X-Com: The Unknown Menace

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Chapter Twenty-One - Messengers from the Stars

 

 

Millions of years before recorded human History

 

Zeta Two Reticuli star system, 37 light years from Earth

 

 

The alien species had fared well in their quest to prevent their extermination, already scheduled for when the astromechanics of the binary star system would cover their home planet to a mass of locked ice.

 

Seeking to avoid their extinction, they had developed interplanetary travel in what would be called a blink of an eye in cosmic terms. It allowed them to set their foot upon the majority of the other planets and moons that composed their star system. Their technological skills had already advanced greatly: not content with the limitations of their fragile physical bodies and their weak genetic pool, they turned also their attention to the unlocking of the very own secret of life itself.

 

In the middle of their planetary and scientific expansion, a discovery of great significante occurred: it seemed that the same physics behind their pendant doom had given them the key to their own survival. A rare mineral was found in the second planet and, upon examination of its characteristics the alien race discovered that it could be used to enable interstellar flight. That was a major boom to the Reticulans' hope of survival. They had already sent ships to colonize the most promising stars systems nearby, but the vessels would take millions of years to reach their destinations and most likely would never known if the effort was successful, since the distances involved meant that any message beamed back would only find their home planet long dead.

 

With this new discovery, the alien civilization bloomed, setting forth now in a cosmic journey of exploration, now that their concerns about survival had been lifted. Survey ships were immediately sent to the closest star systems and the aliens discovered that some of the planets were thriving with their own life. Generally they would be simple life forms, more concerned in reproducing themselves and surviving, sometimes even trying to eat or attack the Reticulans as they studied them. But in a few cases the aliens found out intelligent species, which were aware of the visitors' presence. Although their primitive cultures were not match for the aliens' technological and mental achievements, the Reticulans made no effort to conquer the, preferring to watch the newly found species with curiosity...and fear.

 

The discovery of life outside their own solar system had been long mentioned in old prophecies that had been long considered useless. But as their ships moved from one star system to another and reports came of other intelligent beings, a long-forgotten fear begun to emerge again into their collective mind. No one clearly understood the reasons behind it and no one dared to assume it, but lurking into their conscience there was the feeling that the blessings the universe had given them could be a bane. The Reticulans started to avoid any contact with other intelligent species. They started to visit them only to check for their technological advances and to stop any potential threat from ever emerging.

 

However, their exploration vessels continued to expand their empire when a most disturbing discovery happened. As they moved along into exploring star systems and colonizing the most promising planets, one of their expeditions reported back intriguing discoveries in a binary star system. Nine planets circled around one of the stars, the majority of them gas giants or lifeless rock balls, but in one of them there seen to have been a major cataclysm. The planet had been inhabited once by intelligent life, but something terrible had happened to them. The exploration vessel report that was beamed back showed images of blasted cities and ruins of massive monuments, destroyed by some sort of radioactive weapons. There was also evidence that dead civilization had once also tried to reach the stars, since there were also artifacts on the planet's moon surface.

 

There were no records of what had happened to them and the planet's environmental conditions made it clear that while it once was able to support a variety of life forms, it now was only marginally inhabitable. The examination of the expedition's findings brought few answers about what had happened to the alien civilization or what was its culture. The only firm conclusions were that the species that lived there had once placed all of their effort upon reaching the stars: the constructions still more or less intact replicated on the ground the patterns of the stars above, in the form of massive drawings made of carved rock. Other than it, they had destroyed themselves in a war whose reasons behind were unclear.

 

The discovery sent a shiver through the Reticulans' society, bringing back the great debate about what danger might be lurking around. Reluctantly, for the first time in their history they started to prepare for organized warfare, equipping their spacefaring vessels with weapons and using their genetic skills to bring major modifications into their own race.

 

Meanwhile the expedition had finished their sweep of the planets surrounding the main star of the twin system. The only unexplored feature left was its circling companion, a brown dwarf, a spatial object several hundred times the mass of the biggest gas giant planets. In comparison with the majority of stars in the galaxy, it had about one quarter of their size and less than half their temperature. It was a failed star, too small to develop the pressures that enabled hydrogen fusion to happen. But the brown dwarf wasn't completely dead: it was still emanating residual infrared light and heat, the energy that it still had left from its formation, when the initial pressures had enabled a different type of fusion.

 

So far such astronomical objects had been looked over by the aliens. In some cases it had been found that they had possessed satellites and that the heat and radiation warmed them enough to permit the development of life. But the abundance of more life abiding planets around normal stars had kept the aliens wait from those brown dwarfs. That had been the norm, until now.

 

Without being ordered or giving any explanation, the expedition traveled to the brown dwarf. Upon their arrival they reported several moons circling the failed star, some of them possessing an atmosphere and life-bearing conditions. They also announced their decision of descending into the most promising satellite. The message didn't stir much attention back on their homeworlds until time passed and the only thing heard from them was silence, inspite of the frequent hails.

 

In conjunction with other events, the Reticulans' leadership became deeply concerned. A strange presence was detected inside their collective mind at the same time that the expedition stopped reporting back. Another vessel was sent to the system to investigate, but contact was also lost with it. News of the occurrence soon spread to every colony and spaceship, resulting in social upheaval and soon outright rebellion, as their society became more and more divided about their course of action. Strife and civil war followed, the last concept until then unheard in their society, until finally the most powerful group emerged, the genetic pinnacle that had been specially developed for such a situation. Confident on their own mental powers and on their technology, they now assembled a large expedition was sent to destroy the unknown menace to their power that hid in the brown dwarf's moon.

 

 

January 24th, 2001

 

The White House, Washington D.C., US

 

 

On the way to brief the new sworn-in President on the alien situation, Williams still wondered what sort of man he would turn out to be like. The new president had been sworn into office four days ago, definitely ending the controversy over the vote count: the whole thing would now be something for historians to study, it seemed and that was also Williams' wish. The whole matter had brought concerns to him that the US didn't need to be involved in the middle of such a controversy while trying to fight the aliens.

 

For what he could see of the White House staff something was definitely different: new aides moving around the corridors, taking curious looks at him and even the Marine and Secret Service security guards seemed to be looked more alert. They had taken their time to check his ID, although after two years coming to see the President they already knew his face by now. It looked as if Vaughn's message upon being sworn in as President was true, that he wanted to quickly get on to business, after the political mess that the presidential election had turned out to be, with the recounts called by both candidates in several states. Which was fine with Williams, since New Year had only brought the defection of Indonesia to the aliens' camp. While the country didn't belong to the Council of Funding Nations, the effects of their turning into the aliens' side were causing a lot of instability in the area.. Indonesia was one of the most populous countries in the world and the defection had put Australia into a tight spot, since they had now an enemy sitting by their doorstep. X-Com was managing to keep the increasing alien incursions at bay but...barely and now it was extremely important to assure that the new Administration would be fully aware of the dramatic situation being fought on Earth's continents and atmosphere. But he was reassured because Vaughn had been briefed about the situation from the days of the presidential campaign and now it would be the time for him to act upon realities, not the needs to gain more votes.

 

When he finally entered the Situation Room and took a look at the people present, Williams realized in shock that the majority were strangers to him, although he recognized some of the faces from the congressional hearings that took place to appoint the new Cabinet. General Thompson and his new boss, Candace May, the new Director of Central Intelligence, were present, but everyone else who had been on the last meeting was gone, being replaced by new faces.

 

President Vaughn noticed his entry in the room and moved to greet him. As he approached Williams quickly recognized the look on his face that was the same stamped on all the banners, posters, television ads and so forth. Vaughn was on his mid fifties and his black hair was already starting to turn white at his sides. He also had a square chin and his eyebrows connected with one another over his small nose. "Mr. Williams, good morning and thank you for driving up here all the way from Langley on this terrible weather", he said smiling as both men shook hands. He then introduced him to the rest of his Cabinet and after proper greetings were exchanged, the meeting started.

 

"Mr. Williams, upon reading the reports you have brought to our attention before, we have wondered of the former Administration was not very lax on giving away money. In more than two years close to twenty-five billion dollars were given to X-Com and with what results? Are American troops more prepared and equipped to deal with the aliens, using X-Com's research? And I wouldn't exactly consider our country safe, when their activity is increasing every month."

 

"Sir, access to research data gathered by X-Com's scientists is limited due to security measures. And X-Com is doing the best they can in fighting the aliens. Those same reports also point out how the force has been extremely successful in dealing with any new tactics or weaponry developed by the aliens".

 

"Yes, but would they fight China, if they decide to invade the whole of Asia with legions of soldiers armed with the alien's weapons?"

 

"That could easily backfire into the aliens, sir. They would have to deal with these same troops later when they decide to take over Earth".

 

Vaughn got back on his chair and smiled, as if waiting for that argument. "The so-called argument about how the aliens will come down from the skies, like one of those science fiction movies. Mr. Williams, two years have passed from the first contact with the extraterrestrials and so far their activities have been quite limited in scope, wouldn't you say?"

 

"It depends on the perspective sir. They haven't performed any mass landings, if we look at the Siberian attack as a mere operation to ensure that the Russians and their laser were being kept out of the fight. However the numbers show that their activities..."

 

"You say it right. It depends on the perspective and so far I believe we have been taking the wrong perspective into this whole matter".

 

Williams realized that something had dramatically changed and looked at May. She replied his gaze with a beginning of a smile in her lips but kept silent. Vaughn continued: "Can't it be that they simply don't have the resources to take us all by force and instead need the help of other nations more sympathetic to their cause?"

 

"Sir, our estimates for the alien's forces based on the Solar system..."

 

"Your estimates! Like you said, educated guesses with few information to actually support them and that make no military sense at all, if you listen to the experts on the matter". He looked at General Smith, who started to speak as if it had been rehearsed.

 

"Mr. Williams, the Pentagon has been reviewing its war plans towards the aliens, taking a more conservative matter. The alien threat more and more seems to be of a local, not global issue. As an example, we have looked into the fact of why don't they use more of their forces in the attacks or even strike back at our ability to wage war, which would be the more logical thing to ensure a victory".

 

"General Smith, this discussion involves more than that. The aliens have their own political agenda and their military actions are dictated by it".

 

"Yes, their agenda" Vaughn continued. "One that has brought them many times in the past in contact with Earth, according to your own investigations. And yet, not a single time did they take over us in that period, when our weapons would be like children's toys, unable to hurt them. They have contacted other nations before in the past and they are doing it now. They are acting with the permission and help of countries like China and so on, nations with their own agendas. In fact, so similar that one might not think if those same countries haven't been talking to the aliens for a long time and setting up their plans since then. After all, historically speaking the Chinese and other 'social' societies have the form of government that most resembles the aliens: a multi-caste system, where the upper classes looked at the ruled as mere tools to be used, with no respect for human rights. This isn't an interplanetary war, Mr. Williams. No, this is a fight over different ways of life and some of our fellow humans are directly behind it. And to win it, we need first to isolate and contain these same nations before they destroy us".

 

Williams was aghast, seeing how the whole strategy that he had helped to define was being thrown out into the trash. "Mr. President, I see the logic behind your thinking but I can't possibly agree with it. The aliens want to dominate us. It hasn't happened yet and I cannot bring forward any proof.

 

But after dealing with them for such a long time, I'll bet all my money that will be a matter of time before they completely dominate us, either by a massive offensive or by turning us all into puppet states".

 

"Your thoughts have been deeply discussed and will be recorded, Mr. Williams. I thank you for your personal effort on this matter but this Administration doesn't think it will be necessary anymore".

 

Williams looked around in the room. All the faces seemed unsympathetic with his position, looking as if the yet unspoken decision had already been taken previous to the meeting. "Sir, does this means I'm being fired?"

 

Candace May replied for the President. "Mr. Williams, like the President said we appreciate your devotion to duty but right now it has been considered as misguided". She stopped, looking sympathetic at him. "I'm afraid your position at the National Intelligence Council is going through a review at the moment. However you will retain your former position at the CIA, in a matter deemed appropriate for your unique skills".

 

The whole world felt like it has turning into Williams and he looked upwards towards the sky, starting to feel scared about what might be coming. Vaughn simply looked at him, rubbing his hands. He was about to get up and leave when a final question came to his head.

 

"Sir, if I may ask, what will be the status of X-Com?" Vaughn shifted uncomfortably on his chair but the answer came from Smith. "The Joint Chiefs of Staff are still reviewing our position on that force and if the resources allocated wouldn't be better used on regular US forces".

 

Vaughn nodded to Smith. "Thank you General. To tell you the truth, I haven't really decided, Mr. Williams. I can't say I was pleased to hear two days ago that X-Com took down one of their large UFOs and that they hoarded its contents without waiting for the arrival of US forces. I was equally distressed when Mrs. May told me about X-Com's policy of restricting the information given to us. You don't treat your allies that way".

 

Williams shook his head. "That same policy prevented that the Chinese had access to any sensitive data before they decided to join the aliens' side, sir. It works either way".

 

"Maybe, but the Chinese now have direct access to that data through the aliens, while we are still being left in the dark. Don't think I don' appreciate the effort they are putting against defending our cities, but in the end line it's our civilians that are being targeted by the aliens. However, American forces should be defending them, not some multinational force that is outside our command and that might decide against our own interests".

 

"The leaders of North American Command, Colonels Johnson and Jackson are more than loyal to the US, sir".

 

"I'm not questioning their loyalty. What I'm questioning is our participation on a force where some of the participating nations have turned into the enemy's side. One might think of when that collaboration started and if the creation of this force wasn't a part of their plans. Furthermore, if that proves to be right we might be housing into our own soil a fifth column, even if their military leaders aren't aware of it. A fifth column to which we are giving money and our best minds and bases".

 

"X-Com is fully devoted into stopping the aliens sir" The remark brought a frown into Vaughn's face and Williams knew that the discussion was over. "That might be. However, we are not in command and right now we need to focus our efforts. By spreading them through the use of this force we might as well be surrendering to the enemy's tactics. But that will be for this administration to decide, not you. Good day Mr. Williams and thank you for your presence here".

 

 

January 28th, 2001

 

CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, US

 

 

Williams just had lunch at the cafeteria after a long prolonged meeting going over the projections regarding the estimates of current Chinese forces, something that was boring him to dead. But before heading back to his office, he made a stop to the restroom to take a leak. Like the rest of the building there wasn't anyone around, with the majority of the workers having already left to go to their homes. He made a mental note to remind his wife that he would be late today as the other occupant of the restroom left.

 

Ten seconds afterwards he heard the door swivel open again but he didn't bother to look. He only heard the sound of decisive steps on the floor and the door of one of the toilet cabinets behind him being opened. Then the noise repeated itself, as another door was slammed opened and another. He turned his head and saw Davis, wearing a civilian suit and opening all of the cabinets in a quick motion. "Davis! What are you doing? What are you doing here?"

 

The X-Com operative simply raised his finger to his lips and finished his sweep, after which he went to stand by the door. Meanwhile Williams had to stay right where he was since he wasn't done urinating yet. "Managed to come up with an excuse to fly over here and discuss the latest information on the aliens retrieved by X-Com. A bunch of non-sense and useless information, if you ask, but I need to talk to you about the UFO we shot down and recovered last week".

 

"You mean the intruder who got squashed by the new Firestorm? What's so special about it? You got it shot down and defeated the crew afterwards, didn't we?" The other man looked back at him, slightly turning his attention away from the entrance. "That's what the report we gave to CIA spooks say. However, there are some things that I've manage to convince X-Com to hold back for now until we have confirmation of them, due to their implications". He moved his index finger in a circle, meaning that he was talking about their 'special issue'".

 

By now Williams had lost all will to urinate and he zipped his fly back up. "What have you found inside it?" He moved to the sink to wash his hands.

 

"You don't want to know half about what we found inside that flying can. Besides a lot of supplies it carried a lot of equipment meant to process food onroute. And the aliens made sure that the fridge was full: for the human remains we recovered they must have stopped over somewhere in Asia to go shopping for groceries, if you get what I mean".

 

Williams felt lucky that he was right in front of the sink, in case his stomach would fail him. "Is that what it was? A Harvester? The radar tracks made available to us by NORAD picked up showed it to be a larger craft though".

 

Davis looked through the door to make sure no one eavesdropped into their conversation. "Doubtful. This thing was big and, besides food, it carried over twenty aliens, most of them combat troops and enough weapons and ammunition to equip a full company. And not to mention that it was also carrying a several assortment of other equipment, including several alien reproduction chambers. However, it was only lightly armored and it didn't carry that much weapons for its size. From what the intelligence exports back at the base say, it seems more of a transporter than an assault ship. Doesn't that make you think? ".

 

"A transport ship? But for what? When they perform attacks they use their Terror Ships and if this was an invasion there would be hundreds of landing craft, not just one". Davis nodded. "Remember our late Mr. Owens? Most of the government personnel files regarding him have been mysteriously deleted or lost in a number of computer malfunctions. However, I've called American Express and using a number of excuses managed to have a copy of the expenses he placed upon his credit card for the year before he died. He was several times close to the area where the UFO was shot down, namely in northern New Mexico. And the craft was flying a straight course as if it had a destiny. Now what can it be so important over there that the aliens are shipping stuff to there with Mr. Owens also stopping by to say hello?"

 

The realization nearly made Williams drop the paper he was using to rinse his hands. He looked at Davis: "We have to get to New Mexico at once. There must be some sort of alien operation going over there".

 

"Get ready to travel at my notice during the next week. I'll let you know later to where and when". Before Davis could say anything else, the former FBI agent simply left the restroom, leaving him alone. He threw the paper into the waste bin, realigned his tie knot and went back to his office.

 

 

February 6th, 2001

 

Albuquerque, New Mexico, US

 

 

The small diner where Davis and Williams where having breakfast was close to the motel where they had checked in the night before, both men using fake identifications and paying in cash. The retrieval of the large UFO had been completed by X-Com personnel a week ago and the direction of its intention flight path and the other information available pointed that the presumable alien base would be located more to the north. Before heading there, however, both men wanted to check the lead of Mr. Sam Owens and his whereabouts in New Mexico before his death. The trouble had been that, so far, they had scarce information.

 

Finishing his eggs with pancakes, Williams took a sip of his coffee and asked Davis. "So, where do we start now that we are here?" The X-Com operative took out a manila file from a briefcase he was carrying and handed it to Williams. He opened and saw a map of New Mexico, divided by counties and with each one having a number on them. "What is this?"

 

Davis went back to finishing his breakfast but talked in the middle of the bites into his French toast. "I did some queries into local law enforcement agencies regarding if they had reported any strange lights in the sky in the past six months, from ever since the government recognized the existence of UFOs. These are the results".

 

"You have to be kidding me. Nearly each one shows dozens of reports, which isn't surprising if you consider that everyone in the whole country is now discussing about the flying saucers. I wouldn't consider the majority of this reports reliable and we don't have time to go through all of them".

 

"Dead right on that one. But have you mentioned that some places don't report any UFOs at all? Don't you think it's strange, considering all the fuss the ET Papers made?" That sounded to Williams as bizarre, but it was better than visiting all of the local police forces. "So you are suggesting that we go to these other places, where no UFO incidents have been reported?"

 

"Or probably that the folks around there are so used to them that they have never bothered to mention them". The logic still didn't appeal too much for Williams, but he decided that it was better than nothing. He put the paper back to the others on the manila folder and handed it back to him.

 

But as he moved his arm, the folder hit Davis' coffee cup, with the whole hot content spilling over the table and making the other man jump back on his chair and drop his silverware on the plate. "Careful" Williams put the folder on the side of the table and immediately picked up a napkin and started to clean the mess. A waitress came by two minutes later and helped him out, afterwards asking if Davis would like another cup of coffee. He politely refused and excused himself to the restroom to clean the coffee stains on his pants.

 

Finally, when they arrive they asked for the check and left some dollar bills to pay for it. But as Williams was getting up his hip hit one corner of the folder and it dropped noisily, spreading its contents all over the floor. "Seemed to have awaken with the wrong foot today" He mumbled towards Davis as he crouched to pick up all the papers and afterwards follow the other man on their way out.

 

On the table next to Williams and Davis, Evan Blake was still wondering about what he had just seen. Vaughn had been sworn in already, but it would take some time before any announcement to be made by the government about the UFO situation, if ever. Blake knew that the Federal Government was suspicious enough to try to keep a lid on every secret. He had flown to Indian Springs to do research into the Roswell incident and about a supposed UFO that had been tracked by NORAD over the area, according to one of his sources. He was considering on how to make a boring story interesting, especially when he hadn't been too enthusiastical about a wild goose chase ordered by his editor just because the matter was hot right now, when all of the action now was at Washington.

 

But that had all changed the minute he took notice of the commotion regarding both men in front of him. And of the symbol he had seen on one of the documents when one had dropped a folder on the ground by accident. He had only cached a glimpse of it, but the white circle with a red X he had seen on the header of it made him remind of a something he had seen more than a year ago. The same symbol of the strange aircraft spotted on the terrorist attack on LA, which remained as elusive as the whereabouts of Colonel Johnson. It was obvious to him by now that the force must be responsible for investigating the ET incidents. And if he got to them, who knows what information about the aliens he could get? He tried to see how both men were but during the time it took him to remind of where he had seen the symbol they were already on their way to the exit.

 

Leaving a twenty-dollar bill over his table, he grabbed his notes and quickly stuffed them inside his bag. Heading the door, he searched for the two men that had just left, hoping to follow them. He nearly bumped on the way out into one of the locals, sporting a Texas Cowboys cap and some really worn out jeans and shirt. He failed to notice that the man also mimicked his actions, getting into a pick-up where another individual had already the engine running and taking down the same route that Blake had just taken on his pursuit.

 

 

February 7th, 2001

 

Nearby Dulce, Jicarilla Apache Reservation, New Mexico, US

 

 

The last town they had passed on their way to here could be already considered the end of the world but the city after looked even worse. There the local police chief had dismissed the claims of alien craft, telling that if there really were aliens they would be more interested into other places than his town.

 

As they were leaving the city a most disturbing occurrence happened: Davis kept checking is rear-view mirror for a long time and, after a while took a turn into the wrong direction. Feeling puzzled, Williams picked up the map to check and said to Davis: "You just took the wrong turn. You're supposed to have gone straight on the highway we were going".

 

The other man still kept his eyes on the mirror. "We are being followed". The first reaction of Williams was to turn around and look to the back, thinking that he would see a car on their tail, but nothing was on sight on the road. "How can you tell? I see nothing out there".

 

"I've spotted it only this morning when we left the motel. It's a simple passenger car with one man inside, but he was on our tail when we go out of the last city and it turned the same way as we did. There"

 

Looking at the distance, Williams only saw a silhouette of a vehicle. He couldn't even say what type of car it was. "Aren't you just getting a little paranoid?"

 

Davis looked at him. "I've done this for years chasing KGB agents. I should know something about this otherwise they wouldn't have made me subdirector on the FBI".

 

Giving up to press the argument, Williams said. "OK, it's your call. What should we do about it?"

 

"We head out for our next destination, pretending that we just took a wrong turn and go our own business. Let's wait and see what he and his friends are up to". That worried Williams. "You think there's more?"

 

Keeping his eyes forward, he replied. "Unless he's a complete amateur, there has to be more people assigned to following us. One man simply cannot keep surveillance for hours without loosing his target. Whatever you do, don't ever show that you are aware of him. He might react to that".

 

"React?" Williams started to have a bad feeling. "Yeah. Open the glove compartment and take out the gun that's there". He did and found a Beretta 9mm pistol inside, underneath the driving manual of the car. As Williams took it out by its barrel Davis asked. "Have you ever used one?"

 

"No. I'm just a CIA analyst, not an operative".

 

"Well, Mr. Analyst, on the right there's the safety. To fire it, just take the safety off, pull back the top into you to load a round, point it and press the trigger. The clip contains fifteen bullets". Williams grabbed it by the holster. "I supposed you have one already".

 

His shoulders shrugged. "One never knows what might show up. Better to be prepared for all circumstances".

 

"Who do you think it might be back there?"

 

"Who knows? Maybe someone back at the Agency decided that you are a security risk, now that you have been put off the alien situation. Probably they asked the Bureau to keep an eye to see what you are doing taking off from Washington in such a rush. Or maybe it's the other thing that we have discussed before..."

 

Williams' voice was scared. "How will we know?"

 

"Depends on what they might try. But try to look relaxed when we get to our next destination". He went back to driving and Williams tried to put away the thought as they made a turn back into the main road. After a while they reached a sign that marked the beginning of a Native American reservation.

 

When they reached the town in the middle of the reservation, it looked nothing more than a agglomeration of houses and trailers all cluttered up on the sides of the highway, with children playing on the side of the street. As Davis drove towards the reservation police office Williams looked at the local folks and wondered why would anyone live in such an inhospid location.

 

The ex-FBI operative parked the car on front of a white prefabricated building in the parking lot, which was nothing more than a section of dry flat earth with sparse vegetation. They both got out of the rented Chevrolet at the same time as the reservation police chief had gotten out of the small building and moved in their direction. He wore blue denim jeans tucked inside black cowboy boot, together with a dark gray shirt and a black tie. Only the cowboy hat and the insignia pinned to his chest pointed his position as a policeman. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

 

Davis produced his wallet from his pocket while answering, "Sheriff Lonewolf? I'm Michael Kaminsky of the FBI. I tried to contact you before but you didn't respond..." The Apache looked carefully at the fake id that Davis was showing him, before answering the unspoken question. "You want to know about the flying craft, the UFOs as you call them. Who is this other man?"

 

Davis seemed to be lost for a minute with the man's bluntness. "This is Mr. Franks, he is here on an advisory position to the Bureau. Sheriff, why do you think we are here to investigate such a matter?"

 

"Mr. Kaminsky, just because we live in a reservation that doesn't mean that I don't pay attention to the news outside. The work I have around here is either petty crime or minor offenses. And occasionally someone might got injured or killed in a brawl, but even that wouldn't be enough to bring the attention of the FBI".

 

"Excuse me sheriff, but why would we came here then? You have been one of the few counties in the state that hasn't made any reports about them". The Apache took his eyes off both men to look at the distant mountain shapes on the horizon. "No one here has bothered to make such report, because some between us have kept the knowledge about know what they are and are used to seeing them. Those are not police matters but of the spiritual world".

 

The explanations of the man defied any logic to Williams. "Spiritual matters? Chief Lonewolf, it's essential to every human being on this planet that we learn more about them. What information can you give us regarding the UFOs?" The Native American looked back at him, giving him a twisting sensation on his stomach. "You ask for more of what I can tell you". He headed back towards the office. "You can leave now. There's nothing here for you".

 

"Sheriff, hold on a minute! We are here on official business and we are requiring your collaboration. We need to know if any UFOs have been seen or reported in the area". The Apache stopped by the door. "I am telling you that here you won't find what you seek".

 

As he went back into the building, Williams turned to Davis. "Great. Now what we do?" The X-Com official stood there, thinking for a minute before replying to Williams. "We look for what we want without his help. We can't force him to be cooperative". Williams looked up and down the street. "Yeah, any ideas on how to start?"

 

Davis was about to respond as a figure came around the pre-fabricated building and approached them both. It was a woman well into his forties, with a skin tone that identified her also as an Apache. She had an aquiline nose that looked familiar to Williams, although he had no idea why. "You are from Washington aren't you?" She asked both.

 

"Why, yes, madam. We are here on official mission to the FBI". Davis presented his credential looked at her in attention. "We have been sent here to investigate a strange phenomenon and we could use any..."

 

"I know why you are here. My name is Gloria and I help out my brother with the paperwork and the calls sometimes. I saw when your request for information came and my brother told me not to answer back". Davis raised an eyebrow. "Sheriff Lonewolf is your brother? Madam, if you don't mind me telling you this he could be a little more helpful".

 

"He has always looked at the UFOs with fear and awe. We lived all our childhood hearing stories about the beings from the sky and seeing the lights. He and most of the folks prefer not to think about the subject, specially since we started to see them almost every week".

 

"Every week? For how long?" Williams started to wonder for how long the possible base had been operating.

 

"I don't know, months, could be years. We hardly pay attention to them anymore. Sometimes they fly over the camp, others we just see them at a distance. I always thought that you had something to do with them and seeing you here asking for them struck me as strange".

 

"And you never thought of telling this to anyone?"

 

"Why should we? Anyone would just think it to be a story made-up by some drunken Indian who had mistaken a street light for a UFO. And this has been going on for many generations. They came, do their business and they go, leaving us alone".

 

"Just how do you know that madam?" Williams was dumbstruck.

 

"The tales told by our elders. And the paintings on the caves close to the mesa".

 

"Can you take us there? It's important that we see them". She looked at the sedan they were driving with reprovation. "Yes, but we need to get authorization from the tribal council and we can't drive there on your car. There's a dirt road that will get us close but we will have to make some miles through hard terrain. We will have to take my jeep". She pointed at a red jeep parked a little away from them and Davis nodded. "Then if you won't mind, please let's get the authorization necessary to see the caves".

 

Some time later they were riding on the Sheriff's sister Grand Cherokee jeep on their way to the natural caverns that she had mentioned. Before they had been introduced to the shaman of the tribe as she had introduced him, who simply looked at them as they approached the porch where he was seated on and nodded. Williams and Davis looked as she talked to him but they couldn't hear her words. When she came back she told him that they had permission since she was already expecting them. That brought looks of suspicion from them to her, but she dismissed them, saying. "He says that to most of the people who came here and ask the same thing, to visit some part of the reservation. My brother is also into that same mystical thing. I prefer to keep myself in both worlds at the same time".

 

The dirt track ended on the top of a small elevation that was standing in the middle of all the gullies that made the terrain of most of the reservation. The whole time Davis had kept an eye on the road behind them, trying to look for the presence of their tail but finding nothing. "Now we walk from here", she said before taking a backpack and looking at their shoes. "I hope these are good for walking. We still have to hike for almost mile before we get there".

 

Both men followed her, with Williams in the middle and Davis closing the rear. After looking at the brown and red landscape over them started to bother the CIA analyst, he started to ask questions at the woman. "Miss Lonewolf, how do you know about this place?"

 

She didn't even bother to look back while picking the trail and answering them. "Me and my brother used to come here a lot when we were kids. My grandfather told us about the paintings, telling that our ancestors made them to represent the messengers from the stars".

 

Williams almost slipped as he stepped upon a rock that was loose. "What else did he say about them?"

 

"I can't remember: I was a while and he died soon afterwards. And until I started seeing the lights in the sky hovering around the mesa I didn't believe him much on that story".

 

They had now entered a deeper gully, with its sides towering the trio. As they walked inside it, Williams felt entrapped as if the earth walls would engulf them. "What mesa are you talking about?"

 

"The Archuletta Mesa. It's over that hill". She pointed into her right indicating an elevation that Williams was only able to barely see the top. "The lights go there?"

 

They had now entered a large area on the small canyon where they were walking. "Yes. I only saw them there once many years ago. I thought it was the military since there was a time that their helicopters were all around the sky. But they have gone there a number of times". She stopped in the middle of the area.

 

Davis had finally reached their position and Williams was breathing while Gloria didn't seem troubled by the hike at all. "It's there". She pointed to a darker area of the small enclosured space where they were standing.

 

Following her, Williams and Davis soon found out that it led into a natural cave, dug by an ancient underground river. She took out two flashlights out of her backpack, gave one to Davis and entered. As she started to lighten the way ahead she warned them. "Watch your feet! The whole ground is littered with stones".

 

Williams tried to take care on his step by he bumped into a couple of heavy rocks that hurt his toes. Finally the movement of the light indicated that she had stopped. Both men moved to join her, in the middle of an underground cave, pointing her flashlight to a portion of the wall above.

 

In the orange almost flat wall Williams started to notice figures painted into a variety of colors. Some were animals like snakes and foxes, while others consisted of birds, all having some sort of a symmetrical configuration. The other drawings were geometrical shapes, but finally he saw what he was looking for.

 

The figure was of a large head, its external contours in black while the face itself was in white, with two dark slanted eyes with the shape of teardrops. As the CIA analyst recognized one and his brain took notice of what he should be looking for, he quickly spotted others drawn in the walls. Pointing them to Davis he asked him: "Recognize something?"

 

"Yeah, I guess we found the people from the stars. But we still need...". A gunshot noise followed by a human scream made him quickly turn into the direction of the entrance. Two human figures could be seen standing against the faint light coming out from it.

 

Without thinking, Davis threw his flashlight at the direction of both men while reaching for his belt. The lamp spun on the air still on, illuminating portions of the wall for a second until another gunshot was heard. Sparks suddenly came out of it and the light died, followed by the sound of it crashing on the ground.

 

Williams's vision was then filled by the bright light of a laser being fired in the dark confines of the cave. Finding himself blind he moved towards one of the walls, hitting his head against it on the process. "Kill the light! Don't move" He heard Davis say a moment later. Gloria shut down the remaining flashlight, leaving them all into a sea of pitch black.

 

Only then did he remind himself of the pistol that he had left back at their car. He wished that he had remembered to bring it along. Moments passed and nothing could be seen from the entrance and he could only hear the sound of the humans breathing inside. There was no indication of where Davis or Gloria might be, although he had an idea of their positions.

 

Deciding to shift his position he started to come out from the recess on the wall where he was hiding. But as soon as his arm started to move, a gunshot was again heard, followed by extreme pain above his left elbow that made him scream and close his eyes.

 

He didn't saw what happened afterwards and only the glow of the laser going through his closed eyelids told him that Davis had fired his laser pistol again. Some time later, which to him seemed to be countless minutes, he heard the X-Com agent shout: "All clear".

 

The light went back on again and looking at his arm Williams saw that a bullet had hit it over the elbow. Gloria came by and taking a look said: "It's bleeding but you're lucky. It didn't hit any major artery or bone, just went through the flesh and got out by the other side". Going back to her backpack, she took out a first aid kit from her back and started to help him.

 

When she was done, both of them moved outside. Two figures were standing by the entrance, apparently dead, with their guns pushed away from them. To Williams they seemed more like locals but he couldn't be sure. As they both reached the clear area outside he saw Davis still holding his pistol and pointing it at another figure who was moving towards him slowly.

 

"For Christ's sake! I've just been shot! What do you think you are doin'?" The voice was familiar to Williams. Evan Blake had his hands both up and had now stopped upon Davis' indication. The X-Com agent then dropped him with a kick to the back of his knees that made him hit the ground heavily. "What the hell is going on here?" Blake demanded as Davis made a quick search on him, looking for any concealed weapons.

 

Satisfied with his search, Davis then backed away and motioned him to get up, still keeping his laser pistol trailed on the figure. When Blake got up he started dusting off his clothes before he noticed Williams and Gloria standing at the entrance of the cave. "You" He pointed angrily at him. "You are into some serious trouble mister! You're a liar who just tried to kill me. I will have your head over this! Neonazi groups my ass! You are going to tell me what is really going on concerning the aliens"

 

Ignoring him, Williams looked at Davis who spoke: "I don't think he's with them. My bet is that they were about to jump on us when he appeared and ruined their plans". Taking his aim slightly off Blake, he added: "The question remains though: what are you doing here and why were you following us?"

 

"Why should I answer that?" Davis pointed back the pistol at him. "Why should you not? I've just been shot twice by these dead fellows back there and I had to kill them". The next lines make Williams nearly jump before he reasoned that it might be a bluff. "Makes me no difference if you join them".

 

Blake seemed as if he was still extremely angry. "I saw you yesterday on Albuquerque. I was about to head out for Roswell to make a story about the supposed crash there but I decided that you should be here for some reason regarding the aliens".

 

Davis still wasn't satisfied. "Go on"

 

"When you left the reservation on the jeep my car had some problems with the terrain and I was delayed. I eventually came to the place where you parked, only to find a pick-up truck next to yours. I took me some guessing but I finally discovered where you headed out. But when I arrived here someone took a shot at me and I hid until you forced me out. Satisfied now?"

 

Davis looked back at him but was interrupted by Gloria, who had stood silent until now but had finally decided to make some questions of her own. "Mr. Franks, who were those people back there? What is happening?"

 

"Mr. Franks?" Blake's tone of voice showed his disbelief. "Is that how you go now, Mr. Williams?" Seeing his astonished face, the journalism continued. "Yeah, I know your real name alright. I'd only wish that I could have a recording of what you told me. My readers and Congress would just love to know that a member of the CIA is performing some sort of illegal operation in the US".

 

She moved away from Williams. "CIA? I thought you told my brother that you were working for the FBI"

 

As Williams started to think of a plausible explanation, Davis moved closer to him, now with his pistol pointed downwards and started scanning the area. "We need to get to safer location. They might have back-up". Looking back at the entrance of the cave, he lowered his voice and concluded: "And they are not humans. I guess we can say that we found what we were looking for".

 

The CIA analyst nodded and carefully moving his uninjured arm reached for one pocket and took out his identification. Opening the wallet he presented his identification for both Gloria and Blake to see. "He's right. I do belong to the CIA and my name is Williams. And this gentlemen here is Mr. Davis, a Subdirector of the FBI".

 

The journalist took great care to examine the card. "OK, now that we know who you are, why don't you mind telling us what is happening here and who were those men? I still don't trust someone who has lied to me before".

 

A million explanations rushed through Williams' mind. He wanted to simply tell them the whole story since he was getting tired of the lies. He decided to tell only part of it. "We are a part of a secret investigation regarding the presence of an unknown force on the US. My reasons for lying to you before are quite simple: we are trying to find out what their intentions are and we don't want to alarm the public. Furthermore, we have found that they can be aggressive when we interfere in their activities. I decided it would be best for your own health if you didn't pursue the matter too much".

 

Blake's face turned into a scowl of suspicion while Gloria simply looked at the sky and seemed distant. The journalist wasn't satisfied and kept pursuing the subject. "Why should I believe you? You have lied to me before".

 

His arm hurting, Williams decided that they should follow Davis' advice. He pointed to the entrance of the cave. "Go back there and check the bodies: they are not human. Look at their eyes and tell me afterwards what's the feeling of knowing that they walk among us undetected".

 

As soon as they had hit the dirt road again, Davis put down his sidearm and took out a cellular phone from one of his coat's jackets. Williams took his eyes off the road for an instant to look through the rear mirror at Davis "Is that thing secure?" He also looked at Gloria, as asking if Davis should say anything in front of her.

 

"Yes. The antenna can actually tap into one of our satellites. And the encryption codes it uses were developed using alien algoritms, from what they told me. Even the NSA can't break into this stuff". He dialed a number and waiting for the phone to be picked up on the other side. "This is Davis, clearance Iota-Red-Seven, password Seven-Six-Delta-Zero-Beta-Eleven. I want you to secure this line and connect me to the Colonel". A female computer generated voice replied to him. "Verifing voice print of clearance and password... accepted...transferring call to Colonel Robinson's desk...please stand by".

 

After a couple of minutes waiting and afterwards dealing with the Colonel's personal secretary, Robinson's voice finally came, slightly troubled. "Major Davis, first where are you and second what are you doing? You have failed to report for two days. I was not sure what motive I would give the FBI to start searching for you: treason or a pure case of a missing person and I'm hoping you could enlighten me Major".

 

"Colonel, I can explain all later but for now there are more pressing matters. We..." He looked at Blake and Williams, who seemed to have the bleeding from his arm contained for now. Gloria had removed a revolver from the front glove compartment and was constantly checking the mirror. They had decided to leave Blake's car behind so that they could move fast. The journalism had gone inside the cave to check the hybrid's bodies and had come out speechless but more willing to cooperate.

 

Looking through his rearview mirror Davis saw nothing behind them. Keeping his voice low and wishing that Robinson would be able to make out his words, he continued: "We have managed to locate the place to where the alien transport was heading. They have a base here sir! Right on the middle of the US! And we need to act right now before they can prepare their defenses for an attack".

 

Silence only greeted him for some seconds, before the Colonel replied. "Major, where and with whom are you?"

 

"Sir, the base is located in New Mexico, close to the town of Dulce. There's a mesa there and the aliens have built it on a natural cave system. It's well-concealed but it show appear on a detailed scan of the area". Noticing that Williams had moved forwards to eavesdrop on the conversation he looked at the rearview mirror and saw him looking in apprehension and he remembered the bodies they had left there, besides the fact that they were carrying two other unauthorized persons. He dismissed it for now, considering that would be time to deal with both later and locked his gaze into Williams, telling him to trust him and keep his mouth quiet for now.

 

"Major, I hope that you are right. I will put every asset we have looking into it and you call you back as soon as we have some results. Meanwhile stay clear of the area and ready to hear from us. Robinson out". Davis hung up the phone and Williams asked. "What did they say?"

 

"They are going to make some scans and have told us to stay put. I'm going to drive us back to the camp so that we can retrieve our cars and then we will all head for some motel a little away from here. We can check your arm there. Just try not to move it for now".

 

The analyst, still holding his arm, wasn't completely successful in trying to ignore the pain as he answered. "Gloria thinks that the bullet came through it. I think for now it's fine".

 

Blake had listened to the exchange of words silent. He then casually asked: "Now tell me, is the nowhere to be found Colonel Johnson coming at the scene? I heard one mention a Colonel and I presume that you just talked to him and I'd sure like to ask him some questions about what has been going on since he disappeared from the regular US military".

 

Both Davis and Williams avoided responding to Blake's question, preferring to keep their faces straightforward. Gloria sensed something peculiar at the whole question, but wisely decided to keep herself out of the whole business.

 

"Mr. Blake, we can discuss all that happened later, when we reach a safe position. I must also contact my..." Williams looked at the other occupants and corrected himself, "the office at Washington". Davis shook his head and looked also at them, the meaning of his gesture saying to Williams: they have seen and heard too much already and we can't risk any leaks on this type of information. Williams thought for it a second and kept his eyes on the road afterwards. This people can't be more involved into this. And they cannot find out anything about X-Com, no matter what it costs.

 

"We will Mr. Williams. We will. And I'm most anxious to hear some of your explanations to this whole matter".

 

 

Santa Fe, New Mexico, US

 

 

"Why is it taking so long?" Williams kept pacing around the motel room that they had just rented with his arm restrained by a piece of white gauze that hung from his neck. Seated on a chair close to the window, Davis thought for a moment. "I dunno. Maybe they are trying to check the information first". Using his hand he moved aside the curtain and looked outside. The Sun was already setting on the horizon.

 

"Who is they?" The other voice made both men look at Blake who was still with them, seated on one of the beds. "The military organization to whom you work?"

 

They refrained to any reply, which made Blake only to continue. "Deny it if you prefer. I know about how Williams and a number of other military key personnel all of the sudden disappeared from sight a couple of years ago. I also have indications that something strange is going around Area 51 in Nevada. Isn't that enough to prove that the government is doing something secret for a while on the subject".

 

He had pressed the subject all the way on the trip from the caves. Unable to take the verbal barbs of the man anymore Williams exploded. "Mr. Blake, what do you wish?"

 

Evan faced him square on. "I know that the government knows much more than it has admitted into public. Supposedly you should be investigating their intentions. Well after what I've seen today you already knew about that. What else are you hiding and why?"

 

"This whole matter will come out one day Mr. Blake. Believe me it will".

 

"Sir, I'm not your enemy damn it! Don't you think I can't keep a secret?" Looking straight at him Williams replied: "Some secrets might come back and kill you".

 

"You mean him?" Blake pointed at Davis. "No. You are free to go if you so desire. But trust me on this: there are hidden forces of which you have no idea of their power and reach. If you want an advice, keep yourself away from them or next time the aliens might fire at you with the specific propose of removing you out of the scene".

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Two - Ghosts of the Past

 

 

February 8th, 2001

 

UN Building, New York City, US

 

 

"X-COM AGENTS HAVE DETECTED AN ALIEN BASE IN NORTH AMERICA". The message had arrived to Bomaka's special coded pager that put him in direct contact with Commander Illyuschenko. As he finish reading it, he immediately dismissed his aides and secretary who where present at his office without an excuse and made sure that the door was locked after they left.

 

Proceeding to his desk, he unlocked a drawer and took out a small rectangular object from it. Clearing his desk, he turned to a wall covered by an Earth map that showed all of the political boundaries and pressed a large red button on the remote control he was holding. The large map opened on its middle to reveal a blank display screen and he punched his own personal authorization code in the numeric keypad. The image first resolved itself into the twin symbols of the UN and X-Com, before they disappeared into a view of Illyuschenko's own private office at Mother One in Germany.

 

"Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary. We have a problem: Colonel Robinson just informed me that one of his staff and a CIA operative have discovered strong evidence leading to a presence of an alien base on the United States. This was nothing new for the intelligence Bureau, who already had indications of such a possibility, but now they seem confirmed".

 

"What are you planning to do about it General?"

 

"Colonel Johnson is already working on a base assault. However, we need your assistance sir. The US leadership hasn't been informed about it yet".

 

"I see. But didn't you tell me that a CIA operative was involved? Hasn't he reported yet?" From the look on Illyuschenko's face Bomaka knew that the reason that made the general call him had to do with that matter.

 

"No. Until recently he was one of their top analysts on the alien situation but Vaughn removed him from his position immediately after taking power. He got involved into this whole matter because one of Robinson's people had already worked with him before and decided to request for his assistance in tracking down the alien base".

 

"I don't like this Commander. We can't risk alienating one of X-Com's top contributors but sponsoring the actions of someone who has been considered as incapable by Vaughn do deal with the alien situation".

 

"Sir, I know I think about the whole matter in general. However the operative has worked with us before: a lot of people at Area 51 have attested to his integrity, including Robinson himself. Moreover, what he told us is that Vaughn is already considering a chance of policy concerning the aliens and X-Com. Seems that the American president is about to go the same way that the fool Larianov and trying to act independently of X-Com".

 

A feeling of dread went through Bomaka's stomach. "Is that bad? I heard the campaign speeches but I never took them much attention".

 

"Johnson can't confirm it, but he says that in some of the latest UFO recoveries a number of interference from federal agents have been reported. He wants to act fast but he felt it better to leave the decision about how and when to inform Vaughn to us".

 

"Does you think that Vaughn will try to interfere?"

 

"Most likely he could demand that the whole operation is placed under US control, since it's in their soil like Larianov tried to do in Siberia. Johnson concurs with this opinion".

 

"So what do you require from me Commander?"

 

"According to the plan, the operation should start as soon as before the aliens can be fully ready to deal with the strike team. But we would like that you bring the news directly to Vaughn as soon as the team is about to hit them. That way if he decides to intervene, the US forces will arrive too late for any thing than help our own soldiers, in case they run into trouble. In any case, there's a strong need to maintain secrecy about this whole matter".

 

"From what you told me, he won't be pleased".

 

"Mr. Secretary, I don't care about what Vaughn thinks about it and I would be more than happy to scrub it on his face. The US signed the X-COM Charter and is obliged to its dispositions. Even if his attitude turns out to be different, we probably would have to do the same to catch the aliens as fast as possible to guarantee tactical surprise. Or at least to avoid then knowing when we would attack since there is already evidence enough that points to alien infiltrators on Earth".

 

Bomaka scratched his mustache in thought and stood there facing the screen, with Illyuschenko waiting for an answer. "Inform me when we are about to hit the base and the coordinates of its location. And wish Colonel Johnson good luck".

 

The military commander of X-Com nodded in appreciation. "He will sure need it. Mother One out".

 

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

When Markovitch entered the officer's briefing room she wondered what the troops might be thinking of all the agitation that was going around the base in the past hours. All of the senior officers had simply disappeared from plain sight and all leaves and exercises had been cancelled or either postponed. Something big was on the air, they all knew it from the morning when a Skyranger had brought back Davis and a civilian from an unknown location and the base had been placed into full alert. Base gossip seemed to be at his best since she had noticed that on her way to the briefing room all of the troopers she had passed had carefully watched her to try to understand what was going on.

 

She immediately noticed that Williams was already standing in front of the group of assembled soldiers, together with Robinson and Johnson. The intelligence officer had his injured arm locked tight against his chest. There wasn't much space in the room left: all of the officers and non-coms of the combat squads were present, together with a number of staff officers that included Major Prescott of base ops. Moving forward she saw that Sergeant Krenon and Lieutenant Digriz had saved her a seat in-between them on the front row. Both of them were trying to relax, although they shared the waiting look of all that had no idea of the mission that the Colonel was about to brief them. They both looked at her but she simply sat down. When all officers were accounted and present, the doors were closed by armored guards who stood outside and Johnson begun, bringing into action a display of the US on the electronic wall behind him.

 

"Good morning all. As you might have guessed, we have a major situation. An alien base has been detected on US soil, more precisely in New Mexico. According to the information brought to us by Mr. Williams of the CIA, who is present here and Major Davies of our own intelligence bureau, it is located in the eastern part of the state, more precisely on this small plateau here". A satellite picture of the Archulleta Mesa appeared, focused on one section of the plateau that stood closer to a plainer area. "Our job is to take it out of commission".

 

Noise of conversation and shifting on the chairs was heard as everyone started to consider the operation. Then one lieutenant from the Fourth stood up and asked: "Colonel, I might be a boot lieutenant, but isn't that sketchy intelligence? And how can you tell that there's something inside that piece of rock?" Even Johnson smirked at the remark as the majority of the people in the room smiled but were also agreeing with the junior officer's comment.

 

Williams asked to reply to that one. "I know it might seem harmless, gentlemen but me and Major Davis have been close to it and nearly lost our lives. This is the place to where the Supply Ship you shot down weeks ago was heading".

 

Digriz turned to Markovitch. "So it was a Supply Ship?" She nodded. "Figures". Krenon added. "Why would someone be driving all of that stuff into battle?" Williams was exactly explaining that point. Another question arose from the audience. "That doesn't change a thing Colonel. We are still going to attack an enemy facility of which we have no idea of the layout or the number of defenders. At least with UFOs we have an idea of both".

 

Markovitch grumbled as the doubts she had expressed when planning the thing with Johnson appeared. The Russians of Stalingrad base had gotten themselves beaten into a corner in Siberia in a situation that had too much liking with this one for her taste. They could be finding themselves in the middle of hundreds of armed Mutons or some other aliens more nasty and tough.

 

Johnson raised his arms. "Those points have also been considered. We don't know how many aliens might there be or of what kind. Therefore we are going to drop over a squad before to do some reconnaissance work".

 

That seemed to bring to calm the discussion. Sergeant Baker rose from his seat. "Sir, will that be with the new flying suits?" The new powered armor had been developed using the anti-gravity ability supplied by the Elerium engines that powered them in conjunction with a miniature version of the guidance systems used in the new Firestorm craft. One of the rocket scientists back at Mother One had come up with the idea after seeing a video of the flying chair that the astronauts used on the Shuttle missions.

 

They were basically looked like a power suit with some small modifications and they literally allowed the X-Com trooper inside to hover in the air or take really long jumps. However, the complexity of the control mechanism reduced their combat use. A soldier had more things to worry in a battlefield such as taking cover and firing his weapon at the enemy than making himself a big airborne target for the enemy. But it was also very difficult to control a descent to the ground, even with long jumps. If the soldier wasn't proficient enough he could seriously hurt himself since he was flying several pounds worth of armor and equipment. The suit also used a large amount of Elerium to power itself, which was also in short supply since the only source was intact engines recovered from the alien's UFOs. For all of those reasons only a number of squads at each command had been equipped with the new suits. It offered a bit more protection against a plasma round but they took too much training and Elerium to justify issuing them to all the squads.

 

"Sergeant, I know Alpha and Zeta are eager to try them out, but this will involve a high altitude infiltration over the target area. Both your squad and Zeta have been training as much as you can but we have decided against it. I'm not going to risk your lives in a drop for which you aren't fully qualified yet". Baker nodded, agreeing but still not one hundred percent happy and Markovitch understood him, since she was also aching to make such a drop. They would however be wearing them during the main assault.

 

"That leaves the job to Omega". He looked at King, who simply nodded. "They will drop using a Hercules posing as a commercial plane. The Company will follow afterwards and will deploy to the target area considering what Omega tells us about the opposition and its outside defenses. We think that there should be a hangar or at least some sort of opening here". He pointed to the side overlooking the flatter area. "Depending on which Omega tells us, we can either stage an assault or we try to find some other way inside and catch them unguarded. Colonel Jackson's company will be our tactical reserve: in case we run into trouble they either reinforce us or help in withdrawing".

 

Another hand rose in the air. "What aliens are going to be facing sir?" Johnson looked at Williams and it reminded Markovitch of the discussion that she had during the planning meeting. Both intelligence officers seemed to be holding something and Johnson looked also to be a part of the whole scheme. The matter had appeared when they were arguing about the alertness of the aliens for such an attack after they had detected the officers had been attacked so close to their base. Williams had brought the point that they might not suspect any attack since he and Davies were posing as tourists. He had claimed that they had left the area after being replying to the attack and killing the aliens and most likely they haven't found out about the missing guards yet. That idea had struck Markovitch as ludicrous, since any decent commander would be aware of such a thing as base personnel disappearing. That's when the hammer came down. "Captain, we were attacked by hostiles that were human in appearance, most likely assigned to pose as a part of the local population and drive prevent anyway from getting too close. They might only have to report only in specific dates". That had gotten her firing off a lot of questions to her, which they either tried to respond or just kept their mouths silently. Finally Johnson had brought an end to the question by proposing to send the recon team. She wasn't satisfied totally but she decided to forget it for the moment and focus on the mission.

 

Johnson hesitated before answering. "We...aren't quite sure yet. The Supply Ship was crewed by Sectoids, but we have indications that there might be alien-human hybrids inside that base".

 

"What?" The cry came immediately either spoken or not from the majority of the soldiers present. Johnson calmed them down. "Intelligence has data indicating that the aliens are developing hybrids based upon both races. According to them, these aliens are almost impossible to detect from normal humans at sight, but there are some things to look for, like the color of their eyes and skin who is close to an albino. Bottom line: if he or she is carrying any weapons then the humanoid is to be considered as hostile. But you encounter any unarmed humans on that base be extremely careful when approaching them". That seemed to have assured the troops, although Markovitch still heard some low complaints.

 

"Any questions?" Hopkins raised his big bulk from the chair. "You haven't mentioned Beta's new toys, Colonel. Are we allowed to bring them along?" Johnson smiled at him. "You will Sergeant, since it might be good to have some extra firepower inside that base. However you will only use them if and when I give the order". Hopkins seemed satisfied and sat back. "No more questions? This briefing is over then. Go to your troops and let's get ready for the action".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archuletta Mesa, New Mexico, US

 

 

As the members of Zeta squad moved along the fourth level of the base, Markovitch couldn't keep a dreadful feeling over the whereabouts of the humans that had occupied the higher levels of the facility.

 

Omega had found the location of the base after their drop, right where William and Davies had reported but hadn't found any sign of aliens outside. They had searched the area around the plateau but there were no indications that there might be a base inside. Looking for the supposed hangar at the base of the hangar had also proven to be a wild goose chase for them.

 

However, as the Skyrangers carrying the rest of the team were about to land in an area nearby to hide their approach, King had reported that they had discovered a concealed entrance on the top of the mesa but that is seemed deserted. All of the platoons had moved into the location after touching down on the ground and they had found an old dirt road that led them directly to the location where Omega was waiting.

 

They had found the entrance was empty of aliens. It was inside a ruined hut that was surrounded by an aged rusty fence with a sign that said in near gone letters: "U.S. Geological Survey - Meteorological Studies - No Trespassing".

 

However, inside the ruined small building, they had found a locked door on its basement that, after being opened, gave the way to a large facility inside through a series of staircases.

 

The X-Com team was now on the process of going through a facility that was deserted until now, spreading over what seemed to be four levels inside the plateau. They had found no aliens; only the signs that this seemed to have been a secret government facility. Markovitch had wondered if Williams and Davis had actually bothered to ask the government if they had used this place and then abandoned it long ago.

 

But that was until they first started to find the signs that some sort of confrontation had been taken place inside and that its occupants seemed to have left the base in a hurry. Personal belongings were scattered everywhere on the personnel area and the kitchens were full of rotten food, long turned into unrecognizable darkened lumps attached to the plates and pans. And alongside, in some corridors and rooms there were spent cartridges as if some intense fighting had occurred. And the identity of the attackers was plain for everyone to see in the spent plasma clips that occasionally would be standing on the ground, together with the holes made by the fire of the alien weapons.

 

The passageway where Zeta was now moving was also full of bad omens regarding the past events of the base: there were paper sheets spread out on the floor, with a dark mark on the white plastic tiles of the floor. Markovitch had already stepped upon a pair of glasses, crunching it into a million pieces. And there were large holes burned on the walls by plasma weapons, revealing broken plastic wires and tubing. The whole place was bathed in darkness and they had to use their suits's IR equipment and flashlights attached to the barrel of their weapons. Dare was constantly keeping an eye on his motion detector while the remaining squad members hold their weapons with both arms, keeping them ready for any foe that might jump from the side corridors.

 

They kept moving down the corridor, carefully checking every intersection in a time consuming process, until Prune, who was at the front, stopped by a pair of heavy metal doors that had been blown off their hinges and looked inside the entrance. With a gesture he ordered everyone to stop and the rest of the squad did so, bringing their weapons up to full readiness. "Cap", he called, "come here. I think we just found ETs ride".

 

Markovitch turned towards Dare, who looked again at the motion detector and confirmed her that there wasn't any movement nearby besides them. She then moved forward to join Prune who had now crossed to the other side and pointed towards the end of the side corridor. Markovitch took a look and saw a bright violet glow coming out of its end. She recognized the light as the one coming from the lifts the aliens used at their UFOs. Nodding to him, she then ordered the remainder of her squad to keep an eye on the corridor while she contacted the Colonel.

 

The image came flashing through her eyes and she was turning away from Prune. Deep, sleek alien eyes peering out from every corner of the corridor she was in, until finally they all meshed together on a Sectoid face gleaming white at the end of the corridor where they had just came from. A sudden fear took every inch of her and her reflexes kicked in, making her lift her plasma rifle and fire down at the ghostly appearance.

 

But as the super-heated plasma traveled the way towards its intended target, giving the white passageway a greenish hue as it disappeared on the depths of the corridor, she realized that the image simply vanished before her eyes. Markovitch blinked them, while the other squad members were turning positions to deal with the new threat. "Cease fire" She ordered the same second; leaving them a little puzzled about what had just happened.

 

"Markovitch what's going on over there?" The call from Johnson came up afterwards. "Colonel, we found an alien lift leading down. I overreacted to it".

 

He seemed relieved by the explanation but his voice was slightly accentuated from the stress that was also building on him. "Hell of a way to put it. One of the rookies on Tau almost pissed on his suit as the shot went two feet in front of him. Keep your heads cool and watch that lift while we finish sweeping over here". She acknowledged and passed along the orders, wishing that they could finish the job fast. To her, the damn base looked more full of ghosts than aliens.

 

* * * * *

 

Johnson couldn't stop wondering who had built the base and why. The first four levels of the underground facility were markedly designed to be used by humans: in the first level they had found security checkpoints and an underground garage that opened into hidden doors on the top of the mesa. The second was designed for housing personnel, containing individual and group accommodations, together with a mess hall and recreational facilities while the third and fourth levels seemed to be related to some sort of scientific research.

 

As he and the rest of Sigma passed through another room full of abandoned workshops, he paused by one of the tables. The whole place was reminding him of Area 19, the top-secret facility close to Area 51 where he had discovered Billings' true identity and also the secrets that General Smith had hidden there, right under X-Com's nose. He wondered if the late general had anything to do with this facility also. If not, then who might responsible? It was evident that millions of dollars had been spend in digging up the plateau to construct the facility and its sheer size meant that it couldn't just have passed the scrutiny of the higher chain of command. Billings, or now Dr. Young, apparently knew nothing of the place and if his story was correct it didn't surprise Johnson at all. He had slowly learned to trust the hybrid and his word: without the help that they had given X-Com, the design and building of the new Firestorm fighter aircraft had probably been impossible for them to achieve on their own. And they also had gone beyond the agreement established between him and Billings: their scientific contribution in a number of areas had been highly praised by Dr. Mantell.

 

Williams on the other hand might knew something about the identity of the humans behind this but the circumstances had made it impossible for Johnson to try to find out more about how they had discovered the place. The intelligence officer seemed too much concerned about his own personal quest, whatever it might be and that troubled Johnson. The fact that Vaughn had dismissed him from his position as being the top analyst on the CIA for the extraterrestrial menace didn't help in favoring Williams on his own eyes. He would have to answer for some things when he got back to the base.

 

Major Patterson moved closer to him. "The squads had finished their sweep of this level. Again, zero for aliens found but Lambda says they found out another of the alien lifts close to our position".

 

"What's your opinion Mike?"

 

"I feel that something strange has gone here and the rest of the troops also are talking about it. I mean this is a typical US classified facility and it seems as if the aliens have overrun the place long ago. How come we never heard of this before or when we signed up for X-Com?"

 

"My thoughts precisely. Probably the whole place might be deserted, but we need to find out more about what happened here". Moving towards one of the doors in the large dark room. "Notify the platoon commanders: we are getting down to find out what's below us".

 

* * * * *

 

The first thing Private Greaves thought as his feet stepped on the metal floor was that the aliens had simply buried one of their spaceships inside the hill. Going down through the elevators that they had found, his squad had first reached a massive cave carved into the natural rock. The Captain had told them that it probably was a hangar since they seemed to be at ground level according to their Global Positioning System attached to the motion scanners that they were using. However the doors couldn't be discerned, just walls of polished granite that sparkled if anyone pointed a light at them. After a quick search, the fifth level was also determined to be deserted of any aliens like the four preceding it.

 

Moving on as point squad, they had found that the level before was nothing more than a large chamber, only this time lighted by some green fluorescence that came out of the floor, in contrast with the darkness found above. Everyone looked at one another before positioning themselves to go further down and Greaves took the northwestern position. It seemed that something at the base was still working after all. The four troopers stood ready, each one in the corners of the square lift.

 

As all of them moved further into the pits below, Greaves found himself facing the intersection of two blank gray walls, made of the same material that the aliens used on their UFOs. He heard no warnings from his squadmates, so he left the lift to leave room for Epsilon, who should be coming right behind them. Only then did he noticed that they had arrived at a chamber about the same size as the one above, but this time there were passageways on three sides of it, with the eastern part ending on natural rock. The Lieutenant and Werrett were already moving towards the southern entrance, only stopping to look at the western one before crossing it in a quick dash. Greaves wondered if the aliens could hear the sound of their steps on the metal floor as he positioned himself to cover the west side. Reaching the position he took a peak: a large chamber that seemed much bigger than the one that they were standing was right next to the lift, sprouting eight foot cylinders. Some of them glowed with a yellow light that seemed to be coming out from their interior but others were filled with some semi-transparent liquid, where fuzzy shapes could be seen floating inside. No sign of any aliens though. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned and saw that Epsilon had already arrived. But where were the aliens?

 

* * * * *

 

On another location at the alien base, Jones and the remainder of Gamma had already moved into an adjacent chamber south of the lift and had found it also empty of aliens. But they seemed to have reached the base's southern limit, since now the chamber only had passageways west and east. Pairing up with Garcia they both started moving towards their right, trying to keep as much possible to the walls as possible. Jones wanted to put a plasma round up the arse of the alien who had designed the place. These empty chambers didn't had much for cover, and if you approached one of the small corridors that connected them you risked taking a shot on your back or sides if the other passageways weren't clear of hostiles.

 

The corridor linked this room to a darker one, it seemed and both men had trouble seeing what was on its inside, even with their passive IR scopes. Then both of them saw a figure moving on the shadows inside and they dropped to their knees. An armed Sectoid was moving away from them on the other chamber, apparently oblivious to their presence, going further into the depths of the darkness.

 

Jones heard Rodriguez whispering to his mike. "Captain, we have...Coño" Jones had seen it also. A Cyberdisk had moved into their view, hovering two feet above the ground and following the Sectoid's path. But the smaller alien had stopped on his tracks to look upwards and it made the alien machine stop right by the entrance to the chamber, where it started to turn into the X-Com's troopers direction to choose another path.

 

He set his plasma rifle into autofire and discharged a burst, but only his first shot hit the target. The rest of them went wild into the ceiling as Rodriguez threw his metal bulk over him, sending both men crashing into the walls of the room where they were standing.

 

The maneuver probably had saved Jones's life since the Cyberdisk immediately completed its turn and fired back at its attacker, filling the space where the troopers was with heavy plasma fire. Then both men were filled with a shock wave, followed by heat and the wailing sound of a dying Sectoid. The two other troopers on the other side of the room had heard the warning but had refrained from shooting until their comrades were clear. But the moment Rodriguez pushed Jones they had fired their weapons at the body of alien war machine, breaching its armor in several locations. As the energy of their plasma bolts bled to the engine that powered the Cyberdisk, it detonated the Elerium inside in an explosion that left no trace of the machine and killed the alien behind it.

 

Meanwhile the rest of First Platoon had also established contact with the aliens on the north as they tried to link with the Fourth. As soon as Lt. Hanley was leading Delta into a chamber close to the main storage area they had been greeted by shots coming from their left. Looking in that direction he saw a Sectoid standing at the end of a small corridor, that afterwards went back through a door on its far end, in no doubt the place from where it had came from originally.

 

He waved Kyle and Bearpaw forwards to flush the alien out of its hiding. But as both men started to approach the door, walking close to the walls of the corridor, Bearpaw suddenly came to an abrupt stop and jumped towards Kyle's direction. A plasma shot hit the location where he had just been standing coming from the wall in front of the door. "Sir, there's a window there"

 

"Get back" He looked in the direction of the storage area, in time to see Bradley also recoiling to avoid a series of green bolts that darted from that direction. "Captain, we're in trouble here" But no response came over the radio.

 

* * * * *

 

"How's it going?" Johnson called to White and Patterson as soon as he cleared the lift and placed himself against one of the walls, with Crossett right next to him. The sound of battle could be already heard through his suit built-in microphones when he had reached the Seventh and last level. Looking around he saw that Fourth Platoon had already moving and only his squad and Beta remained from the Third.

 

"Colonel", White started, "we have became separated. First and Second are some distance to the southwest, according to the GPS. Captain Jerrel has found some strong opposition and they are trying to surpress it. The Second is trying to link with us but progressing slowly since they have encountered some sort of bunkers. So far they have only found Sectoids and Cyberdisks". Patterson's voice came next. "The Fourth is to the north, getting ready to move into a huge chamber that is directly next to us. Lt. Cruz is leading Omicron and Omega and trying to link with the Second".

 

Johnson looked at the other end of the chamber. Sergeant Hopkins and Levine had already taken their heavy weapons from their backs and were busy loading them with football shaped projectiles, while the rest of Beta took a watch at the storage area next to them. "Let's hope we don't need that".

 

* * * * *

 

Moving eastwards, Markovitch found that it would take time before joining with the Third and clearing this portion the base from aliens. Kappa had first reported the existence of what they called 'bunkers', enclosured rooms that at least seemed designed to them as fortifications although there seemed to be no aliens inside them.

 

She had also came up into one. It stood in the middle of the chamber, some eight feet away from the walls, with windows facing all directions that allowed seeing what was going on the other side of the bunker. It seemed empty but as they were approaching it from the north a Sectoid popped in one of the windows that took a series of shots at them, taking cover afterwards.

 

"Get that window covered" Dare and Yu stayed put and waiting for the alien to show its ugly face again while she and Prune moved low and forward, each one taking opposite directions as they went around the bunker to find the entrance to the place. On her side she only found another window and she placed herself out it's vision while considering if she should throw a grenade inside. Then her radio went active: "Captain! I've found the door. I..." Prune's voice went silent and a bad feeling swept through her.

 

She stepped backwards to see what had happened to him. "Prune! Are you alright?" She looked into the direction of the trooper but saw nothing for a second until all of a sudden he jumped back into her line of view, moving so fast that she wondered from what he was running. Confusion clicked inside her as her warrior's instincts told her that he was attacking, as he lifted his laser rifle and fired a three-shot salvo at her. They all hit on her chest and arms and for a moment she faltered, too dumbstruck from the shock of the critical injuries that she had just suffered.

 

Only after a brief moment did she realized what was happening and why that her armor hadn't been breached. She was wearing the new suits and their protection made the laser rifles almost useless against them. But before she could warn the other squad members she felt an electric shock going through her head while Prune suddenly stopped his attack.

 

For the first time in her life she felt her body was the host of two minds, and one of them was trying to overcome the other and gain control of her arms. She realized in astonishment that her index finger was already gripping the trigger of her plasma rifle while her left hand was reaching for a grenade on her belt. Closing her eyes to try to shake off the alien presence, she suddenly saw the face of a Sectoid in orange and green colors, floating in the middle of dark geometric patterns that were constantly shifting. The alien was looking straight at her and grinning and she saw that its arms were slowly expanding themselves and reaching towards her. But as they were about to touch her, a feeling of nausea and repulsion overcome her and she opened her eyes.

 

She found herself looking at Prune as if he was at the end of a tunnel and she wondered how long it had passed since he was still in the same position. Slowly the dark edges of the tunnel started to resolve themselves into the features of the alien base. But Prune was already starting to grip his rifle again. "Prune is mind-controlled! Get him" She moved away from his aim and back to the other side of the bunker.

 

The alien controlling him probably had a good idea of her position so she crouched as low as possible as she passed below the window, on her way to circle the room. When she reached the other side and looked past the metal corner she knew it for certain. A shot came flying on her direction but it missed hitting the wall on her right. But instead of the heat of a plasma shot, she felt vertigo and a little bit of nausea. "Let's see how fast you can reload that thing".

 

She broke into a run to the direction of the alien. Passing through another window she saw by the corner of her eye that there seemed to be some commotion at where she had left the rest of her squad but she ignored it. Reaching the other side she turned and saw two Sectoids by the bunker's door, one of them holding a heavy plasma but with its back to her while the other was facing her with a launcher. It had been swift in reloading. She tried to fire at him but one of her feet skidded on the metal pavement and she lost her balance as the alien fired its weapon. She saw the shot, a violet ball, hitting her helmet and ricocheting backwards before detonating, overwhelming her senses and plunging her into darkness.

 

* * * * *

 

The call from Delta nearly hadn't been noticed by the rest of the First Platoon. They had entered an open and wide darkened chamber on the west of the base that was filled with luxuriant alien vegetation. The plants looked more as if they belonged to a marine life documentary. Most of them had no leaves or something that could be characterized as such. Instead they sprouted orange, blue and violet tubes coming from a central pulpous mass on the ground.

 

The whole cave was more of a short maze: it was two stories high and it was divided into smaller areas that were linked one to another by tight corridors that marked the higher areas about. The alien vegetation was present everywhere, together with another type of extraterrestrial life, that one more deathly and dangerous. Alpha and Gamma were trying to move along the place, but the Sectoids were entrenched, transforming the task of negotiating the corridors very dangerous.

 

Jones had just thrown a grenade into the direction of one of the aliens that was preventing them of moving to the next clear area. It went off setting ablaze the vegetation around it but he couldn't tell if the alien had been killed. Looking around he saw that the Captain was also busy: a Cyberdisk had just popped up in the higher ground and hit Pershing with a plasma shot that brought the X-Com soldier to his knees. He tried to help the officer in bringing the alien down but to no avail since the alien simply took a couple of steps backwards and moved out of their weapons line of sight.

 

On the other side of the room, Sergeant Baker dodged for one of the corridors as a grenade dropped out of nowhere. The explosion filled the area where he was with smoke and injured one of the troopers. Evans joined him in the relative protection of the corridor as he took out a banana shaped clip from his belt and locked it into the ammunition compartment of his heavy plasma. There was some green fluorescence inside the room that came out of the plants and the contours of both men's suits were marked by the hue.

 

"This can't go on for very long. Gamma is in trouble on the other side of this elevation". The soldier nodded as he reached for his chest with his left hand and brought his heavy plasma to his waist level with his right hand. "Alpha squad! Let's show them how we do things" He activated the control mechanism of his flying suit and Evans mimicked his motion. Using the anti-gravity device, he gave himself an upward motion to elevate himself to the level of the higher area above. In a second he found himself looking at a Sectoid and a Cyberdisk standing in the above platform and he killed off the motion but remained standing on the air. The alien was closer to him and tried to react but Baker simply moved his weapon into his direction and fired at it. One of his shots hit the heavy plasma it was carrying while another neatly clove off its leg with the precision of a surgeon, cutting completely through the muscle and bone. The alien shrieked and fell off to the ground below.

 

On his left, Evans tried to replicate his movement but something went wrong. He gave too much upward thrust and his head hit the ceiling. At that moment he cut the motion but it made him to start to fall down. "Evans! Get it under control" Baker shouted but it was too late: the Cyberdisk was on the process of turning its attention to both troopers.

 

The X-Com sergeant was finishing his landing when he spotted the motion of the flying disk and could only use one hand to point at the alien. His shots missed wide to the left, carving themselves into the dark walls of the chamber but the machine was more successful. Stopping its movement, it let go of its own plasma weapon at the other soldier who was only now getting his airborne movement under control. But it was too late for Evans: several green bolts hit him and his hand dropped from the flying controls, deactivating the Elerium device and putting him again under the influence of gravity.

