Alex – Heart Of The Vanguard

__________*_Alex_*__________

Sarah: "Alex?... You're not joining us... Are you??" She questioned me as I entered the training hall along with Wrex, causing 42 and Jinx to look at me as well.

42: "Something doesn't look right with her..."

Jinx: " *Gasp* ALEX?! WHERES THE BUMP?!" Sarah and 42's faces dropped in shock as they realised too that Jinx was correct.

Me: "Relax guys... They're safe."

Sarah: "What do you mean?!"

Me: "I mean, they're safe with me in the apartment."

Jinx: "Errr, I'm sorry, what?!"

Me: "I am a copy..." I gestured down at myself, "...the real me is back at the apartment all tucked up all cozy in bed."

Jinx: "What do you mean a copy? You're standing right here?!"

Me: "Exactly, but I'm here and there."

42: "This is very confusing."

Wrex: "Funnily enough, that's what I said at first."

Jinx: "I still don't get it, how can you be here and there?"

Me: " *Sigh* ok, watch..." I concentrated hard, on making yet another copy.

Jinx: "Watch what?..." The copy I made emerged from a cloud of red and purple behind Jinx and tapped her on the shoulder, "...ARGH?! what the fuck?!" She said jumping back and staring at the copy before her eyesight and head jumped repetitively between my two copies.

Me: "I made a copy of the real me, this one..." I gestured down at myself again, "...minus the babies, so that I can join you in training. This way, they're safe."

Wrex: "Alex... Don't strain yourself again."

Me: "I know I know..." He was right, with me being asleep in bed and trying to control two copies of myself was already feeling taxing, one was plenty for now. So with that I made the other copy wave goodbye and vanish from existence in the usual wisps of red and purple. "...so... Shall we crack on?"

Wrex: "Agreed. Ok, listen up. I'll set up the tasks and challenges but I'll leave it to Alex's discretion as to how they are completed and as I said before, Alex will be in charge of Fury, so, she might as well start taking charge now."

Me: "Oh boy..."

42: "Hey, Jinx will never admit it, but we have faith in you."

Sarah: "One way or another you seem to get out yourself of trouble, hopefully you'll carry that streak on."

Me: "Only usually because you guys help dig me out of it."

Sarah: "Well maybe we can teach you the art of it at the same time, eh." She stated with a wink.

Me: "Well, thanks for the votes of confidence. Ok, Wrex, what's first then?"

Wrex: "Well, a bit of feedback on yesterday first I think. There was very little in the way of communication. 42, you did good. You took charge without anyone designating you as a leader and you worked out what had to be done. Jinx, you did a good job at doing what was asked of you and both you and 42 work so well together, it's almost upsetting to see that you both didn't really try to work with Sarah. Sarah, I was impressed by your overall perception of the situation, but when you saw advantages that would benefit the team you didn't pass them on. You didn't work as a team and although you may occasionally have your separate roles in a team, the end result of your individual tasks will affect the outcome of your team. You gotta watch out for each other, alright?"

With nods of the heads they all agreed.

Wrex: "Alright then..." he turned to the console by the weapons bench, typed in and selected optins. Within a moment of him finishing the arena came alive with the yellow holograms forming the buildings followed by being coloured in to reveal a realistic town once more. Wrex, drew our attention to the screen and a map displayed on it of the small town he had just created. "...first then, will be similar to a task that you did yesterday. Target building has a friendly VIP that's been abducted and held captive by insurrectionists in this building... here. They have threatened to kill the hostage if  provoked. There are multiple ways to successfully complete this scenario but it could also be failed. You were running on Warrior difficulty yesterday, I will now be bumping it up to Strike, meaning more harder hitting enemies and only two revivals."

Jinx: "You what?!"

Sarah: "Wrex, we struggled yesterday, I used all my revives."

Wrex: "Yes, but now look who we have with us." He gestured at me, now making me feel somewhat guilty for insisting to join.

Me: "Wrex, don't you think this might be a little too soon?"

Wrex: "We need to be in shape and ready because in the real world, enemies don't hold back and you don't get revives... Well, you might, but the rest of us don't."

42: "Come on guys, it will be fine, we'll manage."

