Hello again all you beloved readers out there! (hugs all)
Bsdisaster: I indeed edited that scene in the last chapter to be more realistic, and made a few more scenes in other chapters to support that. Thank you for making me keep an eye on my realism factor!
DarkXeno: I don't know why I don't care for chestbursters. In all reality I should, considering I love the way they just pop out of people's chests and look so damn cool when they're curled up. (shrug) probably just one of those 'me' things thatI do for no reason. I mean,I think full-grownAliens and facehuggers rock...
Wow, I love Dilophosaurus too! It's right up there with my all time favorites like Baryonx and Suchimimus. Heh, I like the crests on 'em, too. I just have a thing for anything with spikes, scales, or other monster-like features XD I also think your theory is very possible, and in fact I would ask your permission to incorperate it into EoaPS in later chapters, if you'll let me.
Also, asking if I'm gonna live is a very good question, 'cause even I'm kinda unsure about that right about now. I'm nearing the end of it in the part I'm writing and I want to have it go out in a realistic bang, but I have about seven possible endings and I'm still undecided as to which one I like more. A few of them leave openings for a sequel, but I'm not sure I would want to do a sequel yet.
Oh, and 'liberally' actually means 'abundantly' or 'profusely' in the context that I used it in, unless I actually did switch the two words somewhere, but I'm pretty sure I only used it once or twice...
Plus, you'll just have to wait to see if I meet Lex/Scar. (evil giggles)
OtakusVengeance: Glad you like, and here be the update you wanted!
Is this the never-ending hallway or what? I thought sarcastically, my breath coming in sharp and tired gasps as I forced myself to keep running, to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Chopper, damn him, still looked as fresh as if he had just began running, and that fact made me feel pretty weak and insignificant. I hated feeling that way; for some reason, I felt like I was representing the current state of human youth. Heh, yup; I was giving myself important titles now.
But I knew that most of the people I knew at home would have died a few times over by now, if only because they would have had no idea what type of situation they were in. Hell, I only knew maybe two people who had even seen the movie, and none who found the two species as fascinating as I did. I was probably the only one who would have had an inkling of what was happening at all or what to do about it.
Well, if that didn't inflate my ego at all, nothing would.
The pounding pace did serve as a good thing for a few reasons, however. One, the movement was serving very well to keep my circulation going, and therefore I wasn't all that cold in the bitingly frigid air. Reason number two was that running was taking my mind off the gravity of the situation, and I wasn't quite as worried as I had been about getting home and such. Really, I was about ready to just say the hell with home and let's just make our goal getting out of the pyramid in one piece.
Suddenly, Chopper stopped, and I screeched to a halt as my train of thought was shattered in an instant, almost slamming into the alien as my body began to fly a little farther than my feet. Lucky for me, I managed to keep my balance and look halfway coherent while the Yautja grumbled something in his own language, considering the two passageways that forked from either side of the long tunnel we had been running down.
I looked to the right side, which seemed to be a bit brighter and had several yards of hieroglyphs running on walls and floors, illustrating what I guessed was the story of the Xeno and Yautja history. It looked pretty interesting, but I was starting to feel like time was running out. I knew that it hadn't been all that long in the movie before the bomb had gone off, and I really, really didn't want to be running around with Mr. Rock Star inside here when that happened. Even though I had a feeling that Chopper and Celtic, if that one was still alive, would both get the message and try to run as fast as they could when that happened.
But I still wanted to be as close to the exit as possible in the event of that happening. Wouldn't you?
Now all I needed to do was not get killed by Xeno's, and there I was.
There couldn't have been that many Xeno's left, anyway, besides the Queen and the hatched Facehuggers. I mean; there hadn't been that many humans down in this place to begin with. I mentally counted in my head; after the eight that I knew had already been killed, combined with the three or so that had been killed in the course of the movie… well, it just didn't make sense unless more than one Xeno could erupt from a single host. I really hoped that that wasn't the case, but I hadn't created the damn things, so I didn't know. Besides, who was to say that there hadn't been other creatures here that the Xeno's could have used?
"Hisssssss…."
"Dammit," I muttered, looking up towards the sound that had come from the ceiling above just in time to be leapt at by a huge black form. I cried out, scrambling backwards and tripping, falling heavily on the stone floor with a force that made me wince. I didn't have much time to dwell on that fact, however, as the beast scuttled over to me, snarling and scratching and scoring at least one hit on my trashing leg. Even so, I managed to kick it in the head, growling a rather inappropriate phrase as I used my spear to fend off its tail.
