Eyes wide open and eyebrows raised. The blue glow of the screen glinted off of Henry's melanin-low skin. He opened his mouth in disgust as he watched the time-lapse video that Vahlen had recorded of her specimen. No matter how many times she had replayed it, the revulsion never faded away. It first began with a zombie idling around until it collapsed and inanimated itself. Afterwards, it was consumed from the inside out. Only a pile of goop and a small creature were left.
"What exactly am I seeing, Doctor?" Henry asked.
"My team has been observing the . . . zombie until it was eventually entirely consumed by a Chryssalid," Vahlen replied.
"And this is what happens to all zombified humans?" the Commander questioned.
"Sadly, which is why we were right to quarantine all targeted areas by the Chryssalids. They are very good at reproducing. I'll dive into it later after sharing the results of the autopsy."
Vahlen switched her screen to display a summary of her findings during her observations.
"My team has concluded that this species has retained much of its primitive nature. Unlike the other alien species that have been aggressively turned into soldiers, the Chryssalids have been mostly untouched as it is a very skilled predator. We believe this species lives underwater, based on its webbed 'hands' and gills on its torso. We believe its respiratory system can take in oxygen from the atmosphere but also extract it from oxygenated water."
"Thankfully, the aliens haven't opened up an aquatic theatre!" Henry commented.
Vahlen's expression conveyed her dread at the idea.
"I could not imagine such an invasion, Commander," she pondered.
If the aliens did attack from the ocean, it would have been hard to fend them off since aquatic warfare was not humanity's speciality. The aliens were not exactly kind in aerial and terrestrial warfare either. Henry would let whoever had their mind still intact speculate an aquatic invasion. Vahlen did not seem to be one of them either. She looked at her notes to get back to the topic.
"The Chryssalid breathes and eats through its mouth which is protected by mandibles that it uses to tear through flesh. Unlike the other aliens, it feeds itself from actual food and does not show traces of an inactive digestive system. All of this suggests that the Chryssalid species is not exactly interested in eradicating humanity like the other aliens. Its animalistic nature, drive to reproduce and hunting behaviour suggests that this species seems to. . . rather be thinking of its own survival."
Vahlen paused her explanations to drink water. Henry took the time to contemplate what she had revealed.
"So, the Chryssalid does not oppose us in any way? They are only trying to survive and we just got caught up in their struggle for survival? Or rather, they were thrown at us so that we could get caught up. They're like bloodhounds."
"It would seem that way, Commander. . . The Chryssalid's main method of killing its prey is with its clawed legs. It is covered in a hard chitin exoskeleton which gets even harder at the claws. They are retractable using muscular contraction and are moved forwards whenever a Chryssalid tries to strike using it. I find it fascinating that this species can sense bioelectrical signals; it can determine the location of all beings around them using their 'antennae'. What is even more fascinating is their ability to use them to implant themselves into a creature's nervous system to control them. The Chryssalid's hands are not hands but rather antennae with electroreceptors that can also be used as probes. The reason why they are hand-shaped is because of genetic modification. It originally did not have arms and hands so its genes were modified using Sectoid DNA. At least, that's what the evidence suggests. I don't know why such a modification was needed."
"So, that's how they create zombies," the Commander realised.
Vahlen stopped her explanation to walk towards the containment facility housing a small white Chryssalid standing in a pool of goo and blood. Henry followed her while keeping his eyes locked on the disturbing site on the other side of the "see-through" wall. He had seen the video but not the real thing. It looked much worse than in the recordings. He felt sorry for whoever had to clean up after the scientists were done. He looked back at Vahlen as she tapped on her tablet.
"You see, Commander, Chryssalids have one primary goal; to reproduce. Its reproductive glands are located near its mouth. They house an embryo until it is ready to be injected into a food source; preferably, a fresh corpse. The embryo develops into a larva which grows its antennae and uses them to create electrical signals to the brain of a dead creature. This ability allows them to animate a corpse using the nervous system and turn it into a zombie. We believe that Chryssalid larvae use their animated corpse to plant themselves around more prey. In the case of our captive zombie, the larva gave up on finding more food, started the process of devouring its carcass and matured into a neonate Chryssalid. Our contained Chryssalid is small because it was not able to get enough food to reach adult size. Once at adult size, its skin transitions from white to purple."
