As the swarm lessened, I let Rico hold them off while I rewound my winch. When I got to my feet, a Berserker appeared in the doorway and roared. I swung the Pulse from my back and fired. The emerald ball annihilated the Berserker where it stood, smashing the walls and flinging us back. Most of the Stalkers were dead.
Another roar from the corridor, and another. I fired my hook up and it stuck to the shaft wall.
“Rico!”
He grabbed me around the shoulders and waist, and I hit the winch. A Berserker, larger than the others, ran into the room and leaped. Its claws sank into Rico's leg and he screamed. The winch groaned.
I knew it wouldn't hold. Rico's eyes met mine, and he let me go at the same time as I grabbed his hook, fired it, then fired a grenade from my gun directly down into the Berserker's face. It let go, and we swung free.
Dazed, the Berserker staggered to its feet. I hit buttons on the Pulse, dropped it.
“What are you doing?” Rico screamed.
“Up,” I shouted at him. “Now! As far as we can!”
We rose. The Berserker leaped again, but missed, and then we were in the shaft and rising. When we reached our hooks, I grabbed Rico's wrist and pointed.
“Up!”
He unhooked, fired, and held me while I did the same. We rose.
An unholy explosion, larger than the grenade belt or Boss's Pulse bomb, rocked the City. It rose up the shaft, the green light overloading my helmet. I punched one hand into the wall of the shaft and held on as the shockwave ripped at my body. I couldn't see anything.
Finally, the sound and fury dimmed. My helmet switched back on.
“You bitch,” Rico said. His voice sounded like a smile.
“Whatever it takes,” I said. “We promised Boss.”
“…again, our top story tonight. As UE forces push the invaders back, early reports are that data from the Flying City allowed experts to make the first translations of Stalker text. According to our source, who must remain unnamed, the aliens that have been plaguing our planet did not arrive with evil intent. In fact, they wished to make peaceful contact.
“However, the untested faster-than-light system the Stalkers used to travel to us apparently drives sentient beings insane. Once they arrived they started killing. Subsequent ships continue this practice, as they have never reported back to their home planet. Scientists are hopeful Stalker technology may make faster-than-light communication possible, finally ending this terrible war. From NORAD, this is CNN.”