X-Com: Abyssal
Chapter Three – Canned Heat
September 21st, 2044
Madhouse Rock, Western Pacific
Where are you? The question kept repeating itself on Markovitch's head as she moved down the dark and empty corridors of the alien base. Or at least that was where she thought she was as she walked down an empty corridor whose walls were made of a brown metal unlike the gray alloys that the aliens used for construction. She felt that something was strange but the thing that was worrying most her now was how to find the exit to the maze of passageways and chambers.
She was wearing her old suit, an armed carapace that had protected her endless times during the fighting on the first war. The main portion that covered her body showed streaks of what seemed to be rust and her faceplate was missing, exposing her face to a glacial coldness that made the mucus inside of her nose to freeze into solid and sent needles of pain on her cheeks.
Where am I?
She knew where she was, despite the differences from what she remembered from the old alien base on Mars. But there was a drowsiness that sent a fog through her mind, making her to loose any sense of direction as she kept walking through the facility.
Come to me.
As she stopped by twin sliding doors that stood in the middle of a large corridor, she started to worry about the fact that she didn't had any weapon on her. I'm in the middle of an alien installation and the only thing I can do is to kick the aliens with my legs or punch their ugly faces with my arms. Well, at least those Ethereals were really thin and probably I can snap their necks if I can get close enough. She was waiting for one of them to appear as she activated the doors with a movement of her arm next to an invisible panel built on the sidewall.
The metal entrance disappeared without a sound but instead of the tall red robed figure of an Ethereal she found herself facing another soldier in a power suit. The faceplate was also gone and Markovitch wondered for a second how both of them could be breathing the deadly Martian atmosphere but she quickly forgot that thought as she recognized the soldier in front of her.
"Camay". The woman's face was like she remembered it, without any of the wrinkles and the long white hair. Her cheeks were smooth and red and she was holding one of the medikits that the soldiers used for heal battle injuries. "Captain". The private was smiling openly to her as she continued talking. "Are you feeling better now?"
As she looked around her still in confusion she replied. "Yeah". After a moment she remembered to ask. "Where's everyone else?"
Camay looked puzzled at her question but ignored it after a second. "The Colonel sent all platoons to start boarding the Avengers and head towards the commander's position. They are still having a lot of work to clear the Pyramid from the aliens".
That's right, the Brain is dead but so is Erwin. "The Colonel?" The mention of Johnson had thrown her off balance and she had to place her hand to the wall to regain her balance. Camay grabbed her other arm. "Captain, are you alright? Are you still feeling the effects of what happened upstairs?"
Yes, the mental attack. But how come I'm walking now? Taking a deep breath to try to clear the confusion she asked the soldier. "What happened upstairs?"
Camay looked at her in confusion and worry crossed her face. "Captain, do you know where you are? Where's the rest of the platoon? They were supposed to take you out to the Avenger to get some rest. Have you become lost from them?" She placed the medikit over her arm and activated it, sending with both their stained power suits being illuminated by a red light.
"I'm…OK I guess Camay. Just a bit shaky but I guess everyone would after all of this fighting". Her head started to ache but she ignored it.
Camay kept looking at her with a glance of concern. "And not to mention the mental attack that thing tried to make on you. You were lucky that the Colonel managed to kill it before it was too late. We all thought that you were dead afterwards, including Colonel Johnson".
Johnson. His name sent a bell down her brain. Where are you? She tried to find him using her psionic powers but as she started to concentrate, an icy needle burst through her skull as if every brain cell was contracting with pain. "Hmmm". Her moan made Camay to hold her against the wall to stop her from falling down.
"Jesus, Captain, we need to get you out of here. We have to check you on the Avenger because you could have suffered some sort of physical damage to your brain".
I am here. The voice made her look upwards, towards the chamber that housed the alien Brain that was now dead. "Where's the Colonel?" She asked as she felt the entire corridor swirl and she felt more and more difficult to stand up. It seemed that her power suit had run out of Elerium because her arms and legs felt heavy and bulky to move.
"Lay down Captain". Camay's voice felt more like an order than an advice. "I'm going to sedate you and get someone to help me to bring you outside".
Markovitch felt difficult to speak any words. "No…no….I need to see Erwin first". Her knees faltered and she dropped to the floor. A green blink on the medikit told her that something was inside her bloodstream. "Just relax now Captain and we'll take you outside. The Colonel has been injured by a plasma shot but they're already taking care of him…" Camay's voice seemed to slowly fade as she heard something else.
I am here.
She looked for him in all directions down the corridor trying to find his armored figure as the voice kept speaking coming from nowhere, repeating her name.
Sheila. Sheila. The words blurred with the closed environment until a new awareness came to her and they became clearer. "Attention! All members of Third squad report to General Stores for immediate deployment! Attention! All…"
The rest of the message arose Markovitch from her state of drowsiness as she stood resting on her bunk and trying to get some sleep after spending the previous eight hours cleaning the mess hall and performing weapons training with her squad.
A dream.
The metal bunk squeaked as she moved her legs from underneath the warmth of the artificial fibers of her green blankets. Setting her bare feet on the cold metal grating of the floor, she looked for her combat boots as she tried to understand what was happening and doze off the dream she just had. Her neck was stiff and hurting from the position she took when she was sleeping but as she got up she felt less pain.
This was the third time her squad had been on the alert shift on the days since her arrival but so far they hadn't deployed a single time and had spent the shift waiting for an USO to be detected. Simmons, the other rookie that had traveled with her had already deployed for action twice and had been killed yesterday. She had known because she had been helped to carry his body bag to the Triton and had noticed his name on the tag that identified it.
