Not yet proofread or spell-checked or anything, this is more to let anybody out there know that I am still working on this.

Chapter 4: Killer Ants

"How many of you know just what was actually found down there? None of you? Shitty organization. We've lost several of our men to these creatures which you shiteaters uncovered in the first place. Now I want help. Here's how it goes, we'll arm any one who volunteers to help us out. Only volunteers will be taken. While I can't guarantee a damned thing, I can assure you, the courts will quickly take the word of a US soldier. I'll do my best to make sure you spend as little time, if not none at all, in prison. You'll even be upgraded to a lower security level if you have to go. I hear the food isn't too bad, good chicken. Everybody loves chicken. So, anyone?"

There was no way to successfully separate any higher ranking mercenaries from the group, so Reeds had opted to speak to them all at once anyway. He could sense the worry in the group as he hobbled out, aided by another marine. The scars and burns made it obvious that something had gone drastically wrong.

Blank stares focused themselves at Lieutenant Reeds, implying the answer he expected. Reeds turned around and ordered, "Fine, lock them up in the dropship. Close the hatch. I don't want to see any of them until we're done here."

The large group of mercenaries began shuffling toward the dropship they would soon find to be a stuffy prison. A lone man stood still, not moving from the area where they had assembled. He called out, "That thing that came out of Hawkins, is that what these things are?"

Reeds turned around with a small grin and answered, "Something like that, yes. Not exactly what you saw, though."

"Then you can count me in. Hawkins was a good guy. Nobody deserves to die like that."

"Don't feed me that shit, soldier. Why do you really want to help?"

"I'd rather not go to prison," the mercenary said with a smile, "I'd be there a long time."

Reeds nodded and gestured for a marine to go to him. The marine approached him and began to escort him away from the other prisoners. Reeds again turned away, but soon heard other voices erupt from the mass of mercenaries. Softly, he said, "You see Janice? All it takes is a little persuasion."

"You did a shitty job, Tom. Get a grip on yourself."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Your comments are always a sunny source of joy in my life."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Falkner let a tinny laugh escape.

In addition to the seven marines remaining, twelve mercenaries had volunteered to aid. A makeshift command center had been fully established and Reeds was preparing for a quick update to give to his troops. The mercenaries had been warned that any foul play with their firearms would lead to instant execution from any marine nearby. To further his point, Reeds stated that if any of the mercenaries betrayed the marines, they would all be let underground. With this information, a few of the mercenaries spoke out against other volunteers, dropping the final number to eight who would venture into the tunnels with the marines. The soldiers were sitting in silence by the time Reeds made his way into the room. He first addressed the dropship pilots still on the surface, "I need you all to remain with the dropships. I think the five of you should be able to watch over a bunch of chained up mercs well enough. Just shoot them if they try to get out. I don't care anymore. As for the rest of you, I hope we don't have to go back down there, we can just hold out here until the cruisers are fixed up there and then ride back to good food and hot showers."

The soldiers are nodded at the notion and felt their tensions ease a bit. It was easier to remain optimistic, it was still the middle of the day. Nighttime brought new worries.

A soldier was posted at every door leading to the command center. The emergency lights provided little comfort in the dark interior of the compound. Noises began coming from the lower levels of the compound. As much as they tried to ignore it, every person present knew what was making the noise.

It was three in the morning, and the sun wouldn't rise again until around 8am. I loud crash signaled the approach of the creatures. The soldiers headed towards a large security door and aimed their weapons. Small spotlights illuminated random parts of the door and showed several dents that had been made from the other side. Hissing and snarling could be heard, though it sounded more distant than through only the door. The soldiers all jumped as a final impact nearly brought the door down, but nothing broke through. The door was no longer secure, but it became apparent what the purpose of this action was. Screams echoed in the night air from outside.

The soldiers ran to the outside but were surprised to find their path blocked. The compound computer had detected weapon fire outside and had closed all the security doors. They were locked inside, without proper access to the computer.

