However, F&I moved out of the way the next time the door was opened. Turned out he was hiding in the narrow corridor connecting the two entryways. Everyone ignored him as both teams moved in.
![[Image: z77.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z77.png)
Sullla, who had been untargetted by the psionics thus far, decided to grab an unauthorized heavy plasma from one of the dead aliens outside the door. The colonel would be in no position to complain after all. Sareln picked up a stun launcher from another alien, as the launcher the team had brought with them was stuck with Dazed and his malfunctioning suit.
Outside, Pling and Meiz were wandering around aimlessly under mind control.
Going round the corner, Dicorion was shot in the head by alien reaction fire with a heavy plasma and died instantly. Ichabod and F&I, who had recovered their senses somewhat, tried to avenge him but missed several times at close range. The sectoid grinned and pulled the autofire trigger on its weapon, incinerating Fire&Ice, then ducked back into the engine room.
![[Image: z78.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z78.png)
"I guess he got his fire after all", commented the Skyranger pilot. The intercom was filled with expletives.
Ichabod, Sareln and Sullla waited patiently at the door as Amelia's squad approached the room from the other side to flush the sectoid out.
![[Image: z79.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z79.png)
The sectoid emerged back at the western door. All three Xcommies completely failed to react, and the alien casually shot Ichabod with its heavy plasma, killing him too. A furious Sareln charged into the engine room and blasted the sectoid.
XCOM moved to secure the grav-lifts. Refsteel spotted an alien up on the third level above the lift and shot it down. Zakalwe took a second sectoid in the back corridor.
![[Image: z80.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z80.png)
As Sareln and Sullla and Jkaen camped the west lift with the help of whoever else wasn't mind controlled, Refsteel, Zakalwe and Amelia headed up to the third level. A sectoid popped into the lift chamber and shot Zakalwe lightly wounding him, then backed off to hide. Amelia patched him up with a medkit. Refsteel wasn't having any of this and caught it hiding behind the corner, killed it, and took the hiding place for himself:
![[Image: z81.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z81.png)
Refsteel then ambushed a second alien that was trying to camp the lift door:
![[Image: z82.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z82.png)
And Zakalwe caught a third in the opposite room:
![[Image: z83.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z83.png)
In the meantime, two more sectoids had come down the west lift, but close enough to be in range of XCOM stun rods and were knocked out by Sullla and Jkaen. Sullla moved the loot off the lift as Sareln trapped it with a proximity grenade. Unfortunately, PB was nearby, mind controlled by aliens, and made to set off the grenade doing no damage to himself but killing the unconscious sectoids in the process.
The squad decided to leave PB, who was alternating between self-control and alien mind control, to guard the second level lift and bring everyone to level 3 for the final assault on the bridge. (In these supply ships the west lift goes only to level 2 and the east lift only to level 3.)
Sounds of aliens panicking were heard as Sullla and Amelia turned their plasma weapons on the control room walls. Sareln was ready with the stun launcher and Zakalwe, Jkaen and Refsteel with the stun rods.
Sullla finally blasted a hole in the wall revealing the Sectoid leader responsible for tormenting his comrades cowering behind a control console. Unfortunately, his last burst was rather careless and one more plasma bolt flew out after the wall was breached. It hit the control console. Which exploded, knocking the sectoid to the ground. Refsteel charged into the acrid smoke, stun rod at the ready. Too late. The sectoid leader was dead.
![[Image: z85.png]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/z85.png)
There was a brief moment of silence as what had just happened sunk in.
"You idiot! You weren't even SUPPOSED to have a heavy plasma! Now we'll have to go through this torture AGAIN!" shouted the normally calm Sareln.
"Good! I didn't get to use my stun rod!" replied Zakalwe.
"So... is all this normal XCOM procedure then? Blowing up stuff for no reason?" inquired new recruit Jkaen.
"Unfortunately yes," sighed Amelia.
One more alien was hiding out in the lift room back on level 2, but was easily disposed of. At least the UFO had been captured intact. HQ would be pleased with that, at least. Maybe someone else would be sent out to freeze to death hovering above the Arctic ice cap for two weeks next time.
-- haphazard1
