*BANG-BANG-BANG*
'These bastards just keep coming,' I ducked back behind into a small alcove on the side as more plasma bolts sizzled past me.
Ever since that alarm started blaring, I seemed only to be capable of running into enemies. According to my armor's reading, I was almost right above where the fusion reactor should be, but the problem was that I had no idea how to get to the floor below me.
'And every time I try to look for an elevator or something, more of these freaks pop up,' I popped a grenade off of my belt and thumbed the primer before giving it a quick toss down the hallway. They seemed to have set up something like a barrier; tall, split-jawed things and cone-headed creatures were what composed the force keeping me busy.
"HCTAC!!!!" Before the grenade I threw went off, I heard another high-pitched shout.
*ZEEEEEE*
A blue blob of what looked like plasma centered around a metal ball landed right next to my feet. My mind went a million miles an hour as I noticed it was blinking and beginning to glow brighter, 'GRENADE,' I internally shouted as my instincts screamed danger.
I dove across the hallway toward another automatic door, rolling once before stopping. Behind me, the place where I had been was reduced to molten slag. A shockwave rolled over me, but it wasn't strong enough to knock me down. Based on the damage it did, it had to have released plasma at somewhere around 10,000 K, hot enough to vaporize a person.
"EID!"
After rolling, I found what appeared to be a long two-bladed plasma sword almost shoved through my visor. My Spartan time activated, slowing time down, I dodged to the side, evading the thrust of the plasma blade. I was too close to use my shotgun, and I wasn't going to let him swing at me again.
So I twisted my hips before throwing an upper cut to the bottom two mandibles of the alien's head. I put as much force as I could into the punch, having coiled my body like a snake striking out.
*CRACK*
I heard the sound of a bone snapping, indicating to me that the threat was disposed of. I took a half step back as I quickly dodged the final flail of its arm that still held the plasma weapon.
A cone-headed alien moved forward quickly, plasma gun at the ready. In the split second I took the shotgun, which I had been holding with my other hand that was wrapped around the chamber, my thumb just ahead of the trigger guard, and I wielded it like a club, smacking the face of the alien with the end of the butt stock.
More blue blood sprayed, and a mask was flung off the metal of it being shattered by my blow, 'A face only a mother could love,' I remarked in the heat of the moment, seeing the actual face of the cone-headed aliens. It reminded me of the images I had seen of a Sand Tiger Shark found in the oceans.
I turned my shotgun around as I heard steps coming from the opposite direction from the hallway that the plasma grenade blew up in.
I crouched as another one of the tall leaders sprinted from around the corner, holding a bigger version of the plasma guns that the smaller ones had, and it was blue. I blasted a slug aimed right at his head, the energy collapsing its shield and blowing the left mandibles off, but the target remained alive… briefly. Another slug entered its skull, creating a crater in its head.
More of the gauntlet shielded ones followed up behind him. I retreated back, staying elusive, avoiding their plasma as I found my way behind a pillar. I ignited another frag and skipped it across the floor, where it rolled to stop just behind them.
*BOOM*
The grenade went off, and I heard a scream as shrapnel embedded itself around me, and their bodies were flung away from the explosion. Raising my shotgun, I found that more of the shark-faced aliens were pushing forward. I slammed the fore-end forward, injecting another shell into the chamber. One after another, I fired, dropping them as they funneled into my vision.
In a matter of a few seconds, I had an additional pile of alien corpses.
*FWOOP-FWOOP-FWOOP-FWOOP*
I sat behind the cover of the pillar and reloaded my shotgun while listening in case more came. Fortunately, the only sounds I heard were the sound of 8-gauge shells sliding through the receiver and the distant drip of blood in the room, as well as from the hallway I was in previously, and the still blaring alarm.
*CHICK-CHICK-FWOOP*
'All twelve loaded,' I glanced at the top right of my HUD to be sure it was keeping up, and sure enough, it kept track.
I poked back around the cover, sweeping the doorway filled with corpses that now blocked the door from closing. I strode past them, keeping tight to one side of the frame, checking down the hallway that I had come through originally, 'Clear,' I quickly pivoted, looking down at where the barricade was that I tossed a grenade into.
10 feet tall blue and red energy shields stood lit, but with mixed blue and purple blood splattered on them. One shield was placed on one side of the hall while the other was on the opposite side. Between them was a purple barricade made out of a purple metal that seemed similar to the armor of the ship.
I observed for a moment, but the alarm blaring reminded me that I was on a tight schedule. I moved forward toward the barricade, scanning the glimpses of corpses I could make out beyond the barricades. I vaulted the metal barricade, getting a look at my handiwork with a frag: limbs and blood were scattered around the epicenter, which was indicated by a black scorch mark.
"WAHHHH YAWA! NUR YAWA! NUR YAWA!"
A cone-headed grunt peeked out from an adjacent hall just beyond this quasi-checkpoint. It immediately turned tail and sprinted back down the hall. I moved quickly in pursuit. Stacking up on a wall leading to the corridor, I cautiously turned the corner in case it had more of its buddies ready to jump me. Looking down, I saw that it was still running but continued to glance over its shoulder sporadically as if making sure I was following it.
I controlled myself, not immediately blasting it, instead deciding to watch what it was planning to do. I followed it at a distance as it turned down another hall, still making sure I was following. That confirmed my suspicion, but I still decided to follow from behind. Finally, it sprinted into a room, the automatic door closing behind it.
