It continues… but how the hell is Drake going to get out of this one? Straight into the story now, and no meandering! I know this chapter's kind of short, but I'm going to leave the shock in this chapter to speak for itself.

Me no own Predator. 20th Century Fox own Predator. Me sad now.

COMING APOCALYPSE

Now!

Drake hurled the Sonic Trap to the ground as it exploded in a blinding light. Shutting his eyes instinctively, Drake leapt up toward the rafters even as the weapons started firing. Twisting instinctively in the air, he fired off two shots from his plasmacaster at the soldiers below.

He leapt down toward the door, cutting the metal apart in an instant with his Glaive as the weapons opened fire again. He jumped through, spinning in mid-jump. As he skidded round a corner in the corridor beyond the door, he felt one of the high-power bullets slice through the flesh on his arm, even as a small grenade skidded across the ground toward him…

Drake leapt back as the device exploded, a shockwave of blue energy surging out. As it hit, however, Drake didn't feel a thing… even as he realised what it was.

EMP, he realised. Prometheus tech… my weapons'll be down…

He looked up in surprise as the Monster Squad soldiers rounded the corner, suddenly stopping as the moved around him in a perfect, tight circular formation, weapons armed.

"Impressive," Yutani smirked as he slowly clapped his hands. "You certainly can give us a run for our money, Drake…"

"Why?" Drake hissed. "Why did you attack her?"

"Simple. We never managed to track you down… so we just brought you to us."

"A trap…" Drake realised, his voice growing slower.

"Exactly. Though we did track your ship when you left a few months ago."

The horrifying truth ran through Drake, the blood turning to ice in his veins.

"…That's how you got the Xenomorphs."

"Haven't we been over this already, Drake? Of course, there are a few things you don't know…"

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A swarm of soldiers burst into the ship, opening fire as Scarface and Dachande fired off the plasmacasters.

"Go!" Scarface shouted, "Now!"

"What about…"

"Just go, damn it!"

Scarface leapt forward, the blasts tearing through his flesh as he lashed out all around him with the Glaive.

"Run!" He managed to shout as the soldiers pulled him down, arming their weapons toward him and prying away at his mask.

Dachande turned round, only to come face-to-face with two more soldiers.

He stood rooted to the spot as they opened fire…

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Drake whipped out his Glaive, brandishing it in front of him.

"You see…" Yutani said matter-of-factly, "Those thousands of Xenomorphs… they're in the sewers."

"Wait…" Drake realised, "That's all under the city. Why…"

"Easy access," Yutani answered. "The ultimate field experiment."

"You're going to let them out?"

"Of course. These creatures…" Yutani spoke with undisguised worship in his voice. "They're the ultimate life forms."

"Idiot!" Drake snapped. "My mentor told me about those things. They've been out there for millennia. My people… we're at war with them! We have been for centuries! They just spread from one planet to another, kill everything and spread to other planets."

"And imagine if we could control them. They'd be the ultimate weapons…"

"People have tried to control them before. They failed. And they died. These are the things that…"

"That wiped out Earth," Yutani answered. "Yes, I know. And this time, we can control them. A little genetic alteration in the egg of the Queen…"

"You've got a Queen?"

"Well… we did, but she was uncontrollable. No matter. Soon enough we'll have a new one."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Such a shame, that Rebecca girl. Such a beautiful girl… still, we have to make sacrifices. It's just a problem that the gestation period for the Queen is so long."

Drake's eyes opened wide in shock and horror.

Anything but that. Anything.

"No…" was all he managed. "Not that… Oh, God…"

"Fire."

Drake was still too numb with shock to even move as the weapons fired, cutting through his flesh.

In a few seconds, he'd fallen to the floor, a pool of blood extending beneath him.

"Take him to the nest," Yutani ordered. "Let's get to work on those hybrids."

He turned away, activating his radio again.

"Mr. Keyes?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Are they ready?"

"Yes, but…"

"Good. Let them out."

"What? But sir…"

"You heard me."

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Keyes was still shocked.

"But if we…"

"Just do it. Your final task."

"Final? Sir, I…"

Keyes suddenly turned around as a Monster Squad soldier stood before him, pushed his gun to Keyes' chest, and fired. A shower of blood shot out of Keyes' back as he fell to the ground.

The Monster Squad soldier approached a small terminal and activated a switch, a large door opening behind the Xenomorphs.

"Now go…" Yutani half-laughed over the radio. "And bring more to feed the Brood!"

And you thought the picture was bleak before! All reviews welcome.