PART A: Overtime

(James Dean District)
        It was night in Mega Primus. Most of the city's good citizens were asleep, so only a few teenagers high on psiclone screamed through the streets on their turbobikes, jinking wildly to avoid Megapol police cruisers' blazing cannon rounds as well as the odd oncoming cargo-hauler. A turbobike in the James Dean district missed a turn, soared into the air off a descent ramp, and became a brilliant fireball scorching the armoured walls of a Marsec arms factory.
        "Just another black smear tomorrow. " muttered an Xcom trooper.
        "Quieten down back there !" demanded the sergeant in a low whisper. "You think this is a picnic outing ?"
        There was some subdued laughter over the tac-com, and all around the cargo bay of the Solmine warehouse shadows rustled.
        "Back to work, people. " said the sergeant with a smile unseen in the darkness.
        The rustlings ceased, replaced by the muted movement of dark shapes in the night. Here and there a small flicker of red LED lights could be seen, with the odd click as metal met metal. A few minutes later, the sergeant called for a report.
        "All charges in place ?" he asked.
        In the night, voices answered him over the tac-com.
        "Yellow is armed. "
        "Green is armed. "
        "Blue is armed. "
        The sergeant nodded in satisfaction.
        "Start the timers, and get into cover. Foxbat, you ready ?"
        "We're ready when you're. " answered Foxbat leader. "Everything looks quiet up here. Nobody's moving. "
        "Stand by, entry set for .... " the sergeant checked his chrono. "... thirty seconds. On my mark, prepare for entry. "
        The seconds ticked by, then the sergeant spoke again.
        "Prepare for entry. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. MARK. "
        All three Hi-ex charges placed on the cargo bay entrances exploded at the same time, smashing gaping holes through the heavy duty plasteel panels and spraying lethal shrapnel in all directions. Safe behind cover, crouching Xcom agents counted to three, then all stood up in concert and tossed smoke grenades into the blazing wreckage.
        By the time the grenades hit the ground and filled the air with all- concealing smoke, the invasion of Solmine's main elerium storage warehouse in Mega Primus was fully under way. Through each shattered entrance came a squad of heavily armed Xcom troopers, while through the roof Foxbat troop blew in the armoured skylights then leapt for the catwalks. One of the troopers missed her leap, but managed to grab the railing. The Marsec jumpjets hissed, and she flipped over the railings in one quick motion to join the other two on the the aerial walkway.
        "Don't get fancy, Nichols. We still got a night ahead of us. " warned Foxbat leader.
        "Sorry, slipped on the glass. " explained the trooper.
        "Target, seven o'clock. " reported the third trooper.
        The trooper fired first, followed by Nichols and Foxbat leader. The Solmine security guard never stood a chance. The first laser cut through one knee, the second caught him full in the face, then the squad leader's auto- cannon shell splattered his innards against the partition wall.
        Still alert, Foxbat's troopers scanned the entire length of the ware- house from their vantage point before signalling all-clear to the troopers below.
        "This is Foxbat leader. No hostiles in sight. " went out over the tac- com. The other squads below reacted immediately, running out of the smoke and taking up positions covering the doorways. A fourth squad now emerged from the night, each trooper pulling along a light agrav cart..
        "Get a move on !" snapped the sergeant, waving the new arrivals forward at the rows of boxes and crates placed in the middle of the ware-house floor. "Foxbat! Spread out, each of you cover one squad. "
        "On our way!" answered Foxbat leader. "Chekov, take Alpha. Nichols, you have Bravo. " The three members of Foxbat troop scattered, and took up new positions from where they could watch over their earth-bound comrades below.
        The fourth squad approached the crates, and one of the troopers took out a device and waved it around.
        "It's all elerium ! Never seen this much elerium together in my life!" reported the trooper. All about the warehouse, Xcom troopers grinned. The leak within Solmine was a data jack they planted in a previous raid on the Solmine head offices. It had told them Solmine was stockpiling in preparation for a solar flare which would halt cargo runs to Earth for the next few weeks.
Rather than risk having their market share eroded by fusion cells, Solmine's executives opted for increasing their stocks in Mega Primus and boosting the warehouse's security complement to meet the risks.
        Without further delay the fourth squad's five troopers began shooting the security locks off the shipping crates. The locks blown off, they began filling the carts with the precious elerium pods. For the moment there was only the clink of elerium pods, then Solmine security reacted with a vengeance.
        Doorways whipped aside to admit heavily armed guards, and seeing the Xcom troopers working at the security boxes, they opened fire. The troopers assigned to the boxes ducked, but carried on with their work. The squads stationed at the doorways did not stay idle. As the first Solmine guard advanced through a doorway, he was riddled with Marsec 4000 rounds. A grenade was rolled through another doorway, but a quick witted trooper kicked it back to explode amongst a group of waiting Solmine guards.
        Now on the offensive, Xcom troopers moved into position at the door- ways and opened up on full autofire. Within seconds Solmine security was either dead, dying or retreating.
        The sergeant checked their situation, then demanded a status report from the squad assigned to the elerium boxes.
        "We've got as much as we can carry, sarge. There's still a fair bit left over the others can pick up on the way out. "  the squad leader reported as his squad hauled the agrav carts away from the looted crates and headed for the exits.
        The sergeant nodded. "Begin withdrawing in order. Alpha, move out!" As Alpha left the doorway they were guarding, it suddenly exploded inwards. An Xcom trooper was knocked over by a piece of the door, while the others staggered from the shockwave. Through the smoke shrouded doorway, vague human shapes could be seen. Instead of the 4000 grease gun and golden lasers, the new arrivals were sending autocannon rounds and streaks of plasma out of the smoke.
        "Bravo, return fire! Alpha, get the hell out! Foxbat, cover us!" yelled the sergeant even as he primed a grenade and hurled it with unerring accuracy through the doorway.
        As Xcom troopers began moving back across the warehouse floor and returning fire, the other two doors were blown clear off their frames.
        The sergeant realized their predicament. Solmine was calling in their heavies. While Megapol armour could shrug off laser and Marsec 4000, the new arrivals could easily punch through the tough cydonium plates.
        "EVAC! EVAC! DROP SMOKE AND RUN!" he shouted.
        The Xcom troopers complied, hurling smoke grenades everywhere. A few more enterprising grabbed an elerium pod or two as they ran by, but most were too busy concentrating on getting out of the warehouse quickly. Above them, Foxbat troop stood fast. From their position, they could see over and beyond the smoke and had a clear view of Solmine's security guards advancing. A clear view also meant they had a clear shot.
        "Throw grenades, then lay down suppressive fire. " ordered Foxbat leader. "Let's teach these bastards to mess with X-Com. " He ejected his autocannon clip, replacing it with an incendiary. Let's see who ends up with the burnt finger in the porridge, he thought grimly. He aimed, then cut loose.
Incendiary rounds rained down on the Solmine guards, setting them alight like screaming human torches. The Solmine guards panicked, and retreated back out of the doors yet again.
        Amy Nichols was not idle either. She had been directly above the door blown open first, and had managed to drop her AP grenade amongst the second wave of Solmine troopers. A cautious guard looking around the doorway had his head vaporized, and now it looked as if it was time to withdraw. A move- ment caught her eye. She saw the broken body of an Alpha trooper move slightly and realised what had happened. In the confusion inevitable with any retreat, the trooper had been left behind. The man was still alive however, and trying to crawl out from under a fallen steel panel that had him pinned. Even as she watched, a Solmine security guard, using the smoke left by the explosions, combat crawled through the doorway. The guard noticed the struggling trooper, and paused. The next moment the guard crawled forward again, and fired with his plasma pistol right into the Xcom trooper's head.
        "BASTARD!" she screamed. As the surprised Solmine guard looked up, she leapt down and landed a with both armoured boots on the man's upturned face.
Blood sprayed in all directions, then a hundred and fifty odd pounds of an armoured Amy Nichols caused veterbrae to pop below her and caused the guard's vital organs to explode outwards. Her Marsec jumpjets kicked in, and she landed with only a small thump on the floor amidst the bleeding wreckage that had been a man. In front of her, she saw the other Solmine guards frozen in shock.
        "DIEEEE!" she screamed. Discarding her laser sniper rifle, she charged forward, drawing her powersword as she went. The first Solmine guard was too stunned by the sudden death of his comrade to react, and was knocked aside by the sheer momentum of the charge. The second put up his hands to ward off the oncoming blow, but the powersword energized. In a brilliant blue flash of plasma, the sword sliced effortlessly through his upraised forearm to plow halfway through his chest.
        Whipping her powersword up from the dead guard, Nichols felt rather than saw movement to her right. Without stopping to think she hurled her weapon in that direction, and turned just in time to see the powersword spin through the air and take a third guard's head clean off. The headless body swayed for a moment, blood fountaining out of the severed neck, then dropped the autocannon it had been aiming before keeling over.
        Nichols paused to recover her breath, then drew her plasma pistol. She was determined to kill as many Solmine guards as she could. Suddenly, the tac- com beeped, and Foxbat leader's voice spoke loud and clearly.
        "Where the hell are you Nichols! The Valk can't stay any longer!"  In the background was the rattle of automatic fire as Xcom troopers fought desperately to keep their avenue of escape secure. Nichols realized that she was the only Xcom trooper still in the warehouse. Reaching out slightly, she could sense Solmine guards closing in on her cautiously. Their shots were also getting uncomfortably close. She began edging towards the door, snapping off the odd shot to keep the Solmine guards back.
        "They shot Faeber! He was down and they shot him!" she reported. An autocannon shot exploded against a concrete pillar, showering her with fragments. As she got beyond the doorway, she prepared to jump. Distracted by the need to set up for her jump and her to keep in contact with Foxbat leader, she did not notice the guard she'd knocked over struggle to his knees. Taking a deep breath, she activated the jumpjets, aiming for the hole in the roof.
        "Forget Faeber! We need to get the hell..." she never heard the rest of the order as something struck her leg. Before she could react, the world flashed blue then faded into black. As the unconscious Nichols plummeted, her headset demanded:
        "Nichols? Nichols? You there? " there was the sound of a scuffle, then the sergeant's voice came on air.
        "Settle down ! There's nothing we can do for her. It's a death trap in there. The commander will sort this out and get them back. Let's get the hell out of here now!" there were murmurs, but as the Valkyrie flew away into the night pursed by tracers, static took over and drowned out the voices.
 

