City Outskirts, Buenos Aires, Argentina

9/21/17- 8:05 PM

Under the night sky, I sat in my armor, fresh from an evening shooting gallery. I stared at the stars, helmet off, drinking a crinkled bottle of water. I breathed in and out, closing my eyes as I did so, the cool evening air touching my face. For good measure, I lifted the bottle and poured some water on my head.

Man, that feels good.

"Hey, that was some nice shooting back there."

I turned around. Zoe was there in her armor as well, face sweaty.

"Oh, hey."

She sat down next to me. "Can I have a sip?"

"Sure, have the rest if you want. I'm done with it."

"Thanks." She drank the water, aahing as she finished it up. "Man, that's good."

"Why're you out here?"

"I was curious."

"About?"

"XCOM. I had a few questions, if you don't mind."

I smirked. "Do you want the non-classified answers or the non-classified ones?"

"Mm. That's a tough choice. I think I'll go with non-classified."

"Good answer. So, what's your question?"

"I heard Tang and the others talking at lunch yesterday. You're really friends with Caelior? The Ethereal?"

My eyebrows shot up. "I'm sorry, who said what now?"

"Oh, they weren't talking trash or anything. They were just chatting, and one of them said something like 'oh yeah, I feel bad for Dawn. I heard she's good friends with Caelior, she hasn't seen him in months' or something like that."

"Huh. Well, they're not wrong. And you're not wrong either."

"You're really friends with Caelior?"

I nodded. "Yep!"

She looked genuinely surprised. "Now how did that happen?"

I smiled. "Tell me, Zoe, have you ever wondered what playing basketball with an Ethereal- actually, make that two Ethereals would be like?"

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, then opened it again. "Okay, now you're fucking with me, right?"

"Hold please." I pulled out my XCOM-issued phone, scrolling through my pictures. "Aaand...here!" Holding up the phone, I turned the phone screen to her, who stared at the image before her jaw hit the ground, staring at the image of our two resident Ethereals in jerseys, holding basketballs.

"Are they wearing fucking jerseys?"

"Yep! Only in XCOM, Zoe. Only in XCOM."

She shook her head. "Unbelievable. How did that go?"

"Well, I used my extremely lacking basketball skills to score the final goal." I chuckled. "Guess that's one thing I can do that Aegis can't."

So that's how you two met?"

"Yeah. We started hanging out, and then we just kinda grew close from there. Guy loves video games and Disney movies, if you can believe that."

"You're just full of surprises aren't you, Dawn? What's next, you're a teleporter too?"

I shook my head. "Nah. I know some people who are, though."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. Can't say much more about them, though."

She shook her head. "Unbelievable. So like, you and Caelior. What do you do together?"

I shrugged. "Pretty much anything two humans would do, really. Talk, hang out- that kind of stuff, It's not as impressive or world-shattering as you'd like to believe."

"Huh. Tell me, what's your home like?"

"Nashville?"

"Yeah. Never been to America."

"Yeah, it's a decent place. Lots of sports stuff if you like that, football-excuse me, American football. Ahem." I cleared my throat. "We have a lot of that there. Go Titans! They call us the Volunteer State."

"Why's that?"

"Ooh, a history lesson! Alright, so basically, well, long story short- well, the history's a bit shaky, but for either the war of 1812 or the Mexican-American War, we sent a whole bunch of volunteers to both wars. We sent so much that people started referring to us as the 'Volunteer State'. Looking back, I guess I can see how that's relevant now, seeing as if we win, they get to call themselves the birthplace of XCOM's youngest soldier."

"I guess they can. You think they'll name places after you?"

I snorted. "Please. If I even know a little bit about politicians, they'll do just that. 'Conley Memorial Bridge'. 'Conley Memorial Highway'." I shook my head. "Hell, they'll probably slap my name on a bunch of super obscure stuff. 'Oh, did you Dawn Conley sat on this bench once?' 'Oh, did you know she went to this playground as a kid?'" I shrugged. "I wouldn't mind it, though. Little bit of fame wouldn't hurt."

"You seem pretty...well, nonchalant with all of this."

"When you see the things I do, you tend to rework your definition of what is and what's not possible. I went from complaining about my schoolwork and delivering A's on my report card to complaining about waking up early and not sleeping in on my new job and delivering explosions."

She shrugged. "Fair enough."

"So, what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. If this all goes well and you live - what do you want?"

"What do I want? With what?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Just...life, I guess. I haven't really thought about any of that stuff since I joined the PRIESTs, and then XCOM." I shook my head. "I barely know how to drive, I don't know how to do taxes, I've only had one job, and hell, I barely knew what I wanted to do once I left college. I left highschool not knowing what to do with my life, and now I'm just-I don't know anymore, really. I dreamed of having something like this happening to me, but now that I have it, I don't know what to think. What am I supposed to do after this if all goes well - which it probably won't? I feel like I can't go back to normal life after what I've seen and done."

"And you're afraid of what if you lose?"

I shrugged. "If it comes to that, I can just blow my Restraints, I guess. I haven't really put that much thought into it. And every day it feels less and likely the Collective's going to win. Its whole design is doomed to fail."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Where do I even start? Their soldiers don't even know why they're here, and die based on pure faith, because they have to, or because they're literal slaves. They have no motivation. 'In the name of the Elders'." I shook my head.

I couldn't tell her about the Imperator's mad plan for the Sovereigns, or even about the Sovereigns themselves. Part of me wondered how she'd react, though.

Yes Zoe, the one reason we're not all under the Imperator's boot is because of a big psionic space squid who likes water and eats whales and happens to have a thing for weapons and antimatter. Oh, and the reason Patricia betrayed is isn't because she's a fake controlled by the Imperator, oh no - that's actually her, and she wants to 'liberate' us from T'Leth (that's his name, by the way, just roll with it) because she thinks he's enslaved us to use in endless wars so, get this- the Imperator can enslave us and use us in endless wars!

"Wait, really?"

"Really what?"

"They really just fight for the Ethereals? No motivation other than that?"

"Well, it's complicated. The Vitakara live in a facist authoritarian's wet dream under the control of what's basically an alien combination of the SS, Gestapo, and KGB. People disappear every day back on their planets and colonies for speaking out and they're so fucking brainwashed they just go about it. As much as the Vitakara fascinate me as a people, they're way too naive and passive. They're a scam artists' field day. Maybe we can change that, but we'll see."

