Once again, thank you for your reviews and praise. Now to reply to those that need replying:

dragoon109: You raise some good points, and being who I am, I'll reply to each:

1. Thank you. It is my opinion that we, Humans, have the greatest potential out of all races, be they mythological, fantasy or sci-fi. We may not be strong as some creatures, we may not be able to run as fast or long as others, but we are smart. We have an exceptional brain, which (according to urban legends) we don't even use at its full capacity. But with the parts we use we can create simple devices that will help us. This is what made us the apex species on Earth, and I hope that we will stay in that spot for ages to come.

2. I agree, it's quite widespread and many are bad. But not all of them. The canon… Less said about it the better. But I (think I) have a way to make it better. Besides, there are two Mokas…

3. True. Which is why I'm going to try and make things look as they should. Though Chris isn't a saint either… No XCOM soldier is.

4. I'm addressing that in this chapter.

5. Both of them will play a part in this fanfiction, but I don't think I'll make them romance interests. But that remains to be seen.

6. No idea, man. No idea.

EvenIDonNotKnowWhoIAm: You'll get the answer to your question at the bottom of the chapter, where I've given a bit of info on Chris' Gene Mods, Psi Abilities and Class Abilities.

As for him turning against XCOM - not a chance. XCOM is his family, and he will never turn against them. Nor will he turn against humanity.

aznxa21: I'll try.

Lone Gundam: A lot of the first, a bit of the second. It is hard to try and pretend you're not a human in a conversation about humans...

drake202: Thank you. For the harem... We'll see how will things go. It all depends. After all, even I don't know how will this develop. I have a vague outline, but that's all.

For the Psionics, PM me your ideas, I'll be glad to hear and maybe discuss them over Skype or e-mail.

As for the changes, there will be quite a few. Though not at first. You've probably heard the phrase "ripples in water"...

And now for the chapter itself. Enjoy.

"It appears that, while adult monsters can mostly live among us without giving themselves away, the young ones are having problems curbing their instincts and violent tendencies. Of course, this is just my first impression, and it only comes from meeting a small group of their kind, so I may be wrong.

I shall continue to observe the monsters for as long as I can. Since my cover hasn't been blown yet I might be able to do damage control. If I'm lucky then the vampire will have cooled down and be willing to listen to reason.

If things go south... Well, it will be interesting to see if Vampires can be killed with a Plasma Pistol."

Chris finished writing the details of what happened to him today and his observations and conclusions from the events before clicking the "Save" button and closing the file. Even if he didn't have connection with the base he was still going to write his reports and send them as soon as possible. If the worst happened and he died then maybe the headmaster of this place will send the laptop back?

That was mostly wishful thinking... Still, he was sure that either the headmaster or some other teacher knew he was a human... There was no way he would be enrolled here otherwise.

Closing his laptop with a sigh Chris looked through the window. It was just a couple of hours since he fought Saizou and his gang. The sky was dark and a quick look at his watch showed that it was past ten o'clock.

It was strange... When he returned back to the campus he expected shouts of "Human!" and an angry mob he would have to evade to retrieve his possessions... But there was nothing like that... No, the students didn't even notice him as they went on their business.

Chris had expected that Moka would have told somebody by now... But it seemed that wasn't the case. If she had returned then she had stayed silent for some reason that he couldn't think of.

Oh well, Chris wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If his cover wasn't blown then he could reason with Moka tomorrow. Or bribe, intimidate or even kill her, depending on the circumstances. She already said that his blood was tasty, so maybe he could donate some every once in a while? And his Psionics were good for intimidation.

And, as he wrote, it would be interesting to see if Plasma can kill a vampire. He already knew that sunlight and crosses didn't do anything since Moka was walking under the sun yesterday and wearing a rosario.

There was always the option of melting her brain...

Chris shook his head as he started to undress, making sure not to aggravate his earlier injury as whatever was in the Medikit worked on healing it. He was under cover here. Killing the students would ruin that. Plus, it didn't feel right to kill anything so... Human-looking. Sure, he shot his share of Exalt operatives, but even then he didn't like it.

