Avp 2004 31

Behind them, the two unearthly creatures grappled on the stained flagstones as the savage battle raged on. Bodies intertwined as one, the thrashing creatures rolled end over end, kicking and clawing, their wails of rage and pain echoing throughout the tunnel. Gaining the upper hand, the Alien hovered over the humanoid, and its black maw opened. A second set of jaws burst forth from the first-stopping mere inches from the Predator's battle-damaged face mask. With an echoing roar, the Predator heaved the black, yammering creature aside and sprang to its feet.

Whirling to face the Alien, the warrior raised his wrist and aimed the net gun. The Alien, its gangly black arms flung wide, launched itself into the air in a powerful bounding leap. And the Predator fired. A metal net enveloped the creature in midleap, forcing the kicking, mewing Alien to the floor. Thw Aliens exoskeleton clattered on the flagstones as the net pulled tight, crushing it. The Predator, unsteady and bleeding from its wounds, grunted with satisfaction as the mesh closed on its enemy, piercing through the Alien's chitinous hide. Blood and gore spurt from a hundred places, spraying the flagstones and the walls and burning holes wherever it splashed. Unfortunately for the Predator, the acid also burned the net, and in a few brief seconds the mesh melted enough for the Alien to break free. Spitting angrily, the Alien clambered to its feet and faced the battered Predator. Its black, misshapen body smoked and sizzled where the razor net had cut it. The Alien was determined not to be dominated. Its segmented tail-stump flailed from side to side, beating the stone walls.-Chpt.24 pg.199