DISCLAIMER: "X-COM" and all aspects of the trademark, together with the computers games "X-COM: UFO Defense" and "X-COM: Terror From The Deep" are copyrighted material of Infogames/Firaxis. This story is fan fiction and can be reproduced as long as the author's rights are respected. Please do not make any unauthorized chances into the text or take the author's name out of it. Any comments and inquiries are more than welcome through the following email: aadlg@rocketmail.com

"X-COM – Abyssal" is the sequel to the author's "X-COM – The Unknown Menace" and is set upon the events of the computer game "X-COM – Terror From The Deep".

Prologue

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown". – H.P. Lovecraft

"On the significance of the Alien War

For later historians the beginning of the twenty-first century will be marked as the first step of humankind towards a new era, although the question today is still to where? We now know something of far more significance than our ancestors did: we are not alone and probably we never were.
Although it is now known that the Aliens first arrived at Earth at the dawn of human civilization and had always kept a keen interest on the planet since then, it wasn't until the end of the twentieth century that their existence was generally recognized.
Until then we had either clung to religious creeds which stated that humans were the only sentient beings in the entire universe or to the scientific "fact" that extraterrestrial civilizations, if they existed, were too far away for contact to be established. The first flawed belief came out of ignorance, and the second one out of pure stupidity and arrogance.
Those misguided conceptions of man's position in the universe were to become shattered as the aliens started to increase their hostile activities on the Solar System at the beginning of the new millennium. And the real truth started to be noticed by those who had eyes to look up to the skies.
Although their presence had been announced a couple of years before, it wasn't until 2002 that general information started to be released about the aliens. Unknowingly for the majority of the world's population, a war had been fought with the aliens for the past three years. To that purpose the major countries in the world had formed a special combat force called Extraterrestrial Command, to research and fight the aliens.
Their decision to establish a worldwide effort was proven correct as X-COM, as the force became known, was successful in stopping the aliens before they took over the planet. But in the midst of the victory celebrations that followed only a few individuals, most of them X-COM scientists, were aware of the social impact that the war would have over human civilization.
Their discoveries posed challenges to organized religions and scientific theories alike. Strong evidence now pointed towards the fact the Homo species wouldn't have evolved more than the stage of tool-bearing social apes if the aliens hadn't interfered with man's ancestors. And the aliens looked at the planet as a lost domain that they were about to reclaim for their own purposes, namely for food and breeding. In short, we were not God's chosen species or the result of millions of years of evolution anymore, like religion and science had once proclaimed, but the result of millennia of alien intervention. A crude and disturbing analogy is that we were 'tamed', in a way similar to how cats and dogs were once domesticated by Man.
But, in the aftermath of human victory we became filled with pride and hope and chose not to think on how "alien" we truly are. Such questions were better left unanswered since the answers were to daunting to face and involved a complete rethinking of our history.
Instead, we turned to unrealistic dreams as the retrieved alien technology revived the hopes of interstellar travel and colonization. And the short unity felt between all humans right after the war lead to a confidence that we would be able to resolve all of the world's problems. Ironically, those were the same hopes placed by a part of the population upon the aliens before their true intentions were known.
But what we chose to forget quickly caught up with us again. Our old divisions re-emerged, as the result of old greeds and wars.
The promised advances in space travel had to be buried into the pit of impossible endeavors as the Elerium fuel necessary to power such craft was found not to be natural to the Solar System. The existing stockpiles recovered from crashed UFOs soon dwindled as it was used in world conflicts to power the weapons retrieved from the aliens. Until finally there wasn't any Elerium left on Earth for either research or wars, leaving us stranded again in our home planet. And soon we had other problems demanding our attention. Overpopulation, the increase of crime rates and breakdown of the social fabric, and the climate changes brought by worldwide pollution put a burden on both Earth's ecosystem and societies, with the still remaining natural resources turning to be the center of fierce disputes.
There are two events on my opinion that mark this dark period. First, the final disbandment of X-COM, whose remaining assets were sold to the junkyard as the world economic crisis aggravated. Second, the Antarctic wars that were fought between several nations to ensure their claims to what had once was the last pristine and unexplored continent on Earth.
For me, as the final commander of X-COM I see them as the most symbolic events that took place after the war. While I truly wish that the aliens never return to our system again, X-COM represented what we can do if we try to work together and understand our fellow man and woman. And in Antarctica we soiled the last place on Earth that was free of greed and hate. I hope that one day our children are able to understand us and forgive us for both shameful and selfish actions.
Now there are those that claim that the world's present state of affairs was caused by the alien influence upon Earth. Humankind has been soiled by their presence and it's necessary to erase all traces of the aliens in order for us to become pure again. Others defend that we need the aliens, or at least that we need the Elerium in order to overcome our species' problems. In the case of the newly born Cult of Sirius their leaders even claim that the aliens are nothing more than gods and that we have fallen from heaven because we rejected them. Most of the world's nations have chosen to ignore them, believing that the aliens are dead since no further contacts have been reported for more than three decades.
The need for purity is probably the only aspect were both philosophies can agree. Neither the aliens nor we are gods that can act without impunity. However, the question can hardly be dismissed taken upon such simple terms. The alien's legacy will always be present upon us, hidden into the depths of our souls. By its own existence it helps us to define what is to be human. And the war's truly significance was that, even now, we are able to choose in freedom which path we must tread on the future".

- Boronin, Gennadi, Speeches and Essays, 2033, Moscow

October 4th, 2040
Atlantic Ocean

The red and black submarine was slowly moving over the sandy bottom of the North Atlantic Mid-Ocean Cannon, located between Newfoundland and Greenland. The body of the 44 meters long vessel had been painted in black, but the waters around it seemed even darker since it was at a depth of nearly four kilometers, where no sunlight would ever come down. The red turret of the substance contrasted more with the actual temperature, placing the waters near the craft at below zero figures.
Although the bright color of the sub was quite flashy at the distance when at surface, a careful examination showed that its hull was already showing signs of the toll collected by the sea on its decades of existence. Its official designation was the SORESO Zero-One, but the base personal called it the Khimtar.
SORESO was the acronym for Sub-Oceanic Reconnaissance and Extraterrestrial Salvage Operation, a corporate enterprise set after the disbandment of X-COM to investigate UFO crash sites underwater with the purpose of retrieving the Elerium fuel they used on its propulsion. The element had been essential in the last war to power plasma weapons and interplanetary craft. However, it didn't exist on Earth and all of the supplies taken from the aliens had been used, making it an extremely rare substance.
And the seven men and women inside the Khimtar were eagerly waiting for their arrival to one of the marked UFO crash sites underwater because of the possibility of a hefty bonus.
First Pilot Silva was just betting on the possibility that the might find an intact Elerium engine as he kept his hand to the stick that controlled the small sub and watched the outside. About a week ago a commercial vessel had by chance passed over the crash site and had detected a strong magnetic disturbance close to crash site 137.
Although the UFO had been marked as if it had exploded right before hitting the surface of the water and never had been fully investigated now. However, now there seemed to be that it the Elerium from the alien' craft engine was still active and had hadn't been consumed by the blast. Which would only mean an operation possible more lucrative than the investigation they had been done for most of the year.
But the crash area extended over nearly hundreds of square kilometers of the ocean floor, due to the dispersion of the debris. And moving at a low four knots velocity the search would certainly take some time. The world navies had subs that could move faster at those depths but in this case they needed the time to analyze the various signals that arrived from the ocean.
Although the Khimtar had external lights that allowed the pilot to see the area outside of the craft their penetration into the darkness was limited to less than ten meters. But they were off since Silva was using infrared light to see the bottom of the ocean in a blue image. In front of him a blue rectangle floated on the air, with the darker blue representing the ocean floor and the lighter the space in front of him. The image was also linked to data from the ship's acoustic sensors. Sound moves very fast through water and it bounces off like radar waves as it hits obstacles that are inside the ocean. The Khimtar' active sonar was constantly pinging the background and detecting the ocean floor's topography and any other objects that might be laying at the bottom of the ocean.
"I'm picking the wreck of the Titanic again". The voice came from his right where his sensor operator and co-pilot, Second Pilot Timms was seated. The officer was constantly scanning the bottom of the ocean through acoustic and magnetic sensors to detect signs of the UFO's wreckage. When a metal boat is in contact with the salty waters it turns itself into a huge magnet provoking an anomaly in the Earth's magnetic field that can be detected at close ranges. As they looked for the alien alloys of the hull of the wreck they had detected the remains of the sunken passenger liner that had sunk in 1911. Over the past days they had gotten used to the presence of the sunken ships and had stopped to pay any attention to it. And now this was their last day of the mission and would have to head back to SORESO in six hours bringing a climax to the rest of the search. Below the bridge of the sub, which was mounted on the sail the other five sailors that composed the crew were also waiting. Two were qualified divers and stood ready to deploy outside in their heavy suits, designed to withstand the pressure of the water around the Khimtar. The other three were the ship's mechanic and two assistants.
"Hey Timms, focus instead on the engine that's here someplace". The data from the commercial cargo ship about the location of the anomaly was partial since the ship was passing through a major storm on the surface that seemed to affect the guidance systems.
The other officer's voice was tired. "I've told you that there's nothing here for the past two days. We haven't picked any single trace of remains from the UFO".
Turning his complete body towards the other officer he made a hard face but his voice's tone was sarcastic. "I'll make it an order then" Timms shrugged his shoulders in defeat and turned towards the above display of the ocean around them. "That's strange. I'm picking a noise signal from the Titanic".
"So what? Maybe something is loose inside the hull. We're pretty close to Arctic current". Since noise was so easily transported over water, a submarine or a ship can be easily detected as they move on the surface or below.
The next comment from Timms was excited. "I got a possible contact" After a second on which Silva look at him in anger he started giving away the data. "Bearing 137 degrees, speed six knots and increasing, distance twelve nautical miles".
Now that claim was something impossible Silva realized as the words reached him. There were no other submarines known to be routinely operating in the area. However, this could be another survey ship. As he checked his display he saw that Timms was correct but it didn't hardly matter. "Probably it's the anniversary of the sinking of the ship or something. Let's carry on".
"The regulations tell us to report this to base". Under his breath Silva wished that the other pilot hadn't brought it up. A lot of strange events had been reported lately coming from all sources around the world. Ships and submarines had detected strange craft on their sonar devices. And some of them had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The formation of strange storms over the seas and natural magnetic disturbances had been also reported.
Until now Silva and his crew had been engaged into investigating of dozens of locations where ships and airplanes had disappeared without a trace. But they never had been able to detect anything since they only arrived several hours later to the area. "It's pointless. We'll report it when we get back". At that depth they could only communicate with the base through the use of an emergency low-frequency radio. It had been installed just months ago in case the craft ever detected any 'Unidentified Submersible Object' or USO as the orders put it. So far it had never been used.
"It's too close to the Titanic anyway! We have picked false echoes before"
"It has been keeping its position. It looks as if it's trailing us" When Silva checked on the coordinates his heart stopped cold. He had dismissed the claims made in the rumors that went around SORESO base. He had been hired to recover as much Elerium as he could because in the present days there weren't much well paid jobs. He knew the story of X-COM and how SORESO was all that remained from the combat force that had won the Alien War for Earth.
But until know he had never imagined that he would one day encounter any alien. The next tense report from Timms shattered that idea. "Holy God! The craft is heading towards us! Bearing still 137, speed... two hundred knots per hour???" Silva knew that it was impossible for any operational submarine to reach that speed. He made a mental calculation as the co-pilot spoke the distance. One knot was one nautical mile per hour. At the unknown craft's speed it was going to reach the position of the Khimtar in a matter of minutes.
Activating a control on the screen in front of him with his right index finger he spoke into the ship's intercom. "All hands, we have an emergency status" He didn't knew what else to do. The sub was at its maximum speed and he could try to get to surface but the USO would catch with him anyways. "Silva get that message going! Now" Timms voice had more panic but he didn't check to see what it was. Activating the low frequency radio, he gave the message an emergency status and started typing it. The low frequency had been used since the previous century to transmit instructions to submarines deeply submerged. However, for a number of technical reasons it couldn't transmit long messages.
"The thing had started to make strange acoustic noises! I think I'm picking a transistent" The term meant that the submerged craft had made a noise that automatically classified it as artificial, such as propeller blades moving or torpedo tubes being opened. Silva quickly wrote the message, paying no attention to the formal ways to presenting a report. "I THINK THEY ARE BACK" As he finished it, he saw that below the SORESO icon, a pentagonal symbol had appeared with the legend "War Room – Pentagon". He choose it instead and pressed the transmit button.
The computer accepted his request with a notice saying that the transmission had been sent. But as he was about to repeat the procedure to SORESO a strange vibrating sound started to be heard over the hull of the submarine. Both officers looked at the direction of the noise but suddenly the whole of the bridge burst with water as the Khimtar' hull suddenly collapsed inwards, killing the whole crew.
A couple of minutes later of the submarine's demise and more than a thousand miles away, inside a room on the Pentagon building in Washington, a red light started to burn in red.

