RP X-Com Role-Play Missions

[ZombieSplitter53]

Operation Precious Package, Part 3

“To the labs it is then.” Desmond pressed the button for the labs and turned to Sora. “So...can you make us a window, or even give us an estimate on the number of guards?”

Sora didn’t reply for a second and then he spoke up. “I have made the guards in the labs move elsewhere. Though there was an unusual amount of men there.”

Desmond looked at Emma. “That could only mean one thing.”

“She’s… fighting back?” Ayame asked hopefully, unsure what she was missing out on, but sure there was something.

Desmond shook his head grimly. “No. They were guarding Lily. He must either not have done it yet or he did and is waiting for seconds.”

Emma clenched her fist, shaking a bit with fury.

Desmond pulled the mask over his head once more and checked the stolen rifle. “He will pay Emma.”

As the elevator reached the appropriate floor, Ayame gritted her teeth. “What are you… is he… is she….” Her eye twitched a little, and she bit down into her lip angrily, a small trickle of blood going down her cheek.

Desmond didn’t reply and he walked out the door, looking around. “Clear.”

Emma did a quick glance of her own before heading quickly towards their destination, one hand on her gun, and the other on her stealth activation. Ayame stayed by the clones side. She shot Emma a sympathetic look, suddenly feeling terrible for no reason in particular, but remained quiet, the mission too important to mess up for a word of sympathy.

Desmond heard approaching footsteps and he stood straight. “Guys, stealth, now.” Emma and Sarah quickly faded from view.

Two clones turned around the corner and approached Desmond. “Why are you not heading to the hangar?” One asked with an emotionless voice.

“I was given a separate directive. I am to make sure that the captive doesn’t pull anything.” Desmond bluffed.

The two guards looked at one another and looked back at Desmond. “Be quick. She hasn’t been much trouble though. Not a noise, or anything. It should be no trouble.”

Desmond nodded and the two guards walked past Desmond. “One last thing.”

The guards stopped and Desmond turned to face them. “Has our leader visited the prisoner yet?”

The clone nodded.

“All I needed to hear.” Desmond nodded his head for the kill order.

Ayame appeared behind the pair, driving her knife into the side of one of their heads, a slash of crimson hitting her face. She kneed the other in the back, and as he hunched back, she wrapped her arm around his neck and quickly pulled up, snapping his neck with a sickening crack. She yanked her knife out of the first clone, getting another crimson spray, and dropped the two soldiers to the ground, her expression seething.

Emma slowly reappeared, and said in a cold and dry voice, “Desmond. When the time comes to kill Viktor, it will be by our hand. This has become more personal than it was before.”

“When the time comes...we will see. If there is a situation where he is able to be killed by you, I will let you. If you are in danger though, I will end him myself,” Desmond said.

“Your assistance will not be necessary,” 158 returned, and kept walking, her cold fury seeming to be tangible.

Desmond walked with her and he led them through the turns and they finally came upon a double door room that had a keypad next to it. Desmond didn’t waste time, driving his sword into it and the door unlocked.

Subject 156 looked up at the clone wielding a sword with an empty look, only slowly registering Emma in her ghost armor. “Oh. You have come to rescue me,” she finally uttered.

The shadow operative immediately knelt down, holding her sister tightly. “Lily...I’m...so sorry...we…” Emma could barely choke out the words.

Ayame pulled her armor off and handed it to Desmond. “Put this on her,” she said in a raspy voice, the blood smeared on her face. “I-I’m gonna… keep watch. We need to… to leave, though, so… you know…”

Sarah held a hand over her eyes, masking the shock and pain that was mirrored in them. T-this is...

“We won’t rest until he pays the ultimate price for what he did...we will never leave you alone again,” Emma mumbled to her sister, tears slowly forming in Lily’s eyes as she allowed herself to register the pain and emptiness in her heart.

Desmond set the armor down next to Emma and he put a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Take all the time you need. Right now, this mission comes second. Take care of her.”

The shadow operative slowly helped Lily put on the ghost armor. Once she had it on, 156 quietly grasped Emma’s hand, not wanting to let go of her, and Emma did not deny her sister that.

Desmond walked out of the room and away from Ayame as to give her additional space. He sighed and rubbed his face, putting his head against the wall. “I could have prevented this...I know I could have…”

Emma soon walked up to him with Lily close at her side. “Let’s get out of here.”

Desmond nodded, seemingly distant but he had gotten an idea. “Take Lily to the ship. I am not done here.”

“I assume you have something else in mind besides fighting him yourself,” the shadow operative returned.

“W-what the clones said... Sora’s distraction was ordering them to the hangar...I am going to break Viktor’s back. I won’t give him a chance to attack XCOM.” Desmond stated.

“I suggest you do not attempt it if you believe there is a large margin for error,” Emma replied. “I cannot help you, I need to get Lily back. Do not make an unwise decision.”

“I’ll help him,” Ayame said, finally wiping the crimson from her face. “It’s the least I can do.”

Desmond nodded. “I don’t care. Just get Lily to the ship, Emma.”

Emma returned the nod, and began to walk away, but stopped when Lily weakly grabbed Desmond’s arm. “Not...your fault…” 156 whispered shakily. “D-don’t die…”

“There is something that people seem to forget…” Desmond stated, trying to hold back his emotions. “And that is Patient 42 is not one to just roll over and die. Lusett knew that...and Viktor will soon come to know that all too well.”

Lily gave the slightest of nods, and then let go, Emma leading her to safety. Sarah escorted them out, knowing Emma could not easily fight in this condition.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Operation Precious Package, Part 4

Desmond turned to Ayame. “Before we head to the hangar, we need to rig some stuff. We need to get to Viktor’s office.”

Ayame looked down at the weapon in her hands, her hands shaking ever so slightly. Looking back at Desmond, she said, “I’m your gun. Just point to where you need me to fire.”

Desmond nodded and he lead the way to the elevator. When they reached the top floor, Desmond didn’t bother with his disguise anymore. He just walked forward to the double wooden doors of the office. “If he is behind here, this is a fight that will take our all. You ready?”

Ayame simply nodded, lifting her pistol, her knife pressed against the hilt.

Desmond walked forward and he sent his metal arm through the wood, splitting it open and giving him the ability to unlock the door. He walked through, but to his surprise, there was no one. “Where the fuck is he?” Desmond mumbled. He ran to the computer and sat down in the chair.

Sora floated into the room and responded, “There you are. I lost you in the labs and I thought you would come here.” The A.I. floated next to Desmond and stated, “Give me a moment.” The drone stayed still and then suddenly dropped with a dull thud. Soon, a white EXALT symbol appeared. “Ah, it feels good to be back. Alright, give me a second and I will pop this thing.”

A minute passed and Desmond asked, “Is it done yet?”

“Yep, all yours.” Sora replied.

Desmond began to type in the computer and got to work. Reaching into his bag, Desmond pulled out a small device and put it in the computer. A few commands later, Desmond had all the info he needed. “Done. Sora, disrupt all communications throughout the base and disable security. We need to leave.”

“Done and done boss. Though there is something you might want to see.” Sora informed the psionic clone.

“What?” Desmond stared at the screen and a video played in a low volume, just out of ear shot of Ayame. “Put it on.”

“Done, and one last thing…” Sora said in a worried tone.

“What is it now?” Desmond asked.

“Viktor is in the hanger...your friends have been found out.” Sora replied.

Desmond’s eyes widened. “No…” He yanked the portable drive out of computer, Sora just barely being able to upload himself to Desmond’s wrist computer. “Ayame! Move now!” Desmond jumped from behind the desk and ran out of the room.

Ayame rushed after him, weapon drawn. As they rushed down the hallway, several guards periodically burst out of the doors in front of them. “Keep going!” Ayame shouted, stopping every so often to headshot as soon as they ran out to give Desmond room to keep moving.

Desmond yanked his sword out of it’s sheath and just slid it into the flesh of the clones as he ran past them. He had a soft, radiating red glow around him. Finishing off the last of the clones, Desmond slammed the button to call the elevator. “Hurry up!”

Ayame rushed to Desmond’s side, a wound from a lucky clone’s shot bleeding profusely from her arm. “What the fucks wrong with you?! What part of ‘keep going’ did you not understand?!”

Desmond breath was heavy as he watched the elevator drop. “I...will kill...them all!”

“Then you shouldn’t have stopped to slice up those other pricks!” Ayame shouted. “M-My job is to make sure you get through this! No matter what! Stop wasting time!”

Desmond almost didn’t hear the Asian soldier as the numbers got lower and lower. He ripped a long piece of fabric off the EXALT armor and handed it to Ayame. Ayame took it and stepped into the elevator, the elevator, silently tying her arm as they reached the hanger, both tense as can be.

When the doors finally slid open, the scene before them was an absolute battlezone. Dozens of EXALT soldiers were hidden behind cover as they exchanged fire with the op team and the extraction team. Through all the chaos, Desmond spotted a sole figure, standing in the middle of the chaos. His grip tightened around his sword and he charged out of the elevator towards the leader of EXALT.

Damn it. I hate my job. Ayame rushed after the psionic soldier, desperate to back him up whether he liked it or not.

Fedor launched a grenade at a cluster a EXALT troops, and shouted towards Vee, “All yours,” as the survivors scattered from their cover.

The Destroyer grinned, but it was laced with venom. “Roger.” Vee let the rocket fly, blasting apart a chunk of the enemy forces with a gauss-accelerated explosion.

“Damn it!” Dorian knelt down by Wade, spraying his med-spray over her. Motioning towards his rifle, he yelled to Elene, “Can you cover me?”

The heiress quickly nodded. Avanix. With the uplink improving her aim, Elene picked up the rifle, and shot down advancing EXALT troops.

Desmond got close to Viktor and could feel the power radiate off of the man. “Viktor!”

The man turned to look at the soldier and he grinned. “So the prodigal son returns.”

Desmond raised his blade to strike at the man but Viktor just grabbed Desmond sword arm. “Now, now. Is that any way to greet your brother?”

“Fuck you!” Desmond exclaimed.

“Oh, don’t worry. I will dispose of your friends and we can catch up.” Viktor looked over at his troops. “Kill them all!”

“Desmond!” Ayame shot down two EXALT troops rushing up behind him. “There’s no time! We need to leave! Or they’ll destroy us! You’re fight will have to wait!”

Viktor turned Desmond so he could get a look at the other soldier. “There is always another, isn’t there?” He muttered, annoyed.

“Get out of here! Get them back to base!” Desmond yelled.

“No!” Ayame turned her handgun towards the fighting EXALT soldiers, and the other towards Desmond and Viktor. “The Commander gave me a job! To make sure you don’t die needlessly. That you don’t do what you’re doing now! Do you think Elene or the others will be willing to leave without you?” She fired towards the pair, purposely firing high in case Viktor tried to pull Desmond in the way of the shot. “Let him go! NOW!”

“You have some pretty persistent gnats, don’t you brother?” Viktor twisted Desmond’s arm and he spun him, getting his arm around Desmond’s neck. “You want me to let him go? Try and make me!”

Elene grabbed the sniper rifle Wade had been using, and took aim with it, her enhanced eyes and Avanix working in tandem to get a bead on Viktor. “For Lily...for you, Desmond...let him go.” The long rifle shot echoed like a cannon as she fired it at Viktor’s back.

Viktor smiled as he heard the crack of the rifle and the bullet swerved to the left and into one of his clones. “Shooting a man in the back? Now that is low, even for you guys.”

Lucky for Desmond, Viktor’s energy seemed to drop low and the strong vice that his arm formed on his neck loosened. Desmond drove his elbow into the overconfident man and got released, kicking Viktor down. Desmond pulled the pistol off of his hip and fired a quick round at Viktor.

The bullet entered into Viktor’s right eye and came out the side of his head, the angle of the gun causing the bullet to just hit the eye and go out the skull without hitting near the brain. Viktor grabbed his bleeding eye and thrashed around in a great amount of pain and he let out a loud scream of agony.

Desmond was about to finish the deed but he looked towards his friends and the approaching EXALT force. “Fuck…” Desmond put the gun back in his holster and looked for Ayame.

“Damn, fucking pain in the ass!” Ayame fired off two more rounds, Viktor still somehow able to deflect them despite his immense pain. As Desmond reached her, she ran by his side, wanting to say something angry but too hopped up on adrenaline to say anything.

Viktor clenched his fist, his hatred and pain flustering together to give him one desperate act. Viktor reached out with his mind and found a piece of shrapnel nearby. Viktor shot the debris at the two, his target being Desmond. Ayame’s eyes widened, and she shoved Desmond forward. The shrapnel lodged into her side, and she screamed in pain, collapsing to the ground.

Desmond watched as the soldier fell to the ground and his eyes widened in shock. Viktor began to laugh maniacally, but Desmond ignored him, his focus solely on Ayame. He knelt down and put his arms under her. “You are not dying on me yet!”

“My… job… get you… home! Leave… me…”

“Shut the fuck up!” He used his strength to lift the woman up and began to run to the dropship. When the squad finally all loaded up, the dropship rose up and made a quick getaway away from the base.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

X-COM Mission Parameters
Mini-Mission

Operation: Anticlimactic Comeback.
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands County, England

Date: August 17th, 2018
Time: 1900 Hours

Details:
Alien forces have attempted an abduction mission in Birmingham district, England. Unfortunately for them, in their belief that X-COM would not be back to full strength, they did not seem to take their A-game. In the end, however, it was the British military that was underestimated. A quick and tactful counter-strike caught the aliens of guard.

We could likely leave this matter for the locals to finish off. However, they British forces did suffer heavy losses. As a show of solidarity for our British allies, we will be sending a small force in before they loss any more.

Soldiers for this mission:
LCPL Thomas, Mary (Gunner), along with seven other soldiers and one Hover SHIV.

Enemy Forces:
Three Units Containing three Sectoids
Two Units Contains three Mutons
One Unit Containing two Mutons and a Berserker.

Terrain: Streets of Birmingham.

Civilians: Mostly evacuated, but some might be hiding in the area.

 

[Frostlich1228]

Mini-Mission

Operation: Anticlimactic Comeback.

