XCOM: United Front (IC / DEAD)

[Relikai]

CPL Konayama Miyuki "Milky", Bravo Two, Sniper.
San Marcos, Mexico

The chatter in the radio was picked up by the sniper lying on her side, as Milky waited for someone to bring her to cover. She was sure that she could get up on her own, but not within seconds as her body continued to adapt to the pain, Milky doing her best not to black out although the temptation to just lay back and close her eyes was real. Her breathing was heavy, but a slower rate than the previous gasps as she fought against the impact. Much calmer than before, but knowing that she was in the open, Milky closed her eyes, trying to move her other arm to protect her head, when a body knelt beside her, Milky finally opening her eyes to find Charlie's medic next to her.

"Hello Comrade, your name is Milky, da? I'm going to be patting you down to check for any other wounds that I cannot see. If something hurts, yell or spit your blood at me."

She could not move much, but she did give a nod, trying to keep herself still as her left arm began to regain some feeling. There was a limit to what the medic could do with the armoured vest on her, as Milky blushed whenever a hand did a check on precious spots. It was expected, and not the first time Milky was checked this way, as an accident involving a fall during acrobatics training on gravel resulted in the medic checking her entire body before certifying her safe for relocation, lest they injure her during transportation.

"Argh!" The cry came as Milky's right hand moved instinctively to her left arm as Vasily applied some pressure on it. It was not broken, but extremely bruised. Lesser cries came as he checked her ribs and stomach where the tentacle did a good job trying to squeeze her there, and thankfully her throat escaped relatively unscathed.

"Arm, left arm... Ribs..." Milky whispered in pain. Knowing that she might need to be relocated in order for Vasily to complete a full checkup, the sniper pulled at a strap on the right side of her suit, the escape catch causing her armoured vest to fall apart, lessening her weight to a mere 48kg.

"To the building. Lets go..."

[Beiarusia]

ALIEN ACTIVITY

Sqd. Malik and Sqd. Franklin were still pinned down inside the building, offering some return fire but doing little to alleviate the situation on their own. The remainder of Bravo was coming back around to support. Alpha, however, had already engaged and was attempting to suppress the aliens in the pawn shop with Cpl. Herrmann managing to kill the sectoid using the alley for cover. Three explosive 40mm grenades decimated the creature and splattered the dusty pathway with gore and shredded body parts as it suffered at least one direct hit. Sgt. Barbs fired a small burst of his LMG at the sectoid on the roof and, with two more rifle rounds impacting nearby from Cpl. Cruise, forced it to duck for cover. Using a small care to shield himself the large, angry man began firing into the pawn shop, keeping the aliens inside from being able to do too much damage. Charlie was rushing back towards the apartment to assist Cpl. Konayama who had suffered a fall. Not from a lethal height but enough to knock her out of commission.

Sectoid 04 and Sectoid 05 ducked behind the counter as Barbs’ LMG peppered the inside of the store. A glancing round struck a little too close and sprayed one alien in bits of counter and wood. Keeping its head down, Sectoid 05 peered as much as it dared and took aim at the offending man, but given the suppression wasn’t able to acquire a good shot. The superheated plasma from its weapon tore into the care, melting the metal and plastic, but did little to dislodge the Heavy from his position. Sectoid 04 tried its hand next, firing blindly from atop the counter in an effort to counter-suppress the humans. The shots were wild but it would force anyone nearby to keep their heads down lest a stray bolt find its mark. Above Sectoid 09 returned to its position to fire, taking aim at Cpl. Herrmann who was somewhat exposed from this angle. The shot was good but by some miracle Cpl. Herrmann was able to dive down at the last moment, the plasma eating into the asphalt only a few inches from his feet. Sectoid 06 and Sectoid 08 had witnessed the mess that was formerly Sectoid 07 and chose instead to circle around, slipping into the warehouse-like building for the time being. Back at the apartment building Cpl. Cruise no doubt had another clear shot at the alien on the roof, and what with Cpl. Konayama being taken care of she was free to re-engage, but before she could do so the air flicked behind her as a second seeker materialized from seemingly nowhere. Too far to strangle the sniper it instead charged the plasma weapon built under its “head” and unleashed a long bolt that missed its mark but passed close enough for the heat to be felt. Seeker 02 was on the opposite side of the building (meaning Charlie would be unable to see or assist) and was flying in almost unpredictable movements meaning that until it slowed down for another shot it would be exceedingly difficult to hit. The squid-like machine circled around, keeping Charlie from its line of sight as it finally came to a halt to charge another shot. It was an open target as it fired once again. The shot would be close to finding its mark.

Code: Select all

Sectoid 04 - Suppressing (Sgt. Barbs).
Sectoid 05 - Attack. Missed (Sgt. Barbs).
Sectoid 06 - Moved into warehouse.
Sectoid 08 - Moved into warehouse.
Sectoid 09 - Attacked. Missed (Cpl. Herrmann).
Seeker 02 - Attacked. Missed (Cpl. Cruise). Attacked. Missed (Cpl. Cruise).

