Chapter 1: First Contact
Author's Note: I am aware that the names given to the aliens are human designations like Sectoid, Muton and so on. But Ill be using those to avoid any ambiguity and make it easier on the readers. Alongside that, there are no canon names for the species in XCOM.
Anyways, the previous fic I was going to do featured elements that were very similar to XCOM but was still working within its own world. But I figured It would be best to scrap the idea and repurpose it into a XCOM/MHA crossover. A few things I want to make clear. Knowing XCOM EU/EW were canonically combat simulations according to XCOM 2. I want to make a compromise between the two games and present XCOM EU/EW as If they are real events. But there will be elements from XCOM 2 that will appear later on in the story.
Hope you all enjoy!
Vigilo Confido, Plus Ultra.
Low Earth Orbit
2215 AD
UFO Designation: Scout Craft
51 skittered into the main command room on all fours, frantically leaping into the commander's chair and bringing up a flight interface. The holographic screen showed that the craft had been halved thanks to that Battleship's main plasma cannon. If they hadn't jumped into hyperspace as soon as they did, both he and ZARA would be floating dead in space... Well, mostly him. ZARA, having nothing to fear from the vacuum of space, would have been picked up and tortured to death for daring to defy the Elders and hijack one of their ships. A ship which was now crash landing above a blue marble of a world.
"We're rapidly losing altitude. The Elerium core's been breached. I'm not sure how long I can keep life support systems online."
ZARA's hologram appeared next to 51, mostly in the form of her large, glowing eyes and her "brain" suspended in the air. Codex's never failed to creep 51 out, which was ironic considering that most members of his own company found him and just about every other "Sectoid," as they'd come to be known, creepy.
The UFO slammed hard into the atmosphere and instantly began to explode into a brilliant, streaking fireball that lit up the night sky to anyone below. Including one Izuku Midoriya, studying for a test in his room. He briefly glanced outside to see a falling star, even with the light pollution of Musutafu... Neat.
Though things were very much so not "neat" for the two thieves aboard that supposed falling star. 51 had never piloted a UFO before, that wasn't his job, that was an Outsider's job... Or a Sectoid Commander. But he was neither of these, and what he had was... Certainly a step down from an Outsider but surely ZARA could land the craft safely... Right? Right!?
"Is there a safe landing zone perhaps?!" 51 yelled out, gripping into the seat with his sharp claws, damn near tearing the alien leather to pieces. "Yes, I've located a potential landing zone. 80% certainty." 51 began to hyperventilate. "80%," He began to repeat to himself to try and make himself feel better, good odds. Rapidly, he began to see city lights glisten into view. An inhabited world it seemed, even better.
"4500, 4000, 3500,"
BRACE FOR IMPACT.
BRACE FOR IMPACT.
BRACE FOR IMPACT.
If 51 could have screamed, he would have torn his lungs doing so, feeling the top of the craft clip some trees, causing an already mangled portion of the craft to rip off even further. 51 lurched forward as the craft slammed into a body of water, though it may as well have been solid concrete with just how much the impact tossed everything to and fro. Though unlike plasma fire, the alloy plating of the craft could actually take a few good blunt hits before cracking. And beyond the back of the craft now hanging from one of the nearby trees and the obvious plasma burns on the exterior? What was left of the ship was unharmed.
Groaning, 51 heaved himself out of the commander's chair, slamming against the control panel and toppling to the floor. He felt as If his enlarged brain was going to vibrate out of his skull with as much as his... auditory receptors were ringing. "ZARA? Are you alright?" 51 asked, grasping at nothing, at first, until a hand grabbed his. ZARA, now out of the vessel's computer systems, stood over him, again with that creepy stance of hers. "Yes, I am fine. The ship has taken massive amounts of damage. I believe we are now immobilized."
51 was heaved onto his feet by ZARA. Rubbing his forehead, he looked around at the sheer damage taken to the craft. He would have whistled, If he had lips. "What planet did we jump to, anyways?" 51 asked, grabbing his wrist mounted plasma pistol from nearby and fastening it to his arm. ZARA began to stare off into space as she processed the information, 51 continued attempting to figure out the duo's next moves, though slightly creeped out even further by his partner's episode it seemed.
"Location Secured. Here are the results."
ZARA's head opened up and projected forth a hologram of the Milky Way Galaxy. A dot appeared juuuust at the very outer edge of one of the galaxy's arms. Before zooming in and showing off a local star cluster, before again zooming in onto a yellow star, displaying 8 planets in a neat row, before finally zooming in onto the third planet closest to the star, the very same blue ball that they now found themselves on.
