Summary: It was just the start of meeting between XCOM, the Reapers, and Skirmishers. But first they had to navigate their way through the not-so-dead city.

"Man, never liked these abandoned cities."

Rowdy spoke with a weary voice. His finger hovered shakily over the trigger of his shotgun as he scanned his surroundings. Just a dead, decaying city left over from the Old War. Littered with the remains of the unfortunate victims of the Invasion.

"Ghosts running about."

"Stop it with the ghost talk, Rowdy." Marillion cut him off with a sharp tongue. Though her eyes wandered around, eyeing the mummified remains, influenced by Rowdy's constant paranoia. Nothing looked out of place. "My Myrrh is picking up nothing…" She grumbled. Her Gremlin beeped accordingly as it flew around them. "Making me get all twitch…"

"Can't you hear it?" He glanced at her for a second. Those eyes quickly went back to scanning the area. "Just look at them!" He gestured to everything around them.

There was a howl in the air, but it was just the winds whipping through the buildings and broken windows. But those corpses were unsettling. Victims from the Invasion. All frozen in time. Bodies grayed, melted, and stricken to the bone. Doing their last tasks in life. Fleeing and hiding. Then those vines, webbing one could call it. They glowed a sickly green. It was everywhere, mostly covering the corpses, entangling itself into whatever it touched. But all of it came for those pods, those purple pods that rained down back in the past. A thick, glowing green gas hovered over some of them. As if they were still active.

"Cut it out!" She gave him a solid smack on his back. Nearly made the man fall over.

"Can you two get it together? Especially you, Rowdy." Quiet shook her head. She was a few feet ahead of the two, not letting herself get distracted by the sights. She was used to it. And they were on a time limit.

"Like Quiet said, are you two done?" Central finally spoke up. "If so, less whining and more moving, Menace 1-3."

"Will can it." Marillion was more than happy to oblige.

"Yeah, yeah sorry Central." Rowdy grumbled.

"Firebrand and the second team are nearly at the second drop point. We have a schedule to keep." He said.

It was just the start of this meeting. The team split into groups of two. One meeting with the Reapers' contact and the other meeting with the Skirmishers' contact. Quiet, Rowdy, and Marillion had the pleasure of meeting the Reapers. Hexx and Warlord would be meeting their Skirmisher contact.

"Hopefully whoever is the contact knows Kelly. A familiar face should ease tensions." Central muttered under his breath as he watched the group head deeper into the city. He figured squeezing Kelly onto the mission would be best, and she was willing to oblige. Just extra insurance and she was fairly familiar with how the Reapers worked, having joined him on his outings to meet with Volk and the others throughout the years.

"Detecting increasing biological signatures in the area ahead. As well as that foreign radiation. Otherwise, everything looks normal." Dr. Tygan joined in on the call. He, his team, and the Recon group were keeping tabs on anything strange that may appear on the scanners after talks with Betos and a few concerning rumors they had recently heard. Then a few things set off the scanners. Biological signs. Mutated and non-mutated DNA and unstable radiation. There was something living the dead city. The undead were what some sources claimed; they didn't take kindly to intruders. Others said it was ADVENT making their cleansing sweeps to find any people still hiding out in the city. And there was always a chance it could be a Chrysalids hive. Nasty things.

"Then I'd say we're in the right place." Central said. Some good news. "Stay sharp out there tonight, people. Just because this city is abandoned doesn't mean it's lifeless." Hopefully, everything would go well. No bandits, no ADVENT, no Chryssalids. Chryssalids. He shuddered just thinking about those bugs. Hated them just a bit more than the Vipers.

"Last thing we need. Leo hates those things." Said soldier was on the second team, meeting their Skirmisher contact. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into those bugs.

As the three soldiers continued on their way, they stumbled across a fire. It was burning bright and there was something on it. A strange aroma tickled their noise. Smelled like meat. Bug meat. As they got closer, they could make it out. A Chryssalid head roasting over the fire. Looked like a fresh kill as yellow liquid dripped from it, sizzling in the fire. And the beheaded body was nearby sitting onto of a slab of concrete, and from the looks of it the empty carapaces of a few others were just behind it. Looked like someone was cracking open its legs to get to the meat within.

"We're here." Quiet said. "Definitely them." She was unfazed by the sight.

"Ew." Rowdy wrinkled his nose.

"The alien is food." Marillion mumbled under her breath. "Ya seeing this, Central?" She adjusted her shoulder came.

"Clearly." The sight did not surprise him. The usual M.O. for the Reapers. "Means they are around."

"If you're hungry, there's more where that came from." A muffled voice spoke.

The three quickly spun to their left, guns at the ready. Walking towards them was a person in a gray and black trench coat with armor underneath. A Vektor rifle on their back. A hood and gas mask were hiding their face.

"Ah, you. Outrider." Quiet dropped her gun to her side, fully relaxing as she recognized them.

"Her?" Central asked. There was a hint of surprise in his voice.

"You know them?" Rowdy continued to eye this Outrider. Finger hovering over the trigger.

"Relax, this is our Reaper contact." Quiet gestured for him to lower his gun. Marillion had dropped her gun, but kept her finger on the trigger just in case.

