Summary: Another day. New territory. And some new friends. The VIP rescue looms on the horizon as XCOM prepares for it.

East Asia. China. Well, what was left of it. Like most of the world, XCOM had seen on their travels, most of the country was decimated. Most capital cities were wastelands. Those all belonging to the Lost and ADVENT cleansing teams. A few Resistance Cells here and there on the fringes of society. ADVENT occupied villages and towns. Monitored until it was time to "usher" people to a better life in the cities. Those cities. Those "jeweled" ADVENT cities, built upon on choice land. Strategic land, as always. The cities would be close to old rail systems that they swiftly repurposed to keep their authoritarian machine running.

XCOM found an abandoned rice farm to land in, not too far away from the few resistance cells they had contacted to park the Avenger. Tucked away in a valley. It was a beautiful sight. All the lush, green foliage and calm waters. And the occasional glimpse of wildlife. A rather refreshing sight for the senses. No desert landscapes. No abandoned towns and cities. Just nature, not tampered by the aliens.

Memento, the resident farmer and horticulturist loved it. She was already seeing what domesticated, now semi-wild, plants were around and what she could harvest for their benefit. The resident bioscientists were prepping for the eventual arrival of crates worth of plants she would want to have their DNA sequenced to make sure the Elders hadn't tampered with it and see how they could grow them indoors. They wondered if the eventual hydroponics expansion would make her more manic or calm her down.

However, a few aboard the Avenger were not too fond of their location. Humidity. It was still the summer season and mid-day became rather unbearable for those working outside the ship and those going back and forth to the cells. But it was just a temporary setback. They could manage the discomfort.

For a few days.

Hopefully.

Nice, cool, and crisp air was always refreshing for a morning run. An earlier morning run, that was. Have to do it early to avoid the choking humidity.

Well, the run was more or so a jog for one person. Commander Reeves. She knew she needed to keep in line with doctors' orders and persistent requests from the crew. It was for the best. And she knew didn't need to injure herself. Still recovering. She wanted less time being poked and prodded by the doctors and less time being confined in the ship. But that stubbornness in her was hard to contain.

But Jynn enjoyed being out of the Avenger and in nature nonetheless. She managed to convince Bradford to join her. Prying him out of bed. He only had a few hours of sleep. The glares and grumbling were well worth it. She was enjoying his company, and it was helping her pace herself. Even if he was a bit sleepy. And grumpy.

Another lap around the Avenger. A few more to go. Jynn was humming to herself, eyes drifting around, watching the landscape. The greenery was such a refreshing sight. And something to ease her mind. Her mind was on the operation that would be happening later in the night.

The troops were already hard at work, preparing their gear to be packed up and shipped out soon. They had worked out a deal with Bones. His people would meet at a designated drop-off point with Firebrand to take the squad's gear and smuggle it into the city for them. To ease their minds, Bones also offered up some information and tech to guarantee the squad's gear would be handled safely.

"Volk's man, Bones, is something else." Jynn mumbled under her breath. "Smuggling the gear in for us and giving us some info and tech in return?" She shook her head. "Unbelievable. Strange guy." She chuckled. "I kinda see why Volk has reservations with the guy…" A few hours after the gear would be dropped off, the squad would be meeting some of Bones' men to help escort them into the city. Said he knows the best weak points. His people hit it all the time for supplies.

"Especially since he's not saying who Menace will be meeting outside the city and the person in the city." She grumbled. "You'll know them when you see them." She dropped her voice a few octaves, putting on her best gruff voice. She shook her head, chuckling a little. "Secretive sort and sarcastic. I can sense a jokester in him."

"Hey, Jynn!" A voice called out to her.

She didn't quite hear that. She was deep in her thoughts. "Though with how eagerly he talks about the escort for the inside, I feel like it's him." She rubbed her chin. "Just hope no surprises occur when the ball gets rolling. We are in the Hunter's territory. Actually, the Assassin's too. Another small sliver of land the two fight over." She grumbled just thinking about the Chosen. They had been really cracking down on some of the local resistance cells. Supplies were becoming tight.

"Jynn!" This time, the voice was much louder. And she recognized it.

"Huh? What is it?" She turned to find her caller. Then she saw who. The sight of a huffing, puffing Bradford having to run to catch up to her. "Oh, not again." She smacked her forehead.

Even with a running partner, once she was in a good groove, she just forgot about her limitations. Deeply embedded in her core was her will to get back to her old self. She paused in her tracks and waited for Bradford to catch up.

"Sorry about that…. Again… John." She sheepishly apologized as her out-of-breath compatriot caught up to her.

Bradford was about to speak but held up a finger instead. It took him a few deep breaths and a few swigs from his canteen before he could speak. "Geez, Jynn. Been calling your name for a few minutes."