He let out a sigh. It used to be so easy... Shoot the aliens, hack the Exalt relays, run like hell to the Skyranger, make sure you don't die. Repeat the steps as needed.

Oh well, at least he had an exciting life, Chris mused as he lied on the bed. He could only hope that it will be longer...

The opening chords of AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" blared from Chris' phone. The boy's eyes snapped open and he immediately checked his phone. Five AM sharp, just like he was used to.

Immediately he got up and started stretching, ignoring his neighbor's thumping on the walls. Nothing short of an attack could stop Chris from listening to his music.

After changing into a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants, and grabbing his phone and earbuds he headed towards the door. Just as he was about to push the handle he paused.

Was it safe to make his morning run? Chris didn't know if there were any monsters outside at this time...

After a minute of thinking he decided against it. He could live with skipping the run one time... It was better than having to fight something that liked running prey.

Letting go of the door's handle he turned the music up and started doing his morning exercises - series of push-ups, pull-ups and other like that. He was going to have to find a place for pull-ups and a gym for some weights, but that could wait too.

By the time he was finished it was nearing six o'clock. Chris could hear students waking up with various sounds that sometimes rose over the volume of his music. Finishing with his morning workout he decided to hit the showers...

"Yo, American!" The shout greeted him as he entered the communal bathroom.

Chris frowned. Saizou had called him that yesterday... Was it going to become his nickname for the school? Oh well, it was better suited for the situation than his XCOM one. Being called "Kiddo" here wouldn't sound right... Not to mention embarrassing...

"What?" He grunted as he unwrapped the towel from around his body and tossed it on the hanger of a cubicle next to the speaker. For a moment he paused, glancing over the few scars that adorned his torso.

"Can you keep the music down tomorrow? I'd prefer to sleep as long as I can."

Chris raised an eyebrow. This must've been one of his neighbors... Probably the one that thumped on his wall, if the bald head and massive shoulders that were peeking from over the cubicle wall were any indication.

"No can't do." Chris replied as he adjusted the water temperature.

"Well you'll have to. What are you even doing that early in the morning?"

"Workout."Chris replied as he started to wash himself. There was a brief silence as the two students continued with their showers.

"What kind of workout?" The monster asked. His tone was less hostile than before, being more inquisitive now.

"Standard army stuff. Push-ups, sit-ups, things like that. If I had a bar I'd do pull-ups, but I've yet to find one. I usually run as well, but decided against it this morning."

"Huh... I think I saw some trees that can work as bars on the edge of the forest." The monster said and Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Huh... Thanks." He replied before washing the soap from his body.

"Hey... You think I can come run with you?" The student asked after a few moments of silence. Chris paused to consider it before shrugging.

"Sure. You work out as well?" He asked.

"Yeah... But I only do basic stuff... Nothing that would really help my real form, you know."

"I see..." Chris nodded and turned the water off. Grabbing his towel he started to dry his hair off, an easy task, considering its length.

"Well, I can help you with that..." Chris said as he stepped out of the cubicle, the towel once again wrapped around his body.

It was surprising how civil the conversation between the monster and the human was. But Chris' fellow student seemed genuinely interested in working out. And if the boy made a friend, one as big as this guy, then he could have some backup in case the scenario from yesterday repeated itself.

The other student walked out of his shower, allowing Chris to get a first look on the new acquaintance.

In human form the monster stood a head taller than Chris. His body was burly at first glance, but the muscles under his tanned skin were a bit small and disproportionate.

"I'm Artemius." The student introduced himself, extending a hand towards Chris. "Artemius Yorgos."

"Christopher Redmond." The human replied, clasping the offered hand with his own and giving it a firm squeeze and shake.

It seemed that whatever the other student was his species respected strength, because he grinned.

"Of course..." Chris continued. "You'll have to get up as early as me." Artemius grunted and thought for a moment.

"Ugh... This is going to suck..." Chris chuckled a bit and clasped the larger student's shoulder.

"You'll get used to it." And with that he headed back to his room. This day was off to a good start...

Chris could only hope that it will stay like that.

