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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 5058360" data-attributes="member: 143">Gotta give the players credit, the idea for the psych interviews came from their forum posts. And thanks for dropping in, djordje!* * * * * Interlude: Planning (July 8-9, 2008)* * * * * So far, it had been ten minutes of ham fritters, coffee and Antarctic adventure stories in the X-COM cafeteria.  Vasily wasn't sure how anyone could talk about Antarctica for ten minutes without mentioning penguins once, but that was because they weren't actually talking about Antarctica; they were talking about Alyssa Sanders.  Or, rather, Alyssa Sanders was talking about Alyssa Sanders.  As he'd never been to Antarctica, there wasn't much else to do but make the occasional intrigued noise. So when the little vibrating buzz sounded from the xPhone sitting there near his plate, he couldn't help but glance down and skim-read the contents. "... so what I had to do is dig the ice shelter and make the walls with just this trowel I'd made from - are you listening?" "Eh?" He looked up, and blinked a bit, coming back to Earth.  "Oh. Sorry, is the email from Wagner." That admission earned him a carefully-modulated look of disappointment.  "And what Doctor Kimmy's got to say is more interesting, huh?" "What?  No, no.  I just looking -" "Give it here," Alyssa demanded, motioning for the xPhone.  Her eyes flicked across the screen, and a minute or two of expert tapping produced a message. She held the phone in front of his eyes.  "There.  That do?" "Uh -" "Good."  He tentatively reached for the phone, but winced as she tapped the SEND button before handing it back, apparently unfazed.  "By the way, you really need a more interesting user name than that.  How about we go shoot something?  I can tell you the rest of the story on the way." In the privacy of his own head, he sighed a little.  It wasn't exactly an ideal date.  But as the only topics he could think of to talk about were murderous aliens, the possible double-dealing of the People's Republic of China and the worry that his own nation was involved somewhere—after all, hadn't they all signed the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Co-operation?—maybe an hour or two of shooting some target dummies and listening to more survival adventures in freezing climes wasn't so bad. "Sure.  Okay."  They got up, and Vasily slid the xPhone back into his pocket.  What the other team members would make of that mail, he wasn't sure...* * * It had been a busy week.  Thanks to good fortune and perhaps the improved suit of armor, Catalina had been the least damaged Alpha that the recovery team had finally managed to dig out of the wreckage of the alien ship.  It was a miracle any of them were still alive; she’d overhead one of the medical techs saying that between the five of them they’d had thirty-seven broken bones.  She herself had escaped with just a broken collarbone and some torn muscles, but Stan had set her up with an IV full of his miracle juice, which had put her back on her feet within twenty-four hours.  With her fellow team members recovering from broken bones and internal injuries, she’d been left to her own devices.  She kept busy tying up the details on the matter of the leak.  The aftermath of that affair had been oddly rewarding.  The open gratitude of Hallorand and Garrett, both of whom had been relieved to have the matter closed so swiftly and with Doctor Okwelume still alive.  The sincere, if somewhat saddened, congratulations of base staff, and the enthusiastic ones of some of her own team.   But more than any of these, the obviously bitter taste if left in Drake's mouth as she was forced to acknowledge it. But that was now done and over with, and sitting in the usual "feet up on table" position in the Recreation room, listening to the chatter of those around her, Catalina had to admit she was bored.  There were other projects to work on, but what had seemed a fine way to occupy herself the week before now seemed just a little empty.  She glanced down as the xPhone buzzed and pulled it out to look.  A mischievous grin came across her face.  It merely broadened as Vasily and Alyssa walked through the room on the way to the firing range.  She wiggled the phone at him and her eyes danced.  Well this should keep me occupied for a few minutes at least, she thought. With a smirk on her face, Catalina sat and composed a response to the resourcing email. She pressed the send button with a flourish and while waiting for any potential response typed another. No response to the first. Catalina glanced at the entrance to the barracks corridor with another grin.  Maybe he'll want to give it in person.She didn’t have to wait long for a reply to the second message; Grace was known for always being at work, and she was as likely to respond to an e-mail in the middle of the night as during the day.  Relieved to have something to do, Catalina grinned again and headed off toward the workshop.</blockquote>

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