"Buffy, wait up!" called Xander, but it was too late. The Slayer had already vanished down the ladder leading to the level of the Hive. All around them, the tunnels continued to echo with gunfire and screams.
Putting on a burst of speed, Giles pulled ahead of the other Scoobies and peered down the ladder, praying that Buffy hadn't charged into the Hive alone to rescue her boyfriend. He was relieved to see a visibly impatient Buffy pausing at the bottom of the ladder, giving her winded friends time to scramble down after her. Less reassuring was the fact that the tunnels had suddenly gone completely, ominously silent.
"Guys? Are you ready for this? We gotta go now," whispered Buffy.
"As ready as we're going to get," Willow whispered back. None of them were willing to disturb the silent blackness ahead of them… and the things in the blackness.
Buffy nodded. "Keep an eye out for Riley," she said, and then took the lead. Xander shone a flashlight ahead as they moved forward towards the entrance of the Hive. Suddenly, there was a gunshot and an alien shriek ahead. Someone was still alive- and fighting. "Will, get that spell ready!" Buffy hissed.
They entered the tunnel, too tense to take more than a fleeting glance at the unholy architecture around them, or the still-fresh bodies of Initiative soldiers they were stepping over. Ahead, there was another gunshot, and in the brief flash of light they caught a glimpse of an alien recoiling from an impact. There was another snarl, and then everything was silent again. The Scoobies exchanged a look, then continued advancing, with Giles holding his crossbow ready.
"Hey, there's a live one here!" said Xander. Slouched against the wall of the tunnel, just on the threshold of the Hive proper, was an unconscious, ashen-faced young man in commando uniform. No obvious wound could be seen on him, but when Xander panned the flashlight down, towards his wrist...
"Damn," he said softly. The flesh of the soldier's wrist had been eaten away by acid to the point that ghastly glimpses of white bone glinted in the light. A pistol was clutched in his other hand, and a dead facehugger lay at his feet.
"He shot it off rather than let it impregnate him," said Giles quietly, as he glanced into the main chamber. Portions of the Hive were faintly lit by the lights of fallen soldiers, as well as the pilot light of the flamethrower. Some of the lights shone red, tinted by blood which had flowed over their lenses. Faint sounds could be heard within- movement of many large things.
"Guys? Enough sightseeing. They're getting ready to make a move, and I think we've seen how they treat houseguests." Buffy reminded her friends that they were still surrounded by otherworldly evil. "Will, let's have some light."
Willow's pale hand curled around the bag of herbs around her neck, and she bowed her head while muttering ancient words of power. Suddenly her head shot up, and a ball of light exploded into being at the ceiling of the cathedral. It was beautiful- white, liquid luminescence, shimmering and changing constantly, casting shifting shadows throughout the Hive. Shrieks accompanied its creation as Xenomorphs who'd been hiding in the shadows suddenly found themselves exposed. Buffy saw a dark, fleeting shape- the creature from the hospital- detach itself from the ceiling and bolt for a darker corner. But most of her and the Scoobies' attention was focused elsewhere. The Hive was revealed in its entirety, and it was not a pretty sight.
Hostile 100 roared a challenge at the new intruders from across the cathedral. The monstrous creature was a loathsome sight. It was cemented to the floor by thick strands of the alien resin, with spikes rising up behind it, forming a sort of demented throne. But that was just a sideshow to the blasphemy that was attached to it. Sprouting from the Queen's posterior was a slimy, translucent tube that led upwards and to the Queen's left to a massive, bulging egg sac of yellowish colour. The pulsating thing was suspended in the air by strings and bars of the resin, and dim shapes of growing eggs could be seen within it. Even as they watched an egg slithered forth from a flexible appendage sprouting from the underside of the sac, joining dozens of others clustered about Hostile 100's throne. On the right side of the room, near the eggs, was the pit where the Master had used to bathe in blood. Squeals were coming from it.
The floor between the tunnel and the throne was dotted with corpses. The Initiative's elite strike team lay dead and bleeding, mangled and slain without mercy at the claws of the aliens. A thin haze hung in the air, from gunsmoke and alien acid; the latter came from two alien bodies lying amongst the humans. The commandoes had not sold their lives cheaply.
