"X-Com: The Unknown Menace" by Hobbes

Prologue


December 17th, 1946

USS Philippine Sea, South Atlantic


Although it was summer on the southern hemisphere, the USAAF officer that was near one of the elevators on the flight deck of the Essex class aircraft carrier had chosen to wear his flight jacket since the temperatures had been dropping as the fleet moved south towards its destination.

The man, who seemed to be on his early thirties had a smooth face and light eyes, with his nose and ears starting to turn reddish from the cold air outside. The weather was a bit cloudy and it was the first sign to the fleet of gray ships that things were about to get rougher in their mission. The Philippine Sea was the largest ship of the sixteen vessels that made the task force. Besides the combat escorts it included tenders for seaplanes and tankers, together with a Coast Guard icebreaker that had been rushed from California to be included in the force.

Looking at the deck of the carrier and seeing his own plane, he shook his head in frustration. He couldn't understand the reasons why the Navy had decided to send a dedicated task force of nearly five thousand men to such an extreme place. And it annoyed him even more that his superior officers hadn't deemed it to be important enough that they had decided not to tell him why he was being sent on the mission. He had fought a number of operations on that conflict with the OSS as the Office of Strategic Services had been known until it's retirement last year. But now that the war was over it seemed that the politicians were bent on getting rid of all things military. The intermilitary branch agency had been dismantled last year and he had barely managed to remain attached to what remained of it. However nowadays the Army seemed in a hurry to get rid of every soldier and officer in the ranks.

He wore golden seven-sided leaves on the collars of his shirt that had almost disappeared completely into the inside of his thick flying jacket. He'd be considered a bit too young for the rank of major if the war hadn't given him several chances for promotion. However he hadn't missed any of the action since the Battle of Britain in 1940 were he had volunteered to fight for the Royal Air Force. By the time of the entry of the US in the war in the end of 1941 he was one of the top US flyers. And the Pentagon had been really quick on assigning him to the newly formed OSS, which badly needed veteran combat pilots. To his surprise he had found that the other half of his world related to intelligence started to be the one who attracted him the most. The information that had been revealed to him had given him a view of how military decisions where taken upon intelligence and how fallible the system could be also.

And on the case of operation High Jump, he was still wondering what the people at the Pentagon and the White House were thinking about when they called the mission. They had been ordered to conduct a survey of Antarctica and perform military exercises to gather information about combat in those conditions. It simply didn't make any sense to him to be here.

His attention turned to one of the planes parked at one end of the deck, which were completely clear of personnel and stood attached by cables to the floor. The converted DC-3 cargo planes hadn't been originally designed to be flown off carriers but from long runways on land. However since the Navy's seaplanes didn't had the necessary range to reach the inner areas of the pole safely the DC-3s had been equipped with rocket engines on their engines to allow them to take-off in the short length of the deck. And they had also been equipped with large skis to land on the airstrip that would be built on the land by the Navy construction crews that had been brought on the mission. Underneath the flight deck there were six brand new 'helicopters' or how the new rotating flying machines had been called, together with a small force of Navy fighters and dive-bombers.

The officer suspected that there were unofficial reasons for the inclusion of combat aircraft and vessels in the force. At the end of the war in Europe strange reports had started to appear from the South Atlantic concerning large movements of German submarines heading for an unknown destiny. And after Germany's surrender further support for the sightings had been found in the Kriegsmarine's logs that failed to report a number of U-Boats. Also there were rumors on the OSS that a number of high-ranking Nazi officers had evaded capture by the Allies at the end of the war and were still at bay. He had tried to enquire the personnel of the Office of Naval Intelligence present at the task force but to no avail. The officers had simply refused to answer any of his questions and had refused to further comment on the matter citing secrecy laws. But the worst part had been the arrogance and pettiness on their tone of voice. Although both the ONI and the OSS had worked together during the war it hadn't been without points of conflict between both organizations, with much jealousy and egoism present on both parts. And now the Navy officers were simply ignoring him and the dead OSS, in no getting revenge for old grudges.

As he started pacing on the flight deck and heading towards the mess hall, the officer looked at the setting Sun that was giving raised tones to the white clouds overhead. The Moon was also starting to appear on the horizon, glowing in white. A mix of excitement and fear passed through him. Well, soon we'll all discover what's the real reason behind all of this.



February 25th, 1947

Ross Sea, Antarctica



Leisurely cruising at 250 knots per hour the converted cargo plane was hovering over the Antarctic coastline at four thousand feet height. The ski-equipped DC-3 had been painted in a new white and gray artic camouflage and it now stood over the packs of icebergs that littered the waters close to the massive white and blue glaciers. Its cargo section on the main body of the plane had been adapted to carry photographic and other survey equipment, leaving only room left for a number of technicians to operate the machines.

The Major and the co-pilot completed the rest of the crew for this mission. They had taken off from the improvised landing strip at first light and now where following the coastline until the point where they would turn inland into inner Antarctica. Both men were seated on the cockpit of the craft, still dressed into winter parkas since the plane wasn't pressurized.

So far operation 'High Jump' had been a success. The task force had been able to enter the Ross Sea and land a party at the continent that had established a provisional base. The DC-3s had been able to take off from the deck of the carrier and land there without incidents and both them and the seaplanes had been now operating for more than three weeks conducting photographic and weather surveys. And while it was summer, the cold Antarctic weather still took its toil on men and equipment but that was what they had come here for. But there were still some questions that the major hadn't been able to find answers from.

A number of incidents had taken place since the task force had arrived: strange lights in the skies and that had first been attributed to boreal auroras. But more unexplainable events had occurred in the past week as one of the destroyer escorts had detected the sound of an unidentified submersible object on the proximity of one of the groups. No official explanation had been given to that contact, which had disappeared as the destroyer had moved to engage it. And whatever is happening, no one on top seems to have an idea about what it is or how to deal with it!

It was more than obvious to him that someone was keeping a keen eye on the task force's actions without revealing their identity. The obvious choice would be to give credit to the rumors that a number of Nazi officers had fled from the crumbling German empire at the last stages of the war and had taken refuge on the ice-covered continent. But another alternative was possible: the Soviets.

There were already a number of disturbing reports about Stalin's intentions in the countries that had been liberated from the Axis powers. Unlike the US, Russia wasn't demobilizing its war machine and instead it had left its armies in Eastern Europe. And there were reports that the Soviets had used the war to put a network of intelligence officers in the West and that Stalin was desperately seeking to develop atomic weapons. The dropping of the bombs on the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the previous year had destroyed the cities and killed hundreds of thousands of civilians but it had brought Japan to his knees and forced their surrender. Another effect of their use had been to reveal to the stunned world that it was possible to built atomic weapons and although the US now had the monopoly there was a high possibility that other nations would be able to replicate its effort. But why would Stalin be also interested in an operation to Antarctica? No, there's something missing here that all of us involved aren't able to discover. He wished that he could talk to some people he knew at the former Research and Analysis branch of the OSS but most of them had either left the intelligence field or now worked in the State Department. However, he doubted that even them had an idea of what was going on.

As the Major shook his head to try to clear it his co-pilot looked to him from his chair on the right of the cockpit. "Tired Major?"

He let go of a breath of frustration before replying. "Yeah. You got any smokes there?" As the co-pilot fished a pack out of his flying jacket the Major took the controls of the DC-3, keeping it on a straight course towards south, something hard since they had to use a sun compass to determine their bearing. And the landscape didn't help much since most of it was composed of endless plains of white that stretched to the horizon.

The co-pilot dug out two cigarettes and a Zippo lighter and was about to light them up when his eyebrows fringed for a moment as he was looking at the Major's direction. "What's the problem?"

Taking out the cigarettes from his mouth he pointed across his face in a puzzled voice. "Is that a reflection?"

When the Major looked through the plexiglass window in his left side in response to the co-pilot's query his own eyes grew wide as he picked it up.

A small green dot of light could be seen in the vivid blue sky. First the Major dismissed it as a light effect of the Sun's rays on the window but as he rocked his vision from one side to another he discovered that it wouldn't go away. Moreover it seemed to have a solid appearance as he noticed that he seemed able to make out contours on the green ball as it slowly started to change its form.

"It's keeping a formation with us! What is that thing?" The co-pilot was now nearly all over the Major as he was bending his body to have a better look at it. Shoving him back to his seat, the officer barked an order: "Get back there and have someone take a shot at it with a camera" Whatever that is we'll need some sort of proof that it wasn't just the Antarctic sky playing light tricks with two pilots.

As the co-pilot unhooked himself from his chair, the Major checked the plane's altitude and speed to make sure that they were still in a steady course. He thought of radioing the carrier to report the contact but as his fingers moved to the transmit button they stopped their motion and instead he gripped the control wheel tighter.

