A.N.: (stumbles in) And I'm back! Sorry this took so long, school caught up to me... I promise to you that I'll try and make this chapter make up for it. And this is the longest chapter yet...
x-x-x
Contact
-...this isn't good,- Stalker said gravely. I was rooted to the tree branch, not quite able to move, but I managed a nod.
-We have to tell the Matriarch,- I said. Stalker looked at me and nodded back.
-Of course. I'll tell her, but...-
-But what?-
-I doubt that she hasn't heard this thing coming,- Stalker said with a grin. -I bet that all the Sprints are going crazy right now.-
The object continued to swoop down and it stopped moving down only a few metres above the tree tops, pulling some of the younger trunks along in its wake. It got closer and closer to our tree and the noise became almost unbearable... and then it passed us by about fifty metres, moving over the lake. The tree shook slightly and a few leaves were torn off, sending them fluttering into the air.
For a few seconds I could see or hear anything. Then the noise began to die down and, slowly, I could see again. I shook my head a few times to wring out the dizziness. Stalker was doing the same, and had dug its claws deep into the bark of the tree's branch.
-What was THAT?- Stalker exclaimed, taking a step towards me and nearly slipping off the branch. I darted out and caught its arm, helping it back up.
-It was the sound... it got too loud, or something,- I said. -Or maybe it was an attack of some kind... did it see us?-
-No. It's still moving away,- Stalker said. We both looked at each other.
-We need to investigate in case they land,- I said. Stalker nodded.
-I'll tell the Matriarch,- it said before scurrying off down the tree.
I took one final look at the object, now nothing more than a speck in the sky, and scurried down as well. I could see that the young ones were now standing rigid, craning their heads in the direction of the object. Whiplash had been dragging an egg but had let go of it, and now it was tilting heavily to the right. Whiplash was still reeling from the sound of the object and as soon as I was on the ground, I rushed to it.
-What was that?- Whiplash said dazedly, shaking its head every few seconds.
-The hosts. They're here,- I said. Whiplash went rigid and its disorientation seemed to pass. It looked at me with disbelief.
-What?-
-The hosts that the Matriarch told us about, they are here! We... we saw their flying object swoop in over the lake,- I said. Whiplash made as if to speak, and then stopped, contemplating what to do.
-Scythe!- yelled Stalker from the cavern. It bounded out and came to a screeching halt in front of us. Suddenly, Stalker didn't have any trace of the unease it had on the tree top. Instead, it had that ever-present grin on its face.
-The Matriarch said that we have to follow the object in case it decides to land,- said Stalker. -But she made a suggestion for what we should do.-
-What do you mean?- I asked. Dart and four other drones bound over, listening in on the conversation.
-Do you remember how the Matriarch said the hosts always return? She has an idea that they may go to where the crashed object is. She also said it was unlikely, but also possible to happen. We can ambush them there and either force them away or use them as hosts,- Stalker said.
-I'll go with that,- chirped Dart. -Even if they don't come back, the object is only a short distance from the Hive, so we can go back and forth really quickly and without any trouble. Although it does seem a little unlikely, but then again it could happen, and-
Stalker flicked Dart lightly with its tail and it shut up.
-Okay,- I said. -Two of us will have to go up to the lake, and another two will go to the crashed object. The rest of us will stay here in case the hosts decide to land and try to injure the Matriarch.-
-I'll go to the object,- said Brute. Dart looked back and forth and then began to quiver excitedly.
-I'll go up to the lake!- it chattered excitedly.
x-x-x
Harriet looked sick. She had shut her eyes tightly and was gripping the knees of her pants so hard that I thought she'd tear holes in them. Her face was pale and she was gritting her teeth tightly.
'You okay?' asked Michael Lloyd, sitting to her right. She managed a brief nod and then pushed herself back into her seat as the dropship hit another air pocket.
'She'll be fine,' I said over the noise of the ship rattling. 'She gets motion sickness every now and again. I guess that we didn't expect the entry to be this rough...'
