Ranger
Chapter 205: Zone
By Wanderer D
Bradford raised an eyebrow and sat down. "So, what's so important that you dragged me here, Shen?" he glanced at Luna, who shook her head. It didn't seem like she knew either.
Shen looked slightly more dishevelled. "Central, we need to talk. We went to talk to Apple Bloom about hacking the ADVENT Network, but she brought up something interesting. It seems that when the Ghost has been detected in it, there's two things that happen."
Shen put up her index finger. "The first, is that all you hear is screams of pain. The second thing you hear is a song."
Bradford frowned. "A song? That doesn't make any sense. The Elders don't listen to music." He paused. "Probably."
"Well, what's worrying about it is not that it's music," Shen said. "It's what specific music it is… tell me, Central, what's with the Commander's obsession with 90's music if she hates it so much?"
Bradford grimaced. "I don't know."
"But you do know, friend Bradford," Luna said. "Please be honest. I suspect Shen is asking this for a reason."
Bradford sighed, drumming his fingers on the table. "All I know is that the Commander listens to it when… she starts thinking of the Temple Ship. And that it's not something she used to do before. As far as I know, she's always hated 90s pop music."
Shen frowned. "The Temple Ship? That was twenty years ago."
Bradford nodded. "To us. Remember that to her, it was just a few months ago." His eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"
Shen sighed, then took a deep breath. "When Apple Bloom said what she had heard from the Ghost was wails, she also mentioned that Julian had at one point recorded the music… and she hummed the tune and sang some of the lyrics."
Bradford motioned with his hand for her to continue.
"Central," Shen hissed. "Ghost was singing Runaway Train."
Bradford felt his stomach grow cold, and his need for a drink sharpen. "What?" His voice sounded more like a whisper of incredulity than he wanted to admit.
Luna tilted her head. "Unless it is a song forbidden by your culture, I fail to understand why this is a problem. Surely taste in music is not a reason to panic."
"The problem is that it's not just a random song," Shen said. "It's the same song the Commander keeps listening to over and over!" She turned to look at Central. "How many times have we walked up to her office only to hear her listening to that?!"
Bradford grimaced. "Shit."
"Indeed." Luna said, carefully studying both of them. "But I believe it is time we solve this particular mystery. This is no time to risk the success of our ventures only because we would hesitate to confront the commander on this."
Bradford stood up and picked a beer. "I need some liquid courage first."
"For whatever reason, that song seems to have a lot of emotional impact on the Commander," Shen said. "It's raised some concerns before, but until now it hadn't been directly involved in anything official. It was just… a quirk."
"But one that now is a problem," Bradford stated, returning to sit down, beer in hand. "We need to clear this up if we want to proceed. If there is any link, we have to figure out what it is."
"I would suggest that rather than just us three barreling in there, we include my counterpart who is trained for these kinds of interventions, and possibly Dr. Tygan."
Bradford took a swig and let out a long, deep breath, resting his forehead on the cool table for a moment before slowly pushing the bottle away and standing up. "Let's do it."
Twenty Years Ago
The cockpit shook slightly as the Skyranger flew through a cloud, engines roaring as it gained altitude. With just a bit more turbulence, the plane eventually broke free and leveled up, turning ever so slightly East towards its final destination.
Spitfire checked all the systems and hummed to herself as she corrected her bearing and altitude, then double checked the gas.
The maneuvering was different, with all the weapons, missiles, railguns and lasers that Shen, Vahlen and Spitfire had strapped on to it. Half-attached dashboards controlling the additional devices, wiggled in place, held mostly stable with the creative use of velcro tape, duct tape and bubblegum.
Still, Big Sky's eyes were less on those devices (and even their environment) and more on the current pad she was browsing. "Seriously, Sunset? You don't have anything newer?"
"Hey, it's all good! Choose something inspiring, alright? I need to talk to the team," The Colonel said, fiddling with her psi-armor. She clearly wasn't too fond of it yet.
Spitfire shook her head, scrolling down until she found something. "Make the best of this."
Sunset Shimmer blinked when the first instrumental notes started, then, recognizing the song, she smirked. "Danger Zone? I should've known you'd had a soft spot for that."
"You wanted music, Colonel."
"And I got it," Sunset replied, patting Spitfire on the shoulder. "Hold our course steady, Big Sky."
"Count on it."
Smirk still in place, Sunset made her way back to where the rest of Stardust was gathered. "Alright boys and girls, gather up!"
"Hey, Vision!" Lionel shouted from the back, "Any pre-cognitive advice for us?"
"Don't die in the first room."
Sunset waited until the laughter died and the smirk faded. "No, seriously. Don't die in the first room. It'll be embarrassing and I will haunt whoever does that for the rest of eternity."
She squared off, facing her squad.
