Chapter 12: Targeted by the Past
Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.
Following close behind Raith and Ana, Maria and Za'taan walked Walter a few steps in front as they passed through the rooms and doors that made Maria feel like they were in a maze. However, her attention is diverted in front of her, seeing the subtle movements between Ana and Raith. Once in a while, Maria would see her friend grinning up to Raith, holding his hand in a loving manner along with stroking it. Raith simply acknowledges her friend's advances but nothing else. They acted as if they recently became a teenage couple in love. Mostly, she felt happy for Ana in finding someone to feel comfortable in this God-forsaken place but scolded that it had to be the one Yautja that she didn't start well with, even less since she didn't know much about Raith other than being second-in-command. She wondered what he's trying to do.
"They'll be alright, Maria."
Za'taan lifts her chin while they walked and purrs to calm her down. Maria felt surprised in the beginning but relaxed, smiling up to him. "I know but I don't know much about Raith. What if he hurts her in any way?"
"Do you really think that about him? I know he didn't treat you well in your first meeting but it wasn't out of ill intent. He's never intersecting a lot with oomans before and not one that seemed unbreakable."
"You're right. I'm just concerned for Ana with everything I found out and such."
The new revelations about the chip inside Ana's head made her heart pound in worry. She's already lost so many loved ones in the past and knowing that there's something inside her friend that could kill her without warning . . . Maria's head began to spin, pressing her fingers on her temple. Za'taan sees this and wraps one arm around her shoulders.
"We will figure it out. No matter what . . . Have faith."
Without warning, Za'taan lowers his head and presses his mouth on hers for a few seconds. The warmth that spread into her face eased Maria's heart as it slowed down. She blinks her eyes a few times before smiling up at him as he reciprocated the same thing.
"I do. Always."
After that, they started walking once again and wrapped each other's arms once more. It wasn't long before they reached into an opened are with two guards standing on the sides of the entrance. Raith and Ana were the first to go through as Raith nodded his head towards one of them. However, as soon as Za'taan, Maria and Walter were about to do the same, one of the guards gets in their way. It doesn't settle with Za'taan as he growls in warning to him as Maria watched the exchange.
"Step aside. Now."
Maria thought the guard would back off in fear but to her surprise, he doesn't even flinch and she could see his resolved in his unmasked face. No emotion whatsoever and Maria wondered how he could hold his composure.
"The Clan Leader would like to speak with you before you join the rest of the party."
"And why is that?"
Maria didn't know what Za'taan and the guard were saying but she could tell it was something important since she saw Za'taan's expression relax a bit but the anger on his face was still there. After an intense moment, she watches Za'taan nod and the guard moves back to his original position.
"What happened?"
Maria's curiosity got the best of her as she leaned her head forward to get a better look at him. At first, he stood there for a moment as if thinking until Maria tugged on his arm, snapping him out of his trance. He shakes his head and looks towards her.
"My father would like to speak with us together. I'm sorry for the bother but is it alright with you to delay our arrival to the celebration?"
Maria looks downs in worry after hearing Du'rout wanted to talk to them. The last time she met with him didn't exactly end with a warm welcoming. Is it something important? She fears that it might be about her and Za'taan's relationship and it made every muscle in her body tense but only for a split second after feeling Za'taan's arm rubbing her shoulder. Not wanting to worry him more that he probably was, she smiles at him.
"I'm alright if you are. I wanted to let Ana know so she wouldn't worry."
"I'll go for you."
Walter calls to them as he steps up to her side, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure she's okay on your behalf while you deal with 'this'."
Walter waves his hand in the air and Maria couldn't help but smile in appreciation. "Thank you, Walter. Let me know if anything happens regardless."
Maria places a hand on Walter's shoulder, patting softy as they smiled at each other. He nods and makes his way into the room. Although she felt reassured, something inside her feared for the worst. She shakes her head to remove the bad thoughts and stays by Za'taan's side as they went in.
Maria's eyes lit up like she had seen something so amazing that it was hard to believe. And how could she? When they entered, the first thing that caught her eye was how many Yautjas were present in a small area. She saw more than a dozen when she lost count and it kind of made her feel vulnerable and exposed. However, she felt reassured when Za'taan inches closer to her, holding her very close to him and softly purred once more, almost becoming a calming mechanism to her. Maria leaned closer to him as they made their way through the crowd. The room was very colorful, to her surprise, as there were several tables filled with so much food that it could feed a pride of lions even more since she noticed that it mostly contained meat. To be honest, it shouldn't have surprised her since Yautjas have sharp teeth. Her stomach growled a little and she turned her attention away and observed the Yautjas around them as they pushed forward. Some only wore the minimals that consisted of a simple loincloth and a partial shoulder armor with netting covering the rest of their bodies. However, others had very elegant armor that showed their high status in the Uhri Clan, especially a female she noticed had armor with golden lining on every single part of it along with detailed markings that looked like it would have taken forever to make. Maria looked down on herself for a moment and felt embarrassed for not having something more like that. She didn't want Za'taan to feel disappointed but when he looked down for a moment and smiled, it didn't matter anymore.
