With the Skyranger landing on the Avenger, the crew disembarked from their craft and walked along the metallic landing pad. With the large opening before them, the medical personnel came out of the ship to take care of Michael Ferdinand's wounds. He did take a few heavy hits and fell unconscious from the medicine he was administered. The squad leader, Todd Jackson felt off. Ever since he looked that serpent in the face, he felt wrong. From Alex perishing, to them leaving her behind. There was nothing that felt 'normal' about this mission if there ever was such a thing. Normal missions typically included somebody getting wounded but hardly ever falling. Todd held his fedora in his hand, after his outburst on the transport. The squad all walked through the entrance into the ship, leaving Todd there. Even the transport had descended into the lower levels of the ship to be checked over. With a glance at the setting sun, with dark clouds approaching, he entered the ship. His heavy boots clanked against the metal floor as he walked along. His squad all went to their assigned lockers in the living-quarters, and put their gear away. Getting out of their armor was not always simple. Much like kevlar-armor, it is not quickly removed. With plenty of locks, bolts, and velcro to remove, the Predator armor was put away. Exchanging their combat uniforms for casual clothing, which consists of older t-shirts and worn-out pants.

As Todd was putting his shotgun back onto the rack, he heard a beep behind him. The intercom flashed once and a voice was heard over the speaker in the armory. The voice was older, characterized by maturity and grit, and masculine in flair. Central Officer Bradford was the speaker. The Commander rarely makes such announcements over the intercom.

"Alpha squad leader Todd Jackson report to the bridge. Commander's orders."

Alpha squad. X-com consists of several squads. Each having a different role in the Commander's army. Alpha, is the all-rounder squad; not excelling in one manner over the other, with the troops being very versatile and adaptable. Beta squad, lead by Aaron Riley, is the 'loud' squad. They are all terrible at stealth, so the Commander put their bravery to good use. The squad consists of two grenadiers, a spark, and two specialists. They are used when stealth is not an option, much like when ADVENT attacks a resistance camp. The Gamma squad, led by Christoph Meyer, is the stealth squadron. Lacking the ability for an open fight, but excelling in not being spotted, or the enemy never having a chance to return fire, Gamma squad is the Commander's scalpel, a decisive stealth tool. They typically work with the factions or covert actions. Delta, led by Michael Gustaf, is sometimes called 'Young-blood'. Michael takes rookies on their first missions before they get assigned to one of the other squadrons. Michael got the nickname "Godfather" because of it. Because of the loss, Todd would now oversee the process of gaining a recruit to get the squad back up to full strength.

Todd sighed as he heard his name get called up to the bridge. He made eye contact with Travis and shrugged. Travis patted him on the shoulder as they parted ways at the doorway. A somber 'good-luck' as they each continued their separate ways. Todd had seen more than enough battles and formed bonds with his squadmates but seeing them go still took its toll on him. Seeing his soldiers fall reminded him of the mortality of his surroundings and how fragile everything truly is. The squad-leader is held to a high standard, one which he tries to uphold. The stress of being in charge of another's life builds up inside, hence his outburst in the transport. Walking up the stairs to the bridge, the man removed his hat once more. Two figures stand by the base of the holo-globe. On the right is Central Officer Bradford - an older, wrinkled man wearing a dark grey uniform bearing the old hunting knife on his chest - to his left, the Commander stood patiently. Todd saluted him and stood at attention until Bradford spoke. "At ease." The Commander is older than anybody else here but looks about the same as Bradford in age. Being a taller, white male, with hints of grey in the scruff of his beard, the Commander is slightly imposing. Despite his recent release, the man hardly let his body slow down. Keeping active has allowed him to remain strong and healthy, despite his capture twenty years ago. The Commander crossed his arms and spoke. His voice flowed with authority and underlying maturity. "Jackson, do you question my orders?" The Commander was hardly one for cutting around the bush or easing into something. The squad-leader was shocked at the question but only responded: "Sir?" The Commander shook his head and rubbed his hands together. "I have what you said on Skyranger on record. I ask again- do you question me?" Jackson silently cursed himself for outbursting on the transport, but he felt right about it when it happened. Knowing that there is no way of getting out of this, he decided to speak up. "I did, sir. When you ordered me to leave Alex behind, I felt like disobeying the order, as no human is just a tool. I felt-" The Commander cut him off, "Exactly. You felt. Yes, Jackson, I know. We lost Alex and I made a choice, which I can bear the blame for. Like a farmer sowing seeds, you do not see the results immediately. Despite our loss today, I see a much greater victory ahead. Dismissed." Jackson understood, somewhat, what the Commander was saying but still felt wrong about leaving her there. Trying to speak again- "But sir-" The Commander looked Jackson dead in the eye, not moving his expression at all. "You. Are. Dismissed." The older man turned around and faced the holo-globe yet again, with the scene of the previous battle still laid out on it. The Commander served during a different era. Living under the standards of strict military protocol, he takes nothing from anybody. Not even a squad-leader, or Bradford even. Sometimes his choices are questionable, but in the end, it works out. After all, if he fails, they all fail. Jackson saluted again, out of respect, and turned to leave. He felt defeated, having lost a lot today. First, lost Alex, now his pride took a bigger hit. Of course, one of those scars will heal.

