Chapter I

Disclaimer:

This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group.

I am a hunter. I am good at what I do, no one can argue with that. But there are very few of us left who have the skills to challenge the other creatures of the Earth and survive single-handedly. While it may be true that as a species we have groups of people with large caliber, multi-round guns to kill with, even fewer of them would be able to hunt alone in the woods or jungles by themselves. There are even fewer who believe in tracking and stalking an animal with the least amount of equipment possible. I, Denton Hays, am one of the few, and I learned it from my father. I have in turn taught these things to my son, and hopefully he will teach these things to his son and so forth, until the day comes when hunting is outlawed. It will be on that day that my way of life will have truly died, and what's worse is that on that day the true nature of our existence as a people in this universe will have died with it.

Living the way I do makes me a rare breed from what I am told. Of course, most would say that I am merely a relic, left over from a time when hunters were still needed. It's like being told you're no longer useful.

Everything today is practically done for us. Those that would seek profit from the endeavor raise cattle on farms for our consumption, using chemicals to help keep the creatures healthy and produce the most amount of product per animal. Plants bearing the various vegetables we consume are also grown in the same way and people have lost the touch to be able to grow these items on their own without having to use pesticides or other chemicals to help them grow. Nothing we do to survive today, according to the few of us that still believe in the old ways, is being done on a natural level. It's no secret that medical science allows for a longer life span than what was the norm hundreds of years ago, but there are more diseases than ever before, and new ones cropping up all the time. Science has to continually fight against the very problems it creates. Is it a vicious circle that will continue to get smaller and smaller until there is no more circle left to travel or will we as a species continue to add to the path of the circle until all forward movement is impossible, constantly stepping over the filth and trash that those before us have left, until there is no longer a way to travel the path, or will we find a way to move forward and break free of circle that binds us. I can't answer that right now, I have never been one to think that the future of our race was in my hands, nor was it something I had ever imagined.

We as a species have lost what used to lie deep within. Lost is the individual need to survive, that instinctive urge that drives people above and beyond what science perceives as normal human abilities. As I said before though, there are a few of us who purposefully go out into the wilderness and jungles and test our will against nature and the beasts harbored within the vast confines of these places. I hunt because I believe it will eventually make my lineage stronger to eat healthy untainted meat fresh from the source, and yet still provide a sense of unity and balance with the world God has created for us. Hunting is my one way of maintaining the balance of nature. I only take what I need, no more no less.

I only keep trophies of the most profound creature of any one species as a sign of reverence to the animal so that their memory can live on even after their species may go extinct, and that a trophy is never taken merely for the glory of having the trophy itself. The only way to ever improve upon the trophy of any one species you've taken is when a larger more worthy opponent presents itself, unless of course you have already filled your need for consumable meat that season. As my father always pointed out, 'Maybe you can take him down next year.' It is when you do have the right conditions for morally taking a larger trophy that the previous trophy be burned and given back to the Earth so that it may one day provide fresh new grounds for the next generation of creatures to thrive upon. Every part of the animal is used, my floors are covered in furs of the various pelts I have gained, the bones of the animal are donated to those local Indian tribes still in existence who have mastered the art of making bone handled knives or other various tools, and what meat I can not consume in a seasons time is donated or shared with those that are less fortunate than I. Nothing goes to waste if I can help it. Everything has a function, and therefore nothing has gone to waste.

There are some who do this merely for sport and not for their survival. These are the individuals who hunt merely to feel more like a man, to gain some hidden respect within themselves, and have a need to feel superior to others by taking the life of a creature that they have no intention of fully utilizing for any purpose other than taking a trophy to prove their worth. I know this happens, for I have seen the horrific results of a hunter's fresh kill. Only the head was taken while the rest of the body was left to decompose or be eaten by the other predatory creatures of the wild.