"Sorry." She apologized again. She nearly jumped when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You really can't keep that stubborn side of you down, can you?" Though still a bit out of breath, he was laughing. He didn't seem too annoyed at being left in the dust.

Jynn smiled at seeing that. "I guess I can't." She shrugged. "Once I get moving, I'm moving."

"Gotta work on toning that down." He gestured for both of them to start moving again.

"You guys may have to get me one of those body harness leashes." She joked.

"I think that would be too much and a bit dehumanizing for you, Jynn." He shook his head.

"Well, holding my hand is another option." She raised one of her hands towards him.

"Hey now." He shook his head and laughed. But a hint of red appeared on his cheeks. She just snickered and retracted her hand.

As they continued their jog, Jynn tried to hold herself back. That stubborn side back. It was fairly tough to do.

However, something caught her ear. Bradford was humming to himself. Something about that tune sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She listened closely.

"Hm." She mumbled. As he continued humming, perhaps the second verse now, something was slowly coming to mind.

"To a place… I recall. I was there… so long ago." She started to mumble. "The sky was bruised…"

"Hm?" Bradford glanced at her. The humming stopped.

"Nothing, nothing." She shook her head. "Just keep humming."

"Okay…?" Not wanting to prod, he did just that. But had restarted from the beginning.

Dang it. She realized she must have broken his concentration. But with him restarting, the song finally clicked.

"On a cobweb afternoon in a room full of emptiness." She started to sing. Bradford nearly paused again until she made a quick "go on with it" gesture with her hand.

"By a freeway I confess, I was lost in the pages

Of a book full of death, reading how we'll die alone

And if we're good, we'll lay to rest anywhere we want to go"

"You still remember that song?" He asked, cutting her off just before the chorus. But there was a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, love the band," she smiled, but it soon faded, "but also that song's so deeply etched into my mind."

"Your grandfather, right?"

"Yep. Grandpa Soma liked them too." She sighed. "Got real depressed when he died. Probably wore out that CD with how much I listened to that song." She laughed a little.

He snickered at the CD comment but placed a hand on her shoulder. "You two were real close, if I remember correctly."

"Real close." She nodded. "He just adored me and Charles. Learned so much from him."

He chuckled at that but soon paused in his tracks. Arms were wrapping around him, giving him a tight squeeze. "Uh…" Before he knew it, Jynn was also pressing her head into his shoulder.

"Jynn?" He was hesitant to put his hands on her.

"Thanks for being there." She continued that tight squeeze.

"Being there for what?" He was at a loss. "Eek!" He wheezed.

"His funeral and afterward, manuke!" She squeezed tighter, which made him wheeze again. Such hidden strength. "I know you've gotten older, but don't tell me you forgot about that."

"Hey! Same-ish age." He grumbled at the age comment. He eventually wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug. "And no, I haven't forgotten about that. Happened about three or four years into my service in the military intelligence branch."

"Good." She smiled. That was comforting. She then playfully poked his head. "You were more of the brainy sort."

"Hey." He tilted his head away from the prodding finger, but soon returned the gesture. "I think you're more brainy than me. Already touring the world."

"Still on military business." She laughed at the poking. Quickly stopping her poking and pulling herself away from him to get away. "So it wasn't exactly a vacation."

"So you say."

They started walking again.

"Funny thing is, after he died," she brought up her grandfather again, "I think that broke Grandma Masami out of her shell. Finally realized her daughter and family actually cared about her even when she was being unpleasant."

"Why was she always like that?" Bradford had some vivid memories of her grandmother. Always was bitter, crabby, if not angry, and usually locked herself in her room or was outside and far away from the house if visitors were over.

"Mix of tradition, racial issues, inferiority, and guilt." Jynn shook her head. She sighed, she hated thinking about how her grandmother acted. "Which is hilarious when you consider she married my grandfather, who was very much not a traditional man."

"Yeah, your grandfather was a piece of work… and a prankster."

"And you see where my mom got that from?"

"I can see that now." He shook his head. "I guess opposites attract when you think about your dad marrying your mom. He's more strict and by the book. She's more lenient and fun."

"Huh." She raised her hand to her chin. "Never thought of it that way." She mumbled.

She dwelled on that. Thinking of her parents and how they were opposite in personalities. She knew her father had a "fun side" but his military career probably exacerbated his stern personality. But they brought the best out of each other. And helped temper each other. She thought about her grandparents, but most of those memories were still foggy. But she knew one thing for sure.

"Even with how… unpleasant… grandma could be…" She sighed, remembering how she would tear down her mother about her life choices off and on. It was never pleasant to watch. Especially how quickly grandma would target her next. "Grandpa genuinely loved her."

"You sure about that?" There was a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Very." She nodded. "Always thought grandpa was joking when he said he 'saved' her, but mom finally told me some stories from her childhood and it explained a lot."