Back in the living quarters, in Alpha squads' bunk-room, Travis was messing with his pistol at the large center table. With a plethora of tools spread about him, working on an old Shadowkeeper, he kept quiet. Michael is in the infirmary, while Richard is reading a book. The hardback book showing great signs of wear and age. Todd walked through the sliding door and Richard looked up from his reading. "So. How'd it go?" Todd went to the table and chose a random seat and flopped down into it. He grunted softly and finished with a sigh, placing his boots on an adjacent chair. "Well, I'm not getting booted so there's that." Travis chuckled softly and set the pistol down. "It'd be pretty extreme to kick you out just 'cuz you yelled in the Ranger." Todd shrugged and looked around the bunk-room. The large window on the port-side wall, showing the orange sky outside. Several appliances are scattered about the wall. From an older fridge to a flatscreen TV that Michael found after a mission. Some older gaming consoles are scattered about the TV, with controllers and games randomly placed around a small pile of soda-cans. Alex was the chef of the bunk, so there are cooking supplies around the bunk closest to the counters. Todd stopped his roaming eyes after spotting her bed. He'd rather not ponder on that for now. With the sun getting ever lower, Todd decided to head into the shower, to clean up for the night. Vanishing behind another sliding door, the water started running.

Hundreds of miles away, exiting from the same black APC came Yenta. Instead of the, went to battle with, she returns home alone. With not even her sister with her, she already feels lonely. Something that is not normal with ADVENT soldiers. The tall walls of the facility give her the only feeling of home that she has ever felt. Slithering along the path into the large, sliding doors, Yenta thought again on what happened. She has never felt like this before, let alone that afraid. So many strange emotions are coming to her. Fear and anxiety being the two most prominent emotions right now. Being scared of what could happen to her and what may happen to her. The serpent entered and was welcomed by the usual scene. The long silver hall-ways, with a plethora of units scattered about. They aren't socializing, simply waiting for their time to sleep. There's never anything to talk about, save from missions or events that happened during them. The lone serpent felt awkward in the crowd of units, slithering her way through them all. From mutons and andromedans to sectoids and troopers. It took her little effort to weave through the crowd, but she felt relieved when she entered her bunk-room. There are other serpents within the room, all removing their armor and climbing into their sleep-pods. Yenta looked around the room, noting all of her siblings, all preparing to sleep. Yenta sighed, slithering up to her pod, which has a small set of shelves beneath it. Her emerald eyes peered about her small collection of items. From a rose to a sea-shell. It is small yet simple. She takes joy in the few items she has collected. Removing the alloy armor that she is wearing. The plates are fused, like scales of a dragon. Strong yet agile. Removing the tightly fitting armor and replacing it with a nylon tank-top, she sighed. Yenta always knew that her chest was larger than the other's, but she rarely thought of it aside from the uncomfortable experience of putting her armor on. The young serpent slithered next to one of her sisters and they greeted her. A green and blue viper, longer than she is.

