Hephaestus

The Citadel, Situation Room

Thirty-four soldiers dead, eight more wounded. That was half his fighting force down again, not counting the few dozen non-combative personnel who'd died defending their respective stations. In percentages, it roughly chalked up that about a third of XCOM personnel had died, while perhaps a sixth were injured and currently receiving treatment.

And in return for all that?

Just over one-fifty various alien corpses, including elites, the new suited ones, and an Ethereal. Not to mention two Raider-class UFOs, one Overseer-class and one Transport-class. That, and they were still breathing, still keeping the defense alive. XCOM had faced the deadliest the Ethereals had to offer and had come out not only alive, but stronger than before.

Brutal as it sounded, everything could be replaced. He wished more could have lived, but all of them knew that the chances of death were high ever since the Atlas Protocol had been put into effect. Losing two MEC soldiers and two psions was a blow, not to mention Van Doorn and Bradford.

The Commander sighed at that thought. He'd been optimistic that they could have survived, but he supposed alone against an Ethereal, any of them would have died. Even with every psion and a MEC giving everything they had, it had barely been enough. Still, he was going to ensure that each fallen soldier got proper treatment for their sacrifice.

Those details still needed to be worked out. Extensively. But at the moment they had to keep working, keep moving. If the clock somehow hadn't been ticking before, it certainly was now. If Patricia had interpreted this Imperator correctly, they'd passed the final test and that meant an invasion was coming, and right now, they were in no shape to fight.

He doubted the Ethereals would launch another attack so soon, especially with the US military now defending the base. The Marines had assisted in wiping out any alien stragglers in the base, and together with the surviving XCOM forces, had secured the Citadel within four hours. Of course, this now presented a problem.

The Citadel was compromised completely. The United States government knew, and it was only a matter of time before it was leaked. Not to mention the aliens knew as well. So there was only two options: Stay and rebuild, or find somewhere else.

Fortunately, that was what the Hephaestus Contingency was for.

His new hand whirred and clicked as he set down the official AA report. The prosthetic was rather sleek, the arm a smooth black metal and clearly robotic fingers. From what he could tell so far, it functioned identically to his opposite hand and didn't seem to interfere with his psionics. It actually felt almost normal, no phantom pain yet or any other side effects.

Though it had only been one day, so there was time. The only thing it lacked was a certain…sensitivity, even if functionally it was perfect. He supposed that was just one thing that couldn't be replicated by machines. But looking at the big picture, it could have been much worse. But ultimately, that was unimportant in light of what had to be done now.

"Shen did a good job," Vahlen noted, looking at his prosthetic with unbridled curiosity. It seemed she was still trying to figure out exactly how the mechanical limb conveyed senses and the like. She'd asked some questions, but their time had been limited since there'd been a lot to attend to.

"That he did," he answered, twisting his wrist around. "Pretty much like the real thing."

"I never asked," Vahlen said, walking over and taking the metallic hand in hers. "Can you feel pain?"

He pondered that for a moment. "Not yet. Don't know if it wasn't programmed in, or something I can turn on. Don't really see what purpose it would serve though."

She nodded. "True,"

The door to the Situation Room opened and the survivors of the Internal Council walked in, Jackson, Shen, Patricia and Zhang. It felt odd not having Bradford or Van Doorn, and he suspected that feeling wouldn't leave anytime soon.

All of them were still alert, but definitely exhausted even if they didn't show it outwardly. For some of them, it definitely didn't feel like a full victory, but the fact that they'd survived was enough to hold a sensation of triumph and satisfaction.

The Commander clasped his hands behind his back once they were all around the holotable. "Welcome back everyone. I know how many we lost, including good friends, but each and every one of you deserve recognition for what you did. We killed an Ethereal and acquired four of their UFOs. We won, and now we need to move forward."

Jackson sighed, but composed herself a second later. Of all of them she was taking the losses hardest, which was normal since she wasn't a soldier and had also been defending Mission Control before it fell. It was thanks to her that any staff and soldiers had survived to begin with. "No rest for us, then."

"We cannot afford it," Zhang stated bluntly, unsurprisingly focused on the more practical matters. "Our time is limited now."

"Correct," the Commander nodded grimly. "If Patricia has interpreted the Imperator correctly, we have passed their final test. Even if that weren't the case, the death of an Ethereal is enough for them to begin an invasion since we now pose a very deadly threat."

"I have to agree there," Shen said wearily. "And we're not in any shape to survive another attack on this scale, even with the Marines here."

"Speaking of which, what are we going to do with them?" Patricia asked, leaning on the holotable. "Minus the genetics lab, they've seen the entirety of the Citadel."

"The Citadel is compromised," the Commander nodded. "But that is what the Hephaestus Contingency is for. We knew this would happen."

"Thank god we prepared for it then," Jackson muttered. "How long do you think it will take to transfer everything to…wherever the new base is?"

The Commander picked up his tablet and began scrolling through the list. "We've already begun allocating staff and resources weeks ago, as you noted. I doubt it will take that long, since we can also utilize the machines in place."

"Some of which we still aren't sure of how they work," Shen warned, frowning. "The UFOs will help, but we do need traditional equipment for the time being."

"Remind me again," Patricia said, suppressing a yawn. "Where did you end up choosing for Hephaestus? I don't think you ever told me."

The Commander and Vahlen exchanged a look. Odd, he was sure he'd told her, but then again, she might have been distracted with other things. Like psionically preparing him and the others. "The Sectoid Hive you assaulted in the Middle East. Seemed a waste to just leave a perfectly functional base empty."

She blinked. "Huh. That's…a pretty good idea. No one knows about it, right? The Council?"

"The Council doesn't know the location," the Commander assured her. "Nor that we are using it. It will be an excellent staging area that no alien or human knows about."

"Except, of course that the aliens do know where it is," Shen pointed out. "Whether they know we're using it is another story."

"It is more secure than the Citadel," Zhang stated neutrally, crossing his arms. "And once we understand the alien tech within, it will be superior."

Patricia nodded. "Right, in that case, what are we doing with the Citadel? The contingency itself has several solutions, if I recall."

