ASUNA POV

My body is heavy with defeat.

My muscles ache and clench when I try to move them, slowly opening my eyes to see thick metal bars. My sister and I are laying on the floor of a dark cell. Cement floors and walls. I do not hear anyone in the immediate facility, but I know there are humans close by. They are always so loud in their conversations, voices echoing easily.

Looking down at my sister with groggy eyes, I notice her abdomen in white bandages. The wound appears to be clean and tidied. Her armor has been removed, but the thin crop top we wear underneath remains. I hesitantly run my fingers over the bandages, examining for other injuries. She breathes evenly as she sleeps, no cold sweats, no tossing and turning. Whatever they did to her, fortunately helped- instead of hurting her.

For that I am eternally in their debt.

“Hello?” I speak in xeno, loudly through the bars. I do not expect a single human on this ship to understand me- but I hope the commotion will lead them to my cell. My stomach aches for food. My scales cold to the touch. We cannot sit in this cold and dark cell for too long, before our bodies react negatively. My sister may be settled, for now, but continued environments like this will only lead to her demise anyway.

“Hello!” I holler again, pulling at the bars. They seem to bend easily. A fact I store away for later when my sister is fully healed and able to escape with me without hindrance. They must not be used to having alien prisoners.

“Quiet down,” An old man approaches from a hall. He wears the normal uniform I see on XCOM members, his grey beard wiry and shaggy. His eyes look tired and frustrated, wrinkles all around. Large bifocal glasses sit on the bridge of his nose.

“...it's too late at night for you to be hollering like a banshee. Go to sleep,”

I tilt my head to the side, pretending like I could not comprehend a word he just said.

“You look old and decrepit,” I state in xeno, flaring my hood in and out. “...strange they place such a weakling as a guard for two vipers,”

“Sorry, I have no idea what you're saying,” the old man grumbles, throwing his hands about. “...you're gonna have to wait till morning when they come by to change your dressin’,”

With a curt curse from his lips he turns away, abandoning us to the cold cells again.

Analyzing our surroundings, I do not spot anything useful or out of the ordinary. This room of cells is barbaric and freezing. All the cells across from us are empty of life forms. It seems ADVENT was right about taking prisoners...but then again, why did they take us from the field? Why didn’t they let us die?

The sharpshooter.

I find it hard to believe he has such pull within the organization, afterall he did not even appear to be the leader of their squad. Still, my mind drifts to the reasons for captivity...and continuously lands on experimentation.

I hear my sister roll over behind me, groaning in her sleep as her tail coils around herself to keep warm. My jaw clenches at the sight, desperation clawing in my chest. I need to figure out a way out of here. When my sister is well and ready, we will need to flee- and not a second later. XCOM may be playing nice right now but I do not believe it will last very long… not without us giving something in return.

The stories from ADVENT media often haunt me, but given my current situation… they are derailing my thoughts. All I can think about while staring at the soft rises of my sister's chest, is needles and exam tables. The cries of agony from the torture videos, as scales were peeled from vipers bodies. I shiver in fear, adrenaline coursing through my veins and keeping me from falling into slumber again. I curl into my sister for warmth and comfort. My eyes stay open for hours, tracing the shapes of her scales, snapping to the slightest flicker of shadows… in till sleep finally clouds my mind, drowning out the paranoia.

I awake early for what I assume is the next morning. The footsteps above our cell are much more pronounced, more frequent. I can see the light shine at the stop of the staircase, when the door opens and a man walks in. He is dark skinned with no hair, a slim pair of spectacles on his face. He carries a clipboard with him, a medic bag in the other as he descends the stairs. I stare at him menacingly, coiled around my sister with wide orange eyes. He pauses a distance from our cell, tilting his head while analyzing us.

“So you are awake finally, that's good,” He begins, hesitating moving further.

“You didn’t bring any backup?” I question, narrowing my eyes. I am sure I appear menacing in the darkness of this cell, orange eyes gleaming in suspicion.

“I was under the impression you were desperately wanting to save your sister. Is that no longer the case?” He offers back calmly. I swish my tail in consideration, tilting my head curiously. Does he understand xeno, or merely stating a response?

“I would like my sister to be healed, yes. Blankets too, if possible. The cold will only inhibit her from healing properly,” I supply back, uncurling from her.