[Vacif]

Sqd. Shi Ai Nu, Alpha Six, Recon
San Marcos, Mexico

It became increasingly clear that if they were to encounter aliens, it was going to be within the tight confines of the town. There was little cover in the street, so when the shooting happened, it was a mad scramble for cover.

"<Alpha team! Get down or into protection right now! Put some suppression fire on that Pawnshop for Bravo! Bravo team get the fuck out of there, regroup and get ready to counter attack those bastards that ambushed you! Charlie team! Milky... Bravo 2 is injured and needs a medic, she's back by the sniper's nest we set up at the apartment building, have Charlie 2 watch his back because there is some kind of invisible machine's stalking us! The rest of you look for a way around and try to get behind the alien position and prepare to assault.">

Shi found himself crouched down beside a thick utility pole. Wasn't much, but it was something. Better than lying prone in the middle of the street. Barbs had the tables turned on him when the Sectoids he was shooting at starting randomly spraying. It was completely inaccurate, but the sheer volume of plasma being put out was enough to make anyone think of staying down. Even being grazed by the plasma could cause serious damage. The Chinese national pulled down his thermal goggles. While there was heat everywhere, the Sectoid's gave off a unique heat signature that made itself standout against the cool interior of the pawnshop, on top of the heated plasma gun blaring red hot. The Sectoid pair was well within effective range of his UMP, however unfortunately he didn't have much of a target. The only exposed parts of the Sectoid were it's arms, and weapon. At least this would draw its fire away from the squad leader. Regardless of his chances, he leaned forward to accommodate his weapon's recoil, and fired off several short two round bursts at Sectoid 04.

Code: Select all

Attack Sectoid 04
Attack Sectoid 04

[Forest State]

Kim Joon-Sook / "June"

June silently accepted her verbal lashing from Wolfram, before heading to her assignment to protect Kaiden. When things really started to kick off, she listened closely to the radio channel and decided that she didn't just want to wait around for something to happen near the sniper nest. "Guys, I want to do something. Have I got permission to leave my post and go after the enemy?" she asked. It was better to ask permission this time, she assumed. "I don't want to wait for them to come to us, I want to be useful."

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

Corporal Vasily Seregyevich Ivanov - XCOM - Unit Charlie
Current Local Time (CST), 3/3/2014
San Marcos, Jailsco, Mexico

"Alright, I will carry her and you will provide me cover, Seta." Vasily spoke after he finished his quick inspection and Milky unlatched her armor. Vasily instinctively dropped his weapon and then grabbed Milky by her waist and began to hold her in a fireman's carry. He thought he heard something above him and on the radio but ignored it due to his prioritization of Milky's safety. Door in front of him into the apartment was luckily left open for him when he began looking for an entrance inside. He knelt to grab his weapon and then ran inside the apartment. The room that Vasily ran into looked like some sort of reception area. There seemed to be a door to some stairs on his right as well as an elevator to his left. There was a desk in front of him along with some potted plants. He moved behind the presumed reception desk and laid Milky down on the wooden floor. "Seta give me cover," He instinctively spoke aloud.

As he laid Milky down he did a quick mental recap of what areas Milky reacted too when he did his quick inspection. He took out his medkit which was slung to his side and laid it down on the floor next to Milky. He opened it and took out a pair of scissors. He made a few cuts into her uniform at the areas which she felt pain so that he could see the wound itself. He cut through a few layers of cloth in order to reach the skin. "Alright, let me see how bad your injury is." He first inspected her lower torso and stomach area noting the dark purple spots around those areas. They were very linear which suggested some sort of strangulation. "Тяжелые кровоподтеки вокруг области живота. Внутреннее кровотечение, скорее всего. Это выглядит, как будто что-то обернута вокруг этой области довольно трудно." He then moved upwards towards the chest area where he looked and felt at the spot the pain in chest was earlier. "Синяки вокруг здесь. Если я помню она сделала Fell боль возле груди в этом месте. Возможно, сломанное ребро. Я не вижу каких-либо признаков проколотого легкого, так что это хорошо." After he finished his inspection of the chest and torso, he moved to the left arm and looked at the wound more thoroughly. He was abit glad that the scissors he was provided was sharp enough to make these smooth cuts, the usual scissors in Russia were not as sharp as these. "Подобные знаки на руке, а также. Скорее всего, это было вызвано падением. Сломанное ребро и ушибы на груди и животе, скорее всего, вызвано какими бы то ни было держать на ней." Whenever he treated someone, he would sometimes speak aloud as he performed the inspection or treatment on someone. Of course he spoke in his native tongue whenever he does so much to Milky's and non-Russian speaking person's displeasure.

"Congratulations", he said after he finished his inspection. "You have a broken rib, a sprained left arm, bruised stomach, and internal bleeding around the said areas. You may have a punctured lung but only time will tell. Anything you wish to tell me before I go further?"

