Author's Note: Thanks to syver'ti, George, Nubitr0n and Creator of Hybrids for the follows and reviews! Only two more chapters to go after this.
To George: You should PM me your email address for the smut, just be sure to break it up with a space in the middle because fanfic hides emails for some reason in messages.
Two of a Kind
Sheriff Brady wrenched Sung's arm aside, slamming it into the door frame. "Drop the gun!"
Sung snarled and swung, his left fist connecting with Brady's jaw. The sheriff grimaced but didn't budge, grabbing the agent by his shirt and shoving him against the far wall. Sung twisted the pistol in his hand until the barrel was aiming at Brady's head, his thumb on the trigger.
Suddenly, the gun went flying, clattering down the orange hallway. Before either man could react, Lyra grabbed Brady, kneed him in the stomach and flipped him to the floor.
Sung nearly spat on the man. "Thanks Ly-"
A right hook caught him in the jaw, stars bursting across his vision. Lightning jabs paralyzed him with pain and she twisted his arm, shoving him to the ground. The sound of handcuffs snapping around his wrists jolted him and he futilely struggled. "Lyra! Lyra, what are you doing?! That thing is in there!"
Agent Andrews stared down at him, her misty eyes filled with anger. "Shut up, Sung."
He stilled, twisting on his side to look up at her. "Lyra..." He glanced over at the alien in the other room. The thing had ducked the shot, falling out the bolted chair and onto the floor. They locked eyes and Sung felt a surge of loathing fill him.
Brady remained on the floor, groaning. "Oh God, my back."
"You'll be fine," said Lyra as she stepped over him and calmly entered the interrogation room.
Gabriel struggled to his feet and backed away from the woman, tensing as he braced himself for another shot. But nothing happened. She just stood there, her large, human eyes staring at him with... awe? His hackles rose and he instinctively averted his gaze. He could tolerate most peoples' stares because he knew them. But this was a stranger. An outsider. And they'd come for him, hadn't they? He growled a warning and, for a moment, fear flickered across her eyes, but she didn't move.
Brady groaned as he pulled himself up and leaned against the doorframe. "Thanks... I guess."
She didn't take her eyes off of Gabriel. "Anytime. My partner... let's just say he has some unresolved personal issues. If I'd known what was behind the door, I wouldn't have let you open it."
"Noted." Brady straightened, wincing as he rubbed his stomach. "Oh, by the way, you shouldn't stare into his eyes. He's like a cat. Makes him uncomfortable."
Lyra dropped her gaze. "Sorry." Her partner called for her and she excused herself.
Gabriel watched them, half-listening to the sheriff mutter as he adjusted the cuffs. He could hear them, just barely, as they whispered to each other.
"Sung, I don't think he's the one we're looking for. I don't think the killer wears boots or cargo pants."
Gabriel averted his gaze when the male agent looked over at him. He could still smell the aggression and fear wafting from him.
"How can we be sure? That boy in the cell said he saw him do it. Lyra, he's... he's one of them."
Gabriel's breath caught. One of them. They knew what he was. They were looking for him. Or something like him.
"The one we're looking for would never let himself be arrested. Or look away in fear. The way the sheriff interacted with him... it's as if he's known the alien for years," said the woman.
At that moment, panicked shouts burst from the main room down the hall. "Sheriff?! Sheriff Brady?!"
Brady pressed a hand against Gabriel's chest when he stepped forward. "Stay here."
Gabriel growled but did as he was told, watching Brady stride out out the door to intercept his mother. He could hear her running. "Gabriel?!"
The sheriff caught her. "Woah, Maira! Slow down. Everything's okay."
"Juaqin and I heard that outsiders came to the jail and that Gabriel had been arrested. We found blood in the main office area and I was afraid something had happened." Her frantic eyes locked onto the agents, her panicked expression morphing into anger. "What did you do to my son?"
Brady held her back as she tried to surge forward. "Easy Maira! Gabriel's fine. Those two were in shock for a moment but they're aren't gonna try anything."
Maira tore her arms from his grasp and stepped back. "They saw him? You let them see him?!"
