Apocalypse Fanfic

[The Veteran]

Pausing for a fraction of a second more than normal Warlord contemplated his next move, for a fraction of a second. As soon as he saw the first soldier roll out into the corridor he raised his gun and took aim. As he squeezed the trigger Tammy dived across the hallway and slammed heavily into Warlord. His shot veered way off cener but still struck Patrick squarely in the shoulder boring deep into his flesh.

Patrick fell backwards and slid down the wall with a cry of pain. Jon opened fire immediately sending two alloy bullets speeding past the two soldiers and into the wall.

"Hold your fire" shouted Tammy as Warlord found himself pinned against the wall.

"What are you doing" he yelled pushing Tammy out into the corridor.

"They're on our side! Look at them" she said gesturing to Jon who had lowered his gun and now stood in complete amazement.

"What?" replied Warlord suddenly overcome by confusement.

"Look at their eyes," she said. "And they gave a verbal command! Brainsucked soldiers do not do that..."

"True. I just don't like being shot at much," he replied. "So who are you two anyway?" he asked Jon who had now moved to tend to Pat's wounded arm.

"We're Megapol agents you idiot! What the hell are you doing? Who's command are you under?" Jon shouted at Warlord.

"I am under no durastiction other than my own and if you were as good a soldier as you seem to think then you would know that you are too."

"What? Who the hell are you? And why did you try to kill my partner"

"I run a hell of a lot of this city! And you're part of it! I do not have to explain myself or my actions to you or anyone else! Do I make myself clear" screamed Warlord.

"Well maybe you do," said Jon standing to face Warlord. "But until I am absolutely sure of that then I will be taking no orders from you or anyone else from whatever squad you came from."

"Fine. I just hope you know what you're fighting. Because if you don't then the next time I see you may be to shoot you in the head..." Warlord turned away and cringed at the thought of having to relive the terrible scenefrom the alien saucer a week earlier. Killing aliens came easily to a person like Warlord but he still found it hard to kill a good soldier. And he could tell this guy was a very good soldier.

As Warlord left the two soldiers to decide on a course of action Tammy walked over to them and spoke to Jon. "Just stay here," she said. "If you see anything that isn't wearing one of these uniforms kill it. Even if it's human."

"What if it is wearing that uniform? Then what?" He asked with a hint of aggression in his voice.

"Do nothing... Drop your guns and raise your hands. Just don't show any sign of aggressive behaviour to them. If you do then they will kill you..."

Tammy walked after Warlord and left Jon to look after Patrick.

[Carlos the Jackal]

"So you work for the Mutant allience?"

Megan shrugged.

"Not so much work for, as hold a fairly important position in the ranks"

"Oh"

They had been talking for over 15 minutes, after thier initial intruduction Carlos found her quite easy to talk to, and pleasant company.

"And what about you... X-Com soldier?"

"Yes indeed, you may be flattered to know i came to this city and work there just to meet you"

Megan grinned.

"Well, I hope your not disapointed, a lot of people react a.. 'little' odd around hybrids"

"Hmm.. no. To be honest, that whole thing was not my war, me being frozen and all that"

"Yeah, but T'leth ment that you wern't revived when you could have been"

"Uh-huh, which means I'm here now, fighting in the third war. Cause and effect, becides are you trying to argue me *into* disliking hybrids?" Carlos said with a grin.

Megan laughed and said "No, of course not. But some people do have a definite problem, I dont think theirs a hybrid in the city that hasn't been in an ugly situation at least once in their lives"

"And what about yourself"

Megan patted the side of her buisness suit, Carlos noticed a bulge the looked like a shoulder holster.

"I've been in serveral. A few people, unfortunatly didn't learn from the experience"

Carlos nodded, he knew people who'd been harrased by cult sympasisers. Some had faced no other option but to shoot their way out, and others hadn't come back.

"Out of interest, what do you carry?"

"A T-34, what about you?"

"A Berretta 9mm, explosive tipped... you know thats a pretty heavy.. and expensive peice, Megan"

"The job pays well, an expensive guns a worthwhile investment. As for heavy, I'm not all that helpless, Paul.

Carlos looked over Megan again. She wouldn't much taller than five feet, standing, thin, with delicate hand, and presumably, feet. But then again, hybrids are never completley helpless, even untrained psi power is a dangerous weapon.

"Paul... how many hybrids are at your base?"

"Uhh... I think one of the Bio team is. He's pretty withdrawn, wears glasses, short, bald, big head. You know, the sterotype."

"I heard at least half a dozen had enlisted and were on active service"

"Then they must be at Alpha base, they keep us pretty seperated, I don't know hardly any of the personell there, cept for the tranfers we get"

 

They talked for another 5 minutes, then a beeper went off in Megans pocket.

 

"I gotta give a speech in the senate, another 'talking to a brick wall' experience just so we can claim we tried... want to go, could use at least one receptive audience member?"

Megan looked at him. Carlos could sence something behind her words. He got the feeling she felt passionate about her work, and a sadness that comes with acts of futiliy.

 

"Sure, lets go"

 

*********************

 

Carlos and Megan stepped out of the Auto-taxi in front of the senate. Megapol cars and policemen had surrounded the building, and in the distance was a bright red dropship that Carlos recognised from Bravo hanger. He started running towards the senate, and flashed his identification to the policemen who rushed to block him.

 

"X-Com agent. X-Com agent, let me through.." Carlos shouted as he sprinted past, drawing his pistol. As he started up the marble steps, he looked back. Megan has run just behind him, the megapol agents mistakng her for an agent as well. She ran up to, and past him, wielding her T-34 plasma pistol in both hands. As she disappeared into the building, Carlos ran after her.

 

"Megan, hey, wait up...."

[Zager]

"Goddamn trigger-happy paramilitary assholes," Pat cursed, sitting against the wall.

As Warlord and Tammy walked away, Jon raised his gun and aimed after them, and seriously considered firing for a minute, then lowered it. No sense in getting into any more trouble than necessary.

"He's strong," Jon commented, walking back over to Pat.

"Pardon?" Pat asked.

"Psionically, he's quite strong," Jon stated. "You learn notice things like that. A minor probing, nothing he would notice. Just testing the defenses, so to speak. I wonder what he was talking about?"

"I don't know," Pat muttered. "But I know I'd like to express my displeasure to him with a crowbar. Confirm your fricking target before you fire, that's a standard regulation in every SWAT team since they were created. Jeez, what organization could he be working for that could possibly let him get away with not doing that?"

[Ki-tat Chung]

As Ki-tat moved along the peoples tube, he contemplated which pickup line he shoukld use. He remembered during his teens, he stumbled across a gaming site which had a comp for cheesy pickup lines, but that was ages ago.

 

After contemplating for a couple of minutes, his destination was coming into view. The Senate. He knew Teresa wasn't exactly a politition, but her little brother, John, was. And Ki-tat also knew that John had every intention of promoting his own family's wealth and power, even through nepotism. John was vice presedent for the Extropians, and he saw to it that his sister made senetor. She was smart, he knew, which was one of the qualities Ki-tat liked about her.

 

As he left the tube, he saw a couple charge through Megapol barricades and....Megapol barricades!? As he took in the view, he tried to calm himself and clear his mind.

"Dozens of Megapol ground and hover cars, at least 30 officers, a hybrid, Carlos.... Carlos?" Ki-tat thought. Two shocks within seconds musn't have been too good as the squad leader took a few steps back and tripped over, falling on his rear.

"You! Get out of here! its dangerous"

Ki-tat snapped out of his little mind block, and came to his senses. He jumped up, and started running in the same direction as Carlos was heading.

"YOU! STOP" the officer shouted again as he drew his weapon and signled his compatriots to do so as well.

"X-COM"

 

**********

 

As Megan ran through the myrid laberanth of corridors in the sublevel of the senate, Carlos was having a hard time remembering the way they came in from.

"Wait up Megan" Carlos shouted for the third time since they started running. Megan ignored him and continued to run before she ran headong into a Chinese-looking woman.

"OOOOF"

"Hey wha--"

As the two women sat on the ground rubbing their heads trying to figure what just happened, as the asian woman caught sight of Megan's plasma pistol and Carlos running up, sidearm trained on her, her hands shot into the air.

"Don't shoot! I didn't do anything"

Megan stood up, smiling. She lowered her gun and signaled Carlos to follow in suit.

"Calm down Teresa, its OK......"

[The Veteran]

"There's noting but damn brainsuckers in tis place! Can you please find out where the hell they'e coming from and how I get there to kill the bastards"

After almost an hour of picking off brainsuckers the whole team was starting to get frustrated but Warlord had had plenty enough of it by now.

Tammy who he was still with ws also getting fed up of bainsuckers. Shooting the one off Warlord's head had been quite a disturbing experience. It made Warlord seem much more vulnerable than she had ever believed he could be and this worried her immensely.

*I'm sorry Commander but we are having a really hard time picking up any signals in there at all let alone determining what they are.* replied a voice from Warlord's commlink.

