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"Nothing endures but change."

~Heraclitus

Chapter Seventy-six: Changes

"First of all." Bradford slammed his hands on his desk, lightning crackling in his eyes. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

Jane glared. She had an art display of bruises and scrapes to show for last night, not even counting her mammoth hangover. Did Bradford have to scream at her too?

"You lied to me." Those words were easy to slip out, tight with betrayal and scorn. "You told me Gallant was a prisoner."

"He was." Bradford's jaw worked. "And that has nothing to do with your assault on your commander–"

"He directed Advent's field forces for twenty years, and you think that has nothing to do with anything?" Jane glared. "Isn't that information I should have been given?"

"Would you have tried to kill him if we told you?" Bradford leveled a finger. "If you had a concern–"

"Shut up." Jane scoffed. "How many of your friends did he kill, Central?"

"That's not what happened." Bradford shook his head, stubborn like an old dog. "He wasn't in control of anything. They took over his mind and–"

"And people are dead whether he meant it or not." Jane could be stubborn too, and all the more so when she had wounded pride to nurse. "I watched my friends die, executed by Advent's minions under his control. I can't let that slide."

Bradford scowled. Good for him! Jane had laid out her position, and that was the end of it. Gallant had orchestrated the murder of James and Obsidian and God alone knew how many others. There was blood on his shaking hands, and he had to answer for it whether he'd known what he was doing or not.

And how do we know it was mind control, anyway? Jane had never thought of herself as the paranoid type, but that was a good thought to add some. All we have is Gallant's word and Bradford's. Bradford has every reason to lie to cover his boss' ass.

"You'll have to let it slide, Major." Bradford's tone brooked no argument. "Vendettas against your commanding officer cannot be allowed to impede the success or failure of our war effort. If you want to remain a part of XCOM–"

"Alright." In one smooth motion, Jane reached to her collar. She worked the needle clasp almost before she'd realized she'd done it.

She slammed her rank insignia down on Bradford's desk.

"...uh..." For once, Jane had the feral pleasure of seeing John Bradford absolutely one hundred percent flabbergasted.

That was fair. She was shocked too.

But this is the right thing. Attacking Gallant had been wrong, and she'd only done it because of her drunkenness. He had to continue his war against the Elders, and if Jane couldn't be around him without feeling the urge to get even...there was only one solution. I have to go. It's the only way.

Bradford coughed. "You...you can't–"

"Can't what?" Jane narrowed her eyes. "Can't resign?"

Bradford cleared his throat. If he had the slightest idea what to say, he hid it very well.

The thrum of Avenger's engines permeated the air.

"Jane–"

"I think we're done here." She turned on her heel. "I'll pack my shit and be out of your hair as soon as we land."

She left him with his jaw hanging open.

Cameron paused outside the Engineering door. At first, he was rehearsing what he had to say, but before too long...

Jesus. He replayed the bar fight in his head, and he shivered. I should have jumped in when Jane went at him.

Hopefully he wasn't the only one having second thoughts. Everyone had twitched and taken half-steps, but if they'd been thinking like Cameron, they hadn't known for sure that the man standing next to them wouldn't tackle them if they tried. Who was with Jane, versus who was with Gallant?

The Commander ran Advent's field ops? That was a thought to keep anyone awake at night. Certainly it made a lot of things make more sense–the rash of more successful covert actions since his rescue, Advent's losing some of their edge and being forced to call on the Chosen...

It was logical. And it was also disturbing as hell.

Jane isn't wrong to seek vengeance. But that was only half the story, wasn't it? This has to be related to that chip they yanked out of Gallant's skull way back. Advent can make a man his own worst enemy. We've all seen that by now, between Angelis herself and her minions. Can we blame Gallant for being twisted against his own people?

That was a Big Question if there ever was one. Jane had made her decision, and Cameron couldn't honestly blame her for it. But even if she wasn't wrong, wasn't it possible that she hadn't been right, either?

Life's a fucking mess and I don't understand any of it. Cameron shook his head, returning his attention to the door. Let's just deal with one crisis at a time and shoot anybody who needs shooting.