"Impressive reflexes. But unnecessary." The Reaper continued. Things were still tense. They raised their hand to their face and removed the mask. Human. And female, from the looks of it.

"Stand down. We're all friends here." Central said. "That's our contact… It's been a while."

"You know her, Central?" Rowdy mumbled into his mic. He finally lowered his gun.

"Yes, one of Volk's top people. Ele—"

"Elena Dragonova." Quiet said as she went over to her. "Long time no see." She extended her hand.

"Jane Kelly. Likewise." Elena gave her a slight nod and shook her hand.

"Also goes by Outrider, as you heard." Central added. "Get her patched into our feed, Quiet."

"You are safe here." Just as she said that more Reapers emerged from the shadows. Some behind cars and debris. Others on the rooftops. In short, they were everywhere. "More so than you imagine."

"Still the sneaky bunch." Central shook his head as he chuckled. Amazing how well they could hide. The cameras on the soldiers barely picked them up until now. "Can't wait until Shen and Ford finish working on those old floating bots we found and upgrade the scanners again."

"Have I missed anything?" Commander Reeves asked. She was just a few feet behind him, walking at a swift pace. She was late, fiddling with her earpiece. A few health check-ups were to blame, but it was necessary. Better to get them over with now and not get the doctors dragging her out of there later and giving her a lecture.

"No, not much." Central moved slightly to the side for her. "Quiet, Rowdy, and Marillion just met with our Reaper contact. Warlord and Hexx are on their way to meet our Skirmisher contact."

"Aton Järvi callsign Rowdy. Sara D'Cruz callsign Marillion. Jane Kelly callsign Quiet." She muttered each soldier's name under her breath. She was slowly working on cataloging each one in her memory. "Then Leo Arkwright, callsign Warlord. And Trish Ka'aukai, callsign Hexx." She still wondered how Leo got that callsign. It did fit his aggressive personality. Questions for later and maybe she'd get an entertaining story too.

Eventually, she noticed the Reapers. Her eyes fell onto the one to who Quiet was handing an earpiece to. She recognized the face. Had seen it in the files. "Elena Dragonova… Reapers, right?"

"We shall see if the same holds true for these Skirmishers of yours." A sneer came from Elena as she took the earpiece from Quiet. She slipped it between her fingers, getting a feel for it. Examining it. No alien tech from what she could tell.

"Yes… her." There was a terseness to his voice as he answered her question. How would this meeting go? "Oh, I can tell she's more skeptical than Volk about this meeting."

"Naturally." Commander Reeves wasn't too surprised to hear the heavy amount of venom in her voice. "When it comes to Skirmishers. Most Reapers have bad blood with them."

A hellish, ghoul-like howl pierced the air. Several more howls and shrieks followed at the first.

"I knew it! I knew it!" In a heartbeat, Rowdy has his gun raised once more. Finger back on that trigger as he spun around, trying to find the source of the howl.

"So those rumors are true. Hm." Central muttered. He knew those howls didn't sound like the alien bugs. It was something else.

"Rumors?" It wasn't uncommon for some Chryssalids to make nests in abandoned cities. But the howl didn't match the roars of those insects.

"Undead. And not the psionic or Chryssalid kind. Possible a result of the contagion… or something else the Elders caused."

"What?"

Zombies? Not made from Chryssalids or the newer generation of Sectoids controlling the dead like puppets? He had to be joking. But from the seriousness on his face and the fact he was giving out some orders to scan the city told her he wasn't.

"What have the Elders done?" She grumbled under her breath.

What monstrosity had they released to cause such a thing? Was it the 'contagion' she heard from the crew and read in the files? Initially, thought to be ADVENT propaganda to keep people from going to areas they had wardering off until some scouting groups found the burn areas and creatures infected by it. Strange crystalline growths littered their bodies and hair loss was rampant. Whatever it was, it baked their minds, turning them into living zombies that exploded like puffball mushrooms when shot.

Or was there something else that inhabited the city? Another plague for them to deal with? Hopefully not. To think they already had one thing to worry about for the now and the future.

"Wondering if that's a slip up on Their part letting something on one of their ships escape or are They seeding some flora for something." She couldn't help but ponder on it.

Then something came to her mind as she scanned the monitors. Her eyes fell upon one of those vine-covered pods, still deeply embedded in the asphalt. Time had weathered those things; parts of the curved alien alloy were missing as if people had harvested the metal. And they looked to still be functioning. Glowing a subtle green.

"That gas they emitted…"

She remembered how the aliens bombed places in the Old World with those strange pods during abduction runs. Glowing a faint green and releasing some sort of gas-like fog. Victims nearby were always webbed up in some sort of green mucus and comatose. She couldn't recall what the scientists said about it or what it was besides a way to disable humans for capture — mid-movement — but she always had a sinking feeling there was something more sinister to those things. What was it?

Maybe the contagion was related to those pods. Something for her to mull over later, to search her memories and the ship's archives.Maybe they needed to track down one of XCOM's old data centers again. If the aliens hadn't found it, or some scavengers.

"Your presence already disturbs them." Elena didn't seem disturbed by the growling howls. Maybe there was a slight hint of annoyance on her face. Then again, an annoyed look seemed to be her resting face for the time. She gestured for her people to come over. A few did and broke down the camp. "My people will take care of this camp. We must move."

