Hello everyone, I am back! May I ask for your forgiveness (no, wait, not the stake!) for being so late in uploading this chapter? I am sorry that it took so long, but once again, I couldn't manage to write things how I wanted them to be, so it took a while. Now, I am also working, so I have little time to write, so from now on, the chapters will probably be shorter, and not out every week (though these times I hasn't been the case), but rather roughly every two weeks (roughly).
I hope that the story will be good enough for you all to forgive for this, as I will try my best to make it interesting.
One last thing: I know that the fact it was the madman who captured our three heroes was obvious, but I believe this chapter will provide enough information as for why it has been so. After all, it couldn't have been the humans, as they hadn't known for long that there were aliens in the town.
Now, enjoy!
##I do not own Alien, Predator or AVP##
24
Plans
His POV
Things were going smoothly. Of course, he had had to adjust a few things, considering the quick maturation of one of the females, the oldest one. He had expected her to evolve, of course, he knew at least that much, but he had hoped that the human DNA, a little more present in her body, would have hindered and slowed her evolution. And yet, much to his surprise, she had gone from a simple Drone, something even a Young Blood could take care of, to a Praetorian, which was something that even Blooded had trouble dealing with. Of course, he had had to make her mutate further, making her a lot closer to humans, as if he had let her as she was, he had no doubt she would have became a Queen very soon. Not that he was really afraid of a Queen, he had killed two of them, but each time he had two Blooded with him to distract them. And a Queen was not only dangerous because of the physical threat she represented, no, she was dangerous because she was startlingly more intelligent and vicious than her children. He had seen one of them let an Elite get close to her after using his spear to pierce her throat and seemingly kill her, get up and sever all four of the imprudent Elite's limbs, before ripping his head off. She had been intelligent enough to play dead, something no lesser Hard Meat would have done.
He was currently monitoring his current experiments. Most of them tended to be stupid mutants, enable to do anything even remotely intelligent, but a few were clever enough to be interesting. Of course, none of them were as good as his three current guests. The two females were extremely intelligent, something he had easily noticed, so he had had the idea of performing a little test, to see how far they would be able to go.
He replayed the recording of their "escape". They had easily opened their cells, and they had been able to know where to go to escape his research facility. He had been impressed when they had used the escape pod, and gone to Earth. Of course, they didn't know a thing about the destination of the pod, or why it had been programmed with this peculiar coordinates. They couldn't have known that he had already left one of his earlier experiments- a failure, too human, too weak- in the very town they had landed close to.
He remembered well the day where he had created that one. It was the beginning of his research, and his twenty-six previous experiments had died, as they were too warped to have functional vital functions. The twenty-seventh one, however, had lived, but it had still been a failure. He had hoped that using Praetorian DNA and mixing it with human DNA would create what he was searching for, but for some reason, the baby was entirely human, without even a trace of his Hard Meat's heritage. Worse, it seemed too weak to live, his two different DNA clashing with each other for dominance. In the end, the human DNA had made the Hard Meat's traits dormant, and stabilized into what looked like a normal human baby. He had briefly considered killing it, as it was not what he had wanted, but something in his mind had prevented him from doing so. Was it his old training, that stupid "Honor" coming back after years of silence? He didn't know. So, instead of killing that one, he had brought it to Earth, and left it somewhere where it would be found. He wanted to see what his experiment would look like in the long run. Maybe it's children would exhibit more alien traits than their father? All he had to do was wait. He had placed a tracking device inside it, which would allow him to know where it was at all times. He could wait. Human lives were so short, it wouldn't be long before it would be able to reproduce.
He had been surprised when he had noticed that his new experiments had made contact with his old one, and even more when the tracking device had started sending him notices about changes in the male's DNA. Whatever had happened, had unlocked his previous failure most deadly traits. He had decided he could use some practice, and had gone for Earth too. Of course, at first, he had simply followed the three of them from a distance, as he had plenty of devices that allowed him to track their every move without them knowing it. He had been surprised to see the oldest of his experiments lose it and kill the human who had been strangling 27. He had thought that they were closer to the Hard Meat kind when it came to things like this. He had expected it to use the distraction to kill the human when he was unaware of it's presence, but instead it had rescued 27. That had called for new hypothesis on their behavior.
