Supernova Blitz

Chapter 32: Battle Against the Zarakyssns Part 2

Mina and Long have navigated through the service tunnels. They both gunned down a single bug that was exploring the tunnels and quickly fled down a connecting tunnel. Mina knows they don't have many bullets left between them. She has maybe a whole magazine left –about 50 bullets for her hybrid rifle- and she suspects Long has two spares, but isn't sure.

The two are following Grey's plan as it was for now. If all of the marines are headed to the hangar for the same victory by numbers ideal, then maybe they stand a chance. The roaches aren't altogether tough, even with their armor. There's just a LOT of them. And, reinforcements never seem to end.

The two young marines have to improvise as to how they're going to get there. This maintenance tunnel ends, and the hallways have a steady stream of bug traffic. The hangar bay is also about another hundred feet from where they are.

It's then that both the best and worst kind of terrible event occurs. The bugs are dragging humans by the door the girls are peeking out of.

One of those humans is Chief Petty Officer Alexander Grey.

The fact that he's alive alone is spirit lifting. Both girls were convinced that he explosively decompressed the room he was in by shooting through the hull. Instead, he must've shot the pressure sensor used to detect a hull rupture and slam doors shut around it. Next follows Fisher and the other marines that were with them.

Normally, Mina would never think of taking this chance. There are fourteen aliens, one to each marine that was there when Grey fell, minus Mina and Long. She doesn't have the ammo to simply spray and hope she hits them all, and she can't rely on Long. Long's not totally useless, but her hit ratio is not high. However, the aliens are distracted and marching along.

Her decision is reinforced when a VERY familiar female voice yells from up the hall ahead of them, "Let them go you disgusting bugs!"

Mina and Long both yelp, "Rena!?"

All three female marines whirl into the hall in near perfect sync. The bugs are genuinely startled that they're now surrounded. The three marines –Long following Mina's lead nicely- stay low and fire upwards, so that their friends are as safe as possible, given the hybrid rounds don't ricochet well.

Rena and Mina have always shared nearly one mind. They're twins. And, though they often see it as mundane and just another thing, their synchronicity is truly a gift at times. Now, they both instinctively start from their own left, firing on aliens in controlled bursts one at a time. Long's bursts are less seemingly choreographed, but aliens shot by neither twin fall alongside the others. Several aliens squeeze off muscle reflex shots, while only three of them are able to try and aim, but they all aimed at Rena, giving Mina and Long ample opening. Rena was smart enough to dive back into her cover.

With all hostiles down, the three regroup. Rena excitedly says, "How did you know I was here!?"

"Me? We were on our way to the hangar. How did YOU know WE were here?"

Rena replies smugly, "Pfft! 'Cause I'm a geniues, duh." Coincidence it was, then.

Rena asks Long, "You okay, Jess?"

Long nods nervously. She was present on the hull during humanity's first jump, but she didn't get a lot of time to shoot anything. It's easy to forget that this is her only real combat experience. Granted, the twins don't have much more, but they do, and they also have a lot more training.

Mina checks vitals on Grey, remarking quickly, "Good, he's alive. Let's try to get them all somewhere safe."

Rena asks, "You want to drag them all?"

"We can't leave them here."

"I know that, but there's no way we can carry everyone here."

Long interjects sheepishly, "Um... H-How come their eyes are open?"