An artificial warrior… created to supplement the limitations of the many… failures. Crafted with a singular purpose… it ultimately contributes little to our cause. Still, there is hope, as the New One approaches…

Ruby vowed to never again hope that things would "get easier" during an operation. Because the moment that thought crossed her mind after the Muton encounter, cosmic forces decided to crush her dreams by throwing Strike One up against a squad of Sectopods. Squaring off against two proved hard enough in the past, but apparently the Ethereals wanted to provide themselves with some entertainment before facing their deaths. And quite honestly, Happy Fun Ethereal Murdertime seemed like the best way to blow off some steam for Ruby if she managed to get out of this Sectopod fight in one piece. Maybe Annette had the right idea all along.

"We've got problems, Actual. Two of the 'pods are locking in on your location with their missile salvos while the other three have their cannons primed and ready to vaporize anyone trying to dodge the fireworks." Ren reported from his hidden position across the room.

Van Doorn swore before keying his mic, "Then we'll just have to take our chances. Sabretooth? You still good at running overwatch?"

"Now that I have my semblance to work with?" Blake asked, "I'm even better."

With feline grace, Blake dashed out from cover and into the open. Two of the three Sectopods immediately opened fire with their primary cannons, scoring direct hits with their deadly ordnance. However, the target fizzled into a shadowy afterimage, and the real Blake continued running, ducking, and weaving. Van Doorn watched as Blake would freeze every few seconds before vanishing into nothingness and marveled at the incredible utility of the huntress's power.

"You're a goddamn miracle, Five. Seven, you can handle the last one, right?"

"Absolutely." Jaune answered, brandishing his family heirloom and stepping out to stare down the Sectopod. As the death machine charged its cannon, Jaune braced himself for the painful impact. His entire body rocked as the cannon's payload crashed into his shield, and Jaune's aura flared in protest at the heavy and sudden assault. The salvo lasted for a solid four seconds, and Jaune felt every strike blast away a chunk of his very soul. And yet, when the robot's cannon finally fell silent, Jaune remained standing.

"Well done, Seven! Everybody clear out!"

The final pair of Sectopods finished their lock-on sequence just as Strike One began to clear out from the middle balcony and dash for safety on either side of the room, and the whistling of rockets filled the room moments later as the team's original cover became saturated with high-yield explosives. The blazing heat from the explosion grazed Ruby's back while she slid to safety behind a wide pillar, and she watched the rest of the operatives follow suit to weather out the firestorm as one whole side of the room was reduced to slag.

"Yeesh, glad nobody got left behind in that mess." Ruby commented while she did a quick headcount, "Although now that I have thoroughly jinxed myself, has anyone seen my sister? She's been awfully quiet for at least a minute, and that actually worries me."

"Worry not, little sister!" Yang called out over the comms, "The Doorninator sent me and Penny on a little mission. Preparations are alllllmost finished!"

From Ruby's left, Blake sighed, "Yang, tell me it's not what I think it is."

"Oh, you know it is."

"Just… make sure your limbs are stored somewhere safe, okay?"

"Don't worry, Blake!" Penny chirped, "The Odin's many utility bins have the capacity to store a lot more than a few arms and legs. Besides, this plan has many positive benefits! Not only is Yang able to use her Aura to protect his hardware platform against the HEAT munitions utilized by our enemies, but I am now able to focus all of my processing power on the Odin's auxiliary systems."

Blake glanced at Ruby and muted her comm, "I just asked my best friend to make sure she's storing her limbs in a safe place while she joyrides in a giant robot. I've lost control of my life, Ruby."

"At least you're not losing control of the situation!" Ruby joked.

"Oh man, you have got to take this thing for a spin sometime, Blakey. I feel so badass right now."

"I'm happy for you, Yang." Blake answered, sharing an eyeroll with Ruby, "Now can we please get on with solving the problem at hand?"

"Alright, Penny. Let's see if we're drift-compatible."

"Goddammit, Yang."

