PART A: Concrete Jungle Hunters

<Mappelthorpe Estates, Mega Primus>
        The security around the extensive grounds of the Mappelthorpe family was the best that money could buy. AI systems constantly monitor each square inch of the lawns and gardens with optronic sensors. The slightest abnormal variation in ambient temperature or electromagnetic radiation would bring small dragonfly like robots, and if the situation warrants further action, the security guards could be alerted to bring out a heavily armed response. The wealthy upper class of Mega Primus enjoyed their wealth, and had no intention of letting some upstart from the slums make off with any part of it.
       The front gate of the Mappelthorpe estates was a monument to the family's enormous fortune. Polished black granite featured prominently, along with platinum inlay tracery which formed a pattern of thorny vines. Under the facade however was military grade plascrete with Cydonium reinforcement. The gate itself was a titanium and cydonium composite, with the Mappelthorpe family crest embossed in the centre. A mob had once tried to storm the gate during one of the city's periodic unrest's, and rammed the gate with a Stormdog. The only repair required after the event was a touch to the gilding on the crest..
        The gate was opening now. Its halves swung aside with the deliberate slowness that reminded the onlooker of blast doors set into the mountainside, which was not far from the truth. Mega Primus protects its citizens from the poisonous world outside with ion shields, but the wealthy usually preferred to use custom built ion shield units. Vastly more effective since power
consumption and economies of scale are not important, these ion shields could theoretically block out electromagnetic pulses from nearby tactical nuke explosions. No one has ever needed such protection in Mega Primus, but if the city was ever hit
by a nucleonic weapon, places such as the Mappelthorpe estate won't even notice. Most of the wealthy upper class would consider it a suitably cheap and effective form of urban renewal as well.
        "Archer, standby. The gate is opening. "  whispered a young clean-cut looking man kneeling some distance down the road, apparently tinkering with his turbo bike. Dressed in typical turbo biker leathers, he looked no different from the youths who speed through streets at night. Unlike them however he had small micro-phone under one lapel and a comm-bead in one ear.
        The limousine that came slowly out of the front gate followed the styling constraints of the Senate edicts, but the panelling was actually armour plate with a military grade Metro Powergrav under the bonnet. What had been a Stormdog VIP Special was now as heavily armoured as a Wolfhound APC, and the electronics suite aboard would be found to be illegal in its sheer
power output - assuming any Megapol officer dared to wave the road car down.         The young man behind the turbo bike took out a small image intensifier. Peering around the chassis, he zoomed in to check the limo's registration. He nodded in satisfaction, then spoke into the lapel mike.
        "Archer, target is confirmed. The Director is on the way. "
        His report was answered with two clicks, signalling the affirmative. The young man stood up, stretched, and slammed the maintenance cover back over the turbo bike's insides. He looked around to check there were no cars coming, then jumped on the bike and kicked it into life. A moment later he was flying down the road well above the speed limit.
        The limousine turned left at the end of the road. The driver accelerated slightly, since the way was clear all the way up to the ramp for Primus Transit One. Once on the Transit way, he could push the limousine to its full speed to make the best time possible to Cyberweb's temporary head- quarters. With the destruction of Cyberweb's original corporate HQ, the executives had ordered all security measures possible to be taken.
        Inside the car, Roger Mappelthorpe sat like an inanimate statue in his luxurious leather seat. As the Executive Manager of Cyberweb, he was responsible for nearly half of the city's computer systems, and lately no doubt the work as well as the virtual state of siege has gotten to him. That's what the driver thought anyway. He checked the climate controls, and adjusted the air conditioning up a bit. The driver missed the days when his boss went out for a night of hell raising, and had something cheerful and often obscene to say the next morning on the way to work. But that was life. People change, and no doubt J.C. had put the hard word on him. He still missed the easy going attitude however.
 
        "This is Archer leader, " said an armoured soldier perched high above the road on one of the numerous "Have a MegaCola" billboards. "Target is west bound along target route. Wait for my signal. "
        The soldier watched without any outward flicker of emotion as the limo reached the middle of this particular stretch of road, then ordered his men into action.
        "This is Archer leader, weapons up !"
        Immediately other armoured soldiers stood up on the roofs of the buildings on either side of the road, each with a heavy launcher on one shoulder. The optic image seekers had no trouble sighting onto their target, and one by one they reported target lock-ons.
        "Archer one, launch. " commanded the first soldier. The trooper designated as Archer One braced himself then pulled the trigger.
        The limo's defensive counter-measures detected the missile launch and screamed out its warning. The driver yelled a warning to his boss, then twisted the controls desperately. Agrav generators whined desperately to keep the two aboard steady in their seats, but small ornaments cascaded from the dashboard while bottles of spirits clattered in their racks. The first inbound warhead lost tracking, and spun away to blow a smoking crater in the road surface. Archer leader's voice was devoid of any emotion as he ordered the second second launcher into action. The second missile took no notice of the jamming, and did not miss. The driver had swerved back to the right in an attempt to zig-zag, but this brought it squarely back within the missile seeker's view. It dived right onto the engine and blasted through the armour plate. With its engine turned into a pile of smoking slag, the limousine came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road.
        "Archer three and four, launch. " ordered the captain.
        The two Xcom troopers fired together, and the missiles hurtled down out of the sky to send a fireball roaring up into the sky. The captain could feel the heat through his face plate as the fireball went past.

        "We smoked him good, sir !" said a trooper cheerfully.
        "Yeah ! We should do this more often !" added another.
        The captain activated his jump jets and hopped up onto the roof.
        "That was good shooting, people! Three missiles, and we got him. " he paused suddenly, then motioned for everyone to get moving. "Time to hustle people ! I can hear Megapol coming. "
        The troopers nodded, and ran across the rooftops to reach a small street running parallel to Cyberweb's Managing Director's last route. Below them a Wolfhound waited, its engines idling. One by one the troopers leapt from the edge, their jump jets kicking in to slow their descent to a smooth drop. Within a minute the Wolfhound was loaded up and heading away from the scene of the crime at a sedate pace. Overhead Megapol police cruisers screamed across the skies heading for the column of black smoke marking the site of the pyre.

