Super SciFi Smackdown

6.2 The Innocent

The ships movement drew Xacks from his dream. Looking over at Dana's naked pale, larvae like flesh he felt, well meaningful, if he was being honest. Slapping her ass, he woke her. Whatever this was she would want in too.

Minutes later he was in the cockpit, still naked and feeling drained. There was no one at the controls but they were in the air.

"Zero, you cunt!" He exclaimed aloud but without his usual venom. He was too content and seedy to really give a fuck, besides he owed the bastard one for saving him yesterday.

Heading back past the room he met Dana who was just pulling on boots as he past her in the hall.

"What's going on?" She muttered still bleary.

"Fucked if I know." He replied not pausing to wait for her.

There was a smell coming from the hold and it wasn't burnt toast.

"Zero." Xacks yelled into the silence. "What's going on?" But it was already apparent what the smell was.

"Oooly Fuck!" He heard Dana behind him.

"She is with me now." Zero spoke coldly.

"What kind of fucked up, god cult like shit is that?" Xacks found his venom in a heartbeat.

Normally he hated being ignored but this time he was too dumbstruck to worry about it. The android spoke to ClickClack in her native tongue and if Xacks had heard right, he told her to stop disposing of the crisped body and to roll him a fat, bile blunt.

He must have heard right because that's what she did, handing him the doobie which he took and sparked, inhaling the blueish smoke.

"There is a battle coming." Zero spoke in English. "I'm taking us to a living planet."

"A living planet?" Dana asked to Xacks delight, the shit was kicking in quick and he couldn't be bothered asking questions himself.

"This will be our last stand." Zero stated and that was all Xacks needed to hear. The rest was a blur as the ship's jump drive activated and he reached for his earthly assault rifle.

The decent to the planet would have been a smooth ride except for the fuckers blasting at the hull all the way down. Xacks hoped that Zero checked the planet atmosphere, because pretty soon they were going to have a hole letting the shit in.

Somehow they managed to land without smashing into the surface. The ships new shielding must have done a good job because they were still in one piece, despite several large openings letting the alien air in.

Xacks hadn't even thought about putting pants on when something buzzed past his head. Pink blood sprayed him as ClickClack went down squealing and clicking rapidly.

"You fuckers!" Xacks screamed in rage as he turned his back on the convulsing Crarab. Her pink extremities fully extended and flailing. Her exoskeleton smashed, sending shards into her organs. There was nothing he could do for her now, she was in death throes.

Elite armed soldiers stormed in through the living area, taking them from behind. It was strange, but he didn't feel that usual rush he got from battle. Sure he was as hard  downstairs as Thoracians got but he couldn't tell if it was the gear or the adrenaline. Either way he was going to enjoy this no matter how short it was.

Shouldering his assault rifle he pummeled with lead, the coward who shot an unarmed minor. It was always the innocent that copped it the hardest in any battle. Purposely aiming for the creatures armor he left the thug alive for later. The one behind him wasn't so lucky as the heavy element tore his face away, spraying gore on the team behind him.

"Wake the fuck up Zero." Xack yelled while dropping the empty clip and reloading. "We are under attack here."

A shot caught him in the shoulder shattering his joint and left his arm hanging by alien tendons. Xacks had just enough time to register the hit before a large reptilian creature launched out of the pack, catching him by the head.

"You don't look so good." The monstrous creature sneered, thick tongue dropping from his gaping mouth. "Might be a good time for a lay down."

"After you." Xacks creaked his reply as he unloaded Knapp's magnum into the things midriff spraying the things guts out its spine.

A flash caught his eye, literally. The pain was enough to almost kill his high. At the same time it was beautiful, each detail clear and crisp in his mind. He swore that he could feel the solid mass tearing a path through his face. He knew without ever having felt it before, that the sharp sensation, along with the illusion of  stabbing light, was his exposed nerve ending. It was exposed because his eye and everything north of it was gone.

With one good eye and half a brain he fell to his knees. Had most of his brain not been sheltered in his spine, it might have impaired his thinking more. As it was, it wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling. His body had stopped sending pain signals, writing his vessel off as defective. No point in feeling every little thing before you died.

Somewhere behind him Dana was making the small animal noises that human sometimes made. She seemed to be saying no a lot and repeating his name. Two figures passed him stepping over their fallen comrade and brushed him as though he was nothing and the thought annoyed him a little. His own body had written him off and now these two fuckers. With a twist he lashed out with his leg, twisting his body and dropping down on his back.

He didn't need to see his victim, he could feel him writhing under his leg as his spur's venom made it convulse. Instead he focused on the remaining enemy as it continued to ignore him and approach Dana. He really did want to do something but this laying down thing was too easy and even a little pleasant.

Just when he thought it was over something happened. It seemed to take forever as chunks of flesh flew from the creature and shards of metal sunk into its body. It spun violently leaking like a busted hydraulic line.

"Oo a wet one." Xacks tried to say followed by a laugh, but with only half a jaw, it was more of a death rattle.

Another figure appeared and he tried to focus on but his vision was all out and his time was up. His limbs had begun to contract and fail as his own fluid leaked away. Dana rushed to him but recoiled at the last second and the figure came closer. None of it mattered really, all his sensations were fading and it was time for a nap. The figure lent in and for the briefest moment recognition happened.

"Scott?" Xacks thought his final thought.