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"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure."

~Winston Churchill

Chapter Ninety-six: Crossroads

The Commander's dilemma was a closely guarded secret, its details impermeable, every last facet of it hidden from the Avenger's rank-and-file as securely as humanity could dream.

"He can't do this to her." Sylvie paced at the fireside, hands wrapped up in her black-and-white hair. "She'll die. She'll die alone, desperate for us–"

"It will not happen." Mox shook his head firmly. "The Commander would never leave one of us behind."

"Are you sure?" Janet Ross tossed another log onto the blaze, literally and metaphorically. "He's got a powerful boon as his counterargument."

"We've dealt with the Hunter just fine." Elena Dragunova held her third cigarette of the night out to the bonfire, letting the raging, crackling force of natural destruction work for her. "If it means bringing Julie back, I'll keep putting bullets in his blue face."

"That's the spirit." Janet nodded approvingly. "But will the Commander agree?"

"He has to." Sylvie's eyes flickered with power. Could she keep a lid on it?

She couldn't even give me a migraine when she tried. Dragunova took a deep pull, exhaling smoke into the psi-op's path. We're fine. Now, if Gallant actually leaves Julie to die…

"Sylvie, we'll get her back." Janet reached out, catching Sylvie's arm. "Easy, now."

"Easy? It's not your fiancée in the firing line!" Nonetheless, she did grind to a halt, ceasing the mechanical, manic pacing that had consumed her as soon as the rumor spread like the flu through the ranks.

"That thing killed my brother." Fatima Tariq was the fire's last occupant, and cold fury burned in her eyes, far hotter and wilder than the actual blaze before them. "It hunted Chilong to his death, it brought about Annette's…all my friends, all my family." She spat into the dirt. "We can't pass up this chance. It deserves to suffer. It deserves to die."

"But Julie!" Sylvie glared downward. "You'd leave her to die?"

"If it was me in her place, I'd hope you left me."

"If it was you in her place, I would!"

"Enough, ladies." Dragunova reached out to pull Sylvie away. "No one says we should forget the Hunter–"

"Yet you'd sacrifice our one chance to even the score and finish this feud for one soldier?" Fatima shook her head. "You're soft, Reaper."

"Say that to my face." Dragunova clenched her teeth on her cigarette.

"You." Fatima stood, glaring into her eyes. "Are. So–"

"This is unproductive." Mox pulled Dragunova away now, which was probably for the best.

"You're goddamn right." Fatima threw her hands up, stalking into the darkness. "Go on, call me heartless. See if you feel better when the Hunter pulls another Scotland and Sylvie's widowed anyway."

"Major Tariq!" Janet scowled after her vanishing form. "What an asshole."

"She carries a debt to be paid." Mox finally released Dragunova, which spoke to his confidence that she wasn't going to reach for her temnotic rifle. "Many here do."

"I don't care about Fatima's debts. I want Julie safe!" Sylvie slumped by the fire, clutching her face. Dragunova spared a glance into the shadows, but Hiroshi and Firebrand had Matthias catching fireflies, so at least he was spared this chaos. Sylvie nearly moaned through her hands. "We cannot keep trading lives: first Cipriano for Julie, then Kang for Jane, now the Hunter for Julie again?"

"He'll make the right choice." And while Dragunova understood the logic behind hunting the Hunter, in her mind, there was only one right choice. "I have nothing but faith."

"Do you have no faith?" Cipriano Valle scowled across another fire, not so far from Dragunova's own. "We took care of the Chosen in the Caribbean."

"Yes." Meysam rapped his fingers on the Shadowkeeper like a drumbeat. "I have bullet wounds from the effort."

"But you lived." Cipriano's face darkened with deep misgivings. "It's my fault Mystic Richardson is even away."

"That's not true." Charlotte looked up from where she tinkered with her GREMLIN, shaking her head doggedly. "That was just a bad situation."

"But we can't leave her." Cipriano rose, scowling.

"Sit down, son." Meysam sighed. "I don't like it, but we have a war to win."

"Exactly." Irina took a slow drink from her cup, shrugging artfully. "No one wants to leave Julie behind. But there comes a chance to turn things around."

"Don't lie." Cipriano scoffed. "You just want a shot at the Chosen because of what happened to Jane."

"Da." Irina glared levelly at the psi-op over her drink. "You want to get between us?"

"You haven't been here that long." Meysam leaned forward, doing his best to play peacemaker. "The Hunter is the one responsible for Scotland. He killed…Central's daughter." Whatever else she had been to Meysam was irrelevant now. "Nui died because of him, and Kang because of that whole Jane situation. The Hunter's been Advent's most effective agent against us. If we pass on this opportunity, he gets to wreak even more havoc."

