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A Union of Convenience II	By : Keen Category: M through R > Predator Views: 6268 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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�� Na�run
touched his head to the ground, humbling himself before the Ro�al
as he moved closer. The honoured Elder stepped from hiding in the cross hall
and told the male to stand.
�� Make sure your Master�s ship is
prepared and do not attempt to warn
him again, understood?�
�� Na�run
nodded and ran past the towering male who stood admiring the gleaming onyx and
gold foyer of the suite.
�� As a Clan Official, the Ro�al was usually not one to slink around or eavesdrop
because he had others do that for him.
�� He came to Anuvis
with the full intention of meeting face to face with Ali�shir when he overheard
the heated communication between the Lead Elder and Bahdri.
He now had an idea of what improprieties Go�meh
ambiguously mentioned but he wasn�t certain. Fortunately for him, Ali�shir�s hasty exit would allow him to further his
investigation without issue and stepping into the male�s personal chambers, he
found his first bit of damming evidence in the trophy enclave.
�� For a warrior that was often away on
hunts, Ali�shir had very little in the way of trophies to show for it. There
were glaringly empty spaces in his trophy case, as well as another smaller case
that was entirely empty except for one lonely Vy�ca
skull. Curiously, everything else was dusty save the skull. It was the only
thing immaculately clean and with reason, Ali�shir seemed to favour it. The Ro�al noticed his scent clung to it as if he handled the
thing every day.
�� Exiting the Trophy room, the Ro�al made his way to the master bedroom. Inside, the asegian keepers, with their pale tunics scrambled around
the massive room which reeked of musk. They stopped, frightened at the sight of
the tall warrior with extravagant gold amour, but he told them to continue as
his interest was in the closet. He thought he may find the missing trophies
here.
�� He himself liked to have evidence of
his accomplishments close, but the closet was bare as well and curiously devoid
of female clothes. However, tucked away in the absolute back of the walk in
closet were a few dresses, finely made but so antiquated, a female of this day
and age would not be caught dead wearing them.
�� Walking back into the room, the Ro�al ordered one of the keepers to his side. The male
hurried to take a knee at his feet.
�� Where is the
Elder�s female?� he asked.
�� I would not know, sir.�
�� Would anyone know where she is?�
�� The male shook his head. �I would
not know, sir.�
�� I know she must have been here,�
the Ro�al scoffed. �I can smell her.�
�� After a nervous moment the male
responded. �That was not the Elder�s mate, sir.�
�� The Ro�al
snorted with surprise, �Then who was it?��
When the servant did not immediately respond, he nudged him with his
foot. �Answer me or I will make you
answer me,� he growled.
�It was our ship�s Healer, Elder Sa�mar. They
had a meeting, sir.�
�� That made the Ro�al
growl again. The scent in the air was not the kind left when one passes through
a room. �He brings other females to his mate�s bed?� he asked. The servant was
silent but an angry glare from the honoured male made him nod. The Ro�al snorted, �Then he is a greater fool than I thought.�
�� He always sends for the sheets to
be changed afterwards,� the male added, hoping that would improve the Ro�al�s opinion of his master. �I have never heard of the
Elder Female objecting either.�
�� That made sense, especially if the
Lead Elder wanted offspring. Ali�shir and his sister were a rarity, a one in a
billion birth between two distinct species. Ali�shir and his female could mate
until the end of their lives and never see a pup but the Ro�al
wasn�t certain that was the reason.
�� While it would be prudent for him to
choose several females to breed with, all his efforts would be useless if they
were not in heat. Scenting the discarded sheets, the Ro�al
could tell the last female was not. He doubted any of the females he had
brought here were.
�� Have the Healer brought to me and
any other female your Lead Elder has known during his stay here.�
�� The male gawked. �All of them, sir?� he gasped
�� How many could it be?� the Ro�al asked. He closed his eyes with a groan when the room
grew silent. The keepers around him pretended to focus intently on their
respective tasks, while the male at his feet pretended not to hear him. �Has he
lain with the entire ship?!� he shouted, throwing his hands in the air.
�� No one answered him still and the
Clan official decided he had seen enough. He tossed the bed sheet aside and
moved to the door. �If that is the case, find the Elder�s servant, the Liaison,
and tell him to call for an assembly upon your Master�s return.�
�� That may not be for weeks,� the
keeper said.
�� The male stopped sharply, both
annoyed the asegian would not simply take his command
and that Ali�shir would not be back sooner.
