Hello and Welcome back.
Sorry about the delay between chapters, but work has been a bit heavy as of late. That mixed with a few other commitments makes for a very lacking amount of free time.
In other news, I have also made the decision to go back to school, and thus started to apply for university's. So yah, that's a thing.
Now this is a big step forwards for me, and while it marks the beginning of something new in my life, it also mark the potential for less and less chapters over time.
I will to continue writing, but sadly, we all know that my time will only become more limited as school potentially starts up. Please understand that while I will write when I can, this has always been more of a hobby, a learning experience, and a way for me to improve myself.
I do hope you all understand, but I have no aspirations to be a writer, nor am I blind enough to think I ever could be one.
That said, it will not be abandoned, as I have spent far to much time working on it to give up now. So please bare with me as we continue forwards.
Please do enjoy, and I hope you all have a lovely day.
PS. Don't forget to review, and support my beta reader Xabiar who's patience with me is to be commended by the highest of orders.
Cheers
Alex Lee
Wednesday, September 8th, 2024
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuuuuuuuuuuuu
Danger! Immediate evasive action required! Initiating dive roll!
Even before the words had even registered, my body was already on the move. The same legs Lock had reminded me about meer moments ago, instantly launching me away from the roofs edge, at speeds than I had thought possible for my body to achieve.
Not a milliseconds later, two streaks of searing green plasma absolutely demolished the ac units I had been hidden amongst. The sheer force of their impact knocking me even off kilter, as they quickly cleaved through the metal structures, like a hot knife through butter.
What was no doubt meant to be a tightly executed dive roll, very quickly degraded into a rather sloppy swan dive, resulting in me landing almost flat on my back fifteen feet back from the roof's edge. Missing the claymore I had personally set, by a meter at most.
Mectoids. They did not fuck around when it came to firepower.
Grabbing my throat mice, I scrambled desperately towards the explosive in front of me, intent on disarming it before rejoining with the rest of the squad.
"Enemy units are not down! I repeat enemy units are not down!"
Miscommunication in the field was heavily frowned upon, but right then I did not care in the slightest. Lock could yell at me all she wanted, if we both survived these next few minutes that is.
The building shook fiercely as more plasma ladened shots smashed into my old firing position. Making any attempt at disarming the claymore in front of me a lost cause, least I wanted an early grave.
Mectoid suppressing rooftop. Suppression allowing melee units to close gap. Unit's will soon gain access to building. Best Option. Move to opposite side of building. Re-engage Berserkers before they reach the building. Warning friendly units advised.
My blood ran cold as ABBY shoved the Berserker's right back to the forefront of my mind.
"Muton Berserkers are closing in on the building! I repeat Muton berserkers are closing in on the building!"
The memory of those lethal looking claws, and what they would do to a lightly armored person, was all the motivation I needed to instantly leaving the cover of the maintenance door.
Sprinting to the over side of the roof, with nothing but a prayer that I would get eyes on the Mutons before they closed the remaining distance.
Halfway to my decided position, the building shook once more. Only this time instead of green plasma, it was accompanied by a brutal howl emanated from deep within the building below.
The Berserkers had found their prey.
"Drew!" Lock's voice nearly tore my ear off as I continued towards my new firing position. "Psycho and Chip are holding off the berserker's! But I can't get a clear shot on the mech! You need to stop it's barrage! It's going to level the building!"
Sliding to the back of another ac unit, I took a deep breath before peeking out to find the Mectoid.
Roughly two hundred meters away now, it sat almost perfectly still. One cannon firing after the other, in an unending barrage of pure destruction.
Snapping my rifle around, I quickly brought the weapon to bear once more.
Poom
Ting
Shock over took me, as the same round that had punched straight through its armor meer seconds ago, now seemingly bounced off the mech like it was nothing.
Not a second later I felt my body being hurled back again, as the Mectoid turned both it's weapons on me.
Tcheeeeeeeew
My hiding spot was shredded not a second later. Leaving me with very little in the way of adequate cover or hiding spots.
Weapon ineffective. Mechtoid shielded. Shield type unknown. Explosives recommended.
"I hit it, but my shot did shit all!" I radioed back, moving further away from the roof as the damn thing continued to eviscerate every bit of cover there was. "I think it might now be shielded!"
"Fuck! It probably has a Psi Shield!" Lock radioed back not a second later. The clear sounds of metal on metal grating through her comm link. "Find the linked sectoid and blast his ass! We will take care of the rest!"
Psi Shield given via Mind Merge with other Sectoid. Mind Merge requires sight line on targeted unit. Sectoid roughly within one hundred feet of Mectoid.
"Very fucking helpful," I muttered sneaking my way towards the edge of the roof once more, "care to be a little more specific?"
Glancing out from behind the charred remains of a would be safety ledge, I watched as the Mectoid slowly made its way forwards once more. Each step was heavy and methodical, both guns were now primed and at the ready.
Deep in the building the sounds of combat continued. Large shotgun blasts echoed out followed closely by a brutal roar, and the building shaking ever so slightly.
"Holly! Get your ass back here and patch that up! Ace cover for her!"
