"Voodoo 3-1 inbound to the drop site" The radio crackled as the OP Team sat in back waiting for the craft to set down and the green light for the 'operational go'.
Gertrud König sat strapped in, fidgeting with her rifle. This was it, first contact. Well they say first contact. There was that OP back in her homeland of Germany that No one came back from. Something just ripped through the heart of Cologne, leaving nothing but devastation and death in it's wake. She was a Mittweida girl herself, and luckily hadn't had any family in Cologne, but still it was close enough to hit home as she had studied at college in Bonn; And that wasn't that far.
She looked around herself in the dim light of the back the Skyranger, she was one member of a Four man Strike Team for XCOM. She didn't know much about any of the three men back here with her. Just their names and what country they were from.
When she was recruited, XCOM made it clear; They weren't proud. They'd take all sorts. Be it army vets, Special OP soldiers or just gangland thugs who knew how to use a gun. Everyone was on the same team when it came to defending the planet. Defending the Human Race.
There was Mathew Thomas, the quite Australian sitting a further towards the front of the craft diagonally across from her; he was built like a rugby player, with short blonde hair, a short well kelt beard and slightly tanned skin.
Across from him and next to Gertrud was Jay Wilson; The Loud Australian. He was much darker tanned, with his hair shaved off. He had a stocky build, and had the annoying habit of chewing gum while he spoke.
Finally, sitting across from Gertrud was Joe. Joe Hudson. American. Blonde hair, blue eyes. A regular Captain America, Gertrud thought. She couldn't tell if it was boredom or interest that caused her eyes to wonder to him throughout the long flight. Maybe all the male testosterone was finally getting to her.
Then it happened; Jay finally stopped spouting nonsense towards the silent Mathew, and turned to her.
"So hotness" He started, "Don't see many supermodels in the army. Or is it German policy to higher only the best looking." He winked and Gertrud felt her skin crawl.
"Wilson Leave it." Joe barked at him form a cross the narrow craft.
"She probably doesn't even speak English." Jay snarked back at him, "Why the hell they put a sheila on this mission?"
Joe looked at Gertrud, "Sprechen Sie English?" he asked in a very good German accent.
Gertrud looked at him and smiled.
"I speak English very well. Thank you." She said, smiling as she did so. "You speak German?"
"I was stationed there for a bit" Joe smiled back. "Great country, lots of history and I loved the museums."
Gertrud, tried to suppress her widening smile, and the urge to flirt.
"Really? If you keep saying things like that, I might have to amend my misconceptions about american men." She said with a side smile across her face.
Joe looked back at her, with a smile and a little chuckle,
"As an American man, all I can say to that is 'We live in Hope'"
"Voodoo 3-1, this is Central: You have a go for landing and Mission. God Speed." the Radio crackled to life once more, interrupting the smiles between Gertrud and Joe. The Green Light for Operational GO came on, casting it's green glow on the Squad.
Mathew unbuckled and stood up. He was nominally the Squad leader, for what ever that was worth. Upon joining XCOM, all pervious ranks were meaningless. In the Eyes of the Council everyone was an XCOM Rookie, regardless if you had been a Lieutenant or a Special Agent before swearing the oath.
"Listen up" He began "We have no clue what we're getting into. So keep your eyes open, stay alert."
"Will do Dad." Joe smirked looking up at him.
Mathew could only smile back, as he readied his rifle, the craft began to set down, the rear hatch began to open. The Squad unbuckled, readied their weapons and proceeded to move out.
As their boots touched the ground in Guadalajara, Mexico, they found themselves on the verge of a construction site. The harsh midday Sun stung at Gertrud's eyes.
"This is Delta-One" Mathew said, speaking into his radio, "Moving in and Commencing mission."
"This is Central, reading loud and clear." Came the response "Take care down there."
Mathew registered the response then gave the order for the Squad to move out.
The Squad moved through the empty construction site. It was quite. The only sound they could hear was the eerie stillness of the stealth Skyranger, waiting at the LZ.
"Is it siesta time already?" Jay asked aloud.
