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Independence Day 3

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  • Аннотация:
    "The United States did not have time to seriously colonize the space of the Solar System and build orbital defenses. The fleets of the alien invasion of the Alliance, which flew for 120 years, arrived from a star system located 20 light years from Earth. The aliens used a dark asteroid with a low albedo to cover their fleets from collision with space debris, which over decades of continuous acceleration had accelerated to tens of percent of the speed of light - hundreds of thousands of the speed of sound. The alien invaders of several extraterrestrial civilizations used a complex system of espionage on Earth, they captured large banks, corporations, and still did not fully understand people. Radio waves from Earth to the last world captured by aliens reached with a 20-year delay. The aliens believed that by destroying the most militarized country in the world (the USA), they would take over the world, saving it from nuclear annihilation. According to their data, the costs of US defense were equal to the costs of defense of other countries of the Earth and exceeded a trillion dollars per year. The aliens used their political spies, military spies and oligarch spies, whose cells were copied by their spy race (known as the Thing) to disable the global unique US missile defense and land in the North Atlantic. The largest alien ship was the size of Long Island, it splashed down near Britain (they considered Britain a US state). NATO media were captured by alien agents. They declared on behalf of their pseudo-humanoid spies that they have known people for a long time, Area 51 is their embassy, ​​they are the Men in Black, they came in peace and want to end wars. Part of the US military sabotaged the first contact, because they did not want to lose power on Earth and trust the aliens. They launched nuclear strikes on some countries in Africa and South America, Asia, which were going over as fake governments to the side of the New Masters of the Earth. A war with aliens began, similar to civil wars and coups d'état in a hundred countries. The working people of China led the world resistance to the new owners of banks and parasitic investment funds, the planet's AIs sided both with people (Asian) and with the invaders (many AIs in the US went over to the aliens). The deals on the peaceful sale of Earth's resources to the alien occupiers did not work out. The aliens switched to plan B, they used the hacked US global missile defense to strike the SCO and BRICS, not wanting to turn the Earth, to which they had been flying for 120 years, into a radioactive wasteland once and for all. Chinese bookmarks in the global US missile defense saved the world, the aliens were defeated, but their separate resistance still exists in the ruins of the USA, France, Britain, where there are sects worshiping non-humanoid aliens who used gene-ray (???) weapons to kill males (the aliens identified them as warrior individuals) and turn female humans into slaves (for non-humanoids - worker-queen individuals in anthill cities), where US women bear xenos larvae. The US has already sold its uranium and other rare earths to aliens, so officially this never happened in the US, "God forgot to spill it here", the US also prohibited Canada and Australia from developing their huge uranium reserves, which exceed the reserves of the SCO countries by 5 times, since this was also the property of the non-humanoid owners of the White House and the Pentagon with Wall Street and the military-industrial complex corporations of the States. Believing that the abundance of biological and nuclear weapons in many countries would become an obstacle to the purchase of earthly resources through fake officials and financiers - aliens through agents in the US and NATO diligently did not allow other countries to have their own missile defense (which the Arabs, Africa, half of Asia and all of South America did not have). Also, the agents of the alien The Thing (non-humanoid werewolves, copying earthlings at the cellular level with memories, as in the eponymous film by Carpenter in Antarctica or in the Marvel and DC films) bought on behalf of US scientists, who offered Russia 95% of the USSR's nuclear arsenals, sawed up, in the form of fuel for US and British nuclear power plants within the framework of "megatons to megawatts." The aliens wanted to disarm the Earth before arriving through globalization under the USA or Britain, but they miscalculated, the world was partly ready... Sursela Stavanger, a 25-year-old girl-agent of the PLA of the PRC, was 11 when, despite the protests of Asian AI in the USA, Texas separatists killed the giant Queen of the Pseudo-Englishmen, a race of alien psionic spies in biological spacesuits, somewhat similar to the film "Independence Day". She sent a call for help across the abyss of space, her party the sniki became uncontrollable and ultra-aggressive and the south of the USA was simply devoured by them, although before the murder of the queen they even "distributed longevity gel as humanitarian aid to the US elites who were going over to
  The United States did not have time to seriously colonize the space of the Solar System and build orbital defenses. The fleets of the alien invasion of the Alliance, which flew for 120 years, arrived from a star system located 20 light years from Earth. The aliens used a dark asteroid with a low albedo to cover their fleets from collision with space debris, which over decades of continuous acceleration had accelerated to tens of percent of the speed of light - hundreds of thousands of the speed of sound. The alien invaders of several extraterrestrial civilizations used a complex system of espionage on Earth, they captured large banks, corporations, and still did not fully understand people. Radio waves from Earth to the last world captured by aliens reached with a 20-year delay. The aliens believed that by destroying the most militarized country in the world (the USA), they would take over the world, saving it from nuclear annihilation. According to their data, the costs of US defense were equal to the costs of defense of other countries of the Earth and exceeded a trillion dollars per year. The aliens used their political spies, military spies and oligarch spies, whose cells were copied by their spy race (known as the Thing) to disable the global unique US missile defense and land in the North Atlantic.
  
  Sursela Stavanger, a 25-year-old girl-agent of the PLA of the PRC, was 11 when, despite the protests of Asian AI in the USA, Texas separatists killed the giant Queen of the Pseudo-Englishmen, a race of alien psionic spies in biological spacesuits, somewhat similar to the film "Independence Day". She sent a call for help across the abyss of space, her party the sniki became uncontrollable and ultra-aggressive and the south of the USA was simply devoured by them, although before the murder of the queen they even "distributed longevity gel as humanitarian aid to the US elites who were going over to their side..." Now the second fleet of the space-like NATO Alliance (which has many non-humanoid and quasi-humanoid species) has changed direction and instead of Alpha Centauri is moving towards Earth and will arrive in 18 years... Despite the fact that this fleet is 5 times larger than the fleet defeated by the SCO and BRICS forces, it will most likely be immediately more aggressive and will begin an attack from asteroids and Mars on Earth, so earthlings have very little time to create a space defense force. A young female hacker Sursele, together with a Chinese xenobiologist girl Kingj-Communist Party and an African mutant cyborg mercenary Felikin (production from the destroyed USA migrated to African countries) are going to explore a deep lighthouse at the bottom of the Atlantic, the so-called "Object Atlantis" as part of the "Lovecraft Horror" operation in order to understand how long the non-humanoid spy network The Thing (aka Carpenterians) has existed among politicians, military and scientists with financiers on Earth, to get as many surviving technologies and materials as possible in the underwater city of aliens, where there are biolabs for studying marine organisms (and in general, according to Internet legends, "Cthulhu" sleeps, a hybrid of an octopus with a dinosaur, bred by aliens long ago) ... Perhaps the African cyborg girl is a product of another extraterrestrial robotic race of traders, which has already suffered from the "Space Analog" NATO-bloc of hybrid wars and the purchase of resources through the substitution of politicians on different planets"? The main character's dark-skinned girlfriend dreams about lunar bases of other alien robots, Sursele and Felicin sleep together so that Sursele can hack her brain and get there, and Kingge is quietly jealous, studying the remains of aliens in the lab... a descent into the abyss on a special torpedo- and laser-equipped Chinese aqua-bathyscaphe-laboratory is scheduled for tomorrow...
  23 years. After the US coup d'état in the African nations, Felikin began to take interest in studying Chinese genetics and ancient cultures. After a few weeks of diving to the ruins of underwater cities, a mutant cyborg Felikin (formerly an African man) studied genetic engineering. He created his own hybrids between Chinese and African culture. Kingge is an intellectual beauty of Chinese nationality, with a keen interest in aliens. Kingge and her Felikin cyborg companion explored the ruins of an ancient Chinese city, now submerged beneath the waves. The once grand structures were now overgrown with strange aquatic flora and fauna, a testament to the passage of time and the relentless march of nature. As they swam through the crumbling corridors, Kingge's keen eyes scanned the murky depths for any signs of the alien technology she sought.
  
  Suddenly, a flash of bioluminescent light caught her attention. She signaled to Felikin and they approached cautiously, weapons at the ready. As they drew closer, they could see that the light was emanating from a strange, pulsating orb suspended in the center of a large chamber. The orb was covered in intricate symbols that seemed to shift and change before their eyes.
  Kingge reached out a tentative hand, her fingers brushing against the smooth, almost organic surface of the orb. As Kingge's fingers made contact with the alien orb, a jolt of energy surged through her body. She gasped, feeling a rush of ancient knowledge and understanding flood her mind. The symbols on the orb began to swirl and dance, forming intricate patterns that told the story of a long-forgotten civilization - the same civilization that the aliens she sought to uncover had once called their own.
  
  Felikin watched in awe as the transformation overtook Kingge. Her features began to shift, taking on an otherworldly beauty that seemed to defy human comprehension. Her eyes glowed with an inner light, and her skin seemed to shimmer and ripple like the surface of a still pond. As the change washed over her, Kingge could feel the alien knowledge merging with her own, enhancing her intellect and granting her powers beyond human ken.
  She turned to Felikin, her voice echoing through the ancient chamber. "Felikin, we must hurry. The knowledge I have gained tells me that the aliens are planning something terrible. They intend to unleash a weapon that will wipe out all human resistance and enslave the remaining population. We have to stop them, but we need more information first."
  
  Kingge swam swiftly through the ruined city, her newfound powers allowing her to navigate the treacherous underwater currents with ease. Felikin followed close behind, his cybernetic enhancements enabling him to keep up with her incredible speed.
  As they swam, Kingge's mind raced with the implications of the knowledge she had gained. The aliens, it seemed, were a highly advanced civilization that had long ago mastered the secrets of genetic engineering and biotechnology. They had created a vast interstellar empire, conquering and assimilating countless worlds in their relentless expansion.
  But something had gone wrong. The knowledge burst into Kingge's mind, causing her to falter mid-swim. "Felikin, the aliens - they're not here for conquest or to end wars. Their true goal is far more sinister. They're here to terraform Earth and use our biological matter as building blocks for a new colony."
  Felikin's cybernetic eyes widened in horror at this revelation. "But what about the peace talks and the deals? How can this be true?"
  
  Kingge's form glowed even brighter, pulsing with ancient knowledge. "It was all a ruse. The deals, the Area 51 'embassy' - they were meant to lull humanity into a false sense of security while they gathered information and resources. The alien ambassador was a biological weapon in disguise, designed to corrupt and enslave key figures in human society from within."
  She paused, scanning the murky depths for signs of danger. "The knowledge I gained is fragmentary and cryptic," Kingge explained as she swam with increasing urgency through the ruined city's watery avenues, "but it paints a dire picture. The aliens are far more advanced than we suspected - they can manipulate biology and technology in ways that seem almost supernatural to us. I sense they are already terraforming parts of Earth's biosphere to make it suitable for their needs."
  
  Felikin, navigating the dark, water-filled alleys with the aid of his enhanced vision and agility, replied: "The nukes, the gene-weapon... I thought those were just acts of war between us and the aliens, not the opening moves in an invasion of Earth itself! This changes everything, doesn't it? If their ultimate goal is to colonize the whole planet..."
  "We can't let it happen, Felikin. Earth is all we have." As Kingge and Felikin emerged from the submerged city, the surface world greeted them with a grim tableau of devastation. The once-thriving metropolis of London was now a crumbling shell, its skyscrapers reduced to jagged teeth against the gray sky. The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke and the distant rumble of gunfire echoed through the streets. The remnants of humanity huddled in makeshift shelters, their faces etched with fear and desperation.
  
  Kingge's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the desolation. "We need to find out more about their plans. The knowledge I gained is incomplete, but I know they have a base of operations here in the ruins. We need to infiltrate it and gather intelligence."
  Felikin nodded, his cybernetic enhancements whirring softly as he scanned the area. "I've detected a strong energy signature coming from the old Tower of London." As they approached the Tower of London, Kingge's eyes narrowed as she studied the ancient walls that had stood as a silent witness to countless invasions and battles over the centuries. The structure, once an impregnable fortress, now served as a focal point for something far more insidious and alien.
  
