Chapter 2: A Killer's Instinct
We were descending fast; it would be only a matter of minutes to the ground...and death. 'Think Jacob think!!' Before my inner monologue could ramble on, an idea came to me, it was a long shot but it could just buy them enough time to get a safe distance then think the rest later. 'Collins! Briggs! Drop half of your Pulse rifle grenades, uncapped! Do it! Thankfully the Xenomorphs ignored the grenades, thinking of them as feeble attempts of defiance to the inevitable. 'Ok, Brooklyn! Toss every EMP canister you got adjacent to the grenades! ' Lu! When I give the word fire a shot at the grenades! 'Yes sir.' I'd give us 7 mins tops to get outta there, assuming that it went as planned.
They were pouncing at us now, the nearest one only 25 feet away, ok... 'Lu FIRE!' The following explosion rocked my very ears to the extent that I wished to clasp them, but I knew better, now came phase 2. 'Marines!! Unclip and drop!! The shockwave of the EMPs had rocked us about 60 feet away from the horde, but thankfully our Com sets were EMP proof... to an extent. There was a cave near bye; if we got there we could deploy the sentry guns. Make a defense. 'Follow my lead, fire only when they get too close!! The EMPS had confused the Aliens, and the grenades had infuriated them. Blind and wounded they lunged at each other hoping to kill the one inflicting the damage.
I ran, ran as if the Gates of Hell had just opened behind me, 4 minutes left and the cave was still about 60 meters away... it'll be a close one... 2 mins to go I reached the cave seeing no surprises I turned, raising my pulse rifle. 'Oh shit... the were almost here, but Briggs had damaged her leg in the fall and she was only just hobbling at a speed in which the pain must be tearing at her very sanity. Forgetting all else I ran to her, the Aliens had regrouped by now, and were starting to give chase, then, Briggs fell... 'Get the fuck up Briggs!! RUN DON"T LOOK BACK!!' A Drone was leading the way in the charge, before my very eyes I saw it pounce at Masami Briggs claws extended, the grin on its face as if it knew it had enjoyed the chase. 'MASAMI!!!!!!! GET DOWN!!!' Briggs dropped her gaze on the grass, her hands up, as though she were praying.
I looked to where the voice had come from, there stood Brooklyn, his Mini- Gun began to spin, and then time slowed down, my heart going a beat a minute. Then the thunder broke out. Brooklyn began mowing down the horde starting with the pouncing Drone which was instantaneously obliterated, in a flash of black and green. Collins and Alexander joined him, both firing their Pulse rifles, and ejecting grenades when they had to change my clips. Without me even registering it I too joined them, primal fury gripping at my very heart, 'They won't take her....' I kept repeating this mantra in my head. The horde of about an odd 35-40 drones had been reduced to a vast smoldering pile of acid and limbs with the odd spasm. It'd all taken a space of 2 mins, but it seemed like an eternity... Brooklyn was still pressing down on the trigger unaware that the gun was spinning empty, the look on his face was one of a trauma patient after a disaster...they same look he wore when I found him.
Masami looked up; her fine features beautiful even with the look of pure terror. Both Collins and I ran to her, and taking a side each we started to run back to the cave, ' Out of all of my shining Knights, you're my favorite...' she whispered, and then lost consciousness. I looked back to Brooklyn who was screaming again while reloading his gun along with Alexander who was aiming his rifle somewhere behind us; I turned and saw one of the few things Marines feared to encounter when Aliens were involved... a Praetorian.
It had been hiding under the dead horde all along. Towering over most Aliens it was a pure breed, whose armor only an armor peircer could fully penetrate. It bore down on us, I froze; hearing the screams of my comrades, but not reacting...this was it, Death had worked his rounds on the Aliens, now, it was my turn. Its tail was raised ready to shred through me... and then it was gone...just gone! In a blink of an eye a plasma charge zoomed past me and incinerated the Praetorian. The shot had awakened me, turning so quick I heard a crick in my neck, I searched for the shooter, and somewhere above the cave...it was there for just a second. I'll never forget it, a towering figure that looked as though he ate dumbbells for breakfast, through an uncaring metallic mask, our gazes locked...then it was gone...
'Sir! You alright!? Sir?' Alexander stood there as I gazed into the space that was previously filled by my mysterious saviour; finally I came back to the real world, to the pungeunt smell of spent rounds and the reek of acid carrying on the wind. 'I'm fine Nick...just fine.' 'What the fuck was that Jacob...?' I turned to Collins shrugging; he was the only member of the squad who I allowed to call me by name, might as well drop the whole rank issue for flexibility.
