Silence. For once, the Commander could enjoy some silence. It was not just the constantly blaring alarms or reports from distressed officers; his own voice had started to overwhelm him. It repeated the same old sentences like a broken record. No matter how many times he said "I know!", it just would not shut up. Thankfully, that echoing voice in him had had enough of yelling, now that there was nothing to yell about. The Commander had some time to lie in bed and breathe. He could enjoy the silence. However, he had gotten used to all the noise. He wanted something to occupy his senses while he took some time to reflect without the constant production of cortisol. He turned on the air conditioner. It was getting warm anyways.
Exalt made its last attack. The Commander had to hand it to the Russians, they were well prepared. With the heads up, they had mobilised large sections of their army to defend all their facilities containing alien technology. When the clock hit midnight in Moscow, the attack came. Their bases were ordered to report constantly. Eventually, one fell silent. The Russians knew what it meant. They sent more than enough troops to counter the threat. The base's defences held strong until reinforcements arrived. By the time back up had arrived, Exalt was already in full retreat. The reinforcements cut off the exits. The entire assault force was eliminated. Unfortunately, the Russians did not take any prisoners. They were not to be blamed; the fighting was intense and all potential captives were given lethal doses or kept a bullet reserved for themselves. Exalt came in expecting it to be a suicide mission. Why would anyone even subject themselves to such a fate? Why sacrifice your own life for Exalt? The Commander did not have the faintest clue.
As for the attack in China, the satellites had tracked the air transports to an airfield in Kazakhstan. XCOM had no time to react as the stolen aircraft were all destroyed and the cargo was supposedly transferred to other planes. Those planes were meant for long voyages. How Exalt got its hands on commercial cargo planes was unknown. XCOM would keep tracking those planes until an interception could be organised. For now, it was all yet another waiting game but one Henry felt comfortable about. He was not forced to react to an unknown threat. This time, he had the upper hand. Not to mention, the nations would be more than happy to assist.
With that out of the way, Henry relaxed. His body had gotten frail. At least, that was how he felt. Now that the tension had subsided, his body was recovering from the aches. His ankles were particularly feeble. Dr Erena was not joking when she had talked about mental health; it definitely affected Henry's physique. That reminded him, he had to undergo his check-ups. Being the Commander did not exempt him from medical visits, but it did give him an excuse to delay. He never liked going to the doctor mainly because he felt so out of shape every time he did. A physician's job was to point out everything that was or could be concerning. He could not blame them for doing their job. At least, he felt motivated to stay in shape afterwards — shame being the motivator.
Dr Erena had also wanted the Commander to receive some genetic operations. The Commander did not see the need. She insisted that he did, but for the Commander, the soldiers were the priority. Plus, he did not plan on deploying to the field anytime soon. The war had gotten too dangerous for the Commander to lead by example. What use were the genetic modifications meant for enhanced combat capabilities? Nonetheless, Erena insisted. She did say that he should undergo the procedures until she had a bit more confidence that the genetic tampering did not cause any side effects. That bugged Henry a bit since it meant that his troops were practically her guinea pigs, but he trusted Erena to ensure that everything went well.
Speaking of "guinea pigs", the Commander had gotten painfully aware that Vahlen was up to no good these recent days. He occasionally overhead scientists here and there talking about the experiments on the captives. He had been too busy to check up on Vahlen. Now that things were clearing up, perhaps he could swing by. He reviewed his schedule and there was nothing better for him to do. He was having a breather after dinner anyways. He was satisfied with the few minutes of unwinding he got in the comforts of his room.
Putting on his coat, the Commander left his room. As he walked out, the laundrymen were about to ring. Henry grabbed his sealed bag of washed clothes and put it near his entrance to organise later.
"Welcome, Commander Henry Avant!" the automated voice said.
Henry waved at a few scientists who saluted to be respectful as they were close by. The laboratories were as busy as ever. It had been a while.
