a document in hand. The glass front of the skyrcraft shows the dark night sky and gently drifting clouds illuminated by the pale moonlight. As much as I would have liked to enjoy the refreshing air, the inside was much warmer and well-illuminated.
My eyes scan the room and quickly land on the distinctive white of Fetra’s hair. Her slick, black armor shines out from beneath a trench coat of dark purple. She stands with her hands at her hips, overlooking the goings-on of the brig with her distinctively glowing gloam-colored eyes.
Her gaze falls upon me and I immediately feel that slight poke followed by a physical sensation of being linked to the woman. The feeling is uncomfortable, as I had voiced in the past, but apparently an uncontrolled side effect of her psionics.
She walks down the staircase from the main control room and approaches the desk. The group gathered split to make space for me and I choose to look at the map instead of Marshal. A forest spreads out in blue color before me, four areas marked as the landing zones. The main target appears to be a facility I recognize as a manufacturing building.
“We’re approaching slowly to avoid detection, arrival is estimated in six hours,” a commanding officer briefs me quickly.
“What resistance are we expecting?” I ask, looking for the marked fence line and turrets mounted atop the walls.
“A skeleton crew, Advent basically abandoned this facility a week ago according to local militia intel. They would have already attacked it but we told them to wait,” the sectoid replies without looking up, using his slender fingers to lift a report from the table and pull it onto a tablet he hands to me.
I skim through it briefly, reading about two dozen troopers and three squads of various aliens, a berserker among them. The militia had sent a couple of scouts in the past, avoiding detection.
“Your squad will approach from the south, Beta will come from the west once you have taken out surveillance. You will then converge and enter through here,” a man points at a section of the fence closest to the tree line. “Once inside, your own discretion will be needed to navigate through the barracks and into the command center. A specialist will disable the anti-aircraft units allowing us to bring in the psionic shields overhead.”
“Non-lethal rounds on any controlled aliens, of course,” Fetra chimes in.
“What about the berserker?” I ask.
“We have reports that one will be out patrolling, so it shouldn’t be a problem for the heavier guns on the ship.”
“Psionic units?” As I read more thoroughly, I ask.
“Only two sectoids have been sighted, but we suspect they will be inside the facility. Psi blockers will be issued on this mission for your and Beta squad.” Fetra looks at me and I am unable to do anything but meet her eyes.
“What’s inside?” I finally finish the document, noting that it lacks details on what exactly the facility holds.
“Metal production, weapons, intel,” another human replies.
Upon noticing my skeptical look, Fetra explains further, “We’re clearing out the outer holds on Advent control around Switzerland, lowering their ability to move covertly in the area and giving us a better foothold in the south. We also suspect the units there have already been excluded from the larger psionic network, so they’ll likely be quite happy about getting those remnant commands out of their heads.”
“What about the militia getting this intel? Are they hanging back or are we expecting local reinforcements?” One of the men, the leader of Beta squad asks. A star on his uniform denotes him as someone in charge, though his precise rank is unclear to me. He hasn’t given me orders, though, and on the field, I am in control of his units.
“We’ve told them to hang back and await our arrival. They agreed to the terms.”
“Those turrets,” I point at the heavy machinery displayed on the hologram. “Manual or automatic control?”
“Linked to the surveillance, it runs on the system’s AI. These are all the ones we could confirm, but nothing of the inside except the usual layout is known. EMP rounds are to be used sparingly, as multiple system failures might alert them.”
“Needless to say, we hope you’ll get to the command center without raising an alarm.” I hear slight doubt in the sectoid’s tone.
“That's why I’m here, is it not?”
The previous seven missions had all been silent deployments. Marika and I both have a background in scouting, while Kara and Trio were exceptionally quiet for humans. The sectoid, Varre, used to be a commander, more there for coordination. He joined my squad recently, jumping in from the disbanded Omega squad a month prior.
After some final discussion of the precise time frame in which we were expected to take over the center, Fetra took me aside. We went up to the brig where we could look out through the glass. Even through the glass, I could smell the fresh, cool air on my tongue, calming the nerves that I had.
“Luis seems in good spirits,” she says to pull me into conversation.
