"Holy Fuck." Harrison breathed as the team managed to get into the hallway Heller came from to hunker down and offer the man some fire cover.
Not that he needed cover, because it seemed he was having things well under control out there. Black body parts went flying into every direction, armored forms were crumpled like empty cans.
"Fuck", Duke breathed, and Harrison's eyes narrowed suddenly. From one point of view, it seemed the Sarge was dominating the battlefield, but from the other, he could see that the man was struggling.
It wasn't much, it wasn't obvious- but there were signs. Missed opportunities to land a solid blow, attacks he could have avoided, claws that ripped into flesh that should have hit armor instead. At the same time, he easily managed to avoid the worse blows, those aimed to do some real damage.
It just didn't make any sense, it looked like he was...baiting them?
Santos let out a groan at the same time Harrison's realization settled. "Hades!" She snapped in that commander tone of hers, "The team's evacuated. Stop your self-sacrificing bullshit right now!"
The only answer she got was a low chuckle, drowned out by the screeches around them. "Damn. Saw right through my brilliant plan. Way to bust my fun."
The next thing that jumped at him ceased to exist.
It was like a switch had been flipped- one moment Heller faced down an equal opponent, the next he was dominating the Bugs as if they weren't armored, armed, and easily as tall or taller as he was.
The man that's once been his commanding officer was simply tearing his way through the swarm. Literally tearing- he wasn't using the claws he'd seen before, or the giant-ass sword he had in those video clips from New Marais. Instead, he was using his bare hands- well, mostly bare, he had done something to armor them and buff them up to levels that made strongmen look skinny in comparison, but there were no other weapons attached to them.
And still, his attacks were devastating. A punch shattered ribcages. A kick shore right through bodies. A clap, and a shock wave exploded the closest animals while staggering the others.
And Heller was moving the entire time. Bouncing off the walls, leaping through the air like gravity didn't exist for him, throwing the entire pack into disorganized chaos. The big crested things tried to keep some semblance of order, crowding smaller packs around themselves in order to guide them, but the Sergeant was moving entirely too fast for them to even manage to catch him.
They couldn't stop him, and about a third or so of the pack in, they too seemed to realize it. The big guys- Harrison had seen three before, now there were like, five- shook their crested heads and snarled. Then they charged in a perfectly synchronized assault, caging the Sergeant in.
The other Bugs used that brief distraction to flee, scrambling across the walls to escape through the tunnels in the ceiling, not even looking back as their bigger siblings tried to take on the man.
Heller reeled back his fist and smashed it into the first thing's face, turning its skull to mist, using the momentum from his own swing to tuck into a roll and move out of the tightening circle of Bugs. Before he got back to his feet, he snatched another's ankle to topple it. As it fell, he twisted and grabbed its head, yanking it around with a hollow crack and using its crest as a form of shield to block the third thing's claw swipe. The fourth and fifth came up from behind, screeching. Heller kicked off the floor and flipped over their bodies in a high arch. At the apex of his jump, he suddenly burst to the front without having touched anything but air, and slammed into the two creatures with the force of a truck. Both were sent sprawling, though Heller didn't stop there. In one movement, he slammed both arms through the thing's backs to physically yank their spines out, skulls still attached.
Harrison inhaled sharply, while Duke made a whimpering sound. One of the Wisemen only whistled. "Shit. Looks like he got some issues to deal with first."
The last of the large Bugs crashed into a wall and turned into a chunky puddle. Heller stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by carnage. His fists were clenched, his black armor ghastly illuminated by the glowing areas beneath the plates. His shirt, jacket and pants were torn, and most of his Kevlar armor shredded. His skin and chitinous shell, in comparison, looked completely unharmed.
'Hades' didn't really fit him as codename. 'Ares' would have been the better choice, given the sheer amount of dead enemies at his feet.