�� There was nothing for a male of the Ro�al�s stature to earn or prove here on this tiny spit of
a ship. This was a simple case of overindulgence on Ali�shir�s
part. He had seen this before and it really was no cause for alarm. The females
the male contracted for these �meetings� were not forced to lay with him, the lack
of damage to the bed said as much. When he went away on his �hunting�
escapades, someone knowledgeable was left in charge and Ali�shir checked up
with them from time to time. It was unusual to run a ship in such a fashion,
but not necessarily bad practice.�
�� The situation, although on the verge
of being very intriguing one with his mate possibly not knowing of his many
trysts, was a waste of time but he could not afford to leave the job half-done,
Go�meh would not like it. And it was Go�meh that sent him.
�� Then I will wait,� he growled. �And when he
returns, bring him and the Elder Female to me. Immediately.��
��
II
�� Are you ok, Mother Hammond?� Seth
asked.
�� She nodded, sending a silvery grey
curl to bounce in her paled face. �I-It�s all happening so fast,� she breathed,
her hand clutching over her racing heart.
�� Seth tried to help her to a seat,
but she refused to move, her other hand clutching the banister. She could not
move. Dare not. All the old woman could do was stand paralysed on the steps of her
home, watching the busied movement around her as the reality of what happened
began to sink in.

�� Jane heard the scream for help
first. She was with the rest of her bachelorette
party, drinking a flute of champagne, admiring the way the hand-me-down wedding
dress fit her in the full length mirror when suddenly she paused. Her face
turned to the open window and then she bolted for the door.
It was hell on Marca�s arthritic knees to
catch up with her daughter but she managed, bursting onto the porch like she
did along with the other party goers in tow.
�� At first Marca
thought it strange that her daughter would get so riled up because the men of
the bachelor party had returned. It was nothing eventful and expected. They
ambled their way down the pass from the woods with what looked like a deer in
tow. Two men held the hooves, one for the font set and another for the back. It
wasn�t until they parted the woods and entered the property gates that the old
woman could see how wrong she was. They swung bodies between them, Ben Pealy and David Killroy. And Killroy, despite the horrible wound to his stomach was
still alive.
�� He groaned as they lay him down in
the grass and before anyone could stop her, Jane knelt at his side, ruining the
white lace dress with his blood as she pressed her hands against his. Together
they tried to hold the slippery ropes of his intestines in and stave his
bleeding with pressure until help arrived. When she pressed harder, the other
men held him down to keep him from fighting too much.�
�� Seth crouched beside his fianc�e and
pressed his hands on top of hers.� He
looked up to his soon to be father-in-law as David bucked and shuddered
underneath him.
�Chief Hammond, who or what the
hell did this?� Now in the light of the property, everyone could plainly see
the two terrible gashes that ran over Killroy�s
belly, the blood that spilled over the trembling fingers with each shuddered
breath he took. It startled the man when David rasped a response.
�� The Wild Man�� he gasped, spraying
blood.
�� Chief Hammond shook his head and
told the ambulance on his police radio to hurry up, shock was obviously
settling in.
�� Davy, there was no one in the woods
but us,� Seth assured.
�� His blood stained hand fisted in the
man�s coat with trembling. �It is the
woods,� he rattled.
�� David�s eyes rolled in the back of
his head and his whole body began to shake. �He�s seizing!� the Chief shouted.
�Don�t let him swallow his tongue!�
�� Seth watched Jane rip the fancy
tortoise shell clip from her hair and shove it in his mouth, but it was all for
nought. The man�s body relaxed and his eyes, once wide and fearful, closed. His
head fell to the side and just like that, Lacy Killroy
lost her husband.
Marca stood beside the newly made widow as she crumpled
to the floor with an agonised wail. The sound must have carried for miles
because the next thing Marca knew there were
townsfolk racing to the property in trucks. Men with guns, locked and loaded,
tussling to and fro in the flatbeds of them as they navigated the rocky
landscape.
She was only half right, many heard the screams, but they heard the
Chief Inspector�s radio for help first.

�� Standing atop her porch, Marca looked away from David�s motionless body and watched
as the ragtag battalion readied for war. Armed with shotguns, some with
pitchforks and sickles, they wielded lit torches, raised them high above their
shouting heads. It was a frenzied whirling dervish of chaos, one that her
husband oddly seemed to ignore at the moment.�
�� He helped the ambulance workers heft both
bodies into the van. When the doors were closed, he tapped on the cab,
signalling it was ok for them to drive away. The ambulance didn�t make it off
the property before it was stopped by a pair of neatly dressed men in black
trench coats and aviator shades.
