The evening sun shone bright on the side of N7R42's face. The Hunter could see the thin figure perfectly in the orange glow, and he knew this place, this meeting, was intentional.

He grappled over to the tower, bracing himself against the metal poles and sliding down to land behind the lanky figure, and before any acknowledgement could be made, he reached down towards those supple hips he had held so many times.

"You look radiant in this light, Nazira." He leaned forward and whispered in his girlfriend's ear.

"Thank you…" She brushed aside the locks of black hair that ran over her shoulders, exposing her neck to him. Her skin was dark olive, a deviation from the usual pale visage of the Elders' infiltration units. Of course, that wasn't the only thing that made her unique.

"I take it you liked the gift." He murmured in her ear, taking a strand of her long, black hair in his hand gently. It was the softest quality he could find, for no lover of his would ever be subjected to an itchy, plastic wig. And it had been a harrowing search, but it had been more than worth it to see the joy on her face when she put it on.

"I don't know what I like more…" She giggled. "The quality, or the idea of the Elders having a heart attack if they see me in it."

"They'd die from the sheer beauty you radiate." He pulled gently on her arm so she turned to face him. She was still partially in uniform, wearing her ill-fitting black slacks along with the overly-loose white dress shirt that was now untucked, and cinched around her waist with a burgundy ribbon. "…Gur-Rai?"

"Hm?" His cocky smile faltered a bit. "…Nazira, you look sad…"

"…I am." She didn't know if she wanted to press closer to him or pull away. "Gur-Rai, I love you. You know that, right?"

"What's happened?" He demanded, his voice already sounding panicked. "Is it the Speaker again? I made it clear to him last time, he shouldn't be giving you any trouble."

"It's…complicated." She admitted. "It's not only him, but he's a big part of it."

"Do I need to tear off another one of his fingers?" Gur-Rai grimaced.

"I won't object." Nazira didn't sound nearly as happy as he had hoped. "Gur-Rai. My sweet boy, you've done so much for me but…nobody besides you and my brother call me Nazira. Nobody will use the pronouns I want them to use for me. They dress me in clothes that don't fit and I look in the mirror…" She pressed her face into his chest, shaking. "And it's not me. I look like someone else. I FEEL like someone else!"

He squeezed her. "I know…" He whispered against her scalp as he ran his hands through her black hair. "I know how much it hurts, my sweet. I'm so sorry."

"I can't live like this." She finally said. "I can't live with them treating me like something I'm not. I can't live where I'm just a number, made to die…"

"Hold on." He chuckled. "…Nazira, this sounds like a goodbye…"

She pulled away from him and looked up, her green eyes full of tears, and his smile dropped. "I'm sorry." She finally sighed. "But I can't stay here."

"Did I do something wrong?" His voice was soft and wavering.

"No, sweetheart. You did everything perfectly." She pressed a hand to his cheek. "With you, I've felt more like myself than I ever have before…but you're a Chosen, Gur-Rai, and I'm just a Thin…Man." She grimaced at the last word as she said it. "You can't always be there to swoop in and save me."

"Maybe I can!" He took her hands, desperation in his voice. "You could come to my stronghold! It's safe there, no one asks questions. The priests wouldn't care and you could be yourself. We could be…" He trailed off.

"The Elders would know." She said. "You'd be tortured. I'd be killed. And then where would we be?"

She saw his purple eyes beginning to shine with tears. Her poor, soft Hunter's heart was breaking with each word she spoke. Tenderly, he kissed her hands.

"…They'll want me to come after you, won't they?" He whimpered.

She chuckled. "Romantic, hm?"

"Will you be okay?" He asked. "I don't suppose you can tell me where you're going."

"I would if I knew. We're just going to run as fast and as far as we can." She squeezed his hands. "…You could always-"

"No." He almost snapped. "The Elders would find us in a heartbeat, and they'd kill you even faster."

There was a deep silence between them as he pulled Nazira closer, pressing his face into her shoulder. Opening one eye, Gur-Rai saw in the distance another tall, lanky figure watching them.

