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Chapter Text

A is A

Apotheosis

Gen. Hammond reviewed the reports from P3X-797 and nodded. “That’s settled then; the worlds friendly to us are now considered protected to at least a minimum degree against the Goa’uld. Is there anything else we need to consider before we proceed with our operations?”

The team leaders shook their heads, and Alice spoke up. “From what we’ve seen sir, everything is in place to hold against any threat. It’s a shame that we couldn’t convince the Tollan to aid us in placing their technologies on these worlds, though.”

“The Tollan are, shall we say, particular with the distribution of their technologies.” Gen. Hammond smiled as he closed the folder. “We won’t need to worry too much about them now however, we’re ready to continue on with our missions. Now SG-5 has reported that the planet they’re has a large reserve of iron and a seemingly naturally-occurring steel that could revolutionize all of our steel-producing processes. I’d like MV-9 to report back on this metal and -- ”

Sirens started to blare in the briefing room. “Unscheduled dimensional opening, security teams to standby.”

The leaders quickly secured their intelligence as Gen. Hammond placed his folders in a secured file cabinet. “Everyone, dismissed until further notice.”

Moving for the control room, the general could see the security forces moving into position around the quantum mirror. Harriman tapped away at his console and nodded as Hammond walked up. “It’s GDI’s IDC sir.”

Hammond nodded as he moved for the mirror. “Tell all teams to stand down.”

The quantum mirror shifted to a ship’s deck as Gen. Locke walked through, shifting from how he was perceived in his own dimension to how a person was seen in SGC's dimension. “Gen. Hammond, sir.”

Gen. Hammond walked forward and shook Locke’s hand. “Gen. Locke. Good to have you here, sir. Is everything alright?”

“Fine general, just fine,” Locke said, as several aides walked in behind him. One had a small attache case handcuffed to his arm. “We have an important update though, we need to speak with you immediately. Where’s Dr. Jackson?”

“In his office, I’ll have him sent for.”

Locke nodded as the security teams stood down and the klaxons died off. “Excellent. So, this is the SGC. I can’t lie sir, it’s about exactly what I expected.”

Gen. Hammond chuckled as he led the way to the briefing room. “Certainly has to be a nice change of pace from a ship at sea, sir.”

Locke laughed as he walked into the room behind Gen. Hammond, Lt. Adriana Maus unlocking the handcuffed case and taking out several files. “Indeed, still find myself swaying a little honestly. Suffice to say though, that isn’t the primary reason I’m here.” Taking one of the files from Maus, Locke passed a folder to Gen. Hammond. “We’re finally ready to take them out sir.”

Gen. Hammond looked at the folder, stamped “TOP SECRET” at the top above an operation name; “Operation: THREE SCORPIONS”. “You’ve cornered Nod around their last stronghold.”

“Forces have the Brotherhood encircled around Sarajevo,” Locke said, nodding for those present to open any intelligence they had in front of them. Flipping through the pages, Gen. Hammond stopped at a satellite image of Sarajevo, surrounded by firebases and forward positions. “German, Russian, and Polish divisions are already in position around the city, and a GDI strike force is positioning itself to attack the final beating heart of Nod’s last major stronghold in Europe.”

“We’ll do whatever we can to help you sir,” Gen. Hammond said, setting the files down. “MV-5 is already in position?”

“Yes, Havoc and the Dead Six are already waiting for the MVTF outside Sarajevo.” Locke pulled another sheaf of papers out of his folder. “We took the liberty of requesting the teams we would hope accompany them on this task, if this is an issue we will take whoever is available for you to send.”

Gen. Hammond took the papers from Locke and quickly read them over. “These teams are already on standby in their respective universes sir; we can get them here within the hour. Is this mission time critical?”

“Only in the sense that we don’t want to give Nod any time to further fortify their positions,” Locke said, pulling out a reconnaissance picture of three hills. “Once Dr. Jackson arrives I feel we can discuss the matter further.”

Alice knocked on the doorframe to Daniel’s office. “Dr. Jackson? It’s Lt. Malvin; Gen. Locke from the GDI is here and he needs to talk with you.” When there was no answer, Alice slowly walked into the room and saw a mess.

Papers and journals were scattered everywhere, piled up around the floor and Daniel’s desk. His “computer” was frozen on an image of a great hall, with a wild celebration in the center. Men with winged helmets and leather armor drank and shouted on the art, as the chalkboard in front of Daniel’s desk was covered in runic marks, translated underneath as, “Via the Bifrost; Valhalla awaits; Beware Muspelheim”.

Gingerly stepping over one of the piles, Alice called out again. “Dr. Jackson? Are you in here?”

The pile of papers on the desk stirred and fell apart as Daniel rose from beneath. “Huh? What, is something happening?”

Alice gingerly paced over to the good doctor. “Gen. Locke, from GDI? He’s here with something important, he needs to talk to you in the briefing room.”

Daniel nodded, trying to gather up several of the papers and navigate the dozens of smaller pieces of information scattered throughout the small research space. “I was up all night, lost track of time.” Daniel checked his computer’s clock and blinked. “Actually I was up all of three nights.”

Alice shook her head and pulled Daniel into the corridor. “What on Earth were you researching that kept you up for that long?”

“Possible evidence of trans-dimensional incidents, even before the Goa’uld and Asgard arrived.” His mind was racing again, the cobwebs of sleep disappearing even if the smell around his body didn’t. “All through human mythology there have been stories of people traveling from one realm to another; Orpheus to the Underworld, the journey of the pharaohs to the afterlife, even up to Dante’s description of Hell, Purgatory, Paradise. Intense, vivid descriptions that are almost like first-hand retellings.”

“Well I think you’re gonna need to be more focused on facts right now,” Alice said, pulling Daniel into an elevator. “Gen. Locke said that they’ve cornered Nod and are getting ready for a fight.”

Daniel’s demeanor changed as if Alice had flipped a switch. “They’ve finally cornered them? Sarajevo, right? This is exactly what Kane would want, the entire world is probably focused on that fight.” As the elevator doors started to close, Alice realized just what pain she had gotten herself into.

By the time Alice got back to the briefing room with Daniel in tow, she looked like a person long-resigned to pain. Which was a feat in and of itself since usually it was Carter that made anyone not a technician ready to find the nearest third-floor window. Daniel, meanwhile, was going a mile a minute. “And the amazing thing is that the brotherhood is modeled partially on the Greek concept of a mystery cult. I think Kane is using the concept to make it appear that what he offers is actual physical gain instead of what we realize is a borderline-metaphysical concept like ascension.” As he paused for a breath Daniel looked around and saw where he was. “Oh, right.”

“Dr. Jackson,” Locke said, getting up to shake Daniel’s hand. “We were just ensuring that everyone understands what needs to be understood for the upcoming assault.” Locke handed several photos to Jackson. “Tell me, are you familiar with these structures?”

Daniel took up the image and stared at it for a few seconds. “Pyramids, these are pyramids.”

“I’m not sure about your reality, but in ours there are stories that in Sarajevo that three hills are in fact three pyramids, structures long since covered by Earth and forgotten of their true purpose.” Locke tapped on his own copy as Alice happily enjoyed the lack of Daniel’s chattering. “Can you tell us any reason why that might be?”

“Well honestly sir no, not really,” Daniel said, sitting down next to O’Neill. As the colonel's nose wrinkled at the smell, the archaeologist pressed on. “There were no major cultures in the Balkans, at least none that were as primary in anthropology as the Egyptians or Greeks. I mean I asked that we investigate the area when I learned more about Nod in our own universe, but the risks are apparently too great.”

“Well we don’t have any time regardless,” Locke said firmly. “Forces from several GDI member nations have surrounded Sarajevo and secured these pyramids in the process. We can’t attack however; Nod has ensured the civilians are forced to remain.” Taking a VHS tape from the briefcase, he said, “We recorded this two days ago as the cordon was being built up. As you can presume, Nod took no effort to clear out and secure Sarajevo before GDI forces arrived.”

An airman took the tape and set it into the VHS player under the room’s monitor. It was obvious that no one in the room ranked low enough to do it, not when enlisted were around; it wasn’t right for a general to do something so menial as put a tape in a player.

The video started, showing a surveillance recording of Sarajevo. The timestamp marked it as mid-June, 1995. The video showed the city smoking from combat; several high-rises were left without facades and shattered by shelling. Helicopters flew in the distance behind the city, Apaches and Chinooks and several Eurocopter Tigers. There was a squadron of several VTOL aircraft that Gen. Hammond didn’t recognize at first, looking like a helicopter fuselage with two turbofans on the side.

As the room watched, the camera shifted down to show a road leading out of the city. A sizable convoy of civilian vehicles was fleeing the area, speeding through ruined streets with a surplus Russian BTR at the front. The armored car sped through the streets, careening through ruined roadblocks and smashing burning vehicles aside.  People were visible on the backs of several pickups and flatbeds, clinging on for dear life as mothers visibly cradled children in their arms.

A loud shriek ripped through the background, and the BTR was obliterated in a blast that engulfed three other vehicles as the convoy screamed to a halt. Some of the vehicles broke and tried to flee from the carnage through the streets, others emptied as their occupants tried to pry survivors from the burning wreckage that blocked their path to safety. There was more shrieking, and further explosions tore the convoy apart. The image cut to black, leaving everyone in the room silent until Locke rewound to the images just before the missile hit.

“Nod has been bombarding anyone who tries to leave Sarajevo with SSMs, surplus ‘Honest Johns’ that they managed to secure via the black market. Taking out their sources has been one of the largest law enforcement efforts in human history.” Locke pushed several more still pictures toward Gen. Hammond. “We’re sure that Kane is inside though, these were taken from one of our operatives just before their capture.” The still showed Kane standing in front of a bank of monitors, one of his followers bowing to him as they spoke of the upcoming battle. “Gen. Hammond, we need your best teams available now.”

