X-COM:Alienated Earth


Introduction

In the year 1999, an organization was formed to combat the extraterrestrial threat. That organization was known as X-COM. Into the year 2003, a Southwest United States base known as Lost Pines 1 would defend Earth from the alien threat. In the final days of AW-1, Commander Jake Rowell and his X-COM forces would launch an assualt on the alien base on mars Cydonia. They would never return.
The final alien assualt would be launched, and X-COM lost.
Now, eight years has past since the final defeat of the X-COM forces, when Earth fell to the aliens. Humanity lied in ashes, in the wake of the new alien order. The planet had been transformed, into a world unlike the Earth of the past. Survivors of the Sectoid Halucaust, as it came to be known, lied in hidden bases and villages.
A team of soldiers from the original X-COM orginzation now prepare to stand up agianst an alien threat, they are the new generation of X-COM troopers, fighting for...
an Alienated Earth!

Chapter 1- A new dawn
Tyler woke up after a long nap. He hit the button next to his bed, turning on the dim lights. Dim lighting was just one of the few things they had to put up with in the remains of the base. Power wasn't easy to gain, and wasting precious resources for lights was not in the plans of the reminents of the Earth Defenders. He let out a long yawn, as he rose out of the bed, still in his uniform. The blue shirt, tucked into the rugged jeans, with a belt and a buckle bearing the X-COM logo. That was all that was left, except for his long trench coat like duster, worn over the "uniform" when heading outside.
Tyler wasn't exactly the morning person. Mornings on this new Earth were usually a living hell anyways. It was home though, and he was use to it. He yawned, picked up the coat, putting it on, and left his room. He headed down what was left of a once proud hallway. He met up with Kari Williams, and chatted with her as they progressed down to the mess hall to get something to eat.
Food in this new age, wasn't exactly what you'd call a real breakfast. It was usually an assorted mush, with all the nutritional value an Earth Defender would need. At least, that's what the scientists think.
They were residing in what remained of the Lost Pines base, an what seemed anient now, X-COM base. A legendary fighting force would take off from LP-1 to take the fight to the aliens, on Cydonia, Mars. They would never return. Now, after the Sectoid Halucaust, the forces of Earth hide in the nooks and cranies that lies across the shattered landscape. The base has barrely survived, and was in great disreapair, but the next generation of X-COM rebuilt the base, with the purpose of combating the alien threat.
Tyler Reber stood up as the Base Commander walked into the mess hall. Everyone else soon stood up as well. Not all of the former Earth Defenders were lost, as standing in the entrance of the base, for everyone to see, admiring her new troops was the new Base Commander of the Lost Pines. Jessica Tompson, fomerly Lead Science Officer, looked at the young warriors prouldy. "At ease."
Jessica, now 32, went over to the mock kitchen, and got some of the "food". And proceeded in looking for a place to sit down. Seeing Tyler and Kari, she proceeded to set down with them. Tyler and Kari were what she considered her finest troops. She greatly admired both of their optimism in these pessimistic times. Tyler nodded as the Commander sat down at the table.
"So, my good Commander, what do we have in store for us today?" Tyler said, grining.
"Glad you ask Tyler! You and Kari will have a simple mission today, escort two
Skyrangers into a hot drop zone to rescue some civilians, and then escort them to the Geofront Colony we have set up in Region X:15, Y:42."
"And our craft?" Kari asked curiously.
"Two Interceptors," Jessica replied, matter of factly.
"Just regular Interceptors?" Tyler said, dropping his jaw.
"Look, we don't have much recources, and we need to keep as much fuel for the Lightning and Firestorms as we can for the alien assualt missions. This mission should be quite easy, and as such, we are assigning you with light craft. Your our best pilots, it shouldn't be much of a problem for aces like you.. right" Jessica said, playing right on their egos.
Tyler and Kari looked at each other unsurely, as Jessica placed a data pad outlining mission specifics to them. Tyler picked it up, and quickly skimed through it. The two were to escort a Skyranger filled with troops, and a Skyranger set aside for Civilian resuce. They would cover air support as needed. Then, they would escort the two Skyrangers to the nearest Geofront. Then return home with the Skyrangers.
It seems, alien firepower had picked up in the area surrounding the remains of what once was Austin, Texas. Now, what remained of the human populace, was needing pick up.. fast!
Their destination, a Geofront. Developed in the early 20th century, an completely self-sufficent underground city. It was developed for the use during nuclear war, but was never built due to unpracticality, olny one was known to be built for goverment use. In the late 99's into the early 2000's before the end of the AW-1, many were built for use in case the war would turn sour, as it did. Now, humanity cowers in the underground cities, hidden to the aliens, that lie across the planet Earth.
The mission seems easy egnough, Tyler though to himself, especially for ace pilots like us.
"Allright then, when do we leave." Tyler said, Kari's jaw this time dropping.
****************