The mercenaries watched in horror as more and more of the creatures scurried into the open dropships and began ripping the men straight from their restraints. Blood flowed out of the open door, spreading from the impact of footsteps and bodies that were being dragged through it. The creatures were dragging away the bodies without killing the men. The dropship pilots scrambled to fire their weapons at all the attackers, but there were too many. Canter raced to the open cockpits and released the restraints for the mercenaries. Like rats deserting a ship, the prisoners ran as quickly as they could from the ships. Pouncing shadows began taking them out one by one. As quickly as they got away from one creature, they turned a corner and found two more staring them down. Canter joined Hayes again and began firing upon the creatures. They had been making slow progress towards the cockpit of the Hellbird. It was every man for themselves now. With a final four meters to the cockpit, Hayes and Canter doubled around and ran. Canter quickly jumped in and turned to help Hayes as he lunged for the door. His eyes bulged and saliva sprayed out of his mouth. Canter screamed and watched the black knife work its way fully through Hayes. Blood began dribbling from his mouth as his eyes turned dull and lifeless. The body was flung away like a ragdoll leaving Canter staring into the face of the murder. The creature was frightening in every aspect. Black, leathery skin covered a virtually muscleless skeleton that seemed as though it was held together by wires. Its massive head protruded into the cockpit. Sarah Canter couldn't see any eyes, but she knew it was looking right at her. Its jaws opened wide and a smaller set of jaws extended forward. They slowly opened and closed, as if it were sensing the air around it. The inner jaws sprung back in the creature's mouth and it snarled loudly. A clear goo dripped from almost every point of its mouth, lined with long, sharp teeth. Canter curled into a fetal position and cried. The creature crawled inside and moved within several inches of her face. The inner jaws again extended and touched her. She felt no pain, they simply brushed against her. The pilot watched as the elongated head hovered over her entire body. It wasn't hurting her and she couldn't figure out why. The head stopped as it reached her stomach and again the inner jaws protruded. For a creature without eyes and no visible nose, this was a very smart one. She laid a hand across her stomach and began to cry, knowing it felt the presence of the life growing inside her. She screamed, "What are you waiting for? Do it already! You gonna' start feeling pity on me? Do it!"

To her surprise, the creature snarled loudly and quickly left the Hellbird's cockpit. She stared out into the night air and began hyperventilating. Something was wrong. This creature, this alien, could not be capable of pity. There was some other agenda. Something about her future baby made her different. She screamed as the alien returned, but it carried with it a large oval shaped object. The alien again left, but it had placed the object near the entrance to the cockpit. Canter watched as the top of the oval opened widely and small fingerlike objects poked their way out of the disgusting interior. She lunged towards the controls and slammed the door closed just as the creature inside the oval popped forward and landed right on the door. She could see it through the thick window. It looked like a giant hand with too many fingers. A hole directly on its underside appeared as though it served a vital purpose in this animal's existence. Canter felt safe before hearing the sizzling noise. She looked to the window and saw small holes appearing underneath the alien. The glass began to disintegrate right before her, it was melting through the window. Canter ran towards the rear of the cockpit and searched for a weapon. A lone pistol gave her hope, she grabbed it and quickly aimed at the window. The alien was gone, only a large hole remained. A small purring noise was the last thing Sarah Canter heard before seeing only darkness and feeling something in her throat.

"What the fuck is going on out there? What the hell is happening? Open this god damned door right fucking now!"

"We can't override the security measures, we aren't plugged in right now, Dyson is working on it as quickly as he can!"

"Son of a bitch!" screamed Reeds, "Tell him to hurry the fuck up!"

The screaming was becoming far less intense. This was not a sign of a lessening terror, but of less people alive to scream. Several minutes passed before the doors slid open in what seemed to take hours. The marines burst forward into a completely empty field. The dropships appeared ravaged with bits of metal lying everywhere and fuels leaking out of the fuselages. The marines fanned out and began searching inside, their small spotlights reflecting in pools of blood. Tracks from fingers being dragged through the soil were present everywhere, often leading into dark streaks of blood. Reeds was unable to breathe after seeing the massacre until he heard a voice call out, "Sir, we found someone! She looks like she's okay, unconscious, but okay!"

Reeds rushed to the cockpit of the dropship where several men were lifting out the limp body of Sarah Canter. She had some minor scrapes and bruises, but she looked to be in good health otherwise.

"Buggers must've not seen her since she was inside."

