Notes: This is my first time posting a story here, I wrote Hunting a Hunter about 1 year and a half ago and it fell to the wayside for a really long time. Anyway, feedback is always welcome. I am working on future chapters and I'd love to hear from you guys if there is a direction you think I should take this or if there are any corrections I need to make.
Thanks and Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Cass entered the dimly lit pub intent on one thing and one thing alone; finding out where the fuck Ronald Carson was hiding. As a freelance bounty hunter she'd caught her fair share of criminals; some so evil she had felt it was her moral obligation to send them head first into the depths of hell, but he definitely cut the cake.
Charged with first degree murder in the brutalization and deaths of half a dozen teenage girls in Quebec he had escaped police custody after murdering the two Marshalls that had been accompanying him to the high security correctional facility just outside of Kingston.
It made Cass sick to her bones to think that a man like that had been unleashed on the unsuspecting populous. But a twisted excitement rose in her gut at the thought of catching him. She could already imagine how she would tie him down first, then peel away each layer of his skin one at a time starting from his nose, her blade would flicker with blood and every time he let out a piercing shriek of agony it would echo around her in a way that gave her the most delightful thrill.
The bartender caught sight of her as she made her way towards him.
"Hey Cassie baby! You look like you're having nice thoughts"
Oh he had no idea.
Peppy, the owner of Macdonald's Head Pub down on Water Street, had been tending bar since before the Universal United Nations or UNN had done its job and turned Earth into an almost strictly intergalactic merchant planet almost 25 years prior.
Species from across the universe flocked to earth to trade, bargain, drink and fuck. Early on in the development process most countries had closed their borders denying access to any non-earthling but, as is often the case, money spoke louder than their fanatical prejudices. Universal currency was introduced and with a large market Earth's economies were more stable than they had ever been. Canada and Britain especially, turns out the ratio of planets with cold humid climates to dry and hot was 10:1. The majority of species that visited Earth's surface preferred to avoid the U.S and anywhere South of the Equator. Not that those countries weren't benefitting from the amount of "tourists" that they did receive.
On the economic surface the planet seemed to be thriving. But the corruption and crime that had followed was nothing anyone could have anticipated. The middle years had been the worst. Cass had just been a young teen back then but she, and many others, had been drafted into the Defender's Alliance at the tender age of 13 because they had been so desperate for new cadets. Her parents had been displeased with the alliance, to say the least, but as it was their employer and times were tough they wisely bit their tongues. Cass thanked them for that every day. She never would've survived an orphan. No one ever did anymore.
Over the years universal law had come into effect and as the justice system had made punishment more brutal and unforgiving so did the crime rate drop. And it was then that Cass had left the Alliance. Her parents had retired into more comfortable lodgings and she had started work as a hunter. She'd made a name for herself across North America. She was even known on the universal hunter's list though she was careful to remain as inconspicuous as possible. The list encompassed the best Hunter's from across over 7 known galaxies; 874 documented species and 56 000 hunters approximately. Inconspicuous was an easy thing.
"What can I do for you tyke?" Cass smiled slightly at the familiar nickname. She'd known Peppy since she'd been the smallest Defender trainee almost 15 years prior. Coming to his bar to unwind after a hard day of training a.k.a having her ass handed to her by her instructors was a comfort she sought as often as sleep deprivation allowed. She had been happy to notice back then that she wasn't the only trainee in need of some R and R at the end of the day.
"I'm looking for info on my next snatch, mind if I take a look at the Ark?" The building in which Peppy had set up shop had once been the first Parliament building in Canada. But after the U.N.N announced the dawning of a new age most people lost interest in so-called ancient history. Peppy had bought the old place at a steal and they'd even let him keep the old Ark information system set up in the basement. It basically worked like a huge brain constantly processing data and storing it in organized files. But everything was completely cerebral. Although the Ark was an outdated model the U.N.N had forgotten to cut it off from the Universal server allowing new information to sweep through it constantly. Which Cass, and the few others who knew of its existence, took full advantage of. Very useful for someone like Cass who couldn't exactly walk into a Defender station; she was a dropout after all. No true Alliance huffy liked a dropout.
"Sure thing, sweet thang" Peppy grinned like a cat and nodded his head toward the "Out of Service" area of the bar. His shaggy gray hair danced to the movement of his head. Cass smiled back and waved as she walked off.