[Theyra]

Squaddie Anselmo Zavala
Gloom Lake, Nevada
Hallway

"How did I forget?, Anselmo thought to himself as he was walking down the hallway to the recreation room. He looked in a annoyed manner at his left hand which held a small cup of hot water that was going to be his custom tea. Somehow he forgot to pack the ingredients he uses and did not remember till after he got the water hot... "Frick" Anselmo said under his breath in Spanish. This was one of the few times that he forgot something and something trivial at that and Anselmo was pretty sure that the base did not have the ingredient he needs. So he has to deal with drinking hot water, Anselmo looked to his right hand which held a book about astronomy and bought it up to read the title again. Anselmo only drinks tea when he reads books in order to help him relax and he made of habit of reading when he had free time when he was in the Chilean army and this was no different. Though he rather be be on the mission in Mexico...... there is nothing to do about that now but, wait. Anselmo reached the door to the recreation room, put the book in his left armpit and unclipped his id card from his right breast pocket put it up to the sensor eye. The door opened and the put the book back in his right hand, walked in and was going to the couch. But, he noticed a woman in the recreation room seeming looking for something and he ask her. "Miss are you looking for something? Anselmo was standing there with a book in his right hand and a small cup of hot water in the other.

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

Iskra Vasilyeva Ivanova - XCOM - Medical Staff
Current Local Time (PST), 3/3/2014
XCOM Base, Groom Lake, Nevada, United States of America

"Hot Water." Iskra replied to the man who came behind her. Normally she would have been startled, but since the door opened again she was focusing her hearing on the person that was walking from the door towards her. Ever since Syria she could never stop worrying about the unseen killer lurking around near her or above her waiting to end her life in a split second. Barrel Bombs have a way of turning some people paranoid. She turned around to the man revealing her package of instant noodles. "I was hoping that someone would leave a water heater or something. I don't think we personally met before." She stuck out her hand towards the man, "Iskra Vasilyeva Ivanova. You can call me Iskra or Shu. Call me Shu and you'll remind me of my mother. I am part of the medical staff here."

Iskra had been on the base for about two weeks now. She has taken the time to read the medical files of each person and soldier on the base to familiarize herself with future patients. It has been a strange transition for her moving from the battered military hospital in Aleppo to a fully-stocked western medical ward. Medicines and medical equipment that she had only dreamed of or had to improvise in Syria were readily available to her. The musty smell of the military hospital was replaced with the clean smell of the medical ward. Here she didn't have to worry about buildings changing hands weekly, hidden snipers, Syrian Army aircraft dropping bombs, and ISIS fanatics.

[Theyra]

Iskra Vasilyeva Ivanova - XCOM - Medical Staff
Current Local Time (PST), 3/3/2014
XCOM Base, Groom Lake, Nevada, United States of America

"Hot Water." Iskra replied to the man who came behind her. Normally she would have been startled, but since the door opened again she was focusing her hearing on the person that was walking from the door towards her. Ever since Syria she could never stop worrying about the unseen killer lurking around near her or above her waiting to end her life in a split second. Barrel Bombs have a way of turning some people paranoid. She turned around to the man revealing her package of instant noodles. "I was hoping that someone would leave a water heater or something. I don't think we personally met before." She stuck out her hand towards the man, "Iskra Vasilyeva Ivanova. You can call me Iskra or Shu. Call me Shu and you'll remind me of my mother. I am part of the medical staff here."

Anselmo again put his book in his left armpit to free his right hand and shook the woman's hand, "Good to meet you, I'm Squaddie Anselmo Zavala and we have not met yet". Anselmo had barely been there for fourteen hours now and still has not met anyone really. "Well Shu, you can use my hot water that was going to be my tea", he gets a annoyed look on his face. "I forgot to bring the ingredients so it's just hot water right now". He sticks his left hand out, offering the hot water to her. "I could get my water heater if you need more", Anselmo had a puzzling look on his face. "Though I have to ask Shu, how do I remind you of your mother?

[Ubaria]

Samir 'Prophet' Malik. AKA - 'Bravo 5'
San Marcos, Mexico
Mission 1: Not Alone

Rifle fire erupted around the pawn shop which quickly caught the attention of the offending Sectoids that had been firing on Sam and Roscoes position, instead they switched up their targets to the more immediate threat leaving Samir and Roscoe to move and relocate, going back through the way they came in wouldn't be a smart idea, instead they would have to go through the previously blockaded door, an idea echoed by Roscoe.

“Maybe we should move those out of the way, then break out the back.”

"That's what i was thinking, Cover me." Roscoe slung his shotty over his shoulder and planted both hands on the edge of the wooden bench, using mostly bodyweight the pew slid over and thumped to the ground with relative ease, it was now a simple case of pulling the chairs and tables out of the way.

“Barbs is covering us. I saw two Sectoids in the pawnshop, but I can't see anymore. Others should be coming around soon enough. Miyuki’s injured though. So, basically, we’re SNAFU.”