This was different though. What I found on the ground was simply…disturbing. Unexplainable. I paused for a moment, and peered around me visually scanning for other life signs, before kneeling down above the half gutted creature. There was something odd about the smell in the air around it. Almost as if someone in the area had used a plasma burner to take this poor defenseless creature down. There was some other smell present as well, something…unfamiliar, which was odd in and of itself. It is not uncommon for those of us who have spent considerable amounts of time in the woods to possess senses far above that of other humans who cling to their TV sets and movie screens. Scientists would have you believe otherwise, of course, that there was no proof as to the extrasensory abilities one gains when spending so much time with nature, but those of us who hunt regularly know the truth. Those of us who break the bonds of modern civilization and willfully accept the gifts that nature has bestowed upon us know the truth. It is because of these overactive senses that I knew something was out of place, but without additional information I could do nothing but concentrate on the more outstanding evidence presenting itself to me at the moment.

The leftover carcass seemed to possess burn marks, much like those that are left after the use of a plasma burner. Being that I am also a game warden in the area I have a responsibility to find out who had done this. While it was still legal to hunt animals in this day and age, there were some weapons restrictions. One of which was a burner. This device is outlawed for hunting because of the tendency to destroy far too much of the available meat and other resources the animal may have offered.

I know the laws well. I helped to write them. My influence goes far and wide throughout the country, and my position as a game warden is voluntary. My true means of financial support is being a businessman, and quite a successful one at that. I have political ties nationwide, which if I could I would eliminate altogether, for as it stands I don't like politics. Never have, and never will. Though, as I have gotten older I have learned how to use the friends that I have in politics to keep the tradition of hunting alive and well, at least for now. Despite how people view my hunting habits, I am still well respected when it comes to other issues in society.

It wasn't long before I realized that the skull and spine had been removed from the body and that the burn pattern signified there being only a single shot fired. The center of the blast mark indicated that whoever made this shot obviously possessed a great deal of knowledge concerning their targets anatomy. It was a dead on kill shot. Not many hunters could have done this, or have this kind of knowledge of the species, not yet anyway.

This particular creature is a fairly new species known as an Ostrocaurus, genetically bred for the need to maintain the balance of nature in the area. Only a few hundred of them exist in the region, this being the first area in the world, in fact, to have had these creatures inserted into the wild. This would not have been accomplished so easily if people had not depopulated the Earth somewhat to colonize the other planets we have recently discovered. It is only because of the depopulation of humans that we have been able to reacquire the use of the land, not only for the purpose of replenishing Earth's natural wonder, but also for testing the resilience of newly created species we intend to place on the planets that are only now finished with the terra-forming process.

I wasn't far from my home where all of this occurred. This being part of the reason the area was chosen as a testing ground in the first place, seeing as to how I was one of the foremost high-ranking authorities on tracking poachers and wildlife in general in the United States. It was a difficult struggle to get this assignment. I had to fight with all the self-righteous, tree-hugging, liberal, environmentalist, freaks, and their respective organizers to get anywhere near the idea of my overseeing the project. This was mostly due to the fact that they don't like my being a hunter. Some of them even accused me of wanting this post for the purpose of hunting a new species. Morons, don't they realize that if I wanted to hunt a new species I would've simply…hunted them instead.

In spite of my obvious distaste for their opinions they are merely trying to persuade others to their viewpoint, and in this day and age they have the right to do so. Then again, so do I. What's more is, that I have proven time and time again, after inviting some of them to come with me on a hunt to see that I do not hunt for sport, but for the health of my family and those who share in my opinions regarding the treatment of Earth's creatures. I suppose I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, considering that I dislike those who hunt solely for trophies, and yet dislike those who like to see hunting banned altogether.

I examined the carcass further for any evidence I may be able to use to my advantage in discovering the perpetrators of this crime. After being satisfied with my examination I decided it would be best to call in the local investigation team to take some samples as well as the body back to the labs for analysis. 'The environmentalists are gonna have a field day with this one.' I thought to myself.

