Chapter Seventeen: Unexpected Depths

January 14, 2018. Undisclosed Location.

In the few weeks they had been out in the open expanse of the Middle Eastern deserts and mountains, not much had changed for Fireteam Victor. Their routine for that time had been as follows: locate the next area of interest on the map, prepare a plan to gain entry, make it past its defenses, if any, and determine if Mr. Echo had used the ship currently or in the past. So far, they had yet to find anything damning.

Most of the ships they found were completely inoperable, having been picked clean of anything usable long ago. More often than not, it had been so by BAINE themselves, or Polaris Industries. While these ships seemed like a waste of time to be breaking into, it was widely believed that the ones with defenses still active were much worse.

Thankfully, time had worn away most of what these defense systems were capable of, with most only managing a few rickety turrets at most. There were a few that had survived the test of time, however, and put up more of a fight. Short skirmishes usually resulted from these, with the turrets or drones being easily dispatched. But what made these particular ruins so much worse was not knowing who or what they were protecting: their long-gone crew, or some secret Echo wanted to hide.

The Fireteam had just finished off one of these ships, its core still active after so many thousands of years. That alone was suspicious enough for many to believe it had been a trap set by Echo, but Daniel was certain it was just a coincidence. That nothing important had been found within only further supported his position.

Ultimately, though, the only thing that mattered was figuring out where Echo was holed up. This step-by-step method may have been tedious, but it was their best, possibly only option. Currently, the team had bedded down for the night, with Vargas on guard duty. Daniel had offered to stay up through the night, but James and Ichigo had convinced him to let them go in shifts. So here he was, eyes fixed on the horizon, ready for anything to come after them.

But for as ready as he was, he wasn't prepared for someone to sneak up behind him. "Nice night, huh?"

Vargas whirled around, leveling his blaster at what he soon recognized as Farouk, who was surprisingly relaxed despite having an energy weapon aimed at his face. "Jeez, man, warn a guy!" he said, lowering his weapon. "I almost filled you with more holes than summa Bridge's plans!"

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't think you'd be so on-edge!" apologised Farouk. He stood next to the guard, turning his gaze outwards. "But you have to admit, it is a really nice night tonight."

"Meh," said Vargas with a shrug. "I never really cared all that much about lookin' up at the stars. If ya ask me, there's too much to worry about down here before we can worry about what's up there."

"Very true," Farouk replied. "But maybe that's why we should take the time to appreciate the little things. After all, if Homeworld comes a-calling…we won't be able to look up at the stars anytime soon…" He averted his gaze.

Unseen by him, so did Vargas. He briefly glanced back at the truck, where the others had hunkered down for the night. "So, you really think this Homeworld stuff is a big deal, huh?" he asked.

Farouk gave him a confused glance, but it only lasted for a moment. "Of course," he said. "You know what they're capable of. You saw what Jasper and Topaz alone were capable of, yeah? Imagine what an entire army of Jaspers and Topazes could do! And that's not even getting into all the warships they have, or the Diamonds themselves! Let's hope Steven and the Crystal Gems can figure something out, because I'd hate to be the guy who has to deal with all that!" Despite the heaviness of the situation, he didn't seem all that bothered, at least not outwardly.

"...Actually, I was wondering about that," said Vargas, staring absently at the sand. "We have some Homeworld Gems on our side now. Peridot, and Lapis–actually, each one of the Crystal Gems technically used to work for Homeworld, 'cept maybe Amethyst."

"Yup, that's very true," said Farouk. "Your point?"

He paused for a moment before continuing. "I just can't help but think that… Isn't there something a little wrong with that? Like, Homeworld was their home, everything they knew. Why would they turn their backs on it for a crummy little planet like ours?"

Farouk placed a hand on Vargas' shoulder. "I get what you're saying. You're wondering if Earth is really worth all this war, huh? Ultimately, I, uh, I think it's for them to decide. We're sure glad they're willing to put their lives on the line for our sake, but that's the keyword: 'willing.' Whatever they thought of Homeworld, this planet is their home now."

After staring at him with a confused look for a moment, Vargas removed Farouk's arm. "What? No, I meant…are they really doing this for our sake? I mean, think about what we know about them: Amethyst was made here, Peridot and Lapis are both essentially refugees, Garnet and Pearl's very existences are illegal there, and Rose and Bismuth both hated the status quo. I don't think one of them was in this for saving humanity, at least not primarily. Sure, our goals align most of the time–but how can we trust they won't put their own priorities first when the chips are down?"

This was a lot to take in, and not just the few parts Farouk agreed with. "I… Are you alright?" he said. "It sounds like there's something you want to talk about."

"I am talking about it!" he snapped. "Each and every one of them betrayed their home in order to get something they want. Even if they're on our side now, that still makes them a traitor. Is it even possible to trust somebody who turns their back on where they came from?"

"Of course it is," Farouk replied, firmly but gently. He hadn't raised his voice, but his tone made it clear he was growing tired of Vargas' line of thought. "Even if I thought of them as 'traitors,' I'd still trust them. Because they didn't betray Homeworld on a whim, or for personal gain. No, each of them had a very real reason to want nothing more to do with that planet, and an equally real reason to stay here. There are thousands of other planets any one of them could have gone to, but they chose to stay here. So even if saving humanity is secondary on their list of concerns, I have no doubt they would fight to the death by our side. Because that's what Rose Quartz would have wanted."

Inside, Vargas was thinking, 'And what about what they want?' but he knew that would only take them in circles. "So, you're saying…betrayal doesn't make them bad people, because they had a good reason for it?"

Farouk's odd look returned. "That isn't exactly the lesson I would take away from all of this, but sure, if that'll help you sleep at night."

