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.

53. Enter the Harbinger

Enter the Harbinger

---

Situation Room, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/18/2017 – 10:42 A.M.

Every ranking officer and division head was in attendance as the Commander prepared to handle the revelation of Patricia appearing before ADVENT HQ. All of them were looking at live feeds and hologram reconstructions of where Patricia was. Immediately several things stood out to the Commander.

The first was that she was wearing what appeared to be her original red Aegis armor. No weapons, but as she was a psion, she didn't need them. Realistically, the Commander was skeptical that it was the original Aegis armor, but instead probably something more advanced; superficially designed to resemble her old armor. Or perhaps she was wearing it and was extremely confident.

It was interesting that she cared enough to emulate it, at any rate. Other than that, she looked…almost normal. Her helmet was tucked under her arm and she appeared in no hurry to do anything. There were a few additional notable cybernetic additions along her neck and jaw, but Aegis had already speculated that they were the result of the Avatar Project, whatever that entailed.

"ADVENT has Hussars positioned to take shots," Jackson updated the Commander. "Priests and MDUs are being mobilized and moving out. Civilians are being advised to remain in their homes. Doesn't look like she's doing anything right now."

"She's waiting for us," the Commander shook his head. "Whatever she's planning, she wants for us to be there."

"A trap?" Shen wondered.

"Or a demonstration," Zhang countered grimly. "If she's intending to send a message…what better place than the headquarters of ADVENT itself."

"Has the Chancellor been evacuated?" Creed asked.

"Yes," Jackson confirmed. "She's in a secure location."

"Two Agents are protecting her right now in addition to her Guard and Priests," the Chronicler added. "Sovereign Orbs are seeded around the perimeter and interior. Breaching the safe house is impossible without someone knowing."

"Good," the Commander was pleased that Saudia was taking steps to mitigate the threat of Ethereals and other entities like the Bringer. T'Leth was the best way, should everything else fail. "But we can't wait much longer. Creed – the squads."

"Ready and waiting," Creed confirmed. "Two full squads specialized to take her down, along with MEC and Archangel components. With your permission, I'm going along as well."

"Granted, so long as you do not hesitate," the Commander nodded. "She's going to want to talk to me as well. I'm going along too. With the amount of personnel, the danger should be limited. She cannot face down two XCOM squads and the defenses of HQ."

"T'Leth will want to observe too," the Chronicler said. "I will also participate. We cannot be too prepared here. Though I want to make a suggestion as to our…response."

The Commander motioned for him to go on. "Let's hear it."

"We can expect that Patricia is going to attempt to sow discord and division based on what she knows," the Chronicler said. "The media are going to get their hands on some footage, and if Patricia is smart, she'll be sure to spread it. No better place than the capital. The only appropriate response is to respond in kind."

"How?" The Commander raised an eyebrow. "Doing the same thing isn't feasible."

The Chronicler cocked his head and smiled. "Is it? Patricia appeared out of nowhere; we can do the same thing. I propose Fiona teleport a strike team to Vitakar, directly before the Aui'Vitakar, and show the people and government what they are really facing. I suspect this would be more…poignant if Aegis and several of our Vitakara allies participated. The entire species is isolated from the reality of this war. That will change when it is brought to them."

"I approve of this plan," Aegis said. "If nothing else, it will force the Imperator to respond. The Zararch will suppress this as best they can, but word will spread. So long as we do not violently attack them, and merely state our side of the war, this has the potential to heavily destabilize the planet. We have the manpower and capability – and they will not expect it."

"I agree," the Commander nodded. "Unfortunate that sending Caelior is out of the question."

"It is likely for the best," Aegis said slowly. "Regardless, we will be attacked by the Imperator. If Caelior were permitted to leave Earth, two Ethereals in the heart of the Vitakara would be a larger deterrent than one. Yet it is likely safer to hold Caelior back in Switzerland and use him if Patricia proves more dangerous than expected."

"There is something to consider," Zhang pointed out. "If Patricia is expecting any of this and her appearance is a trap to lure us away from more important targets. She has no chance of taking the HQ or causing any permanent damage. It would be a symbolic attack, but perhaps a distracting one. The Battlemaster, the Guardians, the SAS, they could all launch coordinated strikes when our best are deployed to stop one woman."

The Commander pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. That was a good factor to take into account. When it came down to it, Patricia – assuming she was mostly the same woman – would be able to predict some of their reactions. Of course, there were things she was ignorant of since her abduction, but she wasn't an idiot, and underestimating her was dangerous.

The good news was that there was an obvious solution. "Send squads to likely locations of attack," he told Jackson. "If the Ethereals decide to take advantage of us being distracted, we will be ready. Iosif, take a squad to Florida in case the Battlemaster makes a move. Carmelita and Geist will lead the other two."

"Acknowledged, Commander," Iosif confirmed. "Although what if there's an attack here? Patricia knows the location."

"Possible, but unlikely," the Commander said slowly. "But we would know of an attack long before it happens. They'd need an army to breach it successfully, as well as be fighting the defenses and soldiers inside. There will be an attack on the Praesidium – but I suspect today will not be that day."

He frowned. "Though the reality is that the Praesidium is no longer secure. We may have to begin finding a new location for more critical projects. No point in taking chances right now though. Even if attacking would be suicide unless the Imperator himself participated."

"His capabilities would be neutered here anyway," the Chronicler said, shaking his head. "Teleportation tricks would fail. Not to mention T'Leth can easily direct his attention to here. Too many safeguards and the Imperator is clearly going to use her as his proxy."

"I would not be surprised if something was sent though," Zhang warned. "Perhaps as a message that they know where we are now. Caelior should stay. The teams for Patricia are more than sufficient. Backup protocols should also be initiated for a worst-case scenario. With the Imperator, we cannot take too many chances."

"Agreed," Aegis nodded. "Sicarius is a likely agent should he attack the Praesidium. If not properly stopped, she could cause havoc here. And discover some things best hidden. Specifically, the Andromedons we have here."

"Move them to Paperclip base," the Commander ordered, as an unpleasant reality set in. "Patricia also knows that the Andromedons we had here prior to our alliance with the Unions were under orders to defect. The Unions allied to us need to act very quickly if they are to remain intact."

"Fuck," Creed cursed. "This just keeps getting better."

"Jackson, I assume the Andromedons have contingencies in place for this." The Commander looked to her. "Have contact be made and put them into action. We need to assume that their actions on Earth are compromised. We will need to meet to establish the next steps."

"Understood, Commander," she confirmed.

"We know what to do," the Commander said, straightening up and looking around the room. "We've spent enough time talking. Execute your orders and those of us preparing to deploy, we need to get going. Understood?"

"Yes, Commander!" They saluted, and he returned it before they all rushed off to prepare for the coming battles.

---

Briefing Room 6, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/18/2017 – 11:11 A.M.

Being given the command to mobilize, Sierra expected that she would be going to meet the traitor Patricia and putting her down. But after walking into the Briefing Room with the rest of her Host as well as not one, but two of T'Leth's Agents – Fiona and Crevan specifically – as well as Aegis with no sign of the Commander or Creed anywhere…

She had a feeling that something else was going on.

When some of the Vitakara defectors also walked in, she was thoroughly confused. "What's the mission, sir?" Sussan, one of the psions in the room asked. "Taking out Patricia?"

"No, though this is of equal importance," Aegis answered, stepping forward. "The Imperator has seen fit to send his proxy before ADVENT. The Commander has decided that we will return the favor."

Huh. Well that was interesting. "Where?" Sierra inquired. "Does the Collective even have a capital?"

"The true power nexus of the Collective would be the Temple Ship of the Imperator," Aegis said. "But the bastions of power for each species exist, and the most malleable is that of Vitakar."

"Fiona will teleport us to the capital of the Vitakara," Crevan said bluntly, his almost dismissive eyes looking at each of them. "From there Aegis will present the reality of the war on Earth to the population. Our Vitakara allies have been appraised of this prior to coming here, and will provide legitimacy to Aegis. Our mission is to both send a message to the Collective, and protect Aegis and the citizens should there be conflict."

"And what part of that mission includes getting back?" Anna asked. "The Imperator – or the Zararch for that matter – aren't just going to let Aegis talk."

"No, the Imperator will send someone," Aegis agreed with a short nod. "Perhaps an Ethereal; perhaps a fleet. We have sufficient capability to resist for a time."

Considering that there was an Archangel Host, a MELD Operator, two psions, Aegis, and two of the most powerful T'Leth Agents, Sierra could see how they'd be able to hold out for a while. "Unless the Imperator comes himself," Lacy Sable, one of the Infantry commented from the side, leaning against the dull metal wall. "With who we've got, he might think it's his only option."

"I suspect the Imperator is…occupied," Aegis said, motioning with a lower hand. "If our beliefs about the Avatar Project are correct, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain influence over Patricia while acting on his own. There are others who he could send instead. Quisilia and Sicarius are the most likely."

The memelord and the assassin, a dangerous duo. As much as Sicarius seemed like the bigger threat, Sierra couldn't quite ignore the fact that Quisilia had gone up against five Agents of T'Leth and emerged the victor. Granted, T'Leth hadn't been completely awake yet from what she knew, but Quisilia was objectively the most dangerous of the two.

"What about Deusian?" Isacc Glenn, the MELD Operator asked neutrally.

"Who is that?" Sierra asked quietly to Anna, who just shrugged.

"Reaper Ethereal," Ted answered just as quietly. "Theoretically can destroy planets."

"It is not theoretical," Aegis said, clearly having heard their discussion. "Reapers can and did destroy planets when necessary, which is why her deployment is unlikely. The Imperator does not want wholesale destruction – not in the heart of the Vitakara species."

"So we go in, give our speeches, maybe fight some Ethereals, and leave?" Sierra asked. "Is that the plan?"

"The bullet points," Crevan said flatly, eyeing her curiously. "As well as disseminating some important information with the Aui'Vitakar. It will likely not matter, but it will sow political discord and discontent among their people."

"Which is what?" Anna asked.

"Footage from the Sectoid Hive, Paradise, the conflict on Earth, recorded interviews with defectors and captives, information to shed light on what the Collective is," Crevan said, the corners of his lips just barely pulling up into a smile. "Outcomes are advantageous anyway. Should the Aui'Vitakar attempt to act, they will be removed. If they do nothing, the people will attempt to turn against them. Problems will arise that the Imperator will need to devote his attention to. Problems that will not involve Earth."

"Is Nartha appraised of the situation?" Anna asked.

"No, this does not require his knowledge or approval," Aegis said. "The circumstances are not ideal, but we cannot afford to wait. This will only be justifiable for a limited amount of time, and the Imperator learning our capability to teleport to such a place will not be taken lightly."

"Any specific instructions for the non-talking people?" Sussan asked.

"Kill anything that shoots at you," Crevan commanded. "No civilians or politicians. No firing until they fire at you. This applies to the Runianarch. If you see a Zararch operative lining up a shot, remove them. Keep Aegis and the Vitakara safe."

"Are we all ready?" Fiona stepped forward. "Squads have already launched to Switzerland."

"I believe so," Aegis said. "When you are ready, Fiona."

"Got it, and just a warning," Fiona said, as her form began to shimmer a blue-green. "This might feel strange."

All of them grabbed their weapons, put on their helmets, and readied for the teleportation, which a good number had never experienced. The atmosphere around Sierra began to echo that which surrounded Fiona until her vision was now a blinding white-green and then in an instant everything flashed and she was struck by the feeling of falling into a bottomless pit with no jetpack.

Then just as quickly, it ceased and the world materialized around them. Only a few seconds of confirmation were needed before Sierra confirmed for herself that this was really happening.

They were on Vitakar.

---

Barracks, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/18/2017 – 11:02 A.M.

"Do you think there will be coordinated attacks?" Nuan asked quietly as she helped put on his armor.

"Hard to say," Iosif answered with a restrained shrug. "I wouldn't be surprised, but if there are…well, we'll deal with them."

"Did you want to go after Patricia?" Nuan scowled, thinking of the traitor. At this moment there wasn't a terrible fate that she didn't wish would befall her. It certainly put a damper over the previous victory.

"Of course I did, everyone does," he grunted. "But it's also important that we don't become distracted by what she does. Trust me, two squads of the best psions, MECs, and specialists is enough to take on an Ethereal, much less whatever fake thing she is trying to be."

"Let's hope so," Nuan also couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't going to go as well as they were all clearly hoping. But from what she saw, everything was being done properly. Important battlefields were being reinforced, squads were being sent to deal with Patricia, and there was even a team going to Vitakar itself.

"Keep your guard up too," Iosif advised, pulling on his gauntlets. "While unlikely, the Ethereals might try attacking the Praesidium. Worst case you might be called in if Patricia brings in a surprise army."

If there was one thing Nuan wasn't worried about, it was an attack here. Not that one wouldn't come…but if there was going to be an attack here, it would be a dedicated one. Nothing less than an army and multiple Ethereals could get past the soldiers, defenses, and of course, T'Leth always observing for intruders.

"Is that why Caelior is still here?" Nuan asked as she handed him his helmet. "Contingency plans?"

"For now," Iosif acknowledged. "Right now we don't need him, but if things change, we have him on-call. Until then he'll act as a final deterrent to an attack here."

Now that they were finished armoring up, Nuan leaned against the lockers, thinking. "Do you think they'll kill her? Will they even talk to her?"