"Hey Watkins, hurry up or the Petty will have your butt!" She looked to the left towards the direction of Burton, one of the other two rookies on her squad. He was on his early thirties and smaller than him but nearly of her age, with a dark hair and a bland face. Unlike her, he had already wet his feet three times, as the combat missions were referred to in base slang. That fact also made him to act like he was superior to her and Redwood, the other seaman apprentice.
She mentally told him to go fuck himself but hurried up as movement on top of the stairs told her that the other soldiers were about to present to the armory. After she finished tying up her boots she grabbed her service cap and tagged behind the group of soldiers as they rushed out of the barracks area. As they raced down the main corridor that connected all portions of the base, Burton slowed his pace and asked her and Redwood in a mocking tone. "Nervous?"
She didn't bother to answer and kept her eyes locked on the blue diving suit of the soldier in front of her. "Well, don't get your pants wet while you're in the suit". Laughing, Burton sped up again, trying to catch the seasoned soldiers.
When the twelve men and women reached the readiness room they found Petty Mellow and the section's NCO, Chief Petty Officer Julio Angelo already waiting there for them. As they walked inside the soldiers arranged themselves into fire teams, facing the NCO on a straight line. Unlike Mellow, who Markovitch considered to be one of the nastiest non-commissioned officers that she had seen on her career with what she called a big anal retention, Angelo was actually more pleasant. According to the talk between the enlisted the Italian had attended a catholic seminar after leaving high school and was planning to become a priest for some reason he had left his religious studies and had joined the Euro-Syndicate's amphibious brigade before volunteering for X-Com. He had been assigned to Madhouse after the base had been rebuilt following its destruction by an alien attack and although he wasn't officially a chaplain or even a priest he was more than willing to preach to the few ones that would listen to him.
The officer standing behind them and with a face that he hadn't had much sleep looked annoyed at all of the confusion. For some reason the Lt. Commander in charge of combat operations had decided to be present at the briefing. He had a short blonde beard matching his hair color unlike the smooth shaven faces of both Mellow and Angelo. She had noticed them on the non-combat personnel and officer since they were authorized since it helped to protect their facial skin from the salty air. On the case of Mellow' short mustache he always trimmed it very short and thin, looking as if someone had grabbed a marker and drew a line right over his upper lip. Looking down her legs Markovitch remembered how hairy they were. There wasn't much of a need to shave and she wasn't here to look pretty anyways.
"All right, get the water off your ears and listen!" Mellow' thundering voice echoed on the metal walls of the equipment room. "The sonar has detected an alien Escort heading towards the continental shelf near Washington State. A Barracuda is going to wait on the surface above it in case it tries to escape but we are going to try to capture it intact. We will leave in ten minutes". Lieutenant Gustafson looked at them but he refrained from saying anything, instead choosing to rub his eyes with his hands to clear off the residues of his aborted sleep. "Any questions? No?" Looking around her Markovitch also decided that there wouldn't be any. Burton had an evil smile on his face as he looked at her and Redwood, which seemed to be having an anxiety attack. She also noticed that Marsden, the woman she had found at the squad's barracks and another trooper were talking between themselves and looking at the rookies but she couldn't understand what they were saying.
"…God is our refuge and fortress, help always ready in the angst…". The words of psalm that Angelo was reciting made her turn her head back towards the NCOs in the front of the room. After the Chief Petty was done, Mellow stepped forward and called. "Renton and Barnby get your fire teams ready. Gutierrez, since the damn technicians managed to fix the Bugeye on time for this mission it's your turn to be left behind, but we are going to take Watkins with us to fill the last slot so you get her ready.
The rest of her fire team's members relaxed as Mellow shouted his last orders. "As for the rest get your skins and weapons ready and report to sub pen three. Move it!"
**********
"Let's get them!" The soldier next to Markovitch's right had been cursing the aliens for more than two hours now as the Triton had undocked from Madhouse and headed for the mainland. "Let's get them man! We are going to get them!" His last name was Teller but he was more known on the squad and in the base by "Crazy T". Looking to him she saw the tattoo he had that circled his bald skull in the form of a spear that ended on his forehead with twin spikes. He looked back at her and showed Markovitch his teeth, whose canines had been sharpened and hissed at her. One of the seated soldiers started laughing but she replied the stare before the seaman in front of him called him off. "Cool out T. You don't have to eat her alive".
Like Markovitch he had his circular helmet on his lap but on his case he wore aqua-plastic body armor usually assigned to team and squad leaders while his weapons was a gray thick Gauss rifle that rested between his legs with its butt against the metal grating of the floor. "I don't need any help". She shot back at him and he made an amused look. "He's all yours, Watkins".
She felt like he was paternalizing her at it pissed her off but as a klaxon warned the soldiers inside that they were about to submerge, she took her metal helmet from her lap. Let's hope I don't drown inside this thing. Breathing liquid instead of air had been an idea first proposed more than eighty years ago but it had only come to a reality on the late 1990's. By then scientists had managed to synthesize a liquid called perfluorocarbon that could supply the necessary oxygen levels for the body to survive and remove the carbon dioxide from the alveoli on the lungs. The concept had been first used on premature babies that had been born with underdeveloped lungs. The replenishal of the liquid was still performed by movement of the lungs that expelled used liquid and brought freshly oxygenated one. But it was done at a lesser rate to the lungs and without demanding so much effort on them.
