one-that-had-to

[one-that-had-to]

For whom the wind blows

(birthday present for Tanya at @one-that-had-to! I tried, and hope you like it!)

The Commander shut down her computer at the station overlooking the Hologlobe. She stifled a yawn behind her hand. It was late in the night and the chill of the underground base sank deep into her skin.

How long had it been since the invasion had started? At least two years? The fight seemed endless. Upgrades from the Council had allowed XCOM to marshal a fleet of Skyrangers, of which twenty had been deployed today to quell invasions all over the globe. The aliens never slept, and seemed determine to force Ai Wen to the same fate.

Her headset crackled. “Commander, when you’ve got a moment, check out the Hyperspace Relay,” her second-in-command said. “Picking up some weird readings. Wonder what you’ll make of it.”

“Is Dr. Shen delegating?” the Commander asked as she made her way through the base.

The night shift soldiers snapped off salutes in her wake. Ai Wen blinked, and their eyes were far larger than a human’s and their noses were flattened and toad-like. She ducked into a war room and rubbed her eyes. No, her soldiers were human. There were no strange alien-human hybrids here, thanks to Vahlen’s best efforts.

Central came back on the line. He chuckled, but it sounded strained. The Commander chalked it up to the collective lack of sleep that plagued the base. There was always something on fire, somewhere across the globe, as XCOM stamped out pockets of alien resistance.

“Contact isn’t on Earth,” he said. “Not like when we picked up the Temple Ship. You’ll need to evaluate the threat.”

Lovely. I’ve always wanted to meet ET 2.0.

Ai Wen held her tongue. Central did not appreciate jokes these days. He was a far cry from the man who had suggested she go for a military victory, as if she were playing Civilization.

“Copy that. I’ll be on site in five.”

The Hyperspace Relay had become their main base for extraterrestrial scanning. XCOM had captured the Temple Ship and its Gollop Device at least a year before. The strange glowing orb had been integrated into the Relay’s functions with the knowledge Vahlen had extracted from a captured Ethereal. The Commander had thought it strange that the Ethereal had handed knowledge over so willingly; perhaps Vahlen had gained a reputation among the invaders that had crept up their echelons?

The technicians stood to attention: for some reason, still in jet black armor. She saluted back.

“You may leave,” the Commander said. “There’s fresh coffee in the break room.”

They nodded, and left. The plague of automaton-ization and fatigue was infecting more than just the senior staff. Ai Wen supposed the fear from the base attack had never truly left her men.

She placed her right hand on the Gollop Device. It was warm to the touch, but as she reached further into its heart, the room grew cold. Fresh pine and clear breezes filtered through the depths of the chamber.

Images spiraled onto the face of the rotating relay. She saw a woman – dressed in a green uniform, an American by the medals on her chest, hair tied back into a half ponytail that framed a heart-shaped face. The other woman’s clothes morphed into attire fit for a wedding as she stumbled into Mission Control.

“A human?” Ai Wen thought. “But the relay has only ever shown aliens readying on distant planets. Vahlen thinks this device can interface with different dimensions… she must work for XCOM, but this is not my XCOM. Could there be other worlds where others did better than we? I’d hope we could talk…”

The woman began to tear into the Council representative who stood next to Central.

“I can’t say I’m fond of the Council either. With a name like Tatiana Musilova? They’d throw her to the sharks if they could.”

Ai Wen closed her eyes as the vision began to split and spiral into thousands of possibilities. She tried to concentrate on the individual threads. She caught a glimpse of Commander Mercier in one universe – this fellow Commander too had a multifaceted relationship with names – with a bird of prey no bigger than a soccer ball perched on her shoulder. They shared similarities, this sparrowhawk and human, refusing to be tamed by the winds that buffeted them and the wolves that circled them.

Another vision showed the Commander and Central perched on the ramp of a great ship, as the night skies swirled above them. The overgrown earth around them was desolate, as if the world had fallen to the aliens and nature had retaken its path.

Some images split too fast, and Ai Wen could only catch a man who resembled Central, greyed and haunted, as he sobbed by an operating table, or the ghostly green light that filtered out of a tank.

She was caught by the fellow Commander’s spirit: battered, occasionally broken, but still the other soldiered on. There were worlds where there was a child who had the Commander’s pistol and Central’s knife. There were worlds where the Commander walked down the roads of some Eastern European city, a box of breakfast under her arm, to greet her Central at a hotel. There were worlds where the earth shook and the Commander fell to a Muton’s blow, and a world where naught but her ghost was left haunting the ever-faithful Central who kept fighting for XCOM’s creed.

