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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
- 3
- 4
- 5
�� The first thing Isis
heard was Marca�s voice. She smiled softly hearing
the woman�s laughter, the melodious and sweet sound carried over that of
another, bacon sizzling in a pan. Isis smiled
softly, realising she had made it back to New Sussex. She was home, lying in
bed, ready to start her day�but something was amiss.
�� Human. Female. Average height and
build. Early to mid-thirties. Black. Pronounced scarring on the dorsal of all
four extremities. One scar frontal, chest, over the sternum, deep as suggested by the formation of a keloid��
�� The rush of focused conversation
made her brows knit. She didn�t have a radio in her bedroom. Isis
cracked open her eyes and a tilted ceiling came into focus above her. The harsh
fluorescent lights, lined in rows like a supermarket store, made her squint.
�� This was not her bedroom. This was
not home. Maybe a hospital?
�� She saw the people at the end of the
room, milling furiously around a long table with several microscopes and other
medical paraphernalia set on top. Latex gloves peeked up out of a box. Next to them,
there were several round glass cylinders stuffed with puffy white balls of
cotton. Bottles of acrid smelling antiseptics and unused, still sterile
syringes. Looking to the wall just beyond it, she could see a large window with
thick glass that looked out into an empty hall and another, looking like a
manager�s box inside a football stadium. It was perched high with a clear view
of everything and everyone, especially her.
�� Isis
was in the absolute centre of the room, sitting in a chair, wearing nothing but
a thin backless gown. The position she sat in was so natural, she did not even
realise she was restrained until she tried to pull the gown together to cover
herself up. Her arms were fixed in place with shiny cuffs and tethers?
�� Red and black wires tangled
themselves together and ran from patches on her arms, chest and neck to big
boxy machines that sounded her heart rate and blood pressure. Her newly shorn
head was crowned with them, her long black curls purposely hacked off to attached
to machines that fluctuated with her brainwaves. Each foot was bound to a leg
of the metal chair and even they were attached to even more devices that burped
paper readouts on to the floor.
�� The sound of running water made her
turn, slowly. Her head ached badly and was sensitive to the slightest change in
position but she managed. A man washed his hands intensely in a sink not too
far from her, flinging lather everywhere. Isis
figured he was a doctor�until he dipped his entire head under the steady stream
of water, scrubbing furiously.
�� That
has to be against a health code, she frowned.
�� It drove a spike of fear into her to
realise these people were not proper medical staff and this was not a hospital.
They wore entirely too many badges, their shoes steel tipped. The room was too large,
the equipment too advanced.� This was
some kind of warehouse. A research facility.
�� The realisation made the woman
tremble. Despite her aching head, Isis lifted
her head, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as she scanned the room for
an escape. A set of hydraulic double doors, the room�s only visible exit, sat
to her left but there was a control pad there as well. People zipped in and out
of the room�s only exit but their fingers moved entirely too fast for her to
memorise the code.
�� A hushed curse drew unwanted
attention. A guard nearby looked over to the woman and cupped his mouth, �She�s
up!� he boomed.
�� Isis
cursed again to hear all the movement still around her and hear heavy footsteps
near. The guard sauntered over to her, cradling a long black weapon against his
chest, his bandaged thumb thumping at the trigger.
�� Isis
kicked this man in the crotch in the graveyard and he wanted nothing more than
to return the favour by way of a bullet in her head, but his boss approached.
�� Thank you, Daniels,� he said.
�� The man, Daniel�s boss, at the basin
stood and walked over, still wiping his face. Isis
could see the stains of makeup on the cloth. His face had been caked with it.
�� Isis
looked away as Daniels dragged the table in front of her. He sat a chair at her
side and the man from the sink sat, still working at his face with the spotted
dirty cloth.
�� Isis
shifted. The man was uncomfortably close, his long knees touching hers as he
sat. They parted her legs as he leaned in to speak.
�� Understand, we didn�t intend on
using these restraints,� he said motioning around her with his hands. �But even
you must admit, you were a�. difficult
catch. Wouldn�t you?� he smirked. Isis� was
unimpressed and her expression said as much. Woefully, the man shook his head.
�I really wish you took me up on that offer for drinks, Ms. James. I was really
hoping this would be a lively and mutual exchange, but all things considered,
I�ll take what I can get.�
�� He wiped at his face again and Isis recognised him, especially his broken nose. He was
the blonde guard, the one that stopped her at the cemetery hill, but he looked
very different. His hair was still coloured the same, but his face, all of it,
held a purplish tint. Isis was tempted to
smile, proud of her handiwork, but the man stared at her now.