Just what has happened to him, because that was no longer the somewhat goofy, loyal and hard-working sergeant he'd known back in the day- this was a nightmare that turned real. Harrison shuddered to think about what had twisted this man into the veritable weapon he was now. (A weapon that was on their side, luckily)
Santos got to her feet, rolling her shoulders. "Okay, that's it. We'll keep going. Hades-"
Heller's head snapped to them, eyes literally glowing in the darkness. It made several of the present team freeze for the moment it took him to cock his head and change the intensity of his glare. They still jumped slightly when he pointed at them. Or, more correctly, at some point behind them. His voice was rough, and breathless, but it was still the gentle tone Harrison knew of his superior. "I got a few men down there. They'll need medical attention."
Anders perked up. "Thought you'd be the only survivor when that ceiling came down. Who is it?"
Heller inclined his head. "MacAlistair. Estoban. Shugi, Decker, Hall. Latter two are badly hurt, though." He walked towards them and then past them when they parted to let him through. "I'll get them. We'll meet in the middle."
He stopped however, back going ramrod straight. A mournful shriek tore from the depths of the nest, shaking the walls. Heller's lips peeled away from his teeth. "Well, I'll be. He did it."
The tunnels were twisting into every direction, sometimes opening up to large cistern-like rooms with countless openings, sometimes turning so narrow he couldn't walk upright.
Cross was man enough to admit that without Mercer to guide him, he would get hopelessly lost.
Additionally, it was also warm and humid down here, and more than once Cross cursed out his tactical gear. He could barely breathe, and sweat was gathering on every inch of his skin. And with his tight mask there was no way his face could dry off now- if this went on for longer he'd have to remove the gear in order to avoid water-boarding himself. (and Blackwatch's masks were already a lot more comfortable than the normal run-of-the-mill military equipment, so it was really bad)
But he really didn't want to take it off down here in a nest full of parasites. Besides, the goggles were the only thing that allowed him to see anything in the constant darkness down here. He just had to suck it up until the mission was over, and his gut told him they were close anyways, because they'd changed course some time ago. Mercer had first led them along at ground level, until he stopped when Cross heard the distant roar of explosives going off. Then he changed course, muttering to himself with a small smirk on his face.
He hadn't told him anything, but the Specialist could guess that the last of the egg pits went up in flames. Which meant he went straight for the secondary option of the mission: Finding and destroying the Queen.
Cross was okay with that particular train of thought- the Queen was the one laying the eggs, and killing her would hopefully put a bad cramp into the Bugs' schedule- but he wasn't okay with having to face that thing down while he didn't have any effective weaponry with him. If the Queen was only a little bit like Mother, then he wouldn't be able to even scratch her with just his M4.
He wasn't even going to try his knife or the shock baton, because he loved his life despite what it looked like, thank you very much.
Mercer himself didn't offer any insight, either- he was staring at some point in front of them with the look of a man who was focusing on something very hard, and his eyes were glowing in the gloom.
Then the Runner abruptly stopped, heaving a heavy sigh. "Really. Really, Heller?" He muttered under his breath, then shook his head. Then eyed Cross, like he just remembered his presence. "He kind of blew my cover, telling the Bugs to attack him. Through the Hive Mind." He shook his head. "Yeah, he saved your team's asses with that one, but, ah."
Cross groaned. "It put us in a situation."
"Because they know now that we know. And she's not too happy about that one."
She. The Queen. Because she was the one to control the others. The Specialist grabbed his rifle in a resigned sort of way. "How long do we have until we have these things on our asses?"
"Longer, if we pick up our feet." Mercer grabbed a flare and ignited it. "No more use for stealth, c'mon!"
"Keep an eye out for those spider things", Cross ordered, yanking off his mask. The air felt colder than it probably was, and it was divine, compared to the stifling confines before. Sadly, he didn't have any time to enjoy it, because he instantly fell in step behind the Runner, dashing along the spongy ground.
At his back, he could hear faint shrieks. Shit. They were fast. Faster than Infected, faster than Corrupted- and neither of them would have picked up his scent that quick either.
He was glad Randall and McMullen were dead, because both would have loved getting these things into their grubby hands. Rooks was thankfully a little bit smarter and actually took care that Blackwatch did what they were supposed to do.