PART B: The Air Up There

(Solmine Corporate HQ)      
        Solmine's Senior Mega Primus Executive Manager swung around in his seat to face the director for security operations. Well into his sixties, Manager Williams Borthrop III had the physique of a man half of his age. This was not particularly surprising since he spent an hour in his personal nano medi-bay at home every night before going to bed. In that hour, the nanobots followed their program and rebuilt the body of Williams Borthrop III, reversing the body's attempt to form a paunch and smoothing out the odd wrinkle. It also removed toxins and hunted down cancer cells if there were any. All in all, if nothing untoward happens to him, he could live as long as he felt like, as long as he had the money.
        By contrast, the security director did not have a personal nano medi- bay. In fact, he did not even have a personal hovercar. If he performed out- standingly, he may be rewarded with the odd voucher for access to Sanctuary Clinic's medical expertise. If he failed, he was likely to end up mining elerium on Pluto. Right now the security director showed every sign of a man terrified of being sent to Pluto.
        "Twelve dead, and twenty five wounded. And you call THAT a SUCCESS?" demanded Borthrop III. He pointed an accusing finger at the security director, and his voice went up another notch.
        "And TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars worth of elerium are GONE! "
        The security director flinched, but spoke up in his own defense.
        "But sir, we did kill one of the raiders and capture another. It was under your instructions that we held back so we can catch them red handed. "
        "You killed ONE and captured ANOTHER ?" the manager looked as if he was about to have a stroke.
        "Yes sir... We're sending the captive over to Cyberweb for interro- gation as arranged, and we shall soon find out whether this X-Com is the one responsible for our recent losses. "
        Borthrop III however was in no mood to sit back and let events happen.
        "We will hold the captive HERE for interrogation. No doubt Cyberweb is already laughing at us behind our backs for YOUR foul up. "
        "But sir! We promised to send any captives from the operation to them in return for the warning...."
        "What promise?" snarled Borthrop III. "We caught the raider, WE are going to do the interrogating! "
        The security director considered his options, and gave in.
        "As you wish, sir. When do you wish the interrogation to begin ?"
        William Borthrop III waved the director away.
        "Just arrange it with my secretary. She will tell you when I'm available. Some time within the next twenty four hours will be fine. "
        "Yes sir!" the security director saluted, and got out of the office as quickly as he could. When the door closed, Borthrop III chuckled. Normally the security director would've been sacked for gross incompetence for such a failure, but he had given the man a second chance. After all, it was not really his fault the raiders had made off with about ten thousand dollars worth of spectrum emitter. A little-known derivative of the missile evasion matrix technology, he had set it to mimic the energy trace of the original elerium stockpile. The difference in value was now sitting in an Osiron ware- house, and he would receive a hundred and twenty thousand dollars some time in the near future. There were always those willing to curry favour with the senior manager in Mega Primus, and they would soon be suitably rewarded. After all, you couldn't be stealing from the company when it was your boss telling you to perform the switch.

(X-Com Base "Westland")
        The commander did not need to act to show all the signs of total rage.
An Xcom trooper had, from a last fragmented report, been shot out of hand by Solmine security. The trooper who made the report had not managed to make it out of the warehouse either, and was currently classified as MIA. And what was supposed to be the next few weeks' ammunition for the plasma weapons had turned out to be mostly empty used up pods along with some kind of Cyberweb built device emitting the energy traces of a large elerium stockpile. All in all, the carefully planned raid had been a total failure. Worst of all, she had no idea where the hell it had all gone wrong. And right now she was faced with a summons from the Senate, demanding her appearance at an official inquiry into last night's incident at Solmine's warehouse. She cursed, and threw her coffee cup at the recycler with much more force than necessary. It missed, and the last remnants of her cold coffee soaked into her carpet.
        Ignoring the mess, she stormed out of her office, nearly running into sergeant Dawson. The sergeant dodged out of her way, and apologized.
        "Sorry m'am, didn't expect you..."
        The commander eyed the sergeant, who she had put in charge of stores last week, and made up her mind.
        "Quit whatever the hell you were doing. Come with me. "
        She turned on her heels, and headed for the garage. Behind her, Dawson muttered a quick explanation into his commlink, and ran to catch up with the irate commander.
        "Where are we going ma'am?" he asked, slightly out of breath from the sudden turn of events. One moment he had some requisition forms to fill out, and the next moment he was being carried along in the wake of the commander, whose general attitude was one of "C'mon, get in my way, and make my day. "
        "Senate. " the commander snapped, then refused to speak any further.
When they reached the garage, the commander jumped in the nearest hovercar and powered up the engines. Dawson had to make a desperate but luckily successful effort to get into the other seat as the commander pushed the throttle to military power and released the brakes. The hovercar shot out of the underground garage and screamed into the air. By the time the passenger door was fully closed, the hovercar was a mile away from base.
        "FLYER TWO ZERO X-RAY, YOU'RE EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT. " warned Mega Primus traffic control. The commander ignored the warning, and pushed the throttle up even further. The hovercar groaned about them, and buildings swept by until they became a blur.
        "FLYER TWO ZERO X-RAY, YOU'RE ON COLLISION COURSE WITH..."
        "Get them out of my way!" snarled the commander, interrupting the traffic control officer. "Or I'm gonna blow it out of the sky! "
        The Transtellar space liner lurched upwards in a maneuver that set its agrav drives screaming, and two of the five superconductor coils burnt out in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics. The space ship captain screamed a curse at the hovercar as it flashed by beneath him, then grabbed for a safety hold as another coil failed. With three out of five coils down, there was no way he could make it out of the atmosphere now. With another curse, the captain ordered his crew to prepare for emergency landing back at the spaceport.
        Dawson took a while to figure out what the hell had exactly happened, then he looked across at the commander, wondering if she had gone totally ballistic. Noticing his stare, she glanced at him, then smiled suddenly.
        "Nothing like a tantrum to make the world go your way. " she said, then pulled back on the throttle. The hovercar slowed, settled into a more sedate pace, and continued the rest of its journey to the Senate building without incident. When the hovercar touched down, Dawson staggered out immediately, and leaned against a marble pillar for support. The commander waited several seconds for him to recover, then snapped irritably:
        "Get a grip, Dawson. I've been on taxi rides ten times more scary than this. We are going to meet the Senators, so pull yourself together and make yourself presentable."
        "The SENATORS? " exclaimed Dawson. "You never told me we were coming to meet the Senators!"
        "What did you expect at the Senate ? A medal presentation ceremony ?
Sometimes Dawson I wonder why I made you sergeant. Move it!"
        The commander strode towards the gravlift, forcing Dawson to push himself away from the pillar and stumble as best as he could after her.