  "You feel that, Felikin? Something ancient and twisted resides here now."
  The ruins loomed before them, a sinister silhouette against the smoldering sky. Kingge could feel the taint of otherworldly power emanating from the crumbling walls, and a shiver ran down her spine as she stepped over the rubble-strewn threshold. The interior was eerily still, with only the distant echoes of her footsteps disturbing the sepulchral silence.
  "Careful now, Kingge," Felikin whispered, his enhanced senses scanning for any signs of life or danger. "This place feels... wrong." As Kingge and Felikin ventured deeper into the Tower of London, the air grew colder and heavier, as if the very atmosphere was infused with an alien presence. The walls, once adorned with the history of human conquest and intrigue, now pulsed with an otherworldly energy that made the hairs on the back of Kingge's neck stand on end.
  
  The first sign of the alien occupation was a grotesque mural painted on the cold stone walls. It depicted humanoid figures-women-bowing before towering, non-humanoid entities with elongated limbs and bioluminescent markings. The sight sent a wave of revulsion through Kingge, who clenched her fists in anger. "This is what they've done to our world," she growled, her voice echoing through the desolate halls.
  Felikin's cybernetic eyes flickered as he analyzed the mural. "The energy signature here is off the charts." As Kingge and Felikin delved deeper into the Tower of London, the alien influence became more palpable. The once-storied halls were now adorned with twisted, organic structures that seemed to pulse with an eerie life. The air was thick with a sickly sweet scent, like rotting flowers mixed with ozone. Kingge's breath hitched as she saw the first signs of the alien's handiwork: a group of women, their eyes glazed over and bodies marked with bioluminescent tattoos, moving in a trance-like state, tending to the alien growths.
  
  "Felikin, we need to be careful," Kingge whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant hum of alien machinery. "These women are under their control."
  Felikin nodded, his cybernetic enhancements whirring softly as he scanned the area. "I'm detecting multiple life forms ahead. Human and... something else." Kingge and Felikin crept through the shadowy corridors, their footsteps muffled by the thick, organic carpet that seemed to cling to the walls. The air grew heavier, laden with an intoxicating scent that made Kingge's head swim. She could feel the alien presence pressing against her mind, trying to infiltrate her thoughts, but she resisted, her will as unyielding as the ancient stones that surrounded them.
  
  As they rounded a corner, they came upon a vast chamber, its domed ceiling alive with pulsing, bioluminescent patterns. In the center stood a towering structure, a grotesque amalgamation of organic and metallic components. Atop it sat a massive, pulsating orb, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly iridescence. Kingge's eyes widened as she recognized the device from her studies: a gene-ray projector, capable of altering human DNA on a massive scale.
  "What is this place?" As Kingge and Felikin stared at the gene-ray projector, the chamber seemed to come alive with a sinister hum, the air crackling with energy. The pulsating orb atop the structure throbbed with an eerie rhythm, casting twisted shadows that danced macabrely on the walls. The scent of ozone and decay grew stronger, cloying and nauseating.
  
  Kingge's grip tightened on her weapon, a sleek, modified plasma rifle that hummed softly in her hands. "We need to take that thing down," she said, her voice steady despite the churning in her stomach. "If it's what I think it is, it's the key to their entire operation."
  Felikin's cybernetic eyes narrowed as he scanned the chamber, his systems processing the data at lightning speed. "Agreed. But we're not alone. There are multiple hostiles approaching from three different directions." As Kingge and Felikin stood poised in the pulsating chamber, the air crackled with an electric tension that seemed to pierce their skin. The gene-ray projector loomed before them, a monstrous testament to the aliens' sinister ambitions. The hum of alien machinery grew louder, and the shadows seemed to twist and writhe with a life of their own.
  
  Suddenly, the shadows came alive. From the darkness, a horde of twisted, non-humanoid creatures emerged, their forms a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and metal. They were the aliens' enforcers, their bodies bristling with organic weapons and cybernetic enhancements. Their eyes glowed with a malevolent light, and their mouths were filled with razor-sharp teeth.
  "Felikin, we need to move fast," Kingge hissed, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of alien machinery. As Kingge's words hung in the air, the first wave of alien enforcers charged, their metallic limbs clanking against the organic floor. Felikin's cybernetic eyes flickered, calculating trajectories and weak points with cold precision. He raised his dual energy pistols, the barrels glowing with a deadly blue light. "Cover me," he barked, his voice a low growl.
  
  Kingge nodded, her plasma rifle spitting bolts of superheated energy. The first alien enforcer took a direct hit to its chest, the impact sending it crashing into the wall, where it slid down, leaving a smear of ichor and sparks. The chamber erupted into a symphony of destruction, the air filled with the acrid scent of ozone and the sickening smell of alien blood.
  Felikin darted forward, his pistols dancing in his hands as he took down two more enforcers with surgical precision. As the battle raged, Kingge and Felikin moved with a deadly synchronicity, their bodies honed by years of combat and their bond forged in the fires of countless skirmishes. The chamber was a maelstrom of chaos, the air thick with the hum of energy weapons and the stench of alien viscera. Kingge's plasma rifle sang a song of destruction, each bolt tearing through flesh and metal alike, leaving a trail of smoldering wreckage in its wake. Her eyes were locked onto the gene-ray projector, her mind racing with the implications of its destruction.
  
  Felikin, meanwhile, was a whirlwind of death, his cybernetic enhancements allowing him to anticipate and counter the aliens' attacks with inhuman speed. His pistols bucked in his hands, each shot a burst of pure energy that tore through his foes with devastating effect. As Kingge and Felikin engaged the alien horde, a thunderous explosion shook the chamber. The ceiling above them crumbled, revealing a hidden passage bathed in an otherworldly glow. Through the newly created opening, Kingge caught a glimpse of a massive chamber, its walls pulsing with alien technology.
  
  "We have to move," Felikin growled, his cybernetic eye flickering as he spotted the opening. "That's our way out - and maybe more intel on their plans."
  Kingge nodded, her plasma rifle still crackling as she provided covering fire. "Agreed. But we need to disable that gene-ray projector first. It's the key to stopping their terraforming." She launched a barrage at the massive device, her shots causing it to spark and stutter.
  As they fought their way towards the gene-ray, Kingge noticed something disturbing. The mural she had glimpsed before suddenly seemed to shift, its figures now writhing with a disturbing fluidity that suggested something alive. The gene-ray emitted an odd whine, preparing to activate, its frequency climbing into dangerous territory that would transform her.
  
  Felikin grabbed her arm and yfried: "Don't let them finish that warm-up! Fire!" Their weapons unleashed simultaneously - her plasma rifle's destructive energy combined with his precision fire - melting through the delicate electronics of the alien machine. Sparks showered as critical components exploded in a shower of sparks and smoke. The chamber's lighting dimbled as emergency protocols activated, revealing a complex array of tanks and containment cells, all empty and defunct.
  Through the dust and smoke, Kingge saw dozens of alien pods floating in suspended animation, some damaged but others intact. Many still held... As the dust settled, Kingge and Felikin surveyed the chamber, their weapons still at the ready. The destroyed gene-ray projector smoked and sputtered, its once menacing glow now reduced to a flickering, impotent light. The alien pods floated eerily in the dim emergency lighting, their contents a mystery waiting to be uncovered.
  
  Kingge stepped closer to the nearest intact pod, her plasma rifle still crackling with residual energy. She peered through the transparent material, her brow furrowed in concentration. Inside, she could make out the vague silhouette of a humanoid figure, its features obscured by the pod's internal haze.
  "What do you think they are?" she muttered, more to herself than to Felikin. "Some kind of sleeper agents? Or maybe... experiments?"
  Felikin joined her side, his cybernetic eye scanning the chamber with a cold, analytical gaze. "Hard to say. But one thing's for certain - these things are bad news." Kingge and Felikin cautiously approached the intact alien pods, their weapons still at the ready. The chamber was eerily silent, save for the occasional crackle of dying electronics and the distant hum of the emergency lighting. As they drew closer to the nearest pod, Kingge's plasma rifle flickered, casting an eerie glow on the transparent material.
  
  Inside the pod, the silhouette of the humanoid figure became more distinct. It appeared to be a woman, her features eerily perfect and symmetrical. Her skin had an almost porcelain-like quality, and her eyes were closed, as if in a deep, unnatural slumber. Wires and tubes snaked from various points on her body, connecting her to the pod's complex internal systems.
  Kingge reached out with a gloved hand, gently tracing the outline of the pod's opening. "I don't like this," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Something about this feels... wrong." Kingge's gloved fingers brushed against the cool, slick surface of the pod. A sudden shudder ran through her body as she realized the pod's material was not merely transparent, but alive. Tiny tendrils of some bioluminescent substance pulsed beneath the surface, writhing at her touch. The pod seemed to shudder in response, and the figure within stirred slightly.
  
  Felikin's cybernetic eye whirred as he scanned the pod, his sensors detecting an unusual energy signature emanating from within. "I'm picking up an anomalous energy field," he reported, his voice flat and analytical. "Whatever this thing is, it's not human technology."
  Kingge's plasma rifle crackled with renewed energy as she took a step back from the pod, her instincts screaming at her to put as much distance between herself and the alien device as possible. "I don't care what it is," she said, her voice tight with barely contained tension. "We need to destroy it. Now." As she spoke, the pod's internal systems suddenly activated, bathing the chamber in an eerie, pulsating light. The figure within opened its eyes, revealing orbs that glowed with an otherworldly, sickly green luminescence. The pod's surface began to ripple and distort, as if it were melting and reforming at the same time. Kingge and Felikin stood frozen, their weapons trained on the rapidly changing pod as the figure inside began to move. The woman's perfect features twisted into a rictus grin, her mouth opening impossibly wide as she let out a high-pitched, inhuman shriek that reverberated through the chamber. The pod's surface split open, spilling a flood of luminescent fluid that instantly began crawling across the floor, seeking out both humans and their equipment.
  
  "Fall back!" Felikin shouted, already backing away as the fluid reached for his boots. "This is a containment breach!" He activated his plasma shield, the energy field flickering as the alien substance tried to penetrate it. Kingge fired a sustained burst from her rifle at the pod, the superheated plasma causing the material to bubble and steam, but the damage was superficial at best. The woman in the pod continued her inhuman shriek, her body contorting and elongating as the pod's contents merged with her flesh. Her skin took on a sickly, luminescent quality, and her fingers lengthened into razor-sharp talons. She burst free from the pod, her movements fluid and predatory as she advanced on Kingge and Felikin.
  
  "She's one of them," Kingge growled, her finger tightening on the trigger of her rifle. "A sleeper agent, waiting to be activated." She fired another burst, but the woman moved with inhuman speed, dodging the plasma bolts with ease. Felikin's cybernetic eye whirred as it analyzed the threat, his tactical systems struggling to predict the creature's movements.
  "Her neural patterns are off the charts," he reported, already calculating firing solutions. "She's not human anymore, not in any meaningful sense." The creature lunged, moving with inhuman speed and agility. Her elongated fingers struck like whips, aiming to disarm or disable Kingge and Felikin. Kingge rolled to the side, her rifle clattering across the floor as the woman's claws grazed her arm, leaving angry red welts. Felikin opened fire with his energy pistols, the beams sizzling through the air as he tried to pin her down.
  
  The woman's laughter, a haunting, inhuman sound, filled the chamber as she continued her relentless assault. Her movements became increasingly erratic, her body contorting and shifting as if it were made of liquid. Kingge and Felikin found themselves forced to separate, each fighting for their life as the creature's attacks became more frenzied and unpredictable.
  The chamber's lights flickered and died, plunging the room into darkness. In the sudden blackness, Kingge and Felikin relied on their enhanced senses and instincts. Kingge's cybernetic implants kicked in, providing her with a thermal overlay of the room, highlighting the creature's glowing form as it darted between them. Felikin's combat systems switched to night vision, his pistols tracking the creature's movements with deadly precision.
  
