Alien Mine Ch. 24

Jessica threw herself against the Om, her armor still like a porcupine with multiple monoblades extending twenty centimeters out from her armor, and they struck deeply into the Om. At the same time, she placed her hand against the body of the creature and activated the disrupter beam. An ear-splitting screech rang out while Jessica was ripped away and thrown to the ground, dazed but realizing the creature could be hurt.

Bugrov shook his head as the jamming of his BMI ceased and tac-grid repopulated and realized he was standing amongst Trangrods. He and the soldiers with him started firing before he realized the few Trangrods nearby weren't moving, but something up ahead was. He shouted when he saw Nelya stagger away from the tunnel wall, and a creature out of his worst nightmares struck out at Jessica. He started to fire, but the quickness of its movements and the blackness surrounding the creature confused his aim. Gathering the men around him, Bugrov ran forward to help.

Jessica threw herself to the side as the Om tried to pounce on her. Rolling, she jumped to the side, turning to meet it, but this time, a red beam slashed across her middle. Jessica screamed inside her helmet as the beam cut deep into her where the armor had been damaged, coughing on blood as her symbiont tried desperately to stop the bleeding. She fought to bring her weapon to bear on the om, but it moved too fast for Jessica's damaged body, and she screamed again as sharp tentacles plunged into her from behind, penetrating her spine and reaching into her brain. The symbiont analyzed the attack and realized the host would not survive. It could not be taken captive, so it executed the pre-programmed deconstruction, and the symbiont and host ceased to live.

Nelya launched herself at the Om at the same time she felt Jessica die. She struck with the monoblade while sending the blue beam curving around, trying to strike the creature from behind. The Om let go of Jessica's body, throwing it at Nelya as it leaped back. Then it struck again. Nelya cried out as the red beam slashed across her right arm, severing it at the elbow, and then she was grabbed and pressed against the tunnel wall. Icy cold entered her body as the tentacles once more reached inside of her, seeking the symbiont. The monobalde was useless this close, but the strength Rhys had given her was still there. Her left hand became a wolf's foot, with long Drans metal claws, and she drove it deep into the creature. The necklace around her neck dissolved, and the nanobytes flowed through her and into the Om. The nanobytes surged into it, seeking out and disrupting neural pathways as it was transmitted through the Om nervous system. The creature's defenses dropped, causing the blackness to fade and reveal the monstrosity underneath. It tried to break away, but Nelya held it in a death grip. She could feel herself fading, life slipping away. "Kill it!" She shouted her final orders, looking Bugrov in the eyes, "Kill it now, or it will kill all of us."

Bugrov and the remaining guard obeyed her last command, pouring fire into the creature that was killing their empress. Everything fired - volleys of grenades, remaining missiles, and tiger drones that attacked to rend with their Drans metal claws and teeth.

Rhys felt both deaths, but the 'One' didn't feel; it just killed, he thought as he entered the central chamber.