[You Interviewing Amalie]

"Let me tell you something I've learned about you humans… it doesn't matter what you do to them, they somehow find a way to come back from any disaster!" She said with a smile.

"Take my friend for example… he told me he had on his report card, a 'D' one time… not sure what that means, but he was 'grounded' for a whole summer because of that. Next year he said, when first quarter ended… not 'one' D on it… Then again… he didn't have any 'A's either he told me."

"Just goes to show you, when a human is pushed hard… that human will shove back even harder." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Also helps to have a friend in high places as well…"

=Chapter 1, Sit Rep=

(Hawkeye's PoV)

[At 1100 hours yesterday, transmissions from the South African resistance cell ceased transmitting to us. As all of you are aware of now, this was the time when Land Sharks squad, performing 'Operation: Morning Princess', went to a 'classified' location to retrieve an intel cache given to us by the Council. This intel cache was the disguised name of Amalie, the Hierarch Mother of the Viper species.] The Commander told all the XCOM squads, Gamma Raptors, Land Sharks, and Water Dragons, who were being debriefed pending new intelligence arriving.

[At that time, we merely assumed they were suffering communications malfunction, as their equipment often broke down once a month while they performed maintenance. However, at 1100 hours, a single seventeen second transmission managed to reach us. We barely managed to hear the words, but from what we made out, South Africa was under assault, and it was too late for us to reinforce or lend assistance. At approximately 1200 hours, another encoded message carrying data managed to reach us, within it were all the details of what happened between 1200 hours today, and 1100 hours yesterday.]

Hawkeye grimaced at that, the way it sounded could not be good news. Next to him Mercy was gripping his hand, both out of fear and for assurance that he was there with her. Next to him as well were the other Sharks, Puppy, T-Rex, Falcon, Eagleeye, and Sharptooth. All of them looked grim, but Puppy looked more nervous than anyone else.

[At 1200 hours, Advent forces circled and surrounded the entire South African resistance haven, using MEC units and heavily armed Sectopods. They were hit within six minutes precisely of being completely encircled, and all further transmissions were jammed, preventing them from alerting any other resistance cell outside of South Africa. Those within South Africa heard about Haven's Home's peril attempted to reinforce, but found themselves attempting to break through an unbreakable line of MEC units. Any attempts to relieve those trapped were outnumbered and swiftly eliminated, with no survivors escaping as they were cut down by additional reinforcing MEC units that arrived 'after' the initial wave.]

[Once reinforcements were cut off and eliminated, the MEC units surrounding the South African resistance, divided into two separate circles. A smaller circle comprising one fourth of the total military, began moving in and slowly eliminating any resistance pockets, maintaining their circle and tightening to prevent any from escaping. The outer circle containing the remaining three fifth of Advent's military for the operation, completely encircled the inner circle using a new type of Sectopod armed only with heavy anti air armaments to prevent any escape or reinforcement by air.]

He heard Puppy sniffle slightly at that, and deep down he was feeling afraid as well. The intelligence was not leaving any room for positive thoughts about the South African Resistance Cell's fate.

[At 0100 hours, the inner circle of Advent's MEC units began pushing slowly toward the center of their encirclement, eliminating resistance forces as they attempted to hold back Advent's advance. However, their attempts to push back were met with failure, as no matter how many within the inner circle were eliminated, those in the outer circle reinforced to maintain the exact number surrounding and advancing. Over the next nine hours, the resistance was pushed further and further inward, until only a scant few pockets remained.]

[At 0700 hours, the resistance attempted to break out of the circle, and managed to punch a hole in the inner circle, and made a break for a small hole in the outer circle's line. However, the instant they broke through, the outer circle tightened its line, and the inner circle closed the gap to prevent any retreat for those who broke through. Trapped between both circles, all resistance forces were wiped out.]

"Damn bastards…"T-Rex muttered silently. "Given a small hope… and then squashed like bugs… bad way to go man…"

"Not even given a fair fight…" Sharptooth grunted furiously. "Nobody deserves that fate…"

He nodded in agreement, it was as if Advent 'allowed' them to break through, only to smash those who attempted to run all at once, so as to make sure nobody survived to tell the tale.