“I will look into the blankets, but do not hopefully,” He replies back to me with ease. I watch him move towards the door of our cell, depositing the medical bag onto the floor while he fetches keys from his coat pocket. The metal key unlocks the door with a loud clunk, screeching as it pulls open. He strolls into our confinement with ease, crouching by our sisters to analyze her wound.

“She is healing nicely, all things considered,” He states, unwrapping her bandages. I look away from the wound, eyes drifting to the door he has left open behind him.

“If you want to escape, feel free. I will not stop you,” He mutters quietly, focused on his work. “...do not be surprised to find several troops waiting for you in the hall however,”

“Predictable,” I offer back coldly, arms crossing over my chest as I slump against the cement wall.

“Yes well. We could have left you both to die,” He replies with ease, opening the medical bag to pull out a bottle and some antiseptic wipes. “...I have already removed the bullet and stitched the wound, but it needs to stay clean to prevent infection,”

I do not reply to the doctor, eyes drifting towards his hand as I watch him gently wipe away the fuzzing liquid he poured, holding it over her wound for several minutes. He repeats this process until the liquid no longer bubbles. The wipes are stained a yellow color when he is done, small amounts of blood still seeping through the edges of her stitches.

“Are you surprised we took you in and showed you mercy?” He asks quietly, putting away the supplies to pull out a large sheet. He pulls a clear film from the top layer, pressing it directly onto my sister's wound after.

“It is still yet to be determined if this is considered to be mercy,” I replied harshly, watching in awe as he pulls the back layer of the sheet off to reveal a clear, see through film pressed over my sister's wound. He still pulls out another bundle of bandages, gently wrapping them around her abdomen.

“What are you predicting is going to happen?” He asks back, securing the bandages with a small pin.

“Torture. Manipulation. Experimentation. Any other war tactic that yields information to lord over your enemies,” I whisper harshly, my tired eyes jumping to my sisters face.

“Ah, I see,” He responds in kind, gathering up his mess and closing the medical bag. He then picks his clipboard off the floor, writing quickly on the paper attached to it.

“What are you writing?” I inquire, nervously in xeno.

“Just what I am observing from her wound,” He states blankly, without emotion.

“And what are you observing?” is my next response, curiosity and worry grating at my nerves.

“The injured Viper, unnamed, is showing signs of great improvement. Though her body temperature feels lower than what she was brought in with. Blood is minimal from the wound, showing slight infection. Applying general antiseptic along with a layer of Second Skin, followed with bandages to keep the area free from outside debry and warm. The second viper, also unnamed, is awake and talkative though untrusting. Seems to be very wary of their surroundings, would be cautious of an attack,” The doctor finishes, adjusting his glasses as he scribbles onto his clipboard a bit more.

I watch him finish his work quietly.

“I shall be back in a couple days to check on the wound. Try your best to stay warm,” He offers to me, standing and walking towards the door. I watch him close the loud gate slowly, locking it again with ease.

“Her name is Xena,” I mumble quietly, uncertain. The doctor pauses looking at me between the thick metal bars. “...and my name is Asuna,”

“I am Doctor Tygan,” He replies with a curt nod, walking away. I watch his footsteps all the way up the stairs, the light seeping into the room for a brief moment before the door closes behind him.

I let out a sigh I did not realize I was holding, head lolling to stare at the rise and fall of my sister's chest.

So this is our life now.

XENA POV

My eyes flutter open slowly, blurred images clearing after I adjust my eyes. I awake in an empty cell, cement my personal company. I slowly rise from the ground with my arms, analyzing my surroundings. My sweet sister is nowhere to be found, thick metal bars keeping me prisoner.

Looking down, my hands run along the bandages of my abdomen. The pain is mostly bearable as I move, sitting up under the blankets. I glance to my side to spot another makeshift bed, scattered blanket and a single pillow on the cement floor. I assume my sister used to inhabit the area. My own bed is littered with blankets. My gaze softens at the realization. My sister must have given me her own blankets to keep me warm.

A loud clunk catches my attention, my eyes immediately moving to the sliver of light that breaches the darkness. From the door my sister slithers inside, her hands bound by a chain. She is escorted by two XCOM soldiers. Furry burns in my gut at the sight.

