The objects, referred to by XCOM personnel as 'abduction devices' or 'a-pods', rained all over the world, falling heavily in densely populated areas. One such area, Cologne, was the site of XCOM's first contact with the aliens which would bring so much calamity to Earth. Operation Devil's Moon. The import of such a mission weighed heavily on the de facto leader of Delta Team, an American by the name of Cory Cook, who deliberated the impact this mission, and indeed the invasion as a whole, would have upon his planet as he pounded through the metal corridors of XCOM HQ, leading his 4 man team first to the armoury, then onto the prototype VTOL transport which would whisk them off to European soil and uncertainty. Falling into step behind him, Delta 2, the brash Argentinean Hektor Valdez grinned, he'd been training for months for such an eventuality and was eager to get to grips with humanity's unknown enemy, his aggression a holdover from his days running with the drug gangs in Buenos Aires, as was the short shaven mohawk style that adorned his scalp.
As the squad clattered into the armoury, Dmitry Malakhov, a stocky Russian trooper, designated Delta 3, stomped over to his locker and methodically pulled on his armour and retrieved his assault rifle, XCOM's 6.8mm G45, along with a single high yield fragmentation grenade. He scanned the room as he strapped on his webbing and loaded in several magazines, noting his fellow team members mannerisms as they locked and loaded. The softly spoken Japanese Chiyoko Nishimura, Delta 4 mirrored Malakhov's icy calm, but whether this was only a projected aura of serenity or genuine, he could not tell. Glancing over to the team leader, Cook, he noticed a slight tremble to the American's practiced movements. He was more nervous than he let on. Finally, the Argentinean, Valdez, fell under Malakhov's hooded gaze. He was blustering about his days back in the favelas. The fool was unready, cocky. He would not last long. Dmitry finished loading his webbing and caught Cook's eye. They nodded to each other and Cook called out, "Let's move Delta team!"
And move they did, jogging past the hologlobe at the centre of mission control, Valdez throwing Central Officer Bradford an ironic salute, a gesture the taciturn officer did not return, merely nodding. Valdez grinned wider as the squad passed by and stopped just shy of the Skyranger's ramp. The Commander was waiting for the team. She turned her gaze from the transport to look each member of Delta Team in the eye, before addressing the unit as a whole. "Lady and Gentlemen, today we stand on the precipice of a new war with an unknown enemy which seems inconsiderate of civilian casualties and vastly technologically advanced." She paced in front of the squad as she spoke, never once breaking eye contact with the members of Delta Team, "You're being deployed to Germany in response to a distress call by one of their recon teams, Central will brief you in detail en route. Whatever happens out there, you do your damndest to come back in one piece. I have a feeling we'll need each and every one of you before this war is over. Good luck Delta Team," the Commander snapped to attention, saluting the team, who crisply returned her gesture, "Give them my regards," dropping her arm with a half smile. A chorus of "Aye Ma'am" echoed from the Skyranger as Delta strapped in and the craft, callsign 'Big Sky', drew up its access ramp and fired up the engines, ascending rapidly into the darkening sky, before jetting off towards first contact.
"You are being deployed to Germany. At 1900 hours Zulu, several unidentified objects fell to Earth. After ruling out the possibility of a downed satellite, we now believe these objects to be extraterrestrial in nature. Shortly after impact, German officials received reports of mass hysteria and freak weather around one of the impact zones. Then things went dark. At 2100 hours, a chopper carrying a German military recon team went down in the area after they reported being fired upon. As you know, Germany is a member of the Council, and they have requested our assistance. Our mission is to assess the situation on the ground, ascertain the current status of the German recon team, and investigate the extraterrestrial objects. Central out." The import of Bradford's brief hung tangibly in the troop compartment of the Skyranger. Chiyoko Nishimura glanced around at her fellow teammates, noting their reactions to Central's information and comparing to her own, detached sense of calm. Cook looked controlled as he studied local information on his wrist mounted tablet which linked to XCOM's databases and satellite telemetries, along with those of council nations, this device was standard issue to all team leaders. Despite this controlled exterior, Nishimura noticed a slight tremor to his scrolling. He was nervous, but determined not to show it. She respected that. Looking across the compartment, she noticed Valdez animatedly regaling Malakhov with tales of his youth in the gangs, and how he couldn't wait to get to grips with the enemy. Nishimura looked into his eyes and noticed a manic fervour, masking his true feelings. The Argentinean was terrified and was attempting to cover it with bluster. A cover which fooled neither Nishimura nor apparently the Russian as he caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow. All conversation was stifled as the Skyranger began to slow. They had arrived.