The ball had resolved itself into what seemed to be an inverted cup. He still couldn't tell how far away or how big it was but those aspects stopped to matter as it suddenly crossed the entire sky in front of him and placed itself on the other side of the plane. A foo fighter?

During the war there had been numerous reports of strange flying machines made by the crews of the Allied bombers and fighters over Europe that could perform impossible maneuvers and fly at unheard of speeds. It had been initially thought that they were advanced German planes such as the jet fighters that they had deployed at the last stages of the war. However, the lights had never taken any aggressive actions towards the Allied planes and the OSS and the other intelligence agencies didn't had time to spare to investigate what seemed to be weird natural effects.

"It was gone before we could take a picture" The disappointment on the co-pilot's voice was obvious as he came back from the cargo section.

"It's on the other side of the plane" The major barked in reply, still keeping his eyes on the green form. He was now sure that it had to be an artificial object. It kept changing its flight path and performing impossible maneuvers. It must be watching us also. It was time that he reported the contact to the Philippine Sea. The carrier had a pair of Wildcat fighters on alert status and they could be launched in five minutes after the order was issued. However he doubted that the Navy fighters would be able to do much against the craft that he was seeing.

A sense of dread came to him as he pressed the transmit button. "Home, this is Seagull Four. I have an unidentified contact..." A loud cracking sound made him stop in the middle of the sentence and his eyes widened in horror as something suddenly flashed and bathed the inside of the plane in a burning light. As the DC-3 suddenly jerked to one side the co-pilot crashed against the hull of the plane, violently banging with his head on a container built into the wall. The Major's restrains kept him on his seat though and he tried to regain control but the stiffness of the controls told him that they had lost all hydraulic power and couldn't move any of the plane's control surfaces built into its wings and tail.

"Get the emergency hydraulics going" The plane was falling on an uncontrolled spiral towards the surface and he watched as the altitude gauge kept dropping from the eighteen thousand feet they were flying to sixteen thousand in a matter of minutes. When no response came from the other man he looked and saw that the co-pilot was lying on the floor, probably unconscious from hitting the wall of the plane. Another glance at the outside told him what had happened to the DC-3: one of its wings had been completely ripped off from whatever had hit them. There was no way they could make an emergency landing, the Major realized and they would hit the ground in less than a minute.

Unhooking himself from his seat he tried to stabilize himself as he raced to the co-pilot's and checked his condition. Crouched against the wall that separated the cockpit from the cargo area he saw that the man was dead. "What is happening?" A voice came as one of the three technicians managed to reach the door.

"Get out of here fast" He hoped that his parachute was still functional as he raced down the length of the cargo section towards the door at the end. As he entered the area holding the photographic equipment the stench of burned flesh briefly caught his attention but he ignored the badly burned cadaver that was against a messed of destroyed equipment near a large hole on where the now lost wing was attached to the main body. Reaching the gap he saw to his surprise that the metal edge of the hole wasn't carved like he expected but instead it seemed melted. The metal was still incredibly hot as he grabbed the sides with both hands and it start to burn through his thick gloves but he ignored it.

Longing forwards his body across the opening he hoped that he still had time to open to safely deploy his parachute.

The mangled inside of the plane was quickly replaced by the openness of free falling as he quickly got away from the falling craft. The white ground quickly approached as his hands tried to find the cord to deploy the chute. What was that thing?

Chapter One - The First Tunes



December 9th, 1998

Swiss Military Air Base outside Geneva, Switzerland



The invitations to the sixteen most developed nations of the world had come about a month before after a long closed discussion between the Secretary General and the Security Council of the UN. They simply proposed the realization of a secret meeting with the purpose of discussing the extraordinary events taking place on Earth from more than a year.

During that time the major economic powers had tried to respond to them, bringing up the alert levels of their armed forces and trying to get scientific explanations, but so far the results were less than zero. And the word was already out on the streets, in spite of the efforts of the various governments to impose a black out on the subject. For most of the invited countries the response to the conference was immediate. The others took some more days in even acknowledge the reception of the message.

But in the day before the proposed date, military and governmental passenger planes from all the invited nations started arriving at a Swiss airfield near Geneva. The air traffic controllers and ground personnel started noticing first the international nature of the flights arriving. Then they even recognized some of the planes and asked themselves what was going on, although they were all bound to strict security rules of not to discuss the matter with anyone.

And the ground crewmen who saw the officials arriving by car to greet the visitors where even more surprised to see the light blue of the UN flag in the some of the limousines and that no less than the Secretary General of the UN was present. The Swiss President and Prime-Minister were at the location also, greeting the leaders as they stepped off the planes.

Although Switzerland was keeping its neutral profile, they had agreed on hosting the UN summit. Greetings where made, and afterwards, each of the chiefs of State and Government quickly head off to the available limousines and sped off to a facility outside the city.



December 10th, 1998

Governmental facility outside Geneva, Switzerland



The sixteen delegations were seated in a large meeting room in a circle, each country and the UN occupying a table, with more chairs available to the lesser officials behind the tables. The Chiefs of State and Government of all the countries were present, together with their military leadership and selected officials.

Outside the room a full staff of UN translators was working around the clock to provide simultaneous translation for the summit. But even though they were well-trained professionals, now and then surprised and interrogative looks were exchanged between themselves when they realized the importance of the exchanges of conversation being made in the room next to them.

All the attention of the people in the larger room was set on a screen in one of the walls. The first image that appeared consisted of radar data, superimposed over a map of Siberia. Most surprisingly to the delegations was the date and time set in one of the corners. It showed that the records were from just about a week before.

Several flights were identified and catalogued as either civilian or military aircraft, but suddenly a blip coming out of the Artic appeared on screen. It was marked as Unknown and data scrolling showed his speed to be over Mach 5 and to be quickly descending. It moved in southwards until finally stopping some 20 miles from the Russian-Chinese border. The map showed it over an installation of some sort.

The screen was replaced black, on which a phrase was written in Russian with an English translation underneath. It stated: "Visual report on the investigation of the distress signal received from Outpost Zbrynia 41".

After some seconds the screen transformed itself into an image of the Siberian tundra, with some military compound in the back. As the camera operator moved towards the buildings, Russian soldiers heavily armed could be seen in the background along with assault and transport helicopters as the camera slowly moved to its sides to give a general view of the installation.

As it approached the entrance it could be clearly seen that the front gate and the watch post had been blown into pieces. Some military snow vehicles could also be seen, reduced to their metallic skeletons after been charred by flames. The operator filmed the floor: an AK-74 assault rifle was sitting there along a pool of blood and spent cartridges. The rest of the images showed big blast holes on the buildings and the same amount of chaos. As it progressed along the insides of the installation it paused in the radio room. The communications equipment was trashed and another pool of dried blood was on the floor, along with a sidearm.

The screen flickered a bit again and the following phrases appeared written on it: "Transcript of the first radio report sent by the relief forces that arrived at the scene ten hours after the reception of the distress signal.

All 152 members of the garrison of Outpost Zbrynia 41 are missing, presumed dead. Evidence of heavy combat in the area, but no bodies found, either of the garrison or of the attacking forces. Also, we have no indication or tracks of the means of transportation used by the attackers to leave the area. Air Rifle Battalion 271 will continue to investigate and secure the surroundings".

After the image disappeared and the lights came on an uneasy silence was set upon the room. However, it quickly was replaced by a distress comment.

"This can't just happen anymore" The Russian President was quite upset, striking the palm of his hands into the wooden table where the Russian delegation sat. The other representatives of the world's biggest economic powers just sat in silence, contemplating what they had just seen, as the electronic screen was starting to recede back into one of the walls.

On one of the tables the US President turned to a man next to him and asked: "How come our intelligence haven't reported this to us yet?" The other man was the Director of Central Intelligence, the individual responsible for all the intelligence community in the US that is also the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA.

He half turned his head before replying. "Mr. President, so far our resources have been more oriented into assessing how this unknown forces may pose a threat to our national security. The amounts of reports from our sources worldwide have been backlogged so that we can deal with the information that we have regarding our national territory. We maintain a contact with our allies and are regularly exchanging information with them but in this case we haven't had enough time to sort and analyze the reports coming from the former Soviet Union. Besides that, we have also other operations in progress regarding this matter that had priority. Also the Russians have been keeping a tight lid on their security".

"Is there a probability of something like this happening over one of our military installations?"

"I would say very likely sir. We are one of the major powers in Earth and we can't pass unnoticed by them. Of course, their intentions are still unknown, which makes any prediction of their future actions as an educated guess. But from the interference we have already experienced over some of our military bases around the world, this action can well be seen as an act of escalation".

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we all agree about the need to take a concerted action on this subject". The Secretary General of the United Nations rose from his seat and looked around, addressing each of the statesmen present. "So far the reports brought to the Security Council and now to this conference that the strange and unexplainable phenomena that the world has seen in the past years can't be the action of any terrestrial power."

