I get back to X-COM. Last month was really fairly slow, but with the Hyperwave decoders and the alien base I'm expecting more excitement. I instantly cue up 10 more soldiers, maxing out the living quarters at EuroCom. I just saw all my lonely friends on Facebook, and figured that they needed some company. And I'll have more missions to induct them on. As soon as the next LQ finish, I'm going to need some new scientists to fill the labs. Also, I send order for 5 more soldiers for USA and a HWP as well. I'm hoping for a new hangar as soon as I get a decent ship to put in it.
Anyhow, to build my flying tank, I need 30 Elerium. And we're a little bit short. So, those supply ships had better be ready, because we're coming for them. Actually, I hope we're ready for a supply ship. Last time....uhgggg.
I head to the base and ask for volunteers. Naturally, Tyson and Kevin, along with 8 other brave souls. Brave Elerium-obtaining souls, I might add. Zen, Hannah, Mary, Mellissa, Jacque, BriAnne, Reggillious, and obviously, Kim Jong. I would throw on a stun launcher or two, but seeing how I'm going up against mind-powerless Floaters, I don't really see the point.
I see the old UFO from last time, the small one going on a terror mission. I-2 engages, but it slinks away and lands. Hmmm. This might be a good time for some Elerium harvesting. I figure the small UFO will be well enough, and launch the Skyranger with the current load. Assuming the UFO doesn't try to get away. X-COM USA is right next to the site, they could probably walk and get there faster.
Oh, great. Right as the Skyranger shows up, night falls. And the UFO darts out of sight. I chase it, and it turns back south over Canada. I have I-2 blow it up, and then send the Skyranger home. Now I'm just going to wait for the Supply Ships to show up. Those Snakemen will likely be captured by some Zoo, and make millions becoming actors in movies about Anacondas.
I wait all day, but nothing shows up. Maybe something about 2 crash sites, but I doubt that. I guess I will just have to get closer. I-2 goes down to fly over the base, and hopefully find something useful. Suddenly, a big herd of soldiers arrive. Oh, yes! I love this part. In other news I-2 finds nothing after a day of searching. I figure I'll have to bump up my patrols.
Katrina S. C,G: 58,63,33,30,35,57,55,38-reactions are low, but TUs, accuracy and strength are all good.
Jeff W. B,R: 58,70,36,20,56,60,67,27-Excellent starting reactions and accuracy. TUs are decent.
CamiClaw C-,G: 58,50,3,50,33,58,56,32-Accuracy is a high point, strength also.
Lindsay H. C-,R: 55,60,29,60,58,43,51,33-Great reactions, bad aim but good strength.
Bill D+,MS: 50,51,35,10,51,41,74,24-His reactions are decent I'll give him that.
Hillary D,MS: 60,41,31,40,51,40,73,28-Same as above.
Brian Y. C-,G: 53,67,40,30,34,59,70,27-Accuracy is good, reactions are not.
Sahra M. C,H:50,60,40,30,39,59,58,40-Our second H class! Yay!
Jessica W. B+,S: 58,65,30,60,47,68,54,38-reactions are weak point, if you dare say that.
Jason E. C-,G: 52,43,25,40,41,62,71,27-Basically an S class, but other stats are slightly low.
Anna N C,S: 60,45,31,60,43,63,61,23-Slightly better than the last one.
Well, that clears up the newbies at EuroCom, let's check out X-COM USA.
Justin M. B+,R: 53,65,36,60,55,62,67,35-The Jessica of the United States.
Ronald McD D-,MS:52,53,40,20,30,48,65,25-That's what you get for eating hamburgers and dressing up like a clown.
April A. C-,G: 56,40,34,40,50,58,76,29-Relatively average but low TUs
Chelsea N. C,S: 54, 50,27,0,41,66,60,25-Accuracy is pretty good.
Jamie R. D+,G: 56,66,25,30,42,56,68,22-Not bad enough to be an MS. A couple missions can work wonders.
