Hesitating only for a split-second, Marie stowed her blade and reached down for the pistol Samson had given her. She brought the weapon up, trying to steady her aim. Her targets weren't far, but they were moving fast and the lighting of the room made them even more difficult to track.
She saw Irina's fire bring down one of the creatures, leaving it sprawled in an oozing heap across one of the consoles, then wound another, slowing its pace as one of its limbs was blown clean off by the pulse rounds. With two targets down, Marie scanned the room, squinting into the shadows for the third abomination. There!
Marie saw a shadow scamper off to Irina's right, moving to circle the medic from behind. Marie shifted her aim, and squeezed off three rounds in quick succession. Only one found its mark, but it made a difference. The bullet caught the thing in the back as it was jumping across the gap between consoles. The creature let out a repulsive cry, crashing against the panel before sliding down to the deck, wounded.
Marie saw Irina spin around, pistol at the ready, to face this last attacker. Mindful that another one of the things was still moving, Marie walked forward, weapon readied.
"Two left," she called out.
Irina's pistol fired once, twice.
"One now," came the medic's voice, "watch yourself."
Marie nodded and kept walking forward. She found the thing crawling along the deck, still moving toward Irina with a singular purpose. Two quick shots from Marie's pistol ended its efforts.
"Got it!" the engineer shouted. She allowed herself a small breath of relief only after confirming that the creature was truly dead.
"You alright?" Irina was standing next to her, pistol held in one hand, looking at her with concern. "Did that thing on top of you...?"
"I'm OK," Marie waved her hand to reassure the medic, "I'm OK - thanks to you. Thanks for getting that bastard off of me."
"Thank me later - we still need to go help Samson and Nick. Grab your helmet, and let's move." Irina turned, and ran toward the door.
Marie nodded and jogged further back into the room, giving the misshapen bodies scattered about a wide berth. Even if she was inclined to take a closer look, there was no time to spare. She quickly located her helmet, checked its integrity, then slid it over her head. There was the familiar _*click* _as the interface slide into place, and an indicator on her HUD popped up to inform her that she was due for a filter replacement in less than a week.
Marie quickly made her way to the door where Irina was hovering anxiously, glancing back down the corridor. The two women ran back
Marie is carrying:
Pulse Pistol
Surgical Blade
Marie's RIG Condition:
Fully functional
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