The sound of a loud bang caused Ruby to snap her head towards the doorway the team came through, and she saw a grenade sail through the air towards the Sectopods. Her eyes focused on the small details of the explosive's exterior, and she grinned when she spotted a small lightning bolt stamped on the metal casing. It hit the ground between the front two Sectopods and detonated in a storm of electricity.

"Thank God for Dust." Beagle whispered in awe as the power surge coursed through the mechanical aliens.

Van Doorn seized the opportunity and started issuing orders, "Beags, pop a Shredder on their asses to soften up our guests. Gizmo, get a lock on the Titan in the back, and don't let up until you've killed it or you're out of ammo. Elsa, I think our Odin support has the right idea with Lightning Dust, so you're on shock duty. Sabretooth and Shrike, stay back for now, but I want you poised to go in hard and fast if you have an opening to do some serious damage. Hammertime, pound them with grenades to keep the pressure up, maybe work with Elsa like you did with the Floaters. Arkos, get their attention on you by staying front and center, though be ready to dive for cover if they start charging their death beams. No-Scope, wait for them to expose a weakness, then capitalize the shit out of it." He turned to Annette, "Major, a little bit of inspiration to kick things off, if you would be so kind?"

Annette nodded, her eyes glowing purple as she channeled her psionic energy. When she spoke, her voice carried an unnatural weight with every word, "Stand firm, friends. The enemy doesn't stand a chance."

With Yang and Penny bursting through the vaulted archway to punctuate the start of Strike One's counteroffensive, van Doorn felt adrenaline surge through him from Annette's words. His Heavy Plasma Rifle locked and loaded, the Field Commander took aim and joined the opening salvo against the alien metalheads.

"This is Strike Two, the mechanicals are tearing us a new one. Partizan stayed behind to fire one last rocket at these fucks and buy us some time to fall back. We could seriously use some more backup to stem the tide of 'toids and 'discs over here."

"Two contacts coming down the hallway." Zhang muttered to his squadmates, "Take up positions behind this doorway and that crate, and be ready to open fire on my mark."

He probably looked ridiculous wearing little more than a medical gown, but the two security guards immediately followed his orders and prepared for the ambush. The heavy footfalls of the Mutons became louder a few seconds later, and Zhang quietly took aim at head level with his hand cannon while the aliens carried on towards certain death. The moment the first target stomped into view, Zhang shattered its breather mask with a shot to the face. His squadmates followed up by peppering the alien with laser fire as the targets scrambled for cover against the surprise attack.

A second shot from Zhang echoed through the hall, killing the wounded alien when it peeked out from cover to get a look at the opposition. The Colonel pulled back to the safety of the doorway as plasma fire from the second Muton sizzled past. With the element of surprise gone and with no equipment beyond a handgun and two laser rifles, Zhang only had a handful of tricks at his disposal. He couldn't risk trading blows with the Muton, because a single plasma shot would be fatal if it hit him anywhere that wasn't an arm or a leg. Further, he didn't want to order the security personnel to shoot in his stead and hope for the best, because that would just be throwing lives away.

"Sir." The guard next to him started, pulling Zhang out of his thoughts, "I'll do whatever it takes. Just tell me what you need."

Zhang smiled. Here stood before him a soldier, likely scared out of his mind and yet still perfectly willing to sacrifice his life if his superior officer said to. The old Zhang would've gladly taken up his offer without a second thought. The new Zhang, however…

"I need you to stay alive, soldier, for your corpse is of little use to me. We just need a way to make sure the bastard doesn't take our heads off the moment we peek around the corner."

The soldier looked visibly relieved at the Colonel's words, "Thank you sir, I won't let you down. I-" Zhang cut him off with a tackle to the floor behind the doorway as soon as he heard the beeping of the alien grenade. The explosive detonated, obliterating the cover previously occupied by the pair, and Zhang heard the Muton roar in anger.

