//------------------------------// // Chapter 230: Offer // Story: XCOM: Ranger // by Wanderer D //------------------------------// Ranger Chapter 230: Offer By Wanderer D They had set camp just at the base of the central platform, the trucks getting as close as possible before letting all the passengers out once Ember had declared the area clear. "Alright!" Scootaloo shouted, waving at a pair of mercenaries carrying a large piece of equipment. "Get that over here! Set it up one meter away from the edge of the gate, and make sure the pointy bit at the top aims towards the center of the platform!" "Remember to ask them to bring all the cables once you set that one down," Apple Bloom said, "I'll start calibrating it with the usual ADVENT protocols, then Shen, Sweetie and I will start sequencing them to the specific signals from this one." "And I get to be in charge of all the hardware, yay," Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes. "I design spaceships, you know?" "And I make them actually work." The pair stared at each other before sniggering and getting back to work. Scootaloo couldn't stop smiling. Even though she was here, in the freezing cold, she was surrounded by friends. Gilda's words… her sheer presence were a light in her world, especially after all that had happened. She hadn't anticipated her life going this way but perhaps this unexpected mission was a sign that she did have a way out. She might not be a soldier like Gilda, but she could probably join her settlement. Engineers were always in high demand, and she was handy enough with everything to be of great use. It wouldn't be her old, secure life, but it was an option. And having an option, whether she took it or not, was very calming to her state of mind. It meant there was a way out; that she wasn't stuck against her will. That if she stayed it was a real choice. Maybe Apple Bloom and Sweetie would even join her! "Where do we put this one?" one of the mercs asked, dragging Scootaloo from her thoughts back to reality. Scootaloo quickly studied the machine. "At the very front, where Apple Bloom and the others are. Also, please make sure to bring all the cables… the quicker we do this, the quicker we can get out of here." "That'd be good," the merc said, glancing around his bushy eyebrows furrowing under his thick knit hat. "This place makes us uneasy." "Oh?" Scootaloo turned to face him. "How so?" "Things happen in this valley… lights… songs in the wind. Screams and…" He shook his head. "We never stay this long. This place is cursed. Even the aliens can't take it. There's something here, and it ain't of this world, or even from up there,"  he added, his finger pointing up at the stars. "We aren't the only ones that patrol this area… well, we weren't. We are just the only ones that kept the route. But even the captain won't stay here any longer than to count aliens. Now we're here in this cursed place." Scootaloo felt a shiver creep up her back. "Yeah. Let's get this finished quick." The man nodded, then hesitated. "You seem to know the captain, and she seems to trust you, so I'll be honest. This is a bad idea." Scootaloo grimaced. "I know. But worse things are coming if we don't solve this mystery. My friends know what they're doing, we should finish this soon. Then we'll get going." "Can't wait," the merc muttered, waving at the others to follow him. "We'll be right back with the cables." "Yeah," Scootaloo said, looking around and rubbing her arms absently. Had she heard voices in the wind? "It's like traveling back in time," Gilda said, her rifle resting on her shoulder as she stood next to Ember. "Those three girls have always been together. You'd think an alien invasion, death, a new world order, being turned into a cyborg or even being dragged into all of this would have made at least one of them call it quits." "You take the change in Apple Bloom a lot easier than most people," Ember observed, glancing at Gilda. Gilda pressed her lips, grimacing a little before sighing. "I'm just glad she's alive." Ember snorted, earning an angry glare from the other soldier. "Sorry, I don't mean it like that," Ember said quickly. "It's just the same thing they said about you. I just heard it on the way back, when we asked them about meeting you all the way here, almost randomly." "We were a very close lot," Gilda said after a moment of quiet contemplation. She gazed at the trio working together. "Apple Bloom being a cyborg was a bit weird at first, but all I had to do was see how she acted around them and I knew it really was her." She licked her lips, thinking. "I don't know how common this was for other schools, but… we mingled a lot. All ages, all types. I knew all their faces, and most of their names… we were just kids going to school one day and suddenly half of us are dead, the school is destroyed and we lose track of just about everyone… so, as stupid as it might seem, every time I see someone from back then, I'll tell them I'm happy to see them. And they do the same." Ember smiled. "That sounds nice." "Don't you have contact with anyone from your old life?" "I moved into XCOM when I was 8," Ember replied, "My earliest friend is Shen, down there with the girls." "Huh." Gilda shook her head. "I can't imagine that." "I got to see my dad for a little while," Ember said, "And I met my new family there." "Right. And now it's all sappy." Gilda said. "Do you need a hug? People hugged a lot in Canterlot." "I'll pass. Hugging is not a Dragon thing. I'll leave that to whatever team these girls are going to create." Ember hummed. "Scootaloo has been thinking of leaving XCOM. She might be more comfortable with you, you know?" Gilda blinked. "No shit." She snorted and shook her head. "I hope that's not the case, I don't think she'll like about my job offer." "Job offer?" Gilda shrugged, then straightened up when a humm shook the whole area. "Looks like they're about to start. I guess I'll tell you about it later." "Right," Ember muttered shouldering her rifle. "Let's get ready to shoot whatever comes through." "I thought you wanted to save it?" "That doesn't mean I don't want a clear shot." o.0.o End Chapter 230 o.0.o