As she moved, she finally put the earpiece in and placed her mask back on.

"Hello, John." She said.

"Long time no chat, Elena." He replied.

"I hope these Skirmishers of yours play nice."

"They will if you do the same."

"We'll see about that." She had strong doubts.

"They will hold their end of the deal." Commander Reeves finally spoke up.

That was an unfamiliar voice to Elena's ears. But how they spoke was firm and assertive.

"You must be this Commander Reeves." She quickly deduced.

"I am."

"Hm." So this was the person inside of that suit. She wondered if she would meet her in person one day. "We'll see how this meeting goes."

Elena effortlessly led Menace 1-3 through the city. Something that was natural for the Reapers. Were ever there was a Reaper camp in the world, they knew they knew the surrounding area like the back of their hands as they lived off the land and what was left after the Invasion. Especially the abandoned cities. A fine place to scavenge and a fine place to set up an ambush for ADVENT patrols that harassed their camps.

Though the four continued on, they had a few bumps in the road. The source of the inhuman howls. The inhabitants of the city.

Not all victims of the Old War were still as statues. Some were alive. Living zombies from the looks of it. The Lost, Elena called them. Somehow these husks could still move and with questionably uncoordinated quickness. Tripping over whatever was in there way as they set sights on the squad. At least they were fragile and went down with a few well-placed shots to the head.

A comment from Tygan only reinforced Commander Reeves' earlier thoughts that the pods were probably the source of a new contagion. The pods are still emitting trace elements of unstable radiation. And those traces are on the Lost. Most likely, their DNA has mutated from well beyond what we would classify as human. And who knew if the radiation was the only thing leaking from those things.

"Let's get decontamination ready… just in case." She didn't want to risk anything getting onto the ship.

Central glanced at her. A brow was raised. "You think that's necessary?"

"Better safe than sorry. We already know about that 'crystalline contagion' and Tygan says those pods are still active."

He grumbled as he scratched his chin. So far, the former had caused no problems, but that could change at any point. And those pods were still active. "You're right. Better safe than sorry." He turned to his right. "Orion!"

Over on the other side of the room, a man with blinding black bangs and wearing a fluorescent orange turned. "Yeah, Central?"

"Tell the medical team to set up decontamination for the soldiers once they get back from the operation."

He gave a thumbs up. "Got it."

The squad cleared out a few more packs of Lost as they reached their first destination. A clear route that would lead deeper into the city.

"For years my people hunted the Skirmishers and their kind." Elena spoke her mind. "For years, we survived. Now, you all risk everything for your dreams of peace."

Central couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If you haven't noticed, the aliens have been kicking our planet's ass for the past 20 years. You think maybe it's time we try something else?"

"Peace would be better than both groups continuing their senseless fighting." Commander Reeves added. "Both sides will continue to wear each other thin and allow the Elders to wipe you both out with little resistance."

"Tch." Maybe they had a point.

The squad reached their first destination. Central looked at the screens and the scans. Things were looking clear minus a few pings. More of those Lost. They knew they were there and wouldn't probably keep coming if they weren't careful.

"You should have a clear path through now, but keep your eyes peeled. The second squad is nearly to the Skirmisher. Proceed to the rendezvous and await their arrival and sign."

As the four continued on their way, Commander Reeves shifted her attention to the others searching for their Skirmisher.

"Let's see how the others are doing."

Menace 1-2's trek through the city was rather uneventful. So far, they hadn't run into the Lost as they headed to the Skirmisher's coordinates.

"Ugh, haven't been in one of these rundown hellholes in ages." Warlord grumbled in his Cockney accent as he adjusted his mask. He was jumpy as ever, but somehow less than Rowdy. No paranoia. Just cautiously watching out, ready for whatever could strike. "Bloody graves filled with walking dead."

"Hope your tales about the walking dead aren't true." Hexx said. Though with the singsong manner, she said it in, along with nudging him a few times, sounded like she was teasing him.

"'Ey!" He pointed at her. "I know what me and me crew saw back then wasn't a figment of our imaginations."

"Hey," she shrugged, "we've run numerous scans on various abandoned cities and haven't really encountered what you claim exists." She shook her head. "Though ADVENT activity is sporadic, but high… which is weird." She mumbled.

"Bet them wankers are gathering cadavers for experiments. Or trying to reclaim the cities they tore up."

"How long are you two going to yap?" Central finally tuned to their channel.

"Hey Central, we're almost at the rendezvous." Hexx responded.

"Whoa! Look at this!" Warlord exclaimed.

Looking at his screen, there was a downed ADVENT dropship. Crashed from the looks of it. And had to be recent because of flames raging in and outside of it, along with a few ADVENT soldiers' corpses around it.

Warlord was already over there in an instant, examining the wreckage. "Wonder what took this flying block down."

"Had to be a rocket." Hexx caught up with him.

"Looks like trouble ahead." Central didn't like that. The Reapers dabbled in explosives, but that was just claymores. "The rendezvous could be compromised. Stay focused, check for —

BOOM

The ground shook as an explosion erupted from around the corner, followed by gunfire.

"Contact! Head for cover!"

Looked there would be trouble for them.

