Guess who's back! I'm so so sorry for making you wait this long... again. I guess that's just what happens when you have a baby. Plus other excuses. xP
This time, though, i have a good feeling that i might actually be able to finish the story without any more year long breaks *fingers crossed*.
Right now i just want to get this chapter uploaded, so i'm not going to reply to every comment, since there were so many. But thank you everyone!
bree51: Thank you, and please don't worry. :) Maybe i should arrange things so that if something happens to me, my sister will tell you how the story ends since she knows it already. :D
xxKhaleesixx: Oh, it's so hard to influence the flow of the story so near the end, it has a life of its own. XP Maybe i should do little oneshots of Scar and Lex after this story?
QueenOfOblivion: Thanks! And i totally share your view of the movies. Heh, I had to write Scar back to life, i was so sad about him dying in AvP. He was so checking Lex out at one point. xD
Dragowolf: Well, i'm glad Vincent's a succesful lunatic. x) I usually concentrate hard on keeping things somewhat logical so it's harder to write someone who doesn't act logical anymore.
leyu02o.O wait leviathan02 too: Thank you! I hope you can still be so excited about this chapter even after such a long time.
InvisibleGirI: First of all, i love these long comments! :D All the things you said about my characters, thank you. I don't consider myself that fancy of a writer, but i really try to stay true to the characters' personality traits, remembering that people act differently in different situations. It still surprises me how fond of them i've become, when in the beginning i had thought of them only as cannon fodder. Their personalities formed with the story. Now unfortunately i'm not sure if there's enough story left to give all of them the attention they deserve.
It's great to hear you liked the Antonio and sheriff part. I was really afraid that it might seem somehow out of place. Then again, i'm always afraid when i upload a new chapter, because i'm just so sure others aren't going to like it. Usually after a few comments i calm down. :)
The parts you quoted: yay! I'm glad you liked them, i kinda liked them too. x) And about Stealth's... *cough* ...flirting skills, well, this IS a fic about very unlikely love, so i guess unlikely skills are allowed. Besides, since the female yautja are supposedly at least as large and strong as the males, they're going to need some skills to win them over, right? ;)
Wow, everyone's so intent on seeing Vincent gobbled up by the queen, i'm not sure if i dare write anything else. xD
Hey, thank you again for the comment, you are very peceptive, so it was a joy to read. :)
25Tachigami: Yay! More long comments! :D By all mens, do give me criticism, it will help my future stories. This is kind of a strange one, since i really at first started writing it only as a practice. It was never meant to be what it is today.
The things you pointed out could've no doubt been made better. With the first one it was my intention to imply that Lex had unknowingly had feelings for Scar ever since their first encounter, but she had forgotten about them when she thought she would never see him again. But again, i should've emphasized that more. The second one about Wolf arriving too quickly, i was thinking how careful the predators are about not leaving any technology for humans to collect, so he would come check the situation so fast in case the hunters had died and not blown themselves up.
And as for the love for the story: thank u thank u thank u! xD
NeonEyes: Thanks! I can't make any promises, though. :/ But i don't think i'm through with Lex and Scar after this story. :)
LittleEnglishLass: Thank you! Your pink polka dot facehuggers are really scary. Will you send them away now that i've added a new chapter. Pretty please? :)
iloveinuyasha: Wow, you are way too kind for my story. Thank you! And i promise i won't abandon this no matter how long it will take (hopefully not that long anymore ;P).
kagu: Thank you! Heh, nope, the aliens won't get out the same way unless they can open a hatch by turning a valve. :) And mostly they haven't been trying yet since their queen is still down there laying eggs.
TyphlosionGal11: Yay, moar love for Stealth! :D
Cee Marie: No worries, and thanks! :) Sorry about your innocence, may it rest in piece. x)
Roachy64: Thanks, that's great to hear. I don't think i'll dare to make another april fool's chapter this year. xP
Whew, that was a lot of comments to read. Now finally we can get to the point. Enjoy!
I don't own AvP.
It happened without a warning. One minute Lex was on her toes, waiting to find out what was going on with the two predators and their sudden fight, and the next all three of them had to move out of the way as the earth under their feet started shifting.
"What the…" she backed away until she found stationary ground.
