Aegis

The Citadel, Office of the Commander

"I didn't exactly expect to actually be discussing this," Van Doorn commented, shaking his head in disbelief. "We're actually debating whether or not to form an alliance with North Korea."

"Strange times," Bradford agreed, eyeing the Commander cautiously. "And just how certain are you that he wasn't lying or just saying what you wanted to hear."

"Oh, he was most certainly trying to appeal to me," the Commander agreed instantly, though was sure to keep his tone measured. "But…despite that, I don't think he was lying to me. It honestly seemed like he believed he was doing the right thing."

"A dictator who isn't driven by power," Vahlen noted, frowning. "I'm skeptical."

"He has power," Zhang pointed out. "He's had power for decades. If the ambition for more was what was driving him, why has North Korea been silent for so long?"

"Tell that to South Korea," Shen said with a pointed look at the Commander. "You forget that there may be other reasons to refrain from expansion besides being content with what he has. Not every dictator is an idiot."

"On that we're unanimous," Van Doorn agreed, looking towards the Commander. "Did the Supreme Leader discuss his southern neighbor?"

"No," the Commander said, pursing his lips. "That topic never came up."

"That would have to be a requirement if we reach any sort of agreement," Bradford said firmly. "An end to hostilities against South Korea."

The Commander hesitated. "For that to even be considered, South Korea would have to agree to the same thing."

"Why would that be a problem?" Vahlen asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Because North Korea isn't the only country to use propaganda against its own citizens," Zhang stated bluntly. "The citizens of South Korea have been conditioned to hate the North for decades. How do you think they'll react if they agree to a peace treaty with their sworn enemy?"

"Justified or not, Zhang has a point," Van Doorn muttered. "As unfortunate as it is, South Korea may be the bigger issue in a cease-fire."

"I'll speak to both the President and Supreme Leader about the possibility," the Commander said, resting his hands on the holotable. "I think I can at least get them to start discussions. But if North Korea is amenable to this and South Korea isn't…that won't be our concern anymore."

"Except for the political fallout," Bradford noted. "If we side with North Korea over the South that will not go over well with the general public."

"There is going to be fallout regardless," the Commander argued to Bradford. "If that particular scenario happens, we just tell the truth. XCOM facilitated peace talks between the two nations, South Korea refused to abide and it fell apart."

"It's worth the risk," Zhang agreed. "If we could successfully negotiate a peace between the two countries, it would boost our international influence and image dramatically."

"There are also going to be a few more conditions for an alliance with us," the Commander continued. "He may say his citizens are happy, but I'd rather get proof. Van Doorn, should the Supreme Leader be amenable, I'd like you to head the investigation."

"Smart," Van Doorn nodded, picking up a tablet. "I assume you want one of the human rights groups to lead the investigation?"

"No," the Commander shook his head. "I want it independent. Headed by you, and a team also selected by you. No outside organizations. I assume you know some people who you could trust with this."

"Yes…" Van Doorn answered slowly, scratching his chin as he thought. "I know people who'd kill for this opportunity. But it depends on the scope of what you want. Civilian? Military? Agriculture? Everything?"

"They'd never allow a military investigation," Zhang pointed out.

"The state of their military isn't a concern," the Commander agreed. "It's never been an issue with North Korea. No, I want to keep the investigation strictly civilian. Living conditions, wages, economy, production, health. The government and military sections are unimportant."

"Got it," Van Doorn nodded as he made some notes on his tablet. "I have some people who could head it."

"What about political prisoners?" Shen asked. "They shouldn't be forgotten."

"I agree," Vahlen nodded towards her colleague. "That shouldn't be tolerated if they work with us."

"How idealistic in theory," Zhang commented dryly. "But there's nothing to stop him from either fabricating it or refusing altogether. Political prisoners are not exclusive to North Korea. Every country has them, most just keep it quiet."

"But an effort should be taken," the Commander added with a nod. "At the very least I'll request the non-violent ones be released. I highly doubt all of them were trying to start a rebellion."

"It feels very good to be discussing all the great changes we'll suggest to North Korea," Van Doorn noted slowly. "But we should be wary of pushing too much. We can't demand the government change overnight. It will have to be slowly."

"But is this enough to justify an alliance?" Bradford asked all of them. "That's the question."

"We end a shadow war between two countries, ensure the country is actually as prosperous as he claims and potentially release an unknown number of prisoners," Zhang answered, ticking the points off his fingers. "In return we receive the financial and military backing of a wealthy and advanced nation."

"Though the problematic elements of the government still remain," Shen noted.

"But with North Korea more open, we can push for change in the future," the Commander pointed out. "Should the Supreme Leader be as…reasonable…as I think, he might be able to be convinced to adopt more diplomatic elements, along with possibly additional incentives."

"No one can expect the country to change overnight," Van Doorn agreed, setting his tablet down. "But this is the first time that something can be done to break the status quo. Forgetting the military and financial benefits to this, I don't think we can morally ignore this opportunity just because we don't get everything we want."

The Commander nodded. "Well said. Compromise for now. Whatever we can accomplish is better than nothing."

"Provided of course the Supreme Leader agrees to this in the first place," Vahlen added.

"I warned him we'd have conditions for an alliance," the Commander said. "I suppose we'll see how serious he is about wanting this."

"In the event that he does agree, we have to be prepared for significant political fallout," Bradford warned as he looked down at his tablet. "Even if we control the narrative at the beginning, we're probably going to be crucified by most of the general population. Even if we do manage to broker a peace between the North and South, as well as shed light on the country, I'm not sure how much that will count."

"The general public does not concern me," the Commander dismissed. "They'll be angry for a few days and then calm down once the facts come out. People have short attention spans."

"Fine," Bradford sighed. "Ignore the public. I have a feeling the Council is not going to be pleased either, and China will likely feel the same."

"I'll handle the Council," the Commander assured him with a smile. "But I suppose it'll depend on how the negotiations go. I think even the Council would be hard-pressed to condemn XCOM and me if we manage to broker peace."

"They might," Zhang muttered. "But only because we've done what they could not."

There was a round of sarcastic chuckles at that. "We all know the pros and cons of this," the Commander said, looking around at them. "Time to make a decision. All in favor."

All of them raised a hand, though Shen, Vahlen and Bradford did so somewhat hesitantly. But it was good enough. "It's settled then," the Commander nodded. "I'll contact Iseul and see how open he actually is."

"Let's hope it goes well," Van Doorn said, finally breaking into a smile. "Because if so, this could be a major turning point in history."

"Though if it's good or bad remains to be seen," Bradford added quietly.

"That will depend on us," the Commander stated. "And if they decide to renege on anything we agree on, we will make sure it will not be tolerated. Dismissed."

Everyone saluted and walked out of the office, returning to their hectic duties.

The Citadel, Herman's Quarters

Well, it was probably time to update the Council. He'd admittedly been busy over the past few weeks, but it was enough for some kind of call, especially with what had been happening in Brazil. The Commander has stated that he suspected EXALT, which while Herman was somewhat skeptical, considering how they'd tried to discredit XCOM a few days before, wouldn't exactly be that unbelievable.

Though he did have to admit that the timing was a little convenient, especially since he didn't know who in their right mind would blow the lid off this now? Excluding the ethics involved, this was quite possibly the worst time to do something like this, even if it could be justified. Perhaps the Council would know a bit more about the situation.

Though Herman was more interested in the moment of what had been happening over the past twenty-four hours. Whatever it was, the Commander had left the Citadel for a short time and no one seemed to know why. Van Doorn wouldn't say anything, though since he had more or less said "wait and see," he doubted it was all bad.

