XCOM: The Advent Directive

by Xabiar

Australia has been annexed, the United Nations is in chaos, the world is under siege and the Ethereals have taken the field. Facing the full might of the Ethereal Collective, the Commander must rally XCOM, the newly formed ADVENT, and several other allies and rivals to unite the divided nations by any means necessary, for failure now will mean the fall of humanity once and for all.

44. The Broken and Defiant

The Broken and Defiant

---

Backroads – Argentina

2/5/2017 – 7:12 P.M.

"They definitely got a call out," Volk said as the Phantom Division soldiers continued to strip the ADVENT soldiers of their weapons, armor, and recovered their own dead as the fires caused by the convoy truck explosion kept dying down. "We shouldn't loiter here any longer than we have to."

"We're working as fast as we can," Joreal said, as he was slowly doing some field repairs to his armor. "To their credit, they put up a good fight despite being horribly outmatched."

Volk however felt like something was wrong with how this had happened, and it all centered around the XCOM agent who was lying on the ground before him, now properly restrained. He would have done something to make sure her wounds were at least patched, but her armor absolutely refused to come off, and when he'd tried digging around, little wires had sprouted up and stabbed into his hand.

It had hurt, to put it lightly.

"So what are we going to do with her?" Volk pointed to the woman. "I mean, you want to get her out of her armor, be my guest. But we need to make a decision."

Joreal just looked at him, pausing his cleaning of armor. "What decision? It's not like we're just going to leave here, definitely not now. We can get the armor off later."

Volk just tapped his own lightly armored chest. "Question: What exactly do you think XCOM is going to do next?"

"Try and find us," Joreal said. "I'd assume they would. Probably won't rely on ADVENT." He paused. "Who will also be after us since we killed several Priests, Intelligence agents, and a diplomat for good measure. But same problem. How are they going to find us?"

Volk sighed. "Have you not considered the possibility that this very odd and unique suit of armor just might have a way to track it? Which means we might be leading ADVENT and XCOM straight to our base of operations. If we get her out of the armor, we don't have to worry about that. Bringing her back with it is just asking for XCOM to quite possibly bring down the cavalry on us."

"I have looked into her mind," Asaru materialized beside them, mimicking the agent herself for some reason, including her voice. "From what I have found, the suit likely does not have a tracking device. And if my suspicion is correct…well, we cannot leave it behind, no matter the risk."

Volk just stared. Which wasn't as effective with his helmet on, but he was not going to just consider that a good explanation. "Two questions: First, how thoroughly have you examined her mind? Second, is that confirmed she doesn't have a tracker, or is it possible that she doesn't know there is one?"

"We did a quick scan of the suit," Joreal reminded him. "Didn't detect any outgoing signals."

"Yes, because there's no possibility those could be hidden," Volk noted sarcastically. "If you've never seen something like this before, then it is completely possible that that little issue could be bypassed. You saw how much damage that took. This is not made by amateurs – and was likely not easy to make."

"I have seen enough of her mind to know she at least believes there is no tracker," Asaru finally said. "The…conditioning she has been subjected to forces me to not push too hard, otherwise it will break her mind. But she is too valuable to leave behind."

"What do we actually know about it?" Volk asked. "You seem to suspect something."

"That it is possible that she works for someone besides XCOM," Asaru said slowly, looking down at the restrained woman. "That suit has only been seen once. And that she is still wearing it is…concerning. I will tell you if my suspicions are confirmed, but we will not leave her behind. She will need to be moved off-world."

"Alright, fine," Volk settled for that non-answer, and fully intended to press her on it later. "Then we should do the transfer somewhere besides HQ. So if there is a tracker, we don't compromise our main base of operations."

"How?" Joreal asked, motioning up. "Call down a transport and use a Gateway we don't have? Our options are limited here. Going back to HQ is the quickest solution since ADVENT and XCOM will be all over this area in hours."

"Then we should just kill her and cut our losses," Volk scowled. "No, I don't like it, but I also didn't expect this woman to have armor glued to her skin that's somehow more advanced than your own. Not worth compromising everything just to maybe learn what it is and how she got it. Next time we should be more prepared for this possibility so it doesn't happen again. But for-"

"Overruled, Volk," Asaru raised a hand, shaking her head. "Risk or not, it's worth it if I'm right. Load up her body, administer medical nanites for her wounds. I don't want her dying because we couldn't get her armor off." Two nearby Phantom Division soldiers complied and began getting the needed tools to prepare the unconscious agent.

"You're making a mistake," Volk warned, not bothering to disguise how utterly stupid he thought she was being. "You're going to potentially risk everything for…what? A suit of armor?"

"Bases can be rebuilt or established," Asaru said, some steel entering her own voice as she looked at him. "And you could very well be wrong. For this, I am most certainly prepared to take risks. This is something the Imperator himself will be directly interested in. I will not throw it away because you think the risk is too high."

"Duly noted," Volk said icily. "It's a good thing I made contingency plans in this kind of scenario. You focus on your special armor and I'll try and make sure you don't end up collapsing everything we've done so far. And don't think about trying to stop me." He stormed directly through Asaru's illusion to find Elena and his soldiers.

Assuming that by some miracle everything worked out smoothly, Asaru was definitely going to have to explain herself more than she had right now. He didn't understand it. Asaru was not an idiot, and seemed to enjoy devising plans and contingencies that made sense. This was the first time where she was being, for lack of a better word, an idiot.

No matter how valuable Gertrude was, she definitely wasn't worth risking an entire operation. Not to Volk. So the best he could do was try and mitigate the damage this decision could cause. And since they were keeping her alive, maybe have a nice chat with her right before she was given to the Imperator.

This turned a nearly perfect mission into one still up in the air. At least it had gone well so far.

Now it just had to stay that way.

---

Situation Room, the Praesidium – Classified Location

2/5/2017 – 10:51 P.M.

"Attacked?"

"We've lost all contact with them, and ADVENT forces on the scene confirmed it was the same one Agent Gertrude was a part of," Zhang informed tightly. "Everyone there is dead, anything left was likely stripped, all enemy corpses are gone."

"And Agent Gertrude?"

"Gone. No body or indication she is alive or dead."

"If she was wearing her armor, they would have wanted it," Creed recalled, pursing his lips. "Unfortunately I don't think they'd be able to get it off. So they probably took her body back to wherever their base is."

"Get the Chronicler up here right now," the Commander said without turning to look at Jackson. "If Nebulan is brazen enough to attack us this directly, we will respond in kind."

"The operation was a mistake," Zhang muttered, shaking his head. "I did not expect such a brazen attack. Not yet. Otherwise I would have given her a dedicated force…" he trailed off. "This is my fault, Commander. An ill-conceived plan against Nebulan."

"We pay the price for underestimating Ethereals," the Commander said, sighing. "What we do now is fix this, Director. And if Agent Gertrude is alive, you apologize to her yourself. Keep in contact with ADVENT and I want you working with them to find out where the aliens are hiding."

"Forensics teams are going over the wreckage and bodies now," Zhang nodded. "Causes appear to be varied. Nanoweaponry, plasma, and even physical projectiles are reported used. Explosives too, judging from the wreckage."

"Even Lancers are going to lose to the Phantom Division every time if they aren't prepared," Creed said, leaning on the holotable and looking on the blank map. "Combine that with Nebulan's support, and controlling the ambush point, and they never had a chance. You need an XCOM and PRIEST joint force just for Nebulan, let alone when she's supported by the Phantom Division."

"Which will be provided if we find her," the Commander said, face set in stone as he considered what would happen next. "The conflict is reigniting. They are moving towards their next major attack. The operations in Canada are damaging them, and so they are responding in kind. It will continue to escalate."

"They lost a Sargon, we lost an Intelligence agent," Jackson noted quietly. "Objectively…there are worse trades."

"Objectively, yes," the Commander sighed. "But Abigail has been with XCOM since the beginning…if she dies…"

"Then all of the original XCOM soldiers will have died in this war," Creed finished somberly. "Patricia had mentioned how she was 'almost the last'. But she isn't dead yet. I don't believe that. Either of them."

"Patricia is on the Temple Ship with the Imperator," the Commander reminded him. "If she's still alive, it means she is bait or has some other role in his plan. Or worse, being experimented on. I don't know why they would keep Abby alive either…the Manchurian Restraints prevent her from cooperating, and I suspect she doesn't know more than what the aliens know already."

"The suit," Creed reminded him.

"Which also doesn't make sense," he scowled. "They would have to guess it has a tracker in it, even if it doesn't, the risk is extremely high. Taking it doesn't seem right, even if they want to get their hands on Sovereign tech. Not to mention they won't get much out of it. It's bonded to Abby somehow, and it might even destroy itself if forcibly removed."

"Technology from an unknown Sovereign is valuable," Jackson suggested, pacing around the table. "They have to suspect that one exists at this point. That might be worth risking being tracked down. Although they might reconsider if they knew Abby wasn't actually an agent of T'Leth."

The barrier to the Situation Room dissipated as the Chronicler stormed inside, eyes blazing with intensity. "Agent Gertrude has been taken?"

"Or killed, we don't know," the Commander answered, restarting the holomap. "They were ambushed and everyone was killed. Her body is missing. All we know is that she was wearing her suit. It is possible the Collective wants it for study."

"While they won't learn anything, I would not want Abby to lose her life this way," the Chronicler answered, pulling out his phone and quickly tapping on it. "T'Leth builds safeguards into everything he designs – you've seen how this works since you took scans of her suit. It will self-destruct upon the death of the operator and attack anyone who tried to wear or use it. They will learn very little, even with their best technology."

"When you say 'self-destruct'…"

"The suit will cannibalize whoever is inside," the Chronicler answered, not looking up. "And break the suit apart into tiny particles. Reconstruction is impossible."

"So it's possible that Abby could have just been killed then," the Commander said.

"Possible, though unlikely," the Chronicler said. "Otherwise T'Leth would have been notified. All of the suits and weapons have trackers that are undetectable by modern scanners which monitor user vitals and location. Losing a weapon is not a major development. Losing armor is because it means the suit – and user – are almost certainly dead."

"And if nothing happens, you are not notified," Zhang confirmed. "So you would not have been able to detect if she was wounded or not."

"Yes, vitals only display life signs," the Chronicler said, frowning. "There is the possibility of a manual self-destruct, but I would prefer not to-damn it!"

"What?"

"Good news and bad news," the Chronicler said, face hardening. "Abby is alive and I have a very neat path to her latest location. The bad news is that her tracker just stopped transmitting ten minutes ago."

"She's dead?" Zhang asked.

"No, it stopped transmitting," the Chronicler corrected. "Which means-"

"She was transferred off-world, into Collective territory," the Commander finished. "We're too late."

"Except we have a direct location on Nebulan's base!" Creed interrupted. "If it has a Gateway, it has to be important, especially in South America."

"Let me see the map," the Chronicler pushed forward, as he typed the coordinates on his map. "I'm inclined to agree with him. The Collective has almost no notable presence in the region. A Gateway would be a big piece of infrastructure for them. Ah, there we go."

"In the middle of nowhere," Jackson said, eying the location. "Interesting."

"I'm not writing off Abby yet," the Chronicler said, gazing intently down at the holotable. "The Collective will not learn anything, but she does not deserve to die through protecting T'Leth's secrets. If we know where she was sent, Fiona can take a team to break her out. Assuming such an attack is possible. But holding her in a Blacksite is manageable."

"And in the meantime we attack Nebulan," the Commander finished. "Regardless of Abby, that is a step we should take. She will not attack our soldiers without consequence. Jackson?"

"Already on it," she said, working furiously on her tablet. "Zhang, you forwarding all of this to ADVENT?"

"As we speak."

"Tell them to bring overwhelming force for our friendly neighborhood illusionist," Jackson had a lethal smile as she talked. "An army of MDUs and SHIVs will suffice. If they don't want to just missile strike the location."

"No. Only bomb it as a last resort," the Commander interrupted. "I want to recover as much intel from that place as possible. We can always destroy it later. And I know we can put together a strong enough force to kill Nebulan."

"Understood," Jackson nodded. "Teams are being put together now. Aegis?"

"Yes."

"If you would, Commander, I would like to send two people along on this operation," the Chronicler said. "Both with a stake in the outcome."

"Who?" The Commander asked. "Fiona?"