�� The Chief recognised them
immediately as Royal Archers, the highest law enforcement officers under the
crown of King Mark and the most secretive. Suddenly it seemed like everywhere
Robert Hammond looked, there were more of these men, mingling with the
assembled search party and walking the perimeter of the woods. Closing off the woods.
�� He slowly turned as Silas Blake
pointed in his direction, sending a pair of the smartly dressed men to walk
toward him. They were quickly approaching but Robert knew better than to hurry
his stride and cast suspicion. Casually he sauntered over to Jimmy, his
youngest officer and Seth.
�� Take the women inside,� he said. �Especially Jane and my wife. I don�t want them to see
this.�
�� It�s a little late for that,� Seth
scoffed looking at Jane�s bloodied face and dress. She looked like a lost
little girl standing in the centre of the drive, staring at the stained place
where Dave Pealy had been.
�� I didn�t ask for lip,� Robert
snapped. �Just go!�
�� Jimmy hopped to move but Seth
followed slowly, with great reluctance. As the New Sussex�s Governor, he often
commanded more respect, but ever since he expressed interest in his daughter
the old man refused to give him any.
�� Go!� the Chief hissed, noticing how
close the Archers were.
�� Seth moved down the drive, shrugging
off his leather jacket. He draped it over his fianc�e shoulders and guided her
up the porch steps, passing the Archers who approached Robert with outstretched
hands and wintery smiles.

�� Inside the house, the widows Lacy Killroy and Samantha Pealy sat on
the couch in the living room holding one another as they wept silently. They
cried harder seeing Jane pass by, the front of her dress stained with blood,
her hands covered in it.
�� Jimmy moved quickly to shut the
parlour doors while Seth swept his fianc�e out of sight. He helped Jane sit on
a stool in the kitchen�s island and moved to the sink, wetting a cloth to clean
her hands. He looked out the window, watching on as Robert talked to the
mysterious strangers in black
�� I wonder what they are talking
about,� he said, wringing the cloth out.
�� Who did this,� Jake Wessner supplied.
�� His wife, Anna, buried her face in
his shoulder with a whimper, �Who would do such a thing!�
�� Not who, but what,� Jimmy said, walking inside the room. Marca
had already begun to brew a pot of tea and he pulled two teacups from the
cabinet in anticipation, hoping the hot drink would sooth the widows some. �The
Wild Man is real people. No other creature in those woods could carve a man�s
belly like that.�
�� Cept maybe a bear,� Marca
supplied, pushing a knife through a pink and red cake. The layered
strawberry angel food cake was her daughter�s favourite and she had been saving
it for the bachelorette party but now there was no
point. She put a slice in front of everyone, listening as Jake responded to her
suggestion.
�� There were no tracks to be had,
Mrs. Hammond,� he said.
�� And it was too clean,� Gene
Poughkeepsie added. �It looked like someone took this here cookie cutter to
Ben�s centre,� he said flipping the ring of metal in his hand. �Pushed it
through and cored him. You could see the layers inside the man like a cake.�
�� Anna made another pained sound and
Jake hissed at Gene to watch his mouth. Gene�s wife hit him to keep quiet, too.
�� Sufficed to say, without going into the ugly details,�
Jake said, glaring at Gene. �I�m inclined to side with the kid. Either a man or
something like a man did that.�
�� I heard it was a woman,� Jimmy
said. Everyone looked up at him and he hurried to explain. �The
Wildman. I heard it was a woman.�
�� Marca
looked at Jane and then to Jimmy. �From who?� she
asked.
�� Jimmy took a deep breath and wrung
his slender fingers. �George Leone said it was a woman that stole his
chickens.�
�� There was an audible groan from the
occupants of the kitchen. Jake was the first to point out to the boy that his
na�vet� was showing. �Crazy George also said his wife�s sprit was trapped in a
can of three bean soup. That�s why we call him �Crazy�, Jimmy.�
�� And besides, Bob said it was
insurance scam,� Gene added. �A way for him to recoup his losses after that Emu ranching thing went belly up.�
�� Crazy or not,� the young man
continued. �We can all admit, we never expected him to leave his farm, but he
did after that night. After he saw her.�
�� Jane put her head down on the
kitchen table and Marca slammed the hot pot on the
counter, narrowly missing Jimmy�s hand.
�� There is no Wildman,� she said
firmly. �And even if there was, we can all admit also that David Killroy and Ben Pealy are much
bigger than chickens. So something else did this.�
�� How can you be so sure?� Jimmy
asked.
�� Marca
glanced at the expectant faces around the kitchen table and sighed. She handed
him the tray with tea and slices of cake. �Its common sense,
boy. Now give this to Lacy and Sam. Tell them I�ll be in soon.�
�� The young man took up the tray with
a nod and left, letting the room fall back into shocked silence.