When they reach the entrance of my cage, I watch my sisters eyes widen in excitement. The guards pause unlocking the door, noticing my orange gaze glowing against the darkness.

“Stand down,” The one unlocking the door states, loud and booming.

“Go fuck yourself,” I hiss in xeno, tail coiling tightly. My sister laughs in response, causing the guards to look back at her with uncertainty.

“Just let them go sister, we have much to discuss,” She smiles back at me, nodding her head to the guards. A brief moment of tension passes, before they continue unlocking the cage. My sister slithers back in willingly, turning back to face them so they may unshackle her wrists. They swiftly close the cell door behind them, locking it and hurrying towards the exit. My sister waves goodbye at them like they are lost children, and I tilt my head in confusion.

“Sister?” I question, shoulders releasing the tension I was holding. “...what is going on?”

“We have been captured by XCOM,” She replies simply, slithering to her bed and covering herself with the blanket.

“I have gathered that much!” I hiss sarcastically, causing my body to flinch in pain. I wince an eye closed, my sister giving me a worried expression.

“They are the ones that patched up your wound so that you may live,” She whispers, tailing coiling around herself. “...you would have died if they had not taken us in,”

“We are going to die anyway!” I huff back at her, laying down into my own bed. “...do you think they healed me out of the goodness of their hearts? Have you learned nothing of their destruction?”

“I know,” She replies to me quietly.

“Where did they take you?” I ask, eyes running over the scales of her face. “...you do not seem injured,”

“They actually took me to eat,” She replies, unsure. My eyes widen in response, surprised by the action.

“To eat? Where did you go?”

“It was like their cafeteria, basically. I saw a bunch of other members there eating as well,” she responds, looking down onto the floor. “...the food was pretty good and-”

“They let you eat in the cafeteria??” I hiss harshly, interrupting her with anger. “...someone could have killed you there! What were they thinking??”

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“That I needed to eat?” My sister huffs, in their defense. “...they had me eat with some guards to make sure nothing happened.. They did not have to do that,”

“Are you defending them?” I ask in disbelief, glaring at my sister. “...are you serious? Some food and you will just roll over and show your belly?”

“It is not like that Xena, and you know it,” She snaps back at me, quietly. Asuna sighs heavily after, rolling over in her bed.

“You are just gonna roll away from me?” I huff, incredulously.

“No Xena, I just do not want to over stress you right now. Your body is weak. I do not want you sleeping for a long period of time again,” She mutters quietly.

For a moment I am taken aback, suddenly remembering the battlefield with vivid details. The hopelessness I felt watching my normally, passive, sister try to be strong. I sigh out my frustrations, my abdomen quivering in pain. I remember calling out to her, hand outstretched to grab hers before looking down at the hole in my abdomen.

“I am sorry,” I speak lowly, staring at the diamond shapes her scales form on her neck. “...I do not understand how you convinced them to help us, but I am thankful to be alive with you again,”

“I am not even sure how I convinced them myself,” I hear her whisper back. “...they have not asked for anything yet. I have seen no Commanders, no other aliens… we have been in this cell the entire time. A single doctor as a visitor. I was allowed to start leaving for food a week ago, and you have been asleep for nearly fourteen days. I managed to persuade them into giving us blankets but-”

“Do not ask them for anymore favors Asuna,” I state harshly. “...they will try to take back double whatever it is they are owed,”

“If that is the case, then how am I supposed to repay them for saving my dear sisters life?” She argues back at me in frustration. I do not know how to answer her. The truth will only hurt her feelings.

She should have just let me die on that field.

“We will just have to figure a way off this ship,” I reply, shifting in my bed to lay on my back. “...a way to get back home,”

“If they even take us back,” Asuna responds cryptically.

I stare angrily at the ceiling in frustration. My sister has changed in the timeframe of my slumber… I worry for her safety. Sleep comes for me quickly, much to my frustration. I count the cracks in the ceiling as my eyelids settle, my thought whirling through plans of escaping.

I just need one opening.

The next morning Asuna wakes me with a gentle shake, relief blooming across her face when I open my eyes to her orange ones.

“I was worried you would not awake again,”

“I will always wake, for now on,” I reply confidently, sitting up while clenching my abdomen. I feel my stomach rumble, vibrating the ache in my stitches.