Before they had time to react, something orange came running out of the smoke. The armor was definitely ADVENT. Couldn't mistake that blocky geometric design. But something they hadn't seen before. Fully enclosed orange armor. As quickly as they appeared, they stopped. Their body shuttered before being quickly jerked back into that thick smoke.

"We may have a bigger problem here."

"Taking point!" Warlord quickly gestured for Hexx to move up to the car in front of her as he dashed towards a large tree.

"Got our sixes." She quickly looked back. So far nothing was coming.

As they reached the corner, and the smoke cleared, they saw two people. That one in the orange armor slumped up against a dumpster. Orange blood dripped from them and splattered on the pavement. Then a figure in white armor stood before them, took off their helmet.

"Hold your fire." Central immediately recognized the design of the armor. Then that Kal-7 Bullpup hanging from their hip. Looked to be one of the assault rifle variants. The barrel was still smoking. "I believe that's our man — well, our contact, anyway."

"Kracsad." A deep, male voice spoke. There was a slight echo to his voice. "Advent… 'puppet'." He kneeled down, placing a hand on the dazed soldier's head. "Vox Tala For Ten." The next second a pair of blades sprung from his right gauntlet, his Ripjack, that were then swiftly plunged into the neck of the soldier. Orange blood sprayed out; a cry was cut short. They struggled, grabbing at the arm.

"They were sent here to hunt, to purge the 'Drak-ten'. The 'Lost'." Looked like he noticed company. He cast a slight glance at them as he held down the struggling soldier. With a twist and sickening crack, the soldier stopped struggling. Going slack. He retracted his blade, picking up his helmet.

"Our meeting point is still secure." He turned to face them.

"I like your style, mate." Warlord chuckled. He eyed that bloodied gauntlet. He had to get one of those. Would compliment his blade nicely. "Nice work there."

The Skirmisher raised a brow ridge. "Thank you?" Some human phrases and remarks were still foreign to the Skirmishers.

"Don't mind him." Hexx shook her head. "The name's Hexx." She extended her hand.

"Callsign's Warlord." Warlord pointed at himself.

"Hexx and Warlord." The Skirmisher nodded. "Pleasure to meet you two. You may call me Pratal Mox." He shook Hexx's hand. "If all goes well, and in due time, I hope to learn your real names."

"Hopefully, this meeting goes swimmingly." Hexx gave a thumbs up.

"Tch." Warlord snorted. "Want to get out of this hellhole."

"Get him patched into our comms. His helmet should be able to tune in just fine." Central said.

"Got it." Hexx went to work sharing the codes with Mox.

"So my hunch was correct. Betos sent Mox. Hm…" Central's eyes lit up, seeing and hearing him. A familiar face was welcoming. But there was a grumble trailing behind his words. He was surprised to see Mox's armor was different. The last time he saw the Skirmisher, the armor he wore was onyx-colored.

"Huh." He couldn't help but voice his surprise. Now he wore white armor, dirtied and dinged from many battles, no doubt. But why the color change? A question for later. There was something more important on his mind. "Or did he volunteer for this?"

"And I feel like Elena is going to react poorly?" Commander Reeves asked, hearing his grumbling. Recalling a few entries in their archives, she remembered Mox led several cleansing campaigns against the Reapers.

"Most likely, yes." He shook his head. Of all the people to choose from, both sides chose the worst candidates to meet. "We've got our work cut out for us."

"I see. Hopefully, neither take shots at each other once they reach the railway platform."

"Hopefully."

"Well, she," Mox gestured to the dead soldier behind him, "is free of the imposter gods. I would give anything that all my kind could say the same. Even sit down with your… Reapers." There was a hint of worry in his voice, but his face stayed plain.

"Menace 1-3 and our Reaper contact are almost to the rendezvous." Central said.

"Ah, Central. Bradford." Mox was happy to hear a familiar voice. "How are you holding up?"

"Holding up fine. We can catch up later, Mox. We have a schedule to keep."

"Agreed." He nodded. No time for chatting. He checked his Bullpup. A quick reload and he was ready for another fight. "Now, we must go."

"Alrighty! Lead the way." Warlord was ready to go.

The trio headed deeper into the city.

And into some trouble.

"Rendezvous with Menace 1-3 and Outrider is further ahead. Proceed through this district as quickly as possible, but be careful. Something tells me this city still has a few more surprises to throw our way."

That downed ship and odd-looking ADVENT soldier Mox killed was still fresh in Central's mind as he watched the trio move. Also the Lost, but so far this part of the city wasn't crawling with them.

"There will be more Purifiers as we move." Mox said. So that was the name of that soldier type.

"Don't remember ever seeing them before." He still couldn't recall ever coming across one with gear like that.

"Mala'tek." Commander Reeves chimed in. She brought up a picture of the Skirmisher in question. "Though it's heavily modified."

"Huh?" He looked at the image. Same armor, but heavily modified. "Ah, can't believe I forgot that."

"Who is the one speaking of Mala'tek?" Mox asked. A new voice he was unfamiliar with.

"Mox, this is the —"

"I'm the Commander." She felt like she could introduce herself. Central just shook his head and chuckled. "Commander Reeves."

"Ah, the fabled Commander we helped XCOM find." He was surprised he was speaking to her. "Glad to hear our efforts were not in vain."