In the meantime, he and Lily had managed to work up some prototypes of his ideas for the turret and portable cover. She was still going over the drone concept, which he'd expected. She really was a genius at this, though it was definitely not what he'd had in mind initially. But he certainly wasn't complaining.

Although, it was going to make the coming talk somewhat…awkward. He suspected that, no matter who he spoke to, the Council would probably not be very pleased with him taking a more active role in XCOM. Warnup would no doubt consider it breaking his neutrality, but quite honestly, Herman didn't really care about that anymore.

In fact, he'd learned a lot more just working in the Engineering Bay and observing than the carefully planned inspections that were relied upon. Such as Shen having a separate lab in the back devoted exclusively for MEC experimentation and cybernetics. Interesting how no one had shown it to him in the initial tour.

He'd taken a closer look, of course, but hadn't really found anything beyond a workshop devoted to the cybernetic aspect of XCOM. Though if the prototypes he'd seen in there were any indication, Shen and the Commander literally had big plans for the MECs. Lily was also surprisingly informative as well, though she didn't say much beyond what he already knew. She was surprisingly comfortable talking around him, which might have been due to having no one else to talk too. If nothing else, it made things easier when actually talking to the elder Shen.

Herman shook his head. Right. Enough reminiscing, time to get this done. He had the feeling that Tamara might keep what he said to herself, so in the interest of transparency, had reluctantly decided to inform Warnup of the recent developments. He opened up his laptop and began making the call.

Finally, after waiting a few minutes, Warnup's face appeared. "Herman," he greeted. "Long time, no see."

Hopefully the rest of the discussion would be this cordial. "Same to you, Councilor. I figured it was time for an update."

"Considering recent events, I'd tend to agree," Warnup nodded, blinking several times and he continued. "I'm also glad you choose to speak with me about it. Keeping questionable acts secret serves no one."

"In this case, I agree," Herman said, sighing. "But only because I want no part in whatever discussion follows afterward. I did my part and kept you informed, end of story."

"Is there an issue?" Warnup asked, frowning.

"I don't believe so," Herman answered. "I've been working with XCOM to develop some experiment warfare concepts. To diversify their arsenal, so to speak."

To his credit, the strongest reaction from Warnup was several blinks. "You're working with XCOM? Directly?"

"If you mean I'm using XCOM resources to develop equipment for them, then yes," Herman confirmed. "Provided the Commander approves, some of my concepts might be incorporated into the XCOM armory proper."

Warnup sat back. "You're helping the Commander." He said in disbelief.

Herman resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but continued on. "Of course I am. I noted some issues with the way he was conducting the war and proposed some solutions. He agreed and let me work."

"You're supposed to be watching the Commander," Warnup almost growled. "Not enabling him."

"Forgive me for not wanting more soldiers to die when they could be prevented," Herman snapped back. "And no. I'm here to observe, and watch for violations, but I still haven't found any. But nowhere was it said that I couldn't help XCOM, and even if there was, that is one time I'd break the rules."

"Are there really none?" Warnup demanded. "Or are you just not wanting to see it? You honestly believe the Commander is conducting this war within the rules?"

Herman crossed his arms. "Quite honestly? No, I don't. But I really can't do anything about that without proof. You may be willing to remove someone on gut feeling alone, but I am not. Until I find irrefutable proof one way or another, I'm going to keep working with the Commander and XCOM."

"You really think you're going to find anything by sitting around passively?" Warnup asked, his tone growing angry as he leaning towards the screen. "This Commander isn't an idiot; he knows what you look for and I guarantee he's done everything he can to hide it. You have to go digging, Herman, not just accepting what you see at face value."

"And what do you suggest I do?" Herman retorted, growing frustrated. "Burn every single bridge I've built here? Angrily demand he show me everything since I know he's hiding something? How far do you think that will get me?"

"Further than you are now," Warnup muttered.

"Perhaps," Herman answered, gritting his teeth. "But then all I'd be doing is proving to the Commander that everyone in the UN is a bunch of self-righteous firebrands."

"Really," Warnup drawled. "You think I'm a firebrand? Besides, I think Van Doorn disproved that to the Commander since he's apparently in his inner circle."

"Probably helped by the fact that he's not part of the UN anymore," Herman pointed out dryly. "And from what he told me, the Council was somewhat influential in his decision to leave."

Warnup winced at that. "That was admittedly not the best situation." His face turned harder and serious a few seconds later. "Your appointment here has been disappointing to say the least. The fact that you cannot find one violation either speaks to your incompetence or unwillingness to do so."

Herman blinked in disbelief, his emotionless tone reflected that. "I'm sorry, what? Did you just say you want me to fabricate evidence to remove the Commander?"

Warnup pursed his lips. "You shouldn't need to fabricate anything! You should have found something by now!"

What the hell was he saying? "No," Herman answered, still not quite sure what to feel. "That's not how it works. I didn't come here to convict the Commander. I came to help and make sure he followed the law. He has. Why can't you accept that?"

"Because it isn't true," Warnup repeated. "You admitted as much! Yet you're still fine with it!"

"Maybe because I'm more concerned about the actual threat," Herman retorted, not bothering to hide his anger. "Because, Warnup, I'll tell you this now. It is not the Commander. It never was, but you seem to want to go to war with him regardless. The aliens. EXALT. Those are the threats I'm worried about. Not someone who's actually trying to fight them!"

"He's playing you," Warnup insisted. "Why else allow to work on your project if not to distract you from-"

"Maybe because he's more concerned about action than politics," Herman snapped. "Because unlike you, he can actually work with people he doesn't like. He can take suggestions from them. My opinion of his actions hasn't changed, but I have a lot more respect for him than you right now."

Warnup glared at him. "Perhaps you'll have to be recalled since you clearly have lost any willingness to carry out your directive."

At this point, Herman was almost hoping he would. "Careful with threats, Warnup. How would the Council feel if another one of their people resigned as a result of idiotic Councilors?"

Warnup stiffened. "You've worked with the United Nations for years. I highly doubt you'd resign over this."

Oh, if he just pushed a little farther. "Do you really want to try me?" Herman asked quietly.

Warnup was silent.

"Thought so," Herman muttered and closed the laptop without ceremony. "And fuck you too, Councilor."

Not his most professional moment. But he didn't really care at the moment. Warnup was now one of the most unreasonable, short-sighted and biased people he'd had the displeasure of encountering in years. No wonder Van Doorn left after dealing with people like that. If this was what it was like at the higher levels of the United Nations, he sincerely wondered how anything functioned.

Well, Warnup wasn't going to be getting any more updates from him. Tamara may be biased towards the Commander, who contrary to what Warnup seemed to think he believed, was dangerous and likely was committing crimes he didn't know about it. Though Warnup hadn't been entirely wrong either when he'd accused him of just accepting what he saw.

Because quite honestly…he was caring less and less about what the Commander had done. He'd been around him, spoken with him and his advisors enough to conclude that whatever the Commander was, no matter what he'd done, that he wasn't the enemy. EXALT, the aliens, those were what everyone should be afraid of. Those were now the priority for him, especially since a failure to defeat them would likely mean the eradication or enslavement of humanity.

He wondered if Van Doorn had the right idea. He was tired to trying to straddle the line between neutrality and actually doing something, a line that had arguably been crossed by him helping XCOM. But what was the alternative? Sit back and do nothing, almost hoping for the Commander to screw up? No, he had to do more.

But what?

He didn't want to fully leave the United Nations. Warnup had been right there; contrary to what the Commander believed, the United Nations had done a lot of good and was not irredeemable. It had its problems, but it was inevitable in an organization this large. It would be wrong to leave simply because of one moronic councilor. But perhaps his position could change.