<X-Com Base "Westland" Commander's office>
        The Commander looked up when somebody knocked on her office door.
        "Come in !" she called.
        The door opened, and Captain Dawson came in.
        "How did it go, Dawson ?" asked the Commander. "I got caught up in all the paperwork and didn't realize you were scheduled back. "
        Dawson grinned, and placed a small holo cube on the desk. "If you get bored of the paperwork, ma'am, just play this. Four missiles, and it went up like a popper. "
        "Impressive ! I thought the limo may have needed more, being one of the specials. "
        "With a heavy launcher, it doesn't matter if it was a special. We had the limo stopped by the second round. Hit to the engine. "
        "Any problems on the way back ?"
        Dawson shook his head. "None at all. Megapol headed right for the scene. We used a back street as you said, and they flew right over us. "
        The Commander hit the dispenser panel, and the machine coughed up two cups of coffee with a reluctant croak. She gave the machine another smack for a good measure, and passed one of the coffees to Dawson.
        "Why don't you get it looked at, ma'am ? That thing's been acting up since last week !" said Dawson.
        "It makes the best coffee on this base. If I sent it down to the engineers it'll go back to making luke warm mud. It took a lot of effort to teach the AI what the meaning of a real coffee is. "
        "By the dents, I'll say it was quite an effort ma'am. " commented Dawson, eyeing the battered machine.
        "They build these things with a sense of self-preservation. It was either make it my way or I go back to making my own coffee.  " The  Commander smiled and took a sip of the hot coffee.
        "Dawson, what do you have in mind for tomorrow ? There has been no new developments lately, and with the visitors from last night dealt with, we should have two or three days clear. "
        "Well, there's no days off for X-Com, that's what my father always said. But their pattern of incursions suggest the aliens need time to prepare. Colonel Gallagher has been thinking about taking the troops to a Grav-ball game. Grand Final his Thursday, and we have a permanent invite after clearing out that multiworm nest for the Meteor Kings. "
        "Good idea ! The troops have been always on call for too long. They need some kind of break, away from all of this. " the Commander looked at something on her displays, made a note, then turned back to Dawson.
        "What about alerts ? You've got a roster ?"
        Dawson took out his PDA, and called up the appropriate information.
        "The androids are happy to stay in base plugged into the cybernet. To them there's no difference between watching a grav-ball game at the dome and getting a direct data link. In fact they prefer it - instant replays. "
        "They would prefer the cybernet, wouldn't they. " said the Commander. with some irony. "Their element after all. I assume that if an infiltration alert turns up, we can have everybody back and ready to go within an hour ?"
        "Of course ma'am !" said Dawson. "We can't ignore alerts ! Apart from the androids, we also have two troopers who aren't going to the game. "
       "Why not ? Most popular form of mass entertainment in Mega Primus last time I saw the demographic surveys. Cheaper than sensovision. "
        "Kochev from Bravo and Astra Revenu from Gamma hates Gravball. They have volunteered to stay home and catch up on some reading. "
        "Reading ?" exclaimed the Commander. "I would only be too happy if I don't see another piece of paper needing to be signed !"
        "Well ma'am, I think Kochev is doing a correspondence course through Lifetree. He's working towards a degree in hydroponics and its applications to Martian fungi cultivation. Davis however just likes reading. She's bought the entire collection of X-Com Archives novels, and she tells me that she is right now up to the part where an alien base was discovered in the
Himalayas. "
        "The Himalayas ? You mean the Devil's Peak base ?"
        Dawson looked surprised. "I didn't know you were a fan of the X-Com Archives ma'am ! My father had taped each episode, but only a few people in Mega Primus ever saw it. It was made in 2D. Devil's Peak wasn't one of the popular episodes either. The fans didn't consider it a major event in the First Alien Wars. The camera work was terrible as well. Too much snow blurred the action. "
        The Commander however did not answer him. In her mind she could see the icy hell that was the Devil's Peak. Two hundred kilometre per hour gales, snow mixed with ice, and a warren of alien tunnels extending for kilometres through the granite. Exposure alone had claimed two American troopers sent out on recon, and an entire assault team had been killed when their Skyranger was dashed into the sheer cliffs. In the end, only an Avenger load of sixteen troopers and two tanks made it into the base against the storm and the aliens' defences. When the clean up crew was finally called in three hours later, only
five were on their feet to greet them.
        She had been one of the five survivors. Two later died of injuries, while a third had been so shell-shocked by his experience that he had to be invalided out of X-Com and sent to an asylum. The other survivor was Davidson. And now, more than half a century later, she was the only one left who still remembers Devil's Peak. Not a major event indeed...
        "Are you all right, Commander ?" said Dawson worriedly. The Commander snapped back out, and blinked.
        "Sorry Dawson. I was just thinking about something... So, how many people do we have for guard duty for this...  little holiday ?"
        Dawson relaxed now that he was back on firmer ground.
        "I don't know about Colonel Gallagher's preparations for his own base, but here at Westland, along with the three new security stations, I think four androids and two humans we will have available are more than enough. We could have handled that raid from Diablo with one trooper. "
        "How 'bout the scientists ? Are they going to the game as well ?"
        Dawson laughed out aloud. "I actually asked Professor Francesco whether any of them wanted to come and watch the game. But he told me they were having too much fun in the labs figuring out how powerful the medium disruptor beams
actually are !"
        "As long as they don't blow up the base, they'll be fine. " smiled the Commander.
        "Are you coming to the game, ma'am ?" asked Dawson earnestly.
        "Thanks for the offer, but I'm sure you will have more fun without me around. I've got some intelligence reports I have to sort out. "
        "It's the grant finals ! The Meteor Kings against the Metal Sirens, first time an all female team had made it !"
        "I really can't go. The base needs a senior officer to look after it anyway. Just go and enjoy yourself, Dawson. "
        Dawson looked slightly disappointed, but there was nothing further he could really do to persuade the Commander to come. All the troops agreed she had been in the base too long and needed a break. Maybe without troopers and
aliens she could have a relaxing weekend.
        "As you say, ma'am. The troops will be sorry to hear that. " said Dawson. The Commander motioned that he was dismissed, so Dawson saluted and left the office.
        Stella watched the door close, then called up another report. There was something going on in Psyke. Somebody has been buying arms from Megapol and Marsec, mostly personal weapons and equipment. Megapol was happy to allow
sales without security checks as long as nobody bought heavy duty firepower like Justice or Retribution missiles. Marsec demanded a ten percent surcharge if the buyers wanted to remain anonymous. She had been suspicious, so her contacts in the cybernet core did a search at her request and had found a match in Psyke expenditure. Disturbingly however she couldn't trace who paid Psyke. For all intents and purposes, the money had just appeared one day in the credit balance slip of various "slush funds" owned by Psyke.
        She finished the coffee, and stared at the holo displays again. What did Psyke plan to do with twenty suits of Megapol armour ? They usually limited themselves to civilian ballistic vests, something they could wear under their everyday clothes to avoid getting picked up by Megapol. But in the past week, from the Transtellar manifests, enough firepower to equip a full
group of Xcom squads had been sent to the Psyke controlled slums. All signs pointed to a raid with maximum force against Megapol, but the chance of an attack force like that getting through to one of the Law Control stations was slim.
        She hadn't been able to find out the size of Megapol's vehicle fleet, but last week when an UFO disruptor ray hit one of the stations, hover bikes, Phoenix hover cars, Valkyries and even a Hawk Air Warrior had been scrambled. If Psyke actually tries, Megapol could blow them out of the sky before they got within two blocks. She suspected that recent raids against Psyke areas were conducted by Megapol SWAT teams, and the latest retaliation raid from Diablo had been met with impressive response times and overwhelming firepower. It would be foolish for Psyke to think that Megapol could be ever taken by surprise again.
        "Take over the city ?" she thought out aloud, then laughed. "Not with Marsec and Megapol watching. Who could they be moving against though ?"
        She considered it for a moment, then called up the list of all the organizations currently operating in Mega Primus. None of them looked like they were the possible target. Psyke wouldn't dare target Evonet or Nutrivend, since that would endanger the discounted food and water the two orgs supplies to the slums. None of the manufacturers were of interest, since psiclones were made in-house by gang laboratories. To suggest Lifetree had any thing to offer, or even merit such a great effort was ridiculous. Megapol could be expected to react to any overt threat against the Government, and to even think about an attempt on Marsec was qualification for institutionalization.
        X-Com was a possible target, but so far the security on the location of the bases have been airtight. The Senate and Megapol are both exerting considerable pressure to keep the media out of their way, and air traffic control has barred hostile orgs' vehicles from certain city sectors on the pain of instant destruction. Enemies might attempt to find X-Com, but in the
traditional X-Com fashion all facilities have been built underground.
        Stella rubbed her tired eyes, then yawned. It had been a long night, and she needed to get some sleep. Maybe everything will clear up in a few hours. She tapped the communications panel, and called up the comm-tech.
        "I'm off-line for a few hours. Hold all messages unless it's urgent. "
        The comm-tech nodded, and set the system to reroute all incoming messages. The Commander shut down her computer, set the security systems to active, then left her office. Her personal room, the commander's prerogative, was only a few metres down the corridor. Five minutes later, she was fast asleep.

<X-Com Base "Westland", living area>
        The living area was relatively quiet, since most of the troopers had gone to bed after being up all night storming an alien fast attack ship shot down near the spaceport. A few hardier ones were still up and about, but they kept their voices down. One of the squad leaders had his computer up on a table, and was holding an animated discussion about gravball with several
other troopers.
       "You know the odds, Aaron. Three to one against the Sirens. They may have had a good season, but the Kings were undefeated. " declared the squad leader.
        "I've seen holos of how they play, and I'm willing to bet one hundred dollars on three to one that the Sirens will win this game. The Kings may have been undefeated, but once they get in the court, they're going to lose. " replied Aaron Davis, a Bravo squaddie.
        "You're on, one hundred dollars, three to one. Easy money. " said the squad leader. "Don't say I didn't give you fair warning. "
        "Better save up your pay. You're going to need every cent of it. "
        The other squaddie cut in.
        "I don't know why you guys waste your money betting on Gravball. It's all pre-arranged anyway. Sponsorships and all. Everyone knows that the Kings will win because Sensovision don't think women winning Gravball is worth prime time. "
        "That's a myth, Karin !" said Davis, slight irked. "Gravball is as fair as it can be. You can't afford to play below standard. The body armour is designed to absorb maximum force, but if you don't put full effort into it, the other side could toss you against a wall. Believe me, the wall ain't padded. "
        "Well, it's all a big set-up. " argued Karin. "How could a woman's team had got that far then ? They should've been pulped from the start !"
        "Bionics. " stated the squad leader flatly. "Most of the Sirens are approaching fifty percent by body mass. Average teams are thirty five percent bionics, but the Sirens are all veteran players from other teams. They've made up for the difference in size and strength through experience and the amount of upgrades. "
        "So they're halfway to being an android. " said Karin. "How does the Kings hold up against flying refrigerators then ?"
        "Very funny, Karin. " said the squad leader. "If you don't like the game, why did you sign up to go ?"
        "I haven't signed up to go to the game. The Captain's given me permission to be dropped off at the mall with Tatyana. We're going shopping. "
        "Oh god. " muttered Davis. "You're in X-Com, and you still go shopping at the mall. What are you going to bring back, lingerie from Venus ?"
        Karin gave him a dirty look.
        "What, so you muscle bound gorillas can drool on my bed ? No thanks ! And for your information, we just plan on having lunch and then window shop until the Valk picks us up on the way back from the dome. "
        "Remember the base storage is at seventy percent all right ? We will need space to put our guns. " said the squad leader.
        "You guys are all laughs today. Sometimes I wonder why I bother talking to someone who thinks Gravball is a sport. " Karin got up and went to lie on her bunk and listen to music.
        The two troopers shrugged, then went back to their game of holo gravball.
        Karin Krausse looked up at the ceiling, and let the music wash over her like a slow moving tide. It was now her third week in Mega Primus, weeks which have been filled with excitement. It was very far from the asteroid mining platforms of the Belt, where the second daughter of Supervisor Helmut Krausse had been contracted to a tug pilot by her father. Stowing away on a cargo hauler to Earth hadn't been easy, and she was lucky that the crew hadn't decided to space her. Mega Primus had to let her in, since sending her back to the Belt would be too expensive. She knew now that they desperately needed new
people, with the city population was sliding towards the lowest sustainable limit. The people in the slums didn't count of course, since they were a drain on the city's resources.
        Being raised in the Belt however meant she did have some useful skills to offer. Out in the Belt, everybody carried a weapon. She happened to be a dead eye shot. She was also used to armour, since space suits were a part of everyday Belt life. Most important of all, like most Belters she was rather high-strung. Living in space meant you either react or die in the next
emergency. She had been unsure when the man she was later introduced to as Gallagher approached her after she signed up on the mercenary board, but she knew good money when she saw the offer.
        Well, she was older and wiser now. The money was good, but the risks more than matched the pay. And her life wasn't in her hands any more. If the techs fall behind in their research, she was likely to be a grease spot on an alien ship. In the time she had been with X-Com, she had seen people kill and being killed. She had killed too. Out in the Belt, miners may kill each other, but it was personal. Here in Mega Primus, you were just a shooter. The aliens didn't care who you are, or what you believed in. If you were human, you were better dead or brain sucked. There was no room for argument, no backing down.
        What she missed most of all however was other people. On the mining platform, there were always people around. Some you may know, some others you recognize, or total strangers who have just arrived from somewhere else. In X-Com, it was always the same people, with the odd new rookie every now and then. You couldn't go out and have a drink in the bar, or chat to people in the cafes. Worst of all, you know in your heart that you wouldn't be able to sleep if the security restrictions weren't followed.
        "Karin. " said a quiet feminine voice, disturbing her reverie.
        "I'm awake. What's up, Tat ?" answered Karin, opening her eyes.
        Tatyana Speransky was standing beside her bunk, looking down at her friend. She had beautiful grey eyes, and spoke with a slightly musical lilt. She had been a Megapol law enforcer, but had quitted after an incident which has remained a mystery to the other squaddies. She was however a competent soldier, and had reflexes as quick as Karin. They made a good team.
        "I'm thinking about tomorrow. What should I wear ?" said Tatyana quietly. "I haven't kept up on the fashions lately. It's all these jump-suits and armour. "
        Karin smiled, and got up so she was sitting on her bunk.
        "Don't worry about it. Whatever's comfortable would do. We aren't out to impress the boys. We're just going out to have a bit of a break. "
        "Do you think we should take our, you know, guns ?" asked Tatyana, sitting down on the bed as well.
        The question surprised Karin. She hadn't thought about it.
        "Why ? You think we will need to shoot down an UFO ?"
        Tatyana giggled, shook her head. "No, I guess not. It's only a day out at the shops after all. "
        "Don't sweat over it. If we get into trouble, we can call Megapol. And the Valk with the boys is only down the street. The captain says we will bring all our equipment aboard the ship so if an alert goes out, we can head right for the problem. "
        Tatyana shook her head, and muttered: "But it's regulations... "
        Karin sniffed. "Regulations, regulations. I just want to have a day off. I don't want to have to worry about pulling a gun instead of my credit chip !"
        The two looked up as Captain Dawson walked into the living area. Davis looked up from his game, and waved to get the Captain's attention.
        "Is the Commander coming, sir ?" he called out.
        Dawson shook his head.
        "Paperwork. And I don't know, but I think she's preoccupied with something. "
        "I thought we've got enough cash now to buy two Hawks if we need it ?" asked the squad leader.
        "Aliens aren't going to care whether you are rich or not. I don't think money is the problem this time. She's probably thinking about strategy for the next few weeks. " Dawson picked up a sandwich from the food machine, and took a bite out of it.
        "So we're going tomorrow ?" asked Karin.
        "Yes. Those who are down to go, are going. And we will drop you and Speransky off at the Emporium in the Benny Goodman Jazz Zone." said Dawson.
        "Thanks Captain. " replied Karin. She nudged Tatyana when Dawson turned away, and whispered: "We better get something for the Captain, show our appreciation for him. "
        Tatyana blushed, and whispered back.
        "I don't think Galina over at Shiva is going to like that, Karin. "
        Karin looked at Tatyana incredulously, then burst out laughing. The other troopers glanced at her, but then shrugged and went back to whatever they had been doing. Probably a girls' thing, they thought.
        "What... what's so funny ?" demanded Tatyana.
        "You think Dawson and Galina are... hahahaha. " Karin started laughing again. Tatyana looked around in embarrassment, but none of the other troopers weren't paying attention any longer. Karin tended to be either in high spirits or morose, and her switches from one state to the other happened quite often.
        "Stop it, Karin ! It's not funny !" she snapped.
        Karin wiped the tears out of her eyes, then patted her friend lightly on the shoulder. Tatyana flinched, and turned her head away. Karin leaned over, and whispered in her ear:
        "Don't worry ! Galina and Dawson are like, friends. You know, good friends !  She kept an eye out for him while he was a rookie, and when they get together they discuss tactics and shoot targets !"
        "Really ? Then I must've... " Tatyana blushed crimson.
        Karin lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
        "I heard that Dawson's actually engaged, some girl on the moon. He put everything on hold to join X-Com. So I don't think a little gift is going to make him throw himself at you !"
        Tatyana muttered something under her breath that Karin couldn't quite catch. Karin patted her comfortingly on the shoulder again, and Tatyana turned around to give her a shy but brilliant smile.
        "Sorry, I haven't been out of the Academy long. I thought they were, you know, together. "
        "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go and get something to eat. I'm going to scream if I have to look at another sandwich this week !"

