The Return: Part 1

The Predator (2018) Fan Fiction

McKenna surveyed the jungle as the sun was setting. His body was tense and attuned to the sounds of the wilderness. Distant bird calls sent his gaze shooting upward and every far-off noise of cracking twigs or rustling bushes created a spike in his heart rate. A light rain began to fall and he sighed, finally letting himself relax. A familiar voice crackled through the radio on his hip, reassuring him and calling him back to camp. So, he melted into the shadows of the trees and traced his way back.

He smiled at the sight that greeted him when he arrived. His son had drifted off to sleep, leaning against their buddy, Nebraska. Nebraska looked up, book in hand, and smiled his typical charismatic smile. "Said he was too old to have someone read to him," he said in a low voice, "but it just had to be the right book." He showed McKenna the cover: "Hidden Codes: Understanding Ancient Languages".

McKenna chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I don't know who he takes after." His chuckled died off and he looked down, fiddling with his watch.

Nebraska saw the shift in his mood. He put Rory gently onto a cot and tucked him in, then went over to McKenna. "What's wrong?" he said, hunching a bit to look into McKenna's downturned eyes.

McKenna didn't meet his gaze, only shook his head. "I shouldn't have let him come here," he muttered. "He shouldn't be out here, Nebraska."

Nebraska crossed his arms and nodded, looking up to the ceiling of the tent. "You're right. He shouldn't. But what alternative did you have?"

"Plenty!" Mckenna growled. "If we had just left him at the compound or even back home, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Nebraska put a hand on McKenna's shoulder, quieting him, and looked back at Rory. The two men paused for a few moments to see if Rory might wake up, but he didn't even stir. They had had a long day and he was wiped out.

Nebraska looked back at McKenna. "I don't know about all that," he whispered. "But I do know that you're alive because of your boy and he's alive because of you. And we're going to get out of this."

McKenna breathed a heavy sigh, letting go of some of the doubt and guilt that had gripped his chest since the incident at the research site. He managed a small smile. Nebraska smiled back and rubbed McKenna's shoulder. They gently pressed their foreheads together in a brief moment of understanding and affection.

Then Nebraska pulled back. Still flashing that beautiful smile, he said "though you're not going to be much good to us if you catch pneumonia, man!" He pulled out a towel from the tossed-together pile of stuff they had brought with them when they left the research site that morning – back when the site was still intact. He draped it over Mckenna's head and dried his hair. Mckenna allowed himself to relax and savor it, how rough and gentle and warm it was all at the same time.

Nebraska then placed both hands on McKenna's head, letting them linger briefly, then slid them down along with the towel to McKenna's shoulders. They looked into each other eyes, then pressed foreheads again.

Then with a sigh, they separated and sat down at the opening of the tent. Nebraska lit a cigarette and took a drag. "You really think they'll come down?"

McKenna nodded and yanked the cigarette away. "Yeah. It'd be mighty considerate of them to wait until I get Rory home though. And get this cargo back to a lab for analysis."

Nebraska laughed. "Yeah, you're luck's not that good, man."

"No, you're right. What do you think it is?"

"The cargo?"

"Uhm-hm."

They looked back at the reason they had evaded the explosion at the research site and thus survived. In the corner was a green duffle bag containing the alien tech that Rory had tracked using a combination of the Predator's equipment and theirs. The other members of the team couldn't be trusted, so McKenna, Rory, and Nebraska had gone looking for this mysterious cargo themselves. It had been buried in the jungle, along with what seemed to be the scant remains of an alien ship.

"Well, if we follow the pattern thus far, I'd say it's something that can quickly and brutally murder some fools," said Nebraska.

"Yeah, well if that's the case we're going to need it to kill some Predators. And I'm going to need my suit."

Meanwhile, back at the compound, Casey was beyond frustrated. She could not understand why the higher ups would not allow the McKennas to take the Predator Killer with them. Sure, she enjoyed studying alien technology as much as the next scientist – hell, it was not only a passion but a necessity. But if you were going to send a team to study ancient structures, likely planted on earth by the Predator race, then it only made sense to arm them with the most advanced weapon they had: the one that had been given to them by an actual member of the Predator race. The government scientists had managed to create some new blasters that, in theory, would be able to counter the alien warriors that had hunted humanity for who-knows-how-long, but nothing could beat the original yet.

The higher ups, however, had bought into the arguments of the new supervisor of the Anti-Predator Taskforce's new supervisor, Raymond Douglas; according to him the structures were so ancient, there was no chance of Predators actually being present.

Thus, the taskforce had set up their compound – which consisted of a small military base and a lab – some miles away from the research site. Douglas had sworn that if there was a Predator attack, that the Predator Killer would be unleashed, no matter what. To Casey, that meant he had another wearer in mind for the advanced alien weapon, and she had a feeling she knew who it was.

But now, readings indicated that before the structure they were researching had exploded, it had sent a signal out into space. Predators were on the way, she was sure of it.

She marched down the corridors of the compound's lab and rounded a corner to find Douglas and his cronies striding towards her and then past her. She hurried to fall in step with them. "Douglas, we have to contact McKenna and get the Predator Killer to him. By now, half of their species could be on their way to Earth."