"Morning, Moose." Shen waved from her worktable as Cameron made his entry. The Chief looked up from where she was tinkering with what looked like a SPARK arm, reinforced with alloy plating. "What's up?"

"Uh..." Cameron glanced down the workbay. Yue Liang was wiring something that looked like a baseball together, frowning with concentration behind her goggles.

"Sure." Shen put down the arm and waved. "Step into my office."

"Appreciated." Cameron followed the engineer as she led the way up the stairs from Engineering proper to her computer banks. ROV-R buzzed and whirred around her shoulders like a flying puppy, and Cameron had to duck more than once as it nearly bonked through his head.

"So what can I do for you?" Shen leaned on her computer desk, cocking her head. "You don't usually come down to my domain. Is this about Yue? She's fitting in great. I haven't had any cause to think she doesn't actually know her mechanics."

"Actually..." Cameron coughed. "I was going to talk to the Commander about this last night, but..."

"Yeah. But." Shen scowled. "Kelly."

"She, uh. Ruined the moment." That was a good understatement for the century. "So, since the Commander and Bradford are occupied, and I think Tygan's working on Project Golem, I figured I'd come to you."

Shen nodded. "Lilah's pregnancy?"

"How did you know?" Cameron gaped. "Wait. You took a shot in the dark, didn't you? And I confirmed it?"

"Actually no, though that would be funny." Shen chuckled. "I heard from Sylvie, who talked to Aileen, who spoke to Charlotte, who heard from Meysam that Nui suspected Lilah was pregnant."

"Really?" Cameron clutched his forehead. "Oh, Jesus."

"Relax. No one's going to shoot you in the head over it." Shen literally waved the concern away. "So it's true?"

"Yeah." Cameron shifted his weight. "I, uh, was going to ask you to help bring it up with the Commander. You know, since you and Lilah worked together on the Skyranger."

"And she's too chicken to talk to me herself?" Shen's lips twitched. "So she sent you?"

Cameron nodded mutely. Shen spent a moment snickering, though it didn't seem to be directed at him so that was okay.

"Sure thing, Moose." She clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll help you two out, don't worry."

"Thank you." Cameron smiled. "That's a weight off our shoulders."

"Now you just get to worry about being a dad." Shen's pat turned to a punch on the arm. "Excited? Scared?"

"Both."

"Sounds about right." Shen beamed. "Man, we're just picking up family left and right around here. Sylvie and Julie's kid, your and Lilah's, Yue and Liang–"

"Lily?" Julian's face appeared on her monitor. "I don't mean to interrupt your conversation about paternity, but..."

"But you're interrupting." Shen eyed him. "What's gone wrong now?"

"Should I go?" Cameron took a half-step back.

"Doubt it. I imagine you'll hear soon anyway." Shen cocked her head. "Julian?"

"We're receiving a transmission from Betos about an Advent psionic relay set up in Scotland. It seems to be tied into all enemy communications and control in Western Europe." Julian hummed. "According to my calculations, eliminating the relay will cause major disruption to all Advent linked systems, which would shut down or scramble their entire security apparatus from Iberia to Germany."

"Well, that sounds like a good thing." Cameron rubbed his hands together. "I like blowing shit up."

"Me too." Shen straightened. "I'll contact the Commander immediately. Looks like I have a lot to tell him." She glanced back at her virtual sibling. "Where is he, by the way?"

"I wouldn't have expected Kelly to..." Bradford's voice was low, barely audible over the SHADOW Chamber's omnipresent background noise. He bowed his head, leaning hard over the table on which Project Golem rested. "Losing her is going to hurt."

"Indeed." Tygan sighed. "Perhaps we should have made the truth about the Commander's imprisonment public knowledge from the start."

"We would have gone through this anyway." Bradford didn't look up. "It would have undercut everyone's faith in the Commander back when it was still fragile." He blew out a harsh breath. "As if it isn't now."

Edward Gallant paused, barely around the darkened corner. He leaned on his cane hard, feeling every one of his wounds from wars long past and the fight last night, ganged up at once.

God, John looks so tired. Gallant only really thought about how indestructible his XO was when he cracked. I think he's aged ten years since I woke up. Eight of them since Mariah.