"The United States is an ally," the Commander said. "But turning it over might not be a good idea, especially if Congress intervenes."

"So we don't turn it over," Shen interrupted, as everyone turned their heads to him. "Why not keep the Citadel as a staging area? A forward base under the supervision of XCOM, but working in conjunction with the United States. Unofficially, of course."

The Commander raised an eyebrow. That actually was a much better idea than simply abandoning the Citadel or completely turning it over to the United States. Best of both worlds, and he was somewhat surprised he hadn't thought of the idea himself. "Good idea," he told Shen approvingly. "I'll speak to President Treduant about that."

"We'd have to designate some XCOM oversight here, of course," Jackson noted. "And our forces took a severe beating."

"They did," the Commander acknowledged. "We'll have to replace them as soon as possible, as well as some of the staff."

"I'll begin going through more potential recruits," Patricia promised. "I do think that more countries will be willing now that we've shown to be able to weather a full attack."

"True," Zhang nodded. "This should put to rest any doubts the Council, or anyone else, has about our ability to combat the Ethereals."

"Yet I somehow suspect that little will change as long as I'm in charge," the Commander warned. "Our ability has never really been in question. But it will make it difficult for the Council to keep hold on us, especially once we completely switch bases."

"We shouldn't go out of our way to antagonize them though," Shen suggested slowly. "They are still funding us."

"They are," the Commander agreed ruefully. "But only because their fear of the aliens outweighs their fear of me. They won't stop funding us; they have no choice here."

"Except if they are," Zhang reminded him. "They did seem to kill one of my intelligence teams. How long until they go further?"

"Again, it doesn't matter," the Commander interrupted, raising a hand. "The timetables have been moved up and the Council will be dealt with sooner than expected. ADVENT will be established and the unification and defense can begin. If we can accomplish that before the aliens launch an all-out invasion, we might have a chance."

"I doubt the Imperator will give us that long," Patricia muttered.

"That is the best-case scenario," the Commander agreed. "But it is our goal."

"In the meantime, I'm going to dedicate my teams to fully studying the UFOs," Shen continued. "This will speed the Firestorm project significantly, especially with the addition of the Transport."

"My teams will assist in the decryption of the data in the computers," Zhang added, exchanging a look with Shen. "There might be some useful intel we can use, as well as details on how the systems function."

"I will also begin analysis on the new aliens we fought," Vahlen said. "The Ethereal, muton variant and suited alien to be precise."

"Those suited aliens were surprisingly tough," Patricia noted with a frown. "The material didn't seem to be the same kind of metal the mutons use for their armor. It seemed to be immune to any chemicals and highly resistant to projectiles of any kind."

"And it didn't die when the pilot did," the Commander finished. "Which is…interesting. The AI must be sophisticated if it could continue operations after death of the pilot. The President might find that useful for her project, and since we have a surplus of corpses, maybe one of the suits can be sent."

"I'll look into that," Vahlen promised, looking down at her tablet. "But only after I complete a thorough autopsy and disassembly."

"Fair enough," the Commander nodded. "There are a few more topics to discuss. With the death of Bradford and Van Doorn, there are some vacancies that must be filled."

He looked to Jackson. "I do believe the answer here is obvious. You're the best person to assume control of XCOM's Analysis and Communications division, so the only question is if you accept."

She swallowed, but gave a firm nod. "I do, Commander."

He gave her a satisfied smile. "I wish the circumstances were better, but congratulations on your promotions, Central Officer Jackson." She saluted at that and received congratulations from the others in the room graciously.

The Commander let her have that moment before moving on. "Patricia, I also want to establish you in a more defined role beyond a psionic advisor."

Patricia raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"Even if the number of psions we have is small, it will need it's own division," the Commander explained. "So effective immediately XCOM's Psionics division is established, with you as the Overseer."

Patricia inclined her head. "Thank you Commander, I'll establish some viable psionic candidates as soon as possible."

Just what he wanted to hear. "Excellent. And now that the attack is over, we need to decide what to do with Nartha."

"Do you think planting him as a double agent is still viable?" Jackson asked with a frown. "Especially when the attack failed?"

The Commander and Zhang exchanged a look, with the latter nodding once. "It's still viable," the Commander confirmed. "If anything they might find him more valuable since he was a witness to the battle."

"But they might find it suspicious that he survived." Vahlen pointed out.

"Which is why he doesn't lie," Zhang said. "He assisted XCOM in the defense to preserve his cover, as he wasn't able to extract himself to the extraction point before the attack happened."

Shen looked skeptical. "Will they buy that?"

"They should," Zhang answered. "As long as a Hive Commander or Ethereal isn't present during the debriefing."

"Or he could say he left before the attack happened," Patricia suggested. "So he wouldn't be under as much suspicion."

"Possible," the Commander said, rapping his metallic fingers on the table. "I think Nartha should be the one to choose the story, since he'd know what would work best. But we need to use him quickly if he wants to be of use. Objections?"

All of them shook their heads. Not surprising, since this was objectively the best usage of the Vitakara. There was the trust issue, but since Nartha had fought in defense of the Citadel it automatically made him more trustworthy and reassured him that Nartha wasn't trying to be a triple agent. Besides, either Patricia, Vahlen or Iosif would have picked up on something by now.

He would have been an ideal candidate for the Manchurian Program, but the timetables unfortunately didn't work out this time. "Then it's settled," the Commander then pressed several buttons on the holotable and brought up schematics of what would be XCOM's new main base of operations. "Now let's figure out the finer details about moving to our new base."

The Citadel, Mess Hall

Abby was thankful that the sight of blood, gore or corpses never took away her appetite, else she'd be much worse than she already was right now. All that said, it felt good to actually put her skills to use in surgery as opposed to killing people. None of the surgeries were particularly difficult, but…what was it? Four? Five? Whatever, there'd been a lot of them in a row which would tire even the best doctor. Thankfully Blake was also a competent surgeon and had been a major help in keeping everyone alive.

But right now she was just tired and hungry. Eat first though, sleep later.