  Kingge, her breath ragged, pulled a grenade from her belt. "Felikin, cover me!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the darkness. She primed the grenade and lobbed it towards the creature's last known position. The explosion illuminated the chamber briefly, revealing the woman's distorted form as she lunged towards Felikin.
  Felikin's pistols roared to life, energy beams cutting through the darkness, but the creature was a blur of motion, dodging and weaving with inhuman agility. The creature's claws found flesh - ripping through his armor in a spray of blood. Felikin grunted in pain as she tore into his shoulder. Kingge's thermal vision showed his health dropping steadily from 67% to 51% in her HUD. "Need backup here!" she bled out a quick burst that caught the monster's shoulder, momentarily stunning it.
  The creature spun to face Kingge, her flesh rippling as she advanced. "Wrong choice," Kingge growled, using her rifle to create a distraction. Her shot went wide as the thing duoted around. "Your body language suggests you're tracking my thermal signature. Time to reset!" The beast's head exploded from a lucky shot, sending lumps of alien-infused tissue flying through the chamber. Its body spasmed, dissolving into a puddle of luminous gore that slithered towards the wall. The creature's remains crawled up the wall like a spider, leaving glowing residue. "Fall back!" Kingge grabbed Felikin, pulling him back toward the door. "Medical nano-salve in five seconds, don't you die on me now," she hissed, administering treatment to his shoulder while monitoring his deteriorating health readings. The alien's corpse dissolved completely, leaving a sickly phosphorescent stain on the wall. A distant howl echoed through the facility - others of its kind were approaching, drawn by the gunfire.
  
  The corridor was eerily silent as Kingge dragged Felikin deeper into the complex. Emergency lighting cast a crimson glow across empty hallways that were beginning to flood with alien secretion. The alien's dissolving body seeped from the chamber behind them, following in a sickly trail. The building's automated defense systems activated, beginning to pump toxic gas. "Sealed off the lab," she reported grimly. "But we bought time." She carefully maneuvered them through the alien-infested corridors, checking her tactical map for a suitable escape route. The alien corruption continued to spread through the ventilation system, leaving trails of luminescent gore that cast an eerie glow in the dim emergency lighting. Felikin's breathing became labored as the medical nano-salve worked to stem the bleeding.
  
  The corridor suddenly erupted in violence as a second creature burst from a side passage, its tentacles whipping through the air. Kingge shoved Felikin to safety and rolled, coming up into a crouch with her rifle raised. The creature was unlike anything they had encountered before, its body covered in writhing appendages. She opened fire, the plasma rounds searing through the monster's flesh.
  The creature split into three parts, each one more horrific than the last. Felikin, despite his injury, drew his pistols, firing energy rounds that tore chunks from the main body. Kingge's thermal vision flared as the three monstrosities attacked from all angles, their flesh sizzling under the relentless barrage. She gritted her teeth, feeling the strain on her suit's power core as she continued to fire. Her health bar dipped steadily, the creatures' relentless assault wearing away at her defenses.
  "Fuck this!" Felikin snarled, holstering his pistols and drawing twin blades that crackled with energy. He lunged forward, stabbing and slicing, carving glowing furrows through the monsters' rubbery flesh. The creatures retaliated, their tentacles wrapping around Felikin's blades, trying to wrest them from his grip.
  Kingge's rifle finally overheated with a warning whine. "Shit! Out of juice!" She dropped the weapon, drawing her own blade and hurling herself into the fray with a fierce yell. The creatures recoiled momentarily, their flesh sizzling where Kingge's blade connected. Felikin seized the opportunity, using his superior strength to wrench his weapons free. The creatures' tentacles retracted, their bodies beginning to merge back together, forming an even more terrifying amalgamation.
  
  A thunderous explosion rocked the facility, causing the entire structure to shudder. The ceiling cracked, releasing a shower of debris. Through the chaos, Kingge caught a glimpse of more creatures converging on their position from multiple corridors. "Multiple hostiles inbound!" she shouted, pressing her back against the wall as another explosion tore through the complex.
  Felikin's eyes locked onto a maintenance hatch in the floor, partially concealed by the spreading alien corruption. "There!" he pointed, already moving to pry it open. The creatures advanced, their tentacles reaching hungrily for the humans as the ceiling continued its ominous groaning. Kingge and Felikin fought desperately, their blades and energy weapons leaving glowing trails through the air as they carved through the alien horde. The creatures' bodies split and merged, their tentacles wrapping around anything they could reach. Felikin's powerful arms strained as he pried open the hatch, revealing a maintenance tunnel below.
  
  The ceiling finally gave way, a massive section caving in. Kingge grabbed Felikin's arm, yanking him away from the edge as tons of debris rained down. They rolled to safety, coming up in crouches as the dust settled. The creatures were momentarily trapped under the rubble, their writhing tentacles visible through the cracks.
  "Move!" Felikin shouted, already dropping into the maintenance tunnel. Kingge followed, her boots crunching on the alien corruption that had spread down here as well. The tunnel was narrow, forcing them to move single file. The maintenance tunnel was a maze of corroded pipes and emergency lighting. Water dripped from above, the air thick with alien pheromones and decay. Through the curved walls, the creatures' shrieks echoed as they dug through the debris.
  "Their flesh regenerates faster than we can cut them!" Felikin cursed, his blades leaving temporary wounds. The tunnel curved downward, descending deeper into the facility's bowels. The floor slicked with alien fluids. Their boots left prints as they ran, marking their path through the corruption. Behind them, something massive was burrowing through the ceiling, trying to track them by their blood trail.
  A maintenance junction came into view, branching left and right. The left tunnel's air felt fresher, the right led to a deeper industrial section. Through the walls, heavy machinery hummed. Felikin chose right, but the corrupted metal started giving way beneath them as they ran. As they plunged deeper into the right tunnel, the hum of machinery grew louder, vibrating through the soles of their boots. The air grew thicker with the stench of alien corruption and the acrid tang of ozone. The walls pulsed with an otherworldly energy, casting eerie shadows that danced macabrely in the flickering emergency lights.
  
  Suddenly, the tunnel opened into a vast chamber, a sprawling nest of alien technology. Massive, pulsating organs lined the walls, connected by a web of writhing tendrils that seemed to defy the laws of physics. At the chamber's center stood a colossal gene-ray projector, a monstrous device bristling with crystalline growths and throbbing with raw power.
  Kingge and Felikin exchanged a grim glance, knowing that this was the heart of the alien operation. They had to destroy it, no matter the cost. The chamber's architecture was a nightmare of organic technology, with alien growths pulsing in rhythm. The machine's power core thrummed with sickening energy, its surface covered in phosphorescent patterns that hurt their eyes. The organic components shifted and flowed like living mercury, threatening to engulf them if they got too close. The air thickened with alien pheromones, making their skin crawl. The nest's walls wept a sickly fluid that ate through metal and concrete, dissolving it into sludge.
  
  Felikin took point, his blades humming with deadly purpose. The organic architecture was trying to adapt, its surfaces rippling and reforming to resist their approach. The machine's core pulsed with increasing intensity, its power building to dangerous levels. Through the chamber's walls, the pursuing horde's shrieks grew closer, their claws scraping against metal. The machine's core would need to be destroyed, but the nest's defenses were already moving to protect it. The alien horde burst into the chamber with terrifying speed, their chitinous forms glistening in the pulsing light. Felikin spun, his blades a blur as he carved through the first wave of attackers. The nest's walls shifted and contracted, trying to envelope the intruders, but Felikin's relentless assault kept them at bay. The massive gene-ray projector loomed ominously, its power core glowing an increasingly intense purple.
  
  Kingge's thermal vision revealed the machine's structural weak points, pulsing with heat and energy. The nest's defensive systems activated, spraying caustic fluids that dissolved chunks of the floor around them. The air was thick with the sickly-sweet stench of alien corruption, and somewhere in the darkness, the horde's shrieks and clicking mandibles echoed ominously. The nest's defenses adapted, sending out waves of electromagnetic pulses that interfered with their gear. The machine's core built to critical levels, threatening to detonate. They had mere seconds to act before it overloaded. The organic architecture tried to absorb them, its surfaces rippling like living mercury, threatening to engrave them into its walls. The horde pressed in from multiple directions, their chitinous forms reflecting the sickly purple glow of the destabilizing core.
  
  Kingge positioned himself to strike the critical point, his weapon trained on the core's weakest section. The nest's defenses intensified, but Felikin's blades kept the horde at bay, his movements a deadly dance of steel. The core's glow reached blinding levels, threatening to overwhelm their optical sensors. The organic architecture convulsed, trying to seal them in, but their combat training held firm. As Felikin fought to keep the alien horde at bay, his blades flashing with each slash and stab, Kingge steadied her weapon with laser precision. She aimed squarely at the weakest point, a flicker of hesitation playing across her features. This would be it-the moment to decide the fate of the Earth's future against an invading species of unimaginable power. One shot was all they would have before the entire nest became their tomb, with the aliens and their machines overloading to ensure their victory, even at the cost of their own destruction.
  
  The chamber shook, the sickening pulses from the core reverberating through Kingge's very bones. Felikin gritted his teeth as the horde intensified its attack, their screeching reaching an ungodly pitch. A few broke past him, slashing with claws and stabbing with spikes. Kingge was forced to break from her targeting solution to protect them both. Kingge's rifle roared, the shot tearing through the air with a deafening crack. The bullet struck the core's weak point, and the chamber erupted in a blinding flash of light. The gene-ray projector exploded, sending shrapnel and alien viscera flying in all directions. The horde recoiled, their forms convulsing as the destructive energy washed over them. Felikin, his blades slick with alien ichor, stood his ground, his eyes locked onto Kingge's.
  
  The nest shuddered, its organic walls convulsing like a dying beast. The chamber filled with a cacophony of screams and the wet, tearing sounds of collapsing flesh. The horde, once a relentless tide, now thrashed in chaos, their forms dissolving into puddles of goo. The air was thick with the acrid stench of ozone and burning alien flesh.
  Kingge's thermal vision flickered, the sudden surge of energy overwhelming her systems. The nest's organic architecture crumbled, its support structures failing as emergency systems triggered. The pods containing the human specimens began floating in the vacuum, their preservation fluids bubbling. Through the chaos, she spotted one particular pod, its occupant still alive - a woman with distinctive features, preserved in a perfect state of suspended animation. The woman's pod's systems were still functional, her body suspended in the caustic air.
  
  The chamber's ceiling collapsed, chunks of alien biomass raining down. Kingge moved swiftly, slicing through the weakened structure with her blade while Felikin maintained defensive positions. The woman's pod detached cleanly, its magnetic seals giving way. The preservation fluids were beginning to crystallize from the thermal discharge, threatening to kill the occupant before they could reach her. They had mere seconds to act before the whole facility became their tomb. The woman's features were clearly European, her genetic markers suggesting some kind of enhanced engineering. The pod was massive, but manageable for two trained operators. Kingge and Felikin worked efficiently, extracting the pod with practiced precision. As they moved through the crumbling nest, alien fragments rained down around them, burning through their gear. The structure groaned oesophageal, its biological components deteriorating. They hauled the pod into a reinforced maintenance corridor, knowing they had maybe minutes before the whole facility imploded.
  
  The maintenance corridor provided momentary shelter, but the distant thrum of destabilizing architecture filled the space. The woman in the pod still lived, though the preservation fluid had turned a worrying shade of yellowish. Her features were elegant, almost regal - clearly engineered to serve some alien purpose. Kingge's medical scanners detected elevated genetic markers: enhanced immunity, accelerated healing, and enhanced combat capabilities. Whatever the aliens planned, this specimen was meant to be something more than mere human. The pod's power core was failing, its glow dimming rapidly. Kingge and Felikin raced against time to save the woman and themselves from the collapsing alien facility. The woman's pod flickered with weakening energy, and the preservation fluids inside began to crystallize rapidly. They needed to get the pod out quickly before it froze solid and the woman died, or the whole structure came down on top of them.
  
