"What are the aliens doing?" Aya asked.
"Attacking civilians" Joe answered
"Why?"
"To spread fear" Masambe replied
"Why not just spend your forces attacking the military?"
"Because it lowers morale, makes soldiers more afraid" Joe said
"Still sounds like a waste to me"
"It's an effective scare tactic. But we're going to make sure it doesn't work" Keith replied. He was taking over command of the operation, since William was busy training for Psionics.
"Well. Let's get to it. I've got some new armour to try out" Aya said, pumping her shotgun. They had plasma rifle's, and LMG's. But no shotgun's or Sniper's yet. Maxim felt a little left out.
"Vampire, head up. Everyone else, move forwards, we need to do this fast" Keith said as they got out the skyranger, onto the bridge under attack. Up ahead was an area where another bridge had gone over the one they were on, an overpass, but that had been damaged, and a part of it was broken, resulting in a ramp on one side, and a sudden stop on the other side. Keith pointed to the side with the stop. Maxim nodded, and began heading over, moving to get in range of the grappling hook, he got next to a car, about to grapple up, when he looked over, and saw 3 of the bug-aliens, Crysalids.
"Bugs. 3 of them" he shouted out, taking his sniper rifle off his back. The aliens seemed to notice them, and one ran back, out of sight, and the other 2 ran forwards. The other X-COM soldiers had been moving up as well, and were around, though a bit further back than him,
As they ran forwards, one of the aliens took a plasma bolt to the chest, giving it a massive burn on it's chest, and spilling blue blood on the ground. It screeched, but didn't manage to finish the sound before it was pummelled into oblivion by hail of plasma bolts as Masambe opened fire. The creature stopped screeching as it was demolished, the force of the hundreds of bolts knocking it backwards, over the railing, and down into the water below. During this, the other had been running towards a civilian hiding behind a car in front of Maxim, it got close, but a dual blast of plasma from Karl dropped it just as it was about to round the corner of the car, it's body sliding forward a few feet, leaving a trail of blue blood, coming to rest by the civilian, who was cowering behind the car, and didn't seem to have even noticed what happened, until Joe ran over next to him, tapped him on the shoulder "You've gotta move. Head to the ship over there". The civilian jumped when he was tapped, but seemed to realize what was going on quite quickly, and ran straight into the ship, passing Aya as she moved up to the car as well.
Maxim did a quick scan, and couldn't see any other aliens, so he turned, and grappled onto the railing of the billboard overhead. He climbed through the railing when he got up, bringing his rifle back out, and scanning again, not moving across to the bridge, just in case there turned out to be an alien hiding behind a car.
As he began scanning he heard Keith call out "Aya, head upwards" he was briefly confused, then he remembered his little flight an hour ago, and remembered that she had that new 'Archangel' suit. The name was fitting, the angels that would come down to earth during the Rapture and fight the forces of Satan (that's what he'd heard of them anyway), though he thought 'Valkyrie' would be more fitting for Aya. Valkyrie's were 'The Choosers of the Slain' in Norse myth, coming down during battles and choosing who dies, and who goes to 'Heaven', that sounded more like Aya, it also meant he could use 'Ride of the Valkyries' as her theme song... Man he was showing his geek. Who gave people theme songs?
Aya flew upwards, coming up to a bit above him, although she was over the other bridge "Berserker, Muton" she said, pointing towards them with her shotgun, and beginning to fly closer to them, forwards and downwards. Maxim brought up his wrist-pistol, and fired a bolt into the Berserker as it ran towards the others, hitting it in the shoulder, and burning through the armour. They always focussed the berserkers, since it took a lot to take them down, and it's easier to get under cover to avoid the plasma bolt, than to dodge the claws of the berserker. The bridge light up as Karl, Keith, Masambe, and Joe opened fire. Dozens of plasma bolts smashing into it's chest and head. Karl's shots hit in the chest, destroying the armour, and causing it to begin oozing green blood, Keith's shot deformed it's unarmoured head, but it kept coming until Masambe's shots shredded it's legs, causing it to stumble and fall to it's knees as it ran, as it was standing back up, a bolt from Joe burned into it's already destroyed head. Aya stayed in the sky, the Muton having run behind a truck, and out of sight. It ran into sight, but Aya pumped a plasma bolt at it from her pistol (they'd created some plasma pistols after examining Maxim's alien one), but it did a roll, and ducked the shot, rolling into another cover, Maxim was strangely reminded of a T.V show his watched as a kid, one of the things in it could turn into a ball and roll at speed, with armour on it's outside. Maxim got out of his thoughts in time to notice 2 floaters came up from both the end of the bridge, and down from the 'ramp'. He then looked over, and saw 2 Mutons and a Berserker coming from further along the bridge he was on, they didn't seem to have noticed him, and were running to the end of the bridge, towards a truck against the bridge. Holy shit, who called the alien party?