"I have a few words for all of you. This is our last mission and it won't win the war. The aliens will survive this, and take over. We can't change that."
"Well," Irvine muttered, pulling down his stetson over his eyes and leaning back, "that really makes me glad I accepted this mission."
Sunset shook her head. "I've seen the world where we stayed behind and didn't take this opportunity. That is a world where humanity is nothing but mindless drones, we're harvested and kept in large structures."
She sighed. "The future is bleak when we do this… but there's hope. Chryssy... the Commander lives. Central lives. Shen. Vahlen." She glanced at Zhang. "Ember lives."
She paced down and back. "All this costs is our lives. This one chance for humanity to push back, and they will take. And even if this is a suicide mission… we can't go in without an objective. We sell our lives for all they're worth and more, you understand? No one falls in the first room because we have more. Because we can push through. We must push through. Till the end where we can bring this monstrosity down and give humanity a chance to fight back."
Elaine glanced at Sunset. "You know where we die?"
Sunset gulped, and shook her head. "No. I did not see that. I only know where I will die."
"So there's a chance that we might live?"
Sunset gave her a look and Elaine raised her hands. "Hey, hey, even Commander Shepard's fist punches through the debris in Mass Effect in one ending, that's all I'm saying."
"Nerd." Bors snickered.
"Life's not a video game, you clown," Lionel added.
"We're thousands of meters up in the air, flying at subsonic speeds to a giant spaceship that came to destroy humanity, we have crazy armor and laser weapons, a gal that can see the future, a crazy, plucky pilot ready to murderize aliens, and all of this to the soundtrack of Top Gun," Elaine pointed out. "How is this not a video game?"
"That's from Top Gun?" Irvine asked, "Damn. I thought it was just some of Vision's generic 80s music."
"You shut your whore mouth, Cowboy," Sunset hissed. "Top Gun is a classic!"
"No movie from the 80s is still relevant besides the Christmas Classic, Die Hard," Irvine countered. "And Bruce Willis never needed platform shoes."
"Kid's got a point," Spitfire shouted from the cockpit. "Tom Cruise is too short to be a Storm Trooper, much less a pilot!"
"Really? We're getting more nerd shit mixed up in this? Why can't we talk football or something?"
"Shut up Bors, you seem to think football is supposed to be played with your feet!"
"It is! It's you guys that decided that it would be more interesting to grab it with your hands and didn't have the human decency to change the name along with the rules!"
"Oh, I forget you brits have issues with everyone else not following your rules, mr. Knight!"
"I think Big Sky's the wrong nickname for you, it should be Big Butt."
"So mature."
"You love it!"
"I still don't get why Die Hard is a Christmas movie."
Sunset made her way past the squabbling to sit next to Zhang, who gave her an amused look, before his gaze returned to the picture in his hands.
"And so, the life of a criminal ends with a suicide to save the world," Zhang said. "In many ways, before joining XCom, I had already stopped living… I didn't anticipate to ever see my little Yújìn again. I had given up on anything but violence." He gave Sunset a glance. "I remember when we were on the flight back from China, how you looked at me and said, 'your daughter, she's waiting to hear from you.'"
Zhang leaned back. "If you hadn't said that, I would have simply joined… I would not have contacted her or her mother. I would not have seen her run and play with Lily. I have no doubts. I have no regrets… and now I have hope for her and my wife."
"I'm sorry I asked you to come," Sunset said, looking at the others arguing. "I wanted you to stay back… but no matter how I looked at things—"
Zhang rose his hand. "What better place for a Dragon to face his destiny, than surrounded by knights and a prophet?"
Sunset's smile was a bit sad. "Taking care of their hatchling?"
"Ember is strong. And… you have seen her, right?"
Sunset nodded.
"Then the dragon line will continue." He looked down at the red-glowing tubes on his heavy laser weapon. "I will tear a flaming path for you, Sunset."
Sunset smiled and glanced at the others, who had all quieted down and were looking at them. Lionel and Bors both raised their laser rifles up in salute. "We've got you covered, Sunny. Plenty of medikits and smoke grenades."
Elaine held up her scatter gun. "Hear, hear! Let's splatter these motherfucking aliens all over the walls!"
"I'm going to keep tabs this time, Sunny," Irvine said, tapping his new laser sniper rifle with a flick of his finger. "You won't get to lie again and say you sniped more than I did."
"You're on, Cowboy."
"Hey, nerds!" Spitfire shouted. "Our destination is up ahead! What the hell are you all doing? Stay outside of the doors! OUTSIDE!"
Stardust had crowded the doors to the cockpit as the entire group wanted to take a look at the Temple Ship.
"That thing is massive!" Irvine said.
"No shit, Sherlock. It's like the alien mothership."
