(A/N): You know...when I first began planning Summer Declassified, one of the things I wanted to eventually do was have Summer lead an op with an all-girl squad.
Words cannot express how happy I am that I finally get to do that here, or how much fun I had while writing it. And I hope that comes across as you read!
(Remember that this is part of a double feature, so make sure you check out the chapter before this one, because that one's new too!)
"Approaching the Outsider communications tower now. ETA: Three minutes. Hope the flight over was comfortable enough, ladies."
Summer smiled as she checked over the plasma rifle in her hands once again, making sure the microfusion cells were properly in place and the heat sinks were clear and exposed. Today's operation didn't seem too different from the Bureau's usual order of business - go to an alien structure, drop in, kill any aliens they saw, and recover whatever useful salvage they could. The only thing that made this op different was that the agents were all explicitly ordered not to neutralize the Field Commander on sight, as they needed to extract the elite Outsider's Mosaic Implant while it was still alive. Performing a live surgery on an alien captive wasn't the easiest task in the world, but luckily Weir and Dresner had cooked up a little tool for the squad that would simplify the process.
Overall, it was just like any other mission.
Except that the agents that surrounded Summer in the Skyranger were all women.
On Summer's right, the glasses-wearing Penelope Cohen studied her plasma pistol carefully, as if she was making a mental map of the sidearm. To her left, Jackie Mucallin wore her blazing red hair long and loose, keeping it out of her face with a simple clip as she manually rotated the barrels of her gatling laser. Across from the silver-eyed Huntress, the blond-haired Elizabeth Walters maintained a stony, professional expression, in contrast to Catherine Crawford's almost giddy smile beneath her long black locks. Finally, the second Engineer for the squad, Daisy Barnes, busied herself checking the explosive munitions, her long brown curls tied back behind her head in a sensible ponytail.
"Good to know, Big Sky," said Summer in response to their pilot. "And it was a smooth ride, don't worry. Nice of you to ask, though. Such a gentleman."
Dimples spread across Daisy's darkened skin as she grinned. "Isn't he? Ma and Pa sure raised a charmer...hard to believe he's still single."
Barnes let out an embarrassed sigh. "C'mon, sis. Please don't tease me while I'm flying."
"Aw, but you're always flying!" wailed Daisy. "When else am I gonna tease my big bro?"
"Mmm...is 'never' on the table?"
"The hell it is!"
Summer chuckled at the banter between the siblings, then put a hand on Penny's shuddering shoulder. "You alright?"
The former comms operator nodded tersely. "Y-yeah. Sorry, didn't mean to worry you...I'm just a bit nervous, is all."
"First ops are always a right mess of nerves," offered Jackie with a smile. "Gives ye the jitters and shakes worse than a bad plate of haggis. Ye'll be fine once we're on the ground, I wager."
"Adrenaline will take care of that real fast," added Liz with a nod, before she turned to balk at Jackie. "Hang on, you said a bad plate of haggis? Are you implying that a good plate of haggis exists somewhere? Because I highly doubt that."
"Oi, you don't hear me complain about yer American cooking," said the Scottish woman defensively yet playfully, "So I don't wanna hear you talking rubbish about our food."
"It's better than Van Doorn's cooking, at least," offered Crawford. "Pretty sure his food is banned under the Geneva Conventions."
That got a laugh from the Commando and the Support agent, and even Penny giggled slightly. Summer smiled, confident that her teammates - her friends - would fight well today.
It was too bad Weaver had turned down the invitation to come along…
Jackie nudged Summer's side, grinning. "So, how's the new sword feel? Nothing beats the smell of a blade fresh outta the forge, am I right?"
The silver-eyed woman chuckled as she pulled the newly-remade Wandering Thorn from its place on her belt, studying the sword that somehow managed to collapse down into ten inches of solid alien steel. Her signature weapon felt slightly heavier than it had before, but that was to be expected - the addition of heavier metals that could withstand the powerful Elerium core was more than worth the increase in mass. While the blade functioned more or less the same as it had before, the hilt had been radically redesigned - not only was the grip better sized for her hands instead of a Muton's, but it also boasted a cross guard, a round sculpted pommel, and silver roses engraved along the entire piece.
It looked different, but it was still the same sword that had saved her life many times over. But now it reflected its true nature, and she couldn't wait to see what it could do.
(The engraved roses had been added to the mold by Shen without her input or knowledge, and it was no exaggeration to say that she had been moved to tears when she saw the small yet meaningful addition.)
"Shit! They were expecting us!"
The sudden lurch back was enough to pull Summer out of her thoughts, as the Skyranger banked hard to avoid an onslaught of enemy fire. Through the big bulky monitor at the front of the cabin, she could see what the craft's front-mounted camera (and Barnes) saw: a large platoon of Outsiders covering nearly every square inch of the circular camp, all of whom were firing steady salvos of plasma in XCOM's direction.
She took in the new situation immediately. "Any AA guns in the area?"
"Negative, though they don't need 'em - those plasma guns are hot enough to melt the Skyranger all on their own. I'll be able to hot drop you on the edge of the encampment, but you'll be hopping straight into the fire."
Summer furrowed her brow, clicking a button on the monitor to change the settings on the nose-mounted camera. Much like the SCOPEs the agents used on their guns, the picture changed to thermally scan the area while Barnes evaded the fusilade of plasma, banking and strafing to avoid the molten gas. When she saw a sniper tower along the perimeter with only a handful of enemy outlines concealed within, a new plan formed in her mind.