Abby let her gaze drift to the Marines occupying the Mess Hall. It seemed odd, seeing ordinary soldiers walking around the Citadel, looking at where they'd been for the past year. It was somewhat surreal having just walking around and seeing soldiers snap to attention simply because she was part of XCOM, and she really wasn't a soldier anymore.

But she didn't bother correcting them.

She hadn't realized just how much of a mystery XCOM was to the outsider world, especially to the military. They seemed to view even the lowest soldier here as an officer at the very least, the absolute best of the best, which wasn't far off, she supposed. XCOM soldiers certainly weren't like any others in the world.

"Jealous," Patricia said, sitting across from her. "They're definitely jealous."

Abby frowned, scrutinizing the face of Patricia trying to figure out what she meant. Patricia was definitely just as tired as her, but nevertheless had asked to chat a bit, seeing as how they hadn't seen each other for a while. And well…quite a bit had changed. Patricia definitely seemed older, more weathered and Abby suspected she looked the same. The biggest change she'd noticed was a subtle one, Patricia's eyes were much harder, resembling the Commander's in a similar calculating way. There was a hardness that hadn't been there before, and considering some of what Patricia had been telling her, she wasn't at all surprised that the overanalytical woman had become somewhat jaded.

"The marines," Patricia explained at Abby's questioning glance. "You're wondering what they think of the Citadel. They're jealous. Probably wishing their bases were this nice."

Abby blinked. That…had been something she'd idly been wondering. That was another big change she was picking up on, how Patricia would read her mind sometimes. It was somewhat unsettling, but given that Patricia had likely been the reason the Citadel hadn't fallen, she didn't really think it fair to criticize. "Is it really that easy to read my mind?"

Patricia let out a long sigh. "I'm not reading your mind, Abby. I don't do that to friends. But I can sense your emotions, whether I want to or not. Given that you were curious and glancing to the gawking marines wandering around, I made an educated guess. Seems I was right."

Ok, so maybe it wasn't technically mind reading, but sensing her emotions, combined with Patricia's analytical skills, it was something very close. "Question then," Abby said, taking a bit of her sandwich. "So how does the whole mind-reading thing work then? Are they even aware?"

Patricia took a sip of water, pondering the question a few seconds before answering. "How it works? It's…complicated and difficult to explain to a non-psion. Just going…into a mind, for lack of a better word, is chaos. It's always different depending on the person. There's a barrage of sights, sounds, memories, sensations. How much you're immediately able to comprehend depends vastly on the personality and mindset of the person in question. Ironically smarter and organized people are much easier to assume control of because they tend to be more focused and professional."

"Huh," Abby wondered how easy her own mind would be. She liked to think she was organized and professional, so that seemed to mean-

"And yes, you would like be easier than say…Lesedi," Patricia interjected with a smile. "I don't need to be psionic to know that's what you're wondering."

"Lesedi?" Abby asked with a frown, recalling the South African sniper. If anything she seemed to be more focused. "Why her?"

"She's a lot more laid back than she appears," Patricia answered. "Don't ask how I know that, but anyone who's thinking happy thoughts while nailing a target across the room isn't a cold professional."

"Fair enough," Abby shrugged. "Keep going."

"Now, for the second part of your question…" Patricia paused. "Both are possible, really. It's definitely possible for the person not to be aware you're meddling. Even if they are, you can just erase their realization and make it so it seems like nothing is wrong. It's very difficult and time-consuming though, and works better when the target isn't even aware a psion is around."

Abby shivered. "That's honestly pretty terrifying. Especially if there's no defense…" she cocked her head. "Is there?"

"Nothing that would protect you," Patricia stated bluntly. "Ordinary humans don't stand a chance against psions. Not yet, at least. I know the Commander is having Vahlen look into some kind of modification defending against psionics, but as it stands now…there is nothing."

Noting Abby's uncomfortable demeanor, she offered a wan smile. "Don't worry too much. It's not really something you have to worry about in your line of work. There aren't any other human psionics besides those in XCOM, and the ones the aliens have. Alien psions are also rare, and the regular sectoids can't really do more than give you a migraine."

"Small comfort, I suppose," Abby conceded. "But yeah, you're right. It really isn't something I need to worry about. So how did you keep the Ethereal subdued, especially after he knocked us all out?"

"A lot of help from Vahlen, the Commander and Franklin," Patricia conceded. "If anything people should be heaping praise on Franklin for killing the damn thing. I was just trying to keep it paralyzed, and it helped that I was really angry."

"Did you take over his mind?"

"No, no," she quickly disputed. "But…contained it? That might be the best word. Vahlen did the same thing, which split its defenses. I honestly just used the most brute force tactic I could, which was repeating one command over and over again."

Abby frowned. "It's that simple?"

"You know the saying where 'repeat a lie often enough and it becomes true'?" Patricia asked, trying to explain through analogy. "It's something similar here. So imagine that you have the word stand appear in your head and you don't want to. So you ignore it, but it keeps appearing in your head. Now imagine that imprinted directly into your mind multiple times a second. Eventually it will reach a point where you do so subconsciously, not really because you want to, but because that's what your brain thinks should happen."

"Ah," Abby nodded in understanding. "I thought the Ethereal would be better prepared against such a…simple tactic."

"Keep in mind this Ethereal had currently lost an arm, been fried to a crisp, bled all across his body, withstanding a mental attack from me and Vahlen, while the Commander also telekinetically pinned him to the wall," Patricia pointed out humorously. "Add Franklin beating the hell out of him and I would say the Ethereal actually did pretty well. Much more than I would have."

She turned serious a few seconds later. "We got really lucky, Abby. If any one of us hadn't been there or failed, we would have died. Yes, we won, but it wasn't anywhere close to decisive."

Abby almost smiled at that. Just like Patricia to automatically jump to the worst-case scenario. "Maybe, but these Ethereals are supposedly rare, aren't they? It's not like they can be easily replaced."

Patricia chuckled. "Good point. But I do wonder how this Ethereal compared to others of his kind. Is he stronger or weaker than the average? That sort of thing. We really don't know enough about them to really feel comfortable about dealing with another one in the future."

