Top Posts Tagged with #*thaddeus seaver

Rage Against the Dying of the Light Pt 3 of 4

No chapter blurb for now

The usual warnings for blood, violence, and language. Some suicidal thoughts and attempted misguided murder(finally in this chapter :D.)

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“Ah…” A hiss slipped from Thaddeus’ lips. His eyelids pressed together tightly. There was a faint headache tapping away and a pulsing sensation dancing down his spine.

“He’s waking up. Alert Dr. Veer and Central.” Someone said.

Dammit. I’m still alive. He cursed in his mind. There was a thick fog clinging to his mind, disorientating his senses, but he could faintly recall what he did before everything went black. If only he could have done more damage.

But he felt something. More or so, a lack of something. At least that thing isn’t whispering in my ear. He faintly recalled that wretched shadow and how it pushed and pulled on his emotions. He didn’t like it. The hell was that thing?

His eyes fluttered open, and for once he didn’t have to shut them. Looked like they had dimmed the lights.

He looked around. He was still in the same room — the “Infirmary” was what they called it. He could tell he was in some smaller section of it due to the curtains and metal sheets surrounding him.

What facility is this? The tech looks advanced but off from the usual ADVENT or alien format. Did something happen at where he was usually kept and they had to use a more “off-the-grid” facility to treat him? No, that made no sense to him. What was going on?

He shifted back and forth, getting some feeling back into his numb limbs. As he tried to lift himself up, he felt a tug around his wrists. He looked down. Restraints. They had thick straps locking him down on the bed.

That’s… different. What? They don’t have the usual meds and psionics to disarm me? Part of his mind was wondering if the people currently holding him were even ADVENT since nothing matched the usual M.O., and he didn’t feel that oppressive psionic force in his mind. But that part of him, the rage buried within, snatched that thought and devoured it. This is some plow. Another trick. Let’s see how long this game goes before They rip it from me again.

“Ah.” He hissed as a light blinded him. A worker was checking his eyes and making notes. He tried to bite them, but they quickly pulled away. He then spat at them.

“May need to get him a muzzle.” They grumbled as they cleaned their face.

He only flashed his teeth in response. A wince followed as that headache pulsed and he felt a faint cold run down his spine. He did his best to ignore that latter.

The worker continued to run some more tests until this Dr. Veer arrived.

“How is he?” She asked, voice laced with weariness. She sounded older woman. And looked like one too as she came into his view.

There was some gray in her brown hair that she had pulled back into a ponytail. Deep bags and many wrinkles accentuated eyes that had seen many things. Those eyes, there was an odd electronic twinkle he noticed in them. Why?

As he questioned that, the doctor turned her head to one of the workers, and then he saw something that made his face twist into a scowl. It was partially covered by her hair, but he saw the faintest red of what he knew was some kind of neural implant lining the side of her head. If he remembered correctly, only a rare few would receive those to enhance their work.

“Okay, so far.” The worker answered. “Word of warning, he will try to bite you if you come close. And he spat at me.”

“Don’t care to be polite to the Elders’ worms.” Thaddeus spoke.

Veer glanced at him before shooing the worker away.

“You understand us. Good.” She was pleased a language barrier wasn’t going to be an issue.

She was already making mental notes, taking note of his expression and the faint tink of the restraints being tested. “We’re not ADVENT. We’re not working for the Elders. If you could take one second to look around at your surroundings.” She gestured around. “Not as pretty as their Gene Clinics or as visceral as the… facility labs.” She hesitated to mention the latter.

He scoffed. “The looks don’t matter. Not the first lab I’ve been dissected in. Been in all kinds of labs. And I see your implants. Going to probe my mind? Tear it apart and rewrite things?”

She narrowed her eyes, a faint spark of purple coursed through the green, before she closed them fully. “I have forsaken that life, long ago. If I could remove them, I would.”

He scoffed again. “Sympathy ploy. Doing this game again, huh?”

Just as he finished, a hiss left his lips as that headache grew. He didn’t hear the doctor’s soft rebuttal and her asking questions about what he thought they were going to “do” to him. His whole body trembled as if felt like someone ran ice down his spine.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright… Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay…

Instantly, Thaddeus froze. His eyes shrank to mere pinpricks as they darted around the room. Not that damn voice again.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light. It finished its regiments of a fragment of a poem.

Ah! That honeyed voice spoke, excited. Soon that sad aw from its other half followed.

There was no trace of it in the room. Yet. Just the doctor — yapping on about something — and the few workers currently handling scans and the other systems.

You’re still alive. Both voices spoke in unison.

Thaddeus held back a gasp. The cold sensation grew. He could feel it. That thing was right by him. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel those loathsome limbs touching his back, running up and down his spine before wrapping around his being in that strange embrace.

The systems took note of the slightly erratic changes in Thaddeus’ brain waves. Veer told the workers to keep note of that and any other changes. And ordered someone to get some painkillers in the IV.

What a… marvelous turn of events. That honeyed voice tickled his left ear. Perhaps this place is your salvation? Or damnation? It stayed on the left for a moment before switching to the right and that sad voice. This could be reality. Or just another falsehood. Still, there was no trace of the thing.

“SHUT UP.” Thaddeus suddenly snapped. His eyes locked onto Veer. Those implants. Must be those implants. “Out. Of. My. Head.” Each word was followed by an ever-increasing sneer.

Veer seemed barely phased by the sudden outburst compared to the rest. She took in a slow, deep breath, closing her eyes, before letting it out. “I doubt you’re reacting to what I’ve asked.” She had timed his zone out. About two minutes had passed. “The painkillers should take the edge off of your headache shortly. So again —”

Ah. A new doctor. That cold embrace began to pull away from him. He finally saw it. That shadow of wisps appeared in the corner of his eye before more coalesced into existence as a shifting cloud drifted over to the doctor.

A long, twisted arm took shape as it raised a hand to touch the side of her head. Those implants. As it did so, faint wisps of purple formed. I sense her… capabilities. Blessed like you, but to a different degree. In a way, lesser to what you are, you will be capable of… again.

Its faces took shape. In a way, it seemed to split in half, allowing each half to hang on either side of her face. The question is… Is she friend or foe?

“SHUT UP!” He could feel that thing tug at his brain again. Tug at that rage. He wouldn’t let it.

Again, Veer remained unfazed. She’d just have to take a new approach. No more questions. If that was what was making him zone out.

One worker came over to the doctor and whispered something into her ear. She just shook her head, told them to contact Dr. Marin, and told them and the others to go attend to the others in the Infirmary. She also told them to inform Bradford and the others of the updates as soon as the trio arrived.

Everyone quickly wrapped up their work before making themselves scarce.

Turning her attention back to him, Veer grabbed a rolling chair and moved it closer to the bed before sitting down. She didn’t say anything as she took a look at her tablet. Checking the latest data on his vitals. Those brainwaves and psionics. That was a new concern. Everything else looked good so far.

“I can’t assume what the Elders did to you…” And she could only guess. “But this isn’t a ploy. This isn’t some mind game. This isn’t some simulation.” She did her best to reinforce her naturally tired voice to sound more hopeful. “You’re out of Their clutches, out of the system. You’re in safe hands. Old familiar hands. We are XCOM.”

Doing his best to ignore that looming shadow creature that was just over her shoulder, Thaddeus listened to her, carefully studying her voice and mannerisms. She looked like so many of those scientists the Elders ‘employed’ to Their high-security facilities to slave away day and night on inhuman experiments. Those who struggled to maintain their humanity and rarely took the “reeducation” sessions looked dead on the inside.

He noticed that creature’s face coming back together, and it was doing its touching thing again. This damn thing. How does she not notice it?

She sounds truthful, no? But is she truly? Hard to tell with these therapists. It then shifted to her other side. Or was it interrogator? Re-educator? Rehabilitator? They have so many names and roles that cross paths.

Each word tapped away at Thaddeus’ psyche. Picking at that perpetual distrust making it grow worse. And a chisel was chipping away at that lock, holding back the rage he didn’t want it to get at.

“Shut. Up.” He spoke through his teeth. It was aimed at the thing, but also a little at her.

She sounded truthful to him. But then again, those implants. That faint purple twinkle in her eyes. He knew she was a psion. Possibly the cause of that alien haunting him. But… he couldn’t feel that distinctive touch of psionics on his mind. She’s making it. And your senses are still dull. He quickly reconciled that issue in his mind. He wouldn’t drop his guard. But then she mentioned that. She just had to mention that. That chisel gouged deep.

“Keep that name out of your mouth!” He spat.

Veer narrowed her eyes for but a moment. Her mind quickly reanalyzed what she spoke. She figured it out. “You may not believe me, but I speak the truth. We are XCOM.”

“Liar.” Nothing she said could convince him otherwise. Switch topics, don’t want to hear this crap. “So what’s wrong this time with me? With the system? With the suit?”

She only raised a brow. Now he was asking questions. An unexpected change.

“Now you’re keeping your lips sealed?” He scoffed. “Not like I’ll remember the details when you put me back under. Just wish you all would mess up once and overdose me.”

She was about to speak until a worker came back in and rushed over to her. They whispered in her ear. “John, Corvo, and Shay are here, doctor. Updated on all things.”

“Good. Send them in. And make sure no one else comes in here. Unless it’s the other head doctors.” Veer said. They nodded and went away.

Thaddeus barely caught the whisper. Only one name sounded faintly familiar. And that voice seemed to perk hearing it. His memories were a blur, but he recalled a John that had been there since they got him out of that suit and then the face of the man bloodied with a crooked nose. A few more details for the latter came to his mind.

“I broke his hand.” He mumbled to himself. A chuckle slipped out. I wonder if he put in a complaint to the Elders for some form of recompense for that. I’d do it again.