"Your big bro is here." He said softly. "…Does that mean it's time?"

Nazira squeezed him and pulled away, looking up into his eyes again. She reached up and wiped the tear away from his cheek, and pressed her lips to his for (possibly) the last time.

"I love you, Gur-Rai Madron." She said. "No matter where I am, no matter who I am, that will never change."

He responded by kissing her one last time, everything he needed to say communicated in that one action. Then, he pulled away and stepped back, letting her hand slip from his.

Nazira turned, and as she jogged towards her brother, she heard the whizz of a grappling hook, and looked up to see Gur-Rai watching her from atop the tower, the shadows cloaking him in black, like a raven in the fading light.

.

.

The radio tower lay in ruin.

No voices could be heard from the fragments of machinery, and the library they had built below was burned and buried. Even if the books were salvageable, Nazira looked to her blind brother and felt his sorrow, knowing that he could never again read them.

She took a step forward, the dirt and rubble scraping against her shoes. Even in this desert, the nights were beginning to grow colder as winter drew near. The days grew shorter and now, at 6 in the evening, she saw the sun beginning to set behind the purple mountains.

"Should we even bother?" Zafar asked her suddenly. "Maybe it'd be best to just…" He squeezed the head of his cane.

"We should at least have a way to keep in contact with XCOM." She assured him. She didn't say it, but part of her was thinking of the possibility of another attack. Even if the Chosen were to leave soon, who was to say the Holy Lancers would not come to finish off their small community. "So yes, we should bother."

Zafar held his cane tight and reached forward, searching for his sister's arm. She began to step towards him, but instead someone else offered a hand to him.

"It is Kon-Mai." The Shrinemaiden said as she took Zafar's hand. "I am on your right."

"And Dhar-Mon on your left." Dhar-Mon said. He followed his sister closely, the two coming from the fields where, Nazira could see, the last bits of the harvest were coming in.

"I know you two." Zafar tried to chuckle, but Nazira could hear the tense sorrow in his voice. "Shrinemaiden, do you see any books within the remains?"

Kon-Mai scanned the rubble. "Yes. There is a rather large pile over there." She pointed.

"Could you lead me to them?" He asked quietly. "They shouldn't be on the ground at least…"

Kon-Mai complied easily, leading him towards a haphazard pile of town and burnt books. Looking down, she saw a good amount of them were actually still intact.

Upon reaching the pile, Zafar did not hasten to move at all, despite his request. Instead he looked downward, towards where he must have assumed the books were, and reached his cane out slightly to poke at the leather covers.

"Poor man." Nazira heard a voice behind her. "If I lost my eagle eyes, not sure what I'd-"

She looked back at Gur-Rai, shooting him a glare that said, in no uncertain terms, to shut up.

"Sorry." He came up behind her and she was waiting for him to lay a hand on her waist, but it never came. "How's he doing?"

She hesitated. "…Better." She admitted. "His other senses are picking up a lot of the slack."

"That's good…" She could feel his "eagle eyes" on her. "…And how are you doing?"

She was reluctant to look up. "…Do you need any help getting the Avenger ready?" She asked. "I heard you'll be moving on soon."

She heard him sigh, and looked to her right to see he was holding out his hand to her.

"What's this?" She asked.

"That's my hand. I want you to take it." He chuckled. "Come on. Walk with me. I think it's time we…discussed things."

.

.

"-and considering the increase in ADVENT activity, I think it's a good move." Jane said as she pointed to a secluded haven on the map. "There might be a strike near there soon."

"I'm not sure how comfortable I feel removing so many troops from Arapahoe, though." Senuna laced her fingers in her lap. She sank back into the couch cushions, dressed not quite in her commander uniform, but in a lacy shirt and jeans that at least made her look sensible. She still had a heart monitor attached to her chest, connected to a small machine that sat beeping beside her, but she was up and about, and with her white hair brushed and straightened, she was starting to look like her old commanding self.