“We’re in,” Mustang said, catching O’Neill off-guard. “If Kane’s plan for the planet involve Tiberium in any way, we’re going back to aid GDI.”

“SG-1 will assist as well,” Gen. Hammond said. “Presuming Col. O’Neill has no immediate objections?”

O’Neill shook his head. “Course not sir, facing down against these lunatics again just sounds like a treat.”

Korra and Asami looked over. “We’d like to volunteer as well sir,” she said. “Reading up on the Brotherhood, they sound like something we faced in our own world. We think we can help.”

“Plus Dead Six, that should be more than enough,” Locke said, a quiet smile on his face at the quick volunteering from the team leaders. “We have three days until we begin our initial reconnaissance of the immediate area around the city, seeking out any means to try and infiltrate. Lt. Maus will accompany you, meet with the leader of the assault force, and decide the proper course of action that you can all assist with.”

“It will be a pleasure sir,” Gen. Hammond said. “Please, whatever else you need, just ask for it. Everyone else, you’re all dismissed to your duties.”

“You sure you want to do this babe?” Asami asked, squeezing Korra’s shoulder as the team leads dispersed. “You know Parker hates us, it’s not exactly a secret.”

“We used to think you were an Equalist,” Korra said, dour as she squeezed her love’s hand back. “If we prove to Parker that we aren’t the bad guys and that we’re willing to fight just as hard as he does? We might be able to win him over.”

“Doubt it,” O’Neill appeared behind the two. “Guys like him don’t change that fast, even if you save their lives. It’s gonna take him a lot longer to accept what you two can throw down.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try,” Korra said, firm conviction speaking volumes to O’Neill. “Plus, these reports mention ‘ascension’ as a key goal of Nod. I think I’ve seen this before. Fought against it too.”

Daniel blinked as he walked over. “I’m sure, how do you fight a metaphysical concept that involves essentially becoming a god?”

Korra’s expression set into an awkward grimace. “Well for me it involved fighting my uncle off the shore of Republic City. And a lot of vines trying to pin me down.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Arriving in GDI’s home universe, the teams were hurried aboard a Chinook and flown to the region around Sarajevo. Asami was delighted that she was aboard a new vehicle, talking excitedly about the device’s construction with Carter the whole flight. Everyone else was busy sleeping or looking out as desert turned to sea turned to forest and hills. Anyone that wasn't spent the flight staring out the back of the chopper at the passing greenery and hillsides.

The pilot’s voice broke over their headsets. “Standby, coming in on final approach.” The helicopter slowed, everyone feeling the shift in inertia as it touched down in a landing zone. Lt. Maus led the way off the aircraft nodding to a pair of ground crewmen as she marched toward a series of waiting Humvees.

It was another journey to Sarajevo, rumbling along everything from decent paved roads to barely-passable dirt paths. The worst ones were just outside the city proper; fighting between Nod and GDI had turned once smooth streets into pockmarked, rubble-strewn obstacle courses.

The Humvees stopped at a massive cordon, men and women in uniform standing watch over the sight of the apparently friendly vehicles that none of them took to be automatic friends. Tanks sat dug-in around the forward base, machine gun positions hidden in the soil behind line after line of Concertina wire. All facing away from the Nod positions. The man at the gate talked briefly with Lt. Maus, and soon waved the group through as the sentries visibly relaxed. Slightly.

“Place is pretty well fortified,” O’Neill noted. “Expecting company from outside as well?”

“We’re still worried that Nod may have sympathizers among the local militias and military forces,” Maus said, the convoy turning into what O’Neill realized were the forward headquarters for the assault forces. “The 75^th Ranger Regiment is in position on the perimeter, the Paras are to the north and the Foreign Legion have the east. German armor is available to plug any gaps that may form before and during the assault.”

“So logistically things are -- ”

“A nightmare,” Maus said, smiling at the grim humor. “Follow me sir, we’ll get you to meet Col. Solomon.”

The convoy emptied, everyone piling out to follow Maus into a larger tent than the rest that they’d passed. For now no one had a magazine in their weapons, but all it would take would be about five seconds to load, chamber, and fire in case of a threat. Walking in first, Maus straightened up slightly. “Colonel, sir. Lt. Maus reporting with the task force teams Gen. Shepherd ordered to assist you.”

“Thanks lieutenant,” the man said, his voice pleasingly deep and perfectly toned. Turning around from a map on a chalkboard, he smiled at the new arrivals. He was a stocky man, well-built and weathered from action. “Well, nice to meet my help for the next few hours. James Solomon, 10^th SFG.”

“Jack O’Neill,’ Shaking Solomon’s hand, he glanced about the command tent. “So, you’re the lucky guy huh? How big a bet did you lose?”

“Guess I just have a winning personality,” Solomon said, smiling wide as he shook O’Neill’s hand. With his big smile and broad body, Solomon looked more like someone’s fun and goofy father than a special forces commander. Of course, O’Neill knew that out of everyone present Solomon was probably the deadliest person in the room. Even compared to himself. “I’ve been part of the fight in Europe for some time now. Nod’s proven a bitterly hard nut to crack from the Baltic down to the Balkans, but we finally put them on the backfoot.” Solomon motioned for the teams to gather around a map in the center of the tent. “They’ve got some kind of massive temple complex in the center of their base, but satellite scans have revealed that the entire building just acts as a cover for an ICBM launch facility.”

Daniel looked up. “Nuclear?” Solomon nodded. “Well, that’s not a very comforting fact.”

“Not exactly leaving us much to the imagination are ya?” O’Neill shook his head as he walked over to a map laid out on a small folding table. “The rules of drama need to be observed, colonel.”

Solomon smiled as he answered. “The rules of drama can go and kiss my ass, I have lives to save.”

O’Neill grinned and looked toward Mustang. “Knew I’d like him.”

Asami looked over the maps spread over the table. “I thought GDI was handling this operation, but there’s all these different flags on the map.”

“GDI is a multinational task force,” Solomon said calmly. “For an operation of this magnitude though, we needed the military forces of the fellow member states.”

O’Neill peered closely at one of the maps. “This is wrong, there’s some Russian regiments holding the East.”

Solomon nodded. “The Russians are allies in this universe, Col. O’Neill.”

O’Neill threw up his hands. “Well great, this whole op is shot then.”

Fuery held up a hand. “I’m sorry, why is it bad that these Russians are involved?”

“The Russians are a bunch of communists,” O’Neill grumbled, Daniel rolling his eyes as Jack went on. “They’ll wait until Nod is knocked out and probably attack when we’re least expecting it.”

“The Russians were turned away from communism after WWII,” Solomon said, voice firm as he stared down O'Neill. “What’s more they’ll probably be the main thrust of the assault so I’d refrain from mentioning that when you see them.”

As O’Neill hemmed and hawed to himself, Carter quickly took up the lead. “So, what’s our plan to get into the temple complex?”

“We’ll create what appears to Nod to be a probing attack on their defenses,” Solomon said, pointing at the map on the table. “We can move the Russian forces from the East in as well as a simultaneous assault from the British and French. You’ll all move with the American forces, find a position, then stay behind once the assault is through.”

Mustang nodded. “Dead Six already have a position staked out?”

“Waiting on the assault now,” Solomon said, his thick deep voice reverberating with authority gained from hard-earned experience. “We can guarantee you a roughly thirty-minute window to move into position. After that, you’ll have to be careful. Nod’s not only good with hiding their forces, they know how to find their enemies.”

O’Neill spoke up again, managing to tear himself away from glaring at the Russian flag. “We looking at infrared and motion detectors?”

Before Solomon could answer, a massive hum thrummed through the tent. “That was an energy weapon sir," Carter said.  "High-powered and constant.”

“An obelisk of light,” Solomon said, sounding more annoyed than concerned. “A high-powered laser emplacement capable of firing a massive beam across half a mile with no loss of fidelity and minimal refraction.”

“Like the YAL-1,” Carter said. “Has Tiberium really been that much of an economic windfall? I mean this is a terrorist group.”

“We thought it was a terrorist group at the start,” Maus said, setting down at one of the computers and bringing up GDI’s files. “Dr. Jackson, you were part of these findings. Care to help?”

Daniel nodded, moving to to the chalkboard. “Right, well, where do we start. I guess the first thing is that Nod is apparently has a history stretching back into the classical era.” He paused and looked to Korra and Mustang’s teams. “We’re talking at least ten thousand years.”

“So typical ancient conspiracy stuff,” Mustang said, sounding uncomfortably comfortable with the words leaving his mouth. “They have deep pockets?”

“Undoubtedly,” Daniel said, drawing Nod’s insignia on the board. “Okay, so Nod considers Kane to be the same Kane that was responsible for what in our world is traditionally held to be the first murder ever committed; a jealous act that that even God could not forgive.”

Havoc looked confused as he took out a fresh cigarette. “Jealous? Of what?”

“Well God looked down and saw that both brothers had made a sacrifice for Him; Kane had brought out a bushel of freshly harvested grain from his fields. His brother Abel had sacrificed a fatted lamb from his flocks. Now to God, Abel’s sacrifice was the finest pick, a pure white lamb from the flock with the choice cuts for his God.”

Breda nodded. “I guess God wasn’t so happy with Kane’s gift.”

“God considered Kane’s effort rather pathetic actually, he granted Abel his favor. Kane, in return, killed Abel. When God found out, he marked Kane and cast him to the land of Nod.”

“This is all very fascinating in terms of history, but what’s practical about it?” Hawkeye motioned to the map on the table. “Does it help us get inside?”

