Chapter 9:...of the end.

As we walked down the tunnels, we heard the sounds of voices and gunshots get louder and louder. Every time we heard a gunshot, we picked up our pace even more. We turned left down another tunnel, only to see two soldiers who stopped whatever they were doing and aimed their guns at us. We were faster however, as Val managed to stab the two soldiers at the same time with his claws and tail, killing them both without a single noise being made. We found some more grenades that we all split. We continued down the tunnel until we reached the main chamber. We saw fires raging, dead bodies littered about, both human and Xenomorph, and soldiers moving about, looking for more of my family to kill most likely. I felt a rage impossible to describe swell up in me, and so did Xander, as she let out a roar of pure anger at seeing the sight I did. She alerted everyone, but it didn't matter, we weren't exactly trying to be sneaky and subtle for long. We ran up to some cover and began to fire at anything human that was in front of us, while our mates got the ones who made it too cover as well. We finished the battle after a few minutes, with a good amount of ammunition still, and everybody had grenades. After we grabbed some more ammo and weapons from the dead soldiers in the room, I saw something that chilled me to the bone. It was mother, but she was riddled with holes in her chest and abdomen, and was still conscious, and in a lot of pain most likely. The horrendous smell of the acidic blood was in the room too, now that I notice it, and you could hear the faint sizzle from the floor burning from said acid blood. I dropped everything I was doing and ran straight towards her. Their were dead Xenomorphs around her as they had likely tried, but sadly failed, to protect her. She also had a few dead humans around her, that she likely took out. I dropped down to my knees when I got to her and began to look her over a bit more. She so badly injured, that it was amazing she was conscious, let alone alive! Her intestines were hanging out of a fairly large sized hole in her stomach, and she had many holes from gunshots in her chest. Her head was also bleeding, but it wasn't as bad. I guess she had some really tough armor there.

"Mother, you're not going to die, okay? Xander get over here and help me please!" I said aloud desperately. I was on the verge of tears, and I was going to do everything I could to make sure she lived. Everybody ran over here, thinking I was hurt, but instead, saw the queen in her gravely injured state.

"Oh my God." Sophia said.

"Logan, she's not going to make it." Dante said quietly. I turned and looked him in the eye, on the verge of socking him in the mouth.

"Shut up! She is NOT going to die!" I screamed at him with anger. "Xander please help me." I said.

"Logan, he's right. There is nothing we can do. The life-jelly wouldn't be enough. It would take too long to heal her." Xander said. I was crying at this point, everything felt numb, until I heard a voice, a weak one, but a voice nonetheless.

"Logan, listen to me please. I want you and Xander to both leave the hive, and never come back. I want you and Xander to be safe, okay my child?" Zillah said weakly.

"Okay... we will." I said still crying my heart out. Everything was gone, I felt lost, hopeless, and alone. The one who cared for me when my parents died was dying, the one who comforted me when I was forced to kill, and had to endure the death of others around me was dying, the one who saved me, when those who were meant to turned their back on us was dying, the one who made sure I safe and uninjured, and when I was, did everything to make sure I survived it was dying, and now, she was dying, and I couldn't do a single thing about it.

"Little one, I may be dying, but I will never leave you. Do not be afraid. I love you and Xander with all of my heart." Zillah said. This was whole new type of agony, it was so sad. Things were just fine a few days ago, and now, here we are, holding my mothers hand as she died. She held her hand up, and wiped away my tears with her thumb, but also getting her blood on my cheek. It hurt, badly, but I just wasn't able to make a single noise other than moans and groans from me crying. She made a sort of symbol on my face, and stopped. "Don't forget me, I love you." She said. Then, she stopped moving entirely. I just sat there, knowing what had happened, and cried my eyes out. After what had maybe been half an hour of me crying, an explosion rocked what was left of the hive, then another. They must have set the place to blow. I heard everyone run to the cave exit, but I just sat there, barely hearing a thing, and not willing to do anything. I could hear Xander talking, but I didn't know what she said. I felt myself being grabbed by a pair of black hands and carried as I faded in and out of consciousness. I woke up groggily as we exited the cave, then passed out again. I woke up in the Humvee we saw earlier with Dante driving us somewhere.

"Where are we going?" I barely said, my voice catching in my throat.