"Then why's she unconscious?"

Reeds interrupted, "It doesn't matter, look for anyone else, do not leave the light provided by the dropships. If they're out there, it's too late anyway. If you find anyone, bring them in post haste, as for her, get her inside now."

The marines rushed to look for other survivors. Two mercenaries helped carry Canter's body inside. Reeds followed them and directed them to a table within the command center.

After several minutes, the last of the marines reentered the compound and declared that no other bodies had been found. Upon Reeds's order, the outer doors were once again sealed, though none of the inhabitants really found themselves any safer. The quiet that had fallen over the compound lasted only momentarily as the large doors deeper in the complex began to rattle again. The creatures had returned.

"They're doing us all at once," Dyson stated.

"They attacked in two groups, one kept us from going outside while the other attacked all the prisoners. How smart can these bastards..."

A loud crash ended the brief conversation. The ceiling of the cafeteria that had become their command center crashed down, fluorescent lights and ceiling tiles falling all over. A large blanket of dust and smoke smothered the room, negating all visibility. As the coughing marines managed to see through the smoke, they drew back in fear. Atop the table where Canter laid was one of the creatures. It stood on four limbs, chest and head arched slightly higher in the air. It hissed loudly and snapped its jaws at empty air. Gunfire erupted from the troops as the alien grabbed Canter's body with its arms and sprung back into the ceiling. It was quickly replaced with two more of the creatures which were obviously not distracted as easily as the first had been. Bullets collided against the metal walls before making contact with one of the aliens. Its body blew apart as if it were made of tissue paper, spraying its blood everywhere. Tables and chairs began melting and disintegrating quickly, speeding up more as the second of the creatures was ripped apart by marine fire. A lone voice managed to call though the panic and noise, "Fire in the hole!"

The soldiers watched through half opened eyes as Private Jacob Carpenter let loose a single grenade from his pulse rifle. The explosion rocked the room and sent debris flying throughout the room, destroying any bit of technology still functioning. Another soldier lunged for the door controls and sighed heavily as the bulky slabs of steel slammed together, closing the intruders off. The marines remained standing as the mercenaries sat upon the ground and gathered themselves. Reeds quickly said, "What do you think this is? On your feet, we're moving."

"What?" one of the mercs called out, "You can't be serious. Where will we go?"

"Not here," Reeds replied, "that's for damn sure."

The mercenaries stood and began following the Lieutenant. They walked a few meters before Reeds turned to the group and stated, "We're going to look for Commander Canter."

Astonished faces replied to the task. Lieutenant Falkner spoke out, "Tom, she's gone. I don't think this is a good idea at all."

"She isn't dead, they didn't kill her out there and they didn't kill her in there. I want to know why."

"We're not going down there. It's too dangerous, you barely got out once, why do you want to go down there so badly?"

Knowing full well his intentions, the Lieutenant lied, "Because we need to find Canter. She's the only one that can figure out how to rig this system to get a hold of the Dantrol. Our command center is lost, we need her now."

Falkner shook her head slowly and mouthed silently bullshit. Reeds ignored the gesture and continued walking towards a stairwell. Falkner walked to the front of the other soldiers and held her arm in front of them. "Tom, my order stands with them right now. These soldiers are not to go into that tunnel. You are no longer in charge of this operation."

Lieutenant Reeds had hoped it wouldn't come to this. His entire being demanded that he enter those tunnels again and seek out the monster in the dark. The lust for revenge was consuming him now. It was both personal and professional. It was limited to his own experience with these creatures, yet it extended to the memories of all the soldiers that had fallen because of them as well. Still, his desire for vengeance hadn't yet completely overruled his logic. "Fine," he replied, "I'm going anyway."

Corporal Dyson yelled, "No, sir! You can't go down there!"

Reeds smiled, "You think any of us are making it out of here alive whether we go down there or not?"