He had spent a whole day evaluating this hypothesis, and he had been forced to acknowledge that it was very interesting. Apparently, they had started to consider 27 as a member of their Hive, and unlike their purebred cousins, they cared for it. That was a good point to further the analysis on them, since it meant that they were potentially even more dangerous than normal Hard Meats, as it meant they could hold a grudge.
He had wanted to observe the three of them further, however the events had called for a quick change of plans. Because of their recklessness, the humans were now aware of their presence, something that bothered him. Humans were bothersome, as while they were not a threat individually, there was always one of them who was cleverer than his peers, and it wouldn't be long before the three of them would be found and dealt with.
Since he couldn't afford loosing either of them, he had had to take action. He had targeted 27, since it was obviously the one with the less experience in combat, and that the two others seemed to care for it. It was simply a matter of using the weakest of the three to lead them into a trap, and it had worked. Of course, he had had to modify the older of the two, as it was soon going to become a Queen, and he couldn't afford the risk of having eggs inside his facility. The primary stage of their kind was a parasite layer, and to top it off, they were able to crawl into spaces their more evolved forms weren't, and he didn't want to risk having an infestation in his facility. One or two of the primary stage, he would be able to deal with, as they weren't resistant at all. However, if he had a Queen laying eggs, there wouldn't be only one or two, but easily twenty or thirty, and with high numbers, they would be bound to get him sooner or later.
He switched to the screen displaying the previously Queen to be, and he was satisfied to see that it was now much more human-like. At least the changes in its reproductive system should be enough to prevent it from beginning to lay eggs. He would have to check on it later, to be sure the sudden hadn't caused any unwanted effects, but he was fairly sure it was healthy. He would have to test its new physical abilities, but if it was as the other female, then they should be nearly intact. Of course, its resistance would have diminished, as well as its strength, but not too much, as the youngest one's was on par with his own.
That brought him to something he had yet to do: test 27. Since he had gotten it back, he had simply taken samples of the male hybrid, to try and see what had changed in his DNA since the last time had seen it. So far, the results were very promising, and he had a few ideas on what he would do in the near future. Considering the subject's adaptable DNA, he had a few ideas to enhance it, something that sent shivers down his spine. If he was able to make it even more lethal, he would consider that his goal was nearly achieved: he wanted a more dangerous kind of Hard Meat, and so far, he hadn't been disappointed. His three experiments had the strength of the pure Hard Meats, their ability to hide, hunt in silence, they were intelligent, and even more, they were attached to each other, something that made them difficult to deal with, as killing one of them inevitably meant that another one would make hunting and killing you a personal matter.
With a growl of satisfaction, he started to plan what he would do to test 27.
? POV
Another mighty roar shook the walls of his cell. It did not help him in any way, but it was still better to let your anger out rather than let it consume you. And mind you, he was dearly pissed. So he kept roaring, until he finally felt the burning anger recede to more tolerable levels. Even when restrained, without any hope to get out (not escape, escaping was for cowards), he did not feel fear. He had faced far more terrifying things in his life, and he had been trained -hard-, not to be afraid. Or at least, not to let the fear control him and make him lose his will and ability to fight.
So he kept waiting. He may be restrained like an animal, he may have lost his weapons to the Bad Blood, apart from his surgically implanted wrist blades, but he would not let himself die like an animal. If he was to die, so be it, but he would die like a warrior, and he would be sure to do whatever he could to take the Bad Blood with him.
Just thinking about him made him growl. That traitor had been one of the most respected Elites of all times, with impressive hunt trophies, and he had looked up at his legend, hoping that one day he would be at least a little worthy of such praise. That had made the fact of his treason that much worse for their nation. They lived in secluded clans, true, but there was still a minimum of contact between them, and the most notorious hunters were like living gods to the others. They were the ones people would turn to for guidance, to discuss what an honorable hunt truly was. They were the pillars of their society, the one who would inspire countless Young Bloods by their glorious hunts.
That bastard had simply stated that he would make another species, even more dangerous, for the sake of the Hunt. While they enjoyed hard targets, after all the harder the challenge the better the victory, there were a few things his species did not tolerate. One was being a dishonorable adversary, which included killing a defenseless prey (meaning wounded, or too old or young to be a threat), and one of the others was to mess with nature. They did encourage genetic engineering, but only to enhance what they already possessed. Using science to create monsters was not honorable at all, as it was seen as something unnatural, and even with their technology, which led for the most part to abominations.
