Date: AD 2070/CE 70, February 17th, 1:34 PM.

G330X Habitual Module III, Temporary Housing Cluster "Ulster", Relocation Center 31, km south of the Special Zone Border

It still felt strange to be walking again, Woods thought, walking down the metallic corridor as the soft 'patter of footsteps intermingled with the deeper 'thump' of power-assisted footfalls echoed around him.

A small grin flickered across his face as he considered the armor he was wearing, a device that GDI had given him in lieu of a crutch. Apparently, like GDI-like beating their swords into plowshares, a standard powered armor, for example, once properly calibrated, could be used for support and physiotherapy for an injured person. Or at least that's what his doctors told him.

The smile died as his mind conjured up, unbidden, a more sinister purpose for the armor: to contain the "inert" Tiberium now flowing through his veins.

He sighed and quickly pushed the thought out of his conscious mind, taking a moment to look at the people around him. Some like him wore powered armor, while others didn't. Oddly enough, everywhere he looked, he found people staring at those wearing armor with some discomfort. Though he didn't mind the stares of the children, the expression on some of the adults' faces bothered him for some reason. Even odder, he found the same sneering visage on the faces of a number of powered armor wearers.

Even worse than the glares some people were sending at each other was the sign of Tiberium exposure and other disfigurements that some of the civilians were trying desperately to hide. It pained him to see such sights, but, oh, he stopped and looked at the scene again; sure enough, most of the glares were directed at a group who showed the tell-tale signs of Tiberium infection. That's not good, Wood decided as he continued his journey.

Woods was currently heading toward the lounge of what his acquaintances in GDI called a G330X habitual module. Designed to survive hostile conditions outside the safety of its walls, the cross-shaped module consists of two major hallways running down both axes of the cross. Lining each of these hallways were rooms, each capable of housing a family of six, and in the center where the hallways met was the main lounge, medical wing, and cafeteria.

In all, the entire building houses 288 refuges in the two-story structure and protects them from the elements with thick T-armor, apparently up to a quarter meter thick in some places. Surprisingly enough, according to a colleague in the EBN who had interviewed him on the crash, GDI had managed to erect hundreds of such modules all over southern Italy within a week of the event. The sheer scale of such an undertaking boggles his mind.

Personally, though, the most surprising feature for him was the module's integrated artificial intelligence. According to the information he had seen on GDI's internet, the majority of GDI's military and civilian installations and equipment require integrated AI support to aid in management as well as to compensate for the interference caused by the environment of their Earth.

And he had to admit that EVA, as the AI was called, does its job remarkably well, performing the security, logistical, and planning aspects of management almost flawlessly while ensuring that orders and information are conveyed clearly. However, he had to suppress a snicker as he remembered an incident back at Mobius Base where someone altered the vocal synthesizer of the AI such that it replied to civilians with the voice of a schoolgirl on a sugar high.

Still snickering, he staggered to a nearby wall as he felt a moment of weakness wash over him. Thankfully, the armor ensured that he didn't trip or fall as he finally entered the common room on the ground floor of the module. While it was filled with people, it didn't take long for him to cross the room as the crowd parted when they took note of the giant 'Press' on his white-powered armor.

Strolling across the room, Woods ignored the looks that some people were giving him. At first, he didn't think much of it, confident that GDI's security would defuse the situation before it got too ugly, but now that he was in the main lounge, he finally noticed that the stares that certain people were sending his way were a mix of scorn, hate, and curiosity in their eyes. That didn't surprise him, but he could also feel a sense of...fear?

Shrugging, he continued walking towards the pair he was meeting, a sister and a brother in their late teens. He had met the two of them at Mobius Station after they were picked up by RAID 2nd Division from the wreckage of their family car. After he'd been released from Mobius Station and transferred to one of the tent cities that GDI had set up, he figured that he would check up on them.

Granted, using the term 'tent city' was rather far from the mark given that the so-called 'tent city' consisted of G330 modules, field hospitals, airfields, motor pools, and a military outpost where GDI and Eurasian Federation forces were stationed.

"Hey, I'm John Woods." Woods introduced himself, reaching out to tap the girl on the shoulder. " We met a few days ago at Mobius Station; do you remember?"

"Yeah, it's nice to see you again." The girl, Cecilia Damiani, if Woods remembered correctly, replied rather nervously.

Chuckling Woods moved to reassure her.

"Don't mind the armor; it's a pain to take off, and I need it to walk. So how've you and Eusebio been doing?"

"Ok, we're mostly just watching the news and keeping up with what's happening in the rest of the world."

"So what do you think? And what's with the death stares people here are sending each other?"

"You've been exposed to the green cristallo signore," Cecilia said in a dull voice as memories of the wreck that killed her family filled her mind. "Sorry," she added a moment later.

"Don't be afraid; I was on a helicopter when the event happened. I survived. The 'copter' and the others didn't." Woods said his tone was tired and resigned.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Woods heard her say in sympathy.

"Thanks."

He took a moment to look around the room before turning back to find Cecilia scanning him in concern.

"Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?" she asked. " I mean, you looked pretty bad when Euse and I met you."

"No need to worry; I'm doing fine. This suit is keeping me standing," Woods laughed. "Besides, if I survived when a helicopter didn't, it means I am tougher than a 'helicopter, right?"

Cecilia cracked a smile at the interplay, relaxing a bit and becoming comfortable.

"So, you seem pretty broody... Care to talk about what's on your mind?" Woods asked, his tone now serious. The change in the reporter's tone surprised Cecilia, but she didn't mind much.

