Alone again.

Why the hell am I doing this?

Because my blood hated them? Because they were somehow unnatural?

Or is it because, I thought this is going to be a challenge and I wanted that sweet, sweet bonus?

Haha, why not all the above? I could be complicated too. I chuckled softly to myself.

Yes, indeed my murderhobo-esque ways had reasons. They may not have been great reasons, but hey, no one's perfect.

The first glimpse of a head peeking around the corner. It couldn't see but it was feeling the air with its senses. It clicked lightly. This sound would be too high for normal human hearing but my ears and MetEars should pick it up just fine.

The thought occurred to me that Unnoticed or Fade probably didn't work against echolocation. Shit.

Why wasn't it rushing me?

I didn't like this behavior, it implied caution. Previous experience with Fire? Something worse, a smarter member of its species, giving orders?

It crept slowly out into the hall, trusting in the blending nature of its skin.

Its outsides had shifted to match the colors of ceracrete, greyish blue tones. Shifting to matched the colors of the pipes almost seamlessly. Hard to see but my eyes wouldn't be fooled by such tricks. Slowly it slinked towards me. I let it think it was undetected. Every moment it delayed was a win for my team.

Built not unlike a cat with disgusting modifications, six legs provided a firm based with two arms sprouting from its upper shoulders. All with extra joints. A spiked tipped tail sways restlessly behind it. Any of the claws on those legs or arms could tear through low grade steel. Exoskeleton-like Skin or Skin-like Exoskeleton? Who kne, It was nasty rough stuff either way.

Its head bulbous, eyeless and odd looking for the body it was attached too. With a too, too wide mouth, full of jagged shark like teeth.

I heard the shuffling of other bodies back in the hall it had come from. Faint sounds of creatures attempting stealth.

They might try to flank me. Once I laid down fire. I needed to keep an ear out, I engaged the filters in my helmet to help with sound of my Kraken.

I almost missed the next one crawling into my sightline. It did so on the ceiling. The next one wormed into sight, on the wall to my right.

I still heard more behind them. I would have prefered they swarmed at me.

The first was maybe 20 yards away at this point. It paused. I braced myself.

It screeched loud and long. Had I not been expecting it, had I not been able to have seen it inch up, this would have been a devastating method. A sudden attack out of nowhere.

As it was, I remained unimpressed.

It leapt, crossing 20 yards in a flash.

Only to meet my bayonet. It impaled itself fully upon my blade, right through the throat, bright green ichor flowed forth.

I kicked it back toward its broodmates, who charged recklessly forward, the rest of the pack turning the corner and rushing to feast on my flesh. A seething mass of warped flesh and twisted limbs.

Heh, rust brained Xenos.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

Anti vehicle rounds were effective. Ripping apart anything in their paths. Green Ichor exploding everywhere.

But swarm tactics work for a reason, and doubly so when they are fast as fuck.

I took measured steps backwards.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

Despite having suffered horrific wounds and chunks flying off of them, they surged forward eager to null me. They were like parts of one organism shifting and seething. Trying to confuse my aim.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

More steps back. They were almost on top of me now. Some had fallen to no longer rise. The rest were more incensed to reach me, to tear me apart.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

Even near misses were carving injuries into them, direct hits pulped whole sections of the abominations. They were acting more like individuals now. Each looking for its own angle of attack.

I leapt backwards over my makeshift bunker of corpses.

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BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

Mag empty, I hit the release button.

As I was bringing the next mag into alignment, one of the bastards latch on my left arm with four of its legs. Its claws were unable to dig into my armor, but its tail found weak points. Jabbing in pumping venom. Twice I grunted in pain, and smashed the Gamma into the wall, juicing it. Flung it off.

I slammed the mag home, racked the first round. Other claws and tail point banged into me, failing to find my meat.

One latched onto the wall above me, trying to get a hold of my head.

30 up!

"Git Sum!" I howled in glee.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

I started with clawsy McGee and walked the Kraken back down. Ichor rained upon me.

A Deeper more sonorous hiss rang out.

They scattered, knowing they needed another way to get at me. They tried to hide behind pipes, not knowing I could see them. Some ran into the right hand tunnel to regroup, and bide their time.

Them had backed off not in fear, but as part of their hunting instincts. I was covered in their ichor. Highly reactive, almost acidic. They knew it should weaken me, damage my armor and weapons.

Perhaps that Hiss was an order.

Either way, no such luck for them. The Gamma's blood was too weak to affect even decent steel never mind the alloys and ceramics I'm rocking. It might in a day or so of exposure cause slight pitting of the metals, maybe. The ceramics should be good indefinitely. Just be glad whatever gave that more commanding hiss had bleed on me. The more advanced their form the more potent their blood gets.

I risked stepping over to the Elevator and did a quick check. I think they made it up, alright.

I could call the platform back and get out of here.

But the Xenos were here now. That's not a problem that goes away, easily. If even one survived it could replenish their numbers. Through even more horrible processes than the normal egg to faceglomper to parasite to chest rupture to nymphform.

You don't want to know.