  Working swiftly, the two warriors dragged the heavy pod through the disintegrating corridors of the alien nest. The chamber walls pulsed with a sickly green light before shattering and spraying them with fragments of pulsating flesh-like material. Chunks of organic architecture rained down, crushing the remains of once-eloquent alien structures and leaving only the stark bones of a dead civilization behind.
  As they hauled the pod along, Kingge's medical scanner confirmed what she already knew - the woman inside had been genetically engineered. Her body was designed for enhanced combat performance and accelerated healing, but it was unclear what exactly the aliens planned to do with specimens like her. The pod's systems were failing fast, the preservation fluid freezing despite the facility's residual heat. The woman's breathing became more labored, visible through the frosted surface. They had to act quickly or she would die of asphyxiation. The pod's weight was becoming increasingly difficult to manage, its once-supple surface hardening as the fluid crystallized. The facility groaned ominously, its death throes echoing through the corridors.
  
  They rounded a corner into what had been a control room, now a field of shattered organic displays and dead alien tech. The pod scraped against the floor, leaving a trail of frozen preservation fluid. Through the frosted glass, they could see the woman's face - her features frozen in a grimace of agony, her enhanced biology straining against the encroaching cold. The pod's power core flickered one final time, and then went dark completely. As they hauled the frozen pod through the crumbling remnants of the alien facility, the woman inside started to convulse violently. Kingge's med scanner beeped frantically, showing that the woman's core temperature was dropping rapidly towards a critical threshold.
  
  "Fuck, we don't have long now," Felikin growled. He heaved his end of the pod, trying to quicken their pace despite the encumbering weight.
  The facility shuddered around them as if in sympathy with the woman's plight. Organic panels burst and spat gobbets of fleshy matter as the structure started to collapse. Overhead, stalactites of calcifying alien bone stabbed down from the ceiling.
  They burst out into an open plaza and skidded to a halt as a wave of searing energy pulsed out from an ominous-looking device in the center. Kingge quickly scanned it, her eyes narrowing at the readouts.
  "By the seven moons..." As Kingge's eyes scanned the device, she recognized it as a advanced alien weapon, a pulsating orb of dark energy that seemed to warp the very air around it. The orb hummed with a malevolent energy, its surface rippling with tendrils of darkness that lashed out like whips, carving deep grooves into the already devastated floor. The air crackled with static, and the hairs on the back of Kingge's neck stood on end.
  
  "Felikin, we need to destroy that thing," Kingge shouted over the cacophony of the collapsing facility. "It's a weapon, and it's about to go off!"
  Felikin nodded, his grip tightening on his plasma rifle. "On it. Cover me!"
  Felikin dashed forward, his boots slipping on the slick, crystalline surface. He skidded to a halt just a few meters from the orb, taking a moment to steady himself before raising his rifle. Felikin squeezed the trigger, a searing beam of plasma erupting from the barrel. The beam struck the orb dead-on, but instead of shattering it, the orb seemed to absorb the energy, its surface pulsing and growing even brighter. Felikin cursed and fired again, and again, but each shot only seemed to strengthen the weapon.
  
  Kingge, meanwhile, was frantically trying to hack into the device's systems, her fingers flying over the controls of her med scanner. She managed to establish a tenuous connection, but the alien technology was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was a tangled web of organic circuitry and quantum entanglement, and she could feel it resisting her every attempt to gain control.
  As Felikin continued to fire, the orb began to emit a low, throbbing hum that seemed to resonate deep within their bones. The frequency grew louder and started to make Kingge's teeth chatter. "It's evolving," she called out, "feeding on his blasts!" The device's surface rippled, expanding outward in a way that made her retch. A tendril caught Felikin before he could leap back, slapping him across his shoulder. He staggered, but maintained his position, switching to burst-fire mode, unleashing a relentless stream of superheated plasma.
  
  Through her scanner's display, Kingge caught a brief glimpse of how the device was being powered - by the woman's failing life force in the pod. The captive was somehow linked to the machine. The woman was acting as a kind of battery, powering this weapon. The pod was the key.
  "Fuck," Kingge gasped, "she's the key to shutting this thing down!"
  The woman in the pod suddenly convulsed, her body temperature dropping even more rapidly. The woman's death throes sent waves of power through the device, causing it to pulse with increasing intensity. The machine's surface became translucent, revealing complex geometric patterns that hurt to look at. The woman's suffering was being used to fuel its growth. Kingge's scanner showed her vital signs plummeting toward zero. The device's output was becoming unstable, threatening to detonate.
  
  Felikin's plasma fire had destabilized the core, creating a chain reaction. The device's surface became unstable, its geometry warping and twisting. The woman's body in the pod was now just a husk, completely drained. The device's frequency reached a critical pitch that made both their teeth vibrate. The weapon was about to detonate, and the pod's containment field flickered, failing. Kingge had mere seconds to act before the entire chamber imploded. Kingge's mind raced as she realized the dire situation they were in. The woman's life force was the key to shutting down the device, but she was already on the brink of death. Kingge's fingers flew over the controls, desperately trying to find a way to stabilize the woman's condition and stop the device's overload.
  
  Felikin, meanwhile, continued to fire at the unstable weapon, his plasma blasts now causing the device's surface to crack and splinter. The weapon's core pulsed erratically, threatening to detonate at any moment. The chamber around them shuddered and groaned, the alien technology straining under the onslaught of Felikin's relentless fire.
  Kingge's scanner showed the woman's vital signs flatlining, her body temperature dropping to critical levels. The device's power output was becoming erratic, the geometric patterns on its surface warping and twisting in a dizzying display. Kingge knew they were out of time. The woman in the pod convulsed one final time, her body going completely rigid as her life force was violently ripped from her. The device's surface erupted in a blinding flash of light, the geometric patterns burning themselves into Kingge's retinas. The pod's containment field flickered and failed, releasing a burst of energy that knocked both Kingge and Felikin off their feet. The woman's body crumpled lifelessly to the floor, her sacrifice powering the final, catastrophic overload of the alien weapon.
  
  The device's core destabilized completely, its surface cracking and splintering as it reached critical mass. The chamber around them began to collapse, alien technology crumbling under the strain. Felikin and Kingge scrambled to their feet, the floor beneath them buckling and warping. Through the chaos, Kingge's scanner showed the woman's life force had been completely drained, her body now nothing more than an empty shell.
  "Move!" Felikin grabbed Kingge by the arm, his grip firm and desperate. "We need to get out of here, now!" he shouted over the cacophony of collapsing alien technology and the screeching of the device's final power surge. Kingge nodded, her mind racing as she tried to formulate a plan. The chamber was a maelstrom of destruction, the air thick with the acrid smell of ozone and the taste of metal.
  
  They dashed through the collapsing facility, the floor beneath them buckling and twisting like a living thing. Felikin's plasma rifle blazed in his hand, cutting through any alien defenses that dared to impede their escape. Kingge's scanner flickered, her eyes darting between the device's erratic power readings and the crumbling structure around them.
  As they rounded a corner, they found themselves face-to-face with a squad of alien drones, their metallic bodies glinting in the harsh light of the failing power core. Felikin and Kingge stood their ground, weapons at the ready as the drones advanced, their mechanical limbs clanking ominously. The chamber around them shuddered violently, the floor buckling and twisting beneath their feet. Kingge's scanner flickered, warning of the impending collapse.
  
  Felikin's finger tightened on the trigger of his plasma rifle, the weapon humming with barely contained energy. "We can't let them slow us down," he growled, his eyes narrowing with determination. Kingge nodded, her own hand hovering over the trigger of her pistol. The drones surged forward, their mechanical claws extended and ready to rip into flesh.
  In a flash, Felikin opened fire, his plasma bolts slicing through the air and striking the leading drones squarely in their metallic chests. The blasts tore through their circuitry, sending sparks and molten metal flying in all directions. Kingge dove for cover as Felikin's barrage of plasma fire tore into the advancing alien drones. The bolts of searing energy punched clean through the metal chassis, sparks and shrapnel erupting in their wake. Kingge rolled behind a crumbling pillar, narrowly avoiding the claws of a drone that sought to impale her.
  
  Felikin pressed forward, his rifle blazing with each step. Plasma bolts scoured the walls and ceilings, tearing through alien architecture and raining debris down on the drones below. The mechanical creatures scattered, their once coordinated assault dissolving into chaos under Felikin's onslaught.
  Kingge peeked out from behind the pillar, her pistol at the ready. She picked off the stragglers with precise shots to their sensory arrays, rendering them blind and vulnerable. Felikin and Kingge fought in tandem, their combined firepower cutting the drones down like stalks of wheat. As the last of the drones fell, their metallic bodies clattering to the floor in a heap of twisted scrap, Felikin and Kingge shared a brief, tense nod. The chamber around them groaned and shuddered, the walls buckling inward as the alien facility began to collapse in earnest. They had to move, and fast.
  
  Felikin turned to Kingge, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of destruction. "We need to find a way out of this death trap. Any ideas?"
  Kingge's eyes scanned the chaotic landscape, her scanner flickering with urgent warnings. "There's a maintenance shaft nearby. If we can reach it, we might be able to use it to escape the collapse."
  They dashed through the crumbling corridors, the air thick with dust and the acrid smell of burning alien tech. Felikin's plasma rifle roared to life as more drones appeared, their metallic forms emerging from the shadows like specters. The maintenance shaft loomed ahead - a narrow vertical tunnel, just wide enough for one person. Kingge reached it first, dropping down into the darkness while Felikin provided covering fire. The shaft was slick with some kind of alien ichor, making the descent treacherous. "Careful!" he warned as his boots slipped on the slime, nearly losing his footing. The drones pursued, their metallic limbs screeching against metal as they descended after them.
  
  The shaft plunged deep into the earth, the descent taking them through layers of alien architecture. Their boots found purchase on maintenance rungs, but the drones followed relentlessly. Halfway down, Kingge's scanner picked up a sickening smell. "Biological contamination ahead," she warned, pointing to a cloud of purple vapor rising from below. The shaft opened into a chamber where more drones awaited, their metallic forms glinting in the darkness. The drones had a height advantage, positioned on platforms above. Kingge and Felikin exchanged a glance, both realizing the perilous situation they found themselves in. The drones above them opened fire, sending a barrage of searing energy bolts raining down upon the duo. They dove for cover behind a cluster of jagged, crystalline formations that jutted from the chamber walls.
  
  The crystalline formations, pulsing with an otherworldly inner light, seemed to absorb the energy blasts, deflecting them harmlessly. Kingge's scanner flickered wildly as she examined the crystals, her brow furrowed in concentration. "These formations are highly unstable," she warned. "If we can somehow destabilize them, it might create an opening for us to escape through."
  Felikin nodded grimly, raising his plasma rifle to return fire. The muzzle flashed brightly as he targeted the drones' weapons systems, sending them sparking and shorting out. As Felikin's plasma rifle roared, Kingge quickly scanned the crystalline formations, her fingers dancing over the holographic interface of her scanner. She found the frequency that would destabilize the crystals. She turned to Felikin, her eyes wide with a mix of determination and desperation. "I've got it! I can destabilize the crystals, but I need you to create a distraction. We need to take out as many of those drones as possible before the crystals go critical."
  
  Felikin grinned, a wild and reckless glint in his eyes. "Leave it to me," he growled, his voice a low rumble. He stepped out from behind the crystalline formations, his plasma rifle blazing. The chamber erupted in a symphony of destruction as he laid down a barrage of fire, targeting the drones' weak points with precision. The drones, caught off guard by his sudden assault, struggled to regain their footing, their energy bolts flying wild. The destabilization sequence initiated, the crystals beginning to pulse with an unstable frequency. The chamber's temperature spiked as the formations vibrated, their translucent surfaces cracking. The drones above wobbled on their platforms, their targeting systems going haywire as the destabilized minerals interfered with their sensors. The chamber's structural integrity failed, chunks of mineral falling away as the destabilization spread. The drones' attacks grew more erratic, their shots going wide as their aim destabilized. The platform above them crumbled, threatening to collapse.
  
  Kingge timed her detonation perfectly, triggering the cascade effect just as Felikin's barrage reached its crescendo. The chamber's ceiling gave way in a catastrophic cascade of mineral shards and metal. The falling debris crushed two drones, their bodies crumpling with satisfying crunches. The destabilized crystals released a blinding flash of light, temporarily blinding the remaining drones. Kingge and Felikin leapt into action, their reflexes honed by years of combat. They sprinted for the newly created opening, the chamber collapsing around them. Felikin's rifle roared as he targeted the remaining drones, his shots precise and deadly. Kingge's scanner flickered wildly, guiding them through the labyrinthine corridors of the alien base.
  