Without warning, I was jerked up in my seat and nearly hit the ceiling! My heart went into overdrive and then the dropship managed to straighten out, no longer shaking. Now I felt similar to what Harriet must have been feeling. After a few moments the ship leaned slowly to the left side and then jolted back, slamming my head against the metal headrest behind me.
'Shit,' grumbled Mace. He was sitting in the row of seats opposite to me and Harriet. He had been thrown against the restraint bar when the dropship had jolted and he was clutching his side, breathing through his teeth. Brennan, sitting next to him, looked over.
'Mace, you alright?' he asked. Mace swallowed and nodded.
'Yep, just barely,' he croaked. He shook his head and then whapped his chest three times – I doubt he would have felt it through the armour, though – and then sat back up.
'How about you guys? Are you coping with this drop okay?' Brennan asked. I nodded and smiled, feeling better, although Harriet had now covered her head with her hands.
'Where's Pitt?' I asked. He had left us in the seating section and had headed up to the cockpit. Before either Brennan or Mace could answer, Pitt came down the narrow stairway and sat back down in his seat, pulling the restraining bar over his head and clamping it firmly in place. The seats in the dropship were similar to the ones I had seen inside the APC; they looked like roller-coaster seats, but less colourful.
The dropship shuddered again. Harriet groaned and sat up in her seat. She still looked sick, but some of the colour was returning to her face. Pitt flicked on the radio headset that was stuck to his helmet and then looked over at us.
'I want you all to switch on your headsets,' he said. 'Just pull the earphones over to your ear and then flick the man switch, there should be a light beeping when you turn it on.'
Everyone nodded and flicked on their headsets. I pulled the earpiece over my right ear and flicked the set on, and a few seconds later I heard the tinny beep-beep come out of it. The dropship hit another air pocket and began to rattle – there was also a loud clanging from the deck above us – and Pitt began to speak into his headset.
'Testing, 1-2-3, testing,' he said in a low, monotonous voice.
'Roger that,' said Brennan, and everybody began to giggle. He had said it only lowly, but it came in over the earpiece loud and strong. The dropship stopped shaking briefly, then jolted from side to side like a rocking boat, and then leveled out.
'Major?' said another voice over our headsets. It was Mark Hung, the pilot. 'It looks like we've cleared the cloud bank and there's nothing but clear skies in front of us. The storm we observed from the Conrad could blow up into something a little more serious, though. I wouldn't expect it to happen for at least a few hours.'
'That's fine,' Pitt said. 'What's the status of Dropship 2? Have they encountered any problems with their entry sequence?'
'No sir,' said Hung. 'Dropship 2 is reporting that they came down absolutely fine. I guess that it looks like the weather's happy to see us, sir.'
'After the unfortunate introduction,' Pitt said, completely deadpan, and I saw Brennan grin. Pitt then sat back in his seat, letting out a deep breath. I felt the dropship rise gently and then swoop back down, like a bird riding the updraft. Harriet didn't react to this one at all.
'Major Pitt?' Hung said suddenly. Pitt clapped his hand to his earpiece.
'What is it?' he asked. For a few seconds, Hung didn't reply, but I could hear a faint beeping and tapping on the other end. There was a sigh, and then he began to speak again.
'I-I'm picking up a strange reading,' he said. I could detect unease in his voice but there was also a sort of calmness to it. 'It appears to be a distress beacon coming from the jungle. Signal's pretty weak, but-'
'What do you mean?' asked Pitt.
'Well, what I mean is that there's a distress beacon coming from below us, sir,' Hung said. 'It's a QRS-150, the same type that all the military dropships use. It's really weird, though. The signal's pretty weak, which means that the ship itself has either a low reserve battery or it's been damaged.'
'Or both,' said Pitt. 'Are you sure that it's coming from the surface?'
'Yes, sir. The sensors only picked it up when we passed directly overhead. It's definitely not from Dropship 2.'
My mind made a connection. I looked over to Pitt, who was thinking hard.
'Major?' I said, and he looked over. 'Didn't you say in the briefing that a dropship crashed during the first survey mission? Would the signal be coming directly from it?'
