Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Aliens or Predator series or any of this stuff. But I own this plastic pear and this burnt cookie (man my cooking sucks) and this mouse trap and this'ugh, what is that?
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your reviews, guys! Whoo hoo! You like me, you really like me! Well, some of you do, at least.
Blackdawn-70631, thanks for the help! I really didn't know what the Predators were called! : P For more information on Kradak's looks and more action, it's in this chapter!
PS, forgive my swearing, there's a bit of that in here, but these are kids that are teenagers, so, as per natural, they'd swear.
I do.
"Normal speech."
'Thinking.'
Thought speak
"Yautja Language"
My name is Hope. I don't know where I am. All I know is that my four friends, Kate, Billy, Naomi and David, and I are alive when we shouldn't be. These'humans'are playing God. Something is very, very wrong. The need for revenge at how they have wronged me is overpowering. I must find my friend and I must find out what has happened to us.
Don't be fooled but this, though. I may seem brave and strong and'well I may even seem a bit dumb or'ah, to put it bluntly, a psychotic schizophrenic. I'm not. My name is Hope.
And I'm shit scared.
Kate looked around, hugging herself, partly from the chill; partly form the absolute terror that coursed through her body. She swallowed hard and glanced at the panel where the scientists would peer at her like she was some freak in a side show. It was sealed up, a large metal panel behind the through glass.
She lent back against the wall, feeling for her friends in the back of her mind. They were there. Hope was stressing. David was pacing his cell. Billy was sleeping, or trying to sleep. Naomi was being examined. Kate had to smile as a very vivid image of what her best friend wanted to do to the rat-faced scientist if he came any closer to her flitted through her mind.
Kate gasped and whirled as the door to her cell opened and a man walked in.
"Hello Kate," said a man. Professor Lawson was his name, if she remembered correctly.
"Wh-what do you want?" she whispered.
"Just come with me," said the man. "I have someone I want you to meet."
"But'I'no," breathed Kate. "I don't want-"
"Sorry, but you don't have much of a choice," snarled Lawson as two guards hurried in a grabbed the teen girl.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Let me go! Hand's off her merchandise, buddy! Ohhh! Watch those hands! You're hurting me!"
They hauled her out of the cell and down the hall.
Lawson grinned. Feisty little things, these girls. Now, for the blonde one.
Hope was prepared when they came for her. She turned her head and looked askance at the door as it hissed open.
Several soldiers filed in, their strange-looking, though dangerous, weapons aimed at her. A man strode through. He wasn't Doctor Weiss. Hope had seen him talking to Doctor Weiss a few times. Doctor Weiss, as well as the other scientists, seemed afraid of this man.
"Hello," he said. "I am Professor Charles Lawson. I am the head professor on this ship and'well I suppose you could call me your creator."
"Creator?" breathed Hope.
"Ah!" cried Lawson. "So you do speak! Now, why don't you do us all a favor and come voluntarily? I would hate for you to be'damaged."
"Bite me, asshole," snarled Hope. "I'm not going anywhere except to my friends."
"Fine," sighed the professor. "Grab her."
Hope cried out as several guards lunged forward, one for each of her ankles and wrists. They pushed her her, screaming, kicking, wriggling and thrashing to her ground, clasping her wrists in strange shackles.
Lawson knelt beside Hope, "Listen girl, your friends are at my mercy. You don't cooperate, they die, simple as that."
Hope growled, but stilled.
"Good," said Lawson as the guards hauled the enraged Hope to her feet. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, come along, it's time for you to meet the king! And just to make you a little more cooperative'"
He pressed some sort of gun-like contraption against the side of her neck. There was a click, a pneumatic hiss, and a sharp pain. Suddenly everything began to fade out, but Hope fell into unconsciousness with a smile.
For you see they didn't know was that she had made a rather big discovery the other day. Coupled with the revelation that her fingernails could lengthen, she had cut her palm, and the small burnt away hole in the corner of her room heralded her discovery that her blood was highly acidic.
Naomi slammed her fists over and over into the punching bag, whirling and kicking and pummeling it, imagining the smirking face and form of Dr Lawson under every blow.
"Fuck you fuck you fuck you," she muttered through gritted teeth.
Before'all of this, all of her friends, including her, had been very in with self-defense classes, especially since the three girls had had some seriously scary experiences in their life. Naomi's mother used to teach classes, and it was in one of those classes, at age twelve, that Naomi had met Kate and Hope. Soon after, they had met David and Billy in the park when they had stuck up for the girls against a group of burly and ugly as sin guys.