"Well, yeah," Abby agreed, finishing up her sandwich. "But we can worry about the future tomorrow. Let's just enjoy this victory while it lasts."

"You've got that luxury," Patricia snorted. "The Commander is definitely not taking the day off."

Abby smirked. "Does he ever?"

"No," she admitted. "But then again, neither do I."

They kept eating for a few minutes in silence when another soldier came walking up. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked, holding a tray of food in his hand. He sounded familiar, actually, though she was pretty sure she hadn't seen him before. He was definitely Arabic, with darker brown skin and short black hair. He also had bushier eyebrow than normal, and a neatly trimmed beard. She was still not sure where she'd seen him before.

"Sure," Abby said, gesturing beside herself. "Plenty of room."

"Thank you," he said, and took a seat. Patricia was also looking at him, also clearly trying to place him.

"Jamali, correct?" She asked after a few moments.

"Yes, sir," he answered with a nod. "I've been in your squad several times."

"Right," she nodded in remembrance. "I remember you much better now. We haven't really talked much outside combat."

He smiled. "Right, it's much different without armor. But I don't mind, you're doubtless very busy."

"Understatement of the day," Patricia muttered. "I almost wish I was a regular soldier again sometimes. Much simpler."

"I don't think there are 'regular' soldiers in XCOM," Abby pointed out. "XCOM doesn't take infantry. Special forces and Intelligence are the main draws."

Jamali seemed to agree. "Speaking of that, I did have a question miss…"

"Just call me Abby."

"Abby, yes," he repeated. "From what I saw you're one of the soldiers, but I'm fairly sure I haven't seen you before the attack."

"Oh, right," she answered easily. "I'm technically not a 'soldier' per-se anymore. I transferred to XCOM Intelligence."

His face brightened. "Ah, that makes sense. I did assume that, though you handled your weapon more like a soldier than an agent so I was curious."

"You were with Vahlen's team?" Abby asked. "I must have seen you then."

"I'm certain you did," he agreed. "But there were clearly more important things. So were you CIA before, or traditional military?"

"US Marines," she answered, nodding to some of her brethren wandering around. "Battlefield medic, which is really the reason I was recruited. I served as the Head Surgeon before transferring to XCOM Intelligence."

He cocked his head, clearly trying to figure that out. "That seems…an interesting switch."

If only he knew. "You could say that," she agreed. "But it was best for XCOM."

"Something I can respect," he nodded. "And what about you, Ms. Trask?"

"Royal Marines," Patricia answered aimlessly. "Much less interesting than you might think. Though I really don't consider myself one anymore. I'm an XCOM soldier now, and that's not going to change."

"That does seem to be a common sentiment," Jamali agreed.

"What about you?" Abby asked curiously. "Where are you from?"

"I'm an ISOF operative," he answered, specifically appearing to avoid the country. "Or was, anyway."

Abby didn't recognize the name, but Patricia clearly did. "Iraqi special forces?"

"You know your special forces," Jamali complimented evenly. "And yes, I am."

"No need to hide it," Abby said. "I don't think anyone really cares what country you're from now."

"Just a habit," he shrugged. "Most of the world doesn't hold a high opinion of the region."

"Not without-" Patricia began before Abby cut her off.

"Most of the world isn't here," Abby continued before Patricia could say what was on her mind. "Where you come from doesn't really matter here. Doesn't matter if you're Iraqi, American, Iranian or Chinese. We're all humans united against an alien threat. When having that perspective, a lot of the things people fight over now seem petty."

"Some true, some not," he conceded. "My country's history is checkered to say the least, and I understand that, but I am grateful for your words. It's encouraging to hear every so often."

"And it's important to say," Abby said firmly. "Let's change the subject a bit. Like why everyone seems to be packing everything up."

"Oh, that?" Patricia said knowingly. "I think I can answer that. Jamali, do you remember that alien base?"

The Citadel, Office of the Commander

"Patching them through now, Commander," Jackson informed while he waited for the screen to stabilize. "Have fun."

The Commander snorted. Fun. Well, this was likely going to be one of the less-painful Council meetings, since it was entirely expected that they would call and say how happy they were that XCOM was still standing. Not really much else they could say, except for demanding future plans, which all they would get is "What we're already doing."

Or something like that.

After receiving quite a few well-meaning messages from their allies, he was starting to get a little tired of responding to them. But such was the burden of being in charge, and it was much better than the alternative. He did wonder how the Council was going to treat this meeting, but he assumed that the Speaker would keep their message in line.

A shame that the Speaker would likely suffer the same fate as the Council. He'd rather liked him.

The screen flashed and the familiar sight of the Speaker greeted his eyes. "Hello, Commander," he greeting, inclining his head. "It is good to see you survived the…attack…on the Citadel."

"Something I completely agree with," the Commander nodded. "We did suffer losses, but in the end we were able to hold successfully and kill the Ethereal leading them."

The Speaker sounded genuinely pleased. "That is…excellent…to hear, Commander. The death of one of their leaders will no doubt cause the aliens to think twice before making such a…bold…move again."

He did wish that was true, but somehow doubted it. "As do I, Speaker. But if anything this will be what finally provokes the aliens to fully invade Earth."

"A possible risk," the Speaker acknowledged. "The Council remains committed to ensuring XCOM remains at the front of dealing with this impending invasion."

"Good to hear," the Commander said neutrally, not really giving that statement any more weight than it deserved. "While I'm…grateful, for their support, XCOM will not be enough to withstand a full invasion. I assume the Council has a response to an invasion planned?"

The Speaker was silent for a moment. "Unfortunately, that is classified United Nations operations. But the Council is aware of the steps that need to be taken."

The Commander's eyebrows furrowed at the abject arrogance of that. "And please ask why exactly XCOM should not be involved in the global defense of Earth? If anyone deserves knowledge as to what the United Nations is planning, it is us."

Yep, it definitely seemed the Speaker was not liking what he had to say. "As XCOM is…officially…under the control of the United Nations, the Council does not believe it would be appropriate for a subservient branch to have influence in events regarding global security and stability."