"You have my deepest gratitude for helping my people." She could thank all the factions involved enough.

"Back to the Purifiers." Mox raised his hand, causing Hexx and Warlord to stop. He then pointed out a patrol up ahead by some shipping containers.

Two more ADVENT soldiers in that orange armor. They were armed with what looked to be flamethrowers. Which was rather evident from the charred remains of some Lost near them. Looked like the things were vulnerable to fire. A note for future missions in places littered with them.

"I'll go to the high ground." He pointed at a nearby shipping container he could climb. "Careful with their tanks. Highly volatile. Will explode at the slightest rupture. Best to keep the noise down with the Lost about."

"Keep some distance, got it." Warlord nodded. "I'll swing from the side. Bit of a pincher maneuver." He was already moving to the left and around the container Mox was going to climb.

"I'll be by the truck." Hexx said as she moved up and used the right side of the truck as cover. She switched over to her rifle and locked one Purifier in her sights.

"The Purifiers…You were not meant to see them." Mox continued climbing and got himself into position.. "Purifiers were created with a singular purpose: to contain the Dark-ten, the Lost."

"Also to control other plagues and pathogens running rampant on the Earth." Commander Reeves added a slight correction. "The Elders try to keep a low profile with them. Keep the populous from 'worrying'."

"Correct. That too is another issue they are utilized for." Mox nodded. "The Elders have been sloppy and have many messes that even They struggle to eradicate."

Central turned to her, muting his mic for a moment. "How did you know that?" They had information on the various burn teams trying to contain the 'crystalline contagion', but Purifiers were mostly new to them.

She thought for a moment. Her eyes widened. How did I? As quickly as the information came to her mind, it left. Now unreachable. "I… I just do." She didn't know.

"Hm." Questions for later. He turned his mic back on.

"Ready to pull the trigger." Warlord was in his spot. Just a few steps forward and he was the perfect distance to nail one of them. "The one to the left is mine."

"Don't get cocky." Hexx shook her head. She kept her aim notched onto the Purifier Warlord was targeting. Just in case she had to clean up his mess if he missed.

"I'll take the one on the right. On your mark." Mox was ready.

Warlord let out a whistle as he stepped out of cover and moved just a bit closer to them.

"Hey! Hey! Tin Can!" And a taunt. As one Purifier turned to investigate, he grinned. "Gotcha!" He pulled the trigger.

Before the Purifier could react, it was thrown back, losing grip on its flamethrower, as the buckshot collided with its chest, piercing part of its armor. A muffled, almost choked, sound came from them as they hit the ground. The other Purifier quickly snapped too, turning towards their attacker. It let loose a plume of fire in Warlord's direction.

"Ah, shit!" Warlord quickly dove into nearby cover, barely escaping being burned.

Mox let off a few volleys, tagging the second Purifier but most of his shots bounced off the metal. A few found their way between the plates, but the Purifier was unfazed. They turned their head towards Mox, keeping a steady flame in Warlord's direction.

A Skirmisher. A Traitor. It stared at him for quite some time. Like it was studying him. Processing what to do next. Why is he up there? They already had another pinned down. But… but was there another? Skirmishers were pack fighters. The fire stopped. Cutting its attack short. The Purifier quickly doubled back, heading further up the road. Not worth the risk.

"We have a runner." Mox said as he fired at them again.

"I got them." Hexx scoped in, carefully watching the Purifier's movements. Waiting for the right shot. Waiting for a clear view of their head and what looked to be the most vulnerable part of that helmet. Black glass. There it is.

BOOM.

But just the slightest turn to check if they were being pursued shifted that canister on their back in the bullet's path. Just the slightest nick to that fuel tank and the Purifier erupted into a fireball.

"Crap!" She didn't mean to hit the tank. Especially after Mox's warnings.

"Definitely know to keep my distance." Pulling himself up from his cover, he barely glimpsed the explosion. But sure felt the heat.

Distance, inhuman howls could be heard shortly after the explosion.

"Fuckin' knew it." Warlord cursed under his breath. Finally, those things were making themselves known. He quickly reloaded his gun.

"What the heck?" Hexx looked around but saw nothing. Those howls just didn't sound right. Never heard something like that before. She quickly made her way over to Warlord. She noticed the burned remains of the Lost. Something else she hadn't seen before. May have been connected to those howls. "Guess you were right about something being here."

"Need to stop doubting me, sis." He chuckled. "Be ready for a fight. Tap them heads real good."

"It was inevitable." Mox didn't sound disturbed. Almost as if he expected that to happen. He hopped off the container and headed over to the Purifier Warlord had downed. He noticed they moved. "That has drawn the Lost's attention."

"Get going now!" Central barked. He didn't want them to linger and get surrounded by a horde of Lost.

After making sure the first Purifier was dead, the trio continued on their route. The ghoul-ish howls of the Lost increased as they moved.

But just ahead, they met a roadblock.

Really, it was more than a roadblock.

"This is no patrol. It's an army." Central gawked at the sight.

Ahead of the squad, further down the street, were several Purifiers at work, burning a horde of Lost. And there was a single Officer overseeing them all. There was no way they could get past them without trouble.

"The Elders are pouring in quite a bit of manpower here, I see." Commander Reeves noted. How much trouble were the Lost to the Elders?

