Last time I uploaded, I said it would be a while before I uploaded again. Instead, I've been the most productive writing-wise since college. I don't know how that works. However, that will be true in the next two weeks. Tech week and performance week are coming up and I'll have about 8 hours to myself during that time... Just what an introvert needs.

The Skyranger touched down and the ramp opened immediately. "Get out of here, quick," Firebrand called back. "I've got to go pick up a few things from the Resistance before they get blown to hell."

Ruby freed herself from her restraints and waited for her mom and Yang to exit the transport before following. Her mom placed her hands on her hips as she looked over the top of the Avenger. "So, this is where you've been working out of. Nice place."

"Eh, it's not so nice in some places," Yang said. "Exposed pipes, faulty wiring, literal debris in the lower levels of the ship… let's just say Atlesian cruisers are a lot nicer."

"It does the job." Ruby shrugged as she walked into the ship. "We just don't have the supplies to make any major repairs."

Nalia snorted. "I overheard Invidia talking to the Commander about the necessity of making medikits that won't burn my blood."

Summer stared at Nalia. "Is there something about the Vipers I don't know?"

"This specific breed." Nalia lifted an arm. "This body's blood is acidic, as in it can eat through metal. The normal medikits we have can get rid of it, but since it's my blood, it can very well kill me."

"Oh." Summer raised her eyebrows. "That's not good."

Nalia huffed. "Understatement of the day."

"Sergeant Rose to the bridge," a voice said over the ship's intercom. "Sergeant Rose to the bridge."

"Guess I know where I'm going." Ruby held out her arms full of bionics and torn fake skin to Yang. She was able to switch her bionic arm and leg out for her models she built on Remnant, taking off the useless fake skin that would have just caused pain if turned on. While they were bare, the weight itself felt so much better. Not to mention the fact that those limbs had a lot more functionality. Once she had her better eye in, she'd be in much better shape. "Trade for Halcyon? This is probably about him."

Yang stiffened and tightened her grip on the Core on her belt. She stayed like that for a second before loosening. "Probably." She unhooked Halcyon and grabbed the remaining bionics. "Don't break him, okay? I just got him back."

"You know I'd never hurt him." Ruby took Halcyon in her natural hand and shivered with the ever so narrow connection. She cradled him in her arm. "I'll try to get him plugged in. We should have the supplies for me to work up a connection. Heck, I can probably do it with wires from whatever they let me use." She turned away from her family and walked toward the bridge.

You know they're going to try and follow, right? Halcyon whispered in Ruby's head.

I know, Ruby thought back, but they don't allow just anyone on the bridge. She paused as she gripped onto the sliver of a connection to her sister's dragon. Could you just… keep talking? I don't care about what. You could read a terms and conditions policy for all I care.

Halcyon hummed deep in her head. I will, but I am not Cerise. I won't even try to replace her.

I know. Just please talk.

Hmmm… Have you ever thought about the fact a firefly is the opposite of a waterfall?

Halcyon got through two more shower thoughts before Ruby walked onto the bridge. The Commander and Central were on a video call with Viki who had a lot of dirt and grease on her face. Invidia and Orchid stood elsewhere on the bridge. Orchid turned her head toward Ruby and the sides of her head rose.

"-MECs turned on ADVENT," Viki said. "It wouldn't have worked as well as it did without them." She flicked her eyes roughly in Ruby's direction and smiled. "Let your mother and her hacker know we appreciate their work." The Commander and Central looked over their shoulders.

"I'll let them know," Ruby nodded. "Just wish you could tell them in person."

"As do I." Viki returned her attention to the two people in charge. "Our Sectopod and tank did their jobs against ADVENT's armor, but our Sectopod is down. The tank just needs minor repairs to its armor."

Central nodded. "Your wounded?"

Viki's smile disappeared. "Unfortunately most of my people who were hit did not survive. Four dead, two wounded. Our own facilities should be able to help them. We will still send Dahlia back on the Skyranger as we agreed."

"Thank you for that," the Commander said. "Is there anything more we can do for you while we're still in the area? We're flying to Europe as soon as we recover the Skyranger."

"Nothing here." Viki shook her head. "Just kick ADVENT's butt wherever you're going."

"That's our job. We'll contact you when we're in the area again. Avenger out." The Commander nodded at the comms officer and Viki disappeared from the screen. He turned around and crossed his arms as he looked at Ruby. "Now what is it you found in that facility?"