"The Commander and Creed are going," Iosif pursed his lips and holstered his sidearm. "They're going to talk to her, for all the good it'll do. Personally, I'd not waste time with the traitor, but she was part of the Internal Council, and her and Creed…well…" he gestured. "Can't blame him for at least trying to bring her back. He'll fail, but he tried."

Nuan closed her eyes. "If you're ever put in that position…just don't hesitate. If in some nightmare I end up like that, whatever part of me you were drawn to is gone."

He gave her a sad smile. "Easier said than done. I don't have a connection to Patricia like Creed does. Solutions are much simpler. No matter how objective I am now, it wouldn't be as easy if it were you in that position. I know I'd at least feel obligated to try."

"I know, I know," Nuan sighed. "This is a mess."

"A generous term for it."

"I suppose." Knowing it was almost time for everyone to leave, she went closer to him and without hesitation kissed him on the lips. He seemed a little surprised, but for once she didn't feel any kind of uncertainty around what she was doing, and neither did he it seemed.

It only lasted a few seconds, but felt so very right.

When it broke, she pulled him into a hug; awkward as it was with her unarmored body pressed into his much larger frame. But it was enough for her. "Do your best to come back," she told him quietly. "Please."

"Don't worry," he answered into her shoulder. "I am not going to die today. Especially not now."

---

ADVENT Headquarters – Switzerland

3/18/2017 – 11:20 A.M.

It was an overcast day; fitting in a way. Patricia was mildly surprised that ADVENT had waited so long before sending someone to deal with her. Granted, considering who she was, perhaps it wasn't a surprise, not to mention they almost certainly had snipers trained on her from several different points.

Not that it would help them. Not now.

Now it seemed like they were coming to deal with her.

Multiple squads of ADVENT soldiers and a dozen Priests were marching down the street towards her, MDUs behind them. This was going to be somewhat tricky given her situation, but manageable. It was a fascinating experience, to be able to command such power with only a fraction of the expected effort.

This…hyperawareness…it certainly took some time to get used to, and she marveled at how the Ethereal mind was capable of processing so much information from so many places at once. It was much more understandable how the Battlemaster was as reactive and fast as they had seen. One day Humans would be able to do this without being connected to an Ethereal, but not quite yet.

There was a temptation to annihilate the soldiers coming towards her right now; a desire born of the Imperator's side of their bond, but Patricia was able to temper it. The time for killing was not yet; they needed to wait before acting; before XCOM showed up. The commanding Officer halted a dozen meters from her.

"Patricia Trask, you are requested to surrender and submit yourself for questioning." The rifles of the soldiers and MDUs raised as he finished.

The lips of her mouth turned upwards. "I'll wait, you are not who I am waiting for."

The Priests behind him fanned out slowly, some of them shimmering with power around them. "I'm afraid you don't have that option, Trask," the Officer said, taking a step forward. "We have orders to take you in or kill you. XCOM is on their way."

"I know," Patricia gave a singular nod as she quietly gathered her own power, while easily swatting away the attempts by the Priests to penetrate her mind. Her link with the Imperator had turned her mental defenses so strong that attempts now barely registered. Certainly not from these Priests. "I don't have a desire to hurt you, not today, but attacking me would be unwise."

Before the man could open his mouth, she telepathically penetrated each of the minds of the soldiers, and even the Priests only could put up a few moments of resistance before they realized she was inside. Telekinetic bonds were wrapped around their throats as she extended an arm, lifting the entirety of the army off the ground and choking the air out of them.

The MDUs were simply compressed into wrecked machinery with groans and shrieks of bending and snapped metal. When the first of the soldiers blacked out, she released the telekinetic bonds and gave a singular command.

Sleep.

Six bullets were caught in the telekinetic field she'd erected. She maneuvered her head to look closer at them, and with a delicacy dismantled one of the bullets telekinetically, revealing a small drop of a presumably unknown substance. It immediately started burning upon contact with the air and fell to the ground where it continued burning into the pavement. ClF3. Of course.

She moved the bullets away and set them carefully on the ground. No reason to start a fire yet, and these could prove useful.

A skyranger roared overhead. No, three skyrangers.

She waited.

Time to see who showed up.

Several MECs were deployed, all of them on the streets beside and behind her. XCOM soldiers dropped on the nearby rooftops and one on the street in front of her. She saw from the weapons that XCOM had prepared for her well. Snipers, Marauder-class MECs, many psions, a couple of the MELD Operators she'd heard about.

And leading the small entourage was the Commander himself, with Creed and the Chronicler behind him.

A pang of sadness shot through her at the sight of Creed, whose helmetless face reflected her heart, though held the resolve she expected of him. The Commander though…his face was grim and he clearly expected for this situation to only end one way. This wasn't a team sent for capturing her – he intended to kill her today.

She couldn't blame him, though because he was here himself, perhaps he hadn't given up some hope of bringing her back. She knew he wouldn't take the final drastic step until all other options had been exhausted. This would be the only time where she would be able to surprise him before he stopped underestimating her.

Patricia was not under the illusion she could beat the Commander at his own game – not yet anyway. But she would get there in time. The Chronicler was the one she was most concerned about here. The disdain for the Sovereign puppet was amplified through the Imperator's own contempt for the man.

A dangerous opponent, hence why he was here. Fortunate that she would not need to face him for long.

"Hello, Commander," she finally said. "It's been a long time."

"A fact which is apparent," the Commander said neutrally, hands clasped behind his back. "You look like you haven't changed. They treated you well."

"They did," she confirmed. "But for a reason."

"Did you ever consider that was intentional?" He asked, his voice still emotionless. "Your treatment, your interactions with the Ethereals, everything given and shown to you…it was for the sole purpose of turning you against us. I'm surprised you don't see that you're being used here."

That…was amusing.

She tapped her head. "You know about the Avatar Project, Commander. At least the concept. There are no secrets between us any longer, between me or him – and from the very beginning, he has not lied to me. I know exactly who the Imperator is and what he intends, and I made this decision willingly."

Patricia wondered if there would be a denial, but the Commander simply pursed his lips. "I was afraid of that. When we learned what you had done, I wondered – hoped – that it was something you had been forced to do. If you were being a puppet of the Imperator." His eyes hardened. "I would have preferred that to you betraying everything we have fought for. What your friends, your soldiers have died for."

She allowed a sigh, a conflict of emotions swirling within her, amplified by the Imperator's link which allowed her to focus and organize the words she wanted to say. "Do you think this was easy, Commander? That I wanted to do this? The Imperator told me the truth about the Sovereigns the first day I was on his Temple Ship. And he gave me the option – I could return to XCOM or I could stay and consider helping him."

"And why didn't you?" Creed finally demanded angrily. "Were we all-was I-not enough motivation to return?"

"No!" She scowled. "It isn't that simple. How could anything be simple after learning the truth about the galaxy we live in. A repeating story of unending cycles which will destroy, remake, and destroy the galaxy over and over again. We would be walking directly into an unwinnable war ignorant of who the real enemy is." She pointed at the Chronicler. "And one of their agents you have sided with."

"The Imperator is an ignorant fool," the Chronicler sneered. "He has no concept about the Sovereign Ones, only circumstantial theories and what he learned from Mosrimor. Perhaps he believes he is doing the right thing, but he will be humbled like so many before him."

"Better to die fighting your kind than live as proxies to fight your wars," Patricia growled, the air rippling around her as the Imperator began speaking in unison with her. "You tell stories, puppet of T'Leth, stories and propaganda to my species. How many worlds have you destroyed; how many species have you rendered extinct? And for what? You intend to conquer the galaxy for yourself, T'Leth, you are no better than the rest of your kind."

T'Leth was certainly speaking through the Chronicler now as his voice turned deeper and reverberated the air around him. "And your master has proven himself no better, puppet of the Imperator. His species razed worlds, he now uplifts species to fight in his doomed conflict with my kind. He believes he will end the cycles, but in the end, his goal is the same – the conquest of the galaxy. In the end, even should he succeed, he will only succeed in perpetuating them."

"Do not make assumptions, puppet, of what we will or will not do," the Harbinger stated coldly. "You have conquered and killed many species; I will not let you have this one."

"The fact is that while the Imperator was trying to conquer our species, T'Leth has helped us protect it," the Commander said. "And based on that – and speaking to him myself, I am more inclined to believe the word of him over the word of an alien who is responsible for perpetuating this war, and aspects such as Paradise."

"You of all people should understand the necessity of such actions, Commander," the Harbinger stated. "The Sovereigns will not be defeated conventionally. We must do whatever it takes to defeat them, no matter the cost."

"Perhaps from that perspective," the Commander nodded. "But unfortunately for you, I don't share the same goals, and the perpetuation of such a monstrosity is unforgivable and I will purge it from this galaxy – along with any who were responsible for creating it."

Now was not the time to be invested, not quite yet. The merge lessened and allowed Patricia to speak more as herself. "I don't want to fight you, Commander; any of you. We both want this war to end, but it cannot be on unfinished terms. Please, surrender and end this before it becomes worse. I have assurances from the Imperator-"

"Surrender is out of the question, Patricia," the Commander dismissed immediately. "You know that will never happen. Not after what's happened. Not after what our species has endured."

"And will ADVENT be able to stand when the truth about them comes out?" Patricia asked. "Who Saudia is? The catalyst for the creation of ADVENT itself? EXALT? Will you be able to put up a united front when this is no longer hidden?"

"What you say doesn't matter now," the Commander said; giving an ironic smile. "ADVENT cannot fall now; certainly not because of that. Even should Saudia be compromised, someone just as competent will take her place. ADVENT is not EXALT. It is not their people. It is the will and power of Humanity itself now. Something you once believed in. We do not act in a house of cards, Patricia, tell your truth to the world if you wish, you cannot stop what is already in place, no matter how much you try."

Annoyingly, she wondered if he had a point. If so, it would make things slightly more complicated. She would have to consider this more.

None of the soldiers had moved at all, even though all had their weapons trained on her and the psions were pulling at the edges of their power, waiting for a chance to unleash it. She noticed something odd. "Aegis is not here," she noted. "Or Caelior. Strange." She furrowed her eyebrow, slightly confused.

"We don't need them to deal with you," the Commander answered. "You were sent here to send a message, so we sent one of our own."

Possibilities ran through their head, and only a few were plausible. "He is not on Earth."

The Commander just smiled.

Excellent.

An unexpected development, but certainly not an unwelcome one. "I see," was all she said. "You are confident in your abilities."

"I know you well enough, Patricia," the Commander said. "As does Creed. I know you wanted to draw us here, our best in case of a surprise somewhere else. Perhaps your Ethereals will launch coordinated attacks. If so, we will be ready for them. The Chancellor and her entourage are safe and cannot be harmed. You will accomplish nothing today, and your grand demonstration will be stopped."

She had expected nothing less. She nodded.

"Did you come here to kill me or capture me?"

"Surrender peacefully and we will allow your survival," the Commander said with a nod. "Refuse and we will put you down like the traitor you are."

Patricia looked to Creed. "I'm sorry."

He gave a single nod back. "So am I."

She looked back to the Commander. "I've chosen my side. I am the Harbinger of the Imperator, and I will free our species from the influence of T'Leth with or without you."

"Kill her." The Commander ordered immediately while jumping back and putting on his helmet.

Patricia gave one final smile, and relinquished control.

The Commander was occupied now. The clock was ticking.

---

Aui'Vitakar Path, Vitiary – Vitakar

3/18/2017 – 11:30 A.M.

The first thing that struck Sierra about Vitiary was how clean everything was. There wasn't any litter, stains, standing water, or really anything that she would expect of a normal city. As if Vitiary was anything close to a regular city – which it was not given the few minutes she'd had to look around at it. She'd heard the Vitakara didn't have skyscrapers, but she'd interpreted that to mean they didn't have tall skyscrapers.

Nope, they actually did not have any tall buildings. At least relatively tall. Around four stories was the highest she'd seen any building, and those were much more the exception than the rule. But each one appeared to be constructed like a fortress, with thick concrete and obvious supports along the base. The colors ranged from white to grey, but in all honesty it seemed like a very bright city overall.

The sidewalks housed lighting poles which could seemingly be extended or retracted depending on the need, and curiously there were very few roads, which were instead supplemented by some kind of trains which sped throughout the city. Some of them were for citizens, but the majority seemed focused on cargo transport.

"Guess they don't have cars," Anna noted as well.

"Because they have aircars," Ted said quietly, pointing up. "Look."

Sure enough, Sierra looked up to see that there were a decent number of flying vehicles over them, moving through small poles hovering on stands in the sky, which flashed between blue, green, yellow, and red. As she watched a few minutes, she noted that there really weren't that many cars, but just enough to be noticeable. Probably a status thing, since it seemed to be built so you didn't need an aircar.

"Restricted," Ravas, the recent Zararch defector said to them from beside her; looking almost nervous to be back on his home planet. "Only government, military, and ranking aliens get air vehicles and speeders. Civilians are rarely exceptions."

"Businesses, too I suppose?" Ted asked. "Or business officials?"

"Absolutely not," Ravas almost seemed offended. "Unlike your species, managing to competently run a service does not grant authority or input into – or over – government and military laws and regulations."

Anna snorted. "Fair enough, alien. Looks like we've gotten the attention of some people."

She wasn't wrong, as they'd appeared in the middle of a bustling crowd, at least several hundred Vitakara were in the small square they were standing in awkwardly. The vast majority appeared to be civilians; and a surprising mixture of races, barring the Oyariah and Sar'Manda were in the crowd. There were a number of uniformed Zararch Peacekeepers who seemed torn between intervening or just staring in awe at the group.