"When the event happened, we waited, expecting the government or the military to show up, but no one did. We tried radio, the internet, satecoms—none of it worked. At first, we didn't mind so much since we had food and everything for a week or so, but when we saw the tornadoes forming on the other side of the town, From there, it was pretty obvious that we needed to get to the city and its bunkers, and it seemed pretty simple. It was only half a mile away."

Cecilia paused for a moment, her voice wavering from the memories. "We weren't the only ones on the highways; there were others. Once we entered the city boundaries, we thought we were safe, but we were wrong." Cecilia paused for a moment, taking a sip of water in an attempt to calm her voice. "It started with the windows; I think it was hail smashing against them. Then the windows broke, and then the entire car just flipped over."

"It was painful." Cecilia sobbed," The wind was so strong, it was sending spikes of crystals through the car. I think Pa threw himself over us when that happened, but then there was blood everywhere."

Woods reached over to awkwardly pet her shoulder as the girl sobbed into her palms.

"At least Eusebio is still alive." She continued sadly, reminding her of her brother, who was barely as lucky. The green crystal had mutilated her brother far worse than her. Where she "just" ended up with scars over parts of her face and skin and a pair of heterochromatic eyes, he ended up with a deformed body. It was the reason why he wasn't here, Cecilia raged as she looked sideways at the rest of the room.

Assholes.

Cecilia was about to continue when they were interrupted by the form of her brother descending the stairs. She could tell by the sound of his footsteps, each sounding like the footfall of a giant and sending a booming echo through the metal structure of the lounge. The reaction was mixed; a few people moved out of the way to make space, some left the room in fear, while others stayed put, paying it no mind. Those who moved out of fear annoyed her; he was only human, damn it.

Her brother had always been big. In the years before the event, he played rugby; he wasn't major league material or a well-known player, but he was earning money and saving it during the season while working and training on and off the field. But now, whatever method GDI used to save his life cursed him with a hulking body with curved plates of that cursed crystal sticking out of his skin like some demented armor. GDI's doctors say that with a couple more Tiberium treatments, the plates will eventually go away in a few more years.

"Hey, Cecilia," he said in his deep voice, giving Woods a nod,"we should leave. Now."

Even as he finished that sentence, a trio of troublemakers made their way down the stairs, which he had just used.

"Shit," Cecilia whispered, "blue cosmos wannabes. Assholes."

Woods saw the problem immediately, and it didn't surprise him; the moment he'd recovered enough to stay awake, he'd asked for something to read to keep him busy, anything to keep his mind off the crash, and GDI had provided him in spades, up to and including bringing up that jarhead Bruce Lipton from the political department when he had visited Mobius station. Hence, he got up and made himself stand between the three and the Damiani siblings.

"Is there a problem?" Woods asked, stepping in front of Eusebio.

"Hiding behind the press?" the leader of the group sneered.

"I would ask again since you appear to be deaf: is there a problem?" Woods repeated, his tone dead even.

"Why don't you get the fuck out of my way?" the man said, disgust manifesting in his voice as he took a moment to study the patchwork-like skin on Woods' face.

"Oh? It is a crime to be a survivor of a deadly accident, now is it?" Woods mocked, "If so, then perhaps you should start with your friend over there?"

The leader took a step into Woods' face, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, I see a problem," the man growled. "You think you're tough, wiseass?"

"If you have a problem, why don't you go stand outside without the power armor the UN gave everyone?" Woods asked the asshole and saw the man's eye quiver momentarily with fear at the mention of going outside without protection.

The man didn't have a chance to answer as GDI military police entered the lounge, slipping through the crowd that had gathered around Woods and the Blue Cosmos sympathizer. While it didn't take long for them to spot the cause of the commotion, they didn't rush in directly since they too thought the problem was solved, judging by the posture of the two groups.

"Good, I think we've solved the problem here," Woods said, turning around only to receive a punch to the head that almost sent him stumbling. Which his armor compensated for almost instantly.

"Sonofabitch!"

Acting on instincts from a self-defense class long ago, Woods ducked low and twisted, sending a roundhouse kick into the chest of his opponent. Unfortunately for his attacker, his armor boosted his strength and turned what would have been a weak blow into a devastating kick, which sent the attacker crashing backward in pain into the arms of his unwary henchmen. It was only then that the MPs jumped into action and rushed the scene.

While one of the MPs checked on Woods, the other rushed in and urgently pushed the two henchmen aside to check on the wounded man. The MP was right in doing so; the man's ribs were broken and he needed immediate medical attention.

"Get that stretcher and help me move this dumb moron to the medical bay," the MP hissed to the man's two friends while spraying the man's chest with painkillers. " God damn, is he trying to earn the Darwin Award or something by punching a guy in power armor?"

The men shook themselves free of the sound of breaking bones and finally got to help, carrying the man carefully out of the room.

"Bloody dumb arshole," the MP said, who remained with Woods. " Ya alright, mate?"

"I'm fine," Woods said. "The hit just surprised me, that's all."

"You shouldn't be moving around; you really should be in bed," the MP said, reading Woods' medical report from his Eva.

"Right..." Woods answered sarcastically as he was helped to the nearest desk by the Damiani siblings. "And I guess your next line is, You are lucky to be alive'."

"You're lucky to be alive." The MP deadpanned as he backed off to check on the surroundings and the two civilians who were with the reporter. It was pretty obvious to the MP what the problem was. The MP sighed; another bloody shiner problem.