Over the sounds of the Muton's rage, Zhang heard the quiet whimpers of his other squadmate, and he stole a cautious peek to see the guard on the floor with a hand clutching his abdomen.

"Strike Three-Seven's hanging on by a thread against the Chryssalids. We're stemming the tide for now, but it'll take just one to break through before we have some problems."

"Shit, we don't have time for this." Zhang muttered. He needed a plan, and he needed it now. He glanced around for something, anything, he could use before his eyes settled on a fire extinguisher. Without a sound, he pulled the tool off the wall and shared a glance with his partner. He pulled the safety pin out of the extinguisher's trigger mechanism and counted down from three. At zero, he held the nozzle out and unleashed a large blast of flame-retardant powder into the hallway separating Zhang from his wounded ally while the other guard made a dash through the concealing cloud. Plasma bolts pierced the fog, but the plan worked perfectly.

"And now for phase two…" The Colonel cocked his arm back and hurled the canister towards the Muton. He heard it clang on the floor and start to roll before he dashed out from the fog himself. The moment he had a line of sight to the extinguisher, Zhang raised his handgun and fired. He scored a direct hit, causing more powder explosively poured out from the entry hole and engulfed the Muton's position. Zhang looked back and saw his squadmate running forward towards the Colonel's new position with a rifle in each hand. He reached some cover next to the Colonel and tossed him the spare rifle.

"I'm guessing you're not carrying any spare rounds for your handgun, and Vargova isn't making much use of this at the moment." Zhang nodded in appreciation before taking the rifle in one hand. A brief look of confusion crossed the guard's face before realization dawned on him, "You… don't have a place to holster your handgun, do you?"

"No." Zhang answered, "But I don't think I need one."

"But sir… I don't think it's possible to properly aim a rifle with one hand."

"Not with that attitude, it's not. Let's go bag us a Muton."

Zhang stepped out from cover and kicked a supply crate towards the powdered fog. He heard it crash into a wall, followed by a surprised grunt of the Muton, before he took aim with his new rifle and pulled the trigger. The laser technology hummed as it charged up, and Zhang felt the rifle recoil slightly as a bright red beam lanced through the white smoke. The other guard, encouraged by a roar of pain from the Muton, followed suit and fired blindly into the white cloud. A few plasma bolts shot out in random directions as the Muton tried to haphazardly retaliate, but fortune smiled upon Zhang's opening shot and allowed the Colonel to hit something vital. He discharged his rifle twice more before advancing into the fog towards his foe.

He heard the alien moan in pain as he approached. Once Zhang stepped close enough to view his enemy through the blanket of white, he saw the Muton laying on the floor, Plasma Rifle clutched weakly in its hand. The monstrous creature looked up, cast one hateful glare at Zhang, and tried to bring his rifle to bear on the Colonel. A high-caliber shot from Aureate Mercy rang out, and the Muton lay well and truly dead on the floor.

"Holy hell, sir." The guard said as he saw the powder dissipate and reveal the grisly scene, "I guess this is why you're the Colonel. Are you alright?"

"Strike Four, reporting in with more bad news. We had a killzone set up around the elevator entrance to the Research floor, but the aliens broke it. Fuckin' Sectoid Commanders don't play fair. Those of us left are trying to regroup and form another defensive line, but it'll probably be up to Nine to hold the Labs."

Zhang coughed and started walking back towards their wounded comrade, "Never been better, except for this white shit that's probably halfway to my lungs now. Then again, I've breathed in worse at the hands of Thin Men, so I'll live. How's Vargova?"

"Took a glancing blow to the ribs. Shit's gonna hurt like hell until he can get patched up, but I think the plasma actually cauterized the wound, so he'll be alright until help arrives."

Zhang looked down at Vargova, who looked a little woozy from the pain, "Can you stand, soldier?"

"I… what?" The guard slurred.

"Stand. Can you stand?" Zhang repeated.