 

Baker watched in horror as he felt down to the ground below and hit it with his head straight. The helmet stood in a strange angle afterwards in relation to the body: even if he had survived the injuries of the plasma shots he had broken his neck on the crash.

 

"God damn it Evans" Another shot burst a purple plant close to him and his white armor became peppered by colored fragments from it. "Time to die asshole" He located the Cyberdisk and the rest of his squad joined him in bringing down the alien. It simply disintegrated himself after taking a number of plasma and laser shots, transforming itself into a fireball that engulfed the upper platform.

 

* * * * *

 

At the order of the Captain, Epsilon and Tau squads began moving into the big storage area. They had spotted already a couple of Sectoids but they had been dropped by the squad's long range fire. Corporal Logan was one of the first inside, dashing towards one the big containers that filled the room as his squad mates covered him from any alien that dared to poke his head from cover.

 

Reaching the one to his left he turned his body while still racing and leaned heavily with his back against the cylinder. The other soldiers were starting to move, so he brought his own heavy plasma around the circular glass surface to cover for their advance and took a look on the right side. In the corridor formed by the alien metal and glass containers no motion was discernible, but the noise of laser fire coming from the other direction told him that Tau had just found some alien targets.

 

Suddenly he felt something moving inside the cylinder next to him and he took a step forwards and turned, pointing his weapon at it. A big brown and orange crab like creature sporting massive claws and a tail was floating inside the dense liquid. Its eyes seemed open but Logan saw that it was dead. The motion was provoked by when he hit the container with the bulk of his power suit. Looking around he saw that some of the other cylinders were filled of other strange bodies, although one had something quite familiar. A human skeleton was placed inside, standing on its feet and facing him. The skull had its mouth opened and it looked to him that it was grinning back at him. "What's so funny?" He whispered but catching a glimpse of movement through the corner of his eye he pumped himself back to cover.

 

A Cyberdisk was moving along the containers and fired a shot at him that missed and hit the side of the container instead. The alien glass vaporized and the liquid inside started to pour out into the floor. "My turn". He pointed his heavy plasma into the direction of the alien machine but found out that it was gone. Looking around the area he tried to figure out to where it had escaped but a cry from behind told him that something was wrong. Manning was moving to reach his position but as soon as he came out of hiding a full plasma blast caught him squarely on his chest. "Where..?"

 

Looking upwards he saw to where the Cyberdisk had gone. The machine had used its anti-gravity drive to propel itself to the ceiling away from his view and was standing now close to one of the towers that were standing on the middle of the room, standing higher than the containers. Another shot came by from that direction and hit him on the shoulder. He felt a sudden wave of heat on that part of his body but the absence of pain told him that the armor had resisted the attack. Getting behind the cylinder again he extended his hand to try to reach for Manning, who had tried to get up by inside, only to crash into the ground again and stay there immobile. However another shot to brace himself as closer as possible to the few cover that he had. He saw the Sergeant and Deckard looking at him and Manning from their backward position but waved them off. "There one of them inside that damn tower"

 

* * * * *

 

On the side of Epsilon, Greaves' squad was also having its share of problems. They had smoked two Sectoids that had tried to hinder their advance but now the alien snipers inside the two towers in front of him were being too efficient in pinning everyone down with heavy plasma rounds. Looking backwards he saw the Lieutenant with his hand to his ear as if trying to talk on the radio, a futile movement that came out of habit, since the suits were soundproof. They were all trying to surpress the aliens inside both towers, but to no avail. The whole thing was turning into a game of shoot and hide that was bogging them down.

 

The alien plant inside the room was a monstrosity that seemed to dwell in darkness on the contrary of normal plants. All of the members of Omega squad avoided getting closer to the colored tangle of vines and cones that stood in the middle of the room since it would stir occasionally by itself as if it was aware of the presence of intruders inside the room. But the humans paid it little attention, as they used the garden room on the side of the storage area to support the advance of the main force. Rumpole had already managed to hit a Cyberdisk that was on the far side of the room and advancing to bring more firepower into the already beleaguered X-Com troops. It had exploded airborne, spreading debris all over the back area and started a number of small fires but its destruction hadn't helped the main problem. There were four towers in the middle of the room, disposed in a square, and the aliens inside had learned to avoid the windows that lead into their direction after one of them had been downed by Omega's accurate fire. But there were still Sectoids inside that were pinning the other troops down and approaching the towers seemed impossible because of the amount of cross fire that the aliens were able to place.

 

Leaving the rest of his squad members, King moved towards the western entrance to see if they could cross into the next room and get a better firing position. He moved around the alien plant in the middle and saw that the next room was the one were Delta had been stopped on their tracks by fire coming down of a corridor.

 

The alien that popped out again of the door at the far end told him just how risky it would be to try to advance. A triple shot from his weapon hit the wall of the corridor close to him, with two shots passing by him. "No luck here" He moved back to reach his squad and saw that the alien fire had hit the plant. It was now releasing some sort of greenish smoke from the holes carved by the plasma.

 

That brought an idea to King's mind and as he went by the soldiers he started to issue orders.

 

A few seconds later, Omega squad was about to get into action. King was standing down with his right knee on the ground, with Deschamps standing right behind him and holding his heavy plasma ready. They had retracted to a chamber eastward that contained one of the bunkers like the ones found by Second Platoon, leaving the other team on the alien garden.

 

"Get that can opener working. I'm ready". Deschamps took aim at the side of the nearest elevated structure and started putting heavy plasma fire into it. The alloys the aliens used in the walls of the base and the inside of UFOs were tough, several times stronger that Kevlar armor and capable of resisting even the most heavy plasma or laser fire. However if hit from an angle their crystalline structure would stress and eventually give in. The effect had first been noticed by X-Com troops in the middle of UFO assaults. Sometimes a stray heavy plasma shot would cave big holes in the interior walls of the UFO that had previously withstood several frontal shots.

 

Two shots of Deschamps's first salvo made hits against the wall but only his second try opened a breach on the tower's side right close to the window. It quickly became enlarged as the Canadian soldier poured more plasma fire. It was the literal opening that King was waiting for. Looking through the scope of his heavy laser, he saw the upper torso and large head of a Sectoid appearing through the hole that Deschamps had cut. He put the sight right on it and, letting go of a small breath pressed the trigger. A golden beam crossed the space between the barrel of his gun and the hole at the speed of light, leaving a burning image on his retina. After a quick blink of his eyes to clear the side effect on his vision he saw the Sectoid falling into the ground. "Left tower clear" He then moved his aim to the far structure while on the other room was Rumpole also clearing the other two towers from the aliens inside.

 

* * * * *

 

"Go" Logan immediately sprung into action and started to run for the base of the tower as the call came in the squad's radio channel. He didn't bother to shoot; instead he wanted to get the Cyberdisk's attention without getting killed in the process. The machine didn't disappoint him: a shot dizzied past his right shoulder and hit the side of a cylinder full of a greenish fluid.

 

Correcting its aim, the flying machine let go of another shot as Logan was almost reaching the tower that hit him on his left knee. This time the armor failed to protect him and he came crashing into the ground, his forward motion sending him sliding to the side of the tower. But the mini-UFO paid a heavy price for its success. Sergeant Grisham and Deckard had left their cover at the time of the Cyberdisk's first shot and now fired their own rifles at the machine. Looking upwards, Logan saw a number of red laser shot hit it and making it falter on the air, right above him.

 

He realized what was about to happen. "Shit" Ignoring the pain from his wounded knee he rolled himself around the corner, barely avoiding that the now dead Cyberdisk hulk crushed him as it felt and hit the location where he was standing two seconds before. His radio immediately started cracking: "Logan! Are you alright?"

 

He was already bringing out his medi-kit while looking for any Sectoids that might be still lurking around this tower. "Yeah".

 

The Sergeant voice made it quite clearly how pissed he was at the Corporal. "You were supposed to have gone the other way! Don't you know these things go off when they die!?" Logan grinned to himself, thinking that the machine's computer probably also had thought the same, since the other side was less open. However, Cyberdisks went off when they got hit by plasma fire and besides him, the only one who was using plasma weapons on the squad was the Sergeant, who had the lowest marksmanship of the four men team. He looked backwards and saw that Deckard had reached his position while the Sergeant was helping out Manning, who stood sprawled close to the container that had the human skeleton inside. The skull still looked to him as if it was grinning.

 

* * * * *

 

The "farm" had finally been cleared of the remaining aliens but at a tough price: besides the death of Evans, Rodriguez had caught a plasma blast below his left knee that severely limited his movement. He could still fight but they had been forced to leave him behind. Gamma was now trying to flank the alien stronghold that was pinning Delta while Alpha had reached the west end of the base and was keeping an watch in a long corridor that linked several empty chambers and that ended at a single door.

 

Captain Jerrel looked at the corridor in front of him: it was equal to the description the Lieutenant had given him, with a door at the left side and a window on the right. Both of them seemed to form a perfect ninety-degree angle and, according to Delta there was an alien on the small right chamber. Jones was carefully approaching the window of the room. When he reached it, he took a careful look inside and saw the alien that Delta had mentioned, standing with its back turned to him. He simply brought up his laser rifle and killed it, with the alien having no notice of who had been its executioner. "The door is clear" He heard and saw the Captain and Rodriguez, who were following him, had already gone inside the entrance behind him and were starting to use a small lift inside.

 

Following them, he found himself in another corridor, this time pointed westwards that turned on its end to the right, with another small lift at the intersection. "Grenade" Pershing called and, looking around for cover and finding none he pressed himself into the end of the corridor, with the other troopers nearly crushing him against the wall.

 

The noise of the explosion was followed by the death cry of a Sectoid that was in the hiding in the side corridor ahead. Jones opened his eyes to see that the walls in front of him were filled of small man sized chambers built into the metal surface. The one in front of him gleamed with ice inside a glass window that accounted for half of the chamber, briefly lighted by the red and orange small lights blinking on top of it.

 

They all seemed empty but inside the one in front of Jones he could see the shape of a Sectoid standing immobile inside the small compartment. Its lidless eyes seemed dead but its mouth suddenly opened itself and the door of the chamber started to open. "Captain" He shouted as the barrel of his laser rifle begun to glow in reddish tones.

 

* * * * *

 

A grenade came skidding down the metal floor, in the direction of Tau squad who now had passed the nearest towers and had cleared more than half the room. Greaves and the other soldiers took cover behind the cylinders, of whom now there wasn't any intact until it went off harmlessly. The whole place was now still a shooting alley, where standing in the open was close to jump from a plane with a parachute. However, the squads on the chambers on the left flank were making the difference as they flanked the aliens and either flush them out into the direction of Fourth Platoon or took them from their side.

 

As he resumed his advance, a Sectoid suddenly came out of the ground level door of one of the second line of towers that they were approaching. But the alien was unarmed and, waiving his upper thin limbs on the air, it started to try to run away in panic. He was cut down by a shot from Tau's solders.

 

"The aliens seem to be caving in". Someone commented on the radio and Greaves thought it also. They could now see the metal walls that marked the end of the storage area.

 

Then it came. A sound so small that nearly passed his attention and that looked funny to him as something too fast for him to discern raced by his right side, almost running into the side of one of the towers that were already behind him. The channel was suddenly active and someone had recognized what it was and tried to issue a warning, but it was too late.

 

Turning his head and looking backwards, he saw in horror as the other side of the area suddenly became lit in near blinding while light. The silhouette of the still cylinders standing up and one of the towers disappeared for one brief moment under the flare, which was followed by a shock wave that made him take a step forwards to steady himself on his feet. His suit's suppressor cut in most of the noise but the rumble was still loud enough to make him rattle. The light was soon replaced by a thick dark smoke coming out from the containers right behind him, several of which had caught fire and from the liquid inside them that had simply been vaporized by the heat released by the explosion.

 

A second later someone started to scream into the platoon's circuit, filling it with cries of pain: "My legs! My legs! Help me" He turned to the direction of the blast but a call cut over the wailing voice and stopped him. "This is Major Patterson. Epsilon and Tau keep your positions and don't show yourselves. Lambda's position has been hit by a blaster bomb! We are moving to help them. Lieutenant you're in charge now".

 

* * * * *

 

Moving into location that had been targeted by the alien's bomb, Johnson found the whole area had been completely leveled by the power of the explosion. The only remains left of the cylinders were the supports that attached them to the ground and one of the towers had been reduced to pieces of its walls standing from the ground, torn and gutted by the blast. Lambda's fate wasn't less gruesome. The Captain and two of the soldiers had been transformed into piles of blood and metal that had been thrown against the walls by the force of the explosion. The remaining soldier had been somewhat away from the explosion and only the armor of his power suit hadn't killed him right away, but his legs had been sliced from the rest of his body right by the hips. A soldier had moved to help him but found out that it was already dead, probably from the bleeding and the shock of having both his legs amputated. Johnson saw the trooper indication that the downed soldier was already dead and shook his head in frustration and anger. "Alpha reports they might have found the origin of the shot". White spoke to Johnson. "Let's get back into the other chamber and feed the coordinates to Hopkins right away"

 

Moving backwards they passed by Beta's Sergeant, which was in the entry of the lift's room, getting his blaster launcher ready. It was a big blue-gray tube that opened at one end looking like a bazooka. On its side Hopkins had painted in white letters: Big Momma II. Inside it contained the most powerful weapon that Johnson had ever seem used by individual soldiers on a battlefield, besides the Army's experiments with jeeps equipped wit David Crockett tactical nuclear missiles in the fifties.

 

The weapon was loaded by its barrel and the projectiles were the shape and size of a football. They were packed with explosive Elerium and carried a fuse that would detonate the matter-antimatter inside upon contact. Each one was powerful enough to level a whole city block and it was X-Com's new weapon, after the engineers had managed to replicate the one retrieved on the aftermath of the alien attack on Complex YY-18.

 

Hopkins had listened to White's and Alpha instructions and was busy introducing the data on the weapon through a small keypad set on the side of the weapon. Each bomb carried a small Elerium engine and guidance system that powered it through the way to its target. The weapon had two modes available: free-flight, were after its launch from the barrel the bomb could be directly guided by the launcher's operator to its target through a small control joystick; and pre-programmed, where the operator would introduced a series of navigational way points into the computer each one indicating for how it should travel in a particular direction before turning into the next way point. The first mode was better used in an open battlefield and on far away moving targets; the second one allowed it to be used in enclosured spaces, as long as the operator had a precise idea of the obstacles standing in the path to the targets. Any mistake could prove deadly for the soldier using the weapon and for any friendly troops nearby. But if the coordinates were correctly judged and introduced, the combination of the guidance mechanism and of the anti-gravity engine allowed the bomb to make ninety degree turns around corners or for it to stop over an enemy trench and come down directly on the enemy soldiers standing inside it.

 

When he was finished, Hopkins checked the coordinates again before issuing a warning. "All clear! One...two...three" He then pressed the trigger.

 

Although it traveled at half the speed of sound, he saw the football clearly stopping in the storage area in front of him and moving upwards to use the clear space close to the ceiling, avoiding any obstacles as it sped towards its target area.

 

* * * * *

 

Slowly, a feeling of warmth started to fill her body, pulling her away from unconsciousness as the chemicals inside her blood stream rose her pulsation. Slowly moving her arms she found them still inside the metal exoskeleton of her suit, but they seemed cold. Opening her eyes, Markovitch found herself leaning against the wall of the bunker, with Prune lying on the ground close to her and being attended by Camay. The young trooper still had a dazzled look on his eyes as he noticed that she had awaken and turned his neck to face her. "Hey Cap. Sorry for what happened back there".

 

She winced, trying to clear away the last of the stun round that she had taken squarely on the face. Her cheeks and nose were burning but she didn't seem to have any other injuries. "No problem". She replied in a light tone. "But when we're back please report yourself to Sergeant Krenon for latrine scrubbing duty. What happened to you?"

 

"Dare and Yu had some trouble restraining me. Apparently I started applying my head as a hammer on them when they tried to grab me. But when they finally did, the alien simply gave away from me and controlled one of them". He shivered as if recalling something scary and painful. She looked away from him and to the figures of two Sectoids lying at a corner. She pointed with her head. "Is that the bastard?"

 

"Yeah Cap, Omicron found the two of them and you laying around on the floor. It looks like the shot that stun you also brought these two down. I'd wish I could kill both of them slowly but the Lt. said he's more worth to us alive". He tried to raise himself but gave up with a cry of pain. Camay was checking on the Captain now but quick turned to him. "Lay down your thick head shit for brains! If the blood clot I think you have on your head gets dislodged from its position you'll either die of a heart attack or the aliens better turn vegetarian if they want to use you for food" He simply winced.

 

"Camay, where's the Lt.?" The female private removed the medi-kit that was attached to her arm. "They are finishing clearing the south, Cap. The other platoons are still trying to figure out the location of the command center and are moving towards the area that we haven't checked, but it's being heavily defended by the aliens". As to reinforce her statement the heavy thump of an explosion was suddenly heard. "That must be Beta at work. Am I OK?"

 

"Yeah. Think you need more stimulant Cap?" She asked before placing the medi-kit away. "I'm awake now". Getting up she saw the stun launcher that had brought her down, lying around the floor with a number of ammunition rounds close to it. "Keep an eye on those aliens. Use this at the minimum sign of trouble". She pointed at the launcher with her feet and Camay nodded. Locking her helmet back on, she grabbed her gun and checked for the position of her platoon.

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Three - Hell's Keep

 

 

February 8th, 2001

 

Archuletta Plateau, New Mexico, US

 

 

Captain Markovitch was speeding her way across the base, looking into her GPS and noticing that Lieutenant Digriz's position marked him and the rest of her platoon on one of the alien base's corners. She pumped her legs into a jog until their locating; passing through a number of chambers until she finally reached them. He sounded relief upon seeing her moving into his side. "Glad to see you up, Cap. As soon as we finish here this whole area will be clear and we can join the Colonel. We waited for you as soon as I knew you were coming".

 

"How did things go at our end?" She still had no idea of what had happened while she had blackout. "Some trouble, but we've come off light. But...we've found some...prisoners".

 

"Are they alright?" The Lieutenant's voice seemed uneasy as he spoke. "Well Cap, they are safe for now, but it's better that you and the Colonel see them as quickly as possible and decide what to do with them after all of this is over". She was about to question him about what he meant but the sound of distant battle told her that it was not the time now.

 

She looked at the last bunker: her troops were already covering its inside, posted at all the windows. Taking a lot, she saw that there was some sort of alien equipment leaning against the walls, but otherwise the place was empty of any bugs. However the red square on the center on the floor and the violet glow indicated that there was still a room upstairs to check. "Let's get it done". He nodded and moved around the bunker with her on his tail, to where two troopers were waiting by the door that led into the enclosured area. Digriz waved them forward.

 

One of the soldiers activated the entry control inside the metal wall and the other one immediately jumped inside as soon as the door opened with his red laser rifle ready. Both soldiers moved swiftly through the entrance and, after taking a moment to look upwards to the hole on the ceiling. Markovitch followed Digriz as he went swiftly on their path. Suddenly a commotion made her look upwards. "Cease-fire! It's unarmed"

 

Both of them got up and when she cleared the lift one of the soldier turned to them and said. "All clear! We found a civilian Lieutenant. He attacked me as soon as I came up and I had to threw him away from me". Looking over his shoulder she saw him: a figure crouched in one corner of the room, in no doubt scared to death. A bent plastic chair was on the floor, probably he had tried to use it with no success against the soldier clad in the power suit.

 

"He looks normal". The lieutenant commented. "Already checked. Neither one of the others or a hybrid. He's human alright". Markovitch wondered what that was about as she approached the figure. She could now see that it was a frail-looking old man who started to tremble as she came near. His hair was all white and his eyes were small and dark, concealed under thick eyebrows as dirty as his scruffy beard. Getting close she moved a hand to help him get up. "It's OK", she spoke to him but he recoiled backwards against the wall. She then remembered that they were using the armored suits and took off her helmet to show him that they were human. "Take your helmets off", she ordered the rest of the soldiers.

 

The man looked first in suspicion then in amazement as she uncovered her head, followed by the others. Gathering his strength, he finally spoke, in a groggy voice, before reaching for her hand "Who...who are you?"

 

She helped him get up. "You're safe now and that's all that matters. Lieutenant, send someone to relieve Camay from watching the aliens and get her here to assist him". She remembered the battle. "And sent Krenon with the rest of men to help the Colonel".

 

"Finally". He nearly dropped to the ground if Markovitch hadn't moved to grab him. With extreme caution she positioned him against one of the walls and brought up her own medi-kit. Applying it over his chest she saw that his life-signs seemed to be weak but stable but she left that decision to Camay when she arrived.

 

* * * * *

 

They had finally discovered what seemed to be the location of the alien base's command center and Johnson's face contorted inside the helmet of his power suit. He tried to forget the tiredness that he was already starting to feel as the result of the intense battle they had been fighting. The remaining aliens seemed to be in a corner of the base not yet taken by his forces and First Platoon had reported that they found a large chamber made of raw rock with a smaller armored subchamber inside. Its location put it west, next to the storage area that they had already secured.

 

He had ordered it to be completely surrounded but even that process had been done at a cost. In moving around the center, the soldiers had moved into the power plant that housed the Elerium engines that feed the base with energy. But as they were moving down to the lift that led into the engine room, a blaster bomb had come down the hole on the ceiling and hit the point soldier in the middle of the corridor where he was moving. He had simply disappeared under the immense energy liberated by the detonation of the explosive Elerium in such an enclosured space. There would nothing left to bring back to the base and bury than some melted scraps of the power suit that he was wearing. But the troopers behind him had quickly recovered and pressed forwards, killing all Sectoids above before they had time to fire their blaster launchers again.

 

Now the only place that remained to be swept was the command center itself. Johnson was standing in a room adjacent to it, standing close to one of the red cylinders that occupied every corner of the chamber, placed on top of blue supports. From his position he could see the armored room, where a window was placed on the center of the wall that allowed him to see a small corridor inside. His own motion scanner showed him that there were at least five aliens inside the complex, all spread around the place. Satisfied with his scan he went back into cover, while Crossett, who was standing in front of him, also moved backwards. "Five of them inside. Let's finish this".

 

The entrance to the command center was located on its west side, a large door that was of a darker gray tone that the walls around it. Two pairs of X-Com troopers were standing by it; each placed on one side of the door as the call came. At that moment Pershing and another trooper carrying the E letter on his right breastplate moved forward carrying their heavy plasmas. Placing themselves beside the door, they hold their weapons with both hands at their waist and waited. Jones was moving behind Pershing and as he reached the door he placed his hand over a metal panel attached to the wall.

 

Inside the strong alloy surface an alien device detected the disturbance on the small invisible gravity field it was projecting outside. It then automatically created and expanded a larger anti-gravity field that engulfed every inch of the heavy blast door and the gravity waves impelled it upwards.

 

Both soldiers immediately fired their weapons in the opposite direction of their position as soon as they heard the sloshing sound of the door being activated. The plasma bolts missed the quickly moving door by a fraction of an inch. Inside it a Cyberdisk was waiting some six feet way, its bulk nearly occupying all of the width of the corridor were it was standing. Jones only saw a glimpse of it before it suddenly exploded after taking one of the heavy plasma shots, taking a Sectoid that was standing directly in the front of the doors with him. The inhumane cry it made as it died from the explosion was joined by Pershing exclamation as the blast wave also caught him and threw him backwards. Jones gave a look at him, who was now trying go get back on his feet, before rushing inside and to the right. The other trooper from Epsilon had taken the left route, in a corridor that seemed to surround the inside of the command center.

 

Apparently there was an inner chamber and Jones was walking on a corridor made of metal walls and away from the entrance. Passing along a window; he saw an X-Com trooper standing outside and by the opening, covering his advance, who nodded at him. But at that moment he heard a loud blast coming from the other side of the chamber that made him stop.

 

Johnson had just spotted the trooper from Epsilon passing along the window on his side when the detonation shook him in surprise. Looking at the chamber his brain raced into confusion as he suddenly found himself facing the inside of the corridor as the metal walls disappeared into thin air. The only thing left to mark their existence was torn and sharpened fangs of metal coming out from the ground. "I'm down. Need assistance". The voice of Sergeant Grisham from Epsilon made him jump into action.

 

He had already realized what had happened: the aliens had tried to use one of the blaster launchers to hit the soldiers who were moving inside the corridor but had missed. Avoiding the remains of the walls, he got inside the corridor through the large hole that had just been opened, with Crossett right on his tail and complaining about his reckless attitude. He negotiated the tight confines of the corridor quickly, taking a number of zig and zag turns through the midst of thick smoke, until he reached his goal.

 

Standing on the corridor that had just straightened itself, he saw a blast door directly on the opposite side of the one his soldiers had just used. He also discerned among the mist that a Sectoid standing outside. Both him and Crossett immediately fired their plasma weapons, bringing down the small thin creature to its maker.

 

Some seconds afterwards another figure appeared in front of them, but this time they didn't shoot, recognizing the oval shape of a power suit. Jones looked at them before taking notice of the downed Sectoid in front of him. With one foot he kicked the heavy plasma the alien was carrying away from the body and then kicked the Sectoid to make sure it was dead.

 

Meanwhile Johnson was bringing his motion scanner from his belt and activating it, while Crossett kept an eye on the door. "Three still inside".

 

The bodyguard spoke to him without taking his attention to the door: "You should get back. No point in risking yourself assaulting this room".

 

"That isn't my intention. Someone inside is playing with a blaster launcher. Well, two can also play that game" Johnson moved away from the door and was about to call Hopkins when another nearby explosion was heard, only this time it seemed to be coming from overhead their position. It was followed by a number of secondary blasts that seemed to make the inner chamber and the soldier tremble at each one.

 

"What was that?" Jones grabbed his rifle tighter while Johnson looked upwards in puzzlement. "Guess someone inside had a very stupid idea again". The comment came from Crossett while Johnson again activated his motion scanner. This time the display unit didn't show any light dots that indicated the origin of the movement as also its direction from the scanner. The only thing that he could see was that his troopers were joining him. As soon as reinforcements got to the front of the room he ordered them inside. "There seems to be no one left but be careful", he told the assembled troopers.

 

He was right. Inside the chamber, the X-Com soldiers found its floor lightened by a gleaming yellow light, together with electronic displays built into the walls and a central large lift that pointed to the existence of another upper chamber. As they moved to the alien's final refuge they found that the command center had been gutted by the force of the explosives that the aliens had detonated. They saw the purple bases of alien monitoring stations still attached to the ground, together with the bodies of three Sectoids, one of them with a empty blaster launcher close to it.

 

When he and Crossett moved to join the soldiers above, Johnson was dismayed at the level of destruction he found. There was nothing left still standing in the room. On one of its sides, the metal had been ripped from the wall by the force of the blast, showing the natural rock underneath. Johnson realized that it probably had been the point where the bomb had detonated upon contact.

 

Activating the general radio circuit, he spoke the words that everyone was eagerly waiting to hear: "Attention all squads: the command center has been taken over".

 

* * * * *

 

Digriz had already sent for Camay and was gone himself to lend a hand to the other squads and Markovitch was looking around the large room. Its basic architecture made it alien in design but there were some things that lent it a little bit of humanity, besides the stench that she now started to notice. There was a small sleeping cot made of several pieces of clothing that seemed all sewn together. Next to it there was a jumpsuit as old and dirty as the one the man was wearing, hung upon a protrusion coming from a pole that was scotch taped to the metal wall. Moving closer she noticed in disgust of a plastic bucket half-full of human feces and urine in another corner.

 

On the other side of the room there was a workstation of some sort, made of a broken plastic board placed upon two metal containers. Pieces of disassembled machinery littered it, together with notebooks and some tools. Markovitch opened one of the notebooks: the paper inside was already starting to turn yellow and the edges were curving. It was filled with some sort of technical annotations that she couldn't make any sense. She put it down.

 

Digriz came close. "Captain, the Colonel is calling. They have taken over the command center and killed all the aliens inside. The base seems to be ours". She had completely forgotten of the fighting. "Tell him of what we found here and about the other prisoners. Get the injured ready to be evacuated and take care of things for a while Jim". He nodded and led the two troopers still in the room down. Camay got in the room right afterwards and she immediately went by the figure and checked the man.

 

"He's all right, I guess he just had too much for one day. He will be up in no time". Camay went to work on him and after some seconds, Markovitch saw him stirring and coughing. Regaining his consciousness he turned to them. "Thank you. I never thought I'd see a human face again. These alien bastards! I hope that Attila died slowly".

 

She turned away from the table. "Who?"

 

"The alien who was in charge of all research on humans. I used to called him Attila because although they can't express or feel emotions he seemed to take pleasure in what he did to me, specially when he mind controlled me for no apparent purpose". She recalled the sensation and nodded. "I know what you were saying. He tried to do the same to me but now he's unconscious and guarded".

 

The man nearly jumped to his feet, taking Camay by surprise. "Be very careful! He should never, but never be allowed to awake unless he's in total isolation! He only needs to feel a human presence to try to attack it" She nearly recoiled. "What should we do?"

 

"For now have some one applying him heavy doses of sleeping drugs. They will work on their metabolism and should be enough for now. But afterwards place him on a facility completely isolated from the outside. He must never be aware of where he is or of any human, by sound or sight". He came to her and examined Markovitch. "You say he tried to control you?"

 

"Yeah, I guess. I felt his presence inside me but I managed to make it go away somehow". His eyes went open wide with joy. "Excellent! That means that I was right! Soldier, I'll need to make some tests on you to confirm it, but you must be the proof of what I've suspected for long" He moved his hands in the direction of her head but she took a step backwards.

 

"Now wait a minute there! First it's Captain, Captain Markovitch mister! Second, no one is going to run tests on me" He was puzzled for a second but quickly smiled, trying to reassure her. "Why Captain you don't need to be afraid. They will be quite harmless and simple, only to determine your level of psionics".

 

She surely wasn't convinced. "Psi what?"

 

"Psionic power Captain. The thing that Attila tried to use on you. What I've been researching here for more than twenty years even after the aliens took me prisoner to help in their other nasty work. You might be the next step on human evolution". Camay was standing on the room and at that last sentence she looked at Markovitch in puzzlement. "Tell me, can you feel It also?"

 

"It? What are you talking about now?"

 

"The alien collective mind. See, they are all connected to it you know. I can feel it sometimes because of all the time that I've been mind-controlled by them". He brought his hand to his chin. "Maybe you haven't just been close enough to them to start feeling it".

 

That sent a shiver down Markovitch's spine as she recalled some of her dreams in the past year. "Mister...". He interrupted her. "It's Doctor Finkel, Captain and very much pleasured to meet you". She felt as if he was looking at her like she was a lab rat. "Doctor, start over all of that from the beginning, will you please?"

 

* * * * *

 

It was already late evening and the fighting had ended for hours with the breaking of the aliens' will to fight after the destruction of the command center. The few remaining Sectoids had either panicked and ducked into hiding or were easy prey for the squads assigned to hunt them using motion scanners.

 

But to Johnson it seem that it was still a long way to go before they could pack things up and head for home. In fact, it would be the packing that would take a long time. The captured base was a treasure of supplies and information and most of his remaining men had been assigned to start collecting the material and take it up to the hangar level. The Skyrangers that had brought his team here had already left, carrying the wounded and the unconscious alien that was capable of mental powers, escorted by a fully armed squad. He had alerted the scientists back at the base about how to contain it, based on the information given to him by Markovitch. He would be kept back at Papoose, where there were fewer personnel and less chances for it to try to use its mental powers.

 

Jackson's force had also arrived and a few hours later White informed him that an Army major in charge of a battalion was trying to contact him from outside the base. He had ordered the other Colonel to turn back to Pollock base with most of his forces, since there were no aliens left to fight on the base. Jackson hadn't been too much pleased but with his men occupied here, there was the need to have the other team available in case the aliens made an attack on the US. In the case of the Army major he had to be more adamant: the officer insisted that he had orders from the Secretary of Defense to enter the back, despite Johnson telling him that his help was no longer necessary. By the end he was forced to pull rank over the major and order a squad to keep an eye on the small camp that housed the US troops and their vehicles close to the landing pad.

 

He was alone in the ruined command center, trying to understand what had happened here. It seemed that the alien carrying the blaster launcher had deliberately killed himself and taken all of the aliens and equipment inside the room as well. Their bodies were still lying around close to the walls to where they had been thrown by the shock wave of the explosion. Was it just an accident, a wrong coordinate set into the guidance mechanism in the rush of the attack or did he really do it to prevent his capture and of the information that this room was sure to held inside the ruined control tables?

 

Moving towards the large central lift, he realized that it didn't matter at the end. The base had been taken over with acceptable casualties. He still felt troubled by that word, 'acceptable', from the moment he had used it to make his first report to Major Prescott and Mother One.

 

Six men had died and an equal number had been injured out of the plus fifty he had brought here. A full platoon had been taken out of commission in a fight that didn't last for more than an hour. It would take a while to replace them but the worse was for the ones who had been left behind. For some they had been fighting a major war for more than two years, with few chances of getting back home to see their loved ones or even take a leave. In some cases they had managed to bring their spouses and children closer to the base, taking jobs in Vegas or other city nearby, but he had heard that some simply had received letters from attorneys informing them of divorce suits being filled or simple phone calls.

 

That left most of the people at the base left only with their comrades, the ones with whom they fought, trained and lived under the same roof. When they got back at Area 51 the mood would be somber and dark for some time, as their deaths would be hard to come over.

 

Reaching the level below, he was startled to see the large doors in front of him opening but tried to relax as a figure in power armor came through and saluted him.

 

He replied almost casually and Lt. Digriz started to speak. "Sir, the major told me that I'd find you here".

 

"What's the problem, lieutenant?" He had given Patterson orders not to be disturbed for some time and he didn't felt particularly happy of having to get back to deal with the whole base.

 

The young officer simply paced uneasily on his feet. "I'm sorry sir. You should just came with me and see for yourself. It's..."

 

Johnson felt complied to work him to simply speak it out, but noticed how distressed he was. Too much stress was going over everyone, not just him. "Lead the way then".

 

They left the command complex and headed out without saying a word for the direction of the lab area, with Crossett following them. They finally reached a chamber that had a small lift located in a small space surrounded by metal walls on three sides. Digriz looked upwards before getting into the red and violet light, clearly fearing something and Johnson wondered what it might be. On his back Crossett gripped his heavy plasma tighter.

 

Waving their arms upward inside the lift, it propelled them to another alien room. Its general disposition was the same of most of the ones found in the base but this time the walls had long rows of glass containers rimmed with a metal supporting structure.

 

Johnson nearly recoiled and he felt his stomach tightening as he noticed what was inside, while Crossett uttered a small curse. The containers were caves and most of them seemed occupied. Living things, moving and wailing and occasionally hitting the glass, and most of them seemed...human.

 

There was a man that had six arms, the two extra pairs coming out from underneath his armpits, together with another extra set of legs. He was using them to bang on the glass in a mad rage and screaming. Another was a woman with her body and skull full of scales and a tail coming out of the end of her back, making her look as if she was a walking lizard. She was looking at them with attention but occasionally would hiss and open her mouth to show long canines. In a cage next to hers, a moving mass of flesh colored tentacles could be seen, some of which seemed to be grossly deformed legs and arms. On its top a human head stood out, staring at them.

 

The room was filled with the deafening noise from the alien's generic experiments: some were making guttural, animal sounds, while others were sobbing and crying while hidden in one dark corner of the cages were they were standing. It stuck Johnson that they probably were still perfectly conscious of what the aliens had done to them. But the majority would be plainly aggressive at the X-Com soldiers.

 

"Oh my God..." It was too much for him to hold and he headed back down, with the two other men following him. When they reaching the lower level he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Digriz waited for some seconds before asking: "What are we going to do with them sir?"

 

Johnson found himself too shocked to clearly think, after seeing the horrors above. "I...I don't know". He listened to his voice and it surprised him how weak he had sounded.

 

"Sir, we gotta help these people". Crossett simply shook his head. "Lt., they are way beyond our help".

 

Johnson saw Digriz look back at the soldier with surprise and anger. "We have to take them back! We just can't leave them here"

 

"Yeah? To where? I've seen them once and they will plague my nightmares now for the rest of my life. They have just made me decide that I'd prefer to kill myself than to be captured and turned into one of those poor bastards above".

 

That last remark made Johnson realized what was to be done. "You're right Crossett. The aliens have taken these people away from us for good. They have either lost their humanity or their will to live and will never be accepted back into society. They are already dead".

 

"Sir! We have labs back at the base. There must be something they can do to help them, to reverse what the aliens have done to them".

 

The Colonel shook his head. "I understand your feelings Digriz, but I seriously doubt it's possible with our present technology. And even if we could, would you want to go through the same thing again that the aliens did it to you, without knowing if it would work?"

 

Digriz thought about it for a second, then suddenly hit the metal wall with his hand. "Shit" He started banging on the surface with both his arms, using all his force. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit" It lasted for two seconds before Johnson and Crossett grabbed his power suit and pulled him back from the wall. He simply stood there, closing his eyes to clear the tears while the other two men had to hold him to prevent Digriz from falling into the ground since his legs seemed to have gone limp.

 

"What are we going to do sir?" He spoke in a meekly voice as both of them pulled him up. Seeing that he had gained his strength, Johnson let go of him and dropped his hand to the holster on his belt, taking out his plasma pistol from it. "The only humane thing left". Digriz looked in shock as he realized what the Colonel meant.

 

"I'm not going to order you to help me. I leave it to your conscience to decide. Either way I'll take full responsibility afterwards when I report this to Commander Illyuschenko". Both Crossett and Digriz looked at each other before answering. And God have mercy on my soul, he spoke to himself.

 

 

February 9th, 2001

 

Far Side of the Moon

 

 

The Large Scout was travelling high above the surface, moving through a number of stationary alien ships of all sorts and sizes keeping a loose formation while on the Moon's orbit. The inside of the craft was crowded with two Sectoids manning the piloting stations, while the Commander and two other high-ranking officers stayed on the background, watching the space.

 

Although their gaze was lost upon the view ports full of bright stars, their minds were in a hurried frenzy, an indefinable state unattainable for any human, which mixed logic with primeval instincts, together with a number of telepathic links between them and the rest of their crew. But the most disturbing one was a new presence that started to be felt as the smaller craft had approached a UFO that seemed to dwarf them. As they moved closer and closer the Sectoids inside got more restless, although their expressionless faces were the same and the black eyes were as lifeless as before.

 

The craft finally docked and the trio moved to the airlock on the back of the UFO, which had been connected by the lower castes into a similar opening on the larger craft. The workers had already left the area in a hurry. The three Sectoids moved through the sealed connection and, inside the other craft, moved through a series of corridors and elevators. On their way they passed through a number of aliens of all sorts of races, who didn't even seemed to notice them.

 

Inside each one of them, the tension was rising as they approached their destination. When they finally arrived at the doors leading into the bridge of the UFO, one of the Sectoid officers panicked, letting go of a small shriek and starting to retrace his steps. The other two hesitated as they saw him moving away from him but stood motionless, simply giving him a placid look before turning to face the door.

 

The Sectoid had already covered some distance and started to turn backwards, when the bridge doors suddenly opened themselves with a whooshing sound. The two other Sectoids immediately took a step to the side as a loud roar was heard coming from inside the room, followed by the sound of a plasma pistol being fired. The green discharge hit the fleeing Sectoid on its back, and threw him to the floor, were it stood tainting the metal floor with greenish blood. However, the alien still kept moving and tried to get himself back up again.

 

He didn't go too far. A Muton dressed in a scarlet suit came out of the door, still holding a smoking plasma pistol on his massive hand and looked at the body. Its shoulder and neck muscles were completely tensed, looking more like steel cables that stood clearly against the tight fabric of his uniform. He saw as the injured Sectoid finally got up and, still trembling, tried to run away.

 

Using his powerful legs and hips the Muton got close to the running alien with three steps. One of his large hands grabbed the Sectoid's head as if it was a basketball and pulled it close to him, stopping the other alien's motion. The other hand slowly placed the pistol back to the holster on the Muton's suit. Then he placed it on the Sectoid's neck and, with a sharp push followed by a cracking sound, the Muton separated the other alien's head from its body. Looking at the disentangled pieces of the Sectoid for a second, he dropped them afterwards to the ground.

 

The Sectoid Commander and the other officer didn't saw any of this happen. Instead, their attention was fixed on the newcomer who had just appeared on the doors to watch the demise of the smaller alien. If there had been humans present, they would never forget the sight of the other creature. The alien towered over the Sectoids and wearing an orange cape that hid his body. His head was partially covered by the vests the alien was wearing, which had an upraised tall collar on the sides and back. But the front of the collar narrowly opened itself to reveal a bald and ghostly face. The extraterrestrial looked at the now dead Sectoid and opened his mouth, revealing sharp fangs inside. Releasing a small hissing sound, he then turned to the two Sectoids but didn't make a sound as he faced them, with their minds connecting instead. Meanwhile, the gray flesh around the Sectoids black gloss eyes slightly contracted a movement so subtle that only they took notice of it. It meant that they were afraid, very afraid.

 

Some time later one of the ships of the alien flotilla detached itself from the position it was occupying and started to move over the Moon. When it cleared the natural satellite it accelerate into a high-speed dash into Earth's atmosphere.

 

 

Archuletta Plateau, New Mexico, Earth

 

 

The process of clearing the alien's base from useful components or equipment was going into full scale now after it had been cleared of the remaining aliens. Johnson had ordered a full company of Theta security personnel to help in the process and also to maintain a safety perimeter.

 

The regular Army troops were still in the area, keeping an eye on their activities. The officer in charge of them had tried to call Johnson on the radio a number of times, but he had managed to keep them outside, claiming that the base wasn't fully secured and that the major should contact his X-Com's superiors.

 

They had found a way to open the facility's massive hangar doors and now forklifts where being used to transport heavily laden crates to the Skyrangers who where parked outside and waiting to bring the cargo back to Area 51. It would take a couple more days before the whole process was complete but things were going smoothly.

 

Johnson and Patterson were supervising the whole process from outside, close to the hangar, still clad on their power suits. A trooper that was holding a pair of electro-flares on his hands and waving them up about to lift up from the ground guided a Skyranger that was about to take-off. Below the cockpit, someone had painted a brunette pin-up, wearing too few clothes for her body's voluptuous curves. She had been drawn laying her back over a representation of Earth, her spine fully curved around the sphere, while underneath it was written on white letters: "The X-Lady". Some of the squads were over there, trying to rest before the call would came for them to leave back to the base, their job already finished. They both felt terribly dirty inside but there were some things more important to before heading back to base.

 

Patterson spoke with a voice tired. "Hopkins has finished setting up the explosives on the lab you have ordered demolished. I told him not to discuss the matter with anyone afterwards. Both of us didn't understand the reason why you asked us that but after seeing what I saw there..."

 

Johnson put a hand on his shoulders. "I know. Thanks". The Major looked down. "You've done a terrific job Mike. You should get some sleep and food on the small camp they have made. Seems that things are running smoothly now". Johnson also wanted to lie down as well.

 

"I might. However there's something else for you to deal with: the rescued scientist. He's still down there and is refusing to leave the labs until all the necessary information has been retrieved from them. He claims that it's more important that all of the Elerium or the weapons we are salvaging".

 

Johnson winced. "Markovitch is still with him? Tell her to get the guy moving".

 

"I did but it she told me that you should get down there and see it for yourself". He shrugged his shoulders.

 

Johnson picked up his plasma rifle. "Very well. And get some sleep Mike". He dismissed the Major and headed back to the lift that would take him to the seventh level.

 

After getting down to the lowest level he moved across the base's chambers in his way to the lab where the scientist had been kept captive by the aliens for years. The whole place still gave him the creeps, especially when he came up upon the bodies, either Sectoid or human covered in tarps. A column of about a dozen captured Sectoids passed by him, heavily guarded by two squads in power suits. He moved to the side and watched the restrained aliens, who had their arms tied on the back. The entire column seemed to ignore him but the Lieutenant in charge saluted him as both men passed by one another.

 

He sped up to his destination and came upon one of the enclosured rooms that were the entry to the labs. Opening the door he came inside and used the alien lift to get to the upper level.

 

Markovitch was there, together with a couple of other troopers who had put down their weapons and were occupied following the scientist's orders. "Be careful with that you idiot" The man shouted as one of the troopers nearly dropped a strange looking device from his hands. He then noticed Johnson and spoke: "Get those crates upwards. And where's the damn commander?"

 

Johnson crossed his arms in front of him and stood there. "Sir, I am the damn commander". He then looked back at Markovitch who simply made an expression of hopelessness.

 

The scientist didn't waiver. "Very well. You should get this out of here as soon as possible. This took years to research and the lives of countless research subjects". Judging the man impossible to deal with both their present moods, he ignored him and turned to Markovitch. "What's going on here Captain?"

 

"Well the doctor here claims that he has been working in understanding the alien's mental powers while he was imprisoned here. He says that it's possible for humans to use them using his research".

 

"It is you fool! Haven't you learned anything from what I told you?" He took from the soldier's hands the object that he had nearly dropped. "See this? This is the prototype of a device that allows psi conscious humans to replicate the alien's control powers". Johnson looked at the thing. It was a large tube about the size of a forearm that had a violet globe in one end and spikes at the other.

 

He wasn't impressed. "So why haven't you used it to get out of here?"

 

"We had to work in secret to avoid that the aliens discovered that we were working on this. But by the time we completed it there wasn't anyone of us captives left that had enough psi capabilities to use it. The aliens had for long used them on their experiments".

 

Johnson was shocked at the impersonal tone that he used in speaking of the people that the aliens had used for genetic experiments. The same captives that they had just killed for mercy, placing plasma shots into their heads. "Doctor, first, how did you get here? I'm trying to understand how an alien base this large has sprouted here out of nothing, specially when there's a war going on between us and them for two years now".

 

"I was recruited for this project in 1973 and brought to this base. The government told us that they had known about the alien's existence for a while and that the base had been built as a place for both races to interact and learn from one another".

 

Johnson and Markovitch looked at one another. "The government? Now who in the government did that?"

 

The scientist looked puzzled. "Our superiors, I don't know if they are still the same now. Why haven't you came before to rescue us when the aliens took over the human part of the base and killed most of the people there, taking the rest of us as captives? Why did you had to wait for the hostilities to start?" Seeing Johnson's face he continued. "You don't know what I'm talking about? Who are you? For whom do you work?" He started to bring the device closer to him.

 

Markovitch replied. "We belong to X-Com doctor. That's a force that is dedicated into investigating and fighting the aliens. And until now we never thought that the aliens had ever established a base on Earth or that anyone here had been working with them". The man looked back at them in suspicion but kept his mouth shut.

 

Johnson came closer to her and whispered. "Don't say anything more. Something is very wrong here. We need to get him back to Area 51 so that Robinson can conduct a full interrogation and find out what was really going on here". She nodded and he turned back to him. "Doctor, there seems to be some misunderstanding here. I would like you to get back to our base as soon as possible so that you can clear this out with my superiors".

 

His voice had turned hostile. "I'm not leaving until I know what's going on and not without my data" He took a step backwards.

 

"Very well doctor. I'm sorry it will have to be this way. Captain, restrain him and get him onboard a flight to Area 51 as soon as possible with an escort". She nodded and the two troopers dropped what they were doing and grabbed the man who was about to make a run for the lift on the middle of the room.

 

Ignoring his protests and threats, Markovitch ordered the men to bring him up. "And Sheila, I'll send some of our scientific personnel available over here. Try to salvage as much as possible because we'll need it if we want to understand what was going on".

 

 

Area 51, Nevada, United States

 

 

The air defense klaxon suddenly brought Major Prescott out of his small nap that he was taking in the middle of the control room. "What's happening?" He demanded, before looking at the war board and seeing a red dot that indicated a threat approaching the continental US.

 

"Radar has detected an incoming bogey entering the upper atmosphere, right over Greenland...speed over Mach Ten" The operator's voice became troubled. "How is this possible?" Prescott moved over to his side to check for himself. "Check the radar signature against known UFO profiles".

 

After a while a surprised response came. "Sir! It's one of their very large craft" Prescott started to worry, remembering the scarce information they had about those UFOs. "Can the Firestorm at Pollock intercept it?". The technician started to punch up commands and trying to come up with a viable intercept vector. "At its present speed, negative. The bogey is just going too fast"

 

There goes the change to get it airborne before it lands and makes damage, Prescott concluded. They would have to fight it on the ground and it was better if Jackson's team left as soon as possible. He looked at the board again, trying to see where it was heading and something made him concerned. "What's its target area?"

 

"Makes no sense: it's not heading for any military base, either ours or regular military or to any large urban settlements". He looked back at the non-commissioned officer. "Show me a projection of its flight path" A thin line started to come from the red dot until it had crossed over the whole US. Prescott's jaw dropped as he saw that it intercepted an area where a large number of X-Com flights were either destined or leaving the location. "Jesus! Get me the Colonel this minute"

 

 

Archuletta Mesa, New Mexico, US

 

 

Johnson was seated down on the floor resting, still inside his power suit and using a rolled-up blanket from one of the Skyrangers as a pillow for his head who was leaning against a crate. He suddenly heard armored steps going in a hurry until they came closer to him making him open his eyes. Corporal White was standing over him, speaking with a dazzled voice. Sensing incoming trouble, Crossett had gotten up from his position where he was guarding Johnson.

 

"Colonel, Area 51 just informed us that an alien Battleship is heading towards our position" Johnson jumped to his feet. Already, he thought, wondering if they had hit the aliens hard enough that they would retaliate that soon. "What's the status of base clean-up?"

 

"There's still a lot of things that we will have to leave behind, sir if we departure now. In any case, right now we don't have any transports available. The last one just departed a few minutes ago". White anxiously waited for orders.

 

"Tell it to clear this location as soon as possible. All non-combat personnel is to take cover in the lower base levels. And tell all available squads to get ready for action. And get Major Patterson to warn the Army commander outside: the aliens seemed to want this place back and it's better if his men get clear of this area". He got up and started locking the helmet of his power suit into position.

 

 

Close to the New Mexico - Arizona border, US

 

 

Skyranger Four was on its way back to Area 51 after having loaded a full complement of alien equipment retrieved from the alien base. It also was carrying the rescued doctor, who was standing with his hands handcuffed on his front in the cargo section, together with two guards from Theta security company. The man and woman had been ordered to deliver him to the intelligence bureau as soon as they hit the runway at the base.

 

The scientist looked sullen during the take-off and the initial part of their flight but the guards could also see that he was fully aware of them, making them redouble their attention. After a while he changed his mood and started to look at the plane and his surroundings with some interest.

 

"I thought we had become more advanced in all of this time. Tell me, to where am I being taken prisoner?" The Theta soldier looked at him for a second before answering. "Area 51 in Nevada".

 

Dr. Finkel raised his white thick eyebrows for a second, before casually asking. "Area 51 it is hum? Now please tell me, is General Smith still in charge?" Both guards look at each other in puzzlement but decided to keep their mouths shut at the mention of the base's former commander.

 

"I think it still have some recollections of the place. I remember the Soviet MiGs that they had secretly recovered and stashed a hangar. By the way, what's the Soviet Union up to nowadays?" That made the guards even more surprised. The woman replied: "Don't you know? The Soviet Union is dead for years now after Reagan defeated them".

 

Finkel's eyes looked at her in discredit, but his curiosity begun to arouse. "Reagan? Who is he? The current President?" The woman looked at him in disbelief. "You don't know how Reagan was? He and Bush made us him the Cold War and the Soviet Union disintegrated afterwards. It's in every history book".

 

Believing more of the story now, he pressed on. "So we won the Cold War after all? How many millions died in the nuclear exchanges?" The woman looked back at the man who shook his head. Let the intelligence spooks in Iota deal with him and don't talk anymore.

 

Seeing their faces, the scientist realized that they had decided to keep him in the dark and not tell them anything else. Too many changes seemed to have happened. Who is that arrogant Colonel? How can someone like him be placed into charge of such an important operation? Someone back at the place were we are heading will understand the news I'm bringing. But not that Johnson, he's merely a soldier, being told to fight the aliens even if he can't fully understand them.

 

The Skyranger slightly shook and he looked through the window. They were crossing the cloud level, the pilot moving them upward to avoid the winds of the storm underneath it. This X-Com, they are merely toys to be played with and discarded, like I once was. The real danger is not here, now I know that, I've learned it after all the time with the aliens. His mind became filled of memories, of a dark a sinister chamber were he had gone too many times, of a specter that now seemed to be all around him again. It never ceased to amaze him how mankind could be so blind.

 

 

Archuletta Plateau, New Mexico, US

 

 

Patterson moved closer to Johnson who was now watching the huge hangar doors of the alien base close themselves again. "Area 51 just informed us that both Firestorms are on their way here Colonel. But they will arrive too late: in four minutes the alien Battleship will overfly us. All positions are manned and ready. We have sealed the entrances on the first level and there are squads in position to deal with any intrusions from that end. The non-combatants are all on the seventh level".

 

Johnson nodded. "Let's all of us get to the back of this place. I the aliens might try to blow these doors with the weapons on that ship to get inside. At least the rest of this place was built as if to hold a tactical nuke". Both men started heading backwards calling all the personnel who was still around to get some cover.

 

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

Prescott could only look in horror and helplessness at the board that displayed what was about to unfold. The alien Battleship had finally reached the position of the base and whispered a prayer for everyone who was still inside. The atmosphere inside the control center was more akin to a funeral: no one spoke and if one dropped a pin on the floor it would most likely be heard.

 

Then, to the puzzlement of everyone in the room it didn't stop as it reached the position of the base, instead it kept moving into a westward course. All of the men and women stared at the lit board in a mixture of relief for the ones who where back at New Mexico and wonder. But a dreadful feeling come over Prescott and he tapped the non-com's soldier next to his side.

 

"Sergeant, is that my impression or the UFO is heading towards us?" The red dot had passed the area of New Mexico and now the projections for its course put its flight path directly over Area 51's location. The man nearly jumped on his chair as he realized what the Major was saying.

 

"Sound the general alarm! All combat personnel report to their battle positions" Prescott knew that there was hardly any troops left at base besides a few squads worth of rookies and the wounded who had been flown back from New Mexico. The aliens had caught them completely undefended and unprepared. He doubted that the base defenses would be able to stop the attack of the battlewagon that was heading towards them. Or that the Firestorm airborne would be able to intercept the UFO before it hit the base.

 

There was no time to launch any other interception craft. However, looking at the dot again he saw that there was another blue dot besides the one that designated the Firestorm, indicating that there was another X-Com craft in the area. "Who's over there?"

 

"Skyranger Four. They are on their way from New Mexico to here". The answer came back to Prescott. "Tell them to back away to a secure location. This area his going to get hot"

 

 

Over Arizona, US

 

 

The pilot's voice was suddenly heard on the cargo bay of Skyranger Four by the intercom. "Everyone hold yourselves back there! There's a UFO heading for Area 51 and we are right on its path! We are proceeding to a secondary runway"

 

Both security guards immediately moved to get safety restrains on the scientist but he kept himself quiet, in cold realization of what was about to happen. "There's no need to that. It's pointless". He simply spoke as they finished putting a safety belt on him as the plane jerked to a left turn. The movement threw them to the other side making them hit the stored crates, where they stood cursing and trying to hold themselves.

 

He look upwards and started speaking in a mumbled voice, not caring if the guards or anyone else understood. "It always knew about me, there was never any way to hide myself. And now It just can't let me go because of what I know". The plane suddenly jinxed into another side and everyone in the cargo bay suddenly felt as if it was dropping on the air as their stomachs pressed upwards. The pilot's voice came again but this time almost in panic: "Shit! Control just told us that the UFO is chasing us! I'm trying to get the plane down to the ground"

 

The scientist smiled, knowing that at least it would all be over quick. A few seconds afterwards a fireball hit the Skyranger on the top of its fuselage, penetrating it as if it was wet tissue and burning the plane into a airborne pyre of millions of fragments and finally releasing him of his mental thralldom.

 

 

Archuletta Plateau, New Mexico, US

 

 

The hangar doors were now opened again, since Prescott had told them that the UFO's destination was not their location. Johnson and some of the officers stood outside, trying to understand what was going on and waiting for news from Area 51 about the attack. The minutes passed slowly as everyone looked at one another in anxiety, trying to understand what was going on.

 

A crack on his radio made Johnson listen for a couple of seconds and all officers gathered around him, waiting for news. After he finished receiving the transmission, he acknowledged it and turned to the waiting men and women around him. "White has gotten a communication from Area 51. The UFO wasn't also heading for them. It attacked and destroyed one of our Skyrangers before heading back into outer space. They had no time to bail one. There are no survivors". He closed his eyes. It could be worse but it still hurt to see the aliens kill his people, more so if they were flying an unarmed craft. Markovitch came closer and asked. "Johnson, what Skyranger was it?"

 

"Number Four. Five casualties confirmed". She opened her mouth in horror and motioned him to get to a place away from the rest of the soldiers. They stopped in the middle of the landing field. "The scientist was on that flight"

 

"What?!?! And his research?" She pointed her armored hand at the base. "Still inside. We didn't had time to board it in the same flight and you wanted him to be flown back as soon as possible".

 

"Not everything is lost then. But we needed to fully interrogate him to understand what they were doing here and who was behind it. Something stinks here and someone will have to be held responsible for the horrors we have seen inside this place".

 

She nodded. "You're right, but there's something even more important. The destruction of that Skyranger was intentional. The aliens knew who was inside and how important he was". His voice turned more grave. "How do you know?"

 

"He told me things before you arrived. I didn't believe them at first but now I'm not so sure. About a great alien consciousness that knows everything. And seeing what has just happened I'm getting shit scared, Erwin". He looked at her and saw it also. He wanted to embrace her but he couldn't in the front of all the troops. Instead he placed his hand on her armored shoulder and looked in her eyes to reassure her. "Don't worry Sheila. When we get back we'll get to the bottom of this. Now let's finish our job here and head home".

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Four - The Enemy Within

 

 

February 12th, 2001

 

Unknown location, Geneve, Switzerland

 

 

As Number Two looked at the faces around the table, he was secretly bemused by everyone's reactions to the latest events, which went from complete astonishment to full rage. That was much evident from the effort that most of the individuals in the room were trying to do in conceal such emotions.

 

The news of the detection and take-over by X-Com troops of the alien base in New Mexico had made quite an impression over everyone. Some showed pure shock, others seemed as if they were about to explode in anger. Number One was the most neutral of them all, in no doubt trying to assume the fatherly figure, who corrects the children's mistakes, so that we could use the advantage to retrieve the latter protagonism of Three.

 

"I take that you all have heard from the situation on New Mexico. Why have we failed to detect that possibility and how did X-Com find out about the base are my questions. Would anyone care to answer them?" The words weren't actually a question but a simple test. Failing it could mean the loss of power and prestige or something even worse.

 

Number Seven made an attempt to start. "The day before the attack our agents reported that a high-ranking CIA officer traveled to New Mexico and met a former FBI subdirector there, who is presently working for X-Com. They were under orders to keep them under surveillance and act if it was necessary..."

 

"Stop making excuses for yourself you fool" Three's voice cut through the speech. "They got ahead of us on this one and that's a fact! Our agents have been unable to prevent them from finding the base, which means that they are as good as dead. Their strike team left on the early hours of the following day and we were only informed on the attack while it was in progress! They were just too fast for us to react on time". Another thought came to One's mind and he considered for a second the possible consequences if he had taken a different course of action. It came to him that while Three talked, some did what was necessary around here.

 

"You were supposed to have them under watch, you guaranteed that they wouldn't be a threat to our plans. The aliens will sure react to this like they attacked the Japanese base. And where might their next target be? Just imagine if they decide to eliminate all of the human opposition and take out this location killing all of us at the same time?" The accusation and fear on Number Eight's voice was clear for everyone to hear.

 

"The aliens will do nothing" Two decided it was enough and was time to intervene. "We said nothing to them when they decided to take control of that facility several years ago without asking for our opinion. And X-Com had a fluke of luck. Or they are not as stupid as some of ones claim and must have somehow plotted the possible course of the Supply Ship they shot down and figured out to where it was heading.

 

They might actually have done us a favor. We all know what was going on the base and X-Com probably discovered that the secrets it contained were probably better if they stayed buried forever".

 

Three threw a quizzical look at Two, wondering what he was about, but he continued. "The only mistake we are committing here is of not considering X-Com as an important part to our plans so we constantly underestimate them. On the contrary, the aliens seem to take them very seriously now. We have information that they shot down of one of X-Com's planes shortly after the takeover. Most likely it's the beginning of retaliatory raids, something that they have shown to be perfectly capable of, when they feel directly threatened as we saw in Siberia. And their use of Mutons on the attack on the Japanese base shows that they are taking the measures that seem fit to them to deal with X-Com. I say we act accordingly".

 

"What are you proposing?" Three was suspicious at this turn of events.

 

"Our friends have taken upon them the task of dealing with X-Com. We have already seen that the nature of the organization and its secrecy precludes any direct interference on them. But we can influence them through other ways, namely the countries on the Council. Time will soon run out for them, either taken by the aliens or us or both" Two looked at One and Three, who nodded as expected by him. In a time of crisis showing a solution was always appreciated and by the rest of the leadership, particularly when things went out of control. Even though that support was more akin to trusting to take a step into quick sands and still keep your head afloat.

 

However, some of the other members weren't fully convinced and Four's forehead became wrinkled. Nine and Seven didn't also try to hide their own suspicions. "Like you said, X-Com has become powerful, if misguided and missing the whole picture of the events. And this CIA agent, this Williams has turned into a liability. How do we know that they won't track this whole event back to us?"

 

One took the turn to respond. "As we all know, power has no rival to match its own. I'm sure our associate has already foreseen that possibility about Mr. Williams". Two nodded to One's underlying statement, knowing that one day or the other everyone would come to his same conclusion over Williams. Competition for the numbers was the strength of the group, either from the inside or the outside. Pity and protection only made the ones who gave it weaker. The CIA analyst would soon find out about that, even if he didn't know about it.

 

One kept talking, but now turned to number Seven. "Furthermore, I take it that all necessary safety procedures were taken by the agents involved?" He trailed at the end of the sentence, to make sure that Seven understood that it wasn't a question, but a matter of fact. If any blunder had been made he would pay with his life for it.

 

"Of course. The two operatives had no indications on them that might lead to us. In any case, they are more likely to be considered base sentries, since they were hybrids. That will also be a confirmation of their theory about an alien 'fifth column' already established. Since there were none of our personnel left at that base for years since the confrontation there will be no trace to us. And we can always make new clones to replace the ones we lost". Seven looked around to the top numbers, wishing to be considered again as reliable. One and Two didn't say anything, in concordance, but Three had stopped paying attention. He was already making future plans on how to deal with both old and new players in the game.

 

 

February 15th, 2001

 

Pollock ANGB, West Virginia, US

 

 

As the Skyranger landed on the wet tarmac of X-Com North American Eastern Base main runway, Colonel Johnson looked at the rest of the staff that he had chosen to accompany him to the Eastern X-Com base, all like him dressed in parade uniform, still unsure of what to do. One of the first presidential orders issued by President Vaughn on his first day of office had been a request made to visit the X-Com's US facilities responsible for dealing with the extraterrestrial situation and hear a personalized report from the US commander. Only apparently Vaughn hadn't been properly briefed about the legal status of X-Com or any of its bases: it wasn't a part of the US military and the base was now under the administration of the United Nations. The captured Sectoid officer that was being held at Papoose Lake was too much of a security risk. Since its capture at New Mexico, the alien had managed to mind influence in a few occasions the biologists that were investigating him. There was no way that Johnson could allow for the possibility that the US President might be Psionic influenced by the alien. The resolution of the whole matter had required the intervention of the UN's Secretary General, who managed to conciliate both parts with a bit of common sense using his diplomacy skills. The visit and meeting had been set instead at the other X-Com base in the US, an initiative that had been deemed as 'acceptable' by the presidential staff.

 

He had decided to take with him Markovitch, Hopkins and Crossett, leaving the other senior officers back at Area 51 in case the aliens decided to take some action while he was gone. Markovitch was sitting by him while the other two soldiers were on the other side of the Skyranger, taking use of the available space. The Sergeant had decided to take off his suit and spread his bulk around several seats to take a nap during the flight, while Crossett seemed to be relaxed although Johnson knew that the man would be quick to react to any event.

 

The Skyranger taxied on the runway and headed for the area reserved for parked aircraft, passing by the blue and white 747 that was the President's official airplane, the Air Force One. That struck Johnson as odd, since Vaughn was supposed to arrive after him, according to the schedule, not before. Markovitch picked up his surprise and put her hand over his. "I know what you are thinking: don't worry, things will be fine". He looked back at her and at that moment the Skyranger's ramp begun to lower itself, making everyone inside the plane to get up and check their uniforms.

 

When the officers begun to get off the aircraft another surprise came up to Johnson. He was expecting Colonel Jackson or some other high-ranking X-Com officer to greet them upon their arrival but instead he found a group of Secret Service agents all dressed in black suits and sporting MP-5 Heller and Koch submachine guns in plain display. When they approached the group, the agent in charge stepped forward and said: "Colonel Johnson?"

 

"Yes, what's the meaning of this? Where's Colonel Jackson?" The agent ignored his query and kept speaking. "You will have to leave your sidearms with us, sir. No one is allowed to carry weapons near the President".

 

Markovitch nearly jumped at the demand, while Johnson frowned. Hopkins took a step forward and spoke. "The Colonel is the commander of this base. You cannot tell him what to do, son". That brought an automatic reaction from the agents who tightened their grip on their weapons. Looking at the corner of his eye, Johnson saw that Crossett and Markovitch were getting ready to draw their sidearms.

 

"Everyone cool off" He ordered. "Mister, we haven't been informed of this and like the Sergeant said, I'm on charge of this base". The agent didn't soften a bit. "Security procedures. We will have to take hold of your sidearms while you remain at the base, one way or the other" he pointed the submachine gun directly at the group, leaving his intentions quite clear.

 

Markovitch came closer to him with her arms raised, trying not to make any move that might be classified as hostile and spoke to his ear. "We are all carrying plasma pistols. There's no way we can allow them access to the weapons". Johnson nodded and made a decision.

 

"Mister, for your own security I can't allow you to guard the weapons since they can be a threat to anyone not trained in dealing with them. May I suggest that we leave them on our plane while we stay here?" The agent looked hard on him for a second and nodded.

 

A few minutes afterwards the group of X-Com soldiers was storming to the main building of the base, with everyone furious about being searched by the agents for concealed weapons after they had left the plasma pistols onboard the Skyranger. The building looked more like a bunker, but in front of it three flagpoles carried the flags of the UN, US and the official X-Com patch, full black with a red cross on a white circle on its middle. The US flag was on the middle, standing two feet higher than the others, something that made Johnson think also.

 

The doors in the front opened and he felt more relieved, seeing Captain Hunt coming through them to greet the visitors and saluting as he approached them. "Colonel Johnson. Welcome to Pollock. Pleased to see you sir" He smiled but it was obvious to everyone that he wasn't also enjoying the situation.

 

They all returned the saluted and the compliment, shaking hands with him afterwards. "Thank you Captain. Now can you tell me what is going on around here?" The smile on his lips quickly disappeared and was replaced by a face of apprehension. "Beats the hell out of me Colonel. When the President arrived, two hours before what was scheduled, the Secret Service immediately started issuing orders. All the weapons and armor have been placed into storage and there are two armed agents guarding them". Johnson frowned and Hunt quickly added: "Don't worry, I have a couple of troopers seeing that the dumb heads don't try to do anything funny like retrieving a couple of heavy plasmas".

 

"And Colonel Jackson authorized all of this to happen?" Markovitch asked.

 

"The Colonel wasn't too pleased at the beginning but when he met the President he simply ordered us to do as the Secret Service told. He has been talking to the President on his office from ever since". He stopped. "What is going on Colonel? I mean I don't know much about protocol but these guys are acting like if they run the place. And I never heard of anything like this happening on a regular military base".

 

Johnson shook his head. "I don't know Leo. How are the troops seeing it?"

 

"Well, some of them got pissed at their arrogance, specially the ones detached for security. You don't just get here and disrespect who's doing their job. To tell you the truth a confrontation nearly broke out between some of the men and the agents". That got everyone looking back at him in astonishment. "Don't worry, it got defused really quick. The nom-coms and junior officers are taking an eye on the hotheads, and they are few since it seems the majority of the troops seem to like Vaughn".

 

"I see. Well it's time that I finally meet Vaughn and get some things straight out of this mess". The other officer took out his black beret and raked his fingers through his hair. "I hope you do Colonel. This way please". He pointed towards the doors and the X-Com troops started to follow in to the inside of the building.

 

When they finally reached the Jackson's office they found it closely guarded by a number of more Security Service agents. Only Johnson was allowed inside and he had to submit to a body search for concealed weapons, something that he only acquitted after deciding not to enter more clashes with the President. When he walked inside he saw Vaughn and Jackson already standing up and waiting for them. He saluted both men and Vaughn immediately approached him and smiling, offered his hand. "Colonel Johnson, finally what a pleasure".

 

While shaking it, Johnson kept staring at Vaughn, trying to decide if the compliment was sincere. "Thank you sir. I was also expecting this meeting".

 

"I apologize for it not happening sooner but my other duties have occupied my time. However, now we can start talking about all of this situation". He pointed to an equal number of chairs and the three men sat down on them. When Vaughn sat down he started speaking. "I'm here by myself because I want to have my own opinion of the leaders of our forces that are dealing with the alien problem. General Thompson and several other key personnel already told me their opinion about both of you. I also prefer not to have a group of aides buzzing around me the whole time".

 

The sentence made Johnson think and he gave a side look at Jackson. The other officer seemed completely absorbed into the President's words. Vaughn didn't miss it and he added. "I can assure you that there's nothing to worry about Colonel. I've already talked to Colonel Jackson and I've seen that he's the excellent officer that they told be that I would find here. And I have complete confidence that you will not disappoint me either".

 

"I'm doing the best I can at my job to defend North America from the alien threat, Mr. President".

 

Vaughn stopped for a second, thinking of something. "Now we can start by there. You're not protecting North America, Colonel. I believe that your job is to defend the US and, naturally the countries that border it, our neighbors and allies".

 

"I will have to disagree with you on that sir since we are not a US force. In fact, we are X-Com's North American force, in the true meaning of the word since we also have some Canadians among us". Vaughn's voice dropped a tone and his demeanor was less cordial, as if he had been offended "Colonel, I don't need a lesson on semantics please.

 

"I apologize, sir. However I must insist on one point: as soon as all of us joined X-Com, we stopped to respond to the US chain of command". Vaughn raised a finger. "Point well taken, Colonel. But it's also true that you are on..." He looked in the air for one second. "...temporary leave for assignment to a multinational force, if I recall the charter correctly. You still belong to our military". Johnson saw Jackson nodding and came to the conclusion that the other officer seemed to sympathize with Vaughn's ideas.

 

"And our current status will remain so, unless the force is dissolved by decision of the Council or if the officer decides to rescind his commission or if he is found to be unfit for the duties to him assigned. I also know the Charter, sir".

 

Vaughn stared at him. "Legal technicalities Colonel. The Charter doesn't mention a lot of things also, namely the fact that you have been chosen by us to the position that you now occupy because of your loyalty. In fact, that document is missing on a lot of other things". Something on the tone of his last phrase disturbed Johnson but he couldn't say what it was. "Sir, what's the point of all of this is?"

 

Locking his fingers on his lap, Vaughn replied. "Colonel, you know what has been happening around our country in the last months. To be sincere I believe that our political and military strategy to deal with the alien situation is completely wrong. Yes, I've read your reports about how X-Com believes that there's an alien base out there in the solar system and that we need to destroy it to stop their attacks. But in my opinion that's a complete waste of time and effort". Johnson only wished to tell him what they had already found out about Mars and the base somewhere located there that controlled the whole invasion. Taking a deep breath he restrained from speaking since the information was X-Com's greatest secret and probably the only way for the victory since the rate of UFO activity only seemed to increase every month.

 

Pointing his finger down, Vaughn continued. "The problem is here, Colonel, on this planet. Not in the middle of space. There is no massive alien invasion that is going to happen. If it was, they would have made it years ago and wouldn't have allowed that we developed weapons based on their technology. That's what the aliens want us to think and that we make wrong decisions based on that preposition. If they have the resources to conquer us, why haven't they done it yet? Can you answer that question?"

 

"I don't know sir. However their activities are increasing every day. They have started to perform terror attacks on cities on a monthly basis..."

 

"Of course! As the time passes we became more strangled into a strategy that is outdated and poorly conceived! And meanwhile, they gain more strength from our weakness. I see this as the same situation as Vietnam, Colonel. They are using the same type of guerilla warfare that has brought us to our knees before. Even if we find that base and destroy it the effect will be that same as if we had invaded and conquered Hanoi. The enemy will just keep fighting until we loose the will to fight. Each time the aliens gain more support to their cause while we have to work with not so secure allies. The enemy is also within us Colonel and that's where we must begin to fight it. That's why I made the announcement on the campaign, for the Americans to be informed that they should start questioning things. The same way that you should be".