———————————————

Some moments later, three people came into view. Two men and a woman.

So he still lives. That creature was already hovering around Bradford. Eying him from head to toe and touching him. It pointed out his reset nose and the condition of the broken hand.

You didn’t kill him. The two spoke as one, yet the honeyed voice was more displeased and the sad one sounded relieved. Good. They both returned to their “normal”. This is all… promising.

Thaddeus ignored it.

He recognized Bradford. A faint grin crept across his face. There was a splint across the man’s nose that had blooming purple bruises. The grin grew larger when he noticed Bradford’s right hand in a brace. Still has the knife, though looks more secured. That would be an annoyance if he got the chance to get it.

Now the other two. He didn’t recognize them but took note of the man’s height and muscle mass. He’ll be tough to overpower.

Bradford noticed that grin. A brow of concern was raised in reply. Why was he grinning like that? It was pure glee mixed with malice.

“How is he, doctor?” He asked.

“Awake and responsive… But…” Veer paused. How to put it in simple terms?

“But?” He gestured for her to continue.

“He’s rude, combative, belligerent. Ready to bite if you come too close.” Thaddeus spoke up, taking on a mocking tone. “I’m sorry, did you want to say that?”

That caught Bradford off guard. It felt so out of character for the man he once knew. Shay raised her brows. Corvo held in a snicker.

Veer just shook her head. “As you can see, he’s going to be a tough case to crack.”

“I see.” Bradford nodded. “How far have you gotten?”

“Barely scratched the surface before you arrived. He strongly believes we are ADVENT and believes this,” she gestured around them, “is a mind game.”

“Not the first time you lot have done this.” Thaddeus growled.

“And he reacts rather poorly to—” She cut herself off. She didn’t want to agitate him again. Instead, she tapped away at her tablet before flipping it towards them. They saw it. The symbol of XCOM.

“Oh, heh, that’s going to be tricky.” Corvo commented.

“Very. Lucky we’re not wearing our uniforms with that on it.” Shay whispered.

“Hm.” Bradford grumbled. Looks like they had their work cut out for them.

He looked back at Veer. “Mind if I step in?”

“Go ahead, you may have better luck than I. I will be monitoring.” Before she would roll away, she showed him one last thing on her tablet. Thaddeus’ brainwaves and the psionic activity. Both were active and something was agitating them. He nodded.

He stepped forward. “Thaddeus...” His voice trailed off. Where to begin?

“You know my name? Tch. Not that hard to get it. Besides America’s military files, you lot rifled through my brain repeatedly.”

Oh, no, no no! Suddenly, the voice chastised him. In a blink of an eye, it was over by him. Behind him. Embracing him once more. Listen! Listen! That gnarled hand snuck its way under his chin and grabbed it, holding it tight.

Thaddeus froze for a moment, but pulled himself free. He cursed. That got him odd looks from the others.

See what you can learn. Are there holes that can be poked in this game? That hand was holding his chin firm again. No? Then this may be reality. Freedom. Yet… It dropped into a low whisper, hissing like a snake. They need to be tested. Are they worthy of having you back?

Thaddeus wretched his head free from it again. His head snapped towards the doctor. That discolored left eye of his was glowing a brighter blue. “Out. Of. My. Head.”

Bradford glanced at her.

Veer closed her eyes as an annoyed, sad sigh slipped out. “He thinks I’m tapping at his mind. I’m not.”

“Hm.” Bradford mumbled. Part of him wondered what made him jump to that conclusion. He looked at Thaddeus. Those eyes were still filled with malice. How to pierce it. “Listen, we’re not ADVENT. We fight them. Been fighting them for a long time.” He only got a scoff in return.

Where to start? Where to start? Bradford’s mind was trying to reorder what he and Veer had gone over a few days before. Thaddeus’ current attitude was throwing him off.

The beginning. Let’s start with names and XCOM. Carefully like, Veer said. And the same with anything about family. He nodded at the small voice in his mind helping him regain his focus.

“Let’s start with names. You’re Thaddeus Seaver. No middle name. You preferred going by Thadd, if I recall correctly.” He said.

Thaddeus barely reacted. That was something so simple even a scrawny Sectoid could pull from someone’s brain with enough time.

“I’m John. John Bradford.” He pointed at himself. “Does that ring a bell?”

Thaddeus raised a brow in return. What was he playing at? “Same bastard whose face and hand I broke? Right?” He grinned as he asked that. Even more so when that voice poked at that terrible part of him that wanted to do it again.

Bradford’s brow twitched even more when he heard Corvo snort. “Yes… but it goes deeper than that. You know me. I’m an old friend from the past.”

Thaddeus winced, jerking his head to the side when he felt that creature’s fingers drag across the side of his face again.

Oh. Someone who knows you more… intimately? A wheezed laugh turned into a mad cackle. It’s been a while since They did that ploy. Ah, close bonds, ready to be torn to shreds again.

“Quiet.” Thaddeus hissed under his breath. He did his best to keep his voice low. He could tell no one else could see or hear the thing. He didn’t want to know what would happen if they thought he was losing his mind.

He refocused his mind on what Bradford had said. That route again. You bastards love retreading things. He hated to admit it, but that thing poking at his mind was right. Despite feeling it was more tricks, he studied the man’s face and tried to match it to someone from the past. But those memories were distant. Nothing about his face or voice was recognizable to him. They must be slipping.

Bradford watched the man’s emotions shift as he assumed the man was searching his thoughts. Pondering. Annoyance. Anger. Confusion.

After a few moments, Thaddeus’ face shifted back to annoyance. “No. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

Of course. Bradford knew this wouldn’t be easy. “Maybe you’ll recognize these two.” He gestured for Corvo and Shay to come forward. “Corvo and Shay Samaras.” He gestured at each one respectively before pausing. “Shay, what was your last name before you two got hitched?”

“Parker.” She answered.

“Shay Parker…” He let it roll off his tongue. “Right, I remember it now.”

“Age clouding that mind of yours, Johnny?” Corvo teased. “Need me to write down all the changed names and couples for you?

“Hon.” Shay jabbed him in the side, which only got a grunted laugh.

“Not the time, Corvo.” He replied tersely.

Thaddeus’ body shuddered. His vision went dark for but a second as shadows wicked past it. As it returned, he saw that the creature was now by the trio doing its usual “investigation” dance and already making comments on their appearances. He held in a reflexive sigh of relief. Now if only that thing would stay away or disappear entirely.

Doing his best to ignore its comments, he looked the two up and down. Wait… maybe. Something about the bald one’s face.

Something about Corvo was familiar. He had a certain noble, calm, but imposing look to him. That deep voice. And then that tease. Such a quick jab that got under the skin of Bradford.

He studied his face some more. Those eyes were an icy blue that somehow contained warmth even, with the faint wrinkles at the corners. A faint crack-like scar with up from his left chin past the top of his lips. And then wrapping around the right side of his face below and above his eye was a nasty scar. What did you tango with to cause that? Something about all of it, minus the nasty scar, felt familiar.

And then Shay. She looked more friendly than her husband, at first glance, but he could tell she was just as dangerous as him. Just from the quick jab she gave her husband, he saw how her muscles rippled against the tightness of her sleeves. Some of her black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, with some falling in front of her face as messy bangs. Her brown eyes barely had a wrinkle touching them. She bore no scars on her face compared to her husband. There were some on her arms. Looked to be shrapnel and bullet-related. None of that felt familiar, but her face did. There was something about that face.

“Dammit.” A curse slipped from his lips. It was from his mind trying to drag a memory to the surface; broken and fragmented, as usual. And then that thing was poking at his brain. It had itself all wrapped around Shay.

She seems familiar? I sense something from you. It said. What is it?

The memory was on the cusp of forming. Something from his time a XCOM. A visit to the Armory. It looked to be a surprise inspection concerning some prototype laser weaponry fresh from R&D. Just as Shay’s face came into view, the memory fell apart.

Thaddeus hissed. Another painful trickle in his mind. My mind’s shot or that doctor is doing something.

He let out an annoyed snort. “Are these names supposed to matter?”

Bradford held back a reflexive grumble. He cursed in his mind. “Yes. They are.”

“Not ringing a bell. Your ploy sucks.”

“Maybe titles will help?” Shay suggested.

Corvo nodded. “Worth a shot. Bring up the old and new.”

“Right, right.” Bradford mumbled. “Our titles while we were apart—” he paused as he glanced at Dr. Veer. She mouthed “carefully.” “We were a part of a military organization,” a mild sidestep for now, “I was the Central Communication Officer. I’m still that with our current organization. And the… Acting Commander.” The latter role was more than he expected. He questioned how Thaddeus and the others handled it back in the past without going mad.

He then gestured towards Corvo and Shay.

Corvo grinned. “I was one of the Drill Instructors at the Main HQ. Keep the troops in line, especially those Gene-Modded soldiers that were a little too eager to use their new abilities.” He said, holding back a laugh. But a tear was forming in his eye. “Ah, how many times did those with the leg mods drag you and the other Co-Commanders into the vents? They never stopped, even with the punishments we rolled out.”

The others snorted at the mention of that.

Shay cleared her throat, trying to stifle a laugh. “I was one of the Armourers. Keep our equipment maintained and detailed counts on all our supplies, and the soldiers properly stocked for their operations. Occasionally, I and the others assisted the R&D teams in their efforts in creating weaponry and reverse engineering the aliens’ plasma weaponry. Neat stuff.”

As they all gave their titles and how they performed their jobs, Thaddeus winced as a headache came on. More memories were surfacing. Still, they were scattered and foggy, but he could sense the basic context of them. They all dealt with XCOM. A few were slowly coming together, clearing up and revealing faces. Old co-workers. Old friends. So many died when the bases were attacked. Could these three be survivors?