March 21st, 2044
Norfolk, Virginia, US

"Good morning Lieutenant". The voices made Markovitch stumble out of the mental stupor were she was immersed. Her whole body was feeling numb, as if all of the blood circulation had been cut off and stitches of pain traveled through her limbs as if something was poking her body with a sharp object. Opening her lips to answer, she found that her tongue seemed to be sticking to the bottom of her mouth. Moving it against the top it felt as if she had been licking raw stone. A crooked sound came from her lips and only afterwards did she realized that it was her own voice: ".... water".
She felt a straw being placed upon her lips and she gathered all of the strength she had to suck on it. Warm water started to flow to her mouth but when she tried to swallow it, she immediately went through a burst of coughing. Another different voice, this time showing concern came to her ears: "Go easy Lieutenant"
She gave it another try and found that she could drink it but only in very small sips. It took her a long time before she heard the slurring noise telling her that the cup was empty. Feeling better she opened her eyes and discovered that she was blinded. She raised her hands to them but her motion was stopped by a grasp of human hands. "You'll have to keep the bandages on your eyes for a couple of days. It has been a long time since you have used your retinas and they need to get used to the light".
Light? Death! I was dead!
The reference to time started her mind to think about where she was. Her head flung around and her arms raised to remove the cotton covers but several invisible hands grabbed her arms. "Oh, no, no, no, settle down".
"She is confused. Her brain must be wondering what have happened".
"If she keeps going like this I am going to have to sedate her"
"Captain calm down right now and listen" Two strong hands pushed down the pillows and she suddenly realized that her hair must have grown long because she could feel the once familiar feeling of her locks scratching the back of her neck. Where have I been? How long?
She found out that the last memory she had was of being inside the chamber that housed the alien Brain on Cydonia. She also remembered the mental battle against the alien that controlled the whole invasion. It had ended with it taking control over her and as for seconds had driven her into a frenzy of insanity and despair. Then she remembered nothing else.
But the human voices told her that she was back; probably back to Area 51, although they didn't sound familiar. We must have had won the war, otherwise she would be dead by now. Erwin must have killed the Brain...where is he?
"Erwin?" She wondered if he was standing by her bed and she hadn't noticed it. The first voice spoke in a confused tone: "Who?" Another voice replied. "She's talking about Colonel Johnson, the officer who was with her when the alien Brain disabled her on Mars".
A sense of urgency came through her as she heard the last words. "Where is he?" She asked. Silence only replied to her and a sense of dread started to creep.
"Where's Colonel Johnson? Is he alright?" She turned her head in the direction of the two voices, feeling that something was just not right. "I told you gentlemen that you shouldn't be here present when she first awoke from the cryogenic sleep! We need to fully stabilize her right now"
"Doctor, we understand your concerns but the Council has required that we should witness the result to see if the operation has been a success and report back to them personally. A lot is at stake here". It was the voice who had snapped before but now it simply trailed off".
"And that includes her emotional balance" The physician's voice seemed outraged. "We are having trouble already into bringing her metabolic rate to a normal level that this won't help".
Starting to feel utterly tired, Markovitch listened to the exchange before she started to feel it was enough: "What is going on here", she tried to put as much stress to her voice as possible. "Where is Colonel Johnson and what are you talking about?" Then she collapsed back to the pillows where her mind started to spin around her.
"Jesus" The doctor's worried exclamation was her only reply. "Her pulse and alpha waves are starting to go over the limit again. This conversation has to end now. I'm going to have to sedate her".
The officer stopped the physician by grabbing his arm. "Before you do that, it's better if she knows what has happened. She will have to deal with it eventually".
She heard the voice trailing from a distance. "Lieutenant Markovitch, to be brief, you're back on Earth. You have sustained massive injuries to your brain during the Cydonia assault and since they didn't had the technology to repair it, X-COM decided to place you in cryogenic sleep until we could heal you". As she heard him, things started to make some sense to her but she pressed for more. "And Johnson?"
"There's no other way to tell you this, Lieutenant so I'll just say it. Colonel Johnson died on Mars. He was hit by several plasma shots after killing the alien Brain. I'm sorry".
She felt like crying but no tears came out from her eyes that seemed too dry. He's dead? It would have been better if they had just let her die also, she told herself. All of the physical pain that she was suffering turned into nothing as a new hurt filled her inside.
"That's it! I'm going to sedate her now. She has taken too much". The words of the doctor came to her as a relief and she felt that she would never wake up. Slowly a chemical started to work its way inside her bloodstream and she felt blessed as her conscience was slowly taken away. However, one last thought came to her mind, a consolation for the sacrifice he had made. "We won the war, didn't we?"
The voice replied. "Yes. We won the first war". She felt something hidden inside those words. It hit her right next as the narcotic was disconnecting her higher brain functions and perception she went to a sleep. The first? Before her mind could grasp the implications, she dozed off into a state of unconsciousness.
Two of the three men who were standing besides her hospital bed excused themselves from the doctor who was attending to her and left. They where wearing dark blue jumpsuits made of one piece of clothing that had zippers built into the left side to allow the person to get inside the suit. One of them was red-haired, with a military cut that enhanced his receding temples. The other had a darker skin tone and a deep black hair that was starting to turn white. On their left breasts they carried a patch consisting of a black circle rimmed in gold and it the middle it had a capital X letter, also designed in gold. As they moved away they put the
The red-haired missed a step on their way towards the doors of the infirmary and after catching his pace he commented. "I hate being in land". The other man smiled back at him. "Get used to it Lieutenant. Until the reanimation process is concluded our orders are to stay at this facility to be ready to present the results to the Council...." He trailed off the last sentence.
The other man thought for a second. "Do you really think Commodore Paris will succeed in his attempt?" The darker man took a serious pose, making the lines on his forehead bigger and more accentuated. "I hope so. The failure to prevent the activation of the fifth device has got to open the Council's eyes. The old hag has to go: she was never prepared to deal with this war. Things have to take a change".
They had reached the doors of the elevators that would take then away for the hospital. "I know". The red-haired assented. "But I really wonder if it is necessary to reactivate her. Looking at her, I doubt that she will ever be in condition to help us out, Commander". He selected one button from a small panel and pressed it. The other officer turned to him in disbelief. "Braddock, haven't you read her file?"
"Hey, I was getting off my plastics when your orders came through to report here. And during the Triton flight to here I only had time to flip through it since we caught a nasty magnetic storm near the Bermudas. What's so special about her?"
"She was assigned to old Area 51".
Braddock let go of a small laugh. "You mean X-COM's Theme Park in Nevada? My parents took me there once when I was a kid".
The other officer's eyes told him that he wasn't finding the reference amusing. "Yeah, that one. But forty years ago it was one of X-COM's top installations and she was in command of one of their top platoons there. They made it through the whole war, including the assaults on the alien bases at New Mexico and Antarctica, besides Cydonia".
Braddock didn't look much impressed. "Things were different back there. They had all those nice plasma toys to play around and they never had to get their feet wet. And from the looks of her she'll never get off a wheel chair".
"The doctors say otherwise. Her condition is bad but that was to be expected after spending forty years frozen up. We will need to train her".
"Great" Braddock sneered. "Don't tell me you made me come here to be a maid".
The other man ignored his comment. "For the moment you are to keep a watch on her as long as she stays here. Keep me informed about her condition the whole time. And when I tell you get her ready to take a short trip".
"Sir....". The other officer raised his right index figure. "Braddock, keep your mouth shut. And I mean keep it really shut, unless you want to find yourself assigned to 'hazardous' duty really quick instead of being here at the beach". The blonde officer jerked back. "I get the picture don't worry". This voice showed fear.
The elevator doors opened and the other officer gave him a nasty look before they entered it. "I don't get one thing", Braddock started after he had chosen the level. "Why was she asking so much about this Johnson?"
The other officer unlocked his thumbs from his belt and shook his head. "Isn't it obvious? Jesus! With morons like yourself as Lieutenants here it's no doubt that things are going as bad as they are". The metal elevator doors closed without making a sound.
When they reached their level, the older officer dismissed Braddock and proceeded to his own office at the naval facilities. When he entered the room, he took out his personal communications device and activated it with a touch on the digital screen.
The air above mobile phone suddenly started to shimmer and a small rectangle appeared at the level of his eyes. His finger flipped through the visor and dialed a phone number in a virtual keypad displayed on the screen. The logo of the phone company was replaced by an indication that the call was being dialed.
After one second, the screen resolved itself into the face of a man who seemed to be on his forties. His face didn't show any trace of age yet and his hair was still a brightly blond. "Lieutenant Commander". After a pause he smiled and asked. "How did it go?"
"She's awake sir, but I a pitiful state. According to the doctors she has a fifty-fifty chance of surviving and fully recovering from the cryo awakening".
The voice on the communicator seemed disappointed. "Fifty-fifty? That doesn't sound too promising. Don't tell me that you've sent her to one of the lowest medical centers so that you could pocket yourself some more neodollars from the funds available for the operation".
The commander made an expression of wounded innocence but he followed it by a crooked smile. "No thank you sir. I know better than not to step on your toes in something so big as this. The doctors taking care of her are the best that money can buy. The problem seems more to be that this is the first attempt of reawakening a person after so long. She has been frozen for forty years".
"I know commander. I was the one who ordered it... as a reassurance for a future that few thought to be possible. Oh well. But there's no point in complaining about the past now. What's your impression of her? "
"I hardly spoke to her sir. I've told her about what happened to Johnson and the end of the war. She sounded devastated by his death but at the same time the news from the killing of the Brain on Mars seemed to have relieved it a bit. But I thought it better not to mention the present situation".
"Do you think she will be ready for it?"
The officer thought for a second then replied. "If she survived this far then I'd guess that it might take some time but if she has the will she will be back on her feet".
"She will". The man on the visor spoke matter of fact. "She will only have to believe that she's still fighting for something. And we'll give her just what she needs. Forty years is a long time: she will be wanting to find her place in this world and getting back on X-COM will seem to her the best way, doing the same thing as the past".
Nodding his approval, the officer continued. "I'm going to place Braddock in charge of her and later he will train her. The man is a bit of a jerk but he's loyal to me. And when she has attained a sufficient combat proficiency I'll assign her to Fourth Fleet to see if she can adapt".
The man in the visor cocked an eyebrow at him. "Commander, if I recall correctly, the Fourth hasn't seen action in more than six months. That it, besides the regular engagements it has been having with the Argentinean Navy near the Falklands' base. I don't want her to sit idle".
"Sir, I can't just assign her here to Norfolk. Too many questions would be asked. If she was assigned to the combat personnel roster she would have the right to command a company. That would overstep a lot of officers and the commodore would sure notice it".
"I wasn't thinking of Norfolk, Commander. What about Sixth Fleet?"
"Madhouse?" The officer wondered if the man was talking seriously. "Sir, that fleet has the highest attrition rate on the force".
"Precisely". Realization came to him after I second later. "I think I see what you are trying to prove, sir".
"Things are different from the time when she was shooting Sectoids with laser rifles. And if she survives the Sixth then we will know if we have what we wanted. Also, assign her as an apprentice seaman recruit in a temporary status, Commander. Later we will explain to her that it will be her own combat qualification trial if she wants to regain her position at X-COM".
"Very well. Sir, and what about the Council? The Commodore here is making a lot of questions about my leaves. If he reports what's going on back here the Council will sure order an investigation".
"Leave those details to me, Commander. Just remember the whole propose of this operation: things here have to change a bit and she's a very important part of those plans. Worry about her and your other tasks and keep the good Commodore happy".
The officer nodded his approval. However, he didn't turn off the transmitter. "Sir, there's also something I noticed in her file". The blonde man waited for him to continue.
Taking a deep breath, the officer simply spoke out afterwards. "In her old X-COM records there's a reference to her..." The word didn't come out easy to him. "Psionic levels. Was she one of the psis?"
The man's reply came flat. "Don't discuss the matter with anyone Commander. What you saw is correct but as far as we know she never experienced any of the mental disorders related to such individuals".
The matter still caused the officer's stomach to stir. "Sir, but you know how I feel. Psionics is an obscenity, much like the aliens' molecular control..." A dreadful thought came to his mind as he remembered rumors of forbidden scientific experiment. "Don't tell me you have awaken her for..."
"Commander," Calm and determination came on the voice of the man. "I won't engage in that old argument now. I'll just tell you this: we need to understand the enemy. That was how the original X-COM defeated the invasion. Otherwise we are stabbing blindly into the darkness, occasionally inflicting a bruise but never really managing to do any damage. However you'll either have to trust me or leave. And I need to know now".
The officer closed his eyes as an inner struggle raged inside him. "Well?"
"Your brother has saved my life before and, no matter how I despise this I'll still trust you". The man smiled warmly. After they discussed other subjects, he finished the call and placed the communicator back into his belt.

