Caelior's Quarters, Praesidium

8/14/17- 7:00 PM

I sat on Caelior's part of the bunk bed, the cardboard box of gifts next to me. I'd taped it up and wrapped it with whatever wrapping paper requisitions I could pull out of storage. I didn't have many options, so I was stuck with a cheesy wrapping paper with a creepy-looking Santa eating chocolate chip cookies, all topped with a ribbon.

The looks my bunkmates gave me while I was putting everything in the box was worth the effort I'd put into the gifts. Especially with the second gift, which while not as 'unique' as the first one, was still something. It felt like a birthday gift, except when you compared the human Gregorian Calendar to the Ethereal calendar (whatever their official name for it was), his birthday lined up to November 22nd.

I was in my pajamas as usual, wearing a black t-shirt and pajama pants, my feet dangling off the bed, waiting for him. He told me he'd been running late - something to do with training or the like. Gave me time to use the shower anyway. I was jealous of the space he had. A shower big enough to hold at least eight people, all by yourself, without any weird smells or loud yelling to interrupt the experience? Sign me up!

I ran my fingers through my semi-wet hair, still smelling like soap and shampoo, when the door slid open, and Caelior walked inside, mumbling to himself. He closed the door, took off his helmet and almost stepped into the bathroom before noticing me.

"Hello, Dawn. My apologies. Aegis' training kept me busy for longer than I expected. Did you use the shower-" He paused, noticing the wrapped box I held. "What is that?"

I smiled. "I thought after what we've done together, I figured I could take part in the good ol' human tradition known as gift-giving. It's a few months before Christmas, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to show my appreciation for you." I held out the box. "Here, go nuts."

He (with some delicacy) telekinetically brought the box into his hands. He looked at the wrapping paper. "Who is this figure on the wrapping paper?"

"Oh, that's Santa."

Although Ethereals didn't have eyebrows, he cocked his right eye ever so slightly in an admittedly hilarious fashion; I had to hold back a giggle when he did it. "And he is who?"

"Long story short, he's a mythical figure we humans associate with Christmas. Legend goes that on Christmas Eve, if you've been good, he'll go down through your chimney and leave you wrapped presents underneath your Christmas Tree. If you've been bad, he'll leave you some coal. And if you've been really bad, he calls up his evil twin Krampus. But that's another story."

"But...isn't Christmas in December?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately, this was the only wrapping paper they had available." I shrugged. "Sorry."

He shrugged. "Interesting. Your legends are odd, and I find sometimes nonsensical, but I digress." He opened the box, and pulled out the first gift - a small, rectangular cardboard box.

I smiled, the anticipation for his reaction building. "Go on, open it. It's for you."

He delicately undid the cardboard, pulling out the gift, using psionics to hover it in front of his face, his orange eyes inquisitively looking at it.

"Is this...a statue? Of me?"

"A 3-D printed one, yeah."

The statue itself was nine inches tall, on a small circular pedestal. I'd copied his Ethereal XCOM armor the best I could - mainly by uploading pictures of him onto the 3-D printer, and letting the machine work its wonders. A few of the engineers working with it had also been kind enough to help, otherwise it would have taken me much longer.

I had to admit, I was impressed; the machine had nailed the flowing purple robes extremely well, blending it with the white backdrop of his armor, grey boots, and gloves, all together in carefully printed plastic. His helmet's 'hole' was filled in with a black filling, the purple hood covering it outlined in gold topping it all off.

That wasn't all, though. At his feet were several different aliens and destroyed vehicles, all presumably torn to shreds by him.

He gazed at it, smiling. "This is very impressive, Dawn. How did you make this?"

I chuckled. "Well, 'I' really didn't make it. I just took some photos of you from a lot of angles, had a friend help me with the programs and let the 3-D printer do the work. It's crazy what you can make with those things these days."

"Well, I am very thankful for this. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one." His tone of voice got lighter, and I felt his aura get more...soft. Feeling his aura was kind of difficult to explain, but as I'd spend more time with him and being closer to him, I'd feel more warm and cozy in his aura, compared to the neutral feeling I'd had when I met him for the first time while practicing basketball.

Caelior told me it was a natural progression, as one aspect of the aura was a reflection of one's emotions towards others, but I thought it was adorable. It actually helped me sleep at night when I stayed over, or feel relaxed and less stressed when doing whatever with him, as I had this feeling that I was going to be alright, that the big guy next to me was going to keep me safe.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I don't like it, Dawn. I love it." He circled the figure around, looking at it from all sides. "It is not the statue built for me in the Maelstrom's headquarters, but it is something - and more meaningful, at that."

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do." He put the statue down, opening his arms. Telekinetic strings wrapped around me, and I was gracefully pulled off the bed and over to him into another hug, his arms wrapping around me.

"Oof!" I snorted. "You big, silly Ethereals and your psionics."

"Hm. You Humans and your hair. Why does it feel so weird?"

I chuckled again, knowing he was being sarcastic - another skill I'd been educating him in. My feet curled and my body relaxed as my cool skin and wet hair touched his robes. As I tried to hug him back to the best of my ability, I felt him on the edges of my mind.

Thank you for being kind, Dawn. I will not forget this - or you - ever.

"I won't forget you, big guy." I whispered. "You're not like the rest of them, you know. You're different."

I know.

"If this thing ends, and we're both still alive, I swear I'm gonna take you on a little tour of where I live. I promise you that."

You mean Nashville?

"Yes. It's a nice city. Museums, parks...you'll love it. I know this amazing chicken and waffles place a few blocks from my house. Best shit you'll have ever tasted, I swear."

Even better than ga'sel'muschen?

"Even better than ga'sel'muschen." I butchered the pronunciation, but I did my best. "Even better."

I looked up at his face, staring down at me.

"Then I will take you up on that promise. Now, let's open up this other present of yours."

I climbed off of his lap, sitting on the floor and crossing my legs as he grabbed the second gift, a plastic-wrapped piece of cloth. He ripped it open with his psionics, hanging the...shirt off some telekinetic strings as it unfolded in front of him.

But this wasn't any t-shirt. If anything this was a...double t-shirt?

Large enough for him to wear without armor, it had four armholes and sleeves respectively. It was a light blue, with white lettering dotting the front.

"'World's Best Telekine'?" He read the English lettering on it, squinting his eyes. I noticed his cheeks turned a much lighter purple for a few seconds, before receding to their original color.

Did he just blush?

"Dawn...I am uncertain what to say."

"You don't find it cheesy?"

"No, I do not."

I smiled. "Do you like it?"

"I do. It is not armor, but I will find this appealing as casual wear."

I smiled. I could feel his happiness through my telepathy - a sense of pride, thankfulness, and joy emanate from his mind as he inspected the t-shirt.

"I'm glad. Wanna try it on?"

"Very well. It will be one moment."