"Set us down on the south edge of the camp," she ordered, "There's a gap in their defenses near the tower there, which should give you enough time to drop us off safely and then fall back. Deploy the side turrets to give us some covering fire, if there's enough juice to keep both that and the shields active."
"Those new guns draw a lot of power, so you won't have much of a window," warned Barnes. "But if that's what you need, I'll make it happen. You got a plan for the team?"
"Naturally," answered Summer as she looked at her squad. "Soon as we touch down, I want Echo to drop a shield sphere for us to hunker down in, to keep us safe until we can clear enough hostiles to get some breathing room and better cover. Pepper, Delta, I want you two throwing satchel charges to distract them and break their ranks, while Charlie cloaks and clears out the three aliens in the tower to take that perch for herself. And Juliett? I want your cannon firing at all times, no matter how hot it gets. Clear?"
The other women all nodded and confirmed their understanding, while Summer toggled the safety of her rifle.
"Alright then. Big Sky, drop us off!"
"You got it, Sierra," said Barnes as he slowly flew forward, "You girls stay safe out there. Especially you, sis."
Daisy rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "I will, big bro. See you later!"
The side doors of the Skyranger opened up to the sound of fire and fury, as streaks of emerald energy saturated the gray overcast sky. A pair of black boxes under the side engines unfolded into turrets that hummed and glowed red, peppering the troops below with rapid volleys of lasers that forced them into cover. Summer smirked as she watched the new additions to XCOM's transports prove their worth; originally, the reason that Skyrangers had been unarmed was because they had to be light and fast, which meant that carrying several extra thousand pounds of munitions for a situational tool was simply not an option. Lasers, however, didn't have this problem - as long as there was an ample power source large enough to support both the turrets and the engines, the Skyranger could now provide suppressing fire for the troops as it dropped them off in hostile territory. The drain the guns had on the miniaturized elerium reactor was still quite taxing, which meant that the agents only had a short window to act safely...a window that Summer and her squad were quick to take advantage of, hopping out of their transport and touching down seconds later.
XCOM's first all-female squad, led by the first Huntress to come to Earth, unleashed hell immediately upon hitting the ground.
The Skyranger peeled off as Liz threw down a shield sphere, creating a protective bubble that blocked any and all plasma as the Outsiders switched targets accordingly. Daisy and Penny flung their satchel charges with as much grace and accuracy as a flying brick could manage, scattering the enemy ranks with explosive shrapnel that tore through rows and columns of alien infantry. Any hostile caught out of cover was evaporated by the full brunt of Jackie's gatling laser, bombarded by the plasma pistols of the Engineers and Support agents, or blasted into steaming goo by Summer with her new plasma rifle.
"Charlie?" Summer asked as she watched another Outsider melt under a barrage of green.
"Already on the move, Sierra. They'll never see me coming."
"Let us know when you're done. And watch the heat levels on that cloak."
"Don't worry about me. I'm really good at going unnoticed."
"Looks like their ranks are broken!" Jackie declared as she watched the Outsiders and Sectoids scramble back towards the central tower.
"Just in time, too," remarked Liz, "The bubble's about to go."
"Throw smoke on those crate stacks over there and move up!" ordered Summer. "Keep firing, don't let them bunch back up!"
Liz nodded as she reached for a smoke grenade, throwing it as directed and creating a salmon-colored cloud of protective fog. Summer and Jackie kept firing as they walked out of the failing shield sphere, keeping the troops locked down as their less heavily-armed teammates advanced to better positions. The Outsiders regrouped faster than the women could put them down, though, and soon the Huntress and the Commando had to fall back to less protective cover to avoid the new volleys of coordinated plasma.
"Sierra!" Penny shrieked.
"I'm okay!" Summer called back through the comms, "Just locked down for the moment. Stick to the plan in the meantime - you and Delta set up your turrets while Echo throws a flashbang! Juliett and I are gonna rush them as soon as Charlie's in position!"
While the Engineers unfolded their turrets from their fortified position, Summer did her best to curl up into a smaller target, feeling the heat of rushing plasma burning its way slowly through her protective cover. The thermal dissipation modules added to the shield generators did their best to absorb and redirect the worst of the superheated gas, but there was only so much it could do against shots that may as well have been fired from the center of a star. Some of the heat still bled through the invisible barrier, making her feel like she was stuck in a sauna locked from the outside.
Thankfully, she wouldn't have to suffer for long, as Crawford's quiet voice almost sang through her comms.
"I'm in position," whispered the Recon Agent, "Had a short scuffle with an Outsider Sniper, but I think I made my point. He had a really neat gun, though. It would be a shame to waste it...I wonder what it does?"
Summer sighed. "We can figure it out later, Charlie. Right now, we just need you to - "
Her train of thought was derailed by the appearance of an emerald lance of pure plasma descending from the sky, striking a Shield Commander with enough force to shear the alien into two burning pieces. Another one followed suit, though this time Summer caught the sight of it coming down from the sniper tower, tearing the head off an armored Tech Commander and making its constructs clatter to the ground.
"...huh, okay, so that's what it does. Neat. I've got you covered, Sierra."
Trusting that the somewhat-odd sniper had their back, Summer turned to Jackie. "Alright then. Ready to try out that new Shock Spade?"