X-Com: Abyssal
Chapter One - Awakenings

February 4th, 2044
South of the Azores Islands, Atlantic Ocean

The weather over the Atlantic was starting to get worse as a cold front moved above the sea heading towards the British Isles. The sky was already overcast in dark clouds and the winds' velocity was starting to increase, with large waves already starting to be felt on the surface. In short, the appearance of seascape was normal for the area and time of the year, except for the black column of smoke that rose from a small location on the ocean. Thin at the point were it started it quickly enlarged as the hot air ascended making it visible for any ship that might be passing by dozens of nautical miles away. For the pilot at the commands of the sleek shaped dark plane it was a blessing since it gave him a visual reference to direct the craft towards its destiny.
Flying at five hundred knots, the plane swiftly covered the distance between it and the column of smoke. As he got nearer, the pilot started to spot the floating structure that was burning. Although it weighted more than ten thousand tons and a length of 120 meters, making it the size of a major warship, it was a floating base. At it had been drifting northeast at the whim of the Gulf Stream, the surface current that traveled from the Caribbean Sea to the Europe.
The pilot could see that the base was sinking as it finally reached the gray and blue structure. It had a listing of five degrees with the modules on one side partly underwater. On the opposite side the bottom of the structure was hanging above the not so quiet sea, revealing the sea life that had attached itself to it. The column of smoke came from that area, rising from large holes on the flat rectangular surface of the base. Looking at it the pilot wondered what had happened as he announced to his passengers that he was about to land the plane. "We have arrived at SORESO. I'm going to land close on the water".
On the cargo area, Lieutenant Commander Paul Delacroix started to zip his dry suit to prevent himself from getting wet. As soon as news from the alien strike at the old SORESO had reached Norfolk he had been worried. Now, as he looked at the civilian in front of him, he couldn't help wonder how bad things were, since the US councilman to X-Com had decided to personally go an examine the location. Unlike the dull blue of his drysuit, the blonde man was wearing a livid green more akin to the ones used for underwater recreational diving. He was also grabbing a set of diving glasses and a snorkel on his hands and had a set of duck feet standing next to him. And he was in a reflective mood, something that Delacroix had noticed that was getting more common on the last months. They both buckled up their safety belts without saying a word as the plane made its landing run.
Delacroix had been at Norfolk Naval Base when the distress call had arrived from the floating base, reporting that a very large USO had just been detected on the vicinity of SORESO. The Triton transport craft on alert had been immediately scrambled by Commodore Paris, the commander of the X-Com detachment at Norfolk, carrying a full combat squad. He had served there at the beginning of the conflict before being promoted and reassigned to Norfolk. But its origins extended a long way back: it was the only thing that had remained of old X-Com and it had been the initial focus for the operations against the new aliens nearly two years ago. The base had nearly three hundred people inside, composed of combat teams, scientists and support personnel. Now they were all gone.
The destruction of old SORESO wasn't just something to be taken lightly. And both he and the man seated in front of him knew it. He was more than twenty years older than Delacroix but nearly shown no signs of his age except for the fact that his hair seemed to be getting lighter with the years and a few wrinkles were forming close to his eyes. While the tabloid press had labeled Frederick D. Williams as one billionaire more obsessed with trying to hide his old age and enjoying life, Delacroix knew otherwise about him. He had met Williams for more than a decade and knew that the man's well kept physique was more the result of his will to be prepared for everything and not wanting to show any signs that might be interpreted as a weakness. However, he also knew that vanity had its part.
Williams was the US representative to the Council of Funding Nations, the body that oversaw X-Com's activities and determined the force's budget. At the first reports of the attack he had immediately flown to Norfolk using its private jet and had demanded to personally see the results of the attack. And now it seemed that both of them were about to know if the truth was as painful had it had sounded when the first Triton had transmitted their first report.
As the plane touched the surface of the water it skidded on the water like a flat rock before the pilot reversed the engines and made it stop after some hundred meters. It then started to move slowly over the surface towards the sinking base until it stopped close to an equal plane that was already standing by one side of the structure. Another floating plane could be seen behind it.
Two seamen opened a large hatch on the starboard side of the plane as the motion ended. The salty air rushed inside, making the hairs on Delacroix's neck stand up. The enlisted men then pulled the rigid rubber boat that was standing close to the hatch into the water that was only a few centimeters below the bottom of the craft. One of them moved inside and got the engine ready as Delacroix and the councilman boarded it. After a couple of seconds they were up on their way to the raised portion of the base.
There were signs of heavy fighting all over the hull, with darkened or broken spots showing the results of weapons fire. The boat moved closer to a section where a open hatch could be seen five meters above the water with a chain ladder hanging from it.
Grabbing one step, Delacroix pulled it to be sure of its strength. He then started to climb, followed by the councilmen as he got close to the hatch. As he placed one hand on the bottom of a hatch a pair of troopers clad in dark blue moved to help him onboard.
When he and the councilman finally got inside the small chamber the troopers saluted them. Both of them were wearing a dark blue diving suit with armor plating covering their arms, legs and torso. They also had long yellow weapons hanging from their shoulders. Delacroix returned the salute and immediately asked. "Ensign, where did the second Triton come from?"
"Sir, the Inspector General is here, together with the Admiral. They flew straight from Rotterdam". That made Delacroix to look at the other man, who displayed a touch of annoyance at the words. "Where are they now?"
"At Sub Pen Three. They ordered you to join them as soon as they arrived".
"Not yet. What's the status of the base?"
"There's no hull integrity on sub pens One and Two. There's no main power and the emergency batteries will go dead in a couple of hours. When they're gone it will sink since damage to the majority of the modules has compromised their water tightness".
"What about survivors Petty Officer?" The non-commissioned officer turned towards the councilman and shook his head. "Half the crew is dead, the other half missing. We have spotted remains of a Triton floating on the water on our way here. The other one and the two Barracudas are completely destroyed on the sub pens".
"The aliens must have taken the rest alive. Poor bastards". Delacroix shook his head in repulsion afterwards and the petty also scowled at the comment. A moment later the older blonde asked the NCO. "What about Captain Hunt?" For the past thirty years the once SEAL and X-Com officer had been the commanding officer of SORESO and had managed to maintain the position at the start of the war although his age was already past retirement. "We found him dead at the bridge, sir. He went down fighting, with a dart pistol still on his hand".
Williams grimaced and Delacroix swore. After his voice came almost in a whisper. "Petty, who did this? Was it also the aliens like in the Pacific base?" The non-commissioned officer nodded. "But there's something you and the councilman should see sir".
"More bad news?" The ensign started leading them over another hatch and through a corridor. "It's just better if you see it for yourself sir". As they moved over one of the base's cargo section they noticed dead human bodies, some still holding weapons. Until the ensign stopped by a figure that had been covered by a tarp. Grabbing it with his hand, he removed it, revealing the alien body underneath.
