Ohayo Tokyo! Konnichi wa London! Konban wa New York! CJzilla here with her first "Predator" fic. It's good to be here and it's been a long time coming. Let me give you a run down.
Three rouge predators target earth and begin a bloody campaign in the thick Indonesian jungle. Our world is in serious danger. Agent K and Agent J of the MIB are put in charge of the situation but fighting such a powerful and mysterious adversary leaves the agents searching out those most experienced with the vicious extraterristials. The names of an ex-military mercenary Alan "Dutch" Schaefer and field guide Alexa Woods are at the forefront. With a team assembled, the MIB set off to hunt down the rouge aliens before they can kill again.
As I tear down this city with my claws, alls CJzilla has to roar is this: R&R! Fluff or flame me... I don't care.
Masterblade
Chapter One:
Launch
Stars glittered like diamond shards peppered over a black velvet sky.
An open campfire drew the boundary between sky and earth on this hot and humid night. Four Papasena warriors sat by the fire, their tan Indonesian skin illuminated by the fire they were staring into, seemingly hypnotized flame's flickering dance. No; fatigue, not hypnotism clouded the minds of these huntsmen of the Fojo Mountain. After a day of tracking and hunting down a Sunda Sambar deer, these substance hunters ate their full of the creature's flesh and would return to their families in the morning to share the spoils. A successful kill, a rarity and a reason to rejoice; only tonight their full bellies were enviously watched from beyond the campfire's light.
A large and hungry tiger stalked the camp, attracted by the smell of the deer's blood and the movements of the humans. The predator's vocal calls were heard circling the area, hungrily pacing in the shadows and near the tree where the hunters had hung the remains of their butchered kill. It avoided the firelight as it hesitated to attack. The huntsmen sat in a ring around their large fire, facing the bright flame as they gripped their local weapons, daring the haunting cat to strike.
The jungle canopy whispered with a calm night breeze. The hunters made camp near the same spot where they felled the deer; a large grassy clearing in the middle of a Fojo Mountain jungle forest. They fought off the haze of sleep and a hungry tiger. Gazing upward, one hunter looked to the stars, changing his sight from staring into the fire.
Above their heads and jungle canopy, millions of stars sparkled without hindrance of big city lights. Enjoying the beautiful winks each of the stars gave, something caught the hunter's eye. Three stars, slightly bigger than the rest, shown bright orange against the black night sky. Thinking his tired eyes were playing tricks on him, the hunter blinked. As he watched the stars he noticed they grew larger as they came closer.
Foom
A burst of light shot through the night sky and screeching whistles were heard as the stars fell came closer. The bewildered hunters watched the masses of light streak through the night sky, only half a mile from their camp. The stars struck the ground with such a force, it shook the dirt under their seats. After the initial shake of the ground, all went silent again. The huntsmen glanced at each other before slowly rising to their feet. A mix of confused curses and superstitious comments cut through the silence.
What was that?
The hunters strained their senses to see beyond the darkness, their curiosity avid but their fear of the supernatural far greater. Still, the quiet of the jungle remained. Dismissing the bedazzling event wasn't easy but after ten minuets, the huntsmen were cautious yet satisfied that they were safe. Taking their seats around the fire, they continued to guard their slaughtered deer. They realized then, that the stalking tiger had since vanished after the three stars fell from the sky. Perhaps now, they could get some much needed sleep.
The hunters splayed out around the fire, still gripping their weapons but letting sleep blanket them.
One hunter, adorned with a feathered necklace, yawned loudly and stretched. As he raised his hands toward the night sky, something wrapped around his wrists and seized him. Faster than he realized he was in danger and far faster than he could scream, the hunter was yanked out of the firelight and into the blackness. The other hunters heard only a few leaves fall from the jungle canopy but didn't realize their friend was gone.