“He’s still tied to the bed most of the day, procedure after procedure. But he’s healthy, that’s all that matters,” I reply shortly.
Fetra nods subtly. “You still haven’t told him you’re already going on missions, have you?” Her voice implicates no blame or negativity.
“No… I think it would just worry him unnecessarily. Once he is able to go on missions, too, I am sure he will understand.” It didn't feel right to keep a secret from him, but I have my reasons.
“Do you remember what I told you last time? About how he sees you, thinks about you? Do you still not wish to know?” She asks, referring to our therapy sessions.
“No, I don’t. And I don’t enjoy knowing you are still prodding in his head.” As much as I downright feared the woman’s powers, this was something I knew I needed to stand up for.
“He’s a dangerous man, Isra. You know that perhaps even more than me. I keep out of your… personal affairs as much as I am allowed to, but I have to report constantly to people who aren't nearly as understanding. Remember that I vouched for your bond and how it is important to integrate our species in the future.” Again, she referred to this higher-up who guides the entirety of Xcom.
“And yet I haven’t met that someone you report to,” I counter.
“They’re a very busy person,” she says lightheartedly.
The group behind us finishes their debriefing and begins leaving for their stations. Marshal and I continue to look out at the pale moonlit sky, listening to the quiet whirring of the engines. Soon, however, I decide it is time to leave, too.
“We will talk again after the mission. Luis will have something to do soon,” Fetra says in her parting words.
I slither my way through the ship’s bowels and toward my squad’s barracks. On the way, I encounter two humans sitting leaning against a wall with a bottle of alcohol at their feet. They are too busy kissing and grabbing at each other to pay me any mind. I try to give them the courtesy of not staring at their intimacy, but all my mind is able to produce is the thought of how much more their lips fit together in comparison to me and Luis.
But it was no different in the end, right? We still had these moments, though not as far as I had seen some of the soldiers act with their…lovers? Is that the term I would use for Luis? Did we love each other?
A foreign concept to me, but one that had come without education or anyone telling me that this was what I was feeling. It felt natural, true to how I saw him. But did he love me? Does he feel the same way that I do?
The questions ate themselves into my thoughts and nestled deep in my head. I found myself staring regardless of my intention, until my neck began to bend when I turned a corner. I figured I would give the briefing to my squad and then catch some sleep before we were deployed.
Finally, the long winding, gray, dead hallways opened into the barrack section. I saw some smaller detachments chatting amongst each other outside their doors, a music box blasted some repetitive tune far too loudly. I ignore them and enter the room for my squad.
The light is turned to a dim orange, casting warm shadows over the large beds and furniture. Marika and Kara are sitting at a table, the viper coiling into a spring, eating their rations while chatting. Trio and Varre are looking at a tablet, either playing a game or reading something. But all of them pause upon my entering the room, looking up expectantly.
As I close the door and place the tablet on the table, the two men approach. Marika deftly pulls the downloaded report from the display and drags a blue holographic model up so that everyone can see.
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“ETA is six hours, minimal resistance. Our targets are the surveillance and anti-aircraft system. Beta squad will rendezvous with us here,” I point at the section of the facility, “we then enter through here, avoid detection with EMP and tranq rounds and the skycraft turns off psionics.”
A moment after everyone takes in the information, Varre speaks up. “Why are we attacking this small of an outpost? The crew here is not big enough to make any difference.”
Trio chimes in, “I have to agree. This seems like an unnecessary use of time and resources when we could be focusing on hitting the southern strongholds. If we can get this close, we certainly can start working on that, can’t we?”
I consider his question for a second. I find myself returning to the way this exact question was dismissed just minutes ago. It seems strange, clearing an outpost with what they described as a skeleton crew.
But then Marika raises a point I had failed to consider. “Attacking the stronghold might work. We have some serious firepower on our side and intel that would maybe secure a victory over a few days. But they tried that before, right? In America, they went head-on with Advent and destroyed the strongholds all at once. That caused the units on the continent to suddenly lose structure, except for the troopers and psi units with their remnant commands.” She glances directly at me. “That wasn’t good, was it?”