Naomi was as clueless as her friends as to what happened. She knew she had been dead. It was no accident how they had died, she had known the moment she was dead. She had gone to Heaven.
But then, suddenly, she had opened her eyes in a room, completely naked. She wasn't dead, she was alive, she wasn't in Heaven, she was in Hell.
As if that weren't enough, every day, scientists studied and prodded her like she was some freaking experiment.
Her fist halted halfway to the bag and her eyes grew wide.
Experiment?
Could it be?
"No," she breathed. "No, no, NO!" She slammed her fist into the bag again and again, sweat pouring down her body.
This was impossible'but there was no other explanation. That's what they what they had done.
They had turned them into fucking lab rats.
Naomi screamed in rage and pain and leaped up, delivering a roundhouse kick to the boxing bag. The chain holding the boxing bag to the roof ripped free from its mooring and the bag sailed across the room to crash into some equipment.
Naomi stared after it, horrified at her strength. She stared down at her hands and watched as nails grow until they were two centimeters long, then sank back into her fingers.
Naomi was confused and frightened and so very alone. She wanted to see her friends again. She wanted to see Billy's stupid grin and David's serious scowl and Kate's ever-ready laughter.
But most of all, Naomi wanted to hear Hope's stoic voice say everything was going to be okay, and if it wasn't, she'd find a way to make it so.
Naomi collapsed on the floor and cried.
David looked up from his pacing and Billy sat upright in his makeshift bed. They now shared a cell, and the ship was down two men, who were in the infirmary nursing broken noses, jaws and arms. Totalling it up between the five teens, the ship was down twelve in all, and five wouldn't be pissing right for the next month, courtesy of the three girls.
"Naomi's upset," said David quietly.
"What could make Naomi upset?" asked Billy, remembering the grunge teen girl to be someone unshakable.
"I don't know," said David. "And I don't think I wanna find out."
The five had been working hard on their strange mind link. They couldn't hear words or anything, but every now and then, they could catch a glimpse of pictures and images form someone else, or, like now, they could feel a very strong emotion.
Now Naomi's despair tore through them like a tangible force. Billy swallowed and looked at David.
Suddenly Hope's consciousness winked out from their minds and each of the paled.
"I don't think I'm going to get any sleep anytime soon," Billy said softly.
"You fucking bastards!" screamed Kate. "Let me go you fuckers! Fuck you!" She kicked and writhed in their grips as the guards dragged her into a cell and tossed her to the floor.
She screamed and threw herself at the door as it hissed shut.
"Let me out! Let me go! You can't keep me in here! I'm a human being! Let me OUT!" she screamed, pounding with her fists and feet.
Finally she gave up. She kicked the door and backed away, glaring at it, chest heaving.
"Owww," she whined suddenly, rubbing her arms. "That's gonna bruise!"
Suddenly she heard clicking from behind her and she stiffened with a gasp.
"Oh god, I am so going to regret this," she whispered and swallowed hard before turning around slowly.
Someone stood in the shadows of the room, staring at her.
"Oh my god," she whimpered. "Oh my god, its ET's big brother."
The creature cocked its head and made more clicking sounds.
"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod," whispered Kate. "Ohhhh."
The creature took a step forward and Kate squealed, slamming herself back up against the wall.
The creature stepped back into the shadows.
'It doesn't want to scare me,' she thought wildly. 'Why? Why would it-'
Suddenly a light appeared and Kate squealed again, whirling as a viewing room lighted up and revealed four scientists looking at her and the shadowed person, Dr Weiss among them.
"Hello, Kate," said Dr Weiss. "I am your supervisor today, as Dr Lawson is busy. Now, have you said hello to your new friend?"
Kate glanced at the creature, then back at Dr Weiss, "Sorry, doctor, but I don't think I'm able to make polite conversation while I'm being watched like some freak in a sideshow."
"Kate," chastised Weiss.
"Don't you patronize me you manipulative prick!" shouted Kate, storming right up to the glass. "Come in her and talk to me! Talk to me face to face, not with some bullet-proof glass between us you pint-sized, dickless motherfucker!" She thumped the glass with a fist, "Until then, you can shove you fucking clipboard up you tight ass and go fuck yourself!"
She stepped back and Weiss scowled.
"I wouldn't make me made, little miss," he spat.