"Unexplainable? Try telling that to my dead servicemen" The Russian President suddenly rose. "Let me tell you all what you just seen right now: a pure act of war! Simply speaking, there could be no other explanation for the subject"

"Mr. Larianov, just for the sake of asking: couldn't your troops have taken actions that could be considered aggressive for these aliens and thus have provoked some sort of retaliation by them?". The Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (PCC) didn't move or even looked directly at the Russian president while asking the question.

"Mr. Zhu, my armed forces have been on alert since the first corroborated reports came by of this strange craft flying over the skies. They are under orders of not to fire unless fired upon. And that outpost didn't had any aggressive role". What he didn't admit was that it was in fact a listening station for Chinese radio transmissions.

The Chinese Premier was aware of that fact but he chose not to pursue it, yet. "Still, there are no survivors that can tell us of what really happened in Siberia, is there?"

"That is beside the point. Last transmission received from the base was an emergency call, stating that they were under attack by unknown forces. And believe me, if we wanted to attack these extraterrestrial craft we would have used all our military potential, not just the garrison of an outpost in the middle of the Siberian tundra".

"You would not have achieved anything if you did". The Japanese Defense Minister cut in.

"What? How would you known?" The Russian Chief of State turned his stare into the Japanese delegation. Looking to the side, the minister saw the nod of his Prime Minister and continued.

"Some months ago our country established a force to investigate these phenomena. We equipped them with the latest technologies our defense forces have available and tried to intercept the crafts. The results were zero. We disbanded the unit last month because we simply couldn't justify its costs anymore"

"And how come you haven't informed us before of that?"

"So far any nation present here hasn't bothered to inform the others about what is happening and preferred to consider it as an internal affair. We saw no advantage of doing that, specially until we had proven that this threat didn't come from any terrestrial nation"

The Chinese Premier picked up quickly the implication on the Japanese argument. "And who can really prove that this craft are truly extra-terrestrial in origin? Couldn't this be the work of, for instance, the Americans, having discovered some advanced technology?"

"Mr. Chairman, I can assure you that my country isn't involved into any of these attacks. I sincerely wish that we had the advanced capabilities possessed by those craft, but the truth is that we don't". The US President had been having a tough time with China from ever since Zhu had risen to the head of the Chinese Communist Party. Already a full war had nearly erupted between China and Taiwan about two years before, with the US intervening to keep the island's independence.

"Gentleman, this is leading to nowhere". Bomaka, the Secretary General interrupted. "The reports so far have been staggering: cattle mutilations and individual abductions happening all over the world. Sightings of those..." He hesitated before saying the word. "UFOs, which possess capabilities unheard of, over population centers and military bases. If they aren't made on Earth there can't be any other explanation than that some alien life form is beyond all these events"

The Secretary General of the UN was trying to establish some control and direction to the discussion. But his power on the world was close to nothing and so was is ability to be listened by the participants in the room. The several delegations that comprised the conference were busy talking, but for the most part conferencing between themselves and ignoring the words of the chief of the UN.

President Winston turned to his DCI and asked: "This couldn't be right, could it? Could Iraq or North Korea have developed this sort of technology?"

"Impossible sir. This would require a level of technological development that we would have noticied by now. The same applies to the Russians, Chinese or any other nation on this room. You remember we have discussed this before when the sightings appeared and the conclusion the National Security Agency and the CIA come up with was that there wasn't any nation capable of developing and deploying such craft".

"Just when do we consider them as having an extraterrestrial origin then?"

The DCI just slumped his shoulders and said: "Yes sir. Although, as before, this is still quite unbelievable".

Across the room and on another table, the Chairman of the PCC turned to his deputy and said: "We now watch and go along with the events. There's still this question about American involvement to explore".

"Comrade Secretary, to explore? The general feeling seems to be that there is the need to have some action. If not collective, at least individually."

"And probably there will be. And we will participate...for now"



Unknown location, North America



On the other side of the world a group of men watched the conference on a large screen with all their attention. Images of all the delegations were present on the screen, with subtitles provided in every case that the language used wasn't familiar to the men. The software program did quite a good job in every case. Of course it would take years, if not decades until it's capabilities where available to the general public and the same with the technology that was providing the group of men with the eavesdropping of the conference.

"Looks like our friends just advanced the schedule a little ahead of what was planned".

"Yes, but this was not unconsidered by us before".

"What actions should we take now? Should we undermine any possible cooperation that comes out of this gathering? There are a lot of mistrusts that can easily be exploited on that room".

"No, that would be compromising the whole plan. At this stage we can't risk that national intelligence services discover our existence or of any of our operatives",

A third figure added his comments: "But if our men already have top positions in the intelligence services, couldn't we cover-up our activities like we have been doing for all this years?"

The second speaker responded: "They could, but with the political, social and intelligence turmoil that this will provoke, any cover-up will be sure to fail after a while, when the reports of several sources start to arrive. Then they will be asking: who is concealing the information? We can't just keep this whole thing in the bag anymore and have public and government opinion attribute it to a bunch of mental cases or social paranoia. No, like a chess game we wait for their next move. And then we act accordingly to it".

"And whose move will that be, Two? The Earth nations or our friends?" asked a fourth speaker.

"Both, it seems. Our 'friends' duplicity is well known to us. From now on we will not assume anything about them. And we will think of ways of turning events so that our plan goes forward."

"If this conference turns into international cooperation, I suggest that we infiltrate whatever comes out of it" stated the first speaker.

"Already taken care of, number Three" . Number One replied.

"What? You have taken action without consulting with the rest of us?"

"This is an emergency situation. The attack on Siberia and the news of the resulting conference in Geneva would require in us taking measures so I just anticipated what would be our response, acting on the perrogative of my position as number One. But, like you have said, this demands a ratification of my actions by the remaining eleven. We shall debate it and afterwards you will vote to decide if my actions were correct or not"

The decision was taken after two hours of cold, rational debate. The position of Number One only allowed him to vote if someone else of the others abstained and there was a tie. While he was major coordinator of this group of men, all of them with the same goal, but each one representing different interests and possessing different ambitions, he need to convince the others of his actions. But these events had been long predicted and discussed, so his decisions were ratified. By a majority.



Geneva, Switzerland



Despite the fact that the conference room had been checked for bugs by each of the counter-intelligence services of the seven countries whose leaders where present, the sweeps failed to detect the devices that were transmitting it to the other side of the ocean.

The seven Chiefs of State and Government present on it were the leaders of the NATO countries that were attaining the conference. They had decided previously to gather during the event, due to the previous exchanges of information.

"Gentlemen, first of all, let me guarantee you that the US don't possess such aerial craft like we have all reported from our countries", started Winston.

"Mr. Winston, the French Government has had its top scientists investigating since it started to see if it could be man made. The results were negative and they were verified by information from other resources".

The US President raised an eyebrow at that statement but then logic took over him. He had signed the papers authorizing Operation Close Friend some months ago. Basically speaking, everyone had apparently spied at each other trying to discover the origin of the craft.

"Yes, I believe we all had our own investigations and all of them point for the statement of the Chinese Chairman being incorrect", added the British Prime-Minister. Nods from the other leaders present confirmed his opinion.

"So what should we do now? Should NATO take its own measures, according to the Alliance's Charter?" asked the Italian Prime-Minister.

"That might not be the best case. If the US were to act on its own on this matter, others could see it as some individualistic effort aimed at getting an advantage over the others. The same might happen if NATO decides to respond alone on this threat". The French leader replied.

"But can we trust the other nations? Japan, for instance, hid from the rest of the world the creation of a force to deal with the aliens". The German Chanceler' argument brought nods.

"I think that now we all have come to realize that this isn't anything originated on this planet. And if we want to have success we need to act together". Winston was growing restless and anxious to get to the point.

"Planning a multinational operation? That would be a nightmare! We had almost fifty years of experience on NATO and we still have problems coordinating our armed forces after all that time. How can we expect to fight this collectively if the whole world is involved? We can't just throw in troops and expect that they fight like a unit, side by side. And who gets to provide leadership, by the way? Les Americains again? Now how that would feel for Russia or China?" Sarcasm filled the French President's voice.

Great, not the French attitude again, Winston thought. "Mr. Latour, if this operation is undertaken by NATO, it makes sense to use the present command structures existent"

"Mr. Winston, and who will be the first country protected by the NATO military then? You expect us to believe that it will be an European country if an American stays in command?"

"Gentlemen, we are getting besides the point here. We already know that worldwide cooperation will be essential. What we need to discuss is how we will use our military force on this matter and establish some coordination and command over global efforts". William Holt, the British Prime-Minister was more than used to try to reconcile both the American's and the European's positions in NATO reunions.

"Well, the Japanese efforts seem to point some light on that matter. We need our best pilots and troops, equipped with the latest equipment available. I purpose using special forces units such as my country's SEAL and Delta teams, or England's SAS Regiment or France's elite paratroop regiments".