Vahlen was not at her station. Perhaps, in her office? The Commander asked around, avoiding disturbing the scientists who looked the busiest. They confirmed that she was, indeed, in her office. Thankfully, the labs were not organised the same way as Engineering. The main entrance to the labs led directly to the lobby which Vahlen used as a rallying point for all of her staff and as a laboratory for all scientists working directly under her. Her office was to the right, near her own workspace. All her posts were conveniently near her office. Coincidentally, the autopsy chamber was only a few steps away from the door leading to her office too.
The Commander did not see a drop of blood in there as he walked by. Vahlen probably had other things to do than dissect corpses. At times like these, he preferred her to be tinkering with deceased subjects rather than living ones. He brushed his thoughts away by rubbing his forehead of sweat and rung the bell to her door. After a few seconds, the door slid open, as was the fashion in XCOM, and a seated woman appeared from behind it.
"Oh! Commander," Dr Vahlen exclaimed. "Please, come in."
Henry entered the room and the door hissed once more behind him.
"How's everything going here?"
"As productive as usual, Commander. I had some things I wanted to report to you, but I never got the chance since you've been busy. I did, however, send some reports."
"Ah. Sorry about those. I didn't get to read them thoroughly," he apologised. "A lot has been going on, Vahlen, but I've noted that I still have to read through them all. Let's just say that your reports require a lot more focus than others — being scientific and all."
"No worries, Commander. I understand. If you've got the time, I could give you a verbal report as usual?"
"I'm all ears."
"Just a moment!" she requested.
Vahlen searched all over her desk for something.
Henry realised he had never actually seen Vahlen's office before. Unlike her station, it was well organised. It probably was not disorderedly due to the lack of instruments lying around; Vahlen's office was entirely clear of them. It seemed more like space for her to ponder and do office work. Her office was mostly empty except for a plant, a snack table and a lounge chair. She did have a bookshelf behind her at her desk. It seemed to contain a few books and personal items. Otherwise, there were no large filing cabinets occupying every inch of the walls. Most documents were digitalized in XCOM, anyways. Vahlen was the most intent of all the higher-ups at keeping her workspace paper-free. Shen was practically in love with paper. Perhaps, due to age?
Dr Vahlen turned her monitor at an angle so that the Commander could see. She positioned her chair to the edge of her desk.
"Commander, please take a seat on that chair," she said, pointing at her comfy lounge chair. "If I had known you were coming, I'd have prepared accordingly."
"Oh, no worries, Doctor."
The Commander lifted the chair a few inches up and gently dropped it to where he could easily see the monitor. It was heavier than it looked.
"So, where do we begin?" he asked as he sat down next to Vahlen.
"Remember our mission in Newfoundland — the one with the infestation?"
Henry nodded.
"The possibility of an oceanic Chryssalid presence was of much concern. The Spokesman had personally tasked me with investigating the phenomenon since many dignitaries were worried. Humanity would suffer greatly against a foe who could hide near occupied shores. You'll be delighted to know that colonies in bodies of water are rare. Chryssalids are aquatic creatures, but they are mainly driven to land. It does not make much sense from a survival standpoint. But perhaps, the alien hierarchy is to blame for that.
"Looking back at the marine investigations, the Chryssalids have little to no presence in our waters. It could be that our mission was an anomaly. The fishing vessel was near one of the cities that were razed by the aliens. The last logs of the vessel suggested that the crew docked but escaped as the city was under attack. Supposedly, that was when a couple of Chryssalids had boarded, like ship rats. Of course, having a bunch of mass-reproducing beings on a ship full of nutritious cargo was bound for disaster. The crew had noticed something was off about their cargo. They realised that they had been boarded and proceeded to quarantine the infested compartments. The captain let out an unanswered distress call. He opted to get his crew to land and scuttle the ship. He navigated to a nearby fishing community he knew.
"Chryssalids soon overpowered the doors and spread throughout the ship. The crew was eventually consumed by the infestation, but the ship was still in operation. Without a captain at the helm, the fishing vessel was in a collision course with the docks of the fishing town. You can guess what happens next, Commander."
"The ship crashed into the docks. The Chryssalids disembarked and found a fleshy El Dorado," Henry completed. "But why did the Chryssalids go to sea?"