“No, but it does tell us about the Nod mindset,” Daniel argued. “If Nod has been around for so many centuries as well as gaining this much money then they’re more than fanatics.”

“They’re willing to sell their souls for a messiah,” Mustang said quietly as he tapped the map. “What’s the plan for prisoners?”

The GDI forces inside the tent went quiet so fast it was like someone hit mute. No one moved or even dared to look at the MV teams.

Bolin spoke up, trying to smile to defuse the mood. “Okay, so basically we have a few questions left to answer, but for us this is just semantics isn’t it? I mean we aren’t going to be taking any prisoners so -- ”

Mustang walked up beside Solomon, cold as the arctic, asking again, “What is the procedure for Nod prisoners?”

Solomon glared at the map and dared not look Mustang in the eye. “Orders are to give no quarter -- ”

Mustang grabbed Solomon and turned him to face the Flame Alchemist. “That’s a crime dammit, I read your rules of engagement. Wounded and surrendering combatants are to immediately taken into custody.”

Solomon didn’t grab at Mustang, facing down the man with certainty. “Have you ever faced fanatics before Mustang?” Mustang nodded. “Not like these. Nothing like these. Firing on civilians? Suicide bombings? I read the reports on ReGenesis, what they were doing to the people they captured. You think these are people we can take prisoner?”

“Then we become like them?” Mustang dropped his grasp from Solomon’s shoulders. “Global Defense Initiative. Like military intelligence; the greatest oxymoron.”

Solomon stalked forward. “We literally cannot afford to allow one Nod fighter to escape these positions. They’ll keep spreading tiberium as long as they can, keep recruiting other fighters. Nod has to end, here and now.”

“Okay, let’s all back up for a sec?” O’Neill slowly pulled the two apart from each other. “Look, we can blow the temple and slip through the defenses, but maybe if we capture Kane we can force him to tell Nod’s forces to stand down?”

“Kane’s psychology indicates that even if captured he would never have his people surrender,” Maus said flatly. “The order came from Gen. Shepherd himself.”

O’Neill sighed, walking to the table as Solomon and Mustang kept glaring at one another. “Korra, I’ve got a plan forming. We’ll talk to Dead Six about it once we reach their position. Make sure you and Bolin stay alive long enough to make it work.” Grinning, he turned to Solomon. “You’ve got heavy armor?”

Solomon didn’t break his glare. “We have the world’s only functioning superheavy armor.”

O’Neill grinned. “Keep’em rolling.”

The sun began to set over the horizon as Deadeye surveyed the scene before him. There were several militamen, patrolling through the hills with a uniformed man in a red beret at the center of the squad. “Nod officer. 640 meters. Wind roughly at five knots from the southeast. Elevation between target fifteen degrees.”

Silence, surrounded by the muffled sounds of distant skirmishes and aircraft standing by on station. Then there was a bang, and seconds later Deadeye watched as the Nod officer’s head turned into a bursting red melon. “Target downed.”

Parker didn’t hesitate, neither did Deadeye. Both men jumped up and started running back for their position. Less than twenty seconds after they started moving their position was shelled so mercilessly that when Parker looked back there was a crater the size of a 747 and as deep as a Scranton smokestack. He couldn’t keep his grin down as he arrived back at the firebase.

“Welcome back Cap’n,” Gunner said, rising in the small dugout that Dead Six had claimed as their own. “News from Col. Solomon; SG-1 and MV-2 arrived, they’re on their way now.”

“Well that’s no fun,” Parker said with a grin as he set to weapon maintenance. “What good’s the aftermath of napalm without the napalm?”

Gunner chuckled. “True sir, but then I was never one for bonfires.”

Hotwire looked over Gunner’s shoulder at the small console he was on. “There’s more sir. They brought over MV-3.” She looked back toward Parker. “Isn’t that the one with the Avatar?”

Parker’s face fell sharply. “Great, that’s all we’re gonna need. Two dykes running around on a battlefield making goo-goo eyes at each other.”

“Actually, Solomon mentioned that sir,” Hotwire said, turning back to the console. “He said that you’re to treat them with the same respect as any other allied combatant.”

Parker groaned louder as he ran an oiled cloth down the barrel. “I wasn’t gonna disrespect them.” Everyone glared at him, and he muttered, “I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna give them flak.”

“This isn’t going to keep up sir,” Patch said, taking out some MREs for the table. “You’ll have to face facts, you have problems with them. Irrational, deep-seated, troubling problems that could compromise the operation.”

Parker slammed a hand on the table. “Why is there such a problem with this? It isn’t normal okay? Why am I wrong for pointing that out?”

“Well you can worry about that later, Cap’n,” Gunner said, smiling at the EVA console. “They just arrived.”

With a heavy sigh, Parker quickly finished his cleaning and walked out into the firebase. GDI troopers went about their duties; manning gun positions, oiling artillery pieces, the simple necessary boredom that comes before major action. Parker knew it was all there though, the undeniable tension that came with the preview to a major assault.

In the distance, a quartet of Humvees drove through the perimeter. Parker sighed, glaring down at the oncoming convoy. Orders were orders, and the time was coming.

O’Neill smiled as he hoped out of the Humvee. “Parker! Hey buddy, how’s the war going?”

Parker smiled as he walked forward to shake O’Neill’s hand. “Almost over at last. Glad too, Nod’s about worn me out.” Parker’s smile faded slightly as he saw Korra and Asami get out. “Still, doesn’t hurt to have a few more bodies to take bullets instead of me.”

“Well that gives me comfort,” Falman said, shifting the P90 strapped to his shoulder. The Amestrians all had been forced to face facts; their bolt action rifles and pistol-caliber SMGs weren’t good enough anymore. “How long have you all been out here?”

“Long enough,” Bruiser said, helping the teams with their gear. “Sooner we can finish here, the sooner we can get some real food.”

“Yes please,” Bolin said, smiling as he followed the teams inside. “I heard about this place called McDonalds, they say billions of people eat there.”

SG-1 and Dead Six couldn’t hold back their chuckles as Mustang’s squad stared at the concept in awe of a single restaurant serving billions. O’Neill waved everyone over around the table as he spread out a map. “Alright Parker, here’s the plan for the assault.”

Col. Solomon watched his EVA console carefully, marking positions as the supporting assaults got into position. If he was lucky, there would be no casualties. If he were realistically lucky, he’d have some wounded, but still accomplish his tactical objective. If he were truly unlucky, he’d lose dozens of men and women thanks to Nod’s defenses.

Maus spoke up from her console. “Sir, all friendly units report they’re ready to begin the assault.”

Solomon nodded to the radioman. “Have our forces finished reporting in?”

“Yes sir, all Falcons report they are ready to begin the assault.”

“And Dead Six?”

“Reported in a half-hour ago sir, they report that they’re in position and waiting.”

Solomon nodded. “Tell all forces that they have their orders; commence assault in five Mikes.”

Staring at his EVA console, watching the unit markers move about and place themselves in better positions for the assault, Solomon felt the world around him fade to nothing. This was his plan, his action. This was the final blow against Nod, the last desperate gasps of the scorpion to stay alive. “Wait. Can scorpions gasp? Look that one up later James.”

The clock on the console slowly ticked down; one minute left. The air in the tent was tense, even being a distance from the most dangerous combat. Unless Nod decided to train their missiles and mortars on them they were safe. No, this was more the realization that they were about to launch an attack that would cost lives. GDI or Nod, that was the question.

“All forces, commence attack.”

SG-1 and MV-1 followed Dead Six through the hills leading to the temple, the boom of artillery and shriek of rockets covering the advance around the city. The temple overlooked a hill commanding a view over all of Sarajevo, able to call down fire on Nod positions over anyone threatening it. Which was why they were running straight at it.

A flight of GDI Orca VTOLs flew overhead, launching a barrage of rockets on a Nod position directly in their path. Their radios were overwhelmed with chatter from the assault force, calling out for fire missions and close air support. The ground quaked with each shell and rocket, but O’Neill was worried. Nod wasn’t firing back. “Hey Parker, maybe we should slow down a second?”

“And let Nod zero in? No thanks.” Parker crouched behind a boulder, scanned the area ahead, and kept running through the trees. “We’re almost at the marker, you both sure you can make the dig?”

“The soil’s pretty loose, we shouldn’t expect any problems,” Korra said, pressed up behind a tree. “We might have to detour around some boulders, but the smaller rocks we can just move out of the way.”

Gunfire and ricochets erupted around them, the teams diving behind cover. Parker raised his rifle and shouted, “Contact front, contact front!”

O’Neill saw at least two dozen muzzle flashes, Nod militia firing on their position with old AKs and whatever else they could scrounge up. “Lay down fire! Hawkeye, Deadeye, get to work!”

The pair of snipers began their culling. As the teams put down an onslaught of lead Hawkeye sighted a Nod militiaman in civilian clothes with a red scarf wrapped around his face. Before he even heard the crack he dropped, and she was on her next target.

Everyone heard a whoosh, turning to see a man stalking forward with a massive tank on his back. The ground around him was alight, trees and brush aflame as he moved to flush the teams from their positions. Mako turned to face the man, shouting, “I’ve got this one!” The man let loose another stream of fire, and Mako went to redirect the flames.

He saw it happen as time did slow down like it always does in such situations. He saw the flames move as he commanded them to, warping and twisting away. Except the source of the flames didn’t stop coming towards him. Realization ripped through Mako’s mind as he realized that it wasn’t fire being shot out of the flamethrower.

It was a flammable liquid.

Mako ran back, trying to duck behind a tree only for the scalding stream to nearly engulf him. The ground around him smoldered as hot as his own flames in a match, but that wasn’t the problem. Mako didn’t know what it was yet, but he desperately shook his mind free and got ready to fight back. Taking a breath, he jumped to the side and sent several blasts of flame at the flamethrower. The man wielding the device didn't panic; Mako realized that his uniform was flame retardant. “I need some help over here!”