"And the Andromedons?"

I shrugged. I knew why, but I didn't say. "Guess they just found it appealing. They do like fighting after all. And the Sectoids just got mindfucked into joining. Free will? What's that?"

She chuckled. "Fair enough. Well then." She stood up. "Thanks for the talk, Dawn."

"No problem. See you around, Zoe."

"See ya."

As she walked off, I looked into the night sky again. Inviting and mysterious as ever, but at the same time, beautiful in its own way.

If only the people and things that were out there were more sane, eh?

But we could bring change out there.

Someday.

City Outskirts, Buenos Aires, Argentina

9/25/17- 10: 37 AM

We all stood around the table, eyeing the maps and the holo-display.

This was it. This was our big move against the aliens. Now that the cartels were gone for good, we could focus on the aliens - and hoo boy, were we going to focus.

And by 'focus' I meant 'kill them all', of course.

"The Cartels are out, and our domestic control has become dominant." Elijah said. "This is the moment you've all been waiting for." He waved a hand over the holo-display, it shifted.

A map of the nation displayed itself, lines weaving and ducking and flowing through. The lines combined to a singular point. Their communications base, the central node of their network.

"This, this is the beating heart of local Collective communications," he swept a hand across the display. Smiling. "All of their communications are routed through here, and all of their coordinate data. By tracking the Cartels' dealings, we've located their auxiliary locations. We know their outposts, and we can see the faultlines, we have awareness of the positions and patrols.."

He tapped the base. "Air assets, and missile artillery has been snuck in, combined Lancer and Inquisitor squadrons are prepared to take down anti-air installations. All that remains is us, we take down their base, steal their coordinate data."

"So what happens after that?" Zoe asked.

"Then several hundred precision missiles annihilate enemy positions," Elijah grinned. "In one fell swoop, we cut them down."

"So the Cartels did us all a favor." Enrique snorted. "Never thought I'd be saying that in my life."

"More than one, yes. Most importantly, they've made a few visits to the communications outpost, our ultimate target. The layout, guard situation, personnel - almost all of it's there."

"So when are we going to hit it?" I asked.

"One week from now." He said. "We wait for more ADVENT supplies to come in, do some more reconnaissance to make sure all the intel check out, and then we attack."

The holo-display shifted again, showing a layout of the facility. It was big. Surrounded by a huge wall, force-field gate, a massive communication equipment setup with towers and dishes, the whole nine yards. A large barracks in the back, along with several Gateways and general working spaces. The whole place was about as big as a small apartment complex.

"This place is vital to the Collective operation in South America. Taking it down will disrupt communications all across the continent, and possibly impede their overall progress by weeks, if not months. Of course, they'll try to rebuild, but that will take time, and continue to delay and hinder the Collective's progress. Time ADVENT won't give them. Not only that, but it also serves as a sort of listening post - destroying it will hinder the Zararch's reach and influence in the region as well."

"What about the troop makeup?" Tang asked. "I'm assuming this place isn't just open for us to just walk right in."

"Quite the contrary. There's a large number of Vanguards and Custodians there, as well a contingent of Muton Berserkers. There are also some Zararch operatives in the facility which oversee various parts of the facility."

"So what's our game plan? We can't just walk in through the front door."

"Not quite." Elijah zoomed out the holomap to reveal the surrounding area. "There's a base nearby that has a Gateway connection to the facility. The ADVENT forces with us can operate the Gateway, and we slip right in." He looked at me. "Dawn, if possible, I'll need you to control the base's commander, have them regularly communicate that there's no trouble to ward off any suspicion. We need to be as quiet as possible until we go through that Gateway. We can't risk discovery."

I nodded. "I can do that.

He smiled. "Good. Knew you could. We'll need a team to guard the gateway to prevent it from being destroyed, so we can use it to escape."

"And if that fails?"

Elijah nodded to Rafal. "If necessary, we can contact one of our teleporters on standby. We've got a direct radio link to the Praesidium, and there should only be a several-minute delay."

"XCOM will have us covered if things get bad. I hope you can live up to that promise."

"We will."

"Moving on, the base is powered by a small on-site elerium reactor. It's located underground. However, if we can rig explosive charges on it and destabilize it, we can level the entire place, wipe the slate clean. If we cannot access the reactor or the explosives do not work, we will target the communications equipment, located in the center of the compound."

He looked up, shutting off the holo-display. "We'll go through more details later, but for now, that's all."

City Outskirts, Buenos Aires, Argentina

9/27/17- 3:46 PM

I walked back to my crate, tired from another day of training the psions. They were getting better - all of them. How could they not? They were focused, ready to learn, and had more than enough motivation to get better. And they had.

I guess Aegis and Geist really did have an effect on me, damn. Who knew?

They weren't Priests, but they were damn close. After all, who could brag that they'd been trained by XCOM psions - one being XCOM's youngest soldier? Tang had been helpful too, her shields coming in handy to act as targets or to practice being an enemy Aegii. I, on the other hand, made their training a semi-hell (only sometimes) with my telepathy. None of them were telepaths, but their will to resist had gotten damn good.

As for Tang and I actually training without the Dreamscape? Well, that was another story.

Shooting at makeshift targets was one thing - it wasn't the Dreamscape, but it was something. If anything, it was a well-deserved snap back to reality for me. Not everyone in ADVENT could use the Dreamscape. Not everyone could train on a daily basis with Ethereals and living legends like Geist or Bronis. Not everyone had a super-comfy base with all the amenities one could imagine.

And not everyone had what I had.

I was...less mortal, in a way, then the rest. But still mortal.

But when it came to mortality and time..well, it was historical in and of itself. A testament to the war from the past that, in a way, had been like a preview for what to come years later. From leveling cities with bombs and missiles to one person whose mastery of an interdimensional force that rewrote physics as we knew it bending reality to their will. From people on crosses to...whatever the fuck you called Beijing.

I chuckled as I remembered that, legally, under ADVENT, I was classified as a weapon of mass destruction, on the same level as a nuclear bomb, sarin gas, and anthrax. It was a chilling thing to know - dark humor was a hell of a drug. Knowing that what you could do could end so many lives, ruin so much with just a thought, with a snap of a finger.

