XCOM: Resist

Chapter 30-Flashback

Damian had borrowed an Advent Ground Transport and was taking Chailux out to the last know location where Neo Exalt was last sighted. Chailux decided to rest his eyes on the trip.

March, 2015

Small grey alien run across and behind cars as people wearing blacked out helmets push them back. "Don't let up," one commands in a static voice. They continue to fire down the street. The aliens stop and they all keep their guard up. "Scout ahead." They do as commanded and cautiously advance through the street.

A device bounces across the ground at their feet and a blinding flash of green engulfs the area. "Contact," one soldier yells out as larger aliens fire upon them with plasma weapons, "don't let up!"

One by one the soldiers fell dead. One dies next to the commanding officer which looks down at them. Plasma burned right through their body armour yet they were barely alive and suffering. They look around to many others in the same state. "Fall back," they yell out and what remained started to retreat into alleyways. Once the coast was clear, he removed his helmet and look around at the others, "how many made it?"

"Just us," a young womam said as she joins the rest of them from securing the perimeter, "everyone else didn't make it." The commanding officer lowers his head, dropping his helmet with a sigh. He looks back up to see who had survived.

Himself, of course, Colonel Chailux Sangthonglang of Nova Team, Australia's best military unit. His black hair messy from the fight and blood staining his armour.

The young woman is Major Linda Polanski, scout for Nova Team. He auburn hair singed by the plasma. A shotgun in hand, ready for the next fight.

A brute of a man sat sharpening his knife across his armour. A picture of his wife and kid tucked under the leather straps. This is Lieutenant Liam Brown and he propped his LMG up against the wall.

Finally in the back turned away from everyone was Captain William Chang, smoking a cigar to calm his nerves. Several dogtags hang from his fingers as he stares off into the burning city.

"We really all that is left," Chailux asked and everyone turns to him, "I guess so." He stands and looks at the three soldiers with him. "There is a downed chopper approximately five klicks north of our position. Maybe they had a radio."

"That's a long walk sir," Major Polanski said as she looks around at the others, "not to mention we have those things all crawling all over the place."

"The Colonel knows that," Lieutenant Brown calls out, "we all do."

"It's our best chance," Chailux tells them and
starts stoking up, "grab only the essentials. We don't need anything that will weight us down." Chailux looks around the corner and waits for a patrol of aliens pass. "Stick to the shadows," he whispers as they move out and stick close to ruined buildings and military vehicles.

"Hold up," Chang whispers as he slowly enters a building. In the centre of the rubble was one of the many pods which landed across the city. Around it were silhouettes made of green vines, crawling away from the centre, "bastards are going to pay for this."

The sound of crying echoes through the building and Chailux motions for Linda and Liam to check it out. Liam pulls a pillar off of a door then kicks it in. "What is it," Chailux calls out as Liam disappear behind the wall.

Liam returns with a little girl, struggling to get out of his grip and yelling in Spanish. "Cálmate, cálmate," Liam yells as he drags her to Chailux, "No vamos a hacerte daño. Estamos aquí para ayudar."

Chailux kneels down, setting his gun aside. "Do you understand me," he slowly and calmly asked to which the girl replied with a nod, "where are your parents?" She points to the silhouettes with a few tears. He looks back up to Liam, picking up his rifle again, "keep her safe." He said and Liam nods, "the rest of you on me."

After climbing over debris and evading as much contact with the aliens as possible, the small ground made it to the crash site. From the looks of it nobody survived the crash. Linda climbs into the main compartment as Chailux and William secure the perimeter. Liam kneels down in front of the girl who was scared. "Here," he pulls out an amulet and holds it out to her, "this belonged to my mother. She told me it will propel evil spirits." The girl takes it and looks it over.

Linda climbs out with the help of William. "The radio works. But I don't know for how long," she hands it over to Chailux to starts to recall a distress call.

"We're reading you Colonel," a voice comes through after several tries, "we're sending an extraction team on your position. Careful now, we're reading heavy contacts converging on your position."

The radio soon dies and Chailux looks around at the others. "We need to fortify our position," he looks around to see what they had to work with, "Chang. See if you can get that gun working. Polanski. See what these men were carrying."