“I’ll ask them to take you with me when we go to eat today,” My sister whispers, helping me rise completely.

“They take you everyday?” I ask, astonished.

“Yes. I even get to choose what I eat,” She smiles.

“...how strange,” I mutter back, suspicious.

“You think they are baiting me?” Asuna questions, looking out our cell bars to the door at the top of the steps.

“Of course,” is my reply, filled with certainty. “...there is no other reason to be nice to you. Like you said, you have seen no other aliens. Why would they suddenly take in two if it wasn’t to interrogate them?”

“Then why did they bother healing you? Why didn't they just threaten to kill you to make me talk?”

“Because you already knew I was going to die. You would have just died next to me,” I respond, dread filling my chest at the thought of my sister alone to face the wolves.

“I am not so sure…” Asuna whispers honestly.

“You spend a week eating with a couple guards, and suddenly for-go all the information we know about them? All the horrific acts of war they have committed against defenseless women and children?” I hiss, frustrated. “...have you forgotten everything our den mother described to us?”

“No,” she offers in response, looking me right in the eyes. I sense a streak of defiance in her I have never noticed before.

“Then what is it you see?”

“I want you to see it first,” my sister replies vaguely, tilting her head. “There is a television that plays when we eat. It shows news, broadcasted through the whole confederation,” I scoff loudly, leaning back on my arms.

“So you’ve been brainwashed,” I state blankly, devoid of emotion. “...That’s fine, after we get off this ship you will realize everything they said is lies. Do not watch the television any further. Their media just manipulates the truth in their image,”

My sister looks uncertain, but nods her head at me.

“You are right, like always,”

“Good,” I chuckled, sitting back up. “...what time does the guards usually come for meals?”

“I am not exactly sure...it isn’t for many hours after I awake,”

“Do they have cameras in here?” I ask, looking at the corners of our cell.

“Not that I have spotted, though I do suspect they use some sort of life detector,” She answers, bracing her cheek with her hand. “...it has been especially boring the last two weeks,”

“I can imagine…” I trail off, searching the room. “...but I am here now to keep you company, like I always do,”

“Yeah,” My sister says softly, cuddling close to me. “...I hope we get out of here soon,” She mutters quietly, so much so that I have a hard time hearing her myself.

“Me too Asuna,” I whisper in return.

ASUNA POV

Some time later the guards finally open the door at the top of the stairs. I eagerly await their descent down to us, excited to show my sister the food they may have at the court. Among them this time, however, are faces I have not seen in awhile… faces I was hoping to not have to see again.

Deadeye and the squad leader.

“Hello,” The sharpshooter greets us outside the cell doors. He stands awkwardly, a hand in his pocket while the other rubs the back of his neck. Beside him is the squad leader, taller and angry. His arms are crossed over his chest, his dark eyes suspicious.

“Go fuck yourself,” I hear my sister spit in xeno behind me. I blink several times, trying not to laugh and keep my composure.

“Hello,” I reply to them in the common tongue for humans. They wear standard combat clothes I've seen on others around the cafeteria, a pistol strapped to their leg.

“You can call me Deadeye. This is Striker,” The sharpshooter states in a friendly manner, hand motioning to the man beside him. “...we are here to escort you guys today. Y'all hungry?”

“They are going to kill us,” My sister hisses behind me, her tail curling around the tip of my own. “...we cannot go with them,”

“What’s that bitch saying now?” Striker demands angrily. I hear Deadeye sigh dramatically, a hand coming up to rub his forehead.

“Sorry about him, He’s just-” Deadeye begins politely.

“I don’t like aliens,” Striker interrupts the sharpshooter. “...specially aliens that tried to fucking kill me,”

“Ah yes, Sorry about that,” I mutter back, trying to sound as fluent as I could. “...you could say my sister feels the same way,” I give them a sarcastic smile, titling my head while pulling my cobra hood down against my neck.

“I’ll break his fucking legs if he comes in here,” My sister hisses, rising to her full height. “...they got some fucking confidence if they think they can take two vipers hand to hand,”

The room is silent for a moment, tense and awkward.

“And what was that?” Deadeye asks respectfully, though his eyes are serious and guarded.