Memories of the day I was released came back, blurred and washed. But the emotions, the panic, the fear, and the realization all came flooding back.
“I think they learned from that mistake. Xcom spent months cleaning up the mess they made, rescuing the detachments that were lost on missions and suddenly unable to call for aid, the outposts which devolved into mutiny and fighting among those free and the ones still controlled.” She pauses for a moment, something clearly bothering her. “When I was freed, I tried to escape from my squad but instead they began attacking me and my sisters.”
“So they’re taking it slow to ensure freeing the aliens goes smoothly?” Kara concludes.
“That would make sense. If these outposts are liberated individually, the impact of destroying the main facilities will be lessened.” Varre joined in.
“It does seem a more noble effort, freeing aliens in a way that will not have them scrambling to figure out what happened,” Trio, although his voice was deep and brooding, agreed.
And once again, I am surprised by the sympathy the humans showed toward the suffering of their enemies. The conversation with Luis about empathy comes back into my mind, reminding me of how the Elders saw it as a weakness. Now it would be their undoing. The irony made me smile.
“Then let’s do it for our brothers and sisters,” I called out, which was met with encouragement from all sides.
We chatted for about an hour more, Varre told us of how unorganized Advent truly had been from the perspective of someone in charge of keeping others in check, Trio mentioned how his lover was assigned on a long-term mission in Africa, Kara shared her past as a cook before escaping the cities early. But when Marika and I were asked to share, both of us blanked out for a minute.
“Well, I was a scout. Made from artificially fertilized eggs to have the right DNA for things such as needing less food, better heat distribution, and of course my colors,” Marika explained. She then looked at me. “But you’re from our actual home, right? Do you still remember it?”
“Not really… I spent decades in space, my body turned off except for basic functions until I was needed again. When I dream, however, I sometimes see large lakes of crystal blue water, rocky mountains, and a massive orange sun. I don’t really know if that is our home planet, or just another memory of conquest, but I’d like to believe it is.”
Marika especially looks downright enraptured with this simple tale of my dream. “Maybe you could have someone draw it? Or Varre here could look into your head to get a clearer picture?” She immediately begins shifting her tail stump in excitement.
The sectoid shares a look with me that conveyed understanding even before I opened my mouth. “I don’t think I will let anyone poke around in my head anytime soon. Even if it isn’t real, I think I prefer it that way.”
“Oh,” was all Marika could muster, realizing the topic she brought up was rather sensitive.
“We should get some rest while we can,” I choose to say as a way to disengage, making my way to the large bed in one of the room’s corners. It still feels strange, to have my own bed specifically made to accommodate my size.
“Not gonna go back to your man?” Kara says, her tone playful.
‘My man?’ I barely stop myself from talking out loud. Instead, I consider my response a little more diligently. “You mean Luis? I already said goodnight, it would be quite awkward to go back now. Besides, he needs the sleep.”
“Tire him out, ey?” Trio adds while making his way to his own bed.
I hear a slight chuckle from one of them, unsure which one or perhaps all of them. They had been teasing me about the subject for a while already, so I was used to it enough to not react.
“He’d be the first one, as far as I understand.” Varre, with his usual tone of factual analysis, says.
The bait they were laying out was obvious and blatantly made for humor. But still, I couldn’t help myself. Perhaps out of curiosity, maybe my own feelings need something to feed on.
“Is that…even possible?” I say, my voice a meck imitation of ignorance and uncaring.
The room suddenly goes quiet, the squad now either in bed or leaning back on the sofa. I feel heat begin to build, rising from embarrassment at revealing more than I had let on.
“Possible, certainly.” Varre, again, speaks up with a voice that sounds closer to a medical analysis than a conversation.
“So you never tried to… you know,” Marika says, sounding innocent but curious.
“No!” I immediately shoot back, though a moment later I consider the question further than instinctive denial.
“Not like I haven’t thought about it before, either,” my earth-born sister replies absentmindedly. “There are some good-looking men on the ranger. I just… don’t think any of them consider our species desirable.”
“Anyone particular, Mari?” Kara teases and I am glad for the shift in attention.