"I see. So every zombie has a Chryssalid larva that manipulates it. It attacks other beings to secure enough food to grow up. Are humans the only beings targeted by them?"
"I'd imagine it can attack any creature worth feeding off of. The larvae can take control of any creature, but the parents seem to select meatier targets to secure a good food source. This alien has some obvious weaknesses. It is highly sensitive to electrical signals which we can exploit by subjecting it to electrical shocks. The Chryssalids also have a very fragile sense of balance. They can no doubt move very fast on their legs, but a good tug can make them stumble and they would take some time to recover."
Henry ordered the cameras to amplify the view as he observed the immature Chryssalid. He stared further at the thin layer of goop on the floor. It was what was left of the body that the Chryssalid animated during its larva stage. It had completely devoured it during its containment.
"Doctor, Colonel Natalia Jacquemin reported seeing a zombified Sectoid. Do you have any explanations for that?"
"I have said that the Chryssalids could feast off of any target. I imagine that Sectoid was unlucky," she answered. "However, I did wonder what keeps the Chryssalids under control if they supposedly travel with the other aliens."
"By the way you said it, I assume you now know the answer?"
"No, but we have our theories. It could simply be the type of relationship between the Chryssalids and the other aliens. Chryssalids could just be a half-domesticated species retaining their primitive nature. However, I find that answer lacking. I believe it has to do with the implanted chips inside every alien."
"The chips?" Henry inquired.
Vahlen reached for a nearby storage compartment and pulled out a small rectangular device the size of her palm.
"Oh, those," Henry remembered.
"You remember, Commander. These chips are present in every alien we have recovered. My team has been collecting them for a bit until we started ignoring them; the recovered cadavers were not going anywhere. Some of the Chryssalids have chips inside their brains, but others do not."
Henry crossed his arms.
"Why would that be, Doctor?"
"Think about it. The Chryssalids who had the chip were likely deployed alongside the alien landing parties. The Chryssalids are very simple-minded and care only about reproduction. Suddenly, we have got an entire generation of Chrysslaid larvae who came to be on Earth. I remind you that all of this takes very little time; especially if we've got a very lucky Chryssalid larva. During a fight, the larva reanimates a corpse, and when it's done, consumes it and every carcass around it; all of this happening in a war zone."
Henry's eyebrows perked up in realisation.
"I see. . . It's not like the aliens could implant chips in the newborn Chryssalids."
"Precisely. This is why after an attack, we have got entire generations of loose Chryssalids. I imagine that there is also a herd mentality involved. If the newer generations saw the older ones not attack a few beings who also seemed to aid them in their hunt, I imagine they would get the message. But when an entire wave of larvae grew up without the guidance of their parents, they lack their forefathers' ability to distinguish between friend and prey."
Henry looked away from Vahlen as she concluded her report. His gaze naturally diverted back to looking at the small white Chryssalid. It moved around the containment facility, presumably looking for more food to reach maturity. He stared at it in thought. A neonate? That meant that the aliens had a reliable source of endless "soldiers".
The Chryssalids seemed more like a pest more than anything. They were one of the worst aliens of the invasion; a being that was meant to kill. The other species had the same role, but they were artificially tailored to do so. Perhaps there was hope that the other aliens could have turned away from the bloodshed they caused. Those aliens seemed to have a degree of control over themselves. Their ability to kill stemmed from outside of them. Something wanted them to do only that. Henry's theory was only confirmed by the array of alien neural chips laying in secured containers on Vahlen's shelves.
When Henry thought about it some more, he realised that the Chryssalids were more like animals than intelligent beings. To the alien at the top of the hierarchy, they were their bloodhounds while the others were slaves. That rose another question: did the other aliens face the Chryssalids in battle when, or rather, if they resisted? All the other species, were they invaded the same way humanity was?
Despite the urge to blame the Chryssalids, they were perhaps victims as well but not aware of it. Dogs were no doubt used throughout history to commit many heinous acts, but they were not to be blamed; it was their master that used them in such detestable ways. In the end, Henry could not stop coming back to his hate towards the creature responsible for the invasion. It was cruel and would do anything to achieve its goals; whatever those goals were. Humanity was its next target.
"Pardon me, Commander," Vahlen interrupted.
Henry snapped out of thought and turned his head to meet Vahlen.
"Yes. Sorry, Doctor. I just spaced out."