�� Seth studied his fianc�e, noticing
her sullen disposition. �Janey, aren�t you going to eat
your cake?� he asked, coming to sit next to her. She picked at the food idly
with her fork, her head resting on her outstretched arm. When he spoke, she sat
up slowly and set down the utensil. Gene�s words echoed in her head ... You could see the layers inside the man
like a cake�.
�� Excuse me,� she said, standing.
�� Where are you going?� Seth asked.
�� Lay down,� she replied, moving to
the kitchen steps that lead to the second floor. �Don�t feel well.�
�� Seth grabbed his coat and moved
behind her. �I�ll go with you.�
�� She shook her head, tossing her long
curls about her face. �No. Need to rest.�
�� All the more reason for me to come
with you,� he said moving behind her. �We�ll draw a bath and I can rub your
back and feet...�
�� No!� Jane hung her head, realising
she had shouted at the man. Turning around she could see every one in the
kitchen struggle to look elsewhere but at them.
�� Seth looked away as well, wringing
the jacket in his hands. He lifted his head as she neared. It surprised him
when she pressed a kiss on his lips and rested her head against his, her hand
smoothing the line of his jaw.
�� Please,� she whispered, searching
his eyes. �Need to be alone now. Understand?�
�� He did not, but he would grant it.
Seth nodded once and watched her take off up the flight of steps, undoing the
zipper in the back of her dress as she did.
�� Marca saw
the man fight not to follow her, his hand deathly gripping the banister. �It�s
not you, Seth. She�s not in the mood for any of her favourites tonight,� she
sighed, dumping the plate of discarded cake in the garbage. �And you can�t
blame her. It�s probably the first dead body she�s ever seen. I know it was
mine and I�m nearly seventy-eight years old.�
�� The others around the table nodded
their heads as well. It had been their first time seeing a dead body too.
Murder, accidental death, animal attacks, whatever it was, just didn�t happen
in New Sussex. People passed away in hospitals and the staff promptly encased
the remains and sent them to the funeral home. Only men and women who served in
his Majesty�s Military knew about death so Seth went outside to speak to the
only veteran aside from himself in the small satellite, Robert Hammond.

III
�� Seth left the porch just as the
Archers turned away, radioing in to their base. They pressed the chips in their
left ear to receive the hail as he came to stand behind Robert, his hands in
his jacket pockets. �Since when does Royal Inquest dispatch Archers for animal
attacks?� he mused aloud.
�� They don�t.� Seth was surprised to have
Robert pull him aside, putting his arm around him like they were close buddies.
�Take my wife and daughter to your place, into the city,� he said, with a false
smile for appearance sake. Anyone watching their conversation would see it and
dismiss the possibility that the talk was serious.
�� Into the city?� Seth
echoed. �Are you sure? I�m sure they�ll want to talk to them too.�
�� The Archers had already begun to
take command of the area, ordering the Chief Inspector�s men left and right.
They made it clear they were going to talk to everyone who saw the bodies both
alive and dead. They paid especially close attention to the woods as well.
�� Robert let Seth go but kept his
deceptive smile. �I don�t want them involved in this any more than necessary.�
�� Seth crossed his arms and raised a
questioning brow. �That sounds like obstruction, Chief. What�s really going on
here?�
�� The old man looked away. He could
not tell the man that with the arrival of the Archers, he had a sinking feeling
that what killed David and Ben was not an animal. He did not want to incite a
riot over something he himself wasn�t sure existed but he also didn�t want his
family nearby if it was proven it did.
�� I know you and I have never gotten along,� he
began. �But I know I can trust you to keep them safe. I know you love my
daughter, so take care of her and her mum.�
�� Seth blinked, stupefied. This was
the first time Robert addressed him as something akin to an equal. It took him
a moment to compose his thoughts and respond.
�� You understand this could mean trouble,� he
said finally. �Doing anything short of cooperating with RI is not wise. People
in your position, our position, have
disappeared for less.�
�� I do and I know,� Robert nodded.
�� Seth studied the man a moment and
then agreed with a nod. If something worried the old man enough to take that
risk and shelve his long standing
feud Seth reasoned he shouldn�t argue with him.
�� I�ll do this, but when this is all over, you
and I will have a long talk, Chief Inspector.�
�� I�m sure Jane will insist on it then,� he
said with a smirk.
�� Turning around, Robert realised he
had convinced the man right on time as Archer Banks and Lei returned their
attentions to him. From the start of their introduction, they quickly confirmed
his suspicions that this was anything but a friendly visit to the small
man-made satellite. They were looking for what killed the two men and since
their secretive radio conversation, they were obviously not convinced it was an
animal either.