I stood and pulled out the communication device given to me by the head of the labs for specifically an event such as this. I was in the middle of the call describing what I had found, when I thought I saw something in the trees move in a rather unusual way. Continuing to stare at the spot, I realized that the air seemed to be moving, not the trees. I cocked my head sideways a bit for a different perspective hoping to decipher what it was I was seeing. Without alerting the individual on the other end I managed to keep my voice at a normal tone while disconnecting from the call.

It wasn't all that hot outside for this time of year, but since the Earth had once again shifted on its axis, as it does every so many eons, the temperatures of certain regions had fluctuated making this region rise in average temperature by about 12 degrees, and the area was quickly becoming a tropical to sub-tropical environment. It was beautiful to see the differences in the landscape. The heat still didn't explain the hot spot I saw moving further into the trees. I've seen hot spots before over super heated sections of highway and in the hottest of deserts around the world, but none of them had ever moved before, not like this anyway.

A few strange moments of the movement had filled me with curiosity. I looked back down at the fresh carcass and pondered the idea of leaving it unattended while I investigated the oddity in the trees. It wouldn't be long before the team of scientists arrived to investigate the demise of this poor creature and take it away for further study.

'I hope the labs weren't experimenting with alien life forms again, not after what happened last time.' I thought to myself. Those things were ugly, and dangerous. I've never hunted anything like that before in my life, and probably never will again. It was satisfying though, and the only time I've ever hunted without the intention of using the prey for sustenance. The bones, if you want to call them that, worked out nicely as not only decoration in my home, but made for some awfully useful tools and knives as well. The knives made great Christmas gifts to all those whom I knew either hunted or just plain needed a good knife.

Being covered in various shades of black and gray made them hard to hunt. They were intelligent too. In fact they were almost too smart, I would almost venture to say that they might have been sentient beings. A living weapon is how one of the scientists labeled them. Nonetheless, they were eradicating the native species of animals in the area and had even engineered an ambush for two other hunting parties sent out by the company and the leading scientists, meant to recapture them. Adding to their reign of terror was the incident involving the tree huggers staging a protest in the woods and an expedition to study them. Complete dumb asses if you ask me. If it weren't for the fact that one of the survivors came running up to my house in utter fear with one of those creatures trailing about a hundred yards behind him, I probably would have never known of their existence until it was too late, thank God for some small miracles huh? My kids were still small back then and weren't quite old enough to handle firearms properly. They would've been completely defenseless against these mercilessly cunning creatures. Never before have I encountered a being as dangerous, I still have the scars to prove it.

Suddenly it hit me after thinking about those dark, vile, Xeno…things, or whatever they called them. That's what's out of place here. I had seen this kind of mutilation before. These Ostrocaurus remains had the same wounds as some other creatures I found not long before encountering the Xeno's for the first time, it was also when I first came across those demonic animals that I saw the air move strangely through the trees. That was years ago though.

I decided that before I would go exploring the woods for…whatever may be out there this time, I should again call the company lab and see if they had any escapes recently. Naturally if I called and talked to the same geeky dipshit again I would get the company's typical answer that nothing was wrong. I wasn't that stupid though, I dialed the number directly to Jack Weyland's office. Being a personal friend of mine, I knew he would give me the straight answer. Ok, maybe I would have to threaten to pull some funding out from underneath him to do it, but regardless, I knew in the end I would get him to talk.

In the meantime I kept a close eye on my surroundings as the phone rang. I stood fast in my position close to the stench of the carcass, considering I had taken a few steps past it and had my back turned away from where it lay. It's not like it was going anywhere anytime soon or anything, I mean, the dead don't just get up and walk off you know. On the other hand, I thought if I could still smell it, it would still be there when I turned around.

Much to my surprise, I saw the air move again. It was different this time. It more or less had some shape to it, a humanoid shape. 'Wait a minute…' I said to myself. The word 'ghost' quickly came to mind. 'Alright that's it…maybe you've been out in the woods too long Denton.' My thoughts were scrambling to make some sense of a situation getting weirder every second that went by.