Gunner saw the trouble and shifted his SAW toward Mako. Ducking away, Mako heard the chatter of the weapon and heard the flamethrower clatter to the ground under it’s user. Scrambling up, Mako looked back to the fight to see that the Nod forces were starting to give ground.

O’Neill signaled to Parker, and the commando held his wrist-mounted EVA unit to his face. “Mountaintop, this is Echo Six, request airstrike on my position. Danger close, say again, danger close!” There was a pause as Parker listened to the response. “Roger, out. Okay, the Orcas are coming. I hope those kids are ready colonel.”

“You just keep them from shooting us!” Asami popped out of cover and opened fire on the militia. “Everyone needs to group together, now!”

The teams ran together, hiding behind the largest of the rocks as the sounds of turbofans screeched in. The Nod militia heard it too, and started scrambling for their own cover. From the clouds a trio of sleek twin-turbofan craft came in to hover over the site as the militia tried to fire on them. The rounds went wild, and O’Neill braced for what came next.

Rockets bombarded the forest, three miniguns tilling the ground and turning militia into pieces of men. Splinters and dust went flying through the air, one of the boulders was turned into gravel by the bombardment as the surviving militia fled the area. Tracer rounds hounded them as they fled, earth flying up in columns pursuing them away from the site.

“Wiseman, this is Mountaintop, Echo is away.” Circling the ground one last time, the pilot saw as the teams crouched seven feet under the surface of the forest floor. It was just for a moment, but the pilot would swear for the rest of his life that as he turned away, he saw the ground start to cover them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Enoch stalked through the temple complex, loyal followers of Kane dodging out of the way as he moved with purpose through the blood-red corridors. His two personal guards followed loyally in his wake, pistols at the ready as he reached the elevator to Kane’s personal chambers on the top floor of the temple. Pressing his thumb onto the biometric reader, he stepped into the parting doors as his guards remained behind. There was no need for them if he were talking to their leader.

Stepping out into Kane’s personal quarters, he took in the usual sights; priceless art, ancient relics, everything from samurai armors from the Sengoku Jidai to Babylonian Cuneiform tablets. All of it marked with the scorpion tail sigil of Nod.

Past the relics and art was a more vital work for the survival of the Brotherhood. Work benches and computer servers that allowed Kane to personally have a hand in the further growth of the Brotherhood. That he still had scientists and technicians working here with GDI surrounding them struck Enoch either as a testament to Kane’s faith in their abilities, or as a way to keep them occupied as their holy ground was subsumed by GDI.

Kane was standing at a panel of windows, looking down on the Brotherhood’s command center. Even in a simple black shirt and pair of slacks, Kane possessed an authority beyond that of any leader Enoch had ever encountered. The slim light that was in the red-doused temple reflected perfectly off his head, like how Enoch imagined the statues of the ancient Greek and Roman temples once stood millennia ago.

Events witnessed by the figure before him.

“Brother,” Enoch said reverently. “GDI has launched an attack from all directions, our militia are holding it off as best they can but we fear that they could break through at any moment.”

“They won’t,” Kane said firmly, not taking his eyes away from the goings-on beneath him. “This is a probing attack, simply testing our defenses and resolve. Draw the Black Hand back to the temple grounds, we’ll be evacuating soon.”

Enoch repeated the words in his head. “Evacuating? Brother, how? GDI controls all airspace over the temple, and our attempts to build tunnels have been frustrated by the local soil.”

Kane turned, a dangerous smile on his face as he walked to a small unassuming door to the right of his viewing port. “There’s more than one way to evacuate, Enoch. GDI have proven to me that it is indeed possible to move between A and B without necessarily crossing C. Something I had thought long ago to give up on.” Opening the door, Kane stepped aside to let Enoch view what was within. The subordinate stared at the device in confusion, the shape was clearly designed for a good reason but Enoch couldn’t puzzle out for the life of him what it was for.

“Tell me brother,” Kane said, stepping up to the device. “Have you ever read the works of Stephen Hawking?”

Korra and Bolin were sweating worse than the others as they bent the Earth away in front of them, making airholes and creating support beams from the stone beneath them. “How much farther?”

Patch checked his EVA. “According to this, we’re about three miles out. You’re sure neither of you need a rest?”

“The sooner we’re done here the sooner we get back to fresh air,” Bolin grunted, clearing out some more earth. “Seriously, you guys smell worse than Pabu without his weekly bath.”

“I feel like if I knew what a Pabu was I’d be insulted,” Bruiser said, idly scratching his thick red beard. Capt. MacFarland had been a potential candidate for Dead Six, but a training accident had set back his chances and forced him to play second fiddle to the mercenary Sakura. With her escape and association with Nod, the Scotsman walked proudly again. Well, as proudly as he could underneath a few hundred pounds of Earth and stone. “Now what’s the plan once we’re inside the perimeter?”

“First we take out the power plants,” O’Neill said, wiping some sweat away as he walked. “Once those are down we signal Solomon for the main assault. After that we let them distract Nod as we move in on the temple and capture Kane.”

Parker laughed. “Capture? Please, where are we gonna hold that lunatic?”

“No, no you can’t just kill him,” Daniel said, jumping in with an insulted tone to his voice. “Kane has knowledge, knowledge of more than just tiberium. If we can get that information out of him we have a chance at figuring out what else he knows about this dimension that none of us know.”

Gunner chuckled. “And you expect to be able to hold a man like that? If he’s so mystic, he could break out any time he’d want. Better to off him now and save the trouble.”

“You don’t understand,” Daniel argued, getting in front of the group and bringing the “advance” to a halt. “Every interrogation I’ve witnessed with captured Nod prisoners mentions that Kane’s plan is ascension. Now we don’t know if that ascension is metaphorical or literal, we need to know what Kane knows.”

Parker pushed past Daniel, motioning for Bolin to keep digging on. “Look buddy, there’s probably some kind of crazy weapon underneath that thing that Kane’s waiting to throw out in the world. First we stop it, then we can talk about anything involving capturing that lunatic.”

Daniel looked defeated, Hotwire coming up with an apologetic look on her face. “I know, he’s a pain in the ass. But you need to understand that we’ve all seen exactly what Nod’s capable of. We cannot let Kane live.”

Asami shuddered. “You sound so sure that killing him is the only thing you can do, even with us here.”

“She’s not wrong,” Mustang said firmly as he walked up between the two. “Men like Kane won’t stop, even imprisoned. Whether you like it or not there are times when you have to kill someone to stop them from making further trouble.”

Asami stared at Mustang, the dim light from Mako’s hands hiding his expression. “You agree with them? What about all that stuff you said about prisoners of war to Solomon? Suddenly that doesn’t matter?”

Mustang remained stoic. “Prisoners are one thing. The ringleader of the conspiracy is another matter entirely.”

Asami was left staring as Mustang walked off, leaving her to be gently pushed on by Mako as Korra kept up the rear of the tunnel.

O’Neill took out a small map and a flashlight. “Alright, it’s about half a mile to the inside of the perimeter. According to the satellite intel we should come up right in the middle of their power plants. Any last-minute questions about what’s going to happen?”

Hawkeye spoke up. “Colonel, that order about prisoners. We aren’t really going to follow it I presume.”

“Hell no we aren’t,” O’Neill said firmly, putting the map back. “If it’s us or them it’s gonna be us, but if they’re hurt I don’t want any of you taking time out to put a bullet through their heads, not in this case.”

“That’s rich,” Parker scoffed. “What happens when we have to detonate a building? You’re gonna take the time to drag the wounded out? Because I promise you, the rest of their buddies won’t.”

“We’ll have to cross that bridge if we have to come to it,” Mustang said, making it clear this wasn't a time to argue. “For now the only thing we need to focus on is destroying that power plant.”

Bolin kept digging, endless tunneling through dirt and stone until O’Neill called for a halt. “Okay, according to these calculations by GDI we should be right under the main power facility. Korra, Bolin, open up a hold through the center where I’m standing and we’ll head up. Everyone circle up and open fire before they have a chance to fire on us.”

Everyone moved into position. Mako and Korra stood in the center of the group, everyone kneeling down with their weapons ready when they came above ground. O’Neill counted down silently. Three, two, one…

Korra opened a hole as Bolin lifted everyone up into the Nod base. The circle of operators paused to take in the sight before them.

Dozens of tanks and light vehicles surrounded them, including four flame tanks. Infantry stood on catwalks and the walls, aiming down at the group without any danger of injuring their comrades. No one spoke until O’Neill finally said it.

“Told you we shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque.”

A loudspeaker boomed above the idling engines and distant sounds of battle and aircraft. “Put your weapons down. Those of you with ascended abilities, keep your hands raised.”

The words hit like a freight train: “Ascended abilities”. Even as the team slowly placed their weapons on the ground each of them looked around for an answer. There wasn’t supposed to be any way that Nod knew what was happening, or even what ascension was. Suddenly everyone was wondering if Daniel hadn’t been right about wondering what Kane really was.

One of the tanks backed up, several Black Hand operatives training their weapons on the teams in a long column. Far enough from the group that they couldn’t risk rushing them without being shot. They didn’t need to be told to get moving.

“They aren’t blindfolding us,” O’Neill thought. “Not a good sign for long-term planning but might be worthwhile to look around.” Scanning the base, O’Neill noted each hardpoint and gate in the base he could see; turret placements, where generators and power stations were positioned, and even flattened ground where patrols and Nod forces walked through often. It lasted a good five minutes before the teams were led to a building resembling a concrete rectangle with a massive fist rising above it, the world clutched in the fingers above the massive scorpion tail of Nod. O’Neill raised an eyebrow. “Egocentric much?”