�� I bet you are wondering how I knew
who you were?� She said nothing but he pretended he heard a ��yes� and slid a
group of old glossy eight by tens in front of her.
�� Isis
tried not to react in any way, but failed. She could glimpse something that
stirred her memory. She stretched her hands as much as she could in the
restraints and pushed the pictures apart with her fingertips.
�� They were old captures of the
Whistler and her crew and she was in every one, looking very crisp and official
in her flight suit. She was carefree and selfish creature then, so deserving of
the punishment that was coming.
�� Unlike
some, she thought, touching her brother�s face.
�� Isis
sat back in her seat with a heavy sigh and the man snapped up the photos,
tapping them on the table to make them even before sliding them back into an
envelope. �As a boy,� he began with a sharp inhale. �I would stare at these all
day. I knew all your faces, names, stats and positions by heart. I met you all
once, when I was very young. Even then I was jealous,� he chuckled. �When most
people say their father had another family, they often do not mean a crew.�
�� He kicked angrily at the legs of the
chair, making Isis pop in her seat. �Don�t
even think about it,� he warned, seeing her eyes wander to the doors. �You
won�t make it three steps before my men drop you like a rock.�
�� Isis
slid her eyes back to his now scowling face and could suddenly draw the family
resemblance. The square chin, Roman nose and high cheek bones. The purple
colouring wasn�t bruising. The black lines of his face were still hidden under
the thick makeup but she knew they were there. They had to be. This was Jared,
Douglass� son.
�� He
is an asshole Isis
thought, frowning.
�� Looking around the again, everything
from the bodies that milled around her, to the arching structures of the
building itself bore the Pyre insignia. She had only seen it once but she still
felt foolish for not making the connection sooner. She turned to face Jared
again who lounged amusedly in his chair, bouncing his crossed legs.
�� You�re beginning to understand,
aren�t you?� he said softly. Isis looked away
and his smile widened. �I think you know why my father made this place. It was
his pet project for years. His obsession,� Jared grit angrily.
�� His contempt for his father�s
fixation was never more apparent. It often left him alone without things
Douglass could have readily afforded had he not sank it all into the crack-pot enterprise
that surrounded him.
�� I, like everyone else, thought he
was stark raving mad but then you appeared. In your mousy little dress and fake
identity,� he chuckled. �And now I will succeed where he failed,� he smiled
widely. �And you will help me.�
�� Isis
shook her head and he leaned closer, his hands touching the armrests. �Not to
sound completely hackish, Ms. James but I do have ways of making you talk.�
�� His hands trailed higher and Isis fought in her restraints. Jared tsked
at her to hush, �Calm down, Isis. No
theatrics. I just have something to show you.�
�� He sat a folder in her lap and Isis felt her stomach lurch as he opened it. They were
pictures of the farm. Marca. Robert. Recent pictures, she remarked staring at
the pile.
�� They seem like really nice people,
Isis,� Jared said stroking his chin. �Simple, hard working,
�salt-o-the-earth�,� he mocked with a folksy twang. �They probably took you in,
not even knowing who or what you
really are. Decent people,� he said, his smile falling. �The kind of people who
don�t deserve bad things. Do you know what I mean, Isis?�
�� After a moment she nodded and the
man�s smile returned. �Then you probably know you can make sure bad things
don�t happen to them.� His voice was falsely soothing, his hand brushed errant
hairs from her shaven head and eye-lashes. Jared smoothed her cheek and lifted
her head to his by her chin. �Tell us everything you know about these aliens.
Where they come from, who is there leader, where is there home planet. Details,
Isis. Things I can�t learn on my own.�
�� What make you think I know?�
�� Because you talk like that,� he
chuckled. Jared touched the mark on her cheek and ran his hands over her neck
and shoulders, down the bite mark and hard meat scratches, respectfully. �You�ve
been among them,� he said quietly. �Maybe as an equal or as a pet, but you know
them�intimately.�
�� Isis
looked at his hand as it fell to rest on her knee. Jared expected her to shift
again, to refuse being so close to him but she didn�t. A small smile ghosted
her lips and to his surprise she parted her legs a little. His hand slid
higher, over her knee and between her, smoothing the skin of her thigh as he
stared in her eyes. Now this close, Jared could plainly see why his father had
loved her so.
