"No matter what happens, we must not surrender. Protect XCOM HQ! Protect the Commander!"
~Colonel Jorge Davila rallying his troops; Day XCOM HQ was attacked
February 17, 2035; Advent City Center London; 10:00 P.M
(Hope Smith's "Reaper" POV)
Well, it's official. I hate this mission. Yeah sure, there will be worse ones. But for my first official mission with XCOM, I thought that it would be easier.
Boy was I wrong.
So very wrong.
I wasn't scared, just...surprised.
We were driving to the mission site, an Advent Gene Bank, to recover an important package. Central was driving, while Janet, a.k.a my best friend for life, was in the passenger seat. I was in the back.
There were only two options in the back, sleep or think. Since I was on a mission, and therefore couldn't sleep, I just thought about my life so far up to this point.
I was born on January 1, 2013. My mother was a cardiologist and my father was a general in the Japanese army. After the Fall of Earth, my father swore allegiance to Advent, and became a valued commander in their army. On August 28, 2020, when I was seven years old, my mother was accused of treason. My father killed her personally. He then began to abuse and beat me. I found refuge with my group of friends, the Gamer Blue. Janet was the only one who knew about the beatings. At age 18...
"S***!" Central exclaimed, pulling me from my thoughts, "Advent Patrol up ahead!"
I looked out the front window. An Advent Police Truck was up ahead, also about 20 or so Advent Troopers.
"Drive around them!" Janet yelled.
"They're between us and our mission! I'm ramming them!"
"What?!" I yelled, "Are you f*****g serious?!"
"Hand me an X4 charge Janet," he said, ignoring me.
"Here," She pulled out a charge and gave it to Central.
He planted it on the dashboard. "Now, when I give the order, jump out of the car."
I took off my seatbelt. "This is bulls**t!"
We sped over to the patrol. A Trooper noticed us. "Halt!" He cried.
"Jump!"
F**k me.
I jumped out of the car, rolling on the asphalt. Shots rang over me as the Troopers fired on the car. The car crashed into the Truck and...
Boom...
The explosion was so huge, and I was so unprepared, that it sent me flying back a little. I was lying on the road with my back up. My ears were ringing. Smoke was everywhere. I was coughing uncontrollably. I looked up.
Fire was raging everywhere. The car and the truck were obliterated. About 12 Troopers were killed. Orange blood was everywhere and...
Wait, what the f***? Orange Blood?
I've never actually seen an Advent Trooper bleed, not personally anyway. So the sight of orange-colored blood coming directly from the Troopers, especially when it's advertised that Advent Soldiers have Red Blood shocked me.
I tried to grab my rifle, but I couldn't find it. I looked up and saw that it was lying about 3 feet away from me, and that standing next to it were 4 Advent Troopers.
"Malishek!" one of them shrieked in his alien tongue. The Troopers raised their rifles and fired at me.
I quickly rolled out of the way and found cover behind a lamppost, bullets flying whizzing past me. I pulled out my combat knife and threw it at a Trooper. The knife impaled itself in the Trooper's throat. He tried to pull it out as he fell to the ground, blood spilling all over him. The other three troopers were momentarily distracted, comprehend in the speed at which their comrade was killed.
Perfect.
I ran at full force towards them. When I reached them, I jumped forward and punched one Trooper in the face. He staggered backwards. I landed on my feet and pulled out my knife from the now-dead Trooper. I threw it at the Trooper I just punched. It impaled itself somewhere between his eyes.
The remaining Troopers fired at me. I quickly dodged all of the shots and head-butted the nearest Trooper. The fourth Trooper turned and fired at me. I used the Trooper I just head-butted as a human-shield. The shots coming from his comrade impacted him multiple times. Some of his blood even got on me, which I hated. I threw the Trooper I used to the last remaining Trooper. Both Troopers fell to the floor. I used this opportunity to grab my Assault Rifle. When the remaining Trooper pushed off his dead partner, I shot him in the head.
Janet came over to me. "Having fun Hope?" she asked playfully.
"Oh yeah," I replied sarcastically, picking up my knife from a Trooper, "Lots of fun."
"Well, the fun is just beginning. Central and I took down 5 Troopers and an Officer. That's two more Advent soldiers than you killed."
"Big deal."
"Better believe it"
"Are you two done flirting? We have a mission to complete here," Central said.
I didn't show it, but I was embarrassed by what Central said. I didn't want to look at Janet. It was...kind of...true. I had some small feelings for her. However, I feel like those feelings are not mutual.
Janet is my friend. I'm sure she doesn't have feelings for me right?
Right?
I walked up to Central. "Well now that our car is blown to kingdom come, I guess we have to walk walk now."
"Relax Hope. The objective is right over-"
"Ahhhh!!"
"S***! We have to move now!" Central yelled.
He ran off. I followed suit, with Janet on my tail. We got to the Gene Bank and the scene that met my eyes was a sobering one.
There were three dead Advent Troopers. One of the Gatecrasher squad mates, I think her name was Ana...something, was dead. She was shot multiple times in the back.
The other Gatecrasher operative, Daniel...something...I think, was still alive. The remaining Trooper turned to fire at him. Central shot her, at least...I think it is a her, in the back. She fell to the floor.