Now that we have a fresh batch of soldiers manning the base, we need a supply ship so we can fuel the base. (and the blog) I scan the alien base for nearly a whole day, until both Interceptors are out of fuel. Not even the Hyperwave decoders are picking anything up. I guess I'll just wait, until we get a supply ship or I decide to go blast that base. This is probably what I get for leaving two crash sites untouched.
Then comes an infiltration mission. But they all say that so...I'm not really sure what it means. The UFO skirts EuroCom, and I-1 follows in pursuit. I try to launch I-2 so as to head it off. Brazil is being too cheap as it is. I lose tracking, but both interceptors are dispatched to the two cities in the area. Then a terror ship pops up. Looks like they've found what they are looking for. Well, I don't like civvies+crysalids, so that beast is going down(if my Interceptors can muster it, I suppose) But my mouse freakin sucks, so I loose contact and I can't find it. Then this pops up.
What? Is there another base you want to tell me about? They were floaters last time. Oh well, that's the supply ship if I can find it. Then I spy the Terror ship. Not today, buddy! I-2 nails him with all of the missiles he's got. The ship doesn't like this, and blows I-2 out of the sky. GAAA! I-1 pees his pants, reports he's low on fuel, and high tails it back to base. Great, lost an interceptor. Those things are pricey.
I launched the Skyranger earlier, to follow the Supply ships. After the interceptors left, all I can see is a small UFO. Might as well get something for coming all the way out here.
EuroCom had grown much larger since Reggie had arrived there. And so had the number of soldiers stationed there. Tyson and Kevin had been there the longest, and likewise were very influential in the operations that took place at the base. They had come in asking for volunteers to attack one of the supply ships that would be heading to the newly discovered base. Reggie had heard of the last mission, 5 soldiers, two of whom he had known well, had perished in the attack. Tyson didn't want anyone to go who didn't want to, as the attack had been traumatic and very dangerous. Both he and Kevin had been there, and as it was partly their plan to attack they were both going on the mission. Reggie had volunteered. He wasn't completely sure why, but he just felt that he should.
They had been waiting for the next few days, as the Supply ships had completely vanished. There had been interceptors launched, but they hadn't picked up anything, besides two ships which had crashed earlier. They weren't engaged, as the Elerium engines had been destroyed. The attack was meant to secure Elerium, because all of the new production depended on the resource. Reggie was still wondering about how he had gotten there. He assumed that Tyson and Kevin had some ideas about the group they were working for, but they were apprehensive to tell anyone. Reggie assumed that he might be able learn more from them on the trip to South America, where the base was. That, and they were two of the best soldiers in the base, so they were probably the best to learn from.
Then the Supply Ships had been noticed again. Both interceptors had been sent down to chase them around. The Skyranger launched as well. As soon as the Supply Ships landed, the Skyranger would be there to take it out. The Interceptors had reported two Supply Ships, and a Terror ship. The two aircraft were ordered to destroy the Terror ship, and as the Skyranger started heading away from the base they had started the pursuit. Reggie moved up to where Tyson and Kevin were talking, at the back of the Skyranger. He moved in and took a seat.
"So, what did you find about the ACIRIP program?" Kevin was asking. "It was some sort of project to create a thinking computer. Like actual intelligence. I couldn't find much more than that, it was very secretive. But it seems that they did some kind of brain wave mapping. It doesn't really work for humans, but it seems to have a partial connection with the aliens. But other than that....I can't say that it seems like much of a connection."
"Huh. Sounds like another dead end. Just like everything else."
Reggie cut in this time. "So...what's up?" They both glanced over. Then Tyson laughed. "Nothing much, apparently. We've been looking for some connection with the Contributors around the base, but nothing much."
"Excepting that their very influential. And they were able to get scientists who are experts and understanding the alien technology."
"Hmm. But you haven't discovered who they are?" They both shook their heads. "I'm doubting our plan, Kevin. Let's focus on government records, figure out who they've appointed to oversee this operation." Reggie wasn't sure what that meant. "What were you just talking about?"
"Oh, just some program that some of the scientists were involved with. Just a coincidence." "Yeah, like how more than half of the engineers are from Japan. Who would have guessed?"
They sat in silence for a while. The craft had quite a way to go. The radio interrupted their talk. "This is Interceptor-2, I've got visual on the Terror vessel."