At first, he hadn't acted strange, but soon, he started hunting more and more ruthlessly, before starting to set up completely dishonorable hunts, trapping human children and then releasing them in jungles with Hard Meats, and then joining the carnage himself. It had started as rumors, and it took ten human years before he was caught in the act by a Young Blood. He had killed him, and then taken his head as a trophy, the ultimate disgrace for a warrior. It meant you renounced at every right you had as a Hunter, and that you were fine being nothing more than a rabid animal, which had to be put out of his misery.
Unfortunately, during his time as an Elite, he had managed to get quite a few things and create devices that allowed him to hide effectively, even his own research facility. Add to this the fact that given his skill, he had been allowed to remote planets most had never heard of, he could have hidden anywhere. And given that he was a very skilled Bad Blood, getting his head as a trophy was something was enough of a motivation to encourage anyone who would have information on him to keep it to themselves, hoping to be the one to get the fame of his death.
Of course, he hadn't come here for that. While he appreciated hunting and gaining fame, it was not his primary objective here. No, he had come to put an end to the madness of one of the most respected hunters of all times, and to stop his experiments. Even if logic would have dictated to hide his experiments, he apparently could not keep himself from testing them against unsuspecting Blooded. Of course, most of the time, these experiments were nothing but rabid beasts, so disposing of them was an act of mercy, but from time to time some were good enough to kill the Blooded and get away, becoming the primary target of the whole clan, as unlike a natural prey, they were merely abominations.
The first thing he would do when he would have killed the Bad Blood would be to destroy his "research" as he called it, and exterminate whatever monstrosities were left in the facility. Nobody should be able to do things like this, and he would make sure that nobody would have the material he had used, nor his notes.
As he continued to think about everything he would do when he would get out, he failed to notice the sound of the ventilation, which until then had been fairly silent. He also failed to notice the very faint smell of the gas that made him fall asleep.
Kane POV
Kane was torn between curiosity and fear, though fear was prevalent, considering his situation. Even if he hadn't known that the humanoid was completely mad and extremely dangerous, which he had easily learned by listening to K'tyss and Stryss, he would have guessed it himself. After all, since his arrival here, whatever this here was, the male Hunter (as the sisters called his species) had taken samples from him without even anesthetizing him, and seemed to consider him like little more than dirt. Interesting dirt, but dirt.
This time, he hadn't awoken on the surgical table he had been on when he had first woken up, this time he was restrained in a room by shackles, which held him against the wall, even keeping his tail from moving freely. He wasn't really surprised, though. He had expected something like this, since he had lost consciousness after the bloody madman had taken samples from him. That didn't make it any more enjoyable, though.
As he was left to himself, he began thinking about Kathryn. Was she well? He hoped she didn't get into trouble, but he had done everything he could to ensure that she would not be seen as his accomplice. However, he was not stupid enough to believe that people would simply let her be. The military and police would probably interrogate her, hoping to learn where he had gone, what his abilities were, and everything else they would be able to get from her. Hopefully, they would not think to search her bedroom for anything, as they were much more likely to check his own room. He was not stupid, though, and he had taken extra care to hide the textbooks where they would not think to look.
Thinking about his sister made him feel guilty. It had been his fault that her life had been changed, and he deeply regretted what had happened. He knew he had been a right asshole when they had talked before leaving, but at the time, his brain was focused on his own survival, and it was only now that he realized how much of a bastard he had been. She had confessed that she loved him, for God's sake! And all he had done was abandon her. He knew he couldn't have stayed, but a nasty little voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him that if he had really wanted to, he could easily have gone into hiding in the town.
He swore to himself that if he managed to get out of wherever he was, he would find a way to keep in touch with Kathryn, if only to tell her he was okay, and to make sure that she was okay. And if anyone had been mean to her, was it military, or simply an idiotic high school student, there would be Hell to pay. He could not afford to make himself known, it would simply mean trouble for Kathryn, but that didn't mean that there weren't any other ways to insure that she was treated correctly.
All of a sudden, he found himself on all fours on the ground, the shackles that had been holding him having suddenly opened. Confused, he stayed crouched, and suspiciously examined his surroundings. He was not stupid enough to think that it was mere luck that his restraints had been opened, and his instincts told him that he was in for a nasty surprise if he wasn't careful. With an instinctive growl, he climbed on the ceiling, as it was something the scientist couldn't do, and that gave him a slight advantage.