 

"And what should I question sir?"

 

The next words came down as a hammer. "The future of this force. Two of its funding countries are already gone and there's no assurance that more wouldn't follow the same path. If X-Com gets disbanded one should ask what would happen if the work of the last two years wouldn't suffer the same fate. Most likely Earth would suffer a major set back giving the aliens more time to secure their position until it's too late". Until that moment Johnson had never seriously considered that possibility but he immediately rejected it, shaking his head off.

 

Vaughn reached over and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Colonel, I don't like that hypothesis also but one must prepare for the worst. Like everything in life X-Com has good things and bad ones. I consider you one of the best soldiers this nation has but we risk that Vietnam repeats itself: we have the men and the equipment but our general strategy is wrong. Two years ago we created a multinational force out of bad compromises. There's no effective leadership to it: the US was the most logical choice to be place ahead but for the sake of consent it was placed upon the UN. And because of it General Illyuschenko spends more time squabbling over Council meetings making him unable to recognize the errors on X-Com's strategy. The scientists have done a terrific job analyzing and replicating the alien technology but for what? Right now your force is too dependent on Elerium, a material that they tell me it isn't available on Earth. Take it away and we will have no weapons to defend ourselves against the aliens. We should have concentrated more into developing Earth's technologies allowing us to equip large forces capable of defeating any alien intrusion. Instead we have less than a hundred soldiers equipped and trained to defend the US".

 

Confusion was racing through Johnson's mind. He heard Jackson's voice on the background. "We should be placing battalions of troopers on the alien's probable targets. Then we would see if they even tried to attack us". Looking back at Vaughn, Johnson asked. "So what are you exactly proposing Mr. President?"

 

"Right now I think that the most urgent matter is to restore the confidence between the US elements of your force and the Pentagon. You simply can't be running operations on our country without the necessary authorization". Johnson looked at him realizing how Vaughn had managed to go all the way through to the presidential office. The man's arguments sounded good, he concluded, but were they solid enough? "I came here also wanting to solve that, sir. But I must insist that we are under UN command".

 

"I can assure you that I am completely aware of that Colonel. Don't worry and keep on doing your job as good as you have done so far. Things might seem complicated at the moment but I trust that in the future they will be resolved. Just remember where your loyalties are Colonel". After discussing some minor issues the meeting ended. After Vaughn had left Johnson and Jackson also talked for a while, taking the opportunity to discuss operational issues until that finally was over. He then headed for the cafeteria where they told him that the rest of his entourage was waiting.

 

He found Markovitch and the rest over there, seated on metal chairs with coffee mugs on the table in front of them. As he approached them, they rose and she moved towards him. She asked with a concerned. "How did it go?"

 

"I'm not sure. He has got me thinking into a lot of stuff. But right now it's not the time to worry about them. Let's grab our ride and head out for the base". They trailed him, throwing concerned glances at one another.

 

 

February 23rd, 2001

 

Mother One, Black Forest, Germany

 

 

When both physicians finally came out of the infirmary Illyuschenko and Colonel MacTaggert were eagerly waiting for them outside, standing in the base's medical center lobby. Turning to them, he asked immediately. "So?"

 

Both psychiatrists looked at one another before the one on the left replied in a low voice. "This is one of the worst psychiatric cases we've ever seen Commander. He simply has all of the major clinical symptoms: esquizofrenia, paranoia. This man is hopelessly insane and has lost all touch with reality. I doubt he even will be able to remember who he is". Both doctors shook their heads. "Doctor, can we ask the lad some questions anyway?" MacTaggert asked but their expressions were disapproving.

 

"He has a completely unreliable behavior. We had to examine him completely tied down to a bed because he has had violent seizures before. And any question about what he experienced will only trigger such attacks. I doubt that any medication will have any effect on him, because the problem. It seems to be more psychological than physical, although the encephalograms and CAT scans show some irreparable damage to the brain cortex. In any case it's hopeless Colonel".

 

"Doctor, we need to know what happened with him and his platoon. We just lost eleven men, not to mention a tank and a Skyranger. And he is one of the best platoon commanders on this base. I can't accept what has happened to incompetence".

 

A tortured scream came from the room that the doctors had just left. The other physician shook his head again. "He was one of the best, Commander. I'm sorry to say this but medicine can't help him now. He's living in a nightmare now that he'll never wake up from. I'm afraid that only death will bring him any comfort now. Now please excuse us because we have other patients to attend to". Excusing themselves both doctors left the two officers who stood looking at the door from where sounds of a fight could be heard.

 

Watching the other men leave, both officers stood there at the front of the door. "I don't bloody understand". MacTaggert seemed filled with rage. "A platoon should been able to deal with that large scout even if they had lost the tank". Illyuschenko seemed deeply concentrated. "I'm more concerned about the identity of the aliens Colonel. Your report says that you found no trace of them, only the bodies and the wreckage of the Skyranger".

 

"Aye. Besides the landing marks of the UFO there was no other physical evidence of them. But the rain must have washed everything because we didn't even find a trace of their blood or footprints". A series of loud screams cut him off. "We only found him hiding in a hole and the remains of the men that the aliens left behind after cutting them up". Illyuschenko looked upwards towards the sky. "Issue a warning to all teams: a new species of aliens seems to have appeared". He looked at the front doors for the medical center and checked his watch. "We should go back to the command center. We are already late and I only wish that the damn machine was operational two days ago".

 

 

February 21st, 2001

 

Spitzbergen Island, North Atlantic

 

 

The Skyranger was about to land close to the Large Scout that had been detected hours earlier by the radars of European Command. Making its way through a cold weather front that was crossing the Atlantic, the plane had now gone 'dry feet', meaning that it was now overflying dry land. Not it mattered much to the soldiers inside. The windows of the plane were covered with drops of heavy rain glowing with the interior red lights. And the lousy weather that was characteristic of the North Atlantic at this time of the year was constantly jerking the aircraft, as the pilot tried to get them to their destiny.

 

The commander of the platoon, a Spaniard called Fuentes was growing restless as the drop call already came. He had orders by Colonel MacTaggert to retrieve the Elerium engine from the landed UFO intact, something that was bothering him. Large scouts could be deadly inside since they had small rooms where the aliens could simply wait for a soldier to step in and take him out with a heavy plasma blast. And at close quarters the armor of the power suits would be hard pressed to resist such power. The most logical thing to do would be to step inside the craft and use their own heavy plasmas to cut holes through the walls and surprise the waiting crew. But the need for Elerium dictated otherwise, meaning that they could also only use explosives in case of an emergency.

 

Looking to the back ramp he saw that the Heavy Weapons Platform that they had brought along for the operation was already operational, with its laser turret swinging from one side to another. The artificial intelligence inside the machine's thick chassis was monitoring the radio channels used by the pilot to announce imminent touch down. It had already reacted to the warning and had powered itself automatically and performed a check-up of its systems. The rest of his platoon seemed to be also ready: the troopers were finishing locking down the helmets on their power suits and inserting ammunition clips into their plasma weapons. Passing his eyes through his laser rifle, Fuentes also saw that it fully energized and ready to fire.

 

A more severe shook of the plane, accompanied with a thud on one of the walls told him that the aliens seemed to be ready also. The pilot's voice followed afterwards in a Germanic accent: "Lowering the ramp... The landing zone is very hot Kapten! Good luck". Another thump accentuated his warning. He activated the platoon channel. "Black squad, left flank. Green squad, right. UFO is to the northeast. Tank is pathfinder".

 

The lowering ramp started to come down and everyone assumed their positions behind it. Fuentes was on the last row, together with Private Morelli, an Italian that was his fireteam mate and the platoon's heavy weapons specialist for the mission. He was carrying a heavy Carl Gustav 84mm rocket launcher and his backpack was loaded with extra rounds. Fuentes didn't think that the weapon would be useful because of the terrain. Located on the middle of the Atlantic, Spitzbergen Islands were nothing more than the above water top of long extinct submarine volcanoes. Most of their terrain was made out of granite, basalt and other rocks formed from the hot lava as it cooled down by the Arctic climate. In some areas there was actually soil, allowing for plant life to grow and the islands were actually inhabited by a small fishing community but there was nothing else out there. The UFO had landed on a clear spot in the middle of an area covered by medium size boulders. The rocks would make it hard for Morelli to actually hit a target hidden behind it.

 

After a couple of seconds the back door of the Skyranger finally came down and the tank rolled outside into the rock and ice terrain. Immediately it became bathed with heavy plasma fire, that colored the view of the gray landscape with green. "Targets". The mechanical voice started to report, without a trace of concern for being under heavy fire. "Nine, one and six o'clock".

 

The troopers started also to descent the ramp as the tank moved to acquire and engage the major threat. "First contact targeted: unable to identify. Firing". That made Fuentes puzzled since the electronic systems should be able to recognize the race of the alien that it had just encountering. He wanted to leap out as soon as possible to have an idea to the battlefield but two more rows of troopers were still in front of him, dropping off the ramp to the sides and taking cover.

 

The noise of the confrontation started to increase, as laser and plasma rounds were exchanged, together with the loud explosions of grenades being tossed around. A louder sound was suddenly heard coming from ahead, followed by the sound of metal being twisted. Realizing what might it be, Fuentes started to worry. When he finally jumped off the ramp he saw what he feared: the wreckage of the tank stood ten meters away from the craft, releasing smoke into the middle of the storm that was pouring rain down on the battlefield. The body of the HWP showed heavy craters from plasma fire, together with peppered holes that could only come from a grenade.

 

Other screams followed, only these time more human in nature. Looking around he saw that his platoon was getting under cover amongst the larger rocks that filled the flat terrain around him. Trying to see the direction of the aliens he noticed that they seemed to be everywhere, pinning them to the ground. "Joder! What are we facing?"

 

The sergeant of Black squad replied to him. "No idea sir. I haven't seen one of them yet but Bjorn has some major injuries from their fire and Andreas is dead". The voice of another troopers replied to his questions. "Floaters. I've seen the caped figure of one on the air. Took me three plasma shots to bring it".

 

Floaters? Fuentes asked himself, thinking that he had never heard of one taking three plasma shots to finally came down besides the fact that the aliens seemed more smart and aggressive than before. Looking around he saw that he was down to two squads plus himself. Considering that they were facing the crew of a large scout he figured that they had even odds against them.

 

The X-Com team was arranged in a semi-circle around the Skyranger, whose bulk covered one of their sides. They needed to break out and head for the UFO, whose dimmed shape could be seen to the northwest of the Skyranger. "Morelli! Make use of your launcher to clear the path towards the UFO. Black squad move out. Green squad surpress fire".

 

Fuentes watched Morelli move out of the rock where he was standing and direct the heavy weapon at the direction of the UFO. Resting the barrel of the launcher on his armored shoulder, the soldier pointed the weapon and fired.

 

The recoilless launcher contained the energy of the launch of the launch and the only indication that Fuentes had of the discharge was when the high explosive projectile hit its target, some hundred meters away from them. The blast hit a medium boulder where the officer had just seen a shape taking cover and shattered it into several smaller pieces that came flying out of the expanding fireball. And a roaring sound was heard, something that none of the X-Com soldiers had ever heard until that moment and that made some of the men in Black squad hesitate for a moment before they started their advance.

 

Moving into the direction of the UFO, the gray figures of the X-Com soldiers were covered by the heavy rain that had already set down the fires from the rocket blast. A number of plasma shots coming from both sides rose as well but Green squad immediately replied to the alien fire, scoring a number of hits among the darkened figures that rose from behind the rocks that littered the battlefield. The ice on the rocks and ground became melted by the heat of the exchanges, the water joining the puddles and small streams that where present everywhere.

 

Moving quickly and firing as they advanced Black squad finally managed to reach the cross shaped UFO, using the both arms of the craft for protection. Another trooper had been brought down in their effort and he laid halfway in-between Fuentes' position and the UFO. But soon the fighting outside would be over and they could assist him. Black squad's position meant that the aliens would be forced to leave their positions and start heading back to the craft, unless they wanted to allow that the X-Com team assaulted their way of getting off Earth.

 

"Green move out" The remaining troopers started to move out of their positions, covered by the other squad's fire. Advancing in the middle of the squad, Fuentes noticed a caped figure about to fire at them on his right. Slowing his pace, he turned his laser rifle and fired first at the alien. He wasn't expecting to hit it, since he had hardly taken aim and he was moving but one of the three-shot salvos that came out of the barrel hit the alien bringing him a smile on his lips.

 

However, his mood quickly changed as he saw that the laser hit didn't had any effect on the alien, who simply ignored it and fired its heavy plasma back at the lead running trooper. Fuentes watched in horror as the corporal raised both his arms before falling into the ground. One of Green's two remaining privates slowed as he approached the fallen soldier's position but Fuentes ordered him to continue his march. "Nikolas! Keep on moving! You're only making a target of yourself. We'll pick him later"

 

Reaching him he pushed him forwards and they both kept their pace, finally approaching the UFO. Black squad kept firing to cover their approach, standing close to one of the craft's arms. On the other arm Fuentes could see the rectangular outline of the UFO's door through the amplified scope on his right eye. There were only seven X-Com troopers left and one of them was injured but they still had enough numbers to take care that the aliens wouldn't be going anywhere.

 

Then, all of the sudden, Fuentes saw Morelli stop in the middle of his run, twenty meters still away from the UFO. He was about to order the soldier to move forward but instead what happened next made his speechless.

 

Without even bothering to point or Morelli simply brought up his rocket launcher and fired at the UFO. The Carl Gustav rocket flew the space between the soldier and the craft in less than a second, detonating afterwards. Right in the middle of the three X-Com soldiers of Black squad who where using the fuselage of the craft for cover.

 

Fuentes simply didn't hear the explosion. He stopped his pace and watched as the explosion ripped through the troopers' armor and sent them sprawling into the ground where they laid down without moving. "Morelli" He screamed on the microphone.

 

The other trooper's response was to turn at him and drop his weapon. When his voice was heard the words came out in stress and in the middle of heavy breathing. "Captain! I can't control myself! Something is making my arms move by their own" Fuentes didn't have time to consider his words. The door in front of him suddenly slided upwards and a caped figure stepped outside brandishing a heavy plasma on its limbs.

 

Turning his laser rifle towards it, Fuentes unleashed a salvo of amplified light towards it. To his amazement one of the red streaks of light simply stopped a few centimeters from its target, while the other two hit but having no apparent effect on the creature. They cut circular holes on the gold and orange garments that covered completely the alien but it had been hurt underneath it didn't show.

 

It simply fired back; killing Morelli with a shot on his head that left a dark and bloody hole on the side of the helmet that was hit. As it turn towards Fuentes, the officer saw two bright eyes burning at him in the middle of darkness that filled the dark opening of the hood that covered the alien's head. He felt his inside freeze, a glacial feeling that seemed to crush his chest and fill it with dread. Inside of him, a fear behind everything he had ever experience erupted. Panic overwhelmed him and his rationality ceased to exist. He dropped his weapon and started to run towards the direction of the Skyranger, trying to escape the monsters that were all around him.

 

 

March 3rd, 2001

 

Area 19, Nevada, US

 

 

The Papoose Lake facility still gave Johnson a bad feeling every time he went there, remembering him of the late General Smith. In fact, in the debacle of the New Mexico base he knew now for certain that something very wrong was affecting the US, eating at it like a hidden cancer. Someone had poured millions of dollars into building and sustaining these secret research facilities and no one in Washington seemed even aware of them. He had forwarded requests to everyone regarding any information to base occupied by aliens: Department of Defense, CIA, FBI, NSA, no one seemed to ever know about their existence. For more than thirty years it had stood right in the middle of the US but no one had noticed its presence or even acknowledged having entered into previous contact with the aliens. It was one of the reasons that made Johnson extremely distrustful to the US chain of command: either someone was lying or they were simply being manipulated. Taking in consideration all things, some of Vaughn's ideas seemed logical and right. However he still wasn't too sure about them because he felt it was just wrong to throw away the international cooperation developed in X-Com. Even if it was the work of the powers that were siding with the aliens on the conflict. And what troubled him more was that he couldn't discuss the situation with anybody because of the security level of certain aspects of it. Only the regional commanders, Dr. Chevereux and Colonel Robinson were aware of the full information about Mars and the alien base there. They had all made an oath stating that they would only reveal the secret by common agreement or if X-Com was disbanded. He was waiting for a chance to talk back to Williams about a lot of things and set the record straight between them but the opportunity hadn't arrived. Johnson trusted the CIA man more now, after the information he had given to them was correct. But his actions also showed that he had decided to follow a path different from the one President's Vaughn was defending and Johnson couldn't tell yet if it was coincident with X-Com's.

 

The lift that linked the ground floor to the underground levels stopped and he got out. Taking the corridor that lead into the office where he and Young had the conversation that changed most of what he thought of the world. Moving down the lightened passageway, he wondered where the captured Sectoid leader was being held.

 

Young looked very tired when Johnson entered the office. "Colonel. Thank you for coming. Have a seat please". Sitting on the same chair of their last meeting, he paused for a second before setting down. The hybrid smiled. "Still afraid that I will mind-control you Colonel?" Johnson jerked backwards but he controlled the reaction immediately. "Bad joke Doctor". The hybrid raised his arms and apologized. "Sorry. But I don't know how you will react to what I'm going to tell you concerning the captured alien".

 

"Are Robinson's people done with him?" As soon as their initial investigations had revealed how the Sectoid could be more securely contained, the intelligence personnel had moved forwards to perform their own interrogations. The results had merely confirmed the existence of the alien base on Mars, although they had been unable to retrieve any further information concerning its location or the general alien plans. "They are. In fact..." he brought up his wrist and looked at his watch. "...our guest has left us permanently fifteen minutes ago since we have extracted everything we could from him".

 

"And that includes the mind control research". The whole matter had thrown shakes through X-Com. No one was expecting that humans could be able to use the Psionic powers that certain Sectoids had demonstrated. Young had stated that to his knowledge it would be impossible. However after they had analyzed the information that the retrieved scientist at the New Mexico had left behind or told to Markovitch it showed that humans could do it.

 

"We were lucky to have captured Attila, as the late Dr. Finkel called him. Otherwise the findings he left behind would be nothing more that theoretical speculation and almost impossible to believe or even to prove". It was exactly what Johnson feared. The whole matter would be one of the most disturbing things ever discovered, leading to worldwide fears of manipulation and control. Images of Hitler and Nazi Germany went through his head, only this time a better method of mass control seemed to have been developed.

 

Young looked stressed with his shoulders sagged. "I share your feelings Colonel: this is something that will probably change our world when its secrets are revealed. However, for now I propose that we consider on how we can use it against the aliens. And let the future generations decide if we did the right thing on uncovering this. But there's a factor that will prevent and control its application".

 

"I can't possibly imagine what it might be Doctor, since I feel that its application for harmful proposes will only be dependent on the will of the one who decides to use it. But tell me".

 

"I've tested over fifty persons right now to determine their level of Psionic strength, a biological indicator that shows the level of resistance or ability to use the powers. They all where selected randomly from the base personnel and without knowing what was it for. Based on the results I've come up with a zero to one hundred scale, the maximum reading that I've encountered. For you to have an idea of the scale, the captured Sectoid had a value of forty". The number didn't seem too big for Johnson. "And the humans?"

 

"In average they score a twenty, with some notable exceptions. In some cases it's simply zero, while in Captain Markovitch's case she's over ninety". That surprised and scared Johnson. "She can read the minds of anyone? Control people?"

 

The scientist realized the reason for his apprehension. "Not exactly Colonel. I realize your preoccupations. I do listen to base rumor". He smiled. "However, you would be able to feel if she tried to fool you. The person using these powers can read and even perceive the other person's sensations. He can encourage some feelings present or, on its full power, even take full control of his target. But the more the subject is forced to do something against his will the more he will suffer psychological damage". Johnson started laughing. "So in either case I'm nuts for being in love with her. I had already figured that one out".

 

"Women do exert some sort of control over men in any case". Young shared his grin but after a moment his expression turned serious. "However, you might not like to hear the rest". Johnson stopped and looked at him. "What else have you found?"

 

"I've included some of us in the same tests also without them knowing the reasons why. They have all came up in the range of sixty". That made Johnson completely change his mood and he started to get up from the chair. "Colonel please sit down" He raised his arms with his arms wide open. "I had to do it Colonel. And you needed to know also so that you can judge if we are still trustworthy or not".

 

Johnson shook his head. "I want to be tested". The scientist shook his head in agreement. "The same to all base commanders, combat troops and security personnel also. And the results should be revealed to everyone so that each one knows with what he can count on".

 

"I've already notified Dr. Chereveux about the results of the research. I'm sure he and Commander Illyuschenko will think the same way".

 

"Good". Johnson tried to control his briefing. "Doctor?" The scientist lowered his hands. "Thank you for your effort and sorry if I offended you".

 

"No harm done Colonel. I started to suspect, since the Sectoids seemed to have reason of their own for leaving us hybrids in the dark about the psionics. I considered if I should do it for some time until I decided that it would be better if you knew about it than leaving it to one of us discovering by accident. And to further assure you, Psi energy leaves a trace behind in one' brain that can be checked to see if the person has been tampered with".

 

"Good to hear". The scientist paused for one second and Johnson frowned. "Anything else that I should know about?" Passing his hand through his chin, Young contorted his mouth before answering. "Are you a religious man Colonel?" Johnson found the question bizarre. "Not really. Why?"

 

"There are some extremely controversial conclusions that can be taken from all this research. As I ran the tests I also checked a number of mammals for psi levels, such as pigs, dogs, cats and monkeys. They all turned to zero and the same happened to the Snakemen and Floaters we have locked in the containment area. They can be controlled since psi energy acts upon the sensations felt by any living being. However, this power only occurs on humans, Sectoids and hybrids". The whole thing didn't make any sense to Johnson. "What does it has to do with religion?"

 

"The preliminary results of the Human Genome have been made available to X-Com. It's propose is to type the entire group of genes that define man. I've compared it with some of the genotyping we've made out of the aliens and the hybrids. Again you, me and the Sectoids share about a thousand genes, a smaller number if compared to the overall but still meaning that it can't be a coincidence".

 

"I don't understand. We belong to the same species?"

 

"No. Too many different genes. But you and I share genes that don't exist on Earth. The only way that they can have come here is because the aliens interfered on mankind's evolution, most likely when you were still primates".

 

"Jesus" The world seemed as if it was about to change for Johnson. "He was wrong in some things also, Colonel". Looking above as contemplating the stars, he continued. "Now I don't think intelligent life developed on this planet by accident. Or that it was a coincidence that the alien activity started to increase to visible levels after World War II. When we blew the first atomic bomb they must have seen that we had become too intelligent and since then they decided to take care of their own animal farm and put things into order. Throw both God's creationism and Darwin's theory of evolution into the trash: we are here because the aliens made us".

 

 

March 15th, 2001

 

Mother One, Black Forest, Germany

 

 

After months of hard research Commander Illyuschenko and the officers of X-Com's European Command were now all gathered to see their newest device in the war against the aliens. The idea had sounded absurd at first to the Russian who refused to believe that they had broke into the extraterrestrials code and detect and listen to the alien's ships. Nevertheless he had demanded results before authorizing the construction of the first device and upon seeing them authorized the project.

 

A large new section of the base had been dug up to house the hyperwave detector. The whole concept had been developed from both the concepts of the UFO navigational system, discovered at Area 51 and the discovery of the tachyon particles made at Mother One. Apparently the aliens used tachyons for their UFOs to identify themselves and transmit information. The code-breakers had only been able to decipher a few parts of the code but they had figured out which information related to navigational data.

 

On one corner of the base a highly specialized liquid rested in a metal chamber large the size of a school bus. The material inside didn't actually consisted of a liquid, but something that the scientists were calling a new state of the matter. Illyuschenko couldn't remember the name of the state or the liquid inside but it didn't matter to him. The only thing that mattered was that as the tachyons transmitted by the Elerium engines moved through it special detectors built into the chamber would record their passage. And taking measure of certain variables they could determine the position of the UFO to the receiver as well as the tiny variations that contained the alien messages. Those changes would then be processed by a supercomputer that would translate them into human measures.

 

Looking at the board in front of him and leaning on the rail, Illyuschenko noticed that a UFO had been tracked over the Baltic. Another one was high-speed racing over Eastern Europe, too high and fast for even the Firestorms to intercept it. Turning to Colonel Paqua, the dark-haired French responsible for Air Operations, he shouted: "Time to engage the machine. Let's see what it tells us about these UFOs". The Colonel nodded and passed the order to the technicians operating the consoles.

 

At first the red dots moving over the map of Europe suffered no change but the color of the background turned from black into a gray, indicating the range of detection. It stretched in a circle that compassed the Azores Islands in the middle Atlantic to European Russia from west to east, with the middle portion of Libya and Egypt the Arctic Circle defining its southern and northern borders.

 

The two red dots that marked the UFO's positions were identified simply as "LRG SCT" and "LARGUFO, denoting a Large Scout and a craft of large size, its type still undetermined". Below the designations, boxed series of numbers gave information on their speed, altitude and bearing. However, a few seconds later the computer redefined the information based on the readings from the hyperwave detector. The first one still had the same ship tag but now underneath it read several more codes, indicating the race, mission and area of operations of the craft: MUTON/RTLIATN/EUROPE. The second on its turn had changed into SUPPLYS/SECTOID/SUPPLY/FEASIA.

 

"Bloody hell" MacTaggert's voice came from behind Illyuschenko who found himself also aghast by the change. "Commander" Paqua called from one the console that he was watching. "The first UFO is looking for us! The second is on a supply run for an alien base on Asia! This can't be right"

 

Dr Chevereux moved closer and said. "I will have them check the detector. It can be a glitch". Illyuschenko's grabbed his arm to stop him. "China. The aliens must have built a base there. Can we detect it?" Chevereux thought for one second. "Not using this system. However we can put a tachyon detector on board one of the Skyranger and, if the aliens are using Elerium to power the base, we can detect it and triangulate its position. It won't be much for accuracy but it will give us an idea of its location. The plane will have to came closer then".

 

"We'll use Stalingrad base's planes. Please start working on that immediately". As the scientist left he shouted. "Colonel Paqua, scramble a fighter before that scout pick us up to shoot it down". The French officer nodded. "And also alert Stalingrad about the supply ship. See if they can track its landing on their radars". As the Colonel turned to the console, he stood looking in astonishment at the board quiet. "Mon dieu" Illyuschenko turned to look at the board.

 

Where before only two enemy contacts were present, now the screen was blinking with six other targets that had been undetected by the base's radars. Two were increasing their altitude and speed and read: BATTLES/???????/INFLTRN/EUROPE. Another one was completely its entry in Earth's atmosphere, too high to be intercepted: SUPPLYS/SNAKMEN/ALIENB/STHAMER. And the fourth was proceeding the opposite direction, heading into the depths of space: TERRORS/???????/INFLTRN/EUROPE.

 

"Commander! We have an 'OVNI' on its way to South America to deliver supplies to the construction of an alien base. The other three 'OVNI's are on an infiltration mission and appear to be departing".

 

"Paqua! What's the race inside these Battleships". The Colonel went back to the technician, pointing the finger at the console and firing up questions that the man operating it tried to respond as much as possible. After some threatening gestures to both the console and the operator, Paqua turned back to Illyuschenko. "Undetermined Commander. He says that our computer can't translate the race signal of these UFOs".

 

"Paqua! Send one of our conventional fighters against the scout. Both Firestorms are going against one of those Battleships, you decide which but I want it brought down at all costs! MacTaggert! Get all of the platoons ready! We will bring all of them down to retrieve the wreckage of that Battleship". A few seconds later, the full military personnel complement was put into full alert, with the soldiers running to the armory while the pilots and support personnel got their craft ready.

 

Thirty minutes later the aerial battle was over with mixed results. The scout had been easily brought down by the conventional fighters and had crashed in the North Sea, its remains sinking under the dark waters. But the Battleship had destroyed one of the attacking X-Com's Firestorms and had successfully exited the area afterwards. The X-Com pilots had hit the UFO with their Fusion Missiles, a weapon whose warhead consisted of Elerium surrounded by a reflective carbon coating to increase its destructive power. But it had been insufficient and as they approached into range of their plasma cannons, the UFO had retaliated, inflicting critical damage into one of the Firestorm and vaporizing the other out of the skies. Its pilot didn't even have time to eject the craft.

 

Still standing at the monitor in front of him, Illyuschenko felt miserable. What have you done you idiot? If you wanted to commit suicide why did you asked others to perform what you can't accomplish? Why didn't you order the second Firestorm to abort its attack with plasma cannons when the UFO had already shown to the first the power of its weapons? I should be court-martialed because of this and relieved of my position.

 

Paqua's voice interrupted his rumblings. "Commander, we almost did it. That UFO destroyed one of our craft but it paid hard for it. If our fighters had stayed into battle and scored more hits it would have been brought down. We need the Avenger sir". Opening his eyes again he turned his head and focused them on the officer. "What was the name of the pilot?"

 

The Colonel thought for one second. "Watts. He joined from the RAF almost one year ago after flying air-defense Tornados for years. His family was killed on the alien terrorist attack on Coventry". Watts. Now a whole family has been destroyed. Watts. "He was good sir. You have to take this to the Council to prove them our need for the Avenger. We have no defense against these Battleships otherwise".

 

Still speechless, Illyuschenko slowly nodded his head, his gaze looking lost in front of him. Paqua looked at him in apprehension but as he was about to speak Illyuschenko merely stated. "We need it". Turning around he walked towards the exit, without even dismissing Paqua. We need to finish this once and for all. No more listening to the politics, they will never really understand what is going around here. We need to do all we must to finish this war before it's too late for the rest of us. No more conditioned decisions, no more remorse, only victory matters now. And the rest, I'll deal with it afterwards.

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Five -Defection

 

 

March 26th, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

Well, can you read my thoughts? Johnson was staring at Markovitch's face, resting on his left side with his head standing over one of his arms. They were both lying naked on his bed but she was on his back, shifting her gaze between him and the ceiling. After some seconds she noticed how he was looking at her and dropped her head to her right. "I know what you are thinking. You are thinking if I know what is going on your mind".

 

His eyes opened wide with amazement and she laughed at his reaction, knowing that she had hit the mark. "Don't worry Erwin, I'm just teasing you. Everyone who has looked at me today probably made doing that same question to themselves".

 

He looked the other way and slowly exhaled. "Yeah. Well sorry for staring but I guess the rest of us that don't have that skill will take some time to get accustomed to the idea". He stroked her cheek. "You're just being human". She replied before locking her fingers into his. "Curiosity isn't wrong but it will take time before you stop looking at us as if we were freaks. I've talked to some of the others who also checked high on psionics and we also don't know what to think or do about the whole situation".

 

"Yeah, I guess you're right". He decided to change the subject. "How did it go today at the lab?" She looked at her left arm and checked the electrodes implanted on her skin halfway between her wrist and her elbow. Feeling tempted to scratch on them; she tried to control the impulse knowing that she might start a rash on the spot. "I'm still uncomfortable about this things stuck in me. Dr. Young says they are needed to connect the psionics amplifier to my nerve system but I wished that there were no need for them.

 

He started to caress her arm but she moved it away. "Don't. They tickle. I prefer not to remember that I'm wearing them". Nodding, Johnson set his head down on the pillow. "Shall we get some sleep now?"

 

The tone on his voice made her preoccupied with him. She had sensed that something was wrong with him from ever since he had talked to Vaughn. First she had thought that it might had something to do with the discovery of her Psionic skills but noticing how he had been acting in the previous week, she wasn't sure anymore. There was something that he wasn't telling her and the mere thought of it was gnawing at her. It was as suddenly his confidence had been brought down. Or it could just be her nightmares that were troubling her and making her project her own loss of self-confidence into others.

 

She remembered the words of Dr. Young as she had started to train with the device that had been originally developed by the rescued scientist at New Mexico. "More than control, Psionics is a projection of your own self into the others. The more you are able to do so, the more successful you will be into forcing your will into others". She wondered if she wasn't doing it also with Johnson unconsciously, allowing her own fears to grow into him. After all, Dr. Young had also told them that the more they practiced the more proficient they would become into their use. Like riding a bicycle or performing any task, training was one of the essential aspects of them.

 

Feeling coldness growing inside of her, she closed her eyes and tried to control it but she failed. Images of a dark room, where something was lurking on the darkness, an irresistible attraction that also made her fearful invaded her. She felt completely naked inside, sending shivers down her spine, as if a million alien eyes were watching her in the shadows. Feeling her head going dizzy, the room slowly changed and the presence was suddenly closer, almost touching her body, as if she was inside a dark pool of a murky substance that took all the strength away from her. Almost jumping on the bed, she screamed loud. "No"

 

Johnson recoiled from her in surprise. "Gosh! What's the matter? You don't want to sleep?" The presence and warmness of his body started to flow again through her senses, taking away the last residues of her vision. Moving closer to him, she replied. "Sorry it's just that...." She came at a loss of words. "I can't explain". Feeling that she was shaking he moved to closer to her and put the blankets on top of both. "You're freezing".

 

"Yeah and I feel that way also inside". Using his hand to lift her cheek he kissed her on the lips. "I'm here. Don't worry about the nightmares. They are only bad dreams". His words struck something inside her. "But that's the point Erwin. More and more I feel that they are real"

 

"Hey, everybody has had nightmares with one or two aliens before. I had also my share of being chased by Chrysallids without any weapons. They are normal".

 

"But that it Erwin! With one or two aliens! Not with all of them" Johnson got himself up until he was seated on the bed. "All of them? What do you mean?"

 

"Sometimes I fell a presence as if something is watching over me, controlling what I do or trying to. It scares the hell out of me because I remember when the alien back at New Mexico tried to mind control me. But at the same time it's less intense, as if it is far away". He started to look seriously at her. "Are you sure of what you're saying"

 

"Yes...no dammit! I keep thinking that I'm becoming paranoid, I'm afraid that I might be using these damn psionics to see aliens everywhere. Like that scientist back at New Mexico. He told me about this great alien presence while we're alone but I juts thought that he had gone wacko after spending all of those years imprisoned by the aliens".

 

"Why haven't you told me this before?"

 

Uncertainty started to grasp at her. "I don't know. I don't know how you would react or anyone else on this base if I told them of these dreams. I suspect that the base shrink must already think that I have a couple of screws lose inside my head". Surprisingly to her the vulnerability started to disappear as soon as the last words came out from her mouth.

 

Looking back at him, she noticed that he had gone into some deep thinking but, on contrary to what she expected, the matter seemed to be growing strength into him. "Sheila, what if I tell you that you might be right?" Her eyes opened wide with wonder. "What do you mean?"

 

"I can't explain and even if I could I probably couldn't tell you. Not right now at least. But what you said made sense to me. And I trust that what you are saying is right but don't discuss it with anyone else besides me at the moment, OK?"

 

The tips of her lips moved upward in a small grin as she felt overwhelmed with a feeling of comprehension and joy that came unexpected. "You really trust me on this?"

 

He moved closer to kiss her and replied. "As long as you trust that I love you".

 

 

March 28th, 2001

 

Manhattan, New York City, US

 

 

Officers Smith and Wallis of the New York Police Department had just pulled up their squad car into a deserted Wall Street whose sidewalks and tall buildings were only lit up by the streetlights. They had been assigned to the graveyard shift and they still had four hours left before they could pack things up and head back to their precinct. The patrol car cruised gently and slow down the main street of NY's financial district. Wallis, a policeman that looked barely out of high school, with a clean face and red hair was driving and trying to get focused on his job while Smith rode shotgun and yawned most of the time. The older officer had a large but trimmed mustache and his head was already starting to show signs of baldness.

 

"What's that?" Wallis called as he lowered the speed of the car and pointed towards a figure that was standing still away from them on the opposite side of the street. Smith didn't even barely bothered to watch. "Is he doing something illegal?"

 

"He's pointing something at the Stock Exchange building". Looking back at the rookie freshly graduated from the Academy, Smith decided that Wallis still needed to learn a lot of things about patrols, specially on how not to bother his partner with stupid things. "Pointing something?"

 

"Yeah, just look". Smith turned his face to the figure as they approached him. It seemed more to be one of the homeless, with a blanket placed over his head. Probably he was just on a drunken stupor and the thing was nothing more than a bottle of booze. "You mean that fella there? Don't they teach you out on the Academy to distinguish between real criminals from homeless?" The patronizing tone made Wallis furious but he kept it to himself and drove away from the figure.

 

As they kept driving he took a look at the rear mirror and what he saw made him hit the breaks, sending Smith's face crashing down the glove compartment. Getting back on his seat he rubbed the side of his head that was hurting and demanded. "What was that about you idiot?"

 

"There's a violet light in the middle of the street behind us" That's it. Smith decided that the kid needed one hell of a lecture from the Captain. Still keeping his eyes on the mirror he suddenly warned. "There's a large thing standing on the middle of the street" Smith also decided that he had been paying too much attention to the briefing that had been made the month before about the UFOs. "Wallis, are you just stupid or are have you been drinking from the same bottle as the bum?"

 

"Just look" The sound of his voice made Smith wonder what was going on. Turning his body, his vision came upon the middle of Wall Street. But instead of being deserted like it usually was at this time of the night he found a large thing on the middle of it of a dark color. "What is that!?" Looking closely he saw that it occupied all of the road and that it was hovering five foot above the ground. From the distance it looked saucer shaped but he couldn't make any more features on it.

 

Suddenly a noise started to be heard, coming from the direction of the saucer and sounding like a nest of angry bees. Smith reached for the radio but discovered that it wasn't working. At the same time Wallis shouted while turning several times the keys on the ignition: "The car is dead. It won't start"

 

The pitch of the sound increased until Smith and Wallis had to put his hands to his ears. His eardrums seemed as if they were about to rupture when finally a blue light beam emerged from the craft and hit the closest building. The high pitch noise stopped all of the sudden but it was quickly replaced by the crack of lightning that was coming from the object. Swirling through the air, the rays of electricity divided themselves and hit all of the area surrounding the craft, exploding traffic lights and lamp poles and carving blackened lines on the fronts of the buildings. One of the lightning beams suddenly hit the back of the police car and both officers immediately ducked and closed their eyes.

 

A few seconds later, as they opened them back again they found that the thing was gone. But it had left its mark since Wall Street was now completely covered with darkness. Wallis and Smith looked at one another but before anyone said anything the radio went active, filled with request calls.

 

 

March 30th, 2001

 

Virginia, US

 

 

"And on today's news, President Vaughn is scheduled to attend to a joint session of Congress tomorrow regarding the recent incident on NY's Stock Exchange that led to its total incapacitation. A Treasury Department spokesman has stated today that the collapse of the transaction equipment and records that occurred on strange circumstances two nights ago 'cannot be attributed to a single computer failure because of the safeguards built into the system'. Later on, the Pentagon has admitted that it had tracked a craft of unknown origin over Manhattan, as the initial reports of witnesses on the area claimed but it was premature to link it to the incident. However the cause, its effects are already starting to affect the economy: a record number of bankruptcy suits have been filed into courts according to today's edition of the Wall Street Journal. The paper, whose computer system has also suffered a severe malfunction, cites inside sources from a number of companies such as..."

 

Williams slowly breathed and decided not to pay any more attention to his car radio. He switched it off and tried to think of something else but the whole matter had been on his mind from ever since yesterday. It all pointed that the aliens were the responsible for the whole case but he was off the case now. And he couldn't know more about the situation than by what was being leaked into the press, since the people he knew to be investigating the matter would simply not pick up the phone or refuse to comment the situation with them.

 

Keeping his eyes on the freeway, he checked his watch and saw that he would get late for dinner again. The rush hour was already gone and with it most of the commuter traffic that left Washington into the suburbs around. This part of the highway had three lanes and he was on the right one waiting for his exit to appear. The Sun had already set and there was a light rain that was covering the road.

 

The car behind him flickered its high beams to signal that it would pass him but he barely took notice since there was more than enough space on the highway who was now clear of vehicles. As the other car pulled alongside him he decided at its direction to check the driver out of curiosity.

 

The black sedan moved slowly until he saw the passenger's window. Looking from the corner of his eyes, Williams noticed that it was open, which struck him as bizarre because of the rain that was falling. Turning his head, he saw a man dressed in a black suit, white shirt and tie also black that seemed to be looking back at him although with the dark glasses he was wearing he couldn't tell. That was even more strange since it was already night but as he looked again his heart stopped as he noticed the muzzle of a gun coming out from other car's window.

 

 

March 31st, 2001

 

Swiss government facility outside Geneve, Switzerland

 

 

The meeting of the Council of Funding Nations had already started the worst way possible. Instead of the fourteen nations that had been present on the last reunion, now the chair reserved for the Italian representative was empty. Contacted by the Secretary-General the night before, the response of Italy's Prime Minister had been that they had decided to leave X-Com.

 

The news had thrown the capitals of the other European nations in turmoil as the governments that were still a part of X-Com were trying to deal with the new crisis. From what Illyuschenko had heard and from the detection of the Battleships over Europe a couple of weeks ago, it seemed that Italy had just joined the alien's side. There was already a lot of talk by the UK, France, Germany and Spain to consider taking measures against Italy for their treason but no one was sure of what to do. The European Union had also been put at stake by what had just happened. The EU was also starting to suffer the effects of the Stock Market crash on NY provoked by the loss of all the transaction data. Everyone was already cringing from its side effects and although there was no direct proof of it yet, the overfly made in that night by the UFO of New York could well mean that the aliens had something to do with the matter. But if Italy also decided to leave the EU or if the other nations applied any pressure on the country, it would most likely accentuate the economic and financial crisis that was starting to be felt all over the world.

 

Although Illyuschenko was worried, he also didn't try to pay to it much attention. The contributions from each individual country to X-Com would surely drop, but the most of his finance was coming from other means so he would just have to increase the number of laser weapons available to the black market. And while they couldn't overfly Italy's airspace anymore, the Firestorms allowed that any UFO that tried to land there would be shot down well before it reached Italy's borders.

 

He felt the hand of Colonel Robinson touching him and he turned his head towards him as they both moved back inside after the recess. "What's the matter?"

 

The X-Com's intelligence officer's gaze flickered for a second to the assembly of councilmen in front of them before replying. "The US is now the next speaker on the list". Illyuschenko shrugged his shoulders. "They will probably just prove more of their evidence regarding the NY incident. There was nothing that we could have done".

 

"Maybe, but I've sent you the reports of what Johnson told me about their meeting. They could also push for more control of X-Com and in the current situation their request will distract this meeting from more pressing matters". Illyuschenko's head nodded in reluctance. "I know. The Avenger project has already suffered too much criticism but it has to go on no matter what the cost. Is everything set with the Odyssey?"

 

"Dr. Mantell is personally overseeing the preparations back at Florida. I pray that this should work". Illyuschenko looked at him. "I did not imagine you to rely on praying". Robinson's blank face almost seemed as if he was smiling but, after a second he turned his attention to the start of the meeting.

 

After the formal introductory steps were taken for the reunion of the Council to restart, the US councilman asked for the word and Bomaka conceded it. As he lift himself from his seat and asked for the data that he had brought to be shown, Illyuschenko rotated his chair backwards to see what the big fuss was all about. The electronic screen behind them flashed and resolved into a satellite picture.

 

The image showed an airfield, with twin runways parallel one to another, the black concrete standing against the lighter terrain. The US councilman started to speak: "This is a picture taken by our reconnaissance satellites of the Trang Hao airbase in China. Following the discovery of the alien base made on New Mexico and the failure of X-Com to previously notify my government about the finding, we started to make surveillance runs of the countries known to be associated with the aliens. And we found this".

 

One of the areas on the picture enlarged itself until it came to an image about its real size. It was one of the medium scout types used by the aliens, resting in the tarmac of the airbase. And close to it two figures seemed to be engaged in conversation. Looking closer Illyuschenko didn't know if to feel marveled at the resolution of the satellite or to be worried. A human pilot wearing a helmet could be seen, but the other figure was a Sectoid, its bulging head clearly making it distinguishable. After some seconds the image was removed and replace by another one, of a Supply Ship parked on the runway.

 

Illyuschenko moved closer to Robinson and spoke in a whisper. "The base we suspected". Robinson nodded. "I'm more worried about that pilot there".

 

"Apparently China has decided to allow the aliens access to their bases". The American councilman started. "We find this extremely disturbing. God only knows what they might be doing over there, but we are concerned more about this". The view of the airbase now settled himself upon a Large Scout. The picture had been taken this time from a more oblique position, revealing one of the sides of the craft instead of only proving a view from the top. In one of its arms it displayed Chinese characters and one another a red star in the center of a red rectangle, all defined in gold.

 

"This is a threat gentlemen. Our radar tracks of the UFO in New York that we suspect was responsible for the Stock Market Exchange seems to have never left Earth's atmosphere. If that's so, then its most likely point of origin is from this airbase". A drop of murmurs went through the room. Illyuschenko asked to speak and Bomaka nodded to himself, trying to control the noise.

 

"Mr. Councilman, you have no proof of that. You are just guessing" The American replied. "Really Commander? In that case can X-Com show us their own evidence? Have you detected the craft on your own radars? If so, why didn't you acted?" Illyuschenko growled, wishing that the hyperwave detector at Area 51 had gone operational sooner. "No. We had no warning also".

 

"Are you sure of that Commander? And please tell me how you also missed spotting that alien base, when China was one of the most likely candidates to house such a facility. Or is it that you just decide to spy on the countries present on this Council?"

 

Robinson got from his chair to prevent Illyuschenko's sure outburst. "Mr. Councilman, we had suspicions of its existence but we hadn't been able to effectively pin it. If we had had access to your satellites...:"

 

He lifted one finger. "Ah yes, access. Even if you had access with them, what would have you done, Colonel, to act upon this information? Let me tell you: nothing"

 

Restraining himself, Illyuschenko looked at Bomaka who understood the request and tried to defuse the situation. "Mr. Councilman, X-Com's performance will never be one hundred percent satisfactory to everyone. They would have detected this later for sure..."

 

"Mr. Secretary-General, from what I've seen for my own eyes and for what I've read on the records of all the sessions, X-Com's performance can quite falter, can't it? I concede that they have achieved some victories but it seems to me that they are only able to react to the aliens and not develop a strategy to force the aliens instead to react to us". Bomaka nodded, thinking that the other man had stopped his tirade. "Your protest is recorded, Mr. Councilman".

 

"Yes, well the US wishes to make a final announcement, in the light of all of this. Our monthly review of the X-Com project this month has shown it to be highly unsatisfactory. And if the rumors about Italy turn out to be truth, the defection of that country only reinforces our position on this matter. X-Com should be able to protect us against these subversion threats but, instead there are a number of factors that plague it with chronic instability. Furthermore, it has clearly decided to stick to a wrong strategy, one that now has allowed for the global economy to be greatly hurt and which goes against the US's interests. China's access to alien technology shouldn't be taken lightly".

 

"What is your point?" Singh, the Indian ambassador had rose from his chair, tired of the US rumbling. "We are all being affected by this, not only the US so please move on". The other man paused for a moment and smiled. "I was just getting there. According to President's Vaughn decision, the US will abandon the X-Com project from today and pursue a different strategy regarding the alien situation, one who also deals with the countries that are supporting the aliens on Earth.

 

This message is also being relayed to your governments through our ambassadors spread out through the world. My country wishes also to make clear that we are not in any sort of negotiations with the Sectoid Hierarchy at the moment nor are we planning to in the future. Finally we are inviting all the nations here on this council and a number of selected others to join us on this effort to effectively deal with the menace".

 

The room stood in silence for a second as the gravity of his words set upon all the men and women present. It then erupted in a full discussion as some delegates shouted out accusations at the US councilman while others kept quiet, watching them and reflecting on what had just been said. Illyuschenko also got up from his chair and started to move towards the councilman but Bomaka and Robinson stopped him on his way.

 

"There is no point in that" Robinson voice was cold. "We have more important things to attend to before any attempt to solve this confusion". Bomaka and Illyuschenko both looked at Robinson who explained. "We need to know where Colonel Johnson stands in the middle of all of this".

 

Illyuschenko looked at him. "X-Com is about to fall apart, in case you haven't noticed. Why is that the most important thing right now?"

 

"The Ufopedia research data and the facilities back at Nevada. If the US regains possession of those we are as good as dead but if we maintain them the other countries will think twice before following them".

 

 

The Pentagon, Washington D.C., US

 

 

Johnson had chosen to wear his old US uniform so that his presence in the Pentagon would pass unnoticed. He had pinned of the military decorations that had been attributed to him over a decade long of conflicts: the Silver Star won in Iraq, the Distinguished Service Cross of Panama and his Purple Hearts, issued after injuries taken in Bosnia while on X-Com's service. But he had removed his former unit patch from his left shoulder and had it replaced by the one depicting a Wolverine worn by the members of First Company, X-Com's North America Command.

 

As he walked inside General Thompson's office, the four-star general was on his feet and he saluted him. Returning the salute, Thompson then heartily took his hand on a shake and asked him to take off his service cap and sit down in two comfortable sofas in one corner of the room. As they did, an aide came by and offered them cigars, which Johnson politely refused. Thompson took out one and before he cut the end and lit it up he commented. "I know these things are terrible for you but in certain occasions you simply can't dispense them, if you don't mind".

 

Johnson signaled him to move forward and lit it up. "Please General". The higher officer took a number of deep breaths from it and looked at the cigar afterwards with satisfaction. Johnson waited for a moment, before speaking. "General, if I might ask, why have I been asked to come here? President Vaughn's request only mentioned something of an award, although it didn't specify which and I'm not sure..."

 

"Relax Johnson". He put down the cigar on a crystal ashtray. "President Vaughn asked me to present his apologies but he wasn't able to come here because of an unexpected business for him to attend as urgently as possible.

 

But as for the reason for you being here, let's just say that he thinks that there might have been some difficulties lately between you and him. He wishes to clear all things up so that you can keep on doing the terrific job you have performed until now, defending our country of the aliens".

 

Nodding his head, Johnson replied. "I see. Well it's my wish also that things could be better between my force and the US leadership".

 

Thompson extended a hand making him stop. "They will, don't worry". Reaching for his uniform's inside pocket he dug out a white envelope. "Let's stop talking and go to what brought you here shall we?" Pointing it out at him, Johnson reached and grabbed it.

 

Examining it, he saw that it was locked and had the presidential seal on its face. Looking back at Thompson, the General nodded to him with an exuberant face. "Open it up. You've damn earned it".

 

Finding an open space along the seam of the envelope, he put his index finger and flipped it open, breaking the seal. Looking inside, he saw a paper and some insignia on the bottom. He fished both of them out and looked at the pins: they were brigadier general's stars, gleaming in silver and five-pointed. Johnson looked back at Thompson who simply told him to read the paper.

 

Scanning through his contents, the document was is promotion as a brigadier general, in recognition of his efforts in the current conflict and of his leadership capabilities. It also appointed him a combat command, consisting of the 11th Air Assault Division, US Army. Johnson became surprised, as he had never heard of that unit but the bigger shock when was when he saw the home base of the division: Area 51, Nevada. The paper ended with Vaughn's signature.

 

Looking back at the paper on his right hand and the insignia on his left, he didn't know what to do. Thompson got up and extended his hand to him, saying: "Congratulations General".

 

Johnson didn't reach for his hand. He merely stood there still seated and asked: "I'm not understanding the meaning of all of this, sir". Thompson feigned a reaction of surprise but he quickly covered it. "Of course you aren't. Well it's President Vaughn's way of welcoming you back to us". A dreadful feeling come over Johnson's mind. "What do you mean sir? I'm still on X-Com".

 

Thompson smiled. "Not anymore general. Our councilman by now must have already announced the decision on X-Com's Council: as of today, the US is no longer a participant in X-Com. We now will fight the aliens on our own".

 

Blinking his eyes, Johnson couldn't believe the words that he had just heard. "Excuse me General? He can't just do that".

 

"Well, he did and to tell you the truth I had my reservations against X-Com right from the beginning. But as you recall, I strongly supported your nomination for it, knowing that you would do a great job. And now we want you to continue that work, only this time we are placing you a bigger responsibility". He winked at Johnson. "The word is that the President might afterwards create a new combat command, with forces taken from all the services to deal with the alien situation. In that case we will sure need a competent general to lead it, which probably means that you will be one of the youngest two-star general ever. But don't worry about that for now, because first we want you to raise and train a full division to fight the aliens and their allies using the latest technology and tactics". That last part made Johnson decide his mind. "Latest technology and tactics?"

 

"Why yes. You have years of experience on how to use the laser and plasma weapons to their best. We need someone that can fully understand how to use the weapons stored at Area 51 and Pollock".

 

Putting the envelope down on the table in front of him, Johnson got up. "I'm sorry general but please tell the President that I will have to refuse his offer. And please tell him also that I won't surrender either Area 51 or Pollock back to US control". Thompson's mood quickly turned from cordiality to one more of concern. "General, I will ignore that. This is a request but also an order".

 

"My position remains. Area 51 and Pollock belong to the UN, not the US and I follow orders from Commander Illyuschenko now. If my country decides to leave X-Com then I will regret that decision but I won't join it on your folly".

 

"Johnson, you can't do that. Those bases are ours and this is not an offer. The President, your Commander in Chief is giving you a direct order. Don't be a fool and follow it". Thompson's tone had gone more threatening. "His orders have no effect over me. And even if they did I most likely would have to refuse them somewhere in the future. I will not fight any other human beings on this war. That is pure madness and God knows where it might lead us to".

 

He started to turn to leave but Thompson's voice made him stop. "You're not going anywhere Colonel". Making a hand sign, a quartet of armored military police entered the room. "Take the Colonel into custody".

 

Johnson looked at the men then back at Thompson. "You can't do this. You have no jurisdiction over me under military law" One of the MPs drew his sidearm and armed it. Seizing the opposition he decided that it would be foolish to try anything. Even if he managed to pass through this group there would be more security outside.

 

Conceding defeat, he didn't offer any resistance as they approached and cuffed him. "Now we have Colonel. And I'm sorry to say but I will doubt if the court martial will pay any attention to your arguments. After all, these are times of wars and they usually are not condescend with deserters and officers who neglect their responsibilities and the chain of command". Pushing him, they brought him out of Thompson's office, who reached for a phone.

 

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

"What is going on?" Markovitch's head was still fuzzy from being awake early on the morning and from a swing that a Muton had given to her helmet the day before. Her platoon was supposed to be free of duty for today but Patterson had ordered her presence in the Colonel's office.

 

Also moving down the corridor, Captain Jerrel had a scruffy appearance with his beard grown. The man hadn't had time to shave and the jumpsuit he was wearing was all rumpled. "I dunno. Isn't the Colonel supposed to be in Washington? Why are we meeting at his office?"

 

Seeing that he was in dark the same as her, she shook her head and opened the door. Majors' Patterson and Prescott were already inside, standing together with Captain Cruz, who had just been recently promoted to command Fourth Platoon. "Major, what is going on?" She demanded.

 

"Sit all Captain. Colonel Jackson has ordered me to assemble all of you here for an announcement".

 

"Jackson? What does he want? And where is the Colonel?" Her tone seemed to be annoying Patterson. "I don't know. But the Colonel Jackson said that it concerns him". Markovitch gave him a look of bewilderment but she decided to sit down in one of the chairs. Patterson then turned on the communications screen on Johnson's desk, who flicked on with the sign of X-Com. After some seconds Jackson appeared on the screen.

 

"Good morning all. I have important orders regarding the base. About an hour ago I received orders from National Command Authority, through the Secretary of Defense. According to Executive Order 72/02 the US has now left X-Com. The same order states that Colonel Johnson has been relieved of command of Area 51. It also places me over command of all the US military personnel and equipment that were assigned to X-Com. We are still to continue the fighting against the aliens and any Earth country allied with them but now we will be assigned to a newly created US combat unit".

 

The five officers looked at the screen in disbelief. Markovitch cut in immediately. "What? Where is Johnson?"

 

"Colonel Johnson has been placed into custody following charges of disobeying a direct, superior order. He is presently at Washington and behind transported to a military prison where he will remain until he's presented to a court martial". Markovitch wanted to ask what the hell was going on but Jackson started again to speak commands. "Major Patterson" Following his training the other officer nearly jumped into attention. "Yes sir"

 

"For now you will be the temporary commander of Area 51. My orders are as follows:

 

All radio and hyperwave communications with X-Com are to be ceased immediately. The base's research facilities and databanks containing the Ufopedia are now classified. You will deploy a security force to protect them and no one is even allowed to come near them without my personal permission. Access to the base armory and Elerium depot is also to be restricted to the security personnel. All aircraft is to be grounded and no flights with the outside are allowed. Finally, all non-US combat personnel and civilians are to be restrained to their quarters. Failure to comply with any of these orders will be considered an act of treason and the offenders are to be placed into custody. Do all of you understand and acknowledge this?"

 

The assembled officers complied but Markovitch affirmative was barely heard. "Good. Colonel Johnson made a mistake that he will regret for the rest of his life. Just play smart and follow your orders and pretty soon we will resume the fighting. Colonel Jackson". The five officers stood for a while looking at the blank monitor until they left the room without speaking a word.

 

 

Military Penitentiary, Maryland, US

 

 

The prison guards had for long put the lights out but Johnson hadn't even bothered to try to sleep. He was seated on the bed of his prison cell, a stone rectangle standing on the ground against one of the walls and covered which a mattress blankets. To his left a small grated window provided him with a glimpse of the outside but it would provide no escape. Its bars were of thick solid steel and his cell was located on the fifth floor, meaning that he would at least break his legs if he tried to jump to the patio below. The other contents of his cell were a toilet placed in a square of concrete in one of the corners and a sink right beside it.

 

Hearing the footsteps of one of the military guards passing by, he looked at the door to his right. It was also made of solid steel and it had two openings, one at the level of the eyes and another at the waist, but they were closed so he couldn't see the MP walking down the corridor.

 

Well, everything is really fucked-up now. Raising his legs, he put his head on the top of his knees and stood there thinking. I sure hope that Vaughn didn't manage to get his hands on Area 51. But why shouldn't he? I wonder if X-Com even still exists anymore now that we are out of it. At least it would be better if we had access to the secrets of X-Com: Sheila and the others could continue the fighting in even terms with the aliens. The memories of her came down on him and he grimaced. I guess that this is goodbye for both of us also. I'll be facing the firing squad or the gallows when they finish the trial. Either that or a life sentence in a federal penitentiary. Recollections of Mars and the information that only he and the other top X-Com commanders knew came to him. Maybe it doesn't matter, 'cause if we discovered is all right, there's hardly any hope of defeating the aliens besides going to Mars. I might be as well dead if we fail to defeat the aliens than to fall to their hands.

 

The despair threatened to overcome him and he got up from his position, trying to make out a way of all of this. He started pacing on the confines of his cell in a circle. On the outside corridor he heard the boots of the MPs taking yet another stroll. He tried to ignore them as he concentrated on his thinking. If X-Com really is dead than there's no point in maintaining the information I know all for myself. I need to tell the others about it, probably I could even reveal it to the Joint Chiefs and Vaughn so that they try to make the effort. Probably that's the only thing left for me to do although I doubt it will make any good since they all seem so determined in defeating the aliens here first on Earth.

 

Moving to the window he looked outside. The whole prison complex seemed deserted, with no guards moving outside. The patio and the twin fences in front of him were covered on white light but there was nothing else. Yeah right. Vaughn will just tell me to piss off and send me back to here. Looking above to the few stars on the sparsely clouded night sky he wondered if he could see Mars. He knew that it had a reddish glow and that it would spark an uneven light but after some seconds he quitted. Doesn't really matter. I should get some sleep instead of wondering.

 

 

April 1st, 2001

 

Geneve, Switzerland

 

 

A sense of gloom was present on the room where Bomaka, Robinson and Illyuschenko were meeting. The UN's Secretary General had just entered the division and he looked extremely tired. "What's the count?" Illyuschenko asked without a delay.

 

"Bad. Most of the Europeans are willing to back the US's position. The French government is calling for them to organize their own fighting but with the defection of Italy they have became deeply divided. The UK supports joining the US's war effort and Spain and Germany seem that they will just follow whomever is in charge. The rest of the other nations are more or less divided the same way. Some, as Brazil and Australia have stated their intentions of joining the US. Japan has given some indications that it will also remain on the fight but that they will pursue their own policy. India and Egypt are clearly hostile but I doubt if there's much that they can do by their own".

 

Illyuschenko nodded. "I've just talked to Larianov on the phone. My country is too weakened also to make any sort of independent effort. He is also very concerned about the new information brought about China and will support the US although he isn't happy about it".

 

Bomaka's showed defeat. "They have set the meeting for the afternoon, in no doubt because they will want to split the spoils between themselves first. X-Com is dead". Slamming his hands on his hips, Illyuschenko's face burned red with rage. "This can't be! There has to be something else we can do" He looked at Robinson who simply spoke as in matter of fact. "I've been trying to get in contact with Area 51 for hours. They won't respond to any of my hails or from Mother One".

 

"I don't believe that Johnson is a part of this" Robinson concurred but added. "Even if he isn't, I think it's clear to say by now that he has been removed of the general picture. Even if he's still in charge, I doubt that there's anything that he can. The same goes for the Ufopedia: if I had access to my personnel I could tell them to clean the system of the files but this blackout on communications prevents that we take that measure".

 

"Making us lose the only bargaining chip we had. In a few hours when the rest of the other countries know about the US' access to the research data they will all join since they can't afford to be left out of the information". Bomaka concluded. "Most likely they will all decide to split the research between all of them".

 

"The idiots will be just burying themselves. Dr. Chevereux told me that if the research team members and facilities stop to collaborate as closely as they have been that the current investigations will suffer major setbacks. And what about the factories at Complex YY-18? Even if Japan gains access of them they won't have either the materials or the Elerium to supply it".

 

Bomaka shrugged. "We can try to make a point of all of that tomorrow but frankly...". A knock on the door interrupted him.

 

 

Federal Penitentary, Maryland, US

 

 

Johnson had been trying to get some sleep for two hours but his anxiety and hopelessness wouldn't allow him. He was constantly thinking of his life, of what he had achieved and of the many things that he now wouldn't be able to. I wonder if Sheila and me actually managed to have children how they would turn out? That would be something to see actually, to hear a kid calling her mommy. He put that on the list of things that were now impossible even if the war would end.

 

Again he heard the sound of the MP' s thick boots as the soldier moved outside They had taken his clock away from him but he had determined that they passed every fifteen minutes. Maybe Vaughn told the commanding officer of this facility how important I am or either it's just normal proceedings. At least it distracts me from once in a while.

 

A different sound made him open his eyes, of something large and soft that had just hit the ground on the corridor while the rhymed clicking of the boots stopped. Raising himself from the bed in curiosity he approached the door but he couldn't hear anything more coming from the corridor. He wished that the door wasn't completely closed so that he could see so he pressed his ear against it.

 

Another sound of someone walking on the passageway was heard but only this time the noise was of something heavy and metallic making its way. He thought the sound was familiar as it approached the door. A short rasp on the door made him pull his head out from the contact of the metal. "Colonel" A soft voice came from the other side. "Are you there?"

 

He immediately recognized the voice. "Hopkins!?"

 

"Please stand away from the door sir". He did and waited, watching as the area around the lock started to glow in red as something outside cut through the heavy steel. Working its way on a square around the lock the red turned into white, making him look the other side. As the trace of the white light finally joined the point from which it had started it came suddenly off. He started to approach the door but Hopkins's voice made him stop. "Please stand back sir. It's not done yet".

 

He saw then that the light had moved to the top right of the door, on the area that stood against the shoulder while a similar light appeared on the same side but at the bottom. After a few seconds they both stopped and the door suddenly opened with the sound of twisted metal.

 

As he looked Johnson saw the figure on a power suit entering the cell. It was still holding the plasma pistol that he had used to cut the heavy steel of the locks and had a stun launcher underslung on his left shoulder. Lifting the faceplate, Johnson saw the familiar face of Hopkins who seemed extremely pleased and was wearing a grin from ear to ear. "Colonel! We were in the neighborhood and heard that you needed a ride home"

 

Johnson dropped his arms to his sides. "Hopkins, what are you doing here?! This is insane! You are assaulting a military installation! That's an act of war" Another trooper on a power suit looked inside the cell and spoke. "Colonel, the motion scanner is picking more guards on the level below. He have to go now"

 

"Crossett?" Johnson stood speechless as the other soldier complimented him. "What is going on here?" Looking outside the door, Hopkins spoke. "A bunch of us sir. We all heard about Vaughn's decision of how he put you on the brig for refusing to comply with his orders. But Captain Markovitch can explain it better to you. She's waiting for us to join with her on the Lightning". The reference to the prototype of X-Com newest advance craft made Johnson realized that explanations would have to be left for later. Following Hopkins he moved outside the cell. The figure of the guard was on the ground, motionless. Johnson stopped by it to check the status of the man but Hopkins rushed him forward to a staircase where Crossett was waiting. "They are all stunned. They will wake in a couple of hours with no idea of what happened to them and without any proof that we were responsible for your escape".

 

Johnson didn't make any comment as they joined Crossett by the staircase. "What's the plan for getting out of here?" Hopkins pointed upwards. "We get to the roof. The Lightning will pick us up there. We took out all of the guards in the watchtowers with the stun launchers. If we're quick no one will see us". As if in a response an alarm started to be heard inside the facility as they raced upwards. "Damn! They must have found the unconscious guards already. We need to hurry up" All three men sprinted over the stairwell, with Crossett opening any locked doors with his plasma pistol or the sheer strength of his power suit.

 

When they finally reached the ceiling they found it empty of guards. Johnson looked around and upwards but there was also no sign of the escape craft. Hopkins raised his hand to an ear and afterwards spoke for the other two men. "Captain Markovitch is telling me that a couple of F-16s are racing towards their position. NORAD must have detected them. Too risky for them to land now". Reaching for the back of his suit, Hopkins took out a harness used for mountain climbing. Please put this on sir. We will have to use plan B". Johnson grabbed the safety belt and placed it on the floor. Placing both his legs on the openings for them, he pulled the belt upwards and locked it at his waist level.

 

"What is Plan B?" He asked knowing that probably it would be risky. "Me and Crossett are wearing flying suits. Just hook up the harness on my belt to my suit and I'll lift you to the craft". Shaking off the fear of taking such a flight he pressed himself against the metal of Hopkins's suit and found its belt full of locking places for the safety harnesses. "Just don't drop me Sarge or it will be a hell of a free fall" Hopkins laughed and placed his plasma gun back to the holster. Placing his left arm to hold Johnson he then used his right hand to active the anti-gravity control on his chest.

 

A feeling of vertigo came by Johnson as the ceiling started to move away and in a few seconds he found himself looking at the whole prison facility from above. A number of guards were racing on the patio but no one seemed to be looking upwards. As they gained more altitude he turned his attention from the ground to the sky. He couldn't see anything in the middle of the darkness besides the stars, but suddenly a red beacon blinked above him and to the right.

 

Hopkins corrected their flight towards the direction of the beacon and, after some seconds, the fuselage of the Lightning started to be visible in the night sky. The craft had been developed as a fast transport capable of carrying a platoon of troops. It had the classic saucer shape of the UFOs but on its top it sported a plasma cannon that could be used either for aerial fighting or for ground fire support. The first prototype had been built at Area 51 and it had just finished the last development tests before operational deployment.

 

A square of light on the side of the craft suddenly appeared and Hopkins stabilized their vertical movement and directed their flying path towards it. As they approached the door of the Lightning Johnson saw human figures inside it wearing also flying suits. When they finally reached the entrance they moved their arms to grab him and Hopkins. With him killing off all suit motion, the soldiers pulled them inside, taking use of the weightless of the anti-gravity device.

 

As both of them cleared the entrance to allow for Crossett to board the craft, Johnson unhooked himself from Hopkins. A familiar voice made him lift his head and say to the figure that approached him: "Only you to come up with a stunt like this". Markovitch embraced him and he returned the gesture. "You were not getting away from me from that easy" He laughed and looked around him. The interior of the Lightning was crowded with a dozen X-Com troopers all clad in power suits with their helmets off, who were smiling at him. "Thanks". He muttered to all of them, nodding to each one.

 

"Captain we need to go now or the F-16s will lock their weapons on us" Clark's voice came from the pilot's console, which was located right next to the Elerium engine that occupied the center of the craft. The door had just been closed by one of the soldiers. "Get us out of here". Clark simply nodded to her and refocused his attention back at the console he was manning. Johnson unconsciously expected to feel the Lightning moving but instead he felt nothing due to the effects of the anti-gravity drive.

 

She released him and grabbed his hand to conduct him to a couple of seats that had been left empty on purpose by the X-Com troopers for them. As they sat down he immediately started to ask questions. "What are all of you doing here? This is insane".

 

She started to explain. "Jackson called us yesterday, saying that you had been arrested and that we were back into US command. No one of the officers present was happy with the situation and we were all thinking about what to do, since we found the whole matter dirty and questionable, to say the least. And all of us trust you more than we would follow Vaughn's orders. We started talking between ourselves and we wanted to also talk with you but it was impossible since Jackson told us that you were locked away. So we decided to get into contact with Commander Illyuschenko, although Jackson had expressly forbid us".

 

He shook his head. "You are all going to be arrested for this you know? A case could be made for me disobeying Vaughn's orders but Jackson was your commanding officer inside X-Com's hierarchy".

 

She smiled to him. "We'll see about that. The General told us of what is going on at the Council. Basically if Vaughn gets access to the Ufopedia it's the death of X-Com. He also said that he was still our commanding officer until we made the decision of leaving or if X-Com was disbanded so Vaughn had no right to put you behind bars. So we decided to get things straight".

 

"Sheila, like I said, the whole matter is questionable. I made the decision of refusing Vaughn's orders to rejoin the US military because I felt that my place is with X-Com. I never expected Vaughn to do what he did but you should have learned from what happened to who he thinks is betraying him. You made the same error as I did and if X-Com gets disbanded getting me out of that prison will serve you no good".

 

"You're wrong Erwin. Vaughn hasn't gained access yet to Area 51. Patterson has put the base on alert and secured the data files. Jackson has no idea of this operation since the only persons who know about it are here onboard besides Patterson and Prescott and some of the scientific staff. X-Com can still survive if you believe on it and the men back at base will follow you. We already established contact with Hunt back at Pollock and he also says that a number of men there will join us". She made a stern look to him.

 

"Sheila, you're nuts! This action will just drive Vaughn furious. What do you think it will happen afterwards when he finds out about it? Jesus, I'm surprised that Illyuschenko even authorized this operation" Her next words surprised him. "He hasn't". Looking at her with his eyes wide open he asked. "What?"

 

"When we proposed it to Commander Illyuschenko he forbid us saying that we wouldn't authorize such a course of action. I told him to put up with it: we are sticking to X-Com but only if you are here to lead us. And if he didn't like it he could go screw himself". Puzzlement came through his eyes until he started laughing. "What's the funny", she asked.

 

"Well, I disobeyed Vaughn but all of you here made a mistake even worst. You acted against two direct orders. I'll be damned if I understand".

 

"Hey" Her call made him look her directly on the eyes. "Get this straight Erwin: we are all here because we believe in this damn outfit and its mission. And we just saved your butt because we believe that you should be the one leading us, not Jackson who seems more willing to be following the orders of the damn idiot who is sitting at the White House at the moment"

 

Her voice showed a touch of anger. "Now you can stay there and complain about our actions as much as you want. But without you knowing, we made all our decision after hearing of how you disobeyed Vaughn's orders. We all remembered what you told us when China defected: this isn't a time where each country should act upon its best interests and that includes the US. For all I care Vaughn might be selling us to the aliens this minute! That means that the only ones that we trust is you and the Commander".

 

Her words stung into him and nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry". Grabbing her hand and squeezing it he smiled. "Thanks. Thanks to all of you for doing this". Looking around he remembered something. "But how did you knew where I was?"

 

Digging inside one of the pockets sewn into her jumpsuit's ankle she produced a silver ball. "I used this. It's a mind probe used by the aliens to get basic information for abductees. We made a number of flyovers until I detected your presence on that facility".

 

"Glad you've been practicing". She squeezed his hand harder. "Yeah. What are we going to do now?" He got up and went to the pilot's stations. "Now it's up to me and Commander Illyuschenko to decide". Grabbing a radio headset, he placed it on his head and started talking to the microphone. Markovitch watched him talk until suddenly he turned to Clark. "Turn this craft the other way".

 

She got up from his seat and approached both men. "Colonel, NORAD will pick us up and call back those F-16s" Clark argumented. "Get below radar level and away from any populated areas as much as you can. Do whatever you have to do to avoid detection. We've seen the UFOs do it before and they won't be expecting us to come back". Clark shook his head at Johnson's reply but went back to his job.

 

The order surprised Markovitch. "We're getting back?! For what?" He pointed to one pocket in her jumpsuit. "Get that thing ready. Area 51 just informed me than we need to make an extra pick-up".

