Boyscouts Do (and Get Done in) America

A trail of smoke soared down the mid-eastern evening sky. If you took a really close look, you could notice that it was from something bigger than a plane, but not much. A large scout had decided to scout the neighbourhood and XCOM Central was alerted. Skyranger took off immediately.

[SKYRANGER CABIN TRANSCRIPTION]

Sureshot: Hell yeah, another scout mission. Hey Hipster, better keep those rockets and frags in locker since we want this pile of hardware intact.

Hipster: At the end of the day, if it's me or some box of cables and shit, it isn't a choice after all. Ask El Fenrir.

El Fenrir: Right.

Ironside: So, how is it, Sureshot? Scotch time soon?

Sureshot: Not now. Not since Proxy died.

*a long silence*

Pilot: We're closing in, dropping you on the edge of a small clearing.

[TRANSCRIPTION ENDS]

The squad advanced according to practiced tactics like a well-oiled machine. Harmony Lad got everyone covered and the UFO was very close. Still no movement. All of a sudden, three floaters emerged from the woods on the left side of the saucer. Even though floaters can be terrific in flanking and causing general problems, they lack big time on the tactical side. All of them clumped, Hipster unloaded a rocket in the middle of them, sending pieces of flesh and machinery flying around in a macabre confetti. Still, no movement from within the saucer. Not until Ironside got too near. The front door popped open and three mutons emerged, alongside with a berserker and things were immediately out of hand. Sureshot and Broden got hit by an alien grenade, but their newly built titan armors held together. Still, the berserker was rampaging all over the place and the squad peppered it with everything they got. Sureshot advanced closer to the right side of the UFO to flank the mutons and two more appeared, accompanied with another berserker. Things looked grim as the aliens had obviously upped the ante in manpower. The squad and mutons exchanged shots and both Ironside and Broden got the short end by drawing extra attention from the mutons. Their titan armor was all but disintegrated in the fierce plasma fire.

[TACTICAL COMMS TRANSCRIPTION]

Ironside: Come on DIE *scatter laser blast* DIE *another*

*roaring* *a loud thump*

Ironside: He's down. Sureshot watch the flanks, the mutons seem to group on you!

Sureshot: I got everything under contr-- *static*

Ironside: Sureshot? Talk to me!

El Fenrir: Oh my God, I saw him die, he's gone, they're everywhere, we're all dead! *plasma firing*

[TRANSCRIPTION ENDS]

El Fenrir started shooting all over the place, now also mentally overwhelmed by the formidable opponents. Sureshot got squarely hit by two of the mutons from the flank and his carapace armor was dissolved in a blink of an eye. So was him and the stakes on each mission became high and clear. This heavy plasma rifle technology the aliens carried was vastly superior to the current XCOM equipment and experience played no role when facing raw laws of physics.

The other berserker was roaring towards Ironside. It steamrolled through the devastating crossfire and seemingly completely unable to feel any pain, it advanced next to Ironside in an apparent attempt to rip his head off.

[TACTICAL COMMS TRANSCRIPTION]

Ironside: Not today, fatso.

[TRANSCRIPTION ENDS]

The berserker fell and the rest of the mutons got caught in the crossfire. Still, the loss of yet another iron-hard veteran was scalding the squad morale. Ironside and Hipster were pretty badly banged up and new recruits were needed.