Suddenly, Chopper was there, his melted blades and strange shruikens flashing in the low light as he slashed at the creature. I struggled upright, wincing as I felt a small pang in my leg but ignoring it as I watched the fury of the mêlée. The two battlers were fighting as if in their own worlds, both locked head to head as they struggled to overpower one another. I had no idea which way the fight would turn, so fierce was the conflict that ensued right before me.
I turned as a flash of movement caught the corner of my eye, and suddenly another Xeno had slipped past me, working with the other to slash at the unexpectedly disadvantaged Yautja. I gaped, one eye rising slightly in disbelief; it hadn't even looked at me! It had gone right past me to fight Chopper!
What was I, chopped liver? Did they really think that I wasn't a threat?
I bristled as I stared at the amazingly one-sided fight, angry that the damn creatures thought they could take away my one chance at getting out of here and back home. Chopper was at a major disadvantage in this closed space, where the Xeno's could use the walls and ceiling to help them leap. If he didn't get any help, the outcome of this battle was set.
Nuh uh, you're not allowed to die until you get me out of here!
Well, if they wanted to fight an unfair fight, I could at least even the odds a little. Besides, I felt kinda useless just standing there gaping like an idiot. With a snarling growl I lifted the spear and charged into the fray, tackling the second Xeno with all my might. I barely managed to gain its attention for more than a few seconds, because I suddenly realized that these creatures were built like extremely fast tanks, and it hadn't really felt the impact at all. Nor did it seem to care about me as it was currently trying to cut down the Yautja, which it seemed to judge the more immediate threat. But I knew from experience that I could make it feel pain if I wanted to, and I carefully aimed the spear as it was still slightly distracted, smashing it downwards as hard as I could where its tail joined its body.
It screeched and turned so fast that I was knocked backwards into the wall, all the breath pounded out of me and my back flaring up in pain as the bruises from before were jolted out of their tentative healing state. The spear was nearly ripped from my hands as the weapon was jerked out of the wound it had caused, and I felt myself let a feral grin cross my face when I saw that the bony tail was lying limp on the floor, all control over the extremity severed when the metal had parted the nerves. A sizzling sound reached my ears as the floor started to melt from the acid blood that was streaming from the wound I had caused.
"Hope that felt good, asshole, 'cause that's only the beginning," I rasped, a type of strange enthusiasm from the fight slowly rising within me as I took up a stance. Now this was fun! Well, fun in that insane, death-defying way that I had always thought would never happen to me. The Xeno crouched in front of me, hissing and opening its mouth wide, revealing slime-covered, silver teeth and the infamous second maw that was oh-so-lethal if it got close enough to use it.
Within an instant it was in the air, all four legs splayed out and claws flashing. A split-second decision drove me to try out a technique seen in many different books and movies, and I darted forward, sidestepping just enough so that I wouldn't collide with the blood-covered tail and whirling around in time to see the creature smash headfirst into the wall that had been behind me. I couldn't help it; even in this type of situation and knowing that I could easily die in the next moment, I had to laugh.
The creature had recovered within seconds, and I cursed at myself when I realized that I had just passed up an opportunity to kill it quickly. Again it darted forward, and I barely had enough time to bring my spear up in a defensive maneuver before being slammed again into the opposite wall. I knew that the Xeno was trying to get me at a disadvantage so that it would be able to kill me with that lethal second maw, and from this position it would very likely be able to do so.
I did the only thing I could at the moment; I kicked.
My aim was good, and the Xeno staggered back with a curious hacking sound as my knee connected with its neck, just below where the head met the body. In all reality, it was the only place where the creatures weren't protected by tough chitin armor, and as such was the weakest place on their bodies. In the back of my mind, I remembered to note that reaction in case of other, similar situations. In the front of my mind, though, I recognized the second opportunity and swung the spear with little regard for aim, trying to get a powerful enough hit in to stun the Xeno long enough to get a direct head shot.
I managed to score a glancing blow across that unprotected neck, and the beast screamed as corrosive blood squirted out, hitting the very tip of my shoes and burning as I grit my teeth yet again. At least it was only the soles and not my flesh; thank the powers. As for the drop that had hit my jeans, I certainly wasn't so lucky, but I didn't have time to dwell on the pain as much as I would have liked –as in screaming and cursing and beating anything nearby over the head with a heavy and blunt object- because I was already aiming for the final blow.
