The Last of Us: XCOM inspired

Prologue.

"Citizens of Earth, prepare for routine search."

The loud voice echoed throughout the small countryside home, coming through every technological device that was within the dwelling. The recorded voice startled the sleeping residents, causing them to be alert and on their feet within seconds. The voice continued to echo throughout the rooms as doors opened and three, tired but worried, siblings convened in the living room. Protocol stated that, upon routine searches, all habitants should align themselves in the main room, with arms by their side and nothing on their persons besides the clothes on their back.

The oldest sibling, a young man that was head of the household much earlier than any person should be, found himself quickly lining up his two tired younger sisters. The second child, only two years younger than himself, was already considered a young woman that could have lived on her own, but the youngest was the reason that both siblings stayed. The smallest child, a little girl of only eight years, tiredly tread into the room holding her toy bunny and rubbing her eyes.

"Emma, you need to wake up. Keep your eyes open and put away the toy."

His words were firm, as he took the little girl by both arms and yanked her into line next to her older sister and pulled the bunny from her hands and threw it a short distance behind them. The little girl's blue eyes welled up with tears at his tone but, simply nodded her head and did as he directed. Quickly, he placed himself on the opposite side of his middle sibling and waited for the troops that would be walking through the front door.

The siblings stood silent in the house, the only sound to be heard the continuous recording that played all around them, as they waited with bated breath. The young man turned his head to the side as he heard his youngest sibling shuffle around, but before he could berate her the front door was kicked in.

Had the old wooden door not already been broken, perhaps the force of the soldier's heavy boot would have been necessary, but as it was, the force was excessive; a perfect representation of all of the soldiers' actions. Four soldiers came into the room, all with their guns held up and trained on her inhabitants. Two of the soldiers were, what were considered to be, "common foot soldiers" within their ranks; their black padded armor and visors providing minimal protection and establishing no higher status. One was obviously a stun lancer, another common foot solider that was equipped with a large electrical rod that would effectively stun or kill a threat. The tight black outfit with red detailing protected Lancers from their own weapon but provided little coverage from enemy fire. The last soldier that entered was an Officer. Dressed in a heavy red armor, adorned with a small red cape, and black detailing, officers were the highest ranked foot soldiers. They were stronger than Lancers and soldiers, and were the one calling the shots within their small units that always consisted of three to five soldiers.

The siblings stood erect and still in their formation as the soldiers passed them and began to inspect the house while the Lancer and Officer stayed with them in the main room. The young man's eyes followed the movements of the Officer as he circled the siblings like a shark, and he wondered what the eyes of the creature looked like behind his black visor and red helmet.

"Preston McKay. Madison McKay. Emma McKay. Are there any other humans within this unit?"

The voice sounded similar to a person, but the underlying sound of static gave away that the voice was a translation of whatever the Officer had spoke in his native tongue. None of the siblings answered, not out of disrespect but out of protocol. Do not address an Officer unless spoken to.

"Madison McKay. Please answer the aforesaid question."

"No, Officer. There are no other humans within this unit."

The Officer gave the slightest nod of his head as acknowledgment of the response before pacing in front of the siblings again. Keeping there head high and eyes straight, the siblings awaited further instructions or questions.

"Preston McKay. Are there any resistance members within this unit?"

Preston wanted to roll his eyes at the insinuation that, by answering his previous question, they had still left open the possibility that they were resistance members; protocol says you cannot lie to an officer or official of the state but it did not say that you could not omit.

"No, Officer. There are no resistance members within this unit."

The two soldiers came back into the main room, reporting an all clear to the Officer. The Officer gave an order in his native tongue, the langue sounding deep and dark, and the two officers moved behind the two elder siblings, while the Officer and Lancer continued to circle around the group.

The movement of the two soldiers directly behind their persons, and out of their line of sight, caused both Madison and Preston to tense. Shoulders set, body on high alert, the two continued to stare straight ahead.

"Are you aware that your neighbor, the woman in unit 4402 of this provenance, was found guilty of harboring resistance operatives and technologies, Madison?"

Madison felt her body go even more rigid at the question. Of course, both she and Preston had suspicions about the activities going on in the house across the street, but they were not going to report it to an official. Apparently, the officials had got wind of the resistance activity, however, and put an end to the small collective. The fact that the officer used the term "found guilty" spoke more of the fate of the little old lady than what the officer would ever have to explicitly say.

"No, Officer. I did not know of the crimes in unit 4402."

Careful to call them crimes, careful to not acknowledge that she knew the woman, and careful not to show emotions, the question was answered in a politically correct manner. The Officer nodded his head, but still seemed intent on harassing the three siblings. Seeing something in the corner of the room, the officer briefly walked away to retrieve what had garnered his interest.

"Whose is this?"