A live alien with unusually large, daggerlike back spines was standing, or trying to, nearby- it had been wounded twice by Forrest, who was laying against the right wall of the chamber, eyes glazed, pistol still in hand, alien towering over him, preparing to finish him. The creature green blood running down its shell, scarring and pitting the ground wherever it touched it. One of its spines had been blown clean off by Forrest's shooting, and blood could be seen oozing from its leg as well. Giles levelled his crossbow at it, but it fled back into the shadows before he could loose a shot.
"Oh my God," breathed Buffy. Her eyes had been scanning the chamber for Riley, but her view had been blocked by the huge alien standing in front of him. This creature's demonic origins were obvious: it was a good foot taller than the ordinary Xenomorph, and its thick, rippling black shell had a cobalt-blue tint that gave it a faintly metallic appearance. Its tail was long, its claws curved and wicked, a bumpy ridge ran down the middle of its smooth head, and it was in the process of webbing Riley Finn to the wall with gobs of secreted resin. But it wasn't the sight of her boyfriend in the clutches of an alien nightmare being cocooned like a fly in a spiderweb that had prompted the Slayer's exclamation.
It was the obscene, throbbing creature wrapped tightly around his face. "Riley…" she whispered.
The Scoobies were shocked, and without thinking the four stepped out of the tunnel and into the chamber, weapons ready. "Stay together, and be ready for anything," Giles said. Behind them, part of the 'ceiling' of the tunnel started to move.
Suddenly, Xander's attention was drawn away from Riley. "What the hell is he doing?" he asked. Then he yelled across the chamber: "Hey! Traeten! The company staff lounge is the other way! Haven't you had enough of your alien pals yet?"
Traeten ignored the kid's immature braying. He had more important things on his mind. Though he had to admit, the arrival of the civilians had almost certainly saved his life. They'd provided much-needed light and distracted the Xenomorphs long enough for him to dash over to the breeding pit. The breeding pit...
Peering in, the question of whether any Ravnon employees had survived the attempt to observe the Hive was answered. Five large alien larvae poked their heads up like a brood of revolting birds and hissed at him. Traeten's stomach reeled as he beheld the wormlike creatures, half burrowed into what remained of his employees. The pit was half-filled with gore, blood, torn flesh, and ripped clothing from five men. The larvae must have been feeding on their 'parents' for a while, a freakishly dispassionate part of Traeten's mind noted. You couldn't even tell where the bits of one corpse ended and the next began...
Mastering himself, he took off his jacket. All he had to do was snag one of the larva, wrap it in the jacket, and hold on to it while he got the hell out of this place. Got the hell out, and never came back.
"That bloody fool." Giles' face was tight with rage and disbelief. "He still thinks he can get one of them alive!" Beside him, Buffy scanned the room anxiously. What were the aliens waiting for? The Initiative had been attacked instantly, but the Scoobies were standing in the inner sanctum of the Xenomorphs, completely unopposed. Hostile 100 was just sitting there, as thought waiting for something. The large alien was busy webbing Riley, and the wounded creature was still retreating in that direction. But where was the dog-thing? And where had the extra aliens come from? How many were there?
Even as Buffy analyzed the situation, the thing Hostile 100 was waiting for lowered itself to the ground behind her. One of its clawed feet came down on its victim, Sasaki. Silently, soundlessly, it began creeping towards the humans.
Traeten slowly edged forward, holding the jacket tightly. An earsplitting bellow sounded beside him. Looking up, he saw Hostile 100 thrashing furiously as it realized that this intruding creature intended to abduct one of its children. But, anchored to its throne and connected to its egg sac, the Queen was immobile and helpless, and all its children seemed to be busy stalking those stupid kids. Traeten smirked at it. "Too bad," he said.
Suddenly Hostile 100's head jerked, and something wet struck Traeten's face, right in the eyes. A hideous burning pain lanced into his eyeballs, and his face felt like it was melting right off his skull.
Spit... the thing had spit on him!
The pain overwhelmed him. Shrieking, Traeten toppled headfirst into the pit.