He'd essentially been trying to be a mediator here, giving his opinion from the Council and conveying some points from the Commander to them, with varying degrees of success. That should probably be what he strove toward. Not simply an observer, but a facilitator in full. A neutral party if that was possible, between the Council and XCOM.

He wished he could talk to Van Doorn about this, but unfortunately he didn't know the Commander's true identity. Maybe he should suggest that to the Commander, it was past time at least his inner council knew, especially since Warnup's allies would probably begin to pressure him more after their talk.

He shook his head. He'd think about how best to handle this later, right now he needed something to take his mind off it. He opened up his laptop again and began working on another idea of his. Refining, creating and designing it for an unknown amount of time, so absorbed was he in it. The troubling thoughts in the back of his head persisted, but over time they calmed down, and surprisingly by the end, he had an idea of what to do.

It might take some time, but it was needed. But first he had to take this to Lily.

The Bastion, Communications Center

Something big must have happened if Agent Kyung had actually managed to set up a way to contact her. Communication out of the tyrannical state was notoriously difficult and risky, so Saudia had only approved it when it was truly necessary. Since it took time to set up, information was usually a couple days later than she'd prefer, but it was better than nothing at all.

North Korea was frustrating to deal with in general, and one of the few countries where EXALT's influence was close to non-existent. It was admittedly because their extreme isolation and obsession with control made any sort of infiltration borderline impossible. Even the agent that was inside wasn't high up in the government, and that little operation has literally taken years to set up.

Now, North Korea had admittedly not been high on her list of influential or threatening countries. Since they lacked nuclear weapons, any threat they posed would be mitigated by the threat of China, Russia and America. They lacked any sort of influence outside the country itself, except perhaps South Korea.

However, something had clearly changed and she now wondered if it was a mistake to ignore the country's isolation in favor of seemingly more important targets. She supposed that was what agent Kyung would inform her.

She pressed the button which would receive the call when it came. Fortunately all EXALT agents were punctual and she only had to wait a few minutes before his hologram appeared in front of her. He was dressed in the regular gray tan uniform of a low-ranking North Korean officer, and would seamlessly fit in to any of the Asian countries. His black hair was a bit disheveled though, which seemed a strange oversight, especially in North Korea.

"Director," he greeted, inclining his head. "There is news."

"I'd expect so," Saudia agreed, clasping her hands behind her back. "Tell me."

"Of course," Kyung picked up a tablet and looked down at it. "I assume you saw Supreme Leader Gwan's address?"

Saudia nodded. "I did. Do you know how much of it was sincere or is it simply propaganda?"

"It's always propaganda here," Kyung grimaced. "But in this case, everything I've seen indicates that he's genuinely concerned about the aliens. Those two soldiers who were flanking him? They're from an entire division I had no idea existed until a few days ago. They were debuted at the address, which means this has been going on for a few months."

Saudia pursed her lips at that. She'd wondered if that was the case. She didn't really fault Kyung for not knowing about it sooner, since any sort of deviation or unauthorized investigation carried huge risks. "Those soldiers seem different. Almost as if they tried to emulate XCOM's armor style."

"Seeing as how this division is primarily anti-alien, I think that's not inaccurate," Kyung agreed, frowning. "But I did manage to learn that the armor this division wears is derived from alien materials. So North Korea is definitely getting them from somewhere."

Saudia paused. There were only three possible answers to that. Either XCOM, the aliens or they'd managed to take them from the aliens themselves. "Where did they get them?" She demanded.

"I haven't been able to get confirmation," Kyung warned, pursing his lips. "But I believe the aliens landed in North Korea some time ago, and the Supreme Leader ordered an attack instead of contacting XCOM. A secured UFO would explain these sudden military advances."

Yes it would. And it also elevated North Korea quite a bit is regards to their threat. It would take China time to figure out what to do with the Dreadnought, but the end result would likely be something similar to North Korea, but in the meantime, as hard as it was to believe, North Korea was arguably one of the most powerful militaries in the world.

Saudia looked down as she thought. Who had access to alien tech now? XCOM had made alliances with quite a few smaller countries, but none of them, barring Israel, was large enough to pose much of a threat. China now had access to alien materials….Germany was also likely receiving some aid from XCOM was well.

But…no one else, if her agents placed throughout the world were accurate. Which meant America, England, and Russia were behind in the arms race for once. She wondered how long it would be before the Commander of XCOM decided it best to allow the major powers access to mitigate China. He was apparently American, so it wasn't an unreasonable assumption to make.

"What is the Supreme Leader planning to do with this division?" Saudia asked after a minute of thought. "Because I doubt it will simply be to fight aliens."

Kyung visibly hesitated. "That, Director, depends on XCOM."

She sighed. "Why would XCOM have any impact on what Iseul does with his new army?"

"Because Supreme Leader Gwan and a high-ranking official in XCOM met," Kyung stated bluntly, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. "In fact, I'm almost certain it was the Commander of XCOM himself. We might be looking at a possible North Korean-XCOM alliance."

Saudia blinked in disbelief. That she had not expected. "Are you certain? Do you have proof?"

"Aside from seeing Supreme Leader Gwan's chief officer escorting a man exiting a skyranger and talking with people with a higher rank, no," Kyung answered wearily. "I can't exactly take pictures without it looking suspicious. But I'm positive of this. Why else do you think I risked contacting you?"

Assuming it was true, and right now she didn't see a reason to doubt Kyung since he was one of the most loyal agents she had, it was a major piece of information. If they had proof, Elizabeth could use this to actually cause some harm to XCOM's image. Every human rights watchdog organization, as well as most of the UN not to mention South Korea, would crucify XCOM on the altar of public opinion.

But they didn't have proof, not yet. But she could be certain that if the Commander of XCOM was planning to form some kind of alliance that he would be preparing for every possible outcome. There were nations who would withdraw support out of pure principle, so they had to have some kind of plan to mitigate the fallout.

She put the potential ramifications of that thought aside in favor of a few question. "You saw this XCOM representative," she recalled. "What did he look like?"

"Tall, probably six-foot-one," Kyung began as he looked up aimlessly as he recalled. "Well built, definitely a soldier. Not a body-builder though, leaner, if I had to guess, either special forces or a sharpshooting position." She nodded. Kyung had an excellent memory and had a knack for reading and determining strengths and weaknesses just from looking at their physical profile.

"Black hair, couldn't see eye color," Kyung continued. "I couldn't get a good look at his face, but I'm sure I haven't seen him before. I would estimate his age to be at least forty, maybe younger. He definitely carried himself like someone in charge, and here the only people who walk around like that are officers and the Supreme Leader himself."

She processed that. Unfortunately a whole host of possible faces for the Commander filled her mind, but the information Kyung had given her might be enough to possibly lower the number of possible candidates for the Commander of XCOM. Elizabeth and Zara had been keeping a list and this would help narrow it further.

"Good work," she complimented. "So what would happen if XCOM were to form an alliance?"

"I have no idea," Kyung stated bluntly. "This is unprecedented and I can't imagine XCOM would agree to one without strict conditions on North Korea itself. Until those are known, I can't make accurate predictions. But the probability of North Korea using their new military power would almost certainly be reduced."

"Then I suppose the question is whether the Supreme Leader would be open to conditions," Saudia finished grimly. "How likely is that?"

"I've only met the Supreme Leader in person once," Kyung answered, a grimace on his face. "He is dangerous, Director. Very dangerous. He's intelligent, ruthless, charismatic and reasonable. He won't refuse options out of hand because of pride. So my guess is that if the Commander could successfully argue conditions in a way that sounded reasonable to him, he would likely do it."