"Yes." Charlotte did, for her part, wince when she said it. "I'm sorry, Cipriano. But is there really a choice to make here? I hate it with every fiber of my being, but if we try to save everyone, we just wind up accomplishing nothing. We're spinning our wheels in the mud."

"Finally, people who talk sense." Fatima appeared from the darkness, scowling. "Charlotte's right. We have to get some momentum or this war slips away from us."

"You're out of your minds." Cipriano shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not going to turn my back on Mystic Richardson."

"You'll do as you're ordered, soldier." Fatima crossed her arms. "If I have to drag you onto the Skyranger myself."

"You're a bunch of cold-blooded killers." Cipriano glared from Meysam to Charlotte and back to Fatima and then Irina. "All you care about are the grudges you carry. Who wants to tell Sylvie she's become a widow?"

"Hey!" Meysam growled as Cipriano turned on his heel, storming away. "Son of a bitch."

"I feel for him." Charlotte slumped in her seat, rubbing at her eyes. "I wish things were different."

"So do I." Fatima claimed Cipriano's old spot, staring into the flame. "But we are dealt the cards we are dealt. If we deployed with Julie alongside us and successfully slew the Hunter, it would still be a great victory. Is it really so different when she is away?"

"I don't think so." Meysam hated himself, and he hated the reality that forced him to make this choice. He'd never be able to look Sylvie in the eye again, or little Matthias. But there was a war to win. How could one wayward soul compare to the value of removing a Chosen from the board?

Besides, he deserved to die.

"Gallant will make the right choice." Meysam inhaled deeply, brought no comfort by the words. For once, right rang very hollow as an adjective: less moral and more clinical. "God have mercy on his soul, but he will."

Edward Gallant paced in the dark, cane thumping over rock and dirt. Eyes unfocused, guided more by feel than anything, he walked the perimeter of his bonfire-lit camp, taken quickly from joy to tense horror.

There's no right choice. That was about all he could sum up out of this situation. There's no winning hand, no flourish of a straight flush to win the pot. Just more goddamn trades.

"Damn you, Dad." That stupid quote flitted through his head again. "I'm fucking tired of choosing who dies."

"Commander?" In the shadows ahead, a single form waited.

"Father Giovanni." Gallant held up a hand. "Evening." He kept walking, intent on leaving it at that.

"It is a fine one." The priest frowned at him in passing. "Is everything all right, sir?"

"Yeah, just fine." Fuck it. "You've heard the rumors by now."

"Commander, I have been in prayer." Father Giovanni fell in at Gallant's flank, head turned curiously. "Is this something to do with the loss of power?"

"No, it's…" Could he really not know? Gallant studied the father for a long moment. "Are you bluffing me, Father?"

"To lie is a sin, sir." Father Giovanni remained impassive, studying Gallant in quiet contemplation.

Gallant let out a long breath, hissing air through his teeth. "I need advice, Father."

"Then this conversation comes under the seal of the confessional." Father Giovanni turned to walk at Gallant's side, serene in his stride. "What is the matter, my son?"

"Son." That was amusing. Gallant chuckled softly, but the mirth didn't last. "Well, we have a lead on the Hunter. We could take him down, once and for all."

"But?"

"But it's a one-time thing. We wait, we lose him. And…" He studied the ground. "And we picked up Julie Richardson's signal. She's in serious danger."

"So you are forced to choose."

"Seems that way."

"I see." The father remained quiet for a long moment, only their footsteps breaking the silence. "You have a difficult path to walk."

"Don't I know it." Gallant leaned heavily on his cane, grateful for its support after the display without it earlier. "If we go for Julie, we might lose the war. If we go for the Hunter, Sylvie…" He couldn't do that to her. "I have to go for Julie."

"Is that your decision?"

"Yes…no." His responsibility was greater than to one woman and her intended, no matter the value of the woman in question. There were more psi-ops. There was only one Hunter. "The greater good dictates I take the chance I have to strike down the Hunter."

"Perhaps." Father Giovanni paused, giving Gallant a searching look. "I do not envy you, and I do not think the Lord will judge you harshly for the choice you must make. Neither can be said to be evil and wrong, nor either to be pure and good."

"I wish I could go for both." Gallant ran a hand through his hair, his frail body shaking in the light breeze. "Theoretically, Firebrand could drop a team in Greece and be on standby while Avenger heads after the Hunter. If we move quickly on both fronts, we could rendezvous somewhere in the Atlantic before Firebrand runs out of fuel, or she could make it back here to rest until our return. But I can't manage two battles at once, and that's what we're walking into."

"A man must know his limits." Father Giovanni seemed to ponder the dilemma. "You are frightened of failure."

"Anyone with a brain is." Gallant still shook his head. "I'm not afraid to throw the dice and try."