Buffy saw Traeten fall, and decided screw this. Right now they were just waiting in the middle of this hellhole for the aliens to attack while more people died. It was time to take shake off their terror and take charge. "Get the wounded together, see if you can help Traeten," she ordered. "I'm going for Riley."
Behind them, the creature that had lain in wait clinging to the ceiling crouched for a jump that would end with it on top of the red-furred intruder, claws buried in soft flesh. In the split second before it leapt, a strong arm reached out of the darkness behind it and coiled around its neck. The alien was hauled backwards into the tunnel as soundlessly as it had approached.
Traeten's landing was cushioned by something soft and wet, and his stomach lurched as he realized that he was laying in the viscera of his employees. He felt a cold weight skitter over his back, another on his arms, and realized the larvae were crawling over him... he could feel their saliva on his skin. He screamed again, forgetting the agony in his eyes as he remembered what Dr. Angleman had said about the breeding pit- this was where the larvae grew and fed...
He panicked, rolling around frantically, heedless of the blood he was smearing all over himself as he wallowed around in what remained of human beings. He forced his eyes to open, ignoring the still-horrific pain. There was nothing but blackness.
He was blind.
He screamed, and screamed again as the first pair of razor-sharp teeth sank into his flesh. Tiny, loathsome feet scurried over him as the larvae swarmed onto his body and bit and bit. Feeling his own warm blood beginning to flow and mix with the contents of the pit, Traeten screamed again, only to have it cut off as a pair of teeth tore into his throat. His mind screamed instead: It isn't fair, this wasn't the plan, can't I make a deal? His only answer was more pain, and the hissing of the creatures he had found so amazing.
If it wasn't for Traeten's screams, Xander might have heard the sounds of a struggle coming from further back in the tunnel as he dashed for the unconscious soldier. He slung the man's uninjured arm across his shoulders and, being careful not to touch the disfigured wrist, hurried back to Giles and Willow, who were already moving towards Forrest while Buffy split left, towards Riley.
The alien in the tunnel had almost been dragged all the way back into the main corridor when it finally halted itself, digging into the floor with its hind legs and thrashing furiously. Between its tail and the spines on its back it soon dislodged its attacker's grip, and whirled around to face it.
"Well, well Junior, lookit you. All grown up," Spike smirked at his 'son'. "Warms my heart it does to see you a big boy. Too bad for you busting out of a bloke's chest leaves a pretty memorable scen-"
'Junior' was interested neither in its paternity or in the sounds coming from this somewhat familiar yellow-furred prey. It lunged.
Buffy sprinted across the floor, lethally intent on reaching Riley. The wounded alien moved to intercept her, still swift and dangerous even with two bullets in it. Buffy didn't care. Without breaking stride she stabbed her sword sideways as she passed the creature. The sword's point crunched through the alien armour, stabbing deep into its abdomen. Acid spurted, but failed to touch Buffy as she kept running, leaving the sword embedded in her victim and drawing her backup. The creature shrieked and collapsed on its back, more green blood spilling as it twitched in its death throes.
Across the room, Xander, Giles and Willow headed for Forrest, Xander lugging the unconscious commando while Giles kept his crossbow ready, eyes scanning the ceiling. Traeten's screams had mercifully ceased, and from the pit came only the sounds of chewing.
Out of the darkness the dog-alien dropped to the floor on Giles' left and charged, snarling. He whirled and fired his crossbow, but even as he did he knew he would hit nothing, the creature was coming too fast. He hurled himself to the ground, and the alien flitted over him, ruffling his jacket with the wind of its passage.
The large alien, sensing Buffy's approach, gracefully detached itself from the wall it was binding Riley to and dropped to the ground to face her. It was much bigger than her, thickly armoured, a perfect killing machine, but she didn't even notice. Not only had she gotten used to facing larger foes, but her boyfriend's life was at stake, and she had no time to feel intimidated. The Slayer waded straight in.
Her advance was cut brutally short. The creature whirled about with amazing speed and its long tail slammed into her ribs. Gasping as the breath left her, Buffy was thrown into the air and crashed down hard on the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she raised her sword.
