The fires raged across what little remained of the Resistance haven. Greene's squad moved through the buildings, evacuating the few that they could while steering clear of the flames. The bulk of Advent's forces had moved North, where what sounded like a fierce firefight was taking place. Fox took up residence in a far-off watchtower with good visibility over the surrounding AO. Jade leader ordered their reaper to scout ahead as the squad cleared the initial structures. Greene held his arm up as the team set up security behind him. Greene frowned as he looked back. Jade squad only managed to locate seven people, two of whom were injured in the attack. They still had a lot of ground to cover, and Greene needed to know what lay ahead.
"Ghost. Report in. Over" Five long seconds passed before she responded.
"Two Advent squads are moving near you. From the East and Northwest." Greene signaled the team to take cover as he turned to try and find them.
"What's their composition? Over."
"An officer each, supported by shotguns, heavy weapons, and two MECs." Greene quietly swore to himself. Heavy weapons meant anything from LMGs and grenade or rocket launchers. All of them were easily capable of taking out his squad all at once if they were tightly packed enough.
"Team. Get dispersed and stay behind something solid. Marshal, are you still in that watchtower? Over."
"Yes, I have a visual on the Northwest squad. Am I cleared to fire?" Greene nodded even though he knew Fox couldn't see it.
"Affirm, Marshal. Take out as many priority targets as you can and reposition. Over." Not even a single moment passed before a sharp crack echoed throughout the air behind them. Two more followed as Fox spoke.
"One trooper and one gunner are down. They're coming to you." Greene signaled the team to get ready as the familiar dark armor of Advent's infantry appeared.
"Engage! Roadblock, hit that MEC with short bursts!" Dunn's LMG opened up on the squad as soon as the words left Greene's mouth, tearing through several plaster walls and thin fences. His brief torrent of gunfire forced the soldiers down. In response, the MEC ran into the open, raising its magnetic autocannon and firing as it ran. The MEC's glistening white armor was certainly poor camouflage for sure, but Greene knew that Advent wasn't stupid. It was a message, an intimidation tactic to show that they weren't scared of anything the insurrections could throw at them. After all, why bother with camouflage when the automated death machine could kill any hostiles with accurate targeting subsystems and lethal high explosives? Greene ducked as the heavy rounds sailed over his head, cursing and leaning out from his cover to take a shot at one of the troopers. Jade squad's overenthusiastic gunner dropped in response to the rapid suppressive fire from the large robot but quickly moved to a better position and opened fire once more. As sturdy as the MEC's armor plating was, Dunn's high rate of fire and armor-shredding rounds damaged it enough to deactivate it. The Advent officer shouted something incoherent as the infantry began falling back. Jade squad's suppression must have been too heavy and the losses of their most powerful assets caused the officer to order a retreat.
"Yeah! I got him!" Clayman let out a whoop behind him as they moved for better positions.
"Advance, cover and move. Ghost, take out the officer. Over." No sooner had he issued the order, than the officer's head snapped back. The troopers fled inside a nearby building, closing the door and likely trying to regroup with reinforcements. Upon closer inspection, Greene realized that the building looked like an old farmhouse from before the invasion. The Wolfpack must have used this abandoned village as their home for years since it appeared that the farmhouse was held together by duct tape.
"Everyone on me. We're going to pick off the stragglers." Turner led the way, with each member of the squad staying at least ten feet away from each other in a single file line. The sooner they could reach the survivors, the sooner they could clear a way out for them and get extraction.
"Firebrand to ground team. Central has just recalled me back to the Avenger. You're on your own for now." Greene pursed his lips. It didn't really matter in the scheme of things, and it wasn't like they hadn't been without a rapid aerial exfiltration before. The AO was hot, however, and he would have preferred to have a bulletproof ride out of it.
"Acknowledged Firebrand. Jade one out." Turner reached the door that the remnants of the Advent squad went through and stacked up on the door. The team fell in behind him, with Clayman giving him a tap on the shoulder to let him know they were ready.
