X-COM (updated M-W-F)
- Thread starter Lazybones
- Start date
Lazybones
Adventurer
Session 14 (July 14, 2008)
Chapter 45
The deck of the hangar was choked with smoke, flames, and corpses. The diminutive but deadly forms of the sectoids outnumbered the fallen humans, but that did not ease the ferocious expression that was fixed on Vasily Kasprjak’s face like a storm cloud.
The Russian limped as he made his way forward, through the scattered wreckage of a cyberdisc, past the shouts of several techs as they sprayed fire retardant onto a burning mechanical loader. A slight breeze stirred the air, sliding into the complex through the massive wreckage of the blast doors. Doors that had been paired slabs of steel, four inches thick, and which now hung tentatively from their moorings like crumpled sheets of paper.
“How is she?” Vasily barked, scanning for any more signs of danger. He’d checked the entire level after the last sectoid had fallen, and this was the only hangar that had been breached, but he wasn’t going to take anything for granted at this point.
“She’s stable, but it was close… she was dead there, for a minute,” James said, without looking up. He and the medical tech knelt over the bloody form of Jane, whose skin looked almost white against the dark colors of her armor. Her face was obscured by a portable respirator, which beeped as it pumped oxygen into her lungs. “We need to get her to the medical bay, right away. Where the hell is Stan?”
“I saw him helping with the casualties from the lift collapse,” Catalina said. She turned to Vasily. “Communications are still down. And no contact with the surface.”
Vasily nodded; he hadn’t expected any better news.
The attack had been sudden, and had come with almost no warning. The alien ship had descended from orbit like the hammer of some vengeful god, appearing on X-COM’s radar only a little over a hundred miles out, a bright streak as it penetrated the atmosphere. There had been barely enough time to scramble the interceptors, but the alien had knocked them aside almost contemptuously. Both pilots had bailed out, but that was the last bit of good luck that they’d had.
The base missile defenses had exchanged fire with the alien. The last thing they’d seen before the sensors were lost was the alien veering off course. They wouldn’t find out until later that it had been damaged and withdrawn, but that hadn’t stopped it from dropping three assault pods that had descended onto the base. Its return fire had taken out the Patriot battery, the primary radar and communications array, and the building that warded the lift on the surface, essentially leaving them blind. The eight men manning the surface installations were killed instantly.
Catalina looked down at Jane. “She stepped in front of you, took fire while you were… out.”
Vasily’s expression darkened further. He still didn’t know what had happened, but he could see the results right in front of him.
With the Betas off site on a mission, Alpha Team had rushed to help the base guards repel the alien assault. The blast doors on Hangar 3 had held long enough for them to rally there, just as the first cyberdiscs and sectoids had started pushing into the base. The critical exchange had lasted just seconds, as bullets, laser beams, and plasma bolts had filled the nearly empty hangar. An alien grenade had killed two guards and blasted Catalina and Buzz onto their backs, and shrapnel from an exploding cyberdisk had wounded several of them, but the aliens had taken heavy losses. Vasily had taken the lead as a knot of sectoids had fallen back across the hangar, forming a defensive position in front of one of the niches that held the machinery that had operated the blast doors.
And then, somehow, he’d just… stopped. It was as if someone had draped a blanket over his mind; dazed, he’d just stood there as the battle raged around him, able to perceive what was going on, but unable to react to it. He’d been a sitting duck, standing their lamely in the middle of the hangar, and the aliens had started to take advantage. He hadn’t even been able to dodge or dive to the floor as a blast glanced off of his armored shoulder, and then another scored a more penetrating hit on his right hip. The pain certainly hadn’t been muted by whatever strange effect had held him in its grasp.
And then Jane had run forward, firing her laser into the alien position, drawing their attention away from him. Vasily had only been able to watch as they shot her, once, twice, and then she was falling, blood splattering out on the steel plates of the floor around her.
Seeing that had somehow cut through the fog holding his mind like a sharp knife, and he’d found himself able to move. Screaming something incoherent, he’d poured rounds into the alien attackers, and hadn’t stopped until his weapon stopped bucking, until the barrels spun empty, their feed of shells depleted. James had run forward under fire to attend to Jane, while Vasily had made sure—very sure—that the aliens were no longer a threat.
“Vas?”
The Russian started; he’d been caught up in his musings, and hadn’t noticed Catalina coming up behind him. “What?”
“Doc says we need to get a gurney, or a stretcher, for Jane. We’ll need to—”
She trailed off as someone ran into the room behind them. It was Grace, her hair in unusual disarray, a pistol in her hand and black marks that might have been grease or burns along the entire left side of her coverall.
“Alphas!”
“What?” Vasily yelled. “More aliens?”
Grace’s expression told them the answer before she spoke. “They’ve breached the external venting… they’re in the ductwork!”
Chapter 45
The deck of the hangar was choked with smoke, flames, and corpses. The diminutive but deadly forms of the sectoids outnumbered the fallen humans, but that did not ease the ferocious expression that was fixed on Vasily Kasprjak’s face like a storm cloud.
The Russian limped as he made his way forward, through the scattered wreckage of a cyberdisc, past the shouts of several techs as they sprayed fire retardant onto a burning mechanical loader. A slight breeze stirred the air, sliding into the complex through the massive wreckage of the blast doors. Doors that had been paired slabs of steel, four inches thick, and which now hung tentatively from their moorings like crumpled sheets of paper.
“How is she?” Vasily barked, scanning for any more signs of danger. He’d checked the entire level after the last sectoid had fallen, and this was the only hangar that had been breached, but he wasn’t going to take anything for granted at this point.
“She’s stable, but it was close… she was dead there, for a minute,” James said, without looking up. He and the medical tech knelt over the bloody form of Jane, whose skin looked almost white against the dark colors of her armor. Her face was obscured by a portable respirator, which beeped as it pumped oxygen into her lungs. “We need to get her to the medical bay, right away. Where the hell is Stan?”
“I saw him helping with the casualties from the lift collapse,” Catalina said. She turned to Vasily. “Communications are still down. And no contact with the surface.”