Or more specifically, at Aegis.

The crowd was utterly silent and still, as if a singular movement would break something. The area was silent outside of the rushing of aircars and hover-trains. "Take off your helmets," Ravas said, moving to the front of the group. "They should see who you are."

"Hell no," Lacy said with a shake of her head. "Don't they have snipers everywhere?"

"We have Elder Aegis," Ravas said with certainty. "And no Zararch Peacekeeper will fire on an Ethereal – not yet anyway."

"We're not Ethereals," Isacc pointed out.

"He's right," Cairu, the other Vitakarian with them added. "Most of these people have never seen a Human in their life before. They need to see us together."

"I agree, do as they say," Crevan said with a tone of absolute authority. "It will take more than the threat of snipers to deter us."

Sierra wasn't thrilled with the idea, it reminded her too much of cheesy movies she'd seen where these kind of actions were used to show that 'they were friendly and not so different.' Only in the real world they were dealing with an organization that kept it's citizens in a police state and were more than willing to execute invading aliens.

God protect us, she thought fervently as she pulled off her helmet and exposed herself to the planet's air. It was refreshingly cool; certainly not uncomfortable. With clicks and hisses, everyone pulled off their helmets even if they kept a firm grip on their sidearms when it inevitably went downhill. The Vitakara in the crowd all reacted differently.

There were very few gasps or other verbal expressions of surprise, but all of the Vitakarians were blinking rapidly, Borelians still just seemed frozen, the Dath'Haram looked at the arrivals with new interest, and the Cobrarian flicked their tongues in and out rapidly. Sierra was reminded that she really, really did not like snakes, and one that was as tall as her and had arms was something she had an urge to shoot and fly away from as soon as possible.

Aegis began speaking in some strange language, until she remembered that she was an idiot. Of course the majority of aliens wouldn't speak English. Good thing she hadn't been in charge of this mission, because that detail would have gone over her head. "Citizens of Vitakar," Ravas said, being kind enough to translate for them. "I am Aegis, formerly of the Ethereal Collective. We have come to your capital to tell you the truth of the war your people are involved in; what your siblings, sons, daughters, and parents are dying for."

Aegis speaking commanded the attention of every Vitakara in the immediate area, and more and more were coming out to watch. "You have been lied to about the circumstances of this war; the Collective invaded the homeworld of the Human species without provocation, and will not stop until the species is under their control. The Humans have decided to fight back against this injustice, and have succeeded in blunting the might of the Collective."

Aegis extended a hand to the crowd. "I was the first Ethereal to recognize the error of the Collective, and the Imperator who rules your people apathetically. And it is not merely this war which provoked my departure, but the truth of what the Imperator has used the Collective for. You are viewed as a means to an end for the Imperator; test subjects and soldiers to fight and die in his personal wars forged under false and fabricated circumstances."

On cue the Vitakara stepped forward. "I am not the only alien to realize the truth of what I was supporting. Others have come to see that they have been lied to by their leaders; that what they were ordered to accomplish was the opposite of what was right; they are ones who wished to live in a better future. The Imperator has seen fit to send his own pawn to Earth instead of going himself, and today it is time that the people of Vitakar know that the Imperator and the Ethereal Collective is lying to you."

"We move forward to the Aui'Vitakar," Crevan said quietly as Aegis began moving forward and the crowd parted to let them through. Sierra looked back to see that there were a crowd of Vitakara who were following them. She'd never been part of a march before, but this seemed a lot like what she would expect to be in one.

There was a shout as one of the Zararch Peacekeepers raised his rifle at them. Aegis moved to lift a hand but Crevan was fast and a sustained stream of lightning shot out from his fingertips to slam into the Peacekeeper who collapsed to the ground screaming. Crevan ceased the stream of lightning a few seconds later, an expression of contempt on his face as he appraised the twitching Vitakarian whose body was now covered in burns and no doubt permanently blinded and scarred.

Without wasting time, he looked around the crowd as his hand returned to the staff he carried and spoke in the Vitakarian language in the same neutral tone, though with an obvious undercurrent of warning in it. Sierra raised an eyebrow. "Our Sovereign ally is full of surprises. Didn't know he could shoot someone with lightning and not kill them."

"That was to send a message," Ted commented, looking as the crowd looked at them now with some trepidation as well as interest, while a few members took the wounded Peacekeeper away. "In the only way Crevan can, it seems. Ravas, what did he say?"

"We are not here to fight," Ravas translated. "But we will not tolerate unprovoked attacks upon us. The next to attempt to attack us will die."

Sierra looked at the former spy. "You sound worried."

"He spoke it perfectly," he nodded to Crevan who led the front by Aegis. "The language. Not even Aegis speaks it without an accent. That man could pass for a native here. Aliens should not command such an understanding without being raised in it."

Normally Sierra would find that a bit odd as well, but his status as an Agent of T'Leth put some things into perspective. It certainly wasn't stranger than being able to shoot lightning out of his hands. Besides, there were more important things to worry about for her. "Do you think we're getting a welcome party up ahead? The Zararch have to know what's going on now."

"By now they do," Ravas said slowly. "I'd be ready. They will act without warning. If an Ethereal is not sent to handle the situation."

"Let's hope it's just the Zararch," Sierra said as she saw the Aui'Vitakar building up in the distance. "The fewer Ethereals to deal with, the better."

---

ADVENT Headquarters – Switzerland

3/17/2017 – 11:48 A.M.

Things happened very quickly after Patricia put on her helmet and the fire command was issued. She immediately was encased in self-made box of psionic shields, while shots rang out from plasma, laser and gauss rifles, all of which slammed into the shield. The psions Nina, Mercedes, and the Chronicler all radiated power as they combined their telepathic might against Patricia.

The Commander aimed down the sights of his sniper rifle and fired with Hellfire rounds which set the liquid fire around Patricia. She lashed out with a hand and their Telekine Eva was thrown back before she caught herself and retaliated with a telekinetic strike of her own which Patricia was surprisingly caught off-guard by and rattled, though her psionic shield was maintained.

Fire from the Archangel Host rained down, still not penetrating the shield but certainly causing some distractions. Miriam and Zara were marching forward, clouds of nanites swirling around them as the two soldiers launched the attack against Patricia. She waved a hand and the area surrounding her crackled with psionic energy until it grew to a small maelstrom.

"Get into her mind!" The Commander shouted as all of them were forced to back up as the storm grew more intense, though in response he saw that her psionic barriers had fallen. "Chronicler! Status!"

"Something's wrong," he grunted, sounding oddly strained. "She feels completely different. I've never felt anything like this; not since T'Leth. Isomnum didn't put up this much of a fight!"

"She's merged with the Imperator!" Creed yelled, shooting at her as the maelstrom suddenly dissipated. "Of course her mind is a fortress!"

"Not like this," Nina coughed, her form glowing brightly as she focused once more. "He's right, something's off."

"Terli, Joseph, Nira," the Commander commanded. "Take her out now. Aim for the head."

Sniper shots rang out and all the rounds were suspended in a telekinetic field she'd erected around herself. The Commander fired several more Hellfire rounds into the telekinetic blanket and yelled to Eva. "Break it!"

Patricia wasn't up to date on all their techniques, and there were ways to mitigate cheap tricks like this. With a telekinetic pinch from Nira, the rounds all exploded in the field and fell towards Patricia who jumped back, right into the waiting flamethrowers of Donald's MEC who sent jets of Napalm her way.

She only just barely managed to erect a psionic shield to mitigate the worst of the flame, but now Sharad was bringing his MEC forward and his dispensers were tuned towards spraying acid around her, which he was aiming towards the ground to mitigate her being able to block it. She retaliated by shooting a stream of psionic energy towards the MEC, which was successful in forcing him to back up.

Now though her armor was taking direct hits, and soldiers were throwing multiple grenades at her, some of which were thrown back, while others were caught in a telekinetic field which were subsequently shot by the Commander and the other Snipers, damaging her armor further. Still though her mind remained unable to be penetrated.

"Symbiotes out!" Asgeir, their squad engineered called as he tossed three of the grenades into the air for Nira to grab, who then let them hover in the air for a few moments as the MELD Operators covered the grenades in MELD, and then she shot them towards Patricia who crushed one telekinetically, spraying the symbiote on the ground, another she deflected and slammed into the wall of a nearby building, but the final one landed right beside her left foot and exploded and the accompanying nanites began consuming her iron armor.

"Liuxian, give her some heavy ordinance," the Commander ordered the Ballista MEC who aimed his many micro-missile launchers at the woman who was still fending off Donald and his flamethrowers, and fired, a half-dozen standard rockets, each firing in sequence. Patricia shot a hand to create another psionic barrier in front of her which protected against most of the rockets, but a few slipped through and further turned her armor into scorched and damaged metal.

She was losing, and the Commander knew it. No amount of hardened armor or genetic modification would protect her forever. "Eva, pin her now." The telekine took a few steps forward, air shimmering as her power gathered and extended a hand towards the pinned form of Patricia and closed the hand into a fist.

Patricia gave a raw and inhuman roar as she was rendered completely immobile. Psionic shields appeared around her, completely stopping all other attacks. Another hand joined the first as Eva kept Patricia within her unrelenting and firm prison. "She's tough!" Eva grunted, the air around Patricia rippling and shimmering as Eva slowly crushed her. "But I have her now."

"Chronicler?" The Commander asked as he reloaded his sniper rifle.

"Making progress, but far more difficult than should be possible, even with her enhanced," was the answer. "Worse, she's attacking us. Not powerful enough to be a problem, but it slows us down. The Avatars should not be this resilient."

"Resilient is relative," the Commander said, as the hands of Patricia crumpled into twisted wrecks. "She's losing and she knows it."

And in one swift moment the barriers fell. "Hale! Launch it now!" The Commander ordered their Shoggoth Handler to enter the fray, and with a happy trill the Shoggoth was launched towards Patricia and wrapped itself around her limbs and began breaking them, causing her to scream angrily as she was wrestled to the ground.

She'd definitely not known what the Shoggoths could do. Not really.

The timing became perfect as the Commander lined up his shot perfectly, and with a synchronized command made possible by the allied telepathic links that Mercedes had established, fired directly at the head of Patricia Trask. The helmet's armor could not stand against powered gauss rifles equipped with Hellfire and AP rounds, and drilled a massive hole in the head of the former Psionic Overseer.

She slumped to her knees as the nanites continued trying to consume her, her body likely kept upright by the symbiote still attached to her foot. The Chronicler looked at the body, clearly suspicious. "That was too easy."

"Speak for yourself," Nina coughed. "I've never experienced something; someone that powerful and skilled."

But the Commander had a feeling like the Chronicler was right. While it was possible that they had killed her, and the Imperator had just been extremely overconfident, it seemed…unlikely. Then again, she was facing squads and soldiers equipped specifically to kill her, so perhaps she'd just been…beaten.

The Shoggoth was still on the body, clearly trying to get at the meat but William called it back and it responded with a trill, but before it could move the corpse of Patricia suddenly grabbed the Shoggoth, and…shifted.

The armor ceased being red and turned to a stark black as it began shifting and repairing the damage. The symbiote substance was eaten in a few seconds as the nanites which made up the…thing they were fighting activated into their true state. "It's a Puppet!" The Commander warned as they realized tactics needed to be switched.

Dozens of questions popped into his mind to wonder what was going on now? The Meat Puppet still maintained the Human shape, as opposed to the normal Ethereal one, but it no longer resembled the Aegis armor, just the humanoid form. The Commander really wished he'd brought a Dynamo psion now, as an anti-Puppet squad this was not.

"The hell was that?" Zara yelled, furiously as she readied her nanites for battle. "Was she never here?"

The Chronicler, for once, seemed unsure. "This shouldn't have happened. That was her mind. I felt it; altered slightly because of the connection, but it was her. I'm certain of it."

"We'll figure it out later," the Commander said. "Switch to Hellfire rounds. Kane, Terli, light it up. These things are still dangerous. Nina, Mercedes, can it still defend itself?"

"It's not nearly as strong now," Nina answered with heavy breaths. "It's definitely weakened."

Black clouds of nanites poured off of the Puppet and flew in all directions. The nearby MECs fired their weapons to incinerate the clouds, but not before several of the clouds reached some nearby soldiers and began eating through. Their own nanite systems would be able to provide some relief, but not forever. The MELD Operators worked to fight the clouds of their own while the Chronicler drew upon his destructive side and thrust an arm forward, shooting a stream of blue fire towards the puppet.

One black hand lifted and a psionic shield manifested in front of the energy stream. The Archangels roared overhead, firing Hellfire rounds and successfully managing to set the Puppet on fire. But this one seemed smart, as every part of itself which was on fire dropped to the ground; saving crucial aspects of itself.

It was forced to move forward, but slowly, and now they had the Puppet in some kind of containment. The Chronicler contained the most of its attention, while Miriam had moved opposite Zara and together with the MECs they maintained a circle around the Puppet, keeping the clouds of nanites from hurting their comrades.

It was slow going, and time consuming, but they were going to do it. This time the Commander was sure of it – and the entire time he was trying to think of what Patricia was doing. Too many things didn't add up, and it raised dangerous questions, both about what her own capabilities were and also that of the Meat Puppets.