I knew now - no, understood now how Patricia felt. Looking down upon the masses, judging them for the sake of being under you, enjoying the sweet, sweet satisfaction as you crushed

them.

Sometimes it was tempting - I knew it well. Sometimes it felt like it was calling to you, begging to be used. But you had to fight it. Killing people wasn't fun, even with all the coats of paint XCOM put it. You had to remember that it wasn't a game, as much as it felt like one.

That was the difference between us and the Avatars, you see. Take away the Ethereal connection and you have just another human psion in fancy armor. Their dependence on the Ethereals made them weak, in a way. The Patricia Trask of XCOM was easily beatable by today's standards- a telepath cannot block a missile or bullet, nor could overpower a robot.

It made me wonder just how much of her was really left under there.

I remembered her file, which the Commander sent to me after our last talk. What Yates had written about her...reading it now was like reading a kind of eerily chilling prophecy. What Yates said would happen, did happen. Like it was inevitable or something.

"So long as you understand this. Take some time to think about it, and how you'll react if you're in a situation where you are challenged - truly challenged - as to what you really believe. Do that, and you will not become Patricia. And from what I've seen, you will be prepared if that decision faces you."

The Commander was right. But Elijah had challenged me. He's just come along and dropped the sickest philosophy I'd heard since high school. He made me think about what I did, why I was doing what I did - the high school me from a year ago would've just written him off as a crazy person playing 4D chess and just walk away and blow it off, but now?

Now every day made you think. Sure, part of my reason for joining XCOM was just 'screw it, let's see what happens!', but I couldn't just see everything that way now. My mindset couldn't stay the same forever.

I had to change.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

10/1/17- 6: 46 PM

"Everyone ready?"

I nodded, as did the rest of my team and the thirty-or-so fighters hunkered down in the ruined buildings just outside the vicinity of the base, which was built on the remnants of a dilapidated park. Well, it was more of a forward outpost if anything, really. Not too tactically important, but it was important to us - its Gateway, at least.

But we weren't alone - a team of engineers and drone operators had accompanied us, as well as some much bigger attack drones being flown with their real operators halfway around the world in London manning them. ADVENT really was taking this seriously, and I felt a bit more pressure on me.

No time to think about that, though. Everyone was waiting on me. First, some subversion.

"Elijah, ready to telepathically manipulate the base commander."

"You are a go."

I closed my eyes, my influence creeping into the base like a snake. No enemy psions- the biggest threat there were a few Custodians, mostly Vitakara. I quickly found the commander, at her desk, looking at her monitor. In a moment, I seized control of her mind, her body briefly stiffening as she felt me take over.

Here's what's going to happen, ok? You're going to continue this outpost's activities as normal. No issues, right? But, some friends of mine are coming to visit. I'm going to tell your soldiers to do some things, but you're just going to let it happen, okay? All you have to do is stay in that room and transmit that information as you normally would.

Her mind told me she obeyed, nodding as she continued to stare blankly at the screen. Her loyalty was not in question, not at all.

Good.

I reached out to the minds of the organic troops, all Runiararch. New recruits, I could tell by their minds.

The Custodians have malfunctioned! They are hostile to you, I repeat, they have turned hostile. Take out all Custodians!

I watched through their eyes as they cut down the Custodians on-site with a hail of plasma fire, quickly cutting them all down.

Good. I have new orders for you. Unlock the front gate.

Several of the soldiers did without hesitation, the metal gate retracting.

You're going to have us walk in. You're not going to shoot us. We're going to do things, and you will stand at attention and continue as normal. If I say so, you will help us defend the base. If you do not, I will kill you. I have other people with me. If they order you to do something you will do it.

I looked back at the group, nodding. "We can go in."

"But the soldiers are still alive!"

I nodded, smiling under my helmet. "I know. They will act as our guards. Their minds are mine, remember? I put psionic commands in them. They're not gonna do shit. Besides, it gives us more cover. I think some of them can operate the Gateway."

Everyone turned to look at Elijah and Rafal, and nodded. "Ok. Move in, everyone."

The group rose out of the collection of ruined buildings and walked right into the outpost, all of the Vitakara standing there motionless, staring off into space like zombies.

"Fucking creepy," Zoe commented. "And they're going to just...stand there?"

"Yep! Consider them temporary allies. Hell, they can even take orders from you."

"Seriously?"

I shrugged. "Try it for yourself."

She walked over to one of the soldiers, staring into his helmet. "Hey," she said in her best English. "Give me your gun, right now."

He nodded. "As you command. It is fully loaded ready for use."

She chuckled, staring at the outstretched hands holding the gun. "Damn. Looks like you really got the touch." She snapped a finger in front of his face, with no reaction. "Now that's just creepy."

"Let's move people!" Rafal looked at me. "Dawn, can you get the personnel to activate the Gateway?"

I nodded. "Of course." I focused again on the base commander, as well as several of the soldiers. An idea came to my mind.

Contact the communications facility, let them know you're sending over some supplies. Better yet, activate the Gateway after and send some people through as cover for us.

I felt the commander issue orders to her soldiers, who obeyed. The Gateway turned one, the swirling purple vortex appearing inside of the ring. Several Vitakarians stood by it, ready to go in as 'cover'.

"Elijah, Gateway's up. We follow the aliens through, and then it's showtime."

"Roger. Okay, defense team stays here, covers the Gateway. Everyone else, with us!"

We followed the aliens in - for many, this was their first time using a Gateway, much less going through it. I felt their worry and anxiety reverberating from their minds.

Will it work?

Does it hurt?

That thing looks intimidating.

Fortunately, Tang seemed to sense it too. "It's alright, everyone. It's just like walking through a door. Doesn't hurt or anything."

"Move out! Let's go! Rafal and Elijah were at the front of the formation, preparing to enter. Anastasiya and Sofea would stay behind, as well as Marco and Jairo, staying behind to provide extra support - or reinforcements - if anything went to shit, that is.

And knowing XCOM's modus operandi, something usually did.

We followed the aliens through the portal, into what looked like the back of the target facility. Standing there, waiting for us, was a ranking officer surrounded by some Mutons, a little welcome party for us, I guess. No one else was around, though there was no doubt there were some security cameras or other monitoring devices nearby.

"We didn't expect a supply delivery so soon-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his guards dropped dead, and his mind was mine. I quickly scoured it for information, finding what I needed.