He delicately took his armor off, putting on a rack on the wall, leaving only his skin-suit on. It was almost fascinating watching such an intimidating-looking figure take off his armor - to be honest, in some ways, their armor made them look far more intimidating and larger than they really were. Once you took away the ornate and (sometimes, in my own personal opinion) overly flamboyant designs, they didn't seem all that...well, menacing.

Which I guess was one of the points of the armor in the first place.

He threw the shirt on, and I almost let out a snort. The shirt covered his frame quite easily, but looked absolutely comical due to the proportions. Not to say it was ugly or anything- it fit great, and the design program had done a good job in making sure it looked good. It just wasn't everyday you saw a nine foot tall alien wear a t-shirt.

He looked down. "Does it look good on me?"

"It doesn't look good on you."

He cocked his head.

I grinned. "It looks great on you."

"Ah." He smiled. "You tricked me with your words. Smart."

"Yeah."

He looked at me. "Is..something wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"I sense a bit of uncertainty coming from you, Dawn. I am not looking into your mind, but I can feel it from here."

Crap.

"Um…" I pursed my lips.

Honesty is the best policy.

I gulped. "I didn't want to ruin the evening, but I have some bad news." My voice got quieter as I brought my knees to my chest, resting my head on them, curling up like a ball. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what? These gifts are great-"

"Sicarius is coming for me."

The moment I finished the sentence, I felt his aura change. His eyes narrowed, and I felt a bout of anger from his mind.

"What?" He almost growled, energy around his hands vibrating. "What did you say?"

I curled my fists. "I was afraid of telling you because you didn't like her. I was afraid you wouldn't react well." I sniffed. "I didn't want you to worry, but I didn't want to lie to you."

No. Don't fucking cry. Not now.

He cocked his head again, his mouth open, as if he was going to say something.

"So the Collective knows about you. I see."

"Yeah, they do."

He was silent for a minute, looking at the floor. "And you are afraid of what will happen to me if you are hurt or killed?"

I nodded, feeling his emotions beginning to calm down as he clearly noticed that I didn't exactly feel ok with telling him about it. But I had to.

"Caelior, can you promise me something?"

"Yes?"

"If something does happen to me. If they kill me or take me." My voice started to crack. "Avenge me. If they keep me alive, try to get me back If they-if they fucking turn me...my death. Make it quick. I...I don't want to be like the others. I don't want to die."

I looked up at him. I opened my mouth again, and spoke clearly in his native tongue for the first time.

"You lost your family once. I don't want you to lose it again. I promise, my god, I promise you that I'll do my best to make sure she doesn't kill me. But I can't guarantee that. I know this isn't good news- I understand that. But I need you to promise me that whatever happens to you or me, we're going to face it together. I love you like a brother Caelior. And-" I gulped. "And I've never said that to anyone before."

He stared at me, a shocked expression on his face. "I-you-you said that in-"

"Your language is an acquired taste." I said meekly, trying to add some humor. "Guess listening to you talk in Ethereal Script really helped."

He gritted his teeth, and extended both of his larger arms towards me, his hands opened. I reached out and took them, my small hands fitting on his palms. He closed his fingers around mine, his burning orange eyes staring right into mine.

"I promise, Dawn." I could feel the conviction in his voice as he, like me, spoke in Ethereal Script. "I promise you that, sister. Whether we live or die." His grip tightened. "I promise."

I nodded, trying to put a smile on my face. "Thank you."

He acknowledged my thanks. "Do you wish to enter my mind?"

I nodded. Being in his mind could be really comforting.

Our respective mental defenses were lowered, our minds entered others', giving each other a sense of warmth and comfort unlike anything else you could experience. When he was in my head, it didn't feel like someone was taking over - no, at most, it felt like there was another person in my head along for the ride. His presence gave me a weird semblance of clarity, as the sheer intellectual gulf between me and him, for whatever reason, didn't make me feel dumber - though it was no question who was the smartest here.

No, it was simply like someone else was doing the thinking for you, as he searched through my memories and thoughts, sometimes even reviving memories I didn't even know I had. It was like you were really cold, and someone gave you a coat to put on.

We didn't speak, we didn't argue, we just thought and searched, going through each other's lives and finding the good moments, the moments that made you feel warm and fuzzy inside, the moments that, for a time, made you forget about all that was bad in the world.

As for how I felt?

According to him, since I was obviously much weaker psionically, my presence in his mind was much smaller, equivalent to the feeling of being a fly on the wall. Yet I had just as much influence in his mind as he did in mine; free to roam and explore. He'd described the same feelings I'd felt; the warmth, the comfort, and most importantly, the peace, the power of us joining giving each of us a massive rush of what felt like the world's biggest dose of oxycontin.

I felt the link, picturing it as he did.

Amidst a rush of purple energy and rapid slideshow of images and moments from each other's lives, two figures emerged, forged by the energy around them. A perfect physical representation of me, 'my' body entirely covered in purple energy. On the opposite side, a towering Ethereal clad in armor and robes, a gargantuan maelstrom of purple power manifesting around him.

'I' reached out a finger, as did he, the tips of our respective index fingers touching.

And as they did, there was a purple flash, and two minds became one.

The Storm and I felt through each other; I felt the warm touch of my human hands on Ethereal skin, the coolness of the air around Caelior's head, the soft feel of his robes on his body. He felt my soft, brown hair stretching down from my head onto my neck, drops of water from my shower that I hadn't gotten out with the towel making their way down my forehead; the feeling of me being barefoot on the cold floor, the metal floor sending chills through the soles of my feet. We could feel each other's hearts beating, the air flowing through our lungs, and most importantly, the thoughts in each other's minds.

Memories of friends, homes, lovers, vacations. Good moments and bad moments. My first time going to the beach. His first time seeing his extended family. My graduation day. His recruitment into the Maelstroms.

We saw who we were in the purest fashion, in the deepest ways, with nothing between us.

Nothing could beat this feeling of unity.

Nothing ever would.

Commander's Office, Praesidium

8/18/17- 2:34 PM

I sat down at the chair in front of his desk, twiddling my fingers as the Commander shuffled some papers.

"I was called here about an assignment, sir?"

"Correct. It's going to be a bit different from what you're used to, but I think you'll do well."

I raised an eyebrow. "Different how, sir?"

He pulled a tablet from his desk, handing it to me. "There have been reports regarding a resistance movement in South America. They're recently become more prominent, and ADVENT has finally begun bringing us into the loop regarding them."

I looked at the tablet's screen, which displayed a grainy picture of a woman with black hair attacking what looked like a Collective convoy along with several others. What immediately caught my attention was the Dynamo psionics she was using to pulverize a group of Mutons.

"The psions? I think I've read about them, but that was rumors. Do we know how they were awakened?"

He shook his head. "No. However, it is likely they were exposed to Psi-tech, probably Sectoid, like Patricia was back during Operation Gangplank. ADVENT Intelligence has determined some useful facts about this resistance. They are numerous throughout South America, but extremely decentralized and disorganized. Right now, they are little more than an irritant to the Collective - which is in this case is fortunate for us, as there hasn't been a strong effort to destroy them."

