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.

51. Reign of the Dread Lord

Reign of the Dread Lord

---

Unknown

Saudia didn't remember waking up, or much of what happened after she'd fallen unconscious. She was fairly certain that she had lost one or more of her limbs, and yet she lifted one up in the blue-tinged light and could see that she very much had them. Looking down confirmed that both of her legs were still intact too.

Odd.

Especially when she looked around to see where she was.

It was a vast blue expanse, reminding her of being deep underwater. Light appeared to come faintly from all around, with no clear light source or 'surface' to see. Perhaps the color was closer to a deep teal than blue, but it nonetheless appeared to permeate everything. She looked down at the 'ground' and knelt down to feel it.

No moisture or anything on it, but it did just barely give when she pressed down on it. She walked a few steps, and she could definitely feel it slightly sink as she put weight on it. Only a few millimeters, but still noticeable. She kept walking aimlessly for a few minutes, unsure of where she could go or what she could do.

She had a suspicion of what was happening now, unless there was some new kind of psionic therapy treatment that the PRIEST Division had failed to tell her about. If so, she was going to have some words with them, but it was more likely that she was here thanks to Earth's resident Sovereign One. She suspected he wasn't doing it out of sympathy for her injuries she knew were very much real.

Saudia pulled her arms closer together, uncomfortably aware that this could very well be one of the few times left where she would have 'real' arms and legs for a while. ADVENT bioscience was proceeding well, but they weren't quite there yet in terms of growing replacement limbs. While she knew the prosthetics she'd receive would be top of the line, she also knew enough to know that it wouldn't be the same.

The world around her suddenly dimmed to the point of complete and utter blackness. She stopped, and waited. There was absolutely no sound to the point where it became deafening. She thought she saw a shape materialize in front of her, and it was massive. Six blue lights appeared above her, in groups of three, slanted downwards as they resided in stone-like orifices.

"Chancellor Saudia Vyandar." The voice came from no mouth, but from everywhere – including her own mind. Immediately she felt the sheer weight of the voice; one which carried the authority of a being which had lived longer than her species had existed. "It's time we spoke."

She cleared her throat. "T'Leth. A pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances." A pause. "Or would you prefer a title, if you have one?"

"My name will suffice," T'Leth answered. "Many titles I have; bestowed on me by my enemies and brethren. Unnecessary. I require no title to be recognized by, Chancellor."

She was unsure if that was supposed to be an insult or not.

"No insult, Chancellor," T'Leth rumbled. "Merely a statement of fact. None outside EXALT knew your name before you achieved the position, and now it is what and who you are. No one knew the name Saudia Vyandar before Chancellor."

She curled up one lip. "A natural evolution. Or would you disagree?"

A slight pause. "No. Quite expected, as you had prepared for such a position your whole life. You are notable, for a mortal alien. One who can attempt to see the long term and act as a guide to lead her species through it. Very rarely does such occur without guidance from one of my brethren or the other hidden powers of this galaxy."

"Flattering," Saudia answered after a moment. "Although I don't know how much credit should be taken given the fact that one of your people was in EXALT for decades. I feel like I may be the culmination of such tampering."

"I reside on your planet; I rest and recover from my wounds of previous cycles," T'Leth said lowly, with an undercurrent of threat. "Your Chronicler found me by accident, and I was not aware of him until months later, so deep was my recovery." The eyes grew more intense. "I have little time or patience for steering species towards my whim. My brethren would do such, but I see little worth investing in a tool that will be annihilated when the galaxy becomes a battleground for the Sovereign Ones again."

A slight delay punctuated his words. "Believe what you will, Chancellor. But understand that had I truly been interested in commanding your species, there would be no war. There would be none of the issues that plague your species, many of which are pointless, futile, and self-destructive. As you no doubt see, as ADVENT is your tool for fixing what you recognize are the fatal flaws in Humanity. More importantly, there would be no doubt as to whom you answer to. Do I make my point, Chancellor?"

Saudia nodded. "Clearly, T'Leth. Although I am curious about something, ever since the Commander shared this revelation with me."

"Speak it then."

She considered how best to phrase it. "I am not ignorant as to the power discrepancy between myself and you, let alone our species. So why do you bother communicating with myself, the Commander, or any individual Humans outside of your agents. It does seem as though it would be…beneath you."

The eyes blinked once. "Consider it a mixture of curiosity and pragmatism. Many of my brethren act as you propose. A trait which is not exclusive to my kind, as the Ethereals have demonstrated. We were the first species to claim capture of thousands of galaxies. We were the first, the Apex race. There have been none who have matched us since and the belief is that there never will be. Why consider others your equal or give such consideration when entire species are inferior to even the weakest of my kind?"

T'Leth's voice grew almost considerate. "And something I have always found curious is how many of my brethren rely on so-called inferior species. They raise themselves as gods or deities, or control them through well-placed agents. They know that without their proxies they have no valid chance of claiming this galaxy and others. But they also believe that such species are incapable of reaching the heights we have achieved. Arrogance and fear. That is what we are now, and few will accept it. They cling to their proxies and believe themselves invincible and powerful, even as they will inevitably fall again and again."

The eyes grew intense to the point where she had to look away. "The Sovereign Ones will die one day, forever. We are too divided, too scattered for there to be another solution. But there will be a new species who will emerge to take their place, and perhaps they will avoid the same fate which has befallen us. So I consider such investigation of species a curiosity, as they could potentially be our replacements. I've spoken to millions over the course of the same time span. Many of them like you are now. It was not enough to save them, but it was interesting nonetheless."

"Were any of them allied with you?" She wondered. "As we are now."

"Many of them were the proxies of other Sovereigns," was the answer. "You would be…dismayed to understand just how little life in this galaxy is natural. Your own species is not unique, as you have been tampered with by other alien forces. Nearly all life is the result of an experimentation or plan by my brethren. You are merely unique in that your creators have not come back yet to claim the results of their labor."

Saudia felt cold at that. Assuming T'Leth was telling the truth, that did not imply good things for the future. "I don't suppose you know who was behind this, or who might come later?"

"I have my suspicions," T'Leth rumbled. "But it is irrelevant now that I am here. More to the point, such an…alliance with aliens. It is amusing. Yet something I am curious to observe for myself. I find it ironic to consider that I may be one of the few of my kind to have the willing cooperation of an alien species." A pause. "Outside of curiosity, more practically since I am in such an alliance, it is prudent to speak to the leader of it. Thus, here we are."

"Unfortunate the timing is bad," Saudia sighed. "Although I suppose I have your agents to thank for saving my life. And you, by proxy."

"Yes. An error I failed to accurately anticipate." It almost sounded like an apology, though the tone didn't indicate as much. "I suspect that not all is as it seems with the Bringer and Isomnum. The Imperator…he would be allowing this for a specific reason, and I believe I know what it was. Previously I assumed he was directing it, but now I think he is…observing. This makes the Bringer's actions more difficult to predict, otherwise you would have been evacuated immediately."

Saudia cocked her head. "Observing what?"

"To see if the Bringer would overstep," T'Leth answered. "I suspect the Imperator will punish it somehow, though far too late to mitigate the impact. Nonetheless, this is a threat which I shall see is personally eliminated. I have seen this scourge appear in the galaxy before, and the fact that it is one of the few issues which will unite my kind speaks for itself."

"And how will you…" Saudia gestured with an arm. "See to it, ah, 'personally'. I doubt you're going to leave wherever you are in the ocean"

T'Leth waited before answering. "There are ways of exerting my will on reality that do not require my physical presence. The soldiers who march to reclaim the city Isomnum holds will bear witness to my power as I strike down the false god who reigns in the city of the mad. Isomnum will die today, and the Bringer will be purged from this Earth. On this you have my assurance."

The voice seemed to deepen. "We will speak later, Chancellor. Awaken and lead your people to victory."

Saudia soon woke up as the world of blue dissipated all around her.

---

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

3/12/2017 – 12:17 A.M.

There were many different holoprojections throughout the Throne Room, each one a different news station or livestream – all of them covering the events taking place in China, the rest of the war temporarily forgotten as all eyes were turned to the terror happening by the hand of the infamous Dread Lord.

Patricia could not say she was pleased with the development. Quisilia also seemed slightly irritated, though she suspected it was more to do with the fact that Caelior was now back and working for XCOM than the events in China. For her part, she wasn't shocked at the development. If he wasn't working with XCOM willingly, the Manchurian Restraints would be sufficient to keep him from causing too much trouble.

"This has gotten out of hand," Quisilia said, for once serious as he appraised a holomap of China. "I believe we have learned what you wanted to. Best we end this before Isomnum gets it in his head to try this in another city. With the Bringer's teleporting soldiers, he will not be restricted by geography."

"Isomnum will die today," the Imperator said flatly. "ADVENT and XCOM are already moving soldiers to retake the city. Should they fail, Sicarius will eliminate him. Or perhaps yourself. I have no intention of Isomnum continuing to sabotage our efforts. I have learned what I needed to."

Patricia shot a glance to the Imperator. Despite linking several times, she was nowhere near aware enough to know each and every plan he had – especially as it pertained to this. "And out of curiosity, what was your plan?"

"Isomnum was a tool," the Imperator said. "One I brought along as he might fulfill a certain role, given his power and experience. Dangerous, but potentially useful. Yet he is irrelevant when we will claim the legions of Imperators held in stasis. He is a fool obsessed with his own understanding and belief on terror. He is…susceptible…to beings like the Bringer. I knew he would reach out – this does not surprise me."

It took her a moment to follow, but when it dawned on her, she gave a very slow and deliberate nod. "The Bringer provided support of his own volition. Without express permission."

"The Bringer is an opportunist and schemer," the Imperator confirmed. "He knows well that should our plan go accordingly, he will be the lesser party. But he has miscalculated immensely. This act – which was likely an attempt to garner more support – has simply shown me that he is unreliable." One of the golden gauntleted hands rippled as the air distorted around it. "There will be punishment for this act. Of a degree that will settle the inevitable demands for explanation."

Quisilia hesitated, absentmindedly flipping one of his blades in his hands. "At a certain point I wonder how much it is actually worth. The Bringer has given us very little but trouble and sought to go behind us at every turn. Useful as this entity is, perhaps the Battlemaster has a point and the project should be shut down."

Both Patricia and the Imperator shook their heads. "No," the Imperator answered. "If this event has shown anything, it is that the power the Bringer brings is extraordinary. A few hundred soldiers were enough to take the capital of an ADVENT-protected city, nearly kill the Chancellor, and scatter the defenders of a nation. Properly controlled, it will be a useful entity."

A pause. "Yet I am also tired of dealing with this. Two chances the Bringer has been given to willingly cooperate. The first warning was not sufficient. This next one will be. There will not be a final one."

"Acceptable then," Quisilia agreed. "I would recommend that we allow the Aui'Vitakar, Greater Hive Commanders, and the Federation access to monitor Paradise station as they see fit. While more invasive Mosrimor systems are in existence, more cannot hurt and will give them the feeling of acting in the interests of security. So long as they understand the necessity of it, they will likely not pose any problem."

"I suspect the Sectoids will be interested in the capabilities of the soldiers," Patricia noted thoughtfully. "I'd do one better – let them have access to any and all aspects of Paradise to experiment with as they see fit. It could even have the benefit of lessening their numbers to the point of irrelevance."

"Agreed," the Imperator said after some consideration. "The Bringer has lost his chance for privacy. I believe that these actions will temper the worst of the Battlemaster's rage."

"Unlikely," Quisilia commented mildly. "Nothing short of the destruction of Paradise will satisfy him. I would suggest that you make some greater efforts to make him understand the necessity of the plan. This current divide stems from Sovereign Ones; the Bringer is just a catalyst."

"Perhaps inform him of the Imperators?" Patricia suggested.

Quisilia laughed. "Trask, please think about how well that would go over. 'Yes Battlemaster, I've known that there are facilities full of Imperators and I didn't tell you this and instead focused on the Sovereign Ones which included making a deal with an entity with a taste for cannibalism. No, we still need Paradise, but just wanted to clear the air.'"

Patricia winced. "Fair point."

"He will react better when T'Leth is dead, Earth is conquered, and the Bringer has crossed into the controlled body," the Imperator said. "While he will not doubt be furious – as will the others who have not been told – he will not make drastic actions."

Patricia bit her lower lip, thinking. "Which brings me to another question – how should Caelior be handled? Or Aegis, for that matter?"

"Aegis was misguided and left for what he believed were the right reasons," the Imperator answered. "I would prefer he be captured, should he not have already been compromised by T'Leth. The same with Caelior. They can both still be useful. But not at the expense of the greater Collective. Now that T'Leth is likely becoming more involved, I suspect this war will end with their deaths."

"Unfortunate." Patricia was not looking forward to what was coming next. She did not quite know how XCOM – or ADVENT for that matter – were going to react to her entrance. It was one thing to fight the unquestionable evil of the Bringer. But one of the former great heroes of Humanity? That was going to be more difficult to swallow.

Betos was a slightly different situation. She was an unknown, and who would be seen as an Ethereal puppet. Patricia was formerly of XCOM and the most dangerous Human psion. Considering the position she held now, it would be difficult to state that she was merely a puppet of the Imperator, though ADVENT would still attempt to make that claim.

It was fortunate that the core of ADVENT was what the Imperator wanted intact, otherwise she could very likely say enough about the foundation of the organization to irreparably harm it – in theory. She doubted that when she revealed herself, her word would be given any semblance of weight. Still, it was a possible sword to hang over the heads of ADVENT.

It was still going to be hard.

Very hard.

But it was coming soon. Coming after Isomnum was finally defeated.

---

Porto Alegre Collective Base – Brazil

3/12/2017 – 3:21 A.M.

The offensive was technically proceeding well. ADVENT hadn't given up the city without a fight, but they had eventually fallen to her and they had soon secured the rest. The civilians were currently in the stages of being processed for transport to temporary worlds where they would be kept out of the fighting. After more land was gained in South America, they would be brought back.

ADVENT would no doubt complain about forced resettlement and the injustice of it all, but to her it was more responsible than keeping a bunch of civilians around to die in collateral damage – and she also had no intention of using them as Human shields or anything of the like. She and the Battlemaster had standards – and the capture of Porto Alegre was a textbook success.

So when news was reaching her about China…well…

It put a damper on things.

She'd watched the footage for a while, a stream provided to the Collective itself by the illustrious Dread Lord. She sincerely had wished that Isomnum would have eventually just given up and died when the Battlemaster had rightfully cut his support. Maybe a last stand before a real invasion could happen.

But no, instead he had brought the Bringer and turned her country into a nightmare.

She'd hated President Qin, the entire Communist Party, and the corrupt institutions which perpetuated the problems and demands forced on China. She would have quite happily executed them all, even if they didn't remember who she was. They deserved nothing less, and it had been her own private dream.

But this…no.

Not like this.

Qin and his like deserved death, yes, but delivered in a swift and just manner. No ceremony, no drawn-out proceedings; merely a summary judgement as an enemy leader. He was a man she despised, but not even he deserved the mockery that the Bringer was forcing, not just on those who deserved death, but many, many who did not.

She'd known there would be civilian casualties in China. It was a fact of war, and with a population as dense as China's, it was impossible to avoid. Not deliberate targeting though, which was what Isomnum not only allowed, but actively reveled in. Zararch spies had been giving detailed reports, and while Beijing was the obvious focus of attention, it was playing out the same on smaller scales across the country with ADVENT and XCOM scrambling to smash them as they popped up.

Sickening. The people were not at fault, and never had been in the system. They were the last who deserved to be punished. Even many in the military were good people who were doing what they could to increase their standing and provide for their families. She blamed no one for joining the Chinese military for practical reasons, or even if they succumbed to the propaganda perpetuated from the moment they were born.

How ironic, that she now hoped for ADVENT and XCOM to give unto the Dread Lord a death that would make the Imperator himself shiver.

All she could do was watch and take out her fury in battle. Not that there was a shortage of those with ADVENT maintaining outposts and launching small strikes of their own, but they – for now – were not the ones she wished to destroy utterly and completely. If she could, she would participate in the attack against Isomnum herself, but that would likely just cause more problems, and the war was larger than China.

At least the Battlemaster had done something, even if it was sending his pet assassin into the fray. Better than nothing, and if nothing else the Imperator had much to answer for. He was just as much at fault for this fiasco as Isomnum. First for putting Isomnum in such a position, and then continuing to allow it to continue with support from Paradise – which Yang knew very well that he could stop if he wanted.

The fool likely wanted to see the Bringer's power in action; likely to justify keeping Paradise station open. Perhaps he didn't care, but she didn't think for one second that he could not stop this if he wanted. No, he was allowing it to continue, though for what purpose she didn't know, and it wouldn't be enough regardless of justification.

It was irritating from a diplomatic and political standpoint, and she could not understand the reason for letting it continue for so long. ADVENT was going to use this to further demonize the Collective, or maybe if they were smart, would pin it on the Imperator instead. However, she didn't put much stock in ADVENT propaganda correctly identifying the right perpetrator.

She'd had enough, and shut off the feed. It was all the same anyway, and watching it wouldn't do anything except make her angry. Instead she went to her bed and laid down, and after an hour the strongest emotions plaguing her dissipated and she fell into a fitful sleep, as tomorrow would bring about yet more conflict.

---

Russian Castle of the Order of Terra, Russian Wilderness – Russia

3/12/2017 – 6:11 A.M.

The Order of Terra was ready for war, and ready for blood. Kaya hadn't imagined that their first deployment would be against what could be best described as a nightmare incarnate, but here they were. Ironically, it appeared that many of the forces they would be fighting carried melee weapons and thus were suitable opponents.

They were all nervous to some degree, especially considering the danger they would be facing which felt…different…compared to their previous stints in combat. For Kaya there had always been some small comfort in battle taking place over a distance, even if that was more impossible to predict. But the danger had the illusion of being easier to avoid.

Not so when the battle was up close and personal – as it would be in Beijing. Granted, her job was going to be a lot of hit and run strikes against targets of interest, but she didn't carry a katana for show. And she wagered that she was going to be using it more than she wanted to. Still, if there was a time to deploy the Order, it would be now in an urban environment where they would function best.