As the Muton Aya's shot at dropped into cover, Maxim recovered from seeing all of the aliens arrive at once, and lined up a shot, driving a beam of light straight into the Muton as it got up from it's 'cannonballing', then spinning around to fire at one of the Floaters that came from the ramp, striking it in the chest, but not dropping it. Maxim saw the 2 floaters that came from the back drop slightly, but not dropping, and faint purple lines leading to Keith and Masambe, the other 2 Psionics of the group. Floaters had very little physical parts, so Psionics didn't kill them like it should. The Floater that Maxim had shot took a plasma bolt to the chest from Karl, and dropped to the ground. There was another flash, and Maxim looked to the ramp, to see a Crysalid take a bolt to the chest, before running back up the ramp. Looks like someone rang the dinner bell for the buggers. Aya landed on the right side, behind the wreck of a car and pumped a round of lasers into the last non-injured Floater, not quite killing it yet. One of the floaters fired it's gun, aiming for the car Keith was behind, but it was clearly really disorientated by the shot as the shot was several feet to high, and only hit ground. The other floater engaged it's jet pack, and shot upwards. It dropped back down behind a car behind everyone, meanwhile the Muton's got the truck, one dropping to the ground, the other staying on top, and firing beams over Aya's head, suppressive fire, and the Berserker just dropped from the top, ignoring the truck, there was a loud crunch as it hit the ground, it sounded like it broke a bone, but it probably broke the ground, and began sprinting for Aya, the Muton was trying to prevent her from running, they were getting clever, but they didn't count on either Aya's ability to move, and her new armour. She engaged the jets, increasing her already unnatural speed, shooting away before the Muton even realized she'd moved, and getting into cover behind the ramp, next to Joe, further from the Muton. Maxim fired at the Floater, striking it in the shoulder, but somehow, it was still up, that was until Karl ran over next to it, and fired his pistol right into it's skull. Masambe began spraying the Berserker, but it put on a burst of speed, and only took a few bolts before it moved past the spray, and Masambe couldn't correct his hail, but it's speed burst ran it right into a bolt from Keith, which struck it in the knee, the shot should have cause it to stumble, but it didn't even seem to notice as the green blood jetted out of it's leg. Joe put a shot into it's chest, but again, it kept coming, Aya pumped a shot, it's face deforming around the burst of light, it jumped off the ramp, clearly meaning to impale Aya with it's claw as it landed, but Aya fired again, the light hitting it in the head, again, and blowing the mangled mess of meat off it's neck, then she engaged her boosters, and shot backwards as it landed, claw first, where she'd been standing a second ago.
The final floater followed after it's companion, flying upwards, and landing in the same position it's friend did, Karl was currently running forwards, so wasn't in position to just pistol it in the face like he did to the last one. Another floater came in from the ramp, as the Crysalid ran back in. The Muton on the truck repeated it's last trick, apparently it still didn't understand Aya, and fired suppressing fire again, trying to keep her there for the Crysalid. The other Muton turned and killed a Civilian with a plasma bolt to the chest. Owch. Maxim brought his rifle back up, dropping the floater than had landed at the back of the group with a laser to the head, then turning and firing into the Crysalid as it ran towards Aya, the shot went clean through it's chest, through what his Combat Lenses (Shen had dropped them off just before they got on) showed him was it's version of a heart, and it dropped, the body sliding down the ramp, and coming to rest just in front of Aya. Maxim heard a loud bang, thankfully muffled by his Combat Lenses auto-sensors so he didn't go deaf, and he looked over to see the Muton and Floater on the ground, bleeding everywhere from shrapnel wounds, they looked dead, but the floater's jet back stuttered to life, and it flew back up a foot, still alive (Damn these floaters had gotten tough), and the final Muton standing on a flaming truck. It looked like it was about to jump off, but Aya appeared, flying in the air next to it, her back to it, as she burned it's face with the jets of the armour, it stumbled backwards, beginning to raise it's rifle, but Aya spun around, and pumped her shot into it first, knocking it backwards off the truck, following the Crysalid from the beginning into the water. The floater was turning, going to try and take a shot, but it took a bolt to the face before it raised it's harm halfway up.
"All contacts down, round up the civilians and come on home" Central said over the coms
Keith grunted as they were on their way back to base. They'd dropped off the Civilians at a nearby hospital, they'd saved 11 in total, and none of them seemed injured enough to die in hospital.
"What's wrong?" Joe asked
"Just got the mother of all Migraines" Keith replied with a smile
"Sounds like what happened to me last time" Maxim said
"Yep, I'll unlock something in a few days then"
"Lucky fucker" Maxim said
"What?" Masambe asked
"I had to go through that with no idea what was going on. He has to do it, but he knows what's going on"
"Ha ha" Karl laughed
Maxim stuck his tongue out, but laughed as well.