�� If it wasn�t a bear, then what
killed them?� Robert asked, looking genuinely befuddled.
�� I was wondering if you could tell
us.�
�� Archer Banks flipped the tablet to
open, listing the overwhelmingly obvious clues as fast as his stylus could
scroll through them. There was the matter of the signal anomalies,
unrecognisable and fleeting disturbances that only seemed to become frequent
with time. They were soon forgotten when the animal mutilations began. From
chickens to cows, they disappeared, some only to be found later stripped of
their hides with holes that looked not too unlike Ray�s wounds, only smaller in
diameter.
�� The Chief Inspector interrupted his
train of thought. �I think we have pranksters on our hands and they�ve taken it
too damn far.� He said, �We had people seeing a �Wild Man� a while back. I
think it was most likely a clever insurance scam. People started to realise it
wasn�t anything but a joke when a teen dressed up in suit made an appearance at
the high school�s graduation.�
�� I have an eye witness that swears it
was a woman,� the Archer replied.
�� It�s a hoax,� Robert rebuffed, slightly angered they would not leave the idea
alone. �The Wild Man is something we poor country folk made up to pass the time
but even if it was true, that�s not what killed these men.�
�� Let us determine what killed these
men, Chief.�
�� Robert noted the Archer�s aggressive
stance, hands clenched at his sides. �You taking over my investigation?� he
asked.
�� Lei started to talk but his partner
held his arm, silencing him. Banks tried to calm the Chief Inspector, assuring
him they had not come to challenge him or step on his toes.
�� We are not here to hinder your
investigation Chief. In fact, we can offer you more men to assist if you like,�
he explained with a pearly white smile and black shades. �We just want to
explore all possibilities and avenues on this. Certainly you understand how
unusual this all is.�
�� Well, I suppose I have no choice but to
cooperate,� Robert said, watching yet more men in trench coats arrive.
�� Banks offered him another smile.
�We�d prefer to work together, not separately or with force.�
�� But we will if necessary,� Lei
added, his tone not hiding the laced threat.
�� Another transmission sung in Archer
Banks� ear and warily he excused himself to answer it. He glared ruefully at
his partner, wordlessly warning him to reign in his arrogance. If at all
possible Banks wanted to work with the Chief and his men, not against.
�� The path of least resistance was
often the best and in a small tight knit community like this that kind of
cooperation was essential. If the town�s leader shut down on them the rest of
the townsfolk would follow suit and then there was no way they�d learn what
they came to find out without making them all disappear.
�� Behave,� Banks mouthed silently, turning to
press the device imbedded in the skin just above his ear.
�� Lei watched Banks talk and then
turned back to the old man. Begrudgingly he apologised for his flippancy to the
Chief. �I don�t like it when people are murdered on my watch,� he grit.
�� Then we have something in common.� The Archer
held out his hand for a shake and the Inspector took it firmly. �What can I do
for you gentlemen?�
�� We�d like a list of women in their
mid to late twenties, of average height and athletic build.�
�� Robert laughed. �This is New Sussex,
not one of your bigger settlements like Bounty or Echelon. We don�t keep lists
like that,� he chuckled. �We have no need to keep lists like that.�
�� Well, we do,� Lei said opening his
device and scanning the screen. He slapped his stylus in its centre and looked
over the rim of his shades to the Chief. The electrical chips in his enhanced
eyes blinked red and blue as he spoke, �And it seems as if the woman you claim
as your daughter is on the top of ours.�
�� Well then let me scratch her off
for you.� Robert turned to face the man. �Jane was with my wife and her friends
doing whatever women do at a bachelorette party. She
didn�t know a thing until we brought them back.�
�� So then our talk will be a short
one won�t it?� Lei replied haughtily.
�� If she was there,� Banks� said
pressing the device in his ear. He had already revised the list and sent out
men to apprehend the women. �Her room is empty. Chief Hammond, where is your
daughter?�
�� Robert looked at his driveway and
frowned, Seth wasn�t gone yet. His monstrous black truck was still parked in
just behind his police cruiser. Inside, he could make out the silhouette of his
wife through the tinted windows but curiously the driver and passenger seat was
empty. Where was Jane or Seth for that matter? A tap on his shoulder answered
half of his question.
�� I can�t find her anywhere in the
house,� Seth whispered in his ear. �Where else should I look?�
�� Why would she be anywhere else?� he
hissed.
