Chapter 3: A Flash of Talons and Blades
'Lu, what's the status on Masami.' It was night now, and the darkness always made you yield to its superiorority, turning your voice into a small whisper, regardless of who you are. 'Her vital signs are normal and besides some mental trauma she'll be fine.' I gave the briefest of smiles to show my relief, and quickly turned my attention back to the path ahead. We'd been on the move for 7 hours now, and, thankfully, we didn't get a single blip on the trackers since we left the cave. I had expressly forbidden the shoulder lamps and flares, instead relying on the IR/Magnetic Field Scopes.
The Marine Corp had learnt the hard way many times that even though Xenomorphs didn't have eyes per say, the still could see...from specimens examined, it seemed that the large heads of the creatures absorbed and released electromagnetic waves. Basically the saw the planet through it's magnetic field, and those that inhabit it through internal pheromone receptors. But due to the mass amounts in which assaults took place, it was near impossible to obtain a living specimen, of the more advanced breeds. Like the Praetorian... 'Sir-Jacob, we're nearing the first Exo capsule, 1 click North by North- West from here.' 'Great. Nick, Mick, scout ahead with the Exo Synthetic, and report how it looks.'
Two nods and they and the Synth disappeared into the darkness. 'Jacob...what happened...' Reeling around I saw Masami looking bleary eyed and tired, as though it was a nap she took and not a swoon. 'Long story Masami, but everythings' ok now- ' 'I saw them...' ' Saw who Masami...' Her whole stance changed at once, from waking women to an alert soldier. It worried me... 'Them, the AARC squad, they were on the ridge overlooking the hive, they were firing at them as well, didn't you see them? They were above you? Are they here now?'
She turned here head quickly in all directions as though expecting them to be sitting around her. 'When did you see them Masami.' 'Just before I lost it...they were there, then just, gone...Are you sure you didn't see them?' If only she knew just what it was that I was preoccupied with at that time. 'It's ok Masami, we'll find them, but first we got to get the Exos' and the GPS hooked up, then we can have a good look.' 'Good...' She lay back down, more to comprehend the events than due to fatigue.
Masami's recollection got me thinking again about him, if it was a him. Just what packed that much power to obliterate a Praetorian Instantaneously? Somehow I knew our paths would cross again... but what made him save my life...? Fate...? Impulse...? Pity...? I sighed knowing it wouldn't bode well to let my mind wonder at a time like this, later perhaps... then in the distance, a pulse rifle was fired.
'How is it Nick...?' Said Mick Brooklyn looking down the slope and what lay at the end. 'Vell, no movement near or around the Exo, looks clear to me, and looks as though the systems are fine. The scopes don't show any readings, it is safe, if there is such a thing on an Alien inhabited rock.' 'The Exo-Suit appears to be undamaged also' it came as a normal remark, but in the stillness it cracked like a whip, causing Mick to involuntarily shudder. 'Ok, lets, get the fuck out of here, the place gives me the fucking heebie- jeebies...along with Dr. Strange-Love.'
'Are you felling scared Mick? The one who wields that cannon is actually feeling a child's fear of the dark, hehe...' 'Can we just get back?'
'Ok, ok...Vait! Stop' the remark came like the crack of a whip in the stillness, which was now broken by a constant bleeping that was steadily growing faster...and they were multiple... 'Oh shit, what now, let's get outta here!' 'Ve don't even know if its' a threat, it could be the missing AARC troops! Also you know it is suicide to start running, if it is an Alien, they'll run us down easy, and we can't lead them back to camp...' The last piece came as a fading whisper, with Brooklyn now poised and ready, along side Nick who was holding the Motion Tracker.
He had left the Mini-Gun back at camp, so he was packing the same as Nick. A pulse rifle with 8 clips between them, it could be bad if a large horde ambushed them now...suddenly the blip stopped, as sudden as it came.
'Sorry, Mick, false alarm, it's stopped. Huh, never seen a ghost signal before...oh vell, lets go shall ve? This place is now giving me the, what you call them? The Heebie-Jeebies?' BOOOM!!! There was an immense explosion, down by the Exo, a fiery crater where it once stood, the complex anti-acid/anti-kinetic armor utterly destroyed...just like the Praetorian...before the eyes of the two soldiers the scene which the flames ignited was one of strange, cruel beauty.
They didn't need their trackers which were now going crazy, to let them know of the presence of numerous beings. Down by the site, some, invisible force was hurteling Aliens aside with an unseen weapon, the flash of talons was feeble compared to the light of the flames reflecting off the weapon being swung with immense ferocity, and skill honed through years of harsh training. Suddenly the invisible became visible as Nick and Mick beheld the towering creature wielding what looked like a double edged spear, but with almost liquid looking blades.
No matter how viciously the Aliens attacked the creature defended with equal strength, but behind it one of the injured Aliens was sneaking up behind it. Completely unaware of the Drone as it reared up to full height ready to smite down the mighty entity. What happened next was purely impulsive; Mick flung himself down the slope and fired one shot at the Drone, it was luck, no doubt about it, the creature fell like a sack of grain. The Spear Wielder stopped his majestic swinging for a split second to gaze at his rescuer, who now stood not in fear but in defiance.