Firing several times at the Meat Puppet causing more smaller fires, he mentally ran through what he knew about the Imperator and his capabilities. Supposedly a master of every discipline, which included telepathy, biopathy, teleportation…could it had been an extremely fast teleport? Had Patricia managed to control the Puppet which was why her mind was familiar?

Teleportation…

"It's getting smaller!" Asgeir called excitedly. "It's almost gone."

Patricia wasn't an idiot. She had to know they'd create a kill team for her, which was why she hadn't risked herself at all, which didn't make much sense if she was intending to make a statement. Logically, that meant that she wanted them here for some reason? To taunt them? To offer a final surrender?

To draw us away?

Then suddenly the form of the Meat Puppet fell apart leaving behind a bullet-ridden naked Human body which looked mostly female, barring the fact that it lacked hair. "Back up! Back up!" Zara yelled as the nanites moved across the ground and soon found what they had potentially been moving to all along.

The ADVENT soldiers "Patricia" had subdued before they'd arrived.

His mind flashed to Iosif describing their doomed mission to Hainan.

"They're going to the bodies!" He called. "Burn them!"

His mind couldn't stop thinking about Patricia's goal, even as the nanites began eating into the soldiers on the ground and the MECs fired napalm and acid onto the bodies with grenades being tossed, and golden swarms of MELD nanites working to counter the puppeting as quickly as possible.

If to draw us away, from what?

All major locations on Earth were protected, all current battlefronts were accounted for, they couldn't come under a surprise attack, and it would take an army to consider assaulting it; things just didn't add up outside of a failed mission. A failure of the Imperator, something he couldn't help but find suspicious.

Teleportation…

…allied to Mosrimor…

…to draw us away…

…they need an army…

…advance warning…

The answer hit him instantly and he went cold.

"Creed!" He yelled. "Contact the Praesidium now!"

He didn't hesitate. "Yes, Commander!" He stepped back as the battle continued on, with some of the nanites managing to raise a few of the bodies, though they were being put down soon after arising. The Commander hoped he was wrong about what was happening, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

"No response," Creed called. "What's going on?"

"Try again!" He roared. "Have any emergency signals been sent?"

"Checking, and no," he answered frantically. "Why?!"

"Because I know what Patricia is doing," he said coldly; grimly. "She's attacking the Praesidium."

---

The Aui'Vitakar, Vitiary – Vitakar

3/18/2017 – 12:24 P.M.

The crowd continued following them, and there were no more incidents of Zararch or Runianarch soldiers attacking them or getting in their way. Sierra was acutely aware that they were being followed and watched as the soldiers weren't able to keep a low profile, and she assumed the Zararch were just waiting in the crowd.

Aegis stopped occasionally to talk, but it wasn't anything especially new, so instead she just kept her guard up high and followed the march. In the distance the Aui'Vitakar building stood. It was definitely one of the biggest in the entire city, if not the biggest just from the surface area it took up alone. It reminded her of the Pentagon; low to the ground, massive in square feet, and had a large number of soldiers outside.

It was more circular than…well, a pentagon, as well as colored a matte white with a lot of glass by the entrances, but the principle was the same, and the rows of Runianarch guarding the building looked around at each other tentatively, waiting for some kind of order on how to proceed. Aegis shouted something to the captain, which continued for a few minutes.

"There should have been something by now," Ravas said quietly, under his breath as he looked around the area where the Vitakara were still enraptured by what was happening. "This isn't normal."

"An Ethereal and a supposedly hostile alien species showed up in your capital," Sierra snorted. "Protocols don't get that specific, and I bet they're waiting to see what we do."

"That isn't how this works," Ravas insisted. "The Zararch do not waste time observing when they can act. The only thing that stops them is the intervention of an Elder."

"Well, there you go," Sierra said. "Makes sense to me. The Imperator doesn't necessarily want shootouts in the capital right now."

"And Aegis is hurting his reputation and credibility," Ravas added. "It makes little sense to not wait."

"Presumably the Imperator is acting through Patricia on Earth," Anna said with a shrug as the Runianarch stood down, and they kept walking again – and now towards a group of Aui'Vitakar representatives who were waiting for Aegis. "Maybe he's distracted. Whose next in the hierarchy?"

"The Overmind, and potentially Quisilia," Ted answered. "It does seem like it's going on too long without anything. I wonder what they're waiting for."

"Maybe they know they'd make things worse?" Sierra wondered aloud as Aegis began speaking directly with the representatives. "What can they really say that wouldn't be a lie?"

"Propaganda is effective against Vitakara," Ravas said grimly, looking around. "Very effective, and one appearance by an Elder will cause questions, but they are well-conditioned to turn back to the Elders and Zararch when given the opportunity to. None of these people want to think they are on the wrong side; all they need is someone to tell them they are still doing the right thing."

"Good luck with that," Anna said sarcastically. "Let's see them sweep Paradise and the Sectoid Hive under the rug."

"Contact! Weapons up!" Sussan commanded as she quickly put her helmet on and drew on her psionic power. The Archangels and rest of the soldiers quickly followed suit, and prepared their jetpacks for flight. A short distance to their left, Sierra saw the source of the commotion and turned her weapons immediately to the threats before her.

Slow and loud claps rang out as Quisilia clapped mockingly with his upper hands. "Well, well, Aegis. Long time, no see. I certainly didn't expect to see you here." He looked up at the Aui'Vitakar building. "I expect better of you; to at least send an invitation or advance warning before you show up before the good people of Vitakar."

Quisilia wasn't alone. By his side was another Human, who Sierra had to blink at several times because it was barely a kid. There was no way that boy was any older than twenty; certainly too young to be around Ethereals. But he was very much standing beside Quisilia, outfitted in black armor and seemingly otherwise unarmed. She definitely didn't recognize him, and the only really identifying features besides his armor was his Hispanic ethnicity and a noticeably Human knife strapped to his belt.

It ultimately didn't matter. Another traitor to put down, although this one…Sierra didn't want to kill him because unlike Patricia, there was a very good chance this kid had been taken advantage of by the Ethereals.

"Quisilia," Aegis turned from the representatives. "The Imperator is still refusing to intervene himself."

"There is much work to be done managing the entire Collective," Quisilia said with mock humility. "And our work has grown thanks to what Patricia Trask has willingly provided us. But do not believe you are being ignored; this little stunt…certainly clever, and I cannot say unjustified." He lifted a finger on his upper right hand. "But – why have you come, Aegis? To spread your lies and propaganda to the Vitakara species?"

"Only to tell the truth, Quisilia," Aegis answered firmly. "Do not intervene."

Quisilia laughed.

"What?" He chuckled, motioning to the crowd who were starting to become more relaxed when they saw Quisilia at such ease. "You think I was sent to fight you? And potentially hurt our own citizens who we have promised to protect? Absolutely not." He turned to the crowd. "We have ensured that you are insulated from this war, and despite the actions of Aegis today, we will not endanger you further."

He looked back to Aegis. "But it is certainly a cowardly move to smear the Imperator; the Collective, when there is no one to speak for them; to defend them and refute the lies and points you will inevitably try to make. You believe that your case is strong enough to sway the people of Vitakar?" He looked back to the crowd and amplified his voice. "Then prove it when I am here to contest you!"

Sierra hadn't lowered her weapon, still keeping it fully trained on Quisilia who was getting some cheers from the crowd at that statement, and narrowed her eyes. "Is he challenging Aegis to a debate?"

"Doesn't have much of a choice," Ted noted, clearly suspicious. "They attack, we have free reign to strike back. We strike first and we're the undisputed bad guy. It's not a bad move, if a desperate one."

"I certainly understand the confusion all must be feeling now," Quisilia was directly addressing the crowd now. "A war changes people; allies become enemies; enemies become allies; the rules are broken and remade over and over again – yet I will stress now that what you see is normal. It is typical for defections to occur, out of fear, cowardice, or misplaced anger, so do not believe such traitors represent the feelings of all those who serve our Collective and your species."

"Perhaps let us speak," Cairu stepped forward. "Your species has lied to my people for too long, and this time your words will not go unchallenged."

"Ah, of course," Quisilia gestured to her. "I would welcome to hear the reasons for your untimely defection, to hear why you turned your back on the prosperity and protection the Collective has and continues to provide for your species. Yet I have not heard from Aegis if he wishes to risk making his claims when he is challenged on them – Aegis?"

It felt like a trap to Sierra. Quisilia was comfortable, and it didn't seem fake; not even like he was putting on an act. Well, he was, but it wasn't one where seemed fearful or unsure of the outcome. But the alternatives were not appealing either. They could fight Quisilia and likely accomplish nothing except turn the Vitakara against them. They could leave and hand the victory to Quisilia if keep the Vitakara open to what was happening. Or they could participate in Quisilia's 'debate'.

The question she had was how much of this was stalling by Quisilia, most likely to wait for some kind of attack. Aegis felt the same way. "You wish to trap us here; stall us until you are prepared to attack."

"Please," Quisilia sounded utterly annoyed by the suggestion. "Within moments I can request the aid of Sicarius, Deusian, or the Overmind himself to end the threat you pose. I deliberately choose not to. You have my assurance, Aegis – before all those around us – that there will be no action taken against you or your people so long as they refrain from violence. You came under a banner of mostly peace – " He shot a look at Crevan. "So I will respect this decision. Besides, I think it should be excellent for airing some grievances."

"And what happens afterwards?" Aegis demanded. "You simply let us go? The people have no choice here, and you will merely clamp down on them the moment we leave."

"You will be, of course, free to leave," Quisilia said, bowing his head. "This is after all a peaceful meeting. And you knew that you would leave eventually, without 'saving' these individuals. So little has changed, except that now the people of Vitakar will have the opportunity to think for themselves and not have their perspective skewed by one side or another."

More steps were taken towards the crowd as he extended a hand towards them. "Hiding the truth from our loyal citizens is not and never been our way! We shall not hide what is said now – I have decreed that the world of Vitakar shall hear what Aegis has to share with you – and myself to defend the honor and integrity of the Ethereal Collective and our citizens! Is that an acceptable action?!"

The crowd cheered; enough of them present to make the noise deafening. That created a sinking feeling in Sierra's heart, and the Vitakara around her looked unsurprised, but saddened at the reaction. "I don't think we have a choice now," Sierra said slowly. "Not if we want to give the win to Quisilia."

"Then I accept, Quisilia," Aegis stepped toward the other Ethereal before the cheering crowd. "I hope you will be able to defend the atrocities the Collective has committed."

"And I hope that you will be able to prove such allegations," Quisilia said, his tone on the cusp of mocking. "I anticipate an interesting and long discussion – let us not delay, and give the people what they want."

Quisilia and his Human companion walked toward the Aui'Vitakar building itself and with some trepidation, the rest of them followed inside. Fiona kept herself in the middle of them, likely in case she needed to teleport them all away, and none of them put their weapons down. No matter what Quisilia promised, Sierra was certain there was something else at play.

Though what that was, she didn't know now.

That worried her.

---

Practice Range, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/17/2017 – 11:32 A.M.

Plasma rifles were nice, but in the end, Nuan personally preferred weapons which had some weight to them. Not that there wasn't recoil in the plasma weapons, but it felt almost fake, like it had been put in for the sake of it. Realistically she knew that wasn't right, since laser rifles had no recoil, but it still felt odd.

She was still happy with her shooting though. Dummies and paper targets were riddled with holes or in scraps on the ground. The team managing the shooting range had begun rigging their dummies with tiny explosives or other effects to reward good shots. An addition she quite liked. It was very satisfying to get a headshot and see the head of the dummy explode.

Nuan decided she was done for now, and went to set her rifle back on the rack and grabbed her water bottle. She hadn't heard anything on how the attack on Patricia was going, but assumed – for now – that no news was good news. Besides, XCOM had ADVENT backing them up there. She thought even the Battlemaster wouldn't be able to penetrate it, let alone a traitor – enhanced by the Imperator or not.

She wasn't the only one at the range either; a decent number of soldiers made the rounds at all hours since many had worked practice into their daily routines. Normally she wouldn't come this early, but she needed something else to think about besides dwelling on what was happening. It was out of her control, all she could do was wait and hope.

And Iosif wasn't even in serious danger; at least relative to dealing with someone like Patricia. They hadn't heard of any other attacks elsewhere; not yet at least. Those might come, and when they did, they would be ready. She did wish though that she'd been deployed somewhere, if not to fight Patricia herself.

"Hey," a woman walked up, who Nuan recognized as one of the Rocketeers, though she couldn't remember the name at the moment, even if she stood out due to being distinctly Arabic. "Usually don't see you here this early. Nuan, right? You were-"

"China, yes," Nuan nodded, then gestured to the range. "I don't like waiting, especially when everything is happening and there is nothing I can do about it."

"I get that," the woman nodded. "Fakhr if we haven't met, though I think we've gone on a few missions together."

That name she recognized. "So do I. Good to meet you properly…" she paused. "Months later."

"XCOM has gotten big," Fakhr smirked. "I remember when it was…well, much smaller." The good attitude faded as she became more serious. "It does feel like a turning point, doesn't it? Patricia coming back, T'Leth getting more involved, Isomnum dying…it feels like things are going to change in a big way now."

"I think we've reached that point," Nuan agreed. "Patricia…well…I didn't know her that well, but this seems out of character for someone like her."

"Can't say I knew her well either," Fakhr sighed, sitting down beside her. "Not like the Commander. Or Creed. I respected her though, and from what I saw, she will do whatever is the best ultimate solution for her soldiers and Humanity. She's…a lot like the Commander, only more easily swayed I guess."