�� Robert posed it as a rhetorical
question but Seth answered, �I don�t know, but I found these.� The man
discreetly showed him the empty box of shells in his pocket. He found it on
Jane�s bed with another box.
�� Dammit,
woman�� Robert frowned.
�� Seth�s face was one of fearful
concern. �You don�t think she went looking for it, do you?�
�� Robert put his hands on his hips and
nodded. Jane was like him, strong-willed, stubborn and a fighter. She went to
confront whatever was threatening her home and family head on.
�� Chief Hammond, where is your daughter?�
Lei said folding his arms.
�� Robert motioned to the forest. �In
there.�
�� Lei pressed his ear and stalked off
in the direction. More men in black coats did the same, turning with the
precision of machines and all at once to face the woods. Banks moved in the
same direction as well, commanding a few of the Chief�s own men to help him.
Robert didn�t object at all. He followed behind him, hoping and praying they
found his daughter before something else did.

IV
�� Cloaked, hidden by the thick canopy,
he watched the female cautiously enter the clearing. She could not see much in
the darkness so she relied on her other senses to guide her. The heavy coat she
wore flared as she knelt to the grass, a small hand touching a darkened patch.
She brought her fingertips to her nose and then quickly wiped them clean on her
pants. She knew this was the place the two human males met their end. She
followed the tracks of the hunting party to this spot and now stood looking for
the culprit, hiding among the trees.
�� She coughed every now and then, her
body bunching as she caught the sound with her clenched fist. Even when she
breathed even there was a slight wheezing sound. It was most likely from the
pollution in the air around them, but he was fortunate enough to have a faceplate
while she was not. The noise made her an even easier mark as a result.�
�� Easing onto the ground, the warrior
got the female in his targets and raised his arm. The net left the wrist cuff
in a sucking whisper, travelling as fast as a bullet in one thick line,
spiralling to open like some giant fist. He growled irritated when she simply
stepped out of its path, letting it wrap its metal fingers around a nearby
tree. They met eyes for a thunderous moment before she tore off into the trees,
leaping over downed trunks and swinging off branches.
�� Weaving through the trees, she
looked back intermittently, glimpsing the branches breaking on her invisible
assailant�s bulk, blown to hell as it thundered a path toward her. It looked to
be gaining on her so she pressed harder, dug her heels in deeper to propel
herself further. She was making headway, running to the gods know where,
putting space between her and her hunter. Skidding down an embankment, she
turned to see if he was gaining and was chilled to see nothing. No motion. No
branches bending awkwardly over an unseen mass. Instinct pulled her to take a
knee, staking her hand in the ground.
�� Her eyes searched the dark shadows,
moving with her head and body as she turned in a circle. She was not foolish enough
to think she out ran it, so she waited. Crouched on her hands and knees, she
looked through the gently falling leaves for anything that gave its location.
Not realising it fell all around her, lightly piling atop her head and
shoulders.
�� A leaf sailed by her face and she
stilled. She struggled to keep her breathing even as the understanding came to
her, but her heart raced for a telling second.
�� Leaves showered all around her and
then dumped down on her, like someone took a bucket and simply poured them over
her head. Adrenaline burst warmly in her veins and she sprang forward, lunging
for the trunk of a nearby tree. A heavy thud sounded behind her, striking down
onto the spot she just left. It growled and then trilled as she took off again.
She thought to lead him to the edge of the forest, where the trees were younger
and unable to support his weight. But she wouldn�t make it.
�� Something fell like a ton of bricks
in front of her and running like she was, she rose on the tips of her feet to
stop herself from touching it. It backed her against a tree, rippling the
bushes and shrubbery behind it as it moved.
�� Anger creased her face. �You found
me,� she panted. �Now what?� She took a step closer to
meet her attacker and was taken back to see another ripple join the first. They
passed by one another, overlapping for a second in one very noticeable blur of
the landscape before standing to the right and left of her. �You are not
Ali�shir.��

�� The device around Hay�un�s dome sparked to life, translating the softly
spoken words.� He looked to his brother
who offered a quick shrug of his heavy shoulders. �I do not know who that is
either,� Hay�un chuckled in his native language,
reaching a hand out to the woman. �Perhaps she will tell us on the way? After some...persuasion?��
�� Hay�un
said the last word with a soft, calming purl but she frowned. Rath�ol watched the female coil, bracing herself against
the tree at her back. He turned his head slightly to his brother. �Watch your
words. The human may understand you.�
�� I hardly think so,� he chuckled.
�It is just afraid of what it does not know.�
�� It knew enough to evade your net,
brother.� Rath�ol smirked.