[FullAuto]

The White House, Washington D.C., US

 

 

Vaughn and a number of Cabinet members and advisors were seated at the Oval Office, waiting for the video call from Nevada to be completed. It seemed to him that the whole situation had just gone out of control. When he had awaken he had been informed that Colonel Johnson had mysteriously evaded the federal penitentiary where he was being held into custody. NORAD had also tracked a UFO over the area but they had failed to intercept it or even determine from where it had came.

 

Thompson had called Colonel Jackson to know what was going on and from where the flight had originated using the hyperwave detector. But his reply a half hour later had been that he had lost contact with Area 51 and that a number of his Skyrangers were missing, together with the single Firestorm housed at the base. Vaughn would have fired the man on the spot if yet another call hadn't arrived from the American councilman in Geneve, saying that the other thirteen countries still remaining on the X-Com's Council seemed to be changing their minds about joining the US.

 

At that moment, May pointed out that it might be possible that members of X-Com loyal to Johnson had staged a prison break. At that moment he had ordered Thompson to deploy a full battalion of troops to take back control of the base. But when the notice from the incoming call reached him he smiled, realizing that the mutiny would soon be placed back under control. One way or the other.

 

As the screen flickered and Johnson's face appeared he turned his face immediately to show a deep concern but also resolution. "Colonel Johnson. I wonder if you and your men are aware of your actions. You are all about to spend your lives in prison in case you don't surrender immediately"

 

Johnson just sighed. "Mr. President, like I told General Thompson before, we're out of the US hierarchy and now of your command. I'm talking to you only to inform you that I've informed the men and women assigned to this base of my decision not to surrender it back to the US while the alien war lasts. I've told them that they don't have to follow our own misguided leaders if they don't want to since it is possible for them to remain in X-Com".

 

Thompson spat back at him. "Colonel, you will address your superiors properly" Johnson's eyes moved to one side then refocused back at Vaughn. "Is that General Thompson, sir? Please tell him that I respect his and your office but that I'm not obligated to follow your orders nor have I been even when President Winston was on charge. The X-Com Charter, among with a number of things clearly stated it to prevent any national interference with the force".

 

Smiling devilish at him, Vaughn spoke as if presenting a fact. "X-Com does not exist anymore Colonel". He saw Johnson closing his eyes before replying. "Commander Illyuschenko informed me minutes ago that the meeting of the Council is about to restart, without the presence of your envoy".

 

"You're lying! Without Area 51 they won't do anything. And you're about to lose your base" Johnson turned to his side, to someone not visible before replying. "Major Prescott tells me that your troops are still two hours away from us. I would suggest if you call them back sir. It would be extremely difficult to explain images of American troops assaulting a UN base being played on the major networks".

 

"Oh really? And how would they know? Your phone lines have been cut or jammed and there's no way to inform the media. In fact the only way that you have to communicate with the outside is through that hyperwave detector of yours. And even if you did contact them, how would you bring them there? Area 51 is in the middle of a controlled access military zone and the Air Force has already established a no-flying zone over the area. Try to move any of your planes and they will be shot down! It's time to fold your hand Colonel"

 

"I haven't shown all my cards Mr. President". The image expanded and a man using glasses appeared beside Johnson. "Please meet Mr. Evan Blake of the New York Times. He's their field reporter on UFO matters and has quite made an infamous reputation out of himself investigating the subject. I've picked him up and explained the whole situation to him, something that he found very interesting and newsworthy. We also had time to contact a number of Congress members: they told me that they would follow the whole situation carefully".

 

Vaughn went up with rage. "You don't know with whom you are dealing Colonel"

 

On the screen, Johnson's face turned into determination. "No. You're the one who doesn't understand what is going on. If any of your troops any trespass the perimeter of this base I have given orders for all of the research facilities and data to be immediately destroyed and for all military equipment and stores to be rendered useless. I expect that the men and women that have decided not to stay with us to be treated fairly without any charges to be pressed on them. Pollock is to return to US control but this base will only return to US possession when X-Com decides so and when all UN material is removed from it. We will continue to fight the aliens until their defeat but we won't involve ourselves into the US foreign policy".

 

"You have just sunk yourself into a hole so deep that you will never crawl back again from it, Colonel. That I swear to you".

 

"It might be sir, but me and the rest of the men and women who decided to follow me, we don't care. We are here to fight the aliens, using a unified strategy, not one that only serves one country, even if it's ours. If we win this war then we'll see what happens afterwards. But if we lose it...well in that case even you will be able to do nothing. Good afternoon sir. Area 51 out".

 

The image went blank and Vaughn stared at the monitor, the rest of his staff speechless. Finally Thompson approached him and asked. "What shall we do, Mr. President?"

 

Closing his eyes, Vaughn replied. "Call off the strike force. I want that place completely surrounded by land and air. It used to be the place where no one could get in now no one will be allowed out of it. We'll make them starve to death".

 

 

April 3rd, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

"Good morning". Blinking his eyes to adjust them to the overhead light, Williams saw Colonel Johnson standing by his bed, together with Davis. His head still fell fuzzy from the general anesthesia that they had applied to him before the operation. Trying to remember what had just happened in the last hours he raised his hand to his head. A thick bandage was covering the side of it. He also felt pain coming from his left shoulder if he tried to move it. "How...how did it go?"

 

"The doctors say that you will be fine. They have taken out the bullet that was lodged inside your arm and the second shot only grazed your skull. The loss of blood is what is worrying them the most at the moment but you're past danger now". Johnson moved closer to the bed. "Of course, now the only thing that remains to solve is what happened to you".

 

Feeling more awake now, Williams made an effort to try to remember. "I...I was driving home when a car came by my side and shot at me. I think I lost control of the wheel and must have hit the rails of the highway, I don't remember". Images flashed on his head but he couldn't make sense of them. "When I woke up I found myself covered with blood and still inside my car but it was rapidly filling with water. I managed to get out of it and swim to the shore of a river, I guess it was the Potomac. From there I dragged myself to a motel and checked a room, scrapping off the blood the best I could. The clerk looked at me in suspicion but I told him it was nothing and gave him an extra fifty to cover for any additional expenses. After that I finally managed to get in touch with Davis for a whole day, only to discover that his number here wasn't working".

 

Johnson looked at Davis at the end of the explanation, who rolled his eyes. "I know this sound crazy", Williams added, "but someone tried to kill me and missed, I guess. And I preferred not to go to the police since it would mean to the perpetrators that I survived".

 

Pointing back at Davis, Johnson made him stop. He looked behind in and saw that the infirmary was empty of any medical personnel. "He already told me a part of what both of you suspect when he informed me that you were gravely injured at the motel".

 

Looking in horror at Davis the other man nearly shrugged his shoulders. "It was the only way to convince the Colonel to make a detour after they rescued him from prison".

 

"Williams, we will discuss more of this later. Meanwhile there's something else that you should know that Davis has found out". The ex-FBI man nodded and spoke. "You're dead".

 

"Excuse me?" Williams thought that the other man was making some sort of a joke. "I've called the local police department: they have found your car on the bottom on the river. But yesterday they have also found a body ten miles down stream which they have identified as you"

 

"That can't be right. I'm here ain't I?"

 

"Yes, but for all effects you are dead. Your wife has identified your body at the morgue. Apparently she had no doubt that it was you. According to the police report, the cause of your death was drowning. They concluded that you lost control of your car because of the rain and sank into the river. You drowned while trying to exit the vehicle".

 

"Jesus! My wife thinks I'm dead?" Davis nodded. "I've called her and she sounded a wreck. The service will be held later today. I was unsure of what it would be better to do so I gave her my condolences". Williams tried to get up on the bed but the pain coming from his shoulder and his dizziness made him falter. Quitting the effort, he dropped back to his pillow. "What is going on?"

 

With a blunt voice, Davis replied. "Someone made an effort to try to kill you. And at the same time they covered it up both the attempt and the failure. Most likely the same ones that were responsible for the support that General Smith was receiving here and for the base at New Mexico".

 

"And one might also ask if they hadn't anything to do with the recent affairs on the Council". Johnson added. "After what happened to me I even wonder if Vaughn hasn't anything to do with the matter".

 

"Vaughn...." Williams thought deeply for some seconds and looked around. "I take it that the Commander managed to keep X-Com away from him?"

 

Johnson nodded. "He did. The US is out but this base still belongs to X-Com and so do we. Of course we haven't decided yet what to do since we are surrounded on all sides by a security net but that's another matter. By the way, thanks for the idea of making another stop and picking up Blake. That reporter is a big pain since he's constantly asking me for an interview but it was a good idea to use him to threaten Vaughn".

 

"Yeah, but now we'll have to decide what we are going to do. Both with him and all the rest". Johnson nodded and started to move away. "That can way for a couple of days. For now get better, then we'll see".

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Six - A Simple War

 

 

April 23rd, 2001

 

La Guardia Airport, New Jersey, US

 

 

The waiting area of gate nineteen was almost empty of passengers and the ticket desk's lights were off, leaving only the lights of the passageway to illuminate this section. The rows of seats were almost empty except for a couple of youngsters that seemed to be trying to sleep until their flight next morning and a single suited man who was using the available light to read the newspaper. According to the information presented on a blue monitor over the desk the next flight leaving from the gate would leave at seven in the morning, bound for Heathrow, London.

 

Number Three had moved down the boarding area of the airport, using the mechanic passageways until he had reached gate nineteen. When he arrived, his two bodyguards made a visual check of the area and left him afterwards, positioning themselves in opposite corners of the lounge. Number Three stopped for a minute before heading to the seated man, who was still reading his newspaper.

 

As he approached him, the seated figure brought down the newspaper and folded it neatly, placing it on the seat nearby close to his briefcase and Grey trench coat. Number Two then finally acknowledged Three's presence by nodding to him. As the other man sat on the available seat close to him, he commented in a mock tone: "Was this really necessary?"

 

"Why not?" He replied casually. "Since my normal duties made me travel here I thought it best to see how everything is running this side of the Atlantic". Three looked at the ceiling for one second. "Please stop with the holy attitude will you? We both know that you don't need to come here to know how things are going".

 

Two feigned surprise but he replaced it afterwards with a stern question. "Very well. I've heard rumors about the fate of someone we both know. Apparently he suffered a accident and his car had to be lifted from the bottom of a river".

 

A wicked smile crossed Three's lips. "What's so special about it? Accidents do happen, specially if you're tired and the weather is lousy".

 

"So you do know about what has happened?" The tone of the question made it a rhetorical question.

 

"Of course. I always keep myself an interest about the people I know. Specially about those who have crossed my path too many times". Three's eyes flashed for a moment with satisfaction.

 

"So you confirm that he's dead?" Two looked at him trying to pierce the other man's mask if he tried to conceal anything from him, defying his certainty.

 

The gesture surprised Three but he quickly reacted by countering it with a blunt response. "Of course! Someone shot him and his car ran over the protection rails and ended on the river. The police recovered both body and car afterwards. He was buried a couple of days later with no trace of who might have attacked him".

 

Two kept his reluctance in accept it. "And you're sure that it was him?"

 

"Ask his wife: she confirmed it. I have obtained photographs taken while he was still at the morgue if you want to see them". Two thought of it for a moment but then declined to pursue the subject any further. "How unfortunate then. But I guess it had to be done".

 

"Like everything else on our business". Two was gloating and making no effort to hide it.

 

"Yes". Speaking in a casual tone, he commented afterwards. "Still, there are some things that just won't change, no matter how hard we try". Three nodded in agreement which surprised him. "I know. That's why I stopped worrying about them".

 

"My dear fellow, you can't be serious. You mean you have given up your quest to deal the final blow on the organization?" Something was up and Two could feel it.

 

"A waste of effort that could be more efficiently spend on other matters". Looking over the window to see the planes taxiing outside, he continued: "Our friends have made a communication about a week ago".

 

What? Two was aghast but he surprised his surprise about the news coming from the aliens. He decided it was necessary for him to know everything about this message.

 

The fact that he hadn't been informed right away told him that One and Three had decided that the rest of the group didn't need to know until next council meeting. Either the subject of the communication was harmless or its implications far exceeded what they were expecting and both men had decided to conceal the knowledge to have an advantage over the rest.

 

Catching Two's preoccupation, Three boasted. "You shouldn't worry too much. They just informed us that the next steps of the plan are about to be taken". He stopped talking and looked directly at Two.

 

The bastard was enjoying himself, he realized and he couldn't do anything about it. Padding the other man's ego was the only way to get the information he needed.

 

He let impatience creep into his voice: "And...?"

 

"And also that from now on any opposition will not be tolerated anymore but eradicated. Either Earth joins them or we will die".

 

So that is why you have stopped concerning about X-Com all along. The aliens have taken upon themselves the responsibility to dealing with any force that is a threat to their plans. A bit of information that Two had once learned popped into his mind as he considered the implications.

 

"That including your own special contingency plan in case anything went wrong in the affairs with our 'friends'?" Three's coldness filled the air around him. "Yes. They are useless for any purpose now. There's no point in keeping something that might enrage our allies". Looking at him carefully, Two replied: "I see".

 

Three got up from his chair. "I hope you do. Well, if there's nothing more to discuss I should get going because I have a lot of things waiting for me tomorrow". Two didn't answer as he started to walk away.

 

However, after stopping a few steps ahead he turned and said: "And be careful from now on".

 

He raised his hand and made a circle with his index finger. "Air travel can be quite hazardous in the future". Taking conscience of the meaning behind his words, Two nodded and grabbed back his newspaper while the other man left the area.

 

 

May 10th, 2001

 

Louisiana coast, US

 

 

A pair of tall and muscular figures was moving amongst the banks of mist that littered the swamp, taking steps carefully to try not to get bogged on the mud. Both of them were carrying large, white-plastered weapons, holding them with both hands.

 

They were completely alert, ready to deal with any surprise that might be hiding out between the fog or amongst the massive trees of the forest that stood close to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Seen from the distance they looked nothing more than two hard to spot strange looking individuals all dressed in green colors. If anyone saw them, they would probably be mistaken for hunters returning home in the late hours of the day with some strange looking weapons.

 

Overhead, the sky was already starting to black out and turning the whole swamp into a sea of shadows. But to the figures it didn't matter as they continued to move towards their objective, oblivious to both pairs of eyes that were watching them from away, using infrared vision to compensate for the fog in the area.

 

About half a mile a craft looking as if it had came out of a sci-fi movie stood in the middle of an open area on the swamp, with half of its undercarriage disappearing in the dirty waters underneath it. More than twenty feet in diameter and seven feet in height, its shape was similar to a circle painted in blue and Grey tones. There were windows built into its walls but they were small and completely dark.

 

The entrance to the craft opened noiselessly and two figures became visible against the darkened interior. One jumped from the open door to the ground below, disturbing the still salty waters below, with the other quickly following it.

 

Although they had a humanoid appearance, with a torso, head and limbs, they also looked more as giant insects that could walk upright. Their body was covered by an exoskeleton that was painted in several tones of green and their heads were asymmetrical, with the area of the right eye being bigger than the left one. They also had an antenna coming from the back of their heads.

 

One of the figures was taller than the other and as it moved through the opening the appendage got itself stuck into the top of the door, releasing itself afterwards and swinging from one side to the other as they moved away from the craft. They also carried large weapons with both their hands, but they were better concealed by a green tropical camouflage fabric, which covered them.

 

Aboard the craft another figure stood by the door and watched them moving away. It was also wearing the same exoskeleton as the figures that had just left the craft but the head was smaller, lacking the ball shaped helmet. It was a woman with her brown hair cut in a short fashion.

 

As soon as they reached the nearest tree, it moved an arm to the side of the door and activated the command to close it. Opposite twin metal plates moved over the entrance, joining themselves at the middle.

 

She then turned away and said in a disgusted tone: "Phew! What a stench" She was talking to the other two occupants of the craft who were standing on the center, seated on chairs in front of workstations.

 

Turning to the pilot, a young man about her age with light hair and wearing an earpiece and microphone, she asked. "Clark, what's the status of the National Guard?"

 

"Cap, the commander sounds still confused about what they should do. They just weren't expecting that a second UFO would drop on the area and now are waiting for a special team to arrive while they continue to tighten the net around both UFOs".

 

"Jackson must have sent one of the platoons to deal with the aliens. Otherwise the Mutons would just have eaten alive the Guardsmen if they ran into them. Let me know if anything else comes up". The pilot acknowledged and she turned to the other man, who was also wearing a Grey jumpsuit like him but instead of a P shaped insignia on his right breast had a square without his bottom side.

 

"Let's get this done doctor. All this waiting is making me nervous". She looked back at the door before starting to seat.

 

On another location of the swamp, a polished green and brown surface started to emerge slowly out of the mucked waters close to the stump of a dead tree.

 

As more of it started to be barely visible against the surface of the swamp, anyone close enough to it could see that it had a circular shape, somewhat larger than a man's head.

 

On one of its sides it had a smaller protuberance. It was directly facing another strange looking craft, but that was smaller and was all made of shining Grey metal. It was hovering inches above the water and it gave a strange blue luminescence that reflected itself upon the watery atmosphere of the location.

 

After a few seconds, it started to scan the rest of the area, from one side to the other.

 

As it did, it suddenly stopped while looking to the left, seeing a humanoid figure standing twenty yards away from him in the middle of the puddle and facing his opposite direction.

 

It was wearing a green tight suit that covered it from legs to head only revealing the facial area. The alien's violet temples contracted itself and it gripped its heavy plasma tighter, the whiteness of the weapon showing splashes of mud.

 

The Muton was noseless, but it had nostrils built halfway in-between his eyes and mouth, a pair of cavities that it rose in the air, trying to pick a scent.

 

The X-Com soldier froze into position as the alien searched for the threat that it had detected. With a very precise motion, he supported the weight of his body on his left hand while the right gripped the plasma weapon that was lying besides him on the bottom of the swamp. Trying to move it closer, the soldier found out that it had gotten itself stuck in the decaying tree branches that littered the bottom of the swamp.

 

Uttering a course inside his helmet, he stopped breathing and his heart took a leap as the alien' senses swept through the location where he was submerged.

 

But the camouflage and the swamp did a good job in concealing him. Finding nothing, the Muton started to move forwards, making another search with his black glossy eyes where a speck of white could be seen as its iris swept for enemies.

 

The soldier's thoughts now feared that the alien it might trip his feet in one of the other five submerged troopers but luckily it didn't happen. When the soldier saw that it was far away, he dove his head back into the waters, which obscured his vision, allowing him only to see the inside of his helmet.

 

The salt in the water coming from the ocean gave him a bigger bouancy but the weight of the suit was supposed to contract it. Nevertheless he grabbed a branch on the bottom to secure himself in case he started to move unexpectedly upwards and reveal his position.

 

Activating his radio with a movement of his jaw, he spoke. "Sarge, watch out. One of them is moving on your direction". When the acknowledgement came, the soldier went back into the task of waiting until the next phase of the plan.

 

Inside the Lightning craft, Markovitch looked at Dr. Young, who was standing beside her and checking a metal object that she was carrying in her left hand and was linked to her power suit by a cord on her forearm. "King still has both of them on his sights. We need to hurry if we also want to try to get the UFO".

 

The scientist nodded his head and moved his fingers along the metal Grey collection of fused tubes that composed the main portion of the psi-amp that she was holding. On the top of one cylinder rested the amplifier, a glass and violet cylinder. Reaching a red switch on the side Young pressed it. "It's active now. Be careful or you might affect us. First, try to lock on King".

 

She nodded and closing her eyes she used King's voice to direct her concentration. Her left hand turned towards his direction.

 

Experiencing herself travelling, her consciousness found the X-Com soldier, who was down in a puddle of mud. Fighting through his natural resistance, she told him on the radio to try to relax as much as possible to help her task.

 

The sniper's psi level was on the low range of the scale and in two heartbeats the blackness of her closed eyes was replaced by the vision of the scope of King's heavy laser, with two Mutons moving away from the trooper. Her arm drifted a little and she projected her conscience towards the alien on the left, who was ahead of the other.

 

"Are you alright?" Young's voice came suddenly but she ignored him. Instead she tried to fight back the strange and repulsive feeling that came crashing down into her as she managed to mind control the alien. It had happened too faster than she had expected, much quicker than with King. And now she experienced the strength of the alien's arms and legs, heard the strong pulsation of its cardiovascular system that was more akin of a high-pressure pump and felt the alien's thoughts.

 

Not that she could make much sense of them. The Muton had a primitive mind and amongst the sea of feelings and instincts she discerned fear and rage for what was happening to it. "I got him" She shouted with a tone of surprise.

 

"Can you make him move?" Young's question distracted her as she was starting to pay attention to guttural sounds that seemed to be coming from behind the mind controlled alien.

 

As she started to try, she saw the vision of the swamp changing, as the Muton turned its body to the right on her command. One of its feet tripped on something but she managed to keep it balanced with a jerky motion.

 

The other Muton was staring at her and she decided that she would never want to be close to one of these aliens in person. Its face was a mask of aggression, with the eyes piercing through her.

 

Feeling a weight on her hands, she noticed the gun the alien was carrying and started to move its limbs. Then a flash of pain came through her and she jerked back on the chair of the Lightning where she was seated. She was now looking at the human face of Dr. Young who had his face directly in front of her.

 

"What happened?" Young deactivated the psi-amp while he moved to check her pulse. At the same time, King's voice appeared on the radio channel. "Holy shit! One of the Mutons just shot the other"

 

Controlling her breath, she turned to Young. "It worked, but the other Muton must have detected that something was wrong and killed it". The memory still gave her pain. "I need to try to control it now and see what I can do with him".

 

Young looked a diagnostics board that was monitoring her brain waves and scowled. "I'm getting some strange readings here. Are you sure you want to do it again?" His voice showed concern. "I feel fine", she answered to him.

 

Giving the dials another look he acquitted. "OK. But the minute you feel any physical indisposition this thing gets called off. And when we get back I'll need to do some tests. Something isn't right here".

 

Fifteen minutes later Lieutenant Digriz was standing by the entrance of the medium scout together with Sergeant Krenon. They were both watching as a pair of troopers escorted the Muton that was carrying back to the Lightning the plasma weapons that had been retrieved from inside the UFO.

 

Both of them had been submerged on the swamp waters and had first class tickets for the carnage that Markovitch had wrecked among the aliens.

 

They had watched as suddenly the aliens outside the UFO had started shooting at one another as the Captain controlled one and another and used it to kill the other Mutons. In the end only one alien had remained alive and now she was using him to speed up the process of the recovery of all useful alien artifacts that could be carried away. "I'd never thought I'd see this". Krenon commented as the alien moved out of sight.

 

"Same with me Sergeant. Let's finish the job and get back. It shouldn't take too long for the Skyranger to reach this area". Moving inside the opened door of the UFO, he pointed to the engine that occupied the center. "Get the Elerium. I'll deal with the rest".

 

Bringing his plasma rifle from his back he pointed it to the alien pilot's console. Everything that could be carried by hand would be brought back to Area 51. The rest would just be destroyed so that the American forces would only retrieve a worthless hulk, together with some alien bodies stripped of their equipment and weapons.

 

Digriz pressed the trigger but to his surprise nothing happened. "What?" He turned his weapon to the side to check for the level of Elerium ammunition and found that the meter showed it to be empty. That struck him as bizarre since the clip was supposed to be fully charged.

 

Removing the black ammunition clip from the rifle and examining it, he found no anomalies on it that could have damaged the Elerium container inside. Some drips of swamp water fell to the metal ground as he removed the clip but he paid no attention to them. His suit was already covered by moisture from standing in the bottom of the swamp.

 

"I'm done sir". Krenon's voice distracted him. The Sergeant had cut a hole on the engine and now held a pair of golden crystals on his metal hand than shone brightly. He took a plastic bag and inserted them inside, sealing the bag before putting it on his backpack. Digriz threw away the useless clip and reached for a grenade on his belt. "Let's go then". Holding the grenade on his hand, he pressed with his thumb to release the safety mechanism. "This will take care of the rest". Digriz placed the explosive on top of one of the pilot's consoles and both men quickly left the craft. When the noise of the Elerium detonation reached them they were already ankle deep in the swamp waters, speeding towards the direction of the river where their craft was waiting for them.

 

 

May 16th, 2001

 

Area 19, Nevada, US

 

 

The provisional helipad built at Papoose Lake was nothing more than a white circle painted on a patch of flat earth nearby the main facility. It was close to the main security fence that surrounded the location and a pair of Theta security troopers assigned to the defense points was rushing towards a nearby trench for cover. The blast of the Skyranger's engines started a small maelstrom along the landing zone. Only the automated tank deployed to area stood on its position as the plane's engines finished their rotation to an upright position, allowing the pilot to make a vertical landing.

 

Inside the Skyranger, Johnson and Markovitch were seated in the cargo area; both of them clad in the blue armor. "At least no one tried to shoot back at us this time". She turned her head to him and grumbled something.

 

"What's the matter with you? You have been so grumpy in the past days". The inside of the plane shook as it hit the ground and she opened her eyes. "Must be having a bad PMS syndrome or something".

 

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You don't suppose it has anything to do with the request from Young to see him?" Johnson noticed that her eyes gazed on something for a second, leaving her with a complete blank expression. "Hey! Wake up" He shook her shoulder.

 

She looked back at him, her voice showing a tone of anger. "What?" With a movement of her arm she put away his hand.

 

"What are you daydreaming about?" Her replying came menacing. "Just gimme a break will you?" He gave up and headed towards the back of the plane, stepping down the ramp of the Skyranger.

 

Because of the distance separating Groom Lake from Papoose it had been impossible for both facilities to be inside X-Com's defense perimeter. Since Johnson didn't want to use the combat teams for base defense they had established two smaller perimeters around both bases.

 

President Vaughn had ordered a full blockade of the facilities by US forces and Army troopers had dug themselves right on the other side of the perimeter. As Johnson stepped out of the plane he noticed that he actually could see a patrol of regular troops standing one hundred yards from him, dressed in combat fatigues and holding M-16s.

 

The encirclement of the X-Com base also applied to the air. The Air Force had a flight of F-16s interceptors in the nearby Nellis Air Force Base, ready to take off in five minutes in case he tried to launch planes. And the Army had deployed armed Apache helicopters to the area.

 

However so far they had been unable or unwilling to shoot down the Skyranger shuttle flights that where the only link between Areas 51 and 19. There were a number of daily flights that connected the facilities, transporting men and material from one base to the other. Most of the useful equipment from Area 19 that could be carried away had already been shipped to other bases. However, they still needed the labs contained inside.

 

Johnson thought it to be a waste of resources to use the Skyrangers on such a limited basis but there wasn't much that he could do since they would be easy prey for the American interceptors. The combat missions now flown from Area 51 had all to be done using the Firestorm fighters or the single Lightning transport. The man made UFOs were the only safe transports that could run across the US blockade.

 

Checking his chronometer he spoke to Markovitch, who had just joined him outside the craft. "There's a flight back in two hours. Let's see if we can catch it". Her response came laconic. "Right".

 

Some minutes later they were on the subterranean levels of Area 19 inside Young's office. The scientist looked paler than usual as if he hadn't seen the daylight for a long time. They were all seated in chairs, with Markovitch seeming to be skulking. Young turned to her and said: "You are not feeling right are you?"

 

A poisonous look on her face gave him the reply. "Are you a moron doctor?" Johnson looked at her in disbelief. The scientist nodded to her and looked at both of them before continuing to speak. "I think I know what your problem is".

 

She frowned at him and Johnson started to feel concern but he said nothing. Morale was dropping in the last couple of days around the base since they were starting to run out of supplies, including food. As a result everyone had now to eat C-rations until High Command could find a way to resupply the base.

 

A couple of minutes later, Johnson and Markovitch had entered Young's office. The scientist greeted them and asked them to seat down. Johnson looked at her in apprehension as she nearly shoved herself into the chair.

 

When Young was sure that the door was locked, also got a seat. After a moment of silence on which he seemed to be collecting his thoughts, he said:

 

"I don't know how to put it, so I'll just say it to you as simple as I can.

 

Yesterday, one of the high level psis on Mother One went insane during a combat mission and started to control the other soldiers".

 

"What?" Johnson's reply was the same as her, but he was surprised by the tone of her voice. It showed more that just shock, but also anger and fear.

 

Young raised a hand to stop them. "Let me finish please. The soldier involved had been gone through a lot of action in the past days and we suspect that he basically overextended beyond his mental limits.

 

However, the commanding officer on the scene had to remove the psi-amp from him by force and knock him down unconscious. When they got back, the CAT scan showed irreversible damage to certain areas of his brain".

 

Both of them were showing complete disbelief. She got up from her chair and pointed her finger at him. "You are telling me that what I'm feeling comes from the damn psionics!? And that I'm turning wacko from it? Why haven't you told me this before?" Rage filled her voice.

 

Johnson was also about to get up but Young's voice stopped him. "Captain, calm down. We only discovered this yesterday and we are still in time to prevent permanent damage to your brain".

 

She started pacing the room, ignoring his words. "Great! Fucking great"

 

"What are you going to do about this?" Johnson asked.

 

"Dr. Chevereux recommended to stop all use of psi-amps until we can research into this problem and Commander Illyuschenko approved of the decision".

 

Rolling his eyes in frustration, he added. "Doctor, I mean her".

 

"The tests on the other psis show that the use of the psi-amps modifies the brain's biochemistry. We are sure that we can correct it through medication but after an unknown stage the drugs simply won't work and damage will be irreversible.

 

We don't know the reason for this happening but probably our brain cortex hasn't evolved enough to fully deal with the psionic energies". Johnson sensed that there was something that Young wasn't telling him and it made him suspicious.

 

Young looked at Markovitch and back to him. "Most likely a Sectoid's brain is fully prepared to deal with psionics. Probably their experiments with hybrids are an attempt to resolve this problem but we would have to research more in the matter to be sure". Johnson froze, realizing what Young was implying but he couldn't talk more now because of Markovitch's presence.

 

She had now stopped and had sat down again. Her voice came drained. "Doctor, if I stop using psionics will this condition still affect me?"

 

His face lightened a bit. "Most likely yes. Almost sure, but I can't make any promises. The medical staff here is already being informed of what they should do. When you go back they will take care of you". She nodded and sank back into her chair. Johnson reached for her hand and squeezed it.

 

"And Colonel Johnson?" He turned to Young. "I'll do my best to see how this malady can be prevented. But you came with any other decision regarding this matter just inform me". He nodded to him and they both left his office without saying anything else.

 

 

June 21st, 2001

 

Mother One, Black Forest, Germany

 

 

"Here it comes Commander". The voice didn't distract Illyuschenko, who was standing in the middle of X-Com's operations center on the European base, clad on his power suit and with his hands placed against the side of his belly. About a month ago Egypt had been the last country to defect to the aliens' side, with massive landings of UFOs carrying the mysterious new extraterrestrials that no one had yet identified.

 

He had wanted to launch a major operation to capture one of the massive alien craft but it would take too long for the Skyrangers to reach the landing areas and they would need escorts against the Egyptian Air Force's MiGs. The Lightnings would be a better choice but there weren't enough of them available to transport the necessary number of soldiers.

 

The tragedy of the event had been further visualized as an agent of the MI6, the British intelligence service, had managed to take a number of snapshots of a landing. It showed one of the alien's Battleships parked right next to the Sphinx, with the Gizeh Pyramids on the background.

 

But now they were as ready as they ever would be, Illyuschenko concluded, trying not to be too overconfident. The red dot on the board overhead him was moving over Syria in a possible path towards Algeria or Libya. Based on the alien's seen tactics, they would try now to infiltrate the countries close to Egypt, like they had done with New Guinea or Mongolia.

 

And Saudi Arabia was already experiencing domestic problems originating from the UFO intrusions over its airspace. A number of radical Muslim political factions were claiming that the overflights were coming from Israel, leading to claims of action against the Jewish State.

 

On Israel itself, the close alien activity was straining the politicians and military alike, which could prompt an attack on neighboring Egypt. Which would ignite the whole area into full-scale warfare and probably sending more of the Arab nations to the alien's camp.

 

Too much political implications all together. Illyuschenko concluded abruptly as the processor built into the hyperwave detector finished translating the beacon signals from the alien craft. The space underneath the dot became filled with red lines: BATTLES/UNKNOWN/ABDTION/CNTASIA.

 

"It's the same that Stalingrad base detected sir". Again he didn't reply to the voice. The craft had been detected a little more than an hour ago by the Russian base, until it had moved over the detector's operational range over the Persian Gulf. The contingency plan for such an occurrence had been sprung into action the minute the UFO had been spotted. Three Lightnings would carry a company of X-Com's combat troops, drawn from the German and the Russian base, all chosen for a single factor: their high levels of resistance to psi-attacks. And they would also shown some new tactics to the aliens, designed by him and the rest of his staff to surprise the aliens.

 

He gave one last look to the board before speaking to the officer who was talking to him. "Tell the Lightnings to be ready to launch when I join them". Turning away he headed towards the hangar section.

 

 

Anatolia Plateau, Turkey

 

 

The alien Battleship had landed in farmland, after overflying the Middle East for a number of hours. It stood in an open area, its massive legs crushing a wheat field underneath it. Illyuschenko was monitoring the UFO, standing being the pilot as the Lightning craft stop in the air and started to make its descent into the landing zone.

 

The three X-Com planes that were descending from the skies into the golden colored fields in a loose triangular formation, each craft at one vortex, with the alien UFO roughly at the middle of the triangle. When they landed, each platoon would clear its landing area of any aliens that might be posted outside and them move to link with the other platoons and establish a perimeter around the Battleship.

 

The Lightning carrying Illyuschenko landed in between haystacks, a few meters away from a disabled tractor upon its landing struts. X-Com troopers immediately started to come out of the brown and light grey colored craft, through the side door. Some of them were equipped with flying suits and they took advantage of the anti-gravity device built into the suits to take long leaps out from the door and place themselves in better positions to cover the landing.

 

Illyuschenko grabbed his heavy plasma and headed towards the door of the Lightning. Following him was a trooper carrying the massive bulk of a blaster launcher on his hands. Both of them were the last to exit the craft. The platoon aboard had already deployed and was engaging the aliens outside the UFO.

 

A quick look around the landing zone showed him that so far they had few problems dealing with the new aliens. One of the capped creatures was lying on the ground, with smoke coming from the spots on the rope that had been hit by plasma and laser fire. Illyuschenko couldn't see much of the alien behind the cape, besides a yellowish arm that was poking out of the blackened clothing, still clutching a heavy plasma on its hand.

 

"What is that?" A surprised voice suddenly came on the radio with a heavy Russian accent. "All squads, the aliens have some sort of armored... thing"

 

As he jumped out of the last two steps and into the ground, Illyuschenko tried to see the direction of the soldier who had just called. He could see that one of the squads was using the side of a barn to take cover and he started racing in that direction. As he looked upwards, he saw that the UFO towered over the building.

 

"Fox two, get some cover! That tank is just too tough" The mention of a tank worried Illyuschenko, who wondered if the aliens might have any other surprise for them waiting inside the craft. X-Com had never boarded any of the Battleships and they had no idea of what they might be facing inside. Based on the few reports concerning the vessel, its massive hulk carried more than two dozens of aliens and they were deployed through twin massive doors built into the central leg of the craft.

 

The doors were large enough for Cyberdisks to use them and Illyuschenko thought if the troops had encountered one of the flying machines as he sped towards the barn. The squad in front of him started retreated from the side of the building towards the back of the barn. Illyuschenko was now moving a small orchard of apple trees. Then a strange machine moved in his line of view at the other end of the barn.

 

Calling the alien thing a tank was probably just a way to give it some sort of name, Illyuschenko concluded, since it moved using twin armored legs, the size of tree trunks. On the top of them there was an egg shaped white body. Two red circles on its front gave it the impression of being some sort of eyes, giving it the impression of some sort of live metal beast. And underneath them, two large barrels sprout out of the body, glowing green as they discharged plasma rounds.

 

The tree next to Illyuschenko's side burst into splinters as one of the green hellish balls hit it. He tried to point his plasma weapon at it to fire back but the alien machine quickly moved out of his sight, using the other end of the barn as cover.

 

Cursing, Illyuschenko and the other soldier joined the squad that had dug next to the barn. Two troopers were standing a watch on the sides of the barn while another one was on his knees, tending with a medikit an unconscious figure on the ground. Searching for the officer in the charge he asked to the soldiers. "Where's the squad leader?"

 

The kneeled figure raised his helmet on his direction and replied in a voice thick with tension and fear. "Lieutenant injured. Me leader now, Corporal Malenkov".

 

Illyuschenko reverted to Russian to make talking to the nervous soldier easier and pointed with his armored hand at the fallen figure. "Malenkov, how's the officer doing?"

 

The other soldiers looked at him as they heard their mother tongue on the squad channel. "The lieutenant will live, but for now he's out of the fight. That tank is making us impossible to advance, sir" He pointed towards Illyuschenko's escort and to the blaster launcher it was carrying. "He was asking for heavy support against it, sir"

 

"Well, he will have it now. Sergeant, target the enemy's machine". The non-commissioned officer quickly moved towards one of the edges of the barn. Looking around the corner he made a mental calculation of the length of the building. The trooper then started to calculate and enter the necessary waypoints for the trajectory of the guided missile. Entering the information on the controls on the side of the dark blue barrel of the bazooka like weapon, the soldier finished the preparations to fire.

 

Checking his work on the small computer's visor attached to the top of the launcher he turned to Illyuschenko. "Ready to fire Commander, but the blast will probably take out the entire building. We should take cover". Illyuschenko nodded.

 

There was only a small stone fence three feet tall that defined the orchard next to the barn and he decided that it would have to be sufficient. Moving towards the fallen figure, he placed his hands under its armpits. "Corporal, give me a help with the legs. All of the others, retreat to the fence and give the ground a bear hug".

 

The soldier quickly helped Illyuschenko bring the injured officer to the protection of the stone wall as the other soldiers carefully followed them. When they were all crouching against the dark earth terrain underneath the trees, he ordered the sergeant to fire.

 

A low fizzling noise was all he heard for a couple of seconds as the bomb left the barrel and made its way around the barn. Then the earth shook, followed by the noise of the Elerium blast, muffled by his power's suit noise suppressors.

 

The low stone wall collapsed in top of the soldiers and the mortar that composed it dropped all over the men, half-burying them in debris.

 

When the commotion was done, Illyuschenko rose his head and looked. The whole barn was had been completely leveled out by the shock wave of the explosion, with the remaining wood still standing on the side next to him burning fiercely. The rest of the building had been sublimated by the blast, leaving only a cloud of smoke that quickly disappeared as the ashes precipitated into the ground.

 

As he didn't saw the seven feet tall machine anymore, Illyuschenko got up and noticed that the only remains left from the alien tank were the massive legs that had been scattered by the explosion.

 

A loud sound to his right made him turn just in time to watch a small tool shed fifty yards away crashing into the ground. "Move out" He shouted, with his mind already on the alien UFO whose figure loomed on the horizon.

 

When Illyuschenko and the rest of the X-Com soldiers got close to the Battleship, he wasn't satisfied. The troopers were trying to reach the entrance, located in the central pillar that supported of the craft but the Ethereals were making it impossible.

 

He saw soldiers in power suits standing against the outside pillars waiting to go around the metal legs of the UFO and reach the doors, but the aliens inside were making it impossible. Looking for Colonel MacTaggert, he followed the directions of the concealed troopers until he reached the officer who was standing behind the remains of a tractor.

 

"Colonel, why aren't you giving cover to the men ahead?" His voice demanded for an explanation.

 

"Already tried sir. The aliens just use their mind tricks on the soldiers who try to give suppressive fire and disappeared inside! And I've seen the bloody things fly also! They're like spirits" His voice became excited and frustrated. "Bloody ethereal ghosts! And there's one of their tanks inside"

 

"Get me a squad with flying suits" Turning to the sergeant close to him, still holding the blaster launcher, he ordered: "Piotr, try to blow a hole on the top level"

 

As MacTaggert started to shout orders on the radio and the sergeant prepared his weapon, Illyuschenko checked the flight controls of his suit. He had never used it before in combat but he had performed as many training flights as he could spare time to.

 

Close to the craft, the soldiers nearby one of the pillars suddenly ran for cover as the operator of the blaster launcher ordered for clearance. Again, when he was satisfied he pressed the trigger, sending one of the guided missiles on a pre-established flight that sent it against the fuselage of the craft.

 

The side and top of the UFO were suddenly covered with an inferno of flames as the bomb exploded but Illyuschenko ignored it. Activating the controls of the anti-gravity engine strapped on the back of his armor, he took off the ground in a brusque movement.

 

Correcting the upward motion, he gave himself a forward movement towards the impact area of the bomb. He saw one of the troopers who had raced for cover also ascending while around him and three other soldiers coming from the X-Com lines joined him on the air.

 

The side of the UFO was releasing dark smoke making it impossible to judge how great had been the hole that the missile had carved on the fuselage. However, a green bolt coming out of the dark mist told Illyuschenko that it was big enough for the aliens to fire from it. It hit the soldier who was nearby and the man suddenly dropped to the ground like a stone.

 

"Hold movement! Piotr! Fire a second round at the same location"

 

Ten seconds later, as the call from the Sergeant came announcing that he was opening fire, Illyuschenko and the three other soldiers gripped their control panels in their chest tighter, waiting for the blast wave that would sure hit them at this distance.

 

It was as worse as Illyuschenko had imagined but he was ready for it. He felt as if a giant invisible hand suddenly slapped him as if he was nothing more than a mosquito. It sent him and the other troopers backwards but they all managed to control their flight paths in a matter of seconds.

 

But, more important, the force of the explosion hadn't damaged their armor and they moved quickly to the now enlarged hole. A number of secondary explosions were heard coming from the inside of the UFO as they approached it and Illyuschenko saw debris spinning off from the hole.

 

None hit the soldiers and, clearing the smoke, they found a hole seven feet in diameter cut into the fuselage, with the alien metal bent inwards at the rim of the circle. "MacTaggert, move the rest of the men" The order came as he was negotiating the edges to land, with one of the men already inside helping him.

 

He found himself in one small corridor, in front of a compartment whose wall facing them had been completely ruined by the force of the explosion. On the inside he could see a bluish smoke, coming from ruined red containers. According to Dr. Chevereux those contained some sort of recreational drug for the aliens. Gripping his heavy plasma he followed one of the soldiers as he prepared to turn around one corner.

 

With a quick movement, they sprang out with their weapons, filling the corridor in front of them with plasma fire. At the distance, their shots hit one of the orange capped aliens but it quickly responded before disappearing from view.

 

"Ethereal indeed". Illyuschenko muttered to himself as he moved out of the corridor. He stopped when he saw that the soldier trooper was still standing there. "Hey! What are you doing here you stupid" The answer to his question jumped into his mind as the soldier started to turn towards him slowly.

 

Illyuschenko raised his plasma weapon in reaction, with the butt of the cannon hitting the weapon the X-Com soldier was now pointing at his direction.

 

Illyuschenko had thrown the blow without thinking and more in a movement to deflect the shot that the mind controlled trooper was about to fire at him. It succeeded and it also had the bonus effect of making snatching the plasma rifle from the soldiers' hands and into the wall.

 

The X-Com commander found himself facing one unarmed man that was being mind-controlled by the aliens ahead. He tightened his finger around the trigger of his weapon but something prevented him from firing.

 

It was a laughter that he could hear deep inside him. Do it!

 

When he heard the voice it made him hesitate and he felt his strength disappearing. You'll be killing him anyway later! Do it or it will be you!

 

However, before he could anything, the unarmed trooper broke into a run down the corridor, apparently running away from him. Illyuschenko took one second to respond: he started chasing the soldier, who was blocking the alien's vision of him.

 

When he reached the intersection ahead he found the soldier standing nearby it, next to one of the aliens, who seemed to be weary.

 

The hood of its cape had fallen off his head, showing the scarred pale skin of its thin neck. It was looking at one door that was closely in apprehension but its attention quickly turned to Illyuschenko as it detected his presence. He gave it no chance to respond, killing the alien with two plasma shots to its torso that send the alien spinning against the metal floor.

 

Moving the weapon towards the soldier, Illyuschenko felt dread coming over him again but a voice took off the burden of having to decide to shoot or not. "I'm free" The soldier in front of him raised his arms to the air.

 

The fighting was over in five minutes. Colonel MacTaggert's men had managed to approach the elevator coming from a direction that obscured the alien's line of fire and had used grenades to blow the aliens inside into pieces. They had then taken out the aliens that dared to come near the large lift inside, while Illyuschenko had received reinforcements and had managed to locate and destroy the bridge of the craft.

 

Afterwards, the remaining alien seemed to have lost their moral and had been killed more easily, although the psi-attacks continued to wreck havoc amongst X-Com personnel.

 

Illyuschenko was standing in the middle of the control room, leaning against an alien violet console that had stopped functioning when MacTaggert entered it. Taking out his helmet, the Scotsman scrubbed his brown hair before speaking.

 

"Commander, this whole thing is a treasure of alien gadgets. The techs are saying that we have here enough materials to built two or three craft of our own, not to mention the Elerium to power them".

 

Illyuschenko didn't look back at him. "At the price of one platoon killed or injured".

 

His voice made MacTaggert preoccupied. "Sir, I know. But we know we can kill them now. You knew how morale was when the troops heard about what happened in Spitzbergen".

 

Closing his eyes, Illyuschenko decided to change subject. "Any prisoners?"

 

"No Commander. We have retrieved a number of bodies, including a nearly intact alien tank that went down after we started to use laser fire on it from a long distance". He nearly stopped when he saw that Illyuschenko was simply staring at the alien monitors built into the walls of the bridge.

 

 

June 24th, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

The darkened hangar's overhead lights had been turned off, and the Moon glow that entered from the windows bathed the parked planes inside with a bluish light. Moving nervously into the building and towards the craft, Williams tried not to look suspicious as he approached a pair of security troopers who were walking inside with their laser rifles hung from their shoulders and holding flashlights on their hands.

 

For a moment the guards eyed him very carefully, scanning his figure until they sight centered on the badge identifying him as a member of the intelligence branch.

 

"Good evening". Williams said, almost casually.

 

The guards saluted him as he moved into a more lightened portion of the hangar, revealing his officer's insignia on the shoulder patches of his suit. But they quickly reverted into an alert status and one of them asked: "Good evening sir. May I ask what you are doing here?"

 

"Well," he started thinking for an excuse for his presence. "The soda machine on F section has run out of coffee and I heard that there was still some left on the one close to the pilot's ready room".

 

The guard kept a stern look at him. "And I also wanted to take a chance into seeing one of those things, soldier". He pointed at the parked Lightning at the distance. "Down there you talk a lot about them but we hardly have the chance to see one. I won't touch anything".

 

Both men looked at one another and they grinned afterwards. "Go right ahead sir. The techs are done with it for today and have locked it, so it's quite harmless". Williams nodded and thanked both guards.

 

As he started to move away from them one of them suddenly said: "Sir" He quietly turned around.

 

"Please, don't hoard all the soda. Sometimes we also go there". Flashing a thumbs-up he resumed his pace and the guards kept their patrol.

 

However, as he moved down the row of parked craft, he stopped by a Skyranger and checked to see if the guards were away. Satisfied he walked along the fuselage until he reached the door that gave the pilots access to the inside. It immediately opened when he came next to it and a pair of arms helped him get inside.

 

"We're all here". Davis' voice came from his left, telling him that it had been the former FBI subdirector had been the one who had helped him. Looking of the cargo area of the plane, he saw Johnson waiting and seated.

 

"We could just have this meeting in my office, you know?" The Colonel's voice showed displeasure. "And we should have waited for Robinson's arrival from Mother One. Whatever you want to talk about he would need to know".

 

"I don't want Robinson to know about what we are going to talk here".

 

"The conspirators responsible for Area 19 and the alien base on New Mexico and that tried to kill you".

 

"Exactly. I've been thinking about the past events that brought me here".

 

"You're not the only one. Robinson has asked me a whole of questions also about what happened to you". Davis interposed. "I told him that most likely you were on the wrong location at the wrong time but he didn't believe me".

 

"I wouldn't either, unless I had seen some very disturbing things myself from the beginning". Johnson added to the other man's thoughts. "Still you must have a pretty good reason to require he isn't informed on the whole scheme. You don't trust him?"

 

That made Williams thought for one second although he already knew the answer. "I do and the same goes for Illyuschenko. Without both of them the organization would have fallen apart by now".

 

"And the Secretary-General?"

 

"Most likely yes, but in his case it's different. Bomaka has no real power besides the one the Council and the UN allow him".

 

"So why can't our leaders be informed of this threat?"

 

"Right now my actions have made me a liability to the people who are secretly aiding the aliens. I suspect that X-Com was always seen as an organization that could be manipulated by those same individuals. The attacks on our bases that you we are seeing could have been done two years ago, when we didn't had any proper defenses".

 

"I fail to see your point Williams".

 

"If Robinson or Illyuschenko or even Bomaka knew about this, they would most surely act or think accordingly. For instance, the Council now seems as the more logical place to be infiltrated. A change of political or military approach regarding a number of nations would surely be noticed".

 

"Williams, wake up, this is a fight to the death already. Doesn't matter at this point if they discover that there's another enemy still hidden".

 

"Wrong Colonel. We are fighting for time right now. The necessary time to find and strike at the alien base and destroy their leadership. And it's crucial that we pretend to keep playing to their tunes like we have done since the beginning".

 

The statement puzzled Johnson. "Excuse me? You are telling me we have been manipulated the whole time? If they are acting with the aliens what interest could we possibly have?"

 

"I don't know, but ask yourself. Why would someone get me out of that sinking car and replace me with a clone? Or why would they give Dr. Mantell the plans for the laser weapons when we needed them the most to have a chance against the aliens?"

 

"Holy Jesus". Johnson closed his eyes. "You really conspire too much Williams. I think the whole matter of your attempted murder has gotten you paranoid. Next you are going to tell me that Vaughn is also a part of this".

 

His silence momentarily replied to Johnson's query but then he shook his head. "I don't know. Either he's just being manipulated like the rest of us or it's what you just said. In any case his actions have surely damaged us".

 

"You're a full case of contradictions".

 

"I don't think this alien invasion is as simple as any previous war".

 

"War is never simple". Johnson countered back.

 

"Point granted. In any case my advice to us all is to keep playing along".

 

"What if they try to kill you or me again?" Davis asked. "We are both liabilities now".

 

"Not yet Davis. Somebody is still watching us, using us for its own hidden purpose. And we should be more careful now more than ever. Besides the three of us, I really don't trust anyone else inside X-Com. This whole organization has more security holes on it than a Swiss cheese. The only thing we don't know yet is how deep they fully know our plans".

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Chaos

 

 

July 21st, 2001

 

Mother One, Black Forest, Germany

 

 

"What do you think Eva?" Pierre Lejeune's voice distracted Eva Johannes from the sight of the black painted craft that she was seeing in the main hangar of the European base. Turning away from it, she looked at the French scientist and thought that he looked as a child that just had got a new toy to play.

 

But there was nothing innocent about the plane next to them that had two thirds of the length of a Boeing 737. It had been spawned from the production line at the weapons and aircraft factory at Complex YY-18, X-Com's base in Japan. And it had just taken less than two hours to cover nearly halfway across the world on its way to Mother One, in a journey that most people would consider as impossible with the current technology. That is, if one refused to believe that extraterrestrial life forms existed and that they were already on Earth.

 

To all members of the Scientific Bureau of X-Com based at Mother One, the craft that now was landed on the subterranean hangar was more of a legend that had became true. Their boss, the also French Dr. Chevereux, had fed them all impossible dreams of a human-built spacecraft based on the findings that they had extracted from the retrieved alien technology.

 

At the beginning most people had the same reaction as the physicians recruited to built the A-bomb on the Manhattan Project probably had: skepticism about the feasibility of the idea. If then they had heard of the time scale that the project would take, they would probably have pure and simply laughed, dismissing it.

 

However, Chevereux's vision now unfolded before their eyes. It had taken more than two years of full-time research and some serious teamwork involving nearly twenty research facilities scattered by the globe. And not to mention the dozens of troopers that had died as they fought to capture downed and landed UFOs.

 

Whoever had designed it had tried to give a deadly appearance to a boxy shape. Its main body, a rectangular shaped section, nearly one hundred and fifty feet in length, rested upon a landing gear that was retractable for atmospheric operations. Inside, a specially designed Elerium engine powered the craft to a maximum of fifty-four hundred miles per hour in the Earth's atmosphere. It could also be used to maneuver the craft in Earth's atmosphere but details for that flight profile were classified. And its cargo bay could hold twenty-six fully armored and equipped troopers, allowing it to deploy two platoons of X-Com's infantry to anywhere in the world in less than two hours.

 

Connected to it there was a smaller cockpit area capable of housing comfortably the two-man crew that piloted the craft through the use of the control systems developed using alien technology. And from the front of the craft antennae and sensor pods stood out, giving it a sleek appearance. Finally, from both sides of the central body two small wings sprouted out currently empty.

 

She had been looking at those and she now turned to Pierre, pointing at them. "Are you sure that you gave the right data to the engineers? Those things look too frail to stand the weight of the launchers".

 

"Probably it's from the reinforced armor that they used all over the rest of the plane. But we should know when they start the evaluation and firing tests". She still wasn't convinced. The scientist team at Mother One had been tasked months ago to develop a weapon system similar to the personal blaster launchers to mount on advanced X-Com aircraft. Combining the basic principles of nuclear weapons and Elerium detonation. After running a number of experiences they had discovered that the E-115 could be used to create a massive gravity wave by coating it with pure carbon, in the form of artificial diamond. The material would contain the matter-antimatter reaction for a fraction of a microsecond, before its crystalline structure would collapse under the immense force that it had concentrated for that time.

 

The front of the ball-shaped projectile would then release the wave, which would crush anything. Or at least anything that man had built. In one of the firing tests a Firestorm had been equipped with the fusion ball launcher and launched a round at an old cruiser vessel of the British Navy that had been towed to the North Sea. When the submarine robot reached the sunken wreck its cameras showed that the vessel had simply been sandwiched into a five thousand tons plate that had quickly sunk into the bottom of the ocean.

 

The weapon worked, but they had developed it to be placed inside a craft, not on weapon pods outside. They would still need to work in that area since the original specifications had stated that it would be carried by a craft specially designed for it. It had turned the other way around. "Here comes Dr. Chevereux and the Commander". Both Johannes and Lejeune watched as a small group of men approached the craft and stood fifty feet away from it.

 

"So this is the half-breed we all have been eagerly expecting". Illyuschenko was looking at the craft with a mist of achievement and caution. He and his staff had wanted two separate crafts, a heavy fighter capable of engaging the alien Battleships, something that the current Firestorms lacked, and a heavy transport that would allow X-Com respond quickly to any threat in the world.

 

Instead, the Council had only agreed with the development of a new craft that would combine both functions, which lead into some serious doubts if the new Avenger could properly perform both. But, unknown to the Council, the most important capability of the craft was still present: it could operate in deep space and transport troops to Mars.

 

"Our Avenger, oui Commander". Chevereux just stood in gaze at the craft, with the look of a proud father. "But this is only the beginning of real space travel to mankind. Soon we will travel to another stars". Illyuschenko dismissed the other man's amazement and pride. "Congratulations Doctor. However, I don't know if this beast will do its work. And, unlike the fat cows we had at the kolkhoze back in Russia, I don't think this one will give out any milk".

 

"Commander" Illyuschenko ignored the other man's indignation with the remark. Moving closer to the craft he looked at X-Com's white circle with a red X insignia painted on the main fuselage. He couldn't understand why they had painted the craft glossy black, since it would make it highly visible on daylight operations.

 

Pacing towards the front of the craft, he noticed some lettering underneath the pilot's viewport at the cockpit. When he reached it, he realized that the Japanese engineers had also taken the care of painting the name of the craft: The Avenger.

 

The Black Angel of Death, Illyuschenko suddenly realized. It sounded like something mysterious. A bad omen for the aliens since he had learned to trust the mechanical concoctions developed by Chevereux and his people. If the thing worked, then his pilots and soldiers would practice until exhaustion 'til they learned how to use it properly. But he also had the feeling that something bad in general was going to happen.

 

"Superstitious non-sense". He mumbled to himself before turning to Dr. Chevereux. "Doctor, start the tests at once". Giving it a last look, he felt and surpressed a shiver down his spine. "And try to hurry as much as possible. Area 51 needs to be relieved as soon as possible and I'm going to send it to them as a present". He didn't realize that unconsciously he also wanted to be as far away from the Avenger as possible.

 

 

August 15th, 2001

 

Alameda, California, US

 

 

"That's it" Major Patterson nearly ripped the earset off his head in frustration. "That tight-up ass Army commander in Alcatraz just forbade us from flying downtown and warned us to leave these facilities or they will send someone to lock us up".

 

Johnson sighed as he heard the news. They were both inside the Avenger, the craft that had been deployed to Area 51 days ago and had just been immediately pressed into service as the aliens had launched a terrorist attack on San Francisco. The hyperwave detector on the base had tracked the flotilla of UFOs as they moved towards the city and they sent a transmission warning Jackson at the West Virginia base but it had been too late for anyone to mount a proper defense.

 

Their messages to the US leadership offering aid to contain the aliens hadn't been even acknowledged. Nevertheless Johnson had decided to deploy to the area to an abandoned Air Force facility to try to give assistance to the US forces. The Avenger and the two Lightnings were now parked close, surrounded by a perimeter of X-Com troops in power armor to guard them against any interference.

 

Standing close to it, White also turned to Johnson and added: "I know why he warned us against moving to the city. Major Prescott just called from Area 51 informing that Landon has cracked their latest communications. They just lost control of downtown San Francisco and right now are just trying to contain them in the peninsula".

 

Moving close to one of the windows built into the fuselage of the craft, Johnson pressed a button and the reinforced armor covering it slid away, showing him the San Francisco Bay. On the other side of the bay, the skyscrapers of the city could be seen, with a reddish glow marking them against the night. "The Golden Gate and Bay bridges have been blocked by Army barricades", White continued speaking, "and Jackson and his team seem to have been cut off somewhere in the Castro neighborhood and are moving to rejoin US forces".

 

A pair of Army helicopters moved over the bay, their silhouettes briefly lighted from the fireball of an explosion coming from San Francisco International. It was quickly followed by other blasts and Johnson realized that the planes parked at the airport must have been hit by gunfire.

 

His impatience and frustration were nearly impossible to endure. "Patterson, White, start monitoring all of the police and military channels to see if we can find us a fight".

 

 

Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

"Move" Captain Halloway of the 7th Regiment, USMC, couldn't believe that there were still civilians alive and trying to cross the bridge into the safety of his lines. Placing the megaphone next to his mouth he kept on shouting commands: "Everyone hold your fire! Civilians are coming our way" His company had been tasked to hold out at the northern end to serve as a tactical reserve while the two other companies from the battalion that had traveled with him from south had entered the city. He hadn't heard from the Major in one hour and he was starting to worry.

 

He wondered how they had managed to survive the aliens, as he watched them now racing between the jammed packed cars that had been abandoned and now littered the entire bridge.

 

As the first reached his position, he saw that most of them were injured and bleeding from their arms and heads. A young woman reached one of his soldiers and threw a crying child into the troopers' arms. She then collapsed on the ground as the marine dropped his M-16 to catch the infant.

 

A man on his fifties that seemed to be in shell shock simply kept running past the lines and down the highway, without even stopping at the provisional medical facility that had been deployed hours ago. Looking back at the woman, a corpsman was on his knees simply shaking his head.

 

An explosion coming from the other side of the bridge brought his attention back to the conflict. The marine carrying the radio that was standing next to him was trembling as he passed on the receiver to him.

 

Picking it up, he heard on the other side. "Golf Bravo, are you still there, over? I repeat, this is Romeo Fifteen. The aliens have started to move across the bridge. We are being fired upon and are...".

 

Static suddenly filled the channel and an airborne fireball told Halloway that the helicopter that was watching the other end of the bridge had been shot down. "Everyone assume your positions! The aliens are coming"

 

 

Alameda

 

 

When the television crews started to arrive to the main entrance of the abandoned fence and join the policemen already present, Markovitch simply tried to ignore them. Someone in the small crowd that was curiously watching them must have called one of the major networks and she had to worry about the reporters.

 

For a moment she wished she had brought one of the psi-amps so that she could use them to make the police disperse the crowd. Four of her troopers were standing by at the entrance carrying stun launchers in case they got too close but the Colonel had given orders to avoid a confrontation at any cost. Already the sight of their power suits had caused angry shouts from the crowd, branding them as aliens, until she had ordered one of her men to remove its helmet and reveal to them that they were human. The local cops also weren't sure to what to do. The sergeant in charge had radioed back the precinct asking for instructions but it seemed that they had other things to worry about.

 

For the time they seemed happy to make a security line to contain the civilians, as Markovitch had suggested to the Sergeant.

 

One man was standing in front of her talking to one of the law enforcement officers. After a couple of minutes he turned his back on the policeman, who turned his attention to another side.

 

Suddenly, she saw the figure speeding past the officer and making a dash towards the entrance. One of her man raised his stun launcher in response. "Captain..." He spoke, waiting for an order. "Hold your fire" She suddenly called, recognizing the man. Blake!

 

The soldier kept his weapon as the journalist moved next to them. His face was unshaven and his dark hair a mess, with bloodshot eyes visible behind the glasses that he was wearing. "Who's in charge here? I need to talk to the Colonel"

 

"What are you doing here Blake?" Markovitch asked, waving off the soldier.

 

He looked surprised for one second that the armored figure in front of him who know his name. "Captain? Captain Markovitch? What's going on around here?"

 

She wanted to kick his ass out of the place since the only thing the man would do was to get on their way. "Blake, beat it. We are extremely busy down here".

 

"Hey, I'm on your side" More likely his own side, she thought. "I just flew from Washington to LA and drove for hours to get here. Nobody knows what's really going on inside since there's a major news blackout".

 

"What do you think? Instead of taking flowers in their hats, the aliens decided to bring plasma weapons in their hands and destroy San Francisco".

 

"But why are you still here? You haven't been clearance by the military?" She was about to answer but she realized that she should keep her mouth shut and leave any answers to Johnson.

 

He pressed on, seeing her refusal to respond, nearly grabbing her. "Captain, get me to the Colonel please! I need some answers" Don't we all? Markovitch told herself.

 

***********

 

"Fire at will" Captain Halloway had been before under attack by enemy armor in Iraq on 1991 but he never had faced the mechanical beasts that were attacking his end of the bridge. Two tanks on legs were walking into his position across the bridge, crushing the jammed cars under their armored feet.

 

The things were firing indiscriminately at his direction from barrels located under their red ovoid front. Each green blast would either transform one of the vehicles on the bridge span into a fireball or completely burn a man into cinders. A machine gun emplacement to his right started to cover one of the tanks with heavy-caliber bullets. The rounds failed completely to penetrate the hull of the mechanical monsters and they either felt flat to the floor of the bridge or were deflected.

 

Stopping its movement, the alien tank turned its plasma cannons to the emplacement and fired back. A moment later an explosion sent sandbags and pieces of the weapons and the marines manning it flying through the air, followed by the discharge of the ammunition. Halloway dropped to the ground as bullets started to fly everywhere, some of them hitting the other marines on the barricade.

 

When the shower of lead ended, he turned to a team of marines that was beneath them, crouched by a Humvee jeep that was still intact. "Get that TOW firing right now" The soldiers looked upward but hesitated, unwilling to step into the fire.

 

"Move it Marines" The anger of the shout sent both troopers to the back of the Humvee, where a tube launcher stood, its barrel parallel with the top of the vehicle. It was quickly loaded by one of the soldiers while the other manned the guidance position.

 

When the missile left the tube, Halloway thought that he could see the guidance wires that controlled the projectile over his head, as it covered the space between them and one of the tanks. But the mirage only lasted for one second, before he dropped into the cover of the abandoned car that they were using in the barricades.

 

The TOW guided missile had been developed to penetrate the armor of Soviet battle tanks. Its head consisted of a shaped explosive charge that, upon contact with the tank would spread itself over the surface of the armor before being detonated. The resulting explosion had been designed to crush the plating and allow for some of the blast to penetrate the inner compartments.

 

The missile hit one of alien tank's legs before detonating. When the smoke of the blast dissipated, Halloway saw that the machine seemed to have been damaged, since it seemed to be limping. But it was still as deadly as before.

 

Turning its plasma cannons in the direction of the weapon that had just hurt it, the alien Sectopod promptly cut down the launcher and one of the Marines manning it with two plasma blasts. The second Marine tried to exit the Humvee but another round of plasma hit him on the side, igniting his combat fatigues. The man simply dropped to the ground from the top of the jeep, giving away a smell of burned flesh and clothing.

 

***********

 

Things were starting to go out of control, Markovitch thought, as she saw an Army truck driving down the road toward their direction. She informed Johnson of their presence and waved off Blake.

 

"You better get out of here. We might be about to get evicted and my armor stops bullets better than your body".

 

His eyes rolled over but suddenly they opened wide. "I think you won't be lonely when leaving". He pointed to somewhere behind her. "Look"

 

She turned into the direction of the city and saw what he meant. A number of white and yellow large lights could be seen slowly ascending close to the skyscrapers. Graciously they hovered in the air, until suddenly they shot off upwards, quickly becoming nothing more than moving stars against the dark sky. "Johnson" She called but he had been already alerted and was on the back ramp of the Skyranger, looking at the distant lights in the sky

 

 

 

 

August 18th, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

"Good evening. Today, both Houses of Congress have approved the Kieloff-Ashbury Act, authorizing President Vaughn to take all of the necessary steps regarding the protection of US citizens and interests against any acts of aggression by extraterrestrials or their human allies.

 

This measure is one of the latest developments regarding the attack on San Francisco three nights ago. The attack resulted in thousands of casualties and the destruction of the city's downtown and of the Golden Gate Bridge, which was deliberatly blown in order to prevent the aliens to cross to the other side of the peninsula.

 

However, even before the voting the measure has already been deeply criticized. To talk about this matter we have here Representatives Roger Wilkes of Colorado, who voted against the act, and Linda Kierloff of Virginia. Honorable Wilkes, we will start with your views on the subject

 

"Thank you Riley. I believe that Congress should have declared a state of war immediately against those 'aliens' and their allies here on Earth. The reports from the witnesses and the news footage are quite clear: their intentions are clearly hostile. We need to act fast and fully mobilize the country for a war that is looming on the horizon".

 

"With all of the respect for my esteemed colleague, I can't possibly agree with those ideas. The White House and NASA have stated a number of times that the aliens are refusing to establish any communications with our government. We can't either know their true intentions or the amount of cooperation that they are receiving from their 'allies'. So far we have only seen isolated incidents and we should not take any aggressive steps that can endanger any attempts of establishing peace between our country and these visitors"

 

"Mrs. Kierloff, the President has said that our intelligence community has determined that a number of countries are collaborating with the aliens. We can't simply wait for the aliens to extend an olive branch to us. We need to think of the lessons from the past and remember Europe and Hitler in the Munich Peace Talks in 1938".

 

"This Act takes that into consideration Mr. Wilkes. President Vaughn now has full authority to deter any further aggressive actions by the extraterrestrials or any nation who wants to have us harmed".

 

"But what has the White House done so far since Vaughn announced the existence of aliens? Nothing! Besides criticizing the previous administration's policy, we haven't seen any practical results. And the top-secret unit whose existence was revealed yesterday by the Secretary of Defense did not seemed to do anything in San Francisco".

 

"Mr. Wilkes, you mean the Joint Alien Task Force whose departure was recorded by one of our associate stations in California?"

 

"Exactly Riley. According to the available reports they were kept out of the main fighting. What good is for us that we have such a unit we are not going to use it?"

 

"They seemed to have some rather impressive hardware: according to military analysts that saw the footage, the armor, weapons and planes were never seen before. Mrs. Ashbury, do you care to comment on that?"

 

"Not at this time Riley".

 

The television image suddenly turned into black as Williams touched the off button on the remote control he was holding on his hand. Next to him, Colonel Robinson looked thoughtful for a second, before swiveling his chair towards Williams. "You know, I always thought that Americans had a touch of both ingenuity and madness on them. Seeing this makes me think that I have made an underestimate".

 

Williams' mouth contorted before agreeing. "Wilkes got elected into Congress because of his anti-alien rhetoric and after his district suffered a significant number of cow mutilations. He probably haven't been informed about X-Com yet".

 

"There are some weird ironies in life. According to them, we are a part of the US military. They just plainly ignored the fact that several witnesses saw that Johnson's team was clearly evicted from the installation were they had landed".

 

"Yes, but at least as long as we are mistaken by the official alien team headed by Jackson can serve to hide our identities".

 

"Another one of your black and white cover-ups, although this one was quiet unplanned". Williams nodded to the comment. In the US military machine there had been a number of top secret planes that had been designed using a mix of white and black projects. The white project would be the public face of the technology, usually an experimental plane operated by NASA or a less conspicuous agency. But at the same time a hidden "black" project would also be running under total secrecy to put the same military technology into practical use.

 

"We'll Jackson get all of the credit, although I think some might be sore about it. Still, we are still better off without any publicity".

 

"I'm curious: what does your journalist friend think about all of this?"

 

"Nothing. He has agreed to keep his mouth shut for the moment about X-Com or Area 51".

 

"How did you managed that?"

 

"Johnson promised to him on San Francisco that he would give a full interview when the time was right".

 

"Which might not be too far away. I do not believe either your President or we can keep our existence a secret for much longer. Everyone else already knows about it".

 

"There would be a lot of political and military careers at stake in Washington if the truth came out. I think for now it's in everyone's best interest to maintain it this way".

 

"And in ours also. You do know we have been declared an illegal organization in a number of countries and that our personnel are to be considered armed and dangerous? Their law enforcement agencies and military have orders to use deadly force in case they encounter us".

 

"I guess I will just have to tell my wife that the trip we wanted to make to Italy is out of the question now".

 

 

September 25th, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

Moving over the intelligence estimates piled up upon his desk, Williams wished that the bad news wouldn't end. There were strong indications that Canada was about to join the alien's side since a number of suspicious flyovers had been recently detected. He was dreading for the next Council meeting, scheduled to begin in five days, since it seemed that it might confirm the prediction written on the piece of paper in front of him.

 

His computer beeped once, distracting him from his work and making him turn to the monitor. He found an invoice symbol indicating that he had just received an email and he double clicked on it to read it.

 

When the message popped up on his monitor, he found it strange that it didn't had the identity of the sender. It made him immediately thought that it was something coming out of Mother One or any other base but what he read next froze him into place.

 

It consisted of a single line: "Please take steps to assure your physical integrity today. A friend".

 

"What?" His question made everyone else in the room turn back and look at him.

 

**********

 

At the same time, on another side of the base, another message was also being typed.

 

"X-COM - TOP SECRET

 

 

Report Number: ______________________

 

Author: Dr. Young, Xenobiology Dpt., Area 19

 

To: Cmdr. Illyuschenko, Commanding Officer

 

Col. Robinson, Intelligence Bureau Chief

 

Dr. Chevereux Scientific Bureau Chief

 

Subject: Analysis of Alien Reproduction and possible uses of the technology

 

 

The analysis of the cloning chambers retrieved from the captured alien Supply Ships confirm the suspicions already formulated in Dr. Mantell's original report on the Sectoid species. The presence of undeveloped alien fetuses on the chambers confirm that the sustainability of their species rely on laboratory assisted reproduction.

 

DNA samples taken from a number of Sectoid bodies give further proof of this claim. As it is possible to see in the appropriate appendix, the DNA is restricted to about twenty genoprints, pointing that the Sectoids that we have encountered seem to be all clones of that number of original members of the species.

 

Those twenty genetic lines range from the most basic trooper to the leader captured in New Mexico and there are some particular lines that we haven't been able to match with their social position inside the Hierarchy. Most likely they correspond to social niches not yet determined upon their hive-like society.

 

Our testing process here at Area 51 has also proven that the new race encountered, the so-called 'Ethereals', since they haven't been assigned yet a proper scientific name, also use this process for their own reproduction. However, the DNA samples taken from the available bodies have surprisingly shown that the genetic lines are less diversified than the ones of the Sectoids.

 

While this can be attributed to our general lack of knowledge towards these species and the few bodies recovered, it is also possible that their DNA has become more stable, allowing them to focus on the growth of a selected number of 'safe' genetic lines.

 

We have found no indication yet that the technology is behind used for the cloning of the species called 'Muton', 'Snakemen' or 'Floater'. However, the process could certainly be used in large scale reproduction of these species, allowing the aliens to field an impressive army in short notice.

 

Moreover, there are clear indications that the chambers can be used to grow humans or" Young stopped for one second as he realized the implications for himself of what he was about to write. "alien-human hybrids. On the former case it seems the most logical choice for reproduction, due to our biological assumptions regarding mating between different species. Most of the offspring born from such crossings are infertile and are thus unable to propagate the new specie, although our research work on the alien's biology has shown results that defy some of the major biological paradigms.