The Commando grinned. "Been waiting fer the green light from the start, lass. Ready when you are!"
Summer nodded, and the sound of lasers firing into the crowd after a bright flash of light gave her all the signal she needed.
"Knock 'em flat!" she yelled as she turned and ran out of cover.
Jackie followed suit, pulling a short metallic rod out from her power pack that unfolded and expanded into a three-foot-long trench shovel. The tiny elerium conduits in the spade's sharpened head began to whine and glow as soon as the tool was unfolded, and when the central light on the shaft changed from red to green, the Commando plunged it into the ground with the tip angled towards the enemy. With a devilish grin and a press of a button, a cascade of ten-foot-wide concussive shockwaves surged out of the shock spade, traveling through the ground and sending Outsiders, Sectoids, and enemy cover alike flying like ragdolls and landing with bone-crunching impacts.
"Holy shit!" Daisy exclaimed.
"Oh...that's cool. Can I have one?" Crawford asked.
"Looks like that one works!" Penny said with a small laugh.
"Aye, I'd say that as well!" Jackie turned to Summer, who was already taking potshots at the downed, disoriented aliens. "How'd ye think of that one, lass?"
"I'd seen my husband do something similar with Gravity Dust back home," explained the silver-eyed woman as she casually reloaded to keep firing. "I wanted to see if I could replicate that using Elerium's anti-gravity properties, and combine it with a weapon that most people here were already familiar with. Just make sure you give it time to recharge in between uses...and that you're not pointing it at yourself when you hit that button."
"Will do, lass." Jackie looked out at the crowd of enemies slowly thinning out. "Time to charge?"
"You know it," answered Summer with a grin, pulling out Wandering Thorn and making the blade come alive with the pull of the trigger under the cross guard. She felt compelled to stare at her sword's new color as it glowed, a vibrant silvery-white that faded to pale amber along the edges. While she knew the change in color was a simple byproduct of the Elerium core discharging its heat into the blade, it was such a drastic change to the weapon it almost felt like Wandering Thorn had transformed alongside its wielder to reflect her new status.
No longer was she a woman pretending to be a Huntress on Earth.
Now she was a Huntress on Earth, unashamed and unafraid of carrying the light of Remnant forward.
And judging by the shocked faces of the Outsiders as they momentarily stopped firing, they got the message clearly enough.
"Advance!" she called out with a delighted smile that reflected the light of her sword. "Charlie, Echo, Pepper, keep us covered! Delta, with us!"
Daisy nodded as she tossed out a satchel charge into the crowd, adding a few pounds of shrapnel to the chaos and confusion. Then she stepped out of cover and warmed up her Venn Brace, using the covering fire afforded by the turrets and Crawford's well-aimed headshots to join the advancing women. Summer and Jackie had already gotten to work delivering fatal strikes on downed Outsiders and Sectoids, finishing them off with stabs from Wandering Thorn and the shock spade. Lacking a proper melee weapon of her own, the Engineer opted for solid neck-snapping kicks to the jaw of common troops and electrified punches to floored Shield and Tech Commanders, knocking them unconscious in showers of sparks.
"Might be good to see if we can get the implants of these middle-management types," said Daisy in response to her squad leader watching her deliver non-lethal takedowns, "See if we can get some intel or new toys from what they've got in their skulls."
Summer nodded. "Good call, Delta." Then she watched as the majority of the enemy forces retreated to better cover. "Looks like we have a clear window to the tower. Charlie, can you take a look at what we're dealing with inside?"
"One sec, gotta snap my SCOPE on the new gun." Crawford paused, then said, "I think I'm gonna call it the 'Fusion Lance.' It'd be boring if we just called it a 'plasma sniper rifle,' like we do all our other guns. Fusion Lance just sounds so much cooler, and more fun to say. Fusion. Fuh-yoo-shin."
"Charlie," chided Summer gently. "You can call it whatever you want, just focus please."
"Right, sorry. SCOPE in place, getting a look now. Whoa…"
"What is it, lass?" Jackie asked as she pulled her bloodied spade out of a Sectoid's skull. "Is there trouble?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, I was just looking at Pepper to get the lenses calibrated. I'm good now. By the way, Pepper? You are looking exceptionally cute today."
Summer could feel Penny's blush even from across the battlefield. "And the tower?" she asked, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
"Eight Outsiders and two Sectoids up the stairwell," responded the Recon agent, "all scattered by floors until you get to the control room at the top. That's where the Field Commander's hiding out, along with the usual honor guard. One Muton, two Drones, and four Outsiders with light weapons. It's really cramped in there - you'll have to engage at close range."
"Good thing Bradford isn't here," said Jackie with a laugh. "He hates that."
Summer chuckled, then grew serious. "Then we'll have to make sure we're mobile and quick to react. Pepper, Echo, you're on breaching duty with me while the others keep things locked down out here. Leave the turrets where they are, and switch your pistols to burst mode."
Penny and Liz stepped out of the fading smoke cloud to join their squad leader, the former thumbing buttons on her Venn Brace to transfer the controls for her turret to Daisy. While Summer waited for her teammates by the door, she busied herself by pulling on a handle near the stock of her plasma rifle. The narrow and tall profile of the gun disappeared as the sides of the barrel expanded outwards and the top slid down into the new gap created by the shifting components. A few internal clicks and the whirring of fusion coils reconnecting signaled the end of the transformation, and what had once been a burst fire rifle was now a plasma-blasting shotgun suitable for close-quarters combat.