Pitt thought for a moment, and then a grin passed over his face. He put his hand back onto his headset.
'Well... it does seem likely, sir,' Hung said. Pitt smiled this time and gave a thumbs-up to me. Mace and Brennan did as well, and I grinned lightly. 'But... the beacon is manually operated, not automated.'
I felt my body pause. Manually operated? That wasn't right. That meant that something on the surface would have had to have turned the beacon on. A brief thought flashed through my head that the beacon may have been turned on back when the ship had crashed, but it was pushed away very quickly. The battery reserves on a dropship last for three months before getting depleted, but not three years.
It had been turned on recently.
'Right. Hung, I want you to turn us around and head back to the beacon. Look's like we're going to be landing after all,' said Pitt with a sigh. Mace smirked and Hung said something else over the radio, and then the dropship banked to the left as it slowly turned around.
'You okay?' I asked Harriet. She nodded weakly and smiled, even though she looked sick.
'As long as I'm off this thing, I'm fine,' she said.
'I second that,' mumbled Mace, rubbing his chest under his armour. 'I thought that the Kevlar was supposed to stop you from hurting yourself idiotically.'
I held back a laugh.
x-x-x
I moved through the undergrowth around the cavern, heading towards the crashed object. It had begun to get hotter over the past few weeks, and as a result many of the smaller plants around the cavern and the lake had bloomed wildly. The small stream was now clogged with ugly, thorny bushes and saplings that seemed to be made out of rubber than anything else. I edged through the bushes carefully, my senses on full alert. I could hear a school of fish leaping out of the water by the lake, as well as a few Sprints in the distance. True to what Stalker had said, they sounded panicked. This made me chuckle softly.
-What is it?- asked Brute, moving a short distance behind me. I shook my head.
-Nothing. Stalker just said that the Sprints would be going crazy right now, and... well, just listen.-
-Ah,- said Brute, and I felt it smile.
We finally cleared the tangle of bushes and saplings, edging through the trees. There were quite a few bare patches on the ground in this area, which made it unfortunate whenever you were being bombarded by Swoopers. I could hear them screeching from overhead and near the lake, but thankfully none of them were nearby.
I bounded over the slope, going over several chunks of rock and boulders that were strewn about. Finally I got to the crashed object and stopped, peering up at it. We had gotten to it at the lower section of the slope, just under the trees that had been snapped.
-Fascinating,- said Brute, looking at the object closely. -So that's what took the Matriarch?-
-That's what she said,- I replied, shrugging. Cautiously, I moved further up the slope to the rear of the object. I could now see the similarities between both it and the object that had just swooped overhead. Of course, the one in front of me was badly dilapidated and covered in dead plant matter, but the resemblance was clear.
-What do you think we should do, then?- asked Brute, grabbing a bug and then letting it go. -Should we just hide in the bushes for the hosts, or should we wait out in the open until they arrive?-
I was about to answer when I heard the noise again. The host's object must have turned back around, because I could hear the sound it made getting louder and louder. It didn't seem as shrill as it had before – I thought that could have been because of the speed that it had been going – but I could still tell that it would be painful up close. Very painful.
-Scythe! Into the bushes!- hissed Brute, and we both leapt into the thorny cluster at the side of the crashed object. We moved through them to the northern edge of the object, taking care not to be seen. Then we lay there completely still, watching for the object. I felt anxious, but also very calm, as I usually do when I think something big is about to happen.
-I'll get the others,- said Brute. I nodded, and then Brute went through the bushes like a Sprint running at full pelt. I simply crouched in the bushes and waited.
I didn't have to wait very long at all.
After only a few seconds, the object came swooping down from over the trees. I could make it out through the tree tops as it got closer, and now I could observe it in much greater detail. It had several patches of heat on its skin, with the air surrounding the patches being heated in unison like a blooming flower. I could detect a great deal of electricity running across it, but it seemed to be of immense power. And the sound that it was making this time was tolerable, and it didn't affect my senses at all. It still made a deep rumbling that made my head throb, but I took no notice of it.