"I think a mere five or six people would be enough." Jane replied. "Every person counts, after all. We train those resistance warriors to fight well. I should know."

From across the couch, Zhang chuckled. "You would have made a good Triad, Jane."

"I would absolutely not." She said with a smile. "As far as I've seen, what conscience I do have is too much for that job."

Zhang scoffed but did not seem angry. "Well. Fair enough."

"Speaking of Triad." Senuna looked to Zhang. "I'm thinking it's time we start looking into making contact with them."

"It has long since been time." Zhang nodded. "Am I going in alone?"

"No, not after…" Senuna cleared her throat. "I think I'll send Annette with you. You two work well together."

"Commander…" Jane jumped in, a sense of urgency in her voice. "If Colonel Zhang could stomach one more companion, I'd like to accompany him and Colonel Durand."

Zhang and Senuna exchanged looks, and Zhang shook his head. "I know what you are looking for, Child. And I am hesitant to say that you will find it…"

"Vahlen was last seen in Triad territory." Jane crossed her arms. "If nothing else, there will be pieces of her left behind. Footprints, if you will. I want to see them for myself."

"Are you sure?" Senuna had been embracing a more careful disposition recently, but the topic of Vahlen was something she broached carefully, especially with Little "Quiet" Kelly. "I know you have a lot of questions, Jane, but even if you find something…even if you find Moira herself, who's to say you'll get those answers?"

"Who's to say I won't?" Jane shrugged. "And another thing, Commander. I'm specialized in stealth and infiltration. I helped free you. This kind of mission, I could do it in my sleep."

Senuna chuckled, a twinkle in her turquoise eyes. "…That's my goddaughter~" She stood slowly. "Chilong, what do you think?"

"Quiet is a good soldier." Zhang nodded. "But I will not be babysitting. If you come along with me-."

"I don't expect you to. I'm here to fight a war, after all." Jane saluted her Commander. "Anything else, Madam?"

"Yes. Could you get me that inhaler?" She sighed as she made her way to the desk. "I hate it to admit it, but Tygan was right about my lungs. I think I do need to take it easy…"

.

.

Volk rested his gun on his hip as he meandered through the remains of the Dakhla Oasis. The patrols recently had been going better than he ever could have hoped (even if Cruzita had pitched a fit about not being able to skin the snakes), but Papa Wolf still had to get his paws wet every once in a while. Lead by example, all that jazz.

The rebuilding efforts were going well, all things considered. The houses that had been destroyed had been replaced by thick nylon tents that would do the job until real bricks could be made for the homes. The houses that still stood had been touched up, and all that really remained to be patched up was the radio tower. Considering the damage that thing had taken though…

He saw a bit of a purple glow to his left and looked over to where Geist was kneeling, poised before a fragment of the console. The last time Volk had seen it, it had been damaged beyond repair. From the Templar's hands there was a purple spark, and the console flashed to life once again.

Volk nodded to him. "Didn't take you for a mechanic."

Geist looked up, and Volk stared awkwardly into those ghastly purple eyes. Geist was impossible to read and for a wolf, that meant he was dangerous.

"Psionics is simply the manipulation of universal energies." Geist said. "All things respond to it, both organic and mechanical."

Volk shuddered. "Yeah, remind me again that you could bend my feeble mind with a wave of your hand." He approached the console, running one hand over the metal as it grew warm. "It doesn't bother you? Being a freak?"

"No." Geist completely ignored the dig. "We are all freaks in our own way, Volikov. You included."

"Hey…" Volk sighed. "…Okay, fair. Still, at least people trust me not to read their mind, that's a plus."

"I don't need to read your mind to sense your intent." Geist looked up and gave him a rare smile. "I speak with Senuna regularly, I assure you, your attempts to get under my skin are minimal compared to hers."

"If you two hate each other so much…" Volk leaned against the console, his gun lax "…why join up with XCOM?"

"It is what was necessary." Geist stood. "The Elders are a threat to everything on this planet, perhaps everything in the known universe. Senuna tried to beat them by herself before, and she failed. We Templars are powerful, but nowhere near as powerful as them."

