The pitter-patter of the countless droplets filled Henry's ears. A light fog clouded his vision. His body was warm. Unlike in Saudi Arabia, it was cold in North America. A shower was all that he needed to distract his mind from the mission. An hour ago, he had landed fresh off the Skyranger. He turned his body around to let the stream clean his back.
A sudden sting came from his left shoulder. Henry coiled from the pain and twisted his head to find the cause. His skin had become red; a burn.
"Oh, right. I almost got hit," Henry murmured.
He grabbed a small white towel and wrapped it around his shoulder, tying the ends at his armpit. It would prevent more contact between the sensitive skin and the hot water. He gave a small tap on the soap dispenser and lathered the product on the rest of his left arm.
Henry exhaled loudly. He finally had the opportunity to take a break.
Henry put on his coat and buttoned it in the middle. He let the small flap cover the alignment of buttons. With a small pat to his hair, he walked out of the showers. A familiar face stopped him in his path.
"Oh. Hey, Henry," Natalia greeted softly.
The flow of Natalia's hair was disrupted by a few waves. Her hair had been perfectly tied at the back; she did not have helmet hair like the women in XCOM often worried about. Natalia had just come out of the showers herself.
"Natalia. You're at the showers late," Henry remarked.
"Yep. I usually go to the showers like half an hour after a mission. By then, the others would have left the showers. I like to reserve showers for some alone time — to unwind, you know?"
"I guess we're much alike."
Natalia let out a contained smile. It was normal; everyone from Saudi Arabia was tired. The squads were either eating dinner or at the bar. Although, the troops would be more likely spending a few minutes laying around in their quarters. Combat was physically exhausting and removed all want for a small glass of alcoholic beverage. The bartender did tell Henry that the troops usually arrived more than an hour later after arrival.
"So, are you going to grab a bite?" Natalia asked.
"Oh, not yet. I have something to do before. It might take a bit. Plus, I've got a few letters to write. I'll join you in time at the recreation room, though."
"Our Henry's got a few letters to write," Natalia joked.
Henry let out an exasperated grimace.
Natalia smiled and patted Henry's left shoulder as she parted. He contained his reaction to the jolt of pain; she managed to hit the exact wrong spot. He let it go since she probably did not know about the light injury.
The nurses and physicians were occupied, but Henry managed to flag one. He only had to rub a cream a few times per day and apply a sterile bandage for a quick recovery. Henry hoisted his coat on a hanger before taking a seat at his computer. He placed the small tube of cream on his desk and made a mental note to apply it according to his schedule.
He had to type up a report of the mission. Bradford would have done so, but when the Council was invested in a mission, they had to receive a special type of report that Henry had to write. He made another note to inform Bradford about the guidelines to make such reports in case the Council became a thorn at his side.
First, Henry had to go through the files of his soldiers. He pulled up the dossiers of each fallen soldier during the day. He reviewed the address and other contact information of each soldier before ordering a letter to be printed. It would be sent to the fallen's family along with a neatly stored Defender's Medal and International Service Medal. Every soldier was entitled to the latter while every fallen soldier received the former. The International Service Medal would have been awarded after the invasion would be over, but an exception was made to those who would not see its end.
XCOM had sustained minimal casualties since its beginnings. From a tactician's point of view, the few losses were not major, but for XCOM, every soldier was battle-hardened and most of all, a comrade. Nevertheless, everyone had to move on. The deads' names were engraved into history as they were added to XCOM's list of honourable soldiers fallen in the defence of Earth. The soldiers could attend the small weekly memorial for the deceased of the week. During times when humanity was under attack, it was best to strengthen what made humans human; honouring the dead.
The soldiers left the previous mission behind and went for the recreation rooms. The bar was packed with soldiers basking in their tales of bravery while witnesses teased them about the small embarrassing details displayed on the battlefield. The troops were engaged in lengthy chats and games, with some minor alcohol involved. XCOM regulated alcohol consumption amongst its troops since, after all, the aliens could attack anytime. The last thing Earth needed was inebriated elite soldiers. It was the famous 24/7 combat readiness.