Led up the ramp into the building, the team was led quickly through the building into the lower levels, where three prison cells waited for them. They were quickly patted down, female Nod fighters handling the women as they lost their radios and EVA consoles. For a brief moment O’Neill thought they had a chance to escape, until the entire basement was filled with troopers wielding a yellow weapon with a liquid tank. Looking over, O’Neill saw Parker shake his head. Nodding, O’Neill went to the corner of his cell and sat down, pulling his cap over his eyes as the cell doors slammed shut. “Time for some shut eye then.”

Solomon paced the command tent. It had been over an hour since they were supposed to get a signal from Dead Six and the other teams, but still well within the margin for error should something have gone wrong or there was an unforeseen circumstance. They might have come up short, or been caught up in a firefight longer than expected. There were dozens of reasons there was no signal, but there was one obvious and terrifying fact; Nod’s laser obelisk and SAM turret positions were still powered, and still holding back a final assault.

Lt. Maus turned from her console. “Sir, I have Gen. Shepherd on the line.”

Solomon nodded. “Put him through.”

Gen. Shepherd appeared on the tent’s EVA console, looking exhausted even in the secure confines of the Pentagon. “Colonel, status of the operation?”

“Proceeding as planned sir, we’re just waiting to get word from Dead Six that the defenses have been compromised and that our forces are clear to move.”

Shepherd shook his head. “They’re getting antsy in New York, Solomon, the U.N. is practically banging on the door trying to get updates here and I can only rephrase the same reports for so long before they catch on.”

Solomon couldn’t tap dance around it, there was only one way to go; forward. “Sir, the defenses are still up. If I launch the assault now even with our superior numbers we’d take unimaginable casualties. I cannot launch this assault until the defenses are down.”

Shepherd paused. “There’s another option Solomon. Our techs have confirmed that the GS-2 beacon no longer is required to target and fire the ion cannon. As long as you have the proper GPS coordinates the cannon can achieve a geosynchronous orbit. I’ve already ordered it to station above Sarajevo, and I’m assure it’s ready on your command.”

Solomon paused at the news. The ion cannon was the latest generation of strategic weaponry, and he’d seen what it could do when he had reached his Top Secret clearance. He chose his next words carefully as he leaned over the keyboard. “Sir, does this coincide with your order regarding prisoners and wounded?”

Shepherd paused at the implicit accusation. “We both know that Nod can’t escape this city colonel. I will not let a single loyalist to Kane escape. Your orders still stand, no quarter will be given to Nod. Dead Six and the MV teams that accompanied them knew the risks on going in. If you need to use the cannon repeatedly, so be it. Do not led Nod survive this battle.”

Solomon nodded with grim certainty. “Understood sir, I’ll wait one more half-hour then use the beam. Solomon out.” Waiting until he was sure the feed was cut, he looked to Maus. “Tell me I got all of that on-file.”

Maus nodded. “You’ve got a half-dozen witnesses in here as well.”

“Good.” Solomon stood and walked to the map of Sarajevo, leaning over it with harsh determination. “If this goes south and we do have to assault, I want that order on the record in case he tries to deny any wrongdoing.”

No one in the tent looked good at the thought. They were military, they were supposed to follow the chain of command and the lawful orders of their officers. No one denied that Shepherd’s order was unlawful, but it was the unspoken rule of the armed forces: Don’t you dare screw this up for me in front of my boss, or your ass is grass.

As he watched his forces reposition from the probing attack, an old song started in the back of his mind and soon he was idly mouthing the words.

“When Johnny comes marching home again…”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Enoch strode into Kane’s chambers again. “Brother, we have the GDI commandos held in the Hand of Nod. Several of them don’t bear any GDI markings though; we believe they’re a seconded special operations group.”

“No, allies of GDI is the more accurate term.” Kane smiled, watching as his people continued to pack up their equipment and intelligence. “How did you find them?”

“They attempted to tunnel into the rear of the base,” Enoch said. “The militia patrol that encountered them reported that the ground nearby had sunken by several inches, with holes interspersed at intervals of several feet. Our engineers recognized the attempt and alerted the guard.”

Kane nodded. “A good attempt though. Make a note, we should look into tunneling in the future. It will probably be most effective for our operations.”

“Of course brother.” Enoch looked out into the center as well, watching as a squad ran through carrying several large packs filled with equipment and weapons. “Brother, are you certain this will be the correct path for the Brotherhood? We don’t know what waits for us.”

“You don’t,” Kane pointed out, as he tracked the movement of the GDI forces on the holographic table in the center of the command center in the temple. “I have already sent several initial scouts of what waits for us, I’ve made sure to select a habitable location. We’ll have more than enough time to build our forces anew, as well as find technologies useful for our operations that GDI will have no counter for. My concern is the samples.”

“They’re being transported up now brother. I ordered them up personally.”

“Good man,” Kane said, turning away from the window. “Sound the retreat, have our militia fall back first and have the Black Hand on the walls and at all positions. We only need our most loyal followers, anyone who is not of a true faith will be left to GDI’s hands.”

“Right away brother,” Enoch said, bowing slightly. Stalking back to the command center he paused to let the Black Hand rush past him, packs shifting and web belts tightening as they rushed past to stand at attention before Kane. Turning to face them, Kane smiled.

“Brothers and sisters. You will be the first of Nod to undertake this most valuable of missions, for the future of our brotherhood. Listen carefully to what I will say, I will not repeat it again.”

Parker grinned out at the tib troopers, waiting for them to make some kind of move. The group of Nod acolytes just stood placidly at either end of the cells, watching for any movement by their prisoners. The cells were uncomfortably cramped with four teams jammed together inside them, probably what Nod had intended in order to gain new “converts” from the locals before the battle. Figuring he wasn’t going to get anything out of the guards, Parker shifted to look toward Daniel. “So, how’s that theory you mentioned coming?”

O’Neill didn’t stir as he spoke. “Daniel? You fail to mention something when you came back?”

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his cell next to Fuery. “Well it’s a working theory Jack, nothing major.” As much as he tried to play it down, everyone was staring at the bespectacled explorer. “Okay, fine. Basically I think Kane is a being that’s on the verge of ascending.”

Breda raised an eyebrow. “Kinda normal looking for a guy on the verge becoming a god.”

Parker noticed it, the Nod troopers tensed a little. He let himself smile a little and kept going. “Not much of a god. Shouldn’t he be able to give himself a little more hair?”

Mustang looked annoyed from his cell toward Parker. “That’s enough captain.”

“Nah, hang on hotshot,” Parker said, his grin spreading across his face as he ignored Mustang’s order. “Let’s think about it. If Kane’s really getting close to some kind of godhood, why can’t he even make himself better? He’s walking about in a black outfit thinking he’s some kind of stagehand, why not just work some kind of miracle and prove how great he is?”

O’Neill pushed the brim of his cap up to get a better look at what was going on. “Parker, we’re on a bit of a time crunch here and this isn’t helping.”

Parker checked. The Black Hand weren’t moving, just tensed up. Time for plan B. “You’re right, I don’t want to be stuck in here with Korra and Asami for much longer.”

Everyone turned to glare at Parker, even Mustang and O’Neill. “You’re going a step too far cap’n,” Gunner said, putting a firm hand on Parker’s shoulder. “Just stop, we don’t need this.”

“Why not?” Parker turned and sent a shit eating grin over to Korra through the bars. “That’s all I need in my obit, ‘Died in the company of two lesbians’. That’ll make mom proud.”

“That’s enough Parker,” O’Neill ordered. “We don’t need this, not now.”

Parker couldn’t see Korra and Asami’s reactions to his words, and his grin split his face. “What, the girls can’t speak for themselves? C’mon Korra, tell me how you really feel. Don’t be shy now, we’re all friends here after all.”

Asami put a hand on Korra’s shoulder, feeling the avatar shaking with the same growing anger she felt. “Don’t listen to him Korra, he’s just a jerk who thinks he can get away with this. Remember we have a mission to accomplish.”

“I’m waiting for an answer Korra. Or did you parents fail at teaching you manners too?”

Korra’s eyes narrowed as she jumped up and started metal bending. The Nod troopers tried to respond but Korra quickly turned the bars in the detention level into a fluid that managed to jam their weapons. Mustang took his chance and clapped his hands, engulfing the men in flames. They dropped to the ground, trying to roll out the fire until they were pummeled by dozens of fists and knocked unconscious.

Parker dusted off his hands. “Nice work kids. Now, let’s get -- ” He didn’t finish before Korra slammed him against the nearest wall, elbow against his windpipe.

“Korra, leave it we’ve gotta move!” O’Neill searched the fallen men for weapons as Mustang took a position toward the exit.

“What is it with you,” Korra growled, gently but noticeably applying more pressure to Parker’s neck. “What is it about me and Asami that you hate so much?”

Parker blinked. “Hate you?”

O’Neill pulled Korra off the commando. “We’ll handle this personal crap later, right now we’ve got stuff to blow up.” With the teams searching the bodies for anything useful, O’Neill pulled out a red keycard and a small pistol. “Hawkeye, take the pistol. Hotwire, you and Fuery handle getting us to some weapons, something tells me there’s gonna be a lot of these guys to work through. Everyone else, just pick up your weapons as they come to you.”

“No, we’re settling this,” Asami barked. “What is it Parker, what is it about us that you hate?”

Parker finished searching his man. “Again, never said I hated you.”

“Then what’s your issue with us?” Korra shoved a finger into Parker’s chest. “Why do you treat us like we’re some kind of freaks? What is it about her and me being together that you can’t stand?”