"Which makes for the perfect opportunity to test out the full capabilities of the Predator Killer and our newly developed weapons. We'll be sending a team there promptly."

"To get McKenna the gauntlet?"

"Doctor, McKenna was most likely killed in the explosion that wiped out the first team. Besides there was never any guarantee that he was going to be the wearer. What, just because he has a genius son and didn't get himself killed when he first met an alien? Spare me."

"Well, I think you're wrong and we need to –"

"Doctor, no one cares what you think at this point, there're no alien corpses to dissect at the moment. But if you want to come see the field test, you are more than welcome to join."

"Oh, I'm coming alright!"

As the Predator destroyer team prepared to move out, another group was making its own preparations. Three individuals eyed the blue planet hungrily from their ship.

"A contest then!" said one in its inhuman, clicking language. The others growled their acquiescence and they descended into Earth's atmosphere.

Down on the surface, Nebraska gently woke McKenna. "It's time, man," he said quietly. He led McKenna to the opening of the tent, and McKenna could feel the rumbling in the air before he even saw the streak of light indicating that a ship had entered the airspace. It was vibrant despite the rising sun.

"And so it begins," said Nebraska.

"I gotta get Rory out of here," said McKenna.

Suddenly, a crackly voice came through the radio. "McKenna? McKenna are you there?"

"Casey!" McKenna grabbed the radio while Nebraska gathered up their stuff. "Casey, we're alive. Me, Rory, and Nebraska we're here."

"Well," said Casey, and it was obvious she was trying to keep her voice low, "Douglas is sending a team from the compound along with the gauntlet. He's planning to test it out on the Predator that comes out of that ship."

"When you put it that way," McKenna said darkly "It sounds as if this is what he was hoping for, or maybe…"

"What he planned from the start," Casey added. "Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't put it past him. I'll give you the coordinates of our location. You all just need to get here as soon as possible."

"Great, we just need to avoid being picked off by the alien as we run through the jungle to a group of assholes that hope we dead," said Nebraska. He put the sleepy Rory on his back and smiled. "Not a problem."

But little did they know, it wasn't just one alien. It was three.

Their ship landed and they emerged to investigate. They were each eleven feet tall, with musculature far beyond anything humanity had seen or was capable of attaining, and they were ready to compete. Each Predator investigated the remains of the old base that had once served as a place for champions of old to rest and see to their trophies. Now it was nothing but rubble, surrounded by the remains of foolhardy earthlings and their toys.

"We have three objectives," said the leader. The others growled in anticipation. "Let the contest commence!"

Meanwhile…

…"We're sending the drones over now, sir."

"Excellent," said Douglas crisply. "Let's see what we're working with."

Casey watched as Douglas directed a surveillance mission. The Predator ship had landed where the alien structure had exploded. Last week, the structure had been discovered in the jungle and so a team had been sent there to investigate. McKenna's young son Rory had been placed on that team because of his ability to decipher the Predators' language. And of course, McKenna had led the team and Nebraska had gone with him. Casey was more than a little jealous about that but perhaps it couldn't be helped.

The mission to the alien structure had started off well enough, with Rory being able to gain them entry. But McKenna had confided to her that it seemed some of Douglas's men had hidden agendas. When Rory learned the location of another artifact, McKenna and Nebraska took him to go search for it themselves. That decision had saved their lives.

For while the trio were out searching for the other artifact, the structure had blown up, possibly as a result of being triggered by a probing agent of Douglas. The structure had sent a signal into space before it was destroyed and now the new Predator threat was here.

And it was more dangerous than ever.

"Okay, okay. Oh! There it is! Oh ho ho!"

Casey snapped out of her thoughts to see the specimen on screen. It was stomping through the former research site.

"Wow. These guys really are the new model of Predator, huh?" said Douglas excitedly. "I wonder what else they got in that fucked up DNA of theirs."

"Just the DNA of all the most dominant species in the galaxy," Casey muttered.

"Sir!" the drone's pilot sounded alarmed. "We've confirmed that there are at least two Predators!"

"What?!" Casey got closer to the monitor and saw them. Two Predators – one was similar to the alien that had tried to kidnap Rory before in that it wore no armor, and the second one was just as large and imposing but still wore the signature Predator helmet. She groaned. As if dealing with one of these things wouldn't have been hard enough. Although, she found her scientist's brain wondering if there were differences between these two individuals beyond their style choices.

"This is good," said Douglas. "We can really test the limits of the Predator Killer."

"Uh, Sir?" said the pilot tentatively.

"What?" he replied gruffly.

"There's a third."

Now the third Predator was onscreen. It was the same size, but with slightly more gear on than the second Predator.

"Wow. Isn't it our lucky day!" Douglas exclaimed happily.

Casey looked at the man in disbelief. The pilot gasped. The drones had been destroyed, presumably by the Predators.

Satisfied, Douglas started to walk away. "Let's set the stage everyone. Tell Junior it's time to suit up." Casey groaned again. Exactly who she figured he'd give the Predator Killer to.

