Despite what happened, everything was within Gamma and Omega's expectations. The pair had known the Commander would find a way to get into the giant structure, the only question was the how. Now that that was done, Gamma began making her moves.

With a single wave of her hand, the Siren's most powerful group, the Capital ships began moving. Their imposing size coupled with an array of weapons and bolstered by shields made them ideal for turning the course of a battle. On the ground, the tanks started moving as well. Their on-board missile launchers, cannons and multiple chain guns would shred through the humans and any defences they had in place.

Though Alec was smart, Gamma had enough knowledge on him to anticipate his moves. Before this fight, she developed a program based on Alec's profile and waged several mock battles against it. This information helped hone her skills and ensure her victory against the human.

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At first, the insertion team expected to be assailed from all sides by the structure's internal defences. The group expected drones and turrets to attack them, but found nothing. Instead, the only thing they saw was a large tube that linked the leg to the main body. There was what looked like an elevator inside.

The team went in and were shuttled to the main location. They went by at incredible speed and the internal mechanics of the Terraforming structure went by too fast for any of them to register.

When they reached the centre, they saw yet another circular elevator waiting for them.

"This seems worrying," said Z23, looking around "we've come all this way and there's no resistance? That's not possible."

The Commander however remained silent. Though he had no way to prove it, he could tell the only ones waiting for them were Omega and the Antiochs. But, because he had nothing to prove the crazy thought, he instead said:

"Heads on a swivel and do not use your weapons inside here," he said "save your energy for the fight ahead."

At first, the girls looked at him in confusion, wondering what he meant. Then, the realization dawned on them. As they entered the elevator and went up, everyone realized the Antiochs were missing from the initial fight. That only meant Omega kept them here which meant that she was expecting them to reach this point.

The elevator came to a halt at a certain point. The group saw a pathway ahead of them and took it. As they went through the narrow corridor, questions raged through their minds. In their own ways, each member of the insertion squad steeled themselves from what lay ahead.

The corridor opened up and they came upon a plain white area. The area itself was approximately a hundred square feet with a thirty-foot ceiling. However, no one in the group was interested in the details. Instead, they all looked at the single figure that stood in opposition to their advance.

Omega's Avrora.

The group stared quietly at her while the combatant remained silent. They saw a corridor directly behind her and understood her role here.

"This is where we get off then," said Rossiya, as she and Tashkent came forward.

As the pair moved away from the group, so too did Avrora. They saw the path forward was free and clear but wondered if it was a trap.

It was only when the Commander took a step forward, found no resistance did the others confirm what they were thinking.

"Come back alive," he said, turning and looking at the two "that isn't up for debate."

The two chuckled as they silently nodded in agreement. The group (now short of two) left Rossiya and Tashkent and made their way to the corridor.

Same as before, they were greeted by an elevator that took them to a particular level. The group understood the pattern here and went through the corridor, ready to face the next opponent.

Contrary to before, the room they were in looked exactly like a practice dojo. The floors were wooden, there were paintings and diagrams on the right side while the left opened up to show a yard. For a moment, everyone wondered if what they saw was real and not just an elaborate illusion.

But, those thoughts were cast aside when the keeper of this floor made her presence known.

In a move similar to before, the attacker came straight for the Commander with the weapon drawn. The sword was aimed at his neck and might have connected were it not for the timely intervention of Takao. Her sheath blocked the blade's direction and prevented the attacker from hitting the mark.

Seeing this, Aerona leapt back and stood ready with her sword drawn. She raised her sword and behind her, a section of the wall opened to reveal a pathway. The pathway was the same at the ones before which only made the current area stand out more.

"Well, I guess this is our stop," said Zuikaku, taking a step forward followed by Takao.

"Commander," called Takao while the others were slowly leaving.

"We fully intend on coming back," she said and drew her sword.

The Commander nodded to her before heading after the others.

The path this time wound around a little before leading them to the same elevator. They went on, it took them to the next place and the group got off. They went through the corridor and were greeted by the opponent in waiting.

The skies above were black storm clouds while the ground they stood on were violent waves lashing about in every direction. It was clear this scene was an illusion because otherwise, the Commander would have sank like a rock.

They saw the one waiting for them standing on the opposite end.

Jean Bart, known to Omega as Keres stood with her arms crossed and greeted them with a thin smile. She opened her arms out and bowed to them as you would with someone right before you danced with them.

"Looks like this is our turn," said Cleveland, as she and Richelieu distanced themselves from the group.

"This will be difficult Cleveland," said Richelieu, watching the others leave "are you ready?"

The Knight of the Sea gave her an emphatic nod. The two watched as Keres formed her rigging and they did the same.

In the pathway, the group could hear the sound of gunfire and explosions, indicating the fight was already underway. Though they all wanted to stop and help, they knew better than to do that.

The group, now half the size it originally was made its way to the elevator and it took off. They went through the corridor that awaited them and came out to a large grassy field.

The field seemingly stretched on for miles with a blue sky and a few clouds hanging above. In the distance, the group saw a single tall tree with a section of it covering a table and three chairs. On one of the chairs, was someone who looked like she was drinking something. The Commander stopped for a moment, as it reminded him of an interaction he had not long ago.