"Classified Rider tech," Ruby said without missing a beat. "I'm not at liberty to disclose what it does around so many people unless it's going to be used."

Central jerked his head toward Orchid and Invidia. "Those two filled us in on the basics." He grimaced. "Can't say I'm happy to have something like that onboard. We have one apocalypse on our hands. We don't need another."

Artificial intelligence cover. Got it. "Trust me, this won't do that. It's already helped us out with giving us access to the sensor net around that facility."

"Even so, we're not letting you plug that into the hologlobe." The Commander gestured to a room just off the bridge. "There's a small projector on the table in there. Plug it in. I don't know how much processing power you need but-"

"This thing just needs inputs and outputs." Ruby hefted the arm that held Halcyon as she walked toward the door. "I'll let someone know if I need anything to do my work." She pushed her way into the conference room and set Halcyon down on the table. A circular projector lay on the center of the table. She'd definitely worked with more advanced models in Atlas but older tech could have its benefits.

Ruby brought her bionic hand in front of her face. "You jerks better not have messed with my stuff." With a thought, the last joint on her index finger flipped back, revealing a couple screwdriver heads and a wire trimmer. She sighed in relief. "You should have destroyed these, ADVENT." She reluctantly released Halcyon to pull the projector to her and got to work.

After an hour of work and some janky splicing, she had Halcyon hooked up to the projector. Ruby checked all connections once more before nodding to herself. She rested her natural hand on the Core. You see and hear the room? Instead of a mental answer, a blue projection on a thumb up appeared over the projector. "I take it I should get people in here for a briefing?"

"Please do." The thumb disappeared and a small version of Halcyon's head appeared like it was sticking up over a ledge. "I only want to say these things once. There's a lot to go over."

"You got it." Ruby let go of the Core and stuck her head out of the conference room. Somehow, her family was able to make it into the bridge, though judging by the glare Central gave them, he wasn't happy about it. Orchid also cradled Violet's weapons in her arms like they were a baby. She looked at them like it too. "Projector's all set. We're good to go in here. You might want to get the command staff together." She nodded at all the people from Remnant. "Them too."

The Commander glanced at the Remmartians. "They are most certainly not command staff."

Ruby blinked. "They're mine, or at least various versions of me. If they're not in there with us, I'm just going to tell them anyway."

The main door to the bridge opened and Dahlia rushed in. "Sorry I'm late!" She was covered in grease, dirt, and blood, but didn't look hurt. She bent forward, hands on her knees, and panted. "Skyranger just touched down and I got lost on my way up here."

"Her too." Ruby nodded at Dahlia. The newcomer raised her head and gave Ruby a confused look.

Central stared at Dahlia then at Ruby. "Command?"

"You have three of the best medical doctors you'll ever meet in this room. She's one of them. Besides, whatever's in that facility could apply to her too. Could apply to anyone who came here through it."

The Commander sighed and brought a hand to his head. "She has a point on that last one." He and Central exchanged an exhausted look, then he looked to someone else on the bridge. "Shen, Tygan, Sall, Rex."

"Yessir," the woman said.

Ruby ducked back into the room as the announcement went over the ship-wide intercom. She leaned against one of the walls and crossed her arms as everyone from the bridge filed into the room. Yang and Orchid took up positions on either side of her with Orchid 'standing' so close it was more comfortable to hook arms together. Orchid took that as permission to hold Ruby's hand, the dang manipulator…The look she gave Ruby said she wanted to do a lot more than just hold hands.

Within five minutes, the other people the Commander requested walked into the briefing room. Sall closed the door behind him and locked it. "If I'd have known there would be so many people, I'd have brought some tea." Sall set his hands on the table and leaned on them. "I take it this is about the facility they hit?"

"It is," the Commander started, "and the information we discuss may very well involve them. Not to mention they may be able to provide information about certain things we may see."

"Rose," Central faced Ruby, "turn this thing on."

Ruby nodded. "Halcyon, activate."

The projector flashed blue and the rose logo with guns and bionic limbs replacing some of the petals glowed to life. The words 'Rose Tech Arms and Arms' flashed into view with a little overlap of the logo and off to the right. That disappeared as well to be replaced by a small holographic Halcyon laying on top of the projector. He yawned, stretched, and looked around the room. His head faced Yang and his wings rose. "Yang?" His jaw moved as his voice came through the speakers. He shifted his gaze to his Rider's sister. "Ruby? Are we home?"