"Because they could," Vahlen answered. "Nothing restricts them to land and the sea had plenty of fish! One part of the colony feasted on the town, while the other, on the marine life. The two colonies originated from the same boat, but they were separated due to a lack of ties. Somehow, they are very similar to ants. That being said, Commander, we should never judge a book by its cover. And you cannot understand an alien species solely through autopsies and combat experience. Perhaps if I had a better means of observing the Chryssalids' social behaviour, we could fight them better."
"Hold on, Doctor!" Henry protested. "I know where this is going. How would you even contain a Chryssalid colony? If those things can colonise an entire fishing town and ocean bed, God knows what they'll do in XCOM HQ!"
"Do not worry, Commander, I know where to draw the line. But I do not want to pass up the chance to observe the Chryssalids in their more natural, social environment. These creatures behave much differently outside of the aliens' control. They are much smarter and exhibit a strong sense of self-preservation while maintaining a duty of sacrifice for the hive. They are similar to bees and ants in many ways. However, we have yet to identify a Chryssalid hierarchy. We believe that decisions are made by some sort of hive mind. Its goal would be the protection of its food; it is what allows them to reproduce quickly, after all."
"So they have a collective consciousness capable of complex strategies?"
"Yes, Commander. That is enough for me to qualify them as a high-level threat."
"Yeah well, they are one in my book, Dr Vahlen. I can guarantee that."
"Unfortunately, I was very much interested as to how the aliens 'controlled' the Chryssalids from orbit. But the conclusion of that mission could not have been avoided, Commander. I can handle the loss of a few artefacts, but I do hope to recover one of those 'screeching' pods."
"I have a feeling we won't be seeing the last of that, Doctor," Henry reassured.
Although, it did not seem like the best thing to be looking forwards to. If he had to deal with more Chryssalids hives, he would need a much needed mental break to prepare himself. The Commander grew disheartened at the thought.
"Say, Doctor, have gotten to dealing with our Sectoid captives?" he asked.
"I have indeed! After attaching the electrodes to our restrained Sectoid captive, we were able to discern what the creature was thinking. Our trials on the Exalt prisoners had prepared us well for the real deal."
"Please, don't make such statements lightly, Doctor," the Commander requested. "I've got people to answer to."
"My apologies, Commander. But we have been able to extract information from a Sectoid. Thanks to the screen installed inside the interrogation chamber, we have shown the Sectoid a few images of combat between its kind and ours. Our scientists were able to piece together what the subject was thinking about while the images were being presented."
Vahlen reached for her mouse and pulled out the constructed image. It was very blurry, but that was to be expected. Neurology was a complex subject. Decrypting the brain was still something that neurologists could not easily do. XCOM did have the best of the best and they managed to get something. The image looked like the interior of an alien ship. The image — or rather, the thought — was more focused on the element at the middle. It was an object in the rough shape of a diamond, glowing in orange.
"The image looks like an Outsider, Commander. The Sectoid reacted to all stimuli by thinking about the Outsider. Before the subject expired, we managed to sneak in an image of the Outsider. The Sectoid reacted strongly towards it, judging by the electroencephalography. My neuroscientists wish to observe how Sectoids react to various forms of stimuli. We should be able to understand their brains better. For now, they seem to be somewhat similar to ours."
"I'll let you handle that task. But if it's solely out of curiosity, then put it at a minimal priority," Henry requested. "I want you to focus on things that may directly aid the war effort."
"No worries, Commander. The new additions have been allowing the science department to multitask without any loss of efficiency. My main teams focus on anything you want while the others focus on the rest."
"Out of curiosity, Doctor, have you started to. . . you know. . . pitting the aliens against our captives?"
"I have observed the Sectoid's aggressive behaviour. Yes."
Henry let out a sigh and inquired, "What have you found, then?"
"When we first received the Sectoids. I immediately put one aside for interrogation and two more for the experiments. We wanted to observe the Sectoid's aggressive behaviour and hopefully draw out its telepathic abilities. We put one of our prisoners with a Sectoid. The Sectoid showed no hostility. It avoided the prisoner for as long as possible. We dragged the prisoner outside and incapacitated the Sectoid. We restrained it so it could not move and put the prisoner back in.