"So it's just a matter of tolerating each other until you can kick the Elders out?"

"Until we can kill them." Geist clarified. "To chase them off would only lead them to return with greater armies, or worse, lead them to conquer yet another planet, to expose millions more innocent lives to chaos and suffering."

"So? It's not our world."

Geist blinked. "Volikov, I do not know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."

Volk grimaced at that, and stayed silent, which Geist took as a kind of metaphorical win.

"The sands of time have hardened you far too much, Volikov." Geist patted the Reaper's shoulder. "I await the day your shell is shattered."

"Don't piss yourself in anticipation." Volk muttered as he watched Geist fade back into the rubble. He looked back at the machine, now whirring to life and beeping happily, and decided to pay with a few of the buttons.

.

.

The Red Queen scraped her long claws along the wall beside her, her crimson eyes glaring down at her underling as they looked down and away from her.

"Khomain Tiyanak." She specifically refused to use his proper title. "Who is this, again?"

The Ethereal reached out to the small hybrid woman beside him, nudging her forward with his hand. "Introduce yourself, my dear."

"…I am Dua-Zoar Khomain." She said, her voice grating and trembling with fear.

Abyzou moved forward, floating on a throne of energy, and lowered herself to almost Dua-Zoar's height. She still towered above the girl, but this way, she could reach down and take her chin in her hands.

"What a pretty thing you are." Abyzou mused. "A shame you're defective."

Dua-Zoar felt her heart drop into her stomach, and Tiyanak rushed toward her. "She is not-"

Dua-Zoar heard a crunch, and though her progenitor let out no audible sound, she felt the waves of pain exuding from them. Their frail body curled in on itself like a dead spider, twitching and trembling as the carmine waves of energy swept over them, almost suffocating them.

"Stop." Dua-Zoar looked up to Abyzou. "Stop, please!"

"Tiyanak wants to take the punishment for your failure." Abyzou's voice was as sweet as mercury. "You could have prevented this, Child~"

"Please!" Dua-Zoar fell to her knees. "Please stop!"

"Zou…" A deep voice behind the Red Queen said. "She has a point. We cannot afford the loss of another so soon."

Abyzou clenched her fists, glaring down at Dua-Zoar, the current object of her ire.

Then she released her grip, and the light faded, pulling away and leaving Tiyanak twitching but alive.

"Here is what you will do for me." Abyzou hissed at the girl, as Bhandasura went to Tiyanak to assist them. "Never speak to me unless I speak first. Never speak out of turn. If I want to hear your voice, I shall ask you for it. Do you understand me, Child?"

Dua-Zoar nodded. "Yes…"

"Yes, Vox Abyzou." Abyzou snapped. "I want to make one thing clear. Whatever you believe yourself to be, forget it. You have one purpose: to return me my daughter."

Dua-Zoar maintained eye contact with the ground.

"You have already failed once. I do not know what resources Tiyanak wasted on you, but I'm certain they would not be hard to reclaim." Suddenly, those red claws tickled the underside of Du-Zoar's throat. "But, my dear…I am not heartless. Do right by me, and you shall see reward."

Dua-Zoar looked up, and the heat that radiated from Abyzou's eyes was intense and overwhelming.

"Bring me back Kon-Mai Mordenna, and I will not only let you live…I will elevate you to a higher status than you could ever imagine." Abyzou leaned forward, close enough that Dua-Zoar could feel the breath radiating from her face. "You will be her Handmaid, the Chosen of the Chosen. You will rule at my daughter's side, and this world will bow before you."

Dua-Zoar's eyes were sparkling at those words, and as Abyzou let go of her chin, the girl bowed her head.

"Do you understand?"

"I do, Vox Abyzou. I will see this through. Alone, if I must."

.

.

Volk almost jumped out of his skin as the console began to beep to life. There was a loud hissing, sputtering noise, some clanking, and then a voice on the other end, crackling and staticy.