Or Rooks was just smart enough to understand that Mercer was likely to kill him and the upper echelons should they ever set so much as a toe over the line.
As it was, Mercer was threatening his boss and his boss's bosses, and Cross was completely okay with it. Hell, he rolled with it and enabled the Runner to continue antagonizing who was, by all rights, his superior.
Well, Natalie and David always told him he was insane. Guess he was. Why else would he even consider following after something that should very well be his worst nightmare through a Hive full of parasites, while being hunted by what seemed to be an entire swarm of highly dangerous black-armored things, and feel oddly alive while doing it?
He already knew the answer: being the Specialist meant he was insane and dedicated to his job. Had to be, in order to survive. Though, if he was honest, like half of his continued survival was thanks to the men and women he chose to work with, people he trusted.
Which was why he didn't question Mercer's lack of willingness to the dismemberment he usually subjected his enemies to. He was still trying to do some damage control, keep the Bugs unaware of his abilities. Surprise them once the situation boiled over. Keep them off balance for long enough to wipe them out in one swoop, instead of having to chase them down one by one.
He appreciated this tactic, because it meant they wouldn't have to extend their hunt for these things beyond tracking down the ones the Bears already sold.
Extending the amount of time they faced down a biological weapon was dangerous. First of, stalling would allow these things to adapt to whatever tactic Blackwatch tried to take them down with; second, routine would make his men unaware. Both were equally bad in their line of work.
So he shut down the train of thoughts that told him to turn around and blast whatever was chasing after them, and focused on not tripping on the uneven ground as he chased after the Runner.
There were more screeches at their backs now, and a quick glance backwards showed him a veritable wall of black, winding bodies. Oh, goodie. He sighed and turned his attention to the front. "We got company. Lot's of it. And I don't know if you noticed, but I can't run fast enough to avoid them."
Mercer threw a grin over his shoulder. "Just a little further"
He was about to ask what he meant when the floor was simply gone.
In retrospect, Cross really should have expected something of the sorts from this bastard. He really should have. Experience told him he was dealing with an asshole of rare qualities.
Didn't stop him from swearing up a blue streak even after the Runner got them both secure to the ground, at least four stories below.
Because the second he realized that there was only gaping darkness beneath them, he had to bite down on the urge to yell out loud, and continued to scream inside his head when he plummeted into nothingness. He continued doing so even when Mercer suddenly burst towards him and took secure hold of him, landing on the floor seconds later without harming the man.
Once his legs no longer felt like they were made of jelly, the Specialist pushed away from the Infected, growling under his breath. Mercer grinned widely. "Worked, didn't it?" His smirk widened. "They knew about the drop. Thought we'd die when we fall down here. That's why they chased us."
Cross glared. "Yeah, I know I almost did." He was pretty sure his heart stopped beating for a moment back there. "A little warning next time?"
Mercer had the gall to shrug. "Don't know whether that would have been a smart idea. Some of them understand human language, you know."
That...was troublesome. Infected had never been able to do that, except for the Runners. He shook his head then, filing it away for later. "Where are we?" He spotted the smirk on Mercer's face, and added, "Besides of 'at the bottom of a four-story drop', that is."
The Runner rolled his shoulders. "We're at an old power plant", he pointed out, "It was the warmest spot around. This is where she began to build her hive."
Cross furrowed his brows. "You're meaning to say- we're at the bottom of the nest?"
Mercer gestured towards the massive caverns opening up in front of them. "Where the Queen is, yeah."
The Specialist eyed the tunnels, studying them for a moment. They definitely looked man-made, but the dark Hive material was on every surface, thicker than any he'd seen before. His lips twitched into a frown. "How many of them are hiding in there?"
"None, as far as I can see", Mercer replied after a short moment. "But that doesn't mean they can't ambush us."
Right, because they were smarter than Infected, and weren't going to chatter with each other while they sneaked up on prey. Cross exhaled through his nose and grabbed his rifle. "Anything to look out for?"
"Eggs. The Larva. Drones", Mercer cocked his head. "The Royal Guard."
