Prisoner in an Advent facility

Sarah lies on a slab in an advent facility when she realized that she wasn't dead. Sarah got off the slab-bed and looked around.

On the other side of a blast-proof glass window an Advent scientist appeared to be viewing scan results.

"Hey. What is this place and who are you?"

"Ooooh. specimen code named "Mongoose" is intelligent and adaptive under pressure. Asked initial questions that would be useful in the long run, but that don't carry red flags such "as where am I" or making empty threats such as "let me go or else". No, specimen started off with questions most likely to be answered by an egomaniacal scientist who can't wait to tell about their great work, and their identity."

The scientist looked up from his monologue.

"Indeed, as I monologued regarding my observations, subject "mongoose", did not get angry at my lack of attention or response, but listened to the monologue for any possible intelligence. This level of advanced tactical and strategic thinking just moments after awakening from a traumatic incident is most impressive and further confirms that subject code named "Mongoose" is indeed the tactical strike team leader who has been causing Advent significant delays, and even setbacks."

The scientist activated a large view screen behind him visible to Sarah. She realized that it was an aerial view of the battle to abduct the VIP.

The scientist continued, "VIP had an emergency briefing that required physical presence. Knowledge of the transit only existed for 1.5 hours prior to attack. XCOM has clearly enhanced its intelligence gathering, or intervention of random chance allowed for an intel asset to be in the area."

"Regardless, it is clear from tactics that Subject Mongoose was leading a mostly inexperienced team. The team appeared to have a second in command who had above average tactical skill and leadership despite clearly being a support trooper. The remaining 4 appeared to be inexperienced fresh recruits."

"When simulating this scenario for standard XCOM team, involving 2 officers and 4 non commissioned soldiers, probability on this mission predicts XCOM mission failure with 4 KIA, and two heavily wounded. Subject Mongoose successfully achieved mission, with no loss and only 2 injured... well, and her own capture."

At that, the scientist appeared to give a wry smile. The screen replayed the end of the mission. With a complete aireal view of the battle. It became clear that the squad of vipers turned the corner behind her while she was running. There was nothing she could have done differently to avoid capture.

Subject appears to have realized that she made 0% tactical mistakes and in terms of decision making scored 100%. The only decision that could have been made is if she was second to board, which would have guaranteed **** of all four rookie soldiers. However as mission goals include preservation of troops, evacuating herself would have been a tactical loss for a potential strategic gain of preserving herself for future combat."

"So, major, what questions do you have?"

Sarah approached the window, and stood before at ease. "Well first, I would like to thank you for the debriefing."

"Oh, not a problem, and may I congratulate you on even now building a rapport with your captor by thanking him. If anything the reports of your threat level were greatly understated. But please feel free to ask questions."

"Well, i suppose the first is why am I not dead."

"Ah! A very good question. In your case, the viper leading the squad realized that she had you, there was no escape, and she respected your decision to sacrifice yourself for your mission. I believe that your dedication reminded her of herself, so she chose to spare your life."

Sarah looked around, "so... what do you do with prisoners that have been spared?"

"Ah! Well spoken. Again, your mind is amazing in your ability to see the path with the highest chance of success, even if it's simply asking questions. You would likely be a fine interrogator. But as for this facility, we do initial scanning and interrogation of High Value Targets. And no need to ask, we did a complete scan of you. Basically your current accommodations are a giant scanner.

In other good news, you have no long term health defects, and as we have a complete scan of your DNA, we will be able to run simulations to determine whether we should consider using your genome in our future troops...."

"..."

"Ah, again, very good. No doubt you are concerned with that statement. You have nothing to worry about, we do not plan on experimenting or testing anything on you."

"So, what happens next?"

"Next? Hmmm, i suppose that for you, sitting around and waiting is next. And with that I shall leave you to it. Good afternoon subject Mongoose."

Sarah watched the scientist/traitor to humanity leave, before she started an in depth examination of her cell, and anything that she still had on her.

Sarah had no idea that the Advent Scientist had not gone far, and was behind another wall with one of the alien elders. Once Advent had confirmed that Subject Mongoose had no genetic markers related to psionics, the next step for High Value Targets was to interrogate them. But as XCOM soldiers would simply refuse to answer questions, and they did not want to risk **** on HVTs, they resorted to psionic eavesdropping.

The benefit of merely eavesdropping is that even those without psionic powers can detect mental intrusion if they have a strong sense of will and self. The downside is that you only get access to the thoughts that come to the surface. If the alien elder could have sighed, he would have. This was going to be a long night.

After nearly 48 hours of observation, the elder had gained very little useful info. subject Mongoose was actually named Sarah Johnson, and had a daughter named Daisy Johnson that lived with Sarah's mother Stephanie Kowalski in a rural area north of what used to be Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

The elder now had hours of useless information pertaining to human fictional writings, the human game of chess, some basic interactions with XCOM operations commanders, but nothing significant. It appeared that if subject: Mongoose was aware of anything of value, she apparently did not spend time thinking about it. The Elder was well aware that the prisoner had led nearly a hundred incursions against Advent with exceptional success, but she did not sit there thinking about any of them. Nearly all of her thoughts surrounded her daughter, food, her loved ones, food, her deceased husband, food, her daughter, food, fiction... food? Had they remembered to feed her since she woke up? Apparently not.