"Maira, I had no choice-"
"I don't want to hear another word until I see my son! I don't know why he's even in here!" she shouted, marching past an exasperated Brady.
The agents watched her whisk into the interrogation room and bear hug the seven-foot tall alien. "Did she say... 'son'?" asked Lyra. They both looked up at the sheriff as he drew near, crossing his arms as he watched Maira fuss over Gabriel.
"It's a long story... about 25 years ago, an alien ship crashed near Eladoro. Gabriel's father was killed the same way the Young brothers were -skull ripped off- and his mother was stabbed. The Santillos saved him and adopted him as their own. The town agreed to keep it a secret, hence all the bureaucracy and isolationism. It's nothing personal. We're just looking out for him."
"No wonder he's so docile," murmured Lyra. "I can't believe it."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend..."
Lyra and Brady looked down at Sung. He stared at something only he could see, his face pulled into tight grimace. "Lyra, the killer's been here before. This is his hunting territory. He probably killed Gabriel's parents for trespassing."
Lyra nodded. "Makes sense. That's probably who Dallas saw kill his brothers. Since the only alien he's ever seen is Gabriel, he would've assumed it was him."
"Now wait a doggone minute. Are you saying there's another alien like Gabriel out there? Killing people?"
"Short version? Yes," said Sung.
"Dear God," Brady breathed.
"Sheriff, you need to lock the town down. Nobody in or out. We have to find this thing before it kills again." He turned to Lyra. "Uncuff me."
Brady nodded. "Alright, I'll need to-"
The lights began to flicker and suddenly the entire complex plunged into darkness.
"What the hell?" said Brady.
Dammit, thought Sung. We're too late.
~\'/~
He tore off the flimsy metal cover and ripped the glowing wires from their sockets, sparks flying and bouncing off his scarred flesh. The complex darkened and distorted alien shouts echoed throughout the stone passages.
The arbiters had come to the small village, just as he knew they would. But unlike in the other settlements, they were not welcomed. This had not troubled him though. The arbiters were highly respected and always got their way. So he'd waited. Patient. His prey would go to the kill site first. They always did. And there, under the hot sun, he would take their measure. But when his mask had picked up the sound of combat, he'd leapt into action.
This new development was unacceptable. He tossed the dead wires to the ground and headed for the central chamber. He saw now what he must do. The other arbiters could not be allowed to interfere.
~\'/~
Gunfire and screams shattered the tense silence.
"Leandro! Amaro!" Brady shouted, sprinting for the main office.
The agents scrambled after. "Sung, we can't fight it! We need to call for backup," shouted Lyra as they ran down the hall, the flashlights' beams flailing wildly down the pitch black hall.
"No time," he replied grimly.
It was utter chaos when they arrived. Leandro was bleeding from a gash across his chest. Dried blood caked Amaro's mouth and shirt, his face cast in a hellish snarl as he fired across the room at an invisible target. A blur of motion bolted across the atrium entrance and everyone unloaded. Bullets roared as they bit into solid rock, dozens of rounds tearing deep gashes into the walls. The white flashes of gunfire washed the room in black and white staccato, the strobe effect disorienting.
Amaro cried out and slammed against the floor, his panicked screams filling the air as he was dragged across the ground. "Something's got me! Something's got my leg!"
Brady and Sung raced after, the sheriff grabbing his deputy's arms while Sung searched for their target. The invisible line went slack, the rope crackling into existence. His skin began to prickle, as if a cold shadow had fallen over him.
"Sung, get out of there! You're all sitting ducks!" Lyra shouted.
He whirled around, fear knifing through him. The killer had dragged Amaro into the large central atrium of the butte. It was a trap.
A solid kick crushed his ribs and sent him flying into the wall. He smacked against the stone and crumpled, paralyzed with pain. The world was a blurry haze of red and shadows. Plasma blasts screamed through air, comets of blinding death that shattered stone and seared flesh. Howls of agony and the stench of burnt skin filled the air.
Sung searched for his gun, the white streaks of plasma seared into his blurred vision. His chest was on fire and every breath sent shards of pain through his lungs. Something cool and metal brushed against his fingertips and he grabbed it, hope flaring inside him as his hands clasped his gun once more.