"Yes." Mox didn't seem disturbed by the sight as he quickly took it in. He noticed the fuel tanker near the patrol. Perfect. "One we do not have time to face." He moved forward. He needed a better shot.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Even though he could have some crazy ideas, Warlord didn't like the fact Mox was moving, aiming his Bullpup at the mess ahead of them. No way they could take them all on. "Don't—" Before he could stop him, Mox pulled the trigger.

Several of those bullets found their target. Piercing the canister on the back of one of those Purifiers. A jet of flame erupted from their back, causing them to twirl and stumble closer to that tanker.

"Oh, no." Hexx's eyes trembled.

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" Central did not like what he was seeing.

"SHITE!" Warlord was already moving back into cover. As he passed Hexx, his fingers found their way into her collar and jerked her along with him. She let out a yelp as he tossed her into cover first before diving after her.

Mox use of one of those pods as cover and the crater it was in.

BOOM

That Purifier went off, taking the tanker with it. The entire street shook several times, as the other Purifiers went off like fireworks, sweeping the street with flames. The charred remains of ADVENT and Lost alike were flung in the air.

"Geez! A warning next time, man!" Warlord peeked from cover as he felt the heat dissipate. Though he had to admit that was a quick way of solving the problem. But knew it would lead to a bigger one.

As he helped Hexx up — who was thanking him for the quick save — he held back a gag as the smell of burnt flesh permeated the air. He was used to the smell of burned flesh, but something about what was left of the Lost burning just smelt wrong.

"There was no time." Mox said. He was already reloading his weapon.

"The Purifiers may be down, but unfortunately, that was our extraction point." Central noted. One issue was down, but now they had another problem. He was already directing the crew to find another point.

"I fear that is not the worst of it." Tygan was back. "Multiple biological signatures rapidly on approach to your position."

"Don't tell me…" Central had a feeling of what it was. The smaller explosion earlier already stirred the horde, and now this one probably woke up the entire damn city.

"The Lost, the sounds of combat excite them. They are drawn to it." Mox said.

"And you just blew up a fueltruck?!" To say he was ticked would be an understatement.

"There was no other choice." Already Mox was already firing at the first wave of the restless dead. "Find an alternate exit. We will deal with the Lost." He looked over at Warlord and Hexx. "You two, get to higher ground. Make them work for their meal."

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Hexx looked at Warlord. She was already heading for higher ground.

"Yep." He snickered. "And I've got a better idea." Warlord put his shotgun onto his back and grabbed his blade.

"You can't be serio—"

"I'm quick on my feet and dealt with these gobbers before." He eyed a nearby approaching horde. "I'll be the bait! You two better be good shots!" Like a madman, he charged at the horde.

"Don't get cocky!" Hexx chided him. She could only imagine the grin under his mask.

"What the hell, Warlord?" Commander Reeves couldn't believe her eyes. Then she noticed something. "Did he turn off his earpiece?"

"He's a wildcard." Central shook his head. "He does that when he feels like he's going to get yelled at. Doesn't save him from the consequences when he gets back."

But like Warlord said, he was quick on his feet. He weaved in and around the horde, slashing down any that got in his way. And as he did that, he led them around the containers Mox and Hexx were using to keep their distance. It was working like a charm. Mox and Hexx were mostly undisturbed, having to put down the occasional one that noticed them, as they fired away at the horde chasing the bait.

Central let out a few grumbles, still a little ticked at the snafu Mox caused, before barking out a few commands to the Bridge staff to find an alternative route. He would chew Mox out later for such a brash decision, even if it did clear out the initial problem.

The trio held their position, fighting off wave after wave of Lost as an alternative route was being found. It felt like ages as they held out for the new route. Looked like the shock waves had agitated all the Lost throughout the city. But Warlord bounced around the battlefield like lightning. Letting out a few howls of laughter as his adrenaline was high. He got clawed at a few times, but barely felt it. He was having the time of his life. And the Lost were weak. But if you got surrounded, you would be a goner.

"We've found a new route that should get you to the rendezvous point safely. The Lost are still converging on this are so make it fast."

But that sweet voice of Central's brightened their spirits. They were on the way there with great haste.

Commander Reeves shook her head as she watched everything unfold. The Lost seemed to be sensitive creatures. Ready to pounce on anything that disturbed them.

"Massive note for any future operations that take place in a city like this — hell, I recall a few towns that were bombed with these pods." She shook her head. "Explosives are HEAVILY restricted."

"Agreed." Central nodded.

The trio reached their destination with few encounters with the Lost.

"Rendezvous point directly ahead. Let's try and play nice today, people." Central's voice played on the comms of all.

The abandoned trains. The railway platform. That's where the meeting would take place. They headed to the west side, made their way up the stairs, and climbed into their train.

"Menace 1-2 and Mox should be in position shortly." He then spoke to just Menace 1-3 and Elena.

Music to their ears. No more waiting. Menace 1-3 and had parked themselves inside of the abandoned train on the east side of the platform.

Marillion broke out a flashlight and flashed it, making signals towards the chain on the west side. A few seconds later, a light flashed back at them.

"We're good to go." She put away her light and made her way off the train. Quiet and Rowdy did the same.

