It had been some time after the convoy extraction. Shen certainly needed all the help she could get and with that new engineer they rescued, she was able to clear more rooms of debris. Even with the successful mission, Shen was still upset with Greene for forgetting about the gremlin completely. She understood that those Sectoids took priority, but she was looking forward to field testing her creation. The meeting between the Skirmishers and Reapers had almost gone to plan, but they were interrupted by some creature calling itself the Chosen Assassin. Menace squad and the reaper known as Outrider escaped on the skyranger. Kelly was steaming as she left the skyranger. Both Resistance groups had failed to mention one minor detail. They were being hunted by powerful entities when they arranged for the meeting, and she nearly lost her squad for it. They did lose the Skirmisher liaison, Mox, who was captured by the godlike being while covering Menace squad's retreat.
Jade squad meanwhile, had a substantially smoother time when misdirecting the bulk of Advent's response forces from the area. Even without a full team, they moved through the city streets in a fluid manner. They would occasionally ambush small patrols until extraction was finally available. They arrived on the Avenger and witnessed the end of a fierce shouting match between Outrider and Menace leader. Greene did not want to get caught up in that, but he couldn't allow openly hostile behavior between the various Resistance groups. He quickly passed off his rifle and stepped between them holding up his hands. Using the most authoritative voice he could muster, Jade leader demanded an explanation as to what happened. After taking a breath and calming down slightly, Kelly briefly recounted the mission. Greene understood her anger and almost agreed with her logic, Jade team could have potentially been ambushed by the Assassin and wiped out. They never could've seen the threat coming until after it was far too late.
It was then that the intercom called for Greene, Kelly, and Outrider to enter the bridge. Kelly, still extremely pissed at the Resistance groups for not sharing relevant information, shouldered past Outrider on her way to the ladder well. Greene followed in his kit, not willing to leave Bradford or the Commander waiting.
"What in the hell was going on in my hangar?" Bradford angrily shouted once all three of them arrived. The Commander was off to the side, quietly observing their interactions. Kelly spoke up first.
"Neither the Reapers nor Skirmishers warned us about the Chosen, sir. As a result, Mox was captured and now half my squad is badly injured." Outrider scoffed.
"Volk didn't think the Chosen would notice us. There was no reason to..." Kelly snarled at Outrider.
"No reason? My soldiers almost died at that meeting! Mox was taken captive, and Greene's squad was left in the open without any knowledge of the threat! You call that no reason?" Outrider glared back, tightening her grip on her rifle before Bradford intervened.
"Enough!" The bridge went deathly quiet at the command. "There will be no infighting between allies. We have enough problems as it is without tearing each other apart. Am I understood?" Outrider scowled while Kelly nodded stiffly.
"Get off my bridge." They didn't have to be told twice. Greene arrived at the door first but stopped when Central called his name.
"I called you for another reason, Staff Sergeant. We have intel on Mox's location thanks to an undercover informant. With Menace out of action and Jade being the only other squad available at this time..." Greene didn't need him to finish that sentence. Jade squad was tired, but it seemed like they would have to make do.
"You can count on us, Central, I'll ready the team." Bradford nodded.
"I also took the liberty of recruiting you a new gunner. He's currently getting acquainted with his weapon in the armory. He goes by Michael Dunn." Greene nodded.
"Thanks, Central." Bradford simply gave an informal wave. Obeying the unspoken order, Greene promptly left the bridge. He arrived in the crew's quarters, soon locating his squad still finishing their reports.
"Eyes and ears, Jade." He stated as they glanced up. "We've got another time-sensitive op. Nobody else is here and Firebrand has just finished prepping the skyranger. Kit up and grab some chow. We don't have much time." The squad looked at each other uncertainly. It hadn't even been thirty minutes since they got back from their previous mission. Greene sneered when they didn't respond quickly enough.
"Did I stutter? Get off your asses and move." With that last comment, the four men stood and filed out of the room swiftly. They didn't want to incur Greene's wrath for insubordination. Before leaving, Kaizer stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Greene while facing the doorway.
"Are you sure this isn't a hoax?" Greene stared at the grenadier.