A number of navies had applied the concept to their divers. The main problem of going to depths of more than two kilometers was the pressure applied by all of the water above. Every ten meters under the water would add the equivalent of the normal atmospheric pressure. They would be diving at one hundred metes and at that depth the water's equivalent of ten normal atmospheric pressures would place an unbearable strain on the lungs since the organs were at a much lower pressure. The use of liquid prevented the diver from being crushed since it helped to bring the lungs' inner pressure to the level of the pressure felt outside the helmet. There would be still trapped air on her inner ear, which would make for a terrible migraine as they got deeper but it could be controlled using painkillers. Only when she got back on the surface would the pain disappear but the ears would still be sore and her balance would get shaky for a couple of days. She would also have to drink a couple of the fluid as the helmet filled to adjust her stomach to the content and prevent her from puking later, which would be very, very bad. The body's remaining inner hollow spaces would also be compressed, especially the bowels and stomach, giving her cramps like she was having her period afterwards.
And it also prevented a nasty effect from sea diving using breathing devices based on air. As an aquanaut breathing air got deeper, the additional pressure necessary to compensate for the external conditions made the nitrogen present to condensate in the human tissue, something that was called nitrogen narcosis or decompression sickness. The condition could cause dread or uncertainty on an aquanaut and it required that he spent hours in a decompression chamber if he returned to the surface too fast. And if he got up too fast the gas would form bubbles on the bloodstream, something called embolization, which could lead into death. Other gases could be used to prevent the toxicity of nitrogen, like helium, but one problem remained. If the ascent were too quick the gas on the lungs would expand as the pressure diminished. The alveoli on the lungs would rupture and bring major medical problems.
The site to where the Triton was heading was on the US continental shelf and was roughly one hundred meters deep. At that depth the X-Com squad could had used regular respiratory devices but the need for the slowly ascent afterwards made them stick to liquid breathing instead.
Although the liquid allowed aquanauts to deploy and fight at depths of up to five thousand meters, it also had its own problems. One of the first things on the short combat training she had on the US before flying to the base was to tested the liquid on one large pool. In order to placed on a combat team she had to be able to withstand the thing since allergic reactions were not uncommon.
Although she had passed the unpleasant experience of the test, she still felt anxious about what would happen as she placed the helmet over her head and sealed it. In front of her Renton stood waiting since each opposing pair of troopers would help one another through the process.
She activated the liquid breathing device.
A bluish fluid started to appear under her chin and it quickly rose to her upper lip. The zip she drank tasted like toothpaste and her stomach complained but the small amount of nausea quickly vanished. When it covered her nose she let go all of the air on her lungs and the bubbles rose through her eyes. She was also using special contact lenses that would stick to her irises and allow her to see clearly in spite of the fluid that now had come to her forehead.
A couple of seconds later her lungs started to react from the lack of oxygen. Premature babies would be under anesthesia and had their lungs filled with the liquid through the use of tubes. In the case of deep diving they were fully conscious, making it the worst part in breathing the heavily oxygenized liquid. The aquanaut would literally have to drown inside his helmet and unless he managed to control the panic and convulsions, things could go very bad. It was also the reason why it was being done before the craft got any deeper so that any problems could be solved. And also, like the lungs of aquanauts inside, the cargo section of the Triton would also be filled with seawater equivalent to the external pressure as it sunk to the bottom of the ocean so that it wouldn't place a huge stress on its hole.
She would have to force herself to breathe the liquid and expel the remaining air on her lungs. However the body's automatic response would be to cough to expel the fluid.
When she finally couldn't hold it anymore her mouth opened and she took a deep portion of the liquid down her larynx and trachea.
Renton's hands quickly moved to grip her shoulders hard to prevent her from taking off the helmet as her chest surged against the liquid that was coming to her lungs. As she coughed in pain, the immediate automatic action afterwards of rebreathing brought more fluid into her lungs and it felt much worse.
It took her more than ten seconds before all of the air on her lungs had been expelled and she actually calmed down. Renton released her as she flashed him a thumbs-up. Unlike Markovitch's helmet, which had a reinforced glass view port in front of her face, his cover was completely transparent. He sealed the helmet and activated his own breathing gear.
As she watched the inside of Teller's helmet getting filled with the fluid Markovitch noticed that she seemed to have entered a completely silent world. The few sounds that come from either the Triton or from the soldiers on the inside came to her muffled. She felt like her helmet was a pool on which she was submerged.
That was the other problem with using the fluid for breathing. Since voice depends on the passage of air through the vocal cords, now that they all where breathing liquid they basically couldn't speak to one another. They had earphones attached to their mastoid bones but those were to allow them to hear the outside. When they deployed they would use hand signals and other means to overcome the communications problem and depends heavily on their fireteam leaders for control and coordination. Infantry squads had used the technique for decades: each fireteam member would be on sight of his leader, and the corporal in charge would take his orders from the squad leader. The technique rather worked pretty well in cases where silence was necessary to deploy to the target area. In this case it remained to be seen how well they could coordinate and warn the others of any threat. However, for that particular aspect they all had emergency buttons placed on the forearms of their suits that would issue an audible warning to call the attention of all team members.
When Teller's circular helmet became filled with the fluid the seaman shuttered for seconds as he inhaled the liquid. Calming down afterwards he raised a thumbs-up with his left hand.
A low tone whistle made her look towards Petty Mellow, who was standing close to the Coelacanth Submersible Weapons System with a large yellow torpedo launcher on his hands. After seeing that all of the helmets on the squad had turned blue, meaning that they all had switched their breathing systems with no problems he pulled a lever close to the door of the Triton. A yellow light started blinking noiselessly as seawater appeared on the floor of the craft.