Rolling onto his back, Giles saw the four-legged monster turn around for another pass, but before it could attack a bullet smacked into the ground in front of it. The alien broke off its attack and darted back into the shadows. Xander fired once more with the pistol he'd taken from the soldier, but missed.
"Good thinking Xander," Giles said as he hastily reloaded his crossbow.
"I have my moments." Xander swept the room with the pistol as they reached Forrest and clustered protectively around him. Forrest was unconscious too, bleeding from a wound in his side. The wound was shallow, but it had been caused by the venomous tail of an alien, and the commando was now paralyzed. Giles became aware of a shift in the light and looked at Willow. The clever witch had been thinking quickly; motioning her arms, she was guiding her light spell around the room, using it as a magical searchlight to find the dog-thing.
Her face was furrowed in concentration. "I can't find it..." she said.
"Keep trying," Giles said. "Even if you can't spot it, you might discourage it from another attack." He yelled across the room, "Buffy, how are you doing?"
"Not a good time for evaluations Giles," grunted Buffy as she ducked underneath the swings of the alien. The creature's large hands kept lashing out towards her head with more than enough force to take it clean off. It gained momentum, swinging faster and faster, but at the same time left itself open to a counterattack. The Slayer took the opportunity at once, swinging her sword at the alien's shoulder. It connected solidly, sending a shock up her arms. A crack appeared in the creature's shell and a few green drops oozed out. Nothing more.
Great, Buffy thought. The thing's about as thin-skinned as Cordelia. And even if I beat it, I'll have to do something about Hostile 100, and even then, I can't do anything about Ril-
She stopped the thought before it came. Thinking about what was happening inside her boyfriend's chest right now would lead only to horror, distraction and death. Buffy settled for thinking that things couldn't get any worse.
Then... some idiot turned out the lights.
While Xander and Giles tended to the two surviving soldiers, Willow peered into the shadows of the Hive, trying to pick out the outline of the alien from the resin formations on the walls and ceiling. The stuff was natural camouflauge for the Xenomorphs, and she could be looking right at the dog-creature and not seeing it. She willed the illumination spell from side to side, changing the angles of the light...
There was a faint scuttling directly above her. Willow looked up and screamed as the alien dropped straight down onto her. Her legs quite sensibly gave out from under her and she fell to the ground, so that instead of having the full weight of the creature come down on top of her head it wound up pinning her, warm saliva dripping on her face. As the alien tightened its hold on her shoulders one of its claws sliced through the necklace holding the bag of herbs. It slid off her body, and the spell, deprived of the source of its power, promptly winked out of existence. Willow was plunged into darkness as the alien hissed above her. She screamed again.
Xander caught a glimpse of what was happening to Willow a second before the globe of light disappeared. The blackness closed around him, choking in its absoluteness, terrifying and cold. He didn't let that that stop him from springing forward, swinging the cudgel as hard as he could. He clocked the Xenomorph cleanly on the side of the head, and it ran off again with a snarl.
"Are you all right?" He asked Willow. She coughed and might've nodded, it was too dark to see.
"Get the spell back!" Shouted Giles. Willow fumbled for the herb pouch.
Spike dodged and weaved as 'Junior' did its best to insert its claws, tail, and teeth into various organs. Thinking back, he realized it had been bleedin' stupid to come down here without a weapon. Hell, it had been bleedin' stupid coming down here at all when the place had been crawling with soldiers and reeking of Slayer.
The creature which had used him as a womb tried to open his chest a second time, slicing its claws downwards at him with vicious force. With equal viciousness Spike caught the arm in one hand and kicked the thing in the gut as hard as he could. It wheezed and staggered backwards, but quickly recovered. Spike followed up with a slamming right hook.
"Arrgh!" he yelled as he skinned his knuckles on the unyielding exoskeleton. Definitely should've brought a weapon, he thought. Taking advantage of his pain, the alien tackled him to the ground. Spike stared down its gullet as both its mouths opened wide over his face.
Fighting a large, vicious, armoured extraterrestial was bad enough. But in the dark... Sometimes Buffy the Vampire Slayer hated her job.