A third hunter sat up from lying on the ground. Reaching to his hip, he retrieved his hunter's knife and held it in his hand. Swiping the air a couple times with the large blade, he made sure he would be ready for when that leopard returned. As his head was bowed, he felt an unusual pressure on his throat. But before the man could reach his hand up, he too was jerked upward and into the jungle canopy. His companions heard what they thought was a stifled cough but was in fact their friend's terrified scream, cut short by a wire-like rope snagged around his neck as he was wrenched to the canopy above.
The second hunter rolled to his stomach and rested his head on his forearms. He sighed, contented with a bed and a full stomach. The man's spear lay by his side, ready to defend him if need be. Just as sleep was overtaking him, he heard a rustling in the grass near the camp but outside of the firelight. Lifting his head and turning to the direction of the sound, he waited and listened. The man heard a slight whistle before he caught a glimmer of the fire off of something metallic falling toward him from the sky. In a flash of a second, something pierced his back, pinning the helpless man to the ground. His last audible utterance was a wet half-scream as he expired.
Immediately his friend was jarred from sleep by the bizarre sound out of his friend's mouth. He looked over to his companion. As soon as his eyes cleared of haze and he saw the long, metallic spear jutting from his companion's back, fear overtook him. Scrambling to his hands and knees, the man was unable to take his eyes from the horrific sight. Then the spear and the man skewered on it were jerked into the night sky, disappearing into the darkness with not a sound more.
Thunk
The remaining hunter heard a thump from across the fire. Turning his head, the man saw his other hunting companion with the feathered necklace, lying still like he was asleep. Getting to his feet but gripping his old rifle tight against his chest, the hunter rushed to his friend's side. Practically yelling the man's name, the hunter shook his friend, trying to rouse him from what he thought was slumber. But when he turned his friend over, he found the man to be lifeless, a look of terror on his face.
Stumbling back and falling nearly in the fire, the last man gasped sharply, hugging his weapon. His mind raced for rationality. Was this the work of an animal or a rival tribe executing revenge upon him and his friends? Only a small problem: animals and humans make noise as they move; the man heard and saw nothing beyond the fire. Neither words nor thoughts entered into his mind as he shifted into one of the most primal instincts humans possess. Fear.
Then he heard movement but it was erratic. Brush rustled, dead leaves crunched under feet and guttural croaks reached his ears. Panic gripped his mind and the hunter fired his rifle into the blackness. Still, the sounds continued and advanced. A twig snapped right behind the man. He spun, rifle readied to fire. But what he saw was no animal or enemy tribesman. There was nothing before him, but as the fire flickered and sent embers into the air, a hidden silhouette was seen. The man's mouth fell wide open when he saw the outline of the monster. It was two feet taller than him, wide where a human's shoulders would be and stood like a man. The figure growled at him. The man pulled the trigger of his rifle but only received an empty wheeze from the exhausted firearm. He was out of bullets, out of luck and out of time.
He pulled back the butt of his rifle and attempted to strike the invisible monster in front of him. The creature caught it, yanked the steel firearm from his grip and broke it with a simple gesture. The man began slowly moving backwards and his ankle hit a piece of wood sticking out of the fire. Snatching the flaming branch from the fire, the hunter swung it wildly at the monster advancing on him. Unfazed by the flames on the burning wood, the monster swatted at the man's forearm as he drew his arm back for another wild strike. With a sickening crack, the man's arm busted from the monster's forceful stroke.
Dropping his only weapon, the man cried in pain as he reeled with the cuff. Regaining his footing, the hunter cradled his broken arm. Raising his eyes for the last time, the man saw two other similar figures standing on either side of the invisible monster. As the fire blazed between the two parties, a red light from one of the monsters rested on the man's forehead. A blue light and loud crack ended the unrest in the jungle.
The four Papasena hunters were as dead as their antelope kill and, just as they did to their quarry, their bodies were being butchered by firelight. The tiger hadn't gone far and his patience was rewarded. There will be plenty to eat once the three alien monsters finished the grisly task of making their trophies.
R&R! LONG LIVE ROCK!