X-Com: Escalation

A few author's notes: This is very much based upon and centered around the X-Com universe. However, I have taken the "slang" and "imagery" from the newer released game, "UFO: Extra Terrestrials" which I feel pays a superb homage to the original in it's faithful updating and recreation of it. I plan to have several chapters and the Missions will be coming very soon. I believe in decent character development and since these are original characters and their are a lot of them, it may take a few chapters to get there. There will be relationships and sex scenes in upcoming chapters as well. If you prefer not to read that, you should be able to identify them pretty quickly and skip to the next *** marked section. I hope you enjoy this first chapter and the upcoming ones. I very much welcome and appreciate constructive criticism! Thanks!

 

Chapter One: Bravo Squad

March 21st, 2014

It was quiet on the base. It was normally alive with the bustling anticipation of returning crews but not this time. The last siren was different than normal. Interceptors had finally downed their first enemy Fighter class UFO. Alpha squad was sent to recon and recover the crash site. Command was the only room in the base with contact to Alpha. Everyone else was left to wait in silence.

Josie was awake. It was late and she wondered if anyone else had bothered trying to sleep either. She sat slumped against the corner wall of her bed, fingers mindlessly tracing the emblem on her issue pants, lost in thought. It had been four and a half hours since Alpha lifted and given the ETA, they would have touched down an hour and a half ago. She had friends in that squad. Six of them. Intel hadn't been able to determine the crew size of Fighter classes yet and the information Alpha was gathering was going to be vital to X-Com research. An average Scout carries four to five... a fighter must carry at least 10... those odds...

A light rap at the door broke her train of thought, her blue eyes glanced up to the door frame. "Come in." The door slid open immediately, the light 'shuuuk' sound confirming that her voice was recognized clearly.

"Hey." A blonde woman stood in the door frame, propping her shoulder against the metallic steel to lean against, "Can't sleep either, huh?"

"Nope. Just sitting here..." Josie's eyes fell to her lap as her words trailed off, catching the site of the book she was reading hours ago," ... reading."

"Oh, right. Reading. What kind of tips for combating extra-terrestrials is Jane Austin recommending this month?" The woman smirked as she finished her sentence.

"Yeah, right. Try, 'Alien Tech: Upcoming and Unobtainable,' she tossed the book to the floor, the thud of the impact emphasizing the stiffness of her read, "It's standard for CO's of every squad, I guess."

"I'll take that to assume you're fitting into your new promotion comfortably?" She stepped into the room, the door sliding shut immediately behind her as she moved to the guest seat.

"I wouldn't call it a promotion, Julia." Josie's face hardened for just a moment as she stared at her friend before softening quickly, "Sorry. It's just... he was killed, you know? I'm just a replacement."

Julia picked up the book from the floor, flipping through pages as she spoke, "I know. And you weren't. None of your squad were." She looked back up at Josie, smiling this time, "You have a good team and they have a good CO. Command knows it."

Josie cracked a smile, feeling ashamed for just a moment in letting herself do so. "Thanks, Jules." She glanced down at the emblem sown in to her pants, the new stitching still evident, "Hey, have you heard-..."

"No." Julia's eyes dropped to the book in her lap, her smile falling away instantly. "There's no word, yet." She let out an exhale of breath before rising from her seat and stepping back to the doorway, her teeth clenching together for only a moment.

"How is that wound coming?" Josie looked up, concerned for her friend.

"It's good. I'll be cleared tomorrow after my final treatment in the morning." Julia's eyes fell from her friend's as she tossed the weighted book onto the end of her bed. "I better get some rest. I can't have my CO seeing some tired girl when he gets back." Julia flashed her a wink before turning to leave.

"Julia..." Josie stared at her back as she stopped momentarily, "I'm sorry you couldn't go." She opened her mouth to continue speaking and stopped herself.  There was nothing else to say.

Julia nodded gently, fighting her instincts to turn and face her friend before continuing out the door.

The shuuuk of the door sliding shut behind her was jarring next to the desolate silence of Josie's room after that. She glanced at the book at the end of the bed, telling herself she should have it read before next lift off. She stared at it for minutes before turning to her pillow and losing herself in tears.



***

Mark was out of bed before he knew what was happening. He was peeling his shirt over his sweat damped hair and heading out the door as his mind was catching up with his body. The siren had gone off. Alpha was back.

***

Julia shrieked in pain as she shot up in bed. She tore a few stitches for sure. She was numb to the pain after the initial surge of her awakening and found herself halfway to Hanger One within seconds, medical kit in hand.

***

Roman was hopping on one foot pulling his pants on the other leg as Megan pushed him towards the door. "Out!" She chirped at him, failing to hold in a small chuckle as she did. "I'm going, I'm going!" He managed to get his pants on as his shirt hit him in the face, stumbling him into the hallway. He left her with a smirk before treading off down the hall. Megan snapped her bra back on, smiling to herself briefly before focusing on the situation and hurrying to dress herself.