"I'm assuming that those dumbarse blokes started it?" the MP said as he retracted his helmet, revealing an aged face with a pair of hard brown eyes slowly scanning the room. Finding most of the occupants slowly returning to their own business, he snapped around, finding and noting a few stragglers who moved further away from them or left the room altogether.

"Yes," Woods answered for all three of them. "That sounds right."

"Not surprising," the MP answered, "bloody discriminatory buggers."

"You're from the Union?" Cecilia asked without thinking, having finally recognized the accent. However, she was confused when the MP just stared at her, equally confused.

"She means, are you from Australia?" Woods said, rewording the girl's question.

"Huh? Yeah, I am. I used to be based in Sydney with the military before I was transferred to UPMP," the MP replied. "Right, sorry, my name's Ian," he continued, holding his hand to Woods.

"I'm John Woods. This is Cecilia Damianin and her brother."

"Good to meet you all," Ian answered with a sardonic smile on his lips.

"Is this normal?" Cecilia whispered, "I mean, do most people hate..."

"No, but from what I heard of your world, I'm assuming that this is normal on your end with the coordinators and what-not."

"Yes," Cecilia whispered while her brother moved closer to her protectively.

Ian sighed before speaking: " When you live on a death world and go through twenty years of hell, mutants are a normal sight to see."

"Normal?" Woods asked.

The MP looked at the three people in front of him and sighed. " Yes, normal, though it's not much of a problem today, what with the majority of the population in the solar system having some shiners somewhere in their family tree." Ian replied before correcting himself, I mean, back in our solar system. Reality. Whatever."

"Besides, while there are benefits to being a shiner, the availability of power armor kind of renders it pointless." He grunted as he continued to watch the room for any signs of trouble.

"Ah," the brother repeated bitterly.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name." Ian asked

"Eusebio."

"Nice to meet you too, kiddo. Look, you're never going to escape reality." Ian said, drawing from experience, "Trust me, it'll take a while for everyone to get acclimated to the situation, and even then there are always going to be those who dislike shiners." Ian said bluntly, "Besides, if you've been with the military as long as I have, shiners are a normal sight to see."

As everyone digests the statement in silence, the man continues. "If you really want to avoid all this, signing up or moving may get you out of this," Ian said, waving his arms at the rest of the lounge.

"It sounds almost like mutants are welcome in the military," Woods asked, seeing that he wasn't the only one engrossed in the MP's words.

"Ha, I was a Zone Trooper during the war; I lost friends and comrades to those F-turds Nod, the bloody Scrin, or those damn GDI Rogues when they showed up, and to Tib when their armor was penetrated during combat. A lot of my buddies ended up as shiners, those who survived anyways," Ian said gloomily, reminiscing in the memories before continuing coldly. " Look. Listen to me; I've seen combat. Don't sign up for the military. If you do, you'll probably lose everything. It's only a matter of time before Nod starts another war."

"Nod?" Cecilia asked, recognizing the word from the news.

"Whenever Tiberium is, those sons of bitches are bound to be," Ian said, his face twisted in anger and without further explanation. It was clear enough that the MP didn't want to speak further on the subject.

"Thanks," Cecilia said to Woods as Ian took a moment to check with his partner via his suit's EVA unit.

Finishing, Ian turned back towards the group and said, "Now, where are your parents? According to the files we have, ah, shit, sorry for your loss." Ian said, biting his lips before continuing, "Do you have any relatives?" A twinkling head made him sigh in sympathy.

"Shit... well, I'm with the 460th Military Police Division, and I'll be here for the foreseeable future, so if you two need anything, just let me know. God knows how I'd feel if I found my family dead back when Sydney got hit during the incursion wars."

"Thank you," Cecilia said as Ian got ready to leave.

"It's my pleasure," Ian answered; however, as he made to leave, Woods stopped him.

"Do you mind if I interview you for a possible story in the future?" Woods asked the man, having caught the offhand mention of Sydney being destroyed.

"Maybe," Ian grunted as he left the group, heading over to his partner in the medical bay of the module. Satisfied, Woods turned back to the siblings.

"Do you mind if we continue elsewhere?" Cecilia asked.

"Not a problem," Woods answered as he followed the two out of the lounge and up the stairs to their room.


The CIO agent sat on a train, making plans as it sped towards the next switchover before his destination. It was going to be tough acting against an unknown opponent, but then again, the agent was almost certain that he wasn't the only spy heading toward southern Italy.


President Richard Monro sat in his office with his inner cabinet, the ones whom he trusted to be free of excessive outside influence: his Secretary of State Kevin Rudd, the Secretary of Defense Mark Hunam, and James T. Robinson, the representative to the Alliance Council. Those were the people he trusted the most, but that trust itself was a lie, for they were all politicians. The trust between them went only as far as one could throw the other. Still, they were united by the simple fact that there was one single topic on the public's mind: the economy.

And what is the cause of that problem? Plants. They and the rest of the colonies were meant to be the link between Earth and the rest of the solar system. It was meant to be humanity's next step to the stars, at least according to the old UN in the history books, but all that was long forgotten and rendered worthless by the simple existence of coordinators.

It was utter bullshit brought about by human stupidity.

Earth needed control of PLANT, mainly because that was where the majority of the infrastructure and investments for Earth's flourishing space economy were. Resources were already tight on Earth; the colonies under their control just weren't enough to provide enough resources for the whole damn planet.

That was why he'd signed the treaty that created the Earth Alliance and declared war on the PLANTs after they cut all trade with Earth after the bombing on the Moon; to do anything else would almost certainly end in the Atlantic Federation being crippled by a lack of resources. As it is, the early seizure of the Earth-moon transit route and the remaining plants under their control provided just enough resources for Earth's industries to survive.