The Specialist grumbled under his breath. "I'm guessing they are a bit harder to kill than the normal Bugs?"
The Runner nodded. "Heller met some already. They are bigger, stronger, better armored. Capable of controlling the drones."
"Like a Leader Hunter, then?"
"Very much."
"So I'm guessing that an M4 won't be enough to crack their hides."
"Unless you target the soft areas, like the inside of their mouths", Mercer commented. Cross snorted. Yeah, he was going to skip that weakness, because it would mean he was too damn close to these things. "Any other ideas that doesn't involve me getting skewered?" He paused for a moment, then added, "Or getting doused in acid?"
Mercer was still amused, the bastard. "Your grenade launcher will be your best friend", he motioned towards the heavy black gauntlet on the Specialist's arm. Huh, Cross blinked briefly, he'd gotten so used to its presence, he'd forgotten he had it.
Still... "I only have about four shots", he pointed out after checking whether he still had his ammunition belt. He didn't, so what he had on him was what was currently loaded into the weapon. Not enough to deal with the Royal Guard. He wouldn't even try the Queen with such poor equipment, though he was pretty certain Mercer wouldn't enjoy having to share his kill anyways.
Though, what was left for him to do then? Without sufficient firepower, he couldn't take on the guards, much less the mother. He'd learned the lesson the hard way, back in that Hive in Manhattan.
"Is there any other way to kill these things?"
"Repeated shots at the same area will breach the armor faster than a wide-spread spray", Mercer pointed out. Cross's eyebrows arched. Just targeting one spot? Yeah, he could do that. He nodded. "Good. Close-range options that doesn't involve an acid shower?"
"Breaking bones helps a little, but they recover quickly. Also, I doubt you have the strength to actually snap anything. You got a better chance going for their faces. The Bugs- their brains aren't as pressurized as the rest of their bodies", Mercer explained as the two made their way into the caverns. "If you injure them directly at the front of their skulls, they won't splatter, making it more or less secure if you get too close. I'd suggest trying to stay at a distance, however."
He snorted amused. "Yeah, no shit."
Mercer grinned too, before he suddenly froze. His head snapped to the side, eyes narrowing. Cross wasn't about to ask, because the next moment he heard the faint noise of gunfire somewhere deeper.
Without thinking about it, both charged down the tunnels. It was a good thing the ground was as soft as it was, because it swallowed their steps, they noticed the second they rounded a corner.
Several men in green and gray uniforms were currently taking down a wave of Bugs while backing away.
"Iron Bears", Mercer whispered. Cross nodded- he recognized the uniforms. And he recognized the heavy-set man at the very front of the group.
"Vassili Rykov", he replied. His eyes narrowed when the General suddenly whipped his weapon, a massive modified flamethrower, away from the swarm and pointed it at one of the crates- and the Bugs instantly stopped to pull back. "It's a hostage situation", the Specialist noticed in that moment. The Bugs weren't attacking, because the Bears were threatening whatever was in those crates.
"Eggs", the Runner confirmed. "Not just any, but that one- it's a royal egg."
Cross's back straightened. "Meaning it would hatch into a new Queen?"
"Yes. The mother will not allow anyone to harm it."
His head snapped towards the retreating Bears. His jaw set. "I'll follow them", he decided. Then sliced his hand through the air towards the tunnels. "You go after the mother."
Mercer eyed him, inclining his head. "Splitting up? Dana would tell you that this is exactly what gets people killed in movies."
"If we don't, either the Bears will escape with the possibilities to create a new nest, or the Queen will get away."
Mercer shrugged. "Technically, any surviving Bug is capable of growing into a Queen, but I see where you come from. Very well." He slid out of their cover and shifted his surface. It wasn't his armor, even if it was similar, and it was pitch black like the Hive around them and hid his form almost perfectly. "Don't get yourself killed"
Cross's lips twitched into a small grin. "Who do you take me for? Air Force?"