My Blood rang with contempt. It burned with fury. These beasts were WRONG, and they must die.

I took a few calming breaths. My mind spun up, ideas began to form.

I should inform the Underdwellers at least. Then bring back a sample of a Gamma to the Arbiters. So they know what they are up against.

Plus, if I integrated this World with the Supe World, the normal humans there would be in grave danger. A threat I couldn't leave be, I felt compelled to hunt them down. While it was tinged with feral need, logic threaded through the impulses.

I picked off the ones hiding with the Avenger Mk II. They attacked, but it was too late. The few of them left had no chance, already damaged by the action before.

I finished up, put fresh mags in both firearms, and marched back to the Market. Dragging one of the Gammas with me.

My back actually hurt a bit when I got back to the gates. That's a first since the whole transformation deal. Of course, maybe it was the toxin running through my veins from the Xenos' stinger. Even my healing hadn't really kicked in yet.

"Hey hold up! What the fuck is that?" One of the guards shouted at me. I had Meowser send him the Info packet I'd had him put together on the way back.

"Xenos! Major bad news. Figured I'd give yall a heads up." I was actually tired. Hungry. I'd lost my hiking pack. Thankfully, I'd left the important stuff back home. Just some lost ration bars.

Argh, I really needed to slush all this ichor off. Frustration built. I hated losing gear. I hated having to backtrack to help these people.

"Whoa you been through it. Alright, I let my bosses know. Stick around, okay. They'll have questions." The first guard said.

"Go ahead and clean up with the hose by our shack." The second guard waved me through and pointed me towards the shack.

I left the Gamma corpse with them and cleaned up as best I could. The Ichor was sticky and some scrubbing with a nearby mud-brush was required.

Then, I hunted for some food, my Regen required tons of calories to be at its best.

I found a noodle place, and ordered ten bowls of some kind of Lo-Mein like dish with all three meat options. So Good! I felt my healing ramping up.

When I scarfed them down, I ordered ten more. I was just finishing the eighth of that set, when a Guard found me. Time to meet their boss I guess.

The Guards' boss was a grizzle old Underdweller, with eyes that said he'd seen some shit. Those hard eyes looked real worried right now. Good, it was worse than he knew.

"I'm Guard Captain Theo, sit, and tell me how you know about these things." His chin told me which chair he wanted me in. His office was simple. Spartan. Just a desk, his chair and two others for grilling people, I guessed.

I shrugged and pondered how to answer. Mind churned with how far to go, how much to share. How to twist the truth so as not to end up on the floor.

"I'd seen some classified briefings and staff meetings about them a while back. Never expected to encounter them on Earth so soon." Technically true, the movies and books both presented information about Xenos in that fashion at times.

"Shit." He shook his head, "Recommendations?" Again the odd occurrences of people believing far easier than expected were cropping up. It had to be the Charisma.

"Use Bots, Drones and automated defenses as much as possible, get the Corps to help you, even if they fuck shit up. The dumb Xenos will mostly ignore drones and bots. The smart ones will figure out what they are quicker than you hope." I took my helmet off so he could see my seriousness. This was becoming a bad habit, but sometimes it felt like people needed to see my eyes. Oh wait.

"You use people, some of them will always end up getting used to birth more of those filthy Xenos. It's an endless cycle you kill some, some get away with a few of your people, more return later. Repeat. You clear out the nest. If even one of any type survives, they can keep making more, albeit slower. Till they pop a Queen again. They'll build hives, make it warmer, more humid, so they can hunt you better, and breed better." I was grinding my teeth. I could plot out the scenarios well enough, grim, dark and hopeless.

Also a thread of my mind was recalling old stories where fae blooded creatures had the ability to charm people, some with their voices, some with a look, and so on. Was that what was going on?

"I don't think they are much affected by most toxins, or radiation. So you can't wipe 'em out that way. I'd say nukes are the only way to be sure, but I know you won't use them., and it's not true anyway. There is no sure way with them, not that I can think of right now." I put my helmet back on.

The idea of twisting people's minds was scrudging me up. But sometimes you gotta use whatever you can to get the job done.

"I'm going to eat some more and then head back up, warn who I can. Who knows maybe they'll just become another standard everyday problem for people to deal with. I doubt it, but hey we live with all kinds of terrible realities now. What's another one?" I stood up. "I wish you the best. Remember it's better to end yourself then get taken. Make it a Mantra."

"Wait.." He was rattled, but I think he'd listen and maybe learn. I'd given them what I could.

They could fucking handle it. The weapons tech of this World was far better than the tech of the humans of the Verse the Xenos are from. Which meant my best play was spreading the knowledge, trying to get the Warmachine churning. That would crush the freaky space bugs. No need for me to be a fucking hero. Grrrrrr...

Now, that my blood had cooled off a little, I knew the best play.

"Nope. I'm heading out. I suggest turning the Elevator station into a Stronghold, keep supply lines open, you can't let them take that area. you'll need bigger machines for the fight." I strode out of his office.

I found another pack, loaded up with more ration bars. Had another few bowls of Noodles and Meat.

And hit the road.