She began to crawl away. "Sora...Mor Xalta...Shel..." she was saying.
Central walked briskly towards her. "She's calling reinforcements!" I heard Shen say over the comms," Stop that-"
Central stomped his foot on the Trooper's head, ending her life.
"-Transmission."
"Central. Reporting in."
"You're late," Shen said, as Central kicked over the Trooper," What have you been doing down there?"
"Taking in the sights."
I saw the Trooper's faceplate roll off. I went to take a look at her.
I wish I hadn't. It's a sight I would never forget.
The Trooper...no, the monster...was not human at all. The thing was naturally bald. Its ears were folded back, unlike ours. Its nose was pushed inward. Its forehead was huge. Its teeth were very different from ours; they were black. Its eyes were silver and had no pupils.
And the monster was covered in its own orange blood.
Janet walked up and saw I saw. I guess she took it harder than I did. She began to shake and shudder very violently. She leaned on me.
"Why?" She asked me softly, sounding on the verge of tears, "Why would they do this to us?"
I wish I knew.
"What the hell are these things?" I asked.
"They're us," Central said.
What the f***?
"Human-hybrid soldiers," Central continued, "Advent's reward for obedience and service."
"We've all heard rumors," Shen said, "I just...I just never believed they were true."
If the aliens are doing this to some humans, how long until they do this to all humans?
Would they do this to Janet?
No! I'm not going to let that happen.
"No one wanted to," Central said, "But trust me, we find what we're looking for today, all that's going to change. Let's go to work."
"I couldn't agree more," I said.
I saw a red flare pop off on the ground. A red digital square came up around it. Most normal citizens under Advent's influence would see this as a sign of hope.
For those in XCOM, we saw this as a sign of fear.
It was an Advent deployment zone.
F*** me.
"Looks like that transmission went through," Shen said rapidly, "You've got an Advent Transport heading you're way."
Just as she said that, another deployment zone came up. Then another. Then another. Then...
Oh s***.
"Another transport. And another. And another. The whole Advent Security Grid lit up. 12 transports are coming your way."
"Central!" Imperator yelled, his voice distorted and robotic due to his voice scrambler (don't ask me why he is using it), "4 dropships just flew past me! They're heading toward your direction!"
"Central!" The squad leader of Menace 1-5, I don't know her name, yelled, "We planted the charges, but I lost two members of my team! Advent is overwhelming us here!"
"Hope!" Central yelled, "Get into Overwatch position with Crasher-One! Cover me and Janet."
"With pleasure!" I yelled.
I started to move to cover when I saw something glowing on a Trooper's corpse. I walked closer to it. It was a Repeater attachment.
"Is that what I think it is?" Shen asked.
"Yep," I said, "Sure is."
"Grab it and bring it back."
"Done."
I got into a Overwatch stance as the first two Advent Dropships flew overhead. 5 Troopers and an Officer came out of each. As they began to move I shot one of the Troopers. The bullets from my rifle pierced through its armor and punctured its vital organs underneath, killing it. Crasher-One did the same to another Trooper. The remaining Advent forces got into cover and opened fired.
Advent may have propaganda that their "protectors" are highly trained in both Human and Elder tactics, but the truth is, they have terrible aim.
I didn't realize this earlier, but seeing 8 Troopers and 2 Officers miss the shots they fired at me made me laugh out loud. I laughed even more as I took out 5 Troopers.
Then the tables turned.
6 Dropships flew in, all carrying similar forces like the earlier two had. We may have had the element of surprise, they have strength in numbers. The shots from all of their rifles slowly forced me to the building.
"Hope!" Janet yelled, "Get in here! I need you!"
"Just go!" Crasher-One yelled, " I'll try to ho-"
That's as far as he got. While he was distracted, an Officer aimed and fired at his head.
Crasher-One's blood splattered all over me. He fell to the floor, dead.
"No!" I yelled. Two more Dropships flew in.
Now that I was alone fighting about 40 or so Advent, I had to fall back or end up like Crasher-One. I pulled out a grenade and armed it. I threw it to a nearby car and ran towards the Gene Bank. I jumped through the window and took cover.
Boom...
The car exploded along with the grenade. I guess I killed about 10 or so Advent. That would buy us some time.
I looked behind me. Central was standing in cover in front of a door. Janet was hacking that door.
"Well," I started, "I'm here."
"Thank God," Janet said with joy.
"What's the status on the door Janet?" Central asked.
"Almost there...and...Got it!"
The door slid open.
"Cover me!" Central yelled. He ran into the room.
I reloaded my rifle. Janet pulled out her pistol.
Advent Forces begs to pour into the building. Janet and I opened fire. Dead Troopers began to fall. But more just kept coming in.
How many of these things does Advent have? I thought as I stabbed an Officer who got to close.
"Janet! Hope!" Central yelled from inside, "I got the package. How's our exit?"
"It's not looking good out here," Janet replied.
I slammed another clip into my rifle and shot another Trooper, "No s***!"
"We need a new extraction site!" Central yelled, "Fall back!"