It was surprisingly easy to make friends here, Chris mused on his way to the first class of the day. Then again, it wasn't that hard to make friends anyway. Making enemies, however, was even easier...

Chris had quite a lot of enemies... Too many for someone as young as him. Whether because of his existence (the aliens) or his allegiance (Exalt), somebody hated him. Saizou yesterday belonged in the first category...

Of course, most of his enemies were dead now. Exalt and the aliens were gone, destroyed by XCOM. Saizou and his cronies died by his hand yesterday...

So that left just one...

"Moka." Chris greeted the pink-haired girl outside the classroom. She didn't say anything, just glared at him and stormed inside.

The human stayed silent as well as he walked in and took his seat behind Moka. Their classmates were already whispering and pointing at them... There was no doubt in his mind that the rumor mill was spinning at full power.

Classes for the day went on without accidents. However, Chris was visibly nervous... He half-expected Moka to suddenly shout out that he was a human and to have to fight his way out... He was especially worried when the vampiress disappeared during lunch. While not the ideal time for a talk, it would've been more convenient than a recess...

As the bell rang for the final class of the day the students started to gather their stuff. As Moka stood up to leave she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her nostrils flared as she sensed the familiar scent.

"We need to talk." Chris simply said. Moka turned around, her mouth opening, ready to snap at him. She had been evading him the whole day and if she had her way then they would never have to talk about anything...

"Now." Moka's teeth clicked as she closed her mouth. The human's tone left no room for argument.

"Where?" She asked and Chris had to hold back a sigh of relief. He had expected a confrontation by this moment, maybe even a fight...

"On the rooftop." Chris had scouted it out during the lunch break. It was spacious and had only one entrance, which could easily be monitored. It would minimize the chances of someone eavesdropping on their conversation.

Moka nodded and Chris grabbed his backpack before walking out, the girl following behind. He chose the fastest way up and a couple of minutes later the two of them were on the roof.

The flat concrete was warm from the sun (or whatever passed for a sun here). A look over the railing showed a view of most of the campus and the forest, as well as the red sea beyond.

"So." Chris began after he closed the door after Moka and walked a respectable distance from it. "Why?"

"Why what?" Moka asked confused.

"Why haven't you announced that I'm a human?" Chris asked as he swung his backpack off and started to rummage through it. "By the way you acted yesterday it looked like you hated my kind."

"W-well..." Moka gulped. She could remember how the boy in front of her fought yesterday... How he killed without hesitating...

"I saw you... Yesterday... You-your strenght and speed... No human can do that..." Chris raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh? How do you know that?" He asked, his fingers curling around the grip of the Plasma Pistol. He had stashed the weapon in his backpack earlier today, in case he needed it.

"I lived among the humans for several years... And they... They were so mean..."

Oh... Chris had forgotten about that...

"So you hid among us? Studied in a human school?" Moka nodded.

"They always picked on me about my hair and fangs! And nobody believed me when I told them I was a vampire!"

"Let me get this straight." Chris' voice was calm, level and emotionless... Too emotionless...

"You're telling me that you hate humans because, when you lived among us, you were telling things that no sane human believes in? And then a bunch of schoolchildren acted their age, doing something that comes natural for them at that age - being mean to those that are different?" Moka nodded.

"Yes." She agreed.

"Moka... Think of your words. Think of what you just said and of what I said." Chris waited for a few seconds before continuing. "Do you realize how mind-numbingly dumb that sounds?"

"But..." Moka's voice wavered. "Y-you don't understand... M-my life was hell because of that..."

"So? Nearly everybody gets bullied in school at that age. Your situation is nothing new." Chris explained, his mask of calmness cracking. "You're even doing what most humans do - you bitch and moan instead of standing up to the bullies!"

Moka stood silent for a few moments. Then she sniffed.

"You... You're just like them..." Her almost sob made Chris' fist clench. Making girls cry wasn't something he liked, even if they weren't human.

"Oh for the love of..." Chris growled in English before switching back to Japanese. "No, Moka. I wasn't mocking you! I was laying out the situation! We are humans! We don't believe in monsters, aliens, spirits and such!" Or at least they didn't until two years ago...