Soon the controlled flooding increased to the point where it reached her waist. Her stomach was feeling a bit icy but she put it to the liquid that she had already swallowed. Occasionally the perfluorocarbon could irritate the stomach making the soldier wanting to puke it out. But if she did it while they were deployed she would die. The acid content would travel to her lungs and burn them and at those depths the soldier would most likely die before he could be given medical attention.
As the Triton kept descending the water level increased inside the plane until the entire passenger area was flooded. She had expected that there would be one pilot on the cockpit but Gutierrez had informed her that when the sub was being controlled from the base. That way the pilot wouldn't be risking his neck if something went wrong.
The environment onboard the Triton turned into a diffuse yellow lighting inside as the sub gently descended towards its landing zone. Petty Mallow was still waiting by the SWS while the other troopers waited immobile on their blue wetsuits and holding their weapons.
Then, all of a sudden, Markovitch felt the Triton falling and she went upwards taken by the inertia. By the time it landed softly on the sea bottom she had corrected the motion. As she looked towards the back of the craft she saw Crazy T grinning at her through the blue of his visor and with his mouth open. He raised his free hand into a fist and then made a circle with the finger. Rock and roll. Right.
When the side door of the Triton slid open for the tank to deploy natural light filled the inside. Activating its water jet engines, the SWS quickly cleared the door and the disturbance made by its travel pushed Markovitch to the outside as she was also moving behind the aquatic tank. The troops called it 'Bugeye' since the thing had a large glass below the main weapon mounted on the top of its body that looked like the eye of an insect. It used water jet engines built into its sides for propulsion and was controlled by an artificial intelligence housed on the computers inside. Unlike the previous automated tanks that X-Com had used on the First War it was completely independent of human control and it followed orders like any other seaman.
When she stepped outside, in front of her eyes she suddenly came across the immensity of the sandy white seabed and the blue seascape around her. She couldn't see the Sun but its light filled the ocean, revealing a school of fish as they silently swam above her. Without thinking, she immediately started to move to the left around the Triton, trying to be as fast as she could but finding out that moving swiftly underwater was a combination of time, strength and momentum. Her suit's feet sank into the sand, making her slow and no matter how much she tried she couldn't be as fast as she wanted to clear the side of the Triton. A loud whining sound was suddenly heard, followed by a crack coming from the hull of the plane.
Her reflexes told her the most likely direction of the alien that just taken a shot at her. But as she struggled to get to a stable position for firing one of the troopers following behind her pushed her shoulder. Turning around she saw the man waving at her to move along. My job isn't to fire at the aliens, only to make them come out of their positions and fire at me. Gutierrez had been quite precise on that point and made sure that she understood it.
The SWS had already moved twenty feet away from the Triton and was busy using its jet harpoon weapon to engage an alien that stood away at the distance. Remembering her orders, she turned around and moved towards the starboard side of the Triton. Since the craft's door was located on its port side tactical doctrine required that the squad secured that position unless they wanted grenades to be raining on them from that position.
The pads on her feet felt heavy as she reached the front of the Triton and looked. In order to steady themselves against the sea bottom the soldiers had ballast attached to their feet, allowing them to stand upright against the ground. It made movement slower than simply swimming but Markovitch had been told by Braddock that it was much more easier to aim and fire her weapon that way.
The area on the left of the craft had a number of rock formations a bit higher than her were green and red seaweed was attached with the leaves rocking to the sides at the whim of the current. She chose a large outcropping to give her some cover as she walked over the bottom of the sea, holding her jet harpoon rifle tightly on her hands. She assumed that a fireteam was moving on her tracks and ready to fire at any alien that popped out his head. With effort, she made a series of zigzags to spoil the aim of anyone that might be targeting her. A sudden crack made her look to her left to see a bubbly trail passing by the position where she had just been. The alien's shot disappeared into the depths of the ocean and as she reached the outcropping she pressed her body against it and looked for the extraterrestrial.
A bulbous head in top of a thin body emerged from behind another smaller rock outcropping to her left. It started to target her but surprisingly it didn't shoot and instead it chose to draw the weapon it was carrying towards the group of seamen that had stopped close to the Triton. A soldier that was holding a big yellow cannon with a large muzzle fired and the shot blew apart the location of the alien, creating a wall of sand and bubbles and she heard a muffled bang. As the air ascended and the ground particles started to fall down she saw the alien's body next to the rock.
One down. But why didn't he shoot at me? As she saw one of the soldiers repeatedly pointing over her, she quickly understood. Shit! Here comes friendly fire!"
Dropping down to her knees, the shot from the alien that had just went around the outcropping flew over the space here her chest had just been and carved itself on the rock, bursting a hole. Markovitch looked to the creature as she brought her own harpoon to bear on it.
For a moment she felt like she recognized one of the Sectoids from the previous war but the differences were soon apparent. The alien had red eyes instead of black ones and its head and body was green and covered with fins. Pressing the trigger on her weapon she fired a shot at him.
A harpoon with a hollow steel tip left the yellow barrel of her weapon as the compressed gas reservoir on its bottom propelled it forward. In less than a second it carved itself against the chest of the alien who was thrown back, sending a shriek that was audible underwater. Markovitch expected the thing to drop down on the floor but instead it stood up after a second, making her to hardened her right index finger again and sent a three shot salvo at the Aquatoid.