A reasonable dictator. Great. Those were the most irritating, because they weren't completely wrapped up in their own power fantasy and actually put their energy into actually ruling the country they controlled. Dictatorships were a double-edged sword when it came to influencing them, and it all hinged on the leader.

Power-obsessed dictators were easy, since they left the running of the country to underlings and that allowed EXALT to easily infiltrate and influence the country. But so-called reasonable dictators were near-impossible, since they tended to cultivate loyalty and micro-managed every major aspect of society and government policy.

There were precious few dictatorships of either kind that were of any note, and North Korea was a near-perfect representation of the latter. They could definitely use this information, but at the moment she wasn't exactly sure how to use it. However…the mere whisperings of a possible North Korean-XCOM alliance in the right places might be enough on its own.

Well, Elizabeth had come through on Brazil. Time to see what she could do with this. "You've done well," she lauded, inclineing her head to Kyung. "Your objective now is to gather proof. Take whatever precautions you need, but I want the world to know of this as soon as possible."

"That will take time, Director," Kyung warned. "And I'm not sure XCOM would send an ambassador again even if they do decide to form an alliance."

"North Korea keeps documents, yes?" Saudia asked rhetorically. "Find them. Unless they censor themselves within the military, I doubt they'd keep the document showing the meeting of the Supreme Leader and the Commander of XCOM hidden. You might not have high enough clearance, but I trust that won't be an issue, will it?"

His lips twitched at that. "It will take time. But it will be done, Director."

"Good," Saudia inclined her head. "I wish you luck, agent Kyung. Your work will not be unrewarded."

"Assuming I live to enjoy that," Kyung commented wryly. "But I appreciate it, Director. Until next time."

With that, he reached over to an unseen control and the hologram disappeared, leaving Saudia alone to ponder the ramifications of this information.

There was an opportunity here, and she was going to exploit it as much as possible.

California, United States of America

Abby looked in the mirror, making sure she looked presentable. Not bad, all things considering. She'd never pictured herself as a businesswoman, but she had managed to pull it off rather well. Black pants and jacket did contrast well with her blonde hair which she'd elected to keep long. She did wonder if she was overdressing a bit, but it never hurt to look professional.

She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ears and stepped back and left the bathroom. She spun around quickly and blinked a few times and everything blurred around her. It was still taking some getting used too, these gene mods as they called them. She hadn't had time for extensive ones, but they'd enhanced her eyesight to an insane degree before she'd left.

It was amazing just what she could see now. Inhuman was the best word, but didn't really seem to apply here since she was still very much one. But something she hadn't realized at first was just how much easier it was to read people. Minute facial gestures, twitches, rapid blinking, even to a novice like her she could suddenly catch a bunch of little hints indicating how someone was really feeling.

It had been exciting for her, and now she was going to see just how good she really was. This was her first assignment without Ruth overseeing her and she was admittedly a bit nervous. But it wasn't a particularly difficult assignment. Zhang suspected that the local NBC station in San Francisco was a front for EXALT, or at least being influenced by them.

Her job was to observe, gather evidence one way or another and report back to Zhang. Her forged credentials were that of "Christine Rivers," professional editor which would give her access to most stories that were being published. This would be her first day "officially" on the job, which would mostly be to assert her surroundings.

It wouldn't really even be a part she'd have to play. Writing documents wasn't difficult and editing was the same, just time consuming. Luckily she wouldn't be completely alone in this, since Zhang had also assigned another agent to work. From what she knew of him, he'd been with XCOM Intelligence longer, but since he was posing as an intern, she wondered if she technically outranked him.

Since Zhang hadn't specified, she was going to assume they were equals until someone decided one way or the other. She glanced at the clock, grabbed the keys to the car she was using and walked out into the bright California sunlight.

She winced and quickly put her sunglasses on. One downside to her vision being enhanced was she was more sensitive to bright lights, but it also tended to die down after a few minutes. Jochern was waiting for her, impatience written on his face as he leaned against the car. She'd been surprised initially how young he was; she was only in her mid-twenties, but he looked no older than twenty himself.

Still, he'd been nice and courteous to her and seemed like a decent person. She did note his expression change as he got closer, the irritation fading. "Sorry," she apologized. "This look alright?"

He blinked once and she noted with some amusement that his cheeks were turning ever so slightly red. "Uh, yeah," he managed. "Very good."

How flattering, but he probably wasn't that objective. She smirked at him and walked past him, lightly patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks, let's go." They both got in the car and she began driving.

"So, where are you from?" She asked, glancing over as he looked out into the city. "I'm guessing not from around here?"

"Nowhere close," he answered, looking back at her. "Germany. Berlin to be specific."

"Ah," she grew more serious at that. "Were you there when-"

"No," he shook his head quickly. "I was already with XCOM by then. But it wasn't exactly…easy."

"I can imagine," she agreed quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he sighed loudly. "Really. I think it's partially my fault things got so out of control."

She frowned. He was definitely remorseful about something. "Why do you say that?" She asked, genuinely curious.

His lips twitched. "I'm guessing Zhang didn't tell you how I actually joined XCOM Intelligence?"

"No," Abby answered. "He just gave me your name and position."

"Ok, short version," Jochern shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I think I might have accidentally been working for EXALT."

Abby looked over, once eyebrow raised. He didn't seem to be lying. "What do you mean might?"

"You know all those protests before the Hamburg attack?" He asked, cracking his knuckles absentmindedly. "I was friends with one of the leaders. There were some others interested as well, and one of them hired me to…well, spy on him. Give him updates."

"You spied on your friend?" Abby repeated.

"Not quite," Jochern scowled. "I became his friend after I made a deal with this guy. Seriously, I was almost certain he was government and didn't exactly feel safe refusing, not to mention he was paying pretty well. Anyway, it wasn't difficult to become part of his little revolution circle. Revolutionaries are easily idealistic and don't like to believe the worst in people, especially those that say all the right things."

Abby was starting to see why Zhang had brought him on. Even if he was a dishonest and manipulative person, she honestly didn't think he was overly malicious. "So I'm guessing Zhang found out and offered you a job?"

Jochern coughed. "Uh, no. Apparently XCOM had been watching for a while, because they kidnapped me and stuck me in a cell for a few hours. Then the Commander himself came down and talked with me and since I cooperated, asked if I'd be open to a position in XCOM Intelligence," he shrugged. "So here I am."

Huh. That was admittedly not the story she'd expected, but she was glad she knew all the same. Young he may be, but if Zhang and the Commander felt it safe enough to allow him a job here, he likely had some idea of what he was doing. "Thanks for telling me," she said, nodding towards him.

"Yeah, no problem," he shrugged. "So, my turn. What's your story?"

She hesitated. "Less exciting than yours, I'm afraid. I was a combat medic in XCOM up until a few months ago. I was on the Dreadnought assault."

His eyes widened. "Right! You are Abby! I thought it was some kind of mistake when they sent your name to me."

She smiled at that. "No mistake."

"Why did you transfer here?" he asked, resting his elbow on the armrest as he looked at her. "You were a hero. Everyone who survived was. Why leave?"

Abby pursed her lips. She was aware that some considered her a supposed hero, but didn't exactly feel entirely comfortable with that. "Zhang talked to me before that mission; he'd offered me a position. In the end I choose it because I felt I could do more good here."

He nodded. "Guess that makes sense."

"Question," Abby asked suddenly. "You said how you joined, but not why? You could have refused, yes? Why did you stay and risk death or worse?"