"I was just wondering if you've contacted the space agencies yet?" she asked.
"Yes, about that. According to reports, the aliens have been spotted meddling with our satellites. Though, they show no interest in destroying them; or at least, not all of them."
"Interesting. They haven't caught onto our dependence on satellites."
It was true. The aliens could have wreaked much more havoc if they had destroyed all satellites orbiting Earth. The loss of all satellites would have caused unimaginable amounts of damage to the defence effort. If the aliens contested Earth's orbit, they would have gotten a huge advantage. Lines of communication would go down. GPSs would no longer work. It was not just the everyday man, but XCOM too heavily depended on satellites.
They could have gone further. Instead of destroying all artificial satellites, why not destroy the Moon? The aliens had the technology to do it, yet they had not. Destroying the Moon would have caused many catastrophes on Earth. The worst one being the sheer bombardment of debris. The aliens wanted Earth the way it was. More importantly, they wanted humans. If they did not, they would have stopped abducting months ago during the first phase of the invasion.
The Commander needed intelligence badly if he wanted to fight the aliens with the right mindset.
"Dr Vahlen, how many aliens have we captured from our missions?" Henry inquired.
"About that, please convey my gratitude to the soldiers for bringing me back seven live Sectoids. I will get some of my teams to study them in their captivity after finishing our current endeavours."
"That's what I'd like, but do understand Doctor, as curious as I am too, I want you to interrogate the aliens as soon as possible."
"Sadly, the Sectoids have more value alive than dead, Commander. We can put one Sectoids in for interrogation, but we'd need to keep many alive for our research. I know your priority is intel, but I do believe that our research may be just as valuable."
"What exactly are you planning, Doctor Vahlen?"
"It is not our main goal, but we have tried extracting the Sectoids' wrist cannons. They all self-destructed after we removed them. I'll admit that some of my staff got injured during the procedures. I got some specialists to unarm our captives. If we're going to get some alien weapons we would have to capture a live alien and learn how to diffuse the self-destruction mechanism. That is easier said than done, Commander."
"I'll keep that in mind for the future."
"I was going to talk to you about a certain something sooner or later, Commander, but I guess now also works. You see, my team is highly interested in this being; especially its psionic abilities. We have a bunch of animals that we'd like to use as test subjects. We just have to get them to aggravate the Sectoids."
Henry crossed his arms. His expression changed to a surprised frown.
"So you're using animals as targets for the Sectoids?"
"Yes. . . to observe the potential effects of psionics on the human body. We have very limited accounts from our soldiers and we would need more to comprehend. It could help us on the field. With your. . . permission, Commander, I would like to test the Sectoid's psionics using. . . our Exalt-affiliated captives."
Henry's face went expressionless as he stared at Vahlen.
"Doctor, did I hear you correctly? Are you asking me to use our prisoners as guinea pigs?"
Vahlen took a deep breath.
"We need to understand the aliens' psionic capabilities, Commander. Our soldiers are highly vulnerable. It's all for their sake. I know Erena would want to know what kind of effects psionics have on the human body, in more detail. I know it's unethical, Commander, but we must do this for our troops!"
The Commander raised his arms up to his face and rubbed his forehead, agonised by his thoughts.
"Christ, Doctor. . . What are you making me do? If it's for the sake of our guys, I'll. . . allow it," Henry conceded.
"Thank you, Commander. I'll see how I can make this. . . easier for all of us."
"Just, don't make this a common occurrence, Doctor!" he pleaded.
"Understood, Commander," Vahlen mumbled.
He hated the idea of using human test subjects. As long as Henry got what he wanted, he would reluctantly allow it. Humanity needed to know what its enemy wanted if it wanted to defend itself. There were too many unknowns. No matter how much progress XCOM had made uncovering every secret, there were still more and more secrets to be found. Entering the mind of the foe would reveal much-needed information to the Commander. If he could understand, their tactics or their goals, it could improve his ability to respond. A casus belli was also welcomed knowledge, but after months of fighting, Henry was sure that the trigger for the invasion no longer mattered. He doubted they even had one.
As Henry stopped in front of the laboratory's door, he was suddenly hit by a wave of fatigue. All the management of resources and the filing of reports had taken a toll on him. The alien attacks on the cities were unexpected; far beyond what had been done in the past. Being the one responsible for repelling the attacks, he had to catch up on all the events, and explain them to those who demanded answers.