"Crevan Machas," the Chronicler answered. "The finest artisan of T'Leth, and a designer of his technology. A powerful man in this own right as well. He was Fiona's mentor. He has an interest in ensuring that this technology stays out of the hands of individuals like the Imperator."

The Commander felt he could accommodate that. Knowing more about who was working with T'Leth was always welcome. "As long as he doesn't tamper with anything and doesn't deviate significantly from the plan, I'll allow it. And the second?"

"Lincoln Harper," the Chronicler said. "Led the Australian Resistance and worked with Abby in Australia. She helped save him once, and I suspect he would want to return the favor."

"Done." The Commander nodded.

"Commander?" Jackson interjected. "You said that you planned to kill Nebulan, not capture her?"

"If she surrenders, we will accept it," the Commander said calmly, turning to her. "But until that point, my orders are her execution. Is that clear? And I want to talk to Vahlen."

"Yes, Commander." A pause. "What should I tell her?"

"That I want to do a field test."

---

Mess Hall, the Praesidium – Classified Location

2/5/2017 – 11:35 P.M.

It was just as well that his sleep schedule was all messed up, because then Oliver wouldn't have found himself in such an interesting situation. He was now enjoying a decent meal with the Chronicler's…subordinate? Friend? Whatever she was, Fiona, and opposite her was the odd Zudjari, Axis.

The alien was especially interesting since the Zudjari were something that he'd never seen before a few weeks ago. The vertically slit mouths were an interesting feature of the species, though it didn't really impair them from what he could tell. Made sense. What was more interesting was that Axis had a very particular way of eating his food, or at least, arranging it.

Instead of picking one dish of each type from the limited amount of options, his entire plate this time consisted of small portions of vegetables. The only way this made sense was that he was experimenting with different types of food to see which one he liked best. After the incident with the chocolate and Vitakara, Oliver suspected that ADVENT was making sure aliens could actually eat their food before giving it to them.

He still wasn't quite sure what to make of Fiona. She was fit, but didn't have the physique of a soldier. She carried a sword of all things (although that was less strange when there were Templars around), could teleport, but also had white hair (probably dyed) and no gene modding that he could see. Or at least she had shared.

Oliver would have also been confused as to why Axis had made a point to sit by her, since the few other times they had interacted he had sat alone, but when Fiona explained that they had met before, and she was the reason he was here today, it made more sense. "So," he said. "What's your story? Must be a pretty interesting one for you to end up with the Chronicler."

Fiona stopped chewing her food, looking at him thoughtfully. "Probably less interesting than you think, honestly."

"Well, I've got time," Oliver said. "And if you want my uninteresting life story, I can return the favor."

"Do not ask for my life story, Human." Axis added, not looking over.

"Private person or is that a Zudjari thing?"

Axis silently ignored him. Fiona snorted. "Well, for starters I was adopted. Didn't really know my real parents, or had a desire to investigate much. But had a pretty normal childhood outside of that. My mother was a teacher and my father a fencer."

"Explains the sword then," Oliver noted.

"Yes, I loved watching him," she said, her voice turning slightly distant. "Almost like a dance at times. Never thought I would actually need to use it, or would want to. Not in a world with guns and psionics."

"Times change," Oliver grunted. "And they change fast."

"Anyway, I eventually moved away and through a series of very unfortunate events and bad decision making, ended up in a street gang, made some enemies of some killers, and spent a couple years on the run." She took a long drink of her water. "Met someone who helped me, figured out my abilities, and offered to help and train me. Took him up on it, since I had nowhere else to go. And so I became part of the Chronicler's little army."

Yep, there was definitely a lot she was leaving out, although Oliver didn't exactly blame her. Telling a stranger the bad decisions you made when you were younger was not really fun, and it was understandable she'd keep tight-lipped about it. It was interesting how it seemed anyone could end up in this if circumstances favored them, or they just got lucky – or unlucky depending on how you viewed it.

"Did your parents know?" He asked.

"They knew I was having some troubles," Fiona shrugged. "But they know I'm fine now, although I definitely didn't tell them the truth. I've still got some people who want to kill me, and since they know who my family is…well, a problem I just want to avoid."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "You never dealt with them?"

She snorted. "Ha. No, I wish I had at times, but honestly they aren't important and it would distract me at this point. If they ever come across me, I'll happily kill them. But the Chronicler doesn't want me wasting my skills on petty criminals. Best to let them stew in their impatience to try and find me…although by now I'm sure they've moved on too. We've both got better things to do now."

"That we do," Oliver agreed. "Although given how ADVENT operates, I'd bet they become a victim of this war by proxy. They don't like those kind of people from what I've seen."

Fiona smirked and pointed her fork at him. "Now that would be funny. Axis, is everything alright?"

Oliver saw that the Zudjari had spat out a half-eaten carrot and was staring at it in what appeared to be pure and unfettered disgust. "I cannot understand how you Humans tolerate this…thing. I do not know why I keep trying it."

"You've…tried it before?" Oliver inquired.

"I try it every time I acquire a plate of your Human vegetables," Axis said. "It is healthy to continually challenge and reevaluate our tastes and perspectives. I question the validity of this when eating these sticks of orange rot."

"Well, you could just…not eat them then?" Fiona suggested casually. "We all have different preferences."

"No, because one of these times I may understand why carrots are good," Axis insisted. "And if I stop eating them, then I will be less convinced that they are actually terrible."

"Uh huh," Oliver was tempted to laugh at the seriousness the Zudjari was displaying. "So intentionally doing things you don't like is a Zudjari thing?"

"Within reason." The alien began eating broccoli, which he seemed to like just fine. "If it is something other people enjoy and consume, there must be a reason for it, and an effort should be made to understand why people reach this perspective. If one does not continually reinforce their own opinions based on experience, why does their word on the subject have value?"

"I mean," Fiona paused. "I guess on certain things, that's admirable. But food? Not really important."

"You are not an Axis," he said as an answer. "You do not possess the mindset for one."

"And I'm perfectly happy with that," she said, smiling. "Well, that's interesting. I'd always wondered how you chose your meals."

Oliver's wristband began buzzing. He looked down at it in disbelief. "Mobilization," he said slowly. "I'm being deployed."

Fiona turned instantly serious. "What? An attack?"

"Don't know," he said, getting up. "But we're being deployed. You might want to talk to the Chronicler. The war may have just started again."

---

Unknown Location

Unknown Time

Abby actually couldn't recall ever waking up in her armor, but there was a first time for everything.

She soon realized she couldn't move.

The arm the man had shot wasn't responding at all, and she could barely move her fingers. Her leg was similarly numb, although she noted that they must have at least repaired it somehow. Nanotech? She couldn't think of another way they could have gotten under the armor without getting hurt or damaged.

But she was definitely restrained. There were metal restraints around all of her joints, as well as around her neck and torso. Even with the strength the suit gave her, it wasn't much help if she couldn't move at all. At least she wasn't hanging suspended in the air, even if she felt like she was tied up against a wall.

The room she was in was a big square with bright white light illuminating it. There was nothing else in the room that she could see, aside from the small chair opposite her near the middle of the room, and a stranger sitting down on it.

He was wearing the same kind of uniform as the man who'd shot her, and the mask hanging from his belt confirmed it. He definitely wasn't that old, and his beard was full and brown. His unkempt and fair long hair fell close to his shoulders, and was propped up by a dark green headband of all things around his forehead.

Abby also spotted the rifle which was propped up in the far corner, and the pistol also hanging from his waist. He held something in his hand, which she couldn't see, and sat with one leg swung over the other. Waiting for her to wake up. She didn't feel the need to encourage him, and the helmet at least made sure he couldn't see her face.

She stayed like that for a few minutes. The man finally sighed. "You can drop the act, Agent. We have sensors. Maybe not the right stuff to break you out of that suit, but I do know if you're conscious or not."

"I'm surprised I'm still alive," she said, not really feeling up to maintaining the ruse – especially since he seemed like he wanted to talk to her. She would have to be careful, but she was curious about these Humans who were working with the Collective.

"You can thank Asaru for that," the man jerked a thumb towards the exit of the room. "If it were up to me, I would have killed you. A big security risk, but you're apparently worth it. One reason why I'm here. Why exactly are the Ethereals so interested in that armor you wear?"

"Asaru?"

"An Ethereal," the man said. "One I've been working with."

"Ah, Nebulan."

"Is that her name," the man allowed a laugh. "No wonder she sticks with Asaru. Assuming that's her name at all. She strikes me as the kind to never share her real self with anyone."

"Who are you?" Abby demanded. "I don't recognize you from anywhere."

"It would be really odd if you did," the man said. "Since you're going to die soon anyway, you deserve something. Konstantine Volikov. Or just Volk. Freelance mercenary or assassin, depending on your definition. Killed a lot of bad people over the years. Killed a lot of people associated with them too, who may not have been as bad."

"How noble," Abby said flatly. "One of the good assassins then? Now working against your own species?"

Volk smiled and raised a finger. "'Good' is somewhat subjective, don't you think? But in the context of my line of work, I can safely say I was a lot more ethical than certain members of ADVENT. I didn't take big contracts or do it for the money. People were suffering in some form? They got word to me and I took care of their problems."

"And now you fight against us."

"This may surprise you, agent," he shrugged. "But not everyone thinks ADVENT is the best direction for our species. Call me a believer in classic democracy, but ADVENT is a bit too authoritarian for my tastes. They're not the first of their kind, just look at history for that, but I can safely say that they're the most competent – which to me, is very dangerous."

Abby let out a sharp laugh. "Do you honestly believe that the aliens are going to be better?"

Volk uncrossed his leg, and leaned forward. "Better? Absolutely not."

"What?"

"I'm not an idiot," Volk seemed to find her surprise amusing. "The Ethereal Collective is no better than ADVENT, and as much as Asaru likes to blame a lot of it on 'propaganda' I'm not the idiot assassin she sometimes thinks I am. I don't believe the Collective is worse, as they both commit atrocities – such as the experimentation on captives, invasion of planets or countries who oppose them, and so on."

"But you still side with them over your own species."

"I do," he nodded. "Because the alternative is a future dominated by ADVENT – and unlike the previous incarnations of that kind of government, they will not fall to violent revolution or peaceful change over decades. The systems are not designed for that. They are designed to keep people loyal to ADVENT, approving of their constant watch. Their representatives 'elected' are chosen by the government, and any form of dissent and protest against anything they disagree with is met with swift and sudden justice."

He paused. "It's unfortunate. I do admire ADVENT's competency, and some of their measures I do agree with. But the system will be abused far more than it already has been if it is allowed to win. I give Saudia and the Commander credit for putting it together. They learned, and if they win, it will be deserved. But I'm not going to let that happen without a fight."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Abby would have shook her head. "ADVENT was designed so that it couldn't be abused."

"Every single system invented can be broken and manipulated," Volk countered. "ADVENT is no exception. I've done my research, which is helpfully public – Election Oversight has direct authority over who can and cannot run. Which is run by appointees from the Executive Branch. The Congress passes laws and legislation hidden from the public. I would say you probably know more than me what kind of extensive authority ADVENT Intelligence has over surveillance," he waved a hand. "Granted, it's not like that's actually new. But at least there was at least an illusion that governments respected privacy. They don't even bother with that anymore."

"And what illusion are you under that the aliens will be any less controlling and more benevolent?" Abby shot back. "Do you really believe they will suffer rebellion or any kind of insubordination? Are you that naïve? The Ethereals don't care about us, or the little people. They see themselves as better. Superior. ADVENT does what they feel is best for Humanity. I've spoken to one of them who says this! You can disagree with that, but I can guarantee that they believe every action they take is for the best interests of our species."

Volk stood up, appraising her. "I am aware of Ethereal and alien superiority. Will the aliens be benevolent or controlling? I can't say, but I can look to the other species. The Sectoids have autonomy. The Andromedons do as well. The Vitakara are under the Zararch in their police state – similar to ADVENT now that I think about it – but their circumstances are brought on through Ethereal manipulation and their innate pacifism. Humans are a little more likely to strike back, if you haven't noticed."

His lip twitched. "I've been promised certain things for the future governance of Humanity. Acceptable compromises for autonomy. Do I expect the aliens to follow through? Not completely. If they turn out to be just as bad as ADVENT, then I will happily wage the same war I am now."