"Maybe?" Vargova leaned forward, slowly trying to get to his hands and knees. Zhang sighed, put down his weapons, and pulled the man to his feet. With aliens slowly overrunning the base, the three of them didn't exactly have the luxury of time. He handed off the wounded soldier before picking up his weapons once again.

"Alright, let's move out. Looks like the Nine's are hosting a party. It'd be a shame if we missed it."

"Go get 'em, Gidjit!"

Yang felt a slight pressure on the Odin's back as the Cyberdisc ejected from its cradle. The flying robot stabilized its flight before floating around one side of the hallway to flank the Sectopods. Weiss's lightning storms kept some of the walkers occupied, but the amount of volts required to keep all five of them shocked was well above the huntress's limitations. Jaune and Pyrrha picked up the slack by firing upon the Sectopods from the center of the room and tanking shots while the rest of the team continued to hammer the machines from afar. The hardened shells of the Sectopods nullified the effectiveness of Dust rounds, however, so the slow-but-steady method of whittling down their hull integrity with plasma served as the only alternative.

Well, Yang planned to speed things along a bit.

"Hey Penny, you've got some targets for me yet?"

"Yes! I've been coordinating with Captain Ruby, and we've identified several vulnerabilities that are beginning to form on our targets. Would you like to focus on the one in the front targeting Pyrrha and Jaune, or the Titan-class contact in the back?"

Yang loaded up a pair of slugs into her Railguns and began to cycle her weapons into a charged state, "You know what they say, kiddo: go big, or go home. Gimme a firing solution for our Titan buddy."

"Done. Shall I lead off with a salvo from the MLRS?"

"… Marry me, Penny."

"I'm not sure how that's relevant, but I'll take it as a yes!"

The Odin's shoulder-mounted rocket pod snapped to a forward position, and Yang's HUD lit up with a multitude of projected impact locations for Penny's salvo. The micro rockets ignited a second later, and the air in the room became filled with the contrails of ten warheads streaking towards the Sectopods before shaking the room with their explosive impact.

"Okay, please remind me why I'm here again." Beagle complained.

"Don't feel bad, Captain!" Penny chirped, "The Odin's Multi-Launch Rocket System is only capable of being fired once, as Dr. Shen didn't have time to implement a reloading mechanism before the Temple Ship assault. If we fight anything more dangerous than these Sectopods later on, it will be up to you to and Sergeant Nora to deploy Strike One's explosive capabilities!"

Beagle sighed, "The question was rhetorical, Penny, but thanks anyway."

Yang stepped up to the edge of the wrecked balcony and raised her arms, "Penny, would you mind giving these guns a nudge and to make sure they hit our target dead on?"

"Of course! Be advised, the Titan appears to be preparing to fire."

"Well, so are we. Aim for its death cannon when the plating opens up."

"All units, concentrate fire on the Titan!" Van Doorn called out as he joined Yang in her efforts to take down the gargantuan Sectopod. A flash of light on the ground floor caused the Field Commander to glance down and see Jaune standing out in the open and staring down the machines, his Semblance armor glowing a bright white as he tried to keep their attention on him. The Titan dropped into a firing position and produced its main cannon for Yang to shoot at. The Odin's Rail Guns hummed before explosively ejecting their alloyed slugs with a thunderous boom. A large plume of flame erupted from the Titan as it staggered back from the force of Yang's attack. Three other Sectopods opened up their cannon ports and took aim at the massive MEC.

"Penny!"

"Deploying Jetboot Modules! Please protect the cockpit, Yang!"

The huntress felt herself bob slightly as the Odin lifted off the ground. She crouched into a defensive position and brought the Rail Gun arms up to cover the MEC's body. Yang heard two of the Sectopods fire while Penny drifted the Odin into a juking maneuver, and she winced as she felt at least one of the enemy's cannon shot's connect with her hardware's frame. The impact of the blow sent the hovering Odin tumbling to the ground floor, and Yang yelled in frustration. She glanced up to assess the damage, and noticed a sprawled Jaune on the ground in front of her.