"Oui. My military staff has also come up with the same conclusions before". Well, at least the French bastard can be reasonable sometimes, thought Winston.

"But will what structure again will we use? Our own survival may be at stake here" The German Chancellor still had child memories of the devastation brought on his country by Second World War. The heated discussion occupied one more hour until the leaders decided to adjourn it and wait for next day's conference results.



CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia



"Well MacAllister, what's the story on the Project Blue Book files?" Major John McAllister made a frown on his face, before answering to his superior. At the same time as the international conference was taking place in Geneva, a similar meeting was taking place, early in the morning, at the CIA headquarters at Langley, Virginia. "Strange, to say the least".

Terry Williams, member of the National Intelligence Committee, looked at his subordinate with an interrogating look. It had been some time he had been assigned to a multi agency effort, formed through an Executive Order from the President, to assess the threat of the UFOs to national security. They were dealing mainly with reports from other organizations, like the FBI, CIA and local and state law enforcement agencies.

And also with other pieces of information coming from strange sources, such as Project Blue Book. From the late 1940's the Air Force had decided to investigate the general reports of UFOs through a number of projects. The latest one was called Blue Book and was closed in the 60s, after the analysis concluded that such objects could be explained by nature or man-made action. But there were still some events that remained unaccounted for.

Williams turned to McAllister. It was hard sometimes to deal with the several elements that composed his multi-agency team. Mark Davis, for instance. The FBI representative detached was less than thrilled. For him this applied to counter-espionage and counter-subversion, which were roles taken by the Bureau and it should remain this way, under his command. But the National Intelligence Commission advised the Director of Central Intelligence, who overall coordinated the efforts of several federal agencies. And as such, Williams's job was to provide his superior, the Chairman of the Commission, with information that would go again up in the latter, through the Director of Central Intelligence to the President himself.

"Strange? Well there are reports of abductions and experimentations on American citizens over and over. What could it be more strange than some files dealing with alleged UFOs?"

The official of the Defense Intelligence Agency moved on his chair.

"Well let's put it this way. Most of the files are junk. A light seen someplace, a buzz heard, things like that. They are either a misinterpretation of military planes or natural phenomena or even hoaxes. But some remain unexplained for to this day. Of course, now it seems that they are accounted for, taking into light the events of the past months"

Williams pressed for more. "So?"

"While I was looking at some of the files I recognized the name of one of the investigators. He worked on Blue Book for some years right before the thing got axed and he later when to teach on the Air Force Academy. That's from where I know him 'cause he was one of my instructors when I joined the DIA."

"Maybe you should arrange for a class reunion with him then" Mark Davies retorted.

McAllister didn't even bother to look at the NSA specialist. "In any case, I gave him a call the other day and asked him what he could remember of Blue Book, now that it has been declassified. He mentioned some files that really puzzled him, because there was no logical explanation for them".

"Have you checked them?"

"I would if I could. The thing is, they are absent from the records"

"What? Are you sure? Couldn't they have been misplaced?"

"No, because all the files are there"

"What the hell are you talking about then?"

"Well, for instance he mentions the case of an airline pilot that saw a big UFO escorted by two smaller ones back in the 60's and that one of the small ones had harassed the 707 he was flying, making his engines flame out. I went to look for that file and it isn't there"

"Maybe he's just old and his memories aren't that good anymore. I don't know, Alzheimer or something". Williams gave a hard look at Davies because of the comment.

"I thought that he might be making a mistake and I asked him if he remembered anything else. Apparently this guy's memory is still impressive. He could recall the name of the pilot, so I found out if he still was alive and called him on his place in Florida. The old timer could still remember every detail and confirmed everything"

Confusion made Williams wince. "Who the hell took that file out of Blue Book then?"

"That's the thing. It wasn't taken out, not officially. According to the logs existent all the files are there. But this one incident is absent on the central records".

"Wait a minute. Are you saying somebody changed the logs and replaced the file?" Davis attention was suddenly caught on the conversation. "This could well have been a bureaucratic error instead".

"Well, either way I can't think of any other explanation"

"But who could do it? Parker, any ideas?"

Brian Parker, the CIA liaison with the team was a very quiet man, rarely speaking unless he had something to say or ask.

"None. I can't see the point of any foreign nation wanting to cover-up this. Unless they had already knowledge of the UFO affair and decided to keep the rest of the world in the dark"

"How about the forces involved in all of these accidents, presuming that they are not from Earth?" asked Williams

"Nonsense. How could they either have knowledge of such a project or even manage to infiltrate our military bases to gain access to the project?"

"Well, something strange has happened with Blue Book and somebody did it. The question is who, because we now acknowledge the existence of UFOs and the files missing are hardly important now"

"That's true, I found nothing in the remaining files that could give us an indication of their intentions or their methods", added MacAllister.

"Well, that door let to nothing then. Davies, what do you got for us?"

"So far law enforcement agencies throughout the country have reported a growing number of cattle mutilation incidents, along with abductions and claims of alien experimentation on them and even missing people. Related to that, there's a general feeling of insecurity with all those report. But the FBI hasn't found any evidence that there might be extra-terrestrial activity being all this. Some weird cuts on cattle and some kidnappings, but that's it."

"For crying out loud! You have seen the NORAD reports about UFO activity on those areas during those incidents. There is a relation between both" shouted Mac. NORAD was the North American Air Defense, a command created in the Cold War to monitor the airspace of the United States and Canada against aerial and nuclear attacks.

"I prefer to take more believable explanations about what's happening, McAllister."

"Enough of this" cut Williams. "Parker, what's the international situation?"

"Pretty much the same as here. The information that we are getting of our allies and our sources report the same type of incidents. We are still considering the possibility that this might be the work of some nation, in order to generate worldwide panic for some reason, but so far that trail has lead to nothing".

"Maybe the CIA should go to an eye doctor". Davis snap comment even made Parker look at him.

"Davis, that is enough from you! You got your orders and if we want to succeed on this we all need to collaborate together. I'm not saying you might not have a point there, but as of this moment we are considering all possibilities, is that clear?" Williams asked himself why the FBI man was so hard on his head. Well, maybe he just can't deal with the fact that ET has come.

Davis responded laconically. "Yes"

When the tension begun to drop a little bit MacAllister asked: "and what is the NSA getting?"

"Zip", started Pharris, the last person in the room. "So far we have failed every attempt to detect any transmissions from the craft. We also don't have a clue about their intentions. Either they are using some transmission devices that our technology can't detect or they are operating in some total electronic blackout".

"That doesn't leave us much to work on". Frustration was patent in Mac's voice.

Williams looked at his watch to check the date. Only two more days before he would have to report to Washington. "Well, in any case, I got orders from the upper office: we wrap up what we know about them and present a report in a few days. I suggest that we start by an estimate of the number of craft that are behind these events and their possible intentions, whatever they might be. Parker, want do the honors?"



December 11th, 1998

Geneva, Switzerland



The Russian President was mad. A week had pasted over the attack on Siberia and the reports from military commands all over the Federation kept mentioning the presence of unidentified craft. In all the cases interceptors where sent to deal with the intruders and the air defense systems where in full alert, ready for action. But every attempt made at intercepting the craft had blatantly failed, because of their agility and speed. Nuclear forces were being kept around the clock in full alert, but there wasn't any target available and blasting into atomic oblivion pieces of the country just to get some planes, or spaceships or whatever they were, was a waste.

"So Marshal Boganovitch, you are telling me that our armed forces are incapable of defending the Motherland?"

"Yes sir. And if I may, even if we had the resources of the Soviet Union the results would be the same. We simply don't have the technological resources to match those of the intruders".

Piotr Larianov looked at the uneaten part of his breakfast. He wasn't hungry anymore, stopping when he got the full measure of the crisis. "Suggestions to prevent further attacks then, Marshal. There simply has to be something we could do".

"Sir, to give you an example, our MiG-31 fighters are one of the fastest in the world, not even considering that the previous model, the MiG-25 who is even faster. However, both of them move like snails, compared to the speed of the craft we encounter. We have recorded speeds of plus Mach Six on these invaders. That even beats our fastest surface to air missiles. The same applies with the MiG-29 and Sukhoi-35 fighters. They are of the most agile in the world but against they don't match the enemy".

"We can't intercept them? How about reacting to further attacks on military installations?"

"Either these so called forces strike bases right next to available reaction forces or the problem is that by the time we get there the attackers are gone. I deployed a full airborne rifle battalion to assist the Siberian outpost but by the time they got there no enemy had already departed. I'm sorry sir, but the Motherland is a big country".

"I see". Larianov lowered his head in frustration.

"But I would like your permission to implement the Skyranger program sir. We might get enough time to react that way".

"The what?" At there was something positive, Larianov thought. "Skyranger program. Do you remember the Yak-141 Freestyle program sir?"