[At 1000 hours, a small band of South African resistance forces made a last stand in the town of Haven's Home, but within half an hour Advent's MEC units had pushed to the town and had cut down all those who held their ground. Then all at once, all MEC units ceased action. The remaining survivors retreated to Haven's Home, where roughly ten individuals, human, Viper and Gene-Viper attempted a final stand… but were all wiped out. Civilians, soldiers… nobody was spared… all were killed to the last… if there 'are' any survivors, you can bet that Advent has… 'processed' them, or what's left of them.]

[As of this moment… there is no longer, nor will there ever be, a 'South African Resistance Cell. Advent now has complete control over South Africa… Because of this, XCOM can no longer operate within the southern half of the African continent. Advent's speaker has already given an adoring speech regarding the destruction of a 'terrorist group' operating there…]

All around the debriefing room XCOM operatives were muttering.

"We lost South Africa… impossible…"

"No way…"

"Can't believe…"

"Commander, how could that happen?" Puppy asked suddenly, sounding very nervous.

The Commander's Gremlin floated over and looked at a screen, which was giving a visual representation of what he just told them. [From what we could gather, the operation was swift and efficient, carried out with a skill that only a military genius could pull off. The efficiency and sheer coordinated effort to prevent any signal from breaking out for nearly twelve hours, while also ensuring no survivors escaped, means that this was done in such a way so that there could be no retaliation or relief given. Furthermore, based on the intel we've gathered from the South African resistance, before they were wiped out, we learned that the entire force was mechanical, meaning all the units were MEC units or Sectopods.]

"But I thought a Virus had shut down all of Advent's MEC units and Sectopods, that's why we haven't encountered any of them on any missions!" Leviathon from Water Dragons squad said.

[Indeed, which means Advent must have found a work around, obviously not one hundred percent efficient because otherwise, we'd be receiving reports about more MEC units around, instead of just the force sent to wipe out South Africa.] He answered back. [But, while we may have lost South Africa XCOM, we still have our directive and our goal… we must do all we can to survive… and we must continue to fight Advent.]

He looked at them all and his Gremlin's optics glared at all of them. We are XCOM… we are Reliable… we are Dependable… if Advent wants to hit us hard, then we'll hit back even 'harder'! We will not let this break our resolve to resist Advent's efforts to wipe out Humanity! If Advent want's a battle, then we'll give them more than a battle, they'll get a war! Vigilo Confido!]

At that everyone stood up and said in unison… "VIGILO CONFIDO!"

[Dismissed!]

With that they all turned and left the debriefing room, returning to their rooms for the night.

"Jeez… South Africa gone…" T-Rex muttered as they all trudged along. "I had a cousin fighting in South Africa man… can't believe he's gone…"

"Maybe he got out before Advent hit?" Puppy said to him hopefully, but a second later she muttered. "What am I saying…"

"Nice try Puppy, but you're not helping kid." Sharptooth said frustratingly. "Next time I go into the field, I'm slicing the head off one of those bastards… stick it on a pole and see how 'Advent' likes how 'we' deal with them."

"Guys, I think we all could use a drink…" Eagleye said quietly.

"Even me?" Puppy asked hopefully.

"Even though it's not in the rules, underanged agents are prohibited from consuming alcohol!" Agent 007 yelled from down below as they were taking the staircase.

"How does she hear me all the way up here?" Puppy muttered furiously.

"Sorry Puppy, but rules are rules, and I'm not going against a decorated veteran." Eagleeye said.

Hawkeye chuckled as everyone began either making their way further downstairs toward the bar, or to their rooms for the night. He, Mercy and Puppy headed toward their room, where Puppy groaned miserably and plopped onto her bunk bed, and instantly snoozing into her pillow.

Meanwhile, he and Mercy both climbed into their bunk and simply laid there. Mercy was holding him close to her, her hood closed like the Land Shark's pet snake, Vivi did when she was resting.

"Hawkeye…" She whispered quietly to him.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I am afraid…" She whispered sadly. "I have never seen… you and your fellow soldiers so… dismayed."

"Some of us are afraid Mercy…" He answered honestly. "Sure we lose contact with a cell, maybe they take casualties… but we never actually lost an entire country before… Hearing South Africa was gone, wiped out… it makes us feel afraid. If we can't stop Advent, what can we do?"

