For long we have watched and waited, and when we took our chance you destroyed us, worthy of ascension, yet ignorant to the cause. We admire and despise you, but we need you in any case. You will see our reasons, and then you may choose our fate. Annihilation or Atonement.

With a shock he woke up, as if from a bad dream. He looked around and saw his room in the XCOM base, as he had left it before operation avenger, or perhaps sooner? He strangely was no longer wearing his psi armor, and the doctors had told him it was very unsafe to take off with his amplified powers. Maybe one of the other psionic soldiers had assured them it was safe, but how had he ended up back here? He stood up and decided to walk out the door, when a he heard a voice he recognized… but it couldn't be… He stormed out the door and there she was.

"Farisani! You're alive?"

"Uh yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be dumbass? I'm standing right in front of you."

He was take slightly aback by this reaction, and he was her senior officer so she had no right to talk to him like that.

"Is that how you talk to a colonel now captain Farisani?"

"Captain? Colonel? I do not know what the hell you've been drinking but we are both recruits here, and how the hell did you know my name to begin with? As far as I can recall we have never met."

The expression on his face turned from a frown to pure shock, as he collapsed to the floor, immediately Farisani's tone changing to a loud scream for a medic, but she was a medic… or at least how he remembered it…

He woke up in the infirmary to a bright light as one of the doctors was testing him.

"What the hell happened? Did I get knocked out by a Muton or something?"

"A Muton? Could you explain to me what that is?" the doctor asked.

"Are you kidding me? You must have seen a dozen on the autopsy table and you're asking me what a Muton is?"

"I'm sorry to inform you I have no idea what you are talking about recruit Harrec?"

He was dumbstruck as he remembered why he was here, and immediately pushed himself up.

"Doc, what date is it today?"

"Well, it is the 7th of January."

He lay back down slowly.

The 7th of January, three days before the conflict started, and the second day that he was stationed in XCOM Asia's base. Reports of extraterrestrial craft had come in from all over the world and the project had been put on standby and recruits from all over the world were made ready in the case of an invasion. He nearly blacked out again but he kept himself awake. Meanwhile the doctor watching over him kept making notes, his face was frowned.

"That means the first strike is tomorrow…" Harrec mumbled.

"Excuse me recruit, did you say something?"

"It's nothing doc, I just had a weird dream and it conflicted with what I saw outside my bunk, and the shock knocked me over, that must have been it."

He had to prepare his gear, tomorrow they would have to face an outsider with only ballistic weapons, and the sectoid crew too.

"I am afraid that is not what we suspect is wrong recruit, it's something with your brainwave activity, but we have no clue what caused it. However you seem the be in a perfectly healthy state aside from that so as long as you come here once daily for a check-up you are allowed to return to your room."

Harrec stood up and shook the doctor's hand mumbling a "Thank you" and walked to his room. He had to rest now. Tomorrow he would have to get up early.