"Ooh, look," she said, waving her hands. "I'm sooo scared! Ohh! The lab-coat threatened me! I'm shaking in my tasteless boots!" She plunked her hands on her hips, "Not impressed, asshole."
Kradak stared at the human female and grinned in a way no Yautja should be able to under his mask.
When she had screamed before, he had stepped back, for he had not wanted to scare her. She was the first human he had seen who seemed to be on the receiving end of the white-clad humans' prodding. She also had an attitude.
There was also the slight scent of a Yautja, yet she did not look Yautja.
The scientist stiffened at something the human female said and they left, turning off the light.
Kate took a deep breath and seemed to prepare herself as she turned.
The creature in the shadows took a step forward, slowly, and Kate forced herself not to move. It took another step, then another, and then another, before it stood right before her.
Kate saw it clearly now it stood in the light from the observation room. He wore scant clothing, a cloak-like thing, and a loincloth-like thing. He had bracers on his wrists and guards on his knees, waist thighs. There was an amour-like creation across his shoulders and down his chest slightly and down his back to his waist (Though she couldn't see the back. Just work with me here!). . though it looked like something was missing from his right shoulder (Duh, his plasma gun). The revealed skin was yellowy brown and thick, like a lizard's hide, and covered in netted material. His face was covered in smooth metal, with some sort of snout on the front and what looked like a fang-filled maw molded into it.
Kate reached up a shaking hand and touched (She had to go on tip-toes for this, considering he's almost a full three feet taller than her) the cool metal over one opaque eye and ran her fingers down the face. It made soft clicking noises as her fingertips touched the skin on its arm. He raised his own arm and touched a claw to her smooth cheek, tracing the freckles of the bridge of her nose. His hand drifted up and went over her brow and into her golden hair, combing his fingers through it. Her fingers traced a long jagged scar on his chest before they stopped, and she felt his heartbeat under her hand, not his right side, not his left, and not exactly centered, (Sorry if it's wrong, but I don't know Yautja anatomy!) before it fell away.
His claws went over her shoulder, across to the hollow of her throat and then his knuckle brushed her chin gently as he drew his hand away.
'Cheesy exploration over,' she thought. 'Now for introductions. You know, if he weren't about seven or eight feet tall and look like he could snap me in two with his pinkies, I'd accuse him of copping a feel!'
She took a deep breath, preparing herself again. "Hello," she said quietly, fully expecting him to not understand her. "My name's is Kate."
Kradak blinked. Most Yautja could understand humans, to a certain degree, but this human'he understood her perfectly! How was this possible?
"Hello," he said and she jumped slightly, swallowing. "I am called Kradak." He spoke in his guttural language, testing to see if she understood him,
"Kradak," she repeated. "Uh, nice to meet you."
Kate had indeed understood him. To her ears, she had heard what any other human would have heard, clicks and guttural sounds, but in her mind, the registered as words, as if something between her brain and ears decoded the strange language.
Yet another thing the scientists had done to her.
She held out a hand and Kradak stared at it, before remembering the strange greeting ritual of the humans by clasping and shaking hands. He held out his hand and wrapped his taloned fingers around her delicately boned hand and shook gently.
She bestowed upon him a dazzling smile.
After a few moments, she glanced down at their clasped hands, before slipping her hand from his.
Kradak felt bereft, but shook it off.
She was just a human.
"What are you doing here?" she asked suddenly.
"We were captured," said Kradak. "It was a hunt on a strange planet, but the humans called for help and'these, white humans-"
"Scientists? Doctors?" supplied Kate.
Kradak nodded, a human gesture he had picked up, "Yes, they came and captured us. We will be greatly dishonored for being caught."
Kate scowled as Kradak stared at nothing. "What'ah, if you don't mind me asking, what are you?" asked Kate.
"My race is called Yautja, but you humans call us Predators."
Kate's face fell, "I'I don't think I'm human."
Kradak was confused, "Then, what are you?"
Kate wandered away, "I'I don't know. I'I was dead, but then'I wasn't. Those' creatures, that call themselves humans, they did something to me and my friends. We're different now, stronger, faster. Our senses are heightened and'and we act predatory, our instincts are strange." She raised a hand and showed him how her nails lengthened then slid back into her fingers.
"They changed you as well?" asked Kradak.
"Huh?" asked Kate, looking at him.
Kradak reach up to disengage his helmet, steam and hissing emitting form him as he reached up to take off his faceplate.