A hole opened in front of them, showing a large platform underneath. It was slowly going down and Lex realized she was looking at a cargo lift of some sort. Then she heard the gunshots.
As the lift descended, she caught a glimpse of what was going on down there. It took her a second to see Keith half-hidden behind a tower of metal containers, sending a hail of bullets towards a growing number of xenomorphs, and another to decide she had to help him.
It took Scar less than a second to notice the woman's intentions and stop her before she could jump on to the lift.
Lex, who suddenly found out her arm was anchored firmly in place by a vise-like grip, cast a look of disbelief at her captor. "Scar, we have to get down there!"
"I'll go", came the answer in a tone Lex hadn't heard before. She had seen that face before, though. Back in Antarctica. It was the face of a warrior who enjoyed nothing more than to throw himself in the midst of a battle for his life. No matter what the outcome would be.
Lex could right away come up with half a dozen good reasons as to why she should be going too, but Scar also had one and his was pretty weighty.
"You have to stay and make sure nothing tries to get out."
"Can't I do that with you? I know you said Wolf won't help us, but you're not seriously suggesting he's just going to stand there and watch if the bugs get loose?"
"No, he won't", Scar's face turned grim. "If we fail in our hunt, he will leave and order the whole area destroyed. And us with it."
There was not much else Lex could say. In any case, the lift was already too far for her to jump and not risk broken bones. "Fine, hurry then!"
Scar didn't need to be told twice. Extending his wristblades he dropped down on to the lift and let out a mighty roar. Lex winced, not liking one bit that Scar had just told every xenomorph out there to come get him.
Heads turned and for a moment everything stayed still below, humans as well as aliens. Then began the enraged hissing. The bugs knew a threat when they saw one and the sight of their age-old enemy made them forget the less dangerous humans.
They stalked cautiously closer as the lift slowly approached the floor. They had the large hunter clearly outnumbered, Lex could see five of them already and of course with their luck, there were more in the shadows waiting. Despite that, they were keeping their distance for now.
Lex kept searching and finally she saw what she was looking for. Annie and Mark were hunched up behind a crane and though Lex couldn't see them properly, it looked like they were frantically trying to do something. She felt relieved that they were okay, but the feeling didn't last.
The xenomorphs attacked.
Scar took on the first one to leap at him and used its own momentum to grab it and throw it past him in to a pillar. The next one came right behind the first and got slashed across its head, sending it into agonized flailing and screeching before receiving a predator boot to its eyeless face that send it flying backwards into another bug.
Scar discarded the now useless wristblades and took a second to glance up. He met Lex's eyes and nodded.
Lex got it. She was supposed to be ready. She extended her spear to its full length and tried to keep an eye out for anything. Watching the whole hall proved to be difficult, though, when her eyes were constantly drawn back to Scar and his fight. She didn't even want to start thinking of what their chances of actually making it out of there alive were. She was afraid she'd find out the answer was zero.
She dared a quick look to the side where the older warrior stood arms crossed, silently studying the events. No help there unfortunately. They could've used some. But since that clearly wasn't an option, Lex was grateful that he was at least indifferent towards her.
Below her, Scar kept constantly moving, taking turns attacking and retreating so that the bugs couldn't surround or corner him. At the same time he drew them further from the humans, giving Keith a chance to sprint to where Annie and Mark were.
"I know we all came here to rid our world of those hunters", he breathed out the words in a hurry, still excited from the danger. "But I don't care anymore. Right now, that big guy's my new best friend."
"That sure was a good timing", Mark laughed nervously. "And not just him, you too. I would've been toast if you hadn't found me before those things."
Annie, who was fiddling with the thick ropes that still bound the young man's hands together, gave up and reached for the knife Stealth had given her. "Well, now we are getting out of here. If things go as Lex said, this place is going to get blown to bits soon."
"Besides", she got through the rope and turned towards the fight. "I don't think he'll last long when the queen gets here."
Both men had to agree with that. Neither of them had any interest in seeing the royal bug up close so leaving sounded like a good idea. Mark grimaced as he rubbed his wrists to get the blood flowing properly again. There was an unusually serious look in his eyes.
"Vincent shot Sheriff Benson. Just… shot him. Point-blank, no warning. He just smiled."