Delacroix's eyes went wide at the sight and the other man also moved closer to examine the figure. It had a humanoid configuration but by its appearance it was clearly a reptile, with a tail and a long jaw filled with sharp teeth. Yellow scales covered its skin and it also had a orange crest running from the head to the tail. "What is this???" Using the tip of his diving boot he poked the dead creature. Its skin was hard.
The councilman was looking at it with very carefully. "Whatever it is it didn't come from the first war. We need to get this back to the labs as soon as possible to see where it did came from...."
"You mean you want to use to press your absurd theories, Councilman Williams". The voice made the three men to turn towards a hatch where one figure had just stepped inside.
He had a diving suit like Delacroix with the X-Com insignia on the top of the left arm but no indication of rank. As both he and the ensign recognized him, they stood in attention and saluted while Williams simply looked in frustration.
"Inspector General Alkeviades, this is a new alien race that has never been reported before. We need to retrieve the body of the creature".
The man's blue eyes narrowed and his cheeks rose. Examining the dead alien for one second, she quickly turned her attention back to Williams. "I disagree, councilman. We already know everything we need about the aliens. This thing is just a freak. Probably another one of their pets from the invasion and quite an ugly one". She shook her head. "There's no scientific value in researching it. And right now we can't afford the money to built the installations we just lost here".
The tone of Williams' voice told Delacroix that the older man was getting irritated. "Inspector-General...". He cut him short.
"Councilman! As far as I'm concerned you have no official business or". He put an emphasis on the word. "Any power here. Since this base was once your property I can understand that you have chosen to see it for your own eyes but anything other than that and I will have to make an report of your actions to the Council".
He still had one last card and he played it, although he knew that it would be useless. "The Admiral can order the body to be brought back".
"The Admiral has just ordered all rescue operations to be terminated upon my advice. There's no survivors and we are tying up here important resources on a base that will sink to the bottom in a matter of hours".
"What about the alien artifacts?" He looked at the creature's weapon that was standing on the metal ground close to a wall. "We don't need more of their weapons". Delacroix replied. "There's enough already piled up". He added with his disgust.
Williams was about said another argument but he decided against it. Nodding to him in acceptance of defeat he turned away. "As for you Lieutenant, the Admiral has also decided you are no longer needed here. You and your craft are to get back to Norfolk at once". Delacroix quickly understood that it was the Inspector that didn't want to see him anymore at the wreck of the base. Giving an almost casual salute to him, he headed towards the entrance hatch with Williams following him.
When both men were away from the cargo area and in one of the corridors, Williams stopped and turned to Delacroix asking. "How badly does this mean for us?"
"Well, " Delacroix snapped it out in brief sentences, trying to not to release any emotion. "We just lost a big portion of early detection for the whole of the Atlantic. Not to mention the fact that even if the listening post that they are building on the Mediterranean doesn't suffer anymore delays, it will still be two months before we can have any detection capability there. Or that an entire strike force has been lost here and that both Norfolk and the Arctic floating base will start to have more work now".
"Pretty much my own conclusions. I just wish that the Council hadn't turned down Hunt's request to equip this base with Gauss defenses". Although the schematics for the base installation that would attack any craft threatening a X-Com installation on one had been deployed yet. Williams hadn't directly looked at them, needing only to know if they would work and the scientists here at SORESO had reassured him. Now they were dead but at least their work had been uploaded to the UFOPedia, X-Com's database network that contained all information that had ever been compiled by the organization's during its existence, dating from the first Alien War. The highly classified files inside the network were stored in different locations around the globe preventing the scientific information from ever being lost.
"I wonder even if they had them if they would have a chance. After the destruction of the Pacific base most officers at SORESO told me that they were just sitting ducks on the water and the Admiral was simply ignoring the requests for better defenses".
Williams nodded. "If Admiral Kole was one of my employees I'd have her fired today and put a major lawsuit on her because of losses".
"Sir, the 'Old Hag' has to go. Commodore Paris has also shared with me his opinion of her in private and quite a few officers believe it also".
"It's not that easy Delacroix. You know how the Council works. She still has a lot of friends there".
The officer shook his head. "See, we've discussed this before. Nobody is paying any real attention to the aliens. They are organized and have far more resources than we thought at the beginning".
Giving a quick look at one of the bulkheads above, Williams nodded in agreement. "We should have expected this. I only hope it isn't too late to start changing things. What do you think we should do first? That is, besides sacking the Admiral".
"The list is longer that a kid's wishes for Santa Claus, councilman. We need more gauss weapons available instead of being sold. The ban on Zrbite and sonic weapons must be lifted. We need to research more into the real purpose of the devices that they are trying to activate. We could use better armor. You want me to continue?"
Williams gave him a mock smile. "I wish things would be that simple so that I could to that at the stroke of a hand but there are too many interests involved. The Oil Cartel will oppose any move regarding Zrbite fuel because of their fears that it might replace their main source of income. The same motive applies to gauss weapons: everyone is making a bundle of money from their sale".
"Just convince them to give us the sonic weapons that are stockpiled then. They're no good to anyone being left on the old warehouses at Japan". Complex YY-18 was the only complex remaining from the First Alien War. The Japanese government had retaken control of the facility after the disbandment of X-Com and afterwards had leased the base when the force had been reborn. Although the workshops and craft assembly lines that once occupied a major portion of the underground caves were now silent of activity and machinery the empty space had been used to storage the increasing amount of alien artifacts recovered.
"I'll do my best but everyone is worried also that they might mean a break on the current ceasefires. A lot of weapons will disappear the minute we start issuing them".
"You're starting to sound like the Inspector General, councilman". He spoke the name as it if was a curse in front of Williams since they both shared the same thoughts about the tall man that they had encountered before. The figure of the Inspector General had been one of the first decisions taken by the Council after they had decided to reactivate X-Com to investigate and fight the alien activity after the initial reports in 2039. While at first its role was to simply serve as a liaison between the Council and the force, its powers had been widely expanded to include control over scientific and operational matters.
"Just being realistic. We need more proof that the aliens are up to something big before I can force the Council of Funding Nations to give what we need. Unfortunately," He looked at one of the human bodies on the floor. "The aliens just took out our main research facility. It was stupid to concentrate all of our resources here. This will considerably slow down things and we will need to rebuild our research from scratch. I've just decided to activate Operation Rebirth".
A flare went up in Delacroix' eyes. "You mean the frozen Captain?" Now it was time for Williams to be surprised. "Yes, Markovitch. She will be brought up to Norfolk in a few weeks from her present location. When she awakes I want you and Braddock there". Still unpleased, Delacroix nodded to him.