"Affirmative, I-2, orders are to completely destroy the craft."
"Roger that command, moving into aggressive attack pattern."
The Aircraft moved in close, and started firing all of it's missiles. "They should have this," Kevin said. "Avalanches are gone, I'm using Stingrays now." "Roger I-2, Interceptor-1 is heading to your position."
Reggie watched as the camera from the interceptor showed the UFO. Plasma fire began flying from the UFO's sides, as another missile blazed towards it. "This is I-2, my wing has been clipped, down to 2 missiles!" The mood in the Skyranger had suddenly grown serious. The last two missiles left the Interceptor, but the aircraft didn't pull back. Multiple plasma bursts flew from the UFO. One of them connected with the front of the Interceptor, and the camera went black. "Interceptor-2 is down! We've lost Interceptor-2!" the radio buzzed. "This is Interceptor-1, I'm running low on fuel, I can't complete the chase."
"I sure hope we don't have a terror mission," Zen said. Reggie's first mission had been against Snakemen and Crysallids. He could remember how they infected civilians with their attacks, causing them to hatch into new monsters. Though that was a month ago. "Anything's better than a terror mission." The Skyranger was still over the Atlantic Ocean. They were going to search for any landed UFOs, now that there was no air support.
"This almost reminds me of the cross country days," Reggie started. "Ahh, those were good times..."
"Yeah, I'd always get ready before the race with Neal....." Kevin trailed off. The subject suddenly felt much harder to talk about. Reggie decided to start off again. "So, you know everyone here?" Tyson glanced around. "Mostly, though some people I only barely knew...I don't know, it's an odd sort of recruitment." They glanced towards the front of the Skyranger. "What about the Asian guy?" Reggie questioned. "Hmm, Kim? I'm not sure. His name matches North Korea's dictator, but he seems just like a normal guy. They told me he was a trained soldier, very brave and aggressive. But he doesn't seem to be any more experienced than any of us. Less than, even."
Reggie looked back. Kim only knew rudimentary English. But he had always ended up in front. Reggie remembered that about his first mission. Right as he jumped off the ship, Neal had called Neal up to the front of the group. He also remembered Brianna almost getting her head shot off by a Snakeman. "To put it the way that the general said, 'He's obedient as a sheep, and just about as smart.' I'm starting to agree with him."
"Skyranger, this is command. We've located a landed UFO, small, in Venezuela. Snakeman craft, but the only one we're tracking. Could snatch some Elerium. We only need 30 for the new vehicle." "Sounds good, command, changing course." The sun was setting fast, so the Skyranger would be landing at night. Just like the last time Reggie fought. He was slightly nervous as he returned to his seat. But the small UFOs were supposed to be much easier than the Terror missions or the large ones were. As the Skyranger circled, he grabbed a laser rifle and clutched it in his armored hands. He would be taking up the rear again, unless assigned elsewhere.
The Skyranger put down hard, landing right next to a large barn. Reggie could see it out of the window. The tank rolled off. "Ok, lets go guys." Tyson and Kevin filed out next, dropping to the sides. "All clear so far. Grab some flares, it's dark out here." Reggie paused momentarily at the top of the ramp, scanning the outside. There wasn't much to see, so he darted to the left.
As he dropped off the ramp, he heard the 'psuu' of plasma fire, and instinctively dropped to his knees. "You OK?" Hannah called to BriAnne as he turned around. Bri looked over, though her face wasn't visible under her helmet. There was a large black burn on her shoulder. "Yeah..." She spoke in a daze, then reached down on her belt, grabbing a grenade. "There were two of them, over in those sheds. Let's tear them open." Hannah said as she rose her rifle. Reggie followed suit, and shot at the sheds. The walls crumpled, but there was nothing there. Though having no moon didn't help at all. Mary added fire from her plasma rifle, and Reggie heard a snake screech.
A purple blast lit up the ground from behind, but Reggie couldn't see where it had come from. Then the grenade blew the sheds apart. The explosion was bright, and Reggie couldn't see anything through the rubble, Bri and Hannah started off towards the north, where they had heard more plasma fire. "Reggie, come on over to the UFO. We're getting ready to go in." Tyson must have been checking the map on the HUD. "Sure, I'll head over."
