"It's not organic, but that doesn't mean it isn't a life form." Chlo said in her head.
It really did look to be made of a constantly shifting cloud of grey smoke. There was a head with two darker spots that might be eyes, but nothing that looked like a mouth. It moved on three legs, spread under it in a tripod shape. Four long arms ended in rows of sharp claws, she knew already how effective they were as weapons. Alyz believed in a strict code of combat, but the creature had killed a vast number of unarmed civilians. No warning or challenge was given, she swung her Nurigen blade, connecting with the lower part of its body.
"It bleed Chlo !" She shouted. "It bleeds."
Not really what most people would recognise as blood, just a fine cloud of particles that hit the ceiling and created a dark grey stain. To Alyz though the stain meant the creature could be hurt and if it could be hurt........... it could be killed.
Hurt or not, it was still very fast and it was on Alyz and clawing at her flesh in a fraction of a second. She'd hadn't felt anything penetrate her flesh in a very long time, but the claws of the creature went in deep and made her gasp. Alyz saw her blood spraying the corridor wall and knew she had to get out of the creature's deadly embrace. She couldn't swing her sword, so she grabbed at one of the arm clawing at her and it felt solid. It may have looked like a creature formed of smoke, but its arms were solid enough. Alyz had strength of her own, she twisted the arm she held, feeling the creature loosening its grasp. She twisted and threw with all her might sending the monster crashing off the corridor wall. Alyz ran, that was what the experiment was all about. She ran and took the first corridor on the right, then left and into what looked like some kind of cafeteria. Alyz heard nothing, but two steps into the room and the creature was on her back and ripping into her flesh again.
"Get it off you and I'll bring you back." Chlo was telling her.
Instead of slowing down, Alyz ran faster, scattering tables and chairs as she ran. They wanted to know if the creature could walk through walls, so she'd decided to find out. Alyz had accelerated to around forty miles an hour by the time she'd crossed the cafeteria. Just before hitting the metal wall at the other side, she turned and rammed the creature into the wall. Something gave, not the feel of a breaking bone, but something in the monster had been damaged. Alyz turned and grabbed it by whatever passed as a throat for the creature. She squeezed, ignoring the claws that were sinking a good four inches into her back.
"Nothing Chlo, no expression, no sign of pain. Is it even alive ?" She shouted.
Alyz kept her eyes on the expressionless face of the monster and kept squeezing. Its grip on her back loosened just a little and Alyz brought up her sword arm and rammed the Nurigen blade into its body. Alyz turned and threw the thing of smoke through the air, watching as it hit the serving area the other side of the room. The dark flow of particles that seemed to be its blood spirted out, leaving a dark stain over the shiny clean metal. Still it was on its feet, barely slowed down. It was up and hurtling at her again, its claws aimed at her face.....