When Mary and her squad reached the top of the the building they looked down at the leftovers of what was obviously a intense battle. Corpses of many aliens lay in the streets, rittled with conventional lead bullets. The bodies of a few of the British soldiers could also be see, most of them were either melted by plasma or crushed with extreme force and left to drown in their own blood. From the vantage point they saw that the Commander's report had been accurate, with the British soldiers pushing the few remaining aliens back, despite their many injuries. From this vantage point Mary could see the entirety of the remaining alien force, Three bloodied Mutons, one even missing most of it's leg but still fighting as if it felt no pain. A single Sectoid hid behind a car as far away from the British troops as possible, mind merging with a extremely battered Muton Beserker to increase his durability.

The squad's long range fighters set up shot on the roof, while Mary and the rest of her team moved down to the street in an attempt to flank the creatures from behind. As they reached a thick wooden door, Mary could hear the sounds of plasma weaponry firing on the other side, she smirked, opening the door slowly and casually walking up an inch behind the closest alien she could see, the Sectoid. When Mary reached it, she nudged the unaware Sectoid with the front of her massive weapon, kneeling down to get eye level with it. The bulbous-headed creature turned around slowly, it's already large eyes widening in what could only be fear or surprise at the massive weapon only inches from it's face. "Ey', 'ow're you?" Marry said smirking as she looked at the Sectoid, her free hand slowly moving towards the Arc Thrower on her belt. The creature raised it's plasma pistol after a few seconds but was stopped dead by 1000 volts of electricity to the chest. Mary's squad rushed forwards, taking anything they could find as cover to pincer attack the remaining Mutons. Mary was the first to stand, gripping the handle of her weapon hard as she sprayed a hose of bullets into the vulnerable Mutons. The injured one went down fast as it's body was shredding by lines of Gauss energy, it's comrade a few feet away faring no better as Mary shifted her weapon up and to the side.
The Beserker turned and roared at them, charging towards them with it's head in the front like a bull. It was stopped in it's tracks however when a Gauss blast from her teammates sniper rifle seared it's head clean off. The final Muton, knowing his fate, charged towards Mary recklessly, firing his plasma weapon in her direction as he ran. Mary and her squad all stood up at the same time, tearing the Muton almost in half with a barrage of energy. As the last alien crumpled to the ground Mary watched as her squad leader shook the hand of the leader of the British team. Mary sighed, a little disappointed at the difficulty of this clean-up mission, but she smirked once more, knowing that the aliens had to start sending their A-game eventually and when they did, she'd be ready to drop em like the freaks that they are.

 

[BMPixy]

“Journey Home, Day One”
Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu
Hawaii, United States of America
1048 Local Time
Albert Foulke

A stamp thumped onto my passport, which the customs officer handed back to me. “Welcome to America,” he said, to which I replied with a nod, grabbing the passport and my bags, and stepping forward. What has it been, twenty-four years now? Feels strange, being back in the country of my birth. Granted, it is in a part of the country I’d never been to, maybe once I get to California it’ll feel more at home.

I walked onto the escalator, to take me down to the main lobby. Luckily security was practically non-existent for somebody leaving a plan, but a quick glance behind me noted the long line at the security station. Anywho, let’s see if I remember my contact here. Yuuma Oshiro, Japanese-American, 1.67 meters tall, thin build, black hair, brown eyes, walks with a slight limp in his right leg. Seems about right.

As I descended to the looby, I scanned the area in an attempt to locate the meeting spot. Fourth window on my right, bench across the way. There it is. I stepped off the escalator, and made my way over to the bench in question. Sitting down, I glanced across the area, looking for Oshiro. A man of his description casually made his way over to me, and sat down next to me. Alright, here comes the next bit.

“Are you a human?” I asked, shooting a quick look over at the man.

“Negative,” he replied, “Just a meat popsicle.” With a smirk he offered his hand, which I gladly accepted. “Nice to meet you Mr. Foulke, I’m sure you know who I am.”

Firm grip on this guy, I like him already. “Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Oshiro,” I replied. Taking a quick scan of the area, I added, “Do you want to get a move on to somewhere a bit more private?”

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were propositioning me there,” Oshiro joked, and I shot him an annoyed glare. Standing, he continued, “Anyways, if you’ll follow me, we’ll head to my car, and I’ll take you to your hotel.”

I nodded and stood, following him out of the lobby and out into the parking lot. “By the way,” I asked, “Oshiro-san wa nihongo o hanasude kimasu ka?” (Can you speak Japanese?)

“Hai, boku wa dekiru. Naze?” (Yes, I can. Why?) he replied, motioning me over to a small white sedan.

“Kēsude wa, banashi o suru hitsuyō shikashi wareware wa hitomaededesu.” (In case we need to talk, but we’re in public.) Oshiro nodded, and opened up the trunk of vehicle, which I tossed my two bags into. Wait, why is he stepping over to the left side of the vehi- right, right, they drive on the right side of the road here. How could I forget that?

As I walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle, he replied, “Sate sate, wareware wa bakkuappu to shite nokoshite okimasu. Tokorode, Foruke-san no nihonjin wa shinsetsuna no kowarete iru.” (Alright, we’ll leave it as a back-up. By the way, your Japanese is kind of broken.)

Opening the door and sliding into the seat, I said, “Eh, been a long while since I’ve had to use it, and most of it was learned from a particularly... multi-cultural XO.”

“Makes sense,” my contact said with a shrug. “I’d offer you lessons, but we’re on a tight schedule.” As I buckled he turned on the ignition, and began pulling out of the parking lot, making his way to the exit.

“What kind of time frame are we looking at?” I queried.

“72 hours, though when that clock start varies.” My eyebrow shot up at this statement. Seeing my confusion, he explained, “Hawaiian gun law is particularly strict. Any gun has to be registered within seventy-two hours, and concealed carry permits are particularly strict. I believe there’s less than two hundred permits in the entire state. We want to minimize the amount of crimes we commit, so I’ve had your Gauss pistol reduced to a temporarily inoperable state. However, once we put it back together, we’re on the clock. Not that the cops will magically track us down once our time is up, but we want to stay on the safe side.”

As Oshiro pulled onto the interstate, I replied, “So why not just assemble the pistol when we need it, and save on the panic?”

He shot me a look, and said, “Do you want to potentially get caught by EXALT and not have a gun? Bad enough the stealth field limits movement so much, you don’t want to be completely defenseless out there. No, once we get to your hotel, we’re putting that thing together.”

“Eh, I’d prefer not the carry that thing around, to be honest.” I shrugged slightly. “As much as I like a gun when I’m being dropped into a hot zone, this is a civvie infested area. When I’m doing initial investigations, I’ll keep it in the hotel.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best, especially with the fact that if you are carrying a gun when you commit a misdemeanor, it gets bumped up to a felony.” He flipped on his blinker, and moved the vehicle over a couple lanes.

“Another thing: you got my cover ID for this op?” I asked, scratching the underside of my chin.

“Frank West, gonzo journalist working on a book detailing how the alien invasion affected life in Hawaii. Gives you an excuse to carry around recording equipment and ask strangers questions about mysterious sightings. Got a buddy of mine to forge you some journalist credentials, in case you need to back it up.”

I glanced at him incredulously. “I thought you said we were trying not to commit any crimes?”

“No, I said we need to minimize the amount of crimes we commit. If things go sideways, you may have to do some B&E and assault with a deadly weapon, so what’s a couple forged papers?”

“Yareyare daze...” (Good grief...) I muttered under my breath. “Anyways, what’s my area of investigation?”

“Managed to narrow it down from ‘all of Hawaii’, and then ‘all of Honolulu’, into the area between Cooke St, Kapiolani Blvd, Kamakee St, and Ala Moana Blvd, which is about one-sixty k square meters.”

“Well, that isn’t that bad, I suppose. Any other leads on the ID of the cell?”

“Well, from past experience, EXALT tends to prefer either white collar businesses or large warehouses, places with a lot of tech or room for tech to be installed, while remaining relatively covert. I’d focus your searches on places like that, but don’t let that bias lead you away from a solid lead.” Flipping on his turn signal once more, he slid over to the far right lane, our exit likely coming up.

“Anything else you want me to know, while we have privacy?” I asked, un-crossing my legs in preparation.

“Yeah, I’ll be by your room at around nine to take you to the location. Any preference on breakfast?” He glanced over at me, quickly returning his attention to the road as he transferred onto the off-ramp.

“Eh, nothing too spicy, can’t handle spicy. Other than that, it’s up to you.”

“Sweet, ‘cause I know this nice little pizzeria on the way to the location, and I figured you didn’t get much of that locked up on that base.”

“Niiice,” I said, drawing out the first vowel longer than necessary. “Thin crust or deep dish?”

“Thin crust, and it is damn good. If you don’t feel like that, they’ve got a few other things on the menu as well. I’ll swing by there on our way to the target site.”

A smile grew across my face, and I could feel my saliva building up. How long has it been since I’ve had a decent slice of pizza? Probably a good few years, I think the last time was a couple weeks before I shipped out to the Middle East. Damn, if I weren’t here on a mission, I’d probably be stuffing myself with all the food I haven’t gotten in forever.

“Alright, here we are,” Oshiro said after a couple minutes of silence, as he pulled into a parking lot. Glancing out the window, I caught sight of the sign, which read ‘Ramada Plaza Waikiki’. “Welcome to your home away from base.”

A few minutes later, I had my bags, my room key, and was standing in front of my door, trying to pull the latter out of my pocket without dropping the former. After a short struggle, I had the door open and was hauling my luggage inside. The hotel room was a simple enough affair: two beds, TV, bathroom, duffel bag sitting on one of the beds, mini-fridge, window with a beautiful view of the sea, closet, computer.

Shutting the door and setting my bags down next to the one Oshiro had likely left me, I decided to investigate the mysterious sack of cloth. Unzipping it, I examined the contents: one Gauss pistol, field stripped; one stealth field generator; a small stack of papers confirming that I was indeed a journalist; the device containing my tech-support; a flashbang grenade; and a small wad of cash labeled ‘for emergencies’.

Hmm, maybe I should get to work on my pla- A stiff yawn interrupted my thoughts, reminding me of all the jet lag I had accumulated. Right, maybe some sleep first, I did just gain almost a full day. Returning the items to the duffel bag, I stacked the luggage in the corner, and hopped into bed, ready to sleep.

 

[BMPixy]

“Journey Home, Day Two”
Ramada Plaza Waikiki, Honolulu
Hawaii, United States of America
0423 Local Time
Albert Foulke

Augh... what time is it? A quick glance at the alarm clock gave me that information, and I groggily slid out of bed, noting I hadn’t changed out of my clothes from the day before. I threw open the blinds, revealing the ocean at twilight. Geez, did I sleep for an entire day? Guess sleep really is the key to happiness, if that says anything. A quick grumble from my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in a few dozen hours, and I glanced over at the phone. Should I order some room service? Nah, I think I saw a convenience store a couple blocks away, I’ll make a quick snack run there. Probably cheaper, too.

Stretching and letting out a brief yawn, I examined the scene from the window, noting some clouds rolling across the ocean, they likely wouldn’t even hit the island. Lights blinked as boats sailed out of the harbor to the east, the people on board probably hoping for a day full of fish and fun. Below, neon signs glowed, the stores either having survived the long night or preparing for a fresh new day.

Man I love cities at twilight. Shaking my head to remove myself from my stupor, I turned back into the hotel room. I have stuff to do. Grabbing the device holding the AI from my duffel bag, I shuffled over to the desktop computer on a nearby desk, booting the computer up. A prompt appeared on screen, asking for my login information. Damn, do I even have that? Hmm, probably best if I register instead. Clicking through the prompts- holy shit, forty bucks for every twenty-four hours of service!? What the hell is this highway robbery?

Y’know what? XCOM’s footing the bill for this place, what’s another forty? Not like I’m going to use this at all for the rest of the time I’m here, regardless of if my plan works. Checking off that yes, I don’t mind having the fee for one day of service added to my room charge, I quickly set up a username and password I probably wouldn't remember, and at long last signed on to the computer.

Hmm, where’s a USB port on this thing-ah, here we are. I unwrapped a cable from the device, and plugged it into the desktop. A second passed, as the drivers were identified, after which a simple command prompt appeared on screen.

“Hello world,” it said.

Slowly punching in the keys, I replied, “Is anybody aware in there?”

“Yes, I am. Who makes such queries?”

“An XCOM agent. I have need of your services.”

“It is what I was made for. What do you want, Agent?”

“I need a virus, formatted for a USB drive, to be placed upon a flash drive for the purpose of damaging EXALT servers in the region. Also, if at all possible, have a series of fake files, also to be placed on the flash drive, detailing notes from gonzo journalist Frank West and his study on alien activities in the US, using publicly available sources.”

“Very well, will begin work at once,” the AI printed on screen, “No promises on files, but virus will be finished.”

“I will return to assess your progress later this evening. You have until then. Goodbye.” I switched off the monitor, and stepped away from the computer. Alright, let’s shower, and then we’ll head out for some food.

0907 Local Time
Ramada Plaza Waikiki

A knocking on the door interrupted me, drawing me away from analyzing the forged journalist credentials. Peering out the peephole, I spotted Oshiro standing around, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a small plastic bag.

I opened the door and said, “Hey Oshiro, c’mon in.” I waved my hand to the same effect, and the man nodded appreciatively as he stepped inside.

“Brought over a couple things I forgot to stick in your gear bag,” he said, handing the plastic bag over to me. Inside was an audio recorder along with a cheap cell phone, likely a pre-paid. “Phone is for getting in contact with me once you’re finished investigating the area, audio recorder is for journalist credentials. Phone only has a hundred minutes on it, so keep it for emergencies. My number is already in the contacts, hand it over once you’re finished with it.”

“Understood,” I responded, shutting the door behind me.

Yuuma turned to me once more as if to say something else, but something registered in his brain, and he said, incredulously, “Really, a Hawaiian T-shirt?”

I pulled at the button-up and shrugged, replying, “Seemed fitting, and it’s what I packed. Besides, I’m a tourist, it’s expected of me.”

“Whatever. Anyways, you want to head out now?” he asked.

“Yeah, best get there quickly so I can start interviewing people,” I replied.

“Right, then let’s get going,” Oshiro said, gesturing for the door.