Hearing a click on the phone like the one you hear when someone answers the other end snapped me back into reality.

"Denton, it's been a while, what have you been doing with yourself lately?"

"Oh, just scraping up the remains of an Ostrocaurus body."

"Oh…well…that's…um…is that what you really called me for?"

"No, not exactly…I'll make it simple, and if I don't get the answer I want, or the one I think is true, I'm gonna pull my funding on your off planet resource mining projects." I didn't feel like I had the time to waste having to drag the answers out of him, considering that if Xeno's were loose again, I wasn't prepared to fend them off with what I had on me as far as weapons were concerned.

"Damn, Denton. I thought you would've learned by now, you don't have to threaten me to get what you want. All you have to do is ask." His answer was neat and clean just like the image his company is so intent on keeping. It's probably the reason why when I threaten him he responds so well.

"Cut the bullshit Jack, just tell me if you've had any Xeno's getting outta hand lately."

The line was silent. It was still silent. Still nothing. I pulled the phone away from my ear thinking he had hung up on me, as I grimaced with exasperation over what I thought he had just done.

I was about to start dialing again when I heard a voice on the other end, and swiftly put the phone back to my ear.

"Denton…Denton you there buddy?"

"Yeah." I said with aggravation clearly imbedded into the tone I used.

"Oh good, I thought I lost you for a second there."

He continued.

"It took me a few seconds to get a hold of the proper department, but you'll be happy to know that we've got everything contained."

"I don't have time for your bullshit Jack, I'm standin' here in the middle of the freakin woods with shit getting weirder every second. I swear if you're lyin' to me, and I get outta this alive, not only will I cut all the funding I give you, but I'll hunt you down, and there'll be no place in this universe you can hide…do you hear me?"

"Denton, Denton…I know how you are, and I learned from the last time I fucked things up that you don't trust me, and truthfully I thought I would play it smart this time, I decided to record my conversation with the science dept. specifically so you'd know I was telling you the truth, cuz I need your funding that badly."

"You've got my attention." I replied coldly.

As I listened to the conversation I could tell that Jack was just as pissed as I was at the mere mention of one of those things even getting out again. He yelled into the intercom at the scientist jerkweed on the other end, saying something like, '…if one of those things got out again so help me I'll make sure every one of you lab coat wearing test tube handling pieces of shit never gets another job on this planet…do you understand me?"

Jack was never very good at dishing out insults, humorous or otherwise, and truthfully he wasn't a bad guy, he just happened to become the owner of too large a company for him to know how to run, and at too young an age. He inherited it after his father passed away and Jack was barely nineteen. God bless that old mans soul. It was both my father and his that taught me what I knew of hunting, they were good friends and my father still to this day mentions how much he misses his friend. There was never enough time for him to fully get a handle on how his father kept the operation up and running. Gotta give him credit though, he tries like hell. Maybe he'll figure it out one of these days.

Ok, so maybe he's coming around to being the trustworthy guy I knew him to be once, back when we were kids.

"Alright Jack…you're off the hook this time, but I do want you to get those clean up guys out here as soon as you can…there's some weird shit goin on out here and I don't feel like playin' babysitter to a corpse."

"You got it buddy…hold on a second…ah, here it is."

"Here what is?" I asked.

"Well, I just checked the computer for outbound field crews…they left a few minutes ago. ETA in…fifteen minutes. But that's not all, there's another one in your area, they've been out there for eight hours already."

"I haven't seen them. What were they doing out here?"

"I don't know exactly, it's a military tagged file, you know, part of that contingency the government wants me to keep here."

"Yeah, I know, they were part of the problem last time too weren't they."

"Uh huh, Tell you what, I can hack into the file…it'll take me a while though. Maybe they had an escape or something. Whatever it is I'll find out…contact you soon."

"I'll be here."