Fakhr pulled out a phone. "Think something should have happened by now. Attacks are reported quickly. We'll see if Patricia tried to spring a trap on the world." She tapped on the screen a few times, then frowned. "Huh."

"News?" Nuan asked, looking over.

"No," Fakhr shook her head. "Wireless is gone down. The one thing I've never had to worry about here was the Internet going down. I swear that even during the Battle of the Citadel the networks were up."

"Maybe it's your phone," Nuan guessed. "Devices aren't as reliable as we like sometimes."

"I'll reboot the whole thing, that usually fixes most problems," Fakhr said with a light scowl. "Small problems in the grand scheme of things-"

An alarm blared and within seconds the lighting became intermixed with red.

Fakhr and Nuan both stiffened, as did every single soldier in the range. "The hell?" Fakhr asked to no one as she stood up. "This shouldn't be happening."

"What is it?" Nuan knew that there was some kind of emergency – the lights and alarms only went off when there was trouble coming – or had come. "It can't be an attack? We'd have been warned about it!"

"I don't know," Fakhr said, grabbing a rifle and Nuan grabbed her own. "But this only happened once – and that was when the Citadel was attacked. We only had a few hours to prepare then, and we'll probably get the same here-"

"Attention, all Praesidium staff," the voice of Central Officer Jackson broadcast with everyone stopping to listen. "We are currently under attack by an unidentified hostile, the Atlas Protocol is now in effect. All designated kill and evacuation squads mobilize and execute your instructions. I repeat we are under current attack. Jackson out."

In the dim lighting Nuan saw the blood drain from Fakhr's face and she suspected her own was similar. Without a word they broke off running for the Armory, hearts and minds racing as they readied themselves for the fight ahead.

Nuan realized she shouldn't have wished to participate in the operations. There was a reason people warned to be careful what they wished for – they might get it.

The most important battle wouldn't be fought in Brazil, China, Switzerland, Africa, or America – it would be fought in the Praesidium.

And their best were gone elsewhere, some even to other worlds.

It was up to them to hold the line.

---

Praesidium Exterior – Classified Location

3/17/2017 – 11:30 A.M.

The sands blew across her armor as Patricia appeared just outside the hangar exit of the Praesidium. While there was no one waiting for her, she knew that there were sensors surrounding the entrance, and she would soon be detected. Her mask tight, she opened a portal and withdrew the Andromedon jammer.

Turning it on, she planted it in the ground. It would ensure that any distress signals would be blocked and buy her additional time. There were two more problems she would now face – Caelior was here – and T'Leth was watching and would likely be preventing unpermitted teleportation. That would hinder her.

It could not be allowed.

A small portal opened underneath her hand and a black orb fell out which she caught telekinetically. "Alright Mosrimor," she said quietly. "Let's see if you can be useful today."

She maneuvered the orb over the hangar door and the nanites around it expanded until she could see the glowing blue core. Patricia drew upon the power which came so easily, and hovered off the ground as the sand began crackling as she directed the Psionosphere to shatter and burn the ground around her.

Her cape glinting in the white-yellow sun, underneath was a sea of purple mist and waves of power which briefly turned the ground into a violent sandstorm which she sustained for a minute before she was satisfied that all near-ground installations was destroyed. Setting herself down, she blew off the sand from the top of the hanger door with a single wave of her hand.

With the opposite one, she reached out and clenched the seams and gaps of the door and pulled. The massive bulkhead immediately began groaning and creaking from the strain. A hand glowing purple, she extended the opposite one and psionic energy materialized in the identified weak points which continually destroyed the integrity of the door, until she yanked upwards with a yell and the hunk of metal went flying.

A motioning of her hand downwards, and the orb descended slowly while she jumped straight down into the Hangar. Energy gathered into her hands, building and building and the moment she slammed into the ground, a telekinetic purple-tinged wave shot out from her in all directions. A few emergency personnel who were working the nearby skyrangers were pulverized and their shattered limbs and bodies flew in all directions, while those on the outward edge of the wave were simply thrown back.

Shouts of surprise and pain sounded as everyone alive ran back except for a few XCOM squads who had just rushed in to meet her.

Lips pursed under her helmet, she readied herself to kill her former brothers and sisters in arms.

It is the only way.

With a roar, she shot a fist to the sky and the Psionosphere around her ripped into a raging maelstrom which shredded everything caught in it. Plasma and gauss rounds fired at her but were disintegrated the moment they reached the maelstrom. She saw psions glowing with power, and shook her head to herself as she plucked the telekinetic strings with another hand.

Everything in the Hangar was yanked towards her from soldiers to pieces of metal to the few technicians cowering behind the crates and barrels. A few of the psions prevented themselves from being tossed, anchoring themselves and others to the ground or using shields to keep themselves alive, but a number had their Titan armor shredded beyond repair.

Now the fight was to begin.

Patricia sidestepped into a portal she created and reappeared behind the XCOM lines and gripped the nearest three soldiers in telekinesis and crushed their organs before tossing their bodies into the nearby wall with enough force to audibly shatter bones. Patricia suddenly found herself incased in a psionic box, and responded by bisecting the Aegii who had erected it, before leaping into the air and igniting the floor with corrosive psionic energy.

A psionic shield appeared in front of her without prompting which successfully blocked the plasma shots fired in her direction. Hovering in the air while the floor burned, she grabbed one of the XCOM soldiers at random, brought her into the air, and blasted her down into the floor with enough force that it snapped her spine instantly and the psionics ate into her seconds later.

She threw herself down onto the ground again, and without waiting to see what the soldiers would do, charged towards one, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground before following up with a stomp which crushed his face before she immediately charged another woman who she slammed into a wall before blasting a stream of psionic energy at her, burning holes in her chest.

The last one fired his autocannon at her in a futile effort to do something to stop her. She appraised him for a moment, a telekinetic field freezing all the bullets in mid-air and motioned below him and he fell into a portal which she sealed shut as he was halfway down, severing his body in a spray of blood.

She snapped his neck to spare him unnecessary pain.

Good. Good.

She wasn't…happy right now, not truly. But it was…satisfying to see what her full capabilities were, especially against her direct rivals. They would be more prepared as she moved forward, but they would not stop her.

Nothing can stop us now.

She turned back to the hanger which was burning to ensure she hadn't missed anything.

There will be nothing.

She lifted the skyranger wrecks, now lacking most of their wings and engines, and squeezed a hand encased in purple fire. A few minutes later the skyrangers fell to pieces; never to be recovered again. Satisfied she had utterly destroyed the conventional means of escape they possessed, she turned to the exists which were unsurprisingly sealed shut.

Unfortunate that doors no longer posed a challenge to her.

A portal materialized in front of her and she stepped into the next hallway down. She expanded her telepathic senses, even as the XCOM squad waiting for her shouted in alarm. She created a portal in front of her and watched with distant amusement as they were hit with their own rounds from the connecting portal she'd created behind them.

A psion shot her hands forward as psionic energy poured out of them. Patricia recognized the armor of this one – Mona. She'd become powerful, but it would not be enough to save her this time.

"Traitor!" Mona yelled, waving a hand as Patricia felt the Psionosphere rip around her.

Patricia merely encased herself in a personal shield and manifested a horizontal shield which slammed into Mona and sent her flying backwards. The hallway was open, but still a choke point. Patricia yanked with a hand, pulling all of their weapons away before slamming them into the ceiling and back onto the floor.

Too late for help to come.

A clenched fist shattered their skeletons and organs. Mona had been spared this, though she was struggling to get up, firing a burst of psionic energy which Patricia easily blocked. Patricia followed up with severing her arms with psionic barriers and lifting her by the throat telekinetically. "I'm sorry it came to this," she said to the choking woman. "But it is the only way."

With an imperceptible gesture, she snapped the neck and let the body of Mona Eriksson fall to the ground.

The squads had been dealt with for now, and her targets were deeper in the Praesidium. A portal appeared over her hand, and another orb fell out which activated a few seconds later.

So far Mosrimor appeared to be proving his usefulness.

The clock was ticking. She had labs to destroy.

---

Research Lab Exterior, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/18/2017 – 11:42 A.M.

There had been a weird feeling the moment he'd heard the klaxon ring. It had persisted when he'd frantically donned his armor in record time and was rushed to his defensive position. Lab defense, and it looked like it was going to be needed. Scientists who were remaining were quickly making final backups and collecting samples to take with them during the evacuation.

There were enough squads to buy them time – or so they'd thought.

The best news Oliver could see was that Vahlen wasn't here, and had left hours ago transporting some kind of specimen for safety. There'd been rumors that the Commander had ordered that they prepare in case there was some kind of attack, and right now he was very grateful that so much time was being saved.

But this feeling…he'd wondered what it was. It's wasn't fear, or sadness, or anything he was used to feeling. Surreal was the best word he could use to describe it. When he received the broadcast, he was stunned. "They're dead?" He asked incredulously. "All of them?"

"Yes!" Jackson yelled. "Get everyone out of there now! She's heading your way!"

"Yes sir!" He said, turning to the scientists who were still there. "We're leaving now! Clifton, Dana! Grab them and let's get out of here!"

But hearing those words; hearing how Patricia had killed that many soldiers already, he suddenly recognized what that feeling was.

This was where he was going to die.

He took a breath and turned to Said Tariq. "I'm going to talk to her. Get out of here. Get to your wife. Otherwise everyone here is going to die."

"That's suicide-"

"And if she isn't delayed, we're all going to die!" Oliver insisted, checking his plasma rifle quickly. "You heard what she did. I know what I'm doing."

"But-"

"None of that," he interrupted. "I've had a good life. Not as long as I'd like, but a good one. This is what I have to do. Don't waste it."

Without waiting for another protest, he dashed off into the hallways. "Central! Where is she now?"

"What are you-"

"Buying time," he answered quickly, mentally calculating how long it would take her to get here from where she was coming. "I don't want to run in circles here."

"The area by the Mess Hall had reported fighting, she's in that area. Follow the main hallway and you'll run into here. Oliver…" a pause. "You won't be forgotten. Vigilo Confido."

"Just make sure everyone is evacuated," he grunted, running as fast as he could. "What is the status of that?"

"All non-military personnel have been commanded to leave, we're doing staggered evacs of soldiers and staff. Caelior is being mobilized to move up now. Shen needs more time to finish something."

Oliver scowled. "Get the old man out of here!"

"We're-" She was interrupted by a body being flung into the wall in front of him. It was one of the cooks whose body was unrecognizable, even more so after it had been ground into the metal. He quickly checked the body. Dead. Probably instant. He ran into the Mess Hall and saw the devastation Patricia had wrecked.

The kitchens were on fire; the tables and chairs were completely destroyed, pieces of them everywhere while the televisions and other media outlets were broken beyond repair. Oliver saw scraps of food still scattered around, blackened, but people had been eating less than a half hour ago. Bodies of XCOM soldiers and the mess hall personnel were scattered everywhere.

In the center floated Patricia Trask, who lowered herself to the ground once he walked in.

She was different.

This was not the same woman he'd fought with before. She was…tall. At least one or two full feet taller than before, with her body proportioned to match. She out-massed Kane of all people. The armor she wore was reminiscent of the more form-fitting Aegis armor if a bit lighter, and appeared to lack the bulky durability of the Titan armor he wore now.

Silver engravings overlaid the white coloring she'd used, which culminated in the center of the chest showing a stylized rendering of an Ethereal. A matching cape with silver trim fell from her shoulders. It was slightly stained with soot and ash, but objectively it was a masterfully crafted armor set.

Her face though, was obscured by a cloudy white mask which didn't even cover her full head, letting her chestnut hair flow freely. "An excellent demonstration of your power, Patricia," he said, lifting his rifle. "I'm sure you feel powerful killing the cooks and staff."

"Bystanders, casualties of war,"her voice was layered and distorted; a combination which was unsettling, as he could hear her voice, but at the same time it was something else. "I did not wish to kill anyone here, but the Commander has left me no choice."

"Liar," he snarled, firing at her knowing it would only annoy her. "Did you think we would surrender just because you turned traitor?"

The plasma bolts hit a psionic shield she briefly erected before the plasma rifle cracked and smoked. He threw it at her before it could explode, and it did – after she deflected it with a telekinetic gesture. "I'd hoped. But there wasn't any choice. XCOM poses the greatest threat to the Imperator, and it is up to me to mitigate this threat."

"Why?" He demanded, quickly thinking up a plan. Then he remembered what Kane had done and gave a grim smile under his helmet. Just keep her talking. "Because of T'Leth?"

"XCOM is compromised," she said. "The Sovereign Ones are a greater threat than any paltry invasion. I have not fought to have my species be used in T'Leth's war."

"So instead we'll be used in the Imperator's," Oliver shot back as the nanites began dispersing by his boots. It actually wasn't difficult to see how hypocritical she was being. "Excellent job, protecting our species."

"You do not have to believe me," Patricia, or the thing she was now said, cocking her head. "You cannot stop me now and when I am done, Humanity will be far more powerful and free than we ever would have been under T'Leth."

"And at what cost?" It was almost there, just a little longer… "Do you really believe I'm some brainwashed T'Leth pawn?"

A pause.

"No." The answer did surprise him, or the acknowledgement of it. "I don't. But manipulation is subtle, and the Sovereigns are masters of it. You are a pawn, but do not know it, as are the best tools of the Sovereign. You share no blame, but are an unfortunate casualty. That is why I have indulged you here. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."

