EXALT Raid: Japan
Italy, Rome
Annette snuck a quick glance over her shoulder as she moved through the packed crowd. She didn't sense any imminent danger, or notice anyone especially suspicious following her. But that was absolutely no guarantee that no one was there. She'd almost been caught several times now, and wasn't taking any chances.
She'd almost blown it leaving Japan, thinking that she could just mind-control her way onto the plane. Initially, it had worked, though several people had given her strange looks as she just walked through the line with only a word to the security guards and personnel.
She'd been way too obvious, and had she not stopped to sense the area immediately after exiting the plane in China, she would have been taken away by the three EXALT operatives that were waiting for her. Fortunately, these people were professionals. Too professional for their own good, it made them easier to pinpoint and it had taken a subtle suggesting from her for them to leave the area briefly, giving her time to get out.
She'd been a lot more careful after that.
The week that followed had involved her sneaking into the luggage, taking boats, trains and taxis in what she hoped was a haphazard and unpredictable pattern for EXALT. For the most part it seemed to work, and she'd just kept out of the way of the rest of the passengers if anyone else was with her.
But she was wondering if that wasn't a mistake now. EXALT had to know where she was going, and had she no choice, she would have gone anywhere else. The only problem was that there was no one else to go to. She couldn't trust anyone, or any government.
There were only two options that seemed like good ideas to her now, and might be her only chance. She had to find Latrell first, but that was a temporary solution at best. EXALT would figure out who he was, if they hadn't already, and either kill them both or take her prisoner again. His position within the French Police wouldn't even be a concern for them.
So once they made contact, there was really only one place to go where she might be safe: XCOM.
She'd managed to learn some about the organization that was fighting the aliens who had invaded, as well as the history of this whole invasion itself. Oddly enough, she couldn't find out much about them except that they were multi-national, very advanced, and very secretive. There had apparently been some video released recently depicting XCOM as murderers, but that had apparently been disproven quickly by XCOM itself.
She really didn't care that much now. XCOM was an enemy of EXALT, and if she didn't know better, it was probably EXALT that had leaked the video in the first place. But they were enemies, and that was all she needed to know.
The only problem was how to get to them. XCOM didn't have any recruiting stations, and no one really know where they operated out of, not to mention they seemed to only make public appearances when absolutely necessary. So…that would be a problem for her, but maybe Latrell knew more than her.
Out of the airport now, she began walking down the street until she saw one of those booths selling those cheap phones with a limited number of minutes on them. She'd always wondered who would ever pay to get those, but was now grateful for their very existence. She'd taken a few more credit cards from unsuspecting people in the other cities and that time had just withdrawn a set amount of cash before disposing of the card.
Money wasn't that much of an issue to her now, but if things went wrong, she'd have to do it again soon. As it stood now she had enough to get the phone, and pay for gas for the car she was going to steal. She really didn't want to, but she had no choice and she needed a reliable mode of transportation she controlled.
She walked up to the stand, picked out the cheapest flip-phone and handed it to the man. She didn't speak Italian, so she hoped he understood English. "How much for this?"
"Twenty euros," he answered drearily, not really seeming to care one way or another.
"And this'll work right away?" She pressed, wanting to make sure.
He rolled his eyes and nodded his head towards the sign. "That's what the sign says. Read it."
She pursed her lips, starting to be put off by his dismissive attitude. "I would, but I don't read Italian."
He sighed. "Damn tourists," he muttered. "Yeah, it'll work."
She was very tempted to just mind-control this jerk and walk away. But she was breaking enough laws without adding another. But she wasn't going to let him off for being so rude. As she pulled out the money, she focused for his mind and secured it. Anything she said would be followed. Complex commands didn't really work, but simple things were fine.
"Listen carefully," she told him as she set the money on the table, looking into his eyes, the pupils glowing a slight purple as she exercised her power over him. "Whenever your next customer shows up, you're going to give them whatever they want, for free. Because you're a kind and generous person." She picked up the phone case. "Understand?"
"Yes," he answered tonelessly. "I understand."
She snapped her fingers quickly, a trick she'd figured out which helped emphasize certain quick commands. "Sleep." He slumped over a second later, already out.
With any luck he'd think it was some dream or hazy memory. As long as he didn't think too much about it. Which from the apathetic mind he seemed to have, that likely wouldn't be a problem. She turned away and began walking while taking the plastic casing off the phone, and tossing it in a nearby trash can.
She quickly entered Latrell's number and began typing: [Meet at the place you almost got me killed.] She hit send and put the phone in her pocket.
She figured that if EXALT were watching his messages, they'd not know what she was talking about. Latrell would know, thought. They'd once gone to Nice together, and had insisted that they go to some high-end restaurant which she refused to name now, insisting it was the best there was. Naturally, she'd accepted and after eating there, had gotten food poisoning and had experienced what was then the worst twelve hours of her life.
Needless to say she'd left a bad review, and ever since then referred to that time as his attempt at killing her. An inside joke she found amusing, but still mortified him.
It was interesting how much had changed now. She'd moaned in pain during that entire time because of an upset stomach, and now something like that wouldn't even phase her. Now though, she needed to focus on the present; actually getting to Nice.
She kept walking down, keeping an eye out for people who were getting in and out of cars on the streets. She watched for a minute, then brightened as a Lamborghini pulled up, and a very well-dressed man in a business suit stepped out. Well, that was the perfect opportunity, if this man could afford a car like that, he could certainly afford another one. It wasn't exactly inconspicuous, but she felt better about taking his car, than someone who wasn't nearly as well off.
She jogged up by him as he got out, then quickly focused on his mind, which was awash with numbers, images, it was a hive of unceasing distractions. One more would slip through. It was very simple: Leave your keys in the car and keep it unlocked.
She backed up, kept her head lowered as she leaned against the wall and waited for him to pass. Once he was, she followed him as he went into one of the nearby banks. Time for the moment of truth.
She pulled the handle and the door clicked open and she scooted into the seat of a car that was worth her entire salary. She'd look at the luxury later, there was only one thing she was interested in now.
There it was. The key was still in place and she turned it on, the engine roaring to life and she grinned. She was going to be ditching this car after meeting him, so she might as well enjoy the ride while she could.
The phone buzzed and she looked down to see a response from Latrell. Short and to the point: [Understood].
She nodded, satisfied and broke the phone in half, opened the door, and dropped the pieces onto the street. Shifting the gears to drive, she sped out onto the streets and toward Nice.
It was almost over. This part, at least.
France, Nice
Assuming that he was coming from his house, it would take him roughly eight and a half hours, and that was also relying on him leaving right away, which she wasn't sure was possible. He did still have a job, but she somewhat assumed that he'd done whatever he could to get off early. The Lamborghini she'd driven had included a very helpful GPS which had gotten her to Nice no problem, and even to that restaurant, the Les Amoureux.
It was dark now and she'd had an hour to kill so she'd driven around some, in circles to see if anyone was following her, but there'd seemed to be nothing. After stopping and getting something quick to eat, she'd parked a ways from the restaurant and left it, not wanting to be caught with it.
Should someone find it, they'd see it unlocked and ready for the taking. She didn't care what happened to it now, but it wasn't her problem anymore. Now all she had to do was wait around this fancy restaurant without looking suspicious or worse. Loitering might draw attention, and she didn't want to worry about the Nice police, even if she was sure she could escape easily.
Right now she wished she had a watch, since she didn't like looking inside random stores and businesses for clocks. She'd briefly considered taking one from one of the many people walking by, but she'd done enough and this wasn't a necessary theft. Should everything keep going smoothly, he should show any minute.
Latrell was punctual, but again, she didn't know if extenuating circumstances would prevent him from coming as soon as possible. Not that it mattered, she wasn't leaving now. She'd stay all night if she had to.