Ah, remembering more or the past? That being took notice. In a blink of an eye, it was right back next to him. Prodding. Touching. Whispering. Oh! Is there a lick of truth in their words?

He did his best to ignore it, but it was near impossible with its constant intruding making the headache worse. It intensified for a moment, as his mind recalled something that matched what Corvo had said earlier.

Thaddeus was walking the halls to that underground base. Half sleep deprived because of triple back-to-back operations, he still had enough of his faculties to stop and discuss something with one of the engineers when he suddenly froze. To those in the hall, they heard him curse and saw wrinkles suddenly appear on his uniform. To him, he felt someone’s arms wrap around his torso tightly before suddenly being thrust into the ceiling where another arm grabbed him by his jacket collar. And that arm tingled. He saw the culprit. Their skin had a faint shimmering, electric glow to it. A glow that matched their orange eyes, whose pupils shifted in size.

Afternoon Commander! Heard you needed some perking up!

The two clowns got a proper dressing down once he was back on the ground. They were lucky — especially the soldier with the Mimetic Skin — he didn’t attack them.

“Ah.” Thaddeus hissed. His head dipped down. It felt like forever before it came to an end. And the same with the others. Was it a true memory or an implanted one? He could tell. That made him curse a few times under his breath in English and Arabic; which only increased when that thing started whispering nonsense again.

Another vision of the past of XCOM. Truth? Or falsehood?

He ignored it. But his mind went back to how Bradford started part of the discussion. “I know what you’re skirting around.” His eyes narrowed.

Bradford just gestured for him to continue.

“XCOM. You bastards have tampered with my mind a lot, but I wasn’t born yesterday.” The harsh glare shifted over to Veer. “I know what you’re doing. The bullshit the Elders would always do.”

Less skirting around that. Bradford looked over at Veer.

She sighed and shrugged. “He thinks I’m using psionics.” She tapped at the side of her head. Each tap touched one of her covered implants. “He noticed them.”

“And…?” Bradford didn’t think she was.

“I’m not.” She said. “Let’s not skirt around the subject anymore.”

“Right.” Bradford nodded. He then looked at Thaddeus.“Yes. We’re talking about X—”

“Keep. That. Name. Out. Of. Your. Mouth.” Each word was spoken through barred teeth.

“X…COM.” Bradford continued. A faint irritation slipped in. Part of him understood why Thaddeus was so aggressive, but another part of him hated being accused of being a liar. He would say it some more, even it if set him off. “We are XCOM,” Thaddeus was another to snap again, but he spoke over him, “not ADVENT, and sure as hell not a trick of those damn Elders.”

Thaddeus scoffed. “You’re doing a poor job of proving it.” Those eyes rolled a few times. “Let’s get this over with. Knock me out already. I’m not giving you the information you want. Just rip it from it already, or would that damage the ‘prized asset’.”

Another faint wince crossed Thaddeus’ face. He grimaced more as he felt that thing grab, if not, caress his chin.

It let out an annoyed sigh. That honeyed voice was still dominant. Awww, giving up so soon? They’ve barely begun.

“Just be quiet! All of you!” Thaddeus snapped.

Bradford cursed under his breath a few times. That outburst made no sense, as well as what he said before it. He looked back at Veer. “Figure out what he’s talking about, doc.” He then took some steps back and gestured for Corvo and Shay to follow a good way’s way to make sure Thaddeus didn’t hear them. They needed a new plan.

Dr. Veer got to work on trying to get an answer and poke some holes in his logic. He wasn’t biting, even if what she said made logical sense. She noticed a few spikes concerning his brainwave and psionic activity. Nothing too worrying, but she could tell there was something agitating him. She just wasn’t sure it is was their presence or something else.

“They’ve screwed with his brain something fierce.” Corvo said.

“I think he’s recalling something. I can see it in his eyes for just a second before it disappears.” Shay had noticed that. “But he’s so damaged and defensive he doesn’t want to acknowledge it.”

“He keeps calling what we’re doing a trick or a ploy. Any guess why?” Bradford asked. Maybe if they could break his mind’s hold on that, they could get somewhere.

“Dr. Veer mentioned he thinks she’s using psionics.” Shay said.

“Hm.” Corvo mumbled as he tapped his lip. “Ah.” Something came to mind. “This reminds me of some of the people we’ve rescued over the years. Especially, the more psionically inclined people.”

Bradford thought for a moment until something clicked. “Yuri.” One of their Specialists they all had a feeling he was a potential psion but just hadn’t had the time to test that.

Shay’s demeanor dropped at the mention of one of their older operatives. He wasn’t a survivor of XCOM. “That poor man was a nervous wreck for months until we finally got Dr. Veer back on the ship, and then one of those Templars helped.”

“One of the special cases.” Corvo nodded. “We had to keep him in the prison block for everyone’s safety after the Infirmary incident. Even had to dress up some of the workers in ADVENT clothing to make him cooperate. Anything different would set him off thinking they were messing with his head to make him turn on his friends again.”

“And from what Dr. Veer and that Templar said, they had done that to him and some others. Brainwashed them just enough to make them think they were escaping only for them to give up secrets of their allies leading to some Havens being slaughtered and more test subjects captured.” Bradford shook his head.

Being reminded of that made it more clear why Thaddeus was being so hostile and belligerent.

“There has to be something we can bring up that’ll get to him.” Bradford mumbled.

“Keep talking about the past?” Shay suggested. That’s all she had.

Corvo shook his head. “He’s mentioned his mind has been rifled through. He would expect we’re just repeating what we’ve ‘seen’.”

“True, but!” She grinned. “Probing doesn’t always get the finer details of those conversations. Especially that human touch. How we’ve busted some ambushes over the years.” She loved how most of the aliens, and ADVENT, didn’t get the various human mannerisms from the cultures that still remained. It gave them one leg up in their fight against them. “We definitely had some inside jokes back then that may tickle his brain.”

“Hm… true, true.” He nodded. “And maybe we can bring in family. Didn’t he have a girlfriend too?”

“We are not bringing up her.” Bradford was quick to shut that down.

Corvo raised a brow. “Is that a problem? Was it a secret? Like…” He paused as he grinned and leaned down to get in his face. “Like your crush on Jynn?”

Bradford’s cheeks flushed. Though fingers curled into fists; he kept them at his sides. “No, Corvo. His fiancée is dead.”

That grin quickly disappeared as he pulled himself back. “Shit. I forgot.” Shay smacked the back of his head for good measure.

It took a moment for Bradford’s anger to simmer down. “It’s been some time since we been to the Haven in-between France and Italy.” He shook his head.

What a shocking day that was. And a burden he was given to carry until they found Thaddeus. They had him now, and that burden felt oppressively heavy. He wanted to cut that anchor free, but knew the consequences could be dire. “Hm.” But a thought crossed his mind.

They gestured for him to speak.

“You’ve given me an idea. I’ll be back, but you guys start with his name and some things that happened in the past.” He turned on his heels and quickly left the Infirmary.

Corvo and Shay looked at each other and shrugged.

“So what’s some of the most memorable thing that happened back at the old base?” Shay asked.

“I have some ideas.” Corvo grinned. “Let’s slowly roll into that.”

The two heading back over.

———————————————

Thaddeus was giving the doctor a hard time. He noticed the two had come back and Bradford was missing. And that thing couldn’t help but point that out a few times.

“Tch. Has your boss run off?” He snarked.

Corvo just smiled. “No. He just forgot something. But let’s talk.”

“Thaddeus Seaver.” Shay starts. “Commander Thaddeus Seaver. Pretty quickly, you told us we call you Thad in private. You were pretty chill. Like the other three once we got to know you all.”

“But you all knew when to cut the shit and dress down any insubordination like the good Commander that you were.” Corvo jumped. “You and Jynn had a way with words, but you and Elli weren’t afraid to get physically involved when that extra layer of discipline was needed. Ha.” He laughed hard, causing tears to well up in his eyes. He had to recompose himself before he spoke again. “Aw man,” he wiped away the tears, “Shay, remember when he body slammed one of the Grenadiers that was in full kit after they snuck up on him Mimetic Skin?”

Shay tapped away at her lip for a moment before her eyes lit up. “Yes!” She shook her head. He broke something the R&D team wasn’t too pleased to repair. But the idiot deserved it. And don’t get me started on those leg mods.”

Corvo let out a loud belly laugh. “I think all of them hated that the most. Especially Jynn, since she was the tallest. Got her head banged several times in those vents whenever one would grab her.”

“I think Elli got a guard dog to combat that and Kamon ‘borrowed’ one of the SHIV drones to be his guard dog.” She said.

“Heh, heh, heh, no matter how many rules we put in place, those Gene-modded soldiers love to pull pranks on the staff. And happened in the others basses when the three transferred out.”

At first, Thaddeus’ expression barely changed from the thinly veiled ire he held against them. But as they spoke, it dropped as a series of headaches struck him.

That rictus grin of the being grew, feeling the pain. Sensing what was coming. Ah. Are more memories rising? Perhaps more truths? Then its voice switched to the more sullen one as it went to the other side of his face. Or lies. More of that doctor… that witch’s touch?

More memories were rising from the depths of his damaged mind. Working to reassert themselves; correct the tampering and suppression that was done to them. Each thing they spoke of flashed through his mind. The little incidents here and there. Him having to discipline the most unruly and troublemaking with more physical tactics, especially those Gene-modded soldiers.

It all felt so real.

No, no, no. More tricks. More lies. He didn’t believe his memories. He wasn’t sure if he could trust them. Some details matched up precisely with what the two had to say. Others varied by a hair’s width on some details.

“Shut up!” He snapped at them. Especially at the voice. “You’re lying!”