Vasily nodded; he hadn’t expected any better news.
The attack had been sudden, and had come with almost no warning. The alien ship had descended from orbit like the hammer of some vengeful god, appearing on X-COM’s radar only a little over a hundred miles out, a bright streak as it penetrated the atmosphere. There had been barely enough time to scramble the interceptors, but the alien had knocked them aside almost contemptuously. Both pilots had bailed out, but that was the last bit of good luck that they’d had.
The base missile defenses had exchanged fire with the alien. The last thing they’d seen before the sensors were lost was the alien veering off course. They wouldn’t find out until later that it had been damaged and withdrawn, but that hadn’t stopped it from dropping three assault pods that had descended onto the base. Its return fire had taken out the Patriot battery, the primary radar and communications array, and the building that warded the lift on the surface, essentially leaving them blind. The eight men manning the surface installations were killed instantly.
Catalina looked down at Jane. “She stepped in front of you, took fire while you were… out.”
Vasily’s expression darkened further. He still didn’t know what had happened, but he could see the results right in front of him.
With the Betas off site on a mission, Alpha Team had rushed to help the base guards repel the alien assault. The blast doors on Hangar 3 had held long enough for them to rally there, just as the first cyberdiscs and sectoids had started pushing into the base. The critical exchange had lasted just seconds, as bullets, laser beams, and plasma bolts had filled the nearly empty hangar. An alien grenade had killed two guards and blasted Catalina and Buzz onto their backs, and shrapnel from an exploding cyberdisk had wounded several of them, but the aliens had taken heavy losses. Vasily had taken the lead as a knot of sectoids had fallen back across the hangar, forming a defensive position in front of one of the niches that held the machinery that had operated the blast doors.
And then, somehow, he’d just… stopped. It was as if someone had draped a blanket over his mind; dazed, he’d just stood there as the battle raged around him, able to perceive what was going on, but unable to react to it. He’d been a sitting duck, standing their lamely in the middle of the hangar, and the aliens had started to take advantage. He hadn’t even been able to dodge or dive to the floor as a blast glanced off of his armored shoulder, and then another scored a more penetrating hit on his right hip. The pain certainly hadn’t been muted by whatever strange effect had held him in its grasp.
And then Jane had run forward, firing her laser into the alien position, drawing their attention away from him. Vasily had only been able to watch as they shot her, once, twice, and then she was falling, blood splattering out on the steel plates of the floor around her.
Seeing that had somehow cut through the fog holding his mind like a sharp knife, and he’d found himself able to move. Screaming something incoherent, he’d poured rounds into the alien attackers, and hadn’t stopped until his weapon stopped bucking, until the barrels spun empty, their feed of shells depleted. James had run forward under fire to attend to Jane, while Vasily had made sure—very sure—that the aliens were no longer a threat.
“Vas?”
The Russian started; he’d been caught up in his musings, and hadn’t noticed Catalina coming up behind him. “What?”
“Doc says we need to get a gurney, or a stretcher, for Jane. We’ll need to—”
She trailed off as someone ran into the room behind them. It was Grace, her hair in unusual disarray, a pistol in her hand and black marks that might have been grease or burns along the entire left side of her coverall.
“Alphas!”
“What?” Vasily yelled. “More aliens?”
Grace’s expression told them the answer before she spoke. “They’ve breached the external venting… they’re in the ductwork!”
Innocent Bystander
First Post
If they told you, you'd have to change your name to Shocked Bystander!
Good one!
The first retaliation. Those were bloody nasty and always ended up with a number of sections needing to be rebuilt until the soldiers were good enough that you could send 2 in each direction to cover the whole base.
Yet another awesome write up LB.
Greetings!
I happened to load up Internet Explorer for the first time in almost a year (been using Firefox) and one thing lead to another and I messaged Lazybones at NWC, which he forwarded me to here.
Your narrative looks good so far, LB. I used to play Jane Swift. My husband, Bob, used to play the medic, Mary. I believe she was originally slated to be a dentist that ende up in the army for India, then forwarded to X-COM.
Haven't completely caught up with reading this version of the story; but, it looks good so far. Thank you for the compliments on the psychiatric session posts. They were some of my favorites.
I'm really proud of all the players and Lazybones for making this such a great campaign.
I happened to load up Internet Explorer for the first time in almost a year (been using Firefox) and one thing lead to another and I messaged Lazybones at NWC, which he forwarded me to here.
Your narrative looks good so far, LB.
I used to play Jane Swift. My husband, Bob, used to play the medic, Mary. I believe she was originally slated to be a dentist that ende up in the army for India, then forwarded to X-COM. Haven't completely caught up with reading this version of the story; but, it looks good so far. Thank you for the compliments on the psychiatric session posts. They were some of my favorites.
I'm really proud of all the players and Lazybones for making this such a great campaign.
Last edited:
Lazybones
Adventurer
Thanks for stopping by, Jenniza. Mary and another of our late additions are coming up later in the story. We also had a few other players who only showed up for a few sessions. I didn't get their permission for including their characters in the story, so I replaced them with alternative characters in the narrative. "Moshe Yahav" was one of those.
* * * * *
Session 14 (July 14, 2008)
Chapter 46
“Anything?”
“No… wait… no, it’s nothing.”
“Damn it, we need to know where they going!” Vasily said. “Grace say we may not get internal sensors back up before they can get into important parts of base!”
“I heard her too!” Catalina shot back, shaking the motion sensor at him. “I’m getting a lot of interference from the structure of the base. Do you think you can do better?”
“Here, let me take a look at it,” Buzz said, stepping diplomatically in between them. He took the sensor, and started making rapid adjustments to it.
Chief Hallorand and two base guards appeared at the next intersection. Hallorand had his handgun out, and he looked ready to use it. “Anything?” he asked.
Vasily started to shake his head, but Buzz interrupted him. “There,” he said, holding out the detector, so they could see the small dots moving along the edge of the screen.