�� She was exotic, muscled. Her eyes
darkly alluring and piercing. They spoke volumes with their silent words and he
could not tear himself away. Jared�s fingers crept along the underside of her
thigh and hooked under her knee, pulling her forward as much as the restraints
would allow. Isis slouched in the seat and
watched the man leave his seat, moving to stretch over her. She felt his hand
creep higher and higher still before she violently snapped her legs shut,
pinching his wounded hand.
�� You�re mistaken,� she growled,
shutting her legs tighter, twisting.
�� Jared ripped his hand free with a
roar and backhanded her. Hard. Isis� face
snapped to the side and she blinked furiously, batting back tears as the
searing pain travelled her cheek. Jared waited until she faced him again before
he slapped her again. He watched with satisfaction as she gasped to keep from
wailing.
�� I am not mistaken,� he said coolly,
easing back in his chair. �It was there with you when you tried to kill my
father. You talked to it. So you will tell me what I want to know or I will
kill the old couple.�
�� Isis
gasped still, swallowing back tears. She loved her new family and Jared was
absolutely right about them. The couple welcomed her into their homes and lives
without question. They trusted her implicitly but even for them, she could not
speak. Jared would probably kill them anyway and her too. It was better for
everyone for her to keep silent and let him have his outlandishly misconceived
notions.
�� Isis
turned her head away, biting her lip and Jared slammed his hand on the table,
demanding she face forward. �Do you hear me?� he yelled, holding up a picture
of Robert. The old man looked dapper in his police uniform, buttons and medals
gleaming, sitting with a smile the Empire flag in the backdrop. �He�ll die if
you don�t tell me something right now.�
�� Isis
let her head fall and studied the floor, seemingly unmoved by his display and
Jared simply crushed the picture in his hand. If she could be so casual and
indifferent, so could he.
�� Well, great, he�s dead,� he said
matter-of-factly. �A bullet in the head ought to do it.�
�� Jared tossed the picture over his
shoulder and reached for another, one of Marca. He
forced Isis� head up to watch as he twisted it
like a see-saw in both hands. �You refuse me again and I promise, promise,� he breathed with relish, �a
slow and agonising death for her.�
�� Isis
stared at the picture. Marca�s grey hair swept into
soft curls, falling just slightly over her shoulders, cheeks red as the roses
she currently pruned. The shadow of her floppy straw hat fell over her face,
but Isis could still spy that bright carefree
smile. Jared wasn�t even fit to hold the picture of that woman. She would have
ripped it from his hands and beat his face in with her fist, but all she could
do was spit in the man�s face.
�� Isis
reared back and pelted his mouth with the wet ball of phlegm and Jared whipped
away. He lifted his hand to wipe away and then backhand her next. He reached to
choke her for the insult when something caught his eye. Blood sprayed from her
mouth and spattered on the floor, flashing magenta and then dark red. Jared
took a cloth in his hand and wiped at the curious fluid.
�� I guess this was the reason you
didn�t want to go the emergency room,� he chuckled.
�� Agitating it made it flash that odd colour
again so he played with the spot in the rag. Daniels stood next to him and he
glanced up at him, smirking.
�� Take her to the more equipped labs
below,� he said, folding up the cloth and handing it to a waiting woman in a
white lab coat.
�� His words were only meant for his
second in command, but Isis heard him and
thrashed in her seat. She pulled on her binds with all her might but it was no
use. They were fixed in place, just as she was. Being a captive in a lab,
strapped down with leather restraints, strung up with needles and electrodes,
was one of her worst nightmares and she refused to go quietly.
�� Daniels moved to her side and
hastily untied her from the seat, yanking her up roughly in a show of power. He
pulled her up by her bound hands and twisted them painfully.
�� You will behave this time,� he
warned.
�� Make me.�
�� Isis
smiled bashfully at him and he laughed. �That succubus shit may work with Mr.
Pyre, but not me. My hand isn�t getting snapped up in there,� he said motioning
to her lap.
�� What�s wrong? You don�t like
women?�
�� Daniel�s face blushed red as the
others surrounding him started to chuckle. Immediately, he raised his hand to
strike her and in doing so let go of his grip on her shackles. Isis moved so quick Daniels didn�t have a moment so
scream. She ducked his raised hand and looped her bound fists over his head.