I admired 42's enthusiasm, attempting to coax the girls to follow him into the arena and they begrudgingly followed. Wrex stepped up beside me,

Me: "A little bit harsh don't you think?" I said quietly to him.

Wrex: "Harsh truth maybe. They need the push."

Me: "You'll burn them out. You got to remember Wrex, they're not trained soldiers. Sarah has little to no military training, 42 is smart and strong but physically slow and Jinx? She only 17, barely out of secondary school and still not even officially an adult."

Wrex: "If they want to help then they need to know what they're in for and I have a limited time to get it done. Sarah's Jarvie Tech armour can only do so much to protect and help them... So unless you have any other ideas then I'm all ears."

I stayed quiet, I didn't really I have anything better, no. I just inwardly sighed and stepped into the arena, Wrex following and walked up to the trio. I had an idea, one I had taken from a game call Titan Fall 2 I use to play, there was a perk you could add on called 'map hack', which is exactly what I did. I mentally hacked the holographic projectors and looked down the rest of the map. The entire town fuzzed in my mind's eye and reverted back to its original yellow structures, allowing me to see through them all, revealing the enimies as red holograms. I set an 'Enimies Remaining' counter up on my HUD, it shot up as each enemy was reavealed to me and halted on 157. The VIP was also shown to me in a green wire frame, in the building Wrex had shown us his screen.

Me: "Ok guys? You ready?" I dropped them a hint by calling my helmet into place and calling the face plates shut. They closed their faceplates as well,

42: "Ready for what?, we don't know what the plan is."

I allowed my vision to mostly return to normal, keeping the enemy highlights tracker in place and the counter on my HUD and linked that with Jinx, 42 and Sarah while also opening a private channel to just only those three.

Me: "Ok guys, I do think Wrex has gone a little bit harsh on you for this... What you are seeing now is what I can see. Reds are enemies, green is our VIP."

Sarah: "Wow... but isn't this cheating?"

Me: "I prefer the term, 'Tipping the balance in our favour'. I'm bringing Wrex into the channel now and I'll go over the plan. Don't tell him what I've done."

Wrex: "So Alex, what are we doing?"

I looked around, studying the aerial view of the map in my head, while comparing that with what I could see infront of me. I think there were four routes in. Straight up the middle which would mean we get seen, making us easy targets and the VIP will be killed. There was also an alleyway down the far side of the map, although this would be more of a subtle approach it will still probably be patrolled. The last two options and which seemed more favourable were making our way through the houses and shops or over the roof tops. Both of which are occupied with enemies too, but not as many.

Me: "Right, here's what we're going to do. Can't chance the VIP potentially being killed if we make ourselves announced or get discovered so... Stealth... Jinx, you're up. You and me are going to spearhead our way in, quiet as possible. I will progress through the buildings, you take the roof tops. Engage and dispose of at your discretion but don't raise the alarm."

42: "What about us three?"

Me: "You guys are back up. If shit hits the fan then we need you to fall in quick. But my plan is that once either me or Jinx get to the hostage and secure them then you guys move in, help clear us a path out. Sound good?"

Everyone, even Wrex, nodded in agreement. I notioned to Jinx for us to make a move so we did, making our way down the back of the buildings as the others went to lay low. I found a door way and stopped, Jinx briefly looking up before turning to me.

Jinx: "Well, see you on the other side."

I smirked to myself,

Me: "No you won't." Then engaged my active camouflage as I opened the door... Pretty sure that if I could see her face her jaw would have dropped.

Jinx: "Wait, how did..." her voice trailed off as I made my way into the first room, two bad guys were in here, Draconian, must have been the insurrectionists Wrex mentioned he had dealt with in the past. They turned as the door seemingly opened and closed on it's own and probably hearing Jinx's voice too.

They snarled and raised their odd looking weapons at the doorway as I snaked my way quietly around behind them. I decided to try and use the blades that Reikon modified my armour with, the blades extended from my gauntlet with a subtle *shing*, but still loud enough to draw one of the of insurrectionist's attention, so before he even turned all the way in my direction, brought my arm up and I sliced him dowards at an angle from his shoulder. The blade cut through him, but what came out wasn't blood, they were little floating yellow holographic cubes, then his whole body disintegrated into these yellow cubes, screaming as he faded from existence. This of course drew the other's attention so I was sure to put him down quick with a swing of my opposite arm. The blade cut through him and he too reverted to yellow cubes before fading from existence. 

