Asclepheus chapter 23

The Heart of the Hive

Erik and the others continued to walk through the long, curving tunnels of the Hive. Their weapons at the ready, their senses frosty and their muscles tensed, ready to spring to action at the slightest notice.

Erik's helmet, along with the helmets of his companions, let off their own sources of light. The red visors of the Myrmidon helms let off the aura of a red glow, while the Dark Blade hunters' helmets let out the red tri-beam sights, constantly ready to open fire with their plasmacasters.

The Major studied at his surroundings through the HUD of his helm, the helmets of Myrmidons were more advanced than anything humanity had previously made for infantry troops. The motion trackers of Colonial marines had been incorporated into the helms, along with the basic settings of Yautja Bio-Masks recovered during the war.

"Alright, we are coming to the end of the tunnels, into a central chamber…it's the heart" Erik announced over his radio channel to his companions. The Dark Blades, Cin'Tyr and Va'Tan had calibrated their masks to receive messages on the same channel as the Myrmidons.

"I'll go in first, then Va'Tan and Sasha, then Cin'Tyr, Vlad be sure to cover our rear" Erik whispered, looking back at his companions.

The Yautja and the Myrmidons nodded, getting into position and readying their weapons.

Erik slowly and carefully made his way around the corner, making sure to keep a close eye on the motion tracker within his helmet. His finger on the trigger, ready to fire a burst of armour piercing Pulse rounds at a moment's notice.

The sound of his armoured Myrmidon boots squelching on the moist ground beneath him was the only sound besides that of armour clanking and the hiss of distant cooling towers. Once Erik stepped into the main chamber, he had trouble not gasping at the sheer size of the room.

To say the room was massive would have been an understatement.

This wasn't a chamber, it was more like a cavern, very few Xenomorph hives that Erik had stepped in had central chambers of this size. Xenomorph resin covered the walls, the only parts not covered in the hardened slime were the cooling towers and the pipes that conducted the coolant around the rest of the ship.

The 30-40ft cylindrical structures were silver and covered in frost, the white steam emitting from them seemed to provide the perfect environment for the xenomorphs to build their nests. Like the Yautja, the Xenomorphs preferred a very heated climate, nice and warm for their eggs and to sustain their hosts long enough to give birth.

Xenomorphs could survive in any climate, technically they didn't even need a particular environment to survive in, as most Xenomorphs were known to survive for short periods of time in the vacuum of space. But the cooling towers absorbed all the cold air from around them in order to keep the coolant nice and stable.

The fact that the heart of the hive had cooling towers present stood as a testament of the size and scale of the Asclepheus as a colossal ship you could fit several cities on. Usually star ships would have cooling chambers to pump coolant around the ship, but the Asclepheus was so large that it needed the equivalent of an Atmospheric conductor, much like the one on Hadley's Hope, only much bigger.

"Alright, stick close, if this is the main chamber then there probably some bugs lurking around…waiting for the right moment to strike" Erik whispered over the radio.

That's when he heard it.

"Erik!?"

He knew that voice, that alien yet feminine voice that came from the person he came to save from the hive.

"You have to get out of here, quick!" She shouted. Erik pinpointed where her voice was coming from, a raised platform at the end of a long stairway. Erik recognised that part from the blueprints, it was the where the control console for the cooling systems would usually be located, apparently the Xenos had covered the entrance to the room with their resin.

There, plastered to the wall were Sha'ra and Norma, both in the standard position that Xenomorph victims would find themselves in once taken by the hive. Erik had seen many people in that position, and seeing his foster sister and Sha'ra in that position filled him with dread.

Erik bolted towards them as fast as he could, disregarding the noise he was making as he sprinted up the resin covered stairway.

"Erik! Godammit!" Sasha cursed before chasing after the Major.

The two Myrmidons sprinted up the resin covered stairs, the soles of their Myrmidon boots specially made to keep a firm grip on the usually slippery substance.

Once Erik made it to the top he immediately slung his rifle onto his back, the magnetic clamps attaching the weapon next to his sword.

"Sha'ra, Norma, are you alright!?"

"What the Pauk are you doing!? I told you to get out of here now!" Sha'ra growled at Erik as he began to pull at the resin restraining Sha'ra to the wall.

"Erik, It's a fucking trap! Get out while you still can!" Norma shouted at her foster brother.

"I'm not fucking leaving without you two!" Erik grunted as he pulled as hard as he could as the resin covering Sha'ra's right arm.

"Wait…where's Eli?" Norma asked, looking at the other down below and realizing that Eli was not with them.

"We…we got split up on the way here" Erik replied before he pulled out his serrated combat knife and used it to hack away at the resin, chipping pieces off bit by bit. If the resin covering Sha'ra was the same amount the xenos would use for a human then he would be able to break through without any problems.

But because Sha'ra was a Yautja, and therefore stronger than a human in peak condition, they piled on the resin heavier than usual.

"There!" Erik grunted as he finally tore off the first of the resin restrains, freeing Sha'ra's right arm.

"If you are so dead-set…then so be it" Sha'ra growled, extending the wrist blades on her right arm to begin hacking away at the restrains on her left arm.

"Major, I don't think we should linger. Those things could be anywhere" Sasha said looking back and forth, her shotgun at the ready.

"How Insightful" came a voice that didn't belong to any of Erik's companions, a French accented voice that Sha'ra and Norma recognised.

"ERIK GET OUT NOW!" Norma shouted at the top of her lungs.

Before the Myrmidon Major had a chance to react, a dark figure dropped from the ceiling, kicking Sasha down the stairs and wrapping her tail around Erik's throat. Lifting him three feet off of the ground and using him as a shield against the others, she shouted, baring her teeth.

"Make a move and he dies!" Linda shouted at the others. Vlad lowered his minigun and the Dark Blades lowered their weapons. Killing Erik to get to this abomination was the very last thing on their mind.

"Now those are the manners befitting the guests of a queen" she smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

Erik struggled to breath, yet alone speak in anyway. He could have drawn a weapon, but when he reached back he felt the trail tighten and hissing from all around him.

"No sudden moves, Brother" Linda smirked.

Then without warning, the Xenomorphs of the hive emerged from the shadows. Drones, Warriors, Vipermorphs, Crushers, Predaliens, Flyers, Xenomorphs that resembled Komodo Dragons, Dog Xenos, horned Xenos, some xenos that even Erik hadn't even seen before.

This was the biggest hive Erik had ever seen in his life. The variety of Xenomorph breeds present alongside the volume of them present put him into shock. A hive of this magnitude could easily bring down large colonies, outposts or overtake most battleships.

Yet another reason why the Asclepheus had to be destroyed.