"Ay, you." Yang smiled. "It's good to see you again Halcyon… but no. We're not home, but we're safe here."

Halcyon growled at the Vipers. "And those two?"

"You don't recognize us?" Nalia asked, her voice coming through the button. Halcyon silenced and his ears shot up.

"Should I be offended?" Orchid asked, her lips moving. "I've known you since I hatched."

"Oh… that's what they're doing with you… It's good to see you two again." He looked around the rest of the room. "Who are these people?" He stopped at Summer and raised his whole head. "Oh. You're here too."

"We are XCOM," the Commander said as he approached the table. "The best hope for humanity on this planet. We're told you might have information on the facility you were held in."

Halcyon stared at the Commander for a second before turning his head toward Ruby and raised an eyebrow that he didn't normally have. He's having fun. "He's a good guy, and in command here. Whatever you have to tell me you tell him." Ruby shrugged. "That's kind of why we're all here. We are a bit more official here, so try to keep out unnecessary commentary here."

"An Atlesian briefing. Got it." Halcyon disappeared and a hologram of the facility XCOM just destroyed appeared in his place. "On June 25, 2035, on your calendar, Yang and I were brought into this facility. Looking at their security cameras, Yang's backpack got shot off and I fell to the ground. A squad of ADVENT soldiers separated us, so she had to run." Halcyon's head appeared over the facility. "Or was it that you wanted me to do what I did?"

Yang shrugged. "You took lessons from Angel and Yaela. I figured you could do something."

"Fair enough." Halcyon's head disappeared again. "At first, they used me for sheer processing power. I took that as an opportunity to store as much as I could. It took me until early July to get a handle on their code and text. I've been reading their mail and browser history since then. And they didn't know anything about it." He sounded way too smug there.

"How much do you have?" Sall asked.

"As far as I know, everything I saw and decoded." Most people in the room had skeptical or bewildered looks on their faces.

"How?" Shen asked. "I've seen their files. There's no way you can keep so much information in such a small place."

"I guess we have better storage where we're from." Yang shrugged. "I don't get the science behind it. My brain melts whenever Ruby tries to explain it."

"The fact that this is an artificial intelligence may explain how much it can store," Tygan said. "We will have to examine the Codex or this unit before we'll know more."

The facility disappeared and Halcyon appeared growling, his wings spread. "Stick your fingers where I don't like and I fry your computer."

The Commander glared at Ruby. "Rose…"

Dahlia stepped forward. "You wouldn't want to be the subject of a vivisection, would you?" Tygan, Shen, and the Commander stared at her. "It doesn't matter if you get put together again at the end. You're still being torn apart, and who knows if you'll be put together the right way with no problems afterward."

Ruby stared at the back of Dahlia's head. She was supposed to be a medical genius, not a technical one. Unless she found brainwaves or something in her own version of Halcyon's Core… Ruby glanced at Yang. Her sister's eyes stared at the projector, but they were unfocused. She was already on it.

"Let's get back to the facility, shall we?" Rex asked. "What can you tell us about what was going on there?"

Halcyon's projection turned to face Rex and nodded. "It's part of a project codenamed AVATAR."

"That we know." Central leaned forward. "What can you tell us about it?"

"Unfortunately, not much outside of what the facilities that were used in the branch that brought us here. There was one aspect that most of us have here that they need as some type of 'bonding agent.' But that comes later.

"Approximately one year ago, the first facility of a subproject known as RIFTKEEPER opened. It started out as a variant for one of ADVENT's toughest psionic units, the Gatekeeper. They wanted to use the Riftkeeper to bring in units from one place to another to ambush ADVENT's enemies or to reinforce flagging squads without the need for stationary psionic teleporters or aerial transports. While it can still do that, they realized with enough power they can use the Riftkeeper to transport people to and from other dimensions. Hence, why most of us are here. Why they wanted this at the beginning, your guess is as good as mine. Unfortunately for them, most Riftkeepers were destroyed due to power overloads.

"Those on top initially tried sending forces to other dimensions, but they rarely could pinpoint the dimension again since each Riftkeeper itself had different programming. They experimented with kidnapping people. Most of them were just civilians or people who couldn't put up much of a fight. All humans among them were sent to the AVATAR project… Well, excluding those that escaped. There was one group of a human, a cat-monkey, and a feathered standing crocodile that kicked butt with outdated guns and swords. I didn't save that footage, but it was a sight to see."

