X-COM Headquarters in Hungary, Budapest.
Sergeant Peterson tapped Commander on the shoulder.
- Commander, we have a situation here - Peterson said rather nervously - we've just intercepted a medium-sized alien ship heading towards '' Ivory! ''
Commander couldn't force words out of his mouth - What? What do they think they're doing? Link me up with Ivory's Head of Security now!
One of the IT technicians got on to the computer and made a connection with the secondary X-COM base. In about two minutes a human figure appeared on the big plasma screen:
- Yes, go ahead sir. - said the Chief of Security, Joseph Hall.
- Hall, we have eyes on an unauthorized alien aircraft that should be entering your airspace right now. Can you see it on your Geoscape? - Commander folded his arms.
- Yes - Joseph replied so quietly that Commander barely heard him - Yes, we've got an alien craft heading right for us!
One sentence was enough to make Commander worried, yet his wits had stayed unshaken.
- Joseph, enable Ivory's Fusion Ball Defense but do not fire at the object, we don't know their motives just yet. Instead - send out one of your Firestorm aircrafts and make an attempt to contact it.
At the moment it seemed like the best plan of action, since their Avenger's were still recovering UFO aircraft left-overs.
- Understood, we're manning our defense systems. Firestorm should be in the air in just a few minutes.
- Good - said the Commander - how many soldiers are combat-effective?
Joseph was quiet for a second:
- We've got uh... 5 soldiers available for tasking.
- Connect me with Firestorm's pilot when he's in the air. I want to monitor this whole thing.
Joseph nodded and went off-screen for a few moments. Commander turned around just to see at least six people looking over his shoulder. Obviously, everyone was interested in knowing what's going on. When suddenly the pilot's voice was heard coming from the speakers:
- Evening Commander, Maurice Ortiz reporting in from inside Firestorm 4-1. I've got the object in my field of view. - he sounded very confident, almost as if intercepting alien aircrafts was his main source of fun in life.
- Understood, pursue but do not fire at it - Commander spoke into the microphone - report on the situation regularly.
- You got it.
About a dozen of people now had their eyes on the plasma screen.
- I've almost got it, damn this thing is moving fast! Not your average scout ship, huh?
Commander was about to tell him to take this seriously, but a collection of hot plasma hitting Firestorm beat him to it. X-COM aircraft was engulfed by black smoke, but the flying saucer did not hesitate and fired a second shot of plasma. Maurice's aircraft was no more.
- Ortiz is dead! He's dead! - was heard over the intercom. The spine-chilling static heard in the background was horrifying.
- Ivory, target the object and fire at it - Commander shouter right in the microphone - destroy that craft!
- We can't! It's evading everything we send at it - Joseph shouted, after regaining from the recent tragedy - They seem to be landing right near the access lift!
- They are assaulting the base! Joseph, get your fighters armed and ready to fight, you are being invaded!
The alien ship had landed not far from the base, Ivory was on full alert. All non-military personnel had been evacuated using the available aircrafts, with only one last Skyranger left at the Hangar, in case Commander ordered the troops to bail out.
- Commander, our soldiers have just reached the Stores, they are arming themselves right now
- Have we only got rookies available? - Asked the Commander.
- The rest of the more experienced fighters have are still in Bucharest - Joseph replied.
Joseph noticed the Commanders icy stare:
- Yes, sir, I know. But i'm sure they can manage.
Red warning lights lit up behind Joseph, as the automated facility announcement system mumbled something in it's distinctive voice.
The security chief smirked.
- Their assault is imminent, they have already breached one of our... - he stopped mid-sentence - Commander, our system detected one single biological life form, just one.
- That's impossible, Hall, they wouldn't send one single hostile unit to assault our base.
- I'm gonna connect you with one of the rookies, he's leading the base defense initiative. You should be online with him right about... now.
The plasma screen turned black, only audio could be heard from now on.
- Commander, we've armed ourselves and are preparing to leave the Stores. - said the squad leader.
- Listen up soldier. Ivory has detected only one enemy unit so far. Scout the base and eliminate it. But keep your eyes open - for we don't know what it is.
At X-COM's 2nd base of operations, Ivory, a team of fighters is preparing to rid the place of an enemy intruder with their team leader Gregory.
- For real? There's only one extraterrestrial scum inside the base? - Said one of the rookies called Patrick.
- Commander said there could be more, you dumbass. - rudely replied the squad leader holding a laser rifle, his name was Gregory.
Gregory didn't wait for him to come up with a suitable comeback, and quickly made up for his words:
- No offense intended, Pat.
One of the more inexperienced rookies was slowly shuffling behind the rest of his squad.
- Hey Russel - Gregory turned to the rookie - once we get into action, just move fast and get behind something.
- And don't worry about your rear - Frank wedged into the discussion - me and Leroy will cover you.
Russell didn't bother to reply, but Patrick did.
- What's the point? - Patrick glanced from Frank to Russel - there's only one of those things, what could it possibly do to any of us?
- What if it's one of the big ones? Mutons, right? - Said the fifth soldier in a jumpsuit - they're quite… beefy.
Gregory looked at his teammates and nodded slowly. The five soldiers moved further into the Stores. Along the way they saw numerous doors left open by the evacuating engineers.
- There's the elevator to the upper floor, let's hurry and get this over with! - Patrick growled.
All five entered the elevator and Gregory pressed the button. The lift was slowly moving up as the soldiers exchanged looks.
- You know what... - Frank wiped the sweat from his forehead - if we get past this whole thing, I'll buy you all a cold beer.