Unless…
Annette's head snapped up and her eyes widened as a new possibility occurred to her. What if they'd just taken him on the way and were torturing him for information? What if they were already on their way now….no, no…
She shook her head, trying to slow her quickening heart rate. No, they wouldn't kill him. Not yet, they wanted her and they had to know if anyone other than him showed up that she'd know it was a trap. They couldn't afford to kill him, either of them, quite yet. For whatever reason, they wanted her alive unless she didn't give them a choice.
Of course they could force Latrell to act as the bait…no, he wouldn't give into them. He'd die before giving her up…right? She swallowed. Even he had his limits, and then there was the possibility that they would threaten his family to get his cooperation. Then…in that case everything was screwed. But the good news was that if he was acting as bait, she'd be able to sense it.
She nodded to herself. Right. She had the advantage here, no matter how widespread or advanced they were.
She could control minds. They couldn't.
The best solution while waiting was probably to do rounds. Walk around the restaurant, then loop around the block and repeat until he showed or EXALT did. Even if she missed him the first time, she knew he wouldn't leave until he'd at least looked around the area. Win-win for everyone, she killed time and didn't look suspicious, and allowed him time to come in anytime.
So she walked.
Every time she finished going around the restaurant, her eyes looking for any sign of him, she just kept her eyes on the ground and tried making sense of the chaos of minds around her. Shouting, whispering, screaming, the voices just existed and fought for her attention. She was now able to block them mostly at will, but opening herself up was almost overwhelming.
She could usually pinpoint a specific mind if she had visual contact of the person, she wasn't sure why, but it was almost impossible to pinpoint someone through this maze of meaningless noise and density. But in the end, she wasn't caring that much about the voices specifically, she was reaching for emotions.
She wasn't being hunted by mercenaries or murderers driven by revenge. She was being hunted by professionals and professionals were cold. They didn't subject themselves to the emotions of civilians, military ones even more so. That's what she was watching for. Cold, focused and dutiful.
It helped that she'd gotten a sense of what actual EXALT soldiers felt, which was distinctly different than regular people. They were still human, but often had a far different mindset. It was a strength and weakness she intended to exploit. EXALT was too professional for its own good.
She reached the restaurant again, and scanned the parking lot for his car. Still nothing. She sighed and looked into the restaurant as much as she could. She didn't see him in there either, though that made sense. Why would he go in now? There was no way she'd go inside for a meal.
She shook her head and kept walking around the block. It felt like hours had passed but in reality it was likely only a handful of minutes. An hour at most, no reason to start worrying yet. Though it might be a good idea to vary up her route a bit. If someone was watching, they might wonder why a strange woman was continuously walking around in a circle.
She still didn't sense anything-
"[Annette?]"
She froze.
The voice came from just behind her. She took a second to sense the mind behind her. It was emitting restrained hope, concern and happiness all at once. She didn't sense anything malicious. Shaking slightly, she turned around and saw him under the light of a lamppost. Latrell was simply wearing his "off-duty" uniform that was a black leather jacket holding his concealed pistol, jeans and military boots.
She'd never been happier to see anyone in her life.
She ran towards him and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He instantly hugged her back and they stayed that way for a few seconds. "[You made it,]" she whispered. "[You made it.]"
"[Told you I would,]" he whispered back. "[I was seriously considering coming after you before you sent your message.]"
She reluctantly let go and stepped back, beaming with joy she hadn't felt for months. "[I told you to trust me to find you.]"
He smiled at that, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "[I know,]" he admitted. "[But right now I don't care. I'm so glad you're safe.]"
And with that reality came crashing in. "[We're not safe,]" she told him urgently. "[Where are you parked?]"
He took her hand in his own. "[Right this way,]" he said as they started walking. "[I managed to get a squad car so we shouldn't get stopped by police.]"
She wasn't sure that was the best idea, but refrained from telling him that at the moment. "[Just take me home.]"
He gave her hand a squeeze. "[Don't worry, no one is taking you again.]"
She smiled up at him at that. Even if she wasn't as certain, it was sweet and she felt a lot more confident with someone else at her side. "[You actually grew your beard out.]"
He blinked, clearly not expecting that. "[Oh, yeah. I suppose you wouldn't have known.]"
Before everything had happened, he'd been considering it and she'd told him she'd only support it if he actually put some effort into it. Since his black beard was very neat, it seemed that he'd followed her advice, even without her there. Perhaps a way of remembrance, she thought suddenly. After all, she'd been assumed dead.
But it suited him very well, softening his otherwise sharper features, though it couldn't negate the piercing quality of his eyes that unsettled so many people. Combined with his height and position, he sometimes made for an intimidating figure. Now though, she figured that might come in handy.
They finally reached the car and he let go of her hand when his eyes narrowed, then widened as he looked at her hand. "[What happened to your hand,]" he asked incredulously, taking it again much more gingerly.
Oh. In everything that happened, she'd forgotten that her hands and arms looked like. She was so used to it by now that she hadn't thought to consider Latrell's reaction. "[It's not as bad as it looks…]" she began as he gently pushed up the sleeve of her jacket.
"[The fuck it's not,]" he growled, growing visibly angry and flush as he looked at her warped and scarred skin. "[What did they do-]"
She took his hand off her. "[I'll tell you everything,]" she said, glancing around. "[But let's just start driving.]"
He nodded quickly several times and they both got into the car. Annette took off the jacket, so he could see the extent of the damage that went up to her shoulders. She hadn't checked, but she was fairly certain that it was starting to reach her upper chest and neck as well. But she could still function, so she'd ignored it for the moment.
"[It's going to be long,]" she warned as Latrell started driving.
"[It's an eight hour drive,]" he answered, looking straight ahead. "[We've got time.]"
Annette took a breath.
Then began talking, first describing how she'd been kidnapped and taken away by strange people. People she hadn't learned the identity of for months. Then described the months of torture by drugs she'd gone through. She didn't leave any details out, Latrell dealt with this kind of stuff frequently.
Though never with people he loved.
The more she talked, the more furious he got. His hands were almost white with splotches of red from gripping the wheel so hard. It reflected what she sensed from him, a building righteous fury that wasn't going to go away anytime soon.
"[Then came the first time they said the date,]" Annette continued, getting more into recent events. She looked out the window at the peaceful countryside, so different than what she'd been through. "[I hoped it was the end, that whatever drug they were planning to test would actually kill me and end it for good.]"
She shook her head. "[At fate would have it, it didn't. But at the time I wish it had," she motioned toward her head. "[It felt as though my brain was being split open, I could hear things, voices screaming at me. Inside my head, at first I thought I was going insane.]"
"[Clearly not the case,]" Latrell commented tensely.
"[No,]" Annette agreed, wondering how well he was going to take this. "[I wasn't going insane, but that drug did something to me. It…gave me abilities. Abilities that shouldn't be possible.]"
Latrell glanced over. "[Like what?]"
"[It's going to sound crazy,]" Annette began hesitantly. "[But…I can control people's minds. Those voices were real, and they were actual people. I could hear their thoughts.]"
Latrell blinked, his mouth parting slightly. "[So…that means right now…]"
"[Not exactly,]" she sighed. "[I can sense what you're feeling; what your general intentions are. But I can't really actually read your mind. It's too much all at once. The amount is just overwhelming.]"
"[Is that how you escaped?]" Latrell guessed cautiously.
"[I'm getting to that,]" Annette said, looking at him. "[But yes, it was. It's not the only thing I can do, either.]"
Latrell gave a humorless laugh. "[How could you possibly top reading minds?]"
"[I can summon some kind of energy,]" Annette explained, flexing her wrist as she looked down at the warped flesh. "And…well, I can use it as a weapon.]"