"It was at this point that the prisoner was confronted by a Sectoid strapped to a board. His opponent was vulnerable so he took the opportunity to eliminate it. Unfortunately for him, the Sectoid also kicked into fight mode and performed a Mind-fray on the assailant. We detected a spike in neural activity which caused the prisoner to have a generalised seizure, causing him to jerk around. We have repeated the experiment multiple times and concluded that the type of seizure varies from case to case. However, not all subjects have seizures; they can simply be dazed. Others experienced tinnitus due to irregular blood flow. Some had respiratory issues. The symptoms vary a lot, Commander."
"And what exactly causes all of these symptoms?" the Commander asked. "What does the Sectoid do?"
"We believe that the telepathic stimulation — the Mind-fray — causes neurons to fire. We have no clue as to how the Sectoids can do it. Commander, I believe that we may have created a new field of scientific research. This is something that has never been observed in a lab before. Sure, there have been claims of 'mind magic' in the past, but this is something entirely different. It's the real deal!"
Henry paused before reacting.
"So your only explanation is that it's magic?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Similar to magic, yes. But my team have coined this field of research as 'psionics'."
"Psionics?" Henry repeated.
"It's not as much as a scientific term as parapsychology, but it allows us to distinguish between what we have and what has been debunked in the past. There is much to learn about psionics. The Mind-fray ability is not the only form of psionics the Sectoids seem to use. Before our subjects were mind-frayed, the Sectoids used a non-lethal telepathic ability we have called 'Mesmerise'. We believe it to be similar to the Mind-merge — which we have not conducted tests on yet.
"Simply put, our subjects received sudden neurological stimulation, but it was not a seizure. They were oddly fixated on the Sectoids. We believe that they were likely attempting some form of hypnosis. The ability is not strong so all of the subjects were able to break through and attack the Sectoid. I have already stated what happened next."
"I see," the Commander reacted. "Have you included all of this in a report?"
"I have, Commander, a few days ago."
"Then, I'll make sure to read through it thoroughly. I want you to continue observing the Sectoids. Make it a second priority. First, I want you to focus on the aliens' power source. If we can do something with their Elerium, it might help us. Do not neglect their alloys too. I want us to be able to use those materials!"
Vahlen nodded in response.
"Understood, Commander! You'll be delighted to know we'll have everything ready in no time. My teams have been looking into Elerium and the alien alloys since the very start. Expect a report soon — written or verbal."
The Commander rose from his chair and nodded in gratitude. He helped Vahlen put her chair back and went out of her office.
Psionics? Never had the Commander thought that he would be dabbling in magic. Vahlen seemed fully aware of how absurd it all sounded, but it was the reality. There probably was an explanation for it, but it was largely unknown. More importantly, could humans wield it? So far, only the Sectoids were able to use it. The other species showed no signs of psionics. The Mind-fray ability was no doubt dangerous. He remembered some of his soldiers suffering for a bit after being struck by it. Gail McGrath had been a victim, once. Though, he did not suffer from horrible seizures like Vahlen's test subjects did. Henry hated using that word — test subjects — when referring to humans. It was what the war had brought him to.
The Commander wanted to get his mind off of things. He had gotten rid of Exalt, for now. He had dealt with Vahlen's revelations. Shen was no doubt working hard. Best to let him work. He could go to the barracks and check up on his troops. Maybe later. He had Erena to deal with too. That became his next objective — visit the infirmary. The least he could do was schedule that long-awaited appointment. Knowing Erena, she would be the one personally examining him. Henry did not know if it was because he was the Commander — she did not want her colleagues to take him on. If you want it done right, do it yourself. It could also be due to the relationship. Maybe Erena thought it appropriate she did it since she was acquainted with him, compared to the rest of her staff. There were too many physicians in XCOM; one could not befriend them all.