"To kill those who killed our mother." Xander said. I was in her embrace as she rubbed my back. I took a long breath in.

"I'm with you. I'm sick of feeling hurt and sad because of these monsters, I want it to stop, and what happened back there was the breaking point. What happened back there anyway?" I said.

"You were in shock I think. We were screaming for you to get up and run to the exit, but Xander had to carry you in the end." Dante said. The loud sound of thunder was heard in the distance. I looked out the window and saw it was thunder-storming pretty badly. "After we got out, we were hearing a noise coming from a dead soldiers radio, and apparently, they are stationed at the Indiana Military Base, and the best part it, they're being attacked by Yautja, so we could sneak in fairly easily." He said. After a while, we heard the familiar sound of gunfire and explosions in the distance. It was pitch black out as well, so the only light was the headlights, fire, muzzle flash from firearms, and the lightning in the distance. I looked out the front window, and sure enough, there was an aerial dogfight going on above a large structure, and there was also many soldiers on a 15 foot tall cement wall firing at Yautja rushing them from the ground. Some soldiers were also on spotlights so the other soldiers could actually see their target. Dante started going full speed to the base. Their was complete silence, aside from the gunfire and such, until Dante broke it. "Sophia, reach into my coat pocket, grab the Ipod, and set it to shuffle. This isn't the time I know, but if we're gonna kick ass, might as well set the mood, and if we die, same thing, might as well set the mood." He said. I was about to say can you pick a worse time to do this, but realized some music wouldn't be too bad. After Sophia set it up, 'Heathens' from 21 pilots played.

"All my friends are heathens take it slow, wait for them to ask you who you know, please don't make any sudden moves..." The song played on as we got closer to the wall. There was a downed Yautja airship near the wall, and it was positioned in a way that we could actually ramp off of it and jump the wall. I got up into the turret seat and started to fire at the spotlights. I got a few, but not all, and had to get back in the Humvee, as we were going to jump the wall, and I didn't want to fly out of the vehicle.

"Hold on!" Dante said. We jumped the wall, and barely made it too. We were getting shot at by now, but the windows were bulletproof it seemed. We landed hardly, and it hurt too, but not enough to break anything.. I got back in the turret position and fired away at those who were shooting us, while Dante opened the door. We basically landed in an area where we couldn't drive anywhere. Dante got out and started to fire at the soldiers, and so did Sophia, while our mates ran and got those who we didn't see or shoot. I managed to take out 5 soldiers until I saw another soldier, except this one didn't have an assault rifle, he had an RPG. I saw it immediately and began to get out of the Humvee by climbing out, but by the time I saw him, it was too late. The RPG man fired at me, and in mere seconds, the rocket exploded the vehicle, with me still in it. The Humvee got some air, and landed on its side with a thud. I was thrown about while this happened, and nearly got knocked out, as my head had hit the wall of the vehicle, but I somehow managed to stay conscious. I began to move weakly, and saw that the Humvee was going up in flames! I frantically began to climb out of the door, and was thankful to see it open and a pair of black hands reach in and grab me. Xander grabbed me, and jumped off of the Humvee, just before it exploded. She set me down without a word, and we continued the fight. I picked up a nearby dead soldiers assault rifle and began to fire. As I shot, I saw a door, and we were getting overwhelmed fast.

"The door! Head to the door!" I yelled over thunder and gunfire. My friends said nothing and moved over there as we continued to fire. After a minute, we got to the door, which I ended up kicking down while they covered me, as it was locked. We all entered, and ran down the hallway to our left, not really knowing what to do. We did this severely unprepared. We all ran, taking a quick glance behind us to make sure we weren't being followed, and we weren't. We all took a breath and slowed down. I saw a door to our right with a button next to it. 'Through here." I said. They followed me as I hit the button and the door slid open. I walked in first, while everyone else followed. Dante's Ipod was on a different song, and it was nearing the end by the sound of it. All of a sudden, it sounded as if a rock was thrown, or a...

"Grenade!" Dante screamed. I dove out of the way, while everyone else backed out of the room. There was the loud sound of it exploding, and then the door closing. I got up and looked around and saw that the grenade had damaged the door, and it closed. I could hear them pushing the button to open it, but to no avail. "Fuck, ok, we're gonna try and find a way around, see if you can't get out of there somehow." He said. Shit, we were separated.

