Both of Benny's arms snapped straight as she finished the swing.

Damn! So close!

But the creature was coming down, and she had enough leeway to bend her right arm, swinging her still-erect left arm just enough to catch the slime thing as it came down again.

"Gotcha!"

Keeping a decent grip (and hoping the purple slime didn't just decide to melt in her bony fingers and leak to the floor), Benny reached to push her left arm back in its socket. And none too soon, because it looked like they were in serious trouble. She only caught snippets of Zhou's conversation with the soldiers, but General Quary's response was enough that negotiations hadn't gone well.

This just got better and better, didn't it?

Before any of them could respond or react, Bruno took initiative. Considering the axeman's obvious cabin fever and attempts to crack the window, she decided to stay out of his way. Benny briefly remembered the pistol in its holster on her new vest, and grabbed for it. She would wait for Bruno's retreating form to get out of the way and give her a clear shot at one of the storm soldiers, and hope that it didn't shoot confetti when she tried it.