The troopers lurched in their harnesses as the VTOL transport circled the site of the crashed German team, the holoscreen at the fore of the craft displaying the chaos of the forced landing. Fire and smoke billowed around the listed NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter. The scans picked up no heat signatures, human or otherwise, nor could the team see any bodies. After a brief exchange between Big Sky and Central, the craft lurched down towards the soaked pavement. Delta Team was unclipped and ready to move out as the Skyranger's wings rotated to their landing position and the ramp slowly lowered. The squad stifled a collective gasp as they caught their first glimpse of the once great city. The darkness of the night was ruptured periodically from above by the brilliant flashes of lightning brought on by the extraterrestrial objects arrival, and by the glare of abandoned emergency vehicle lights and the flames engulfing the German helicopter on the ground. Shaking himself out of the stupor, Cook led the team out of the Skyranger, himself and Valdez taking up overwatch positions at the foot of the ramp as Malakhov and Nishimura moved between them and moved towards the area of operations proper. The AO itself was a square, built around a statue of a blind woman holding a sword and a set of scales which Cook assumed was Lady Justice, an assumption backed up by the large courthouse to the right of the team. Ahead of them, beyond the statue was a large brick warehouse. "You getting all this Central?" Cook whispered into his mic, his voice almost drowned out by the lashing rain and crackle of fire and lightning.
Back at XCOM HQ, Central Officer Bradford stood by the hologlobe, its usual display of the world replaced with a large screen, showing the destruction in Cologne through Cook's mission cam. The atmosphere of tension in mission control was dense, with every operative staring at the feed in disbelief. Doctor's Shen, the head of XCOM's engineering department, and Vahlen, leader of the research and development department stood alongside Bradford and the Commander, their faces masked in calm, whereas each felt exactly as the operatives looked. With apprehension, Central responded to Delta, "Copy that Delta 1. Let's get you out of the open and into cover, whatever did this could still be out there." His words sent a ripple of shivers through the room. "Delta 1, move up to the police car to your 10 o clock. 2, cover by the statue, 3, to the red car, 1 o clock. Delta 4, overwatch. Move out Delta Team." The perspective of the feed switched from Cook to Malakhov as the trooper activated his mic. "Central, I have movement. 30 metres north of my position. Police vehicle." The soldiers gruff accent and blunt delivery belied his nervousness, shown on the holoscreen by a spike in his heartrate. "Roger. Move to the next vehicle to provide cover. Delta 4, go check it out. It's a long way from your position, and there's no cover in between so you'd better double-time it." ordered Bradford, signalling one of the operatives to change the feed to Nishimura's mission cam.
The native of Kyoto ran forward, trusting Malakhov's trigger finger should she find anything behind the overturned police van. "Seinaru jigoku..." she whispered, lapsing into her native language in shock. The side of the van was splattered with blood, with more running in rivulets, diluted by the thundering rain, from the weakly struggling German recon trooper with a huge slash in the side of his body. Blood even ran from his eyes, themselves a vivid glowing purple, forcing Nishimura to suppress a retch. "What do you see Delta 4? Report!" she could barely hear Central over her thundering heartbeat. She took a breath to steady herself as she watched the life seep out of the recon trooper and he slumped to the floor, his eyes faded. "Looks like one of the recon team sir. It looks like..."
"Hiilll...fffeeee..."
Nishimura snapped around to check her six, startled by the sudden, voice. Seeing nothing she backed into the cover provided by the police van, forcing the recon trooper from her mind. "Is that your man Delta 4?" Bradford said, the normally unflappable officer sounded worried. "Negative sir. That's someone else..."
"Hiilll...fffeeee..."