"Can't you just look for heat emissions or something? There must be an easy way" said Warlord hopefully.

*Until we know what to look fo we have no way to find it. We've been opeating on heat signals up to this point but it turns out the points are either cold blooded or possibly have no blood at all...*

"So have you tried motion detection?" said Tammy doubtfully.

"They'd damn well better of," said Warlord turning to Tammy. "It's the fist method of..."

*We've got something,* blurted the commlink, interrupting Warlord.

"God dammit! You left motion detection this later?" he shouted into his comm.

*No that was the fist thing we tried.*

Tammy tried her best to dissappear into a corner as she met Warlord's eyes.

*We've been operating on sub-level scans though. We just sent though a motion scan on the wole building and here's a huge concentation of movement in the senate... Above you.*

"How far above?" asked Tammy nervously.

*Five floors... They're coming from the conference hall.*

"Dammit," said Warlord standing from his knees. "We have to get the hell up there right now. Command, send the order to the rest of the squad that we'e sealing off the building from the ground up. Seek and Destroy..."

*Affirmative commander.* The comm channel shut off and Warlord began moving off down the coridor at a steady but cautious jog.

"TC?" said Tammy into her commlink following after Warlord.

*Tactical Command,* acknowledged Bavo base's tactical control centre.

"Run thermal imaging scans on the lifeforms. Try and determine what we have to deal with when we get up there. And use any spare time you have to try and find a primary scan that will detect brainsuckers and their pods."

*Acknowledged we'll get right on it*

Tammy returned her commlink to the pocket of her vest and took a cago elevator up after Warlord.

"I didn't know you were so familiar with the base equipment." said Warlord who was waiting for Tammy at the top of the lift.

"I wouldn't say I was," she replied. "I just used to play a lot of computer games."

With that Tammy ran off down the corridor, leaving Walord by the grav-lift.

'Women,' Warlord thought to himself. 'Just wen you think you figure them out...'

"Tammy" he called running after her.

'Women...'

[Tammy]

Occasionally, Tammy's fearlessness got her into trouble, and leaving Warlord behind had been a mistake. She skidded to a halt as a blur of yellow homed in on her, and a brainsucker began to prod blindly at her face. The rifle she carried was basically useless against something trying to force its way in through her face, so she dropped it for the moment and tore at the thing with both hands. Just when she was on the brink of exhaustion in her struggle against the brainsucker, she heard the sound of a balloon deflating and realized that the creature was no longer attacking. She flung the remains as far from her as she could and raised her eyes to Warlord's. "Guess that makes us even....and I was all set to make you my slave for life, too."

 

"As appealing as that sounds, right now, I think we'd better concentrate on clearing out the rest of these brainsuckers without getting our brains sucked......maybe later." Warlord demonstrated his best leer and then handed Tammy her rifle. Then he grinned, "I'll buy you dinner after this is all over, ok?"

 

Tammy laughed shakily, took the rifle, and proceeded toward the door of the conference room. Warlord grabbed her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Maybe you should let me look first."

 

Looking directly into his eyes without flinching, she asked quietly, "Is that an order?"

 

Warlord paused for a moment, considering the situation and his own motives, then shook his head. "Let's go through together......but be careful."

 

Tammy nodded slowly. "You too, Warlord," she hefted the rifle and they both walked through the door to see what aliens were on the other side.

[The Veteran]

Warlord checked his clip and slammed the full weight of his body into the door, almost wrenching it from the wall. Both he and Tammy froze with their guns ready to fire.

"Holy shit..." said Warlord as everything around him slowed to a mere echo of time.

In front of the two soldiers was a room the size of a small slum building. On all four walls, rows of seating stretched off up to the ceiling. In the middle of the ceiling, a glass dome crowned the senate building. The soldiers were gazing upon the Senate's main conference hall. And the central chamber was full of pods...

"Shoot" he yelled raising his gun. "Shoot"

Tammy stood for a second and then raised her gun searching for a target. Pods were everywhere. Most of them were small but some of them were the size of children. Huddled up tightly and writhing under layers of alien flesh. Tammy levelled her weapon at the largest pod and fired.

The creature whined in agony and shrunk away from the two soldiers. Warlord targetted the same creature and sent a shell from his lawpistol into it's fleshy hide. Expending the clip in his gun Warlord ducked back around the corner and reloaded his weapon in a matter of seconds.

Tammy lined up for another shot on the creature but spotted movement to the left of the pod. One of the smaller pods began to peel open and a small spherical object uncurled itself. Tammy knelt behind the door pillar and levelled her weapon at the unformed mass, watching it slowly unfurl.

Suddenly the creature leapt towards the doorway with a terrifying hiss. Tammy raised her gun slightly and with one shot she pierced the chest of the creature and it landed motionless by her feet.

"Brainsuckers," she said to Warlord retargeting the larger pod.

He reappeared from behind the door frame and looked down to Tammy's feet. He stamped heavily down on the remains of a brainsucker, coating Tammy's boots with a thin film of spray.

Tammy ignored it and let off another shot at the large pod. "It's skin is too thick, I can't kill it"

"I know," said Warlord hurling a high explosive grenade into the centre of the chamber. It stopped rolling at the base of the pod and three seconds later exploded, showering the surrounding pods in greasy chunks of flesh and what could only be presumed was blood.

"Whoo! That's the way" yelled Warlord pulling another grenade from his belt.

As Warlord set the prime for his second grenade the room filled with hissing and several larger forms appeared in the clearing smoke. "Oh shit" he yelled pulling back his arm to throw the grenade, but he was struck heavily in the chest before he could do it. he was throw backwards and slammed against the wall of the corridor outside. His grenade flew across the room.

Tammy retargetted her rifle on the pink headless alien standing across the room. A Spitter... She quickly let off three shots from her rifle and the creature fell to a crumpled heap on the floor. As she moved again to retarget the second form she became aware of a brainsucker pod being shot towards her at great speed. She shot at the pod and tore it open down one side. The pod split in midair and seemed to unfold in slow motion. A brainsucker unrolled in the air and flew towards Tammy who was struggling to reload her weapon.

Just as the brainsucker reached her there was an explosion at the far side of the room. Warlord's grenade had found the alien with the brainsucker launcher and had successfully dealt with it.

Over Tammy's shoulder she heard the parting of air and ducked to the right. As she did so, the metal grip of a lawpistol slammed into the brainsucker just as it reached her position. The pod flew across the room leaving much of it's internal system on the handle of Warlord's pistol.

"Thanks," said Tammy raising her reloaded weapon.

"Thank me by shooting, I'm hit bad."

Tammy risked a sideways glance at Warlord who was lacking a large section of front armour plating and bleeding badly. Knowing the time and place for patchwork, Tammy turned back to the conference hall which was once again clouded with smoke.

As it cleared once again all was still. But from the corner of his eye Warlord saw movement. Over by the dead blue alien...

"Brainsucker pods" he yelled. "Three of them"

Tammy turned her weapon to where a brainsucker was already eating it's way through it's pod and where two others were squirming in their embryonic sacs.

She looked around the room trying to asses their situation. At least twenty brainsucker pods. Probably twice that. And there were five of those big pods left intact as well.

"Do you have any grenades left?" she asked Warlord splitting open the closest brainsucker.

"None, we have to hold the position for the rest of the squads"

"We can't! There are too many brainsuckers"

"We have to try" yelled Warlord taking a further step into the room and pulling his personal pistol from his belt with his free hand. Warlord pummelled bullets into any pods he came to and the room was filled with childlike squeals.

Stepping into the room herself Tammy sliced into the remaining two brainsuckers over by the blue corpse and the dead spitter. She turned and dug the heel of her boot into the pod nearest to her and it erupted into a puddle of flesh and grime.

As the two soldiers proceeded through the chamber things were beginning to look a little more positive. But until now both soldiers had neglected to check the corpse of the first large pod.

Now from behind Tammy, a large snakelike creature was emerging from the pod. It's simple body consisted solely of large teeth connected to a large baglike body. As it approached Tammy from behind it's jaw opened wide and it prepared to attack.

"Tammy" called Warlord as he levelled his twin pistols on the creature. Tammy turned around immediately and sent a shot directly into the creatures jaw. Her legs were sprayed with a green gunge and her shin began to sting wildly. As Warlord's pistols tore into the side of the snake it opened it's smoldering jaw even wider.

As a puddle of green ooze flooded from the aliens mouth, it's body deflated and it's jaw began to twitch. Both soldiers watched in shocked horror as the creatures corpse began to writh with activity and one by one, four small pink creatures emerged from it's open mouth.

Warlord opened fire immediately but the snakes moved too fast for him to hit. Tammy stepped on the nearest snake to prevent it moving and levelled her rifle at it. The creature seemed to raise it's forward body off the ground and looked up at Tammy through a small but deadly circle of razor sharp teeth.

As Tammy pulled her trigger a vicious spasm ran through the body of the snake and a large globule of green slime was released from the creatures mouth.