"Earth, Planet Designation XEU-2015, Third planet in the Sol System. This planet is marked for subjugation by order of the High Ethereal." 51 nearly melted in place. They had landed on a planet set to be invaded sometime in the future. Great. And their ship was totaled too. 51 could already picture being choked out by some Muton and having his head stomped flat. "How long do we have exactly?" 51 idly toyed with the hologram ZARA was projecting, spinning the hologram of Earth around. The hologram violently retracted back into ZARA's head, causing him to jump a bit in fear.
"Unknown." ZARA responded.
51 swallowed and began to pace around. "We... can work with this, I believe. Perhaps we could await for the invasion to begin and hijack another craft and just leave the planet before anyone notices we're here..." ZARA just stared at 51, not really providing any feedback, though 51 thought otherwise. "...You are correct. They might intercept us and shoot us down. And where are we even going to find a craft that isn't heavily guarded either..." Before 51 could continue, ZARA's head snapped violently towards the eastern end of the ship. Causing 51 to once again recoil in fright. "I detect movement outside of the craft. Approaching 45 meters, 40 meters..." 51 ran towards one of the exit doors of the ship and peered out into the dark night, some of the crashed spacecraft's lights illuminating the pond it crashed into. Across the way, he could see flashlights approaching. Oh, its the locals. Great.
Exiting the craft to get a better look, 51 tread some of the ankle deep water and carefully peered out towards the unknown figures. He could hear voices.
"Yea, we're approaching the impact site now. Must have landed in the lake. Shouldn't this thing have just burned up in the atmosphere? I bet the park manager's going to be pissed..."
The glow of the craft had rapidly become apparent to the figures.
"Its glowing. Must be still hot... wait, no. Its not glowing red it's... what the hell is that?"
51, now realizing that it probably isn't safe to be standing out in the open, began to quietly return to the ship. Only for a light to shine right onto him and freeze, with a blood curdling scream following after.
"What is that?! What is that?!" No soon after, did he feel the crack of a bullet racing past him and slamming into the water. They were shooting at him. A hail of bullets, and strangely enough, fireballs and other exotic projectiles tracked him all the way back to the main door of the ship, had this planet already developed energy based weaponry or something? Making sure that his plasma pistol was working, he raised it up, aiming for one of the random shapes firing at him and prepared to unload a hot gob of plasma on the aggressors. ZARA's hand came from nowhere and quickly pushed his hand down. "Do not engage. We must retreat." 51 began to stammer. "What about the ship?" Soon then, a bullet ripped past the both of them, destroying the plasma pistol in 51's hands and grazing him just barely, but still sending a shower of yellow-orange, glowing blood spurting everywhere.
Shrieking in pain and grabbing his arm, 51 figured the questions could wait and both he and ZARA bolted off into the bushes nearby. Crawling through the thicket, they could hear their pursuers sloshing through the water, continuing to fire random shots, sometimes into the bush, other times they could hear more bullets ricocheting off the ship itself. The pair broke through the brush and into an opening featuring a pavilion and several benches alongside a bathroom and a few vending machines. 51 panted, glancing back over the thick bushes, almost expecting someone to burst through at any moment, though the imagined threat never came.
"Is everyone alright over here?" A voice called out to the both of them across the way. Backdraft, the Water Pump Hero and member of the Musutafu Fire Department, could barely see the two figures standing in the middle of the pavilion. Neither 51 or ZARA wanted to oblige him and just ran away. "Hey! Wait a moment!" He called out to the two, but didn't pursue them, instead just letting them leave and turning around to rush towards the crash site.
The two sprinted out of the main gates of the park and found themselves standing on a dimly lit street, though now coming to life from the sound of fire, EMS and police now racing towards the park to respond to the supposed meteor strike. Sticking to the shadows, both aliens made their way deeper into the surrounding city and began to just wander.
Eventually, they managed to come upon what looked like a small, abandoned shopping center, likely hadn't been used for years. Figuring this would be a good of a place as any to hide, 51 and ZARA made their way inside, finding themselves now resting in the ruins of an old food court. 51 sat at a fallen table as ZARA began to apply some kind of medical salve onto his graze wound, causing the former to wince in pain.
"Agggh..." He groaned as ZARA tilted her head. "Cease your outbursts. This is necessary to treat your wound." Luckily, it had only been a graze, a direct hit would have likely taken 51's arm off and neither he or ZARA had the capability of restoring lost limbs, that would require Meld and a lot of downtime. It had already been a chaotic night, and though his glowing heart was beating like crazy, 51 leaned back in a comfortable, old, rusted chair and began to drift off to sleep, with ZARA standing nearby, staring at him. Codexes didn't have any need for sleep. Though, wasting no time, she began to set about researching everything she could about Earth.
Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.