<The Senate, Senator Mappelthorpe's Office>
        The meeting of Senators today had not gone well for J.C. Mappelthorpe. Cyberweb had been badly weakened by X-Com strikes over the past fortnight, and the annihilation of months' efforts in the rubble of the old HQ building had
set back the infiltration schedule. The aliens had expressed displeasure with the delay, and had gone so far as to suggest that he may serve them better as one of the "Chosen". And this morning his brother had been assassinated. Not that the creature was his brother any longer, but he would now need to find a replacement to act as the figurehead of Cyberweb. And a fool could guess that X-Com had been the perpetrators of the bloody deed.
        The flow-on effect was that the other Senators had been less than properly fearful of him, and the one called Landis even had the gall to laugh at his suggestion of sending an embassy to the aliens. He knew communication was possible, and had in fact succeeded. When the aliens had taken over his brother, he had known almost immediately, and was able negotiate with the
entity. After all, his expertise was vital if they wished to destroy this X-Com that had thwarted two alien attempts so far. In return, they had promised him immunity. And until the strikes began, everything had been going so well ! He must reassert his power, quickly.
        "Sir, your link to Osiron is open. We have a five minute window until the next scan !" reported his secretary.
        "Put him on. " ordered the Senator. The holo flashed into life, and the Dragon of Osiron appeared.
        "Yes, Senator ?" said the Dragon. There was something about the man that disturbed the Senator. Some... smugness ?
        "How is the preparations going at Psyke ?" asked the Senator.
        There was moment's pause, then the Dragon answered, again with that slightly smug air. The man may need a lesson. Maybe one of his associates should be arranged to have a little accident.
        "Psyk tells me that they're nearly ready. Another day, and they will have their best people primed and ready for the attack whenever you wish. They guarantee me that when they strike, X-Com won't hold out for long. "
        "Very good. " said the Senator. "Anything else that you wish to report now ? Not that I don't already know. " the Senator curled his lip in a sneer.
        "Psyke wants to know location of the Xcom base so they can finalize the assault plans. "
        The Senator leaned forward until he was almost touching the holo.
        "Tell Psyke..." he said with great coolness, "that all will be revealed in good time. And the date of attack has been moved up to Thursday. I will tell them Thursday morning where their target is located. "
        "Thursday ? But that's only two days away !" exclaimed the Dragon. "The original plans called for Sunday ! Only half of the planned vehicle fleet has arrived so far, and if we hurry, there maybe suspicion !"
        "I changed my mind. Thursday. And there will be no excuses. I shall provide some technical assistance. Any failure will be on YOUR part. " With that, the Senator hit the comm panel and terminated the connection. The man had dared to question his decision ! There were a lot of people in the city who seemed to think his files were merely a myth it seems. Well, an example need to be set. He hit the comm panel, and called up his secretary.
        "Unlock files M.X. two through to fifteen beta. " The Senator called up another menu on his holo display, and then hit the send panel. "Use this key, authorization code is Fallen Archangel. "
        "Fallen Archangel. " repeated the secretary as she ran a series of routines to access the files. The decryption codes were hardwired into the Senator's office, and only activated when the Senator is actually in the inner office. The authorization code changes from moment to moment, and only the Senator understood how the codes change and what they change to.
        The secretary, while she could access the files, still could not read them. The Senator had his own decryption terminal, and even then no doubt it required some special non-physical method to decipher. It was complicated, but it kept the files secure. And if by chance the Senator somehow forgot the authorization code system, it cure a lot of insomniacs in the city.
        The Senator had an eidetic memory.
        Some of the evidence he had gathered over the years were so explosive that half the Senators would be forced to resign immediately while the most of the remainder won't be re-elected. The only two Senators who could survive the storm, apart from himself, would be the upstart Landis as well as the old fool Satsura. But he was sure when X-Com is destroyed, and his two opponents shown for the fools they were, the city would fall into step behind him.
        Mappelthorpe, as the sole remaining Senator, could then rally the people and drive the aliens out of Mega Primus. He had masterminded the alien infiltration program, directing the Cultists as well as monitoring the UFO activities. If he so wished, his men could have the city scoured of alien presence within twenty four hours. As the saviour of the city and the human
race, a grateful people will be easily swayed to give him whatever he wanted.
        The Senator smiled. It was only a matter of time. Whoever controlled Mega Primus possesses the key to Earth, and once Earth was his, the colonies will be mere fruits ripe for the picking. With nano medical technology, the dream of all dictators, absolute power and immortality, will be his.
        "Brilliant. " laughed the Senator, looking into a mirror nearby. "The First Emperor of Mankind. " His image smiled back at him, and all around the room his laughter echoed off the marble walls.
        "Your files are ready, sir. " reported the secretary. The Senator was about to snap at her for daring to interrupt him, but decided that he could afford to be magnanimous. After all, nano technology also meant life and pain could be prolonged ad infinitum. He will have time, later on.

Part B: The Three Graces

<The Aldous Huxley Emporium>
        Tatyana and Karin waved the other Xcom troopers goodbye from the gravlifts, and the Valkyrie lifted up and out of the air vehicles parking level.  It did so with some haste, since the other transport Valkyrie had already gone on ahead to the game.
         Since most visitors to the Nutrivend shopping mall weren't rich enough to own a personal air transport, the parking area was deserted. Except for a few security guards minding an armoured access gate, beyond which the mall's complement of armed vehicles were stationed. The guards watched the two women with interest, but stayed at their post. Karin waved at them as well, and got a few wolf whistles in return. Laughing, the two took the gravlift up to the ground level of the Emporium.
        There was people. A lot of people. And most of them weren't pointing a gun in the two Xcom agents' direction either. Here in the mall people were going about the business of everyday living and enjoying themselves. There was the buzz of a thousand conversations, and music being played over the speakers rather than the blare of klaxons.
        Karin breathed deeply, and soaked up the ambience.
        "Life !" she declared. "This is what living is all about !"
        Suddenly something caught here eye, and she pointed:
        "Over there !" she exclaimed.
        "What ?" asked Tatyana, surprised.
        Karin dragged her along, and managed to make herself heard above the noise of the crowd.
        "I think I saw Amy over there  !" she said loudly. "Come on !"
        "Who is... " Tatyana's voice was lost in the crowd as she was towed along behind Karin. The two women made a gallant effort against the flow of the crowds, but Karin had to admit defeat five minutes later.
        "I could've sworn she went this way !" muttered Karin. "She couldn't have disappeared like that. Where did she go ?"
       "Right here. " said a calm voice behind them.
        The two women were startled, but being veteran Xcom agents taught one to keep calm whatever the situation is, or whatever thing it was behind you. They both turned quickly, but Karin was the first to speak.
        "Don't sneak up on people like that ! You nearly gave me a heart attack !"
        "Sorry about that. But it's been a while since I last played that trick on someone. I used to be so good at hide-and-seek, and when I sensed you two trying to follow me... "
        "You are a psi !" exclaimed Tatyana.
        "That's right ! I couldn't miss two people's minds thinking about me could I ?" laughed Nichols. "So the Captain let you two out for a day at the mall as well ?"
        The two nodded.
        "Better than Gravball. " said Karin. "Did any others come with you ?"
        Nichols shook her head, making the glittering beads in her hair twirl and catch the light.
       "No, only me. All the others went to the game. I planned to buy some room freshener, maybe some scent. It's horrible in the living area with the ventilation systems backed up. "
        The other two made sympathetic noises. The ventilation system in the Xcom bases were based on designs from the First Alien War. As such, it was very unreliable and lacked basic amenities like scrubbers and dehumidifiers. Some agents have compared Xcom living areas to the bottom of a well - others disagreed. They believed wells would be less damp, for one thing. That was taken care of by chemical sprays. Lately however the Commander has bought some commercial environmental control systems, and living conditions have improved greatly. But those did not really deal with the *smell* that ten people living in close confines can generate.
        "So what are you Westlanders planning to do ?" asked Nichols.
        "Shopping !" declared Karin cheerfully.
        "Typical of you, Karin. You must've been bored in the base ! Who is your friend here ?"
        "Tatyana Speransky, meet Amy Nichols. She's a squad leader over at Shiva base. " introduced Karin. "Nichols leads their psi squad since Black is in charge at our base. If it weren't for the eyes, I would say she's got some sectoid in her ancestry somewhere !"
        "The Amy Nichols who wasted Solmine and shot her way out ?" exclaimed Tatyana. "I've heard so much about you !"
        Nichols eyed Karin, and shrugged.
        "It was either out or dead. How long have you been in X-Com ? You must have been recruited after we built the new base. "
        "I only arrived monday last week. " replied Tatyana.
        "She's my partner now though ! She could put a full clip of Tox B into a shambler before it even knows we're there. " said Karin.
        "Partner ? UFO assault ? You're either crazy or very good. But if you Karin's partner, you must be pretty good !"
        They all laughed, and then Karin suggested they go and have something to eat in a nearby cafe. In the cafe, they ordered coffee and some cakes, then started chatting quietly about the latest holo fashions.