The lights came on as the hangar was activated. The two pilots walked out to their seperate fighter craft. Kari looked on to her craft, shouting over to Tyler, "Damnit Tyler, this thing's an antique." Tyler laughed, looking back at her once, then returning his focus to the Interceptor. The Interceptors were the orginal X-COM fighter craft. While primitive back in the days of the AW-1, they were still of much value today, with the lack of resources. Humanity was in no position to complain about the technology of it's weapons. Anything could give Earth the fighting chance agianst the aliens!
Tyler climbed in, sliding down the canopy, and began flipping switches, activating all the systems in the fighter, and bringing the power levels into the normal status. He fliped on the radio, and sent a message over to Kari. "Are you ready yet?"
No Response.
"Are you ready yet?!"
Still, no responce
"Damnit Kari, ARE YOU READY!"
Laughter came over the radio in Tyler's ship, followed by Kari's voice, "Yeah Tyler, I've been ready since you first asked me... are you sure your okay? You seem a little impatient."
"Lets just get up there, and kick some ass!"
Kari laughs agian, "Oh.. well then, lets go!"
The two fighters began to take off, their Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) systems still miraculously intact. They hovered out of the cliffside hanger, and then rose up beyond the barren tree tops of the woodlands formerly known as the Lost Pines.
Tyler looked on to the woods, a sad look in his eyes, while waiting for the Skyrangers. I can still remember the old trips, with you. We use to spend alot of time out here, hiking in these woods, camping, and fishing. It was alot of fun dad... but now.. your gone, and all that's left is the destruction.
Tyler's thoughts were interupted by Kari, over the radio, "Tyler, the Skyrangers are waiting. If your done daydreaming, may we please proceed with the mission?"
"Oh, yes... let's rock!"
The two fighters hit their afterburners, jetting towards out across the barren forest, with the Skyrangers following.
******************

Austin, Texas had been developing quite nicely in the late 20th Century. The city had become more then just the Capital of Texas, a state best known for it's Dallas Cowboys football team. Austin had become one of the leaders in the computer industry, and had shown a revitalization, a new youth.
Of course, all this changed when the extraterrestrial plasma bots went searing through the city. The collapsing buildings and skyscrapers shattering all the hope for the city.
Now all that was left is charred skyscrapers, a torn landscape, and a handful of survivors. Those who have been living out on the planet, once known as Earth, were nomadic, and were stealth. Lately though, they had picked up arms, as alien ground forces swept through the graveyerd of the city.
It was a loosing battle.
At least, until the bright glow of burning jets were seen, followed by missiles and cannon fire, and the landing of a sleek jet of human technology. Troops poured out, in purple armor, weilding weapons that many had not seen in a long time. Following that, another jet, touched down.
The troops went over to the frightened people, annoncing the situation, and herding them towards the second jet. Meanwhile, two fighters crisscrossed overhead, as if impatiently waiting for them or battle.
Right then, all hell broke loose.

*******************

Tyler watched as the ground below erupted into laser and plasma fire. Searing weapons tearing across the landscape.
"Tyler, their getting shot at!"
"Any idea on where they are?"
Kari looked down at her sensors, "I don't see any UFO's, but I do get a good deal of ground readings!"
"Follow me Kari!" Tyler shouted, as he dived his fighter down near the ground, with Kari following right behind him. The two fighters flew right down the street, where Tyler's sensors were able to get a better picture of the battle going on around them. Lasers and plasma hit their aircraft, doing minor damage. Tyler pulled up, satisfied with the sensor readings.
"They are using that building across from the Skyrangers, so all we have to do is cause a little more destruction in this city, like it needs it, and we'll be in the clear. Got it?" Tyler said. Kari grinned, "Let's kick some ass!" and with that, the two fighters closed in on the first building firing a volley of missiles at it, bright flashes erupted from inside the building, as the missiles fire surged through it. The building collapsed on itself, crushing the alien troops inside. The laser fire stoped.
Tyler communicated down to the ground forces, "Allright, we gave ya air support, now load the herds up, and lets ship out!"
The mission proceeded as plan, and soon all the aircraft were in the air agian, on their way to the Geofront.