The parliament building really was huge even for an old place. She'd been more astounded to find the giant white columns were still intact after all the years they had stood. The building itself had to be four or five hundred years old. Inside the bar area Peppy had barely needed to redecorate the place was so dark and gloomy any of his more light-sensitive, which was the majority of them, customers would adore it. She'd walked the place a dozen times on her way to the Ark but she still found it as astounding as ever. The carved mahogany banister leading to the upstairs section that Peppy called home along with the solid oak paneling that lined the walls. He hadn't changed much except getting rid of the old rotting furniture. Cass came to the open area that had once been the front entrance but Peppy had long ago sealed off. He had opted for a less conspicuous side entrance. She stopped to salute the marble bust of the first Prime Minister of Canada, it had been the inspiration for the bar's name back when Peppy had first bought the place. After she had paid her respects she stalked off for the basement intent on getting her data and hunting the son of a bitch she was after.
Cass rubbed her neck as she reached the bar. She hadn't paid attention to the time and had no idea how long she'd been in the Ark. Probably a matter of hours. Though the background check she'd done on Carson had yielded a good lead on his last known address and an emergency contact he'd mentioned on his military application. Go figure the guy had been a soldier. This would make things all the more interesting for Cass she did so love a challenge.
She sent an e-note to Joe Giovelli, her contact at the A.D.A's office, and headed into the dimly lit bar.
"Thanks Pep" she patted the man on the back as she passed him. "Hey tyke, I thought you'd already left you'd been down there for so long" Cass just shrugged. "Went a little deep this time" Peppy nodded understanding completely. "The ark has a way of messing with your mind girl. It fucks with time when your under, makes your dreams realities and your realities nightmares. Best to stay away from it for a while, ya dig?" Cass nodded like a good little girl and bit back a smile at Peppy's paranoid imagery. Why a man who was so suspicious of technology had built his home and work on top of a giant computer was beyond her. The ark was a cerebral device, in essence a computer that processed stored and relinquished information. It wasn't intentionally evil in any way. Peppy was just a crazy cookie, whom Cass loved dearly, and that weird tingling in her spine and the shaking in her hands was anticipation of the kill. That's all.
Cass shook off the feeling and instead focused her attention on the bar. She studied every face in a glance and found herself shivering harder as she noticed the packed table at the back of the bar. "What are they doing here?" she whispered softly to Peppy. "Yautja never come this far North" Unless the game was just too good to resist.
Peppy glanced quickly at the table in the darkest corner of the bar where at least 8 large yautja were sitting clicking and growling quietly in there strange language. He averted his eyes and shrugged, playing nonchalant when he was obviously terrified, as he should be "I don't ask they don't tell" he said as he finished topping off a pint for a lonely skarsgardian sitting nearby. The small furry creature wiped one of its big paws under its weepy red eyes and frowned down into the golden liquid. Cass rolled her eyes and decided to jet off before the depressed alien got so drunk it made a furless human look good enough to screw. She headed for the door she'd come in through; the one closest to her bike. It occurred to her later as she was lying on her back on a mahogany table with the wind knocked out of her lungs and a heavy Yautja hand wrapped around her throat that carrying weapons like hers so close to a violent species that had x-ray vision was unwise.
And just that fast, before she passed the table, one of them grabbed her. Her back hit the hard surface, and a heavy hand wrapped around her throat. The Yautja snarled down into her face its large mandibles flaring and its yellow eyes turning a darker, redder shade. "Easy now fella" she heard Peppy's soothing voice in the background even over the sound of blood rushing by her ears.
Cass didn't need his help though. The alien had thrown her back then lunged over her quickly while her feet up in the air allowing her to brace her feet on its massive shoulders, keeping the giant alien from crushing her into the surface. She thanked 15 years fighting off drug dealers, killers and creatures twice her size and times stronger for her honed reflexes. As the heavy hand tightened around her throat and the snarls issuing from the aggressor's chest vibrated through the soles of her feet she used her toe to press the catch in her boot and angled her foot toward it's throat. She watched his expression as he felt the sharp point of the extended blade bite into the skin of his jaw. She was glad the knife was long enough to reach from his shoulder to his chin because his neck seemed much longer and thicker than that of any creature she had ever come into contact with. Save maybe a treksaur, but the giant dinosaur-like alien had been long dead when she'd come upon it.