Looks like the Outsiders finally decided to try their hand at formshifting, thought Summer with a smirk as she pumped the new metallic plate on the front. Probably to cover their bases, and maybe even make their tech harder for 'simple' lifeforms to figure out. Unfortunately for them, we've turned it into an art form.
The Engineer and Support agents took cover on opposite sides of the steel-gray doorway, the additional barrels on their plasma pistols already popped out and warmed up. With a nod back to the other half of her squad, Summer kicked open the door, waited for Liz to throw in a flashbang, then led the charge into the tower.
"Draum esk fulkrat! Graa esk - BWAAAA!"
Summer smirked as the Outsider at the base of the spiral stairs failed wildly in response to the bright flash of light and noise, putting the poor thing out of its misery with a blast of scattering plasma. She advanced under the cover of confusion, moving to the stairs and taking them two at a time. Penny and Liz fell in behind her, upper torsos on swivels as they fired quick bursts of emerald at whatever tried to attack from the rear.
"Huff...huff…ngh...gah..."
"Goodness. That you huffing over the comms there, Pepper?"
Penny gasped as she got a glancing shot on a Sectoid. "It is, sorry, Delta. Didn't realize I was still transmitting…these Outsiders certainly like their stairs."
Summer spared a concerned glance at her winded friend immediately after dispatching another Outsider. "Are you okay? We can slow down if -"
"No, keep going," said Penny with a frown as she finished off her target. "I can keep up, don't worry. I just have to turn off my comms…"
"No, keep them on," said Crawford glibly. "It's adorable. Hey, what are you doing after this? Wanna get coffee?"
The former comms operator blushed once more. "Are...Charlie, are you asking me out in the middle of a mission? On squadwide comms, no less?"
"Is that a 'yes'?"
"Save the flirting for the flight back," said Liz as she covered an Outsider's entire upper torso in third-degree burns. "We have a job to do."
As adorable as she found the interaction, Summer had to agree. They were only halfway up the tower, and even with the defending forces cut in half by the trio of women, the plasma didn't stop flying until the way was clear. Liz and Penny were quick to fire and score fatal wounds on a pair of troopers that dropped behind the squad, moments before the silver-eyed woman blasted an Outsider and a Sectoid to ash with a single wide shot. The last hostile was dispatched easily enough near the top of the stairs - not wanting to waste ammo, Summer opted to simply strike the alien in the face with the weighted hem of her cloak, stunning it long enough for her to flip the trooper over her shoulder and throw it over the edge of the stairwell.
And Carter said that the cape wasn't practical, thought Summer with a grin as she heard the falling Zudjari use its last moments to scream before the sudden sickening squelch cut its life short. She took a moment to check on Liz and Penny, who both flashed a thumbs-up in response. With only the command room left up ahead, Summer ordered her squadmates to cover opposite sides of the doorway while she loaded her last microfusion cell into her rifle-turned-shotgun.
"Charlie, confirm the Field Commander's current position," she said into the radio.
"Target is still in the command room," reported Crawford. "Be advised, though - it looks like this one's got both armor and shields. You'll need to take care of those before you can yank out the chip."
"Good thing Pepper and Echo have got their upgraded Venn Braces," remarked Summer, checking her handgun momentarily to make sure the right rounds were loaded in. "Flashbang and satchel charge on my mark, then bubble while we clean up the chaff. Once the Field Commander's on its own, Echo disrupts the shields, and then Pepper weakens the armor. Ready?"
Penny pulled another makeshift explosive out of her power pack, while Liz fished both a flashbang and a shield sphere from her belt. Summer started to pull an alien grenade from her own supply, then reconsidered and pulled a frag out instead. No need to go completely overkill just yet, especially if they wanted the Field Commander alive.
"Mark."
Summer kicked in the metal door and flung her explosive package into the room, followed by Liz and Penny's gifts. A chorus of booms and screams of varying pitches flooded her ears, but she pushed past the discomfort and stepped inside, watching a shield sphere form up around her as the other two women followed suit. A grin formed on her face as she assessed the damage - the common Outsiders had been completely gutted and lay bleeding on the floor, the pair of Drones were knocked to the ground in bits of sparking metal, and even the heavily-armored Muton was clutching its face as it bled from deep lacerations.
"Open fire!" Summer commanded as she blasted with her alien shotgun, sending burning plasma into the Muton's shattered chest plate. The superheated gas melted through the armor, striking all six of the brute's hearts at the same time in one deadly shot. The Engineer and Support agents fired their pistols on full auto, overwhelming the Muton and sending it crashing to the ground, its corpse still ablaze with emerald flames. While the Field Commander ineffectually fired its own rifle at the protected women, the silver-eyed Huntress drew her pistol and finished off the drones with quick, precise DEAF rounds, reducing the flyers to nothing but scrap metal.
"Hit it, ladies!"