As each shot rammed into the creature it was throw backwards until it finally landed dead on its back, dropping its blue bulbous weapon as it felt noiselessly. These guys are tough! The whole encounter had sent a burst of adrenaline on her body and her breathing increased until she forced her lungs to calm down since she could easily hyperventilate breathing the liquid.
At the distance, a human figure that had painted on the right chest of his suit two half-stripes that marked him as the fire team leader motioned her to continue. The enclosed helmet limited her vision so she turned her head around to look for another safe position where she could run for some cover. The fireteam kept moving beyond her at a formation called wedge, where the soldiers would advance in an inverted v formation, with her riding point. They had been assigned to move to the USO's location and take control of it while the other team was ordered to clean the rest of the site from any wondering aliens. This time the Triton had been programmed to land with its doors facing the opposite side of the alien craft to give some protection to the disembarking soldiers.
Looking to her left side Markovitch spotted the Coelacanth as the machine dashed around another rock outcrop. The artificial intelligence inside had been ordered to flank the main formation and detect and engage any aliens on its way. It would also act like a spotter. In case it detected any alien in the course of the main force it would issue an electronic warning to the soldiers since its communications system didn't rely on sound like the humans.
As Markovitch cleared the last of the rocky terrain without any signs of the aliens, she started to wonder where all of them wore. According to the briefing the USO was an escort, a small sized that looked like a tip of an arrow and was about ten meters in length. A small drop of saliva flew downwards from her mouth and to the recycling system of her helmet as she took a look at the open sea shelf in front of her.
The warning from the Coelacanth came a second later as the machine fired one of the high-powered focus light beams it possessed at a short figure barely visible against a mass too geometrical to be considered as natural. A short muzzled tone come to her ears to warn her of the hostile that the Coelacanth had just discovered.
She realized that most likely none of her team was in position to take down the alien yet since they had yet to clear the closed corridors between the rock outcroppings. And that leaved her with only an action to make: stand ground and engage.
She dropped down, with her knees sinking into the sand for a couple of inches, but as she tried to stabilize her thrusting body because of the inertia, a small whining sound was heard coming from her left. A rapid moving object crossed her line of sight, the blades of its propeller leaving a small trail of bubbles and a disturbance on the water as the torpedo swam in the direction of the craft. The projectile told her that Petty Mallow must have reached a position from where he could have fired its torpedo launcher since he was on the team that was approaching the alien craft.
It detonated close to both the USO and the alien, as a sudden blast bubble formed in front of Markovitch and carved a small crater on the ground. The sound wave of the explosion reached her position and a few seconds later the sparse pieces of floating algae shifted on the water as the shock wave it them. She got up and started advancing towards the site of the blast with her jet harpoon locked against her shoulder and ready to fire if the alien had somehow survived.
It hadn't with its body dropped against the ground, with the abdomen of the Aquatoid ripped open by the explosion and showing red viscera from the aliens' inner organs. Her pace had brought her next to the alien craft, which stood landed against the sea bottom. Looking back to the team that had cleared the rocky terrain she recognized Petty Mallow' figure by the dark blue aqua-plastic armor that he was wearing, standing in the middle of the other figures who were standard light blue aquatic armor like her. Holding the huge torpedo launcher with only one hand, the NCO told her to stand ground by presenting her the back of his fisted hand and moving it up and down.
Looking around to both sides of the craft, she realized that she couldn't see any alien unless it popped from either side of the ship. These guys can see the aliens better than I. Flicking to one side her right arm she checked the ammunition level of her rifle. The jet harpoon was nothing more than a long yellow tube with a handgrip and trigger, with the butt holding the ammunition and the firing mechanism. A small metal notch marked the position of the circular ammo clip as it rotated inside the butt, showing her how much of the harpoons she had already spent. Presently the colored red metal pin was standing on top of the rifle, telling her that the clip was still half full. The size of the jet harpoons inside made that only ten of them could be packed inside each magazine, making it extremely necessary to make constant ammo checks.
Satisfied, she then took her first look at the ship. Like the UFOs of the previous war its surface was lean without any straight angles but instead of the silver color she was used to, the craft was of a dark yellow. The left side of the craft seemed to be larger than the right one, telling her where the entrance as she waited for the rest of the team to arrive.
The soldier carrying the gas cannon reached her first and she recognized Crazy T's face grinning madly at her inside the blue breathing fluid of his helmet. Grabbing a small lever on the side of his weapon he ejected the cartridge inside, which slowly dropped to the ground as he picked another marked in a different color from his belt and reloaded his weapon. She also recognized Burton as he moved to the front of the craft while Leading Seaman Barnby and another soldier stood ten meters behind, kneeled-down and ready to blast any Aquatoid that decided to show himself. As Petty Mallow reached their position he ordered her and the soldier to move to the other end of the craft by waving the torpedo launcher on that direction.
Step by step she carefully approached the tail of the USO with the soldier also holding a jet harpoon and ready.
When she finally cleared the side of the craft she saw its bow. The ship had its entrance at the back, with a straight metal door three feet across. Most likely the Coelacanth had positioned itself to cover the door but she knew from her previous experience that the aliens inside could decide at any minute to come outside and check for themselves how things were going. As she slowly moved closer to the entrance the other soldier, whose name on its suit showed him to be Morales joined her, with Crazy T following them.
A small thin vertical line in the middle of the USO's hull that was nearly invisible marked the placed where the twin sealed doors met. She positioned herself on the left one while Morales placed himself on the left and Crazy T behind them. A small touch of Morales hand on the metal surface activated the doors and suddenly the innards of the USO were exposed to them.
