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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 5145419" data-attributes="member: 143">And the funny part is that this isn't even the worst thing left in the alien arsenal that we haven't gotten to yet. X-COM veterans know what I'm talking about. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />* * * * * Session 19 (September 1, 2008)Chapter 71“Shoot it, SHOOT IT!”It wasn’t clear who yelled, or all of them, for their cries were drowned out by the sound of gunfire as the alien monstrosity surged toward them.  Bullets, laser beams, and plasma bolts slammed into the alien, which moved with an uncanny speed that caught them all by surprise.  The creature sprang forward, leaping up onto the edge of the building’s roof, digging in its hind claws before it jumped again, its momentum carrying it into the midst of the X-COM team.  Vasily was struck solidly in the chest, and went flying, tumbling head over heels before striking the ground and tumbling to a rough halt some ten meters back from where he’d been standing.  Zhang screamed as he was crushed under the creature’s bulk, and both Jane and James were knocked off their feet.  Hadrian and Kolkowski had avoided being hit in the initial rush, and both unleashed fire into the monster at point-blank range.  Hadrian fired his pistol into the joint where its right leg met its body, the plasma bolt thumping into its matted hide with little of the explosive force that the weapon usually evidenced.  The creature obviously felt it, but it turned and lashed out with a claw.  The Marine dropped into the stairwell and ducked, narrowly avoiding the sweep that gouged out runnels of stone and metal as the claws scored the ground around the stairs.  As the creature turned away, Kolkowski fired his G-36 into its backside, but the bullets merely bounced off its hide.  The guard yelled and drew out a stun rod, flicking its power switch and stabbing it hard into the creature’s rear.  The jolt got the thing’s attention, and as it spun around to face its tormentor, nearly taking off Hadrian’s face with one of its huge feet as the Marine peeked up from his shelter, looking for a shot.  Kolkowski tried to thrust the stun rod into its face, but the creature was faster, seizing him in one huge claw, lifting him off his feet.  It grabbed onto the arm holding the stun rod with his other claw, and with a yank tore the limb off at the shoulder. Kolkowski screamed, but that didn’t last long as it stuffed his head into its maw and bit down, severing his neck.  A blast of plasma flared against the back of the creature’s head as James shot it.  The alien turned, tossing Kolkowski’s body aside, roaring and flashing its bloody teeth at the doctor.  Jane fired her laser rifle, the beam slicing across its head.  The alien roared again, this time in pain, but she kept the weapon on target, and as it pulsed across its face one of its eyes swelled and exploded, leaving a trail of bubbling fluid running down its face.  The alien took a step toward them, stepping across the stairwell, but it staggered as a stream of armor-piercing rounds from his autocannon slammed into it from the left.  Vasily kept firing, and the alien lifted its arms to protect its face as it turned toward him.  Hadrian popped up and slapped something onto its heel just as it fell into a crouch and leapt forward toward the Russian.  It closed the distance between them in a flash, but as lunged to strike its right foot exploded with a dull thump.  The alien screamed and toppled over, striking Vasily a glancing blow that nevertheless still flipped him over, driving him once more into the ground.  He managed to roll away from the creature’s violent thrashings. Energy blasts continued to hit the alien as it dug into the ground with its claws and pulled itself up.  Even with a crippled foot and one eye destroyed it still seemed ferociously menacing, and it kept coming, creeping after Vasily rather than charging, leaving a bloody trail of mess behind it on the barren ground.  Vasily wisely chose to fall back.  His gun had been damaged, the ammo feed fouled by the latest impact, and he slipped out of the heavy harness as he retreated, letting it fall to the ground as he drew out his plasma pistol and started firing at the creature’s face.  Jane, James, and Hadrian kept shooting as well, but the alien kept on coming, closing the distance between them. “Back inside!” Vasily yelled.  He turned and started running now in earnest, but the alien, perhaps sensing that its quarry was about to escape it, surged forward, jamming its ruined foot into the ground, then springing off its good one into the fleeing Russian.  Vasily went down, and the creature rose triumphantly over him, lifting its claws into the air, forming them into fists like iron hammers. The other Alphas spun and abandoned their retreat, coming back toward the alien, firing as they came.  Plasma bolts exploded around its head, forming a cloud of white fire through which Jane’s laser pulsed eager lances of heat.  The alien’s claws came down, slammed into Vasily’s chest.  They came up again, but before it could finish the Russian off, Hadrian, now almost within its reach, lifted his pistol and fired a shot that vanished into the dark socket of its ruined eye.  The creature rose to its full height, claws clutching at the air, then it tumbled over backwards, landing with enough impact to shake the ground under their feet.  Jane and Hadrian rushed forward to make sure of it, while James bent over Vasily, a medikit already in hand.  The Russian groaned, conscious but spitting blood as his broken ribs poked into his lungs.  “That… hurt…” he managed, as James shook his head and stabbed the medikit into his chest.</blockquote>

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