The Analoya were getting tired and frustrated, Kyle in particular. He started ignoring his gun and tried to throw himself at Thunderbird every time it flew near, but it was too quick, and he missed again and again. Thunderbird started targeting him with each flyby, and his attempts to knock it out of the air became increasingly risky. Finally, he managed to briefly grab a hold of some of the tail feathers. Thunderbird swerved and nearly crashed into the cliff face, but it was still able to swoop around for another attack.As it came near, he leaped into the air and grabbed it around the chest. Thunderbird sank its talons into Kyle’s chest plate, piercing every layer of armor. He yelled in pain, but he didn’t release his grip as they tumbled to the ground. He managed to roll to his knees and pushed the bird far enough out that most of the talons came loose, but this opened up an opportunity for Thunderbird to attack again. It opened its beak directly in front of his face. Since some of
The animal moved more and more until it finally began to get to its feet. It only stood on two legs, each about thirteen feet long. There were large industrial-strength straps around its ankles which were anchored to the ground with heavy chains. Kyle, Kora, and Dutch moved around to get a better look. The animal had a large head with rows of long sharp teeth and fierce eyes. Its arms were relatively short compared with its body, with feathers growing along the back of them and only two fingers on its hands.“It’s not a Stegosaurus—it’s a T. rex,” Kyle said with even more excitement.“I think it’s both,” said Kora.“Stegosaurus rex—no, Tyrannostegosaurus. I like it,” said Kyle.“I think you need to tone down your excitement a bit,” said Kora.“It’s a friggin’ Tyrannostegosaurus! A hybrid of two of my favorite dinosaurs!” Kyle said, struggling to keep quiet.His excitement soon ceased when the dinosaur let out a deafening roar and fought to break out of its restraints. It swung its spi
With their attention drawn to the dying gunner, they didn’t notice that the micoaz atl on the lower leg had begun eating its way through the floor of the helicopter. One soldier, kneeling down next to the gunner, felt his foot move through the rapidly widening hole. He panicked and tried to move to safety but slipped through the opening. The liquid attached itself to his boots and his clothes as he slipped. He grabbed a hold of the floor to catch himself, but it was covered in the liquid and burned through his hand before he had time to react. He screamed as he fell and hit the ground hard. The others in the chopper were yelling and trying desperately to avoid the spreading micoaz atl as it steadily ate through everything it touched.The chopper descended rapidly, and before it even touched the ground, the passengers began jumping out. While everyone watched the micoaz atl melt the chopper into a twisted pile of goop, Kyle noticed Isaac run off toward the mountain. As he chased after
“And it’s the same for my hand,” said Kristen. “Dr. Bryant bandaged me up and gave me some painkillers, and I replaced the armor on my arm. We’ll be okay.”“Where are Jolly and Eraser?” she asked John.“They were hurt pretty badly at the stadium. They’re still being treated for their injuries. They wanted to come with me when they heard what was happening up here, but I insisted they stay.”Kora looked back at Wilson, who had that “let’s go” look in his eye.“Okay,” she said hesitantly.“All right, everyone, were moving out toward the mountain!” Wilson shouted to the men. “We’re looking for a cave. Keep your eyes open for any signs of one.”They acknowledged him and began moving toward the mountain, but they stopped when they came to the flames from Kyle’s grenade; they were still burning hot.Kora fell to her knees. “I’m sorry, Kyle,” she said with her head bowed. ”I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you.” She began to cry again.After a minute or two, Dutch approached her. “We need to get g
Wilson took it one step further, removed his glove, and placed his hand into the mist.“I’m not feeling any pain,” he said. “If I focus, I can feel a slight tingling sensation, but that’s it. The eyes are much more sensitive to chemicals than the rest of the body, which is probably why it hurt Flint. If we keep our heads above the mist, which shouldn’t be difficult since it’s only a couple of feet deep, then we should be okay. But the tingling sensation does make me a bit nervous, so let’s try not to spend too much time in here. Every once in a while, rotate into the circle so you’re not exposed to the mist for too long especially if it starts to irritate you. We’ll all take turns.”“Easy for you to say—you get to stay in the clearing the whole time,” said Ghost.“I would take turns if I could. I’m sorry,” said Wilson.They carefully ventured out into the mist. Wilson charged up the lightning sword again to make the circle as large as possible. As they moved, their attention turned to
The tail whipped through the air, aiming right for Wilson’s face. He whirled around, swung his sword, and sliced the end of the tail clean off. The severed section thrashed and twisted grotesquely when it hit the ground, and he kicked it away in disgust. It flew into the mist and vanished, but they could still hear the thump, thump, thump as it continued to flail around.A bone-chilling screech made everyone’s hair stand on end. It grew louder and louder, and the trees and brush near where the tail stump had landed began to shake and move, sending more ripples through the mist. Suddenly, Tepianicoatl shot out from the trees toward them. There was cold fury in its black eyes; its mouth was open and fangs bared. Its torso-sized head struck one marine, biting him on the shoulder, and he began convulsing violently and foaming from the mouth even before the snake let go of him.Bullets and laser blasts were flying everywhere. Most missed the snake, but some hit their target, leaving wounds
He reached in with his sword and pressed on a stone floor tile; spears shot out of the walls of the entranceway. He pressed on another stone tile, and a shower of micoaz atl sprayed from the ceiling. Some got on his glove, which he quickly removed. His sword, however, vaporized any micoaz atl that hit it. He passed the sword to his still-gloved left hand and began pressing tiles again. He discovered through the process of elimination which tiles were safe to step on and which ones weren’t. They still entered the room very slowly and cautiously on the off chance he had missed one.Once inside, Kora knew exactly where to look. She moved some old treasure out of the way, and there it was, lying on the stone shelf behind the treasure—her sword. Even covered in dust, she couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. She reached for it. As soon as she touched it, a wave of energy flowed through her. Frost made its way up her fingers, and a slight breeze blew through her hair. She clenched the hand
The arrogant grin had turned into a scowl. Isaac was now visibly angry. He got to his feet and turned around just in time for Wilson’s fist to make contact with his eye. It blinded him momentarily, and Wilson kept up the attack, hitting his jaw, his cheek, and his chin, throwing his head back sharply. As he struggled to gain mastery of the situation again, Wilson grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in while bringing his knee up hard into Isaac ’s ribs. There was another loud snap, and Isaac fell to one knee, nursing a broken rib. Wilson lifted his leg and brought his foot hard across Isaac ’s face, knocking him to the ground again.Isaac spit out some blood onto the stone. His anger was taking over, his normally smooth control slipping. The game is over, he thought. It’s time to end this.He got to his feet and turned toward Wilson as he threw another punch. This time Isaac was ready. He caught Wilson’s wrist in his hand and squeezed. With his other hand, he struck Wilson in the f