The craft was cramped possessing a small corridor that led directly into the bridge with twin opposite doors connecting the hallway with two side chambers that housed the propulsion systems. The short figure of an Aquatoid was standing at the bridge, holding a blue pistol on its hand and it started to turn to face the intruders but both Markovitch and Morales fired their jet harpoons at it before it could react.
Morales shot missed all together, with the jet harpoon ricocheting off the inside left wall as the steel tip was unable to breach the materials used by the aliens on their subs. However, she kept her finger in the trigger an extra moment, sending a three-salvo towards the alien. Two of the harpoons hit the creature while the third one missed and hit the front of the craft, with the metal projectile dropping harmlessly to the floor. But the harpoons that hit made the alien hiss before it completed its movement, with the creature' face contracting in pain. It fired its pistol at both soldiers, sending a series of sonic blasts that hit both her and Morales.
The high-energy sonic wave hit her on the belly, giving her a twisting sensation on her loins but most of its power was deflected, as she turned sideways when the creature fired. Morales fared worse taking two shots, one on his chest and another on his left arm. The beam made his suit and the flesh underneath to literally dissolve as the sonic wave ripped apart the molecular bonds.
Morales grabbed his limb on pain as she stead herself against the wall and fired again at the creature before it could finish the kill. A pair of harpoons traveled across the length of the rifle and latched on the thick skin of the alien's torso. It finally dropped dead on the metal floor but neither of the soldiers had time to celebrate the kill. The door close of Markovitch suddenly opened itself and another Aquatoid fired from the inside of the small chamber, hitting Morales on his helmet.
A circular hole the size of a fist appeared on the soldier's face, dissolving his skull and the brain underneath it. As the dead figure of Morales felt down she turned her rifle to the alien but when she pressed the trigger nothing happened.
Damn! Out of ammo! Her left hand reached frantically for her belt for the extra clips that she had stored there but she knew that there wasn't going to be enough time. But before the alien could discharge its huge sonic weapon the swishing sound of a gas-propelled bullet raced by her and burst its chest apart.
As Morales had fallen Crazy T had immediately taken his place and now was busy firing another shot from his large caliber cannon at the creature's head although its ripped chest showed it to be dead.
Finally snapping another clip in the chamber of the jet harpoon she checked the opposite room but found it empty of any aliens and housing only a large rectangular box that she supposed to be one of the ships' engines.
A few moments later they saw Petty Mallow waving at them the all-clear signal, telling them that the area had been cleared of aliens. Finally. She had had her share of close encounters for today with the Aquatoids and she considered herself lucky that the last alien wasn't standing on the room opposite her. As Crazy T saw the sign he raised his cannon above his helmet with only one arm and started waving the weapon while his mouth stood open as if he was screaming but no sound could be heard. Definitely missing a few screws on his head but as long as he don't get me into risk I can live with this.
As Markovitch stepped outside she saw that the innards of the Aquatoid had attracted a number of small fish that were busily nicking pieces of meat. Apparently they had no problem in eating alien flesh but for Markovitch the thought was disgusting. The other team had already cleared the rest of the site from any aliens and was now moving at the distance moving back to the Triton. She only could three figures moving though and one was busily dragging a fallen figure by its arms, with the dead soldier's feet floating over the bottom of the ocean. Morales and another one. I wonder who was it that didn't made it also.
**********
As she stepped out of the shower Markovitch wondered how much more she would have to spit before getting rid of the toothpaste taste on her mouth and throat. When she exhaled it seemed that she felt the same freshly sensation that moved up her nose and even bothered her nostrils. Her legs felt better from the additional effort that had been required to walk on the sandy bottom but the hot water had helped to relax them a bit.
Redwood had been the one lost on the other team. She had barely known him or Morales, the other soldier who had died while clearing the USO of aliens. But the operation had been a success with a complete craft recovered a small stash of alien equipment and bodies. One thing that made her wonder though was the face of the commander Gustafson when he had been at the deck when the Triton anchored back at Madhouse. His cold face had a small grin on it as he inspected the first contents of the bounty.
The teams on her squad that had participated on the mission were now in rest and recovery status while the remaining members being assigned to help out on the recovery operations. After she was done she would get a large meal at the mess hall and head back for the barracks for a good hours of sleep until next day. When she finished tucking her towel she moved out of the showers area and into the dressing room. She found Marsden there with a bag standing by one of the lockers as the other soldier was removing her boots seated on one of the large benches. She looked at Markovitch and said nothing, continuing to wrest with the ties.
Ignoring her also, Markovitch moved to her locker and started to dress, grabbing underwear and a pair of dark blue shorts.
A voice made both of them to look towards the door. "Hey Marsden, are you there?" The other soldier didn't bother to reply. "Come on Marsden, I know you must be inside! Just to remind you of the money you own me. Better luck on your rookie pick next time". The laughter of the trooper trailed off as he moved away from the woman's showers.
Hastily putting a white tank top, Markovitch turned to the other soldier and asked. "What's this all about?!" Marsden looked at her with a touch of frustration and replied as she finally took off one of her boots. "He bet that Redwood would buy his six feet under on this mission. I thought that you weren't coming back also".
On the side of her hips her hands tightened into fists. "You were running bets on my life?! On Redwood's life?!" She had been assigned into carrying the unfortunate rookie's body back to the morgue where it would wait until the next Triton shuttle flight flew it back to dry land. Marsden had finally managed to remove her other boot before turning to her smiling. If Marsden had noticed her aggressive posture she didn't made any reaction to it as she casually dismissed it with a wave of a hand. "Honey, everyone here does that before a mission. Even I have bet against Petty Mellow a number of times and he knows about it. This is all just a game".