The two glanced at each other. Corvo rolled his eyes. The outburst didn’t stop them.

Corvo continued to bring up more incidents, a few that were off-record, and then Shay brought up some specific operation incidents.

As they continued to tell their tales, the headache continued to hammer away at Thaddeus’ skull. He tried to tune them out. Ignore their lies as more of his “memories” came to the surface. But it felt so real to a part of him. And that being wasn’t helping. The voices switched back and forth. And each one switched back and forth on whether it was positive or negative. Was this thing trying to help him or make him worse? He assumed the latter, as he could feel his anger rising again.

Need to shut them up. He began to pull against his restraints, wriggling his wrists around slowly trying to find a spot that would let widen it just enough. None of this is true. He told himself. But part of him was starting to doubt that.

———————————————

It took about ten minutes before Bradford was back.

“And the incident after the Newfoundland operation. That poor village.” Shay shook her head. Just one of the many places they had to firebomb to keep the Chryssalids in check.

“Oh, that.” Corvo shook his head. A faint glint of anger crossed his face. “Some idiots thought it was smart to rig up one of the Chrysalid corpses to spook Jynn just before she was being transferred to another base. The damn idiots poisoned her.”

“At least the medical team had some extra antivenom on standby.” Shay said.

“Right.” He nodded. “Though it was funny when she decked the idiot for his mistake.”

“And she nearly bit my head off when I had to restrain her when she went after the ringleaders.” Bradford jumped into the conversation. He shook his head, remembering the incident but chuckled. “She tore into them. Especially Beckart. Who knew she had a mouth like a sailor. ”

Corvo let out a hearty laugh. “That antivenom treatment really messed were her system for some days.”

As Bradford approached them, he had a box in his hands. It was a small clamshell box decorated with various plants and flowers.

Ah, their leader is back. And he brings a gift. The being took notice. It left Thaddeus’ side and whisked itself over to Bradford. Its hands were all over the box. What is in here?

“How’s the storytelling going?” Bradford asked.

Just as Corvo and Shay were about to speak, Thaddeus spoke first.

“Poorly.” He sneered. “Your tactics need more work. These ‘memories’ aren’t going to cut it.”

Bradford glanced at Shay and Corvo.

“I think they’re working. He’s just in denial.” Corvo crossed his arms.

“Okay, then let’s get more personal. A time before XCOM.” Bradford said as he stepped closer to the bed and set the box down. He didn’t open it.

Veer shot him a look, hearing what he said. “Bradford…” She didn’t need to continue.

“I know what I’m doing.” He calmed her down. He knew he had to play his cards carefully.

“You and I crossed paths before XCOM. Sometime in the early 2000s. If I remember correctly, it was in Alaska or Greenland. Can’t remember, which but it was cold.” Bradford reflexively shivered, thinking about it. “It was a joint training exercise between the branches and a few countries, as the Brass liked for ‘those guys in Intelligence to get out and stretch their legs’.” He rolled his eyes but laughed.

Thaddeus winced. One that soon made him grimace. Not again. A strong memory was being dredged up.

Thaddeus’ eyes darted to the box and then to that thing was still poking at it, both halves of its obscured face were looking at him. Its mouths began to mouth. SHUT UP! He mentally sneered. It laughed, but stayed quiet.

Bradford continued with his story. “If I remember correctly, you were a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. You were a pilot at some point before being pulled. You never got a straight answer for that if I remember correctly,” he grumbled, thinking of the files he was given when he was selected for XCOM, “and then your file had a lot of things blacklisted regarding that decision.”

Thaddeus’ grimace grew. That memory was cracking the surface. He could feel this was different from all the others. It was painful, but the pain felt less intense.

The memory. It was a memory that could never be tampered with or suppressed, no matter how hard the aliens tried. That decision broke and angered him when he received it. He never got a straight answer. Just he was barred from ever flying again and had a new promotion. Promotion. He scoffed in his mind. It was and it wasn’t. He just bit his tongue back then and continued on. He didn’t want to be discharged and bring shame to himself and his family.

“Back to the joint training.” Bradford got himself back on track. “We crossed paths throughout that training period and you were a mean Training Instructor. Remember you putting up with a lot of jokes about your hair.”

Bradford looked at him. Currently, his friend’s head was completely shaved. But he could remember how his hair looked back during XCOM, back during that joint training exercise, so clearly. A semi-messy mop of black hair with a steak of white running through the middle. A trait he inherited from his mom.

“Skunk tail.” Bradford chuckled.

Dr. Veer stifled a snort.

Corvo snorted, and Shay held snicker in a snicker. They remembered hearing that a lot back at the old HQ.

“And I remember you putting a hothead in their place after they questioned your ‘girly’ tattoos.” Raising a hand, Bradford brought it towards the tattoo on his left wrist. The braided together rose thorny stems. He stopped as soon as he heard the restraints tighten and noticed those deceptively strong “atrophied” muscles ripple. Wisely, he pulled back his hand and gestured to it.

“You took off your hat and shirt to not get it dirty before the fight started. The guy cracked some more distasteful remarks, seeing the other flower tattoos on your sides, back, and neck that weren’t covered up per regulations.”

As he continued on with the story of the beatdown that followed and somehow Thaddeus avoided getting reprimanded, more memories struck Thaddeus. Just like when Corvo and Shay were sharing memories of their time with I’m at XCOM, but these felt less… tampered with. Less pulled at. Like the Elders had skipped over them as they weren’t so important. The headache was as bad as ever, but it wasn’t a constant stream of pain as the memories pieced themselves together. Part of him was doubting what was being said less and less. There was still a part of him that wanted to deny it, but it all felt so different compared to the others.

Engrossed by these odd feelings, he didn’t notice the being had come back to him. Sweeping behind him, it took him into that cold embrace. The sullen side let out a sigh. This pain is different. There is more truth than lies in what he says. Then the voices switched. That honeyed sighed a cackled. But are they still worthy to have you again? Can they truly protect you in the long run?

He looked at Bradford again, barely acknowledging what the being was saying to him. Just who are you? He was trying to match his face with someone from the past. There was a John slowly coming to his mind, but they looked nothing alike. The one in the past looked a little softer but serious as ever. And the man before him looked hardened, cynical like he had been aged in whiskey and pain.

Can they be the same man? They look so different. Sound so different. How many years did they keep mentioning days ago?

He nearly tuned the man out as he tried to recall that time gap until he heard the next subject Bradford brought up.

“Also, had the pleasure of meeting your cousins, all fighter pilots as that runs in the family. A tradition of sorts you told us.” Bradford laughed. More or so of what he was going to say next. He struggled to keep a straight face. “And how you would deal with them. A rowdy bunch. Especially when a few of them who brought up that you all should do some ‘oil wrestling’ for the local ladies.” He even did a little brow waggle.

Corvo choked on his spit, causing him to let out several pained wheezes.

Shay spurted before fully breaking into a laugh. “Are you serious?” It sounded unbelievable. “How come I’ve never heard this?”

“He hates it being mentioned.” Bradford tried his best to keep himself in check. ”Especially the photos from his teens.”

“No, way! There were photos!? Oh, I have to see those!” Even she couldn’t help but indulge in something embarrassing for the Commander.

Corvo sputtered more Several loud smacks followed as he beat his chest to get himself back together. “If they still exist.”

“Check the old archives.” Bedford said. “Faintly remember someone uploaded them as prank and were never properly scrubbed.”

“Noted.”

Thaddeus hissed. Another set of memories struck him. This time the pain was more constant, like the ones from XCOM. Memories of his family, military life, operations he had been in, and more. Once the Elders greedily pilfered. But the feeling came in waves. Ebbing and flowing with no rhyme or reason. Shifting and reasserting themselves into proper order. Tethering themselves to that one strong memory of how he lost his wings and received his “promotion.” Something about those specific memories was fixing the others, clearing away the fog.

What is this feeling? Can’t make heads or tails of it. Everything about my cousins, my family, seems true. Their names. What are their names?

He grasped at the memory of the ones who brought up that old pastime in their youth. It hurt for a moment before the pain quickly faded. He prayed that meant it wasn’t tampered with.

“Alan, Aslan, and Yusuf…” He muttered the names of three of his younger cousins as he lowered his head. More pleasant memories of them graced his mind. It was all bittersweet.

“Huh?” Bradford barely caught that. “Repeat that?”

“Alan, Aslan, and Yusuf…” He repeated louder. He wasn’t sure why he did that. “They always liked bringing that up. A choke hold of a headlock usually shuts them up.” He chuckled, recalling that. He was bigger than the three and always used that to his advantage.

“Alan, Aslan, Yusuf…” Bradford quietly mumbled to himself. It had been ages, but the names sounded familiar. He repeated them a few times before his eyes lit up. That sounded right. “I remember that. You had to wait until you all were ‘off-duty’ before you could terrorize them.”

A chuckle slipped from Thaddeus. One he wanted to bite back and swallow it. You’re getting comfortable. Don’t get comfortable. This is still a ploy. Just that cynical and rage-filled part of him wanted to believe that. And that thing was prodding, but thankfully silent.

Bradford leaned back and mouthed to Corvo and Shay, “I think we’re making progress.” They nodded.

“Despite all the nonsense that happened during the exercise, we shared a few drinks and stories before parting ways.” Drinks. A drink sounded good right now to Bradford. But a low alcohol content so he could drink more than one bottle.

I wonder if Warren and Kit have finished working on that cider with the science gals. A faint smile crossed his face. Something their resident mountain man and homegrown distiller had been experimenting with one of the science teams. Little to no content alcohol. Something for those who had issues with alcohol but still wanted the taste. And something for the Hybridized to enjoy. Wait… drinks… Drinks! That key detail! How could I forget?