"Uh. SNAFU?" Roscoe flashed the other squaddie a confused glare as he slung a dining chair out of the way, it was probably a slang term that had been lost in translation somewhere.

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

Iskra Vasilyeva Ivanova - XCOM - Medical Staff
Current Local Time (PST), 3/3/2014
XCOM Base, Groom Lake, Nevada, United States of America

"How much do you remember about the Cold War from your history class?" Iskra remarked as she grabbed the cup of hot water from Anselmo. She placed the cup and the noodles on the counter behind her and tore the paper lid of the instant noodles. She then took out the small packet of seasoning inside and sprinkled it generously all over her noodles. "My mother was an exchange student from China. She went to the Soviet Union for nursing school. Despite the tensions between China and the Soviet Union, the current relaxed political climate by Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev allowed such a thing to occur. She always called me by my Chinese name rather than my Russian name especially after my bastard of a father left us twice. I honestly don't mind being called by my Russian name or Chinese name. But I always think of my mother whenever I hear my Chinese name being called out." Iskra poured the water into the instant noodle container and then reapplied the paper lid.

"If the package is correct, those noodles should be ready in about five minutes or so." Iskra spoke loudly and sat on the counter. "I'm just trying to recover before I have to treat all the wounded from the mission in Mexico", she sheepishly admitted as she began swinging her legs back and forth like a child on a swing set. She gazed at Anselmo examining his features and what he was carrying on him. She could tell from his accent that he wasn't from the Western countries. Her guess regarding his nationality would be a South American, Caribbean, or Central American.

[Relikai]

CPL Konayama Miyuki "Milky", Bravo Two, Sniper.
San Marcos, Mexico

As the medic did his second check, Milky just lay on her back, groaning in pain as he went on to a second round of checks, one which could be done more intricately under cover. If there was any sign of Milky being embarrassed by the exposure of her skin, or by roaming hands and probing fingers, there was no sign of Milky reacting to these actions. Perhaps she was in too much pain, or she was used to it someway or another, or she was simply being professional, knowing that her health was in the hands of an XCOM medic.

The rattling in Russian brought no discomfort, Milky being trained in the language during her days in the SFG when she needed to infiltrate Eastern Russia for a couple of small-scale missions. There was no way to conceal her Japanese looks, but knowledge of their culture and language was often enough, allowing her to blend in with the villagers and city folk alike. Her missions never involved any killings or hostile actions, simply intelligence gathering and reconnaissance exercises.

The diagnosis came in at last, with Milky groaning at the outcome. A broken rib was nothing to laugh about, and because it wasn't her first busted rib, she knew the consequences of being out of action for at least a month. Internal bleeding was a cause for concern, since one could see and stem externals, but internal bleeding could have a myriad of sources.

"That... that's not good..." Milky whispered, her right hand moving to slap her forehead as she considered her fate. She still felt fine, and her breathing has stabilized. Only moving her torso would hurt, badly, but most of Milky's combat movements always involved moving that body part.

"Do you have some painkillers? Enough to last me for this mission. Some strong ones would do, the team still needs me!"

[Anowa]

Cpl. Wolfram Herrman, Alpha-4
San Marcos, Mexico
With the current suppressing element taken care of, Wolfram shifted his aim to that of the pawnshop. Something glinted against the lens of the reflex sight. A green glow, and a bulbous head, both intently in his direction. With a duck, the super-heated -He guessed Hydrogen- fizzled past his head, and slammed into the ground, kicking up bits of molten pavement and gravel, most now burning itself onto his leg, the same leg that caught some shrapnel earlier.

Swiveling his view, Sectoid 9 was now in his sights, with a finger wrapping around his rifle's trigger, he depressed it for a trio of rounds to spit forth. The projectiles hit the Sectoid's cover about three feet to the left, Wolfram was now not only angry at the Sectoid, but at whoever sighted his fucking rifle. The Sectoid spotted a momentary weakness and ducked down, now out of view.

With a growl he spotted a drain pipe up to the roof, he figured he'd be able to close the distance, and end the thing's miserable existence. Wolfram stepped off, "Moving!", no doubt he got a hell of a lot of hostile attention, but it'd be a good position, and another Sectoid would be down. With a little slothness, Wolfram climbed the pipe, and took cover behind an AC unit on the roof, the Sectoid well within his sights. If all went well it'd be dead in the next few seconds, either by bullet or by savage bruise via gun stock.

Kill Count: 1
Sectoid 7 (Blowed up)

[Theyra]

Squaddie Anselmo Zavala
Gloom Lake, Nevada
Recreation Room

"Alot and I admit that clears some things up about you". "Given your appearance and your name and accent are obliviously Russian". Anselmo takes the book out from his armpit again and gets into a more relaxed position. "So, I guess I call you by your Chinese name from now on in order to not bring up any unpleasant memories". "I know one person back home who would rather forget bad memories, but, it's easy to remind him of them. He notices her examining him and replied. "If you are wondering where I am from, I am from Chile and what I was going to read". He showed the cover to her despite the title being in Spanish. "It is the latest academic astronomy book". "I always read books in my free time in military, though not all were academic in nature". His face now has a concerned look on it. "About the mission in Mexico, you said there are wounded? "How many and how bad are the injuries? Though judging by what you said, there are a significant number of wounded".