Go back to your post, disable as many systems as you can. Open every door possible, cut this place off. Don't be afraid to kill if someone stops you.

He ran off, leaving us alone.

"What happened?"

"Oh, he's complying with orders from his new commanding officer, Elijah." I looked around. Besides loads of cargo boxes, not much else here. Must be a storage lot - explained why they put the Gateway here. "C'mon, we have to move. Place is't going to be quiet for long. I know a way to the reactor. We should split up- one team takes the fight outside, the other goes down under and sabotages it."

"You sure?"

"Very."

Rafal took the initiative. "Explosives experts, come with me. Juana, back me up." He nodded to me. "We'll split up when we reach the area, alright?"

"Got it."

"What about the aliens?" He gestured to the immobile Vitakarians standing around us.

I shrugged, killing most of them, save two that knew how to operate Gateways with a thought. "Not needed anymore. Made good cover. Leaving these two, though. They can work the Gateway for us. They'll be staying here. C'mon."

We moved, Rafal taking point with his sidearm, us moving through the opening in the wall where the door would be. We all walked through it, single-file, into a corridor leading to what I assumed was the main area. I could sense minds and voice chatting nearby.

"That door leads into a courtyard. Bunch of hostels outside. We got...Mutons, Vitakara, a few Sectoids, Custodians, too." I looked behind me. "Everyone ready?"

A chorus of nods of heads covered in various helmets answered. The drone operators readied their drones, and HUD detected several high-altitude drones descending, preparing to engage and cut off any routes in or out, be they escaping enemies or reinforcements.

"Go!"

We charged through the door into the courtyard, catching the aliens off guard. I opened with a simple telepathic attack on the Sectoids, taking down the psionic enemies. We opened up with a hail of gunfire, cutting down enemies that weren't in cover. I noticed that some weren't even dressed as soldiers - engineers or techs, probably,

I shot them all the same.

The team dived into cover, Rafal covering the explosives people as they hunkered down behind a large terminal. The quiet blackness of the night sky lit up with the flashes of green plasma purple psionic energy and red-and-orange explosions.

"Rafal!" I pointed to the left of the area, where a small blast door lay closed. "Reactor entrance's right there! I'll cover you so you and your guys can get the data!"

He nodded. "Got it!" he waved at the ADVENT men carrying the explosives, as well as the engineers. "Follow me, on my signal! Dawn, whenever you're ready!"

With that, I aimed my Psi rifle, crouching as I moved from behind the box, shooting a Custodian in the head.

I looked for the logistics staff, the alien non-combatant; engineers, technicians, medics. With a thought, they took my order, picking up guns ro fight for us, aiding us and helping.

Violet, being Violet, blasted a charging Muton with psionic energy, burning away half of its body and sending its carcass flying, yellow blood painting the metal ground and walls. The others weren't doing so bad- Rafal was sniping people by angling his rifle on a box, Juana was picking people up and snapping their necks.

The other psions were doing damn good jobs, too. Lorenzo was shielding some of our fighters, blocking several plasma shots, just like Tang. Juana kept doing her thing, as she noticed a wounded resistance fighter and used her power to pull him to her group, who began treating them. Violet, being the poster girl of the resistance, was at the front, pushing like a bull who'd just seen red, shooting and melting on the fly, occasionally yelling various expletives in Spanish that I didn't bother to try to translate.

Overhead, several missiles flew down from the sky and struck enemy positions, blowing enemies to pieces and sending them flying, the explosions rocking the previously silent night, shattering the skies. It felt like a video game- the chaos, the destruction, all of it felt too surreal.

In any other situation? Yeah. But not here.

Watching them wreak havoc made me feel a kind of pride I hadn't felt in a while- if ever, actually. Watching my de facto 'students' kick so much ass thanks to the effort I'd put in. Watching them act like real soldiers, killing like real soldiers- that had all been me.

Is this what Aegis and Geist felt like, watching their students do so well?

Was this how it felt to see my work pay off from their point of view? Seeing me go on missions and all that?

Remind me to thank them when I get back.

Goddamn, my training paid off.

"Go!"

I moved with Rafal and his little team, picking off enemies as I went. I went first, with them trailing behind me. A Vitakarian popped out behind a crate, firing. His head exploded with a psionic bolt. A Custodian nearly clipped one of the explosives team. A burst ripped through its chest. A Cobrarian charged towards Rafal, dodging one of Violet's shots. She died instantly with a thought.

Overhead, the command center, located in a short watchtower, exploded as someone threw a grenade or two. Bodies flew, aliens died, things exploded in a shower of red and orange- it was like something in slow motion, like I was in a kind of battle trance, stuck in the flow.

Aim. Shoot. Kill. Think. Kill. Move. Shoot. Kill. Again and again.

The sounds of battle seemed almost deafened, muted, like I'd turned the sound off. I ignored the purple flames around me, just shooting and killing. It was something you got used to as a soldier. The first few times you'd hear gunfire, you'd flinch. But after a while, you just got used to it.

In the moment, you felt like a force of nature. When they see an enemy like a Titan or Herald, they have to run. But when you're in XCOM, when you're in your armor, holding your gun - you can fight the big guys. You can fight the storm.

You can win.

Rafal and his guys were almost to the door, when it slid open, and-

"Titan!"

A massive Oyariah, bigger than even Xarian, charged out with a roar, massive hammer in hand.

"Fall back!" Rafal and his team began to run as he charged us, ready to bash our heads in.

I eyed the charging beast, instead choosing to stick out a hand.

My mind entered his. I could have easily taken him over, made him fight for us.

But that would not be the case with him.

I felt the makeup of his spine. I felt the bone and flesh within, carrying the weight of the massive alien as it charged towards us. I focused, picturing the spine in my mind, wrapping my influence around it, the cells shifting as they all bent to my will.

Melt.

The cells obeyed, shifting to accommodate their new master. He twitched as he felt his spine shift, but it was too late for him.

His spine melted, stone and skin in all, his spine bisected as he fell over, unable to use his legs. I quickly killed him with a thought, almost painlessly ending his life.

I smiled. "Show's over, people. Let's finish the job." I turned around to Rafal, staring at me. It felt eerily silent. Had we killed everyone?

"Go. I'll cover you and your guys if anything happens."