She raised her arm. "[But it's painful. This wasn't from EXALT. This was from using psionics.]"
"[Psionics?]"
"[What EXALT calls these abilities,]" Annette explained. "[I guess this is what they were testing for all along. I wasn't the only one either.]" She continued telling him about the other test subjects, the Furies, and her eventual escape by sneaking out on their cargo plane.
"[You know the rest,]" she finished wearily, shrinking into her seat. "[That's my story.]"
He shook his head in disbelief. "[I…don't know what to say. What can I say to that?]"
"[Hey,]" Annette hushed. "[Just being here is enough.]"
"[It doesn't feel like that,]" he continued, raw anger coloring his voice. "[EXALT needs to be destroyed for what they did to you. At the minimum.]"
"[We need to focus on escaping EXALT before destroying them,]" Annette interrupted. "[No one wants that more than me. But they are more powerful, widespread and influential than the two of us.]"
"[There had to be something,]" he insisted. "[They can't control everything.]"
Annette swallowed. "[They do have one enemy. You know XCOM?]"
He nodded. "[Everyone does. Are you saying-]"
"[Yes,]" she finished. "[XCOM is EXALT's enemy.]"
Latrell whistled. "[Good riddance,]" he muttered. "[I hope they kill them all.]"
"[Yes,]" Annette agreed. "[But we can't wait for that to happen. We need to contact XCOM. Get asylum. Protection.]"
"[Good idea,]" Latrell agreed hesitantly, pursing his lips. "[Except that almost no one knows how to contact XCOM. You'd have better luck trying to contact the SEALs than them.]"
"[There has to be some way,]" Annette insisted.
Latrell opened his mouth a few seconds before speaking. "[There…might be. XCOM is allied with Germany and Israel…maybe someone there knows how to contact XCOM.]"
Annette felt hope rising again in her. "[Yes!]"
"[Don't celebrate so quickly,]" Latrell cautioned. "[I doubt anyone but the highest levels of government know how-]"
"[Then we go to them!]" Annette stated firmly, her gaze hardening as she glanced out the window.
"[How are we going to get to people like Nowinski of Habicht?]" Latrell asked, trying not to sound skeptical to her. "[People like us don't get access like that.]"
She narrowed her eyebrows and formed her left hand into a fist and drew on the power to manifest itself. Her skin burst as the swirling purple energy converged around her forearm and wrist and converged into a ball of energy in her hand.
Latrell gaped at that, staring at it in disbelief, clearly not sure how to process this. "[I am not most people,]" she stated, the power doubling her voice like usual. "[We are not. I will take control of their minds if forced, but I will not be captured by EXALT again. Even if I must control the Prime Minister himself]"
She released her hold on the energy and it faded away, leaving her arm red, torn and in pain. But she'd endured it before and would do it again for however long it took. She took a deep breath. "[Are you alright with this?]"
He gave a sharp nod. "[Whatever it takes. We should plan a bit more at my house. If we're going to do this, it can't be random. I need to know exactly what you can do. But get some sleep now. You really need it.]"
Annette nodded, that sounded like a good plan. Sleep was something she desperately needed, and with her life not immediately in danger, she quickly drifted off to sleep, knowing Latrell would be watching over her.
The Citadel, Office of the Commander
There were some disadvantages to his new strength that hadn't exactly been apparent beforehand. Namely that he had to handle certain delicate objects, like glasses, more carefully otherwise he'd accidentally shatter them in his hand. It wasn't as though he was that stressed or angry when it'd happened. Best he could tell, he'd just squeezed a bit too hard without thinking and it had shattered.
Lesson learned, and now he was more conscious of handling delicate objects.
Carmelita had successfully undergone genetic modification, and seemed to be enjoying her newfound abilities. Vahlen was using this as an opportunity to get some more data on the limits of the modification, which she happily obliging.
In a few more days, Mordecai, Sarah and Samuel would undergo the treatment, and right now he was looking to expand the roster a few more. Creed, several of the new CT operatives, probably Leonid and Veronika, and probably Patricia. He'd wondered if her psionics would interfere somehow, but Vahlen had assured him that they had nothing to worry about since they weren't modifying the brain itself.
He'd also made inquiries into possibly letting Myra undergo the modification for the secondary heart. That was really only the part which could be modified since her eyesight was mechanically enhanced and the majority of her limbs replaced with metallic prosthetics. Shen had said that while the skeleton had been reinforced with mechanical implants, the organs themselves were unchanged, so it should be possible.
And if this good string of luck held out, in a few more days they'd have a few more soldiers to undergo the MEC procedure. Bradford and Van Doorn had identified some potential candidates, and they would be brought to the Citadel soon.
He'd been relatively surprised that the Council had been quiet through the whole leaked video incident. The fact that they'd not commented on it at all either meant they'd finally accepted that he had things under control or they were getting ready to depose him, the former he thought was more likely. It was probably only because of the quick response though, any later and the Council would likely be jumping all over him.
Now though, there were new concerns. With XCOM finally using the MELD, he'd actually have to pay attention to their stores. They had an enormous surplus now, but they'd need to raid a few more UFOs to keep that same stockpile. They weren't concerned about running out yet, but a few months down the line might be a different story.
But now he was more focused on the future. Of XCOM, the Council, United Nations and humanity itself. There were a few more countries that he was looking to forming alliances with, and that was highlighting a potential issue in the future. The funding that XCOM was getting from this was good, but it wasn't going to be enough.
XCOM wasn't large enough to wage a full-scale war against the aliens. That was a hard, irrefutable fact that pressed down upon him. No matter how much funding they received, no matter how much they progressed scientifically, even if they rivaled the aliens themselves, it wouldn't be enough, not on its own.
The solution wasn't hard. The varying nations had to unite.
Humanity had to unite.
Unfortunately, easier said than done. The only chance they had was one, single, united military comprised of the majority of nations in the world, directed with the sole purpose of pushing back the aliens. The countries they were allied with now would try to use the tech as best they could, but they were isolated, restricted and ultimately not a threat on their own.
In theory, that was what the purpose of the United Nations should have been. An actual power instead of a toothless congress. But since the UN wasn't like that, it complicated things.
He didn't wanted a new United Nations converging around him, with XCOM in charge. It would look like a power grab, and would make relations worse for everyone. Not to mention he didn't want to be in charge of an army or organization that large. It wasn't his strength, and there were plenty of competent generals and admirals to choose from.
But the biggest reason was that he wanted XCOM to be independent of any political body. If they pushed back the aliens, after that a new political fight would break out, centered around XCOM and the alien tech. Many might see the need to break up XCOM to the major countries, same with the alien tech.
Unfortunately for them, he wouldn't let that happen. He had plans for XCOM, and plans to solve the issue of the inevitable full-scale invasion that would be coming soon.
Ironically, it was thanks to Israel that he was writing this new document now. He'd have to share that with Nowinski when the time finally came.
A beeping light indicated someone was outside. He unlocked the door, cocking his head as he tried to think who'd be coming now. To his knowledge, nothing was scheduled. Probably one of the soldiers.
He ended up being correct, though it was not just one soldier. Two. Patricia and Creed walked in, Patricia clearly uneasy about something and Creed as stoic as usual. He really was a lot bigger than her, and Patricia wasn't a small woman.
He minimized the tab he was working on and turned to face them. "Patricia, Creed," he greeted, nodding to each of them. "What can I do for you?"
Both of them exchanged a look, Creed motioning with his eyes that she should continue. Interesting. Very few things could rattle Patricia, so whatever this was, it was important. "You told me to update you on any developments with my psionics," Patricia began, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Well, there had been."