Searching through his mind he remembered something about that plane. "Didn't we cancel it some years ago?"

"Yes sir. It was originally developed during the communist regime and was a supersonic fighter with vertical take-off capabilities. But although the program was abandoned, the Yakolev manufacturers continued to develop and implement the VTOL technology. A couple of years ago they present the Yak-155 model, called the Skyranger, as a parallel to the American Osprey Vertical Take-Off and Landing transport program, only much faster."

"I see, and what do you propose then Marshal?"

"In spite of heavy government cuts, has continued to develop the program even with private funding. They have some prototypes in flying condition. I suggest we give the plane top priority and deploy it as fast as possible".

"And how would we use it?" Maybe Boganovitch wasn't as useless as he sounded. "To transport Spetsnaz elite commandos to react to further attacks. With the Skyranger it might be possible for them to get there on time"

"Your plan has merit Marshal, well done. You are hereby ordered to implement it as fast as possible, using all resources available"

"Thank you sir. And may I propose something else?"

"What?"

"The Anti Ballistic Missiles deployed around Moskva. I believe we should re-equip it for anti-satellite use. It would give us a weapon in case these invaders are truly not from Earth"

"And leave the capital defenseless?"

"It already is sir. If one of those craft decided to drop an hydrogen bomb today, the early warning we would get would be of the image of the nuclear blast on television"

"I'm still not convinced Marshal. Make the necessary arrangements, but wait for my command to perform the change"

"Right sir. And finally, I believe we should militarize the Mir space station". Boganovitch knew he was going a bit too far on that one, but he also believed it justified what it would cost in political terms.

"And throw into the garbage the Non-Militarization of Space Agreement? Are you mad, Boganovitch?"

"Sir, Mir was designed also to have military functions. We need not to carry arms into it right now, but we can man it with personnel and equipment to extend our detection and intelligence capabilities"

"You seem to have the arguments for everything, don't you?"

"I'm paid to serve the country sir. We might be a shadow of our former might but we still have some assets available. The General Staff and me spent all night analyzing what we have through videoconference so that we could have some options. On your order we can start the preparations to launch a Soyuz capsule carrying personnel in a few weeks. Later, we will send a Progress rocket with the necessary equipment, as soon as we prepare it for zero-gravity environment"

He actually had liked the military man's attitude at the end. "Well done. Now go and have some rest. There's a lot that still needs to be decided and that might be the toughest fight of all so far"



NORAD Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, United States



The facility had been on Defcon-2 alert for months, in full preparation for war. General Bigelow, the commanding officer of NORAD looked at the window of his office to the Board that was the heart of the Air Defense Center. A large image of the CONUS, or Continental United States was being displayed in full three-dimensional mode. Another "fast mover" had been tracked, entering the American Air Defense Zone some 100 miles north of San Francisco, flying 30 thousand feet over the Pacific at Mach Six. He looked at his desk and saw the amount of reports from this month alone. The pile seemed to be already of the same height as that of November, with two weeks still left until the new year. Bigelow felt extremely tired like the rest of the men he commanded.

On the floor a systems operator had just ordered a flight of F-16 Air National Guard fighters to intercept the intruder. Again the same drama developed: the planes just weren't fast or had the enough fuel to catch up with the intruder. Other airbases went into full alert along the predicted path of the fast mover. Bigelow started wondering what was the point using the same worthless tactics over and over.



Area 51, Nevada, United States



Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Harris finished his pre-flight preparations and grabbed his helmet. It wasn't a regular helmet. In fact it looked more like one that might be used by astronauts rather than a jet pilot. But he was used to them. Having flown the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance bird for more than a decade he knew the necessity of wearing the bulky flight equipment necessary for flying a plane at tremendous heights and speeds. And, after the retirement of the SR-71 in the 1989 he continued flying the same way as before.

Only now his ride was another. When plans were announced for the dismissal of the Blackbird, Harris had set himself to work as a test pilot for NASA or some technical department. That thought quickly disappeared when some of the top brass asked him if he would be interested in participating in some special project with top high security. He knew what it meant: not being able to talk about it with anyone and being posted to a location lost in the middle of nowhere. But he jumped right at it after two seconds of thought and had never regretted it.

The plane Harris now flew was responsible for some of the Earth shakes felt by Southern California citizens in the last years. It was still a "black" project, officially denied by the government but that was operative for some years now.

It was called the Aurora and it looked more like a machine straight out of Buck Rogers than a plane.

Its short wings stretched back and connected with its twin tails, making it look like a stretched triangle when looked from above. And there was no "bubble" canopy for the pilot. From the nose to the tail the fuselage made an ellipse where the pilot and the rear electronics officer where located together with the reconnaissance equipment and the huge fuel tanks. The intakes for the advanced ramjet engines where situated on the belly of the plane. The reason for that was that the plane needed to spread the air over the entire length of his body in order to be able to reach Mach 6 speeds. The aero-thermodynamic ducts, or ramjets, located there used the whole underside of the plane to compress the air before it went to the engine. The engineers that built the Aurora also realized that they would have to control the heat made by the friction with air of a craft going over six times the speed of sound. The heat would have to be evenly distributed among all parts of the craft and disposed of. Thus, the liquid methane fuel used was heated before it went to the engine and then the excess speed would be expelled through the exhaust situated in the rear underside of the plane.

The Aurora was a technological marvel. It could cruise at speeds so far only reached by test planes and for short periods of time. Although it only had limited stealth abilities, his strength wasn't deception but speed. It would be extremely difficult for a surface to air missile to reach a plane that moved miles per second.

The mission scheduled for tonight was extremely different from what the plane had been developed though. Harris hardly believed it when he was briefed some hours later. As the General had put it: "it's hard to believe Colonel, but we need to get some information on the abilities of those machines up in the air. And there might be some danger involved. We don't know how they will react to the Aurora's presence". At the same time it was a challenge that Harris knew would take him to the extreme. And that's why he accepted it.

The plane was already on the tarmac, fully equipped, hardly illuminated in the middle of the black night. Some hours before, technicians had equipped its cargo bay with reconnaissance and electronic surveillance equipment. Harris looked at the sight and smiled. Tonight we are going for a wild ride baby.



Air Force 1, Military Airbase outside Geneva, Switzerland



The Air Force 1 was the Boeing 747 specially modified to transport the US President. It also allowed the Commander in Chief of the American military even to direct a nuclear war from there, due to the communications and electronic equipment it carried. President Winston had decided to spend the night at the plane, declining to use the facilities provided by the Swiss government. N

ot that the comfort of his room on the 747 was better though. Operation Hawk had been authorized for some months ago. Although the date set would put it in the middle of the conference, the Go order was given, in order for its results to be used in the conference. And in the early dawn the American leadership was up, cramming themselves into the communications room of the airplane.

"Mr. President, the Aurora is ready on the runaway. We already are informing NORAD of the mission profile. Pretty soon they will have a target for the Aurora." The image of the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff flickered on the computer screen a second.

"Very well General. Gentlemen, further recommendations?" The Secretary of Defense and the DCI shook their heads.

"Let's get this show running then. Execute Operation Hawk when ready".

"Yes sir. Transferring command to Cheyenne Mountain this minute".

"God sped, general". President Winston turned to the Defense Secretary. "Are we on communication with our allies?"

He looked at one of the Air Force officer who nodded to him before replying. "Yes sir, we are informing them of every step we take".

"Good, Mark, what's the status of my National Security Adviser?"

"Candace is doing great sir. I just talked to her on the secure line. The tumor removal operation was successful and she just is constantly arguing with the hospital staff to let her go to her work". The DCI frowned. "Unfortunately it will take a few more weeks for her to even be able to leave the hospital"

"Keep her informed about things". The DCI looked at another officer. "Yes sir"



Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado



Deep inside the mountain, General Bigelow smiled when he saw read his new orders, signed by the President. Tonight things would work out a little different.

He looked at the Board. The fast mover had taken a southeasterly route after reaching land and reducing speed to Mach 3. Still too fast for the F-16 interceptors, but now he had an ace upon his sleeve. "Notify the Nest. Tell them to release the Hawk and give him an approach vector to the fast mover".

"Yes sir." The communications officer also smiled. Tonight things would be different.



Area 51, Nevada



Lt. Colonel Andrew Harris got his final instructions for the tower and pushed the throttle lever to full and the nearly 80.000 pounds aircraft started to move down the runway. After take-off he quickly reached the altitude of angels twelve, or twelve thousand feet. Then he engaged the afterburner and the Aurora started going hypersonic. Usually those speeds wouldn't be reached this low in altitude over land, but tonight three air traffic corridors had been cleared just for Operation Hawk. The passengers would just have to take a few more hours to get to their destiny, Harris thought. Looking down his display unit, filled with information beamed to his craft from NORAD he saw that the target was 500 miles away, only some minutes away from him.