However, he was surprised when the door opened on its own, and that nobody entered the cell. His enhanced senses would have told him if someone had entered, even if he was invisible. After, he could hide his body, not his smell, nor his pheromones, and his sense of smell was good enough to detect this kind of thing.
Perplexed, he stayed where he was, in an obscure corner of the cell, all his senses scanning the area to detect a potential threat, but nothing happened. He was about to relax slightly, when the ventilation got off, and he immediately sensed the very faint smell of a chemical product, something that would obviously be of no good for him.
Deciding that he wasn't about to breathe anything chemical, which, considering the kind of person the Hunter was, would probably have rather unpleasant effects on him, he made his way to the door, crawling carefully, his claws making very faint noises when they collided with the metal. Popping his head in the corridor, he looked around, and noticed that the end of the corridor was closed, leaving him with only one way to go, as they were not any kind of pipe he could fit in. It was clearly some kind of trap, but if he stayed where he was, the gas that had been filling his cell would eventually get to him, so he reluctantly followed the corridor.
He advanced carefully, taking in his surroundings. On both sides of the corridor were doors, metal doors, very thick, and he doubted that even him would be able to break them open. Besides, it looked like he wanted him to act as a guinea pig, so he would obviously not intervene while he acted as he wanted him to. So he continued advancing slowly, reflexively walking on all fours rather than like humans did, and his tail slowly drifted from left to right, balancing him and moving according to his moves.
He had tried to contact the sisters, but none of them had answered, so he was worried. He knew they were fine-well, alive, at least-, his instincts told him as much, but for some reason, they weren't answering him. Considering the situation, he guessed that the scientist must have put them to sleep. The thing was, if they were sleeping, that meant that he had planned to do something to them, so he was worried about their well-being.
However, as he had no clue about his own situation, he focused on it, as anyway, there was no way that he would be able to do anything to help his mate or her sister. He didn't even know where they were held.
He noticed that he had arrived to another door, this one different from the others. It didn't look different from the others, but there was something about it that sent shivers down his spine. However, he didn't have the time to worry, as it opened, clearly meaning that he wanted him to advance further.
He found himself in a large room, the size of half a football stadium. The walls were covered in deep gashes, and the ground was plastered with stains that looked like blood.
Okkayy...Better get out NOW! Kane thought, turning to rush through the door he had come from, only to find it closed.
Panicking, he frantically looked around, desperate to find an exit, his instincts urging him to flee the room, for it was a place of death. He didn't mind death, his instincts didn't mind it, for that he was a killer at mind, however, their kind were supposed to be the killers, not the killed. And the room was definitely a place where many people (or monsters, he wasn't sure how to call himself) like him had been killed.
Remembering the sisters' comments about when the Hunter had made them fight their own brethren, Kane gulped. He may have the instincts of a killer, but he also had the mind of a human, and while he understood the basics of his new condition, that didn't mean he wanted to kill, or even fight. Well, he would fight to defend himself, that was for sure, but if he could avoid killing, he would do so. Unless what or who he would have to face was a rabid monster that needed to be put down, of course. No sense in giving mercy to someone or something that would stab you in the back.
He was brought back to reality by the sound of a door opening. Immediately, he climbed on the ceiling, concealing himself in a dark corner at the best of his ability. And considering his new nature, one would have a hard time knowing he was here if one wasn't looking for him specifically. Staring to the door that was opening, he could easily see a bipedal form, with a muscular build.
He was surprised when the door finished opening, revealing a Hunter, but definitely not the one he had expected. With his enhanced senses, he could easily tell that this one looked younger, and had a slightly less muscular build, though he would have put many human bodybuilders to shame. His skin was also clearer, a yellowish green, when his skin was more brownish. He also didn't have this air of a madman around him, but he still did have the air of a formidable opponent around him.
Somehow, Kane couldn't help but wonder what this was about.
Hope this was good enough for you, and see you in(roughly) two weeks!
PS: Someone told me she/he was a fan of the Kathryn/Kane pairing, so sometimes in the future, I'll write a little one-shot about it. It will be classed M, like the original story, or those who may be wondering.