He nodded, running off into the opened door with his team. I walked over to Tang and Violet, looking around the base. Scorch and burn marks dotted the place, with dead bodies strewn all over. A few of our people were hit, but they were being treated.

"That all of them?" I asked. Tang nodded.

"Looks like it. We cleared them out for now. Well, this part, anyway."

I nodded. "Where's Elijah?"

"Over here!" I turned around, seeing him running over to me. "I've got good news and bad news."

"Yeah?"

"Good news is, we found another Gateway and blew it up. No one's going to be using it. Bad news is, some Sectoid transports are coming, They're on their way right now!"

An air of anxious dread settled in. Resistance fighters glanced at each other. ADVENT soldiery nervously glanced left and right, at their comrades. More enemies. A bigger fight. A more dangerous fight. Chatter erupted.

My heart almost skipped a beat. "How long?"

"A few minutes at most."

"Shit!" I cursed through my teeth. "That's a lot of guys."

I heard laughter, loud, raucous, laughter. It turned into a ringing, deep throated growl.

"Are they insulting us?" Elijah asked, roaring. He tore off his helmet, baring his face.

Soldiers stiffened, resistance fighters stopped chattering.

"Insulting?" Tang shook her head. "If words could kill-"

"Don't jinx it, Tang!"

"I am insulted. This, this is an insult. So I ask again, are you as insulted as I am?" he turned towards their men. "We make ghosts of this comedy they call soldiery, and they send this insult against us? This mockery of our valor, of our courage, of our ire?"

Resistance fighters, ADVENT soldiery, and us XCOM operatives standing out in the front.

Right at the vanguard.

"This is an insult! And I will not be insulted!" Elijah roared. "Do any of you accept this insult? This dishonor? This miserable mockery of a counter assault?"

"No!" the men roared back.

"No, no, we will not be insulted like this!" Elijah roared. "We've not come here to slink back. We've come here to make them lament, to make them dread our names. Soldiers! I ask of you, won't you die clawing and biting?"

"Yes sir!"

"I want this place turned to a death zone, now!" Elijah ordered, men sprinted to obey his order. He turned towards the engineer. "How long do you need?"

The engineer looked up from his laptop. "How long can you give me?"

"Five minutes at most. Rafal and his men are down in the reactor preparing to blow it, and the data core's down that way." He pointed away from the wreckage of the base towards a relatively untouched part of the base, 'guarded' by a destroyed gate. "A few of our fighters can guard you. Make it quick."

I looked towards some of the alien logistical and engineering staff, still carrying guns. "They can help you crack security. I'll send them with you as backup."

He nodded. "Thank you, sir." They ran off with their equipment and a few of our men. With a thought, the aliens followed.

Boots stormed, men ran, turrets emplaced. Overhead, we heard the low hum of sectoid transports. The ground trembled from the transports landing. It would only be a few moments, a minute or two, before they were hit.

The engines screamed, and the soldiers marched through the front gate, several Archons flew overhead.

Elijah put on his helmet. "Open fire."

Machine guns opened fire. Rockets blasted out, infantry weaved in and out of windows, firing in staccato bursts.

"Shall we introduce ourselves?" Elijah asked, head turned towards me.

I targeted the Archons, overriding their minds and turning them against their friends, raining down plasma fire. Violet created a rift, annihilating a group of Custodians. Tang cut a horde of charging Elites in half, painting the others in yellow blood. Juanita snapped the necks of a squad of Vitakara. And the resistance gave the hordes all they had, cheers and yells amplified with the hail of green plasma and exploding grenades, both human and alien.

And through it all, I heard Elijah's voice.

"Cry in ire, for that which is higher!"

And we did.

We cried with our voices, with the fire in our hearts, and most importantly, with gunfire.

The guns and power we wielded spoke with our conviction, for the aliens had none. They fought because they were told to do so, because they were blind sheep following their shepherds, pigs raised and sent to the slaughter.

It is why they would lose.

Because other than their blind faith in their false gods and their soulless meat sack puppets who hid behind masks, they had nothing else.

As they were cut down, some made it past, climbing over the wreckage and ruin and taking up positions, potshotting us. We used the environment around us to our advantage - crates were walls, dead Mutons as meat shields, all while stripping them of their armor and weapons and using it against them.

We were magnificent.

I extended my reach, turning enemy against enemy. Vitakarians pulled the pins on their own grenades, Mutons turned their guns on their friends, and the few Dath'Haram medics to good use, turning into a green horde and mobbing enemies at random, using their superior agility to pile them and beat them to death before the non-organic soldiers took them down.

I was magnificent.

Seeing them, the ones who did not have the power us psions did, changing their behavior and selves so quickly - it would've been funny if it hadn't been real; which it was. Seeing pacifists turn into a raging bloodthirsty mob, friend turn on friend, comrade turn on comrade- it was chaos.

It scared me. To take people and turn them into weapons - it reminded me of what it could easily do to me, given the right chances.

It was intoxicating, and it was terrifying.

"Look out! Sectopod!

A Sectopod bounded over the ruined front gate, scanning and opening fire on us.

"Fall back! Fuck!"

Several resistance members were torn apart by the machine as we turned around. Rafal and his guys were still downstairs with the reactor.

C'mon, hurry the fuck up man.

Elijah shouted. "Psions! Damage it if you can! Grab those plasma launchers!"

"Why can't we use the drones?"

"We're too close to it? You want to kill it and us too?"

Fair point.

One man close to me reached for his, but a missile from the Sectopod blew up near him, the shockwave sending him flying. The large black tube dropped from his body, clattering to a halt on the ground. I looked at the machine, which had turned away from him and was moving towards Elijah, who'd taken some people and were making a run for the wrecked watchtower.

So, I either run and let them get wiped out, or I pick up this plasma launcher and do something really stupid.

I dashed over to the launcher, looking at it. I stowed my psi rifle, grunting as I picked up the gun, wobbling a bit as I did my best to heave it over my left shoulder.

I guess I'm with stupid, then.

I took a kneeling position, hefting the weapon and aiming the business end at the machine's rear end. I took aim, and fired, pulling the trigger.

The kick knocked me forward off my feet, sending me facepalming into the metal ground. A loud green explosion shook the Sectopod as the projectile made impact, ripping of its right leg. It fell over onto the ground smoking, but very much still alive.

"Psions! Hit that thing now, damnit! It's still fucking on!"

"Copy."