“No… Just generally speaking. Given there aren't any males left among the vipers, I am sure that Advent considered it when I was… made,” I hear a slight tinge of discomfort upon her reflecting on her birth. “We’re pretty different, Isra, right?”
Again, it comes back to me. I close my eyes to avoid staring a hole into the ceiling. “I think so,” I reply shortly. “So what, are you saying Advent made you…” I pause, considering if I truly wanted to touch on the topic. “Compatible with humans?”
Before Marika can respond, Varre answers for her,” Yes, I believe so. With consideration for the maintenance of us all, the ones born on earth have at least some part of human DNA and therefore coupling in mind. In fact, I read a report a long time ago discussing the benefits of such relations, such as integration of humans into the Advent forces.”
“So what, Marika could fuck a human and have half-viper kids?” Trio, who had kept silent, commented.
“I suppose in theory, though I doubt they’d be half anything. The only way to find out would be to try,” Varre explains.
‘What about me?’ The question echoes in my mind, so close to slipping from my lips that I am certain if Varre was even remotely connected to me he would be flooded with it.
Was that what I wanted? A life with the man I had grown so close to, being intimate with him like a human couple… offspring?
No, it wouldn’t even be possible, I was still mostly unchanged except for combat purposes. I was certainly not compatible in that way. But maybe, just maybe…
I open my eyes and listen closely for an alarm or any indication of the time passed, but nothing. Slowly, I lift my tail out of the bed and onto the ground. Trio was already sitting at the table, chewing on some gum. The others seemed to be asleep still.
Making sure to avoid waking them, I slither to the man and coil my tail. He offers me one of the silver-wrapped chewing gum but quickly reconsiders. “You don’t… have the teeth for this, right?” He chuckles, slightly embarrassed.
“I actually do,” I reply, showing him the tiny fangs along my gums. “The earth-born vipers don’t have them anymore.” Quite a strange thing to remove.
I take the wrapped mix of gum base and flavored resin and begin mushing it around my mouth. It tastes quite sweet and faintly of fruit, though the texture is more than a little strange, especially when part of it gets stuck in my large, folded fangs. Luckily I have my tongue to fish it back out and keep it on my smaller teeth.
“You know, I never thought I’d feel safe sleeping in a room with someone from your species. But then I see you sleeping curled in a ball, snoring and turning just like any human. I mean, just look at her,” he gestures to Marika, who has her tail wrapped around her torso, her arms clutching it. “She’s hugging her tail like a damn pillow.”
I smile back at him, the grizzled man letting a soft expression into his features. “Strange circumstances.”
He snorts and shrugs. “You don`t say. A year ago we were still fighting because we were convinced you were just downright evil.”
“Some are,” I add, thinking of the ones who sent us here to conquer.
“Sure, the Elders, right? A species of malevolent beings set on the subjugation of others, using mind control to force you to kill us.” He pauses and tilts his head to look at me at an angle. “But you are just as innocent as the ones they were oppressing. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like.” He trails off, seemingly finding something on my face to focus on.
“I’ve been their puppet for longer than I have been free. I must admit it feels strange to suddenly be allowed to be an individual again. I think I had forgotten what that felt like.”
“Do you even want to fight?” The question strikes me like a stun grenade. I can only stare back at him as he continues. “Don’t get me wrong, I am very glad you’re helping us out. You’ve saved the lives of many already, But as an individual, you should get to choose if this is what you want to fight for, maybe even die for.”
Initially, I wanted to just tell him that I wished to fight for a better world, for an end to the bloodshed I had helped usher into the life of another species. But then again, there is another reason I am here. The real reason for how I ended up in Xcom’s hands and why I am still helping them without question.
“I think it is important, more important than anything else,” I reply, though I am unsure which reason I am even talking about.
And Trio seems to notice, for his brows furrow and his teeth bite down on his lip, a mannerism I had come to realize was humans contemplating. “I suppose all I am trying to say is that if you ever feel like you want to live a different way, I can help.” While his voice was always similarly brooding, this sounded different, more serious and meaningful.
For a moment, I contemplate what he exactly meant by this, but my thoughts are quickly dismissed when I hear the stirring of the viper to our side.