The Commander raised an eyebrow, almost wishing he was surprised by that idiotic excuse. "I see. It is most certainly reassuring that the Council has such faith in me and XCOM. I would also remind that Council that a large number of XCOM soldiers died preventing a global crisis for the UN to handle. But I also believe the United Nations is either unaware, or willfully ignorant of our status in the world now."

He raised his prosthetic hand and jabbed a finger to the screen. "XCOM is not a subservient branch. Not anymore. We are UN in name only, as our priority is not the United Nations, but humanity as a whole, and as such, we deserve to know how best to assist the United Nations when the time comes. We cannot be allies if we do not know what one side is doing."

"Some Councilors believe you overestimate your importance," the Speaker said, still struggling to remain neutral. "XCOM is only one part of a larger plan."

The Commander considered pushing this forward, but it ultimately mattered very little. It wasn't worth getting mad at the Council. It wasn't worth arguing over the UN. They were a problem and would be eliminated soon. All he had to do was put up with their partisan politics a little longer. "Noted," he ground out. "Anything else."

"Yes," the Speaker almost sighed. "The Council would like to request you turn over two of the UFOs captured to United Nations teams."

The Commander struggled to maintain a straight face. Were they really pulling this now? "Why?"

"To…assist in the utilization of alien materials," the Speaker continued slowly. "Mostly because several councilors are…concerned…that several other nations are becoming more advanced than their own."

He only gave a small smile at the Speaker finally telling the truth. He'd probably wanted to do that for some time now. "That is unfortunate," the Commander said, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, XCOM cannot spare extra resources to an organization that clearly does not intend to work with us combating the alien threat. Will you convey that to them?"

"Of course," the Speaker said quickly. "On a similar note, several Councilors are ordering you to cease and desist contacting and supplying various countries with alien tech-"

The Commander shut off the screen. He had no time for answering questions they already knew the answers to. It was a waste of his time and theirs, and he'd wanted to do that for a long time. If the Council really wanted to contact him again, they could come in person. He did take some pleasure in knowing that might be the last time he ever had to deal with them.

Well, no. He'd have to set up an in-person meeting.

But they would likely take the bait.

He spun around and returned to his chair, pushing thoughts of the irrelevant Council out of his head. The United Nations was sentenced to death, and there was no point dwelling on them until their execution. Because right now, he had more important things to worry about.

England, Falka Intelligence Control

Saudia looked up from the summary as soon as she finished reading it. "And everything is in place?"

"It is," Elizabeth confirmed, turning back to her from the small holotable. "All I need is your approval to execute."

Saudia nodded. This was exactly what was needed, especially now. "I assume you've seen the news?"

"And my own reports," Elizabeth confirmed, setting her own tablet down and looking directly up at Saudia. "Though the US Government won't confirm anything, the mass deployment of marines to the coordinates of XCOM's base of operations can really only mean one thing."

"So XCOM lives," Saudia murmured, looking up over the mass of Falka agents working below Elizabeth's office. "That must mean they killed the Ravaged One."

"Seems like a safe bet," Elizabeth agreed, smirking. "I would like to see the look on the face of whatever Elder is in charge when they learn XCOM won."

"And the media is buying that this is a training exercise," Saudia added in mock disbelief. "Ignoring the multiple sightings of UFOs beforehand in the region."

Elizabeth snorted. "What, and scare the people? Both of us know better. President Treduant likely made sure the media all got the same story."

"Please," Saudia disputed. "I know you know better. The US media doesn't bow to the president, especially if ordered to. Some of them take pride in being the president's enemies."

"Except that Treduant seems to be getting sick of the theater," Elizabeth commented, going over to a folder and picking up several documents. "Take a look at these."

Saudia instantly recognized the type of document and the unmistakable presidential seal. "Warrants. On congressmen."

"Quite a few of these are technically illegal for a president to order," Elizabeth noted with some amusement. "But the advantage of having the CIA, NSA and FBI on your side is that trivial things like legalities are more of a suggestion than an actual guideline."

"Still," Saudia frowned. "This seems unlike her. President Treduant seemed to hold herself above this. It's something of a character flaw, if I'm being honest. But it's also why so many like her."

"I do have some theories on this," Elizabeth said, motioning her over to the holotable. Once Saudia walked over she continued. "You saw the bill she introduced to Congress?"

"Of course," Saudia nodded.

"The most obvious theory is that she's looking for dirt on congressmen," Elizabeth began, picking up her tablet once more. "Using this, she'd be able to force votes her way, which is why she'll likely get this bill passed. I think that's for certain. But what isn't certain is what comes after that."

"For some reason, I don't think that will work for very long," Saudia commented wryly. "But if she declares a state of emergency directly after the bill is signed into law, it's going to look very suspicious."

"Agreed," Elizabeth nodded. "So the question is if she leaves Congress alone after this…or purges it entirely in one fell swoop."

Saudia hesitated before answering, since she didn't want to sound too incredulous. "And throw the government into chaos? Risk starting riots? I'm…skeptical she would do it. She may despise Congress, but utterly destroying it seems…shortsighted at best."

"Unless she has a plan," Elizabeth conceded. "However, I have no proof of any such plan. But why I'm bringing this up is because she met with the Commander a week or so ago."

Well, that changed things. Somewhat. "And you don't think it's a coincidence."

"No," Elizabeth stated flatly, her features hardening. "The Commander meets with Treduant and she soon introduces a bill that would essentially give the executive branch unlimited power and begins gathering information on congressmen…no, this has to be connected."

"Then we might be looking at the wrong person," Saudia suggested. "The Commander does use people to put his plans into motion, so Treduant might be one such pawn."

"That isn't as far-fetched as you think," Elizabeth agreed, handing her the tablet. "The President wasn't the only one the Commander talked to recently. Look at the countries he's visited."

"Quite a few, big and small," Saudia noted. "He's definitely planning something. And since XCOM has survived, I expect it's going into motion soon."