 

But in relation to Homo sapiens, our preliminary work using human ova has shown that the multiplying rates of cell division experience during the initial weeks on the uterus can be maintained through the use of such chambers. Which has leaded us to speculate that it might be possible to grown a full-sized individual in weeks using human DNA.

 

Such an experiment brings up ethical questions that can only be decided upon by the Council or any high-ranking leadership. However, this possibility can't simply be ignored.

 

With the high attrition rates being experienced by our combat forces and the time it takes to replace them with properly trained personnel, this technology could give us a way to face personnel shortages.

 

The increase of alien activity and the possibility of an alien invasion should give us enough reasons to continue our work on this area. But in that event, there are also a number of possibilities that must be considered, namely the time that would take for the training and the possible emotional unbalances coming from such an upbringing, since human growth is based upon societal experiences.

 

My most immediate recommendation would be for DNA samples be taken from our best combat personnel and stored..."

 

A loud warning klaxon made Young turn his head away from the monitor. Moving his right hand to pick the phone, he dialed the number of the desk officer. When the call came through he asked on the receiver. "Lieutenant, what's going on?"

 

"Doctor, please stay in your office and wait for further instructions". His voice showed apprehension. "The Colonel just informed us that the aliens are about to attack the base".

 

**********

 

The UFOs flight paths were marked on red on Area 51's control headquarters, looking like the spokes of a wheel, with the center right on Nevada. They all showed the same marker: "ETHREAL/RETALTN/NAMERCA".

 

When Johnson saw the air defense board again, after a quick trip to get on his power suit, he grimaced as he noticed the additional red dots that had been detected while he was away. They now had three confirmed alien Battleships plus the same number of smaller ships all heading towards Area 51. A timer in front of him showed the time before the aliens would arrive: less than five minutes now remained.

 

"Major, what's the status?" Prescott turned from talking to a technician at the sound of his voice and moved to join him. He was clad in full blue armor and wearing a laser pistol as a sidearm. "All of the planes and men here have been moved underground. We managed to get two Skyrangers out of Papoose before we had to shut down the evacuation flights".

 

"Who's still there?"

 

"Two platoons of security troops and a number of personnel that we just didn't had time to evacuate". With nothing more than body armor and laser weapons to defend themselves, Johnson concluded with a shiver. "Any HWPs in the area?"

 

"Two, but they are of the old type, only equipped with lasers. The plasma hovercrafts are here and ready. They are overhead with the combat troops". A flashing sound told both of them that there wasn't much time left. Looking at the board, Prescott said. "Base defenses are about to be activated".

 

**********

 

Sliding doors had opened the hill overlooking the dry lakebed on which Area 51's runway and buildings had been constructed. Close to the top of the elevation, they revealed three chambers built on its side, from where gun barrels were poking out at the sky.

 

Moving on their mounts the weapons started to search for their targets on the dark horizon, patiently waiting until the alien crafts had reached optimal range. Finally, when the UFOs were at a distance of fifteen miles, a pair of plasma cannons discharged their destructive power. The high-energy particles traveled swiftly over the hangars of the base, briefly revealing the concealed troopers dug out between the buildings.

 

Leaning against one hangar's wall, Major Patterson traced their path with the sight on his helmet as the round hit one of the two Battleships that were approaching the base. The energy of the plasma engulfed the side of the UFO and made the craft visible in the night sky. The craft faltered for one second but it kept its course.

 

And flying right into the course of the rounds fired by the two remaining base defenses. Another pair of plasma balls three feet in diameter hit the Battleship, carving through one of its legs and breaching the armor. As some of the high-energy particles reached the inside of the UFO they vaporized one unlucky alien that was standing next to one of the craft's engines. They also reached the Elerium stored inside the engine, igniting it on an uncontrolled reaction that nearly blew off the compartment from the main section.

 

But it was the fusion ball launchers that made the worst damage. A larger version of the ones developed for the Avenger spacecraft by the scientists at Mother One, they traded range for firepower. The two carbon-laced Elerium balls glowed fiercely in the dark as the diamond cover reflected the light of the previous explosions, before they added doom to the alien craft.

 

The force of the gravity wave created by their detonation crushed the hull of the Battleship and some of its internal structures. One of those was the bridge and all of the aliens inside. Devoid of any control, the craft started spiraling down towards the ground, as the loss of one engine and no subsequent compensation by the others made it unbalanced.

 

The closest squad of X-Com troopers found themselves a bit heavier for one moment as the gravity wave from the fusion balls' detonation moved past them. It also sent tremors across the buildings, making windows tremble and opening a couple of fissures on the hardened parts of the runway. A loud blast was heard a few seconds afterwards, as the Battleship crashed into the ground and exploded. Cheers followed it from the troops in the general channel.

 

"Command, one UFO down". Patterson reported, still seeing the shapes of another Battleship plus two other large craft approaching the base. They were already less than five miles from the base and there wouldn't be any time for the weapons to recharge and fire again.

 

"Tell everybody to get into cover". The voice of Johnson replied. "The aliens are about to get a surprise".

 

As the three remaining alien ships got to one mile of the base they started slowing down and making their descents to deploy the troops inside them. The troopers braced themselves for the assault that was about to come.

 

Suddenly Patterson felt as if a major weight had been put upon him, an invisible hand that made it impossible to stand, despite of the additional strength provided by the power suit that he was wearing. He found it impossible to withstand and felt to the ground, with the rest of the troopers nearby him.

 

Thinking that the aliens must be deploying a new type of weapon, he looked upwards into the direction of the UFOs. Only to see something that made every human present on the surface to open their mouths in amazement. The three crafts all of the sudden simply bounced upwards as if they had hit a safety net on their descent.

 

They climbed more than a hundred of feet before the alien pilots got the motion corrected. Then, as they started to race down again, the base defenses fired again, destroying one of the smaller craft and crippling the other.

 

The airborne explosion sent metal fragments raining down the base, filling the area with crashing noises as they hit the buildings and the troops close by. Patterson found that the increased weight had disappeared. "Command what was that?" He was dumbfounded by what he had just seen.

 

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

 

Everyone inside the operations center of the base was closely watching the results of the second volley fired by the weapons. Turning away from the screen that was displaying the images caught by the outside cameras, Johnson felt relief. The gravity shield had worked in repulsing the alien craft for the seconds necessary for the base's defenses to reload and fire back. Buried close to the main runway, .it created a gravity 'bubble' on the area above the ground that couldn't be breached by vessels above a certain mass for a brief period of time.

 

"Papoose reports that their UFOs have landed and are deploying their troops. They are encountering a mix of Mutons and of the alien tanks, the 'Sectopods'. The Army forces in the area are providing assistance". Johnson looked back at Prescott.

 

That struck Johnson as odd, since alien species had never performed joint operations. "Any Ethereals in the area?"

 

Prescott's face turned grim for one second. "They have just gone off the air".

 

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

 

Corporal King and the rest of Omega squad had occupied the observation level of the deserted control tower that stood in the close to the western main runway. One of the alien craft, a Terror Ship, had landed between that runway and its parallel eastern one. They could see now the access doors on each end of the craft illuminated as light from the ship' inside.

 

Below them, the men and women of Fourth and Sixth Platoons were starting to engage the aliens as they rushed out of the UFO and fired back. So far four Sectopods had deployed from the ship, along with nearly the triple of that number of Mutons. And there were also some Ethereals, although it seemed that they preferred to stay inside the ship. King and Omega had been tasked into bringing them down, but the aliens only popped into sight but a brief number of seconds before vanishing again.

 

The fire of the X-Com soldiers was slowing down the green aliens' advance but the Sectopods were proving themselves impossible to stop. Their speed made them difficult to target even by the soldiers holding blaster launchers, the only weapon that seemed to make a dent into their thick hull. Looking through the corner of his eye, King saw one of them taking several heavy plasma hits into its ovoid shape but moving scathed as if they had no effect.

 

The alien tank simply raced on its massive legs and approached the position of the soldiers who were trying to take it down. One of them tried to move away on his flying suit but he was too late: the Sectopod' shots found him as he had started to leave the ground, killing him. The second trooper managed to keep his courage and fired back at the metal monster with his laser rifle, the red bolts hitting in a number of locations.

 

The machine staggered, to King's surprise and he turned to see better the tragedy below him. The soldier was on his knees, still pointing the laser rifle at the Sectopod who had now turned to face him. They fired at the same time.

 

King grimaced as he saw the soldier dropping to the ground. Then, much to his astonishment, the alien tank also came crashing down, hitting the hardened surface of the runway with the front of his armored carapace.

 

Next to him, Rumpole shouted. "King" She turned to him and her voice showed consternation. "What are you doing? You had a clear shot at that Ethereal"

 

"Hold on. Just checking something". Slowly moving his Mk VI improved heavy laser along the edge of the open glass window, he caught one of the Sectopods on his sight. Aiming towards the back of the alien machine, he fired a single laser shot at the junction between its body and leg.

 

When the golden light hit the Sectopod precisely at the place that he had targeted, the leg of the machine stiffened. The speed of the tank considerably slowed as it started limping towards the X-Com line. However it's attention was elsewhere than the troopers on their hastily dug foxholes. Scanning for the origin of the shot that had just hurt it, the plasma cannons of the Sectopod moved upwards in the direction of the control tower.

 

Switching the heavy laser into full automatic mode, King quickly fired again at the tank before it could respond. The first shot hit it squarely on one of the red eyes, burning its inside and ruining the machine's aim. The plasma round that it fired in response went wide off the tower, the energy bleeding harmlessly into the atmosphere after it had illuminated the inside of the room where the members of Omega were standing.

 

The Sectopod never had a chance of trying to correct its aim since the following shots from King managed to burn through the armor, destroying the circuits that controlled it and leaving only an dead mass of alien metal on the runway.

 

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

 

Up in the northern hangar area, First Platoon was on the process of retreating from their positions after the aliens from the Battleship had launched a vicious attack. Rodriguez and Jones were racing down the space between two hangars, as they had been ordered by Major Patterson to fall back to the second line of defense.

 

One of the new hovertanks had been posted to them to provide fire support. The machine used an Elerium engine to be able to move faster that by threads and it also could fly, with a plasma cannon mounted on its top. None of that had mattered in stopping the alien horde, and its burned hulk was now releasing smoke as it tried to cover their retreat.

 

As they reached halfway of the distance both of them stopped and dropped to the ground, covering the retreat of Pershing and the Captain, who now had left their positions and were running into their direction. A pair of Mutons appeared seconds afterwards, only to be greeted by plasma fire.

 

Firing his plasma rifle to keep the aliens under cover, Rodriguez saw Pershing suddenly stopping on his stride towards him and start to point his heavy plasma upwards.

 

The warning only came afterward he had jumped to his side. An Ethereal had just popped on the roof of the hangar, in no doubt using its flying ability to surprise the X-Com soldiers. A black spot suddenly appeared on the ground where Rodriguez had just been standing, as the alien fired its plasma weapon, missing the trooper by inches. The shots from Pershing made the Ethereal scream in pain before it dropped off the edge of the roof.

 

Alpha must have already completely withdrawn from our flank, Rodriguez realized. Then, the four men all started running down towards the end of the hangars before the aliens could encircle them.

 

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

 

"This is it". The lieutenant in charge of the last line of defense had a bloody rag around his left arm and his hair looked burned. The aliens had already overrun the upper levels of Area 19, crushing through the security troopers. The remaining humans had barricaded themselves in the subterranean levels.

 

Young looked around to the impromptu barricade that had been made using metal desks and chairs. Less than a dozen of Theta security troopers remained, armed with laser pistols and rifles. The rest of the guards were posted on the emergency stairs, which had been blocked although that would just slow down the aliens a couple of minutes. All of the three corridors that lead into the elevators had been blocked and they were now waiting for the aliens to got down the shaft into their direction. Holding a laser rifle on one hand, the officer reached Young. "Either we hold them out here or we're as good as dead".

 

Young realized that the bravado that the officer was putting was more meant for the others to hear. There was no way that they could hold out the aliens after they had already failed to hold one in the upper levels. Reaching for the holster on his belt, the officer drew out a laser pistol and passed it to Young. "Wait until I give the order". Then he moved towards another corridor to check the remaining barricades.

 

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

 

Omega squad had managed to take two other Sectopods down using King's discovery about the effects of laser weapons upon the aliens. King was on the process of targeting the third alien tank when the floor between him suddenly shook, spoiling his aim. A loud wrecking sound started to be heard and Deschamps voice was heard. "Merde! They just hit the tower with a blaster. They know where we are"

 

That sent the four-squad members racing towards the stairs that lead into the ground. But as Rumpole opened the door, she immediately stopped her race. Ahead of her the explosion had wrecked the side of the tower underneath and also the flight of stairs. "The balcony! Quickly" King called.

 

The tower was already starting to collapse as they reached the door on the side of the tower that faced the buildings. With a punch of his metal glove Deschamps broke the reinforced glass of the door and they all rushed outwards.

 

Climbing over the metal railing, one by one the X-Com soldiers threw themselves into the air, activating the flight controls on their suits to control their falls. King barely had cleared the balcony when the tower finally collapsed from the damage it had suffered from the blaster round with the upper levels falling into the ground, including the room where they had just been.

 

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

 

The soldiers of First Platoon had just cleared the area of the hangars, with the aliens on hot pursuit. Looking around as he continued to run towards the main administration buildings, Rodriguez saw that some of his comrades had been hit and were being helped by other soldiers.

 

All of them were racing across two hundred yards of open ground; most of it filled with dirt and sparse vegetation. Then Rodriguez noticed something that shocked him. "Where are Second and Third Platoons?" His call went unanswered and he realized that the situation must have gone sour if their backup was missing. They found fallback line unmanned as they reached the buildings. "Something is fucked up here, man" Jones voice was his only reply.

 

The aliens had begun to move across the open space, with two Sectopods as spearheads, followed by Mutons brandishing heavy plasmas and Ethereals holding blaster launchers. Their numbers and firepower overwhelmed the platoon of X-Com soldiers now posed between them and the entrance to the subterranean levels.

 

Then a radio call was suddenly heard on the radio. "Fire at will" Rodriguez realized that moment where Second and Third platoons were as plasma and laser fire started to hit the aliens coming from his left and right sides. Major Patterson had set an ambush, using the First as bait and moving the other two platoons to the sides of the route the aliens would take. Smiling to himself, Rodriguez started firing.

 

 

September 30th, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

The base infirmary was overfilled with the smell of antiseptic and the silent pain of the men and women that had been injured in the aliens' attack. Moving down a row of beds all full Johnson stopped by one, whose occupant was awake. "How are you doing Mike?"

 

Major Patterson had been gravely injured in the attack. He raised one hand to him but quickly put it down. "Great sir, although I can't pretty much move myself in this bed. But the nurses are nice and the food isn't that bad".

 

A white bandage was wrapped around right side of his head. Johnson had been told that Hunt had lost one of his ears when shrapnel from a blaster bomb had ripped through his helmet.

 

"I'm sorry about what happened, Mike. The doctors told me that as soon as your face heals they will conduct reconstructive surgery to give you back an new ear".

 

"I don't think I will have time for it now. Maybe when this whole thing is over". Johnson felt uncomfortable but Patterson raised a hand to stop it. "Colonel...Erwin, I appreciate the concern but please don't worry about me. For the moment I can live with this". Changing the subject, he asked: "I heard that Papoose got hit hard".

 

Johnson winced. "You better say that the area is now a complete loss. The aliens wrecked most of the facilities after they broke through the defense perimeter. There were no survivors".

 

"Ouch. But we are still OK to fight aren't we?"

 

"Yeah, they didn't do much damage here on Groom. And we were on the process of transferring most of the equipment from Papoose to here".

 

"How many died there?"

 

"Close to eighty men and women. Mostly from Theta security but some also from the Scientific Bureau". Hunt closed his eyes. "And here?"

 

"We got off light. The ground level buildings and hangars took some damage but the aliens were crushed before they could get to the levels before the surface".

 

"Good". Looking around on his bed he seemed assured. "You know, I can't think of any other place where I would feel more secure on this planet, if that is possible. Let the aliens or the Army try to get us again here".

 

Johnson shook his head. "Just get some rest". Dismissing himself he headed back towards the main operations exit. But as he was about to reach the door, one of the medical staff approached him. "Colonel, can I have a word with you please?"

 

The nametag on the chest of man's green vest read: "Porter".

 

"Anything wrong Doctor?" The man's expression grew more anxious and his voice grew into a whisper. "I was one of Billings, I mean Young's 'friends' here at the base".

 

One of the hybrids. Looking better at the man he noticed the scant on his eyes and also the rim of the contact lenses that covered his violet irises. He hadn't had time yet to deal with the hybrids after Young had been presumably killed in Papoose. Like many others, his body hadn't been identified but there a number of burned remains had been recovered.

 

"We better probably talk somewhere else". The hybrid nodded and led him into a supply room. After they entered and the door was locked, Porter begun. "Colonel, I don't know if you are aware but the majority of us was killed in the attack".

 

Of course, Johnson thought. The hybrids had been deliberately placed on Papoose from the time of their discovery to prevent that any human detected their true nature. "I'm sorry to hear that. I've learn to respect Dr. Young and your contributions, no matter how strange this whole matter seemed".

 

"I believe you Colonel. Young also told us that we could trust you to fulfill your part of the agreement. There are only six of us left now here on the base but we will still help as much as we possibly can. The ones who died were part of the only family I've ever had on Earth".

 

Johnson could understand it. The hybrids had no place in human society if they ever were discovered and their nature made them avoid social contact with humans to avoid any possibility of their presence ever being perceived. "What do you wanted to talk to me about?"

 

"Two days ago the remainder of us got together to remember the ones that died. We then decided that we want to do more against the aliens". His voice was determined.

 

"Just keep on doing your work to the best of your abilities".

 

Porter moved uneasy. "But we suspect that we can do more Colonel. There were rumors among us of our mental abilities when Young tested some of us. He always dismissed then but he never showed us the results".

 

"Use of psionics has been discarded by High Command because of the damage done to the brain. Their use now highly restricted". Johnson dismissed the possibility.

 

"To the human brain, Colonel". Making a pause he then continued. "And the commanding officer can allow for psis to be used if there are volunteers for the mission. We have all taken the same decision: we are all willing to undertake psi training and participate in combat missions if you need us". Johnson looked at him, without knowing what to do.

 

 

October 25th, 2001

 

Mars's Orbit

 

 

Small as a grain of sand against the orange and brown globe that now filled most of the navigational camera, the car sized man-made probe had finally reached its destination. It had taken months to cross the 78 million kilometers that separated Earth from Mars, after being launched by the NASA facility at Cape Canaveral.

 

NASA had given it the name of Mars Odyssey, the same of the Greek epic written by Homer almost three thousand years ago narrating the journeys of Ulysses on his plight to return home after the conquest of Troy. Its mission was to study the radiation of Mars and perform a survey of any possible water signs, using a multitude of instruments placed onboard the probe.

 

It had also been designed to test a new form of braking when approaching a planet. Called aerobraking, the technique consisted of using the Martian atmosphere to slow the probe's approach speed, allowing it to be captured by the planet's gravity. The process had been designed with an eye on saving the Odyssey's precious fuel supply, allowing it to stay more time in Mars' orbit.

 

However, despite of all of the theoretical calculations made by the flight engineers, the flight control personnel back at Earth still had to fear two possibilities that could endanger the mission. One was that the craft wouldn't slow down enough and would fly past Mars into the void of space. The second was that the approach vector would be too steep, making it burn into cinders as the result of too much friction of the probe with the planet's atmosphere.

 

The Odyssey had just reached Mars the day before and flight control was now busy in giving the instructions for it to successfully perform its aerobraking. Since it took eight minutes for the radio commands to reach the probe, they had to plan carefully each maneuver by the Odyssey, since any mistake would be too late to correct.

 

However, although they had taken every possible failsafe to avoid any of the two possibilities mentioned earlier, they could do nothing about a third one that they never had considered. So, when the probe failed to respond to any radio instructions from flight control a lot of minds went into complete puzzlement and spent the next days trying to determine what had went wrong. Like Ulysses on the epic that was its namesake, the Odyssey had simply disappeared.

 

 

October 29th, 2001

 

MacMurdo Station, Antartica

 

 

The young officer in charge of communications during the night shift at the control center of the largest American facility in the polar continent of Antartica was bored to death. He had wondered several times during the past weeks of what had gotten into him to accept being posted at what was called 'the bottom of the world', as one poster in the habitation area said it.

 

There simply wasn't anything to do, besides receiving the regular check transmission back from the States and replying that everything was fine. Yeah, we are stuck on our butts on ice, snow and gusty winds that would kill you out in the open. How about you back there?

 

Some of the other personnel had told him that summer or what passed as it on this place was about to come. He had wondered if it was a joke or if it actually would be any improvement on the atmospheric conditions. Hell, even Siberia had to be nicer than this. The temperature would be constantly several dozen degrees below the water icing point. And to even get to work he would have to put on several layers of garments, designed to keep hypothermia away.

 

The boredom could be attenuated if there were any ladies around but even there he had struck out of luck. All the women at the station either were married to somebody else or they would confine themselves to a few exchange of words. Well at least I remembered to bring TDC3 along, he sighed and decided to go back to the computer screen and play a little to kill a bit of more time. It was his favorite computer game, the latest on a series of strategy games where the player was supposed to be leading the Terran Defense Command, an organization built to defend humanity and Earth from an alien invasion.

 

He had first started to play the first game of the series in college and quickly had gotten himself addicted to it, which almost had wrecked havoc on his grades. The third game of the series had just been released and he had managed to purchase a copy, in spite of the computer craze regarding it. The first edition had been sold out in hours, in no doubt due to the fact that it had started to be distributed two days after the alleged alien attack on San Francisco. But he had managed to purchase one before he caught the plane to the Station where he would spend most of his free time playing it. Some of the other personnel had commented that he should join the mysterious force that was supposedly fighting the 'little men from Mars' but he had told them to fuck off.

 

He had heard the stories about the mysterious lights in the sky that were going over in the media before he left, together with the state of emergency declared by Vaughn but he didn't believe them to be extraterrestrials for one second. All of that crap only exists here in my computer, he told to himself, as he watched on the screen an alien attack on his troops that caught his full attention.

 

A number of mouse clicks activated a number of his reserve units to respond to the new battlefield threat and we anxiously waited for the result of the confrontation.

 

Then a large red light started to blink on the radio in front of him. He ignored it for a second until realization of its meaning came to him. The emergency channel?

 

Who could possibly be using the emergency channel? He ignored the game running on the laptop in front of him and flicked on the radio, choosing the frequency reserved for it. "MacMurdo here, over".

 

Static filled the room with noise and nearly got him deaf until he remembered to disconnect the computer from the audio system and turn down the volume. "...Eagle...help us".

 

Eagle? He thought for a second, trying to remember to which outpost the callsign corresponded. After a second he came to a blank and he decided that it could only be one of the scientific teams out there in the open. He opened the logbook and checked: Eagle mission, a group of scientists somewhere in the middle of the continent doing their gimmicks. He looked at the weather report and saw that the conditions were fairly stable at their location. What was going on?

 

"Eagle, this is MacMurdo. I'm having problems receiving you. What's the emergency?" The static came back again. "...need help......were there!....dead...escape...my head...i can feel...no!...inside me"

 

"Eagle, I'm not understanding you, please repeat over". There was nothing more than silence on the channel and the officer started to wonder what was going on. Then he remembered the emergency procedure rules received months ago and called for his superior officer.

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Fire and Ice

 

November 4th, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

Reaching for the clamp on his chin that secured his helmet to his head, Lt. Colonel Harris unlocked it with a quick movement. He was standing next to a circular sized craft that stood upon its deployed retractable pylons on the fighter hangar of the base.

 

Removing the helmet, he passed his available hand over his hair then scratched his chin but refrained from touching the scar on the side of his face.

 

"She will be as good as ready by the afternoon sir". Harris grumbled thanks to the Sergeant who was supervising the repairs and rearming of his Firestorm fighter. Still wearing his flight suit and holding the helmet on his left hand, he passed his other hand through the smooth gray skin of the craft over the area where the cockpit was located.

 

His eyes gave a brief moment of attention to the rows of small Sectoid heads that marked the number of his kills. Another one would be added later today by the non-commissioned officer, marking the Abductor ship that he had just downed half an hour ago over the jungle of El Salvador.

 

He had only used the plasma weapon on the engagement, withholding from using the fusion ball launcher, in the tradition of the fighter pilots, which preferred gun to missile kills. A small cart rolled by, carrying the Elerium necessary to refuel and rearm the Firestorm being pushed by a pair of technicians. He disregarded them and gave one last look at the plane, this time to the words painted in red over the small Sectoid heads: "The X-Terminator".

 

That had been a recent addition to the plane, although he hadn't been the one behind the idea. It was a fashion shared by most of the combat and maintenance crews, who had started to wear logos in their machines.

 

Moving away from the craft with a near indiscernible smile, he started to head towards the pilot's quarters. "Harris" A voice made him turn towards his left. He saw Clark approaching him, also wearing his flight suit. "Weren't you supposed to be hauling the troops to assault the UFO I've just downed?" He asked the younger pilot went he reached his position.

 

"The roster had me to check out the Challenger. The Major decided to sent one of the other pilots to log more time on the Avengers".

 

"You mean the big fat whales". Harris voice showed contempt for the new craft.

 

"Come on, Harris, they are not like that as all. You're just sore because they are only being used for transport missions for the time being, otherwise you'd be gunning for a place on their cockpits".

 

"I ain't no cab driver". Harris didn't want to admit it but Clark's comment was true. He had dismissed being assigned to the new Avengers because they were only being used for ground assault missions.

 

And they needed a new fighter to take on the Battleships who were still buzzing undisturbed, because High Command had forbid the use of Firestorms against them. That gave Harris an itch on the scar on the side of his face that made him want to scratch it. Clark still gave another try. "You don't know what you're missing".

 

"I know what I ain't missing". His voice made the other pilot quit as they both walked to the pilot's ready room.

 

 

November 7th, 2001

 

Mother One, Germany

 

 

Every time we seem to beat them, we only discover that they have already moved forward in their invasion, Illyuschenko was considering as he waited for the communications network to connect to all X-Com bases throughout the world. The same in Afeganistan, he remembered, where the bombings and the mass killings only seemed to increase the will of the locals to fight Soviet rule. And this time we are fighting in our home! He became amazed to see how little different it was from being called a guerrilla or a freedom fighter. Only this case he was fighting for the guerrillas. And loosing again, he concluded in disgust. Have we started the road to our final act of desperation, our collective suicide to avoid capture? He wondered as the computer finished the connections and all of X-Com's regional commanders where facing him, Dr. Chevereux and Colonel Robinson on the electronic wall.

 

"Good day to all of you gentlemen. Our breakthrough has emerged, it seems and it's the reason for this emergency meeting. Today Colonel Robinson has informed me of the latest intelligence developments and I will ask him now to give to you the same report as he did to me". He nodded to the intelligence chief of X-Com, who turned his white haired head to the screen and started speaking.

 

"Two weeks ago we started gathering some strange gossips and rumors coming from an US base in Antarctica. We tried to confirm it through several sources, both official and unofficial and have found out that an entire military research team has disappeared in the middle of the continent but not before sending a transmission for help.

 

Due to the state of our relations with the US it's impossible to know exactly what has happened out there and the American counterintelligence services are acting particularly efficient in suppressing any evidence. We had no idea of what they might be doing out there, that being until we started to do our own research in Antarctica and found out some most interesting things". The X-Com insignia on the center of the screen was replaced by a black and white image of Antarctica.

 

"This is a radar image from the continent taken by one of our reconnaissance satellites. And this is what we think the US team was looking for". A smaller portion of Antarctica with the shape of a banana turned blue, standing close to the middle of the continent, slightly off to the right side. "It is an liquid lake trapped under hundreds of feet of ice. For how long it is up to the scientists to decide. The more important is that it was discovered by the Soviets in the 1970's, who built a base close to it. We wondered if the Americans were doing something connected to that base, so we decided to take a magnetic survey to detect the base. But we came up with something even more astounding".

 

A portion at the southern part of the lake suddenly became lit in red. "A huge magnetic anomaly was discovered covering the southern portion of the lake. The anomaly is so great that there aren't any natural explanations for it, meaning that it can only be an artificial concentration of metals. And it isn't the Russian base, which can only mean that probably the Americans were looking for an alien base. And they found it but lost their lives on the way".

 

The images of the military men in the computer-generated images suddenly expressed their looks of surprised awe and terror. Illyuschenko knew it also quite well. The sheer size of the base and its location made it into the aliens' primary area of operations on Earth in the event of an invasion. Such a facility could easily resupply and reinforce the alien's forces on the planet, giving them a major tactical advantage and a bridgehead to the planet's invasion. Once it unleashed the deadly power it contained inside the survival of man's civilization could probably be counted in a few weeks time.

 

The few wrinkles beginning to show on Robinson's eyes and cheeks didn't even moved a millimeter as he kept going on his briefing, apparently untouched by the magnitude of the threat. "As you can see it expands itself for several thousand square miles. Its sheer size has made us wonder if this isn't their ancient forward post on Earth, from where they monitored its condition and development, until a catastrophic climate change locked it and Antarctica in a permanent sheet of ice".

 

Some of the officers mumbled and one simply asked in disbelief: "A what?" Robinson looked at Chevereux, who acknowledged it and replied to the question. "There are scientific theories that hold that the magnetic poles of the planet go through periodic shifts, leaving some continents in the midst of ice or deserts, while others thrive with vegetation. Basically this base could be laying in Antarctica for possibly millions of years, since you all have seen the reports about the alien harvest theory".

 

And yet another thing to probably bounce some religions off their pedestals, Illyuschenko added. The alien harvest theory was developed after the interrogation of some captured alien pilots. They had claimed that their influence had been crucial in the evolution of life on Earth and ultimately on Man itself. The aliens had managed to do in a few seconds what the Communist Party hadn't been able in decades: to prove that God didn't exist.

 

The X-Com Commander remembered then some of the teachings of Marx and Engels and wondered how would they fit the aliens into their material dialecticism and the struggle of the working class. But he was suddenly taken back by the voice of Robinson who continued to use the same tone, exactly the one when the Intelligence Chief of X-Com had personally presented him with this briefing two hours ago.

 

"Most likely it can house thousands of aliens and hundreds of UFOs, not to mention the supplies and repair facilities necessary to support such a force. However, some indications have leaded us to assume that it is only partially operational. A radiation scan for tachyon emissions shows that only a fraction of the base's fusion reactors are activated and further data analysis provided by Dr. Chevereux confirmed that the alien activity is restricted to a section of the base.

 

Still we would be hard pressed to try to mount a major ground assault on it. Nuclear weapons are a two edged sword: the heat caused by the massive detonations needed and upcoming radiation would melt the polar ice cap, bringing disastrous consequences to Earth's climate and would lead into a massive cooling of the planet, due to the amount of water in the atmosphere and the flooding of heavily populated littoral areas. We would be hard-pressed to survive even if we eliminated the alien menace and we're not even sure if the blast could penetrate the ice enough to reach the base".

 

Johnson's voice was heard: "Colonel, please wait a minute. We had been told before that the alien's base on the solar system was on Mars. Is this the same base?" Robinson made an almost unseen negative expression and replied: "We don't think so. The inquiries made into captured alien officers had confirmed the Martian lead. We are still unsure of its location, but we can say for sure that it is located there".

 

"So what's the bloody point of trying to deal with that monster?" MacTaggert interjected in as soon as he finished. "We should be thinking' of an freakin' way to find out where to strike in the wee planet". Hundreds, probably thousands of ground troops trained and armed would be necessary from a frontal assault on Antarctica, not to mention the attack craft necessary to overcome whatever aerial defenses it might have and that had just been a quick mental calculation made by Illyuschenko.

 

"Colonel," Robinson made a short pause until MacTaggert had finished. "A strike there to gain control of the base and disable it would put a serious delay into the aliens' timetable, giving us more time to prepare the forces necessary for the Martian attack you are referring to.

 

And another argument could be made into the necessity the Japanese factory has of raw materials for the Avenger assembly line, not to mention the Elerium needed to power the spacecraft to Mars. However, the most pressing argument is the information we need for the Mars attack is somewhere walking around on this base. It is the most logical place for us to find one of their high-ranking officers".

 

And one of the meanest bastards that ever had set foot on Earth, a monster that never felt any remorse or guilt for his actions. Illyuschenko cringed at the thought. Looks of disbelief and hidden hope where thrown at Robinson, who looked again at Chevereux as several voices expressed questions. The French scientist just continued.

 

"Until the discovery of the Ethereals we thought that the Sectoids were the predominant species inside the Starspawn, due to their intelligence and mental powers. However, genetic analysis and the battle reports of this new alien race have shown it otherwise. One of the most amazing discoveries was of the similarities between Sectoid and Ethereal DNA. Either one created the other or another species was responsible for their presence in the universe. But more important is the fact that the Ethereals have even a higher status than the Sectoids. Captured aliens shown what seems to be the alien equivalent of terror when interrogated about them and they have been seen to directly control the actions of Mutons, in the way we had theorized that the Brain would generally do over all of the aliens.

 

However, Ethereals do not control directly all races: someone is responsible for those other aliens and for the Ethereals themselves".

 

"The Brain, like Dr. Chevereux just said". Illyuschenko interrupted eager to move on. "And if we capture an Ethereal of the high-ranking leadership, it will know where this intelligence is located on Mars. And then we go after it and end this war". Silence greeted him as the other commanders digested his words.

 

 

November 12th, 2001

 

UNSS Avenger, south of the Hawaiian Islands, Pacific

 

 

The air onboard the Avenger craft had a strange scent to Private Jones. The atmosphere was being constantly recycled and it had an artificial smell, much different from the oily and cold air of the crew compartments of the old Skyrangers. There was even a small restroom in a cabinet where one could relieve himself before the battle, which had come much as a surprise to all of the troopers embarked.

 

But the weirdest sensation was that it didn't seem that they were flying several times the speed of sound. Jones had been on the Super Valkyrie when they had used the experimental plane and whole flight to Siberia plus the drop had scared him to death. Now they couldn't even tell if the craft was moving, except when the small circular windows were uncovered.

 

Although the Avenger was carrying a full complement of twenty-six fully armed and equipped men and women plus the crew there was enough space for them to actually feel comfortable. Moving on his seat, Jones tried to cross his armored legs but found that the suit's flexibility didn't go that far. After a number of tries, he gave up and his boot made a heavy sound as it hit the floor of the craft.

 

Next to him, Pershing opened his eyes and looked at him. "Do you mind? I'm trying to get some sleep".

 

"Ray, we're gonna drop in less than an hour. What difference does it make?" A warning look from the other trooper told Jones to keep his mouth shut or he would be thrown into the waters of the Pacific. Turning to the other side, he saw Rodriguez giving a curious look at the back of the Avenger.

 

"What's so interesting to watch? Don't tell me you wanna try to have your luck at Jill again and get squashed".

 

"I'll leave that to you Jones. I'm more interested in those two guys of Psi squad back there?" Turning towards the direction that he had just mentioned he saw two men, who were only carrying sidearms and personal armor. They weren't talking to anyone, not even between themselves and had placed themselves on the seats closest to the cockpit.

 

"You mean psycho squad? These guys give me the creeps, man. I wonder from what hole did the Colonel dug them out"

 

"One of them used to be a Theta security trooper. I've recognized him".

 

"He must be even more nuts in that case. Why would someone volunteer to have his brains fried?"

 

A spark of realization crossed Rodriguez's eyes. "You're right Jones. Why don't you volunteer since you have no brains to worry about?" The comment brought a grin to Pershing's sleepy face while Jones told the other trooper to shove his plasma weapon into a nasty place.

 

 

Vostok Base, Antarctica

 

 

When the X-Com team arrived at the abandoned Russian base they found that most of the buildings had been completely covered by snow. After a quick scan of the area to detect for any possible aliens had turned negative, they were moving to clear some of the structures for their own use.

 

Johnson and the other officers had all gathered inside one of the buildings, an old fuel depot that now only contained empty barrels and canisters of diesel and heating oil. Opening his faceplate and taking a breath he found that the cold air hurt his throat and lungs and numbed his tongue. Around him, the space in front of the other officer's mouths was being filled periodically with condensed water vapor and their faces were turning red.

 

"Jesus, what a hell of a place to be". Markovitch's comment brought a nod from Hunt, who brought his hand to the mouth and coughed afterwards. Moving in the darkened room, she brought an electro-flare from her belt and lit it up, using it to check the place. "Where are the aliens anyway?"

 

Hunt's reply was brief. "Only two miles away. That is, under us".

 

"There must be an entrance to the base. The Challenger and the Avenger will search for it by air while we do it on the ground". Johnson's voice made both of them turn towards him and the other officers.

 

"We'll be lucky if we find anything in this weather. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be outside without a power suit. The inside of my nose has already turned into goo ice cream". She considered unlocking her gloves to rub her face but decided against it after realized that her hands would also freeze.

 

"Once we find it, we'll split by platoons and try to find the command center. Our target must be there".

 

"Shouldn't we stick together Colonel? We have no idea of how many aliens might be underground".

 

"The base is huge but Mother One has determined that only a small portion must be active. By the time we find the entrance the Skyrangers carrying the tanks and the fire support platoon must have arrived. We'll split them up".

 

"At least Hopkins won't be running around in the snow like the rest of us".

 

"You wouldn't like to be in their position also. They are running into some nasty weather over the South Pacific".

 

***********

 

They were falling.

 

They had been descending for more than five minutes, falling into a red light underneath their feet. One of the patrols had found the base camp of the dead scientific team, standing next a ridge and, after a quick inspection of the area, they had discovered a small cavern.

 

The entry of the cavern was made out of rock but as they progressed inside it became replaced by the dull metal of the alloys used by the aliens. And at the bottom of the cave a square-shaped hole on the ground burned red, marking it as one of the alien's elevators. To Johnson it seemed as one of the dreams where one would be falling into a bottomless pit for seconds, only to wake up in your bed scared shit.

 

When the hovertank leading the way reported to have reached the bottom of the lift and found it to be a chamber empty of any aliens, she became more calm but the feeling still made her uneasy.

 

Twenty minutes later all of the teams had gathered at the level of the subterranean lake and had split up, each one in a different direction. Moving around through large corridors and endless empty chambers, Johnson was appalled by the size of the alien installation. It seemed to occupy an area of several thousand square miles and its immense size was making communications difficult.

 

There was a lot of static in the radio channels, either the result of being two miles underneath the surface or something on the walls that interfered with the signal. And the GPS wasn't working also, forcing them to rely on their own orientation. Fortunately, the hybrids left behind at the Avengers were managing to keep mental contact with all the platoon commanders. They were the most reliable source of keeping in contact with the rest of the team who had deployed in a circle around Johnson's position. He had ordered the command platoon to remain in a certain area while the others went searching for the alien leaders. Now they only had to wait.

 

**********

 

As First Platoon was moving across a large storage area the thought on Jones' head was only one: Jurassic Park.

 

He had seen the metal canisters before, right on the base that they had smoked in New Mexico. Yellow and green and red, the aliens used them to store all sorts of dead creatures that they wanted, including humans. However, this time it was different.

 

Standing in front of a glass cylinder that was nearly three times his height, Jones was looking at what seemed to be a dead Tyrannosaurus Rex. The orange and brown beast was suspended in the liquid inside, with the head hovering just over Jones. Its eyes were closed but the mouth was opened, revealing rows of white sharped teeth.

 

Coming from behind him, Rodriguez looked at the thing and said: "Allosaurus. Now this and the rest that is here sure beats all of those bone collections every museum has".

 

Jones turned to Rodriguez. "Alosaurus? Man, this is a T-Rex".

 

"Allosaurus, Jones. Trust me. Very similar but different species".

 

"Yeah? How would you tell the difference?" Rodriguez pointed to the bottom of the cylinder. "Can' you read?"

 

As Jones looked down searching for a plaque that would indicate the name of the thing Rodriguez pushed him forwards making him stumble. "Stupid. Do you think this is the Smithsonian or something? I used to dig dinosaurs when I was a kid".

 

Mad that the other trooper had gotten him, Jones was about to give a reply, preferably of the physical kind, when Sergeant Baker's voice stopped him. "Well, well. Since you first graders are so hot in your diapers, I'll give you something to waste your energy at". His voice was condescending, as if giving a reprimand to schoolboys.

 

Jones looked around to see where the Sergeant was at but he could find it. "Both of you have point". Baker's voice then took a more menacing tone. "Move it"

 

Grumbling to himself, Jones moved behind Rodriguez as both troopers moved forward towards the front of the line.

 

As they walked carefully, they approached one observation tower that stood in the middle of the chamber. After a quick examination they found it to be empty of any aliens. After two troopers from Alpha had reached it and placed themselves on the top of the platform, Jones and Rodriguez kept walking, fifteen yards away from each other.

 

Most of the metal containers that Jones passed now where smaller in size but he dismissed them after a quick inspection. Until he saw a humanoid shape inside one right to his side. It struck him as bizarre since all that he had seen yet were reptiles and dinosaurs inside the pods. Approaching it, he saw that it had green skin and a bulgy body with yellow eyes that seemed locked in an endless void.

 

Seeing that Rodriguez had already moved forwards, he dismissed it and kept his own advance. At the end of the storage area, a strange form made Rodriguez motion Jones and both sought cover behind one of the empty glass canisters. "Captain. There's something out there".

 

"What is it Rodriguez?" As the inquiry came, Rodriguez was looking carefully; he could see it moving in the dim light and to his amazement it seemed like a flying sack full of air. It disappeared out of view quickly after stopping for one moment. "I don't know. Jones?" The other trooper waved his head to indicate that he hadn't seen anything. Everything seemed quiet.

 

"Whatever it was, I guess it hasn't spotted..." A high pitch sound cut him off in the middle of the sentence. Something splashed against the side of his arm and he saw fumes coming out from right over his elbow and felt something burning his skin. "What the fuck!?"

 

The comment felt out of his mouth as he saw the flying sack standing on the air right next to him and spitting something at him from an orifice on his top. It was kidney shaped and had no appendages.

 

Ignoring the pain on his injured arm, Rodriguez dropped his heavy plasma towards it and fire. The shot hit it at close range making it drop to the ground in a clump and making a sound of air being released.

 

Jones had moved by and was pointing his laser rifle at the motionless thing. "What it that?" Poking it with the barrel of his heavy plasma, Rodriguez replied. "Dunno but it looks dead".

 

Looking around the big canister in the direction from which it had came, Jones froze. "You gotta be joking" In response to the comment, Rodriguez watched and shared the other trooper's opinion.

 

Another of the things was coming into their direction but it was only half the size of the dead one. But as it moved they saw it growing in the air. They both discharged their weapons at the same time, killing it before it would get the same size as the other.

 

*********

 

"What is this?" The comment crossed also Markovitch's mind as she stepped out of the corridor and through the door. Zeta squad had moved into a large room where the left wall was nothing more than glass windows with metal two feet in width separating them. The windows stretched from the bottom to the top and on the other side only pitch dark could be seen.

 

Stepping away from the sliding door, she approached the glass surface and activated an electro-flare with a push of her thumb while she motioned the other members of her squad to move forward.

 

The yellow light turned the inside of the chamber into a kaleidoscope of shadows, as the shapes of the other soldiers moved in the opposite metal wall. The room was almost eighty yards in length and at its end there was another door, barely lighted by the flare's glow.

 

Waving the light, Markovitch discovered that the glass was several inches thick and that the other side was filled with a green tainted liquid where particles could be seen suspended. Suddenly a pair of bright eyes appeared, attached by the light on her hand but the aquatic creature quickly disappeared as it realized that the flare wasn't either a meal or a mate.

 

"The underground lake". She concluded, trying to discern the shape of the fish she had just seen. She hadn't realized that they had walked so far to the west until reaching the edge of the alien base.

 

Moving away from the window, she followed the cautious pace of the other soldiers as they crossed the room. Dare and Yu had already reached the middle of the lounge. Then all of a sudden both troopers dropped to their knees and she mimicked their motions a second afterwards.

 

The door at the other end had just opened to reveal the large shape of Muton, whose massive arms and chest almost occupied the whole width of the entrance, leaving little space between it and the entrance. The contours of the square barrel of the heavy plasma it was carrying could also be visible.

 

It started to react to the presence of humans but before the alien could respond, a couple of plasma shots hit its body, one of them throwing its shoulder backwards. The weapon discharged its salvo a moment after as the pain of the injuries made it contract the fingers on its hand and press the trigger. However the body motion spoiled its aim, sending the plasma ball to the left of Yu and into the glass.

 

Releasing a shriek from its mouth that echoed through the entire lounge, the alien charged forward, hurting from its injuries but still not dead. A laser shot scratched his right hip, cutting through the green uniform and burning the violet skin underneath.

 

In response a number of plasma balls sizzled from behind the Muton, one of them hitting Dare on his knee, with the trooper letting go of a muffled moan but still shooting.

 

Pulling a grenade from her belt, Markovitch triggered it and sent it in a rolling pin fashion towards the door over the polished floor. The cylinder rolled down the metal surface, barely avoiding one edge of the door before detonating on the other side.

 

The Muton was already falling down when the fireball from the blast engulfed him. The explosion also ruined the sliding door, with the smooth edges becoming jagged lines of alien alloys. Markovitch was about to order her squad to move out when she noticed something.

 

A pool of liquid was growing on the ground next to Yu, right on his back.

 

Looking to the glass she that a stray shot from the firefight had melted the polished surface and now it had a circular rugged hole. From which cracks were slowing expanding over the rest of the window.

 

A cracking sound caught the other soldiers' attention. "Fall back" She ordered and Yu moved to help Dare getting up, putting his free arm over the waist of the injured soldier.

 

They quickly passed by her and Prune and she was almost starting to move when a thundering sound was heard, followed by a stream of lake water that gushed from the area hit by the plasma and hit the opposite wall. The alien glass had finally gave in to the pressure of millions of gallons from the lake that covered the alien base.

 

When she reached the door the water was already by her ankles. As she watched the sliding plates closing after everyone was on the other side, she wondered for how long it would hold out.

 

**********

 

When all of the radio transmissions become suddenly cut off and a white light filled the area where Third Platoon had used as a forward command post, Johnson knew that something had happened. On his side, Crossett looked by both directions as if he was sniffing the air for a scent, although it was impossible since they were on their power suits. "I don't like this Colonel".

 

A few moments later, a sound of running steps was heard, followed by the appearance of Sergeant Hopkins, who came from one of the corridors. "Colonel" He called. "A blast door just came out of nowhere near my position and closed shut".

 

But Johnson wasn't paying attention to either of them. His mind was filled with reports being forward to him by the psis that now were the only means to stay in contact with the other platoons. "Second Platoon has exchanged fire and reports that the lake is flooding the base". "Captain Hunt is engaging a group of heavily armed Mutons". "Fourth is cut-off by a blast door".

 

"Colonel?" Hopkins' voice finally cut through the hypnotic state he was experiencing and brought him back to reality. Two miles above, the psis detected his irritation at the loss of sense of reality that he had just experienced. They immediately started to communicate with White instead, who found his head suddenly nearly overwhelmed with their thoughts.

 

"Hopkins, keep the escape route to the lift clear. White, tell everybody that we need to find that alien as soon as possible".

 

**********

 

In another section of the base, Captain Jerrel and his platoon were starting to wish that they hadn't encountered the aliens. The hovertank, who was an automated flying tank armed with a plasma cannon, had been assigned point when they had stepped into a huge room. It was the size of several football fields and it was filled with Elerium engines more than twelve feet tall with power conduits spread around the floor. The power plants were similar to the ones the soldiers had seen before onboard UFOs but their scale was much bigger and they weren't emitting the characteristically orange glow from their upper parts.

 

The white and blue tank had bought it halfway across the room, after the artificial intelligence onboard had reported a spotting a group of aliens who had just fired at him. A second later, the sound of the tank crashing down the ground was the only thing that Jerrel had heard afterwards. The second salvo from the aliens had burned through the armor and hit the electronic systems inside the HWP, transforming it into a dead metal hulk, which now rested next to one of the engines.

 

That wasn't good but worse for Jerrel and his soldiers was refraining from shooting the Ethereals until the psi had checked them with a mind probe to see if it was the alien that they were searching for. As Jerrel tracked a running Ethereal who was crossing the empty space between two deactivated engines up ahead, his finger edged impatiently at the trigger. The psi assigned to his platoon was taking too long, he thought.

 

It made the hunt very dangerous. As the clearance finally came to kill the alien, it was too late. The three shots from his heavy plasma missed the Ethereal, who had managed to reach the cover of the engine.

 

All across the room, the rest of First Platoon troops were having identical problems. When the clearance finally came for Private Bradley to kill the Ethereal who was on a mad rush towards his position, he found out that he couldn't move.

 

Bearpaw, his fireteam mate, sensed something wrong and turned to him, after he had discharged a series of plasma blasts who caught another Ethereal but didn't kill it. "Bradley, take the shot"

 

The soldier wished that he could do that but a strange force was preventing him although it didn't felt like the mind control exerted by the Sectoids. Instead, his arms moved away from the orange capped figure that was now only a few yards from him, with its hood covering the head. The alien was moving his limbs and he felt like a dummy on the Ethereal's hands. To his surprise he discovered that he could still speak despite being told that psionics gave full control over the being that was targeted. "I'm being mind-controlled" His voice was filled with panic.

 

Hearing his words, Bearpaw looked back to him after killing the Ethereal that he had injured before. However he was knocked backwards as if he had hit an invisible wall. Stumbling, he tried to catch his balance but instead his body was lifted in the air and thrown towards the metal surface of one engine.

 

As he watched Bearpaw's flight in horror, Bradley suddenly discovered that the iron grip that was holding him had vanished. But before he could do anything to help his mate, another alien that he had missed brought up its own plasma gun and killed him instantly with automatic fire.

 

Moments afterwards, Jerrel discovered that his line had been breached when a plasma shot carved a hole on the massive engine that he was using for cover, next to his head. He followed the unexpected direction of the shot and found an Ethereal on his right, where two X-Com troopers should have been. With a quick movement he threw the barrel of his heavy plasma into that direction and filled the space with green fire. However, the speed of movement didn't gave him time to aim and the bolts missed the alien, who run for cover with smoke coming out from a spot on its cape that had been burned by Jerrel's shots. To hell with clearance, he thought.

 

*********

 

The infiltration from the underground lake into the base was getting serious, Markovitch realized as her squad entered a corridor where the water was already knee deep. The rest of her platoon had run into resistance from several groups of Mutons, which were keeping them occupied, but nothing that would require her assistance, according to the psi that was making communications with them possible. They hadn't found yet any alien officer but for now they were evacuating this section of the base. All of the squads were converging to into a location whose blast doors that had been blown by blaster bombs to prevent the X-Com troopers from being completely trapped by the waters.

 

Dare's injury to his leg had been treated but he was having trouble keeping up with the pace of the rest of them. Moving down the corridor, she stopped and looked back at both troopers as she reached an intersection. Beyond them, Prune was covering their back.

 

When she turned forwards again something caught her attention. A mist started to come from the side corridor, flowing over the surface of the water. It increased until suddenly the liquid next to the intersection started to boil, releasing a column of white vapor that quickly condensed on the ceiling and walls, falling back afterwards.

 

As the strange phenomena surprised everyone she raised her hand to order a halt. A second water column also appeared from the other side of the corridor and placed itself being the moving first, who was now five feet away from Markovitch.

 

She had started to retrace her steps, as it kept approaching her.

 

A darker mass started to be visible to her, submerged under the water, glowing angry red amongst the bubbles that quickly raised to the surface. Keeping the sight of her plasma rifle trained on the creature she decided it would be better to have more room between her squad and those things who had to be extremely hot to provoke such a reaction.

 

"Let's get some room". She called the rest of her squad and she paced backwards until unexpectedly her back bumped into Yu, who apparently had stopped.

 

"Captain" Prune's voice and the hissing sound coming from his position told her that there was trouble. As she gave it a quick glance she saw that there was steam completely obscuring the part of the corridor from which they had came. And it was moving towards them.

 

Her senses called it a trap, although the submersible things had yet to make a move at them. "Let's get us some room". She pressed the trigger on her weapon and Yu followed it with a blast from his own laser rifle.

 

The green plasma bolt evaporated the surface but the water underneath dissipated most of the energy, adding it to the thick smoke that already was starting to engulf them. However it did hit the dark surface of the creature, which stopped for one moment before resuming its advance. Yu's shot had no effect at all, with the amplified photons of the laser being harmlessly dispersed into a million different directions as they interacted and bounced off the hydrogen and oxygen atoms of the water.

 

The private looked hopelessly at his weapon while she was unsure if it was worth to fire another round. "Let's go". She called and started stepping forwards on the intent of clearing the creatures with the rest of her squad following her.

 

A couple of strides brought her next to the vapor column, with the steam condensing on the view port on her helmet and filling it with thick drops that turned into rivulets. But as her left foot stepped down next to the creature, she suddenly felt a wave of heat burning through her limb

 

A flush of pain made it impossible for her to gain support on the leg and she splashed down the water. As view of the gray walls of the corridor on her eyes was replaced by the greenness of the infiltrated water she tried to grab something but her hand simply slipped over the smoothness of the metal walls.

 

As tried to find the creature, she discovered that she was in a complete different environment. A sense of uncomfortable warmth in her waist told her where to look for.

 

The sight of the alien lifeform was growing and almost filled the vision provided by her faceplate as it kept moving towards her. It was something akin of a sea sponge or a closed anemone, a mount of dark violet mass and with orange protuberances over its skin where large air bubbles would form quickly.

 

On the side facing Markovitch a hole suddenly opened in the surface of the creature revealing its burning red bowels for one second. Then, a stream of boiling liquid spurted forwards, in an aquatic slow motion that hit her on the chest.

 

The same feeling of warmth that she had felt before in the leg invaded her chest and she screamed and tried to kick the thing away from her. But when the pain that she was expecting didn't materialize, Markovitch realized that her chest armor must have hold the boiling liquid.

 

Then, in a sudden movement a pair of armored hands gripped her by her armpits and pulled her out of the water. When she was standing upright again she tried to place weight on her leg but a slicing pain made her quit. Meanwhile Yu threw his arm over her waist to help her, while the two other troopers fired plasma rounds at the thing that had attacked her until finally a gurgling sound was heard coming from under the water and it stopped to move.

 

***********

 

Captain Jerrel was by now trying to think of a way to extract his platoon from the fight with the Ethereals on the engine room. One of the alien Sectopod tanks had decided to appear and it had killed Lt. Hanley with his plasma cannons as the soldier was trying to fall back. But the only exit remaining to them was the large corridor from which they had stepped into this cave containing the base's power generators. And a stream of water had started to come from that direction, meaning that the flood was starting to reach this section of the base. If they tried to go that way they could found themselves completely submerged.

 

Close to him and also using the towering engine for cover, a trooper holding a blaster launcher fired the weapon. The guided projectile sped around the metal tower, flying for a few seconds before detonating against the Sectopod that had killed Hanley. Poking his head for a look Jerrel saw that the alien tank that was charging into their positions had been finally turned into scrap by the blast.

 

However, an armored leg stepped down on its remains, and the contours of the tall mechanical beast to which it started to be visible over the smoke. "That was the last one Captain" The trooper called, dropping his launcher to the ground and going for his belt for the grenades he had there. "We need laser weapons on the center" Jerrel called as he raised his heavy plasma and started to shoot at the alien monster.

 

To their right Jones hesitated for a moment as he heard the call since he had a laser rifle. But the sight half-dozen Ethereals who were attacking the right flank made him stay put, rejoining Pershing as he tried to stop the aliens with his weapon.

 

Rodriguez was already down on the ground and against a power conduit after taking a hit to his arm after tossing a grenade at them. He had managed to crawl there and was fidgeting with his medikit to try to contain the bleeding that had dyed his suit's arm red.

 

The group of Ethereals seemed set on killing the humans in this area, moving down the corridor between the engines in a precise and motion. Jones realized that their assurance must be so great that they didn't even bother to take cover as the capped figures walked down the space separating them from the humans.

 

"One" Pershing's call came and both soldiers stepped out of the engine's cover at the same time, both firing at the lead Ethereal. The alien screamed in pain as both shots hit it but the sound was barely heard by them in the middle of the gunfire and explosions that filled the chamber with noise. It felt to the floor with its cape smoking and stood there immobile, with the barrel of his heavy plasma poking out of the cloth.

 

Both troopers then moved to avoid becoming targets for the other alien's reaction but Pershing was a second too late. Jones heard a 'humpf' and saw in horror Pershing as he was thrown spinning after taking two hits on his side, falling to the ground a moment also.

 

"Great! Pershing, are you alright?" Movement on the fallen armored figure told him that he wasn't dead yet. Checking Rodriguez, he saw that the trooper was trying to insert a banana shaped clip on his heavy plasma with his left hand while holding the gun between his knees.

 

Jones was on the edge of panicking when something upward caught his attention and made him look on that direction. He raised his arms in an impulse as something big dropped from the ceiling.

 

A blue and gray figure landed next to him, bending his knees to absorb the impact with the ground. As it raised afterwards, Jones's head followed it until he found himself looking upwards at a figure that seemed to be more than eight feet in height.

 

The newly arrived figure turned to face Jones and he became petrified as the sight. It had a humanoid appearance but the chest and shoulders seemed too large. It was all covered on armor, with metal around the neck and other places, with the head covered by a sleek helmet. Jones wondered if he was seeing some sort of power armor being worn by a Muton or another alien. However, the visor on the helmet didn't reveal the face of the alien, since it only reflected Jones' own figure.

 

It also had two strange and massive weapons on his hands, one of which having nearly the weight of Jones in length. Dropping his arms, he waited for the shot that would most likely kill him but at that moment he noticed an insignia that the alien had on his chest. It was a golden X superimposed over a circle. "What the..."

 

But in the next moment he couldn't see it anymore as the thing turned away from him, revealing a back covered with rectangular shapes of unknown electronic controls. It was now facing the Ethereals, who had started to fire at it.

 

It moved with a speed that Jones found impossible for its size, although the movements seemed too mechanical for a man to actually be inside.

 

The figure fired his right weapon towards the front aliens, releasing a stream of yellow fire from the barrel that caught the leading Ethereals and set ablaze their capes. It then directed the torrent of flame towards the two aliens behind as the first pair started to run and put down the fires that were burning them.

 

By then the last alien was had started to fire at the thing and Jones raised his laser rifle to help the newly arrival but he didn't had a chance to fire.

 

Watching in marvel, he saw a flight of light darts come out of the figure's second weapon and hit the aliens, the shots cutting the leading creatures into ribbons before bouncing forwards to do the same with the remaining ones. The head of one of the Ethereals rolled down the floor towards Jones foot. In one second the five Ethereals were reduced to piles of scraps of clothing and alien flesh.

 

"Hey..." He started to call the guy who had just saved his life but the metal warrior was already striding down the corridor, towards the direction from which the aliens had came. It disappeared on the darkness of the engine room.

 

Barely managing to hold the weight of his heavy plasma on his left hand, Rodriguez got up from beyond the conduit and readied himself to fire but stood down after seeing the dead aliens. "You killed them all Jones?" His voice showed bafflement mixed with admiration.

 

"Rodriguez, you're not going to believe what I just saw". Then he moved to help Pershing.

 

**********

 

Where are we? While waiting for the psi's response Markovitch called for Krenon and Digriz to set up a defense perimeter and meet her at the upper level of the alien barracks that they had occupied. She looked down the corridor that seemed to lead into nowhere and proceeded through the door into the small room where the lift to overhead was located.

 

After several minutes of frantic rushing to run away from the flooding her platoon had gathered at a base section that seemed clear of the waters. The alien barracks had been found before in the New Mexico base and they consisted of four smaller rooms that would cover each a different direction while lifts on all of them allowed access to an upper level that connected the four defense stations. They had found the suspension chambers on the level above empty of any aliens or equipment and were using them to regroup and treat the injured.

 

Captain. The voice of the psi appeared on her mind as she stepped out of the lift. Your position is estimated two klicks to the northeast of the Colonel's. Digriz and Krenon appeared and moved towards her but she motioned them to wait.

 

What's the status of the other teams? Have they found the alien yet? The response came negative a moment afterwards.

 

Turning back to her officers, she then asked. "What's the status?"

 

"The fire team has disappeared. They were last seen ten minutes ago and have not responded to any of our calls. And we have two injured, that's besides you, Captain". She stepped on her leg. Most of the pain was gone although she had a large blister right below her knee, where something very hot had burned her skin. "Well the aliens can't count me out yet".

 

"And there's something on the eastern corridor. Bragg has spotted aliens moving down a side corridor thirty yards away".

 

"More Mutons?" Krenon shook his helmet. "No, Ethereals".

 

Another alien nest to check. And this time they would have to be careful with whom they would be shooting at. "Tell everybody to lock and load. We need to get moving".

 

Less than a minute afterwards she was watching as a trooper raced down the corridor Krenon had mentioned, followed by another. The passage ended in a chamber where the walls of a room could be seen. Her heart nearly stopped as she saw both troopers stopped at a corridor right before the chamber and checked it for aliens.

 

After a moment the clear sound was heard and they moved to guard the entrance to the chamber. "Digriz reports the same at his corridor". Krenon spoke in a whisper. "Let's move out". She ordered and together with Krenon and another soldier they started to slowly approach the position of the other troopers.

 

Step by step they came nearer and looking to her left as they reached the location she could see armored figures on the parallel corridor that also gave access to the chamber. When she looked at the inside of the chamber her heart raced. A command center!

 

She had seen the arrangement before at the New Mexico and for a moment was happy that the aliens didn't innovative as they designed their bases. On the middle of the black walled chamber and occupying most of the space there was a metal bunker with a large door on its middle with a corridor encircled it. The problem was that they had approached it by the wrong side: they were facing the opposite side of the door, meaning that they would have to go around.

 

One of the leading troopers moved inside and rushed towards a recess on a corner of the chamber that shielded him from the side corridor that encircled the bunker. A moment later a plasma shot flew down and hit the wall to the right of Markovitch. "There's a Sectopod up ahead" Someone warned on the radio.

 

"Franks, bring that heavy laser there" Krenon ordered one of the troopers who were on the back. The alien tanks that had been designated Sectopods by the scientists, had been found to have a vulnerability on their alien electronic systems to the lasers used by X-Com.

 

Stepping into the corridor, the soldier pumped a pair of golden laser shots into the legged tank that was at the other end of the chamber. The first beam missed altogether, hitting the black wall behind it but the second hit it squarely on the red 'nose' it had.

 

The machine lumped forwards, with its front hitting the metal floor. However the soldier didn't had time to enjoy his kill since an Ethereal popped out of cover and blasted him backwards with a full automatic plasma blast from the weapon it was carrying. Clear! Markovitch barely noticed the psi's message as she fired back at the alien, hitting it on the shoulder.

 

Using both his hands Krenon pulled the fallen soldier out of the corridor while she continued to provide cover for him. After inspecting him from a moment he shook his head.

 

"Digriz, what's the situation there?" The short-range radios were working again, much to her relief. "Full of Ethereals. None of the ones we spotted is our target, according to the psi. A.."

 

A loud blast came from that direction and both she and Krenon felt the ground shook.

 

It told them that the aliens were using blaster launchers. When Digriz's voice came a second later she felt relief. "A joker just detonated a beebee up ahead. We're alright but we can't break through".

 

"We need ideas people" She watched in almost desperation until her eyes stopped on the outside wall of the bunker. "Krenon! Burn a hole there" She pointed at an area on the middle of the corridor. "Digriz! I need two people here: one with a heavy plasma and another with a stun launcher ready! Yu, get your stun launcher ready also"

 

The Sergeant nodded and moved down the corridor towards the location that she had pointed, Yu followed him, putting his laser rifle slung over his shoulder and taking out the launcher from his backpack.

 

Looking at the body of Franks, she saw the grip of a launcher coming from his backpack. Gripping it, she pulled the large muzzle of the stubby weapon free and turned to the remaining troopers before racing to join Krenon and Yu. "Keep your heads down"

 

When she reached the area a nearly brightening green light suddenly illuminated the four gathered soldiers. After one second it suddenly went off and both Krenon and the other soldier with a heavy plasma kicked a portion of the wall who suddenly gave in, revealing the inside of the bunker.

 

A series of deadly plasma shots came from the inside fired at close range but only one hit Krenon. They were followed by a strange whining sound of as both Yu and Bartfast fired their launchers at the capped figure that was now visible standing inside the bunker and holding a heavy plasma. When the stun balls detonated they released a shock wave that gave Markovitch a feeling of dizziness but she quickly regained her balance.

 

Krenon had been hit and had one hand placed over his stomach but with the other he grabbed one jagged edge of the hole and pulled, further enlarging the hole that they had just carved. As Sharkey moved inside, she quickly followed him through the hole passing through Yu and Bartfast, who were reloading their launchers.

 

Stepping inside, Markovitch found herself in front of a large door, in the middle of a corridor where two capped figures could be seen laying on the ground, one with its ghostly face revealed but with the eyes closed. No other aliens could be seen. Are any of these the one we are looking for? The response came negative a minute later from the psi. By then Yu and Bartfast had also moved inside. Krenon was also trying to move his bulk over the five feet hole carved on the wall. She motioned Sharkey to stay and guard the corridor and pointed to the door with her thumb to Yu and Bartfast. Both troopers nodded.

 

With a hand motion Yu activated the motion sensor that activated the large door and it slid upwards, revealing the inner chamber of the bunker. Yellow light illuminated the three soldiers, who stood with the launchers ready on both hands, coming from the floor, where a large alien lift could also be seen, emitting in a reddish glow.

 

The room was empty of aliens and there were only circular gold cylinders placed upon the walls. She raised her index finger and dropped it a number of times and both troopers moved inside.

 

The three of them were carefully approaching the lift, step by step. Then, halfway a plasma shot flew from the upper level of the chamber, through the empty hole of the lift and nearly hit Yu. The trooper raised his weapon in response and fired. Again a muffled sound was heard coming from the higher level as both she and Bartfast raced forwards.

 

Reaching the lift in a couple of large paces she started to ascend, together with Bartfast

 

Their ascension lasted less than a second and they found themselves on the upper level. She had seen the wrecked command center at New Mexico and now she felt a bit of amazement as she stood in the middle of this one. It was larger than what she could remember, with walls filled with large electronic displays were strange green symbols were glowing against a dark background, beyond violet several violet consoles.

 

But she had no time to notice anything as a plasma shot flew past her and hit Sharkey, sending the trooper crashing into the ground. In response she directed her launcher at the red capped figure that stood next to one of the consoles holding a heavy plasma.

 

Just before she fired a voice itched on her mind. Captain! That's the one!

 

The stun ball missed it by an inch and detonated against the side of the console.

 

She saw the alien staggering as the shock wave hit him but still stood up, apparently not completely stunned.

 

Reaching for a reload on her belt, she discovered in horror that she hadn't brought any ammunition for the launcher when she removed it from the fallen trooper.

 

The alien's hood had fallen backwards revealing a skeletal face who now looked at her with dead eyes. She sensed that it had figured how the problem with her weapon and felt a sick satisfaction emanating from it through her psi senses.

 

The rifle! She remembered that she still had her plasma weapon hanging from her shoulder but before she could react, a cold invisible hand engulfed her right arm from taking out the weapon.

 

The Ethereal was using his psionic powers on her, she realized as she painfully struggled against the force, both physically and mentally. Her arm started to move and the alien shrieked, apparently completely surprised at her own psionic abilities. But as she moved her rifle into position it decided to use its heavy plasma against her.

 

However, a sizzling round flew past Markovitch and hit the Ethereal squarely on its chest. The round exploded, sending a flash that sent a wave of dizziness through her while the alien staggered on his feet before dropping the weapon from his hands and falling to the brightly-lit ground.

 

As Yu came near Markovitch she told motioned him towards the unconscious alien. "Get him. He's the one we want". The trooper moved and grabbed the creature by its robe, pulling it up to his shoulder as if carrying a sack of potatoes. At the same time she pulled out her medikit and started attending to Bartfast, who was trying to get up. Tell the Colonel that we have him!

 

Then, when the other trooper had recovered they started spreading grenades across the room. The sound of the explosives going off and destroying the alien control center reached them as they were crossing the hole on the wall.

[FullAuto]

Chapter Twenty-Nine - "It's full of them"

 

 

November 13th, 2001

 

Central America

 

 

The X-Com base at South America had detected an alien infiltration mission heading towards Colombia. It consisted of half a dozen of UFOs crewed by Sectoids, with most of the craft being smaller and medium craft with two Battleships on the mix. The base had immediately scrambled its lone Firestorm interceptor and two conventional fighters to deal with the smaller craft and had called Mother One for reinforcements.

 

Sitting on the pilot's seat, Harris was trying to get a picture of the aerial battle that was raging hundreds of miles away from him. Major Prescott had immediately launched him to assist in the confrontation but he was wondering what good would the X-Terminator do when he arrived. One alien Large Scout and a Supply Ship had already been downed. However, a conventional fighter had been shot down by a large UFO with the pilot failing to bail out.

 

The artificial image that he was seeing displayed in front of his eyes only showed the darkness of night, with the cloud cover glowing white below the X-Terminator. He was speeding towards his target at the craft's maximum speed, more than four thousand miles per hour. Switching his attention to the sides of the display unit he saw that his plasma cannon blinked a green "READY" while the words of the fusion ball launcher showed instead a yellow "STAND BY".

 

He was about to engage the Terror Ship that had earlier shot down the F-22. From his previous experience he knew that a number of solid hits would be enough to bring down the craft. And he was thinking of better uses for the powerful fusion missiles anyhow. "Firestorm Two-One. Target has slowed down and is hovering. Engage at will". Good, Harris thought as he moved arms to adjust his approach vector towards the coordinates of the first UFO.

 

 

Vostok Base, Antarctica

 

 

To Johnson, the clean up of the alien base buried two miles underneath was over. The Challenger had already took off towards Area 51, carrying the injured soldiers and the captured Ethereal Commander, who was still unconscious. The plane was due to arrive in a little more than half an hour and Dr. Mantell was getting ready the special containment facility that had been built and used for the Sectoid leader.

 

All of the platoons had managed to reach the lift towards the safety of surface, although in one case they had to use blaster bombs to blow the containment doors that the aliens had dropped to contain the flooding. Most likely there were still live aliens at the massive base, in sections that hadn't been filled by water but they hardly mattered any more. The control section of the base had been destroyed and the troops guarding the lift had reported that it had stopped to function an hour ago, becoming only a pit two miles deep that even the aliens would have trouble to climb its empty walls.

 

Standing next to the Avenger, Johnson watched as the troops and the hovertanks who had survived the assault boarded it and the Skyrangers. Crossett was also standing next to him, still holding his heavy plasma. "I could order you to relax and put down that thing", he told him.

 

The armored shoulders of Crossett's power suit almost lift an inch as the man dismissed the comment. However he turned away but still kept the weapon ready. Johnson gave him one last look before facing towards Captain Jerrel, who was approaching him with tired steps.

 

"Colonel, the squad guarding the lift could use a replacement but I have no men available".

 

"They will have to wait. We're almost done here and we can use one of the Skyrangers to pick them up". Jerrel rocked backward and forward and Johnson realized that he must be on the edge of mental and physical exhaustion. "Yes sir". Raising his head he looked back at him. "Colonel, can I ask you something?"

 

When Johnson nodded in affirmative, he looked hesitantly, unsure of how to say it. "After this mission I'm starting to loose count of the number of men and women that I've lost since I've started fighting the aliens". He looked towards the distance, to the frozen white landscape. "I just don't know..:.".

 

"What Jerrel?"

 

"Was this whole thing worth it sir? I mean, capturing that son of a bitch down there? We've lost an entire platoon worth of soldiers doing it. Henley, Bradley and Bearpaw are dead, with Pershing having fifty- percent chances of making it. And more and more it seems that we are going nowhere and the aliens only get bigger no matter what we do".

 

Johnson wanted to tell him about Mars and the importance of the alien that they had just captured but he couldn't. "It will be Jerrel. Trust me".

 

 

Over the Andes Mountains, South America

 

 

Locking his hand into a fist and pressing on it with his thumb Harris fired another plasma volley at the already battered Terror Ship that was showing on the display. The craft was more than thirty miles away but he had increased the magnification so that he could see it falling down the sky towards the terrain five thousand feet below.

 

The UFO shook again when the energized particles hit its main body, with metal fragments releasing from the fuselage. Harris knew that it was good as dead and if there were still any live aliens inside, the fall into the mountains below would kill him.

 

Pushing backwards his left hand, the sensors built into the gloves detected the motion and ordered the Elerium engine to bring the craft into a halt. The fingers on his other hand started dancing over the control panel at his waist level as he checked the remaining Elerium on his craft with his eyes. He was still at more than seventy per cent fuel left, he realized with satisfaction, as his hand called up the data on his next target from the central base.

 

But as he searched for the arrow that would indicate him the direction of another UFO, he found that he could only see the indicators for speed, altitude and direction projected upon the liquid crystal display. "This is Firestorm Two-One, I've downed the Terror Ship and require another target". He called on the radio and waited for an answer.