"We've been waiting for you, brother. And look, you brought more of our siblings" Linda smiled, gesturing to Vlad and Sasha, the latter of which had just regained her footing at the base of the stairs.

The Hybrid violently flung Erik against a wall, sending him crashing into the resin and toppling to his knees.

"Hold him!" Linda ordered.

From the ceiling dropped two horned Xenomorphs, these ones looked bulkier and more muscular than the warriors, rivalling the build of the Predaliens. With their curved claws, they each grabbed onto one of Erik's arms and held him down on his knees.

"Now…we can finally talk" Linda smiled as she sat on a nearby resin pile and crossed her legs.

"…talk?" Erik asked with a tilt of his head.

"Of course, we have some time until our final guest arrives…or at least what's left of him" Linda smirked.

"You mean Eli…what the fuck have you done with him?" Erik growled.

"You will find out soon enough" Linda smiled.

"Fucking aliens usually want to plaster us up against the wall…not sit and chat" Vlad muttered.

"Do you want to get impregnated?" Sasha asked with a tilted head.

"…Point taken" Vlad replied.

The horned xenomorphs dragged Erik closer to Linda, to where his helmet faceplate was inches from her foot.

"The memories are fuzzy, but they are still there. Like looking through a foggy window on a raining day…I remember bits and pieces, but only once in a while do I remember a clear memory" Linda said, gazing at the kneeling Myrmidon at her feet.

The female hybrid uncrossed her legs and flicked her tail to a scorpion position as she leaned forward. Her breath steamed up the glowing visor of Erik's helmet, her chin balanced on her left arm.

"I remember the corps through…the promise of justice, of vengeance, the power it granted me" Linda reached forward and began to tinker with Erik's helmet.

"I barely remember who I was before the injections…I remember my mother's face, but besides that, nothing but death, war…and the screaming" Linda said with a blank face as she popped open the faceplate of Erik's helmet.

"You understand, don't you Mon Frère?" Linda asked, leaning in close.

Erik squinted his eyes, he swore he recognised this woman from somewhere. He knew many of his fellow Myrmidons very well by face and name, and even with the blackness of Xenomorph hide encroaching on her face, the sharp teeth and inhuman eyes he swore he had met her before.

"What's your name?" Erik asked.

"…Linda…Linda Green, Commander first class, leader of Theta squad" Linda replied almost by instinct.

"…Commander Green. Jesus Christ, is it really you?" Erik asked, genuinely shocked at the realization of who this Xeno-Myrmidon used to be. As soon as he heard the name he saw her original face compared to the visage in front of him, finding her statement to be true.

"You know her?" Norma asked.

"We've met once or twice before. On joint missions, but it can't be…your squad is supposed to be dead, and you along with them" Erik squinted his eyes, trying to figure out how the hell a dead Myrmidon squad was doing on the Asclepheus, and harbouring Xenomorphs for that matter.

"Dead? No, not dead…close but not quite enough. The birthing was…painful…" Linda replied, stroking the xenomorph carapace covering the wound on her sternum.

"…but in the end, the rewards and benefits were more than worth it. Of course, my brothers couldn't receive all the same benefits, their offspring didn't give them the same insight as mine" Linda smiled, pacing a clawed finger underneath Erik's chin.

"You were Myrmidons once, you must remember that. Do you remember why you became a Myrmidon?! You are stronger than these creatures! You lost something to them!" Erik growled, lunging at Linda, his teeth gritted and the Horned Xenomorphs straining to keep him back.

The hybrid actually backed up significantly as Erik lunged at her. She didn't expect her prisoner to react this way.

"We were…but we aren't the same creatures. Back then we didn't understand the hive, we didn't understand them…" she said as she leaned forward to stroke the horned xenomorph holding Erik's left side.

"…we didn't understand the true nature of the universe. We are but fuel to serve and sustain the Hive…nothing more, nothing less" Linda replied, her smile absent as she spoke.

"It doesn't have to be that way. You are a Myrmidon, you don't belong to them" Erik gritted his teeth.

"…I…I'm not…no, it's far too late for that now. My daughter wishes to see you" Linda's face went emotionless as she stood up and turned to a very dark part of the chamber.

A deep hissing could be heard as the wall almost seemed to come alive. The resin covered wall began to move, revealing the hulking form of the Xenomorph queen, her hulking and borderline Lovecraftian form extending from the wall.

This queen didn't look like the queens that Erik had seen before. In fact, none of those present including the Myrmidons, the Dark Blades or even Sha'ra and Norma recognised a queen quite like this. Her head crest looked larger than the average queen and seemed bladed at the edges, her limbs where thicker and better toned, her tail was thicker and the blade at the end of it was twice as long as a normal queen.

"What…the fuck?" Erik almost gasped as he inspected the behemoth of a queen. Dropping from the walls besides her were two Xenomorphs that each had the hulking size of a crusher yet the fluid forms of Warriors. Erik recognised these two as royal guards, born from Myrmidons.

"She is glorious, isn't she?" Linda smiled at the Queen. The xenomorph let out a long and loud screech, all her children bowing down and scurrying to attention.

"That thing was inside you…wasn't it?" Erik asked, already knowing the answer.

"Indeed. Beautiful, isn't she?" Linda asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Not exactly the word I would use for a broodmother of abominations" Erik replied. The horned xenos hissing in his ears, their grip tightening upon his arms.

"You don't understand…but you will" Linda smiled as she turned to Erik. From the ceiling another figure dropped, one that was at least a foot taller than Linda.

It was one of the other Xeno-Myrmidons, the male that didn't go after Eli. He was by the far the tallest of the three that Erik had seen, he was taller than Linda even though his stance was hunched.

His human hair was pitch black and hung down his shoulders, his eyes were far from being human and the skin around said eyes were the only parts that remained human. In place of a lower face he had the maw of a Xenomorph and the back of his head was even starting to resemble a Xenomorph, almost stretching backwards.

The Myrmidon dog tags hanging from his neck read: Lieutenant Abraham Wilson.

Erik didn't recognise him at all, but the dog tags revealed his identity, and the height difference between Green and him served as another clue. Only one Myrmidon on Theta squad was that tall, and it was the Lieutenant.

Erik had known him the best out of all the members of Theta squad, he was a very jovial and good-mannered man, wise beyond his years and always willing to risk his life to save others. The model of what a Myrmidon should be.

To see the man that he remembered, turned into this mockery, this abomination, this twisted version of what he used to be made Erik's stomach crawl.

"My brother here…is what you have to look forward to" Linda smiled, putting an arm around Abraham's shoulder.

"I would rather blow my own brains out than become like you" Erik growled.