In the end, the troops were the ones who were more tired. They were the individuals who were directly fighting the enemy. Henry took a deep breath and fixed his peaked cap on his head. He was in no position to complain, sitting at his desk and reading paragraphs of reports; not when his troops shed blood and perished on the field. Compared to them, he was well-off.
The Commander walked out into the hallway and took a deep breath to ease his mind from the fatigue. He had to talk to the Spokesman. He was ready for whatever he had to say; positive words were tales of a different time. Now, it was time for the real war; where cities were left lifeless, and the smell of blood and char hid the acridity of car exhaust. Not to mention, the Commander had his own issues he wanted input on. He knew he could trust the Spokesman with a few things. That mysterious man had an appeal. Anyone could count on him. Possibly, the reason why he was chosen? Even so, entering into grey areas was a risk for a man with the position of Commander; trustworthy listener or not.
The elevator ride and long hallways were enough to prepare the Commander. He pushed the button to his door and waited for the sensor to validate him. With a soft hiss, the door slid open. Henry fixed his uniform in front of the mirror before pressing the button to adjust his desk into "standing mode". Sitting down did not feel appropriate. His feet demanded to be swung around due to the stress and tension. Surely, the Spokesman did not want to see the Commander of XCOM fidgeting in his chair.
The Commander sent a message to the Spokesman, notifying him of his availability. After a few seconds, the transmission came in. A bald man took over the screen. Only a faint blue light allowed the Commander to distinguish the silhouette of the Spokesman's suit amongst the darkness of whatever room he liked to dwell in.
Henry cleared his throat. A sip of water would have helped; he had a feeling there was much talking to be done.
"Hello, Commander."
"Hello, Spokesman," Henry replied.
"I must say that our situation has. . . escalated. The aliens have started causing outright destruction. . . You fight a formidable foe, Commander, but your head still stands high in face of such pressure. I must convey that the Council is satisfied with your contributions in these. . . recent events."
"Thank you, Spokesman."
Was that rehearsed? The Spokesman had a rich yet solemn manner of speaking. Henry had grown used to it until he heard the Spokesman express from his heart. It lacked the usual well-orchestrated feel. Somehow, the Spokesman's unexpected compliments seemed genuine.
The Spokesman cleared his throat and adopted his usual posture; arms crossed and a rigid torso to accentuate the gravity of his words.
"I have called to inform you of the situation regarding XCOM's finances. Our funding has been reduced recently due to the economical pressures that the world faces. The nations proposed new budget plans and we accepted. XCOM is not alone in its fight, Commander. We must always keep our allies in mind. But with new budget plans made, I fear that the funding may be inadequate for XCOM to perform at its maximal strength."
Henry had seen his finances decrease since the first raindrops of the storm. A worldwide war and a pandemic was not the telltale sign of economic flourishment. As much as XCOM was hoped to be unaffected by its financial burdens, the foundations were unstable. Just how dire is the situation for to Spokesman to be directly contacting me?
"I see. . . They want to lower the amount more. Tell me, how low are we going for you to personally inform me of it?"
"The Council has not presented you the new plan yet, but the proposals are somewhat harsh. Many ambassadors approached us and relayed the intentions of their government. We have been very careful with our expenditures, Commander. Let us also not forget that XCOM is expanding. We need the proper finances to sustain your highly satisfactory performance."
"How much, Spokesman?"
"The downgrade is estimated to be in the billions of US dollars."
Billions? That much?
"Has the Inner Assembly asked for a renegotiation?"
"We have, Commander. The UN Secretary-General stuck his head out and exercised as much of his influence as he could. The Assembly has proposed different payment plans. XCOM could be funded based on its performance, but the proposal was rejected. The nations proposed their own plan. . ."
"What is it, Spokesman?"
"The nations will review the new budget plans so that they may favour us more. . . under the condition that we abolish some of the XCOM Property Laws."
Property laws? The only property laws that seem to affect other nations would be the ones on replenishment of resources required for the basic functioning. Henry understood the situation as soon as a glimmer of the answer had come to him. The laws regarding the ownership of alien artefacts, he realised.
"XCOM Property Laws. . . They want to get their hands on alien tech. They're using the situation to exercise financial pressure for us to cede to their demands."