The talk about memory made Anselmo remember the man he talked about, a friend of the family. A.... broken man trying to fix himself and currently on the right track. A ex-Colombian AFEUR solider who..... Anselmo stops memory there. This is not the place or the time to remember that and he is getting better. Anselmo walks to the couch and sits on one of the armrests with his book in his right hand. "Would you maybe need a hand? He in a concerned tone asked her.

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

Corporal Vasily Seregyevich Ivanov - XCOM - Unit Charlie
Current Local Time (CST), 3/3/2014
San Marcos, Jailsco, Mexico

He stared at her intently before rolling his eyes. "Какого черта. Там нет лучшего времени, чем настоящее." He spoke to himself before reaching into his medkit and taking out a syringe. The syringe had small writing in English on it and the symbol of XCOM of it. He tapped the syringe with his free hand and looked at it. The syringe's air pockets in the clear liquid bounced up and down at each tap. "Alright, listen closely because I'm not sure if you are going to understand these instructions after I give you this injection. This is an XCOM combat stimulant. I don't know much about it but I know that it is still considered an experimental drug. From what I read and remember, this cocktail of drugs will increase your pain tolerance, your strength and your reflexes. I like to call it... Who is that American superhero? The one with the red cape. Ah! The Superman Shot. But just because you feel like Superman doesn't mean you can take injuries without consequence. This specific dosage is meant to last for about seventeen minutes. The first thing you'll feel is a kick as if a freight train hit you and then you'll feel like Superman. But think of this drug like a sugar rush when you were a child, you'll feel really good but then will suffer a crash. Luckily, this specific dosage should cause the crash not to be as bad as it could be."

"If my guess is correct, the combat stimulant should be able to give you enough strength to move your injured areas and the pain tolerance to ignore it." He grabbed her wrist with his free hand and held the syringe close to her wrist. "I'll keep an eye on you but if you crash, I may just have to give you regular painkillers. Do you understand?" As he asked this question, he stabbed the syringe into her wrist and injected her with the combat stimulant. "Good. In fifteen seconds you'll feel like Superman. Erm, Superwoman in this case." He injected her because he anticipated her answer as yes. From the look in her eyes, she wanted to be back on the battlefield as soon as possible. While the painkillers would work, she may still have problems regardless due to her injuries. The most optimal chance of quick recovery in Vasily's opinion was to use the combat stimulant. Of course he had a second one on hand, but he feared that two simultaneous shots would cause her to get addicted to the drug which is something that Vasily does not want.

---

Iskra Vasilyeva Ivanova - XCOM - Medical Staff
Current Local Time (PST), 3/3/2014
XCOM Base, Groom Lake, Nevada, United States of America

"There is going to be wounded eventually on these missions." Iskra mused to Anselmo's comment. "After all we're fighting aliens aren't we? Someone is bound to get injured eventually. I just don't want to be the one writing letters to the loved ones and sending people back in closed coffins." She looked at him straight in the eyes, "I don't know what is going on in Mexico to be honest. I would like to but at the same time I'm not sure if I'm ready to see wounds inflicted by alien weaponry." She looked at her package of instant noodles again and lifted the paper lid to check if they were indeed cooking. A puff of steam hit her face as she lifted the lid. She relaid the paper lid a few seconds after the steam evaporated.

"On my spare time I like to practice martial arts or practice playing my balalaika." She chuckled to herself suddenly. "While my father is a bastard, his friend whom he brought along did teach me a few things. Ironically, his friend was with me longer than my father ever was when I grew up. He taught me the same martial arts as the special forces, Spestnaz, were taught. I haven't found a sparing partner yet but I think I will find one with all these soldiers wandering around. But if you really want to help me then don't get injured or sick. That would really lighten my work load." She smiled at the end of her statement, waiting for Anselmo's reaction. It was her job to take care of the wounded. It was his job to kill the aliens, presumably. Better let him worry about his job rather than mine, she thought to herself.

[SaintB]

Sergeant Barb, John K.

Barbs's ammunition was getting low he likely had only two or three good sized bursts left to fire at the aliens who had decided to turn the favor back around on him. Green glowing balls of hot plasma flew passed the face of the sergeant, some of them close enough to actually make his skin redden as if he had gotten too much sun and nearly blinding him. The car near to him was struck, it melted through the bumper and the tire but he didn't let it rattle him, instead he returned fire again, aiming lower this time to tear up the counter they had taken cover behind, <Damnit people! Where the hell is that suppression fire Alpha team? I can't do everything by myself!>

Another burst of fire bought him a few seconds of relief but not enough to go anywhere, <I'm pinned the fuck down here! You guys can get your heads out of your asses at any time and get some fire on that pawn shop! Bravo team can't attack without our support and I am almost dry on this drum! Charlie, what's your status on finding a way around the rear? SHIT!> more plasma was projected his way, this time passing close enough that the air around him could be heard crackling over the mic... John returned fire again, trying desperately to hit them. One more pull of the trigger and he may well be out of ammo...