<outside the Cafe Autonome>
        The three Xcom agents did not know they were being watched. The man watching them was a professional, and knew that Nichols was quite a powerful psi agent. He had kept his own thoughts slow and calm, so it was lost in the crowd and nearly impossible to pick up, especially if you don't know what you were looking for.
        He made certain of the identification, then made a call on his commlink. There was a series of bleeps, then the channel was opened.
        "What do you have to report ?" demanded a thin voice.
        "I have a positive ID on one Amy Nichols. " answered the man quietly.
        "Nichols ? You mean the...  hold on. " A moment later, it came back.
        "We have a terminate on sight order out on all X-Com personnel for
today. Keep an eye on her. We have a team coming out from Bakunin Block. "
        "She's with two others, also women. They seem to know each other. "
        "We'll get rid of them too. X-Com security is very tight, so they're probably also in X-Com. Give me a image capture. "
        The man complied, holding up his commlink and setting the zoom to the proper range to get a clear picture of the three at the table inside. As he uploaded the image, he decided to see if he could find out more.
        "Is it true that Psyke is launching a strike on X-Com ? That's why we have the kill on sight order ?"
        "Where did you hear that ?!" snapped the voice. The man blanched.
        "Never mind. I'll keep an eye on them. Do I get a bonus ?"
        "You're lucky we trust you, or we'll add your name to the bottom of the hit team's list. It'll be short list too. Keep your mouth shut. " with that, the voice closed the connection.
        "Cheap bastards. " he muttered, then placed the commlink back in his pocket. He picked a nearby bench, and watched the cafe out of the corner of his eyes even as he pretended to watch a nearby holo display. He was fuming at the dismissive attitude of the controller. He was damn good at picking people out of the crowds, yet they thought he didn't matter ! Maybe he should've kept his mouth shut in the first place. They weren't going to pay him any extra for a job well done.
        The three women inside sipped their coffee and enjoyed their cakes, while less than five minutes away professional killers got aboard their vehicles and headed in.

<Cafe Automeme, table seven>
        "...green is not really the colour for this season. " declared Karin. "I think red and gold is perfect. "
         "Not with the Inoi cut !" argued Nichols. "Inoi could make orange look good on you if you would only let her try !"
        "Well, I wouldn't touch orange with a stun grapple... more coffee !"
        The waiter hurried over, and exchanged the empty coffee jug for a new one.
        "It's really up to you what you like. What do you wear when you need something pretty, Tats ?" asked Nichols.
        "I don't really know. I haven't been out much. Megapol officers aren't supposed to go out and follow fashions. " said Tatyana quietly.
        "Really ? Same for X-Com, except we aren't allowed to get out much at all...."  Nichols voice faded, as if she was suddenly very far away.
        "What's wrong ? You feeling all right ? The coffee disagreed with you ? Or was it the cake ?" asked a concerned Karin.
        Nichols tone became steel.
        "We're in trouble. We've got hostiles moving in, I can feel them. Are you two armed ?"
        Karin and Tatyana looked at each other with some alarm. A moment later Karin answered Nichols' question.
        "No. We didn't think it was necessary. "
        "Damn. Let's get out of here. We'll just have to get out of here as best as we can. "
        Karin tossed a credit chip to a waiter, and they walked quickly out of the cafe. As they passed a man sitting on a bench, Nichols expression changed slightly, as if in recognition. The man however did not see her face, since he seemed engrossed in the Sensovid commercial. Not that the senso starlet was not worth a lot of second glances.
        "We were tagged. I could read that man on the bench.. there is some anger.. . He picked me out and called in a hit team. " said Nichols quietly. "The hit team's coming out of the parking level... they're splitting up... I can't track them... the psi signature is no longer a gestalt, it's too weak. They're very well trained. "
        "I assume we're trapped ?" asked Karin.
        "Whatever we do, that man behind us on the bench watching the holo will tell them. We will have to eliminate him. Turn here. " Nichols led her two friends around a corner and into the space between two buildings. It was quiet and cool here, away from the crowds on the main avenues between the shops.

        The man cursed as they turned a corner. In the time it took for him to get they, they could have easily got lost in the crowd. Not that they could escape of course. He was right now linked into the hit team's tactical net, and they had people at all exits. And the net was slowly closing in. They won't even know what hit them. He moved carefully forward, keeping his mind
calm and clear of anxiety. Sharp emotions can be picked up easily by a psi, especially fear. But he had paid well for the mind training... there was a sudden flash of pain behind his eyes, then everything blacked out.

        "Easy. He was too confident. " declared Nichols, wincing as she shook her right hand to get rid of the numbness. "But he does have a hard skull !"
        Karin did a quick but thorough search, and then looked up with a happy smile.
        "I think our weapons problem is solved. " said Karin. She held up two guns. "He had this under his jacket, and the laser in an ankle holster. A cautious one. " Karin tossed the laser over to Tatyana.
        "Standard Megapol model. " she explained.
        Tatyana ran a quick diagnostics on the gun, and nodded appreciatively.
        "Civilians aren't supposed to have this, but I can hit a fly across the room with this. "
        Nichols snapped the unconscious man's commlink shut, dropped it, and stamped down.
        "Let's move. I've just told the others that we're in trouble. They are coming over right now. If we survive the next five minutes, we're going to be doing the hunting. "
        The three women smiled grimly, and readied their weapons. While aid was coming, Xcom agents didn't just sit tight - They fight.

<Meteor Kings Astrodome>
        The Gravball game had just gone into the second half of a fiercely contested game when to the surprise of nearby fans, a sizeable group suddenly stood up and headed for the exits. The twenty or so  men and women apologized as they blocked people's views, but moved with a determined air. The security guards hesitated, unsure what they should do, but knew better than get in the way of tough looking people like these.
        The Valkyries were powered up and ready to go within a minute, and were soon lifting out of the parking level. Aboard Westland Base's Valkyrie Red Two, Dawson was hastily preparing the troopers for action.
        "Come on people !" he snapped even as he locked his flying armour's torso section into place. "Time is the essence !"
        "We're hurrying captain !" answered a trooper. "But can you get the pilot to stop rocking the plane ?!"
        "Stop moving about back there then !" called out the pilot angrily.
        About a ton of people and equipment were in the cargo and passenger sections, and most of it was moving about. The computers were having trouble keeping the agrav fields balanced, and the controls were sluggish.
        "Everyone, just get your armour on, ready your weapons, and get ready to hit the ground. We've got civilians, we got no tactical info, and we have three people on the ground who are out of touch, no equipment. This has better go perfectly or heads are going to roll !" warned Dawson.
        "We're rolling already.... " quipped an agent near the back. Nobody laughed however. They knew how serious the situation was.
        "The mall's coming up. Get ready to go when I go low !" reported the pilot. "There's hover bikes in the target area... I think they..."
        The Valkyrie lurched suddenly, and troopers cursed as they were shaken about inside like pin balls. All of them however had their armour on by now, so it was only the odd bruise.
        "Definitely hostile ! This is going to be a hot landing !" called out the pilot. "Brace yourselves !"
        The Valkyrie literally dropped straight down, and for a moment the troopers felt as if they were floating in the air. That sensation came to a thumping halt, and the rear ramps dropped down. Shields flashed, and one of the troopers near the ramps crumpled immediately with a molten knee joint. The Xcom agents dived out of the Valkyrie in a storm of fire and sought cover.
        "These guys are good !" exclaimed a trooper. The trooper snapped off a shot with his devastator cannon, and was rewarded with a scream. "Not too tough though !"
        "Keep moving !" ordered Dawson. "Alpha, clear the top. Bravo, hit the doors. Gamma, go to aim and clear the snipers !"
        The radio cackled, then Captain Jonlan's voice came on air.
        "Heavy resistance here. It will take us some time to get in without casualties. How are you going ?"
        Dawson ducked as an autocannon shell took a chunk out of a nearby plasteel support.
        "We had a warm welcome.  Any idea how the girls are holding up ?"
        Jonlan answered with a negative.
        "We got enough trouble here. Civilians running everywhere. No contact with any of them yet. "
        "This is not good... " muttered Dawson. "Our day off and it's turning into a full out war..."