Ah, now that made more sense. There were only a few reasons for her apprehension, all of which had positives, negatives and security risks. He raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
"I was practicing on Creed," Patricia began, nodding towards him. "I've been getting clearer…messages, I guess, over the past week or so. I can hear actual thoughts, images, stuff you'd expect. I thought to try it on him."
The fact that she was getting better passively was news in it of itself. Even if it seemed to be random, it was making Patricia either very useful, or very dangerous. Fortunately, he didn't feel he had to worry much with her. She was trustworthy. "Since you're here, I assume it was successful?" He asked, shooting his gaze up at Creed quickly. "She read your mind."
"Not just that," Patricia clarified. "I changed it."
The Commander leaned forward. That was interesting. There was no way Patricia, or Creed for that matter, was lying. He would have picked up on their facial cues. "When you say changed…"
"I mean I put what I wanted in his head and he didn't know," Patricia finished grimly.
The Commander looked at both of them. Well then. He wasn't overly surprised by this new development. Once Patricia had told him she could sense feelings, and sometimes voices and thoughts, he figured it was only a matter of time before she could read minds, and then it followed that she'd be able to alter them. "Interesting."
Creed made a sort of choking noise in his throat. "Interesting?"
"You have another word for it?" The Commander asked, raising an eyebrow. "Useful would be another. Though you're probably focusing on concerning, or dangerous. Both of which are true."
"You know, for some reason I thought you would be surprised," Patricia commented incredulously. "But…you're not. Curious yes, but not surprised."
"I figured it would happen sooner or later," the Commander commented, cocking his head at her. "That was what you've been working towards, yes? I knew you'd figure it out eventually, and altering minds would soon come after. Though I will say I didn't expect it to happen at the same time."
"She's concerned about potential abuse," Creed finally stated, almost sighing. "That's what's bothering her. She could likely do this to you as well."
"Probably," the Commander agreed, seeing where her concern was. All it really did was reinforce his decision to let her continue. Potential abusers of power didn't tell stuff like this, and certainly didn't worry about it. "But unless you've changed significantly since our last talk, then I don't see any reason to worry. You're not going to suddenly turn on us, are you?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Right," the Commander nodded. "So then I don't see a reason to worry and you shouldn't either. I'd suggest honing those talents to use on the aliens and EXALT."
"Told you," Creed muttered to her.
"Alright," she breathed, glancing over at him, then back to the Commander. "But I needed to tell you that."
"Yes you did," he agreed. "And thank you for that."
"You too as well, Commander," she said, saluting him and inclining her head. "Thank you for understanding and trusting me."
"You've earned it," the Commander nodded. "We'll likely need you soon, so be ready. Dismissed. You as well, Creed. Watch out for her."
He gave a small smile. "Of course, Commander." Than he saluted and left the room with Patricia.
Despite what he'd said, Patricia did have a very valid concern about the abuse of psionics. There would be more eventually, and he likely wouldn't trust them nearly as much. There had to be some kind of counter to them, beyond him being psionic himself, which was a reasons he'd started Vahlen working on her own personal Manchurian Candidate project.
He wasn't blind to the dangers psionics caused. But he wasn't going to act out of fear or irrationality. No, this problem would be solved the same as any other. Efficiently, logically and definitively. He'd give Vahlen some time, and if nothing came of it, then he might have to look into other methods to curb psionic abuse.
But in the meantime, he was going to use Patricia to her fullest potential.
The Citadel, XCOM Intelligence Control
If his past visits to Zhang's office unannounced were any indication, there was a high chance he'd be sending in Patricia sooner than he thought. Zhang apparently had some new information that he'd stressed was "very useful" to put it bluntly, and asked him to come down right away.
The doors hissed open and Zhang was standing in front of a lit holotable showing what looked like an air base of some kind. His Intelligence Director was looking at a tablet, though it was angled so that he couldn't see exactly what was on it. A second later Zhang looked up and set it down. "Commander, good."
"What's the situation?" The Commander demanded as he strode over to get a closer look at the hologram.
"EXALT accidentally revealed themselves," Zhang answered, managing to sound smug and neutral at the same time. Everything about him projected satisfaction.
The Commander rested his hands on the holotable and looked up at Zhang. "Go on."
"A little over a week ago, some suspected EXALT agents started moving all at once," Zhang continued, clasping his hands behind his back. "All of them, which is strange to begin with. I'm not exactly sure what prompted that, but it allowed us to pinpoint a few more potential operatives, and thanks to that, we were able to trace one such operative back to an unmarked airstrip guarded by our friend from Russia."
He picked up his tablet and handed it to the Commander. "My agent was able to get these images, and based on them we have this holographic reconstruction here."
Zhang was right about it definitely being an EXALT facility. These soldiers appeared to be the same ones from Russia, wearing red bandannas and appearing so very professional. These ones did seem a little more armored, similar to the ones they'd encountered in Mexico.
"This seems to be a little more important than Russia," the Commander noted as he scrolled through the pictures. "Have you pinpointed the number of soldiers?"
"Between twenty and thirty," Zhang concluded. "There might be more inside we don't know about, not all combat-trained either. But you're seeing images from a couple days ago. EXALT has been making their own tech leaps in the meantime."
The Commander swiped forward, then raised an eyebrow. "It appears they managed to develop lasers. I suppose it was only a matter of time."
"Unfortunate that they won't have time to enjoy their new weaponry," Zhang commented dryly. "They were only one step behind us."
The Commander smiled at that. "I think our soldiers will enjoy displaying the new Gauss weapons to them. Not to mention our armor can take sustained laser blasts. Theirs can't."
"We can attack from virtually any angle," Zhang told him, motioning at the hologram. "The warehouse is unprotected, and the majority of soldiers are at the front."
"There isn't much cover," the Commander noted, looking at the airstrip. "That could be a problem."
"Not if we hit hard and fast," Zhang pointed out. "They're just as limited, and our Gauss weapons might bypass the cover entirely. If they can punch through alien steel, a few metal boxes might not be as safe as they think."
The Commander appraised the hologram. "How many soldiers are usually guarding the front?"
"I've been told as many as twelve or as few as six," Zhang answered, frowning. "Though I'm not sure it matters much. If the fighting starts, it'll draw all of them out."
The Commander's lips curled into a smile. "That's what I'm counting on. This is what we'll do."
The Citadel, Barracks
"So where are you placed in the Atlas Protocol?" Samuel asked as he moved a piece across the board. He picked up a card. "Everyone pay me fifty."
There were suppressed groans and cursing as everyone forked over the fifty dollars to a very smug Samuel. "I hate that card," Blake muttered. "You've got enough properties without stealing more of our money."
Soran smirked at that. Samuel had suggested that some of them play one of the board games that were stacked on one of the shelves. It soon became quickly apparent why Samuel had suggested Monopoly, because he was really good at it.
Though Soran wasn't far behind. This marked the first time he'd actually played the game and was surprised how much he was enjoying it. It was just the right mix of strategy, bluffing and luck. Not an easy feat, and it helped that the objective of the game was pretty simple, but subtle.
"They've got me as part of the Mission Control response team," Soran answered as he rolled the dice. "They might have changed that since the new soldiers showed up. You?"
"Same," Samuel answered as he organized his money. "I'd imagine that would be one of the more vulnerable points in the Citadel."
"They've got me in the Research Labs," Blake added, watching with dismay as Soran landed on Free Parking and collected the not-insignificant sum in the middle. "I guess since I know that area best."
"Probably," Shun agreed, appraising the board. "They seem to be trying to play to our strengths."
"Makes sense," Samuel nodded. "Where are you?"
Shun leaned forward and grabbed the dice. "I'm hangar defense," she answered as she rolled the dice. Soran crossed his arms as she moved her piece.