Halcyon smirked at those who were taken from some form of Remnant. "I did save this footage from the original facility from City 31." Halcyon disappeared and an image of a clean room took his place. Nothing happened for the first few seconds. Then a black and purple portal swirled to life, growing and growing until it filled the entire room. It flashed and a familiar blue dragon and her white-haired Rider took its place.

Ruby pushed herself off the wall as she stared at her partner. "Weiss and Saphira are here?"

"Are they okay?" Orchid asked, speaking for the first time. "Please tell me ADVENT still doesn't have them."

The interior image changed to an unknown city at night. The black and red ADVENT facility lay in the distance. The roof of the facility exploded outward and Saphira rose from the center with her blue fire leading the way. Everyone in the room had some sort of positive reaction. Ruby pumped a fist. "Atta girl!" Yang yelled.

"Now that's some power." Shen looked between Orchid and Nalia. "That's what you're supposed to look like?"

"Essentially, yes," Nalia said. "Our colors are roughly what you see now too."

"Where are they now?" the Commander asked. "Can we contact them?"

Ruby faced her sister. "Can we?" She turned her head to Invidia. She had access to magic too.

"I don't know," Invidia said. "I haven't tried. I didn't know any of you were on Earth until you were onboard."

Yang stepped toward the projector. "Go back to the last image. I need a closeup on both of them." The projection changed back to the clean room. Ruby took a closer look as well. It was definitely Weiss and Saphira, but both were just a little different. The Weiss she knew wasn't exactly weak, but she didn't have defined muscles on her arms and legs like the one on the projector. Saphira also had larger legs and body with her wing muscles enlarged enough to hold the dragon aloft. Not the pair she knew.

Yang grimaced. "I don't know… we typically need set mirrors to communicate like that. Scrying isn't a problem but… I think I know some variations. Where's the nearest mirror?" Yang moved toward the door without waiting for an answer. "Women's bathroom?"

"There's a communal one on the bridge," Shen offered, though she sounded confused. "Right across from us." Yang gave her a thumb up right before leaving.

"As for more traditional means," Halcyon continued, "ADVENT's never been able to pinpoint them. They never stay in one place for long, making solo hit and run attacks everywhere they go. All I can tell you is that they're somewhere in northern Africa, maybe the Sahara or along the Nile. More than that, I can only speculate.

"Obviously, they built more facilities. There's the one you destroyed in Canada that was set for people more your size. The Delta facility in Poland is set to capture and… turn dragons." Halcyon growled out those last two words. "There's one more under construction in Ethiopia for people. Should be fully functional in a month or so."

"How many people have they taken?" Central asked.

Halcyon hung his head. "So many, though not as many recently. Before, they were just reaching out to grab who they could." He nodded at Rex. "That's when they got you… I'm sorry about your squad. That was two months before my time."

Rex nodded. "They were good soldiers." Something about his tone said they were more than just that.

"Shortly after you though, they figured out how to recover lost coordinates, though evidently not perfectly. I believe they only managed that once. The near-perfect repeats started with Summer," Halcyon nodded at the woman, "then Invidia," another nod, then he faced Orchid. His head, tail, and wings drooped. "Then you and Violet."

Orchid whimpered and slithered forward, the tonfa still in her arms. "Where is my flower?"

"I don't know. My facility was out of the loop as soon as they took her away. All I know is that she had the same processing code as Ruby, and shortly after she was taken away, the dampening field took effect. Knowing what she can do, I don't think that's a coincidence."

"How many others escaped?" the Commander asked.

"Unfortunately, not many. Yang was the last to leave the facility I was at. At least the new facility they're building doesn't have the same resources as the one you destroyed. There might be some more there. The dragons weren't as lucky. Besides Saphira, only one made it out. They might have overcompensated after the one that did escape."

The door opened and Yang walked in scowling. "Nothing. We need those dang linked mirrors, and I don't have one for this Weiss."

"Thanks for trying," Ruby said. She figured that would be the case, but Yang might have had a spell she didn't.

"Who do they have?" Summer asked. "Who don't they have if there are any more escapees out there?"

Halcyon scowled. "There are some familiar faces… and dead dragons." He disappeared again, this time with two dragons took his place. One had blue fur instead of scales and no wings. The other was midnight black with fins on its tail, one of which was artificial. "These two were killed outright. They didn't have what ADVENT was looking for in sufficient amounts."