The object got closer until it was over one of the clear patches, about twenty metres down the slope. That section was towards the bottom and was flatter than the rest. The object stopped still, like a bird preparing to roost, but its wings didn't move. Then, suddenly, the "wings" folded onto the objects back with a soft whine! The object shifted very slightly and then descended straight down, landing on the ground with a loud thud. The sound emanating from it slowly died down, and I could hear several smaller noises on top of that.
-Hello, Scythe,- said Stalker, jumping down from the trees and landing right next to me. I turned slightly and acknowledged it.
-Good to see you here,- I said. -Who else is here?-
-I am!- chirped Dart. I hissed softly at it, making it go quiet.
-...sorry,- it said. I shrugged.
-It's okay,- I said. Cautiously, I moved to the edge of the bushes to see if I could see the hosts and the object better. I could just barely make them out down the slope.
The hosts were coming out of the belly of the object, which had slid open at a slight angle. I couldn't make out too many details, but it looked like they were clad in hard armour plates that left very little of the body exposed. I heard a rustling beside me and I turned-
-I wonder what they're going to do?- said Prowl excitedly. I couldn't hold back my shock, and it peered at me.
-What is it?- it asked. I paused for a moment.
-Don't you think you're a little small to be out here?- I asked. Prowl looked up at my face and shook its head, smiling.
-If I remember correctly, Scythe, you were young when you got into your first real fight,- Stalker chuckled. I looked at it, smirking.
-I can still distract them, if anything else,- said Prowl softly. -Do you want me to get their attention while the rest sneak up behind and take them?-
I thought for a moment, and then nodded. -Good idea.-
Without pausing a moment longer, I leapt at the nearest tree and scuttled up to the top. Almost every single tree in this section of the forest had its canopy connected with another's. I reached one of the middle branches and then darted across it onto the next tree, moving as silently and quickly as possible.
The hosts... they weren't going to know that we even existed.
x-x-x
'Alright then. Everyone, we're descending, so hold onto your seatbelts... it may get a little bit rough.'
Harriet let in an anxious breath, and pressed herself into her seat. I just sat where I was, hearing the engines outside and feeling them vibrate the hull around us. There was a pneumatic hiss followed by two clanks, and then the dropship began to descend. It felt like being strapped into a seat that was inside an elevator, but Harriet still couldn't handle it.
'Just remember. Don't go any further than fifty metres from the dropship,' said Pitt. I nodded and the marines murmured in agreement. The dropship then shuddered gently and the sound of the engines began to die down. Harriet looked up, her eyes darted around the room, and then she went limp, letting out a relieved sigh.
'You really aren't enjoying this, are you?' said Brennan. Harriet nodded, and then the restraints for the seats lifted up with a mechanical whine. I stood up quickly and stretched, my legs feeling weak after the long ride down. A yawned and then helped Harriet stand up. Most of the colour had returned to her face and she now looked like her ordinary self.
'Gee, that was quick,' said Mace, looking quite surprised. She just smiled and shrugged.
'Hey, I get airsick sometimes. It happens,' she said, moving up the stairwell to the main hanger.
Pitt was already up there, checking in on Hung in the cockpit. He finished talking to him and then shut the door. He went over to a panel that stood about a metre away from the cockpit door, pressed a few buttons on it, and stepped back. I heard several loud clanking noises, and then the cargo ramp of the dropship slid open.
Harriet summed it all up with a single word: 'Whoa.'
Slowly, we both headed down the ramp and into the forest outside the dropship. It was absolutely breathtaking.
The ground crunched beneath me and Harriet's boots as we stepped off the ramp. It was covered in a whole litter of dead leaves and old twigs, and they were as pale as snow. There were a few newer leaves, and a couple of small bushes, but nothing much else. I walked away from the ramp a little bit, ogling the forest around us.