INTERVIEW #01:
Subject: Leatrice Savage
Time: 1035 Local

AF: Hello ma’am, I’m Frank West, journalist. You mind answering a couple of questions for me?

LS: No, I don’t mind. What are you looking for?

AF: Well, first, I am required to let you know that I am recording this conversation for future reference. Is this fine with you?

LS: Yeah, it’s alright.

AF: Excellent. First, I need your name and why you’re in the area at the moment.

LS: I’m Leatrice Savage, and I work at a Starbucks a few blocks down the street. Came here for some lunch.

AF: How much do you know about the alien invasion of Earth at the moment?

LS: Not all the much. After all, it isn’t like they’ve come here, so it isn’t really my problem I’d say.

AF: I see. Have you seen any... strange occurrences in the area, odd lights, people suddenly going missing, things like that?

LS: Nah, nothing of the sort.

AF: Alright, thank you for your time, regardless.

INTERVIEW #08:
Subject: Zackery Wash
Time: 1222 Local

AF: Hello, I’m Frank West, a journalist. Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?

ZW: Eh, sure, I got a few minutes.

AF: Just letting you know now, I’m recording this. If you’d please state your name and why you’re in the area?

ZW: I’m Zackery Mikki Wash, and I work at Pacific Store Planning on the afternoon shift.

AF: Okay, I’d like to know how much you know about the alien invasion of Earth?

ZW: Really? You’re one of those types? Please, this entire invasion was a fabrication by the UN as a way to quickly integrate dangerous technologies into the modern world to solidify the First World’s power over the rest of the planet.

AF: [strained] Interesting. Regardless, I must ask if you’ve seen any strange events in the local area, mysterious lights, people acting suspiciously, something like that.

ZW: A couple days ago, when I was driving by the nearby high school after my shift, I noticed some strange lights from Neal S. Blaisdell Center. Reddish, kinda faint due to distance.

AF: I see. Well, thank you for your time.

 

[BMPixy]

INTERVIEW #17 (Abridged):
Subject: Yasmine Masters
Time: 1449 Local

YM: The Community Center? My band used to meet there to practice and perform, but there was a fire a couple months ago and they condemned the place.

INTERVIEW #21 (Abridged):
Subject: Manami Ruzzier
Time: 1518 Local

MR: Yeah, I used to work as a cleaner over at the NSB Center. I figured with the fire I’d be called in to clean up, but instead they condemned the place and fired me. Happened to see some moving trucks in the area, as well, can’t see why they would be there.

INTERVIEW #32 (Abridged):
Subject: Careen Hewitt
Time: 1733 Local

CH: Eh, the fire at the NSB center? From what I heard it was a small-ish fire, but then they condemned the entire building. Not sure why, to be honest.

Ramada Plaza Waikiki, Honolulu
1921 Hours Local Time

“Hmm, that’s a little outside the area I had thought it was,” Yuuma said between mouthfuls of fries. “But if that’s what your investigation has led you to believe, there’s no harm in checking it out.”

“Aye, I plan on taking a quick poke around early tomorrow morning, probably around three or four in the morning,” I replied, wiping my mouth as I finished my burger. “I was hoping the cell was in a business, had a plan all set up for that possibility, but whatever, I’m just glad we have a solid lead on EXALT.”

“Alright, I’ll swing by at around two-thirty tomorrow, and I’ll drop you off a couple blocks away, and you can approach on foot. You might want to assemble the Gauss pistol now, so you’re not rushing in the morning.”

“Right, I’ll take care of that in a little bit. Just FYI, if I call you and hang up after one ring, that’s my distress signal.”

“Gotcha,” Oshiro said, standing from the unused bed, “Anyways, I’ll be heading out now, we got an early morning tomorrow.”

“And if all goes well, we’ll be able to rest for the remainder of the day before I ship out to LA.” I stood as well, following him out to the door. “Later, Oshiro,” I added, to which he responded with a wave, shutting the door behind him.

And now let’s check on that AI. I flipped on the monitor, which was instantly filled with the command prompt through which we communicated.

“Virus finished,” the AI typed, “along with variety of fake files.”

“Change of plans,” I replied, “Going to directly insert into EXALT servers. Apologies for putting your work to no use.”

“Very well. I await the challenge.”

“Until then, I’m going to disconnect you from the computer.”

“Thank you for alerting me. Ready for disconnection.” After the AI posted that message, I removed the USB cable, and wrapped it around the black box a couple times, sticking it into the duffel bag, shutting off the computer as I did so.

And now for the most illegal bit. I removed the disassembled Gauss pistol from the duffel bag and set the parts on my bed. Luckily he just field stripped it, so it should be relatively simple to put back together. Power source here, trigger assembly under there, place magazine spring into magazine, screw in barrel, insert magazine, and here we are. One Gauss pistol, working good as new.

Glancing at the clock, and stifling a yawn in the process, I decided that it would be best for me to get to bed now. I set the alarm on the clock, and tossed away some of the garbage from our dinner. Finishing my drink, I sent it the way of the rest of the meal, and slid into bed.

Hopefully the op is just in and out tomorrow: dodge EXALT, hack their servers, dodge EXALT again, hop the fence, and get out. I got a good feeling about this.

 

[BMPixy]

“Journey Home, Day Three”
Thirty meters outside the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu
Hawaii, United States of America
0348 Hours Local Time
Albert Foulke

The sedan pulled to a stop, with the impressive white dome of the NSB Center in sight. Oshiro shut off the ignition, and turned to me.

“You got everything?” he asked.

“Aye. Gauss pistol, stealth field, flashbang, and AI device are all secure and in place,” I confirmed, tapping the locations of each piece of gear.

“Right, was going to mention this earlier, but...” the Japanese-American reached into the back-seat of the vehicle, grabbing a small paper bag, handing it over to me. “Nabbed you some lock-picks and some garrote wire from an old buddy of mine, just in case.”

“Thanks man,” I replied, patting him on the shoulder. I opened the bag, pulling out the items and shoving them into my pocket. I un-buckled my seat belt, and opened the door. “If all goes well, I’ll be back in an hour or less,” I added as I stepped out of the vehicle.

“Right, good luck and stay safe,” Oshiro said as I shut the door. And now the fun begins. I set off towards my entry point at a light jog, nothing too hasty, didn’t want to attract attention from any potential sentries. I would hop the fence near the nearby high school, and slide around to the parking complex nearby. I would work my way a couple dozen meters north, then exit the complex and hit the back entrance. From there, I’d snoop around the place, ID any EXALT, find their servers, and plug in the AI to pop in the virus. Make my way out the way I came, and then meet up with Yuuma at the drop-off point.

Well, at least that’s the plan. I slowed my jog as I approached the fence and took a quick glance around, confirming that there were no observers in the area, and I took a few steps back. Hopping in place for a moment, I sprung forward, sprinting for the fence, and then leaped, grabbing onto the top of the fence and pulling myself over, dropping to the ground lightly as possible. I scanned around the area once more, and began making my way over to the parking complex.

Sliding my way up to the entrance of the complex, I spotted a collection of vehicles, mostly moving trucks with an occasional car strewn in between them, assembled around the entrance and extending along for a good few dozen meters. Listening closely, I couldn’t hear any signs of life, so I snuck through the entrance, approaching the first moving van. Out of curiosity, I swung around the back of the moving van and tried to open the back, but it was locked securely. Figured, I mused as I slid in between the vehicles cautiously, keeping eyes and ears out for any movement, one hand on the stealth field hanging from my belt and the other in my jacket, cradling the Gauss pistol.

Everything was quiet as I made my way through the complex, sliding over the barrier and towards the back entrance. Another quick look around affirmed that nobody was spying on me, and I slid up to the door. Damn, kinda wished I had one of those fancy cameras that go under the door to check out if anybody is on the other side. Guess I’ll have to do this the old fashioned way.

I slid the garrote wire out of my pocket, holding one end in one hand, the other hand reaching up to knock quietly three times. Thirty seconds passed, and nobody answered, so I put the wire away and removed the lock picks. Let’s see if I still remember how to do this. This goes here, that there, twist a little, poke around a bit, rotate, and there’s that click. A bit ashamed I know that skill, but it helped me get through some hard times, so I can’t say I was in the wrong for learning it.

Shaking my head in an attempt to focus me back on the mission, I cautiously opened the door. Thank god whoever runs this place keeps the hinges oiled, wouldn’t want an untimely squeak giving me away. Shutting the door, I noted that I was in some kind of maintenance room. A few mops were here and there, a closet full of cleaning supplies was in the corner, a lewd poster behind an aging computer resting upon a faux wooden desk, the works. So if this is the janitor’s office, then if I go rooting around in this desk... jackpot, keys and a map! Keys are labeled, too. Pocketing the keys, I quickly checked the map. I’m here, if I step out from here I’ll be in a staff hallway, which will lead me to just under Section E. From there I should be able to get a look around, as they probably set up any equipment in the main arena so they could have more space.

Gently opening the door, I peeked out. No contacts, we’re clear. I slid out the door, quietly shutting it behind me, and stalked my way down the corridor, making sure to clear my corners as I advanced. After a tense series of minutes, I made it to the end of the hallway. Now, if I run into any guards, they’ll be here. Three quiet knocks on the staff door, no response. Door open, slid out, and I’m free. Finding cover behind some crates, I scanned the area. Lots of techy-things set up on the main stage, spreading out from there onto the floor. I spotted some motion among the servers, and further examination revealed them to be EXALT operatives. Only four that I can see, more will probably show up once the day begins proper. Just means I have to work quickly.

Sneaking my way between the obstructions, I approached the nearest server rack. Nobody spotted me, and I removed the AI device from my back pocket, unraveling the USB cable attached to it. Finding the correct port, I inserted it, and hoped the AI understood what this meant. It shouldn’t take that long, but just to be safe... My free hand reached down and flipped on the stealth field, causing me to vanish from sight. In twenty minutes, I’ll deactivate the cloak and book it, that should be enough time for the AI to do it’s work, plus it leave me some juice for an emergency.

With an agonizing slowness the minutes passed, but thankfully none of the EXALT made their way to my location. The AI is probably finished by now, let’s get out of here. Flipping off my cloak, I unplugged the device, shoving it into my pocket. Quickly glancing around, I slowly snuck my way back the way I came. Once again, I was lucky, and made my way out without being spotted.

With a gentle sigh, I slowly closed the door behind me, letting it quietly click as the door sealed itself. Slowly I turned, only to freeze at the sound of voices. Quickly I ducked into cover in a recessed door way. From a corridor up ahead, two voices were talking, one clearly, the other muddled by radio static.

Right, they seem to be approaching me, so I should be able to just flip on stealth and let them pass. With a flick of a switch I vanished, still keeping an eye out on the corridor. An EXALT trooper bearing the signature marks of gene-modding stepped out into the intersection, scanning the area.

“So anyways, as I was saying,” the operative said, “If we’re all clones, then how do we recognize each other? I mean, we’re all identical, right? So why is it I tell you apart from Mika?”

“I dunno, Crantz,” the voice over the radio responded, “I don’t think about these kind of things. But, if you notice, we all pick up a little bit of individuality, our way of differing from the template. Maybe we’ve just learned to pick up on those subtle cues?”

“Yeah, that makes sense, Stern,” the first commented, “Area 7C clear, by the way.”

“Alright, I’ll link up with you again at 8B.”

“Understood, I’m on my way,” the operative responded, and he continued on his way. I waited two minutes before deactivating the stealth field, and poked my head around the corner, checking to make sure that the EXALT was focused on what was ahead of him before slipping across the intersection and continuing on my way, back in to the janitor’s office.

That was too close. If I hadn’t saved some time on the stealth field, the mission would have been FUBAR. Quickly I slipped out of the janitor’s office and hopped the barrier into the parking complex, retracing my steps to exit the area. The gloom of the early morning had been replaced by the faint glow of twilight, I noted as I vaulted over the fence once more, and made my jog back to Oshiro and the car.

The Japanese-American was sound asleep in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, and a couple of raps on the passenger window forced him awake. After he unlocked the door, I got into the vehicle, the door slamming shut.

“So I assume everything went just as planned?” Yuuma asked.

“Aye, they only way they might have known I was there if they noticed that I grabbed a few keys from a janitorial office or if they find the virus,” I replied, buckling my seat belt.

“Wonderful, wonderful!” he said, patting my on the shoulder. “One cell down, two more to go! C’mon, I know a 24-hour pancake house nearby, let’s go celebrate, then we can go get your tickets for the trip to LA and send you on your way.”

As he turned on the ignition, I responded jokingly, “What, that eager to get rid of me?”

“Nah,” he shook his head as he pulled off of the curb, “Eager to get EXALT out of America.”

“Once we get to that pancake house, I’ll have to drink to that.” I settled into the seat as Yuuma drove away from the NSB Center, glad that this had gone so well. Hopefully the rest of the operations go this smoothly.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

X-COM Mission Parameters
Ethereal Base Assault

Operation Elegant Castitas
Location: Gobi Desert, Northern China/Southern Mongolia

Date: August 24, 2018
Time: 0400 Hours

Details:
With our resources previously focused on getting the base to full, working condition, our completion of the Hyperwave Relay was delayed, but it is now operational. We feared that, with how long it took, the aliens might have prepared for it by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Yesterday, we picked up the signal of a cloaked alien ship over the Gobi Desert. Oddly enough, it simply hovered there, with no indication that it was doing anything that warranted it's presence. Whats more, when we arrived, the UFO seemed to wait there until the last minute, flying off at full speed when our new firestorms were just far enough for it to still escape.

All of this wasn't for naught, however, as readings combining the hyperwave relay signals and our satellites discovered a hidden alien base in the exact area the ship was hovering. The extremely strong psionic energy readings we are picking up suggest an Ethereal is here, likely the Ethereal we have designated as Luxuria. It is time to take the first step to eliminating the alien leaders and ending this war once and for all.

