Super Soldier in Another World

Jason took the damp rag and used it to wash off the grime of the past few days. Tendrils of steam rose from his skin where cold raindrops struck, each one making a tiny plinking sound as it navigated through Begee's dense foliage. The massive trunk at his back creaked slightly in the wind, its lowest branches swaying just enough to let occasional fat droplets break through and splash against his neck. Lance had insisted that he bathe where no one could see him, but Jason didn't see the point. A body was just a body, nothing more, he didn't care if people saw him naked- but Lance had told him that she would care, and that had been enough to convince him.

The Phalanx suit sat disassembled behind him, the pieces packed neatly together at Begee's base. It had been time for him to bathe and take care of other needs, which gave him time to think about the plans that Leone and Lolena had proposed. The Harkmother was still being held captive somewhere in the Bastion, likely Terlin didn't want an uprising to occur, and thus didn't exile her, instead opting to keep her trapped. Jason didn't know why Terlin didn't just kill her outright, seemed like a liability to keep a former ruler around, but perhaps there was a good reason for why he made that decision.

The other members of the hall had apparently been executed, all save for Geravall, who just so happened to be here in the copse. He'd left with the Trinkett's, hiding amongst them so that he wouldn't be captured as the Harkmother currently was. but the man simply refused to leave his tree… whether it was a bout of depression, or if he was stuck deep into his research, Jason didn't know. A blonde elf woman named Lena had gone to inform Geravall of Jason's arrival, so maybe that could coax him out of hiding. Jason hadn't met her directly, but Michael had told him about Lena before, she was the elf that he'd slept with during Muro's Death-Day. She had asked about him before leaving to get Geravall The second plan, the one that he was more keen on, was using Geravall to rally the loyalist elves to their side.

But the problem was that Geravall was uncooperative, not willing to leave his tree apparently. If Jason couldn't convince Geravall to come out and help, then he would just have to hope the elves would rally behind Jason instead. His name still had weight here, even if he wasn't an elf, the people knew what he was capable of. He'd beaten a Pillar-Born, after all, that must have meant something to the Bastion. He sighed wondering if the plan was just going to end up being a waste of time. The watchers would likely abandon Terlin's side if they saw Jason opposing him, right?

Sneaking in by way of Meris was the optimal plan, but it would take an excruciating amount of time, it had taken the Fae weeks to reach the Fiendwall from the Bastion, after all. Perhaps there was a way he could enhance Meris to go faster with Foundation? He would need to ask the tree next time he saw him. His thoughts slowly drifted to Lance as he scrubbed at the fresh crop of white hair on his head. Nelan… he couldn't be joking about his claims, he wasn't the type. Yet the idea of it, of Lance actually loving him as a woman loves a man; it just didn't seem to settle. Maybe Nelan had misunderstood something, or had jumped to a conclusion-

Nelan wasn't wrong, the evidence was right there in front of him. Laying next to him every night? Those whispered words of love she thought he couldn't hear? The way she looked at him ever since they escaped the Romai? Part of him warmed at the thought, a feeling he immediately crushed and buried. What right did he have to feel that way? He was a genetic abomination— A half human freak spliced with alien DNA—a chimera cobbled together and brainwashed to be a weapon, a tool. It would be selfish of him to want this… but another part of him wondered what it would be like to experience such a relationship, to love and be loved. The thought vanished as quickly as it formed. The Romai had witnessed what lurked beneath his steely exterior when his control slipped. What would Lance think if she saw that side of him? Would she still love him after that?

She had seen him near-Wendigo before, after his battle with Tuji, but she'd not seen him fully consumed by the black hunger before. The blood of dwarves had stained his teeth, sinew still stuck between them as he'd ran through the fungal caves in a madness he'd never experienced before. His body had metabolized the flesh quickly once it had hit his stomach, repairing him rapidly and restoring him to 'sanity', but he could scarcely remember any details of the battle itself. If he became that way around Lance- his hands began to tremble, before he steadied them, golden eyes glaring. He knew what he had to do to prevent Lance from wanting to be with him.

He would word carefully what kind of a monster he was, avoiding mention of project CHIMERA directly, but getting the idea across. Once she realized what he truly was, she would see sense and reject him. He couldn't want this for himself, he may not have viewed himself as a tool any longer, but he could not bring himself to love anyone in such a way, it wasn't fair to Lance. This was for the best… all she had to do was say no after his explanation, and it would be done. It was the right thing to do, he couldn't leave her in the dark on what he was.

But what if she doesn't care about that? What if she still wants to be with me despite what a freak I am?

He ignored the thought as he finished scrubbing himself down, dumping a bucket of water over his head to rinse off the soap. His skin hissed against the cold air, wisps of white curling up from his shoulders and back, dissipating into nothing a foot above him. The water and air was cold, but with his body heat, it just made this weather feel pleasant. There was enough rain that, If he was more patient, he could just let the droplets do the work of cleaning him off, but he didn't want to sit exposed longer than necessary. He was just about to begin donning the Phalanx, when he heard uneven breathing coming from behind. Jason immediately turned his head, spotting who else but Geravall standing there, eyes heavy, robe creased and disheveled, staring at Jason with intense green eyes.

Well, at least now he was out of his tree, seemed Lena was able to . Could it be because he'd heard Jason was here? That worked out fine, it would be best to take advantage of this while he had the chance.

"Geravall." Jason nodded, not turning around, "I'm glad to see you, I need to speak with you."

