Looking around at the shocked expressions on everyone’s face, Alan started spitting out directions.

“Jacqueline, I want you to open the door. If you spot an alien give a quick three-round burst and then move out of the line of fire to the left. Micky, when she moves I want you to take her place. If you see aliens repeat the three-round burst and move out to the right. After that I want Micheline and Akinori to repeat the procedure. If you don’t see any aliens when your at the door, move into the UFO and spilt to either side of the door covering any entry ways. Does everyone understand?” As he looked into nine sets of scared eyes, he hoped that no one else would have to die today. “Ok, move out.”

As Jacqueline moved to the door and touched it with her hand, it whooshed back into the body of the UFO. “Alien, 2 o’clock.” She yelled. She quickly pulled the trigger and three bullets left the barrel in a tongue of flame twelve inches long. She quickly jumped back and to the left yelling, “I missed, I missed. Its behind a corner about 20 feet from the door.”

Before the door could close, Micky slide to her right, sighted the alien and fired a three-round burst. Alan could hear a ricochet bouncing around the room along with two wet thumping sounds. He then heard a strange keening sound coming from inside the UFO.

“Got him,” cried Mickey as she moved out of the doorway. “No other aliens spotted.”

“Alright. Micheline, Akinori, go! go! go!”

As the two sped through the door, Micheline turning left and Akinori turning right they reported what saw. “This is approximately a 20 foot by 20 foot room with passages at ten and two o’clock. We don’t see any aliens and we have the passages covered. Unload HE if you have it, because there is no room for it in here.”

At that Alan started unloading his HE clip from the Heavy Cannon. Turning to the rest of the group he started directing them to various points inside the UFO. “Shigeo and Jacqueline, move to the north wall and prepare to enter the passageways. As soon as they move into the passageways, Micheline and Akinori, you move to the north wall to follow them in. Micky and Jean, you two move into Micheline and Akinori’s old spots and wait for developments. The team quickly moved into place and from his positions just inside the closed door of the UFO, Alan could see Shigeo and Jacqueline, easing their way into the corridors. Keeping close to the wall in order to minimize their exposure.

As Shigeo rounded a corner in the northwest passage, Alan saw him shift his rifle around and fire off three quick rounds. As the echoes of the shots subsided everyone could hear that strange moaning sound that marked the death of another alien. As Shigeo moved into a corner to cover the corridor that now headed directly west, Micheline ran past him to kneel beside another of those strange metal doors.

“Looks like the same corridor pattern on the east side of the UFO as well, Alan,” said Akinori as she and Jacqueline moved to cover the east passageway’s door. Alan motioned to Micky and Jean to move to the north wall, then he heard that strange swishing sound of a door opening in the west corridor.

“Clear,” yelled Micheline as the door opened. “This opens up into a small six by ten foot room with a door that looks like it opens into the middle of the UFO.”

“Ok. Akinori you should see a small room with a door to your left when you open the door in your passageway. After you’re in let me know, because I want you and Micheline to open the doors to the center at the same time.”

Taking a few steps forward, Alan could see Akinori pressing the door to open it. As it slid open Alan saw a gray four foot tall thing standing just on the other side. Before he could yell a warning Akinori pulled the trigger on her Auto Cannon. As the whirring noise of the spinning barrels filled the UFO, Alan could see the bullets hitting the alien starting at its belly and ending in its head that caused it to explode like a pumpkin dropped from a building. Akinori immediately spun to her right to get out of the doorframe. The door closed with its now normal whooshing sound, and everyone could hear Akinori’s heavy breathing through the radio.

“You ok?” Alan asked her. She raised her head to look at him and flashed him a quick thumbs up. “Did you get a look at the area behind the door?”

“No, all I saw was that little gray thing standing in the doorway. I didn’t get a chance to look before I pulled the trigger and ducked out of sight.” She sounded a little pissed, like he’d accused her of failing her job.

“That’s fine, Akinori. Well, let’s try this again.”

As Akinori inched to the door even more slowly than before, she gingerly touched the door to open it. The door moved from right to left Alan could see the gray alien standing at the door again.

“Don’t you die!” screamed Akinori as she pulled the trigger spitting out another three rounds. They impacted the alien throwing it backward, spilling green goo over the wall behind it. As the Auto Cannon’s spinning barrels slowed down Alan could see that Akinori had killed a second alien.

“Everyone, we can kill them and they stay dead. So let’s finish this job and get out of here. We’ve obviously cleared three arms of the plus shape, so the last of the aliens should be in the last arm. Akinori, do you have the same room layout as Micheline?”

“No, it looks like another corridor headed for the interior of the UFO.” There were sounds of grunts as she moved. “I’m in the corridor against the outer hull. I think the last arm is one big open room. I’ve got the hallway covered for you, Jacqueline.”

Alan saw Jacqueline move through the doorway and disappear from view. He then got on the radio and ordered Micheline and Shigeo to move in the last area as well.

Jacqueline’s voice broke over the radio net. “Target, about 10 feet in front of me. The hallway opens up into a room with some strange equipment. It saw me, but I ducked out of sight before it could fire.”

“Micheline, move into that room. Its back should be to you, so you can get a good shot off.”

In a few seconds Alan heard another set of Auto Cannon shots being fired. “Got it!” He heard Micheline shout. “The room is clear, repeat room is clear.”

Alan kept four people back to ensure no aliens snuck into the UFO while they finished clearing it out. There was one more door to inspect. It was placed in the middle of the wall and led directly into the center of the UFO. Alan touched the door and dashed through it and to the right. There was a silver ball-shaped object in the middle of the room with a rod of glowing orange material sticking out of it vertically. At least Alan thought it was ball-shaped, as only the top-half of the ball was visible sticking out of the floor. They had explored every room in the UFO and there were no aliens left.

“Alright, everyone. It looks like we’ve given them a black eye and stole one of their UFOs. Jacqueline and Jean, move back to the Skyranger and radio Area 51 and let them know our status. Tell them they’re going to need engineers and heavy machinery to move this thing. Akinori, take your team and setup a perimeter in case something comes looking for their lost UFO. The rest of us will collect the dead aliens and put them in that little room Micheline cleared. All right, move out.”

As everyone started moving to their assigned task, Alan signaled Mattias over to him. “Help me take Gerhard and Leo back to the Skyranger. I don’t want them out here with these things.” Mattias just nodded his assent slung his rifle over his shoulder and moved over to Gerhard’s body.

Later, as the engineers and decontamination crew were moving through the UFO disassembling the strange device in preparation for taking it back to Area 51, Alan sat back on his heels looking at one of the dead aliens. It looked so strange with its bald head and two large, luminous black eyes staring back at him, just like the pictures he’d seen in some documentary about Roswell. “Why are you here,” Alan mumbled, “Why us? What did we do to you?” He received no illumination from the piece of meat lying before him. Two dead to prove that we’ll fight, is it worth it?

Filled with doubts and apprehension Alan picked himself, grabbed his weapon and followed the remaining members of X-Com to the Skyranger. Life would never be the same.