Apocalypse Now!

[The Veteran]

The final count at the temple of Humility is a rather disappointing 6 killed with the remainder fleeing... Still, the loot will come in handy and later all the spare equipment we collected sells for $14,273!

 

No rest for the wicked, we head straight for the next temple and manage to make it all the way to the last one before we find the alien presence. We start out with some light injuries from the last tussle with the Cultists but it's nothing that can't be handled and all 8 troops dive back into the action!

 

This time Squad3 begins in the SE while 4 are in the NW so the map is well divided. Squad3 sees the brunt of the action though as a cultist appears almost immediately and hurls a grenade at them. They have time to dodge it but sustain minor injuries before setting up to return fire.

 

A second Cultist soon emerges from the same door as his friend but the Commies are laying down some serious fire by now and explosions soon rip several doors from their hinges. A third Cultist is spotted attempting to flank the troops from the basement below them now so Danielle turns to target him with some HE fire.

 

The Commies primary target in the doorway now falls prey to an explosive round while another Cultist moves in to take his place and yet another emerges from the basement to their west!

 

Soon there is another Cultist in the room taking the visible total to 5, but only briefly as the soldier on the stairs below them finally gets what's coming to him.

 

Things continue to go absolutely crazy for Squad3 as 2 cultists are killed near the doorway and another appears by the western stairs, only to be promptly detonated with HE rounds. The fleeing soldier in the room to the West now disappears and only one enemy remains visible at close range.

 

Finally we see what we came here for as a Bloo enters the room, shortly followed by a second.

 

Squad4 have spent all this time up in the North West room with only one Cultist as a target who seems to be playing peekaboo with them. Tired of the game, they follow him to the eastern door but lose sight of him again. Even in the next room there is no sign of him but he's soon relocated by Squad3 to the South. An alien seems to die at this point but we don't know what, where or why...

 

Both are killed quickly and efficiently and the troops target a newly sighted Cultist who seems to have followed them in. He explodes spectacularly but not before seriously wounding Maria who takes cover behind fleshbag Helga. Helga recieves a similarly serious wound but both soldiers stay standing at least long enough to see their aggressor splattered across the wall.

 

With their previous target eliminated, Squad4 continue to explore their new surroundings and soon spot a Multiworm in the room.

 

The monster takes a few hits from the squad but then hides behind a curtain. A single HE shell destroys it's cover and also reveals a Bloo in the distance beside a deceased brainsucker (that's what the noise was then!) They lay into both targets and quickly eliminate them to reveal 4 new Hyperworms.

 

HE rounds make mincemeat of the new offspring and Squad4 continues to clear the NE room before moving South to assist their colleagues. On the way they spot another Multiworm and engage it from a distance. Squad3 soon do the same and a second multiworm is spotted in the same location.

 

Squad 4 chase the new targets as they flee down into the seating while Squad 3 slowly begin to clear the corridors beneath the building. They emerge in the North and take up positions by the elevators in the NW just as one of the multiworms emerges from them. Seriously low on health, Maria and Helga fallback while Jacqueline and Danielle open fire on the beast.

 

Luckily the target attempts to flee so the troops are given some extra distance when the time comes to deal with 3 new hyperworms! All are promptly eliminated and the last multiworm is spotted at the base of the next elevator along. It soon tries its luck and enters the killing room!

 

Some heavy fire from all four troopers soon see the last alien put in it's place and only 2 Hyperworms emerge making the mopup an easy job...

 

Despite some nasty injuries for Maria and Helga we managed to once again wipe out the Cultists alien houseguests and pocketed some nice funding from the psiclones we found in the temple of Humility! No promotions again so I think we may have reached our limit based on the number of troops I'm employing...

 

We've finally reached a perfect equilibrium with this mission so I'll no longer be referring to the various squads as rookies or vets. Both 1&2 squads and 3&4 have each faced 15 missions apiece!

 

After some working out I discover that Grigoriy Korkia, David and Sarah Pearce, Yuzo Shimaoka, Jurgen Berger, Shigeru Stewart and Michiko Yamazaki have been with us from the very start of the game which is quite an accomplishment!

 

I'm going to be sad now and figure out how many missions each trooper has flown, because I can... The playthrough will continue tomorrow most likely!