The year is 1998. Reports of UFO sightings as tales of abductions and rumors of attacks by mysterious aliens become widespread. Nations of the world come to perceive this as a threat and they attempt to form their own forces - such as Japan's Kiryu-Kai force - to deal with the crisis, but these efforts are unsuccessful. On December 11, 1998, representatives from some of the most powerful nations in the world meet in Geneva to discuss the issue. From this meeting is born the secret defense and research organization Extraterrestrial Combat, X-COM.