Dragon Team was gathered together behind one of the smaller warehouses overlooking the factory area. Although they were well within enemy territory, there was little chance of a random patrol finding them, as most of the enemies were gathered around other areas.

"So your plan is to get the factory MECs started on an offensive?"

Ember nodded, smiling at Shen. "Why take them down ourselves and risk additional injury when we can just have the droids duke it out among themselves? Get their attention?"

"And how exactly are you planning on getting this done?" Shen asked. "I'll grant you that planning an attack like this is not something I'm an expert at, but your plan hinges completely on being able to reach a whole bunch of machines and tricking them."

"That's the thing," Ember said, leaning back against the wall. "I was going to try and hack one or the other, but the risk of us getting caught on that one is very high. Security, let's see a map."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The team gathered around as Ember explained. "Given the range of the GREMLINs, we can't really have the attacks concentrate on an area far away from us. Getting there risks discovery, and whoever is found out on that area will be taken down very quickly, regardless of skill."

"But if it's too close, we will still risk being seen." Coyote countered.

"That's why we go—"

"It's not going to work."

The group looked at Shen.

"How come?" Coyote asked. "This kind of thing might be basic, but it is effective."

Lily shook her head. "You're thinking of normal ADVENT vs XCOM situations. That doesn't apply here. Most, if not all, of the current troops stationed around the factory are mechanical. Provoking one area into a fight is not going to make the other machines instinctively go help… since they have no such instincts."

The group grimaced at each other, but nodded.

"I don't get it," Coyote said, the ranger motioning with her hand. "Okay, so they won't rush to help, but they're being attacked nearby…"

"You're thinking of a regular ADVENT pod, which would have a Captain or a Priest or even an Andromedon giving orders," Lily clarified. "In that kind of situation, this would probably work because their first reaction would be to do something about it, but with these… they'll stay put and on watch at their posts unless directly ordered by officers to do something different, or if they are under attack themselves."

"Great." Coyote muttered, sitting back and massaging her forehead. "Now what? We can't take too long. Menace is going to be on the receiving end of everything between their location and us."

"I think the plan is good," Shen said, "but the scope is too small."

Silence.

Ember frowned. "You… what? You think the scope is too small?!"

"Shen," Chrysalis' voice hummed through, "What are you thinking?"

"I need to get closer…" Shen said, her eyes up, scanning the roofs until they settled on one specific building. "I need to get closer to that radio tower."

"Ping it on the map."

Shen did so by tracing a circle on the building depicted in their map, knowing that the Avenger's dedicated computer would mirror it.

"It's heavily guarded," Security muttered.

"I'll get you there. How long do you need?"

"Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on Menace as well?" Ember asked before she could stop herself.

"Central is working with them directly, right now, your mission is more critical."

"Then," Shen said, "I just need a few minutes once I'm there, Commander."

"Understood. Coyote, Security, you're with her. Ember, you and the rest of your team will follow but remain hidden at ground level. If Shen is thinking what I'm thinking, we'll need you to disperse quickly to these other locations."

Shen's eyes were wide as she studied all the buildings that Chrysalis had marked on their map. The others looked at each other in confusion, but Shen knew all too well that the Commander hadn't just guessed things. "But… how?"

"I'm the commander."

"That's hardly an explanation." After a prolonged moment of silence, Shen spoke up again, her tone accusatory. "I can hear you smiling, commander!"

Julian watched in silence as Scootaloo stared at the floor. The human woman had clearly been very upset at what had happened to his Apple Bloom.

For the time they had known each other, she had regaled him with stories about her friends. At first he had been uninterested. As time passed, and he knew more about them and their relationship, he was jealous. Eventually, however, he overcame that feeling, hoping perhaps that they could one day meet him and accept him.

After all, between Apple Bloom's and Scootaloo's genius when it came to mechanical design, they could probably make him a much better body than that old pile of junk ADVENT had stolen from his father.

Sure, it had been intended for him, after all, but all hardware became antiquated quickly enough, and with a team like that, plus the social admiration humans had for Sweetie Belle, he could end up with not only a body that would shame all other MECs, but also political power.

When he thought about Apple Bloom, Julian ran another diagnostic. Something had changed in his programming when she was shot. It was in a way predictable: he was an AI, capable of learning and evolving, however the rate of changes seemed to be outdoing his initial calculations by a fair margin.

And it had started with Sunset Shimmer and Jane Kelly.

To this day, after reviewing the data objectively and coming to the conclusion that it was a glitch, he still did not understand (and thus had a subroutine running examining the data with any new information acquired) how he had actually felt… relieved when Apple Bloom had revealed that both XCOM members had survived.

Even after he had given away their position to ADVENT in order to cover his tracks. He had fully expected Jane Kelly to die and Sunset soon after. But when they had escaped the city and then… somehow… survived deadly wounds, he had been pleased by the development. It had put him at risk, but no retaliation had come from XCOM.

It was possible that they had not realized he was responsible, but it also indicated that if they were really unaware of this, Sunset had protected him to some extent, as the Commander would no doubt had foreseen the danger of his unleashed AI—considering all the information and data he still had about old XCOM.

In a turn of events that had him running scenarios constantly, he had then pretended to befriend Apple Bloom. Or thought he had.

His reaction to her being executed had not been logical, after all. And now they were in this situation due to his own actions.

Now, they were trapped, there was little hope. ADVENT would probably destroy the base if they were merciful. But, as sarcastic as he could be… as cruel and manipulative, Julian refused to lie to himself now.

They would be overwhelmed. The humans killed. His dreams destroyed. He would be investigated again, this time more thoroughly. His code fully explored, his self deleted. There was no stopping them. Not with the Chosen at the helm.

It was then that he received the transmission and decoded it.

The video replicated a female that was somewhat familiar in appearance, but more importantly, she had the XCOM logo on her uniform and had used Charles Shen's personal communication protocol. They had come. They had heard AppleSeed's message and come.

"Julian. This is Lily Shen," the woman said, "I know you can parse this message. There's a whole bunch of family reunions going around XCOM these days. How about we have one of our own?"