"Did you see the news, Yenta? Our squad is being relocated to Sector one, or the arctic. I always heard the cold was nice, what do you think?" Yenta was taken aback by the news, with her emerald eyes widening in surprise. The serpent thought about it for a moment, trying to remember anything important about the area. "We aren't being transferred to Ember-17, are we?" Her voice hinted at worry and concern, and a hushed tone. Ember-17 is something unique in ADVENT'S ranks. A facility, nearly entirely dedicated to genetic manipulation, not regarding the Avatar project. Ember-17 instead focuses on modifying existing species, instead of making a new one. Going to 17 means you are either a guard, or you'll come back very differently. Her sister serpent shrugged a bit, trying to not worry about it as much as her sister. "I know not, Yenta. If we are- then change is headed our way." The unnamed green serpent turned on her scales and slithered into her sleeping pod. The large glass panel hisses shut and fogs the glass up. Yenta stayed there for a moment alone, watching her sisters all get ready to sleep. Unfortunately for Yenta, because her mission was a disaster, she has reports to fill out. Coiling on top of a large blue cushion, next to a computer desk with a holographic screen displayed. She logged into the computer with her wrist-band automatically entering the info for her. One good thing that ADVENT has made, is the wrist-bands. They are multi-purpose and can do pretty much anything electronic. It can be likened to a tiny laptop on your wrist. Yenta starts the lengthy project of filling out the reports. The room lights shut off and she works in the darkness, with the dull lights wearing her eyes down as the time rolls on. After filling out what feels like dozens of reports, Yenta checks the clock. Seeing the time to be exactly 3:16 am. With a deep, the serpent stretched, soon followed by a yawn, showing her pair of fangs. Realizing that sleeping would be fruitless, as they always wake up at 5 am. Yenta slithered out their room, peeking out of the door. Checking both ways as though a human were chasing her. Deeming it safe, she slithered quickly to the other side of the hallway, to a small room. Going inside, it is the access ladder to the roof. Coiling around the ladder and quickly ascending, she gets to the roof in record time. Navigating across the dozens of antennas, machines, and devices on the roof, Yenta eventually finds the edge of the roof. Sliding the end of her tail off, she gazes up at the stars. Her emerald eyes scan the black canvas, painted with random colors. Stars randomly placed around the canvas, the serpent wonders why they are like that. A harmless curiosity, staring upward. The sun won't show his pleasant face for several more hours, but the cool breeze coming from the north, through the valley is nice on her scales. Despite her not supposed to be out here, she's done it so much. Jensa was the only one who would come out with her. The serpent ruins her night with that thought of her fallen sister. With her emerald eyes veiling behind her eyelids, she sheds a tear in the hard metallic roof.

"I'm… I'm sorry Jensa th-that I didn't shoot. I-I was scared.." Looking back at the stars, she gives herself something of peace, thinking that one of those many, bright stars could be her sister. Spending the next few minutes thinking about that mission, she properly ruins her mood. The serpent looks towards the horizon to the east, where the mountains meet the sky. Choosing the brightest star there, a bright greenish-blue star. It floats above the peaks proudly, with her emerald eyes happily watching it. She was about to avert her eyes, with her swiveling her head she saw something. Did the star just move? Returning her gaze to the star, she watches closely now. Watching for several moments before she watches the star drop behind the mountains. Her mouth drops open.

"That's… odd."

Fearful, the serpent decided to test her chances inside rather than out here, vanishing beneath the heavy hatch.