The radio was alive with chatter. Jacque and Mary were heading through an orchard, the HWP was clearing the rubble, Kevin had covered the southern corner, taking out a Snakeman with a stun launcher. Bri and Hannah had killed a Snakeman shooting at them, but it was darker than usual, so no one could see. Reggie ran up just as Tyson and Kim moved through the door, and he switched to the second comm channel.
"It's clear in here, we're heading to the left." Zen jogged back to Reggie. He had swapped his rocket launcher with Jacque for plasma. "Hey Reggie. Just follow me in." They started through the door.
Kim and Tyson both moved through their door. "We're gonna wait by the bridge door until they move in from the other side," Zen instructed. Reggie nodded. The UFO was small, with narrow corridors. Reggie could see how it could be a deathtrap. He heard the high pitched 'sktew-sktew-sktew' of laser fire, and a burst of plasma fire right after. "We had better hurry." There was more fire as they neared the door, Zen tapped the switch and rushed in, Reggie followed right behind.
The Snake on the bridge had just collapsed, and Reggie moved around Zen, and found himself facing towards Kim's raised rifle. Kim moved for the door, apparently the door to the engine room. "Ahh, fried the equipment..." Tyson was looking at the wrecked control equipment on the bridge. "Missed?" Reggie asked. Tyson nodded. Kim came back out of the engine room. "Is empty," he said. "Huh, must be outside. Let's go." They rushed back towards the exit.
"Kevin, it's all clear in here. Have you checked everywhere?" There was a few moments before his response. "Yeah, We've covered everywhere. Except that big barn."
"Well, open it up, there's nothing in here." The four reached the exit and paused. "We're not seeing anything, be careful when you come out," Kevin warned. Just then Reggie heard a UFO door slide open behind them. They turned and eyed the bridge where Kim had just come in. "I check," he said, sheepishly. He walked through the door, and Reggie heard the 'sktew' of laser fire. "How did he not see it? Luckiest guy," Tyson muttered. Kim reappeared. "It dead." He said. "Well, that takes care of that. Let's tear this thing apart."
A short while later they had pulled all of the usable parts out of the UFO and loaded them into the Skyranger. Before the Skyranger departed two helicopters arrived, there to remove what was left of the UFO and cover up any evidence. The crew was departing as the agents arrived. The two groups didn't share any dialogue. Apparently these agents arrived at every UFO landing. The crew had to leave, however, to be ready for the supply ship they were looking for. It was about 2:00 local time.
Reggie put his gear in the seat compartment, removed his helmet and sat back. He was tired. The mission had gone well, much better than his first mission. Of course, it was only a small UFO. But judging by how well everyone preformed, as well as the new equipment they were getting, bolstered his confidence. Everyone had said that they were much better prepared for a supply ship now than they were back in April. "Well, Regillious, how'd you like your first UFO?" Jacque asked him.
"It was good. A little tight for me, though."
"Yeah, I like it outside more. Think you'll come along for the base?"
"I don't know, maybe." Reggie glanced over at Tyson and Kevin. They were doing like most of the crew and sleeping. Though others were listening to music or talking quietly.
"Jacque, do you know what Tyson and Kevin were talking about? I overheard something about a research program, but I really don't know what's going on."
"Oh. Well, they have this plan of searching for the Contributors. They did get us into this and all. I would like to know what's going on. They told a few of us to be on the lookout, so we've been asking questions and searching for stuff. The ACIRIP thing was one of the things we actually found. But it doesn't really help. I mean, it's like the others. For example, the General isn't top in his class, though he is very good. But not really the aggressive type. They think he is more of a rear General or something. But him and his staff are from America, they all know each other mostly. The pilots and aircraft are from all over, best pilots they can find, though we've only had two of them." She paused momentarily, likely thinking back to the earlier events of the day. "There are other ones too, German manufacturing techniques, Japanese hardware used to implement the effective use of Elerium, a brainwave computer project that connects with the aliens. It all seems coincidental." Reggie figured that sounded right. ACIRIP They didn't even know what that meant, though they did have the letters. Reggie wondered for a minute but couldn't think of anything. "It's ok, you know. I mean, watching everything, it looks like our scientists are learning more about the aliens each day. The staff is always saying that once we find out just a little more about the aliens we could be able to track them back to wherever they are coming from. I hear they're working on a ship that will be able to do that. Follow the alien ships after they leave, and track them to wherever they go. We'll be out of here in no time. Contributors or not." Jacque lay back on her seat, closing her eyes, and Reggie hoped she was right.