***

The excitement had brought intense butterflies to Elise's stomach. She felt nauseous. She paused for a moment, raising her hand to her lips in anticipation before relealizing it was only nerves. She left her shoes at the entry way of her room, jogging down the hall in her bare feet to reach the hanger. She was so excited that he was back.

***

Josie's eyes stung as they shot open. She had fallen asleep in her pillow. As she darted to the door, her eyes  caught the clock. Five-twenty-two. She moved swiftly down the hallway, her small frame nimbly weaving through base personnel. Five-twenty-two... minus flight time... four hours on ground... She shook her head, processing the thought as she approached Hanger One.

"Medical personnel to Hanger One. Repeat. Medical personnel to Hanger One. Repeat..."

Her pace quickened as she sprang through a set of doors, throwing a technician off his balance as she passed him by. Her eyes fell to the large bay of doors she approached that read "Hanger One" in bright red paint. She braced herself for the scene as the doors slid open in front of her.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the Sky Ranger, the transport that Alpha had left on, looming proudly in the Hanger bay. It was damaged. Scorch marks lined the siding and a gaping hole was torn through the left wing. She couldn't see the right side and she thought that may not be such a bad thing. Hanger One was chaos. Technicians and medical personnel were everywhere. It was a sea of blue and orange jump-suits.

"Josie!" A voice called out to her. She whipped her head around, scanning the crowd for the source but to no avail.

"Hey! Josie!" This time she knew. She span around on her heels, her eyes darting up to a figure on a stack of crates.

"Mark!" She called out, her voice cracking in the middle of the world as she finally realized just how out of breath she was. She took a moment before calling out, "Where are they?"

Mark glanced back into the scattered crowd of people before whipping his head back in her direction, "There!" His arm stretched out, pointing to a huddle of people in orange jump-suits. Medics.

She waved at him as she jogged to the group, glancing at the lone blue jumpsuit, recognizing the occupant. She pushed past him and the two men in orange in front of her, stumbling into the small clearing. Her body froze. A mix of emotions rushing through her body as she stared on to the scene.

Sam clenched his teeth tightly as he gripped Julia's forearm. "Ouch! Come on! You don't have to put the rest of us out of commission!" He shot her a smirk as they exchanged glances. He let out a yelp of pain as she injected a needle without warning into his back. "Alright, alright! I'm sorry, Jules!" They exchanged slight smiles before she rolled her eyes, looking to the suited man next to her, "He'll survive."

A look of relief washed over the man as he reached down, clasping arms with Sam and lifting him up to his feet. "What happened?" He asked sternly, his eyes staring sharply into Sam's.

"Mitch took a round in a residence from behind. I turned to help. I was too late. Molly got him stabilized before lift off, he'll be out a few weeks but he'll be alright. The Sky R-..." He gasped out a breath as he was slightly winded by the force of Josie's body into his. She was gripping him tightly in a hug. "Hey, hey!" He grinned and wrapped an arm around her back, hugging her back before she released, "It must have been boring around here, huh?" He grinned at her before feeling the sting of her hand across his cheek, an issuing of ooooh's chorusing through the crowd around them.

"What is wrong with you?" Josie's voice pitched, the crowd quieting almost instantly. "I told you to take members of Bravo to fill out your crew! You had no idea the size of that craft's ground force!" Her face was red as her eyes flashed with anger and she emphasized each word.

His hand was on his face, gingerly rubbing the assaulted skin. He stared at her, listening to every word as she berated him.

"You could have got your team killed! You could have got yourself killed! We could have lost the Ranger!" She continued on, a fireball of emotional anger erupting, her voice cracking a final time before almost instantly dissipating when his eyes caught hers. Sam stared at her with nothing to say. His lips moved to speak but he had nothing to reply with. The Hanger was silent save for the medics attending to Mitch and a team of technicians assessing the Ranger and delegating tasks. "Just... be more careful." Her spark had dissolved and her voice dropped to a whisper. "... okay?"

He nodded to her before pulling his eyes up to scan the crown and finally to the suited man next to him. "Are we debriefing any time soon?"

The man cleared his throat suddenly, searching for words before speaking prominently, "Yes, yes. Everyone to work. We have a lot to do here. Sam, follow me." The pair took off through a set of doors on the other side of the hanger, clearly making their way to the Command center.

Josie turned, her eyes tracing the ground as she composed herself and stepped forward. She glanced up for a moment before holding her gaze on the crowd in front of her. It was both Alpha and Bravo before her. "What?" She exclaimed suddenly to them. A blanket of grins, smirks and smiles greeted her. She shook her head, pushing her way through them, "Get to work." She moved straight for the Medics attending to Mitch, now raising him on the stretcher to be transported to Med-bay.

Alpha and Bravo held for a moment without words. "So..." Julia broke the silence, staring down the line at both teams, "is anyone still buying her 'I shouldn't be CO' attitude?" Chuckles and sarcastic comments broke out momentarily before they dispersed.