"That is good." The priest sighed. "I don't know that I have your answer, Commander. Perhaps another can give you clearer guidance."

"They'll all have their opinions. I don't have time to start a debate."

"Perhaps. But do not be afraid to seek counsel. As is written in the Book of Matthew; 'whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith'." Giovanni sketched a salute. "I hope you receive your answer, Commander. I will pray for it."

"Thank you." Not long ago, he would have considered that the most annoying thing. Now, it was kind of heartwarming.

What is it I'm asking for? That was a difficult question in and of itself, one Gallant turned over as Father Giovanni started his walk back to the camp. Clarity, maybe. Answers? No. I know what the war requires, and I know what my heart demands. They're in conflict, and I can't do both.

That was it.

Ask, and you shall receive, if you have faith.

Faith. What a nebulous word. Gallant didn't have Father Giovanni's, nor Geist's. But that didn't mean he lacked–it meant he needed to find a way to put what kind of faith he did possess to work for him.

"Father." A chill ran through Gallant's bones. Deep, dark, and frightening, it enveloped him, washing him over in uncertainty and fear. If the die had been cast in the Caribbean, here again was the new Rubicon. "I've made my decision."

"Commander?" Father Giovanni turned.

"I'm going back to the Council." Gallant turned, driving his cane into the dirt. "Would you mind fetching someone for me?"

"Up you go." Piotr helped to push Julie up the tower's ladder, bypassing the pile of Advent corpses on the lower level. "Easy does it."

"Appreciate it." Julie scrambled up through the hatch, slumping down by the waist-high fence preventing her from flopping a full story down onto pavement. She checked her rifle, making sure it was full of ancient, useless bullets. "I'll lock things down from up here. When the shooting starts–"

"I know." Piotr gave the ladder a solid rap with his knuckles. "Things will get hot in here quickly. Do not hesitate to fall back."

"I won't." Julie checked her syringes again. "Draw them into the main yard as best you can. Tell Denver to look for red armor and sashes."

"We have fought Advent before." Nevertheless, the Ukrainian nodded. "Give us whatever support you can."

"Hey." Julie leaned down, offering her hand. "It's been a pleasure, my friend."

"Likewise." He clasped it, grinning ruefully up at her. "Now, let us not ruin our fortune by discussing getting drinks after or any such things. Bad luck."

"Damn right it is." Julie scooted herself back into position, peering over the top of the fence with her rifle at the ready. "Make sure Henri and Nathan are hunkered down somewhere safe. Somewhere I don't need to know about." After all, she was on the front line and would be a high priority target.

"Of course. And, uh. Don't come out until someone else comes in." He punctuated that statement with the soft click of an arming pin being removed.

Oh boy. Julie studied the dozen or more black shapes hanging in the sky to the north. Jesus, that's a lot of infantry. They don't take chances, do they?

That was fine. It would be fine, because Firebrand was going to come searing in with guns blazing and rockets snapping out on trails of fire. Sylvie would swing down from the drop bay, and who all would be at her back? Any combination of soldiers would be a hell of a relief force.

The question was whether they would arrive in time.

I love you, Sylvie Richard. Julie did her best to beam the thought into the atmosphere, willing it to her fiancée's head half a world or more away. And for my part, Matthias, I love you too. If I don't get back…

There was no point finishing that thought, but there was also no more point running from it. If this doesn't work, there's no escape. There is no fallback plan. There is no alternative. We will stand until XCOM arrives, or we will die in a blaze of glory.

"If this is to be our end, let us make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance." Julie fixed King Théoden in her head, exhaling softly as she laid her rifle into firing position. "Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red dawn."

There was nothing left to do but wait.

"You sent for me, Commander?" Jane Kelly glanced over her shoulder. "Thank you, Father."

"Of course." Father Giovanni let go of her chair, backing off away from the Council in its meeting space by the smallest of the various fires. As far as grand visages go, it was hardly Avenger's bridge or the Ring.

"Major Kelly." Gallant saluted, and she hurriedly did the same. "Thank you for coming."

"Sir." She glanced from Geist to Volk and Betos and on to Bradford, Shen, and Tygan. "What's going on?"

"The Commander has made his decision." Volk turned to Gallant. "He refused to tell us until you arrived."

"Is this about Julie?" Jane swallowed. Was he going to make her choose? "I hardly think I'm qualified to–"

"I'm not putting you on the spot, Major. Well, not like that." Gallant let out a breath of warm air, misting before his face as he turned to his various allies and aides. "We cannot pass up the opportunity to go after the Hunter."

"Ah." Jane's heart stung, but she couldn't deny a bit of savage, primal glee at the choice. Still… "Poor Sylvie."

"I'm not finished yet." Gallant leaned both hands on his cane, firelight reflecting off his eyes. "Neither can we leave one of our own in harm's way."