She swung round his neck, tightening the chain around his throat as she moved
behind him.
�� No one knew she stood, practically
strangling the man to death until he managed a ragged gasp. Daniel�s fell to
his knees as Isis pulled back for all she was
worth, blanching her wrists and the skin of his throat as she strangled the air
from his throat. She didn�t want to kill him but she wanted him starved of air.
It would make him compliant and very easy to move as she travelled backwards
toward the doors.
�� Daniel�s feet squeaked along the
floor as he kicked his legs, trying to stop her from dragging her to the exit.
By then, all of Jared�s armed men took notice. They rushed forward to help
their fellow guard but the woman managed to keep them at bay, kicking them back
squarely in their chests as they moved toward her.
�� Isis
knew she wasn�t going anywhere. The door was still locked, she did not know the
code and there were too many guards to contend with. The only hope she had was
that she�d get them so riled up and frenzied, they�d kill her instead of
letting her languish in some lab table and it seemed to be working.
�� Little red lasers raced along the
floor to rest on her chest and face. The guards regrouped and took a knee,
training their weapons on her. Her head and chest were clearly open for the
shot and were practically painted blood red with the lights. They were ready to
cut her down where she stood when Jared commanded them to stand down.
�� I need her alive,� he said,
snatching at the weapon of one. He took it away and slid a cattle prod in the
man�s hand, switching it on as he looked at the woman.
�� He smirked seeing her tighten her
grip on Daniel�s and whip him in front of her like a shield, preparing for a
fight. She was hopelessly outmanned, her hands were tied up not only the metal
restraints but also that idiot guard�s neck, but still she had the idea to
fight. It was laughable and Jared thought to do just that, until he realised
she was not going down, but his men where.
�� The other men took up the prods,
swinging and jabbing at her with the electrified tips, but Daniel�s wound up
taking most of the biting hits. Isis used his
body like a shield, swinging him in front of those who advanced, knocking them
away with his weight and her kicking legs. It was surprisingly easy. She was an
average fighter by yautja standards, but overly qualified for hand to hand
combat amongst her kind.
�� To Isis�
surprise, she actually made it to the door. She felt the cool of the handle
kiss her back and swung her captive against it, forcing him hard against it
twice.
�� Open it!� she demanded, crushing
his head against the metal slab.
�� She wasn�t sure he heard her at
first. Daniel�s was turning a reddish shade of purple. His pale blue irises
looked frightfully light in his red eyes filled with water. They rolled wildly
in his head, just like his thoughts but the woman�s demand registered. He
managed to raise his hand, tapping the numbers out on the console painstakingly
one by one. The heavy latches clicked open and Isis moved to open it, her hand
still attached to his neck, when a sharp pain forked through her like
lightening, halting her in place.
�� Isis
looked at her burning side and saw two metal spikes, capped with wires that
attached to a device in Jared�s hand. They met eyes and Isis
juggled with Daniels, trying to unwinding her hands a first, then trying to
pull him down to her lap to pull out the probes, but it was too late.
�� Pain shot through her and seized her
rigid. It held her like a tight fist, buzzing as it did and then it ended. The
fist of electricity opened up and Isis sighed,
able to breathe again. She fell to the floor, her body twitching with after
shocks, bouncing the wires set in her skin.
�� Her arms fell limp and Daniels fell
away from her. He unwound his neck slowly at first, then with speed. He pushed
himself off the floor and took a few laboured breaths, holding his aching
throat. As he stared at the woman crumpled on her side and anger welled inside
him.
�� He staggered over to the line of
guards and snatched the rifle off of one. Not a one stopped him as he butted Isis in the chest with the end, striking her again and
again. Flesh bruised and bones broke. Isis
screamed with every strike but the man was relentless. Daniels wailed on her
for a solid minute with ire before he was told to stop.
�� I think she�s learned her lesson,�
Jared chucked, patting the man on the shoulder. Daniels turned and the man�s
smile fell, his eyes dark. �I will not intervene next time. That goes for all
of you,� he roared at his men, turning away to pace the centre of the hall.