Kate stared at Kradak's face. He had a large bald crown from which grew/emerged long hair-like thingies (oh you know what I mean!). His skin was yellowish and mottled with brown, and his face was like that of a snake. Lipless mouth on a small snout-like thing and slitted pupils in his yellow eyes.
"I'm sorry," said Kate softly, "but I don't know what one of your race would normally look like."
Kradak placed his faceplate back on, "If we were to free ourselves and find my hunting clan, then you would see what they have done. They may no longer even recognize me as their leader."
Kate scowled, "We'll get out of here, we will. My friends and I, we'll help you and your hunting clan I promise."
"You are the leader?" asked Kradak. "You are small for a leader."
Kate huffed, "I'll have you know, it's not the size a dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog! Ha! Don't underestimate me, Mr Kradak! Anyway, Hope may be the leader of our 'group' but we're all equals. We help each other, our weaknesses are another's strengths and we're always there for each other'and'" Kate's eyes misted, "and I want my friends!" She whirled and slammed her fist into the glass.
Spider webs of cracks snaked along the clear surface.
Kradak and Kate stared at the cracks.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" shouted Kate, backing up. She whirled around and slammed her foot into the window and shards of glass rained down onto the floor.
"This'after all this time'they stick me in a'a room with'normal glass!" laughed Kate. "Oh my god! This'is too'good to'be true!"
Kate turned to Kradak, grinning madly, "Come on, Kradak! Let's get outta here!"
"I couldn't agree more," said Kradak and leaped cleanly over the wall into the observation room.
"Wow," said Kate. "I wish I could jump like that."
He turned and held out his arms to Kate, who, after a moment's hesitation, stepped into them. Kradak easily lifted her over the wall.
"I must find my clan and my weapons," said Kradak.
"And I wanna find my friends," said Kate. "Hmm, let's go find a friendly scientist."
"You think they will help us?" asked Kradak.
"I think we will make them," said Kate, grinning evilly as they left the room cautiously. "And I hope it's that jerk Lawson. I really wanna smash his face in something bad."
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Hope groaned and tried to bring her hand to her aching neck, but found her movement restricted. Her eyes widened and her head flew up.
She was manacled to a large chair, a band around her wrists, ankles and about her chest. The chair sat in the middle of a dark metal room, like her holding cell, and faced a wall.
"Well this is'juuust great," she muttered darkly.
"Ahh! Hope! You're awake!" cried Lawson and Hope turned her head to see him grinning at her from the door.
Hope sneered, "Is this the only way you can entertain? With a captive audience?"
Lawson smirked, "Now, now, Hope. I have no time for your silly games. We have a very important someone for you to meet. Okay, bring in His Majesty." The last was said into a comm.-link set into the wall.
"Yes Professor," came a woman's voice back.
"Ta taa," said Lawson, grinning. "If this does not go well, remember to smile for the camera as you die."
Hope glanced at where he pointed, seeing the little red dot in the shadows of the corner, then snapped her head back round as he left the room, the door hissing shut behind him.
"What the fuck?" she breathed. "Let me out you motherfucker! Let me go!" Hope struggled violently against the bonds.
Then the wall she was facing gave a loud hiss and Hope snapped back to face it, her eyes wide as she pressed back in her chair.
The wall slid away, revealing shadows, and something glistening within the shadows. There was another hiss and mechanical whirring as the room moved forward, revealing the creature within.
(Enter my unique, totally mine, Xenomorph King Mercarian. )
It was black and glistened wetly. It's head was enlongated and arched back, with a flattened mantle and three curved blade-like horns and protruded down it's length. It had two strong legs on which it crouched and braced its slender yet muscular body on two powerful forearms. A tail swayed gently and it looked like it had a giant blade on the end. At its back, spines protruded down its spine, but form its shoulders, two large leathery wings (Yes, wings) folded close to its body. The creature lifted its head and drew back its lips, revealing long fangs (Merc does NOT have that mini-mouth, but a tongue, and he does NOT drool, ugh!). Then it turned its large head to one side and regarded Hope with a mercury-filled eye (Yes, eye. I know Xenomorph don't have eyes, but they're not supposed to have kings, either! Work with me people!).
"Oh Jesus fucking Christ," breathed Hope, shrinking back in her chair.
The beast started forward, but was stopped by chains about its neck, wrists and ankles. It hissed and tossed its head, tail thrashing, before it paused.
It leaned over as much as possible and inhaled deeply.
'Can it smell my deodorant?' thought Hope inanely. 'Oh, wait, I'm not wearing any.'