Sweat beaded on my forehead as Lock continued to mic orders left right and center.
She was counting on me to make this shot, so where the fuck was the little grey bitch?
Engagement on mectoid ill advised. Allow movement forwards. Enemy Sectoid will follow suit.
"Not a bad plan..." I muttered, glancing over at the armored unit. The sectoid would need to keep within range of the Mech unit after all. It would be forced to move eventually.
Seconds began to feel like minutes. The sounds of battle bellow, continuing in earnest as it slowly luber forwards.
Movement spotted. Far Left side. Edge of the forest. Two hundred meters
Glancing over towards the tree's that littered the left hand side of the entrance, my eyes quickly picked up on the movement of a creature hidden amongst the foliage.
Sure enough, that big grey head and bloated body was impossible to mistake. Sectoid's were after all, not exactly the most attractive species in the universe.
Raising my rifle, I sighted right in between it's black soulless eyes. Pulling the trigger with almost zero hesitation a second later.
Poom
The fucker's head popped like a birthday pinata. Showing the forest floor with green blood and other matter.
"Target eliminated." I miced, the shock of my actions barely registering amidst the adrenaline that coursed through my system, "one hundred percent confirmed this time, unless sectoids can somehow live without their fucking brains."
"Alright! Shields down! Chip! Psycho! Get these fuckers into the open!"
Kneeling by the edge, I watched in disbelief as the berserkers were all but tossed out of what looked like the second story, straight down into the courtyard bellow.
Both angry, and with dented to hell armor, they skidded to a halt beside a now seemingly paralyzed Mectoid.
"Blast Zones Clear! Open Fire!"
The entire yard was alight with explosives and gun fire before the order had even finished.
Rockets from our own Mech's slammed into the armored beasts. Blowing them apart piece by piece as fire continued to rain down on them.
The berserkers howled out in pain and rage as what little armor they had left was stripped off under the sheer volume of fire. One of them falling almost instantly as a few stray shots took out its legs.
The distinctive poom of Lock's rifle interjected. Snapping the other berserkers head straight back. Toppling him to the earth with a might thud, finally join fallen brethren amidst the wreckage and charnage.
It took all of ten seconds for the older members to finish off the three units, with a display of firepower that would have made General Madison blush.
Ten seconds, was all it took for me to realize just how far away from being one of these people I really was.
"Well done ladies." Lock miced once the fire had stopped. "Central is reporting no more aliens in the area, and only two more minutes until the security detail is be here to take over."
I almost collapsed as the adrenaline faded away. Leaving me both speechless, and suddenly very much scared.
My first mission was a success, and yet, some part of me still felt like I had very much failed.
Mission debriefing was almost non existent In XCOM due to the sophisticated communications network they used to monitor the battlefield. Simply hand in your ear piece and that was it. GPS and com link did the rest.
Personal debriefings however, were very much still as thing, as I found out when Lock dragged me straight to her room after naught but a shower and a change of clothing.
The room was almost a direct copy of my own, with naught but a few pieces of gym equipment, and her own belongings bag to liven it up. Though she was quick to dispel my initial assumptions on her intentions, when she took the desk chair, and pulled a bottle of forty proof, with a couple of glasses from one of the drawers.
Handing me a generously filled mug, I quickly took a seat on her bed. Eager to get this conversation over and done with.
She had been silent almost the entire trip back to base. Not a trace of anger or emotion could be seen, to the point even ABBY was reporting back nothing but speculation. Clearly something was up, yet it wasn't until our first round of drinks was finished that she finally said anything.
"So. That was quite the introduction you made."
Maybe it was an accident, or maybe it was by design, but those simple words broke me. Crashed right through the walls I had carefully constructed on the way back. Walls that had trapped the uncertainty and fear that I felt. Hiding it away until I found the time to process what had just happened.
My head hung low as my mind was instantly bombarded with numerous thoughts and feelings.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
It was the only thing I could think to say. The only words that I could form at that moment.
"It's fine." she shrugged, taking a small sip from her drink. "We all make mistakes on our first mission."
Of all the things she could have said. Lectures, yelling, scolding, pretty much anything else would have been reasonable. Casual talk though? After what just happened? After that near death experience? Just what the hell was she made of?
"But I trusted you to handle the situation, and you did just that." She continued, raising her glass, "If anything I should be congratulating you on your fir..."
"Holly was hurt because of me!" A brief glimpse of her arm coated in medi gel flashed through my mind as I glared Lock down. Daring her to deny my statement. "Save your praise for someone who deserves it..."
A large swig of whiskey punctuating my statement as I let my head sag back down under the weight of the guilt I felt.
"Holly, as you damn well know, is reckless and prone to injury." she countered swiftly, raising her own glass with a defiant look in her eye, "she will probably ask for a free beer at most before calling it even."
"and as for you not deserving of praise, you were thrown into a real combat situation with no team training, and not only kept your head, but also managed to score some serious damage on enemies you have never even seen in person before."
Now it was her turn to glare me down.
"Anyone else in your position would have probably been a quivering mess after the first mectoid shot, and you know it."
Sargent Lockdown has successfully countered yoru argument. A change of subject...