“Where is that?” Vasily said, peering at it.
“Looks like the west wing,” Catalina said. “Not much there but… wait.”
Vasily came to the same conclusion at the same moment. “Medical,” he said, leading them quickly down the corridor. Hallorand and his men fell in behind. With James staying with Jane and most of the other guards protecting the scientists and researchers, that gave them six; not the best odds, but Vasily wasn’t particularly worried about that at the moment.
“You evac medical?” Vasily asked Hallorand.
“Jannsen wouldn’t leave. She was working on some of the casualties from the lift collapse. I think the new Israeli doc was there as well. Harrison’s on duty there.”
Vasily grunted and tapped at his communicator, knowing it was useless. His leg still hurt, but he ignored it, picking up the pace until the others had to sprint to keep up. As he ran, he checked the action on the G36 he’d grabbed from one of the fallen guards in the hangar.
They reached the access corridor and ran toward the new connector that opened onto the west wing of the base. This part of the base was still new, the fixtures gleaming in the sedate glow of the emergency lights. The medical bay was the only part of the wing that had been finished, and so there was only one working door.
“Maybe we should—” Catalina began, but before she could finish, they heard familiar sounds from behind the door ahead of them. Gunfire—and plasma blasts.
“No time!” Vasily yelled, charging forward. The door’s automatic mechanism didn’t function, but the Russian hit the emergency release in mid-stride, and slammed his shoulder against the door to thrust it open.
The medical bay was an L-shaped chamber, with walls and floor covered in broad white tiles. To the left was a diagnostic center equipped with unusual gadgetry, while to the right was a recovery area with a long line of beds, culminating in a surgical bay that could be partitioned off with a sliding panel.
The room was a mess, and a scene of utter chaos. Most of the lighting panels were dark, with sparks shooting from wires that dangled down from the ceiling and from ruined equipment along the walls. A ventilation grate had come down from the ceiling, which explained the three cyberdiscs that were hovering in the middle of the room. One fired as Vasily stepped into the room, the blast streaking toward a crude barricade where a unit of shelving and a pair of wheeled carts had been hastily overturned to provide cover. Doctor Yahav crouched behind the makeshift barrier, along with Harrison, who was lying on his back, firing his pistol until the moment that the plasma bolt clipped the side of his head.
“Yah!” Vasily yelled, darting to the side as he unleashed a spray of automatic fire at the alien drones. At that range he could hardly miss, but most of the bullets were deflected by their armored hulls, sending up sparks as they caromed off across the room. Two of the aliens swiveled to bring their weapons to bear, tracking his progress as he ran. They fired at the same time, but by some miracle the shots bracketed the big Russian, blasting into the wall behind him. Vasily fell to the floor, still firing, keeping the barrel of his gun trained on the aliens until the clip was empty. His momentum carried him forward almost to the end of the row of beds, and he rolled the rest of the way, a moment before one of aliens blasted the bed into a tangled wreckage.
More fire filled the room as the others followed Vasily into the room, spreading out to face the aliens once through the doorway. Catalina and Buzz both scored hits, and one of the cyberdiscs exploded, filling the room with shards and fire. That disrupted the other two for the moment, knocking them aside with concussive force, but they quickly recovered and returned fire. Catalina was struck with a glancing blow to the hip that knocked her back into the wall, off balance. She dove behind the barricade just as a second shot impacted the wall right where she’d been standing. Yahav started to help her, but she pushed him back. “Stay down!” she yelled.
Hallorand and his guards were the last into the room, and they added to the barrage of fire. The first cyberdisc tilted off its horizontal axis as 5.56mm rounds pinged off its body, then jerked as Hallorand blasted a hole in it with his .44. The alien started spinning, blasting off shots in every direction, randomly, exploding machinery and digging divots into the new wall panels.
Buzz had ducked back into the shelter of the entryway, so the other alien targeted Hallorand and his men. Its first shot blasted through the ceramic breastplate of one of the guards, and he fell onto his back, a line of smoke rising from the ruin of his chest. It shifted its aim toward Hallorand, but before it could fire, it was hit by a rapid-fire series of impacts from the side. Vasily, rising from behind the ruins of the bed, had switched to single shots, and was blasting bullet after bullet into the alien, doing little damage but throwing off its aim.
The alien started to turn toward him, but it absorbed more hits, from Hallorand and Catalina, and suddenly fell to the floor, smoke rising out of the rents in its body. “Take cover!” Hallorand yelled, dodging back to the door just before the alien erupted into a small fireball that blasted through the chamber. The other crippled cyberdisc was caught in the blast and was flung into the diagnostic center, where it too exploded.
* * * * *
Session 14 (July 14, 2008)
Chapter 46
“Anything?”
“No… wait… no, it’s nothing.”
“Damn it, we need to know where they going!” Vasily said. “Grace say we may not get internal sensors back up before they can get into important parts of base!”
“I heard her too!” Catalina shot back, shaking the motion sensor at him. “I’m getting a lot of interference from the structure of the base. Do you think you can do better?”
“Here, let me take a look at it,” Buzz said, stepping diplomatically in between them. He took the sensor, and started making rapid adjustments to it.
Chief Hallorand and two base guards appeared at the next intersection. Hallorand had his handgun out, and he looked ready to use it. “Anything?” he asked.
Vasily started to shake his head, but Buzz interrupted him. “There,” he said, holding out the detector, so they could see the small dots moving along the edge of the screen.
“Where is that?” Vasily said, peering at it.
“Looks like the west wing,” Catalina said. “Not much there but… wait.”
Vasily came to the same conclusion at the same moment. “Medical,” he said, leading them quickly down the corridor. Hallorand and his men fell in behind. With James staying with Jane and most of the other guards protecting the scientists and researchers, that gave them six; not the best odds, but Vasily wasn’t particularly worried about that at the moment.
“You evac medical?” Vasily asked Hallorand.
“Jannsen wouldn’t leave. She was working on some of the casualties from the lift collapse. I think the new Israeli doc was there as well. Harrison’s on duty there.”