The counter on my HUD showing 'enemies remaining' dropped, 157 to after 156 after the first guy, then 155 after the second. Then it dropped again, 154, 153... I looked up and put a new set of markers on my HUD, Identity Friend or Foe for the rest of Fury, marking their outlines in blue. And sure enough as I looked up, there was Jinx creeping along the roof top on all fours in the direction of the target building. So I moved on as well, even though I suddenly started feeling drained, I ignored it and carried on. The next room was empty but the room that that lead into, there was just one enemy. I stumbled slightly on goodness knows what as I walked up behind him, my heavy foot steps drawing his attention but I managed to take him down just as quietly thankfully.

I looked down at my hands which almost flickered in and out of reality digitally and the feeling of tiredness was getting worse.

'What is wrong with me?' I leant up against a nearby wall and dropped my cloak, just as I watched the enemy counter drop again... 151... 150... Jinx was still pushing forwards obviously. I wondered whether to wait a bit longer, but I was just starting to feel better already.

Me: "Surely can't be the cloak tiring me out?" I asked myself as I was feeling good enough to carry on again.

'Guess I'll just use it when I really have to then.' Thinking about it now though... This body is just a copy, an imitation of the real thing, and this is the first time I have used the cloak for so long in a slightly stressful situation. So maybe it's powers and strength are not as strong as my real body? In which case, best to go careful not to push myself too hard then.

Next doorway lead back outside, I peaked out both ways down this street, no one to be seen, and the next doorway that I could use was slightly further down the street though so I had to be sure I wouldn't be seen... but too late... There was a whir of a plasma weapon... Stupidly I had forgotten to look up. Standing on the edge of the roof, aiming his charging weapon down at me was an insurrectionist... If he fires, that's it, the alarm would be raised... Not that he was able to thankfully... A black blur launched overhead from the rooftop above me and smashed straight into the innie, the counter on my HUD dropped to 149 and Jinx's helmeted head appeared over the edge of the roof, giving a quick friendly salute at me.

Me: "Thanking you kindly." I said to her over the secure channel as her head disappeared from view.

I reengaged the cloak, just while I crossed the street, rushing to make my way to the next door way. I could see that there were was at least one enemy in here, maybe 2, but they were close together, causing them to blur. I got to the door. Locked. So I shunted it hard and barged my way in, my cloak failing again just as I was in the door way and pushed the remains of the door closed. I turned around upon hearing multiple whirs. There wasn't two, there was four of the bastards in here! All looking at me, weapons raised.

Me: "Oh come on!" I charged at them, they fired, the rounds hit me, but did nothing, I didn't feel them at all to be honest. I sliced each one of them up in quick succession... 145.

Me: "Jinx, you didn't hear that did you? Did anyone else? Has the alarm been raised?"

Jinx: "I thought I heard something, but wasn't sure. But no, looks like you're ok, no alarm."

Wrex: "But I hate to say, that is one revive gone my lovely." His voice broke over the coms.

Me: "What? I'm fine? No damage at all."

Wrex: "There are safety protocols, plasma in the simulation can't actually kill or wound but the simulation doesn't see you any different to any other Vanguard that train here. Your typical Draconian is one shot from death so the program treats you just the same. Vanguard armour can't withstand plasma rounds unlike ours, not yet anyway. So sorry, that's two lives left."

Me: "Wonderful." I replied sarcastically and with a sigh a carried on, abeit it a bit more cautiously than I had been, knowing the my active camo couldn't last long periods and that I was now very vulnerable. I pushed on, saving my cloak for open areas like streets or for sneaking up on enemies. Jinx was making progress too, we were keeping up with each other in terms of progress and kill count, for every two or three I'd get, she'd get the same moments later and had only lost one life so far too.

Finally, we made it to the target building, by all accounts and watching their movement, the VIP was alive and moving, but they were surrounded. I made it 23 enemies in this building, with 9 of them all closely packed around the VIP. I opened a private channel to Jinx as I skirted the building, looking for anything we could use.

Me: "How are we looking Jinx?"

Jinx: "Grr..." Counter dropped to 105, "...roof top is clear."

Me: "Good, well done. Anything we can use to get us in undetected?"