"Pay up," he prodded, since she had a habit of trying to get out of paying rent by casually passing the dice to the next person.
She grimaced and almost tossed the colored money to him. "This is such an awful game."
Blake rolled his eyes. "Only because you're not winning."
"It's not helping," Shun agreed, looking at her properties. "Soran, want to trade?"
He cocked his head. "For what?"
She motioned to his property cards. "St. James for Oriental?"
Soran snorted. "Come on, you really think I'm going to fall for that. Counter-offer, Indiana for Oriental."
Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
He had to smile at that. "Well, yeah. We either both get a monopoly or none of us do. And if neither of us do soon, he," he motioned to Samuel. "Is going to force us to go bankrupt."
"Over the next few days," Blake muttered.
"The point is that we can either continue losing money, or take a chance," Soran continued. "Your move."
She scowled for a few minutes, then finally muttered. "Fine," and handed over Indiana and he gave her Oriental. Suppressing a smile, he placed the card into his completed monopoly. Perfect, now he arguably had the lead. A few rounds of him not landing on Samuel's gauntlet of houses, and he could create his own gauntlet.
Afterwards, he had to hope Blake landed on everything bad, and once he landed on his properties, leverage the remainder of the green properties off him to complete a second lethal gauntlet.
Things were coming together nicely-
His good mood was cut off as his wristband buzzed. He glanced over to see Samuel's also vibrating. Both of them exchanged a look and stood. "Sorry," Samuel apologized as he made his way to his locker. "Duty calls."
"Good luck," Blake called out.
It only took them a few minutes to get fully suited up. Once Soran put his helmet on and let the HUD initialize, he grabbed the new Gauss rifle that had been distributed to all the soldiers. It had been emphasized that both weapons had their strengths and weaknesses, but he was curious to try the newest XCOM tech.
The armory itself had also been revamped, with a much larger assortment of weapons and gear that hadn't really been available before. He'd decided to bring an additional med-kit in case it was needed, and several AP grenades as well. The Gauss rifle was much heavier than the laser rifle, but it seemed a lot…sturdier, for lack of a better word.
This was a solid weapon, and felt like a solid weapon. He'd shot it a few times and it was without a doubt the most powerful weapon he'd wielded.
Actually….no, that was incorrect.
One of the most powerful.
Satisfying. It was the most satisfying weapon he'd wielded. Ballistic-based weaponry had an element of force that just couldn't be replicated with plasma and laser weapons. Samuel had also chosen to try out the heavier Gauss rifle, the heavier variant of the Gauss assault rifle. Both of them had opted to retain their laser pistols, however.
With both of them geared up, they both exchanged a look. "Ready?" Soran asked.
Samuel gripped his rifle. "Always. Let's go."
Both of them jogged to the hanger, the route so ingrained in them now that it only took them a few minutes to actually arrive. There were several others already there, two of them he'd never seen before along with Galia. All of them were looking up at the ceiling for some reason.
"Is there are reason you're all looking up?" Samuel prodded humorously as they approached. "Distractions aren't good before a mission."
"Just look," one of them stated, definitely a Russian from his accent.
Soran looked up wondering if a balloon had floated up or something, and immediately took a step back as he saw an XCOM soldier hanging from one of the beams on the ceiling.
How the…it had to be at least twenty feet high, if she, yes, it looked like a woman. If she was stuck, why wasn't anyone-"
"Believe me now?" She called down.
Carmelita. That had to be her voice. But how was she..? "Soran? Samuel? Glad you could see this demonstration."
"This is unnatural," Galia muttered. Since he didn't know exactly what was going on, he couldn't exactly comment. Though he was a little unnerved by how easily she'd been able to identify them. At that range it should have been borderline impossible, especially with their armor.
"Coming down," she called out. "Stand back!"
Soran frowned under his helmet. What was-
He suppressed a shout as Carmelita casually let go and dropped twenty feet directly to the ground. Samuel made a move to go forward, but Soran put an arm out stopping him. There was clearly something they were missing. Carmelita wasn't what he considered the most stable of women, but she wasn't stupid and definitely wasn't suicidal.
She hit the ground with a loud thud, her knees slightly bent before standing up straight. How the hell. "You should probably explain what we missed," Soran stated tonelessly. "Like how you did…that."
"Genetic modification," Carmelita explained as she walked up. "New XCOM program. I can see the writing on that wall across the room, have another heart to help me survive, and can jump and survive fatal distances."
"Wow." Samuel commented, sounding torn between awe and shock.
Very interesting. "I suspect this will come in handy," Soran commented, looking to see if there were any obvious physical changes. After a second of looking, he couldn't tell from the armor.
"Oh, I'm very much looking forward to testing them out," Carmelita said as she flexed her wrist and fingers. Her tone was uncomfortably eager as she reached for the rifle on her back.
"And here I thought this would be a relatively uneventful transfer," one of the Russians muttered. "Well then," he turned to Samuel and Soran. "Pavel Maxim," he motioned to the man beside him. "That's Alexei. Both of us Russian Counter-Terrorism agents."
"CT agents," Samuel confirmed. "Nice. Glad you're joining the fight."
"Here I thought that Aluma would get all the attention," Galia muttered as she walked up to join their impromptu circle. Soran looked down to see her dog in…armor. Actual armor.
Samuel also looked down, then quickly looked back up. "I feel I stepped into some alternate timeline where really weird stuff starts happening."
Alexei snorted. "Welcome to XCOM, I guess. A lot odder than I expected."
The hanger doors hissed open and Patricia, Myra and another new soldier walked through. Fallen Sky was also with them, already suited up. It was going to be different now that the skyrangers could hold eight soldiers instead of six. Add in Myra and this strike force got a lot more powerful.
The fact that Myra was also coming told him that this was going to be an important mission. "Load up!" Patricia called, the Gauss Autocannon on her back almost half her size. "We've got some EXALT soldiers to kill!"
"Yes, Overseer!" They called out and quickly boarded the skyranger.
Skyranger, En route to LZ
"Everyone, this is Jamali, ISOF operative," Patricia introduced once they were seated. "Pavel and Alexei, yes?" She asked the two CT agents.
"Correct, Overseer," Pavel confirmed, inclining his head.
"Good," she continued, all business. "I'm Patricia, former Royal Marine. I've been fighting the aliens and EXALT since the beginning. Follow my orders and there won't be issues, got it?"
"Yes, Overseer!" The affirmed.
ISOF. Hmm, he wasn't completely sure, but he thought that was the Iraqi special forces branch. Interesting that they were contributing to XCOM, though he supposed it wasn't unexpected. "What's the op, Overseer?" Samuel asked.
"I'll leave that to the Commander," Patricia answered firmly. "Carmelita, I understand you've undergone genetic modification. Since I don't know you're full capabilities, I'll let you suggest how best to utilize yourself."
"That won't be a problem, Overseer," Carmelita assured her.
"You will have an important role for this one, Specialist Alba," the voice of the Commander interrupted. "One suited to your new abilities."
"We're listening, Commander," Samuel said.
"Then listen, Piston Team," the Commander continued. "You're headed for a Japanese EXALT facility. We're not sure what they're guarding, but it appears to be an airstrip, possibly storing equipment or weapons there. You will deploy and wipe them out."
"Opposition?" Alexei asked, fiddling with his Gauss pistol.
"Director Zhang estimates between twenty to thirty armed soldiers," the Commander answered. "That is not taking into account additional forces that might be inside the warehouse itself. Also be aware that they have laser weaponry, and we're acting on the assumption that it's as powerful as ours. Take appropriate precautions."
"Understood," Patricia confirmed. "Are we to recover anything from the warehouse or area?"