“Actually, I was the one enjoying the drinks. I had a few beers. You stuck with water or some other kind of beverage. I thought you were strait-laced for the longest because of your position, and would be back on duty soon, heh.” He paused again. How wrong he was. “Turned out it was a family problem. Mom’s side. Made you cautious of the stuff and dislike those that abused it and made excuses for their actions.”

And you would kill me if you knew how badly I gave into the bottle when we lost. He grimaced at himself.

Thaddeus winced. Another memory, the pain was short and before washing away. Another one barely touched. Perhaps the Elders despised such things?

Hm? That voice sensed something was different. There was anger behind the memory, but it tasted quite different from everything before. Not to the Elders, but… familial… What is it? It grasped at his throat. Speak it!

“Dislike…?” Thaddeus’ voice trailed off into a whisper. “Despise.” He hissed. An old anger was welling inside of him. “Hate.” He said a little louder with a trailing growl. “Damn abusive, sexist drunks!” Raising his voice, raising his head, he spat, but not at them. “Her entire family is a write-off ‘cept a few of them that cut themselves off from the lot.”

“You said as much.” Bradford nodded. Somehow, the anger on his friend’s face was different but familiar. The same anger that showed its head whenever something would remind him of that side of the family he disliked.

He let the moment linger until Thaddeus’ breathing became more stable.

“Going to continue your story?” Thaddeus spoke. His mind continued to teether back and forth on if this was real or just fake. Both parts of him wanted to entertain it. What else did this man have to tell? And that thing next to him was hungry to know more, too.

“I do.” Bradford nodded. “We didn’t meet again until XCOM was re-initiated.” He paused to gauge his attention. He noticed the wince and faint frown crossed Thaddeus’ face, but the man did nothing else. “Who knew you’d been the main boss of the operation? Still, find it funny I knew all four of you from different parts of my life.”

“The Council didn’t find it so funny. The stuck-up bunch.” Corvo just had to butt in. Annoyance was evident in his voice. “Especially you and Jynn.”

“Corvo…” Bradford glared at him.

“Jynn… Jynn…?” Thaddeus said quietly to himself. That name sounded familiar. The memory hurt, and it hurt a lot as he pulled at it. “Jynn… Reeves… Childhood friends?” He muttered a question he meant to keep to himself.

“Yes. We have known each other since we were teens. She and her brother, Charles. We were close friends. Best friends really.” There was a warmth to his voice as he spoke about them. “The Council was worried about a ‘conflict of interests’. Took a lot of talking to get them off our backs.”

“They still gave you guys trouble from time to time.” Corvo said.

“When did then never?” Shay rolled her eyes.

“They liked testing. Wanted to make sure their funding wasn’t being wasted.” Bradford said.

“Some… of the members… were nicer than others.” Thaddeus spoke in a stilted manner as the pain was more continuous. This will be harder to parse. They ravaged these memories repeatedly. “I think that… Spokesman tried to play fair… same with Australia, Japan, Egypt, and the U.S.’s representatives. I… think.” Why did you add that?

“They were all… fickle in their own ways.” Bradford couldn’t recall everyone’s personalities but knew each one butted heads with each XCOM branch leader in a different way. Everyone wanted them to cater to them in a specific way, while ignoring how impossible it was.

“But back to us meeting again.” Bradford didn’t want to dwell on that aspect of the past any more than he had to. “It took us a while to remember each other, but what helped jog my memory were your tattoos. You stopped covering the one on your neck up. You said it was too much work, and the concealer was making you break out.”

He eyed that neck. The scar that wrapped around the back of Thaddeus’ neck and descended down his back. That tattoo didn’t exist anymore. He knew he was going to hate seeing that. Just what did They do to him?

Another wince, one less painful than usual. He couldn’t tell if he was pulling the memory pre or during XCOM. He recalled having to use concealer while he was with the Air Force. How he beat himself up not double-checking the no-go areas for tattoos. But before XCOM, he got shifted around to some other positions where they were a little more lax on him covering those tattoos. He wondered if those positions were preparing him for what was coming.

Maybe… Maybe this is all real. That angry and cynical part of his mind was growing quiet. It was still raging, refusing to believe everything that was being said, but the more logical and hopeful side of him believed he wasn’t in ADVENT’s hands.

It took home to act as the anchor for the other memories. The voice commented. The anchor allows the others to reassert their truth, and there are similarities to what he and the others speak. It found it all so interesting. Its voice dropped into a low whisper. Hold onto that rage. A small insurance. Truth is spoken now, but all it takes is one lie to break the facade.

“So, over the few years…” Bradford’s voice trailed off. He had to keep himself from talking about the inevitable assault on all the bases. He knew Thaddeus was all too aware of that, but he just didn’t want to speak it. “I got to know you better, despite the hell happening across the world. Same with the others.”

The faintest sigh slipped out from Bradford. The memories were painful for him.

“You explained the meaning behind the tattoos one late night, we got to unwind for a few hours. How they were all done by your…” He hesitated, a little longer than he wanted to. Just talk like she’s still alive. “Fiancée. She was a good artist.”

The others tensed, not expecting him to mention that. They expected the worse, but Thaddeus barely reacted.

“She was a great artist.” A faint tease came from Thaddeues. As quick as it came, sadness enveloped his face.

“Right, right. Forgive my inaccurate description.” Bradford joked right back to try and liven the mood. A chuckle slipped out, but the man’s sullen expression didn’t change. Does he know? Or is that how he felt during the War when he couldn’t just whisk her away from danger? He wasn’t going to press.

“Your neck, I think what was on it was baby’s breath?” He wasn’t familiar with the flower and was hoping what was in the old archives was accurate. “A favorite of your mother’s and a way to remember her as—”

“Yeah, baby’s breath.” Thaddeus’ sullen mood barely changed. He grimaced as an old memory came forth. Why? Why? Why? “Cancer took her after I graduated from the Airmanship program and got my pilot wings?” How life could be so cruel. He was happy she saw that day and got to meet his fiancée and loved her, but why did cancer have to take her so soon? At least she didn’t live to die by the aliens… Damn… how much of my family did I lose? How many did I send to their deaths? He could feel that being tugging, whispering about the “cruelties of life” and the reckoning the Elders would face. He ignored it.

“And you told us how you got into mass—”

“Got in massive trouble with my superiors, as that was a no-go area for tattoos. Had to cover it up.” Thaddeus finished the sentence. It had been said so many times before. But he could remember that dressing down that happened and he refused to get it removed.

Bradford smiled. More positive progress. He hoped.

“Then the one on your left thighs that ran up the left side of your chest.” At least that one was mostly untouched. A little of that scarring on his back affected it. “You got it in—”

“In memory of a friend. A fellow pilot.” Thaddeus interrupted again. His face was pained. The memory was disjointed. Why can’t I remember their name? Their face?

“Right. If I recall correctly, they were… ginkgo leaves?” A faint nod from Thaddeus confirmed his guess. “It was his favorite plant, and you found it neat. Told us how he had one where the cuttings were passed down through generations. He gave you some. You didn’t have much of a green thumb and sent it to your parents and then when you met your fiancée, you gave the rest to her.”

Everything sounded right to Thaddeus. His mother loved the gift. His father jokingly said their house was enough of a greenhouse. And his fiancée was delighted to receive such a gift. Why can’t I remember their name? Their face? That was bothering him.

“And then the big four. Well, big two, as your shoulder tats are mirrored.” Bradford chuckled.

He wanted to lean over and tap each side of his shoulder but knew touch was still a tentative thing with the man.

“Walking advertisement for your fiancée, who was your girlfriend when you got them. You were head over heels for her, from what your cousins would blabber on about.”

Fiancée. Fiancée… Why is she distant from my mind? The memories of her were distant. He struggled to drag a fraction of them to his mind; every second of it hurt. It was foggy, still distant, but he could see his love form. A heavier-set woman that was full of life. Why can’t I see her face? And her name… Why is her name distant? Why can’t I remember her name? Tears fell from his eyes. That was tearing at him. Mention her name. Please mention her name.

He closed his eyes tight as a wave of pain radiated through his body. It only grew worse with that thing whispering in his ear. It was the sad half, joining in his pleas to remember her name.

Then that honeyed half was whispering disquieting thoughts that this was just subtle mental torture. That other side of him listening to that. Slowly clawing its way back. This was just the morsel of mental torture it had been waiting for them to afflict.

Bradford continued on, unaware of the inner turmoil building inside of his friend’s mind. He noticed the falling tears but chalked that up to what he hoped were more pleasant memories going through his mind.

“And the two thorny rose stems twisted together. One on your upper arm and the other just above your left wrist.” He noticed the straps strained for a second. Muscles contracted and relaxed. He was looking at them. Good. “Your fiancee’s favorite flower despite its dangerous prick. And your ‘engagement rings’. Interesting choice.”

Yeah… that’s correct. Thaddeus unconsciously nodded along. But her name. Say her name, dammit!

“You said you hated—”

“Anything on my fingers and a ring would be a nuisance on the job. I’ve seen someone de-gloved once and didn’t want to experience it.” Thaddeus cut him off.

Something else that made Bradford smile. “Right. You said as much. But you two did come up with an alternative. One you could wear and hide.”

Ah! Finally, the box! The being was excited to see what it held.

That caught Thaddeus’ attention. He lifted his head.

Bradford shifted his attention back to the box he had placed on the bed since he came back. He opened, keeping the top half held in such a way to keep Thaddeus from seeing the inside. With his other hand, he pulled out something.

It looked to be a long black chain necklace at first, but there was another object attached to it. It was a pale brown, gnarled, and carved object with a few dark spots. It was looped onto the necklace through a hole at the are it bulged out and took on a faint diamond shape.

Thaddeus studied the object for some time before it fully hit him.