PART C: My Word against Yours

  (In the Senate)
        The Senate's main chamber with its rising terraces all around the room was actually an architectural conceit serving no real purpose. With only thirteen Senators, the main chamber would look embarrassingly empty. Only for the "Opening" of the Senate would the main chamber be used, and for the admiring populace watching the occasion on holovids, the illusion of a populist democracy involving representatives from all sectors of the city was preserved by the enormous numbers of aides, secretaries, technicians and the odd coffee-fetcher that each Senator deemed necessary to bring along with them to pass the time. The truth is, only thirteen people are ever elected, and as far as those current thirteen are concerned, any more would just be asking for trouble, not to mention require a reduction in the size of slices from the same pie.
        The real business of running the city is done elsewhere in the building, with the Public Service ensuring taxes are paid, roads are repaired, and the right people get the right amount of money. The Senators are there to make the big decisions, and some of them are even now regretting ever voting for Xcom intervention. The conference room was currently a virtual battlezone with accusations and counter-accusations being hurled across the polished oak table every minute.
        "We did not receive adequate information on Xcom's methods when we were asked to vote on the motion tabled by Senator Dupont!" hissed one of the current nay block, a Senator Merylsnot. "And now we have Xcom rampaging through the city, behaving like one of the gangs!"
        Senator Dupont leaned forward.
        "One of the gangs, indeed! And may I ask how many have you been paid by to reduce competition ? " Senators sniggered, but stopped when the madame Senator's baleful glare swept over them.
        "How dare you make such an accusation. No doubt YOU are in their pocket. Why such staunch defense for pirates? "
        "It'll take more than what we're paying them to bribe ME, madame!
Unlike some people who would propose psiclone legalization for peanuts! "
        There were more sniggers, then Senator Satsura, senior by at least two terms to the rest of them and the acknowledged leader of the Senate, stopped the bickering between the two.
        "Forget who is paying who ! We're here to discuss the matter of Xcom in a clear and logical manner as befitting the leaders of Mega Primus !"
        "Well, if Dupont the xenophobe over there would stop linking me with the gangs...." whined Merylsnot.
        "What link? It's a damn marriage vow!" quipped Dupont.
        "Senators! " Satsura raised his voice warningly. "Now, does anyone have anything CONCRETE they would like to present to the Senate for consideration before the Xcom representative arrives? "
        Senator Merylsnot signaled her intention to speak.
        "You have the floor. " declared Satsura. Dupont snorted, but made no further comment.
        Merylsnot smiled smugly at Dupont who has strong Megapol backing, and presented her case.
        "Over the past month the incidence of raids upon the slums have in- creased dramatically. My sources indicate that neither Megapol nor the other major organizations within Mega Primus are responsible for this lawlessness.
I contend that this Xcom.." here she curled her lips as if even the word it- self was distasteful- ".. has been systematically pillaging from the under- privileged and impoverished people of the slums under the cover of so-called alien infiltration alerts. For these raids to be conducted with no response from Megapol would suggest complicity on the part of Megapol as well. "
        A few of the neutral senators muttered excitedly amongst themselves.
Since the Senate usually met only to decide single weighty issues that needed to go onto the public records, the Senators' seating position at each session may change depending on personal preference. As it is, those in favour of the issue under discussion tended to sit in a block facing the windows, while their opponents sat across from them.  Those who're still undecided sit to the sides of the current Senate leader, who sits facing the door because that was where the primary holodisplay controls were located. Currently the Senate conference room had the place to seat twenty, giving those invited to the sessions a place at the table and ensuring rival Senators are not forced to sit next to each other.
        One of the aye block of senators motioned to Senator Satsura that he would like to speak.
        "Yes, Senator Landis ?" Satsura invited him to speak. As the most junior of the Senators, elected this term on the strength of his campaign against the now disgraced ex-senator G. Merylsnot (the current Senator Merylsnot's elder brother, who lost his seat over the Teapot Clone affair), Senator Landis had strong support from SELF and the Mutant Alliance.
        "The madame Senator is correct in that major organizations in this city have not been raiding the slums. However, whether intentionally or out of ignorance, she has neglected to inform the Senate of recent raids on Megapol stations and arms manufacturing facilities. Megapol reports that these raids originated from the slums, in particular those buildings acknowledged to be under the control of Psyke. "
        "This does not excuse the raids upon the inhabitants of the slums!" interrupted Merylsnot. Satsura gave her a cold glance for breaking protocol, and nodded to Landis for him to continue.
        "Local medical reports from Sanctuary Clinic's charity missions report no increase in civilians requiring treatment. " Landis referred to his PDA for some notes, then continued his presentation. "Demand for treatment of common afflictions such as rad contamination and contagious diseases typical of the under shielded and overcrowded slums have not increased. Injuries and reported deaths from violent means, such as gunshot wounds and laser burns, have however increased five hundred percent. "
        "But.." Landis raised his hand to halt the muttering amongst Senators.
        "Cross checking between Megapol records and the charity missions' own data files reveal that these casualties are known to be affiliated to the criminal elements, corroborated by holo tattoos and pronounced marks of psiclone abuse detected. It is unlikely that they were shot out of hand defending their few valuables as the madame Senator would lead you to believe. "
        "So what is your conclusion, Senator Landis ?" asked one of the neutrals, a Senator Vonstadt. "Just for the record ?"
        "I believe that whatever agency it is raiding the slums is doing the city a public service. Megapol reports that payment of psiclone bounties have reached the three hundred thousand mark, and since we all know the gangs' reluctance to hand in their prime profit maker, whoever it is raiding these slums are the ones handing psiclones in to Megapol. "
        "And what agency would this be ?" sneered Senator Aprielle, a tall haughty beauty from one of the city's oldest and richest families. "Or should I hazard a guess - Xcom ?"
        Landis looked at the senator. "You can guess all you like, but I am just trying to tell the Senate that Senator Merylsnot's accusations are based upon misinformation. And while no one is truly certain who is conducting these raids, I suggest we refrain from assigning blame to Xcom. Not that I would personally consider penalizing Xcom. On the other hand, I would give them a civic award for dealing with the psiclone corruption ! IF they are indeed the agency responsible for these raids."
        "Well said!" applauded Senator Dupont. Merylsnot on the other hand looked like her lunch disagreed with her.
        "Would Senator Merylsnot like to make a response to Senator Landis' counter argument ?" asked Satsura. He wasn't really expecting one - Landis had the figures, while Merylsnot had only vague accusations.
        Merylsnot made as if to say something, probably a vicious rejoinder, but her neighbour Senator J.C. Mappelthorpe whispered something in her ear.
For a moment Merylsnot looked set to speak anyway, then subsided.
        "Not at the moment, Senator Satsura. " she said carefully.
        "Very well. " Satsura took a sip of his drink, then checked the schedule.
        "We have approximately ten minutes before the Xcom representative arrives. Does anybody else wish to argue the issue ? Yes, Senator Griffiths? "
        Senator Griffiths was a large and powerful man, but while many of the wealthy preferred to use nanos to keep their bodies in trim, Griffiths let himself run to fat. Since Nutrivend was one of his major backers, he also had no problem gaining supplies of fine foods.
        "We have all heard of the raid on Solmine facilities. I have spoken personally with Manager Borthrop, who assures me they have good evidence that X-Com was responsible. He also tells me that Xcom, while repulsed by Solmine security at great cost, also made off with over two hundred thousand dollars worth of elerium. " As Griffiths gave a solid value on the stolen stockpile, Senators gasped in surprise. Even for a sizable organization like Marsec, they only go through fifteen thousand dollars worth of elerium a week.
        Senator Satsura looked incredulous however.
        "What on earth is that much elerium doing in the city ?" he asked.
"Are you sure you didn't mean twenty thousand ?"
        Senator Landis had his own point of view as well.
        "This is obviously a fabrication! Solmine has never managed to meet more than the city's minimum elerium requirements. Or have they been hoarding to keep the prices high ?"
        At this, Senators began to call out angrily. The high unit price of elerium was a sore point with the Senate, and so far Solmine had attributed the high prices to unrest in the mining colonies. And now suddenly out of nowhere a two hundred thousand dollar stockpile had been stolen.
        Griffiths looked flustered. The announcement had not gone the way he had been told to expect. "Urhhh..." he tried to think of something to say, but realized none of the neutral Senators were really listening anymore. They were all looking at their PDAs and discussing Solmine's sudden revelations amongst themselves. The aye block of Senators were sitting back and smiling smugly in return at the discomfited nay block.
        At this moment, there was a crash outside the doors to the chamber.
There was some shouting outside the doors, then it opened to reveal the Xcom commander and her aide standing over five very much under the weather security guards. One of the guards made a grab for the commander's ankle in an attempt to stop her, but she simply stamped on his fingers. CRACK.
        "What is the meaning of this ?" stormed Senator Satsura. "This is.."
        "Has the session started already ? I thought I was invited ?" drawled the commander.
        "You would've been told when the Senate expects your presence. " Satsura said angrily. "This intrusion is unwarranted. We cannot have people interrupting the Senate while it is deliberating on important issues. "
        The commander smiled coldly, and replied.
        "So you have already started the deliberations. Pardon ME for being late. But since your request for my presence was marked urgent, I thought your security here were just being officious. In X-Com, we don't have much use for red tape. "
        Satsura sighed, then waved at the waiting guards to return to their stations. "Very well, commander. Please enter. Take a seat. "
        The commander walked in, looked at the empty seats, then shrugged and sat down in the nearest one. The sergeant hesitated, but the commander gestured for him to sit down beside her. Behind them, the door closed.
        "Now, commander, we were just discussing last night's raid on the Solmine stockpile. We heard that X-Com is responsible for the loss of two hundred thousand dollars worth of elerium. " Senator Satsura was not a man to circle around an issue. Any corporation he represents can be sure to get their money's worth, although this was before he became the leader of the Senate.
Right now his personal fortune included a 60% share in Marsec, so nobody would seriously consider even trying to bribe the man.
        "Two hundred thousand dollars worth ? Lost? How careless of Solmine!
However, we're not in the shipping trade. I think you wanted Transtellar, Senator Satsura. " the commander did not bat an eyelash as she said this, and looked at ease inspite of her recent run in with the Senate's security guards.
        "We know you took it !" spat Senator Griffiths. "And caused the deaths of innocent men whose only crime was to stand between you and your loot! "
        "Who is this fool ?" exclaimed the commander. "Oh, sorry. You must be a Senator. As for the two hundred thousand dollars worth of elerium that you ALLEGE we took, I have no idea where they are. Dawson !"
        "Yes m'am ?" answered the sergeant immediately. The commander turned slightly to face him, then asked.
        "Sergeant, since you're in charge of stores, how much elerium do we currently have in storage ?"
        Dawson looked at his PDA, did a quick calculation, then answered the commander's question.
        "Current market price for our entire stock of elerium is forty two thousand dollars, plus or minus five percent depending on weekly price fluctuations. "
        The commander turned back to face the Senators. "As you can see, we don't seem to have that much elerium. We do not have any other property so far in Mega Primus to store elerium in either. "
        "I demand that a thorough audit and a full search of Xcom facilities !" said Senator Griffiths angrily. "Records can be forged and..."
        The commander thumped on the table, interrupting the ranting Senator.
        "If you dare set ONE foot within MY base, then I will order the security stations to shoot YOU on sight. " she snapped angrily.
        "What, am I an alien ?" laughed Griffiths suddenly. "I am an elected Senator of Mega Primus! You cannot shoot me!"
        The commander's expression however said otherwise.
        "In the contract that we presented for the Senate's consideration, and subsequently confirmed by the Senate, clause eleven states clearly that all Xcom territory is beyond Mega Primus jurisdiction for the period of the alien emergency. "
        "WHAT?" blurted out Senator Repton. "I thought that clause was so you don't have to follow the City Edict on styling !" An Extropian, he had been instrumental in getting the Senate to pass the edict. Later as a Senator he had kept a close eye on construction, to the extent of ordering a Procreation Park demolished for being post-modernist. He had only grudgingly assented to allow Xcom exemption from styling regulations, since at that stage the Senate was in near panic over rising social unrest and was all but pleading for Xcom intervention. Since then, with riots on the wane, he had regretted his decision. Just imagining bare steel and utilitarian appliances gave him the shivers.
        "I guess the city lawyers didn't phrase it properly then. " said the commander off-handedly. "Not that we don't appreciate the exemption. Who the hell wants a bright green wallpaper ?"
        Dawson laughed out aloud, then realized that he was out of order. He coughed apologetically, and tried to sink back down into his seat.
        Senator Satsura however gave the idea its due consideration, and commented.
        "I have to agree with you there, commander. We should change this wallpaper. I've been coming in here for the last twenty years, and I'm truly sick of it. " Other Senators immediately voiced their assent. Senator Satsura however quickly steered the Senators back onto the issue at hand.
        "The recent incident at Solmine however goes beyond mere fad. While my colleague here may have overstepped his authority in demanding a search of Xcom premises, we are unhappy with the damage to the city as well as the rash of raids upon buildings within the city. "
        For the normal average businessman, for the Senate to be "unhappy" was almost a death knell. The commander however was not in the city to conduct business, and she was used to dealing with unhappy government representatives.
The Second Alien War had been no cake walk, and when you consider how vague oceanic boundaries can be, minor political squabbles like the Mega Primus Senate was comparatively easy to deal with.
        "We deny any involvement in the raid on Solmine. And we certainly do not have two hundred thousand dollars worth of elerium that we might, for some unknown reason, want to hand back to Solmine. Even if they wish to buy back the forty two thousand dollars worth of elerium we actually have would be impossible. Those are what we consider vital to our operations. "
        "Is that your answer ?" asked Senator Satsura.
        "Yes. Of course, if the Senate can present me with any evidence of clear wrong-doing on the part of Xcom, I would be happy to pay compensation.
Until then, please excuse this poor busy Xcom commander who must contend with both alien U.F.Os and human S.O.Bs. "
        "What's an S.O.B ?" asked a neutral Senator.
        "Find out!" answered the commander with a grin.
        "The commander has made a good point. Do we have any evidence of Xcom actually raiding the Solmine warehouse ?" Satsura was annoyed that all this time had been wasted with no real supporting evidence.
        Senator J.C. Mappelthorpe, who had until now not uttered a single word, suddenly spoke up.
        "I ask the Senate hold current proceedings until Monday. Solmine does currently have evidence, but they're working on its presentation and trying to ascertain its value. "
        Senator Satsura nodded sourly. "You could've waited before bringing up the issue at least. Very well, unless anyone disagrees, we will continue again with this issue on Monday. Does anyone wish to continue now ?"
        The commander shook her head, and since Xcom had no problems, the aye block of senators did not venture to disagree either. With a nod to the assembled Senators, the Xcom commander stood up and swept out of the room, followed by the sergeant.
        Back in the conference room, the nay block of Senators gathered in one corner and conferred amongst themselves.
        "Are you sure Solmine will have the evidence ?" asked Griffiths worriedly. J.C. Mappelthorpe smiled, a spine chilling expression coming from some one who resembled Dracula in a cryogenic coffin.
        "They will. Last night, they captured one of the raiders, alive. Dead these raiders leave no clue, but I'm sure the interrogation will be very fruitful. Cyberweb has assured me they have absolute confidence. "
        "So that's what you meant.  " said Senator Merylsnot. "But isn't it a bit risky to wait until Monday ? Anything could happen. "
        "Indeed. " J.C. Mappelthorpe looked suspiciously pleased with him- self. "Anything could happen. Especially to our fine commander. "
        As the full import of the Senator's words were understood, the nay block senators laughed. It was an unpleasant sound.

PART D: Revelations

(Solmine Corporate HQ)
        Sound. Voices. Lights. Pain. At first, everything was out of focus, then with a sudden rush the world came back to her. The warehouse. Faeber's death. The squad leader's orders. Then blackness. And now the blackness had gone away, replaced by bright lights. Time passed, and gradually she was able to resolve people moving about her. She tried to turn her head, but found she couldn't move at all. Something was holding her down. Something that tingled.
Forcefields, she thought.
        "...she's awake !" she vaguely heard a voice said.
        "Good. Brain wave patterns acceptable. Tell the director she will be ready in ten minutes. " said another voice.
        She tried to speak, but even in her daze she knew something was wrong.
The colours. Green. Blue. Yellow. Not white. Not the white of X-Com's medibay.
She was not in Xcom. As she reached this conclusion, she thought:
        "OH SHIT. " then passed out again.