Air Force 1



"Sir, I got word from NORAD. The Hawk is hunting." The JCS couldn't hide his satisfaction as he reported to President Winston.

"Good. Keep the reports coming General, I want to be informed on everything in the minute. If there's even the slight possibility of danger tell the pilot to back off, it that understood?"

"Fully, sir"



Cheyenne Mountain



The whole floor of Strategic Air Defense become mesmerized when the icon for Hawk appeared on the Board heading out for the fast mover. Usually, the operator that picked up an Aurora had orders to dismiss it and not even make it visualize on the board, due to his classified nature. But not tonight. "Hawk is approaching target sir, range 47 miles"

"Tell Hawk to make a pass about one mile in front of the target. And for his rear electronics officer to start preparing his equipment".



Northern California, United States



Harris slowly moved the plane to the direction plotted on his Head Up Display. The computer had the mission parameters and was informing him of what course he should take. He keyed his mike. "John, how are you doing back there?"

"Great Andy, I think I will puke again, the way you are pushing this beast". The velocity at which they were moving made for some hard pressures on the human body.

"Stop horsing around like the beast you just mentioned. Is the equipment set?"

"As of some dozen miles ago we started recording the bogey and transmitting all data back to base. Just get us a little closer and our job will be done".



Air Force 1



"Mr. President we are starting to receive data from Hawk. Range to target is 30 miles". The tension inside the 747 was rising as the reports kept increasing coming from NORAD.

"All right, General"



Aurora



20 more miles to target, Harris thought. Although it was black night out there he had his night vision goggles on and was looking at the target's direction, every second now and then looking at his instruments. He had managed to place himself on the fast mover's six and was closing the distance.



Cheyenne Mountain


"Hmm, sir. Target is changing speed and decelerating fast". The excited comment made Bigelow head for one of the consoles. Staring at the monitor he tried to understand what was happening.

"What? What's the target's speed right now?"

"Well, radar shows it has dropped speed to zero sir" As the Air Force technician looked at Bigelow he saw him shaking his head in disbelief. "From Mach 3 to zero in a few seconds? That's impossible"

"Sir, at that speed the Hawk will intercept it in 10 seconds. Also he will come much closer to the target". Another technician warned from another station.

"Notify the Hawk immediately"



Aurora



Harris suddenly saw the UFO through his night vision goggles as the plane pursued its target. First it was only a spot in the night sky that quickly become larger.

Then he realized that something was wrong: target wasn't supposed to be in that quadrant of his vision and he had kept to the route being relayed to him by NORAD.

A quick check on the radar told him what Andy was shouting at the intercom. He checked his instruments again, as he refused to believe that the alien had literally stopped in the sky since its speed was zero and it was hovering.

By the time he thought of reacting a blue flash of light had already swept over the plane. The NORAD warning came a few seconds later but Hawk wasn't there anymore to receive it.



Air Force 1



The eyes of the JCS suddenly went wide as he held a phone to his ear. A second later he simply said. "Mr. President we lost contact with Hawk"

"What? What do you mean?"

"The Hawk dropped off our radars and we don't have radio communication anymore. Also, its data link has been severed".

"Just what in Earth happened?"

"I don't know sir. The target simply ceased it's speed to zero and seconds later we lost contact with our plane".

"Is the UFO still being picked up by our radars?"

"Yes, it has regained it's original speed and it's heading towards the Midwest".

"Keep tracking the UFO and start finding out what happened to our plane and men, general"

"Yes sir". Winston turned to his advisers.

"Mark, Edward, what do you think it has just happened?"

"Until we retrieve what's left of the bird and analyze the data sent, it's early to say it Mr. President, but I believe the Russians are right: their intentions are clearly hostile" responded the DCI.

"Agreed. Suggestions?"

"We should be talking to the whole Cabinet, sir. We already have to take measures to deal with this warlike situation. The press is already making big noise about it and while we can for the time being say that we are investigating it, we can also attribute it to some internal or external threat. That is, earthly threat, sir. But, eventually we will have to inform the Congress and the public. In the Capitol there is already talk of forming a joint Committee to investigate this matter"

"Ask for my Chief of Staff to arrange a meeting with both House and Senate majority and minority leaders as soon as we get back. Is the Vice-President also informed?"

"Yes sir. He's been receiving reports from ever since we got here for the meeting"

"Good. Edward, raise the level of all of our armed forces to Defcon 2 and inform the Russians, Chinese and our allies of our decision. While me and Mark go back to the meeting I want you to convene with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and start thinking of ways of dealing more effectively with this threat, using the information gathered by the Hawk."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"Where's the State Secretary?" Winston had assigned him to be permanently contacting the other leaders during the conference. "Still having breakfast with the Japanese delegation".

"Get a full report to him and tell him to join me when I arrive at the Palace. Also, get all of this information available to the General Secretary of the UN and the other delegations beside our allies".

Although Mark Casper was a reasonable man, his long years in the CIA and the habits picked on immediately reacted: "Sir, we will be revealing some of our defense abilities and military top secret programs if we do that ".

"I know Mark, but that this time, we have no choice. Either we get everyone working together or we will all fall to the forces that were behind what happened at this dawn".



Northern California



The first team to arrive at the wreckage site was a Blue Beret Air Force security team, flown out of Nellis in a MV-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft. The flight took some hours to reach its destination, but the pilot had been given precise information on the area when the crash had occurred. After a quick search they soon spotted smoke rising in the air and the plane quickly flew into its direction.

Good thing this happened on mostly inhabited country, the captain in charge of the team was thinking. At least we won't have problems with civilians popping around and seeing what they shouldn't.

The plane landed nearby the wreckage that was still burning. They started forming a perimeter around the remains and waited for the recovery teams to arrive.



Geneva, Switzerland



The mood in the meeting room had turned very somber after all the delegations saw again the radar, infrared and visual images of the attack of the UFO on the Aurora. The Secretary General of the UN took the floor afterwards. Apparently Bomaka had taken courage from the video.

"Is there anymore doubts? We need to combine the world's efforts to deal with this threat. The Russians were stroke without a chance to react; the Americans used the best of their technology and also were swept away by these forces. There isn't any nation that can face them alone".

"Mr. Secretary, I think the rest of us stand convinced of your words after what we just saw. I've just convened with the rest of my government and Japan is ready to place his armed forces under UN control to deal with this threat". Looks of surprise turned to the Japanese Prime-Minister. "We urge all the other nations to do the same"

"And under whose command I might ask? The UN? They are just a bunch of diplomats! You must be crazy", shouted the deputy of the Chinese Chairman. "We will not place our forces under UN control, since that would be placing them under American command for sure. You have all seen what the American actions have taken us for. Who knows if they didn't just forgery this incident and had attacked the Siberian outpost just to make us take that decision"

Winston thought of himself as a patient, but yet determined man, when the circumstances demanded it. But right now he could only think of throwing some punches at the Chinese deputy which had just sat again under the approvingly, yet subtle, look of the Chairman.

But the Indian Prime-Minister stepped in first. "After all I've seen in the past months and now this I can only think that this could not be work of man. But I must say, and I feel I speak for other on this room, that the American action of this morning was rash and precipitated. Who knows if the aliens didn't understood it as an act of aggression on our part and their actions weren't just self-defense? Therefore I also support the Chinese restrictions against placing my armed forces under UN or US control."

"If I might address the conference, Mr Secretary". A man in the center of the French delegation rose to his feet.

"Please, Mr. President of the Republic of France".

"Last night the seven nations that belong to the defensive alliance called NATO that are here present had a meeting and decided on a matter of things. We first thought of calling our defence agreements to form a force capable of facing these out of this world threat but we decided that this shouldn't be simply NATO formed. The question of American leadership was also mentioned on that reunion and a consensus wasn't made then. After much thought last night, which I supposed all the delegations did since we all look very tired," A number of grins formed at the ends of the lips. "I believe our delegation come up with a solution".

"And what do you propose then Mr. President?"

"In spite of what the Indian and Chinese delegations said, my country believes that the UN should be the rallying place for our efforts. First it will give our forces a sense of union, and also it will show the public opinion, when they are informed of our work here, that we are doing something together about it. We can divide it into regional commands, each responsible of a world area and each country will be required to contribute with troops. But control will remain under the hands of the UN Commander in Chief, although the organization can request assistance from national military forces and vice-versa. The countries involved can judge its work by the funding they provide. The more satisfactory results, the more money the force will get.

However, we must name leaders for that covert force that will be both consensual and satisfactory for the mission, which will involve coordinating the military and research efforts into this threat".

"To be talking so convincing I take it that you already have the names for both, Sir."

"Yes I do, Mr. Secretary, although they are only possibilities at this moment and others can be discussed. For military command of the operation, I propose Colonel General Dmitri S. Illyuschenko of the Russian Federation's Armed Forces".