�She is the closest connection we have to the species and I want her kept
alive, understood?!�
�� The men nodded and scrambled to
clean up. Jared turned his attention to the woman at his feet and the medical
staff that helped her to get up. They moved away from her as he approached,
leaving her stand before the man alone. �As for you, Ms. James. I will get my
answers one way or another,� he said trailing his fingertips along her arms. He
pinched her bicep, smiling as she winced and bent down. �Even if I have to cut
them out of your sweet skin.�
�� Jared pushed her down further and Isis pulled away. She whipped her arm back but he raised
the device in his hand, flicking his thumb threateningly over the lone button
in its face. He slowly lowered it again as Isis
let her fists fall and put it away completely when she took a step back, an
obvious act of submission. Jared smiled, pleased she was such a quick learner.
�We may get along after all,� he mused happily, taking her hands.
�� He pulled her forward, leading her like
a horse, and Isis lurched to a start. The pain
in her sides hindered her but she followed behind him without hesitation,
hobbling with pain as he led her back to the table.
�� Moving her, he thought, would be too
big a risk at the moment. His men were still recouping from the battering she
gave them and the staff scrambled to clean up. All he needed was for her to
snatch another hostage and create another scene. She might succeed in escaping
that time, or killing him, both of which were not profitable and therefore
unacceptable.
�� Jared shoved her into a chair and Isis sat, arm cradling held her sides. She broke a rib.
She could taste blood in her mouth and feel the jagged edges of bone cut her as
she breathed, but she would have rather suffered that pain than have the man
sit next to her again. She bristled as he pulled the chair closer yet again. Isis had the desire to use her last bit of energy to
brain him with her fists when something caught the corner of her eye.
�� Isis
stole a glance to the doors behind her and watched as a pair of lifeless legs,
clad in the black fatigues of the guardsmen, slid autonomously away from view,
leaving a dark streak of blood in their wake.
�� Isis
looked down at her lap and chuckled. �You must have redesigned this room.�
�� Jared looked up at her, turning his
face away from the door, impressed she could recognise his personal touch. �Why
is that?�
�� Only complete idiot makes a room
with no second exit. Your father was not a complete idiot.�
�� Jared leaned forward, his nose
brushing against her cheek he was so close. �It reduces the chance of escape.�
�� Isis
swallowed thickly, seemingly hurt and Jared chuckled. He playfully slapped at
her thigh as he sat back in his seat and the sound resounded, melding with a
low and jealous growl.
�� Glancing at Isis�
grin, it suddenly dawned on Jared that the creature that was once in his
father�s estate room the night he died, was now here with him. Jared never
expected it to have the audacity to come here or else he would have planned
accordingly. The alien itself would be worth far more than it�s human.
�� Jared lunged across the table,
seizing Isis by the neck and pulling her
against him, her back to his chest. With gun in hand, he swung round to the
laboratory doors. He shouted to Daniels to shut down the complex.
�� No one and nothing leaves,� he growled, watching the anomaly cut its way
toward him.

II
�� Come to me,� Ali�shir growled,
taking Isis by the arm.
�� She struggled in silence to keep up
with his stride as they felt the lab, but he noticed her pained gait. As if the
bruising on her body wasn�t enough of a reminder of the beating the man gave
her.
�� Ali�shir heard her screams first and
followed them with speed until he reached the vaulted door of the facility.
What he saw behind the thick glass sent his blood boiling. He would have been
angry, furious, still if he hadn�t
already torn the man�s throat out for it.
�� Isis
held out her arms and Ali�shir lifted her, cradling her against his chest as he
navigated the labyrinth of the research complex.
�� Ali�shir destroyed everything in the
observation room but others outside of it heard Jared�s last command. They
armed themselves and pursued, trying in vain to coral the escapees, shooting to
direct rather than to kill, but Ali�shir was of the habit to only shoot to
kill. If they approached, he destroyed them, and although he was winning he was
getting bored with the seemingly endless maze.
�� Shielding the female in his arms he
blasted through walls, walking a straight line across the complex until he
reached the wooded open.
�� Isis
let out a puff of air and blew the concrete dust from her face. The grey powder
still caked her lashes as she blinkingly opened her eyes, feeling herself being
handed off, moving from one body to the next.
�� Take her. I will destroy this place
and meet you at the ship.�
�� Heron nodded and Isis
watched Ali�shir move away, engaging his cloaking device. She watched him move
until he became indiscernible with the scenery and then looked forward as they
raced deeper into the woods.

�� Outside the complex, far away from
its gates, Heron had made a bold landing atop a neighbouring warehouse. The way
the old building sagged and cracked under the invisible tonnage made her
chuckle. She stopped when it started to agitate her wounds but Heron took
notice.