(10 floors up)
        "She is awake and conscious ? Very good. So, when is the interrogation scheduled to begin ?" asked William Borthrop III. Normally he gave orders about how things were to happen, but Dr. Meinkemf was not someone you gave orders to. Especially since the man was his own personal physician.
        Dr. Meinkemf's voice was precise and methodical. "We will have the appropriate equipment set up in half an hour. Do you wish to attend sir ?"
        "Of course !" Borthrop III smiled hugely.
        "Very well, sir. We will have one of your personal seats installed. " Dr. Meinkemf appeared to turn his head to listen to someone, then said to Borthrop III:
        "Now if there's nothing else sir, I have something urgent to attend.."
        Borthrop nodded, and terminated the connection. The last interrogation he had attended was back in school, when one of his friends lost a "heirloom elerium crystal on a chain". Not that the boy actually had one, but the kid who owned one had hidden his before being grabbed. It had been fun, and he now almost salivated in expectation of another "interrogation" session.
        The comm-panel bleeped suddenly, and the holo of his secretary came on. She looked slightly apologetic.
        "Sir, we have an incoming call from Cyberweb. "
        Borthrop III was annoyed at having to deal with Cyberweb, but he decided it would be only diplomatic to speak to the Cyberweb representative.
He grunted an affirmative.
        The holo blurred, then resolved to show the head of a thin sharp looking man in his late thirties.
        "I am Tanner, director of Cyberweb corporate security. I am calling about a small matter of a prisoner we were promised."
        Borthrop III yawned, then pretended to look at his notes.
        "Which prisoner ?" he asked.
        Tanner remained expressionless.
        "The prisoner your men captured last night at the warehouse. I believe the understanding was that any prisoners were to be handed over to us for interrogation, in view of our expertise on the matter. "
        "Oh, THAT prisoner. " Borthrop III sniggered inwardly. He wasn't about to give up the prisoner. While the boy back in school had been fun, this particular captive was going to be interesting to break, especially since she was a woman.
        "The security risks involved in moving the prisoner is too great. I do not want Xcom to get wind of it and perform a rescue mission. Not only would it be embarrassing, it could prove costly as well. "
        "Very well. You do know that the results of the interrogation are scheduled to go before the Senate on Monday ?" said Tanner tonelessly.
        "Why was I not informed ?" Borthrop III was rattled. He had been looking forward to a relaxing weekend, but it seems now they actually have a deadline to meet. DAMN the Senator responsible.
        "It was either that or letting X-Com off on the raid. " answered Tanner. "Which do you prefer ?"
        "By Monday then. Is there anything else ?"
        Tanner appeared to loom, but it was only the man leaning towards the holocam.
        "Yes. Would you mind if we sent a representative, one such as I, to be present at the interrogation ? In a purely advisory capacity ?"
        Borthrop III was tempted to reject the request out of hand, but forced himself to smile pleasantly.
        "Not at all. Please arrange it with my secretary. I believe the interrogation will be starting in another twenty minutes. "
        Tanner nodded, then terminated the connection. Borthrop III swore, because he usually had the pleasure of cutting the other person off. But with- out a suitably near target, he decided to ignore the affront and pressed the comm-panel, summoning the security director.
        "Interrogation starting in another twenty minutes. Be there. And there will be a Cyberweb representative. " Without waiting for the security director to answer, Borthrop III slammed the disconnect panel, but could not derive any real satisfaction. He cursed, then got up to go down to the lobby. He usually didn't bother to meet anyone less than an executive manager, but he was interested in this Tanner fellow. The man would make a good replacement for his own security director. After all, every man has his price.
 
(Cyberweb Corporate HQ)
        Security Director Tanner turned away from the holocam, and faced the Cyberweb Executive Manager. Their eyes met, flared golden for a moment, then Tanner stood up and left the room without a word.

(Solmine Corporate HQ)
        Dr. Meinkemf watched the medical monitors with narrowed eyes. While the woman currently held by forcefield restraints on the "operating" table was unlikely to commit suicide like the usual programmed corporate spy, she was displaying some very interesting readings. Beta waves were fluctuating, and the ECG was having problems displaying relevant patterns. He wondered if he had time to do a quick psi-scan, but with the interrogation about to start, his current role was to make sure the person of interest did not suddenly expire before telling them everything she knows.
        The door hissed open, and Williams Borthrop III walked in, accompanied by the Cyberweb representative, one security director Tanner, whom Borthrop had met at the lobby. Behind them came Solmine's own security director, a decidedly unimpressive specimen compared to the tall, spare Tanner who looked almost as efficient as Meinkemf himself. Not that the man was likely to match Meinkemf- the doctor was an android. While Borthrop III disliked androids because everyone else did, when it comes to self interest, one's life took precedence over one's prejudices. This was one of the reasons why Borthrop III had succeeded his father to his current position inspite of having three elder brothers and a sister who was a business genius. That sister was currently his secretary, bound to him by her secret psiclone addiction. Until the psiclone fries her neural pathways anyway. Then she will either be in an asylum or sent to Pluto.
        Dr. Meinkemf sighed inwardly, but greeted the new arrivals.
        "The subject is ready. She is conscious and aware. "
        Borthrop sat down in his personal chair, and motioned graciously for Tanner to sit in another. The Solmine security director took up a position standing behind the two, and while the man maintained a steely expressionless- ness, no doubt he was secretly smarting inside.
        "You may begin the interrogation, doctor. " said Borthrop III.
        The doctor nodded, and took his seat by the control panel. He began his running commentary on the procedure.
        "Current state of the art interrogation equipment relies on the use of psionics derived from mind probe and molecular control techniques developed by X-Com. Some pain may be induced to reduce subject's resistance to psionic probes. We shall begin by asking simple questions which will help calibrate the equipment to read the brainwaves. This way, even if the subject refuses to speak, we might still gain information by reading their minds. "
        The doctor adjusted something, and then activated a holoscreen over the woman.
        "Sensory deprivation is an important technique. The holofield allows us to immerse the subject in absolute darkness without the requirement for old style submersion tanks. " the doctor pulled a lever, and there was a slight but audible whine as holo projectors powered up.
        "The use of anti-gravity allows us to eliminate any sense of up and downs, and this in conjunction with the holofields is surprisingly effective.
For those interrogations where time is of no object, the subject may be suspended thus for anything up to forty eight hours, beyond which the human mind begins to crumble. "
        "Why do you say the human mind ?" asked Borthrop III. He'd expected something a bit more.... substantial. Something involving screams and lots of pain for the victim. And he couldn't imagine sitting around for forty eight hours watching someone float about even if they were losing their minds.
        "Androids, like myself, can just switch off. " explained Dr. Meinkemf.
"Hybrids on the other hand are extremely resistant to current available interrogation techniques. There is no known way to suppress their psionic abilities without rendering them unconscious or block the mind probe. It is easier to exert pressure through family, friends or finance. "
        "How about aliens ?" said Tanner. "Can they defeat current available interrogation techniques ?"
        Dr. Meinkemf looked at Tanner quizzically. "I'm sorry, director Tanner, but my expertise does not extend that far. I have personally never used my skills upon an alien, and there are no sources of up to date information on this subject available. The only people who might have any knowledge on current alien interrogation techniques is X-Com, but while they sell weapons and equipment based upon alien technology, they do not release their research data. "
        "I see. Please continue then, doctor. " said Tanner, not at all put off.
        "I shall now initiate the interrogation proper. " Dr. Meinkemf pressed a panel, and on their overhead holos they could see the face of the captured raider. Quite a pretty face, if a bit pale, and the gray eyes were wide open and unfocused. She was breathing shallowly, and there was a bruise purpling over her right temple.
        "Gene testing says she's pure human, so psionic ability is probably minimal. " the doctor paused for a moment, then spoke into the microphone.
        "Who are you ?"

        "Who are you ?" the question floated out of the void. It echoed and echoed, and while she tried to track the source of the question, she could not. All around her was darkness, and she was suspended in space. In the deepest space. There were no stars, no sensation. Just darkness, and the ever- echoing question: "Who are you ?"
        Amy Nichols understood she was being interrogated, and not by an amateur either. No bucket over the head or a prod in the sides. What she was experiencing now was top of the range interrogation equipment. Well, top of the range civilian interrogation equipment. What the scientists back at base could do in their labs were light years beyond this. Even thinking about the advanced bio-labs made her head ache.
        Something touched her mind. It was a light and feathery touch, but a touch nevertheless. Instinctively she created in her mind an area of blank- ness before that probe. The probe twisted and turned slowly, but she gradually imagined an all enclosing sphere of blankness around the mental intruder.
        Dr. Meinkemf looked closely at the mind probe readings, but could see nothing. Not a single blur in the flowing green line. Nothing at all that a nanocomputer might seize upon and analyze.
        "Well doctor ?" asked Borthrop III impatiently. "Who is she ?"
        Dr. Meinkemf increased the force of the probe, but still the line remained fustratingly straight. It's almost as if there was no thought going on. The subject was either dead or had tremendous mental discipline.
        "She is resisting the probe. " declared the doctor. "There is no conscious decipherable thought. "
        "Well, what are you going to do now ?" There was the beginnings of a whining tone to Borthrop III's voice.
        "Sir, I'm going to go through the procedure and see if I can break her. This is going to take time however. "
        "How long!?" demanded the manager.
        "I don't know. It is not often we have a subject like this. Not many people possess the strength of mind to resist even basic interrogation. "
        Tanner spoke. "Cyberweb has previous experience in such matters. Maybe it would be better to let our own technicians conduct the interrogation. "
        "Be patient, Tanner. " said Borthrop III, who wasn't about to let Cyberweb hijack his pet project. "Why don't we go down to the restaurant and have lunch while Dr. Meinkemf works on our rather recalcitrant subject. Stay here and keep an eye on the prisoner, director. " added Borthrop III for the Solmine security director's benefit. Obviously not invited to lunch.
        The Cyberweb security director accepted the offer to lunch. He had little choice anyway. After all, this was not Cyberweb territory. The two went out the door, leaving Solmine's security director behind. The director sat down in the seat so recently occupied by director Tanner, and grumbled.
        "Damn it! We should have left it up to Cyberweb !"
        "Please be quiet. This procedure requires concentration. " answered Dr. Meinkemf without taking his eyes off the displays.
        "Not you too !" the director muttered something under his breath but kept his mouth shut. He stood up, walked to the door, and called to a nearby security guard. He gave the man some orders, then went back to sit in the chair. A few minutes later, the guard entered to hand the director a lunch pak from the cafeteria. The guard saluted, then about turned and went out again.