"Remember when your contact mentioned ADVENT?" Elizabeth asked, reaching over and flipping to several pictures. "This is the one connecting strand. That word has been popping up recently in all the countries he visited. No one outside the highest levels of government even is aware it exists, and I don't have sources in high enough places to get any details on it."

"Well, we need to find out soon," Saudia said, pursing her lips. "I don't like XCOM having a plan this large and not having some idea of what it will be."

"Hopefully once Israel and Brazil are at war it will force XCOM to act quickly," Elizabeth said, returning to the holomap which now displayed a map of the Middle East.

"So walk through it in action," Saudia said, putting the tablet down. "It looks good on paper, but a simulation always helps."

"I agree," Elizabeth nodded. "The assassinations will take place at night, and will take out most of the Israeli Cabinet, the Knesset Speaker, Opposition Speaker and the Prime Minister's family."

"Let's hope they have some good replacements," Saudia noted. "Taking out the entire cabinet might damage the response."

"I doubt it," Elizabeth dismissed. "There are plenty of talented Israelis to replace the losses, and I don't expect every assassination to succeed. Several failures are going to be instrumental in pinning the blame on the Arab states."

"Even a few deaths will be enough to start a war," Saudia agreed, observing the map. "Especially if there is indisputable proof."

"Oh, there is," Elizabeth confirmed with a small smile. "With authentic documents, orders, seals and everything. There will be no doubt that this was a coordinated attack on Israel."

"And then the war starts," Saudia nodded. "And where do you anticipate the fighting will start?"

"That largely depends on if Israel will be receiving allied help," Elizabeth answered, first pointing at towards the map. "I think it will almost certainly start out with Jordan, Lebanon and Syria being taken first." The specific countries were highlighted a dark green.

"So let's say they have no support?" Saudia asked. "What then?"

"Then Israel braces for a long fight, which means they turtle up," Elizabeth answered. "Iraq would be the next logical point, and gives them control of a decent portion of the Middle East, while completely isolating Turkey in case they try to supply arms to the Saudis or Iranians." Iraq was highlighted in yellow

"Do you think they'll intervene?" Saudia asked.

"Depends on if they think Israel is vulnerable," Elizabeth answered with a shrug. "If they go at it alone, it's entirely possible, and might shift the war against Israel."

"So once Iraq is taken, where next?"

"Saudi Arabia would likely be next," Elizabeth said with a nod. "Continuing east with Iran opens them up to being outmaneuvered, and Iran acts as a buffer between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan."

"And once Saudi Arabia is taken, then they can take Yemen and Oman easily," Saudia observed from the map. "By then I think the war would be decided."

"Probably," Elizabeth agreed. "And depending on if Turkey joins in or not, they might be next before Israel decides to finish up with Iran and eastward."

"So estimated time?"

"One year optimistically," Elizabeth said. "Without any support whatsoever. We also have to consider that they have a significant tech advantage and if it does appear that Israel is losing, I don't see XCOM standing back and letting them fall."

"So there is no way they can lose?" Saudia asked.

"Not unless someone shoots a nuclear bomb to Tel Aviv," Elizabeth amended. "But that would result in their own countries being wiped off the map as well, so I don't believe that's a major risk. Besides, I assume Israel has taken precautions against that possibility, as have my own agents. There will be no nukes fired this war."

"So what changes if they receive Russian or American support?" Saudia asked.

"They would likely do the same thing," Elizabeth admitted. "But while they are busy with the Saudis, Russia would begin attacking Iran with the United States assisting both. The combined force of all three countries should be enough to take the region within several months, especially with the substantial tech advantage all three nations have."

"Excellent," Saudia nodded. "And for Brazil, the plan seems straightforward enough."

"Marshal Luana is easily manipulated and predictable," Elizabeth noted with some derision. "Several authentic documents showing Bolivia and Argentina funding the cartels she's trying to smash will send her into a frenzy and she'll likely declare war soon after. She'll likely annex several of the other countries in her way as well."

"Simple, but effective," Saudia agreed. "That should be more than enough to make our alien friends happy."

"Until we raid their base," Elizabeth finished, switching the map to the layout of the Arctic. "We have a confirmed location on this alien base which we're certain contains the Furies."

"So once we start the war, we turn on them," Saudia said grimly. "A bit fast, but I suspect everything is going to come to a head soon. We need to ensure we're on the right side."

"Which means it might be worth informing XCOM when we act," Elizabeth suggested. "Once we reclaim the Furies, of course."

"It couldn't hurt," Saudia agreed. "Anyway, you have my permission to execute your operations, Spymaster. Good luck."

Elizabeth saluted. "Thank you, Director. It will be done."

The Citadel, XCOM Intelligence Control

"How much of this do you think will actually be useful?" Jackson asked as they poured over the data that Shen and Zhang had extracted from the UFOs.

"Quite a lot, actually," the Commander said, looking through some of it on his tablet. "For better or worse, the aliens are organized with their information, though it will take some time to read through all of it."

"Have you learned anything useful so far?" Zhang asked, writing some notes on a pad, occasionally glancing over to the information he had in front of him on his own tablet. "The conversion process works, but takes some time."

"Something," the Commander said. "They appear to keep records of each landing. This particular transport has an extensive list of landing coordinates."

"Which we could use to pinpoint Ethereal bases?" Jackson suggested. "Or flight paths at the very least."

"Possibly," the Commander nodded. "But what's interesting is that I checked some of these coordinates earlier. Most are in uncharted space, but the last one before the attack was on Earth."

Zhang's head snapped up. "Where?"

"The Arctic wastes," the Commander answered. "Supposedly there's nothing there, but I think it would be worth investigating exactly why this transport stopped in the middle of nowhere."

"Could they have other bases here?" Jackson asked. "I mean, it's possible, but without us knowing? Or anyone?"

"Maybe not full bases like the Sectoid Hive," the Commander amended. "But staging areas and landing zones? Likely, and with major parts of the world still isolated, they could build something small that goes unnoticed for months."

