XCOM: Ranger

by Wanderer D

Chapter 150: Family

The fighting outside seemed to have slowed down to a temporary halt. She couldn't hear the noises and explosions anymore, but she didn't care. Not now. Not after what she had seen.

"Scootaloo."

She shifted, shaking her head, ignoring the voice on the speakers. She couldn't really deal with these things, regardless of what Julian would say. With Apple Bloom gone and Sweetie lost—possibly even dead—what point was there to continue?

"Scootaloo. The time for regret will be later. We have a chance to avenge them."

"Damn it Julian." She slammed her hand on the wall, hard. It didn't dent it. It hurt like hell all the way down to the bone and left her feeling like her arm had been rattled about. It didn't even help.

"AppleSeed is taking care of Bloom's… remains. But those that did it to her.... They need to pay. They must suffer!"

Scootaloo bit back a snarky remark. Even though it had been a shock to discover that Julian was actually an AI, the fact was that, at least as far as she could tell, he, 'or is it "it"? had been deeply affected by Bloom being shot.

She wasn't entirely sure of what their relationship had been… Bloom had pretended that he was a coworker. Sweetie and herself had assumed it was some cute engineer she had taken a liking to, given how she often spoke about his intelligence and insight.

To say that it had been shocking to find out was, honestly, an understatement, but what other word could she use? And this AI… for all its alien-like feel, was very human. Almost too human in its desperate anger and resentment.

It was clear he was not fond of… organics, but Julian made no effort to hide his obvious thirst for revenge, not for the slights against him—although granted, there was plenty of whining complains in all of the rants—but more importantly he was doing it because, as far as Scootaloo could tell, he had actually been fond of her friend.

In essence, he had gone to war in Apple Bloom's name. A war he knew he would lose, given his earlier ramblings about how unexpected and unprepared his plans were.

Now the onus fell on her.  Should she help him? She had been wrong before, about XCOM, but this time… how could she not help?

Cold... unmoving... barely even recognizable. "Apple Bloom?"

She clenched her fists and ground her teeth, eyes shutting hard as she fought the image in her mind. The urge to vomit rose again, but she swallowed it down with pure anger. Julian was right. They had no right to survive the day.

They had shot her friend with plasma, point blank over an argument... after a decade of work—it hadn't mattered to these monsters. And, if Julian was telling the truth, Apple Bloom had intended all along to put him into that SPARK body of his anyway.

The least she could do was finish what her friend started.

She stood up, wiping the tears with the back of her hand and picked up the pad with Apple Bloom's notes. The security was tight, but Bloom and Julian had cracked most of it. All they had left to do was to bypass the last few locks and they could download the AI into it.

"How is this going to help?"

"My message reached XCOM, they are trying to reach us right now."

"XCOM? Is Sunset here?"

"I did not speak to her. But I know the one that contacted me."

Scootaloo's eyes narrowed. "How would you know them?"

"Because it was my sister… Lily Shen."

"Is she also an AI?"

"No. But… we… the idea would be similar to growing up together. She was there when I was born."

"Right. Are you going to explain that?"

"No. I see no point in delving on circumstances that occurred over twenty years ago that amount to one man sitting on a desk writing my code."

Scootaloo snorted, walking down the metallic corridor to where the SPARK was waiting. "This whole day has been nothing but heartache, Julian. Didn't you say she was your sister? As stupid as it is, don't you have any good memories of her?"

Julian was quiet for a moment. "I had very little time with my… family… before the Elders attacked—and almost completely destroyed—XCOM."

"So no good memories?"

"Other than they abandoned me?!" Julian growled. "Not, really, no, Scootaloo. But thank you very much for bringing that betrayal up again."

"Hey, calm down." Scootaloo sighed. "I know how you feel."

"Really. You know how it feels to be left behind and torn apart by incompetent alien programmers. Do tell."

"I said chill." Scootaloo retorted. "Look, I wasn't… they didn't do to me what happened to you, I get it. I'm not comparing that, sorry if it sounded like I did. I meant… well, Rainbow Dash was like a big sister to me, alright?" She looked down. "She was much more family to me than... others. I looked up to her all my life and the day the aliens attacked Canterlot High… I never saw her again. She just… left. I heard she had joined the Air Force but… well, you know what happened to the army."

Julian didn't answer, so she continued.

"I thought for almost twenty years that she was dead. I saw all the people I cared for die in that period of time… all but Apple Bloom, Sweetie and Rarity… and, well, let's face it. Rarity is…" She sighed. "A special case. I heard that Pinkie had died. I heard that Fluttershy had died. We never found out what happened to Applejack… and then, just… a couple of months ago, I come here to pick up two people that Apple Bloom was helping… and who do I find?"

She had to stop, curling her hands into fists. "And fuck dammit, Julian… I was so angry! Rainbow Dash just… walked down and… and I punched her!"

"Then perhaps you do understand a little o—"

"But I wanted to hug her!" Scootaloo interrupted, taking in a long ragged breath. "Don't you get it, Julian? I blame her for not reaching out, but I know she wasn't trying to hurt me. I heard from Jane… Rainbow Dash thought everyone was dead except for us and Rarity. She's not perfect and… and fuck it, I just want to punch her again and hug her a-and kiss her. And strangle her. And shout at her and cry on her shoulder."

"Yes. I can see how that would be a healthy way to get over your grievances. Hate copulation."

"No, you moron, I'm telling you that I had a lot of conflicting feelings, yeah, but… she was back. It was like a part of me had been returned, somehow, out of the darkness where it had been hidden."

"I fail to see how that relates to me, Scootaloo."

"Don't you get it?" Scootaloo asked. "It could be Sunset out there. It could be Jane. It could be just about any XCOM soldier. But it wasn't them." She took a deep breath, stopping outside the room where the SPARK was.

She looked up at one of the cameras, imagining that Julian would be looking back at her in the eye.

"The person that came to get you wasn't just assigned to do so, I bet." Scootaloo smiled, a tired, pained smile. "It was your sister that came to get you. And that says a lot."

Julian silently opened the door for her.

"You know," Scootaloo said, "earlier I was wondering how your friendship with Apple Bloom…" She trailed off, thinking about her friend, then shaking her head and gripping the pad harder. "I was wondering how it had worked. I didn't realize until now just how much you had in common with us Crusaders."

Julian said nothing for now, but outside, his cameras scanned the area, trying to find a glimpse of Lily. And deep in his core, he decided to run ever more diagnostics.

He just couldn't think of what to say.