“Ah, what time is it?” Marika lets out a long, deflating hiss.
“We got about thirty minutes before we gotta get ready, about time we wake up,” Trio responds and stands, giving me one last serious look. “Time to fight for the freedom of earth, ey?”
We make our way down into the armory as a unit, crossing paths with a few others who don’t ask questions. The path is cleared for us into a section of the locked room where our equipment lies.
I take off my overcoat and put on the armor provided. While Xcom had begun to stock viper gear, modified from the original Advent tech, mine was forged specifically to accommodate my larger size. Armor for the upper body, the straps around my back were now magnetic and easily taken off and on without assistance, while my midriff remained free for mobility.
Something I had never considered but now that it was provided were straps, pouches, and light plating for my tail. Other viper units also have this new piece of equipment, allowing us to carry extra ammo, grenades, and other useful tools without occupying the arms. Plus it covers a part of my tail that, while previously was of no concern to Advent, I came to realize was rather vital.
My weapon is a plasma rifle, modified for single-hand use and outfitted with holographic target assistance and the ability to switch from lethal to stunning and special EMP shots, though they had to be loaded into a chamber directly. A radio that attaches to my chest armor with a link I clipped to my hood.
Meanwhile, Trio grabbed his long rifle. It looked human in origin but the sight was alien in its sleekness and the barrel elongated with smooth Carrium metal. Overtop his armor, he threw a cloak of foliage suited for the area we would operate in, making him look like a walking bush.
Kara’s armor was made from black fiber that clung tightly to her form, except for a chest plate made from Carrium. She equipped herself with a pair of smaller plasma pistols which she holstered at the hip. She wore a helmet mixed with a headset, then attached a small tablet to her wrist, beginning the initializing of her programs.
Marika had very similar armament to me, except of course her smaller stature. But unlike me, she had more protection on her waist and stomach, where she also kept a tablet and electronic devices.
Varre wore lighter defense, not planning on being part of the initial entry but rather support from the backlines next to Trio. His hands were covered in gloves that allowed his fingertips to be free, while most other parts were covered in fiber and light sections of plate. He also carried a long-range communicator on his hip, there to make calls to the headquarters.
Finally done, we make our way to the smaller skyranger, the hangar above already open and letting in the slowly descending moonlight. I savor the tint of fresh air, though it was mixed with the fuel and stink of the machinery whirring around. I spot Beta squad entering their own carrier, which would depart soon after us.
The pilot greets us briefly before closing the door to the cockpit, leaving us to strap into the seats. Sadly, these were one of the few things they left unmodified, meaning both of us vipers had to wrap the belts around us in multiple overlapping ways.
I lower my head and listen as the engine begins to roar, then gravity pushes me into my seat as we take off. Without windows, I sadly can’t watch the sky rising, nor can I rely on the softly floating clouds to calm my mind. All I have are the drowning sounds of the engine and the alternating blue-red floodlights.
“That berserker,” Kara speaks through the radio, as the noise inside would have swallowed her voice otherwise. “You think we’re gonna run into it?” Her question isn’t directed at anyone in particular, just sending it along the frequency.
“It’s too simple to be running around alone, just as it isn’t fit for guarding something particular like a back entrance. If you ask me, I think it will be out patrolling the main gate with a sectoid or a commander,” Varre explains.
“Do you feel confident that you can disable the surveillance?” Trio addresses Kara with a nod.
“Piece o’ cake, they use standard encryption with barely any attention paid to the many holes in their AI,” though the radio made it a bit harder to hear, she sounds certain in her skills.
“Approaching LV,” the radio perks up with the voice of the pilot, informing us we are about to depart.
Quickly, we line up, me at the front. I feel the torque of the ship slow down, the air smells of wood and stagnant water as the door to the hangar opens to reveal a quickly rushing forest below. A countdown begins through the ship’s intercom and I clip my belt onto the rope hanging from the ceiling and slither to the edge of the ramp.
We descend lower and slow the flight until we are hovering over a small clearing in the trees. “Go, go, go!” The pilot calls hastily.