They all stood armored up and prepared to deploy. All the squads tended to be composed the same way. Four Squire units, who were armored to a degree that they were essentially walking tanks, carrying tower shields which were a full inch thick and stood as tall as they were, even as they were designed to holster a rifle to fire at the enemy as they advanced.

Two Knights were usually in tow, which had less armor even if it was still substantial, but allowed for greater movement. Several of them also had Molosser hounds which were at their sides and outfitted in some light armor. Kaya liked the genetically created dogs. They were surprisingly affectionate with their owners and even most others. It was easy to forget that they would rip out the throats of aliens without a second thought if the command was given. The Knights definitely looked the part too, with kite shields and helmets straight out of the medieval period.

Well, minus the rifle strapped to their backs which they would use until they engaged in melee.

Her own armor was lighter, as a Samurai unit that some of the squads had, though not all. Unlike the Knight, it didn't copy the archetype as faithfully. While the way the armor was designed was reminiscent of known Samurai armor, it wasn't as heavy or restrictive. It was far more form-fitting and sleek, as it held grappling equipment, a back sheath for her katana, and her HUD in the helmet could manually mark targets of interest. And of course, she held the newest long-range ADVENT sniper rifle outfitted with nanite rounds and even with gauss rounds was capable of penetrating nearly any level of armor.

They called it the "Widow", and she didn't know if it was named after the spider or the possible widows who would be created after they perished to this weapon.

Did aliens even have spouses?

Not a relevant question.

The leader of the squad, or at least the main coordinator (which ultimately led to the same thing) was the Standardbearer who held possibly the most stressful job of the entire Order. They were outfitted in gold and white armor of the same density as the Squire, and were only armed with a pistol or SMG, as they could usually only use one hand in battle as the other held the standard of that squad.

From what had been explained to Kaya, the Standardbearers were to fulfill two purposes – coordination for the squad and to serve as a rallying point in the chaos of battle. The standard itself wasn't a gimmick either, at least not in the way most people would think. The pole was tipped at the bottom with a sharp point, turning it into a weapon of sorts if necessary, or to plant more easily.

The more important piece was that each standard incorporated Shieldbearer technology and functioned as a smaller-scale PDS field capable of redirecting or stopping plasma. Useful for advancing on an enemy position, and the Standardbearers were equipped with enough batteries to last hours as the standard itself literally cycled through them as it ran out.

The banner for their own squad which fell from the standard was the generic one for the Russian Castle itself; a roaring bear. They hadn't been able to agree on one, and had mostly forgotten about it in favor of other matters since they had assumed they were at least a month or so from deployment. Assuming they survived, they might be more inspired.

All of them stood in formation, with dozens of other squads in the square of the training grounds silently waiting in the chill morning air. Helmeted, Kaya couldn't see the expressions of her squadmates but she could guess them easily enough. Determination, fury, fear; in certain ways she was grateful that the emotions of those who fought for ADVENT were hidden in favor of the uniform. It certainly projected a powerful image.

Before all of them standing before a holoprojector was Lord Damian Hamilton, clad in his own battle armor reminiscent of the Knights, though a red cape fell from his shoulders. He was not the only one of similar rank, as there were a dozen other Lords who would likely be taking command of the various points of attack. Some held maces and warhammers, others held swords and shields. Hamilton himself carried a greatsword with a rifle also hanging at his waist. He did not have one of the hounds by him, as opposed to some of the other Lords.

His helmet was off as he addressed those assembled.

"We all know what we're walking into so I won't address it further," he began, the holoprojector igniting into red light and showing an outline of the city. "We have our orders to lead the charge and take Beijing back, destroy Isomnum and his forces, and pacify or eliminate any stragglers. We will be followed by MDU, PRIEST, and XCOM support, all of whom have assured us that we will be psionically protected. Once we're in, we fight."

Several points lit up. "There will be four points of direct entry into the city, and from which we will spread out and begin clearing the city, street by street until Tiananmen Square – which has been identified as the base of operations for the aliens – is surrounded and no escape is possible. The American, German, and Korean Castles will be involved in this attack, each focused on a different point of entry. Ours is this one." The southmost light turned green.

"Standardbearers will be given specific directions about where to go when we arrive," Hamilton continued. "There will be some backtracking due to the nature of the streets, but it is imperative that you do not break formation under any circumstance. When a street is cleared do not continue to advance without the express permission of your Standardbearer. There can be no gaps in our advance."

Made sense. It was definitely something drilled into them enough. Hamilton paused. "This is probably not what any of us had in mind for our debut to the world, but perhaps there is no better test for us. We say we are willing to march into hell itself in the name of ADVENT and destroy the monsters that lurk within. Today we will prove that to the world – and teach the aliens to fear our wrath and vengeance."

A roar of approval sounded from the assembled soldiers. The flicker of a smile appeared on Hamilton's face. "The aliens claim to bring a god down to rule over us. Today we will slay it, along with the Dread Lord it champions!" Another cheer. "March forward, and make the streets they inhabit run with their blood!"

A bit melodramatic for her tastes, but Kaya cheered all the same. The energy had turned from apprehensive to electric. They were ready, and there was no one more ready to exact vengeance upon the monsters in China than they were.

She did a final check of everything before they prepared to deploy through the gateway. Everything was in order.

Time to kill some aliens.

---

ADVENT Military Commander – Switzerland

3/12/2017 – 6:11 A.M.

The Commander, Zhang, the Chronicler, Falka, Laura, Weekes, and essentially every other major figure of ADVENT and XCOM stood together as they reviewed the coming assault on Beijing. The good news was that it was going to be fairly easy to move forces into position as Isomnum hadn't taken the city organically and as such had no territory or means of cutting off reinforcements.

Being so close to Russia, Mongolia, and Korea was also useful.

"The Order of Terra will work to sweep the entire city," Laura was saying. "As they accomplish this the main military force will make tentative advancements, led by an MDU-heavy force. Support from the legions will also be present, as will large numbers from the PRIEST Division."

"What I'm concerned about is that there isn't anything stopping Isomnum from leaving as fast as he came," Weekes grunted. "I'm certain we will take Beijing back, but it will mean little if this monster isn't destroyed once and for all; otherwise he'll just do this again and again."

"Do not worry, Chief Weekes," the Chronicler interjected smoothly, already encased in his stone armor, minus the helmet. "I will ensure that Isomnum and his thralls cannot escape so easily. Besides, Isomnum is too drunk on his power to abandon his prize so easily. It would certainly break his terror effect if he flees at the first sign of staunch resistance."

Weekes eyed the elder warily. "If you don't mind my asking, how?"

The Chronicler smiled. "What Isomnum – and the forces of the Bringer – use to teleport is the Psionosphere. I cannot say what level of familiarity you have with the topic, so I will explain as simply as possible. A skilled user can move themselves through two points of the Psionosphere, provided they understand the technique properly."

Weekes nodded. "I know the basic Psionosphere theory. I read Vahlen's paper."

"Teleportation is exceptionally difficult – and able to be defended against," the Chronicler explained, lifting a hand to gesture in the air. "Simply put, the range of teleportation can be restricted to a certain area. No – teleportation beyond a certain point. A veil, if you would, capable of being created and maintained by psions. This will keep the aliens in the city."

"With respect," Finn Gerstner, the PRIEST Vicar General interrupted. "As someone who understands this a bit better than most, the amount of energy needed to create and maintain such a barrier requires nothing short of an Ethereal, and neither Aegis or Caelior seem to specialize in it-"

"It is taken care of," the Chronicler interrupted in a tone that indicated that the topic was concluded. "Trust me."

Knowing what was coming, the Commander nodded in solidarity. "Leave that to us, General. We have this under control."

"And what stops them from teleporting to the edge of this veil, stepping through it, and leaving it that way?" Laura asked with a raised eyebrow. "Good in theory, but able to be circumvented."

"Aegis will be encasing the city in a psionic bubble," the Commander said. "There will be no escape – with areas open for ADVENT forces to enter, of course."

That seemed to satisfy them, and while Aegis was tired, he could continue on a much more contained scale. "The majority of our forces will ultimately converge on Tiananmen Square," Laura continued, highlighting the area. "This is where Isomnum has made his primary base of operations – or what goes for one at any rate. In addition to soldiers, tanks are also being deployed to collapse necessary infrastructure and overpower the primarily infantry forces."

"The actual soldiers of the Bringer seem to be few in number," Elizabeth recalled. "We're going to be facing mass hordes of insane civilians and soldiers. Even Isomnum's own alien forces are minimal, as we've eliminated most of his Custodians."

"And tanks can run over the majority with little issue," Weekes nodded. "The Order and our military forces should focus on removing the weaker threat. They aren't capable of handling the soldiers of the Bringer, let alone Isomnum. Targets of interest should only be handled by PRIESTs, XCOM, and special forces."

"I'm not sure how ordinary special forces will fare against psionic soldiers like this," Kyong said, the first time he'd spoken in the meeting. "Enhanced they may be, but unless they can mitigate-"

"Agreed," Weekes nodded. "We're not going to throw away our Lancers and Dragoons like this. They're needed more in Florida right now. We're going to deploy the Pantheon."

Kyong cocked his head. "Who?"

Ah, about time they were going to use them. The Commander had been aware of the initiative for some time, and was pleased that it had progressed to a usable stage. "The Pantheon," Weekes explained. "Conceived shortly after the approval of the Order of Terra. A special forces team primarily psionic-based. Very small, very elite, very dangerous. No psionic soldier has a Trask Level under eighty."

"And they're called the Pantheon because…?"

"Because their call signs are based on Greek mythology," Saudia said faintly from her chair, her voice still rough. "Something you can thank the Commander for. The other proposals were far less creative."

The Chancellor looked exhausted and just barely patched up from the wounds she'd suffered, but she was very much alive and wanting to be involved even if she couldn't quite think straight. Grey cybernetics were in place of the limbs she'd lost, and he'd noticed that she'd not been moving them much, likely still getting used to them or they still needed to be calibrated. No artificial skin was placed over them, although this was because she'd refused it and not because it couldn't be applied. Something the Commander could understand.

Covering up a disfigurement implied some kind of shame, but revealing it to the world could certainly send a message. And considering Saudia was going to make a statement as the assault began launching, it would be a powerful message indeed to see the woman who had been attacked and mutilated return hours later not deterred in the slightest from achieving victory.

"I'm pleased they found my suggestions agreeable," the Commander said. "I'm certain they will perform well. With our combined forces, we should be capable of crushing this threat once and for all."

"Indeed," Laura agreed. "We nonetheless have a difficult road ahead. Although we should make this decision now – if we are able to subdue Isomnum, how should we handle him?"

There was some silence at that, as they considered. It could theoretically be possible to capture Isomnum, and then extract his secrets, put him to trial, or otherwise attempt to gain some use out of him. But at the same time, the benefits were questionable and uncertain. Not to mention holding an Ethereal like that was…dangerous.

Saudia did not hesitate. "Execute him," she said lowly, fury breaking through a normally professional persona. "Preferably painfully. We gain little from his life. We take his ruined and mutilated corpse and display it for the world to see so that no one need fear him any longer. He will serve as a lesson to any who dare attack us so brazenly."

A pause. "I believe our Chancellor has spoken," Weekes said approvingly. "Are there any objections?"

The Commander held back a humorless smile. There would not be anyone who would advocate for sparing Isomnum, not under any circumstances. Technically, the military could override her here, but he sincerely doubted that was even up for discussion beyond a hypothetical. "If we are in such a position," he said. "I believe one or more of my soldiers would be…pleased to deliver the final blow. Or one of them."

"You have the Phobos soldier, yes?" Laura recalled. "McTaggart? No promises, but if he so happens to be in the right position, no one will get in his way."

"Good enough," the Commander nodded. "And I also would not be surprised if the Hunter showed his face in the battle. Supposedly he will be on our side."

"Uh huh," Laura muttered unconvincingly. "And after?"

"We have his word he will depart peacefully," the Commander said. "Obviously to be taken skeptically. We will handle him if he becomes trouble."

"We'll have to address that if it comes up," Laura said, looking back to the holotable. "Forces are ready. All we need to do is give the order. We should do it quickly before Isomnum grows a brain and leaves."

Saudia gave a nod. "Do it, Commander."

It was a simple order, a single phrase, but one the Commander knew marked a decisive point in the war. Laura opened a comm to the officers on the ground. "Operation Ragnarök is a go. Bring down the hammer."

---

Haikou, Hainan – China

3/9/2017 – 7:19 A.M.

The quintet was nearly ready to depart, and over a salvaged breakfast Nuan and Iosif laid out the plan to their civilian counterparts – and alien prisoner (who was still largely bound, even though his hands had been freed so he could eat). Earlier the morning the duo went into the kitchens and brought back plenty of food – cereals, milk, and fruit along with plenty of packaged snacks (many of which were being put into a bag to carry along their journey later).

Nuan was very glad that they had found a mother and child who wasn't especially young. Ren was young, but a teen and could follow directions and had learned very recently the art of keeping quiet. She'd been rather quiet in the presence of the two soldiers, though Nuan couldn't completely blame her for that. They probably seemed more threatening than a half-dead alien.

The alien as it turned out was Zararch as they had suspected. Zar'ravas'intha, a spy placed in China to watch the population and prepare for an inevitable invasion. In his own words, he'd been fairly low level and was more keeping track of identifying weak points and the most effective routes to take the city.

This was, as he'd said, what he'd expected to be used by a more conventional military. Of which Isomnum was very much not. He couldn't say if any of his intel had been used since he'd been caught in the initial attack as well and nearly lost his mind. He didn't elaborate on the details of what he'd seen, but it had been enough for him to reconsider his allegiance to the Collective – or at least the Ethereals.

He…hadn't gone so far as to disparage the Collective itself, but he made it very clear that he wanted no part in assisting the Ethereals who quite willingly ignored their own assets in their assaults and perpetuated complete indiscriminate warfare, which Ravas found insulting on a personal level.

Iosif was mildly unimpressed with his reasoning, and had included a chocolate-chip muffin in the food he'd given to the alien. Nuan had smirked at that, especially as the alien had just stared at it and eventually sort of just picked around it, after he'd eaten the rest of his breakfast, only to look in disbelief as Iosif dumped a small bag of chocolate bars before him.

"Yes, this is hilarious," Iosif said, deadpan. "But believe it or not, I got them for a reason. You're still wounded and likely will be in pain, and I'm not interested in hauling you the entire way there. So if the pain gets too bad, eat one of these until you get high. That will probably help. I will do my best to keep your mind straight."

The alien pursed his lips. "I do not want to become a drug addict."

"Chocolate isn't addictive," Iosif sighed. "As much as Zararch propaganda may have said otherwise, it just makes you feel good. Or loopy. Or both. It's like marijuana for Humans. Not addictive, but has similar – and sometimes beneficial qualities."

"And can also induce vomiting," Ravas reminded him.

"In large quantities," Iosif corrected. "So don't eat them all at once."

The alien accepted without another word, although took the bag with some distaste. The rest of them ate in relative silence, until the end when Iosif figured it was time to explain what was going to happen next, with Nuan translating for the Chinese speakers.

"We are assuming that we're on our own, and that extraction will be of our own making," Iosif explained to them on. "Luckily we have some options, namely boats. The aliens don't seem interested in destroying the infrastructure and are more likely to just leave it alone than requisition, use, or destroy it. Nuan knows the city, and knows where the ports are."

He tapped a gloved finger on the table. "In short, we're going to find a boat and steal it."

"[What if they don't have keys,]" Jun Ye, the businessman asked nervously. "[We could trap ourselves.]" Nuan relayed the question to Iosif.

"Possible, but a decent amount of boat owners leave their keys and rely on other things like locks, ropes, security, and fuel to keep away thieves," Iosif said. "All of those can be bypassed, and worst case scenario, I will likely be able to hotwire it."

Nuan cocked her head. "You know how to do that?"

He shrugged. "I wasn't always an upstanding Russian citizen," he commented with a smile. "Had a rather eventful childhood involving my father's car, curfews, and other idiotic restrictions. Long story, suffice to say I can probably do it."

A story she'd have to ask about later. "Back on topic," Iosif continued, eating one of the granola bars he'd snagged. "The ports will have things like fuel, supplies, fishing equipment and so on. I'm not a fisherman, but in a pinch, we may have to try our luck. We'll pack up as much as we can in any event. As well as enough fuel."

"[Do…do you know how to drive a boat?]" Ren asked apprehensively, looking to both of them.

"Not really," Iosif admitted after the question was relayed. "But I've ridden on them before and they appear to be largely simplified now. To the point where I'm confident we can drive without issue. Don't worry about it. Even better is that most of the boats nowadays have GPS."

"[So where are we going?]" Jun asked after a moment.

"The closest land which ADVENT controls is Vietnam," Iosif said. "Going to China is a bad idea, but Vietnam is untouched for now. It'll be a long ride, but as long as we have enough fuel, it should be possible. We'll also try and get one with sailboat capabilities in the worst-case scenario."

"Hopefully it'll be that simple," Nuan said slowly. "Go to the port, get a boat, and leave."

"Hopefully, but possibly not," Iosif warned. "While I think Isomnum has moved a majority of forces into mainland China – at least that's what I would do – there are likely stragglers we'll run into and have to fight and kill. Most we can handle, but we need to stop them before they sound an alarm."

"[I'll do what I can,]" Jun said, clearly trying to sound brave, patting the pistol holstered at his waist.

Nuan snorted. "[You're not going to tickle an alien with that piece of junk. Use this instead,]" she reached down and slid him her gauss pistol. "[Has a kickback, but it'll do damage. Make each shot count – I assume you're halfway decent?]" Jun took it delicately, eyes wide as he looked at the weapon.

"[Yes, yes, I don't keep this for show,]" he said half-distractedly as he overlooked the weapon. "[Although I can't say to have killed anyone. But the Triad is active in too many places to be too careful. Safety here?]"

"[Yes,]" Nuan confirmed, curiosity piqued. "[You had to worry about the Triad?]"

"[Depending on where you went,]" he said, swapping out his pistol for her borrowed one. "[Everyone had to worry about them. Although one good thing about this was is that their activities died down. Things went to hell for them after one of their leaders died. Or maybe defected. Wasn't sure, but a bunch of their operations were hit soon after. Haven't recovered since. Still there, and I'm still paranoid.]"