They lay in silence for a few moments before Mercy hugged him tighter.

"Hawkeye… if worst happens… can you make promise to me?" She hissed softly.

"What promise is that?"

"If worst happens… run with me…" She hissed hopefully. "If we can't win… at least live rest of life with me? Even if it short life?"

Her words made him think for a moment.

The thought of running away with Mercy, fleeing to some hidden place in the world, living out the rest of their life in solitude and away from Advent, even if it was a life on the run…

"I'll think about it Mercy… I just can't stop fighting Advent…" He said.

Mercy hissed softly before cuddling closer to him. "I know… I'm just… afraid of losing you…"

"So am I Mercy… so am I." He answered.

(Commander's PoV)

"That was quite a speech you gave Commander." Central said on the bridge.

[If only I meant every word of it…] He muttered bitterly. [The fact is Central… that plan Advent pulled off was so well coordinated, that it was only one of three possible scenarios that could have wiped out the South African resistance cell entirely.]

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

[There are only three scenarios my Gremlin and I came up with, which ended with South Africa's elimination.] He said, having spent the past six hours trying to find out how Advent could have pulled it off.

[Scenario 1, Advent uses a UFO Bombardment, decimating the entire landscape and killing all within the area of effect. This is too extreme though, and it would cause outrage for Advent's citizens… it would be a turning point, forcing the truth out and causing humanity to realize how evil Advent truly is, and showing how far the aliens will go to control us.]

[Scenario 2, Advent coordinates an attack using various command forces and military personnel. To pull this off, Advent would have to coordinate its forces in a way that only several generals thinking in sync could manage, to ensure all forces received and carried their orders out precisely. Normal Advent Officers and Troopers can't do that on their own, even with great direction, they would take too much time to ensure all orders were carried out properly and efficiently. People would notice, questions would be asked, and overall it would take too much time to pull off. This scenario is possible, but very unlikely to succeed.]

[Scenario 3, without giving any warning, and using a clear command structure, as well as only robotic units to ensure total efficiency of all orders, Advent uses MEC units and an AI to command its forces, while also simultaneously jamming any signals to ensure secrecy of the operation. This, is the only option that keeps all knowledge quiet, ensures nobody realizes what is happening, and eliminate any threats left over.]

[The third scenario was the most optimal that I and my Gremlin came up with to eliminate any single Resistance Cell in its entirety. Nothing else would have achieved the goal of wiping out a Resistance Cell.] He completed. [It was efficient, it was effective, it was done 'flawlessly'. Which leaves only one question, how could we have figured all of this out? If it was done as precisely as the intel suggests, then whoever wiped out South Africa must have messed up somewhere. But they couldn't have, unless it was done on purpose…]

"Your saying they let the South African Resistance Cell inform us of what happened to them on purpose?" He asked quietly.

[If they were this effective and efficient, they could have done it so that we never would have found out what was happening. We would have figured out eventually, simply by going in and looking around, but then they could have ambushed us, and wiped out a squad of our best forces when we were unaware and they had the element of surprise. But there was one thing in the message that I didn't tell our agents…]

[Prior to sending the message, the transmitter recorded having to try and break through the jamming signal, and was still several seconds away from breaking through. When, all of a sudden… the source of the jamming signal ended abruptly, allowing the transmission to send ahead of its estimated time.]

He turned to look at Central, and saw in his eyes that he had put two and two together. [Whoever wiped out South Africa, 'knew' about the transmission taking place, and let it reach us on purpose. They even waited for it to finish sending because mere seconds after the transmission was sent, all contact with the transmitter from the signal was lost. They wanted us to know just how efficient they had been… it was all part of their strategy.]

"That doesn't make any sense though, why tip us off to how good they are? Why let us learn as much as we can, why not try keeping us in the dark?" Central asked quietly.

[Commander to Engineering, Commander to Engineering!] The Avenger's AI declared.

"Shen probably has something to tell you, I'll leave you to it Commander." He said, before heading to a console to work.

He moved to a console and connected to Engineering, and soon was speaking to Shen. [What is it Shen?]

"Commander, I have something I need to report to you about sir." She said to him.