"Hold on!" Volk turned a random dial and pushed a green button, talking into what looked like either a microphone or a vent. "Hello? Is someone there?"

"Ye…this is….kaina Khatun of…um Hoard." A woman's voice said, breaking in and out with static.

"Can't hear you well, you're breaking up…" Volk wished Geist hadn't walked away, because this thing still needed a lot of tuning. "Hold on!" He gave the entire machine a hard kick.

There was a thump from inside, and then the woman spoke again. "Hello? Is this the Avenger?"

"No, this is not." Volk said. "This is the Dakhla Oasis Radio Tower, or what's left of it. But the Avenger isn't far away so I can grab the Commander if you need her."

There was just a moment of silence on the other end. "…Who is speaking?"

"Konstantine Volikov, pack leader of the Reapers." He replied. "I heard you trying to introduce yourself earlier but-"

"Volk!" The woman snapped loudly. "Volk, is it really you?!"

"The one and only." He chuckled. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The woman laughed. "I know it's been almost 30 years, but you must remember me. Vladivostok? Yevgeniy Academy?"

He thought back hard to the memories of his childhood home, the crowded, colorful city, and the young girl he walked with to and from school…

Then he gasped. "Drakaina!"

The woman laughed again. "Finally you have it in your thick head! Hello, Wolf."

"I thought you were dead!" He cried. "Holy shit!"

"It would take much more than an alien invasion to kill me." She assured him. "I've heard of your exploits, Volk. Leader of the Pack, is it? Is America nice and warm?"

"Egypt, and yeah, much warmer than Alaska."

"I'll never forgive you for not taking me along~" She said jokingly. "But right now, I must speak with the Commander. You said they are nearby?"

"The Avenger is just outside the village." He said. "If you want I can just pass your message along. I have to see the Commander at some point anyway."

"And can I trust you, Konstantine?" She asked, and he could hear the laughter in her voice.

"As far as you can throw me." He chuckled. "God, I missed you, Drakaina."

"And I missed you." She sighed. "All these long years, hm?"

"Tell me about it." He muttered. "So what have you been up to?"

"Oh you'll see it for yourself, soon enough."

.

.

Nazira looked behind her as Gur-Rai sat down on the sand, settling himself down like a child at the beach. She chuckled and sat beside him, and from his hoodie popped a familiar face.

"Hello, Pangu." She reached over and scratched the possum atop his head as he stared at her thoughtlessly.

"He likes you." Gur-Rai mused.

"I don't think he can tell people apart, really." She lifted the possum from his hoodie and settled him on her lap. "The lights are on, but nobody's home."

"Aw, he's a smart boy." Gur-Rai patted Pangu on the back. "…Will you miss him?"

"I'll miss him and you." She sniffled just a bit, not quite crying yet. "…I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be this hard. I knew you had to leave again…"

"It's not like before." He took her hand. "We're not in ADVENT anymore. I could probably get shore leave to come see you."

Nazira didn't seem comforted by that. "Gur-Rai, we're at war."

"Yes, we are." He chuckled. "And?"

"I love you." She said. "And if we get through this alive, maybe we can try this all again because…I want to be with you, I do. Just…right now…"

"You're not sure yet?" He said, his eyes soft.

She nodded, then hiccuped. "I'm sorry. I've led you on this whole time-"

"No, no, you didn't." He scooted closer. "Nazira, I love you because of the joy you bring into my world when we're together. And I love you enough that, as long as you're happy…whether we're exclusive or not…" He seemed to swallow, and she could tell this was hard on him. "You love me. And that's all I need to know."

Nazira threw her arms around his neck, startling Pangu, and he pulled her close to him again, his hands running through her sleek black hair. This was no wig this time. It was real. He buried his face in it and tried to keep from crying.

"What comes now?" Nazira asked.

"Whatever you want." He said. "Speaking of, this old dog is a loyal one, Nazira, I can keep it in my pants if you prefer I wait for you."

"No." She smiled. "No, don't let me stop you, Gur-Rai. Not right now, at least. Once the war ends…" She bit her lip. "…for now, go out there and love. Like you loved me."