"Alright then," Abby growled. "So why not do that now?"

"If I have the choice between a government established by Ethereals, or by ADVENT, I will take the Ethereals," Volk explained. "ADVENT is too smart and competent for its own good. I don't think I can win against it on my own. But the Ethereals? Too self-absorbed in their own importance, too focused on other things to be bothered to worry about their collective species. I've talked with enough aliens and read enough reports to know the Ethereals are simply not interested in managing a multi-species government, and rely on others to keep them in line. The Hive Commanders. Andromedon Federation. Zararch. No Ethereals."

He looked down at the symbol on the chest of her armor. "In some way, Agent Gertrude, we both want the same thing. I would prefer our species not to be under an authoritative and controlling power, and for us to expand and grow our own influence. But our visions for Humanity differ too drastically. You believe ADVENT is the future and fight towards it. I abhor this future and will take on whatever means I can to change it – and make something better."

He waved a hand aimlessly. "Will I succeed? Maybe, maybe not? I could still die, or Asaru could go back on her word and control my mind. But she's seen it, and still done nothing. Perhaps she underestimates a mere Human, perhaps she does not fear because she is genuine. I can't be neutral in this war, Agent, and you agree. Everyone must pick a side to support. I have chosen mine." He gave a thin smile. "And ironically, for likely the same reasons as you have chosen yours."

Abby let the silence hang for a minute. "Why are you telling me this at all?"

"Because I want to know what's so special about that armor," Volk nodded to her. "Asaru made a massive risk bringing you back without understanding it. Which means she knows something, and I want to know why." He pursed his lips. "You deserve to know why a Human is, in your eyes, joining the wrong side. So I've told you, because you are going to die, Agent, one way or another. But if you care about the future, I need to know if there is something else to be aware."

Abby had an idea of what they wanted, and she realized that they were going to be very disappointed. She allowed a laugh. "You caught the wrong person. You, or the Ethereals, aren't going to be able to get anything out of me because I don't know it. But there is something else out there. Something even the Ethereals fear." She smiled under her helmet. "But they won't tell you that."

Volk appraised her for a minute, then nodded. "Thank you, Agent. I have what I wanted."

"Tell Nebulan I'm sorry she wasted her time," Abby said. "And that XCOM is coming for her now."

"I didn't come because Asaru asked me," Volk said, turning away and picked up his chair. "I'm here on my own. She's busy preparing to move you. I don't know where, but you will be off Earth very soon. Within an hour at most. I wish you good luck."

"Much appreciated," Abby said dryly. "XCOM will be coming after you now too, and they will kill you."

He just smiled, showing bright teeth. "I suppose we'll see, Agent. I hope they put up as good a fight as you did." Volk stepped out of the room before she could retort to his final words, and the hum of the room she was in became the dominant sound. The minutes ticked by, or maybe it was seconds. Time didn't matter here.

There was a function in her HUD which had flashed ever since she had woken up, but she refrained from thinking about it too much.

Not yet. Just wait a little longer and see what happens.

XCOM would come. She could only hope she was still around when it happened.

---

Throne Room of the Imperator – Temple Ship of the Ethereal Collective

2/6/2017 – 12:15 A.M.

It was the first time Imperator had asked to speak to her in the middle of the night. A brief telepathic communication was all that was needed for her to be woken up and be fully awake. Mildly annoying, but she knew he wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't something important.

As it turned out, it was.

"There has been a development." The Imperator sat on the throne overlooking the empty room. The hologram projectors were on, though not showing anything. Waiting for the appropriate moment, she supposed.

"What kind of development?" She asked.

"Nebulan's actions in South America have come under ADVENT and XCOM investigation," the Imperator said, with the hologram of South America helpfully appearing. "A team was formed to investigate, led by your former squadmate and now Intelligence agent Abigail Gertrude. Her team was primarily composed of these individuals."

Pictures of several other ADVENT personnel flashed up, none of which she recognized. "I'm aware of Abby's operation," Patricia recalled. "Zhang had mentioned he'd be sending her there. I was never able to be updated since I've been…here." She nodded to indicate the rest of the room. "What happened?"

"Nebulan ambushed their convoy and removed that threat to her operation," the Imperator said slowly. "Agent Gertrude is recovered and will be transported to the Forge, where it will then be transferred to the Temple Ship."

Patricia felt cold at that. This was definitely intentional. "Why?"

"Because I suspect she is affiliated with the Sovereign One, T'Leth, or aware of his operations," the Imperator said, and the hologram of an armored figure appeared. Patricia wouldn't have been able to make out the gender or identity, but she then remembered a very important thing she had previously forgotten.

"The armor," she recalled. "The Chronicler. She spent a long time with them. We didn't know what it was or how it worked. Sovereign tech was all we knew."

"She is potentially compromised," the Imperator said. "An agent of the Sovereign One."

"No, I don't think so," Patricia shook her head. "She even said that what the Chronicler said when he was…controlled…was disturbing. If she was an agent-"

"And why would she keep the armor?" The Imperator asked. "Why would T'Leth allow someone not under his direction to take advantage of the technology within it? You may not have known about it, but that does not change that she has likely been compromised. You cannot trust her."

"You want me to speak to her," Patricia said slowly. "Another test."

"I suspected you would object to interrogating her as a Sovereign Agent," the Imperator explained, shutting off the holograms. "But you are a person who could determine where her loyalty truly is. I have little interest in a lone XCOM agent. I only value the knowledge she has, and the armor she wears. Should those be provided to me, then I will allow her to be returned to XCOM."

"If I convince her to give it to me," Patricia finished. "She isn't going to trust me here, and I won't lie to her."

"Then don't."

"And if I can't convince her?"

"Then she will be turned over to Fectorian and the Voice to begin analysis," the Imperator said. "I have not ruled out a possible rescue attempt from T'Leth to preserve his secrets, but he would not risk penetration of a fortress watched by Mosrimor himself. You would likely not see her again, but this is the first opportunity to learn about this T'Leth and his capabilities. A sacrifice, but a justifiable one."

"And if I get her out of the suit, she will live," Patricia repeated. "No strings attached."

"I have not lied to you so far," the Imperator stated. "I will not lie now. I do not give you false hope for your friend. You understand the stakes. How you handle Abigail Gertrude is up to you, but understand she will likely reject you for what you have come to realize."

"I know."

This was going to be difficult to put it very lightly. How was she going to convince Abby, who she was certain was not a Sovereign Agent, that she needed to tell her everything about it, give over a priceless suit of armor to the Imperator, and trust it was the right thing to do? Not to mention she was going to think Patricia was compromised and under the Imperator's sway, even if that wasn't true.

Was Abby really going to accept a seemingly-empty platitude of "This is not as simple as it looks"?

Patricia had been able to do that, even if it had not been what she would call a fun experience. Not always pleasant to learn that the sides of the conflict you were in were not so clear cut. But Abby? She would call what the Imperator said lies, and say he was using her. It was frustrating because even if she told the truth, there was a very high possibility that it wouldn't be enough.

Abby wasn't a telepath who could verify if one was telling the truth or not. All she had to go on was trust and experience. Patricia really hoped that would be enough to make her at least listen. But if Abby was wearing that armor, she had a sinking feeling that XCOM itself was too far gone. Too influenced by a Sovereign One.

She hoped not. She hoped Abby would say otherwise. If she knew about what was recently going on at base at all.

"I will inform you when she arrives," the Imperator said. "Think on how you will convince her."

Patricia walked away, pondering how to do exactly that.

---

Skyranger, En route to Mission Site

2/6/2017 – 12:07 A.M.

Oliver really, really wanted to have been at the meeting when XCOM had decided to make…certain decisions. Decisions which, while certainly…unique, were utterly bizarre when viewed from any kind of reasonable standpoint. Of course, with XCOM, nothing was ever normal and by now he should have realized that.

But he imagined that this particular conversation had gone along the lines of the following.

"Everyone, we need a new weapon," the Commander said. "Something that the aliens won't ever expect. Something that no one would even think of as a good idea."

Shen made an awkward cough. "Perhaps that would be because it wasn't a good idea?"

"Quiet," all of them said in unison.

"I've got one!" Zhang said ecstatically. "We make our suits of armor shoot nanites and can reproduce themselves! Nothing wrong could possibly happen!"

"Good, good," the Commander said, but shook his head. "But too standard; too predictable. Next!"

"My turn!" Jackson said. "We make an AI that's much better than anything they have! Nothing wrong can ever happen when making a machine smarter and faster than us!"

"Almost, almost," the Commander muttered. "But we need to think outside the box, people!"

"I've got it!" Vahlen suddenly shouted. "We make an army of giant killer octopi and use them against the aliens!"

The room burst into applause with some of the Internal Council randomly shouting out "Brilliant!" as they toasted to this completely normal and sound idea and immediately drew up plans to make it reality, as well as the other, more mundane ideas.

And that was how XCOM ended up with giant killer octopi.

Giant killer octopi that made the happiest little trilling noise whenever they poked their heads out of the little aquarium that it rested in. It was downright creepy how there were different tones to its trilling, and it varied depending on the person in question. The Shoggoth seemed to like him…or so he hoped.

The Handler for the Shoggoth, Sylvia Allais, had not exactly made him feel better by telling all of them that "The Shoggoths are really, really smart. Don't worry, they like Humans and would never hurt any of you." It had taken every bit of willpower not to pull away when the black tentacle reached out and touched his skin, before being withdrawn back into its tank.

But not before it made the happy trilling noise.

Of course, Geist was fascinated by the creature, and hadn't taken his eyes off the creature since they'd taken off, not even putting his helmet on. For all Oliver knew, he was trying to probe its mind. Zara Venator just coughed. "I hope these creatures live up to the hype. No offense, little Cthulhu."

The Shoggoth trilled. Zara stiffened. "Please tell me that was a coincidence."

"It has eyes all around its body," Sylvia explained happily; the young woman seemed ecstatic to be here, which was an interesting change. "They're smart, like I said. He probably knows that he's the center of attention and wants to make everyone happy."

"So," Analyn Roxas coughed. "You, ah, been doing this long?"

"XCOM brought me on because I did work with military dogs," Sylvia said, letting the Shoggoth wrap its tentacle around her unarmored hand. "They wanted someone to do the same thing with Shoggoths. Granted it's not quite the same thing, but they're smart and easily trainable, and adorable in their own way."

Oliver looked at the massive black tentacled creature. "Adorable."

"Oh, yes!" Sylvia nodded. "You should have seen when I gave it a Rubik's cube. It only took a few days for it to be solved."

"What," Zara said flatly. "Are you making that up?"

"Well, maybe embellishing it a bit," Sylvia hesitated. "It's not quite a full Rubik's cube. But it is a cube where the sides can be manipulated. But we're working towards helping them understand how to solve a full Rubik's cube. Just need to build one that's their size. The little ones we have just aren't good enough."

"A fascinating creature," Geist finally said, still not taking his eyes off of it. "Their minds are near-impossible to penetrate."

Oliver shot the psion a look. If Geist of all people was unable to take control of it, then that was certainly an interesting piece of information. "Really?"

"He is correct," Crevan Machas said, speaking for the second time. "It has been designed while preserving the distributed intelligence of the octopi. Nearly impossible for any traditionally trained psion to control. A perfect weapon against Ethereals."

Out of all of them, Crevan was the one who stood out from the group. The first thing Oliver had noted when the Chronicler had introduced him was that he was freakishly tall, standing well over six feet. His first instinct was "Genetic modification" but he had nothing to back it up. His blue-green eyes also added to this, which while it probably wasn't an unheard of color, it had to have been rare.

The only indication of his age was the greying hair which was kept neatly back and wasn't overly long. The demeanor of the man was…restrained at best; almost standoffish. Crevan had not spoken much, aside from a few polite acknowledgements. He was almost certainly a psion, though what kind or how powerful was up for debate.

If he was with the Chronicler, he supposed very powerful indeed.

Which then made him wonder, as Crevan didn't wear the stony armor that other soldiers of the Chronicler had, but instead an odd mix of armor and cloth, with the chest, legs and arms having silver engraved armor on the limbs, while a teal blue cloth ran underneath it all. He'd also seen it have a hood on the back, though Crevan was not wearing it now. The last odd note was he wore fingerless gloves that went up to the first joint.