�� Hay�un
remembered the embarrassment and turned with a roar. His hand wrapped around
her throat and wrenched her up against the tree, grinding her skin against the
jagged bark. It unsettled him that she did not scream or look away in fear.
With her feet and hands holding onto the trunk, the human stared him directly
in the eyes unfaltering, even as he roared.
�� Hay�un
growled his dissatisfaction. �It will be a long ride. I will have plenty of
time to teach it to fear what it does not know.�
�� You should have listened to your
brother.�
�� Hay�un
trilled, amused she could speak his language so well. �Why is that?� he
prattled.
�� Because now I know you are here to
hurt me.�
�� And?�
�� And that means I have permission to
hurt you,� she smiled.
�� Hay�un
looked down, hearing the click at her side. The sawed off gun concealed under
her coat pressed against his exposed belly. He took a sharp intake of breath
before she pulled on the trigger, blowing away his lower back.
�� Hay�un�s
lifeless body peeled away from her and Isis�s
feet touched the ground. She righted herself and took a shot at the roaring
brother that now thundered toward her, catching him in his chest before he
cracked her in the face with his fist. His hand collided with her brow, claws
opening a gushing wound above her eye before sending her twisting to the forest
floor.
��
�� Gunfire.
Two shots, east.� Archer Lei turned in the direction, keeping his heavy-footed
stride, still pressing a finger against his earpiece.
�� The other Archers followed, honing
their electronic devices as well. Applying pressure made it more sensitive to
the sounds coming from the location they faced and amplified them.
�� Archer Banks came to a stop, his
brows furrowed. �I hear the girl�but what the hell is that?� he frowned,
looking up to the darkened canopy.
�� There was a pained howl echoing
through the forest. No one recognised what creature could make such a racket,
but Lei. The man reached to the holster inside his coat, pulling out two heavy
rapid fire guns, checking their magazines before tossing one to his partner and
motioning the other Agent�s to do the same.
�� Class B,� he explained quickly,
removing his shades. He could see the darkened valley as if it were high noon
now. �If you can see it,� he continued. �Shoot to kill and don�t hesitate. It
won�t.�
�� Banks nodded and stepped aside as
the more experienced agent took point. They moved quickly in the darkness,
coming to the exact spot where the gunfire began. ��
�� She came through here,� Banks
announced looking at the footprints in the crushed leaves. �The alien
followed.�
�� Lei�s eyes canvassed the destroyed
clearing, his head nodding in agreement. He crouched at a heavy depression
made, most likely, by a fallen and wounded body. Dabbing his fingers in the
florescent blood, he smoothed it between his thumb and fore finger while
looking around him, gun still raised. �It seems there
are two...but it makes no sense. They are solitary hunters.�
�� We will quibble over that later. We
now have confirmation of Class Bs in this area. We need to contain them and
flush out the Hammonds�
daughter. �
�� How should we do that?� another
Agent asked.
�� Textbook manoeuvre,� Banks replied.
�Make a perimeter, set fire to the woods. They�ll most likely hold their
ground, seeing it as a challenge, but she�ll run.�
�� Lei shook his head once, his eyes
fixed over his partner�s shoulder. �No need. She�s coming to us.� He touched
his ear and shouted to the others, �Train yourselves
on her signal!�
�� Banks turned to see the Hammond girl barrel
toward him, thighs pumping. She batted him aside with her body as she continued
down the path they came from, darting away from Agents who tried to stop her,
screaming at them to run with her. Something frightened her enough to run
headlong into the thick of agents and looking back to where she came, Banks saw
what that something was. He turned in time to see the hulking creature fall in
front of him and slash his sharpened wrist blades across his chest.
�� Falling on his stomach, he watched
the feet of his fellow agents scramble around him. The black slacks and
polished black shoes, sliding and darting across the brittle red and brown
leaves, illuminated every now and then by muzzle fire. Then bodies rained down
on him. Lifeless as he would soon be, the blood from his throat steadily
gushing to soak the floor under him. Still he managed to raise his hand to his
ear, transmitting the Hammond
woman�s trace signal to all other waiting Agents.

�� She raced until the burning in her
legs became unbearable. Flopping along the darkened marshland, exhausted and
spent, she fell to her knees. As she panted, she saw her breath in the chilly nighttime air. Soft grey bursts that seemed to catch the
moonlight. The sight of it, the proof she was still alive, made her chuckle.
�� She should have been dead, or at the
very least, unconscious. She was in such pain her body became numb to shield
her. Turning on her side, she could see the broken yautja
blade in her thigh but she couldn�t feel it, which was good since it meant she
could keep moving. And she had to. She felt like she was being followed. A sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach that made her uneasy.