[Did you make progress reprogramming that Seeker you recovered a while back?] He asked, hoping to make use of that thing as soon as possible.

Its cloaking technology may be old, but it's still a lot better than anything they've got. It also would be the perfect stealth unit to go alongside his agents in the field, in particular it could make infiltrating facilities easier.

"That's not what I wanted to report to you about…" She said, sounding annoyed.

[Does it have anything to do with SHIV's upgrades you were working on?] He asked, a little confused now.

A few days ago, he asked Shen to work on some upgrades for SHIV, in particular an upgrade to its primary cannon, enabling it to act as a long-range Sniper on par with Agent 007's rifle.

"That's also, not what I wanted to report to you about…" She said, now even more annoyed.

He thought for a moment before plugging into the camera view of his room, the only camera he kept active because he didn't trust Amalie.

[Amalie wants to redecorate my room?] He asked quietly.

"Yes Commander, she asked me to install a new 'one way mirror' into the bathroom's shower in your room… allowing you to see into the shower." She said, sounding 'extremely' annoyed.

[I'll deal with her…] He grunted, before leaving the main bridge and heading to his room. [I am going to kill that Viper…]

As much as he liked having Amalie on board now, it had not even been a day and already she was trying to have her way of the place.

Moments later he entered his room and saw Amalie was measuring a square along one of the walls, right next to the bathroom door.

"Ah, friend… come, I need your opinion on how big the window should be!" She hissed happily.

[WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO INSTALL A ONE-WAY MIRROR IN MY ROOM?] He yelled angrily, only noticing that she was wearing the same see-through outfit she teased him with when he was her 'captive'. [And why are you wearing 'that'?]

"Hmmm, oh this?" She asked wearing a smirk, and seductively gesturing at her 'exposed' body. "I asked one of my daughters to pack it before I left Advent, I figured you liked it."

[I am trying to plan a counter offensive against what Advent just did, while also keeping morale high for my crew and operatives… and you're here… 'strip teasing'?] He asked incredulously.

"I figured you wanted to be able to see me at all times, even in my most 'private' times!" She said warmly. "I thought all males fancy a female who easily reveal themselves to their male lover… my research told me that about human males!"

[Reading Japanese Manga from early 2000's is not 'research'.] He grunted before turning away to try and focus. [I don't know what 'ecchi manga' you read when you were away from Earth… but you clearly have a poor idea on… ugh… never mind, I don't have time to deal with this! South Africa has fallen completely under Advent's Control!]

At that he knew Amalie had snapped out of her 'teasing girl' mind, and put on her serious face.

"What of my daughters I sent to aid them, I specifically sent four hundred of my daughters, one hundred of them were Gene-Vipers, far more capable of battling than any normal human or Viper?" She hissed worriedly. "Did they… make it in time to aid them?"

[No Survivors, all Vipers and humans, civilians and non-civilians killed… down to the last.] He muttered quietly.

"Oh my…" She hissed sadly. "I'm… so sorry my friend… how could they have found them so fast… I didn't reveal the exact location of any of the resistance Havens."

[Advent probably tracked one of the Vipers you sent to aid the resistance Haven, from there they began their operation to eliminate South Africa.] He said with a sigh.

"My daughters… no…" She hissed with great sorrow in her voice. "I told them, that we had to fight together… for both our species to survive… that they might have to give their lives to ensure we can be free and live as we used to. That it was the only way you humans would ever accept us on this planet with them when the Elders were gone."

He heard her silently sobbing behind him, and he knew she was mourning the loss of her daughters.

[Morale is low among my operatives… we need something to help us gain back our confidence… everything we did last night is all but gone.] He muttered as she moved near him.

He inwardly sighed and shook himself out of his own fear. He couldn't be distracted now, not when he was needed most of all.

[Tomorrow morning I'm going to ask Central to interrogate you about this new 'Advent General' that supposedly wiped out South Africa, based on the intel we gained.]

"Of course my 'friend'…" She whispered, pulling his Gremlin close to her body without his realizing it. "We won't let them break us… this is only a minor setback for 'us'…"

[And for the love of… put on something 'decent'!] He yelled, because aside from the paper-thin cloth she played off as a dress, which exposed her entire body underneath it, she was 'naked'.