"Commander…" Bradford held up a hand. "You're not proposing we undertake both missions."

"Of course not. It's hardly a proposal: it's an order."

"Are you insane?" Those were Jane's words, but basically everyone at the fire erupted into some variation on them at the same moment. At least she got the honor of finishing the thought. "Even if we can get two teams in place in time, you can't support both operations at once."

"No, I can't. I'm only human." Gallant shrugged. "I can manage one operation, and I've decided that I'm going to keep my word to Sylvie."

"Then you're sending your men into the Hunter's sanctum unsupported." Geist scowled. "You are sending them to fail and die, Commander."

"Not exactly." Gallant shook his head. "I can't manage two ops at once. But I can manage one, and someone else can run the other."

"Sir…" Bradford shifted his weight unhappily. "We know how Germany turned out."

"I'm sorry, John, but I wasn't talking about you." Gallant turned.

He turned to…to Jane.

"Sir?" She blinked. "No."

"You've been with us from the beginning. If anyone knows how to lead this force, it's you." Gallant took two steps to approach her, hesitating before her less like an imperious, ordering Commander and more like a pilgrim asking a boon. "You've learned enough about how I fight that the Hunter thought you could beat me. Irina prevented us from finding out whether he was right, but you at least brought it into question."

"I…killed Kang." Jane swallowed. "No. I can't do this."

"We can't have two Commanders." Bradford shook his head. "It'll get too confusing."

"I'm insulted, John. What does a title matter? Give her a name. 'Operations Director' or something." Gallant returned his gaze to her, deep and focused. "It's not just that you can do this, Jane. You're the only person who might be able to at all."

"I've never…I mean…" Jane gestured to her legs. "Be honest, sir. I'm not some paragon of tactics, I'm just useless in the field."

"No. You know what it feels like to lose, and you know what it feels like to live on anyway. You're not going to panic the moment things go wrong." Gallant didn't so much as blink. "You are more than the sum of your traumas, Jane. I have nothing but faith in you."

"Sir." Tygan crossed his arms. "If we deploy two strike teams, we will have sent almost our entire surviving force into action at once. If these operations pan out poorly–"

"We lose. So what? The moment we stop fighting because we might not win, we lose anyway."

"I don't like it–"

"I didn't ask you, Volk." That was the most brazen way Jane had ever seen Gallant speak to any Resistance leader. Had he been harsher with Geist before the union was properly formed? If so, Jane hadn't seen it.

"I don't know." This was a lot to process when five minutes ago she'd been ripping apart Love Actually with her old best friend and her new best friend alike.

"We aren't destined to lose." Gallant lowered himself to Jane's level, grunting sharply as he put his weight more crudely on his bad leg. Bradford took a step for him, but the Commander waved him off. "We aren't throwing men into a meat grinder. We aren't trading. We're going out there, and we're going to win. Not just one battle, but two. We'll sweep the field: destroying the Hunter, thumbing Angelis' eye, and bringing Julie home for her wedding. But I can't do it without you."

"Sir." Jane licked her lips. "Do you really think so?"

"I know so." He took Jane's hand in his, squeezing gently. His lips twitched. "Be my mirror, my sword and shield/My missionary in a foreign field."

"Ha." Julie let out a long breath of her own. "You love that song."

"Actually, I just find it poignant." Gallant pushed himself upright, stumbling to his feet and leaning hard on his cane.

"If I'm going for the Hunter, I want Fatima." Jane's mind flicked through names, seeking out a team that might accomplish something. "And the SPARKs too."

"You can have one: don't get greedy. I need armor for my own operation." Gallant rocked back on his heels, the beginnings of a smile parting his lips. "I'm taking Sylvie, naturally. As well as Mox and Dragunova."

"Fine, but I get Meysam."

"Let's sort this out on the bridge." Gallant glanced to Shen. "ETA on full power?"

"I can have her back up in just a few minutes." Shen couldn't contain her own grin either. "Let me check in with Yue."

"Then we should get ourselves into position." Gallant gestured toward the access ramp. "Come on."

"Up a ramp. Joy." Jane reached for her wheels, but then… "Central?"

"On it." Bradford grabbed the handles. "This is crazy."

"Damn right. But we'll win, John: I can feel it." Gallant patted Jane on the shoulder. "After you, Director Kelly."

Author's Note 96: Double Or Nothing

This is it. This is the grand finale of Season Three, five whole years in the making. I hope it lives up to the hype and winds up worth the delay.

I won't belabor this AN too much. I'm hoping to get this entire season finished before I have to fly out on my vacation(which, by the time you're reading this, has almost certainly started and possibly even ended already). I'll see you next time to strike the match.

Until then, Vigilo Confido.