The Commander leaned forward. "Is that, Toothless?" He got a few looks from people in the room. "That movie was my son's favorite. Besides, it played several times on movie night back at the old base."

"There's something else, something some of you might have thought of." Halcyon appeared facing his Rider. "Yang get back in position." He gestured at Ruby with his head. "Orchid, you too."

Ruby looked at the two as they took up positions on either side of her. "Is this about why I found Crescent Rose when I didn't have it when I was taken?"

"Yes." Halcyon vanished and two images took his place. The first looked like an autopsy picture… of Ruby. The second was a similar one of Cerise. The word 'deceased' was typed in red letters beneath both of them.

Ruby's knees grew weak. She remained standing only because Yang and Orchid kept her up. Several people swore under their breath. Despite her own death being so apparent, Ruby's eyes focused only on her soulmate's lifeless face. "How?"

Halcyon walked back into the projection and pointed at the Ruby picture with a wing. "They had this… other you subdued and practically on ice. She didn't put up as much of a fight as you. This Cerise fought back just as much as yours, only they decided to kill her instead of letting her escape. As soon as she flatlined, the other Ruby did too." Halcyon shrugged. "We know that's not how it works with us. Probably some interdimensional BS. There was no scientific explanation."

"Are you sure that wasn't mine?" Ruby whispered.

"Positive," Halcyon swore. "This one was two weeks before you were taken." He shifted on his pedestal. "Besides, they weren't too beaten up about it. After they got readings on Summer, their focus changed. That other you didn't have what they wanted."

"What do they want?" Central asked.

Halcyon growled. "I'm getting there." He paused. "Getting onto that, most people who have been taken from their own world are all from different worlds. I can't tell you what those were, but I can tell you they were all from different time-space coordinates, if that makes sense at all." He snorted. "I don't know how the heck this is being used in a serious briefing. This is some sci-fi stuff that's only in books or movies.

"Anyway, about the time they kidnapped Summer Rose, they figured out how to program each Riftkeeper the same way to avoid most inconsistencies. They still couldn't get the exact same coordinates, but it was close enough. Using the scans they got from Summer, they kept on reaching out to Remnant.

"Then they got Violet Calrow and Orchid Healtongue." Orchid whimpered and dipped her head. "They knew they liked Summer for something, but they didn't know how much until Violet. I don't know all the specifics, but they found something in Violet that they could use as a kind of 'bonding agent' for their psionic manipulations. Something that only people from Remnant have in abundance."

"Aura," Dahlia said. "Has to be."

Halcyon nodded at her. "Right. While she doesn't have the most Aura, they learned enough that they knew what they needed for their AVATAR Project." He turned around and looked between the Commander and Central. "One thing I can tell you about the AVATAR project is that they want the Roses for their Aura. Not just the fact they have it. Any one of us would satisfy them. No, they want the amount of Aura they possess."

Ruby and her mom locked eyes. Amount of Aura? Since those two shared a particular trait that only four people on their versions of Remnant had, that could only mean one thing. Judging by her face, her mom had the same idea. "At least we know why they call us Avatar now," Ruby said.

"If they could get you," Summer started, "I don't know who they couldn't get." Everyone else that knew them murmured in agreement.

The Commander looked between the two women then back to Halcyon. "Why are they turning you dragons into Vipers?"

Halcyon snorted. "Besides having giant fire breathing lizards under their control to scare people and keep the population in line? I have no idea. For all I know, it could be some political thing after Saphira escaped. Dragons by ourselves don't have much Aura and our scales aren't as protective against bullets as we want them to be. If their air power is as strong as what I'd expect a space faring civilization to have, they'd be better off having them as assault units."

Nalia hissed. "Speak for yourself. You fly fighters now."

"Besides the facilities," Central started, "is there anything or anyone we need to look out for?"

"There is. First off…" Halcyon stayed this time as the image of a different dragon appeared next to him. This dragon had mainly dark blue scales, green eyes, and… webbing between her toes? Her talons were the same blue as her wings. And… were those gills on her neck? "This dragon is still out there and fights like an experienced warrior. That, or her flailing was so effective it just looked like it."

Orchid cocked her head. "She's not one of us."

"No," Nalia said, "but she's still in danger from ADVENT, which means we need to find her and keep her safe."

"I agree, but it might be hard to find her if she's beneath the water." Orchid pointed at the dragon's gills.

Halcyon nodded. "There is that." The blue dragon disappeared and six more took her place.

