Before the Gray: Dawn Cometh From Above
XCOM:_Gray_Dawn#Recaps
Previous ... Next
Day One
The party meets by chance at the local supermarket when the meteor shower first strikes, cutting off the major thoroughfares in and out of Elma. They set up their initial base of operations at the Wilson farmstead which lies in the NE area of town, near the Cloquallum road.
The Kjelstad home is nearby, a about half a mile down the road.
The party made contact with the army company training at the Satsop Development Park (the Nuke Site), and established communications with them and the local PD through Officer Cristelli.
A drone was shot down by Sgt. Carville (of the Ranger platoon training with the infantry company) at the Nuke site. It was recovered on the sly by Brock. As Brock and AJ flew away to investigate the damage to the highway, another drone from the South Bank Site came out to intercept them. They responded with force. AJ took the drone down. The drone was recovered, but it tried to zap Brock in the process.
Several clues came to light which suggest that the South Bank area is a focal point for some of the weirdness going on. After Fayth, Marie, AJ and Brock had gotten most of their gear and some survival equipment onsite at the Wilson farmstead (in Doug's barn), the party set up guard and waited. Shortly after nightfall, they heard gunfire far to the south, but after an hour or so, it stopped.
Doug revealed to the group what he saw prior to the meteor shower: the incoming object that landed in the South Bank area. He thinks he has its location, but didn't think he could make it by himself because of his bum leg. Brock and AJ decide to investigate--cautiously--and see if there is anything to see without digging too deep into the woods.
When they headed up the Delezzene (a road off the South Bank Road) and into the woods, AJ heard weird animal noises. Brock stopped the truck and they investigated. Heading into the woods, Brock and AJ encountered a mutated raccoon and dispatched it. They brought the carcass back for investigation by Fayth.
Fayth determined that the thing is definitely...wrong. Its tissues are growing in a cancerous fashion. The party decided to burn the carcass. After this, Brock and AJ decided to perform an aerial reconnoiter of the area. They found what appears to be a building smack in the middle of the woods, about 50m wide by 100m long, and 20m tall with a flat metal roof.
The existence of the Pershing clan was revealed. Marie's bad relation with one of them was slightly exposed. AJ is black, so he's got no love for them.
AJ is still in communication with Captain Newton at the Nuke site. The army personnel are fending off attacks from the local wildlife. After their encounter in the woods, the group decided to meet with the army guys again because they have offered a few of their extra NBC suits for them. AJ & Brock go out to meet, and get to talk to Peter Kjelstad, Marie's father. Kjelstad Industries is rolling out some of the fortification tech that they have been developing for the government and deploying it onsite at the Park. He reveals (when Captain Newton isn't listening) that he thinks the tech they are working on and the meteor strikes are no coincidence. (He knows that the fortifications tech they are researching is way ahead of what we should have right now).
Sgt. Carville is able to scrounge up a set of NV goggles for AJ & Brock. Meanwhile, they have left Marie to set up their back-up communication plan (morse code through a landline phone cable #355). She is working alone. In the dark. Phobia time, anyone?
We near the end of the first night, and approach the first Gray Dawn...