"Si."

Violet aimed her hands at the Sectopod, glowing with psionic power as a Rift appeared over it, the Psionosphere tearing and cracking around it as it ripped through its armor, blowing out its side and scorching it, turning its grey armor black.

Juana roared, picking up the Sectopod and ripping off its other leg before smashing it into the ground. It blindly fired its plasma weapons around, lying there as it tried to move with no legs, only to get by another rift from Violet, ripping it in half and putting it down for good.

"Sectopod down, by my hand! Whew, that was a tough fucker!"

"Who shot that plasma launcher?"

"Me!"

"Fucking hell, Dawn." Elijah breathed a sigh of relief. "Rafal, you better have those damn charges in place, or else I'm coming down there with some grenades."

"Charges are set. Apologies, things got a little rough down here with security. Have that Gateway ready, we're coming back up."

A minute later, Rafal and his team moved out of the blast door, looking at the destruction we've been so busy causing during his absence. "Holy-"

"Yeah, work got a little tough. Dropped a Sectopod on our collective asses. We need to move."

Rafal nodded, and we moved away. "Charges will blow in seven minutes. They're rigged so any attempt to interfere means they'll blow early."

"Nice! Let's move!"

"What about the dead?"

"No time, Violet. They'll be buried along with this entire base. They'll be remembered."

I sensed some Humans approaching - the engineers!

"Elijah! The engineers are back!" He turned his head, walking over to them.

"How did it go? Do you have the data?"

They nodded. "All of it. Coordinates, names, places, everything. Ready to extract."

Elijah reloaded his assault rifle. "Objective met. Send the retreat order, have the aerial drones come in for a bombardment."

"Will do," an engineer said, typing into his laptop. "Done," he said, packing up and moving.

"Let's go, people!" Elijah roared. "Job's done, and we've got homes to get back to!"

Violet muttered something under her breath as we moved out of the courtyard and back-

An explosion tore through the hole in the wall, knocking us off our feet. More explosions and gunshots peppered us, as our cover was torn away bit by bit from more advancing troops.

"More enemies!" I shouted. "And they brought some more firepower!"

More Mutons, Vitakara, and Custodians, some armed with plasma launchers like our own, moved in as more transports landed.

"Cover fire while the Vitakara activate the Gateway!" Rafal shouted. "Kill them all!"

We moved into the starting area, me psionically commanding the Vitakarians to activate the Gateway so we could all get the hell out of there. More enemies advanced, so I fired. Same shit, different moment. I pulled out one of my trusty Dynamo grenades, primed it, and threw it, landing in the middle of some Cobrarians.

The Psionosphere tore around them, ripping their bodies apart in a gruesome fashion. I saw some of the Vitakarians behind them almost recoil in disgust, which gave me enough time to mind-control the and have them unload on their allies from behind.

C'mon baby, raise that kill count. C'mon.

I moved up a little, pushing the initiative. Enemies died from a thought or turned on each other. With a throw of a Dynamo grenade, I tore them apart. I felt the plasma bolt hit my psionic shields, shrugging off the hits.

C'mon, you.

I fired again, taking the head off a Muton Elite. I moved again, gunning down two Custodians who got too close to comfort.

Just keep shooting.

"Dawn!" Elijah called out. "Pull back!"

Just keep shooting.

"Dawn! Move back!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a Custodian on the roof of the ruined watchtower, holding something. The glint of its black armor reflected off of my green visor as I saw it aiming its weapon.

Plasma rifle? Sniper rifle?

No…

My eyes widened as I realized what it was.

"Plasma launcher-"

I never finished the sentence as the Custodian fired, the projectile hitting the ground in front of me.

A shockwave slammed into my body, followed by an equally strong wave of heat. My visor blew open, its shards hitting my face. My ribs, arms, and legs snapped, my skin burning as my armor was ripped apart. In the span of a second, I was blown off my feet, hitting the wall behind me, making a dent as the shock from that rocked my body. I felt something snap in my back as I hit the ground.

I felt pain like I'd never had before.

I felt like I was on fire.

I felt a fear that I'd never had before.

I felt like I was going to die.

Right now.

So I screamed.

"Covering fire!" I think it was Elijah, but I could barely see. I felt warm blood all over my face, and I could barely move any of my limbs.

They were all attached - I think. My legs were twisted at a weird angle. My neck felt like mush, but I think it'd taken less of a hit than everywhere else. I think something had happened to my skull, as I felt blood trickling from the back of my head. I..I couldn't focus, not anymore. I felt his presence run over to me, kneeling by my broken body. I tried to say something, but I felt…

I couldn't feel anything.

Elijah stood over me. "You're okay, lioness, you're fine!"

He shot a charging Muton, holding, whirling around and firing away. His gun clicked dry. He let it drop, his sling keeping it on him. He hauled me over his shoulders and ran.

"You'll be fine!" He growled, pulling out his pistol.

I felt the shots, like tiny shockwaves, vibrate across me.

FuckfuckfuckfuckfuckImgonnadieImgonnadie.

"You're safe, lioness," Elijah whispered, firing left and right and running and sprinting. "I have you."

Momma, I'm sorry.

I couldn't feel my legs or feet at all. They were bleeding-badly. I couldn't move my toes - I didn't know if I even still had any toes. My armor below my chest was almost completely scorched.

"You'll be back home," Elijah threw a grenade, blowing apart a Muton. He dropped me, reloaded, I felt three Ruinarch soldiers die.

He pulled his pistol and fired twice.

Four.

He hauled me and went back to running. "You've got a life ahead of you, you'll live, and you'll stand high and proud."

A grenade exploded nearby, shrapnel spearing and impaling him. Sticking out of him. Blood dripped down. He laughed, he ran, and he spoke to me. Calming. Assuring.

Dad, help me

Gracegraceplease do something

Someone...Caelior...Kunio...Aegis...Geist...Sierra…anyone.

Commander?

We both saw it. The glint of sniper scopes, aimed right at me. Several. They had us. They could shoot straight through any of the walls, through any cover, and hit us. Four of them, all at once.

"No fear, my lioness." Elijah grinned into my helmet. "You're safe and sound."

He threw me behind cover, kneeled. And took aim. He fired away, round after round. Pin-point accurate. Two snipers down. Two snipers left.

Two beams of plasma grazed him, he fell. Rolling across the ground, he stood back and fired again. Another sniper fell.