�� It was the only clearing for kilometres,�
he clattered amusedly, clicking the device on his shoulder.
�� The ship materialised before them
and he moved up the stairs to open its hatch. He set Isis
down on her feet inside before moving toward the controls to start it. As he
climbed over the consoles to sit in the pilot�s chair, Isis
ambled toward the bodies piled off to the side. The two she had killed herself
in New Sussex and the one Ali�shir speared in Douglass� estate. They were piled
neatly atop one of another in something that looked almost like a bunk bed with
four levels made of heavy shelves that where probably never meant for this use.
�� She shuffled closer and uncovered
one, looking at his face. His body darkened with death, nearly turning moss
green, but regardless she could recognise him as the male who flung hot soot on
her. She covered him back up as Heron neared.
�� To help with the pain,� he said,
bringing out a syringe gun. He pressed it to her side and pulled the trigger.
She felt a flash of pain as the needle stabbed through and then searing ache as
the medicine dulled her nerves. Isis turned
her head to hide her tears from the male and gripped the shelf that held the
body.
�� Did Ali�shir send them?� she asked,
gulping down air, struggling with both pains.
�� No. We think they belong to Bahdri as he is the one who wanted you to help find the Scorn.�
�� And how did he come to find out
about Dougalss? Even I thought he was dead. Everybody on the Whistler died!� Heron
shrugged his shoulders and Isis shook her
head. �If I had known, I would have never helped him.�
�� Ali�shir told him as much repeatedly,
which is why I think Bahdri sent these three. It was
an act of desperation.�
�� Too bad they found me before
Ali�shir did,� Isis didn�t regret killing
them. They threatened her life and her family, killed her friends, but she
couldn�t help but think things could have turned out different. �They should
have said something,� she sighed. �If they had asked I would have gone with
them, no questions.�
�� Heron�s laughter bounced his broad
shoulders, �Ali�shir tried that and you gave him a concussion for his troubles,
remember?�
�� He shouldn�t have tried to take my
gun away.�
�� You sound like my youngest,� the
male chuckled.
�� Isis�
smile fell. Through the crackle of gunfire off in the distance, she could hear
Ali�shir roar. He was hit.
�� No you will not,� Heron said
grabbing her by the waist as she moved onto the rooftop. The pain in her sides
was an afterthought as she struggled in his arms. �He will kill us both if you
run off. He can take care of himself. Listen.�
�� Heron forced her to still in his
arms. Laying a heavy hand atop her head, he turned face toward the East, where
Ali�shir was and the agonised scream of a man carried. He let her go as she
stopped thrashing.
�� Isis
let out a sigh of relief when she heard the male roar in triumph but Heron
noticed she still appeared worried. She would not help but wonder if Robert or
Seth would sound the same way when Jared�s men found them. If they carried on
his orders to capture Ali�shir, they would certainly carry on his orders to
raze the farm to the ground.
�� Where are you going now?� Heron
groaned, watching her hobble to the roof�s edge and the steps there.
�� I have to warn them,� she
explained. �I have to warn the Hammonds
what is happening.�
�� You cannot go back.� Ali�shir
climbed over the building�s edge, flexing his arms to hoist himself up without
a hitch. Blood trickled down his leg from the gunshot wound and spotted the
black rooftop as he strode toward her.
�� There is nothing and no one for you
to help now.�
�� Isis
clutched her belly. It hurt for an entirely different reason now. �Did�uh, did
Jared kill them?� she asked softly, suddenly unable to catch her breath.
�� No one answered her question and Isis gripped the banister, nearly hyperventilating. She
felt as if she would surely die, her entire stomach threatening to spill onto
the ground. �Oh no�� she wined, sliding to the floor. �No, no, no!�
�� Heron glanced to Ali�shir who
promptly looked elsewhere, turning his back to her emotional display rubbing
the nape of his neck. It wasn�t until his friend moved forward that Ali�shir
turned back, stopping him with a hand. Heron tossed it off and snarled at him
in passing as he moved to kneel at Isis� side.
�� Enough tears, female. They are
alive.� Heron opened the computer on his arm and showed the bio signals for the
old couple.