“She is worried about your intentions,” I summarize, almost diplomatically. “...will be happy to break your legs if your try to do us harm,”

“I’ll be happy to leave you freaks in there to fucking starve!” Striker yells in anger, scoffing before walking away. “...lets go Deadeye,”

“That is not how this works Striker,” Deadeye sighs exasperated. He locks eyes with me. “...we are not planning to do anything. Just escorts to eat, like all the other times,”

“You promise?” I reply quickly, tongue slipping between my lips to taste the air for his deceit. Deadeye watches me closely before nodding, his partner scoffing angrily.

“I promise. Can your sister walk yet?” I look back to my sister who crosses her arms over her chest, looking away from me.

“Yes, she should be fine,” I respond, stepping back from the cell bars. Deadeye nods to one of the guards with him, they move forward to unlock the door.

“Why don’t you tell your sister how this works,” Deadeye offers, eyeing my sister suspiciously.

“I already did,” I inform him. The guard opens the door, signaling me to put my arms through the cuffs. I do so without complaint, walking out the cell and standing beside Deadeye. My sister remains at the back of our cell, eyes suspiciously moving back and forth between everyone.

“It is okay sister, be nice,” I speak to her, trying to be comforting. “...we will get to eat if you follow along,”

“You know they are gonna kill us right? Maybe not today…” She responds, slithering to the front of the cell and repeating the same motions as I did. “...but they will eventually kill us,”

“Maybe,” I reply, shrugging. “...but today, we eat,”

“See? Was that so hard?” Deadeye states, hands on his hips as he stands in front of us with a small smile. Neither my sister or I respond, and he sighs lightly before turning around. We follow them both up the stairs, my excitement rising in my chest. Everytime I venture to the open part of the ship, my heart soars with relief. The smell of fresh air, food and sheer life always relaxing me… if only for a moment.

“Nice to see lights again,” My sister comments from behind me. Deadeye leads us in the front, Striker in the back. On either side of us are two guards, decked in full armor. They all carry some form of weapon. We pass by many faces, all curious… a lot fearful.

“Half of these assholes have never even seen aliens before, have they?” My sister comments, no doubt terrorizing half the troops with her gaze as they walk by.

“I think it’s natural to be afraid of something that is encroaching on your home,” I respond, trying to smile at some of the troops. It seems to frighten them more.

“Where are we?” Xena asks.

“I am not sure,” Is my response. We are walking through many hallways, most without windows; but, when you do catch a glimpse of the outside all you can see is the dark void of space. Obviously, we are on a ship. ADVENT has a record of many ships belonging to XCOM...but just from the walk I can tell this one rather large. I do not remember reading about XCOM having any large vessels at their disposal.

“Here we are,” Deadeye states, arms stretching wide like he is presenting the cafeteria in a show. “..why don’t you show your sister around Asuna?”

“You told them our names??” My sister hisses at me. I snap my head back to her to give her a stern look, but she merely squints her eyes at me in return. Her orange irises follow my wrists as the guard unlatches my chains, letting me move freely. He moves towards my sister cautiously.

“Don’t do anything stupid Xena, I really am hungry,” I say to her, watching closely as her tail swishes back and forth at the end. She lets the guard unlatch her cuffs, immediately slithering next to me.

“Let me show you where we start,” I state in the human language, dragging my sister by the arm to the start of the cafeteria line. The guards have cleared the line ahead of time, one standing at the beginning, two throughout the line, and the last one at the end.

Before us are various entrees and side dishes. The line has more human food than I have ever seen if I am being honestly. One of the strange things I noticed early though, is the distinct lack of meat.

“Where is the good stuff?” My sister grumbles. “...I thought all humans ate was straight meat. The humans in our cities won’t stop eating the ADVENT burgers,”

“Evidently, not,” I offer back, filling my plate. “...I haven’t seen meat yet,”

“I guess at least it's not the alien sludge…” My sister comments. “...we get to actually chew this food,”

“Exactly,” I reply, smiling lightly.

When we reach the end we are escorted to our own table in the back of the room. The tables next to use have been cleared. We sit facing the cafeteria, watching the humans as they cautiously grab their own food and sit down.

“Taste okay?” Deadeye asks, standing by our table.

“Yes,” I reply politely. My sister does not respond, just glares.

They should be getting used to it by now.