Parker looked like he’d just been asked to explain string theory. “I don’t hate you, I’m just saying that lesbians aren’t normal.”

O’Neill waved at everyone. “Hi, we’re still in a hostile situation remember? You can talk about your interpersonal crap later, we need to get moving. Once we’re out of here we split. 2, head with 3 and do some heavy damage to their power facilities and any generators you find. We’ll move for the temple and try to decapitate them before the assault. Kane’s not gonna give up unless we put a gun to his head.”

Teal’c went to the door out into the Hand of Nod. “Perhaps not even then.”

O’Neill nodded. “Well that goes without saying.”

Enoch looked up from the report as the last of the teams hurried up to Kane’s quarters. “And you’re sure?” The attendant nodded, Enoch nodding as he handed the reports back. “Very good. Destroy these and get to your departure unit.” The attendant nodded, tossing the report into a shredder before rushing for Kane’s quarters with another group of Nod scientists and aides.

“Sir.” Enoch turned to see one of his men standing behind him with a radio pack. “Sir, we’ve lost contact with the team in the Hand. We believe the prisoners have broken loose.”

Enoch cursed to himself. “Faster than Kane predicted. Very well. Get the last few of our forces inside, then seal the temple. Ensure our brothers and sisters outside are prepared for what is coming for them. Once that’s finished, get to your stations and standby for your departure.” The radioman left, grabbing another one of Enoch’s staff to check the doors. As they did, Enoch turned toward Kane’s quarters only to see his lord staring down with patience and forethought. Kane was right about where they would turn up, right about tiberium and the world’s reaction to it. There was no reason to believe he wouldn’t be right about this.

He watched as the last of the technicians destroyed hard drives and ripped out consoles. Engineers planted C4 charges and ensured that the last samples of the Brotherhood’s history were transported out properly. Enoch turned to the captain of the temple’s last guard forces. “Your men are ensuring that the stockpiles will be handled?”

“My engineers and techs are already handling the missile readied for launch,” the man said, motioning to the back of the temple. “The rest we can leave for GDI. I must admit sir, I do wish a little that we could launch.”

“Kane has given us his orders brother,” Enoch said, clapping the man on the shoulder. “Your force carries the fate of the Brotherhood in-hand. Your names will be carried on through history.”

The captain straightened up proudly at the praise. “In the name of Kane.”

Enoch nodded. “Peace through -- “

An explosion rocked the base and the radio came to life. “Sir, the power plant is under attack!”

Mustang watching as the scorched door stood unbroken twenty yards ahead of the position. Hawkeye and the squad laid down fire to keep down Nod forces as the Benders tried to break open the plant. “Nothing!”

“Argh, this thing is ridiculous,” Korra shouted, trying again to metalbend the doors. “I just bent those bars in the barracks, why can’t I do it to this door?”

Mako sent a blast of lightning at the door. “No luck with me either. Bolin, can you try to lavabend the door?”

Bolin stood up, trying to heat the dirt under the door to melt it away when a half-dozen rifles tried to catch him. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening!”

Mustang clapped his hands and slammed the ground. “Send another blast of fire at the door, now!” Korra did so, but as she fired at the door she saw the flame suddenly expand and speed toward the door, a split-second later blowing the door back into the power plant and destroying the façade of the building. “Make two walls to that door! Everyone move!”

Korra and Bolin threw the walls up, creating a safe enough corridor for the teams to rush to the door through. Bolin sealed the way behind them for good measure as Mustang, Korra, and Mako cleared the interior.

The plant wasn’t filled with Nod forces, maybe a squad at most, but they started putting down fire the second the teams rushed inside. Korra and Mako started laying down with flames as Bolin pulled some rocks from outside to use. Asami and the squad laid down fire, moving for the catwalk to get into the bowels of the building.

Fuery dove behind a console, hearing rounds whiz overhead, but poking his head up to look for a target he stopped when he saw one of the readouts on the board. “Asami, take a look at these readings!”

Asami low crawled over, ignoring the screams of Nod fighters as they were roasted and/or slammed with rocks and bullets. Looking at where Fuery pointed she shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense, it’s reading that it’s going to overload?”

“They’re trying to destroy their own plant, if this is right I’d give it another twenty minutes.” Fuery poked his head up and fired a burst at the nearest fighter. “I don’t know what they’re using for fuel, but it can’t be safe if they’re willing to let it overload like this.”

Looking around, Asami cursed as she spied a kill-switch on the wall that had been torn from it’s mounting. “Colonel, they’re trying to destroy the plant.”

Mustang sent a blast of flame out that engulfed two fighters, the men flailing and rolling about until Falman shot them. “I thought that’s what we wanted?”

“Not like this sir,” Fuery shouted. “This is a runaway reaction of some kind, if we don’t stop it it’ll probably be worse for the area, it might even harm the GDI forces that attack.”

Mustang nodded. “We’ll handle things up here. Hawkeye, Breda, get Fuery and Sato down to the lower levels now.”

The four bolted for the elevator behind the monitoring stations, covered from above as they piled inside. Reading the buttons on the panel, Breda slammed for the lowest level and sighed with relief as the elevator doors shut. “Okay, so we find a kill-switch for this thing and we cut the power for the plant. Easy day right?”

“Not likely,” Fuery said, adjusting his glasses. “If the cooling tower is any indication we’d need to shut down the flow of steam slowly enough that we don’t rupture any pipes. Even then we don’t know what the means are to stop this kind of plant from producing power.”

“Well odds are we can figure it out pretty quickly,” Asami said, checking her pistol’s magazine. “All Future Industries plants have safety infographs at key locations; if something goes wrong anyone can see how to stop production and shut things down.”

“If the Brotherhood is recruiting from the local population at this point it must be the same,” Hawkeye said, sliding a fresh magazine into her P90. “Both of you stay behind the elevator wall, it isn’t much but you should be able to avoid the majority of any rounds coming our way.”

The two did so and waited. The elevator soon braked to a halt, and the doors slid apart to reveal nothing. The two walls were lined with two banks of lockers. At the other end was a revolving chamber door, like what Riza had made her way through back in the Nod lab in Egypt. What was behind it was another matter entirely.”

There was an arcing pillar of electricity shooting up from a cavernous depth in the center of a catwalk, a rotating receiver/transformer of some unknown design. In the center of the chamber were two men in black outfits, wearing helmets and rebreathers and monitoring a console behind the rotating mechanism. Moving through the changing room, Hawkeye and Breda cleared the room as Fuery and Asami went for the door. “It’s another key-card lock, and we don’t have the tools to break it open.”

“Well we might as well try this then.” Before anyone else could react, Hawkeye fired at the door hoping that they could break the plexiglass open. No luck, the glass spider-webbed out from the impacts but didn’t break. The two technicians looked up, but seeing that they were still secure went back to their work.

Asami shook her head. “I don’t believe this, they’re willing to die like this? For Kane?”

“You’ve never fought true fanatics before,” Breda said plainly. “C’mon, we need to get back upstairs and see if anyone’s left with a card that can get us in.”

Before they could move, several monitors and speakers came to life.

The run-up to the temple of Nod had one primary obstacle; a tank sitting invisibly in the middle of it. Even after it launched a missile at the teams it would slip back into hiding, laying in wait until the next attack. Also not helping was the obelisk behind the temple that had just turned the ground ten meters behind them into scorching-hot slag. Hiding behind a massive boulder, O’Neill peered out to count ten more men before ducking back behind cover. “Yeah, there’s definitely more of them.”

“We cannot hold this position for long O’Neill,” Teal’c shouted, firing his staff at the last spot the stealthed tank had been. “Once the weapon recharges we will be unable to escape it.”

“We just need to damage the focusing prism on top of it Colonel,” Carter shouted. “As long as we can do that we can at least buy ourselves some time.”

Parker watched the ground in front of them, and saw a spot in the center of the ground that was both depressed and would ripple whenever an errant round flew into it. “Give us cover! Hotwire, on me!”

The two teams didn’t need an explanation; if Parker shouted he needed cover fire, they knew he had a plan to save their lives. Rounds drove downrange, and the fighters at the temple ducked down or could barely see to aim their rifles. Running ahead of Hotwire, Parker ran with a hand outstretched in front of him until he felt it collide with a solid surface. Rushing around the angular vehicle, he stopped at the front and clambered atop it. Feeling he was on the top of the canopy, he pointed underneath himself. “Here’s the door, got a way to break it open?”

Hotwire nodded, grinning as she pulled out her Gizmo field arc welder. It hadn’t been purposefully designed for breaking into vehicles, but the various commando units of GDI had figured out that with the proper settings, a creative hijacking was certainly within their ability. Pressing the weapon almost right against the canopy, Hotwire pulled the trigger and managed to burn a hole through the tempered glass large enough for Parker to shove his rifle through and fire. The operator slumped back in his seat, allowing Hotwire to burn a larger hole through the canopy and get inside. Shoving the body out of the seat, she settled into the controls and took control of the turret as the tank revealed itself again.

The turret only had one missile left; turning it to face the obelisk she patiently lined up her shot. Ignoring the clanging of rounds off the hull, she waited until the targeting reticle was steady enough that she knew she'd score a hit. Taking a breath, she pressed down on the firing control.

The missile jettisoned from the turret, hanging in the air for a good second before the rocket motors activated and sent it flying. The Nod soldiers shouted out, trying to focus all fire on the hijacked tank, but it was too late. As the top of the obelisk started to glow, the missile slammed into the bright red focusing mirror atop it. The blast shattered the device, sending glass and metal flying everywhere. The obelisk was smoking, as the fighters called out and started falling back to the temple.