�� Isis
pushed the question of why they would let her believe they were anything but aside
and grabbed Heron�s arm with both hands. A lot of signals overlapped those of Marca and Robert. �Why are they all together like that?�
�� Everyone has gathered at your place
of worship.�
�� Why?� she wondered. �It isn�t
Wednesday. There is no service today.�
�� To mourn your death,� Ali�shir
supplied reluctantly. He explained they were under the impression she was
killed in accident. Her truck and some unfortunate body were driven off the
road and left to roast until charred unrecognisable, �They spread your ashes
over the lake at dawn.�
�� Isis
only half heard him, her attentions focused on Marca�s
dwindling signal. The woman had to be overwrought with grief and Robert didn�t
look well either. Isis stood and walked to the
steps again, �I must go back now. I must tell them this is not true.�
�� There is more,� Heron said
following her, �You died but not before your Elders here charged you with
murders done by Bahdri�s warriors. They think you
killed those men in the woods. You are wanted amongst your people now.�
�� If you go back, you will only put
yourself and them in jeopardy.� Ali�shir clarified. �The Archers are not at all
convinced that was you spread across the lake.�
�� Isis
shook her head and kept moving, �I�ll explain that the truck was stolen, which
is true enough. As for the murders, I have an alibi for every one so everything
will be fine.�
�� Do you see why I did not want to
tell her they lived, Heron?� Ali�shir The pilot watched Isis
amble past with a shrug. How as he to know she would be so hard headed, he only
knew he could not watch her weep needlessly. �She has convinced herself
everything will work out for the best when it will not!�
�� I did what you asked,� Isis shouted back, �I won�t even ask how he knew but I
found the only other survivor of the Whistler besides myself so Bahdri can stop sending his boys here to wreck shit. Now I
get to go back to my life. That was the deal, Ali�shir.�
�� I remember it quite well, Isis, but
you must admit things have grown much more complicated since then.�
�� It wouldn�t have gotten complicated
if you left when you said you would, after Doug died. They knew who I was
because your ass was hanging around,� she snapped, telling him about the photo.
�� Ali�shir started to snarl something
in return when Heron touched his arm.
�� Now is not the time for one of your
famous arguments,� he said stepping between them, �This is the path of things
now. Neither one of you can change it but you can deal with it as it is,� Both
Isis and Ali�shir shot a look of warning at him and he slowly eeked away, pushed by the weight of their glare. �Allllright,� Heron moved back toward the ship, motioning to
the open door, �Can we at least continue this inside the safety of the ship?�
�� Fine,� Isis
turned and took a step inside, �So long as you drop me somewhere else.
Somewhere just as far, just as obsolete and inconspicuous. I will find my own
way back.�
�� Heron shook his head, �I do not
think you understand, Isis. You are wanted,
everywhere your Leader calls his domain. Everywhere where humans are welcome.�
�� Are you trying to tell me I can�t
go anywhere but back with you two
�� Unless you want to be left in one
of the unregulated colonies, yes.� Ali�shir answered. �Would you rather be lost
amongst the rapists and other assorted dishonourables
of your people?�
�� It would be better than being stuck
with you,� she mumbled.
�� Do not compare me to that the likes
of that, Isis. Take it back!�
�� Or what?� she invited, stepping off
the ship to confront him, �What are you going to do?�
�� Ali�shir nearly broke into a sprint
and Heron moved to head him off. He blocked his path with his body, trying to
calm him and give the female time to run inside, but glancing over his shoulder
he saw Isis did not even flinch. She waited
patiently, motionless, with arms crossed and head high as Ali�shir pushed Heron
to the side and thundered toward her.
�� Even as he stood dangerously close, bearing
over her with his height, flexing his arms and cracking his knuckles, she was
unfazed. This reality check was a long time in the making and she relished the
idea of finally seeing he got it.
�� Isis
stepped forward, closing the distance between them with her finger raised and
hand on her hip. Her neck began to roll with her wagging finger when suddenly
his chest exploded, puffing florescent green, sending the hot liquid to spatter
her mouth and face.
�� Heron caught Ali�shir before he fell
to crush her and dragged him away towards the ship. He called for Isis to follow but she was frozen in place, looking at
her trembling hands. Her face and shoulders warmed by his blood, her insides
ice cold.
�� In her anger she silently wished he
would have dropped dead on the spot. She regretted it as soon as she thought
it, but the universe obviously hadn�t heard that part. Ali�shir�s head bobbed
lifelessly along as Heron dragged him inside the hull and Isis
felt something inside her grow hollow.