"You're not alone, there's nothing to be scared of," Elijah repeated. He dragged me behind cover, between the corner of two broken walls, heaving and gasping for breath. "Don't be afraid. You're safe. I've got you."

No. Nononononono. I couldn't die, not not. Not after all this.

But when he said those words, I felt something through the pain. As I started to bleed out, coughing and choking, I felt a small flicker of warmth inside me. Like a parent hugging their child, telling them they were ok. Like me hugging my old dog before he was taken to be put down at the vet. My mom hugging me before I left to join XCOM.

I didn't want them to see me like this. Bloodied, broken, so close to death.

And yet…

A trio of Mutons rounded the corner, guns trained on me. The only way to take them down would be to stand up, drawing the last sniper's fire, and to aim for the Mutons helmets. Nearly impossible to do without them firing back. Without them killing both of us. Without the sniper taking a kill shot.

He couldn't take them all on.

Run.

I didn't want him to go. My vision was blacking out.

Save yourself.

I don't want to be alone.

Fucking bastard! Save yourself!

I don't want to die here.

"Hey lioness." Elijah smiled. "I've got you."

He jumped over my body, covering me with his, as he let loose. The gun dancing madly in his hands, bullet casings trailing vapor, endless rattle monotonous. The gunfire orange light in the dark.

The Mutons fired back.

Plasma beams ripped into him.

Bullets tore into them.

They fell.

I heard a long, blood wet laugh. "No fear, lioness, no fear."

"There's nothing to fear," he drew in a long, wheezing breath. I saw him take out his pin, and place it on me. "Nothing at all."

He took another breath, a shaking hand reloading his rifle. "No fear, lioness, never fear. We fight for a day that was promised."

Elijah staggered up. I could sense his pain. Blood seeped out of the gaping holes in his armor. He raised his rifle, taking aim right back at the sniper. Elijah's cry was a loud, roaring, scream of ire.

No. Stop. Stop it.

If he did hear me, he ignored me.

As we got closer, I felt Rafal moving towards us, providing fire support.

Don't die for me. Don't die for some fucking kid-

Blam.

Two shots.

One shimmering, lime-green plasma bolt.

Hit Elijah right in the head.

One bullet, glowing orange hot in the dark.

Hit the sniper right in the head.

He fell to the ground, hitting the concrete with a thud as I felt his life snuff out.

One moment, a vibrant man in the field of combat, his faith in his god, his boss, and his comrades fueling him through the fight.

Then, there was nothing.

I opened my mouth to scream. I really did.

But I couldn't.

I just couldn't.

So I began to cry, tears pouring out of my eyes.

"Berserker!"

A hulking berserker charged my broken body.

No, I'm not going out like this, god.

I'm not-

"Get away from her, you bitch!"

Violet's voice rang through the air as a rift immolated the Muton. She dashed over to me- I noticed the violet paint streak on her helmet - as she grabbed me, and dragged me behind a large storage container.

"You're going to be alright, amiga! Yeah?" She nodded, looking at me through the broken visor.

My mouth hung open like a moron, not saying anything.

Because I couldn't.

My vision was fuzzy, my vitals on my HUD were blinking a red. I felt blood start to drip out of my mouth.

Fuck.

I…

I felt blood trickling out of my mouth. My chest didn't feel right, like it all out of place. Something felt wrong with my heart.

"C-Caelior. You're not losing your sister. No-" I coughed, blood coming out of my mouth. "No, I'm not." I struggled to even get the words out of my mouth.

"I love you, Grace."

The world faded around me, my eyes trying and failing to stay open.

Panic filled my mind as I tried to say something, do anything.

I don't wanna die. No, no, no. Not now…

Is this how it feels?

And then I slipped into unconsciousness.

One Hour Later

"Where is she?"

"Right in here. She's in bad condition, and we don't have the resources to fix her. We did our best with what we have here, but-"

"I know. The Commander sent me as soon as he got your message. Thank you. "

"I won't keep you any longer. Her stuff's in the room with her, too. Make sure to take it."

"I'll make sure to. It's good you contacted us as soon as you did. Bronis and Aegis seemed especially worried about her."

The voice. I recognized it. Young, twenty-something woman. British.

Fiona? Is that you?

I felt her come close to me, a door swinging open, its old hinge creaking. My vision was almost all blacked out, but I could make out Fiona in her armor, my bag of stuff slung over her back, with her sword as well.

"Fuck, kid. You're messed up, bad. C'mon, you're going home now. You've done good, you hear me? You did a good job."

I tried to open my mouth, but she put a hand over my helmet.

"Shh. Rest."

With her two arms, she picked me up, bridal style. I couldn't see through her helmet, but I could tell her face was emanating nothing but concern.

With a green flash, the room changed from a grey, dusty room with steel walls to a bright, white, clean room. I immediately felt the minds around me.

The Praesidium.

I'm home.

How long has it been, months?

"Sleep, Dawn. Welcome home." I felt a calming feeling overcome me, and I gave in.

Home…

Medical Bay, Praesidium

10/7/17- 4:45 AM

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Is she awake?"

"I'm not sure. I think-"

"She is!"

I blinked several times, slowly opening my eyes. My armor was gone. I was in...a bed? Soft, comfy white sheets. A pillow propping my head up. What was I wearing? Some kind of gown? I noticed an IV tube hooked up to my right arm. I felt someone approach me, a woman in XCOM Medical staff garb holding a tablet.

"Dawn? Dawn Conley? Can you hear me?" She spoke in a comforting, soft voice. Motherly, even.

"Conley? Like the bartender from Dark Star Conley?" Another voice said in the background.

"Yuh-uhh…"

She turned to someone else, and nodded. "She's awake. Conscious." She turned back to me.

"My name's Doctor Erica. Can you move your head?"

I tried my best to move my head, a slight nod. My whole body felt numb. She gave me a thumbs-up and a cheerful smile.

"Good!" A second face entered the picture, a slightly older man. He took a seat by my bed.

"Dawn Conley. My name's Walter Holmes, Chief of XCOM Advanced Medical procedures. I deal with people who've had severe injuries." He looked at his tablet. "Well, young lady, to be frank, it's not good - but it's not all bad, either. You'll live, and fortunately, we won't have to replace any of your limbs."