Tammy called out in pain and hurled her gun violently across the room as the acid ate through her sleeve and the rifle. She stamped down on it's head crushing it into the ground. She raised her foot again but still the creature writhed hypnotically, dragging it's shattered jaw across the floor. Again Tammy slammed her boot hard down on the floor splitting the creature across it's length.

"Tammy! Get out of here" shouted Warlord finally piercing the back of one of the worms and smearing it across the wall.

"No I can still fight"

"Take this then" he called, throwing her his lawpistol.

Tammy caught it and checked the clip... Almost full...

Warlord emptied another clip into the third worm and brought his own boot down to finish it off. He searched his belt frantically for an extra pistol clip as the last worm turned towards him.

Finding the clip he fumbled and dropped it to the ground. Drawing his combat knife, Warlord leapt at the worm, giving it no chance to unleash it's poison. Landing directly above it he brought his knife down heavily and split the worm clean in half spraying the floor with acid.

The two halves of the worm writhed on the floor as Warlord backed away to where he had dropped his clip. Reaching to the ground he found the clip and grasped it firmly. Then something landed on his arm. It was warm. It was small. And it was crawling.

As Warlord turned his head sharply a brainsucker pod flew from his shoulder as it was met by size eight boots.

"We can't hold up any longer," said Tammy as Warlord stood up and loaded his gun.

"We have to" he replied sinking his knife into the brainsucker as it landed on it's back in front of him.

"What about the rest of the squads?" she asked desperately.

"If something needs doing then it has to be done" said Warlord firmly but faintly.

Tammy noticed that he was gripping his chest wound firmly and his movement was slowing. Suddenly he slumped to the ground and she was alone in an alien breeding chamber. Then she heard the hissing.

All around her pods were beginning to move. The five larger pods were squirming and had begun to emit high pitched squeals. In one of the doors she noticed something else arrive. It was a small blue chicken like creature. It had fierce yellow eyes and a smile to contend with any supermodel.

As Tammy stared in shock the creature began to waddle towards her.

She remembered the pistol Warlord had given her and quickly raised it and took aim at the chicken like creature. She pumped two bullets into the creature and it stumbled backwards letting off a high pitched squeek.

The look of ferocity in the creatures eyes increased tenfold and it drew it's thick blue lips far back over it's purple gums and menacing teeth. With a deep moan the creature began running towards Tammy at incredible speed.

Tammy quickly let off another shoot. It struck the creature squarely in the forehead but it didn't slow it down. Another bullet severed one of the creatures large back legs but it continued to hop determinedly towards her. Tammy fired once more with a bullet that bore deep down inside the creature. It stopped on the spot and wobbled on it's single limb. Then it fell to it's side and it's eye's began to fade.

Tammy stepped up to the creature and levelled her pistol at it's eyes. It grinned one final time, and she pulled the trigger...

As the final bullet bored into the creatures skull it errupted into a ball of flame that engulfed the entire chamber. Tammy was caught by the full blow of the explosion and hurled across the room into the seating area. Warlord's motionless body was flung against the stone wall as were a great number of the brainsucker pods that had been clustered around one of the larger pods which also lay in ruin.

The glass dome of the senate roof collapsed entirely into the central conference chamber and plaster, wood, stone and metal fell everywhere. From where Tammy lay she could barely make out the remnants of the hive below her. The explosion had torn out one wall of the chamber and an entire stall of seating lay in shards. Below her were the remaining brainsucker pods. Unknown to her the remaining number was in the region of thirty. And four large pods also still remained, though one was already gaping open to release the creature it contained.

As Tammy began to fade out of consciousness she saw a brainsucker hop up onto her stall. It bounched onto her legs and up to her torso. Then it crawled up to her neck, drooling slime onto her cut and burnt face. It's feelers opened out to reveal a circular arrangement of poisoned fangs.

Tammy lost all sound perception and her mind was filled with null sound. That of a vacant beach on a silent night. Or of an automated factory in the silence of a strike... That was how she knew the sound of silence...

She saw the sky through the gaping hole in the senate's roof. possibly for the last time. But something arrived in the space there. Just to one side the light was disturbed. She knew the shape but could see too little to define it's silhouette. Her senses were overcome with a million thoughts at once. The smell of death and ashes filled her head and a faint echo entered her mind. She could feel it through the floor.

She saw the shape above develope. It became a figure. Someone she knew well. They moved a hand to their back and took something from there... A gun... It was pointed directly at her... She knew the shape from the labs... But it was a friendly figure, wasn't it?

As the world began to merge into one deep throbbing vibration Tammy's vision was blinded by a flash of red light from the figure.

The brainsucker on her torso shattered into a thousand scraps of meat and flesh.

As the sounds intensified, Tammy recognised voices in the building with her. They were colleagues... Not enemies. She strained to see the figure on the rooftop. They held a weapon similar to her own but it shone a magnificent black. As she focussed the face became clear. It wore dark glasses and held a sniper rifle. It held Ultio... It was Trigger. And in her last moment of consciousness she saw him move a hand to his face. He pulled away the glasses and looked back at her with a reassuring smile.

Trigger dropped the glasses into the room and threw her a wink. For a brief second, she could even see the green of his eyes... Perfect green eyes...

As Tammy finally passed out of consciousness she could still hear the shouts of many men. The room was filled with gunfire and Alpha squad had arrived. Soon Delta squad would also be in the central chamber.

Within an hour, the building would be completely clear...

********

END OF CHAPTER 5

[Tammy]

CHAPTER 6

********

Tammy's eyes fluttered open and then shut again quickly in the unexpected glare of the overhead lights. For a moment, she wondered how they'd repaired the roof of the conference room so quickly and then she realized that she wasn't lying on a floor at all. She turned her head and spotted TJ to her left, and some of the events of the previous day started to come back to her. Some sixth sense must have warned TJ that she was awake because his eyes opened instantly...perfect eyes. She tried to speak, to ask the million questions that half-formed in her mind, but nothing came out with the first attempt. TJ stretched his back a bit and helped her drink some water.

 

"Warlord?" she gasped after she swallowed the water.

"He's alive. That's all you need to know right now. You were nearly killed, and you will lie in that bed and recover if I have to sit here for as long as it takes to keep you from doing anything else."

 

Tammy's eyes drifted closed in relief at hearing that Warlord was alive. She simply didn't have the strength to ask more. Still, she didn't want to lie there in silence and brood about the possibilities. "Talk to me," she whispered to TJ.

 

"Okay, but I'm going to call the doctor and let him know you're awake, so I'm sure he'll be in shortly. Anything in particular you want to hear? Um...never mind, I think I'll choose the topic. I suppose you're curious about my eyes. I hate to tell you this, but there's not much I can tell you. I'm sure you know that this can't have been entirely legal or safe, so I won't go into detail on that point. For now, all you need to know is that they are totally functional and quite safe now that they are implanted. There's nothing to worry about. The news mentioned something about a Diablo bike going missing...nothing left but the emblem." Tammy could hear the grin in his voice without looking and managed a slight smile.

 

A frown creased Tammy's brow as she appeared to struggle with some unseen opponent. She'd drifted into a drugged semi-sleep only to be confronted again by the brainsucker that had nearly taken her at the end of the battle she'd barely survived. Against his first inclination, TJ touched her shoulder to wake her. Sleep of this kind didn't seem very good for her. She jumped and her eyes flew open as she struck at his hand. Then, realizing that it was Trigger and not a brainsucker, she relaxed a bit and dropped her hand as if it were a leaden weight.

 

"I guess you should know, too that the major has been in here wanting to talk to the Commander about the fate of Bravo Base. The doctors won't allow it, of course, but I thought you should know in case he tries to talk to you. Not that I'd let him disturb you, but he does have the advantage of rank, and I suspect you wouldn't thank me for throwing away my career at X-COM to protect your beauty sleep." Tammy shook her head and then looked alarmed. "What is it?" Trigger asked anxiously.

 

She didn't answer right away, and when she did, she merely pointed weakly at her legs, lying motionless beneath the white sheets. Trigger's mind raced for a moment as he realized that he hadn't seen them move since she'd awakened, and he leaped from the side of the bed calling frantically for the doctors.

 

After a preliminary examination, the doctor looked gravely at them both. He put his hands into his pockets and seemed to debate whether or not to include Tammy in the conversation, but her glare said that she knew what he was thinking and that he'd better do it. He cleared his throat and said, "There is some paralysis in the legs at this time. It will take more tests to determine whether or not it is permanent, of course. There is much that we can do with current technology to reverse damage of this kind, but this soldier is simply not in a position to go through such treatment now. Once she is out of immediate danger of death,"-Trigger winced at that-"we will explore methods of restoring mobility in whatever degree can be accomplished."

 

After the doctor left, Tammy drifted into a heavier, medically induced sleep, holding tightly to Trigger's hand. He pulled the chair closer to the bed and rested his head on the side. His mind kept going back to the people who had fixed his eyes. If X-COM couldn't fix Tammy, he knew people who could. With that thought in mind, he drifted off, still holding the hand of the person who'd become his family and friend at Bravo Base. After a few minutes, another thought occurred to disturb his slumber. He looked at Tammy's face and vowed that no major who came in from the outside was going to separate them either...