He went cold and she lifted a hand, and all the nanites he had thought were creeping invisibly on the ground were raised before her, and coalesced into a black semi-permeable ball. "I know you were stalling. But I wanted to let you die achieving what you set out to. You deserve that much." The ball was enveloped in purple fire as she destroyed the nanites. "Know that I will save Humanity – even if must conquer it first. Die, Oliver Ilari."

The last words he heard not just with his ears, but reverberated in the deepest crevices of his mind.

A few seconds later, his mind and body complied with her last command.

Another body fell before the Harbinger, as Oliver Ilari died.

The Harbinger pushed aside his body with a telekinetic motion, and returned to her mission.

---

XCOM Engineering, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/18/2017 – 11:51 A.M.

"We don't have time to waste," Nuan insisted. "We need to get to the working gateways now."

Normally that wouldn't be an issue in XCOM Engineering of all places, but whatever Patricia had done – for they knew who was attacking now – had essentially forced everything in XCOM Engineering on backup power. There were two options – they could spend time to divert power to the gateways which could take up to fifteen minutes, or they could make a move for the Deployment Gateway room which they knew still had power.

In the end they knew their best chance was to go for the gateways while they still had the opportunity. The engineers were busy saving what they could from the computers and grabbing some of the prototypes and weapons that were lying around, though they were clearly not soldiers.

Twenty XCOM soldiers stood guard, Nuan among them, assigned to protect them against whatever came. Having heard how Patricia was somehow tearing through…everything, Nuan wondered if that would be enough – especially since she was headed their way.

Fortunately, they had an equally powerful ally with them now.

"I am ready," Caelior said as he entered from the lower levels with another squad accompanying him. "She will not delay, and neither should we."

"Agreed," Alicia nodded, a Dynamo psion who had been appointed the overseer for this position. "There is a roundabout way to the Deployment Gateway. Takes longer, but Patricia will be coming down the main hallway, and last we heard, she was in the labs."

"Confirmed on the labs, Engineering Team," Jackson said grimly. "She's just finished destroying everything in them. You need to hurry otherwise there won't be a safe passage for the engineers."

"We will stop her," Angelina stated, the lone MELD Operator stepped forward. "We have no choice. Caelior, can you face her again?"

"I can," the Ethereal sounded notably confident. "Even if supported by the Imperator, it is still Patricia. I know how I lost last time, and I will not do so again."

"All well and good, but we need to get moving," Nuan insisted, checking again to see if she was fully stocked. "He's right – Patricia isn't going to delay."

"You six stay with the engineers and escort them out," Alicia ordered a group of soldiers. "Everyone else form up and follow Caelior. We stagger ourselves so we aren't all attacked at once."

"Where is T'Leth?" One of them asked. "Or his people?"

"Unknown," Alicia said slowly. "From what we know, she's doing something to suppress him."

"A Sovereign One?"

"The Ethereals have Mosrimor," Caelior reminded them. "She has perhaps utilized his own capabilities to counter T'Leth. It is likely this is taking place across the world where his agents are located."

"Right," Nuan nodded. "Where is Shen?"

"In the Cyber Development Center," one of the engineers answered. "He's saving a very important project-"

"Well pull him out now," Alicia said. "This isn't worth dying over-"

"You don't understand!" The engineer said. "We can't leave it behind! It could change the course of the war!"

"The course of the war is being changed now," Nuan told him. "I'd rather he be alive to see it-"

"Belay that, Psion Alicia," Jackson's voice was tight and controlled. "What Shen is doing can't be interrupted until he's finished."

"It better be a fucking showstopper," Alicia growled and waved the soldiers to form up. "Come on! Let's put the traitor down!"

Weapons in hand and the Ethereal leading the charge, they marched out to put an end to the Harbinger once and for all.

---

Research Labs, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/17/2017 – 11:45 A.M.

Countless experiments conducted, completed, or failed. Thousands of hours of work had been conducted in these labs. Breakthroughs that had changed the direction of Humanity; discoveries that forever altered the war. History had been made here, and the men and women within it would be remembered as pioneers in the upcoming age of Humanity.

But all things eventually died.

The landmarks of history inevitably became graveyards and monuments to the past.

As it would be here.

The Harbinger stood in the labs; scattered tablets, vials and computers strewn everywhere, organic material and plant life left to wither. All abandoned in a rush for survival. But there was much here that would not be able to be recovered, no matter how much they tried. She knew the procedures and protocols.

Progress on all projects would be set back significantly. Weeks if not months.

A short amount of time, some would think.

She did not intend to allow this war to drag out years. Certainly not long enough for XCOM to recover the progress they had made. The Harbinger raised a hand as the air around her became charged with an electric aura. Purple flickers dotted the room around her as she prepared to summon the maelstrom.

A hand closed and reality tore itself into a raging inferno of chaos and destruction.

In the center stood the Harbinger, a lone beacon in the storm which ripped apart everything around it. Metal warped and bent like paper; glass shattered within seconds and was further vaporized by the storm. Delicate objects were turned into scrap within moments. The amount of destruction would have been sufficient with only a few seconds of the storm.

She did not intend to destroy the labs.

She meant to annihilate them until the only things left were ash and soot.

The storm roared around her, and the walls which separated the Genetic Labs, Cloning Chambers, and other specialized rooms were disintegrated and the corrosive power spilled into the other lab rooms and subsequently began destroying all that was within them.

Patricia faintly felt some minds nearby; test subjects XCOM had been using. Not a priority for evacuation. Fear arose from them as she penetrated their minds as the storm roared into their chambers and shattered the paltry walls imprisoning them. Perhaps she could withhold the storm from them.

Yet only contempt remained in her. These Humans deserved no mercy or hope. The appropriate fate would be allowing them to live. Yet she would not give XCOM a resource they could exploit. So she passively observed their quick deaths as the storm ravaged their bodies. Soon nothing was left. Nothing at all.

Her hand opened and the storm ended.

Where the Harbinger now stood, one could be forgiven for wondering if a bomb had gone off. Dust and ash covered where the storm had ravaged the rooms. Layers of the floor were gone, creating an uneven surface and were left with black and grey soot. Nothing else stood. All nearby walls were torn apart, creating wide spaces in a previously more confined setting.

This had taken time, but it was justifiable.

XCOM would be coming.

Already she could feel their minds. A particular one among them.

Caelior.

A reunion of sorts.

Ironic. She had beaten him once with the Imperator's help. Now history would repeat itself.

Her cape swept behind her as she turned on her heel and began marching down the hallway where she knew XCOM was marching. She counted the minds approaching. Fifteen…twenty? A large number, with several psions among them. A MELD Operator as well. Other soldiers with simple arms and limited capabilities.

Twenty soldiers marching to their deaths.

She paused briefly as she sensed them coming forward and opened a portal to cause another of Mosrimor's Orbs to fall out. There was little point risking T'Leth maintaining control in what might be her most dangerous encounter yet. It activated and she continued, and instead of performing what was expected and walking slowing into the fight, she telekinetically flung herself forward on invisible strings, around the corner, and into the oncoming XCOM force.

The few seconds she saw of the flat-footed XCOM soldiers were enough for her to devise a plan. She slammed into the nearest XCOM soldier and slammed him into the nearby wall before snapping her fingers and bisecting him with a psionic barrier. With another hand she flung out causing the nearby soldiers to go flying back.

The MELD Operator launched her own attack, golden mists swirling around her. Plasma bolts and alloy rounds began flying towards her as Caelior leading the attack flung out a hand to begin crushing her. Fortunately, she had anticipated such a reaction, and knew mobility was the key to beating Caelior.

This in mind, she charged to the back of the line, turning into a psionic streak of purple. The three soldiers attempted to defend themselves, but not before she clenched a fist and their brains exploded inside their skulls. A sound of shrieking metal caught her attention and she flash-stepped backwards just in time as the ceiling was pulled down where she was standing.

Caelior wasted no time in ripping out the walls she was besides to crush her, even as the XCOM psions shot energy and directed their own telekinetic attacks at her. Clever. She had to admit that use of the environment to his advantage was a definite improvement. The Little Storm had clearly learned something.

She opened a portal under her feet and fell through into the middle of six soldiers. Turning the tactic against them, she first threw them into walls and brought the ceiling down upon them. As she made to confirm the kills, she was thrown backwards violently and stabilized herself telekinetically as she faced a furious Caelior.

"You've become stronger," she grudgingly admitted, anchoring herself to the ground. "Good."

"And I learned who you really are, Imperator," Caelior spat back, ripping out a section of the wall and tossing it to her with lighting speed. A flash-step made it easy to avoid, and something she started performing every few seconds to prevent him from locking on. The MELD Operator was going to be trouble and needed to be dealt with.

Patricia's arm glowed with purple fire, and blasted it towards the golden clouds speeding towards her and the woman herself. To occupy Caelior, she launched a telepathic attack against him, expecting him to crumple under the skill she now commanded. As the Operator yelled as she was melted, the Harbinger frowned.

Caelior's mind was oddly resilient, certainly more than she'd expected.

"I am not your pawn anymore!" He yelled, and blasted her back into a wall with enough force that for the first time, she hurt. It was only momentary, but she felt it. A curious development. His potential is becoming realized.

Caelior had a role to play in the future. XCOM had done more than expected. The decision to ensure Caelior's survival was proving to be beneficial. But now it was time to collect. The arms of the rival Ethereal waved and the hallway continued collapsing around her, but this time Patricia countered with a telekinetic command of her own.

The room ceased collapsing around her, and they both stood off, helmet and mask looking into each other. A test of strength and will between Ethereal and Harbinger. "This is not where you belong, Caelior," the Harbinger said without concern even as Caelior dedicated more power to collapsing the space she occupied. "This is not your future."

"You are not my future," Caelior growled. "I was used once before – now I fight on my own terms."

Telekinetic bonds were no longer just around the crumbling infrastructure around her, but on the body itself. Her armor tightened and she had to continually push back on the winding strings constricting and crushing her. She would not be overpowered by this one. Not now. With a glare to the Ethereal, the Psionosphere began tearing around him, but the searing energy didn't distract him.

The mask cracked.

Her suit began bending.

Unacceptable.

She opened a portal and fell through as the space collapsed into a ball that would have crushed her had she not escaped. She appeared back behind the Ethereal who was preparing to do it again. She launched another telepathic attack, extending a hand, now with her full power behind it. "Get out of my head, Trask!" He yelled as he resisted, just as he flung out a hand which sent her flying back.

She flipped in the air and telekinetically yanked herself down feet first back onto the ground. "You've conducted yourself well," she breathed. "But I have a mission to complete, and you will not stop me now."

Her bond deepened to the Imperator as she drew upon a perspective few could comprehend. The paths visualized in her head; the bounding atoms and molecules she could envision clearly. A scale so minute and obscure that it was difficult to describe to someone who existed in a more complicated frame of existence.

A hand drew close to her chest, and then extended. Purple lightning shot out of her fingertips and slammed into the unsuspecting Ethereal, who had no defense against the power. Caelior was talented, but he lacked nuance; he lacked scope. Perhaps he could have learned, as she had. But he had not, and now it would be his undoing.

The voltage was minimal, as she did not want to kill him.

But it was painful.

Very painful.

A second hand joined the first and she began walking to the Ethereal who was now writhing on the ground, his armor and clothing smoking and screaming as his skin burned. "You conducted yourself well, Caelior," the Harbinger said as she stood over him, briefly ceasing the stream of lightning. "Do not worry, I'm not going to kill you."

Caelior was in too much pain to respond, and she stood over him, and lifted him with a telekinetic grip. "You still have a use for me."

"Stop!"

Patricia almost shot a bolt of lightning into the nearby voice. She had thought that she had killed or mortally wounded all of the soldiers, but that very clearly was not the case. The woman on the ground was badly wounded, with part of the wall impaled in her. One hand was hanging off, and the mechanical nature triggered a memory in Patricia.

Nuan Kun; she remembered her slightly. Her good hand was lifted, palm raised to punctuate her yell.

It was curiosity more than mercy that drove Patricia to refrain. Nuan could have survived and not attracted her attention, and she wanted to know why that was.

So she waited. "Tell me what you want."

---

The Praesidium – Classified Location

3/17/2017 – 12:01 P.M.

She'd been so sure they'd be able to fight back. That they would win.

But whatever Patricia had become now…

It was something else.

Not even the Mosrimor avatar had been as lethal and terrifying as the woman who'd attacked with a power and ferocity she'd not been able to anticipate, let alone stop. Unlike the Avatar, Patricia did not waste time or toy with them. She was everywhere at once, making the weapon in her hand feel close to useless.

They'd died quickly and brutally. A small comfort as many were killed before they really knew what was happening. All the armor in the world couldn't stop a power which ignored such things. It couldn't stand against the pure psionic storms that could be conjured. Now as she laid on the ground, slowly bleeding out, she wondered if they could ever really win against something like this.

In the end, she was an ordinary woman. Most of those around her were. They may have had armor, been modified, or carried the latest weapons. But what good was that against those who could alter reality around them. Oh, there may have been some options and opportunities, but she knew that the war would be decided by which side commanded the most psions – or the most powerful.

Men and women like her were fodder to fight on the battlefield of gods.

But she didn't regret anything. Not at all. Right now, it seemed hopeless, but Nuan knew this wasn't the end, no matter what happened. Patricia…or whatever she was now…she would lose eventually. There would be retribution for this. It would not be today, but it would be soon.

