Chapter 51

They go to the room where she had her breakdown because, of course they do. She powers through the embarrassment wanting to overcome her, and chooses the chair on the other side from where she sobbed. Logan sits the nearest to that spot, between Morita and Gabe. 

"So, mind cluing me in whatever secret you've got," Logan says drily, as blunt as a butter knife.

The others look at Steve, which makes him sigh as he runs a hand through his hair. He looks at her, hoping for some help if the puppy eyes are anything to go by, but she smirks at him.

"Aren't you the boss of this team, o' fearless leader?"

He squints at her before returning his gaze to Logan. He clears his throat once and says as blunt as Logan, "She's an alien."

Logan raises an eyebrow while she facepalms. Well, she deserved it. "Mind repeating that, bub?"

With her palm still covering half her face, she mutters, "Well, he's right."

He gives her another once over. Before he can say another sarcastic quip, she stands up and transforms into an alolan raichu, not wanting to turn into Deoxys and ruin the clothes Peggy gave her. She doesn't see his expression because her face is covered with the shirt, but she can feel his surprise fine.

When she escapes the clutches of her clothes, finally being able to see, all the guys are looking at Logan. Some of them give Morita money, while the man himself says, 'Told you so.'

'What did you bet?' 

Logan's only show of surprise at her mental voice is the twitch of his fingers on the table.

Gabe groans before waving a hand to Logan. "How much surprise he will show at seeing your form. Jim said he would have none, and he was right, damn it."

"He looked like he had a good poker face," Morita explains.

The guys booed.

'Well, technically, this is not my real form,' she says as she floats away from the table and transforms into Deoxys, the form they think is her real one.

The guys shut up and turn to look at Logan sharply. The man simply raises an eyebrow as he looks at her. It makes the guys boo, once again.

Steve laughs as he stands up, raising his hand to quiet them. It works like a charm, most likely because of their military discipline. "Okay, men. You've got your fun. Now, let's get to business."

That makes them serious, especially when he starts explaining how they will be the only ones to remember her alien form from now on. He looks resolute as he talks about her editing the memories of almost everyone in camp, but she can feel his discomfort.

"If none of you feel comfortable with the idea, I'll understand. So if you decide to back off, you can, but... Your memory will have to be also edited." She looks sharply at Steve, who meets her gaze. "That was what the Colonel ordered."

She shuts down the panic at thinking of doing it again, scoffing instead. 'Without talking with me first, huh?'

He looks apologetic, but she doesn't blame him. He's already torn as he is about this. Sighing, she transforms into her alolan raichu form and sits on the table, grabbing her tail like a stuffed toy.

"How does it feel?" asks Dum Dum, his gaze sharp. "Is it hard?"

She swallows, not knowing how to answer.

"It happened in this room, didn't it?" asks Logan, startling her. She looks up at him, but his gaze is where she sobbed the day before. "You cried, why?"

The others look at Logan weirdly, but she doesn't. He probably used his super senses or something. Logan seems surprised at the look the others are giving him.

"You didn't tell them," he states, explaining nothing. He fixes his gaze at her. "Why?"

'Er… I don't understand?'

"You're a telepath, aren't you? You probably know everything about us," he says with a shrug as if talking about the weather, ignoring how his words tense the others. "You didn't tell them about how different am I?"

She blinks and looks at Steve, who is the one speaking next. "She didn't mention you specifically, but while reading your file, she recognized you from the recon she did before as someone with powers."

"Woah. Are you an alien, too, James?" Gabe asks.

"I'm pretty sure I was born on Earth and had human parents, bub." He then turns to her. "So you know more about us, then. Is it a telepathy thing?"

She wants to recoil back, but she suppresses the urge. 'I didn't go through the mind of anyone here.'

He raises a skeptical brow. "But you did go through others."

'I had to. To edit many people's memories, I had to be inside their minds. But I didn't rummage through their memories.'

"Sure you didn't," he scoffs.

'I didn't!' she says, louder than intended if the way most of them clutch their heads is anything to go by. 'I'm sorry, but it's the truth. It was the first time I did it, and I didn't like it.'

"Are you sure? Because I can tell, you're not sure." She blinks at Logan's proclamation. "It's different because you're not human, but I can smell your emotions."

She opens her mouth, wanting to ask how it works, but nothing comes out. Steve seems to want to intervene, but she glares at him. He wisely shuts up.

The levity from before is forgotten. She feels like an ant under a microscope, and she hates it. So, she glares and tries to portray her emotions outwards as much as she can as she says, 'I didn't like it. I was afraid the whole time because—because of how easy it was. The minds of humans are so moldable, and I couldn't—I can't invade their privacy without feeling like trash. I felt vulnerable when I wasn't, and I shouldn't feel that way when I was molding so many minds.'

Her gaze goes to her paws for a second before she looks up, her glare softening into something more desperate. 'Is that what you want to hear? You asked why I cried. Well, why wouldn't I when I realized how unique, how fragile you all were with your memories and emotions, all so perfect and so minuscule in the grand scheme of things? But still, you war and suffer and do so many beautiful things...'

She feels herself tearing up once again, but she cleans her eyes with her tail and continues, 'It would be so easy to kill you, easier to mold you into puppets. And I cried because I was afraid for you, of my power, and the other beings greater than I that could squish you as easily.'

The room is silent for a whole minute, and she is so done. Carrying the clothes Peggy gave her, she looks at them once again and says. 'I'm tired. I'll go to my tent. Call me when you need me for a mission.'

She doesn't look back as she teleports.

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