[Zager]

"I want to know what the hell is going on here?" Patrick was demanding. His wound wasn't that bad, and the medics had taken care of it easily. He and Jon had been evacuated to the command post outside when the clean-up forces had come through.

"What you've done is disobeyed orders and penetrated into a classified operation," one of the X-COM security people said.

"Orders that nobody's ever bothered to follow before or been punished for disobeying before," Patrick snapped back.

"That doesn't matter-"

"Yes it does. That's how rules change. Well known fact. Police stop enforcing a law, sooner or later it's going to get stricken from the books. There's a precedent, it's happened countless times throughout history."

The security guy was lost, he was used to debriefing confused and frightened civillians, looking for an easy explanation, not a veteran cop who know every page of the rulebook and every way to twist it.

"Now why the hell are you keeping us from reporting this?" Patrick continued. "And why the hell are you responding to a terrorist attack instead of Megapol SWAT teams."

"This is our juridstiction," the security officer rallied bravely, trying to regain control of the conversation.

"Not according to my book. Megapol SWAT has juridstiction in terrorist attacks, though this is plainly not that." A thought struck Patrick. "You're X-COM, aren't you? There's another alien war, isn't there?"

The security officer had officially lost control of the debrief now. He stood up. "I have nothing more to say," he left the tent that had been set up, and went to contact his superior officer for guidance.

[Tammy]

By the time Doc and Ego stuck their heads around the curtain, Tammy was sitting up in bed-following an argument with the doctor and TJ as to the advisability of getting more sleep. She had combed her hair and was looking very much herself except for some cuts and bruises. She noted that Ego and Doc were sporting a few of those also and remembered that they'd been involved in the battle, too. She was wondering vaguely what had happened in their part of the fighting when their faces brightened visibly and they dropped into the two chairs beside the bed. Tammy had insisted that TJ go to his own quarters and rest for a while, so both were available for the visitors that had wandered in now and then, some concerned, others driven by simple curiosity.

 

"Well, you look happy to see me," she smiled.

 

"We were a little afraid of how you'd look, but you look like...you," replied Doc, looking a little annoyed with himself at his choice of words. Ego just nodded and looked uncomfortable, as if he wanted to know something he didn't want to ask.

 

"Okay, boys, this is still just Tammy. What is it?"

 

Ego shrugged and looked at Doc, but Doc shook his head. "TJ said you couldn't walk-and he said the major wants to shut us down, too." It had come out in a rush, but Tammy had been expecting it, so she was ready with her answer.

 

"TJ is right on both counts," she said cheerfully. Both men started at her tone but said nothing. "However, the doctor says that he can fix me once I'm strong enough. As for Bravo Base, we won't go down without a fight. After all, we single-handedly cleared out the Senate building without civilian losses. Where was Alpha Base? Besides, even if he won't listen to reason, we aren't Bravo Base...we're X-COM. We've all been transferred before, right?"

 

Doc looked at the wall for a bit and then back at Tammy. "How long before the doctor can "fix" you-and just what is he promising he can do?"

 

Tammy smiled at Doc and then at Ego. "You two planned this conversation between you, didn't you?" She chuckled. "Okay, the truth is that he can't promise anything, but if you think I'm going to spend the rest of my days off my feet, you don't know me very well...or TJ," she trailed off cryptically, looking thoughtful.

 

The two men looked at each other, but neither wanted to ask. They knew that TJ had eyes again and that it didn't seem likely that ordinary medical science had done such a thing after what they'd heard. If X-COM couldn't get Tammy back on her feet and TJ could, they weren't about to quibble about his methods.

 

"Come on guys, let's talk about something else. What happened in your part of the building?"

 

"Interesting choice of words, considering it should've been yours, too. The commander's going to let you have it when he's had time to realize that, you know," Ego countered.

 

"First, let's hope the commander's in a position to feed himself sometime soon. Second, if the commander wants to berate me for saving his hide, I'll let him have it right back," she said sharply. Then she sagged back on the pillow. "It was awful." She looked very far away for a moment. "Seeing him go down like that...if I hadn't shown up when I did, we'd have had to shoot him, you know that? Then when we got to the conference room, they were everywhere...simply everywhere. We couldn't shoot fast enough, weren't armed enough, but Warlord said we had to try, and he was right. Why didn't I bring another rifle? I could've carried another rifle. If I had, he might be awake now." She shook her head. She knew such guilt was irrational-she couldn't have known he'd need it. The guilt was there all the same for as long as he lay unconscious a few feet away. "Get me out of this bed, guys. I'm going over there to see him for myself."

 

"What???" Ego blurted out. "No, no, no. The doctors...TJ...they'd kill us"

 

"Either you help me up or explain to the doctors and TJ how I happened to fall out of this bed with you watching," she said firmly. A wheelchair was visible through a crack in the curtain. "Get me that chair-quickly and quietly."

 

Doc sighed heavily. "You know she'll do it, Ego. Get the chair," he said as he came to the side of the bed. He hesitated before touching the white sheets.

 

"They don't bite, Doc. Shoot, they don't even move," Tammy laughed. She threw the sheet aside, and Doc got his first glimpse of heavily bandaged legs. "Popper's really burn me up, you know that?" she quipped. She took his hand and placed it under her knees. "Now help me. There's Ego with the chair." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her legs from the bed. He straightened easily and carried her to the chair. "Been working out, I see, Doc," she grinned. Doc finally seemed to be infected by her cheerfulness and grinned back, depositing her in the wheelchair. He ruffled her hair and said, "Nah, you just need to eat more."

 

They wheeled her through a gap in the curtain between her bed and Warlord's. Her first glimpse of the commander brought a gasp from her and wiped her determined smile from her face in an instant, and her hand flew to her mouth. He looked simply awful...so still and pale, hooked up to a variety of enigmatic machines. She looked back at Doc to her left and then at Ego, who was still pushing her chair slowly forward. They reached the bedside and she placed her hand on Warlord's, visibly relieved to find it warm.

 

At that moment, they heard a thunderous voice demanding to know who had moved Tammy and where she was. "Uh-oh," said Ego. "TJ's back. I'd better go talk to him-now, before he starts ripping down curtains." Doc followed him out, leaving Tammy with the very silent commander.

 

"Warlord, you have to come back to us. The major is here wanting to shut us down, and those Megapol officers have figured out that this is another alien war. Besides, you promised me dinner after this was all over with, and I hate eating alone..." Tammy trailed off and watched the monitors beep as Warlord fought a very different sort of battle from the one that had brought him here.

[The Veteran]

"Tammy..."

"Please TJ don't... You know what this is like for me. Don't try and keep me from living my life," she said turning from Warlord to face Trigger.

"You're wrong Tammy," he replied softly. "I have no idea what this is like for you. I've never so much as broken a bone in my entire life. What I lost is far more dear to me than you could ever imagine.And you were there with me through the whole thing..."

"Are you saying you'd rather I wasn't?" she asked when he paused.

"No of course not," replied Trigger. "Having you with me made everything so much easier... And I want to do the same for you. If you want to move around the base, that's fine... But right now the doctor wants you in bed, and I want that too..."

Tammy looked into his eyes, so different now. A tear rolled down his cheek but his features remained unchanged.

Just as Tammy began to speak she saw Trigger wince and he raised a hand to where a single tear was rolling down his cheek. It was blood red...

"Your eyes..." said Tammy reaching for his hand.

"I'm fine," he replied.

As Tammy lowered his hand he saw the bloodied fingers that had wiped away the tear. "I'm fine," he said again, looking at his hand. "Now let's get you back to bed..."

Just then, the doctor arrived from the next room and took hold of Tammy's wheelchair uncertainly. Tammy looked up at the doctor, who was glancing at Trigger.

Trigger nodded an acknowledgement to the doctor and then looked back to Tammy who was obviously deep in thought.

As the doctor pulled the chair away slowly, Tammy's hand slipped from Trigger's own and he watched as she disappeared into the next room.

For a few minutes Trigger sat in silence thinking about all that was happening lately. Then he turned to where Warlord was laying and simply stared at his motionless form.

"Come on Warlord. I didn't save your arse just for you to give up on me..."

"well... I sure as hell can't promote you again..."

[Tammy]

Tammy had persuaded the doctor to leave her in the wheelchair instead of making her get back into bed as long as someone stayed with her. TJ was still with Warlord, so Doc and Ego went back to their chairs beside the bed. They had just begun discussing the major's visit, when suddenly Tammy tensed and whipped her head back toward where she knew Warlord lay. She'd heard...something. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was happening, she could feel it. Before either Doc or Ego could react, she was back out of her cubicle and headed for Warlord's. As she whipped hastily through a gap in the curtain, she saw that Warlord's eyes were open and he was saying something to TJ. His voice didn't have its usual energy and force, but he was talking! Ego and Doc rushed into the room behind her, looking from her to TJ to Warlord, taking in the whole scene.