“That’s good. Let me know when you're done,” He replies, almost friendly. I watch him take his seat at the table next to ours, no food in front of him. He slouches against the table, just watching the rest of the cafeteria like we do.

I sip slowly on the water provided, watching the humans interact and laugh with each other. ADVENT has always portrayed humans as a serious bunch. Their only goals are the destruction of ADVENT and the annihilation of any aliens races they come in contact with. Yet, sitting here watching them act so carefree… I almost feel a pit of envy in my chest.

“Look at them,” My sister states aggressively. “...they are just sitting there happy as can be. Don’t even care about all the aliens they are causing to suffer. All the creatures they kill. The supplies they just robbed from helpless citizens,” She scoffs after, dropping her fork onto her now empty tray.

“How are you holding up?” I ask her. “...this is your first time eating since you have been wounded,”

“I feel fine,” is her quick reply, trying to curb my worry. “...better question is, did you even see anywhere to escape? I barely even saw any doors from the walk here,”

“No,” I quickly reply, eyes darting to Deadeye and Striker to see if their attentions are peeked by our conversation. They still show now signs of understanding us.

“...honestly, I think they walk us in small circles to throw off the distance,” I admit.

“That would be smart I suppose,” My sister replies, holding her head up with her palms on her cheeks. “..so when do they take us back?”

“Usually right after I finish, but they have not commented on it yet,” is my response, curiosity in my tone.

“What are they waiting for?”

“I do not know,” I reply, shifting my attention to Deadeye.

“...excuse me? We are finished now, thank you for the food,” I try to be polite.

“Awesome!” He replies with a small friendly smile. “...sit tight for a bit, Dr. Tygan wants to come and chat,” My orange eyes widen at the name, nodding in response.

“Who is that?” My sister asks.

“The doctor who saved you,” I replied quickly, searching the crowd for him.

“Here we fucking go…” She mutters defensively.

“Calm down,” I retort. “...we don’t know what he wants, yet,”

“He’s gonna ask us to betray ADVENT. He has been waiting this whole time. If he thinks I am just gonna roll over and be a good little pet snake, he has another thing coming,” Xena hisses her discomfort, hood flaring. The guards immediately notice, watching us carefully. I sigh heavily in response.

We chat idly to each other as we wait for the doctor to arrive. Humans come and go through the cafeteria. I am not complaining much about the wait, it is nice to sit in the clean and open air. Nice to sit in the lights and almost chat normally, like we aren’t being held captive.

“Asuna? Xena?” Dr. Tygan’s voice cuts through my thoughts as he approaches our table, holding his clipboard in his hand. I am starting to think it is a permanent fixture to his uniform.

“Hello,” I reply calmly. My sister remains quiet beside me, eyeing the doctor suspiciously.

“How are you doing today?” The doctor asks politely, taking his seat at our table.

“How do you think we are doing?” My sister hisses, resting his cheek on her palm. “..bored. Held Captive. Might be murdered or experimented on. Sold for parts. Who really knows,”

“We are fine,” I sigh heavily, rubbing my face in embarrassment. Dr. Tygan raises a brow at my sister, but says nothing else.

“I came to offer you a proposition,”

“Called it,” Xena scoffs.

“What kind of proposition?” I ask, giving my sister a look.

“We will offer you… better room and board with access to your own bathroom. You will be closely monitored, of course. You will not be allowed to leave your room, similar situation as the cell block. But you will have an improved quality of life,” The doctor adjusts his glasses, waiting for my reply.

“But?” I respond, hesitantly. “..what do you want from us?”

“Information. Nothing more,” He replies, folding his fingers together over his clipboard.

“What kind of information?” I ask immediately, without worry.

“Are you kidding me Asuna? What are you doing??” My sister hisses, hand grabbing my arm to pull me towards her.

“If you don’t wanna say anything, then just be quiet,” I huff in response to her. “...this is better for us. What if it's something simple?”

“It would save lives, if that helps you feel better,” Dr. Tygan interrupts. “...We are moving a civilian group to a safer location. This group is almost entirely women and children. We are just asking you to look at some photos, let us know if anything looks suspicious. We have been tipped off to possible traps,”

“He can understand what we are saying?” My sister asks harshly, staring the doctor down.