PART E: Close Calls

        The lunch hour went by, and the security director cleaned up the wrappers from his quick meal and tossed them in the recycler. He stood up, brushed the crumbs off the seat, and took up position by the door where he could throw the magazine he was reading into the recycler at a moment's notice.
        Suddenly, the doctor's personal beeper flashed red. The doctor glanced down, set the interrogation program to automatic, then moved towards the door. The security director took notice as well, and flipped open his PDA.
        "DR. MEINKEMF REQUIRED TO ATTEND MANAGER BORTHROP III. ACUTE STOMACH DISORDER. " was the message. Dr. Meinkemf picked up his medikit as he went by, and told the security director:
        "I think she is skilled in psionics to a certain extent. Get a guard or two in here, and make sure they have mind shields. "
        The director shrugged, and called up a guard with his PDA.
        "We're here to keep an eye on the subject. You see anything funny, inform me immediately. " ordered the security director. The guard nodded in understanding, and went over to stand by the medical station. The security director went back to his old position beside the door, and resumed reading his magazine.
        The door hissed open suddenly. The guard standing by the medical station turned, one hand on his lawpistol. The security director watched in horror as the man's eyes widened in surprise before plasma vaporized his face.
The security director's hand moved towards his own plasma pistol, but all of a sudden he found he could not move anymore. It was as if somebody had suddenly seized control of his limbs and was holding him in a invisible vise. He tried to scream, but could make no sound.
        Their assailant walked cautiously through the doorway. It was Tanner, alone and unaccompanied, but something had changed. Tanner's eyes glowed with some inner light, and his face was twisted into an unnatural grin. Tanner looked wordlessly at the helpless security director, then raised his plasma pistol.
        Suddenly the golden light in Tanner's eyes wavered. The hand holding the plasma pistol shook, and the chief of Cyberweb security staggered. The drawn plasma pistol began to lower, but then something seemed to snap. With a triumphant hiss, Tanner aimed the plasma pistol and fired it straight into the Solmine security director's chest. The unfortunate director crumpled, and there was the stench of burned flesh in the air.
        The Tanner creature swept the room with its golden eyes, then moved slowly towards the captive woman.

        Nichols struggled, trying to free herself from her restraints, but with little understanding of how the equipment worked, she could not find the right controls to shut down the interrogation devices. Unable to see, unable to hear and with no comrades to rely on, all she had was her psionic sense.
And what the sense told her now was some immensely powerful alien psionic creature moving towards her. She had tried to prevent it from killing someone, but she did not have the strength. She lashed out with her telekinesis, only to hear alien laughter, a mental hissing. It brushed aside her feeble efforts, and continued advancing.
        As the alien approached, she could sense a new life sign. For a moment her heart was filled with hope, then with a terrible final realization she identified it as a brainsucker.

        The Tanner creature had taken the brainsucker pod from a pocket, and sensing a live human nearby, the loathesome creature had hatched. Tanner however caught it by its bulbous head before it could leap for the helpless woman. He stared into the brainsucker's deepset sequin sized eyes, and seemed to hold a silent communion with it. Almost immediately the brainsucker began to change colour, from a bright yellow to dull orange, then to a mottled green. The legs of the brainsucker slowly ceased struggling, then something began to writhe under its rubbery skin.
        Tanner advanced upon the trapped Xcom trooper, holding the brain- sucker before him. His mouth was grinning hugely, and the teeth looked sharp and predator like. Reaching over, Tanner pulled the holofield generator's wires out, shutting down the holofield and revealing the trapped Nichols. He began placing the brainsucker over Nichols face.
        The streak of plasma took both the terrified Nichols and the gloating Tanner creature by surprise. The altered brainsucker took the full force of the shot and was carbonized into a misshapen lump. Tanner hurled the lump away and howled at the pain from its burnt hand. The lump hit some medical equipment and shattered into several pieces, spilling green sludge into the air. Unfortunately for the sludge the holofield cables were right underneath it. Electricity arced, then the sludge was just blackened bits.
        The Solmine security director fired again, this time blowing up a whole section of the interrogation control panels. The anti-gravity field shut down, then the force field restraints dispersed. Nichols was dropped with a thump on the floor at the foot of the still hissing Tanner creature. Enraged, Tanner turned upon the Solmine security director, leapt then punched his good hand with inhuman strength through the director's stomach. The security director screamed, and struggled weakly even as blood came in spurts to splatter onto the ceramic floor tiles....
        The scream woke Solmine security. Guards rushed along the corridors in a co-ordinated response, and sealed off the area. Moments later, heavily armed Solmine guards smashed through the door and saw their security director held up in the air by Tanner who had his arms buried up to the elbow in the director's body. Without hesitation, the guards opened fire, literally blowing Tanner's body apart in a storm of fire.

        Nichols propped herself by an elbow as she watched Solmine security pick up the mortally wounded security director and place him carefully within one of the medi-bay's surgery pods. A guard with sergeant's stripes stabbed down on the OPERATE button even as the bay was slammed shut, and she knew within moments coagulants and emergency seals would be applied to reduce blood loss and contain the injuries. After that nanobots would be disgorged over the body to begin work putting the body together again. As long as the brain was still alive and the heart still beating, the nano-pod could rebuild the body in an emergency crash surgery, repairing punctured organs and in the security director's case, rebuild his intestines.
        One of the guards noticed Nichols in the corner, and called to one of his comrades. They advanced cautiously upon her, but when she showed no sign of resistance, they grabbed her by the arms. Big mistake. From a distance, the guards could've riddled her with bullets before she could get to them. Up close, the equation changes.
        With strength from hours of training in the gym, she jerked, sending the surprised guards stumbling into each other. Before they could recover, she had grabbed one of the guards' Marsec 4000 and opened up on full auto. In the close confines of the medi-bay, the noise of the gun was deafening. Guards clustered about the nano-pod were knocked off their feet in a spray of blood, then the Solmine heavies near the door went down. The two guards by her side tried to grab her again, but elbowed one in the groin while shooting one handed up into the other. Within seconds, she was the only one left standing inside the medi-bay.
        Outside there was the sound of running boots thudding on the floor.
She dived and rolled, coming up beside the doorway, heedless of the pools of gore. Bloodied, but unhurt, she ambushed more of Solmine's security guards as they ran into the room. The first impression the guards had of the room was bodies sprawled all over the place, with no obvious enemy in sight. Even as they struggled to comprehend what the hell was happening, Nichols had tore an autocannon from a dead guard's dead grip and with a scream, cut loose in a blaze of fire.
        If the Marsec 4000's effect had been deadly, the autocannon at such close range was total carnage. Without waiting for the bodies to finish toppling or splattering against the wall, Nichols rolled out into the corridor and caught yet more guards by surprise. Stunned by the bloody apparition, the running guards did not react fast enough and were mown down. Alarms and klaxons began blaring in earnest, and blast shutters began slamming down all along the corridor.
        "INTRUDER ON LEVEL TWO ! INTRUDER ON LEVEL TWO ! PROCEED WITH MAXIMUM CAUTION !" blared the loudspeakers. "ALL PERSONNEL TO EVACUATE THE BUILDING !"
        Xcom trooper Amy Nichols had no trouble realizing that Solmine was trying to trap her inside the building. But the announcement had given her an idea. She leveled her autocannon at a nearby window and fired, shattering the armoured glass. She ran to the window, and looked down.
        Below, the first of the evacuees were running out the front door and making for the plaza. In the distance she could hear Megapol's sirens raising in pitch as they responded to frantic calls for help from Solmine's security system. There was a warning shout, and a security guard below saw her at the window and pointed her out to the others. Kneeling, they began snapping shots off at her.
        "Bastards. " commented Nichols. After her recent close encounter with the brainsucker, nothing could terrify her now. She fired at the kneeling guards, killing two of them instantly. The others scattered for cover, and the firing ceased. Seizing the opportunity, Nichols jumped out of the window.
For an Xcom agent, landing safely from one floor up was child's play. She rolled with the impact, and without waiting to look up and see what the hell was going on around her, made for the nearest piece of cover.
        Safe behind cover, she had time to scan her surroundings with her psi- sense. The guards' minds, though tinged by confusion and fear, were bright with steely purpose compared to the terrified thoughts of the office workers.
Well trained, they weren't about to run screaming for help over the break out of a single woman even if she had so far managed to double their casualty figures for the month. Even as Solmine guards blazed away at the metre high plasteel SOLMINE CORPORATION (MEGA PRIMUS CENTRAL OFFICE) sign behind which she was sheltering, Nichols probed the guards' minds. The first few were too high on adrenaline or determined to affect, but one of the guards was on the verge of panic.
        With a small effort, Nichols concentrated on the guard and the man's mind crumbled before her quick assault. All of a sudden she could see through two pairs of eyes, one looking at the grass, the other at the Solmine sign.
One of the veteran Solmine guards, a sergeant, noticed that the new replace- ment had suddenly stopped firing.
         "Keep firing ! We've got her pinned down !" yelled the sergeant at the new man. "She's unarmoured, and we've got heavy firepower coming up!"
        The trainee however did not seem to hear the sergeant's shout. With zombie like stiffness, he brought his gun up and shot a controlled three round burst into another man's back. The sergeant's lower jaw dropped in surprise, then swore as he squeezed the trigger of his plasma pistol. The plasma hit the trainee square in the side, mortally wounding the rookie.
        Nichols grimaced as she released her hold on the dying man's mind. She had not expected such a quick response to her mind-control. Now she was in trouble. With anything up to twenty odd severely hostile guards before her, it would be easy for them to outflank her. The autocannon clip had one round left, and she had not taken time to pick up more reloads. Not that she actually had time to. Cornered, she was now staring death in the face. Even if she had her armour, she would be cheese- no, cheese spread - before she gets five metres.
        "Now I need a miracle. " she muttered.
 
(Edge of Mega Primus)
        The commander had parked the hovercar near Mega Primus' massive outer containment walls and then climbed a nearby maintenance ladder to the top.
>From the top of the wall, she could see the wasteland outside, though here and there shrubs grew in the poisoned soil, evidence of mother nature's slow regeneration. Before the social unrest had begun to plague Mega Primus, land had been reclaimed slowly square meter by square meter and the massive containment walls moved outwards every year to include the earth purified by nano machines.
        But when the unrest began and people started fleeing the city, the dream to reclaim their poisoned world faltered, then failed. The government's funds went increasingly into suppressing the discontent rather than the ReGenesis: Earth project. Paradoxically, since the walls ceased to move out- ward and there was no longer any new land for settlement and construction, the economy began to stagnate. The population still increased, and the slums became no longer a thing of the past, but a way of life for the future.
        Watching the wind roll clouds of dust along the plain, the commander knew that Mega Primus was slowly dying. Unless the city could grow and expand, eventually the cancer within will destroy her as surely as the UFO attacks.
Mankind would lose their last link with mother earth, becoming rootless colonists scattered through the solar system. And once Mega Primus is gone, the colonies will be easy prey. Humanity itself will become extinct as an independent species.