"That can be arranged, but unfortunately my child wishes for you to join us…to open your eyes and accept the hive" Linda smiled.

"After all, the quest of the corps is a useless folly. The hive will take all sooner or later, husbands, wives, children, parents…the human race and all other sentient species are but fuel for the hive" Linda gleefully smiled.

That last line struck something deep in Erik. Linda had opened a wound that she should not have, and something inside of Erik went feral. The mere fact that she would so casually forsake her past as a human, as a Myrmidon and the reasons why she became one…Erik snapped.

"We became Myrmidons because we lost something…we all lost something to these…things! You turn your back on the people you have lost! On the people, you defended! You turned your back on your species! But worst of all you turned your back on your former selves by allying with these fucking bugs! I swear on my blood as a human that you will all die here ON THIS FUCKING SHIP!" Erik roared, standing up. The Horned Xenomorphs straining to keep hold of him.

The xenomorphs looked straight up shocked at the display in front of them. Their memories passed on through the hivemind had never seen something like this. Except for that one human female that had stood against them so long ago.

There was no fear in Erik's eyes, just hatred, anger and pure unadulterated rage.

"I don't like that look in your eyes" Linda sneered. A facehugger crawling from her legs up to her outstretched hand.

"But don't worry…we can fix that" she smirked.

However, when she outstretched her hand to allow the Facehugger the perfect opportunity to latch onto Erik's face, she failed to realize one thing.

The smirk that had appeared on Erik's face.

*WHIIIIIIIIICRACK!*

A blue bolt of plasma energy raced through the air, impacting upon the facehugger, causing the spider-like creature to explode into a cloud of sizzling flesh. Erik had provided the perfect distraction with his enraged response, as Sha'ra had just finished ripping the resin bonds off her arms, allowing her to utilize her plasmacaster.

Linda upon seeing the facehugger in front of her, blown to pieces by the Huntress, let out an inhuman screech, baring her teeth and secondary mouth. Erik used this moment to lunge his arms forward, using the momentum to drive his elbows into the throats of the two horned Xenos behind him.

As soon as they released him, his faceplate clamped down and he reached for his sword. Unsheathing it and swinging it in a backwards arc, slicing open the chests of both Horned xenos.

The Myrmidon Major pulled his revolver out and fired two shots at the resin covering Sha'ra's legs. The resin split into shards, releasing the Yautja huntress from her bonds.

Sha'ra quickly slashed at the closest of the horned Xenomorphs with her wrist blades, slicing open the lower back of the creature. The horned xeno screeched and fell to the floor, losing all feeling in its legs, allowing Sha'ra a chance to pull her collapsed glaive from her back and extended it into the back of the xenos head.

Ripping her extended glaive from the xenos head, she auto aimed her plasmacaster to fire another shot at the other horned xeno.

*WHIIIIIIICRACK!*

The blue plasma bolt raced into the horned xeno, blowing a wide and sizzling hole in its sternum. The creature letting out a gurgle of pain before Erik promptly placed his revolver barrel against its head and pulled the trigger, effectively blowing its brains out.

The Myrmidon Major and the Yautja huntress faced the two Xeno-Myrmidons whom were glaring at the two of them. Their claws bared and their bladed tails ready to strike like scorpions.

"I'm glad you came" Sha'ra whispered to Erik before she clamped her mask to her face.

"So am I" Erik smiled behind his helmet.

"Just what do you hope to accomplish? You expect the six of you to get out of this hive alive!?" Linda snarled, revealing a more bestial side as her muscles rippled beneath the xeno hide.

Erik and Sha'ra let out a simultaneous growl.

"You idiots. The hive is many, you are few…this ship will be your grave!" Linda snarled.

But just as the two hybrids were about to leap.

The sound of hissing and screeching could be heard from elsewhere. From behind one of the resin walls higher up, about 25 feet from the entrance to the hive was. The sound of xenomorphs screeching in pain, along with the sound of acid hissing as it made impact with a non-resin surface.

All eyes and eyeless visages turned to the resin walls as the hissing and screeching ceased.

*CRAAASH!*

Out of the resin wall leaped a familiar 9-foot figure wearing plate armour and a black sleeveless leather long coat. Wielding two long Katanas stained with xenomorph blood. The resin was like glass as Eli shoulder rammed through it, the height between him and the floor was about 30ft, very little to a Kamad like him.

Eli landed in a knelt position, both his katanas sunk into the ground. A loud crunch as his metallic plated boots crushed the resin beneath them. Upon close inspection, his armour was in the process of repairing itself from acid damage, the hissing of the acid could still be heard.

Eli looked up, his golden reptilian eyes glaring behind the red eyepieces of his helmet. With every exhale, he gave out a deep and guttural growl. The Kamad prince cracked his neck to the side before he stood up slowly.

The Kamad prince flourished his twin katanas, the xenomorph blood splattering onto the ground beneath him in an arc. Baring them in a stance that made the razor-sharp edges shimmer in the limited light of the hive.

The xenomorphs hissed in union. The drones, the warriors, the flyers, the crushers and even the two royal guards hissing at the large kamad.

"Hi there" Eli growled.

The first warrior to leap at him was swiftly and brutally cleaved in half at the waist. Its green innards spilling all over the floor.

The warrior was dead before its remains had even touched the ground.

Eli let out a long and ferocious roar, his reptilian side shining through as the muscles in his tail tensed and his grip on the katanas tightened.

The xenomorphs charged at Eli, who was ready with both blades bared. Erik and Sha'ra saw what happened at the moment the xenomorphs reached Eli, it was basically what would happen if you threw Xenos into a blender, Eli's blades slicing them into pieces.

The sounds of Xenomorphs screeching and a Kamad snarling filled the air.

"ATTACK!" Erik shouted at the top of his lungs.

"About fucking time" Sasha said, raising her shotgun to meet the head of a nearby drone.

*BANG!*

The shotgun blast decapitating the creature in place. Its body falling limp to the floor as its blood flowed freely from the wound.

Vlad unleashed his minigun, spraying a hail of pulse rounds into the horde, slicing xenos to pieces. The two dark blades set their plasmacasters to autofire, the whip cracking sound of the plasma bolts being let loose into the horde of Xenomorphs.

It seemed like the 4 of them were dead set on carving their way over to Eli.

"A little help here guys!" Norma shouted to Erik and Sha'ra.

"Sha'ra, help Norma down. I got this" Erik holstered his revolver and double handed his sword.

"Are you sure?"

"Please, A commander and a Lieutenant? I'm a Major for a reason" Erik grinned behind his helmet as he flourished his sword.

"Let's dance" Erik grunted before he lunged at the two hybrids.