"Welcome back" the voice of the Commander called out as they got out of the Skyranger.
"Commander? What are you doing here?" Aya asked
"What? I can't pop by and say hello to my soldiers?"
"You've never done it before" Masambe replied
"What's new" Maxim asked, he knew the Commander enough to know that he was just messing with them, and would probably keep doing that until someone asked the right question
"A lot's new. There's aliens attacking, I'd say that's new. You're a soldier. Humans have Psionics-"
"But what's new that you wanted to tell us about" Maxim interrupted before the Commander could list everything new of the last 10 months.
"Oh, well, that changes the answer entirely" the Commander smiled "We have a new soldier joining us"
"A newbie?" Keith asked
"Kinda" the Commander replied "She was part of a task force that was fighting the aliens like we do, but obviously not as well" he added the last bit like it was obvious "They got ambushed by aliens, and she was the only one to get out alive. They were going to close down the group, and she'd have become just another soldier, but we can always use more soldiers that know how to operate like us, so I had her re-assigned to us. Be nice"
"Always" Karl replied
"Everyone, this is Chipo Gunda" the Commander said, and a woman walked in from behind in. The Commander liked to make things dramatic. She was huge, and not in a weight way. She as tall as Masambe, who was still in his bulky armour, and extremely muscled, she looked like a body-builder "Chipo, this is the group"
"Hello" Chipo said, her voice was completely at odds with her appearance, for starters, she had a very soft voice, although they could hear her fine, it sounded like she was whispering, and her voice, was actually higher than Aya's.
"Hey" Karl said, unperturbed, walking up to her, and putting his hand out for a shake. She grabbed his hand to shake, but he used the opportunity to pull her into a hug, slapping her back. After about half a second, Karl was on his back, with Chipo's foot on his neck.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, Chipo likes her personal space" the Commander laughed as he left
As fast as she'd floored Karl, Aya appeared in front of her. Chipo lifted her foot, and Karl rolled away, Maxim couldn't tell if he was coughing or laughing, probably both, he looked back to see Aya and Chipo staring at each other, Aya lifting her head to look at Chipo's face, which was a good foot higher than her. Looking at them, Maxim knew, if he had to fight one of them, he'd choose Chipo in an instant. Aya was staring back at this woman a foot taller than her, and extremely muscled, without any concern, staring with a ferocity that could make a lion wet it's pants, and Maxim was left with no doubt that, if they were to get in a fight, Aya would win, hands down. After a few seconds, Chipo stepped back, backing up his theory, muttering an apology, and left.
"Damn, Aya" Karl said, getting up from where he'd been laying after rolling away
"What?" Aya asked, looking at him
"You just stared down someone twice your size"
"Yes"
"Remind me not to get on your bad side" Karl laughed "That really wasn't necessary though"
Aya shrugged "She needs to know that she isn't the Alpha here"
"Alpha?" Maxim asked
"The leader of the pack" Masambe replied
"Ah"
"Wait... Does that mean, Aya's the Alpha?" Karl asked
"Would you challenge her for it" Maxim asked
"Nope. But Will might have something to say about it"
"Anyone want a drink?" Aya asked, heading towards the bar
"Of course" Karl said, jogging after her
"They might have problems" Keith said
"Why does the Commander do this?" Maxim asked
"Do what?"
"First Ryo, now this Chipo. Does he just find it fun to give us squad-mates that we're not going to get along with"
"Well, as long as they aren't on a mission together, it should be fine. Like you, Karl, and Ryo"
"Well, I guess. Still seems like a silly thing to do"
"Only against an opponent of similar abilities will your true strength be shone" Masambe said
"What?"
"Basically, you can only perform at your best when you have a rival to compete with"
"I suppose. Anyway, I'm heading to my room, I've got some gaming to do"
"Have fun" Keith said
"I plan to"
Maxim headed to his room. But Masambe's words stayed in his head, only against a rival could your true abilities arrive. Alone with his thoughts, his mind focused on this quote from Masambe. If a rival is needed to reveal your strengths, did that mean that the Alien's were Humanities rival, and they'd reveal the true strength of humanity. Although, he supposed, they'd already done that, because of the aliens, they had developed the ability to unlock Psionic potential in humans. Did that mean he was a strength revealed by a rivalry on a species-wide scale, in fact, his whole being here was a result of that, if there hadn't been any aliens, he would have stayed at home, lived a normal life, and never known of what he could really do. He forced the thoughts out of his head as he got into his games. Sometimes he hated Masambe and his damn philosophy, he kept making him think too deeply into things.
I love Masambe, I can use him to make people think. Anyway, thank you for reading this, we reached 1,000 views just before I uploaded this part, Yay! Thank you all for reading my story, it means a lot that people are taking time to read the random shit that comes from the game, my mind, and a little bit of info from Google when I'm not sure on something.