"Care to explain?"

"Let's just say one reason he was extremely gung-ho about his daughter marrying an American and the possibility that he and grandma could immigrate to the US with her, was to get a breath of fresh air in a different society."

"Ah." He nodded. "Gotcha."

"How many more laps around the ship?" Bradford asked. There was a bit of pep in his step.

"Hm." Jynn thought for a moment. A ray of light caught her eye. She looked over. The sun was just starting to crest at the top of the valley. "How about two more laps? Think you can handle that?"

"I think I'll be just fine. Awake now." He laughed. "And feel like moving!"

Before she knew it, Bradford had picked up his pace. Quickly putting a gap in between the two. He was running.

"He—HEY!" She quickly chased after him. "Thought we were going to take it slow?"

"A little finishing run shouldn't hurt too much!" He laughed.

She shook her head, but couldn't help but laugh.

"I hope you're right!"

Another two laps around the Avenger and the two were out of breath. But in a good mood.

The sun was high in the sky as the two started boarding the ship. Just in time, as the humidity was slowly starting to ramp up.

"Well, if the doctors have any complaints, I'm putting the blame on you, John." A loud laugh came from Jynn. She elbowed Bradford in the ribs a few times.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Bradford tried his best to block the jabbing. "I'll take the blame, but a short little run like that shouldn't hurt."

"Hopefully not." She rolled her eyes."Remember I did some 'accidental' running earlier."

"I did snap you out of it." He playfully nudged her.

"True."

"Though we may need to get you some hearing aids." He tugged her ear. She let out a squeak.

She swatted away his hand. "I was deep in thought!" She rubbed her ear.

"Sure, sure."

"Ey! Ey! Ey!" A boisterous male voice boomed. "Be careful with that!" Jynn recognized the voice. And the sight of dreadlocks flying about.

"Oi! I said be careful with that!" They sounded very upset. A cacophony of crates and bags tumbling and crashing soon filled the air. Followed by some shouting. Both surprised and angry shouting.

"Ugh, what's got Leo upset?" Jynn was already shaking her head. Already imagining the scene and trouble that cocky man may have been causing. Some days, she wondered why they kept him around, but he pulled his weight. He listened to orders, even if he sometimes put his own flair on them. Like most of the crew, he was another for the peanut gallery.

"Seems upset about something." Bradford commented. "I see he's got his bag ready for the Reapers to drop off in the city…. Almost seems reluctant to let it go."

"Reluctant?" She was almost hesitant to look at whatever commotion Leo was causing. But she knew she had to. Couldn't ignore her duties.

It was a sight. Crates and bags were tossed everywhere. A few spilling their contents all over the floor. Down into the cracks and crevices. What a pain that would be to clean up. A few workers picked themselves off the floor. The others just tried to get around the chaos and ignore it. And at the center of it all was Leo.

Leo. Oh, Leo. A sneer painted firmly on his face. He had a tight grip on his bag that one of the workers was trying to get loaded into a crate. It was a tug of war. Neither giving each other an inch.

"That's my gear!" Leo snarled, pulling on his bag.

"Yeah? So?" The worker handling Leo's bag didn't look so amused. Half-hooded eyes stared down the snarl. They tugged back. They needed to get it packed and loaded. "Everyone's gear is getting loaded into here."

"Yeah, so?" Leo scoffed, cocking his head to the side. "It's my gear, ya blighter! My blade is in there!"

"And?"

"And!?" Their indifference seemed to infuriate him. "It's a finely tuned weapon, ya twit." He pulled back, yanking the worker forward, nearly ripping the bag free from the worker's hands. "I've seen you toss the others' bags in there and ya ain't doing that to mine!"

"Are you serious, man?" The worker quickly got their footing and grip and pulled back. "You're disrupting the work!"

"Ya, damaging my gear!"

The arguing continued.

"Is he always like this?" Jynn whispered to Bradford. They were heading over to intervene. "Like I get being particular with your gear, but you've got to let it go." She knew the Sharpshooters hated their scopes being touched the most. Especially Archer. Broken fingers were usually the result of touching her gear.

"For as long as I've known him. Yes." Bradford shook his head. "He probably values that machete of his more than his shotgun."

"You're kidding, right?"

He shook his head. "Remember the internal memo Lily sent a while back?"

She thought for a moment. Another shout from Leo and the worker made something click in her mind. She let out a head sigh as she face-palmed. "You really aren't kidding."

"Leo!"

Before Jynn or Bradford could interfere, a savior was already on their way. Coming over to Leo, and the poor worker, was Trish. With furrowed brows and a frown, she looked disappointed. She always seemed to be in earshot when Leo was causing a scene. Like an older sister trying to wrangle an unruly younger brother. It was always a fun sight.