Nuan debated giving him the reason for the mysterious collapse of the Triad, but that could be a story for the boat. "[As long as you can shoot, you should be fine.]"

"If I may," Ravas coughed. "I'm also a good shot. And have experience with any Collective weapons we may find. You will need all the held you can get."

Iosif pretended to consider this with a raised eyebrow. "Tempting, but I'll decline your generous offer. You're Zararch and I don't trust you, and I won't until we have a trained telepath interrogate you. Unless you want to find yourself decapitated, you'll stay in front, stay quiet, follow instructions, and make no sudden moves. You are not a priority here. Understand?"

The alien gave a single nod.

"Getting to the port will be done quietly and methodically," Iosif said. "Building to building, street to street. We can cut our way through walls and buildings and I have limited telepathic detection. Rooftops may be best, as I can create bridges if necessary. Normally it would take us four hours to get there on foot, but for us I imagine it will take the whole day, so we can escape under the cover of night. If we get there before nightfall, we will wait."

He looked around. "Does everyone understand the plan?"

They all nodded in affirmation. "Alright then," Iosif dusted off his hands. "Grab what you can, and let's move out."

---

ADVENT Media Hub – Switzerland

3/12/2017 – 6:03 A.M.

She'd been better, but she was well enough to give her speech to a world that needed to hear from her right now. Saudia stood flanked by Ethan with three replacement guards and six Magus-class psions of various disciplines. They had enough forces to fend off a small army should the Collective try something again, but still she felt vulnerable with nothing solid protecting her.

She wore her standard black outfit with the red sash, but it definitely didn't seem safe now. Too thin. She'd considered wearing armor, but had been talked out of it since she'd only be 'exposed' for a limited amount of time. In the future she may be more insistent, but she'd not had the will to debate with anyone on it; not when there were more important topics on her mind.

The press corps were unusually silent when she'd walked in, and all stood in what she could only assume was solidarity. A good number had even refrained from taking the same number of pictures as before. She was almost touched by their concern. They and those they represented didn't especially care for her, and the feeling was largely mutual. But they didn't wish to see her dead, which was heartening in a way.

She wiggled her fingers, still not completely used to the sensation. It was eerie in a way, she could still feel things with a surprising degree of sensitivity, but at the same time it felt odd; filtered; almost too sharp at times. Expected, the doctors had told her. It would take some time to get the calibrations perfect.

The cybernetics were grey and expertly crafted. Exceptionally natural-looking, minus the lack of skin color and the obvious mechanical joints. It was genuinely impressive how efficient it was, although she'd personally not wanted to find out for herself how true that was. Her mechanical hands were visible from her outfit, and while she didn't necessarily want or need to draw attention to them, it was impossible to miss and a number of the journalists blinked in surprise, audibly gasped, or whispered to colleague when they saw a portion of her injuries.

Pulling up her pad with her speech written up on it, she placed it on the podium where the two microphones were ready to broadcast her words. Times like this she felt like a speechwriter would have been helpful, but at the same time after a few minutes of considering, the words had come together easier than she'd feared.

Today would not be the day where she would speak words written by someone else.

"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice," she began. "As all of you are aware of the situation, I will not repeat it, suffice to say that I am fully updated since coming out of surgery. Mere hours ago I, along with the personnel at ADVENT-Chinese Joint Command came under attack by Isomnum. Most did not survive, and I owe my own life to my personal guard and the soldiers of XCOM. My own injuries are unimportant and will not impede me from continuing to do my duty."

With that out of the way, she transitioned to her first point. "These actions in the past hours have served to demonstrate the full depravity the aliens will inflict upon us for daring to continue to resist them, and now that they have seen that we do not bow to threats, they seek to fill our hearts and minds with terror, for there is no better source than the horror which has emerged from China."

A pause, waiting to let them think. "I've thought about what message the Collective – or Isomnum – is sending here. Is it a promise of our fate should we continue to resist? Or a promise of the world under their control? What is the purpose of such terror, or is it merely the madness of the Ethereal leading it? Terror for the sake of terror."

She shook her head. "No. I do not believe so. Isomnum may believe so, but he is a tool being utilized by others, knowingly or not. This terror he inflicts upon us is not without purpose – or for the reasons he perhaps believes. This entire event is a warning, but not from Isomnum – from someone else."

She let her fingers curl around the edges of the podium, moving her gaze around to the various journalists who stood in rapt attention. "The Imperator knows that such actions will not shake our resolve; not even the attack on my life would make me consider submission – so this is instead a warning. This is the future the war will take; monsters unleashed under the guise of 'unsanctioned operations' as Isomnum currently is acting now. But we know better; the Imperator is not original in his methods. As fundamentalist nations once funded terrorists to strike against their enemies as proxies, so too will the Imperator begin to see a surge of 'unaffiliated extremists' who take matters into their own hands as the war continues."

"It is becoming clear," she said after a moment. "That there is a growing rift in the Collective. On one side we see the Battlemaster; an Ethereal – our enemy – who will wage war traditionally and on respectable terms. Perhaps we will win, perhaps not, but there is little ambiguity and surprise in such a war."

She rapped her metal fingers on the podium, looking around. "And on the other side there are those who are showing their fear. Who do not rely on their advanced armies, technology, or unfathomable number of resources, but instead emotion. Terror, fear; all to drive us to capitulation. The madness unleashed by Isomnum is the personification of this method. Yet they will also stoop to such levels as assassinating unaffiliated civilians who merely reside in our territory, as they did with the Imperial Family. They wish to instill a fear of being associated with us."

"This is not all," she continued. "They parade pawns and collaborators that attract all eyes to them, who boldly proclaim the evidence of our eyes and ears is merely propaganda orchestrated by an oppressive authoritarian regime seeking world domination…" her voice lowered. "But perhaps this will silence the puppets who act as mouthpieces for the Ethereal's poisoned words. All have seen what crimes the Collective and Imperator has perpetrated, and those who are so foolish as to believe these are not allowed at the express permission of the Imperator should look themselves in the mirror and ask if they believe it."

Saudia looked directly into the cameras, eyes hardened. "But these actions are horrifying in their own right, regardless of species. I know there are members of the Collective; the Zararch, Runianarch, Lurainian, the many Andromedon Unions, the Aui'Vitakar, perhaps civilians on many worlds. The extent of the Collective's crimes had perhaps been hidden to you before now, but consider if this is truly a cause you wish to support."

Ever so slightly the cameras and microphones inched forward, clearly wanting to catch every single word in perfect clarity, as this had become something more than a short update to the China situation. "Your leaders are lying to you. The Ethereals are lying to you. What they have allowed in China is being carried out on Paradise station tenfold. You are little more to them than an exploitable resource, and should you dare question them, they will ensure disaster and misery befalls you as they are attempting to do to us."

She curled a lip up ever so slightly. "We did not want this war. I believe that many of you do not want this war. We recognize it would be prudent that it ends before it pointlessly continues, but your masters are content to continue to send your parents, children, and siblings to die in it and they will not stop. The Imperator will not allow the war to stop from mere pressure, and soon a choice will present itself before you."

Gripping the podium, and making her voice clear, she continued. "There are many soldiers who have abandoned the Collective as they realize what it truly is. Each and every single one is braver than the cowards who allow what is happening in China to continue, who will not dare voice that the abuses and terror is happening. They do not because they are ashamed that they have been forced to stoop to such depths in an attempt to frighten us into submission."

A shake of the head. "It would be almost pathetic; were it not paid in the blood and lives of thousands of innocents."

She projected her voice slightly more. "This is no longer a war between powers, if it ever could be called such. There is no ambiguity on what the right side is. One side abducts civilians and presses them into experimentation labs, one side using psionics to drive civilians into states of madness and depravity; one side seeks to dominate another for no crime outside of simply existing."

She let that linger. "I would ask that the Collective would think carefully about who and what they are fighting for. What crime has our species committed that we are warranted invasion? What is so offensive about us that motivates such actions against our civilians and soldiers? We never wanted to be your enemy, and we do not condemn your species for the crimes committed by the Imperator and his ilk."

One finger was lifted. "But make no mistake – we will never surrender; we will never submit to the Ethereals, to the Collective, to the Imperator. We have been shown what fate awaits us, and that such measures are taken show the depths of the fear which grips the Imperator's heart. Because he knows that he is losing his grip; on his soldiers, on his allies – even other Ethereals – and soon the war."

"Understand this –" she lowered the hand slowly, as well as her voice. "We will show no mercy to those who continue to abet the Imperator, as there is no more excuse for ignorance. The only fates of those who stay will be as corpses or prisoners of war. We will take back our planet; our solar system – and then we will go hunting."

She indicated those behind her. "Today we will kill the god which has claimed domain over Beijing and strike down the Dread Lord. As we speak our military forces in conjunction with XCOM and Chinese Command are marching on the city and will purge it – and thus show the world and beyond that such actions do not elicit cowardice or fear – but action."

Saudia allowed a final, dangerous smile. "We will go to whatever lengths necessary to protect Humanity, regardless of origin, race, or creed. Even if we need to march into hell and back to do so. The war has turned today, but it will not be Isomnum who emerges victorious today. Because today?"

One final pause. "Today – the Dread Lord dies."

---

Tiananmen Square, Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 5:50 A.M.

The revelry and celebration seemed to go on without end, but Isomnum was careful not to lose himself in the hypnotic dream the Weavers were spinning for their thralls. He needed nothing of the sort now, and while he could take satisfaction in what he had accomplished, there was little question of the fact that the Humans would attempt to get revenge.

Thus, he stood on the stones of Tiananmen Square looking over the thousands of mad victims and cultists alike. How useful they had been here. They would serve many more purposes in the future. It certainly helped that there was little resistance as his remaining forces converted thousands of civilians into something slightly more dangerous.

He disliked that the Bringer's forces shaped it as something to practically beg for, as it devalued the entire purpose of conversion, but it was a small price to pay here. He had considered leaving, as he had largely achieved what he had set out to do, but running would indicate weakness and ADVENT would spin any reclamation of their city as victory.

That could not be permitted.

He had observed the Human reaction; outrage and horror in equal measure. It should have elicited demands for compliance; he should have seen masses of Humans expressing fear over what would come next should ADVENT continue their pointless and doomed war. That is what should have happened.

Yet the idiot Humans were clearly not intelligent enough to understand that fear should be their instinctive reaction and then take steps to mitigate such fear. No, the Humans were simply angry. Not fearful, furious. It showed the extent to their delusions that they believed their armies strong enough to exact vengeance.

They should realize that they were in a position of weakness.

These actions indicated that the Humans believed they could withstand the power of the Collective – including his own power.

His anger had grown when he'd realized this. It was clear that the Humans were either too brainwashed or too stupid to acknowledge the blatant hint he had given them with his actions. They clearly needed to be broken further. They needed to be shown that they needed to be afraid; that their shining armies and alien traitors would not save them.

Yet for once he found himself slightly puzzled at what to do next.

If the sight of Humans cannibalizing, mutilating, and happily killing themselves didn't make Humans fearful, then what would?

Perhaps it was a matter of volume, of scale. One city was little in the grand scheme of things, and as China was not officially part of ADVENT, perhaps it was easier to disparage and dismiss. The failure of the Bringer's soldiers to capture Saudia certainly contributed to this – a failure that would not be repeated.

He suspected the Weavers could create a grander show the next time. More bloody, violent, and horrific than the last. He had listened to some of the Weavers paint vivid pictures of what they called the Children of Paradise – creatures born from the heart of the station that were abominations to any sane mind. Fusions of species, masses of flesh and limbs, true works of genetic artistry and unnatural design.

In the future, those could be brought if the Humans continued to fight their inevitable fate.

Alternatively, he could take matters into his own hands. He would, should the Weavers continue to fail to elicit the fear that should have gripped the Human populace. Instead he was met with scathing condemnations and graphic descriptions of how he and his soldiers should die; usually slowly and painfully.

It was irritating. Not due to the threats. He had little concern for a faceless persona on the Internet.

It was the wrong reaction.

There was little satisfaction in eliciting terror if those who should feel it completely missed the message.

Humans. Idiot, stubborn, idealistic creatures.

The air suddenly shifted and he paused. It was not the familiar touch of the Weavers which assuaged his mind, but something else. The sky suddenly turned purple as he saw a barrier cutting through the smog and hanging over the city.

Aegis.

Unsurprising he was still here. The Ethereal was powerful and could last a significant amount of time. He had expected Aegis would assist the coming force, and he was prepared. Although this was certainly a curious usage. As if he wanted to trap him, clearly forgetting that thanks to the forces of the Bringer, such boundaries no longer concerned him.

Well. It would limit his usefulness in the coming battle. He was rather hoping Caelior would show himself. He would quite enjoy breaking the young traitor; Caelior had always been an upstart irritant, and now he had leave to treat him as one. Perhaps if the Bringer's soldiers proved themselves here, he would give the Ethereal to them. The Imperator would not care about the traitor, otherwise he would not have sacrificed him to XCOM so easily.

Then something changed in the sky. The smog became tinged in purple until it resembled storm clouds hanging over the entire city. Isomnum felt the telltale sign of an illusion as it lightly pressed against his mind, which he dismissed with barely a thought initially – only it came back, with twice as much intensity. Another dismissal only resulted in the same.

Confusion was the first feeling, as only an Ethereal would be able to maintain such an illusion and impress it upon him such as this. He could certainly block it, but it would require effort on his part – effort he saw little reason to expend for such a pointless reason. Yet looking into the sky, he did not expect there to be shapes forming in them.

No…

These did not glow purple, but blue. Six orbs which seemed to arrange themselves in smoky clouds. Eyes? The more vibrant they became, the more Isomnum became convinced, and he was reminded of the Sovereign One that was supposedly on Earth. Little was known about their biology, save that they were aquatic. But the Voice had once described what they looked like.

Six eyes were among the description.

Upon seeing this, Isomnum paused. Had he been Human, he would have frowned. Instead he merely watched. Also according to the Voice – and the Imperator – the Sovereigns did not reveal themselves openly, preferring to act through puppets and proxies. Yet to him, this seemed…too obvious, too blatant.

He was not the only one to notice. Those who inhabited the Square paused what they were doing and looked up, the Dream seemingly gone. It only lasted for moments as the Weavers redirected their attention with psionic commands, tricks, and spells. Yet those who retained their minds considered the situation more cautiously.

One of the Weavers approached. "Lord Isomnum, do you have directions?"

He considered. Running would be cowardly and undermine his efforts, as well as what he had achieved here. Yet…he had not considered such blatant intervention by a Sovereign One, and unfortunately only knew their reputed capabilities. In any case, he was suddenly no longer sure he held the upper hand. ADVENT, XCOM, and the agents of Sovereigns he could overcome. A possible direct intervention? More questionable.

"Remove critical forces from Hainan," he commanded. "Maintain a limited number to direct the Converted and your Exalted. A price can still be extracted from the Humans here. We will decide our next target afterwards."

"There is an issue," the Weaver said slowly. "Our Stalkers report that they cannot breach the barrier erected by Aegis."

"What?"

The Weaver did not cower, but the blood drained from her face as she felt his full attention turn on her. Nonetheless, she continued. "We do not know why this is happening. The only one who could cut off such a large point in the psionosphere is a Sovereign One. We are currently trapped, and with no way out. The Stalkers have confirmed the barrier is complete. ADVENT forces are converging upon our location, along with XCOM and agents of T'Leth."

A hand clenched in controlled anger. "There were assurances that this was not to happen."

"We…did not anticipate such a reaction," the Weaver said meekly. "We-"

"You should not have come to this planet, Dread Lord."

The voice was deep, booming, and originated from the mind itself. Isomnum looked to the hanging blue orbs in the sky. It was no question of who had spoken it. "Your kind are said to not interfere. You should not reveal yourself, else you will paint yourself as a target – and that you do not want."

The air rumbled, and Isomnum got the impression the Sovereign was laughing. "You know little of me, Dread Lord, else you would not utter such words. I am not my brethren. I do not fear your pathetic threats. You will serve as an example to the Imperator – and the Bringer."

"Send your pawns, Sovereign One," Isomnum stated. "They will die as many have before them. You are not here now, merely an illusion meant to intimidate."

"Be thankful, Dread Lord," T'Leth rumbled. "That I have merely cut off your escape, else I would rend your body into pieces. Yet I feel that this will soon befall you and those who serve the Bringer. So I will merely watch; watch as you lose more and more; watch as the dream collapses all around you and you realize that you have been abandoned and used, like the pawns you are in a game between masters. I will watch you die, Dread Lord, and the last thing you will see is not fear, but vengeance. You will not taste victory, but ashes as you expire, knowing that you are an utter failure and your ideology dies with you, disproved to the galaxy. Prepare, Dread Lord, for your death now approaches."

After that, the eyes themselves dissipated, though the illusion of purple mist remained. Isomnum stood quietly, considering. The Sovereign One was, in fact, not here, though his presence would be felt. The conflict was most certainly not lost, and he was not so weak as to be intimidated by such drivel, though the utter conviction by which said threats had been said was concerning.

Isomnum knew the difference between true and false power. The words T'Leth had spoken were not ones of arrogance, but power. Isomnum knew he was powerful, but he most certainly was not so foolish as to underestimate his enemies. T'Leth would pose a concern, although his stunt had revealed his limitations. Should the barrier be breached, they could leave and that itself could be a victory.

Alternatively, he merely had to weather the storm coming upon him. T'Leth would send his agents, but he had faced such before. They could still win, so long as T'Leth remained a non-factor outside his illusions. If T'Leth could end the fight, he would have. Therefore his threat was limited.

Still. There could be improvement. Tipping the odds further in his favor. He pulled out his holocommunicator and within moments the image of the Temperance appeared. "Lord Isomnum. I assume there have been developments."

"Correct." He did not mince words. "T'Leth has prevented teleportation in a radius around the city, and Aegis has erected a shield to prevent escape. We will weather the ADVENT attack easily enough. However, Aegis must be eliminated or the barrier must otherwise fall. More soldiers are required."

