Chapter Two
"Ah, Commander," Shen greeted when he noticed Alexander and Bradford enter the Starscape's command bridge, "Bradford, I was wondering when you two would show up!"
Shen rose from his seat in front of a console. Indecipherable text was flashing before the screen in a constant stream of data. Alexander could make neither heads nor tails of it. His bionic right eye strained to take in the rest of the crafts main command bridge: The familiar holo-globe machine sat in the centre of the room, offline. Two rows of consoles and terminals surrounded the large holographic machine. At the entrance of the room, from the same direction he and Bradford had entered from, was taken up by a large empty raised space, a small row of inactive screens lined the railing that, Alexander assumed, would stop whoever stood there from falling down and off the platform and onto something or someone bellow.
Other than that the room looked like the bases command room only difference was the natural blue-purple shade of alien alloy.
"Hello to you too," Alexander greeted, "I head from Bradford here that out think the Starscape will be fly worthy soon."
Shen smiled and let out a chuckled.
"Yes, my boys and I believe we can, if we have to, get her flying, if however we can get a hold of some more elerium. Of course if the research team's right, well, we will have enough sooner or later."
Alexander could only nod to that. Bradford however was not too convinced.
"Aren't we celebrating a bit too early, we are two weeks away before we can even confirm if this hadron collider will even work." He crossed his arms.
"It is more of a matter converter, but yes," Shen admitted, "it still remains to be seen."
The three exchanged a few more words before Shen had to return to 'calibrate' the craft's operating system. Bradford returned to the command centre to oversee the night workers. He was controlling like that, he liked to micromanage.
Alexander retreated to his own office, a small little room, large enough to fit his desk, his chair, and a bed.
The commander hung his coat over the chairs backrest before lowering himself down on it. He shut down his bionic eye and removed it from his eye socket, he shivered uncomfortably when the eye popped out with a slick wet noise. With practiced fingers he removed the cord and rolled it back in. This was his daily ritual, it was impossible for him to sleep with it still connected to his brain.
He wiped his hand and eye on a small handkerchief before dispositioning the eye in a small container he always kept in his pocket, not much bigger than a zip lighter.
He shut his remaining eye and sighed. Three years of planning, of preparations, recruitments… it was at times like this he wished the aliens was still invading, back then it had been simple. When there still were easily defined enemies, targets; when there simply were no time to contemplate life's twists and turns, to regret…
He grimaced as he felt anger bubble up when unwanted memories nestled themselves into his consciousness. The pain he felt when damaged and badly healed muscles strained under his scared skin.
He reached down for his desks second drawer and extracted a bottle of morphine pills. He'd need their help tonight.
"Commander, the matter converter has been constructed." Bradford called over the base comm. For the past week and a half he had kept Alexander updated on the base's comings and goings. It was just like old times, only without aliens. It actually surprised him how much he had missed the old rituals.
He put down the datapad he had been studying, going over the list of potential new recruits was a time consuming and ultimately mind numbing ordeal.
Without wasting much more time he made his way down to the tunnel lift, and as usual Bradford was waiting for him. Together they went down to the new chamber.
When they arrived Dr. Markwell, their new head of research, greeted them, and beside him stood Shen. The old man was probably the one that was the most excited. In fact the man was almost bouncing were he stood, as excited like a kid on Christmas Alexander noted. Looks promising, he thought.
"The machine works I take'?" Alexander asked the pair. Markwell was harder to read than Shen was as Alexander had yet to become familiar with the man; his face was harder to read than most others he had in his employ.
"It looks that way," Markwell said in a voice that did not betray any feelings over the apparent success on his part. It was not the first time Alexander suspected something was wrong with the man, but he could deal with a few damaged minds under his command; the scientist had yet to disappoint him and he was a great project leader that easily filled the shoes Dr. Vahlen had left. ", Initial tests do indicate that the prototype is fully functional and is preforming within expectations."
Alexander looked at the scientist for a long silent moment before he turned a raised eyebrow towards Shen who caught is silent question with an amused smile.