The group came closer and saw it was Hood who was enjoying a cup of tea. She saw them and greeted the group with a smile. Z23 and Queen Elizabeth instantly recoiled from the gesture and it was easy to see why.

The Hood they knew was warm, kind, loving and gentle. The thing that smiled at them now lacked any of the emotions the original did.

"I'm going to enjoy this," said Queen Elizabeth, pointing her sceptre at the fake.

"We've got this Commander," said Z23 "go."

There were only two left. As the group went through the next corridor, up the next elevator and to the next battlefield, they wondered why lucky or unlucky one they'd have to face.

The answer came when they saw a row of Cherry trees on both sides and a cobblestone path leading them to a large temple. At the top of a temple stood a beautiful woman, who played a tune on what looked like a Shamisen.

The faux Amagi saw the four and stopped playing her song. She set the instruments aside and descended the stairs. As she did, Akagi and Kaga separated themselves from Tirpitz and the Commander.

"Kaga," called the Commander and the girl responded.

He took her hand in his, held it firmly and said "take care of your sister."

Then, the Commander turned to Akagi and held her hand with his other free hand.

"Take care of Kaga," he said and she nodded.

"And you better come back to us," said Akagi and the Commander nodded. The three held each other's hands for a little longer before letting go.

As his family prepared themselves to fight the monster before them, the Commander silently prayed to whoever was listening. He prayed for their safety and for everyone else.

There was no question of who was waiting at the next corridor. True to form, Omega saved the best one for last.

The two got onto the elevator, went through the corridor and were not surprised to see who waited at the end.

The battlefield this time was the interior of a castle. The walls were decorated with elaborate banisters, paintings, and murals. The ceiling had five huge, elaborate and beautiful chandelier hanging down. In a regular setting, this place would be ideal for a ball or a dance. Now though, it had one purpose.

The keeper of this place made their way to the pair and both went on guard. Bismarck, the strongest in history eyed them through ice blue eyes and stood ready for a fight.

Tirpitz took a breath then took a step forward.

"Go," she said and the Commander shifted his gaze between her and her opponent. This was not an enemy you face alone. He debated the idea of helping her, even if that meant risking significant injuries.

But the Commander saw the resolute expression in Tirpitz's eyes and was no longer hesitant. Just as the rest had their fights, she had hers and he had no right to interfere.

"Kick her ass," he said and she flashed him a quick smile before getting serious again.

The Commander ran through the opening and to the final elevator. The journey this time took longer than expected. On the way, he could feel his palms grow sweaty, sweat forming on his brow and a growing lump form in his stomach. This was it. The training, the battles and everything else led to this.

He pushed aside his worries and fears over the others and committed himself to what lay ahead. Anything less would give her the advantage.

Contrary to how other elevators stopped at a particular level, this one did not. Instead, it seemingly took him to the very top of the super structure. He could see a light coming up and covered his face.

The platform came to a halt and the Commander found himself standing on a vast empty room. There were clear skies up above and the floor he was on reflected the same.

"Welcome," said a familiar voice. He turned to the right and saw none other than Omega, seated on a beautifully ornate black throne with gold accents and furnishings.

"How do you like the place?" she asked, gesturing at the area around them.

"It's a pretty elaborate illusion, but that's all it is in the end," he said.

"Oh, but this is no illusion," she said "this is real. We are standing at the very top of the Terraformer, above the clouds, the battle and everything else that doesn't concern us."

"A bit over-the-top don't you think?" he asked.

"The last time we faced off was on some crap island in the middle of nowhere," said Omega "that was not the proper setting for a final battle. This one is."

"I also hope you liked the settings I had for the others below," she added.

The Commander however, said nothing.

"Oh don't be like that," she said, teasingly "what's wrong with a little banter before we start, James Harper?"

To this, the Commander was a little surprised. Omega saw the change in his expression and smiled back.

"Don't be too surprised," she said "I looked into the records from those two failures… Marie and Blake and found out your name. Thing is though, there's no record of a James Harper being born at the time you should have."

"Strange, isn't it?"

"Not really," said the Commander "it's a pseudonym I made up when enlisting. Truth is, I don't have an actual name coz my parents never gave me one."

"So, you're just like me."

"In some ways, yes," said the Commander "we both had an uphill battle throughout our lives. But somewhere down the line you and I made a decision that saw our paths diverge in completely separate directions."

"And now here we are," said Omega "paths converging with only one side getting to move forward."

"Enough banter, I think its about time we settled this," said the Commander drawing out his sword and revealing his mounted blade.

At first, Omega said nothing. She simply got off her throne and slowly came down the stairs. On the ground, she formed her two swords and grasped them firmly in either hand.

"Let's dance," she said, as her armour activated and covered the critical parts of her body. She shot forward and covered half the distance in seconds. The Commander saw this, activated his boots, rose a little and came forward to meet her.

The two combatants met in the middle, their blades clashed and began their final battle in earnest.

(AN: I will also be working on an X-mas themed AL story in celebration for the holidays)