The other Commander was steel when the situation required it, sharp and honed and ever professional. Yet she was undeniably human in the private moments between the Commander and Central: talks near a hot spring while Central swam, walks with a scrubby bearded man around a dilapidated haven, a quietude while the two stripped down guns and compared weapons.

She was an immigrant too, whose family had fled to the west. Ai Wen sympathized with how English clunked off Tanya’s tongue and teachers who failed to help her. The world was not built for women like them – endless roadblocks littered the road before them. Ai Wen saw an adolescence marked with delinquency that had sharpened and honed into a steady trigger finger and professionalism in the army; and yet, it had also suppressed her in a fashion, if the woman called Amelia was any indication. But where else could Tanya go? It was the army, or jail, for the people whom the world had failed.

Tragedy had followed in the path of a commander who shone like the stars. But still, she guided XCOM forward, and bit by bit, they carved out a path. Tanya was the wind in the trees and the finger readying on a trigger and sacrifice and sacrifice for she placed others before herself. She balanced herself with a Central who was ever present and ever steady. Victory would come. It would come at a cost, Ai Wen believed, but somehow, Tanya would prevail.

At least, that was what Ai Wen prayed would be the fellow Commander’s fate.

Her headset crackled with Central’s frequency. “Commander, any luck with the Relay?”

“No action needed,” the Commander replied. “The situation will manage itself.”

“Copy that,” Central said, and disconnected.

Ai Wen looked at the woman who walked through the woods. A sniper rifle was slung over her white-trenchcoat clad shoulder. She was in her element: these woods, she could call home. No hunter here would have any luck capturing this sniper, when victory sang in the winds whispering through the forest. 

“Fair winds, Commander, and best of luck,” Ai Wen whispered. “May you do better than we did.”

She stood back. The other Commander’s image disappeared into purple smoke.

For a moment, Ai Wen saw a strange glyphic language bordering the periphery of her vision. She breathed in stale air as she fanned her fingers. There was an almost weightless feeling as she stood in the Relay’s room.

Sirens blared. “Commander to Mission Control,” the AI blared. “Incursion in West Africa, Patrol District 7.”

The Commander left to fulfill her duty.

She still thought of a woman with wind under her wings and her finger on the trigger of a sniper rifle.  

[one-that-had-to]

The weight burns against her, searing her shoulders. Those around her find the light enchanting, but she is no Atlas and she cannot hold up a star forever — much less the entire sky.

She just hopes no one is close when she finally collapses.

I commissioned @raviollies for a loosely Atlas inspired piece, and wow. I’m still stunned a little every time I see it. I figured what better time to share than on Tatiana’s birthday?

Please check them out! Thank you so much again!

[one-that-had-to]

Death

Lera for @coloneljamesmoriarty​ 💀

[one-that-had-to]

I Thought I Lost You Kiss

He returns to the Reapers’ base the same day Tatiana had told him she’d be back, but in the morning well before she could have arrived. Something horrifically illogical tugs at the back of his mind, but Bradford pushes it aside as best he can. As far as he is aware, nothing had gone wrong with her mission.

Volk nods at him as he enters, but otherwise does not grind his conversation to a halt to start chattering with him.

It shouldn’t feel that anxious back part of his mind, but it does. Volk is many things, but hesitant to bother him is not one.

Nevertheless, Bradford makes himself at home with the Reapers and waits.

Morning turns into afternoon turns into evening. By the time the sun has set, there has still been no sign of Tatiana’s return. Volk assures him that some things take more time than originally planned, but it does nothing to ease the storm swirling in his mind.

The following day continues on mostly as normal. By the time darkness settles over the base once more, even Volk is pacing nervously and on high alert.

Tensions rise for the next two days as still not so much as a whisper from Tatiana is heard.

The storm breaks early on the afternoon of the third day — not with a thunderous clap but with a cold breeze that lifts everything away. Tatiana hobbles out of the treeline using her rifle as a crutch to support her weight.

Bradford runs to her first, dragging her against him so she didn’t have to put weight on her wounded left leg. She sighs faintly as she presses her weight against him, as though some long-held tension was finally released.

“I thought I lost you,” he murmurs against her cheek. He presses weak kisses to her face, trailing down to her mouth, preventing her from getting a proper word in for a bit.