This next part is me ranting about the mouse in the last mission. It's bracketed by the stars.
****
Kim enters, and the first room is empty. Tyson follows him to the left, Zen and Reggie both wait outside for a moment. The rest of the team moves towards the uncharted sections of map. And in other news, I hate mouses with the rolly balls. Holy cow I have no idea how computers even got started with such things! No idea how many lives it has cost already! It's a good thing that combat is turn based, or else everyone would be dead right now, leaving the mouse victorious.
Kim bursts into the command center, finding a snake. He opens fire, missing each time. Tyson runs in behind him, but in his attempt to cover misses and hits the control station. Oh my. And the worst part was, the click slipped to the control station, so he would have hit it had I not have clicked so poorly. Now both of them are open to enemy mulching. The snake turns and fires, leaving a nasty burn mark on the bridge hallway. Whew again. Kim tries auto-ing the snake, and gives it a nasty triple hit before it finally falls. Zen and Reggie both advance from the right, setting up the perfect collateral damage cross fire.
Kim rushes the engine room to find it.....empty? What? I've still been scouting outside, but no fire for a while. There must be one in the building, or that's where my money is going. Usually the aliens like to take a few potshots, but I guess this guy figures on lie low and whatnot. And now the mouse is going berzerk. Seriously, the screens all crazy and I'm REALLY not in the mood. I've got the feeling that this will be this mouse's last game..... It finally reverts to normal(nearly sacrificing Kevin) and in time for me to save the game.
Mellisa has blasted out most of the walls, so almost all of the upstairs is clear. I wonder if the game is glitching, it has seemed somewhat off today. And after the beating of missed shots the Skyranger's been taking, I hope it gets everyone home. I keep on those doors...then the alien turn. UFO door. (?!) What the? Is Kim freaking blind? Holy cow he is the luckiest MS on the planet. Up until now because he's going back in there. He finds it and brings it down.
*****
Well, good, got my Elerium. But, once I arrive back at base I see that I now have only 4 HP clips. Though I had nearly everyone dump and I should have gathered tons from the stinking snakes. I guess this game just hates me...or the glitch isn't active. Yeah, I'll go with that. So only shoot if you're going to mean it, because even one shot counts as 3 Elerium. On the other hand I now have 6 small launchers and 16 bolts for each. Could probably stun the whole base, be it necessary. Oh yes, MVP is hard to give out, but, since Meaties don't get these awards, Melissa, 2 kills.
Right off I start production on a flying tank. Just the thing that I need to keep this outfit running! Hopefully a supply ship in the future as well.
I'm going to go for a supply ship, so I'm just going to wait until they show up, take one down, and then get the base next. Very small UFO, you don't get anything out of those anyway, so I just watch it. The tank finishes, and Interceptor-3 arrives at the other base. Sweet. I suppose I could build a Firestorm, just to test it out. Just one being built for now. Though, as always, Elerium supplies are low.
Ahh, ultimate craft research complete! Though it should be a battleship, but whatever. Gonna have to throw down one of these beauties ASAP. I start on motion sensors, assuming they might be helpful. Another small UFO pops up. I watch it fly about, until the one that I'm waiting for arrives. I do a last minute check of everything, then start chasing it. Kim and BriAnne are both off and replaced by Bill and Hillary. The UFO lands and I send out the Skyranger. I-3 is hovering overhead, but I'm not going to shoot it. Elerium is too valuable. It takes off, and flies out from under I-3 without him noticing. It heads for EuroCom, then disappears. What? Hyperwave decoder guys must be taking a nap. Well, another lost chase.
