Responses to reviewers:
Cougar66: I'm glad you like the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Raptor-Chick: Thank you again for the review and for being here since the beginning :)
Evance: raises a brow The story was never meant to be taken as a horror in the first place. Thanks for the review though.
Chapter 11
Switcher's attacks were strong, rapid, and full of insane fury. However they were somewhat uncoordinated and enabled No-Tongue to prevent most of them from dealing any real damage as they rolled along the floor. Even so, the faint smell of melting metal due to his acidic blood was evident in the air, evidence of a couple of blows that managed to draw blood. He knew that eventually one of those attacks will eventually hurt him seriously though and if he was to survive this fight and defeat his former Xeno comrade, he needed to put some distance between them. Thus the moment he had a chance, the brought up his hindlegs and pushed Switcher away, causing the insane Xeno to land with a heavy thud a few feet away.
No-Tongue took a moment to assess his surroundings and noted with a faint smile that Arthur had managed to slip away as he asked. Now he could try to think of a way to subdue Switcher without risking injury to Arthur: even though he considered a human his to be his friend, he was still a Xeno and was hesitant to kill one of his own. Seeing Switcher had gotten back on his feet, No-Tongue turned and ran, not wanting to risk any more injury by getting into brawl again.
Traitor a coward now as well? He heard Switcher taunt as he ran.
No, changing the battlefield. Catch me if you can! No-Tongue taunted back. The loud hiss of rage he heard next told him that Switcher was pursuing. Good, that was plan, at least the plan he was making up on the fly. Rooms of various shapes and sizes flew by him as he ran, giving him an idea: if he could lock Switcher into one of those...
/ATTENTION! CORE EXPLOSION IMINENT IN FIVE MINUTES!/ The ship computer screamed, the floor shaking underneath him.
Not much time... He thought to himself grimly. He needed to find a suitable room, trick Switcher into it, lock him inside and find the escape pods where Arthur was hopefully waiting for him before the place went nova. A tall order.
Seemed fate was on his side: his sonar revealed a dead end room as he passed by it: one that had a kind of 'half' wall jutting out of one of the side walls. He nearly did a full 180 as he turned into it, and quickly jumped to the ceiling and positioned himself by the door, staying perfectly still. Seconds later he heard Switcher come to a stop by the door.
It over! He heard Switcher taunt. You trapped now!
Please let him not know how to operate the door... No-Tongue thought, suddenly realizing the potential flaw in his plan. His worries proved to be unfounded as he saw Switcher start to enter the room, stalking toward the obvious 'hiding' spot behind the half wall. Did Switcher, in his madness, forget their kind can walk on walls and ceilings? No matter, as it worked to his advantage. He waited until Switcher was fully into the room before sweeping out with his tail, catching the mad Xeno with the broader part that was just before the spear of his tail. Switcher screeched with surprise as he was knocked into one of the side walls. Not waiting to see if Switcher had been stunned enough or not, No-Tongue scampered out of the room.
No time to figure out how to properly work the door panel, No-Tongue simply smashed it with his tail. There was a loud 'thud' as the door slammed shut and more followed it as the insane Xeno rammed into it repeatedly, leaving noticeable dents in the door visible from No-Tongue's side. Realizing it won't hold him for long, No-Tongue ran off again, hoping to find the escape pods and escape the ship before Switcher freed himself and tracked him down again.
A moment later an even angrier Switcher broke free...
Arthur nerviously looked at his watch: it had been three minutes since the last ship announcement. He had already primed the escape pod for launch, but it looked like he would be forced to leave without No-Tongue as he couldn't risk waiting any longer. Just as he was about to shut the door though, he felt a familiar 'tickle' in his mind.
"No-Tongue?" He said quietly, moving quickly to poke his head out the pod and to look out in the hallway.
-Arthur! Where are you?- He heard No-Tongue's mental voice, loud and clear this time.
"Here!" He shouted, remembering what No-Tongue told him about the range of Alien telepathy. A moment later a familiar black shape streaked toward him, nearly running him over as the Alien entered the pod. Beside himself, Arthur hugged him. "I thought you wouldn't have made it!" He said.
-Oh ye of little faith...- No-Tongue cracked. -Now close the door before...-
An angry hiss was heard just in the hallway, filling both with dread. -Close the door! Close the door!- No-Tongue screamed as Switcher's form suddenly filled the space just before the doorway. Arthur literally leapt for the button that closed the door, just as Switcher started his leap. The door slammed shut on half of Switcher's head and one arm, cutting them off cleanly from the Alien's body: No-Tongue shielded Arthur from the brief spray of acidic blood with his body. Not wasting any more time, Arthur activated the pod fully, the small ship-like pod ejecting from the escape pod hanger with jarring force and sending both occupants tumbling back to the rear of the craft. No-Tongue helped Arthur right himself so he could reach the controls to pilot the craft.
The cold vacuum of space neutralized the acid that had started to eat away at the hull of the pod, but could not do the same for the acid that was inside the pod. No-Tongue watched with concern as Switcher's blood ate through the floor and doing who knows what damage to the internal functions of the pod itself. Arthur no doubt held the same concern, but was more worried about getting as far from the mother ship as possible before it blew. A short while later the small pod was rocked by the shockwave caused by the exploding mother ship.
Barely a moment later an alarm sounded.