 

Without turning around, TJ knew what had happened. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he asked quietly. He turned to face her, a faint trace of blood still visible on his cheek. "How am I supposed to take care of you if I can't trust you to stay in bed even with two of our best men watching you?" He raised his unnaturally brilliant eyes to Doc and Ego, who shrugged as if to say, "You know how she is." He looked back at Tammy and sighed. "As long as you're here, I suppose you might as well stay-for a few minutes. Promise me that you will really go back to bed then," he added looking troubled. Tammy looked into those strange eyes that were gazing out of a familiar face, and wheels started turning in her mind. Again it seemed that she, Warlord, and TJ had some sort of psychic link because they both looked at her very hard when she nodded and said perhaps she'd best get back to bed now. She turned to Ego and Doc and smiled innocently.

 

"I'm very tired, boys. Could you help me get back to bed?" she asked evenly.

 

They looked at each other and at Warlord and TJ, who were still looking suspicious, then nodded. Surely she couldn't get into trouble if she stayed in bed. As many times as they told themselves that, they couldn't quite believe it, though.

 

Ego wheeled her back to her bedside, and Doc lifted her back onto the bed. They tucked the blankets around her and started to sit back down.

 

"Ego, dear, why don't you and Doc go and get some rest? I'll be fine alone."

 

They shook their heads, so Tammy asked for what she had really wanted all along. "I know what you can do. Tinboy won't be needing any rest, and he'll be able to watch me without falling asleep or anything." They looked simultaneously relieved and skeptical that she was being so cooperative suddenly. Still, they couldn't see how she could come to harm in bed with Tinboy watching over her.

 

A few minutes after they left, Tinboy came strolling into the room.

 

"Am I glad to see you, Tinboy" she exclaimed.

 

Tinboy looked a little taken aback at her enthusiasm, but he continued toward her. "Do you need something?" he asked.

 

"I need some information...and soon, I'll need some transportation," she added cryptically. Briefly she outlined what she wanted Tinboy to find out for her. He looked a little disconcerted when she added that it would involve a trip into the Diablo slums, but he knew that he'd better help because she'd find someone who would. No human agent would be able to keep her as safe or help her as much as he could, so logically he had to be the one to go with her.

 

He stood and stepped back. "I have a lot of work to do, it seems. I'll report back as soon as I have some concrete information. I would use one of the computer ports here, but I assume from your tone and your devious behavior in getting me here that you would prefer that this activity be kept secret."

 

Tammy replied hastily, "Yes, yes. No one can know about this, least of all Trigger. Devious, was I? Well, we'll probably have to get more devious before this is over." She sank back onto her pillow, looking tired and lost in thought as Tinboy slipped quietly out of the room.

[Alan]

As he left, Tinboy surreptitiously pocketed Tammy's ident card. Seeing as Tammy was confined to her bed in the infirmary no one would think to monitor her quarters.

 

Within minutes he'd reached the door, and went to swipe her card through the reader. And stopped.

 

Tinboy shook his head. "if Tammy was bedridden, then why would she be going to her quarters?" he thought. He searched through his memory for a solution, and one presented it's self. Things are best hidden in plain sight. He reached for his comlink.

 

***

 

The bored computer technician saw a flashing light on the com panel, and paused his game. He pressed the talk button "Technical department, how may i help you?"

 

*Tammy has requested that i retrieve some items from her quarters. I require access right to be set on my ident card.*

 

"yeah, whatever," the Tech muttered, "Whats your ID code?"

 

While Tinboy read off the ID code on his card, the technician was thinking, 'now what shall i do this time...hmm... ah, yes the good old quarters lockout trick'. He tapped a few keys on his computer, searching through the roster for the right personel record. He stopped abruptly.

 

"Oh, uh, right, there you are sir," the technician taped a few more keys, "that should do it."

 

*Thank you* replied Tinboy, and closed the channel. The Tech shook his head, and went back to playing the game.

 

"What happened?" demanded the pimply faced youth sitting across from him. "You actually helped a user?".

 

The Technician paused his game again, "There are some people who you do not mess with. Androids are one of them. If i'd have done what was planned we'd either come in here tomorrow to find a bill for a replacement door, or our computers singing the teapot song at us... or both".

 

***

 

Tinboy swiped his card through the reader, and entered Tammy's room. He gathered up a few books, and her portable terminal and dropped them onto the bed. Tinboy had only been half lying, Tammy would probably want those things anyway.

 

He sat down next to the network port and connected. After routing the connection through enough different locations to take at least an hour to trace, he spread his virtual feelers and started searching...

[The Veteran]

"Dammit Warlord," said Trigger turning to wher the Commander was still laying.

"I know," he replied simply still staring at the curtain.

"What can you feel?"

"I feel pain," he said turning to face Trigger. "It's unlike anything I've ever felt before. My whole body feels like it's burning and the only thing I can move without it hurting is my left arm. And my neck, obviously..."

"Yeah I kind of figured that much... It really doesn't show. You're a soldier through and through aren't you?"

Warlord chuckled briefly and rested his head back on the hard cusion the doctors had given him. "I guess so, I'd never really thought of it like that... How did the rest of the mission go? What were the losses?" he asked closing his eyes.

"Well, you and Tammy found the spawning chamber if you hadn't already figured that much out," said Trigger watching Warlord smile. "You went down from the spitter's acid. It was extracted as soon as we got you evacuated but there was enough left in your blood to cause the burning you feel... I arrived a little after you went down and Alpha and Delta squad arrived soon after that. We cleared out the rest of the building within under an hour and then we spent the next three bringing everything back to base."

"It's always the way isn't it? The boring bit always takes longest," smiled Warlord.

"Well from the experience you had I'm glad I was nothing to do with the interesting bit"

"Hey I thought you saved my arse?" said Warlord grinning at Trigger.

"Yeah but I was standing on the roof while I did it! Besides, I guess Alpha squad helped a little..."

Warlord laughed for the first time since he'd come around. Tammy heard it from her ward and smiled.

"So are you going to give me the casualties or not soldier?" he said still smiling.

"No I'm not sir..." said Trigger smiling back at the Commander who looked extremely puzzled. "The worst casualty we had just came round a few minutes ago and seems to be in good enough spirits for the lot of us! Of course there ws a handful of other injuries but most of them are just milder cases of the burning that you feel."

"That's incredible," said Warlord in amazement. "How many are bedridden?"

"There are four I think but you'd have to asked the doctor for an accurate number."

"So what have we got in the way of artefacts? They didn't bring any big brothers along with them this time did they?"

"I have good news and bad news there..."

"Good news I like. What's this about bad?" asked Warlord.

"Well the good news is I nabbed us a new breed of alien. And it's still alive too. The bad news is, it turns out to be extremely dangerous."

"Do the scientists know anything about it?"

"I don't think they've looked at it yet but I can tell you what I've learnt from watching them from a distance..."

"Go for it," said Warlord gesturing for him to continue.

"In appearance they're not much bigger than brainsuckers. The biggest I saw was about two feet tall. They look like small reapers but they're blue."

"Reapers?" interrupted Warlord. "Those things from the first war right? You don't think these are the same aliens again do you?"

"No way. From what we've already seen they bear no resemblance at all..."

"Thank God. We've had, what, three wars with them now? I don't think anyone could stand another one... It gives you the feeling that we're not really getting anywhere at all."

"It's not them. It can't be," said Trigger shaking his head.

"Good, let's hope you're right... Now what are these things like in the field?" asked Warlord.

"They're the worst I've seen so far... At least with brainsuckers we have the chance to shoot before they get at us... These things... explode."

"What?" said Warlord looking quizically at Trigger.

"They explode... They actually physically explode... Anything other than lasers seem to trigger some kind of combustion inside the creatures body... I saw five of them die... I only managed to stop three of them from exploding. One happened before I arrived and when Alpha squad came across the second one, we didn't know what we were up against..."

"What kind of damage do they do?" asked Warlord.

"When I arrived, one of them had already taken out a supporting wall and half of the roof... The next one to go off destroyed another stall of seating and a second wall. There was massive damage to the structure. We had to pass it off as a terrorist bombing..."

"Damnit... At least we have lasers right? They work against these things?"

"Yeah... They're really thick skinned though. It took a good few shots just to slow it down."

Just as Warlord was about to voice a reply a doctor appeared from behind the curtain.

"Yes doctor?" said Warlord looking past Trigger to where he was standing.

"Sir I had no idea you were awake. Why wasn't I told?"

"Because we were talking," said Trigger turning in his seat to face the doctor. "Did you want something?"

"The Major is back. He told me to check on the Commander."

"Told you huh? Doesn't sound like a very pleasant guy..."

"I'm not speaking to him," said Warlord. "Send someone else to deal with it."

"I'm sorry Commander but he insisted it be you."

"I'm not speaking to him Doctor. That's the end of it. Now he can either talk to someone else or he can leave."

"I'll tell him sir. Who should I say will speak with him?"