  The base shuddered violently as the destabilization spread, the corridors twisting and warping. Felikin and Kingge found themselves in a race against time, the very structure of the base threatening to collapse around them. They pushed forward, their lungs burning and their muscles screaming for relief. The corridors narrowed, forcing them to press close together, their bodies brushing against each other with each step.
  As they ran, Kingge's scanner detected a hidden chamber, its location obscured by the base's advanced shielding. She relayed the information to Felikin, her voice strained with exertion. "There's a hidden chamber ahead." Felikin and Kingge burst into the hidden chamber, their hearts pounding in their chests. The room was dimly lit, the air thick with an otherworldly energy. In the center of the chamber stood a massive, pulsing orb, its surface shimmering with an eerie, bioluminescent glow. Tendrils of energy snaked out from the orb, connecting it to a network of crystalline structures that lined the walls.
  
  Kingge's scanner flickered wildly as she approached the orb, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and trepidation. "This... this is the source of the base's power," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the orb. "If we can destroy it, we can cripple the entire alien operation."
  Felikin nodded, his jaw set with grim determination. He raised his plasma rifle, the weapon's barrel glowing with an intense, blue-white light. Kingge and Felikin cautiously approached the pulsating orb, their senses heightened and their weapons at the ready. The air crackled with an otherworldly energy, the tendrils of light snaking across the chamber walls casting an eerie glow. Kingge's scanner flickered erratically, struggling to penetrate the alien technology's advanced shielding.
  
  As they drew closer to the orb, a sudden movement caught their attention. A figure emerged from the shadows, her movements jerky and unnatural. It was a woman, but something was terribly wrong. Her skin was ashen, her eyes glassy and lifeless. She stumbled forward, her limbs moving with a mechanical precision that defied human physiology.
  Kingge gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my god, Felikin, look at her. She's... she's not human anymore."
  Felikin's grip tightened on his rifle, his finger hovering over the trigger. "Stay back, Kingge." Kingge and Felikin exchanged a tense glance as the woman drew closer, her movements growing more erratic. The orb pulsed faster, its tendrils snaking out with increased intensity. Suddenly, a realization struck Kingge like a lightning bolt. "Felikin, I think... I think she's powering the orb. That's why it's so strong now. She's a living battery!"
  Felikin cursed under his breath, his mind racing. He knew they had to act fast before the woman became completely consumed by the alien technology. "Kingge, try to find a way to disconnect her from the orb. I'll cover you."
  Kingge nodded, her fingers flying across the controls of her scanner. She zeroed in on the woman's life signs, the pulsing orb, and the intricate web of energy connecting them. As she studied the patterns, a glimmer of hope emerged. Kingge and Felikin cautiously approached the woman, their senses heightened and their weapons at the ready. The air crackled with an otherworldly energy, the tendrils of light snaking across the chamber walls casting an eerie glow. Kingge's scanner flickered erratically, struggling to penetrate the alien technology's advanced shielding.
  
  As they drew closer to the orb, a sudden movement caught their attention. A figure emerged from the shadows, her movements jerky and unnatural. It was a woman, but something was terribly wrong. Her skin was ashen, her eyes glassy and lifeless. She stumbled forward, her limbs moving with a mechanical precision that defied human physiology.
  Kingge gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my god, Felikin, look at her. She's... she's not human anymore."
  Felikin's grip tightened on his rifle, his finger hovering over the trigger. "Stay back, Kingge." Felikin charged up his plasma weapon as the woman-shapeshifter lurched toward them, limbs moving with unsettling, jerky precision. With a grunt of effort, he fired a salvo directly at the woman's chest, blue energy blasting in an arc through the air and striking her head-on.
  
  The shots punched through the shapeshifter's form, but it seemed to only make her pause, as the blue energy raced up the cords connecting her body to the glowing orb. Kingge watched in horror as it surged outward, the cords vibrating and then bulging in size. Suddenly, the entire orb pulsed larger, its emanating energy now at a terrifying intensity.
  "The orb! The plasma is... powering it?!" Kingge shouted. She dove toward the woman as the shapeshifter stood frozen, dark eyes wide as Felikin continued peppering her with searing blue bolts that disappeared up her body's cables. Felikin's onslaught abruptly halted as a hand clamped on his shoulder - the shapeshifter lunged, supernaturally fast, moving from still and shocked to attacking. In a spray of sparks and crackling air, a plasma lance blasted out to cleave clean through the attacker's arm in a blur of incandescent orange, severing it at the shoulder. She howled - not a cry of pain but of fury.
  
  The woman at the orb jerked forward, but Felikin heaved Kingge out of her reach. Tendrils snaked toward the woman. As the glowing ends kissed her flesh, the cables extending from her to the pulsing orb stretched tighter, cord-like strands coiling down the length and bunching on her limbs in loops.
  "Something's happening with her," Kingge called out as the woman twisted in place. Her eyes slammed shut and back arched as blue electricity crawled down her body.
  "It's connected," Felikin realized. As Felikin and Kingge stared in abject horror at the woman convulsing on the platform before them, tendrils of roiling, baleful light knotting themselves in loops and writhing tight around her heaving limbs. The very same cords pulsed an unnerving scarlet through to the massive alien orb.
  
  Their attention jerked with a sick lurch back up to the cavernous main space beyond, in time to spy a cavalcade of reinforcements piling through an arched passageway-the aliens coming forth in numbers much greater than anticipated and all that were previously destroyed combined!
  Felikin grabbed for a spare charge from his bandoleer with haste and fervency, their advantage swiftly deteriorating. Kingge flashed her lights erratically toward him-a silent and shared urgency.
  "This place is turning our own weapon against us!" Felikin shouted.
  Just then, in a streak of fire across the orb's surface, searing threads ignited through that network of lashing light cables. As Felikin hastily snatched up another charged cell for his plasma rifle, the pair witnessed the horrifying spectacle unfolding. With each surge of electrical energy absorbed into the woman's writhing body and transmitted through those glowing cables to the pulsing orb, a new burst of power emanated from its radiant surface in a concentric wash.
  
  The invaders surging forward from the distant passage slowed and gaped at this sudden turn, as did Kingge and Felikin. But as Felikin pulled his rifle up, sights lining down his arm to peer across the glowing arc of his optic, he was appalled to witness the horde of monstrous creatures burst forward into a ragged charge once more.
  "What now, Felikin?!" Kingge called out sharply. "If the orb keeps charging up with all that power..."
  "We'll need to destroy it directly!" Felikin finished her grim thought, fingers squeezing the trigger. Kingge blanched, "Not the woman up there with it!"
  "No," Felikin insisted, firing shots at the monsters. "Aim for the controls, if such a thing exists...!"
  
  Their pulses pounded at the insane realization that they faced an entire alien nation's military and must now penetrate this alien "city" if they were ever to hope of finding and felling the organic core at this orb's hub. Kingge fired a new barrage at their attackers as a shimmer passed over Feliken's skin at the searing of his optic when he gazed on an alien so radiant and ferocious they were blistered by its glance.
  "What..." Kingge pulled back her optics, stunned.
  "Move quickly!" Feliken shouted. In a fluid series of leaping bounds, they passed the edge of the entryway. Sparks flew from metal and ceramic alike with each round of suppressive fire from both their plasma weaponry. Kingge fired another volley from her plasma pistol, the searing beams of concentrated energy slicing through the air and detonating against the onrushing horde of monstrosities. Dozens more of the pulsating, vat-grown creatures were reduced to cinders as the pair pressed ever deeper into the bowels of this colossal alien construct.
  The walls bled an otherworldly glow, pulsing in time to some unearthly rhythm and sending eldritch shadows twisting across the contoured surfaces of the corridor. Tendrils of writhing, bioluminescent filaments spiraled up along the ceiling's undulating folds, their inhuman hues blazing with increasing intensity as the female sacrifice's lifeforce was more fully drained. The very ground shuddered and shuddered beneath their footfalls, as though the entire world were a captive vessel, its integrity straining in the face of a rising, seething power.
  "That's it then, isn't it?" The horror-stricken scream tearing from Feliken's throat coincided with a gout of radiant force bursting forth to tear at Kingge. One ragged fist shoved against an obsidian support strut; her pistol tumbling free in an effortless fluid motion and scooping the charged cells still clasped by stiffened fingertips before leaping straight toward where she saw their alien "chess queen" explode back, driving their enemy a final meter, when it ground down.
  Held upright between one monstrosity and its clutch-mate's collapsing frame, they began convulsing and blasting a screaming hell back from all points inward on Felikin as she wedged in amidst that rattle and fall like an enraged wolf bayed among her enemy.
  Their newest invader found Feliken more deadly yet still with only pistol to blister hideous grey-fleshed beings from off that massive bone-inorganic rifle heaped now under an explosive flash, burning beams arcing free at all approaches... Kingge and Felikin fought their way through the alien-infested corridors, their hearts pounding with adrenaline and fear. The monstrous creatures attacked from all sides, their pulsating, vat-grown bodies writhing with unnatural energy. Kingge's plasma pistol seared through the air, its concentrated beams of energy slicing through the horde and reducing dozens of the creatures to cinders with each volley.
  
  As they pressed deeper into the bowels of the colossal alien construct, the walls bled an otherworldly glow, pulsing in time to some unearthly rhythm. Eldritch shadows twisted across the contoured surfaces of the corridor as tendrils of writhing, bioluminescent filaments spiraled up along the ceiling's undulating folds. The very ground shuddered and shuddered beneath their footfalls, as though the entire world were a captive vessel, its integrity straining in the face of a rising, seething power. Kingge screamed as a torrent of radiant force burst forth, tearing at the both of them and slamming the duo against a twisted obsidian strut. She quickly scooped up a pistol with an additional clip of energy cells from stiffened fingertips while wedging themselves into the seething melee like a pack of wolves unleashed.
  
  Sweat slicked Felikin's face, matting damp curls to a scalp now rigid with fear but the hard shine of eyes more icy than they had ever looked as they sighted along their barrel, gunpowder scouring their nose... yet she still saw all and nothing even in the immediate inferno engulfing the trio. Kingge and Felikin stood side by side, pistols trained on the pulsing, membranous walls of the chamber. The very air hummed with an unnatural energy, and the alien tech surrounding them pulsed in eerie synchronization with the eldritch throb of some unseen heart.
  
  "We have to find a way out of here," Kingge hissed, her finger tensing on the trigger. "Before whatever that thing was decides to pay us another visit."
  Felikin nodded grimly, never taking her eyes off the flickering shadows cast by the pulsing light. "I agree. But first, we need to figure out what the hell this place is."
  As if in response to her words, a low, gurgling hum began to emanate from the walls, rising in pitch until it threatened to drown out all other sound. Kingge gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to cover her ears.
  "That can't be good," she muttered. Kingge's plasma pistol spat searing arcs of energy at the onrushing horde of alien drones, their pulsating, vat-grown bodies writhing with unnatural energy. The beams of concentrated force sliced through flesh and bone, leaving smoldering craters and charred, twitching carcasses in their wake. To her left, Felikin pumped round after round into the mass, her rifle barked and kicked as she methodically stalked the closest targets, bullet after bullet punching through the enemy's grotesquely altered physiologies.
  
  Even as they waded through the seething chaos, the walls themselves seemed to convulse and quiver, bulging outward as though some monstrous pressure built on the other side. Eldritch shadows twisted grotesquely, the bioluminescent filaments slithering like serpents above their heads and the very stone shuddering from the eldritch vibrations resonating through its depths. "Over here, on the left wall! Looks like a passage..."
  