"Be careful love." Xander said.

"I will. Be safe Xander." I said. I heard them run off. I looked around the room, and saw a man with a revolver in one hand aimed at me, and in the other, some sort of syringe full of green liquid. He looked different than everyone else, he may be the general. Without the leader, order will fall. I aimed my rifle at him, and we began to walk around the room, still aiming at each other. "Who are you?" I said.

"I can ask the same thing about you." He said.

"What's with the syringe?" I said.

"This." He simply put. He still trained the gun on me as he injected himself with it in his neck. Once he pulled it out, he fell to the ground and began to groan in pain. He was beginning to change into something. I shot at him, but it seemed to have no effect on him. His blood was changing too it looked like, as it was melting the ground around him. Something tells me they did some experiments on Xenomorphs, and whatever was in the syringe was some mutagen that's doing this perhaps. After a minute, his skin for the most part had gone black, his nails were now claws, and his hair was gone. I continued to shoot at him, but it had no effect still. He ran at me with an unholy speed, and grabbed me by then neck like I was nothing. He seemed to laugh at me as I struggled for breath, and then tossed me across the wall, with me landing on the medical box on the wall, with it falling right next to me. I couldn't scream in pain, as I had the breath knocked out of me, but it hurt like hell. He began to slowly walk towards me as I tried to get up, but couldn't, as I think he broke my leg. I looked to my left and saw the medical box was opened. Inside it were some bandages and such, but what caught my eye was two things of adrenaline. Dante must have dropped his Ipod, as the room was still filled with music. I heard 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen. I grabbed the two adrenaline packets hastily, and began to unwrap them both. I got them undone and grabbed them in both of my hands and positioned right above my knees.

"I'm floating around in ecstasy so-" I stabbed myself with them. "-don't stop me now." I injected them both, and felt time slow down and my vision blur a tad as I was blessed with an amazing feeling of energy. I tossed away both needles. "Don't stop me 'cause I'm having a good time, having a good time!" I got up, not even caring about my broken leg anymore and used my elbow to smash a nearby fire-ax compartment and grabbed it. I ran straight at the monster with absolutely no fear. I jumped on a nearby table and used it as a launchpad. I jumped right above him and slashed down onto his neck, causing his blood to spill out and destroy the ax. He barely had a time to react at my speed. I ran over to the door, still high on energy, and saw a metal panel with a safety release lever in the event of something like this happening, where the door cannot open and people are trapped behind it. I opened the small panel and pulled the lever, causing the door to shoot out and hit the wall. I ran out of the room and where I think my friends left. I ran for 2 minutes at my top speed, still high, and listening to Queen as I grabbed Dante's Ipod on the way out and come on, it's Queen, this is the best moment to ever listen to 'Don't Stop Me Now.' I ran around a corner and saw a soldier wailing on Dante and while Sophia was firing at another soldier down the hall. I ran to Dante and kicked the soldier off of him, and stomped on his head, killing him instantly, then I grabbed Sophia's gun from her hands and shot at the soldier down the hall with one shot... and hit. I handed it back to her after that.

"Jesus Hardcore Henry, what happened to you?" Dante said. I looked at him in the eye.

"Adrenaline is one helluva drug." I said. I was extremely jittery and fidgety, I felt like I had to do something, anything. We all ran down hallway after hallway, until we heard a the sound of a ship crashing into the building we were in. The adrenaline had wore off by now sadly. I fell to the ground from the ship crash, as it caught me off guard and shook the entire building. Everyone else fell too. I got up and began to walk down the hall again, this time, I took point. I rounded a corner, and was shocked to see soldier sitting there with a shotgun aimed at anyone who rounded the corner. I was too slow and weak from the adrenaline crash I had, and felt an extremely massive amount of pain in my body, and heard an extremely loud noise. I was blown back by the force of the impact, and hit the wall. I just stood there in shock from what had happened, and slowly began to slide down against the wall. I looked down, and saw many tiny holes in me. I looked up and saw Xander grab the soldier, and make sure his death was agonizingly painful by sticking her tail in his abdomen so far that it stuck out of his mouth. Before his body even touched the ground, Xander got down right next to me and began to secrete life-jelly. I saw Dante and Sophie looking at me in shock.