Another small UFO pops up. I'll probably start on those after the supply ship. Living quarters finishes, and I recruit 25 more scientists. That's gonna bust the budget. A terror ship shows up, and I figure enough waiting around for supply ships. But I'm not eager enough to attack a terror ship, even if it's crashed. However, I-1 is a brave soul, he chases it as it flies over Europe. I-3 hits it with 6 Avalanches, but nothing. He disengages and I-1 races towards it. He never catches the beast, it then heads north and away. I hit the 30min. timer and wait. I get some research done, and again a terror ship pops up. I-3 goes for it again. He fires off 4 missiles before getting swatted out of the sky. So much for that.
Well, I've got some new toys for this mission, blaster bombs, hovertank, and such. Let's do this. Ok, forget the blaster bombs. They explode too big for having civvies everywhere. Skyranger-1 is racing against the nightfall, but sunset is moving faster, so it will be dark when we show up. I really want an Avenger, that's for certain. Ahh, well at least we know what we're up against. I'm thinking of researching Laser Cannon, because missiles aren't cutting it. But I guess we'll see.
Ohh, right as we're landing at the terror site the supply ships arrive. Oh well, can't do anything about it now. The Skyranger sets down in Canada, ready to kick some alien tail.
Reggie was eating dinner at EuroCom. The crew had returned victorious at the small UFO, but Tyson told them to be ready for a supply ship. A number of small UFOs were spotted, two terror ships even. But they hadn't engaged any of the craft. Reggie supposed it would be best to be ready. They had chased one supply ship, but it breezed off to where ever it came from before they even got close. The terror ships were engaged by the aircraft. The replacement from the other base had been blown out of the sky. Luckily we're on a craft that doesn't attack, Reggie had thought.
The alarm went off again, and Reggie assumed that it was the terror ship raising it's ugly head once more. He hustled into the hangar, where part of the crew had already loaded. "Reggie, how are you?" Jacque was walking up behind him.
"Hey Jacque. What's all the fuss?"
"That terror ship from an hour ago, it's landed in Vancouver. We've gotta head out as soon as we can."
"Huh. Well, just like last time." The new HWP was moving towards the Skyranger. The interesting part was that it could fly. "Now that is the kind of car I want." Reggie said as he climbed into the Skyranger.
The group was the same as before. Reggie realized that he was the only one not wearing a flying suit. "Don't worry about it, Reggie. We'll protect you." Jacque told him. There were two people Reggie didn't know, two others, as they were being called. They were squabbling about something, but he didn't pay much attention. It had been a couple weeks since the last mission. Unless you counted the ride over the Atlantic. He started to dose as the Skyranger lifted off from the hangar. The sun had set at EuroCom, meaning it would be dark at Vancouver when they got there 6 hours later.
Reggie woke up later. It was around 4:00 back at the base, but at least he was well rested now. "Hey, you're up," Jacque smiled. Reggie yawned, "Ahh, yeah. How far till we get there?"
"We're almost there now, about 20 minutes I'd say."
The rest of the crew was waking up right now. Reggie had his stuff with him, and he was ready to go. "Jacque, you ready for this?"
"Yep. Always ready."
"Yeah. Hopefully better than the first time I went on one of these."
"You'll be fine. We'll try to get a vantage point from above. It worked really well last time."
"Yeah, but that was in daylight," Reggie reminded her. She shrugged. "It will be fine."
"We're on approach, got a landing zone all picked out," the pilot said. At the back of the ship, Tyson called back to the crew, "Guys, I'm glad you're here. Sorry we didn't get the supply ships, but we had to respond to this. But hey, big break for everyone after this." There was a murmur of approval. The Skyranger slowed, and Reggie heard the landing gear deploy. The hatch started dropping, and the interior lights clicked off. "Readdy Reggie?" Jacque's voice sounded more mechanical through her suit. "Oh yeah, let's do it." Reggie could almost see Jacque's smile.