Jinx: "Well, easy way would be the rooftop access up here, but by your scans, there's too many enemies at bottom of the stairs this time. We were on this map yesterday, I actually found an air vent on the ground floor at the back of the building. We tried it but it's just too big for us Dragons. You with your petite frame on the other hand might just fit, I'll be down in a second."

Just as she had mentioned it, I think I found the vent she was referring to and as promised, she landed next to me with a subtle metallic thud and whir as she regained her composure.

Jinx: "Yeah that's it."

Me: "It's tiny!"

Jinx: "It's either that..." She looked around at the building once more, obviously analysing my scans again, "...or we try the front and back doors simultaneously. Both of which have enemies on the other side."

Me: "I know I know... *Sigh*... Christ..." I muttered to myself as I reached up and pulled the grate off of the vent access. It couldn't have been more than 75cm squared barely enough room for me, my armour and extra appendages to get in. "...I'll find a way in, somewhere sparsely guarded. Get to me and the VIP when I call." I squared up to the vent, sighed again, and shed my armour, but only partially. The metal top layer that covered my most exposed and vulnerable parts, either slid and folded away in the usual fasion or it was absorbed into the lower 'soft' gel padded layer that served to seal my body from the outside world... I was gonna need as much room as possible.

Me: "Mind giving me a boost?" I turned to ask her and she obliged by crouching down behind me and cupping her hands together, forming a step for me. With my back still facing her, I placed a heel on her hands and in joint effort, heaved me into the vent. The light in here had dimmed exponentially since I had shimmied in and blocked out most of the light entering it. My eyes automatically adjusted, switching to an almost night vision mode on their own accord.

Me: " *Sigh* Well this sucks." I started shimmying my way on through this tight ducting. I wasn't claustrophobic per say, but I was putting a lot of effort into trying not to panic with the lack of movement I had. I just had to keep moving and as quietly as possible. Eventually after bending myself through awkward angles and going stiff through repetitive strain from my small movements I came across a grate that lead into a room with just two enemies in below me. I gingerly removed the grate, pulling it back and placing it as quietly as possible opposite me.

Looking at the innies again and satisfied that I hadn't raised any suspicion, I crawled forward the last bit, pulling myself through the hole head first, somersaulting to silently land in the room on my feet. Now free, I called my armour back into place, my helmet closing around me just as one of the innies happened to turn my way. My left arm blade extended quickly and I made an upward diagonal slice at him, cutting through him quickly, but not quietly enough that his colleague didn't notice but he still didn't react quick enough, not before I rammed the same blade through his chest. The innie choked before also dematerialising into floating yellow cubes, then into nothing.

Me: "I'm in. Wrex, have your team ready to push up, Jinx be ready at one of those doors, I'm seconds from busting into the target room." There was one more room in between with just one guy in it, once I could see his highlight had turned I quickly opened the door, charged at him and before he could react, cut him down nice and quiet.

Me: "Everyone in position?"

Wrex: "Ready."

Jinx: "By the front door, waiting for your signal. But you need to hurry, I'm exposed." I analysed the main room. VIP was at the back of it, sitting down, the 9 Innies were hovering close, one seemed to be talking directly at the VIP. I could see what I was going to do... Hopefully the others would back me up quick.

Me: "Ok, three..." I walked away from the door at speed, "...two..." I stopped and turned, "...one..." I started running back, "...GO!" As I used my jets to smash myself through the door skidding along the floor into the insurrectionist's midsts slicing and shooting at which ever was closest, being sure to stand between myself and the VIP. I took down seven in quick succession before Jinx joined me and took down the remaining two from behind with one swing of her tail.

Me: "Thank you again."

Jinx: "You're welcome. Ahh... It's Sora this time."

I looked back to the VIP to see Sora sat there smiling at us

Me: "What?" I looked back at her confused.

Jinx: "Yesterday that was you sat there."

I heard a roar, looked to the source to see two innies running at me down a hall from the opposite side of the building to where I came in. But before I ever had the chance to defend us, two plasma rounds smashed through the window they were running past, hitting each of them in the head. Their bodies crumpled and disinterested. I looked to see where the shots had come from, there on almost the start point of the map, highlighted in blue was Sarah, giving me a thumbs up.