No, no, no. Impossible.

The memories were flowing, painful, and sweet. A delightful surprise, she sprung on him before he had to go overseas. If only he knew he was being selected to lead XCOM.

Thaddeus cringed. He felt a tingle course around him before in his mind he heard something wet and rough rip apart. The being literally pulled itself apart. Shadows whisked and whipped about. One half stayed with Thaddeus as the other shifted over to Bradford. I taste the pain. The questioning. They used this against you constantly. The cruelest of tortures to one’s heart. Is it real or fake?

He tried his best to ignore the sad thing. They could never get this right. It always looked wrong when They messed with my mind. But this… this… is it? Wait… He paused as he studied it more. It was his. Wait no. It was her’s. His fiancée. No, no, no. The details. This is real. This is real.

It is! Real! Both halves spoke in unison.

“One of her oldest projects. A memory from her childhood home that burned down. Old driftwood earrings given new life to be turned into necklaces.” Bradford did his best to recall what he was told ages ago. He carefully raised it higher so it could be seen. He saw the shifts of emotion in his eyes. He hoped he wasn’t causing too much pain. “She was sure a talented artist from everything you showed us.”

“That’s...” Thaddeus uttered some words he couldn’t stop. He leaned towards it. He wanted to reach out, snatch it away from him. But a hard strain on his wrists reminded him he couldn’t. “That’s...” Why can’t I remember her name?

Bradford took notice. Should he? No, still too risky. His emotions are volatile. Instead, he dropped the necklace in Thaddeus’ hand and gently closed it. With that, he took a step back to the others.

“Let’s see how this goes.” He mumbled under his breath. He winced as he felt something tap on his mind. He glanced at Veer. She was looking at him. Eyes twinkling purple. She had a hand raised, blocking the side of her face near Thaddeus. He simply nodded.

You best hope he can’t tell that’s hers. Veer spoke in his mind. This emotional rollercoaster has been making it hard for me to gauge his vitals. His brain activity has been all over the place. And then there’s some psionic activity.

He sighed mentally. I know. But with how he’s been acting… it was worth the risk. And sorr— What about the psionics?

Thaddeus carefully rolled that necklace in his hand. The wood felt so familiar to him. Some smooth parts here. Nicks there. And the few areas where she had whittled it to get the shape just right. How he loved his wore it under his shirt whenever he could.

“Lauretta.” He whispered her name. It finally came back to him.

He ignored the sounds of the being pulling itself back together. He ignored it fully coming back over to him and wrapping him in the cold embrace once more. The sad half spoke, almost matching his pain. You finally call her name. How… How it sounds so sweet. So sweet. So sweet.

Painfully, Thaddeus’ mind drifted back to the Old War. The few phone calls he would have with her when work and time permitted. How terrified she sounded tore at his heart and she was worried for him as she knew he was in the military. He wished he could tell her what he was doing. He wished he could send someone to whisk her and her parents away and bring her to one of the bases. But he knew protocols. Family didn’t get special treatment unless you had a good excuse. Even then, it was usually denied. All he could do was pray she could find a safe haven somewhere.

The rest of that rage died out as more tears began to flow.

The thing noticed. It did not speak. Yet, he could feel a shift in its strange being. That side honeyed side that liked to poke and agitate, felt sad. While that more sullen side felt more happy. Such a strange thing.

“So,” Corvo spoke in a hushed voice as nudged Bradford, “is that his or hers?”

“Hers.”Bradford whispered back.

His eyes widened in shock. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“It’s worth the risk. Pray he can’t tell them apart.”

“Dandelion… where are you?” Thaddeus muttered. A nickname she liked. He continued to fiddle with the piece of wood. Nails picked at every little cut. He almost felt like he could envision how she worked the wood.

“Hm?” But he felt something. A faint “spark” in the wood. The feeling was subtle at first until it grew more and more with each passing second. As his eyes refocused on the wood, he saw faint blue sparks and swirls coming into view around his hands. As they grew more visible, those sparks swiftly traveled up his arm, neck, and into his head.

“The hell!?” He opened his hand to drop the wood. Instead, his grip only tightened around it as a memory took him. That discolored eye of his brightened and the other eye, in turn, was consumed by a glowing blue.

Hm… This is… different. The two voices of the being spoke before de-syncing. There was a shift in the personalities again. A ticking time bomb! Left for you, no one else. The side with the rictus grin began to cackle like made. The sad one wept.

This should be interesting. It nestled its head right on his shoulder and whispered. Another piece of the puzzle to your life. Wrapped in guilt. Sealed up tight. I taste the emotional turmoil that’s coming.

Veer was the first to notice. Several notifications appeared on her tablet. All of his vitals were beginning to spike, with the most serious being his brainwave and psionic activity. “What…” She glanced up from her tablet to look at him and then back. She paused before looking back at him once again. She saw the psionic energy forming around him. “Oh, that is not good.”

The psionic detection sensors went off a second later. That alerted the others.

Bradford looked at Thaddeus. He blinked and shook his head. Where did those blue psionics come from? “What the hell?” He looked at Veer. “Doctor.”

She was on her feet and moving towards Thaddeus with caution. “I’m as stumped as you are. It’s not coming from the outside. It’s all him.” For a moment, she activated her psionics to see if she could glimpse what was going on only to quickly cut them off as a force rushed towards her. She recoiled just from how sudden it was even though it didn’t hit her; she took several steps back, nearly tripping over her feet.

“Veer.” Bradford moved to stabilize her.

She shook her head several times before she got her bearings again. “Thank you… Everyone, keep your distance. These psionics will not play nice.”

“It looks like he’s in some sort of trance.” Shay said. She noticed he was stiff as a board and his face was frozen in shock.

“Any ideas, doctor?” Bradford asked.

She shook her head. “I’m… hesitant to reach out again. Whatever is going on is… unpleasant. I’ll message Dr. Marin to see if he can bring up some dampening devices. We wait and keep our distance.”

And they did so.

———————————————

For Thaddeus. He was seeing disjointed memories. Not his, but his fiancée’s. Her time before, during, and after the war. She… survived? For a moment, his heart fluttered with joy. Or did she? But something didn’t feel right.

He saw how she lived in an ADVENT-controlled settlement for some time before some Resistance Cell liberated it before they were either going to be “processed” or shipped off to some city. That Cell whisked all who were willing away into the “untamed wilds” — the Elders so lovingly liked to call non-ADVENT cities and settlements — and to a Haven. It was a rough adjustment for many, but somehow Lauretta thrived. She swiftly became go-to person for all things related to homesteading, especially agriculture, despite her more “goth” look.

He saw she rarely took off her engagement necklace unless she had nights she was mourning him. She wondered if I was still alive. His heart ached.

And then he saw something else that made his heart ache more. Some years later, another man came into her life. His name was distant to him. There was a spark, a connection. But… she rejected it. Her feelings were mixed, she liked the man. He had a wonderful personality and great companion, but she still believed Thaddeus was alive, and just couldn’t move on until she had confirmation. The man took the rejection well. To her surprise, he wanted to learn more about her fiancé. She shared what she was comfortable with and it all helped him understand why she didn’t want to give up on him.

No. No. No. He cried in his mind and out loud. And then the worst came. He felt his mind breaking. Out of nowhere, her health began to fail. Nothing the medics could do could fix it. There was no Black Market they could access to get alien tech, nor did any of the current Factions exist at the time. The only way to treat her would be to take her to one of the ADVENT settlements with a medical center or one of the cities for the gene clinics. She didn’t want that.

She died in that haven. Free from the aliens.

The memory shifted to the man’s POV. He kept all her things and stored them away. Just in case he would ever cross paths with this Thaddeus.

If then flashed forward. He wasn’t sure by how many years. But he saw a familiar face. Bradford’s. Looked like his small team had stumbled across the Haven during one of their scouting missions for supplies and intel. It was a nice secluded place where they could catch their bearings. They did some bartering, helped them improve their defenses, offered some weapons training, and got their radio setup fixed.

Somehow the man was speaking to Bradford when the conversation ended up on old friends and Thaddeus’ name was mentioned. The man asked if he was talking about Thaddeus Seaver. Bradford cautiously raised a brow but nodded. The man had Bradford follow him back to his shack where he retrieved the box and showed it to him. He told him who it belonged to. It took some time before it all clicked for Bradford. He was shocked. What were the chances? But that shock slipped into a more sullen mood. He asked the man about her. A nod confirmed his fears. How was he going to break the news to Thaddeus when they found him? If he ever would find him.

At first, Bradford didn’t want to take the box, but the man insisted. He said he would most likely cross paths with Thaddeus again as it sounded like his group had the means to travel the world, while he stuck to the Haven. Before he let Bradford return to his comrades. He showed him where Lauretta was buried under a strawberry tree. It was a simple marker that had her name and an epitaph. Per aspera ad astra.

———————————————

“No, no, no.” Thaddeus whispered a cry again.

She was dead. He didn’t want to believe it. It couldn’t be true. But something about these memories felt so real to him. The Elders had never fabricated something like this before.

This has to be fake. This has to be fake. This has to be fake. His mind spiraled.

Aw…. A painful imprint of a memory. Both sides of the creature sounded genuinely saddened and hurt. Barely aware of it, it wrapped around him tighter. Pressing its face against the side of his. It continued to speak in hushed whispers, laced with a hiss. The river always finds the sea. Yet… that sea… your sea… is… long gone.

“No, no, no.” Thaddeus whispered to himself. His mind was trying to ignore the creature.

The sullen voice disappeared as the more honeyed one took over. Don’t deny it! You can feel the truth as we can! Taste it! It hissed more. Do not deny what tears down and rebuilds. They did this to you. Those so-called Elders. It then took its hand, gently grabbed his chin, and directed his vision to the others. And these people saved you. Revealed to you the truth. Still… they need to be tested, if they are to be your… true salvation… and how this world is to be… liberated.