More out-of-combat operatives dragged themselves into the recreation rooms, bearing the musty smell of their drying clothes. As winter reached its edge, the snow melted away under the sun and the early spring rains poured down on the workers below. Despite the change of seasons, the weather always teased the inhabitants of Northern America. The snow would melt away only to be back days later and melt away again. It created a thick layer of slush uncomfortable to walk in, especially in a place without snow excavation such as XCOM HQ.
The Clean-Up Teams could have used some help to haul the new additions to Vahlen's morgue so the task was put up for the idle soldiers. They did not want to get drenched, but work was work and it was better than feeling burning gas scorch its way through their armour, only to be stopped millimetres away from their skin. Their comrades fresh from Saudi Arabia could attest. Afterwards, they would have the luxury of shovelling snow away from the cave entrance.
It did not take long for the new arrivals to be absorbed by the cheery atmosphere of the recreation rooms. They reserved their daily limit of alcohol for when the strike team would arrive from the Middle East. With a quick scan, the bartender confirmed that the individuals did not pass their intake during the day. He poured carefully measured drinks into the glass cups and handed them over to the soldiers. A corner of the bar was very crowded. The presence of Alpha-1, 2 and 3 made everyone flock to the tables where they would be seated. The soldiers tended to stick to their squad members, but sometimes there was some intermingling.
Henry came in time to join his soldiers as they relaxed. The troops gave a quick salute before Henry gestured them back to their free time.
"Hey, Haidar! Why don't you get yourself a drink?" Gail asked his squadmate seated in face of him.
"I've got tea. It's a drink, you know that?" Haider responded, stirring the light brown liquid around in her cup.
"Well, yeah. But, . . . don't you want something with a bit more to it?" Gail asked and drank from his cup to emphasise the point.
"Mcgrath, tea is my alcohol," she responded smugly.
"Jeez, you're like the Commander! Enjoy a little drink here and there."
Gail suddenly realised that the Commander had just become present. He had forgotten the saluting a few seconds ago. Henry heard the mentioning of his name and found it appropriate to educate his underling as he took a seat at the table.
"Gail, the Commander can't just go around drinking. I have to maintain my mind clear in case the aliens attack."
"I get it, Commander. You've got your responsibilities, but can't you just enjoy a little drink with the pals or are you too busy hanging out with the desk-dwellers in Mission Control," Gail responded, getting out a small laugh from the hangout.
"Those 'desk-dwellers' would make better snipers than you," Arthur teased his partner. "I taught my son how to shoot and I can teach you too, you now? Just pop into the shooting range sometimes."
Henry contained his smile at his comrade defending him. It was more likely that Arthur found an opportunity to poke fun at his friend rather than stand at his superior's side.
"I don't need your lessons 'Garrote'. How about you go garrote an alien!" Mcgrath responded, resulting in a chuckle out of his fellow sniper.
"Don't use that nickname like that!" Arthur joked.
Arthur was about to take a sip from his cup until Henry got is attention.
"That's right Arthur, you've got your family in the UK. How are they handling things?" he asked.
"They're doing well, Commander. Thank you," Arthur responded. "I've only got a son and he's well-mannered. My wife isn't having a hard time at all. Though, she is worried about the state of things. It's tough having a kid when the world no longer seems as safe as it once was."
"I know what you mean," Henry replied. He turned to talk to the other soldiers. "I'll take this as an opportunity to remind you that our call centre is always open for you all. Make a few calls to your friends and family whenever you have the time. There are no limits on them, but do be reasonable," he reminded.
Henry had finished the demoralising task of informing the Council on whom to inform about a soldier having died in combat. Henry got curious and reviewed all the calling logs made by the soldiers who had fallen. Most had used the public phones in XCOM HQ to call months ago when XCOM was first inaugurated. After that, communications were minimal to none. He could only imagine the shock the loved-ones would feel when they would realise that the last time they heard someone's voice had been months ago. Henry snapped back to the conversation between his comrades.