        "I think we should be returning to base now, commander. " said Dawson.
He had followed her up onto the wall and waited patiently for the last half an hour as she brooded over the vista.
        She sighed, and stood up. Dawson, while a good Xcom trooper, did not yet truly understand Xcom's purpose. He was not fighting for something he truly believed in. Instead, he was fighting because it was expected of him. At the interview, Dawson had told her he wanted to join Xcom because his father had been in X-Com during the Second Alien Wars. Dawson had retold his father's memory of the final assault on T'leth, and with a shock she had realized that she actually knew Dawson's father. She remembered the short, quiet Marine who never spoke much but always volunteered to go first into the unknown. A member of the T'leth assault team, he had survived tentaculats and lobstermen only to lose a leg to Xarquid poison in the last corridor. The stout squaddie had waved them forward even as he bandaged his own wounds, then was carried back out unconscious to the surface by Gallagher, the very same Gallagher who was serving as her captain today.
        Able Seaman Dawson survived losing a leg. Records say he was one of the early Luna colonists, and was chief security officer for Lunsec's Sea of Tranquility colony. In 2072, when unrest on Luna reached its peak, he was killed when a dome support failed and a part of the base depressurized explosively. Sabotage was suspected but never proven. Soon after that, Lunsec reversed chief Dawson's policy and declared full martial law. The ensuing suppression was short but bloody.  Lachlan Dawson was twelve at that time. The legacy his father left him were the Xcom medals and stories of the Second Alien War. Today Dawson was still trying subconsciously to live up to his father's example.
        As the commander took the first step towards the top of the ladder, Dawson pointed at something to her right.
        "M'am, I don't think that looks good. " said Dawson in a low tone of voice.
        She looked up, and saw a hoverbike  heading towards them.
        "DUCK!" yelled Dawson and they both hurled themselves flat against the top of the containment wall. Bright lasers flashed, and chunks of plascrete were gouged out by the laser bolts. The hoverbike screamed over them, then came around for another attempt. On top of the containment wall, the two Xcom agents were exposed and easy prey.
        "Go for the ladder, m'am! I will try distract them !" called Dawson as he drew his plasma pistol. "You must get back to base !"
        The commander gritted her teeth, and knew that Dawson was right. She was the heart and soul of Xcom in Mega Primus, while Dawson was expendable.
        "Get 'em Dawson!" she called over the howl of the hoverbike's engine, then leapt for the ladder. Behind her Dawson stood up, aimed and fired at the hoverbike. The first shot hit the hoverbike, burning a groove through the front hull. The second hit the air intakes, causing the hoverbike to swerve.
The lasers which had been marching a straight path towards Dawson went wild, and one of the shots touched the commander's back as she made for the ladder.
As the hoverbike screamed past, Dawson had a clear shot at the rider from the side. He fired again, and watched with grim satisfaction as the hoverbike cartwheeled for a hundred meters before ending up as a ball of flame in a smoking crater.
        The near miss from the laser cannon however had a devastating effect on the commander. She screamed as fire lanced through her body, and fell heavily at the very edge of the containment wall. Dawson realized the commander was hit, and ran to her side. Apart from burns on her back, he could not really see anything wrong, but he picked up the convulsing commander and somehow managed to carry her down the ladder. He strapped her into the back- seat of the hovercar, fighting her maddened strength all the way.
With shaking hands, he opened the hovercar's emergency medikit and with a prayer, activated it. Within moments the commander was unconscious, and the spasms were reduced greatly in intensity. Clambering back into the front seat, Dawson started the hovercar. Gritting his teeth, he maxed the throttle to send the hovercar leaping into the sky.
        "FLYER TWO ZERO X-RAY, YOU'RE EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT. AGAIN " came the call from Mega Primus Traffic Control.
        "This is a medical emergency !" answered Dawson as he pulled a tight turn to head for home..
        "FLYER TWO ZERO... WHAT ? A MEDICAL EMERGENCY ? STAND BY. " there was a pause as the controller punched emergency override buttons, then his voice came on air again.
        "FLYER TWO ZERO X-RAY, YOU HAVE CLEARANCE. WE ARE CLEARING THE FLIGHT- PATH. "
        Dawson did not answer. His attention was fixed on flashes of gunfire he could see up ahead down on the ground. As the hovercar approached the scene, he could see that the shots were all concentrated on the Solmine sign out the front. From the looks of it, there was somebody hiding behind it.
Somebody Solmine wanted dead desperately.
        <Sergeant Dawson ?> said a questioning voice in his mind suddenly.
        "What the..." exclaimed Dawson.
        <This is Nichols. I need help!> came the voice again, more urgently.
        "On my way !" said Dawson out aloud.
        He pushed the controls down, and the hovercar dived towards the fire- fight. Seizing the opportunity as surprised Solmine guards looked up at the oncoming hovercar, he opened fire with both of the hovercar's plasma cannons.
Strafed by the hovercar, the Solmine guards did not stand a chance. One of the guards tried to set up a shot with his heavy launcher, but was engulfed by a rolling wave of flame and incinerated. The others tried to get out of the way or find cover, but for many today was not their lucky day.
        Frowning in concentration, Dawson mentally judged the distance, then hit the brakes. Agrav motors screamed with strain as they reversed thrust, then the hovercar came to halt floating inches above the prone Nichols. The front passenger door hissed open, then Dawson tipped the car on its side.
        Below him, Nichols leapt straight up and into the hovercar. In a demonstration of excellent driving skills, Dawson righted the car, shut the passenger door, and accelerated away, taking Nichols with him. Behind them, the surviving Solmine guards threw down their weapons in fustration and yelled abuse at the rapidly departing hovercar. Solmine's own vehicles were scrambled into the air, but by the time they left the hangar, the hovercar was nowhere in sight.

PART F: The Lions Stir
 
(X-Com Base "Westland")

        "I'm surprised she survived something like this. " declared the base doctor. "I've ever only seen this happen twice before and the victims in both cases were dead within minutes. Went into shock and died before treatment could be given. "
        Captain Gallagher watched the sleeping commander nervously, and asked the doctor. "What exactly happened to her? Is a laser capable of doing this ?
Or was it some kind of psionic device ?"
        The doctor shook his head.
        "No. It's your average Bolter laser. The laser is focused electro- magnetic radiation, and usually blows a hole through something by sheer concentrated heat. But in the commander's case the laser only managed to cause superficial burns. A direct hit of course would have been a different matter.
For one, she wouldn't have needed first aid. "
        "The sergeant reports that she went into convulsions and was in extreme pain. How can some burns do this ?"
        "As I said before, laser is focused electromagnetic radiation. And while it usually incinerates something, in the commander's case as the laser went by, the ionized air created an enormous potential difference that earthed itself through her spinal implant. Like a lightning strike, it overloaded the surge buffers and burnt right through her central nervous system. A super- charged neuro-feedback. Fortunately the commander only had her motor functions hardwired. If she had been like the other two I've seen, with their heartbeat and breathing wired into a cyborg controller, then she would be dead. As it was, the sergeant got her back here just in time. "
        "Well yes. We were lucky this time, and the sergeant managed to rescue the trooper captured the other night. So what kind of treatment is she getting now ?" asked the captain, calming down slightly.
        The doctor looked down at the commander, and shrugged.
        "Everything we can. Plenty of rest and relaxation so she can recover from the trauma of having her nerve pathways burnt out. She also has a lot of torn or strained muscles and tendons from the convulsions that will need nano surgery to repair. The most time consuming part of her recovery however will be basically giving her a new central nervous system. It's a delicate job, and you must ensure she is not disturbed at all during this period. "
        "How long will all this take?"
        "At least a week for the physical side of things. I don't know about the psychological side, but if she is as tough as everyone believes she is, she could be up and running again as soon as the physical side is back to a hundred percent. "
        "We can't wait that long!" exploded Gallagher. "We can't just put everything on hold for a week !"
        "You have no choice !" snapped the doctor. "As the doctor, I have full responsibility for patients under my care. As the captain, you worry about your men. So let me do my job and worry about mine !"
        The captain seemed about to argue, then relaxed.
        "Yes, doctor. You're right. She needs the rest. Please inform me if her condition changes. "
        The doctor watched with crossed arms as the Captain made his way out.
He wondered once again what sort of people were in the X-Com's combat squads.
So far he had seen troopers with a limb blown off wanting to know when they will be fit for active duty again, as well as one who had pretty much been in three different pieces before the nanos put him back together. And once released from the medi-bay, they showed no hesitation whatsoever to climb aboard their Valkyrie and head out with the full expectation of ending up back in the medi-bay again - IF they were lucky enough to make it back.

(Solmine Corporate HQ)
        Williams Borthrop III's anger this time was not an acte. First he had suffered the indignity of falling to the carpet clutching his stomach in pain right in front of Cyberweb's representative, and then the doctor told him there was nothing physically wrong with him. He had cursed and ranted while his innards twisted themselves into pretzels, and the painkillers would not work. The pain only ceased when the alarms suddenly started going off.
        As he was helped into a chair to recover, the security alert suddenly went to red. And from scattered and fragmented reports he was getting through the security center, it seemed that the prisoner had broken out and was rampaging through the building. Then he was told they had the escapee pinned down outside the building, and he had thought that Solmine would get their revenge. Instead, a hovercar killed even more of his guards, and flew off with the prisoner. Without the prisoner, there was no evidence to link Solmine's losses with X-Com. With no evidence, the Senate was not going to kick X-Com out for good. If people thought Solmine was incompetent to let two hundred t housand dollars of elerium get stolen from right under their noses, they were no doubt thinking now that Solmine was staffed by absolute morons.
        "WHERE IS THE SECURITY DIRECTOR ?" roared Borthrop III. "I WANT AN EXPLANATION FOR THIS PATHETIC DISPLAY, NOW!"
        The security director's second in command, a captain, stepped forward.
Unlike his superior, who had been appointed by Borthrop III last month, the captain was a veteran who had reached his position through hard work. While the security director was an employee of Solmine, the captain was on contract and unlike Solmine employees, safe from spending his final working days on Pluto.
        "He's undergoing emergency reconstruction, sir. He was badly hurt during the break out, and is right now in the medi-bay. "
        "He has the nerve to let the prisoner escape then use the medi-bay ?" demanded Borthrop III. "Send him over to the charity missions. He's fired !"
        The captain however had his own views on the situation, and was not afraid to speak his mind.
        "Sir, the standard procedure requires us to review the holo tapes. Two entire sections of guards were wiped out in the medi-bay, but I'm still not certain how that happened. From what Dr. Meinkemf has told me, the prisoner should not be able to break loose from the restraints. "
        "Interesting idea....  Very well, bring the holos. I am interested in seeing the full extent of his incompetence. " Borthrop III looked at the captain appraisingly. This man had not simply buckled under and agreed with everything he said. Maybe he could be promoted into the security director's position while his former superior laboured away on Pluto. Obedience was a good virtue, but servility in a security director was asking for trouble...
come to think of it, where the hell was Tanner ?
        The captain spoke into his headset's mike, then reported:
        "Central Security says the holos are on the way. They were already running it to see what happened. They say that what happened in there was unbelievable. "
        "No doubt unbelievably incompetent. " sneered Borthrop III, then waved for someone to bring him a drink. "Where is our guest from Cyberweb by the way ?" he asked. Nobody seemed to know.
        "Well, I want him found. I don't want him wandering around the place causing trouble. "
        A guard said timidly: "I saw him going towards the lifts after you got sick, sir. "
        Borthrop III considered this piece of information carefully, but could make no sense of it. He decided to wait. A few minutes later, a guard brought the holos. The man looked a bit pale, but he inserted the holo disc into a nearby holo terminal and stood back. The holo flashed into existence, and began with showing Williams Borthrop III inviting Tanner to lunch.
        Ten minutes later, Borthrop III had a completely different view of the situation. When Cyberweb called to inquire about their representative, Borthrop III ignored their query and informed the Cyberweb executive that Solmine now considered Cyberweb to be a hostile organization. The Cyberweb executive had not expected this particular reply, so could only make some strangled noises as Borthrop III continued and said: "You can kiss your next elerium shipment good-bye as well. " With that, he terminated the connection.
While the Cyberweb contract for elerium would be missed, he had no intention of dealing with people who dared interfere in his affairs and shoot up his guards.
        It will be amusing to send Tanner's remains back to his employer in a shoebox. He didn't really need anything further from Cyberweb anyway. Some mutually satisfactory arrangement should be reached with X-Com over regular elerium supplies. It was more cost effective to have them pay for the elerium than getting it by making Solmine pay for cannon fodder. Borthrop III smiled, and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