"Get your gear on, Jade two." Kaizer sighed and complied with the order. Greene, having never taken his equipment off in the first place, proceeded to the armory. Sure enough, there was a man there whom Greene had never seen before. He was small, oddly short, and stocky. He turned as Jade squad's leader entered the room. Greene briefly caught the energetic man eyeing up his burn. Dunn looked away just as fast as he had noticed the facial scar, meeting the older man's eyes.
"Sup chief. Are you my new boss?" Greene's eyes narrowed at his new gunner. He had to remind himself that he was no longer in a conventional military. There were no specific rules or guidelines on how to treat superiors. The team leader took a breath and calmed himself down.
"I am Staff Sergeant Greene. Jade squad leader, callsign Lonewolf. You're Dunn? Our new gunner?" Dunn gave a mock salute.
"Sure am, boss. My nickname's Roadblock." Greene nodded.
"Grab your kit. We're flying out soon." As soon as he finished speaking, the ship's intercom reinforced Greene's statement.
"JADE SQUAD TO THE HANGER. JADE SQUAD TO THE HANGAR." Greene raised his eyebrow at Dunn.
"Ah, crap... I guess I don't have time for a snack?" The gunner cracked a smirk as Greene frowned. He was going to make someone pay dearly for this.
"I'll grab a protein bar while you ready up. Be in that hangar in five mikes or you aren't going." Dunn nodded.
"Will do, I'll be ready faster than you can say..." He trailed off as Greene left the room in a hurry. "Huh, guess it's a tough crowd." Greene stopped by the bar and snagged a pair of protein bars. He then made his way to the skyranger, once again being the last one to arrive.
"... to stay alive man, I don't want to drag your ass out of the fire." Turner seemingly finished talking as Greene entered the room and tossed a protein bar to Dunn.
"I'll do my best. Stiff!" Dunn had a goofy grin on his face as he stated Turner's callsign. The seasoned insurgent groaned.
"Is this guy for real?" Clayman and Fox both shrugged, wondering the same thing.
"Cut the chatter and board the skyranger," Greene commanded using his signature tone. The five members took their seats as Greene took the closest seat to the hatch. He gave Fox a pat who passed it on to Clayman's shoulder. Clayman knocked on the cockpit door, alerting Brown that they were ready when she was. Dunn, observing this, smirked. He looked at Kaizer beside him.
"Do you guys always do that?" Turner nodded.
"Sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut and eyes up. This rhythm helps us get in the mindset. You should do it as well." Dunn feigned hurt at Kaizer's direct statement.
"Ouch, I get the point, but damn if that was blunt." Kaizer couldn't help but curl up his lip ever so slightly. Greene almost missed it as he checked over his rifle. There was a bit of carbon, but he wasn't worried about it jamming. Kaizer meanwhile, glanced over at Turner and jerked his head at Clayman.
"And I thought Brother was bad with his naivety." Turner laughed as Clayman crossed his arms and pouted with a huff.
"Alright Jade squad. An undercover Skirmisher has provided us intel on the location of Mox." The rest of the team began checking their weapons as the Skyranger lifted off. "You are to quietly move in, recover Mox, and extract outside of the facility. The Reapers have also allocated us a new member. Her callsign is Ghost. She'll meet you prior to the breach. Do not extract without her or Mox and we can hopefully begin an actual alliance. The facility is lightly guarded and they won't be expecting you. Remain covert until you are ready to breach. Good luck Jade squad." Greene looked at his team, four of the five finished looking over their weapons and equipment for the last time before their deployment. Bradford was going to move the Avenger closer to the Skirmisher headquarters while Jade squad was gone, hopefully allowing them to fly Mox straight back to his group. Greene looked at Dunn. He wasn't sure how he felt about letting an inexperienced member into a complex operation with little to no cohesive training.
"So what did you do exactly before Central recruited you?" Clayman put a voice to Greene's thoughts. Dunn winked in response.
"I cleaned our group's weapons and organized them when I was young. As I got older, I trained on a few of them and accompanied our supply runs." Clayman nodded.
"So you got some combat experience then?" Dunn shook his head.
"Nope. I do know how to use this bad boy though. Don't you worry none." Half of the team immediately groaned. Turner glanced at Clayman.
"Thanks, man. Now I want this guy on my six even less." Clayman shrugged.