"I don't think so." Joe respond. "But where is everyone?"
The squad moved deeper into the construction site, fanning out a little as they did so. They couldn't see a single person.
Mathew and Gertrud went towards the west, Jay and Joe, went eastwards.
They kept to line of sight as much as possible, but as they ventured further, the drifted from eye line.
Mathew and Gertrud, explored in silence, both seemingly not wanting to strike up conversation, comfortable in the silence.
Jay on the other hand, was the first to start to banter.
"So That German, huh." He said slyly towards Jay.
"What about her?" Jay asked, not rising to the bait.
"She's something else." Jay said crassly. "She's hotter than most beach babe's I've seen. And that's with no makeup and fully combat gear on."
Joe remained silent, so Jay continued.
"Pity, you know what they say about germans."
"What do they say" Joe asked, knowing he'd regret it.
"No sense of humour." Jay smirked.
Joe just looked at him.
"Actually the German's I've met have all had a rather good sense of humour. They're lovely folk." Joe said, peeking around cover to check if the way was clear.
"Oh look at you mate: The great world traveler." Jay teased.
"You should do some." Joe said, "broadens your horizons. Women like that in a man. Might help you get a date."
"That why you joined up? To 'broaden your horizons'?" Jay asked with a smirk on his face.
"There were a few reasons." Joe said, quietly. He could tell Jay was going to press him further, so he thought to change the subject. "But tell you what, you aren't wrong."
"huh?" Jay asked,
"She does look like a supermodel." Joe smiled.
Jay chuckled a little then the pair drifted a little apart as they took their time to size up the area looking for evidence of alien contacts.
Gertrud and Mathew moved silently forward. Mathew took point, and Gertrud covered him. The path diverged a little as they reached some building equipment, Mathew signalled for them to split up, and so they did so, but tired to keep to line of sight.
Gertrud moved up under cover, and then noticed something odd.
"Was ist Das?" She said looking at some green slime smeared on the ground and along a building crate.
"You found something?" Mathew asked across a row of pipping.
"Green… goo." She responded, "Could be alien."
Just then they where interrupted by a load shout
"HOLLY HELL" Jays voice thundered throughout the construction site.
Gertrud looked at Mathew, who nodded in agreement and she took off towards Jay's voice.
Jay had spotted the alien as he moved up to cover by a shipping container; Two Aliens in fact. Short greyish creatures with large heads and tiny bodies, their arms and legs spindly thin, they're eyes large and vacuous.
They stood over what Jay could only guess was a human covered in green slimy goo.
Jays shout alerted them to his presence, and they took to cover.
Joe rushed up to Jay's position, crashing down beside him.
"So sexy green skin babes?" Joe asked smiling,
"Fuck no!" Jay said back, "more like grey skinned shits."
"Damn" Joe sighed, "Always wanted to be Captain Kirk."
"You have a Go to engage" Mathew's voice came over the radio, "Take them out"
"You heard the man" Joe said, standing up. He spotted one of the grey beasts, and without a moments hesitation; pulled the trigger.
The bullets ripped through the air right before they ripped through the aliens head. It's small grey body hit the ground, green 'blood' splattered outwards.
"Scratch one bug eye." Joe proclaimed, and he ducked back into cover. Jay then popped up out of cover, set his sights on the other Alien, and fired.
The bullets ripped right through it's thin torso and the creature flopped to the ground.
"Make that two" Jay smiled as he claimed victory.
"Don't get ahead of yourselves" Mathew's voice came across the radio, "There could still be .. WHOA"
There was gunfire a little bit off, and it could also be heard over the radio.
There was silence for a moment.
Joe and Jay shared a look, it was an uneasy look. Jay spoke into the Radio.
"Matty?" He asked, "You here?"
There was silence.
He asked again, "Matty? You there?"
Then Gertrud's voice came over the radio. "Delta-1? Thomas?"
"I'm here." Mathew's voice crackled over the radio. "freaken thing just jumped out on me." there was a pause. "Be careful."
