I got my minute, I even got two. I went to work topping the Bots off. I even threw a couple of corpses into the hoppers for the Swarmer Drone. Now that the action had paused, the sounds of the Xenos being ground up were disgusting.

Still nothing. No response. My eyes swept the Xenos, most seemingly frozen in place.

Hmm. I think the queen had decided to let us go. Not realizing she was the reason we were here. It was a level of logic, I found troubling.

Well, it didn't matter. I'd pull them into a more defensible position. Probably should have done that in the first place. Sigh, self-recriminations later, Victor.

We stepped toward the exit and they pulled back. Okay, yeah we can work with this.

You misbegotten freaks should have finished us off while you had the chance.

You won't get another.

Step by step, we moved towards freedom.

I felt some relief when we made it off their Organo-morphic shit-crete. Now, they'd have a much harder time ambushing us again.

We got all the way back to the stairway up. The same pattern ensued. We took a step forward they backed up a step.

There were some in the stairwell but they backed up too.

I felt even more relief. My new idea was going to work. I just kept telling myself that.

And this was going to be their biggest mistake.

The Queen couldn't easily get into the stairwell. She was about to want too.

Oh yes, on these narrow steps I'm going to finish you all.

I got us setup. Two Bots stayed and covered the bottom doorway. We pushed them back to the 10th floor. Less of them up here. I had one bot cover the doorway here with two of it's LMGs. One covered the top of the stairway.

I had the Spider Drone crawl partially up the wall in the corner, face towards the ceiling, so it's production lines could pump out swarmers. It's point defense guns had excellent firing arcs if needed.

The Mule drone stayed by me so I could reload everyone as needed. Why fuck with what had worked so far?

The two Bots at the bottom slowly followed us up until they met up with the last bot, at the top of the stairs.

Checked the positioning one more time. Thought it through again.

It would work. It had to work.

Then, I pulled out a capsule with an ounce of Honey, and activated it. I pumped extra mana into it so it's scent would carry further and be more irresistible. It's nature screamed that it was so good for the Xenos, that they had to come get it, and come they did.

It only took a minute for the first surge, to rush up the stairs. They screeching more discordant, less unites. Even their incessant clicking was off.

Far less organized than before, they were easy meat for the grinder.

Six LMGS sung their song. Brrrr-Brrrr.

Two more over at the doorway. Brrrr.

The swarmers joined in but you couldn't hear the POPS, over everything else.

I fired a few bursts over the sidewall to help choke up the stairwell. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

Today would not be my fall. I swore it to myself. I believed it.

"In the madness we sang, hearts of steel beating as one." I chanted. No, I don't remember where it was from either.

They weren't even pulling their fallen back to clear the path, in their madness they were squirming and ripping their way through. The screeching and clicking had risen in speed and pitch, the Xenos' own symphony of insanity.

I hurled a grenade through the doorway. To buy a minute, and refilled that Bot's ammo.

I was practiced at this now, my hand were swift and sure. It barely took a moment.

I flung two more down into the seething mass below. Then filled the ammo bins on the other Bot's.

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The horrid music of this moment barely changed by my actions.

Another two round of refills maybe.

What will run out first?

Could the Bots fight hand to hand?

Another round of refills later. I started to worry a little. I shook it off, no we've got this.

They will run out of bodies eventually. They'll break before we do.

Then we caught the pause we needed. The pressure on the doorway slowed down to a trickle, then dried up. Thank fuck.

The Bot covered me as I dragged over corpses. I flipped a few into the production hoppers on the Spider Drone. I then quickly built a wall of their bodies. Stuffed them solidly in the doorframe. It would give us a chance to respond if anything came from that direction.

I crammed the last full refills into the Bots, just dregs for their LMGs left. I still had plenty of mags. I could stand for a time.

So, I traded out with the Bots. My rounds doing far more damage. Mulching whole swath of corpses even has new one were created. Both clearing and clogging the way down at the same time.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

The Bots covered me for the times I had to refill, but mostly waited beside me. Silent, steady backup.

The pile had gotten much closer, but fewer were getting through.

The Bots started paying attention to the sides for spillover.

Then we heard it.

A monstrous crash below. The Queen had come.

One way or another, this was almost over.

Her behemoth level strength was not enough to plow through ceracrete in one go or two for that matter.

It took three more solid heavy strikes, then I could hear the walls shatter and crumble away.

I got a fresh mag from the Mule. My packs had all long since dissolved away. My tact harness was barely hanging on by the left side strap. So I still had my axe, but my other Gladius had disappeared somewhere in there.