"It's working Commander, though not as well as we initially hoped." The old engineer summarised, "It is more energy intensive than we ideally hoped, and one generator simply doesn't do the job."
"Let me get this straight," Bradford said, employing his usual swagger as he gesticulated in the air, "it is working, but for it to give more than it takes we would need more generators, am I right so far?"
"Yes." Shen shrugged and his excited demeanour bled away.
"Let me guess, we don't have enough elerium?"
Bradford frowned as he received a quiet nod from both head's from the R&D department. Alexander saw the wheels turn and churn in the man's head as he lost himself in thought. He ignored his XO, it was best to let him think as he tended to find incredibly good solutions. He knew, after all, most of X-Com's logistical and strategical information… it was kind of his job.
Alexander turned from Bradford to ask the two R&D officers the most vital question.
"How many?"
Shen pursed his lips and counted on his fingers, he frowned and turned to look at his more stoic counterpart. Markwell produced a small tablet out of one of his lab coat's many, and large pockets. After a few taps and squiggling with the touch-pen he looked up and said the number that made them all wince.
"Two hundred and forty E-Units." For such cruel words to pass over one man's lips in such an uncaring factual tone just felt wrong for the veterans. Two hundred and forty… that was eight whole base classed generators!
Bradford visibly paled. A paling Bradford was never a good sign and it could only mean one thing. They did not have enough.
"If we redirect the two we already got running to here..." Alexander unconsciously bit his lip out of habit; he only noticed after he bit too hard when he tasted could taste blood in his mouth. It distracted him only enough to curse his numb flesh.
"- We would still need another five." Shen lamented, "even if we took the Skyranger's we would only have enough for one."
"And that means we need three more, there is enough Elerium reserves to build one." Bradford added.
"But what about the rest?" Alexander asked, already dreading the only answer.
As luck had it Markwell delivered the bad news.
"We steal."
Bradford did not even exclaim in outrage, something he would have done only a few years prior to now, and going by the scowl he presented he did not like the thought.
"I don't like it." Was all he could bite out.
Alexander clapped Bradford sadly on the shoulder before turning his back on his head of staffs.
"What choice do we have?" Was the last thing he said before the doors slid closed behind him.
"Packet is secure, moving to pick-up site." The comm. crackled in Alexanders ear. The only positive thing about fighting his own species, he discovered, was how easy it actually was. The aliens had not been the most intelligent of enemies but the sheer diversity amongst them, numbers, and most of all superhuman toughness they employed had made his troopers jaded on just how much force was needed to pacify said aliens. What he had witnessed when they, for the first time, was deployed against normal humans could only have been described as 'overkill'. Heck even he was surprised as the agent who had savagely hit the helmeted guard hard enough to put a Thin man to sleep had dropped like a doll that lost its strings.
He and the rest of the squad had almost shouted in fear that Instinct, his best Assault trooper had killed the man with sheer armour, and gene-mod induced strength. But luckily the man still breathed and had a pulse, though the slight bleeding that ran down the downed guards neck indicated a nasty concussion. None the less the rest of the Elerium retrieval mission had gone flawlessly.
Four of his soldiers, equipped in archangel suits had dropped into the military/research base at eleven kilometres up, gone in tranqed anyone they met… except the first one unfortunate one. Located the Elerium and was now jetpacking well out of sight for pick-up, two very large and no doubt heavy containers between them. The whole operation had taken no more than ten minutes.
They still had two more targets after this; hopefully they would have enough Elerium when all was said and done.
Instinct was still shaking, his hands was cupped between his knees as the shock of almost killing a fellow human, by accident no less, was definitely affecting the poor man.
A/N: This was less word count than I intended but I wanted this chapter out for you guys to read instead of having to wait anymore (I have been tardy for almost two whole days reading 'A Cadmean Victory' I recommend it for anyone that likes Harry Potter fanfics.)
Hope you enjoyed, Read & Review.(It's mah' fuel)