�� She was too far away to hear the
discontented growl of her stalker as she rose to her feet and ambled down the
embankment.
�� Through the thick of human bodies
and then trees, he followed her. Loping silently from tree to tree, he could
spy the female crossing the river. She pulled out of her sopping wet sweater
and fell onto the banks. He half expected her to roll around in the muck before
intentionally slathering her face with the stuff. It was an old trick, but an
effective method to make oneself invisible even to the most advanced faceplates
but she stood without doing either. She did not expect him. She could not have.
�� At the start she knew there was at
least one yautja hunter and then found that there
were two, but three was unheard of. No, she ran now from the humans. The Archers. Leading them into woods that
she knew so well she could pilot them blindly.
�� The gushing wound over her brows
kept her eyes shut tightly, but he noted it had not impeded her progress. She
navigated the woods purely on memory, her battle worn hands reaching for things
she knew to be there, ducking under branches, slipping soundlessly between
bushes, propelling her closer to the swamps of the small satellite. The place
of many smells and free swinging moss would swallow her whole and hide her from
any pursuer who did not know exactly
who they were looking for.

�� The ground under her feet became
soft and wet, sucking the heels of her boots noisily as she moved. The
sulphurous smell was enough to tell her she was in the swamp, but she reached
out regardless to feel the tree trunks moist and slick with algae and fungus.
�� With a wry smirk, she moved deeper
into the overgrown space, heading toward the dilapidated docks and boathouse to
mend her wounds and plan her next step. Silently to herself she counted the
twenty paces toward them both until her hands touched something other than cool
and textured bark. Her fingers bumped over the warm and smooth surface and she
recoiled with a gasp, realising she was touching a chest. And
not a human one.
�� He growled as she bounded backward,
reaching for the gun tucked at her side. She pointed it at him but he ducked
while grappling with her arm, twisting it back. The weapon fell from her pained
hand, sinking into the black marsh waters underfoot.
�� Looking for it would have been
useless so when she kicked herself free, she backed away to firmer ground and
crouched into fighting position. It angered her to hear an amused prattle from
her stalker.� She did not have a chance
in hand-to-hand combat with him. He had proven that point many times over when
she was whole and had all her senses. She was nearly blind, fatigued and
hobbling in a circle with an injured leg. What was she hoping to do to anyone,
let alone him?
�� Shouts made her turn her head. The
Archer�s reinforcements had arrived and picked up where the fallen contingent
left off. They were getting close, which meant her stalker was running out of
time as well.
�� Well come on!� she baited, angrily.
�� He reached for her. His hand
brushing against her cheek as it sought to take her by the neck and she
trippingly backed against a tree.
�� He moved closer to help her steady
herself and stop from falling into the muck, while her hands felt the rotting
tree branch behind her back.
�� She seized with fierceness, ripping
it off the old mossy trunk and swinging hard with the form of a baseball
player, denting his metal face with an audible clink.
�� Crouched over, the male stumbled to
the side and then flew back as she swung in the opposite direction, bringing
the branch under his heavy chin. He fell down on his back, slightly dazed and
she staggered forward.
�� With a deep breath, she summoned
every bit of energy to lift the branch over her head. She was going to cave his
head in, bash all his green brains over the swamp when he raised his hands up
and roared her name. Her real name. First
and last.
�� With his voice, the log in her hand
fell lamely at her side. She squinted, trying to make out the figure in the
water. Covered in slime and moss, he sat up slowly.
�� Al�Ali�shir?� she said, panting.
�� The male pushed from the water and
stood in front of her, water running in tiny rivulets down his chest. His hands
lifted to his face and the crumpled faceplate came away with a hiss, discarded
at his feet. His quicksilver eyes stared at her while he spoke.
�� Yes, Isis. Put down the br��
�� He took a step forward and she swung
again, landing another blow across his face. The strike took him by surprise,
sending him twisting to the ground. He pushed up from the ground with a growl,
his maw pouring blood. �Woman, I said it was me!� he spit angrily.
�� Oh, I heard you!� she snapped,
swinging the log back again, rocking on her heels as if waiting for a pitch
�What the hell have you gotten me into now?!�

A/N:
I know it took forever but thanks for your
patience! Bubbles, Das Grauen, midnighteyes, chancelor22, nova_myth, shortest_warrior, eyexheartxreita, ashesxx2xxashes, Jazz, Death, LovyDovy
and Amentet
thanks so much for reviewing! I�m glad the new stuff is well received and
barring more personal drama, a third chapter should be soon coming!
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A Union of Convenience II