<X-Com Base "Westland">
        The Commander was watching the communications worriedly. This was no lone assassin attempt. This was a full out strike, and the quality of the hit team was turning out to be disturbingly high. Casualties was adding up, and while there was no fatalities yet, they could be on the defensive for the next few days, with no extra strike capability.
        A holo map of the mall had been generated, and on it she could see the yellow icons signifying Xcom troopers moving. Purple icons of civilians blinked in and out of sight as the agents' line of sight changed, but the red was frustratingly doing so as well. These killers were trained well, and were not risking a full out fire fight with the armoured troopers after several of their number were shown what superior firepower and protection added up to.
        "Any word on the three ?" she asked.
        The comm techs shook their heads. The tech leader spoke up.
        "None of the troopers have seen anything, and the computers have not picked them out yet. They're either in hiding or... "
        "If they're dead, the hit team wouldn't have hung around. They had people guarding the exits. If the resistance weakens, get either group to detach a squad and go straight in. "
        "Yes ma'am !" answered the tech leader.
        The Commander heard him, but her thoughts were turned inwards. The Psyke build up, and now this. Somebody was definitely out to get X-Com, and suddenly she wished everyone was back at base. She was getting a really bad feeling about the entire situation. She usually held at least a tactical team back at base for defence just in case there was an emergency, but both Shiva and her own base's complement was fully engaged. If something happened now, they would either have to leave the bases' undefended while Shiva and Westland sent out their small contingent of androids and humans, or pull the tactical
groups out.
        "Ma'am, we've got something on the scanners... and traffic control is in total panic !" reported a comm tech.
        "Why does aliens have to turn up now ?!" snarled the Commander.
        "It's not the aliens, ma'am.. the vehicles are city !"
        "City ? Do we have an ID ?"
        The comm tech looked in horror at her displays.
        "We've got Wolfhounds... we've got Phoenixes..... and they're heading our way ! There's Diablo, Psyke and even some Osiron !"
        "Get the Griffons out.. Warn Shiva. Scramble all available air units. "
        Another comm tech cut in:
        "Shiva reports that they have inbound as well !"
        "Hit the red. Can we get our people back in time ?" demanded the Commander.
        The alert started blaring out, and all about the base people scrambled for battle stations.
        "Captain Dawson says it will take five minutes, and another five to get back here. They're under some really heavy fire. " reported one tech.
        "The Shiva group is pinned down. Enemy has heavy launchers, and the civilians are getting the worst of it. They're sending a team around the north but it will take time. " reported another.
        "If this is a base attack, all we've got is half a team, and the
advanced security stations. " muttered the Commander.
        "Commander, we can't hold them ! There's too many of them ! And we've got hostile air units coming in from the slums ! It looks like all three gangs are out to get us ! Shields are running low, and we've lost three hover bikes already !"
        "We've got air support from Marsec and Megapol coming in, and the Government is launching their fighters as well ! It's going to be a close thing ma'am ! I don't know whether they can get here in time !"
        "At least our allies are doing their work. " commented the Commander.
        "Ma'am, we've lost one of the  Griffons ! Surface security reports that a Wolfhound has broken in, and enemy is armoured...." the base shuddered from some huge force, and lights blinked on and off disturbingly.
        "... we've lost contact with surface security ! We've got a security breach at the outer warehouse gates ! Should we seal the base ma'am ?"
        "Seal it ! Divert vehicles to nearest building if they are badly damaged. If the gangs want in, they are going to have to blow their way in. " declared the Commander angrily.
        "We're losing communications.... We've lost all contact with Shiva !"
        Suddenly all the holo displays blinked, and when it came back on, it was a dull green with SYSTEM UNAVAILABLE glowing in dull red.
        "I think they just found our communications array. And that first explosion with surface security junked our backup. " reported a technician.
        "Very professional of them. " she looked around at the dead holos,
then made up her mind.
        "Keep trying, and see if you can resurrect any systems. " she ordered, and headed for the door. "And if you can't, jury rig one. "
        "Where are you going ma'am ?" asked the tech leader worriedly.
        "I'm going to personally make sure whoever our visitors are regret ever leaving home. " the door hissed open, and the Commander stepped through.
        "But you're not fit for combat.... " the tech leader realized he was talking to a closed door, and faltered.
        "But that was before they rebuilt her nerves, wasn't it ?" asked one of the comm techs. "She should be all right ?"
        The leader nodded. "I hope so. After the doc was finished with her, she had her own armour and equipment fitted out. But how much had she trained with them ?"
        "Oh god.... " muttered another  tech.
        "That's what we all going to need if the base is breached... " said the tech leader gloomily. "...divine intervention. "

PART C: Stalkers in the Sunlight

<Aldous Huxley Emporium, level 3>
        Tatyana crawled slowly behind a row of shelves, being careful not to scratch herself on the shattered glass everywhere. She skirted around a dead shop assistant lying in a pool of blood, and eventually made it to the relative safety behind a small cosmetics counter. Somewhere to the left she could hear gunfire.
        The radio bleeped, and Nichols' voice came on air.
        "Status, report. "
        They had taken the the small headsets off the dead bodies of a few surprised hit men, and had adjusted it to a new frequency. Since Xcom's own combat frequency was only set before going into action, and then encrypted, they could not contact their comrades. But they could hear the Xcom troopers' energy weapons blazing away and being answered in the hiss of plasma as well as the rattle of automatic gunfire.
        "No problems here. " answered Karin. "I've got one in my sights near the Muzaktronics store. "
        Tatyana knew there was someone on the level with her. She clicked her headset to show that she was all right, but was not safe to talk. A footstep, crushing shards of glass. She turned slightly, and adjusted her grip on the assault rifle she had taken off a dead hit man. A quick glance at the weapon's status LED told her she had half a magazine left.
        There was another footstep, and she had a rough idea where it was coming from. She moved slightly, peering through a splintered panel. Yes, it was definitely one of the hit team's members. It was a woman, using the same assault rifle as she was, except the woman was wearing body armour.
        There was a sudden hiss, then something crashed through a window on the far side of the window. Tatyana saw the woman turn, and open fire. There was the whine of ricochets, and the unmistakable sound of a shield shorting out. Somebody cried out in pain.
        Tatyana did not hesitate. She stood up, and cut loose on full auto, emptying the remainder of the magazine. The woman, surprised, was knocked into a display cabinet. The woman's assault rifle clattered to the floor, but she was still alive, saved by the body armour. She gasped for breath, but reached painfully for her sidearm. Tatyana gritted her teeth, drew her laser and fried the woman's hand. The woman screamed, then fainted.
        "Is that you Speransky ?" coughed a man's voice. Tatyana turned, and saw the downed Xcom trooper in red Marsec armour pulling himself up with the aid of a pillar. The armour was badly scarred, and she could see blood tracing its path down in the gaps between the armour plates.
        "Davis !" she exclaimed. "You're hit !"
        "...Yeah... damn it, I can't reach my medikit.. that bitch got my right arm... " Davis started coughing again. "..The others are on the way... "
        Tatyana ran over, and reached into his backpack and pulled out the medikit. She flipped up a panel on Davis' right arm armour, twisted a small lever, and a whole section of the armour opened up. It was a mess inside. The hit team was using armour piercing explosive, and one of the shots had punched through to mangle Davis' upper arm.
        "This is bad... hold on. " Tatyana opened the medikit, picked up a anaethestic spray and covered the wound with a coat of thick green foam. She waited a moment for the foam to work, then took out a transparent tube full of a bluish gel. She thumbed off the top, and squeezed the gel onto the arm. There was a pause, then the gel spread out and disappeared into the green coat of foam.
        "The nanos are in. How are you feeling now ?" asked Tatyana, running a practised eye over the rest of the armour to make sure there was no hidden injuries.
        ".. damn sight better. It's hell out there ! Some maniac was firing mini launchers into the crowd, and I took hits before I got close enough to waste him. If it wasn't for that, the doll over there wouldn't have stood a chance. "
        "Marsec armour is not exactly assault suit you know. " said Tatyana disapprovingly.
        Tatyana turned in alarm as something landed a few feet away, but realized it was only the squad leader and another trooper called Cochrane.
        "Where's the others ?" asked the squad leader urgently. He then noticed Davis sitting on the floor. "You all right, Davis ?"
        "No problems. Shield burnt out, but Speransky patched me up. " replied Davis. He picked up his disruptor using the left arm, and got on his feet, albeit shakily. "Ready to go. "
        "I don't know about the others, but I've got them on radio. We split up so they'll have more trouble tracking us. " reported Tatyana.
        "You've got a headset, can you call them in on that ?" asked the squad leader.
        "I'll try. " answered Tatyana. She adjusted the headset, checked the frequency, and then tried to raise the others. Nichols responded immediately.
        "This is Nichols, what's happening ?"
        "I've met up with Bravo squad. Where's Karin ?"
        There was a pause, but Karin did not call in.
        "I don't know. " answered Nichols. There was the sound of automatic gunfire in the background, and a scream. "She was there last status check. Where are you ?"
        Tatyana looked around, and saw a sign near a door.
        "I'm on the north arcade, Holynn Advanced Cosmetics. "
        "I'm just down the street. The hit team is making a stand around the corner. I'll see if I can find Karin. Nichols out. "
        Tatyana bit her lip in worry, but then realized the others were waiting.
        "Nichols is still out there, just down the street, but Karin did not answer. " said Tatyana.
        "Damn. " muttered the squad leader. "Well, we got to get you out of here. Your armour's back on the ship. And we've got problems back at base, some kind of raid... we don't really know. "
        "The base is being raided ?" asked Tatyana with wide eyes.
        "We don't know. That's why we're to find you girls and bug out. We've lost contact with base, so I just hope we find Karin soon. "
        "But base is undefended... " breathed Tatyana.
        "There's security stations and some troopers. That should hold them for long enough. Come on, let's get you to safety. " With that, the squad leader handed her his personal shield, and then with a quick glance out the window, picked her up and jumped out the shattered window, heading for the cover behind another shop. The other two troopers followed, using their
armour to shield the two.