Bradford turned to Dr. Vahlen, herself a native German speaker. "What's he saying Doctor?" She turned and locked gaze with Bradford. "He is saying..." she took a steadying breath "Help me. That radio transmission is coming from somewhere north of the squad's current position. Based on its strength, probably from inside a structure" Bradford nodded, concerned at how pale the doctor looked. It was quite unlike her to be shaken. "Thank you Doctor. Delta, advance and infiltrate that building. And remember-stay in cover"
Cook nodded and signalled the advance, dashing forward to take cover by a white sedan, 15 metres from the warehouse. Valdez moved up to a bus shelter, noticing a stream of blood coming from within. He shivered slightly, blaming it on the lashing rain. "Central, I got a lot of blood here." Bradford again changed the feed to that of Delta 2's mission cam. "Roger. See where it's coming from" Valdez nodded uncertainly, and rounded the edge of the shelter. He, nor a few operatives at mission control, could hold back a retch or two. Within the shelter was the ruined form of another of the recon troops, this time, looking as though he had been ripped in two almost, his entrails lay in a pile in front of him and blood caked the floor and walls around his corpse. Steeling himself, Valdez spoke again "Central, I think I just found another one of the recon team. Or what's left of him. But this doesn't make sense...looks like he's been dead for a week." Valdez tried to ignore the corpse, but the flashing light of the damaged shelter kept drawing his attention back to the body. He turned away as Dr. Vahlen came over the radio. "Even more perplexing is the cause of death. It appears that he was eviscerated when something burst out of him from the inside." Valdez cast another disgusted gaze at the trooper and retched again. This was nothing like life in the gangs.
"Sir, I have visual on the object. Permission to approach?" called Malakhov over the comms net. He glanced out from his cover, eyeing the shimmering pod, narrowing his eyes at the infernal device. "It's the only cover between you and that building," replied Bradford, "Permission granted". Malakhov dashed forward, covering the 50 metres to the object swiftly. He noticed an odd humming emanating from the object, accompanied by a pulsing green light atop it. His gut told him this thing was nothing but evil, and his gut was rarely wrong. Malakhov was shaken from his thoughts as he spotted Nishimura moving level with him, crouched behind another police vehicle. "Okay people, let's get inside this building" Bradford ordered as Cook took up position beside one of the large windows of the warehouse. "In position. Looks clear" Delta 1 informed Central and the team. "Copy that. Get inside and get to cover" Bradford said, and Cook burst through the window, and into cover beside some pallet crates. "Delta 2, that door's in our way. Take it down" came Bradford's next order. "Solid copy" grinned Valdez as he sprinted for the door, barging straight through with his shoulder and slamming into cover behind a forklift. Malakhov cursed the Argentinean's bravado under his breath as he followed him into the building, taking cover adjacent to him beside some transport crates. As he peered around them, he spotted a standing recon trooper. "Central, we have eyes on the target," he then noticed the shotgun in his hands, "He's armed" Malakhov moved back into cover. "Copy Delta 3. Okay everyone, get into position nearby but do not approach." replied Bradford, the back of his neck prickling. This doesn't feel right, it feels like a trap, he thought to himself.
"Doctor, see if you can communicate with him. Tell him to drop his weapon" said Bradford as Nishimura moved through the door and into cover to the target's 11 o clock, hunkering down behind a pallet of barrels. "I will try," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she spoke clearly, "Hallo. Koennen Sie mich hoeren? Wir sind hier um ihnen zu helfen. Bitte lassen sie lhre waffen fallen." As the doctor broadcast over the squad's network, Cook moved up to the next stack of crates, moving swiftly but carefully so as not to disturb the target. The trooper did not respond to any of Dr. Vahlen's words. "He appears to be in shock" she noted. Valdez moved up to a position next to Cook as Central spoke again, "Keep your eyes open. I don't like the looks of this" Nishimura moved forwards into cover beside an industrial vault door. "Delta 3, move in and disarm him. Carefully"
Malakhov paced forwards slowly, keeping his weapon trained on the German at all times, slowing to a halt 3 metres in front of him. The trooper was holding a grenade as well as the shotgun. Malakhov grasped the light above him and directed it onto the troopers face. "My god..." he gasped. The troopers eyes were a iris-less purple, his face contorted into a sneer, the skin around his eyes discoloured as if it were bruised. Malakhov leaned around the trooper and gasped again. An alien stood behind him. It was small, grey with a huge cranium which house a proportionally huge brain. It put him in mind of the classic 'little grey men' of Roswell, yet horrifically distorted and even more horrifically, standing right in front of him, with purple lighting connecting it and the German trooper. Without warning, the grey pushed it's hand out, talons splayed. The lightning pulsed and the trooper snapped up his shotgun and blasted Malakhov in the gut. At this range, even his body armour did little to help and his abdomen was opened to the elements. He fell back silently, the shot barely registering as the air was forced from his lungs by the impact. Instantly, the trooper raised his arm and flipped the spoon off the grenade, shredding himself and Malakhov in its high explosive blast. A chorus of 'Man down' rang through the building as the troopers clicked off weapon safeties and readied themselves for a fight.