'Well?! Don't stop now!! Nick! Get down here!! But keep the Synth back!! He's vital!!' 'Already on it!' Nick began to fire bursts at the creatures flanking the Spear Wielder, the rounds punching reeking holes in the exoskeletons of the hellish creatures that began to fall and retreat screeching. 'BROOKLYN! DON"T LET THEM ESCAPE!!'
Mick didn't need telling twice. If they got back, half the hive would be on them in no time. There were 6 left from the injured dozen, both Mick Brooklyn and the Wielder fell upon them, with 3 swings, the Wielder dispatched 3 of the retreating Runners cleanly, and charged towards the remainder who had now stopped to fight to the end, Mick fired, 2 fell, each getting 9 rounds smack into the chest cavity. The last one was the only one uninjured, but it looked different from the rest, somewhat bigger, and obviously a superior breed of xenomorph.
It fixed its blind head upon the Wielder and let out a guttural cry, unlike the Drone's shriek. The wielder and the Alien now faced of each other, as though they were conducting a duel. Mick made a move to gun the beast down, but snap glance from the Wielder told him that this was no longer his concern, the Wielder would finish this his way... SHIKK!! The sound of a sharp blade being retracted snapped through the calm before the storm. Mick saw the Wielder, who had now put down the spear which had oh-so-easily killed the beast's siblings, and was now sporting what looked like 2 12'' knifes coming out of a gauntlet from each hand. The creature clenched it's huge fist, the sound of cracking knuckles audible over the tension filled air. Then it happened.
Both adversaries pounced at each other, in a flash of talons and blades. The Wielder was now in a crouched position, in the space where the Alien stood mere seconds before, and now staring right at me was the towering Alien, standing so still, as if our very Creator had decided to raise the ground and carve a malevolent yet elegant sculpture...it let out a light hiss, and then collapsed on the ground, its top half cleaved cleanly from it's lower body. Mick, Nick and the Synth still on the ridge stared at the fallen creature, as it's corrosive blood began to spread across the alien soil. During all this, Jacob could only watch it all unfold as he made haste his way to the scene. 'Damn, those eyes, it's him...'
All three of the scouts quickly turned to the sound of approaching steps, carbines raised. 'Jeez Jacob...don't sneak up on us like that...Jacob...you gotta see this thing...this guy...he was-' Mick's remarks were cut short as he turned to see both the Wielder, and the head of the fallen Alien gone, vanished without a trace. Thus the three soldiers stood with nothing but the whistle of the man-made air as it sped past them...over the now empty prairie.
'Lu, what's the status on Masami.' It was night now, and the darkness always made you yield to its superiorority, turning your voice into a small whisper, regardless of who you are. 'Her vital signs are normal and besides some mental trauma she'll be fine.' I gave the briefest of smiles to show my relief, and quickly turned my attention back to the path ahead. We'd been on the move for 7 hours now, and, thankfully, we didn't get a single blip on the trackers since we left the cave. I had expressly forbidden the shoulder lamps and flares, instead relying on the IR/Magnetic Field Scopes.
The Marine Corp had learnt the hard way many times that even though Xenomorphs didn't have eyes per say, the still could see...from specimens examined, it seemed that the large heads of the creatures absorbed and released electromagnetic waves. Basically the saw the planet through it's magnetic field, and those that inhabit it through internal pheromone receptors. But due to the mass amounts in which assaults took place, it was near impossible to obtain a living specimen, of the more advanced breeds. Like the Praetorian... 'Sir-Jacob, we're nearing the first Exo capsule, 1 click North by North- West from here.' 'Great. Nick, Mick, scout ahead with the Exo Synthetic, and report how it looks.'
Two nods and they and the Synth disappeared into the darkness. 'Jacob...what happened...' Reeling around I saw Masami looking bleary eyed and tired, as though it was a nap she took and not a swoon. 'Long story Masami, but everythings' ok now- ' 'I saw them...' ' Saw who Masami...' Her whole stance changed at once, from waking women to an alert soldier. It worried me... 'Them, the AARC squad, they were on the ridge overlooking the hive, they were firing at them as well, didn't you see them? They were above you? Are they here now?'
She turned here head quickly in all directions as though expecting them to be sitting around her. 'When did you see them Masami.' 'Just before I lost it...they were there, then just, gone...Are you sure you didn't see them?' If only she knew just what it was that I was preoccupied with at that time. 'It's ok Masami, we'll find them, but first we got to get the Exos' and the GPS hooked up, then we can have a good look.' 'Good...' She lay back down, more to comprehend the events than due to fatigue.
Masami's recollection got me thinking again about him, if it was a him. Just what packed that much power to obliterate a Praetorian Instantaneously? Somehow I knew our paths would cross again... but what made him save my life...? Fate...? Impulse...? Pity...? I sighed knowing it wouldn't bode well to let my mind wonder at a time like this, later perhaps... then in the distance, a pulse rifle was fired.