A couple of the grenades had some damage so I threw them down into the mess, rather than risk them going off while on me. A grabbed a couple of fresh ones off the Mule.

The surface of my armor had been pitted slightly, scrapped and dented in a few places. The hole above my right shoulder, and rents where the Alpha tried to gut me.

I checked the Bots over, they were firm. Only minor damage. Their LMGS would need repair kits once we had the time to sit down for the process. But they could serve for a little longer.

The Swarmer Drone was in the best shape of everyone, except the Mule Drone which had made it through unscathed.

More crashing and tearing noises from Mrs. Thing. I could feel her desperation

We cleared out the doorway and got the Spider Drone and Mule out in to the Junction. I had the Bots cover the Halls.

I waited for the Bitch to tear her way through. She was having a hard time.

In the meantime, I had Meowser take over the Drone Recharge Station and use the printers there to make more ammo for the Bots and more material ingots for the Swarmer Drone. The Bots could reload themselves and the Drone once there was enough ammo.

Then, I thought it over. Fuck it, I had a few minutes, and hunted for some vittles.

I checked the break room for ration bars. Thankfully they had some. I started shoveling them down my throat and followed it up with water, until I was sloshing. If I cramped up, oh well. I had bigger concerns.

I checked the doorway, She was just below and digging her way through all the bodies and ceracrete to make way for her fat ass.

I kicked the capsule of honey to the far corner where the Spider Drone had been. She'd go for it first.

The Dividing wall of the stairwell cracked then bulged before finally busting apart.

Her horror show head coming slowly into view.

Her eyes were locked onto the Honey. Their Eldritch glow casting the stairwell into a putrid green.

She did manage, for a moment, to turn her head and stare at me.

I felt her thought, 'What have you done?' Her hiss deep and malicious drove it home.

I pointed to the Honey, "See that, Bitchcakes." Her head turned and once again locked onto the Honey. "It's all yours, you overgrown cockroach." I let the full malice of my blood and the rage of my nature seep into the air, my mana tainting the atmosphere with my spite.

She didn't notice, or was too caught up in obsession to care.

She pulled herself through and fell upon the Honey. I took a brief note of how much she had damaged herself with her ascent. Good.

I let the Kraken make my next point. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

Her skin tanked it, sure the rounds stuck in, but she barely seemed to care.

I got off another burst at her head. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

Two bullets bounced off the thick plating there, cracking it enough for the last to penetrate.

Her shriek brought me euphoria, though her pain was carried with it.

She reached the Honey and snatched it up. Down her gullet it went.

I pegged her upper chest region. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

At least one round got in there deep. Bitchcakes staggered into the wall behind her.

She spun lowering her armored head and charged.

Right into the doorframe.

HAHAHAHA! Sucker!

I poured it on, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

She rammed the Door way again and exploded out into the juncture. I barely leapt back in time, ceracrete rumble plinking off my armor.

The Bots opened fire and the swarmers dropped on her from the ceiling.

It didn't matter. She had her mind made up, I had to die.

"Let's Dance, Your Royal Bitchiness!" I howled, as I backed up.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

She flinched this time, I'd hit sometime good. Something she needed.

I didn't manage to dodge the tail, she was dragging the other one behind her lifelessly, but this one had enough life for it to grab me. It tore into my gut and picked me up.

I'd like to say I took it like a champ, but I screamed a bit. Just a little. Not much at all really. I swear.

Even as the fire from the Bots crippled her arms. Even as the swarmers had fucked up her legs.

She pulled me close with that tail.

Right to her fugly face to take a big ol' bite of a Victor sandwich.

I rallied and stuck my bayonet right between her clusters of Eyes. As I coughed up blood.

I gave her a big scarlet colored grin, "Sorry Queenie, you're not my type."

I pulled the trigger.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, click click click. Empty, but I'd hit something vital with those last bullets.

She recoiled.

I laughed, like a maniac, as I pulled my axe and started swinging with all the strength I had left. I got a few whacks in. I claimed a few of her glowing green eyes.

I was flung away. Hit the wall hard, it rang my bell, but good.

Yeah, I wasn't getting back up anytime soon.

Oh gross, I thought I could see the ration bar remains oozing out of my stomach where she had ripped me open. Not something I'd ever want to see again.

I managed to weakly lift my head.

I saw as the Bots nailed that Bitch into the ground. Her days of laying eggs were over. We won.

I send a brief order to Meowser to get the Bots loaded up with ammo and to guard me before a black curtain fell upon my mind.

His "NYA!" of Acknowledgement was a comfort as the abyss rushed to meet me.