Dr Erena looked at her tablet one last time before concluding her task. She looked through her daily notes about the patient sitting in front of her. Gail Mcgrath looked as lively as ever, emitting a chirpy hum as he waited for the Doctor to make her verdict. He sat on the hospital bed displaying all his energy in every way possible as to dissipate all concerns about his health.
"Commander, Spc Mcgrath, I'd say that everything is healed. A week's rest got rid of all of the symptoms," Erena concluded.
"Good. I guess you're free to go, Mcgrath, unless Dr Erena has something to add," Henry replied.
"I've got nothing to say, but I would like to review the symptoms with you, Commander. I'm going to send these reports to Dr Vahlen since they do involve the alien's mind magic."
Gail hopped out of the bed and went to the lockers where his uniform was neatly hanged. He went inside the cabin to change out of his patient gown. He buttoned his coat and saluted the Commander. Now that he was discharged, he had to report back to Colonel Jacquemin.
Erena tapped on her tablet before handing it to the Commander,
"About the symptoms, Commander. It's hard to say how exactly the Sectoid managed to cause them since the built-in vitals scanner in the suits doesn't monitor the brain fully. I may be able to reconstitute the events. When the Sectoid used its ability, it managed to cause a sensory overload and instil panic within the soldier. The soldier also had a small seizure during the brief seconds the Sectoids performed whatever it did. The panic and sudden shock can cause some other traits. In Gail Mcgrath's case, there were no complications, except for a short-term severe headache and tinnitus. After those went away, there were some lingering effects like the long-lasting headache, which was a lot more bearable."
Henry looked down at the tablet to read her notes throughout the week.
"I see. So, it's more of a short-term attack to disorient a target," Henry concluded.
"If you're seeing it from a tactical point of view, yes. I can't say much about how it works. Vahlen will have to solve all those mysteries. All I know is that our soldiers can be neurologically and psychologically sabotaged. Nothing deadly but sure as hell disturbing to the afflicted," Erena affirmed.
The conversation halted as Erena ordered her team to clean the bed in case a new patient needed it. She suddenly remembered some points worth talking about.
"Dr Vahlen has made some of her teams work on an anti-venom for the Thin Man poison and she also believes that with some treatment, the venom can be used as a very potent disinfectant that can be utilised by our soldiers in the field. There are some other things too that can help improve our combat medkits but nothing definitive. Only possibilities."
Henry looked up from the tablet, still reading the medical notes.
"That's good. Felt quite bitter seeing those soldiers die like that. Our troops don't have to worry much since the respirator filters out most of the toxins, but we do look useless when people die under our watch. But, how's the Meld research going?"
"Vahlen's task is easier so she has made a lot of progress," Erena replied with a smile. Shen has a more complex task so we can't expect him to finish within a week. My teams have been working hand in hand with them."
Henry nodded, showing he understood the issue.
"I guess Vahlen won't mind if leak her research," Erena said as if she was about to break an unspoken rule. "Vahlen and I have been working on unlocking the secrets behind DNA. It will take some more time to get the results we want. We have come up with a lot of possible modifications to our soldiers. We have found ways to regenerate body parts and increase reaction speed. Dr Vahlen was crazy enough to suggest we modify the human brain, but that might be highly complicated. I suggested that we stay away from that field. But, theoretically, we can regenerate brain cells using the genetic modification that will permit it, but such a wound would likely cause some amnesia or would necessitate rehabilitation to heal any loss of bodily functions."
Henry gave a pleased grin. He gave Erena's tablet back. The doctor took it, but her expression changed a more serious one. Henry realised that Erena was about to reveal the catch.
"Commander, that brings me to a problem. This field of research is, as you can imagine, very controversial. I understand that this won't be an issue since XCOM was allowed to do such things. The thing that disturbs everyone is that we need to test our gene modifications before we apply them to our soldiers. This field of research is risky so we need to make sure everything goes the way we want it to. To do that, we need human candidates to test on. Anything can go wrong when you are tinkering with DNA, Commander."