And with that, I drop out of the skyranger, my squad following closely behind. I clutch my tail around the rope to not slide down too fast, but the ground still impacts rather hard. The floor of sticks and bushes feel cold to my scales, but strangely comforting.
I took position at the front, pointing my gun into the dense foliage and scanning the area as my squad assembled behind me. Kara looks down at her tablet to pull up a map. “600 south,” she informs us and I begin moving.
It feels natural to slither through the underbrush, over fallen trees, and around clusters of towering pines. Small critters move out of the way, skittering into their hiding places, night birds announce our path a few dozen meters ahead, and a fox jumps through a bush and into the darkness.
Marika and I are in the front, leading by about two dozen meters, clearing the area for the rest to move up. Her smaller size allows her to move a little quieter than me, but she has to curve her body almost twice the amount of times as me due to the same difference.
Finally, I hear sounds of industry in the distance and spot the overhead lights of the outpost shining into the sky in search of threats. Some of them are pointed at the woods, but our natural cover was dense enough that at a distance of 50 meters, there was no way they could see us. We took position behind a massive tree stump, which looked to have been cut down some decades prior.
‘They probably stopped cutting down the trees when Advent left them here,’ I thought, seeing as most of our cover was young trees.
“Beta squad is in position,” Varre informs me quickly.
“Psi blockers, now,” I order and produce the metal container from tail pouch. The small white pill is easy enough for me and Marika to swallow, but the humans struggle with it for a moment, thanks to their gag reflex. Varre, of course, does not take them.
For a moment, I feel a familiar tinge of psionic pull on my thoughts, only for it to be replaced by the feeling of enclosedness, as a psionic barrier forms around my mind. I shake my head and focus back on the building.
I load the EMP rounds into my rifle and begin moving up with Marika once more. Trio unfolds his heavy rifle and places the mount atop the stump, adjusting his scope and then becoming as still as the wood around him, blending rather well into the ground.
Closer and closer until I find the fence line. Kara moves up behind me while I keep an eye out for a patrol, making sure we are out of sight from a camera at the building’s corner. She produces a knife which, upon pressing a button on the handle, heats up. Deftly, she cuts a hole into the fence, melting through it nearly silently.
Marika is the first to enter, slipping through the fence. I follow though I have to squeeze a little to fit through. We find cover and coil low to the ground. I take aim and shoot a silent round at the base of the camera, which immediately stops moving. The human follows after and we line up at the door. She puts her tablet at a terminal of the door, establishes a link, and begins breaching into the system.
My senses are sharpened to listen for any approaching movement, but just as I hear a group of footsteps approaching, the door clicks open and we pour inside before anyone could round the corner. We close the door and look at the interior.
It looks just like any other Advent outpost, gray walls with low white lights on the ceiling, vents at the top, and large doors blocking further entry. “We’re in,” I inform Trio and Varre.
“Beta squad is converging, you’re clear to proceed,” Varre confirms back.
I peek around a corner and spot another camera, which I quickly take out. At this point, I assume we are on a time limit until the command center notices something is wrong.
Kara taps her tablet and the doors slide open to reveal the barracks. As soon as we are inside, she locks it again. I check the tiny cell-like rooms, finding a room where a group of three Advent troopers is attached to power cords on the walls, turned off like the biomachines they are.
“Move on, they’re out,” I order, moving quickly with the long curves of my tail.
Recalling the layout of the scan, I know we will have to move through a large open area before getting to the command center, where at least some troops are suspected. I lift my weapon and the two women follow my lead, lining up on the side of the door. I raise a hand and after checking that they are ready, close my fist.
The door opens and my instincts take over upon spotting a viper, two troopers and a sectoid in the large open room where machinery is being built by automatic robots.
I fire on the sectoid, my gun set to stun. Marika shoots at the viper, and Kara unloads both her pistols on the troopers with lethal plasma.
The sectoid manages to turn his head, the viper tries to lift her gun but the troopers are far too slow to react before they’re hit in the chest and head. The sectoid I hit in the shoulder and arm begins twitching as the electrical stun courses through his body and the viper drops her gun as she is hit with half a dozen rounds as well. The entire squad collapses in unison, their weapons clanking onto the ground.