The only answer he got was a low, deep chuckle coming from somewhere, and in some part of his brain he found himself wondering just how long the Runner's been able to imitate his surrounding structure to such a near perfect degree, before he too slid around the corner and carefully inched after the Bears.
They were going slow, which was mostly because they were pushing several carts with near man-sized metal crates on them in front of them, so it was easy to trail after them, but he wouldn't underestimate their vigilance. They were still inside active enemy territory, and every missed opponent could very well spell out trouble.
(On that side, Cross felt he was lucky the enemy were giant Bugs that would climb along the walls or slink across the ground. A human shape following after the Bears likely wouldn't raise any alarms)
The Specialist carefully followed after the men, often enough waiting behind corners until he was out of the reach of their flashlights while being keenly aware he was all alone, in the dark, with no means of discovering one of those face-hugging parasites if one came for him.
He wasn't sure how he felt about this situation. He kept his ears perked for any traitorous sound, though obviously he was still in the clear. Probably was still too close to the Bears, or maybe the Bugs hadn't discovered him yet.
The Bears didn't notice him either as they made their way to what was definitely a heavy-duty carriage elevator. Cross had no idea whether it was part of the original construction or has been build later on, but it was a problem for now: There was no way he would be able to sneak on the platform without being seen. And while he was sure he could deal with the amount of bodies if they were Infected, he couldn't deal with armed soldiers in the same kind.
He scanned the elevator as the Bears loaded their cargo on it, and noticed the engine located at the lower left side of the carriage. Well, he had to stop them, didn't he?
And he always liked the direct approach.
Cross checked the cover he'd been hiding behind- a corner made of concrete and Hive material- and stepped into the open. He was still far away enough from the reach of the flashlights, but not outside of the range of the floodlights they've installed at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
The Bears whipped into his direction, surprise and confusion clearly on their faces. Cross didn't wait for them to get their shit together, just aimed his grenade launcher and fired one shell directly at the elevator carriage. The explosion that ripped the machine apart startled the Bears into action, and they scrambled into cover. Cross instantly fired several short bursts from his M4, downing two of them in short succession before he too rolled behind the corner.
He heard angry yells and barked orders, and peeked out- only to pull his head back when a bullet damn near took it off.
Concrete shattered as the Bears fired at his position, intent on keeping him pinned. But even over the roar of the gunfire, Cross still heard the traitorous clack of a small round object hitting the floor right next to him.
Grenade.
Cross grit his teeth and instantly dived to the side, right through the hailstorm of bullets, and behind a large piece of machinery. He felt several projectiles embed themselves into his body armor (missing his unprotected head and neck by mere inches), and thanked his armory for sending him off with the experimental heavy-duty stuff. The grenade went off with a loud boom, probably shattering at least one eardrum.
That was fine, he'd had worse already- and his new position did bring him closer to a grate in the floor.
A big grate, too, so he wasted no time changing his position to drop next to the thing and pull it up. It was heavy, and his shoulders screamed in pain (vest only stopped the projectiles, not the impact, and he was pretty sure he had at least one sticking in his upper arm), but he was nothing if not determined.
When the Bears changed the focus of their aim, he had the grate open and was inside the ground, in some sort of maintenance tunnel. It was completely dark down here, forcing him to fumble for his flashlight as he darted away from his point of entrance. It wasn't ideal, especially considering these guys had grenades, but it was better than up there.
The flashlight came on, and Cross just had a split second to swear to himself as he noticed the parasite sail right towards him.
Fumbling awkwardly, he brought his forearm up, blocking its pounce. The tunnel was too narrow for him to move correctly, so he could only seize the thing's legs and pry it off. It was incredibly strong, straining his wrists as he pulled it off.
Okay, screw this. He yanked his combat knife free and stabbed it into the spider with so much force, he sunk it in to the hilt and pinned it to the floor. The thing screeched and thrashed, and he waited just long enough for it to actually die before he continued his way through the maintenance hatch.
The opposite grate was easily found, and he paused for a moment to try and get a lay of the area. The Bears were swarming the area, some apparently trying to fix the elevator, though he was pretty sure it was a lost cause.