Henry looked unamused by Erena's request. The idea of experimenting on humans was out of the question. But given the circumstances, it was necessary. Genetic manipulation was risky. It would open a door that could not be closed. Scientists had genetically modified organisms before, but humans were out of the question or were rare cases. Dr Erena and Vahlen were not going to do small things like changing someone's eye colour or making them slightly taller. They were talking about life-altering modifications. Such modifications, if done incorrectly, would have severe consequences.
"I understand," Henry replied with unease. "Doctor, these are tough times we live in. Usually, I would be against it. I will send a request to get volunteers to try out your genetic modifications, but under one condition; I want you and Vahlen to conduct your research humanely! Before altering anyone's genes, you must ensure that what you are doing has been confirmed to be harmless to our volunteers. At least, try to predict the risk of potential harm if you can't make guarantees. And, get informed consent, please."
Erena had the same worries as Henry. She trusted Vahlen to limit all room for errors. They had lab rats to test out the modifications, but they could not waste time on animals. They had to get the gene modifications ready for use on humans. The war against the aliens was not like any other. The battlefield would change very quickly. XCOM had to change as fast as the aliens did. With the most brilliant of minds in one bunker, XCOM could complete research much faster than anywhere else on Earth. What would have taken years, XCOM could do in a week. To achieve such speed, drastic measures had to be taken.
"Another thing, Commander. We need to construct an extension to the infirmary. We need a facility designed to modify Meld and to house soldiers who are undergoing genetic modification. Dr Shen will work on it. All we need is your approval and your help with the requirements. Obviously, we also need the troops to recover as much Meld as possible."
Henry gave a nod and exited the Infirmary.
A busy week exhausted the staff. The officers were bombarded by many alien incursions, pilots were deployed to take down any scout craft, interception teams were sent to deal with the aliens on the ground. Bradford had his eyes peeled while surveying recent reports from around the globe. The aliens were attacking everywhere, but XCOM could only directly aid in North America. The Commander had his meetings with the Council; funding the multiple bases became a subject of debate. Thankfully, most nations were willing to pay for XCOM.
Henry surfed through the daily reports and exited his quarters. He had to get to the infirmary. The news came about a sudden flood of workers resting in the infirmary after some unsuccessful experiments. Dr Shen had worked on a prototype, neurologically interfaceable arm. The testing began and suddenly, Henry received a batch of medical reports. He walked into the infirmary to inquire about the people laying in beds around him. The nurses and doctors pointed to Erena who was reviewing records with Dr Vahlen in her office. Henry knocked on the door before twisting the doorknob.
"Ah, Commander! I guess you're here about the hospitalised staff," Erena greeted, wasting no time.
Dr Vahlen took the lead to explain the situation.
"Dr Erena and I were discussing the matter. You see, Dr Shen was able to build a prototype cybernetic arm. We had to test whether or not our volunteers could control it. All of them were able to somewhat control the arm, but it proved to be too difficult when they suffered from sudden headaches and fatigue."
"Why is that? What happened to my staff, Dr Vahlen?" Henry demanded.
"Erena and I believe that the brain is not capable of handling a sudden extension to the nervous system. The brain could not simply manage two arms and one extra cybernetic arm. We thought that our test subjects simply needed time to adjust, but we were wrong," Vahlen explained. "We tried numbing our test subject's limbs to allow the brain to concentrate on the artificial one, but it still didn't work. I took the time to conduct more thorough research on the Seekers. Its suit is composed of two parts, the camouflage system and the tentacles. The camouflage system of the suit is not an extension to the nervous system; rather, it is capable of receiving orders from the Seeker to engage it's cloaking mechanism. The tentacles, on the other hand, are artificial body parts that are connected to the Seeker's nervous system. If the aliens were able to implement bionic tentacles then why could we not implement bionic arms to our soldiers? With some digging, I managed to find out that the Seekers' original tentacles were all amputated and that the artificial ones serve to replace them."