He was an odd one, and Oliver was curious to see what he was capable of.

He definitely did not seem to like the Shoggoth though.

"Alright, enough playing around with the little hellspawn," Zara stood up. "You've all been partially briefed on what's going on, so I'll just go over it again. We're headed to where we believe Nebulan has a base of operations; we are expecting heavy resistance and Nebulan herself. That means telepathic attacks possibly from within the skyranger. Psions will be protecting everyone as best they can, and we also have Aegis and several soldiers of the Chronicler to help with that."

"Phantom Division?" Geist asked.

"Highly likely," Zara confirmed. "And since she knows she's taking a risk, there is a possibility there are more enemies we haven't accounted for. The odds are stacked in our favor, but do not get cocky or overconfident. We're fighting an Ethereal, and that's never taken lightly. We have three objectives in this mission: Find and recover Agent Gertrude, recover anything of value from the base, and kill Nebulan. Understood?"

"Yes, Overseer!"

"We're going to be using the Shoggoths to assault the base itself," Zara said, nodding to Sylvia. "If what you've told me is accurate, they can clear the base from within. Archangel Taira will telekinetically drop them off. They'll be able to fend for themselves I hope."

"Definitely," Sylvia confirmed.

"Shouldn't we keep one in case Nebulan shows up?" Analyn asked.

"Nebulan doesn't fight on the front lines," Zara shook her head. "She might not be in the base, but she will never show her true self on the battlefield, or put herself in unneeded danger."

"What are the chances she'd just flee?" Viktor Midthun asked.

"She might have already," Zara admitted. "We don't know. But if this is her main base of operations, she probably doesn't want to let it go without a fight. The chances she will flee will likely depend on how we do. One reason we're dropping the Shoggoths at the base. She will attempt to flee through a Gateway in all likelihood, and her psionics will be useless on them. Not to mention they specifically love to hunt down Ethereals."

Oliver was very glad he didn't have to worry about giant killer octopi coming after him.

"The frontal assault will consist of the rest of us," Zara continued. "Archangels Taira and Hammarström will provide air cover. Aegis, Harper, and Machas will provide anti-Ethereal support as needed, as well as assisting in crushing their defenses. All goes well, this will be a short fight. But I wouldn't count on it."

"What about ADVENT?" Sylvia asked.

"They are also en route," Zara confirmed. "Latest numbers were twelve teams of soldiers, around fifty, ten from PRIEST, a dozen MDUs, and a mixed team of Lancers, Hussars, and Dragoons numbering twenty. They'll be arriving no later than fifteen minutes after us. They will assist in flanking maneuvers by attacking from the angles we are not. The base will be surrounded, and we will eventually capture it."

"Squad Overseer Venator, this is Big Sky," Jason informed over the comms. "We are approaching the landing zone. Please prepare for landing, there don't seem to be any AA defenses, but I'm preparing for any evasive maneuvers. Landing is estimated to be two minutes."

The lights flashed to red.

It was about to begin.

---

Unknown Location – Argentina

2/5/2017 – 10:40 P.M.

The battle was clearly not going to be over anytime soon, or at the very minimum, Asaru was preparing for the worst possible scenario. From the moment they'd returned she'd immediately left to…well, presumably contact someone of a higher rank than her, while Joreal began instructing the Phantom Division to prepare all defenses for battle.

For his part, he'd instructed Elena do the same, as well as begin backup and purging procedures for all their data. Unfortunately, there was a significant amount and Elena had apparently had an argument with one of the aliens on actually letting it happen. She'd finally gotten through, after Volk had intervened, but only now was the procedure starting.

Collective systems really did have the most ineffective purging protocols possible. Copying everything was going to make everything take twice as long, but he couldn't fully blame Asaru for not wanting to lose everything in case it turned out to be a false alarm. That being said, since she alone had put herself in this situation, he wasn't feeling too bad for her.

What Agent Gertrude had said was…interesting.

He would have to inquire about it later.

Although that topic was fading from his mind when reinforcements began arriving from the Gateway. Out from the purple whirlpool had walked out nearly forty of what he could only describe as metal soldiers. Custodians were what they were called, and without wasting any time they had coopted the communication systems and established a direct connection to something called a Battlefield CODEX.

He hadn't personally interacted with the metal soldiers, but they had not bothered communicating with him either, though they didn't have any issues instructing Phantom Division soldiers where to go and give orders on what was needed. Asaru was occupied, so they were following the instruction of the Custodians.

It was slightly unnerving to see.

Out had also walked four aliens he'd never seen before. They appeared to be Mutons, but were taller than even the Elites in thick black armor. Praetorians, Joreal had called them in awe. "They've never left the Temple Ship before,"he'd said. "The Imperator must really be expecting something to happen and this Human is very important."

At least Agent Gertrude was off-planet. Or at least Volk didn't know where she was going. He expected that she was being transported to the most secure location in the Collective, or perhaps being moved to multiple locations to reduce the chances of XCOM managing to track her down. But since the Collective was still sending reinforcements, it appeared that there wasn't just the chance of a fight, there was going to be an attack.

All for a suit of armor.

And now, even Asaru was seeming to become…concerned with the kind of reinforcements she was receiving. A half-dozen Spectres had just walked through the Gateway, and had immediately been appraised by the Custodians and followed unspoken commands. Perhaps they were also connecting to this Battlefield CODEX?

The Spectres were something that was as close to a WMD as he had ever seen. And from what had been demonstrated, it took another WMD to kill one. It was beginning to look less like this was preparing for a fight as it was a massive field test of sorts. It would line up with what Gertrude had said.

Something the Ethereals would fear. If such powers were after them…then this was one of the best ways to gauge your own strength against them, especially if they were expected to respond in force. This wasn't just a Phantom Division concern any longer, it appeared to be on the behest of the Imperator himself.

Volk felt like all of them were in much deeper than they had realized. Even Asaru seemed to be recognizing this, especially now that their latest guest had graced them with her presence.

"I did not request any assistance from Isomnum," Asaru was saying, her Vitakarian form sounding irritated. "Take yourself and your minions away. I have enough soldiers here to kill ten XCOM squads."

Her name was Sonoda Ikuko, and where she had come from Volk had zero idea. All he knew was that she was supposedly Human, and was a representative of Isomnum. She was flanked by two Sectoids who were encased in some black armor which seemed to have actually infused itself into their bodies. They stood straight and tall – Vanguards for sure, and clearly cybernetically augmented.

But they felt wrong. There was something around them, and the pressure on his mind made him think that Asaru was protecting him from something. Ikuko in contrast was wearing what looked to be a completely standard lab coat, with several surgical tools and vials strapped to her waist and diagonally across her chest. She was definitely a middle-aged Asian woman, with her black hair slowly greying but put up very neatly into a bun.

And she was not intimidated by the apparition before her. "No," she said softly, her voice with a malevolent echo to it. "I was sent at the behest of the Dread Lord himself. Only he can command me. I will assist in your defenses, and I can assure you that…well." She moved her stone-grey eyes to look directly at Volk and smiled. "You want me on your side. Your own people are insufficient."

The woman smiled wider. "And you should prepare for one more. The Voice has been informed, and she will send one of her puppets to ensure that the Sovereign who dares interfere with us will be dealt with. This is by direct order of the Imperator. Do I make myself clear?"

"The Imperator would have informed me about this first," Asaru growled. "You echo Isomnum's insolence in speaking to your superiors."

"Go and hide, Nebulan," Sonoda said with a smile. "Hide as you always do when confronted with challenge. Go complain to the Imperator. Forego this pointless debate, I have work to accomplish." She gestured as the two Sectoids marched away, and Asaru's body vanished, though not before shaking her head at the woman.

Volk now felt very uncomfortable, being in the same room alone with her. She didn't seem to have some kind of psionic aura around her, but anyone who worked with Isomnum was not someone he wanted to be around alone. "And who are you?" She finally inquired, slowly walking over to him. He rested his hand on his pistol, not even pretending to be subtle. "Her latest interest? You aren't a terrible specimen, I must say."

Volk just coughed awkwardly. "Ah, no. Not anything close to that. I just work with her."

"How unfortunate, but unsurprising," Sonoda just began walking, and Volk fell into step behind her. "An Ethereal trapped in the past. Stuck with her familiar comforts and cults. A weak and cowardly Ethereal, who hides and misdirects all she can to prevent her greatest weaknesses from being brought to light."

Volk snorted. "Don't look too deeply into it. All of them have their gimmicks. Hers is just being evasive and playing with illusions."

"If only it were so simple," Sonoda said wistfully. "Yet I do not need to convince you of her ill judgement at times. You fear she had made a mistake, and that everyone has become caught in something far larger than themselves. A conflict and goal which eclipses the galaxy itself. You are correct, Konstantine Volikov. And that enemy is coming now."

"Stop looking into my head," he growled, swallowing.

"Are you afraid of what I will find?" She inquired, glancing up at him. "You think that I care that you will turn on the Ethereals just as easily as you did your own kind if you don't get your way?" She waved a hand. "You are merely a Human. You do not concern anyone that matters. Play in your delusions if you wish, Volk, I do not care overmuch."

"Then stop looking."

"I prefer to know people," she said dreamily, her voice tinged with wonder. "Their ambitions, lives, and terrors. Strengths and weaknesses. What best to know how to shape and guide them. You could be a powerful tool, Volk, more than you already are. But that will unfortunately not happen until you understand one essential truth about yourself."

He grunted. "Please, enlighten me."

"You are worth nothing," she said without pausing. "You want to be the hero of the story. The one who will guide all to your vision of the future. A champion of the forgotten and voiceless. But you are no hero, you are no grand character in this story. You are merely a weapon used by those who are your better. You are a stringless puppet going along the whims of your masters without knowing you are under their control. Your freedom; your influence are an illusion, for all know what one has to do to ensure your cooperation. Your…weakness. Elena."

The dread which had been building up in him crystalized into ice when she finished. "Do you want me to shoot you?"

"I want you to try."

He obliged and moved to reach his pistol…

And found he was frozen solid. He couldn't even move his head. Sonoda just turned around, facing him, eyes tinged with purple. "Pointless. I could have told you as much."

"Hell of a pep talk," he growled. "No wonder everyone hates you and your master."

She allowed a thin smile. "Most people hate to be told the truth. Consider yourself lucky that I gave you this privilege. Most are not told that their lives are utterly meaningless and pointless. They are content to rest in lies and comfort to never amount to anything. Few are worth having their eyes opened. You can be more, Volk, and that is the point I want to make. Purge yourself of your weakness and fears as I did, and you will have achieved something even many Ethereals do not realize."

He wanted to say something, but he also didn't want to speak to this woman any more than he had too. It was too unsettling and frightening to have her keep talking. He just wanted it to end and be freed. The purple light faded from her eyes, and she walked away, leaving him alone in the hallway.

"Useless doctrine. Incorrect timing and priorities." Volk almost jumped at the voice behind him, spinning around to see a new terror before him. The black-robed figure was just taller than he was, with its face hidden in a hood. The arms were cloaked inside the robe as well, and he didn't know if it was an Ethereal or some other alien.

The voice was strange; a mix of machine and a female. "Who are you?"

"I am the Voice of the Sovereign," it said. "And I am here to ensure that T'Leth is defeated." A single arm emerged, one that looked sleek and metallic, with the black metal seeming to shift and change as if pointed behind him. "Pay little heed to the words of Isomnum's pawn. There is conflict coming, and it is time to prepare. Go. See to it that it is done."

---

Nebulan Base Location - Argentina

2/6/2017 – 12:24 A.M.

"She is here," Aegis stated, as the soldiers stormed out of the skyrangers and into the line of trees surrounding the base. "Be cautious."

The Archangels were grounded and following them for now, while the Shoggoths were loose and following at the end, being eerily quiet as they moved along the ground. Zara, Viktoria, Harper and Crevan were in the front, with the other Chronicler agent wearing the stony armor as usual. Oliver did wonder how the Collective was going to react to…well, many things that were about to be shown today.

The MELD Operators not the least among them.

Zara had hopefully been preparing.

Aegis suddenly jumped into the air, and created a solid psionic barrier underneath him, a block in the sky where he could oversee the entirety of the base. Purple energy flared around him and he motioned up. Ahead of them purple barriers rose around the base, effectively trapping whoever was still inside.