The casual tone used by Marsden on her last sentence snapped something inside Markovitch. Before the other woman could react she grabbed the front of her blue jumpsuit and pushed her against one of the lockers, with Marsden cringing as her back hit the metal door. "Now hear this straight!" She started as Marsden tried to kick her away with her boots but she had already moved sideways to avoid them. "You talk about that shit anymore next to me and you can be sure that next time you collect your bets on the base medical bay!"
Releasing her, she stepped backwards as Marsden gathered her balance and raised her fists in anger and growled. "Just who do you think you are bitch?"
Narrowing her eyes, Markovitch slowly replied as she imitated the other seaman's fighting stance. "You don't want to try me Marsden". Her warning was wrapped around her words like a python gripping its victim before crushing it. The tone made the smaller woman to open her eyes in fear and she took a step backwards and dropped her arms.
Giving her a last look, Markovitch moved away towards her locker but keeping a watch on Marsden who barked a laugh. "Are you one of those idealists Watkins? Do you think that will save your rookie skin down here? Well, let me tell you: you're already dead!" Memories of Cydonia crossed Markovitch's mind as she heard those words. "And pretty soon someone is just going to show it to you!"
Looking back at Marsden she wanted to give her a reply but the other woman grabbed her things and shoved them into a duffel bag, before leaving the shower area in bare feet. Not yet.
September 22nd, 2044
Atlanta, Georgia, US
The weather was turning bad again, leaving grim prospects for the yacht sailing short trip that Williams was planning to make over the weekend. He had expected for some warmer and calmer conditions since the beginning of the week but things had taken a chance for sure.
For him the same could be said about the effects of what had just happened two days ago at Norfolk.
The murder of Admiral Koles had completely made him to change his strategy regarding the council and the entire war since he had foreseen the removal of the X-Com commander. But in a much more pacific and lean way that was still many months to come. As he looked again at Delacroix who had declined his offer of a chair to sit down he knew that things had definitely taken a twist too soon. And the officer's unwillingness to sit down told him that he could only be expecting more bad news to come, since it meant that he was waiting to discuss some serious business with him. He was even wearing his X-Com dress uniform, a dark blue coated with color equal matching trousers and service cap. His collars had the pins of a lieutenant commander, with a gold anchor and a single chain of rings on the left side of the anchor. Williams had definitely preferred that the man hadn't chose to come to his office on military dressing since it stressed out even more the crisis that was still looming over their heads.
"I've just been in contact with the Council. Most surprisingly they agreed to leave Paris in control of operations with a replacement for Koles can be found later. I can just imagine that he moved quickly after the admiral's death but for now it's too premature to say if the Council will allow him to keep the job. And in some cases the objections I've heard were about the mysterious circumstances' regarding Admiral Koles' death".
Williams was slightly disappointed when he saw that Delacroix's reaction to his words was simply a nod. He had hoped that his questions could start to be answered at Delacroix's first reaction but he taken it as if he was expecting it. There was something strange about the murder of Koles at Norfolk but he couldn't tell what it was and he was hoping that the officer could shed some more light on the matter. "Commander, what exactly happened there?"
Delacroix's face turned hard for a second and his tone showed a hint of puzzlement at the nature of his question. "Sir, haven't you seen the report?"
Now Williams was starting to get upset. "I have and I must say that it's a pretty well written report with a most detailed description of what you saw on her office. Which is hardly surprising, if one considers your previous training as a police officer. I've also seen the visipics taken during the investigation but I want to hear from you what happened".
The lines on the officer's forehead became more accentuated as he started to speak. "Around ten-hundred and five I was passing through the admiral's door on my way to the tactical center when I heard what seemed the sound of a Gauss weapon being discharged inside. After the 'Killer' incidents we have seen I immediately called base security and moved inside to investigate.
Once I was on the antechamber that led into the admiral's office I found that her personal secretary was laying on his desk. When I moved closer to examine I found that he had been shot in the head at a close range. Then I heard the same sound again coming from the admiral's inner office. I immediately burst through the door with my own sidearm ready and found a man wearing a jumpsuit and bearing a Gauss pistol on his hand. The murderer was still close to the body of the admiral and he seemed surprised to see me there. But before he could react I fired and took him down with my weapon. Commodore Paris arrived a minute later and the security detail soon afterwards".
"What was Paris doing there?" Williams took great care to put a neutral tone to his words. "Was he also passing by?"
If Delacroix took offense he didn't showed it. "He mentioned that he had a meeting scheduled with the admiral at ten-hundred but he was running a little late".
The councilman thought about it for a second. "How lucky or convenient for him. If he was there, most likely the assassin would have killed him also".
"Sir, I can't say that you're not correct but if you have any suspicions about either him or me it's better if you let me know now". Williams examined the officer from bottom to top. Delacroix wasn't wearing his X-Com uniform but instead had chosen a blue suit that resembled his officer clothing. Apparently he must have been too busy in the past days for even shaving since a thick black beard covered most of his face.
"We'll get back to that in a moment Commander. How come you were carrying a weapon at that moment?"
"Sir, I always carry a handgun with me at all times, even when I'm at the base. It's an old habit I have that has saved my neck in a few occasions".
"Are you carrying one now?" Delacroix simply unbuttoned his jacket, revealing a small holster on his belt.