Number of troops for this mission: Ten (10) Soldiers, accompanied by two (2) SHIVs

Soldier Names:
CAPT (TSGT) Stewart, Jack (Assault)*
TSGT Fischer, Amelia (Support)
SGT Anderson, Sven (Sniper)
SGT Orlov, Nika (Heavy) (Blue Psionic)
CPL Volodarskii, Harvet (Infantry)
CPL Roosevelt, Jonathan (Engineer)
CPL Brown, Rembrandt (Medic)
CPL Muthambi, Masambe (Gunner)
CPL Temple, Sharron (Rocketeer)
CPL Kwan, So Ji (Goliath)
Alloy SHIV "Bandersnatch"
Hover Alloy SHIV "Jub Jub"

*Squad Leader

Gear: Players' characters' will be equipped with the following supplies:

- Primary weapon: Either a Gauss Stuttergun, a Gauss Carbine, a Gauss Rifle, a Heavy Gauss Rifle, an Alloy Cannon, a Gauss Long Rifle (Snipers), an Alloy Strike Rifle (Scout, Sniper), a Gauss Autorifle (Gunner, Heavy), or a Gauss Machine Gun (Gunner, Heavy)

- Armor: Kestrel Armor, Carapace Armor, Banshee Armor, or Aegis Armor (Four Shadow Armors also available)

- Secondary Weapon: Either a Laser Pistol, a Gauss Autopistol, or a Hand Scatter Cannon (H.S.C.)

- Equipment: Two (2) of the following; a medikit, Alloy plating, Reinforced Armor, Chitin Plating, a battle scanner, an AP grenade, a HE grenade, a flash-bang grenade, a smoke grenade, a chem grenade, a high-capacity magazine, a targeting module, or an Arc Thrower.

(Chameleon Suit available for Scouts, Shredder Rocket for Rocketeers)

Terrain:
While fairly large, the Ethereal Base isn't nearly as large is the one in India, as it seems to be specifically made to house the Ethereal. Upon entering the base (using the new skeleton key we designed using the signal from this base), you'll find a standard loading bay. You'll find this one loaded with an unusual number of pods, cages, and holding devices, at least when compared to the previous bases and ships. Attached is a small hanger, containing the Ethereals person ship (beware of Outsiders)

You'll find the standard fare for the base. Hallways, a couple labs, a small engineering bay. What will stick out is a particularly large lab specifically for the genetic and psionic manipulation of humans. You'll find a number of humans in various states of experimentation, from the standard degree seen elsewhere, to horrific Frankenstein-esk abominations, to humans that have had so many attempts to forcefully push psonics into them, their minds have turn to putty (figuratively and, for a few of them, literally)

At the end of the base is a room that resembles the fusion of a control center and a throne room. It is here that you will encounter the Ethereal leader.

Enemies:
Three (3) units containing three (3) Sectoids each
One (1) Unit containing one (1) Mectoid and two (2) Sectoids
One (1) unit containing four (4) Thin man
Two (2) units containing two (2) Floaters and two (2) Heavy Floaters
One (1) Unit containing two (2) Sectoid Commanders and one (1) Sectoid
One (1) Cyberdisc w/ two (2) drones
Two (2) Outsiders
One (1) Unit Containing One (1) Sectopod, two (2) Drones, and two (2) Muton Elites
Luxeria

Special Enemy Note:
Luxuria has several abilities displayed by the other Etheral we fought, implying these might be shared amongst them. These include telepathy, a psi lance, mind fray, psi panic, and mind control.

It can also use its abilities to redirect projectiles and send out a debilitating shock-wave, and it has a variant of the rift ability, though none of these abilities are nearly as strong as those displayed by the first Ethereal, suggesting (as our hacked information suggests) that Luxuria is far from being the strongest Ethereal.

Finally, while Luxuria will occasionally use the aforementioned abilities, her main focus is on powers that help her evade and confuse. These include a short-range teleportation and the ability to create illusions. One of her favorite tactic is to crate illusions of melee-using aliens and manipulate the perceptions of an enemy's mind so they think they're really getting hurt, all while using her powers to render herself invisible while she watches the confusion from a distance.

Conditions for Completion:
The elimination or capture of the Ethereal "Luxuria"

Civilians:
Several located in the labs that can still be saved, as well as several in a viewing room in the control center (Luxuria's top specimens)

 

[Adrammalech]

// OPERATION ELEGANT CASTITAS - PART ONE
Emily Fischer
Luxuria’s Base
Gobi Desert, Mongolia
4:03 AM

“Surprised you didn’t go with the new goods, Emily,” Jonathan Roosevelt said, pointing at his Shadow armor. “Heard you were the kind who likes to go sneaky-peeky like.”

“Banshee’s treated me right so far. Besides, that has less pockets,” Emily pointed towards the array of grenades on her hips.

“Didn’t really think about that,” he said, pulling his Arc Thrower. “I only really need one toy.”

“Speaking of toys,” Emily looked over to Dallas, sitting next to her. “Lemme see that fancy key they gave you before we left.”

Dallas handed Emily the Skeleton Key, the alien spines of amber and gold poking out from the cool steel handle of XCOM’s alloys. She poked the little spikes, surprised at their rigidity.

“Not the kind of key that’s convenient for a pocket,” Emily noted.

“Maybe it’s just how we made it. Who knows,” Dallas replied.

“It’s amazing that for all this research, they’re still surprising us…”

“60 seconds to touchdown,” the speakers buzzed.

“Well, alien literally means strange,” Dallas said. “I guess it shouldn’t still surprise that they’re still surprising.”

“We should get ready. I doubt it’ll be a peaceful landing.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he replied, shouldering his gear. “Got the keys, babe?”

Emily chuckled and held the key over to him, stopping as she noticed something. The gold spikes began to shimmer and pulse, some manner of frequency apparently connecting with it. Just as it activated, the speakers in the cargo bay cracked again.

“Hostiles at LZ. Use quick rope to engage.”

The cargo bay door opened and Dallas swiped the key, stashing it in his belt. The small green lances of plasma pistols fired into and around the Skyranger, and two slips of rope fell down to the ground from the hooks on the bay door.

“Let’s move, people!”

The XCOM squad jumped onto the rope and slid down into the sand, rushing forwards against a group of Sectoids defending the base’s position. More impressive was a massive lit-up door rising from the darkened ground in response to the key, a cascade of sand pouring down a jet-black opening at least twice the size of the Skyranger. A stray plasma shot hit the team's MEC, So Ji Kwan, causing the latter to literally laugh as he brushed the gunshot off. The first group of three went down quickly as the squad moved up, what represented Luxuria’s cargo and engineering rushing forwards from the back of her hangar.

A Mechtoid lumbered forwards with a support squad of five more sectoids, firing suppressively to try to control their advance as they positioned. A whine and thunk ripped out of the entrance, the door’s override kicking in and beginning to sink instead of rise.

“Everyone pick your covers, five seconds and we get in there!” Dallas shouted, waiting down. “Move!”

Emily tossed two smoke grenades into the place where alloy met desert, the pink plumes covering their advance. As they emerged on the other side, everyone dived behind crates, pods, girders, and anything else they could find littering the floor. Last through was So Ji the Goliath, stepping slowly in the center of them all. In one hand a railgun began to stir, and in the other, a kinetic fist began to glow.

“Let’s dance,” he taunted, his voice robotic and frosty.

The sectoids began firing towards the imposing mech, their shots flinging wide or being absorbed by the fields around him. Roosevelt and Brown motioned to each other and vanished in place, activating their Shadow Armor’s ghost ability and rushing into flanking positions. Nika reached out with her first Mind Fray, reducing one of the Sectoids to a quivering pile of squeaks before shooting it a couple times. Sharron Temple readied an AP grenade and tossed it into the mix, blowing two of the Sectoids to pieces. Dallas and the new hovering SHIV picked off the remaining two with ease.

Roosevelt and Brown emerged on the other side of the massive mech, firing two precise barrages into the back of it. It fell down onto its “knee,” sparks popping out from the back and a beacon emerging from the cockpit. So Ji ran towards the Mech as it tried to repair what had been damaged. The Mechtoid raised its cannon again and blasted into So Ji’s torso, the blast ripping around his shockproof armor and failing to stop his charge. With a devastating right hook, the Goliath’s kinetic fists slammed straight through the damaged Mechtoid, splitting the latter’s suit in half and sending a small explosion into the cockpit. Steaming and sparking, the legs clattered to the ground and the body laid still.

A cyberdisc floated in rapidly from the back of the hangar, drones rotating slowly around it. It instantly whipped out into its crawler-like form, blasting an explosive shot into Roosevelt’s cover and throwing him onto his back. The guns on its front glowed yellow as it prepared to finish Roosevelt off, before a huge Gauss Long Rifle round blasted through its barrels. The drones quickly rushed in front of it, repairing the gun as Brown sprinted across to help Roosevelt.

“We’ve got a shot, fan out and watch for explosive rounds,” Dallas commanded. “Someone get those drones down!”

Emily jumped behind Bandersnatch and pushed it to get it to move forwards, following along it and firing her carbine in conjunction with it. The drones easily broke under the assault, revealing the cyberdisc’s newly repaired guns and exposed black guts. Masambe Muthambi leveled his gatling gun towards the disc, firing a constant stream of bullets towards it. Combined with a quick blast of an Alloy Cannon from Harvey Volodarskii, the disc exploded into pieces, shrapnel spreading across the loading bay floor. Brown helped Roosevelt to his feet and the squad looked around at the huge warehouse-like room.

“There goes the welcoming party,” Emily boasted. “What would they need a loading bay this big for, I wonder?”

“Over here,” Nika pointed towards stacked up boxes and pods. “Looks like small containment units, nutrient pouches, medical supplies…”

“These trays are for surgeries,” Brown noted, pointing towards the human-sized horizontal pods. “They soak them in something and then start cutting. It’s sick.”

“And these?” she continued, looking at an alloy-reinforced box with giant glass panes on all sides.

“They’re cages,” Brown looked away.

“Christ. What would she need so many cages for?”

“We’ll find out soon enough. Let’s check out this next room,” Dallas said, pointing towards a large door in the back.

As the secondary doors opened inside the loading bay with a long, loud, and creaking motion, a large ship a little taller than the Skyranger instantly filled the squad’s field of view. As they approached it slowly, an internal alarm in the ship went off, and two Outsiders materialized just outside the entrance. With their traditional professional gait, they rushed behind the craft into full cover.

“Think flash will work on them?” Emily asked, holding out a green canister.

“Probably not, let’s outmaneuver them,” Dallas replied.

Dallas tossed his battle scanner onto the top of the ship, giving a perfect view of the Outsiders’ movements. Roosevelt and Volodarskii readied their Alloy Cannons and ran around the east side of the ship as So Ji stomped loudly around the west. The Outsiders both fired an overwatch shot as he stomped into their field of view, deflecting the first with a body shield and taking the second in his arm. One of the Outsiders suddenly buzzed with panic as two Alloy Cannons broke it to pieces. The second wheeled around and pointed its rifle at the backstabbing shotgunners, before looking down at its feet to see a blinking HE grenade. The Outsider dived and got blasted backwards, and it was quickly executed by So Ji, punching it into orange splinters that rapidly evaporated.

“Defenses terminated,” So Ji declared.

“Should we clear the ship?” Temple asked.

“Maybe on our way out,” Dallas said. “It’ll take too long to figure out the ship, and we need to get to Luxuria before they have a chance to organize a sally on us.”

“In that case, I believe this is our entrance,” she replied, pointing towards a cyan door.

As the cool blue of the alien door evaporated, the squad slowly entered one by one, surprised there were no immediate defenses. When they entered the first room inside the base, the mood instantly shifted from the cold alloy of the hangar or the natural outdoors. It was warmly lit and decorated almost like a human home with odd trappings and personal devices, and mercifully air conditioned in comparison to the desert. The atmosphere was dark and musty, the same feeling of dread as being in a haunted house. Despite the fear and mystery, there was something more attractive in the air. Something lurid and enticing, yet ineffable, like the scent of a mate.

The first room from the hangar looked like a large armory made solely for clothes, a half-dozen mirrors and a full-dozen armoires arranged throughout. The soldiers moved to open two of the cabinets, and in the first laid several immaculately cared for robes, the ones they had already seen on Ethereals before. The other contained dozens of uniforms, including an XCOM off-duty uniform.

“What is this?” Brown asked. “Why does she have our uniforms? And police uniforms, delivery uniforms…”

“I don’t know, it’s creepy,” Nika paused, turning on the lights in the room.

 

[Adrammalech]

// OPERATION ELEGANT CASTITAS - PART TWO

A group of lights lit up in every cabinet, and a spotlight blasted down in the center of the room. At least two of the cabinets had an arrangement of dresses suitable for a human female, from light sun dresses to sequined ball gowns. Several others had dresses that wouldn’t fit humans, looking as though they were made more for Mutons, or even Sectoids. Finally, in the center of the room laid a singular female mannequin by a small slip of paper. The silhouette of what laid on the mannequin was instantly recognizable.

“That’s Banshee armor,” Sven said.

“Yeah, no XCOM patch though, they made it themselves,” Sharron Temple noted, picking up the paper beside it and holding it up for the others. “Diagram on how to take it off.”

“Why Banshee? Wouldn’t Aegis or Shadow be more important, if they were trying to sabotage them?” Emily asked, suddenly regretting her armor choice.

“Maybe they don’t know about them yet, or haven’t been able to recreate it. Weird either way. Make sure your gear is on tight.”

“Don’t worry about mine, no one’s getting under these plates but me.”

They moved onto the next room, a similarly made-up room that looked more like an office than a socialite’s closet. In the center of the room, a small personal terminal sat, glowing a warm purplish-red. There were several human-looking forms eviscerated of data, and one window open at the forefront, a chart filled in by someone unknown. The data was surprisingly in human numerals, however, most of the columns were incomprehensible.

New One, Female
SCE: 27.34 / M: 51.7 / L: 165 / BMI: 17.6 / Bs: NC
GoE: 3 / IQ: 122 / WPS: 6 / GPI: 99.2%​

“What’s ‘SCE’?” Emily asked, pointing at the form. “Some of these look like our metrics, but EdG, WPS, GPI…and M and L can be anything.”

“Doesn’t matter in the end,” Dallas said, touching her shoulder. “They won’t be using any numbers when we shut them down.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Jack,” she replied, smiling shyly.