"Oh Nazira." He took her hands in his. "Part of me always will." He looked up and past her shoulder… "God dammit, we always get interrupted~"

Nazira looked behind her, where Kon-Mai stood grinning a few feet away.

.

.

Senuna maneuvered her nightgown over the heart monitor and sat down on her bed, sighing as she finally relaxed, off her feet. Maybe Bradford was right about her using her powers so frivolously. She'd never had such a difficult recovery before. But she'd do it all again before she'd let him be right about that.

She took the brush from her bedside table and began to run it through her long, white hair just as there was a panicked knock at the door. Nervous of what news would be brought to her this time, Senuna threw on her silk robe and called out "Come in!"

The door slid open and Volk walked inside, smiling. She rarely saw him smile, and the fact that he was now grinning like a jackal made her uneasy.

"Commander." He said. "I have a proposition for you."

"I'm flattered that you fancy me, Volk, but I'm afraid I'm spoken for." Senuna giggled.

"What? No, ew." He scrunched up his nose. "No, this is better. I have another group wanting to ally with XCOM."

Senuna raised a hesitant brow. "Didn't we just go through this?"

"This isn't a haven, Commander. It's another resistance faction." He sat down on the back of the couch, feet on the cushions. "They're called the Elerium Horde."

"Elerium Horde? I assume there's a story behind that name?"

"There is. Ever heard of the Golden Horde?"

"It's been awhile since I was in history class." Senuna admitted. "But, let me guess. They got it from the Mongols?"

"Same idea. They've modeled their group after the old Mongolian steppe tribes. What's better, the region is so inhospitable that it's basically empty."

"Okay." Senuna nodded. "Good for them. How does that help us?"

"Why do you think they're called the Elerium Horde?" He gestured forward with his hand. "That region is one of the greatest sources of untapped Elerium on the continent. Possibly on the planet." Volk raised a brow. "Now ADVENT is going to want it. But if we get there first…"

Senuna's eyes began to glow as she thought. "More Elerium, more resources…" She nodded. "How do you know all of this?"

"Got a call from an old friend." Volk said. "Drakaina Agapiyevna, she's their leader. She and I grew up together In Vladivostok. We've known each other years."

"Is that why she called you directly?" Senuna raised a brow. "Instead of going through me?"

"No, she called the radio tower." Volk admitted. "I'm thinking some signals got crossed or something, but I didn't want to drag you out there." He gestured to the heart monitor. "Since you're still healing and all. I was being considerate, Commander."

Senuna thought about this for a moment. "…And you trust this woman?"

"Commander, I bet you my best gun." He assured her. "This is my best friend. She'd never do me dirty."

Senuna thought for a long moment. "…We already have Zhang and Jane going off to the Triads…"

"We'll be close by, this way." Volk pointed out.

"That's true." Senuna smiled. "Run it by Bradford first. And then tell him I said yes."

.

.

Of the 50 who joined her to Dakhla, only 7 remained. 7 Holy Lancers, plus her, their eldest, their de facto leader. They, ironically, outnumbered the Elders, now.

"We could take them." Her sister said directly into her ear, as Dua-Zoar polished her sabre. Looking back, she saw her sister's eyes glowing yellow in the light. Her face was round and almost would have been cute, if not for the hatred in her expression.

"Shizu." Dua-Zoar stood up, and she towered over the smaller woman. Still, she chose her words carefully. Shizu-Fumi was small, but her muscles rivaled the old Warlock's brawn, and she had the rage of a Berserker in her.

"Yes?" She didn't back down, staring up at Dua-Zoar with calm that could only come from truly knowing the wrath within her The latter's eye flickered to the figure that came up behind their sister: a man taller than them both, so gaunt his tight suit showed every rib, every bone, his chapped lips pulled back from emaciation to reveal fangs and sharp teeth. Despite his thin figure, though, under his suit she could see the clear outline of impressive muscles, and knew he was strong enough to rip flesh and crush bone.