"Hey, we were all thinking it. Sorry." Turner sighed as Fox spoke up with his own question.
"You said that you were young in that Resistance cell, right? Were you born there?" Dunn nodded.
"Born and raised." Fox nodded, and the team's questions seemingly concluded. A few hours passed by, the five other men talking amongst themselves quietly while Greene went over the briefing again. The facility had zero awareness of their raid. Minimal guards, and no nearby Resistance cells to cause concern. They pretty much had the prison in the middle of nowhere. It was, in fact, an interrogation center, which likely meant Sectoids. It being so deep in the wilderness included Vipers as a possibility, if only to hunt down escapees. Advent facilities usually had a couple of turrets, which would be a problem unless Jade team could remove them quickly. Prisons always had a few lancers and there was always at least a small garrison of troopers led by a couple of officers. His thoughts were interrupted as the skyranger slowed down and the hatch opened.
"Good luck, ground team. I'll swing by to pick you up once you have the hybrid." Greene stood and slid down the ropes, hitting the ground and sinking to a knee as he raised his rifle. The squad hit the ground and secured a small perimeter as Brown flew to a more concealed location to wait for them.
"The target is two klicks East. Let's move. Stiff, you have point." Dunn barely suppressed a snigger when the team got into motion. They reached the facility sometime later. Turner held up a hand and quietly stepped aside as Greene and Fox moved forward and got down. Greene tapped Fox's shoulder and jerked his head to the left, pointing out the elevated hill and ample cover. Fox nodded and the pair moved up the hill while the other four remained behind. Fox chose to go prone beside a small boulder and Greene went down next to him.
"I can see a sharpshooter in that tower. Three lancers, five troopers, and two officers standing guard. There's also a pair of turrets, one on the roof and one on the landing pad. Confirm?" Fox echoed his confirmation a moment later and looked through his scope.
"I can see a Sectoid through the window. I can't tell if he's alone." Greene nodded.
"Alright, here's the plan. We will take positions to ambush that facility. I'll set up a crossfire on those infantry and you will snipe that sentry before giving us accurate support. Warhorse will use his grenades to remove the turrets and provide suppression with Roadblock. Stiff, Brother, and I will flank from there." He pointed to the security gate near the sentry tower. "All goes well, we breach the facility in the chaos, clear rooms as we go, and free Mox before reinforcements get here. After we breach, you and Warhorse will meet us at the LZ over there." Fox nodded and gave a thumbs-up. He understood the plan.
"Where's that reaper? Isn't she supposed to help us?" Greene shrugged as best he could from his prone position.
"I don't know, Jade four. She may have been compromised on the way here. We'll know for sure once we get extraction." Fox pursed his lips.
"I swear if 'Ghost' gets in our way and we shoot her..." He grunted quietly. Greene shared the sentiment, but turned anyway to brief the rest of Jade squad. He met the barrel of a gun pointed directly at his face.
Greene reacted slowly, recognizing that their stalker was using an old hunting rifle. He raised his hands in surrender as he looked over the person behind them. Fox noticed the movement and turned before freezing. The woman was wearing a dark mask and a long trench coat. A belt worn over the torn coat contained a strap going diagonally over her left shoulder. The belt and strap contained over a dozen small pouches. Greene could almost see a small backpack mounted on the strap.
"I am Lonewolf, Jade squad leader. We are XCOM. Are you Ghost?" The woman remained silent, slowly lowering her rifle as she stared at them.
"You were easy to track. Tell your machine gunner to position himself to the left of the landing pad. There's an air transport coming in ten minutes that will move your target."
"Shit. If we're going to do something, now's the time, Lonewolf." Greene nodded. He turned back to the reaper only to find that she was gone.
"The hell?"
