Part 39: Fahrenheit-451

Part 39: Fahrenheit 451!



Nnngggh. I can’t stand this. I’m going in the test chamber too. I don’t care if we’re going to be three days apart, I’d rather be with Cam than fidgeting helplessly and waiting.
Of course. You have a high willpower score, you’re likely to be able to support psychic powers, but it’s not a guarantee.
That’ll just leave our snipers as… Yoko and Zinchenko. (Fuck me…)



Kids, I got only one last lesson for you all. You’ve all done me very proud. Today is when you learn about how to lead through example!
I thought the lesson would involve pain and intimidation like all your other stuff.
Nope, I’ve taught you all about pain I need to. This is about inspiring others around you by letting them know you trust and rely upon them. They will naturally want to live up to that, and will become more likely to improve themselves as a result. But it only works if you also believe in yourself. Don’t ever let anyone catch you crying, unless it’s tears of joy.



…such as when you formally sign the papers with the attorney to adopt someone into your family. *sniff*
Mr. Van Doorn, I…
Nope! Nuh-uh. From now on, you can call me “Dad.”



Ahh, there it is! The EXALT cell we were going to send Yoko to.



Alright. Here I go. I’ll go with the “Zinchenko Loadout” if it’s not too much trouble. After that I think I’d like another new face, sir, I don’t like this one’s nose.
Uh, sure. Good luck!



Nothing to do now but wait… wow, we have a lot of stuff cooking up in the Foundry.
We’re finishing mass production of alien-style plasma grenades, another secondary SHIV, an upgrade to the SCOPE targeting system that should make it easier to hit an enemy’s vital points, an upgrade to the MEC unit’s punching system and armor plating…
We’ve almost got the UFO propulsion systems reproduced, as well.


****** TIME PASSES ********


********* MORE TIME PASSES ********



Damn, only one more day before Leroy and Watkins would have been ready. Let’s hit it.



Zhang says he’s as trained-up as he needs to be, so he’s letting Eva take his place. The rest of you, move out!
This’ll be easy. EXALT are a bunch of jokers and we get stronger every day.



Yoko had to extract early because her cover’s blown, and she made an explosive exit. She’s got all the data we need, but it’s still being transmitted. We need to keep her safe and keep that transmitter safe.
Can’t even imagine what it’s like for her. I mean, Cam, Mimi and Eva all got their faces changed by accident, and they’re mostly cool with it, but she doesn’t even care about replacing her DNA at will?
She’s struggling to find something that suits her, an identity of her own. Until then, she’ll always think of herself as a “Zero.”



Welp, there’s the blown-up car we heard about! This must be the spot! Weapons up, kids!



Niiiice. Exalt only invades really expensive neighborhoods, it seems.
They appear to be well-off. I suspect they’re corporate-funded rather than government-funded.
Why would corporations try to turn a profit from the destruction of the human race?
It’s called “short-selling.” They think they’ll come out on top despite it all. Bastards.



WOO! Ahh. Anybody who thinks being a machine means you have to be cold and lifeless is a fool. That never gets old. Yoko, you there?



Right here. Guh. We have a couple of problems. I don’t have the codes for their guns’s safety locks.
Oh, crap. We won’t be able to disable their weapons?
We can do it… if we take out the guy who’s got ‘em. The squad leader is hot on my trail, but I’ll be the only one who can identify him.
Uh-oh.



Here’s the encoder. They’ll hit this place first, take up positions around it. Yoko, try sneaking close to where you think they’ll show up. After we clear the first wave, we’ll go over the bodies.
That’s the second problem!



No problem! These scum die to a couple hits at most from our weaponry and they’re still using bullets!



Wanna bet, Frenchie?
Oh, shit! Lasers!



They’ve upgraded! They’re using much stronger Gene Mods and have laser weapons now!
Heh heh heh heh heh. Your plan to use a soldier to impersonate someone else was good, I’ll admit… but now I can see people’s bones with my X-Ray Eyes. Yours were slightly off.



Holo-targeting systems on! I’ve marked you for death, “Ana” or whatever your real name is!
Aaaah, hell.



Ha ha ha, almost got you, there.
Don’t shoot her in the brain, we want her brain!
You think this scares me? Queen shoots past my ear with lasers all the time!



Aha! There’s the computer!
Back off, soldier. Final warning.
You don’t scare me, Gomez. My skin is bullet-resistant now. I could be kicked by a horse and not feel it.



Then you’ll be happy to know we upgraded our rocket-fists, too!
BLAUGH!