The Elder had reached its limit for this one. The Elder decided to let the vipers have her. Perhaps once they were done, they would gain some intel. The vipers would need to execute a short side mission to assure success, but first... food. Heh, might as well use the same team.

The Elder left for its own quarters and gave instructions to provide food to subject Mongoose... Sarah Johnson.

Sarah was ridiculously hungry by this point. There was a small water fountain embedded in the wall next to a toilet, but no one had come by to feed her. Suddenly the door opened and a group of three vipers slithered in. Two of the vipers were armed with rifles but the leader was, carrying a large tray of food in her hands.

The vipers were basically semi-humanoid snakes. They had primarily golden colored scales with individual color highlighting. From nose to tail the vipers were roughly eleven feet long, but generally stood 6 feet tall with 5 feet of additional tail.

They had long slender arms with four fingers. (Three fingers and a thumb) despite being reptiles the vipers had large mammary breasts that looked like c-cups. The necks of the vipers were about three times longer than a normal human neck, from which extended a huge cobra-style hood.

The face was that of a snake, with ear holes where a normal human's ears would be. A snake's mouth capable of unhinging. The nose and nostrils are more of a snout with nostril slits. Finally the vipers had ruby red eyes, with a vertical serpentine pupil.

The unarmed viper came up to Sarah who was sitting on her slab bed, and placed the tray on the bed. Sarah did not hesitate and grabbed something that looked like a burger and began eating.

"Sssssso, you are the one known asss the Mongoossssse." Said the lead viper.

Sarah nodded yes, as she continued to eat.

"Good. I am glad that I captured you rather than kill you."

Sarah paused and took in the form of her captor. She swallowed her current bite of burger. "I mean no disrespect, but why would you be glad when I am responsible for the **** of many vipers and advent troops?" Sarah then took another bite of food, keeping her eyes on the viper as she responded.

"It issss true that you killed many of ussss, but sssso too have we killed humansss of XCOM. If we are to die, it isss a far more honorable **** to die in battle againssst a formidable opponent. All Vipersss have heard of the Mongoosssse. And that while you killed many, it wasss alwaysss for a tactical reassson, and not out of cruelty."

Sarah nodded her head in understanding as the Viper continued.

"Alsssso it issss hard to deny the benefitsss that you will provide the vipersss."

Sarah again swallowed her burger bite, "is that what all the genetic scanning is for? To derive some sort of gene enhancement from me?"

One of the other vipers hissed something which caused the lead viper and the third viper to laugh with strange snake hisses.

"Was it something I said?" Asked Sarah.

The Lead viper turned back to Sarah. "Appologiesssss Mongoosssse. Sssshe simply found it humoroussss that vipersss would be the ones to receive your genesss. That isss not the way of the viperssss."

"But we mussst be going, asss we have sssstayed too long already and have a missssion to perform thisss night. Issss there anything you would requesssst of ussss?"

Sarah paused and with a grin said, "i don't suppose you'd be willing to give me one of those gauss rifles?"

All three vipers burst out with hissing laughter. "Perhapssss sssome day, but probably not today." The viper to the left hissed something and the leader nodded. "You may call me Ssssyntessa. To your left is Asssh, and to your right is Lysssa. Isss there a name you prefer to go by other than Mongoosssse?"

Sarah paused, but this was a good opportunity to build a rapport.

"Please feel free to call me Sarah."

"Ssssssarah." Syntessa responded, allowing the name to linger on her long thick forked tongue. "That isss a beautiful name."

"Your own names seem very human." Sarah remarked.

"Thank you. It isss common for Vipersss born on a particular planet to have namessss drawn from the locals. All three of ussss are of this earth. Ressst well, Ssssarah"

The three vipers then slithered backwards out of the cell before the door was resealed.

"And the waiting continues." Said Sarah outloud before focusing on her food.

The squad of vipers, Syntessa, Ash, and Lysa then left for a drop ship on the roof to begin execution of the elder's plan. This would be an absurdly simple mission, but would lay the foundation for a much greater victory. Syntessa looked back at the holding facility as she boarded the drop ship. She could not help but fondle her left breast with her free hand as she found the overall plan so erotic.

When she had caught Sarah, she did not know who Sarah was. She simply wanted the strong beautiful tough woman. But knowing that she had the Mongoose herself in her coils, was almost orgasmic as she thought about how she had wrapped herself around the exceptional fighter, feeling every part of her body as she had squeezed her into unconsciousness.

"Yessss, ressst well Sssarah Johnsssson for the next daysss will be exciting for both of us."