Fabricated Chapter 31

[companionwolf]

 All things considered, the explanations go well. The patients are rightfully horrified and hurt at the betrayal of their trust, the doctors mortified at the treatments they’ve given under orders, the children wishing to be reunited with parents and the parents wishing to be reunited with children. They seem to take the existence of a name for their condition, the real name, decently too; he is adamant in trying to impose how important it is they don’t like the government know, that they keep it quiet and only amongst themselves. 

 

After that, when other people took up the mantle of talk, PC isn’t entirely sure what happened; he’s tired and starting to see double when things finally wrap up and he is allowed to drag himself into one of the nicer rooms of the welcome center (with the humans in adjacent rooms) and collapse into the bed. 

 

He sleeps heavily, and in the morning he sits still as Sam appears and again peels back his clothes to sew up the bullet wounds in his chest and back and about his head. She hums as she works, gently pulling thread along to neatly sew on patches of cloth that match the colors of his printed self well enough. When she is done, she tells him there is breakfast to be had, and talking to be done. 

 

He comes down the stairs and is ushered in by some older women into a large room where some middle aged men are cooking in a corner kitchen. Tables have been laid out, and they’re packed— nurses, children, older people. PC scans the tables for his friends, spots Espeon sitting on Davey’s head. 

 

He’s greeted rather cheerfully by the humans, despite the bandages on Davey’s head and Alex’s lower arms, and the fact Tulip is absent. He sits, and Alex places Alice into his lap. She presses against him, and he is surprised to feel her shaking.

 

“I suppose,” she says, and she sounds so sad and afraid he wishes he could deny what she is about to say, “that you will be doing that all again when you fight the Elders?”

 

“Probably,” he says. 

 

She makes a keening noise and presses her face against him harder. He gently strokes the back of her head. A man with silvery hair has come to the front of the room, is holding a microphone. 

 

“We’ve found a phone for folks to use to call relatives,” he says. “Using the records the nurses have, we’ll go alphabetically. Anybody who has to stay overnight while waiting for pick up will be in the Welcome Center suites.” 

 

Questions: “If we have a car, can we just leave?” “What about the police?” “Did you guys find where they’re keeping everyone’s personal belongings yet?”

 

The silver haired man answers in turn: “It seems like most of the parking lot was cleared; if you had a car, I’m afraid the damn cult leader mighta sold it for cash. Same with your keys and personal items.”

 

A grumble runs through the crowd. The man goes on. “If you somehow do still have your keys, and your cars in the lot, check in with Jonsey” - a dark haired woman serving eggs waves her hands at her name “-before you go. We want statements and experiences to give to the police, and we’ll contact you again when they start their investigation.”

 

As people eat, they begin to file out, either back to rooms or out into the parking lot hopeful that their vehicle might have been spared. PC watches as the humans swallow eggs and bacon, is once again jealous of his half existence. He has always wondered what bacon tastes like...

 

“Where’s the Spartan?” he asks, instead of dwelling too much on that. “Where’s Tulip?”

 

“Think it went and spent the night back in its truck,” Espeon says. “People wouldn’t stop trying to take its armor off. They wanted to help, I think it just got scared.” 

 

“Tulip is still being treated for her leg wound by folks who volunteered,” Davey says. He gingerly taps the side of his head. “I guess it takes a lot more psionic power to heal something like hers.” Alex nods at this, rubs at their bandaged wrists. 

 

“I’ll go get the Spartan, if you’ll go get Tulip, and let’s meet back at the Psi Gate once you all finish your food,” PC says, and stands; Espeon jumps from one head to another until she’s clambering up PC’s arm to sit on his shoulder. 

 

“Not without me,” she says, and he laughs. “Of course not.”

 

It’s misting slightly as he walks alongside the road toward Davey’s car and the Spartan’s truck. He tucks Alice and Espeon into the hoodie pocket, with their heads sticking out to see. As they walk, Espeon regales the battle to Alice, PC content to let her remember and retell, with only a few interjections on his part. 

 

They reach the truck. PC raps his knuckles against the dark tinted window, and after a moment, it rolls down slightly. Then it raises back up, and the door opens. PC backs up a step as the Spartan gets out. 

 

“Are you alright?” he asks.

 

“I have been better,” says the Spartan; PC glances over it and notes discolored scratch marks. “But I am alive. And so are you and your humans. One of the Elders is dead. And that is enough for me.”

 

“We’re going to try and figure out the Psi Gate,” PC says. 