[Theodosiya]

Sgt Marselinus "Shark" Setadewa
San Marcos, Jailsco, Mexico


Dammit! I can't leave Kaiden alone! Shit! Seta thought. Apparently i don't have much choice then. He silently stared outside before speaking into the intercom. "Alpha Lead, this is Charlie Lead. With Charlie 5 out, Charlie 3 treating Bravo 2, Charlie 4 replacing Bravo 2 position in the sniper nest and Charlie 2 and Charlie 6 guarding him, i think i will go there myself, unless someone could go with me, maybe Charlie 6" Seta checked his rifle, peeked outside, sighed and grudgingly contacted June. "Hey June. With all of this shit breaking down around us, i don't have much choice but to order you to follow me. Vasily is busy treating Miyuki, Kaiden replaced her in the sniper nest and i can't risk leaving him alone. So, its up to two of us to blast them from behind. For this, I'd gonna try to forgive your insubordination earlier. Understood?" Seta put a lot of effort not to call her shithead. He then turned to Vasily and Miyuki, and said " Miyuki, you've got stimulant but you're a sniper and still wounded. I'd suggest you stay in the sniper nest up there. Vasily, you're free to choose to watch Miyuki, or assault the enemy position with me and June."

[Theyra]

Squaddie Anselmo Zavala
Gloom Lake, Nevada
Recreation Room

"I apologize, I misinterpreted what you said, just concerned to what's happening in Mexico". "I do not like not knowing about certain things and this is one of them". "Anselmo goes back to a relaxed position on the armrest. "I will try my best not to get hurt but, I can do not getting sick". Anselmo said the last part in a joking manner. "Mmmm, you know I too had a friend of my father teach me some things too". "He taught me about marksmanship and other important things though this was after he found out that I was joining the military and made sure that it was for the right reasons". "While my father is a miner, his friend is ex-military, special forces to be exact and I was surprised that he wanted teach me". "His life in the military was not...... actually let's not talk about that for now". Anselmo faces changes to being slightly uncomfortable but, then changes to relaxed. "Perhaps I could spar with you if you want, maybe see how Chilean special forces training compares to Spestnaz?

After he was done talking he started to think, "Should I have pick up that she was just assuming that there would be injuries or not? "It's really annoying not to understand certain social clues and aspects". "Though she did not think that they would be any KIAs, so is a good sign about her personality". Though Anselmo is shy, he does enjoy talking with people despite any hiccups. Plus, if she did accept to spar than he would not use the marital art that his "uncle" taught him since it utilizes weapons in it's style.

[Forest State]

Kim Joon-Sook / "June"

June nodded. "Of course. It's better if we wait until we're at base to sort out what happened earlier," she said, sounding significantly calmer than before she'd given a speech to herself. She moved to follow Seta, although she would have preferred to be helping Isabel. She'll do better than that other sniper... Or at least, I think she will. If she gets thrown off a building also, I'm breaking off to help her. Even if I get yelled at for it... They can't get angry at me for helping a squadmate, can they? She shook herself out of her thoughts and focused. "Let's go, while I'm still calm," she added. Once she lost her composure, it was definitely hard to get it back completely.

[Vacif]

Shi's firing unfortunately proved to be ineffective at deterring the Sectoids, of whom were still lighting up the Sergeant's position. The pair seemed to be too preoccupied shooting at Barbs to notice him. He needed a better angle, but that involved him getting in close. Leaning down, he ran towards the storefront's large, busted open window. He was dangerously close to the enemy, and his flanks were exposed, but he had a better firing position that he'd had earlier. This time, instead of tap firing, he flicked the switch to fully automatic, and started to unload on the two Sectoids.

[Beiarusia]

ALIEN ACTIVITY

The battle continued with undiminished ferocity as the Sectoids and XCOM soldiers exchanged fire in the dusty streets of the sleepy Mexican town. Superheated plasma was keeping Sgt. Barbs pinned down, disallowing an effective suppression. The car that he was using for cover was slowly being whittled away, its metal frame visible through the melted outer skin, and even that too was being torn down into slag. The front left tire exploded violently as plasma ripped into the engine, allowing oil and other various fluids to seep out onto the pavement. Sectoid 04 and Sectoid 05 continued with their sustained fire. A machine gun's roar joined the fray as Bravo reentered the firefight. Sgt. Leroy, Cpl. Ramirez, and Sqd. Sexton had come back from behind the building they had intended to breach and were now laying down a thick blanket of fire into the pawnshop. The aliens were momentarily shunted, giving Sqd. Ai Nu the time he needed to relocate to a more favorable position. In range, the Chinese national unloaded into the closest alien (Sectoid 05), the large handgun rounds of the SMG shredding the upper torso of the creature and spraying the area behind the counter with a thick, greenish-yellow ichor. The slain Sectoid let loose one final screech before falling dead to the floor.