"By the way, is Dante doing well? Did anyone check on him?" Gabriel Vargas asked.
"Yeah, I did. He's doing fine," Haidar responded. "Erena said he'd recover with a cool looking scar. Erena being Erena."
Everyone looked amused. Erena never seemed to let go of her bubbly side.
"Archer, how are your wounded going?" the Commander asked.
"My guys are recovering as well. One of them almost got a fatal wound to the neck. Poor little Skorsette.", Colonel Archer answered. "Even if he doesn't have much meat on him, he'll recover. He's tough."
Alpha-2 was suddenly reminded of the mission. Everyone adopted a tires ace, remembered the events. It was a hard-fought battle. Many came under fire. Some died, others were inches away from it, like Leon Skorsi.
Henry noticed the sour faces and opted to alleviate the tension in the way Alpha-2 appreciated the most.
"Good. I guess Colonel Fergusson cares about his men!" he ridiculed.
Alpha-2 enjoyed the tables being turned on their Colonel. Archer chugged his drink down to buy some time to come up with a comeback. It was to no avail; a waste of a drink that could have entertained him longer.
"Commander! You're calling me by my illegal name!" he responded not having anything smart to say. The circle erupted with laughter from the uncharacteristic response.
"That makes me wonder, is your intended illegal name your real name or is your unintended legal name your real name?" Henry asked.
The circle was curious and a moment of silence ensued while they thought about the answer.
"That doesn't matter! To us, Colonel Archer will always be our Fergusson!", Arjun Luna added, feeling brave about getting a jab on his superior.
"And to us, you will always be our little moon!" Archer responded, getting the last word.
No matter what, Archer would always get the last line. Everyone would back down as soon as he fired back. Suddenly, he found a topic to get back at Henry too.
"Hey, Commander. Have you tried arm wrestling Kristina yet? She gave my troops a run for their money. Even I tried beating her, she's damn strong!"
Colonel Zuniga heard the commotion and decided to pop in.
"I could beat you and your guys anytime Archer. But the Commander, I haven't tried yet," Kristina replied.
The troops were riled up to see who would win. Everyone was ready to predict the winner.
"I'll take you on another time. My arms are sore," Henry lied. Although, there was some truth to it.
Everyone wanted to see the showdown so there was some disappointment, but they quickly dropped the matter. Suddenly, Henry got up from his chair after looking at his watch. It got everyone's attention and they were curious about what he was about to do.
"Leaving, Commander?" Vorobyova asked.
"Yeah. It should be a bit dark by now, but I thought I could get some fresh air before resuming my duties."
"You're going outside, Commander?" Natalia asked.
Henry nodded.
Everyone stared at each other as if communicating telepathically. Vorobyova got up and chugged down her glass. The others followed her moves. Haidar looked disappointed that she could not savour her milk tea longer, but she drunk it all in a gulp.
Everyone went towards the counter to deposit their glasses. The bartender looked defeated at all the cups piled up in the sink in one go. Henry was curious as to what was going on, but he soon realised the troops were following him. The rest of the soldiers outside of the circle joined in as well. They took the large elevator to the first floor. The staff looked confused as to why the soldiers were all moving in a herd as they marched down the hallways.
With a ride on the diagonal elevator, the band reached the main gate to XCOM HQ. Henry requested that the gates be opened. Bradford was confused like the rest of the staff, but he realised that it was just the soldiers unwinding with the Commander. They received a gush of cold wind and the sound of the downpour could be hard. Everyone stayed inside the cave since they did not want to get wet and the slush would easily get on their nerves.
"It's good to have some fresh air," Natalia commented as everyone silently agreed with her.