"We know", Annie placed her hand on the youngster's head and pulled it gently closer until their foreheads touched. "We found him. Antonio stayed behind with him."
"He saved my life. Back at the elevator."
"Then he probably saved mine too."
"She's not kidding, Mark", Keith confirmed. "If you think she's been acting crazy with you, you should've seen the things she was doing without you."
"Not funny, Keith."
"I know; it was scary."
Annie stroked Mark's head comfortingly before pulling back. "We'll remember him and everyone else who died here, but right now we have to get that remote. Keith, watch my back and…"
"Oh, no you don't. Hasn't your inner Rambo had enough for one day? Besides, you're the one with the hunting rifle, you watch my back."
"What?" Annie raised a brow. "Feeling a bit emasculated, are we?"
"Well, I have been fighting deadly alien bugs and one big, mean son of a bitch humanoid hunter, so no. You've been doing the same thing, because you felt you had no other function anymore, but now you do again."
Keith gave a serious look to the woman. "Now you have to let that go and go back to the way you were. Let me do my job."
Annie was going to say something, but decided to keep it to herself. There was no point arguing, even though she knew the man was wrong. There was no going back. Not yet at least.
She took the weapon from her back and gave her Magnum revolver to Mark. "You'd better be quick."
"You didn't happen to see where Vincent left it?" Keith turned to Mark.
"No", the young man replied hesitantly. "I couldn't see much after he left me hanging up there. I wouldn't count out the possibility that he was lying."
"I wouldn't either", Annie agreed. "So like I said, be quick about it, and don't take any unnecessary risks."
"I'll see what I can do", Keith flashed one last grin before setting out on his new mission. Fortunately, he knew where to get help.
"Lex!" He called out as loudly as he dared. The ongoing fight between the aliens and the predator was sure to keep their focus away from him, but he still felt like he was participating in a demolition derby with a tricycle.
"Lex! Over here!"
It took Lex a few seconds to see the man taking cover behind a stack of crates. "Is everyone alright?" she asked immediately, having now taken notice of Antonio's absence.
"I'll tell you later. I need your help."
"With what?"
Keith paused for a moment and cocked his weapon. One of the aliens was getting a little too close for comfort. He watched as it distanced itself from the fight to wait until Scar's back was turned and then lunged at him. It managed to latch itself on Scar's back, swinging its dangerously sharp tail to strike at the warrior's face.
Unfortunately for it, Scar wasn't some inexperienced unblooded anymore. He knew to expect the tail and caught it in time. He took a hold of the furiously wriggling tail with both hands and pulled with all his impressive strength. Judging by the horrible screeching, something broke.
Keith didn't know how long it would take for the warrior to start tiring, but for now things were looking good. He turned back to Lex. "There should be one of the remotes somewhere here. See if you can spot it on top of the crates."
One more thing to watch for. It was taking a toll on her concentration. Lex could easily guess what remote Keith had been talking about and finding it would no doubt be a good thing since it would help them get rid of a few bugs at least.
Lex forced herself to leave Scar to his fight and let her eyes travel the endless piles of crates. She gritted her teeth in frustration. Like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Watch out!"
The loss of concentration almost cost her dearly as suddenly a blur of skittering feet flew right at her face.
"Whoa, fuck!" Lex ducked out of the way in the nick of time, feeling the air current left by the long tail. She spun around, lifting the spear and readying herself to strike it at the facehugger before it could leap again.
As soon as she got it in sight, a sharp swish and a thud interrupted her. The creature was dead. Lex stared dumbfounded at a spike sticking out of its body. Then she turned her head to look at Wolf, who was still aiming his wrist blade device, which apparently could shoot spikes too, at the lifeless facehugger. As Lex watched him, confused, the seasoned warrior crossed his arms again and returned his attention to the events happening below.
That would've been fine, except for the look he gave Lex before doing so. If Lex had to put it in words, it would've said 'are you even trying you worthless human'. She felt a twinge of anger for her hurt pride, but there wasn't much she could do about it. At the same time she was perplexed about the hunter's intervention when Scar had made it clear he wouldn't be helping them. Why did every frigging predator have to be so complicated?
"Are you okay up there? Keith's worried voice called.