"Precisely, Commander. They want us to allow them to possess alien technology and to suspend the Reclamation Bureau.".
"Christ! Alien technology is the worst thing a nation could possess after nuclear weapons. Have they not thought of the consequences? The usage of alien technology could threaten the stability of current international relations."
"They don't care."
"Then, why now? Why have they not pressured us before?"
"We believe it may be due to the surge of attacks, Commander."
"The surge?" Henry questioned.
"The aliens have launched countless attacks since they started utilising more force. Hundreds of alien corpses, aircraft and pieces of technologies are kept dormant in storage facilities, waiting to be shipped to us. Many more artefacts lay in the ruins of cities. The obedience of the nations was precarious since the beginning. Now that the potential for profit has increased, I'm not surprised that they properly drew a line in the sand."
Henry walked around his quarters in thought. He and the Council were naive to think that the nations would simply obey such a ludicrous instruction. It was impossible for them to restrict the possession of alien artefacts, that much was clear. However, the proposal came out of the desire for mutual trust. Now, unanimous greed took over. Sure, the nations could benefit from alien technologies. In fact, all of humanity would. But the long term. . . What would happen once the invasion was over?
Humanity would not cease to be. It would go back to the way it used to; fighting amongst itself. Just how much would alien technology increase the destructiveness of such bickering? It could lead to a second cold war; post- alien invasion.
"Commander," the Spokesman interrupted. "We ask your physical presence in the Council to complete the negotiations of the terms. We will arrange your accommodations as usual. We will relay the date."
Henry took a breath to calm down his senses.
"Very well, Spokesman. . . If you don't mind I'd also like to talk to you about something."
"What will it be, Commander?" the mysterious bald man asked.
"I want your opinion on something. Keep this a secret, please. . . How would you all react to XCOM using humans as lab rats?"
The Spokesman slowly coiled back onto the backrest of his chair. He twisted his head horizontally, entering into thought. His forehead unwrinkled at the contraction of his lowered eyebrows.
"Well, hasn't XCOM conducted medical trials on volunteers? I remember your Meld research being the crucial topic at some point."
"Yes, that did happen. This time, it's worse. Dr Vahlen wants to test the Sectoid's psionic abilities."
"Fair enough, but where lies the problem?"
"She wants to use our prisoners from the smuggling operations as lab rats."
The Spokesman emitted a loud exhale distorted by the modifications made to his audio.
"I see. . . that would be a human rights violation; on prisoners of war too."
"I approved her plan," the Commander confessed.
"You did? It's bound to get some reactions, Commander. Be that as it may, you're in your full rights to do it. I don't think anyone in the Inner Assembly would speak against you."
"They won't?" the Commander doubted.
"XCOM can do such acts if it is justified. It is best that you keep all of this a secret, but you should ask Dr Moira Vahlen to file a declaration in case any issues arise. That would be the wise thing to do."
"I see. It still doesn't paint much of a good picture for XCOM."
"No, it doesn't, but these are dire times we live in," the Spokesman agreed. "Actually, have you heard of Unit 731 during the Second World War?"
"No, I haven't."
The Spokesman shifted in his chair.
"It's fine. Just know that if information gets leaked, we have ways to justify or cover up the facts," he reassured. "With that Commander, I believe that we should discuss after your arrival in the Council. For now, resume your duties as you have until I notify you of the date of the meeting. I apologise for the abrupt ending."
Henry shook his head.
"No, I understand you have other matters."
The Spokesman gave a nod and hovered his finger over a small device Henry could barely distinguish in the darkened video call.
"We wish to see more success emerge from XCOM. Remember, Commander, we will be watching."
"Thank you, Spokesman."
With the drop of his hand, the Spokesman concluded the meeting. Henry brought himself back to his tasks in XCOM HQ as he reviewed his mental list. He put his desk back into sitting height, grabbed his chair and sat down to finish filing his reports. At least he didn't open that can of worms, he thought as he rested his arm on his forehead. A thrust of his hips got his chair rolling forwards into his desk. The Commander opened up all the reports in chronological order and got to work to formulate his own for the Council.