"It's alright doctor I'll deal with it. Return to your duties."

"Sir?" said the doctor uncertainly.

"Make that an order... Now get out of here, and don't send anyone to check on me. I'm going to get some sleep..."

The doctor slowly turned away from the commander's piercing eyes and left his bedside.

"Sleep? You've been unconscious for the best part of twenty-four hours," laughed Trigger turning back to Warlord.

"Well, you can't honestly tell me you'd have let him back in here with his groupies?" Trigger returned Warlord's grin with the same. "I want you to go and talk to the Major. I don't know what he wants anymore than anyone else here so you shouldn't have a problem."

"Are you sure sir? With all due respect I am only a sniper. I've never been a negotiator."

"That's an order soldier... Now get out there and get rid of this windbag..."

"Yes sir," said Trigger unhappily.

He raised from his seat and hovered for a moment.

"Yes?" said Warlord roughly.

"It's good to have you back sir..."

Warlord smiled, "It's good to be back."

With this Trigger smiled himself and turned to leave.

"One more thing soldier," said Warlord as Trigger reached the curtain.

"Sir?" he said turning around.

"Thanks..."

Trigger smiled, then turned around and left Warlord to his thoughts.

[Tammy]

Trigger checked on Tammy before he went in search of the major. He asked a few questions, but his mind was clearly on his upcoming meeting with the major. Tammy heaved a sigh of relief when he walked out without having really confronted her with the suspicions she had seen in both his and Warlord's eyes.

 

No sooner had he gone than Tammy heard a familiar voice say, "Okay, Tammy, I think we need to talk. Think you can join me over here?"

 

Tammy realized at that point that no one had told Warlord that she couldn't get out of bed under her own power. There was no way to ask for help without letting him know either. Her instinct was to avoid any additional stress to him until he was stronger, so she called back, "I'm resting."

 

"Don't give me that crap. I know you too well to buy it. Now get over here, and that is an order."

 

Tammy thought frantically for a moment, but she could see no way to avoid the inevitable. She hit the buzzer next to her bed and summoned help as quietly as she could manage. If she could get in the chair, she could manage the rest on her own.

 

"What are you doing over there?"

 

"I'm...um...on my way," she replied. What's keeping them? she wondered. Finally, someone arrived and she explained that the commander had ordered her to come to him. The medical assistant narrowed his eyes and replied that he had been told she should remain in bed. Trigger , she thought, sighing. "Look, you can go ask the commander yourself if you want to risk it. Oh, and you can't go with me. He doesn't know I can't walk, and I'd like to keep it that way."

 

At last, she was wheeling her way into the commander's cubicle with a cheerful smile pasted over her anxiety. There was almost no way this could go well. She knew he was suspicious that she was up to something, and there was still that dressing down to come for slipping away from her squad to come after him.

 

Warlord looked at her for several seconds as if trying to read her mind. With alarming accuracy, he seemed to read her like a book. "Why don't you just get out of that chair and come sit in this chair by the bed so that we can talk about whatever it is that you're plotting."

 

Tammy exhaled slowly, suddenly realizing that she had been holding her breath. Now what? she thought to herself. How did he manage to nail me on both counts in one sentence? "Oh, I'm pretty comfortable here, thanks," she smiled. "What makes you think I'm plotting something?"

 

Warlord's eyes narrowed. "You can't get out of that chair, can you?" he asked slowly. A string of muttered curses followed this assertion. Warlord stared at the curtain for a long moment, while Tammy found herself uncharacteristically speechless. Finally he turned back to face her. "Why were you there alone? Where was the rest of Delta Squad? Did you get separated in the fighting somehow?"

 

Tammy had seldom been so tempted to lie in her life. However, having built her life on honesty and integrity, she just couldn't do it. Warlord obviously trusted her to be straight with him, and she knew she had to do it. "No," she said quietly, looking at her hands in her lap. "I just had this...feeling that I needed to be down there." She raised her eyes to Warlord's and silently dared him to contradict that feeling, knowing that he couldn't deny that he would without a doubt have been brainsucked and then killed by his own soldiers if she had not given in to her impulse.

 

Warlord sighed heavily. "I should put you on report for disobeying orders, you know. I guess you've been punished enough, though. Tell me what your prognosis is-and be honest," he warned.

 

Tammy explained about the popper and the falling debris and the other perils that had brought her to this point. She highlighted her confidence that her condition could be corrected, but he still looked dubious.

 

"Now, what are you up to? Surely you don't think that Trigger and I fell for that meek and cooperative act," he went on.

 

Tammy paused for a moment. "Okay, you win...but you can't tell Trigger. Promise me that you won't tell him what I'm doing."

 

"I knew it. You're going into the slums, aren't you?" Warlord tried to sit up, but he winced and fell back. "That's insane! I absolutely forbid it"

 

Tammy raised her eyebrows. "You forbid me to leave the base? Am I under arrest?" Tammy asked frostily. "The only thing you can do, Commander , is endanger my safety by revealing my plans. I will do this."

 

Warlord looked troubled for a moment. "Okay, okay, I believe you. Now, let's see if we can figure out a way for you to do this without finishing what the aliens started and getting you killed."

 

 

Meanwhile, in another part of the base, Trigger found himself in the company of the grim-faced major, who was clearly annoyed at being kept from the commander again.

 

"I'll get right to the point," he said abruptly. "X-COM is suffering financially, and this last raid isn't going to make us very popular with the level of damage done to the Senate building."

 

"And?" Trigger prompted.

 

"And we simply cannot afford to continue to support both Alpha and Bravo bases. Bravo base is going to be dissolved in order to cut spending," the major continued.

 

Trigger stood there for a long moment, wishing he could be anywhere but here, and wondering what he could say to save Bravo Base. He had finally found something close to family and a career in which he could shine. No paper-pushing, handshaking politicians were going to play games with that.

[The Veteran]

"Major do you mind if we sit down somewhere to discuss this?" asked Trigger nervously.

"It won't take that long soldier... I am here to state a fact, not propose an ultimatum. Already I have been denied an audience with the Commander on two occasions... This is not filling me with positive support for the way in which this base is operating..."

"Sir I understand that you may be reluctant to discuss such a matter with someone of my low rank, but the Commander has sent me personally to discuss with you the purpouse of your meeting him... On hearing the reasons for myself I must say I am disturbed. But amongst anything I may be feeling, nothing is stronger than the respect and loyalty I have for my Commander. Much as I would not like to be the messenger of bad news on your part, I am equally distressed at the thought of telling a crippled man that his life is being torn asunder by the deep yet empty pockets of the government he came near to death fighting for. Now I would be very grateful if you and I could move to a more private part of the base and discuss the situation here in more depth..."

The Major remained motionless, the same hard look stayed in position across his broad face. But one thing Trigger had learnt over the events of the past month's events was that people can decieve even themselves at times... Deep on the Major's eyes, a small glint of respect had emerged for the lowliest of people, and Trigger was hoping it would have the strength to govern the major's actions...

"Very well," said the major after some time. "But I will tell you now that I am strongly in favour of the proposed settlement. You will have much work to do to change my mind on this matter... And indeed I will have much work to do myself if I feel the settlement is unecessary by this day's end. I am not a governing body, that must be understood from the very beginning. I did not propose this solution, nor did I pass it. I merely gave the Senate my personal approval. Removing that from them will have little affect on their final decision..."

"I understand sir. If you follow me, I believe the briefing room is available."

Several minutes later, a door opened in Bravo base. And through it stepped the buildings own fate. A war hardened political speaker, and a man...

The two men took opposite seats at one end of a long table and the Major began to speak.

"Firstly you must understand that government funds are at an all time low... The constant repairs to the cities public buildings are supplied in full by the governmen. And many citizens in Mega Primus can either no longer afford to pay taxes or simply don't want to... The slum areas of the city have become tainted with the criminal underworld. They remain in the Senate's possession but the gangs that reside within them provide nothing but war and conflict. More destruction throughout the city which we must pay for... The major manufacturers in the city have begun to export their goods. The market in Mega Primus is at an all time low. The Mutant Alliance is threatening to rise up against the first government ever to accept them into the community and the Cult of Sirius is sapping the life blood of everything around it. There is no way we can provide the Senate with additional funding... Therefore the only possible solution is to reduce the amount of outgoing funds."

The Major paused briefly. Trigger didn't know what to say and so, said nothing.

"I'm sorry it has to come to this, for the sake of the city I'm sorry... But there is no other way. You've shown an impressive quality for a soldier to possess today... But I fear it cannot serve you now. I bid you good day, and I hope some day we may meet again. Under more pleasant circumstances..."

The Major stood, Trigger remained in silence. After a while the Major moved over to the door and went to leave by them.

"What about Alpha base," said Trigger finally.

The Major turned to face where Trigger was sitting.

"Why does it have to be Bravo base? Why not Alpha Base?"

The Major closed the open door and returned to the table, but did not sit.

"Do you honestly think that you can prove Bravo base to be more successful in it's operations than Alpha Base?" asked the Major sceptically?