Thaddeus tried to ignore it, tried to fight it, but its grip was strong and those words were enticing. They pressed and chiseled at his already fractured mental state to draw forth that rage buried deep within.

His mind worked to twist its words. Twist the memories, the reality he saw. This is fake. Not real. He ignored the being saying otherwise. Another fake. A setup by Them. They’re doing it again. It’s that doctor. That damn doctor and her psionics. Yes, yes, yes, yes. THAT.

“I think he’s coming back.” Shay said. She had noticed him blinking, muttering, and shifting his head.

“But the psionics are still going.” Corvo said. “And why are they blue?”

“Color is not important.” Veer said. She was still no closer to figuring out what caused it or how to stop it. “ Just keep your distance. The levels are still high. Hope Marin gets here quick. Contacted security too, just in case.”

In spite of the doctor’s warnings, Bradford had inched closer, but not too close. He was looking his friend up and down. The tears never stopped flowing, and he had the necklace in a death grip. “What caused this…?” The most obvious to him was the sensitive subject they treaded, but they should have activated much earlier. He felt terrible that he caused this. He just hoped this wouldn’t set them back.

“What caused… no.” His eyes refocused on the hand clutching the necklace. Of all things. “I’m going to try something.”

“What?” Veer glanced up from her tablet. Her brow twitched. “John! I suggest you do—”

She was too late.

Bradford had reached down and worked to pry open that hand. Just as he did so, Thaddeus snapped out of the haze. As he did, both eyes glowed brighter. Tears were still flowing down his face, but those eyes, those eyes, were filled with that rage again.

“BASTARDS AND YOUR MIND TRICKS!” Thaddeus snapped. The psionic energy around him sparked. A bolt shot from him and hit Bradford, causing the man to fall back. Several smaller jolts shot down his body and to his restraints and cracked the metal holding the bands.

“Shit!” Bradford cursed. His head spun for a moment as he tried to get his bearings.

“I gotcha.” Corvo got him back on his feet and away from the mess.

“Where. Is. She?” Thaddeus snarled. With a pop and a few metallic pings, he pulled one arm free from the restraints. “What did you do to her?” There was another pop and several pings. His other arm was free. Two more pops and pings followed. His legs touched the floor. Shakily.

Her. Everyone noticed that.

Bradford cursed. Did he pick up his hesitation when mentioning her? Did he recognize the necklace was hers? Or it’s something with these damn psioncis?

“Where. Is. She?” Thaddeus repeated. He eyed each one of them. Who would talk? Who would he have to break to get some answers?

With each passing second, his psionics were growing more erratic. An occasional spike followed when that being tried to speak to him.

Veer cursed as she felt a fluctuation in the energies. Dropping her tablet in a heartbeat, she outstretched her hands. There was a flash of purple in her eyes; the same colored energy erupted from her hands. Just as it did, just as that tablet clattered against the floor, a blue bolt of energy lashed out towards them. It cracked against the still-forming shield she threw up, splinting into a crackling spiderweb.

She held the shield for a few seconds until it suddenly burst with a ringing ping. She cried in pain as she was thrown back.

“Veer!” Bradford yelled. Shay moved to get her.

Thaddeus’ eyes locked onto the fallen doctor. She was twitching, body twisting on itself in pure agony as that blue and purple energy fought for dominance. He hissed in pain as he felt something whip back at him, sending painful arching pain across his skull before it dissipated. I knew it.

Now, she’ll know your pain… perhaps… press it further?

Bradford noticed Thaddeus’ eyes focus on Veer. He noticed those fists clenching. Shit.

His body moved on its own, pulling away from Corvo.

“John!” Corvo tried grabbing the back of his shirt, but he just missed him.

Before Thaddeus had a chance to strike again, Bradford was on him. The tackle was hard, causing both of them to crash into the bed — which, thankfully, had been locked down. He hissed, feeling that all too familiar bite of angered psionics strike him. He pushed through it.

Ah, this one again. The being unraveled itself from Thaddeus as the two fought. I wonder if he—

“Calm. Down.” Bradford fought to keep himself from yelling as he wrestled to get a grip on those fists. “Argh!” One slipped through. His nose was broken again.

HA! Again! It laughed. He has a knife. What damage can it do?

“He’s going for your knife!” Corvo said. Just as he was taking a step to assist, that psionic energy erupting from Thaddeus had grown stronger and forced him back. Instead, he switched to assisting Shay to pull Dr. Veer to safety.

Dr. Marin finally showed up with some security. As they reached the back of the room, they quickly realized the situation was more dire than what they were prepared for. He had to leave to see if he could find one of their old Psi Shields, or prototypes, so someone could get close to the case.

Bradford’s eye caught where that free hand was going. One strap popped open. The time to be gentle was over. With a roar of anger, Bradford kicked Thaddeus’ legs from under him and slammed him to the ground.

The sudden slam disoriented Thaddeus long enough for Bradford to get behind him and put him in a choke hold. He tried talking some sense into him.

“Calm dow—FUCK!” The new position just made his face — nose — vulnerable to a series of bone-crunching headbutts. It only took two more before positions shifted again.

The voice continued to laugh. As the rictus grin reveled in the madness, the more sullen sighed whispered. Will he be able to break your rage? Will you listen? Or will you kill him?

The two men thrashed back and forth. One moment, Thaddeus had the upper hand with him trying to break Bradford’s face even more only for things to get turned around when he went for that knife again. Another moment, Bradford had the advantage just for a split second. He took his knife out and threw it over to Corvo. One less dangerous weapon on the field.

There was a loud, audible snap. A sharp pain surged through Bradford’s hand and arm. He cursed. Oh, for fucks sa— He held back a scream as Thaddeus kept crushing his right hand. He didn’t realize the pain was disarming him until he found himself flipped over and his back hitting the floor.

As he tried to recover, several sharp stabs struck at his mind. He gasped as his pupils shrunk to mere pinpricks. The pain grew worse as he felt those psionics tear into his mind.

He gasped again as Thaddeus’ hands wrapped around his neck and squeezed. And squeezed. And squeezed. Shit! How the hell is he so strong? He might kill me.

“Tha—Thad… DeUS…” The words barely came out. “NOT…y—YoUR… ENemY… Fr-friEND…LIES.” His hands flew up to his neck, clawing at those hands, to make the choking stop. Well, hand, the other was broken. “FrIIEEN….DLIEs.”

The creature danced and weaved around the two with the shapeless shadow of a mass, as it observed the fight. As Thaddeus had Bradford pinned again and was choking the life out of him, it let out a long, dramatic sigh. What a pity… That honeyed said, disappointed. Weakness. Perhaps this “XCOM” is too weak for you to be truly your sal—

“Die. Bastard. Die. Die. Die.” Thaddeus ignored it. His voice trailed off into a near-hushed whisper as he squeezed harder and harder. A twisted smile crept across his face as he watched Bradford struggle. Watched those once irritated eyes fill with fear and struggle to stay open. If only I could inflict a fraction of the pain you all did to me, but Them losing you shou—

Thaddeus let out a cry of pain as another psionic snapback on his mind. It made the world pulse, causing his grip to falter for a second, but he quickly regained it. Was it that psion of a doctor again? That interrogator is ne—

There was another cry of pain. This time, it felt like something was biting at his mind. His grip held firm. What the he— The pain hit him again. And again. And again.

He barely noticed Bradford was mimicking his pain now — as well as his eyes were glowing with that blue energy — with each snapback and spike until he felt something different.

Oh? The creature took notice of this. It dropped to the floor, its mass spread over both. Shadows coalesced into twisted limbs and a coiling body. What do I sense now? What do I taste?

Like it usually did, it did its investigations. Hands, limbs, whatever it was touching everything and everywhere. A poke here. A prod there. But it noticed something different. Bradford’s expression. The man’s eyes darted between Thaddeus and it.

Oh? It drew back from a moment, shocked. Ooooooh! That grin grew more impossibly large. It moved closer to him and touched his face. Bradford tried pulling back. You can see me? Or sense me? A melding must be taking place.

How…. It took a breath. The mass oscillated. Interesting. It was… excited.

It shuddered again. Something was shifting and forming the accidental Mind Meld that was forming. Its other half began to weep. Despair. Despair. Despair.

The other half cackled. Another twisted and tied gift. This shall be interesting. It drew itself closer to Bradford, sensing he was the source. You won’t remember me when all this is over… Or will you?

———————————————

In-between the waves, Thaddeus was feeling the other mind connect to his. A pained one. Not as pained as his, but he could feel the years of anger and anguish hung heavily on this soul. Then the avalanche of memories hit. The cause of it all. He saw that day. The day XCOM fell. From another perspective. It was… Bradford’s.

He and Thaddeus were covering each other’s backs, trying to get the situation under control until another series of explosions separated the two. And before they could get back to each other, that upgraded Muton came down on Thaddeus and captured him.

He saw how Bradford barely escaped the fallen base with his life. There was so much pain and guilt he couldn’t save anyone else. The constant thought plagued him for years. Were there any other survivors?

Things got worse for a few weeks before it all “stabilized” when he found some like-minded people. They kept to the wilds, avoiding ADVENT and the aliens as they fought back the best they could. Allies came and went over the years. He became more irritable and cynical. Even more so when from time to time they would encounter bandits running with the old colors of XCOM terrorizing Havens. He hated that.

The years continued. Little changed. Either his best friend, a fine bottle of alcohol, would kill him, or the aliens would. Part of him just wanted to… give up.