July 31st, 2044
X-Com Incorporated Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland

"Councilwoman Puuri". Williams nodded to the woman who was dressed in an exquisite and well-cut sari that approached him as they were waiting for the start of the Council's meeting in an antechamber. Like him all of the men in the red-carpeted hall were wearing high-expansive clothing while the few women all had the female equivalent of business dressing.
With a dark-tanned face that marked her as an Indian and smooth features she looked harmless...until the time the real discussions started. And she represented the only member of the council whose percentage of shares of X-Com's stock could rival with the US's leading partner in the enterprise. She was the representative for the Asian Coalition, a loose confederation of what had been previously been India, the countries of Indochina and the People's Republic of China. Although the political weight of the coalition was low it had nearly a half of the world's population inside its borders the economic power of the developing nations still had a tremendous potential. However, the region had its own series of regional problems and conflicts, with clashes between the Coalition and other surrounding countries, including Unified Korea, Neo Japan and Free China, the former the new name of Taiwan after it had decided to proclaim itself as the sovereign Chinese state when mainland China had joined the Coalition. Those three countries were also members of the council and their combined power actually superseded the US but for the most part they were happy to support Williams initiatives. Leaving few grounds for what seemed to be important matters that they wanted to reach a settlement as Williams waited for her to open her hand. As they engaged through a number of harmless talk regarding the month's events, her voice dropped a tone as she almost naively said. "We are starting to look at this Killer's activities with great concern. We know other incidents like this one have occurred amongst the American command of the force".
Williams knew quite well it also since it wasn't quite a secret anymore. Two months ago a soldier based at Norfolk had failed to report back to the base and had been declared absent without a leave. Its body had been found two weeks ago after the neighbors of the room he had been renting outside the barracks started to complain about the smell coming from his apartment. The police had found the body inside and apparently an unknown assassin with unknown intentions had shot him at his home. But the autopsy's results had been kept a secret so far and few other than Williams knew about it. The cause of death had been determined by a high-energy beam that had cauterized the entry wound and the inside tissues after having cut through the man's heart.
Or in other words as the doctor responsible had told him, these type of burns hadn't been seen for a long time now and only appeared on the textbooks. For they showed the classical reports of the high-powered lasers that once used the now inexistent Elerium fuel to power the beam. But this showed that someone in the world still had access to that technology. And for a number of times the individual or entity involved had been targeting X-Com personnel all over the globe.
"We will support the discussion of any measures proposed to be taken towards this problem". He had already his own ideas quite clear but there was no need for her to know that yet. Still smiling to him, she pulled off his mask of deception. "And I'm sure you already have a number of ideas that will be discussed. I'm confident we can arrange an beneficial agreement for all?" The Council's decisions were valid if backed by a two-thirds majority of the shareholders. The US and the Asian Coalition combined had a bit more than a quarter of the necessary votes. But now the chances for it being approved had just improved considerably taking into account the leading role that both countries had in their own regional alliances.
He nodded to her in unspoken agreement. Smiling, the Indian woman moved away from him and entered the conference room. Setting down his glass, Williams noticed that the Alaskan representative was also lagging behind like him and remaining close to the table. Wearing a high-collar dark green suit, the dark haired man with a frail appearance seemed to be waiting. Although the political differences carved an abyss between the representatives of the US and the PRA, both men had managed to deal in a civilized manner between them. Even if Williams wasn't supposed to be talking to him since the US didn't recognize their independence yet.
"Mr. Williams". The man didn't offer a hand as he approached him. "The meeting is about to start in a few minutes. Shall we start heading for the chamber?" Nodding to him, they both took short steps. They were the last ones and their conversation wasn't going to be heard.
"Something on your mind, Mr. Roberts? Have Mrs. Puuri also talked to you about this 'Killer' business?" Most definitely he would have, Williams already knew. The PRA was part of was known as the "Oil Cartel", an alliance made by the oil exporting countries inside the X-Com council. Together with the Arabian Bloc, Egyptian Cartel, Brazilian Union and Asian Coalition, the PRA had been responsible for the Zrbite ban.
Instead of the Elerium used by the aliens to power their weapons in the First War, the underwater aliens used a material for fuel so strange that no one at SORESO had managed to duplicate until their demise. The research had shown it to be a mixture of gold and some unidentifiable alien material that had no connection to the ones used by the original aliens. But although they couldn't identify most of its components, the scientists had discovered it was the energy source that allowed the aliens to power their weapons and craft. At first they had been baffled since they had tried to bombard it with high-energy particles to release energy like the original Elerium worked. They had utterly failed until a scientist had remembered to use another type of radiation rather than nuclear particles. But after the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum had been tried the results were still negative. They had only discovered what activated the Zrbite's hidden power after expanding their tests to include sound waves.
When the material was struck by a high pitch sonic wave it amplified the sound, releasing tremendous amounts of energy. It had been found that the Zrbite could provide as power as ten times the same amount of conventional plutonium fuel. Although it wasn't as powerful as Elerium it was a clean energy source and that could be used underwater. However, so far X-Com's soldiers had never fired a weapon powered by it on combat. A ban had been put into place three years ago on all Zrbite research and weapons after the schematics for the newly Gauss technology had been stolen by PRA's agents and used against American forces patrolling the cease-fire line. Back then no one wanted to allow another technology to upset the current world balance and the Oil Cartel wasn't also interested in a fuel that could turn the value of their petroleum reserves into zero. In the past years Williams had managed to convince the other countries that they should authorize weapons based on Zrbite but the Oil Cartel still had enough shares to block any initiative. And the Inspector General had made sure that no further research had been undertaken on the issue.
"Mrs. Puuri has also discussed with the PRA the concerns of her nation, Mr. Williams. We are sympathetic to her arguments".
"Then, what you do want to discuss with me?"
"Nothing particular at the moment councilman. However, the situation might change in the future. But it seems that the meeting is about to start. Shall we get inside?" Williams nodded and both men entered the room.
The time before lunch was completely taken discussing the force's financial status. After the nearly dead UN had regained control of what remained of the original X-Com by invoking a secret clause on the contract that Williams had signed, a new Council of Funding Nations had been established to control the force. But unlike the previous war, this time the countries and corporations that were shareholders had decided to take a more strict control of what was happening inside. No one wanted a repetition of what had happened in the previous war, where X-Com's independence had brought severe headaches to a number of countries.
The sixteen members decided the force's monthly budget each month. Each country or corporation would decide the funds that it would allocate based on their evaluation of the force's effectiveness. But those discussions were now more considered a pro-forma that had to be done just because the charter stipulated it so. The most important issue that everyone really cared at the meetings was the dividends coming by the sale of the materials recovered from shot down UFOs and from the production of Gauss weaponry.