  Felikin spun around as the pulse of power rippled over Kingge, eyes fixing on a slight disturbance amidst the thrumming horror surrounding them.
  "What are-?"
  But whatever words the commander meant to form choked in Felikin's throat as she focused in on that ripple - more like a convulsion or...something tearing itself from that viscous mass? Fingers emerged from the twitching pulsation of shadows and viscera. Those same hands she recalled reaching up and down a sweat-dappled naked female form the other night during that torrid escapade to quench burning passions! Were it not for Kingge's decisive handiwork back in that fateful shower stall at base HQ... One shuddered to ponder where things could've headed when it all exploded - pun most assuredly intended... Kingge and Felikin's hands gripped their pistols tightly as the pulsing of the alien flesh intensified. Suddenly, a massive humanoid figure tore itself free from the wall, landing heavily on all fours in front of them. It looked vaguely human but was covered in glistening black chitin and multiple limbs that twisted and writhed grotesquely.
  
  "That's new..." Kingge said grimly as she aimed at the creature. "Ready on your signal."
  Felikin nodded, watching the thing with a mix of revulsion and morbid fascination. It appeared to be...sucking the nutrients out of the fleshy wall, drawing back its long, barbed tongue to lap up the oozing fluids.
  "Steady..." she cautioned. Her finger hovered near the trigger as the creature lifted its head, black eyes glittering in a grotesquely elongated skull. When it opened its jaws, rows of jagged fangs glinted. As Kingge and Felikin braced themselves, the monstrosity lunged, launching itself forward on all fours with unnatural speed. Flesh ripped as it tore itself free of the pulsating mass, splattering the corridor with gore.
  
  "Now!" Felikin roared, unloading her rifle into the charging creature. Rounds tore through chitinous hide and pulsing muscle as Kingge unleashed a torrent of searing plasma blasts that carved through flesh like a laser beam through cheese. Still the monstrosity came on, all twitching claws and gnashing fangs.
  A tremendous explosion rocked the facility as Felikin and Kingge's combined onslaught struck true, igniting the alien's blood and tissue into a fireball that lit the corridor in harsh, strobing light. Acrid smoke stung their eyes as they blinked, catching sight of the creature's disintegrating form crumbling into nothingness before them. As the smoke cleared, Felikin and Kingge cautiously advanced, weapons at the ready. The passageway ahead seemed to twist and undulate before their eyes, defying the very laws of physics. A low, pulsating hum emanated from the depths, setting their teeth on edge.
  
  Suddenly, a flurry of movement caught their attention. A horde of grotesque, misshapen creatures emerged from the pulsing walls, their bodies a twisted amalgamation of flesh and machinery. They skittered and crawled, filling the corridor with a cacophony of chitinous clicking and wet, slithering sounds.
  "Contact front!" Felikin barked, opening fire with a barrage of suppressing rounds. The corridor erupted in a storm of muzzle flashes and the sharp bark of high-powered rifles as Kingge joined the fray, her plasma weapon cutting swaths through the oncoming horde. The cacophonous rattle of automatic weapons fire and the hiss of searing plasma filled the corridor as Kingge and Felikin poured fire into the onrushing mass of horrors. Gouts of blood, gobbets of flesh and viscera spattered the pulsating walls as rounds tore through chitinous carapaces and blasts of superheated plasma vaporized flesh and circuitry alike. Yet for every one of the creatures that fell, a dozen more seemed to emerge, the writhing, undulating mass surging ever closer. The stench of burnt circuitry and seared flesh choked the air.
  
  "They just keep coming!" Kingge yelled over the din, frantically swapping out depleted magazines. The barrel of her rifle glowed cherry red with the heat of continuous fire.
  Felikin popped a magazine from her webbing and shoved a fresh one home, all while never slowing the cyclic fire of her assault rifle. "Back to back!" she yelled. The alien horde pressed in from all sides, their writhing forms seeming to materialize from the very walls. Felikin and Kingge pressed back-to-back, their combined fire tearing through the unrelenting tide of monsters. Plasma seared flesh, ripping and tearing, while rounds from Felikin's rifle tore through chitinous carapaces in staccato bursts.
  
  The pair moved as one, their movements synchronized through long hours of training and countless battles side by side. Where Kingge's blasts scalded and vaporized, Felikin's precise shots targeted and crippled, felling the creatures even as more swarmed in.
  The corridor's pulsing, undulating walls seemed to breathe with a hideous, putrid stench. Acrid smoke choked their lungs and blurred their vision as the cacophonous clash of plasma fire and gunshots deafened their ears. Still, they fought on, driven by desperation and grim determination. The alien horde surged through the undulating, pulsating chamber, their relentless advance threatening to overwhelm Kingge and Felikin. The combined firepower of rifle and plasma cutter tore through hideous flesh, searing and dismembering their foes.
  
  "King! To the power core!" Felikin yelled urgently, her battle-hardened nerves steeling even as the bloodlust of carnage surged through her system. She changed magazines with fevered haste, the roar of her own rifle and the hiss of King's plasma cutter temporarily drowning out even the cacophony of the encroaching horrors.
  Kingge threw herself into the fray, her plasma torch cutting swaths through writhing creatures, their carcasses dissolving under the searing heat. Viscera sputtered and the stench of burnt circuitry added to the miasmic reek enveloping the chamber. Kingge and Felikin's back-to-back dance of death finally winnowed down the relentless horde, leaving only a pile of twitching, dissolving carrion at their feet. Panting harshly, drenched in a mixture of foul ichor and their own perspiration, they stared into the gloom with bloodshot eyes, awaiting any further assault from the eldritch depths. The pulsing chamber walls seemed to recoil from their glare, the eldritch glow from beyond the next arc of undulating flesh and unnatural energy both beckoning and repulsive.
  
  "The hell was that...?" Kingge panted out, wiping sooty sweat from her brow. The acrid bite of burnt circuitry clung to the back of her throat.
  "I don't know..." Felikin murmured grimly, popping her rifle's breach to check her ammo count with a grunt. "But those things are bred for slaughter..." Kingge and Felikin advanced cautiously, weapons at the ready, as they penetrated deeper into the eldritch heart of the alien construct. The very air seemed to throb with a palpable energy, the chamber's undulating walls pulsing in time with their own quickened heartbeats. Kingge's thermal overlay flickered, the unnatural heat and energy signatures making it nearly useless.
  
  Ahead, a seething, luminescent portal opened, bathing the corridor in an eldritch glow. Tendrils of roiling mist seeped through, and Felikin caught the barest hint of movement within. She signaled Kingge with a curt gesture, her rifle aimed steadily at the shifting portal. They crept forward, each step leaden with the knowledge that something horrific surely lurked within the eldritch gloom.
  Kingge peered through the seething mists, her eyes widening at the sight that met her gaze. As Kingge and Felikin inched closer to the luminescent portal, the mists parted enough to reveal a scene that defied comprehension. A massive, fleshy chamber lay before them, filled with writhing, pulsating flesh that formed an intricate network of tunnels and chambers. The walls were alive, undulating with a sickening rhythm, and scattered throughout were humans in various states of... transformation. Some were encased in cocoon-like structures, their bodies convulsing as they morphed into grotesque hybrids. Others were suspended in mid-air, limbs elongating into tendrils that tapped into the pulsating flesh, absorbing its energy.
  
  Amidst this nightmarish tableau, Kingge spotted the hand Felikin had seen earlier. Kingge's breath hitched in her throat as she recognized the hand protruding from a nearby cocoon. The fingers were elongated and twisted, but there was no mistaking the faded tattoo of a phoenix that adorned the wrist. "Vespera," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the chorus of wet, slurping sounds that filled the chamber.
  
  Felikin's grip tightened on her rifle as she followed Kingge's gaze. The cocooned figure began to thrash, and with a sickening squelch, it split open, revealing Vespera, the woman they had encountered earlier. Her body was a horrifying fusion of human and alien biology, with segmented limbs and a cluster of quivering tendrils where her head should have been. The largest alien ship was the size of Long Island, it splashed down near Britain (they considered Britain a US state). NATO media were captured by alien agents. They declared on behalf of their pseudo-humanoid spies that they have known people for a long time, Area 51 is their embassy, ​​they are the Men in Black, they came in peace and want to end wars. Part of the US military sabotaged the first contact, because they did not want to lose power on Earth and trust the aliens. They launched nuclear strikes on some countries in Africa and South America, Asia, which were going over as fake governments to the side of the New Masters of the Earth. A war with aliens began, similar to civil wars and coups d'état in a hundred countries. The working people of China led the world resistance to the new owners of banks and parasitic investment funds, the planet's AIs sided both with people (Asian) and with the invaders (many AIs in the US went over to the aliens). The deals on the peaceful sale of Earth's resources to the alien occupiers did not work out. The aliens switched to plan B, they used the hacked US global missile defense to strike the SCO and BRICS, not wanting to turn the Earth, to which they had been flying for 120 years, into a radioactive wasteland once and for all. Chinese bookmarks in the global US missile defense saved the world, the aliens were defeated, but their separate resistance still exists in the ruins of the USA, France, Britain, where there are sects worshiping non-humanoid aliens who used gene-ray (???) weapons to kill males (the aliens identified them as warrior individuals) and turn female humans into slaves (for non-humanoids - worker-queen individuals in anthill cities), where US women bear xenos larvae. The US has already sold its uranium and other rare earths to aliens, so officially this never happened in the US, "God forgot to spill it here", the US also prohibited Canada and Australia from developing their huge uranium reserves, which exceed the reserves of the SCO countries by 5 times, since this was also the property of the non-humanoid owners of the White House and the Pentagon with Wall Street and the military-industrial complex corporations of the States. Believing that the abundance of biological and nuclear weapons in many countries would become an obstacle to the purchase of earthly resources through fake officials and financiers - aliens through agents in the US and NATO diligently did not allow other countries to have their own missile defense (which the Arabs, Africa, half of Asia and all of South America did not have). Also, the agents of the alien The Thing (non-humanoid werewolves, copying earthlings at the cellular level with memories, as in the eponymous film by Carpenter in Antarctica or in the Marvel and DC films) bought on behalf of US scientists, who offered Russia 95% of the USSR's nuclear arsenals, sawed up, in the form of fuel for US and British nuclear power plants within the framework of "megatons to megawatts." The aliens wanted to disarm the Earth before arriving through globalization under the USA or Britain, but they miscalculated, the world was partly ready... In the grimy, humid underbelly of the ruins of London, Felikin and Kingge cautiously navigated the remains of what was once a grand metropolis. The city was now a choked, overgrown mess, the streets littered with the decaying remnants of a civilization that had been twisted and warped by the alien occupation. The air was thick with the smell of ozone and decay, the taste of metal on their tongues.
  
  Their objective: the heart of the feminist sect dedicated to the worship of the non-humanoid aliens. Rumors spoke of a powerful energy source that could turn the tide of the war, if they could lay their hands on it. The sect's base was hidden deep within the bowels of an abandoned Tube station, where the air was heavy with the stench of sweat and fear. As Felikin and Kingge made their way deeper into the bowels of the ruined London Underground, the dim emergency lights casting eerie, flickering shadows on the damp walls, they could hear the muffled sounds of chanting and the distant hum of alien technology. The air grew colder and the stench of decay more pronounced as they descended further, the weight of the crumbling city above pressing down on them like a shroud.
  
  Suddenly, Felikin's suit-mounted scanner beeped, alerting her to a surge in energy readings up ahead. She signaled Kingge, who readied his plasma rifle, the barrel humming with anticipation. They rounded a bend and were met with a horrifying sight: a cavernous chamber filled with writhing, mutated humanoid forms. In the heart of the chamber, a grotesque, misshapen figure stood atop a makeshift dais, wreathed in an unearthly glow. It was a woman, or at least, a twisted parody of one. Her body was stretched and warped, limbs elongated and distorted, eyes milky and blank. She was flanked by two figures dressed in the tattered remnants of what had once been military fatigues, their faces twisted in rapturous fervor as they chanted in a language that seemed to crawl and squirm in the ear like a living thing.
  
  Felikin and Kingge exchanged a look, their expressions mirroring the revulsion and horror they felt. Kingge's plasma rifle hummed louder, the charge building to a dangerous pitch. As Kingge and Felikin rounded the bend, they stepped into the cavernous chamber, the air thick with the stench of decay and the hum of alien technology. The writhing, mutated humanoid forms shifted and twisted in the dim light, their bodies contorted and distended in ways that defied human anatomy. The grotesque figure atop the makeshift dais let out a low, guttural moan, its voice echoing through the chamber like the howl of a wounded beast.
  