He should have never run for president, Monro decided. He'd endured the running driven by the desire to bring the Atlantic Federation back to its days of glory and end the problems between normals and coordinators peacefully, and all he had to show for it was years of frustration and deadlock.

"Mark?" Monro looked at the man, waiting for him to share everything they had on this newest problem on the international stage. "Talk to me."

"We need GDI tech, especially their surface-to-space technology," Mark stressed, tired from the day's work. "But there is a far more serious problem; I've had my people look through GDI's historical records, and it's not good. As far as Tiberium is concerned, it is as dangerous as our friends across the Atlantic and GDI say it is; the effects are too detailed for the records to be faked." Mark continued, skimming through the documents before him. "The bottom line is this: if the UN and the EF fail to contain it, then we are looking at a century max, maybe one or two decades more before Tiberium overruns the world. Granted, that estimate is based on the UN fighting Tiberium alone..."

Grim faces greeted that statement.

"Back to GDI; they are no longer under UN control. As for their 2040s, they effectively formed their own government built on the ideals and charter of the UN. I've looked through their version of the UN charters, and while there are minor differences, for intents and purposes they're identical to ours. The charter GDI created in 2040 is pretty much the same document, modified with the inclusion of elements for a functional government."

"So they are a military junta who took power in a coup d'etat?" Kevin asked, his opinion about that tidbit evident in his tone.

Mark paused, thinking, "Well, I suppose if you put it that way, no, a coup d'etat would imply there was resistance from the original government. They became the government after each member nation of the UN was reduced economically until they collapsed from the strain of maintaining their economy in the hostile conditions of their world. Also, after the period of transition, GDI went out of its way to create a civilian administration, which is why Supreme Commander McNeil also called herself the 'acting director'."

"But enough of that; we have a larger problem. I've had my people look through the other parts of the historical records GDI provided, and I don't like what I see."Mark sighed heavily. "There are two related things we should really be worried about: the first is WMDs, and the second is GDI itself."

"Weapons of Mass Destruction?" Kevin repeated, his voice filled with dread.

"They don't seem to have any problems at all with using WMDs; the historical files refer to the Brotherhood of Nod using nuclear weapons and GDI using something called O.D.I.N. in their wars. Both were used by battalion-level formations." Mark paused, seeing Kevin's curious look. "A battalion is about 300 to 1,000 troops. We are assuming that was a legacy of World Wars 2 and 3, where WMDs were thrown like candy."

"So don't piss them off," James stated, his tone low and controlled in contrast to his pale face.

"Yes, sir."

"That's complete and utter bullshit, no one..." Kevin began but was cut off.

" I would have thought that you would have read the damn files by now, Kevin," Mark said, annoyed, knowing full well that a copy had been delivered to each individual in the meeting.

"Look, I just got back from Pretoria; you know full well what OMNI and the CIA think of our South African 'allies'."

"Ah...I see. Anyway, the second concern is the fact that GDI is in effect a planetary and arguably a solar system-wide government, so they will be used to acting accordingly. They have already notified each of the governments that control mass transportation to coordinate all travel with them in order to prevent any accidents."

Kevin's eyes narrowed. "What the hell? Why is the UN ordering us around? Don't we already have an agency for that?"

"...and I've passed the information to OMNI in Alaska. I don't know what the other members of the Alliance are doing, but my department feels that this is the right thing to be doing. We don't want any accidents to happen, especially right now." Mark sighed. "And Kevin, our orbital space tracking facilities are already stretched to the limit trying to cover ZAFT movement; trying to add another bunch of unknowns is probably going to break the net."

"Kevin does have a point, though," Monroe pointed out, looking at his secretary of defense.

"Sadly, GDI does have an advantage over us in that area: AI," Mark said.

"AI as in artificial intelligence? The kind DSSD had been working on?" James asked, his eyes filled with fascination at this development.

"Yes, I just got word a day ago from contacts across the Atlantic. It's in the report," Mark said, waving the report. "Didn't any of you read it?"

The blank stares that he got were enough. Mark covered his face with his palms to soothe his growing headache.

"Uh, why do I even bother to write those things..."

"Sorry, we didn't have the time," Monroe apologized.

"Arg, you know what? Forget it... Anyway, GDI's use of AI ensures that they can do a far better job of managing all space travel in and around the Earth than we can. In addition, they had announced their intentions to restart their other space projects in their reality, and that, Mr. President, is an area that we effectively can't match at the moment," Mark explained.

Monroe silently damned the stupidity of the past few decades before asking, "What about tech?"

"We don't have any details besides what we've observed, although there is a troubling development. Our scientists weren't sure what it was, but we've detected roughly 230 intermitted but very high output energy signatures in orbit. We still don't know what is causing them at the moment, but we'll keep an eye on it. It's most likely some sort of GDI long-range communication spillover, given that it seems to originate from empty space within clusters of GDI satellites. However, there is something else not covered in the report that really worries me."

"It's the weapons in their world wars. They tried to scrub it from their historical records, but... from what my department had pieced together, they were using strategic teleporters..." At that point, Kevin almost coughed out his drink in shock, and he wasn't the only one. The rest of the people in the room stared back in: plasma weapons, advanced bioweapons, optical cloaking technology, GPS, ICBM-class nuclear weapons, primitive cybernetics, some sort of anti-armor electric weapons, jet engines, lasers, nano-technology, advanced robotics, cryotech, a shrink ray?, sonics, proton weapons, weaponized magnets, kinetic-burst weapons, rail guns, wave force technology, anti-matter generators, particle cannons, and energy shields. In their 1950s and 70s."