On the bright side, he knew that Erena took her job very seriously. Shen and Vahlen always took her advice. I mean, she is a physician. If Henry had to guess, it was because of her attitude. Not every doctor was as warm and caring as her. Almost like a mother figure or an older sibling. An older sibling seemed more appropriate. Though, she did know how to scold someone. The knowledge that it would be for his well-being removed all the dread from his soon-to-be-booked appointment. Henry could not help but feel slightly childish about being "scared" of seeing a doctor.
Arriving in the infirmary, the Commander had taken his staff off guard. He was not a regular visitor so it made sense. The Commander disinfected his hands and put on a mask. The measures had changed due to the situation of the world outside. Thankfully, XCOM HQ had not had an outbreak yet. The other bases had a few patients and the medical staff ensured that the situation would not worsen. Having all of his staff cooped inside one base was bound for disaster. It was one more reason why Erena took her job so seriously. The posters all around the base confirmed it.
Speaking of Erena, she was only a few meters into the lobby, talking to a woman. She wore a lab coat so it was not too hard to guess that she was a scientist. They were soon done talking. Dr Erena noticed the Commander and greeted him.
"Commander, you'd better make that appointment if you've got the time to be here!"
Henry could not help but smile. What was I expecting?
"That's what I'm here to do, doc."
"Good," Erena replied enthusiastically.
"Have things been busy around here — seeing that you're not in your office?"
"No, not busy. There was just a matter of importance. Vahlen wanted me to examine the woman I was talking to."
"Oh. What happened?"
"The woman's recently arrived here, and turns out, she's pregnant. That's not the reason, though. It was due to some unusual behaviour."
"Regarding the pregnancy? Is everything all right?"
"Not the pregnancy, Commander. Vahlen had conducted tests on what she had called psionics and one of her staff — that woman — reported seeing floaters. She kept seeing them frequently, during the tests. Vahlen started to worry so she submitted her to me. Nothing was wrong with her neurologically or anything. I did, however, notice that she is pregnant. It came as a shock to her. She had just arrived too!"
"Hold on, Doctor. What exactly happened to her during the psionic observations?" the Commander inquired.
"Well, the patient reported that she saw these barely visible filaments emitting from the alien test subjects. Her colleagues did not. She dismissed it as floaters. It persisted. She got worried. She talked to Vahlen who brought her to me."
Barely visible filaments? The Commander vaguely remembered something similar.
"So this woman will be discharged?"
"Yes, Commander. We are obliged to send back any staff if they are in any stage of pregnancy," Erena reminded. "I'll admit the men aren't too lucky," she joked. "But she can reapply to continue her service if she proves that she is no longer pregnant. Of course, there are many ways she could do that. I just hope they aren't the more. . . tragic ones."
"I hope you'll be taking care of her?"
"We've informed her of the procedures. She still has a place to call home so she'll be leaving in a week. All arrangements are made."
"Good!" Henry exclaimed with a nod.
Discharging staff had to potential to be tricky. XCOM staff could only be discharged under certain conditions. Once they were eligible to make a request or had to be discharged due to the rules, management could proceed to the next phase. Transportation was easy; XCOM could arrange that. The issue was whether or not the staff member had somewhere to go. The invasion had caused many to go homeless. Henry had occasionally overheard his staff talk about their situation at home. Having your home destroyed while you were gone was not a pleasant ordeal. It was even worse when your family had been wiped out at the same time. The aliens had started to attack civilian areas. Such events would inevitably become a more common occurrence. Thankfully, the Council had thought it all through. XCOM had resources for those who had lost their homes or for anyone who lived in the same household as an XCOM staff member.
"Commander, about your appointment!" Erena reminded, snapping Henry out of thought.
"Ah, yes. I'd like to book one."
"We could do your examinations now," Erena proposed.
"Woah! I need to prepare first," Henry protested.
"Tomorrow! I'm entirely free, tomorrow. The earliest is at nine."
"That's a bit too soon," the Commander complained. "How about. . . All right, tomorrow at nine is good."
Better to get it done than to think about it for longer.
"It's settled, then! See you tomorrow, Commander."
The Commander waved Erena goodbye and left the infirmary. He disinfected his hands and disposed of his mask. The smell of the hallway contrasted with the sterile environment he was in. Since Engineering was only a few long hallways away, the Commander thought he would make use of more of his free time. He would not stick there for too long to not disturb the engineers. After a few minutes, he would check up on the soldiers.