"Give Russel your damn bag!" As soon as Trish was next to Leo, she gave him a hearty smack to his back. "Stop being so finicky!"

"Ey!" The smack caused him to lose grip of his bag. Russel, the worker, tumbled back but quickly got his footing. "What was that for!?" Leo turned his attention to her.

"You know what!" She crossed her arms. "Geez, you get so wound up whenever that machete is involved." She sighed, grumbling under her breath.

"Thanks, Trish!" Russel said. Happy to get back to loading the bags.

"Welcome!"

From the corner of his eyes, Leo glared at Russel as he loaded his bag. "Don't bang it up."

"You have the damn blade in its case," Trish rolled her eyes, "lighten up!"

He snorted as he looked at her again. "Ya know how much that blade means to me, Trish!"

"Yes, and it was a freakn' hassle to get you to part with that, so Lily and her team could upgrade it." She shook her head. "Had to drag you out of the Foundry to keep you from hovering like a mother hen."

Leo raised his hand, ready to retort, but he had nothing. He turned his back to her, arms crossed, foot tapping against the floor like a mad rabbit. "My blade means a lot to me, 'kay…" He grumbled under his breath.

Seeing the situation defused, Jynn and Bradford stopped in their tracks.

"Well, that's one reason why he's still around." Jynn held back a snicker. She forgot that Trish knew how to handle Leo.

"And not a full loose cannon." Bradford chuckled. "He's actually mellowed out a lot since he first joined."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

He laughed. "I have stories I have to tell ya."

"Hey Command-y!" Trish waved. Already a nickname for the Commander.

Leo froze hearing her say that. "Command…y? Oh, fuck." Had the Commander been there the entire time? Had she seen everything? He didn't want to look in the direction Trish was waving.

"Hey Trish!" Jynn returned the wave. "How ya doing?"

"Oh, fuck." Leo tensed as his head dropped.

"Doing fine! All packed and roaring to go!" She beamed. "And hey-o Bradford!"

"Fuck." Another curse slipped from Leo's lips. How he wanted to run.

"Morning, Trish." Bradford said. He couldn't help but chuckle at Leo's growing dismay.

"'E—'Ey Commander Reeves and Central Officer Bradford." Leo slowly turned to face the two, greeting them by their titles. He couldn't ignore them. He hoped that would pacify them.

"Hello Anthello." Jynn used his full first name. He winced at that. "I see you're lively as ever."

"Well… ya know me and my stu—" He paused. A slight glare from Jynn quickly silenced him. No excuses. "I'll… I'll just… get going." Like a dog with its tail between its legs, Leo quickly made his leave.

Trish couldn't help but laugh at how quickly Leo deflated and left. "I'll make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble Command-y!" She said before leaving.

"You do that." Jynn nodded and watched her leave. Feeling a few nudges, she looked over.

"Even though you're still recovering, you still got it." Bradford grinned. He was holding back a snicker. "That stern glare."

She smiled at that. "I guess I do." Something refreshing to hear during her road to recovery.

Before leaving, Jynn and Bradford lent a helping hand to the cargo workers to fix the mess Leo had caused. It wasn't long before the two were walking to the ship, heading for their quarters.

"Still can't believe you chose him for this mission." Bradford shook his head. He rarely ever assigned Leo to any sort of operation that required stealth. Despite Leo having some decent stealth skills, and was rather speedy and flexible due to years of free-running, the man was a loudmouth and unpredictable to boot.

"A little element of surprise won't hurt, and he can be sneaky. I've read the files." She waved him off. She could see past that cocky personality of Leo's. To a point. "Besides, Trish will keep him in check."

"I hope you're right about that."

"Like you said," she tapped her head a few times, "I'm the brainy sort more than you."

"I set myself up for." He shook his head. But he still felt it was true.

"See you in a few hours, John." Jynn started making her way up a flight of stairs. She was ready for a shower. "Make sure nothing goes crazy. Especially for prepping the squad."

"Can't guarantee anything with Leo." He joked.

A little laughter before the two parted ways.

After a refreshing shower. Commander Reeves was still in her Quarters. Parked at her desk. Monitor on. Going over some new information that had come up before putting another log into her journal.

June 8 2035 - 12:25

125lbs / 5'11" / Restrictions Lessened / About an hour or more sort of jog around the ship with John in tow.

Think I may drag John out of bed more often to join me on jogs. Though I shouldn't push it. Took a while to get him talking. And he does need his sleep, especially if he's pulling all-nighters with operations…. And all-nighters with our nightly chats. Nightmares are less, but I'm still having some weird dreams. If I get a phobia of open waters…

Anyway….