Then a large form passed by the grate, and Cross reacted on instinct.
Popping up from the floor, he lunged directly at the General. Rykov whirled around, alarmed by the shouts of his team, but he was too slow to avoid the Specialist's grab. Cross's arm snapped around the man's throat, and his other seized the man's sidearm to yank it up and press it against his temple.
The Bears froze, aiming at him. Cross was silently thankful that Rykov had more mass than him, because it meant he could hide behind his frame.
"Put down your weapons, and I won't be forced to ventilate your General." Well, he was going to do that just out of spite anyways, the Bears were trying to remove a dangerous Bioweapon and sell it, after all.
Rykov's bark of laughter wasn't a good sign, however. The man craned his neck to look at him, and a grin appeared on his face. "You Americans. Always so dramatic, aren't you?" He questioned matter-of-factly.
"Whatever works", the Specialist gave back.
"You would be perfectly suited for the Iron Bears", the man continued in a casual tone, "You could be my second-in-command, Blackwatch."
Cross's eyebrow cocked. "So you know who I work for?" He tightened his hold and unlatched the safety, "Then you should know that you assholes are on my shoot-on-sight-list." His gaze flickered to the squad. The only woman on the team threw him a nasty glare, and he did his best to mirror her.
"Oh, I am aware, Colonel." His arm shifted, and he heard the silent click of a hidden gun.
Cross's brain screeched and he threw himself backwards, barely managing to avoid a shot that would have hit his throat and was now firmly lodged in his shoulder. Rykov spun around, firing several times with a second, smaller handgun at the Specialist, though Cross avoided them by zig-zagging right behind a support pillar.
"General-" one of the men began, but the old man cut them off.
"This is as far as I go", he declared, "Go now."
Cross heard the men shift their feet. "Sir-"
"We all knew the day was coming. You know where to go."
The Specialist grit his teeth, and spun around his cover. His grenade launcher fired off another shell, making the Bears scatter when it exploded and took down another three in one go. Then he had to duck when the General sprayed the area he'd been in with bullets from a Kalashnikov. "Go!" He barked. "This one is mine!"
"Sir!" The Bears saluted and darted towards the emergency ladder situated at the support pillar of the elevator. The woman and several of the men covered their retreat, while the General went right for Cross. "You won't be able to stop my men, Specialist."
"Funny. I was about to point out that I don't need to stop them. You already took care of that." He jabbed his arm to the side, and fired another grenade straight at the metal crates. The eggs inside were torn to pieces.
The Hive screeched enraged. Cross smirked. "You know who I am, and you know who I work for. But you don't know shit about Blackwatch." His eyes narrowed as dozens of black bodies surged towards them out of nowhere. "Always remember: Blackwatch cheats."
Alex was familiar with the tunnels below Asheville in the same way a distant memory was familiar. It was enough for him, however, to find the Mother.
The First One.
The only one that had been aware of his presence ever since he consumed his first Bug, her voice had been a constant hum at the back of his head. Like Greene had been.
And like Greene he was going to find her, and kill her, to stop these things. If his hypothesis was correct, then the Queen should be aware of any and all of her children, and by consuming her, he would also know about their current location.
There was a feeling in his guts that they were an even larger threat than he anticipated, because ever since he wandered through the Hive he hadn't seen any other signs of animal activity. No rats. No mice. No insects. Or spiders. Not even mold. There were only the Bugs- and the Hive that constantly grew without any of the Bugs adding to it asides from the initial foundation.
The Hive in itself was fueling its own growth by consuming organic matter. Re-forming the very soil it was in, changing the environment to suit these things better.
It was a terrifying thought, to know that these things were capable of terra-forming entire areas to their whims. Not even Redlight had shown these abilities. Whoever made the Bugs really hadn't pulled any punches.
Well, too bad that he didn't either. Everything here was his, and he didn't take kindly to anything else poaching on his territory.
Alex stopped, head cocked to the side as he scanned the area. By now, he was in the oldest parts of the nest. The dark resin was dense here, spread over every surface so nothing man-made was left visible. Thick wads of steam plumed up from vents in the floor, and he knew for fact that the old power plant was long since defunct. These steam vents were something that only appeared since the Bugs moved in.