<A Luxury Apartment>
        The apartment was spacious by Mega Primus standards, and was decorated in a suitably luxurious fashion befitting the Dragon of the Osiron syndicate.
The decor however was not cluttered with expensive furniture or pieces of art. The average citizen might consider it to be quite spartan, but the cream of Mega Primus society would recognize how much money it took to make everything seem so simple and rustic. Real wood formed the floorboards, the few pieces of furniture were off-world imports, and with the right gesture the built-in nanotronics could produce chilled fruit juice or an entire four course meal within seconds. And the communications package would not be out of place in the Transtellar spaceport control tower.
        Of course, the Dragon's communications package was one of a kind, custom built to allow him to direct a syndicate that rarely met other members and left no recognizable paperwork. And if anybody ever attempts to tap into the Osiron communications, they would be faced with enough encryption to scramble a shopping list beyond recognition.
        The Dragon at this moment was waiting patiently by his communications panel for the call he knew was coming. There were only a few people in the city who could contact him directly, and only one that he truly feared. To have failed in the task given to him by that person worried the Dragon. He did not need to report his failure - the caller had an information network far beyond any one else in the city. And that was his hold over the Dragon. The moment Osiron becomes inconvenient, sensitive information would be released, info-bombs that could destroy Osiron utterly.
        The comm panel chimed, and a moment later the holo switched on. The face of Senator J.C. Mappelthorpe materialized, and the chief expression was one of mild annoyance.
        "A simple task, and you failed me. " said the Senator calmly.
        The Dragon did not reply. He had failed, when he had promised success.
At their level, no excuse would ever be accepted for failure.
        "As this task was not particularly vital, I will let it go. But if you fail me again, I look forward to releasing the relevant information over the cybernet. Be warned. " with that, the Senator terminated the connection.
        The Dragon sagged with relief into the seat. There had been four gangs in the city once. Now there were only three. The Senator had been displeased with the efforts of the fourth on his behalf. Most people believed that Senator Satsura had the most power in the city. They were wrong. Satsura was the acknowledged leader of the Senate, but in fact he had one vote like everyone else. Senator J.C. Mappelthorpe however had control over at least five other Senators, and most others waited in dread for the late night communique hinting at the publication of some past indiscretion. The only people who might be proof against Mappelthorpe were Landis and Satsura. Even then no one really knows.
        "Damn you, senator. One day you will be in my power, and that day you will find out what having a death wish means. Except it will be up to me whether to grant that wish or not. " growled the Dragon. He wished he could start practising on the pathetic fool who had been contracted to carry out the hit, but the miscreant had been killed in his attempt. Lucky for him.

<X-Com Base "Westland">
        Captain Gallagher was not a happy man right now. First the commander nearly gets taken out, and now he was sitting in her office, contemplating the room from a new and unfamiliar perspective. Sitting before him were the sergeants, currently five in number. Two from the tactical groups, two from the raider sections, and the fifth, Nicki Black their psi-squad commander.
There was an air of general gloom, for while they were gathered here for a strategic conference, they were unsure of their next course of action. The commander had a very clear idea of city politics, and while Dawson had made his report on what went on in the Senate, there was no consensus on their next course of action.
       "We cannot operate without the Senate's support in Mega Primus. "stated Captain Gallagher flatly. "If we're forced to operate underground such as the gangs do, without political or financial support, then our efforts will be hamstrung. "
        "We'll have bloody aliens brainsucking people at the parks out in broad daylight !" snarled Galina. As the sergeant of Raider Two, the responsibility had not mellowed her at all. Instead, she had reshaped Raider Two. Now their living area was partitioned off from everyone else because of complaints about the loud heavy synthi-rock which was all the rage with Mega Primus youths- the ones that weren't psicloned out of their minds.
        "That's not going to happen soon. With Nichols' safe return from Sol- mine, before they could interrogate her fully, there is no concrete evidence of our raiding. " said Dawson. "Just calm down. "
        "The attack on the Commander puzzles me. " said Nicki Black suddenly.
"It is not normal behaviour for any of the city's organizations. "
        The other sergeants considered this, then Dawson spoke.
        "You could be right. Solmine and Cyberweb hates us, but they would operate through the Senate and apply pressure through finances and goods.
Already we have problem getting elerium. The gangs may use violence, but even Diablo limits the killings to the lower ranks. They do not consider it good form to attack the leaders. A gentleman's agreement, of sorts. "
        "Well, let's hit all of the ones who don't like us. The message is bound to get through !" declared Galina.
         "X-Com is a covert organization, not the Mafia. " said Gallagher. "We must still operate within the law. We will not go around killing everyone who disagrees with us. "
        "What's the Mafia ?" asked Jonlan. "Is that like Marsec ?"
        Gallagher realized their different backgrounds, and explained:
        "The Mafia was a criminal syndicate much like Diablo back in the twentieth century. Based in what was Italy. That part of the world we now call the Peninsula of the Dead. They faded out of significance, but before that they were responsible for killing judges and politicians. Those few they had not managed to bribe anyway. "
        The sergeants nodded at this piece of ancient history, and wondered again what was the captain's exact background. There had been rumors of Xcom troopers getting put on ice but.... that was after they were dead wasn't it ?
        "Not like Marsec then. Marsec doesn't bother to bribe people. " said the other raider sergeant, Parker. "Holds tighter to their credit cards than an addict to their psiclone. "
        "Yes. Well, any other ideas ?" Gallagher looked at the sergeants. He could see defeat laid out on their faces.
        The holo panel bleeped. Without a second thought, the Captain set it to answer.
        "Commander...ah.. sorry, Captain, we have an incoming call from Solmine. " said the communications technician.
        "Patch him through. Probably more complaints. " the sergeants made to leave, but Gallagher waved for them to sit down. At this moment, the command structure in X -Com should be horizontal. After all, he could be the next target for elimination. The comm-tech nodded, and faded out to be replaced by the face of Senior Manager Borthrop III.
        "Are you the Commander of X-Com ?" the man demanded.
        "No. The Commander is not available. How may I help you ?" replied Captain Gallagher.
        "Well, this is an important matter. It can't wait either. Get me the Commander. "
        "I'm sorry sir. But the Commander is not available. However I do have her full authority. " Gallagher understood why the Commander always seemed to be so bad tempered. Dealing with pompous asses like these could annoy anyone.
        "Let me get straight to the point then. As Solmine's representative in this city, I'm willing to ignore the affront of having X-Com raid our..."
        Gallagher interrupted immediately. "X-Com is dedicated to stopping the alien threat. You must have the wrong organization. "
        "Hear me out ! I know it was X-Com that stole my elerium. But I am willing to let that go. Between your raid and that escape, Solmine has had enough. " Borthrop III glanced at something outside the holo-cam's view, then turned back to the Captain.
        "Solmine is willing to undertake a contract to deliver up to twenty thousand dollars worth of elerium each week to X-Com. At a five percent discount. In return, X-Com will refrain from attacks upon our storage facilities as well as removing all data jacks in our system. "
        "I protest ! We have never raided..." Gallagher raised his voice slightly as if insulted by the very suggestion.
        "You want the contract or not ? And as a gesture of goodwill, I will tell you that Cyberweb warned us about your raid. "
        Suddenly everything clicked. The spectrum emitters. The slow security response. The wired doorways. It had all been a trap, not a bungled raid based on faulty information. Captain Gallagher decided immediately that it was time to lay the cards on the table.
        "Very well. We will draw up our requirements, and coomunicate them to you as soon as possible. Upon confirmation of the contract, X-Com will consider Solmine to be a friendly organization. But on one condition. We want free access for our bio-scanners to check for alien infiltration. "
       "X-Com has equipment that can do that ? I don't want zombies like that Cyberweb security director walking around killing my people. I don't even know if my own people haven't been taken over. "
        "Cyberweb ? You're certain ?" exclaimed Gallagher. The Commander had considered the organization to be hostile, but had trouble finding out the reason.
        "You didn't know ? I will send you the holo records of that little encounter in the medi-bay. Your girl should be able to back it up. Tell her she was one nasty minx, and she is not welcome at Solmine headquarters."
        "I will do that. Thank you for that information about Cyberweb. " said Gallagher with a smile. "By the way, how did Cyberweb know we had data jacks in your system ?"
        Borthrop III considered this question for a moment, then decided it did not undermine Solmine interests. In fact, it undermined Cyberweb's.
        "Your data jacks are built by Cyberweb. They have an extra nanochip which sends duplicate data to Cyberweb HQ. It's built in such a way that it seems like an encryption device. They knew you wouldn't be able to resist a two hundred thousand dollar stockpile once you heard about it. I was surprised that they actually revealed that . Not like old Mappelthorpe at all. "
        "Mappelthorpe ? Is that the Senator ?" asked Gallagher.
        "That's J.C. Mappelthorpe. No, it's his younger brother. Takes after his elder brother. Haven't seen him around lately. Used to be quite a ladies' man. " commented Borthrop. He never missed an opportunity to spread rumors about his commercial opponents.
        Gallagher let out a sigh of relief. There had been fears of being infiltrated, but it looks as if the leak was elsewhere. A leak within a leak, he thought. How ironic. The link between the Senator Mappelthorpe and the Cyberweb director was also worrying. He decided he needed to get as much information as possible, soon.
        "Thank you Mr. Borthrop the Third. Is there anything else that you would like to discuss further with us ?"
        "Not at this moment. " with that, Borthrop III terminated the connection. Just before the holo faded out, Gallagher thought he could see a smug smile play at the corner of the man's lips. He decided it was probably his imagination, and turned to face the sergeants.
        "Well, I guess we do have a clear idea now how to proceed. " he said quietly. The sergeants smiled, and Galina spoke up first.
        "Let's go waste Cyberweb now !"
        Nicki Black however was more circumspect. "I don't think it would be advisable at this time to fly any where near Cyberweb HQ. They have to know we would try hit them once we found out about them. And they would know that Solmine contacted us. "
        "Let's make sure when we hit 'em they can't hit back. " declared Parker. "We better do it soon though. Best defense is offense. "
        At that, the Captain sat up. The best defense is offense. Of course !
Now he had an idea.
        "This is Cyberweb headquarters. " he called up the schematics for the building. The sergeants gathered closer. "And this is the building from out- side...."