"… Jaune, are you alright?"

"Yeah." He groaned, "Those things can hit pretty hard, though. I'm glad Ruby managed to disable one before it could fire. You doing okay?"

"Better than I would have been if you didn't tank one of the shots for me." She admitted as she pulled herself back to her feet and loaded a new pair of slugs into her armaments, "But you do realize that this thing has armor for a reason, right?"

"It's also got Strike One's biggest guns. Every hit on the Odin might be the one that takes your Rail Guns offline."

"Titan is down, but not out." Blake reported over the comms, "I'm moving in with Shrike to finish it off."

Two shadowy figures materialized behind the Sectopod formation and descended upon the wounded behemoth. Their Gauss-enhanced weaponry chattered as the two hunters closed to melee range and set to work shredding the robot's vital hardware. The Titan tried to use its backup Plasma Rifle, but Blake cleanly dismembered it with a swipe from Gambol Shroud. The other Sectopods took notice of the two operatives laying into their 'leader' and deployed their own pintle-mounted Plasma Rifles, forcing Blake and Ren to retreat to safety and lick their wounds.

"Shame you couldn't finish the Titan." Van Doorn commented.

"Wait for it, Actual."

The grenade left behind by Blake detonated seconds later, leading into an explosive and definitive end for the Sectopod.

Annette whooped, "That's what I'm talking about! Let's bag the rest of these bastards so I can get my murder on with the Ethereals."

The Chryssalid gurgled lamely as the bullet from Aureate Mercy shot out its throat. Zhang glanced back to see his squadmate (Anderson Menezes, he learned once he realized he should know the names of the guards accompanying him) still supporting a dazed Vargova. Down the hall and around the corner, he could hear the sounds of gunfire and shouting operatives. Once he reached the labs, Zhang could find someone to take care of Vargova while he and Menezes joined Strike Nine in holding off the aliens. He might receive some strange looks for joining the fight in an opened-back gown from the medbay, but XCOM had more pressing matters than to judge the Colonel on his sense of combat fashion.

As the trio continued their slow advance down the hallway, the vents above started to clatter. The soldiers froze as the banging continued along the vent before Zhang quietly raised his laser rifle and aimed at the aluminum structure and fired off a burst of energy that tore the metal wide open and sent a Sectoid tumbling into the hallway. Zhang growled and held the trigger down on his rifle as he unloaded into the unlucky alien, turning the little gray creature into a pile of ash.

A pile of ash that started leaking black matter.

"Shit, we need to move now, Menezes."

"Yes sir, I'll-" Zhang glanced back when the soldier cut himself off, only to see a glazed look on his face and a faint purple glow in his eyes. The Colonel desperately cast his eyes around to locate the hidden Sectoid Commander, even as he heard the dead corpses on the floor bubble and congeal into cohesive piles of black matter. As he stared at Menezes, he saw a very faint trail of purple extend from his head that seemed to flow like smoke on a breeze. He strained to focus eyes eyes, and saw that the trail back to the corner they had come from. With a low growl, Zhang walked quickly towards the corner and checked the bullets left in his revolver. One bullet. Provided he could get close enough to the little bugger, one bullet was all he needed.

The Commander must have sensed his approach, because it quickly stepped out from the corner and Zhang watched it send a blast of psionic energy in his direction. He didn't have enough time to dodge the attack, so he felt it slam into his chest and forcefully stagger him backwards. Zhang heard Menezes drop Vargova behind him, and the Colonel knew that he needed to kill the Sectoid quickly. He gritted his teeth and took aim at the alien. The bugger's eyes grew wide, and it turned tail to run away. A single shot echoed through the hallway, and the blood-splattered Sectoid corpse skidded to a halt a few seconds later.

Zhang jogged back to his squadmates and helped the dazed Menezes pick up Vargova, "Now we must run. That little scuffle cost us precious seconds that could have been better spent putting distance between us and the growing Grimm."

