Happy New Year's Eve!
I thought a good way to end off 2016 was to give this story an update. As always, I hope you enjoy!
Reviews are not unwelcome.
Also, Writer's Block is awful.
Mass Effect owned by BioWare.
Aliens vs Predator owned by 20th Century Fox.
Zivos Station
Casik Alaeo was furious. The deal he had made with Weyland-Yutani was blowing up in his face; everything had been going catastrophically wrong ever since the Xenomorphs broke out of containment. The Blue Suns commander knew when enough was enough.
The door leading to the facility's command center slid open, Casik striding through the portal with two Blue Suns troopers in tow. The command center was an oval-shaped room with a large viewport overlooking the asteroid field. Various people clad in the uniform jumpsuits of Weyland-Yutani sat hunched over at their work stations, paying the new arrivals no heed as they continued their different jobs.
Those in charge of the security cameras were glued to their screens, watching the footage with bated breath as they observed the individual skirmishes taking place over the station. The headphones employed by those crewmembers ensured that nobody else could hear what was occurring. A lavender-hued Asari widened her eyes as she gazed at a Hunter that appeared to be roaring at a squad of terrified mercenaries. A human tapped a static-filled screen in annoyance as the camera it was connected to short-circuited.
At the head of the room stood a human male in a darker-colored jumpsuit, overseeing the staff members attempting to maintain their tasks.
"Maverick!" The shout from the enraged Batarian rang out across the room. The overseer turned to regard the group of three mercenaries, brushing a strand of platinum-blond hair from his face. His lips were upturned in a smile. A duo of Combat Androids moved to block the Blue Suns' path.
"Yes, Casik? What can I do for you," the one named Maverick replied in an oily voice with the faintest hint of an English accent.
Casik wasn't in the mood for the Weyland-Yutani official's games.
"Cut the crap, Maverick. I've lost too many of my men, so therefore I'm taking matters into my own hands."
Maverick raised an eyebrow.
"And just what exactly is your proposal?"
Casik attempted to push past the androids, but the constructs were unyielding.
"What I propose is killing the Queen."
The overseer's grin dropped off his face, a frown quickly replacing it.
The Batarian continued.
"We know where she's located, right? We can just use the environmental controls to flood her location with that stuff you guys used to keep the Drones sedated. The only thing different is that it's a lethal dose. Problem solved, then and there."
"No harm will come to the Queen," the robotic voice of one of the Androids announced.
Casik snapped his gaze to the robot in front of him.
"What was that?"
Maverick let out a long, dramatic sigh.
"I really wish you hadn't said that, Casik."
The Weyland-Yutani official motioned to something behind the trio of mercs, and the sound of combat boots on the polished floor brought the attention of the Blue Suns to its source. Four more Combat Androids blocked the exit, training their weapons on the mercenaries. The two robots that had been barring the way now marched to join the ranks of their fellows, bringing the squad's numbers up to six.
The deck crew scampered for cover wherever they could find it. Casik's gaze landed on Maverick while the two troopers behind them readied their own weapons.
"What is this?!" he bellowed.
Maverick shook his sad, his gaze forlorn.
"My apologies, Casik." The human signaled the firing squad to begin its work. There was a brief exchange of gunfire, but the damage inflicted upon the automatons was negligible. In stark contrast, the mercenaries were obliterated; their shields being unable to maintain themselves under the withering barrage. Their corpses slammed into the deck, blood mixing together in one large pool.
"But I have to protect my investment."
He looked at the Androids.
"Well? Get these corpses out of here. I don't want to smell the decay."
He turned back to the cowering command crew. His smile returned.
"You see that? That's what happens when you doubt The Company's methods."
XXX
Ghost cursed his luck. Had the ooman construct not sent out that EMP, he would have been able to observe the newcomers for longer. The Yautja quickly assessed the small group, chose his target, and launched himself towards the red-haired ooman. He wanted to savor the fight with the ooman's companions, and so hurried to finish her off. The four-eyed mercenary wasn't even worth consideration; he would die once Ghost's fun was over.
XXX
The masked creature moved incredibly fast, closing the distance on Shepard's group before she could fully process the new species in front of her. It cocked back a fist, then slammed it into the Spectre's chest, sending her sprawling. A pair of blades sprouted from its right-hand gauntlet, and it made use of them by stabbing them towards Shepard's head.
The Spectre twisted out of the way, the Hunter's blades tearing right through the floor. The tall alien growled in frustration. Shepard sent a kick into the creature's kneecap before it could pull its blades out, eliciting a snarl from it.
She quickly rolled away, drawing her pistol. The Hunter wrenched itself free from the floor in time to meet a head-on charge from Grunt, alerted to the Krogan's intentions from his battlecry.
The masked alien weathered the impact, digging its feet into the ground. It then retaliated with a headbutt that sent both combatants reeling. Grunt threw a punch, which was intercepted by the Hunter's own hand. The wrist blades made a reappearance, lancing into Grunt's bicep and cutting through sinewy tissue. The tank-bred Krogan hissed in pain. He wasn't incapacitated, however, and landed a kick to the Hunter's mid-section.
The Hunter disengaged from the brawl, retrieving a disc-shaped object from its belt. Six elongated blades burst forth from it, and the alien settled itself into stance that suggested it was going to throw a Frisbee. It then let out a yelp of surprise as it suddenly found itself encapsulated in a blue aura, and lifted off the ground. Samara stared coldly at it before flinging it across the hall.
The alien skidded a good distance before finally righting itself, and stared at the glowing Asari. A soft clicking was emanating from behind its mask. Shepard sent a burst of gunfire in its direction, the Hunter letting the bullets ping off its armor. It held its gaze on Samara for a second longer before scooping up the shuriken from where it had dropped it after being thrown, activated its cloak, and disappeared from sight. The faint sound of footsteps could be heard heading away from their position.
Apparently, the effects of the EMP had worn off.
The Batarian let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He could finally rest for a bit; the past several minutes had been a whirlwind of torment, both physical and emotional. He slumped against the bulkhead.
Grunt grumbled to himself in the wake of the Hunter's departure, disgruntled at the interruption to his brief-yet-invigorating duel. He applied some medi-gel to his wound.
Samara stared at the ebony-carapaced corpses. She took note of one's smaller frame, as well as its partially webbed hands. And the small horns slightly jutting out of its skull…
"Okay," Shepard said, glancing at the Batarian.
"You have some explaining to do."
XXX
Its skin felt too tight on its body. That was the thought running through Specimen Three's mind as it crawled through an empty hallway. Three knew what this meant. It had survived long enough to evolve; to join the Warrior caste.
It felt a form of excitement; as a Warrior, it could be even more useful to the Hive and its Queen.
Its pain increased. Specimen Three let out a hiss as it felt its skin bursting open, giving way to its new form. Its back split open, and it clawed its way out of its remaining layer.
Leaving its empty husk behind, Specimen Three let out a screech of triumph. Its brand, however, remained with it; so deep did it burn into its skull.
It perked its head up. It could feel several of its Kin moving in a singular direction. It followed them.