"EXALT is utilizing alien technology. I'd prefer that it was not damaged, should they be housing anything. But this is not a recover op, Overseer. Don't damage the computers, though they'll likely wipe them once we hit."
"Some of the staff are likely to be workers," Soran pointed out. "What do we do if we encounter them?"
"Take them captive if possible," the Commander ordered. "If they attack, kill them. I will leave them to your discretion. Captives are useful, but not necessary."
Quite honestly, Soran wasn't completely convinced the merciful thing to do was capture EXALT workers. He got the impression that the Commander wouldn't extend the normal rights that came with POWs. But EXALT were traitors to humanity, and likely to the aliens in the future as well, so he didn't exactly feel bad about killing them.
Patricia set a small black device on the floor of the skyranger and pressed a button on the side. It flashed and a miniature hologram of what Soran assumed was the mission area appeared. It was very basic, but he could clearly make out the airstrip and warehouse.
"The area around is open," Patricia said, pointing at the open spaces. "We're not sure how much cover will be there, but we'll have to make do."
"And if there is none?" Samuel asked, looking up at her.
"Carmelita will scout ahead," the Commander said. "We'll know the terrain before the attack. The cover of darkness will also help."
"I'll keep to the woods," Carmelita said, resting her forearms on her legs. "You'll have what you need before the attack."
"Once we know what we're facing, we'll attack from the front," Patricia pointing to the airstrip area in front of the warehouse. "We'll entrench here, and draw as many out as possible."
"Draw out?" Jamali asked, sounding puzzled.
"We want to direct all their attention to the front," the Commander continued. "Keep them contained in the area in front of the warehouse. Don't let them flank you. We have the technological advantage here."
"I assume Carmelita will join later?" Samuel guessed.
"She will," the Commander confirmed, sounding pleased. "But her role will be to keep them from scattering. Once the fighting starts, she'll jump onto the roof and wait for the majority of EXALT forces to converge. You have the symbiote grenades and rifle, use them to pin EXALT there."
Soran looked over at the odd rifle. He'd not taken a closer look, but it was clearly not Gauss, laser or ballistic. The barrel was much too wide and it had quite a few more tubes on it than normal. "Symbiote?" He asked, looking around.
"You know the green stuff the aliens put in their abduction pods?" Carmelita asked, pulling out a pure black grenade-like ball. "This is XCOM's version. EXALT won't be able to get out of this easily."
He was curious why XCOM wasn't using that more, it seemed a really useful weapon, if a bit risky to use in that it wasn't lethal and might miss. "Got it."
"That should be enough to wipe out the majority of EXALT soldiers," the Commander finished. "The rest will likely retreat to within the warehouse."
There was one major piece that was missing here. "Is Myra going to come down with the initial attack?" Soran asked.
"The plan is to wait until the attack is in full swing," Patricia answered, pointing towards a highlighted area on the hologram. "Once Carmelita strikes, Gray Sky will drop Myra right in the middle of them."
Soran's lip curled up. Clever and effective. "Good to know."
"I assume EXALT will have means to secure the warehouse beyond the ordinary," the Commander continued. "They'll likely try to force you into a choke point. Patricia, can you disrupt them?"
Soran frowned at that, since he wasn't really sure how she could do anything the rest of them couldn't. "I can," she assured the Commander. "As long as there are few distractions."
Right. Except that she was psionic. She must have improved if she was being ordered to use her abilities. Samuel also seemed initially confused. "How could you disrupt them from outside?"
She shrugged. "I'm psionic."
Almost everyone except Soran and the new soldiers leaned back or started in surprise. "You're what?" Samuel demanded, sounding more confused than angry.
"Psionic," she repeated neutrally. "I'll tell you the full thing later if you want, but all that you need to know now is that I can use it against EXALT and the aliens."
Carmelita whistled. "Wow."
"I've actually stepped into bizarro world," Samuel muttered. "You know about this, Soran?"
He pursed his lips. "I suspected."
"Overseer Trask's psionic abilities are known and are not a danger to you," the Commander interjected, his voice firm even through the speakers. "Do not let this disrupt the mission. Good luck. Citadel Command, out."
The line clicked dead. "I wondered if humans could ever use psionic abilities," Pavel said, looking over at Patricia. "I guess I was right. How did it happen?"
"By accident," was her curt response. "Like I said, I'll explain it later if you're really interested."
Apparently no one was going to ask the basic question of what she could actually do. Probably because no one wanted to know exactly what she could do when they were heading into a battle. Much harder to focus on the enemy when you were wondering if your superior could read your thoughts.
Soran wasn't overly concerned. Patricia was a reasonable and honorable woman. She wouldn't intentionally read their minds, but not everyone would be so trusting. An issue for later.
After a while, the lights flashed to a solid red and the voice of Fallen Sky came on. "This is Fallen Sky to Piston Team, we're coming in for a landing. Stand by."
Soran felt them dip sharply and slowly lose acceleration. Gripping his rifle, he waited for the order. "Prepare to deploy!" Patricia ordered, standing and taking the front, ready to charge out. Soran took a position behind her, Samuel to his side as they all stood ready as the skyranger got ever closer to the ground.
With a final shake, they hit the ground and the ramp deployed with a hiss. Soran was instantly hit with a burst of rain as it opened, showing a forest receiving the full force of an unexpected thunderstorm.
Good thing Shen had made these things waterproof.
"Deploy!" Patricia ordered and they charged out into the pelting rain to bring retribution on EXALT.
Japan
"I would have thought they would have mentioned the rain," Jamali commented as they walked through the sheets of white water coming down upon them, dripping off their armor and weapons.
"Citadel Command likes to surprise us sometimes," Patricia answered, stopping suddenly as she raised a fist. "Hold."
They all stopped and raised their weapons. Soran could see his map showed that they were approaching the facility. "Carmelita," Patricia looked towards the woman by her side. "Go."
"Yes, Overseer," Carmelita saluted and charged off to the right into the woods at full speed, leaving them behind within the woods. Soran wasn't all that bothered by the rain, the armor was sealed enough that he really didn't feel the wetness, at least not yet.
Patricia turned back to the rest of the squad. "We'll wait for her to get into position, then we'll march straight until we reach the open field. Remember, we want them to notice us."
He could hear the grin in Samuel's voice. "I wonder what they'll be thinking."
Alexei rested his rifle on his shoulder. "What any soldier should feel when they see seven heavily armored soldiers walking towards them in the rain. Fear."
Soran wasn't exactly convinced that EXALT soldiers would have that particular response, that was what he'd expect from normal militaries or police forces. Then again, these might not be EXALT soldiers proper, they might just be guards, not used to combat.
Not that it would matter in the end.
They waited a few minutes until Carmelita's voice spoke on the comms. "I'm in position, Overseer. Initiate squadsight protocol."
"Copy," Patricia answered and each of them clicked the gear on their helmets that allowed them to sync with another soldier's feed. Soran opted for full conversion instead of overlay. His HUD flashed and he saw the real-life version of the holographic area he'd seen earlier.
Fortunately, there seemed to be quite a bit of supplied out in the open, stationed out along the airstrip in neat and symmetrical squares. EXALT were too meticulous for their own good. It would provide plenty of cover for their assault. Tarps had been placed over them, likely due to the storm, which flapped in the wind with every new sheet of rain that came down.
There were few guards, as was expected during a storm like this. Eight of the EXALT guards stood in groups of two relatively close to the warehouse, four of them actually guarding the door, the rest by various crates of supplies. All of them looked thoroughly miserable.
"Shoddy security," Galia muttered, shaking her head. "You'd think they would guard the entire perimeter, not just the front."
"They probably did in the beginning," Soran guessed as he shut off the squadsight. "But they likely got tired of it and saw no need. After all, who would attack them?"