'You're guess is as good as mine Rodrigo... Ok then.' I turned to the squad,' Lu, check Masami, the rest of you, pack up we're moving as far away from the Hive sector as we can, they'll be reluctant to attack for a while but it'd be better if we head out. Once Masami is up, we'll check the location for the Exos, the Long range Com Sets are on them, we'll need them to call in an evac ASAP. Brooklyn, we'll need an ammo count, how much we got and also bring me the co-ordinates of a good safe and strategically site.' 'Yes Sir'. ' Oh and Mick... that was some fine judgment there and good shooting, and just call me Jacob, for now anyway. Got it? Brooklyn's face somewhat brightened. 'Yes...Jacob'
We were descending fast; it would be only a matter of minutes to the ground...and death. 'Think Jacob think!!' Before my inner monologue could ramble on, an idea came to me, it was a long shot but it could just buy them enough time to get a safe distance then think the rest later. 'Collins! Briggs! Drop half of your Pulse rifle grenades, uncapped! Do it! Thankfully the Xenomorphs ignored the grenades, thinking of them as feeble attempts of defiance to the inevitable. 'Ok, Brooklyn! Toss every EMP canister you got adjacent to the grenades! ' Lu! When I give the word fire a shot at the grenades! 'Yes sir.' I'd give us 7 mins tops to get outta there, assuming that it went as planned.
They were pouncing at us now, the nearest one only 25 feet away, ok... 'Lu FIRE!' The following explosion rocked my very ears to the extent that I wished to clasp them, but I knew better, now came phase 2. 'Marines!! Unclip and drop!! The shockwave of the EMPs had rocked us about 60 feet away from the horde, but thankfully our Com sets were EMP proof... to an extent. There was a cave near bye; if we got there we could deploy the sentry guns. Make a defense. 'Follow my lead, fire only when they get too close!! The EMPS had confused the Aliens, and the grenades had infuriated them. Blind and wounded they lunged at each other hoping to kill the one inflicting the damage.
I ran, ran as if the Gates of Hell had just opened behind me, 4 minutes left and the cave was still about 60 meters away... it'll be a close one... 2 mins to go I reached the cave seeing no surprises I turned, raising my pulse rifle. 'Oh shit... the were almost here, but Briggs had damaged her leg in the fall and she was only just hobbling at a speed in which the pain must be tearing at her very sanity. Forgetting all else I ran to her, the Aliens had regrouped by now, and were starting to give chase, then, Briggs fell... 'Get the fuck up Briggs!! RUN DON"T LOOK BACK!!' A Drone was leading the way in the charge, before my very eyes I saw it pounce at Masami Briggs claws extended, the grin on its face as if it knew it had enjoyed the chase. 'MASAMI!!!!!!! GET DOWN!!!' Briggs dropped her gaze on the grass, her hands up, as though she were praying.
I looked to where the voice had come from, there stood Brooklyn, his Mini- Gun began to spin, and then time slowed down, my heart going a beat a minute. Then the thunder broke out. Brooklyn began mowing down the horde starting with the pouncing Drone which was instantaneously obliterated, in a flash of black and green. Collins and Alexander joined him, both firing their Pulse rifles, and ejecting grenades when they had to change my clips. Without me even registering it I too joined them, primal fury gripping at my very heart, 'They won't take her....' I kept repeating this mantra in my head. The horde of about an odd 35-40 drones had been reduced to a vast smoldering pile of acid and limbs with the odd spasm. It'd all taken a space of 2 mins, but it seemed like an eternity... Brooklyn was still pressing down on the trigger unaware that the gun was spinning empty, the look on his face was one of a trauma patient after a disaster...they same look he wore when I found him.
Masami looked up; her fine features beautiful even with the look of pure terror. Both Collins and I ran to her, and taking a side each we started to run back to the cave, ' Out of all of my shining Knights, you're my favorite...' she whispered, and then lost consciousness. I looked back to Brooklyn who was screaming again while reloading his gun along with Alexander who was aiming his rifle somewhere behind us; I turned and saw one of the few things Marines feared to encounter when Aliens were involved... a Praetorian.
It had been hiding under the dead horde all along. Towering over most Aliens it was a pure breed, whose armor only an armor peircer could fully penetrate. It bore down on us, I froze; hearing the screams of my comrades, but not reacting...this was it, Death had worked his rounds on the Aliens, now, it was my turn. Its tail was raised ready to shred through me... and then it was gone...just gone! In a blink of an eye a plasma charge zoomed past me and incinerated the Praetorian. The shot had awakened me, turning so quick I heard a crick in my neck, I searched for the shooter, and somewhere above the cave...it was there for just a second. I'll never forget it, a towering figure that looked as though he ate dumbbells for breakfast, through an uncaring metallic mask, our gazes locked...then it was gone...
'Sir! You alright!? Sir?' Alexander stood there as I gazed into the space that was previously filled by my mysterious saviour; finally I came back to the real world, to the pungeunt smell of spent rounds and the reek of acid carrying on the wind. 'I'm fine Nick...just fine.' 'What the fuck was that Jacob...?' I turned to Collins shrugging; he was the only member of the squad who I allowed to call me by name, might as well drop the whole rank issue for flexibility.
'You're guess is as good as mine Rodrigo... Ok then.' I turned to the squad,' Lu, check Masami, the rest of you, pack up we're moving as far away from the Hive sector as we can, they'll be reluctant to attack for a while but it'd be better if we head out. Once Masami is up, we'll check the location for the Exos, the Long range Com Sets are on them, we'll need them to call in an evac ASAP. Brooklyn, we'll need an ammo count, how much we got and also bring me the co-ordinates of a good safe and strategically site.' 'Yes Sir'. ' Oh and Mick... that was some fine judgment there and good shooting, and just call me Jacob, for now anyway. Got it? Brooklyn's face somewhat brightened. 'Yes...Jacob'