�� The crack of gunfire shook her from
her stupor. Whoever shot him made the mistake of firing off again, telling her
their location. Isis grabbed at Ali�shir�s
discarded belt, ripping off the disc she headed toward the building�s edge. She
watched the trees intently and saw the shooter move, hopping from one tree to
the next. He caught glimpse of the woman and crouched. He raised his gun and
took aim but she was quicker, letting the weapon sing through the air, lopping
him and the tree he stood behind in half horizontally.
�� More like him came, trickling
through the forest one by one. By the time their turned their heads in her
direction, the blade parted their throats and returned to her shaking hand to
be thrown again. Five men lay dead and Isis
could already see her sixth coming toward her. She raised her arm, aiming her
shot but it dropped quickly. She fell with a thud to the tar and held her
painfully aching arm. Her shoulder burned like a campfire had been lit right in
her flesh. The report of the bullet finally reached her and Isis
realised she had been shot.
�� Isis!�
Heron crouched at the ship�s door, his hand outstretched. He held the door open
with his body, at his knees lay Ali�shir, shallowly panting. He had been
calling her non-stop but only now did she seem to hear her.
�� She twisted in his direction and
waved him away with her healthy arm. �Just go,� she winced, �He won�t last
long!�
�� Neither will you!�
�� Glancing to the woods around them,
Heron could see more guards arrived now, their shots chipping at the hull of
the ship. He braved them, keeping his head low and arm steadily reaching for
the woman. He roared in utter frustration when he refused her a second time,
�Will you make Gi mate-less as well?� he hissed
angrily. �Do not make me come for you!�
�� Mate-less?
Isis looked to the male at Heron�s side.
Ali�shir�s breathing stopped abruptly, his head falling lifelessly at his side.
Isis immediately turned on her stomach,
dragging herself along the roof toward him. When she was near enough, Heron
pulled her inside, sliding her right alongside Ali�shir before seating himself
at he controls.
�� The pilot had them airborne in what
seemed like an instant, cutting through the sky and upward atmosphere until the
satellite became a dwindling ball of green. Seated behind the navigation
panels, Heron hailed for assist, wanting escorts back to the ship and medical
attention waiting when they got there, but Isis
could have told him it was too late. Despite the burning pain in her arm she
struggled to sit up, leaning over Ali�shir�s still body, pushing more blood through
the sizable wound. With a wince she lifted her hands, mustering all her
strength with breath held to grasp his shoulders. Her bloodied fingers shook as
she fumbled with the latches on his faceplate, releasing them with a hiss.
�� Isis
pulled the mask away and looked at Ali�shir�s face, stroking his chilly cheek. Being
with him was never so bad�at least not completely. She just said those things
because she was angry and he always pushed the right buttons to make it worse.
But all of their bickering seemed so stupid now. Isis
laid her head against the male�s chest, letting her kept tears roll down her
cheeks. Her hands clung to his broad shoulders as she apologised for wishing�even
for a second�he would die.
�� She was near sobbing, wailing even, when
a sound stilled her aching heart. Isis forced
herself to quiet her sniffling and pressed her ear closer to him, straining to
listen to his chest over the roar of the engines. She closed her eyes and let
out a long relieved breath, then cursed. She pushed away from the shallowly
breathing body and wiped her face clean with the back of her bloody hand.
�� You dirty faker,� she snorted,
reaching for the kit on his leg. Her arm fell draped over his thighs as she
lost consciousness and fell at his side.

A/N: I�m working without a Beta don�t nit pick on the grammar please! On
the plus side, that does mean the chapters will be swifter coming, so yay! Check back next week for a new chapter. LovyDovy: Get out of my brain please. I�m going
to have to fix a few things so the story isn�t so transparent for you, lol. chancelor2: I
tend to forget so you gotta prod me every now and
again, but I�ll try to keep the chapters coming regularly. midnighteyes: I hope you got a
chance to read it and are equally happy about this chappy
here, lol. Amentet: stop
making me blush. LadyAnubis: I think it�s the best thing I�ve
written too! Seriously all jokes aside, I hope you check some of the other
authors here too like Sealink, Hakucho,
BlueFlame, prairiefire, shortest_warrior, MuseofScrolls,
Ajax, GentleMango�just, EVERYBODY, lol! Check my profile favourites for a few direct links. Bee: You
guessed correctly, Grasshoppah, lol.
If it becomes confusing in a bad way, let me know!
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A Union of Convenience II