We had landed in a small patch of the forest with no trees. The patch sloped upwards to the front of the dropship and seemed to climb into a steady hill, packed with trees. The trees weren't what I had been expecting, either; they averaged about fifteen metres tall and were covered in pale, creamy bark. There were a number of pores running up the length of each trunk, oozing out a thick purple substance. I went over to the nearest tree and ran my fingers over the bark, getting a feel of it. It was smooth and powdery under my fingertips, and when I scraped the bark with my fingernail it left a deep scrape. Something like hard, dark brown bark was underneath the top layer.
The leaves looked like a terrestrial leaf with all the skin scraped off so you could see the veins that ran across them, and they were a greenish-violet colour. As the leaves fluttered in the gentle breeze, they seemed to flicker back and forth between the colours like a fluorescent neon sign.
I turned around and looked at Harriet, who was still gazing at the tangle of branches up above us. I must have looked like a kid in a candy shop... preferably of the Willy Wonka variety.
'So then, was the trip and the airsickness worth it?' I said a little quickly. Harriet looked across at me and nodded, a giant grin spreading over her face.
'What the hell do you think?' she said loudly, and then began fanning her face. 'It's a bit warm, though. Maybe the rainy season's a short distance away.'
I nodded and picked up a loose branch off the ground. 'This is really incredible. The trees seem to have a similar structure to the paperbark tree. And if there's a forest, then there's bound to be a big ecosystem in here-'
Something landed on my shoulder, and I let out a shriek!
'Whoa, watch it,' said Brennan from behind me. I let out an annoyed sigh and turned around, looking at him in the face. He, Pitt and the other marines (with the exception of Hung) were standing there, ready to march out.
I took one glance at the guns they were carrying, and glared at Pitt.
'Major?' I asked, trying to sound as polite as possible, 'Why are the marines taking out guns into this environment?'
'Why are you asking, Luce?' he answered, sounding puzzled. The others stepped off the ramp and went over near Harriet, and I took a step closer.
'Pitt! They're taking freaking guns out here? Why!'
Pitt sighed and rubbed his eyes. 'Because we don't know what's out there, and we need to defend ourselves.'
I rolled my eyes. They had no right to shoot anything here. 'Look, Major Pitt, I just think that because we're on a research mission, we shouldn't kill anything. And-'
Before I could react, Pitt reached into his belt and took out a handgun, sticking it into one of my hands. It was so unexpected that I just froze and stared at the gun, eyes wide, as Pitt began to brush past me. Then he tapped me on the shoulder and I looked around, a little confused.
'You okay, Luce?' he asked in a very teacher-like tone. I nodded dumbly, and he smiled. 'Good. Because we are just taking the guns with us in case we need to defend ourselves. And if I were you, I wouldn't start getting attached to the wildlife before we even see any.'
Pitt walked to the group and I followed. Harriet was standing just outside them and looked over at me, smirking.
'Ah, shut up, Chris,' I muttered as we started up the slope.
x-x-x
-Look at them,- said Brute, sitting on the branch next to me. I nodded slowly, and then moved to the trunk of the tree and slithered down slowly. I landed softly in the thorny bush at the root ball and Brute came down a second later, and we both slithered to the edge of the bushes.
There were six of the hosts outside of the flying object. Four of them appeared to be clad in heavy layers of something like animal skin, but it gave off no heat and they seemed unfazed by it. There were two walking ahead of the others and they seemed to be wearing slightly less skins than the others. All of them were carrying strange, metal objects; it took me a few moments but I recognized them as being the weapons from the Matriarch's memory. That made me nearly hiss with anger over what they had done to her.
-This may be more difficult than we expected,- Brute sighed. I nodded and looked across the bushes at Stalker and the others. They looked first at the hosts, and then back to us.
-Are you two ready?- Stalker called out. I nodded, and flicked my tail gently. I heard a quick scampering from somewhere up above, and then Prowl began to chatter softly. The excitement in its voice was unmistakable.
-Okay then,- I said. -Get ready. Remember, this is going to be like a Sprint hunt, only this time they're armed with Quillbacks.-
I held back a chuckle as Brute winced at the memory. There was a light crunching and I turned back to the hosts as they got closer and closer. One of them made some kind of vocal noise, and one in the middle – it was taller than the others by a fair margin – responded, using some of the same vocalizations. I also saw that two of them had headed back down to the object, which was going to make the attack much easier.