Still under the protection of the shield sphere, Liz and Penny raised their Venn Braces and aimed at the Field Commander, hands slightly open to accept the handles and triggers of their new arm-mounted weapons as they unfolded and clicked into place. The Support Agent's Disruptor shot out a pair of electrified cables that sent a surging shield-shattering shock into the hapless alien, while the Engineer's Armor Breaker blasted a trio of gel-covered explosive microcharges that sought out weak points in the enemy plating and clung tightly. Once the Field Commander's barrier was gone, Penny hit the secondary trigger to detonate the sticky bombs, watching in satisfaction as the alien leader was wracked with armor-shattering explosions. Once its defenses were down, Summer surged forward with her own Venn Brace glowing with sparks, evading its pitiful swings and cracking her knuckles under its chin as she delivered the knockout punch.
The battle was over in less than eight seconds, with the Field Commander unconscious on the ground alongside its dead allies.
"Field Commander incapacitated," reported Summer on the comms. "No troubles so far, Bravo-Zero."
"Excellent work Sierra," came the crackling voice of Faulke over the radio. "Extract the chip and neutralize all other hostile forces. Once you have the implant, the HVT's status is not a concern."
With a nod, Summer faced her squad. "Secure the chip, Echo. Pepper, start grabbing their weapons. I'll check in with the ground team."
The two women nodded and got to work, as the former nurse flipped the high-value target over onto its face as she pulled a gray metal tube out of her power pack. With the press of a button, a bladed claw extended itself out of one end, spinning and whining like a high-speed drill before retracting back into the hollow pipe-like device. Summer had the good sense to turn away just as Liz knelt on top of the prone Outsider and pressed the open tip to the back of its skull, and she tried not to think about that claw burrowing itself into the unconscious alien's flesh. Dresner had said that the Implant Extractor would be "efficient, but invasive," and she had zero interest in finding out just how invasive he'd meant.
"Juliet, how are things looking out there?"
"All's quiet for now, lass," said Jackie over the comms, "Outsiders didn't put up much of a fight, 'specially once you punched out their boss. Was pretty easy to corral them up and knock them out after that. Just get that thing we came for, and we'll be right as - "
"Don't get too comfy!" Barnes shouted in alarm. "Thermals are picking up a new aerial contact in the AO! It's big, it's fast, and it's coming in hot!"
So much for a "by the numbers" mission.
"Is it a Sectopod?" Summer asked.
There was a pause on the pilot's end, before he answered with a confused tone in his voice. "Negative, Sierra. This one's...organic."
The hell?
"An organic flyer that's big enough to show up on the Skyranger's thermal scanners?" mused Crawford. "What are the aliens sending, a Muton with a jetpack?"
Before anyone could say anything, something landed outside with enough force to make its presence known to everyone, even the women at the top of the tower. After a moment of stunned silence, Daisy groaned over the comms.
"Hey, Charlie? Try not to choke on your own foot."
Part of Summer was shocked. The rest of her was thrilled. Of all the enemies the aliens could send to fight the Huntress and her team, they had picked something she was completely confident she could take on herself. She'd still need the rest of the squad's help to bring it down, but she knew how to handle herself around the alien brutes.
She looked back at Penny and Liz, who were still in the middle of their respective tasks. The unconscious Field Commander spasmed reflexively as the extractor dug through bone and flesh, prompting Penny to come over and help hold it down while Liz kept the tool properly lined up.
"Go," said Penny with a nod to her friend. "We'll be there as soon as we can."
After returning the nod and clipping her rifle to her power pack, Summer launched herself through one of the windows of the command room and slid down the sloped exterior of the tower, digging one of her alloy-infused knives into the side to control her speed. As she descended the alien construct, she could see that Crawford's guess was right on the money - a massive Muton wearing thick armor, one that seemed three heads taller than its regular green-clad brethren. The angular crimson plating showed scratches and marks from prior skirmishes, and the brute's back was carrying a set of metal thrusters powerful enough to lift the wearer. In two huge meaty hands it carried a heavy-looking cannon that spit hundreds of plasma beams a second from a half-dozen rotating barrels, chewing through XCOM's turrets and sending Jackie and Daisy scrambling for strong-enough cover.
They won't last long without support, thought Summer as she drew her pistol with one hand and fired from the hip, trying to get the behemoth's attention. "Hey! Ugly! Over here! Why don't you give a girl from Remnant a try?!"
Once again, it wasn't clear if the Muton understood the words of her taunt, but it understood the intent well enough. As Summer's shots pinged off its shoulder, chest, and visor, it spun around and brought its massive weapon to bear on the sliding Huntress. She toggled her shield booster just before burning plasma washed over her, wincing as even the overclocked barrier failed to keep all the heat from bleeding through. When she kept firing until her handgun clicked dry, the Muton's patience ran out, and it roared at her while triggering its jetpack, throwing down the cannon as it got ready to fly.
Oh crap.
And fly it did, making a rocket-assisted leap straight up the side of the tower with both fists raised high. Summer's eyes widened as the Muton surged towards her with twin streaks of flame erupting from its thrusters, which carried their wearer in an arc that finished exactly where she would end up in about three seconds. Despite her attempts to dig her other knife into the tower's sloped surface to slow herself further, it wasn't enough, and she felt the full impact of a half-ton mass of metal and muscles crash into her. The roof of the tower strained under the force of the blow, then sheared entirely, sending Summer and Muton falling until they both slammed into the landing halfway down the tower's stairs.
The force of the blow and the shock from landing finally proved too much for even her overcharged barrier, and she heard the shield generator in her power pack snap and fizzle out dramatically. The damage to her body would have been worse without the protective field, but it still hurt like hell and made her slower to rise.
