Chapter 47: Back at base

Author's note: I want to acknowledge huskinater in the youtube comments of episode 51 for the idea regarding Kungtotte's nickname and the letters from back home. Shamelessly ripped off and re-purposed for my own storytelling purposes : P (also horrible chapter name as always but I can't be arsed anymore, there's too many of them! :-D)


The deafening blaze of the Skyranger's jets filled the hangar bay as the aircraft descended onto its landing pad. With a flex of its suspension, the craft came to a halt as the ramp began to lower. Strike-1 was returning from another successful operation after assaulting a downed Raider-class UFO in the wilderness of Canada.

Petete pushed herself off the railing on the upper level as she lazily sauntered her way down the stairs. She was wearing a pair of dirty overalls over her base clothing, with an unkempt ponytail of dusty brown hair streaming from below her beanie. A pair of dark ski goggles hung around her neck as the Dutch engineer reached the landing pad along with the Skyranger's mechanics.

A very satisfied Hypergeek marched out of the Skyranger at the head of the squad. The tech sergeant engineer had a hand over the arc thrower hanging from his belt: another capture operation gone right, this time totaling a thin man captive and both of the UFO's outsiders. Seeing Petete approach the aircraft, a condescending smile found its way to the Belgian engineer's lips.

"Salut, Petete. Here to fix the aircraft again? I won't get in the way of your très important work", the man remarked smugly, giving the corporal a small pat on her shoulder on his way out. Petete's mellow, disinterested expression did not change one bit, as if she hadn't even acknowledged the gibe directed at her.

A snort of contempt emanated from the Skyranger as JBowles walked down the ramp with his rocket launcher slung over his shoulder. The man's well groomed hair was slicked up with gel, and on his face he wore a look of disgust as he looked at the receding back of Hypergeek. "Someone's getting too big for their pants", the rocketeer observed, shifting his eyes from Hypergeek to Petete.

Petete greeted the operatives streaming out of the Skyranger with a small nod. Scubaman strode up from behind JBowles, slamming a hand on the rocketeer's back. "Come on JB, no harm done. Does Maple look offended to you, huh?" the lieutenant commented with a smile, drawing a puzzled look from Petete. The engineer seemed completely oblivious as to what they were talking about as she headed towards the Skyranger and one of the mechanics kneeling next to the aircraft.

Getting down on her knees, Petete grabbed the tools she needed from the toolbox and got on the creeper. The mechanic groaned in frustration as the operative slid herself under the aircraft. "Come on, Pete. You know I'm not supposed to let you work on her!" the man complained, turning to look up at Scubaman. "Can't you order her to get out or something, Scuba? Please?"

Scubaman let out a heartfelt laugh as he grabbed JBowles by the shoulder, leading him away from the aircraft and the mechanic in distress, waving goodbye over his shoulder. The mechanic's pleas to Petete fell on deaf ears as the tomboy engineer kept working on the hydraulics of the aircraft.

Merlin was leaning against the railing on the upper level of the hangar bay. Greeting Scubaman and JBowles as they walked past, the woman smiled at Kungtotte as he began his ascent up the stairs. Waving a letter in the air, Merlin caused a wide smile to appear on the sniper's face. Reaching his roommate, Kungtotte grabbed Merlin into a friendly embrace, muttering a thank you as he reached for the letter.

"Time to dip into the cookie jar again, huh?" Merlin remarked happily as Kungtotte ran his fingers over the unopened letter. Kungtotte smiled at the infantrywoman, giving her shoulder a grateful squeeze. Letting his hand linger for a moment, he took off towards the arsenal with the rest of the squad.

Kungtotte had a wife and a daughter back home in the US. Despite the secretive nature of XCOM, mail was delivered twice a month to the HQ through the Council's agencies. The letters from his family were something Kungtotte looked forward to the most in his days, and he always enjoyed them the same way: laying down in his bunk with a Girl Scout's Thin Mint cookie. He had bought the jar from his daughter before leaving for the secret outfit, and the habit had earned him the nickname Thinmint from his fellow operatives. That and his ability to drop thin men with his sniper rifle.

Dropping off their gear in the arsenal, the operatives got into the locker room next door. Stripping off his armor, Instinct groaned as his flak jacket pressed against the plasma burn on his side. "You okay there, buddy?" Scubaman inquired from across the room. Observing the burn in his own armor, the lieutenant let out a sigh of relief that the shot he had taken hadn't penetrated the protective material.

"It's nothing. I'll be out of medbay in no time", the Nigerian assault muttered, throwing his flak jacket on the bench. Gingerly, he stripped off the rest of the equipment and stashed them in his locker.

Zim chuckled from her place at the end of the locker room, flexing her neck while tying her hair into a loose ponytail. "Too bad. You could've used a lengthy honeymoon with your boyfriend", the gunner commented sarcastically, earning a cold stare from Instinct.

Picking up from the snide remark, Daishi tried to put a positive spin on the conversation, "But hey, maybe it's not that bad. Get to spend some time with Wolfer… why haven't you been visiting him, by the way?"

The assault let out a deep sigh, getting down to work on the lacings of his combat boots. With a shake of his head, the stout man muttered in an annoyed tone, "I dunno what the hell is going on with him. I just can't be arsed to deal with his shit when he acts like a moody little kid. More so than normal, that is."

Instinct's concluding words caused Scubaman and JBowles to burst into laughter, much to the disapproval of Daishi. The scout frowned at the two men, struggling to find some words of encouragement for Instinct. Concluding there was nothing she could say, Daishi offered to walk him out to the medbay. Agreeing out of courtesy rather than any real need for help, Instinct set off with the tall woman.

The rest of the team followed, promising to meet for post-op drinks in two hours. JBowles was left alone in the locker room with Scubaman. Closing his locker, JBowles turned to the infantryman with a grin. "You feeling lucky, Scuba?" he jeered, drawing a dismissive snort out of Scubaman.

"I've told you a million times, JB! I'd win in a heartbeat, but I just like drinking!" the officer exclaimed happily as he stuffed away the remainder of his gear, following after the rest of the operatives with JBowles. The man Scubaman had endearingly titled the frat boy of XCOM sure loved his beer pong and as much as the infantryman tried to act nonchalant about it, JBowles' skills in that particular game were quite impressive indeed.

Leaving the locker room, the operatives spread out across the base, all into their own activities. It was another operation well done, and another night's rest well deserved as the alien threat had been pacified. For now.