Ruby took a deep breath through the nose. As much as it hurt to see that other Cerise all torn up, she didn't feel the pang of pain she felt then. Now that she thought about it, the other Cerise' scales were just a bit off. This one was hers. Her Cerise, chained and bolted to a slab. It felt like someone stabbed a knife into her own heart.

"One of these may look familiar." Halcyon gestured to Cerise with his tail. "Elder Cerise Longtail, my sister," he nodded at Ruby, "and her dragon. I'm a bit biased. I'd like to find her first." He gestured to the next two dragons with his wings. "Orchid and Nalia, in that order from right to left. I'm sure you already know them or will get to know them." The next in line were both Alagaësian dragons. Both were female. One had silver scales and green eyes, the other was a brush green going on brown with a little brighter eyes. "These two look familiar, but I don't know their names. I believe they are both bonded dragons." He gestured to the last dragon with his snout. This small one had golden yellow scales similar to Halcyon with her talons being the same color. She had a similarly colored… Mohawk? Fin? Frill?... that ran down her entire spine. In the picture, her dark green eyes were scared. "I don't know who this beauty is, but she barely put up a fight. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Yang can wrestle her when not powered up. I believe this one came from the exact same place as the gilled dragon." He looked around the room. "No matter what I said about these dragons, if we see them in the field, they may be perfect killing machines."

Nalia hissed. "It's going to be hard enough fighting myself, how can I fight Orchid?"

"Don't hurt me too hard," Orchid said. "I like my scales."

"There are two humans we need to look out for as well," Halcyon continued. "One is confusing," he growled like he was facing the Forsworn, "the other makes my scales crawl." The dragons disappeared, replaced by…

"Another Weiss?" Dahlia asked. "This is getting confusing."

Halcyon snorted. "It's also a wonder how this one got out. While she has the same weapon, it was like she didn't know how to use it. She's certainly no Huntress." His face grew dark and he peeled his lips back. "But I'd take a thousand Ice Princesses before one of these." Weiss disappeared, replaced by… Granite O'Donnell.

"Son of a bitch!" Ruby yanked herself out of Yang's and Orchid's grips as she glared at the Grimm in human's clothing.

"That bastard's here?" Summer demanded. "Breathing our air? Breathing anything?"

"Who is this guy?" Central asked.

Yang started counting on her fingers. "Murderer, drug lord, human trafficker, probably eats puppies for breakfast."

"This Grimm should be dead," Nalia hissed.

"I'm going to bite his head off," Orchid hissed. That sounded weird coming from Orchid, but that part Ruby didn't care about.

"Not if I get to him first." Ruby said.

Dahlia growled. "Let me teach him how all those kids he hurt felt."

The Commander crossed his arms. "We're not in the business of tracking down criminals." Everyone from Remnant glared at him.

Shen raised a placating hand. "It's not like we won't do anything if we come across him. We just don't have the resources to go after everyone, no matter how much we'd like to."

"Well, there better be some plan for pieces of work like that." Ruby jerked a hand at the hologram. "Halcyon, please tell me you have some idea where this guy is."

"I wish," Halcyon growled. "All I know is that he escaped from the Canadian facility months ago. He could be anywhere now."

"Of course!" Ruby threw her hands up.

"What do we have?" Nalia asked. "You have to have something we can work on now."

"Rough locations of the other two Riftkeeper facilities." Halcyon said. "Poland and Ethiopia. For whatever reason they didn't give my facility their coordinates. Probably paranoid compartmentalization."

Ruby ran her hands through her hair. ADVENT was after Maidens. Cerise was missing. That bastard was running free. She wanted to scream. She wanted to break something. A hand grabbed Ruby's left arm. She glared at the hand's owner. Yang stared back with a blank face. She didn't say anything, she just squeezed Ruby's arm.

"What now?" Summer asked. "Our MEC surprise is blown. I have another surprise up my sleeve but nothing large scale."

"Continue doing what we're doing," the Commander said. "Ask the various resistance groups we're in contact with a few more specific questions. Keep giving ADVENT hell."

Ruby shrugged. Wasn't much of a plan. No matter what, she had one of her own. Reunite the dragons, snuggle with Cerise for as long as possible, and murder that sentient Grimm that called itself a human. She'd do that with or without support from XCOM.

If anyone gets the references for some of the other people/dragons didn't know, you get a virtual, totally not real cookie... maybe a link to cookie clicker if its still around.