Henry crossed his arms in reflection.
"I see. So our brains can't process having an extra limb. But if we were to replace an existing one with one made out of Meld, it works?"
"Precisely!" Vahlen affirmed.
"So, how do you intend to apply this to us, Dr Vahlen?" Henry pursued.
"Commander, I believe that we need to replace our volunteers' arms with cybernetic arms so that the brain won't be troubled. To conduct this research, we would like to have amputees as test subjects. We also need them to have a military background since Shen also wants to develop weapon systems for the Mechanised Exoskeletal Cybersuit."
Henry let out a concerned exhale. A minute of silence issued while he processed the request.
"So, I guess we need volunteers to test out the genetic modifications and the Cybersuit Shen is working on. I've already made requests for volunteers for the gene modifications and they should be arriving anytime. I'll make a new one for amputated soldiers. Please, make sure to conduct your research humanely. This all sounds like a mad experiment, you know that?"
"Don't worry. You have my word, Commander," Vahlen assured.
"Thank you for your efforts, Doctor," Henry concluded.
Henry left Erena's office. He took the opportunity to check on the hospitalised staff. They were all engineers or scientists. All of the ill workers humbly brushed off Henry's concerns about them. With some small inquiring with the nurses, he was delighted to hear that the staff around him would recover shortly. He left the infirmary to let the men and women rest.
An exhausted Henry roamed the barracks. The week had brought more troubles at his doorstep. He had time to take a small break after the negotiations with the Council. The hallways were filled with echoes of distant chattering amongst the troops. They walked around the barracks looking for things to do.
Some soldiers opted to take on any posted chores; cleaning, hauling or whatever. Aside from them, there was the merry band of men in wheelchairs. Behind them were people with one or no arms at all. It was hard not to gaze at them. They were accompanied by medical staff who were pulling the wheelchairs or holding onto a patient with a cane to make up for their leg. Henry suddenly realised that the band was saluting him while passing by. Those without the arms to do so simply bowed.
"Don't mind me. You don't need to exert yourselves," Henry replied, not wanting to cause unnecessary unease with the volunteers.
He happened to tag along with the enlistees since they were headed to the same place as he was; the infirmary.
As the volunteers were sat on their respective hospital beds, the nurses prepared them for the upcoming experiment. One of the war veterans had his sleeve pulled up by a nurse, revealing his stump. The thing that stood out the most was the odd device that was almost part of his arm. The volunteer was amputated at the shoulder and the device was attached there. It was surgically attached to the arm and not designed to be removed. Henry remembered reading through the log of surgeries conducted by Erena during the morning.
A familiar face called out to Henry. Dr Shen waved at the Commander to come over.
"Commander, glad for you to join us," Shen greeted.
"Good day, Dr Shen. What exactly are those shoulder devices?"
"Ah, yes! This device is a 'Bionic Reciever'," he said, pointing at a volunteer's arm. "It was implanted into the patient's shoulder during a previous surgery. It has magnets on it which serves to attach a prosthetic arm to the patient's body. Using this device, our soldiers can put on or take off their limbs whenever they want to replace it with the limbs of the Mechanised Exoskeletal Cybersuit or MEC for short. Like that, our troops can easily change in and out of their MEC combat suits. Plus, it makes it easier to make repairs. It also serves as a pivot point where the shoulder joint would usually be so it also allows the artificial arm to have the same range of motion as a regular arm."
Shen paused his explanation while grabbing a suitcase-like container between his feet. He brought the box up to the metallic table next to the hospital bed where the volunteer waited.
"You see, our MEC suits are designed to be heavily armoured and carry heavy ordinance into battle. In other words, our MEC troopers will be walking tanks," the chief engineer explained. "For them to get into the suits, our soldiers simply have to insert themselves into it and let their Bionic receivers connect to the artificial nervous system of the MEC suit. This requires that our soldier does not have any limbs. Not only that, but it seems to be the only way we can make this work without causing issues. Outside of combat, they will be equipped with normal bionic limbs so that they can live normally."
