First and Last Defense
2K Games and Firaxis Games own the rights to
XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM: Enemy Within
Hey guys! Shadow is back, and there is a new story. But this one has a rule. I want five reviews. If I get them, I update. If I don't, then I don't. I will update every Saturday if I get the reviews required. I hope you all like it.
Chapter 1: More to Come
Robert Campbell shuffled the papers on his desk, and watched the camera pan to him.
"Hello, and welcome to the Evening News. The New York Police Department hasn't made much progress evacuating the city after Thursday's unexpected attack by alien invaders. They haven't been able to verify how many are dead or missing. The world is still reeling as no military has been able to fight off the invaders. All attempts to contact the invaders thus far have failed. Their only purpose seems to be destruction and chaos. One fact is quite clear: The militaries of the world are severely outgunned. In the absence of a miracle, this could very well be the end of civilization as we know it. Now, going live to our reporter on the ground, Emily Hanaver. Emily, what's going on with the evacuation?" A blonde woman straightened her jacket, and looked into the camera.
"Robert, there is a lot of stalled cars on the side of the road. The local police are trying to funnel everyone through as fast as possible, but it's just not possible. There is just too many…" She was still speaking, but there was a loud humming, and on the horizon, appeared an alien ship. It started firing on the crowd of people, and it stood still. As it hovered, the police opened fire, but the bullets didn't penetrate. It launched plasma at the officers, and most were vaporized. The rest watched as small gray aliens came down from the spaceship, followed by tall thin alien, , mechanical floating aliens, and lastly, five large green armor aliens came down, all of whom were holding glowing green rifles. They began firing into the crowd of people. The police were trying to fight back, but they were overrun. Civilians were shot, cars were exploding, and Emily was knocked to the ground by a gas station being destroyed. The camera fell over, and was still broadcasting. She crawled to a car, and hid behind the door. The alien ship was still shooting, and one of the large green aliens found her and aimed the rifle at her.
"No! Please!" The alien made a noise, similar to a laugh. Behind it, the spaceship stopped firing, as rockets came from nowhere and destroyed it. It crashed into the forest, and the aliens were looking around, trying to figure out what had happened. The armored alien looked back at Emily, and was about to shoot her, when a shotgun shell took it off balance. A man, in tan armor, with a fully closed helmet, armed with a shotgun, jumped over the car, and began shot it again. It fell back, but jumped up and fired at the man. The plasma hit him square in the chest, and killed him. The large green alien howled, and went back to Emily. The camera saw everything. It saw the alien pick Emily up, who was kicking and screaming for help. It caught the laughing of the alien, and the gripping of Emily's neck, which was going to be crushed. It also caught the most important thing. It caught the man getting up, with the burned but not penetrated body armor, and jumping at the alien. It dropped Emily, and struggled with the man, who brought a combat knife into it's head. The alien fell over, and the man grabbed his shotgun, and looked at Emily. Suddenly, other soldiers in tan armor appeared, and fired. The man with the shotgun nodded, and then proceed back into the fight. The aliens were being killed left and right. These newcomers were taking shots, and getting back up. They shot back, and after the last alien was killed, their ship flew into view. It hovered above the road, and people in hazmat uniforms dropped down. They were picking up the bodies, and the fragments of the weapons that the aliens were using. This seemed to last a few hours. More soldiers had shown up, and began helping the remaining officers direct traffic. They kept people clear of the battle zone, and they tended to the wounded. But the six soldiers who fought the aliens were all gone. Emily watched all of the action, and set the camera up on a car. Robert was trying to talk to her.
"Emily?! Are you alright?! What happened?!"
"Robert, there was just an attack. I am fine. I would have died, but soldiers, wearing some form of combat armor, showed up, and killed the invaders. They killed the aliens, like, like… it was their job. It didn't seem to be that much of a problem to them. We don't know who they are, but their colleagues are taking the bodies, and putting them on planes. They won't let anyone near the bodies of the aliens. Others are still here, but they are helping the police. They are directing traffic, but it seems that when the men in HAZMAT suits are done. I am leaving to help the police with the clean up. I will try to get more information. Back to you Robert."
A WEEK LATER
Robert walked into his apartment, and closed the door. He hung up his jacket. There had been no official statement from the soldiers who saved Emily, and who were popping up across the world. He went through his mail, and set it down on the table. He flicked the light switch, but no lights came on.
"The lights are disabled in your apartment only." Robert turned around, and saw a man sitting in a chair. He was wearing a suit, but that was all the reporter could see. His face was shrouded in darkness.
"Who are you?"
"You will keep your voice down. You will listen to what I have to offer. You do not ask questions until I tell you to. Do you understand?"
"Who are you?"
"Someone who has more power than you think imaginable, Robert Campbell. Now listen. I have an offer. You are the first reporter to have the armored soldiers on camera. You should be the one who has the most knowledge on them. Why don't you?"
"Because no one does. Whoever they are, they aren't talking."
"Until now." The man stood up, but curiously, Robert still couldn't see his face. He set a DVD on the table.
"I have decided that you are going to be our reporter. We will give you information on our progress, our operations, and what we are doing to protect the human race. You are the only one who will be in direct contact with us. You can ask questions now."
"Who are you?"
"The XCOM Project. I am the Commander. I'm the only one who you will talk to."
"What country are you from?"
"All of them. We have volunteers from all countries."
"So who do you report to?"
"No one, and everyone. We report to the human race."
"So what keeps you in check?"
"Nothing. We fight to keep the human race safe. No laws stand in my way. I will order my men to do things that will benefit the human race. I will sacrifice the few for the many, because the many will be able to survive this war."
"So you can break the law and no one will touch you?"
"No. They can't find me. I have to leave. Quite literally, I have the world to save. Play the DVD, answer questions from people, and I will contact you later." He walked out of the apartment, and Robert picked up the DVD. And at that moment, the lights came back on.
THE NEXT DAY
Robert looked at the camera as the on air light came on.
"We are back. For the past week, people have been asking who they are, where they are from, and why they came now. Reports have come in from around the world, of alien ships being blown out of the sky, military airships bearing the marking of no country, special forces soldiers with weapons and body armor unlike anything we have ever seen. People have wondered who the troops with the battle armor are, the soldiers who take on these alien invaders, and win. No one has offered an explanation to who they are. Until now. Last night, I, Robert Campbell, was contacted by a man who called himself, 'The Commander.' He told me that they aren't fighting for a country, but the world. They will do anything possible, legal or otherwise, to protect humanity. He also handed me the following video." The DVD played on the monitor behind Robert and he turned to watch it. He had never seen it before, and it sent chills down his spine, when he saw a man, cloaked in shadows, speak with a very deep voice.
"Hello, Commander. In light of the recent extraterrestrial incursion, this council of nations has convened to approve the activation of the XCOM Project. You have been chosen to lead this initiative. To oversee our first, and last, line of defense. You have full command of XCOM Headquarters. You must learn more about the enemy to expand our capabilities, as well as the abilities of our operatives. War is upon us. We are experiencing heavy casualties. Our operatives represent the best our nations have to offer. They are aided by our most advanced technology. But still they fall. Do not be careless with the lives of your troops, commander. Few will survive to see the end of this conflict. Fewer still will possess the skills necessary to end it. Your efforts will have considerable influence on this planet's future. We urge you to keep that in mind as you proceed. Good luck, Commander." Robert waited until the video was done, and then looked at the camera.
"We'll be back after these commercials."
How was it? The whole story won't be from the reporter's view. It will be from the Commander's perspective most of the time. It will mostly be from the expanded world of XCOM: Enemy Within. Because it's more expanded.