The Commander did not intend on bothering the engineers for long and fate granted his wish. The first engineer he spoke to informed him that Shen was at the hangar. Conveniently, it was part of the barracks complex. It brought him closer to his second destination.
Dr Shen was inquiring about the new interceptors. His engineers informed him that they had a few ready to be flown. The design of the YF-23 was slightly overhauled and the plating was replaced with a more heat-resistant material. More importantly, the aircraft had a new targeting computer that was capable of utilising Shen's satellites.
Dr Shen wanted to upgrade the thrusters, but the aircraft still had an equivalent, if not superior, speed compared to all known alien aircraft. Shen had hoped that there was room for improvement as the aliens' ships had been getting noticeably faster. It was a reminder that the aliens were not stupid. They were also working around the clock to upgrade their arsenal.
The news that Shen rejoiced to the most was the manufacturing and testing of the hypervelocity missiles. The missile could interface with XCOM satellites and the new aircraft to lock onto a target. Where it deviated from its equivalents outside of XCOM was its precision. Shen's hypersonic missiles could target specific subsystems of an alien aircraft. It reduced the amount of damaged inflicted on the precious artefacts. The payload also had preservation in mind. The hypersonic missile only had a tungsten warhead. A conventional missile would have caused a lot of damage to the aliens' vessels. Using pure kinetic energy and armour penetration, the missile could eliminate key components in a vessel, causing it to lose altitude. Unfortunately, the crash landing would cause damage. But under certain circumstances, XCOM could recover mostly undamaged aircraft for research.
Dr Shen and Dr Vahlen had pestered the Commander many times about acquiring functional alien technology. He saw the benefit, but it was the acquiring part that bothered him. The aliens were not just handing out spotless machinery.
With that out of the way, Henry visited the barracks. The soldiers were lively but exhaustion was present. He did not blame them. The Commander had been as exhausted, yet he was not on the front lines. The troops were talkative but were more reserved than usual. The Commander would have to find something to lift their spirits or let them rest for a little longer than usual. He did not linger in the barracks for too long. He left the troops to their own devices. Rest was on their mind, but they wanted to make use of their day. It could have been their last opportunity to have a small drink at the bar or hang out with comrades. Death could have come during the next mission and they could do nothing about it. Since when have the soldiers started thinking that way?
The Commander went back to his quarters to go back to the comforts of his bed. He too had wanted a rest but opted to make "better" use of his time. The desire for a break came back rushing to him. He understood how the soldiers felt. He had not set foot on a battlefield for a while, but he knew what it would feel like. The Commander had exhausted himself too with the invasion. The aliens were much stronger than they were. Exalt was now a legitimate threat. XCOM and the Council of Nations were weaker compared to the first days of the invasion. The first days of the invasion?
Henry had forgotten what they were like. It seemed like a distant memory, but it had not even been a year. He vaguely remembered his first days of work. At first, he was exhausted because of all the paperwork, but the sense of importance kept him going. When XCOM was inaugurated, there were more issues to deal with. But Henry had just gotten started. He held his head high in front of the Council and all their official matters. Of course, then came Operation Devil's Moon. It was a shock, but looking back, it seemed insignificant.
He remembered talking with Erena. It was his first medical examination. Erena had asked him countless questions and had done countless tests. He remembered a specific question: How do you feel? Henry had answered, "Confident!" Erena smiled and wrote down on her tablet. The next appointment had gone the same way. Erena was not shy; she showed off her perfect smile every time he had given an answer to her questions. He had never lied to her. Erena knew that.
The Commander shifted around on his bed. Should I lie? The next appointment was tomorrow.
"Confident?" he mumbled to himself.
Henry did not remember the last time he felt confident. Maybe after he had gotten an upper hand against Exalt, this morning. Confidence did not describe it well, though. Relief?