The two hybrids being of a lower rank and experience than Erik, were still faster, more agile and even stronger than him. They were easily able to dodge and move out of the way of his sword strikes, and even when they weren't, they would block or parry with their steel hard claws and bladed tails.

But Erik still had an advantage in versatility, durability thanks to his armour and his ability to analyse his opponents mid-combat. The last of which was a still he utilized in his first encounter with Sha'ra and his sparring session with Eli.

And Erik had to admit. As strong as the hybrids where, they weren't as strong as the Kamad.

"Quick as you like Sha'ra" Norma grunted as the huntress struggled to break the bindings.

"Don't rush me!" she growled back.

Erik swung his sword as Linda, a strike that she easily ducked underneath using her unnatural flexibility.

"You have to try harder than that, brother" Linda smirked.

Erik didn't listen to the taunts of the she-hybrid. She seemed to be moving towards a strategy that involved getting him to let his guard down, which would make him all the more vulnerable when her fellow Hybrid attacked.

The Hybrid formerly known as Abraham lashed at Erik, snarling like a feral animal, yet with a spark of that Myrmidon intelligence behind his eyes. His movements were calculated like the attacks of a highly trained warrior, but held the fire and anger you would expect from a wild animal.

The spark of steel hard claws against dura-steel was explosive, as Erik blocked the creature's strikes as best he could with his blade. Myrmidon armour was tough, but was not built to withstand such punishment, so the Major had to do his best to block with his sword.

Erik ducked quickly, lashing his sword to try and hit Abraham's legs. The hybrid leaped over the swing and rolled into a landing with grace and athleticism.

Baring its claws once again, it lunged at Erik, clashing its claws against the flat side of his sword. Locked in the struggle, Erik quickly one handed his sword to use his other hand to pull out his combat knife. As he took a swing at the Hybrid, he was amazed at its reaction time as it pulled back in time to avoid any damage.

However, Erik did manage to slice off a bit of its black hair.

The Myrmidon Major sheathed his combat knife before picking up the hair on the tip of his blade.

"If I must, I will take you apart a piece at a time"

Abraham snarled, drool running down his tooth filled maw, lunging at Erik with his razor-sharp claws bared. Erik quickly dodged to the left of the hybrid, managing to avoid its attack, though his reprieve was short lived as the Hybrid caught itself in a serve, managing to save its momentum for another assault.

Linda by now was just circling Erik, looking for an opening to strike. Analysing every move that he had made, even she had to admit that the Major knew how to keep his cool during a fight.

The clashing of blade and claw continued, neither one of the two gaining an upper hand. Erik's cautious strategy working to his advantage in order balance the playing ground between him and the former Myrmidon.

That's when Erik realized. The attacks of the Hybrid were like those of a Myrmidon soldier, a calculated series of counters and parries following attacks, they worked against the Xenomorphs and humanoid enemies. Furthermore, his enemies at one time were Myrmidons, meaning they still had to have a bit of that Myrmidon mindset.

Analyse the enemy, focus on his pattern, make it his weakness.

Erik being the master strategist he was, realized that in order to beat the Hybrid, he had to fight unconventionally.

He had to break his usual way of fighting, and surprise them.

Erik went to swipe at the Hybrid's legs again, knowing what its next move would be and how it would react. The Hybrid once again leapt over the blade, into a rolling fall, but not met with the sight of Erik's exposed back.

The Hybrid took this chance and lunged at the Major. But it made one fatal error.

It didn't see him draw his revolver.

*BANG!*

The sound of the gunshot could be heard ringing in Linda's ears as her brother's chest began leaking green xenomorph blood. Abraham touched his wound in shock before looking up to see Erik, holding the revolver in the gap between his side and sword arm.

Erik's red visor was looking pretty dam intimidating right now.

*BANG!BANG!BANG!*

Three more shots just to make sure. The second shot hit Abraham in the gut, the third in the left shoulder and the final one piercing the Hybrid's right shoulder, putting him off balance. The impact of the revolver shots was powerful enough to send him off his feet and cause him to tumble down the slope of the platform.

Erik spun the revolver in his hand, cowboy style before holstering it back. He didn't want to expend too much ammunition in this fight, he needed his bullets for the way back.

However, when he turned his attention back to Linda, the Hybrid had closed the distance.

"Oh FUGHG!" Erik tried to curse before Linda's hand shot to his throat and wrapped around his neck. The Hybrid's strength was immense, even compared to a Myrmidon. She lifted him off the ground like he was a child and threw him to the floor one handed.

Erik slid across the resin covered floor, his armour not providing much grip against the slippery surface of the Hive. Still holding his sword, Erik tried to get back to his feet. But once he got back onto one knee he was Linda's tail extend to strike at him.

The bladed tail of the Hybrid struck Erik's sword with all the speed of a scorpion. The clanging of the tail impacting upon the dura-steel blade of the Major's sword echoed through the room.

Sweat began to pour down Erik's brow. This Hybrid was defiantly a better thinker than her brother, and the way she moved and attacked showed a lack of remorse in the confines of her fighting style.

Unable to keep up with the Hybrid's speed, Erik's defence lapsed and the bladed tail found its mark in the gap between Erik's armour plates. The tail struck two places, the gap in his right shoulder joint and his left thigh.

"Gragh!" Erik grunted in pain as he fell onto his back. His sword falling from his grip.

Linda was quick to snatch up the sword from the floor. She held it up with both hands and tried to drive it into Erik's chest. The Major reacted to try and save his own life, grabbing the blade with both hands.

Erik's crimson red blood dripped down the length of his own blade as its tip pressed against his chest plate. The look on Linda's face was that of a sadist, her eyes were wide with joy and she was borderline drooling at the joy of bringing Erik's own blade down onto him.

She could easily kill him with her tail right now, it would only take a second for her to impale him. Yet she seemed to be savouring the moment.

"You could have joined us brother. You brought this upon yourself" she growled as the blade inched closer and closer to his chest.

*WHIIIIIIICRACK!*

A bolt of blue plasma raced through the air and hit Linda's left hand. The bolt was powerful enough that it blew the Hybrid's hand to pieces, all that was left was a stump on her wrist, gushing green acidic xeno blood.

"AAAAAAAGH!" Linda screamed, her human scream transforming into a screech halfway through. Her tail flailing behind her as she recoiled.

Erik's sword clattered to the floor beside him.

Sha'ra leapt in front of the Myrmidon Major, with her glaive in hand. Letting out a long and ferocious roar at the screeching Hybrid in front of her.

"Get away from him you Bitch!" Sha'ra roared as she extended her right wrist blades at the word bitch.