<Aldous Huxley Emporium, level 1>
        The Xcom troopers advanced steadily in the face of heavy resistance, their shields giving them a great advantage. The hit team found themselves being pushed ever inwards, forced away from all avenues of escape. They fought with desperation, but against the veteran Xcom agents, could make no headway. They had come in expecting an easy hit, with more than enough firepower to take down any Megapol cops or Nutrivend security. But first their informant got knocked out and lost the three targets, and then somebody started taking shots at them. They were trapped like rats.
        They were still however fighting on with determination. Nichols, searching for Karin, had to be careful not to get caught. Without armour, she had to react quicker than ever or risk being blown away with aid so near. Karin had been near the Kaos Muzaktronics, and she doubted that Karin would've been able to move far with the action ever closing in. Without psi, she
would've been extra cautious.
        "Where are you ?" muttered Nichols as she tried to sense Karin with her mind.
        Here and there cowered a civilian, looking up with terror filled eyes at the armed woman with, but Nichols ignored them. They were no threat, and would be dealt with later by Megapol. Right now her only concern was Karin. She scanned her planned route, and could sense no hostiles. She ran lightly through the doorway, and took cover behind a smoking pile of what had been a super holo stereo. The stereo had not survived a fire fight, and from the dead hit man sprawled on top of one speaker Karin must've been the other participant. She flipped the body over, and nodded. The hit man had been killed with a single shot to the head. Had it been one of the armed Xcom agents, the shot would've been to the body. With a disruptor, body armour like this would not stand a chance.
        She looked around, and by looking at the wreckage of what had been expensive music equipment, had a rough idea of which way the killed hit man had been facing. She walked over carefully, and to her horror she saw that there was also blood here. Karin had been hit as well ! But there was no Karin on the floor however... she looked around, and saw a trail of blood led up the stairs to the right.
        With a sense of foreboding, Nichols advanced slowly up the stairs. She probed with her mind, trying to sense Karin, but there was nothing. There was a bloody palm print on the wall halfway up the stairs, and Nichols knew that Karin must have been badly hurt. Without a medikit, she would've been dizzy, with shock and blood loss. Dizzy enough to need support even if it left traces.
        With her gun ready, Nichols arrived at the second floor. The spatter of blood led to the left, and led behind a service counter. With anxiety in her heart, Nichols walked carefully over, and looked over the counter.
        Her worst fears were true. Karin was curled up and her dress looked as if it had been soaked in blood. She still gripped her gun tightly in one white knuckled hand, while the other was pressed tightly against her side. She looked extremely pale, and Nichols could sense no conscious thought.
        "Karin ?" she asked. "Can you hear me ?"
        There was no response. Nichols went behind the counter, and knelt down by her stricken friend. She put a finger to Karin's neck, looking for a pulse. Moments passed, but if there was a pulse, it was very faint. Or none at all. Gritting her teeth, Nichols moved Karin's hand away from the wound.
        "Oh god Karin !" she cried out. Karin had somehow managed to stay conscious and climb up a full flight of stairs with her upper left side virtually shattered by her opponent's explosive bullets. And she could see the gleaming red tissue move slightly with every beat of Karin's heart. This kind of injury wasn't lethal, but she had no medikit, and no way to get Karin to proper medical treatment.
        Suddenly there was the clatter of boots coming up the stairs. Nichols crouched down, and knew that it was the remaining members of the hit team.
        "Get into position ! Find cover ! We're going to make them PAY !" snarled an angry voice.
        "We gotta get out ! We gotta get out !" blubbered another, shriller and full of panic.
        "Shut your mouth ! We're the best in the city, and the Dragon's men don't run !" snapped the first voice.
        "But boss ! We..." A third female voice started to say, but was interrupted by the shrill voice again.
        "We can't win ! We've died and died and died..."
        There was a shot, and the panicky voice stopped in a gurgling cough.
        "Get into position ! We don't have time !" snapped the first voice.
        There were footsteps all around the showroom, and then silence. A strange silence, without the sound of gunfire.
        "On my order only. Full auto. " ordered the leader of the hit team.
        Nichols tensed. There was six left, and these six were no doubt the best, the toughest or the luckiest. They were heavily armed, and the first Xcom trooper through that door, even with shields, would be minced like so much burger meat.
        There was the sound of more footsteps, slower but heavier. It came steadily up the stairs.
        Nichols concentrated, and could feel the lead Xcom trooper's mind. The man tensed immediately, bringing up his mind defences as he had been taught, but dropped them when he recognized Xcom training behind the probe.
        <Identify yourself.> he formed the thought.
        <Nichols, Shiva. Ambush up ahead>
        <How many ?>
        <I can sense six. I'm behind a counter to the left. They don't know I am here. >
        <Enemy status ?>
        <They're ready. The seventh was cracking up, and the leader shot him>
        <Your status ?>
        <I'm fine. But you better hurry. Karin is down bad. Very bad. And I don't have a medikit>
        <On our way.> answered the trooper.
        More footsteps on the stairs, but they faded away. There was a few seconds silence, then an Xcom trooper outside called out:
        "They're over there !"
        Immediately, there was the sound of beams being fired at some unseen target outside, and the air shook with explosions.
        A hit man laughed out aloud.
        "They've missed us !"
        The leader however was unconvinced. "They will know we aren't in there when they go into the junk pile. Keep quiet. "
        Silence descended upon the showroom again. Nichols could feel Karin's pulse now, a movement so minute it might have been like the flutter of a butterfly's wings. A flutter that took Karin closer to death with every beat.

        Windows shattered, and walls exploded inwards. A hit man screamed, and Karin could hear devastator beams blasting through the furnishings. Nanotronics went up in a shower of sparks, and holos shorted out. There was a hiss, then Nichols could smell the unmistakable tang of smoke grenades.
        The hit team began firing back, but were disorganized and confused by the smoke. They had been preparing for an attack from the stairs, but somehow it seems their enemy knew they were in here, and had without warning launched an all out co-ordinated assault.
        There were more screams, and the crackle of shields as they deflected the hit men's desperate return fire.
        The firing stopped abruptly.
        "There's one behind that case !" called out an Xcom trooper. Someone cursed, then the Xcom troopers opened fire again, trying to hit the survivor who leapt out from behind his cover. Nichols looked up in alarm as the counter creaked, and came face to face with a half android's face. The chromed metal was scarred and stained with smoke, but its red bionic eye glared malevolently at her along with its blue human counterpart.
        "YOU !" it exclaimed. The hit team leader 's voice. He recognized her as one of the escaped prey.
        "Die. " answered Karin calmly. She brought her plasma pistol up and fired straight into the killer's face. The shot went right into the man 's nose where metal met flesh, and blew the back of his skull out in a cloud of silicon vapour and pink mist. The body arched from the impact, then fell off and away from the counter. There was another storm of fire from the Xcom troopers, totally mulching the carcass of the hit team leader.
        "Is that you, Nichols ?" called a trooper.
        "I'm here !" answered Nichols, then stood up slowly. "That's all of them ! We got to get Karin help immediately !"
        Xcom troopers ran up, and one of them swore as he saw the extent of Karin's injuries.
        "Stabilize her. Make a stretcher, you four. We've gotta get her back to a full nano medibay. " ordered a sergeant. Immediately a trooper got to work with a medikit, while the others recovered equipment and started getting ready to evacuate the area.

        Five minutes later, the Valkyries carrying each base's complement of Xcom troopers were heading at full speed for home.

<X-Com Base "Westland">
        The alarm klaxons were blaring out their strident message of doom even as the lights flickered in the base. The scientists and engineers were pale with fear as Xcom troopers hustled them away from their labs.
        "Where are we going ?" asked a biochemist.
        "Over to the storage areas. " answered the android trooper. "The Commander wants you people out of the line of fire. "
        "I'm in the midst of an important experiment !" whined another. "If the results are lost, our research will be set back... "
        "Your life or your experiment." said the trooper. "Make your choice. "
        There was a muffled THUMP from the direction of the gravlifts, and the scientists blanched.
        "Move it. They're coming through." said the soldier flatly. There was no further argument from the scientists, and within minutes there was not a soul in sight.
        "Zander, is your group secured ?" demanded the Commander.
        "They're in stores two, in the south corner. I've set the security lock, with a manual override from inside only. "
        "Take up position with the others  near junction Alpha five.... we don't have enough time to risk getting any closer. " ordered the Commander.
        "Yes ma'am, on my way. "  answered Zander, and ran towards his assigned position.

        Stella called up the tactical map display of the base on her visor's HUD display. The northern end of the base was a mass of red icons that blinked in and out of existence as they moved in and out of the sensors' line of sight, and against them she had a total of six golden icons. Six, including her. Scattered about the base in small groups were the scientists and engineers, as far out of the way as possible, but she knew that if the six golden icons blinked out, their fate was sealed.
        "We've got movement in corridor Bravo. " reported Kochev. "Megapol assault suits. "
        Astra called in "They're coming through on corridor Gamma as well... suits and vests. "
        "Security is holding on Alpha. " reported Revenu. "The two turrets around the access lift are very effective. "
        "They're coming through on Bravo... "
        "All Alpha units pull back to junction Alpha six. " ordered Stella. "You're being outflanked. "
        "Withdrawing as ordered. " answered Zander. While much tougher than a normal human, the androids tended to be slower to react and their shooting ability  were average at best. As a result, Stella preferred to group them together, and use them to support the other troopers.
        "I'm being shot at !" exclaimed Astra. "Got one, but the other is heading across corridor four. "
        "I see him !" called out Kochev. There was the sound of a devastator firing, and then Kochev laughed.
        "Got the bastard. "
        There was an explosion that sent shudders throughout the base, and red warning lights flickered.
        "Control, what was that ?" demanded Stella.
        "Commander, enemy has brought up heavy launchers. They're trying to destroy the security stations. " answered the technician monitoring the base defences from the control room.
        "Any damage ?"
        "The shields held, and are recharging. "
        "Set the ones with explosive weapons as priority targets. We don't want the base trashed. " ordered Stella.
        "Yes ma'am, the stations are now targeting the units with the heavy launchers. "
        Stella checked the tactical displays, and saw a red icon heading her way before turning right.
        "Alpha, you've got one cutting in your way. Take him down. " warned Stella.
        "We see him. Engaging... " There was the sound of disruptor fire. "Target is down. "
        "They're making a rush for it through Bravo !" exclaimed Kochev. "I need support, there's too many... DAMN! "
        Stella did not hesitate. She ran forward and turned left at the next junction, just in time, to see an enemy assault trooper wrestle Kochev to the ground. There was a flash of azure lightning, and the enemy trooper was hurled bodily against the wall, a gaping hole in his chest from Kochev's devastator.
        The enemy however were trying to get into the base rather than deal with the local resistance. With their superior numbers, once they're in the base, they could surround the few defenders and overwhelm them from all directions.
        Stella's quick reaction put a halt to that. She fired from the hip, blowing a hole right through a flak vested Psyke gangster. The gangster's companion slowed in shock, and Stella' second shot vaporized his skull. Sensing a potential weakness, the enemy threw smoke. More Psyke gangsters rushed forward, using the smoke as cover, but Stella stepped into the middle
of the smoke cloud and punched one in the face with her power assisted glove.
        Knowing Kochev was to her left, she set her devastator to auto and fired on full automatic towards the front. She heard screams, and judging the distance by the voices crying out, pulled a grenade off her belt, primed it to contact, and tossed it forward. There were cries of alarm, then the grenade exploded. Almost immediately there was another greater explosion, as the ammunition on the fallen gangsters' cooked off.
        Without a pause, Stella dived forward in a roll. As she expected, the explosion had filled the corridor with more smoke, and covered her advance. A Psyke gangster had the same idea, but was surprised by her sudden appearance in front of him. She did not give him a chance to recover, and drove a foot into his stomach. Megapol assault suit might've held under that attack, but the man was wearing only a flak vest. Ribs cracked, and he fell back coughing up blood.
        Something hit the floor beside her with a metallic clink. She glanced down, and saw a small green yellow banded ovoid dimly through the smoke. Grenade. She knelt and flipped it with a twist of her wrist forward. A split second later, the grenade exploded. More screams.
        Enough. She turned, and ran back.
        "Kochev, I'm coming through. " she warned.
        "I see you. " he grunted even as she ran past him and dodged behind cover.
        "Get out of the corridor. They're going to try blind fire. " she said.
        Kochev jerked back, just in time to let a hail of autocannon shells whip by unimpeded.
        "You live and you get to learn. " commented Stella.
        "Are you all right, ma'am ? You're bleeding !" asked Kochev.
        "Not mine. " she answered. Kochev checked again, but could see no damage to the armour. Stella switched her attention back to the overall scene.
        "What is the status now ?" demanded Stella.
        "No problems holding corridor Alpha We killed about five assaults, and the rest are holding back out of sight in corridor four. They're out of sight of the security stations. Blind spot. "
        "If it gets quiet, send one with full shield and throw a grenade. No, change that. Set a proximity mine at junction Alpha five as a surprise for the next assault. "
        "Snider's on his way. "
        There was the sound of an explosion reverberating off the metal walls.
        Zander's toneless android voice came on.
        "Snider's shield is down. Proximity mine already in place. He's only scratched... it was a set ambush ! Snider, get back here !"
        Stella could hear disruptor fire mixed in with the whine of assault rifle rounds. A moment later, only the disruptors were still firing.
        "Snider's lost his primary motivator circuit. " reported Zander. "Augen's stopping a power bleed now. Snider is out of action. "
        "Damn. " muttered Stella. Down to five. Five people covering three corridors, two of them androids. Against god knows how many Psyke fodder.
        Another explosion resounded through the base.
        "Status, report !" ordered Stella.
        "That was Snider's. " answered Zander. "He managed to set a proxi on long delay before we dragged him back. I count three vests down... no, make that three vests and a suit. "
        "Deserves a medal for that one. " commented Astra.
        "Quieten up on the chatter. " said Stella. "Something's going on. "