Nika and Sven exchanged glances before a long snicker of bemusement rang out from the guts of the base. They all readied their weapons again and moved on into the next room. This chamber was much more sterile, looking more like a proper alien room. Alloy crates, cool steel tables, and aliens idling with guns.

Humans. A Sectoid Commander called out.

The squad burst into cover quickly as the three Sectoids grabbed guns and grenades from atop the tables in the room. One standard Sectoid stood between two Commanders, the former trying to grab a sinister looking rocket launcher before being blasted by Volodarskii’s gunfire. One Commander began hurling grenades as the other tried to reach out and mind control Emily. Emily noticed the purple strand headed towards her head before it lashed backwards like a whip, doubling the Sectoid Commander over.

“How’d you do that?” Nika asked.

“I didn’t do anything,” Emily shrugged.

So Ji took up a central position again, batting the free-flung grenades away with his massive arms and enhanced reflexes. As explosions popped from the sides of the room, Dallas fired a barrage with his Alloy Cannon to flush the grenade chucker away from his armory. Sven took the opening and shot the Sectoid Commander in the head, his brief stint as a grenadier ended abruptly.

As the second Commander recovered from the backlash, he sent a new violet strand towards Sharron Temple instead, her eyes lighting up in the same color and her body stiffening awkwardly. Her face contorted into that of someone having a nightmare.

“Not you again! I’ll kill you!” she shouted loudly and turned her gun towards the others. Rembrandt Brown quickly tackled her, fighting over her weapon.

“I’ve got her, kill that bastard quick!” Brown commanded, pressing his hands down on her arms.

Temple screamed and snarled at the medic as she tried to wrestle her arms from his grasp. Nika reached out with a Mind Fray to push the Sectoid Commander back onto his knees. Masambe Muthambi let out a hearty laugh as he sprayed at least 50 Gauss jackets at the unfortunate Sectoid, ripping his cover to shreds. The Sectoid fired a quick shot at him, blasting into his armor before he was put down by Sharron Temple’s rifle.

“You alright, Muthambi?” Dallas slapped his shoulder.

“I have had worse,” he gave an exaggerated chuckle.

Temple and Brown raised up from out of cover, the former shivering and pale from whatever the Sectoid Commander had inflicted on her.

“Temple?”

“I…I-I’m okay,” she stuttered, the color returning to her face. “Those f-fuckers…”

“Looks like an armory,” Emily noted. “Alien guns, nothing weird about this room. Finally.” She noticed some more smoke grenades in a cabinet and pocketed them.

“Next up should be the laboratory,” Dallas sighed. “From what we’ve found so far, it’s not going to be pretty in here. Remember, don’t be discouraged. We came to stop this shit.”

“Damn straight,” Brown responded. “Let’s go wreck these wannabe scientists.”

The squad stacked up on the door and ripped the blue barrier apart, rushing into the lab. Sectoids and Thin Men sat inside wearing lab coats and holding side arms, pointing them angrily at the soldiers disrupting their work. Roosevelt and Brown activated their ghost abilities again and rushed towards the back of the room as the rest of the squad tried to pick off the scurrying aliens, Gauss rounds plinking into glass vials and alloy holding trays.

Emily, Nika, and Masambe all fired volleys down the lab, with little regard for any of the disguisting equipment within. The three Sectoids fell rapidly, but the Thin Men slithered away, firing potshots and messing with the wicked tools on their tables. Sven blasted one of the Thin Men in the heart, a plume of green exploding from the wound. So Ji levelled his railgun at one, waiting for the perfect shot as it dodged the fire of others. With a glint of glee emerging in his cold eyes, he let loose a massive shot that left a smoldering hole in the stomach of one of the Thin Men.

Roosevelt and Brown’s ghost time expired and they popped up behind the Thin Men. Roosevelt administered an Alloy Cannon shot to one of the reptiles, and Brown lunged towards another with an intimidating syringe.

“Who kills with medicine?” Brown shouted, plunging into the Thin Man’s neck. The creature’s shrieks seemed to satisfy him. “Animals.”

As the smoke cleared, the team was left alone with the horrors of Luxuria’s private lab. Humans – if they could still be called that – screamed and bashed against the glass, devices implanted in their waists and heads for experiments unknown. Some of them had grotesquely large muscle masses, some of them had their color changed, and some of them seemed to have various parts replaced entirely. There were also caged Mutons, Sectoids, and Floaters, nude and modified by the Ethereal to serve her own purposes.

“Good God,” Temple sighed.

“They do this to their own people, not even just us,” Brown said, shaking his head. “To say this sickens me…it’s a gross understatement.”

“Should we…let them out?” Emily asked.

“Nika, could you mind read them? See if anyone’s home?” Dallas continued.

Nika looked towards one of the glass cages, a young looking European girl inside. She wore a large belt that reminded her of a cast, had a vial poking out behind her ear, and had obviously had her hair poorly dyed a deep red. Her eyes were unfocused and wild, her pupils pinpricks on dulled green. She scratched against the glass desperately, a mix of rage and desperation in her eyes. Nika focused, the blue in her eyes becoming more prominent, and reached out. The woman’s voice ripped into her head with ease, a scratchy and hoarse scream, one that had been worn down for far too long.

Kill! KILL! Kill the intruders! Intruders murdered my masters, I kill them! KILL!

“She’s broken,” Nika said sadly. “If we let her out, she would only attack us.”

“It looks familiar,” Emily mumbled.

“This is what Luxuria wanted to do to us. What kind of surgeries they’ve done to this poor girl…I don’t want to think about.”

Emily looked deep into the girl’s eyes, pressing her hand against the glass. Her own eyes pleaded with her in silence, begging her to calm down, to remember, to recognize. The girl stopped scratching and fell to her side, continuing to look at Emily with apprehension.

I serve, I breed. The masters will save me. Who are you? Do I breed with you? What…what am I?

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s working,” Nika noted.

Triggered by some internal force, the purple vial behind her ear pressed down, some of the liquid disappearing into her head. The girl jumped back up and dug her fingers into the glass again, gnashing her teeth and shaking her head wildly.

“It’s no use,” Emily sighed, a cold shiver in her spine. “We can’t save them.”

“Nothing?” Temple looked down, dejected.

“Bastards,” Volodarskii shook his head, spitting on one of the dead Thin Men in the room.

 

[Adrammalech]

// OPERATION ELEGANT CASTITAS - PART THREE

“Okay everyone,” Dallas called over everyone, snapping them from their inspection. “What we’ve seen should only strengthen our resolve. We need to be focused on the mission. We might not be able to help these people, but we can help thousands more by ending Luxuria right here. Are you guys with me?!”

“Yes sir!” several voices rang out.

“Good!” Dallas looked to Nika. “Can you tap any intel?”

Nika focused again, reaching towards any alien communication she could. She heard the shrill tone of a Sectoid Commander shouting at others nearby.

Prepare to regroup in the laboratories to intercept any humans that run after Luxuria has dealt with them. His tone left little doubt he was giving orders to others. Ready the release on the subject cages as a fallback. The floaters will rip runners to pieces, and killing the subjects will wear any survivors down for us.

“They’re going to flank us from here once we kill Luxuria,” Nika relayed. “The cages will also open. I think…I think even the humans are too far gone, at this point. They’ll attack with whatever they can get.”

“So Ji, I hate to say this,” Dallas looked around, “we need Roosevelt’s Arc Thrower with us in case we get a shot at Luxuria, and you’re the second most mechanically apt. Do you think you can stay behind and hold this area, see if you can sabotage the controls on these cages?”

“If that is what you wish.”

“Maybe if we keep them here and alive, the clean-up team can evac them for psychiatric help. We’ll let Jubjub stay here too, so you don’t get flanked by any other surprises,” Dallas continued. “Maybe Sunny can relay some help.”

Jubjub began moving away from the others, parking by the massive foot of So Ji like a dog sitting next to its owner. The rest stacked besides a large sliding door, similar in size to a garage door. The door swung open, revealing a small staircase heading downwards to another identical door and the squad moved in warily.

As they moved through the secondary door, they reached a large atrium with a massive podium sitting in the middle of a sea of white space. It was clear that this was a room for training or giving orders to an entire legion of aliens. As they walked in, two voices touched out to everyone at once, speaking softly in unison. Unlike many of the Sectoids, the voice was smooth and clear, a mix of a sultry, bass male voice and a warm, motherly female voice.

Welcome to my home, New Ones. I am Luxuria, Grand Ethereal of the land you know as Asia. Let us…get to know each other.

An image flashed before their minds, the faceless countenance of an Ethereal’s ornate and sleek helmet. Golden light shone from behind the image, bathing her in a warm, inviting glow. The helmet of the mental image “turned” toward each of them one by one.

Jack. The fearless leader. Brave, humble, handsome. Yet no potential.

The Ethereal's face turned away in Jack's mind, and turned forward in Sven's. They glanced at each other worriedly.

Sven. Such horrors deep in his mind, such indifference on his face. Yet brooding does not grant potential.

The soldiers looked around angrily, seeing the Ethereal's face turn to them one by one, but still unable to find her.

More unremarkables. The lost youth, the grizzled criminals. Violence, abuse, abandonment. Mundane motives and desperate stares. Dull.

As the mask turned towards Emily in her mind, the voice shuddered with excitement, a gasp of elation escaping from the female voice.

Oh, Amelia! You have finally come to me, I have been so longing to root around in your memories again, and that big spacious mind…during my off-time of course. And you brought Nika, as well. Sweet girl. So emotional, so…pliable.

Suddenly, the voice breaks its alluring whisper and turns into a commanding shout. The image turns away from all of them.

Kill them all, except Amelia and Nika. The labs are absolutely lonely without their company.

Bracing for reinforcements, everyone readied their weapons, but nothing came. Emily looked upwards to see shadows rapidly approaching.

“Everyone get back!” she commanded.

Just as the floor cleared, massive alloy boxes crunched against the metal floor, remaining completely intact. They landed all over the floor, some of them stacking into tall pillars, some merely staying at their standard stomach-high height. In the back, they continued to stack into two story-high platforms, and beyond it, Luxuria took her place behind a shield at the podium. The door also shut behind them, leaving them in the open with nowhere to run. A loud thunk slammed into the other side, but no dent emerged.

Don’t worry about your little robotic friend interfering. He’ll have his toys, you have yours.

The top most boxes burst open, revealing two turrets manned by Muton Elites. They spun up and fired immediately as everyone dived back towards the floor and behind the crates, desperate for cover.

“That’s not a plasma gun,” Emily noted.

“No, it’s Gauss,” Nika responded, shaking a little. “Are they…adapting our technology?”

“That wouldn’t make sense…maybe it’s just salvage.”

Sven moved towards the back most cover, by a low crate and a couple of blackened pipes.

Now, now, Sven, you can’t avoid your problems forever. Focus fire!

Both of the Mutons turned their turrets towards Sven, causing him to drop flat in his cover, his hands guarding his head as bullets reflected off his cover and the walls. Volodarskii lifted his rifle high and steadied his aim, letting out a controlled spray onto one of the turrets. The bullets plinked against the hard alloy of the Muton’s armor and his turret, one of the legs breaking off and forcing him to haul the gun into his hands. A follow-up shot from Nika put a hole into its legs, making it stumble and fall from its perch into the ground with a loud crunch.

Emily pointed to the chem grenade on Sharron Temple’s belt, asking her to hand it over. She tossed it perfectly onto the other Muton’s perch, noxious gas drenching his perch and forcing him to jump down to the ground.

Oh, Amelia. So resourceful. But now you are hunted by my personal guard, and I assure you, he is just as capable on foot.

The Muton Elite paced slowly through the boxes scattered around the floor, taking calculated shots at the team. After being flushed out by Nika, he dived over to a new stack and returned, hitting her in the thick plates of her legs. He slowly crawled along the low covers and popped up anew, firing another shot into Masambe’s shoulder. He grimaced and fired quickly towards the Elite, but not before it ducked back into cover. The third time he raised his gun over the cover, his face mask was instantly ventilated by a recovered Sven.

“Avoid that, bitch.”

Oh, well done. Well done. I suppose it’s time for me to enter.

The team began to pace towards the podium, instantly halted by the sound of creaking coming from above again. With a deafening bang and a burst of shock, a Sectopod landed just in front of the podium, crunching several stacks of crates into pancakes. Its head reared as Luxuria floated onto the top of its back. Its chest crackled with energy as it opened, firing a searing fusion shot towards Harvey Volodarskii. He tried to dive to new cover, but too late. His body flung backwards, seared and limp.

“Harvey, no!” Temple shouted. A wispy cord of orange flung towards her head, and Luxuria’s voice rang in her head. Her eyes flashed violet, and she quickly began to sweat.

Such a savage beast, isn’t it? Unfeeling and uncaring. It would crush your bones to splinters, not even bothered by the sound. Popping and crunching…

“I…I can’t…help me…” she whimpered, dropping her gun and huddling into a ball against her cover.

“Temple, we need your rockets!” Dallas shouted. “Get up!”

“Please, save me…I want to go home…”

Nika focused all of her energy on opening her mind, desperately trying to access her latent abilities. She pushed her will to the limit, trying to simply shove her way through the Ethereal’s influence.

Listen to me, Sharron, you can do this!

Oh yes, I’m sure you can stop sobbing. Until the next one I incinerate. Doesn’t the smell of melting flesh wake you up in the morning?

“N-no, I won’t fight, I promise, just leave me alone…”

Sharron, you’re stronger than this! Pick up that launcher and help me do this!

“Yeah, yeah…yes, I can do this…”

Look at you, struggling so. It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve stalled long enough.

The Sectopod’s chest opened with another crackle of golden energy, shifting towards Emily and Dallas’ shared cover. They both dived to either side just before the shot fired, blasting through the crates and sending shards of metal into everything in the vicinity. Emily and Dallas scrambled to their feet, looking at each other worriedly.

 

[Adrammalech]

// OPERATION ELEGANT CASTITAS - PART FOUR

Get up and fight with me, we will avenge the ones we lost. Think about how good she’ll look getting launched off that thing when we blow it to pieces.

“A-alright…I can do this!” Sharron yelled.