Who are you, soft meat, to be chained so? And why do you smell of my kind? breathed a dark, sinister voice in her mind
"Ahhh!" shouted Hope. "There are voices in my head!"
Be silent! Do you wish the humans to hear?
Hope swallowed, "Ohmigod, I am insane!"
I SAID SILENCE!
Hope took a deep breath and closed her eyes, Can you hear me?
The creature hissed and rolled its head to the other side before sitting back, Yes.
"What!" yelped Hope. "You' Oh! I mean'" You can hear me? It worked? Wow! This is sooo cool! I can talk with my mind!
How do you know how to thought-speak? asked the voice in her head.
I'I just did, she thought.
How? No soft-meat can speak thought-speech.
Hope blinked, For some reason, I don't think I'm human.
And why is this?
Hope explained pretty much what Kate explained to Kradak, except'well, different. Anyway.
Sooo, they created you, like the Other.
The'Other?
Yesss, the one who died carrying a Queen. The took some of her'.essence and made a copy of her. The Queen and the Other shared gifts, The other was in tune with the Hive and had acidic blood, and the Queen gave soft-flesh birth.
Essence? You mean DNA? The creature made an affirmative noise. Copy? A clone? Another affirmation. And shared gifts' Hope's eyes went way wide.
Now way! I'm a fucking CLONE!? What the fuck did they do to me? They turned me into a freak! I'm a fucking lab rat! Those motherfuckers!
Hope slammed back into her chair, then leaned forward, straining.
It is no use.
Hope glanced up at him, then at the camera. She narrowed her eyes and gave the camera the finger.
Hope's fingernails lengthened and she clenched her fists, drawing blood from her palm. She twisted and manipulated her hand so she smeared blood on her manacles.
What are you' he trailed off as he saw smoke rise form her manacles and she yanked free with the sound of rending metal.
Quickly she smeared blood on the binding about her middle and then tearing it away. She smeared her blood on her manacles and glanced up at the creature.
"Look," she grunted. "I'm getting outta here. Here's your choices. You can come with me, or you can stay here. What's it gonna be?"
What makes you think I haven't tried to use my blood on these bonds?
"Maybe, but what about that little control panel next to them?" She tore free with one final pull and hurried over to the wall, keeping just out of its reach. "Do you promise to help me and my friends and not eat us?"
The creature turned to look at her and, in a surprising movement; his tail wrapped around her waist and dragged her closer.
She gasped as his hands wrapped around her waist and he pressed his maw of razor-sharp teeth close to her face.
I, Mercarian, a rare King of my race, do swear to help you and your friends and not to kill and eat you.
Hope nodded, "Okay."
It released her and she stumbled back.
Release me.
"Yes O Imperious Bug," she muttered under her breath.
She hurried over to the control panel and ripped off the front. She clenched her hand to encourage the flow of blood, then smeared it onto the wires. She stepped back as they sparked and heard heavy chains unsnapping and falling to the ground behind her.
She turned and reached up and took the collar off from his neck and tossed it away.
"Come on," she said. "Let's get outta here. I gotta find my friends."
And just how will you do that?
"I think a friendly scientist will be all to happy to help. Especially with the right motivation."
She glanced at Mercarian's wicked teeth and claws.
"And what motivation it will be."
David and Billy whirled as the door to their cell was opened and several soldiers filed in. A man with stripes on his shoulders, medals on his barrel chest and the look of someone so far up himself he might as well be looking out of his mouth strode in after them.
"Take them," he said.
"Hay, what's going on?" snapped Billy as they were hauled out and met up with Naomi.
"What's going on?" grunted David.
"Listen," said Naomi.
The boys quieted as they were marched away and then heard the computerized voice blazing away.
"ATTENTION, ATTENTION, SUJECTS 0.1 AND 0.3 HAVE ESCAPED CONTAIMENT. ATTENTION, SUBJECTS X1 AND P1 HAVE ESCAPED CONTAINMENT."
Billy glanced at the tattoo on the inside of his left arm.
0.5
Billy forgot about the mysterious X1 and P1 subjects.
Hope and Kate were free.
All hell was about to break loose, and these guys hadn't been very good.
Payback's a bitch.
Authorns note
OH MY GOD! New chapter finally up! Woo hoo! Sorry it took so long, but I had tests and assignments due and all sorts of horrible stuff! DAMN SCHOOL! Anyway, SCHOOL HOLIDAYS! So now I'm really gonna get stuck in! Read and Review! I need your support!
CrimsonMistress!
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