The ornate spear penetrated the thick exoskeleton of the creature's skull neatly and with very little blood, a surprising fact considering how much blood emerged from any other type of wound and my horrendous aim. Instantly and probably a result of instinct or brain damage, the second mouth shot out, coming very close to my face and making me yelp in surprise and fear as the teeth snapped together just inches from my nose. I put all my weight into throwing the dead Xeno away from me as fast as I could, gripping the spear with both hands as I yanked it out of the limp body and trembling slightly as the exhilaration from the fight left me faster than it had came.
The only sound I could hear was my heavy breathing, and I looked up, puzzled that there weren't other noises of fighting. I realized why when I saw Chopper standing over his own kill, head tilted as he regarded me once again. With an air of disinterest I ignored him and rapped the spear against the stones, ridding it of any clinging green blood, and knelt down to examine the dead creature. It looked a little different from what I'd seen before; mainly it had reddish lines on its body. That was pretty strange, considering that there was only two types of Xeno I knew about, and I was certain that Black Xeno Queens didn't birth this type of color morph very often, if ever.
Ooh, a rarity. I grinned slightly as I snapped off one of its fingers with the help of the spear, marveling at the amazing two-toned color, and commenced draining it on the already pitted and ruined stone floor. I glanced up as I heard a curious growl above me, and sighed as Chopper knelt down, investigating the dead creature much as I had before. There was silence for a few moments, and then he rumbled approvingly, his clawed, mottled hands running over the surface of the skull that hadn't been crushed by my spear.
"Thanks," I sighed, guessing that he thought I had done pretty well for myself. I stood, pocketing the drained finger, and meandered over to the creature that he had taken down, seeing that its skull had been kept in perfect condition. Unlike mine, this one was a uniform black in color, and it was also larger. Must've come from a strong human, "You didn't do too bad, yourself, man. Awesome kill."
When I looked back, I saw that he was again studying me curiously. Involuntarily, I felt myself bristle at the attention.
"Will you cut that out?" I snapped irritably, "You're going to make me paranoid if you keep that up!"
He growled slightly, gesturing to the Xeno I had killed, then to me.
"Awesome kill," my own voice, slightly warped, came back to me. I gaped, completely caught off guard by the sudden realization that maybe he could actually understand me. Chopper didn't give me much time to absorb this, however, as he suddenly jumped up and began moving towards the left passageway. I realized why a moment later, as the stones around us began to shift yet again. I followed Chopper as he trotted lightly down the hall so that I wouldn't get left behind, but I noticed something important not a moment later.
"Oh, shit," I gasped as I saw the wall begin to close in on us as we made our way down the tunnel. The threat of being squished to a pulp gave my feet wings, and I found myself easily keeping pace with Chopper as we both tried desperately to reach the now visible room at the end of the passage, the light that beckoned us almost teasingly while the wall to our right came ever closer, its power unstoppable.
"Not good! Not good! Not good! NOT GOOD!" I huffed as I ran faster than I had ever thought possible, my feet pounding into the stones and the distance between the room and I shortening rapidly. I didn't even realize that I had pulled ahead of Chopper until I had erupted into the room, turning to look behind me and nearly being bowled over as the Yautja emerged from the crevice in a gigantic leap. Behind him, the wall slammed shut with a puff of ancient dust, and I coughed lightly as the stuff irritated my already sensitive throat.
Suddenly, a rapid series of clicks and rumbles came from behind me, and I turned back, my eyes going wide as I craned my neck up to see the gigantic figure that was currently facing Chopper, looking none-too-pleased. There was a whoosh of metal as his wristblades extended, and he began to advance upon me, shoving the smaller Yautja out of the way. I raised my spear in an automatic defensive gesture, which I suddenly remembered was not my spear but in all actuality Celtic's, and wished that I could melt into the wall behind me somehow.
"Uh, hello?" I said in a small squeak, eyes wide as the ornate mask glared down at me, the eye sensors seeming far too small for the creature behind them. Killing Xeno's was one thing, but I knew that I didn't have the talent to fight Celtic.
Especially since he had his plasma cannon, and the three red dots were aimed right at me.
Well, I hope that fight was pretty realistic (wrings hands) I don't wanna be all-powerful... yet! (laughs manically)
Yeah, as if...