But Elena didn't move.

"Mox?" Did she hear what he said correctly? Mox? Pratal Mox? An anger welled inside of her.

She took her Vektor rifle off her back and quickly checked to see if what he said was true. Peering down the scope, she saw the two XCOM operatives getting off the train and then someone behind them. A Skirmisher clad in white armor with their helmet off. She zoomed in. Mox. She gritted her teeth. It was him. She would never forget that face. ADVENT… No, he… took so much away from her.

She let out a series of curses as she slammed her fist against the floor.

"John! How dare you people!?" She cursed at him. "Mox's death squads wiped out entire camps of my people in the first years of the war!"

"There we go." Central mumbled under his breath. He was waiting for that. Couldn't hide Mox's identity forever. "Pretty sure hands are bloody on both sides of this fight. That's the whole point of this intervention."

"And Betos desires the senseless blood feud to stop. And so does Volk." Commander Reeves added. "If it continues, the Reapers and Skimishers will wipe each other out without the Elders having to lift a finger. Do you want that to happen?"

She grumbled. SupposedlyVolk's wishes. She just had to trust his judgment. And the same with this Commander Reeves.

"If he slips just once, I won't hesitate to kill him." Her anger didn't let up as she ripped off her mask. He would see her face.

She finally got off the train but didn't holster her rifle. Just in case.

Elena marched down the platform, fire in her eyes and an equal amount in her steps. She kept a steady finger hovering over that trigger as she came to Mox.

"Hey, keep your rifle down." Marillion noticed how she was holding her rifle and went to knock it down. Elena ignored her, quickly side-stepping out of her reach, and continued on her way.

Mox, on the other hand, was walking calmly but was still cautious. He held a tight grip on his Bullpup and a finger hovered over the trigger; he took notice of Elena swift march towards him. He stilled himself. Hostility. He could sense it. Just from the way Reaper walked and held that rifle, he knew the slightest misstep could end up with a bullet planted in his skull. He just had to be careful, even more so with his words.

"So… ADVENT's most brutal Captain comes to atone for his crimes." Nearly every word that left her mouth dripped with venom.

Mox's face stayed plain as the accusation was thrown at him. It was true, but now was not the time to dwell on that past. One he had little control over. "I am no longer that being. I am free now."

"Ha!" She scoffed. "Taking off that helmet does not change what you are. Reapers have long memories." She closed her eyes as she said that. So many of her people lost over the years because of them. She opened them again, eyes instantly focused on him. "Elder Kracsad."

His brow twitched, lips contorting into a frown as a deep grumble came from his throat. "Rrgh…" That word got him. Such a loathsome word. He let his Bullpup fall to his side. "Rrrgh!" He snarled at her. Releasing the blades in his Ripjack, but holding his stance. He was ready to pounce on her.

With little hesitation, Elena swiftly aimed her rifle at him. Finger lightly pulling the trigger. Just one twitch.

"Elena!" Quiet swiftly moved over to her, and tried to push her rifle down. Elena just shoved her away and the same with the others attempting to pull her back.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Warlord was already trying to pull Mox's arms down and Hexx was trying to pull him back.

Everyone was trying to diffuse the situation.

The opposing Faction kept their eyes focused on each other. Waiting for the other to make the first strike.

"Keep them from killing each other." Commander Reeves ordered. She wasn't pleased things were breaking down so quickly.

"Dammit, you two." Central shook his head as he rubbed his face. He had a feeling this would happen. The worst set of people either faction could have sent for this meeting.

"I may be able to back you up, but you know these two factions better than me." She said. "You know Elena better than me." He nodded. He had an idea.

"The way I see it, we have two options." His mind was quickly formulating a plan. "Join forces and kick the Elders off our world. Or kill each other here and now. The choice is yours."

Mox listened to his words. We are here for peace and freedom. He had to remind himself of that. He couldn't let her words get to him. Especially Kracsad. He was no longer that and would rather die than become that once more. The blades quickly snapped back into the gauntlets with a solid clink. He shifted back into a more relaxed posture, somewhat shaking Warlord's and Hexx's hand off of him. But he kept a close eye on Elena. Especially that rifle.

Elena rolled her eyes as Central spoke. This thing needs to die here and now for all he had done. Bitter thoughts swarmed through her mind. Her finger tightened on the grip before suddenly relaxing. She let out an angry sigh. Volk sent me here not to fight. She needed to play nice. She finally lowered her rifle. Don't need Volk killing me for starting a true civil war. Though she wanted to blow Mox's brains out right then and there, that plan had to wait. She would have her revenge.

"That's better." Central said. Commander Reeves agreed.

"Wait." Elena squinted her eyes. Refocusing them on Mox. Like lightning, she raised her rifle once again, looking down the sights. Something caught her eye.

"Shit." Central cursed under his breath. "Elena don'—"

BANG!

Before he finished his sentence, she pulled the trigger. She fired. But not at Mox. There was something just behind him and the others.

As Mox sprung his blades once more, he noticed the trajectory of the bullet was off. Reapers had good aim. Something wasn't right. As he turned, just behind him, a tall figure flickered into existence. It quickly dove back, its cloaking swiftly kicking back on.

"The hell?" Central said.

"Who is that?" Commander Reeves said.