The Commander waited as the man finished his speech. The assembly hall echoed with his voice as the spectators stayed silent. Ambassador Burton of the United States reached the last sentences of the budgetary proposals. Being one of the main sources of funding, the United State's contributions would impact XCOM heavily. With the country spending more and more on its war machine, the cut it gave to XCOM was limited. It was enough to sustain XCOM — possibly because the United States wanted to keep some influence over it —, but as the Spokesman said, it would detriment its growth. With the invasion getting more intense by the day, XCOM had to keep up. To keep up, it needed to be well-funded.
Henry's loud expire faded into the room as the ambassador finished his statement. A few seconds of chatter ensued until the UN Secretary-General rose up to speak.
"Ambassadors of the Council, the Inner Assembly and the Commander, I will present the agreement made between all sovereign states and the Council of Nations. I would also like to address Commander Avant, regarding these terms."
The assembly hall looked to the Commander.
"You may begin, Secretary-General Antunes."
Antunes took a quick glance at his paper and looked around before beginning.
"Here are the terms we bring forwards regarding XCOM property: All alien artefacts will belong to the nation that controls the territory on which said artefacts are present. However, XCOM may claim alien artefacts if an alien ship was shot down or the aerial fight was triggered by an XCOM aircraft. All artefacts issued from a claimed alien aircraft or in its vicinity will belong to XCOM. All alien artefacts recovered during a terrestrial operation on which XCOM plays an active combat role will belong to XCOM. If any complications arise XCOM and all claimant parties may enter into negotiations to determine rules regarding the distribution of recovered artefacts. All artefacts on international waters will be XCOM property. All artefacts recovered by a sovereign nation can belong to XCOM if an agreement was made between the parties involved. If none of these conditions are met, XCOM may request ownership of artefacts belonging to a sovereign nation if they issue a statement justifying the need for such artefacts."
He slid the paper to the corner of his desk, and looked to the Commander and the room.
"Does the Commander agree to these terms? If so, we will present to you the official document requiring your signature."
As much as it was a sign of defeat, Henry had to give in. The consequences could spell disaster in the long run, but that did not seem like a worry he had to bear. His role was limited to the invasion; or at least, nobody had planned what would happen afterwards. The aftermath of the invasion was a subject that nobody had seemingly thought of. It's not like we have time to think of the future anyways. The effects of the chaos today would echo in the future; he seemed to be the only one who had realised that.
Henry left his worries for now. The present was more pressing than the future. The Commander opened his mouth to speak.
"I have a few questions before I answer."
"Go ahead, Commander," Antunes replied.
"Will the nations be responsible for the recovery of XCOM property as they have been since the start of the invasion?"
"We will continue with the system of recovery using what you have called Clean-Up Teams. Of course, the nations of Earth must still ensure their full cooperation with XCOM and the Council of Nations. If any state is found to undermine the recovery or disobeys the laws regarding the ownership of XCOM property, they may be open to face consequences which you and the Council have the power to decide on."
The Secretary-General seemed to be aware of some of the cutthroat practices that could occur. His mentioning of the potential disciplinary actions seemed to be a blatant warning. Just who's side are you on? Henry did not want to think the Council to be split into two camps, but it seemed that way no matter what. One camp backed up the nations and promoted a mostly selfish manner of fighting the war. The other seemed to be with the Council of Nations and XCOM who attempted to consolidate and unify the nations to fight back against the aliens. The Secretary-General seemed to be juggling between the two. Despite the nations fighting back against the Council and XCOM, they still showed some commitment to maintaining it. At least, there is that for a positive. He still wondered where the UN lied.
"Very well," the Commander replied. "If we have an agreement and if all nations honour the new rulings, I accept the terms on which the Council and the nations have agreed upon. Are there any other matters?"
Antunes looked around the room to ascertain the satisfaction of the ambassadors.
"If there are no queries, we can conclude today's meeting," Antunes answered.
"In that case, today's meeting is over," the Commander declared.
The ambassadors stood up from their seats and gathered their documents. Presumably, they would go to report everything back to their head's of state. They slowly trickled out of the assembly hall. The councilmen of the Inner Assembly immediately went to the door behind their seats. The Commander would join them to discuss their plans with the new changes. He was sure they had many things to discuss.
He rose up from his chair as his escorting soldiers went to his sides. Following the red-carpeted path, Henry reached the ornate door leading to the sector of the Council's Headquarters reserved for himself and the members of the Inner Assembly. After a few corners and hallways, a councilman waved at him from a distance. Henry approached him as he held the door to the lounge open. The soldiers gave a salute, broke off and guarded the entrances.
