XCOM: Resist

Chapter 24-Julian

"You think it's over," Julian taunts and gas starts to seep through the vents, "you will not be leaving this tower alive!"

"It's some sort of poison," Bradford yells and the team remains inside the room, "BigSky! Our exit route is blocked. Shen, is their another way out?"

"The roof will be suffice," the Spark said and leaves the room, "this unit is unaffected. Please remain here for your own safety while this unit activates the environmental controls."

"Rose, go with it," Chailux calls out as he sees turrets appear, "you're immune. We'll provide cover."

"I highly doubt that," Julian taunts, "I've seen this stuff reduce Mutons to..." Rose steps out and was completely unaffected, "tear. No matter," the turrets turn towards her with a sinister laugh. It doesn't work however as Bradford and the Commander destroy them.

The Spark reaches the controls and integrates with them. "Protect this unit as it overrides protocols." Rose nods and extends out her arms, creating a psionic barrier around her and the Spark. The gas dissipate and the rest make a run for the elevators.

"You honestly think you can escape," Julian continues to taunt as he drops more derelict MECs, "I control every aspect of this facility!"

"Except the elevators," Lily remarks as she ascends.

"A minor set back." The other went on ahead leaving the Spark and Bradford to fight them off. The elevators return only for one of them to breakdown. The Spark grabs Bradford and shield him from the blasts as they both ascend to the roof.

The other waited for them and they look to the skies to see the Skyranger circling and trying to avoid turret fire. "I can't get close enough," BigSky radios just before a shot clips the wing, "I gotta set her down! Sorry fellas!" The Skyranger leaves their field of view then they hear the shifting of metal.

"This was one of Advent's more effective designs," Julian said and they turn to see a larger mechanical monstrosity rise through the roof of a storage room, "behold! The Sectopod!"

Julian open fires on them as they scramble for cover. Bradford lies up against a wall opposite the Commander and surveys where everyone was. The Spark was protecting Lily on the far side of the tower while Rose attempts to keep a psionic barrier up.

"That's defiantly bigger than the ones I remember," Chailux said as he reloads his weapon, "more armour as well." He peaks around only to duck back at the hailstorm of lasers.

"Julian is in that thing," Bradford said and pulls out his grenade launcher, "we take it out, BigSky can come around for pick up." Bradford lobs a grenade towards Julian doing very little damage.

"Behind you," Chailux calls out and quickly fires at a derelict MEC that had snuck up on them, "as if this wasn't bad enough." Julian draws closer to the Spark and Lily and prepare to fire it's beam cannon.

Several explosions hit him, throwing the Sectopod's aim off. A hooded woman stands, reloading her rocket launcher. Julian fires on her and she grapples away, lobbing several grenades at him. "Julian's distracted," Chailux calls out and moves out of cover, firing on the Sectopod, "open fire!"

Julian is pelted from all sides before falling off the edge to the ground below. The remaining derelict MECs shutdown and the AA guns turn inactive. "BigSky, this is Central," he radios once they had secured the roof, "area is secure. Bring the old bird around for extraction."

Chailux finishes patching Lily with a medkit before spotting the hooded woman near the edge. He goes over to her and stares off into the distance. "We really should exercise restraint when using explosives," she said in what sounded like a broken German accent. She turns to the Commander with a smile, taking off her hood, "it's good to see you again, Commander."

"Same to you, Moria."

That's right! I brought Vahlen back! After the Alien Hunters DLC, I wanted to bring Vahlen back and now she is!