Vasily grunted and tapped at his communicator, knowing it was useless. His leg still hurt, but he ignored it, picking up the pace until the others had to sprint to keep up. As he ran, he checked the action on the G36 he’d grabbed from one of the fallen guards in the hangar.
They reached the access corridor and ran toward the new connector that opened onto the west wing of the base. This part of the base was still new, the fixtures gleaming in the sedate glow of the emergency lights. The medical bay was the only part of the wing that had been finished, and so there was only one working door.
“Maybe we should—” Catalina began, but before she could finish, they heard familiar sounds from behind the door ahead of them. Gunfire—and plasma blasts.
“No time!” Vasily yelled, charging forward. The door’s automatic mechanism didn’t function, but the Russian hit the emergency release in mid-stride, and slammed his shoulder against the door to thrust it open.
The medical bay was an L-shaped chamber, with walls and floor covered in broad white tiles. To the left was a diagnostic center equipped with unusual gadgetry, while to the right was a recovery area with a long line of beds, culminating in a surgical bay that could be partitioned off with a sliding panel.
The room was a mess, and a scene of utter chaos. Most of the lighting panels were dark, with sparks shooting from wires that dangled down from the ceiling and from ruined equipment along the walls. A ventilation grate had come down from the ceiling, which explained the three cyberdiscs that were hovering in the middle of the room. One fired as Vasily stepped into the room, the blast streaking toward a crude barricade where a unit of shelving and a pair of wheeled carts had been hastily overturned to provide cover. Doctor Yahav crouched behind the makeshift barrier, along with Harrison, who was lying on his back, firing his pistol until the moment that the plasma bolt clipped the side of his head.
“Yah!” Vasily yelled, darting to the side as he unleashed a spray of automatic fire at the alien drones. At that range he could hardly miss, but most of the bullets were deflected by their armored hulls, sending up sparks as they caromed off across the room. Two of the aliens swiveled to bring their weapons to bear, tracking his progress as he ran. They fired at the same time, but by some miracle the shots bracketed the big Russian, blasting into the wall behind him. Vasily fell to the floor, still firing, keeping the barrel of his gun trained on the aliens until the clip was empty. His momentum carried him forward almost to the end of the row of beds, and he rolled the rest of the way, a moment before one of aliens blasted the bed into a tangled wreckage.
More fire filled the room as the others followed Vasily into the room, spreading out to face the aliens once through the doorway. Catalina and Buzz both scored hits, and one of the cyberdiscs exploded, filling the room with shards and fire. That disrupted the other two for the moment, knocking them aside with concussive force, but they quickly recovered and returned fire. Catalina was struck with a glancing blow to the hip that knocked her back into the wall, off balance. She dove behind the barricade just as a second shot impacted the wall right where she’d been standing. Yahav started to help her, but she pushed him back. “Stay down!” she yelled.
Hallorand and his guards were the last into the room, and they added to the barrage of fire. The first cyberdisc tilted off its horizontal axis as 5.56mm rounds pinged off its body, then jerked as Hallorand blasted a hole in it with his .44. The alien started spinning, blasting off shots in every direction, randomly, exploding machinery and digging divots into the new wall panels.
Buzz had ducked back into the shelter of the entryway, so the other alien targeted Hallorand and his men. Its first shot blasted through the ceramic breastplate of one of the guards, and he fell onto his back, a line of smoke rising from the ruin of his chest. It shifted its aim toward Hallorand, but before it could fire, it was hit by a rapid-fire series of impacts from the side. Vasily, rising from behind the ruins of the bed, had switched to single shots, and was blasting bullet after bullet into the alien, doing little damage but throwing off its aim.
The alien started to turn toward him, but it absorbed more hits, from Hallorand and Catalina, and suddenly fell to the floor, smoke rising out of the rents in its body. “Take cover!” Hallorand yelled, dodging back to the door just before the alien erupted into a small fireball that blasted through the chamber. The other crippled cyberdisc was caught in the blast and was flung into the diagnostic center, where it too exploded.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Session 14 (July 14, 2008)
Chapter 47
The spray of hot water rushed over Vasily’s face, trailing down his body to pool before draining away through the vents in the floor. He stood there, his hands pressed up against the cold tiles of the wall, letting the water pour into him. He closed his eyes, knowing what he’d see.
The shower was clean, antiseptic, but he could again smell the smoke that had hung in the room like a bank of thick fog. He couldn’t see where he was going, and there was a loud ringing in his ears that muted the noise from the several fires that burned around the perimeter of the room.
He had come upon the body, barely recognizable, her lab coat now a blackened ruin, though not enough to hide the wound from the plasma bolt that had caught her just a few inches from the plastic badge that was affixed just below the collar. Irene Jannsen, the badge read. She’d been new to X-COM, just a few days since her arrival to bolster Stan on the base’s medical team. He hadn’t even had a chance to meet her.
With an aggressive shake of his head, he shut off the water and leaned out for the rack holding his towel. The movement sent a twinge of pain through his leg, a feeling that he quashed ruthlessly. He shouldn’t be walking at all, he knew. It was getting weird, to see people on the brink of death up and about just a few days later.
He dried off and headed back into the outer part of the locker room. Buzz was there, shaving. He nodded to Vasily. The Russian pretended that he didn’t see the other man’s hand shake as he lifted the razor back up to his throat.
Vasily’s hands didn’t shake. But that didn’t mean that the Russian was unaffected by everything that had happened. In particular, he kept thinking about the episode in the middle of the battle in the hangar, when he’d suddenly froze up, unable to do anything but watch as Jane had gotten shot up right in front of him.
When he finally got back to the barracks, he saw the former agent opening the door ahead of him. “Jane,” he said, in greeting.
“Alive and walking,” she said, with a smile, moving into the barracks ahead of him. She looked pale, and it was obvious that the strain of her near-death experience had left its mark on her.
Catalina came around the partition that separated the male and female parts of the barracks. “It’s good to see you walking,” she said. She looked up at Vasily, as he tossed his personal bag into his locker. “Are we going to take the fight to them?” she asked him.