A silence stepped into the room.

"A Russian ?!?" Several voices exclaimed at the same time. Piotr Larianov looked puzzled at the French President, not knowing how this stroke of luck for him had came.

"I'm sure that you will all verify later his credentials with your own intelligence services, but I will present a brief profile of him, and the Russian delegation can correct me if I make any mistakes".



Air Force One



They had used a break at the conference to get back to the plane and discuss the new situation. "Well the French really did their homework, that I can say. And we didn't had a clue that they were also acting towards it". Casper was simply appalled at their boldness.

"Get to the point Mark. The conference is convening again later in the afternoon to vote on this subject and I need all the information I can get before I take a decision".

"For starters they picked a Russian. And he's quite a leftover from the former communist regime. That will sure please both the Chinese and also the Indians, since some of their military know quite well the men since he most likely liaisoned with them. For us it presents us a dilemma: if we go against him we will be accused to thinking ourselves as trying to impose our views over all over the others. And a lot of countries will follow our lead. More likely France and some other NATO members will bail out which means the Alliance will be broken, at least in spirit".

It made sense although he still not liked it. "I'm still listening".

"On the other hand", the Secretary of Defense picked up, "this guy is a tough bastard. Presently he's at the head of the Russian Spetznaz forces. He has climbed through the ranks through hard work, and is seen as one of Russia's, if not one of the world's top strategic and tactical minds, with an emphasis on Special Forces."

"Which we had before seen in the meeting with NATO that would be the main focus of our defense actions, supported with aircraft and light vehicles, supplemented with a scientific and technological staff. The reasons behind it are that we need the best men around and also because it doesn't involve large forces, which might bring the media's attention and alarm the population. Finally it will make them harder to detect by the enemy and the research and manufacturing effort can be coordinated and not be dependent of any country".

"Exactly".

"But what about political control or influence over the force? Isn't there a risk?"

"I doubt it sir. This guy was one of the youngest officers to become general. He served in Afghanistan and we suspect that in some liberation movements in Africa and Latin America. He's loyal to his duty and his troops. When the Soviet Union broke apart he managed to keep most of the Spetznaz forces still active and well equipped, in contrast with the rest of the Russian Armed Forces". The DCI concluded his arguments. He had been already convinced it was the only possible solution.

"I second the Mark's opinion, sir". The Secretary of Defense also nodded in resignation.

"Congress will skin me alive for this, you know?"

"Not really sir. Our participation on this is voluntary. We can always ditch off the project when we want, as in the French proposal. And whatever information this force gathers will be distributed to all the countries involved. And US troops assigned to it and our regional command will have an American general in front of them, for sure."

"And how do I deal with Congress then?"

"We will just ask them how would they like to be replaced in their seats at the Capitol Building by aliens".

"What?"

"If the progression of their activities progresses at rate it has increasing, this will come out to public opinion, Sir. And by then we could expect more serious incidents if not...total war. We will need to rally our people behind a cause by then, and that could well be this new force. And if they fail, then we fail." The President looked hard at his DCI's words. After all, he was paid not only for spying but to convince other people of ideas. And his subordinate's words were also getting to him.



Geneva, Switzerland



Most of the French plan was accepted right away in the afternoon by all of the countries, leaving only the small details to be adjusted in the debates that followed. When overall consensus was found, the General Secretary and his staff were chosen to write the final document that would be signed by the signatory nations, defining the future combat force.

Its prologue stated the following:


On the day of the 11th of December, 1999 of the Christian calendar, We, Sovereign States of the Planet Earth, therefore compromise ourselves to investigating and responding to the extra-terrestrial threat to our planet, under the guidance of the Organization of the United Nations and with the goal of achieving human survival and advancement. For that, we shall contribute to create a force for this purpose called Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, to be placed under United Nations command to defend us all.



When the delegations dispersed and proceeded to return to their respective countries, the deputy approached the Chinese Chairman.

"Forgive me Comrade Chairman, but that wasn't any logical. I seek guidance"

"You question my orders?"

"Yes, Comrade Chairman. For my duty to the PCC, I need to know that you have not gone mad".

"Very well, it is your right to ask and to learn. The French won the upper hand when they presented that proposal. They knew that us and the Americans and the Indians couldn't refuse for the sake of loosing face and being seen as egotistic, while the Russians must have become thrilled and the Europeans assured of some balance. The Japanese will also gain more control overall without the Americans giving all the orders. The remaining nations also saw most of it and decided that they have also to approve it, being afraid that they would be left out".

"But we are going to collaborate with this X-Com force?"

"Be patient. We soon will start working our way around them". In a similar way, the Russian President turned to his Chief of General Staff, grabbed softly his uniform jacket, the medals biting at his fingers, but without paying attention to the pain and said:

"Order Colonel General Illyuschenko to fly and report to Moscow this instant! Also activate all t

Chapter Two - Openings


December 13th, 1998

Russian Army Compound outside St. Petersburg, Russian Federation


Lieutenant-General Dmitri S. Illyuschenko realized that he was extremely drunk when the rational part of his brain took notice of the cold and metallic taste of the pistol barrel that was inside his mouth. With a sigh he slowly released the pressure his right hand thumb was putting on the trigger and placed the weapon on the table in front of him, after slowly securing the weapon. Not again, he thought looking at the written piece of paper lying on the plastic top of the table in Kremlin stationary.

Turning his head to the left he came up with his reflection on the mirror inside the open door of metal cabinet that hold his belongings, its surface revealing a white-haired figure slumped in a chair and beneath his gray eyes he could start to see dark strains caused by the lack of sleep. Although a scar marred his jawbone his face usually bellied his 56 years since he had always kept a lean body and still could outrun any of his recruits in the marathon. But without his self-confidence on his physical and martial skills little left now remained inside him although on one on the base, or even on his life knew what stood underneath it. Several particular ghosts had haunting him that night with one right next to the letter on the table, a silver framed photograph of a blonde-haired woman smiling.

He had met Irina on southern Ukraine in 1967, freshly commissioned as a junior lieutenant while his parachute unit was conducting airborne training on the countryside. The farmers of the local kolkhoz were harvesting the fields nearby the training facility and one night the officers of the battalion had been invited to a reception at the farming community. On that late summer night he had been introduced to Irina, three years younger than him and so delicate that she had been startled a number of times by his somewhat exalted enthusiasm as both of them talked through the evening meal. But both had felt in love by one another on that night and for the next weeks he had had to put up with the jokes from the senior officers about the 'enloved fool' of their unit as they completed their training. They married on his second leave after that, with Illyuschenko finding out that it had been easier to jump off a plane at night than making the proposal to her.

But Irina had died twelve years ago on St. Petersburg's military hospital while he had been serving in Afghanistan on the elite Spetznaz Special Forces after a coronary stroke. Their few friends who attended the funeral told him later that it had been brief, with not much attendance since both of them were single children and their parents had died on the Great Patriotic War against Hitler. They never had any children since medical tests had shown that Irina was sterile but until then they were happy. She's gone.

He had been gone on a mission, leading a two-helicopter flight to conduct raids on the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to disrupt the supply routes of the guerrilla movement that was fighting Soviet rule on the country at the order of the American CIA. But their transport Mi-8 Hip helicopter had been hit by one of the American Stinger portable anti-aircraft missiles that had become a large threat to Soviet planes and helicopters, the same ones that he had been ordered to shut down their supply. Ordering the other craft away for fearing that it might suffer the same fate if it tried to rescue the survivors of the crash, Illyuschenko then led his unit back to Soviet lines until they linked with an armored column sent to retrieve then. The crossing of the mountain passes had been brutal with the guerrillas in hot pursuit of the small group of men that had survived the attack but when he had finally returned to his base on the outskirts of Kabul he had discovered that Irina had died. He had saved his men from death but he had been unable to save her.

Images of a little village lost in the middle of mountains in Afghanistan that he had been ordered to investigate for terrorist activity burned on his mind. And the bloody carnage that occurred afterwards when one of his men overreacted to one of the villager's actions and started shooting. When he finally got his men under control the bodies of the civilians were spread out on the main street and inside their houses, gunned down by the precision of his elite team. He later saw that his safety on his assault rifle had been taken off and his clip was empty but he couldn't remember firing the weapon. It didn't matter at the moment as they continued conducting raids against all enemy forces on the border, under secret High Command orders to raze the land. Now it matters?

The same memories that had taken over him again came back and he fought them off. It must be of this of receiving the orders to report myself to the Kremlin later in the morning. Who knows what I will be assigned now by High Command.

There was complete darkness in the base where the elite Spetznaz commandos were housed. Almost no sound could be heard in spite of the war condition, which had been ordered by the Russian President himself. But one special squad was always on full alert, ready to deal with any further intrusions or attacks, although Illyuschenko knew that their efforts would be worthless. Already they had tried numerous times to reach the craft when they landed, but the speed and the distances involved had always worked against them. And each time he felt more frustrated and feeling more helpless.