He bared his teeth in a grin as his steps drew the attention of the Royal Guard. He knew those were amongst the first of the Bugs, simply because they were big. Thick dark armor covered their bodies, and their head crests were flaring out to impressive sizes. Sharp spikes stood away from their shoulders, and their bladed tails were long and with enough power to scrap a car with a single swipe.
Praetorian, Eisenberg had called them, the elite guard.
The Runner's grin widened, teeth gleaming in the low light as he approached. The Guards puffed up, snarling a warning. Alex's eyes flashed. "Out of the way, I'll have words with the Queen."
The Guards jerked their large skulls, enraged snarls working out of their throats. Danger-Threat-Enemy. Not-Host, not-kin. Enemy.
Alex inclined his head. "So I was told. Well, come then, fools. Let's see what you think you can do."
The Guards roared and dove at him, claws blazing. Alex answered with talons on his own, the reinforced metal tearing groves into shells and slicing off at least one wrist- but it wasn't enough.
No problem, however- Alex simply kicked off the ground to throw himself into the air, flipping over to shift his claws into his blade, before he thrust himself back downwards and ripped through the first Guard.
Danger-Threat-Enemy the things shrieked. Alex whirled in place and beheaded the others as easily as one would mow grass, sending the bodies collapsing to the ground. They continued twitching when he walked past them, unbothered by injury or acid.
His foot hit the ground hard once he entered the Royal Chambers, something the remains of Eisenberg inside his head were delighted to witness.
Fool
He stopped, eyes narrowing at the sight of the Mother. He remembered her, back when she had been under the possession of WY, and had been just like any other drone. An old drone, one that had survived despite all odds for decades in that laboratory, and that had now reached her last stage of life.
She was big, easily eight feet at the hip, and another ten or so to the crown of her massive head crest. Her armored body was about the same length, and her tail easily twice that. Her arms were currently folded in front of her body, as was the smaller, secondary pair that grew from her chest armor. Her legs, long and double-jointed (a feature that, along with the secondary arms, only she had) were currently pulled against her body as well.
She was suspended from the ceiling by strands made of dark resin that also attached to the giant fleshy abdomen that grew from her stomach and took up most of the chambers. In a way, she reminded him of a termite queen, being so large and distended she was virtually immobile.
Her face, originally retracted underneath her head crest, had extended when he set foot into her chambers, and her huge teeth (each about as long has his entire hand), gleamed with saliva. A deep rumbling growl made its way out of her throat, a warning that reverberated off the walls and shook the ground.
Alex's grin revealed his teeth, too sharp and too numerous to belong to a human face. He spread his arms and mockingly bowed at the hip. "Greetings, your Majesty", he purred into the Hivemind.
The Queen's teeth snapped shut and she tilted her head for a moment. Not-Kin, she hissed inside his head. Not-prey. Deceiver.
Alex nodded. "Yeah. You could say that."
She snarled again, head lowering to get a better 'look' at him. Body like prey. Deceive prey, too. Consume prey, too.
The Runner flexed his free hand, claws clacking together. "Exactly. Your prey is my prey, too. And I guess you can see that I don't like that." His eyes narrowed. "You are poaching in my territory. This here- everything- is mine."
The Queen's growl shook the chamber, and the strands connecting to her giant spikes started to break away. Threat she snarled. Her clawed feet met the ground, and her arms folded to either side. Her tail thrashed once-
And the egg-laying part of her body tore right off her armor in a gush of fluids. Alex arched one eyebrow at the display- he hadn't known that she could regain her mobility that easily.
The Queen reared to her full height, roaring. Destroy threat. She screamed inside his head. Protect the Hive.
The Runner dropped into a ready stance, Blade extended. "Then come. Let's see what you can do."
Cross. Cross. Robert. Bobby. This is not how you don't kill yourself. This is the entire opposite.
And more good news: We're nearly finished here. Yay.