Trigger thought for a moment and then turned his eyes from the Majors empty chair to face the man himself. "Yes sir. I believe I can..."

[Mouse Nightshirt]

"The latest integration of Marsec MGs have arrived from the raid of Sensovision. They had quite a few weapons considering their security forces are generally weak."

"Indeed, that and the 6 man raid on Evonet have made us quite well armed for the battles ahead. That Heavy Launcher we retrieved should come in great usefulness."

"A great moment is beckoning upon us"

"Indeed, it would seem as if we are reaching a peak of power! Our excellent planning and abilities will lead us to greater things than have ever been achieved before"

At those words, the door opened. A tall man with shoulder length haired and dark green eyes, glittering with malice and evil entered the room with long slow strides. His red hair shook with every step. The High Priests immediately went quiet, as the man sat down in the tall chair at the end of the table. As he did, the priests got up, and knelt down before him.

"You serve me well," said the man, "the recent raids of your choosing have placed us in a highly desirably position. It would seem as if the entire of the city cowers in our shadow."

"Master, it is your leadership which has brought us to our position. Only your divine being could allow us to progress this far." Said one of the High Priests.

"Your praise is justified," said Master, "and I thank you all for your unwavering belief in the true nature of the Alien species. You may return to your seats, as I bring good news from the city..." The High Priests then sat down, before Master continued, "X-Com has been dealt a magnificent blow. I believe the senate will no longer be able to support the faltering anti-alien heathens, and that their operations will soon cease to function."

With this, there was a murmur of triumph between the High Priests. They stopped as Master raised his hand.

"However, do not get too excited yet. I have other things in plan for the near future. With our increasing strength, I believe it is time to leave the defenceless corporations alone, as the bounty is no longer worth our effort. I propose that we now raid the larger corporations, such as Marsec and Megapol. The bounties from here will be much greater, and could push us to invincibility. Each one of you will lead a new troop section, which will be trained specifically for the raiding of these organizations. I have taken the time to handpick our best troops, and assign them to each of you. In each squad, there will be 12 troops, inclusive of you. They will each consist of one of you, the High Priest and Commander of each group, two Priests, six Zealots and three Initiates. Each team will be assigned two Heavy Launchers, with 6 projectiles of choice of the High Priest, ten Marsec M4000 Machine Guns, and 2 Megapol Laser Sniper Rifles. The dates of the raids are as of yet unspecified."

"My Lord, I am truly grateful for the positions you have granted us." Replied one of the High Priests.

"It is a great honour you have been betrothed. Be thankful. Now I wish to hear any suggestions you wish to put forward." Said Master.

"Sir, I have acquired information from a spy about the dissatisfaction of the Mutant Alliance with X-Com. I hear that X-Com have caused a rift between the two. I could suggest trying to ally with the Mutant Alliance."

Master smiled, "This information you provide me with will be extremely beneficial! I can see great things arising out of an alliance with them. However, for now, we must focus on the task at hand, which are the raids on Marsec and Megapol. I feel though, that this should be left until later, as I feel this meeting has gone on long enough. You will find a list of your teams in your message box."

With that, the priests got up and knelt at Master's feet. As Master got up however, the door slammed open, and a Priest ran in with a piece of paper fluttering in his hand. Master instantly turned, his red hair lifting in the air, his eyes focused.

"What is the meaning of this interruption, Priest" said Master.

The priest ran to Master's feet, and knelt, handing the piece of paper to him.

"News Master, great news, regarding X-Com and our captive worshippers..."

[The Veteran]

Back in Bravo Base news of the Major's business had reached the rec-room and throughout the complex nothing was stirring. Soon news of the proposed disolution would reach the med-lab and neither Warlord or Tammy could be expected to stay in bed once it did.

On the ground floor of the warehouse that housed Bravo base, two men were staring blankly at one another across a large wooden table in a large, silent hall.

Here they had been for over an hour now and both men were growing weary of the discussion at hand. The room stood silent now, one of the men deep in thought, the other simply exhausted.

After several minutes passed, the Major rose from the chair in which he had been sitting and spoke with a thoughtful voice, "I must go now, to the Senate. We'll see what they have to make of all of this."

Trigger also rose from his seat and asked the question that had dwelt on his mind ever since he had seen an inquisitve look cross the major's own face little more than twenty minutes ago. "What do you think?"

"I think what I am told to think," replied the Major. "But in this particular case, I do not care much for the information I have been given with which to make my decision."

The major paused for a second in deep thought. "I find it hard to believe that a secondary base could ever perform more satisfactorily than it's parent facility but the records of this particular outpost are impressive to say the least..."

As these last words left the Major's lips Trigger felt hope for the first time and he rose to meet the general's outstretched hand.

"You're a strange person, and an even stranger soldier. But you've shown me some impressive qualities today... I don't know as much about the history of Alpha base as I've just learnt about your operations here but I will go back to the Senate and I will make sure they know everything you just told me. If this can end another way, I'll do my best to make it..."

The two men shook hands, a formality that had been overlookes when the men had first met.

"Thank you sir, I'll tell the Commander. He'll be pleased to hear some good news."

The Major smiled very slightly and nodded to Trigger. With that he left the room and the building. Trigger stood for a minute before slumping back into his seat at the conference table.

He put his elbows on the table and let his hed fall into his hands, then he said simply, quietly, and completely to himself, "damn."

[Tammy]

Armed with what information he had been able to glean from the X-COM databases as well as ones he didn't technically have legal access to, Tinboy slipped into the medlab. Tammy was sitting there tapping a finger impatiently, but in true android fashion, Tinboy was unphased by her annoyance.

 

"What took you so long?" she demanded.

 

"I have been retrieving valuable information as well as reinforcements of a more biological nature," he responded.

 

Tammy raised an eyebrow but said nothing, knowing that Tinboy knew what he was doing and would tell her all in his own time anyway.

 

"We have good leads that indicate which building in the Diablo slums makes a good starting point, as well as a couple of Megapol officers who have been patrolling there until they were graciously...invited...to join us after seeing a bit too much of your Senate operation," Tinboy explained. "One of them has a pretty serious grudge against Diablo, and the other is a card-carrying Mutant Alliance member. I don't think I have to tell you how useful that might be."

 

Tammy shook her head and motioned for him to continue, which he did. "That wheelchair will be a serious liability. You realize that logically, you should remain behind, but I realize that realistically that will not happen. Therefore, you will ride on my back when we must be on the move."

 

Tammy seemed about to protest, but Tinboy cut her off. "I assure you that my android strength is more than adequate to handle the insignificant amount of extra weight. We will be able to move much faster this way, which could be very important in the slums, you know."

 

"Well, let's get this show on the road," Tammy replied. "Where's our help?"

 

"They will meet us at the access lift in four minutes. I see you've already managed to dress, so that will not delay us. How did you manage that without revealing your plan?" Tinboy inquired.

 

"Um...well, I did tell one person who didn't mind helping out," Tammy dodged the question.

 

Tinboy gazed at her briefly and expressionlessly and then nodded. He picked Tammy up on his back and strode confidently out of the medlab as if he had every right to be doing so. The attitude worked, and no one challenged them as they headed for the access lift to meet Patrick and Jon.

[Zager]

"Let me get this straight, lady," Patrick said, leaning against a nearby wall. "You want to go to the Diablo slums, and start asking questions? No offense, lady, but have you got a death wish or something? We ain't talking a twentieth century street gang here, these guys will tear you apart if they think you're a cop. And nobody reports crimes out in the slums, so they'll do anything they want. They'll blow the tinman here apart, and sell his remains to a cybernetics company, and then shoot you in the head. Brain dead, you see, and take your body to the organ bank and sell it. Do you have any idea how much demand there is for organs these days? The only questions they ask at the banks now when a guy brings in a dead body is, 'It wasn't poison, was it?"

 

"I don't care what the risks are," Tammy shot back. "This is important."

 

"It always is," Jon muttered.

 

"I must be crazy," Pat said aloud, looking up at the ceiling. "But I'll help. But first, I'll do the talking. I know how to deal with these people, you don't. One wrong word, and they'll kill you. Suspicion equals proof in their minds. And second, your paramillitary asshole buddy who can't be bothered to ascertain his target before opening fire better not be coming along, or I will shoot him.

 

"Who?" Tammy asked, confused at the sudden shift in the topic.

 

"The asshole what shot me in the Senate building, the one you were with," Jon stated.

 

"You mean Warlord?"

 

"Whoever he is, I don't like him. I don't care if he's military or not, he needs to learn some self restraint. He's too trigger happy."

 

The elevator binged, and the door opened, displaying the garage area. "Now that that's settled," Pat continued. "Lead the way to your vehicle."

[Tammy]

Tammy turned to look at Patrick and Jon from her perch on Tinboy's back.

