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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 5329757" data-attributes="member: 143">Session 29 (November 17, 2008)Chapter 132The natural beauty of the underground grotto was transformed into a shooting gallery as the Alphas engaged a small horde of snakemen. Vasily blasted a snakeman at close range, the plasma bolt punching through its torso.  As the alien fell, Vasily darted behind a nearby pillar, plasma explosions chasing him as he ducked behind the stone.  “Snakemen!” he yelled.  “Not seen you guys in ages!” He looked across the room, where his companions were likewise seeking cover.  All except Mary, who was shooting one of the aliens…and who seemed to be oblivious to another that was just emerging from around the far side of the pillar to her left.  “Cover, Mary!” he yelled, firing a shot that narrowly missed, streaking past the alien’s shoulder.  The Indian doctor let out a small shriek of surpise and darted back, grimacing as a plasma bolt clipped her thigh, staggering her but not really hurting her badly through her armor.  She ducked back behind another pillar near the staircase; the aliens followed, but before they could get an angle they came under fire from Jane and Hadrian, who in turn forced the aliens to retreat back to cover.  The Marine tossed a gas grenade that filled the air between two of the pillars with a bright burst of green smoke, obscuring several of the aliens.   Vasily heard Catalina’s shout of alarm, and moved around the far side of the pillar’s thick base.  The British agent was trapped in a tight crevice in the cavern wall, darting out to snap-fire bolts from her plasma pistol at the two snakemen keeping her pinned down.  One saw Vasily and shifted to face him, only to crumple as the Russian fired a bolt that clipped the side of its head.  The other one nearly caught him in the face, but he dodged back, and the bolt hit the pillar, spraying him with hot plasma but doing little real damage.  The alien slithered after him, but was distracted as Catalina emerged and shot it in the side.  Her pistol didn’t hurt it too seriously, but as it turned to face her again Vasily reemerged and blasted it, his cannon burning a hole in its torso.  The alien collapsed, still twitching, and continued to gyrate until Vasily finished it with one more shot to the head.  “You okay?” he asked Catalina, as she stepped clear.“Okay.  Thanks.”The two of them moved around the perimeter of the room, staying close to the cover of the pillars.  The fight was almost over; only two snakes were left, pinned down by the accurate fire of Jane and Hadrian.  They didn’t spot Catalina and Vasily until the Alphas were almost on top of them, and they didn’t even get a shot off as the pair blasted them from behind.  “Clear!” Vasily shouted, and Jane and Hadrian emerged from their cover, the Marine flashing a thumbs-up sign.  None of them saw the dark form that crept down from the ceiling, or the second shadow that rose up near the top of the stairs.  That one slipped across the edge of the landing that overlooked the grotto, until it crouched almost directly above Mary, who was leaning against the pillar as she checked her injured leg. Catalina sensed the faint hint of movement as the alien lowered its body into position for a springing attack.  Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the thing an instant before it lunged.  “Chryssalid!” she shouted.  She lifted her plasma pistol, but before she could fire, the other creature sprang down from the pillar above.  It landed a few paces behind her, and even as her mind registered its presence, it lashed out with its claws, knocking her flying a good five meters, until her legs clipped the edge of one of the pillars, and she flipped over wildly until her back cracked hard against the wall, and she fell in a limp heap to the ground.</blockquote>

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