Sectoid 06 and Sectoid 08 had reemerged on the far side of the warehouse and had an almost clear sight of Bravo. Plasma fire tore across the empty street, striking Sqd. Sexton and very nearly melting through the armor plating protecting the man’s chest. It wasn’t a lethal wound but the sudden hit knocked the man from his feet. More alien fire targeted Sgt. Leroy but missed.

Above the pawn shop Cpl. Herrman had closed the distance to confront the Sectoid that had harassed the group from its advantageous position. Suppressive fire had forced the alien down into cover and it had been unable to respond to the human man’s climb. Cpl. Herrman ducked into cover behind an AC unit, something which was far more protective than the little dip the alien had at its disposal, but undeterred the Sectoid opened fire. Plasma hit the AC unit but failed to find its mark. The alien, exposed, scrambled back towards the northern edge of the roof, intending to throw itself down into the alley and into relative safety. Its back was turned and it was an easy target.

To the south Cpl. Cruise had been engaged by the second Seeker. The second bolt of plasma missed the woman by inches as she fired off one quick shot with her rifle, which, to even her amazement, found its mark. The large caliber round tore into the right side of the alien machine, severing two of its tentacles and destroying whatever mechanism was keeping it afloat. It fell hard but was not dead. Using its two remaining tentacles to steady itself, the Seeker fired a third bolt of plasma, overloading its damaged systems, and striking Cpl. Cruise square in the chest. As had happened with Sqd. Sexton the woman was knocked from her feet by the force of the blow but had only suffered a minor injury. Her rifle, however, fell from her grasp and skidded just out of reach. The Seeker, unable to fire again, crawled towards the downed woman, ready to make use of its remaining appendages to strangle the life from the human.

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Sectoid 04 - Suppressing (Sgt. Barbs).
Sectoid 05 - Killed (by Sqd. Ai Nu).
Sectoid 06 - Attacked. Hit (Sqd. Sexton).
Sectoid 08 - Attacked. Missed (Sgt. Leroy).
Sectoid 09 - Attacked. Missed (Cpl. Herrmann). Retreating.
Seeker 02 - Injured (by Cpl. Cruise). Attacked. Hit (Cpl. Cruise).

[Altito Asmoro]

Corporal Elsa "Valkyrie" Harewood
Alpha Three/Alpha 03

Hermann is able to get a shot at the pawnshop where one of the alien is, the grey small one. On the other side, Sgt. Barbs is pinned down, but also from the result of the attack at him from the pawnshop, if she's not mistaken. Moving forward, between covers of cars, Harewood is able to get closer to the pawnshop but not close enough.

However far she is, at this range she's able to get some shot at the Sectoid(s) in and on the pawnshop. Some suppressive fire, as one may believe on that. Aiming down her assault rifle and since she also has S.C.O.P.E within her rifle, making the shot somewhat easier, she took a deep breath before firing the rifle, making suppressive fire.

"I fire some suppressive fire here!" said Elsa via radio communication within the Alpha team.

[Anowa]

Cpl. Wolfram Herrman, Alpha-4
San Marcos, Mexico

As expected, the residual heat of plasma impacts upon his cover echoed in Wolfram's ears. The sound of the AC coolant spraying forth like a pressure washer also made itself apparent. Though above all else Wolfram noticed the distinct lack of incoming fire, so he popped around the edge of his cover, and spotted the little grey faggot running. He brought his rifle up, now accommodating for the shitty sighting, "You're not going anywhere motherfucker."

Another burst, and three rounds made a beeline towards their target, heated and ready to plow through the unguarded flesh of the Sectoid. And that they did, the significantly smaller body of the alien was reduced to what could be considered pulp in some places. But no matter what it was called, it was now a mess. It gave out a cry of what Wolfram assumed was pain before it no doubt expired, it's weapon exploded doing more damage to the already ruined body.

The sound of gunfire from the street below pulled Wolfram from his focus on the Sectoid body, turning he made his way to the edge, he only then realized just how far he ran. 'I'm fucking retarded for running that far.'

Shaking his head he looked at the car the fire was coming from. Harewood was hunkered behind it, laying down suppressive fire. With her next burst Wolfram looked at the direction her tracers traveled. He stated his intentions over the squad mic, "I hope no one's in the pawnshop."

Unslinging his Milkor for the second time, he aimed at the rood above where he assumed Elsa's rounds had impacted. A pull of the trigger sent the warhead arcing into it's destination, blowing open a hole in the roof of the Pawnshop. The German born man made his way to the hole and fired his last two 40mm into the hole, hoping to hit something within... He really hoped there were no civilians inside either. He stepped back, from the hole as he tossed his Milkor to the ground, lest he get nailed in the face with plasma.

