Hey guys, I'm really sorry about how long it's taken to update! I've started a full-time job, which is leaving me utterly exhausted, but I've started coping better with it now, so hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace on the writing front. I've really missed it.
Thank you to Dar Sel'La, JustAnotherSilentReader, Some101 and Sharnorasian Empire for your lovely reviews, and I ask all of you to keep feeding me reviews!
See Chapter One for the disclaimer. Okay, I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy!
Claudia flung herself into the bunker, slamming the door closed just as the first zergling bounded over the top of the low metallic rise. She dropped to the floor, hands flying to her head as it was jarred. She winced as it throbbed painfully, hands coming away coated in blood. Shit, she thought, closing her eyes briefly. Determined to ignore her injury, she glanced around the almost derelict bunker for some sort of weapon, anything that could stave off the zerg while she figured out how to contact the ships.
Her eyes fell on a long disused gauss rifle, and instantly scrambled towards it.
"Please, please please have extra clips." She whispered, trembling hands frantically searching amongst the boxes to her left. Majority were empty, but one was completely full, and several others had a few clips left in them. Sighing in relief, she checked the clip inside the rifle, refusing to look at the blood splashed on the barrel of the gun. Human blood, her traitorous mind informed her.
With the rifle securely in her grasp, she crept to the nearest window, and stared out at the Valkyrie. It was little more than scrap metal, and surrounded by zerglings, which excitedly chittered as they jumped on top of it, clearly smelling her blood. A Hydralisk appeared out of nowhere, and she blinked, realising that an Overlord had arrived, and was scouring the area.
She sunk down, tears threatening to leak from her eyes. The radio, and any modifying thereof was completely out of the question. The only question to think about was how she was going to die: by zerg, thirst or her own stupidity.
Peeking back over the windowsill, she saw lurkers settle around the ship, burrowing underground as they patiently began to wait for any rescue attempt.
Artanis boarded the dropship, immediately settling down into the nearest Protoss chair. Marcus, strapped in across from him, raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're coming with us now?" He asked, fiddling with his rifle. Artanis stared expressionlessly at him.
Captain Black has been shot down, and another Valkyrie pilot saw her run into a bunker. This mission is now purely rescue. I am confident that our air forces will eradicate the Zerg, he replied dispassionately. Marcus nodded.
"Hear that boys? We got ourselves a damsel in distress to rescue." He called out, catching the attention of the rest of the cabin. Several heads nodded in acknowledgement, and others chuckled.
"Then what's the chariot waiting for?" Another marine called out, smacking his knee. The pilot turned from his seat to give the marine a disparaging glance.
"Clearance to get to the platform. Unless you'll like to become food for a Mutalisk, of course." The 'duh' was all but said. He turned around, shaking his head. The radio came to life.
"Dropships, you have a go. We're covering your six, now get down there." A scratchy voice sounded, and they were off. The ride was harrowing, as they dodged left and right to avoid Guardians and Glave Wurms flying their way. A guard of three Valkyries appeared behind them, shooting down anything that was in their path.
"I've got a clear area, I'll be setting you down there, but I can't stay. Too risky." The pilot called out from his position at the controls. Without waiting for a response, the dropships veered off course, dropping sharply as it dived towards the platform. The Valkyries dived after it in quick succession, blasting away at the ground in an attempt to kill any zerg hidden below ground.
The first dropship landed, and the troops quickly ran out, gauss rifles and psi blades at the ready. An observer floated out of the dropship, closely followed by two probes, which immediately began to warp in photon cannons. Marcus breathed in the recycled air of the platform, glad that the shield, filter and gravity field had not been tampered with.
Artanis stared at his surroundings, golden eyes mapping out the rise of the dull grey metal, cataloguing the most likely points where the zerg would come from. His eyes hardened as he realised that they could attack from anywhere.
"Alright guys, the captain's two clicks to the north. This was the closest place we could land without getting overrun straight away by them critters. Protect the probes and observers, now spread out so we can cover this hollow. Move!" Marcus barked, readying his gauss rifle. Dark eyes slid across to Artanis, who gave a solemn nod to the marine.
Angry chittering preceded the first wave of zerglings, as they rushed towards the small group of both Terrans and Protoss. The dropships closed their doors, and, with a signal, began to fly away as the first Mutalisk arrived and began chasing the defenceless ships.
Protect the warp rift! Artanis roared as he sliced an advancing zergling apart with ease. Another zergling leapt at him, jaws open and drooling as it eyed him in hunger. Artanis' rage fuelled him as he mentally roared at it, almost leaping forward to decapitate the beast, narrowly avoiding another zergling's attempt to rush him from below as his other psi blade swung downwards, spraying his legs with its blood.
The first photon cannon finished warping in, and immediately began firing, just as the hyrdralisks agitatedly slithered their way towards the enemies of the swarm.
Claudia perked up as she heard the rifles firing, and chanced a look over the windowsill. The zergling and lone hydralisk were clearly agitated, running up to the low metallic rise, then down again to the ship, their chittering more intense, sharper than what it was before.