The selected troops should be finishing up with their gear and should be at a debriefing soon. Firebrand should be flying out soon to meet Bones' people. Hope that drop-off and tradeoff goes well. Still wonder how one of Bones' men has done a hard wipe of the wanted boards of my soldiers in that city. Says it will take them a good while to rebuild their database. At least that will buy their fake identities more time. I wonder how Bones can do this.

Well, really, wonder how the Reapers do it? Especially how stealthy they are. Watching Elena in action is something else. You wouldn't know she was there until it was too late. Thinking about her, I need to talk to her sometime soon. See how she's doing. She seems to have mellowed out again after rescuing Mox, but does occasionally ask for updates about Marrow. Thinking of Mox. She is…. tolerating him. Which is good. I have to give her credit, she's tolerating him more than some of the crew, which is saying something with the history the two have. Thinking about it, she's even been friendly to Maurice, telling the more close-minded crew to "piss off." Need to work on that translation key for the big guy so I'm not the only one talking to him.

Back to the operation… just thinking about this section of East Asia. This section of China. 20 years… I remember us stopping that battleship. Or was it two? Can't remember. Can't remember the cities. Memories are still foggy. But the aliens, they really did some damage across the region. I wondered why the ADVENT city layouts were strange at first until I realized they bombed out all the old capital cities. All infested with Lost. Damn. Almost seems like we fought for nothing all those years ago.

Though I wonder if the aliens are kicking themselves? Regretting going all out like that? How many resources are they wasting on building these new cities? How many resources trying to eradicate the Lost? Really aren't forward thinkers from what I can tell. Thinking about… explains a lot about how They had me set up to run things and didn't seem to care how I wasted away in the suit. Shortsighted to the extreme.

Anyway, the operation will be happening tonight. From the additional details Bones' provided us, the guard patrols should be just a little less around the clinic. Still don't like that this one clinic is in the heart of the city, but what can we do? Just hope this VIP is worth it. Dr. Vox Wi'low. Wonder what they can share? What details of what the aliens did to me?

De-briefing. De-briefing. Hopefully, that doesn't take too long for Corvo and Shay to do. As long as the troops are paying attention.

Leo - Warlord - Ranger

Trish - Hexx - Sharpshooter

Manson - Iris - Specialist

Asher - Blackout - Ranger

Warren - Warden - Specialist

I've noticed that each of these soldiers has shown a particular knack for being covert and catching the enemy off guard. They know how to use their heads. It'll be a tight operation. Limited on the grenades. Need to try and keep this quiet. And collateral damage down with the tight quarters they'll be working in.

Just hope everything goes smoothly. No interruptions. No surprises. Especially from the Chosen. That covert operation with the Skirmishers should be finishing up sometime soon, and that other one with that odd signal. Learning more about Assassin. Jax-Rai Ri'vi has some interesting rituals when she clears out a Skirmisher camp. The blood warnings. Lining up the bodies in the tents. Like… like she's warning them for their treachery and almost wanting them to come back into the fold. I see why some call her the Mourningwraith.

Also, odd to say, but Ri'vi sounds familiar to me. Not sure why. Figure it out later.

Tracking the Hunter will be fun. Kon-Ris Orosos has been interesting with how he hunts us. Sometimes he lets us go half the time, especially if we've impressed him. Don't want to imagine the punishments the Elders give to him. And then there are the other times he's attempting to mutilate everyone… How many of my soldiers were in the Infirmary for weeks getting their legs repaired?

I've noticed that Elena reacts negatively when he or his title is mentioned. She's rather hostile towards him overall just thinking about it. I know he hunts the Reapers as the Elders made him to do so, when he's not babbling like a madman and hunting ADVENT, but Elena's hostility goes beyond that. Can't get an answer from Volk besides him saying Elena thinks he's a fallen comrade and tells me to ignore it. "Just alien propaganda," he would say. But, I wonder if that's true? If so… with how angry she gets… I'm going to assume she was close to this fallen comrade. Perhaps feels betrayed in some fashion? I'll dig it out of her, eventually.

And still working on getting info for the Warlock. Dhay-Vol Ga'rox. Ga'rox… Don't know why but I don't like that name.

The Templars are slowly sending information on him over. He's been plaguing them for the longest, but seems like the pride of his had kept him from truly wiping them out. And the Templars' leader, this Geist, has been rather clever with dealing with him or slipping from his grasp. The him and his faction have traded an equal amount of blows over the years. They have really chipped at that ego of his.

One thing for sure is that Dhay-Vol seems to be the "oldest" of the trio. Looks as though the Elders' advanced his age too far, yet he's still fairly limber. Or perhaps his psionics caused the advanced aging? Too great for his body to handle? Who knows.

Anyway, we need to bump up production on mind shields. Havok's still shaken after their first encounter. Thankfully, Taggert is doing better. Out of that coma and in physical therapy. He's really looking for some revenge. Gotta watch that.