 

"First, tough guy, that trigger-happy lunatic is your Commander, so I suggest you do some thinking before you start opening your mouth around the base and get a good taste of your foot. We were inundated with brainsuckers. You know what those are? I didn't think so. Try having a big fat yellow tick stick his nose down your throat with your brains as his target. Or better yet, watch it happen to a fellow-soldier and then have him try to shoot you so that you have to kill him even though you ate lunch with him yesterday. You were in the way, and you got hurt. Poor you. Get off Warlord," Tammy paused for breath, glaring at each man in turn.

 

"Furthermore, don't treat me as if I'm stupid or helpless or you'll find out the hard way I'm not. I don't have the use of my legs at the moment, but my brain and my trigger finger work just fine. Not that I'd shoot you for insulting me, and not that I mind you doing the talking, but please remember that I'm not some addled, half-cocked civvie running around with my hands in the air," she continued. She paused as if to count to ten. "Now boys, we have some slumming to do. Hop in and enjoy the ride," she added with a smile.

 

The two men looked at each other and at Tammy. Patrick nodded as if they had reached some sort of agreement and climbed into the hovercar. They spent the next few minutes going over their battle plan. Tinboy revealed his information, which Patrick was able to use to perfect the plan. "I have contacts in the slums from way back. I know where this apartment is, and I know who can get us in. I have to warn you, though. Don't be surprised if you find some Cult of Sirius followers there, too. They have their fingers in a lot of things, and they've been unusually active lately. Jon'll be keeping his proverbial antennae up for them because rumor has it that they are more dangerous than ever. Some red-haired leader I keep hearing about and connections with some powerful people. We need to keep a low profile, so if Jon senses one of them, just follow my lead. We don't need to be seen by anyone other than the ones we intend to see," he advised Tammy and Tinboy.

 

Tammy nodded, looking out the window of the hovercar as it reached the slums where Diablo had their primary lair. This wasn't going to be an easy mission. If it weren't for Trigger....and her legs...she'd never consider such a foolhardy escapade. Shooting aliens to stop an invasion was one thing, but this was walking into the mouth of a lion that X-COM didn't have the authority to tame.

[Carlos the Jackal]

Carlos sat in the medbay and admired the bandaging that bound his left hand, wrist and upper arm. He turned and looked into a mirror for the full effect. bandaging over his left eye, cuts and bruises all over his face. His knees and elbows were skun, and a bandage over his right shoulder showed where shrapnel had been dug out.

 

A sudden thumping made Carlos turn to the left. Doc Ego was pounding out another report in his office, the thumping was of a thermos of (presumably) hot coffee constantly raised, drunk from, then thumped back down on the table. Doc was not happy. Carlos was not happy. Bravo base was a little short on love at the moment.

 

************

 

"Don't shoot! I didn't do anything"

Megan stood up, smiling. She lowered her gun and signaled Carlos to follow in suit.

"Calm down Teresa, its OK......"

"What the hell are you doing down here, lady, get out"

The asian woman looked up at Carlos, wide eyed.

"Its madness up there, guns firing, creatures, this was the only way out"

Carlos looked around worriedly, suddenly aware of the sounds of distant gunshots from the upper levels.

"Hey, Megan, you best take your friend outta here, k?"

"Sure, but what ab.. f**k"

Megan raised the bore of her plasma pistol up and sent two super-heated bolts of energy past Carlos, instantly gutting the blobby, humanoid creature that had begun to run down the coridoor toward them.

"Run, you two get out of here"

Carlos bellowed as he shoved Megan out of the way, firing down the corridoor as two more humanoids appeared.

Megan dragged Teresa away, as Carlos found his mark on the nearest alien, the explosive-tipped round tearing a hole in the creature shoulder, dropping it to the ground, roaring. He pumped the rest of his clip into the second, tearing a hole in its chest, before reloading. After the noise of the gunfire, the corridoor was quiet, save Carlos's ragged breathing, and the groans of the humanoid as purple ichoir pumped from its wound. Carlos paused, he could have sworn he heard a soft chittering from behind him. Twisting round, he saw a comical little creature bounding toward him. Carlos recalled something about them being dangerous, which made sence, otherwise they wouldn't be here. He raised his pistol, and at a distance of 8 meters, fired...

***********************

 

Carlos groaned... he wouldn't forget again what those little purple chicken-like creatures did. His best outfit was ruined, and his pride and joy pistol was scrached down one side and blast-marked on the other.

"Worst of all, he broke my sun-glasses"

 

With a start, Carlos realised he hadn't found out what had happened to Megan. With being unconcoius, he hadn't had much opertunity.

Carlos dialed her number on his supprisingly unscathed personal comms.

"Mmm, what is i... Carlos! Your ok, thank god"

"Yeah, I'm alright, I..."

"You look like shit"

Carlos cursed the little mini-cam in his comms.

"I'm alright. Fine"

"Look, I was about to ring you, I got to get over to your base right away, somethings come up, with the cult"

"What? You just..."

"The cult is making inroads with the M.A. I don't want that to happen, but obviusly some of my co-workers do. I *have* to get over there, yee your commander or whoever will see me"

"Alright... I'll see what I can do"

"I'm coming now, sort it"

Megan discommed, leaving Carlos staring at the black screen for a second.

"Blimey"

[The Veteran]

"She didn't take as long as I thought she would..."

Warlord turned his head sharply to where the voice had come from.

"What?"

"Tammy. She hasn't even been here a day and she's gone already. Even I stuck with the medics for longer than that..." said Trigger sitting beside Warlord's bed.

"You knew she'd go then?" asked Warlord, surprised at the calmness of the sniper's voice.

"Well we knew she wouldn't stay here for long. Thing is, if she had of waited a few days she could have been up and walking again..."

"Maybe," said Warlord simply, "Maybe not. I don't think anyone is all that confident in the medical staff here since your own ordeal..."

"Really?" asked Trigger uncertainly. "But that wasn't their fault. They offered me eyes and the heart works just as well as my old one." He tapped his chest.

"Yeah well, I myself don't feel too confident right now and I hired them all..."

"But you'll be..."

"Fine I know," interrupted Warlord. "Not for days though. Probably weeks. I won't stay in this bed for that long though."

"Don't tell me you're off to the slums too?" asked Trigger sarcastically.

"How did you know she went to the slums?"

"She went to the slums! Oh for God's sake... I didn't know that! It's just where I went."

"Ah..." said Warlord pausing for a minute. Trigger was staring at the floor. "So what did the major say then?" he asked finally.

"Bad news..." he replied with another, longer pause. "The senate is losing funding. They can't afford both XCom bases..."

"What? What are they going to do about it? We need both bases operating to win this war"

"They want to shut down Bravo base..."

"But without Bravo base, Alpha base will be annihilated"

"But Bravo base would be fine without Alpha, that's what I told the Major. He has to put it forward to the senate but I think he agreed with what I told him..."

"So all we can do is wait?"

"All we can do is wait..."

[Zager]

"Park several blocks away," Patrick recommended, leaning forward.

 

"Yeah," Jon nodded. "Not a lot of people drive hovercars around here. Look suspicious and blow our cover almost instantly."

 

"Plus, I'm hungry and there's usually a hot dog stand parked in that area," Pat continued. "I don't like to work on an empty stomach."

 

Ten minutes and three hotdogs later.

"These things haven't changed at all since the twentieth century," Pat commented. "You still don't want to know what's in them. So, who's your contact?"

 

"An old friend," Tammy said. "He isn't big on us knowing who he is."

 

"Let me guess," Jon said. "His name is John Smith, right?"

 

"Ivan, actually," Tammy replied.

 

"That's the Russian Smith. Let's do this."

 

They walked around (carried in Tammy's case) to the back of the apartment, Jon covertly holding onto his mind bender under his coat. A man in a long trenchcoat and a fedora was waiting for them.

 

"Who're the cops?" he asked Tammy, jerking his thumb at Pat and Jon.

 

"Pat and Jon, they're helping me out. How'd you know they were cops?" Tammy inquired, turning to face Ivan.

 

"They look just likes cops trying not to look like cops," Ivan replied, a slight smile on his face. "You learn to recognize them. Anyway," he tossed over a key to Pat, who caught it deftly. "Here's the key to the old service entrance, it's right over there. Hasn't been used in thirty years, it was rusted shut. I unsealed it yesterday. You can get access to the old ventilation shafts from there, they were built back in the day when they made those things big. You can get anywhere in the build from there. Good luck, I'll be at hot dog stand down the street if you want to talk to me after you get out."

 

"Let's do this thing," Pat said, as Ivan walked off, and headed towards the door.

[Tammy]

"Are you sure you can make it through the ventilation shafts?" Patrick asked Tammy.

 

Tammy could've sworn she heard Tinboy laughing quietly as she sent Patrick a withering glare. Tinboy, seemingly in an effort to defuse the situation, spoke to Patrick without turning around as he headed for the entrance. "For future reference, you might want to assume Tammy can do whatever she sets out to do. She's the epitome of patience generally, but she does tend to get a little annoyed when people are condescending," Tinboy advised.

 

With that, they all headed for the ventilation shafts and a nice, long, claustrophobic trek through the slums.