The Temperance did not answer for a few seconds. When he did, the answer was as emotionless as ever. "There will be complications. The aftermath of your attack has not been received as anticipated. More soldiers will not be sent without the express permission of the Imperator."

Isomnum exhaled loudly. "This is not a request, Temperance."

"Nor is my decision a choice," he answered. "I will speak to the Imperator about further support. I cannot promise more, for both of us ultimately answer to him."

"You lacked this hesitation earlier," Isomnum noted. "Do not concern yourself with the Imperator. I will handle him, and ensure your projects are supported. This is difficult if I am indisposed due to the Humans. Your failure to continue supporting my operations will result in this support being withdrawn – and you being replaced. Consider your next words carefully."

The Temperance did appear to consider, and not a single hint of what he could be feeling showed on the stony alien face. A face that Isomnum saw had six eyes. "Risk has been calculated. More is lost by continuing to incur the Imperator's wrath. I cannot support you further without his permission. It will be asked, but there will be no further promises."

Isomnum nearly crushed the holocommunicator, though kept his voice calm. "You have made a mistake. You best prepare to meet your god, as it shall happen when I come to Paradise."

The Temperance was not affected, and answered as neutrally as ever. "I will take my chances."

The image disappeared. This time he crushed the device in his hand.

How disappointing. That it was not the Humans who were fearful and cowering, but the thing which puppeted Ethereals. A thing who is driven by fear of a greater Ethereal. Such cowardice would not be tolerated, and the removal of the Temperance would be carried out slowly to serve as a lesson for his replacement.

It was not the Imperator one need fear.

They would soon learn that.

But now he had a storm to weather, an army to slaughter, and an escape to plot.

The odds were stacked against him, but he felt no fear, as such emotions had been purged long ago. It did not matter how many were against him. The Synthesized had tried before, and he had inevitably won.

This time would be no different.

---

Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 5:45 A.M.

The army that marched on Beijing was massive, and Oliver believed that in his long career that he had never quite been involved in – or seen – an operation on this scale. Even in XCOM their role was more limited and never quite seemed to lead the charge in places – only came in afterwards to take out dangerous enemies or support locations near collapse.

Not today.

That feeling hit him when he saw the purple barrier glowing in the night around the city, as far as he could see and having to crane his neck upwards to see the top. It really was awe-inspiring what the Ethereals could do when their power was unleashed – and that knowledge placed a grim note on his mind as he remembered they were going up against another one.

But they had a good team.

ADVENT did as well.

It was going to be a night where their alien allies proved themselves to the world, as Aegis, Caelior, and now Axis were deployed and ready to participate. Caelior was assisting another entrance, while Axis was in their squad, fully clad in his battlesuit which still reminded Oliver of what might happen if someone took an astronaut uniform, and put armor on it and then painted it black.

He couldn't claim to be fresh and fully rested, but he was ready to end the nightmare that had gripped the country, as was Kane, Geist, and everyone who had been fighting in China. Now they were supplemented by reinforcements including another Archangel to replace the one Viktoria had lost earlier, as well as Angelina Fonseca and Daas Nandi, a MELD Operator and Shoggoth Handler respectively.

It was interesting to see the reactions to the Shoggoth from ADVENT soldiers who had no idea what it was and gave it a wide berth. It was a good distraction, as no one had yet commented on Axis which was likely helped by the fact that his face was completely masked and his humanoid stature gave him some degree of blending in.

Somewhat ironic, as it was Axis who had been a major consultant for what was to come.

"Everyone in the city is lost," he had said grimly. "It is a memetic plague which has taken hold which cannot be cured or removed. There is no choice. Every single person in the city must be executed. Otherwise it will be propagated until it is impossible to contain."

Words which both the Internal Council and ADVENT Command had expected, but it was still going to be difficult to accomplish. The first kills would be the hardest, and Oliver knew that Isomnum was going to do his best to traumatize anyone who massed to attack. As they approached the designated entry point, with the shield lines of the Order of Terra behind them, his fears were confirmed.

"Massed civilians on the other side of barrier," he noted grimly. "Need to be cleared out."

"I see them," Geist said. "Many of them."

Isomnum was playing his part well. The civilians on the other side looked normal, wearing regular clothes and looking sad and afraid as the army approached. They were mostly women and children, some of them holding infants in their hands. They yelled in Chinese as they moved closer; now afraid of what was coming.

"Liuxian, Richards, move up and prepare to burn them," Geist ordered calmly, and the two MEC pilots who commanded the Marauder-class MECs stomped forward and readied their flamethrowers. Purifiers moved behind them, though these ones were outfitted with standard napalm and not ClF3. Still dangerous, but they weren't walking death traps.

"Axis, are you sure about this?" Alisa, one of the Gunners asked quietly. "They don't look compromised."

"They are." Was the statement from the Zudjari. "I touched the minds of several. They are being directed to act like this. It will break down when they begin burning."

"Prepare for entrance!" Geist roared, preparing to send the telepathic signal to Aegis. "Fire!"

Flamethrowers roared to life as a sizable section of the barrier pulled back, and the civilians immediately rushed forward – only to be turned into cinders as they met two dozen streams of flame which turned the immediate area into an inferno. Oliver winced at seeing them burn, but did not look away. Kane said nothing beside him, but how he clenched his replacement Browning told Oliver all he needed to know.

"Coward," he practically spat, but didn't elaborate. No reason to.

And then the civilians changed from crying to screaming and breaking into suicidal charges to mass-rush the MECs and Purifiers. Men, women, children which had been hiding in nearby buildings or hanging back on streets didn't hesitate and charged forward, shouting the language Oliver had heard many of the Bringer's soldiers yell when they fought.

"Forward, into the city!" The leading Lord of the Order of Terra commanded, which was echoed by the ADVENT Officers as the shield line began advancing, with Purifiers armed with extinguishers to put out the fires in their path. Most of the XCOM squad entered before the shield line proper did, so as to provide support to the Purifiers and MECs, as plasma fire and psionics now joined the white-orange flame.

"Converted on approach," Oliver snapped to the squad as he saw the black-augmented figures begin charging forward. "Possible suicide ones, can't confirm."

"Acknowledged," Geist said, gesturing and erecting barriers which tripped the rush of Converted. "Take them out."

A task easier said than done, as Oliver and the rest managed to cause enough damage to most of them that they collapsed to the ground in smoking wrecks, but not all of them were caught. One detonated in a suicide blast that killed several Purifiers and scorched Richard's MEC. The Order of Terra was inside and the shield lines were beginning to go down the streets in tight formation.

Custodians were now entering the picture, and now that the masses of brainwashed civilians had been eliminated, they were stepping back to let the main forces take the front. Custodian fire was accurate in that it hit the towering shields the Squires carried, but did not penetrate them. But the Squires returned fire with their mounted rifles, forcing the machines into cover.

Oliver tossed a plasma grenade towards a trio hiding behind a car, forcing them into Order fire and destroying them. Behind him he saw dozens of soldiers move into the nearest building – a skyscraper, and begin the first of many complete sweeps, accompanied by Priests to find and snuff out every living person in the city.

And it was going to be taken slow and steady.

They had time.

As the tanks began rolling in, Oliver only hoped that it would not be long before the Dread Lord lay dead, even if the rest of the city would take longer to subdue.

A goal he needed to ensure was achieved. Joining Geist at the front, he lifted his rifle and fired at more of the Converted which were now marching down the street, these ones backed with a few of Isomnum's own soldiers. The Order of Terra did not cease marching, but took the assault head on. The first of many all of them would endure.

---

Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 8:15 A.M.

It was worse than she had feared. She'd seen the massed civilians on the outside of the barrier when they'd arrived, and knew that all of them would be dead when the command was given. The orders had been explicit and clear – eliminate everything in the city; no exceptions. There was considerable fear that they were infected with a psionic contagion which could be spread to others if not contained – or at minimum made them alien agents and unreliable.

It still didn't make it any less sickening when the shooting started.

Kaya was almost happy when a switch seemed to have been flipped and they turned from sobbing and begging people into shrieking madmen who lunged at the front lines before being promptly stopped. Even as they made their way deeper into the city, slowly but surely, the assaults hadn't even come close to ceasing.

She didn't know how many people had lived in the city, and it had not been one of the ones which had been largely evacuated – most believed they would be safe in such an insulated location. They'd found out otherwise in the worst way possible. The number was in the high millions, she believed, and hundreds were dying every minute.

She saw the standard of her unit which was right behind the line of four Squires together with another unit. Freya, their Standardbearer, hadn't even needed to activate the PDS field since there was almost no plasma fire to worry about. The blades of Terje and Genevieve were slick with the blood of attempted ambushes from the buildings; never in serious danger as these people were weak, small, and sometimes sick with Smallpox.

But the close quarters made it worse for all of them. She knew personally that Genevieve had seen and done a lot, and experienced enough of the horrors of war. But nothing quite compared to slaughtering a half dozen women with an ease that was almost unfair. The weapons provided to the Order made killing easy; effortless.

And they were using these tools on civilians brainwashed to fight their own kind. Necessary or not, no one was going to emerge from this with sound minds. The pressure she had continuously felt in her head having nothing to do with that, but took it as a sign that the psionic protection was still intact. Yet at times she could almost smell a sickly sweet aroma which pierced her helmet.

Not everything could be blocked.

Her heart beat fast and continuous as she fought, holding a sniping position on top of one of the tanks which accompanied the march; she didn't know the kind, but it was Chinese and the autocannon had also assisted in making short work of mobs. She felt terrified, but not due to any psionic influence.

It was because there was something else here – something which she didn't know was friendly or not.

Looking to the sky, she saw swirling purple mist, and yet if she looked closely, sometimes she saw six bright blue orbs which seemed to be looking down; watching, observing. She'd wondered if she was seeing things, but when she'd pointed it out…everyone had felt the same way. None of them knew what it was…but she didn't think it was this Bringer.

Kaya was not strongly religious. She was most certainly aware of the various religious customs in Japan, and herself had participated in such for mostly ceremonial reasons, but a personal belief had never really solidified itself. She'd found religion more fascinating when looked at from the perspective of an objective outsider, to see all the disparate religions and what linked them together and made them different.

She'd never known enough to say for certain if a god or gods existed, but she didn't quite discount the possibility of it happening; derided as some might believe that.

But now…

She looked back up to see the eyes still looking down upon them.

Maybe there was something up there. But not the old and wise figure depicted in so many stories. This one…it felt more to her like something that had been awakened. And the next question she had was how and what would it do?

She trained her rifle back on the front lines as they made their way through bloody streets. Occasionally there would be bumps as the tanks rolled over corpses. She'd done her best not to think about them. Peering through her rifle, she froze as she saw new targets at the end of her scope. Standing near an upcoming intersection was a figure clad in shining armor with a cape billowing from the shoulders.

The armor reminded her of a Knight, but this one was instantly recognizable as different. The names had been provided to her thanks to XCOM, and it meant things were going to get serious. "Baptist ahead!" And it wasn't all, there were hordes of civilians, both Converted and unmodified. Now there were brainwashed ADVENT soldiers in the mix too.

What made this Baptist unique was the fact that it was a Cobrarian. It didn't seem to be as heavily armored as the previous Baptists, but it was still clad heavily enough to likely absorb light gauss fire. The sword it held was more of a fencing weapon; thinner and slightly curved. It lacked a hood, which meant it was female, although she didn't think it mattered much what the gender was.

Gauss fire cracked as the Squires opened fire as did the tank autocannon. She focus-targeted the Converted, one of which was a suicide bomber, which went up in a loud explosion taking out a portion of the charging mob. The Baptist was hanging back, moving from side to side with an almost blurring speed, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Even the volume of fire was not enough to kill all of the mob before they reached the shield line, clawing and pushing through while shouting cries in a strange tongue. They ripped rifles from their rested positions forcing the Squires to pull out their swords and start stabbing back, while herself and the soldiers also on the tank fired downwards to further stem the tide.

That was when the Baptist struck as she moved with blinding speed up and over the mound of bodies, pushing some of them down. She hissed as a hand glowed with psionic power and blasted the nearest Knight – Genevieve – who just barely got her shield up in time to block the stream of energy, even as it began quickly eating away at her shield.

Terje along with another Knight charged the Baptist and she ceased and lashed out with her tail at Terje, making him stumble just as she almost went to the ground and then slithered through his legs and wrapped around his body several times. Before anyone could react, she jabbed the thin blade just under his throat and opened her mouth, spitting hissing green acid for several seconds until his face was melted.

She was trying to fire at the Baptist, but the alien was too fast to get an accurate shot at. She didn't even have time to process his death as the Baptist was doing the same thing to the other Knight. Freya as firing her own pistol at the Baptist to little effect. The shield line was still managing to hold, but there was already a casualty even if she couldn't tell who yet; she prayed it wasn't one of her unit.

One of the Priests created a psionic maelstrom around the Baptist, which caused her to quickly slither out of it directly into the psionic energy stream of another. Hissing it charged with lightning speed at the Priests, this time not bothering to drag out the deaths, instead moving on the ground and stabbing upwards into their chins before moving to the next.

Unaccustomed to such a fast and difficult enemy, the soldiers were almost hopping backwards to avoid dying to it. The autocannon fired at it, and this time it managed to score several hits, making the Baptist turn around and flick out her tongue before springing up onto the tank, giving Kaya very little time to think about how to respond.

She only had one thing that might work – a symbiote grenade. Setting it for almost immediate detonation, she threw it while leaping down and the black goop exploded and managed to land all over the Baptist, pinning it to the ground and even one of its arms to its side. "Shoot it now!" She yelled, focusing her Widow at the writhing alien which began glowing with psionic power.

The concentrated fire though was severely wounding it, and blood now poured from dozens of wounds yet the thing seemed to keep thrashing. Another symbiote grenade was thrown and this one covered it completely. Three Purifiers which had been hanging in the back moved in and concentrated their streams of flame on the Baptist and did not cease the streams until the corpse was burnt to ash.

ADVENT had learned a few things from previous encounters. They would not stop fighting until they died. Overkill was standard policy, and excessive measures were encouraged. Breathing a little easier, she turned to see the shield line mopping up with Genevieve and another Knight filling the gaps where other Squires had fallen.

An uneasy pit formed in her stomach. This was their first real fight. And just one of the things had been enough to stop their entire unit – or at least extract a heavy toll. But she wasn't going to leave yet, even as the soldiers moved on. She pulled Terje's body off to the side so it wouldn't be run over by the tanks. He would get a burial, and she wanted a body to lay to rest.

But that was all she could do for now. Leaping back onto the tank and reloading her weapon, she prepared for more fights ahead – and more losses.

---

Haikou, Hainan – China

3/9/2017 – 6:23 A.M.

The day had been an exhausting and strenuous one for them all. It had been slow going for hours as they had sometimes been forced to huddle down in abandoned houses and shops for long periods of time whenever Iosif heard or felt something. It was not a pleasant feeling knowing that they could be seconds away from being discovered and cornered.

There had been several close calls, one being when they'd stumbled into a Custodian trio with their backs turned. They'd taken them out immediately but knew that it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for why the units had gone offline. More upsetting was when they stumbled onto a gibbering civilian in a house who they'd had to put down before he noticed and possibly alerted others to them.

Nuan wished she could have done it when the civilians weren't in the house, but they didn't have that luxury.

They'd kept speaking to an absolute minimum, instead relying on nods, hand gestures, and other non-verbal cues which their civilians understood easily enough. They'd stopped several times to eat quickly, never more than fifteen minutes, and then were back moving along the streets and between the houses.

Their Zararch captive had eaten some of the chocolate, although very cautiously, almost nibbling on it as if afraid he was going to fall over and die from the food. If they weren't in a life-or-death situation, Nuan would have found it very funny, but to his credit, Ravas was smart enough to take some precautions, going to far as to tape his mouth shut in case he accidentally made noises when high. While that didn't seem to happen, he definitely seemed oddly at ease and buoyant compared to everyone else for the short time he was under the influence. Never more than a half hour, probably because he stopped eating the moment he felt it working.

But now, they'd found the port, and there was no shortage of boats to be seen.

She'd honestly been expecting it to be much more difficult than it was, but the city itself almost seemed completely abandoned, as if everyone had been abducted. Clearly not everyone could have been killed, so their fates were likely worse than she had feared. Hainan wasn't a battleground anymore, so they had likely been moved to the mainland.

Good for them right now, but somewhere ADVENT, China, and XCOM were likely having a hard time.

She hoped the Mosrimor Avatar was gone as well. It was almost too much to hope for, even if Iosif said that he didn't feel anything like it. Then again, if he did than they were possibly screwed since the Avatar would know they were alive and trying to escape.

Night was falling, so they didn't need to waste more time. "Alright," Iosif said slowly, his suit volume almost as low as he could make it. "You three search some of the yachts and boats if there are keys left in them. Most aren't big, so it shouldn't take long. Be quick and quiet, and meet Nuan on the dock who'll keep watch. I'll go into the shop with Ravas and see what supplies there are. When we're regrouped, we'll take the next steps."

Nuan relayed his orders, and they all moved out and the civilians began searching the various boats. While unlikely, Nuan kind of hoped that some rich person would have been kind enough to leave the keys in one of the nice ones. In the meantime, she took up a watch post with her back to the boats and water.

It had definitely been a bustling port at one time, with boxes, nets, and other marine equipment strewn around and outright abandoned. Her suit filters removed most smells, but she suspected that were her helmet to cut off, she would smell rotting fish, shrimp, and goods. She also didn't fail to note that there were some Human bodies lying around, already beginning to decompose.

She moved some of the boxes to create some cover if a firefight broke out. They were probably not sturdy enough for more than a few shots, but it was better than nothing. Minutes ticked by, the silence growing louder as she waited for something to happen. She wasn't expecting they would get out of here without a fight since the Collective did still have a presence here – if a much reduced one.

"[Soldier Kun?]" A voice whispered, and Nuan turned to Ren standing behind her nervously. "[I found one.]" Somewhat shaking hands held a key fob and she pointed to one of the nicer-looking yachts, one of the bigger ones too. Aside from the sea filth which had built up along the bottom of the yacht where it had sat in the water, it looked very good.

"[Excellent job,]" she said just as quietly, taking the key fob. "[Stay here and wait for your mother.]"