        There was a sudden lull in the battle for Westland Base. The invaders stopped their probes, and seem to be waiting for something.

PART D: Annihilation Guaranteed

<Mega Primus, sector 4>

        The dogfight was thinning out, and the casualties were severe. The hazards of low level flying, especially under human control, was taking its toll. There have been several collisions, and one Valkyrie from Megapol had crashed into roof of an arms factory. The result was catastrophic to say the least. Hover bikes were knocked out of control by the blast, and other pilots, stunned by the explosion, fell easy prey.
        Training showed however. Megapol and Marsec's flight crews were all combat trained, while the criminal gangs' were merely those chosen because they could drive well. One after another Psyke, Diablo and Osiron's vehicles were sent tumbling out of the sky, some becoming piles of twisted metal while the unluckier ones burned brightly, sending a dark column of smoke up in the air. There were Megapol and Marsec casualties as well, but the exchange rate was running well in favour of X-Com's allies.
        For some reason however the gangs were not pulling back. A few of the sharp eyed reinforcement pilots noticed a lot of damage to a warehouse below, and guessed quite rightly the gangs' were covering some kind of raid. They could in fact see Megapol police cruisers exchanging fire with some other ground vehicles, but right now on the ground the situation was exactly the reverse of that in the air. The gang members had come in prepared, and were in defensive positions. Megapol's SWAT teams were coming up against a dug in enemy, and it was a stalemate. The gangs couldn't escape, but the SWAT teams
couldn't break the siege either.

<X-Com Base "Westland">
        With the enemy attacks seemingly on hold for the moment, Stella had ordered the troops to try and get some proxi mines in place. She had to get Control to unlock the general stores so they could grab some more munitions, but she now had two junctions on each corridor full of proxi mines and stun grenades. Carefully set so each proximate will only set off a grenade and a stun, the mine-field should deal with any attempt to overwhelm them by numbers. The only way that the enemy will now be able to penetrate would be to try and detonate the proxi mines one by one and wait for the stun to disperse. And the gangster who detonates the proximate will be knocked out by the stun - and with the kind of opposition they're up against, she had no
problems with ordering her troops to shoot them. That should stop any glory seeking volunteers - if they noticed  the proxi mines being set. Her troopers had kept up covering fire for each minefield's setting though.
        "Do you think they're gone, ma'am ?" asked Astra.
        "They're gone when our people comes home. " said Stella. "They're waiting. Waiting for something. Did anyone bring a motion sensor ?"
        "I've got one. " answered Kochev. "You want it on ?"
        "Do it. If they're doing something around the corner, I want to know what it is. "
        Kochev took the motion sensor out of his backpack, and then set it to on. There was nothing moving at all.
        "Nothing, ma'am. Sensors don't see anything. "
        "Lower the definition and get me some range, Kochev. Normal settings on those things can't even see beyond junction five. " said Stella drily.
        "Sorry ma'am !" Kochev complied, and while the definition was a lot poorer, there was considerable movement going on near the repair bay and the access lifts.
        "They're all over the place ma'am. Everything beyond corridor four is just a blur of movement. "
        "That looks like it, people. We're going to have to out wait them. "
        Kochev looked at the sensor's display, and then something caught his eye. There was some kind of trace on Alpha corridor, where the androids were. He shook the motion sensor to see if he could get some firmer trace, but it
faded out. At low resolutions, the sensor tended to show "ghost" traces. Even as he prepared to ignore it, the trace appeared again.
        "We've got something on Alpha, I think. Could be the motion sensor playing up though. " reported Kochev.
        "Alpha, can you see anything ?" asked Stella.
        "Negative. Corridor is clear. " answered Zander after a moment's pause. "Motion sensor software no good, as I said times before. "
        Stella smiled. Androids considered any non sentient software to be no good. One of the reasons why they aren't snapped up as perfect computer interface specialists was because they don't get on well personally with computer systems.
        "I've still got traces. There's more now, and they're coming to the first mined junction. If you are seeing nothing, then this motion sensor is having some serious hallucinations. "
        "Still nothing Kochev. Maybe your motion sensor should be reprogrammed when this finishes. " commented Zander.
        THUMP.
        "Damn, that was a proximate. Zander, what the hell is going on with the corridor ?" demanded Stella.
        "There's nothing ! The mine malfunctioned...... " there was the sound of an autocannon firing.
        ".. Augen's down ! That came out of nowhere !" reported Zander.
        Stella swore.
        "Kochev, Astra, hold your positions. I am going to check this out. "
        "Affirmative ma'am !" chorused the two troopers. They were on edge as well - nothing like this has ever happened before.

        Stella came upon Zander attending to Augen. The downed android was hit pretty bad, and most of the chest armour was twisted and there was some kind of yellowish fluid leaking out.
        "How's Augen doing ?" asked Stella.
        "... I am fine..... but I am going to need an engineer. " said Augen.
        "He'll live. The emergency internal shut down worked, and reduced the damage. But he's on minimum power until we can have the internal gyros calibrated again and some of the routers plugged back in.  "
        Stella nodded to Snider who was lying a bit further down the corridor, and the androids nodded back but obviously could not speak.
        She moved forward, and risked a quick look around the corner.
        Nothing.
        Not even the body of a knocked out ganger. What the hell was going on ?
        "Anything ma'am ? Maybe they have some kind of droid jammer ? asked Astra.
        "I see nothing. Unless they're using psi. But the psis can't touch an android. Maybe they sent out a remote, but there's nothing here except maybe a few shreds of stun floating about. "
        "Maybe they're invisible ?" commented Kochev. "Like you know, the invisible man. Some new gang drugs. "
        "Stop that Kochev ! You know that's not funny !" snapped Astra.
        "You know as well as me it's impossible to turn a man transparent. He wouldn't be able to see with his eyeballs, for one thing. " said Stella.
        "Well, I've still got traces... but if you can't see them... "
        Stella considered their situation for a moment. Then she made up her mind.
        She stepped out into the corridor, and then loosed a hail of shots from her devastator cannon into the emptiness.
        The result was nothing short of astounding. Two of the bolts hit something and in a shower of sparks, two assault suited gangsters appeared out of the thin air to crumple onto the ground. There was an explosion from a proxi mine, and the air was filled with stun gas.
        "We've got problems people. They've gone invisible on us. Kochev, keep a sharp eye on your displays. Those guys were halfway through the second mine field. Must've been moving really slowly. We're lucky the sensor picked it up. Don't ask me how they did it, but they're invisible. " said Stella.
        "Great. First we get gangsters in armour, and now we got gangsters in armour we can't see. " muttered Astra.
        "Ma'am, I've got traces coming down Bravo and Gamma. " reported Kochev.
        "Recon by fire. " ordered Stella. "Shoot at any empty space between the mines. They won't dare go too close, because the closer they're the more sensitive the mines will be. "
        The troopers answered an affirmative. A moment later, the devastators began firing slowly and deliberately. Seconds later, Astra got her first invisible.
        "I got him right in the head !" said a jubilant Astra.
        Kochev was not slow in following up either.
        "Scratch one invisible man..... I think they're using some kind of device, ma'am. He was holding some kind of device in his hand. "
        Stella looked carefully at the two she downed, and realized that Kochev was right. There was some kind of small hand held display thing, with a fluro green "screen" and a deep red handle. Some kind of prototype stealth device ?
        "I see it. I wonder what our techs will make of it. And where on earth did they suddenly come up with this thing ?"
        "Maybe earth didn't. " commented Zander.
        "What makes you say that ?" exclaimed a surprised Astra.
        "I think Zander means it's probably alien. Maybe it works like our personal shields, just on a different frequency. " said Stella.
        "So the gangs are alien controlled ?" Kochev sounded worried.
        "Maybe. Or someone controlled by aliens gave them those devices. Once we find out who master minded this raid we'll know for sure. The three gangs wouldn't have attacked us all together unless some one paid them. Paid them a LOT. " said Stella grimly.
        "The traces are fading ma'am ! I think they're pulling out. Their last ace card played, and they're folding. "
        "Control, do you see anything ?" asked Stella.
        "We see what you see. The guns covering the repair bay are firing on some right now. We have a view on the lifts as well, and they are pulling out as quickly as possible. We think it's clear. "
        "They're giving up too easily. " said Stella.
        "Too easily ? We cost them at least thirty people ?!" exclaimed Astra.
        "Hello ?" interrupted a new voice. "This is Dawson. Anyone there ?"
        "Welcome back, captain. " said Stella. "Nice to see you can make it back in time. "
        "Is the party already over ?" asked Dawson rather plaintively.
        "Well, you should know. What's going on up at the surface ?"
        "Megapol SWAT managed to catch them as they were leaving, and half of the ones you left alive got wiped out on the landing pad. The rest are being chased all the way back to the slums. "
        "So Megapol actually helped us out this time. "
        "I heard from the comm-net that Satsura had something to do with it. He owns part of Marsec and Megapol's contract is coming up for review in August. Rode shotgun right over them. "
        "Good news at least. Come on in. Let's get this show on the road. Any casualties ?"
        "We lost a few troopers, but with the shields, nothing that an engineer or a nano medibay won't fix. Actives are around 60% until the wounded recover. " reported Dawson.
        "Did we recover the three in the mall ?"
        "Nichols from Shiva made it, so did Speransky. " there was a pause, then Dawson continued, worry in his voice. "Krausse was hit bad. I ordered her sent straight to one of the hospitals because I wasn't sure what state we will find the base in. "
        "It seems to be all right. They never got as far as the medibay, but at least she got treatment as early as possible. Report
to me at the access lifts. "
        "On my way, Commander. " answered Dawson.