"I see, but with all due respect sir, what does this have to do with me?"

"How would you like to help them out?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?"

He obviously saw my surprised expression. "ADVENT intelligence has recently gotten into contact with one of the cells. The woman in that picture is known unofficially as 'Violet', and she does not appear much older than you. She's not the only psion either, and ADVENT Intelligence estimates they are within the Adept to Psion class in terms of Trask Level."

He inclined his head. "Given your training with the Priests and XCOM, I'm quite positive you could assist in their training, considering your unique circumstances with powers you didn't anticipate."

"I appreciate it, sir, but I'm not exactly qualified for helping with guerilla warfare."

"I would contest that, and you would not be alone. This is, however, somewhat out of your comfort zone, which is why I am not going to mandate it," the Commander fixated on her. "The team being put together is well-suited for the mission, as well as those from ADVENT. This is an important operation, and I believe you can properly contribute."

I scrolled over the list of personnel - there was Rafal Rothenstein, who was a Kidon agent before coming here, with a knack for doming people with a sniper rifle, along with Sofea Razif, a Ghurka operative from India, and last but not least, Anastasiya Shevchenko, a former Ukranian Spetsnaz operative. There was a fellow XCOM psion on the team as well, a North Korean Aegii named Tang Sung-Hoon with experience from North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau.

To say I was the outlier here experience wise was an understatement.

As I scrolled over the ADVENT list, I raised an eyebrow when I read the profile of the man simply named 'Elijah' - who seemed to be one of the Lion's right-hand-men; and a former child soldier, of all things.

"Sir, why is there a Lion operative running this?"

"There are no 'Lion Operatives', there are only ADVENT officers," the Commander said dryly. "From what I understand, the Lion took an interest in the South American Resistance and recommended an officer to improve it. ADVENT apparently agreed with his assessment." He paused, noticing the slight concern in my voice. "Is this a problem?"

"Uh, no. Just didn't expect it, sir. When does the operation start?"

"Four days from now. If you decide to go, you'll only be able to take your Aurora armor and weapons of choice with you. Since it is an undercover assignment, you won't be taking much equipment. The rest of your team members will be handling other aspects of the mission, and you will support them as needed. They will be your superiors, and you will follow their orders."

"I see."

"Please make your decision, Dawn. This is a time-sensitive matter."

I sighed.

This feels out of your league, Dawn. Do you really think you're up for this?

Then again, didn't I ask myself the same thing when Bronis offered me the XCOM job?

Like that day in Augusta, I was being given an opportunity to broaden my horizon, a chance to do more. I couldn't-wouldn't be expected to just do the things I was used to doing. Stagnation could only hurt me in the long run.

I had to adapt.

"Yes." I said. "I'll do the operation."

He smiled. "Excellent. I know it's unorthodox compared to what you're used to, but I have a feeling you'll succeed." He acknowledged the tablet. "I'll send you all the information on it soon." I handed it back to him. "Do you have any questions?"

"How's the team getting there?" I asked. "Teleportation?"

He shook his head. "No. You'll be sent via seaborne infiltration. The Collective has a somewhat large air and land presence in the area where we suspect Violet and her cell is, but there's little to no sea coverage from the Collective." He noticed my concerned look. "I guarantee you it's much easier than it sounds. By all accounts, Elijah is a professional, and very knowledgeable about these operations. If I had doubts about his competence, I wouldn't be sending anyone."

I nodded, closing my eyes for a second while I did so. A pang of worry echoed in my stomach, and I put my hands behind my back as I stood up, hiding my clenched fists as I did my best to look my best in front of the Commander.

From the look on his face, I wasn't doing a very good job.

"Are you alright?"

I pursed my lips. "Yes, sir. I'm just nervous I won't make the cut compared to everyone else on the team. I've got barely any military experience - or experience in guerrilla warfare, or black ops work, whatever you wanna call it, mind you. I just don't want to slow this operation down."

The Commander clasped his hands together on the table, seemingly thinking for the moment. Some days I wonder what went through his mind, knowing the things he does and knows. What kind of ruthless calculus did he have to deal with on a daily basis?

More importantly, what did that do to a man? If I was in his place, I surely would've snapped sooner or later because of the sheer pressure and weight of the decisions he made. The guy had more on his table than Saudia, for fuck's sake.

What could even prepare someone for a job like this?

"That is a very understandable concern, and trust me when I say you're far from the first to feel it. Everyone does when reality hits, and all of the hours of training seem distant. There's always a first time, but you are more prepared than you know. I can speak from personal experience." he got up from his seat, leaning on his desk. "Did you know I used to be CIA before this?"

"No, but it wouldn't surprise me."

"While not going into the details, I had the same feelings you did." He said. "I worked with some of the smartest and best people I've ever known, and the idea of them relying on me was terrifying. Do you know I overcame that?"

I shrugged. "Enlighten me."

"By doing my job," an amused smile crossed his face. "Sometimes it's simple. I did my job, followed my orders, and everything fell into place. There's no special secret, and your feelings you can't always control. However, the more you do what you're supposed to, the more that feeling will fade, and soon you will wonder why you were worried at all. Just understand that not everything is on you. You are part of a team, you have a role, and all that is expected of you is to fulfill it. Does that make sense?"

"I think so, sir."

"Good, and if it doesn't fully make sense right now, it soon will." He gave me a brief smile. "With everything said, I think you'll do fine. The psions down there need guidance, training. And if things go very bad - well, they won't be much of a threat to us." He put a hand on my shoulder for a moment, looking me right in the eyes. "I have full confidence in you, and I don't doubt that everyone else involved does too."

I felt more relaxed. More comfortable.

He had a point.

A very, very good one.

He wasn't asking me to solo the Battlemaster or destabilize a whole country (though that would be interesting) - just to help with a mission and train some psions.

And kill some aliens, of course.

Always did want to go to South America, anyways.

It wouldn't be seeing Machu Picchu, standing at the feet of Christ the Redeemer or visiting the Nazca Lines, but it was something nonetheless.

And if we won, then I guess going to these places and knowing you liberated them would be just as rewarding, too.

"Thanks, Commander." I took in a deep breath and let it out. "I needed that."

"Anything else you needed?"

"No."

"Then you can go, Dawn."

And I did, with seemingly no weight on my shoulders, like someone had taken it off for me.

And that person had been the Commander of XCOM.

Barracks, Praesidium

8/21/17- 9:30 PM

The smell of tacos permeated the air as Cassandra pulled up a chair, inviting me to sit down at the table. It was my last day in XCOM before I went off to South America, and my teammates would be damned if they weren't going to make my last day here for a while memorable.

"Take a seat, Dawn! Made these just for you!"

Cassandra's father had owned a restaurant before he retired, and his daughter definitely had learned a few things from him. I grabbed one, taking a bite. The taste of grilled chicken and cilantro immediately hit my taste buds, me relishing the flavor. As good as Taco Bell was, this beat it in every way.