"I know, sir. Sorry I couldn't resist the mind control." Menezes apologized as he and Zhang practically dragged the bleeding Vargova between them.

"It's not your fault, soldier. Those Commanders are very good at what they do, and what they do is get into your head and make you want to kill the man standing next to you."

They rounded the corner and set eyes on a makeshift barricade erected around the entryway into a lab halfway down the hall. Zhang counted six operatives manning the fortifications, and he watched one raise her eyebrows in shock at the sight of the barely-dressed Colonel and two security guards rapidly staggering towards their position.

"Look alive, soldiers. We've got at least one Grimm forming up in the hallway behind me, with another one likely on its way. This man needs triage, and I need some armor that's more effective than a goddamn patient's gown."

"I- what- of course, sir." The operative sputtered as she struggled to come to terms with the developing scene before her. With the help of another operative, she cleared a path through the barricade to allow the newcomers entry into the lab. As Zhang's eyes adjusted to the brighter lighting of the room, he saw a surprised Vahlen look up from a patient's bed in the back.

"I thought I heard your voice, Colonel. What are you doing here?"

"Finding someone to treat this man, for starters." He answered, nodding at Vargova, "And following Bradford's orders to defend the Labs. What's the situation here?"

Vahlen looked ready to reprimand Zhang for not staying in the Medbay, but decided against it, "You'll have ask the leader of Strike Nine. I'm just focusing on trying to keep as many people alive as possible." She answered as she helped Zhang escort the wounded guard into an open bed, "She's out front manning the barricades."

"Probably the one who let me in, then. Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome. Oh, and Zhang?" The Colonel stopped walking towards the door and glanced back at Vahlen, waiting for her to continue, "Do be careful. You were obviously healthy enough to make it here, and I'll be the first to admit that I feel safer with you around, but there's a fair chance that you may exacerbate your wounds if you throw yourself back into combat immediately."

"I'll bear that in mind while I fight to keep you and your staff safe, Doctor." Zhang quipped as he resumed walking towards the door to meet with Strike Nine and help orchestrate the defenses of the Lab.

Although Strike One succeeded in bringing down the Titan, the other four Sectopods still put up an incredible fight. Weiss's lightning storms became increasingly ineffective as time wore on, and the machines managed to fire off more shots and missile barrages against the operatives. Ruby slowed the onslaught by firing precision shots into the gaping maws of the assault cannons, but the amount of kinetic energy required to successfully stun one of the Sectopods forced her to carefully space out her incapacitating shots or risk damaging Crescent Rose. Though good cover and effective use of Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune as tanks minimized the damage, the squad's backline would need some attention from the squad's medic after the fight concluded.

Whenever possible, Blake and Ren performed hit-and-run strikes against the Sectopods in the back. While the machines had armored plating almost everywhere, the two hunters found small vulnerabilities they could exploit to impair the mobility and overall effectiveness of their foes. Pyrrha used her acrobatic combat style to great effect by keeping the secondary weapons of the Sectopods occupied and off the rest of the squad. Jaune supported her by acting as a safe haven and drawing some of the alien fire away from his partner. Gizmo continued to pelt the machines with shot after shot from her Particle Cannon, and Ruby watched as the damage started to add up.

"Y'know… I really do hate fighting these guys." The Field Commander commented, "I just feel so out of my element, you know? Give me a pack of Floaters or Mutons, and I can send them straight to hell. These armored monstrosities? Not so much."

"Tell me about it." Annette said with an eye roll, "I mean, I've got a fair shot at taking one down at close range, but I can't do shit against four. And none of my psychic bullshit works against them either, so no Magic Missiles for me."

Van Doorn popped out to fire another burst from his rifle before ducking back behind cover, "Well, hopefully we'll have the chance to feel useful again when the Ethereals come out to play. I know you've been itching for a fight with them."

"Oh, I've got a bone to pick with those fucks." Annette answered, her eyes flashing dangerously, "When we find them, you just sit back and watch the show, sir."