Since no there was Elerium left to power the plasma weapons from the previous war and the lasers wouldn't work underwater, one of the first things that the now dead scientists had turned their attention to was to develop a new weapons technology called Gauss. Williams knew its principles quite well: he had been the one to foster research into it while SORESO was still under his command. Taking the concept of a high-energy ionized beam the engineers had been able to find a way to circumvent the lack of the Elerium that powered it. The ammunition was simply a pellet of fissionable material that was used by the particle accelerators to both power the reaction by the use of a matter-antimatter reaction and serve as a warhead consisting of anti-protons that would annihilate the normal protons of the matter that composed the target. However, to increase the lethality of the beam the scientists had used a Gauss curve. On a x-y graph where x was the time and y the potency, the beam had a inverted bell curve. At first it would be harmless but as the power grew it made the weapon powerful enough to be used either above and underwater. The first combat tests had quickly shown the potential of the weapon to X-Com and to the Council also.
At first it had been tried to restrain the new technology to X-Com but some countries had immediately started to try to get access to Gauss schematics. Then, the sinking of an US aircraft carrier on what seemed to be a minor skirmish with PRA forces on the northern Pacific had shown to everyone that the Alaskans had been successful and there was no point in keeping the technology a secret, especially since all militaries wanted it for their own use. And the sale of the Gauss weapons being built at X-Com's Indian base had now turned into the most waited item on every month's meeting agenda. With the current worldwide economic crisis everyone was in dire needs for additional revenues and Gauss technology was just a golden egg chicken that suit everyone's needs. But for this meeting there was other things more pressing and Williams patiently waited through the after lunch discussions until they reached the final point of the agenda.
The meeting room had a circle of desks aligned in a circle, each one occupied by a representative and with one additional used by Admiral Kole and Inspector Alkeviades. The tables were equipped with vision sets, which projected computer generated images on the air, allowing the council members to access information and distribute it through the rest of the Council.
When Williams' turn finally arrived he knew exactly how to lead the discussion, although he wasn't completely sure of its results. Still, raising himself from the chair he composed his jacket before speaking.
"My fellow colleagues, while we have already taken measures to lessen the impact of the destruction of SORESO, I still believe that there's more that we must do to achieve our end of stopping this war". Most of the individuals present didn't make any reaction to his opening statement although a few immediately showed their boredom with the subject.
"And the US believes that we need new strategic approach since the containment policy that we have been wrongly following is proven to be wrong. This is not a localized matter like the majority thought at the beginning but, as the activation of the alien sites and the destruction of two bases have shown, a question far more important than political or economic issues here". Williams already knew that it would be impossible to lift on this session the Zrbite ban so he had settled to try to open their eyes to the reality.
"And we have also scientific proof on that matter. The DNA analysis performed by SORESO's teams show that the Aquatoid's genetic structure is more stable than the one on the Sectoids of the first invasion. Also the Gillmen' genetic print shows them more likely to be Earth based than a race coming from a distant star system. We have considered the aliens to be survivors of the first war, barely able to mount any threat but the attacks on civilian vessels and installations have shown it to be otherwise and not to mention the attacks on our own forces. This isn't just a case of some alien survivors that are left out from the war and are trying to survive on Earth. The Aquatoids and the Gillmen show that there's a coordinated effort behind their actions with objectives that might include taking over the control of the planet".
"What's your point Councilman?" The Indian representative cut him off. "The aliens have adapted to our oceans. Most likely they have bred the Gillmen from some genetic experiment in one of their undiscovered colonies. Haven't they done the same with humans to develop the obscenity of the Deep One creatures? Considering we are discovering a new colony one each two months it hardly isn't surprising that they have managed to do so".
"But that's also the thing! From where are all of the resources coming for their expansion? We have dealt with these things like they were more of a nuisance but at this rate in a matter of years they are going to start to take over entire oceans. Not to mention the strange devices they are building".
"Yes, the so called transmission device theory advanced by SORESO's scientists before their destruction. That the aliens are trying to built a device to communicate with other star systems". Puuri shrugged it off. "While that is disturbing news if confirmed they still have to complete it and there will be a time before additional alien forces arrive. That is, if they are still out there in the universe".
"Still there in the universe? You think the few million we killed on the First War were the only ones alive in the entire galaxy or universe?"
"Despite the fact that either the search crew sent to Mars on 2009 failed to find any further alien installations on the planet, it is quite possible that the whole alien invasion originated from the planet. We shall consider all possibilities at this point, councilman". Puuri's tone of a lecture annoyed Williams. "Probably there's a good reason for that 'transmission device' is nothing more that just a piece of useless alien technology like those cryogenic chambers you researched upon. There hardly is any commercial value to them and still you endorsed further research on it". Williams knew that Puuri had a point there and he had to concede. There was absolutely no research over the alien's intentions that could be trusted. Even the captured aliens hadn't been able to add much to what was their intention. And he couldn't tell the council of the real reasons why he had that technology researched by the late teams of SORESO, although Captain Markovitch's awakening had made him relax a bit.
"Very well". But he still had one last card to play. "I that case I move for we to issue immediate orders for all bases to take out those sites the minute they are activated".
This time the Admiral rose from her chair. She was a small woman on her fifties with brown hairs and a pair of glasses that stood at the tip of her nose. "Are you mad? We can't afford the resources"
"This will be a preventive measure then. There is documented proof that those sites allow the aliens to deploy their strange energy capable of impossible physical disturbances. This way we can prevent against both possibilities". He looked at the admiral and the inspector-general, who although they couldn't vote they were able to watch independently who things went. The inspector, who acted as the secretary for the meeting, reluctantly acknowledged his unspoken request for a vote and waited for the arguments to calm down before announcing it.
Williams was already sure that he had a fairly chance of the measure being approved. Most of the countries weren't pleased by the activation of the sites. When the poll showed that he had the two-thirds necessary the Admiral grimaced. She had good reason for doing so, Williams noted. She would definitely had preferred for the teams to stay out of it since so far only two teams out of five had even come back alive. This would make her lose men and ships and cut through her own funding.
Later, when the meeting was over and Williams was on his way to the hotel before boarding a plane back to the US, he found the Alaskan representative on the foyer of the installations that housed the headquarters of X-Com. He'd half-expected that the man would be pleased with the results of the meeting but instead the thin man looked at him in curiosity. He had his blue cap with a white star on the front and looked as if he was also about to leave.
Holding his hands together he turned to the millionaire and spoke. "Mr. Williams, I take that the meeting went as you intended?"
His reply was tainted with innocence. "Mr. Roberts, I'm just doing my share on this war. Shouldn't we all do the same?"
"Indeed. One thing surprised me though. This time you failed to make any mention to the Zrbite ban. Have the US chosen to completely drop the matter?"
The honesty of his own answer even surprised Williams. "It didn't seemed important since the results of such a discussion would be already known to us all. There were other matters more pressing".
"Is that so?" A drop of sarcasm dropped into his face but before Williams could react, the man continued. "Your arguments regarding the aliens' motives can be nothing more than wild guesses but there's some merit on them".
"If so, why did the PRA voted against the matter, Mr. Roberts? In fact, your country's vote always sided with the same group of countries". In most occasions the Oil Cartel always voted as a bloc. Their strength inside the Council came from their unity while for most of the rest of the countries it was hard to find common ground.
Roberts smiled at the implicit mention. "The People's Republic will always defend their own interests in the Council, Mr. Williams as you know. But we are also most willing to cooperate in important matters, such as the 'Killer' issue".
"Very well". Both men nodded to one another and Williams moved to the garage to board his armored limousine.