Something hit her, hard, and she hit the ground, also hard. The alien seemed to be all around her; hissing, swiping, snarling. It was a miracle she still had her sword in her hands and her hands on her arms, to say nothing of the intactness of her other limbs. What had happened to Willow? Where'd the light go?
Suddenly there was a powerful flash as Willow shouted a word of command and the ball of light was reborn. Just in time too, since it illuminated the alien right in front of her, a hand reaching for her face. Reacting with blinding speed she struck at the hand with the flat of her sword, steel smacking into shell. Something cracked, the alien shrieked, and Buffy saw two of its fingers hanging limp.
The light saved Giles' life as well. The moment it burst back into existence, he spotted the DogAlien charging straight at him like a monster out of a nightmare. Drool flew from its jaws as it bore down on him with amazing speed. No time to dodge- Giles whipped the crossbow to his shoulder, sighted, and fired.
The bolt flew straight and true- into the alien's mouth and down its throat, piercing its innards. The creature fell, momentum carrying it rolling and kicking across the floor. By the time it came to a rest at Giles' feet, it was stone dead, a thin stream of blood and steam leaking from its mouth.
"Wow Giles, I a--" The rest of Xander's wit was lost to the world forever, drowned out by an terrifying screech from the Queen, enraged that one of its children had fallen.
'Junior's second mouth slammed down at Spike with skull-crushing force. He wrenched his head to the left, barely avoiding it. The alien hissed, and the wretched tube began slithering back up for another try, but never made it. Spike seized the 'tongue' in an iron grip, disregarding the revolting, slimy feel of the thing. The creature made furious gagging noises and struck back, slashing at Spike's legs with its clawed feet. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain he scrambled to his feet, keeping a tight hold on the tongue.
The alien ignored the pain as well, and its tail coiled around Spike's leg and pulled. He fell backward against the wall, regained his balance, then kicked 'Junior' in the stomach. He pushed the thing away with his foot and yanked hard on the tube at the same time. Something snapped deep within the alien's throat and its second mouth was wrenched out unnaturally far. Spike felt it go limp in his grip, and grinned the grin he'd given Slayers before killing them.
"Got a soft spot for your Dad after all, eh Junior? Now, I never got to give you that first lesson of life..." With that, he ripped the tongue right out of the alien's head in one smooth motion.
'Junior' did not go easily. Even with its own blood running down its throat, it thrashed and hissed and struggled with every ounce of strength it had. But really, it was all over but the dying, and by the time Spike was done venting his rage at the thing which had violated him, it was barely recognizable.
In the chamber, Hostile 100 bellowed again. Spike ignored it and turned away, determined to make his way back to the crypt without any further excitement tonight. He had his revenge, and as far as he was concerned that left him officially through with these soddin' aliens. Ordinarily he'd stick around and see whether they could kill off any of the Slayerettes, but that was how he'd gotten into this mess in the first place-
Oh bloody Hell. Spike flashed back to what 'Junior' had been about to do when he grabbed it, and realized he just might have saved one of the Scoobies' lives. Stomach churning, he turned and ran for the surface. He needed Passions and a drink, quick.
The alien rose its tail for a strike and Buffy hacked it off. The stinger dropped to the ground, and acid splattered Buffy's sword and coat. Gasping as her coat started to melt, the Slayer ripped it off with one hand. The other hand dragged her sword on the dusty floor, wiping off most of the acid. The beautiful blade was becoming badly pitted and corroded, but still should be good for at least one more blow…
She faced the alien again. "I liked that coat! That was a good coat!"
"Buffy, keep it occupied!" Shouted Giles as he aimed his crossbow. "I have a shot!"
Her response was unexpected. "Oh, crap!" She was looking behind Giles, at Hostile 100. He turned and saw.
The dozens of eggs in front of the Queen were bubbling, bulging, expanding. At some unspoken, incomprehensible command from their creator, they were hatching. Already a few yellow legs could be seen poking out of some.