She'd remained still as Patricia fought Caelior, and for a brief moment it looked like she could be beaten. Caelior was doing his best, and was starting to hurt her. Her hope had faded when the lightning had sprung from her fingertips. The walking Harbinger sent the once-standing Caelior to the ground in excruciating pain.

Patricia hadn't noticed her. Maybe she didn't care, or maybe she thought she was dead. If she stayed quiet, she could maybe live when XCOM returned. But Patricia was talking now, and she was clearly going to take Caelior away. That couldn't happen. XCOM needed him, and he could have beaten her if they'd been more prepared.

She wasn't important, but he was. She needed to save him, whatever it took.

Even if she died because of it.

"Stop!"

Patricia looked over to her, and for a few long seconds, Nuan wondered if she would just kill her outright. Instead she hesitated, then finally spoke. "Tell me what you want."

Nuan swallowed. "If you take him away, you'll kill him."

Nuan yelped in pain as she felt her body be encased in a harsh telekinetic grip and lifted off the ground. "Lying will not save him, Nuan. Do so again and I will kill you here."

She was going to do that anyway, but Nuan resisted the urge to yell back, and through the pain she continued. "No! I'm not lying. Caelior has the Restraints! If he is taken beyond Earth, he will die! A contingency plan by the Commander, I think."

A secret that wasn't common knowledge. And had been mentioned by Iosif briefly when she'd asked about what would prevent Caelior from being captured again. The answer was simple, and Iosif had said that the Collective would not control Caelior again, or take him beyond Earth. If XCOM couldn't use Caelior, then no one could.

Now Patricia seemed to consider what she'd said. She fired another bolt of lightning against Caelior, even as he was recovering. "I see." She looked back to Nuan, and her mind suddenly felt like it was overloaded. Images and memories flashed before her so fast she couldn't make any of them out. Storms of mixed feelings and emotions overwhelmed her as Patricia tore through her mind furiously.

The Manchurian Restrains locked her body in place to prevent her from succumbing to the intrusion, but it didn't matter. Patricia didn't need her to do anything, only what was in her head. Then it ceased and with her head spinning, Nuan came back to the world and fell to the ground painfully as the telekinetic grip stopped.

"It appears you are telling the truth," Patricia mused, looking back to the Ethereal. "Unfortunate. Something that will need to be addressed later. But I cannot allow him to remain as he is now. It is simple then. If he cannot leave Earth, then he will not. But he will not stay here. Not with you."

Nuan gave a painful nod. Fine. That was fine. Patricia would transport him to some secure Collective base on Earth. That would mean XCOM would find it – and rescue him. It would only take time. He would not be lost. "I have more to do here," Patricia knelt down to Caelior and placed a hand over the helmet, which began cracking into pieces before it shattered in her hand. "Until that moment…"

One gloved hand was placed on Caelior's temple, and Nuan watched for a few minutes as Patricia appeared to subdue him psionically. Or imprison him. Caelior eventually slumped still, unconscious. She stood back up.

"You don't know what you're doing," Nuan said, knowing her death was coming. "This won't stop us."

Patricia slowly turned the faceless white mask to her. "I know, Nuan. It will not stop XCOM. It will not stop the Commander. But it will slow you down. It will hurt soldiers like you, and everyone in XCOM." She walked over to Nuan's body, and knelt down. "I intend to end this war, and I'm sorry you won't live to see what Humanity will become after. I'm sorry you were on the wrong side."

Nuan wondered what she could possibly say to the traitor. What rational way she could rebut her words. In the end…simplicity was best. Iosif would have preferred that. She wasn't afraid now, not truly. No matter what happened, she would be avenged and Patricia would be punished. She was certain of that.

"The only thing I'm sorry about," Nuan breathed. "Is that I won't get to watch your execution for treason."

The cold mask looked down on her. "No. You won't." A short pause as she stood, and Nuan decided to use her one good arm to pull the pistol she still had up and get a final shot at Patricia.

She never lifted it off the ground as a telekinetic weight pinned it down. Patricia just looked down with contempt radiating from the mask. There was nothing more to be said, and Nuan knew that this time, it was over.

"Die, Nuan Kun." It only took seconds for her ears to hear the words, and for her brain to understand them. The final command was given, and her body obeyed the will of the Harbinger. Her story here ended, with no more surprise or fanfare. Her only regret now was that she hadn't mentioned to Iosif how she'd felt earlier. Perhaps they both would have been a little happier. Perhaps it was for the best though, it might be easier for him to move on. But he would, she knew that.

Kill her for me, would you?

Her breathing stopped; her heart ceased beating, and her eyes became sightless.

The body of Nuan Kun went still and cold, as she became another victim of the Harbinger.

One of the first, but far from the last.

---

The Aui'Vitakar, Vitiary – Vitakar

3/18/2017 – 12:47 P.M.

The auditorium they were seated in was definitely stunning, at least to Sierra. Perhaps this effect was amplified due to the thousands of people watching from the alcoves and balconies, as protocol was apparently waived as the public was allowed in to bear witness, in addition to the Aui'Vitakar representatives themselves.

They all stood…or sat…in the middle, with Quisilia and Aegis taking center stage while drone cameras hovered around them. Both holoprojectors and actual screens were brought in for Aegis to display what he'd brought. Quisilia did not appear to have anything on him, and the whole time seemed extremely smug about the whole thing.

Sierra knew the smirk that had to be on his face would be wiped out when Aegis started talking.

It was going to be funny to see him try and explain all of this away. Especially since he wouldn't come back with a mildly amusing tweet. Still, he probably was still going to try and spin anything as hard as possible. Hopefully the Vitakara would be able to see through the deception.

"The truth of the war is best shown, rather than said," Aegis began. "The Vitakara are a species privileged to not be defined by war, to not know the harsh realities of warfare and the toll it takes on all sides. But there is war on Earth, the truth of which has been censored and hidden by the Zararch. See the reality of what your species faces each day on Earth."

Aegis played the footage he'd brought, a portion of it anyway, which was a short compilation of clips from XCOM and ADVENT armor cameras showing soldiers fighting, killing, and dying in combat. It was from multiple different battles and people. Some were killed, some lived; all saw death and chaos. The Vitakara could not understand the language, of course, but the tone would come through. Frantic; erratic, and loud.

Sierra watched the crowd carefully as the footage played. They definitely reacted to death, interestingly not much differently when a Human or Vitakara died on screen. It went on for ten minutes, and by the end the Vitakara in attendance were visibly uncomfortable. After Aegis shut it off, Quisilia stood.

"I am uncertain why you choose to display such a thing to these people," Quisilia said, looking to the crowd. "You say that Humanity is being unfairly attacked by our Collective, yet you show your soldiers brutally killing fine soldiers of Vitakar in an attempt to appeal to them? You instead have inadvertently shown that ADVENT displays a threat, and Humanity is not the helpless species you claim it is."

"It is to show that war is costly and violent," Aegis answered. "Human or Vitakara alike. Wars will not change, and should only be waged for the right reasons. So I ask Quisilia – what is the justification for the war against the Humans."

Yes you overgrown grape, answer that. Sierra was quite enjoying the almost awkward silence as Quisilia attempted to answer the question. "The simple version is because Humanity attacked us first," Quisilia said with a completely serious tone. "They rejected our…diplomatic attempts and instead not only attacked our brave soldiers, but deliberately targeted other Humans who wished for peace."

"He did not just say that," Anna breathed, livid. "Are you kidding me?"

There was no way Sierra was staying quiet. "I'm sorry," she interrupted, standing. "Are you just going to ignore the fact that you'd been abducting our citizens for months? Or that you attacked Hamburg with your Dreadnought? Or the fact that you never once attempted 'diplomacy' until we were fighting your incursion?" She was speaking English, she knew, but the Vitakara had translators who were displaying everything she said to the crowd, who all looked to Quisilia.

"Tell them she is lying," Aegis challenged. "Have you explained what a Chryssalid is?"

"Like many things in the galaxy, the truth is not as simple as it sounds," Quisilia explained lightly. "Yes, we conducted reconnaissance before an official contact, but merely because we wanted to learn of the Humans. Their language, history, and cultures. What we found, sadly, was a species desperately in need of direction."

He spread an arm to the XCOM soldiers. "Humans are vengeful, violent, and prone to emotional decisions. Fear and hatred are common among their kind, and they jump on any excuse to turn against each other. The fear of the other is a powerful motivator – and a unifier. And there was no better unifier than the fear of the alien." He began pacing. "And this is merely what Humans have been waiting for. Surprisingly, aliens are a common subject among the Humans. There are entire genres of entertainment and literature devoted to the alien – many of which involved the subjugation or elimination of the alien. These are not a peaceful people. They are no friend to that which is different."

He paused his pacing. "And when one of our units was discovered, there was a fight, and that was the catalyst for the Human governments declaring us a threat. We were forced to take military action, yes, but it was justified after they have shot down our spacecraft and killed our brave soldiers."

"Were you, or were you not abducting Humans?" Sierra demanded.

"Were you, or were you not experimenting on aliens?" Quisilia asked back.

"Corpses, yes," Sierra said. "Aliens who were dead. Answer the question."

"Perhaps proof is acceptable," Aegis said, as a new video played and it was the one Sierra knew was coming, but she didn't want to watch. The audio was enough from the Sectoid Hive, where it showed not only the fates of hundreds if not thousands of Humans, but also the few Vitakara they had also found.

Sierra noted with satisfaction that a majority of the Vitakara were looking away for most of it, and when the Vitakara victims of the Sectoid experiments appeared, there were audible cries of outrage and shouts from the crowd. "That is the fate of captives in the Collective," Aegis said. "The fate of anyone who the Collective wishes to make disappear."

There were only two options for Quisilia that Sierra saw – deny the footage, or spin it. It was going to be pretty hard to deny it, and if he did, Sierra knew exactly what Aegis was going to say. The most viable option was spin. Quisilia appeared to be doing that. "Unfortunately, there are certain drawbacks to how the Collective is managed," he said with an exaggerated sigh. "The freedom we allow to the member species means that we cannot be aware of everything. We did not know this was taking place, and I will note that even had XCOM not killed the Hive Commander responsible, we would have taken action."

"A lie," Ravas stood, face set grimly. "The Ethereals do not simply ignore what happens in the Collective. The Zararch answers to them, and appraises them of all significant operations – including this one. Earth was designated as a top-priority zone. Only those extremely qualified knew what was going on – the Ethereals knew every single action taken on Earth. That or they show their incompetence by not knowing such crimes were taking place. Explain, Elder Quisilia, which it is."

"We all have lapses in judgement and execution," Quisilia answered. "However, since learning of this, we have ensured that the Sectoids perform no such experiments on Earth again. The Greater Hive Commanders would not risk sanctioning such actions."

"Then perhaps," Ravas said. "You would promise the Aui'Vitakar representatives a tour of Viennith?"

Sierra only knew the basics of why that was being brought up. Apparently that was a testing ground for Vitakara, though unconfirmed. There was enough evidence that both Nartha and Ravas knew to make the demand though – and Quisilia did not especially seem pleased with that. "I believe the Aui'Vitakar knew quite well the planet is unimportant."

"So they believe," Ravas nodded. "But why not prove it?"

"I can, of course, see that something is arranged," Quisilia said. "But it would take time-"

"To stall and dismantle what you have on the planet," Ravas sat back down. "If you want to prove your innocence there, perhaps it should be immediate, and not when you have purged the evidence."

"And perhaps we should move to Paradise Station," Aegis said, before Quisilia could say anything else. "Perhaps the Sectoids were acting on their own – but explain the thousands of Vitakara in Paradise station who've become corrupted under the influence of the Bringer – and what they do."

Quisilia just stared at Aegis long enough as he was setting up that Sierra imagined he was thinking some variation of "I'm fucked". The edited compilation of footage (though Sierra knew that the uncut footage was shared with the Vitakara) began, showing the supposed greatest hits of the Bringer. Including the captives of Paradise, the horrific creatures within it, the introduction of the freak Preximius, many parts of China, and finally what Isomnum had done to Beijing.

The reaction was far more pronounced than the previous video, with a lot more shouts and yells in the alien language directed (presumably) towards Quisilia. Sierra almost felt bad for the Vitakara who weren't expecting to see the graphic footage they were showing, but they really deserved to know what they were supporting by proxy.

Aegis lifted a hand to get the aliens to quiet down, and after a few minutes they did – and the Oyariah that had come along with them stood up and spoke for the first time. "You have all perhaps heard of the defections on Earth from the supposed traitors. But the truth speaks for itself. The Elders have lied to us, and this was not the first time. They hid the truth of one of their own defecting, and Elder Aegis has proven himself to be one worth following for his actions after learning the truth of his Collective. Others have now followed; Elders who see the Collective for what it is – crumbling and based on lies."

He looked to Aegis. "The Elder Caelior has similarly joined Aegis against the deceptive Ethereal Collective, and Elder Sana'Ligna has departed out of disgust for what the Collective has allowed to perpetuate not simply on our own species, or the Humans, but against every species under them. I was once a Guard of the Ravager, but I will not continue to uphold those who keep our species in continual darkness and secrecy."

"I would like to add that all of what you saw was the actions of several rogue actors-" Quisilia began, though he was definitely not confident.

"Do you take my species for fools?!" Cairu demanded suddenly. "Paradise Station is not the result of a few rogue actors. My people are not mindless drones or simple-minded idiots. They are scientists, engineers, accountants, managers, and officers. We can critically think about what we see. Paradise Station was built – and maintained – with the blessing and support of the Imperator and Collective. Do not dare suggest that what you have done is absolved."