"This is really good! Goddamn Cassandra, I could eat this forever!"

She shrugged, smirking. "What can I say? I'm not letting you leave on an empty stomach, would I. What kind of friend would do that, huh?"

"Definitely not you. Don't worry, I'll use the Spanish you taught me down there if I can."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean my insults and trash talking have actually paid off?"

I laughed. "Hey, it pays to not have a filter sometimes!" I was joking - and she knew it. I loved the way her heavy Mexican accent accented certain words - it was a nice change of pace from the normal Southern accents I was used to hearing back home. Made me kind of jealous, honestly. Being around people from so many different places made you wonder which national or regional accent was the most unique, the most interesting.

There were days where I wished I could say 'mate' like Jospehine did with her New Zealand accent, the way Chisa's voice sounded when she spoke in her native Japanese, or hell, even how Mila pronounced 'about' when she ironically used her Canadian accent to poke fun at herself. Something about it all was so different, but in a way that made you appreciate just how different people were.

"So, South America, huh?" Bassma Wasem, a MEC Jaeger pilot (jealous!) asked, her towering over me even when sitting down. "Heard it's pretty rough down there."

"Oh, I know." I took another swing of Coke. "Fortunately, I won't be doing much frontline fighting yet anyway. Be in the back, stirring up trouble. Not going to be fighting just aliens, either?"

The MEC pilot raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"According to intel, there's some cartel remnants still down there. ADVENT obviously wants them gone since they don't want to deal with them when it's liberated. They're not a major issue- no psions, thank god, but more targets for me, I guess."

Cassandra cursed in Spanish. "Fucking cartels! Tenacious bastards, don't know when to give in, do they?" She sighed. "If you can, kill a few of them for me, would you, Dawn?"

I grinned. "It's my pleasure. Shouldn't be much of a problem, anyway."

"Hey, at least ADVENT got rid of them everywhere else. One less issue for us to worry about back home." Charlotte Beags, an Australian Rocketeer, pulled up a chair. "At least organized crime like them's done for here."

Cassandra snorted. "Not unless they adapt."

Clearly the son of El Monstruo didn't get the fucking message.

"Yeah." I pursed my lips, taking another bite and chewing. "Aliens are gonna be a much bigger deal, though. The resistance has a few psions, but they've barely got any discipline. Commander wants me to help whip 'em into shape."

Cassandra clapped me on the shoulder. "Look at you, getting a promotion! You're a damn psionic drill sergeant already." She laughed. "But seriously, I'm sure you'll do fine. If they don't listen to you and the others, that's their loss."

I shrugged. "Just 'cause I'm small doesn't mean I can't kick some ass."

"Now I like that line of logic." Lian said, pulling up a seat. "They wouldn't send you if you weren't good enough."

I grinned. "I put up with y'all almost every day. If that doesn't count, I don't know what does."

Bassma pulled back her face, making her eyes glow red with a mad grin. "You take that back! I'm only a bitch six out of seven days of the week!"

"Make me, Transformer." I took another sip. "Oh, what's that? Am I grinding your gears too much?"

Too punny, I see.

Lian rolled her eyes. "Okay, that one was at least half-decent. But seriously, you know we all like you, Dawn." She took a bite, mostly. "Then again, if you told me a year ago I'd be sharing a bunk with a teenage space wizard, well…"

"Oh, you." I took a cookie from the little platter of food on the table- all 'disappeared' from the Mess or made by the soldiers here in the little kitchen area in the back of the barracks- it was a nice collection- cookies, Cassandra's tacos, a few burgers, even a pizza swiped from the mess hall.

They were really spoiling me, weren't they?

"But seriously, good luck." Bassma retracted her 'skin'. "Must feel different then what you're used to, right?"

"Oh yeah. Shame I can't take one of you MECs with me. That'd make it a helluva lot easier. But hey, what can you do, right? Besides, it's not like I'm expected to be some super-badass behind-enemy-lines black ops operative or shit like that. They needed someone for the psions and some telepathy, so...here I am!" I gestured to myself. "And hey, I just might up my kill count a bit. Kinda funny how out of three missions I've been on, only one's actually involved with me killing people."

"Didn't you help take down the Hiveship?" Vihelmina asked, who'd been leaning on the wall, being a bit silent until now.

"Well yeah, but that was all Caelior - well, I just got in his head and helped him focus. So unless you count the aliens who died when the ship crashed…" I shrugged. "Oh well. I swear I'm gonna go nuts if I go this operation without killing anyone."

"How big is your killcount?"

"I think like...twenty...twenty-five? Something like that."

"Everyone starts somewhere, Dawn." Vihelmina said. "I didn't kill anyone until my second year in my military service. Sweden doesn't exactly fight in a lot of wars." She shrugged.

"What was your first kill?"

"Some terrorists bombed a government building in my nations' capitol. Caliphate remnants, I think. My unit was the closest on standby, so we went in. Shot one right in the head as he tried to escape."

I nodded. "Well, that's an interesting story."

Bassma decided to interject. "We've all got stories to tell, Dawn. All you have to do is ask, Dawn."

"When I get back, I'll sure as hell do that."

Bassma grinned. "Alright then. Are you full yet?"

"I think I can down a burger or two more. Why?"

She grinned. "You want to see if you can beat a MEC in a video game?"

The look on my face said it all.

Ninety minutes later, and I was getting my ass kicked by a cyborg in a video game.

Maybe it was her superior reflexes. Maybe it was because she had superior augmentations - she was almost all metal, besides her brain.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was because it was almost 12 o'clock and I was tired.

Besides a quick teeth brushing break and a change into my pajamas, she and I were still at it.

I yawned, flexing my toes on the floor.

"Dawn, you should sleep."

"Nah. I'm…" I yawned again. "I'm good."

Bassma shook her head, pausing the game. She stood up, walked over to me, and picked me up, slinging me over her shoulder. I tried to resist, but I gave in due to her superior strength. She walked over to my bed, dumping me on the mattress. She patted me on the shoulder.

"Good game, Dawn - though you're a horrible shot with the sniper rifle. Num jayidaan, Dawn. And good luck with your mission tomorrow. You'll need it."

I opened my mouth to say something, but only another yawn came out of my mouth. She pulled a sheet and blanket over me. I could hear Lian snorting as I was being tucked in like a kid.

But...I kind of was still a kid.

"Goodnight, Dawn."

I fell asleep a few minutes later, the world around me turning into a realm of comforting blackness, my body sinking into the mattress, my head resting against the pillow.

It'd be the last time I'd sleep in something this comfortable for a while.

Better enjoy it while I could…

Undisclosed Location

8/22/17- 9:30 PM

I stood in the briefing room, clad in my Aurora armor, helmet on the holo-table, unhooked Psi rifle leaning against the wall. The rest of our team was there, too - Rafal was chatting with Sofea, and Anastasiya was inspecting her helmet. Only Tang, the North Korean, seemed interested in talking to me. She was pretty nice to me - even though North Korea and America hadn't had the best relationship in the past.