I crouched down and got ready to spring.
x-x-x
Despite what Pitt had said, I moved ahead of the others, eyeing the whole forest with my eyes wide and my jaw open. I could hear a couple of harsh cries in the distance, similar to a crow's, and a chattering noise in the trees like a monkey. I had tucked the handgun into the back of my belt and it brushed against the back of my shirt, cold and harsh.
Yeah. I'm not too much of a stickler for guns.
'Okay then Mace. Work your magic,' said Pitt. Mace nodded and pulled out a DL-309 Range Finder from his pack. The DL-309 looks similar to a motion detector, but it's sleeker and lighter. Mace casually flicked it on and I could hear it beeping monotonously.
'The dropship... is about fifty metres up the hill, due north west,' Mace said, putting the Range Finder back inside his pack. I rolled my eyes and chuckled, stopping and turning around to look at him.
'What do you mean, "north- west"? We're not in a combat situation,' I said, unable to hide the huge grin on my face. Mace gave a mock glare.
'Ha, ha, Lucille,' he said. 'It's a habit, like you always going one step ahead. This time literally.'
I smirked, and was just about to respond, when there was a sudden screech and a loud thud from behind me! I spun around as Pitt and the others took a step back. I heard Brennan say something out loud, but I barely heard it.
I was too absorbed by the thing in front of me.
It was small and black, with a long tail that snaked out behind it and whipped back and forth. I couldn't make out any details, other than it was curled up in a tight ball and had a long ridge of spines going down the length of its tail. For a few seconds it didn't move, apart from the tail, of course, and I began to back off while peering in at it at the same time.
'Luce, get back,' said Pitt, and I heard the distinctive sound of a rifle being cocked. I glanced behind me and saw that he, Mace and Brennan were already about four metres down the slope. They weren't moving anymore, keeping their guns trained on the thing in front of me.
'Guys, I think it's fine,' I started, raising my hand up. 'I don't think it's going to-'
I was cut of by a deep, whining hiss. Slowly, I turned back around and looked at the creature, and nearly jumped.
Somehow, it had reared up to full height without making a single noise. It sat there on all fours, its tail arched up over its head like a scorpion, baring a row of large teeth that looked more like fangs than teeth.
Now that I could see the creature completely, I felt absolutely terrified.
The creature was about two feet tall and had a vague humanoid appearance, with well-muscled but thin arms and legs. There seemed to be a pattern of ribbed strips that ran down the creature's limbs and a section of the tail. I could just make out four strange spikes or tentacles on its back, as well as a strangely boney torso. The head of the thing was elongated and stretched about halfway down its back, and I couldn't make out any eyes or ears.
But it was the colour of the thing that struck me. It was just absolutely black. That unnerved me. I felt my jaw quiver and I went backwards slowly... and then my foot struck something and I stumbled, nearly falling down the hill.
The creature braced itself.
'Luce! Get back here!' yelled Pitt. I nodded and made a move to go backwards, but I was being careful not to go too quickly or the thing might attack. It seemed to brace itself, and then reared back... but instead of pouncing at me, it stuck its head up in the air and let out a piercing, ear-splitting screech.
Suddenly there was a quick rustle to my right. I made to turn around, and I caught a glimpse of something black streak through the bushes-
Something that was absolutely gigantic leapt out of the bushes, screeched and then slammed heavily into Brennan's chest before he had time to react! He screamed and smacked into the ground, sliding down the slope with the thing on his chest.
It was another creature, like the one in front of me... but it was huge! A part of my mind started to think that we had just pissed off a parent and we had to get out, when several things happened at once.
First, Pitt turned around to the bushes and opened fire with his pulse rifle, chewing up the thorny branches and sending chunks of wood everywhere. Mace began to head down to Brennan, but then looked up at me and raised his gun-
WHACK!
I shrieked as something strong and heavy smashed into my backpack! The impact knocked me into the air and then, jarringly, I hit the ground again, the sharp forest litter flying by and scratching my skin deeply. I tried to stand but then I heard a low hiss right next to my ear.