I tried to smile, but only managed a half-decent Joker grin.

He nodded. "Well, to put it simply, your legs were almost rendered inoperable, you fractured your skull, nearly broke your back, over half of your ribs were cracked, and you suffered a concussion."

"Not..not good." I tried to speak, but I felt so out of it. My jaws worked fine, and my tongue seemed okay, but I felt so dazed.

"Don't worry about your speech, Dawn. You've got a lot of drugs in your body right now, so don't be worried if you feel a little tipsy."

I nodded. "O-okay."

"It's been six days since your injury. For your treatment, you have and will be getting more MELD in you to replenish your system, as well as a few surgeries. Some implants will be necessary, but you'll end up mostly flesh and bone."

The other doctor elbowed him. "Don't scare her, Holmes."

Very funny, doc. I've really got a bone to pick with that joke.

Huh. Guess I did feel a little better to use my telepathy now.

Both looked surprised for a moment, before they both waved it off. "She's a telepath, remember?"

Holmes shook his head. "Telepaths. Anyway, Dawn, you'll be confined here for a week or two. Once that's done, you may have to stay here another week or two. After that, if needed, you'll be dismissed, with some restrictions. Limited physical activity - that means no working out or sports."

"S-shit." I groaned. "What about the D-Dreamscape?"

"Your mental state is fine now, and will get better. Don't see why not. But none of that during your recovery, unfortunately."

I nodded. "Okay. I-wait!"

"What?"

"My team? What happened to my team?"

The two doctors exchanged glances. Walter nodded to Erica, who picked up a tablet and handed it to me. My arm shook, grasping the tablet and pulling into my grip, reading the words on the screen.

After-action report:

Submitted by Sniper Rafal Rothenstein, XCOM Squad Overseer for Operation: Pompadour.

Collective communication facility successfully sabotaged and destroyed. Estimated enemy casualties are approximately over hundred personnel dead. ADVENT Offensive successful, territorial gains continuing. Disruption of communications and logistics allowed opening for further ADVENT assaults, further weakening the Collective's hold in the area. Many local commanders dead and bases presumed destroyed. No organized Collective response detected at this time.

Friendly casualties minimal.

ADVENT operative Elijah Aziz was killed, and XCOM psion Dawn Conley was severely wounded via shoulder-mounted plasma launcher.

By immediate request (due to the resistance base not having proper medical supplies or tools to handle such injuries) Conley was extracted shortly after mission completion by Sovereign Agent Fiona Dorren.

"Aziz. So what's who you were." I muttered.

I sniffed.

He couldn't be dead.

No, no. He couldn't. Not after what we'd done.

I hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.

I sniffed.

"No, you're not dead." I said quietly. "No, you would've thought of something, damnit. The Lion must've said something."

But deep inside, I knew he was gone for good. I sniffed again, feeling the tears come again.

I set the tablet down on the stand next to me, about to pull my legs up when I winced in pain as it showed through my legs all the way down to my toes, my almost crying out in pain. I opted to lay back against the pillow and just sob.

"Let's give her a minute."

I felt the two doctors walk away, leaving me alone for the moment. I stared up at the ceiling, tears beginning to drip down my face as I thought of Elijah's death again and again.

You're dead because of me.

I killed you.

It's my fault.

Erica walked over to me, holding something wrapped in cloth. "The resistance sent this over, from one Elijah. There's a note." She handed it to me, which I took with both hands. "I'll leave you alone. Use the button near the bed if you need something."

I opened the cloth, my jaw dropping as I laid eyes upon the Lion's Pride pin up close for the first time. The gold and silver perfectly mixed with another, the hard metal contrasting with the soft cloth wrapped around it. I felt it with my fingertips, my fingernails lightly touching the mane.

I picked up the note, opening it.

Dawn,

This is my legacy to you. Not just as a memento of me, but of what I have taught you and passed onto you. Much like the Lion gave this to me once I earned his trust. Keep this, display it if you wish, but always remember that this is more than a piece of metal - it is a piece of me, and who I was.

Let pain be strength.

Let love be ire.

Let memories be fire, to set your heart alight.

Come what may, we are the defiant few who brave the hurricane.

Take pride in that, lioness.

-Elijah

I almost broke down upon reading that. I held the tears back, remembering his face and voice. He was like a mentor, a teacher, even. He'd done and told me so much.

I reached out, my feeble arm shaking as I grabbed the pin, bringing it to my chest.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I did this to you. I killed you. You had a life, and I fucking ended it."

I felt broken. I felt empty.

Nearly all of my body felt limp, weak, or both. I couldn't move my legs. I felt frail, like an old person. I felt hollow, empty even.

But I felt guilty.

I'd never seen an ally die in combat before. The missions I'd gone on so far were relatively bloodless.

But seeing it in front of me, dying in front of me because of me…

What I did had consequences.

I looked at the stand, grabbing a mirror and holding it up to my face. My face had a few nasty scars from the broken visor, and my face was heavily bruised.

"Miss Conley?"

I put the mirror down, looking at Dr. Erica. "Yes?"

"You have an operation scheduled for your legs in twenty minutes. We're going to put you under soon."

"Is that so?" I said meekly.

"Yes."

I nodded. "That's fine."

"I'm sorry?"

I shook my head. "No. I just...I need to sleep. I need to forget." I looked at her. "You can put me under."

"Are you okay?"

I stared at the pin, cradling it between my fingers.

"I don't know, doctor. I really don't know."

There are lions in all of our hearts. They personify what makes us us, embodies the spirit we all seek to embody, keeps the fire burning in our hearts, and most importantly, represents the strength we all carry inside ourselves; the strength we carry both for ourselves and for each other when it's needed.

I can see why they call you Lion, whatever your real name is. You have strength - enough to survive the world's worst girlfriend, that is. That means something.

And you gave some of that strength to Elijah - who in turn gave that strength to me.

I should be thanking you, and yet…

Something's missing.

He's missing. Elijah's missing.

And I can't get him back.

A/N: Welcome to the conclusion of New Blood's first real, planned-out story arc. After a while of Dawn just hanging around the Praesidium and going out on the occasional mission, so, with King and Xabiar's help, I came up with what I'm calling the 'Viva La Resistance' arc. It was a lot of fun writing this. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Again, special shoutout to King for helping me out with the Elijah scenes.

To be continued in:

Down, But Not Out