"Sung! Sung get outta there!"
A crackling sound made him freeze. The air in front of him warped, blue shards of energy dissolving to reveal his worst nightmare. Black lenses stared down at him dispassionately, weighing him, determining his value. Sung snarled, rose to his knees and pulled the trigger.
The barrel clicked, the empty sound sending a sinking wave of terror through him.
Dual wristblades dropped from the creature's arm.
"Lyra, kill it!" he shouted, tossing his gun away and grabbing the knife at this belt. A hopeless gesture. He fumbled for the weapon, the killer's blades bearing down on him with ferocious speed.
A blurred shadow tackled the creature just before it reached him and slammed it into the floor. Roars and thunderous blows filled the black chamber. Lyra was suddenly beside him. "Sung! Sung get up!"
Someone opened the main door and light flooded the atrium, blinding him as she pulled him to his feet. He stumbled into the harsh afternoon sun, the Eladoran officers, Maira and a man he did not recognize quickly following after. The man in the white coat was dragging the auburn haired woman out. "Gabriel!" she screamed, fighting to go back inside. "Gabriel!"
He glanced back inside, the two aliens rolling into the light. The warrior tossed the one called Gabriel to the ground and leapt to his feet, wristblades raised over his head for the killing blow. The creature froze, as if shocked at what it saw at his feet.
It was all that Sung needed. He flipped his long knife so that the blade rested in his hand and threw it.
The blade buried itself into the killer's exposed abdomen with a satisfying squelch. It howled in agony and stumbled back, clutching its stomach as bright, green blood began to pour from the wound.
Sung's triumph quickly morphed into fear as the killer locked eyes on him and charged. Even with a blade sticking out from its abdomen, it was still incredibly fast. The ends of the dual blades grazed him as he ducked, slashing across his face and shoulder.
The creature did not stop, ignoring the screams of terrified townspeople that scattered before him. He tapped his wrist computer, a dull roar filling the air.
Sung watched as a ship materialized out of thin air and landed in the middle of the street, the thrusters kicking up clouds of dust and sand. The killer disappeared and with a concussive boom the ship took off. As soon as the alien ship was out of sight, the pain of his injuries hit him full force and he passed out.
~\'/~
The sterile white walls fooled his bleary eyes. For a moment, against all odds, Sung thought he'd made it into paradise. His chuckle morphed into a pained wheeze, alerting the attending physician.
"Welcome back, Agent Lee," said the man.
The man in the white coat, Sung recalled. Glasses, messy black hair and a crooked smile made him think of a university professor. "Did I go somewhere?"
"No, but it's never a good idea to take a nap when you're bleeding internally."
"I'll remember that next time a seven-foot-tall alien kicks me in the chest."
He chuckled. "I'll let your partner know you're awake," he said as he adjusted the machines hooked up to his chest.
Lyra was at his side moments later. Sung took it as a good sign when she didn't slap him. "That was a really stupid thing you did back there."
"Which part? The one where I almost killed the wrong alien or when I was nearly decapitated?"
"The part where you ran after the deputy. You weren't trying to save him. You were going after whatever was at the end of that rope."
"You know, I was actually trying to help the guy. I'm not as completely obsessed with revenge as you might think." A lie, but he'd like to think it was true. "That being said, do we know where the killer went?"
Lyra shook her head. "No. The ship sent a signal that jammed the port's sensors."
"So he could be anywhere." He mentally cursed. The bastard might be gone for good.
"The clean-up team might be able to track him if he's still on world."
Pain lanced across the left side of his face as he jerked his head to look at Lyra. "They're here? Already? That's not possible... unless..." The look on his partner's face confirmed his suspicion. She'd contacted the agency to send in the kill team. "When did you request them?"
She sighed. "Derrigan. Shortly after we arrived."
"You did the right thing."
Her brows shot up in surprise. "What? I thought you'd be furious?"
"This morning? Yeah, I'd've been pissed. But now... now I realized how stupid I was. I went up against it and nearly got killed. Technically, I should be dead."
"We were lucky casualties were minimal."
"Minimal?"