"There are many psions," Geist muttered beside Oliver. "Powerful ones."

The base before them was large. There had been some kind of camouflaging technology on the perimeter, but once the Skyrangers had penetrated it, they had seen that, while it wasn't large enough for a large army, it was definitely a major base of operations for an Ethereal. Alloyed walls surrounded the internal bases, which were domed and curved as opposed to rectangular and angled. Several of them were interconnected.

They'd certainly built a lot in a fairly short time.

"Soldiers on the walls," Harper noted, and Oliver saw that soldiers were lining the rooftops; soldiers wearing black armor aiming down with still precision. Interspersed between them were other humanoid figures in hoods and masks, carrying more traditional weapons. Human collaborators?

"Custodians," Anastasia grunted, the psion clearly resisting the urge to let loose. "Damn it."

In the center of the wall was the entrance, covered by a shimmering multi-colored shield.

One that suddenly vanished.

"Move to cover!" Zara commanded, as all of them slid behind trees, the psions glowed with power, and Zara encased herself in a sheath of nanites, black armor rippling around her as she prepared to face whatever would come out. Crevan and Harper stood behind her, as the Archangels prepared to fly. The Shoggoths even flattened themselves on the ground, massive black blobs staining the forest floor.

"T'Leth." The voice came from a figure slowly walking through the entrance which re-engaged the shield as it walked through. It was a mix of robotic and female, but definitely unnatural. It almost reminded Oliver of the Overmind, if it was much smaller and had a black robe instead of orange. An Ethereal?

"You live."

Oliver noticed Harper's fists clench as the blue aura around him began to become visible. He wasn't quite sure of the extent of the abilities or purpose of the Chronicler's soldiers, but he was starting to get a better idea as Harper's layered voice began speaking. But it was not the words of the Human, but something else. "I am surprised you managed to crawl back from the brink after I decimated your…defenses. I thought you deceased, Mosrimor, but I should not be surprised you slink underground and live."

Harper motioned him away. "Leave this planet, Mosrimor. Leave this species. Take your puppets and go as far away as possible, or I will destroy you just as I did the last time – and will ensure your death forever."

"You do not make demands of me," Mosrimor, was it? For all Oliver knew, this other entity was speaking through the robed figure. "You have changed. I had thought you were above using species."

"I am not using them," Harper stepped forward. "We have come to an arrangement. One which begins with your destruction, and that of the Ethereal Collective."

"Lies," Mosrimor sneered, taking a step forward, inexplicably seeming to grow larger as the robes appeared to retract into the skin, revealing a slender Ethereal-like body. It was almost stick-figure in appearance, with shifting skin. Nanites. Was the entire creature made out of them too? "We do not make such with the lesser species. Even you know this."

Harper – or perhaps the entity, laughed. "Have you informed your Ethereals about this? I am certain they would find such opinions curious."

"Kill them." Mosrimor commanded, and the building tension dissolved into chaos.

Viktoria and Taira shot into the sky, the latter Telekine lifting the two Shoggoths with her as she flew towards the base and flung the creatures into it. They were on their own now. Viktoria unleashed a maelstrom of psionic power onto part of the wall, killing a section of the Custodians and Humans on it before being forced to move as plasma fire converged onto her position.

Oliver and most of the other soldiers began taking aim at the enemies on the walls, just as the barrier lowered and a dozen Custodians and Phantom Division soldiers marched out. The Mosrimor avatar motioned and an arm dissolved and reformed into multiple pillars that the Custodians and soldiers used as cover, while it reformed the arm within moments.

"Telepaths are attacking," Geist stated from behind a tree. "You're on your own for now."

Crevan had not moved, only did a short wave as he was surrounded by a transparent globe which dissipated any projectile which entered the vicinity. After a few seconds appraising the situation, he raised a hand, fingers parallel to the ground and purple-white lightning erupted from the fingertips that slammed directly into one of the Custodians behind a nanite pillar, which subsequently collapsed onto the ground, twitching.

Oliver blinked.

The hell?

Harper blasted the Mosrimor avatar with a stream of blue energy, which was absorbed when the nanites reformed into a shield. It also wasted little time in having a portion of itself break off and begin consuming the fallen Custodian. Zara was marching forward, her nanite armor absorbing the plasma fire with seeming ease, as she formulated her own defensive structure from nanites, shedding the armor as she planned her next move.

"Watch out for Phantom soldiers!" Sylvia called out. "They'll try and flank us!"

Branches were falling all around them and Oliver was quite certain a small fire was going to be started from the barrage of plasma fire coming towards them. "Ah!" Anastasia gasped as she moved back into full cover, a clear wound gaping from her elbow. The armor was already repairing itself and medical protocols were likely going into effect, but she was definitely hurt.

"Watch for snipers!" Oliver called, as he laid down some suppressive fire on the walls.

"Viktor, Oliver, Henry, Rosario move forward and lay down fire towards the entrance," Zara instructed, and Oliver noticed that the ground around a good portion of her position was bare and stripped of…anything. "Nira, target those Humans. Analyn, Matthew, stay to the back and watch for flankers."

Made sense that she would want the Medics in the back, but Zara wasn't done. "Everyone else target the walls. Anastasia, make a new opening when you can."

"Yes sir!"

Crevan and Harper were keeping the Mosrimor avatar at bay, with the occasional crack of purple lightning and blue energy streams. But the nanite puppet seemed to be adapting, as it was absorbing the lightning strikes and energy with hardened shields and soon psionic shields – so it was a psion. He really needed to ask Crevan later how it was possible to shoot lightning.

Zara had built up her fortification wide enough for all of them to kneel behind, and all they needed to do was charge to the opening. Well, here went nothing. They charged into the hail of white and green plasma, taking a significant amount of direct hits which the armor was thankfully able to repair without issue, but it had depleted a good part of his reserves.

"Grenades!" Viktor called, as Phantom soldiers threw small spheres at them.

Unfortunately there was no place to take evasive action. Oliver actually managed to shoot one, and instead released a black swarm of nanites which landed right on top of him and began eating through his armor. His suit nanites responded and Zara was immediately on him, placed a hand on his chest and adding her own help to destroy the other nanites.

She quickly adapted to first securing the remaining spheres in additional nanite cases, and kicking them far away. She was too slow for one, which began eating into Rosario's leg. He tried batting them off, but it only made some of the nanites get on his hand and start eating through it as well.

"Matthew, we need a medic here," Zara ordered as she helped purge the nanites from his body. "Now!"

"Copy!"

A psionic maelstrom materialized to the right side of the wall, growing in intensity as the Custodians on the top moved away. Mosrimor motioned and a psionic shield appeared around the area that was being ravaged. Crevan shot another bolt of lightning from his fingertips, but this time he sustained it, which was apparently intense enough that Mosrimor had to dedicate more concentration to the shield protecting him.

With no protection, the wall eventually was rent into enough pieces that there was a noticeable gap. More than enough for one or two soldiers to get through. Oliver managed to clip a Custodian as it spun out to shoot him, although it appeared that they had self-repairing armor as well. Those machines needed to be killed quickly if any lasting damage was to happen.

"Viktoria, Taira, report." Zara commanded in a clipped voice.

"They know what they're dealing with," Viktoria's voice was tight. "They've got Custodians at every single juncture possible and I'm pretty sure they're linked together. We can't stop evasive maneuvers until they die."

"ADVENT will be coming soon," Zara told them. "Pull back if needed and support them when they arrive. You got the Shoggoths in. Hopefully that'll take care of the telepaths inside."

"Copy, we'll work on that."

At least there was some good news. They weren't having to deal with Nebulan's illusions. Although, given that their own telepaths were essentially taken out of the fight in any meaningful capacity, it wasn't a trade without cost. But he felt they were making progress.

When ADVENT came, that was when the real show would start.

---

Unknown Location

Unknown Time

The room she was in was best described as a mix between a workshop and medical room. It was massive, tools were strewn out all along the tables, and there were machines that were attaching components and inserting cybernetics towards various aliens under some type of anesthetic. The black-armored Custodians stood throughout the room, at the entrance, and two before and behind her.

In the middle of the room, looking at a holographic recreation of the armor she was wearing, was Fectorian. He was largely as Aegis had described him. Half of him seemed to be machine, and even the upper set of limbs had ports and places to further augment his strength. The additional set of limbs and manipulators from his back was retracted as he considered the hologram before him.

He had taken scans through means she didn't know, but she did know that he wouldn't get anything important. No more than XCOM, anyway. In the meantime, she needed to think of how she was going to get out of this.

No…

She was afraid that it was over. That there was no way out of this. That this was the end for her. Either life as an unwilling test subject as the Collective tried to pry the armor off of her piece by piece, or she could trigger the self-destruct sequence in her armor. It would destroy the armor and prevent the Collective from ever using it.

But she would die as well.

Did she want to completely give up now?

No. Not yet.

Not until she knew it was truly over. She knew they couldn't control her. They could read her mind all they wanted, but they couldn't force her to comply. She couldn't comply even if she wanted to, especially if it was demanded by an alien. The Manchurian Restraints were harsh and unrelenting, but she was grateful for their rigidity in this case.

In theory, she knew that she could technically exit the suit on her own. She could subvert the Restraints in some way. But she would not do that, no matter what happened.

"I know you are awake, Agent Gertrude," Fectorian said, without turning to her. "There is little point in keeping silent."

"And what exactly would I have to say to you?" She asked dryly. "Both of us know I'm not going to cooperate with you."

Fectorian turned. "I care little for your cooperation or not. I'm merely curious about something."

"Shoot."

"The Sovereign One whose armor you bear," Fectorian said. "What do you know about him?"

If Abby could have shrugged, she would have. "Can't answer that. I don't even really know what a Sovereign One is. Other than it's old and powerful…and this one is interested in helping us." She gave a thin smile under her helmet. "I know I've said this before, but you captured the wrong woman. I can't give you what you want."

"T'Leth."

"What?"

"His name, the Sovereign, T'Leth," Fectorian said, shutting down the hologram and walking over to appraise her. "From what our own Sovereign has told us, he is a master of war. Weapons and armor like no other. And a loner – which makes his interest in your species curious."

Abby found it really ironic that she was learning about all of this in a situation where she was quite possibly trapped in with no escape. "Curious? Why? Thought you Ethereals knew everything."

"Consider it a professional curiosity," Fectorian explained. "A contrast of what little I know of these beings. They do not line up with what the Imperator has stated, either out of ignorance or agenda. I have had encounters with two Sovereigns, and have not been reassured. I want to know if your Sovereign is different."

"Again," Abby sighed. "You're asking the wrong person. And what would that change?"

"Because it would either confirm the Imperator's suspicions as to the nature of Sovereign Ones, or refute them," he answered. "I do not know how much you are aware of the Bringer, but I am concerned the Imperator's judgement is compromised. His handling of such leaves much to be desired. I need more information. I need more data. You serve as a key to this, despite not being directly connected, or so you claim."

"Please get to the point."

"I want to speak to T'Leth," Fectorian stated. "Or a true representative."

Abby blinked. "What?"

"Your species is an interesting challenge, and as the Battlemaster has instructed, I will provide him weapons to match ADVENT," Fectorian opened a hologram port on his palm which flashed through designs Abby had not seen. "But I dislike being lied to or treated as a mere engineer simply because I do not care for the politics and maneuvering of governments. The war both our sides are in is based on lies; lies which have only recently been revealed to me. All for an outcome and objective I am not convinced by."

"And what is that?"

"The death of a Sovereign One," Fectorian stated. "His ultimate goal. He is convinced that the Sovereigns must be eradicated for the good of the galaxy. Earth is a trial run to achieve this on his own. The Bringer will be turned into his instrument and weapon."

Abby snorted, then allowed a chuckle. "He really thinks it will be so simple? Even I see problems with this."

"And I call such judgment into question," Fectorian agreed with a nod. "But I am not Aegis. I will not abandon the Imperator on a hunch that he could be wrong. And I will not be the Battlemaster and continue to go along with the plan blindly. No, I will do something to determine the appropriate course of action. And you, Agent Gertrude, can assist me in this."

"Really," she waited. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I am the only way that you have a chance of living," he stated. "And more importantly, you could assist me in confirming that the Imperator is wrong. You know, and the Commander does as well, that you cannot win this war without help. Even if you have a Sovereign assisting you – we can call upon two. The Imperator can turn your world to cinders if he desired. So you need allies. Ethereal allies."