"How could I just…leave when I knew that aliens were invading?" Jochern demanded, gesturing aimlessly. "That's not something I can ignore, especially when I contributed to it, no matter how small. I guess this is sort of a repentance for me, but more importantly, it's the right thing to do."

"You'd be surprised," Abby commented. "A lot of people are afraid of death, no matter how just the cause. I saw that a lot when I was a surgeon. People talk a lot, but leave when things get tough."

"Speaking from experience?" Jochern asked curiously.

"Not personally," Abby shook her head. "I tended to keep to myself. But there were stories where I worked, even back to med school. I'd hear of wives or husbands leaving or divorcing when they learned their partners were terminal. There were always students who quit because it was too difficult. One thing that really stuck with me was the realization that most people don't like challenge."

"Somewhat reasonable," Jochern commented. "I mean, I wasn't exactly a fan of college work myself."

"But you stuck with it and didn't run," Abby amended. "You're fighting for something bigger than yourself, all of us are, but the truth is that most people don't like their comfortable lives challenged or changed if they can get out of it."

"Well, if the world is any indication, I think people are going to be finding out a lot about themselves soon," Jochern said, looking back out the window. "Change is coming. War is coming and it's not something people will be able to ignore."

Abby glanced over at him. "You really think so? If the aliens were intent on conquering us, wouldn't they have done it already?"

"I don't know," Jochern admitted. "But we can't keep beating them without some kind of retaliation. I don't like it, but something is coming. The Commander knows it, Zhang knows it and the sooner we all accept that, the better."

"If that's the case, then what can we really do?" Abby asked curiously.

Jochern nodded to the studio they were pulling into. "We wound them any way we can. Starting with their puppets in EXALT."

Abby unbuckled her seatbelt after she parked and looked at the studio building in front of her. "Then I suppose we should get to work. Let's see how influential EXALT really is."

The Citadel, Training Area

Soran winced as he watched Samuel get slammed into the floor by Carmelita again. This time proved to be the final one he wanted to take and raised a hand in concession. Carmelita extended a hand to her defeated opponent and Samuel grasped it and she easily hauled him to his feet with him groaning.

"I told you I'd win," she said as she took off her training mask. "Believe me now?"

"Point taken," Samuel growled as he grabbed the water bottle Soran had been holding. "But this was so unfair it wasn't even funny."

Carmelita rolled her eyes. "What did you expect? I'm genetically enhanced now. I told you that would help me. Besides, I'm a much better melee fighter than you."

On that Soran agreed. After seeing her fight quite a few times, he was certain Carmelita would have won easily even without her enhancements. Samuel was good, but nowhere near her level. Much less so now that Carmelita could pick up an armored man with apparent ease and throw him. The whole ordeal didn't appear to exhaust her, either.

"You still haven't beaten me," Creed interjected, finally walking up. "Maybe now you'll have a chance."

She grinned at that. "You up for it now?"

Creed gestured to the training floor. "If you are. You sure you don't need a break?"

From his tone, Soran couldn't tell if Creed was actually being sincere or sarcastic. Carmelita apparently interpreted it as the latter and tossed a training mask to him. "Get out there," she stated and trudged past him. Soran saw Creed give a wry grin as she walked past and put on the mask which matched his black armor.

There were already a fair number of soldiers in the training area and they were starting to gather around now that the two best operatives were facing off again. Soran had witnessed a couple matches between them, and each time Creed had ultimately emerged the victor. He was remarkably quick for his size, but he used it to his advantage whenever he could, which was why Soran suspected he ended up the victor. It would be interesting to see now that Carmelita's genetic mods appeared to equalize her in terms of strength.

"He's going to win," one of the new soldiers commented walking up to them. Soran was pretty sure they'd never met. He wore typical XCOM training fatigues and had clearly been working out the past couple hours judging from the sweat on his arms and face. Soran would have initially thought he might have been from one of the African nations from his black skin, but his accent lacked any regional sound. So likely either American or Canadian.

"I would have agreed," Samuel pointed out. "But then I actually fought her. It's insane how strong she is now."

"Strength isn't why," the man shook his head as he turned his attention to Creed and Carmelita preparing to fight. "It's how he fights."

"Have you seen him fight?" Soran asked, looking over. "Because strength is an essential part of why he wins."

"Better, I've sparred with him myself," he answered. "Oh, sorry. I'm James Nolan, Joint Task Force 2."

"Impressive," Samuel commented, his face echoing his words. "They definitely sent their best. Samuel, Army Ranger."

He extended a hand and James took it. "Soran Kakusa," Soran introduced himself as well. "1st Airborne Brigade."

"Pleasure to meet you," James inclined his head. "Though I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the unit."

"Not surprising," Soran acknowledge. "For the record I don't know yours well either."

"I'm kinda surprised at that," Samuel commented, raising an eyebrow. "They're Canada's top special forces unit."

Canada. So his initial reading on James had been close. "I wonder why that wasn't mentioned," Soran muttered.

"Probably because Japan doesn't deal with them much militarily," James dismissed. "Not a big deal for me. Looks like they're going at it."

Soran focused his attention back on the two duelists on the mat. Carmelita was beginning her typical relentless assault on Creed who looked initially unsteady as she began raining blows upon him. Her new strength was definitely playing a factor since she was forcing him back even with general strikes to his chest.

"I think he underestimated her," Samuel muttered. "Serves him right."

"Just watch," James said.

It seemed like Creed was beginning to pick up on her moves and was doing quick sidesteps and in one smooth motion, planted his foot and spun around Carmelita and pushed her back and she stumbled to the ground but quickly recovered a few seconds later. Soran could swear she growled as Creed took a defensive stance, preparing for her second attack.

"He's trying to tire her out," Soran noted. "I don't think that'll work this time."

Creed was too defensive when it came to sparring. At least in this case, since Carmelita's stamina had been dramatically enhanced since her modification. His typical tactics wouldn't work now. Instead of her typical charge, Carmelita bent her knees and leapt towards Creed in a single bound. There were some cheers from the soldiers at that, which Soran understood since this was the first demonstration for many of them.

Creed didn't seem deterred this time and stepped back at the last possible instant which made Carmelita's charged punch hit air. Creed sidestepped, grabbed it and hooked his leg under hers and twisted her arm at the same time, flipping her over onto her back with a loud thud. Creed stepped back and assumed a ready position.

"Told you," James said.

"He's just making her angry," Soran noted. "He can't be defensive forever."

Carmelita leapt to her feet and began circling Creed, apparently realizing this wasn't as easy as she'd thought. Soran was actually somewhat comforted that a normal person could still hold their own provided they were well trained. Not that he had a chance against her, but it was good to know she wasn't infallible.

Now Creed finally took the initiative and stormed towards her and began laying down a systematic routine of strikes to her chest, arms and legs. Carmelita matched each blow with a block, but only just since it was clear she wasn't able to fully anticipate every strike. But the ones Creed did land didn't really seem to affect her at all.

"I wonder if he has a set routine," Samuel wondered as he watched. "He always looks too choreographed to be random."

"Probably sets," James suggested. "If one isn't working, he instantly switches to another and each set is three or four strikes. Switching every one or two might make it look random."

Well, regardless of his methods, Soran had a newfound respect for Creed for managing to actually put up a fight against an objectively superior human. Physically, at any rate. Now the blows were looking even more random and quicker and Carmelita was missing more and more. She was also giving a step or two of ground every few seconds, but managing to circle around the mat so she wasn't technically losing anything.