"They're about to find out," Patricia stated as she began walking. "Keep close for the moment and make no sudden movements. Let's see how close we can get."
They walked through the woods, stepping over wet branches and slick foliage as they made their way silently to the end. Mud caking their boots, already washing off from the rain, they stepped out onto an open field, the grass slick with rain. Up ahead Soran could see the concrete airstrip and warehouse.
"Move forward in formation," Patricia ordered, her voice hard as she raised her Gauss autorifle. "Weapons ready and march. Do not fire until they do."
Soran raised his rifle as did the rest of them, Samuel to his right and Patricia to his left. Side by side they marched forward through the pelting rain and midnight moon. The grass softened their footsteps and the rain drowned out any other noise they made.
Soran could now see the EXALT guards, though they didn't seem to notice the soldiers approaching them yet. Soran lined up a shot on the closest one, the blonde-haired man fiddling with his soaked red bandanna. He wouldn't have to worry about that much longer.
"Wait for it…." Patricia growled as they finally stepped onto the tarmac.
"嘿!" Someone called from the warehouse. The EXALT guards looked over towards them now, already reaching for their weapons as they realized they were under attack.
"Open fire!" Patricia ordered and their weapons flashed red as Gauss-powered projectiles sped through the rain to strike the exposed guards. Soran's aim was true and he blinked as the round he'd aimed at the guard's head not only killed him, but virtually shattered the head from the nose up.
The area lit up with red beams as EXALT began firing back with their laser weapons. Soran and Samuel charged towards the nearest cover and began firing back. EXALT had also scattered towards cover and began exchanging their own fire.
Soran raised his weapon and surveyed the situation. "Two across from us!" He called out, shooting a few rounds in their direction which missed. Now more EXALT soldiers were coming out of the warehouse. "More coming!"
"I see them," Patricia growled as she sprayed weapon fire across the field, forcing all the soldiers to either duck into cover or dive onto the ground. Several screams rang out as Alexei and Galia scored hits on the soldiers.
Soran heard Galia yell something in Hebrew and Aluma charged out from behind cover towards a trio of EXALT guards running up. They all shouted in surprise as the enraged German Shepard leapt at one of them and began tearing his throat out. The two soldiers stumbled back and raised their weapons, clearly not sure if they wanted to fire for fear of hitting their comrade.
Their decision was cut short as Gauss rounds from Galia and Jamali hit them both in the chest and head and they collapsed to the ground. Aluma finished, her muzzle caked with blood and charged back to Galia's position.
"Soran! We've got more coming!" Samuel yelled as he shot a few more times at the EXALT soldiers who were using that portable cover to entrench themselves further.
"I see it," Soran acknowledged as he looked out of cover, unflinching as laser beams sped by his face. "Targeting the far left."
If the specs on these weapons were correct, the Gauss weapons should punch right through their shield. He targeted the center of the cover the EXALT guard had put up in front of her and fired a short burst. The rounds tore through and she fell to the ground, screaming and blood coming out of her chest as she called for help in Chinese.
"One down," Soran called out, as yet more soldiers came out of the warehouse. There had to be at least fifteen now, excluding corpses. Now through, they were entrenched and the firefight had stabilized to a degree. Now all they needed was Carmelita and Myra. A glint through the rain caught his eye in the back of the EXALT line and his eyes widened as he realized what it was.
Rocket launcher! Aimed directly at him…no, towards Samuel who was very close. The EXALT soldier was going to fire any second and he had a decision to make. But in the end, it was surprisingly easy.
"Rocket! Get down!" Soran yelled as he shoved Samuel to the ground as the soldier fired the rocket which sped towards him. He looked at the rapidly approaching projectile knowing that it was too late to get out of the way by leaping to the side.
So he jumped.
He swore he felt the rocket under his boots as it sped underneath him and he crashed to the ground seeing the rocket explode some trees in the distance. He scrambled back until his back was against cover. "Your best idea was to fucking jump it?!" Samuel demanded as he also scrambled back to cover. "Really?!"
"That or die!" Soran hissed. "And you're welcome!"
"Thanks!" Samuel spat, seemingly torn between anger and relief. "But don't do that again!"
Soran grinned at that as he aimed his weapon at the offending rocketeer. "No promises. Patricia! I think it's time."
"Agreed!" Patricia called as laser raised around her. One grazed her chest, leaving a smoking black mark. "Citadel Command, bring in Myra. Carmelita! Pin them here!"
"With pleasure," Carmelita answered and Soran looked up at the roof to see Carmelita rise, then take a knee and toss down several of the symbiote grenades. He didn't hear an explosion but heard the aftermath loud and clear. The EXALT soldiers shouting and the back half aiming their weapons up at the new threat.
Carmelita raised her rifle as laser beams shot past her head. "Pinning them now."
"MEC deployment incoming," the Commander stated, sounding very satisfied. "Stand by."
Soran raised his rifle towards the EXALT soldiers still entrenched before him. They seemed frozen mid-motion as they tried to figure out who to fire at. Soran took advantage, lined up the shot and blew the man's face off and Samuel took out the EXALT woman beside him eliciting one final scream.
A roar from above caught his attention and Soran looked up to see the MEC transport fly overhead and stop over the remaining. EXALT soldiers. A few seconds later, Myra dropped down and landed on a trapped EXALT soldier with a sharp crunch.
The EXALT soldiers were in full panic mode, the ones not trapped running into the warehouse and shouting in Chinese while trying to avoid getting trapped by Carmelita shooting at them. The trapped ones just fired at Myra and any XCOM soldier who advanced close to them. Myra raised her MEC's wrists and cones of flame shot out, engulfing the soldiers closest to her.
Galia shouted again and Aluma charged at a duo of EXALT soldiers whose backs were turned. The dog leapt again and probably broke the man's neck while Galia shot the other one in the back.
"Advance!" Patricia roared as Carmelita trapped the remained EXALT soldiers and Myra reduced them to charred husks. Soran and Samuel charged out of cover, firing at a lone EXALT soldier who had clearly panicked if his terror-filled eyes were anything to go by. A round from his rifle ended his life quickly in a spray of blood and brains.
Carmelita had also gotten tired of simply trapping soldiers and decided to join in. "Coming down," she announced and leapt off the building and hit the ground with a wet splash. The closest EXALT soldier had managed to duck under Myra's flamethrowers and was firing futilely with his laser pistol since his hand was secured to the crate with the symbiote goop.
Carmelita closed the gap within a second, grabbed his firing arm and snapped it with the ease of a piece of wet wood. The man screamed and Carmelita then repeated the same procedure with his trapped arm. The rest of the EXALT soldiers were dead or inside the warehouse except for him, his screams only growing louder when Carmelita placed her boot on his chest and slammed him to the blood-slicked tarmac, twisting his arm beyond recognition.
Soran winced as he walked up. There was no point to that. "Enough!" He called out.
Carmelita looked up at him, her helmet dripping water as she stared back at him, almost in challenge. "Quit toying with him," Patricia interrupted as she strode up, flanked by Galia and Jamali. "Kill him so we can move on."
Carmelita nodded and stepped back. "Understood, Overseer." With that she drew one of her blades and placed it to the whimpering man's throat and slit it, blood already spilling out and the man's immediate coughing signifying he was already choking on his own blood.
The rest of the squad were already converging around the warehouse, but Soran stopped in front of the man before continuing, raised his rifle, and ended his suffering before continuing. Samuel stopped, looked back at him and nodded in silent approval as they walked up to Patricia.
"I can cut an entrance on the roof," Carmelita stated as she drew his laser pistol. "Just give the word when ready to breach."