The Commander dropped off his file case at a table where the others had ditched them. He took the opportunity to make himself a coffee from a nearby machine. The others had already begun snacking before getting to business. The small break was welcomed as the Commander had been tired too. He picked a seat around the large oval low table and rested his mug and tidbits on it.
Councilman Solberg cleared his throat after the last bite of a granola bar.
"Everyone is here. We can start," he said.
"Where do we even begin?" a councilman replied, resulting in a few quiet misplaced laughs.
"The nations can now legally obtain alien artefacts. How about we start from here?" Henry proposed.
The Inner Assembly went quiet as they began thinking. It did not take long for someone to break the silence.
"Them possessing artefacts isn't exactly an issue. How they use them is," a councilwoman stated.
"I highly doubt they even obeyed the previous laws to begin with. They probably had alien artefacts under our noses," another councilman declared. "They just made it much easier. Don't worry, Michael, I'm not critiquing your work," he consoled his colleague.
Solberg only replied with a wry smile.
"I agree with Adriana. Are there ways we can control how nations use aliens artefacts? Maybe, with Reclamation?" he asked.
"Well if we can't control if they possess them, how do you expect us to control how they use them? I guess it's possible, but it would be more than we can chew," a councilman stated. "It would be harder than monitoring Iran's nuclear program or whatever other endeavour was done in the past."
"Not to mention, I don't think we'll be getting much help from the UN in its current state," Henry added. "We live in a chaotic time, and as sad as it is to say, the only form of power anyone can exert is through armed force. Simply put, the nations can do whatever they want; humanity is in disarray."
"There is one solution, Commander, but I don't know how effective it would be," Solberg realised. "We just lost one battle against the nations and I would not overestimate our influence to control the usage of alien weapons. We'll inevitably see new weapons using alien technology. However, we can definitely slow down such a hypothetical arms race."
"Got any policies in mind?" councilwoman Adriana asked.
"No, but hear me out. The nations have no use for alien artefacts and technology if they don't know how to use them, and especially, if they don't know how they work. I believe Soleyman can help with that."
The Inner Assembly stared at Councilman Suleyman Khosrov, trying to figure out Solberg's plan. Khosrov understood the idea as soon as he reflected on it.
"I could definitely delay them, yes. That is what I've been doing since the start of the invasion actually," councilman Khosrov replied.
"That is true," Henry realised. "Khosrov is responsible for declassifying XCOM's research output. If we do our best to keep things slow, the nations' will have a harder time acquiring knowledge."
Khosrov shifted in his seat as he entered into thought.
"XCOM is also a scientific organisation. We are obligated to declassify all of its research," he informed. "That being said, there is no deadline. The international community expects XCOM's research speed to be around a couple of months."
Vahlen was a lot more productive than what was expected. What would take months or even years, Vahlen could do with a few weeks. XCOM has the brightest minds after all, Henry remembered.
"I would not be surprised if they asked me to declassify in a few weeks what research has been done," Khosrov continued. "If I only release XCOM's research on the aliens' biology, it should satisfy them for a while. Assuming I can keep releasing the bare minimum, it would cause heavy delays. Of course, the nations have their own scientists to counteract that."
The members of the meeting nodded in response.
"It's better than nothing," was all that Solberg could say. Councilman Khosrov turned to the Commander.
"Commander Avant, if we want to do this properly, pass on a message to Dr Moira Vahlen. I want her to be very careful with her research as they are all property of the Council," Khosrov requested. "We are obligated to release everything! If she can keep all of her research hidden from the rest of the world, our plan just might work."
"As a side note, Commander," Adriana butted in, "the law states that all artefacts in an area with an XCOM presence will belong to XCOM. I'd be stating the obvious by saying that the more UFO's you shoot down and the more interceptions you fight, the more artefacts you will snatch from the hands of the nations."
Henry let out a sigh as he looked down at his feet. He remembered the cooling cup of coffee he had left on the table. He took a sip. Bitter. The room was silent.
"Is this what it has come down to? We have to fight amongst ourselves?" Henry asked.
"I'm afraid so," Khosrov replied.
"Welcome to the 21st century," a sarcastic Solberg commented.
"We're just playing capture the flag while defeating an enemy much larger than anything we've fought before," the Commander mumbled in disappointment.