We fell back into the room Central was in. Janet closed and locked the door. I looked at Central.
He was carrying a person over his shoulder. This person was covered in a Reddish-Brown Advent Stasis-Suit. However, I could tell that this person was a female.
"This is what we risked our lives for?!" I yelled, "One f*****g girl?!"
"Captain Smith," Central replied, with loads of frustration in his voice, "This girl was the Commander of XCOM during the First Contact War. You will show some respect! Am I understood?!"
I've never seen Central that furious before. I had no choice but to reply, "Yes, Sir."
"Good. Now, how do we get out of here?"
"Wait," Janet said, "If we throw a grenade at that wall over there," she pointed to a nearby wall, "We can create a new exit and call Firebrand from there."
I heard Advent forces assembling outside. I also heard Dropships deploying more soldiers.
"Do it!" Central yelled.
I took cover and got into an Overwatch stance. Janet threw a grenade to the wall.
Boom...
The wall broke apart, creating a way out. Janet signaled Firebrand while Central sprinted with the Commander towards the hole.
Just then, the door slid open and Advent Troopers burst into the room. I fired at the Advent forces. They kept coming no matter how many I killed.
"Firebrand is here!" Central yelled as the Skyranger hovered overhead. A rappel line dropped from the Skyranger. Central attached himself to the line. When the line retracted, bother he and the Commander went up into the ship.
"VIP is secure!"
I was looking at Central getting into the Skyranger that I didn't cover the entrance.
When I turned around, an Officer was aiming at me.
He fired.
"Ahh!!" I yelled as the magnetic-propelled rounds tore through my Kevlar Armor and pierced my flesh.
F***!!!
I fell to the floor. My blood was leaking out of my armor. It trickled onto the floor.
"HOPE!!!" Janet yelled.
Not today! I'm not dying today!
Janet ran over to me. She put her weapons down and picked me up.
"Don't die on me Hope! Don't die on me!"
She sounded ready to cry.
I won't. I won't.
She slung me over her shoulder and ran for the hole. The Advent Troops shot at us, but they missed every shot.
Another rappel line came down. Janet hooked up to it and it pulled both of us up into the Skyranger.
"Get us out of here!" Central ordered.
"Aye Aye!" Firebrand, the pilot of the Skyranger, yelled. She flew the ship away from the Gene Bank.
Janet stripped off the damaged section of my armor to inspect my wounds. After a moment, she sighed in relief and said, "It looks worse than it is. You'll be fine. Thank God."
"Had you worried there for a second didn't I?" I replied, with a bit of pain in my voice due to my wounds.
"Not funny," She said, extremely serious, "At all."
"Menace 1-5," Central said over the comm, "What's your status?"
"I'm the only one left!" The squad leader screamed, clearly panicking, "I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm... Ahh!!!"
"Menace 1-5 report."
No response.
"Menace 1-5 report!"
Only static.
"Damn it," Central said.
"Central!" Imperator yelled, "I'm pinned down by multiple hostiles. The warehouse is starting to give in and I'm down to just my pistol, I need Evac NOW!"
"Firebrand, get to his location."
"Yes sir!" She replied.
The Skyranger flew towards the warehouse Imperator was at. It was on fire and about to collapse. More than 50 Advent Troopers and 20 Advent Officers were dead. Imperator was on the rooftop, his Assault Rifle was slung on his back and he was shooting at Troopers with his pistol. He turned around and I saw that he also had an XCOM bandana and Aviators.
Central waved to him. "Come on!"
At that moment, the building chose to collapse. Imperator sprinted across the rooftop.
"Jump!"
The building caved in.
Imperator jumped.
Central barely caught him. He then pulled him into the Skyranger.
"Get us home, Firebrand."
"Copy."
She flew away from the scene, dodging Advent shots. I saw the Advent Statue Menace 1-5 wanted to blow up.
"Where's Menace 1-5?" Imperator asked.
"They're gone," Central replied grimly. He pulled out a detonator.
"Sometimes...I really hate this war."
He pushed the detonator.
Boom.....
The Elder Statue was eradicated. It went up in flames and fell to the ground.
"You and me both." Imperator replied.
"Reaper, Sierra," Central turned towards us, "Get some rest."
Janet carried me over to a seat. She sat me down.
She leaned over to my ear.
"Good night."
I was too tired to reply. I just nodded and dozed off.
Good night.
Well, that's Chapter 2.
I know that I didn't give detailed descriptions of Jessie, Hope, Janet, or Central, but I did this for a reason.
I'll describe them more when I reach Chapter 4, when I introduce the entire team.
I know that 12 Advent Dropships didn't show up in the actual mission, but I feel that if the whole Advent Security Grid lit up, and if they were protecting a vital piece (the Commander) of the Ava...uh oh. Wasn't supposed to say that..,yet.
Also, the Commander isn't technically a female. However, the Commander also never has their gender, voice, or...anything about him/her. So, I choose to make the Commander a female because I feel that the Commander should be a female. That's my opinion.
In the next chapter, the Commander will be introduced and she and Central will discuss about forming an elite task-force built up of multiple XCOM Operatives. Also, we may get some backstory about the Commander and Central.
Warlord out.