Radiance Ch. 118

"We can help you out there," Paladin Wright said and Jewel nodded her thanks.

"Ok that leaves our primary assault teams, Paladin Wright you guys are going to be our heavy fire support, once we flush these fuckers out into the open it will be your job to make them dig in and focus on you, meanwhile Jack and his guys will be moving in on them from behind with the aid of Lia and myself," Raymond said this time drawing two separate routes to indicate the path of both teams.

"Question is how do we get them out of their little hidey hole, no soldier is willingly going to give up good defensible cover," Adam said glancing up at the structure.

"I assume that will be my job?" Zixxy said and Raymond gave her a grin.

"Got it in one Zix, your job will be to scare the fuckers out of there, something like a fire or a rampaging pack of angry claws, make it good enough to make even battle-hardened special forces leave their posts and break cover," he said and the little Alien scratched her small chin for a moment before snapping her fingers and nodding her head.

"I believe I have just the thing," she said and Raymond nodded approvingly.

"Alright then good but we don't want this going loud until the last possible moment if possible, we want those civilians clear of the AO and here in safety and that's where our two newest members come into the picture, it will be your jobs to escort and run the civilians out of the area once they are free, the last thing we need is them panicking and scuttling all over the place in a blind panic, so keep them calm and move them here to Zixxy where it will be safe," Raymond said.

"I think we should leave a guard up here to protect Zixxy in case shit really hit the fan don't you Raymond?" Jewel said and he nodded.

"Agreed while I know Zixxy is one of the most powerful among us it would make sense for her to be guarded until Tremour, Vlen and the other civilians reach the safe zone that way she will be protected, and they can then return and join the rest of their team," Raymond said.

"Agreed," Jack said.

"Indeed, I vote for Knight Harrison," Paladin Wright said.

"Seconded," Lia said.

"Yup same here," Cho said.

"And me," Riss said and the vote went around until Zixxy herself nodded.

"Fine I accept the aid of Knight Harrison in this matter," Zixxy said with a slight huff to her voice as she glanced at the young Knight in embarrassment.

"And if you ask him nicely maybe he'll even let you sit on him and if you ask extra nice it might even be on his shoulder," Spectre said teasingly.

"How would you like to find out what life is life from the point of view of a radroach that fell foul of a radspider?" Zixxy asked giving her a look that would make most people's blood run cold.

"Point taken, no more jokes, sheesh can't even have fun joking about interspecies love around here these days," Spectre said still doing a piss-poor job of hiding her grin as she knew that Zixxy wasn't truly serious.

"Alright people we have a solid base for the plan, one last thing Zixxy I want you to identify one of their intel specialists and one of their soldiers and lure them into the arms of Riss and Runs who after they've completed the successful extraction of the civilians will reenter the base and move through the interior to help close the trap, we already know that Riss's venom is pretty potent stuff and I'm sure that she would know the right dose to knock someone out for a few hours rather than kill them right?" Raymond said glancing at the large Nightstalker girl who nodded and puffed out her chest proudly.

"indeed and my venom ssssacssss are full sssso I can easssily give ssssome to my beloved husssband to coat hissss dartssss," she said.

"Excellent, well then we have our plan people, we have a few hours of daylight left so let's make the most of them and get things moving or rest up, we go at nightfall," Raymond said and the group fractured to get themselves ready.

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"Umm Zixxy?" a voice said from her right and she turned her head to see Knight Harrison nervously approaching her while the rest of the group were distracted with their own tasks.

"Yes?" she asked trying to hide her annoyance, thought it wasn't him she was annoyed with it was the fact that he felt he had to do what he was about to do in the first place but then at the same time it was kinda sweet that he thought so much of her feelings that he felt he had to in the first place.

"Listen I just wanted to apologise to you for the others, I don't want you to feel embarrassed because of me, your abilities truly are remarkable and one as strong as you shouldn't ever feel embarrassed like that," he said with genuine sincerity in his voice that honestly was incredibly fetching.

Zixxy glanced over at Raymond who was sat not far away with Lia and he shot her a knowing smile.

"Damn you Raymond, I am supposed to be the mind reader around her," she said to herself under her breath.

"Sorry, what was that I didn't quite hear you?" Knight Harrison said.

"Oh nothing, Lucas would you sit with me please?" she asked gesturing to the ground next to her.

Lucas who was not wearing his helmet now revealing his tanned skin and red hair not to mention his very expressive grey eyes, nodded and took a seat next to her making his armour's servos whine as he planted himself on the ground.

She looked up at him as he nervously looked around himself though it was not the other judging him that had him nervous, it was possibly offending her further by revealing hidden feelings and thoughts that were making him nervous which actually made her smile.

"You don't have to apologise for the others Lucas, that's just kind of the camaraderie that exists among this group, it has been that way ever since we were on a much larger unit, I believe it stems from Seven's example as he is very free with his thoughts and feelings, especially for his Alpha claw Visa whom he loves dearly, his example seems to have rubbed off on everyone around him," she said.

"Yeah I keep hearing about this Seven guy, everyone talks about him like he's some kind of omnipotent being or something, is he really all that?' Lucas asked curiously which made Zixxy laugh.

"Oh he's not omnipotent and he'd be the first to scold you for thinking so, he's just a man like you just different is all, although not in every way," she said finding herself suddenly with a very strong urge to move closer to him, an urge that seemed to be echoing from Lucas himself which widened her smile.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked curiously and his eyes we giving away him trying to make up his mind to be offended or not by her statement.

