CHAPTER ONE
UNAUTHORIZED VISITOR
Looking up, the stars seem so small from the swamp below.
The creatures inhabiting the swamp are moving and talking in the night, oblivious to anything beyond this world.
They do not notice the star that seems to be moving and growing larger.
It is moving fast, like a shooting star. But it's not a star.
As it approaches the Earth's atmosphere it starts to slow down. And it stops, right before reaching it.
For a moment it sits there, still in the sky, until part of seems to break away. This smaller portion enters the atmosphere and hurtles towards the earth, heading towards the swamp below. But like before, it starts to slow down.
It heads towards the swamp, near the edge of a river.
It slows right down as it approaches the ground. As it does, the surface of the river starts to ripple. A pair of eyes and snout breaks the surface, drawn to the movement of the strange arrival.
As it lands slowly, quietly behind the trees just beyond the river, a huge Alligator swims towards shore, curious about what it senses.
Senses, but does not see. It knows something is there, but it appears to be nothing. The Alligator arrives at the shore, looking to where this strange thing should be, it sees nothing but trees and bush, although they look odd. Reflective, like the water.
The Alligator climbs ashore and moves slowly towards the reflecting trees. It's massive body sliding through the growths.
Then the Alligator freezes. It hears something click. And then there is a sound. A hissing sound, but not like a hiss from an animal. A mechanical sound. The Alligator hurriedly moves back to the water, unsure and wanting to stay safe. As it heads back it smells something living. But not a familiar smell at all.
It has arrived. And arrived unseen. It is doing well. Now it needs to find what it's there for. It needs to hunt. It needs its trophy. Is needs respect. It is invisible. It exits the pod that it has just arrived in. As it does, it's thermal vision catches a glimpse of a tail submerging into the water just ahead. It scans the area and sees hundreds of life forms. But nothing worthy of its time. The trophy needs to be just right. It must be impressive.
The hunter heads towards a tall tree and climbs. It moves up in the trees for a better view. The Predator looks around. And it sees it. The trophy. It is large. It is impressive. And the Predator must make it hers.
A light glows bright down the river. A torch. It moves steadily from side to side, searching. It's beam illuminating its owner now and again. It is a man. A man on a small boat. He is a large man. Very muscular, mid 30's. He is hunting. And he sees what it is he is after. A huge Alligator, a hundred feet away, makes its way slowly towards his him. In the water.
He attaches the torch to the boat, stops the engine and reaches for his rifle. He waits for it to swim closer. He calmly steady's himself and raises the gun. He breaths slowly, quietly. The Alligator continues towards him. It is huge. He waits for it to come to him. He has done this before. Closer and closer. It is 40 feet from him now.
It's in his sights. His finger squeezes on the trigger and a loud bang echoes throughout the swamp.
The Alligators body is still, 10 feet from the front of the boat. The man lowers the gun to his side. Then it drops from his hand. And he drops to his knees. And where the man's chest used to be, is a gaping hole. His flesh singed and burned, what remains of his ribs protruding from the wound. A shocked looked etched permanently on his face. Blood runs from his mouth. And he collapses forward, out the front of his boat into the water and the open jaws of the Alligator.
She watches, in thermal vision, as the man's body collapses into the waiting jaws of the massive animal. And as it jaws clamp shut on him, it twists and turns, breaking his bones and softening his meat. It tears his arm from his lifeless body and chomps it jaws on it. The rest of the broken body waiting at its side for when it's done.
The huntress leaps to action. Her trap is set. While the beast is busy with its feast, it is distracted. She leaps from the tree, still cloaked and invisible. She must move fast, she needs it distracted. She taps on the readout on her wrist, calling her ship to enter Earth's atmosphere.