'How is it Nick...?' Said Mick Brooklyn looking down the slope and what lay at the end. 'Vell, no movement near or around the Exo, looks clear to me, and looks as though the systems are fine. The scopes don't show any readings, it is safe, if there is such a thing on an Alien inhabited rock.' 'The Exo-Suit appears to be undamaged also' it came as a normal remark, but in the stillness it cracked like a whip, causing Mick to involuntarily shudder. 'Ok, lets, get the fuck out of here, the place gives me the fucking heebie- jeebies...along with Dr. Strange-Love.'
'Are you felling scared Mick? The one who wields that cannon is actually feeling a child's fear of the dark, hehe...' 'Can we just get back?'
'Ok, ok...Vait! Stop' the remark came like the crack of a whip in the stillness, which was now broken by a constant bleeping that was steadily growing faster...and they were multiple... 'Oh shit, what now, let's get outta here!' 'Ve don't even know if its' a threat, it could be the missing AARC troops! Also you know it is suicide to start running, if it is an Alien, they'll run us down easy, and we can't lead them back to camp...' The last piece came as a fading whisper, with Brooklyn now poised and ready, along side Nick who was holding the Motion Tracker.
He had left the Mini-Gun back at camp, so he was packing the same as Nick. A pulse rifle with 8 clips between them, it could be bad if a large horde ambushed them now...suddenly the blip stopped, as sudden as it came.
'Sorry, Mick, false alarm, it's stopped. Huh, never seen a ghost signal before...oh vell, lets go shall ve? This place is now giving me the, what you call them? The Heebie-Jeebies?' BOOOM!!! There was an immense explosion, down by the Exo, a fiery crater where it once stood, the complex anti-acid/anti-kinetic armor utterly destroyed...just like the Praetorian...before the eyes of the two soldiers the scene which the flames ignited was one of strange, cruel beauty.
They didn't need their trackers which were now going crazy, to let them know of the presence of numerous beings. Down by the site, some, invisible force was hurteling Aliens aside with an unseen weapon, the flash of talons was feeble compared to the light of the flames reflecting off the weapon being swung with immense ferocity, and skill honed through years of harsh training. Suddenly the invisible became visible as Nick and Mick beheld the towering creature wielding what looked like a double edged spear, but with almost liquid looking blades.
No matter how viciously the Aliens attacked the creature defended with equal strength, but behind it one of the injured Aliens was sneaking up behind it. Completely unaware of the Drone as it reared up to full height ready to smite down the mighty entity. What happened next was purely impulsive; Mick flung himself down the slope and fired one shot at the Drone, it was luck, no doubt about it, the creature fell like a sack of grain. The Spear Wielder stopped his majestic swinging for a split second to gaze at his rescuer, who now stood not in fear but in defiance.
'Well?! Don't stop now!! Nick! Get down here!! But keep the Synth back!! He's vital!!' 'Already on it!' Nick began to fire bursts at the creatures flanking the Spear Wielder, the rounds punching reeking holes in the exoskeletons of the hellish creatures that began to fall and retreat screeching. 'BROOKLYN! DON"T LET THEM ESCAPE!!'
Mick didn't need telling twice. If they got back, half the hive would be on them in no time. There were 6 left from the injured dozen, both Mick Brooklyn and the Wielder fell upon them, with 3 swings, the Wielder dispatched 3 of the retreating Runners cleanly, and charged towards the remainder who had now stopped to fight to the end, Mick fired, 2 fell, each getting 9 rounds smack into the chest cavity. The last one was the only one uninjured, but it looked different from the rest, somewhat bigger, and obviously a superior breed of xenomorph.
It fixed its blind head upon the Wielder and let out a guttural cry, unlike the Drone's shriek. The wielder and the Alien now faced of each other, as though they were conducting a duel. Mick made a move to gun the beast down, but snap glance from the Wielder told him that this was no longer his concern, the Wielder would finish this his way... SHIKK!! The sound of a sharp blade being retracted snapped through the calm before the storm. Mick saw the Wielder, who had now put down the spear which had oh-so-easily killed the beast's siblings, and was now sporting what looked like 2 12'' knifes coming out of a gauntlet from each hand. The creature clenched it's huge fist, the sound of cracking knuckles audible over the tension filled air. Then it happened.
Both adversaries pounced at each other, in a flash of talons and blades. The Wielder was now in a crouched position, in the space where the Alien stood mere seconds before, and now staring right at me was the towering Alien, standing so still, as if our very Creator had decided to raise the ground and carve a malevolent yet elegant sculpture...it let out a light hiss, and then collapsed on the ground, its top half cleaved cleanly from it's lower body. Mick, Nick and the Synth still on the ridge stared at the fallen creature, as it's corrosive blood began to spread across the alien soil. During all this, Jacob could only watch it all unfold as he made haste his way to the scene. 'Damn, those eyes, it's him...'
All three of the scouts quickly turned to the sound of approaching steps, carbines raised. 'Jeez Jacob...don't sneak up on us like that...Jacob...you gotta see this thing...this guy...he was-' Mick's remarks were cut short as he turned to see both the Wielder, and the head of the fallen Alien gone, vanished without a trace. Thus the three soldiers stood with nothing but the whistle of the man-made air as it sped past them...over the now empty prairie.