The roar of the engines brought him back to reality. He as strapped to a pallet, that much he understood. He also could hear voices, but he couldn't make the words until a towering black man leaned closer.
"Are you really telling me that we lost three soldiers for this stupid thing?"
The stupid thing blinked.
"Careful, Wolf, I think that you could offend it."-a female voice replied with and amused tone.
Wolf shrugged.
"All I am saying is that he doesn't look like any ADVENT VIP we extracted before. He looks like a little boy to me. He can't be that important."
"Would you two shut up?"-Another female voice retorted. "We were ordered to bring him alive."
"Like it was so easy. They had a Sectopod guarding him. A goddam Sectopod."
Another face leaned. A woman with white hair… and strange purple eyes.
"Are you reading something, Wraith?" –the first voice inquired.
The man in the pallet tried to focus.
"Only pain. He is unable to think straight, but he is awake."
Wolf laughed loudly.
"No wonder. He was being beaten to a pulp by three Mutons. He is one tough son of a bitch."
"Why try to kill him? And, more important, why don't shoot him with their weapons?"
"Who knows, Firefly?They are aliens."
The pilot announced that they were about to land into the Avenger.
"Well, at least we made it. We don't even know his name…"
The man whispered.
"Ad…am."
"Look, he is able to communicate! He would be useful before we shoot him."
The purple eyed woman, more like a girl, concentrated.
"He is confused. He doesn't remember a thing."
"I wouldn't remember anything, either, if I was working for alien bastards only to be captured by X-COM."
They took him Adam to the infirmary, were the staff looked at them with disapproval.
"You didn't have to crush him to subdue him."
"It wasn't us. Mutons were smashing him, we saved him."
"That's a new one, Wolf. Explain it to the Commander, will'ya?"
The three soldiers left the infirmary, but the one called Wraith looked back. She could have sworn that he saw something… but it was gone already.
The blue eyes of the man stared back. He looked… hopeful?