"So a biopath, huh?"

"Yeah." I said, flexing my neck. My breath still smelled of the French toast and bacon I'd eaten that morning. "It takes some getting used to, but it's unique. Besides, if I wasn't a biopath, I wouldn't be in XCOM in the first place. Thank the genetic lottery for that."

She chuckled. "We're the only two psions on this team." She extended a fist. "Psions stick together?"

I smiled, fist-bumping her. "Psions stick together."

The door opened, and Elijah himself walked in, followed by the Inquisitor team. His eyes' gaze swept over us, briefly staying on me with an intrigued look before moving to the holo-table, the device flickering on, blue light filling the grey room.

"Hello there friends, I am happy to see all those invited have arrived. With a few guests. Let us begin," His thick African accent augmented the authority and strength behind his voice, his conviction very clear. "ADVENT has been observing the resistance in South America for a while, and has decided that an intervention is necessary."

With a click of a button, the holotable showed images of resistance activity, taken both by drones and the Inquisitor that made contact with Violet's cell. Dead aliens, destroyed convoys, and freed prisoners.

But it wasn't enough.

"The resistance, while having the potential to be deadly and damaging against their Collective occupiers, is currently disorganized and weak. We, quite simply, are here to fix that."

He paused, changing the holotable to a map of occupied South America. "Our strategy will be simple. Collectivize. Control. Chaos." He held up three fingers to emphasize his point. "One. We, using our communications equipment and connections, will make contact with as many cells as possible. Two, control. This serves two purposes. We will give the resistance some semblance of order and control over themselves, making them more organized and harder to destroy if multiple cells are lost."

He paused, changing the map once again to highlight targets on the map. "Third, and final, chaos. The ultimate goal of this operation is to cause the enemy as much chaos as possible. Whether that means raiding enemy supplies, killing soldiers and officers, or simple destruction of enemy facilities, that, ultimately, is what we are seeking to achieve here. We will help the resistance out initially, yes, but we cannot help them forever. Like a parent cannot be there for their child forever, we will at some point have to let them become semi-independent. If we are successful, while ADVENT will provide supplies and other resources for them, advisors like us cannot run their operations for them forever."

He put his hands behind his back, turning to look at our XCOM squad. "All - almost all of you have experience in black-ops tactics and strategies. Be it intelligence or frontline combat, we'll be using your skills to both train the fighters and enhance their effectiveness during the duration of our visit."

He paused, eyes shifting to me. "Dawn, right?"

"That's right."

"I understand you're a powerful telepath."

"Correct."

He smiled, turning to the rest of the group, composed of ADVENT Intelligence operatives. "Meet our guest star. She is our most powerful telepath, our ace in the hole. I expect her to be treated as such, so please, treat her as you would any other soldier. I believe we'll find her more than up to the task."

Slow nods came my way.

While obviously directed towards the ADVENT personnel, I smiled. I hadn't gotten a lot of shit for being, well me, in XCOM, but I was guessing these ADVENT guys didn't have that same context. When Elijah spoke, he didn't seem demanding or intentionally overbearing. No. He seemed almost...happy. Not the 'I'm a serial killer with a creepy smile that's going to chop you up in the alleyway and bury you in my basement' happy face, more like, well, just happy. Being one of the Lion's associates, I'd expected his demeanor to be much different.

But then again, ADVENT wouldn't have sent this guy if he couldn't get the job done.

The ADVENT guys nodded. He kept talking.

"Very well." The holodisplay changed again, this time to what looked like a map of Buenos Aires.

"From the Inquisitor, this particular cell is operating out of the subway tunnels of the city's infrastructure. Aires itself does not have a large Collective presence, only several outposts on the city's outskirts." Several red dots appeared on the display, locating said outposts. "We should be able to easily avoid any patrols by the Collective, as they are currently unaware of the location of this base."

The display changed again, highlighting a building. "We will insert via a stealth infiltration boat tomorrow evening. We will land at the harbor, and make our way to a hotel, where we will stay for the night. The next morning, we will track down the resistance base, make contact, and then proceed with our operational plans. Does anyone have any questions?"

I raised a hand. "In the intel brief, it was mentioned that there were some cartel remnants in the area? How much of a threat do they pose?"

"An excellent question, Dawn. In short, the cartel remnants, according to our latest intel, have no psions among them unlike the resistance. However, there is this."

The holodisplay changed once again. "This video was also captured by the aforementioned Inquisitor. Watch closely."

The video was a bit shaky, but it was good enough. It showed a deserted street, with a group of men holding two boxes lounging around, waiting. A moment later, a group of Vitakara walked up to them, trying to look incognito - and failing. The two groups began conversing - the Vitakarians in particular seemed a bit on edge.

The hell?

My question was answered a moment later when the cartel guys opened up one of the boxes for the aliens to see. Inside the wooden crate was what looked like...chocolate?

Oh.

The Vitakarians then gave two large cases to the humans, which they took a look inside as well. The boxes contained what looked like plasma rifles, grenades, and some armor.

"The fuck?" I said out loud. "Are they trading arms for fucking chocolate?"

Elijah nodded. "Please, language. And yes, they are. The cartels here had connections to some cacao farms before the war - and now as well, it seems. They've seemed to figure out Vitakarian's weakness to chocolate, and have taken advantage of it. Fortunately, from what we can guess, they have at most only small arms, and nothing major - otherwise the Collective quartermasters would notice something, I'd reckon."

You have to be shitting me. A chocolate black market?

Because of course there's one.

"So they're turning cocoa into chocolate, then selling it to Vitakarians for arms?" Sofea asked. "Interesting. Certainly unique."

"There's a lot of unpopulated and empty areas for them to hide out, thanks to the evacuations and local geography. Thankfully, as I said, we don't believe they have any awakened psions. Nevertheless, they are a threat, and will be eliminated as such. They're experienced - some of them were connected to Mexican cartels before the war, most notably Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. Anything else?"

Everyone was silent.

"Very well. We'll depart tomorrow, everyone get some rest. Dismissed."

As I was about to leave, Elijah called out to me. "Ms. Conley."

"Yes?" I asked.

"Should you find yourself in need of anything, please, do not hesitate," he gave her a wide, pleasant smile. "Birds of a feather, I believe, may teach each other a few things about flapping wings."

"Uh, okay. Thank you," replied, and left, trailing the others, making sure I'd picked up my rifle and helmet before going.

I'd already eaten - I went straight to my spartan quarters, took my armor and undersuit off- I couldn't bring any clothes, so I just slept in my undergarments; and got into bed. For all I knew, this'd be the last time in a while I'd sleep in a regular bed - never mind my XCOM one.