 

The voice of the operator replied to him afterwards. "Firestorm Two-One, return to base. The area has been cleared of hostiles".

 

"What??" He couldn't believe what he had just heard since he knew that there were still two Battleships in the area. Controlling his anger, Harris tried again. "Base, there are still two UFOs in the area. Have they been intercepted?"

 

"Negative Firestorm Two-One. All of the remaining fighters have been recalled also".

 

Banging his right hand into the metal surface of the Firestorm, Harris swore. He had to quickly bring it back since the craft started to move sideways as the control mechanism interpreted the motion and translated it to be a command for the engine.

 

They weren't even going to try to bring down the Battleships! The commander of the interception was sticking to the damn stupid rules and ordering the fighters to get back and leave the UFOs unscathed.

 

Violently shaking his head, Harris considered his options. The controller would never transmit him the information he needed to engage one of the Battleships. The Firestorms had been equipped with simple radar systems since there wasn't much space available on the craft, unlike the Avengers, which had state of the art detection systems. And even those were only used for navigational purposes. The pilot depended on ground centers to give him the information he needed.

 

However, there was something that he could try to do. Bringing up an overhead display of the area he recalled the last indications of the Battleships that he had heard over the radio. It would be a long shot, especially if the UFOs had made changes on their bearings but it could be possible.

 

Minutes passed, as he cleared the Andes Mountains and moved in a northwestern course. A number of times he moved down up the cloud cover to seek there for the alien craft. Once he misidentified a civilian 737 for it but fortunately he decided to zoom before he fire any of his weapons.

 

Finally he found what he was looking in Venezuela. The UFO apparently had just finished disgorging his belly of aliens and was starting to return back after having accomplished its mission. The radar picked the huge craft at more than a 110 miles range, with its speed slightly increasing and gaining altitude. Both the Firestorm and the UFO were already above the cloud cover and heading towards the deep light blue when Harris fired one of his fusion missiles at the alien craft.

 

With the help of the tracking devices carried by the Firestorm, his aim was good and the fusion ball detonated only twenty yards away of the craft. The following explosion made the impossible to happen. The huge five footed craft actually shook in the skies. Something that Harris had never seen been done on the few reported engagements before the prohibition. These craft only had the plasma cannons to strike at the craft. And it put them at a great hazard, since the UFO had a combination of plasma weapons and something similar to X-Com's fusion missile, making it capable of the destroy the smaller craft with a couple of its shots. In any of the two confrontations the Firestorm ever managed to seriously damage the craft before being destroyed.

 

And now, as he pressed his thumb into his locked fist again, he knew that he could bring the alien craft down.

 

The second round also hit true, however it only detonated more than a hundred yards to its still intact side. As a result of the spread of the blast of the fusion missile, the destructive shock wave that hit the Battleship was considerately less than the results of the previous shot. The armor plating designed by the aliens endured most of the blast although there were reported hull breaches. The aliens quickly sealed them before the openings could make more damage to the insides of the ship.

 

Meanwhile their counterattack had already reached Harris' Firestorm, in the form of a double explosion of plasma beam and E-115 explosion that blanked momentarily the entire length of his virtual display unit. Leaving him in the utter dark as he motioned his arms in the air, trying to control the spinning motion that the blast gave to the craft.

 

A couple of moments later he was finally capable to assess the damage suffered by his craft. The sensors were reporting major malfunctions, especially on the detection sensors and transmission equipment: he found it that he could still hear the X-Com's combat channel. However he found out that he couldn't transmit anymore before using the normal frequencies: his hyperwave radio was disabled. The fusion cannon also was offline but that didn't matter to Harris too much since he had run out of rounds for it.

 

That only left his plasma cannon to finish the craft, providing that he could dodge the craft's next counterattack. Harris knew that the next shot would kill him: he would never be able to bail out in safety if the next shot only damaged the Firestorm more and not kill him right away.

 

He found the UFO by a visual scan of the horizon, already starting to look as if it was in the edge of the black that started to mark the exit from the atmosphere to the cold void that surrounds all planets on the Solar System. However, to his dismay, the craft seemed to be gaining distance at him, even though he had the Elerium drive at full power to try to place the large disk back into his remaining weapons' range. As his determination rose, he failed to notice when a loose paper flew from one of his flightsuit pockets. And it wandered off in the zero gravity that was slowing being felt and reflected the outside environment.

 

 

Vostok Base, Antarctica

 

 

"Colonel, Captain Clark is asking you to join him at the front". Johnson was surprised by the request forward by the co-pilot who was shivering in front of him, standing with only his flight suit in the middle of the extreme cold weather.

 

Following him, he climbed the ramp of the Avenger and crossed the main section of the craft until he finally reached the hatch door that connected it to the craft's cockpit. "Thanks for coming Colonel". He pointed to the co-pilot's chair next to him. "Please have a seat. Mother One wants to talk to you". Clark passed him an earset after Johnson managed to put the bulk of his power suit on the seat and put it over his head. "Johnson here".

 

"Colonel, this is Colonel Paqua. We have a situation here. One of your fighter pilots has just gone rogue and has performed an unauthorized attack on a Battleship". The name of the pilot came immediately to Johnson's mind. "It is Harris?"

 

"Yes. He was assisting the South American base at fending off an infiltration made by the aliens and had been ordered to return to base. Instead, he managed to discover the location of one of the Battleships deployed by the aliens and has engaged it".

 

"I'm going to bust his head the minute he lands back at the base. Where is he now?"

 

"That's the problem Colonel. Apparently he wasn't pleased enough to damage the UFO. A radar station on Antarctica has picked both craft exiting the Earth's atmosphere and going into space"

 

 

Earth's orbit

 

 

When Harris finally noticed the zero gravity inside the Firestorm, his left hand fingers flashed on the keyboard in front of him. He had never been instructed that these files even exist and the higher commands would never have allowed that he was looking now at the instructions that popped on his view. Somebody at the software development must have made a major screw-up: typing some commands in succession, he diverted a fraction of the reactor's output into the creation of a miniature gravity field around his craft, centered on his feet. He immediately felt back the height of them. The instruction had been specifically designed in case the Firestorms went outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Only then Harris realized what sort of pressure must have been made by the Council for Illyuschenko to forbid their use against Battleships. The dates on these files predated on more than three months the order set the ban. The General was probably dying that he couldn't use the Firestorms against the Battleships. But he also had heard that the Russian was strange, of the kind that actually cared about their men. That had gone against the stereotypes of Soviet officers that Harris had listened to more than twenty years. Sometimes he would prefer that that impression from him was false and he was nothing more like a butcher like himself.

 

Johnson, on the other hand was more natural, the kind of officer that was only trying to do his job and that sounded a lot weaker attitude. However, Johnson's actions had taken Harris to respect him, although he preferred a more aggressive attitude. Pity that the Colonel couldn't decide to be more hostile in military actions like he was being at the radio transmissions that he was hearing from them.

 

He had ignored the first call, the Firestorm and the UFO already in space, with the craft looking as if it wanted to circle Earth. An extra display showed Harris the view underneath and he recalled the first thrill he had the first he had ever taken the controls of a plane and flied. Continents and seas would pass by, sometimes covered by clouds. When he flicked the radio on again he heard Johnson's voice again. "Harris! Get back to base! That is an order"

 

He chose to ignore him and kept his concentration into the point of light ahead of him. As both of them passed the Middle East he realized what was the UFO's destination: it was flying straight to the Moon. Checking his fuel reserves he became amazed of how the rate of consumption of Elerium on the engine had dropped.

 

Automatically he decided to check the airspeed, or now his space speed. He found it amazing that he was travelling at more than a hundred million miles per hour with the speed still increasing as there was none of the air attrition of the Earth's atmosphere. Still he couldn't tell if he had E-115 enough to go to the Moon and get back. I didn't matter: he only needed to get there and close enough to that UFO.

 

 

Moon's Far Side

 

 

Inside the alien fleet's commanding ship, an Ethereal Commander looked at the Muton next to him on the command bridge. The massive and muscular alien was clad in red clothing, instead of the green that they used. They were both standing at the middle of the craft's bridge and the Muton looked in surprise at the other being.

 

The Ethereal had been warned directly by other members of its species of the Sol Three'craft that was on a path directly to the location of the fleet. When the general quarters warning was transmitted to all crewmembers he was already aware and designing a formula to reply to the action. But the fact that it was something that he never had expected confused him momentarily. The same sensation that had only come once: when he had heard the news about the loss of the base in Antarctica.

 

It was something that the creature dismissed quick, however. And in response, four Battleships that were parked in several locations on the Moon's orbit started to move from their positions on the fleet.

 

 

Moon's orbit

 

 

The first warning that Harris had about the presence of the four additional craft was a blast from a Battleship's weapons that detonated just barely outside of the damaging range. The Firestorm shook to one side but he easily controlled it and kept his chase of the damaged UFO. At the same time he activated other views of space surrounding the craft and discovered two of the attackers. They had passed his position and now were racing to catch him on the range of their weapons.

 

He still had some seconds left before they could gain enough distance to fire.

 

And, much to his surprise he saw that the injured Battleship was slowing down. In three seconds between both craft diminish enough so that he fired his plasma cannon. The green round cut through the damaged section of the UFO like a razor sharp blade. One Elerium engine was completely destroyed and the upper level suffered a critical structure stress as the vacuum of space wrecked havoc inside the ship. The aliens on that level were completely sucked into space and the pilots who died would quite powerless to prevent the catastrophe that happened. The rest of the Elerium engines suffered an overload. Powerless and devoid of any control, the Battleship started to follow towards the Moon as the gravity of the satellite was already exerting its attraction here.

 

Sure of his kill, Harris finally broke the chase leaving him now more room to avoid the blasts of the four pursuing Battleships. He brought his craft closer to the surface of the room in a series of tight turns. Flying less than a hundred feet above a cratered landscape that was barren of any oxygen he managed to get some room between him and the Battleships as he dodged the walls of gigantic craters. After some seconds he noticed that he had flown into the far side of the satellite. Most of the features on the ground turned black as the Moon's body obscured the light coming from the Sun.

 

When he finally looked up to check for a possible change of course back to Earth, providing that he could gain some more distance of the Battleships, he became paralyzed. "My God, it's full of them" The comment came from his open mouth, as he was dumbstruck by the sight of the alien fleet parked on the Moon's orbit. Hundreds, maybe thousands of artificial lights could be seen, adding to the stars already visible and turning it into a view of a packed dense star field. And, on the middle of it a large shape could be seen just if as the Moon had gained a satellite shaped like a cigar.

 

He realized that he was seeing the alien Mothership, probably the first human to do so. Then a blast from one of the UFOs detonated next to the Firestorm and destroying most of the internal systems of the fighter, turning his whole world into darkness as the craft went down crashing towards the Moon's cratered surface.

 

 

Earth's orbit

 

 

"I don't care if I'm taking also an unnecessary risk Col. Paqua! Right now there's one of my men fighting out there on the Moon. The least I can do is give him some backup. And I don't intent to get in the middle of the alien fleet, even if I'm flying an Avenger craft"

 

That phrase of the Colonel relieved Clark, who shared the same opinion of the Colonel. He wanted to get there and help Harris, but the man had done it to himself and clearly wasn't expecting to get back. Even he had tried to call him on the radio. Whatever Harris wanted to do it was completely the man's business, even a personal matter.

 

"Park us on Earth's orbit" Clark and the co-pilot both looked at the Colonel, who stood behind and in the middle of them.

 

"Sir, what do mean by Earth's orbit? It could be anywhere from here to a million more minds. It even includes the Moon".

 

"Park it here then" The snap came quick from Johnson and made both pilots turn forwards and comply with his orders. "As long as we stay here Paqua won't complain anymore. We have decided both not to even bring this discussion to Illyuschenko although he will undoubtedly know after. A telescope in Hawaii spotted the Firestorm on the Moon for a couple of seconds before losing it".

 

A couple of minutes later Harris last transmission was heard by Johnson, after a communications satellite had picked it up coming from the far side. It was a streak of luck that the satellite had been in position to receive any transmissions from that area. Johnson decided to wait to see if anymore was heard.

 

They stood in station for two hours but never saw any craft coming from the Moon or heard any transmission back from the X-Terminator, as it said the insignia painted on the saucer-shaped fighter. After that period had passed Johnson ordered the Avenger to fly back to Area 51. As Clark complied with the order he said goodbye to Harris, hoping that the other pilot had finally now found some peace.

 

 

November 21st, 2001

 

Unknown location, North America

 

 

The air of the underground secret facility seemed to have turned down a couple of degrees although it would be impossible due to the closed ventilation system. Still, as number Seven moved down its darkened corridors he felt that the temperature inside the secret facility had quite cooled since the last time he was there.

 

Moving along the facility, he hoped that he wouldn't face any of the hybrids that composed its crew complement or, even worse, one of the aliens that sometimes would be assigned as liaisons. Although they were supposed to be restricted to certain areas, the creatures just couldn't be trusted to do exactly as they were supposed. For that matter every inch of the base was under constant surveillance by thousands of security cameras and motion detectors. Too much inside needed to be hidden from the prying eyes of any intruders or of any alien that decided to ignore the agreement.

 

However, as he stopped by a heavy blast door he reached the only place inside the facility that wasn't under any type of surveillance. The motion of his legs hadn't fully stopped when the electromagnetic mechanism that controlled the door silently opened it to let him inside. Looking upwards he saw the rectangular shape of a camera, pointing directly at him with a steady red light close to the lens.

 

Stepping inside, a small corridor in front of him became suddenly lit by neon lights built into its sides, floor and ceiling. As he moved across it he felt a small tingle on his skin all over his body. There was another smaller door at the end of the corridor but this time it didn't open immediately.

 

A minute passed and his impatiently and tension started to increase. He looked for any knob or bell but the metal wall was completely smooth. Looking around at the walls he found them also empty of any buttons so he decided to step outwards and gesture at the camera. Only to find that the outer door had already closed silently, leaving him trapped.

 

A touch of panic started to frighten him caused by the fact that he had never been told of what had happened to his predecessors on the group. Well, at least it wasn't plain spoken, but everyone with two inches of a forehead could figure it out. But he dismissed those thoughts. He had very important information to present to number Two; he spoke to himself as a reassurance.

 

But a stroke of doubt made his fears grow even worse. Could it be that his information was already late? That he had been deemed as a liability for the project and had willingly placed himself into the wolf's mouth by coming to this location?

 

His face turned serious as he dropped any attempt to try to hide his fear. He considered trying to open the outer door in front of him and attempt to reach one of the entrances. But his logic told him that it would be a waste of effort although he couldn't resign to death in the next minutes.

 

Seven started to wonder how he would die.

 

Suddenly the interior neons went out, leaving him on a sea of darkness that made him turn his head on all directions in panic. But as he looked a second time to the inner door, he saw a thin light defining its shape that slowly increased as it opened. Approaching it carefully he took a step into the inner room.

 

The chamber was large; all covered with red and gold drape curtains that hid the bluntness of the rock walls. Number Two was standing on its middle, examining an object on his hands close to glass display cases that hung on the air, suspended by anti-gravity Elerium devices. He looked at Seven's direction and smiled but the younger man didn't felt any true sympathy on the grin. Still, it somehow gave him a sign of reassurance that he might not be killed today.

 

Pointing a statue-like object towards Seven, Two spoke as if he was holding a treasure: "Isn't it a beauty?"

 

Looking at it, Seven noticed that it represented a human figure with a snake's head, painted in white, orange and ochre tones. Its arms were crossed over its chest, holding baton like objects. Instead of legs it had a long tail, coiled underneath a massive torso and it was wearing a white and gold intricate headdress. Some of its edges of the statue had been worn out, including an arm that that been broken at the elbow. "Egyptian?" He asked casually, trying to relax.

 

"Close but no". Two placed it back into the weightless display case, where it stood straight on the air. "Actually predates the clumsy Pharaonic civilization". Giving him a stare he spoke in an almost harmlessly fashion. "But we're not here to talk of archeology are we?"

 

Almost jumping backwards, Seven tried to control himself and think of an appropriate answer. He failed miserably in both and hesitated several times before starting to articulate any words.

 

As he begun to mumble, Two spoke, with his voice elevated one tone. "Speak out! If I wanted you killed I would have done it by now"

 

"There's unusual activity at the X-Com base". His response came hesitantly.

 

Two's attitude was one of nuisance. "Such as?"

 

"Over the past month there has been a number of indications that a top secret mission is being planned. Apparently only Johnson is privy to the nature of such a mission. None of the other officers seems to know anything about it".

 

"What does that matter? Soon, they will be crushed. Anything else?" Taking a deep breath, Seven murmured what could be the words that doomed him. "And Williams is alive".

 

Silence only greeted him as Two's eyes showed a blink of surprise. "I trust that you are sure about that information or you will joining him soon".

 

"I have confirmation from my own sources inside Area 51. Apparently since the attempt he managed to stay out of sight but he was spotted during the attack that destroyed a portion of the X-Com base in Nevada".

 

He started to move towards his desk with determination. "You have done well to inform this to me personally. Tell your men never to let Williams out of their sight or both you and them will pay for it. Wait for further instructions".

 

Nodding towards Three, Seven still felt compelled to ask a question. "And what about this mission? I heard our friends have been hit hard on Antarctica and that one of X-Com's craft even tried to attack their main fleet on the Moon".

 

"Inconsequential. They can't distract us. Now it's the time to cut all loose ends. And the ones that are out of our reach... Well, our friends are already dealing with those...". His voice went trailing, leaving the threat unspoken. "We should concern ourselves more about our own affairs. I've received a communication from one of our associates: it seems that China is about to make their move".

 

"This soon?" Seven's voice showed concerned. "According to the plan this is two months before the scheduled. Four should know that".

 

"The Chinese leaders are growing impatient. In no doubt our friends are beyond this turn of events and have pushed them into action. But don't fear: we will be ready".

 

 

November 24th, 2001

 

London, United Kingdom

 

 

Standing at his office Number Two witnessed the smoke that still raced upwards from the parts of the city that were still burning from the alien attack five days ago. The whole town had been covered with a smog cloud since then and the heat of the fires was preventing any clouds to pass over by and help with their rain in the fire fighting that was going along.

 

In spite of a vigorous effort put by the Royal Air Force and X-Com two of the alien Battleships had managed to break through the aerial defenses and deployed their cargo of heavily armed Mutons. They were stopped in a couple of hours after the base on Mother One had deployed all of its available troops but they had enough time to wreck havoc on the city. The television sets were constantly passing images of the burning of Parliament building who now was nothing more that a smoking wreck.

 

Looking through the window, Two recalled a discussion that he once had concerning free will. Even if he had the means to avoid the attack on his city would he do it? The sound of the incoming call distracted him and he moved back to his desk, seating down before accepting the transmission.

 

The wall on front of his desk turned active and showed the face of Number Eight from a location on the United States. He seemed concerned and proceeded to the matter that was bothering him without further delay. "There's something strange going on Area 51. Johnson, Robinson and a number of other high-ranking officers are scheduled to leave the base for a meeting with Illyuschenko".

 

Two already knew what it was. He knew about the capture of the Ethereal Commander at Antarctica and its subsequent interrogation. And he also knew that the alien had revealed a great secret to X-Com. "I'm aware of it". He replied.

 

"X-Com seems to be planning a major operation from the indications I have. We should call an emergency meeting to discuss this".

 

He shook his head as he had already taken a decision about what should be done. This would be the right opportunity he had seen it the moment he was informed. The situation couldn't be better for it. As Eight heard what he wanted to do, the other man's face showed a little puzzlement.

 

After he finished hearing it, he asked, trying to hide his skepticism. "Are you sure of what you want to do?"

 

"Yes". He said it certain of fact. Some decisions would have to be taken, no matter the cost. He had been informed previously of the raid on London but had decided to remain in the city, knowing that there might be a chance that he got in the middle of the fighting by accident. One way or the other the attack was going to happen. It was better to be at the front to try to steer what came afterwards. "Bring him in".

 

 

November 25th, 2001

 

Mother One, Black Forest, Germany

 

 

The UNSS Challenger Avenger craft was slowing descending into an artificial opening into the ground set in a clearing in the middle of the trees. The landing gear had already been deployed and the green and red beacons built into the wings of the Avenger were flashing, filling the area with an aerie light. Using its anti-gravity drive, the pilot carefully guided the plane down, with the weapon pods housing the plasma and fusion weapons built into the wings of the Avenger a good feet away from the metal doors.

 

When it finally cleared the entrance, the pilot carefully moved the Challenger inside the massive underground hangar. Following the instructions that were given to him by a flight controller that was on the ground; he landed the craft at the end of a flight line of eight Avengers and Skyrangers.

 

The Avengers were the most impressive, their size nearly the double of the venerable Skyrangers. The older transport planes could only be differentiated by the insignia they sported, telling from which base they had came from. But the spacecraft's origin could be told by their official names: Protector, Valiant, Defender and the Challenger.

 

All of the planes and spacecraft had made the travel between their home base and Mother One, carrying X-Com's regional commanders for their most important meeting since the unit had been formed.

 

Both the pilot and the ground crew were unaware of that. They could tell that something big was about to happen, since they had never witnessed such a concentration of military craft and of the top brass but the rumors were scarce. Some were correct in linking it to the recent success in Antarctica, claiming that X-Com was about to launch operations against the alien bases that had been detected elsewhere on Earth on the countries that had already been infiltrated. Another story said that a massive fleet was being readied to attack the aliens' craft stationed in orbit on the far side of the Moon. Both of them were wrong, of course.

 

However, two hours after the last Avenger had landed on the base, coming from Complex YY-18, all of the high ranking X-Com officers were watching the video beamed back from the Moon by Harris' Firestorm before its destruction. The fighter was high enough so that the men and women could see the Moon's curvature against a black sea of stars. But the majority of the bright dots shone larger and gave an unsteady light, dismissing any thoughts of them being stars.

 

As the flight path of the Firestorm brought the craft over the airless surface of the ships, some of the small blinks of light grew larger in size and their aspect resolved itself into the known types of UFO yet encountered by X-Com. With a notable exception: on the center of the formation a tube-shaped ship could clearly be visible, dwarfing even the largest Battleships stationed nearby it.

 

The image caught by Harris' Firestorm suddenly banked upwards, reflecting the pilot's attempt to avoid the UFOs that were racing to shoot him down. A few seconds the screen went blank as no further data was received from the craft and the lights in the room came up, with some of the officers blinking their eyes in response to the appearance of illumination. "As you might have heard in the last days, the Firestorm was shot down afterwards, killing the pilot. He paid with his life for his insubordination but his sacrifice wasn't completely worthless, since it brought us this disturbing image". Illyuschenko raised himself from the padded sofa where he was seated.

 

"We have compared the monster UFO with the images beamed back by Phobos more than ten years ago: it's the same one, unless the aliens have a fleet of them parked in the Solar system.

 

But there's more and it confirms our deepest fears. Colonel Johnson brought us the results of the interrogation made on the Ethereal Commander on Area 51. Amongst other things that we will discuss soon, it revealed that the aliens plan to stage their invasion somewhere in the next year. We are lucky if we have six months before they came down on us".

 

Shock filled the officers present in the room. Colonel Paqua, the French responsible for aerospace operations stood up and said. "Commandant, if the aliens use that ship, there isn't much that we can do about it, besides trying to use nuclear weapons, which I seriously doubt that we could successfully. Even our Avengers would be crushed like insects trying to engage it".

 

"I don't think that there's even a point in trying". Illyuschenko added. "The Ethereal gave us the information we want". He took a deep breath before speaking. "The alien Brain is indeed located on Mars, on an area called Cydonia Mensae, on the Northern Hemisphere of the planet".

 

Seated next to Illyuschenko, Johnson felt relieved when he heard the Russian speak the words. He had already known about the confirmation since they had used Landon, the former hacker to break into NASA's computers and use the Surveyor probe currently in orbit on Mars to confirm the claim of the alien. But the matter had also brought more confirmation of the suspicions that someone in a higher level had been covering the alien evidence. Upon examination of the pictures released some years ago to resurvey the area after the Viking probes had photographed it in the 1970's, it had been found that they had been deliberately altered to mask any signs of artificial structures in the area.

 

"The area mentioned by the alien there are a number of strange formations that most likely compose the base. The Ethereal didn't give us much information about the number of troops and UFOs based there or the actual place where the central Brain is located. But NASA is about to insert a probe in the end of last month that will give us more intelligence as soon as it completes its insertion upon the planet's orbit. However, we need to decide on certain difficult matters first and I would like to hear your thoughts first".

 

The officers stood into an uneasy silence. Until, standing two chairs away from him, Yamashita stroke his mustache before asking. "Commander, the Council hasn't been informed of this?" The tone made the question rhetorical.

 

Illyuschenko shook his head. "I've decided that we need to present a military plan to them to deal with the threat of the alien fleet, otherwise they will just panic or refuse to believe such a possibility".

 

"Making them more inclined to leave X-Com and join my country or conduct their own negotiations with the aliens". Johnson sighed. "Exactly what I fear Colonel. We need to try to stay in control of the general operations regarding the effort to deal with this new threat. What I'm going to propose is that the Elerium and laser technology to be freely distributed to each country's armed forces".

 

"Commander, with due respect, that will be worthless". Yamashita added. "It would take years to build a large enough force capable of defeating the aliens that way. Even if we tried to double or triple the number of soldiers X-Com has on his ranks we would be left only with a couple thousand soldiers to face the alien invasion. And the aliens' attacks on our bases shown that they know about us. Most likely we will be the first targets to them".

 

"And no question of staging a bloody guerrilla warfare. We would have to abandon our bases and support. Most likely the buggers would simply wipe out and entire area full of civilians than trying to figure out who was our troops". MacTaggert's glibber made it hard to be understood. "We need to strike at Cydonia now"

 

Not guerrillas! Not fighting in our own home again! Turning to all of the officers present, Illyuschenko looked at everyone. "I agree with all of your ideas, but we also need to gain time before the Council. Most likely we could give some information about the strike to some of the councilmen that would be more sympathetic to our ideas to gain their support, but without mentioning Mars".

 

"The alien fleet" Paqua mentioned. "The images beamed to us by the pilot of Area 51 will make quite an impression on them". .

 

MacTaggert turned to him and asked. "Haven't you told us that it would be impossible to try?"

 

The Frenchman gave a devious smile to him. "We know that but they don't Colonel". Johnson considered it for a moment and then he spoke. "I believe the word for what you propose is ingenious, Colonel. It gives us an excuse to build as many Avengers as possible to take the maximum number of troops possible to Mars.

 

Indeed. Illyuschenko also started to see the possibility. "And meanwhile if we agree on the release of the technology, it will make them very satisfied". Some good came up from their decision of building the Avenger as a fighter-transporter after all, instead of building two different planes for each role.

 

Johnson added: "But how many time do we have? We need to strike before they invade otherwise we will be destroyed before we can take off for the mission. And how many troops will we need? If I recall correctly we only have six or seven Avengers operational at the moment. How much more will we need?"

 

"A very important question Colonel. Colonel Paqua, could you inform us more on this?"

 

"According to the original specs of the Avenger it should be able to make the Earth - Mars journey in two or three weeks, depending on the position of both planets at the time of the launch. However we can't simply pack the craft with troops. We will need to make space to bring along some supplies and life support equipment for the journey and for our duration on Mars".

 

"How long then before we can launch?"

 

"I will need to talk to Dr. Chevereux and his staff on this. We will also need to turn the factory on Complex YY-18 to full production of Avengers and equipment necessary for the attack". Running some mental calculations through his mind, he added afterwards. "We could probably keep the factory turning out two, maybe three Avengers each month. If we have twenty Avengers ready by the end of April we could probably send two hundred and fifty combat troops in the mission plus a number of armor".

 

"Two hundred and fifty combat troops!? What are we going to leave behind to defend Earth if we fail and sustain heavy casualties?" Outrage filled the voice of Colonel Waartens, the South African commander. "And what about the Battleships? Right now our Avengers have trouble dealing one to one with them. What will happen if we sent away all of our Avengers and have to fight them with Firestorms and conventional planes?!?" Some of the other officers also cringed at the thought.

 

"Is that even going to be enough?" Yamashita's question showed restrain. "Even if the aliens are massing their forces on the Moon they surely will leave a considerable force behind to act as a reserve".

 

The response to the objections and inquiries being made was already on Illyuschenko's mind. A gamble. To be played with Earth's survival. But if we fail it won't make a difference to those who are left back here. Or will it? What if the Soviet High Command had brought more men to fight the damn Afghanis? Or could we have recruited more men in the beginning so that now we would have armies ready to fight the aliens? Wouldn't it be just sending them to the slaughter like cattle since they didn't had the physical requirements that we impose now upon our troops? Will there be an end to this?

 

Shaking his head out of the gaze of his thoughts, he raised his hand and made the discussion rampaging on the room stop. "Like we have said before, if these soldiers and planes are here on Earth where they won't make a difference". He scanned each officer to see if anyone would make any objection. It's as simple as that. "We have discussed a plan. A military unit is not a democracy but on this case if we are to go along I will need you to make a compromise with this plan. You are free to refuse it. It that case the troops and planes assigned to you will remain here on Earth while I will personally take the others to Mars".

 

A number of gazes were exchanged between the men present before each one of them was asked to raise his hand if he agreed with the plan. After the same was done for the ones who objected it, Illyuschenko stood up again. "Thank you all for your confidence in me". He paused before speaking what he had already decided after studying the reports from every base on available troops and ships plus the state of the production line. "The attack date will be set to the end of February".

 

Chevereux nearly jumped on his chair. "Commander, that's too early! We are talking about sending a two hundred men and women in a space travel to a planet that we have never landed. We still need to do a lot of preparations"

 

"And we will only be able to get twelve craft ready then, if we are lucky". Paqua was running mental calculations on his mind. "We have only six Avengers ready now, another three in several stages of production, and work has yet to begin on the tenth one, the Majestic".

 

"I beg to differ Colonel Paqua. The Majestic is the twelfth craft". Yamashita's short comment made Paqua turn to him. "Tenth, Colonel, in case you haven't read the latest report".

 

"Twelfth. There are other two Avengers ready for our use in the flight to Mars. But their existence isn't recorded anywhere". Now he had caught everyone's attention on the room, who was eagerly waiting for an explanation.

 

Moving uncomfortably on his chair, Yamashita exchanged a look with Colonel Oshika, the officer responsible for X-Com's manufacturing and deployment before proceeding. "My country has been diverting some of the output from the production plan for its own defense in case X-Com was disbanded. We have kept a number of craft stored in a separate hangar of our base as an assurance".

 

"What!?" The room became full of cries of outrage and anger from the other officers. Some even stood up and waved fists at both Japanese Colonels. "This is just the excuse that the Council needs to disband us" One called.

 

"Quiet all" Illyuschenko's voice made everyone stood silent. "I'm not surprised a bit since I was the one who sponsored selling surplus equipment when we were running out of money. You didn't seem to complain too much when I did it". Some of the officers made embarrassed faces at the accusation".

 

"I can sympathize with Colonel Yamashita's reasons for what he did. And all of you would probably do the same to defend your own damn countries! But what matters now is that we have to prepare ourselves for the attack. And," he paused.

 

"We will just have to be ready by them and these extra craft can well make the difference. I'm not going to risk that the aliens advance their timetable and get us in the middle of our preparations". No one answered back.

 

Turning to all of the officers, he tried to put as much hope and determination as possible on his voice. "This meeting is dismissed gentlemen. Please go back to your commands: we have to prepare for a battle that we need to win". But what if the war is already lost even before we set for Mars?

 

 

December 7th, 2001

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

"Well, the only thing I can say is that the origin of this message is from inside our network". Landon was seated at Williams' desk and typing commands in the keyboard in front of him. Behind him, Davis and Williams were looking with attention, trying to figure out most of the computer jargon he was using.

 

"But the return path is wrong: it lists an address that is non-existent". Landon stopped typing and pointed at a line of alphanumeric text that seemed like all others to the two other men. "See?" He turned towards them.

 

"Landon, pretend that we are five year old kid. What does that mean?" The computer expert suddenly took a professorial air and Davis moved on his chair on annoyance.

 

"It's impossible to determine the physical origin where this email originated. It could have been sent from any of your bases". Satisfied, he then leaned back on his chair, which cranked a little in response to the movement.

 

"Could someone have broken into our computer system and placed the message there?"

 

"Yes". His reply came up immediately, but after a moment of thought he added. "If I was aware of the existence of such a network I wouldn't stop it I broke through".

 

"We're not talking about your illegal exploits Landon". Davis was getting very pissed at the arrogance of the college kid. "This message isn't just a hacker's way of saying hi" The young man looked at both, unsure of what to do".

 

After a moment Williams added. "Landon, the email was sent to me by a purpose and this is not the first time that I have received such a communication. Could he do it from the outside?"

 

"Like I said before, yes. But the guy would have either to make a direct connection by gaining physical access to the mainframe computer or he would need to crack through the security codes. And that would be a tough cookie. And I believe that they are light years away from the ones used by the Pentagon since they use alien algorithms for encryption". He knew that for a fact since one of his tasks at Area 51 was to try find security holes in the network. And he had only managed to break once.

 

"What's the big thing about his message anyway?" He gave another look at the information printed in the screen. It only revealed the header of the email and the body was missing.

 

"Landon, I think that it will be all". Davis replied. "And keep your mouth shut about this". The last phrase made him want to tell the FBI asshole to shove it. Getting up, he decided that it was about try to make another attempt at breaking into the system. If somebody else from the outside had managed it, it was starting to feel as a personal challenge to repeat the feat.

 

As he got out of the office Davis looked at Williams, who was lost in thoughts. The rest of the message had been deleted by him before showing the email to Landon and was robbing his sleep in the last two nights. He now was only two days to flying to Mother One, as he had been called to participate in the top-level strategic planning that was going there.

 

The timing of the receptance of the email and his presence in Germany were too great for all of this to be a coincidence. The deleted part had proposed a meeting in less than two weeks in the high-speed train that connected Frankfurt to Berlin. It was signed: A friend.

[FullAuto]

Chapter Thirty - Amber Blue

 

 

 

December 9th, 2001

 

Unknown location

 

 

 

The first thing that Harris realized when he woke up was that he was still alive. That didn't surprise him much as memories started to come to his mind of long periods of time where he felt only dazziness and could only see blurry shapes moving around him against a everfilling white light.

 

It was a sharp contrast with the darkness of his cockpit after the plasma shot from the alien Battleships had fried all of the electronic systems onboard. And after a couple of seconds the Firestorm had hit the ground, sending him and the chair crashing into the electronic display in front of him. The last thing he could remember was a hissing sound coming from somewhere in the cockpit which told him that the fuselage had been probably breached. But afterwards there was only darkness to remember.

 

Opening his eyes he found himself looking at a nurse wearing a light blue and white uniform with her blonde hair caught in a tight fitting cap from which gold locks sprung out. She was pushing a metal troley full of cirurgical equipment and large glass flasks in front of him. As he started to move on his bed, she caught the motion on the corner of her eye. At first she seemed surprised but immediately called in German: "Doktor"

 

Somehow X-Com had retrieved him after his crash and had brought him back to Mother One, he thought. Feeling the scar on his face itch again he tried to move his hand to assess the physical damage this time. His chest hurt and he could also feel that some surgery had been done to his belly. But his body also felt lighter, which struck him as strange.

 

But as he tried to get up, he found out that both of his arms were restrained, tying him to the bed. He found it bizarre and tried to lift his head to see where he was. His motion immediately brought it upwards much faster than he expected, as if it was lighter. Then he noticied that the infirmary didn't have any walls and that the medical equipment that was close all seemed to be several decades old. At that moment he started to think if he wasn't in a dream that he couldn't wake up from, no matter how much he tried.

 

The feeling got worse when an also blonde doctor come next to him with a look of suspicion and made him a full physical examination. He only bothered to remove one of the cuffs while he was checking Harris, so he stood sat on the bed and handcuffed to one of the siderails of the bed. As he tried to ask questions to the man while he was examining him but the doctor just ignored him and give indications in German that the nurse nearby would write down on a notepad she was holding.

 

He kept trying to get some response out of the physician but after a while exaustion finally made him stop.

 

 

 

December 11th, 2002

 

Sea of Japan

 

 

 

For the men and women onboard the ships of Task Force 70 the wait was close to unbearable as they monitored the sea and air lanes that separated mainland China from Taiwan. Five nights ago an American commercial airplane on its way to Southeast Asia had been nearly shot at by the Chinese fighters that seemed to be massing on the shore and getting ready to retake Taiwan back into China by force.

 

Then in the following day a KH-11 reconnaisance satellite that about to take pictures to determine the strenght of composition of the Chinese military had been shot down in space by an unidentified craft. NORAD had detected the attacker but had failed to determine if the UFO was Chinese or alien.

 

US President Vaughn had replied by ordering the naval task force out of its base on Japan, composed of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, four guided missile AEGIS cruisers, plus five escorts into the area. Their official propose was to maintain the communication lanes across the sea and air open, while the US still tried to bring the whole matter to the United Nations' Security Council. The carrier USS Constellation was also steaming towards the area with its escorts after being called off from exercises north of Hawaii.

 

The unofficial reason behind the top US leadership was to get ready for a possible war over China taking back control of Taiwan, a conflict more aggravated by the opposite philosophies that both nations held towards the aliens.

 

The Admiral in command of the force was feeling uneasy. He had been ordered to deploy to the area to be ready to hinder any attempts the Chinese made to strike at Taiwan. The Chinese Navy didn't bother him too much since it was no match for the concentration of American ships that was forming in the area. However the aircraft that were massing on the shoreline gave him nightmares, considering the classified information he had about the new Chinese advanced craft.

 

An air-exclusion zone had been declared two hundred miles around the task force and any hostile aircraft that entered it and refused to leave could be shot down. Still, he knew that if he took that action it would be extremely likely that a full-scale war might erupt between the US and China.

 

 

 

December 16th, 2001

 

Unknown location

 

 

 

Harris had stayed in the infirmary for a week now, being fed by the nurses while he was laying down. He was still restrained inspite of his demands and no one, either medical personnel or the other patients would talk to him. His ribs still hurt and he assumed that he had cracked a couple during the crash but besides some cuts he thought he had already gone through the worse.

 

He couldn't understand anything of what was going on and that was starting to get on his nerves. One day, as he had awoken he had found that he had a guard constantly watching over him, seated on a chair next to the bed in front of him. As his enquiries were again unanswered, he grudgedly came to the conclusion that he would have to wait.

 

Apparently his captors had decided something about him three days after. Two guards had sent to fetch him from the infirmary. They were all more than six feet high and had both blonde hair, although one was more browner than the other. They were plain grey jumpsuits, almost equal to the ones used by X-Com, with no indication of rank.

 

But as they arrived Harris knew for certainty that he wasn't back to Mother One or otherwise the whole world had gone through a quick change since they were red bands on their right arms with a circle on their middle where a Nazi swastika was on plain sight.

 

The guards didn't paid any attention to his surprise. They simply made him dress a white and blue stripped pants and jacket that one had brought. When he was done they handcuffed his hands and feet in front of him afterwards. As they went through the motion Harris turned to them and complained: "What the hell is happening here?" One of them reached for his holster but the other simply spoke in German: "Nein" They finished their job and started to push him out of the infirmary.

 

As they guided him, Harris wondered where he had been brought. He was led through metal corridors that had no openings and had a grilled floor. Surprisingly, he felt as if he had lost half his weight since he could take long strides with a single step. He found the sensation funny but when he hit one of the walls in one intersection, the guards made him stop and explained with simple gestures how he should pace his walking.

 

Moving down the corridors, they passed through more of its occupants, all men and women with the same Aryan features: tall, with blonde hair and facial features that seemed as if they had been schiseled. In some cases he was almost certain that he had passed through that person before but now it seemed that every five minutes the individual had changed clothes and hairstyle.

 

Some of them were carrying weapons, red and grey rifles connected by a cord to a power unit to their backs, looking extremely familiar to the laser weapons used by the security troops at Area 51. In other cases he would pass by individuals wearing the same clothes as him, which looked at the guards in deference and fear, and quickly moved away from their sight.

 

All of the light was artificial, coming from lamps overhead that gave a dim illumination to the corridors. But as they moved he saw a section of the corridor on the front more lightened than the rest, with beams coming from windows. He almost quickened his pace to see and discover where he was but one of the guards issued what sounded to be a warning to him. When he finally reached the windows, he noticied first how thick they were. And then he stopped as he saw the darkened sky, where stars could be seen glimming fiercely, with no atmosphere to filter their light. The rim of a small crater was in front of the windows, covered with grey dust with some parts illuminated by the overhead Sun. "I'm on the Moon?" He asked but the only reply was another push of the guards.

 

Finally one of them opened a door to a small room where a chair was standing in front of a table. Two officers were standing behind the table, wearing the same jumpsuits with red swastika band but their uniforms had black epaulets with a white skull on them. The guards made them with the Nazi salution, with their right arm lifted while calling the long dead Fuhrer's name. Then they made him seat and placed themselves at the door while he realized the Adolf Hitler portrait hanging above the officers.

 

They were a man who Harris thought might be an albino since her face was almost white, showing almost no colour and with deep blue eyes and a dark haired woman. Feeling that he had enough of the World War II act he demanded: "What is going on here?" The woman got up from the chair and gave him a slap on his face that sent him crashing to the ground. Taking a second to think she then shouted: "Silence" as the guards grabbed him and placed him back on the chair.

 

Jesus, not another German ice-queen, Harris thought, feeling his cheek burn and a wet tinkle coming from the corner of his lip. He moved his tongue and tasted blood. "Who are you?" The male officer asked in heavily accentuated English.

 

He decided not to tell anything. "Me? I was just in the neighbourhood. Where are we anyway?" The woman started to move again but the other officer raised his arm and called. "Halt"

 

Turning his head back to him, he said in a calm voice: "Mr. Harris, you don't have any rights as a prisioner of war because you are not one". He leaned over. "If we do not have the information we want, you will die by her hands". The woman looked at him in pure anger and Harris turned his attention from her. "How do you know my name?"

 

"It was written on the atmospheric suit that you were wearing when our crew retrieved you from the crash site of your Hannabu". The last reference made Harris wince in confusion but the officer made a sharp demand. "You are American yes?"

 

He nodded and the officer tone lightened a bit. "Very well. Now tell us what is this X-Com reference that was on your insignia and in the Hannabu and how come you are in a possession of one".

 

The reference against confused Harris. "I'm sorry but what is a Hannabu? I've never heard of it before". The woman gave a look to the officer but he made her stop with a movement of his eyes. "A Hannabu is the airplane that you were flying".

 

"You mean the Firestorm? X-Com developed it based on the UFOs used by the aliens". The reference to the extraterrestrials made a reaction on both officers. Leaning again closer on the table, the man studied him carefully before posing his next question. "You say that X-Com has contact with the 'aliens'?"

 

The implications that X-Com was allied with the aliens gave disgust to Harris who shook his head. "Hell no! The aliens did this to my face". He tried to lift his hands to his face to point to the scar but the chain holding them to the cuffs on his ankles only allowed him to bring him up to his chest. "We are fighting them"

 

"What do you mean you are fighting them!?" The voice of the woman surprised Harris. "You're are lying! You have sold yourselves to them for more than fifty years to prevent us from being the natural leaders of man" The other officer issued to her a shout in German and she suddenly shut up. Watching both, Harris was even more confused but he had no time to think as the man asked another question. "What is X-Com then? Who is behind it?"

 

"It's a worldwide effort to fight the aliens. All of the major nations are behind it". Harris decided not to tell more about the defections that had occurred. "That's impossible! The Semitic-Alien alliance would never have allowed it" Giving the woman a straight stern, the officer simply told something that made her get up and leave the room, which she did but not before giving Harris a murderous look. "What's her problem?" Harris asked.

 

If the male officer was feeling anything, Harris discovered that he couldn't tell for he simply said: "She's a firm believer of the New Reich, Lieutenant Colonel. But I make the questions here and if you don't give me the answers I want, I will turn you to her own 'special' interrogation skills". Looking at the door through which the stiff officer had just left, Harris felt a shiver went down his spine.

 

 

 

December 19th, 2001

 

Frankfurt-Berlin IDE, Germany

 

 

 

"Do you mind if I seat here?" The voice came from behind Williams and made him almost jump on his chair on surprise. After an intense discussion with both Johnson and Davis he had convinced both of them that it would be best if he went to the meeting proposed by the email that he had received. He had spent the first two hours of the journey completely on the edge, looking for any possible gunman and had even refrained from using the restroom or going into any possible location where someone might try to kill him.

 

On the other side of the restaurant car he saw Davis suddenly looking at the figure beyond him and getting ready to act in case there was any threat. Although the message said that he should come alone, the former FBI agent had insisted in coming along and Williams had accepted it. He wasn't also too eager to go alone into what seemed to be a possible trap.

 

Slowly turning around his body, he saw a white-haired man on his sixties standing next to him. He wore a straight grey business suit complete with jacket and coat with a dark blue tie tied over a white shirt. The man's accent marked him as English and Williams tried to see if he could remember the face while he answered. "I'm expecting someone".

 

The old man gave a conspiratorial smile. "Then rest assured for you shall not expect anymore". The phrase made Williams' eyes went wide at the same time that they flashed towards Davis. He hoped that the other man was watching them and had realized the same thing.

 

Number Two caught the eye movement and looked at the same direction, speaking after a second. "Well, well, well. Now isn't that Mr. Davis? Don't worry, I pretty much expected that someone else would be presented here. I did not take you as a fool to actually come alone. Go and tell him to rest asssured: I don't intent to make any physical harm to you".

 

Williams decided to remain on his place while the other man sat himself. Picking up the folded napkin on the table, Two opened it and put it on his lap and then reached for the menu that was standing on the middle. "I can see that you've already had your dinner. Any recommendations from the menu?"

 

"Who are you?" Williams decided to go to the point. "You seem to know all about me but I don't have any idea of who you are".

 

Two gave an air of slight dissapointment and put down the menu. "Dear lad, one of life's lessons that I have learned to appreciate the most is to have patience. I have come here to discuss important matters with you and I would prefer to do it with a belly full. And as for my identity, it means nothing at this point. However, for the time being you may call me as Mr. Hood, although that is not my real one".

 

The waiter came as Williams was about to ask another question and he had to wait in silence while the older man made his choice. While he asked for the beef plate and a bottle of French red wine, Williams tried to place the face into any familiar face that he might have seen, either on the intelligence community or in the news. By the time the waiter went away with the request he hadn't found any match.

 

"Mr. Hood, why are you here?" He put it simply.

 

"Me? I'm just a traveler. I'm on my way to Berlin to take care of some professional matters".

 

"Do those 'professional' matters include me?"The older man's eyes flashed for one second before he answered. "They might".

 

"Are you the one beyond the messages I've been receiving on the past months?"

 

"I think that question is self-answering, Mr. Williams". He made a pause before continuing. "Please, forgive me if I'm not in the disposition to discuss smaller details but there are things more pressing at this point". He looked through the window and to the sky. "And while some of them aren't really from this planet, the other matters will dictate the future for many others here". After another moment of contemplation he turned back to Williams.

 

"See, I am here as a member of a group of men and women who have for long known about the extraordinary events that are taking place all over the world at the moment".

 

"And who have decided to keep that knowledge away from the rest through deception, assassination and other immoral acts. Who should have told everyone about what was about to come so that we would have decades to prepare, instead of only years".

 

"That is right". The lack of emotion on the other man's voice shocked Williams and gave him a deep anger but the arrival of the waiter made him repress the outburst that he was feeling forming on his throat.

 

It was only after the man had served the wine and when away that they resumed their conversation. Uncapable of holding out much longer, Williams spat out. "That is one of the major crimes ever done to humanity"

 

The older man wasn't impressed by his outburst, which had drawn curious looks from a couple of passengers who were seated close to them. He lifted his glass of wine and took a sip before answering. "Don't be too quick on pass judgement please Mr. Williams. If I'm not mistaken you have proven yourself quite capable of deception also in the last years towards the people you work for".

 

He was about to respond but the other man's words hit true. "I did it because it was necessary".

 

"So did I. Good! Now as you can see what truly remains here to discuss is whose reasons are more valid".

 

"Go on. What are yours then?" The discussion started while the older man was eating his meal.

 

"The moment we had managed to establish communications with 'them' it was clear that Earth was doomed if we were to fight them militarily. So we designed a special plan that would ensure our survival as a civilization. See, ultimatly, wars are won by those whose culture survives and becomes dominant.

 

That's what happened over and over during History. The barbarians that took Rome had devised superior tactics that combined with the Empire's internal weakness allowed them to conquer Europe in decades. However, Rome's legacy survived because they adopted the Empire's culture.

 

The same happened with the Mongols and the Chinese when Gengis Khan and his superior hordes conquered the whole of Asia in the thirteen century. When the Mongol Empire finally crumbled after a century or two China naturally became an Empire again on its own. Meanwhile the Mongols went back into cattle herding and lost any importance in history".

 

"But we are only a planet while the extent of the aliens' empire is truly unknown. What's your point?"

 

"That an organized force can take an empire when it reaches a certain point of decay. We only need to survive until the opportunity arises.

 

See, we had long seen that Earth would never be able to achieve a military victory: we had neither the technology or the resources at 'their' disposal and it was doubtful that we would have the time to develop them.

 

They would move to prevent that from happening and would simply exterminate most of us before it was allowed to happen. So we took steps to ensure mankind's final victory, knowing that we would have to work undercover: if either the public or the world's leaders knew about what was coming there would resistance"

 

"Steps?" Williams was having trouble finding the words to express himself. "All of you have sold out Earth. You are responsible for the deaths of thousands, if not billions if they win". The man shook his head the way a teacher would correct a pupil.

 

Putting down his silverware, he finished his meal, although he had left a good portion of his plate uneaten. "See? That's the whole problem with all of you. 'They' have already won for now but you are too blind to see it. We had already antecipated how we would eventually turn into one another, due to 'their' manipulations and because of the hopeless fighting on which we tend to indulge between ourselves. But we recognized the need to maintain human culture intact if we want to survive".

 

"Intact?" Williams's disbelief was plain to see. "Half the world is fighting the other half, at the same time that we are trying to contain 'them'. Our cities are being razed and our people killed or used for food or experimentation purposes."

 

"Call it to eliminate some undesirable elements of our society. We were already overpopulated for this planet to support us. And the chaos is also necessary to get ourselves into the right positions in several world governments.

 

From there we can truly unite the world under one government and all the fighting while cease. We shouldn't be fighting the aliens but instead be their obedient puppies, so that one day we can bite back."

 

"I doubt to see how we can throw them back after they have conquered us. And we are already fighting back if you haven't noticed."

 

Two shook his head. "It's utterly useless. In spite of all the breakthroughs you and your organization have managed, some of which I was responsible for, you will be eventually overwhelmed and defeated".

 

"What do you want from me then? Why did you helped us then?"

 

"Ah, the juicy part. Now we are talking about real business". He checked the bill that the waiter had left and took a wallet from his suit's pocket. Leaving a couple of Euro bills he said to Williams. "We shall continue this discussion on my compartment where we can't be heard. And please go and tell Mr. Davis that he isn't invited. I'm on carriage 102, compartment six". He got up and left, heading towards the exit of the restaurant wagon.

 

When he left Davis got up from his seat and moved over to Williams. The FBI men was dressed in jeans and a sweater and wearing knickers, trying to pass off as an American tourist in Europe. "I got most of the conversation. Hardly proves anything".

 

"What do you think? Should I go?"

 

"This guy brought company. I've picked a number of fellows who seem to be his bodyguards. And since you decided not to involve anyone else we are badly outnumbered here. If he wants I doubt that any of us will ever get out of this train alive".

 

Williams looked around to see if he could spot any of them. "Are you still in contact with Johnson?"

 

"Yeah, but Mother One is too far for any help to come here on time".

 

"I'm going". His decision was simple. "Try to be around in case I need help".

 

"You watch your ass. I'm not risking mine". Williams got up after he nodded to the other man and went to the passenger area. After passing two wagons he came by the compartment he was looking for.

 

He hesitated before knocking but then gave two simples rasps at the door. "It's unlocked". The reply came from the inside and he carefully opened the door, waiting for a trap.

 

Two was seated on a bench on the first-class compartment holding a glass full of an amber colored liquid on his hand. "Please seat yourself. Would you like some scotch?"

 

Closing the door, he replied. "On the rocks please".

 

The older man got up as he sat in front of the position that he was occupying close to the window. Mr. Hood had moved towards a small cabinet on the compartment and had his back turned to him. "I am glad you came. But there wasn't really any other option you know".

 

As he faced Williams again he was carrying a half full square glass on his left hand where a couple of ice cubes could be seen floating and a pistol on his right hand.

 

Williams immediately started to back away but found himself cornered. The other man feigned surprise at his reaction and raised the weapon. "Oh, I'm sorry but I had to startle you. But don't worry". He sat down and placed down the gun next to him.

 

"I haven't used one of these for years nor do I intend to do now. Think of it as a reminder". Passing the glass to Williams, who tried to hide the tremor on his hands as he picked it up, the older man opened the buttons in the front of his suit and relaxed himself on the leather bench. "Now we can really talk about the reason behind my invitation towards you".

 

Looking down at the pistol, Williams replied. "Why am I starting to think that you haven't told me the real reason about my presence here?"

 

"And I won't yet. There are still things that you need to know to understand what is going on".

 

Taking a sip in hope that it would calm him down, Williams tried to relax. "You got my full attention".

 

"You see, as you know the Starspawn, or as the aliens called themselves and their society, consists of several alien races that have been conquered and assimilated into their culture, under a unified control. We also believed at first that we were dealing with only the Sectoids, as you call them. However we discovered soon enough about the true picture and that piece of information gave us the key into defeating them.

 

Their strenght cames from the fact that they have absorved the physical and mental traits of several species, allowing them to conquer and control an empire that extends across the stars.

 

However, that is also their major weakness. Their heterogenous nature is prone to infiltration, even more than the one that is currently being done by their hybrids. Like X-Com has discovered, we have a degree of mental resistance that puts us above the majority of the species that compose the Starspawn.

 

And we believe that it is the key to defeat them. We allow the aliens to take over Earth without the resistance that would be expected without our intervention. So that later, when we are fully integrated into their empire we can shake them off or even take ourselves control of it. We can learn more on how to defeat them, if we are already a part of them. And there are ways to block their mental powers, if you don't know it already".

 

Realization of what the man was implying hit Williams. "That is insane. You talk as if you think we can actually dominate the aliens".

 

"Insanity is a luxury I cannot afford myself to, Mr. Williams.

 

Shaking his head, Williams put sarcasm on their voice. "You are talking about making deals with the aliens while holding a dagger hidden. How can you be sure that they are not doing the same?"

 

"But they are Mr. Williams". The man's cold certainty shocked him. "And amongst my collegues perhaps I'm the most aware of it. We can't rely on the promises made by them to us about the peace and prosperity their rule will bring. Unfortunately most of my opinions aren't shared by the majority of my associates".

 

"Since you bring that subject up". Williams put his glass down. "How many of you are there? Who are they?"

 

"If I told you I'd be signing my death sentence. In fact if they knew that I'm here with you they will kill both of us on the spot. See, to them you are supposetly dead. Who do you think that ordered you removed from the bottom of that river and planted a dead clone of you there?"

 

"You did that? How? And why?"

 

"As for the how, I'm sure that by now you have already figured out that we have enormous resources at our disposal. As for the why, we will come to that in a minute. First we need to discuss something, namely X-Com". Williams waited for the man to continue.

 

"When the organization first appeared we weren't surprised or even count it as a disestabilizing factor on our plans. We had told the aliens that there would be some organized resistance and that it would be impossible to stop it by us.

 

However, as time went by our original assessement changed. And while someone saw X-Com as a threat to our plans and demanded your destruction, I saw future possibilities. You are exactly what we are going to need in the future:

 

A well trained and equipped force that understands and knows how to fight the aliens, when the necessity arises in the future. You also have managed to integrate the best of alien and human technology into your benefit and that skill will be necessary. I don't trust the aliens to stick to their plans. It is better to always have a safeguard Mr. Williams".

 

"Do you think the soldiers will follow your orders willingly, knowing that you have sold Earth? That they will be ready to serve you?"

 

"They will have no other choice if they want to survive Mr. Williams". The other man's voice took a dark tone. "Their plan is already on its final steps as you know from the alien you have captured at Antartica. And ours also. Anyone who opposes their rule will be ruthlessly exterminated". The mention to Antartica made Williams froze. How did the other man have access to that information? And what else did he knew them?

 

"What I'm offering is a chance to retreat and fight back later in the future. One day our time will come. Until then, we must save the best soldiers and scientists of Earth from destruction. We must make the aliens believe that there are no more threats to their role".

 

"Why are you talking to me then? Shouldn't you be having this conversation with Commander Illyuschenko or any of the higher leadership?"

 

"No and the answer to that question is quite obvious. You are from the intelligence community and are used to dealing with secrets: the best way to keep them is to keep silent about them. And you have been silent about them, other than that Davis character out there.

 

As for you, I need men who are placed into the right places to act on the right time. I don't need to get full control of X-Com nor would I want to. In fact it's better if the organization just dies when the aliens take over, although the personnel and material will be saved. It will draw a lot less attention that way".

 

"You want me to work for you?"

 

"Yes. And it's a simple choice actually". He casually dropped his right hand to the weapon to show what he meant. "And you will have to decide now since some matters have brought new necessities".

 

Williams had a terrible thought, remembering the near departure of the mission to Cydonia and how it was above top secret. "What if there's another way to defeat the aliens?"

 

The old man in front of him smiled. "I seriously hope that you don't expect that the mission to Cydonia will ever leave Earth". Williams face become petrified and he tried to hide it, but couldn't. "Yes, I even know when it is scheduled to launch, at the end of February".

 

Something very wrong had happened, Williams could tell, a leak so great that could only mean the worse for the outcome of the mission. "I know all your little secrets Mr. Williams. X-Com surprised me by your ability to discover the alien base but luckly I've managed to even restrain that information from the rest of my associates.

 

However, this foolish attack on the aliens is putting into even jeopardy the plan to maintain human survival even under alien rule.

 

It case it occurs there will be a genocide and the human survivors will all be reduced to slave condition. That's what the aliens told us fifty years ago: help us to submit your species or..."

 

"Or......?"

 

"We will all be destroyed, including me. And that's why I've restrained the knowledge of X-Com's plans hidden from my associates. They would immediately move to destroy your force if they knew about it.

 

And have no doubt about the aliens, Mr. Williams. If they see that we have become too much of a threat they will launch a mass invasion that will utterly destroy Mankind".

 

Williams frowned. "In case you don't know, they have a fleet waiting on the Moon to do just that". Two dismissed it with a wave of a hand. "You misinterpret their intentions. That fleet will be used to make a flashy appearance to convince the masses of what their leaders already know: resistance is futile. However, it will also be used to anhilate any form of resistance, as an example to the others".

 

"What makes you sure that our attack to Mars will fail?"

 

"Besides the fact that is something no one has ever tried to do or that the intelligence is completely sketchy? Or that this is something hastily planned as the result of you learning that the aliens are about to take control of Earth?

 

Lad, you will have to learn that uncertainty here is a deadly liability. It is better to eliminate all sources of uncertainties and chose the course that gives you more assurances. We are talking about the survival of the human race here. You can't be even allowed to try, specially since the end result will be most likely a complete failure.

 

"If they fail". He tried to put as much confidence as possible on his voice.

 

"They will". Two put a blank smile on his face. "You won't achieve anything even if the mission takes off and gets to Mars. See, there's something X-Com doesn't know: even if you kill the Brain, the alien civilization will not die there. You will be merely postponing their conquest plans. And if you fail, we will all be dead as the aliens react to it".

 

In any case, X-Com will never be allowed to strike at the alien base, that I can guarantee you. I have placed safeguards to prevent it even if you chose not to join me. And if any of my associates would know about this mission they would act quickly to prevent it, destroying X-Com by force if necessary.

 

Now that is something that I would like to prevent and that's why I've come here to have a little chat with you." Making a pause for effect, he continued. "You are the only one on X-Com, or for that matter, outside our group that knows more about the whole scheme of things. There are others of my trust inside the organization but they hardly know everyhing about what's going on and they are more engaged into riding X-Com from..." He paused trying to find the right words. "...other influences".

 

"What if I refuse?" He already knew the answer before the older man spoke it. "You and Mr. Davis will never be allowed to leave this train alive".

 

"At least I have a choice".

 

"Doubtful. You think you have free will? Even I with all my power I don't have free will. You are bound to what you feel you should do. And that is survival, the essence and instinct of every live being. And if you fail the consequence is simple: death".

 

Williams was about to answer but the sound of the compartment door being unlocked made him stop. As the other man turned in surprise he realized that something was wrong as Mr. Hood grabbed the pistol standing next to him.

 

In a quick movement the door opened revealing a figure standing on the corridor. The tall man wore the grey and blue uniform of a ticket collector, together with a cap on his head and a satchel that was on the ground next to his feet.

 

However the figure was holding a small submachine gun on both hands with a silencer attached to its barrel.

 

With almost no sound the man sprayed the inside of the compartment with an automatic salvo that caught both Williams and the older man. The window glass broke as a slug hit it, with shards falling both inside and outside the train.

 

Several shots hit the older man before he could even point his pistol towards the assassin, catching him on the middle of its turning motion. A bullet caught the side o his neck artery sending blood sprouting all over the compartment, some over Williams. He felt to the ground with a pool of blood quickly forming on the carpeted ground.

 

Williams had also started to get up but the fake railway worker was too fast. He directed the stream of bullets towards him and several hit his chest and waist making him wince with pain. He fell with his face facing the ground and his mouth felt the metal taste of blood.

 

As the clicking sound of an empty clip was heard the assassin took out another from one of his pockets. Then suddenly something he caught on his peripheral vision made him turn to the right.

 

A red light appeared on his shoulder as if somebody was targetting him with a laserscope. As he looked he saw someone with a strange pistol at him from which the light came. Suddenly he felt a burning sensation on his chest that almost made him drop his weapon. However he brought the subautomatic weapon up and sprayed the corridor of the wagon with bullets before rushing back inside the compartment.

 

The next thing Williams felt was the pain of having one of his legs crushed by the boot of the assassin. The pressure quickly dissapeared but after two seconds he screamed in pain unable to keep himself immobile for more time. His body hurted from a number of locations and as he opened his eyes he found them sticky from the blood that was flowing from the older man whose face was turned towards him.

 

Apparently he wasn't dead yet since his eyes moved as Williams tried to raise himself. He started to mumble. "...see? Always have a contingency plan".

 

Moving closer Williams tried to move him but discovered that he missed the strenght. The older man kept talking in fragments of sentences. "...ironic how now it will only serve their purposes...". He coughed blood. "The game is over for us".

 

"What do you mean?" Williams demanded. "Tell me"

 

A flash of realization came to the other man's eyes. "...precarious I see. Doesn't matter. Amber Blue...he's..." His mouth droppen open in the middle of the last sentence. Williams tried to make him talk but discovered that he had died.

 

"Jesus" Davis' voice came from the doorway. "Are you allright?" He moved over and grabbed Williams, checking his injuries.

 

"I feel like somebody took a trashing at me". Davis hands ran through his chest, ripping his shirt open and revealing a white vest underneath.

 

"You're lucky the alien alloy seems to have stopped all of the bullets and that I arrived on time before the guy could finish his job. You're not bleeding from anywhere from what I can tell".

 

Davis moved to check the older man but only found what Williams already knew. "What happened?" Even breathing brought pain to Williams, not to mention speaking.

 

"Well I noticed that the guys that were preventing me from getting here suddenly dissapeared out of sight. When I found one of them dead in a toilet I knew that something was wrong so I immediately raced here. I found what I think is a hybrid filling you and this guy with bullets so I tried to take him out".

 

"A hybrid?"

 

"Yeah, the thing took a laser hit that would have disabled anyone and still responded. It looks as if it jumped off through the window to escape. Let's get you out of here before anyone notices this mess". Pulling Williams arm over his shoulders he lifted him up.

 

The whole motion sent shivers of pain down his body but he refrained from shouting. "Where are we going?"

 

"We need to find a safe place to clean you up from the other guy's blood and get off this train as fast as possible". They moved into the corridor. "By the way, who was that guy?" Williams shook his head. "I don't think we will ever know".

 

 

 

December 21st, 2001

 

Forbidden City, Beijing, People's Republic of China

 

 

 

The Premier of the Chinese Communist Party wasn't pleased. The civil servants on the old Imperial Palace knew that and they had avoided contact with him unless they were called upon.

 

Zhu was standing in the middle of an large foyer, contemplating the garden that was visible from the large windows that covered one side of the room. The message from the alien liaision at Lhassa had arrived two days ago and it had been quite clear: there would be no further support from them in the question of Taiwan. But more irritating was the fact that the words of the communication made it look more than just a request and more of an order. He felt humiliated by having to comply with the alien's demands and could only think about following his own plans for the matter.

 

But his generals and admirals had told him that it would be insane to directly threaten Taiwan with the presence of the American task force in the area. Only the few Dong Shen craft available would be able to break through the air defense cordon of the carriers but even then they would be outnumbered. They needed the alien's air support, the fools had claimed, in case the invasion force that was massing in several ports on China was ever to try to disembark on Taiwan.

 

And that was something that now seemed completely impossible. He was waiting for Chen to get back from his visit to the alien liasion at Lhassa to try to convince them otherwise but he knew the odds of such a try. What had made the aliens change their plans, he wondered before a wave of anger flushed through him again.

 

When a knock was heard by him he ordered the person to enter but stood with his back facing it and looking towards the garden. Chen cautiously opened the door and closed it afterwards, bowing shortly. "Comrade Premier?"

 

He kept his back towards Chen. "What was their reply?"

 

"The liaison has refused our demands. He has plainly spoken that the Hierarchy will never engage in actions that they consider contrary to their own interests and that the nature of our alliance with them doesn't require them to do so".

 

"And what were your arguments?"

 

"Comrade, I mentioned that we would be very much appreciated for any help they could give us on this issue since we considered them as friends". Zhu turned to Chen and the other man was quickly to correct himself. "I obviously used that expression to try to gain his simpathy but it was to no avail. Then I mentioned how we have a common enemy in sight, namely the Americans and how it would be wise to curb their power in the region.

 

At that time the liaison started to make veiled implications that I would take more as threats. He spoke that China should be grateful for their generosity in the upgrading of our society and technology. And that they expected more acceptance of their decisions in the future".

 

Zhu nodded and Chen stopped, understanding that enough had been said. "The aliens are untrustworthy as allies, what we need to know now is how much we have to fear from them. Go back to Lhassa at once. I dread that this whole thing isn't over yet".

 

 

 

December 22nd, 2001

 

Moon

 

 

 

As Harris was brought up again into the interrogation room where he had spent countless hours in the past week he started to realize how disturbing his story must be to his captors.

 

A new Nazi officer now sat between the man and the woman he had seen before and he looked as if he was of a higher rank than the other two. As his blackened eyes started to look for the chair to sit down he found out that it was gone this time. He felt like collapsing to the floor but he managed to stand up after a couple of misshapen steps.

 

They hadn't allowed him any sleep in the last six nights, since there would be always a guard that would hit him the second he dozed off while hanging chained to a wall on the prision area. One of his eyes was almost swollen shut and his face was covered with blood coming from several cuts and bruises. The beatings from either the woman or the guards had been severe and they had also broken his left forearm. He had broken a couple of nights ago and had stopped to conceal anything from them and had told them everything about X-Com. He only wished now that they would let him sleep or kill him.

 

As the Lieutenant-General sitting in the middle watched him stumble he turned to his left to the almost albino Major and asked in German: "Herr Mann, he looks as if he is about to die in front of us".

 

The man looked at the female officer who seemed more relaxed now. "The Kapten did a most excellent job on him. He gave us all that we wanted to know, didn't he?"

 

"Yes, but I'm still having trouble confirming or even accepting it. How is it possible that there is a force out there actively fighting the aliens while we have waited here for more than forty years preparing ourselves while their fleet looms over us?"

 

The man's voice showed surprise and disbelief. "General, you mean that there hasn't been any reply from the Fuhrer?"

 

The lack of a response gave him the answer he need. "How can it be? It has been five full Earth days! Doesn't he understand the gravity of the situation? The alien's Hannabu have been probing the area around our base. They must be preparing something"

 

"Something is wrong here Major. That it why I want to hear the prisioner's claims by myself so that I can believe them".

 

To Harris it seemed as if he was in a dreamlike state as he overheard the conversation but could make no sense out of it. Nothing seemed real except for the scar on his face that would occasionaly itch and bring him back to the cockpit of the Aurora before it was shot down by the UFO.

 

A voice made him focus again on the table. "Prisioner, identify yourself"

 

After a couple of seconds to recollect his thoughts, Harris started speaking. "Andrew Willard Harris, Lieutenant Colonel. Serial number 59154-1034. Born on April 15th, 1959 in Wakefield, Iowa, United States. Formely of the United States Air Force, now currently under the service of Extraterrestrial Command, based in Area 51, Nevada, US, flying Firestorm fighters...:"

 

"That is enough prisioner". The albino Nazi made him stop. "What is Extraterrestrial Command?"

 

"It was created in 1998 under the auspices of the United Nations to investigate and fight alien activity on Earth. There were originally sixteen nations who signed the X-Com charter but six have abandoned the force, with five joining the alien's side and the United States decided to fight them on their own".

 

"Unbelievable" The comment from the General made the Major stop before he could state the next question. "What of the rest of the world?" He demanded to the officer.

 

"The prisioner told us that a number of states have also joined the Zionist-Alien alliance".

 

"How is it possible? We fled Earth because we knew that we couldn't fight them from there. Our new Fuhrer told us that all of Earth's goverments were becoming corrupted".

 

The pause on the interrogation gave Harris time to clear his mind and start to think about what really was going on. Then, all of a sudden a loud voice was suddenly heard coming from an unseen speaker inside the room: "Achtung"

 

"Alien Hannabus have been detected heading towards the base. All personnel man the battle stations! Achtung" The warning made all three officers looked in bafflement towards one another. They quickly got up from their seats and sped off to the door, giving no further attention to Harris as they left.

 

He couldn't understand what the announcement had been but the frenziness that had erupted around him was familiar. As the guards moved to his sides and grabbed his arms to quickly get him moving his broken arm sent him a deep searing pain.

 

They ignored his shout and brought him outside the room to the corridor that would lead him into the the containment area. As they stepped outside Harris got the confirmation that something big was about to happen. Nazi stormtroopers wearing EVA suits with laser rifles attached to their backs were running everywhere. The base could only be under an attack by the aliens. Or could it be X-Com that had detected his location?

 

The idea gave in a little of hope, only to be dismissed as he remembered the alien fleet that was parked on the other side of the Moon. They would never pass it or even try to approach the satellite.

 

Suddenly the rumble of a blast was heard and the three men stopped on their path. The metal ground beneath their feet shook for a couple of minutes as one of the guards started to shout in German with a panicked voice. They were in the corridor with the viewports to the lunar surface and Harris moved his head so that he could have a look at the outside.

 

The Moon had gone around the Earth and the planet was now blocking the sunlight, turning the whole area into a deep darkness where only the stars could be seen. The overheads light flickered for a second then went off, bringing more stressed words from the guard.

 

As the red emergency lights came up both of them let go of Harris and drew their laser pistols. They were looking at both ends of the corridor, unsure of what to do.

 

Meanwhile he continued to stare outside, trying to understand what was really going. When the luminous shape of a Terror Ship came over the horizon he realized what was happening and sat down on the ground, wanting to have some rest before the inevitable. One of the guards ordered him to get up but he ignored him.

 

Then, as the man was moving towards him, the whole ceiling of the corridor suddenly glowed and dissapeared afterwards. In less than a second Harris saw the guard raising himself on the air as the explosive decompression sucked everything that was loose inside the corridor. His own body followed a moment afterwards and as it cleared the hole carved by the UFO's weapons his body fluids exploded, killing him.

 

 

 

January 1st, 2002

 

Geneva, Switzerland

 

 

 

Three had been surprised by the sudden request for a meeting by Eight, which had been completely unexpected. Before the appointment he had wondered for hours about the purpose of such a meeting. A trap? A deal?

 

It had aroused his curiosity then, to the point that I was impossible to hide it from the younger man as they both finally met. And he had blatantly admitted it, together with his surprise to see what mistakes Eight might do if his ego was inflated enough. The man's psychological profile surely had indicated that there might be such a possibility.

 

"I have information of extreme importance to the group". That had been the first indication that some big was about to happen. A major change of power was probably about to occur on the organization and he had better been prepared for it. "You have my full attention. Proceed".

 

"You know about Williams still being alive?" At the mention of the CIA officer, Three felt dissapointment. He already had that information relayed from him by Seven. Still he could use this meeting to start making Two distrusting Eight.