That star was much different than a flaming ball of plasma in the void of space. Dropping behind the mountains proved it to be something else. On the other side of those rocky hills, is the star. An oddly glowing circular ship, landing in a field. The purple glow on the bottom fades away as the landing gear places it quietly on the grass. Inside of this alien vessel, within the pilot's seat, is Lazarus. The massive serpent, lazing in the large seat, conformed to his figure. With his helmet removed and his gloves, the serpent sighs. Instead of having a legendary fortress, as the Chosen do, he was gifted an old Overseer vessel, which the Ethereals themselves flew in the first invasion. Of course, it has been upgraded, to make living for the serpent comfortable. Instead of seats designed for the humanoid aliens, more cushions and fewer chairs can be found. As if anybody else would be in here anyway. With his blazing emerald eyes watching the landscape through the hologram, he sighs. Normally he would pray to his gods when he is bored, but sitting there- staring at the serene environment- Lazarus finds more peace than he normally may. No civilization for miles, just him and his ship. Glancing over his shoulder lazily, Lazarus looks at his rifle, hanging on the wall, with that necklace he found. His emerald eyes blinked slowly while staring at the combination of silver and chain. With a bit of a groan, he pushes himself up from his slouched position in the seat. The large serpent stretched softly, with his arms raising above his head for a moment, and yawned with his fangs showing briefly. Slithering over to the rifle and the necklace, he softly lifts the chain with his bare hand. The four-digit hand raising it higher. Looking it over, he softly scoffs. Releasing it after pondering for a moment, and slithering into the adjacent room. The door shuts behind him, with the new room lighting up with purple lights. Several Elders are painted upon the walls, with intricate designs everywhere in the room. There is a small purple flame on the floor, close to the wall. Lazarus sighs as he coils next to the small bowl of flame and spreads his arms out. With his thumb meeting his middle finger, he closes his eyes with another heavy breath. Clearing his mind, with his necklace dangling from his neck. With his mind connecting to the psionic flow, the serpent feels his body tingle for a moment, before reopening his eyes. With him now within a Chosen Fortress, still in his praying position, with the purple flames clearing around him. Opening his eyes, Lazarus finds himself to be down a flight of stairs from the Warlock. Lazarus has learned much under the Warlock over the years. Lazarus can still be found within his ship, but his strong connection to the Flow has allowed him to be here also. With his emerald eyes looking up at the warlock, who is in the same pose, Lazarus speaks.

"I have returned, Master. The humans were where you said they would be, I even slew one of the heretics trying to use the Gift." The Warlock, who's real name is Kon-Von Mallinor. Of course, nobody calls him that, not even himself. The Warlock is the most devoted of the Elders' followers. With great psionic power gifted to him, he proved to be one of their greatest assets. Perhaps even the most fanatical. The reasons all of reality to be the doing of the Elders, with their will all around him. Even at times killing his subordinates, claiming they were not true in their faith. With the wrinkled Warlock raising his head, with purple flames licking at his boots.

"And the others?" His voice was deep and gritty and pronounced. Like a sage warrior telling of his past. Lazarus did not avert his eyes from his master, keeping focused to remain here. "They escaped, but I left my mark on their spirits. The leader was frightened dearly. I felt his anger boil at my killing." "The Elders will be pleased then, my child." The Warlock has called him that for years now, as he learned under him closely. With a few minutes of silence between them, with Lazarus regaining some energy to continue speaking. "There was a viper there today. Her comrades fell, yet she did not. She showed- empathy in her eyes." The Warlock locked his eyes on the serpent, with the flames glowing brightly. "Empathy? That is not good, Lazarus. A viper falling out of line could prove ill to the Elders' cause." The viper shook his head softly. "I took care of it, Master. I ordered their transfer to Ember-17, and I will look deeper into this issue. If it is a malfunctioning chip, then it shall be fixed. But- my spirit tells me it is much deeper than that." The Warlock hesitated. "What do you mean, Lazarus? Do you feel empathy for this serpent?" Lazarus was silent. His emerald eyes blinked several times before finally responding. "No, but I- I am not sure. Perhaps the Elders are guiding me to the truth. Pray for me." And with the final words passing his lips, he was whisked away from the Fortress, with him returning to his body with a bit of a gasp and his eyes shooting open. Gasping for air, he fell over softly.

"Damn that stings…" Getting up and slithering towards a rack on the wall. Placing all of his armor thereon, he soon leaves the room, to finally sleep.