Lex returned to her task. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the heads up. You see any more of those?"
"Not for now, but I'll keep you informed."
"Be careful…hey! Wait! I think I see it!"
"A facehugger?"
"No, the remote! It's right there, on the pile next to that pillar."
"Finally, some luck", Keith huffed and headed to where Lex was pointing. He practically ran up the crates, stopping and smiling when he reached the top. There it was, next to the uppermost crate. "Gotcha."
"Alright!" Lex cheered. "Exterminate those bugs!"
Keith shook his head. "It's not that easy. Vincent collared Mark."
"He what?"
"If I push the button to activate every collar, Mark looses his head. I have to do this one by one if I want to get them before I deactivate the collars."
Lex tried to recall what she had heard about the remotes earlier. Two buttons, one for all, the other for… whoever was closest. "Be really careful, okay? You can't be anywhere near Mark."
A pained roar drew Lex's focus back to the battle that had been going on the whole time and her breath stuck to her throat. Scar was on his back, fighting off a xeno while another one was stabbing him with it's serrated tail from the side. She could clearly see the collar on the one next to Scar.
"There's one, Keith! Get it! Quickly!"
The big man wasted no time, jumping down and running with his weapon in one hand and the remote in other, straight towards the fight. He got as close as he dared, glanced at Mark to make sure he hadn't moved, and pressed the button.
Immediately the collared alien convulsed as numerous sharp spikes pierced its neck. The acid blood ran from under the collar, eating right through it. It didn't matter anymore, though. The damage was done, and the creature fell to the floor, dying.
That seemed to get the attention of its buddy. It stopped attacking Scar and let out a long, angry wailing. It was answered by a chorus of other xenomorphs. Scar used the opportunity to grab the bug by the neck with crushing force, pushing it aside as it trashed wildly.
No one was looking at their struggle anymore. Keith kept his weapon ready, taking slow steps back as more eyeless heads appeared, stalking him. "I'm starting to think they really hate the remote."
A shot echoed through the hall. One of the xenomorphs had just caught a bullet in its mouth while hissing. Keith glanced back at Annie, who was already aiming her hunting rifle again. "Well, aren't you a regular Annie Oakley?"
"Are you actually going to shoot them, or are you just browsing for pets?"
"I liked the one with the bullet in its face. You got any more of those?"
"Coming right up."
Above them, Lex was shaking her head and rolling her eyes at their banter. How were they doing that, when she was tense as hell and they were much closer to the action than her? Then again, she had to say they seemed to be doing just fine for the moment. Both of them had opened fire on the aliens, and Scar was back up bashing those that tried to stay in hiding.
Lex grimaced, noticing the green splotches of blood as the dreadlocked warrior moved around. She gave an accusatory look at Wolf, who unsurprisingly ignored her completely. The hunters' rules didn't make sense to her and she would've really wanted to confront the older hunter about them, try to persuade him into changing his mind.
In any case, Lex was getting tired of standing in the sidelines. She couldn't even talk to anyone, since the noise down there was deafening. She would've at least wanted to know what had happened to Antonio and even…
Stealth?
What do you know, speak of the devil. Lex frowned as she caught the troublesome hunter emerging from a corridor, running towards Scar. Her initial thought was to be content that they'd gotten more help against the xenomorphs, but then another thought reminded her of an unpleasant fact.
Stealth wasn't supposed to know what they had asked from Wolf. It looked like things were about to get complicated again.
Scar had also noticed the arrival of his fellow hunter. By then, many of the bugs had been killed and the rest didn't like the look of another hunter popping in unannounced. Scar let them retreat and waited to see what Stealth wanted. Like Lex, he too was aware of the problem Stealth's presence was producing. How could he ask for discontinuing the hunt with him listening? Besides, now that Wolf had no doubt seen Stealth, he would want his opinion on the matter too.
"They sent him, huh?" Stealth stopped in front of Scar, throwing a glance up at Wolf. "No surprise there, he's always acted like a father to you. Tell me, how did he like your human companion?"
Scar's expression hardened. "Don't tell me you came here just to exchange pleasantries?"
"No", Stealth looked at the humans with their weapons. "They'd better be ready for a good fight, because the queen will be here any second now."