He never told anyone about his memories and nightmares. He knew that if the Army knew about them he would probably be discharged for medical purposes. And he had a very important job at hands, making sure that his elite teams were ready for anything and that mistakes like that wouldn't happen again. For more than a decade duty had been a helpful medicine in keeping away the bad dreams. Duty would also have to suffice now as he picked up the frame and placed it on the drawer of his bedside table, closing it afterwards.

He looked at the watch upon the table and cursed, noticing that it was already three in the morning. Looking down to the ground he found what he was looking for. An empty bottle of vodka was on the concrete floor, still intact and right next to the table, where it had fallen from his limp right hand. The dizziness as he tried to pick it reminded him that he had also taken a couple of too much shots. He was used to sleeping few hours due to his training and his duties, but as he got up and went to bed he knew that the hangover would be a bitch. Sleep came almost instantly, but his dreams were still troubled.



Unknown location, North America



In another location on Earth a man thought about the current events and how they would affect it personally.

Number One's position was very precarious and he knew it. He was nothing more than a first among equals, on everyone's perception of the leader. And while the choices for replacing him were dim, this sort of event could just provide sufficient arguments to convince the majority to take such an action.

The Group's strict hierarchy was organized like a ladder. When someone was elected to the first step, the former number One would be then demoted to number Two and so forth with the remaining elements. Which meant that conquering leadership was a long, arduous process. Number One's last position was Seven and he had managed to convince enough lower "steps" to give him their votes. Usually Number One would be elected from the top "steps", which had the closest chances of being elected. But the real factor of the equation would be the "middle" steps: if someone below them got elected their positions would go down. It would be real easy to get demoted due to someone's ambition, which through this way would be put in check.

The only other way of ascending, besides being elected to Number One would be through the death of one of them. If Six died all the others below would ascend, with Seven occupying its place. While that could have brought political assassination as a tool to ascend, in this case it was different. The resources available to these men ensure that any strange demise of one of its members would be investigated and if crime was behind the cause of death the punishment would be swift. Death. Or something much worse.

Seniority and experience would play a big role on internal politics. And due to a precise reason: the knowledge and means those men possessed made them more powerful than most nations in the world. Patience and careful planning was essential for them to reach their goals undetected by the remainder of society. Number One knew this was a crucial time, the one they had been preparing for years. Although the timetable had been advanced, they would have to be able to seize the initiative and take control over the development of events in the future. He considered what he should do with a piece of data his agents had just sent him: the recordings of the Hawk flight.

The Aurora was considered already obsolete, but he had been involved at some point before with its conception and still remembered the pride he had felt years later when it took its maiden flight. But his personal feelings were not relevant here. More important would be the use that could be gotten from the data, especially if it found its way to the media. The Group had already decided that mass upheaval and distrust on the government would play a significant part in their plans. But not yet, he thought. When the time came this particular chess piece would be placed on the board and perform his role. The same was happening now with X-Com: it would give his friends something to worry about for the next months.



The Pentagon, Washington D.C., United States



As Terry Williams passed the last and inner ring of the Pentagon he was feeling a bit nervous. While he had been working for the CIA and the NIC for twenty years he had never been to such a high-ranking meeting. He had dealt with Congressman, Committees and Administration officers, occasionally with a Secretary, but never with the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the whole Administration.

And now he was getting both and more. He was about to present his group's report for the top military and civilian leaders of the country and still felt unsure of what he was going to say. At one point, during the early discussions, MacAllister had suggested, half-jokingly, that we should greet the aliens as our saviors. After everyone expressed their heated reactions about such a comment, he then added: "Since we are considering here theories about ET that until now would classify anyone who believes in them as nuts, why don't think of all possibilities then?" That phrase had rung a bell into Williams' mind, but he had no clue of what it meant.

It came also from the assignment. Until the last year his work had been related to unconventional forces and future threats of the new millennium. When the whole 'alien' group was formed no one knew what they were supposed to do. He looked at a mirror as his marine escort stopped by a checkpoint and presented his ID to the other soldier. He exhaled in relief as he looked at the perfect knot on his blue tie made by his wife at his request. His wavy dark blonde wasn't that bad either.

Of course when news arrived to the team of the attack on Siberia and the incident with the Hawk, most of the theories that they had discussed were discarded. They now knew that they were dealing with some alien life form that would react aggressively when it entered contact with humans. Which also posed a lot of terrifying questions about what they were and, most importantly, what they wanted from Earth.

When he reached the War Room entry he paused for a minute and checked himself while the military police checked again his identification. When the clearance was given he proceeded into the heart of the US military.

Unbeknownst to him at about the same time that he was on his way to the War Room, calls were being made to several military installations all over the United States, ordering the listeners to present themselves to Pentagon.



Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan



Takashi Ishibari felt he was making the most extraordinary speech in his life. He was presenting the reports elaborated by his Cabinet, Military Command and intelligence service to the Emperor about the results of the summit and the overall situation. While he had an almost ceremonial role in the society of Japan and had lost his figure as a divinity after World War II, tradition still overwhelmed the Japanese Prime-Minister.

Kneeling in front of the seated Emperor they were both alone and standing inside a large room with walls of white paper. The monarch was listening carefully to his words and asking questions. "So, we can assume that their intentions are hostile?"

"Yes, Emperor. They apparently seek something out of Earth. We are speculating, however, if their presence here is temporary or permanent, and if their appearances and hostile actions are provoked by our attempts of interfering with them".

"Meaning that if we do not try to get in their way they might reduce their activity?"

"That was considered by the conference but their appearances spread throughout known history. Stories from ships in the sky were recorded by many cultures. Until now we had seen such allegations as ridiculous and mad, but now it seems that we will have to reconsider them. The past year's activity has no parallel with what had happened before. This can only mean that they have a goal now and are acting towards it with every means necessary".

Nodding slightly he commented. "We must increase our actions then. You were right in establishing the Kiryu-Kai".

"Yes, your Highness. We now know that we can't dismiss their real goal here and must stop them, because they are invading and attacking our country to reach it. And the only lead we have are the cattle mutilations and the abductions".

"War again then". The Emperor's objections had been stated before to Ishibari about engaging in offensive operations. "There seems no doubt about it, Emperor". The sound afterwards was the only response Ishibari got.

The man's voice came slightly changed as the monarch changed the subject of the conversation. "What else can you tell me? Who are they?"

"They are most likely from outside the Sun system, because there is no place to support such an advanced civilization except Earth in our solar system and if it was possible we would have detected it by now. Which means that they developed a way to travel between stars, something that was considered almost impossible by the modern laws of science until now. The time necessary for traveling with technology similar to ours would have no purpose. About what they look like we might have some indications but no ideas."

"And their craft? Can we match them?"

"No, we do not have the technology so we will attempt to capture one and hope we can understand its technological wonders."

"And we have tried every possible means of communicating with them?"

"We are still trying, your Highness. They just refuse to respond"

"Very well. Japan shall then prepare for defending itself. You shall use every means available to do this and report to me on a regular basis. And if the Emperor can do anything else for his subjects please ask him".

"Thank you very much your Highness"

"One last thing. When you have chosen the Japanese members of this team, inform me. I have something I want to present them".



Pentagon, Washington D.C.



The constellation of epaulets carrying stars in front of him made Williams think for a minute about how now this had really turned into a stellar war. He was presenting his report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the body of military advisors to the President and Secretary of Defense that was composed of the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Air Force, Chief of Naval Operations and Commander of the Marine Corps, along with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the JCS.

The generals and admirals in front of all the US' combat commands where also present, along with the Secretaries of State, Interior, the National Security Advisor, who looked a lot better than expected after being through a cancer removal operation, and the President's Scientific Advisor. Absent were the Vice-President and the leaders of both parties of the House and Senate. The President, who now had just motioned Williams to continue, would brief them later.

"Most likely the aliens have a profound knowledge of human constitution and behavior by observing us for so long. They must also know our society and technological level deeply. That is a major advantage over us, since we have no information about them, their strengths and weaknesses.

They could have managed this using two ways: passively, by monitoring our transmissions or other such methods than don't involve direct physical contact with humans, and the other one, the" Williams paused, uncomfortable with the words "abductions and flyovers". One disturbing possibility also exists that those actions might also be psychological warfare on the aliens' part, with them trying to disrupt our societies through mass fear and hysteria".

"How do you predict they will react with the occurrence of unexpected encounters with humans?" The General in charge of the Special Operations Command, a special mixed organization with elite units from the Army and Air Force asked Williams with a look that gave him the impression that the man had his total attention focused on his words. Actually they all looked like that, besides the President and the Cabinet members that were already informed of all of the events.

"Aggressively, sir. After the Hawk incident we know this for sure. And the Siberian attack ca