Strange. I'd only been out of the Praesidium a few times, but every time I did, I felt out of place. Like I didn't feel right, or even belong. The feeling had been there after my first mission, but in the few times since then, something just felt...off. That I stuck out like a sore thumb from everyone else. Of course, there could've been tons of reasons for me to feel that way. The obvious ones being related to XCOM, of course.

But it felt like there was more than just that.

Turkey was a good example. Out of all the suited up XCOM soldiers, I stuck out thanks to my smaller size then everyone else. Was that why that woman probed me? Because of how small I looked compared to everyone else?

I hadn't even gotten her name.

I did hope she was doing alright.

I shook my head. No, don't think about that, Dawn. That's not important. Think about yourself. Think about what you're doing here.

But I just couldn't get it out of my head. I'd barely checked in on my friends from high school lately, with JULIAN doing an admittedly good job of pretending to be me. I felt...distant from them, disconnected. In a way, I was - I couldn't tell them about my real job in fear of leaving them at risk, much less one of them jabbering about it to the outside world. While most of them were in ADVENT-related jobs, none of them had any front-line military jobs like me. None of them had been in battle, none of them had ever killed anyone, and none of them were psionic- out of all of them, I was pretty much alone.

Parts of me feared the day that I'd tell them - if any of us were alive, of course.

How would it even go anyway? Would I show up at a reunion in my uniform, my visible skin changes scaring the crap out of everyone? Would they pester me with questions? 'Oh, how many people did you kill?' "Can we have a demonstration?' 'What's the armor like?' 'You ever fight an Ethereal or Avatar?' 'Have you met Aegis or Caelior? What're they like?' 'Shows us how much you can lift!'

No, they wouldn't do that. They'd know better.

Well, some of them anyway.

I turned sideways, brushing my hair out of my face.

Worrying's not going to help you sleep, Dawn.

Then again, fear didn't, now did it?

Off the Coast of Argentina

8/23/17- 2:47 PM

The boat rumbled as it moved across the sea, the window port I was sitting at giving me a great view. While the hull of the boast suppressed what I could hear, the sight alone was worth it. The glittering blue water, with the sun's light reflecting off it made for a wonderful view, with the occasional seagull flying overhead. We were trailing the coast, so occasionally you could make out a few buildings or so if you looked out the opposite them. All in all, it was a beautiful sight, reminding me of...less darker times.

It reminded me of the cruise I'd taken in the eleventh grade to the Carribean. It'd been something my family had been planning for almost a year, and boy was it worth it. My sister and I had our own cabins, our own little parts of the ship. I hadn't had a single bad moment then, be it swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas or lounging on the sandy beaches of the Turks and Caicos Islands, it was one of the best moments of my life. It was two weeks of me not having a care in the world, going outside of the United States to see the natural beauty of other places, eating food I'd never even heard of before.

It was like a dream come true.

And now here I was, living another fantasy - only this one wasn't exactly as pretty as the books and TV showed.

"Nervous?"

I turned around, sensing Elijah coming up behind me, holding some food, probably from ADVENT's healthier and tastier reimagining of the MRE. He held out a packet, fully cooked.

"Want one?"

"Sure." I got off the bulkhead I was lounging on, walked over to him, and took it. "And yes, I guess I'm nervous."

"Then breathe, little soldier. Wanting to impress and show up to your adult peers in combat is fine, but then you'll grow wrinkles on your pretty face. That would be a shame, no?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

He sat down next to me. "I was a child soldier once too. It was a while ago, but I was in a similar position to you, albeit much younger than you."

"How old were you?"

"Well, I was ten when I got my first combat kill."

I put a hand to my mouth. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

He smiled. "It was a while ago, and I've dealt with it in my own way, thanks in no small part to the Lion. I've been working with the man for a long, long time now."

"What was it like? Being that young?"

"I was taken from my home village when I was eight. Lived in Nigeria, specifically. The process was…" He shook his head. "It wasn't pretty. They gave us lots of drugs to amp us up in combat, to 'make us more dangerous', they said. Trained us on how to use Kalashnikovs and grenades in these little compounds they'd made out in the forest. None of us had any family - they were either dead or pushed out by warlords' territorial infighting."

I gulped. The way he talked about while eating the spaghetti just seemed so...suave. The way he spoke, the way he accentuated the words, nonchalantly described losing a family. It just seemed unnatural.

He noticed my obvious look of shock. "Do you want me to stop?"

"I...I'm not sure. I don't want to interrupt your life story, but-"

He took another bite, swallowing it. "Nerves, I see. In our path, hesitation and misplaced kindness are death."

"Okay," I nodded. "Even after - well, that's classified, but even after all the stuff I've done, I just feel like I don't shape up to my adult peers in XCOM."

"And you're afraid that'll affect you here, yeah?"

"Pretty much."

"Ah. To be young again. Afraid and scared, confused and aroused," his eyes sharpened to daggers. "To be in a world that seems unclear. I remember it, and you too, will remember it. In time, the extent of this path will be made blinding in clarity."

"I'm not sure I understand?" I attempted

He smiled, wide and happy. "No, you do not. Not now. But you will, after the suffering, and pain, and horror, and glory, and vanity, and misery. I have walked this path, I would not trade it for another. And so will you."

I pursed my lips, downing more macaroni. What he was saying did make some sense - we were both child soldiers in our own right - granted, with vastly different circumstances and backgrounds, but it wasn't hard to see the similarities.

"I suppose."

"As a kindness, I must ask. Do you know why you are here?"

"I'm sorry?"

What drives you to fight? This choice you've made, this red string of blood and steel you've picked? Why? Little soldier, why?"

"I fight because I want to use what I have to fight the enemy. I have a unique skill, and i don't want to waste it. So when XCOM gave me the opportunity, I took it."

His smile fell. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"At face value, what you're saying makes sense. It's a procedure, a career. You believe the choice was yours, but as society forced me into servitude, you too were forced to choose. Could you deny the pressure? Refuse the weight of billions calling upon you and your duty?"

"I….don't know..."

He sighed, putting his food down and taking another look out the window. "For many years, I fought for money. A mercenary, you'd call me. I'd do a job, get paid, and move on. I satisfied the hole left from having a family with money. I didn't necessarily care what the job was - if it paid well, I did it. I ate, I slept, I fucked, I shat. I existed."

"So what changed?"

"I saw a flash of something...glorious. Of someone who did not simply exist. Of someone who lived with radiance. Who walked with the resolve to make hell quiver," Elijah chuckled. "He pointed a gun at my head, and asked me if I wished to pursue my current contract, or join a new employer."

"And you joined him?"

"Initially for the pay. He paid well. Though the more time I spent with the man, my...views began to change. As I said, I used wealth and money to fill the places in my conscience that were missing from the trauma I suffered as a child. A coping mechanism, let's say. But with the Lion, his chain of command, his way of running things...it was different. He did not treat people like me simply as tools to be paid to do the work they were afraid of - I was one of his people, and he looked after me. And then I knew."

"What?" I leaned over, ears peeled.