"And all you want is to talk to T'Leth," Abby said dubiously. "Really."

"It would be a start," Fectorian confirmed. "The Imperator overlooks me, and believes I do not care about the wider galaxy. To a certain extent this is true, but in this situation I cannot ignore it. You would almost think he forgets that I am the one who ensures his technological superiority. And that I am not a meek servant like Sana'Ligna."

"To be fair," Abby coughed. "I doubt Aegis would have-"

"He only knows me by reputation," Fectorian interrupted. "Few care to know me, and I prefer it that way. People are fallible, illogical, and unpredictable. Machines are straightforward and simple by comparison. What others think of me is irrelevant in this case, Agent Gertrude, do you wish to hear my proposal or not?"

Abby considered. If this was a large elaborate trick…it was a damn good one. And she hadn't agreed to anything yet. She could at least hear him out. "Fine."

"You will be given a choice," he said. "I am unsure as to where you will end up, but you will face Patricia-"

"What?"

"Ah, yes," Fectorian paused. "You would not know. She has been a guest for some time; she seems to have been convinced of the Imperator's plan and I suspect it is only a matter of time until she commits fully. She will attempt to convince you to take off your armor in exchange for your freedom."

"A guest?"

"Yes, yes," Fectorian seemed mildly annoyed that she was focusing on this. "And ironically appears to have his favor more than me."

Abby slumped in shock. Was that actually true? Patricia a traitor? She never thought something like that could actually happen…but she remembered what Aegis had said about the Imperator. People changed around him. They began to see his perspective and conformed to his ideals and values. Had Patricia succumbed to this? Was she lost forever?

She'd been concerned that Patricia was in a cell to be used as a test subject or as bait for something later.

But this was far worse.

"And what should I do?" Abby asked weakly. "I won't give them the armor."

"No, you won't," Fectorian agreed. "I suspect you would die before you allowed that, and your conditioning would prevent it as well. Does your armor have a self-destruct feature you can activate?"

This was perhaps a moment of truth. If…something happened…she looked to the top left of the screen where the prompt was. The blinks in sequence would be all that was needed. She just needed to decide if she should disclose that information to Fectorian.

Time to take a risk.

"Yes."

"Perfect. Once you hear Patricia attempt to convince you, activate it."

"What?" She asked. "I'll die."

"Correct, you will," Fectorian confirmed. "And deny the Imperator the armor and ensure that you are for all intents and purposes, dead."

"I follow that…" she shook her head. "But how does that help you?"

"Because before I send you to the next location in…" he paused briefly. "Two of your hours, I will need you to take off your helmet and take a full and complete scan of your brain and gather several tissue samples. I will use these to clone you and restore your mind, and you will be free to return to T'Leth without the suspicion of the Imperator, and I will be at least spoken to. As I suspect right now, they would consider any such approach a trap, and I have no way to do this without drawing suspicion."

Abby slumped her head down, thinking furiously. This was some elaborate scheme to cheat death for the possibility of maybe getting an Ethereal ally? One who might just decide to keep her as a conditioned slave like all of his other soldiers? Was it worth the risk? And if he was lying about all of this, even taking off the helmet could be dangerous and give him one piece of Sovereign technology.

"How do I know you'll even follow through?" She demanded. "This could all be a lie."

Fectorian just stared at her for a moment. "If you are so concerned that this is an elaborate scheme to remove your armor, the Imperator is expecting you as you are now. There is little stopping you from simply saying what we were talking about. The Imperator, the paranoid leader he is, would almost certainly attempt to read my mind to confirm one way or another. Or simply look through your own memories. We both stand to gain and lose here, Agent. You will need to trust me, yes, but consider what you could accomplish without this. You will simply die. Now you have a chance to gain an ally for your war."

"But I have no guarantee you'd even be on our side."

"Not until I speak to T'Leth, yes. But that is a risk you have to take."

Abby considered.

It all came down to if she could trust Fectorian…not as an individual, but trust that he was sincere in his plan. And from what she could tell…he was. And the more she looked at her situation, the more she knew that there was no way out. She would die in all likelihood, and all she would accomplish would be denying the Imperator some Sovereign armor.

And if Fectorian was lying…all he would get from her is a clone and a mind he could already penetrate.

"Fine," she said. "I'll help."

"Excellent," he pressed a button on his lower arm and the restraints retracted and she fell to the ground. As she stood, he was already walking over to a table. "You will need to be put under for this. We have limited time, so please remove your helmet." After some hesitation, she complied and set it on a nearby table.

"It will destroy itself if you touch it," she warned, going to lay down on the table. "Fair warning."

"I understand," he did glance over to it. "I will also need to erase your memories of this conversation. It would not do for Patricia or the Imperator to learn of this, now would it?" He nodded to a Custodian. "I have recorded this. When you are awakened in your new body, it will be played to you."

Abby didn't like it, but she knew that it was the logical step to take.

She sincerely hoped Fectorian was telling the truth, and she wasn't making a big mistake.

---

Nebulan Base Location - Argentina

2/6/2017 – 12:50 A.M.

ADVENT was knocking at their door, and Volk was not in the right frame of mind to fight. XCOM was keeping the odd Sovereign avatar occupied, as well as a good portion of Custodians and Phantom Division soldiers. ADVENT had split their force into two separate blocs which were now assaulting from the other sides.

The Archangels still roared overhead, but the Custodians were keeping them occupied, although it largely depending on them not being attacked. And right now, that situation was growing more and more precarious. And even within the base there were enemies.

As Volk was finding out.

"Repeat that!" He demanded as he stormed along the walls, aiming his sniper rifle down at the mass of ADVENT soldiers. "There is what in the base?"

"A…." gunfire went off in the background. "An octopus. A giant octopus!"

"Well then kill the giant octopus!" Volk yelled, as he sniped yet another soldier.

"We're trying!" Was the cry. "It's not dying!"

"Goddamn it," he muttered under his breath. The last thing he needed were rants of giant killer octopi in the base. "Get Phantom Division support in there then. Use nanite grenades –"

"Spectre here!" Came the call. "Looks like we've got it!"

About time. Volk returned to the situation at hand. Overhead there were also helicopters circling, and they were maneuvering to begin laying down fire of their own. One of Sonoda's Sectoids was also along the wall, and raised a hand towards it. Volk didn't know what it was doing, but it appeared that the PRIEST reinforcements were having a hard time dealing with the amount of psionic power at play here.

A Spectre materialized along the wall, took a look down into the ADVENT soldiers who were massed and advancing, and dissolved to appear down on the ground. It didn't take long for ADVENT to notice and they pointed out the machine with frantic warnings. One of the Priests motioned and the Spectre was trapped in a psionic box.

Couldn't have that.

Volk lined up his sights to the offending Priest, and fired after a few moments. The Priest fell backwards, a new hole in his helmet. Volk quickly ducked back as a hail of gauss fire slammed near him. From above the helicopters unleashed their weapons along the walls, ripping several of the Custodians apart and allowing the Archangels freedom to operate.

More Spectres appeared along the wall, and went down to decimate more ADVENT forces. But with the Archangels in play, the game had shifted and the Custodians were quickly reforming the skylines. The black armored Sectoid made a chittering noise, flared with purple energy, and one of the helicopters began tilting until it soon crashed into the ground in a loud explosion.

One of the Archangels was showing wisps of purple energy off of them…no…both of them were. "Both Archangels are psions," he hissed into his mask. "Priority target on them." The Custodians seemed to have the right idea as the wall opposite him was engulfed in a psionic tempest. Dropping to one knee, he quickly aimed for a series of weaknesses that – if it hit – would likely cripple her completely.

Gunfire and screams in the background he tuned out and inhaled.

He pulled the trigger.

Slight right.

Trigger.

Both engines on her back exploded and she wobbled into the air as gravity took hold and began plummeting to the ground. The other Sectoid of Sonoda's had leapt out of the way of the psionic maelstrom, and extended a black-armored hand to catch her. The Archangel became encased in a purple-tinged grip of the alien, as more psionic mist ravaged the armor.

The other Archangel swooped down with a yell and the Sectoid…well, Volk didn't quite see what happened, but it looked like the Sectoid ceased to exist and instead turned into chunks of grey flesh and black metal. She gathered the fallen Archangel in her arms and shot back into the sky and back to where XCOM was still fighting, dodging and weaving through the Custodian fire.

They were temporarily out of the fight. In the meantime, he needed to check up on how the battle along his own wall was. Phantom Division soldiers were shooting at one of the helicopters, and ADVENT was firing rockets into the walls with the MDUs engaging the Custodians in a battle to see which machine was superior.

The Spectres on the ground were chewing through ADVENT defenses, and the Priests were being pushed to their limits to contain them. They had already consumed half of the opposing force, although there the Lancers were countering that with EMP tools to destroy the nanites. It was a fight that could still go either way.

"Elena, how is it going on your end?" He asked, changing tactics and deciding to see how he could deal with the helicopters.

"ADVENT pushing forward. Archangel attack severely crippling. Possibly retreat."

"Understood." Not good. If even one of the faults was breached, it was going to end in a losing battle. He was expecting XCOM to eventually prevail, especially if ADVENT was putting up a good fight against them. But if one of the sides fell…hmm. Asaru wasn't a major help here, since she was preoccupied with ensuring that Aegis didn't completely destroy them, and had limited his influence to placing psionic barriers around the base – which had dropped when ADVENT arrived.

He'd better update her. "Asaru, we should prepare for a retreat."

"Have the purges completed?" She sounded strained – a first for her.

"Not important," he shook his head, as he fired and took out one of the helicopter guns. "The east wall is going to fall to ADVENT soon, and I don't know how close XCOM is to breaking through. Have the Custodians and Spectres hold off as long as possible and everyone else needs to get out. If they take control of the Gateway-"

"Inform me the moment there is a breach," she cut him off. "Only then will we retreat."

Volk gritted his teeth. "Understood."

He'd better get a full explanation when all of this was over.

---

Nebulan Base Location - Argentina

2/6/2017 – 1:22 A.M.

The medics were rushing all over the place as the injuries continued to pile up for them. Oliver knew they were making progress, but flanking attacks from the Phantom Division, pinpoint shots by the Custodians, and sniper fire from the walls was whittling them down slowly but surely. Unfortunately for the aliens, they were running out of tricks.

It was now a continuous battle between Zara and the Mosrimor avatar over which would get the raw materials from the bodies. It was still quite easily holding its own, but as another Custodian fell and with a motion it was consumed by the nanites, Oliver knew that sooner or later it would run out of enemies to consume.

Crevan was still keeping it occupied with intermittent lightning strikes, and was also responsible for frying several Phantom Division soldiers who had attempted surprise attacks. "Down!" Oliver yelled suddenly as one of the armored Phantom soldiers materialized behind them with a nanoblade in hand. His push into Zara made the jab miss, but unfortunately the alien followed up by stabbing it into his stomach.

He lurched at the white-hot pain as the alien tossed a grenade by Henry and the still-injured Rosario, and they couldn't move out of the way in time before the green plasma detonated beside them. Zara was also damaged by the attack, but the nanites repaired her quickly and with a motion the soldier was shouting as he was slowly consumed.

"Matthew! Roxas! Need assistance!" Zara called as the combined XCOM fire once again focused on Mosrimor. Oliver looked down at the blade sticking out of him, wondering if he should touch it or if it would make things worse. Nanoblades were bad; that had penetrated his armor like it was nothing. Of course the downside was that it had to be at a good angle…which this strike had been.

He did not want to have it break inside him.

Analyn was soon beside him as she looked him over quickly. "Good. Not broken inside. I can pull it out, but you cannot move. Got it?"

He gave a nod and grunt. "Get it over with."

She acknowledged his nod and wrapped her hand around the thin hilt. "One…two…three!" At the end she pulled on the blade and within a moment had drawn it out in a smooth motion with a short shout of pain from him. The medical properties of the suit had been utilized already, so she quickly sprayed his exit wounds with the med-kit. "We'll have to check for internal damage later, but this should last until the end of the battle. Got it?"

"Got it," he heaved, standing up again and aiming his rifle at Mosrimor. The entirety of the Collective reinforcements seemed completely depleted, and now it was only the nanite creature. The entire area around him, and Zara for that matter, was completely bare of any life or materials, all having been consumed in some form or another for the nanite operators.