Hey, X-Ray Man, have some magnesium!
AAUUGHG SHIT! MY EYES! THE NICTITATING MEMBRANE DOES NOTHING! DON’T DO THAT!



Then try a conventional explosion! Grenade out!
GRAUG!
Haha, teamwork! Hi-five!



You’re mine!



Just one left, then I need to go over the bodies. I think the codes are on the heavy weapons guy there.



Scratch that, three more coming in from the northwest!
Look at all that radical transformation they’ve undergone… such an unrestrained approach to their genetic modification. They may be capable of things our own troops aren’t.



But do they have LASER SHOTGUNS!?



Jimmy, nooo!
God damn it! No names! Not even after they die!



I’ll force this one’s head down! Suppressing fire!



Oh, yeah? Well I have a rocket launcher and I say FUCK YOU ALL!



AAAAHHH!



Hacking the encoder!
Gomez, stop them immediately or we’ll lose the data!



FZZZT! AUGH! I felt that right through the armor!
Haha! Not so tough when the laser is in the other hand, are you, tin woman?



Quick! His cover’s down, take him out so I can get the codes off his body!



HRRAAA!
Ohshitohshitohshit must hack faster, must hack faster…



Not fast enough, asshole!



hhrrrRRRAAAAAH!
Holy shit, I can’t do THAT!



There! I’ve got him! Quick, Yoko, get the codes.



Grrr… suppressing the other heavy to the north. More incoming. SHIT.



KILL EVERYONE! HAHAHAHAHAHA! NERD RAGE!



Nerd rage is no match for MAMA BEAR RAGE!
Nauuugh…



Thank you… Whew… here, finally, a chance to test out the heal-spray on this suit.



AH! These guys are serious!



Hold on tight, I’ll try to heal both of you.



And this’ll keep ‘em from shooting us or blasting a rocket in our direction.



Sir, they just vanished.
Then find them! Destroy them all!
Doing a good job of it so far, sir, but their encoder is hidden in an elevated, defensible position.
I’m sending more reinforcements. Drown them!



I’m sensing… three on the roofs, three on the ground, maybe more. We need to thin their numbers, fast!



Latisha, concentrate fire on the guy on the ground, we’ll let Gomez punch the guys off the roof if they climb up here.
Got it.



I punched one but there’s two more up here.
Good news!



Finally hacked their gun locks, you can break cover to end them. Quickly!



Vital points targeted. …you have a secondary liver?
It prevents poisoning!



But not a rail gun.



Nice. Mind if I cherry-tap the other one?



We got this sucka, roof secured, for the moment! Hugo? Eva? How you doing?



I won’t let you hurt anyone else!
She’s got it, Latisha. All currently-visible targets down!



Right! You’re both healed up, I’ll head to the roof to help them secure it.
Man, these guys blew the shit out of this bookstore.



More incoming from the east!
HRRAAAAAAA!



Oh, SHIT! They just blew away Number 232 with reaction fire! Uh, boss, I think we need to rethink our strategy. We’re making them bleed but they’re still kicking our asses!



Case in point… ugggh…
You FOOL! I’m glad you’re dead!
Ha! Got ‘em!



Just a couple of other guys left, I saw their helicopter pullin’ out.
COWAARRRRRDS! XCOM. You have my permission to annihilate these failures! Destroy them all!



Obsessive control complex. He’s losing control of the situation, so he changes the goalposts so we’re “following his instructions.” Mmm. By the way, you’re dead, mister.





Last one done over here. Anyone else?



All done. Damn. We’re going to need even better hardware or these guys will get dangerous fast.
Eva, you did a great job out there. You weren’t afraid at all.
Awww. Thank you. Me and Hugo make a good team!



Well, good, you’re going to be hospital buddies for the next few days. At least we’ve upgraded our recovery program so you’ll be out of there in less than a week.
Do you think we could reverse-engineer those EXALT gene mods?
Hmm. I’ll see. I think they use an entirely different method than our own.



Yoko, great job. Even when the unexpected struck, you kept your cool. You want to look like anything other than that, let me know. You’ve earned it.
I’m still trying to figure that out, Commander… but thanks. If nothing else, at least… well. At least I’ve got one home.



You can’t out-jog me, Zin, I’m a cyborg! I don’t get tired till the batteries run out, and that’s over a week away at this rate.
Ha! But you are an impatient woman. This is a battle of WILLS!
I’m not— oh, whatever! You’re crazy! I’m leaving now.
HAHA! SEE! I have defeated you!

To Be Continued