Peering out from behind cover, O’Neill took a closer look at the temple. It was a massive edifice, black metal and red stained glass. Six leg-like supports jutted out from the side, and half of O’Neill’s mind was wondering if the thing couldn’t just lift itself up from the ground and start marching across to the battlefield. The massive scorpion tail of Nod was high in the center of the building’s front, and at the back there was a massive cylindrical column that O’Neill guessed was where the nuclear missiles could be launched from.

“Lights are still on, they probably failed at the power plant.” Checking his magazine, Parker grabbed his binoculars and checked the front of the temple. Nod fighters were ducking behind sandbags, elite Black Hand that could easily put up a fight. “No sign of militia, Kane must want this under his own control.”

“Well we can get inside now at least,” O’Neill said, jogging over with the rest of the team. “Okay, we’ll split to the sides, Teal’c you’ll -- ”

A loudspeaker system came to life, and the teams ducked for cover. At the same time, Havoc’s EVA unit blinked and showed a video feed.

Kane stood inside the temple, before the scorpion insignia that marked the front of the building. He stood calm, despite the distant sounds of combat, smiling slightly in a way that marked him as a man who knew something no one else did. “Parker. I’m sorry to say I won’t be able to meet you in person just yet, my time here is limited. Suffice to say, I can’t stay long enough to enjoy your company. Rest assured, you did your job quite well. Your loyalty to GDI, however misguided, is to be commended.”

The camera panned, following Kane as he walked about an abandoned temple floor. “And the rest of you are to be commended as well. Not just your Dead Six, but the others as well. Col. O’Neill and SG-1. Avatar Korra and her team. Col. Mustang and his squad.” Kane smiled. “Oh yes, I know about them. You see, loyalty to the Brotherhood is quite easy to build, considering the things I’ve seen in my lifetime. The important thing now is that the purpose of my agents is fulfilled, and their sacrifice is to be commended.”

The image changed; the camera showing an office space, an evacuation plan on a nearby wall marking it inside the Pentagon. A man typed idly at a computer, until he picked up his phone and listened intently. Nodding, he hung up and reached under his desk. Standing up and screaming silently, he shoved a gun under his chin and pulled the trigger.

Another location; a young professional woman walking outside the UN building in New York. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a brick of a cell phone and spoke into it. Her face shifted, from casual to set in stone. Hanging up, she put the phone back and pulled out a combat knife. Again shouting in silence, she plunged the knife into the side of her neck, collapsing as shocked onlookers screamed or vainly rushed over to offer help.

Another change; three of the guards outside the Kremlin, marching in perfect step with each other. One of them stopped, turning his head to see something in the distance in a complete break of bearing. Shouting out, he chambered a round and placed the barrel under his chin. Before his comrades could react, he blew the top of his head off, falling atop the bayonet for good measure.

A final change; inside the tent of Col. Solomon. An operator monitoring the radios suddenly froze as he listened in. His face hardened, and as he shouted out, he pulled his pistol and placed it at his temple. As Col. Solomon turned to react he and Lt. Maus watched as the man blew the right side of his head out of his left.

The camera cut back to Kane smiling. “Rest assured, those are only a minute fraction of the proof of the loyalty of my followers. For now, know that the final fight between GDI and Nod, on this world, is soon to be over.”

The camera kept following Kane, and showed a chamber of the temple where dozens of Nod fighters were lined up before a metal archway. “The arrival of this Multiversal Task Force is proof to me that ascension is possible and inspired me to again pick up my own work. Thanks to you, SG-1, I have found my way again.” Kane smiled, spreading his arms as the archway lit up and another group of fighters rushed through. “Now, I may prepare for what lies ahead. Be ready, all of you. Ascension may have come, but be warned."

"Convergence is coming.”

The feed cut, and whether they were in the power plant trying to piece together what they just saw on the monitors or taking cover next to Parker they all realized one vital thing; unless they moved now, Kane would escape into the multiverse.

As medics triaged the scene, Solomon tried to process what just happened. The corporal had been a good soldier, brought to GDI on the recommendation of his CO in HQ company, 1^st Ranger Battalion. He’d been vetted six ways to Sunday, and then six ways to next Sunday. He’d been with Solomon since the Bialystok incident.

Then five seconds ago he shouted out, “Peace through power” and shot himself in the head.

“A Nod agent,” Solomon though, supporting himself on the table in the center of the room. “A Nod agent in my command. Good God, how many reports am I about to get from the other commanders?”

Lt. Maus suddenly jumped up in her seat. “Sir, reports from the perimeter. Black Hand units are pressing an attack.”

Solomon snapped into command mode. “Where?”

Maus paused. “Everywhere sir, it's a suicide attack!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Each nation has specific tactical doctrines that they follow in every engagement. The old joke goes as such; if you encounter a unit you can’t identify on the battlefield, fire a shot over their heads and wait. If it’s answered by fast, accurate rifle fire, they’re British. If it’s a fusillade of rapid machinegun fire, they’re German. If they surrender, they’re Italian. If nothing happens for five minutes and then your position is destroyed by artillery and airstrikes, they’re American.

This was on full display as the GDI-aligned forces surrounding Sarajevo were suddenly bombarded by a last desperate charge of Black Hand forces.

The British 7 Armoured Brigade had already dug into positions days earlier, and as the Black Hand forces launched their assault snipers positioned across the front laid down fire that cut down dozens of Nod fighters in seconds. Emplaced anti-tank positions fired on the Nod vehicles that tried to push through, a dozen Bradley IFVs and Stryker transports alight. Even as the Nod forces began to make casualties on the British positions, the reality that the British were too well-positioned in the forest had quickly set in, especially when British artillery began slamming into the Nod forces.

The Russian 1^st Guards Motor Rifle Division held the east, the widest stretch of territory for the GDI forces and therefore taking the hardest assault from the Black Hand. The adequately-trained infantry stumbled at first, having been assured by their commanders that the Nod forces were going to settle in for a siege instead of making any assaults. The Black Hand pressed into the Russian positions at first, only to soon find itself advancing farther than the commander anticipated. Suddenly the Russians pressed a counter-attack, rolling forward in T-80s and the ultimate nightmare of any enemy commander and friendly logistics unit; the T-76 “Mamoht” superheavy tank. As the Russian lines reformed and encircled the Nod forces, the Black Hand fighters doubled their ferocity in trying to break out of the encirclement. It lasted until the APC holding the Nod commander was fired on, and then crushed by a T-76 pushing into the Nod position.

The 75^th Ranger Regiment operates as an airborne force, renowned shortly before the final assault for their actions against Nod-affiliated warlords in Somalia in the Battle of Mogadishu. True to form, their defense was defined by direct and accurate mortar fire combined with airstrikes seconds later from F/A-18 Hornets from the USS Enterprise. Powerful, desperate assaults were nothing to the Rangers, not after their first true actions against Soviet forces in Europe during WWII. The true difficulty for the Americans was that they needed to be careful not to call down strikes too close to their own positions.

The GDI task force had no single or unifying tactical doctrine to follow, being a coalition of many nations. What they did have were the best forces available to any unit on Earth: SAS, Green Berets, Foreign Legion, Panzergrenadiers. With such a pedigree, they did what they needed to do.

They launched a counter-attack.

They had everything at their disposal to utilize. Orca VTOL craft swooped down with vengeance, turning Nod vehicles into wrecks and infantry into half, quarter, even eighth of the men they used to be. Mobile artillery batteries turned Nod fallback positions into ruins, as the shock attack of the Black Hand turned into a desperate holdout. Slowly, inexorably, the mighty X-66 “Mammoth” tank rolled forward. Twin 120mm cannons threw the Nod vehicles in it’s path about like toys. Missile racks struck infantry positions like a fist of a wrathful god, throwing the fighters about like they were less than ragdolls. Nod was no longer in control of the advance to break out. Now it was about stalling long enough to stop GDI from rolling forward.

Solomon watched on his EVA console as his forces advanced, the Mammoth at the center of the thrust into the last bastion of Nod’s territory. Small sprites of Nod infantry and vehicles fell back, and with a few clicks of a mouse Solomon relayed to his forces their path of attack. “Alert the other commanders, GDI forces are pressing the attack and request support. We’ll be moving in from the Southwest, request that the French forces secure Sarajevo.”

Maus nodded. “And prisoners sir?”

Solomon paused as he watched a Nod soldier drop on the EVA console. “The Geneva Convention still applies. All prisoners are to be treated as the rules of war require. Ensure all commanders understand that before they advance.”

Maus nodded. “Immediately sir.”

Parker raked the Nod sandbags in front of the temple with the AK he’d managed to grab as he rushed forward to a concrete wall for cover. “So, Jackson, how’s Kane psychology fit into all this?”

Daniel flinched as concrete shrapnel peppered his body. “Can we please not do this now?”

Parker’s console started to flash as Havoc came over the radio channel. “Dead Six, this is MV-2, can anyone read me?”

Parker shoved the console close. “Read you 2, what’s the status on that power plant?”

“No good, they’ve got a heavy door down they we can’t breach, doesn’t matter anyway. The plant’s designed to overload in five minutes.”

Parker looked for Hotwire and called out. “Hotwire! If that Nod plant overloads what’s the damage look like?”

Hotwire dropped a fighter before answering. “If the plant is just set to overload then the damage should only be confined to the plant itself. There’ll be a surge of power before the circuits break and the base goes into emergency mode.”

Daniel looked over. “Doesn’t that mean the defenses will shut down too?”

Hotwire nodded. “If Kane’s leaving, what does it matter to them?”

Parker turned back to his EVA. “2, get clear of the building and get to the temple now. Tell the benders to come in swinging so we can break this puppy open.”

“Roger, 2 out.”