"We believe in the real world. Things that we can see and touch!"

"But monsters are real!" She replied, making the boy sigh.

"How would we know that? Your kind separated themselves from ours so long ago that you faded into our myths and legends!" Chris was almost shouting... It was a wonder that nobody had come to investigate. But then again, school was over and most, if not all of the students were gone. The boy could remember how he disappeared from school as fast as he could when classes were over.

"Look, Moka..." Chris sighed, reigning his temper in. "This is getting nowhere. Please, just think of my words, okay? Sleep on them and tell me if I'm right tomorrow." It was interesting how a night of sleep could help with one's viewpoint, decision making and thought process...

The vampire nodded hesitantly and Chris smiled. He had made progress... Not much, but even some was better than none.

"Now, back to my original question." Chris sighed. "Why didn't you turn me in? My mere presence here is in violation of One of the school's main purposes. Besides, my kind is hated by everything here."

"I told you... I saw the fight yesterday. You didn't fight like a human... You moved like... Like a mid-level monster... And what you did... That... Fear..." She hadn't felt anything the first time he used his abilities... She wasn't close enough, and Chris had specifically targeted the monsters in front of him. But the second time, after he electrocuted Saizou... She had felt the fear gripping her before the two monsters had suddenly died without Chris even twitching a muscle.

Chris nodded in understanding. It was true that he was above an ordinary human... Every XCOM soldier was. Though he wasn't that good when compared to them... At least not physically. Only rookies were slower and weaker than him, everyone else had Gene Mods and/or drugs that enhanced their bodies considerably.

Psionically though, he was in the higher percentages. It was the sole reason he was in XCOM at his age and with his level of experience...

"And if you ratted me out then nobody would have believed you after the first fight." Chris said. "No, you would've been laughed at... Just like in school." He chose to ignore how she flinched at his words.

"Yes... And..." Moka hesitated, looking away.

"And?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was scared... Scared of what you'd do..." The boy blinked. This was a vampire, and she was scared of him? Every story claimed that their kind was stronger, faster and more durable than humans... And she was scared of him?

"I see." He said. Moka didn't act anything like a vampire should... This was something he would have to look into.

"Well, it's getting late." Chris said, zipping his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. It seemed like he wouldn't need the Plasma Pistol. "You probably have a lot to think about, so I'll leave you to it. If you want to talk to me then I'll be in the library. I need to know what that guy was... I'll see you tomorrow." With that Chris turned around and walked to the door that led down from the roof.

"Saizou was an orc." Moka said. Chris paused for a moment before shaking his head and opening the door.

The last thing Moka heard was how Tolkien's version was better...

"I believe that the vampire will make the right decision. She is bound to be a valuable ally in this place, even in her current form."

Chris lifted his hands from the laptop's keyboard, flexing his fingers as he thought of how to continue his report of the day's events. A few seconds later he nodded to himself and continued typing:

"After checking the school's library I have discovered that there are more types of monsters than we thought. It is possible that their weaknesses are different than the fairy tales and legends as well, as proven with the vampires…"

It was interesting to note that crosses did in fact work on vampires… They just sealed most of their power away. It made Chris wonder how powerful would Moka be without that rosario of hers…

The water weakness was also an interesting thing to note and a potentially deadly one as well. He was going to carry water with him everywhere. Just in case…

"I have also discovered another interesting thing in the library." Chris continued typing. "It seems that magic is real, if the fact that there is a whole section devoted to it is any indication."

Chris wished that he could see Vahlen's reaction when she read this little tidbit… The very thought of it made him laugh.

"Come on, Arty. We're almost done!" Chris shouted to the panting monster. Artemius, in turn, replied with something in Greek that didn't sound very pleasant.

It was nearly six in the morning and the two were out, doing their run as they agreed. Chris even paced himself, deciding to run slower than usual so that Artemius could keep up with him.

Right now the Greek monster was on the verge of collapsing after a simple two-mile run that took almost twice as long as normal. And they still had to do the other parts of the workout.

In hindsight, maybe Chris should have started with something easier than the standard Army workout… Oh well. He was sure that Artemius, or Arty as he was calling him, could take it. After all, Chris was tossed in the deep end himself, so to say.