If it came down to a pure test of endurance, Soran couldn't tell who'd win at the moment. Both of them seemed evenly matched, which meant that one would have to do something unexpected to end the fight, and right now, Creed was in the best position.

"He's maneuvering her to the corner," James noted. "Smart."

Then Creed made his move. He faked a strike and immediately stepped back and Carmelita wasn't able to stop her instinctive block and Creed lashed out with his left hand, striking her chest while grabbing her raised hand with his right one. He took advantage of her temporary lapse and forced it behind her back and kicked the joints of her knees, forcing her to the ground.

Now Creed used his size and strength to keep her pinned down, and no matter how much she struggled and thrashed, wasn't able to remove him from her back due to his sheer size and body mass. She kept it up for nearly a minute before finally going still. She said something Soran couldn't hear, but it must have been a concession since Creed stood up and then hauled her up.

The soldiers started applauding as both combatants walked off the mat. Carmelita went over to a nearby table and sat down heavily while Creed walked over to where Patricia was standing. Soran hadn't noticed her come in and was instantly on guard. He still didn't think she posed an actual threat to anyone, but a healthy respect of psionic powers wasn't a bad idea. Unfortunately, he didn't know if he'd be able to stop her from using them, should she choose too, or even if he'd notice to begin with.

"Told you he'd win," James said with a satisfied smile. "Strength isn't a match for technique. Especially not his."

"Apparently not," Soran agreed. "I suppose genetic modification doesn't make you perfect."

Samuel snorted. "Please. We're human. We'll never be perfect no matter how much we try."

"Eh, debatable," James disagreed with a shrug. "I think these genetic mods will test that assumption."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll eventually come up with some "perfect soldier,"" Samuel continued. "I was speaking more broadly. Because the idea of what makes the "perfect" human is completely subjective."

"True," James agreed. "Though I wonder, are you going to undergo the modification if asked?"

"Probably," Samuel answered leaning against the wall. "There isn't a reason not to."

"Future developments," Soran interjected, and both men looked at him. "This is only the first wave," Soran explained. "I assume these are permanent, yes? What if the next wave of developments are even better? Sure, right now Carmelita is the pinnacle of humanity, but will that hold up in a few months or sooner?"

"Fair point," Samuel mused, looking up. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Well, for the record I'd also hold back," James said with a smirk. "Though mostly because I'm not certain all the kinks have been worked out of this program. You don't want to be part of the first wave. The second or third is the best time to join. Much less risk of complications."

That was the smart way to do things, but Soran wasn't convinced that they'd refuse should the Commander ask them to be part of the program. They were ultimately soldiers who followed orders, and while Soran knew that the Commander would likely respect their choice, it was anathema in the military to go against a superior officer. Offers were often a masked form of orders.

The thing was that anyone asked would probably do it willingly, since the Commander was someone who was universally respected among the soldiers. It was an attitude he hadn't seen in…a long time. Now that he knew the Commander a bit better, he had to admit that the initial, and unusual, loyalty that he'd noted in the beginning seemed to be well founded.

At the very least, the Commander knew what he was doing. Which was relieving.

And also dangerous.

The Commander to him did seem actually genuine, but again he wasn't quite convinced it wasn't an act to ensure loyalty.

Well, that was something he should decide soon. It had to be decided soon.

"I'm curious," Samuel said, bringing Soran back to the present. "What's Canada doing about the aliens? I haven't heard much."

"They're mobilizing the military of course," James answered with a sigh. "But they're keeping it as quiet as possible. Probably to preserve some semblance of normality. I think the government is hoping that the fighting doesn't hit them when it starts. They're probably hoping the US takes the brunt of any attacks."

"Makes sense," Samuel muttered grimly. "Because the US is going to get hit well before Canada."

"It's cowardly," James agreed. "But I sadly don't have a say in command. But at least I'm here now."

"XCOM only takes the best," Soran nodded. "Glad to have you."

"Thanks," James said. "But I think this will work out eventually. We'll come together eventually. No matter the past, this threatens the future for everyone. That can't be ignored."

Oh, it very well could be ignored. And since there had never been an instance in human history where everyone came together for some common good, he didn't exactly hold out any hope that this would be the time. Humans were too diverse, especially today. The only way the world would work together was by force, and there was currently no organization powerful enough to force the United States, China and Russia to work together, much less the EU.

But they probably already knew that. If the full forces of the army hit, Soran wondered where they'd hit. With each major country conquered, the chances of one of the remaining superpowers taking it upon themselves to form one united government grew exponentially. America would likely make the most sense to remove first, or Russia.

Military power should be targeted first, and even though China had a massive military, they were more of an economic power than military. America was a military and economic power, not to mention they would likely try to work with Russia and China instead of conquering them. Whereas Russia and China wouldn't be so friendly.

That's what he'd consider if he was in charge, but it was pointless to think about now. He was a simple XCOM soldier who fortunately didn't have to worry about the larger picture. Point, shoot and watch. That was his mission, and it was raising a lot more questions than he was comfortable with. He'd wondered if his superiors had anticipated this when choosing him to join XCOM.

Unlikely, since XCOM was just as secret as any black ops unit. They couldn't have known.

He looked up and saw that Samuel and James had wandered off, still talking. He looked back to where Carmelita was sitting and was mildly surprised to see her still there. She looked pretty deep in thought, likely wondering how she could have lost her match with Creed. She still unsettled him, but right now she looked like a normal confused human being instead of a merciless killing machine.

"You almost had him," he commented as he walked up.

She looked up at his voice and scowled. "But I didn't now, did I? I guess I should thank him."

"You should," Soran nodded. "At least it was now and not in the field."

"Yeah," she muttered. "I guess gene mods can't improve everything."

"No, but you should take every advantage you can," Soran advised. "You're faster, stronger and can jump farther than him. Use that. You lost because you fought just as you had before."

"You never mentioned you knew so much about martial arts," Carmelita commented, sitting up straight, appraising him. "If I recall, I beat you rather easily."

"But I can watch and observe," Soran amended. "And you held back. Why?"

She paused for a second before finally answering. "It felt like cheating."

That…was an admirable reason, not to mention one that made sense. "I see, and I'm impressed you did that. Though Creed did agree to spar you, knowing your advantages."

"True, true," she sighed. "Though I'm not sure it would have made much of a difference. He's better than me, no way around that."

"That isn't a bad thing," Soran pointed out. "Competition is good."

"It has been a long time since that's happened," Carmelita mused. "It gives me a goal, at least. Beyond killing aliens."

There was silence for a few seconds. "Can I ask a question?" Soran finally asked.

She indicated for him to continue. "Sure."

"Do you feel different?" Soran asked, crossing his arms. "After the modification, I mean."

"Visually, a lot more," Carmelita explained, gesturing to her eyes. "I can see everything. That rule post across the room, that picture on the far wall, probably every hair on your head if I wanted. It's amazing," she shrugged. "Physically, the changes are more subtle. I'm a lot stronger but don't feel stronger. I can jump stories as if I'd been doing it all my life. I guess I feel…more coiled? If that makes sense. Tense, alert, I don't get tired anymore. I'm almost like a machine now."

"An interesting comparison," Soran noted.

"I'm not complaining," Carmelita added, looking away into the distance. "This is what I've strove to be my entire life. All that remains is for me to figure out my limits now and turn them on the aliens."

"So what will you do after the war ends?" Soran asked, wondering what she'd say. "Assuming we win, of course."

"The aliens have a homeworld, yes?" She looked back up. "After we push them back, I'm certain XCOM will follow and finish the job, and when they do, I'm going to be there to wipe out their species once and for all."