Everyone was speechless.

What the hell happened?" Monroe said finally as everyone tried to find an explanation for that piece of insanity.

"We don't know," Mark said, closing the files in front of him, equally confused.

"Well. Crap. Do they still have any of that advanced technology?" Kevin asked, morbidly curious.

"We don't know for certain, but we think they might still have the teleporters and are using them as an FTL drive given McNeil's comments about re-colonizing the nearby systems in their reality," was Mark's answer.

"Well, at least it proves we don't need the bloody coordinators to reach the stars, and we can kill them all," Kevin asked, morbidly curious.

"We can't kill them all, Kevin," James said, leaning forward in his chair. "I know that you hate coordinators for killing your son and daughter-in-law at the bombing, but it still doesn't change the facts; coordinators are simply stronger, faster, and smarter than we are. Besides that genocide, if we try to kill them all, what is there to stop them from killing us right back?"

The president's eyes narrowed as he looked at his secretary of state with mixed feelings before shaking his head sadly.

"So in other words, they had a head start on us, so it's a good idea to stay friendly with GDI since they have no problems with using military forces backed by WMDs to deal with threats to humanity or them, and they have the tech we need, correct?" Monroe asked his secretary of defense.

"Yes," Mark answered before pausing to take a breath and leaning back in his chair to relax, releasing a deep and long breath of relief. Meanwhile, each person within the room took the time to digest everything that had been said, trying to imagine what possible events could lead to a world war where technology that, by rights, belonged to a far more advanced world was being thrown around by each and every side. It was simply impossible to even imagine that it had been possible at all, and yet it all led to the same question: Was it true or was it just a load of bullshit? From there, everybody's minds took different paths, but their thoughts were best expressed by Kevin.

"WTF is this? It's insane," Kevin muttered in disbelief.

"Then what are we doing to do it? We'll be technologically screwed by PLANT and GDI; our only hope is the G-Project, which is still in development," Monroe said, his eyebrows knitted together in thought.

"We need time; that's what we need: time. This war starting this soon just doesn't work to our advantage," Kevin said thoughtfully. "We need the time to get our superior weapons online to crush the PLANTs."

"If playing nice with GDI will get us the time we need to complete the G-project, that works for me. James and Mark, I want the project completed, tested, and the technology deployed to the rest of our forces as soon as possible, but don't cut too many corners. Still, remember, we need it as soon as possible." The president ordered

"Yes, Mr. President," Mark answered with a nod, making notes on his notepad.

"Sir, do we still want to go ahead with the attack on South America?" Kevin asked.

"No" was the answer. "We can't afford it with the upcoming conferences."

"Is there anything else?" No one said anything. "Good then, thank you for your time, and please have a good night," the president said with a smile as each member stood to leave.


Azrael, right now, is not a happy person. One could say he was the antithesis of happy at the moment. Nothing was going as planned; the planned attack on the PLANTs was effectively or temporarily over with the Eurasian Federation's decision to withdraw their forces from the Alliance, and now, with the new announcement that could be seen on the TV screen in front of him...

"Only hours ago, the Alliance Council announced that the Earth Forces would not be taking any hostile actions against the PLANTs for the foreseeable future..."

And then there were the other reasons for his anger: GDI and their attitude were wrong! Did they not understand? They were no different from the UN; they just didn't understand. Coordinators are an abomination to nature, and they must be burned from existence and swept into the bins of history.

Blue Cosmos will not fail their appointed task, Azreal raged; he must save mankind from the coordinator plague, and he will not let the UN get in his way again. They would be crushed beneath the might of the naturals if they tried to stop him.

Azrael's eyes fell back on the TV screen for a moment,"...this move is surprising and certainly unexpected considering that the moon bombing is still fresh in the public mind," the reporter on the screen droned on.

This changed nothing; already his plans were in motion, and the pieces would be in place soon.

As for the mutants created by Tiberium that had been reported in southern Italy, he'd already taken action and started Blue Cosmos' own research project into the alien crystal. Now all they needed were samples, which should be easy to get their hands on. Though it'll take a while, Azrael fumed, pacing around his office.

No one disobeys him; he will find out who was responsible for this, and they will learn their lesson, Azrael thought, a growing murderous smile appearing on his lips.


McNeil lay back in her seat in her office, utterly tired. She knew that she was pushing it, burning through GDI resources that were earmarked for use in case of war against the Scrin, but it was worth it. Using those resources to aid the federation was a gamble that she was willing to make for the safety of the planet, not to mention the countless lives that GDI has saved in the past two weeks alone. As she told the press, this was the best chance GDI had to remove Tiberium completely from this earth, and she was going to give it her best shot.

And like everything else in life, McNeil thought sadly, looking at the picture of her desk where a picture of her former unit, the 44th Armored Division, third battalion, rested, this too has a price.

GDI paid that price with blood whenever it was necessary to safeguard humanity, and she too paid the price. This act of God was no different, leaving them in a reality where humanity was divided and on the edge of war, with the bloody tower right in the middle of the Red Zone.

McNeil tensed for a moment, but it was enough to crush the pen with her grip. At least their Earth was safe now, with the only danger being an attack from an extrasolar source, and it was going to take the Scrin a millennium to get to Earth in sublight.

If that was the price for her humanity to be safe, McNeil thought, leaving them in a reality where humanity was divided and looking for ways to genocide each other, then she and the rest of the GDI were willing to pay thousands of times over.