Buffy took a breath, but whatever she was about to say was cut off as the alien tackled her from behind. Willow reacted instead. Reaching into her bag, she brought out a few balls of dragonflame and hurled them at the eggs. Then, concentrating mentally, she made them disperse in the air. The glass balls scattered amongst the eggs and exploded like Molotov cocktails. Facehuggers and eggs alike burst into flame, and a foul stench filled the room. Steam hissed as the fluids within the eggs boiled.
"Look out!" Giles spotted a few creatures escaping the inferno- two making a beeline for him. He shot one, the arrow piercing it neatly in the middle, but the other one leapt on his leg and scrambled up like an enormous spider towards his face. Giles had time to think Dear Lord, not again and then it was upon him.
Another facehugger skittered towards Willow with extraordinary speed. She screamed as it jumped and began climbing her, the touch of each leg revolting, like having the world's biggest centipede crawling on her. Before it could reach her head Xander knocked it to the ground with the cudgel and finished it with a vicious crushing blow, only to have another creature latch onto his legs.
Buffy wriggled away from the big alien, which was trying to give her a very pointy bear-hug. She jumped, spun, and struck true as the alien lunged after her. The creature's own momentum conspired with the force of Buffy's thrust to cause the sword to penetrate deep into the alien's throat. She let go of the sword and left it dissolving there as the Xenomorph backed off, retching acid.
Meanwhile, Xander stomped on the facehugger as hard as he could, breaking its tail. It fell away from him on its back, wriggling like an upended ant. Down came the cudgel, and that was that.
Giles made gagging noises as the yellow horror's tail coiled around his neck. Its legs waved furiously, tickling his face, while the nauseatingly soft, slimy tube probed for his mouth. Drawing back one hand, he punched the thing in its soft underside. Its grip weakened, and he flung it to the floor, snatched up his crossbow, and skewered it with the sharp point on the weapon's end.
"I think... that's the last of them," he panted.
"This one's down too," Buffy said as her foe collapsed to the ground. "We-"
The Queen let loose a roar of rage that vibrated the humans' bones. It's children were almost all dead! The offspring it had worked so hard to raise and cultivate and protect had been decimated, and the sanctity of its home was no more. There would be blood and death for this, for this entire planet, a cataract of rending and slashing and devouring, especially for its yellow-furred enemy who had done so much harm.
"Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone else." Buffy was not impressed. "I'm going to get Riley."
"Bad idea," said Willow. "It can spit. That's how it got Traeten." As if to punctuate her, a glob of acid spattered at their feet. Hostile 100 roared again as the Scoobies backed up.
"We gotta take this thing down," Xander said. He eyed the enormous alien dubiously. "Uh, Giles? Suggestions?"
"The egg sac," he responded. "That's the only soft spot. Throw everything we've got at the sac!"
"Gotcha. Hitting the giant alien in the reproductive sack, coming u- My life is way too weird," Xander cut himself off.
Giles gave him a look, then loaded his crossbow and fired. The bolt shredded the thin material of the egg sac like paper, and sickly yellow ichor gushed out in a steady stream. Xander joined in, emptying his pistol into the blimplike sac. Screeches from the Queen accompanied these attacks as dozens of its eggs were destroyed before they could even be laid. It was Willow who did the most damage though. Their flight boosted by telekinesis, her last globes of dragonflame flew through the holes torn by Xander and Giles and exploded, instantly boiling the sac's contents. A revolting cloud of steam, liquid and fragments of alien flesh erupted as the sac was blown apart, spattering the Hive.
There was a moment of silence, except for the hissing of acid blood.
A low rumble of rage came from the Queen, the rumble of a dangerous animal pushed too far. The resin holding it to its 'throne' had been largely destroyed by the assault, along with its egg sac. Now there was no reason for it to remain immobile and helpless. Its legs straightened powerfully, and it ripped away from the seat of resin which had been keeping it stationary. Hostile 100 stepped free from the ruins of its throne and its sac, flexed its limbs, and prepared to kill. The alien towered over the humans as it advanced, snarling like thunder.
"Oops," Willow squeaked.
"Uh, Giles? Any other suggestions?" Xander asked. Giles stared and shook his head. Buffy offered one of her own.
"Hummus time."