I began to thrash around and tried to throw the thing on my backpack off, but then it let out another screech and something whipped by my face, smacking into the ground and embedding itself into the dirt. I glanced at it and saw a sharp black barb right next to my face, less than an inch away.
It was attached to a bony black tail.
I gasped and tried to stand, but the creature on my back jolted forward again and tried to pull the barb out of the ground. I yelled and hit the ground again, before flipping onto my side and rolling down the hill!
The world became a kaleidoscope of the white ground, the trees, and the light blue sky above. The thing on my back screeched louder and something grabbed at my face. I was faintly aware of Brennan screaming and Mace and Pitt yelling something out as the air seemed to fill with screeches-
THUD!
Without warning, I slammed back-first into one of the tree trunks and curved around it. The little thing shrieked and flailed, and something smashed across my cheek with a sound like a whip. I yelled and managed to push myself off the tree, sliding down until I hit something else.
Blearily, I opened my eyes. The world was swirling before my eyes and I could just make out the dropship... suddenly my mind became clearer and I shook my head. I was right at the dropship! There was an ear-splitting screech from behind and I whipped around, falling onto my back. The creature was standing right at the root ball of the tree, baring its teeth at me. Long ropes of drool poured out of its mouth and onto the ground.
'Luce!' yelled Lloyd from behind me. There was a tremendously loud whirr of gunshots and then the creature on the tree was knocked backward, flying onto the ground as its blood sprayed everywhere. A hand latched onto my shoulder and I jumped-
'Luce! Move it!' screamed Harriet. I stumbled to my feet and scrambled alongside her to the dropship's ramp. Mace and Pitt were dashing towards us, firing their rifles point blank at the creatures behind them. They things were screeching, madly running down the hill with a grace that seemed unlikely with their size. They looked like they were built for fighting, with their sinewy muscles and athletic build.
Without warning, I was knocked off my feet. Harriet screamed and I rolled over, just in time to see that one of the creatures had crash-tackled Lloyd from behind. It sat on his back like a cat with its prey, and he struggled to get the thing off.
It simply raised its tail and rammed the barb on the end into his shoulder without hesitation.
I don't know what got into me then, but as quickly as I could I reached into the back of my belt and pulled out my handgun. Trying to keep my hands steady, I raised it and prepared to fire. It looked at me, made a noise that sounded like a hiss and a snarl, and then simply tossed Lloyd into the trees before turning back to me!
Blam! The gun went off and a chunk of the creature's shoulder went flying off, greenish-yellow blood spilling everywhere. It shrieked and hit the ground on all fours... and then it was hit by a barrage of bullets from another source.
Mace and Pitt, now right behind me!
'You like that, you son of a bitch?' Mace screamed, firing into the creature's body. It screeched and reeled backwards, several holes opening in its body before its head exploded with a sickening noise. Smash a watermelon and you'll see what I mean. Blood spattered everywhere and it hit the floor, flailing violently.
'Luce! Come on!' yelled Harriet, and without hesitating I dashed up into the dropship. But before I did, I saw that the creature's blood was hissing and spitting as it sunk into the ground. I got to the top of the ramp and threw myself up, hitting the floor with a hard clang as my helmet hit the grating. I lay there, feeling dizzy and sick, breathing hard.
'Hung!' said Pitt, throwing open the cockpit door. 'We have to get out of here, right now!'
'Don't need to persuade me, sir!' Hung said, sounding shaken. Pitt got back out and slumped back against the wall of the ship, and raised his pulse rifle up. Mace was still standing at the top of the ramp, managing to look both frightened out of his wits and collected at the same time. Both he and Pitt had scratched all over their arms and face.
'That... was not how I wanted to spend this morning,' Mace said. Pitt nodded.
'Oh Jesus they took them...' said Harriet, sounding horrified. I rolled over and stood up, even though my knees were shaking so bad that I thought I wouldn't be able to.
'This doesn't make sense,' I muttered. Pitt and Mace looked at me.
'What do you mean?'