"I mean he is simply a man, flesh and blood and not all-seeing and all-knowing, he is a simple being just like the rest of us, just trying to make his way through this incredible journey we call life, now granted he is a man with incredible gifts but the ability to touch the world with nought but your mind does not make you invincible or all-knowing, just as the ability to read minds and know another's darkest secrets doesn't either," she said making a very deliberate reference to herself which caused him to look up at her with a surprised look plastered upon his handsome features.

"I err umm don't umm think you're omnipotent, I err am just very impressed by your abilities," he stammered and Zixxy couldn't hide her smile this time, his embarrassment was severe cute, this time she also did not resist the urge to move closer either and to her delight he did not pull back as she did.

"You wonder what it is like to be able to read the mind and thoughts of another don't you?' she asked looking up at him.

Lucas cocked his head and blinked in slight embarrassment.

"A-Are you reading my mind right now?" he stammered slightly which made Zixxy laugh lightly.

"Why? Are you worried that I would see something in there that you would not wish me to see?' she asked which by the way his skin darkened as the blush on his cheeks and neck spread meant she'd hit the nail on the head.

"N-N-No not at all," he protested nervously and she found herself drawing even closer to him now to the point where she was sitting right next to his large armoured thigh and looking up at him.

"Are you sure about that?' she asked sweetly and he visibly swallowed.

"Well I err umm suppose I umm have err had some thoughts that I err......" he rambled and now Zixxy couldn't help it the giggles overwhelmed her and she reached up and patted his metal thigh as he looked at her in surprise and what looked a little hurt.

"No I am not reading your mind Lucas, I do not invade the private thoughts of my companions unless it is absolutely necessary so don't worry those private thoughts about me will remain where they belong, right there in the quiet places of your mind," she said and he visibly breathed a sigh of relief until he actually replayed her words in his mind and caught on to what she'd just said and she saw the exact moment that he realised he'd just given himself away.

"As Seven would say, gotcha," she said grinning up at him.

"Oh shit I umm err," he stammered until Zixxy got to her feet and stepped up onto his armoured thighs to place a finger on his lips to silence him.

"You are not the only one with such thoughts and feelings you know," she said softly and his grey eyes widened visibly.

"T-T-Truly?' he exclaimed and she nodded.

"Truly, you know I spent a very long time in a cryo pod with nothing but the thoughts and feelings of others to keep me sane, I saw everything from the end of the world to the birth of a new one and in all that time I saw how mankind changed and evolved, from those ashes rose new humans, better humans, humans dedicated to changing the world for the better, people like Seven with evolved attitudes, open minds and also hearts, its why I called him to me in the first place, I saw who he was and the company he kept and I felt that with him I stood the best chance of not only being accepted but hopefully understood, but it looks like I found more than I could have ever hoped to," she said softly as she took her finger from Lucas's soft lips.

"W-What are you saying?' Lucas asked looking into her dark eyes with a very distinct look of hope painted on his face.

"I'm saying that if it is truly your wish to pursue me and to try I will not reject that premise," she said softly and with what she hoped was a sultry note to her voice.

Lucas's face cracked into a truly massive smile that showed off his surprisingly white teeth and he very nearly went to hug her right up until he realised the arms of his power armour would most likely squash her flat like a tube of toothpaste in a vice.

"I won't let you down I swear it! I will do everything I can to prove to you that I am worth it and worthy of you," he exclaimed and she smiled softly.

"I think you already have a handsome one," she said under her breath and he cocked his head again.

"Sorry what was that?' he asked and she simply shot him a smile.

"Oh nothing don't worry, just make sure that when this operation goes down you keep yourself safe you hear me? I will not have my only shot at romance torn from me by those fuckers down there," she said gesturing towards the Enclave stronghold.

Lucas grinned at her again and gave her a mock salute.

"Yes ma'am you can count on me," he said and she nodded approvingly.

"Good, now if you do not mind I wish to rest before we are once again forced into battle, ahh now this looks like a comfortable seat," she said and with that, she planted her little rear end right down on his metal covered lap much to his surprise, though she could actually feel the grins being shot at them from all around the group and she didn't need to read minds to know the well wishes she was silently receiving.

To his credit, Lucas didn't move during the rest period he simply offered himself up as a seat for her to rest upon and she did now actually find herself realising Visa's pain in its fullest, as she found herself truly wishing that there was not a layer of metal between them, that she could feel the flesh soft sensation of his thighs beneath her rear as well as the warms of his body.

She sighed happily at the mere thought and felt a pleasant shiver pass through her, by the stars above was it seriously this easy to fall for someone?

All her life she had seen things through the lenses of other's eyes, felt their hearts burst and break as loves had forged and broken, she had always wondered to herself if was there one out there who would look at her in such a way as she had felt them look at their own beloved one, to feel like the object of another's burning desire and of their purest love seemed like such a tremendous achievement.

But now as she sat her in the lap of a human male with a heart of gold she felt something more, she felt pride washing off him, he was proud of the fact that she had opted to give him a chance to woo her and that made her smile to herself, she obviously wasn't going to tell him that he already had with his honest heart, she wished to see where his creativity would take them, though where it would take them would be a question for another day, as for now, it was time to work.