“Don’t know. Will be told in briefing I guess.”
As if summoned by his words, the familiar alarm sound rang from the speakers in the ceiling above. “Alpha Team, report to the briefing room at once. Alpha Team, repot to the briefing room at once.”
“Yeah, I heard you the first time,” Catalina said, heading back to her locker to get her jacket.
Vasily and the two women headed for the briefing room. As the entered the lounge, James and Buzz came in from the outer corridor and joined them. “What’s up?” James asked.
“Don’t know yet,” Vasily said, opening the door to the briefing room. Doctor Wagner and Grace were already there, and Agent Drake and Director Garret came in on the heels of the Alphas, moving quickly to their usual positions around the table. “Report,” Garret said.
“An alien ship just landed in the Rockies,” Wagner said. She put the detection track on the big screen as the others sat down, showing a red track that entered the atmosphere over eastern Montana, stabbing southward like a thin knife.
“Why didn’t we pick it up before?”
“We’re still working on getting our radar grid back up,” Grace said. “We hooked into the Americans’ network, but the aliens have played havoc with major installations in orbit and on the—”
Garret interrupted her with a raised hand. “Kim, where’s the ship?”
Wagner’s fingers danced over her keyboard, and the track sharpened to a point that formed a bright dot over southeastern Wyoming. “The alien ship has landed in a suburb of Cheyenne, Wyoming.”
“Urban again?” Catalina asked.
“It’s atacked a retail district,” Wagner said. “American fighters engaged the craft and were repulsed.” She pored over the data that streamed across her screen. “The hyperwave data reports… sectoids. Looks like another terror attack.”
“We’re going to have to hurry if we want to stop them,” Catalina said.
Garret activated the communicator on his console. “Ken, you got the Ranger ready to go?”
The voice that came back was overlaid with just a hint of static. “We’re still working on the repairs from the base attack,” Ken said. “I’ve got one of the strut assemblies torn down, going to need a few more hours—”
Garret didn’t let him finish. “We don’t have a few hours. Prepare to dust off in five minutes.”
“But sir…”
“Ken, can you or can’t you take off in five minutes?”
There was a momentary pause. “Ah… yes, sir. I’ll get you there. No guarantee on getting back, but yeah. I’ll have her ready.”
Garret looked up at the members of Alpha Team. “You heard the man.”
Vasily stood. “We go. Now.”
Ken was standing by the hatch of the Skyranger as the members of Alpha Team entered the hangar. Most of them were still buckling straps on their armor and checking weapons. “You sure about this?” the pilot asked.
“Not me,” James said. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“A risk, or hundreds of civilian casualties?” Catalina asked.
“Well, I haven’t had a chance to run a full series of tests,” Ken said, boarding the craft ahead of them. He headed for the small hatch that led into the forward compartment.
“Doesn’t look like you will,” James said.
“We soldiers, this war,” Vasily said. “It pretty simple.”
“Okay then,” Ken said, popping the hatch.
They strapped themselves into their seats as the engines on the Skyranger began to cycle. Ken had already warmed them up, and it took only about twenty seconds before he had them at full power. The Skyranger trembled as the hatch behind them slowly lifted and latched shut.
“Hope you didn’t use up all your luck in Vegas,” Ken said over the intercom.
“Where does your mom live, Ken?” Catalina asked.
“My mom? Pasadena, why?”
“If it was there, then…”
“Right, right,” the pilot said. “Here we go. But if we don’t crash, you each owe me a coke.”
“I’ll buy you a case of cokes, Ken, if you get us there safely,” Jane said.
The engines roared, and the ship leapt forward, lifting into the air as soon as it had cleared the outer doors of the hangar.
“I always hate this part,” Buzz said, as the acceleration drove him back into his seat. The aircraft groaned as Ken pushed it to its limits. Catalina held onto the armrests of her seat and grimaced. Vasily checked to make sure his autocannon was secure in its restraint. “Simple shooting,” he said. “Not bother with tear gas, they got masks.”
They heard a rumbling noise that came from the belly of the ship, followed by a sound that resembled a garbage disposal with a fork stuck in it.
“I don’t think that’s supposed to—” Buzz began, but he was cut off as the compartment suddenly exploded with flame.
Chapter 47
The spray of hot water rushed over Vasily’s face, trailing down his body to pool before draining away through the vents in the floor. He stood there, his hands pressed up against the cold tiles of the wall, letting the water pour into him. He closed his eyes, knowing what he’d see.
The shower was clean, antiseptic, but he could again smell the smoke that had hung in the room like a bank of thick fog. He couldn’t see where he was going, and there was a loud ringing in his ears that muted the noise from the several fires that burned around the perimeter of the room.
He had come upon the body, barely recognizable, her lab coat now a blackened ruin, though not enough to hide the wound from the plasma bolt that had caught her just a few inches from the plastic badge that was affixed just below the collar. Irene Jannsen, the badge read. She’d been new to X-COM, just a few days since her arrival to bolster Stan on the base’s medical team. He hadn’t even had a chance to meet her.
With an aggressive shake of his head, he shut off the water and leaned out for the rack holding his towel. The movement sent a twinge of pain through his leg, a feeling that he quashed ruthlessly. He shouldn’t be walking at all, he knew. It was getting weird, to see people on the brink of death up and about just a few days later.
He dried off and headed back into the outer part of the locker room. Buzz was there, shaving. He nodded to Vasily. The Russian pretended that he didn’t see the other man’s hand shake as he lifted the razor back up to his throat.
Vasily’s hands didn’t shake. But that didn’t mean that the Russian was unaffected by everything that had happened. In particular, he kept thinking about the episode in the middle of the battle in the hangar, when he’d suddenly froze up, unable to do anything but watch as Jane had gotten shot up right in front of him.
When he finally got back to the barracks, he saw the former agent opening the door ahead of him. “Jane,” he said, in greeting.