"Second target down!" Blake called out, her news punctuated by a ground-shaking explosion.

"BFG, move in with Gidjit and keep the pressure on." The Field Commander ordered, "Got a feeling these tin cans can't hold out much longer."

"Yes sir!" Yang's Rail Guns boomed as she stomped forward towards the remaining Sectopods. Despite taking more hits during the fight, the Odin seemed to show no sign of wearing down. In fact, the Rail Guns seemed to fire with greater force now that the aliens had well and truly pissed Yang off. Her weapons thumped once more, and the two alloyed slugs cleanly punched through one of the robots.

"Beags!"

"Yep!" A rocket screamed across the room and slammed into the crippled Sectopod, enveloping it in fire and smoke. Several internal systems combusted from the heat before the machine blew apart completely.

"We've got 'em on the ropes! Keep it up!"

Gidjit unpacked into its Assault Form before laying into one of the remaining Sectopods with a point-blank salvo. Nora and Ruby shared a knowing look with each other, and the two raced forward while their weapons shifted into a hammer and scythe.

The one on the right has smoke venting from where Gidjit blasted it. Ruby psychically informed her friend, I'll bet you can take it down from there.

Nora grinned and broke off to attack her target while Ruby sized up the remaining Sectopod. She quickly ducked behind a pillar when the Plasma Rifle raked across the room to keep her back.

"Jaune? I could use a little cover."

"No problem, Captain! Get behind me!" With Jaune in front, the pair slowly advanced on the Sectopod. It tried to attack with its main cannon, but Gizmo dropped a high-powered shot straight down its maw. Once Jaune got her close enough, Ruby jumped out from cover and raked Crescent Rose along one of the robot's ankles. When its rifle spun around to get another bead on her, she fired a snap shot that blew the gun apart.

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." She muttered while she dashed forward and hooked her scythe into one of the Sectopod's 'eyes.' Ruby used her leverage and momentum to swing herself into the air before twisting around and blasting herself back towards the robot. Crescent Rose smashed into a second optical unit, and the Sectopod frantically staggered around in an attempt to throw Ruby off. In the chaos caused by the robot's panic, Pyrrha leapt up onto its head and put her hand on one of its armored plates. While Ruby continued to systematically blind the Sectopod, an awful groaning of fatigued metal echoed throughout the room. Nora's victim came crashing down under the force of Magnhild just as the rending metal of Ruby and Pyrrha's prey finally tore free.

"All units, open fire!"

Ruby and Pyrrha jumped clear of the Sectopod while an array of slugs, plasma bolts, and high-energy particles assaulted the helpless machine. It crumpled after a few seconds from the onslaught, and joined its brother as a pile of scrap metal on the floor.

"Status check." Van Doorn called out, "Is everybody alright?"

"If someone can look at this piece of shrapnel jammed into my bicep, that'd be great." Beagle commented.

"I'll need a few minutes to rest up, sir." Jaune reported, "My Aura's just about gone."

"All systems on the Odin are functional, sir! Sergeant Xiao Long is an excellent pilot."

Blake materialized next to the Field Commander, "Suffered some minor burns from a few lucky overwatch shots, but I should be alright until Vahlen has a chance to look at them."

"Alright. Shrike, do what you can, and then we'll move on. Got a feeling that the main event is coming up next."

Zhang sighed contentedly as he stepped out of the Labs clad in real armor. The squad leader of Strike Nine, a Corporal Melanie 'Collateral' Patterson, almost cried with relief when Zhang requested she formally transfer squad leadership to him. 'Strike Nine' consisted of all the operatives who hadn't been assigned to one of the other eight squads. It wasn't a real squad until a few hours ago when Bradford needed to utilize all base personnel, and that included making a cohesive team out of XCOM's leftovers, a fact that didn't bother Zhang one bit.

"We're getting chewed up in Delta Section. Casualties have been kept to a minimum so far, but we're running on fumes. Requesting permission to fall back immediately."