"In any event." Bradford reached out to poke the latent stasis suit, all but shooting up fireworks to change the topic. "This thing. It's just like the one we recovered the Commander from."

"On the surface, yes." Tygan clasped his hands behind his back. "But in function..." He paused. "I would rather wait to continue until–"

"Go ahead." Gallant thumped forward, trying his best to not seem like he'd been eavesdropping like the jackass he was. "Sorry I'm late. Cane."

"Commander." Bradford nodded, obviously not the least bit fooled and just as obviously not caring in the slightest. There had to be a word for his absolute loyalty. Devotion?

"Ah." Tygan nodded somberly, concealing his thoughts about whether his CO was a goddamn liar behind a steel poker face. "Excellent. We can begin."

"That's what they always say when I walk in the door. Usually they're referring to a party." Gallant glanced around the purple-tinted shadows. "I don't see balloons, DJs, or strippers."

"I'm afraid Central denied those line items in my latest supply request. Along with the Advent Burgers."

"Do we at least have Geist performing his mixtape? I bet it's fire." Gallant leaned on his cane at the head of the table. "What have you found, Doctor?"

"As you know, Advent's soldiers possess both human and alien genetic characteristics. Preliminary analysis led me to believe this was the result of direct modifications made to a pre-existing human host." He pursed his lips. "Prisoners, I suspected. Perhaps unwitting human volunteers."

"Angelis wants you." Gallant snickered, miming the classic pose.

"See your local Advent recruiter today." Bradford rolled his eyes.

"However, the reality..." Tygan's poker face cracked, just by a hair. "The reality is very different." He hesitated. "As Mox surmised, the Advent troopers were not altered humans. Those we discovered at the Forge facility, including the specimen before you, were manufactured." He turned back to his computer screen. "Each soldier possesses a unique genetic code. Predominantly human, of course, but with some fragments left open."

"Open?" Gallant frowned. He crossed his arms, leaning his hip on the table. Bradford eased out of the way as Gallant's cane nearly poked his ear. "Open for what?"

"Whatever alien DNA Advent decides to insert." Tygan called up a quick series of still images. "Sectoid, muton...even the species known as the berserker." He tapped the screen again, and a cutaway of the specimen's body appeared. "In all cases, human DNA serves as a bonding agent, holding the strands together."

"Human DNA." Gallant swallowed.

"That shit we found in Switzerland." Bradford ground his teeth together.

"Precisely." How Tygan could be so dispassionate about the topic boggled Gallant's mind, but he had no doubts about the Doctor's loyalty after his actions during the Battle of the Avenger. Tygan clasped his hands behind his back again. "It's the key component in the soldier manufacturing process."

"So we've been fighting ourselves this entire time." Bradford might have aged another year since the conversation started.

"In a way. But I believe there's more to it than that."

"Jesus Christ, Richard." Gallant shivered. "You sure know how to make a man optimistic."

"The human DNA in this specimen bears one key difference from literally every sequence decoded in the SHADOW Chamber." Tygan moved to another monitor. Unless Gallant knew less about 2035 tech than he thought, it was patched into Hiroshi's psi-lab systems. Sure enough, when Tygan hit the touchscreen, it popped up a cross-section of what Gallant devoutly hoped was the Golem's brain. "Psionic sensitivity. Given the sheer volume of strands involved, this cannot be a coincidence."

"The screening process at the clinics." Bradford's eyes narrowed.

"Avatar." Gallant gripped his cane a little tighter. "Angelis. The form she took during the Battle."

"I believe there is a connection." Tygan hesitated. "The potential psionic power of a being created using this template is...substantial. If we had not intercepted it before the process was complete–"

"We'd be dead." Bradford sighed. "I get it."

"There could be more out there." Gallant put his cane back down, in need of more support as the weight of the world bore down on him. Of all times, now? With Jane mutinous and resigning, and God knew how many of the crew prepped to go with her? Gallant's nightmare was a mass exodus leaving him with a skeleton operation. "We need to find out."

"I believe I may have a lead on that as well." Tygan tapped his screen, and another alien image came up. "You might remember this creature."