 

"And the reason why you were fooled was because someone we know ordered him taken out of the car and to replace his body with a clone". The revelation had sent a nuclear blast inside Three's head. A deep sense of anger had gone by him at that moment but he ignored it, knowing that he needed more proof of the other man's claims.

 

"Our agents at Area 51...." He started but Eight didn't let him speak. "Have been secretely reassigned or have been feeding you false reports. As you might have discovered by now".

 

"You realize that such a claim must be proven with more than words???"

 

"And I will". Eight simply replied. "Days ago a secret communication was sent to Williams proposing a meeting between both. I have the location and the date of that reunion. Someone is conducting their own agenda and risking the integrity of all of our plans. We can't risk any association with X-Com at this moment".

 

When Three's silence had extended itself for more time than it would be natural, Seven had started to wonder if he had overextended his hand and revealed too much without stating his price. But Three was already seeing the near future and how all pieces of the puzzle were falling into their right places on his mind.

 

Check-mate, the coup de grâce, a thousand words were coming to his mind to describe his next movement. No, he had corrected himself then, the group's next movement. He only needed for the pieces to naturally place themselves in position. And they had. Both in Earth and on the Moon.

 

Looking at the table he now occupied Two's chair. He now had the other man's position by taking advantage of his mistakes. Across the table Eight was now Seven. His ambitions had been clear: he wanted to raise his position. And he also wanted to be on the winner's side.

 

At the end of the table there was an empty chair, the twelfth one that marked the demise of one of the groups' members and reminding him of his victory. Even if Williams had survived the attempt and was now hiding in Area 51 back again where they had no means to get him for now. It didn't matter. The clock was ticking and even if the former Two had given him any revelant information about them he would be powerless to prevent them or even discover who they were.

 

Looking to the other side, his eyes focused on Number One. He was the last obstacule to be removed before he finally could get what he wanted and the other man knew it. And nothing would stand on his path. Even his effort towards the Nazi fools on the Moon had been sacrified. A worthless ideology, something that should belong to the past buried alongside its now dead followers on the Moon.

 

One started to speak and he listened to him. "We stand on the threshold of a new path to mankind. This is truly a New Year that will mark the beginning of a new era. We all have taken a long and perilous path to get here and the fruits of it are now only start to truly blossom". Every member of the group nodded in approval, although some, including the former Three found them too poetical for his taste.

 

"And those who deviated themselves from the plan will never enjoy them". That brought a smile to Three and Number One noticed it, looking at him. "But in order to be fully prepared we need to keep our number. Competition is what drive us to our best as we all know. Therefore we need to recruit another junior member to our cause".

 

That had been one of the major reasons for the assembly and Three already had some suggestions. Several of his own agents inside the US Government had proven themselves more than reliable. It was time to bring one of them into the circle and strenghten his position.

 

But as he was about to speak, another voice suddenly overcome him. "I would like to propose a name". Searching for the source of it, Three found it to be the former Eight. "No matter who misguided a former associate of ours were, he knew the value of that person. He has been in contact with the alien situation from the beginning and will bring new perspectives for us to consider. Not to mention the knowledge that X-Com has collected over our 'friends'. We can't afford to loose it".

 

As he realized of whom they were talking, Three was appalled by the proposal. "That is preposterous! That man is a danger to us" Number One didn't even seemed to pay attention as he replied. "A very interesting option".

 

Three suddenly realized that the whole thing had already been set up against him. In no doubt the others who didn't support him were fearing his sudden elevation and trying to contain his increase of power. "I call the vote. Who agrees with this proposal?"

 

A couple of minutes later the voting was all over and Number Three could only watch in anger as his plans were completely frustrated. It didn't matter, he told himself. Only the strongest should survive and he was sure that he could pass any new challenges ahead.

[FullAuto]

Chapter Thirty-One - Here It Ends

 

 

 

Map of Mars:

 

www.geocities.com/aadlg/Unknown/atlas_b.gif

 

Viking probe picture of Cydonia:

 

www.geocities.com/aadlg/Unknown/Cydonia.gif

 

(All pictures were taken by NASA)

 

 

 

March 7th, 2002

 

Valles Marineris, Mars

 

 

 

Squaddie Jones looked at the yellow-brown sandy soil through the faceplate and wished that he could spit on it. However the helmet suit from his power suit prevented it and he wouldn't risk taking it out. Not only the greenie would most likely turn into a small ball of ice before hitting the ground, but he would be dead afterwards as the air of his lungs would be sucked out of them due to the low pressure of the atmosphere.

 

That or he would be dying from hypoxia a few minutes later if he tried to hold his breath. And when the desperation coming from the lack of oxygen finally made him gasp for air, it wouldn't do any good. The little amount of gases present on the atmosphere was composed mainly of carbon dioxide, not oxygen.

 

Yeah, all nice things to happen to you out there on the great Martian outdoors!

 

At the briefing done while on route someone had made a not too assertive complain about having to fight in a condition where a suit leak could became a serious problem, not to mention the fact that there would be dozen of armed aliens around. But the reply from one of the officers present who had been a Navy SEAL was also light: "Well, at least we are not going to fight underwater there. I'll tell you all that it would be much worse".

 

That had gotten Jones to remember for a minute the alien base on Antarctica and the flooded corridor. But he soon got his mind back into hearing more about this mad attack, where apparently everything could and most likely would go wrong, especially when taking a trip of millions of miles into Mars, something never done before.

 

And don't forget to mention the fact that there's an alien base out there, full of thousands of aliens ready to take over any intruders, he reminded himself.

 

If the opposition isn't tough enough, we will make them tough enough to make an even fight, his drill sergeant once told him. Jones wished that the bastard could be here and eat his own words.

 

His attention diverted from the soil littered with red stones to the high standing dark brown cliffs in front of him. Jones had already forgotten how deep the whole canyon were the X-Com force had landed but he remembered it was several thousand feet.

 

Hell, according to someone at Eta squad, who had heard it from someone else, which in turn had picked up a conversation between two officers that one of them was saying that Valles Marineris was a series of canyons bigger than North America. That had gotten Jones thinking.

 

He could see the northern cliff, its dark irregular peaks standing above him and marking themselves against the orange sky. On the contrary, there was nothing recognizable on the south as far as his vision could see. Could it be that they were standing in a canyon that big that you couldn't see both walls of it? Jones decided to dismiss the soldier's claim and stick to Eta's reputation: the soldiers assigned to it were too dumb to fight with the other troopers, let them jerk around with the robot tanks.

 

As he was contemplating the scenario, Corporal Rodriguez came from behind him and gave him a gentle pat with his heavy plasma as he passed by Jones. The trooper's attention was suddenly distracted by the metal noise and Rodriguez's voice: "Let's go Jones. This patrol is over. Terminado. Wanna play a poker hand at the Challenger when we get back?"

 

Jones dismissed the corporal with his laser rifle and resumed his walk back to the X-Com camp, together with the remaining members of Gamma squad. As they approached the provisional base they joined Private Pershing, whose tall figure had stopped on the path.

 

"Very funny. We got someone with a sense of humor around here". He said to them on the radio with a detached voice, and then continued back to the camp to the provisional barracks.

 

King and Rodriguez approached the location on where he was standing. Someone had planted a metal stake on the sand with a sign on top in several languages, all of them saying: "Welcome to Mars City One. Population: 244. Please don't step on the grass and don't feed the aliens".

 

 

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

 

78 million kilometers away from Gamma squad's location, Williams had just entered Robinson's office to join with X-Com's intelligence chief as they were about to get the latest intelligence report on Mars. The mission had launched itself without a single problem, much to his surprise due to the last dying statement of the man who he had met weeks ago. Davis had called it a bluff as he had heard the story but Williams wasn't so sure. There was a clear implication that others were involved in the whole matter but if they had tried to sabotage the launch of the Avengers and their flight to Mars or even warn the aliens, nothing had came up.

 

The mood of everybody at the base was of anxiety. Although only a few people knew the destination of the craft, everyone knew that something really important was happening. Or that it was about to happen. The story of the alien fleet on the other side of the Moon and the recent attacks on X-Com bases all over the world were putting pressure into everyone. Even the news of minor confrontations between Chinese and US ships in the Yellow Sea didn't seem to grab anyone's attention.

 

Checking his wrist he saw on his watch that only ten minutes were left until the transmission procedures started at precisely nine-thirty. As he entered the office Robinson's personal secretary looked at him. "Oh it's you Mr. Williams", she replied as if she was waiting for someone else.

 

"Good morning Jill. Is the Colonel around?" As he asked he half-expected Robinson to pop out of his personal door with a serious face since he was five minutes late.

 

"No, the Colonel hasn't turned in this morning yet". She looked at his office. "I guess that he finally must have overslept a bit. Even he must get tired after spending all of these late hours here working".

 

"He hasn't arrived?" For the year since Williams had moved into Area 51 he couldn't remember ever seeing Robinson being late. In fact he had gotten from him quite a number of looks of reprehension every time he arrived more than two minutes late for an appointment with him.

 

"No and I don't know what I should do". The secretary was clearly surprised by the occurrence. It looked to Williams that she was feeling as if the impossible had happened.

 

"Can't you call his quarters to see if he's already up? We have to be on the communications room in five minutes. It's very important".

 

"I guess I could but I'd hate to disturb the Colonel". A sudden remembrance came to her mind. "Wait. The Colonel yesterday left me something for you when you came this morning". She opened a drawer from her desk and removed a letter from inside.

 

Picking it up from her extended hand, Williams wondered what might be inside. Opening it up, he saw that on its back there was something written with Robinson's handwriting. Bringing it closer to his eyes, he read the words: Good luck.

 

Putting her right hand over the mouthpiece, Jill turned to him. "Sir, there's no answer from the Colonel's quarters. He must not be there".

 

"Try the base's desk. See if they can find out of his location". She went back to the phone and placing a finger between the envelope's flaps, Williams opened it.

 

On the inside there was only a single piece of paper. As he took it out, Jill moved back to him in confusion. "Sir, the desk officer says that Colonel Robinson was last seen by a Theta detachment close to the base perimeter. Apparently he couldn't sleep and had decided to take a walk outside. They have now started to make a search for him".

 

As she finished off the sentence, his heart froze as he read the typed words on the small paper.

 

"AMBER BLUE". The envelope on his other hand dropped without a sound to the floor.

 

 

 

Valles Marineris, Mars

 

 

 

Inside the camp set out the day before upon their landing, Illyuschenko tried to ignore the last news he had just received from Mother One about the situation on Earth.

 

Two X-Com bases had been attacked in the last 24 hours by the aliens with heavy casualties.

 

Stalingrad Base had been the first, but Colonel Bondarenko had left it well prepared for such an eventuality. The intruders had been repulsed by the plasma and laser fire from the security defense towers, resulting in the destruction of one of the incoming UFOs and the withdrawal of the remaining craft with serious damage, in opposition to the light casualties suffered by the defenders.

 

But in the case of the African base, Depot S-4, the damage and consequences were far more serious. With the call up of all available Avenger craft and soldiers to fight on Mars the majority of the combat teams were either gone or gravely undermanned, since the veterans were all here now.

 

It had been a massacre.

 

Colonel Warteens had less than two platoons of infantry and tanks to repel the intruders, especially after having taking a beating on Nairobi two days ago from a terrorist attack done by Ethereals and Sectopods.

 

It hadn't been enough to stop the aliens.

 

All communications with the base had been ceased after reports of a series of alien attacks and a desperate call for reinforcements. But there were none that could have reached Depot S-4 on time to prevent the slaughter.

 

Two fully manned Lightnings from Mother One had investigated the site the following day, with a couple of Firestorms flying along for protection. Among the ruins of the base they hadn't found any survivors. Not only, the warehouses on which the majority of the alien artifacts captured were being stored had been completely destroyed or left empty by the aliens. More than two hundred personnel had been killed, along with the loss of a war material cache that was more than worth its weight in gold.

 

Plus the other attacks on the preceding weeks, which had badly damaged Complex YY-18 and putting a stop on the Avenger production, plus the failed attempts at the Indian and European bases. The X-Com Commander took a deep breath and contemplated the dark monitor on the bridge of the Protector.

 

In his entire military career, Illyuschenko always had accepted the fact that military troops are meant to kill or be killed. And also that sacrifices were required most of time and the more he went up on the command ladder the more lives he had the power to decide over. His plan had been modified and approved by X-Com's High Command and ratified by the UN's Secretary himself after a long discussion.

 

When he had first informed the Secretary-General, Bomaka had refused to approve the strike. He had argued that it would take away most of Earth's men and equipment on a suicide mission, leaving the planet undefended. And finally, that the decision for such an attack should be left to the Council due to the seriousness of the proposal.

 

Illyuschenko had to threaten him to get his support. But not with physical force. Instead he simply said that he was ready to present not only his resignation but of the entire X-Com High Command if Bomaka didn't approve the attack.

 

Actually, Bomaka's critics were not completely unfounded. All of X-Com's Avengers had traveled together to Mars, in a trip that marked the maiden voyage of the first human space fleet and the first landing on the red planet. However, it also meant leaving Earth undefended against the aliens' battleships and the upcoming invasion. Not undefended, he corrected himself, trying to dismiss of the guilt he was suffering. "We left some troops back.... But even if all of us where back there we couldn't do anything...".

 

"Commander? Did you say anything, sir?" Illyuschenko was startled by the new voice and turned the chair to see a young officer standing close to him, with the upper section of the power suit removed and in a hurry. "No. Do you have any business here son?" he said in an unfriendly tone. The officer suddenly wished for some place to hide but kept on his mission. "Sir, well, the hyper wave detector we brought aboard the Valiant is now working sir".

 

"Good! Why didn't you say so! Now we won't be seeing an unexpected attack from the aliens! We can now know when they detect us and bring all of their firepower to erase our presence from this dust ball" The tirade came out of a second from his mouth before Illyuschenko realized his error.

 

The officer stood in the same place, looking startled. "Sir? I'm sorry but I came from the South American team and don't speak Russian". Feeling relief, Illyuschenko just thanked and dismissed him with an order to be informed of any important alien communications. Then he went back to read the remaining part of the intelligence briefing submitted by Colonel Robinson to him, thanking whomever that he was speaking in Russian.

 

The lieutenant was still nearby, he waited to see what other news there were. "And sir, Area 51 is calling. They have successfully reactivated the Odyssey".

 

 

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

 

"I told you all" Landon's face was gloating as the data from the space probe orbiting Mars started to flow into the computers at Area 51 with a twenty minute lag due to the time it took the radio waves to reach Earth.

 

On his side, Pharris simply nodded in surprise. "You surely did. I never expected that your piece of software that went onboard the Odyssey could do the job. I mean, to pretend that the probe had suffered a malfunction; deploy it successfully on the planet's orbit; and re-establish communications, after more than a month so that NASA had stopped by now to make any effort to listen to any signs from it. I take my hat to you".

 

Still with a grin that extended from one ear to another, Landon turned to Pharris. "I'm gonna leave you guys now". He winked. "Good luck on examining the data. If you need anything I will be shooting pool at the mess hall".

 

"Well done, Landon". Williams spoke to him, but he was already by the door, whistling happily as he walked away. Moving closer to Dr. Mantell, who was looking on the screen displaying the data that was arriving with an eight-minute lag from Mars due to the distance, he asked. "Is it any good?"

 

The scientist had stopped to pay attention to reality and was emerged in the data. It took him a couple of seconds to take notice of the question and to answer back. "Oh, yes. The radiation detector on board it is working perfectly and has made a couple of scans of the planet already".

 

"Doctor and what about Cydonia?" Major Prescott, seated also close asked. Punching in a number of keys to call the information, Mantell answered a minute later. "There are tachyons all over the area. The aliens are there alright".

 

 

 

Valles Marineris, Mars

 

 

 

On the other side of the landing area the X-Com troops had hastily built a firing range to calibrate the weapons after the long-range flight to Mars. Corporal King was standing in one of the stations, a shallow depression where a man could fit inside and with a small wall. He was working on a heavy laser, when another figure suddenly dropped out of the sky close to him. "I noticed you coming from more than fifty yards, Rumpole. You don't trick me".

 

He turned his torso to greet the female sniper, who was now trying to land on the Martian ground, using the anti-gravity equipment of her flying suit. Unfortunately, the suit responded in a not expected way and she unexpectedly pummeled to the ground in the last part, forcing her to bend her knees to absorb the impact. "Damn! I thought I had it covered by now" she complained.

 

"When you are standing on a planet with less than half of Earth's gravity it takes some time to adjust for the additional push they provided. Even if we flew all the way here with the internal gravity at the craft set equal to Mars' own one".

 

She moved closer to him. "I know dammit! But it was supposed to be easier than if we had spent the whole trip in zero-g environment" King nodded in agreement. The more than a month claustrophobic trip to Mars had been close to living for that time in a submarine, due to the necessity of filling up the Avengers with life-support systems for the journey.

 

However, one of the benefits from the use of alien propulsion systems, besides cutting the travel time from Earth to Mars to a mere forty days, was that they created artificial gravity onboard. Thus, it prevented the soldiers from starting to suffer the effects of living under zero gravity, which would have weakened the body' bones and muscles.

 

"Hey how did you recognize me anyways?" He dropped what he was doing and said to her, slightly laughing. "Rita, you must be one of the shortest around here, not to mention the only midget on a flying suit". She kicked him to the side with her armored foot, the sound barely audible in Mars's thin atmosphere. He stopped laughing and cried in a mock voice "Ouch! That hurt"

 

The small, bulky soldier made a half-heartily try but King dodged it easily like he was meant to. "Yeah right! Stand there in the middle of the range and you will see what really hurts then" He turned down her offer with a move of his metal glove. "No thanks. Sergeant Hopkins will already have my ass because of the dents you just made on my armor and I can't afford one more scratch".

 

"Oh, can it! What are you doing with that heavy laser? Our squad has switched into heavy plasmas for quite some time now". He picked up the weapon with both hands and dropped on her arms. "Just finished correcting the scope. Try it". She picked the laser with both arms and assumed a standing firing position. Choosing up a large rock as a target, she took two shots at it, leaving two darkened holes. "OK", he added, "now go for something outside the range of the weapon".

 

As she finished switching from one target to the other, she just slipped a phrase "Waste of batteries" before pressing the trigger. Then she become shocked as the white beam carved another hole at the rock she had chosen. "What the fuck?" She checked the range on the scope. "That rock is 405 meters away. But the practical range for this thing is 260 meters! Are you a magician King, or are you getting fancy with one of the rocket scientists?"

 

He accepted back the laser from her hands. "Physics 101"

 

Looking at her enquiring pose he continued his explanation. "In Earth the practical range of this thing is related to atmospheric conditions, such as temperature, smoke and clouds and so on. In here the air pressure is almost zero, which allows for the beam to suffer from less dispersion. You just need to adjust the sight for the new conditions and you have an even more powerful heavy laser. Of course, the battery runs out faster also, but I prefer it this way. Gives me an edge when targeting Sectopods".

 

They both smiled at that last comment, although they couldn't see each other's faces. Omega was one of the few squads in X-Com that could claim to have survived in a direct firefight with one of the Ethereal's armored plasma beasts without even a scratch. That happened due to the excellent coordination of all its members and their marksmanship.

 

"Very resourceful, Virgil Just don't loose any other targets meanwhile". The tone of her voice turned warmer and King turned to her, wondering what she was up to. "Say, I think I could use some adjustments on my heavy laser. Wanna go back to one of the tents and help me out?"

 

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

 

Markovitch had just made another run into the Avenger' toilet to puke for the hundred time ever since they had landed three days ago. The nausea pills that a X-Com doctor had given her seemed to be working, at least barely since she now felt better. The physician had first mentioned that the long space trip plus the landing must have been putting a lot of strain on her organism.

 

She could understand that. Spending a month in a metal coffin with no more privacy than a curtain on her bunk wasn't that great. Or the landing, where the fleet had entered atmosphere at a completely opposite location from Cydonia right on the mouth of the Valles Marineris, in order to avoid detection. That had been according to the plan.

 

Unfortunately, the weather conditions in the area were being responsible for the formation of small dust storms and they had traveled most of the length of the canyon through rough turbulence until finally setting down at the bottom of one of the cliffs. Or the adaptation to this horrible place: Mars City One reminded her more of a shantytown or even a nomad camp. Conditions were minimal and that included life-support.

 

But when the Indian doctor had noticed the small Psi letter attached to the collar of her jumpsuit he suddenly stopped babbling about the conditions and she understood him. Psionics personnel defied science and doctors by its own nature.

 

Most doctors just simply gave up looking for any other medical explanation and simply attributed any physiological problems to them, when dealing with psionic capable troopers. This one had also the same attitude as he hastily finished the physical exam; she read it on his face expression. Not that she was able or willing to do anything with her mental skills.

 

She had never felt this bad before, expect when she participated on the interrogation of the Ethereal commander captured in Antarctica. That had been the last time that she had used her abilities, because of their reported damaging effects on the human brain.

 

Except for the selected members of the Psi squad, the strange group of volunteers from Area 51's personnel that seemed to have a special mental resistance, all of the other psionic able soldiers were banned from using them. The only exception was when there was a special need but the soldier would have to volunteer and the commanding officer to authorize it. Such as the questioning of the alien commander.

 

The memories of it were still painful to remember. Johnson took the decision heart broken because of its possible implications and only after she had pressed him. She and all of the psi troopers on the base had been put together in the alien containment room. The alien was being kept there under the power of a mental shield, which inhibited its powers.

 

However, when the protection was lifted for the troopers to gain mental control of the alien, the attack of the Ethereal was bad enough. All of the loose equipment in the room next to the cell immediately started to fly towards the troopers, in an attempt to loose their concentration. Markovitch wasn't the strongest psi, so her job was to weaken the Ethereal's defenses and allow for the others to take control of him.

 

It had worked, but it had also given her nightmares that still had plagued her on the weeks spent in the space journey onboard the Avenger. They had taken the robe off the Ethereal and it was ugly and threatening enough to see. He had been sitting down on a rock bed, a thin and frail figure looking completely helpless.

 

However, when the mental field was disconnected, all quickly changed. With an incredible speed it got up and faced his jailers. Much taller than a Sectoid, its face was close to the smaller alien, but it allowed for facial expressions. When she did her mental attack the Ethereal had simply turned to her, the black eyes burning red, his mouth opened showing sharp fangs. She became quickly engulfed in a wave of despair and fear. For a brief second she saw herself suffering the vilest tortures at an examination table in an UFO, followed by a feeling of something alien on her mind, probing and feeling, looking for her primeval fears and activating them.

 

Then finally the alien froze in place and all of the almost unbearable pressure was suddenly lifted off her mind. One of the other psis had managed to take control of him for brief seconds, before the alien regained control and felt down screaming and with uncontrollable shakes.

 

From that moment on she hardly had any memories. From what Johnson had told her, the officer had tried to place again the artificial mental field that would block the alien's psionic powers. That was the plan.

 

But after some seconds the alien had managed to gain mental control of the man instead. He simply had gotten up and, using the metal chair where he was seated, started to smash the controls. Fortunately several troopers were armed and ready for such an eventuality. The fully armored squad immediately broke into the containment chamber and killed the Ethereal commander with a couple of heavy plasma blasts.

 

Most of the psis involved in the whole matter, including her, had to be taken to the infirmary afterwards, some of them in deep coma. But the whole affair had been worthwhile. When Warrant Officer Fisk, a psi recruited from the base's technical personnel who had managed to control the alien, finally awoke after days of deep coma, he simply asked for a map of Mars and pointed to an area: Cydonia Mensae. But afterwards he had committed suicide less than two days later.

 

Her stomach gave another twist and she waited to see if she had to run to the toilet again. The doctors couldn't tell if what she was suffering was from the mental effort of the interrogation or if it was only the results of the space travel. But she knew what it really was.

 

**********

 

Johnson and Hopkins were wearing their power suits and were taking a stroll in the landing area, close to where the three Avengers belonging to the North American command were parked. They were standing in the space in front of the Avenger, Challenger and the Majestic. The craft were all covered in orange and yellow camouflage tarps, hoping to hide them from alien detection.

 

Johnson considered himself lucky to have three of the craft available: one had been originally bookmarked for use by the Eastern team but that was before the decision made by Colonel Jackson to comply with President's Vaughn's orders and abandon the project together with the US.

 

"The first manned outpost on another planet. Have you thought about it Hopkins?" The Sergeant looked at the camp and decided that he had been in better places on his recruit. All the Avengers had been parked close to the cliff and around them there ten feet igloos made of highly resistant plastic polymers, with a smaller rectangular section as an airlock.

 

They had been brought to supplement the sparse living space inside the Avengers and also as for storage for weapons and equipment. "Pretty shitty place if you ask me Colonel. I'm glad we are only going to stay here a few more days before packing up for Cydonia. If we stayed here longer I think the place or the conditions would kill us".

 

"Don't complain too much about the conditions Sarge. You're part of the team that broke into NASA to steal the plans for all of this equipment to live on the surface of Mars. Next time get us not-so-much-crappy designs, please". The loud laughter of Hopkins voice was heard on the radio. "Well sir, I plea the Fourth on that one. I never heard of such an action before".

 

Suddenly the short-range microwave radio was filled with alert warnings and both men froze into place, before running to the nearest Avenger. "What is going on?" He called on the radio as he went to reach the emergency stations in case the aliens had detected their approach and were attacking the camp, trying to be heard over the calls from all of the other officers in the field.

 

The voice of someone with a Californian accent, definitely Hunt, filled the channel. "All units stand down! I repeat all units stand down! The alert has been cancelled. Colonel, there's a problem in the outside quarters! The Major is on the scene". Both men immediately headed out to the main avenue, which linked all tents that had been raised by the cliff. They soon discovered where the disturbance was located as a number of X-Com troopers were standing beside it.

 

Finding Patterson, Johnson moved to his side as the other officer turned to him. "Colonel, one of the inflatable barracks suffered a rupture. The troopers inside are safe since they managed to use some of that repair spray to close it before the pressure dropped to zero. They have safely put their helmets and are proceeding to safely close the hole".

 

Johnson let go of a relief breath. "That was close. Make sure everyone knows the operating procedures for the material. We don't need losing people to accidents".

 

**********

 

One hour later, all of the company commanders were on board the Protector to finish the details of the operation. The group of men and women present all showed the tension of the week's space flight in cramped conditions plus the strain of trying to stay alive on a hostile planet. But a feeling of resolve was also present; with all of them knowing that everything was about to end.

 

"The Odyssey just made another pass at Cydonia. The area is still covered under a giant dust storm making it impossible to take any visual pictures but the radiation and hyperwave detectors made another scan". One of the small screens onboard the crew's compartment lit up showing a blue rectangular field crossed with horizontal and vertical lines with three clusters of red lights arranged in a rough triangle.

 

"The aliens are concentrating their activity into three areas, all separated by dozens of kilometers. The main source of activity seems to be here:" The visual image of what seemed to resemble a face came up to the screen. "It seems to be a natural large mesa formation at the first sight, but according to Area 51, its interior must have been excavated to transform it into an alien airbase, since there are multiple readings of Elerium engines and hyperwave transmissions coming from UFOs. More than a hundred craft seem to be based at this location and about half are Battleships".

 

Everyone stood silent or gave looks of apprehension. X-Com had brought fifteen Avengers for the mission and trying to perform a classical attack would be suicide since they would be badly outnumbered.

 

"Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be our target. The other two areas occupied by the aliens are the City, located on the west of the map and the Pyramid, situated on the edge of a corner made between it and the City and the Face but more to the south".

 

The image was replaced by one of a group of small pyramid like structures, all clustered around in a circle. To the right a ruined large mount could be seen. "As for the city, there hardly is any activity going around there. The probe has detected a number of Elerium engines but Area 51 has determined that they most likely are the signatures of Cyberdisks on patrol.

 

There aren't any UFOs in the area and it seems lightly defended. But in the case of the Pyramid, the whole picture is different".

 

The screen now showered a five-sided Pyramid that seemed more intact than the previous structures. A small crater could be seen on the ground right to the structure. "This thing is the largest of all of the structures, over five hundred meters tall and more than two kilometers long. There are also a number of Elerium engines buried deep inside that doesn't fit the characteristics of the ones used to power the UFOs. Something else must be inside that requires that sort of power. In fact their tachyon emissions match more the characteristics of the reactors found inside the alien base on Antarctica".

 

"The alien Brain" MacTaggert didn't let him finish off. "But if we attack it, the UFOs on that face thing will be on us shortly and overwhelm us".

 

"We need a diversionary attack". All eyes were on Bondarenko as the Russian Colonel moved closer and examined the data. "Something to distract their fleet while our main group drops undetected into the Pyramid and kills the Brain. But can we approach the area without being detected?"

 

Illyuschenko nodded. "The dust storm that presently covers the northern half of the planet should be sufficient if we move in complete radio and hyperwave blackout. We could send a small strike force to attack the City first from a northern approach while our main force moves in from the south".

 

"But will that be of any good?" Johnson objected and all officers turned to him as he pointed to the screen. "The City and the Fort are only a few miles away from one another and they are roughly twenty miles from the Pyramid. The flight time between the three structures means that the aliens will be able to respond in a few minutes. We can only hope that they don't have the transports ready to take-off, otherwise they will be on to us while we are still getting off the ramps of the Avengers".

 

"Johnson has a point". Bondarenko conceded. "And the diversionary team will have to hold the aliens as much as they can. And the aliens will be able to respond quickly and achieve in minutes full air superiority over the area, risking aerial bombardments on our men. It will be a suicide mission: by the time the aliens respond to the attack on the Pyramid, I'll doubt that there will be much left of the team".

 

"Unless we make an air drop using flying suits. That will reduce the time needed to deploy in case the aliens on the Pyramid respond in a matter of seconds to the attack on the City. They can also use the suits to keep themselves constantly on the move, making it harder for the aliens to pin and destroy them". Johnson nodded as he heard Illyuschenko's comments.

 

The other officers also agreed with the plan although some still had some reservations. Illyuschenko continued. "But we need to decide on who will perform the diversionary attack".

 

He scanned over the group of officers. "I need someone who has the most experience on hit and run attacks". Looking directly at each officer he continued, his voice now showing also a deep tiredness. "That team will have to try to stay alive for how long as it can, since they can expect no help and every second they gain is vital to us".

 

As his eyes came to rest upon Johnson he remained looking at him longer than he had at the other officers. When he spoke, his voice came with pain. "Colonel, you might not know how sorry I am for asking us this: can you do the diversionary attack and draw the alien's attention while we assault the Pyramid?"

 

Without thinking, Johnson nodded. "Yes sir". He barely gave any attention to what might happen to him personally although a trace of fear went afterwards over him.

 

Closing his eyes for a second, Illyuschenko whispered, so low that even Johnson couldn't hear. Spassibo!

 

Now speaking louder for anyone to hear, he continued. "You're one of my best teams, Colonel Johnson, otherwise I wouldn't be asking you this. I hope that you make it back alive but if not we will make the aliens pay for everyone who died on this war". The other officers' eyes became filled with determination.

 

 

 

March 8th, 2002

 

Far Side of the Moon

 

 

 

As the Large Scout moved across the side of the gigantic alien Mothership parked on the Moon's orbit, number One felt amazement at the size of the fleet. He was standing at an observation lounge on the mammoth ship where the hull of the ship would become transparent at a wave of a hand on a certain section of the wall allowing him to stand in the middle of space. Into every direction he could see the bright dots that marked the UFOs parked on the Moon's orbit.

 

The aliens had brought him to the giant ship after meeting one of the smaller craft, which had avoided detection by Earth's forces and landed at a pre-arranged location. One wasn't sure if the entire pick-up arrangement and the stay at the ship was the aliens' way of showing some courtesy or if it was their way to stating who was in charge. The communications from the aliens had been fairly neutral at a first glance and even the Sectoid officer who had been in command of the Scout vessel had seemed completely oblivious of his presence.

 

The moment he had set foot upon the larger vessel about a week ago he had been become bewildered by its size and crew. The kilometers long length of cigar-shaped craft was composed of dozens of decks and they seemed to be filled by thousands of aliens.

 

As he had walked through the ship he recognized all of the races that had been reported to operate on Earth but there were also some surprises that the Group had no idea of their previous existence. There were the tall muscular green figures of Mutons, the majority of them. They were apparently the race responsible for security since they were the only ones who carried weapons. In some cases they also had canine like aliens held tightly next to them by leashes. The creatures' body was spiked and when they opened their mouths they revealed rows of sharpened fangs.

 

As one of them turned to face One, the Sectoid officer sent a telepathic message sent a brisk warning for him to ignore it. He immediately turned his eyes off the beast and resumed his examination of the creatures onboard. The Floaters and Snakemen aboard seemed to be engaged into menial work, carrying equipment and supplies over the ship while Sectoids could be seen manning consoles. The Ethereals had been completely hidden from view but he had seen other beasts that looked more terrifying While the Ethereals' body was usually covered with robes in their cases the bipedal figures had nothing to cover their body, which was full of cybernetic implants.

 

He even saw a large figure at the distance in one of the corridors that the Sectoids seemed to fear more that the Ethereals. Unfortunately, it was moving away from him and it quickly disappeared into one of the side corridors. He decided that he should know more about these new races. Their reduced number showed that they performed highly specialized roles within the hierarchy of the alien society. But just what those might be, he wondered now.

 

At the distance one of the lights that competed with the bright stars on the horizon brought him back to the deck as it started to increase its speed. Another smaller craft started to head in the same direction. Those would be part of the strike force detached to hit the X-Com complex on Japan, One realized as he recalled the strategic discussions of the morning.

 

The aliens had requested his assistance in the final phases of the project, which called for the elimination of any rogue forces still fighting the aliens. Of course, they would leave some units and countries still intact to make an example for the others when the alien landings started.

 

 

 

March 9th, 2002

 

Xanthe Terra, Mars

 

 

 

The holographic display mounted on the pilot's station on the Avenger's cockpit reflected the orange tone of the Martian dust, with green symbols glowing on the air, giving indications to Clark about its speed and direction.

 

The three Avengers that composed Tiger flight had just entered the massive sandstorm that was covering the planet's Northern hemisphere. The antigravity drive used to propel the Avengers kept the craft relatively undisturbed from the two hundred plus velocity of the strong winds that were raging around the Martian atmosphere. However the mass of the dust particles would sometimes press enough to cause small deviations on the craft's flight path, keeping Clark and the other pilots absorbed into keeping into their straight course.

 

But that wasn't too easy also. Since they were on Mars and there was no GPS network to determine their position that left the navigators with few options. One would be to use a computer and a magnetic compass aligned with the Martian North pole; the navigator would take note of the distance covered by a calculation of the time and speed in each leg of the journey. However Mars didn't really have a magnetic field like Earth and the calculations were prone to errors.

 

The remaining option was even more archaic: to use the landscape for guidance like sailor on Earth had done before the invention of the compass. However the storm had turned all visibility close to zero, making it impossible to discern any features in the maelstrom of orange and yellow airborne particles. And the whole matter was risky, since to avoid detection the Avengers were flying as close to the ground as possible.

 

One serious mistake and the craft could plunge into the side of a plateau although most likely the crew would detect that they were flying too close to the ground. They needed to clear the high terrain of the south before being able to drop.

 

When Seymour told Clark that Tiger flight had finally reached the low level plains of Acidalia Planitia felt relieved. According to the flight briefing the whole area was the bed of an ocean that had long disappeared, with few elevations.

 

As Clark took the Avenger lower he felt relieved. The storm wasn't engulfing the ground completely as it did to the atmosphere leaving the first two hundred feet above ground level clear.

 

 

 

With a movement of his hand, he continued to lower the Avenger's altitude, taking the plane away from the hurricane that was raging the atmosphere. Soon the holographic display was filled with a dark red barren landscape where the only visible features were ancient impact craters of meteorites.

 

"Tell me which way to Cydonia Seymour". The co-pilot was already using the geographical features to check for their position, using satellite photographs of the area taken by the Odyssey probe. After a couple of seconds a green beacon appeared on display in front of him. But when he looked at the bearing and the distance he knew that something was wrong.

 

"Colonel, please come up front". He called on the radio while correcting the course to the new indications. A few seconds afterwards Johnson entered the small cockpit area through the hatch built on its back. Patterson was following him but, due to the lack of space, he had to poke his head through the opening. "What's happening Clark?"

 

"We must have made a navigation error while we were flying blind on that storm sir. We are far northern than we should be. I'm sorry sir but I think our timetable just turned into dust".

 

Johnson didn't respond for a second. Then he asked. "Are the Challenger and the Majestic still with us?"

 

"They have followed us all the way. The tachyon detector is picking them moving behind us and clearing the storm. Even if they detected the course change they couldn't warn us due to the hyperwave blackout. But the short range laser transmitters should work now that we are clear of the blizzard".

 

"Give me an ETA as soon as possible and inform the Challenger and the Majestic of what's happened as soon as you can contact them". Moving back to the hatch he crossed it and turned to Patterson. "What do you think Mike?"

 

"The whole plan just went down the drain. Even if we reach Cydonia before the Commander hits the Pyramid we can't risk attacking. We would just be tipping off the aliens and instead of them reacting to us they would divert their forces towards the Pyramid". He shook his head.

 

Johnson started giving small punches into the hull of the Avenger. "I'm thinking that we should scrub this diversionary attack and head directly towards the Pyramid to help Bear team. They will be badly outnumbered already".

 

"Either way we can't use the hyperwave to inform them of what just happened. But that would risk alerting the aliens to our presence". Patterson looked to the ceiling and after thinking for one long second he shook his head and replied. "It's your call Colonel".

 

After considering all possibilities, Johnson spoke. "We'll stick to the original plan. We don't know if they also haven't been delayed by the storm. We'll just have to see who gets there first, if they or us and decide then".

 

 

 

The Pyramid, Cydonia Mensae, Mars

 

 

 

Here it ends. Inside the Protector Illyuschenko had just been informed that the first wave of Avengers was approaching the landing zone, located on the east side of the massive building that stood nearly one kilometer tall.

 

He had been preoccupied when he had found out when Bondarenko had told him that Tiger hadn't performed its diversionary drop on the City but it was no time to turn back now. Half of the strike force was now about to land on the ground while the other Avengers would stay a couple more minutes airborne and use the weapons mounted on their wings to suppress the alien's defenses.

 

"The Valiant has landed. Colonel MacTaggert is deploying". With his head uncovered by the helmet of the flying suit Illyuschenko nodded to Bondarenko. Looking over the rest of the men in the cargo area he saw all of them locking their helmets into position and checking their weapons. Even the psis from Area 51 were getting ready, snapping ammo clips into their plasma pistols and locking the psiamps to the sockets built into their power suits.

 

Illyuschenko was surprised for one minute as he saw the orange ground of Mars on a view port. His instinct told him that the craft was making an abrupt turn and that he was about to be projected but he repressed the feeling and the natural reaction to it. The artificial gravity inside the Avenger steadily gripped his feet against the metal floor although he still felt the attraction of Mars' gravity.

 

As the Protector completed its maneuver it discharged the plasma cannon it was carrying on the left wing. The light of the blast as it left the barrel of the weapon briefly illuminated everyone inside the craft.

 

Traveling fast, the ionized particles of the Elerium fuelled plasma hit the side of the massive Pyramid that seemed to dwarf the Avenger. Sand and rock were thrown down the side of the building as the pilot was already moving the craft away and clearing the area for the other Avengers still airborne to perform their own attack runs.

 

Illyuschenko was watching the whole aerial battle when Bondarenko came through the lock of the cockpit. The tone of his next words was somber. "The aliens are reacting. A large number of UFOs is getting ready at the Fort".

 

Closing his eyes for one second Illyuschenko felt a brief fear but to his surprise it wasn't of death. It was of failing on his task no matter how much he tried. "Beam the warning to Tiger in case they are still out there and tell the pilot to bring the craft down. Let's finish this".

 

 

 

Acidalia Planitia, Mars

 

 

 

"Red Dawn! Red Dawn" The voice on the hyperwave transmitter distracted Clark as he was making the last turn over a range of low-level peaks. The yellow elevations marked the separation between the plateau of Chryse Planitia and the lowlands of Acidalia Planitia, which were thought to be an ancient ocean bed and stood on the West of Cydonia. The color of the flat rusted terrain underneath the craft had also started to change into a more brownish tone.

 

A projection of Mars' Northern Hemisphere was being displayed on the front of Clark and Seymour with blue symbols indicating the position of Tiger force. It started to become more filled with icons, as the Avengers on Bear flight start to transmit their information.

 

"We're late alright", Clark said with disgust. "Seymour, check the Fort for the Battleships. Colonel, the attack has started".

 

A couple of seconds later the co-pilot replied. "Tachyon scans show that a number of UFOs are starting to increase the output of their engines, apparently getting ready for take-off. There is also activity in the Pyramid".

 

"What's the status of the strike force?" Colonel' Johnson asked on the radio.

 

After some more seconds, Seymour reported again, now more relaxed. "All craft have reached the target area. Some are nearly completing the process of disembarking their troops". Something the threat detector made him paused. His voice raised an octave. "Confirmed: our own sensors are picking up hyperwave transmissions from the UFOs. They are scrambling to respond to the attack on the Pyramid. ETA: less than five minutes".

 

"What's the count?" Seymour's voice faltered once as he started to enumerate the types of UFOs detected and their numbers. "Total: over thirty enemy craft deployed, with more than fifteen Battleships detected".

 

"Bear is outnumbered" Clark spoke the obvious but Johnson' request came a moment later. "Have they started to react?"

 

"Affirmative Colonel. The General has issued orders for some to perform attack runs on the Pyramid before they head out to meet the UFOs".

 

Hearing something on the radio channel Clark jumped into the report. "Incoming transmission from Bear, sir. I'll put it on this channel".

 

A moment of silence followed then Illyuschenko's voice was heard. "Attention Tiger Flight. We are engaging the alien forces. Code Violet. Switch to reserve status and stay concealed until we call for you. Odyssey will move into the horizon in ten minutes. Use it to report your own status. Over and out".

 

On the crew compartment of the Avenger Johnson frowned as he heard the Commander's indications. Code Violet meant that they should land in the vicinity of the area and avoid detection until further notice. They were now the only thing close to reinforcements available to Bear, in case anything unexpected happened to them during the ground assault.

 

He preferred to be out there in the Pyramid and aiding on the assault since they hadn't been able to launch the surprise attack that would distract a big portion of the aliens' forces. The whole plan was starting to have problems from its start.

 

Markovitch came near him. "I hope that Bear can pull it off. Things will be getting hot with all those Battleships arriving at the scene". Something clicked inside Johnson while he spoke but he couldn't tell why. There was a factor that they were overlooking, he could tell but he didn't know what it was.

 

She detected his apprehension and asked. "What are you thinking about?"

 

"There's something here that doesn't quite fit the picture. And I don't know if it's just that I keep thinking that we should be heading to help them".

 

 

 

The Pyramid, Cydonia Mensae, Mars

 

 

 

It wasn't Egypt but to Illyuschenko it was strikingly similar. He had actually been to the country in the 1970's in a mission to provide training to Egypt's special forces and he had seen the Pyramids there. Only this one was more than the double in size when compared with the largest one in the Gizeh plateau.

 

And from its orange colored side a number of platforms could be seen at the distance all over the building that were in no doubt connected to the inside. Plasma fire was coming from them and heading towards the X-Com troopers and tanks that were racing to the pyramid.

 

As he cleared the ramp of the Avenger, Illyuschenko headed towards one of the hovertanks that had been brought all the way from Earth. The automated fighting vehicle was hovering seven feet over the sandy soil and waiting for instructions. More of the ellipsoidal shapes of the tanks could be seen at the distance where they were supporting the advance of the soldiers. Bondarenko's command squad was already waiting for him behind the tank. When he arrived the hovertank started to move with the soldiers using it for cover.

 

As the group of troopers moved they passed by an area that had been already cleared of aliens by the squads that had first deployed. And there were enough remains of the fighting. Fallen figures littered the area, most of them aliens but some in the dust covered white power suits while black marks and holes on the ground displayed the effects of plasma weapons and explosives.

 

As they passed the side of a small ridge they saw five dead Snakemen lying on the ground, some with their bifid tongues sticking out of their mouths. An X-Com trooper also was close to them but it seemed to be missing his helmet and head.

 

The group slowed for a moment but Bondarenko ordered all to keep moving. Their target was a large crater on the vicinity of the Pyramid. The thermal pictures taken by the Odyssey had shown it to be one of the main entrances to the building. They would storm the Pyramid from there while using the rim of the crater for cover.

 

As they moved on the trail of the forward platoons, with the increasing Pyramid in front of them, the carnage left by the fighting increased. Scores of dead aliens littered the ground, accompanied by a few human corpses as they climbed the two hundred feet tall edge of the crater. They were mostly brown Snakemen and purple Floaters.

 

As they reached the top, Illyuschenko dropped into the steep inclined terrain in front of him, his head turned upwards to the orange and brown sky. The atmosphere seemed to be full of green lighting and explosions as the Avengers of Bear force engaged the UFO fleet to protect the soldiers on the ground and prevent the aliens to reinforce the area.

 

A stray plasma shot blew sand in front of him and he ducked again. Around him Bondarenko and another soldier suddenly turned to the left and replied to the shot, hitting a Floater that had been mistakenly presumed as dead by the advancing X-Com troops. The alien died and its caped body slid down the wall until it rested on the bottom.

 

Looking at the direction of the towering figure of the Pyramid on the horizon and into the basin of the crater, Illyuschenko saw the entrance to the alien base. It was an opening on the ground, which stood at the end of an inclined ramp that had been dug by the aliens. It looked large enough for a medium sized UFO to use as and entrance.

 

Looking to both sides he saw troopers in power suits moving down the rim of the crater, together with the few hovertanks that they had brought along. The floor of the depression became filled with laser beams and plasma bolts. The small figures now retreating aliens could barely be seen but it seemed that they were trying to reach the entrance.

 

Then he looked upwards again as one Avenger crashed into the massive construction, with the explosion momentarily lighting its side. "Commander, that was the Akagi" Bondarenko shouted to him on the radio as the remains of the craft rained down the Pyramid's side. "We need to get to the entrance. The Avengers won't be able to protect us much more".

 

But Illyuschenko wasn't looking at him. "Pull back the leading squads" He quickly ordered in horror.

 

The momentary blast had also briefly revealed to him movement coming from the inside of the base. He had first wrongly interpreted as darkness but now he could see that it was a wave of dark aliens emerging from the opening and racing towards the human soldiers. "Chryssalids"

 

 

 

Far Side of the Moon

 

 

 

When the aliens inside the alien Mothership had turned frenzy all of a sudden and One realized that something important was happening. The feeling was also present on the pair of unarmed Sectoid officers who served as his personal escort.

 

Turning towards one of them he asked for what was the source that was causing such the commotion in the aliens and demanded to be taken to the bridge.

 

After a second later the alien replied to him telepathically and refused his request. One also caught a deep fear inside the creature and wondered if it had just been in direct mental communication with one of the Ethereals. Those creatures projected an aura of terror around them that affected everyone. And while the other races seemed to see his presence around the ship more or less normal, the thin and tall aliens showed nothing but plain contempt towards him.

 

A slight impression on his body told One something more significant. The massive craft had started to leave the Moon's orbit. The Sectoids stared with their dull and lidless eyes at him without providing any explanation.

 

Moving down the corridor he went for the red lift that connected to the observation lounge. As he looked over his shoulder he saw that the Sectoids had stayed beyond but they also didn't stopped him.

 

When the upward movement finally brought him to the metal area he quickly passed a hand through one portion of the metal wall close to the lift. The outer hull of the craft seemed to dissolve into the darkness of space revealing the Moon's surface that was slowing passing under the craft.

 

It was as he had felt, One realized in shock. The Mothership and the alien fleet had started to move. Something very wrong was happening because the main body of the ships was supposed to stay on the Moon's orbit.

 

A sound behind told him that an alien had also used the lift. He expected one of the Sectoids but as he turned he saw an Ethereal clad on its red robe stepping outside the lift, followed by a violet faced Muton, who was also wearing a uniform of a similar color. That struck One as extremely unusual. He had spotted before that particular alien: it was the only one of its race that wore a different color on it's clothing. Could it mean that it was some sort of high-ranking officer, probably the only one on the Mutons? This was both frightening and exciting since at the same time he would have an opportunity to look closer into the aliens' society.

 

They only had limited information on the Sectoid Hierarchy and badly needed more information about the other races. And one of the assignments of his mission to the ship was exactly that. However, more pressing matters needed his attention.

 

Why are we moving? The alien's telepathic response came immediately after he had thought his question.

 

You have failed us! As the words formed into his own mind, One felt confusion. I don't understand. What has happened? Something very wrong had happened: either the aliens had decided to completely betray them now or some disturbing event had just taken place on Earth.

 

Your species will die! The Ethereals' death warrant made the Muton standing next to it start moving towards Number One. In panic he started to step back but after some paces he hit the wall of the craft. He was trapped.

 

Stretching his long and muscular arm, the Muton grabbed and lifted him by the throat. The strength of the alien made it almost impossible for him to breathe. Grabbing with both hands the arm of the Muton he tried to release himself from the creature's grip by scratching and hitting the limb of the creature with his nails and hands.

 

But to no avail. A few seconds later his larynx started to break until it was finally crushed. His eyes opened wide as he found that he was unable to breathe. One finally died when the strength of red dressed Muton handgrip snapped his neck vertebrae and the spinal cord inside them.

 

 

 

The Pyramid, Cydonia Mensae, Mars

 

 

 

The alien trap was costing dearly to Bear team. Illyuschenko watched in horror as entire squads that had advanced too much were being surrounded and overwhelmed by the hundreds of Chryssalids who had stormed from the opening.

 

The main body of the X-Com force had managed to somewhat form a line to contain the aliens but not everyone had been able to reach it. The leading elements that were wearing flying suits activated the anti-gravity device and managed to reach safe positions but the other had only their legs to try to escape.

 

The dark exoskeletons of the creatures felt down or were completely blown into pieces as the soldiers with blaster launchers used their powerful weapon to try to stop the alien advance. But new creatures quickly replaced the holes on the alien ranks, with their claws balancing in front of their bodies as they run.

 

The lead soldiers stood and kept firing until the aliens took them down. In some cases explosions followed afterwards, revealing that they had somehow managed to activate a grenade in an attempt to die before from being impregnated to breed new aliens. As the last white form disappeared on a crowd of aliens, Illyuschenko issued an order. "All fire-support squads concentrate firing on the locations where our soldiers were".

 

He saw then that the remaining laser HWPs had stopped to buy time for the troopers to regroup in a line that forming a hundred yards away from him by the base of the crater's walls. When the aliens swarmed the tank as it kept pumping laser rounds at close range until it finally went dead.

 

It had been brought to exploit the laser vulnerability that the alien Sectopod tanks had. Now one of the Chryssalids stood standing over its wrecked turret, raising its claws as if it was enjoying its kill. In rage, Illyuschenko lined up his heavy plasma and fired a blast that hit the devilish creature on its main body and drop to the ground next to the dead hulk of the tank.

 

It took them several precious minutes before the platoons were able to take out the Chryssalids. In a couple of places the aliens managed to reach the line and wreck considerable damage before they were killed. And as the last ranks of aliens charged sand covered white figures could be seen walking besides them, the soldiers who had been impregnated and now were nothing more that walking Chryssalid cradles.

 

When Bondarenko stopped firing his weapon after the last of the aliens had been killed, the Colonel simply spoke out. "Lady in Heaven"

 

"Save your prayers comrade". Illyuschenko was pointing to the plain where they had landed. When Bondarenko turned he saw three Battleships and a number of smaller ships touching down. And sudden green lightning coming from the entrance told him that there were still aliens left inside. Bear force was about to become trapped between the aliens carried inside the UFOs and the ones inside the Pyramid. "Commander"

 

Illyuschenko stood silent. Here it ends. One way or the other! "Commander" Bondarenko's voice started to show deep anxiety and it irritated Illyuschenko. We are going to die here, haven't you seen it yet?

 

Packs of heavily armed Mutons could be seen deploying from the entrance. The aliens had left their shock troops to the end. And I need to lie and convince you otherwise. So shall it be. The last time.

 

"Call Tiger for assistance. Deploy two platoons to hold out the western wall against the alien reinforcements and order the remaini

[FullAuto]

Close to the City, Cydonia Mensae, Mars

 

 

 

The order had finally come through out the radio and the three Avengers of Tiger Force were starting to lift from their positions on the outskirts of the City. They were heading to help Bear who had been trapped while attempting to break through to the Pyramid's inside and find the alien Brain.

 

Moving his hands on the air, Clark cancelled the upward motion of the Avenger and the large craft stood suspended on the air like a dragonfly. With a motion of his right hand he aligned the Avenger towards the direction of the Pyramid while on its flanks the other two craft performed the same maneuver.

 

When he was done he pushed his other gloved hand forward while at the same time he started to raise the craft's altitude to clear the terrain and allow them to reach Bear as fast as possible. They were finally getting out in the open where the aliens could see them but there was no need for deception anymore.

 

Looking over the small view port built on the fuselage of the Avenger, Johnson saw the formations of the City far away, barely visible on the brownish landscape that now seemed to melt with the pinkish sky. The winds above were moving the clearing on the dust storm and the darkness was slowly covering the area as the airborne particles overhead blocked the sunlight, engulfing the area on a reddish penumbra.

 

The peaks of the small pyramids that littered the City were still visible though, more than ten miles away. They seemed more like natural formations than artificial alien constructions at this distance and under the minimal light. Johnson remembered that if everything had gone according to the plan they would be inside them by now.

 

The now dead plan, he remembered it with disgust. Now they were in the hands of fate. Looking away from the view port he saw Markovitch seated down with her eyes closed.

 

She seemed as if she was trying to relax before what was probably their final mission. If they didn't broke through the cluster of alien ships around the Pyramid and helped Bear reach the Brain it would be pointless to make it back to Earth. He didn't notice the lines of stress building around her eyelids.

 

The whole thing seemed hopeless to Johnson. The aliens hadn't even deployed half of their forces on the Face and they would still have a tough time fighting the ones at the Pyramid. Two Avengers had already been shot down and... More than half of their strength still not deployed? The realization came to him as a shockwave and he rushed to try to understand why they were holding back.

 

Next to him Markovitch had by now completely given up on trying to relax. Something was close to her inside her mind, making her very uncomfortable and giving her goose bumps. First she had put it to the fact that she was picking up the fear and anxiety of the near thirty persons that were onboard the Avenger.

 

But a twist on her stomach told her that it was something else, completely different. She was felling a sensation of massive vertigo that overwhelmed her and made it hard to breathe. And she started to hear whispers coming from all directions but the voices weren't of anyone onboard the craft. Concentrating on what they were saying she felt repulsion and the feeling almost made her puke again as she identified a voice that rose above all others. The mental image lasted for less than a second before she opened her eyes wide.

 

"The Brain" The call made everyone onboard the Avenger to look at her. It also momentarily distracted Johnson before another voice caught his full attention. Clark seemed distressed as he spoke. "Sir! We have more than twenty Battleships getting ready to lift at the Face. Their hyperwave transponders show that there are heading to our location"

 

That gave Johnson the final piece of the puzzle but before he could say it Markovitch spoke first. "The Brain is not in the Pyramid! It's close, I can sense it! It must be on the City"

[FullAuto]

Chapter Thirty-Two - Crimson Death

 

 

 

March 9th, 2002

 

The City, Cydonia, Mars

 

 

 

The three Avengers of Tiger Force swept in low from the south with the pilots directly bringing the craft into the middle of the cluster of pyramidal formations and mounds that was called the "City" because of their number and disposition. Instead of performing an airdrop using the flying suits worn by all the members of Johnson's team like it had been first planned, the Avengers would bring them directly close to one of the five-pointed pyramids in the area. They couldn't lose time regrouping after the landing.

 

The sandstorm blowing on the upper northern atmosphere had started to engulf the whole Cydonia area in orange blackness although in the Martian day's 24 hours it was only about noon. It was close to a heavily overcast and blown by the wind day on Earth. But instead of the gray, the sky had been engulfed in a deep orange tone and its whole seemed to swirl in every direction. On the surface, the sand lifted by the gutsy surface winds gave the impression that the landscape being alive, as it formed small circles and flew through over the hard clay terrain.

 

The swirling wind played with the dunes, only visible for their features as they were also of the same color of the orange and crimson sand, occasionally with the addition of green lighting that contrasted heavily with the background, flashing briefly.

 

As the formation of Avengers flew over the center of the City in a reconnaissance run, a number of plasma shots came from the ground, fired by the aliens. However, the sporadic anti-aircraft fire from the alien's weapons was ineffective against the thick armored hulls of the craft, with the green energy of the few hits quickly dissipating harmlessly over their fuselage.

 

As Clark lead the Avenger in a circle around the area, he tried to find the most possible location for the building that might house the Brain. On the back of the craft Markovitch was trying to detect which formation was housing it also using her psionic powers but so far she hadn't said anything on the channel.

 

As the Avengers finished their aerial sweep of the City, Markovitch finally gave up, saying to Clark that its mental presence was on every building. Clark then decided to head towards the largest pyramid on the area. The other two Avengers broke to the left following him, with the three craft flying a few feet over the tips of the quasi-geometrical buildings.

 

"Colonel, I'm bringing her down. Initiating decompression procedures". The door on the hatch behind him started to shut down to ensure the tightness of the cockpit while the main portion of the craft was decompressed. In matching the inside atmospheric pressure to the thin level of the Martian one it would be possible to disembark from the Avengers' rear ramp instead of only through the airlock on the craft's starboard flank.

 

"I've counted more than thirty Sectoids on the ground. And there's Disks also". Seymour said as he finished the scan he had been performing. "Gonna be a hot LZ this time".

 

"Every LZ is hot until we get out of it" Both men grinned and shook their heads in mock disbelief.

 

On the passenger area the twenty soldiers of Second and Third Platoons immediately locked the faceplates on their helmets and sealed their armored suits. A red light came live on the ceiling, although because of the orange light coming from the view ports it burned in yellow-white. After a couple of seconds it switched off and below a green lit up. The X-Com soldiers started positioning themselves facing the rear ramp as the hissing of the decompression began to be heard. All of the junk that had fallen into the floor grating during the weeks' journey to Mars suddenly were sucked of its places and flew towards the back of the craft as made a short, final turn.

 

A thump and a feeling on their boots told the soldiers that the Avenger had touched down. The rear ramp immediately lowered itself down from its upward position to the ground, giving the two lead troopers of Kappa squad their first glimpse of Cydonia, in the form of a massive pyramid. "Touch and go people, let's go! We aren't paid by the hour" The voice of Sergeant Krenon prompted them forwards.

 

As the soldiers started stepping down the ramp of the Avenger, the cockpit of the Challenger could had already be seen as the craft was setting down twenty feet behind and with its rear facing the right side. The Majestic also completed his touchdown on the left side.

 

It was visible that the pyramid chosen by Clark had suffered massive erosion on its surface that had turned most of the sides into dust-covered rubble. However, the straight geometric configuration was still plainly visible, with the triangular side raising several hundred feet above the ground.

 

The top of the pyramid was missing and instead there was only an irregular platform more than three hundred feet high. As Lt. Digriz finally stepped on the ground immediately after the point troopers he saw plasma fire coming from the top of the pyramid. He brought his plasma rifle to reply to it but Markovitch's voice stopped his motion.

 

"Digriz, Clark says there are Sectoids at the front firing at the cockpit. Take your squad and clear them out" Turning to the opposite direction he moved underneath the Avenger's armored belly towards the cockpit of the craft.

 

At first he could only see darkness but a flare thrown by a soldier suddenly lit the features of the Majestic to his right. The X-Com troopers over there were busy responding to shots coming from his front but he couldn't see the aliens yet. Until a flare thrown by one of his men went skidding over the sand and landed a few feet in front of the craft.

 

As Digriz was racing to one of the landing pads of the craft he saw the large head of a Sectoid firing its heavy plasma at cockpit of the Majestic. He didn't need to warn his soldiers about it since Bartfast had already raised his heavy plasma. A single round hit the alien on the side of its body making it drop the weapon. As the alien felt to the ground the greenish blood that was coming from its wound quickly disappeared since the atmospheric pressure was too small for the water on it to remain on a liquid state.

 

But before it hit the ground the blast of a close by grenade made the alien disappear in a flash. The X-Com soldier closer to it was shaken as it went off ten feet away from him. His voice came a second later. "I'm losing air"

 

"Sharkey, get it fixed and stay down" Digriz tried to find the alien who had thrown the grenade but he could only see rocks and the rims of small meteoric craters. At the distance more pyramids could be seen against the darkened sky.

 

Another flare thrown by Bartfast resolved the situation.

 

It landed close to one of the impact craters, revealing a Sectoid as it raised himself of another crater. Its dark eyes become yellow from the reflection of the flare's light as it turned his heavy plasma to Digriz. But a laser shot took the alien with its shape disappearing as it felt back to the inside of the crater.

 

As Digriz and Turner approached the alien's position, Bartfast went over to Sharkey and took out a blue plastic cylinder from his belt ten inches long. The trooper had been hit on the leg and although it hadn't made any serious injury, the suit was losing heat and air through the hole. Breaking the cylinder with both his hands, Bartfast dropped the viscous content over the two inches hole until it was completely covered. The canister contained a plastic substance that had been designed to temporarily seal any breaches and it quickly hardened itself. X-Com's scientists had developed it for the fighting on Mars, based on an idea proposed before for manned missions to the planet.

 

Meanwhile, on the front of the Avengers the troopers who were assaulting the front pyramid were encountering sniper fire coming from the top of the alien structure. As King and Rumpole had exited the Avenger they had immediately dropped into a firing position to cover Second Platoon's advance. But they were finding out that the aliens were using a chamber that was apparently inside the pyramid from which the aliens were firing using window sized openings.

 

Finding it hard to track the aliens inside due to the darkness both switch to IR view but found out that the dust in the air was also clouding the infrared channel. Both of their golden salvos from their heavy lasers missed the aliens altogether, with the heat of the amplified light turning the sand into glass.

 

A blast bolt that came a moment later from the top of the pyramid hit one of the running X-Com soldiers below. He plunged into the ground with another soldier of his squad immediately coming towards him.

 

King tried to hit the alien who had fired the deathly shot but as he scanned the window he could only see darkness again.

 

"Where the fuck is Eta?" Rumpole swore as she also scanned nervously into the same direction looking for the hidden alien to pop up again. King was about to answer when he quickly detected a distinctive sound.

 

He wasn't sure if his peripheral vision had caught a glimpse of movement from the "bee bee". But as he was considering the possibility, the blaster bomb had already blasted away the top of the pyramid. He had already taken his sight from the scope built into the heavy laser as the explosion sent small avalanche of sand and metallic debris down the side of the pyramid. "These guys have the finesse of a hammer". Rumpole's comment made him reply. "As long as it works".

 

**********

 

When Johnson finally stepped down on the Martian clay soil after clearing the ramp of the Avenger a plasma bolt made him and Crossett duck as it hit the wing of the craft. But neither bothered to go for their weapons and run away as the human ship started to ascend. As they crossed the landing zone Johnson looked upwards towards the direction of the Fort and noticed with dread the yellow lights that seemed to resemble the Sun's disk, hidden under the cloud overhead.

 

The fighting had already moved away from the landing zone as the X-Com troopers were trying to establish a safety perimeter. Still he could still see a Cyberdisk hovering about at a distance, a small figure against the side of one of the orange buildings. As it lowered itself it disappeared behind one of the ground mounds that were close to the landing area.

 

Crossett moved to cover him from any straight shots coming from there as they walked towards Patterson and White, who were both right by a set of big rocks that offered some protection. In the area there were also Hopkins and some of his soldiers of fire support platoon, most of them sporting blaster launchers ready to fire and waiting to insert coordinates into the weapons.

 

Inside the pyramid whose tip had just been clipped Markovitch looked upwards the lift where she was standing by. She had sent two soldiers up there to check if there was any hidden chamber on the upper levels of the building. The ground level of the pyramid had proven nothing but five corridors leading into every face with a central room where the lift was located. She couldn't see the troopers but a moment afterwards a call came to her telling what she already suspected.

 

"2nd Platoon reports that the central pyramid isn't what we were looking for". White's indication almost caused no response in Patterson or Johnson who were already busy scanning the battlefield. As he scanned across the landscape taking note of the other buildings nearby he saw the immobile figures of 1st Platoon as they waited in their positions for orders to deploy. Then a rumble made him look upwards.

 

Onboard the Avenger, Clark could only wish that he had Harris flying by him since the man used to get alive of such impossible odds. The three Avengers had broken up their formation as the flotilla of alien Battleships descended on them coming from the Face. They were trying to get as many as possible away from the landing area since it would be suicide to try to defend it.

 

The three craft had headed for the hilly terrain near the city to the southwest in the hope of throwing off its pursuers but Clark was having a bad time doing it. According to Seymour they still had three Battleships on their tail as he suddenly cut the craft to the right into a brown canyon. "Tell me when"

 

As Clark kept jerking around the craft to prevent the alien pilots from getting a weapons lock into them, Seymour kept checking the rearview projection. "Shit" When the curse came Clark immediately increased his altitude and reached the UFO's level as they sped five hundred meters beyond him and just over the canyon.

 

The discharges of the alien plasma weapons went below the Avenger and missed it. Large portions of the canyon's sandy soil erupted as the blasts hit the ground. Then as Clark brought the craft again in the relative safety of the canyon the radio went active. "This is the Challenger! I've been hit! Requesting assistance" Clark gave one look to Seymour and the co-pilot started to check the other craft's position.

 

***********

 

The first attack run of the Battleships that had remained behind in the City filled the avenue where Johnson and the others were racing with destruction. They had abandoned all of their positions and had warned the other platoons about the imminent aerial bombardment. Now the X-Com soldiers had all abandoned the clear terrain of the main streets inside the ancient city and were trying to find shelter inside the pyramid buildings and artificial mounds that littered the area.

 

In the orange lit world where the human troopers only a complete darkness meant life for them as it usually revealed the positions of the openings to the buildings. Unfortunately in some cases their former alien owners were still around.

 

As the Elerium weapon of the first ship detonated after being discharged from the side of the craft it produced a quick dissipating fireball. It crossed across the entire length of the street as it burned into a flash the few oxygen atoms present in the Martian atmosphere. As it moved over the armored suits of the humans its effect was negligible. However the Sectoids fared far worse since their bare skin offered no protection to the flames.

 

The hit craved a large crater on the brownish soil nearby a pyramid. The blast wave from the Elerium explosion hit the sand covered side of the building and it provoked an avalanche that partially covered the newly formed depression. It failed to hit any of the X-Com soldiers but the ones still racing for cover were tossed around like toys.

 

When Johnson was suddenly turned to the ground as he raced on the side of a pyramid close to the impact area the next thing he felt was Crossett's bulk landing on his back. Then the firewall passed by him and kept moving until it caught two Sectoids that were standing by a close mound. Their orange pale skin suddenly turned into a dark brown. The creatures started screaming and started to run as the pain from the burns turned into intolerable. Johnson issued a warning to Crossett. "One coming our way" The trooper quickly got of his back with his heavy plasma ready.

 

When both of the aliens had been killed he turned to check for the other soldiers. One had suffered a leak on his suit and was busy sealing it back with the blue gel while others were bruised but fortunately no bones were broken. Shaking the sand off his blue plasma rifle Patterson came up to him and said: "We need to find the Brain fast"

 

But Johnson was seeing something else that made him wonder. Another Battleship had just completely blown off mound where he had seen a squad taking cover. The salvo had buried itself first deep inside the building before going off.

 

Sand and portions of the inner metal structure flew in every direction and the remains of the pyramid collapsed after two seconds, sending upwards a cloud of smoke and dust.

 

Johnson was dismayed as nothing could be alive after that even inside a flying suit. But something else shocked him. "This doesn't make any sense". He turned and grabbed Patterson's shoulder, giving it a push and making the other man stumble of his foot. "Why would the aliens be risking aerial bombardment if the Brain is inside one of the buildings?" He demanded into the air, since Patterson was still trying to understand what had just happened.

 

With a blaster launcher over his left shoulder Sergeant Hopkins had also approached both men and was looking at the wrecked building. "It gotta be someplace else then".

 

**********

 

As Kappa squad was moving inside one of the Pyramids the lead elements blasted through the door and found a vast lift leading underground. The entire central part of the chamber where it was located in the middle of the building glowed a vivid green. As both Digriz and jumped through the door behind Sharkey lead he realized what they had just discovered.

 

Unfortunately he never had a chance to tell. The Sectoid inside the chamber had pressed itself against the wall of the door to be unnoticed. Sharkey had shifted first his laser rifle to the left. The alien was on the right and the time it took him to react was enough for Digriz to step inside and place himself between the alien and Sharkey.

 

They actually both fired at almost the same time with Digriz discharge of his heavy plasma a bit later. The Sectoid was projected by the blast against the wall and died right afterwards. But its shot had also breached the white armor with the plasma bursting into his lungs. His respiratory system ceased to work properly since most of the chest muscles were burned and unable to make in to inhale or exhale properly. But Digriz finally death cause was the shock done to its heart by the burn.

 

***********

 

The reassemble order issued by Colonel Johnson at the easternmost Pyramid had sent all of the combat platoons speeding towards the specified location of the lift. However, the troopers were still encountering small pockets of aliens on their way to the building that had been found and secured by Kappa squad.

 

The aliens on the surface were constantly harassing the retreating squads and delaying them while the Battleships overhead kept their low-level indiscriminate bombardment. King and Rumpole had stayed beyond to cover one of the major routes for squads who were disengaging and heading for the lift.

 

Split up into two teams divided between both sides of a large street they were defending the major route for the incoming X-Com. Each one had set themselves with their weapons standing against the triangular wall. From there they were protecting every X-Com trooper that entered the street against its pursuers.

 

As a group of three soldiers moved into view from one of the wide streets, King centered his scope on area from where they had just came and waited. Above him on the top and leaning against the side Deschamps also readied again his plasma rifle.

 

One of the troopers was injured and was being helped by another soldier with the third one standing behind to cover them. The leading pair tried to move as fast as possible in the dusty pavement between the pyramids but the injured leg made it difficult. They had only made it halfway when the first alien moved swiftly over the corner of the building, hovering seven feet above the ground.

 

The Cyberdisk's plasma cannon thundered before any of Sigma squad could react. It hit the rear soldier on the torso of his power suit and sent him reeling backwards. When he finally managed to correct his movement enough so that he could point the weapon at the mini-UFO and hit it before falling it was already late.

 

Two golden light beams emerged on opposite buildings and connected themselves at the central body of the Cyberdisk. The alien hovering tank ceased to function as its artificial intelligence was destroyed and felt into the side of the pyramid. The blast from the soldier's heavy plasma would have hit the Cyberdisk if it weren't already falling so it passed above the dead hulk by inches.

 

When the soldier felt to the ground King wondered what he should do to try to help him. The first pair was already reaching the relative safety of their position but the fallen trooper was at least about two hundred feet away from them.

 

To his relief the soldier managed to get back on his foot and start walking again towards their position across the light orange surface. "What a lucky sob". King commented on the radio and three clicks coming from the other three positioned soldiers expressed their agreement.

 

King kept its watch on the street all the time as the trooper reached their position and took cover behind the boulder that he and Deschamps were using for cover. He then spoke on the radio. "Thanks for the help. I'm Logan, Epsilon".

 

"4th Platoon?" King was surprised. "You guys are supposed to be on the other side".

 

Logan was busy checking the ammunition level on his heavy plasma. Unsatisfied he removed the gray banana shaped clip and reached for a belt that was loaded with similar clips. "You guys need ammo? I scavenged a couple of the aliens bodies".

 

"Got any grenades?" Deschamps asked and Logan reached for two on his belt and passed it to the Canadian. As he grabbed them he added. "Thanks. Nice stunt back there. Almost got you killed".

 

"You just need to survive the first blast. And if you don't... well then you don't have to worry about the second". The man's casual tone made King look seriously at him, unsure if it was a joke or if he actually meant it. "We got separated from the rest of the platoon during one of the aerial strikes. Lost one of us on that one".

 

"Movement" King's call sent the other two men scrambling to get their weapons in position. However they didn't found any thing on the location from which Logan had entered the street. "The bug got back into cover". King said in frustration.

 

"They are only waiting for reinforcements before they continue to pursue. They weren't expecting for their disk to die so quickly". Logan looked beyond their position and watched the pair of soldiers disappearing over a left turn that the street made. "We should head back. My squad was on rear duty. I'll doubt anymore of our guys are coming from that direction".

 

King nodded and called the Colonel to notify him of his intention. He found that the majority of the platoons had already assembled on the chamber containing the lift and received orders from Major Patterson to head back.

 

"Rumpole and Woodley we're bailing out. Start heading towards the lift. We'll cover you". Her response was immediate: "You sure know how to hold until the last minute King". The other members didn't understand but King's cheeks burned. "Get moving. This time we will cover for you".

 

He wanted to countermand her orders and he could do it since he was the squad leader and a corporal. However, he just shook his head in acceptance and decided it would be better to start walking since she had already bested him with that comment. Both three soldiers started to move down the street.

