"Now what the hell are we gonna do?" A Marine asked looking over at Sergeant Julia Vasquez.
"How do I know?" She asked.
"Those dame things are right out side the door!" The Marine yelled.
"Theriot calm down." Julia said. "I radioed for help, it should be here soon.
The pounding on the thick steel door continued as Julia and Theriot sat in the room. Julia had a bandage wrapped around her leg from a wound she got when acidic blood splashed on her. She was loading her last magazine into her Pulse rifle and closed the bolt.
"Look we just have to wait for help." She said. "We're low on ammo and don't stand a chance out there against those things."
Theriot looked at Julia and then at the door.
'Shit.' He thought and sat in a chair and watched the door.
Julia knew that help wasn't gonna make it in time but kept her cool like her mother had taught her. She thought back to the day that she was told that her mother was killed on Lv. 126 and swore to get revenge on the things that did it.
1 year earlier
Julia was just leaving her collage class talking with one of the guys in the class about the night's assignment when several Marines in their class A. uniforms came up to her.
"Hey Jerry." She said recognizing one of her friends.
"Hi Julia." He said.
"Here to recruit people?" Julia asked.
Jerry looked into Julia's eyes then down at the ground.
"I wish I was." He said. "Umm can we go inside?"
"Yea sure." Julia said. "Keith I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ok Julia see you later." Keith said.
Julia, Jerry and the Marine's walked back into Julia's Economics class and sat down at the large desk.
"So what's up?" Julia asked.
Jerry looked at the others sitting around the desk and pulled a small letter from his pocket. Julie knew what it was right away and tears came to her eyes.
"She was killed in hostile action on Lv.126." Jerry said. "I'm sorry."
"What went wrong?" Julie asked.
"I don't know." Jerry said. "But the whole team and civilian that went along are missing and believed to be dead."
"Believed?" Julie asked. "So she could still be alive?"
"We don't know." Jerry said. "We can't get anymore information."
Julie stood up knocking the chair over in fury.
"You don't know?" She yelled. "That's my mother!"
"Julie calm down." Jerry said. "I have a man on the inside getting information. If there is any that we can get he'll get it."
Julie stood up with a fire in her eyes that Jerry had seen before. Usually it was just before she did something stupid.
"Julie what are you planning on doing?" He asked.
"You think I'm just gonna sit around and wait to find out if my mother is alive or dead?" Julie asked. "I'm gonna join the coup. And kick some ass just like my mother."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jerry asked.
"My mother might be dead." Julie said. "If she is, I want revenge."
8 months later
Julie joined the Marines and went to the same basic training that her mother did and even had one of the same Drill Sergeants. There were times that she didn't think she could go on but she thought about her mother on some God Forsaken planet fighting to the last bullet and dyeing like a Marine. That thought kept her going with renewed fire. After basic she was assigned to the 108th MEU out of Gateway station the same station as her mothers. Jerry's man on the inside had learned that Lv. 426 had been destroyed by a core meltdown and that the whole team was killed some time before the explosion. He had also learned what killed Julie's mother and that there was an operation on a near by planet to exterminate the same creatures. The details on the creatures were vague, mainly saying that they were not human and very dangerous. And something about their blood but that was all that the file had to say. Julie was rather persuasive on getting assigned to the 108th when she learned that they were about to be deployed to the planet as a part of the first wave. Jerry had put in a transfer to the same unit so he could watch over his friend seeing as he was already battle hardened and she was still a cherry.
Now the ship was orbiting Lv.427 and all the Marines were preparing for the drop into a very hostile environment. Julie was in the armory cleaning her Smart gun and making sure there were no malfunctions. Satisfied that the weapon was in top condition she set it on the rack and headed for the briefing room. Once seated with the rest of the team the briefing began.
"Ok this is a rundown of the creatures you will be encountering." A man in a white coat said. "These things are unlike anything we've ever seen before; they are rather large and intelligent. It doesn't take much to bring them down however, but their blood is acidic and will melt through your armor as if it wasn't even there."
"What are they exactly?" Sharon Torrez asked.
"We don't know much about them." The man said. "We have managed to catch one of them alive and bring back a dead one. We have had to use glass equipment to do an autopsy on it and have discovered that it has no reproductive organs. Which tells us that it is a drone, like in a bee hive."
"So you mean to tell us that some where there is a Queen?" Julie asked.
"We believe so yes." The man said. "We haven't seen any eggs or even any young so they must stay in the hive until they are adults."
"Is there any more information?" Darrel Johnson asked.
"No Lieutenant that is all we know." The man said.
"Ok, the report is on file so you might want to review it." Lt. Johnson said. "The mission will commence in 4 hours be ready. Until then you are free to do as you will."
The team all stood and filed out of the briefing room except for Julie who stayed behind to talk to the man that gave the briefing.
"Excuse me sir." She said.
"Yes what is it?" The man asked.
"You said you captured one of these things alive." Julie said. "Is there a way I can see it?"
"Why?" The man asked.
"I just want to know what we are up against." Julie said. "These things killed my mother."
"Oh." He said. "We're not allowed to let anyone see it. But I'll get you a quick glimpse."
He led Julie into the Research department and into the room that the creature was being held. She saw a large cage in the middle of the room but it was empty.
"Where is it?" She asked.
She could hear the sound of the man behind her as he tried to say something. Julia turned around and sat the nearly 8 foot creature drooling down at her.
"Oh shit." She said reaching for her side arm that she always kept on her side.
The creature opened its mouth and a seconded mouth came out and shot at her. She jumped out of the way and rolled to the right and kneeled down raising her weapon.
"Shit." She said. "Acidic blood."
She lowered her weapon and looked at the man in the white coat.
"The floor is acid proof!" He yelled.
That was all she needed to hear. She raised the weapon just as the creature lunged at her. Throughout the halls of the ship the gunshots could be heard as she emptied the clip into the monsters chest or at least what looked like its chest. The creature was put down and was flopping all around the ground sending its tentacles flying around. Julie reloaded the side arm and sent 3 more shots into its head putting it down for good.
"That was easy." She said.
"Yea but they hunt in packs." The man said.
The gunshots brought about 20 Marines running through the door to the room with pulse rifles in their hands.
"What the hell happened?" Lt. Johnson asked.
"It escaped." The man said. "I was showing this Private it and it escaped."
"Vasquez." Lt. Johnson said. "This takes you out of the pot to see who gets the first kill."
"Oh boo-hoo." Julie said.
"Ok let's get ready for the mission." Lt.' Johnson said.