September 6th, 2044
Virginia, US

As the sun's light reflected on the window Markovitch remembered the Nevada desert and the hot landscape. It was a bright summer day with few clouds on the horizon and it would have been a lovely morning if not for the temperature and humidity on the air.
She hadn't been in Washington for a long time even before she had been frozen but she remembered that the weather was milder back then. That is compared to what it was right now. According to Braddock the average temperature in the area had risen a couple degrees in the last twenty years due to a shift in the Gulf Stream. Most of the US' eastern seaboard was now considerably warmer than in the past. Swamps and bogs, something she could see in the landscape around the railway, were slowly replacing the green forests.
Why I'm still alive? She had asked that question in the hospital endless times. When she had gotten enough strength she had asked the question to Braddock, the weasel that always kept a watch on her. His explanation had been as brief as possible: apparently not all of the aliens on Earth had been defeated after Cydonia. They had gone into hiding into the oceans and had re-emerged three years ago. X-Com was fighting them again and they had woken her. But that was all he would tell her. She still couldn't believe that she was alive. Or that Johnson and everyone she knew were dead.
Apparently the medical personnel at the base had been ordered not to talk to her about the war. But Braddock had allowed her access to a 'vision' set, or how the called television nowadays. As she got better she started to watch the regular programming of the networks it had been both a relief and disappointment to see that television hadn't almost changed in forty years. Besides the fact that it now was projected directly into the air not in a screen, the programs were pretty much the same.
Soap operas, comedy shows, contests, all of the usual crap was still present. But the most important for her had been the news. She couldn't believe how some things on Earth had turned to in the last forty years and, in the most part, for the worst. There was a general lack of resources to support the planet's current human population. Worldwide pollution problems and climate disorders that had changed ocean currents and temperatures, changing the weather in entire areas.
She wished to be back to the hospital now. So far it was probably the only place where she had felt a resemblance of being at a home. When Braddock had stepped into her locked room the day before and informed her that she would travel with a senior X-Com officer she had felt fear but at the same time desire to understand what was going on.
On the next day the officer had stopped to pick her up. He presented himself as Lieutenant Commander Delacroix of X-Com's US Command but instead of a uniform he was wearing civilian clothing. She had immediately catalogued him as a 'spook', someone serving at intelligence. He had briefly shaken her hand but had released it right away. She couldn't tell if it was his personality or if it was something else.
They were now seated facing one another without saying a word. He wouldn't even look at her as if she wasn't present. They were on her way to a meeting at the Pentagon to discuss her situation.
"So, are you going to tell me what is going on and why I'm still alive?" In front of Markovitch, Delacroix shifted uneasy on his chair. Like her, he was dressed in civilian clothing, wearing a light gray suit whose jacket was all buttoned till the top, supposedly the latest 2040 fashion.
"It's not wise to talk about such things now, Miss Markovitch". His eyes scanned the other passengers aboard the wagon of the high-speed train they were taking from Norfolk to Atlanta.
"OK, so let's talk about the war. What's going on? Why couldn't you just let me die in peace? Why did X-Com had to awake me?" The man's brown eyes stared at her. Dropping his voice, he spoke. "It's better if we don't reveal that we are military, specially if we belong to X-Com".
That struck Markovitch as strange. From what she had seen the war was not a secret and occasionally there were military press releases of confrontations.
"Does it have to do anything with those religious assholes that I saw in a talk show?" Delacroix' eyes tightened and she could tell that it was a touchy matter to him. "You meant the Cult. No, it's not because of them". He didn't explain more, which only increased her restlessness.
The violet skirt and jacket that had been supplied by Braddock the day before didn't help either. The artificial fabric gave her itches on her hands whenever she touched it and the color seemed to her just absurd, despite the fact that she had seen other women wearing also dresses of the same color. And the cut on both skirt and jacket were too tight for her disliking. When she was trying it she had first wondered if it the designer had wanted to reveal the chest and behind of the women who wore it. After she had seen herself on the mirror she had found that it was otherwise.
The small round hat that she was wearing also pissed her off. While she was on the hospital her brown hair had grown long again but she had it cut the minute she had arrived at the training facility.
Now it made her sweat and her scalp was also itching. She wanted nothing else to take it off but Braddock had told her to keep it on, especially with her hair cut so short. Nothing made sense to her. She wanted to be back in 2002 instead of being in a world were everything felt strange to her. Even X-Com seemed to be different and she wondered why they had bothered to bring her back from the dead.
An hour later the high-speed train had arrived at the town's central station. As they stepped down and headed towards the cab parking area they passed by rows of policemen in riot control gear, with helmets and holding personal shields and batons.
Delacroix shook his head in disbelief. "I told the councilman it wouldn't be wise to bring you at this moment here".
"What's all of this circus for?" She asked as he pushed her to make her speed her way over the crowd. "It's in case any of the pacifist protesters decide to get violent. And they usually do so get moving". She kept silent until they finally got out of the train station and caught a cab. After the vehicle was on their way she turned to him. "Anti-war protests? Are these people crazy? Do they just want to shake hands with the aliens and became best buddies?"
Composing himself, Delacroix relaxed. The car had no driver and the computer system was taking it to a expressway. "Actually only a few portion of them sympathize with the aliens. But the whole point of this week's rallies isn't that. The majority is simply protesting about the announcement made by the President to employ naval forces to patrol the Alaska cease-fire line". The whole thing just seemed too absurd to Markovitch and she decided that she had enough already. For the rest of the journey she just kept silent and Delacroix did the same thing.
The taxi left them at the driveway of a corporate building right located on the suburbs of the city. As both Markovitch and Delacroix stepped out the car, the sight of the facility in front of her made her stop. Unlike the rest of the surrounding buildings, which had domes and towers all painted in dull pinks and yellows, this complex had a square architecture, with the main building painted in dark blue. The front had large mirrored windows that occupied the center, with a logo painted in tall letters: "Cyberweb Systems Inc." It wasn't really painted since the whole thing was being projected on the air by large visiprojectors. Underneath it and over the glass doors a phrase was also displayed: "Marking you ready for the future".
"What's this place?" Delacroix rolled his eyes upwards before answering. "A computer company". She wondered what she was doing there but he waited impatiently for her so she hurried up. After they presented themselves at the reception an escort led them to an elevator. They moved through corridors and offices until they reached a foyer where an young blonde secretary that looked young and beautiful enough to be a model welcomed them. "Commander, the councilman is waiting for you inside". Delacroix moved towards a carved wood door. On it there was a silver plaque at the level of the eyes with dark letters engraved on it. "OFFICE OF THE COUNCILMAN". Delacroix opened it and moved aside to let her enter.
For a moment Markovitch had the brief impression that she was still in 2002 as her eyes scanned through the decoration of the office. Most of the room's furniture was made of real wood or at least something artificial that imitated it pretty well. A brightly colored carpet covered the floor with geometrical designs on it at it looked as if it had been handmade.
Four leather sofas had been arranged into a circle and two people were standing up next to them. The wrinkles on their surfaces told that they had just gotten up to meet both officers. The tallest one was a man with a physical complexion that shown in to be his fifties although his blonde hair had almost turned completely into white and there were some wrinkles on his face. And, unlike Delacroix, he was wearing a suit more akin to the ones she used to, including a tie that extended all the way to his waist unlike the officer's, which stopped right below the chest.
While he was grinning at her the other person's reaction to her was more of shock. She clearly seemed to be about sixty, with long strands of white mixed along her once brown hair. "Captain" As she spoke she raised her arm towards Markovitch. Her comment made Markovitch froze as she realized that she recognized the face but couldn't place it.
"Do you remember me? I served under you on X-Com". The memory of a young reddish face with short hair came to her. "Camay!?" The younger woman smiled at her question but before they could say anything else they were interrupted.
"Excellent" The taller man's words were of enthusiasm making Markovitch look at him. As Delacroix stepped from behind her after closing the door, he saluted the man. "Lt. Commander Delacroix and Lieutenant Markovitch reporting as ordered, sir".
The man waved him off. "Let's drop the military formalities Commander since this is an unofficial meeting. The Captain must be feeling extremely confused and we should make everything for her to be as comfortable as possible". The officer nodded but didn't add a word.
Markovitch looked at him with suspicion. "Just who are you and why I'm here?" Camay tried to suppress a smile as both men seemed surprised by her attitude. The man looked at Camay and nodded. "A bit reckless and eager to get things done like you told me. Very well".
He presented his hand to her. "My name is Frederick Denman Williams, Captain Markovitch. I am the representative of the United States on X-Com's Council of Funding Nations. And I was the one who made that you would be put into cryogenic sleep for forty years". Markovitch wanted to strangle the man in that same minute. Apparently Delacroix had detected her aggressiveness since he placed himself closer to Williams and kept a careful watch at her. Unknowingly, Camay defused the situation by approaching her and placing her hand on her arm. "Captain, that's a long story. It's better if we talk about it while seated down".
After she nodded her assent all of them sat on the leather sofas. "Captain, I'm here because Mr. Williams has asked me to be present so that you could hear what happened from someone you knew". Taking a deep breath, Markovitch told her to continue.
Camay looked at the ceiling for one second as she recollected her memories. "I'll never forget that day on Mars. More than half of us never come back alive. The Colonel, lieutenant Digriz, Yu, Bartfast...when I examined you after you suddenly dropped into the floor I mistook you to be dead. We all did," She paused, "including Colonel Johnson". Markovitch felt tears coming to her eyes. She had silently cried a number of times on her hospital bed.
Camay's hand came on top of hers and she grabbed it. "The Colonel did an immense sacrifice. When I tried to save him the only thing he asked was about you. I told him that you were dead but after he passed away I went back to you and discovered that there was still brain activity inside you. I managed to keep you alive until we manage to bring you to one of the Avengers. Inside you were placed into one of the life-support systems during the entire travel back to Earth. However, when the doctors at Mother One examined you they discovered that your brain had suffered massive trauma due to..."
Delacroix got up from his seat and moved to the window all of a sudden, obviously not desiring to listen to this part of the conversation. Camay looked at him and continued a moment later. "Some sort of massive psionic overload. You had stepped into a coma where you'd never return for sure". The Brain's mental attack. Markovitch remembered in pain.
Turning to Williams, she asked him. "What's the commander's problem?"
"Well...probably it's better to leave it for now. Let us continue to hear the doctor". That didn't satisfied Markovitch but she was also more curious to know what happened this way.
"The partial records we have of Young's work at Area 51 during the First War failed to bring any light into this matter. Their research didn't advance much besides collecting data and making educated guesses for predictions but they were never close to develop a theory.