Gertrud, signed in relief, and went back to gripping her rifle. Mathew had only been out of her sight for a few moments and already he had had a close call. Just then a sound came from a little further up, past some crates and piles of bricks. and then she saw it. Large dark eyes on a larger grey head. It held up it's arm, a mechanical device was there, seemingly grafted onto it. Then it fired. Two blasts of green light shot past Gertrud's head, before she even registered that it was a weapon. Then she dived down behind cover.
She steeled herself with a deep breath, then took her chance. Gun ready, she peered around the metal crate she was behind, took aim, and fired. The shot hit. Splattering the brains of the alien up into the air, and across the floor. Just then another alien darted out behind the first, and ran with lightening speed past her and up a sheer wall.
"Contact down, another scaled a wall near my position." She shouted into her radio.
"We see it" came Joe's reply.
Joe and Jay spotted the creature as it broke cover darting past building material and up the wall. They both decided to follow after it. Disregarding Mathew's pleas to wait to regroup, they rushed forward and climbed up onto the small one story building the alien had ascended. They Crashed down beside some bags of cement.
"You see it?" Jay asked,
"Yeah I see it" Joe replied.
"What's it doing?" Jay asked again, wondering why the alien seemed to be crouching low next to a partially raised wall at the edge of the roof. It's back was turned to him, and it's eyes trained on something. It seemed shifty and uneasy.
Joe looked around. He could see Gertrud's short black hair bobbing just slightly up and down behind some cover on top of a shipping container she had just climbed, but the alien hadn't seemed to have spotted her.
There was little cover on this roof but between him and the Alien, but there was some more building supplies. If he could get there, He could get a better look at it.
"I'm going for a closer look" Joe said, "Maybe I'll ask it out for you." He joked, slapping Jay on the back, then broke cover and darted towards the cover closer to the alien.
The Aliens' dark grey head seemingly twisted on the spot, it's eyes flashed. It's arm came down and two blasts of green light short forth. Joe didn't even have time to notice.
The first blast hit him, ripping away his kevlar body armour, the second connected right where the first had, blasting a hole in his chest. Blood splattered backwards, covering Jay.
Gertrud could only look on in horror as she watched Joe's body fly backwards from the blast.
"JOE!" She yelled, a yell that was echoed from Mathew as he was forced to look up at the scene from his position on the ground.
Gertrud without thinking let louse a folly of shot at the alien. The bullets missing the mark. But the Alien didn't seem to notice.
Instead it took aim at Jay who was now shaking at the sight of his dead squad mate mere feet away from him.
It fired. Two blasts of green light, shone past him, above his head, one missing him, the other grazing his shoulder, a flesh wound it seemed, but it caused a panic in Jay.
He grabbed his gun tightly, and without looking shot wildly.
The bullets found their mark. The Alien crashed backwards, hitting the small wall before falling over it, dropping the story to crash down by Mathew as he raced up to the scene.
Gertrud too broke cover and raced towards their downed squad mate.
Jay was rocking back and forth, muttering something as Mathew and Gertrud reached them.
"It happened so fast, I couldn't save him." Jay's voice was so quite.
"Jay? Jay?" Mathew tried to shake his friend out of it,
"It ripped right through him. The armour, it did nothing." Jay said, slowly coming back to his sense.
Gertrud knelt down next to Joe's body. His eyes were still open, his face that of shock, but there was no life there. He was gone.
"Delta Team" The radio crackled into life. "This is Central, we're reading no more Alien contacts, area is clear." Their was a pause as no one acknowledged the transmission. "Good Job People" Central said again.
Mathew took to the radio.
"We lost Delta-2." He said. "I repeat: We lost Delta-2. Alien weapon ripped right through him."
There was a pause on Central's end this time, as the three remaining squad members waited,
"Copy that Delta-1. Reconvene at the LZ, Big Sky will bring you home. Clean Up team will handle the rest."
Gertrud looked up from Joe's face, he had been quite handsome. She turned to Mathew.
"So that it?" She asked.
Mathew, couldn't find any words. Well not any that would help. Instead, he insisted they get Joe's body back to the LZ. He deserved a proper burial.