“Alive and walking,” she said, with a smile, moving into the barracks ahead of him. She looked pale, and it was obvious that the strain of her near-death experience had left its mark on her.
Catalina came around the partition that separated the male and female parts of the barracks. “It’s good to see you walking,” she said. She looked up at Vasily, as he tossed his personal bag into his locker. “Are we going to take the fight to them?” she asked him.
“Don’t know. Will be told in briefing I guess.”
As if summoned by his words, the familiar alarm sound rang from the speakers in the ceiling above. “Alpha Team, report to the briefing room at once. Alpha Team, repot to the briefing room at once.”
“Yeah, I heard you the first time,” Catalina said, heading back to her locker to get her jacket.
Vasily and the two women headed for the briefing room. As the entered the lounge, James and Buzz came in from the outer corridor and joined them. “What’s up?” James asked.
“Don’t know yet,” Vasily said, opening the door to the briefing room. Doctor Wagner and Grace were already there, and Agent Drake and Director Garret came in on the heels of the Alphas, moving quickly to their usual positions around the table. “Report,” Garret said.
“An alien ship just landed in the Rockies,” Wagner said. She put the detection track on the big screen as the others sat down, showing a red track that entered the atmosphere over eastern Montana, stabbing southward like a thin knife.
“Why didn’t we pick it up before?”
“We’re still working on getting our radar grid back up,” Grace said. “We hooked into the Americans’ network, but the aliens have played havoc with major installations in orbit and on the—”
Garret interrupted her with a raised hand. “Kim, where’s the ship?”
Wagner’s fingers danced over her keyboard, and the track sharpened to a point that formed a bright dot over southeastern Wyoming. “The alien ship has landed in a suburb of Cheyenne, Wyoming.”
“Urban again?” Catalina asked.
“It’s atacked a retail district,” Wagner said. “American fighters engaged the craft and were repulsed.” She pored over the data that streamed across her screen. “The hyperwave data reports… sectoids. Looks like another terror attack.”
“We’re going to have to hurry if we want to stop them,” Catalina said.
Garret activated the communicator on his console. “Ken, you got the Ranger ready to go?”
The voice that came back was overlaid with just a hint of static. “We’re still working on the repairs from the base attack,” Ken said. “I’ve got one of the strut assemblies torn down, going to need a few more hours—”
Garret didn’t let him finish. “We don’t have a few hours. Prepare to dust off in five minutes.”
“But sir…”
“Ken, can you or can’t you take off in five minutes?”
There was a momentary pause. “Ah… yes, sir. I’ll get you there. No guarantee on getting back, but yeah. I’ll have her ready.”
Garret looked up at the members of Alpha Team. “You heard the man.”
Vasily stood. “We go. Now.”
Ken was standing by the hatch of the Skyranger as the members of Alpha Team entered the hangar. Most of them were still buckling straps on their armor and checking weapons. “You sure about this?” the pilot asked.
“Not me,” James said. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“A risk, or hundreds of civilian casualties?” Catalina asked.
“Well, I haven’t had a chance to run a full series of tests,” Ken said, boarding the craft ahead of them. He headed for the small hatch that led into the forward compartment.
“Doesn’t look like you will,” James said.
“We soldiers, this war,” Vasily said. “It pretty simple.”
“Okay then,” Ken said, popping the hatch.
They strapped themselves into their seats as the engines on the Skyranger began to cycle. Ken had already warmed them up, and it took only about twenty seconds before he had them at full power. The Skyranger trembled as the hatch behind them slowly lifted and latched shut.
“Hope you didn’t use up all your luck in Vegas,” Ken said over the intercom.
“Where does your mom live, Ken?” Catalina asked.
“My mom? Pasadena, why?”
“If it was there, then…”
“Right, right,” the pilot said. “Here we go. But if we don’t crash, you each owe me a coke.”
“I’ll buy you a case of cokes, Ken, if you get us there safely,” Jane said.
The engines roared, and the ship leapt forward, lifting into the air as soon as it had cleared the outer doors of the hangar.
“I always hate this part,” Buzz said, as the acceleration drove him back into his seat. The aircraft groaned as Ken pushed it to its limits. Catalina held onto the armrests of her seat and grimaced. Vasily checked to make sure his autocannon was secure in its restraint. “Simple shooting,” he said. “Not bother with tear gas, they got masks.”
They heard a rumbling noise that came from the belly of the ship, followed by a sound that resembled a garbage disposal with a fork stuck in it.
“I don’t think that’s supposed to—” Buzz began, but he was cut off as the compartment suddenly exploded with flame.
Innocent Bystander
First Post
Alpha team has not had much luck with aircraft recently.
Richard Rawen
First Post
Heh, so many stories, so many many heroes, and time after time, you leave me with the same response to your cliffhangers:
CRAP!
heh
CRAP!
heh
Lazybones
Adventurer
Session 14 (July 14, 2008)
Chapter 48
The Skyranger rocked as a burst conduit sprayed scorching flames through the cargo compartment. “Extinguisher!” Catalina yelled, while Vasily and Jane, sitting closest to the front, grabbed the portable units held in brackets near the front hatch and started spraying retardant in the general direction of the breach. For a moment it seemed a hopeless effort, but then the surge from the conduit abruptly ended, and the two of them were able to quickly douse the residual flames.
“Damn, our fire suppression system is out,” Ken’s voice came over the intercom. “Quick thinking there, Vas and Jane.”
Vasily tossed the fire extinguisher aside. “Empty, now.” He sagged against his seat, which was somewhat singed by the flames, but fortunately none of them seemed to have been seriously injured during the episode.
“Ken, how are we doing?” James asked.
“Ah… hmmm,” came the pilot’s voice. “Seem to be leaking fuel, we are.”
“Are you going to be able to get us to the target?” James asked.
“There is one thing, back is another, I imagine,” Catalina said.
“Well,” Ken said, “I’m more worried about the engines igniting the fuel, and exploding the ship in a massive fireball.”
“Oh, great,” Buzz said, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his seat.
“Uh, yeah. Let’s try to avoid that, Ken,” James said.
