The faint hum of Angel’s shield was the only sound breaking the oppressive silence. Ryan stood at the edge of the city’s industrial zone, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. The midnight wave had come and gone, but something was wrong—alien creatures hadn’t shown up. The absence of the most dangerous species left an uneasy tension in the air, like the calm before a storm.

He adjusted the strap of his supply bag, the weight of scavenged goods digging into his shoulder. Protein drinks, canned food, batteries—anything that could keep them going. His weapon rested heavy in his other hand, smeared with the dark fluids of the creatures he’d already taken down tonight.

Ryan moved quickly but carefully, his boots crunching against broken glass as he navigated the streets. He was scouting for supplies, but his primary focus was finding hideouts. If the shield fell, or if they had to retreat, they’d need a fallback point. He ducked into an abandoned warehouse, scanning the shadows for movement.

The air here was different, heavier. A faint, putrid smell tickled his nose, making him gag. It was sharper than the decay he’d grown used to—a mixture of sulfur, iron, and something distinctly alien. He paused, squinting into the darkness, and that’s when he saw them.

Eggs.

They were clustered together in a dark corner of the warehouse, their surfaces glistening under the pale light of his flashlight. Each one was the size of a basketball, pulsating faintly as if alive. Veins of green and black snaked across their shells, giving them an otherworldly appearance.

Ryan’s heart pounded as he stepped closer. “Michaela, you there?” he whispered into his comm.

Her voice crackled to life. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I’ve found something. Eggs, I think. Lots of them. What do you want me to do?”

“Don’t touch them yet,” Michaela said sharply. “I need to know more. Can you describe them?”

Ryan knelt down, careful to keep his distance. “Greenish-black, veiny. They’re... pulsing.”

“Pulsing?” Hannah’s voice cut in. “That’s not good.”

“No kidding,” Ryan muttered. “Should I move one? Bring it back?”

“Not yet,” Michaela said. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with. Let me check the database.”

The air grew colder, and Ryan’s skin prickled. His grip on his weapon tightened instinctively. Something wasn’t right.

The ship’s voice boomed in his head, urgent and commanding. “Danger! You are in their nest. Exercise extreme caution. They are coming.”

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Ryan’s blood ran cold. “It’s their nest?” he hissed into the comm. “Great. Just great.”

“You need to get out of there,” Jocelyn’s voice was steady but tinged with worry. “Now.”

“Not without samples,” Ryan shot back. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away. He pulled a sample container from his belt, reaching toward one of the eggs. The surface was warm to the touch, almost alive. He cut a small piece of the shell and sealed it quickly.

“Got it,” he whispered. “I’m setting up cameras and traps.”

“Be fast,” Hannah said. “I’m sending instructions for the turret placements. We need data, but don’t get yourself killed.”

Ryan worked quickly, his hands moving with practiced precision as he mounted cameras and traps around the nest. He had just finished setting up the last turret when a low, guttural growl echoed through the warehouse. His stomach twisted.

The mother alien stepped into the light.

She was massive, her elongated body covered in armor-like scales that shimmered with a sickly green hue. Her limbs were long and spindly, tipped with claws that gleamed like polished obsidian. Her head was angular, with rows of glowing eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness. She let out a deafening screech, and Ryan’s ears rang as he dropped into a fighting stance.

“Well, this just got interesting,” he muttered.

The creature lunged, faster than he expected. Ryan dodged to the side, grabbing a steel pipe from the ground and swinging it with all his strength. The pipe connected with a sickening crack, but the creature barely flinched. She swiped at him, her claws grazing his arm and leaving a shallow gash.

Ryan didn’t slow down. He grabbed a nearby crate, hurling it at the creature with enough force to shatter it on impact. Splinters flew, but she advanced, her movements predatory and deliberate.

“Come on,” he growled, gripping the pipe tighter. He charged, aiming for her legs, hoping to slow her down. The impact knocked her off balance, and she screeched in frustration, her tail whipping out and sending him crashing into a stack of barrels.

Pain shot through his back, but Ryan gritted his teeth, grabbing one of the barrels and hurling it at her. It hit her square in the chest, and she staggered, black fluid oozing from the cracks in her armor.

The turret activated, firing a stream of molten energy that seared through her side. She shrieked, turning her attention to the automated weapon. Ryan took the opportunity to grab another makeshift weapon—a rusted crowbar—and slammed it into one of her legs.

Her tail whipped again, this time catching him across the chest and knocking the wind out of him. He hit the ground hard, gasping for air. She loomed over him, her claws raised for the kill.

“Not today,” Ryan snarled. With a burst of strength, he rolled to the side, grabbing a jagged piece of metal and driving it into her exposed underbelly. She screamed, thrashing violently as black fluid sprayed across the floor.

The turret fired again, and this time, the shot was precise. The creature collapsed with a final, guttural growl, her body twitching before falling still.

Ryan lay on the ground, his chest heaving. His arms felt like lead, and every inch of him ached. But he was alive.

“Ryan, are you okay?” Hannah’s voice crackled through the comm.

“Define okay,” he muttered, sitting up slowly. He looked at the destroyed nest, the shattered eggs, and the dead mother alien. “I’ve got the samples. I’m heading back.”

“Be careful,” Michaela said. “We still don’t know what those eggs are capable of.”

Ryan nodded, wiping the alien blood from his face. “Yeah, I got that.”

As he made his way back through the city, the alien ship’s voice echoed in his mind again. “Well done, Ryan. But more will come.”

“Great,” he muttered. “Just what I wanted to hear.”