"Permission granted, Two." Zhang heard Bradford answer, "We're holed up here in Mission Control with the rest of Six and most of Engineering. Fall back to our location, and we'll reinforce you."

On the whole, XCOM's prospects for surviving the base assault looked bleak. Bradford's Strike teams, while performing valiantly, were getting pushed back on all fronts. The operatives in Nine had their own commlinks, and they could all hear each and every piece of bad news as it came through the pipe. It didn't take a Colonel to see that his troops needed some serious words of encouragement if they were to avoid panicking at the first sight of a Thin Man or Chryssalid.

Zhang took a deep breath, "I don't give a shit about how much experience you may or may not have." The Colonel said as he hefted his Autolaser. He could have taken the Pulse Autoblaster from Nine-Five, but Zhang wasn't about to handicap one of his new subordinates simply because she had a better gun, "Just as my skill on the battlefield isn't dictated by the strength of the weapon in my hand, your potential to fight for humanity is not dependent on how many aliens you've killed."

In addition to seven actual operatives, Zhang had at his command a large number of base security personnel, all of them fearfully gripping the laser or gauss rifle in their hands.

"Central, this is Strike Five. A large contingency of Mutons just wiped out the last of Strike Four. Repeat, Strike Four is lost."

"If you can listen to me and follow orders in the face of danger," he continued, "I promise that we'll see these arrogant motherfuckers drowning in a pool of their own blood."

One of the base techs raised a timid hand, "But sir… if the operatives in Engineering couldn't hold out against the aliens, what chance do we have?"

"A fighting one." Zhang answered, "It will be, without a doubt, the hardest fight of your life. But remember, we've come this far on the backs of the brave men and women that came before us, those that gave their flesh and blood to keep the bastards at bay. Do you want to honor their sacrifice by doubting everything they died for?"

"No sir…"

"Remember the fallen, my friends." The Colonel continued, "Casino and Tombstone. Scarecrow and Sledge. Defwen and Bolts. From the legendary to the lowly, they all shared one thing. A burning fire in their hearts that the aliens will never snuff out. Even in death, they are with us still, giving us the courage and determination to fight tooth and nail for the tomorrow we all deserve."

"Three-Seven here, they have the hangars. We're falling back to Mission Control."

Zhang carried on, as if oblivious to the words echoing through the comm system, "Know that each of you, in your heart of hearts, has what it takes to beat these bastards back. To show them that humanity is not to be fucked with. These Ethereals have the audacity to think that, because of their fancy spaceships and host of subservient races at their command, they can just waltz in here and take from us what's rightfully ours. Are you prepared to show them that the only thing they deserve is a fucking bullet between the eyes?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Zhang nodded, "Good. Operatives, form up on the barricades with Tech Squad Alpha. Squads Beta and Gamma will remain in reserve just inside the labs, ready to replace Alpha on my command. What we lack in psionic or mechanical support, we'll make up for it through superior numbers and sheer force of will. Here and now is where you will prove your worth as Guardians of Earth. Will the world remember you as the brave men and women of XCOM who held the line in the eleventh hour? I think you are, and it's up to you to prove it to me."

With righteous blood properly flowing through the soldiers of his squad, Zhang keyed his comm link, "This is Colonel Zhang of Strike Nine, requesting that any and all units in the vicinity of the Labs fall back and regroup at my location. We'll keep the research team protected while Central holds out in Mission Control."

The comms fell silent for a good thirty seconds before anyone spoke again, "It's damn good to hear your voice sir. Strike Five is en route to assist, Colonel."

A cheer went up among his Lab defenders at the prospect of another Strike team coming to their aid. Zhang smiled as the adrenaline-fueled shout of his team echoing up and down the hall was answered with the familiar roar of a Muton squad.

"Buckle up, soldiers. Papa Muton wants to pay us a visit, and he's bringing the football team with him. Why don't we give them a proper welcome?"