Out in the jungle, McKenna, Nebraska, and Rory trekked towards Douglas's base using the coordinates Casey had given them. Rory was a good sport; he carried what he could, sometimes walking behind his father, sometimes hitching a ride on Nebraska's back. Most importantly though, he moved quickly and quietly.

They took a break, leaning against some trees. Nebraska lit a cigarette and took some water bottles from his pack. "Here Big Man." He handed Rory a water bottle. "Stay hydrated."

"Thank you," Rory replied. He took a sip and said "Dad, do you think they're going to come after me again?"

"They might," said McKenna, thinking back to when he almost lost his son to alien abduction. He took a swig from his own water bottle. "But we'll be ready for them." He took the cigarette out of Nebraska's mouth and put it out, causing Nebraska to snicker good-naturedly. Rory nodded and smiled.

They continued their trek. "Remember that time we stole a news chopper to get through the jungle? Yeah, that'd be nice right now," said Nebraska.

"I doubt Douglas will be willing to waste any resources on the likes of us. I'll radio Casey to see if she can sneak away and pick us up in one of their vehicles." He called Casey on the radio, and after a few moments she answered in hushed tones.

"McKenna, McKenna you need to hurry up and get here. There are three Predators this time! And not the cute little ones that are only eight feet tall, but the huge bruisers that punch through the eight-footers' skulls."

McKenna winced at the news and Nebraska lit another cigarette.

"Alright Casey. I'm going to radio again when we're closer and I'll need you to come get us."

"Right. There's something else you guys should know too. Douglas Jr. is going to be using the Predator Killer. They're going to try and lure the Predators into a trap."

"But my dad's supposed to use the Predator Killer!" said Rory angrily. McKenna positioned the radio in front of his son. "And how are they really going to operate it without someone to set up the system for them?"

"They're just going by your notes kiddo. Anyway, let me know when you get closer. The trap is pretty far west so you guys should be able to avoid the carnage."

McKenna brought the radio back to his mouth. "Got it!" he said. Then to Rory and Nebraska, "let's get moving."

As they walked McKenna said "Can you believe it? They're going to give it to Douglas Jr.!"

"He's a good soldier," said Nebraska.

"He's a dumbass." Then to Rory "don't you go repeating that." Nebraska scooped up Rory and put him on his back. McKenna reached out and pulled the cigarette out of Nebraska's mouth. Nebraska just chuckled and smiled. "You smoke those just so I'll do that," said McKenna.

"Maybe." Their eyes met and they just smiled at each other.

Not long after Casey and McKenna's communication, the ambush was set. Scouts were monitoring the jungle, waiting for signs of movement. Snipers, drones, and soldiers carrying experimental blasters were all in place. But as far as Douglas was concerned, the stage belonged to his son. Douglas himself was some distance away from the trap, monitoring the situation.

"We've done this before you know," said Casey. She had insisted on waiting near the trap and now spoke to Douglas via comm link. "Soldiers and snipers everywhere and the Predator still picked us off."

"But you didn't have the Predator Killer," replied Douglas glibly.

He watched on the screen as Junior waited for his adversaries to arrive. Junior was hidden, waiting for the right moment to open the case and don the gauntlet that would encase his body with the ultimate high-tech suit, crafted from Predator technology. The timing had to be right, because for some reason they had yet to determine, the gauntlet did not bond to its host for long.

It became eerily calm. And then –

A soldier contacted Douglas. "Sir, sir! There's a pack of space dogs coming in at full speed!"

And suddenly the pack of alien hounds ran through their set-up. They were trained to flush out prey, very large and extremely tough. The soldiers opened fire, but they couldn't target the volatile space dogs quickly enough to make a dent in their overwhelming numbers. The creatures just rampaged, trampling and killing soldiers.

"I'm going to activate the suit!" Junior's voice came through the comm link.

Douglas quickly responded. "Negative! Wait until Predator sighting is confirmed. I repeat, wait until Predator sighting is confirmed!"

But Junior had opened the case and the gauntlet latched onto his arm immediately. His body was soon encased in armor and when he burst forth from his hiding place his guns fired on the space dogs. Green blood splattered everywhere. The dogs went down howling and yelping as their bodies were ruptured, blown wide open. Some turned their attention to Junior, but none had even a chance of getting close enough to attack. He and Predator Killer made short, bloody work of the space dogs.

When it was over, the soldiers crept out of their nooks, admiring the suit.

"Don't get complacent," Douglas warned them through the comm link. Then, the suit retracted into the gauntlet and fell off of Junior, alarming Douglas. He slammed the monitors. "NO! Put it back on – !"

All of a sudden, Junior's head was blown off by an unseen enemy and all hell broke loose. Several soldiers exploded in huge splatters of blood. Others were stabbed from behind. And still others were captured in metal nets that squeezed so tightly that they cut through the soldiers' skin, flesh, and bone.

There was roaring and growling as all three Predators ripped and clawed the soldiers to death. And amidst the chaos, humanity's best hope Predator Killer lay on the ground, dormant and exposed.