Immediately, we move in, Kara securing the alien units with a small device that wraps metal cables around their bodies, also disabling their communication devices.
I check the corners for cameras and take the two I find out with quick shots.
“Which side?” I ask Kara, who shows me the layout again. I find the correct door and slither to it, Marika at my side.
But just as we get ready to breach into the command center, a door opens.
I raise my gun, ready to fire, only to find a group of four humans rushing it. Their guns are trained on me but they lower them quickly upon recognizing us.
“Beta squad, reporting in. We’re all clear, took out one pod on entry, all troopers and a commander.” A man who I don’t remember the name of reports quickly rushes through the room.
Now with both squads under my command, I prepare to breach again. I silently count down and give the signal to open the door.
Time seems to slow as I enter alongside my earth-born sister to clear a line of sight for the humans behind us, raising my gun while rising to a larger height to hit the sectoid I spot at the back of the room.
Five troopers, two vipers and a sectoid, a truly pathetic last line of defense for the facility’s core. My shot flies across the room, hitting the dodging alien psionic unit in the arm and chest. The humans open fire on the troopers and Marika shoots at the viper.
But the second one manages to dive for cover, while her allies are mowed down. She doesn’t return fire right away, presumably trying to call for aid, but I am already rushing to a position to get a clear shot.
She notices too late, her hand on her comms instead of her gun as I paralyze her with a shock round.
With the room cleared and without confirmation if the viper had gotten a distress call off, Kara sprints for the console.
Computer screens hang above a round set of electronic devices, showing the outside and inside of the facility. There I spot the main gate, guarded by the turrets and a dozen troops in the courtyard. They seem unfazed, confirming we were still undetected. But I do not see the berserker, who would have been hard to miss. Regardless, we have no time to worry about it.
A specialist from Beta squad joins Kara in hacking into the AI, trying to disable the turrets, communications, and radar. “Problem,” I hear over the radio, Varre’s voice sounds distressed. “A pod has spotted the fence, should we engage?”
“If they try to enter the door or you are spotted, until then hold fire, we’re almost clear.”
“Confirmed,” the sectoid replies.
“I’m in!” Kara announces as I watch the floodlights suddenly turn off outside, the turrets turning downward to signify their loss of power.
“System is ours, send in the blockers,” I tell the pilot over the radio.
The humans all breathe a sigh of relief at a mission going so smoothly, until suddenly one of them calls out, “He’s still conscious!”
I spin around to find the sectoid I had shot moving a hand. The soldier raises his gun and I realize at that moment he isn’t wielding a weapon with stun capabilities. “No!” I try to yell out but the silenced shot of his gun stops my words from having any meaning.
Green blood splatters on the floor, alongside the alien’s brain. “Shit!” He curses, realizing what he has done. Or rather, that it was meaningless. The communicator on the sectoid’s wrist blinks and we all know what that means.
“We’ve been spotted,” the leader of Beta squad announces over the radio to all of us.
Only a second after, all hell breaks loose.
Gunshots ring from the outside, a loud alarm blares through sirens, and green plasma begins flying through the courtyard and into the woods, illuminating the area.
“Going loud!” Trio calls out, signaling he is now engaged in a fight.
“Turn off that alarm, now!” I command the specialists, who are already frantically trying to breach into the system’s subnets. “Take position, we have to hold this room,” I order the soldiers.
We move into cover, hearing the approaching of many troopers in the direction of the three doors. They part to reveal at least two pods on each end pouring in, luckily only the troopers. Both sides open fire, plasma and magnetic bullets flying across the room, impacting the screens and walls with sparks.
Some troopers go down in the initial entry, but others push through and find cover behind boxes and control panels, returning fire with green plasma. One of the humans is hit in the head, the heated plasma tearing his skull into pieces. I throw a grenade into the troopers' ranks, pushing two out of cover which are quickly dispatched.
Then my eyes go wide as I hear heavy thumping and feel the ground rumbling, followed by a deafening roar. The thumping gets louder and faster until I see the mass of muscle and bone dashing around the corner. The berserker rushes into the open, crushing the fallen troopers as it sprints at us directly.
“Fuck!”