Rising up, Parker looked over to see that the number of fighters manning the sandbags had dropped as a staff blast threw several bags through the air. The problem was getting into the temple proper without facing a suicide stand. Even with the benders and Col. Mustang’s “alchemy”, there wasn’t a guarantee that Kane wouldn’t set his temple for destruction if GDI made it inside.

There was movement in the window at the top of the temple. Grabbing his binoculars, Parker saw a lone figure standing inside, with a bald head and a simple suit. Grabbing his rifle, he aimed and fired. When he saw the glass spiderweb out without breaking, he sighed. “Can’t blame yourself for trying, Nick.”

Inside the temple, Kane gave a final grin. “A good attempt Parker. I can’t blame you for trying, though. I might’ve done the same in your position.”

Turning back, Kane saw that the last of his chosen had left. Part of him pitied the Black Hand staying behind, but they had realized what they were surrendering by remaining to keep the MVTF from succeeding. They had denied themselves ascension, and in doing so given Kane time.

Had given everyone time.

Enoch spoke up. “Brother, the last of them has left. We’re all that remain now.”

Kane smiled. “Very well brother. Go on, I’ll make sure that things proceed to plan personally.”

Enoch bowed, obeying his prophet without question as he stepped through the glowing archway. Kane went to a console next to the device, tapping in several commands and setting a switch on the blocks of thermite that he had lined around it. Sparing one last look back, he took out a detonator and pressed down the timer. Two countdowns appeared on the readout; one for thirty seconds, one for a minute.

“Good luck Parker,” Kane said as he set the detonator down and walked through to a new universe. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

For ten seconds, all was quiet. Then the console sparked, and the portal closed. Then the thermite blocks activated, turning the arch into molten slag that could never be reconstructed.

Then the C4 detonated.

The blast started in the back of the temple, destroying the missile silo and ripping through to the front. The great stained glass flew in great shards through the air, as the metal edifice of the Brotherhood’s power was ripped asunder. The scorpion tail at the front blasted out, explosions engulfing the men at the front of the temple. The teams ducked again for cover, metal shrapnel and glass spears peppering the ground around them.

In his tent, Solomon watched as the temple turned into rubble and his forces continued their advance. Reports were coming in that Nod militia were surrendering by the hundreds, but that the Black Hand refused to be taken alive; if they couldn’t kill any more GDI, they were either killing their wounded or themselves. The French 1^st Parachute Chasseur Regiment moved through Sarajevo with speed, bringing terrified civilians out of hiding and spiriting them to the rear as they battled with the last of the Nod loyalists in the ruined city. It was house to house, street to street, but the fight had been taken from the Nod forces at last once the shockwave from the temple ripped through the hills.

As the temple burned and smoked, Carter slowly raised her head to see the temple in ruins, the roof gone and the structure now nearly-level to the ground around it. “I think it’s over Colonel.”

O’Neill didn’t budge from behind cover. “Until EOD gets here, I’m not moving.”

“O’Neill!” Looking to his left, O’Neill saw Mustang and the teams running toward their position. “My God, what did you all do here?”

O’Neill held up a hand. “Hey, for the record, this wasn’t us.”

Teal’c stood up. “For once.”

“Well we -- ” Asami stopped as the power plant exploded in the distance behind them, more debris and dust flying into the air as the last remaining lights in the base finally died out.

O’Neill let himself have a smug smile. “Told you. Not until EOD gets here.”

It was a good twenty minutes until the GDI force arrived to secure the still-smoking temple grounds. As the bodies were tagged and catalogued the teams were spirited back to the forward base for debriefing. Bouncing across the countryside in the Humvees, Korra looked out to see the scarred hills covered in fresh craters and felled trees. Every few yards there were GDI detachments, marking bodies and destroyed vehicles with a dispassionate attitude; another job, nothing more. Part of her wondered quietly if she risked becoming so emotionless.

Weapons secured inside the base the teams were split. The next two hours were a mix of tedium and tension as they were taken by GDI officers to dictate after action reports and describe what they saw to Lt. Maus. “And this final message from Kane, what did he say exactly?”

Bolin thought for a second. “Well there was a lot of evil gloating, and then something about convergence.”

Mako took a moment to recollect. “He said that the war against GDI and Nod was over here, but that he was going out into the multiverse and that convergence was coming.”

Asami recalled the same. “He mentioned that he was striking out into the multiverse, that he was thankful for the MVTF proving ascension was possible and that convergence was coming.”

Korra related the same. “That convergence was coming, that he was able to prepare for what ‘lies ahead’ and that convergence was coming.”

Maus nodded as she took down Korra’s report. “There was no indication of what he meant by convergence?”

Korra shook her head. “No, after he was done talking the image cut out.”

Maus typed for a few seconds and nodded. “Thank you Korra, this is what we need. You can head back outside now.”

Thankful for the reprieve, Korra stood and quickly strode out of the tent into the darkening twilight. Another flight of Orcas drove overhead, Asami watching them as she sat on a concrete table in what they learned was called the smoke pit. “Hey babe, you okay?”

Asami was silent for a few seconds. “There were two men in the plant still alive Korra. They were staying there, they were there when the plant exploded.” Asami sighed and ran a hand through her hair, like she was trying to grip onto something that reminded her reality was still present. “When Lt. Hawkeye shot the glass, they just looked up but went right back to their work. They had to have known they were going to die but, but they stayed there.”

Korra settled in next to her girl, wrapping her arms around Asami and holding her close as Asami buried her face into Korra desperately trying to forget and only seeing the forms of the two men.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Korra turned to see Parker walking over, cigarette already lit and being puffed away. “There were two men in the power plant.”

Parker looked bemused at the statement. “Yeah, that’s usually a minimum of what you’d need to run a power plant like that.”

Korra glared at Parker. “They were in the plant when it exploded, they just waited there to die.”

“So?” Parker tapped off some ash. “They’re Nod fanatics. You’ll be seeing a lot more of that sweetheart.”

Korra’s glare intensified at Parker. “What is it about you? You treat all this like it’s a game, you don’t care about dying, you hate us -- ”

“Oh God, we’re back to this again,” Parker groaned, shaking his head. “I don’t hate you, got it? I just don’t think it’s normal what you two are doing.”

“Yeah, because jumping from dimension to dimension fighting terrorists and monsters is just another day for you,” Asami said, reaching her head up despite the tears forming at the edges of her eyes. “What is normal for you huh? Why is it you’re the only one that has a problem with us?”

“I’m not,” Parker said bluntly. “I just choose not to hide it. Long story short, guys date girls. It’s how it worked where I lived, it’s how it works all over the world. I mean you can’t marry each other after all, how’re you gonna have a family?”

Korra was starting to look more annoyed now than angry. “We did date boys, both of us dated Mako but it didn’t work out.”

Parker’s grin spread and he started laughing so hard he bent over. “Oh wow, he must’ve really screwed up if he drove both of you to each other!”

Korra sighed. “C’mon babe, let’s go get some rest.” Letting Asami lean on her as they made their way out, Korra looked back at Parker as he kept laughing. If he didn’t hate them, he had a funny way of showing it.

As Parker started to calm down, he shook his head. Two dead Nod techs in the power planet? That was their problem? “Christ, they’ve got a ways to go if that shook them up.”

Mako walked out of the tent, jerking a thumb behind him. “Okay jerk, what’d you say to Asami and Korra?”

Parker took one look at Mako and started laughing all over again.

Solomon shook his head. “Now the Brotherhood of Nod is loose in the multiverse.”

O’Neill raised a hand. “In our defense, we had no way of knowing that Kane was crazy enough to actually create a working quantum mirror.”

Daniel nodded. “This has to prove it then, Kane’s not human. If he isn’t an ascended being he’s got to be on the borderline of becoming one.”

“That doesn’t change what happened,” Solomon growled, his voice somehow getting deeper as he spoke. “The militia we captured know nothing, just what their indoctrination was like. None of the Black Hand survived, they committed suicide to a man rather than face capture.”

O’Neill nodded. “Then we did one thing right.” Solomon raised an eyebrow. “We kept you from screwing up big time.” Solomon paused at the statement, and slowly gave a nod to O’Neill.

Daniel looked out to the smoke pit. “We’ll need to face what’s going on with Parker and Korra and Asami soon though, it’s going to get ugly if they can’t find a way to work together.”

O’Neill nodded. “Nothing brings people together like shared hardship and a common enemy. Lucky us, we have plenty of both.”

“We’ll have a debrief in thirty,” Solomon said, holding up a CD-R disc with a devilish grin. “If Gen. Shepherd has any issues with Nod escaping, we can mention that certain pieces of evidence can have a way of winding up in the hands of interested parties.”

O’Neill and Daniel smiled back.

Kane walked high on the rocky outcropping, holding the specimen container in his hand as he looked out over the new Brotherhood. The Brotherhood was assembled before him, Enoch standing before the others at rest. As the wind blew over them all Kane took a moment to breathe in the air; it was clear, fresh. Despite the barren appearance there was still grass, tree in the distance and the sounds of birds. A world with life on it.

“Brothers and sisters of Nod, behold our new lands. No more will we be forced to contend with GDI’s tyranny. Now we will have our own worlds to claim, new brothers and sisters to bring in to our ways.” Holding a sample container high in his right hand, Kane let the light of the sun on this Earth shine through and set the green tiberium crystals inside alight. “Behold our ascension!”

“In the name of Kane!”

Kane lifted his left hand, holding aloft a sample of blue tib. “One vision! One Purpose!”

“Brotherhood! Unity! Peace!”

Kane held his head back, throwing the sample containers down. The glass shattered, and now tiberium was unleashed upon a new world. “Peace through power!”

“PEACE THROUGH POWER! PEACE THROUGH POWER! PEACE THROUGH POWER!”

Turning back, Kane grinned as he observed a small farmhouse in the distance with a radio aerial next to it.