"You're going to be ok mate. Don't worry, you're going to be fine." Xander said. She sounded really worried, like even the life-jelly might not work, and to be honest, it might not work, I was bleeding like crazy, I could barely breath, and we were going to be found any second, that and... the bullets didn't go all the way through... if she used the Life-jelly on me, the wounds would likely get infected, but if she didn't, I was likely to bleed out or suffocate on my own blood, as my lungs were hit as well, shown by my extreme difficulty to breath currently, and the feeling as though my lungs were being filled with water. I looked up and saw Dante and Sophia firing away at an assailant I couldn't see. I saw Xander getting the Life-jelly ready in her hand, but I reacted quickly.

"No..." I barely breathed out. "Didn't... pass... through." I barely managed, breathing getting harder by the second. She gave me a look that basically said 'I don't care.' I know she was thinking in the now and not the later, trying her best to save me now and get us out of here, but these would get infected. But I was bleeding out, so there was no other way. She picked me up bridal style, and ran down the hallways, with our friends lagging behind. After a few minutes of me barely able to stay conscious, she burst through a door, knocked off everything that was on a table, and set me down on it.

"Logan, I love you, and this has to be done, or they will get infected. I'm can't apply the Life-jelly, or I may not be able to do what I am about to do. I love you, and I hope we can finish this quickly." Xander said. I feared what she was about to do, and even more because, there was no form of anesthetic at all being used... this was going to be the worst agony I have ever felt in my life. She took off my shirt, and positioned her tail right above my chest, and was about to do the surgery, but I wanted to say something.

"I love you too... please make it quick." I said. She went up to my face and gave a long passionate kiss, then pulled away and put her tail back over my chest. I heard the door open, and saw everyone appear. They saw me, then Xander, and almost rushed towards me, thinking I was in danger, but I just gave a thumbs up, and they seemed to realize that I wanted this, or that I at least wasn't being attacked. Sophia and Dante barricaded the door, and while I was looking away, I felt the tail go into my chest. It hurt immensely, with the following burning sensation that spread across my body. She pulled her tail down, and cut down to my stomach in one quick slice, not hitting any organs amazingly. I began to struggle and scream in agony, my mind being filled with thoughts such as 'This isn't worth it!' and 'Please dear God stop!' But I think I may have mentally said them, as Xander replied to these with 'Yes it is, I'm sorry!' and 'Logan we have to do this!' Didn't make this any easier to bear, I kept struggling, as even though I knew this had to be done, I still just wanted the pain and torture to stop. But my attempts were useless, as I was grabbed by the other Xenomorphs, and couldn't move at all as I felt Xander peel me open like you would an orange or banana. She began to quickly pull out the shells that were in me like she was playing a game of operation as a family bonding session, except instead of my nose glowing red and a loud buzzing noise being made, I screamed in agony as she reached into me and literally had to dig into my intestines to grab the shells. After a while of me just begging whatever sick God made this life for me to just allow me to pass out, I felt her stop digging in, the pain lessened from 'Just shoot me please!' to just 'Oh God STOP PLEASE!' Then I saw her apply Life-jelly to where the shells must have hit my organs and such, and close me up and apply life-jelly along the major line that on my entire body. The pain dissipated, but I felt awful. I looked around as I felt extremely weak and saw that we were in a... no. You're fucking kidding me. "I'm gonna kill you Xander..." I said as I passed out, looking at the drawer that had a large sticker-like thing on it saying anesthetic.

I awoke a few times, but each were brief flashes, being of Xander carrying me while Dante and Sophia fired at the enemy behind us, Dante screaming at a man on his knees near a bomb looking thing to set it now, and us driving away from a gigantic explosion to a city getting closer in the distance.

Listen to the songs listed throughout the chapter, seriously, to me they seem pretty good and fit well during those moments. And yes, I made a Hardcore Henry reference, what you gonna do about it? Please don't sue me, STX Entertainment owns that movie, 20th Century Fox owns the Aliens/Predators franchise, and I own my characters. Also, listen to the songs that I also don't own when it says 'so and so song is playing.' I chose those songs because I felt that they sounded badass as those moments.