I cautiously paused, trying to make out any sounds from within the room, but to no avail. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' the doctor had said the proverb a while back, and it seemed to resonate in this situation. The automatic door opened as I stepped into range of the door, and it slid open. I cautiously cleared it, and just as I finished, I caught a glimpse of the alien I had been following.
Standing on a circular platform that glowed whilst being transparent, it jabbed one of its stubby fingers onto a display on a wall the moment it saw me. I heard a squeal as the platform descended down a cylindrical shaft. 'Found the elevator,' finally, I could get off this damn floor and rendezvous with the rest.
'But first…' It was obvious that the small thing was bait to lead me into a trap. The acting was terrible. I'd seen a better show watching Sheila try to convince Daisy that we were having cake in the mess hall on her birthday.
I pressed the button to the elevator and started counting, 'One Mississippi-Two Mississippi-Three….' It took approximately thirty seconds from the initial press of the button until the elevator came to a stop beside me. I made a mental note, then backtracked, grabbing the corpse of the avian-reptile things.
'Hopefully Daisy and Blue team didn't use all their C-10,' My hand slowly moved to my lower back, and I internally nodded. The Anvil missile I had been carrying was still there. I pulled out my other square of C-10, unfolding it and placing it on the chest of the body. I pulled out some detonating cord from a pouch. I snagged 3 more frags from my belt, keeping one as a spare. I fed the chord through the striker lever and around the square of C-10, tying it into a loop tightly around the body.
I started inputting the detonation time set at 35 seconds, which would be enough to account for any error from my original countdown and maybe give them enough time to pray to their gods before I send them to meet them. I placed the body in the center of the platform, and while one hand pressed the descent button on the elevator, the other hit the start button for the countdown on my improvised explosive.
Quickly, the elevator began to descend as it had before. I waited listening and counting, 'Thirty Mississippi, Thirty One Mississippi-'
*WHHOOOOOOMMMMMM*
Even over the alarm, I heard the explosive rock the shaft in front of me, various gases and air kicked up a burst of wind upward. 'My turn,' I placed my shotgun on my back as I carefully stepped into the shaft, pressing my arms against the swept walls, holding myself up. Next, I brought my legs, pushing my feet into the walls similarly.
I took a breath and then slightly relaxed.
The effect was immediate. I began to slide. Sparks kicked up as my armored boots grinded against the metal. My body slightly shook as I rapidly descended down the dark tube. I kept my head pointed down waiting, until finally I saw light.
Thanks to my reflexes, I timed it perfectly. The moment I hit the opening to the right floor, my limbs locked back into place, stopping me with a jolt. I didn't hesitate and immediately flung myself out of the shaft into what I considered to be something like a lobby.
Landing in a crouch, my hands shot to their respective thighs, pulling my twin SMGs off their magnetic holsters. Buttstocks pressed into my forearms, I stood up, my eyes bouncing around, catching the remaining enemies in the room. My bomb had blown a hole in the decking leading to the elevator, torsos and body parts lay strewn about, leading to the back of the room, which had automatic doors on either side.
My eyes locked onto one of the big aliens pushing debris off of himself, 'You're first,' I let out a spray of bullets. The energy shield lighting up as it began to catch rounds, but after so many, it failed, and purple blood streamed out like a fountain as bullets dove into armor and flesh alike.
I turned.
One of the gauntlet shielded ones picked itself up, managing to catch the first volley of rounds I threw at it with the light blue shield. I adjusted, noticing a small gap on the side for it to shoot back at me. I fired, 5x23 rounds, climbing a staircase that was the creatures arm. It shrieked, flinching and bringing its shield away from its body, catching a face full of lead from the action.
"WAUGHHH"
I heard and sensed another big one wearing blue armor behind me. It seemed that it was playing dead or was just concussed enough that I didn't notice it at first. I ducked as it seemed to throw what looked like a punch over me. I loaded my arm and threw an elbow into its belly, staggering it and knocking out the shield. It fell backwards, flopping onto its back. The moment it settled, it looked up only to find the barrel of one of my SMGs still steaming from heat shoved into its eye.
*VRRRRTTTT*
I swung around, hearing another door opening. I quickly placed one of my SMGs on my thigh and grabbed my last grenade. The top right indicator flashed red as it counted down to zero for my frag count. I ignited the primer and through a fast ball across the room, the grenade hitting the metal before bouncing at a downward angle.
*THUNK*
*BANG*
The grenade went off shrapnel came out of the doorway like rushing water in a pipe. I saw the body of a cone-headed alien that had just walked through the doorway, cook off as a chain reaction started. First, the fireball of the grunt, then white plasma flared, and a plasma grenade went off. I shielded my visor, even through the reflective coating, looking at the ball of white hot plasma was effectively the same as looking at the sun up close.
When all was said and done, the squad that was in the doorway was reduced to ash and atoms in the air. I paused, quickly reloading my nearly empty magazines while watching the doorway. Nothing else came out, but I began to hear the opposite door open.
I moved to the edge of the door's frame, ready to ambush what came in, but stopped as I didn't see the orange, blue, or any other visage of the enemy I had seen so far.
No, army green was what I saw come through.
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Welp anotha chapter down.
Hope you like it.