"Not now!" I unknowingly growled out. Biting my lip as thoughts swirled about in my mind.
The inside of my head was amalstorm of thoughts and feelings. Everything ranging from guilt to pride, depression all the way up to blissful ignorance. Meld had a funny way of scrambling things up when to many things came together, granted the alcohol was not helping that either.
"You ok?" Lock tapped her head a couple times to indicate what she meant by her vague statement.
"Just fine." I grumbled, downing more of my drink as thoughts swirled about in my head. "ABBY just wants me to give up on the argument."
Not a second later the realization of what I had just said struck me. Followed swiftly by Locks own hand.
"You named your voice thing after me?!"
Her raised voice grated on my ears, throwing any excuse I had thought of into disarray.
It was truly amazing how quickly I could go from moppy and sad to utterly terrified when around Lock.
"Um... yes?" I hesitantly answered, shielding my head from anymore incoming blows.
Disbelief was plastered across her face as she raised her hand once more."And why pray tell did you do that?!"
Shielding my ears from her aggressively raised voice, I quickly pondered her question.
Physical harm imminent. Suggested response, I sound similar to her.
"Uh," I began tentatively, "well, you both sound kind of similar so..."
"I sound like her? What the fuck does that even mean?" she growled, raising her hand a little bit higher in preparation for what was sure to be the mother of all bitch slaps.
"You both are very matter of fact, very decisive, and the voice kind of sounds similar to you?" I tried again, "does that make sense?"
Three of the longest seconds I have ever experienced passed before she slowly her hand lowered.
"Ok." she nodded, more confirming her words than anything, "I won't say I like it, but ok."
"Figured you wouldn't." I snorted, taking a much needed sip to help calm my frazzled nerves. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
She simply snorted into her glass at that statement.
"Right. Like you were ever planning on telling me."
One guilty shrug and smile was all the confirmation she needed on that subject. Simply returning her own telling smile with a snort and a eye roll.
A calm silence took over the room as we both found ourselves content to sit and mull over the events of the day.
Questions still burned inside my mind, but the alcohol helped to mute them somewhat. The urge to pry answers from Lock slowly drifting off as my muscles finally unwound.
Surprisingly it was Lock who broke the silence this time.
"But for real. Congratulations." she held up her glass in salute, "on your first kill I mean."
Her smile made me happy, letting me know I did a good thing, and yet I still frowned a little as the memory of that fatal shot ran through my mind.
The detail was immaculate. Each droplet of blood, each shard of bone, even it's grey matter. All of it exploding out the exit wound of the Sceptoid in a spray of dark green goo.
"Thank you," I began softly, "Though I never would have thought there to be any disadvantages to having better eyesight..."
The smile that graced Locks face before vanished as my words registered. A small resigned sigh escaping her as she took another sip of her drink.
"Yah..." she agreed, "until you can see each and every detail of something you really don't want to..."
I nodded in agreement. There was really no point in explaining what had happened anyways. She understood what I meant. She had lived it enough times to shrug off almost anything.
One just has to hope it gets easier over time I suppose.
At least Adam and Max would be happy to hear about my first success against the aliens. Speaking of which I would need to write to them again soon.
The memories of them were still a little sparse, but I knew they would have been proud of what I had done today. That thought at least brought some happiness to me.
Someday I would tell her about Adam and Max. She deserved that much after all she had done for me up to this point.
Thinking back on our short time together I raised my glass silently to the woman I had come to call my friend. The woman who had given me the chance to do what my friends and I had dreamed of doing. Who never let me get to down, and seemed to have a way of always there to keep me grounded.
Thank you Lock. For everything.
"Drew?"
The dazed, and slightly confused voice of Lock was what awoke me from my slumber the following morning.
Dazed I assumed due to the she amount of alcohol we had both consumed, and slightly confused because we had both managed to pass out while in her room.
Speaking of which, where was the hangover headache. My eyes were open, and I was awake, so where was the expected excuse to be an asshole?
"Morning..." I grumbled back, sitting up from what I now realized was an extremely uncomfortable position on her bed.
Yes as it turns out, sleeping with your neck and shoulders plastered against a concrete wall, was not all that comfortable.
The cracks and groans of my bones attested to my discomfort as each joint released their pent up pressure.
Lock to her credit was still somehow balanced on her chair. Legs up on the desk in what looked to be the least safe sleeping position one could conceive.
"Impressive." I noted dryly, standing up from the bed with a resigned groan. "Is it that time already?"
We both already knew the time without looking, yet for some reason I still felt the need to ask.
"Seven AM." she confirmed, a loud yawn nearly knocking her lose. "Which leaves us with fifteen minutes to get to the mess hall.
Raising my eyebrow in her direction, she caught my confused look.
"The entire team likes to eats breakfast together the morning after a mission." she explained, while simultaneously dismounting the chair and stretching loudly. "Something about it being a good luck charm or whatever.."
"Not your idea I take it?" I chuckled
Lock rolling her eyes at me in response. "Whatever gave you that idea..."
"On the plus side," she continued, a small smirk forming as she rooted through her clothing bag, "this will give you ample time to answer all their questions from yesterday and beyond."
Oh Joy...