Kill Count: 2
Sectoid 7 (Blowed up)
Sectoid 9 (Gibbed)

[Altito Asmoro]

Cpl. Elsa "Valkyrie" Harewood/Alpha 03
San Marcos, Mexico
Pawnshop

"Watch where you're going, Cpl. Herrmann. I can't afford to not hit you if you go out your way there!" stated Harewood via comms, as she roughly tried hard not to hit him. So far her kill count is zero, but that's to be expected since her job is not racks kill count but to keep the Earth safe, and if it meant she's going to providing support fire some of the time, it would be fine.

Except when it's not, she is after all, part of the Assault-type infantry, and should be more pro-active on actions. "Herrmann, needs more suppressing fire?" stated Harewood via comms.

[Relikai]

CPL Konayama Miyuki "Milky", Bravo Two, Sniper.
San Marcos, Mexico

For a moment, Milky closed her eyes as she allowed felt the drug being injected into her. She could feel her pain numbing, but it was the first time she took something other than field painkillers, therefore the sniper did not know what to expect. Still, she remained calm, until she felt the full effects of the stimulant. The drug struck Miyuki hard, numbing her pain and seemingly turning her back to normal. Her left arm could move well, and she could control her legs as she hauled herself over the table. Things seemed to slow a little, voices becoming clearer to Milky, and the movements of her teammates seemed to slow by just a little.

Shaking her head, Milky noted the time she had, seventeen minutes, before the drug expires. Hopefully it would cover the current firefight, and any mop up scenarios before she crashes onto the ground. Exhaling as she felt the renewal of strength, Milky drew out her handgun, as she scanned the field. Milky could not see the aliens in the warehouse, but as she ran out to the street to retrieve her rifle, Milky could see in the distance, a fallen female with a Seeker crawling towards her.

Cocking her AX338, Milky fell to a knee, her ribs groaning in protest but the sniper ignoring it in her drugged state. The scope wavered slightly, but Milky could estimate the distance and adjustments between her and Cpl. Cruise. The creature attacking the sniper... Milky burned its image into her mind, especially after noting that their kind tend to attack solitary snipers...

The kick of the rifle was felt, but Milky knew that it was a miss. The round flew above the target as it took another step towards Cruise, as she pulled back the charging handle, loading another round into the chamber, her hands moving quickly, her senses even quicker. Raising the sniper rifle for the second time, Milky emptied her lungs as she positioned the target with her scope, praying that this shot would hit. She owed Cruise something for saving her life earlier, and hitting the alien would be the least that Milky could do to repay it...

The trigger was pulled, the kick of the AX338 controlled as Milky held steady. She might end up with a bruise, but she held her concentration, hoping, hoping... as the bullet flew towards its target...

---

Kills -
1x Sectoid
1x Seeker

[Kentucky Fried Land]

Roscoe looked at Samir, processing what he said. His SMG was still aimed at the door they had entered from, in an effort to stop any E.T.s who tried to break in. Samir’s puzzlement confused Roscoe for a second, before he realized they weren't all US. “Oh, shit, sorry. It’s an acronym, Situation Normal, All Fucked Up. It’s… sarcastic. Military humor. US military humor, I guess. Forget I’m not still in the army sometimes.” He meant it, in every sense of the words he had just spoken. He adjusted the strap to the SO IT GOES helmet, then turned and started helping Samir pull chairs down. His head turned while throwing away chairs, and in the broken kitchen, he saw a person’s arm stuck to the wooden countertop with some green ooze. Like a spider does to a fly before it drains it’s… whatever it did to the damn thing.

They managed to take down the barricade, Roscoe shaking his head. “Jesus… I guess this barricade didn't do what it had been intended to do, did it? Wonder how the fuckers got in.” He coughed into his hand, then looked outside the now unbarricaded door. Blasts of plasma were raining down upon Barbs, and the three others in Bravo team (excluding Miyuki) came running past the building. The ever stoic Raul Ramirez, the pretty boy Arron, and the tough cookie Michel. Roscoe watched them fire upon the pawn shop, when a new burst of the controlled energy came straight towards them. Thousands of degrees of heat flew into Arron’s chest, and he was sent to the ground with a scream. Roscoe himself let out a cry, “Fuck! No!” and holding the mic on his hand up to his mouth. “Bravo medic down! Sexton is down!”

He then reached to his side in a frenzy, grabbing his smoke grenade and launching it at Arron, Michel and Raul. “Throwing smoke!” He yelled at them. A thick plume of red smoke poured from the grenade, shrouding them away. This desperate attempt was one to hopefully get Michel and Raul to get Arron out of there in the open, and make a rush for the building. He then reached at his side again, and began to fumble with his belt. The flash bang popped off, and Roscoe looked at Samir.

“I got a pretty good arm. Used to play baseball in high school. I think I might be able to throw a flash at that Sectoid in the pawn shop. If I get a bit closer… can you come with? Cover me? I trust you on it, but it’s your call.”

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 Threw Smoke
(Sqd. Sexton, Sgt. Michel, and Cpl. Ramirez)