"I know you want a fight." Dua-Zoar admitted, her eyes darting back and forth between the two. "But our last encounter-"

"-was going well until that bitch showed up." Her emaciated brother rasped, his voice deep and coarse. It sounded like he'd never tasted water before in his life.

"Because you all got cocky." A soft voice called out, sounding tired and raspy. "You just had to put your gnarly hands on her child, didn't you? Should have just left the poor thing for dead."

"That's Dua-Zoar's fault!" Her brother spat back to the voice behind her.

"Maybe." Said voice let out a loud sigh. "You're no better. You were lagging behind, far more than me at times. If you'd hurried instead of taking bites out of every body you saw, maybe we'd have made it home before the Commander showed up."

"I mean, they have a point." Another of her sisters stood up and stepped into the light, her scaly skin a pale pink color. "Zej-Het is slow but he gets the job done. Kali-Dasa, though, he took twice as long as any of us. What, Brother, you couldn't just swallow them whole and save us the-"

"Enough." Dua-Zoar's voice boomed above them all. "Nefer-Jie, get the others, I see we clearly have some differences that must be stamped out. Who is missing from this…" She glared at Shizu-Fumi "...engagement?"

"Lyr-Rou is helping Vox Reue with inventory. I don't know where Maza-Yari and Mii-Fei are." The pink girl replied, sinking back down onto her seat.

"Zej." Dua-Zoar turned to her sibling. "Get up and find them."

Zej-Het sighed as they pulled himself to his feet, groaning belligerently as he strode into the light. He would have been taller than the others, were he not slightly hunched over. Through the dull burgundy pigment in his skin, age spots and wrinkles could easily be seen, and his purple eyes looked far more grey. "And why can't the instigators do it?"

"Because I have commanded it." Dua-Zoar looked around.

"Oh? Who died and made you queen?"

"The Elders." Dua-Zoar hissed. "If we succeed in this, Vox Abyzou has deigned to make me the Handmaid of the Assassin."

She heard Nefer-Jie gasp. "You? Out of all of us ?"

Dua-Zoar nodded to her sister, smiling a bit at the envy on her face. "If you obey me, if you follow me, I will convince her to spare your lives as well. For you are my family." She put a hand atop Shizu-Fumi's head. "And I love you all."

Shizu-Fumi grimaced, but Kali-Dasa's smile grew wider. "And we love you too, Sister."

Dua-Zoar smiled at him. "...But, if you stand to disobey me, if you betray me, if you fail me…" She withdrew her hand and rested it on the hilt of her sword. "I will see you all ripped to pieces. "


Summary: The chapter begins with a flashback to Gur-Rai meeting with Nazira, right before she left ADVENT and, effectively, their relationship. In present day, Nazira is helping her brother learn to walk again, and Kon-Mai arrives to help him. Gur-Rai also arrives and invites Nazira to come along to discuss things.

On the Avenger, Senuna, Jane and Zhang are discussing logistics, and Jane asks to be put on the Triad infiltration mission. Senuna and Zhang agree, but warn her she may not find what she is looking for.

Inside the Ethereal's Sanctum, Dua-Zoar stands before a very displeased Abyzou, who punishes Tiyanak for Dua-Zoar's failure. Bhandasura stops her before Tiyanak dies, and Abyzou concedes to give Dua-Zoar one more chance, promising to make her the Assassin's handmaiden if the latter is brought back to her.

In Dakhla, Volk and Geist exchange words, and after Geist leaves, Volk receives a call from his old friend, Drakaina Agapiyevna, who he knew in childhood. She now runs a resistance faction of her own, and is looking to ally with XCOM. After little convincing, Senuna agrees to meet her.

Dua-Zoar goes to meet with the remains of her siblings: Shizu-Fumi, Kali-Dasa, Zej-Het, Nefer-Jie, Lyr-Rou, Mii-Fei and Maza-Yari. After a brief altercation, she relays what Abyzou told her, and vows to keep the others in line, on pain of death.

(New arc starting soon~)