The human started to clap as the monster half-ran half-staggered past the finish line.

"Congratulations, Arty. Just twenty-eight minutes and forty-three seconds." He informed him, looking at his watch. "That's about twelve minutes more than what you need to be to get in the US army."

"Guh…" The monster groaned as he leaned against a tree to catch his breath. "How… How do you know that?"

"I have uncles in the army." Chris replied. Technically that was true. He considered his squad to be his family. His uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters…

"Now, it's time for the push-ups. Thirty-five for the first two minutes and fifty sit-ups after that." Chris said as he dropped down and started doing his part. "One, two, three…"

Artemius groaned before following suit...

After the two finished their workout they immediately hit the showers. Artemius seemed quite relieved that they were done… After they were done the two boys went to their rooms to get ready for the day. The two only shared a couple of classes, and they didn't have any of them today.

Each step he took towards the school increased his anticipation. His first class was with Moka… Did she think over his words? She probably did… But did she see reason or not?

"Chris!" Well, he was about to find out. Sighing the human turned to face the vampiress as she ran to him.

"Good morning, Moka." He greeted her as she panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Chris… I… I'm sorry…" The boy raised an eyebrow. "What you said was true… It's just… I was so angry at humans for what they did… But you... You weren't like the others... You were friendly towards me... You didn't say anything when I revealed I was a vampire, you even joined me around the campus..." She paused for a moment before looking down.

"You were my first friend in years." She finished, causing Chris to blink in surprise. Really? That... Well, that made some sense, he had to admit. "And when you revealed what you were… I just felt so betrayed. But you were right. My experience… It was normal. I'm just… I'm sorry… Will… Will you forgive me?"

Chris couldn't help but smile, even as she was on the verge of tears. She had seen reason, just like he hoped.

"You're forgiven." Chris said, reaching out and lifting her chin up and Moka smiled, blinking the tears out of her green eyes. With a whoop of joy she threw her hands around the human, nearly pushing him to the ground.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She shouted, hugging him tightly. Chris' eyes widened… She was supposed to be sealed, and yet her grip was like vice… Just how strong was she when unsealed?

"Moka… You're hurting me..." He choked out as he tried to pry her hands off. The vampiress looked at him confused before realizing what was she doing and let him go.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She immediately started to apologise as he rubbed his aching ribs.

Who would've thought that overenthusiastic vampires could be such a health hazard?

"It's okay… Just be more careful in the future." He warned her. "Remember that my kind is squishy…" Looking around Chris noticed that the crowd of students had thinned considerably. A glance towards his watch showed the reason - classes were about to start.

"Perhaps we should go now before we're late?" He suggested.

Moka smiled and nodded. As Chris turned around and walked away she latched on his arm, causing him to chuckle.

She was really clingy... But it was also a part of her innocent charm.

And that's a wrap. Not the best chapter I've ever written…

As you can see this is an original chapter, one that doesn't have an analogue in the anime. I'm not sure about the manga, since I haven't read it. Trying to read the dialogue bubbles and pictures from right to left is a pain I don't want to go through… Anyway, this chapter was needed to progress things.

And just like the previous I had a few options on how to go…

The information about the army workout was taken from the internet. If someone here knows better and tells me then I'll correct it ASAP.

As you can also see I put another OC in. Artemius Yorgos. If you look up the name then you'll find it's Greek (or at least the Behind the Name name generator said so). In my opinion different monsters will come from different places on Earth and thus have names appropriate for the region. The Incubus from the first chapter was from India and had an appropriate name, and following this logic then Artemius is a Greek monster. You can probably guess his species…

As for his disguise, well, I have the theory that when the monsters choose their human disguises the human body is one part shaped by them, but it mostly comes from their original body.

And now for a treat: Chris' XCOM info. It was really hard to assign him a Class, since the only ones I couldn't imagine him in were the Heavy and MEC. Chris is mostly built for speed, so the three other Classes are all good. After a lot of thought I eliminated Sniper as well. While the Gunslinger perk would've been good the rest isn't that much.