A few minutes later both Yawen and Jun came back, Jun finding the keys to a smaller boat which was almost immediately dismissed in favor of the one Ren had found, while Yawen didn't find anything. Good enough; they had two options and now they just needed Iosif to come back. A few minutes after that they did, and saw him fitted with a rollaway packed with boxes of something, while Ravas pulled a cart filled with various cartons of gasoline.

"What did you find?" He asked quietly. "We've got some food, bait, and fishing equipment here. Ravas has gas. There's more inside we'll need to get too."

"Ren found a good one," Nuan pointed to the Yacht. "She didn't check, but I assume it's filled up. I think they do that automatically at these places."

He started to whistle, but then stopped when he realized that wasn't the time. "Perfect. That's for longer voyages too. Bigger tank, and probably has storage already on board. Might be more difficult to drive, but we'll make it work. Let's move everyone on board and then get the rest-"

"No, no," Nuan interrupted quickly, having thought about it for a while. "We need to leave now. We're lucky no one has found us yet, and getting more is just greedy. We need to run for it while we can."

Iosif shot a glance to their entourage. "It's not just us, Nuan, and we don't know how long it will take. Precautions should be taken, and as you said, no one has found us yet. It seems like the place has mostly been abandoned."

"Which can change," she insisted. "Once we're on the water, no one can come after us. We still have food we brought along. That will have to be enough."

Iosif thought about it for a few long seconds. "Alright, fine. Worst case scenario we don't eat our own rations and give it to them. We can last longer without food."

Nuan breathed a sigh of relief and explained what they were going to do to the civilians who listened attentively, and then helped unpack everything Iosif and Ravas had gathered and load it onto the yacht. While they were storing things belowdecks Iosif and Nuan stood in the enclosed cabin looking over the controls.

"Looks simple enough," he muttered to himself. "Don't know what most of these gauges are supposed to mean, but I see speed and fuel, and there is an accelerator lever and steering stick. Compass too." A pause. "All of it in Chinese, but I have you for that."

"Is the compass useful?" She asked.

"I know enough to know which way to go, so yes in that context," he shrugged. "GPS seems to be working, even if it's a primitive piece of crap and in the wrong language. You'll have to set it up. I don't want to turn this on until we're ready."

Nuan did have to admit the yacht was very nice, and even had a cabin for two people to comfortably stay, as well as a lounge area. The deck had a lot of space too, and there were lots of cabinets and compartments to put stuff in. Ropes still bound the yacht to the deck, but those could be easily removed. Iosif joined her on the deck.

"Think we're ready," he said, then gestured as a couple psionic barriers severed the ropes binding them to the dock. At Nuan's look, he justified it. "I hate knots and don't have time to fiddle with them. Isn't our boat either, so I don't really care about it floating away when we dock in Vietnam."

"Hey, I don't care," she said. "Just didn't think about doing it like that."

They walked back to the cabin. "Feels like it's going too well," Iosif commented. "Like something is going to come out and surprise us."

She felt that way too, but nothing happened. Iosif turned on the yacht and it rumbled, sounding horribly loud as the engines roared and chugged. She could imagine Iosif wincing under his helmet, much like she was right now. Still, he began piloting it out, although he bumped into a wooden post along the way.

It only took a few minutes for him to mostly get the hang of it, easier since there was nothing for him to really bump into when he was out of the ports themselves. In the meantime, she programmed the GPS to get them to Vietnam. The satellite network was still working, luckily, and it put them on course for them to arrive in…fourteen hours going at a certain speed. She didn't know what the conversion was for 'knots' to 'kilometers per hour', but it wasn't likely important.

But…it seemed like they had done it. She stepped out onto the deck and took off her helmet as she observed the rapidly fading city. It looked dark and abandoned, a husk of what it had been; before Isomnum and the Collective had ravaged it.

There would be retribution. She had no doubt.

She could only hope things were going better on the mainland. Although for all she knew, Isomnum could have won. She didn't think that had happened, but given how easily Hainan had been taken, he was probably doing better than they wanted. She had faith it would be defended though.

Until then, she sat down as the yacht sped forward and enjoyed the breeze on her face, relaxing for the first time in days.

---

Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 3:12 P.M.

The noose was closing in on Isomnum, slowly but surely, and with much blood being spilled on all sides. While the brainwashed hordes died in droves to ADVENT and XCOM, the fact remained that ADVENT was suffering losses of their own, and, impossible as it had seemed at first, Sierra seemed to note that there was a lesser amount of the hapless pawns to throw at them.

Then again, they were being replaced with more dangerous things.

The Order of Terra was behind the main force now, focused on completely purging the city as they continued forward. The military and XCOM – wanting to press their advantage – now took the lead and were doing well for the most part. Sierra and the Archangels zipped and flew throughout the city, providing support and aerial fire wherever requested.

Right now, they were responding to an urgent request in one of the few zones where Isomnum and the Bringer's combined forces were successfully fighting off the attackers. ADVENT corpses lay scattered as well as exploded tank chassis, even as more ADVENT reinforcements poured in to stem the losses. "What do we see?" Sierra demanded as she performed a first sweep, more difficult than usual due to the smoke that permeated the air.

There were two distinct hosts here, all of them from Korea after they'd been quickly transferred. They had that going for them at any rate. "Buch of brainwashed civvies, at least a couple dozen Converted, four Baptists, and…shit. Got a read on Isomnum's human traitor too, and beside her is one of those stone-faced robed freaks."

Not good at all. The Baptists were bad enough, but Isomnum's…partner? Puppet? They'd never really figured out what she was, only that she was dangerous. But her and one of those robed figures? That was bad, as she'd heard quite a bit of how notoriously dangerous they were. "Allies on the ground," Anna said. "T'Leth's agents it looks like, can't tell who, but they're fighting back."

A crackle of lightning shot from the ADVENT lines and was blocked by a psionic shield. "Got Crevan here, good."

"We've got priority targets," Kawamura said roaring past Sierra's position. "Robed figure first. Suppressive fire while I move around and take him out."

"Copy," Sierra, Anna, and Jim acknowledged. "Moving around for a clear shot."

"Don't get too close," Jim warned. "Those ones will slice you in two with their barriers."

"Understood," she said, checking her rifle. "Fire at will!"

The ClF3-tipped rounds from her gauss rifle shot towards the robed figure who barely seemed to react, only lifting a hand which produced a barrier surrounding him and Isomnum's puppet. Sierra noticed she wore a lightly-armored battlesuit with some kind of full-face mask that was stone-grey and oddly enough, was plain.

The deadly fire splattered onto the shields and then melted to the ground, continuing to burn. One of the Baptists looked upwards and raised a hand, firing a stream of purple energy that they dodged. A second one followed suit – but there was no purple energy which spurted from her hands. Instead, she yanked downwards.

"Ah!" Marvin yelled as he was suddenly yanked downwards. Sierra turned her weapon to fire at the Baptist, but her rounds stopped just short of the Baptist, held in a telekinetic cushion. She yanked downwards again, and Marvin's thrusters fought it for every inch. But a threshold was soon reached, as the robed man made a minuscule motion and a purple barrier bisected Marvin into two clean pieces.

Kawamura roared around the corner with her hands thrusting down, producing such force that the entire block shook and slammed everyone on it – including the masked woman to the ground. The robed man didn't so much as blink, as he stabilized himself in an instant by placing a stasis field around himself effectively sealing him in place.

That couldn't have been good for his body. A few shots from Jim high above slammed into the helmet of one of the downed Baptists, splintering the helmet but somehow not seeming to kill the woman who sort of flopped upwards, roaring in pain and rage deliriously. But she was too wounded to concentrate, and a volley from Anna was enough to kill her for good.

By now the robed man had recovered and Kawamura was in his range, which she was aware of and immediately tried to shoot upwards – and she did right into a barrier, which at best compressed her spine. Sierra didn't know if she died immediately from that, or the fall through a building into the ground on the other side. What she knew for sure that the barrier that decapitated the body ensured she was dead.

Now they had a problem. Their most powerful psion was dead and they were down another Archangel. The two Baptists were giving ADVENT and Crevan a difficult time, not to mention the Converted that were pushing forward. Maria had moved to the ground to help fight them off, and Anna was firing streams of flame to also help stem the tide, but the other Baptist was coming for them now.

Worse, the robed agent was advancing forward. Slowly, deliberately, one step at a time as if he had all the time in the world. The masked woman was staying in the same place, psionic energy rippling around her, a telltale sign that she was engaged in a telepathic battle with someone else, likely another T'Leth Agent she hadn't identified yet.

She would have taken a shot, if not for the fact that she needed to get back before the robed man got any closer. The Baptist was also taking matters into his own hands, by first leaping onto the wall of the nearest building and then launching himself at the closest Archangel, who happened to be Anna. She dodged it, but the psionic ripple around the blade scored a cut in her armor, causing her to spin away as the Baptist fell to the ground and landed safely.

Lovely.

"Woah, hang on we got something new," Jim suddenly interjected.

"Would it be the Hunter?" She growled, firing on the Baptist and flying back slightly. "Do we know if he's even here yet?"

"No, behind the woman. Look." Sierra did and saw something shimmer in the background. Something she actually had to focus on to get a good look at. A figure suddenly became visible, indicating that some kind of cloaking device had been hiding it as it stepped onto the shredded concrete surrounded by bodies.

It looked like some kind of Andromedon unit, if the Andromedon suit had been cut down to a much more slender build, with the bulky suit and helmet shrunken to something more proportional. This was not to say the black-armored unit was unprotected. It almost seemed made of metal when she squinted. The only color was the helmet which was a pale white, almost clouded glass. Tubes connected to devices on the wrists and there were three weapons of unknown design attached to the back, waist, and thighs.

With a blinding motion it flung a hand forward and a device went spinning towards the robed man who immediately turned around and stopped it with a barrier, causing it to explode into blue dust which descended downwards. For some reason, the man stepped back rapidly as if burned. The Andromedon then vanished.

No. Not vanished.

It charged.

Sierra wasn't sure she'd seen right, as it happened in an instant, but there was no mistaking that a blue streak followed the Andromedon as it charged forward and rematerialized where the masked woman was. Although it was more accurate to say where the masked woman had been, as the sheer force of the Andromedon impacting her had caused her to explode into chunks.

She'd never seen it coming, and the Andromedon was now colored in red.

In moments it tossed out several more devices and sidestepped with surprising quickness, and within seconds was back nearly twenty feet away, a sniper rifle in hand. Those weren't grenades as Sierra had originally suspected, but some kind of dispersion device that spewed a blueish poison. They had been aimed behind the robed figure and now surrounded him.

Sierra didn't understand why he didn't just endure it and run forward, but she wasn't going to turn down the help of the mystery Andromedon and swept forward, hovering as she tossed forward several grenades on his position, while Anna and Jim rained down fire on the robed man. The Andromedon fired several shots from the rifle which exploded when they slammed into the barriers. They fired projectiles Sierra couldn't identify, a strange fact in its own right. It wasn't plasma, but it didn't seem completely physical either.

The mist was closing in, and the robed figure only encased himself in a barrier. The Baptist which had been trying to kill them instead charged the Andromedon, psionic power blazing from his body and weapon. The Andromedon holstered the weapon and suddenly had a blue glow of his own around him, with one armored hand extended, it gestured upwards and Sierra saw a nearly imperceptible wave move up and the Baptist was suddenly floating in the air as if the gravity had been turned off.

"What the fuck?" Anna said, speaking for all of them.

Psionic Andromedons?

What?

It drew its arms back as if to leap forward and then charged in a blue streak towards the Baptist still in air and in a moment the Baptist was caught in the black gauntlets and slammed into the nearest building, and then in another charge, slammed into the ground with a thud. Somehow the Andromedon suit was undamaged, and it slammed an armored foot on the head of the Baptist – whose body was already barely together as it was – and crushed it into mush.

They had continued firing on the barrier around the robed man, and the Andromedon seemed to consider how best to break it, but before he could, one of the Baptists which had been fighting on the ADVENT line rushed to the attempted rescue of the robed man. This one was a Muton, even larger than the Andromedon himself.

Psionic energy poured along the warhammer it carried, but the Andromedon did not seem phased, and simply raised a wrist and shot out a stream of the blue mist the robed man was so afraid of. Sierra didn't know if it was acid or poison, but she figured she was going to see firsthand what it could do as the Muton paid no heed and charged straight into it, and at the last moment the Andromedon turned into a blue streak and reappeared a short distance away.

It took a few seconds before Sierra saw what the effects to the Muton were. It stumbled, coughed, and roared, but the psionic energy was gone and it didn't seem to be handling whatever had been inhaled well. A blue aura once more enveloped the Andromedon as it clenched a fist and the area around the body…shifted.

At least that's what it looked like, as if there was a continually breaking and reforming mirror over the form of the Baptist. Only it did seem to be actually shifting, as the first spurts of blood began happening. She watched with some fascination as the body was rent into tiny pieces with the Andromedon glowing the whole while and did not stop until nothing remained of the body aside from mush and metal scraps.

It wasn't exactly something she hadn't seen before, Dynamo psionics had these effects all the time. But this didn't seem to really be like that.

The robed man was still alive and now the Andromedon was going to deal with him. The front lines were being claimed, and the quick looks the man was giving between the rapidly dwindling Converted and the Andromedon meant that something needed to give soon. While the mist was beginning to dissipate, it wouldn't go away completely in time to save him, not to mention he was likely growing more weary. Sierra didn't know if this was accurate or not, the face still betrayed nothing, but maintaining shields for this long needed to have some kind of physical consequence.

The Andromedon was glowing blue again, with hands held up by his waists, palms upwards and fingers curled. Ever so slowly the fingers closed and Sierra didn't know what he was doing until Anna gasped. "Look!" Sierra looked to the barricade where the robed man was standing and suddenly clutched his chest and then the barrier broke completely.

He gasped, and Sierra could hear the sudden crack from up here as all of the bones in his chest seemed to break. And in the matter of half a minute, the body just seemed to compress on itself. The neck jammed down into the torso, the legs were bent up at awkward angles, and the hand which had covered the chest broke through the cavity and pulled most of the arm itself in.

That was when Sierra saw what was happening, just as the rest of the body was swallowed with final crunches. What emerged was a floating black orb which maintained an almost white halo around it, and all of the mist which was around it began to be pulled around it, creating a swirling effect.

"Is that a black hole?" Jim asked in disbelief. "Get back everyone, now!"

Sierra didn't feel a pull of gravity, but she was not taking chances with this. She looked to the Andromedon who was back to normal, and with his work apparently complete, turned away and pressed a button on his wrist. He vanished from sight a few seconds later. Their concerns about the possible black hole turned out to be groundless as it eventually shrunk and just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished without a trace.

There was some fighting still going on, but it was clear who the victors would be now.

"So," Anna said, reloading his weapon and looking around. "I don't suppose you know what that was?"

Sierra had an idea. There were enough reports by Aegis, and she'd talked to enough Andromedons to know that there was maybe only one thing which fit that description, and what worried her was that it was definitely not an ally, regardless of it helping in this particular instance.

"I think," she said slowly, looking to the space the Andromedon had been. "We just saw our first Special Operator."

---

Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 5:42 P.M.

"Got more Baptists incoming," Oliver called out as he shot down some of the charging Converted. Some of the altered suicide variants exploded close to where ADVENT was trying to set up a defensive position. ADVENT Officers and soldiers yelled for backup as they were charged by more brainwashed civilians.

David and Kane moved to assist, their weapons spitting hundreds of rounds into the creatures even as behind them came more of the Baptists. The city square they were pushing into was a key place of importance, given its proximity to Tiananmen Square itself, and how easily it connected. The defenses had only grown more and more difficult and ADVENT was losing soldiers by the dozens in trying to push forward. Alisa had been injured when a Baptist severed her arm, and a few more had almost taken out Axis by rushing him.

To make it worse they weren't the standard brainwashed civilians either, but had been altered significantly. Their bodies were clearly degraded and falling apart, and it appeared like they were continuously being possessed by some kind of Ethereal presence. Their eyes glowed blue and oddly colored brands and markings covered their faces and bodies.

More unsettling was the faces that still somehow smiled.

They were faster than they appeared though, extremely fast, and only kill shots seemed to permanently put them down otherwise. Like the Baptists, they would keep moving until death (though not quite as violently). After a few encounters with them, it became clear that their purpose was to spread the psionic plague that gripped the population.

They tried to overwhelm single targets and then force a connection which would then infect the individual with the plague. Sometimes it worked, and already ADVENT had already been forced to kill some of their own due to it taking hold. Axis had been there to confirm, and they couldn't take chances that it could be cured or reversed – Axis himself had stated otherwise.

The other use was as psionic suicide bombers. They would rush forward and then explode their bodies in a wave of blue-purple energy. Neither Oliver, nor anyone else, could tell which one was which, and it seemed to be a random decision – whatever would be the most successful.

"How many?" Geist demanded as he erected additional barriers to trap a number of the thralls, before crushing them with another barrier from the top. His voice was strained, as he'd primarily been the one to fight one of the robed Weavers as they were called earlier. That had been a difficult battle where a good part of the ADVENT force had lost their minds before Geist got it under control.

The most effective counter to the Baptists so far was Angelina, who deployed enough nanites to destroy it in minutes, and the amount of materials around made replenishing her stores simple. Daas's Shoggoth was also useful at taking down the larger Baptists even if it had suffered a number of injuries and was pulled out while it was being healed.

Tanks fired in vain attempts for the main guns to hit one or more of the Bringer's soldiers, while the autocannons did everything they could to mow down the mobs of thralls. Although that was sometimes not enough to stop them from being damaged by the psionic explosions of the psionic thralls, or attacks from Baptists, telekinetic or otherwise.

Oliver reloaded his weapon, another magazine depleted, and he'd had to retreat to fill up his ammo soon. He'd lost count of how many kills he had, how many rounds he shot, or anything like that. It had been hours upon hours of endless combat with them inching ever -closer, and this was yet another wall they would eventually break through.

He really missed fighting regular aliens right now.

A flash and one of the lightly-robed Stalkers materialized and was followed up by Fiona appearing right in front of the alien, sword drawn and surrounded in a green-blue aura. The Stalker was alternating between some kind of psionic hand cannon, and a thin bladed weapon. Another Stalker appeared and attempted to strike Fiona who dodged and whose counter was subsequently dodged easily.

