Heavily redacted transcript of the being's subdual follows:

  [Soldier 1] The hostages are the priority, if we can extract them we can just bomb the thing.

  [Soldier 2] Do we really only have this much intel on the thing?

  [Soldier 3] Apparently. You never have good intel, but this seems almost hyperbolic.

  [Soldier 1] [4], any hint of it on the cameras?

  [Soldier 4] None. Pretty sure all the cameras are destroyed.

  [Soldier 2] No hidden cameras? What are the odds of that?

  [Soldier 4] None on the local net at any rate.

  [Soldier 3] This place has to have tons of sensors other than cameras, at least in the labs, what about those?

  [Soldier 4] Our equipment isn't designed for anything other than cameras. Fixing that would take time we don't have.

  [Extraneous dialogue removed]

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 1] It's venomous! Assume a single hit past your armor will kill you!

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 4] How can it possibly fit through the vents?

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 2] It's got [4]!

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 3] Bodies aren't supposed to do that.

  [Soldier 2] The noise. I'm never getting that noise out of my head.

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 1] It's getting bigger. What sick mind made this thing?!

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 3] This thing seems like some intentionally horrifying cosmic joke, and we're the punchline. The way it killed [2]...

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 3] By Xackal, they're still alive.

  [Soldier 1] Not sure I'd call that alive.

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 3] If we get out of here without any further casualties then that'll just be three paralyzed, five in comas, thirteen casualties, and everyone else traumatized. Oh, wait no, there's another three in a vegetative state.

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 1] It's intentionally cruel. To eat part of someone's head and then just leave them there, drooling...

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 3] Could it be, is it finally dead?

  [Soldier 1] No, we still have ammunition.

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 1] It can divide itself into multiple fully-functioning blobs of muscle and hate. Of course, it can. And because just why not, it's intelligent enough to use one of itself as a decoy, get us to spend all our ammo.

  [Redacted]

  [Soldier 1] Well, if anyone finds this recording, [3] is dead. It... it shoved part of itself down their throat, all the way out the other end, and then inflated itself. At least he died quickly, quicker than the others at least. I think it was going suffocate them until I made it mad and [3] exploded like an overfilled balloon. Just with more viscera. The thing's been toying with us this entire time. I didn't sign up for this. I didn't sign up for this. I didn't sign up for this.