"Deputy Amaro Ramirez is dead. The sheriff took a nasty hit too. The doctors here are still patching him up. Plasma bolt to the side the head and arm. His hand was completely incinerated when he tried to shield himself. Deputy Torres is wounded, but will be acting sheriff until he's on his feet."
Sung sighed. "This is going to be one hell of a report."
"You're telling me," she said with a soft smile. "Anyway, I have to get back to Marcus and the town leaders."
"What do they want?"
"I'm debriefing them on what I can. When I get back they're supposed to explain their... 'unique situation' as one of them put it."
"I'd like to hear that story."
"Unfortunately, you're on bed rest until further notice," she said as she stood. "I'll fill you in later."
"Thanks."
The door quietly hissed shut and Sung closed his eyes. His chest was starting to throb from talking. The pain medication had just started to kick in when the door hissed open. He turned, expecting one of the doctors. Sung froze when he saw who it was, his heart and respiratory monitors flashing orange as adrenaline surged through him. The alien, Gabriel, stared down at him, his golden eyes silently appraising him with a quiet rage. He removed the rebreather, the action eerily similar to his own kind's predisposition for revealing their faces to worthy opponents. His face did not bear the scars or deep ridge lines of aggression that marked others of his kind. His olive green skin was also surprisingly smooth, with only a handful of speckles dotting the rim of his crest. Even so, he was still an alien. A member of a race that brutally murdered Sung's family and millions of other human beings. Despite doctor's orders, he sat up, grunting and gripping the side bars for support. "What do you want?"
"I want to know how to kill him."
Sung felt his jaw drop slightly. "You speak English?" He immediately regretted the cliche. It's not that he thought the race of hunters incapable of attempting human language, but this one's was the best he'd ever heard.
"When I feel like it," he growled.
Sung closed his mouth, his eyes narrowing. "Why? He's your own kind."
A dark rumble rolled up the young alien's throat, his swelling chest muscles pressing the almost too tight fabric. "He's a murderer. I heard you and Lyra talking. That he's killed over a dozen people... including my parents."
"You've got good ears." Sung's heart slowly began to settle. The alien wasn't here to hurt him. He'd saved his life after all. "The former is true. The latter is just speculation. It could've been him, or someone from the same clan. We don't know."
"Does it matter?"
A sardonic smile slid over Sung's face. How many times had he told himself the exact same thing when they'd searched for other hunters. Did it matter what clan they were from or why they killed? In his mind, no. All that matter was that they stop them before they killed again. "No, it doesn't."
"So how do I kill him?"
"Ask the special ops teams."
"I thought that was your job?"
Sung scoffed and laid back down. "No, I'm just a digger. I look for the patterns, find the leads, question people. Once I find out where it's hiding, I step aside and let the kill team do what it does best. But even they don't always succeed." He looked up at Gabriel. "What makes you think you can take him out?"
"I'm stronger, I can see in the dark and I don't have any broken bones."
"That's not enough. You think you're strong? He's stronger. Think you're fast? Guess what, he's faster. And he's fought things a lot bigger and tougher, with the scars to prove it. If you want to take him out, you're going to have to dig deep and outsmart the bastard." Sung chuckled. "Listen to me... doesn't matter how much we want him dead. He's probably long gone by now anyway."
"No."
The young alien's golden eyes burned with a dark secret and Sung slowly sat up. Pain stabbed his chest and he struggled to breathe. "What? You know where he is?" he wheezed.
"Yes."
"You're certain?"
"It's where I would hide if I didn't want to be found."
Sung licked his lips. "Where?"
Gabriel shook his head. "I go alone. No one can know."
"It's risky," murmured Sung. "But not as risky as you staying and hoping he goes away. He's seen you. He'll come back for you. And maybe anyone else who's seen him."
"Exactly."
The pain was too much and Sung fell back against the bed, groaning as bone pinched lungs. Something clicked and he looked up in time to see Gabriel increase his morphine drip.
"Sorry. I can't risk you telling anyone."
"For the record... I wouldn't have... told anyone," Sung's eyes began to droop as a giddy warmth flooded his chest and limbs. Good luck, kid, he thought before he drifted off. Make sure he pays.