Linda began to sweat; her breathing was ragged and she was losing a lot of blood, due to the loss of her left hand. The Hybrid couldn't see herself fighting the Huntress with the amount of blood loss she was going through.

She had to retreat. The Huntress was just as good a fighter as Erik, and being crippled only made her chances of survival worse. Linda screeched out before leaping off the side of the platform, the height not presenting much danger.

Sha'ra quickly went to Erik's side.

"Are you alright?" Sha'ra asked, putting her hand on Erik's shoulder as he sat up.

"Yeah…thanks" Erik gasped as he grabbed his sword, wincing as his finger wounds were still fresh and tender. Luckily his tendons hadn't been cut, so his articulation was still fine.

"Norma?" Erik asked Sha'ra, whom in turn nodded to the Kamad/Human hybrid whom was finishing wiping off leftover pieces of resin from her form.

"Are you ok?" Erik asked.

"Yeah…it's just…Eli didn't tell me how bad Xenos smelt" Norma almost gagged at the slimy resin she had to peel off her skin.

"Well…he doesn't seem to mind" Erik said looking back at Eli, who was busy cleaving Xenomorphs into pieces.

Eli had sheathed one of his Katanas and was now two handing his prime Katana. Moving like a Samurai, using his footwork in order to add stability to his fighting and power to his strikes. Many of the Xenomorphs, after the initial assault were staying back, waiting for openings. Their losses to the Kamad were more than what they expected.

Eli swung his Katana in an upward motion, slicing open the front of a Warrior's face, causing it to fall to the ground, screeching in pain. Eli then drove his blade downward in a stabbing motion, his blade cleaving through the creature's carapace like a hot knife through butter.

The hisses and snarls of the surrounding Xenomorphs didn't faze the Kamad elite. Especially as he calmly and slowly pulled the blade from the Xenomorph corpse. The green blood dripping from the tip, the golden orbs that were Eli's eyes glaring daggers into the eyeless visages of the Xenomorphs.

"Come on…I can do this all day" Eli growled as he flourished his Katana.

Looking at the Xenomorphs all around him, Eli knew that he had certain advantages over his foes. Despite bieng called the perfect organism by many a human, Eli had more than a few superior traits. His raw physical power could only be matched by the larger breeds of queens, Praetorians and Crushers.

His intelligence in terms of battle also gave him an advantage, as warriors were only as smart as a dog or wolf. Only the Queens, Praetorians and some of the hybrids had intelligence worthy of sentience.

Three particularly large flyers disembarked from the walls, speeding towards the Kamad with their tail stingers at the ready, primed like lances. The Flyers themselves looked like the Warriors, only they lacked the arms and legs of their brethren. In place of arms they had Wyvern-like wings tipped with hooked claws, and their tails were longer and thicker.

Eli turned his head, seeing the three Xenomorphs speeding towards him, playing out their actions in his mind. Xenomoprhs were so deadly because of their lightning fast reaction times, along with their already lightning agility and speed.

Flying Xenos were no exception to that rule. But luckily for Eli, their actions had one fatal flaw, they were predictable.

These were not the first flying xenos that the Kamad had fought.

Eli spun in place, readying his swords. The first two flyers that were within range where impaled through their torsos and quickly nailed to the ground, leaving Eli his hands free.

Once the third flyer was in range, Eli lunged forward and grabbed the flyer's head, tearing it from the sky and to the ground. The Kamad's rage and brute strength quickly overpowered the Xenos bony form until its head was lodged underneath Eli's arm.

Eli rammed his fingers inside the Xenomorph's mouth, getting a firm hold of its upper and lower jaws.

That's when he began to force them apart.

"Open Wide!" Eli grunted as he savagely ripped the Xenomorph's head in two.

The quivering mass of flesh that used to be a Xenomorph fell limply to the ground, everything beneath its head crest torn asunder.

That didn't exactly fill the other Xenomorphs with confidence.

"Who's next?" Eli growled, flexing his clawed fingers.

The air was filled with the screeching of the Queen. The attention of the Xenomorphs surrounding the Kamad shifted to their Queen, whom began letting out hisses and screeches towards her brood.

Eli didn't have to be a linguist to know she was giving them orders. He grabbed both his Katanas from the Flyer corpses and gave them a flourish.

The Xenomorph warriors and drones began to part like the red sea, many scattering away to fight the Myrmidons and Dark Blades while half stayed to watch Eli closely. The numbers of the hive were immense, like a swarm of insects they blanketed the floor and walls as they scurried.

Obviously, the Queen didn't want to sacrifice more of her children to the Kamad Prince.

"So…want to take a crack your majesty? One Royal to another?" Eli curtseyed the Alien Queen.

The Queen hissed, her royal guards slowly inching towards the Kamad. Eli smiled before he noticed the Two Crushers slowly approaching his from his left and right. This Queen was smart, Eli was skilled at fighting one on one, and very skilled at fighting multiple smaller opponents. But fighting four brutes at the same time?

Even Eli had his limits.

The first Crusher galloped at Eli like an angry Rhino. While at full speed, the Resin beneath its feet did nothing but add to its stability. The resin and the Xenomorph's claws naturally accommodating one another.

Eli sheathed both his Katanas and Psyched himself up, pounding his chest twice and taking a deep breath before he charged at the speeding Crusher.

It was only a few second before Eli and the Crusher met, but instead of taking all its force head on, he ran up the steep slope of its head crest, gracefully leaping over the creature and landing behind it.

Eli pulled out every available throwing knife he could, 8 in total all gripped between his finger, and threw every single one of them at the Crusher which now had its back to him.

With a slick and sickening slicing of metal through flesh, all the knives met their mark. Slicing through the Crusher's armour carapace and into its nerves and organs. With a screech the Crusher fell, crashing to the ground. Not dead, but defiantly out of the fight right now.

Eli quickly unsheathed one of his Katanas, getting ready to fight the rest of the brutes.

A screeching Xenomorph drone leaped at Eli from behind, but the Kamad prince swiftly turned and cut the Xeno in half down the middle. His Katana making short work of the Xenomorph's carapace. It turns out the Xenos weren't playing fair after all, still it had a bright side.

Eli wasn't going to give them an easy time either. It was his chance to just cut loose and go all out.

Eli let out a long and loud roar, struggling not to splay out his mandibles behind his helmet. Flourishing his single katana and holding it in an aggressive battle stance, Eli stood his ground.

Another three Warriors charged at Eli from his left side while the other Crusher charged from in front of him. The Kamad had to take care of the smaller threats first, with a quick and lethal swing he decapitated the first of the xenos.

The body fell to the floor, flailing and twitching as its nerves went haywire.

