
Lieutenant Evans moved through the darkened operations center, the glow of flickering monitors casting long shadows across the abandoned room. The Sergeant checked the access panel, his fingers moving quickly but his eyes darting toward the vents, where every scrape sounded too close.
The Corporal kept a watchful eye on the motion tracker, his face tightening as the signatures clustered around them. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and somewhere, just beyond the broken door, the soft hiss of something moving in the dark. Surrounded by the lurking threat of the xenos, Lieutenant Evans gripped his rifle, prepared for whatever came next.