“Getting a feed from base. I’ll patch it through.”
Doctor Wagner’s voice replaced Ken’s on their headsets. “We have a view of the situation on the ground. The alien ship has landed atop one of the American retail outlets, some place called ‘All-Mart.’”
“What’s the news?” Catalina asked.
“It looks like they’re taking captives. Local law enforcement has cordoned off the area, but the SWAT team they sent in got all shot up. American Special Forces are moving in, but they won’t be on-site for at least fifty minutes.”
“And will be outclassed anyway,” Catalina said.
Ken’s voice came in as Wagner’s stopped. “ETA is fourteen minutes.”
“This is starting to feel familiar,” Vasily said, as he reached down to unlimber his autocannon.
The members of Alpha double-checked their weapons and armor as the Skyranger began its descent. The craft continued to wobble a bit as Ken dropped it toward the target area, but there was no catastrophic explosion, and as the pilot switched them to VTOL mode the Alphas unlatched themselves and got ready to disembark.
Vasily looked around at the others. “We all in the groove? Stay alive, keep moving, take cover.”
“Multiple fields of fire on each alien,” James added. “No charging in.”
Vasily nodded. “One more thing.”
“What, Vas?” Catalina asked.
“We see another one of them ‘Sectoid Leaders’ on the heads-up display, we take it alive if at all possible, yes?”
“Right, get a prisoner if we can,” James acknowledged. “I’ll keep you guys standing as long as I can.”
Vasily grunted as he lifted his autocannon, checking to make sure his stun rod was affixed to the side of the bulky ammunition holder slung across his back. “God, we need some better way to stun than sodding stun pole.”
The ship lurched, and the noise of the engines rose to the familiar high pitch just before landing.
“Only one prisoner, guys,” James said.
“One alive was all we want anyway,” Vasily said.
“Fine by me,” Catalina said.
“Got it,” Jane said, flipping the charge switch for her laser pistol into the active position.
The ship jostled as it touched down. The hatch opened onto a nearly deserted four-lane road, populated by deserted cars, several of which were burning. There were a few bodies in evidence, drifting in and out of view as the smoke from the fires trailed in a gathering breeze. Beyond a spacious parking lot they could see the looming form of the retail store. The alien ship, a larger and bulkier oblong than the ones they had assaulted before, had landed on top of the building, caving in part of the roof. It squatted on top of the structure like some sort of tumor. They could hear familiar sounds, the discharge of plasma weapons.
“God damn aliens have no idea of rules of road,” Vasily said. “This is clearly no parking zone.” He stepped forward as the hatch finished its descent. “Here we go!”
They started forward, but had barely gotten twenty paces away from the Skyranger when they detected movement in and around the empty cars in the parking lot. “Sectoids!” Jane yelled, taking cover behind a late-model Buick moments before the first plasma bolts started streaking through the air around them.
The rest of the team followed her example, moving into cover and returning fire. James ended up beside Catalina behind an SUV that shook as a bolt crashed into the passenger door on the opposite side of the vehicle. “It occurs to me that cars might not be the best cover, if those bolts hit a gas tank,” he said.
“Better than out there!” Catalina returned, rising up long enough to fire a shot from her laser. She cursed as she missed, the beam drawing a bright red line long the fender of a car behind the diminutive alien, then ducked back as the sectoid fired at her. Its bolt hit the windshield and kept going through the driver’s-side window, spraying both of them with shards of glass.
“You were saying?” James said.
Vasily opened fire with his autocannon, tearing apart two sectoids who’d moved into the open. But more of them appeared off to the left, forcing the Russian back into cover with a series of bolts that peppered the ground around his feet, sending up small gouts of molten asphalt. More aliens were appearing around their flanks, forming a half-circle that was closing in around them. Several appeared on the right flank, coming around a parked van into a position that gave them a clear shot at Jane.
“Jane, fall back!” Vasily warned. Catalina and James shifted to cover her as Jane rushed back, but one of the aliens, holding an odd-shaped gun with a bulbous knob at the rear, fired as she crossed the open ground between the Buick and the SUV protecting Cat and James. A small orb shot out on a slightly ballistic arc, hitting her on the left leg. The missile exploded with a deep thump, knocking Jane to the ground and enfolding her in a thick shroud of heavy, greasy smoke. The other alien, armed with a plasma pistol, lifted its weapon to fire, but dodged back into cover as Buzz shot it with his laser. The alien with the small launcher also drew back out of sight.
“Jane!” Catalina yelled, darting forward to grab her. James cursed and started after her, but paused as he saw two more sectoids appear from between two parked cars, charging straight toward the women. These didn’t carry guns, but weapons that resembled small swords, except with blades that vibrated in a blur that made them almost invisible. “Look out!” he warned, firing his laser, hitting the first in the chest but failing to take it down.
Catalina saw them; she yelled at Jane, but the woman lay where she’d fallen, her eyes open, but her body stiff and unresponsive. The smoke around her had started to dissolve, but long wisps of it still trailed around her, clinging to her almost as though they were the claws of some monstrous creature. Catalina reached through them and grabbed her by the shoulders. She started pulling the stunned agent back into cover, but she’d barely gotten her three feet before she suddenly stiffened, dropping Jane as she swayed on her feet.
“Dammit, the ladies are sitting ducks!” Buzz yelled, as the aliens to the right popped back into view, and the two with vibroblades charged forward toward the helpless women.
Chapter 48
The Skyranger rocked as a burst conduit sprayed scorching flames through the cargo compartment. “Extinguisher!” Catalina yelled, while Vasily and Jane, sitting closest to the front, grabbed the portable units held in brackets near the front hatch and started spraying retardant in the general direction of the breach. For a moment it seemed a hopeless effort, but then the surge from the conduit abruptly ended, and the two of them were able to quickly douse the residual flames.
“Damn, our fire suppression system is out,” Ken’s voice came over the intercom. “Quick thinking there, Vas and Jane.”