The trio continued dueling in a way which was difficult for Oliver to follow in the heated battle. Worse still since there was a constant rate of fire being exchanged but little heed seemed to be taken by those fighting. Oliver could swear he saw projectiles that looked like they were going to hit Fiona suddenly dissipate in a green flash.

They kept disappearing, reappearing, over and over that he didn't know how any of them kept track of it, but he knew this was not his fight, and there were Baptists coming. He realized he hadn't answered Geist's question. "At least four," he said as the armored soldiers approached. "Possibly more behind, I can't tell."

"MECs should be called to move the line forward," David called. "We're still in a stalemate. Or the Order. We're just going to be stuck here otherwise!"

"Negative," Geist answered flatly as he lifted a hand and a half-dozen purple barriers materialized which were immediately stormed by ADVENT soldiers. "Liuxian and Richards are holding positions themselves. Moving them would compromise other operations. We will need to make do here."

"Understood," David growled, as he blasted another of the psionic thralls back, which subsequently exploded in a smaller wave of energy. "They can't have many more here."

The Baptists broke into charges, several of them glowing with psionic energy, while others manifested psionic shields in front of themselves. Most carried long or greatswords, one carried a warhammer. All were either Human or Vitakara. "Angelina, Baptists incoming," Geist said firmly. "Oliver, Symbiote on my mark."

"Only think we have a few of these left," he warned, pulling out the grenade. "Ready."

"Now!" On his mark, Oliver threw it towards the oncoming armored soldiers. It exploded and caught one of the Baptists who roared furiously as she began melting it with psionic energy. "Concentrate fire on the stuck one," Geist commanded, motioning his hands to trap all of the other Baptists in stasis fields.

A simple tactic, but one which would only work temporarily as they still possessed a command of psionics without moving. Every gun turned on the stuck Baptist, and the sheer amount of fire was enough to turn the once-pristine armor into a battered and scoured hunk which leaked red blood. A sharp laugh suddenly permeated the area, one which he also heard in his mind.

"Must be a Weaver," Oliver muttered apprehensively. No one else was deranged enough to make that noise in the middle of battle.

"Isolating it," Geist answered immediately. "This one is different. Stronger."

"It might have a mask," Oliver said. "Those ones appear to be their elite."

"I'll handle it," he said tightly. "You will need to handle the Baptists."

"This'll be fun," Angelina said, rushing up, a golden-tinged mist flowing off of her which headed towards the oncoming Baptists who were going to crush into the ADVENT lines. "Oliver, take the right one!"

He concentrated his fire at the figure as it reached out and clenched a fist, lifting and throwing a squad of ADVENT soldiers away while compressing their bodies. The nanite rounds hit his chest and began eating through it. A golden mist descended on the Baptist, and it began eating through it as well. Thralls continued to follow, punctuated with Converted at random intervals. Most fell to machine gun fire, but many did not.

There were so many dead bodies that piles were forming on the streets, hundreds from the thralls, and dozens from ADVENT who were at least being moved regularly to clear more room. This seemed to trip up the thralls at times, but the Baptists had no trouble navigating the mass of corpses. Oliver tossed a plasma grenade towards the Baptist and then shot it in the air when it was caught telekinetically, ruining a good part of its upper armor.

"Got a fix on the Weaver in the back," Kane said in clipped tones as he was fighting off another charging Baptist. "Masked. Walking forward. Many thralls."

The conflict continued for more minutes, with the lines breached and the three living Baptists still fighting furiously. This was taking too long. "Something's wrong," Angelina said. "They should be dead by now."

Worse now, Oliver was beginning to feel awful, and not due to exhaustion but real, scouring pain which seemed to engulf his whole body. Oddly enough he felt humid and sweaty, which was probably true, but closer to what it felt like to be melting with how much water he was losing. His eyesight was getting worse too, and it didn't make sense until he put all of the symptoms together in one terrifying conclusion.

"It's a biopath!" He shouted, as ADVENT soldiers suddenly collapsed around him in pain on the ground, him taking every ounce of strength to keep standing and fighting. That explained why the Baptists weren't dying and his symptoms. If they didn't get out of here now…

Kane and David were moving back, though David stumbled, and gave the Baptist the needed opening to smash the warhammer into his head, forcing him to the ground, and following up with another shattering one. Angelina seemed to still be in largely working order, although that was probably thanks to the nanites that flowed through her body.

Geist was backing up too, and now faced with another Baptist, but failing to keep it contained or his concentration up as trapping barriers broke with less difficulty as the Baptist burned through them with corrosive psionic energy.

"We are under biopathic attack," Oliver said into the comms, thinking that maybe someone could send backup. "Repeat we are under a biopathic attack. Taking significant casualties!"

The Baptist reached Geist and grabbing the stumbling soldier, and stabbed him straight through the stomach. Before Oliver could even process what had happened, Geist gripped the Baptist on the shoulder and a barrier materialized and severed the Baptist in half vertically. Both Geist and the two pieces of the Baptist fell to the ground, the sword still very much in him.

Oliver's body was on fire, and he knew trying to take off his gear for possible relief was only going to make it worse, so instead he stumbled to Geist who was reaching for a non-existent med-kit, having forgotten he'd used it once before.

"I've got it," Geist wheezed, his voice still tight and under control, betraying nothing of the pain he felt. "Get everyone else out of here before it gets worse-"

He was cut off as something roared overhead; he looked up to see something which shouldn't be anywhere close to here – a Collective UFO. Aegis? Oliver knew XCOM had his ship stored somewhere and it was that kind, but Aegis was still maintaining the barrier…

Alternatively, they were definitely going to die now if it wasn't a friendly.

Generally speaking, Collective UFOs weren't friendly.

His heart sank when a cavity opened underneath it and an Ethereal that was not Aegis or Caelior fell out. This one in fact didn't seem to be armored at all, or very lightly armored at best. A weave of some kind if he had to guess which resembled robes but with more freedom of movement. It stood out because it was mostly white – and the Ethereal in question had no helmet or hood.

It landed on the ground lightly, the drop not affecting it in the slightest. The atmosphere suddenly changed as a noticeable aura grew around the Ethereal, most noticeably around the arms and hands. Oddly enough, Oliver didn't feel threatened by the Ethereal, but much calmer and somehow able to think more clearly.

His body, while still hurting, stopped feeling like it was on fire. The Ethereal looked around and extended its hands and the distortion around the Ethereal became more pronounced and he went from feeling 'not on fire' to the pain actively dissipating over the course of minutes. The Baptists immediately changed their targets from ADVENT and XCOM soldiers to the Ethereal who Oliver was now sure wasn't an enemy.

Hopefully.

They charged the Ethereal and it lifted an arm and the Baptists suddenly became much slower until they were practically frozen statues. "Shoot them," the Ethereal called – distinctly female to Oliver's surprise. "They will not stay as they are forever."

Reinvigorated, Oliver and the remaining ADVENT and XCOM soldiers fired into the statuesque Baptists and their armor shattered after several volleys, and their skin followed suit having somehow been turned brittle – this Ethereal must be a biopath too. It was like a bloody pinata – as the skin shattered, the internal organs and bones fell out. The heads were shattered soon afterwards leaving behind blood-stained statues of hardened flesh.

Geist had painstakingly pulled the sword out of his body, and was also somehow standing with only some blood around his stomach to show for his wound. "Unexpected," he coughed. "But not unwelcome."

"Who is it?" Oliver demanded as the Ethereal walked forward with the ADVENT soldiers rallying behind her, with most of XCOM as well. The air was almost electric and Oliver could see the Weaver outright fleeing at the sight of the Ethereal.

"That, I believe, is Sana'Ligna," he said slowly, musing. "It appears she's come to help."

---

Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 4:12 P.M.

One shot, three kills.

"Come on," the Hunter muttered as yet more of the thralls died. "At least pretend to try and win!"

This was so absurdly easy he was close to going to sleep.

Well, perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but he really did not know what the Bringer – or Isomnum – was thinking here. Mass swarming tactics were not going to work on ADVENT unless their lines were broken first. Granted, they were probably doing their best after deciding to trap themselves in here for some reason, but it was still a complete waste.

He missed going on the comms and taunting. He would have loved for Isomnum and the Bringer's pawns to hear him mocking their idiotic efforts and strategies. He probably could have, but this was one time where he'd restrained his impulses and decided to keep himself off the comms. He wanted as little attention on him as possible, and that went for ADVENT and XCOM too. They might think he was just gone, or had never showed up, but he didn't really care. His own life and safety were more important, and the Bringer was something he was not brave enough to fuck around with.

He knew he was a bit arrogant and overconfident, but he also knew when to drop the jokes when needed.

So he'd instead compromised by just pretending to be on the comms. It was disappointing how no one would hear him, but he would still make some good memories here.

"Oh, what have we here?" He chuckled as he saw one of the Weavers come out, flanked by two Baptists and a host of Converted and…the corrupted psionic thralls. Exalted, that was what they were called. A host of Converted and Exalted accompanied her. Well, time to give ADVENT a show even if they didn't know it.

The Weaver was the most dangerous one, but shooting her right now was the wrong move. Would draw attention to him and he didn't care for that right now. The army charged into the streets which were filled with corpses. He chuckled as the tanks in the streets instead elected to speed up and just run them over.

It didn't get all of them, but it did make a satisfying sight to see the puny weak Exalted get crushed under the treads after getting mowed down by the autocannons. He added his own support to the mix by shooting the suicide-bomber Converted which took out a decent number. He also helped pick off the ones which escaped the treads and weren't immediately picked off by ADVENT.

The Baptists were charging forward, and the Weaver was likely getting ready to attack, if she wasn't already. In any case, she was now vulnerable. He had something special for her. A gift from the Battlemaster from the Vaults of Desolan. There was so much down there that for once he'd been in awe – and understood that psionics was not necessarily the end-all be-all of power.

He switched out his clip with the ammo. The Battlemaster hadn't actually explained what it was, only that any psions who were shot with it would be crippled permanently without immediate aid. So far, it had held up. He was so happy to have a weapon that seemed tailor-made to kill the bitch's army. One face lined up in the scope and…

Fire.

As expected, the round penetrated and the moment of penetration was accompanied by a puff of blue mist around the chest which the Weaver breathed in even as she gasped in pain. Or pleasure. The freaks seemed to not know the difference. "Oh, you liked that?" He asked, lining up a shot to her face this time. "Have another."

Her head exploded into red mist. He grinned as dopamine rushed through his body. Now that's good, very good.

Funny how he was getting so much more satisfaction from killing supposed 'allies' than attacking the 'enemies' - ADVENT and XCOM.

He wondered why that was.

Sure, he couldn't have claimed to have the best of histories with the Creator, and his relationship with the Ethereals could be at best classified as mixed. Some of them were fine, like the Battlemaster, but most of them were idiots who relied too much on their ability to read minds or destroy planets. Or tampered with things they didn't understand.

Ethereals were meddlers. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it backfired.

He hadn't failed to notice the eyes looking down from the sky, and he was pretty sure that wasn't the Bringer looking down on Beijing. No, it was something else, and he was going to be rather glad when he left this place. It was an uncomfortable feeling at times, even as shrouded as he was telepathically. But it was an illusion, nothing more. At least for now.

Well, the truth was that in the end, he liked the Humans. He could respect that they didn't just roll over and die like the Vitakara had, and were smart enough to do so effectively, unlike the Mutons. More to the point, they could hold a conversation, and there were certain people who he felt he could actually relate to. Granted, the Humans still largely had the same reservations on killing and death like most sapient life, but he'd done some research, and there were a few Humans, mostly criminals and soldiers, who understood the art and joy of killing and death that only someone like him could appreciate.

Humans were a species of war and conflict, much as they wouldn't classify themselves as such. At least before ADVENT either. He respected how they were taking advantage of their natural desire for war.

Fighting against them was…well, depressing at times. It tempered his enjoyment when he killed them in droves. Ironically, he felt like his own skewed moral compass was affecting him here, if one existed inside him. When put side by side, between the Collective, the Bringer, and the Humans, the answer to the question of who really should be eliminated was pretty fucking apparent.

Gah, he still had two Baptists to take out.

"A bullet for you," he shot into the back of one of them. "And a bullet for you." A second round slammed into the neck gap between the helmet and breastplate. Neither full kill shots, but he waited a few seconds, then half a minute, and allowed a laugh when he saw them stumble back when they breathed in the blue poison.

He really, really hoped it prevented them from going into heaven, or whatever they believed the Gestalt was. Dying in fear and anguish was the minimum they deserved.

His ears pricked and a flicker of fabric caught his ears and a millisecond later the buzz of electricity sparking made him spin around and see something he'd expected for a while now. One of the Stalkers behind him, who had appeared right into his trap and was being shocked with a lethal amount of voltage.

He laughed and shut off the voltage before lifting a foot and stomping down on the head with all his strength, crushing it to a pulp. "Tell the Bringer I said hello," he said lightly as he hauled the corpse to the edge of the window he had been aiming out of and threw the corpse down. Unfortunately, this meant it was time to move since there might be more.

He'd really expected more than one Stalker to come after him, and it spoke to how much ADVENT was demanding Isomnum's attention otherwise he felt he'd have been attacked long before. Although really, did the Creator really think he was going to not expect some kind of revenge for so elegantly blowing the lid off her operation?

A whistle reached his ears and he leaned back and saw another Stalker appear – this time in the back of the apartment room before the electric trap he'd devised. He spread his arms wide, teeth bared under his helmet. "Well, well, the Creator has found me. Oh no, whatever shall I do?"

In his head he counted down the seconds as the Stalker drew his weapons. "Idiot, you fell into my trap again."

At his words the Stalker looked around in a rush which was all the time he needed to pull out his pistol and shoot the idiot right in the head. At this distance he could have done it with his eyes closed. Ah, perfect. The only thing better than a trap, was making a target think there was a trap, and then killing them when they focused on that and not the most lethal sniper in the galaxy.

A title he felt he'd earned.

And then stepping out of a psionic portal came his nemesis.

Occidera held her blade in her hands, suited for combat. He sighed. "Good to see you, sister."

"You have caused enough trouble," she growled, a hand raised and rippling with restrained purple energy. "It is time for that to end."

He stared at her, bemused. "What are you even doing here anyway? Were you here before or after the barrier went up?"

"Irrelevant," she answered coldly. "My only directive is your containment."

"It appears the bitch still can't use her brain," he said, amused as he twirled the pistols in his hands, a second joining the first. "Good luck bringing me back, not unless you want the Battlemaster to stop playing around – trust me, your Creator and Bringer are more vulnerable than you think."

"Oh, you don't worry," she hissed. "I'm only to keep you contained. I don't need to bring you back. Nor will I kill you, if that was possible at all. But if I keep you merely…contained? Well, the Battlemaster won't do much about that."

"Ah, poor you," he chided. "Unfortunately, I'm not under any such restriction."

"Do not forget where you came from," the Assassin warned extending a hand. "You were born from the Creator, and she controls you now and forever."

He felt his body begin to tighten up as if slowly freezing. "The Legion is bent to the will of their Creator," she said, stepping forward to the frozen Hunter. "And she has gifted me with the knowledge to deal with pests such as you."

Now this would be an extremely concerning development, and he couldn't exactly say it felt that great. His own body betraying him like that? The Creator putting in a backdoor to maintain her control? Who could possibly have seen this coming?

He was really sick of certain people thinking he was an idiot who forgot who he was dealing with. The bitch was insane, but she was unfortunately intelligent in the sciences. He'd have been a fool to think she hadn't implanted some little control measures in him. Luckily, she lacked the foresight to apply them where it really mattered.

With a hand the Assassin clenched a fist and shattered the electric traps which he'd set up. Now, there was a timer, but he really needed to show off right now. "Oh sweet sister, you haven't learned a thing," he said, moving a finger down to a button on his wrist, triggering the poisoned frag mine implanted in the ceiling.

"How-" she gasped before the ceiling exploded downward and coated her in a fine blue mist with some metal shards that damaged her lighter armor. Pistols in hand he unloaded with the poison-laced bullets, each one striking true against her joints, chest, neck and hands. Her body twitched and bled as she writhed on the ground, right as the poison took hold.

He strode through the mist, his helmet allowing him to breath without harm, laughing at his wounded sibling. He pulled out a knife, one laced with the poison and slammed it down on her wrist, pinning it to the ground. "Feeling a little down? Short of breath? Disconnected? Ah, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you today. Don't have the time, or the resources."

He holstered his gun and lifted a finger. "Now, did you really think that I was just going to not investigate what I'm made of? Let me tell you, Revelean found my biology fascinating, if concerning. The Legion you call them? Well, it's infeasible to completely replace all of it. But some? Well…"

He absently fired a pistol, shattering her kneecap. "Let's just say that having a Sovereign who specializes in nanotechnology is exceptionally helpful in supplementation, especially when Fectorian was all too willing to experiment. So let me guess, you wanted to come here, planned to freeze your little slave-cells and call it a day?"

She didn't answer, as she wheezed and gasped heavily. He grinned. "Oh, having some trouble breathing? Let me help," He went over to his bag, whistling a tune and pulled out a grenade and walked by over. He considered just shoving it in her mouth, but she'd probably bite, so he instead shot her lower jaw off leaving a bloody line where it had been. Satisfied, he stuck the grenade in her mouth and pulled out the pin, and it spewed more of the poison into her mouth. "There we go."

Oh, he was enjoying this way too much.

"So, let's make this crystal clear," he said absentmindedly, not really caring that she was too delirious or in pain to really listen. It wasn't for her anyway, but whoever decided to extract her memories afterwards. "I. Am. Your. Enemy. You come down on Earth again, and I will be there to fuck up everything you do, and I guarantee the Battlemaster will look the other way. And please, stop underestimating me, because you suck quite a bit when you can't rely on your purple space magic."

He reloaded the pistol, continuing, and sitting down beside the body. "I know everything of your little cult. Your so-called Saints, your Orders, your experiments, everything. Your strengths and weaknesses. I know how to hide myself from your all-seeing god. All of you are so completely pathetic it's hilarious. You can't get anyone to join your insanity, so you go after weak-minded civilians. How does it feel to be the most hated thing in existence right now?" He gaffed. "You have to be really idiotic to think that little show in Korea would go down well, much less China."