        Stella and Dawson met each other at the access lifts, and they stood together and surveyed the troops filing in and the base personnel cleaning up the mess. They both grinned as scientists rushed by, complaining loudly that their experiments will be ruined if people don't get out of the way and let them pass.
        "Back to normal as quickly as possible I guess. " said Dawson.
        "Of course. We're always ready. "
        There was movement behind them, and the two officers turned, expecting someone wanting orders. Instead, there was a blurring the air.
        Stella reacted first, pushing Dawson out of the way. A split second later, a plasma bolt seared through the air to vaporize a part of the corridor wall. The firing of the bolt revealed a Psyke gangster dressed all in black holding a powerful Lineage personal plasma rifle. The gangster snarled in anger and tried to turn his plasma rifle on the woman who had thwarted him.
        The woman however was an Xcom Commander. And she had three wars worth of experience. Stella coolly slapped the plasma rifle aside and slammed her elbow up into the ganger's jaw. Armour met bone, and bone gave way. There was a sickening crunch, and the ganger was lifted bodily off his feet by the impact. A moment later, the dead Psyke assassin dropped to the floor like a limp rag doll.
        "That was close !" breathed Dawson. "How did he get in here ? We have the perimeter secured !"
        "So that was their ace card. " commented Stella.
        "What do you mean ?" asked Dawson.
        "Some one figured out how to become invisible. Things are going to get much more interesting now.  " was all that the Commander would say.

<The Senate, Senator Mappelthorpe's Office>
        The Senator gritted his teeth. His carefully planned and paid for assault on X-Com had failed completely. The one known as "Westland" had been penetrated, but even the use of his allies'  cloaking devices had failed to root out the defenders. From all reports that his spies had been able to gather, it seems as if they were never faced with more than defenders and some basic security turrets. And this against one of the biggest, best equipped, and prepared raiding forces ever assembled in the city !
        The situation at the new "Shiva" base was even worse ! The gangs had not even managed to break into the underground facilities, and the base commander had used Xcom soldiers to bolster the surface defences. Two Wolfhound loads of assault suits had been massacred in the garage levels, and being near a Law Control Station, Megapol units had descended like a
swarm of locusts on his people and all but annihilated them. To add insult to injury, the hit team at the mall had been wiped out to the last man, without actually managing to kill any of the Xcom people in turn.
        Everything that could've gone wrong went wrong. DAMN IT !
        "Senator, incoming... " said his secretary.
        "I DO NOT WISH TO BE DISTURBED AT THIS TIME!" snarled the Senator.
        The secretary cowered, but it was an important call, so she persisted.
        "It's Senator Satsura, sir...."
        BASTARD. The old fool had pressured Megapol and Marsec into acting when he thought he'd managed to bribe enough of their executives. THAT was where it has gone wrong. And the damnable thing was, he had no hold over the wily old fox.
        "PUT HIM ON THEN. " snapped the Senator. The secretary complied, and cut her own comm link to her boss as quickly as possible.
        Senator Satsura's expression was unreadable. Being Japanese in origin, this was probably something genetic. But it infuriated Mappelthorpe, because he knew right now his own face was betraying his rage.
        "Yes, Satsura ?" he said as calmly as he could.
        The leader of the Senate's expression changed slightly. Some how it became a lot ..... colder.
        "Senator Mappelthorpe. How nice to be able to speak to you. "
        "To what do I own the pleasure of this visit, Satsura ?" Mappelthorpe rarely received calls. He was usually the one making them. Late at night.
        "I am sure you are aware of the recent unrest in certain areas of the city. I hope you know which side you are supposed to be on, Senator. "
        "Of course. On MY side. " sneered Mappelthorpe.
        "The Will of the Senate Majority is the only side that matters in the city. Remember that. " with that, Satsura terminated the connection.
        Mappelthorpe broke out in a cold sweat. There was no doubt about it. The old bastard had used a particular intonation that conveyed the phrase "The Will of the Senate Majority" in capitals.
        A little known clause of the Mega Primus charter included the phrase, with captitalizations. It allowed for the removal of a Senator by the collective Will of the Senate. More specifically, the word "removal" was one where "execution" could be substituted and not affect the meaning of the phrase at all. It was reserved for those who the other Senators consider to be a traitor in their midst, and was the only legal death penalty in Mega Primus. For crimes such as murder, the average civilian can expect imprisonment or deportation to an elerium mining asteroid around Pluto. But execution was reserved only for Senators.
        And Senator Mappelthorpe had no doubt that Satsura had sufficient support in the Senate to make this threat come true. And history will probably praise him for it too. DAMN.  The safest course of action he could take now was eliminate Satsura. The old fox had been a thorn in his side for too long. It was time to make sure the Senate was rendered impotent against his own spider web of influence.

PART E: Heart Breaking Memories
 
<The Senate, Senator Satsura's Office>
         Senator Satsura gave his tea machine a sharp tap with a small bamboo stick, then watched with a smile as it made a cup of iced tea for him. It was an old machine, left to him by his grandfather, who had received it as a gift from an Xcom base commander in appreciation for the Japanese mayor's assistance and forbearance. A machine with history dating all the way back to the First Alien Wars. The tea machine's outer casing was made of cydonium, which was then known as alien alloys. Back then you couldn't get cydonium on the commercial market. It was so rare that some people even thought it will replace gold as a global currency. Today however cydonium was being forged by the tons every minute and used in everything from "Welcome to Venus" souvenir spoons to military grade armour plating for Griffons.
At least the tea machine wasn't made of an obsolete material, thought Senator Satsura. Unlike some of the more extremist Cultists, he believed that the human race was fine the way it is and doesn't need any aliens to tamper with it. The hybrids were problem enough already !
          "Sir, the madame Commander from X-Com is here. " said the secretary.
          "Send her in. Can't keep a guest waiting. " nodded the Satsura.
          "Very well. Do you require anything sir ?"
          "Bring in some coffee for the Commander. Real coffee. "
          "As you wish, sir. " the secretary flipped off the inter-com, then opened the doors to the Senator's office.
          "Go on in, Commander. " she said with a pleasant smile. "The Senator will see you now. "
          The Commander turned from the secretary's desk, and walked confidently into the Senator's office. Other hopefuls waiting to get an appointment with the Senator looked after her with envy, but stayed in their seats. Here at least they will get a hearing. The old Senator could be tough, but at least he bothered to listen.  They just had to be patient.

          The Senator came out from behind his massive oak desk to welcome the Commander. He pecked her lightly on the cheek, and then showed her to a comfortable chair.
          "Coffee will be coming soon. " he told her, then went back to his comfortable leather upholstery.
          "How are you today, Commander? Heard you had some minor difficulties. " inquired the Senator.
          "Nothing we couldn't handle. Some minor injuries, but none of my troops were killed. " she answered.
          "Let's talk about this as equal to equal, Stella. Both of your bases were attacked at the same time, if my memory serves me right. And some one tried to kill some of your people when they were at a shopping mall. "
           Stella sighed.
           "I thought you said we should quit the games, Satsura. Somebody tried to take out the X-Com presence in Mega Primus, and we had intruders in the base. If you don't mind, what do you want from X-Com ? "
           The Senator laughed, and then leaned forward.
           "The Senate has no idea what it wants from X-Com. Right now we're paying a sizeable percentage of our budget to keep your bases' ticking over. Some wants to stop the funding and call a peace with the aliens. Others want to use the money somewhere more useful, for example supporting the SELF and the Mutant Alliance. "
           "Is that a threat ?" said Stella sharply.
           "Of course not. I just want you to have an  idea of the current mood in the Senate. But I can tell you who is responsible behind the raids. "
           The door opened, and the secretary brought in a cup of coffee on a plate. She placed it on a table near Stella's table, bowed slightly to both, and then left the room as silently as she came.
            Satsura spoke again once the door has closed.
           "Do you have any idea on who could've caused the raids ?"
           "Obviously one of the Senators. Just who, I am not sure. " said Stella.
           "Very good. But there's only one with the resources, the gall, and the contacts to combine the three gangs and launch them all upon your base. " said Satsura quietly.
           "Mappelthorpe. But I have no evidence. " replied Stella, weariness in her voice. "I am keeping an eye on him already. But he is too hard to crack. "
           "There's more to being a Senate leader than simply pressing buttons and allowing people to voice their opinions. For one thing, they receive from the previous incumbent the master key to the city's cybernet server systems. "
           "The master key ? That means...... Good grief. That means you have access to information about everything that goes on within the cybernet. "
           "The true power of the Senate from the very beginning has been its control of information. If I choose to, I could destroy the careers of politicians even before they register for election. But that would be an abuse of power. But for a Senator to act in direct opposition to the Senate's resolutions is also a flagrant breach of his obligations. " Satsura leaned back in his chair. "Senators do not rule by divine right. We are above the law - indeed, we make the law. But we are also meant to be men of honour. The Teapot Clone affair was initiated from within this office. Landis did not have a chance of penetrating the exiled Mappelthorpe's security. I opened the files for him. "
           "And that is why you stayed in power for so long, Senate leader Satsura. But do you ever wonder what you might be doing could be wrong ?" asked Stella.
           "Yes. I know. What is it that they said ? Who watches the Watchers ? In Mega Primus, only I watch. Above me, there is only God, assuming The Almighty exists, and my conscience. "
           "I hope your conscience is strong, Satsura. " commented Stella.
           "So do I, Stella. " Satsura pulled open a drawer, then took out a holo cube. He leaned forward and motioned for the Stella to take it.
           "I think you shall find all the evidence you need. For political and security reasons I cannot give you access to much of Mappelthorpe's files, but what you should find will be enough evidence to convict him any court of law. "
           "All in one cube ? And what will I actual