The next two managed to land next to Eli, the second Xenomorph lunging its tail at him like a scorpion, the tail pierced through Eli's left thigh, once of the few areas where his armour was little more than tightly weaved carbon fibre. Eli grunted in pain, grabbing the Xeno's tail with his free hand.

The third warrior landed on Eli's other side, hissing before it leapt at him. The Xenomorph managed to sink its hook like claws into his flesh, Eli using his sword arm to keep it from getting close enough to use its secondary mouth.

As glowing blue blood continued to seep through his thigh wound, Eli dodged every attempt that the other warrior made to bite with its secondary mouth. The Kamad had to act hard and fast if he wanted to be free when the Crusher was within range. He may have been strong but if that Crusher had him pinned against a wall he would be done for.

Even a battle ready Kamad would be helpless after being rammed into a wall a couple of times by a full-grown Crusher Xenomorph.

Eli had to free his thigh from the Xenomorph tail. He used his free arm to quickly draw out his swabbie dagger and slice off the tip of the Xeno's tail. The resulting spray of acid burned into Eli's leg, it hurt but the Kamad had been through much worse. The warrior hissed at Eli, but the Kamad ingored it to move to the next order of business.

Now with both his legs free and both arms at the ready, Eli snatched the Xenomorph's secondary mouth just at it left its maw. The Xenomorph almost let out a surprised yelp at the Kamad's quick reactions.

Eli used this newfound leverage to swing the Xenomorph off of him, the hooked claws of the xenomorph ripping into his armour as he swung it to the floor. Once its grip on him was relinquished, the Kamad flourished his sword into a downward facing position and impaled the carapace of the Xenomorph, until he heard the hissing of the Xenomorph reach a halt.

Eli withdrew his sword, and just for good measure, stomped its head in with his steel plated boot. A sickening crack as he crushed its skull beneath his foot, its brains splattering all over the floor.

Eli turned to face the now tailless Xenomorph. Not an immediate threat for the time being, however the Crusher was finally within range. The Kamad positioned himself with his sword tightly in his grasp and his muscles braced to hold his ground.

The Crusher expected to ram through the Kamad prince like he was nothing, to break his bones on impact like a tank hitting a civilian. But what it didn't realize is that with its speed, plus its weight plus the strength of the Kamad's blade and the force Eli held behind it.

No matter how thick the crusher's skull was, the sword of Kamad steel was stronger.

As soon as the tip of Eli's blade made impact with the Crusher's skull, it disappeared into its head, the Crusher's power and weight becoming its downfall. Eli's blade sliced through the bone, into flesh, through brain, severing nerves, and slicing through whatever was in its way.

Eli gritted his teeth as he felt himself get pushed back 10 feet, his boots skidding on the ground taking the resin floor with him. When he felt the moving stop, he looked to see the Crusher, now limply lying on the floor with his blade imbedded in its head.

Eli took a deep breath and pressed his foot against the Crusher's skull, using its skull as leverage to yank his blade from its skull.

"Who's next?" Eli panted, even his stamina had limits.

From the crowd of Xenomorphs sprouted the familiar face of a Predalien, the one whom Eli had disfigured by knocking out a portion of its teeth and carving off its tail. The creature hissed ferociously as 4 of its brethren emerged from the horde behind it.

"Seriously…Fuck my life" Eli growled as he drew his other Katana and awaited their assault.

Meanwhile, halfway across the room, Erik, Sha'ra and Norma fought their way towards their fellow compatriots. Erik firing pulse rounds from his rifle in short concentrated bursts, while Sha'ra set her Plasmacaster to auto aim while swinging her glaive. Norma doing her best avoid combat as she was basically a novice to combat.

That being said, Erik and Sha'ra were doing well by themselves as it is.

Xenomorph drones and warriors were being cut down left right and centre by pulse rounds, while the plasma bolts were doing a great job of splattering them across the walls.

"Vlad! Sasha! Secure a way out of here!" Erik ordered, Vlad and Sasha immediately nodding in response and going to action.

Sasha reached into Vlad's ammo pack, and retrieved 2 explosive detonators. The Detonators were Myrmidon made, able to stay attached to resin covered surfaces. Very popular with hit and run ops.

Sasha slapped the detonators in either sides of the opening they had arrived in.

"Where the hell is Eli?!" Erik shouted over the sound of gunfire, his own included.

Just as Erik finished asking the question, the familiar form of a 9-foot Kamad came running past them, just behind the drones and warriors attacking them towards the cooling towers.

Right on Eli's tail were 6 to 7 of the large Predaliens, a bunch of warriors following them, a Vipermorph or two also giving chase. The Kamad had to be fast to stay out of reach of the Xenomorphs, then again, his species had evolved to run at fast paces through thick snow during blizzards.

Eli skidded as he stopped just in front of a particularly large cooling tower, unsheathing his Katana and giving it a flourish.

Eli waited until the Predaliens were in range, and with a long and wide swing of his blade, he sliced into the cooling tower behind him. Kamad steel slicing through earth-made steel like butter.

*HIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSS*

Eli quickly ducked as fast as he possibly could, narrowly avoiding the spray of freezing Liquid Nitrogen. The liquid made contact with the Predaliens, the freezing cold substance freezing their skin, hide and carapace in place. Their postures were frozen like statues, the liquid nitrogen had done its job, immobilizing the Predaliens in place.

Xenomorphs were naturally resistant to most extreme temperatures, but the sudden and extreme change in temperature from humid to Extreme cold wasn't something one could shrug off. The Liquid Nitrogen hadn't killed them per say, but it had defiantly made an impact upon them.

Eli looked up, some of the Liquid Nitrogen had splashed upon him, but pretty much everything about Eli was resistant to the cold. the only signs of damage upon him was some frosting upon his face, coat and armour, small potatoes compared to the frozen Xenomorphs.

"RUUUUUUN!" Eli yelled at the top of his lungs as he sprinted towards the group.

"I'd listen to him!" Sasha replied before firing her shotgun into the horde of Xenomorphs still advancing upon them.

The Myrmidons and the Dark Blades began to slowly back up through the way they came, hailing upon the Xenomorphs with gunfire and plasma fire. Eli sprinted as fast as he could towards the entrance, cleaving warriors apart with his Katana as he ran. The acid blood splattering on him did not deter him from his destination as the pain was second only to his drive.

Kamads were brave, they weren't stupid.

"Come on Eli! Move your scaly arse!" Erik shouted to the Kamad over the sound of his pulse rifle.

Eli swung his sword, cutting through the line of Xenomorphs between him and the entrance. The pain that shot through his system as the rain of acid blood burned through his armour and into his flesh was immense. Pain like this would send a human being insane, but Eli had to live through it.