PART G: Let's Rock the Joint!

<Marilyn Monroe Park>
        The citizens of Mega Primus were encouraged to frequent the shops and parks on the weekend as a part of the government's effort to reduce social tensions. In the park there were free concerts and shows, all courtesy of the government and major entertainment networks, while Nutrivend and Evonet takes the opportunity to invite the citizens to food-tastings of their latest creations. Organizations like SELF and the Mutant Alliance also take advantage of the crowds to hand out leaflets and show promotional holovids.
        The last few weeks however have seen record low crowds inspite of all the free attractions. The appearance of the dimension gates have, to say the least, been slightly disturbing. This weekend however have seen a resurgence in the number of people attending. People were tired of spending money in shops and would rather enjoy themselves out in the open for free. The only thing that has changed was the addition of the Cult of Sirius stalls where interesting pieces of works such as "How Aliens can Better your Future", "The Golden World Beyond" and the current best seller "XCOM Trooper S" could be bought for a discount.
        Not surprisingly it was the customers at the Cult of Sirius stalls who saw the alien UFOs come through the dimension gate first. Everybody else was busy watching the shows rather than staring up at the sky and having some cultists in their green outfit whisper into their ear promises of beautiful aliens living in a verdant green Utopia. These customers were also the first ones to start screaming and running for cover, ignoring the entreaties of the Cultists. With the potential converts running away, the Cultists turned their attention to their gods and threw themselves face down on the grass to begin worshipping the other-worldly visitors.

<Above the Marilyn Monroe Park>
        "This is Red Knight, target in sight. " reported the Valkyrie pilot.
A moment later, the second Valkyrie reported in. "This is Red Arrow, contact.
We're under fire."
        "You are free to engage. First squadron, support Red Knight. Second squadron, Red Arrow. Engage. "
        The hoverbikers answered in the affirmative, and accelerated to keep up with their assigned Valkyries. Further behind them, phoenix hovercars armed with missiles followed. High above them all, a Hawk Air Warrior lurked, its weapon pods bristling with fiery destruction.
        The UFOs at first did not seem aware of the swarm of Xcom vehicles.
The Xcom vehicles however soon made their presence felt.
        "This is Red Knight, commencing engagement. Fox one, fox one. On the way. " A Janitor missile was ejected from the launch pod with a puff of high pressure gas, then blazed away on a plume of rocket exhaust. The lead UFO swerved, but the missile tracked the movement and dived unwaveringly onto the upper surface of the UFO.
        "Target integrity at 90%. These bastards are tough. " commented Red Knight. "Fox one, fox one. " He fired another missile.
        "Red Arrow, fox three. " reported Red Arrow. His one Retribution missile shot away from the weapon pylon, and headed straight for the second UFO which was much larger than the lead UFO.
        "Fox three is on target, all crafts take evasive action. " ordered Red Arrow. Hoverbikes and phoenix cars swerved and turned away from the second UFO. A moment later there was a bright flash, then the flaming wreck of the alien invader dropped out of the sky. A Retribution missile did not mess around damaging alien systems. It went straight to the point and blew it out of the sky in a blast of fusion plasma.
        "This is Hawk One. Alien transports are splitting up. " came the call from the Hawk Air Warrior pilot.
        "Red Knight, continue with original target. Red Arrow, support second squadron and target UFO four two seven. Hawk One, engage the other alien transport. " ordered Captain Gallagher.
        "On my way. " answered Hawk One.
        The lead UFO was having a bad day. Its disruptor rays flailed useless- ly at the swarm of hoverbikes that darted here and there, while in return laser and plasma stabbed relentlessly at its shell. There was a shudder as something inside finally failed, then the UFO began dropping out of the sky.
        "This is Red Knight, UFO three six one is down. " reported the pilot.
"That's a kill for the bikes. " he added.
 
        Red Arrow was having problems. One of the disruptor beams had caught it on a winglet, vaporizing the Retribution launcher. Luckily, the missile had already been fired. The Valkyrie was the UFO's prime target, and most of the time was spent executing evasive action rather than shooting at the alien craft. The hoverbikes however had a free field. Within moments, the alien transport was sinking towards earth as well, but exploded violently before it touched down.
        "This is Red Arrow, one enemy UFO totally destroyed. That's another kill for the bikes. " the pilot paused. "Systems are seventy one percent operational. " The pilot looked worriedly at the displays which showed one of the agrav conduits flashing on and off.
        "Stand by. Hawk One is commencing attack run now. " answered Xcom control.
        The Hawk Air Warrior descended deliberately on the alien transport, all weapons bay open.
        "This is Hawk One, inbound. Target is stationary. I think they're pumping troops into the Temple of Apocalypse. Hawk One Engaging. "
        Hawk One came in low and steady, but at such a speed that the alien transport's defensive fire fell harmlessly behind, blowing up bits of Marilyn Monroe park and killing scores of humans running about in panic. As Hawk One came within range, the pilot held his fire. At the last moment however he pulled back on the controls, and the Hawk Air Warrior climbed steeply up towards the belly of the UFO. With the targeting reticule firmly on the point where the pulsing tube joined the UFO, the pilot fired with everything he had.
        Missiles launched, disruptors fired. Hawk One twisted and sped away even as a mighty explosion tore through the insides of the alien transport.
It wavered as if unable to decide whether to flee or die, then plummeted out of the sky like a giant brick. The very air shook from the sound of the impact, and a thousand tons of alien spacecraft flattened the Temple of Apocalypse beneath it.
        "Alright!" cheered a hoverbiker. "It fell on the temple !"
        There were more cheers, and the Hawk Air Warrior did a slow victory roll as it flew away from the destruction.
        "Good shooting, Hawk One. What is status of enemy UFO ?" asked the Captain.
        "This is Hawk One. I'll say it's recoverable. I don't think we will have much problem with that one. That was no controlled emergency landing. "
        "Tactical Groups are on the way. All airborne units, return to base. " The Captain looked at the damage displays, and smiled. "That was a job well done. We suffered no casualties, and damage to the city has been kept to an acceptable level. "
       The armada of Xcom vehicles turned as one and headed for home. Below, the emergency services began arriving to start picking up the pieces.

<X-Com Base "Westland">
        Even as the hoverbikes, phoenix hover cars and the fighters flew, or in one case, limped towards home, the hangar bay doors were opening. The Valkyrie carrying Tactical Group One rose into the air, then lit its after- burners and made a bee-line straight for the first crash site.  A moment later, another Valkyrie carrying Tactical Group Two took off as well. Group Two headed towards the downed alien transport, with the intention of cleaning out any alien infiltration of the Temple - if any of the aliens survived having their spaceship dropped on their heads.
        The Captain however did not have his attention on the departing squads of Xcom troopers. He was confident that they would deal with the aliens in a firm and deadly manner. His current concern was the crew of the Griffon AFV.
        He went over the final details with the tank commander, and made sure their chronos were synchronized to base time.
        "Everything perfectly clear ?" asked the Captain.
        "Crystal. We'll be in position when you want us, no problems. "
        "Good. Move out. " With that, the Captain jumped lightly off the AFV to the ground, and moved out of the tank's way. The driver conferred with the commander for a moment, then descended into the thick armoured shell and sealed the hatch behind him. The commander saluted the Captain, and went down into the tank through his hatch. A moment later, it clicked shut as well.
        The tank powered up, and rose into the air. There was a howl as the roadgravs built up power, then the Griffon AFV surged up and out of the underground parking space. It emerged into the sunlight and turned onto the road. Several passers-by eyed it curiously, but then their attention was drawn away by the screaming rescue transports as they headed for the various disasters.

<Outside Cyberweb HQ>
        A little distance down the road from Cyberweb HQ was a Marsec arms factory. Yesterday a Griffon AFV had entered the building, an event noted by Cyberweb security guards but not considered important enough for further action. If the AFV had entered the Lifetree school a block away, it would've been suspicious. But a Griffon entering a Marsec arms factory was like a rifle being returned to its rack.
        The guards had little reason to worry when the Griffon AFV came out from under the arms factory. Only when the Griffon stopped and the rumble cannon it mounted turned towards the Cyberweb HQ building did they realize it could be time to sound the alert. Even as the senior guard reached for the panic button, the rumble cannon fired.
        The pulse of energy flashed towards the building, and knocked down an entire section of the facade, revealing the scene of devastation it had created within. Desks were overturned, people were on the ground, and there were cracks spreading like some malignant vines everywhere. The rumble cannon had done its work well. It was an adaptation of the sonic cannon technology from the Second Alien Wars, and while slow to focus, the shockwaves it generates were quite capable of shattering the toughest plascrete.
        The stunned Cyberweb security trying to pick themselves off the floor were unable to respond as a Wolfhound APC turned the corner and rammed right through their crash barriers. Above them, armoured figures flew through the air from the opened ramps of a Valkyrie, and two phoenix cars flew straight up to the holes in the building's fabric and troopers leapt into the battered offices stripped of their protective outer wall. Autocannon shells began raining down upon the exposed and confused Cyberweb guards, while lasers picked out yelling officers and silenced any attempts to impose order.
        The Xcom raid on Cyberweb had achieved total surprise.

<Cyberweb HQ, rooftop>
        Captain Gallagher landed on the roof the HQ accompanied by his body- guard of three troopers who were also equipped with the Marsec flying armour.
The entire Xcom force of forty combat troopers had been deployed in this raid. The assault forces, like his, were equipped with the newly understood personal disruptor shields, while the snipers were well briefed to make sure nobody tried to seal off the building or escape.
        "All groups, report!" he ordered. About him, Xcom troopers swept the roof with lethal fire, dropping grenades through ventilation shafts and tossing Devil's Crosses down the gravlifts. Maximum damage was the watchword for today. Ideally, total annihilation was to be achieved.
        "This is Wolf Group. Basement is secure. Minimum resistance, no casualties. " Wolf Group had smashed their way into the parking level of the building, and their task was to fight their way up.
        "This is Raider one. Level six is secure. Moderate resistance from building security but we're holding. No casualties as yet. "
        "This is Raider two, we have one lightly injured but will carry on.
Level five is secure. Hurry on up Wolf Group! "
        The two Raider detachments had entered the middle of the building from their Phoenix hovercars, and were tasked with blocking off the middle so nobody from the top could get down and nobody from the bottom could reinforce the upper levels.
        Gallagher looked at a squad leader for confirmation, then gave the other groups the position of Command group.
        "The roof is secured. Command is moving down. " With that, he set the tac-com to standby, then made an "execute" gesture. Immediately the other two squads on the roof hurled yet more grenades down the gravlifts, then descended.
        Gallagher followed his bodyguards down the third gravlift, and all around him there were the flashes of blue light as their shields absorbed the incoming fire. The Xcom troopers answered back with disruptor gun fire, their violet rays vaporizing furniture and Cyberweb personnel with equal abandon.
Whatever security response that Cyberweb had managed to muster for this level wilted away immediately and retreated down the stairs and lifts.
        "Aliens !" warned an Xcom trooper.  "This plac