Vasily tossed the fire extinguisher aside. “Empty, now.” He sagged against his seat, which was somewhat singed by the flames, but fortunately none of them seemed to have been seriously injured during the episode.
“Ken, how are we doing?” James asked.
“Ah… hmmm,” came the pilot’s voice. “Seem to be leaking fuel, we are.”
“Are you going to be able to get us to the target?” James asked.
“There is one thing, back is another, I imagine,” Catalina said.
“Well,” Ken said, “I’m more worried about the engines igniting the fuel, and exploding the ship in a massive fireball.”
“Oh, great,” Buzz said, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his seat.
“Uh, yeah. Let’s try to avoid that, Ken,” James said.
“Getting a feed from base. I’ll patch it through.”
Doctor Wagner’s voice replaced Ken’s on their headsets. “We have a view of the situation on the ground. The alien ship has landed atop one of the American retail outlets, some place called ‘All-Mart.’”
“What’s the news?” Catalina asked.
“It looks like they’re taking captives. Local law enforcement has cordoned off the area, but the SWAT team they sent in got all shot up. American Special Forces are moving in, but they won’t be on-site for at least fifty minutes.”
“And will be outclassed anyway,” Catalina said.
Ken’s voice came in as Wagner’s stopped. “ETA is fourteen minutes.”
“This is starting to feel familiar,” Vasily said, as he reached down to unlimber his autocannon.
The members of Alpha double-checked their weapons and armor as the Skyranger began its descent. The craft continued to wobble a bit as Ken dropped it toward the target area, but there was no catastrophic explosion, and as the pilot switched them to VTOL mode the Alphas unlatched themselves and got ready to disembark.
Vasily looked around at the others. “We all in the groove? Stay alive, keep moving, take cover.”
“Multiple fields of fire on each alien,” James added. “No charging in.”
Vasily nodded. “One more thing.”
“What, Vas?” Catalina asked.
“We see another one of them ‘Sectoid Leaders’ on the heads-up display, we take it alive if at all possible, yes?”
“Right, get a prisoner if we can,” James acknowledged. “I’ll keep you guys standing as long as I can.”
Vasily grunted as he lifted his autocannon, checking to make sure his stun rod was affixed to the side of the bulky ammunition holder slung across his back. “God, we need some better way to stun than sodding stun pole.”
The ship lurched, and the noise of the engines rose to the familiar high pitch just before landing.
“Only one prisoner, guys,” James said.
“One alive was all we want anyway,” Vasily said.
“Fine by me,” Catalina said.
“Got it,” Jane said, flipping the charge switch for her laser pistol into the active position.
The ship jostled as it touched down. The hatch opened onto a nearly deserted four-lane road, populated by deserted cars, several of which were burning. There were a few bodies in evidence, drifting in and out of view as the smoke from the fires trailed in a gathering breeze. Beyond a spacious parking lot they could see the looming form of the retail store. The alien ship, a larger and bulkier oblong than the ones they had assaulted before, had landed on top of the building, caving in part of the roof. It squatted on top of the structure like some sort of tumor. They could hear familiar sounds, the discharge of plasma weapons.
“God damn aliens have no idea of rules of road,” Vasily said. “This is clearly no parking zone.” He stepped forward as the hatch finished its descent. “Here we go!”
They started forward, but had barely gotten twenty paces away from the Skyranger when they detected movement in and around the empty cars in the parking lot. “Sectoids!” Jane yelled, taking cover behind a late-model Buick moments before the first plasma bolts started streaking through the air around them.
The rest of the team followed her example, moving into cover and returning fire. James ended up beside Catalina behind an SUV that shook as a bolt crashed into the passenger door on the opposite side of the vehicle. “It occurs to me that cars might not be the best cover, if those bolts hit a gas tank,” he said.
“Better than out there!” Catalina returned, rising up long enough to fire a shot from her laser. She cursed as she missed, the beam drawing a bright red line long the fender of a car behind the diminutive alien, then ducked back as the sectoid fired at her. Its bolt hit the windshield and kept going through the driver’s-side window, spraying both of them with shards of glass.
“You were saying?” James said.
Vasily opened fire with his autocannon, tearing apart two sectoids who’d moved into the open. But more of them appeared off to the left, forcing the Russian back into cover with a series of bolts that peppered the ground around his feet, sending up small gouts of molten asphalt. More aliens were appearing around their flanks, forming a half-circle that was closing in around them. Several appeared on the right flank, coming around a parked van into a position that gave them a clear shot at Jane.
“Jane, fall back!” Vasily warned. Catalina and James shifted to cover her as Jane rushed back, but one of the aliens, holding an odd-shaped gun with a bulbous knob at the rear, fired as she crossed the open ground between the Buick and the SUV protecting Cat and James. A small orb shot out on a slightly ballistic arc, hitting her on the left leg. The missile exploded with a deep thump, knocking Jane to the ground and enfolding her in a thick shroud of heavy, greasy smoke. The other alien, armed with a plasma pistol, lifted its weapon to fire, but dodged back into cover as Buzz shot it with his laser. The alien with the small launcher also drew back out of sight.
“Jane!” Catalina yelled, darting forward to grab her. James cursed and started after her, but paused as he saw two more sectoids appear from between two parked cars, charging straight toward the women. These didn’t carry guns, but weapons that resembled small swords, except with blades that vibrated in a blur that made them almost invisible. “Look out!” he warned, firing his laser, hitting the first in the chest but failing to take it down.
Catalina saw them; she yelled at Jane, but the woman lay where she’d fallen, her eyes open, but her body stiff and unresponsive. The smoke around her had started to dissolve, but long wisps of it still trailed around her, clinging to her almost as though they were the claws of some monstrous creature. Catalina reached through them and grabbed her by the shoulders. She started pulling the stunned agent back into cover, but she’d barely gotten her three feet before she suddenly stiffened, dropping Jane as she swayed on her feet.
“Dammit, the ladies are sitting ducks!” Buzz yelled, as the aliens to the right popped back into view, and the two with vibroblades charged forward toward the helpless women.
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