  Felikin's eyes scanned the chamber, her heart pounding in her chest as she took in the horrific scene before her. She had seen many atrocities in her time fighting the alien occupation, but this... this was something else entirely. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her, but she pushed it back, gritting her teeth and raising her pistol. In the heart of the chamber, the twisted woman-a grotesque parody of humanity-let out a deafening shriek, its voice echoing off the cavern walls and sending a shiver down the spines of both Felikin and Kingge. The mutated humanoids began to thrash wildly, their bodies contorting in sync with the warped, alien rhythm of the chamber. Felikin's scanner screamed, the energy readings off the charts as the power emanating from the woman grew more intense.
  
  "We need to take her out," Felikin yelled over the cacophony, her voice barely audible above the din. Kingge nodded, his grip tightening on the plasma rifle as he began to advance, weapon at the ready. As Kingge and Felikin moved closer to the makeshift dais, the mutated humanoids converged on them, their bodies writhing and twisting in a macabre dance of violence. Felikin, with her pistol in one hand and a combat knife in the other, took down the first creature that lunged at her, stabbing it through the eye and sending it crashing to the ground. Kingge, with his plasma rifle, let loose a barrage of energy blasts, incinerating several of the aberrations that attempted to flank them.
  
  The air was filled with the smell of ozone and charred flesh as the duo fought their way closer to the twisted woman. The chamber shook with the force of her screams, the energy pulsing from her body causing the walls to vibrate and the floor to tremble. As Kingge and Felikin battled their way through the writhing mass of mutated humanoids, the ground beneath them began to shift and crumble, the alien technology responding to the intense power emanating from the woman on the dais. They ducked and weaved, avoiding the falling debris as they fought, their weapons singing through the air as they took down their foes.
  
  Suddenly, a massive tentacle erupted from the floor, wrapping itself around Kingge's waist and pulling him off his feet. He was yanked backwards, his plasma rifle flying from his grasp as he struggled against the slick, muscular appendage. Felikin, seeing her partner in trouble, immediately sprang into action. She holstered her pistol, grabbed Kingge's fallen rifle, and unleashed a torrent of plasma at the base of the tentacle. In the midst of the chaos, Felikin's plasma blasts sizzled against the alien flesh, causing the tentacle to spasm and release Kingge. He landed hard on the unstable ground, but quickly rolled to his feet, drawing his sidearm as he regained his balance. The tentacle, now severed and thrashing, provided a momentary distraction, allowing Kingge and Felikin to press their attack.
  
  Felikin, her breath ragged and adrenaline surging, leaped onto the dais, her combat knife flashing as she struck at the twisted woman's exposed neck. The creature screeched, its form contorting and shifting as it tried to deflect her blows. Kingge, seeing his opening, charged forward, his pistol blazing with precision shots at the creature's mutated abdomen. In the dimly lit, cavernous chamber, the air thick with the acrid scent of ozone and the coppery tang of blood, Kingge and Felikin stood back-to-back, their weapons at the ready. The makeshift dais at the chamber's center pulsed with an unnatural energy, the twisted woman atop it writhing and screaming as the power within her grew unstable. The floor beneath them shifted and groaned, the alien technology responding to the intense force emanating from the woman.
  
  Felikin's eyes narrowed as she watched the writhing mass of mutated humanoids converge on them. Their bodies twisted and contorted in a grotesque parody of life, their movements erratic and unpredictable. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before springing into action. In the heart of the alien-infested cavern, Kingge and Felikin fought with a ferocity born of desperation and necessity. The chamber echoed with the harsh reports of their pistols and the wet, tearing sounds of their combat knives as they carved through the mutated humanoids. The air was thick with the stench of burned flesh and the acrid smell of plasma blasts, a symphony of destruction that played in time with the pounding of their hearts.
  
  As they fought, the ground beneath them continued to shift and crumble, the alien technology groaning in response to the intense power radiating from the woman on the dais. The chamber was a maelstrom of violence, the very walls pulsating with an otherworldly energy that seemed to mock their efforts. In the cavernous depths of the alien ship, the battle between Felikin and Kingge raged on, their bodies slick with sweat and the viscera of their enemies. The twisted, mutated humanoids, once merely people, now served as the grotesque foot soldiers of the alien horde. Their numbers seemed endless, a relentless tide of flesh and chitin that pressed against the duo, threatening to overwhelm them.
  
  Felikin, her breathing ragged, kicked out with a boot-clad foot, sending a mutated humanoid careening into the pulsating wall. The creature dissolved into a writhing mass of tendrils and flesh, melting into the alien tech that lined the chamber. She turned just in time to see another humanoid lunging at her, its eyes wild and filled with a malevolent intelligence that was not its own. In the throes of the battle, Felikin's pistol barked, sending a bolt of plasma into the lunging creature's chest. It staggered back, its body convulsing as the energy coursed through it, before it collapsed in a twitching heap. She didn't have time to dwell on the killing, not with more mutated humanoids closing in.
  
  Kingge, fighting with a brutal efficiency honed by years of combat, slashed her combat knife across the throat of one of the creatures, then spun around, her pistol tracking a new target. The acrid stench of burned flesh filled her nostrils, but she barely noticed, her focus utterly centered on the fight.
  Suddenly, a massive tentacle snaked out from the writhing mass of the mutated woman on the dais, lashing out at Kingge. In an instant, Kingge was snatched off her feet, her body propelled through the air like a ragdoll. She crashed into the pulsating wall, the impact knocking the wind out of her. She slid down, her back scraping against the rough, alien surface, before coming to a halt, her vision swimming. The tentacle that had grabbed her withdrew, leaving behind a trail of slime that seemed to bubble and hiss.
  
  Felikin, seeing her partner incapacitated, let out a fierce growl and charged towards the source of the tentacle. She leaped onto the dais, her boots landing squarely on the decaying flesh of the mutated woman. The creature hissed, its body convulsing as it tried to buck her off. Felikin, however, was unyielding. In the heart of the cavernous chamber, Felikin's boots sunk into the mutated woman's flesh, eliciting a scream that was half-human, half-alien. The creature thrashed wildly, its body a writhing mass of decay and twisted limbs. Felikin's eyes burned with a savage intensity, her grip on her pistol unwavering. She fired point-blank into the woman's chest, the plasma bolt sizzling into her flesh. The mutant recoiled, but Felikin was relentless, firing again and again until the creature slumped, lifeless.
  
  Meanwhile, Kingge, her breath returning in ragged gasps, pushed herself up from the wall. Her body ached, but she ignored the pain, her eyes locked onto the writhing mass of mutated humanoids that continued to pour into the chamber. With the mutated woman dispatched, Felikin turned her attention to the surviving creatures. She fired her pistol in a wide arc, cutting down several of the humanoids before they could reach her. The chamber echoed with their agonized shrieks as plasma bolts found their marks. Kingge had recovered enough to join the fight, her combat knife and pistol cutting a swath through the mutated throng.
  
  As they fought back-to-back, more creatures emerged from passages around the chamber. Their grotesque forms - part human, part something else entirely - writhed and twisted as they moved, each one seemingly more hideous than the last. The smell of decay intensified, nearly overwhelming. Felikin felt bile rise in her throat, but she kept fighting, determined to survive.
  Kingge's voice rang out over the chaos, shouting "Felikin! Look out!" just as a tentacle shot from behind a nearby pillar. The alien appendage coiled around Felikin's waist, pulling her off her feet. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't break free, the tentacle's grip iron-tight and slick with the same viscous substance that had helped ensnare Kingge.
  
  Kingge saw her friend in danger and fired her pistol rapidly, scoring hits that sizzled against the thick alien flesh. Several humanoid shapes crowded the doorway, blocking the chamber entrance. Their gray-tinged bodies quivered with dark promise as they skittered toward the humans like spiders.
  Felikin's head began to spin, a disorienting dizziness setting in as she struggled against the crushing grip of the tentacle. The chamber continued to pulse and throb around her, casting nauseating shadows through a haze of radioactive mist. From somewhere in this nightmare space came a woman's voice, sharp and commanding in its urgency. "Get those specimens back!" Felikin found her head being raised, as something was injecting needles into her, and Kingge was fighting hand to hand.
  
  The mutated human-like creatures spread out, and tried to get more close to kill them. They spread out and slowly approached, looking menacingly while holding strange metal weapons. Their expressions were fierce yet alien-like - their faces misshapen.
  Kingge immediately took up position, aiming both her pistol and knife at a group of alien-human hybrids lurking in a corner. Each one seemed half-rotated, with mutations that defy description. Flesh had apparently been stretched far beyond normal capacity, with grotesquely swollen and distorted limbs bulging obscenely from beneath grey-tinged skin.
  Somewhere in the ruins of London they heard an aircraft approaching. And the screams. The screams came not from them though, but somewhere else in the old city, deep in the maze-like ruins. Felikin's head was swimming, the dizziness intensifying as the alien substance coursed through her veins. The tentacle's grip loosened slightly, allowing her to twist and see Kingge engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a group of mutated humanoids. The creatures' grotesque forms - part human, part something else entirely - writhed and twisted as they moved, each one seemingly more hideous than the last. The smell of decay intensified, nearly overwhelming.
  
  Kingge's voice rang out over the chaos, shouting "Felikin! Look out!" just as a tentacle shot from behind a nearby pillar. The alien appendage coiled around Felikin's waist, pulling her off her feet. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't break free, the tentacle's grip iron-tight and slick with the same viscous substance that had helped ensnare Kingge. The alien appendage coiled around Felikin's waist, pulling her off her feet. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't break free, the tentacle's grip iron-tight and slick with the same viscous substance that had helped ensnare Kingge.
  
  Kingge saw her friend in danger and fired her pistol rapidly, scoring hits that sizzled against the thick alien flesh. Several humanoid shapes crowded the doorway, blocking the chamber entrance. Their gray-tinged bodies quivered with dark promise as they skittered toward the humans like spiders.
  Felikin's head began to spin, a disorienting dizziness setting in as she struggled against the crushing grip of the tentacle. The chamber continued to pulse and throb around her, casting nauseating shadows through a haze of radioactive mist. From somewhere in this nightmare space came a woman's voice, sharp and commanding in its urgency. "Get those specimens back!" The mutated human-like creatures spread out, and tried to get more close to kill them. They spread out and slowly approached, looking menacingly while holding strange metal weapons. Their expressions were fierce yet alien-like - their faces misshapen.
  Kingge immediately took up position, aiming both her pistol and knife at a group of alien-human hybrids lurking in a corner. Each one seemed half-rotated, with mutations that defy description. Flesh had apparently been stretched far beyond normal capacity, with grotesquely swollen and distorted limbs bulging obscenely from beneath grey-tinged skin.
  
  Somewhere in the ruins of London they heard an aircraft approaching. And the screams. The screams came not from them though, but somewhere else in the old city, deep in the maze-like ruins. Felikin's head was swimming, the dizziness intensifying as the alien substance coursed through her veins. "Stay away, fuck you!" Felikin barked at a group of women trying to approach the tentacle where she was. The tentacle's grip intensified momentarily, and something metallic glinted behind its surface. Another tentacle sprouted from its base, creating a cross shape. The screams from outside faded, replaced by the thud of heavy footfalls and hissing sounds, like steam escaping from a ruptured pipe. The chamber took on an oppressive atmosphere that seemed to threaten to crush your lungs.
  
  Through the haze, Felikin noticed Kingge frantically unloading her weapon at the encroaching horrors, each shot eliciting a spasm of pain. The bullets seem to have little effect, only managing to slow down the advance. The woman commanding the operation pulled out a modified pistol with pulsing energy swirling around its barrel. "You might find this more convenient once you've submitted. The restraint has healing properties, plus it will neutralize your anxiety." The female voice, mechanical and unyielding, is accompanied by movement as she positions herself for better aim. In contrast, Kingge's breathing turns ragged - the alien fog is taking a severe toll on human physiology. Your head feels as if it will explode, causing you to almost black out while the tentacles press against your nerves.
  In the background of chaos and screaming that constantly echoes through these ruins, bullets were fired. Another group of cultists is being attacked in their base by opponents. Through your blurred vision you see the faces of some defenders who have recently arrived. And then suddenly comes a powerful roar from above or below - exactly where the giant alien ship may still be hiding itself.
  