Williams was surprised since he thought no one could enter Cyberweb armed but at the same time he realized that he didn't knew a number of things about Delacroix after all the time he had known him. "How did you pass that through security?!" Delacroix composed himself and replied. "Security on this building is very good but not perfect". The answer didn't completely satisfy Williams but he decided that it would be better if he just allowed Delacroix to carry a weapon inside and also have him brief his company's security. It would be better if he knew with what he could count on than simply prohibiting the officer and risk being surprised. But it also meant that he needed to understand better Paris and Delacroix's role on this whole matter.
"Tell me something Commander. Would you be capable of killing Admiral Koles if you thought it was necessary?" The officer looked at Williams straight in the eyes. "Yes. The old hag surely deserved what happened to her. And most of the other officers surely believed this also, either because they resented her decisions".
The answer didn't surprise the older man, who simply nodded. "And do you think Commodore Paris ordered the killing?"
The officer's reply was laconic. "No, he didn't".
Now Williams leaned forward since that was something that he quite disagreed upon. "Why are you so sure?"
"He'd be incredibly stupid or simply brilliant if he had done so sir. No matter how much Koles was hated, her murder was not something to be done lightly. The commodore was the one that would most likely benefit from such a move. He is a plausible suspect since he has a motive and the means to make it happen. However, why did he choose to simply jump on her inside one of the most heavily guarded facilities on the entire US? He could simply arrange for an accident while she was onboard one of the Tritons".
"You said that he had a motive and the means. That includes both of us also commander. And you were the one who found the assassin". The hidden implication on Williams' words was not lost to Delacroix who raised an eyebrow at his words but stood immobile in front of his desk.
"In that case sir, you surely aren't the one who gave the order because I've known you for too long. And as far as this concerns me, if I'm not worthy of your trust anymore then please let me know now and report this matter to the Council right away". As he finished speaking he moved his arm and pulled his weapon out of his belt and placed it on Williams' mahogany desk with the metal butt facing him.
Scratching his chin for a moment, Williams studied it and the man in front of him. He had never been into this position with Delacroix before. "Please retrieve your weapon commander and I apologize if I insulted you in any matter. I'm simply having a problem to accept all that have happened and I needed to clear my head from any suspicions I had about the way you became involved in this matter".
The cold stone face of the officer grimaced for a moment in relief with his eyes closing and the lips stretching backwards. "I completely agree sir and I wasn't expecting anything less than you". At Williams grin he paused and continued in a skeptical tone. "However, I fear that the whole matter of the Admiral's death won't be completely settled for the time being. The investigation seems to have arrived at a dead end".
"Let's get back to that then. Any progress in determining who the man was and how he infiltrated the force?"
"We still don't know sir. So far the petty officer had never displayed any signs of having a grudge against the admiral. On that day he had had breakfast at the mess hall and his squad was going through an R&R shift. A number of witness saw him heading for a corridor which lead into the area where the Admiral's office is located but no one saw him after that. Which it isn't surprising since only a number of officers regularly pass by through that area. A further check into his personal belonging didn't show any clues of exterior help on the assassination besides the fact that he was involved into small arms trafficking and a number of other illicit business. But when we traced the Gauss pistol that he used we found that it didn't helped us either. It belonged to a batch of weaponry that had been sold to the US Navy but the crate that contained the pistol was apparently stolen from a weapons depot".
"Tell me something. Could he be the 'Killer'?"
"No. In one of the attacks he was performing a combat mission. Either there are more people involved on the assassinations and in that case he could well be a part of a conspiracy against X-Com or he simply had unknown motives to kill the admiral".
Considering it for a second Williams felt puzzled. "I still don't understand how someone could be as stupid to walk inside Koles' office and simply shoot her in the head without considering that he might get caught".
Twitching his lips, Delacroix looked behind Williams before replying. "Either he was simply a sleeper agent with a suicide mission or we don't know. There are a lot of far-fetched motives for what he did, including…" The officer scowled at the word. "That he was under an exterior mental influence".
"It would be the first time in twenty years from the last reported incident of that nature. Still, it would be unwise to put it away since he's dead now and there's no way to examine his brain activity to detect any signs of possible manipulation". Williams felt hopelessness as he looked over the room. "The only ones that I can imagine pulling off such an attack are the 'usual suspects' but it wouldn't make no sense at all".
Delacroix stiffened. "If the Cult has decided to get back into business there will be hell to pay". Even Williams felt uncomfortable at the officer's words, although he knew that the former Inquisitor had plenty of motives into hating them. "And I'll make sure that they pay back every dime".
"They'd be incredibly stupid if they had ordered it so since they would be risking a full war with X-Com. Still I've had my share of people doing idiotic things. In any case we'll cross that bridge only if we find that there's no other alternative. But for the moment we need to check all possibilities".
"Most likely Paris will keep me out of the investigation since I was involved but I can check for some things on my own".
"Do it. And keep me informed". Delacroix nodded in grim determination and Williams expected for the officer to salute him as necessary before he left. Instead he stood in the same position. "There's one last thing to report sir. Lieutenant Braddock has informed me that yesterday lieutenant Markovitch has survived her first combat mission. And she even managed to kill a couple of Aquatoids on the process. It seems that you might be right about her, sir".
The report made Williams to feel satisfied and relieved at the same time. At least not everything was going completely unpredictable. Looking again at the weather outside he considered that there might be one or two things about it also. He and Candy and Sugar all wanted to get some sun in a little sail trip. It seemed that he would just have to spend the entire weekend all locked up in the boat's cabin with them. Which wasn't actually such a bad idea with the irony making him smile.
André Galvão, 2002