Between the enclosed grasp of his black gloves, the Officer held up the little white bunny that had been thrown across the room by Preston prior to the soldiers' entrance.

"That's my bunny, Moe."

The Officer snapped his head in the direction of Emma's little voice. Both Madison and Preston tensing as their youngest sister had broken a protocol that she was old enough to be held liable for knowing. The Officer lowered his arm, still holding the bunny and approached the youngest girl in the line.

The little girl's worried blue eyes locked on the forms of her elder brother and sister and her eyes darted out to the side looking for reassurance, but all she saw were the rigid forms of the two looking straight ahead.

"Emma McKay. Where did you acquire this creature from?"

"I found it outside on our patio last month, and I gave her a home."

The Officer nodded his head as his hand began to get tighter around the little toy bunny. Within seconds there was a slight click from between his palm, the sound of something within the bunny snapping. The Officer tilted his head up, for a brief moment to look at the siblings, before ripping the head off the toy bunny. His black gloved hands gently retrieved a little black box from within the toy that was cracked.

"Preston McKay. Madison McKay. Emma McKay. Only respond if you have an answer. Do any of you know what this is?"

All of the siblings stood silent, looking at the little black box. Within the dark room, it almost looked like nothing at all, just a simple plastic square, but Preston and Madison both knew that it was more than that, but were not aware that it had been within the little toy their sister had brought home weeks prior.

"This." The Officer stated as he approached the siblings, holding up the device. "Is a resistance home com. Tell me, how did a resistance communication device, find its way into your favorite toy?"

Before any of the siblings could blink the Lancer whipped the metal rod from off of his back, forcing red and white sparks of electricity to light up the dark living quarter, and had placed it against the side the youngest sibling.

"EMMA!"

Both Madison and Preston found themselves yelling and gasping, respectively, as their little sister fell to the floor. Acting on impulse, the two went to reach out to the little girl. In return, the soldiers that had been standing behind them took to restraining the older siblings by grasping their arms and pulling them behind their back. Placing a swift kick to the back of their knees, the soldiers both forced the older McKay siblings onto the ground. Realizing the position they were in, the two ceased fighting. Madison, stuck staring at the prone form of her younger sister on the ground, while Preston eyed the Officer that was advancing on the remaining two siblings.

"Preston McKay. Madison McKay. Emma McKay has been found guilty of harboring resistance technology within this unit. Unit 4404 of this provenance, as of 16:23, is to be seized and eradicated of all tangible goods. The residents of unit 4404, Preston McKay and Madison McKay, are to relocate immediately."

The Officer ended his orders as the Lancer picked up the still body of the youngest McKay sibling and tossed her over his shoulder. The little girls light blonde hair fell down in little waves over his back and shielded the siblings from seeing the face of their little sister for one last time.

Both Preston and Madison shivered as they pictured the fear in their little sisters blue eyes as she saw her favorite toy being destroyed, only to then be met in the side by a life ending shock. The image had both siblings frozen as the solders released them and they all began walking out of the doors of their run down house. Allowing his soldiers to leave the building first, the Officer paused in the threshold of the doorway and turned back to the two older siblings who were just staring at the ground.

"Happy Unification Day, valued citizens of Earth. May the Elders bless you."

The voice was gruff and flat, but it was evident that – in its own twisted way- the creature beneath the mask was mocking them, before it threw an incendiary bomb into the house to begin the eradication process.

Neither sibling rose before the Officer, protocol stated complete submission to the will of the unified state, and they were not going to break protocol before an Officer that wanted any reason to put a beam through their skulls. The Officer waited for a moment, before turning and shutting the broken door to the room that was slowly burning with the remain McKay siblings inside.

As soon as the soldiers were gone, Madison let out a choked cry and found herself sobbing into her hands. Preston, however, saw the flames around them and knew that they did not have time to grieve.

"Get up, Madison. We have to go!"

With the callous words spoken, he grabbed his sister by her upper arms, in a similar fashion to how he had previously grabbed Emma, and forced her onto her feet. Giving her a firm shake, to collect herself, Preston moved the two towards the front door. The smoke from the room was overbearing, but the siblings would not complain since the flames never licked their skin as they maneuvered through the living room and out the main entrance. Coughing, and covering their faces, it was only when they had reached the road in front of their house did they lower their arms and see the world burning around them.

All of the houses on their street were a flame, only a hand full of their neighbors were to be seen through the smoke clouds that stretched onto the pavement.

Blue eyes wide with fear and anger, Madison turned to look at her brother.

"They killed them. Children. Adults. All innocent… They just killed them all."

Preston's jaw clenched at the true statement, his eyes barely focused on the red lights of the black armored vehicle that were moving further and further away from the scene of destruction.

The words were clipped as he turned to face his sister. Both of their blue eyes mirroring the anger and grief that they both felt.

"Happy Unification Day, because this is going to be the last."