Well, that's enough for this morning. Do a little stretching before heading down to the Bridge.

The ship was humming with activity as usual. Calls were being sent out and received in the Bridge. Workers were going back and forth. Moving boxes and supplies around. Engineers doing their usual maintenance checks around the ship; as well as clearing out new areas for future rooms. Soldiers were chatting, training, sparring, or resting. And the occasional power outage from Shen tinkering with the ship's power source. Always, looking to improve her father's work.

"Elena, Yoko, and Reaver's covert operation should be finished by tonight if not next morning." Coming down the stairs to the nerve center was the Commander. She was reading the latest reports. "Hope those strange bots and that S.O.S. leads to something." She mumbled.

Just as she reached the bottom step, the lights flickered in the room; the hologlobe dissipated into a flurry of pixels before coming back together repeatedly. The flickering lasted for a little while longer before it all stopped.

"How many more power surges are we gonna have, Shen?"

A disgruntled Dimitri leaned back in her chair after setting down something on the console. It looked like some sort of headset, a multi-lensed goggle apparatus. From a mere glance, Commander Reeves could tell it was alien in origin. Sleek, black, with hints of silver here and there. And the lenses were a deep purple. Multiple, thick and intricately woven wire tubings ran from it; sprawled all over Dimitri's workstation, connecting into the console and chair she was stationed at. This was the first time Commander Reeves had ever seen such a thing. How she had questions.

"Hopefully not too many more." Shen replied.

Up on Dimitri's screen was a shaky picture of Shen. Looked like ROV-R was doing the streaming. She was somewhere dark and cramped from the looks of it. A cluster of wires and other metal bits hung close to her face.

"Nearly finished upgrading the circuitry and fuses here. Just one more power re-route should do the trick."

"I hope it's just one more, so I don't fry my brain when putting the headset on." She shook her head. She glanced over at one of many side screens. Just a distorted mess of flickering camera views of the outskirts of the city. "This city's encryption is something else, and think I need the headset for a bit of a boost."

"Headset!?" At the sound of that, Shen jumped. "Ow!" Forgetting she was in a tight space, she smacked her head against the ceiling. "You sure you want to use that thing? Tygan and I are still trying to figure out how that thing works." She sighed. "Especially since that thing only interfaces with you." She grumbled under her breath.

"Yep." She nodded. She wrapped one of the wire tubes around her fingers. "Need the edge it can give me."

"Okay, but you know the side effects, right?" There was a hint of worry in Shen's voice. "Especially if you're plugged for too long."

"I've been messing with it again, off and on. Small tests. Headaches are less when I interface with it."

"Really? How's your vision?"

"No degradation. Still semi-hazy as ever." She laughed. "Kinda prepared if I lose the rest of my sight, to be honest."

"You've got some outlook on life."

"Blame my dad." She shrugged.

"Hm."

The conversation had Commander Reeves interested. She couldn't take her eyes off the strange headset and Dimitri. Interface with it? She wondered how that worked, since from the way Shen sounded, it must have been intrusive. "Nothing about being a former ADVENT worker of some kind in her profile, if I remember. So no chips, no implants, and no ports to connect to…" She mumbled, shifting her eyes to her tablet. A few taps and a quick check, and she was right about that. Dimitri had never stepped foot in an ADVENT city, well, unless it was for a supply raid.

"Hm." That just made her more curious about the device. Too sleek looking to be ADVENT tech. Had to be something closer to the Elders' tech.

"Hey, Commander."

"Huh?" Pulled from her thoughts, Commander Reeves snapped to like a deer caught in the headlights. She realized Central was next to her. "What?"

"Lost in thought?" He chuckled. He handed her an earpiece.

"You could say that." She shook her head. "What's that thing Dimitri's got there?"

"Hm?" He turned, only to shake his head at the messy sight. "Oh, that thing. Still not sure. Some alien tech headset of sorts. Had that since I've met her."

"Huh." Still no solid answer. "Shen sounds worried about her using it."

"Don't blame her. Side effects can be nasty." He gestured for her to follow him over to his post.

"So, more than just headaches?" She followed.

He nodded. "Nose bleeds, eye strain, blackouts, her slipping off into several alien languages." He listed a few things.

She nearly tripped as he listed the side effects. "Why are you allowing her to use it? Why does she even have that thing? How the hell did she even get it?" She was nearly breathing down his neck with questions. Then a thought crossed her mind. "And why have I not been informed of its existence?"

"Commander." Central sighed as he turned to face her. Half-hooded eyes and a hint of mild annoyance were on his face. "Truthfully, I forgot she still had it since she was letting Tygan and Shen take a look at it. And…"

"And?" She narrowed her eyes.