Sharron took the recoilless launcher off her back, loading in a shrapnel-heavy HEAT rocket. Nika did the same, smiling at her successful inspiration. She hoped that Temple would be stronger against the attacks now, or that she at least undid the damage from the first two.

“Wait until the firing chamber opens, then hit it with everything we’ve got,” Dallas said, ignoring the shrapnel lodged in his armor.

Roosevelt and Brown cloaked again, moving around on either flank to get a closer shot at the machine. As the cannon opened again, Nika and Sharron fired two shredders into the barrel, causing the machine to stutter and stumble. Red-hot shards of metal and glass poked out from its gleaming façade, even the hardened alloys of the Sectopods still breachable by the molten scrap. As it recovered, the rest of the squad opened up on the exposed pieces, including sneak attacks by the two ghosts.

Most impressive, humans. Though not enough for our technology.

The drones rushed from their shields and got to work repairing the cannon with lightning speed. Masambe leveled his massive minigun once again, spraying a hail of gunfire all over the front of the Sectopod, sending the drones to the ground with a subtle bang. What they were able to do was enough though, as the cannon shined with power again, pointing towards Sharron Temple. With a crackling bang, it fired, giving her just enough time to dive away with her launcher.

“Temple, you alright?”

“Fuck, I-I got burns on me,” she replied, poking a charred and mangled plate on her shoulder, “but I’m alright. My gun is toasted, though, and I only have one rocket left.”

The firing chamber closed again, the panels of hardened alloy operational again after the first attack. The rocketeer and the heavy loaded in their pure-explosive HEAT rocket. Luxuria fired a line of orange to Nika this time, but her eyes didn’t flash violet. She tried again to Emily, and it was easily batted away by her mind as well. Luxuria gave a contented sigh.

Ah, I knew I was right about you.

The Sectopod’s chest opened with a shimmer once again, and two rockets hit into the center of it. Explosions rolled through the cracks of its mass, blasting off bits of machinery and metal as it creaked and whined pitifully. The XCOM squad unleashed with everything they had, firing cannon rounds and rifle barrages, as well as a lone HE grenade from Nika.

With a loud screech of machinery and electricity, the Sectopod ripped apart, detonating everything around it. The Ethereal’s shield buckled and she was launched from her perch, landing with a deft roll on the ground. Standing on a blackened patch of alien metal, she found herself coverless with the group of soldiers closing in.

I will not fall to humankind. I have fought twice the amount of creatures with three times the ferocity.

“I think we’ll decide that,” Dallas growled, pointing his alloy cannon.

Like water from a fire hydrant, four rifles rang out. The Ethereal raised her shield, stopping the Gauss pellets in their track. With a flick of its robe, it slinked backwards, the bullets dropping to the ground. As it rushed across the facility, Sven blasted a massive round towards it. The Ethereal’s hand broke free from its garb, her fingers squeezing as if catching the bullet himself. With a flick of the wrist, it flew back towards him, bursting through a pipe beside his head.

The Ethereal took its place back on the massive podium in the center of the room, looking away from the soldiers. A violet glow enveloped the entire platform, as if feeding power into her. A moment later, large purple plumes of smoke came out from beneath the platform, hiding its walls from vision, and rising to hide the platform as well. Another volley of bullets stopped cold as she raised her shield, chuckling to herself.

Will you kill me? Or will you save the people you love? The people who will reward you so graciously?

The Ethereal’s podium seemed to vanish, a small, transparent room returning in its midst. At the far end, a window showed another room, a warmly lit bedroom with fresh food and an attractive, curvaceous woman standing expectantly. A couple soldiers walked forward, looking curiously.

“Who is that?” Emily asked.

“A captive? I don’t know…” Dallas responded.

As one of them reached the door of where the platform once was, he reached out to the doorknob and it fell off immediately. Large shutters dropped down the windows with a cold and loud smash, and the walls of the empty room in front of it seemed to fall away. A group of drooling and clicking Chryssalids rushed out from every direction, sprinting at the soldiers.

The stampeding bugs combined with the warbling laughter of Luxuria was enough to make some of the soldiers panic and whimper, even Dallas gave a worried stutter as he barked his orders.

“E-everyone, calm down!” Dallas commanded. “Group up…um, group up back here!”

Sven, cold as always, laid back far from combat, watching one of the bug heads with murderous intent. One of the soldiers stumbled onto the ground and was leapt on by the Chryssalid, who seemed to laugh or roar happily. Sven pulled the trigger, the Gauss bullet going straight through the body of the bug and plugging into the soldier’s leg plates. He followed up with another shot that went through it again, driving into the ground.

“What the fuck?” he said. “My bullets just went through this bastard.”

“What? Are you sure you didn’t miss?” Dallas replied.

“You’re kidding, right?”

Galvanized, Dallas rushed to the closest Chryssalid chasing a soldier and fired his alloy cannon at it, the burst of fire and metal flying right through its body.

“They’re fake,” Dallas whispered. “Everyone, they’re just mind games!”

In that second, the Chryssalids vanished, bursting into purple strands of dust, and then withering into nothing. The panicked ones exhaled loudly, panting and sweating with fear. With a quick survey, it was clear that everything was back to normal, the platform still stood where it was and glowed eerily, and there were no Chryssalids. However, the Ethereal Luxuria was still missing.

As Emily searched around the perimeter of the room for the Ethereal, she felt a light tapping on her shoulder. She turned around to see a Muton Elite towering over her, cocking its fist.

“Aren’t you paying attention? We know you’re fake,” Emily scoffed.

The Muton’s fist swung forward towards her chest, and after connecting, flashed purple and sent Emily flying to the ground with a yelp.

Dallas and Nika turned towards the Muton, shooting their guns rapidly at it. Just like before, the bullets sailed right through.

“What the fuck? How can it hit us and we can’t hit it?”

The Muton charged forward with a mighty roar, as intimidating as the real thing, although something seemed off about the sound. He punched at Dallas, but he quickly dived out of the way and fired another useless shot at it.

Emily raised her head after being leveled by the red-skinned brute, looking aside in the shadows of the room. A faint violet glow indicated where Luxuria stood, pulling the strings of its invincible puppet. With a quick motion, she raised her carbine to it and fired recklessly, the Muton puppet breaking apart as Luxuria switched her focus from illusion to shielding. With a smooth movement, she vanished again.

A violet gate opened on the opposite side of the room, a spectacularly large Mechtoid moving out from the thrumming door. The Sectoid inside laughed inside each of the soldier’s skulls, its arms clutching large controls and its head flaming inside the window like a creature from nightmare. It leveled a massive red gun towards Emily, and fired a laser directly at her.

We have honed this ability for centuries. You can barely detect it.

The shield collapsed inwards and then sent out a shockwave, the force of their bullets firing back against them. The illusions shattered and the soldiers stumbled briefly before recovering, the Ethereal firing a barrage of purple lances at those most affected. In the chaos, Nika raised her rocket to her shoulder, pointing it directly at the unshielded Ethereal. With only a moment’s aim, the rocket hissed forwards.

Can you even sense it, before your eyes? Your downfall. Your deliverance.

The Ethereal exploded into dust, his true location unknown. The soldiers looked around nervously for the alien, looking high and low, in every corner. Half of the squad tended to the wounded soldier and calmed down a couple more who were still panicking or ragged, the other half keeping watch for the cause of the chaos. Luxuria continued to taunt them, breaking down their will further.

The base attack was only the beginning, and only the first. Soon, your governments and landmarks will be ours. Your citizens will pray at our feet for salvation. And we will provide.

Angrily, Emily jumped onto the platform that the Ethereal was on, rushing to the center. Holding her gun at her side, she shouted at the darkness around them.

“Stop talking shit and fight us! If you’re so high and mighty, come out!”

The voice returned again, this time whispering directly to her.

So angry! So scared…

A purple strand blinked in from the darkness surrounding the room, connecting with Emily’s head.

It’s time. The voice seemed to laugh excitedly. It’s time!

 

[Adrammalech]

// OPERATION ELEGANT CASTITAS - PART FIVE

Emily’s eyes went wide and her feet stopped moving, suddenly unable to move them. She tried to warn people, but her voice had already been hijacked. Within seconds, the fading feeling advanced up her waist and then through her arms. With Luxuria clumsily tugging on her limbs like a puppeteer, she could barely see though purple irises, the image blurring as the Ethereal asserted control of her.

What’s happening…? I can't feel anything...

The bass voice taunted her. You are improving. The soft voice wooed her. You are safe.

Emily’s gun raised itself towards Dallas, sighting itself for a full barrage. As the trigger pulled, her right hand jerked away, sending her spinning away with her gun, bullets spraying inaccurately in every direction.

You have impressive willpower, Amelia…intelligence as well. Not as good as ours, but in time. It’s a pleasure to feel you again. Your brain is a most pleasing toy, a valuable prize. But your body is the real treasure…

N-no…I won’t let you do this! Get out of my head!

Why have they not tested you yet, Amelia? The Gift would suit you, better than this primitive gun. Didn’t you enjoy my message?

I’ll never…be one of you…

Our dreams were meant to convince you, an “olive branch” in your lexicon. But if you cannot be reasoned with, I have no choice but to weaken you.

Her arms asserted themselves back to the Ethereal’s control. Her squad’s panicked orders came through in a series of garbles, unable to be translated through the alien’s control. Suddenly she felt her hand return to her control like a switch had been flicked, and looked aside to see Sven pointing his rifle at her with supreme focus. A moment later, a slug punctured her hand, tearing straight through her gauntlet. With no adrenaline, no control over what part of her was awake or working, she felt nothing but searing and stinging pain. She tried to open her mouth to scream, but couldn't even wrestle that much control from the alien. Her voice called to the Ethereal in a pitiful whimper, easily talked over by her intruder.

Please...stop this...

The bass voice overrode the other, talking down to her sternly. Your stubbornness is amusing at first, but it limits you so. This is why your species needs us. To guide you to providence.

W-w-whatever you do to me, I won’t be my species anymore!

You won’t. With the Path - no, with me, you’ll be something more.

The next feeling quickly washed away the pain, a feeling – an omnipresent sensation – something that was entirely ineffable. The Ethereal dived forcefully into Emily's mind, trying to merge the two together into one vessel. Her senses returned, but she felt the last of her control slipping away. She watched helplessly as her body moved entirely on its own, a grin playing across her face as her head and eyes glowed purple.

As soon as Luxuria finished the merge, she quickly asserted control of the body. With a spare motion, she ripped off the grappling gauntlet on her left hand, holding her hand to the light. Delicate, fair, and responsive. A strong grip, a soft touch. Luxuria giggled with delight and pulled the proper releases to remove the vest of her Banshee Armor, pulling up her undershirt and marveling at her new body. Emily heard Luxuria’s thoughts as though they were her own, the line between the two beginning to blur. With total command, Luxuria released every synapse and endorphin in her mind for the corner of consciousness she had forced Emily into, sending her hurdling towards a mind-melting bliss.

Oh, this skin…so taut, and smooth… She continued to look over herself, running her hands up her full and healthy sides, not a single bone or organ sticking out. Truly gorgeous…with some modification to these inefficient reproductives, I would be the pinnacle of beauty! Oh, what I could do with this body, the first of my kind, the first to join!

It feels so good I can’t think, yes-yes-yes…but I have to fight…

Your fight is over. Lean into your rapture, sweet Amelia. Let me handle everything.

Y-y-yes, of course, Luxuria…

 

[Adrammalech]

// OPERATION ELEGANT CASTITAS - PART SIX

Luxuria chuckled as she slung her gun and turned around, looking at a soldier charging towards her with an Arc Thrower. With ease, she raised her hand with a purple glow, lifting the soldier into the air. The electric device wrenched from his hands and she tossed him aside, flinging him rapidly across the room. She didn’t bother with a follow-up attack, returning to caressing her new body. After a moment, her hands began to glow along with her head, ready to remove the distractions from the room.

Your body answers perfectly, and to my surprise, your mind did not fry during my entry. You have become everything I’ve dreamt of, Amelia.

You’re proud of me? Thank you…

It is my pleasure. Just relax, you’re safe with me.

Safe…safer here… Realization flashed into Emily’s consciousness. No, let go of me! What do you want from me?

To imagine, my dear. To imagine Ascension. Life, as a better being!

Glowing, wispy lines of purple tore out of Luxuria’s head, Emily’s knowledge, memories, and dreams from decades of her life felt as though they were each being physically ripped directly out of her brain. Every ounce of processing power her brain had awoke, and manifested in razor-thin lines of purple. An eternity of horrible pleasure and stimulating agony to Emily, but only seconds in the world. A hurricane of pure mental power swirled around her, all feeding out of her mind, enveloping and tearing at everything in the room. Luxuria sighed in euphoria at what she had created with her chosen vessel, forcing Emily to continue watching.

This! This is what we offer you…unlimited power, at so little a cost! The voice became motherly again, lulling her into security lovingly. All you have to do is accept me, Amelia. Allow me to stay and this power would be merely a shadow compared to what we could learn.

No, I won’t give you my body, not for power, not for you. I will fight!

Do not deny yourself your happiness, what we could have now is the peak of organic achievement! Feel the power in your veins, the sensitivity of your skin, the energy radiating from every inch of your body! As we are joined, your body and my mind, we have power unending! Let us stay as this, and you may spend eternity in bliss, subjugating both your masters and mine!

Emily felt Luxuria’s mind blurring further with hers. Decades, maybe centuries, of knowledge and motives flashing before her, but all as incomprehensible as a totally different language, and almost painful to process at once. I don’t…want to do what you do! I don't want to be with you!

Both voices screamed impatiently at her in unison. Why do you reject me? Clinging to your pitiable “normal!” Why does your species fight its potential? Its destiny?!

Because…we’re not…test subjects! We’re not slaves…or colleagues, or students…or however you see yourselves and us!

Emily’s vision started to recover through the euphoric haze, her survival instinct raging against her body’s attempt to calm her. As her eyes responded to her, Nika’s body flew past her eyes. She looked as though she was screaming, but couldn’t be heard. Emily’s voice suddenly ramped up in her mind, resisting the sweet lulling tones and chemical control of the Ethereal.

We’re friends!

Do not talk over me, Amelia! We will be the first of a new species! An apex species!