The Kamad used every last bit of his strength in a running leap into the entrance, clutching his sword tightly to his chest.

Time seemed to slow for an instant as the Kamad was bieng tailed by hundreds of Xenomorphs, some missing limbs from his assault. Mutilation didn't mean much to warrior Xenomorphs.

Eli landed roughly, skidding along the ground as he did. The hard surface of the resin did not do his wounds any favours as he left behind a glowing blue trail of blood on the ground as he skidded.

"AAAGAH!" Eli yelled in agony as his tail curled up to his chest, in an almost fetal position.

"SASHA! BLOW IT!" Erik yelled.

The blonde-haired Russian triggered the detonators and with an earth-shattering explosion, the frame of the entrance was blown to smithereens, the falling debris crushing any Xenomorphs that tried to follow Eli through.

Only one Xenomorph survived being crushed by the debris, its entire lower half was underneath the rubble, acidic blood having no effect on the resin covered rubble.

The Xenomorph struggled to get free, hissing and screeching before Erik drew one of his revolvers and shot it twice in the head. Blood, brains and skull fragments leaking where the head used to be.

"Eli! Are you alright!?" Norma ran up to Eli, whom had gotten up to one knee. His wounds still healing from the acid burns. Erik had seen other Myrmidons take massive amounts of damage, but nothing like this before.

Eli's armour was hanging off in places, his golden reptilian eyes thank god were still intact but most of his face had been melted clean off, his lower lip was gone, exposing his mandible bones and very intimidating looking teeth. His skull bone could be seen in several places and being able to see his jaw muscles working was downright unsettling. The Myrmidon had never seen anyone take this kind of punishment and still be breathing.

Erik began to respect the Kamad even more after that show.

"Il….ve phine" Eli drooled on the floor, speaking without his lower lip did but a tax on his ability to speak.

"You did good big man" Erik nodded to the Kamad, who returned the nod with a painful grunt.

"Jusht….Ah…Phuck this hurts!" Eli grunted, hoping to his ancestors to his face would heal soon.

"Don't speak. Just heal ok?" Norma asked as she held onto Eli's shoulder, helping him to his feet.

Eli just nodded, feeling his flesh, skin and muscles reattach piece by piece. The strands of muscles reattaching with each other. Being a Kamad was never easy, but it defiantly had its advantages.

Sha'ra had to fight back the urge of wrapping her arms around Erik's neck and giving him the strongest embrace she could muster. But this was not the time or the place for displays of affection.

"Come on. They won't give up on chasing us down, and I doubt very much that those were the only Xenomorphs in the Hive" Erik told the others whom all nodded in response before taking off.

"Sasha, Cin'Tyr take point! Vlad bring up the rear!" Erik ordered the others.

Erik saw that the acid had splashed against Eli's right leg, causing a nasty burn into his knee. That wound would defiantly take a while to heal. The Major walked up to Eli's other side opposite Norma and put his other arm over his shoulder.

"Come on Big Guy, we aren't leaving you here. Sha'ra help me with him" Erik said, the Huntress immediately grabbing a hold of the Kamad's other arm and giving him support as he hobbled.

"No offence Norma, but Sha'ra knows her own strength better than you do. The last thing we need is you accidently ripping his arm out its socket" Erik spoke harshly, yet truthfully to his former foster sister.

"Then what do you want me to do?" Norma asked gripping the shortsword that Rezeal had given her.

"Keep up with the others. And keep tabs on the smell, we want to know if the bugs are on our asses" Erik ordered. Norma nodded and ran to keep pace with the other members of the group.

"How are you feeling Old Man?" Erik asked Eli, joking about the Kamad's 'advanced age' by human standards.

"I'll…Phucking gif you olg man" Eli growled, his lower lip still in the process of regeneration.


"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the screeching yell of the Xenomorph/Myrmidon Hybrid rung through the Hive.

The Hybrid formerly known as Abraham was currently having bullets pulled from its wounds by the surrounding Drones. Some of the Drones were giving the Hybrid a wide birth as its razor-sharp tail lashed back and forth with each bullet removed.

Abraham was not alone, as Linda crawled along the ground, the stump where her arm used to be, bleeding profusely. Tears of pain ran down the face of the former Myrmidon as she crawled through the bloody mess of deceased Warriors, drones and various other Xenomorph corpses littering the ground.

The leftovers of Eli's onslaught.

One of the royal guards approached Linda and nuzzled the pained Hybrid, offering its head crest as a support. Linda used her remaining hand to grab the Guard's crest and haul herself to her feet.

A drone approached her and opened its maw close to her hand stump. The secondary mouth slowly extended and from its smaller maw it sprayed the quickly hardening liquid that created the Resin of Xenomorph hives.

Linda shrieked in pain as the resin quickly hardened over the stump that used to be her hand. The resin was the only substance aside from Xenomorph hide and bone that wouldn't dissolve in her acidic blood. The Drone pulled away from her stump of a hand, the resin forming in a nasty looking point.

"…They…they will pay for this. FIND THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" Linda screamed at the top of her lungs. The Queen followed with an earth-shattering shriek, contacting the hundreds upon thousands of Xenomorphs infesting the ship. No Xenomorph would not be able to hear the flair of anger pulsing through the Hivemind, the anger and fury of Linda, Abraham, the currently defrosting Predaliens, the Royal Guards and the Queen herself echoed throughout the joined hivemind and into drone, warrior, flyer, crusher, Vipermorph and whatever other Xenomorphs where listening.

"Make this ship their grave" Linda growled through her clenched teeth.


"Come on! Keep moving!" Sasha called to the others trailing behind her.

Sasha and Cin'Tyr were making good progress through the Hive, finding the way back wasn't hard with both Myrmidon helms and Yautja Bio-Masks having wayfinding systems. The systems themselves were actually salvaged from Yautja-tech during the ending years of the war, only Myrmidons had the systems integrated into their helmets.

Myrmidon R&D had managed to incorporate it into Myrmidon Helms, but they hadn't yet found a way to refine it. Yautja had Wayfinding tech for a many number of centuries now, it was a very simple yet useful system made to track the direction in which an individual was travelling and using that data to scan a way back.

It was extremely useful when trying to find a way out of Hives as big as this one.

Eli's pace had quickened, thanks to the support from Sha'ra and Erik his knee had been given enough time to heal and the ligaments given enough time to reattach and strengthen to the point where his leg could finally support his weight.

Erik and Sha'ra were no longer supporting the Large Kamad, as he had regained enough strength to move by himself. A wounded Kamad that was still in the process of regenerating was still a strong creature.