While part of this rant was definitely aimed at the bitch and the Bringer, it was something he really wanted to yell at the Imperator who was definitely just as guilty. But time to wrap it up. He wondered if he would actually kill her. On one hand, she'd be dead, but on the other, no one would hear his excellent speech and that was a shame.

Well, he was recording it, but he felt the Battlemaster wouldn't really approve.

But there was Twitter…

Ah, something to debate later.

"Alright, I've got a few more cultists to kill," he said, standing and going to his bag and pulled out a plasma saw. While he hadn't really intended to use it on his sister, and wanted it more for cutting sniping nests and planting traps, it was going to be more useful. "Let's delay your regeneration a bit."

So wounded she was that she almost didn't react to him removing her limbs. With some rope, he wrapped it around her head until he made a noose, dragged the leaking torso to the window and tossed the twitching body out, the poison grenade still lodged in her mouth. Once he was satisfied with the length, he tied it to the window.

He sincerely hoped anyone looking up would appreciate the message – and that the Creator got the message.

But his place was compromised now. Time to move shop and help some more Humans.

Humming a lively tune, he packed up, ecstatic at how the day was going. He knew that one day he would look back fondly on it as one of the best days of his life.

Although he did have to survive it first.

---

Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 7:14 P.M.

The march continued; unstoppable and unrelenting.

They had cut their way through hundreds of brainwashed thralls; lost or suffered hundreds of wounds and deaths, and paid for every inch taken with blood from enemy and ally alike. Kaya had never thought she would participate in any conflict so bloody, and she didn't know if there was a similar point in Human history that could compare in scale and loss of life.

War was…not specifically sanitized now, but certainly beyond the archaic times of the medieval era and earlier. Weapons were more lethal and technology advanced to the point of quick and deadly strikes. Mass armies weren't as common, nor were invasions. Fighting had been transitioning to be automated before the aliens came. Even now combat had been largely waged across the distance.

But not here, not now.

And the fact that the Order of Terra existed showed that there was still a place for this kind of brutal close-quarters combat, if updated for an era of rifles and laser guns. That was no more apparent than a full day of fighting almost non-stop. Her body was exhausted, but she had reached a numbing point where she barely felt it.

It helped that now they were supported by some group of ADVENT psions she'd never seen before. A good thing too, because with the noose closing around Isomnum, they needed all the help they could get. And she felt the change in atmosphere the closer they got to the Square. A pit of unease; of foreboding growing inside her.

Terror.

Sometimes she thought she was seeing things that weren't there, or corpses were twitching when they shouldn't be, or that something was coming on her right now and she needed to shoot it just to be safe. Paranoia and fear were growing in her, in all of them. Nothing she could easily point to either; just a nameless call of the unknown.

You can't take chances. You cannot die today.

A voice whispered in her head, relentless as it grew louder and louder the closer she got.

In battle, she could push it aside. But when it died down, it was more difficult.

Yet the urges came out of nowhere and even stronger – it was taking everything she could to focus her mind on the here and now, and some of the other soldiers weren't so disciplined. Already there had been several accidental deaths, and even more accidental wounds. She was proud her own unit was still keeping it together, although Genevieve had admitted that she'd almost struck her one time when she was sure something was creeping behind her.

But everyone was getting tired, even as they felt a surge of renewed energy with the end in sight. Blood of multiple species coated the shields, weapons, and armor of the Order of Terra, and many of the ADVENT soldiers assisting them. The treads of the tanks were tarnished with blood and gore of their own. Everywhere they stepped Kaya felt like they were continually treading over corpses.

So many dead.

It was difficult to believe that the urban landscape didn't change, not since they'd started. There shouldn't be this many dead in one place. Had she not been standing in it herself, she wouldn't have believed carnage on this scale was happening. But it was very much real, and it wasn't over yet.

But the end was in sight, she knew it.

The city intersection they were fighting to claim was under some of the heaviest guard, and in return ADVENT had sent their best to assist. Tanks attacked from multiple streets, the shield lines of Squires fired unceasingly, the MDUs continued meticulously eliminating enemies with mechanical precision, and the Priests behind them shielded their minds, ravaged the enemies, and showed the power ADVENT itself could bring to bear.

None so impressive as the special forces unit that had been sent to assist them. A psionic special forces unit. The Pantheon they were called, a name that she'd found interesting until she saw why they were called that. They did not hold to the uniform nature of ADVENT, and their armor was unique to each member.

There were also several soldiers from XCOM, though these ones wore armor that looked like it was made of stone. They stood out to her for some reason, likely since they were not even using a standard kind of psionics, but these were tinged in blue, not purple, even if they were clearly the same abilities.

In times like this, she felt unmatched when she witnessed these masters of a power that was as alien to her as magic face off against the shining soldiers of the Bringer who maintained a similar mastery. The conflict facing them now was fought on a level where she could only fire and pray she was helping.

"Got more thralls incoming," Vicki coughed as she fired her rifle from the shield line. "Baptists are engaging the Pantheon and XCOM."

"Hold line and open fire!" Freya commanded, along with the other Standardbearers. "Soldiers, fire at will!"

It hadn't taken long for ADVENT to form a symbiotic relationship with the soldiers, as when the shield wall held position, the soldiers went up to between the gaps and added their own firepower to the avalanche of lead that was being flung towards the enemy. Kaya and most of the ADVENT snipers had taken up places on the tanks, and took out priority targets.

"Kaya, situational report," Freya demanded.

"XCOM soldiers causing significant distraction in the ranks," she reported. "Pantheon operatives Ares and Zeus focusing down a half-dozen of the Baptists."

Which didn't do justice to the battle playing out. The operative who'd called himself Ares was close to the largest man she'd ever seen, carrying a warhammer that was probably taller than she was. He also appeared to be a powerful psion as well, judging from the actual creation of a damaging psionic aura which she noted was hurting those around him by causing purple tears and rifts. The sweeps of his weapon were also augmented with psionic waves which extended their reach.

In any event, he was successfully managing to fight of three of the Baptists due to his sheer ferocity in getting in close quarters with them. The operative calling herself Zeus was less engaged at the front, but an extremely dangerous force to be reckoned with. She stood out because she was hovering in the air telekinetically, her armor was lighter, more curved, and white as opposed to the hard red and black of Ares, who looked like a walking tank in protection.

A purple distortion flowed around her as well, and she was summoning psionic maelstroms of sizes and intensities which even the Baptists were struggling to counter. They attempted to counter by firing psionic energies up at her, but were thwarted when a psionic shield manifested and blocked it. She'd responded by summoning a maelstrom which ripped the Baptist apart.

On the other side the XCOM soldiers were fighting their way towards the robed figures that were called the Weavers. There were three of them and they appeared to primarily be using their thralls to put bodies between themselves and the soldiers. It was not working.

The number of thralls charging the shield line was thinned through sustained fire, and the snipers with tank autocannons turned the remainder into shredded meat. By now they knew enough to priority target the Converted and the psionic thralls. It did help that the Squires were armored enough that even the psionic suicide bombers wouldn't kill them outright, just damage them severely.

"Be advised that there will be airstrikes incoming shortly," the voice from ADVENT Command said. "Targets are infrastructure alien forces are taking advantage of."

"They're targeting the Square!" Genevieve whooped with a ragged cry. "We're almost there!"

Airstrikes had been taking place in the past few hours, although they appeared to largely be targeting chemical plants to release poison into the air and poison any thralls in the area. Their filters would work, but Kaya couldn't say she liked the idea. But if it would reduce the fighting…well, it was justifiable.

A few minutes later, she saw orange streaks fall from the sky and into the city away from her. They all felt the reverberations seconds later. The Weavers were reached by the XCOM soldiers and while they tried putting up a fight, they were killed seemingly without much trouble. The Baptists were also falling, unable to fully stand against the psionic power arrayed against them.

She lined up a few shots of her own, and fired when openings showed. She hit one, which likely did nothing more than distract it, but it gave Ares an opening to slam upwards with his hammer, and then down fully on the head, crushing it.

It seemed like it was starting to snowball in their favor. Victory was in sight, only a few short blocks away.

"March!" Freya and the Standardbearers ordered, and the line began advancing once again as the Baptists were eliminated with help from the XCOM soldiers.

Soon, the nightmare would be over.

They just needed to survive a little longer.

---

Tiananmen Square, Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 8:19 P.M.

The noose had tightened, and Tiananmen Square was now under direct siege.

Defenses had been prepared, and the normally open square was now covered in barricades and improvised cover, the revelry of the previous day abandoned and the litter and food from the event left to rot. Thousands of thralls still packed the square, along with many of the Converted.

The soldiers of the Bringer were about to make their final stand, and they would not go quietly. ADVENT couldn't identify how many were left, but they estimated that it was under thirty. Isomnum had also not been spotted yet, though his presence was nonetheless apparent as even the telepathic might of the Priests, Agents of T'Leth, and now Sana'Ligna couldn't completely suppress the feelings of terror and flight which gripped every individual at some point or another.

The front lines of ADVENT stood, broke, and reformed multiple times; overwhelmed initially by the overload of psionic permeation, the marching thralls, and the aftermath of the feasts which still showed blood and parts of Humans strewn around. Not everyone could withstand the sheer power of the Dread Lord – but most endured.

Cracks of gauss weapons and flashes of green were seen from the ADVENT lines, firing into the oncoming rush of thralls. Purple psionics flared in the skies from both sides as the Baptists were attempting to distract Caelior, while the Pantheon, Priests, and XCOM were firing psionic rifts and lances into the midst of the mobs.

"Fire!" Came one of the orders, and the line of Purifiers besides Oliver unleashed streams of white-orange flame that incinerated the charging lines. He did his own part, firing into the crowds of the Converted who followed. The MECs were back with them, and also firing streams of napalm into the mobs from the alleyways, encircling them in a ring of fire and death.

Kane was taking the lead directly into the Square, a number of Order soldiers and ADVENT squads behind him. Axis assisted by ensuring those following him – not Kane himself – were shielded telepathically. So many offensives were taking place at once it was impossible for Oliver to follow all of them. Sana was a short distance away, petrifying the front waves of thralls and healing the wounded.

Overhead, Archangels roared and performed sweeping attacks of flame and psionics. Viktoria turned nearly an eighth of the square into a rippling psionic maelstrom which turned everything inside into shredded meat, bones, and metal. The Chronicler led his Agents in direct combat against the Bringer's soldiers, each one seeming to be possessed of unearthly power and might.

Tanks reached the front lines and began plowing forward, no longer afraid of the mobs as the true threats were being targeted by T'Leth and XCOM. Those who weren't completely shredded by the autocannons fell under the treads of the tanks, crunching and breaking like toys. Blood flowed from behind the tanks, and those who were still alive and crawling to attack were executed by the legions following behind.

Caelior was attacking from another angle, and he was determined to end the fight.

"Come out, Dread Lord," He roared, floating in the air and rippling with a telekinetic shield. The thralls around him were flattened to the ground, and with a flick of his hand several Baptists were crumpled into balls of flesh and metal. "You can hide no longer!"

Hands extended to all directions, and slowly squeezed into fists. The ground itself rumbled as Oliver realized what Caelior was doing. There were three buildings in the Square; three ones which were important places to the Chinese government and people – also where many were hiding including Isomnum.

And Caelior was going to tear them apart.

ADVENT soldiers cheered when they saw what was happening, and attacked with renewed vigor as they advanced foot by foot over a mound of twisted and broken bodies. To their credit the Bringer's soldiers attempted to attack Caelior psionically, but psionic shields erected by Priests and XCOM psions put a short end to that, as well as the Chronicler closing in on the final main group of the Bringer's forces.

Oliver saw Fiona flash in and out at times in the midst of the battle, sometimes dueling with one of the Stalkers, sometimes coming in to provide a swing of her sword and had killed several thralls. What he also noticed was that sometimes she appeared around some of the Baptists, and instead of attacking, got behind them and teleported away with them in her grasp.

The three buildings shook, and dust and stones began to fall from their skeletons as the compression began to take hold. Cracks formed in the entire exterior of the buildings, and they only spiderwebbed further as time progressed. Those who were inside were rushing out, realizing that there was no safety, no escape within.

Oliver knew that there were going to be many people who had once been part of the Chinese government found among the dead. Or perhaps it was better that they wouldn't be recognized here, and simply be unrecognizable. Perhaps everyone who had been inside was now dead on some random street. Whatever the case, there were fewer and fewer bodies to be thrown, and now ADVENT soldiers were so desensitized to the horror they already experienced that putting down former members of a foreign government wouldn't phase them.

Not after they'd had to put down women and children.

Oliver swapped out his clip and resumed firing into the mob, something he was good at now. The joints were ideal targets, particularly the legs. When they went down, it was much easier to kill them as they crawled or they were run over by the tanks. Over half of the Square was taken over, with the Chronicler and Pantheon pushing far ahead.

It was difficult to even see the Chronicler, so encased he was in his own personal psionic maelstrom which ripped apart any thrall which came before him. Crevan was standing on one of the tanks, and calling down lighting strikes on the exact locations of the Bringer soldiers; they no longer came from his fingers either, just one hand raised to the sky while the other held the staff with the Sovereign Orb blazing a shining blue at the top.

One of the buildings – Oliver didn't know which one – suddenly imploded on itself with groans, and the sound of shattering concrete and bending steel. With a triumphant roar, Caelior lifted the hand directed towards the building, and it lifted every piece of the shattered building, and slowly coalesced into a massive collection of concrete and steel, which he threw into the northmost building which nearly broke it then and there.

"That flushed him out!" He heard Sierra on the comms say. "Isomnum spotted!"

"Where!" Kane immediately demanded.

"Just came out of the building Caelior hasn't trashed, got a small army of Baptists with him. Nothing that can't be handled."

"Heading that direction," the Chronicler stated. "We'll handle him. T'Leth wants his mind before he is executed."

"Daas!" Kane called. "Follow me!"

Their Shoggoth Handler was still with them, and the black animal was having quite a bit of fun it seemed, turning the thralls – and a few Bringer soldiers – into pretzels. Daas was firing his own plasma rifle, but came to assist as Kane began pushing forward with his small entourage. Oliver scowled, wanting to call him off, but also knowing Kane probably wouldn't listen.

Might as well help him out, and there were mostly only thralls left.

He told one of the tanks to follow his lead, and riding on the top of it, directed it to carve a path to where Isomnum had been spotted. And from the top, he could see what was happening. Isomnum glowed with psionic energy as did the Baptists around him. Even from this distance, still telepathically protected, he felt a wave of nausea and fear appear and disappear just as quick.

The Chronicler blasted a wave of psionic energy forwards which vaporized one of the Baptists, while others protected themselves with psionic shields. The other Agents began their attacks as well and one of them unveiled a Sovereign Orb glowing from a box, telekinetically lifting it into the air as it glowed brighter.

The Baptists suddenly stopped and fell to the ground, clutching their heads as if puppets with strings cut off. Oliver didn't know what had happened, but it was clearly painful for them. The Chronicler and his men showed no mercy, and executed each Baptist one by one as they marched on Isomnum who backed up, and attempted to summon some weak psionic attacks.

But there was no escape, as the building he had exited out of crumbled under the power of Caelior. The Chronicler extended an arm, and Isomnum was lifted slightly into the air, and then forced to the ground on his knees. Oliver felt like they were saying something, but he was too far away to even begin to guess what.

The Sovereign Orb was telekinetically moved to the hand of the Chronicler, and without ceremony, he grabbed one of Isomnum's hands, and placed it on the orb. Isomnum seemed to freeze, and then went limp. In a few minutes, they had reached the Ethereal who was almost certainly having his mind ravaged by a Sovereign One.

The Chronicler saw Kane and his entourage coming and held up a hand. "No! Not yet!"

"When!" Kane demanded, throwing aside his Browning as Oliver jumped down from the tank and rushed to intervene. "You will not keep him alive!"

"Alive, no," the Chronicler said, lifting a hand in warning to Kane. "But his mind is useful. More useful to extract what he knows intact before you splatter his brains across the pavement." He lowered his voice. "Patience, or I will kill him the moment T'Leth finishes."

Oliver could feel Kane seething, his body tense in constrained rage. He put a hand on his shoulder firmly. "Don't do anything stupid. We've already won, just a little longer."

Behind them Daas walked up with the Shoggoth behind him. Daas whistled, and the Shoggoth trilled happily and wriggled toward the Ethereal and began wrapping itself around the Dread Lord. "Hope you don't mind," Daas said with a shrug to Kane. "Kill will be yours, but I've wanted to see what she'd do to a live Ethereal – non-lethally, of course."

Kane gave a single nod.

The Chronicler motioned and the Sovereign Orb floated back to his hand and Isomnum collapsed to the ground, though not before the Chronicler removed the helm that once covered the Dread Lord's head. "He's all yours," the Chronicler said, stepping back. "Try to leave something for Vahlen."

Oliver doubted Kane heard the request, so focused on the Ethereal in front of him that all else faded away. Isomnum seemed to be stunned, as he barely reacted to Kane picking him up and slamming him onto his back with the Shoggoth adjusting accordingly, audibly breaking limbs as it did so. Oliver had wondered what Kane would do, what elaborate death he had planned for his nemesis.

It appeared that he had a simple solution.

A fist raised, then fell, then repeated over and over. It wasn't long until the corrosive cobalt blood was seen, but Kane didn't even consider stopping. The fists rose and fell, again and again, and still Isomnum barely seemed to react, perhaps still too overwhelmed by T'Leth taking his mind. Ethereal physiology was good, Oliver knew that, but it was giving way to Kane's relentless beating.

They watched for entire minutes, silently as he wailed on the Ethereal body that twitched slightly as it died, and the sounds of impact turned to that of something wet and squishy. The eyes had burst long ago, and the blue blood coated his fists and had eaten through some of the lining of the armor, though kept being repaired. What had once resembled a face now just looked like a purple mash of bones, blood, and flesh.

"Alright, he's gone on enough," the Chronicler said quietly. "Let's get him back."