Emily ignored the words from the Ethereal's voice, focusing every solitary thought she could muster on expelling it. Dallas followed into her vision shortly after, his weapon flinging into the storm. The Ethereal gave an enraged growl at her continued resistance, blurring into her vision inside the storm as if by teleportation.

We’re lovers!

You will listen and you will accept me! Our bond will be even closer!

Bandersnatch the SHIV blew by, one of the guns tearing off the front. The Ethereal reached out with its slender fingers, grasping her head and focusing the last of her energy on her possession. A thousand voices screamed in her mind, but somehow, her voice roared over the rest. The image of Sunny in her arms blurred over the Ethereal’s imposing visage.

We’re FAMILY!

We will be beautiful! Powerful! STOP!

Her hands ripped from the Ethereal's control, raising high above her head. With a swift and unstoppable motion, she swung her arms out, the glow dying out. A small violet bolt of feedback burst out of her head, causing the Ethereal to stumble away. Emily’s voice thundered in all directions.

I WON'T LET YOU TAKE IT FROM ME!

The Ethereal’s voice stayed silent, unable or unwilling to respond. After a few moments, the gentle and alluring voices were gone, and Luxuria only returned with a shrill, long hiss.

…How…?

In that second, the storm broke apart and the Ethereal's voice was silenced, sights of the real world peeking through the wakes. Each strand returned to her head, and with the last one, she stumble backwards and took a deep breath. The sound of thumping bodies, clacking weapons, and crashing machinery landed everywhere around her. As she stood in place, pale from blood loss, stripped of all armor, wavering and weak, she raised her head and looked forwards. Blinking rapidly, her eyes turned back to their brown-green hazel, and standing inches in front of her, the Ethereal Luxuria stood gripping its head, stunned and confused.

“It’s over…” Emily breathed in one long exhale.

The masked Ethereal offered no response, still recoiling. All four of its withered hands ran over the curves of its helmet, the fingers digging into the metal as though it were trying to claw through it. Emily still knew what the Ethereal felt, she sensed it as naturally as taste or sound. It was fear.

Emily pulled the pistol from her belt and pointed it at the Ethereal’s head, angrily putting her finger on the trigger. Despite the merciful silence, confusing images of Luxuria’s existence still lingered in her mind, along with echoes of the desperate pleading of a bedraggled monster wishing for a new body. With an irritated grunt, she dropped her pistol to the ground and took a step back. At her feet laid the arc thrower from the soldier before, barely moved in the center of her storm. She picked it up and pressed the end of the device against Luxuria’s torso, touching her with her mind.

You’re lucky.

The Ethereal looked up, the first sign of motion just as the arc thrower released, tensing the Ethereal’s body into a rigid plank with a loud shock and a stifled screech. As the alien fell to the ground, Emily looked down to see her own blood dripping from her hand and her leg, bullets lodged somewhere inside of her. She gasped out a long and strained breath, her vision fell backwards, and after a crash, she laid still.

 

[Adrammalech]

// OPERATION ELEGANT CASTITAS – PART SEVEN
Jack “Dallas” Stewart
Luxuria’s Base
Gobi Desert, Mongolia
4:24 AM

Dallas’ eyes opened and he was instantly filled with a surge of adrenaline, rising to his feet as quickly as possible. There was no time for questions. It became evident in his first group of motions that he had at least one broken rib, his torso crying out in pain as his bulky armor pressed against him with each movement. He looked around at a drowsy Nika and Sven on the side, as well as a flaming wreck of a SHIV and several dead aliens. Rushing to the center of the room, there were two unconscious bodies in a small pool of red. The Asian Ethereal Luxuria, and Tech Sergeant Amelia Fischer.

“Is…is she…?” Nika softly called out.

Nika got up, gripping her left shoulder tightly, knowing immediately what was wrong with it. With a loud grunt, she rushed at one of the alien structures and smashed it against it, a sickening pop restoring its motion. She turned towards Dallas and rushed over. Emily was bleeding from her right hand and left leg, where Sven had tried to stop her attacks, as well as from her nose and ear. Dallas grabbed her left hand, pressing his fingers against her wrist. He whispered lowly, in shock, almost tearing up in relief.

“She’s still alive…”

He noticed the stun gun inches away from Emily’s hand, and the absence of blood around Luxuria’s body. He cleared his throat and gave his next statement calmly.

“They both are.”

“Grab them, we need to get the fuck out of here,” Sven growled.

“Says the guy still laying on the floor,” he mumbled.

Nika ran over to Sven to help him up, but instantly recoiled as she saw him. There were two large pieces of shrapnel driven through one of his legs, far too big to remove on the spot.

“You’re staring,” he said through gnashed teeth.

“Sven’s hurt too! We need to carry them both out!”

“Fuck that, I can still move, I can still–” a single movement caused him to fling back down, groaning loudly.

“Don’t move! If you don’t already have an artery cut, it’s just centimeters away!”

“God damn it…” he sighed.

Trading places, Dallas picked up Sven with a loud grunt, holding him up in such a way that his leg would have almost no movement.

“How romantic,” Sven noted.

“Shut up,” Dallas snapped back.

The rest of the squad began to rise, dents in their armor and cuts on their body from debris. Sharron and Masambe also joined, the former having to pull a sharp rod out from her leg to move.

“Where’s Roosevelt?” Dallas asked.

Rembrandt pointed to a limp body in the corner of the room, lying next to a heavy piece of alloy with a large blood splatter on it. As he kneeled beside him, it was clear somewhere between being thrown by Luxuria and tussled by the storm, he had his head smashed in. Dallas shook his head sadly.

“Jesus…”

“No pulse…” Brown said sadly, closing the Engineer’s eyes. “Rest well, friend.”

Nika grabbed a hold of Emily, but their more similar weights made it more difficult to compartmentalize the wounds. Rembrandt Brown walked up and offered to carry Luxuria, although, after the scrawny alien was slung over his shoulder, he looked as though he regretted his decision. The two began rushing towards the exit with Dallas, hobbling along at the best speed she could. Temple and Masambe followed along, the former holding Brown’s gun and covering them.

As they exited Luxuria’s room with their injured in tow, they arrived back in the laboratory with a few more fresh corpses and So Ji.

“With Central’s help, I disabled the cages opening mechanism,” So Ji reported as he looked at them. “We do not have everyone.”

“We lost Roosevelt and Volodarskii,” Dallas replied sadly, “but we got to get out of here, or we’ll lose even more.”

“Understood. An access route was opened by the aliens when they attempted to retake this position. It leads directly towards the back of the hangar, and the doors are already opened for reinforcement craft.”

The hallway that So Ji pointed to was barely big enough to fit a MEC, and everyone filed into it quickly. Dallas also had to switch Sven to a shoulder carry so he could hold his gun, causing Sven to grunt in pain from the shift.

“Let’s move, we’ve only got minutes,” Dallas commanded.

As they moved through the small, plain tunnel, they were taken around blind twists and long straight paths. Near the end, a confused looking Sectoid ran in and squeaked in panic. As they emerged on the other side, they saw they were in the back and on the far side of the hangar, the massive doors to the loading bay and then to the outdoors lying wide open. The Sectoid ran across the floor screeching loudly until someone shot it down.

“Stick to the wall, we don’t know if they have any surprises…”

“Emily’s heavier than she looks,” Nika whined.

“At least yours won’t come to life and jump into your brain,” Brown growled.

Moving alongside the wall afforded a straightforward path towards the exit and some cover in the form of the empty pods and other types of cargo. As they were halfway through the hangar, their heads were assaulted by a familiar sound.

NO! A voice shouted throughout the entire complex, a sandpaper-like screech common to the Sectoid Commanders radiating irritatingly inside everyone’s head, both human and alien. YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE WITH THE LEADER! RELEASE THE CARGO, KILL THEM ALL!

Several pods on the opposite side of the hangar exploded, and Floaters burst out from the wreckage. Some were normal, some were modified, and some were of the Heavy variant. They screeched angrily and flew into the high ceilings of the hangar. As they retreated through the door into the loading bay, they chased through vents and tunnels above, popping out in the loading bay to fire their manic shots into the group. As they got to another area with cover, Sven tapped Dallas eagerly.

“I’m slowing you down,” he said.

“I’m fast enough,” Dallas snapped back. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Let me…drop me and let me shoot,” Sven whispered.

“Just shut up, Sven.”

“I’m gonna die anyway, man…let me be useful.”

“For fuck’s sake, Sven, you’re not staying anywhere. You’re going to get to the Skyranger and you’re going to fucking live, or I’ll toss you off the plane myself!”

“You better be right…or I’m haunting you.”

The squad continued to half-run, unable to go too fast with their comrades slung over their bodies. So Ji climbed on top of a pod and stood still, his advanced overwatch systems activating. A few moments later he unleashed a barrage of gunfire towards several of the Floaters, blasting two out of the sky and reloading for another. A Heavy floater zipped downwards while he did, firing a plasma shot into Masambe’s back, and then another in his leg. As he toppled over, the creature laughed. The jovial Gunner did not crawl, instead, he flopped onto his back and pointed the gun at the alien, blasting it to pieces. Sharron grabbed onto Masambe’s arm and tried to pull, the Gunner barely moving an inch.

“Do not bother, I have the heaviest armor, heaviest gun, and heaviest gear,” he smiled. “I will stay and cover, now run!”

“We’ve already lost too many people,” she shouted angrily, trying to pull him again. “You’re going to move!”

A giant metal arm nudged Sharron along and grabbed onto Masambe, heaving him into the air. As Masambe sat in So Ji’s massive MEC arm, he leveled his gun again, unleashing a joint barrage that put down three more Floaters.

“Ha-ha, I could get used to this!” Masambe shouted boisterously.

With Dallas hobbling along the fastest, the rest trying to cover So Ji or haul their respective people, he noticed a red alien head poking out from one of the crates. Dallas fired a moving shot at the Sectoid Commander, filling it with secondary shrapnel as it popped up. It focused in response, firing a mind control at him. Dallas froze in place, seemingly combating something.

“Oh, fuck me,” Sven sighed.

Sven’s arm reached down Dallas’ side as he started to turn around, leveling his Alloy Cannon. He reached hard towards his hip, his fingers connecting with the handle of Dallas’ laser pistol. With a yelp of pain, he gripped it and yanked it out of the holster, aiming it quickly at the Sectoid. With a quick shot, he blasted a hole into the center of its chest, the cord severing and its body going limp.

“Wh-what happened? Where’s Emily?” Dallas asked shakily.

“You got MC’d, and I’m about ten minutes from going cold,” Sven replied, noticing his own leg bleeding harder. “Time for us to get moving, sport.”

The team reached the exit one by one, their cargo still breathing. As So Ji caught up, he planted his feet again, unleashing another overwatch volley with his railgun and Masambe’s laughing assault in the other, sending the remaining two Heavy Floaters careening to the ground. With the aliens dead and the mysteries of Luxuria's base closing behind them, they rushed out into the dry, scorching desert again, the Skyranger mercifully waiting with doors open. They loaded in and dropped Sven, Emily, and Masambe onto the floor, checking their wounds and trying to stop the damage. The engines of the Skyranger whined and boomed, the floor shaking as movement began.

“Mission accomplished. Heading back to base.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

X-COM Mission Parameters
Mini-Mission

Operation: Second Strike
Location: Gobi Desert, Northern China/Southern Mongolia

Date: August 24th, 2018
Time: 1200 Hours

Detail: The Ethereal is down, but her base is still up, and we have clean-up duty to perform. We need to assure that this base is dealt with, the remaining alien forces eliminated, before they have a chance to recover from our first strike.

Besides, we have two fallen comrades we won't leave behind for the alien's use if possible, a SHIV that needs recovery, and civilians that need to be saved, if they can be.

Finally, this mission showed that we will likely have a need for experienced psions to deal with the Ethereals. We will be sending in several psions for the sake of them gaining field experience. We'll likely need to send at least one out on every mission from now on.

Soldiers for this mission: Eight (8) Soldiers

Soldier Names:
MAJ (GSGT) Aya Brea (Scout)
CPL Martinez, Sergio (Sniper)
CPL Stewart, Jamie (Assault)
CPL Lopez, Alicia (Infantry)
CPL Wilson, Laurent (Medic)
CPL Wagner, Christine (Rocketeer)
CPL Akizuki, Airi (Engineer)
CPL Akizuki, Marina (Support)

Terrain:
The Ethereal Luxuria's base, a bit more in chaos.

Enemies:
Unknown, but not believed to be numerous.

Civilians:
The civilians in the labs. Additionally, the mission will include a civilian biologist to do an on-site assessment of the abductees, along with her personal guard.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Operation Second Strike: Part One

"Jeez!" Marina ducked her head down as a plasma shot whizzed past. "Is it always like this?"

"No, sorry." Christine said. "Usually isn't this boring. Here, let me help you out." She extended her hand towards the suppressing Thin Man, and orange strand flowing forward. And moment later, the alien let out a shrill, panicked cry, and exposed itself trying to retreat, opening it up to a shot in the back by Marina.

"My turn please!" Airi shouted, desperately tossing a grenade at a trio of Mutons firing at her, and getting unlucky as a stray plasma shot blasted the grenade in mid-air.

"Alright! My time to shine!" Alicia extended her hand, a violet strand of energy striking one of the Mutons in the head. It growled angrily, and turned to fire at her.

"Is that it?" Airi asked, bobbing her head over the cover to look for an opening.

"Sorry," Alicia answered. "Guess I don't have mind-control yet. I can do this at least." She sent another strand to Airi, enhancing her abilities. The Engineer popped up, firing at and killing one Muton, but another hit her in the chest.

"Airi!" Marina shouted.

"Damn." Jamie rushed out of cover. Charging the remaining Mutons, she thrust forward her hand. A crate above the aliens crashed down, throwing them off long enough for the assault to reach them and blow a hole in one. The other leveled its weapon, and dropped to the ground, a sniper round through the back of its head. "Nice shot, Martinez. Putting that ESP to good use, huh?"

"I didn't use ESP," Sergio mumbled to himself, standing up from his position.

Marina rushed to Airi's side, quickly pulling off the latter's armor. Marina lifted Airi's shirt and examined her wound. She fumbled to grab her medkit. Kneeling by her side, Laurent said, "Allow me."