Me: "Bloody nice shots!"

Sarah: "Why thank you."

I turned back to Jinx,

Me: "Clear out the rest of the building, I'll stay here and defend Sora." She gave me a nod and shot off in the direction of the hall where the last two innies had approached from.

Me: "Soo... You're not real are you? You're just part of the simulation?" I finished turning back to Sora... Although it wasn't Sora now... It was Reikon!

Reikon: "Oh, I am very real!"

Suddenly my head felt like it could explode, I fell to the floor, grasping my head and screaming in agony, just about hearing Jinx over my own screams run back to me,

Jinx: "ALEX?! ALEX WHAT'S WRONG?!"

Wrex: "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN THERE?!"

Jinx: "SOMETHING'S WRONG, I NEED HELP! GET IN HERE QUICK!..."

The voices faded out and I was plunged into darkness, my head was no longer in pain... I quickly got up and looked around me. There was Reikon, full on Draconian form standing there staring at me with an evil smirk.

Me: "Noo... You're dead! I killed you!"

Reikon: "My will can not be stopped, I will always find a way to come back."

Me: "Then I will stop you, no matter how many times I have to do it!"

Reikon: "Even if these three stand in your way?..." She waved her hand majestically and three Dragons appeared out of the red and purple mist... But not just any three... Our three children!, my jaw dropped, I recognise them from when I last time I saw the Stranger! They stared me down menacingly as Reikon stepped around one of the boys, stroked his jaw then licked up his neck to just behind his ear, keeping her eyes fixated on me the whole time to watch my reaction while the male still just simply stared me down unflinching to her touches.

Me: "Get off of him!" I snapped

Her sinister grin grew even moreso as she let him slowly go.

Reikon: "Kill her." No sooner had Reikon finished those words, like savage attack dogs let off their leashes, the trio charged at me. My anger now turned to fear, I had no idea what to do, I couldn't attack them! I couldn't fend them off! They were my children! I ducked down hiding myself as the first one took a swing at me.

Me: "ARGH!" I shot up right in my bed and looked around the room... No one here, the room was how I had left it this morning when I was controlling the copy with Wrex... The copy!... No... I couldn't feel it any more, I had lost it.

Wrex: "Alex! Alex come in! Alex talk to me please!" I heard his voice in the com channel in my head. I swung myself out of bed. I had somewhere to be, something I needed to check.

Wrex: "Alex please!"

Me: "I'm here Wrex." I replied as I started walking out of the room armouring up as I went .

Wrex: "Oh thank god... Are you alright? Are you still in the apartment?"

Me: "Yes."

Wrex: "Good, stay there I'm on my way

Me: "For the moment anyway."

Wrex: " 'For the moment'? Where are you going?"

Me: "The morgue."

Wrex: "Wha- why?"

Me: "I have unfinished business apparently." I cut off the channel and entered a Jump.

__________

I arrived at the morgue, finding a diener as soon as a walked in.

Me: "Reikon's body?"

Diener: "Alex?... I wasn't expecting-"

Me: "WHERE?!" I raised a charging gauntlet at him.

Diener: "128! L-locker 128." He stammered in fear.

I strode with purpose, counting up the numbers before finding the correct one, ripping the door off and pulling out the table. There was her still dead body, unmoved, unchanged since I last saw it, still with a hole in the chest. Nevertheless... I briefly charged my plasma jet and aimed it at her torso and fired... And again... And again... *Pow Pow Pow Pow Pow...* I continued firing all up and down her body, pieces of dark and chilled flesh splattering around me as I obliterated what was left of her body, to the point that there was barley an outline left of her and I had actually blown through the gurney she was on. I stood there heavily breathing as smoke and heat waves bellowed from a glowing exhaust port on my arm as I listened to what was left of her body sizzling and smoking as well.

I dropped my arm trying to keep my breathing under control.

Wrex: "Alex!..." I heard his metallic clatter run up behind me and grabbed me, but my eyes remained fixed on her gory remains as tears started rolling down my cheeks... Another time that I'm glad I had my helmet on. I caught Wrex glancing at the mess before pulling me away slightly and opening his helmet to look at me. "...Heeey... What's wrong?, what happened?" My only response was to launch myself into a full on hug with him as I finally broke down.

(-POD)