"That's the codex-thing that pulled a disappearing act in Switzerland." Bradford frowned. "You think it's connected?"

"We have access to several codex processing units recovered from the field. Most are too damaged to function, but the one recovered from the black site might be salvageable." Tygan hesitated. "I would require assistance from Chief Shen in constructing an interface, and it would delay our progress toward expanding plasma-based weaponry beyond the basic rifles from Project Verdun, but I can attempt to wire into it and recover whatever data it has on our Golem specimen."

"Do it." Gallant nodded. "I want that at the top of your priority list, and Shen's as well. We need to know what we're dealing with and what to do about them."

"Understood, Commander. I'll notify you as soon as I have something to report."

"Good man." Bradford paused. "Hang on. I'm beeping." He fished out his communicator and put it in his ear. "Central." He paused, and Gallant waited impatiently. "I see. We're on our way."

"Raid on a haven?" Resigned, Gallant started for the door. "How bad?"

"Don't know yet. Shen wants us on the bridge. Says it's big."

"That can't be good." Gallant sighed. "It never is."

"Lunchtime." Julie laid a plate before her new charge, laden with bread and vegetables. "No meat, I'm afraid. Supplies are running thin, but we should be getting a new drop soon. Maybe they'll have some chicken or even tofu."

The boy didn't speak. He never did, except to wail and cry. Was it the trauma he'd endured at the Assassin's hands that had rendered him mute, or was it normal? Was it something Julie was doing wrong?

"Eat." Julie sat with him, holding up her own plate as if for proof that all of this was edible. She took several bites. "It's all we have. I'm sorry I don't have another brownie to tempt you with, but again, we're running low."

He stared in silence. But, hesitantly, he reached for his roll. Julie smiled.

"See? It's not so bad." This whole caring-for-a-child thing was hard as fuck, wasn't it? Julie pushed her own peas around. She'd never liked them, but food was food. Growing up in the badlands with Central and Aunt Penny had made her appreciate how much even food she didn't like was worth.

"I wish I knew your name." It all felt stilted without that piece of knowledge. Julie sighed.

I miss you, Sylvie. Her other half was off getting briefed on whatever the next mission was. Would she be going along? Julie wouldn't, because everyone was still skittish about her injuries despite her being well on the mend. Sitting on the ship while her girlfriend faced death and/or dismemberment was not her idea of a good time.

"Is there anything I can do for you, honey?" The best way to deal with your own troubles was to help someone else with theirs. Julie laid her plate down, eyeing her charge while he picked peas out one by one. "A game, or maybe a movie I can pull up?" She felt around for her datapad. "Surely I can do something?"

He blinked. Julie sagged.

"Okay. Never mind." She fiddled with her roll. Why did everything hurt? Her wounds didn't, or not nearly like they had, but now everything–everything–was changing. Jane resigning, Mox an artificial clone, Firebrand pregnant...what was left? The changes were frightening, ripping down the surety and stability of Julie's world.

Everything had been starting to stabilize after the Warlock's death. At least, it had felt that way. They'd made progress in the war that Advent couldn't ignore, and their tech was rapidly approaching parity with the aliens' own. And in the span of only a few days, everything had spiraled into shit again.

"My name is Matthias."

Julie froze. "You...pardon?"

"You said you wanted to know my name." The boy's voice was raspy, whether from ill use or a wound in the camp or just his nature. But it was there, and Julie couldn't believe her ears. "I'm Matthias."

"...oh!" Julie's eyes stung, and not from despair. "Nice to meet you, Matthias!" She couldn't help smiling.

Maybe everything is changing...but not all changes are evil. There was the thought she needed. If things are changing, something better is coming. New growth can't come until the old choking vines have been cleared away.

"I'm Julie." She reached out for the boy's shoulder, and he didn't flinch. He let her rest her hand on him, and she almost took flight. "But you probably knew that."

"Yes. Julie and Sylvie." He...he actually smiled. "I like you."

Julie burst into tears.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to come?" Jane hesitated at the edge of Avenger's cargo ramp. "I'd love to have you."

"The war has to be fought." Darkness clouded Aileen's face, tinting her eyes with the shadow of something like despair. "Jane, you don't have to go."