She races to the water's edge, gliding, almost floating with silent speed. She arrives at the water's edge and removes a rope from a compartment on her back. The rope looks as if it is made of intertwined wire. One end barbed with what resemble fish hooks, the other end with a handle like brass knuckles. She holds the handle, squeezes it and whips out the rope towards the beast in the water. The rope stretches like elastic towards the bloody body of the man floating in the water. It snags his torso and she releases the pressure on the handle. It starts to tighten back up and begins to reel the body in.
The Alligator reacts and angrily follows the remains which are heading towards land. All it smells is blood and cannot see what is pulling it to shore.
She pulls the body to shore, baiting the Alligator. It emerges and clasps hold of the body. As it does, the huntress releases the handle again loosening the rope and whips it around the body of the Alligator. She squeezes it quickly and it tightens around it, restricting its mouth, legs and body into a tight embrace. It hisses in anger and frustration at not being able to move. The Huntress uncloaks herself to let the animal see her.
She is slimmer and smaller than the male hunters. She is masked and armored just like them, but it seems loose on her, like it was built for a larger body. Her green, pebbled, leathery body is not too dissimilar to that of the animal she has just captured. Her face hides behind a Bio-Mask that has a symbol similar to a Ying-Yang carved into its forehead.
Her breasts are covered by a metallic form fitting top. Over top of it and around her shoulders is the loose fitting Armour which does not do a good job of hiding her scars. Her body is covered with dark green scarring, some fresh, and some old. They are like forked gashes that run down the top of her back to her waist. They are down her arms, neck and stomach.
Her waist is covered by a loin cloth that seems to be made from leather, but a deep purple color.
Her thighs show slightly underneath. Her boots go from her feet to just above her knees into a pointed end. The boots are dark grey, metallic.
The Alligator continues to struggle, pointlessly, against its binding. It sees it hunter now and hisses again at it.
The huntress yanks at the rope, jarring the Alligator, sending it a message, after which she steps towards it, face towards the Alligator, and lets out a horrifying, high pitched roar.
There is a humming above the water as her ship arrives. It lowers to just above the trees. The huntress taps her wrist device and a cargo door opens at the base of the ship.
Something is lowering from it, connected to a similar rope to the one she has trapped it with.
It is a cylindrical metal box larger than the Alligator. It lowers down to ground next to where they are standing.
Still squeezing the ropes trigger tight, she walks to a control panel on the side of the box. She pushes a button and the top of the box slides open with a hiss of steam rising from it.
She walks closer to the trapped Alligator, which is larger than her, wraps her arms around its trapped body, and lifts it. She hoists it over her shoulder, buckling slightly by the weight as it hisses and struggles fruitlessly against its restraint.
She carries it heavily to the box, drops it inside with the remainder of the rope and presses another button on the panel. The door slides shut with another hiss. The huntress peers through a window on the top of the box and takes one more look at her catch before pushing another button. Inside, it fills with steam as the Alligator is cryogenically frozen, alive, within the box.
She pushes a button on her wrist device and the box reels back up into the open door at the base of the ship. She takes one more look around, making sure she's not watched and proceeds to climb up the closest tree. The ships cockpit door opens at the top of the ship and she jumps inside.
Soon she is at the controls. She has what she came for and it's time to leave.
She pilots the ship into the air and out of our atmosphere. She is returning home. She feels satisfied with her effort. A feeling of pride overcomes her as she leaves.
But as she speeds away into space, she fails to notice that she has picked up a follower.
A drone, blinking red and flying fast, follows the ship away. The drone bears a logo on its side. A yellow W with the letter Y imposed behind it.
Back on earth, a man in a business suit is sitting at a desk in Weyland-Yutani tower. His face, illuminated by the red flashing glow on his computer screen, is smiling.
He picks up his phone. And pushes a button.
"Dean"
"Yes Sir"
"Where is the M-7."
"They are on a job"
"Once that's completed, bring them in. We have an urgent mission. On the way in, pick up Ripley"
"But sir! She...,"
"Relax Dean. She will like what I have to say to her"
"Yes sir, Mr Weyland"
He hangs up, still looking at the screen, smiling.