"Go," Patricia ordered and Carmelita nodded and jumped onto the roof with a clang. It was going to take a while to get used to that. "Alexei, Pavel, Myra; go to the back and prepare entrance."
"How should we enter?" Myra asked, looking down at them.
"However you want," Patricia answered. "Jamali, Samuel, go to that side entrance and prepare to enter. Soran, Galia, stay with me and wait for my signal."
The soldier nodded and all charged off to their respective positions. Once they were gone, Patricia walked up to warehouse entrance sliding door which was locked of course. Soran took a position on the right side and Galia took the other, Aluma by her side.
Patricia just stood in the middle, rested the barrel of her weapon on the slick ground and rested her palm on the door. Nothing happened at first, but Soran soon saw a slight distortion around her, even visible through the rain as Patricia exercised her powers.
"There are fifteen inside," Patricia muttered, her voice distant. "Some armed, some not. One has a rocket launcher. I think eight are workers, several are clustered together in one room, more terrified than the rest."
Galia looked at Patricia once she'd finished and Soran didn't really blame her. It was eerie the first time experiencing something like this, it was natural or normal. But she didn't say anything and let Patricia continue. "Go in on my signal," she continued, her voice still distant.
Over the next few minutes Soran was distinctly aware of things…changing, for lack of a better word. He was calm, focused, things were clearer than they should be. He felt…connected in waiting for one signal which he would know instinctively.
Without thinking he drew his laser pistol and noticed Galia doing the same. The hand Patricia had placed on the warehouse door closed into a fist and an explosion from inside rocked the immediate area. Soran instinctively stepped back and began firing a sustained laser, beginning to cut large enough hole for one person to enter.
Patricia kicked the piece of metal that had been cut in front of her and stormed into the warehouse and like that the trance he'd only been partially aware of was broken. It was then he realized that he and Galia had cut perfectly symmetrical halves of that door. No time to think about that, instead he charged inside to see five EXALT soldiers circled around each other as an explosion opposite Soran, Patricia and Galia revealed Myra with Alexei and Pavel.
A perfect square of metal fell from the ceiling and Carmelita fell through and hit the ground with a clang. That was enough to break the EXALT soldiers out of their trance but it was far too late. They'd made the mistake of grouping together which only resulted in Myra simply raising her arm and shooting one cone of flame from her wrist, incinerating them instantly.
Even if that hadn't happened, the hail of rounds from Patricia, Soran, Carmelita and Galia ensured that they died quick and instant deaths. The charred and bullet-riddled corpses felt to the ground as the XCOM soldiers converged into the center of the warehouse. Crates were stacked in the corners, but it was mostly empty.
It was then Soran noticed a trio of EXALT soldier corpses they hadn't killed. Except these seemed to be blow apart and various body parts were scattered around the immediate area. The remaining chunks of flesh were riddled with shrapnel, bone and charred skin. Soran looked at Patricia. "What did you do to them?"
"One of them had a rocket launcher," she answered as she motioned them in front of a room. "I forced him to use it."
Soran pursed his lips, but refrained from commenting as they lined outside the door. "This where the workers are?" Carmelita asked, pulling out her blade.
"Yes," Patricia answered. "Commander, what are our orders?"
"Take the leader prisoner," the Commander answered. "Execute the rest."
The newer soldiers, including Samuel looked at each other after that. Patricia betrayed nothing, if she was even concerned at all. "Weapons ready," she ordered as she stormed up to the door and slammed her fist against it. "Everybody out now! Or we will open fire!"
If Soran had heard that, he'd have been running to get out as fast as possible. Patricia stepped back and raised her autorifle. The door handle moved slowly and the door opened to reveal six men and women in EXALT attire come out, hands raised and looking absolutely terrified.
"Which one of you is in charge?" Patricia growled, as if she needed to intimidate them more.
They all exchanged looks with each other, none of them speaking until a loud pop of a Gauss pistol being fired shattered the silence and one of the women collapsed to her knees, clutching her arm which was now soaked with blood. Soran looked to see Carmelita holding her pistol at the remaining EXALT workers.
"Answer the question," she stated tonelessly, dispassionately. "Can you understand English?"
They all nodded, even the woman who'd been shot. "Who is in charge?" Patricia repeated.
"I am," one of the workers, an older man with graying hair stammered out. "I'm the chief inventory manager."
Carmelita nodded, satisfied, and holstered her pistol. Alexei and Pavel stepped forward, until Patricia raised a fist. "Wait."
She lowered it and let her weapon drop to the floor as she took a step towards the man. "You are in charge?"
His face sweating, the man nodded. "Yes."
"No," Patricia stated, Soran's helmet almost not picking up the words. Her tone was softer than he'd ever head. "You're not. You are lying."
His eyes widened. "No! No!"
"Patricia, are you sure?" The Commander asked.
"Yes."
"Kill him."
Carmelita nodded and raised her pistol and fired again, this time shooting the head which exploded, splattering the nearby workers and Patricia with blood and brains. The now traumatized workers were now openly crying and shaking as Patricia paced in front of them. Without missing a beat, she continued.
"I will ask again, who is in charge? We will repeat this as many times as necessary."
"Me!" A woman stammered out, her black hair stained with the blood of her co-worker. "It's me!"
Patricia stared at her for a few seconds. The motioned Alexei and Pavel forward. "Take her, she's the one." They stepped forward and hauled the woman away without any resistance.
Now all they had to do was finish the last command. The remained EXALT worker's eyes filled with renewed fear as they realized what was going to happen. Soran raised his rifle, though with some reluctance as he took aim at the man closest to him.
As much as he disliked this, he figured that this was not motivated by sadism, but practicality. XCOM could not afford to house prisoners for an indefinite period of time, and anything of value they knew was likely already known by the leader. Patricia raised a fist as they took aim.
"Wait."
Soran frowned as he heard the Commander interrupt.
"That order is dismissed," the Commander repeated. "These people can still be useful to us. Subdue them and prepare them for transport. Citadel Command, out."
That…was not what he'd expected, and now Soran was unsure that letting these workers keep their lives was merciful or not. The Commander wouldn't take them unless he had a use for them, and from what he knew of the Commander, that use would not end well for them regardless.
Their orders clear, they moved to secure their new captives, all the while Soran wondered if he was doing the right thing.
But the answer to that was becoming murkier every day.
After-Action Report
Operation: Titanfall
Personnel:
Piston 1 (Squad Overseer): Specialist Patricia Trask
Status: Active
Kills: 7
Piston 2: Specialist Carmelita Alba
Status: Active
Kills: 3
Piston 3: Specialist Soran Kakusa
Status: Active
Kills: 4
Piston 4: Specialist Samuel Roche
Status: Active
Kills: 3
Piston 5: Specialist Galia Loeb
Status: Active
Kills: 4
Piston 5.5: "Aluma"
Status: Active
Kills: 2
Piston 6: Specialist Alexei Feodor
Status: Active
Kills: 2
Piston 7: Specialist Pavel Maxim
Status: Active
Kills: 1
Piston 8: Specialist Jamali Muhammad
Status: Active
Kills: 2
Piston 9: MEC Soldier Myra Rodriguez
Status: Active
Kills: 8
Mission Director: The Commander
Pilot 1: Tristin Ward – Call sign: "Fallen Sky"
Pilot 2: Barney Kimon – Call sign: "Gray Sky"
Artifacts Recovered:
-50x Assorted Living Equipment
-17x EXALT Laser Rifles (Moderate Condition)
-3x EXALT Laser Rifles (Unsalvageable)
-4x EXALT Computers
-100x Alien Alloys (Unsorted)
-100x Alien Weapon Components
-4x MELD Canisters
-4x Crates of Gold
-4x Crates of Assorted Luxury Items