“Sorry I took so long,” she replies at last. Her accent is thick — another testament to her already apparent exhaustion. She leans her head against his shoulder and brings a hand up to wipe away a few of the tears streaming down his cheeks.

He holds her a bit tighter, almost in fear that she might slip away again. “What happened?”

A frown pulls at her lips and he can feel her tense in his arms. “I’d rather not — Not now,” she manages.

“Of course,” he assures, pressing another kiss to the corner of her jaw. He shifts his grip on her and hefts her into his arms, then carries her into the base so she can get the medical attention she needs.

[one-that-had-to]

[image source]

JXT: MEC Troopers and Gene Enhanced Soldiers Hanging Out In The Medbay

[one-that-had-to]

Elerium Brunette (1/4)

Two of the Council’s top agents are sent to Prague to recover a List of all known agents operating in the region. It’s not as simple and straightforward a mission as either hopes it would be

Read it (and maybe leave a comment) on Ao3 HERE.

Setkání

Keep reading

[one-that-had-to]

[one-that-had-to]

Flowers

The bell over the door jingles as someone enters the pub. She hears Tomáš greet them, so Tatiana does not bother to leave the kitchen herself.

After a few moments of chattering the bell jingles again, and the dining area is blanketed in silence once more. It’s odd, but not completely unusual for the middle of the afternoon.

“Táňa!” Tomáš calls. “You got a delivery.”

That makes her pause. “What do you mean?” she calls back. She resumes mixing the dough she was working on. “I didn’t order anything recently.”

“I mean you have a delivery,” he retorts. Tomáš’s head pops through the doorway. He is doing his best to suppress a wide grin, making her worried about just what had been delivered. “Come see for yourself.”

Tatiana sighs and keeps working until she can set the dough aside for a few moments. She grabs a towel to wipe off her hands and follows Tomáš out of the kitchen.

The towel drops to the floor at the sight of the flower arrangement sitting on the counter.

“Happy Valentine’s day,” Tomáš teases. He elbows her in the side, then resumes cleaning up some of the tables.

Tatiana sighs, though there is no bitterness behind it. She picks up the towel and tosses it onto the counter, then plucks the little card attached to the bouquet. Happy Valentine’s Day. Next year we’ll celebrate together, it reads. It finishes with a simple, Thinking of you.

She rereads the message over a few times and tries not to let her emotions show on her face. When she looks up again, Tomáš turns away and tries to hide his own grin, letting her know her efforts were wasted. Regardless, she tucks the card into her pocket, ensuring its safety besides the picture of her family.

She turns her attention back to the flowers themselves, staring at them for a long moment. Before doing anything else, she pulls out her phone and takes a picture of them, sending it to John to assure him they arrived.

“Can you handle things for a little bit while I run home?” she asks Tomáš, glancing over briefly at him as she texts. “I want to get these out of here before Volk shows up.”

He doesn’t even bother to look up, instead just waving at her. “I’ve got it,” he assures. “Better hurry, though. You know he likes to bother you on holidays.”

“I’ll be quick!” she retorts. With that, she grabs the bouquet and hurries out the door. The distance between them makes her heart ache, but she’s confident that the next year would be better.

[one-that-had-to]

XCOM x birdsrightsactivist (x)

[one-that-had-to]

Casual

(2014. Prior Meeting AU)

Tatiana glances at her phone throughout the morning. Logically, she knows there’s nothing stopping her. They’re both single, they enjoy their time together, they both have no other commitments. The only problem is whatever it is they have is supposed to be casual. Valentine’s Day isn’t in the usual definition of casual. Still, she’s fairly certain she could pass it off as such. After all, what would they be doing otherwise? Sitting at home alone, most likely. Or, at least, at home alone, ideally. Something in her chest freezes up at the thought of John, out and about, enjoying the single’s side of Valentine’s Day. She does her best to ignore the feeling as much as possible. At lunch, she gives in. Any plans tonight? she types out. She regrets it the moment she hits send. She feels her phone vibrate while discussing strategy later that afternoon, and the thought of the reply stresses her more than keeping people alive. Work is something she knows she can succeed at, work makes sense. Dating doesn’t, not as much. No plans. You? A weight lifts off of Tatiana’s chest when she gets a chance to read the message, if only for a moment. Nope. Want to go drinking? The reply is immediate: Sounds like a plan. Tatiana rubs a hand over her face and texts back to make detailed plans.