  Kingge's breathing starts getting more labored as the caustic spores from the space ship spread all over London like a thick carpet. In the haze of the caustic spores that fills the chamber, Felikin feels the alien tentacle constricting tighter as the female leader moves to stand before her, leveling a modified energy pistol. "Resistance is futile. The ascension is coming." The words sound robotic, filtered through what sounds like mechanical voice synthesis.
  
  Kingge, gasping through the noxious fumes, struggles to maintain aim on the advancing humanoid hybrids, now only a few meters away. Their malformed flesh undulates with a mind of its own, each movement making her wretch from revulsion and discomfort. She knows if she fires randomly in this enclosed space, it could bring the whole ceiling down. But time is running out.
  Through gritted teeth, Felikin forces out defiance even as another tentacle slides across her neck, cold and alien to the touch. "You're fucking deluded." As you finish that scathing response, a sudden shift in the tentacles around you alerts everyone present to the emergence of an unknown third force. Multiple muffled thuds echo from nearby as more heavily armored figures advance. Through your distorted vision and gasping for clean air, you spot movement on both ends of the chamber. Someone, or something, has broken in through one of the hidden passageways.
  
  The alien cultists respond to this threat with predatory grace, some pivoting toward the new entry point while others press their advance. Their distorted faces contort in a shared understanding, turning as one towards whatever has interrupted their operation. The woman on the platform hisses a word of command and multiple weapons suddenly level at these points. A series of pulses ignites - flashlight beams and something more... primal that crackles with ominous promise.
  The scene turns chaotic in a split second, but even as alarms and screams blend into one, a focused intent slices through. The caustic spores burning your lungs, making you feel nauseous and dizzy. The pressure of the alien tentacles holds you firmly. Through blurring vision, Kingge sees silhouettes of human figures in modified combat gear burst through the ceiling. They hang there for an instant, ropes dangling before they swing downward, weapons aimed at the hybrids.
  
  The scene erupts in chaos as dozens of armed forces pour into both entrances of the chamber simultaneously. Their futuristic weapons lock onto targets and unleash searing beams across the space, cutting through hybrid bodies with surgical precision. The cultist woman on her platform screams something guttural and unintelligible as energy pulses blast from hidden speakers, releasing more spores into the air.
  Amidst all this, the tentacles slowly release their hold on you both as the humanoid hybrids and their leader withdraw to defensive positions. The ground shakes violently and the walls around you pulse like a living creature. Kingge's head snaps up at the sounds of battle. Through the thickening haze, she spots her companions - not human, but distinctly alien in appearance. Their translucent, geometric forms cast ethereal patterns through the spore-filled air as they move with impossible grace, cutting down cultists with precision strikes that leave their victims frozen mid-motion. These beings are like nothing she's ever seen, their movements seeming to bend space and time around them.
  
  Felikin is momentarily stunned by the arrival of these new forces, her mind reeling from the overwhelming situation. She catches a glimpse of something that looks like an intricate geometric mandala unfolding across one of the alien's forms as it dispatches a hybrid. The spore-filled air crystallizes in patterns around its outstretched limb, refracting light in ways that shouldn't be possible. As the battle rages, you realize these alien entities are likely connected to or aware of your mission. They move with such otherworldly grace, almost like they've anticipated your arrival. The spore-filled air pulses and shivers as these new forces engage, creating a reality-bending dance of death that is at once beautiful and terrifying. Their geometric forms shift and warp as they dispatch the cultists with surgical precision, leaving no time for thought or fear to settle in your mind.
  
  You stumble forward, fighting against the dizziness and nausea caused by the spores, desperately trying to get to your companions who seem equally caught off guard by this unexpected intervention. The air vibrates with a high-pitched whine that sets your teeth on edge, and reality bends and folds around the geometric beings as they move through space in ways that defy conventional physics. The caustic spores burning your lungs, making you feel nauseous and dizzy. The pressure of the alien tentacles holds you firmly. Through blurring vision, Kingge sees silhouettes of human figures in modified combat gear burst through the ceiling. They hang there for an instant, ropes dangling before they swing downward, weapons aimed at the hybrids.
  
  The scene erupts in chaos as dozens of armed forces pour into both entrances of the chamber simultaneously. Their futuristic weapons lock onto targets and unleash searing beams across the space, cutting through hybrid bodies with surgical precision. The cultist woman on her platform screams something guttural and unintelligible as energy pulses blast from hidden speakers, releasing more spores into the air.
  Amidst all this, the tentacles slowly release their hold on you both as the humanoid hybrids and their leader withdraw to defensive positions. The ground shakes violently and the walls around you pulse like a living creature. As the ground shakes and alien spores saturate the chamber, Kingge stumbles away from the platform. The air thickens with geometric patterns cast by the ethereal beings who continue their synchronized movements, taking down cultists with impossible grace. Their translucent forms refracting light in impossible ways as they move through the spore-filled atmosphere.
  
  Through her disorientation, Kingge catches glimpses of new figures emerging - this time wearing black tactical gear adorned with alien symbols and weaponry that hums with an otherworldly energy signature. They appear to be moving in perfect sync, their motions suggesting a shared consciousness. The lead figure's head turns toward her, and she meets an otherworldly gaze through its helmet visor - eyes pulsing with soft bioluminescence and containing what seems to be impossible complexity.
  "Rise and come with us," it says, the sound vibrating through Kingge's mind in a way that makes her shudder. The alien ship's massive shadow looms over the English countryside, its metallic hull reflecting the morning sun like a mirror. The landing site is a mess of debris and twisted metal, with emergency vehicles and military personnel swarming around the perimeter. In the center of the chaos stands a woman in a crisp white lab coat, her attention fixed on the ship's ominous silhouette.
  
  Dr. Emma Watson, a brilliant xenobiologist from Cambridge, pushes through the crowd of gawkers and officials. Her normally composed demeanor is replaced by an intense focus as she approaches the ship's entrance. Two armed guards step in her path, but she holds up her credentials and speaks firmly: "I need to get inside. I have clearance from the Prime Minister himself."
  After a tense moment, they reluctantly step aside. As she enters the ship, Dr. Watson is immediately overwhelmed by the sheer size and strangeness of the alien vessel. The interior pulses with an otherworldly light, and strange geometries line the walls. She pulls out her notebook, ready to document every detail, when a door slides open revealing a long corridor lined with what appear to be holding cells. Inside, she sees hundreds of human-looking women, some bearing obvious signs of alien manipulation.
  
  Dr. Watson approaches one of the cells, where a woman with milky white eyes and perfect, inhuman features sits cross-legged on the floor. "Can you understand me?" she asks, her words echoing through the chamber. The woman rises slowly, her movements fluid and precise. "Yes," she responds in a melodious voice that somehow bypasses language entirely. "I am called Echo now. I serve the glory of our new masters."
  Shocked, Dr. Watson recoils as the woman's hand shoots out, grabbing her arm with impossible strength. Dr. Watson was yanked into the cell by Echo, her alien features glowing with an eerie luminescence. Before the scientist could cry out, multiple tendrils emerged from hidden ports in the wall, wrapping around her thrashing body with inexorable force. Her professional demeanor crumbled as primal terror overwhelmed her, years of training meaningless in this unearthly confrontation.
  
  In a panic, Watson's head tilted back to witness Echo ascending on multiple, fluid-like legs as she rapidly encircled her captive's throat. "Join us, human," echoed across the chamber. "Become what you truly were meant to be - a servant to our rightful masters." As she was slowly strangled, Watson saw her reflection warped and transformed on the glistening alien floor.
  Writhing helplessly as otherworldly pheromones assaulted her system, Watson found herself going into cardiac arrest, the lack of oxygen scrambling her higher functions. In a panic, Watson's head tilted back to witness Echo ascending on multiple, fluid-like legs as she rapidly encircled her captive's throat. "Join us, human," echoed across the chamber. "Become what you truly were meant to be - a servant to our rightful masters." As she was slowly strangled, Watson saw her reflection warped and transformed on the glistening alien floor.
  
  Writhing helplessly as otherworldly pheromones assaulted her system, Watson found herself going into cardiac arrest, the lack of oxygen scrambling her higher functions. Just as unconsciousness threatened, an explosion thundered through the ship. Alarms blared as emergency lighting flooded the chamber in a strobing crimson glare. Echo loosened her grip in confusion, buying Watson precious seconds as chaos ensued.
  Using her last burst of strength, Watson yanked her arm from Echo's weakening grasp and dove behind a nearby examination table. "Urgent message," a female artificial-intelligence voice broadcasts through the speakers. "Foreign Objects detected engaging the hull's defense protocols in sector seven! All crew return to stations - this is no longer a drill!"
  The lights in Echo's prison-cum-lab suddenly flicker between stark white and flashing amber, while whirring sound of something grinding suggests the alien defense systems activating.
  Echo slinks back to a safe alcove, her predatory gaze fixed firmly on Watson. Watson listens carefully until she hears scraping and creaking from behind: The entire block of cells may be rotating soon, preparing its defensive protocols and reorientating the holding facilities to the affected sector. This is your first real test under fire. Would you: remain hidden in an alcove like Echo? Dive for her sonic gun locked on the tabletop (previous) or dart through the defense corridor ahead leading to maintenance before it closes. Watson ducked behind the examination table as alien pheromones still clouded her system, making her lightheaded. The defense corridor's heavy door was already slowly grinding open with an ominous whine of hydraulics and grinding gears.
  
  Watson launched herself from her hiding spot and sprinted toward the opening as Echo lunged forward with supernatural speed, a dozen writhing tentacles erupting from her back and floor. They reached for Watson like hungry tendrils, forcing her to weave through the gap as bullets from the hallway's automated turret systems peppered the walls behind her. Echo's shriek of rage chased Watson into the corridor as heavy blast doors started grinding shut with increasing speed, nearly catching several of her appendages in the closing gap.
  Watson panted heavily, looking both ways - to the right, a maintenance passage led deeper into the ship while to the left, a doorway revealed a military operations center in chaos. She felt alien energy crackle across her skin, echoing with unnatural, rippling frequencies that matched the pulses coming from deep within the ship's walls. As she ducked into the left doorway, a wall panel erupted with burning heat, scalding Watson as she tumbled inside. Emergency klaxons blared, competing with the sizzling sounds of cooking circuitry. The maintenance panel flickered briefly with status reports - emergency protocols were still trying to lock down security levels.
  
  She pulled the bolt and lay down on her stomach on the boards, fingers scraping for the safety switch, anything to bring her some breathing space. A tense atmosphere settled as men in combat gear took position - military teams executing orders. In their midst was Captain Maxwell of Naval Special Forces. The Captain's eyes locked onto Watson as she lay prone, his hand instinctively moving to the holstered sidearm at his hip. "Stand down, Watson. You're not authorized for this area." His tone was sharp, commanding, but tinged with concern.
  
  Watson slowly raised her hands, still catching her breath from the sprint and scramble. "Captain, I need to report - Echo's escaped containment. She's got tentacles now, and she's-" Her words were cut off by a deafening explosion from somewhere deeper in the ship. The deck plates beneath them vibrated ominously.
  The Captain's face hardened as he barked orders to his team. "Seal that breach! All units, converge on Echo's cell block!" He turned back to Watson, his gaze intense. "You're coming with us. We need every able-bodied fighter we can get right now." Dr. Watson took in a ragged breath, knowing there was no real choice - survival came with obedience to orders right now. As she struggled to her feet, her vision swimming with residual pheromones and exhaustion, more explosions reverberated through the corridor, disorienting the human strike force. Echo's presence became suddenly felt.
  
  "We can't seal off her block alone. That ship has automated defenses designed by genius level beings from somewhere between Venus and Andromeda, who specializes in roping off what the original British are the fuck away. Every defense in place seems deliberately imperfect and weakened just so, enough for this mess of warriors in body armor." "The Things!" shouted another marine before dropping into his shoulder turret gun, screaming something incoherent.
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