Vargas was grinning ear to ear, a rarity even at the best of times. "It will. It really will, Farouk. Thanks, you really took a lot off my chest. Now why don't you get some shut-eye? We've got a big day tomorrow."

"I don't doubt that," he replied, "so why not get some rest yourself? You seem like you could use it more than me."

"You kidding? I feel like I could take on all of Homeworld myself," he laughed. "Nah, go on. I can handle a few more hours."

Farouk shrugged. "Suit yourself, man." Unsure, he headed back to the jeep, eventually turning in for the night.

And so, Vargas waited. Hours passed, and just as he had said, he didn't grow any more tired. But he did need to make sure that Farouk really was asleep. Once he was certain he was, he took out his phone, pressing call on a contact marked 'Financier.'

After a few rings, a woman's voice answered. "Vargas? I wasn't expecting a call from you. What's going on?" Her voice suddenly turned concerned. "Are you alright? You haven't been made, have you!?"

"Relax, everything's fine," he said. "I was just calling to say that I wanted to take you up on your offer. I'm ready to meet in person."

"Really?" She sounded overjoyed. "Oh, that's great news, she'll be thrilled to hear it! Where are you right now? I can have a ship come and pick you up as soon as–"

"Hold on, hold on, I'm not leaving just yet," Vargas said. "I'd rather wait until this whole Echo deal is settled before I leave Earth behind." He glanced back at his squad. "A ship'll attract too much attention. I'll find my own way to you guys, just…be ready for me. I'll send you a text once I've found transport."

The woman on the other end was quiet for a moment. "Understood. We'll see you soon, Vargas." With nothing more for either of them to say, the call ended. Vargas simply placed his phone back in his pocket, resuming his regular guard duty.

But although he remained still on the outside, on the inside, his mind was racing. After all, he had quite a bit to think about. Defeating Mr. Echo was one thing, but how exactly was he going to get to Homeworld?

December 24, 2017. BAINE Headquarters.

Having heard everything the science team explained to him, Mills had a lot to consider. "This…changes things quite a bit, I must admit," he said. "I suspected that Echo had infiltrated us somehow, but to do so by using our own network against us…"

"Now, keep in mind, we don't quite know exactly how he did this," said Rhodes. "We do have a theory, though: remember that satellite that went down over the ocean? We think he might have salvaged it somehow."

"We even have a plan on how to investigate this," said Valdain. "Echo will never suspect us if we assume the guises of civilian workers! Therefore, all we need to do is pass ourselves as ordinary fishermen, or something of that nature, and investigate the seafloor where this fallen satellite is suspected to be!"

"I dunno if 'never' is the right word," said Gina. "And no offense, but I don't know how well you'll pass as an 'ordinary' anything. But, as it stands, this is the best we've got. So, what do you think, sir?"

Director Mills turned himself around to think. "It is undoubtedly a long shot, I'm sure you're all aware. After all, we have no way of confirming that this is how Echo accessed our network, or even that he indeed has." He turned back around to face them. "Ordinary, I would be hesitant to spread ourselves so thin, but desperate times call for desperate measures–and these are desperate times indeed. Are you certain you can disable his hold on our network?"

"If there's something down there, we can deal with it!" said Gina. "...But, uh, it's also possible that he didn't only latch onto this one satellite. Knowing Echo, it's practically a given that he's got some kinda backup plan. Probably at least one other satellite up there has that he has his fingers in."

"It's Valdain's network, right?" said Xu. "If anyone can figure out where some holes have been poked in it, it's him, I'd imagine. Then we can just send some lightrays up there and…" She mimed shooting the satellite down, and it crashing down to earth.

Mills was in no hurry to destroy their own equipment, but if it had been compromised, then there was no choice. "Then it's settled. I'll be splitting you into two teams: Packard, Xu, I will arrange for a flight and charter a boat for you to investigate this fallen satellite, while Valdain and Rhodes track down any still in orbit that Echo has managed to infiltrate. Wherever Echo plans on targeting with that bomb of his, you four could very well be saving many lives with this assignment. Is that all understood?"

"You can count on us, Director," said Rhodes. "Echo can't hide in the shadows for long. We'll root him out sooner or later."

"I have utmost faith that you will. Now, go and prepare–our teams in the field are counting on you." The four filed out of his office, each one ready to complete this mission. Mills thought long and hard about his ongoing war with Mr. Echo. Could it finally be coming to an end?

But even if Echo was defeated, his war was far from over.

January 7, 2018. Atlantic Ocean, West of the Bay of Biscay

Hayley Xu stared down at a scanner as the boat she was on puttered through the waves. "Alright, this should be roughly the right area," she said. She waved to the pilot, who waved back, stopping the boat. "Is the thingy ready?" she asked Gina.

Despite BAINE's seemingly worldwide influence, the best they were able to do was charter a cheap flight to Spain, and rent a dinghy to take them out to the spot where the satellite was thought to have landed. But, that was the price they had to pay for discretion. At least the mini-sub was state of the art.

"The 'thingy' is prepped and ready to go!" reported Gina, remote control in hand. A crane normally used for fish nets lowered the underwater drone into the ocean, and the two of them watched it sink beneath the waves. "Let's just hope we actually find something down there…"

Hayley watched the sub disappear, before turning her attention to a screen showing its view. "Personally, I'm more worried about what we do find than what we don't," she said. "Echo's a crafty guy, he's probably got some sort of defenses down there."

"I hope he does," replied Gina. "If he has something to protect, then that means we're in the right place! Now, guide me to the satellite's purported location."

The submarine floated across the seafloor, its dim lights shining through the inky darkness. Neither of its navigators knew what to expect to find down in the abyss, only that not finding it was absolutely not an option.