It was only a matter of time until he lost.

Unfortunately, he seemed to realize that as well.

The shifting black nanites on his skin hardened to a glossy seamless finish, and a psionic shield appeared over himself as he began walking forward. Everything they had, XCOM fired into the approaching creature, but in his deceptively fast speed, he dashed to where Zara had holed up, giving Oliver a terrifyingly close glimpse of the massive alien.

He grabbed Zara, lifted her into the air and retracted the psionic shield around his hand as he began to send the nanites from his body towards her. She fought with her own MELD nanites, but she had been running low and had dispersed them onto the battlefield as fortifications or to negate other attacks. She had very few left to spare.

Oliver fired hopelessly into the psionic shield, but it seemed to be doing very little good.

A lightning bolt flashed, and slammed into Mosrimor…no…slammed into Zara. The conductive shock forced Mosrimor to drop her, even as Zara was twitching on the ground and smoking. Another psionic shield suddenly bisected the alien, with a cube appearing around it as the body fell into two pieces, blue blood revealing that there was something living underneath the nanite armor.

It was an Ethereal. A small one by their standards, but a real one. The nanites likewise became dead and immobile, though Oliver definitely did not trust it right now. He looked behind him, wondering where that had come from. Geist slowly lowered his arm, then slumped forward slightly. "It's fortunate that worked."

"Yeah," Oliver breathed as the medics rushed to Zara. "You couldn't have done that a little earlier?"

Geist stared at him, and Oliver suspected that under the helmet was either annoyance or exasperation. "From the onset of this conflict I have been dealing with ensuring that three powerful telepaths don't affect your vulnerable minds along with Aegis and the rest. It is not an easy task to accomplish, and I took a risk intervening like that. But with it dead, we can proceed."

"Alright," Oliver looked around at the soldiers who were either uninjured or mildly injured. He knew he needed treatment, but was fine for a while yet. "We move inside now. ADVENT will need help."

"Yes, we move." Geist nodded. "Since Viktoria and Zara are currently out of commission, I will take command for the remainder of the operation. What little of it is left."

Oliver did not feel like contesting him, and Geist was probably the best to see the mission through. "Regroup and prepare to move forward," Geist ordered. "Roxas! You will stay behind and ensure the wounded are stabilized and guarded. Xirau, you will come with us."

"I will stay and guard against any other attacks," Harper added. "And to ensure that this thing doesn't have any more surprises."

"Fine," Geist curtly acknowledged. "We move out now. Let's hope that there is still something left to salvage here."

---

Nebulan Base Location - Argentina

2/6/2017 – 2:03 A.M.

The base was falling, and there was no more time to waste. Volk, Elena, and a few of the Phantom Division were moving to find Asaru and ensure she got out. Apparently there was an unforeseen problem they had encountered on the route to the Gateway, even though she was protected by the Praetorians.

The retreat had been sounded, and Volk was torn between irritation that there was only one Gateway in the first place, and concern that they wouldn't be able to get out in time before XCOM marched into the base proper and killed or captured everyone. This battle had already extracted a heavy toll from everyone involved.

Plasma fire was heard down the corridor, and they rounded the corner to see a bizarre and terrifying sight – namely that the Praetorians were engaged with a massive…octopus? There had been more than one?

More concerning was that there was a dead Praetorian on the ground, the limbs broken and twisted. The black monster was currently wrapping its massive tentacles around another Praetorian which was desperately trying to yank them off, but the suckers on the tentacles couldn't be so easily removed. Normally this wouldn't even be a concern for something as massive as a Praetorian, but the problem was that this octopus was gigantic.

The corridor was maybe ten feet across, and the octopus was easily taking up that entire space, and more dangerously, didn't seem to be that bothered by the plasma fire it took. They arrived just in time to see the octopus break one of the arms of the Praetorian with a loud crack, while making an utterly eerie trilling noise.

The Praetorian was unfortunately not dead either, and the creature didn't seem to be in a massive hurry to finish the job.

"Fire!" Volk called out instinctively, even though it was likely a bad idea, not only due to the potential of crossfire, but also because shooting it didn't seem to be working in the first place. Behind the rolling mass of black he saw his first glimpse of the elusive Asaru herself. In fact, she wasn't too far off from some other Ethereals he'd seen.

Mostly a mix of light armor and robes, with a hood concealing her face. Her height would have easily towered over him, but next to the Praetorians, she was actually a bit shorter. What he couldn't understand was why she wasn't doing anything to the creature currently engaged in – and winning – against her Praetorians.

Not his problem right now. He could demand an answer on that later. The creature seemed to grow tired of the Praetorian and decided to kill it, breaking more limbs and the neck in a final squeeze before almost sliding to the ground and moving closer to the last two Praetorians – and Asaru herself. One of the Phantom Division soldiers pulled out a nanoblade and made the questionable decision to charge forward.

"Woah, wait!" Volk called out in futile warning, knowing that was mostly likely not going to work. Sure enough when it got close, a tentacle lashed out and wrapped around the much, much smaller Vitakarian's arm. Luckily for the Vitakarian the free hand was the one which held the nanoblade, which he then plunged into the tentacle. The response was immediate and the creature made a higher-pitched trilling sound as it switched focus to the alien which had caused it pain.

Volk watched in fascination as the creature used another tentacle to pull the blade out of its arm, and with enough delicacy that it didn't shatter the blade and leave chunks within it. Once the weapon was discarded, it wrapped said tentacle around the alien and crushed it. Well, another one down. This was great.

"We need a Spectre," he muttered. "That seemed to work well against the last one of these."

"Risky, but we need to kill that thing now," another Phantom Division soldier muttered. "Back up! Nanites will be loose!"

The soldier, along with the few remaining of the Phantom Division threw several of the nanite grenades to the creature and Praetorian it was currently wrapped around. They exploded into a fine black mist which immediately began clinging to both the alien and creature, and the response was immediate.

The Praetorian began furiously and futilely trying to get the nanites off of him, while the creature sort of flailed and flipped along the ground as it tried to get the nanites off of it somehow. It was moving away from, and up the wall where there was a small gap that…Volk wasn't quite sure how likely it was, but that it had originally come through?

Octopi could apparently fit into very small spaces, and since this was a monster octopus from hell, maybe it could still do that? It didn't matter, as both Asaru and the last Praetorian took the advantage and dashed past the carnage to catch up to Volk and the rest. "What the hell was that?" He asked out loud and they began rushing to the gateway.

"An experiment of XCOM, I suspect," Asaru's real voice was layered, but honestly not massively different from the one she had used when not imitating a specific person. There was a vibration to her speaking that wasn't present in her illusions. "One somehow immune to telepathy."

"We'll figure that out later," Volk grunted as they ran. "Gotta get out of here now."

It wasn't long before they reached the room where the Gateway was stationed, and luckily it was still guarded and running. Volk had no idea where it was going, but that was the least of his concerns right now as the entire building shook and plasma fire became a lot more noticeable and close. Asaru went through the Gateway; Elena and several of his own soldiers soon followed, as well as those from the Phantom Division. He didn't know if Sonoda was still here or if she'd already left. He doubted she was dead though, for some reason.

He didn't check to see if the purging was complete. No time for that any longer, but at least he'd made a contingency plan in case they couldn't be completely purged. He pulled out the detonator, and the dozen or so little EMP and explosive devices he'd placed on the computers went off. Wouldn't be able to salvage them now, but it was better than ADVENT and XCOM getting their hands on them.

What a waste though. All for an enemy agent of questionable worth.

He did a quick check to ensure that the explosives were also set up on the Gateway, and once the timer began counting there was no going back. Fifteen seconds, and even then he felt he shouldn't be waiting around, but also didn't want to condemn any more to be left behind and killed or captured. The wall suddenly exploded outward, temporarily taking out several Custodians as the rest began firing at the encroaching XCOM soldiers through the dust.

The last Praetorian began firing into the smoke, and seemed to actually clip some of the encroaching soldiers. That was until a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and slammed into the alien, even managing to stun the massive Muton.

Time to go.

"Go! Go now!" He called, pressing the detonator and leaping into the Gateway with the crackling sound of lightning the last thing he heard before entering the swirling purple whirlpool.

---

Unknown Location

Unknown Time

Abby figured that the unthinkable had happened and that she'd fallen asleep. She vaguely remembered seeing Fectorian of all Ethereals, but he didn't seem to have done anything except take a few notes before moving her again. She supposed it wasn't out of the question that she had fallen unconscious. She was a sleep-deprived, wounded, and restrained mess.

She didn't know how much time had passed, and if she should give up hoping for a rescue.

No one is coming.

A worry that was becoming more and more true. Objectively…she realized that not even XCOM could follow to where she likely was right now. The Imperator; the Ethereals, they were interested in the Sovereign technology her armor contained, and they were going to take as many precautions as possible. She may have been moved dozens of times to various locations, and she figured she was far, far from Earth.

But eventually she would arrive at the place that would be her end, one way or another.

She knew why she was hesitating in pulling the trigger and removing everything they were working to. She didn't want to die. Not here. Not if there was a chance that she could get out of this one way or another. But…she was just deluding herself if she expected that someone was going to appear out of nowhere and save her.

That wasn't how the galaxy worked.

Wishful thinking from a woman who was going to die.

The only question was how she would die. As a broken experiment and lab subject, or in a defiant gesture against the aliens.

Between the two, there was only really one acceptable option.

She just needed to pull the trigger. All it would take was a few blinks and confirmations for the HUD to accept the self-destruct.

It was…different; being in this situation. She had been close to death many times before. She'd been in dozens of dangerous situations, and each time knew that there was a chance that it would end in her death. That hadn't really scared her, it was just a reality she'd had to come to terms with. Others had died in front of her; people she'd known well. Death was very real, but it had always passed over her.

She'd been here since the beginning of XCOM. She'd gone through so much that it seemed like she would survive as one of the few since the beginning while everyone else died around her. Who else was still alive from the beginning? Patricia? Carmelita? The Commander and many of the Internal Council?

Not many. Herself among them.

Maybe she'd just gotten lucky so far. In war thousands died, and it was a numbers game where the odds weren't in her favor. She'd finally screwed up bad enough that this was the consequence of that. It only took one mistake to kill you.

But this was worse for her, because she was now responsible for her death. Defying the aliens through suicide. It was long, agonizing, but something she ironically had control over. Death was an option, not something that happened instantly on a battlefield or out of her control. There was time to think about death now, and what would come after it.

She'd not really been a religious-minded person, not really thinking too much about it one way or another. She didn't especially care much who believed what, and preferred to focus on the real world, not the what-ifs of what happened when one died. Maybe it was something she'd never really wanted to think about since she assumed if it would happen to her, it would be quick.

But now she wondered.

She didn't know if there was an actual Hell or Heaven out there for her, or if she'd go to either one. But from what she'd seen and knew about…was it out of the question that there would be something beyond death? Or perhaps it was just nothing and she would just cease to be nothing more or less.

Abby figured she'd soon be finding out, one way or another.

Her room was a cylinder of grey metal that suspended her through some kind of gravity or stasis field. She couldn't move an inch, even if she wanted to. It was in the center of the room, and she was facing a mechanism that she knew operated as a door. There were likely cameras or surveillance in the room that she couldn't see, and for all she knew, she was floating in a little metal box in space.

There was no way to break free; she'd certainly tried to no avail. All she could really do was wait, hope, and eventually face reality. The only silver lining she could see was that, right now, she was probably at the end of the line. This was the end stop, and someone would come to see or check up on her eventually.

Perhaps right now she was on the fabled Temple Ship of the Imperator. Or more likely, somewhere else on an unmarked world or in uncharted space; unable to be found or located by anyone. She truly had no idea, but she did find it somewhat funny how the Ethereals were going to all this trouble for someone who didn't know what they were actually after.

They thought her to be some agent of a Sovereign One, but in reality she was just a woman who had some of their technology. Which she supposed they could at least get out of it. The armor was too valuable to just give them. Best case scenario they learned how to replicate it. Middling case they learned how to penetrate or subvert it. Worst case was that they improved on it.

None of those could be allowed.