But one day, some of that cynicism lifted ran into actual survivors from the Main HQ and auxiliary bases one fateful day. At first, things were tense until some old codewords were used and he and another person remember each other. That’s when he learned XCOM was still alive. They were scattered, but still alive. Slowly rebuilding itself and building up the Resistance Cells across the globe. But they were still headless. Mostly headless. Dr. Shen and Dr. Vahlen were still alive. He couldn’t believe it.

A modicum of hope came back to him. He was in. And he was just what they needed to get XCOM organized again. It took some time for him to meet up with Dr. Shen’s part of the group, as traveling to different countries was always difficult with ADVENT patrols and checkpoints. And crossing the ocean. HA! That was impossible. But an odd fledgling Faction that came to be, the Void Walkers, helped. Seeing that old man face to face, and so many other familiar faces, brought more light back into that cold heart of his.

Bradford wasn’t too thrilled to find himself thrusted into the role of Acting Commander after getting up to speed on everything, but most felt like he would be best for the job since he worked closely with the main Commander and the others. He made everyone refer to him as Central. Made the job somewhat easier. But thinking about those Commanders… He got mixed stories on what happened to the others. Killed. Captured. Missing. There was no straight answer, except for Thaddeus. He could remember that day clearly.

That’s when he heard a theory the Senior Staff had been keeping under wraps. A theory that sounded so far-fetched. A fool’s errand. But the way ADVENT worked, how those mind-linked soldiers could quickly turn any fight in their favor. Especially, XCOM’s old tactics — how they had to switch to guerrilla warfare and on the fly tactics to survive. There was no way the Elders were directing that. Someone else had to be. Someone They had captured. Commander Thaddeus. Or one of the others if they weren’t killed.

The theory sounded insane. So far-fetched. But it made sense. Bradford became obsessed with it. It kept his mind together — most days for better and worse — and he focused on rebuilding XCOM from the shadow of what it had become.

The years ticked by. They worked on the Avenger. They spread out, setting up Resistance Cells and bolstering Havens. They gain more allies. Meet various Factions — friend or foe. And learned more sickening truths about ADVENT.

Then there was one excursion to one of the Sister Branches. Africa. Nigeria. One “close” to where the Avenger was stationed. Probably the only one they would be able to access in years. But that excursion… it hurt him.

Thaddeus could feel an overwhelming amount of sorrow course through the memory.

He saw Bradford standing in the desolated remains of that base’s Mission Control. Bodies, human and alien, scattered and crushed by the debris. Many rotted or desiccated. But he was standing in one spot. His rifle hanging slack by its strap as he was holding something in his hands. Rectangular and black, attached to torn dark blue cloth. Fingers were slowly rolling over the bloodstained text. It was a nameplate. Reeves.

There was no body nearby that wore her uniform. Scans revealed no traces of her DNA under the debris. But all around him on the ground was blood. Dried, brown blood, and a lot of it. Scans revealed some of it was her’s. Most likely… she was dead. Tears were falling from his eyes.

It took one of his allies, a close friend, to get him moving and back on the task. But he was hurting for the rest of the day. One drink turned into several. It got worse once they got back to the Avenger.

That landing pad was looking mighty tempting some days. It took a knock-down drag-out fight with Corvo to snap some sense back into him, a lot of therapy, and some newish young blood that joined XCOM sometime before his latest depressive mood. They smacked some hope back into him.

He got better. But that pain never left him.

———————————————

Thaddeus felt his eyes snap to as those memories finally released him. Blinking his eyes several times, those pupils bounced around, not looking at anything in particular.

“What the…”

That rage-filled part of his mind didn’t want to believe what he saw. It was another trick. All of it. But the other part of him could tell this was all too real. Especially that sorrow. A lost love. It felt all too real.

The creature had pulled itself away from the two. It hugged itself. It tore at itself. It’s mass shifting, splitting, and reforming itself several times. Both sides cackled in pure insanity. Both sides wept, consumed by grief. The pain. The sorrow. It is all… ecstasy!

The vice grip around Bradford’s neck began to loosen. The man gasped for air and sputtered several times. He was just on the verge of blacking out.

“Damn…” Bradford croaked. Way too close. He pressed his head back against the cold metal floor and closed his eyes for just a second. His head was spinning. His heart was pounding. It hurt to breathe and the blood running from his nose down the back of his throat didn’t help. And what the hell was that thing? His eyes looked around for what he knew he saw and felt earlier, but couldn’t see it. But he could hear faint laughing and crying. Log it for later. He closed his eyes again and took in deep breaths.

Just as it felt like his heart was no longer trying to escape his chest, he felt those hard thuds again. But these were different. Sluggish. Off-beat. Coming from the outside. And he heard sobbing.

He opened his eyes and raised his head. Slowly.

It was Thaddeus, beating at his chest weakly with his fists. Tears were streaming down the man’s face. His eyes were closed tight and his lips were twisted into a sad grimace.

“No, no, no, no, no, no.” Thaddeus quietly sobbed.

Bradford blinked a few times. The hell now. First, the man was trying to kill them, kill him. Then, that weird thing creeping about. And now this. The mood whiplashes were confusing him.

“It’s you… It’s you…” Thaddeus said. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

It’s you. It’s you. The words repeated a few times before it clicked for Bradford. Was he finally remembering?

Hushed whispers and careful boot steps caught Bradford’s attention. His eye glanced over. Two guards were coming over. One was holding one of those Psi-dampening collars. A third was following with Dr. Marin in tow who looked to be holding a needle.

Shit! This could make him snap again. He quickly flailed his broken hand around, fighting through the pain. “Stop! Stop! Stop!” The words came out hushed but strong. They stopped. “Back off.”

“Sir?” One guard said.

“John,” Marin looked at him like he was crazy, “this may be our only chan—”

“Now!” Bradford said through gritted teeth.

They backed off.

Bradford slowly worked his way from under Thaddeus, somehow getting the man to stop beating his chest and move off of him without causing a commotion. Slowly, he raised himself up. His lower half was numb.

“Ah…” He rolled his jaw a few times. He was thankful it wasn’t broken. He leaned on his good hand and looked at his friend again, sitting across from him.

The man looked utterly broken. Thaddeus had a vacant stare. Those eyes were wide open and trembling. His lips quivered as continued to repeat he was sorry with “she’s dead. Lauretta’s dead” interspersed every now and then.

Bradford let out a sharp exhale. He moved closer. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. With a blink, those eyes snapped onto him. “I’m…” What could he say? “I’m sorry, buddy. I’m so sorry.”

“Why?” Thaddeus asked. “Why? Why? Why? Why?” Each one became weaker and weaker until he just broke down sobbing again.

Not something he could answer. He asked the same question many days.

Bradford pulled on that shoulder a few times until he got Thaddeus to budge. The man fell into his chest and just continued to cry. Bradford wrapped his arm around him. It just felt like the right thing to do.

They stayed like that for hours. The others refocused on securing the room, putting up some psionic shielding for future incidents, and helping Dr. Veer. The psionic attack on her being had come to an end, but she wasn’t doing too well.

Bradford just continued to comfort his friend. He never uttered a word.

Despite his mind and senses were still in a haze from the sudden meld and asphyxiation, he was picking up something was lingering around them. His eyes darted around, trying to see it, but nothing was there. Occasionally, he heard a whisper. One that made his skin crawl.

Ah! The grief. The sorrow! The creature laughed, too close for comfort. Bradford shuttered as he felt many limbs touch and wrap around him. Ties that bind. Drink deep of it. This XCOM has proven itself… for now. More trials and tribulations will come in the future.

Bradford’s eyes darted around again. For a second, in the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the creature. That face shifted between that grin and the crying one.

Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. It whispered its leitmotif before disappearing.

Bradford felt part of his body relax as he felt that agitating alien presence leave. What the hell was that thing? He had dealt with several psionic nuisances — and he assumed it was one — but nothing like that. It was a strange malevolent presence that was trying to be… encouraging. Either way, he didn’t like it.

The image of the thing was slipping from his mind despite his best efforts to keep it. He just hoped he could remember something so he could tell Veer.

———————————————

It felt like forever before Thaddeus finally grew quiet. He was out cold. With the help of Corvo and Shay, they got him off Bradford and back on the bed. Per protocol, they restrained him again, much to Bradford’s annoyance. They needed to take those precautions just in case.

Once that was done, they got Bradford up and over to a free bed to get his injuries checked. Another broken nose and hand again. Strangely, his hand was already healing. The bones had been reset. Scans indicated psionic energy was at work, which only confused the medical team.

Bradford quietly told off Dr. Marin when he wanted to put a collar on Thaddeus. He felt like this would cause more problems than help, but to get him to shut up, he told them they could use them if things changed.

Dr. Veer was out of commission for the rest of the day as her body and mind were still reeling from the psionic attack. But she gave some instructions on what they should do and that she wanted detailed notes and recordings if they got Thaddeus talking again before she was escorted from the Infirmary.

With his injuries treated, Bradford discussed a few things with Corvo and Shay on what they should update the other Senior Staff with regarding the Commander, and what topics they might bring up with him once he was awake. Once that was done, he dismissed them.

Before he would take his leave, Bradford went back over to Thaddeus. He looked calmer. His face remained damp; his lips trembled faintly. His heart ached for his friend.

“The Elders did a number on you in more ways than one.” He shook his head. “And… something else.”

Just as he was about to leave, he felt something under his boot. Looking down and shifting his foot, it was the necklace. He bent down and picked it up. He let it dangle in front of his face. His eyes carefully studied the unassuming piece of driftwood.

“Is there something special about you? Or was that a coincidence?”

He glanced back over at Thaddeus. Should he?

“It couldn’t hurt.” He hoped.

Taking a step back to the bed, he dropped the necklace into Thaddeus’ hand and gently closed it.

“Rest well, friend.”

He made his leave.

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