"Though how much of that is really necessary," Zhang noted with a frown. "Landing areas and forward bases are only useful when they don't have the capability to land wherever they want. They will always be more mobile than us until we develop our own spacecraft."

"Depends on what the Ethereals want to achieve," the Commander said slowly, setting his tablet down. "And they don't just want to conquer Earth. They want to subdue it. I don't necessarily think they want to start an all-out war because it seems more and more like they want us on their side. Humans who support them. So orbital bombardments and city massacres won't exactly help achieve that goal."

"I'd be more inclined to agree had that Ethereal not attacked New York," Jackson said. "I agree that the Ethereals don't want to turn Earth into a crater, but going about this to keep as many humans on their side as possible…unlikely."

"Here's a question," the Commander suddenly said as the idea popped into his mind. "Are we sure that these Ethereals are such a homogenous group? That they work in perfect harmony with each other?"

Zhang and Jackson exchanged a look. "Not officially, no," Jackson finally said, clearly puzzled. "But that's somewhat implied."

"I know," the Commander nodded. "But what if we're wrong? What if the Ethereals are divided about how to handle us? Aegis in particular seemed to be partial to a more peaceful solution, even if it didn't benefit us, whereas this one clearly just wanted to wipe us out."

"And this Imperator seems to have very specific plans, if what Patricia said has any weight," Zhang added slowly, beginning to see where he was going. "Hypothetically, we could have accidentally just ensured that an invasion happens."

Jackson's eyebrows furrowed. "How?"

"The Imperator seems to be the leader of the Ethereals," the Commander began. "We know thanks to Nartha that the one we killed was a replacement for another, so why order a transfer in the first place?"

"Because the Ethereal before wasn't doing a good job?"

"Maybe," the Commander continued. "Or maybe it was the Imperator's way of removing a political threat. Hypothetically, it's a win-win situation for him. We die and prove that we aren't as useful as he wanted, and he goes back to other things. Or we win, and prove the opposite, as well as remove an obstacle to him. Not to mention he could use the death of an Ethereal to justify whatever actions against us, which looks more and more the subjugation."

"It also lines up with the phrasing of a 'test'," Zhang added thoughtfully. "As well as explain why he didn't seem too worried about the death of one of his own, even though they are supposedly few and dying."

"Or we could be reading too much into this," the Commander shrugged. "But it is interesting to think about and utilize."

"Do you think the Ethereals are numerous enough to have political factions?" Jackson asked. "And even if they did, I doubt they'd be on a level we could comprehend, much less influence."

"Influence Ethereal politics," the Commander chuckled. "Impossible at this point, but knowledge would be useful in predicting their actions. Something that will be valuable when the invasion begins."

"I did want to ask if you found anything about how the Ethereals found the Citadel," Zhang said, changing the topic drastically. "I think it would be useful in ensuring the same thing doesn't happen again."

The Commander pursed his lips as he searched through the data. "Nothing so far. I doubt the transport will contain anything, although the Ethereal's UFO might have something. But all the ships appear mostly utilitarian, with communications not really a priority."

"Still though," Jackson noted. "We should try and find out something."

"The amount of people who knew the location of the Citadel was limited," the Commander recalled. "All of you, the pilots, and the Councilors. No one else, to my knowledge."

"Which limits the pool of leaks," Zhang stated.

"No, it doesn't," the Commander sighed. "Because an Ethereal is involved, it's not that simple. Patricia may have been right and they found us because there was too much psionic energy concentrated here. Or he could have taken the information from Fallen Sky's mind back in England. Or he could have read the mind of any of the Councilors."

"I highly doubt the Council would betray our location willingly," Jackson interjected, leaning back against the wall. "They may not like you, but I genuinely don't think they want XCOM to fall."

"They would if it would get rid of me," the Commander responded neutrally. "But I agree in this case. An attack of this scale wouldn't be supported by any of them, Warnup included."

Zhang scratched his chin. "What about EXALT? Could they have learned about our base?"

The Commander frowned. "Possibly, but I doubt they would be the ones to hand it over. They wouldn't risk going to direct war with us, which would happen if they were idiotic enough to pull that. Besides, weakening us is the wrong move, strategically. They wouldn't do that if they really wanted to fight against the aliens."

"Unless they turned it over to them before we made our truce?" Zhang suggested

The Commander wasn't convinced. "Then why did they wait this long before attacking?"

Zhang shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm just pointing out the possibility."

"The easiest solution would be to ask Director Saudia herself," the Commander said. "Perhaps I'll bring that up when I go visit her."

Zhang sniffed derisively. "For some reason, I don't think she's just going to tell you that."

The Commander tapped his head. "I might not be able to read minds like Patricia, but I can tell when someone is lying. If she lies, I will kill her. If not, we will keep talking."

"And what if EXALT was behind giving the Ethereals our location?" Jackson asked quietly.

The Commander was silent for a few moments. "That depends on if they shared that information before, or after our truce. One can be justified, relatively. The other cannot and will be punished."

"I'm not fond of letting EXALT off the hook, no matter when they shared it," Zhang muttered. "Provided they did in the first place. We lost a lot of people to their damn games of world domination."

"Like it or not, they still have a role to play for now," the Commander said wearily. "They deserve to be destroyed for their traitorous actions, even if they defend it with some perversion of 'It's best for humanity', but we have very limited amount of options, and it makes more sense to utilize EXALT instead of destroy it."

"And you think they're just going to go along with it?" Jackson asked skeptically. "Even if we outmatch them militarily, they'll just go into hiding like they likely have before."

The Commander smiled at that. That would be a concern, except that he had a pretty good plan for ensuring that didn't happen. "I wouldn't worry about that. I have a good feeling that EXALT is going to do exactly what I suggest."