Time ticked by at a pace that felt infinite. It didn't seem to matter how fast or slowly time was passing here. All she could do was wait or end it once and for all. Maybe this was some kind of test the Ethereals wanted to do? Maybe see if she would kill herself out of boredom? That would almost be funny, except she doubted the idea would even occur to them.

There was a loud click in the room, and the door slid upwards. Finally someone was coming in to speak to her. When she saw who it was, she was immediately concerned that she was so sleep-deprived she was hallucinating. "Patricia?" She asked in disbelief, her voice cracking both due to a lack of water and not speaking for what felt like days.

Patricia Trask did stand before her, wearing the same Aegis armor she had been captured in. Granted, it looked like it had been polished and didn't have any significant marring or soiled in any way. The scratches and chips on the armor did still exist, but it looked like she had been able to clean it recently.

How?

She was helmetless, and if her face was anything to go by, she seemed unhurt or wounded. She looked healthy, at least no worse than she had in XCOM. The orange rims of her eyes seemed to glow more brightly in a dimmer light of the prison she was in. Her hair was still lose and looked surprisingly good. Abby had always wondered how she'd always been able to keep her hair looking like that during her entire career in XCOM.

Patricia though looked very somber and serious.

She wasn't here with a minder, or in any kind of restraints.

The implications began dawning on her.

It couldn't be…

Not her.

"Hello, Abby," she said quietly. "Long time no see."

"Patricia…" she repeated, still trying to process it. "What…are you doing here?"

Probably not the best way to ask that question. It could mean different things. She of course meant what she was doing as an apparent…guest? Not necessarily what she was doing in this room.

"I'm here to talk to you," Patricia answered.

"But you're…" Abby would have shaken her head, and instinctively tried. "You were captured!"

"Yes," she nodded. "I was. And brought before the Imperator. We talked."

Talked.

"Patricia…" Abby swallowed. "Please tell me what I think is going on isn't true."

The woman in XCOM armor pursed her lips. "If we're thinking the same thing, yes and no. Maybe. I'm not reading your mind now, Abby. You know I don't do that."

"Are you a prisoner here?"

"No." Patricia confirmed immediately; somberly. "I'm not. I'm technically free to leave at any time."

It didn't make sense. "Then…why are you still here? Is he threatening you? Blackmailing you somehow?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"Because it's not as simple as just deciding to leave or not," Patricia said, beginning to pace. She was visibly unsure of the best way to express herself. Upon seeing that Abby wouldn't be able to follow her, she quickly pressed a button on a nearby console, releasing the stasis field but erecting a near-transparent energy field that separated them. Abby confined to her little circle, with Patricia being able to move along the outside.

"I haven't joined the Imperator, or the aliens," Patricia clarified as Abby shakily got used to standing again. "Not yet."

"Yet?" Abby demanded. "How is that even a possibility!? You know what they are capable of. You know what they've done. Aegis warned you what the Imperator was like. How he turns everyone to his side."

"Yes! Yes I know!" Patricia nearly shouted back, voice raw. "You have no idea how much I've thought about it, but I know things now! Things that I can't just ignore however much I might want to!" She ended with a sharp wave of her hand.

"What could you possibly learn that would make you consider the Imperator over your own species?" Abby demanded. "Or over XCOM?"

Patricia closed her eyes, took a breath, then resumed talking. "Because of that symbol on your armor."

Abby looked down at it. "What about it?"

"Humanity is now caught up in a cycle which has existed for…millions of years at least," Patricia said. "One dominated by the Sovereign Ones. Immortal and powerful beings engaged in an endless war for universal domination. They care about nothing except their own goals and power, and the way they expand such is through proxies. Species. They pit them against each other in a grand game of galactic strategy and domination."

She continued walking, focusing ahead as she talked. "Aegis thinks the Synthesized are the ultimate enemy. They're a threat, but they are an obvious one compared to what the Sovereign Ones pose to not only Humanity, but every other species in the galaxy. Perhaps they are even under the control of one. I don't know. Neither does the Imperator. If nothing is done, this will just repeat over and over again."

Patricia stopped, and nodded towards Abby. "The Sovereign One T'Leth has taken an interest now. Humanity is in severe danger of becoming his puppet species to unleash against the galaxy. Didn't you wonder how odd it was that the Collective assimilated multiple species, but decided to go to war with us?"

"At times."

"It wasn't an accident," Patricia nodded. "The Imperator suspected there was a Sovereign One on Earth. He needed to know that we weren't under the influence of one. He intends to break this endless cycle of Sovereign puppets and proxies, and he intends T'Leth to be the first one to die. That is his plan, and from there the Collective will be reformed into a force to eventually challenge their grip on this galaxy."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Abby said. "Don't the Ethereals have a Sovereign on their side?"

"Yes," Patricia said. "And it was through him that the Imperator became suspicious as to their motives. He is using him as a tool and source of information. He will be betrayed eventually, and the other Sovereigns will soon follow. We don't stand a chance if we move into the inner galaxy, Abby, Sovereigns have already established power there. The war for this cycle has begun, and there can be no neutrality."

"And so the Imperator invaded," Abby said. "Because of something that might have happened."

"XCOM assaulted the base you were moved to," Patricia said flatly. "Accompanied by agents of T'Leth. XCOM might be under his influence already. ADVENT might be. Humanity is already at risk of being puppeted, and I can't just ignore that because the Imperator is supposed to be the enemy."

"Have you considered that he might be telling you what you want to hear?" Abby demanded. "He knows what will work on you; what would convince you that he is right-"

"Of course he fucking does!" Patricia spat. "Every time he talks I wonder if all of this is just some elaborate ploy to manipulate me. I wonder if I'm thinking certain things because I came to them on my own, or if he's making me think them. I'm not an idiot, Abby, you know that. I'm still me."

"Not if you're thinking like this." Abby shook her head.

"The Imperator has done nothing but speak to me," Patricia stated. "He hasn't tried to psionically influence me. Trust me, I've been keeping a very close watch on that. He wouldn't be able to get something like that past me without some notice. Every single decision or word I've made here I've done of my own free will."

"That you know of."

"And maybe it might be because it's not as simple as 'aliens bad'," Patricia scowled. "Maybe it's more complicated. Maybe I can't ignore the proof that there is an ancient warmongering alien that wants control of my species. Our species. Do you know what T'Leth was known for, Abby?"

"I didn't even know what he was until a few hours ago!"

"War, Abby," Patricia gave a thin smile. "A warrior and weaponmaster. A master of forges and military design. Your armor and that rifle you wore were his creations. You saw how he took control of the Chronicler in Australia. T'Leth will use Humanity as a weapon against the galaxy, and the majority will never know it. We will be going to war against other proxy species for the amusement of the perceived gods of this galaxy. Is that something you actually want?"

"No, obviously not," Abby shook her head. "But I've not seen anything to think that we're under the control of a Sovereign One."

"You're wearing the armor of one," she said. "His agents are working with XCOM."

"And I don't know!" She shot back. "I don't know what the Commander, Aegis, or anyone else thinks of this. Don't you think that between all of them they would also be concerned about this?"

Patricia gave a long sigh. "I don't think they would have a choice. Sovereigns are…dangerous. Powerful. More than Imperators. The Imperator was lucky Mosrimor was interested in talking. He's perhaps the only one who could resist them. We're all nothing to Sovereigns. Tools and resources to be used. They are only interested in manipulating us, and giving us the illusion of freedom. And…they don't know the truth." She shrugged. "If a powerful ally came to XCOM, would the Commander really refuse the help? I know him better than you. Yes, he would be suspicious, but he believes he could control the outcome. But he can't."

"And the Imperator can?" Abby asked. "Because that is what you're suggesting."

"He has the best chance," Patricia clarified. "Maybe it's a futile dream. But he's going to at least try. And he has ensured enough independence where that is, perhaps, a feasible outcome. He has resources, training, and power to work with. The Commander…doesn't. He's done everything he can; more than anyone could have ever guessed. But he can't go against a Sovereign One. Not in the situation he's in."

"Maybe you should talk to him before you decide to betray your entire species!"

"I will," she nodded. "But if he is compromised, then I can't risk myself also falling under T'Leth's control. But what I need to emphasize is that the Imperator is not the real enemy here. Not anymore."

Abby let out a short laugh. "Should have told the Battlemaster."

"Don't you think it would look very suspicious if the Imperator suddenly ordered an end to the war, or decided to reveal T'Leth to the world?" Patricia demanded. "It has to look real. Natural. It makes the aliens the enemies. It gives cover. It lessens T'Leth's suspicion. It's a risk and has definitely not worked out how anyone could have predicted it…" she sighed. "And I think it will be coming to an end. Sides need to be chosen. The Imperator or a Sovereign One."

"And what about ADVENT-"

"They don't matter!" Patricia shouted. "What could they possibly do against something that is older than our species? Do you think ADVENT could withstand a telepath of that power? One that can make the Overmind look weak? I'm not going to delude myself into thinking that we alone can overcome a being eons old."

"And you're relying on what the Imperator is saying!" Abby shouted back. "You may not think he's lying, but what if he's wrong?"

"On what?" Patricia demanded in exasperation. "The Sovereigns? They exist, I've seen what they can do. Their motivations? Every single one of them I've encountered and learned about wants control of our galaxy and will do whatever is necessary to get it. They don't care about the 'lesser species' they don't care about 'freedom' or 'independence'. We are tools and pawns to them. And I will not willingly subject Humanity to that!"

"And instead we will be forced to live under the will of the Ethereals," Abby noted sarcastically. "Much better."

"If you haven't noticed, the Ethereals who are actually involved are few and far between," Patricia pointed out. "They are begrudgingly helping out in the war, but consider much of it beneath them. The Imperator plans to change this. They need people to lead the aliens; people who are proven to get things done and have the power and fortitude to do that. The Ethereals are few and far between now. Humanity would lead a new Collective, or so the Imperator promises."

"And you believe him." It wasn't a question.

"I believe that is his intention," Patricia said. "I do not know if he would follow through."

Abby was silent. "What do you want from me, Patricia? You came here for a reason. You're trying to convince me of this. So tell me what you want."

"Your armor," Patricia said. "Leave it here with the Ethereals, and you'll be returned to Earth if you wish. You can go right back to XCOM. You can tell them everything I told you. Maybe you'll come to the same conclusion I have, or maybe not. That's up to you. The Imperator gave his word you could leave, and he will follow through."

"And all I have to do is give you this armor."

"Yes. That's all he wants." Patricia rubbed her forehead. "I don't think you're an agent of T'Leth. Not anymore, thankfully. You don't know anything about the Sovereign which would be useful; you're not his ultimate enemy." She kept eye contact. "Please, Abby. One way or another the Imperator will get what he needs. I don't want you to die for nothing."

"And you would just let this happen," Abby said slowly. "We've been in this war since the beginning, and you would let me become the Imperator's science experiment."

Patricia was silent for a few moments, then her face hardened. "Yes Abby, yes I would. This is bigger than you or me. It's about the future of Humanity, and the future of this galaxy. I'm sorry, but I can't ignore that even for a friend."

And Abby realized what she had to do. Patricia may have been convinced of the Imperator's words, but she would not. She would not betray her species for the perceived greater good, for a possible nightmare galaxy Patricia was afraid of. She would not betray the Commander, Zhang, or anyone in XCOM.

The Ethereals, no matter their reasons, were the enemies of Humanity.

If Patricia was willing to sacrifice her, she was one as well.

Abby looked to the upper left HUD element, and stared at it. It acknowledged her. She blinked. A screen popped up. SELF-DESTRUCT: VERBAL CONFIRMATION NEEDED.

"Confirm."

Patricia frowned. "Abby?"

That was it. No double check. No hesitation. The HUD just vanished and Abby felt the suit working within her. It didn't hurt, somewhat to her surprise. She just felt oddly watery and lightheaded. Her vision blurred and sound became more and more muted. Maybe Patricia was trying to shout something to her, maybe not. She couldn't tell anymore.

All she knew was that she had done her duty. The Imperator had been denied. She was fading and she would die in the next few seconds. She knew that the Commander and Zhang would have been proud. Ruth Shira, Akello, Kalonymous, Mira, Luke, Liam, everyone she had known and lost…she was about to join them.

I hope I'll see you soon.

She smiled to herself, even if she no longer had a face to do so.

There was a bright whiteness in her vision, then Abigail Gertrude died.

And she was not afraid.