"Breaching breaching." He kicked open the door and rushed through with the squad right behind him. They moved through the crumbling house fluidly, checking their corners and clearing the bottom floor swiftly. Greene carefully glanced out of one of the back windows, seeing the soldiers fall in with another full-strength squad outside. The officer nodded at something one of the wounded troopers said and waved his hand at the building Jade squad was currently inside. A grenadier took position behind a burned-out car and took aim as Fox's voice cut through the tension.
"I've got some clear shots Lonewolf." Greene immediately ordered the sharpshooter to fire on the grenadier. His logic was that the grenadier took priority due to the high explosive grenades they had equipped. The homestead's worn walls weren't great cover, but at least magnetic rounds wouldn't wipe out the whole squad in one fell swoop. He gestured for the team to spread out amongst the two-story house. They were going to make a stand here. More sharp cracks echoed from their South as the grenadier fell, the grenade she was about to launch firing off to her right and detonating harmlessly. The second MEC dashed into the open and crouched. Greene winced and dove for a flipped table.
"Incoming! Get down!" All of Advent's MECs had a sizeable rotary-style grenade launcher mounted over their left shoulder. The basic model, such as the gleaming white version before them, was only equipped with eight high-explosive grenades. Other varieties included bright orange incendiary MECs with flamethrowers attached to their left arms and incendiary grenades, lime green CBRN MECs with toxic gas grenades, and red-colored 'heavy MECs' with attached rocket launchers on their left arms and double the explosives of the basic one. All of those various models shared one thing in common. They were greatly feared by anyone with a functioning heartbeat. The MEC quickly launched all of its grenades into the building, weakening the structural integrity and outright causing half of the second story to collapse. Sharp splinters flew in every direction. Clayman suddenly appeared out of nowhere and leaped onto the debris, using it to gain a stable shooting position and instantly nailing an advancing trooper in the chest. Greene shook off his ringing ears and joined him in his defiant resistance from the other side of the rubble. Kaizer, somehow not disoriented from the concussive shock, had remained on the single part of the second floor that hadn't caved in, firing off two grenades in rapid succession that hit the MEC. One landed at the MEC's monstrous feet, while the other exploded directly into the machine's abdomen. The armored behemoth doubled over and fell to a knee, but remained standing long enough for a sniper round to disconnect its head from its neck. The officer pointed at Greene and his medic, clearly seeing them as the highest threat as opposed to the snipers. At least, that was before his head jerked forward and his lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Greene suspected that was Ghost's handiwork, but he didn't have time to confirm as the firefight raged on.
"Jade squad! Status!" He coughed out as he returned fire.
"Jade two breathing! I'm still on the roof!"
"Jade three..." A fit of coughing followed. "I think I'm buried under the rubble. I'm pinned."
"Jade four repositioning."
"Jade five still in the fight!" A pause followed as Dunn didn't respond.
"Jade seven. Hunting." Greene reloaded as fast as he could.
"Roadblock! Are you effective?" He didn't get a response as an Advent breacher sprinted through the open. Greene focused his concussed vision as he lined up a shot. His initial burst missed, and Greene swore as he aimed more carefully. If the breacher was allowed to get into close combat with them, the still-recovering team wouldn't stand a chance. His second burst hit the breacher's left leg, sending the hapless soldier tumbling into the dirt. The very much still alive breacher lifted his shotgun while in the prone and aimed at Clayman. It was then that Kaizer sent a round straight through the soldier's head. Adjusting his aim, he fired on the remaining Advent troopers as one of them returned a withering burst at the grenadier.
"Agh!" The German's voice launched into a colorful string of curses that Greene couldn't understand. "I'm hit!" Greene shook his head. He needed to neutralize those surviving troopers and fast. His team was on the brink of destruction and all it would take was a single bullet.
"Marshal. Are you able to support us? Over." Greene shifted to a new position while he waited for the response.