She hesitates in the doorway of the bar, her gaze lingering on him for perhaps a moment too long. She’d considered calling Lýdie in a panic over what to wear, the ultimately decided that she was fine in one of her usual outfits. After all, they were just friends. Nothing more. He shoots her a smile as she slides into the seat next to him. “I was wondering when you’d get here. Thought you might have ditched me,” he says lightly. “Not like I had anywhere else to go,” she retorts. She can’t help but to grin back at him. John opens his mouth to say something more, but they’re interrupted as the bartender asks for their drinks. They toast and drink well into the night. When the time comes that they are finally shooed out of the bar Tatiana has to all but drag John along with her. After a bit of stumbling, he manages to lean most of his weight against her, their arms wrapped around each others’ waists for support. She can feel his breath on her cheek and neither of them can keep from giggling as they walk. From the outside, there is nothing differentiating them from all the other couples wandering home. Tatiana presses a kiss to his cheek when they finally get to his front door. “Get some sleep,” she urges, holding back another laugh. “I don’t want to hear about your hangover in the morning.” “You’ll put up with it anyway, though,” he teases. He pauses, swaying on his feet slightly. ”You know, sometimes I don’t know why we aren’t dating. Actually dating, that is.” The words poke at something deep in her chest, something deep enough that Tatiana refuses to recognise what it is. She’s never been one to have the ‘flight’ part of a ‘fight or flight’ response, so instead she just freezes and laughs like it’s a joke. With any luck, he’d be too drunk to remember in the morning. If not, then they can both blame the admission and reaction on the alcohol. “Alright, you definitely drank too much,” she says gently. She swipes his keys from his pocket and opens the door for him. “Go on, get to bed.” “Call me when you get up?” “Yeah, I’ll give you a wake up call.” He laughs and leans in to kiss her cheek. He mumbles something that sounds like a good night, then finally heads inside, leaving her alone to sort out her feelings. The flight instinct finally kicks in and she hurries home, hoping her feelings can’t catch up.

[one-that-had-to]

[one-that-had-to]

Breakfast

He thinks he begins to understand Tatiana a bit more now, looking through the hotel window onto the streets of Prague. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but there is something about the city, and he assumes the Czech Republic in general, that suits her far more than any part of the United States he’s seen.

John wishes he could go out to explore beyond what the window will show him, preferably with Tatiana at his side. Instead they are both trapped by their official duty, kept on tight leashes of guards and tight schedules by the Council. They still had far too much work to do before they could truly be themselves, before they could be together. 

Instead, he slumps into the chair by the window and watches the city pass by on the streets below as though it could fill the ache in his heart. A crew of construction workers drives down the street to a building further down still bearing the marks of the invasion. A woman in white hurries down the sidewalk beneath him, a large bag tucked under her arm. A couple walks hand in hand with their daughter towards Old Town Square, happy despite everything else. Life flows from every nook and cranny of the city, even in the aftermath of potential destruction.

John sighs and contemplates his options. The Council certainly wouldn’t be pleased if they were caught in each other’s rooms, even for platonic reasons. But it didn’t feel right to just wait on his own until their day was to start in earnest, where they would once again have to play the role of Commander and Central. He thinks as long as no one sees him —

A harsh knocking at his door jolts him out of his train of thought. John creeps over to the door to peer thought the peephole to see just who had snuck past their security.

Tatiana stands in front of his door, fidgeting with her white coat and the bag under her arm. She keeps checking over her shoulder for the guards, as well. 

John throws open the door to let her in and hurriedly closes it behind her — just like so many nights back in the base. The consequences for being caught together now are a far cry from what they were then, but he still didn’t want to risk it.

Tatiana strides into his room as though it were her own and drops her bag onto the little table by the window. She begins unpacking box after box without bothering to acknowledge him at all.

He stares at her incredulously for a few moments while he processes it all. “How the hell did you sneak out?” he asks at last, crossing the room to stand at the other end of the table. He knows it’s a stupid question even before it completely leaves his mouth — if XCOM’s own security couldn’t keep her in the base, no hotel would contain her either, especially not one in her own home.

“What are you doing, is probably a better question,” he amends.

She stops with one hand buried in the bag, giving him an incredulous look. She withdraws another take-out box and offers it to him. “Breakfast,” she explains flatly.

He takes the box and pops it open. The smell of sausages hits him full force now that they were no longer sealed away. He had to admit, it looked a lot better than all the other hotel food they'd been eating as over the past few months.