Reggie's HUD sparked up. There was already a red box on the overlay. Kevin and Tyson moved out. "Got it, Crysallid," Kevin said. "Nice. OK, everyone in a flying suit, head into that building. Same setup as the first time that we did this." Reggie was one of the few without a flying suit. He leapt to the ground. To his right he saw a large building, the rest of the group had disappeared inside. Hannah was standing outside on the ground, holding a rocket launcher. "I'm not going in there with this," she said. "Kevin, you're in charge of the upper group. Ground group, you're on channel 2. Hannah, head up to the top of the Skyranger, stay on this channel," Tyson was giving the orders. They had split the channels to help with group coordination. Though communication could still be heard, but channel talk was much louder. It was mostly for UFOs, but it helped remove unnecessary talk.
Tyson shot another Crysallid waiting in a street. Reggie moved up behind him. Across the street he could see two more buildings, with large doorways facing the street. The HWP flew over about 13 feet up. Reggie saw Kevin fire on a snake in the street in his connected screen. He overheard Mary shoot another Crysallid to the west.
Reggie moved towards the frontal landing gear. Across the street, he could see some civilians moving in and out of the doors. A plasma bolt flew towards the upper story, but hit nothing. "Bug, bug!" Hillary said. She didn't have a video feed, but Reggie was right next to them. He looked around the corner, where a Crysallid was standing. He fired, one laser hit, but the creature still stood. Bolts flew from behind him, but all of them missed, flying into the darkness. Hillary finally shot it, and it crumpled to the ground.
"We've gotta cross the street. Reggie, you and Hillary check those stores, Bill, let's go." Tyson and Bill both sprinted across the street, now standing alongside the civilians clustered over there. "This is the upper group, we're crossing the street." Kevin informed the squad. Kevin was looking down from the rooftop. Mary and Jacque moved over to the large house following the tank. Zen was flying over also.
"Heads!" Tyson called. The door had opened, a civilian had crumpled to the ground. "Snakeman inside," he reported. Hillary had the store clear, Reggie watched across the street. Bill was walking into the building on the west side. There were two civilians standing next to him as he went in, so if he needed cover fire it would be hard for anyone at this range.
"Ahh, big bug in here..." Reggie could hear the sound of fire over the headset, but then the building next to Tyson exploded, throwing rubble across the street. "Bill's in there with some Crysallids. We've gotta take them out..." Tyson coughed. Hannah dropped to the ground by Reggie. "Reggie, knock out those walls." Reggie fired, and the walls crumpled. He didn't hit any civilians, but he did see one standing inside the building. He also saw Bill, a Crysallid standing over him, the infection passing through him, turning him into a zombie. Hannah's rocket flew through the door, and the side of the store exploded.
Reggie moved to a better position. "The Crysallid is down, but we've got more snakemen in there." "Roger that, we're moving in." Melissa dropped next to Reggie. They kept their guns trained on the storefront. Another rocket flew through the smoke, blowing more debris out of the way.
Tyson looked through the rubble. "I'm heading in through this side. Can't see anything." "Yeah, moving in from the west, got your back," Kevin replied. He began firing through the store. Reggie just watched. The soldiers converged on the storefront. 3 Snakemen later, and the motion tracers showed all clear.
I kept my other writing here, if you want to read it for all the details. Otherwise, it's bracketed by the stars, so you can skip it if you want.
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
I fly out and see a Crysallid. Tyson has flying suit issues, but Kevin is a pro, and he kills the beast. Otherwise like the first mission, I am in a corner so I can move into the building's second story. The difference is it is night. The Hovertank moves out, and Tyson kills another Crysallid. Kevin and the other fliers, which includes everyone but Reggie and the meatshields, move into the second story of the building.
A (kevin) snakeman and a (mary) Crysallid spotted out of a window fall to upper story fire. The ground group will have to move across the street, as there are large buildings there as well. A Snakeman takes a shot at Kevin, but misses. I find a Crysallid down approaching the ground group. Reggie tries for it with his laser rifle, one bolt hitting. Bill fires two bursts, all nearly hitting teammates and nearly hitting the Crysallid. Hillary finally brings it down with another laser. Thank heavens.