"Negative. Those troopers are too dug in. I can't get a clean shot." Before Greene could react, an explosion suddenly erupted from behind two of the troopers. The pair hit the ground hard as a cloud of dirt was sent into the air. A trio of Resistance fighters dashed through the opening and riddled the remaining two with their weapons. With that, Greene realized that the air was no longer filled with magnetic tracer rounds. He and Clayman immediately got to work trying to free Turner from the debris. The three Resistance fighters joined them and helped locate both their breacher and their gunner. Dunn was unconscious but still alive. Upon finding Dunn, one of the fighters dragged him out and beckoned for another to grab their medical supplies.
"It's Roadblock. He's out cold." The woman seemingly recognized their unconscious gunner. Clayman started checking Turner for any lasting injuries as Greene posted security. Fox arrived soon after, helping Kaizer get down from the second story safely as he nursed his dominant arm. Jade squad's leader glanced over to Kaizer.
"Warhorse. Are you combat effective?" The grenadier nodded with a wince.
"I've had worse back during the invasion. I can use my other arm until we get back to the Avenger." Clayman shook his head.
"Y'know. If we weren't in some deep shit right now. I'd give all of you a slap for allowing that comment." Another pair of Resistance fighters arrived as Greene raised his rifle at them in surprise. He immediately lowered it as soon as he realized that they were friendlies. One of them, the leader it seemed, motioned for the woman behind him to set up security. He stepped up to Greene, eyeing up the nasty scar on his cheek.
"You XCOM?" The leader asked as they finished their impromptu perimeter in the thoroughly ruined homestead. Greene nodded.
"We're Jade squad. We came in order to get as many of your people out as we can." The leader just laughed.
"I'm Alpha. Head of the pack's raiding parties. And we just saved your collective butts." Greene looked around as Fox took over his post.
"Where's Denmother?" Turner wheezed as he attempted to regain his breath from being buried under the debris. He held up a hand in rejection when Clayman offered him some morphine. Alpha's face darkened.
"You don't know? She was blown up in the initial attack. She's gone." Greene frowned. The Wolfpack's leader was dead, that much was for certain. There were still other people to rescue, however. He quickly counted his magazines. They couldn't stay here. The squad needed to move.
"Jade squad, listen up." The four conscious men turned towards him. "We still have a job to do. Get on your feet and move out." Alpha studied Greene with a doubtful expression.
"Are you sure you want to do that? Half your squad is wounded and the other half is clearly dazed. Including you." Greene looked Alpha in the eyes.
"Our objective hasn't changed. Are you willing to give me three of your fighters so we can help those survivors?" Alpha narrowed his eyes, clearly deep in thought as he crossed his arms. Uncrossing them, he turned to face the other insurgents.
"Ozone. Zulu." The pair raised their heads as Alpha jerked his head towards Greene. He turned back to Jade squad's leader and hefted his weapon. An old worn-down g3 battle rifle. "You've got grit. I'd almost think you were a wolf." He stopped to address the other two. "You two are staying here and watching over him until we get back." Greene motioned for his team to form up. Dunn would be treated by the two fighters who stayed behind.
"Ghost. What do you see? Over." Greene spoke as the group moved in formation, Alpha taking the lead with Turner despite likely still being winded.
"There's a third squad fighting with insurgents three buildings ahead of you. I can see civilians behind them." Greene scanned his surroundings as he tried to clear his head.
"Prioritize targets, but be cautious. We will not be able to support you should you get spotted." The reaper didn't respond, but Greene wasn't worried. Ghost had proven herself to be a very difficult person to track. He supposed it was fitting, seeing as how she was part of a Resistance cell that prided itself on covert marksmanship. Turner doubled over and began hacking uncontrollably as the team grimaced. Clayman jogged up the line and placed a hand on Turner's back as he jerked his head for the others to move on.
"Zulu. Keep them safe and rejoin us when you can." Greene agreed with Alpha's plan as the olive-skinned European obeyed. The three men fell in behind the rest of the group shortly after. Greene checked his watch, surprised to learn that the mission had only been going for forty-five minutes. It felt like hours had passed by.
"Central. This is Jade one. Denmother is KIA, we have extracted seven non-combatants and regrouped with five fighters. How copy? Over." The response was unreadable and filled with static. Advent must have been actively jamming long-range transmissions in the AO.