Oliver and him walked up. "Kane," Oliver began tentatively, knowing better than to immediately pull back the massive man. "Enough. He's dead."

Kane didn't respond, and buried the fist back down in the flesh of what had been Isomnum's face. "Kane," Oliver insisted more intensely. "He's dead."

He reached down to grab and arm, and was yanked forward as Kane simply ignored the pull and continued his beating. He wasn't registering anything but the task in front of him. The Chronicler muttered something and he briefly cut comm links with Oliver – though he saw that he was still connected to Kane.

The massive soldier suddenly stopped, and stood up, breathing heavily. He let Kane calm down for a minute, as he stood over the corpse of his nemesis. "You did it," he repeated. "He's dead now."

There was a long moment. "He is dead." He looked to his hands which were covered it blood. "I killed him."

"Good job," the Chronicler said, handing him Isomnum's helmet. "Keepsake if you want it. You earned it." There was a moment of hesitation, and then Kane took the helmet, looking at it closely, clearly thinking to himself. What he was thinking about, Oliver didn't know and knew better than to pry.

"Let's go," Oliver told him, giving him a hard pat on the back. "I think we've earned a rest."

Kane said nothing, but tucked the helmet under his arm, and followed his lead.

---

Tiananmen Square, Beijing – China

3/12/2017 – 8:49 P.M.

Disbelief.

That was what coursed through Isomnum's mind.

They should not have made it so far.

They should have been stopped.

And there was no means of easy escape. ADVENT had marched on the city from all sides, and they had not succumbed to the millions upon millions of mindless thralls he had directed towards them. Humans were supposed to have easily exploitable psyches. They were supposed to exhibit compassion and sympathy for those who were hurt or wounded.

They should have seen the weeping women and children and moved them to safety.

But…they hadn't.

Instead they were gunned down. It was not just the obvious bait he left, they were methodically finding and hunting down every single living person in the city out of fear of possible corruption. It was…unexpected. Unnerving for he hadn't anticipated such a steeled and pragmatic response from the Humans.

Could he possibly have underestimated an alien species so completely?

It couldn't be. Not like this. He had of course performed hundreds of hours of experiments worth of work on Humans. He knew what worked on them and what didn't. But all of his research, all of his planning, it seemed worthless at this moment because they were not behaving correctly. Why? What had changed so significantly?

Had ADVENT somehow changed everyone somehow? Was such psychological development possible?

He would need to carefully re-elaborate his position on the Humans. Either by mistake in interpretation, or simple underestimation, he was going to lose if he did not escape – and soon. They were in the Square, and he would have to fight his way out soon. His presence was being mitigated by the sheer number of psions in the field, and…her.

He seethed as he pulled out the holocommunicator.

Sana'Ligna…

Another traitor. He would take exceptional pleasure in her execution. Unlike the Humans, he knew exactly what to do to break her. He had wanted to reduce that woman to a pathetic wreck for some time, as such weakness was sickening to behold. Potentially he would drag her to Sanctuary and force her to watch as he tortured every single one of her patients to death.

The air around his cracked with power as he was filled with righteous indignation.

The hologram of the Imperator appeared. He waited for Isomnum to speak. "I require extraction," he said bluntly. "The Humans have proven more efficient than anticipated. Failure to do so could result in my capture or death."

"Yes," the Imperator nodded. "It could."

He waited a few seconds. "Attempting to escape on my own is unlikely to be successful," he continued, slightly frustrated as the Imperator did not seem to grasp the situation. "Assistance would not be requested if it were otherwise."

"I know," the Imperator answered blandly. "Explain to me why I should intervene after what you have done? What your shortsighted ambition has wrought?"

Isomnum's eyes slowly blinked. "I have struck at the heart of the largest cities on Earth. I have utilized the power of the Bringer – something you have refrained from doing as of yet – and proved that ADVENT cannot properly stand against them unless their greatest are brought to the front. I have occupied the minds and hearts of Humans across the world and commanded the greatest response yet from ADVENT. I destroyed the government of this nation and nearly brought the execution of the Chancellor." He jabbed a finger at the hologram. "And this is after you allowed the coward Battlemaster to withdraw official support and stranded us here. And yet I did not die as he planned, but instead have achieved what I set out to do."

"You set out to die?" The Imperator clasped one pair of hands behind his back. "You directly disobeyed the strategic and tactical commands of the Battlemaster. Your actions have indeed caught the attention of ADVENT, and as a result they are threatening to destroy you. You have awakened the wrath of a Sovereign One, fool, and now T'Leth will be heavily involved going forward. Your actions have weakened the faith of our allies, and caused the desertion of Sana'Ligna. Your actions have done nothing but weaken the Collective, and all you have achieved is learning what happens when you underestimate a species so completely and utterly. I have little use for those who are too blinded by their own ambition and ideology to understand the galaxy no longer revolves around the Ethereal – and it does not revolve around you, Dread Lord."

Isomnum stood still, and his voice grew indignant. "Do not patronize me, Imperator. We both know I am too valuable to abandon. I will do what no one else is capable of or has the will to do. You will always need a Dread Lord, the one to take the fall and blame for actions which are necessary and what the small-minded consider abhorrent."

The Imperator was silent for a long moment. "Perhaps that is the wrong direction to take. You may be right, Isomnum, perhaps I will always need a Dread Lord. But I feel confident in perhaps attempting a different strategy, and if necessary I will find one – but it will not be you. You have served your purpose well, and rest assured that even in your stumbling you have provided me information of value."

This…the Imperator could not be serious.

Impossible.

"You need me," Isomnum insisted, voice growing more intense. He would not beg, nor would his voice break. But he…could not believe he would be abandoned like this. "If not now, when the Synthesized return. And you will not find another who can handle them as I have."

"No." The Imperator said dismissively, coldly. "I do not need you. Not anymore."

He almost crushed the holocommunicator. "You will lose the others if you show your willingness to abandon one of our own, one of our last. You cannot simply abandon me merely because you disapprove of my methods. You are smarter than that, and it will show how disposable we are to you. Your support will erode and you will inevitably fall."

To his shock, the Imperator laughed. "Amusing, Dread Lord," he said. "But I will take my chances. And when news of your death spread, there will not be mourning, there will not be concern; there will be relief and celebration. You were a necessary monster, Isomnum, but your usefulness has come to an end. Die as you lived; alone and in terror."

The link cut off.

Isomnum stared in silence.

Disbelief.

Impossible.

Coward.

Fool!

"Lord Isomnum," One of the Carmine Baptists rushed up. "We need to leave. This building is being attacked by Caelior and we would be trapped within it should we stay."

Isomnum looked around to see that the entire room was shaking and the sounds of cracks and breaking was apparent. He had no choice, he needed to attempt an escape – and when he did, the Imperator would pay. Pain was no issue, he could endure it, and he could quite easily face any individual who was thrown at him.

"Gather what remains and follow me," he commanded, idly missing Sonoda who he realized would have been useful here. She had been efficient in predicting what would be needed. An ideal Human; and understandable one. Not like these ones who ADVENT used. The remaining Baptists gathered around them and they marched outside and he saw the sight of his defeat.

His thralls were broken; scattered, and falling to the lines of tanks and ADVENT soldiers. The three symbols of the Square were essentially destroyed, with two reduced to scrap and rubble. He looked around and only saw ADVENT. No path presented itself – and then he saw the Agents of T'Leth approach.

He focused his acute psionic power on them – and realized he could not penetrate. Something was blocking him. The Baptists charged, but they were defeated with an unnatural ease. They must be under the protection of the Sovereign, it seemed. He should not linger. He moved backwards, and summoned some psionic energy he directed at the soldiers which was blocked with ease.

The leading one – the Chronicler reached out, and Isomnum found himself in a telekinetic grasp. Something trivial he should be able to escape – yet he could not touch their minds. He could not feel fear…but there was something akin to unease growing in him. "Do not worry, Dread Lord," the voice of T'Leth emanated from the Chronicler as Isomnum was forced to his knees, despite trying to fight it. "Your death will not come yet. Your mind still has some use for me."

He did not understand…until a glowing ball floated over to the Chronicler. He knew what those were – and knew it could not touch him else he would be lost. But he was powerless to stop the telekinetic pull forcing the hand forward, which the Chronicler grabbed and placed on the orb.

It was cold.

And then he was gone.

He found himself in a deep blue area, as if he was underwater and the light was tinted a deep teal. It was silent; very silent. He saw no place to run to, and instinctively knew that he was being watched and kept here telepathically. He felt the presence of the Sovereign.

It was all-encompassing.

He did not feel fear. Such had been purged from him.

Perhaps he could yet resist.

The air rumbled.

"Amusing. To think that even at the end, you still cling to your delusions. Admirable, if lacking in intelligence." The deep voice physically hurt his mind, and forces suddenly clamped his body together, his arms locked to his sides and his legs together. He looked down to see his feet had sunk below the cloudy 'ground' pinning him in place.

In front of him a creature appeared.

Had he not already been paralyzed, he would have froze.

No…not this. How could he know?

Malicious delight permeated the air. "Your mind is not closed to me, Dread Lord. This is my domain – not yours. And I find your fear of this particular creature…warranted."

The figure was bipedal and tall, standing nearly his own height. The body appeared to be composed out of thick and thin sinews, colored various shades of green as if the muscles of a creature were exposed. It wore no armor, unlike the many thralls of the Synthesized he had fought. But he had never forgotten the long vine-like fingers and the constantly writhing and moving skin.

The aliens had no faces, at least not normal ones. Their skulls were shaped similar to Humans and Vitakarians, with a mass of tentacle vines falling from halfway down the face and entangling with the chest; a nose cavity shaped as a three-way slit rested just above, and two milky-white eyes set just to the sides of the face.

The alien lifted the fingers and moved them, the tips of the digits expanding and contracting as miniscule sinews grew and retracted around them. "A fascinating species. One I had little idea existed until I looked into your mind – so close are they to the forefront of your mind you almost don't recognize it anymore. I found such an aura you commanded curious. Fear has a source. True terror cannot be faked and yet you claim to have none."

The puppet of T'Leth walked forward slowly. "No…that is your secret that none knew about you. One you perhaps had forgotten yourself even if you drew upon your primal reaction. You are no master of fear because you studied it in labs and countless victims, it's not because you saw firsthand the effects of such dangerous emotions."

Isomnum tried to move away as the creature came forward slowly until his head was frozen and the alien put a hand around his neck. "No…" T'Leth mused. "It was because you are afraid. Only one thing has instilled such terror that you will go to any lengths necessary to ensure it is never felt again. Let it awaken in you again, Isomnum. Perhaps remember what it was like to fear."

He felt it as a tickle at first, little sinews going into his ears; worming their way through his skull. More then entered his mouth which he tried to bite down on, but to his horror the severed sinews did not die, but wiggled their way down his throat as thicker ones forced his mouth open and continued to go down it.

He felt everything.

"A fascinating means of reproduction," T'Leth said with amusement. "An excellent design choice. An insurance that such a species can never die, but merely…appropriate. And this could have happened to you, Dread Lord. In fact, it will. You will sit here as you are slowly converted into an alien thing which will turn you into an organic puppet, feeding off of your mind and body. You will be cannibalized over decades with your mind being saved for last."

He felt the sinews under his skin now, penetrating the blood vessels and nervous system. He had read so many reports and studies on the capabilities of this species, and now he was serving as the test subject himself for torture that had only been speculated.

So he screamed.

There was no one who would hear.

Not now.

Not here.

"The mind is a funny thing, Dread Lord," T'Leth said, voice now cold. "Did you know that you are already dead?"

The pain was becoming so intense that he could barely focus – but then he suddenly found himself back in China, with his mask ripped off somewhere, face exposed to the elements. He was no longer restrained by telekinetics, but by a mass of black tentacles which squeezed and broke his limbs into pieces.

But he also noticed the blue tint above, and the creature was standing a short distance away – even as the sinews continued to appropriate his body, wriggling like worms and leeched under his skin. In front of him though was an XCOM soldier. He was massive and wore black armor. Isomnum did not know who or why he was there – or why the other soldiers in the area were holding back.

"He would be disappointed to know you forgot who he is," T'Leth said. "But perhaps you will be interested to know that he survived an attack of yours. He awakened, and now he will kill your body."

The soldier advanced, weaponless, and punched Isomnum in the face with enough force to crack his skull. A second punch followed the first. Then a third. More and more rained down upon him until his vision was spotty and bloody. He screamed, though not from the punches, but from the sinews that were tightening around his heart and lungs.

At some point, he was aware he died, yet he still felt the impacts and the soldier turned his head and face into bloody paste, ignoring the corrosive blood which splattered everywhere.

Then it was gone, and he was back where he had been, with the alien still holding him, and now the green sinews were creeping into his eyepieces, the micro-thin points reflecting blue light, as they hovered just over his eyes.

"Your body is dead, Dread Lord," T'Leth said. "But your mind…it will endure for now. You will only be allowed rest when I am content with what I have learned and have served your punishment. There are few creatures I have encountered worthy of such a fate – you may count yourself as one of them. And perhaps a seeming lifetime of torment being turned into the thing you fear most will be sufficient justice."

The points jabbed into the corners of his eyes, and then more joined, thicker and thicker until his eyes were blinded and reformed as the sinews wrapped around and dissolved them. So he screamed in the utter darkness. He never even felt as T'Leth pushed deep into his mind, he never felt him sift through centuries of memories.

After a certain point, he felt himself be released.

And he walked.

No, his body walked forward.

His mind screamed in protest, but he could do nothing but passively observe as he was turned into a puppet; a walking weapon for something far older and dangerous than his kind, or potentially any others.

"And do not worry," T'Leth reassured from the darkness. "I will not let you fall to insanity. You will be aware, of every second of your prolonged existence. I can hear every thought, and you will beg, plead, and wish to be condemned to death. But you will not be granted such. Not until I am satisfied. But do not worry about diverting my time; I assure you it is no trouble."

His body walked forward.

No dignity was left. He pleaded in his mind for death as more of his body began being consumed. He did everything possible, from pleading forgiveness and contrition to apologizing for every single thing he had done. T'Leth was indifferent, and the alien parasite now consuming his body dragged him across the endless blue watery landscape.

His sight had been partially restored, tainted as it was by the alien biology.

And he saw nothing.

But he felt everything.

Time soon lost all concept for him, as he kept walking the endless space over and over.

But T'Leth kept his promise.

He was aware of everything. He could feel everything. In the fog of pain and horror, he understood that there was one thing he was right about.

There were fates worse than death.

The Dread Lord continued to walk, as he was slowly and completely stripped of what he was and turned into his sole fear; a puppet of an alien master, yet he continued to retain his self, right until the end.

His memories soon faded, his few enjoyments and times in Empire, those were gone. He knew he had been someone, he knew he had been powerful. But all he knew of was his constant and eternal suffering, and that there was only one sure truth in this reality he found himself in.

He was trapped here.

Forever.

---

Dreadnought of the Harbinger – Collective Space

3/12/2017 – 10:01 P.M.

"Harbinger Trask?"

Patricia turned to see the Zararch officer walk up to her, and offer a salute. She had been introduced to him after taking command of the Dreadnought, commissioned and approved by the Zar'Chon himself. Zar'marian'vitiary, one of the top analysts of the organization. Who had been stuck monitoring Nulorian activity and was now moved to the war effort.

Right now, she wore no armor, and only her white uniform the Imperator had first given her at the beginning. As a Harbinger, and Avatar of the Imperator, it was important to convey his authority in her position of command. When it came time for combat, she would don the battlesuit, but for now such was unnecessary and made her more approachable.

The Avatar mask still hung on her waist though.

"What is it, Officer?" She asked, not raising her voice as the pilots worked in relative silence.

"We have confirmation," he handed her a datapad. "Isomnum is dead. XCOM has taken the body away and ADVENT is spreading it everywhere they can."

The corners of her lips curled up. "Expected. His loss won't be mourned, and he has weakened China for a future assault. No one will miss him. Although…" she paused. "What effect will this have on morale do you think?"

He hesitated, considering. She felt his hesitation. "Speak freely. I'm curious."

"We respect the Elders and the work they contributed to preserving our species," he said slowly. "But Isomnum…he…was not exactly looked upon with favor. The soldiers and personnel will hide it, but they are likely happy at his demise, despite losses sustained in China. The Battlemaster gained a significant amount of respect when he severed connections to Isomnum."

"Good, nothing of value was lost," she said, reading the report slowly. "Isomnum's purpose is served, and no one cared for him in life, and his death will only be met with celebration. What of Sana'Ligna?"

"Nothing has been determined yet," he said, shaking his head. "We suspect she has been taken to a secure site for debriefing. Her defection, should it get out…that will be more difficult to reconcile. She is among the most revered."

Patricia had been thinking about that. "I'm not positive she has defected. Not the way we think, at least. That is too brazen an action for her. I suspect she has an ulterior motive."

"Which is what, Harbinger?"

"Simple," she lowered the datapad. "She wants to end the war on all sides. She wants peace. She will find out that neither ADVENT or XCOM will want that now, nor can we back down now. We will have to see, but I would not place her firmly as a defector yet."

"As you say, Harbinger," he nodded. "I will keep you appraised of the situation."

A nod. "When will we arrive in-system?"

"One, week, Harbinger. You took command at an ideal time."

"Well," she gave a slight smile. "Teleportation has it's uses. Dismissed, and thank you."

He saluted, and left, leaving her alone on the bridge surrounded by displays and holograms.

Soon, she would reveal herself and everything would change.

Soon, the war would be entering a new, and likely final phase.

---

To be continued in Chapter 50

After the Terror

---

A/N: Couple things which are mostly unrelated to the conclusion of the Isomnum arc. Next chapter will answer some of the questions you may have and bring in the next phase of the war as Act III comes to an end. Anyway, I am aware of the recent development with Phoenix Point and suffice to say I'm extremely disappointed. Julian Gollop has lost a lot of my respect for his shortsighted decisions, and I got my refund for the game. Not pleased, but I guess I'll just look forward to XCOM 3 now whenever that comes.

On a more positive note, I would like to thank the reader whose been working to update the TvTropes page. Don't know what you go by outside of the site, but I want to say your additions are noted and appreciated. Thank you.

- Xabiar