 

“A intriguing piece,” the Spartan says as it falls in step with him. “What did you say it does, again?”

 

“It’s a portal to the Elder’s base on Earth,” he says. “Or, well, it was in the game. I guess we really don’t know where it leads for sure in reality.”

 

“Right, right, to humanity the Elders were fictional,” says the Spartan. “How in the game did you make it work?”

 

“Well, they moved it from its place in wild first,” says PC. “Then they turned it on... somehow. Tested going through with a robot, which ended up poorly and informed them they needed a organic key to pass through. That key ended up being the game’s Commander, which is a little heavy handed, but I’m not a game developer or a writer so I shouldn’t cast much doubt on it...”

 

“You know that’s as cheap as the little dragonball z fight was, don’t lie,” says Espeon. 

 

“Again, I’m not a writer, so I can’t say much on if it’s cheap or not,” he says, but he’s smiling. 

 

“Is there a commander in reality?” asks the Spartan.

 

“I mean, there wasn’t a xcom, so I don’t think so,” PC says. “But I would have said that about a non-Elder Ethereal too, if I hadn’t been lucky enough to end up its bonded. So, maybe?”

 

“Hmm,” says the Spartan. They’ve reached the campus and made their way back to the Psi Gate building. The door has been removed, and inside he can see already see the forms of Davey, Alex, and Tulip. When he approaches, he sees Alex has spooled up a Psionic ball and is gingerly pushing it into the inactivated space of the Psi Gate.

 

It fizzles out when they release it, and by the au they slump their shoulders, this isn’t the outcome they wanted; they shrug at the others. “Worth a try,” they say. “Any other ideas?”

 

“Stab it with the protojacks?” says Tulip, from where she leans against the wall and keeps weight off her wrapped up leg. 

 

“That doesn’t make much sense,” says Alice, making the three turn heads. 

 

“Oh, Halo friend is here,” says Davey. “Hey again.”

 

“Hello,” says the Spartan. 

 

“What haven’t we tried?” asks PC.

 

“Well, just flicking psionics at it doesn’t seem to work,” says Alex, sniffling around some blood as it comes trickling out of their nose. “Maybe it needs a power source?”

 

“Like what? An engine?”

 

“If it is power you need,” says the Spartan, “give me time, and I could take my conduit from my ship and we can use it here.”

 

“You would be willing to do that?” PC asks.

 

“As long as I get it back at the end, yes,” it says. 

 

“Well,” says Davey, “it’s something to try.”

 

“Very well,” says the Spartan. “If you don’t mind my saying, I recommend you practice your weapon abilities while I am gone. You will need to hit your targets more times in the next battle if you want to win.” 

 

“So basically get good,” says Espeon, laughing. “Basically don’t be a xcom rookie.”

 

“Dully noted,” says Alex. 

 

“In the meantime,” says PC, “we’ll keep trying other things. Maybe we could pass the Outsider Shard through it?”

 

“Good idea,” says Alice. “Wasn’t it activated by the codex brain in game? Since the Shard has served a similar purpose...” 

 

“I don’t really think the game ever showed how it got turned on,” PC says. “And I don’t remember that detail. Sorry.” 

 

“Still,” says Alex, “it’s something to try. I’ll go get it now.” And they’re off and running before anyone can say otherwise. The Spartan snorts amusedly. 

 

“Let us see if this works,” it says. “If not, I go. If it does...” it hesitates. “What will you do if it works?”

 

“We can’t go through it even if we turn it l. way,” Davey says. “Remember what happens to ROV-R?”  

 

PC winces. “I guess we’ll figure that part out when we get to it,” he says after a moment. “I can’t imagine what they’d make the biological key if not the commander.”

 

“Do we still have any of the GRE’s body left?” asks Davey.

 

“Yeah,” says Tulip. “In the freezer.”

 

“We could try to put him through the Gate,” says Alice. “At the very least we’ll know if it reacts badly to things like the one in the game does.”

 

“Better then asking one of us to poke our hands through it,” Davey says. 

 

“I’ll go get him then,” says Davey, and jogs off toward the Welcome Center. PC frowns at the Psi Gate.

 

“Is there anyway to force your way though?” asks the Spartan.

 

“In the game, on the return trip, the commander forced the gate to remain open so their soldiers could escape,” PC says. “I guess... maybe the reverse could happen. Force it open long enough for others to get inside. I guess we’ll just have to see.”