"I can't get through to the Avenger." Jade leader informed the others. Alpha chuckled.
"We're almost there. Through here." Greene nodded.
"Marshal. Try to get some elevation and give us some support. Brother, watch over Stiff and keep our backs safe. Warhorse, we're going in with them. How many grenades do you have left?" Kaizer nodded and checked his launcher. He held up four fingers a second later.
"Are you able to shoot?" The grenadier nodded again.
"Yes. I can lie down and use my off-hand." Greene readied his rifle.
"Ghost. Has anything changed? Over."
"One of the fighters is dead. The squad is getting ready to storm the house." Alpha grinned darkly.
"Let's go give those Advent bastards a surprise they'll never forget." The group advanced quickly, hearing Fox's rifle crack twice before they met the Advent soldiers in front of them. A shieldbearer lay dead, two headshots overloading his shield and piercing his helmet. A gunner was also dead, likely having been shot by Ghost. The group dove for cover as the Advent forces returned fire. A sectoid revealed itself and stared at Ozone intently. The woman fell to her knees and clutched her head as if in pain.
"Warhorse! Grenade that sectoid! Now!" His second in command obeyed instantly, awkwardly aiming the launcher with one hand as he steadied himself with his legs. A single grenade sailed through the air and landed on a pile of tires directly behind the sectoid. The tires split into dozens of pieces while the sectoid was thrown forward in a bloody heap. Ozone soon regained her senses and joined in the firefight. The officer shouted orders across the battlefield as two troopers each grabbed for a grenade. Fox's rifle cracked and one of the troopers crumpled to the ground, dropping his grenade in the middle of their formation. The other trooper successfully tossed their grenade and briefly opened fire alongside her officer as the last trooper ran for cover from the explosive. Zulu charged forward and caught the incoming grenade, whipping it away from the group as three shots met his torso and two more hit his shoulder. He didn't scream as he fell, probably already dead before he hit the ground. Alpha grunted a single curse and hunkered down while the officer hammered his cover. One of the troopers suddenly jerked forward. Behind him was a Resistance fighter who sprayed a deadly hail of bullets down the line of soldiers. One more crack echoed and another trooper was on the ground. Greene raised his rifle and finished off the heavily wounded officer before the area was secured.
"Don't bother. He's already dead." Greene stated when he noticed Alpha moving for Zulu.
"I need immediate assistance over here! Argh!" Both Greene and Kaizer turned towards where their sharpshooter had settled himself.
"Marshal. What is your status? Over."
"Get away from me you scaly freaks! Hurk!" With a single hand gesture, Clayman joined them as they ran for Fox's position. The three soon found him wrapped up by a viper. Two more of the serpentine creatures saw them coming and raised their laser rifles.
"Shit!" Kaizer dropped to the ground and let off a few inaccurate rounds as Greene and Clayman spread out to either side of the grenadier. Vipers were essentially long aliens with small feminine torsos. They greatly resembled the much smaller and less humanoid terrestrial snakes that lived on Earth. The large serpents were also easily capable of constricting their victims on top of projecting poisonous clouds at high velocities across several meters. While vipers didn't apparently have much upper body strength, their lengthy bodies more than made up for that setback. Once bound, no one was able to escape a viper's grasp without aid. They also wore black body armor that only covered their torso, and combining that with their inhuman lunging speed made them a force to be reckoned with. Greene grazed one of the vipers and cursed. The damn snakes were just too fast.
"Cover me!" Clayman dashed around a low wall and ducked when one of the vipers fired on him. Greene and Kaizer kept up their fire. Greene landed another hit on the grazed viper as it hissed in pain and recoiled backward. It was then that Clayman appeared to the squad leader's forward right, flanking the two vipers and dumping his magazine into their sides. The injured viper died immediately, but the other was able to lunge for Jade's hapless medic and constrict him in less than a second. Greene sprinted forward and sent two rounds into the alien's head. Killing it as Kaizer got up to join him. Fox was still constricted by the last viper. Clayman caught his breath as they surrounded the viper who released Fox in a last-ditch bid for survival. The blue-faced sharpshooter crumpled to the ground and greedily gulped in oxygen as he clutched desperately at his chest. The armored serpent snagged Greene's leading ankle with her tongue, yanking him to the ground and firing blindly at Kaizer. The grenadier tripped on another viper's corpse, saving his life as the laser whined just over his head.