"I think I do." Jane glanced out at the Canadian wilderness: trees and light snow for miles. Toronto wasn't far. "He killed my friends."

Aileen pursed her lips, as if choosing words with care. "He didn't put a gun to their heads, Jane."

"Same difference." Jane clutched the strap of her backpack tightly. She'd left her shard gun behind, but she had her arc blade and if Bradford wanted it back he could track her the fuck down and take it. She'd also liberated a plasma pistol, much easier to hide from prying eyes than a carbine or rifle.

"We need you, Jane. The war needs you." Clearly, Aileen neither agreed nor was foolish enough to press the topic.

"I'm not giving up." Jane nodded to the wilderness. "I'll still be fighting. But I can't do it with him, for better or worse."

"Ladies, we take off in one minute." Firebrand waved from further back in the hangar. "Kiss and call it quits!"

"Shut up!" Aileen turned back, real worry clouding her tone. "Jesus, Jane. I'm going to miss you."

"You too, blondie." Jane seized her, and they embraced tightly. "Kill some of those bastards for me, okay?"

"My pleasure." Aileen released her, somewhat reluctantly. "You're my best friend, you crazy chick. Don't go and get yourself killed."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Jane adjusted her backpack. "Be seeing you, Aileen."

"Be seeing you." The medic stepped back, out of range of the hangar doors.

"Thirty seconds!" Firebrand called.

Jane turned for the snow. It called her: cold and clear, like a fresh start. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to stick with the old man after delivering his X4–

"Wait!" A golden-haired form thumped down the ramp in a hurry, her own backpack shouldered. Jane paused.

"Irina?"

"You can't go alone. You'll get into too much shit." Irina only stopped when she put one metal foot and one boot into the snow, clear of the access ramp. "Everyone needs allies."

"And that's you?" Jane eyed Irina's prosthetics. "You have a safe place to stay. You'll be in danger again."

"Our world is danger. And safe? Avenger's been shot down once already." Irina shrugged. "James and Obsidian were my friends too."

Jane nodded. "Understood." She hesitated, then put an arm around her fellow veteran's shoulder. "Glad to have you."

"Glad to be here." The Russian cracked a thin, wintry smile. "Toronto?"

"Yeah. As good a place as any."

Avenger's engines roared. The pneumatics hummed and hissed, and the ramp began to lift, snow raining from its end. Jane covered her face as wind and snow buffeted her, and with her other hand she held on to her tattered and repaired cap.

The ship began to rise arthritically, blasting wafts of snow left and right. Jane and Irina retreated, watching as blue antigrav ignited in the elerium drives, lifting Avenger first over their heads, then above the trees, and finally toward the clouds.

Aileen's form stood in the cargo door, unmoving, until the ramp finally sealed with a thump and whoosh of pressure.

Avenger shot away toward the east, rapidly picking up speed. She turned from a hulking form to a graceful shadow, and finally a rocketing speck, intermittently visible through the trees. The noise of her engines faded from roar to rumble, and finally a faint whistle that vanished under the song of waking birds.

Jane stood alone.

"Toronto, then?" No, she wasn't all alone. Irina hefted her pack.

"Yeah. Toronto." Jane turned away from Avenger's departure, joining her companion. "Let's go. No sense waiting around."

Author's Note 76: I've Seen Your World With These Very Eyes

I would think stun lancers are made with berserker DNA. Hell, maybe chryssalids! They certainly piss me off enough. Mutons sound like shieldbearers, for the hefting heavy equipment around. What do you guys think goes into each type of Advent soldier?

To answer the inevitable questions, I hadn't had this planned from the moment I wrote the first chapter, but the inklings of the idea formed back in S1. I had it essentially set in stone as of early S2, and it's just taken me forever to get to the point where I actually write it.

This marks the end of the completed chapters I wrote in mid-2020. I have the opening stages of the next one on file, but it will take some time to complete it, and I'll want a buffer before I resume regular uploads. Hopefully you'll all be on standby when that happens - and on my honor, it will. I have, in less than a week, put 16K words into my other project so I am tentatively willing to commit to finishing that chapter today. Wish me luck!

Until next time, Vigilo Confido.