Gods, did she miss Aura.
Gritting her teeth and trying to ignore the throbbing sensation in her hip, Summer rose to her feet and sized up the Muton Elite, who was looming over her menacingly and exhaling hot steam from the mask in its helmet.
"You're big," she said with concern in her voice. Then she drew Wandering Thorn with a confident smile, swinging it as the blade fully extended and began to glow white-hot. "I've fought bigger."
The Muton Elite paused for a moment, tilting its head in fascination at the sight of the unfamiliar sword. Then it roared in response to her challenge, drawing its own sword and letting emerald plasma wash over the edges.
So it looks like the Infiltrator got his sword from one of these guys, thought Summer. Well, if that arrogant price can take down one of these bastards, then so can I.
She dashed in and made the first move, swiping at its side as she snuck through an opening in its defenses. The Muton growled defiantly and spun to strike with earth-shattering force, but she was already gone, using her smaller size and agility to her advantage. Like a wolf locked in a deadly match with a bear, she kept her distance from the deadly swings, darting back and forth and nicking the armor with her heated sword to test the waters for full-on melee. She observed the Muton's movements, poked and prodded to gage its reaction time, and watched for gaps in its defenses. When she was confident she knew enough about her opponent, she dove into a flurry of attacking slashes, keeping the much-larger brute on the defensive and evading its attempts to counter.
The new power core at the heart of Wandering Thorn proved its worth, burning hot enough to cleave through the dense layers of plating with each thrust and slash. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of metal she had to cut through meant that each strike wasn't as deep as she would have liked, and the need to stay mobile kept her from putting enough power into her blows to hit any deeper. If there was flesh under the armor, it was extremely well-protected - and the Muton was content to simply let her deal scratch damage and absorb the blows, a luxury that Summer most assuredly did not have.
Focus, she told herself. It's just like fighting an Ursa Major. Stay mobile, watch for the opportunity to strike, and save your strength for the final blow. Except this one can fly. And has a giant sword. And you don't have your Semblance, or Dust, or your team to back you up…
On reflection, and when a backhanded strike from the Muton Elite knocked her into the corner of the landing, she realized it wasn't like fighting a heavily-armored Grimm at all.
But at least she wasn't alone here, either.
"Summer, hold on!" Penny called, her voice close enough to be heard both on and off the radio, "I've got something that might help!"
The silver-eyed huntress pulled her gaze away to look up and see her friend holding an inactive landmine over the edge of the stairs, who dropped it once she was sure she had her squad leader's attention. Summer dove to grab the landmine before it hit the ground, a plan already forming in her mind as she looked at the deep gashes the Muton's reckless strikes had left in the already-thin floor. She nodded to Penny and smiled, then ducked under a lateral swing that left a glowing green arc where her head used to be. Rolling past her opponent and backpedaling toward the center of the platform, Summer set down the mine, primed it, and swung Wandering Thorn with a flourish as she watched the Muton whirl around to face her.
"Come on, big guy," she said with a smirk. "Don't tell me you're getting tired of dancing already. Let's go for round two...Zudjari kraksaad."
The Muton understood that taunt clear as crystal, flaring its jetpack as it leapt towards the distant Huntress. That was what Summer was counting on, flipping backwards as the red brute fell towards her with its sword held in reverse, ready to plunge the blade into her heart. What it ended up stabbing instead was the planted landmine, which detonated immediately and violently in a splash of golden flame. While it wasn't strong enough to tear up the Muton's armor, it was strong enough to tear a hole in the middle of the landing, sending the brute tumbling down to the ground far below.
Summer dove into the hole with Wandering Thorn extended, waiting for the Muton to react to its sudden change in surroundings as she fell a few yards behind it. Predictably, the armored alien once again toggled its jets to level itself out and float in mid-air...which ended up being the wrong move as the silver-eyed Huntress crashed into its jetpack, using the momentum of her fall to drive the white-hot blade deep into one of the thrusters and short it out entirely. Now flying with one less source of propulsion, the Muton flailed and bucked wildly as it sank, trying to shake off the alien "monkey" on its back before she could pull her sword back out and slash at the other thruster. It failed to knock her loose before the damage was done, however, and Summer used the opportunity to plunge Wandering Thorn into the back of its neck as the two of them entered freefall once again.
Despite its best attempts to try to right itself, Summer kept on top of the Muton - figuratively and literally - as gravity brought them both crashing down to the base of the tower, this time with her using the alien brute to cushion her landing.
CRASH!
The Muton did not make a gentle landing, falling flat on its face with enough force to make hairline fractures form in its armor, including the back of its head where the helmet and armored collar connected. Summer pulled her blade out of the thick layer of alien steel, and was just about to strike the newly-made weak point and stab into the brain when the brute roared and surged back to its feet. She did her best to stay on her opponent, but the Muton got a fistful of her cape and used it as leverage enough to grab her and fling her off its back. The silver-eyed huntress instinctively twisted to land on her feet as she flew, sliding backwards and panting heavily. She prepared to dodge another charge as the Muton wound up…
But then the entire wall on her left crumbled into alloyed shards, followed an instant later by a burning emerald shaft of energy. The shot from the alien sniper rifle slashed across the brute's face, tearing the top half of its helmet off along with a good solid chunk of flesh. The Muton glared dangerously at Summer with burnt eyes, then turned to the pair of figures silhouetted in the falling dust.