He extended his hand, and Airi reached for her sidearm. "No funny business, pervert."

The Medic grinned. "Don't flatter yourself." His hand glowed green, and energy flowed into Airi, sealing the wound. "You're not my type. A little too small for my liking."

Airi's eyes widened, and she moved to pounce the medic. Marina pushed her back down, and sprayed her chest to relieve any pain that the biokinesis might have missed. "He's just teasing you. Are you okay?"

Airi grinned. "Never better." She slipped back on her armor, looking in amusement at the large hole in the center of the chest. "So, um... where is the Major?"

As if on cue, four incinerated Floaters crashed into the room. "Clear," Aya said, walking in. Marina ran to her side, spraying a large gash on arm. "Thanks, Akizuki." She reached for her comm and said, "All clear. Come on in, girls."

After so long, Aya thought the comm might be down, Jessica finally poked her head in the room. "Are... are you sure it's safe?"

"It's fine," Alice insisted, pushing Jessica in. "And I'm here to watch your back."

"Come on." Aya walked the pair to the labs. Once there, she asked, "You sure you disabled the self-destruct, right?"

"I'm sure," Alice answered. "No last minute heroic escapes needed this time."

"Alright." Aya nodded towards Jessica. "Take your time. If there is anyone we can save in here, we need you to find them. We'll be retrieving our fallen and looking for salvage."

As the Major stepped out, Jessica quickly got to work. With some help from Alice, she hacked the computer, and did what she could to navigate the alien systems.

"So... how do you like being out of the base?" Alice asked, scanning the room.

"Well, I... I wish it was somewhere safer." Jessica chuckled nervously. "And it really isn't much different then our base. Just... creepier."

"I guess that's fair." Alice watched Jessica as the latter examined the pods. "So... you think you can do anything for them?"

"Doesn't look good." Jessica scanned the room. "I'd say about... five of them can make it once we get them out of here. And they'll need extreme surgical and mental help." She shook her head. "God, what did they do to you?"

The two worked in silence for a few minutes, before Alice attempted to break the tension. "So, um... did you see those clothes in the other room?"

Jessica nodded as she examined some formulas written amongst alien language. "Heard a lot of them were for Emily. Her teammates said the Ethereal not only possessed her, it tried to become her. Really... REALLY creepy..."

"Yeah... yeah..." Alice scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "You know... I'm... pretty close to Emily's size..."

Jessica looked up. "Um... I guess... it is a little weird, but..." She thought for a moment. "I doubt Emily would want them. She probably wants to forget everything about what happened, though I'm sure once she wakes up, she'll have a few words for our guest."

Alice smiled. "So, you think I could keep them?"

Jessica shrugged. "You have to ask the Commander, but as long as you have somewhere to put them, I don't see why not."

Alice clapped her hands together. "Alright! So... what can I do to help?"

Jessica point out a group of five pods. "Look for a way to open these."

Alice nodded. She reached behind her ear, and pulled a cord forward, plugging it into the computer. After a few minutes, the pods began to drain. Unplugging herself, she said, "They'll be ready to go in about ten minutes. We should go get..."

An explosion let loose nearby. "We've got company!" Aya shouted over the comm. "Cloaked ship came outta no where! Alice, Jessica, stay in the lab until we take care of this! Shouldn't take... too long. Not a whole lot of them."

Jessica took a step away from the door as Alice powered up her weapon systems, holding her hand forward. "Don't worry, Jessie. Just stay behind me, and..." She quickly aimed at he sound movement from the back of the room, looking towards an access tunnel she hadn't noticed before.

As the two woman stood in silence, Jessica's squinted at the area behind Alice. Her eyes went wide, and she mumbled, "A-Alice... b-b-behind... you..."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Operation Second Strike: Part Two

Alice slowly nodded as the floating alien machine decloaked behind her. She quickly spun around, but could not aim before the Seeker wrapped its tentacles around her arm, lifting her up. Jessica took a step forward as Alice was covered all over. "Stay back!" The android shouted. "I-I... can... handle this..."

As Alice pushed against the alien machine's tentacles, it became apparent the X-COM A.I. was stronger. The Seeker instead attempted to use its superior number of limbs to keep Alice held and attempt to crush her. It yanked at her arms, but she pulled them back. A tentacle wrapped around her waist, but she grabbed it with her hands, pushing it away.

Another tried to grab her leg and rip it off, but she wrapped both her legs around it and squeezed. The tentacle went high, wriggling and moving back and forth to escape her legs, and Alice's eyes widened, her entire body shuttering. With an angry growl, she flung her head back, slamming it into the front of the Seeker. The tentacle around her right arm loosened, and she yanked her arm forward, ripping the tentacle out. She placed her freed palm onto the seekers body, firing her pulse cannon and destroying the robot's brain.

As the pair crashed to the ground, Jessica rushed to her friend's side. Alice shivered, her face beet red. The picture of worry, Jessica asked, "Are you okay?! A-are you... damaged? Your face, are you... overheating or something?"

Alice shook her head. "No... n-no, I'm fine, I-I just... I know I told Sunny to make me... as human as possible, including the... capacity to blush. But I didn't realize she... s-somehow included... that..."

Jessica raised a eyebrow, unsure what she meant. She examined the destroyed Seeker, her eyes stopping on the tentacle still held between Alice's legs, and her face turned redder then Alice's. "Oh, I... we... we'll keep this between us, okay?"

Alice nodded, and Jessica helped her stand up. Lifting her arm, Alice scanned the room. "Now... now these things like to come in pairs, so..." She was interrupted by Jessica's scream, a second seeker taking hold of the lab tech. Time seemed to slow down as Alice trained her weapon on the seeker, desperately trying to find a shot before it could crush her, but terrified of hitting Jessica.

The wall between the lab and Central Commander exploded. Suddenly, a gigantic hand reached into the room and wrapped around the seeker, crushing it like a snowball. Jessica fell from the tentacles, and a tall figure rushed into the room, catching her at the last moment. It looked into her eyes. "Are you okay? And do you speak English? I think that would be your language, based on appearance, but I felt the other question was more important to.."

Jessica shrieked loudly, and the alien shrieked back, dropping her and jumping backwards. Jessica quickly rushed behind Alice, crying out, "Please don't hurt me, lizard man! I-I used to have a pet lizard. I-I didn't know it needed a light, I'm sorry!"

"Lizard man?" The tall alien looked up at the giant, and got a shrug.

"Earth species, type of reptile," a Muton clad in black Elite armor explained, stepping in. "You remind her of one."

"Oh, um..." The reptilian alien tilted its head. "Thank... you?"

Jessica's eyes darted between the trio and the destroyed seeker. "You... you saved me? Why?"

"Simple," the Muton said. "You are not our enemy. The beings that control that machine are."

"Don't let it go to your head, though." The reptilian alien motioned his head towards his massive companion. "He just has a soft spot for females. You... are female, yes?"

Jessica nodded slowly. "Um... thank... you. Who... are you?"

"Simply ones who have been fighting this enemy for far longer then you." The Muton stepped forward. "We require little assistance from the humans, at least for now. However, we were planning to taking that machine for our own use. We would request something to replace it."

Jessica's eyes darted back and forth. "Um... okay... But I don't really have anything..." The large alien stepped forward, grasping Alice in one titanic hand. The android woman squirmed and pushed, but could not get free. "No!" Jessica yelled. "No, please you can't take her, I..."

"Do not fear," the Muton responded. "Unless it acts as a threat, it will be returned undamaged once we are finished with it."

"No, please." Jessica rushed forward, grasping one of the large alien's fingers and futility pulling at it as tears fell from her eyes. "Y-you don't understand, she... sh-she is..."

The human considers her sentient. An alien in a hooded cloak, standing half a foot shorter then Jessica, floated into the room. It looked at the Muton, its thought sounding young and slightly feminine. As do many of the other humans she knows. Taking this android would be considered an act of aggression by them.

The large alien looked down Alice, then gently placed her on the ground. She dusted herself off, rubbing her arms. "You're really strong..."

"As are you," the alien responded in a deep voice before walking back into the room it had come from.

We would request something in return for exposing ourselves to come to your aid, especially with your collegues fighting nearby, who would likely, and understandably, fire at us on sight. Perhaps some... information?

Jessica nodded, unsure if she really had a choice. "A-alright. Should I... get a sheet of paper, or...

The cloaked figure floated up until it was at eye level with Jessica. It extended two slender, light-black arms, placing its hands on either side of her head. A light, purple glow enveloped them, and Jessica felt a bit light headed. After a minute, the alien turned away, and they all walked away, heading in the direction the large alien had gone.

"Wait!" Jessica shouted at them. "I... I-I didn't just give away information that might..."

The Thin Man-like reptile looked back as he walked. "Don't worry about that. If we had reason for aggression towards you, we already have what we need from our mutual enemy. Shorty here probably just wanted to know some personal stuff about those you know."

Jessica and Alice starred at each other in disbelief. "What... what should we call you?" Alice asked.

"You will think of something," the Muton answered. "Your people always do. Try to make it something interesting."

 

[BMPixy]

“Journey Home, Day Five”
Los Angeles Airport Marriott, Los Angeles
California, United States of America
1038 Local Time
Albert Foulke

A knock on the door caught my attention. I rolled off the bed, flipping off the TV in the process, and stepped up to the door, taking a quick look through the peephole. On the other side was my current contact, Sarita Quintana, carrying a hefty duffel bag.

I opened the door to let her in, and as she entered the room, I said, “G’morning Quintana, you ready to get started?”

“Right, but there’s a couple things I need to go over first,” she said, taking a seat on the open bed.

“Figured as much, given how little info you sent my way yesterday,” I replied, sitting down on my bed facing her.

“Security concerns, got word from a couple of my contacts early yesterday that something spooked EXALT recently, and they’re being a bit more wary than usual.” Hmm, they probably realized that somebody was probing their Hawaiian servers. Hopefully this doesn’t screw over my plans.

“Makes sense. So, what is it you wanted to go over?” I asked, propping my chin on the back of my hands.

“First up is target area: Thanks to some solid intel I scored from one of my buddies, I’ve managed to pinpoint EXALT’s exact location: an Office Depot out in Compton, notable for the fact that the local gangs seem to be completely avoiding the area.”

“Sweet,” I said, perking up, “I suppose that means we B&E tonight, and then I head off to NYC the day after?”

“If all goes well, then that’s the plan. I’m currently waiting on some floor plans from one of my contacts, which should be coming in this afternoon.”

“Alright then. So, what’s in the bag?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot,” she replied, standing up and handing me the bag, “Your gear for this op. Would have given it to you yesterday, but I had to get a couple last minute items.” As she said this, I unzipped the bag and ran through the contents: Gauss autopistol, AI device, stealth field, Arc Thrower, garrote wire, lockpicks, concealed carry permit for one ‘George Sears’, a short combat knife, a bandana, baseball cap, trench-coat, a pre-paid phone, and one of those under-door camera thingies.

“Nice selection you got me here,” I said, shutting the bag. “Though I must ask, why the Arc Thrower? I thought my job was uploading a virus, not grabbing captives?”

“Contingency,” Sarita replied, “In case you need someone down but not out.”

“I thought EXALT popped a needle when we tried to cap ‘em?”

“Aye, but my operatives have confirmed the presence of civvies willingly working with EXALT, don’t want to risk their lives. The clones are expendable, but the normals? Not so much.”

“Understood,” I replied with a nod. “So what now?”

“You ever been to an In-N-Out?”

Twenty-meters outside Target Area, Los Angeles
California, United States of America
2316 Local Time
Albert Foulke

Autopistol? In holster. Arc thrower and stealth field? Hanging from belt. AI device? Right coat pocket. Knife? Armpit sheath. Garrote wire and lockpicks? Left coat pocket. Camera thingy and permit? Right pants pocket. Phone? Left pants pocket. Building plans? Memorized. Alright, we’re good.

With a nod to Sarita, I stepped out of the white van and pulled up the bandana over my mouth and nose. The smog over the city was heavier than normal, so this wouldn’t seem that unusual. As I shut the door, I scanned the area, confirming that the streets were deserted. I set off at a light jog, swinging into a back alley to approach from the back-door of the Office Depot.

Four minutes passed, and the moon climbed ever higher in the cloudy sky, as I approached the back of the building. Quick scan, no observers. Remove camera, slid it under the door, flip it on; nobody on the other side of the door. As I stashed the camera back into my pants, I removed the lockpicks from my coat, kneeling down and getting to work. The door opening would trigger the alarm if the code was not entered in twenty-five seconds. However, there was a camera overlooking the alarm control, so I’d need to work quickly.

With a twist, the door clicked open, and I quickly opened it and closed it behind me. Twenty seconds. Stealth field would help conceal my movements, but not completely obscure me as I approached the alarm. Regardless, I flipped it on, my form almost shimmering out of existence as I slowly walked towards the alarm control. Five seconds left, punching in code. Code entered, alarm disabled. Good. Exit camera range, disable stealth field.

Finally able to get a good look around the storage room, I noted something very interesting: it was completely empty. Not even excess stock remained for the front of the building. Aw hell. Was Sarita wrong? No, she said that the EXALT were here for sure, so what gives? Unless... the Hawaii incident spooked them into suddenly moving? Shit! They could be anywhere now!

No, keep calm Al, there’s a way we can salvage this. There’s a security office about ten meters to my left. Someone is probably in there, to catch anybody that might be after them. So, I go in there, knock their ass out, haul them out to Sarita, and then we interrogate them tomorrow.

Flipping on the stealth field once more, I slowly edged my way over to the security office, moving at the highest speed that would allow me full concealment. After five agonizing minutes, I finally made it to the door.

Now, how to breach? Can’t pick the lock, they’d notice if the door opened without them knowing. They probably know that none of their friends are gonna swing by tonight, so knocking won’t work. Guess I’ll have to do this the hard way. I stepped out in front of the door, one hand on the Arc Thrower, the other on the stealth field deactivation button. Gonna need the tachypsychia for this. I quickened my breathing, and began thinking angry thoughts, trying to force adrenaline into my system. A minute of this passed, and I began to feel the time seem to slow, as my brain began to work faster.