However, such thoughts paled in comparison to the fear, the unknown, and the simple knowledge that humanity existed in this reality and all that it implies.

Thankfully, the various GDI war plans were still largely practical due to the sheer number of assets that came with them, which she was thankful for. Added to the fact that the Scrin Tower provided them a way to replenish those resources that were used to aid the Eurasians in southern Italy and a way to their own reality, after getting in contact with the other side, she was debriefed by Commander-in-Chief Wesley Riggs and General Secretary Evelyn Rios on the situation on their planet.

The news was uplifting, to say the least.

The Tiberium Control Network is working beyond its expectations. Reports from other zones say that Tiberium was seen dissipating near the nodes, reclaiming vast swaths of empty but uncontaminated land from across the globe. Already, resettling efforts are underway to settle in the former yellow and red zones on their earth. Regrettably, not all were sun and rainbows. Colonel Louise James' rebellion exposed the extremism within the GDI military complex and the rest of the Officer Corps. Forcing General Wesley Riggs and the GDI Council to increase civilian oversight, hoping to temper the more militant members but also not tampering with the war plans.

However, the situation on this earth added more complications to the war plans, forcing them to adapt to these new factors or die. Never before had she been so thankful for the speed and efficiency of EVA.

McNeil breathed deeply, thinking of that particular hidden secret from the public. The secret in question was a single transmission recovered by an InOps spy within Nod, and it was the reason for Project Endurance, the establishment of the GDIN(S), and the slow build-up of the rest of the military ever since.

She took a deep breath, her eyes returned to the picture, and she slowly raised her hands until they were within her sight. There she could see the unnatural smoothness of her skin covering her artificial carbon nanotube muscle and synthetic phased cobalt alloy bones—a memento with a buzzer swarm, a legacy of the Third Tiberium War.

"EVA statu-"

"Affirmative, Supreme Commander McNeil. Priority transmission from Mobius Station indicates that the tower has been emitting tremors at irregular intervals for the last two days. Mobius isn't sure of the cause, but..."

"EVA, alert the fleet and RAID. I want RAID to find the cause, hold the Seventh flotilla in reserve, and put the Orbital Network into standby mode," McNeil ordered.

"Affirmative."

"Thank you, EVA, What would I do without you?" McNeil replied, thanking the AI, who didn't answer back. It was another benefit of GDI's increasingly heavy use of AI; it allowed them to simplify the chain of command. With the fear of history repeating itself, precautions and contingencies have been taken to ensure EVA is completely loyal and safe.

Focusing her mind for a moment, she moved on to the next problem: GDI has its own problems, such as the issue of the economy, which should be solved by restarting the GDI space industry. However, with the real possibility of the removal of Tiberium from Earth, it meant the possibility of a change in the economic model to something they had only historical records to rely on. The last of the conventional economies collapsed in the 40s, along with the rest of the nation-states. To her, it highlighted one of the things she feared and yet envied most: a world without Tiberium, a world she didn't know anything about, a world she'd only read about.

McNeil shook her head. There was no point worrying about a future she couldn't control.

Sighing, she stood up and turned towards the cabinet where she kept her pricey self-made potato-derived alcohol, which she liked to claim was vodka. Not exactly the best shit to be drinking, but alcohol was alcohol. Despite all the energy and material goods that can be obtained from Tiberium, the fact of the matter is that they still had to eat. Food was the one thing they still had to grow, and it was the reason why the UN credit was implanted by the Board of Directors all those years ago.

Food was one of the few items that were still scarce in the post-Tiberium War period, although with the reclamation of Yellow Zones in Australia and North America, it wasn't that much of an issue. However, with the event that displaced them into this reality, that was soon going to become a problem. The orbiting agriculture stations and the secret farms within the depths of the city fortress were designed to grow enough food to feed the remaining world population, especially with the amount of aid being provided to Italy.

McNeil poured herself a drink and slumped back into her chair. GDI needed its space programs up and running as soon as possible so that they could get humanity out of the solar system. It was a gut feeling that something big was about to happen, and it was her job to ensure the survival of GDI and humanity.

GDI's current war plans were something High Command and former Supreme Commander Granger developed before he retired, and they are still in use today. Although Nod was the wild card considering how they oscillated between an organized movement and scattered fragments between each Tiberium war.

Hell, there was no way that GDI could have foreseen Kane's return in the second and third Tiberium wars, so it made sense to prepare, even if she, personally, was pretty sure that Kane was dead. After all, nothing could have survived the detonation of the liquid tiberium under Temple Prime. Only to be proven dead wrong eleven years later. Kane resurfaced once more during the Synthesis crisis and, given the dire situation, traveled to GDI Global Headquarters in Manchester to form an uneasy alliance.

The Scrin were a more predictable foe, so planning for them was easier. They were the reason why GDI had three primary war plans: Plan Red, Plan Blue, and Plan Purple. Red assumed an extrasolar invasion, but since the Scrin forces didn't display the use of FTL drives and with STL only, a Scrin invasion wasn't considered likely for the foreseeable future. Purple was the unlikely situation of a combined extrasolar and tower invasion. Blue, however, was the one considered by her and the rest of high command the most likely and the one they feared most: a full-scale invasion through the tower, which they now knew was a warp gate.

It was the reason why G-labs, Futuretech, Steel Talon, and every other organization that developed weapons for the GDI military complex were kicking their gears into overdrive ever since Project Endurance started.

She was thankful for a small mercy at least: the majority of the civilian population of Earth had been moved onto the orbital habitats or the colonies on the moon or had left on one of the colony fleets. That means that the forces that came through with her weren't needed much in her home reality for the time being.