"Doesn't matter, the plan stays the same." Greene stood and moved back to the group. He quickly explained the plan and the team sprang into action. Greene took point on the flanking team as the Advent sharpshooter calmly looked over the road leading up to the gatehouse. Advent sentries wore the same armor as lancers and were nearly identical to the rest of Advent's hybrids. The only real differences concerned their eyesight. They had amazing visual acuity and could easily place a precise shot into the unsuspecting head of a target with their magnetic anti-material rifles. The sharpshooters were also patient bastards as well. Regardless, the sentry didn't suspect a thing as Greene heard two loud bangs followed by even louder booms. A sharp crack echoed throughout the facility as the lone sentry was thrown onto the ground. Greene waved his hand forward and the team stacked up on the doorway. Turner opened the door, rushing through and blasting an Advent breacher in the chest as Greene and Clayman followed. Greene placed an accurate burst into the vulnerable Sectoid's torso as Clayman opened fire on a trooper across the room. Turner dashed into cover in the center while another trooper fired off a wild burst at the breaching team. Suddenly, a window shattered into pieces and the trooper fell over, blood pooling around a new head wound. Breachers were Advent soldiers armed with magnetic shotguns. They had a tendency to aggressively rush their targets, although, they preferred flanking shots if possible.
"I've got the door! Cover me!" Green yanked out the gremlin drone and ordered it to fly over to the cell doors. The drone scanned through each one until they saw an unconscious hybrid wearing white and red armor. He ordered the gremlin to stop and hack open that cell as the gunfire raged outside. A few seconds later, a successful beep emitted from the door and it slid open. Clayman was the first into the room as Greene covered him. The skilled medic looked over the comatose skirmisher, nodding and heaving him over his shoulder.
"VIP is en route to the extraction point." Greene led the way outside, tossing a blue smoke grenade outside the door and setting up a perimeter with Turner.
"Jade actual to Firebrand. We need immediate evac on our location. Over."
"I read you, ground team. I see your smoke, I'm on my way." Another trooper rounded the corner and saw the team waiting for extraction, but didn't have the time to shoot when their head jerked back. Kaizer and Fox met up with the group as they waited for the skyranger. Turner clapped Fox on the back as Dunn backed towards them while suppressing the survivors. He was laughing with glee as he fired.
"That was a damn fine shot, Marshal." He pointed at the trooper flanking them. Fox looked confused.
"That wasn't me, I was on the move as soon as you guys breached." It was now Turner's turn to be confused.
"Wait, didn't you shoot at the trooper in there? Through the window?" Clayman asked as Fox shook his head.
"No, I only fired on targets outside. I didn't want to risk friendly fire." The team was cut short as an Advent dropship appeared over the trees. Greene checked his watch, the transport was early. He cursed as the team took up positions.
"Cut the chatter and help Roadblock get their heads down!" His harsh commands sent the team into action. The dropship released its soldiers as the survivors desperately engaged to draw fire from their reinforcements. An officer, trooper, lancer, and a breacher hit the ground and ran for cover, but the officer didn't last long as another precise shot entered their exposed mouth. The lancer leaped over his cover as one of the troopers tossed a grenade, but Greene shot him down before they could reach Jade squad.
"Bouncer bouncer! Hit the dirt!" Jade squad threw themselves down. Clayman covered Mox with his body as the explosive detonated, showering them with dirt and shards of dangerous metal. The insurgents picked themselves back up and returned fire. The skyranger appeared over them, dropping its ropes for them to grab onto.
"This is firebrand, ropes are out." Clayman grabbed Mox and raised himself into the skyranger as Turner followed.
"Cover and move! Warhorse, Roadblock, we're waiting for Ghost!"
"Roger that!"
"Holding!" Fox fired another shot, clicking out of ammo and clutching the rope.
"I'm reloading!" Dunn cried out happily as he got down. Greene cursed, plucking his grenade and tossing it as he got down to do the same. Three seconds later, his weapon was back in the fight as Ghost appeared next to him. He jerked his head at the ropes and, seemingly understanding, she grabbed on and let herself be hoisted into the blood tray.
"She's here! Warhorse, then Roadblock, then me! Move!" The team swiftly complied. Before long, Greene was on his own, in a fierce firefight with almost half a dozen Advent soldiers. Dunn looked back over the battlefield, ignoring the stray rounds impacting around him, he laid down hate on the exposed hybrids as Greene took advantage. He grabbed his own rope, getting lifted into the blood tray after Dunn let go of the trigger. The hatch closed after Turner bashed on the cockpit and the skyranger rapidly picked up speed.
"Good work, everybody!" Dunn cheered as the team collectively groaned. It was going to be a long flight back.