He gestured around the both of them. The bustling nerve center around them. And then gestured to her. "A lot has been going on, so that's another reason it's slipped my mind besides that fact she's had that thing for years before I met her."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'll let it slide." He had a point. And she still had a lot to catch up on. "But I still want to know what the hell that thing is, how she got it, and how it works since Dimitri made a joke about losing her eyesight. Or the rest of it, which is an odd statement to make."

"Wait…" Central raised a brow. "You haven't noticed she's partially blind?"

"She's what now?"

Commander Reeves looked at Central, then over at Dimitri, and then back a Central. She didn't believe him. The way Dimitri worked didn't hint at such a handicap. Her eyes always tracked movement from what she had observed.

"You, you." He shook his head, but a grin crept across. "You usually notice stuff like that." He raised his hand to stifle a snicker. "The hazy look in her eyes isn't a fashion statement nor those metal bits."

"John…" She let out a low growl. Though her cheeks were growing hot. "I guess I haven't…" She sighed. "Wait… metal bits?"

"You haven't noticed this area?" He raised a finger to his eye, tracing just below his lower lid.

She looked over at Dimitri again, focusing her eyes on her face. She saw a faint shimmer of silver around the area he had pointed out. "No…" Then again, a few other crew members, especially Ex-ADVENT, had some body modifications. She usually paid no attention to that. She flinched a few times, feeling a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"A lot has been on your mind, especially after the Blacksite."

"Yeah… and to think there's another one like that one we need to go after." She shook her head. She wondered what other secrets the crew held. "I… I need to start making a list of things to ask you about the crew." Another heavy sigh as she rubbed her temples. "A long list."

"Just tack that onto the nightly talks."

Giving her a bit of time to recompose herself, Central got her up to speed on how the preparations for the operation were going. The cargo workers had all the squads' gear packed and a few things they were going to give Bones' and his crew as a thank-you since he was giving them a lot in return. Commander Reeves still wondered why Volk butted heads with him. Only time would tell.

"Firebrand is on her way out with the Menace 1's gear to meet Bones' Reapers at the drop-off point." He pointed at the screen above his post. It showed the status of the Skyranger and its flight path. Halfway there.

"How about Menace 1?" Her eyes shifted over to a screen with information about all of the soldiers who would be participating in this mission.

"Finishing up final preparations. Corvo and Shay finished the debriefing an hour ago."

"Scrubbing themselves down and getting dressed to the nines then?"

"Yep." He chuckled. "Probably the cleanest some of them have ever been. Wonder if Warren is going to trim that beard of his."

"I think he'd rather lose his hand before doing that. She laughed at that. "Hopefully, they still know how to act like civvies."

"Probably." He shook his head. "And hopefully they can keep each other in line."

The screens and lights flickered in the Bridge once more. The room was growing dark.

"Shen!" Dimitri yelled. She wasn't the only one a little annoyed with the fluctuations. A few other workers let out some complaints.

"Last one I promise!" Though there was a hint of a not-too-innocent chuckle. "One more wiring aaaaand there we go!"

The light and systems dimmed down before a moment before everything whirred back up to life.

"Everything should be good now!" She gave a thumbs up. "Let me know if anything acts up." With that, she cut her feed.

"Finally." Dimitri popped herself forward and grabbed that alien headset. She shifted it back and forth between her hands causing parts of the visor to slide back "Get this set up before the fun begins tonight."

Commander Reeves couldn't help but watch Dimitri place that headset on. Noticing those faint glimmers of silver around her eyes becoming more prominent before the visor slid in place, hiding it. More subtle than the modifications some crew members had.

"Mox." She mumbled. She could just see his ports. All of them. Prying him out of that suit — oh, so familiar to hers — when they rescued him was fun. To think every ADVENT soldier was like that in some way. Intrusive ports all over his body. The way the Elders modified their creations for future modifications and information infusion and extraction.

"Wait…" She mumbled. That suit. Her suit. "They were similar… so…" She slid her fingers against her chin and neck; where she had seen Mox's ports. Nothing. Her fingers drifted down to her arms, slowly rolling up her sleeves before feeling areas she had seen on Mox. Again, nothing.

"Huh?" Central looked over at her. He noticed the slightly distraught look on her face. "Everything okay?"

"Hm…" She swallowed hard. She didn't like her findings. Already her mind was theorizing things.

"Jynn?" He nudged her again.

"A second." She hushed him as she fixed her sleeves. She gestured for him to lean over. He did. "I'm just noticing something… disturbing." She whispered.

"Disturbing?"

"This is really a talk for later, and with Tygan and the other doctors, but I just noticed there is not a single port on my body. Just those segmented diamond marks."

"What?" He drew his head back for a moment. Processing her words for a moment, noticing her hands tracing areas on her arms, and that growing grimace of hers. "What."