"Dodge this you son of a bitch!" Clayman had already slung his empty rifle around his back and drawn his sidearm. He fired off three rounds in quick succession and finally managed to kill the resourceful viper. The four men recovered from the ordeal and rendezvoused with the Resistance fighters that they had left behind. Fifteen more non-combatants and one fighter were recovered, and Alpha made the call. The group was going to fall back to Dunn's location and then regroup with the other seven survivors that Jade squad found. The gunfire had greatly died down and Advent was simply mopping up any survivors that they could find. The Wolfpack was grievously downsized, but Alpha assured Greene that they were not giving up the fight until the last wolf was dead.
The remainder of the plan went as smoothly as it could have gone, but Greene was still uneasy. Advent likely singled out the Wolfpack due to their assistance in drawing Advent reinforcements away from the convoy. He wondered how they discovered the Wolf's Den so quickly. The group was hiding out in a large cave they found. A quick headcount revealed that thirty-three survivors were present, including Jade squad. Greene nodded to Ghost when she arrived, adjusting his count to thirty-four as he and Alpha kept watch outside.
"How many do you think died?" Greene didn't answer the newly elected leader of the Wolfpack. The man continued anyway. "The attack was so sudden. Our sentries didn't even have time to warn us before bombs were falling and soldiers were gunning us down as we ran." Greene spared Alpha a sideways glance.
"That's the price of war." He sighed.
"I know. It's just... I thought we had a chance. We had the strongest haven in this entire region. One of the biggest in the world I bet. Almost two hundred people in one place. How did we fall so far?" Greene didn't have an answer to the other man's ramblings. He found it suspicious as well. Then it hit him.
"Have you heard the rumors of alien spies?" Alpha scoffed.
"Of course I..." He was interrupted by a shrill scream as the two bolted straight back into the cave with their weapons up.
"What the hell is this thing?" somebody shouted as a gargantuan beast rose to its full height in the cave. Immediately, two of the wolves opened fire, their low-caliber rifle rounds sinking into the malleable hide of this bizarre creature. Greene almost paused as soon as he saw it. A low groan emanated from what could only be described as its face, long and jagged claws stretching from its arms. Both Greene and Alpha filled the alien with lead, watching it lift up its arm and swipe over the heads of two petrified survivors who clutched each other in fear. Ozone aimed her more powerful shotgun and fired point blank, splattering the thing's wet and slimy skin all over the walls as it toppled over. Greene warily stepped closer, observing its face as the eyes turned up to stare back at him. He didn't hesitate in dumping everything that remained in his magazine into the alien's face. Silence descended upon the cave once more. Greene loaded his last magazine and looked around. Turner glared at Kaizer.
"Another baseless myth huh? My ass." The breacher walked out into the darkening sky as Greene joined him.
"This is Central. Jade squad, are you there? Over." Greene reached up to his ear.
"This is Jade one. Lima charlie, Central. Over." The response was instantaneous.
"What's your status? We lost contact after Firebrand left the area. Over."
"We have twenty-six survivors. Denmother is KIA and Jade squad is beaten up, but we're all still breathing. Over." There was a brief pause.
"Confirm Lonewolf. You have twenty-six Wolfpack survivors in total?" Greene sighed as Kelly's voice came through.
"Affirmative. The Wolf's Den is gone. Jade squad is combat-ineffective as of now." He counted the various injuries in his head. "Warhorse was shot in the arm, Roadblock is incapacitated, and the rest are concussed. Over." Another pause.
"Sit tight Lonewolf. We have your coordinates and help is on the way. Quiet out." Greene sighed again. He switched out with one of the wolves and promptly passed out.