He sets the box on the table and helps her unpack everything.

“I figured we deserve something a bit better than hotel food before the ceremony,” she says, setting a paper mug of coffee on his side of the table. She sighs faintly before continuing. “My sister was happy to help out, but she did notice I ordered a coffee and wanted to know why. So, you’re now invited to every family event from now on. Depending on when the Council frees us, my birthday might be the first chance we have to actually introduce you.”

He chokes back something between a laugh and a cry of shock. “So they’re just instantly taking me in as part of the family?” he asks incredulously.

“Yes. Don’t be surprised if you get half a dozen friend requests and get added to a group chat that’s mostly incomprehensible Czech by the end of the day,” she says apologetically. She finishes opening up each of the take out boxes and finally pushes her chair back so she can sit down. “Take anything you want,” she assures, passing him a plate and a fork. “I got more than enough for both of us.”

“Missed home that much?” he asks, shooting her a curious glance. Nevertheless, he starts piling some food onto his place.

Some of the warmth immediately evaporates from Tatiana, a harsh reminder that she was risking more than most while working under XCOM.

“Yes,” she answers briefly. “But I didn’t want you to miss out on your first proper Czech meal, either. If you can even call this a proper breakfast.”

He laughs, unable to help himself. “I couldn’t imagine a better breakfast,” he assures.

They spend the rest of the morning eating and chattering about her home.

[one-that-had-to]

[image source]

JXT: Coming So Close To Killing A Ruler Last Mission, And They Show Up With An Entourage

[one-that-had-to]

princess-ydah replied to your photo “Happy New Years Eve! Surround yourself with friends and have fun.”

How do you zoom in like that?

dimensionalwritings replied to your photo “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Tanya’s Avenger!”

How do you zoom in that far in the ship?

Debug camera! It’s a part of the base game but there’s a few mods that change how it works that you might want to look into! Sorry for taking so long to answer! 💕

[one-that-had-to]

Like The Light Silently Wrapping All

A cold and clear wind blows across the top of the Avenger. She tilts her head up to look into the starry sky and breathe in. The air lacks the taste of pine that she held so dear to her heart, but it is fresh and clean and it will have to do for now.

The faint sting of ice in her lungs makes her feel alive — truly alive — for the first time in forty years.

Keep reading

[one-that-had-to]

TLP: Mission Seven, First Attempt

Gold Starred Lazarus Project on my first try, silver for the other three, somehow. 

[one-that-had-to]

apricity - the warmth of the sun in the winter

Přemysl flutters his wings as the wind picks up again, careful not to smack Tatiana as he does. “We should make camp soon,” he says, more so to her than to anyone else.

Both Tatiana and Bradford glance up to the sky at his words. It’s clear and blue, but the wind makes it impossible to feel the sun on their skin.

“We should be fine,” Bradford says, turning his attention back ahead of them. Verena pauses from where she was darting around to look at him, a concerned look on her face.

Tatiana lifts a hand to rub Přemysl’s chest as he huffs and shuffles around on her shoulder. “Just a bit longer,” she assures.

He leans down to affectionately nip her finger, then leaps off of her shoulder and into the sky. The three of them stop for a moment to watch him before continuing on.

Verena slows down a little to let Bradford and Tatiana catch up to her. She settles into a comfortable pace beside Tatiana and glances up at her. “Doesn’t it ache when he flies off like that?” she asks.

Tatiana looks down at the wolfdog and offers her a smile. “We’ve trained for this,” she assures. She can feel Bradford’s eyes on the back of her head as well, curiously listening in. “This was part of our job in the military, before all of this.”

“I’d imagine it’s part of the reason you kept your haven as safe as you did,” Braford offers.

Tatiana’s polite smile drops as she looks up again. “It certainly helped.”

They continue marching along in silence after that, awkward but not wholly uncomfortable. Before long dark clouds start to fill the sky. Despite the sun having done little to keep them warm earlier, its effect is obvious now that shadows cover them. The temperature drops further, forcing both of them to pull their coats tighter around themselves.

Přemysl drops out of the sky a few moments later, landing gracefully on Tatiana’s arm. She opens her coat and does her best to shield them both from the wind as it starts to pick up.

“Should have listened to me,” he grumbles. “We’re going to get soaked.”

“Next time,” Tatiana assures.

They take off sprinting to try and get to the nearest haven just as the downpour starts.