"What the!?" Warlord hopped back, quickly grabbing his shotgun from his back. "One of them!?"

And soon everyone else was on guard.

"We've got company." Elena said as she fired again. "A Chosen."

"Her!" Mox knew exactly what it was. His eyes darted around. Eyes and ears focusing. They picked up the slight hint of footsteps dashing about to avoid Elena's shots. "There." He heard something over by the railing to the left. "Got you." He fired his grappling hook in that direction.

This time the being fully de-cloaked, as a swift strike of their blade knocked away the hook and another strike deflected a bullet. They were tall, double the height of a normal human. And they had blue skin. Their armor was black with some red. And on their chest was a symbol; the golden symbol of the Elders.

"Assassin Jax-Rai!" Mox cried out in anger.

"A Chosen?" Commander Reeves' eyes went wide as the being decloaked.

"One of those damn things here!?" Central was shocked.

Jax-Rai bared sharp teeth, growling at them, as she sheeted her bade. "No one has ever done that before…" She spoke with a harsh voice. Backing ever so closer to the edge of the platform. "No one shall ever do that again!"

"Concentrate fire on that thing now!" Central barked. He didn't want to take any chances.

But before they could even react, the imposing figure dove backward off the side of the platform. That cloak of her reactivating. Purple mist enveloped her as she disappeared below. Fragments of that mist drifted away in the wind.

"One of those damn things is here…" Central shook his head. This was bad.

"Jax-Rai." Commander Reeves muttered the name. Seemed so familiar to her, but she wasn't sure why.

"What the hell was that thing?" Rowdy asked. He was twitchy as he looked around, wondering if that Assassin would pop up behind him.

"A Chosen." Warlord said as he carefully looked over the railing. "One of them fuckin' Ch—"

"Vox Prima. Elder Assassin. Jax-Rai Ri'vi. A Chosen" Mox was scanning the area below them. So far, nothing but the dust and the dead. "Relentless death that stalks my kind. Butcher of freed ADVENT."

"My people face another like her." Elena said.

"Kon-Ris, the Hunter." Commander Reeves said. Another name familiar to her and she didn't know why.

"Yes… Him." There was an odd pause in her voice. "They are undying. The Elders' curse upon us."

Elena cast a glance at Mox. There was a fierce anger in his eyes as he scanned the area for the Assassin. Anger and… loss. Maybe the two weren't that different. They both had the Elders' demons hunting their people. She faintly remembered rumors of this Jax-Rai. Though the Reapers kept their distance from Skirmisher territory, a few sects had "pleasant" interactions with them. Tch. She couldn't believe some of her people trading with them. Maybe that's why there was a loose form of 'peace' between the factions.

But occasionally, a hunting party would stumble across a Skirmisher camp. The entire camp would be decimated. Each Hybrid cut down with clean strikes. Their bodies were dragged into the huts, arranged in some sort of strange ritual. Bodies lined up like spokes in a wheel. Feet out, heads touching at the center. Their foreheads were marked with marked with a word they came to learn was 'traitor'. And there would be a message written on the walls. I AM THE ASSASSIN.

She had to admit she was mildly jealous. At least this Assassin was much "cleaner" than the Hunter. He gutted her kind like they were animals. Like some sort of mad ritual to torment those who found the bodies.

"We must combine strength if we are to have any chance of success of surviving." She looked at Mox and then the XCOM squad.

"Agreed." Mox nodded. He was putting his helmet back on.

"And we'll need a helluva lot of luck." Warlord shook his head.

"Everyone stay on your guard." Central said. He was directing people on the Bridge to see if they could home in on the Assassin. He was already contacting Firebrand to prepare for evac. Tangoing with the Chosen would be a massive risk. They needed a quick exit.

"You are welcome to try." Jax-Rai hissed. Her voice was both close and distant.

"Tch." You can't hide from me. "I'll sniff her out." Elena put her mask back on as she headed over to the edge. Eyes quickly scouting the area for a perch and anything that looked out of place. There. Her eyes fell onto a fire escape across from her. That would be the perfect vantage point.

"Watch my back." She said as she headed over to a pipe. She slid down it and swiftly made her way to the fire escape.

"I'm heading down." Mox said. He went down the pipe on the other side of the platform.

"The usual team split? Maelstrom and System Shock?" Quiet looked at her squamates. They all nodded and split into their respective groups. Marillion went over to Warlord and Hexx, while she and Rowdy stuck together. They made their way down to the streets below.

"We should keep distance between us." Mox said as he cautiously moved from cover to cover. Head jerking at the slightest creak of metal from the abandoned vehicles. He could barely hear her footsteps. "The Assassin wi—"

"Cut through all of you with a swift strike with a searing psionic wave." Commander Reeves said. "She dances through the battlefield with ease, for it is her domain. The thrill of a good fight drives her bloodlust."

"Mhm. Correct." Mox nodded. "The blade is her brush. Bloodshed is her art."

Central looked at her, brows raised. "How do y—"

"I just do." She cut him off, voice slightly annoyed. She didn't know why this information kept coming to her, but it did. Questions for later. "Don't let your guard down for a second."

"Show yourself." Elena finally made it to her perch. Rifle raised in her steady hands and surveying the area. "You will not hide from me."