'Acid. They bleed acid, and that one down there shrugged off the bullet wounds like they were nothing. It's...'
I trailed off. I was terrified, to be frank, and even though I'd gladly study those creatures any day I just wanted to leave now.
'I have an idea,' said Mace, rummaging around in his pack. He pulled out several magazines with red stripes running down the sides, and tossed one to Pitt and then me. I frowned and looked over at the two of them.
'What are these?' I asked. Pitt grinned, took the handgun from me and loaded it, before handing it back. I raised it uneasily.
'These, my friend, are animal tranquilizers,' Mace said. I stared at the gun and nodded slowly.
Then there was a scuttling noise from outside, and we raised our guns.
x-x-x
-Scythe! We have two of them, but they got Whiplash and Spine!- called Stalker.
-I'm hurt!- yelled Prowl from somewhere near the object. For my part, I clutched onto the wound in my hip. It burned, but the bleeding hadn't been severe.
I looked down at the bottom of the flying object. Whiplash was lying there in a pool of its blood, thrashing around and spurting more blood over the ground. Its head had been blown apart by the defensive objects that the hosts carried. I began to feel anger start to rise up in my chest again and I snarled, moving carefully down the slope.
-Are you alright, Scythe?- said Dart, coming up to me. It was unscathed and looked panicked, but excited. I grinned and nodded.
-I'm alright. It's only a small wound,- I said.
-So, you're going to attack them on the inside of the object?- Dart asked. I nodded.
The rest of the drones fell into line behind me. We slinked down the slope carefully, trying not to alert the hosts that we were coming.
That was when the belly began to close back up.
-Hurry! We have to get inside it!- I yelled, breaking into a run. I felt giddy and hardly scared at all. I felt alive.
And happy that we were scaring away the hosts, of course.
We got to the bottom of the slope, where the object was. I could hear a deep whine starting up in its wings, and the belly was almost fully closed. Letting out a screech, I pushed myself forward and jumped into the belly of the object, just managing to snake in before it sealed shut. I scuttled across the ceiling and looked down at the hosts. They were all against the opposite wall, staring at me and making the vocalizations.
-Scythe!- squeaked Dart as it squeezed into the gap of the belly just before it shut. Dart tumbled forward and hit the floor, before standing up and snarling at the hosts. I dropped and flipped over, landing on my feet and doing the same.
That was when one of the hosts raised a defense object.
It fired the object and a stream of small things flew out, hitting both Dart and I. These were unusual, though, because they didn't pierce the flesh like the others did. And they were sticking to my skin like leeches, or plate worms...
I snarled and made a move to go forward, when suddenly my arm went numb. Without warning, my senses started to shut down and I toppled forwards, hitting the floor with a hollow clang. There was a bit of pain, but it seemed far off, distant... and I wasn't really concerned.
Then it hit me.
-No!- I yelled. -Dart! Get out of here, now!-
-I... I think that they just did something to me!- said Dart. -I-I can't move! I... I... my arm...-
The hosts were using the same device on us that they had used on the Matriarch. They were putting us to sleep. I struggled to stand up but my arms went limp as I moved, and I pushed myself uselessly along the floor. I was aware that it was tilting slightly, but that seemed far off... and it was getting even further away. So was my awareness of what was happening. I tried to screech, but all that came out was a low whine.
-...Scythe I thing I...- Dart said quickly, trying to speak. I growled and jolted forwards, trying to push myself towards the hosts, but I couldn't. Struggling, I managed to get a handhold on the floor but couldn't pull myself. I felt like my mind was drifting away from my body, and all the feeling started to fade away.
-...Dart you have to... have... have...- I said, trying to finish, but the words wouldn't come out right. I felt a wave of darkness begin to sweep over me, and I tried to fight it off. The floor tilted again, this time much rougher, and I was only barely aware that one of the hosts was standing right over the top of me.
Matriarch, I'm so sorry, I said to myself as my thoughts began to fade away. And then, there was nothing but black.
x-x-x
A.N.: As usual, reviews and comments? Love to know what you think:D