And besides, Earth still had the Third, Fifth, Eighth, and Tenth fleets to call upon, more so if they decided to recall the colonization fleets, although that action itself was going to take a few years with sub-light drives.

They were safe, but this reality was a different story, McNeil thought as the sense of doom returned. She only hoped that they wouldn't need to use any of GDI's military might, but with the sense of foreboding she was feeling, she was likely to be forced to do so in the future.

Trade with the other nations here will do good for morale and lessen tensions, McNeil decided, drowning her drink and forcing her mind to think about something else. She then turned to leave for her next meeting, but she stopped.

"EVA, has Operation Overwatch begun? "McNeil asked, shrugging on her dress jacket.

"InOps agents have entered the SJZ and have begun monitoring all communication originating from within," EVA answered. "In addition, constellation 3 has been retasked to cover the Italian theater of operations."

"Thank you, EVA," McNeil said, locking down her computer. She had to admit that this reality was certainly capable, a case in point being the colonies in the Lagrangian Five, every single one of which was 30 km long. Certainly, an achievement to be proud of, McNeil thought, leaving the room.


Date: AD 2070/CE 70, February 18th, 1:00 AM.

Special Joint Zone, main highway A3 towards Cosenza City, GDI-EDF military convoy

The OMNI agent watched as the vehicle transporting her and the rest of the 111th and 124th Guard divisions drove towards the fort where they would be stationed by GDI forces in the Special Joint Zone. Of course, it wasn't just the military who were coming along; the government was also sending in scientists and researchers, though the rumors going around camp say that most of the scientific expeditions were halted after some scientist got himself killed. Right now, the military's job is to get in there and put on a friendly face to the public and the media, who no doubt are already there or not far behind.

The two divisions should have rolled into the SJZ the moment they arrived in the morning from France, but orders were orders. They were to meet up with the GDI 11th Motor Rifle Division at a place called Sala Consiline to be refitted with new equipment. And that she was thankful for, because the agent had (unlike some) read the briefing material provided, and by God, it put the fear of God into her. An alien crystal killing people in 60 seconds? Mutating the survivors? Tiberium suppressors? What was this shit?!

She didn't have to look any further than outside the window of the APC to see the overcast, purple sky and the glowing green crystals that she was seeing here and there. It was insane, and it felt like she was on another planet, and with the powered armor, the UN from another reality, and the APC she and the rest of the 111th and 124th Guard Division had been transported in...unreal, it was unreal. The agent finished, falling silent in the face of the magnificent yet desolate landscape.

She understood the troopers' concern, but the simple truth was that this was the home field of the UN, not theirs; they should be the ones listening to the GDI forces. She didn't have a good feeling about this, she thought, returning to a document provided by the UN. She couldn't believe half the medical details she was reading about in the document; it was insane, yet it was all completely feasible. The details of each knock-on effect were accurate to the best of her knowledge.

She didn't know whether to be amazed or frightened by the implications. She had graduated from medical school, and while the effects listed before her were unlike anything she'd ever seen or heard of before, the possibilities were overwhelming. To be fair, it had been years since she'd picked up anything resembling a medical textbook.

She was attached to the 111th as a medic for her platoon; her job was to take care of the men and prevent them from coming to harm, and here she was, plotting against her better judgment to smuggle a sample of that deadly green crap back home for study. That may take a while to plan out because, after passing through everything, like the massive wall GDI was building and all the military hardware she'd seen thus far, she didn't like her chances for success. At all. But orders were orders, and her loyalty was to her country first and herself second.

She had a job to do.


Hub 8923, Cycle 474,342.

Sector 1123A, System 212KS-H

'UNKNOWN WARP GATE STATUS ACTIVE'

'COMMENCE PHASE 1'

'RECONNAISSANCE'

TRANSFER COMPLETED...hub 8923 transferred under Traveler - 59 authority as per Overlord command...

...new directive received...

...threshold unlocked and charging... 47%

WARNING...Unknown AI detected...AI hostile...

...enacting countermeasures... Probability of mission completion 98%

...countermeasures fail...threshold charge...72%

...new countermeasures fail...Probability of mission completion 12%

...ABORT SIGNEL SENT...

ALERT!...warp gate locked...

...hostile AI responsible...

...scanning AI...querying Database...

...abnormal readings detected from AI...

...re-engaging AI...


Newpedia: United Nations Space Colonization Program

The United Nations Colonization (UNSC) Program was launched in CE 9 (2009 AD), only five months after the end of the Reconstruction Wars. The program was supported by the newly established superpowers as each of the new nations saw the advantage of the development of space and the possible riches awaiting exploitation, especially since the cornerstones of the old economy were no more.

The UNSC program began with the accelerated construction of the new International Space Station (ISS) Yggdrasil at the Earth-Moon Lagrange 1 (L1) point. The location between the moon and Earth allows it to monitor and coordinate communications among various missions on the near side of the moon.

The new international space station was also located for observations and close study of the sun. The UNSC program also designed the station to be not only a research and communication station but also a stopover point for all movement between Earth and the Moon. As such, it played an important role in the development and construction of Corpernicus City and eventually the production location of Nexus Technology, or PLANT. These massive 30 km-long hourglass-shaped habitats were designed by George Glen and were meant to be the centerpiece of the new space economy, with the ISS acting as the center point between the colonies and Earth.

The new PLANT was built at Lagrange five due...

InOps archive-

EVA online. Welcome back, commander.

Search: Project Endurance

Classification level: black Please enter your password.