Support had some useful stuff, but it still wasn't what I imagined him as.

In the end I chose the Assault class. It gave me what I wanted in Chris.

And now, without any further delay, I give you Chris' information, as well as some explanation on how the abilities and mods work, or at least how I view them.

Name: Christopher Redmond

Nickname: Kiddo

Nationality: American

Age: 16 years

Class: Assault

Rank: Sergeant

Or at least that's his level when it comes to skills. Chris sure hasn't been slacking since he got into XCOM...

Psi Rank: Psi Specialist

Base Stats:

HP: 6 - not very tough without armor.

Aim: 76 - higher than average.

Will: 83 - there's a reason it's so high, it will be explained when his backstory comes into question.

Defense, Crit Damage and Chance, Movement and Sight Radius are inapplicable in this case.

Class Abilities:

Run and Gun: Allows him to move and shoot without high decrease in accuracy.

Tactical Sense: Increases battlefield awareness, allowing him to effectively fight several opponents at once. Also works as a bonus to the Common Sense. (Couldn't resist it, hehe.)

Lightning Reflexes: Allows him to react faster.

All three Abilities are influenced by a certain Gene Mod.

I'd also add that he's certified to use Laser and Plasma rifles and pistols, though he can't use shotguns very well. He's also certified to wear Light and Medium armor, or everything but the Titan and Archangel armors. In the field he was usually given Ghost Armor, since it's mobile and suits his style perfectly.

Gene Mods:

Hyper Reactive Pupils: Allows him to easily track fast targets. Influences his Class Abilities.

Muscle Fiber Density: What it says on the tin. Denser muscles allow for increased strength. Only, here it works for the entire body, not just the legs. So it not only allows him to jump higher than a human should, but to punch harder as well. Still not as strong as a mid-level monster though.

I was thinking of adding Mimetic Skin as well, but I can't think of a way to make it work with clothes. And having him strip naked every time he had to hide like that would be too much of a cliche.

As you can see his skills are more geared up towards speed and reaction rather than strength and durability.

Psionic Skills:

Mindfray: Modifies the brain chemistry, causing severe headache, dizziness and hallucinations. With enough power it can cause blood vessels in the head to rupture as well, making the attack lethal.

Psi Panic: Makes the target experience great, irrational fear that can cause them to be paralyzed or panic.

He'll receive other Psi abilities with the story's progression. I'll include original ones as well. Or at least original when you compare them to the XCOM games.

Equipment: I'll only list things that have been revealed so far.

Arc Thrower (Improved): Modified by Shen to make it easier to carry and conceal.

Phone: Main communication device, modified to be able to link with XCOM satellites. It also has a GPS and contains his music.

Laptop: A small laptop, modified by Shen to be faster and much more durable than an ordinary one. It contains programs capable of hacking devices (mainly Exalt relays). It is also used for recreation purposes.

Unknown object: The cylinder in Chris' jacket. You can probably guess what it is.

Medikits: Not only does Chris have a well-stocked normal medikit, but he also carries two XCOM Medikits which contain nanosutures and stimulants that can keep him going and heal him faster than usual. Since I doubt that the mist it spreads in the game would be plausible in real life I'm making it work by injecting the stuff via a needle.

I was thinking of adding Combat Stims, but then decided that giving performance-enhancing drugs to a minor is something that not even XCOM would do.

Weapons:

Plasma Pistol: His main back-up. Benefits from all three Improved Pistol Foundry Projects - the first two improve Accuracy (for me the critical hits are either lucky or intentional hits in weaker points of the body - like the head, for example. Or exposed joints) and the third improves the Damage.

Combat Knife: Standard XCOM-issue. Held in one hand, blunt end toward you, sharp end goes into enemy. The sheath is strapped to his right leg.

And that's all for now. I hope you've been satisfied. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where we'll (probably) get back into the series and meet our favorite succubus. I can assure you, a good part of that won't happen as in Canon.

Also, has anyone looked at the Concept - Soldier2 picture in the XCOM Wiki? You can find it at the end of the Soldier article. If you have, then can you recognize the flag on the male soldier's back?