"I realized why he was so radiant to others, so captivating," Elijah looked away from her, eyes closed in memory. He opened them with a tiny smile. "I realized why nothing before then had filled the void in my life, why no woman or golden watch, or car bought by blood diamonds could make me feel alive."

"Because in him, I saw there was something pushing him, something beyond hope, beyond gratitude, something beyond duty, beyond wealth and power," Elijah explained. "He had dedicated his heart. He had given up his soul. He walked the storm of steel that we called war, and found it wanting. This is my kindness to you, little soldier. A warning few others can give you. Find that something, or else you'll be drowned beneath the blood and steel."

'Little soldier', huh? I l kinda liked the sound of that.

"So it was his goals, his motives that got you to stay."

"That's right. By any chance, did the same thing happen with you and the Commander?"

"I mean, in a way." Because of course it did. Why wouldn't an Eldritch undersea psionic crustacean change my mind about reality is what I did not say to him. "Joining XCOM was like a pipe dream for me to come true. I could roll with the big boys, make a real difference, ya know? And then, it's the weirdest thing. I started to feel like, really at home for once. I felt normal. I felt right, accepted. And when I learned...things, I felt more at home there. More right. Like I was made for this, somehow." I looked at my armored hands, flexing my fingers, shaking my head. "I don't know. I don't know much about the Commander, but I know what he wants. What he wants for humanity. His goals." I chuckled. "In a way, he feels less like a rough n' tough military guy and more of just like a person you can relate to, you know? It gives me conviction, this feeling that what I'm doing is right."

"I felt the same way with the Lion." He smiled. "I know that feeling. What you said about conviction, and knowing you were doing the right things for the right reasons. Kind of similar creatures, aren't they?"

"I guess."

"You see? Not so different, you and I."

I smiled. "Don't see why not."

"Good. Now, are you ready to kill some aliens?"

I looked at him, looked into his eyes. No malice, no mocking, just...happiness.

"Hell yeah, sir."

Zona Portuaria, Buenos Aires

8/23/17- 6:46 PM

We disembarked from the boat one by one, making our way onto the dock in a quick fashion, scanning the area around us for any hostiles. My telepathy wasn't getting anything, and our motion scanners weren't picking up anything, either. Elijah was taking point, acting as de facto pointman for now. I myself was sticking behind Tang as we moved up, the woman taking a sort of protective-ish stance regarding me.

Not that I was complaining.

"Conley, picking up anything?"

"Negative, Elijah. Place is quiet. Feels too quiet."

"Expected. Intel says patrols won't be in the harbor for another two hours. We've got time. Remember, everyone. priority's making to that hotel undetected. If the Collective finds out ADVENT and XCOM are making a larger presence in the city, they'll more then likely send an Avatar or Ethereal after us."

Especially if they know it's me.

We moved through the empty harbor, passing walls of towering shipping crates, sitting there, waiting to be used. The whole thing felt creepy - there were no lights, and barely any sounds, save for the occasional animal. Looking up at the night sky, I saw plenty of stars. Thanks to the low amount of light pollution, the stars I saw in the sky probably numbered in the thousands, if not the tens of thousands.

Someone grab a telescope.

As my boots crunched against the concrete, even though I couldn't sense anything, it still felt really unnerving for there to not be...well, anything. Elijah said we had ample time to avoid patrols, but it just felt too empty, too quiet.

Felt like Malabo's opening.

We finally made it out of the harbor after a little bit, moving through a parking garage as cover to avoid possible aerial detection, and moving through a torn-down fence. Buenos Aires was silent, quiet, but at the same time, alluring. From what I'd heard, the city had evacuated almost everyone nearly flawlessly, save military personnel who'd fought the Collective.

Seeing the city's current state reminded me that it had not gone too well.

We moved down a road, avoiding a highway, as we moved into the city outskirts, boots crunching on the grass as we did our best to keep a low profile. Every so often, I could hear crickets chirp, talking to each other in their indescribable languages.

Lucky bastards. They don't have to worry about aliens taking over.

"Alright." Elijah communicated through our comms. "We're moving into the urban area itself. Stick to alleyways, and use the shadows for cover if you have to. Hotel we're aiming for is the Libertador Hotel. The path will be on your HUDs if we have to split up."

Righto.

As we moved into the city, moving through a park, I used the camera on my helmet to take some pictures. It was an easy gimmick - blink your left eye twice to activate it, blink it again to take a picture, and then blink twice to turn it off. Nifty little feature - and it gave me something to send to the family when I got back.

Nothing wrong with a little sightseeing, right? Although I really want to see the Obelisco, Plaza de Mayo, and Casa Rosada, there'd be a time for that.

When this war's all well and done, then maybe.

I hunkered down as I passed a dumpster, taking a right into an alleyway as the team trekked cautiously, using our motion sensors and my telepathy to constantly check for enemies. It was easy enough to avoid focusing on my teammate's minds, as I'd very much improved from Malabo. It was nice feeling their minds, though. Everyone felt mostly the same, but just different enough. Feelings, personality, emotions- it all made them feel just the right amount of different when it came to telepathy.

"You good?" Tang whispered. "Feeling alright?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Just feels weird. More used to something going boom and having to shoot people."

She snorted. "I'm sure that'll happen eventually. You get used to doing this a lot back in special forces training. Long story short, it's about ninety percent sneaking and infiltration on operations, ten percent actual killing. Not like how they depict it in the movies, kid."

If only.

"Can't say I'm complaining. But thanks for asking, Tang."

"No problem."

We moved through a row of restaurants and shops, moving down the street. As I moved past an abandoned car, I felt-

"Elijah!" I hissed. "Patrol coming two blocks to...the west!"

The whole team froze, hunkering down in place. "What's the squad composition?"

"Mixed Mutons and Vitakarians. Want me to take them down?"

"No! If we kill them here, that'll arouse suspicion and draw more attention to the area. Dawn, can you divert them, make them go somewhere else or something?"

I nodded, my eyes flaring, glowing purple. "Can do. Give me a sec, will ya?"

I focused on the patrol- five Mutons, five Vitakara. I crept into their minds, feeling their thoughts and emotions. Calm. Alone.

You're going to turn around, I ordered. There's nothing here of interest, you're wasting your time. I found the squad leader, finding the squad orders in his memories. Tell your commanding officer there's nothing here, it's deserted. Go back a few blocks west, make sure you didn't miss anything.

And just like that, the magic was gone. I felt them acknowledge their new commands, turning around and walking in the opposite direction like nothing happened.

Easy.

"It's done, Elijah. Hostiles are taking a detour. You're free to move."

"Thank you, Dawn. Good work. Everyone, move."

The rest of our little trip continued without incident, us arriving at the hotel within the hour. Sofea broke down the door, and we moved into the empty lobby.

"Let's take the stairs, electricity's probably out." Rafal suggested.

"Agreed. Uh, what floor are we taking?"

Elijah shrugged. "Anyone have any ideas?"