It lined up with what she'd said before. It was no less disturbing, even though her melodic voice was utterly calm. "You'd be fine with exterminating an entire sentient species? Even if they surrendered?"

"They're willing to do it to us," Carmelita stated. "I have no sympathy for whatever fate the Commander has in store for them. But if you're asking if I would have an issue with it, the answer is no. They sealed their fate when they invaded this planet as far as I'm concerned. Save your sympathy for the rest of us who will die because of them."

Well, fortunate that the Commander was more reasonable than that. Although…Soran didn't necessarily think he'd rule out genocide if he felt it was necessary. But he doubted it would be the first choice. He wouldn't approve either way, no species was completely irredeemable, but in this scenario it was unfortunately a very real possibility.

"You disagree," Carmelita stated, a small smile on her lips.

"I do," Soran admitted. "But I doubt either of us will change our minds over this. I suppose any decision like that will be left to the Commander."

"Fine by me," Carmelita agreed, standing up. "Because if there's one thing he'll do, it's put humanity first, no matter the cost."

She walked away and Soran watched her leave.

No matter the cost.

That particular phrase he'd heard many times, but he'd always considered it rather fanatical; something serious leaders didn't throw around because the implications were staggering. And yet that sentiment was growing, if not outright accepted, not just in XCOM, but in the world at large. Extremism was likely to rise during turbulent times, and fear made people accept otherwise irrational and questionable ideas.

But in this case, Soran couldn't exactly fault them for being scared. Unlike before, this had the potential to end in the destruction of humanity. XCOM had seen the brutality of the invading forces, so was it a surprise that they'd want to respond in kind?

No, it wasn't. But the only thing he could really do is hope the Commander handled this with the reasonableness he'd seen before. But time would tell for sure, and for Soran, he felt that time was coming very soon.

Iran

The Commander walked through the dusty streets of Tehran, pushing through the crowds of people making their way through the city. He absentmindedly brushed some sand off his desert garb, knowing full well that if was about as effective as removing a cut of water from the Dead Sea to lower its saltiness, which was to say, not at all.

But such was life now in the Middle East; sand, heat and terror. And he was fortunately in a position to do something about the third. This was by no means his favorite part of the world, but despite all of it's issues, aesthetically it had it's own charm. No matter what he did to it, the land itself would likely remain unchanged.

Now, where was-

He stopped walking and took a hard look around.

Why was he here? To see Farida, of course except…

He scowled. Farida was dead. This wasn't real.

He was dreaming.

He looked around at everything proceeding normally. Well, he might as well see what she had to say this time. He wondered why he'd decided to dream up this memory of all things, he couldn't really figure out what would trigger it. But he might as well see it to the end.

He could have just manifested himself at the small restaurant, but choose instead to walk. It really was amazing how he was recreating all this in his head, but he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. The human mind was capable of amazing things, as he was continuously finding out.

The sun still beat down on him, but since he knew it wasn't real, willed the temperature to remain at a comfortable level for him. He saw the restaurant and Farida sitting at one of the tables just as he remembered. She wore the common grab of Iranian women, complete with an open-faced hijab. Not much different from the other women walking around.

She looked up as he approached and smiled. "I see you found me fine."

He sighed as he took a seat. "No, I'm just an illusion in front of you. Of course I found you. I remember this perfectly."

Farida took a sip of her water. "I wouldn't put it past you, to appear and vanish her just to spite me."

The Commander also took a drink of the water that was in front of him. He didn't know if that had been there to begin with or his subconscious had manifested it. "It would be a waste of time. I've accepted that this is just how things are here now."

"To your credit," Farida nodded, setting her drink down. "Even now, that's something I can admire. You at least acknowledge the truth and don't run from it."

"Except on certain subjects," the Commander muttered.

"Mhmm," Farida looked directly at him. "So, why this memory?"

"I was thinking you would tell me," the Commander answered. "Because I have no idea."

"Perhaps distasteful regimes?" Farida suggested coyly. "I would never have expected you to ally with one like North Korea. It's the epitome of tyranny."

The Commander sighed. "You also know perfectly well that one, there will be no alliance unless North Korea makes concessions, and two, my options are limited and I have to do whatever it takes to prepare for the final invasion."

"Always ends justify the means," Farida commented. "You'll never change, no matter what happens. You will sacrifice anything for victory."

"Some causes are worth it," the Commander defended, almost growling. "I won't apologize for that. If the survival of humanity requires the deaths of my soldiers, friends and country, even my own life, I will do it. You knew then, and you know it now. Stop pretending to be innocent, like you didn't know who I was. You married me knowing that and I'm tired of you pretending otherwise."

"Love makes people blind," Farida retorted. "That certainly happened with me."

"No," the Commander shook his head. "I don't think so. I wouldn't have married you if you were that blinded by emotion. The only reason you're like this now is because you're dead."

"Perhaps," Farida conceded. "But you didn't answer my question. I think I do have some clue now."

"Enlighten me," the Commander stated, leaning back.

"You remember why we met?"

"Of course," the Commander nodded. "To discuss your extraction to the states. You'd been helping me disrupt the Iranians and it was getting too dangerous for you."

"It was also our first real talk," Farida amended. "Not as unlikely partners, but as…well, friends." Her voice got softer at the end.

The Commander remembered clearly now. She was right, it had been the first time they'd really talked outside of his mission. Now he had a pretty good idea why she was bringing it up, and also her theory. "You also told me that you think that was the moment you started to fall for me."

"I'm glad you remember that," she said softly. "I suppose it's not a surprise you'd be reminded of it when you're choosing my replacement."

The Commander pursed his lips. He knew that it was only an illusion before him, but he'd hated hearing her so…betrayed and found it impossible to get mad at her for it. "This is about Vahlen."

She shrugged. "You think I wouldn't know?"

"You're in my head," the Commander pointed out. "Of course not. This entire conversation isn't even happening."

"Yet here you are," Farida stated.

She had a point. "But that doesn't change anything. She is not a "replacement" as you so eloquently put it, nor is it a betrayal. You're dead."

"On some level you don't believe that," Farida said quietly. "Otherwise I wouldn't be discussing it with you. We don't talk about issues you've settled in your mind."

The Commander was silent.

"No," Farida paused. "It's not that. You're afraid to tell her who you really are."

"Yes," the Commander admitted. It would be pointless to deny it here. "Though I'm not sure I should be."

Farida smirked. "You really have to ask that question? Yes, you should be. Perhaps she'll see you for the liar and manipulator you are."

"Maybe," the Commander sighed. "But I won't push anything further unless I tell her. She deserves that much."

"She deserves better than you," Farida shot at him. "And I think that you know that."

The Commander didn't even really register her attacks. He didn't really feel like devoting the energy to refuting anything simply because this was one instance where he didn't know the answers for certain. Maybe Farida was right and he wrong, for once. Or perhaps he was just not over Farida on some level and this was his subconsciousness' way of pushing back.

He'd thought he'd moved on years ago, but was now wondering if that was really the case.

A loud clang caught his attention and he looked up to see Farida trapped in a glass box. She looked around, confused and shot him a glare, then said something which he didn't pick up. The Commander stood and shook his head. He wasn't doing this.

"Why do you tolerate her?" The Commander turned to where the voice was coming from and for some reason, wasn't surprised to see the same thin man from his dream last time. But his voice was wrong. No longer was it the sly, assured and oily one from before, but completely different. Now it radiated power, steel and authority. Deep and melodic, his words were accompanied by a reverberation after each syllable.

Suffice to say, the voice now sounded like it belonged to an entirely different being. A powerful one. He'd also apparently taken over other elements of the dream, since time was effectively frozen, people were stuck mid-walk, cars while driving and citizens arguing. The Commander turned to him, inclining his head. "You again."