 

Then as they were about to reach the position where the ancient avenue bent around a irregular shaped mound a growing rumbling sound made them turn and watch. A Battleship had just swept in low from the direction from which they had just come. The aliens were waiting for some assistance all right, King realized.

 

"Rumpole, get out of there" As his call came on the radio the blast of the alien weapon crossed over her position, sweeping through the side of the pyramid after caving a crater on the middle of the street. He only had time to dive for the ground with the other two troopers following him.

 

The shock wave of the explosion made them to roll uncontrolled over the sand. When they finally stopped moving King was the first to try to stand up, using his arms to look to Rumpole and Woodley's position.

 

The area had been razed and burned and only the shape of the pyramid gave any recognition. "Rumpole! Answer me" He started to get up facing the direction until Deschamps stopped him, throwing himself into King and grabbed him. "She's dead! They are dead! We have to go" King shook him off. "They could have survived. We have to go back and check"

 

Logan had finished standing together and retrieving his heavy plasma which had landed a few feet away from him. "He's right, let's go. Nobody could have survived that blast"

 

Disregarding Logan, King also bent and grabbed his heavy laser off the ground. "Get back to the lift. I'm going after them"

 

"And I thought I was the one stubbornly stupid". Logan's comment was short as he shook his head and turned to Deschamps. "Get us some cover. We are getting back there"

 

**********

 

The chamber where the lift was located had turned itself into a provisional staging area for Tiger force. Johnson and the rest of his command squad passed by one of the squads defending the eastern entrance and into the small corridor that led them into the central area. He saw wounded soldiers standing against the walls with portions of their suits dyed in blue, marking the special suit sealant. The ubiquitous Martian dust was also present, mixing itself with the gel and turning it into a darkened substance splashed over the armor.

 

Sentries had been placed on the lift to guard against any alien that might come from the underground. Johnson picked Markovitch standing next to the lift and staring at it with her plasma rifle held casually on her arms. He approached her, with Crossett next to him and keeping a keen eye on the lift.

 

"It's down there, I can feel it". She simply stated.

 

"How's your platoon?" She didn't reply to him for a second. Then she simply said. "Digriz, Bragg and Yu are dead". Holding her hand tighter she continued. "Let's get down there. We don't have much time left, I can feel it".

 

"I'm sorry". After an awkward moment on which he didn't knew what else to say he turned to Patterson who had also listened to her. "Contact all platoon commanders. We need to know how we are doing".

 

Half a minute afterward he knew the situation. The aliens were converging towards the pyramid that contained the lift from every direction. The Battleships were still blasting the streets and apparently some had landed and deployed fresh troops since they had started to see Mutons and other aliens besides Sectoids. And they had sustained casualties during the landing and reassemble of the force.

 

4th Platoon had lost more than half its soldiers, including Captain Hawn. The Fire Support team had lost full squad, including the lieutenant commanding it plus the hovercraft that had been brought up instead of the psi soldiers who had been assigned to Bear. Sergeant Hopkins was now in charge of the remaining two squads. The other three platoons had also suffered losses and Johnson ordered the remains of the Fourth to fill empty positions on them.

 

And there were also the soldiers critically injured. In most cases they would die if they weren't evacuated to receive proper medical treatment. However that was impossible at the moment since they had received no further communication from the Avengers. They would have to be left behind, Johnson decided since they would slow the company underground.

 

When the flux of incoming soldiers finally seemed to stop arriving to the rally point Johnson started to order them down. One by one the platoons positioned themselves on the lift and the soldiers started to activate the control to move downwards by movement of their arms.

 

Waiting for their turn on the drop list Johnson stood next to Markovitch, who had turned completely silent and had left Sergeant Krenon with the duty of organize her platoon's deployment. They would come down after him and Sigma squad with Markovitch's platoon being the last and providing rear guard. The other platoons would try to make a safety perimeter before they started a major push into where she thought the Brain was hiding. Johnson and the other officers were all hoping that she would still be able to somehow guess its location.

 

They stood waiting when one of the defenders stationed at one of the doors suddenly called with a relieved voice. "There's a squad coming through" The warning made the soldiers look to the corridors to see who had managed to survive.

 

Two troopers emerged from the corridor into the lit area of the chamber. One was bearing the W symbol of Omega squad on the left chest of his armor and holding a heavy laser on his right arm. His other arm was stretched over the other soldier's back, with the forearm locked under the armpit to prevent her from falling down. The hardened dark substance form by the combination of the sealant and the Martian sand covered the power suit.

 

"King?" Johnson asked as two more soldiers walked into the room while Camay headed to check the injured trooper. In reluctance, King then turned to the Colonel. "Rumpole is dead sir. We managed to bring Woodley back but I don't think she will be able to fight for now".

 

Camay nodded her agreement to Johnson. He quickly concluded that it was the only possible decision, although it would most likely mean their death. Turning to King he replied. "I'm sorry King. We will have to leave behind the critically wound or that can't move. We'll leave them weapons. They will try to have to survive as they can".

 

"Colonel, I request permission to stay behind with the injured". King's response came immediately. Deschamps's voice came next. "The corporal is speaking for the rest of the squad sir. Remaining members of Omega requesting permission to protect them and slow down the alien reinforcements, including Private Deschamps".

 

Johnson didn't know what to reply. He looked at Logan, the last soldier who shook his head. "I'll prefer go get back to my squad if you don't mind Colonel, but it's your decision".

 

"Alpha is still short on one after their casualties. You'll round them up, move up since they're already...".

 

"Holy shit" White's voice made them all quiet. He had been monitoring the channels of the platoons that had already gone below. "There's some major fighting going down there"

 

**********

 

"Men, did we really had to be the first also on this?" Jones question went unanswered as the Chryssalid moved into the room where he and Pershing were. First Platoon had engaged the enemy from the minute they had stepped on the underground level after a lift trip that took some seconds.

 

The whole area seemed to be crawling with aliens ready for them. Soldiers had died the second they had stepped into the lift, cut by plasma fire from Ethereals who were guarding it. Others had been mind-controlled and had to be killed by hesitant companions as they started to shoot upon their teammates.

 

And the minute they had killed the Ethereals, one of the two-legged furry Reapers had dashed from the chamber where he and Pershing were now standing. Its eyes were bloodshot beneath the metal bands it had covering its head.

 

It had died on the corridor that linked the lift to the room where they were now, with its death wails barely audible as it was met with a wall of plasma and laser fire. But it seemed that it wasn't alone.

 

The Chryssalid moved around one cylinder whose glassy inside was lit in red. There were four of them spread on the corners of the room's square inner configuration.

 

The moment it became visible to both soldiers they immediately reacted. But as Jones' laser rifle fired the alien creature jumped to the right and took cover beyond the cylinder. The beam of light briefly lit the long corridor from which the thing had come.

 

Pershing managed to correct his aim at the fleeing figure but the burst from his heavy plasma simply hit the cylinder. The material evaporated at the contact with the ionized particles leaving a cloud of quick dissipating smoke.

 

From which the Chryssalid came running at both of them, its gray dark body gleaming from the moisture still on the thing atmosphere.

 

Pershing tried but he wasn't fast enough to hit the creature again. Nearly sidestepping every movement he made with his arm the Chryssalid raised its clawed upper limbs in anticipation for the strike.

 

Desperately firing his laser rifle at the creature Jones was so close that he couldn't miss. The red beam burned the alien's tough carapace at its torso but it failed to stop its movement.

 

Turning at the last possible moment to avoid the blast from Pershing's heavy plasma it stepped into range of him. Throwing its limbs around Pershing it seemed to actually being giving the human a hug. However it was a deadly one. The sharp end of ovipositor it carried on its torso's middle section breached into Pershing's chest armor and through the muscle tissue of his chest. The soldier gave a scream that chilled Jones and it released itself from the Chryssalids embrace a moment later.

 

As the alien stepped back it was caught by the beam coming from Jones laser rifle, which panic had started to fire at everything in panic.

 

The Chryssalid turned in pain to face its human opponent with a claw ready to strike but it was too late. As Jones kept his finger on the trigger the weapon went into auto mode releasing more than a dozen shots into the alien. As it dropped to the ground, Jones' rifle also went dead after the uncontrolled firing had burned the conductive material inside the barrel of the weapon.

 

He stood there watching the dead creature until he felt a Pershing moving on his left and turned towards the soldier.

 

The midsection of Pershing's armor now had a hole that burned crimson from the blood that was leaking from it. The bleeding was getting bad as the flow of blood turned brown at the sides but kept going down and coloring the armored legs in red. "Pershing! Jesus" Jones reached to grab a canister of sealant on his belt. But when the other trooper started to walk towards him moving his arms and legs as if he was a puppet he realized that the alien had impregnated the soldier.

 

Something refrained Jones from firing and instead he threw the canister that he was holding on his left hand. The container broke against the helmet of the zombie and released its content.

 

As the gel solidified it made the zombie blind. Frantically the human figure tried ineffectively to scrap it off the visor of the helmet until finally it managed to lift the faceplate. The bloated and dead look of Pershing's eyes stared at Jones and he finally found the courage to press the trigger on his laser rifle's handle.

 

**********

 

By the time Johnson and the rest of his squad got down, the chamber of the lift was bathed in dim green. Light coming from of plasma weapon's fire came from the corridors. The bodies of three X-Com soldiers could be seen in the room, one so close that its white arm was placed over the lightened floor of the lift. Alien bodies could be seen on most of the corridor's four entrances: red robbed Ethereals, the purple uniform mass of a Celatid as it rested dead against the metal floor and even a scorched hide of a Reaper.

 

As he stepped to the corridor to try to understand how the situation was he spotted a figure standing away and holding the long tube of a blaster launcher. However, unlike the ovoid carapace of a power suit a lean silhouette could be seen. Crossett issued a warning as jumped from behind Johnson and brought up his heavy plasma. Unfortunately the Ethereal moved away as the green bolt flew down the corridor into it and disappeared into the darkness. "We need to evacuate this place"

 

Markovitch immediately started ordering the soldiers towards another corridor. When she stopped at entrance of it Johnson turned to her coming from behind and said: "Keep going"

 

"There are still troopers coming down the lift" She protested as he pushed her.

 

"Krenon, stay behind" He ordered to the Sergeant as she finally started also to move. "You're much too valuable and you have to lead the way" He explained a moment later, right before they had stepped into a dark cave. As they looked around they saw tall mounds looking like dark earth. A fluorescence was up in the air providing the few available light.

 

There were strange plants on the ground, brightly colored of several colors and also at the top of the mounds, with weird branches coming down from the eight feet tall tops of the elevations. It seemed to Johnson that they had just stepped into the entrance of a maze. Soldiers of First Platoon could be seen slowly moving between. He asked on the radio. "Jerrel, what's your status?"

 

"Lots of aliens here sir...Ethereals and some sliding hard creature that seems more a plant". A tremor told Johnson that something big had just exploded near him. Crossett had also started to react to something and he got down and sought cover with everybody else doing the same or firing. Turning to Markovitch he said. "Get moving"

 

She stood next to him holding her plasma rifle upwards to what Johnson had now seemed to be an Ethereal on the top of one mound. "But to where? And you have to come also"

 

"For now please don't worry about me, Sheila. Just get to the Brain". The radio channel went open but Johnson heard no sound for one second. Then she called. "Krenon fall up on me, let's go"

 

**********

 

Where are you? As the question run through Markovitch's mind she felt a strange commotion, as if the creature that they were looking had just stirred.

 

She was sure that they were approaching it even if it seemed that they were walking without a fixed direction. As the remains of her platoon moved across the labyrinth of corridors and chambers that was buried below the City she could tell that they were getting closer.

 

Even the Ethereals and the other monsters that were defending the underground seemed be fighting more fiercely in their attempts to stop the X-Com troopers. They had gotten out of the maze garden after a vicious fight with the aliens on it but had finally cleared it into reaching again a metal wall corridor. From there they had run in what seemed even to her to be turns with no sense. She just hoped that the soldiers couldn't feel her confusion as she noticed in mistakes she was making.

 

She had taken again the lead of the group of soldiers that now had started to move across a large white corridor. Sergeant Krenon and Bragg were right behind her and occasionally she would fell their fear and apprehension. But it didn't distract her. While being on a base filled with aliens the human feelings gave her an anchor that allowed her to clearly filter the rest of the sensations that her psionic abilities detected.

 

"Captain, I'm staying behind with Dare". Camay's voice came through the helmet's headphones. Stopping her march she turned towards the back of the small group and found the paramedic holding the injured soldier against one of the walls. "He's slowing us down".

 

"Can't get a better excuse to be alone with me Zeera? This is getting into a habit". Dare's comment revealed the exhaustion of the soldier. Markovitch shook her head. "No one stays..."

 

"Contact" The warning came as the light of Krenon's heavy laser filled the section of the corridor where they were standing. As she turned, the dreadful figure of a skeletal Chryssalid running towards their direction made her cringe.

 

Krenon's first shot had missed and hit the wall at the end of the corridor. However, the alien was too far away to be able to clear the distance that separate it from the soldiers and perform one of its obscene attacks. The confined space of the passageway soon was filled with energized photons and ionized particles as the soldiers fired nearly blindly towards the creature. It didn't even managed to clear half the distance to the humans before it several shots hit it. The Chryssalid's head bumped into one of the walls as the ghastly figure felt to the side.

 

"That solves the issue. Move out" The group kept advancing and as they reached the corner Markovitch's heart leaped as she looked into the new corridor. It was about as long as the one that they had just transverse but now there were a set of doors built into its middle. The entrance seemed wide enough to allow the Sectopod on was in front of it to pass through.

 

With a movement of her hand she ordered everybody to stay put. The machine had its back turned towards them and wasn't aware of their presence since it stood motionless in front of the door.

 

She motioned to Krenon to come up to the front and made also a gesture with the index and the middle finger bent to represent the presence of one of the alien tanks. Camay also stepped up since she had a laser rifle. Even that would make more damage on the Sectopod than her plasma rifle.

 

When both troopers got themselves into position, Krenon called after mentally counting three seconds. "Three" The trace left in the retina by the twin laser shots shown it to be the first but by the time they appeared they had already hit the back of the machine. The Sectopod's legs immediately froze upwards as if the machine had taken an electric shock. A moment later it felt forwards, with the torso hitting the metal floor.

 

Krenon and Camay waited for a moment to see if the alien was obscuring any aliens standing close. When no motion appeared they started to cautiously move step by step. Markovitch followed them until they all reached the location of the dead machine, which was blocking most of the corridor.

 

Including the distinct rectangular shape of an alien door, with a thick line defining its edges. The entrance was about ten feet wide and wide enough for the alien tank to sweep through. And, fortunately it hadn't activated it on its fall. As Markovitch looked to the door a strange commotion went through her. "It's here". She said without thinking it.

 

**********

 

"We got company" Johnson and his squad had just stepped out of the maze of subterranean gardens and into a corridor. They were getting close to the area marked by Markovitch as the Brain's chamber and they had to take the right perpendicular corridor to this one. But as Crossett had first stepped into the passageway he had immediately turned his heavy plasma to the left side and fired a blast.

 

At the end of the corridor a couple of Ethereals were plainly visible and holding heavy plasmas. He stopped to fire but Patterson immediately pushed him towards the side corridor that would lead him to the position she had marked.

 

Before the wall hid his vision of the three soldiers he saw White also standing up and using his laser rifle to supplement the other trooper's fire. A couple of seconds later both Patterson and White disengaged while Crossett stood behind.

 

As they moved to join him at the middle section Patterson said with satisfaction. "Got one of the bas..." A sizzling sound made him stop on the middle of the sentence and turn backwards.

 

Johnson also saw Crossett freezing into place and holding his heavy plasma by the barrel as if it was a baseball stick. His swing with the weapon hit the blaster bomb as it stopped a couple of feet in front of him to negotiate the corner.

 

The detonation made Crossett's body to disintegrate in the air, sending metal and flesh everywhere. It also projected Patterson and White against Johnson and the three troopers felt on the ground.

 

When he managed to get out from below the Major's armored figure he saw that the blast had killed him. The air of the power suit was coming in a haze from a hole in Patterson's helmet that revealed dead eyes. Crossett seemed to have sublimated on the air with no trace of him left except for the dark matter that littered the walls of the corridor and the few remaining pieces of armor. Only White seemed to be left alive as he stirred while laying against his stomach on the ground.

 

As he used his arms to lift himself up from the floor, he called on the radio. "This is Sigma. We need assistance to the west of the garden structure".

 

**********

 

The three remaining members of Alpha squad had finally reached the clear back of a storage room after passing through a dark garden more akin to a deadly maze. However as they started to check their position movement across the other room's end flared up their adrenaline again. But as they spotted the turtle sight of a dirty power suit they brought their weapons down. "Logan, Epsilon".

 

Captain Jerrel replied. "Where's the rest of Alpha?"

 

"We got ambushed by two Sectopods and some Chryssalids. They didn't make it". The soldier's armor showed a number of plasma hits that had burned the metal alloys. In some cases blue sealant had been poured over them. It had also some dark organic liquid that had been spilled over it. It some cases the blotches were superimposed and it revealed it to be of a violet color.

 

"The Sarge's is dead?" Jones quickly asked as he turned to Logan. "Tenga sus almas". Rodriguez said softly afterwards in a prayer. Johnson's called erupted on the general radio channel. Jerrel started to determine their position as Johnson described his location. But Logan figured it out a moment before. "I got an Ethereal close that was standing in a corridor holding a blaster launcher. And it's inside their possible locations".

 

Some minutes later they had arrived at the portion of the corridor that had been gutted by the blast and had found Johnson on his knees but holding a heavy plasma at them. One body was at the ground while White was seated against a wall but holding his weapon. "Sir" Jerrel approached him. "How are you?"

 

"Patterson and Crossett are dead". He was tired of all the deaths but he knew he had to continue, no matter the cost. "White's leg still has a large piece of metal inside both the muscle and the gel". The Captain looked to the sides in search of the missing body. "He's gone. I was waiting for you to appear. Get someone to help White. I think I where Captain Markovitch is. She has just broadcast me something strange that might what we're here to look for".

 

********

 

The thunderous sound kept increasing in volume, coming from a side corridor as Hopkins ordered Levine and Sharpe to stay put. Something big was running towards the direction of the corridor where they were walking. They stopped after a plasma dart had flowed in front of them, in no doubt aimed at an unlucky soldier to their right. It was big and armed.

 

In the chaos of the descent into the subterranean level they had simply rushed away from the lift chamber into an area where they could use their blaster launchers. Joey had died on the attempt as the plasma bolt fired from one Ethereal had hit him on the back as he tried to reach the exit corridor. From there they had tried to link up with First Platoon and the Colonel but either they were completely lost or it simply didn't made sense.

 

Looking down at his blaster launcher Hopkins felt frustration. Whatever was coming down from the left it would be too close for him to use the weapon without serious risk for the three of them. Levine had a heavy plasma but Sharpe had also a launcher leaving both of them only with their sidearms. Dropping the launcher into the ground, Hopkins took his laser pistol from the holster on his belt and held it with both hands. Next to him Sharpe did the same and took out a plasma pistol and a grenade.

 

As the armored pads finally moved into sight Hopkins wished that they still had Joey and his heavy laser. The legs of a Sectopod appeared first and the red visor of tall ovoid body followed quickly.

 

As the barrel of Levine's weapon was set ablaze by the green lightning coming out from it, the white side of the alien's torso became filled a second later with plasma. Sharpe's grenade followed a moment later hitting its leg and detonating with a noiseless flash as Hopkins fired his pistol.

 

The discharges made the alien tank falter its forward movement but they didn't kill it. It swiveled its body towards the troopers to bring its twin plasma cannons into line with the humans' direction, firing before they could even move an inch.

 

Either by chance or deliberate purpose Levine caught both shots, one on his left arm and the other oh his chest. The soldier felt backwards from his kneeled position with his heavy plasma still on his right arm.

 

Both Hopkins and Sharpe continued to fire their pistols at the armored monster. Hopkins desperately sought to hit the red visor, where even the weak power of his laser pistol could cause critical damage to the machine's circuitry. Instead both soldiers only managed to score more hits against the Sectopods thick armor but which didn't seem to cause visible damage besides scorching in several different locations.

 

The green flash of its cannons was visible again, and this time Sharpe had been its target. One bolt hit the wall on their back but the second caught the trooper's shoulder and send him spinning backwards before he also felt down.

 

Finding himself alone against the Sectopod Hopkins felt a strange feeling of déjà vu. But it quickly vanished as he fired his laser pistol again, followed by Levine who somehow had managed to survive and was firing his heavy plasma from the ground with only one hand.

 

This time his aim was right. The red visor shattered as the laser beam from his pistol hit it squarely, with fragments raining down into the metal floor. Levine's plasma fire also added to the destruction, managing to hit the machine in the area the body connected to the legs where its armor was thinnest. The Sectopod tumbled to the left side, with the oval body hitting the wall as it felt downwards.

 

**********

[FullAuto]

Johnson's and Alpha reunion with Markovitch's platoon at the doors took occurred some time later. She had deployed two troopers at both ends of the corridor while the rest were guarding the doors. As they passed by and approached her position he asked. "Any movement?"

 

She didn't reply for a second as she had only wished to go and pick him up when she heard his distress call on the radio. The decision to stay had been hard to take. "The inside is quiet but we've detected some movement inside. And Krenon has seen movement of Sectopods to the south".

 

"I think we slipped through their defense line. They must be looking for us".

 

"We kept out of the door like you ordered".

 

"White has helped me in tracking or path. I believe we are below that large formation for the northeast of the city. The one that looks as a Fort but it's completely ruined?"

 

"You think they did it on purpose? Putting on a place that they knew we'd overlook?"

 

"Let's go and find out. How many people you got left?"

 

"Me and six. Dare is hurt. He can fight but he can't realty move".

 

"That makes us twelve who can move. White is in the same condition as Dare. They'll stay behind to cover us". She nodded both in acceptance of the orders to get ready as for reluctance to leave the soldiers beyond. At least King had bought them some more time by blowing the corridors and blocking them with tons of rock and rubble. Would they all be able to survive?

 

"The hovertank would have been handy to go through these doors if we hadn't lost it! They're about the size". His comment seemed absurd in the situation to her. "Right! We'd only have to figure how to squeeze it through the doors upstairs" He looked at her shocked for an instant but then let go of a small laugh.

 

As he passed her she butted her plasma rifle against his suit's back. "Knock it off" He called before ordering Jerrel to assemble the soldiers.

 

When both doors opened they found them to lead into a long dark corridor fifty yards long.

 

It ended in a T for there was a pair of opposite light sources at the end, whose reddish glow was illuminating the end of the corridor. No aliens were visible on sight.

 

A pair of X-Com soldiers started to cover the distance, followed by another identical set of soldiers. Jones hadn't understood why he had also volunteered to go first as Logan had stepped in the front. His laser plasma looked puny when compared to the heavy plasma Logan was carrying on both hands.

 

They both went off at the same time as a pair of Ethereals appeared in front of them, nearly mimicking the human pair with their weapons on their arms.

 

However, the aliens weren't ready for the soldiers for their response was not immediate. In any case they scored better that either Logan or Jones, whose shots didn't looked as if they had touched the aliens for no result was visible.

 

The first plasma blast hit Logan while the second barely missed Jones again. Their motion started to stop but both troopers knew that they had to continue.

 

Pulling a grenade from his belt Logan started racing down the corridor while Jones looked in shock. "You crazy..."

 

"See if I survive the second" Jones looked at a mist trailing off from Logan as the soldier kept approaching the aliens. His suit must be having another leak meaning that probably he had been injured.

 

Ahead a second blast caught Logan on his chest, again burning through his armor. But he grinned to himself despite the pain he was feeling and the shots that grazed off him as he was in a zigzag that made it hard for the aliens to target him.

 

A few seconds later an explosion rocked the end of the corridor with debris flowing over the entire team

 

When Johnson reached the T-junction he found Logan's power suit on the ground together with the figures of two dead Ethereals. The corridor ended at two smaller ones, both with a lift that was capable of bringing up person upwards. As they kept the top under complete surveillance, the soldiers started to get upwards.

 

Johnson and Markovitch finally reached the Brain's chamber, after both took the lifts at the same time, their first sight was of Bartfast running in front of them before being gutted by plasma fire coming from the depths of the room.

 

The walls of the room were dark and were covered with organic matter that gave a dimmed blue glow. In front of them they saw endless rows of blue chairs, all disposed in a semi-circular fashion and facing something terrible at the end of the room.

 

Markovitch froze into position as she contemplated the alien Brain, a monstrosity that was resting on top of a large platform almost a hundred years away. It consisted of a mass of sweaty leathery flesh nearly the size of a station wagon. Next to it a variety of alien equipment rested against the wall behind and around the giant alien. Branches from which strange leaves sprouted came from the ground and the walls. The organic mass seemed to be connected to the machinery, making it almost impossible to tell the difference between both.

 

Her next vision was of the metal ground as Johnson pushed her away from the elevators to the closest line of chairs. Her plasma rifle dropped to the ground with the sudden movement but she was too absorbed by the inhuman figure to notice.

 

More X-Com troopers poured out of the lifts and moved to join them, some firing back at the Ethereals who were fiercely defending the room. Next to her, Johnson rose from his position and shot an auto burst from his heavy plasma that hit one of the aliens standing five rows away from them.

 

The creature let go of a high-tone scream but returned his fire, blowing one of the seats close to Markovitch. Getting back next to her Johnson called: "There's too many of them. We have to suppress them if we want to get closer to the Brain". Stepping back into the open he discharged a round against the back wall, punching through one of the metal structures on the left.

 

It only made a pair of Ethereals to change their aim towards him and he as he dove back they both braced against the ground as the chairs were blown apart. Clearing her head she replied: "That thing is calling for reinforcements Erwin. I can feel it. We need to kill it otherwise we are going to be trapped here".

 

Activating the general channel, Johnson called. "Hopkins where's your platoon? We need some help up here".

 

First only static replied to him but it was soon followed by the sound of someone taking deep breaths. "Colonel, we have been cut off from your position by a number of Sectopods that irrupted on the eastern flank. Sorry but we can't reach you".

 

"Anyone can reach our position and give us support?" His voice came between a plea and an order. Nobody answered, either they were too busy or they were either dead.

 

They needed to get closer to be able to hit it on the correct spot before the men that had been left behind to guard the corridor where overwhelmed. Markovitch reached for her backpack and removed a cylindrical object with a metal hand on one end and jagged edges on the other one. It was a psi-amp.

 

"Sheila what are you going to do???" He asked as he noticed it, surprised that she had brought one of the devices with her. They had only been assigned to the members of Psi squad, who were twenty miles away on the Pyramid trying to survive with the rest of Bear team or already dead. They sure could use them down here to try to coordinate the platoons.

 

"These Ethereals are killing us". She barely paused to reply to him as she connected the power cord to her suit and the neural transmitter to the sock built into her arm. "We need some advantage".

 

Getting up quickly, she pointed the jagged end of the psi-amp towards an area were a group of Ethereals were clustered and projected her mind.

 

As she pressed her attack, one of the aliens seemed to be caught by surprise by the mind attack and she concentrated on that singular Ethereal. Its mental defenses collapsed and she quickly found herself in control of its body, using the heavy plasma it was carrying to cut down the aliens close to it.

 

Through the eyes of the alien she saw the X-Com troopers taking advantage of her initiative to move towards her and started to turn to face more of the tall aliens.

 

When suddenly an unexpected presence stepped inside the Ethereal's mind, overwhelming her control and almost breaking the mental connection. Her forehead started to ache with a thundering pain, almost bringing her down to her knees as she looked forward and realized in horror what had just happened.

 

The Brain must have detected her attack and had moved to overcome it. A buzz started to be hear on her ears and as she tried to take a step forward she noticed that she had lost nearly all sense of balance, making her walk like if she was in a drunken stupor.

 

"Sheila, what's wrong?" Johnson had stopped his advance and was looking back at her. She managed to find the strength to shout and point the psi-amp at another Ethereal who was standing in halfway between the lifts and the Brain. "Keep moving"

 

Pressing the trigger on the psi-amp she sent another mental attack that was successful but this time she had problems feeling the alien's body making it difficult for her to fully control it. Closing her eyes she gave it another try.

 

Around her, the X-Com troopers that had also managed to get to the chamber had crossed one third of the room. But even with Markovitch's help they were taking tremendous casualties. Gamma squad, reduced to Captain Jerrel, Jones and Rodriguez, after the death of Pershing at the claws of a Chryssalid, was trying to move closer to Johnson and Markovitch's position.

 

Suddenly, a stray plasma blast hit Captain's Jerrel's helmet as he was racing towards Jones and Rodriguez's cover beneath a row of the blue chairs. His head was projected to one side but the damage didn't seem to be that great. Jones watched as he regained his balance and thought that he would keep his path towards them.

 

Then a pleading cry startled him: "Ahhhhhhhhhhh"

 

The scream was suddenly heard over the squad's channel. Then it was suddenly cut off as the officer's suit decompressed after the breach suffered by the helmet. The faceplate exploded outwards, spreading the dry bloody remains of Jerrel's face together with broken plastic fragments from his visor.

 

"Captain" Jones started to get up and rush towards the fallen body but Rodriguez's grip prevented him.

 

Meanwhile, as the Brain's overwhelming presence started to be felt away by Markovitch, she desperately tried to do something as her neural cells started to scream and ache from the tremendous pressure applied to them.

 

The touch of a circular object on the creature's waist gave her a last effort chance. Concentrating instead on the free arm of the Ethereal, she finally felt it perform the motion she was attempting.

 

A beeping sound from Johnson's heavy plasma told him that he had just run out of ammunition. Using his right hand he unclipped the empty cartridge from its place at the butt of the cannon and reached for a fresh one on his belt.

 

In horror he remembered that he had no more banana shaped clips left. Looking around to see if he could retrieve a weapon from a fallen alien, he saw that an Ethereal in the front was readying a grenade to toss at them with its left hand.

 

The alien raised its roped arm to throw the explosive but as it was halfway through the motion, a blinding flash activated the light suppressors on his helmet, leaving him blind for half a second.

 

When his visor depolarized, his eyes were still full of dancing circles and geometrical figures. Blinking his eyelids he dropped again to the precarious cover of the seats while he recovered. As he pressed his power suit against the row, he saw Markovitch on the one directly beneath him. "Was that you?"

 

His question went unnoticed by Markovitch. She was looking directly at the Brain. It was still too far away to use grenades to kill it and the aliens were fiercely taking down anyone that attempted to fire directly at him. On her right, Sergeant Krenon had just taken a number of hits after he had discharged a salvo from his heavy laser at the monstrous thing. Again, they had hit the machinery close to it but they hadn't touched the Brain.

 

Then a thought came to her mind as the recollection of how Mutons died if their mental link with the Ethereals was cut down. Pointing her psi-amp directly at the Brain, she hoped that it would work.

 

Before she pressed the trigger, Johnson raised his hand to her as if to stop her and asked: "What are you doing now?"

 

"The Brain is the whole key, you said it. If we can control it....". She didn't finish the sentence as she activated the psi-amp, projecting her mental image in the mass of flesh.

 

Only to hit the mental equivalent of a wall made of stone and recoil back, filling her with unbearable pain. She clumsy fell limp to the floor, as all of the nerves in her body stopped to transmit synapses for a second. The Brain seemed too strong.

 

"Sheila" She ignored his call and raised her arm once more. "Stop"

 

Drawing an imaginary line on the mental wall that she had just encountered, she concentrated all of her effort into cracking the immense power of the Brain and cutting an opening.

 

A flood of new sensations invaded her senses, making her ignore the pain. They were too alien to be understood but for a brief moment she felt every alien and ship that there was present on the Solar System. And she also sensed more, sending her dozens of light years away, to a place filled with other presences Brain like, including one closer but which seemed dormant.

 

In horror she realized where she was and tried to speak: "There's..."

 

Now, fully alert to her the alien Brain reacted to her presence, with his mental powers sending repulsion and fear vibrated all across the room. As it hit her she nearly panicked but kept trying to contain its response. Until she found it impossible as a bright light filled her eyes and seemed to cut through her own brain cells, causing both to shut down permanently.

 

"Sheila! Sheila" Johnson had just drawn his plasma pistol from his belt when she suddenly felt down to the ground. Turning her, he used his left hand to lift her torso from the ground and looked at her helmet.

 

The eyes behind the visor were open but dead and her mouth was expressionless. With a metallic sound, the psi-amp dropped from her hand and hit the ground. Drawing his medikit he placed it upon her and checked her vital signals. Zero pulse, zero respiration, and minimal brain activity with signs of massive trauma.

 

"Somebody help me" Tears came rolling down his face and neck, disappearing on the inside of his suit.

 

Markovitch's attack had momentarily distracted the Ethereals in the room. Jones and Rodriguez, together with the few remaining X-Com soldiers, had taken the opportunity and killed a number of them as they stopped fighting.

 

Racing from the right side Camay covered space to Johnson with a powered slide over the ground with her flying suit. They were starting to move forward to finally try to kill the Brain. But a cry of pain on the general radio made them look to the center of their line and see as the Colonel rose from the ground. Camay stood nearby shaking her head as she removed the medikit from Markovitch's body.

 

Something was buzzing on Johnson's mind but he ignored it, together with the Ethereals that were still in the room firing at the X-Com troopers. Activating the anti-gravity device on his flying suit, he used it to take a giant leap to the front of the chamber, over the seats.

 

A plasma shot hit him on his right arm as he flew, but he ignored it. The vision of the machinery and organic flesh suddenly enlarged as he crossed the more than one hundred feet still separating him from the Brain in a number of seconds.

 

Landing in the empty space between the Brain's platform and the machinery that supported it, he immediately started to raise his plasma pistol the alien. The mass of leathery pink flesh had dark glossy eyes spread all over its surface, in the middle of large blue veins. One of them was facing Johnson directly and he knew that it was watching him.

 

But as he was about to press the trigger, images started to flash through his eyes.

 

He saw himself standing near one of the pyramids overhead that was gleaming with a silverish tone. Instead of its pinkish tone, the Martian sky was now of a friendly blue, crisscrossed with clouds and the landscape was covered with green vegetation.

 

It spoke briefly of the grandeur of the civilization that had built Cydonia millions of years ago and how the aliens had been responsible for it. It told Johnson that it was also Earth's destiny to join now their alien fathers.

 

He saw images of alien scouts landing on Earth and of primitive humans being used in genetic experiments by the aliens. Each time they would appear more developed, as they started to walk more upright and use their hands. Fire appeared and the aliens also showed the humans how to grow cereals and domesticate cattle. Until finally, he saw humans and aliens together in the bridge of an alien ship, working together.

 

The voice spoke of the great powers and skills that Earth would benefit from their cooperation from with the aliens. Hunger, strife, disease, war, pollution and overpopulation would all be eradicated and mankind would take a major technological leap as they would benefit from the technology and resources of the alien empire, which stretch itself across the galaxy.

 

The more the words from the Brain sounded on his mind, the more Johnson found them suggestive, appealing, as if he had heard the voice before. In a flash he recognized where he had heard it: Sheila!

 

The green bolt cut through the alien flesh like a hot knife on warm butter making the organic mass shutter. A brownish goo started to flow from the feet long wound that the plasma pistol had just cut through the leathery skin, revealing the insides of the alien Brain. The end of the barrel of the weapon glowed green as more shots came out of it and sliced through the creature, revealing electronic components and internal organs on the inside.

 

The voice finally stopped after releasing a scream of pain that echoed the one he was feeling. But as Johnson was about to fire again at the thing, his back started to burn with pain and he felt it difficult to breath. Time seemed to stop as he tried to turn around to face the alien who had just wounded him.

 

A hissing noise told him that the suit had been breached by the plasma and the coldness he was feeling from his back could only meant that the injury was exposed to the Martian atmosphere. He realized that he would die unless he could stop the oxygen leak and the bleeding. Reaching for his belt he brought out one of the canisters of the sealing gel to close the hole on his suit.

 

But he never had a chance to use it. A second shot twisted his guts as he completed the motion and saw an Ethereal ten feet away from him, still holding its heavy plasma. The coldness started to expand to his chest and he stopped feeling his legs. The canister felt from his hands and into the floor, breaking as it hit the metal surface and the contents quickly turned into solid across the surface.

 

Falling to his left, he used his arms to soften the landing. He expected the caped figure to fire the weapon again, but instead it raced across him as both his hands touched the ground with his body following afterwards.

 

Looking at the alien direction while he was on the ground, he saw it over a control panel close to the dead Brain. The hood of the cape was down, allowing him to see the bald gray back of the alien's head. The creature was apparently doing something and before Johnson could stop it, a red light started to blink on the instrument board.

 

The Ethereal turned to Johnson with his mouth open, revealing his fangs. It looked at him briefly before a plasma shot took it on the chest making it land on the board. The machinery threw electrical sparks from the impact but it kept emanating the red light.

 

"Colonel" Jones and Rodriguez moved some seconds afterwards near Johnson and started to help him. "Camay get here on the double"

 

As his legs faltered both of them gently set him against the metal floor. White's voice was heard on the radio. "Colonel, Clark is still alive and airborne over us. He says that there are massive lights starting to glow from the Face a couple of seconds ago! And the hyperwave detector is going nuts"

 

Gathering the remains of his strength, he replied: "Tell him to destroy it" He coughed afterwards and felt a salty metallic taste on his mouth. Not good, he told himself.

 

Hearing White's affirmative, he turned to Jones and Rodriguez who were trying to help Camay contain his wounds. His voice came out ragged over the radio. "The...., the Captain?"

 

Rodriguez looked back at him: "Lie down sir. You are badly injured". The coldness had spread all over his body and he tried to grip the other trooper's shoulder but failed. "I'm... dying Rodriguez". He looked at the fallen figure of Markovitch where a trooper had kneeled next to her. "How is she?"

 

Rodriguez closed his eyes for a moment before replying. "She's gone sir". No, we are going to be together again in a few moments. And with those last words Johnson died, leaving the three soldiers hopeless as they tried to do everything to revive him.

 

 

 

The Pyramid, Cydonia, Mars

 

 

 

The death of the alien Brain had thrown the alien forces besieging Bear team inside the crater next to the massive pyramid into disarray. The aliens had stopped attacking and it seemed that there was wide panic inside their lines since groups of aliens would just run blindly into any direction. Illyuschenko was also assuming that the same was happing on the inside of the Pyramid although they couldn't tell now.

 

As soon as Tiger had reported that the Brain was instead at the City he had ordered the demolition of ground opening to the base by blaster launchers. That way they didn't had to worry about the base defenders while trying to survive the aliens that had been deployed by the UFOs.

 

Overhead, the air battle between the remaining Avengers and the UFOs had also been won by the human side, as the alien crafts stopped to perform maneuvers and turned into sitting ducks or failed to correct their trajectories, making them to plunge like a rock to the ground.

 

Initially, Illyuschenko had been surprised by the break up of the alien ranks but the call from Tiger had come informing them that the Brain had been killed. Major Patterson had also reported that the aliens had apparently managed to make a last transmission from the Face before the transmitter was destroyed by an aerial attack made performed by the remaining Avenger of Tiger team.

 

The less than fifty men and women who had survived the attack on the Pyramid had let go of a tremendous cheer when the announcement came of over the general channel. Illyuschenko had quickly put a stop to it and had everyone focus on their jobs, since there was still a vast group of aliens nearby their position.

 

Three days afterwards the fighting was all over on Mars. The remaining UFOs had either been shot out of the skies or crashed into the surface and the only aliens alive were the few ones who had run away from Cydonia. But they had no place to go to, since the base had been disabled by the X-Com soldiers who had removed all of the material that could be brought back to Earth and destroyed the rest.

 

Without any food or means to survive the aliens would just eventually die on the harsh Martian environment.

 

The news from Mother One confirmed that the death of the Brain had thrown the alien forces into disarray like it had been predicted. However, it also meant that the survivors of the Cydonia operation had to head back home and help the X-Com forces left beyond on Earth in defeating the remaining aliens.

 

 

 

March 10th, 2002

 

Earth

 

 

 

For the millions of human beings that could see the Moon, which was coming close to full, either on night or daylight, the news from the death of the alien Brain were noticeable about a day later.

 

The ones that by chance were looking directly at the Moon when the alien Mothership hit the surface of the asteroid witnessed a major eruption of light at the its surface. X-Com had been tracking the alien craft since it had just cleared into the near side of the satellite following the Moon's curvature. The soldiers left back on Earth had guessed the worse until they saw the craft failing to correct its path and being caught by the Moon's gravity. When it finally hit the Moon's surface the kinetic energy and the catastrophic release of the fuel contained on its massive Elerium engines was more than sufficient to obliterate the craft.

 

Although only few people on Earth could actually guess what had happened, the sight of the intense flare over a major section of its southern hemisphere that lasted for seconds was nothing something to be dismissed.

 

In a matter of hours the major and national networks had picked up the story on special news emissions. They were more than hunger to exploit more the matter of "alien activity" since almost all governments still avoided giving any specific information about what was going on. The incident quickly became tagged as "The Alien Disturbance on the Moon".

 

On the next weeks speculation went rampant as government officials tried to hide the fact that they also didn't had any idea of what had just happened, in order to try to prevent widespread panic. As they faced a full assault of enquiries their response would be: "The matter is still being considered" and abstain from any additional comments.

 

Which lead to only two other groups capable of trying to forward an explanation: the scientists and the public's opinion. And neither both groups managed to get a generally accepted theory. Discussion about if it was an asteroid or some sort of artificially provoked explosion moved to dominate all discussions, either on the television or between people. If it was an asteroid and if it had hit Earth it would probably have caused a cataclysm like the one that provoked the extinction of the dinosaurs. If it was artificial...well, then it was either a nuclear bomb set off against them or it was their way of expressing their power.

 

Only Mother One, X-Com's main base on Earth, knew the real truth, a little afterwards the explosion. But there were still alien forces on the planet that needed to be destroyed before they could cause more damage and unnecessary deaths to civilians.

 

These operations went go along well right from its start leading into the defeat of the remaining aliens on Earth. The alien fleet on the far side of the Moon had turned into chaos as several of the craft lost their positions on the satellite's orbit. The telescopes were tracking a number of them drifting away from Earth, and it seemed that there was nothing alive inside to guide them. Other UFOs had plunged into the Moon's surface including the mammoth ship, whose explosion from the impact had made a new crater on the satellite dozens of miles wide.

 

By the end of the month it had been decided by X-Com's High Command to inform the stunned national representatives of the Council of Funding Nations at the next monthly meeting for the organization's budget about the defeat inflicted to the aliens by X-Com on both Mars and Earth.

 

Six months later the Secretary General called for an extraordinary assembly of the United Nations and delivered a stunning speech that was broadcast live broadcast. He was accompanied by an X-Com officer in a dark gray dress uniform with thick dark hair and a youth that still could be seen behind the several scars on his face. On his collar he carried the golden skull on an X pin that identified him as the force's commander. Secretary General Bomaka first announced the existence of X-Com and explained briefly the duties and motives for which it had been created more than three years ago.

 

He then introduced the man next to him as Commander Boronin, the officer in charge of X-Com. Bomaka then gave the podium to Boronin who explained in brief phrases the Cydonia mission and how they had defeated the aliens on Earth and the Moon by killing the Brain on Mars. The Alien War was over.

[FullAuto]

Epilogue

 

 

 

October 12th, 1952

 

Area 51, Nevada, US

 

 

 

Looking at the B-29 bomber who was at the process of firing up its number four engine, a man wearing the uniform of an Air Force officer wondered at the amount of work that was still left to do. In the five years since the recovery of the first flying saucer he couldn't remember a day that he hadn't been working on the whole problem. By now he had been promoted from Major to a Colonel in the newly formed United States Air Force.

 

But no matter how much rank he climbed it only seemed that the challenges only increased. And the stakes had also risen. In the past months Washington had been the stage of an aerial display of UFOs and the media had picked up the story, giving too much work in debunking the whole matter.

 

The sound of the engine was nearly deafening him, so he moved back inside the newly built hangar were he was standing by the doors. At the same time the aluminum painted plane started to move in the taxiway towards the reinforced section of the dry lake that had been converted into a runway. That B-29 had brought the retrieved wreckage from Wright-Patterson AFB to the facility. It had been decided to keep it on a hidden military installation that the public had no knowledge of.

 

The German scientist came to meet him, his hands on his coats' pockets and with a thin smile on his lips.

 

"How do you find the facilities Doctor?" The officer asked more as a way to initiate the conversation since the man had personally defined what would be necessary to study the extraterrestrial craft.

 

"Excellent Colonel. I must say that I'm impressed by the few time it took for the construction of this base".

 

"Well, don't thank me only, send also your compliments to the US government". The scientist's attitude sometimes irritated the Colonel but there was nothing he could do about it. Millions of dollars were being poured every day into this special project and more were being spent on the other measures that were being taken by the White House. But the man's breakthroughs in reverse engineering the technology retrieved more than paid it off.

 

"The Brits are going to send one of their intelligence guys to take a look at the 'wagon' in a couple of weeks. You think you can have it reassembled by them?"

 

"It shouldn't be a problem at all Colonel. Do you wish also to show him the 'entities'"? The mention to the extraterrestrial bodies recovered from the crash site made the Colonel frown. Of all things they were presented the most problem: who were they and what did they wanted from Earth?

 

The live alien that had survived the crash hadn't been able to tell them very much or wasn't willing to. But unfortunately the thing had died weeks after it had been retrieved and the biologists were still trying to determine the cause of its death. "Yeah, get them out of the fridges when he arrives. We've been instructed to tell them the whole story".

 

"The English have been good allies in the war against my country, Colonel. I'm confident that they will fully understand the implications of this matter". The officer nodded, although he had heard the comment before from the scientist. They had engaged on long discussions about what should be made to deal with the extraterrestrials.

 

"They have stuck with us in the creation of NATO against the Russians. And everyone will surely follow our lead in case this situation leads into the unthinkable".

 

"Yes. Still we must be prepared for any eventuality". The Colonel wished that the whole situation in Korea wasn't so bad so that they could inform Stalin of what was going on. For him this was something that affected all of mankind and as such. Probably even the KGB had by now an idea that something else was behind the UFOs. But then again the possibility of war with Russia gave everyone an excuse to claim that an enemy was waiting to strike at them, making it easier to conceal the extraterrestrials' existence.

 

The scientist smiled in a sinister way. "We will Colonel. We will. In fact I have some ideas about what we might exactly do towards it".

 

 

 

March 9th, 2002

 

Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Earth

 

 

 

"Holy shit"

 

It was late in the evening and scientists in charge of SETI's research effort using the late antenna at Arecibo had been busier lately in packing up their material before leaving back to the United States than in monitoring possible alien signals from outer space. The whole project was being discarded, not because some bureaucrat had deemed it a useless waste of money, but because the scientific community was more inclined now into believing that extraterrestrial life did exist and was right here on Earth.

 

Unknown to the majority of the population and unrecognized by the world's countries, for three long years a secret war against an alien invasion had been fought in the Earth's atmosphere and on the ground. After the first encounters with the aggressors from outer space, the burden of the fight to defend mankind had been placed upon Extraterrestrial Command. More known as X-Com it was a multinational force tasked with the mission of investigating the alien threat and defeat them, allowing humankind to survive.

 

The fight had been brutal: the aliens were planning to take over Earth and to colonize it and in the pursuit of their intentions entire cities had been razed and thousands of people abducted for use in genetic experiments or simply as food. Hundreds of aircraft and thousands of human soldiers had been lost in the confrontations between Earth's forces and the aliens. Only the research efforts made by X-Com's scientists had leveled the technological abyss between the weapons used by its soldiers and the alien's deadly ones.

 

And the same scientific discoveries had allowed Earth's victory: X-Com had sent a mission sent to destroy the Brain in distant Mars, who controlled all the alien forces, using spacecraft built based on the UFOs. The troopers had successfully forced their way into the main Martian base and had just killed the Brain, an organic being that possessed huge mental powers and used them to coordinate the alien's actions.

 

But the two scientists back at Arecibo didn't know anything about what was going on distant Mars. The few reports of UFOs and military confrontations that reached the media had convinced the major research institutions to look for extraterrestrials not elsewhere, but here on Earth. Some of the major universities and corporations had already gotten into possession of claimed alien artifacts, put upon the black market by unknown sellers.

 

That had been the dead blow on SETI: the whole project was being axed and the two engineers present were only a clean-up crew. And more frustrating was the fact that it never had been able to pick up a signal from the aliens even though they existed.

 

Hearing the exclamation, the other scientist took his eyes off the magazine he was reading but he kept his feet on top of the desk, preferring to ignore the computer monitor in front of him. "What? Aren't you tired of looking at that?"

 

"Lucas, get over here! I think we have picked up something" The first scientist was clearly excited as he suddenly got out of his position and started to click up switches, performing system checks. Lucas reluctantly threw the magazine to a wastebasket on his side. "Cool down, Pat, you must have picked some military recon bird".

 

"Yeah? Then listen to this" He flicked a switch and the speakers mounted on the top of an electronic panel went live. The vibrations of a grave sound filled the room stopping Lucas, as he was about to get up. "What is that?"

 

"I don't know, but it's being transmitted over the entire radio spectrum, not confined to a single frequency. I think it's some sort of outburst that is bleeding so much energy that it actually is affecting the radio frequencies.

 

"A supernova just went active?" The first scientist asked as both of them started performing equipment checks and going through their checklist of actions to perform in case an unidentified signal was detected. "I've just confirmed, the signal is not coming from any Earth source. It's not a reflection"

 

"And it must be artificial: I'm picking modulation and a pattern although with heavy distortion. I think we just hit gold Lucas" The second scientist suddenly frowned as he looked upon the monitor.

 

"Wait a minute! I've just picked its source: this signal is coming from Mars" Pat looked at him is dismayed. "What?" Then both of them were left in a stupor as the sound suddenly ended, leaving only the static of the stars.

 

Unknown to both men, the X-Com troopers who were raiding the alien base on Mars had just killed one of the last aliens who was standing over a console, apparently activating some source of beacon aimed back to Earth.

 

They had been successful: the death of the Brain had brought the alien's forces on Earth into a chaos, the same way as a beehive dies as soon as the queen is killed. In the next months the news of the alien's existence and X-Com's victory were announced to a world that already knew part of the story.

 

X-Com's scientists tried to dechypher the message contained on the tachyon beacon but it proved impossible to make any sense of the alien signals. Finally, they decided that it was a call for reinforcements from Earth to defend Cydonia. Since by that time the remaining force on the planet had been defeated, the whole transmission lost its value and was quickly archived.

 

 

 

March 17th, 2002

 

Chryse Planitia, Mars

 

 

 

Illyuschenko would always remember the flight line of the Avengers who had survived the fighting. Most of them showed signs of damage, with weapons pods missing or patched holes in their fuselage. And less than half of the men and women are coming back.

 

As he kept walking in a more smooth terrain, his gaze turned instead to the burial graves that had been dug up on the Martian ground for the bodies of the X-Com soldiers. They didn't have space left on the Avengers to bring them along to Earth, so they had buried them on the soil where they had died.

 

So many died but it wasn't in vain. The voice was still tormenting him but now he could finally deal with it, giving him a new resolve. I've done my mission as a soldier. Now I need to do my final one.

 

Colonel Boronin had approached him from his left on that day. "General, the loading is complete. We are ready to go home". He waited for Illyuschenko's command but the Commander simply stood looking at the red Martian plain. "General?"

The easy way out, some might say. "Go Colonel. I'm staying. You have command of the force now".

 

"Sir??" Confusion came to Boronin's voice. "What do you mean?"

 

Starting to walk away from him, Illyuschenko replied. "When you go back tell the Secretary General and whom else wants to listen that they make sure that this don't repeat itself".

 

"You can't do that sir. Come back with us". Boronin's voice turned into a plea. "You've taken us through this whole thing. You can't just quit now".

 

Inside his helmet Illyuschenko knew that the other man couldn't see the smile that came up his lips. "Boronin. I've fought for the Soviet Union. I've fought for Earth. My life and war have always walked together. But now I'm choosing my own path: no more fighting. I've had enough for a lifetime".

 

"The men won't let you go, sir. Nobody will".

 

"That's why I'm asking you one last favor. Take off as soon as you can and pretend that I'm onboard one of the craft. When you're on your way tell them about my decision".

 

"Are you sure of this sir?" And Illyuschenko felt a great resolve inside him. He started walking away, following it. After a couple of steps, he stopped and turned to Boronin, who was now away from him. "Goodbye Colonel. It was a pleasure having you all under my orders. When you're back to Earth, tell the men and women back there on the Avengers that. Because of them Earth survived". He started to walk again, in the direction of a ridge.

 

Later, Boronin couldn't tell for long he stood there looking at the vanishing figure as it got smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared. He couldn't say anything so he gave one last look at the footprints on the red Martian soil before throwing a salute and heading back towards the Avengers.

 

But of that Illyuschenko knew nothing now. He had been walking for five days on his flying suit. He had brought his heavy plasma in case he ran into any alien that might have survived and one of inflatable tents on his back. He had decided to die as far as could from Cydonia and had also to avoid the aerial scans made by the Avengers for one Martian day, in a fruitless last-minute attempt to find him before they left the planet's orbit bound to Earth.

 

He had been waiting exactly that.

 

When he saw the lights of the Avengers taking off from Mars he had searched for a hole where he could hide and had found a crevasse on a nearby dry river bed that where he could fit together with his equipment. Once he was inside he had disconnected all power to his suit besides the minimum to maintain the oxygen recycling. He made it so that they couldn't detect him by tachyon emission from the small Elerium engine on his suit. The glacial coldness of the Mars landscape started to be felt inside the suit but he ignored the cold. He had lived in worse conditions that this on Afghanistan.

 

After he had gotten himself out of the hole he continued to walk. It wouldn't matter to Illyuschenko anyway where he died.

 

Four days after he knew that the Elerium fuel was almost exhausted. Hours ago he had taken his last reading of how for much time his suit would work out and provide him with energy to move itself and with oxygen to live. He had abandoned all his gear at the base of a rockier terrain where several boulders and creaks could be seen and had started to climb into the irregular terrain.

 

As he entered it more and more a mist started to form by his legs and he actually noticed that the atmospheric temperature had gone up although it was still below the water icing level. He ignored it after a brief seconds.

 

By his calculations he didn't knew how much time he had still left. As he walked from boulder to boulder and crossed cracks on the ground he tried to cover as much terrain as he could.

 

The mist had gotten itself thicker, with large clouds floating a few feet over Illyuschenko's head and obscuring the rocks. The dark shapes made him stop a couple of times as it looked to him that he had seen alien or human figures hidden in the mist.

 

A part of his brain tried to warn they couldn't be real but he was already lost in remembrances of dead faces spread all over his past, from Afghanistan to his wife and X-Com. He knew he would die of hypoxia in a dead suit that didn't allow him to move much because of its weight. He wondered how painful it would be.

 

Making him miss the ice that now was filling the ground as he kept running. As he stepped with his left foot near a giant crack on the terrain, the metal of his armor made it slip. He felt towards the crevasse that only revealed darkness. One of his arms outstretched and grabbed a piece of rock but it was loose that he felt into the hole.

 

The fall lasted for several seconds through the crevasse. If Illyuschenko hadn't been wearing the flying suit he would have been killed. As it was he felt his body and head hitting the walls several times before he finally landed in pain.

 

As he stood on the floor of the place where he had felt the pain told him that he must had broken several ribs by the fall and also his right ankle and left hand. However as he tried to move his uninjured limbs he found that that he still had power left. In spite of the pain he tried to straighten himself up. As his right hand started to get a position on the ground to support the whole body, he found that the ground here was extremely irregular. Moving his head towards it he activated the lights mounted on the helmet's sides.

 

A golden light that was coming from every direction suddenly replaced the darkness. Illyuschenko had apparently fallen into an underground chamber filled with gold colored crystals on every wall.

 

There was no exit present that trying to climb back up but he wasn't thinking about it. Instead, he just sat down and stood watching the show before his eyes of the light of his suit being reflected millions of time and embedding with in a photon web.

 

There's beauty even here on the planet that represented the god of war. Maybe there was also some beauty in my life after all.

 

That thought lasted with him as the lights went dead after all of the fuel had been used and there was no more Elerium left on his suit to power it.

 

 

 

March 9th, 2012

 

Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States

 

 

 

On VC Day, the anniversary of the X-Com attack at the alien base on Cydonia, Captain Hunt usually made an excuse to take off the afternoon. However this year he simply drove from his house near Quantico Naval Base and rode to Arlington to see the graves of the X-Com soldiers buried there, and in particular Johnson and Markovitch's.

 

But there were so many others. None of the initial US team was alive anymore. But sometimes he would encounter one person who had also served under Johnson at Area 51.

 

However most of the US troops that had participated in the attack had died there or had retired. The few still in the military were now serving in separate military outfits scattered around the country and Hunt was the only one left at the Pentagon.

 

When he first arrived at Washington he had been looked upon with respect. Now it seemed that most of the personnel tended to ignore his service in the war and only show a slight interest if the matter was brought up.

 

He had been the commander of the North American area of operations until four years ago, when the remaining facilities had been dismantled and the personnel shipped off to positions more necessary. It had been for more than nine years since anyone had seen an alien on Earth or elsewhere and in the midst of the world's greatest financial crisis there were more pressing needs than to fund a useless and costly military operation.

 

X-Com was just not needed anymore, after all the blood it had given to Earth, Hunt still complained and rumbled. And he wasn't needed also.

 

As he walked around the corridors of crosses he found out that two men were standing already by the Colonel and the Captain's graves, with their backs to him. He joined them and kept a distance, while trying to see who they might be. The man closest to him was the tallest and looked to be on his thirties and wealthy as well.

 

He suddenly recognized some features that were mistakenly familiar, like the blonde hair and the shape of the nose. But only when the other man moved around to greet him was that he knew whose ghost he was looking at.

 

"Good afternoon, Captain Hunt, I presume that you recognize me?"

 

Hunt shook his eyes in disbelief. "Williams? Is that you? You were reported dead ten years ago"

 

The other man's voice dropped considerately. "Captain, I go by a different name now by many necessary reasons. However, may I present you my brother, Frederick Williams". Hunt now understood the similarities between both men. "He's the Mr. Williams now. You might have heard of him". The former CIA and X-Com analyst added.

 

The officer stood for a loss for a couple of seconds, but came about to what the man in front of him was getting at. "You mean 'the' Mr. Williams, the computer billionaire which made a fortune with computer built using alien technology?" He nodded. "Well, that explains some things, err, what should I call you now?"

 

"Smith. Mr. Smith, please Captain".

 

"Mr. Smith, right. So, ten years afterwards you decided to come out from whatever place you've been hiding since the end of the war". He looked at both graves. "Just paying your respects to Captain Johnson and Captain Markovitch?"

 

The other man made a weak smile. "Yes, and also to make sure that their blood wasn't spilt on Mars in vain. For a number of different reasons, if I stayed out in the open I would have been unable to act...or even be killed".

 

Hunt raised an eye. "You might as well have stayed dead. If you don't know, X-Com was nearly dismantled. The only things still operating are the underwater bases but even those do nothing more than try to retrieve UFOs that crashed on the water. But even that is likely to change, since the costs of running the operation are becoming more expansive than the value of the tiny amounts of Elerium retrieved".

 

One of the consequences of the alien's defeat had been the almost complete depletion of the Earth's Elerium stocks, since the element wasn't natural to the Solar System. Hunt knew this well.

 

Three years ago he had stepped again in the surface of Mars, leading the last operational Avenger into a mission to examine the remains of the alien base and look if there were any aliens or Elerium left on the planet. Then he had made a visit to the chamber that had housed the Brain and seen its dead carcass, dry from being exposed to the Martian atmosphere. He wished that he had been there but his platoon had been hold up against the aliens preventing them from reaching the room. When the fighting at the City had subsisted he had discovered that he was the senior officer left on Tiger team.

 

The entire search for Elerium on had been fruitless and there wasn't even enough of it now to power plasma weapons. With no power source available and the economy in shambles, all research into interstellar travel had been abandoned. The only Elerium available on the planet seemed to be the alien engines that had survived the crash into Earth's oceans.

 

"You are right Captain, but some things won't change".

 

"Yeah? Do you know how many people and planes we lost to mechanical problems after the war before I quit? Gosh, after I'm done here I'm going to make a stop at the marker for the Cydonia veterans that died when their Skyranger crashed into the North Atlantic three years ago. Not a single body or trace of the craft was ever recovered. And do you know what caused this and other accidents?"

 

"Lack of necessary funding" He spat out. "Anyone cared? No" His words came out in disgust.

 

"Or what about the war crimes tribunals everyone was talking about after the war, to punish those who collaborated with the aliens? Did anyone cared when the politicians worked out a diplomatically acceptable solution for that? Hell, for me they should even have put Vaughn on stand, but instead he just quits and nothing else is done".

 

"I share your thoughts about Vaughn. He was one of the worst presidents this nation ever had and I'd wished that there would be a way to mend things up".

 

"Mend things up" Hunt felt outrage. "Like the talk about the planned memorial for all the American servicemen who died on the war. All of this time afterwards we are still discussing if the names of the X-Com troopers should be placed next to the regular servicemen, since some consider that we defected the country when we decided to stick to X-Com instead of going with Vaughn's plans. Bah! At least their names are written on the General's Crater"

 

The General's Crater was the unofficial name for the Moon's new surface feature that had been caused by the impact of the alien Mothership on the satellite. The Moon's craters were usually named after famous astronomers but on this case the International Astronomical Union had accepted that it would be known as Illyuschenko's crater. The naming had even included a ceremony where a memorial stone was placed on precisely on the center of the crater by the last Avenger craft on its last flight. It contained the names of every X-Com man and woman that had died on the war.

 

Williams put a hand on Hunt's shoulder. "You are right Captain, but right now these are minor battles compared to the task ahead of us to ensure that this will never repeat itself and mankind will endure".

 

Hunt looked at the face. "What do you mean? X-Com closed down bankrupt at the beginning of the year. It's dead, expect for material for blockbuster movies and for companies to market their products. The X-Lady is gone and no one cares for it. I'm not even a part of it anymore. How can I possibly help?"

 

"I can see that you are a man that shares our worries and I've seen you file, Captain. You were a Navy Seal before joining X-Com. And, it is a known fact that you were publicly instated as the Seal's Commander Officer afterwards when you returned for some years to the regular military. You left for, quote, personal reasons, unquote. However it was also the result of your personal frustrations towards how X-Com and its personnel were treated. Since you resigned your commission you had had a couple of positions at security companies but you have also left them after sometime".

 

The statement shocked Hunt for its ability to "Mr. Smith, how do you known all of that? Are you keeping a watch over me?"

 

Williams's brother turned to him and said. "My brother is being quite melodramatic here. Mr. Hunt. Let's just say that I prefer to get the most possibly qualified man for the job. And, for a strange fate or luck, you're just what we need. Tell me, have you ever considered joining the private sector? More precisely, in the aquatic business?"

 

**********

 

 

The End

 

 

 

André Galvão, 2002

[FullAuto]

EXTRATERRESTRIAL COMMAND (X-COM)

 

ORGANIZATION

 

 

 

 

 

(EARLY 2002 - BEFORE CYDONIA OPERATION)

 

 

 

 

 

UNITED NATIONS EXTRATERRESTRIAL COMMAND

 

 

 

Civilian leadership is placed upon the UN's Secretary-General. Budgetary decisions determined monthly by the Council of Funding Nations. Military command exerted by General Dmitri S. Illyuschenko.

 

 

 

MILITARY OPERATIONS AND SUPPORT

 

CO: Commander Illyuschenko

 

Air Operations Cdr: Col. Pasqua

 

Ground Operations Cdr.: Col. Voss

 

Support and Manufacturing Cdr: Col. Oshika

 

 

 

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BUREAU

 

CO: Dr. Chevereux

 

 

 

INTELLIGENCE BUREAU

 

CO: Colonel Robinson

 

 

 

Note: This is the basic administrative division of all X-Com personnel and units. However, during war operations the personnel is assigned to a 'parent' organization for deployment, namely the area commands. Amongst those, the chain of command starts in the regional commander, who has full control over the military assets. In the case of the scientific and intelligence assets, each Bureau's commanders are free to decide the level of autonomy and sharing of information that will be shared with him.

 

 

 

HIGH COMMAND

 

 

 

Advises the Supreme Commander in Strategic Issues. It is composed of all of the Seven Area Commanders plus the Chiefs of the Scientific and Intelligence Bureaus. Includes also the general Air Operations and the Ground Operations Commanders.

 

 

 

NORTH AMERICAN COMMAND

 

 

 

CO: Colonel Erwin Johnson

 

XO: Colonel Jackson

 

 

 

WESTERNNA SUBCOMMAND (Area 51, Nevada, US)

 

CO: Colonel Johnson

 

XO: Major Prescott

 

 

 

a) 1st North American Combat Group "Wolverines"

 

CO: Colonel Erwin Johnson

 

XO: Major Patterson

 

 

 

i) 1st Platoon (Alpha, Gamma and Delta squads)

 

Platoon Commander: Capt. Jerrel

 

Assistant Plt. Cdr.: Lt. Hanley

 

Platoon Sargeant: Sgt. Baker

 

- Alpha Sgt. Baker, Kowalsky, Jill, Macready

 

- Gamma Cpt. Jerrel, Pershing, Rodríguez, Jones

 

- Delta Lt. Hanley, Cpl. Kyle, Bradley, Bearpaw

 

 

 

ii) 2nd Platoon (Zeta, Kappa and Phi squads)

 

PC: Capt. Sheila Markovitch

 

APC: Lt. Jim Digriz

 

PS: Sgt: Krenon

 

- Zeta Capt. Markovitch, Dare, Prune, Yu

 

- Kappa Lt. Jim Digriz, Cpl Sharkey, Bartfast, Turner

 

- Phi Sgt. Krenon, Bragg, Camay, Franks

 

 

 

iii) 3rd Platoon (Sigma, Omega and Psi squads)

 

PC: Colonel Erwin Johnson

 

APC: Major Mike Patterson

 

- Sigma Col. Johnson, Maj. Patterson, WO White, WO Crossett

 

- Omega Cpl. King, Duschamps, Woodley, Rumpole

 

 

 

iv) 4th Platoon (Epsilon, Lambda and Tau squads)

 

PC: Capt. Hawn

 

APC: Lt. Paulson

 

PS: Sgt. Grisham

 

- Epsilon Sgt. Grisham, Corp. Logan, Deckard, Manning

 

- Lambda Cpt. Hawn, Morales, Olson, Craven

 

- Tau Lt. Paulson, Cpl. Greaves, Werrett, Mosby

 

 

 

v) 5th Platoon (Upsilon, Mu and Nu squads)

 

PC: Capt. Hunt

 

APC: Lt. Guntern

 

PS: Sgt. Garcia

 

 

 

vi) Fire Support Platoon (Beta, Eta and Omicron squads)

 

PC: Lt. Cruz

 

PS/APC: Sgt. Elias Hopkins

 

- Beta Sarg. Hopkins, Sharpe, Joey, Levine

 

- Omicron Lieutenant Cruz, Slater, Overby, McGarry

 

 

 

 

 

b) 1st North American Combined Air Group (Rho)

 

Fighter and Transport Squadrons (LtC. Harris, Cpt. Clark, Lt. Seymour)

 

c) Security Group (2 Companies) (Theta)

 

d) Combat Support Group (Chi)

 

e) Base Operations Group (Xi)

 

f) Scientific (Pi) (Dr. Mantell, Dr. Young)

 

g) Intelligence (Iota) (Williams, Pharris, Davis, Landon)

 

 

 

EASTERN NA SUBCOMMAND (Pollock ANGB, West Virginia) - INACTIVE

 

 

 

a) 2nd North American Combat Group "The Wild Hunters"

 

b) 2nd North American Combined Air Group

 

 

 

 

 

FAR EAST COMMAND (Complex YY-18, Hokkaido, Japan)

 

CO: Colonel Yamashita

 

 

 

FE SUBCOMMAND

 

INDIAN SUBCOMMAND

 

CHINESE SUBCOMMAND (INACTIVE)

 

 

 

AFRICAN COMMAND (Depot S-4, Kenya)

 

CO: Colonel Waartens

 

 

 

RUSSIAN COMMAND (Stalingrad Base, Caucasus, Central Asia)

 

CO: Colonel Boronin

 

 

 

EUROPEAN COMMAND (Mother One, Black Forest, Germany)

 

CO: Col. MacTaggert

 

(Other personnel assigned: Dr. Eva Johannes, Dr. Pierre Lejeune)

 

 

 

AUSTRALIAN COMMAND (Darwin RAAF Airbase, Australia)

 

 

 

SOUTH AMERICAN COMMAND (São Paulo Air Base, Brazil)

[FullAuto]

Addendum

 

 

 

April 1st, 2001

 

Near the California-Nevada border, US

 

 

 

"Colonel, we've just dropped off the clouds and are only a few miles away from the target but there's something wrong sir". Clark's voice made Johnson turn away from facing Patterson and look towards the front end of the Skyranger. "What is it Clark?"

 

"Well, you won't believe this sir but the land below us just turned flat and purple". What? They were heading towards the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California where an UFO had just landed. Johnson decided that Clark was either playing some sort of prank or had completely flipped out of his mind. He then felt Patterson's hand on his shoulder twisting him on his left as the officer spun him around. "Colonel! Look"

 

Johnson was already seeing it through the window of the Skyranger. The entire landscape had turned into a flat dark purple although the sky was still light blue. But before he could even mutter any response the plane dropped all of a sudden, sending most of the armored troopers crashing into the metal wall that separated the cargo section from the cockpit. Johnson and Patterson found themselves completely pinned down by the mass of power armor above him. And one of the metal feet had hit the Major's head, tearing a bloody gash on the side of his head. "Colonel, we lost all engine power sir! I'm trying to glide her down"

 

As the vibrations inside the Skyranger lowered a bit the troopers started to untangle themselves. But as Johnson grasped for air afterwards, he felt his lungs burning. All around him soldiers started coughing and Sergeant Baker from first platoon ordered quickly through a gasping voice: "There's something wrong with the air! Get your helmets locked-down"

 

Needing no further confirmation Johnson locked down the faceplate into position. The suit's life-support system automatically kicked in, sending the helmet with a clean mix of nitrogen and oxygen. But as he started scanning for the rest of the platoon he saw something on the edge of the faceplate that gave him concerns. In the middle of the confusion of the drop something had hit the windowed section while it rested above the helmet. It had been designed to be as tough as possible since it was the most vulnerable place on his entire armor. But it had collided with something and now couldn't properly seal. He now still had a considerable amount of oxygen but the breach would leak it out progressively, otherwise he could have lived on the suit for days.

 

The Skyranger jerked to the left making him worry more in getting secure in the middle of the upcoming forced landing. Grabbing one of the overhead metal rails that stood over the benches he waited for the crash.

 

The right landing wheel plane hit the ground at more than one hundred miles per hour on their conventional landing. The pressure exerted on the rear undercarriage proved too much and the leg snapped. A sudden shake was sent by the entire plane as the fuselage on that area hit the ground. The reaction movement sent the plane rolling over the sandy ground with the wings and remaining undercarriage being snapped away from the Skyranger.

 

When the plane finally stopped at an upright position, all of the troopers inside the cargo area started to get up from the ground or to unlock their safety belts. When Johnson finally got himself together he turned to Patterson and ordered. "Tell Jerrel to safe the landing area. I'm checking on Clark".

 

Both men moved away and he opened the door to the cockpit area. But Clark and the Seymour were still seated but their motionless heads were facing to the side of their chairs. Their skin had turned to blue, meaning that both pilots had choked to death while trying to bring down the craft safely.

 

Going back to the cargo area he saw that the there was only one squad remaining inside the plane. Grabbing a heavy plasma that was secured next to his seat he moved outside down the lowered ramp of the Skyranger.

 

As he stepped into the purple terrain he saw that it was sand, with occasional splotches of white and yellow vegetation that seemed alien to him. His soldiers had deployed in a circle around the plane to protect it from any possible hostiles in the area. There was what seemed to be some artificial construction to the left of the Skyranger, which displayed stone columns and nearly intact buildings all carved in vivid green marble. They definitely had to be somehow in an alien planet, Johnson concluded as he air leaking from his suit was actually forming bubbles that floated upwards. Apparently whatever gases were present in the atmosphere they were heavier than oxygen and nitrogen.

 

Crouched down behind one stone column, Rodriguez was also asking Jones that same question. The private replied. "Well, at least there are no aliens". But as he spoke, a large muscular figure appeared on the terrace of the temple and fired a plasma round at the Skyranger. Both soldiers looked at one another before they warned the rest of the platoon. "Dang! The buff green ones are out there"

 

 

 

It was pissing me off not being able to write about them again

 

This story was written after using Scott T. Jones XcomUtil editor to combine both UFO and TFTD - download it at https://xcomutil.scotttjones.com/