"Uh, how about the floor with the nicest rooms?" I smiled under my helmet. "We're XCOM-"

"And ADVENT." One of the ADVENT guys, David, piped in.

"-And ADVENT. Don't think the hotel owners would have an issue with us using the place."

And so we did. Everyone split up, getting their own room. Mine was at the end of the hallway, giving me a nice view of the city. I closed the blinds to hopefully reduce visibility, so no peeping drones could see me in there (just in case) and started to take my armor off, piece by piece. Since there was no fancy XCOM locker to store it in, I opted to just put it on the floor next to the bed.

Taking off the armor wasn't so hard, honestly being a little bit tedious with how to take it off. Helmet first, then arms, then the torso, then legs. The armor was hard to the touch, feeling like the granite counter mom had installed in our kitchen last year. Of course it was much tougher than that, but it reminded me of the more peaceful days where my greatest worry was homework and studying for the ACT.

Was it bad that a part of me wanted to go back to that time, even for just a day? To have blissful ignorance of what was really up there in the stars- and going on behind the scenes of everyone?

Yes, Dawn. While you were going to school and hanging out with your girlfriends, there was an incognito war against both aliens and Illuminati.

I snorted. I guess this simple life just ain't enough, now is it? Better to know it all and be in fear, or live in ignorance and be at bliss?

Well, guess it was hard to think about that now, wasn't it?

I sighed, grabbing an MRE from the small pack I bought, plopped myself onto the bed, and dug in, crossing my legs. The bed didn't feel nearly as comfortable as my bunk in the XCOM barracks, but it was close. I stared at the black, empty TV screen, almost like I expected it to play the evening news. Of course, it didn't - and contact with the rest of the world was limited on this op anyway.

Hope I didn't miss anything too major while I was gone.

"Well, here's your dream vacation, Dawn." I said to myself quietly. "Sitting in the presidential suite in a South American hotel, sitting in the classiest gear XCOM can buy, eating an MRE your uncle would've been jealous of during his service. Feels great, doesn't it?"

The peace and quiet was a relaxing change, though. No half-dressed supersoldiers walking around, making noise. No noisy arm wrestling matches, no...well, you got the idea. I did miss the casual chaos, though. You got used to it, and you even got into it. I particularly had fond memories of over-accentuating my very southern accent on request, almost always getting a laugh out of my friends as I pronounced certain words in their native languages. All I needed was a cowboy hat to complete the stereotype, and boom, easy Halloween costume.

A knock came at my door. I put the food down, sensing Anastasiya at the door. I opened it, noticing her still in armor.

"Just talked with Elijah. Wake-up's tomorrow at zero-eight hundred hours. Got that?"

I nodded. "Got that. Anything else?"

"No. Night, Dawn."

"Night." I closed the door. A better wake-up time than XCOM. Damn. I'd get a full hour and a half's worth of sleep!

Definitely no complaining from me here.

Better get all the sleepy time I could, then.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

8/2417- 9:00 AM

We met up in the hallway that morning, all suited up in armor.

"Everyone ready?"

We all nodded.

He pulled out a holodisplay, highlighting several points around the city. "Alright. Our goal today is to make contact with the resistance. We're going to go to several public subway entrances to make contact with one of their operatives. Same rules apply as yesterday- use your HUDs to map out paths to your targets with minimal chance for visibility. Even though the Collective has a large presence here, we still can't afford to take chances. Got that?"

More nods.

"If you do make contact, inform us as soon as you can. We'll be at your location as soon as possible. For this, we'll split into two teams - one XCOM, one ADVENT. We'll hit as many access points as possible. We don't want to leave these people hanging. If nothing else, dismissed!"

For this mission, Rafal was the de facto Squad Overseer in the even things went to shit, though even though things weren't, we'd still be apart from Elijah and his guys, so in this case he'd take charge. We moved down the stairs and into the lobby, moving out the busted door and down the street.

"Dawn, same thing as yesterday. Watch for enemies - or possible friendlies."

"On it, Overseer. Already done."

We moved through the street, following our yellow markers on our respective HUD. Thankfully, there was much more visibility this time around, which made moving around much easier. Seeing the city more clearly gave me a better appreciation for it- it made for a good view. It wasn't downtown Nashville, but it was certainly something.

We quickly moved to our first subway entrance, going down the stairs and into the station without incident.

"Dawn, anything?"

"Nope. I got nothing, Overseer."

He motioned towards the empty tunnels. "Let's search down here, see if we can pick up any signs of them. If not, we'll go to the next station."

"Overseer, can I take point?"

"Go ahead, Dawn."

We moved down the subway tunnel, part of me expecting for a subway train to come crashing into my face.

They're broken down, Dawn.

Nothing's gonna happen.

Everything is going to be fine-

Thump.

I froze. "I heard something!"

"What is it?"

"Don't know. I.."

Thump!

There was the sound again! A moment later, I heard footsteps.

Fuck it. I gathered my power, extending my mind in the direction of the noises. I felt something- no, someone!

"Overseer, I've got humans. Three...no, four!"

Rafal said something in Hebrew.

"Huh?"

"Oh, I was saying 'that was quick."

I gripped my gun. "Want me to send 'em a message?"

He shrugged. "By all means."

I closed my eyes, focusing on the minds in the dark. I sensed fear, worry- anger. But…

I'm XCOM. The rest of my squad is here. I said. We're here to help, not to hurt you. Come out of hiding.

There was a sudden burst of clear Spanish echoing from the tunnel. It sounded like a woman's- a young womans'.

"I think they got the message." Sofea said.

"Dawn, do it again."

"Ok." We're XCOM. We've come to help you fight the aliens. We have supplies and intel for you.

Another voice spoke, still Spanish.

The first voice spoke again, and I could swear I heard 'idiota' said. I hoped that wasn't directed at me. A pause followed.

Then there was a flash of light.

"Gah!" It took me by surprise. When the light dimmed, I noticed a makeshift barrier a ways from us in the tunnel, made out of an overturned subway car. Several powerful lights seemed to be jury-rigged on top of it. I saw the outlines of multiple humans on it. One of them climbed down the barrier, moving towards us. She was holding a...plasma rifle of all things, and wearing what looked like battered Runiarach armor. I noticed the black hair on her head, which wouldn't have stood out from the rest of the people I could see if not for that it was only on half of her scalp.

As she moved closer to us, I could make out her features better. She looked...young, though older than me. Twenty, maybe twenty-one years old? She didn't have a helmet on, but she had a few scars on her face, and you could tell she was pissed.

She finally stopped when she was about a meter or two from us, looking us up and down.

"So you're XCOM, huh? Better late than never, I guess." Her English was clear - if with a heavy accent.

"We're XCOM." I said, stepping up to her. "And you are?"

"Zoe Villalba," she said, as she kept her eyes trained on me. "But you can call me Violet. Welcome to Argentina, American."

To be continued in:

Viva La Résistance!