Shen opened the box on the table, revealing a neatly cushioned black metallic arm. He gently brought the arm up as a nurse came to help. He slowly brought the arm towards the patient's left shoulder where he was missing his limb. Shen's careful approach was suddenly interrupted as the arm latched itself onto the shoulder with a metallic clack. The volunteer was startled by the device suddenly snapping onto his body. It did not seem like his main concern. The sudden rush of sensations caught him by surprise.
"Back to what I was saying, the Meld serves as nerve cells that will allow our soldiers to feel and control their suits and prostheses just like a normal limb," Dr Shen continued. "We've also managed to engineer the Meld to construct robotic muscle tissue that allows the prostheses to move in more complex ways so that the range of motion matches that of a normal fleshy arm. Thanks to an alloy that I've created, the prostheses are highly resistant so there should not be any damage from the outside world. Everything is waterproof too so our soldiers can enjoy a shower," he ended with a more joking tone.
Everyone eagerly laid their eyes on the arm. A faint twitching could be seen at the fingers. The twitching slowly evolved into full swings of the finger. As he got used to it, he started tapping on the railing of the hospital bed, as if he was playing the piano. Eventually, he got the courage to raise his arm. He bent his elbow and his shoulders. He closed his fist, reopened it and flailed his hand around testing out his wrist movement.
Shen brought multiple objects for the patient to handle. He described every sensation on his arm. He detailed the feather tingling his palm, the sandpaper scrapping his forearm and the soft yet rough texture of Shen's hands along his artificial bicep. Eventually, all the hard work in Engineering created rough patches of skin on Shen's hands. A few days of rest would have helped to soften up his skin back to normal. They were a testament to all his efforts.
Shen walked to every patient to examine their ability with their new arms and legs. The volunteers all rounded up. Some were kicking at each other's feet to test out their long-forgotten sense of balance. Others were shaking hands and displaying their dexterity. The nurses and doctors could not help but grin. Shen was relieved that everything worked out. Henry was glad to see just how much humanity had gained during troubled times. The main attraction was the amputees that regained what they had lost. Some were overwhelmed with joy until tears came.
Shen wanted to conclude the trials, but he let the patients enjoy the moment for a little longer. He did not want to spoil the saturation of joy in the infirmary.
Minutes later, Shen gave the volunteers a choice. All of them had years of service under their belts and were fit to join XCOM. They could either join the unit or resume the peaceful lives they lived before coming in.
Most opted to return to their families. It was a respectable choice. Three of the patients decided that they had nothing to lose and would lay their lives down to protect humanity at all costs. After submitting their paperwork, they could officially become XCOM soldiers. They would proceed with Dr Shen to the next phase of testing the MEC suits along with the weapons systems attached to it.
The others had to surrender their prostheses and would to undergo surgery to remove their Bionic Receivers. It would have been too cruel to take away their newfound joy; the patients regained what they had lost, so taking them away would have left a sour taste. The patients would be directed to Dr Vahlen who would add them to her group of volunteers. Amputees were the perfect candidates to test out the genetic modification that allowed XCOM to regenerate lost limbs. The group was allowed to keep their prostheses while a facility was constructed to undergo the specific type of genetic operation.
The volunteers saluted Henry as they followed the nurses and members of Shen's staff. Henry looked at Shen logging the events on his device.
"Dr Shen, how's the extension to the infirmary going?" Henry asked before walking out.
"Don't worry, Commander. I'm almost done with the preparations. Once it is built, we'll be able to genetically modify our troops. I'm also working on an extension to Engineering designed to efficiently modify Meld and an assembly to build the MEC suits when I'm done perfecting the design," Shen replied, putting his device away.
He gathered all the empty boxes to put them one by one in the chariot. Henry gave a helping hand.
