Chapter 3: Operation Archive

A classified project kept hidden from all but the few that new the truth. An underground facility unlike anything the world has ever known, built far beneath the rolling European plains. The greatest example of man's ingenuity, perseverance and technological expertise serving as the beating heart of the one group that would fight to see humanity brought back from the brink of extinction.

People on the surface talked of little grey men and government conspiracies but most would never entertain the idea of such things existing. A project formed with no public oversight by governments supporting each others efforts even as they publicly denounced them as enemies. An advanced research and manufacturing facility capable of producing technology far beyond that which the rest of the world could ever imagine let alone produce. A single organisation, loyal only to their leader with the technology, expertise and international influence to eclipse the rest of the world combined.

Hidden deep within its walls through its sprawling chambers and labyrinthine corridors lay a darkened room. Inside, lost amongst the sea of files and electronic tablets sat a lone figure at their desk. Their sharp features peered down at the tablet in their hand as they pushed the glasses further up the bridge of their nose so they could better read. A profound sense of purpose filled the room, the surety that came with knowing that what you were doing was right, that what you were doing would changes things, that what you were doing-

"I really can't be arsed anymore" the file struck the desk with a loud whack.

Ugh.

A low groan was its only reply.

"I mean seriously, how many more of these are we going to have to do?"

Ugh.

Another groan rumbled out of the darkness.

"Oi!" a sharp thwack as the broadside of the file struck the back of the researcher's head, rousing them from their slumber atop the desk they shared with their colleague. "Wake up"

A more disgruntled groan this time, brought on both by the rudeness of the awakening and the prospect of being faced with returning to this seemingly never ending purgatory of files and paperless work. "Ugh, what do you want?"

"You're supposed to be reviewing these dossiers of course" the archivist said.

"Oh, why do we even bother?" the researcher scratched the back of their head as they attempted to regain a firm grasp of their senses. "It's not like anybody ever reads these things anyway"

"It doesn't matter" the archivist persisted. "We handle things down here to keep those idiots up there from doing whatever they please"

"But they already DO whatever they please" the researcher countered. "We come up with a new rule and they just concoct some fresh scheme, get found out and create a new pile of paperless work for us to have to deal with. Where does it end? Why do we even bother?"

"Because that's our job" the archivist said. "Review the dossiers, write up the new regulations and see that they get added to the list"

"But nobody ever reads the list" the researcher said. "There's at least a dozen different languages spoken in this facility, three of which I'm not even sure exist outside of the Amazon, the Congo and Yorkshire respectively. And even if we go through all that it usually just ends up dumped in the shredder regardless. You know, they've even started nicknaming it 'The Why Bother Files'"

"Regardless, the sooner we get these done the sooner we can head up to the canteen for our evening 'Meal of Beige'" the archivist retrieved a fresh file from the stack before passing it across the desk to the researcher. "You can start with that one"

XCOM Rule 0: Please stop doing things which only seem to serve only to make more work for the administrators. Just because we haven't specified something doesn't mean we're ok with you doing it.

0a: Not that any of that will stop you…