Chapter 12
The Key
Zeta and Marcus began getting out of the Skyranger, and offloading the object. Doctor Vahlen's team quickly took the object and began heading back to the labs. As the men began filing out, Niner stayed. Isaac did too.
"How's Atin?" Niner asked abruptly.
"Well, I have to admit, I thought you would ask about Marcus first. Atin is fine, and he's going through standard court as of now. He is pleading guilty, and will probably be in a proper jail cell soon. "Isaac said.
"Gotcha. So, Marcus is complete?"
"Well… not exactly. It took a hell of a lot of work, but I convinced Jirard and Santiago to let him off early for this mission. He's complete, but apparently they need to run some more diagnostics. "
"All right, I better go get to Zeta then."
"Before you go though, I had a question."
"Go ahead, sir."
"You can skip the formalities. Why did you choose to promote me to Commander? You could have had anyone else, hell; you could've had your brother or Doctor Vahlen for god's sake. Why me?"
"Because I knew that you could get the job done. You're an honest soul, Isaac, and that's why I like you. Xcom needs someone like that in charge, and I need to be out there on the front."
"I… understood. Dismissed, Private." Isaac said. Niner saluted, and walked off. Isaac went toward the Research Labs, to see if Doctor Vahlen could crack the object's origin.
"Doctor, what have we got?"
"This appears to be some sort of tracking or communication unit. My team has already cracked it, and it appears to be coming from a ship orbiting Asia. Surprisingly, our own satellites haven't spotted the ship, so it must be using the same cloaking technology as the base. We must assume that this ship is vastly important to be hidden so well." Doctor Vahlen said.
"Understood. Is there any way we could board it?"
"No. We've been scanning the ship ever since we discovered this, and the hull appears to be made out of an even stronger material than before. We may be able to shoot it down-"
"If it has stronger material than before, what makes you think our interceptors can shoot it down?"
"We've had a Fusion Lance weapon upgrade in research for quite some time, before you came to be Commander of Xcom. We've been working for it, months at least, and it is finally ready. We believe it to be the only weapon capable of breeching its hull."
"What if it is an object they are hiding? Do we not risk damaging it?"
"There is that risk, but this is our only option other than ignoring it, which is a grave mistake. We will have to make a relay capable of sending exact coordinates to our interceptors. Its cloak appears to do the same in terms of visibility. We believe we could power said relay using this object."
"Get Engineering working on this immediately. I'll get the interceptors ready." Isaac said, and he walked off towards the hanger. It would take some work, but this thing needed to be shot down, and whatever was in there, recovered. A hell of a lot of work... all of the sudden he got something in his earpiece.
"Sir, alien abductions are in progress. Get up to mission control." He heard his Second-in-Command Michael Ross say. "Marcus is currently in engineering being tested, and Doctor Vahlen is unable to find Fi. We obviously can't send Zeta. Need advisement."
"Just wait, I'm on my way…" Isaac said, and thought "That's one Op put on hold…"
Atin sat in his cell thinking about what he had done. He didn't regret it, any of it. The courts didn't understand. Nobody could possibly understand. They didn't know, how could they? It was all highly classified, couldn't be brought up, much less at a public hearing at Washington D.C.
Atin knew this would greatly diminish civilian morale, how could it not? An Xcom soldier murdering a superior? "I can see the headlines now… 'Xcom – Savior or Failure?'" Atin thought.
He also knew he wanted out of his damn cell. He wanted to be out their fighting. He in no way, shape, or form deserved this. Besides, he was one of Xcom's best. Could this not be put off until after the war? "Of course not… the Council is anything but a waste of time. It needed to feel like it was doing something, the idiots. The Council knows it needs me. They could just look at my record! They could look at what I've been through!" He thought angrily.
He wondered how Fi was doing. That was the thing he most hated, not being near him. Not being near Kelly, not being near Fi, hell, everyone. Just standing back to back with them, knowing they would have his back, it was an exhilarating experience. He decided to count out Niner on that list. "Don't say that. He did what any sane man would do. He deserves no hate from you." He chided himself. All the sudden he heard commotion outside his door, and he got up; alert.
"Hey… Atin, is that you? Your cell is unlocked. Go ahead and head to the control center, I'll meet you there. Left a pistol outside, only use it in emergencies." He heard over the intercom in his room. He opened the door, and it was unlocked. He saw the guard walking away from him, down the hallway. Must've been recalled.
"Stay in the damn cell, Diaz…" He told himself, but he just smirked and grabbed the pistol from the floor and headed right. He knew exactly where the command center was all right, he had already planned out an escape. He hadn't expected it so soon though. He quietly opened the door to the command center and…
"Fi? What in the hell are you doing here?" Atin said sharply.
"Kind of thought you'd be happy to see me tough guy… all of the guard patrols are routed away from our escape route. I got us an interceptor and everything, come on!" Fi said, and he motioned for him to follow, before throwing him an earpiece.
This went against everything Atin wanted. He wanted out, but if they were caught, it wasn't only his life on the line. Fi wouldn't make it in jail. He'd never be the same. He'd turn into…. Well, he'd turn into Atin. Yet his body no longer responded to his wishes, and he followed Fi to the interceptor.
They finally made it to a bulk door, which Atin assumed led to a landing pad.
"Give me a sec; I gotta hack through the system again. Didn't want to draw attention with an open bay door, eh?"
"Just do it fast-"Atin began, but was cut off by a loud alarm.
"Uh… maybe another prisoner broke out with the help of his best friend?" Fi said. But Atin knew that wasn't true. They must've discovered them somehow, and they were coming.
Fi finally got the bay door open, and he made a run to the interceptor. Atin stayed riveted to the spot though, looking back. The many guards were coming at him from the halls, yelling freeze. He touched his earpiece.
"Fi, they're here."
"Move it buddy, you can make this! If aliens can't take you down, these guys sure as hell can't."
"Fi, they'll catch me. More importantly, they'll catch you. I'll get out my own way." Atin said, and he hit the door controls, and took out the earpiece. The guards came and raised their pistols, and he raised his arms and walked quietly back to his cell. The guards knew better than to mess with him. It would be simple to leave, to abandon this hellhole. But Fi couldn't get involved.