Cook turned to his left and was greeted with his first and last sight of the invaders. A small grey alien rolled around the corner of the crates he was sheltered behind and fired a burst of brilliant green plasma from a wrist mounted weapon. The blasts hit Cook in the neck, arm and torso and he was thrown backwards, shrieking briefly with agony before his body gave out and he landed in a heap beside Valdez. "Holy shit! He's down! Delta 1 is down!" Valdez shouted. He heard Nishimura call from across the building. "Central, we're taking fire from multiple x-rays!" she shouted, ducking lower behind her cover as bursts from a second alien's weapon whistled over her head. "This guy's got me pinned down, taking heavy fire!" Barely hearing Central's orders over the fire fight and his own pounding heart, Valdez ran to her aid, taking cover behind the barrels between her and the x-ray. He raised his rifle and fired a 4 round burst as they had been trained. The 6.8mm rounds tore through the alien, sending chunks of amber viscera across the floor as it toppled with a shriek. Nishimura nodded her thanks to the shaking Valdez as she readied a grenade. Running across the warehouse she dived behind the cover of a stack of barrels to the 8 o clock of the other alien and rolled the grenade just behind the crates, allowing herself a small smirk as the explosion destroyed the boxes and the alien both. Her smirk didn't last long as she wrinkled her nose at a sudden burning smell. She looked down to see a gaping, smoking hole in her chest. She glanced over her shoulder at the x-ray which had loped out of the darkness and fired on her from behind. Nishimura had never thought she would die this way as her vision darkened and she slumped to the cold floor. "No! God no please!" cried Valdez, tears blurring his vision as he fired wildly at the new contact, blasting holes in it's cover and it's body. He fired until the magazine was empty, the alien's body a ruin of vermillion blood and holes. "Central...I...I think that's it. It's over..." Valdez steadied himself on the vault door, glancing around at the chaos and his dead squad. He had been wrong, this was exactly like life in the favelas. His famÃlia was lying slain all around him once again. Blinking through his tears, he carried the bodies of his fallen comrades one by one into the Skyranger. Delta 1, Cory Cook, the soft spoken and soft hearted American who had taken Valdez under his wing. Delta 3, Dmitry Malakhov, who was such a solid trooper, who could always be depended on. And Delta 4, Chiyoko Nishimura, the quietest member of the unit, but nonetheless a vital part of Delta. He lay their bodies reverently in the hold of the Skyranger, said a quick prayer for forgiveness and unholstered his sidearm.
"Delta Team were the first casualties of this war. And I don't expect them to be the last." the Commander intoned. She, Bradford, Shen, Vahlen and the remaining 3 4-man teams were gathered at the memorial wall, which now bore the names and faces of the late Delta Team. "They paid the ultimate price to help save our planet. We will not let that be in vain. A moment of silence please" All present, bowed their heads. After a moment, Central signalled the few base staff present and a piper began playing Amazing Grace as the coffins bearing the bodies of Delta Team began a procession past the troopers. All stood to attention and saluted their fallen brothers and sisters as they passed. Whence they had left the room, the piper fell silent and the klaxon sounded. Another abduction was in process. "General quarters boys and girls. Sword Team, I want you prepped and in the air in five," Emily Martin, the Australian team leader crisply saluted and began leading her troops to the armoury. "Sorry to cut things short, but we've got a world to save. Carry on" the Commander saluted the room once, then left, headed for her office, a single tear dripping down her face.