And the psi-ban froze any additional research, with the knowledge either being destroyed or locked away".
"The psi ban?"
"The Anti-Psionics Convention of 2009 signed by all countries. Psionics was classified as a 'immoral' weapon because of a number of serious incidents. Public outrage rampaged after cases of manipulation were known. While it can't stop psi able persons to be born, it classifies any intentional use of the capability as a serious felony in most countries". Markovitch realized that Delacroix's attitude was probably as result of it. She still felt a slight buzz on her body occasionally that told her that she could still "feel" something but on a lesser scale. "But my brain has recovered hasn't it?"
Williams' eyes tightened as Camay looked at him and Markovitch realized that something must be wrong. "Yes but how we don't know. Captain, after I left X-Com I went back to college and took Medical Studies, specializing into neurology. When Mr. Williams invited me for a very special internship after my graduation I was shocked to see that you had been frozen to converse you. For years I've worked to conserve your body while repairing your brain. The first one was done after hard work but the second proved impossible no matter how anyone on the team tried. Until something happened".
"The alien devices". Markovitch looked at Williams as he completed Camay's unfinished idea. "The what?"
Williams put his hands together. "The aliens are activating massive underwater devices whose purpose is still unclear. However there have been reports of freak nature incidents on the area. They are one of the reasons why the war is getting bad for our side. Please continue Doctor".
"The first device was activated on 2042. The fifth one occurred about one month before we brought you out of the induced coma. In every one your brain activity increased although the coma kept it at a low. Somehow they also seemed to affect you but they actually healed the trauma. But we have no idea of how this happened".
She started to feel restless. "Wait a minute. What does that mean?"
"We don't have a clue. Apparently it has also affected other people with high psi levels but that's not something that will be discussed in the open". The same issue again, Markovitch realized.
"However, when coupled with the reports from the fighting at Cydonia give us a very disturbing picture, Captain. There were some strange claims about you. Camay and some of the surviving soldiers reported that you were the one who lead the force into the alien Brain. There was some sort of connection between you and it". She felt uneasy about his motives for asking. "So?"
"Captain we need to know if they were true. They could as well mean the survival of this planet".
"They were true, I guess. I don't know. Satisfied?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really care. Why have you awaken me anyways? What's going on with the war?" Williams slowly nodded, realizing that she wasn't going to discuss it anymore than the necessary. Motioning Delacroix to come, the man moved away from the window towards them. Markovitch realized that the man must have been listening to the entire conversation even if he had made a point of not getting next to her and pretending that he wasn't interested.
"Captain, I bought X-Com when it was privatized using the money I made through Cyberweb. I have kept it until the aliens resurfaced and the government decided to retake control of the force. At that point I left Cyberweb's management to be appointed to the Council afterwards but now I have the company of fifteen other directors and a majority takes all decisions now. But while our presence financial status is stable at the moment, I think the company has taken wrong strategic approaches to the alien problem".
Markovitch stared at him and laughed. "You're supposed to be my boss? With that kind of corporate talk?" She expected him to be mad at her but to her surprise he smiled and she felt it was genuine. "You're quite correct. I'll leave to the Commander to explain our current situation". He turned to Delacroix who sat down.
"Lieutenant..." Markovitch wondered to whom he was talking to. Could it be to Camay, she wondered. "Captain I mean. It's better if I call you that since we have made some decisions about you meanwhile".
Who the hell did he think he has! "Commander..." She interrupted him. "Who told you that I still like being here or even to lose my ability to decide about what I can do? And what is this lieutenant/captain thing? As far as I know I was still a captain when I dropped dead to the floor on Cydonia".
His face went white as Williams quickly reached forward. "Quite right Captain. You are free to leave any time you want but please hear us first".
To where, Markovitch suddenly realized. Probably all of the people she knew where dead or were old people now. It seemed to her that Williams was also perfectly aware of the fact. Although it bothered her that he could only be using it to his advantage she kept seated down. "Sorry for interrupting you Commander. Please continue".
The naval officers forehead eased but his voice still showed his anger and confusion. "Well, first the whole captain/lieutenant has to do with your present status on X-Com. Officially you're still dead but if you are reintegrated into the force you will hold the naval equivalent of your former rank, namely a lieutenant. But for that to happen, we want to check your combat abilities first, in case you choose to remain in X-Com. Most of the fighting so far has been done underwater and while it can be mastered, there are also a number of things that need to be relearned completely. For a number of other reasons it will be better if you take it from the scratch and be assigned as a new recruit".
"But why am I so important? To see if I can also fight underwater? What's the point?"
Williams interrupted. "Captain, we are in desperate need of good combat officers". Just that, she wondered as she recall the discussion that concerned her psi abilities but Markovitch chose not to mention it. She had realized that the only thing that she could do at the moment was fighting the aliens. There was nothing else to go back to.
"Until now this war has been run by a bunch of bureaucrats who fill progress reports and decide on military matters. And while first it seemed that the alien activity was sporadic there are disturbing signs that it is escalating. We need to start changing some things". Williams' tirade seemed full of empty enthusiasm to her as if he really didn't believe it. "And believe me please. You may not like what you see out there on the forward base and amongst the soldiers. That's what we will be trying to change Captain".
"OK, I got your point councilman. But tell me something first. I heard somewhere on the news that the aliens were the remnants of the ones who survived the first war that hid themselves on the oceans. What's the big problem about them?"
"That is the assumption on which we had been operating for too long with mediocre results".
"The Earth must be rid of all the aliens. Things only got worse when after they arrived". Delacroix's voice was unexpected. Now to Markovitch the officer sounded more convict of his ideas. Why was that? Did it matter?
"I can agree with that". She conceded and he looked at her in suspicion. "But I take it that there are more problems than just the lack of good officers".
"You bet. The war has been raging for nearly three years and there seems to be no end on sight to it. Until now we have lost hundreds of aquanauts, dozens of craft and two of our floating bases while we tried to 'contain' them, as the Council defines our mission".
"Contain? Are they fighting guerrilla style?"
"Close but there's more to it. The number of their incursions and bases keeps increasing. We don't know how they are supporting that effort or where they get their subs or soldiers. And there are the Synomium devices".
"You've mentioned it before. What are they?"
"Underwater facilities that once activated they unleash tremendous power of unknown origin provoking severe changes into the surroundings. We have detected six so far. Every time we have sent there a craft to investigate the team never gets back".
"Wait a minute. Could it be possible that there's a second Brain here on Earth?" Memories of the chamber at Cydonia came to her mind when she had tried to control the first one. She had seen others of its kind and they had reacted to her presence. But all of them were far away on distant stars because she only felt the presence of the one in front of her in the entire Solar System.
"Now that is an interesting point Captain". Williams nodded. "So far we have scanned all of the oceans looking for one but we haven't found anything. Either it's buried somewhere where we can't detect it or there's none. Of course, until now maybe we haven't probed with the right tools".
The quizzical tone hit Markovitch like a guided missile. Of course! They woke me up to see if I could sense it somehow! But I haven't felt anything like I did back then. I haven't felt anything at all for that matter. Memories of Johnson come back.
Noting her reaction Williams nodded but didn't tell much more. From her hopeful face Camay seemed also to believe that she could sense it while Delacroix had gone skulking again.
With a bit of frustration Williams closed the subject. "Until further evidence that's only an hypothesis. However, the alternative to explain their actions is more sinister".
"Meaning?" A sense of dread came to her.
"The aliens might be trying to built a communications device to establish contact with the rest of their race. In that case, if they are successful we can only expect that an alien fleet to arrive when they complete it". The memory of the other brains in space hit her like a heavy laser shot. "There are other brains out there. I can tell you that for sure". The implication made all of them quiet. Williams nodded to her and she sensed that she had just confirmed something to him.
After a brief seconds on which no one spoke, as the faces of everyone besides Markovitch turned grim, Williams caught up himself and said. "I would say you have already been worth our investment. Before you go there's one last matter that you should be advised. Besides the aliens we are facing a problem that is starting to be worrying inside X-Com".
"Oh?" Somehow it didn't surprised Markovitch that the organization would also be plagued with problems forty years later. So far from what she had learned from X-Com's history the Council had simply told all remaining soldiers and personnel that they were out of a job now that there were no aliens. Looking at Camay that angered her. How could they have been so stupid? What have they done now?
Williams caught her reaction and added. "There are a lot of things that need to be changed inside the force Captain and you will discover it. However, this is something external that might put your life at risk. And the danger is not from the aliens".
"The Killer". Camay's voice showed fear and anger at the same time.
"The Killer?" Williams nodded to her. "Yes. Someone, either a single individual or an organization is targeting X-Com personnel and craft. And Mr. Smith, who was a member of the board I chose to take care of Cyberweb while I represent the US at X-Com has been murdered".
"From what I've heard so far it's not that surprising that you have some good enemies out there. Who is it? The Cult? Why don't you go and crack their heads open?"
Williams smiled at the suggestion while Delacroix looked at her closely. "We actually can't be sure that the Cult is responsible and we'd need extreme proof before we struck on them. It could start a civil war inside mankind".
The argument seemed almost impossible so she asked, already afraid of the answer. "What do you mean? I thought they were just a few numbers scattered around".
"That's the general idea that is constantly being bombarded by the media. But the truth is far more ugly than that. We estimate that twenty-five percent of the world's population is alien sympathizers, although only a small percentage are actually Cult members. In numbers, that's about two billion people who believe the aliens are their gods or peaceful galactic neighbors".
The number didn't came easy from her throat "Two billion people!? Where have those people been on the last war?"
"Most of them weren't born yet. And growing up in a planet where one quarter of the population is as richer as the whole rest combined sure leaves resentments. Most of these people grew up in polluted and overcrowded cities with no future at all.
Still, the problem is bigger in some countries than others. In the US, the official census taken in 2040 lists them as six percent of the population. We consider that number to have an error margin of fifty percent. Now days I wouldn't be surprised if they already were more than ten percent of the US' population. But it still isn't a big problem here, although Eurasia and a number of other countries are starting to have real issues".
Markovitch was glad that she had been seated on the leather sofa otherwise her knees would have folded in already since she still felt weak. "But in the place were you are going you won't nothing to worry about besides the aliens, Captain. Still try to be careful until we resolve this Killer problem".
Later when the meeting was over and they were getting ready to leave, Delacroix approached her and said. "Lieutenant Braddock will be assigned to your base to watch for you". To make sure that I fall in line and do as you exp