"It is worse if you truly knew nothing," Ravas added slowly. "If that is the case, you do not deserve to lead the Vitakara as you are clearly incapable of managing your own. That is, even if we accept this blatant lie. But there is a very simple way to make amends for such a…mistake…if we accept your explanation. Answer if Paradise Station is still operational. Answer if the Creator has been executed for her crimes."

"The Creator has been severely punished," Quisilia said, definitely knowing he was losing the crowd now. "I would like to add that these actions were conducted by a minority of those in Paradise Station, and are either dead or soon will be executed. There is much good work taking place on Paradise Station, which despite the negative optics, we will continue to explore because it makes little sense to throw everything out based on the actions of a few."

It was amusing to see Quisilia dance around the real reason Paradise was being preserved. "Is the Creator still in charge of Paradise Station?" Aegis asked.

"The Imperator is in command of the station," Quisilia answered. "He has taken the decisive actions needed to handle such an unfortunate situation. You can rest assured that such an event will never happen again."

"I believe the evidence does not provide much reason to believe such a thing," Aegis said, stepping to the crowd. "The Collective will soon fall. The Elders are divided as even they know such things cannot be supported or condoned. Not all knew about the truth of Paradise Station – but the Imperator did. Quisilia did. And more."

Aegis paused. "You do not live in freedom, and never have. I am aware that when we depart, actions will be taken against you to mitigate what we revealed. The Aui'Vitakar will undergo changes. You will hear propaganda spouted to make you forget or misinterpret what was said. I suspect the broadcast has also ended across the planet. But know this – we will come, and you will be liberated from the invisible prison created around you."

He looked around. "And if you do not believe it…then share what you have seen today. Demand that the Elders be held to account for what they have done. What you accomplish – or do not – will speak for itself."

The auditorium broke into a mixture of loud and unintelligible conversation, shouting, and otherwise chaos as Aegis stepped back – and then heard new commotion behind her. Turning around, she blinked in surprise as the Chronicler of all people was pushing his way towards them, helmet on and clearly anxious.

Which was great, Sierra initially thought, as it meant that the team to take out Patricia was…mostly still alive? Although what was he doing here now?

"Chronicler," Crevan said, a frown on his face as he was interrupted.

"No time," the Chronicler said, short of breath. "We need to leave. Now."

---

XCOM Engineering, the Praesidium – Classified Location

3/18/2017 - 12:06 P.M

The fires that raged in what had once been XCOM Engineering would not be put out for a long time. Dozens of prototypes, MEC suits, and valuable machines were now melted slag intermixed with the soot and plastic on the ground. Patricia had not vaporized it as she had with the Labs, mostly due to wishing the fires to burn and rob the area of oxygen while damaging the circulation of the base itself.

Time was running out, she knew. Soon there would be more T'Leth Agents, the most powerful psions, and Aegis returning. Perhaps she could fight them all off, but if that had been the case, she wouldn't have lured them away. No sense in engaging in an unsure fight, not when it had started like this.

But there was a final matter to address which would cripple XCOM's efforts for good.

The Cyber Labs were ahead now, where Shen had started work on JULIAN. She didn't know how much progress had been made since her initial abduction – but it clearly was unfinished. An AI could certainly change the direction of the war, but in the unlikely event that he had managed to build one – a feat that the Imperator doubted – it always had a central processor. A brain. A heart.

Patricia though…she knew Shen. If anyone could achieve it, he could.

That was why he was a threat now.

The doors ahead were sealed shut. Locked. She reached out and closed a fist. The metal crushed itself, tore off the hinges, and with a dismissive motion was tossed to the side as she entered where all cyber operations of XCOM had been conducted. Shen was standing in front of a console, still working, looking as he always had.

He looked calm; focused. And that also emanated from him. She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd decided to simply accept his fate, though still this man was no fool, and what made her more suspicious was that Lily had been living in the base. He would not want anything to happen to him now and leave his daughter alone.

"Step away from the computer, Shen," she said slowly. Shen seemed to ignore her, his lips pursing as he heard her voice.

"I don't see why I should," he finally said, disgust and sadness in his voice. Disappointment. "With how many you've killed today, I don't expect you to treat me any differently."

In a way, he was right, but she disliked the implication that she was enjoying it. "It became necessary when you joined T'Leth."

"Is that Patricia, or the Imperator speaking?" He asked curtly, still refusing to look at her. "I knew Patricia, and not only would she have understood why we've taken the actions we did, she would have supported them."

She was tired of him refusing to face her, so she clenched a hand and the keyboard he was typing on became crushed, as well as the screen of the console. "I was uninformed and we were desperate. I would have at one point, but I know better now. I know where that will lead. I will not have our species drawn into a perpetual war as the tools of a Sovereign."

Shen looked to her, eyes showing disappointment and unyielding resolve. "And ask yourself – assuming there is anything left of you – what the Imperator plans. You are not saving us from war, Patricia. Should the Imperator succeed, we will be the soldiers on the front lines against the other Sovereigns of the galaxy. Don't lie to me, Patricia. Don't lie to yourself."

"Perhaps," Patricia relented. "But it will be centuries later. And when the Sovereigns are dead, there will be no need for war."

"What all despots say to justify their conquests," Shen dismissed flatly. "The Imperator knows full well the Sovereigns exist outside this galaxy. One galaxy is not enough for him. At least with T'Leth we will chart our own path, and should it lead to war in the future – it will be under our own terms. Not those of a tyrant who acts through a puppet."

Patricia breathed. "You don't understand, but what you believe is irrelevant now. If you believe T'Leth does not intend to use you, then you are more of a fool than I could ever be. You think the Imperator would not be satisfied with a galaxy, but I can promise you T'Leth will not be either."

Shen shook his head. "I'll take my chances."

A few long seconds stretched. Patricia looked around the room. "Why are you here, Shen? You could have left with the others. You could have had your team finish the work you are doing now. A futile attempt, but you know how valuable you are. Do you think I won't kill you?"

The old man sighed, a long and slow one. "I'd hoped there was something left in you that would stop you from doing this, but no, I'm certain you'll kill me. I could have left my people to sacrifice themselves, but I didn't. They have lives and families, they have futures. You know I've had my differences with the Commander, but we have always done what we do to save as many people as possible – even if it means we sacrifice in the process."

His tone turned almost wistful. "I've lived a long, full, and rewarding life, Patricia. I've accomplished more than many in my position and I regret none of it. I knew the chances of me surviving this was were…slim, and I accepted that. I have for a while." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face when he looked back to her. "I've given my last gift to this world, but what you have done won't change anything. Killing me won't stop XCOM. There are thousands of men and women just as smart and dedicated as I was, and they will take my place. Tampering with my mind will only kill me, I've made sure of that. Whatever you think you accomplish here will only be temporary – if anything at all. You should know better than anyone."

He motioned around. "For every soldier you kill, a dozen more will be inspired to resist. For every place you attack, you only rally more to defend their homes and planet. The destruction you've caused will be repaired. All that you've done, Patricia, is made us stronger. You've already failed here, even if you don't realize that yet."

"Brave words, Shen," she said, stepping forward. "But the world runs on reality, not hope. I know XCOM can rebuild – but it will take time. And in that time, I will win this war." Another step forward. "And before you die, I want you to see your AI die as well."

Around her the room began shaking as she gathered her power and pulled at the telekinetic strings surrounding her. Computers and consoles began sparking, popping, and imploding on themselves. The smells of burnt circuits and overheated cards filled the room. Shen stood watching; his face masked in acceptance knowing he couldn't do anything to stop her.

"If it is any consolation," she said after the room was wrecked. "I don't think you would have succeeded in your project. Not truly."

Shen smiled.

Patricia frowned.

Something is not right.

"Amazing!" A voice announced over the remaining intercoms. It was an electronic male voice that sounded tinged in sarcasm, oddly enough. Or condescending. "Every word of what you just said was wrong."

How?

It appeared even she had underestimated Shen. This was a new problem that would have to be dealt with later.

"Let him live, Traitor Human," the presumed voice of JULIAN spoke, sounding more serious. "And I will advocate for your indefinite imprisonment as opposed to your painful execution."

"Not after this," she shook her head, looking back to Shen with a grudging respect. "Well done. XCOM will be lesser for your loss."

"We shall see," he said, clasping his hands behind his back. "The Commander will be coming back any moment. Let's not drag this out any longer than necessary. JULIAN?"

"Yes, father?"

"Tell Lily I love her."

"Acknowledged."

He was right, the conversation had gone on long enough. She simply reached out and telekinetically snapped the neck of Dr. Raymond Shen. He died instantly, and his body fell onto the floor filled with broken metal, plastic and glass. A shame.

"That was a mistake." JULIAN said, the voice inflection lowered. "You should run now."

"Yes," she said, knowing the AI could hear everything. "My job is done. Give my condolences to the Commander."

Knowing she only had a limited amount of time – if any left – she began teleporting back to where the Mosrimor orbs were hovering and with a telepathic order, shut them off and teleported them away. She'd left a large number, not wanting to have risked T'Leth's interference. It seemed to have paid off, as T'Leth had not once bothered her.

Her final stop was the unconscious body of Caelior. If he could not leave the planet, then they would have to work with that. She picked up the body effortlessly, slung him over her shoulder, and manifested a portal in front of her.

It was time to leave.

Mission accomplished.

There was only one thing left to do.

---

Despite the events which had taken place, the world at large was moving on as normal. The offensives across the world contained to small portions of the population. The war was a part of the everyday lives of the people, but it had not truly entered the homes of many. Not yet. But very soon it would be.

It began when the Harbinger stepped out of a shimmering portal into the bustling streets of New York city. Near-pandemonium broke out as all the citizens froze, not certain if it was friend or foe. Peacekeepers yelled for people to get clear, and panic broke out as a stampede to flee began. A hand shot out, and all the Peacekeepers froze.

But the Harbinger waited.

She could keep them indefinitely.

ADVENT received thousands of panicked calls, as cities across the world began reporting sightings of the woman in white armor and a clouded mask. Snipers fired from the rooftops and Peacekeepers defended their cities, and found that many such appearances were illusions. Priests were mobilized to dispel them, but it proved to be easier said than done.

But it was confirmed that the one in New York was real, now with the braver media coming out and setting up their cameras to see what she was going to do. And there were those in ADVENT; in XCOM who had some idea.

"We can cut the footage, Chancellor," Kyong said to the woman who sat, looking grimly at the screen, reviewing the attack on the Praesidium and now Patricia's appearance all over the world. "Damage control is essential now if you think she's going to reveal state secrets-"

"No," Saudia sighed, knowing what was coming. "Information is impossible to fully suppress these days. Anything of that nature will only lend credence to whatever she will say. Let it play, and we will discredit this traitor properly."

The Harbinger began speaking; a synthesis of woman, machine, and bass that reverberated in the ears of those still listening. "I am Patricia Trask, formerly of XCOM, formerly a hero of the war you now fight. Through the actions of myself and others, ADVENT rose to combat the alien threat and unite our species under one banner by any means necessary."

The masked woman looked around at the crowd. "But much has changed, and now it is time the truth is known. Your leaders are not who you think they are; what you believe you know is based on manipulation and lies. For centuries the world has been influenced by an organization devoted to eventual world control. This organization was discovered by XCOM. They should have been executed for their actions."

A pause. "Instead, they were used to execute the vision of the Commander of XCOM to create a united government for our species. You know that today as ADVENT. Conceptualized together in secret with the leaders of nations, and placed under the very same people who have endeavored to control the world from the start. Today they exist under the thumb of XCOM, pawns to execute their agenda or the truth about them would come out."

"What I have said is the truth, what is done about it is up to the citizens of ADVENT; of Earth. You live under the shadow of ADVENT, in service to a war than cannot be won despite what they claim. As we speak, the bases of XCOM burn. The war has gone on long enough, and it is time order be restored to Earth – not under the hands of an unelected shadow government, but to the people themselves, with proper guidance."

She pointed to the crowds. "You have been lied to about the Collective and their intentions. I have learned much – and the aliens are not our true enemy. There are greater threats in the galaxy, and your leaders would prefer to ignore the truth and cling to their power than swallow their pride and surrender – for the greater good of the galaxy and our species."

The hand lowered. "Many chances have been given to your leaders. All of which have been rejected completely. Our patience is over. I have not come here to demand a surrender, or give a warning. I have come with a promise. I have come with a purpose. Listen well, and realize that your only hope for a swift end will be to take action yourselves against your masters."

"I am Patricia Trask, Harbinger of the Imperator of the Ethereal Collective, and I have come to end this war."

With that final declaration, she vanished with a flourish of her hand, with the words of warning and revelation echoing in the minds of all who had heard her.

---

To be continued in:

Interlude: Wrath of the Deep

---

At long last Act III is done. New phase of the war begins now. Thank you to everyone who's stuck around this long (over one million words on this alone), it's been a good time and it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable for me to do without the feedback and comments that are left.

On that note, I am happy to say that I do have a public discord server where there's already a good number of people; authors and readers alike. If you're so inclined, I'd be happy for as many people there as possible. Link is here: ht tps/ /discord .gg /KgAwBqd (You'll need to remove the spaces, but you all are smart enough to get past this roadblock the site puts up :) - or just PM me for a link if this one doesn't work)

Thank you all again.

- Xabiar