After a drawn out debate over Lieutenant Reeds's decision, Falkner had finally given in and said she would not try to stop him. In a moment of frustration, she had unwittingly suggested he simply strap a bomb to himself and storm down to the lower levels and take all of them out in one fell swoop. Reeds had taken the idea to heart. A belt of grenades for his pulse rifle was strapped around his waist and another draped over a shoulder. His rifle was slug over his should and he now carried in a large case. The other marines watched as he slowly unfastened the clips and lifted the top. A thin layer of cloth lay over the bulging object underneath. As Reeds pulled the cloth away, the true nature of his journey became apparent. He pulled the six-barreled gattling gun from its case and lightly flexed his arms, feeling the weight of the weapon. His attention shifted quickly to Dyson, "Corporal, feed me through."

Dyson shook his head silently, but picked up the belt of ammunition from the case. After feeing the first few rounds through the weapon's casing, he pulled out a large pack and helped Reeds get it on his back. After some minor adjustments with straps and belts, Reeds was prepared to enter the caverns below. He turned to the remaining marines and spoke softly, "I know you all think this is crazy. Fuck, I do too. But those damn things scare the shit out of me and I haven't had my fill with them yet. I'm going down, maybe I can buy you some time. Keep working on that comm. system, maybe they'll send help, I don't know. Either way, I don't plan on leaving here. If anything else, I'm just going to run straight in there, guns blazing, and see if I can take the motherfuckers out with these babies." He patted the grenades strapped to his body as he spoke. "I'm sorry this operation went so sour. First the fucking mercs take out half our team, then these bastards show up to finish the job. I want you to watch my A/V feeds and keep an eye out for these buggers. Maybe by watching me you can find their weakness and figure out what to do, I don't really care. As long as I take a few dozen of them with me, I'll be happy. They took my hair and my ear, god damn it. My fucking ear. Do you have any idea what your balance is like with one fucking ear?"

The marines coughed up a tinny laugh before Reeds continued, "Just watch what I do, hope I figure something out. Once I'm down there, I want you all to figure out how the hell to get out of here. No more mercs to use, so it's up to you all."

"What about Commander Canter, sir?"

The question caught Reeds off guard, forgetting his original reasoning for venturing below. He responded with confidence, "If I find her, I'll help her out, but I'm staying. My score isn't settled yet."

Reeds turned and strode toward the door. The minor limp he had developed since the stairwell attack had completely receded. The pain was no concern to Reeds any longer.

"Okay, we've got his A/V feeds up, looking good, Tom."

"Video is down, check your camera."
"No, it's just that damn dark down there."

Reeds's voice came through the transceiver, a garbled break in the radio silence, "My shoulder lamp isn't working, going to have to try the rifle light."

The monitor began to glow with a steady white spot. The light panned around quickly, with the camera following lazily. The dark, steel flooring became illuminated directly in front of Reeds. Small pieces of the creatures were scattered around the floor, remnants of the battle that had occurred a short time ago. Random gaps in the grating were painfully obvious reminders of the creatures' deadly blood that had wounded Reeds. Still, he maintained a powerful and confident pace. His radio crackled lightly in his helmet, "Tom, you're going to hit that stairwell pretty soon, you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Don't try and talk me down, Janice. I'm going in."

The emergency lighting, finally active in the stairwell, provided little lighting, but it was enough to help. A faint red hue swallowed up the color of everything else, creating an atmosphere Reeds was quickly becoming more hesitant to enter.

"Tom?"

The radio startled him, he snapped back to attention and began moving down the stairs. "It smells like shit in here," he responded.

He began moving down the stairs, taking in every bit of ambient noise and odor he could, searching for any clue that would alert him of the creatures' presence. After clearing three flights, the stench became more pungent. Reeds's heart began to pump rapidly, pulsing adrenaline through his system. Sudden movement caught his attention from the edge of his vision.

"Tom? Tom? Answer me, god damn it!"

Reeds's raspy voice came through the radio, his tone nervous and shaky, "I'm okay, I'm okay. It was one of those hand critters. The ones that go on your face."

"And?"

"I got it, it's dead. Fucker. Fast little bastard too. Almost got the drop on me."

Reeds moved down the stairs, startled from the small alien, but still determined to continue. His pace had slowed, the nervous sweat on his face beginning to shine in the dim light. A large sign to the left of a door caught his attention.

"Falkner?"

"Reeds."

"I think I found out where I need to go."

"How do you know? Are you at the bottom yet?"

"No, but there's a big sign that says 'Danger: Possible Biological Hazard.'"