Password accepted.

Begining playback.

Commander... Or should I call you General now? It's good to see you anyway.

Now, I am sure you are wondering why you are here or about the new buildup of military forces.

*sigh*

Commander, what I am about to tell you is... highly classified information.

In 2047, just hours before you won your victory at ground zero, a Scrin Mothership-class vessel evacuated Earth through threshold 19. As it did so, InOps intercepted an alien transmission from the tower.

Two weeks ago, with the aid of some intel from an agent in Nod, we successfully decrypted the message.

I am not going to mince words, commander; the message is basically the head honcho of the Scrin ordering a full-scale invasion against Earth, and you know as well as I do that we almost got our asses handed to us by a mining security team.

Data from Nod suggests that they had already tried to access the tower but were blocked by Kane's pet AI, but we don't know how long that would last.

In response to this threat, the board of directors has chosen to activate Project Endurance, the plan for the ultimate survival of the human race.

And this is where you come in, commander; I want you to lead this project. I want you to put together a team of the best and brightest to learn more about our enemy and expand our capabilities. I want you to reforge GDI into a shield capable of withstanding the Scrin onslaught.

Now I know this is a lot to ask of you, and our chances of pulling this off are low, but...

You're the best commander. That's all I can ask.

For the sake of our children and for the sake of this blue and beautiful world.

Granger out.

Playback Ended

File updates received:

Decoded Alien Transmission (Classifed: Siren Call)

Nod intelligence file #2210 (classified as Harbinger")

Project Castle (Classification Level: Black)

Project ARK (classification level: black)

Operation Plan Akula (classified as Red Octorber)

Project Missouri: {Classified: the Big Red One}

Project Yamato (classified: Admiralty Code)

Lightweight Civilian/Combat Suit (LCS): 10/12

GDI Engineering Combat Primer 2064 Edition: Standard Civilian Protection

When using the LCS, there are a few cardinal rules that should be kept in mind at all times.

1) These suits are not GDI Standard Infantry Integrated Combat Suits.

These LCSs are weaker, slower, and less armored, with a strength enhancement factor of only 20 kg above the total weight of the armor. So, no, you are not an invincible juggernaut like the Zone Troopers.

2) Check the model you are wearing!

Though superficially similar, LCS 10 is the military version with a HUD with night, thermal, and starlight versions, NBCT protection, an automatic medical system, and a hard point in addition to the rebreather system and EVA unit. All civilian LCS 12 have is Tiberium protection, the rebreather, and a Class-0 EVA.

3) In case of an emergency, check the shelters.

Ever since UN Directive 4932 was issued by Director James Hawk in 2056, all civilian shelters and public installations are required by law to have multiple sets of LCS 12s with spare parts available at all times.

The LCS 12 features 90% parts commonality with your LCS 10, and you may appropriate those spares for field repairs in the event that your LCS gets damaged.

InOps Archive: Medical: Tiberium Suppressors

Tiberium suppressors (also known as Tib-S or anti-Tiberium medication) are the collective name given to a class of drugs designed to delay, halt, or reverse the effects of Tiberium infection. Due to the evolution of Tiberium, only third-generation and some second-generation versions remain effective.

The first generation of Tiberium suppressors, known as conventional suppressors, was developed in the early 2000s. They function in much the same way as conventional radiation sickness treatment, by binding to Tiberium particles in the human body and removing them from the body in urine or feces. However, this type of medication will become obsolete in the 2030s with the evolution of Tiberium to stage 3, as defined by the Mobius theory. They had since been suspended by second-generation tiberium suppressors.

Second Generation Tiberium Suppressors, also known as conventional suppressors or sonic suppressors, were developed independently by both GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod in the late 2030s. Marking a radical departure from conventional medication, second-generation tiberium suppressors instead function as an engineered molecular explosive designed to be absorbed only in very small doses by individual cells. As the cell attempts to metabolize the compound, it detonates, producing a sonic shockwave in the resonance frequency of Tiberium crystals. This shatters Tiberium crystals into small pieces, often below their critical mass. Stage 3 Tiberium has a critical mass of 117.72 femtograms. (Below this threshold, the concentration of exotic particles is too low to stabilize tiberium, leading to the transmutation of tiberium to more conventional elements by beta decay or neutron capture.)

Unfortunately, such drugs were rendered useless as front-line treatments in the aftermath of the Third Tiberium War. However, they do remain useful as they retard the formation of large crystals, increasing the effectiveness of third-generation tiberium suppressors.

Third-generation Tiberium Suppressors, also known as Field Suppressors, were developed from the containment technology discovered within the Tacticus near the end of 2055. At its base, this type of drug consists of a nano-scale particle with a small amount of nuclear isomer (usually hafnium 178 m2, zinc 66 mm, or platinum 186mm) contained within a specially designed metallic-ceramic-silicate "shell". Once injected into the body, the isomer is induced to release its energy, which is then converted by the "shell" via an unknown method into a small, short-lived burst of asymptotically free quarks and gluons. The quark-gluon plasma retards nucular fission and destabilizes Stage 4 Tiberium's metastable structure, destroying a large percentage of Tiberium exposed to the quark-gluon plasma while converting the rest back to Stage 3 Tiberium, allowing it to be destroyed by second-generation suppressors.

The development of the Mobius-Chen Fusor and the Hathford process (which allow the easy small scale of nuclear isomers and the metallic-ceramic-silicate "shell," respectively) in 2056 and the subsequent application of these technologies to all sectors, regardless of affiliation with GDI, is widely regarded as a major reason for the peace of the last decade.