"Again, a talk for later." She hushed him. "You mentioning the stuff on Dimitri somehow made me notice the lack of mine."

"God…" He face palmed. "How the hell did we miss something that?"

"More worried about keeping me from death's door and then Tygan and the others are still seeing what the Elders did to me besides the chip." She sighed.

"Talk for later indeed." He shook his head. "I'll make the note so we don't forget." Already he was on his tablet, making a reminder in the system.

"Thanks."

"Got a message from Firebrand, Central!" One of the crew announced.

"What is it?" He looked up from his tablet.

"Firebrand made it to the drop point. Menace 1's gear has been dropped off and the other items are being traded. Says she'll be back in no time."

"Good to hear. Tell Menace 1 to finish up and get to the Armory."

"Roger."

"Firebrand always figures out how to shave off time." Commander Reeves started to slip on her earpiece as she sat down.

"Just like Big Sky." Central's focus was back on his tablet.

"I miss him and the other pilots."

"Same."

"Though if he was still around, he and Firebrand would probably do races." She shook her head, but chuckled at the idea.

"I don't even want to imagine that." He shook his head. "Though I remember Big Sky had a lot of fun putting the Skyrangers through their paces for Dr. Shen and RD."

"He was one hell of a pilot." She sighed.

"He would be proud of Firebrand."

"Firebrand is back in the sky, Central!" That one crew announced. "Trade-off complete. Reapers working to smuggle the gear in."

"Good." He glanced up to check the screens. Firebrand's status had been updated. "I want a status update on hacking into the city's network people."

"Still working on it." A few of the crew chimed in. "This encryption is something else."

"Here we go!" Dimitri pipped up. The sound of loud clacking filled the air. "Hello, world. Finally! Some leeway!"

"Headgear working?" Central asked.

"Alien gibberish is all becoming clear."

"I'll take that as a yes." He shook his head. "Just don't wear that for too long."

"Tsh." Though still madly typing, she managed to wave him off. "I'll be fine Central."

In a way, Commander Reeves never got tired of the routine. All the chattering, yelling, and friendly banter. It was a mild comfort.

"Hope this all goes smoothly."

"Get this immediately to the Bridge." One of the workers on the Skyranger handed off a small crate to another worker.

The Armory was another hub of activity. Firebrand was back. Crates and other items were being quickly offloaded, a set of engineers were quickly giving the Skyranger a quick look over, and others were refueling the craft.

"Uh, hate this thing." Leo was tugging on his collar.

"Stop that before you pop the collar again!" Trish pipped up.

The squad, Menace, was out of the way, waiting for the craft to be fully unloaded before they could board. They looked out of place compared to everyone else. Dressed in civilian clothes. ADVENT civilian clothes. Those "abduct the VIP" missions had their perks. And then a few local Black Markets had some clothes.

"I don't do suits, Trish." Leo was stiff as a board after Trish swatted his hands away from his collar. She was busy trying to fix it.

"You'll live." She rolled her eyes. "It's just for a few hours."

"Few hours of torture."

"You'll live." Asher pipped up. She was pacing back and forth, but watching the two.

"Ya, you'll live." Once Trish got his collar fixed, she patted his face a few times. He let out a groan.

"Oh, he's gonna be the death of us."

Sitting a ways away from the two was one of the resident specialists, Manson. The kohl he wore — a type of eyeliner — only exaggerated the glare he wore. He was glancing up from tinkering on his phone when he heard another complaint from Leo. He didn't like the guy.

"I think we'll be fine." Sitting next to him was another resident specialist, the "mountain man" and healer, Warren.

"He'll be a walking liability."

"He'll be fine. We'll be fine."

"You only say that because you'll be patching up any mistak— HEY."

Warren had given him a heart smack to the shoulder, nearly knocking Manson off the crate he was perched on. "I'm saying that because I know how to be positive."

Manson barely kept himself up as he fumbled to keep a grip on his phone. "We'll need more than positivity for this mission." He grumbled. "Those clinics have top-notch security."

"Menace, you're cleared to board." A worker came over to the group, giving them the go-ahead. The Skyranger cargo hold was fully emptied and was ready for them. Refueling and the quick maintenance check were nearly complete.

"Finally." With a quick little shake to get his blood flowing, Leo was already speeding over to the ship.

"Slow down, will ya?" Manson shook his head. He pocketed his phone as he got up. "Ship isn't leaving without you."

"Can it, tech boy!"

"Stop being such a jackrabbit!"

"Leo." Trish sighed.

"Why are you two always like this?" Asher commented.

"Don't make me hog tie the both of you!" Warren threatened as he got up.

With the squad on board and the Skyranger refueled, Firebrand had them in the sky in little time. Wouldn't be long before they were at the drop off point for the meetup with Bones' Reapers.