“Yes,” I reply in the human tongue, shaking her arm off. “...I’d be happy to look at some photos for you,”

“I really do not think we should sister,” Xena interrupts me. “...If the council finds out-”

“They will probably kill us anyway, regardless,” I reply back quietly. I listen as Dr. Tygan unclips a folder from his clipboard, passing it to me on the table.

“These are the pictures,” He states simply, as I open the flap. My sister's scaly hand slams down on the first picture, echoing loudly through the cafeteria. The commotion makes several of the guards look our way. Groups of humans seem to stop what is going on, the tension in the room skyrocketing.

“Don’t,” My sister aggressively pleads. “You don’t know if these are actually civilians. They could be lying. You could be letting a squad of soldiers through,”

“I have included some pictures of the families moving, if that helps you come to a decision,” Doctor Tygan chimes in, patiently.

“You’d rather I’d let possible civilians die?” I argue back, frustrated. “...How would you feel if the roles were reversed?”

“This is not a hypothetical,” Xena hisses at me. “You are betraying ADVENT for XCOM,”

“I am helping save innocent lives,” I snap back.

“XCOM lives,” My sister bites back.

“Does that make them not innocent??” I yell, cobra hood flaring. “..are you listening to yourself?”

“Why don’t you keep the folder? Take it back with you and you may..discuss your issues further,” The doctor offers. My sister's hood flares as wide as mine, our opinions clashing harshly.

“No need,” I state viciously in the human tongue. Gripping my sister's wrist, I pull her hand from the folder; staring her down. She hisses as disagreement, but does not interfere further.

Opening the folder, the first image is groups of humans walking through a field. I spot many children playing along the side of the image. I push the image towards my sister, who vehemently looks away to stare at the wall. The next images are of various mountain ranges, slender paths and a thick forest in the distance. I recognize the area vaguely.

“I am not sure honestly,” I admit, moving back and forth between the pictures. I pick out one of the slender paths leading up the mountain, a vague memory of a boulder trap stuck in my mind.

“...If I went with my gut, I’d say beware paths like this one,” I point to the area in the picture. “...mountains are dangerous. They have a tendency to have sliding cliffs. Slipping boulders. Crumbling rocks… that sort of thing,”

I try to remain vague, my sister's words echoing in my mind.

“...instead of looking for obvious markings, I would try to look for natural accidents,” I mumble quietly, pushing the folder away. “...at least, that is what I think,”

I am surprised when my sister's hand comes down to stop the folder. She quickly pushes the top photos away, picking up a picture of a path leading into a dense forest.

“Do you have a pen?” She asks aggressively. Dr. Tygan hands him one from his coat pocket, clicking it open for her. She quickly circles two spots on the picture, I eye the vague shapes in the shadows of the forest.

“...look for clues like these. You will not be able to see them from far away. In thick forests, there will be hidden figures made of sticks propped in the trees of entrances whose paths will have pits in them. Falling in them will alert the closest collection squad,”

My eyes widen at the information. I had not known anything about those. I wonder where she learned it from.

“Thank you, both of your intels are incredibly helpful,” Dr. Tygan replies, collecting the folder. “...you will return to the cell block for now. After we have successfully moved our group to a safe location, I will reach back out,”

“Unlikely,” My sister grumbles.

“Alright,” I respond politely. “...could we possibly get a shower though? Please?” I ask the doctor.

He blinks at us for a moment, before I catch the rarest and tiniest of smiles.

“I will see what I can do,” He simply states, turning away.

The guards quickly escort us back to our cell. Securing the lock with a final clunk, I look back through thick metal bars, slightly disheartened.

“Hey,” Deadeye says, catching my attention.

“Lets go Deadeye,” Striker grunts, already walking away. “...they aren’t worth the time,”

“Sorry,” Deadeye mumbles, running a hand through his hair. “...Thanks for helping us out. You saved a lot of lives… I hope they move ya somewhere comfier,” He eyes look sad and regretful as he walks away. I briefly wonder why.

“Humans are so emotional,” My sister comments, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe he is sorry for shooting you,” I offer back, watching as the door at the top of the stairs shuts behind him.

“Humans aren’t sorry for anything,” My sister replies sourly, immediately crawling under her blankets, turning away from me.

I am not so sure about that.