"Knock knock," said Daisy with a grin, landmine detonator still in hand.
"Didja forget about us, ya wee blighter?!" roared Jackie as she hefted the Muton Elite's abandoned weapon, the barrels already spinning and radiating heat. "We've got yer back, Sierra!"
Summer grinned as she saw the ground team jump to her defense. "Then let's give him hell so we can go home! Strip as much armor as you can, then target the flesh underneath!"
The battle that ensued was swift but brief. Summer continued to dance around the Muton Elite and cross its blade with hers, though this time she didn't strike to kill - she just kept its focus on her while Jackie hosed it down with beams of burning plasma. Daisy and Crawford took advantage of the distraction as well, firing into the alien's exposed sides with fusion lance shots and armor breaker bombs. The Recon agent's powerful plasma weapon stripped huge chunks of armor from the chest and shoulders with each hit, while the detonation from the Engineer's shaped charges shredded additional plating. Roaring in fury as the damage began to add up, the Muton Elite threw down its sword and lunged at Summer, grabbing her with both hands and slamming her into the ground with enough force to make her scream. The Commando roared and dropped the cannon as she ran forward to the Huntress's defense, shock spade fully extended and charged as she drove it into the newly-exposed flank.
"Hands off me friend, ya sodding devil!" shouted Jackie, pulling the trigger on her shovel.
The result was spectacular and instantaneous. The tremendous force generated by the elerium within the spade's head went the only place it could - directly into the Muton Elite, all the way from its head to its toes. The alien brute howled in pain as it was sent careening into the far wall of the tower, bits of armor flying like shrapnel and blood spraying from ruptured flesh like a high-pressure sprinkler. It slammed against the wall, then slid helplessly to the ground, dazed and very close to dead.
"He's all yours, Sierra," said Crawford over the comms. "Go ahead and finish him off - he's not in any position to stop you."
Summer chuckled as she pulled herself to her feet. "Thanks, ladies. You sure none of you want the glory?"
Jackie chuckled as she handed the Huntress's sword back to her. "Glory's all yours, lass. Just following your lead is enough for us."
"And even if we could knock him out, I doubt any of us would wanna carry him back," added Daisy. "Ma always said not to bring boys back home, and I'm pretty sure she included giant alien quarterbacks in that bit of motherly advice."
"Extraction complete," reported Liz over the comms. "Field Commander survived the operation, amazingly - it's still out cold and ready for transport. Let's wrap this up, Sierra...Nils needs his bedding changed, and I don't trust anyone else to do it right."
With another small laugh, Summer took her blade, faced the limp alien brute, and grinned.
The Muton Elite was helpless to do anything else as the silver-eyed woman lunged forward, the burning tip of Wandering Thorn reflected in its own beady pupil as she plunged it forward to deliver the final blow.
"On this day, first of February, 1963, The Bureau of Strategic Operations and Command would like to formally recognize the actions of Acting Strike Sierra for their performance on Operation Hawkeye."
Despite coming back to the base several hours ago, Summer's knees still trembled as she stood in formation with the other people she'd gone on the op with. Crawford and Penny were there on her left, while Daisy, Elizabeth, and Jackie stood at attention on her right. She felt Penny's fingers curl around her hand, and a cursory glance revealed that her best friend on Earth had her other hand fully grasping onto Crawford's, who squeezed gently. A smile crept to the Huntress's lips - evidently, not only had Penny's date happened, it had apparently gone well enough that the two of them were unafraid of holding hands in public. If Faulke noticed it as he paced in front of them, he didn't say anything.
And if Faulke didn't have a problem with it, odds are the rest of the room wasn't going to either.
Silver eyes scanned the crowd that gathered in the Operations Room, picking out familiar faces looking on the half-dozen women in pride. Strike Five seemingly vibrated in place, and it was only professional courtesy that kept them from hooting and hollering in support of one of their own on the stage. Strike Three was a little more calm, but no less proud - Dawson and Shen were beaming, Knox and Adam were nodding in approval, and even Carter had a shadow of a smile on his face. And though Weaver stood off to Faulke's side with an unpleasant scowl, the rest of Strike One had nothing but full support written all over their faces.
And Nils was near the front of the crowd in his wheelchair surrounded by a company of nurses, looking like he was about to jump to his feet and swoop his wife-to-be into his arms.
"For over three months now, we've fought and bled for not just our country, but our planet," continued the Director as he returned behind his podium. "And although we've fought with flexibility and innovation, in many regards we've been narrow-minded and trapped in old ways of thinking. The old adage of 'women don't belong on the frontlines' simply doesn't apply anymore - this is their world as much as it is ours, and keeping them away from the war for their own safety isn't an option, because there is no safe haven from war anymore. The aliens have no respect for our rules of engagement, for our Geneva Conventions and our Sam Reno codes, and our numbers have dwindled indiscriminately over the course of this war. So the decision was made that select female volunteers would undergo field agent training...a decision that was not made lightly, and from my understanding, was quite unpopular among many of you."
Some people in the crowd shuffled a little, likely out of guilt or shame. Summer couldn't blame them - sure, back on Remnant no one would have bat an eye at seeing Huntresses fighting and doing all the same things as Huntsman. But this was Earth, a different planet completely with different societal norms - a planet that had spent countless generations in near-constant war, and that had instilled in its people a sense of morality and military doctrine that they rarely deviated from. So the act of allowing women to fight, something that flew directly in the face of everything these men had learned all their lives, felt like an act of desperation at best and a betrayal of their core beliefs at worst.