Taking a chance, she carefully raised her rifle, aiming for the hydralisk, which could do more damage to the bunker than the zergling. She tracked it for a few seconds, then fired, praying that the rifle would actually work. If it didn't, she was a dead woman.
The hydralisk dropped to the ground just as the recoil on the gauss rifle forced Claudia to fall backwards, smacking her head on the cold metallic floor again. She silently groaned, shifting the rifle so she could sit up.
Slowly opening her eyes, she focused on a large blue shape that wasn't there before. Blinking, her vision swam into focus, and she stared at the zergling which had somehow climbed into the bunker, and was eyeing her hungrily, drool escaping out of its clenched teeth.
Her eyes widened, and she swung the gauss rifle around, just as the zergling made to leap at her. It jumped, snarling and snapping its jaws as the captain shot upwards towards it, back falling flat against the floor as she continued to shoot, even though a small part of her knew that she had killed it.
She cried out in pain as the full weight of the zergling impacted heavily on her legs, trapping her underneath the beast. Why do I get myself into these situations?! She mentally yelled, dropping the rifle as she tried to pull herself from underneath the zergling.
A faint sound came from outside, and the captain froze, craning her neck to see if other zerglings had made it through the window. Excited chittering started up, more than a few. Her eyes widened, glancing down at the gauss rifle. I don't have a clear shot... how the hell am I gonna get out of this one? She thought desperately, looking around for something more substantial than the rifle.
Her search came up empty, and as the scratching began from the window, she made her decision, and flopped onto the cool dark grey metal, feeling the abrasions roughly digging into her cheek. She closed her eyes, concentrating on lowering her breathing just as the first zergling cleared the window, blood red eyes in a sea of heaving blue flesh searching the small bunker.
Please don't notice me, please please please just chitter for a few seconds and go away, she thought desperately, almost screaming as a spiked muzzle nudged her in the ribs. She moved limply, holding her breath as the zergling stood over the top of her.
It chittered twice to its companions outside before viciously sinking its teeth into the other zergling on top of her, tugging it towards the window. She held her breath as she heard it drag its dead outside, and only dared to fill her lungs when she heard the sound of tearing flesh. She winced, slowly opening her eyes.
The bunker was clear of the zerg. Frantically, trying to make as little noise as possible, she searched around for a hiding place. She came to a halt in front of a set of lockers, vivid green eyes assessing their size.
The captain estimated that she could possibly fit into one, but without the rifle. She glanced back at its position on the floor. The chittering began again, this time right outside the window.
Everything she had been trained to do screamed out as she climbed into the locker, quietly shutting the door behind her. She managed to somehow sink to the bottom, chin coming to a rest on her knee.
Closing her eyes, she listened as the chittering became louder, angrier, as they realised that she had gone.
She twitched violently at loud sound, imagining the zerglings throwing themselves at the cabinets and lockers in their anger. Another crunch of metal sounded, directly to her left. The lockers rocked ever so slightly, and it was all that she could do not to cry out in terror as her mind's eye pictured the lockers smashed in, cool grey metal twisted and shattered beyond repair.
More chittering, and finally she heard them leave. Claudia let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding, and carefully unfolded herself, standing upright. Her legs had pins and needles, and almost dropped out from under her. Righting herself, she peered out the small slits in the door, and saw nothing. The ancient gauss rifle lay in amongst loose shells, the copper glinting where it caught the light from outside the bunker.
Quietly opening the locker, she delicately stepped out, large frightened eyes darting around the bunker as she crept to her small saving grace; the rifle. Snatching it up, she cradled it gently to her chest as she would a baby, and retreated to the furthest corner, hypersensitive of the large open window.
Settling herself down, she stared at the zerg's only entrance point, and waited.
Artanis roared in fury as he cut down another zergling, urging the team onwards. The myriad of soldiers and zealots followed his lead, attacking the new wave of relentless zerg with renewed enthusiasm.
Only a few of the allied forces had fallen, and the zealots who had burst into psi energy had startled the zerg just enough to halt their attack for a micro-second, which had allowed for the slightest advantage, and Artanis pressed it hard.
Slowly, slowly, the rate of attacking zerg decreased, finally stopping altogether. The marines slowly lowered rifles, suspicious eyes darting around the metallic hollow.
"Alright, listen up! You eight, look after the cannons and this landing area so we can get our butts home, am I clear?" Marcus yelled out, gesturing to a small cluster of zealots.
It shall be done, they intoned, perfectly in unison.
"Good! I estimate the next wave in about twenty minutes, but hopefully we'll be back by then. Everyone else, prepare to move out!" He yelled, cautiously moving forward, mentally willing an observer to follow.
Artanis silently made his way to the marine, golden eyes flashing softly. Marcus glanced up at him, then back to a small map showing in the screen of his helmet.
I await your lead, the Praetor said simply, psi blades still activated, giving the young Protoss an almost demonic look. Marcus gave a wild grin.
"Outstanding." He declared, before running up the low metallic slope. He raised his rifle, fired twice, and kept going. The rescue operation was underway.
...I think I managed to create another cliffhanger. Sorry!
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See you next time, folks!
~ le freak