"If you need anything just send a report and I'll see to it. Also, have you made any progress on making a containment room for the aliens?" Henry asked while putting down a heavy suitcase.
"We've been focusing on Meld, Commander, so I haven't made it a priority. Dr Vahlen has done the same. If you think it should be prioritised over everything, just say the word."
"No, I was just inquiring. What about the new alien ship have you and Vahlen analysed it yet?"
"No, Commander. Vahlen has it set to her next task since she's done with her genetic testing for now. I will be assisting her by sending my teams. From what I've heard, the new UFO model is quite damaged, but some of the Scout ships have intact sensor equipment so we can analyse it better than before."
"All right then. I'll let you guys do your thing," Henry concluded.
After the boxes were loaded, henry left the infirmary to go about his tasks in Mission Control.
He took a few turns before reaching the main elevator. The doors slid open and Henry tapped the first floor on the touchscreen. Halfway through his elevator ride, the Commander received an alert on his personal communications device. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket to end the loud beeping before it got annoying. It was of a serious matter.
The elevator came to a halt and the Commander power-walked to Mission Control where Bradford got a hold on the situation.
"Welcome, Commander Henry Avant," the announcement said.
"Commander! A large alien abduction team has been spotted in Saudi Arabia," a nearby officer. reported. "Multiple vessels have dropped down aliens while abduction pods were launched into a crowded shopping mall. Saudi Arabian forces are evacuating all civilians, but they are coming under heavy fire. They have requested through the Council that we send our squads to intercept!"
Bradford paced between the desks of his staff until he heard his officer debriefing Henry.
"Ah, Commander! It's as my officer said. But, we're talking about a much larger force than before; over thirty aliens! As far as we can tell, the aliens still aren't done dropping their forces in. Saudi planes have tried their best to limit reinforcements, but the larger scout vessels are well-armed. It's a warzone down there!"
Henry observed the large screen over the Hologlobe, displaying whatever the officers found and pinned to display.
"Man, those aliens are very desperate," Henry commented. "What enemies are we talking about?"
"Sectoids, Thin Men, Seekers, and locals reported some weird floating alien with a jetpack, sir!" an officer responded.
"Alien with a jetpack?" Henry muttered to himself. "Bradford, I might deploy for this one."
"Commander, it's really risky. I'd say that we should deploy Alpha-1, 2 and 3 at least to ensure you don't die in that slaughterhouse of a mall," Bradford suggested. "Sadly, our interceptors won't reach so we'll have to rely on the Saudis for air superiority. Don't die out there, Commander; we can't lose you."
"Don't worry Bradford. I won't do anything too dangerous. I'll have my bodyguards with me at all times!" Henry said before running to the armoury.
The intercom turned on as Henry walked as fast as he could through the Hangars. He observed the situation in the facility while he was forced to be there. The Hangar was a large pit that opened thanks to multiple doors that allowed aircraft to fly through. There were two small doors that the fighters used to exit the base. The fighter jets would exit their hangar compartments to a small corridor where they were attached to what the pilots called the "Slingshot". The Slingshot would tilt itself up so that the aircraft would point directly at the sky. The pilots would engage their thrusters while the Slingshot held their fighter in place and would release, launching the jet out at full speed. It was a compact design.
The Air Transports only had to engage their vertical thrusters to fly upwards where the larger door would open to allow them to fly out. Since they were verticle take-off transports, they could easily exit the pit without the need of a runway.
The pilots were all hanging out near the table they set up to play card games. It saved them the hassle of running from the barracks to their respective hangars.
Henry suddenly ran past the pilots as they looked at him, confused. An announcement came.
"Attention! Squad Alpha-1, Alpha-2 and Alpha-3 are requested at the armoury. Squad Alpha-1, Alpha-2 and Alpha-3 are requested at the armoury," the announcer said.
The pilots scrambled to their aircraft and put on their suits.