Supplementary Material

The Hephaestus Contingency

(RESTRICTED TO INTERNAL COUNCIL)

OVERVIEW: In the event that the current main base of XCOM operations is compromised as a result of:

1. Mishandling of information

2. Enemy intelligence operatives

3. Traitorous or disillusioned XCOM personnel

4. Torture of XCOM personnel by hostile forces

4. Psionic interrogation of XCOM personnel by hostile psions

Preparations will be made to transfer the main operations of XCOM to a pre-determined location not compromised by hostile forces. The location will be determined by the Internal Council, with limited involvement from various branches of XCOM, including but not limited to:

1. XCOM Intelligence

2. XCOM Analysis and Communications

3. XCOM Engineering

4. XCOM Research and Development

Note 1: 'Compromised' is defined as follows:

1. Knowledge of the current base is known by hostile forces and countries

2. Knowledge of the current base is known by neutral forces and countries

3. Knowledge of the current base is known by an unknown number of organizations

4. The current base has suffered one or more attacks from hostile forces

5. Non-critical allies have knowledge of base location and activities

SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: The requirements for the new base location in question are defined as follows:

SIZE: The absolute size of the base shall not be lesser than the previous location and must containing:

1. A Hangar which allows vertical access outside

2. Module sizes large enough to be converted into barracks or personnel quarters, with at least a capacity of 1000 personnel

3. Modules allowing integration of heavy machinery, medical and specialized scientific equipment

LOCATION: The location must not be known to any outside organizations, governments or agencies without the express permission of the Commander of XCOM. Should another party learn of the location of the new base, it will be officially compromised and a new location will have to be determined.

Note: If a suitable base is not able to be found, it may be constructed with the assistance of close allies to specifications overseen by Head Engineer Raymond Shen.

TECHNICAL INTEGRATION AND COMMUNICATION: The base must be able to interface with current XCOM technology, with room to improve in the future. It must also be able to communicate to any location in the world with satellite and antenna access. Failure to achieve any of the requirements stated above disqualifies said location from contention.

PHASE 1: PREPARATION AND TRANSFER OF RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL: Once the location to enact the Hephaestus Contingency is chosen, the following will be executed.

1. A skeleton crew will be assigned to prepare the new base, chosen from within various XCOM branches (Excluding XCOM Armed Forces), specific personnel chosen by Head Scientist Moira Vahlen and Head Engineer Raymond Shen.

2. Once the location has been prepared by the skeleton crew, specialized equipment will be ordered and sent for installation, which will commence immediately upon arrival.

3. A pre-determined amount of XCOM physical resources will be transferred as a contingency in the event of an unexpected attack or sabotage by hostile forces. The amount will be decided by the Internal Council, as well as if the transfer will be one-time, or recurring.

4. At the discretion of the Commander, personnel may be recruited specifically for the base in order to assist in its preparation and usage.

PHASE 2: EXECUTION OF CONTINGENCY: Upon the execution of the Hephaestus Contingency, the following will be executed:

1. All non-combat personnel will be transferred in their entirety to the new base, via skyranger and immediately begin continuing work on current projects and experiments.

2. All test subjects will be restrained or subdued in order to safely transport them. Upon arrival they will be unloaded and placed in the appropriate locations for further experimentation.

3. The Internal Council will relocate in their entirety to the new base and resume operations immediately.

4. XCOM Armed Forces will be systematically relocated to the new base, with some remaining behind to retain control at the discretion of the Commander. This applies to MEC, genetically modified and psionic soldiers.

5. All remaining resources will be transferred in their entirety to the new base, as well as any equipment that was unable to be installed prior to the execution of the Hephaestus Contingency.

PHASE 3: DETERMINATION OF PREVIOUS HEADQUARTERS: Upon successful transfer of all relevant XCOM personnel to the new base, it will then be determined what to do with the previous base via the following options:

1. In the event that the previous base is in allied territory, the previous base will be overseen by XCOM and utilized as a forward base, working in conjunction with allied military forces.

1.1. In the event that XCOM is unable to maintain oversight of the previous base, it shall be turned over to the allied government in question.

2. In the event that the previous base is in neutral territory, XCOM will maintain a small garrison of soldiers and utilize the previous base as a forward outpost against any hostile forces. The previous base may also be converted to an intelligence outpost, research station or engineering workshop at the discretion of the Internal Council.

3. In the event that the previous base is in hostile territory, XCOM will abandon the base and sabotage it to prevent any further usage. Options may include destroying it entirely, bugging it, or utilizing additional forms of surveillance.

SECURITY AND TRANSFER OF INFORMATION: Upon establishment within the new base, the following standards will be recognized:

1. The location of the new base will not be shared with any country, organization or agency regardless of affiliation without the express permission of the Council.

2. Airspace around the base is under strict control, and any unauthorized aircraft in the area are to be shot down regardless of affiliation.

3. All visitors to the new base require screening and blood testing to ensure health, species, and motive. Psionic interrogation will be implemented if necessary.

4. All laws, customs and cultures of the country the base resides in are now null and void within XCOM-controlled territory, and XCOM has authorization to take action according to established XCOM guidelines.

5. Transfer of information will be heavily monitored, and restricted at the discretion of Central Officer Jackson of XCOM Analysis and Communications.

A/N: So there are a couple of things that need to be brought up as this moves into the final chapters. First, I did notice a fairly large section of feedback consisted of people commenting on XCOM 2 integration, or lack thereof. I'm not quite sure how this started, since an XCOM 2 plot was impossible well before this point, but I will clarify now that the XCOM 2 *storyline* is not going to be followed in any way, and never was to begin with. I will be taking elements/characters/organizations (Obviously) but the main story (Commander's capture/resistance/etc) will not be used at all. This misunderstanding may be due to my not being clear about exactly what I've planned for this, so I'll lay it out now. I planned this to be a trilogy, of which the Atlas Protocol is the second part. Once it finishes, I will write the finale as a full installment. The Atlas Protocol is not going to wrap everything up, but instead lay a foundation of what's to come. At the moment there are only four chapers and an epilogue left and it will be finished.

So, on that note, Mass Effect Andromeda is out and that is likely where I'll be spending my free time until I finish it. You may or may not notice a delay, as I am a couple of chapters ahead, and just waiting for my beta to look them over. But if there are any delays, then that is the reason. I will still be responding as normal to reviews/PMs/emails. Thanks once again for all the support on this, it honestly is bigger than I really imagined.

-Xabiar