As the elevator came to a stop, they quickly rushed out of it and scanned the room for the alien intruder.
Leeroy cleared his throat - Sure is empty out here, huh? Where is that thing?
- I'll contact Hall, he'll help us locate it. - said Gregory. The squad leader took a few steps forward and sat down to contact Joseph.
- Just don't get killed by the big, scary alien. - Patrick grumbled under his breath.
Back on Ivory, a few minutes later.
Gregory adjusted his radio and waited for Joseph to respond. Didn't have to wait too long, he looked around, admiring Ivory's large interior until he got the response:
- Have you neutralized the alien yet? - Joseph asked on the other side of the radio - that's a funny way of asking if you slaughtered it yet.
- Negative, we've swept through the Stores but it was nowhere to be found. I was wondering, if you could help us track it down?
- Actually, I can check the camera feed - Joseph shrugged - I wonder why I didn't think of that before.
Gregory forced out a fake laugh - This isn't the time for jokes, Hall. We've got God knows what lurking here with us and I don't want...
- I wasn't really - Joseph interrupted him - Okay, let's just forget that. I'm cycling through the recordings right now.
Gregory flicked his radio off and returned to his squad mates. Patrick looked over his shoulder and noticed him approaching.
- Well, has he found the Martian already? - Patrick joked causally.
- He's checking the cameras right now. We're going to have to wait here a bit. Joseph will help tip the odds in our favour.
Gregory looked towards the rest of his squad, nodding to the three rookies. They understood the sign and kept on moving.
- Hey Gregory - Leroy called out for him - My radio is down, what about you?
Patrick tried flicking on his radio, but to his surprise, it was dead too.
- Yeah, mine is down too. - calmly said Russell.
Frank raised an eyebrow - The hell, man?
- Dammit. - shouted Gregory - That alien might have interfered with the equipment, here at the base.
Patrick looked towards the Living Quarters and narrowed his eyes. He saw a figure emerging out of quarters and shuffling towards the team.
- Look out! Behind you! - Patrick yelled and took a few steps back.
Upon closer look, that ''thing'' looked human, or at least, used to be one. It's skin was dark green and it was wearing X-COM's staff uniform.
All five had drawn their weapons at the creature.
- Isn't that one of the scientists who was researching alien alloys? - Leroy whispered to his buddy, Frank.
The reply took half a moment - Doesn't look like he is now…
- Get down on the ground! - Russell yelled at the creature - Do it, now!
But the creature didn't seem to hear it, it kept on dragging itself towards the soldiers. Patrick lifted up his Heavy Plasma Cannon in both hands, shutting his right eye and aiming at the alien.
- This is your last warning! - Russell started backing away, shifting his aim to the creature's head and firing a single shot. The once human being fell down on the floor, dead.
- Damn, you just layed him out.
- Do you ever keep your trap shut, Pat? - Gregory thundered at Patrick.
- Vilkins, go see the body, make sure it's dead.
Rookie in the jumpsuit nodded and approached the now motionless creature.
- You got him, nice shot-
Vilkin's last word was never to be heard, a crab-like claw burst out of the ''seemingly dead'' creature and grabbed Vilkins by his foot. A few horrifying moments later, the alien had pulled itself out of it's host and threw Vilkins across the hallway.
- God damn it, what is that?! - Patrick yelled and raised his gun at the alien, and so did the rest of his teammates.
Commander, besides Sergeant Peterson in the war room.
X-COM's primary base in Hungary - Budapest.
- Get me Ivory, I have to talk to Hall. - Commander said to one of the IT technicians across the room, seated behind one of a number of consoles. Sgt. Peterson, who had been watching the Geoscape for the past five minutes, spoke to the Commander:
- Our Avenger aircrafts are on their way back here, sir.
- How long till they get here?
- Approximately eight, maybe six minutes.
- Good, report back to me once they have been refueled.
- Understood. - Sergeant said and left the war room.
One of the IT technician's glanced at the Commander:
- We couldn't establish a radio contact with Joseph Hall, something seems to be interfering with his radio comms - he continued - but we have just received a message from Ivory's war room, looks like it's from one of the soldiers.
Commander ran up to the console:
- Commander? - was heard from the intercom - We've been assaulted by one of the aliens, bastard has already taken out two of my men. We have retreated and barricaded the war room as well as we could, but that thing could break in at any moment.
- I'm granting you full access to the armory and authorizing the use of explosives. - replied the Commander.
- We will gear up and try to fight our way to the Skyranger.
Everything went quiet again, they had received no messages for approximately twenty minutes now, and everyone in the war room had lost all hope that they made it to the Hangar. Six minutes later, the yellow diamond of the Skyranger on the Geoscape started moving - the had made it to the Skyranger and were on their way here!
- Their craft is moving very slow - said one of the Ivory's scientists looking at the Geoscape display - you think they are low on fuel?
- We were ordered to make sure it was fueled up before we evacuated, I think they just don't know how to fly it properly. - said the other.
Meanwhile, at the other side of the war room:
- Send two men in power armor to secure the Hangar, and get the survivors to med-bay. Make sure they live! - Commander ordered.
- We'll get it done. - replied the sergeant.
Commander sat down in his chair, overlooking the Geoscape display. Many men have died today. Brave men, who gave their lives fighting the restless enemy. The Martians will pay for their actions today, and for the invasion, that to this day - had been left unpunished.
- Start preparing an expedition to Mars. - he said, after much deliberation.