"However…" added Faulke, once people had settled down. "I would hope that the events of today would dispel any fears regarding this motion. Not only did Agent Summer Rose lead her team to victory, she did so with no casualties or major injuries to anyone besides herself. Her tactics, ingenuity, and resourcefulness brought us not only a new array of weapons and tools for the war, but a live Field Commander for interrogation and an intact Mosaic implant with high-level access to the aliens' psionic network. Furthermore, today's operation demonstrated that Doctor Dresner and Weir's extractor works in the field, so when the Shipmaster eventually shows himself, we'll be ready to grab what we need for the path to victory. And it was not just Agent Rose's skill that should be lauded - Agent Mucallin's bravery and tenacity, the cleverness and application of technology demonstrated by Agents Barnes and Cohen, the laser focus and ability to remain cool under fire that Agent Walters showcased, and Agent Crawford's marksmanship and situational awareness - "
Summer had to hold in a snort.
" - are to be acknowledged and applauded as well, as they are traits just as vital as the ones demonstrated by their leader. For XCOM is stronger than any one agent, be they man or woman, Earth-born or Remnant-born...only by uniting under a common goal can we remain watchful, vigilant, and victorious."
Faulke gestured to the other Strike team standing off to the side. "In light of the actions of these brave women of Earth and Remnant, and for recognition of them going above and beyond the call of duty, I invite Strike One forward to present the team with Army Commendation Medals, for services rendered. May you always remember this day...and may you bring that level of drive with you in the coming battles. Vigilo Confido."
The five men and one woman of the Bureau's best and most experienced Strike team stepped towards Summer and her friends, boxes in their hands and pride on the faces of all but one of the members. The silver-eyed Huntress had to suppress a gasp at the bronze hexagonal medal attached to a small green ribbon, marveling at the image of the bald eagle with outstretched wings stamped into the award. On her left, Bradford pinned the little piece onto Penny's jacket, while on her right Van Doorn carefully slotted the new medal next to Jackie's other various combat awards. Summer's heart sank a small amount when Weaver stepped forward to give the Huntress her award, acting only with the bare minimum degree of respect the ceremony warranted.
"You realize this is just a pageantry at this point, right?" the officer asked so quietly that even Summer wasn't sure she heard properly. "This is a waste of resources and time, neither of which we have much to spare these days. Good people have died doing more than you did today, with less recognition than you're getting now."
Summer quirked an eyebrow. "I won't argue that there are others who are more deserving of credit," she replied just as softly. "But I dunno, I think it's safe to say we earned these. We executed an op to the numbers, got something valuable, and taught the world an important lesson." Since she was feeling bold, she gave a small smirk and added, "Maybe you would have gotten one too, if you had agreed to come with us today."
The look Weaver shot Summer made her think that the leader of Strike One was going to abandon protocol and murder her on the spot. Fortunately, she and Faulke's second in command wouldn't come to blows today, as she merely chuckled humorlessly as she took the medal out of its box.
"I already have that one, and several others that make a Commendations medal look like a prize out of a Cracker Jack box. I don't need to make friends to kill Outsiders, and I don't need to participate in your little 'pep rallies' to feel better about myself. I'm not fighting for glory, or recognition, or to send some kind of message. I'm doing this because I have to, and I wouldn't expect XCOM's perfect little alien princess to understand why."
There was a flicker of something in Weaver's eyes as she spoke. Was it sadness? Regret? Wistful nostalgia? Whatever it was, she clamped down on the errant emotion rather quickly before Summer could figure it out.
"But hey, don't let me rain on your ticker-tape parade," sighed Weaver as she finished pinning the medal in place. "If you think you've earned this, I guess it's not my place to tell you otherwise. Enjoy your celebration, Agent Rose. The way this war is going, I doubt there'll be much left to celebrate anyways."
Summer just nodded in response, prompting Weaver to unceremoniously step away with the rest of Strike One as the Operations Room exploded into applause. Jackie Mucallin pumped her fist as Strike Five finally released their restraint, whooping and cheering in support of their Scottish fighting female. Penny Cohen blushed at the sight of Chulski and the comms operators clapping politely for her, while Elizabeth Walters smiled as the entire medical staff (and Nils) whistled in appreciation. Daisy Barnes locked eyes proudly with her brother, Catherine Crawford just sort of swayed back and forth merrily, and Summer Rose grinned as she watched Strike Three applaud enthusiastically.
But the best part of it was seeing William Carter's genuine, proud smile.
That alone was worth more than a thousand medals.
(A/N): Hmm...seems like Weaver's immune to Summer's power of friendship. Wonder if there's a story behind that?...
Anyways, thanks again for joining me for Summer Declassified's second double feature! I gotta say, I'm super proud of how these two chapters turned out, and I hope you all had even half as much fun reading as I did writing! The next few chapters are gonna deal with the next major story mission again, as we tackle "Not Of This Earth" and...do stuff. Probably. Unless the bookkeeping stuff at the beginning of the mission spirals out into another on-base chapter, which shouldn't happen, but you never know.
Until then, keep being awesome, and I'll see you next time!