"And I you-" He coughed, running a hand down his face, "I was stuck in my research, trying to keep my mind occupied in light of recent events. Lena told me about your arrival just now and I knew that I simply must come speak with you, but excuse me, I will allow you to dress yourself-"

"No need." Jason told him, "Lets get to the point, we need you to rally the elves loyal to the Harkhall together so we can more easily overthrow Terlin."

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Geravall blinked, before shaking his head, "I am not the elf you need for that, you need Raika."

Jason squinted, "Raika?"

"Apologies…" He yawned, rubbing his eyes, "The Harkmother, her name is Raika. She is the one you would need to collect for such a task, I am not nearly so well known as she."

"I understand that, but you still were a member of the Harkhall, and Raika is being held captive who-knows-where." Jason told him, "For now, it would be ideal if you attempted to use your former authority, along with my presence, to bring the loyalists together."

Geravall winced, "You don't understand, I estimate that out of all the former Harkhall, that I am the least known, perhaps only-"

"It will have to do." Jason interrupted, not wanting to hear any more excuses, "Or do you want Terlin to stay in power?"

Geravall glared, "Of course I don't, but I don't have nearly the sway you think I do, Hoplite."

"My name is Jason." He corrected, "I don't go by Hoplite anymore. Also, just because you don't think your name carries weight doesn't mean that it doesn't."

"Well Jason, let me tell you, outside of the hall, only a few knew my name. I was more there as a substitute in case any of the more important members went missing, intended to fill in their role for such sessions in case any Harkhall member did not arrive."

Jason's eyes widened a fraction, "You were a-"

"A placeholder, unimportant." Geravall told him, "I came to tell you where I believe Raika is being held, I am useless as a person to rally behind, as my true work is as a biologist, cataloguing the creatures of the Faewood and such, keeping track of their health to see if anything is amiss with the forest. You remember my Dok-ah, yes?"

"You can see DNA." Jason replied, quickly launching into a quick explanation when he saw the question in Geravall's eyes.

"These twisting ladders I see, they are more complex than I had thought." Geravall began, his eyes shifting to the Phalanx suit "Your armor, I can see Draconic DNA embedded in it, as well as in you."

"It's made of Dragon bone, in my realm, we call it 'Adium'."

Geravall's jaw dropped, "Come again?"

Jason wasn't sure if he should share details about his relation to Jyn or not, it could make the elves wary of him, which he didn't want.

"That cannot be possible, the Dragon bone I mean- er." He stumbled, "I mean it cannot be the bones of a pure Dragon, see, long ago, I met the Dragon of the East, Legolanthas- and while your DNA bears resemblance to that, it is still far different from that of a pure Dragon. There are other factors within you, other ladders that build a different shape, your genes are more like six twisting ladders fused at the tops and bottoms, forming something resembling a sphere, it is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Pure Draconic DNA only has two combined ladders…" His eyes then shifted to the Phalanx suit, "And that armor's DNA is far more similar to yours, than that of a pure Dragon. When I first laid eyes on you, I had been gobsmacked, as I could see the signs of Draconic blood within you, but at the same time it was far more alien than anything I'd ever seen before then. I had sent Lena and her sister to that Death-Day specifically to get a blood sample from you, so I could study it more closely… that didn't end up happening, but Lena did return with blood samples from Michael, a human from your world. See, this was still useful for me, as I now had a point of reference for what standard Outworlder biology is like. You do have a strand from Outworlder humanity for certain, as well as Draconic, but those aren't the only factors present." He then paused, eyes shifting back to the Phalanx suit, "The bones of your armor are more an amalgamation than even you are."

Jason's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"The twisting ladders in that armor, it is like yours, but there are even more, subtle variations between each piece, it could not have come from one creature. This armor is made up from bones from several other beings, many of them perhaps similar to yourself-"

Jason stood quickly, time slowing as he stared down at the disassembled Phalanx suit. What was Geravall saying!? That the armor, the Dragon bone was made up from a dozen other Dragons? No, he had said that the Adium had similar DNA to Jason himself, but with subtle variations across the whole suit, but why? He knew that it was bone now, but that didn't explain why there were multiple sources of it in it's construction. Only Jyn had been banished, no other Dragons, at least none that Jason had heard of, and even then, Geravall was saying that the genetics were more like his own-

A slow, creeping horror filled his chest as his golden eyes widened as far as they could go. Dragon bone, multiple sources, DNA similar to his own-.

"Jason?" Geravall asked, concerned, taking a step back.

"No." Jason stared, "He couldn't have done- there- no." He began to mumble, "Not even he would do something like that…"

The words were hollow as he tried to think up another explanation, but found none.

"...Are you sure that these are-" He gulped, gesturing to the armor, "That they're DNA is similar to mine?"

Geravall nodded slowly.

Jason fell to his knees, "Go away." He ordered firmly, "Now."

"But-"

"Go away!" Jason shouted, glaring up at Geravall with teeth bared, the tears already rolling down his cheeks.

A small part of him wanted to hear where Raika was being held, but the revulsion and horror coursing through him made him want nothing but solitude. Seeing this, Geravall took a few steps back, before turning away. Jason could hear other elves approaching now, wondering what the commotion had been about. Some spoke with Geravall, but none approached him, none save for Lance. Jason couldn't bring himself to tell her to leave, but he couldn't acknowledge her questions either. He kept his gaze on the Phalanx suit, not looking up at her, not wanting her to see him weep. It had never been Jyn's bones that had been keeping him safe, no…

His armor- perhaps all Adium- it was made from the remains of dead Hoplites. Of his brothers and sisters.