Everyone was consumed by the calm and relaxing atmosphere. It was a change of pace compared to the bar. After a while, the silence broke as the soldiers started to talk amongst themselves. Everyone felt free. The troops were probably tired of being confined. They would occasionally come out, but that was during a mission or while doing external chores. Now, they could enjoy the fresh air without the smell of burnt objects or the musty smell of abduction webs around them. Henry fixated the night sky. Whilst everyone around him was chatting, he was gazing upwards. The dunes of green-wrapped corpses were still fresh in his mind, but he took a long breath and did his best to forget.
Natalia noticed and decided to aid her long-time friend.
"It's so easy to see the stars here," she distracted him after noticing Henry's fixation on the night sky.
Henry and Natalia tried moving closer to the cave's entrance to get a better view, only to back off when they felt their uniforms getting wet.
"I heard that light pollution in the cities makes it harder to see stars at night," Henry said. "I guess since there isn't much light, we can see the sky more clearly. I guess now isn't the best time since the rain clouds are blocking everything."
"Then why are you looking up?" Jacquemin asked.
"There is some beauty in rain clouds. The sound of rain hitting the ground is soothing and the grey clouds are oddly pleasing. Everything has a soft look while the rain pours down."
"That's a weird way of putting it, but I agree," Natalia replied while paying more attention to the factors that Henry mentioned. "You forgot one thing Henry, the smell. Or maybe you don't like the smell?"
"I just forgot."
Henry took a whiff of air to emphasise his appreciation of the smell of rain. Natalia only raised an eyebrow at the move. She concentrated on breathing through her nose the enjoy the rainy aromas too.
The soldiers ended up spending the rest of their time at the cave entrance until it became late enough for them to go to sleep according to their fixed schedule. The Commander accompanied his troops during the way back to the barracks. The chatter died down as every squad went to their quarters and forced themselves to sleep; they never knew if they were to be deployed the next day.
Henry made his usual last-minute checks before heading to his quarters. Mission Control switched from Day Teams to Night Teams, and Bradford finished working on making a file about the Floaters. In the Labs, Vahlen was helping out with the night owls before going to bed herself. Shen, as expected, valued his time to rest. Some engineers stuck around to finish repairs on the armour sets. Shen had let out a huge sigh when he saw all the damaged suits after the mission in Saudi Arabia. Dr Erena liked to stay up longer, like Vahlen. For her, it was mainly due to her making sure that the patients were doing well and were able to rest the night. Since she was an advocate of good sleep, she made sure to follow her recommendations as to not be a hypocrite.
The lights in the hallways started to dim. It reduced the exposure to light that could affect the internal clocks in the human body. With the soundless halls and the lights shining shyly, Henry felt as if he was out of place. He unconsciously controlled his stepping to mute the subtle clanking of the floor when he took a step. After going through his bedtime routine of checking the logs and taking care of his hygiene, he could finally conclude the day.
The pillow sucked his head in. Henry noticed his prescription at his desk and sta on his bed. He unrolled his short-sleeve shirt and unwrapped the bandages. He gently rubbed the cream before getting a new sterile bandage.
No matter how hard he tried, Saudi Arabia was still fresh in his mind. It was the largest battle ever fought between humanity and the aliens. The alien body count came over 70. Reconnaissance had miscounted. Hopefully, Shen's spectrometer satellites would take care of the fog of war.
The aliens, they were bent un abducting human bodies. What was their goal? Them abducting bodies was not a surprise. When encountering an unknown lifeform, anyone would want to figure out their biology. The aliens seemed obsessed with it. Curiosity did not fuel them. Then again, Vahlen did not autopsy solely because of her curiosity. As much as she wanted to take her time with her specimens, she had an important job to fulfil. It was with her work that XCOM could find ways to adapt and beat the aliens, even if it meant resorting to biological weapons tailored to the aliens.
The Sectoids did have out-in-the-open respiratory symptoms that did render them vulnerable to gas attacks. Henry did not wish to resort to those tactics. It was not like the aliens showed mercy on humans in kind.
Henry sighed as he lied in his bed. War only brings the worst out of us.