The Commander never knew what he was up against. However, he was always ready for the worst. He had never been the type to plan out every move. He had never planned out the future thoroughly — only rough flexible plans. He adapted based on the situation. That habit reminded him of why he was terrible at chess; he could not plan multiple moves ahead. Confidence in himself was what allowed him to strive, despite having such a terrible way of handling things. He made decisions on the fly.
When he had a lead on Exalt. He felt relief. It was as if the world had bestowed a gift — a solution to his problem. Henry did not feel in control like he always did. It felt cheap. It felt undeserved. Exalt was unpredictable and Henry had no clue how to deal with them. He could not counter their moves. That was why he wanted a swift and decisive blow — so that his weakness could not be revealed and exploited further.
In the end, the Commander could not find a course of action. He did not know what he wanted to say to Erena. He could not avoid the question because she asked it during every monthly examination. He did not feel like lying, but nor did he feel like saying the truth. He felt like a mess. He wanted to go back to the simpler times.
The Commander got up and sat on the side of his bed. A picture frame on his nightstand caught his eye. He went to investigate it as he pulled it towards his face. The picture frame was split in half. In one, he, Bradford, Vahlen and Shen stood. On the other, he, Natalia, Archer, Zuniga and Myers stood. Their expressions were serious and confident. He remembered looking at the picture multiple nights after the inauguration of XCOM. It filled him with hope. It was a reminder for him to keep fighting. Now, he longed for a break. He wanted to go back to those days and repeat them until the end. He wanted those days to come back and create a stalemate where the invasion never escalated. Back then, everything was simple.
The Commander put the picture frame back to where it stood crooked on a single leg. The day was nearing its end. Henry surrendered himself to sleep. He did not need his aids, but it did take him a while to fall asleep. His mind kept dashing from one thing to another until it got tired. Only then did he feel the peace that came every night.
Bradford came out of his office. He looked around in case any of his officers had something to say. Since nobody approached or waved at him, he took to his claimed spot at the railing near the Hologlobe. The projection showed very little activity from the aliens; that was odd since they had a preference for nocturnal incursions. However, the Hologlobe did not show North America to be in the nocturnal zone. A look at his watch reminded him that it was not dusk yet. Having spent almost all of his stay in XCOM inside the underground facility, he forgot that the days grew longer as the warm seasons began.
"New contact. UFO-12 is marked," an officer called out, breaking the silence. "UFO-12 has been scanned. UFO-12, now designated LtScout-1."
Bradford frowned.
"LtScout-1?" he mumbled. "We haven't had a Light Scout in ages."
Nearby officers heard him and looked at Bradford with similarly perplexed faces.
"Hold on. LtScout-1 has quite the angle!" the same officer who called out the vessel informed.
Hearing the revelation, Bradford decided to intervene. He walked up the stairs and went through the row of computers until he reached the staff member. He grabbed onto the officer's chair and leaned to get a better view of the screen.
"What's up with LtScout-1?" he asked.
"Sir, it's. . . it's making a landing manoeuver."
"Landing?!" Bradford exclaimed.
"Should we alert the Comman—"
"No need. Has anyone claimed it yet?"
"We've got a few more minutes until the States would lay claim."
"Don't waste any time. Claim that vessel. Make sure the U.S. acknowledges it! We can't waste this."
"Roger, sir," the officer replied as he executed the XO's orders.
Bradford went back to the middle of the facility and faced the row of staff responsible for deployments.
"Okay. What's the highest squad we've got available?"
"Alpha-2, sir," an officer replied.
"Okay. That's good. What about aircraft?"
"Sir, we've got two Corsairs and three Condors," another officer answered.
"Corsairs? Ah, the new interceptors," Bradford mumbled. "I want a Corsair equipped with hypervelocity missiles on standby to engage LtScout-1. I want my officers trained to handle guided missiles in Mission Overview. And I want Alpha-2 on standby."
"Copy that, Central!" an officer replied as he relayed the orders.
Bradford went up the stairs leading from the Hologlobe to Mission Overview. The announcer notified his orders throughout the base.
"Attention! Corsair-1 is requested on standby. Corsair-1 is requested on standby," the voice said. "Attention! Squad Alpha-2 is requested at the armoury. Squad Alpha-2 is requested at the armoury."