I start to spread out. I'm sending the ground group across the street, and the upper group will have to follow them as the tank clears the area. Then a snake pops out, blasting a civvie and almost killing Tyson! I blow a hole in the wall, but I don't see the snake. There's another civvie right there, so I don't move. I figured it was fairly safe, since the civilians have been wandering through the doors all game. Bill moves in another door, and yipes! Crysallid. The most important 3 shots of your life, Bill! He misses all but one, and a snake shoots at him through the wall. He has nowhere to run....oh boy. I can't do much now. Goodbye, citizens of Vancouver, that's for sure.
Tyson's snake throws a grenade, blowing himself to pieces. Bill gets the royal Zombie treatment, the first member of Xcom to be zombied. He turns and clubs a citizen over the head. Well, it doesn't get much better than this. Reggie clears out the walls from a distance, so Hannah can get a view of the proceedings. Hannah has been on top of the Skyranger with a rocket. She fires it in, killing everything in the area. One civilian is nothing to worry about. Tyson kills the Crysallid.
A message pops up, telling me the snakeman soldier has panicked. That's nice, I'll use him for reaction training. There should be one more though. Hannah figures, what the heck? and lobs another rocket into the building. A lucky civilian is all that remains. Kevin and Tyson both move through the rubble, one from each side. Kevin spots a Snakeman, and kills it. He is answered by a shot from a snakeman further back. Reggie tries for a shot at it, but his bolts go off. I'm also not sure if the panicking alien dropped his stuff, but he only had a stun launcher anyway, so Zen just waits.
(Note: There were pics for all of these I think. Either way, I never get a picture of a flying bullet, that's for sure.)
The Snake fires off a blast of purple, so he hasn't panicked, or dropped his stuff, anyway. Zen answers with a shot of his own, ending the creature's sad existence. Kevin finishes what he started, and as the tank moves in, I discover another snake, one who was panicking I believe. Jacque drops him, and ends the mission.
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
Very nice. Got a little dicey there for a second, but that's ok, it all worked out. No one liked Bill that much anyway. MVP to Kevin, 4 kills. I see Kevin has some sickening stats, wow. A small craft is noticed, and I'm not letting any more get away. I load up the Skyranger with primarily rookies, and wait for it to land. Or the end of the month, whichever comes first. After a lengthy chase, the UFO sets down in southern Spain.
It's a beautiful day in the Spanish vineyard. The unloading HWP is brutally assaulted by plasma fire. Kristen deals with the menace. I continue to find a floater sunbathing on top of a roof. Of all the things to be doing.... Richie moves out to rocket the beast into submission, but 'Howard' (that's the new name of the tank) is in the way. I move it, and the Floater reacts. Missing the tank, but one shot flies down from above and hits Richie dead on. Courtney flies out and autos that floater down.
I find anther floater on the side by the UFO. A whole herd of rookies cannot even touch it, and I really don't know why I brought so many. The floater takes aim at Howie though, so everyone lives. Finally, Marie is able to bring it down. I keep on scouting, having heard a door. Cameron spots a floater through a second story window. He clears a path, and Courtney F. takes it down. Yay! Courtney's first kill. She's been here quite a while, but now she can finally get a promotion!
I head for the UFO. I keep hearing door sounds. Likely there are 2 in there. Kim and Kristen head left, and Vern covers to the right. The rest of the houses outside all look clear. Suddenly, a sneaky floater rushes in from the right. He fires at Vern, but hits a wall. Vern fires back, squarely killing the beast. Kim and Kristen rush in from the far side. Kristen see's one, and autos away, killing it and another I didn't see. Kim rushes into the engine room, and kills the remaining floater.
Good. Except for Richie. Bad stroke of luck there. MVP to Kristen, for many great kills. Then up comes funding. What the? Freaking Brazil. Any terror attacks there, and I'm not going. Well, most likely anyway. Actually, I should have destroyed many more UFOs than I did, note the negative up there. Yeah, not very good on my part.
Right before I sign off, one more UFO shows up.
1 comment:
nice. i'm glad my stats rock...my accuracy is incredible. any more missions and i'll be invicible...not
good work tyson. definitely a good read on this one. thoroughly enjoyed it.
Post a Comment