Cass felt sickening delight quicken her heart rate at the thought of kicking her foot up till the blade rammed through his flesh and lodged into his brain. Even if he snapped her neck in the throes of death it would still be satisfying.
She cursed inwardly as once again her bloodlust overrode her common sense. She had to get out of the situation as peacefully as possible. Nobody else could catch Carson as quickly and with as few victims as she could. "Let me go nice and easy and I'll back off as well." When he snarled at her again she feigned indifference and managed a small shrug despite the situation. "Either that or we can both die here, it's entirely up to you" she made sure to underline that last word by pressing the blade tighter against his thick skin. A small droplet of green, barely noticeable, glistened on the tip of the blade. She felt a claw rake the back of her neck and could feel hot blood gathering on the nape of her jacket.
As the copper-tinged smell invaded her senses she felt the bloodlust rise inside of her again. She was staring directly into the Yautja's eyes and saw the same strong passion reflected there. As a new hunter she'd respected, almost admired, the Yautjas code of honor. She heard talk of it from the more seasoned hunters she'd come into contact with. They rarely invited or allowed others to join them on their hunts, one had to be of great skill to even be considered, but those that had gone and survived told tales of a race so brutally accurate in their killing it could be described as beautiful. Those stories had always made her desire. Desire the hunt and the kill. That twisted part of her, the part that had surfaced from the depths of her shattered mind after Tony…Well. That part of her, the ruthless, merciless hunter wanted nothing more than to join them. To hunt with them. Live with them. When the need had arisen she'd touched herself while imagining the long shaft of a strong Yautja pounding her into satisfied oblivion. All of that resurfaced as she stared death in the face.
Cass couldn't help but become acutely aware of how open her legs were beneath him. Her feet were pressed against his shoulders while he leaned his weight on her, forcing her legs to part wide and bend at the knee. If it weren't for the obvious violence of his grip on her neck and outsider might think they were about to fuck. There was very little space between their bodies, only a hairsbreadth and their clothes were separating them.
To her surprise and embarrassment his tongue flicked out from his mouth as though he tasted the air and his snarl morphed into a clicking growl. His eyes flicked down to her and he made a questioning snuffling sound. Could he smell her heat? She cursed herself and pressed the knife more deeply into his flesh distracting him. "Get off or die" she snarled, baring her teeth at him and letting out a low growl she'd been using to her advantage for years. His eyes had gone from blood-orange to a molten gold in seconds and he growled slightly at her flicking his mandibles and biting the air with his deadly sharp teeth but the action seemed more playful than sinister. Cass snarled at him, a universal sound for I-will-fucking-murder-you, and pressed the knife even deeper. Green liquid slowly dripped down the edge of the blade and a droplet landed on her cheek.
She gasped in surprise at how hot the liquid was when it touched her bare skin. In an instant he released her and Cass felt a twinge of disappointment and a flash of relief all at the same time. She held her foot back careful to not get his throat caught on it. When he had backed off a few feet she slid off the table with as much slow dignity as she could manage.
"See you Pep" she called, never taking her eyes off the Yautja. The bartender called something but it was drowned out by the strangest noise Cass had ever heard. A subsonic hum released from the Yautja's throat, so deep and intense it felt like the entire bar shook with the force of it. She stood frozen in shock as it vibrated through her shaking her down from the inside out. She knew she was breathing hard now, chest expanding and contracting quickly but it wasn't panic she was feeling. As absurd as it sounded she could feel that noise like it was inside her. A burning blush suffused her cheeks and she snarled at him again, feeling trapped. The way he looked at her was confining, she felt hemmed in on all sides and yet her focus was only on him like they were completely alone in the universe except for each other. She snarled at him, suddenly defensive and not knowing why. Her hind brain took over and backed her towards the door even as her ego was asking the question What the fuck was that?
She focused on getting outside, driving away. Two instructions she followed to the letter. She backed away from the table of 8 Yautja males who were all staring her down curiously. Except for the one, that one, he was looking at her with the most blood curdling, toe curling look she had ever gotten from anyone.
And it made her so hot she bolted for the door before she jumped him.