Puzzled by the tremors, the marines were trying to locate the source but they galvanized into action the moment they heard April's broadcast. They knew what they had to do, what they should do. They trained for it, for every possible scenario but nothing prepared them for the earthquake tremor that tossed everyone off their feet as they headed for the shuttles. A fissure appeared, rapidly widening in the midst of the parked shuttles. The surface of the ground exploded. Shuttles, portable lights, soil and rocks spewed into the air.
A strong biting acrid stench came rolling out as the huge monstrous head and snake like body of a creature shot out of the gap. Thresher maw! Soil, rocks and shuttles rained down, creating a storm of debris that blinded the marines. It reared over the nearest bodies to it. Tentacles wavered with purpose and snaked out. Screams nearly overwhelmed the comlink. April fought to get to her feet, drawing her assault rifle as she did so, trying to get her bearings. Her stomach heaved when she saw what the monster was doing with the marines it snagged.
Dragging her gaze away, she tried to raise the shuttle pilots but there was no answer. The cloud of dust was too thick for her to see if any of the shuttles was intact. There was no way they could battle a creature of that size on flat terrain. What they needed was heavy artillery like the heavy cannon on the Mako. Unfortunately, they didn't bring one down with them. Withdrawal through the preplanned northern evacuation route was their only chance.
"Lay down suppressing fire!" she ordered. "Regroup and fall back through NER."
Where was Landry? He should be spitting out orders by now. Was he injured or was he taken? Ignoring the screams, she fired her assault rifle at the creature. More gunfire was heard. The marines further away were responding. Her comlink crackled.
"LT, this is Toombs. What's happening?" His voice was a gift from the heavens.
"Toombs, you're on a roach?"
"Yes, sir. We'll be at the LZ in less than five."
"LZ is hot. Land at NER."
A heavy cloud of debris swept towards her when the thresher maw's tentacles slapped the ground. She dived out of the way of a piece of tumbling wreckage before it reached her and didn't hear Toombs's reply. She looked up. The fusillade from the marines seemed to annoy the creature than wound it. She got to her feet to see it shook itself, as if dislodging biting insects from its hide. It opened its mouth but no sound was heard. Something invisible came rushing. Shepard grunted at the unexpected shockwave that threw her back several feet. Slammed against a truck, her head struck so hard against it that even with the helmet buffers, she saw stars and fell to her knees. The ground trembled as the creature lashed out with its tentacles and body. A half crushed shuttle went flying, spinning wildly through the air before crashing to the ground.
Darkness threatened to overwhelm her. She struggled to stay conscious. She had to stay on her feet. A hand latched onto her arm. McKey. Eyes wide, fear held barely in check, he shouted at her but she could not hear what he was saying. Seeing her incomprehension, he grabbed the side of her helmet and began to make adjustments before shoving his mouth next to her visor to shout once more. Still, she could not make out what he said except a garbled, "ay ere...uuuu ooof."
He did not wait to see if she understood but shoved her head down. The rush of blood nearly sent her into the darkness, it also made her nauseous. Crouching down beside her, he held his assault rifle at the ready but did not shoot the creature. Sounds began to filter back in but muffled. Growls and screams, sporadic gunfire. The ground continued to shake. Her vision began to clear. She lifted her head.
"What happened?" She coughed to clear her throat and realised he did not hear her when he remained silent. She repeated in a stronger, louder voice.
"Magnified infrasound sent a shockwave in our direction. Whoever's caught in its path-," he did not bother to elaborate.
"Cap?" She got to her feet.
"No word. Game plan?" He stood, his jaws working grimly.
"Toombs's on his way to NER with a roach. We get out of here and take as many as possible." She checked her rifle to make sure it was still in working condition.
"That shuttle seems intact-," he pointed past the collapsed infirmary tent to where a single shuttle was still standing. It was on the far side of the creature's ground entry, she realised.
The exterior lights were a beacon of hope. She was counting on cramming whoever was left in Toombs's shuttle and hoped not to leave anyone behind. If they could get to that shuttle safely, their odds were better with two shuttles.
"Stay on my six," she said.
"Haven't I always?"
Without a word, she loped off, keeping as far as a distance between them and the creature which was turned away in response to gunfire from a tumble of trucks. Her heart lifted at the sign of survivors. She tapped her comlink, ordering a steady withdrawal to Toombs's landing point. In the midst of her broadcast, the ground shook. She flashed a quick look to see the creature drawing back down through the hole it made. Was it retreating? She doubted it but its leaving gave them more space to manuever.
Flashing a signal to McKey, she picked up her pace, weaving through cloudy air, debris and bodies towards the intact shuttle. Mangled bodies which she recognised as those belonging to the colonists, thrown out of their body bags, and marines littered the ground. Her throat choked slightly. Anger surged through her. Later, later. She would grieve later, now was not the time. First the shuttle, get it up and picked up whoever was left.
Under her feet, she could feel the ground wobbling. The creature was moving. To where, she had no idea but it was clear it did not leave the vicinity as she hoped it would. Where, where was it heading? The ground bounced harder. Her eyes widened. Her heart sank. She tried to brace herself but was still thrown off her feet. McKey shouted. The ground broke and the creature reared above them.
Damn it all, if she had to go down, she would but not without a fight! Teeth clenched, she shot a hail of bullets at the creature's head, aiming for the eyes. Its waving tentacles took most of the shots. More fire came at the creature from the other surviving marines. It jerked. One of their shots must have hit a tender part. Enraged, its mouth opened. April knew she would never make it. Shockwave at ground zero would kill her immediately.
The roar of engines was sudden. A fresh hail of gunfire that sounded closer. The creature halted and turned its attention to this new annoyance. Astonished, she looked up to see a circling shuttle, three marines at the open hatch, shooting away. It was Toombs. What the hell were they doing? They should be at the evac site, ready to pick up the survivors. She got up to stagger over to McKey and pulled him up. How long could they hold out? They ran to the parked shuttle. Near, so near. Behind them, the exchange continued.
The creature lashed out but the pilot saw it coming and turned the shuttle away, struggling to give the marines on board a clear line of fire even as he did so. It tried again. The pilot was fast enough to dodge again, buying precious time for the duo below but that was the end of his attempt. The creature lashed out once more, then spat out a greenish mass when it failed to grab the shuttle. It was impossible to evade at that distance.
The green mass struck the windows of the cockpit, breaking through them. The impact knocked the shuttle off its course. The three marines were thrown out as the hatch was wrenched free, screaming as they fell, clawing at the bile that slipped into their helmets. Their agony was mercifully cut short when they slammed into the ground. April heard the screaming whine of engines and turned to look as she opened the hatch of the shuttle on the ground.
Everything seemed to slow down in a kaleidoscope of confusing images and sounds. The roar, the explosion behind her, pieces of metal and ashes floating through the air and then the most terrifying screech of twisting metal, shattered glass and the searing pain that cut across her face and body.
Pain.