Taking the stairs two at a time, D-9 charged back up to the infirmary. The screaming had stopped, but in its place was a loud hammering sound. Pistol held high, the Elite dived into the corridor.
The door to the infirmary was closed, as he had left it. However, it had been stove in by several terrific, sledgehammer-like blows that had buckled the thick steel. The creature that had applied those blows turned towards him.
It stood over seven feet tall, broad and knotted with muscles. A pair of clawed, birdlike legs with reversed knees and three toed feet held the creature up. It's back, shoulders and head were encased in glittering blue-black armour. Under its helmet, three tiny red eyes squinted at the intruder. The mouth was a pair of tooth covered flaps that opened sideways, and these folded apart as the creature roared in challenge. The third arm in the centre of its chest betrayed its lineage – this was a creature from the Borderworld.
D-9 quickly overcame his initial shock, and emptied a full magazine from his pistol into the creature's midriff. Instead of backing down, however, it lowered its armoured head and charged forward on its arms and legs, like a giant reptilian gorilla. D-9 rolled clear, and scrambled to his feet. His pistol was empty, and he stumbled backwards down the stairs, dodging a clawed hand. The creature snarled, and pounded down after him.
D-9 sprinted back down into the hold. His internal taxonomy database trilled, registering a match. Xenotherium Myrmex, a species of extinct Xen artificial life form, bred for combat. The accompanying photograph confirmed the description, though what this creature was doing in the Arctic...
The ice barrier loomed ahead of him. He considered diving through the hole and into the store room, but then he would be trapped, on the creature's home ground. D-9 set his ocular lens to maximum brightness, and cast about for a weapon.
Ice and debris flew aside as the creature came pounding down the corridor towards him. It squinted in the powerful light from the ocular lens, momentarily stunned, and D-9 made a sudden lunge, wielding a small blowtorch. The flames created nightmarish shadows on the walls of the storage room as the two soldiers, engineered for combat, fought for their lives.
Having lost the element of surprise, D-9 focused the flame on the exposed areas of flesh visible between the creature's gleaming plate armour. The Xenian squealed, but its bone-breaking grip did not relax, and it emitted a grating snarl of triumph as D-9 heard something snap.
From behind the creature came a loud hissing sound. The alien gave a great screech, dropping D-9 and clawing frantically at its back. There were several sickening popping and cracking sounds, and the alien began to thrash furiously, a faint light visible in the centre of its chest. Suddenly, a long, white hot bar of near-molten iron burst from its stomach, eliciting one last howl from the monster. It slumped forward, the air now filled with the smell of burnt flesh.
D-9 looked up. Standing before him, the remnants of a thermic lance still burning in her hands, was Alyx, having run the alien through with the powerful cutting tool. She took a step towards him, and in the flickering light, her face was a mask of furious shadows. The Elite was weaponless, and he could only watch, helpless, as Anticitizen Two extended her arm towards him, something long and black clutched in her fist.