Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

Owen to finish him off, but the others got in her way first, guns and swords in their hands.
    Saturday laughed at them, a happy hissing sound, flexing her bloody clawed hands eagerly. And then her jaws snapped shut and her eyes widened, as behind Lewis and Jesamine and Brett and Rose, the reptiloid saw Owen Deathstalker rising unhurriedly to his feet. The great wound in his side had already closed and healed, with no sign to show it had ever been there, but for the blood on his clothes. He smiled at Saturday, and it was a very nasty smile.
    "Bad move, lizard," said Owen. "I think we know who our spy is now, people."
    "But… you were always our ally, Saturday!" said Jesamine. "Our friend! We fought our enemies side by side…"
    "Reptlioids have no use for weak concepts like friend," Saturday said calmly, her barbed tail lashing slowly behind her. "You mean nothing to me. Any of you. You understand nothing of the joys of slaughter or the honor of sacred combat. We always ache to know: who's best?"
    She darted forward, and her great jaws snapped shut on the air where Rose's sword arm had been just a moment before. Rose and Lewis both cut at Saturday with their swords, but neither were fast enough to make contact. Brett aimed his disrupter, but the robot stepped quickly in and stopped him. Energy weapons were just too dangerous to use, in close proximity to so much Shub tech. Brett scowled ungraciously, holstered his gun, and drew his sword. Jesamine slashed at the reptiloid's hip with her sword. Saturday swayed easily out of the way, and one clawed hand shot out to rip half of Jesamine's chest away. Blood fountained as she collapsed, hitting the floor hard. Lewis sank to his knees beside her.
    He dropped his sword, and tried to close the wide wound with his hands. He could feel the gashed lung fluttering uselessly under his fingers, in the space where her breast used to be. Saturday edged forward, but Owen was there to block the way. The reptiloid stopped, eyeing him warily with her head cocked unnaturally far to one side. She was smiling again.
    "I was always Finn's spy," she said to Lewis, as the young Deathstalker's tears dripped down to mix with the dying woman's blood. "It was always me. Who better? This was set up right from the start, ever since Finn sent me to rescue Lewis from Rose's attack, during the Neuman riot outside Parliament. What
    better way to ingratiate myself, than by saving the Deathstalker's life?"
    "What did he promise you?" said Rose. "What did Finn buy you with?"
    "The reptiloids of Shard shall be Finn's shock troops, to bring about the subjugation of Humanity," said Saturday. "Your worlds shall be our hunting grounds. You run so prettily, and when cornered you fight so fiercely. Humans will be such tasty prey. Our greatest venture outside our own species… But I just couldn't wait any longer. I couldn't resist the challenge of taking on the legendary Owen Deathstalker. A human that might actually be a match for a reptiloid? I have to know: which of us is the best? No doubt Finn will be upset with me for killing you, but after I've eaten, I'll be sure to leave enough of your corpse for the scientists to work on. He'll forgive me. He'll understand. He's the closest I've found to another reptiloid."
    "And Finn naming Rose… was just Finn being Finn," said Brett. "Divide and conquer. Lewis, how's she doing?"
    "I'm losing her! Oh, God, I'm losing her…"
    "We have a regeneration tank here," said the robot. "We brought one, in the event that it might come in useful, if we ever found a way to release the twelve survivors. It is possible Jesamme might still recover, if you get her to the tank in time."
    "Why didn't you say so?" Lewis gathered Jesamine's barely breathing body up in his arms, holding her as though she was weightless, and rose to his feet. "Where's the tank?"
    "In the corridor behind the reptiloid," said the robot.
    "We'll move her," said Brett.
    "I shall savor the taste of your meat," said Saturday.
    "No," said Owen. "I'll take care of this. Lewis, get your woman to the tank while I kill this lizard."
    He moved forward to face Saturday, and Brett and Rose moved in on either side of him.
    "Our job too," said Rose.
    "Of course," said Brett. "What are friends for?"
    The three of them charged the reptiloid, and hit her together. Saturday had to fall back, unable to face three thrusting swords, and Lewis darted past her into the corridor beyond. The reptiloid bellowed her frustration, and