"You ok now mate?" Erik asked Eli with his rifle leaning on his shoulder.

"Much better. You have no idea how much it hurts to speak with only 1 lip" Eli cracked his jaw as he spoke.

"I can take a wild guess" Erik replied.

A minute passed until the sounds of screeching filled the ears of all present. Eli and Norma instinctively took sniffs of the air, recognising the scent of what was coming. Then again no one needed to be told what it was.

"DOUBLE TIME!" Erik yelled at the top of his lungs. Everyone breaking into a brisk jog through the hallways.

It only took a few more minutes before the signs of movement appeared behind them. Black shiny shapes and the sounds of claws scuttling against hard resin. The entrance that Sasha had blown would have slowed the hive down, but it wouldn't stop them from pursuing them.

"RUN! KEEP MOVING!" Vlad yelled at the top of his lungs as he sprayed minigun fire into the tunnel behind them.

Everyone ran as fast as they could through the black hallways, following Sasha and Cin'Tyr as they lead the way.

But the further they ran, the more evident it became that even if they managed to outrun the Xenomorphs, they would never stop chasing until they had their blood. Vlad was the first to act upon this knowledge as they all stopped, wheezing and almost out of breath from the non-stop running.

"Jesus…Those…fuckers" Erik wheezed between gasps of breath.

"They aren't going to stop following us" Eli growled, grabbing the hilts of his swords as if readying to draw them.

"It doesn't matter how many we cut down. You can't fight a hive of this size on foot, you would need a fucking orbital strike to kill all of them" Sasha yanked Eli's hands away from his sword hilts.

"No…we can't kill them…but I can stop them here" Vlad said, hefting up his minigun. And walking towards where the Xenomorphs were coming.

"Vlad what the fuck are you doing!?" Erik asked, grabbing Vlad's shoulder as he walked.

"Those fuckers aren't going to stop…not unless I give them something to kill" Vlad replied, not even looking at Erik.

"No…No you aren't fucking doing this!" Erik shook the Big Russian's shoulder angrily.

"Vlad, you can't fucking take them on!" Sasha cursed at her fellow Russian in their mother tongue.

"This my choice! We can't outrun them for much longer, there are too many of them to kill and even if we did escape…they would just follow us outside their hive. They won't let us go after doing what we did" Vlad turned to look at his fellow Myrmidons.

"Vlad, I am ordering you, don't fucking do this!" Erik growled at the Russian Myrmidon.

"No offence Major, but just this once…Shove the orders" Vlad replied, planting his feet firmly in the ground.

Erik was speechless. He had gone through basic training with Vlad, they had grown up together, fought together, laughed together, bled together. The bond between Myrmidons didn't get much stronger than what Erik had with his fellow Alpha Squad members, Vlad and Baako especially.

Vlad was more than just a friend or fellow soldier. He was like a brother.

"Why?" Erik whispered.

"…I thought you had died Erik…I thought you died when you fell with that fucking Crusher…I don't want to go through that again if I can help it" Vlad replied.

That was a bad sign. Vlad never called Erik by his name unless the situation was VERY serious. Erik couldn't remember the last time Vlad had called him by his first name.

"You can't do this" Erik said, almost deflated. He was a Major, he was supposed to protect his soldiers, not the other way around.

"Da, I can. The mission is to destroy this fucking ship and everything on it. We need you in order to do that old friend, your life is more important than mine" Vlad said as he turned his attention back to the approaching Xenomorphs.

"Please…Vladimir" Erik called Vlad by his full first name, earning Vlad's full attention.

Erik held out his hand.

Vlad slapped his hand against Erik's in a forearm handshake. Their biceps rippling as their hands squeezed one another.

"Close the way behind me…this one is on me" Vlad smiled behind his helmet.

"…Vlad"

"Don't say goodbye…I hate goodbyes" Vlad smirked before turning his attention back to the tunnel.

"…until next time" Erik said before turning away from the Large Russian.

"You might need this by the way" Vlad said as he threw Erik the Ammo backpack. It was the pack that contained all the Squad's ammunition, a very vital detail that Erik and the rest of Alpha squad would need before the end of this.

Everyone followed Erik away from Vlad, Sasha muttering a whisper of 'good luck' in their shared mother tongue. Vlad closed his eyes and smiled before taking a deep breath and readying himself.

Eli whispered a silent prayer to his ancestors to watch over and lend what strength they could to the courageous Myrmidon.

Sasha attached a detonator on the ceiling above her. Taking one last look at the man she saw as her brother, her eyes watering the slightest bit. She turned and refused to watch the ceiling fall as she walked with the others.

*KABOOM!*

The ceiling collapsed, creating a very effective dead-end between Vlad and his companions.

"Now…it's my turn" Vlad grunted as he pulled the trigger of his minigun, the barrels coming to life as they began to spin rapidly.


"Ugh…fuck…what the hell?" Rezeal cursed as he felt his head pounding like no one's business. His eyes opened, feeling groggy as his vision was momentarily blurred.

The Black haired Kamad rubbed his eyes before stumbling to his feet.

"The hell happened?" He muttered to himself.

Rezeal looked around, he was in the same med-bay that he had found Blair talking to Weyland in, then all the memories came flooding back.

That fucking traitor!

Rezeal growled and immediately began sniffing, trying to pick up a scent of any sort, but all he could smell was the strong aroma of Alcohol. The Kamad quickly found an empty bottle labelled in English.

*CAUTION 100% ALCOHOL, DO NOT DRINK*

Rezeal turned his nose at the strong aroma it gave off. Blair was a clever man to cover his tracks with the scent of Alcohol. He must have known that once Rezeal regained consciousness that he would be on him like a bloodhound.

But that put a question in Rezeal's mind.

What the hell knocked him out in the first place. The last thing he remembered was a sound of metallic clattering and just darkness…Never mind.

Questions like that came later. Right now, Rezeal was concerned with one thing and one thing only, ripping Blair's throat out with his bare teeth. Then again, he would have wanted to save some of the fun for Eli.

Rezeal drew his hookblade and darted out the room.

But there was one thing he should have done.

One thing that would have changed the course of what would happen in the next hours.

He should have looked in the corner of the room, for there lay a dead facehugger having recently laid its eggs.


Thoughts?

Like I promised, Action, blood, gore, more blood, more action, more gore and more blood. Please let me know what you guys think, Your feedback is valued.

ALSO: I promise next chapter will be coming sooner rather than later. I'm on a writing roll right now!

and of course a question to get you guys in the mood for reviewing: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF ALIEN:COVENANT, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE UPCOMING PREDATOR FILM?

PLEASE LEAVE LENGTHY REVIEWS

Dakkman777 Signing out!