*********************

Not everything was quite in order on board the Skyranger full of civilans. There was a bit of, uneasiness among them. More over, there was a large discerning paranoia among the X-COM troopers and the makeshift civilian militia. True, X-COM was founded to save the civilians, but there was too much covert work behind the mysterious X-COM forces for them.
The X-COM forces felt that they took a big risk in rescuing civilians from the outside world, which was clearly conquered by the alien forces.
Their fears may be right.
A strange looking wristwatch started to beep, on one of the arms of the civilians. Soon, more started to beep. In all, it seemed like four or five out of the twenty or more civilians they picked up, had these watched beeping. The first one reached into his pocket, fumbling around for some object. It took him a bit, but slowly he took out the handheld device, pointed it at an X-COM soldier, and pressed a trigger.
A short blast or two later, the X-COM officer was dead.
In a matter of moments, the whole Skyranger interior erupted in gun fire. X-COM troops, civilans, and a previously unknown faction, fired upon one and another. Another alien infiltartion mission had suceeded.
Tyler watched as the Skyranger erupted in flames, from the inside to the outside. He quickly fumbled the controls for his radio, signaling to the Skyranger. He never got a response. Meanwhile, a light was blinking, as Kari radioed him. He turned the dial, and listened in. She sounded frantic.
"Four! NO FIVE! Oh Shit! Alien fighters... on our tail!"
Tyler looked outside the canopy for any visual confirmation, getting none, he looked down at his radar. Five alien fighters were heading directly towards them at an unbelievable velocity. Tyler hit the button hard, turning off his auto pilot. His first task was to calm everyone down.
"All right, alien fighters incoming. Everyone, listen up. We're ready for this. Kari get off autopilot if you haven't! Skyranger-1, get down as close as you can to the ground, and set your nav point back to Lost Pines, we can't let them discover the Geofront."
"Ty.. Ty.. Tyler."
"What?!?" Tyler said, olny to take back his words as he saw the two alien medium UFO ships descending, in the direction of the Geofront. Meanwhile, it was in this moment of disater, that the alien fighters, came into weapons range. Tyler quickly dodged blasts as he communicated over to Kari.
"Kari! Get on the line to the Geofront, an alert them of the incomming craft! And watch your six!"
Tyler gasped, as he had olny gotten out his line seconds before Elerium missiles struck her Interceptor, which went up in flames. He watched as his lifelong companion, was suddenly no more then ashes, as the interceptor was annhihalted. His senses were no longer with him.
********************

He still remembers the first day they met, as he was wandering down what was left of a highway. Life in the aftermath of AW-1 was very hard on a boy of olny 10. Further more, his life was harder, without anyone to care for him. Both of his parents were in the town, when the aliens struck Texas.
He walked down the highway, along the Lost Pines. It was such a depressing scene, the woodlands he would play in, reduced to a burning arid landscape. He felt so alone, he began to wimper, even cry, as he walked futher.
The olny thing he would find, is a car along the way. He looked in, two see two adults, dead. He felt truly alone. He began to walk off, until he heard a soft cry, other then his own. He turned back to the car, and ran over.
In the backseat of the car, was a young, little girl. She was curled up in a ball, and softly crying to herself. Tyler slowly opened the charred door, looking at the young girl. She brought her head up, and Tyler saw straight into her tearful eyes. Tyler, while still to young to have any real feelings, knew he was no longer alone.

***********************

Eight years later,
He came to his senses finnaly, as his craft spiraled towards the ground. He watched as the ground rushed towards him.
I am alone agian, Tyler thought, it's as it was ten years ago.
He waited to join Kari...

************************
They had long since left the highway, discovering the futile attempt to traverse across Texas would take to long. Civilization was no where in sight.
It had been a day and a half since Tyler had met his young companion, Kari Willams. They had tried talking to each other, as kids do, about how school was, and who they *liked* and didn't *like*
They quickly became friends, finding ways to beat the lonelines and devistation, through conversation.
Both would later be found, side by side, on the ground starving, by a yonug female scientist, from a nearby base. They had both survived the Sectoid Halucasut.

************************

And I am not going to give up now, Tyler thought, I am sorry Kari, but your gonna have to wait for me!
He pulled up on the flightstick, the fighter pulling up, barrely skiming the ground. Two alien fighters were on his tail. Both firing lasers and plasma. Tyler regained his full senses, and hit the thrusters to 100% power. The fighter blasted across the alienated ground of Earth, with the two alien ships right behind him.
"Shit! I can't shake em!" Tyler shouted, as the two alien fighter lined up with him, in close pursuit.
Then, the massive plasma bolts fired. The two alien starships fired down upon the mound that was the visible portion of the Geofront. Tyler watched as plasma bolts struck the Geofront, terring through it's sheilding, and raining death upon those inside the underground city.
The horror was unspeakable to Tyler, and was then compounded by the blasts of Alien Plasma striking his ship. It fell, even with Tyler pulling back on the flightstick, the craft was beyond control.
His last thoughts as the fighter struck the Earth's surface was, Perhaps I will see you today Kari....