"I believe your previous wife has spoken enough," the alien said with a satisfied smile and lowered his hand, palm down. The ground under Farida's glass cage opened and it fell into it perfectly. "Now, with her out of the way, we can talk." The alien finished as he walked over.

"I would have ended it eventually," the Commander said as he prepared for the upcoming talk. If this alien was back, it was probably not going to end well.

"Of course you would have," the alien placated, lacing his fingers together. "But I have no patience for wasting my time, and she was certainly wasting yours. You didn't answer my question, why do you tolerate her questioning you?"

The Commander paused. "Someone has too, even if they're wrong."

"Interesting," the alien mused as he walked past, looking around the frozen area of Tehran. "If that is truly the case, it again seems unnecessary. In all this time, has she ever convinced you that you're wrong?"

"That's not the point," the Commander sighed. "I need to be able to defend what I do, otherwise I have no business giving orders that affect nations. You might not understand that, but I need to make sure I'm not living in an echo chamber."

"I suppose we have different opinions on this," the alien said, looking back at him. "Though I do understand you reasoning."

The Commander crossed his arms. "Why do you even care?"

"Because you are of interest to me," the alien stated, turning to face him, hands clasped behind his back. "Few species are worth taking note of, and individuals within them, even less so. There have only been several individuals who had attracted my attention, and you are one of them."

That was interesting, even if he wasn't exactly thrilled at the implications. "I don't know if I should be flattered or not."

"It matters little," the alien answered dismissively. "But your time is running out, for you and your species."

"Before we begin this debate again, I do want to know," the Commander interjected. "Why me, of all people?"

"Because you are an anomaly," the alien answered. "You possess and attitude and mindset that sets you apart from even other species. You are a living weapon, one who many have tried to wield throughout your life, but one who turned on them when you knew you could do better. We both know you plan to remove the so-called Council of Nations, and they will join the United States in underestimating your cunning."

"And yet you continue to give me a chance," the Commander muttered. "Perhaps you will join their ranks since you clearly underestimate me."

"Provided you had the army and technology, you would pose a threat," the alien dismissed. "You lack both. Your weapons are still primitive to what we wield. We can replace our forces easily, every soldier you lose is a costly endeavor. You cannot fight a war of attrition, Commander. Unfortunate you are so opposed to us. You could have been useful."

There was silence between them for a few minutes. "What are you?" The Commander finally asked. "A sectoid? A thin man? Something we haven't fought yet?"

The alien looked at him, smiling as he did so. "Does it really matter?"

Well, he didn't expect a complete answer to begin with. "Yes, but I didn't think I'd get one anyway. Do you at least have a name?"

The alien looked up thoughtfully. "Names are meaningless without context. My true one would mean nothing to you, but if you wish, you may call me Aegis."

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "Is that your name or what you are?"

The alien, Aegis, looked back at him. "I could ask you the same question, Commander."

He had to smile at that. "Point taken."

"It is interesting to observe the differences between your species," Aegis said as he kept circling him. "Yours is unusually diverse. Most homogenize as they get to this point, yet yours seems to have accomplished the opposite."

"Perhaps you haven't invaded other species at the right time," the Commander suggested wryly.

"Contrary to what you believe," Aegis interrupted, his voice turning a bit frostier. "We don't invade every species we encounter, nor do we initiate contact with everyone either. We choose our members wisely; only those who can contribute."

"Contribute to what?" The Commander demanded. "Your army?"

"Our collective," Aegis corrected. "That is an appropriate word, yes. And each species contributes to their strengths. Your diversity is what makes you ideally suited for us, yet it is also why we instead opted against a peaceful encounter."

"Why?" The Commander demanded in disbelief. "There would have been dissenters, but the majority would not have opposed peaceful talks."

"Because war is in your nature," Aegis stated, stepping toward him. "Your history is riddled with conflict. We have been watching you for decades ever since we discovered your planet. Your governments might accept us, at first. Then how many decades will it be until a human unites your species against us? We cannot afford a betrayal on that scale."

Aegis spun on his heel and motioned towards the frozen crowd. "Humans cannot accept a position where they are not in charge," he stated. "There is only one cure for that. This mindset must be changed. The leaders must be purged and the people shown that betrayal, sedition and war is not only unacceptable, it is wrong. And the only way to accomplish this is war. Brutality that the masses won't forget."

He turned back to the Commander. "It is unpleasant, and I would have chosen a different path, but this is the reality now. You understand this. You know that people must be shocked into thinking a certain way. You won the War on Terror, not simply against the Caliphate, but because you helped ensure another would never rise. You killed the religion that made it possible, made it unacceptable and wrong to the world and as a result prevented a future conflict."

The Commander had never thought of it that way…but when put like that it was disturbing. "And what makes us worth all this trouble?" The Commander demanded. "Why not let us live in peace and move on to another species?"

"Because our time is running short," Aegis said. "You will be the final species before we begin moving into the inner galaxy. We are not the only advanced species in the galaxy, and when we reveal ourselves, we will need every advantage possible."

The implications of that hadn't really registered with him, but the underlying reason was clear. "You need us if you go to war."

"No," Aegis stated flatly. "But your species has too much potential to ignore. You are worth the investment here."

The Commander's lips curled up. "We'll see how that holds up. The cost will be high, I assure you."

Aegis smiled. "You would do well not to underestimate us either, Commander. But you understand our power, unlike the esteemed Director of EXALT."

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "Is that right? I don't suppose you could tell me a little more about her?"

"It's useless to trick me, Commander," Aegis answered coyly, inclining his head. "You will have to try better than that weak verbal trick. But EXALT severely overestimates their importance to us, and I, and my superiors, believe they need to be…humbled."

"I tend to agree," the Commander nodded cautiously, not quite sure what Aegis was getting at. "But hampering your allies unusually isn't a wise strategy."

"And having allies that seek to depose you isn't wise either," Aegis responded with a smile. "EXALT is under the illusion that they are…playing us. Believing they can use us to fulfill their goal of controlling the world. An impossible dream, but it suits us now to have them believe that "the aliens" can be used so easily."

"If you're looking for me to sympathize, I don't," the Commander shrugged.

"Oh, I don't want that," Aegis shook his head. "I want you to hurt them. You are looking for the Mercado Estate, yes?"

The Commander nodded. "We are."

"And you know it is in Beijing, but not where," Aegis continued, sounding amused. "Allow me to show you."

He raised a hand and the entire world changed in a whirl and the Commander suddenly found himself on a balcony, skyscrapers and city surrounding him. Aegis walked up beside him and pointed at a modest skyscraper almost directly across from them. "67 Tao Lu, 28893 Beijing, China," Aegis said. "That is it, Commander. I'd advise you check beforehand, but you will see I'm correct."

The Commander looked in disbelief. "You are the worst commander I've ever encountered. You don't give your enemies information like this. It doesn't make sense."

"I provided my reasons," Aegis shrugged. "Debate my motives if you wish, but what matters is what you do with it. Your war with EXALT doesn't hurt us in the least, and every defeat you hand them increases our influence against them. I lose nothing by sharing, and you have much to gain in this unimportant conflict."

"Well, thank you," the Commander muttered. "But your…generosity…will come back to haunt you one day."

"I highly doubt it," Aegis answered. "But we shall see. Good luck, Commander. I will be watching."

The Commander looked over and he was gone. He knew then that he could have woken up then, but held off for the moment. He needed to think.

And the silent recreation of Beijing provided the perfect place.

Everyone was just going to love this.