"We're taking that thing down?" Elaine whispered incredulously.
"Yes we are." Sunset said, "and to get us in the mood…"
"Tut-tut!" Spitfire growled. "Until you're in there, I'm in charge of your limited soundtrack. Sit down and strap up, Stardust, things are going to get messy!" she commanded.
o.0.o End Chapter 205 o.0.o
I’m smiling and I’m sad.
good chapter love the update
Loved the names and DAMN if the Ghost isn't Aria things just got REALLY weird
So who's Captain and who's Colonel? Or it's just a jab?
Also ""I need to talk to the team," the Captain said" maybe?
9369441
You mean Adagio, Aria has already been killed.
I really wish this would come out much quicker. It's no fun to just sit by and not have anything to read.
It seems like people have been talking about that a lot lately.
9369477
This may help. Top Stories - All Time
I see what you did there.
As for the phantom singing, it is most likely the spirit of Elder Sunset.
I can't help but think his casual wear involves a trench coat.
"Lionel and Bors both rose their laser"
"Lionel and Bors both raised their laser"?
"lie again and said you sniped"
"lie again and say you sniped"?
Okay first, this revelation let's me think of two scenarios.
1. The Ghost isn't who we thought it was.
2. The Commander is compromised and for a while at it seems.
Second, Stardust is being told that they will die only to give a small chance to humanity to survive and they are not serious about it. They sure were best, not only as a team, but as friends.
All those references, I'm dying
9369556
She's been corrupted, then? Why else, would she still be there, "alive"?
All that references, well made!
Well Commander, it would seem that an unpleasant conversation is coming your way ...
not
your punctuation is incomplete, that needs another dot
9369442 Totally my bad, Sunny 2 is still a Captain and force of habit conflicted there. Fixed, and thanks!
9369632 He does. On top of his armor.
9369744 Fixed! Thanks!
9369952 Fixed! Thank you!
9369441
Pretty sure with the references, the ghost is Sunny 1.
9369981
You know a sniper named Irvine doesn't fill me with confidence... especially when the reference had a bit of a meltdown before he had to take the shot.
9370192 I mean, in Original!Irvine's defense they were technically asking him to shoot his mom. So you can sort of understand where he was coming from.
9369981
You're welcome. :)
9370173
Yeah, lot of people have been speculating that since human Fluttershy's reveal mission when the mutton paused it's charge and didn't kill Sunset and then Angel's reaction to Sunset.
It was all but confirmed in the one chapter from Angel's point of view about her history that Sunny1 is mentally connected to nearly all of Advent. The only thing still up in the air is whether she is physically hooked up like Chrysalis was or psionically like the disembodied spirit she was hosting when she went on that last mission.
9370261
It was also going to be his first kill and his first assassination. He had plenty of reasons to choke, it still doesn't make me anymore confident.
Then again, he's got a 99% chance of having been dead for 20 years, so... Poor guy.
Stardust?
Ground Control to Major Tom, your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong...
9371164 Yep! If you remember Ch. 30,5 (Intermission 1): "You won't have to," Sunset spoke up. "I'm volunteering Stardust."
That was Sunny 1's team name all along.
9369833
Theres a Voice that supports you in X-Com 2, if I'm remembering the ending sections correctly. That could be Sunset.
9372016
At what parts. Any links to youtube? Not to mention two things.
1) Sunset is non-canon for X-com.
2) There are some voices in the EU/EW, I think, but it's an Etherial, and they don't care for your succes, they care for theirs.
Spoilers.
The ONLY reason Elders do the things they do with humanity is because they try to make some bodies for themselves, to fight whatever "comes from deep space" or whatever. They cannot fight it, not with their frail bodies, and they bring war across the galaxy, to find best species to have both strong bodies and psyonic abilities. The moment you start to REALLY defy them - they are surprised. For them, you're a lab rat, you're not supposed to fight back.
Cue the emotions and music gentlemen! Love the direction this is going lately!
T
This is simply an issue of similar abbreviations. The full names of the sports in question are Gridiron Football (also called North American Football; rules formalized around 1874) and Association Football (created in 1863). Oxford University students abbreviated the latter to Soccer (adding an -er to abbreviations being a tradition there), while others abbreviated it to Football.
There's also Australian Rules Football (created in 1859), Gaelic Football (created in 1884), Canadian Football (very similar to Gridiron Football; created in the early 1860s), and Rugby Football (created in approximately 1845). Association Football is the only one in which the ball is handled exclusively with the feet for most players.
Ahh, more about the music choice finally.
9369441
you mean Adagio?
Time to kick ass and take bloody names...
I wonder if the original Sunset might have transfered her mind accidently into the Network?
We need Ember at the final mission kicking ass and taunting names ♤♡
9369784
Best death ever ♡
9369418
👍