After walking for a while, Maria and Za'taan finally made it to a vast table that almost stretched from wall to wall. Maria sees several Yautjas sitting there and she tensed when she saw Du'rout with the same female Yautja that had insulted her before. They came closer until Du'rout glances in their direction, looking at them with intrigue when he saw Za'taan holding Maria close.
"You both made it. I thought you wouldn't come."
Before he said anything, Za'taan lets go of Maria and bows in respect. Maria sees this and decides to copy him, positioning herself in the same way. While her head was down, she heard a sneer coming from the table and Maria didn't need to look at who made that noise.
"You brought the ooman female with you? Shouldn't you have left her in your room? Or better yet, on the dirty planet she came from?"
Maria slowly looks up and sees the female glaring right into her eyes, twitching his mandibles in disgust. Za'taan lifts his head up fast and growls menacingly for everyone to hear. "Say that again, Ho'valea and I'll rip your tongue out permanently."
Ho'valea disregards Za'taan and insteads, rises from her chair and slams her hands down on the table, almost knocking it down. Maria feared that something bad was going to happen until Du'rout intervenes, gripping her shoulder hard and shoving her down on her chair.
"Ho'valea. Don't make me reprimand you for your behavior once more. If you don't listen, then I'll make sure the next time won't be a warning."
Ho'valea didn't take the warning well, standing fast from her chair and storming off. Her anger was so strong that some Yautjas saw her coming and moved out of the way before she took it out on them. Maria watched until she was out of sight and turn back to see Du'rout's reaction. His eyes showed no hint of remorse or guilt for his reaction and in some way, made Maria wary of him even more than before. Za'taan must have sensed the change in her and purred to calm her down. Maria relaxes a bit but it doesn't completely fade away the dreadful feeling.
Du'rout waves a hand at the guard and sends him to follow Ho'valea. "Again for my mate's rude behavior. She still hasn't warmed up to the idea of an ooman female roaming among us."
Maria nods. "I understand."
It is all she could say for the time being, feeling that it was not her place to complain about a Yautja's behavior towards her. She worried about the repercussions if she did so. Du'rout waves a hand towards the two empty seats next to him and both Za'taan and Maria went to sit down with Maria between them. As they settled, the Yautjas started to roar in delight, toasting to the celebration. It reminded Maria so much of Earth and how similar the two species celebrated. She smiled a bit but turned her head towards Du'rout when he asked her a question.
"How are you settling in so far? I'm sure my son and heir made sure you were comfortable."
"I made sure, indeed. She's been through a lot."
Za'taan interrupted in the middle of their conversation, leaning closer towards them to join in. Du'rout shifts in his seat as Maria started to notice the tension slowly building but not enough for everyone to sense clearly. She could see the muscles in his arms tighten so Maria reaches over to settle her hand on his bicep. He turns to her and calms down enough to think clearly as he moves back to his seat but leaves Maria's hand on him.
"What did you want to talk to us about, my Lord?"
When Za'taan asked, Du'rout leans back into his seat and sighs, dropping his lower mandibles to which Maria sensed he was frustrated by something. But what?
"I wanted to have a small conversation, that's all. Especially during this time of joy with new members entering the clan."
In response, Za'taan ticks the teeth of his inner mouth together, not really buying into that particular reason. "Really?"
"Really. I have to make sure that all members of the Uhri Clan are well taken care of, including your mate regardless of the species she belongs to."
The last part that Du'rout said made her feel uncomfortable, especially when he said in distaste and it doesn't go on deaf ears to Za'taan as Maria heard the start of a growl coming on. Why are they intense when they are close together? They are father and son so why does she feel that it's not like it seems? Du'rout takes the chalice from in front of him and pours the red liquid down his throat, flicking his tongue to get the rest that spilled a little on his mandibles, setting the chalice back down in the same place.
"But on a serious note, I have an important matter to discuss that cannot wait."
"What matter?"
Za'taan looks towards Du'rout with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. Maria saw that he was about to say something until he turned his head quickly forward, catching her attention and from the look on his face, it seemed serious.
"Za'taan? What is it?"
"What the pauk (fuck) are they doing here?"
He sneered in anger as Maria watched his mandibles open wide with his inner mouth clamping down hard. His red eyes burned like an intense fire, making her turn to where he was looking. Right as she did, the room became eerily quiet as a group of Yautjas entered from the other side of the room. Like Za'taan, the other Yautjas growled low while shifting out of the way, creating a path for them to where she, Du'rout, and Za'taan were sitting. Maria looks in the corner of her eyes and sees the guards that were standing next to them grip their weapons tightly as if they were preparing for a fight. Something about these Yautjas made everyone stand in attention . . . and in a bad way. Maria turns back to observe the new group as they slowly made their way to them. She noticed their armor was unique that they were detailed with black lines that filled almost every part of it. Some had masks on them and that's when she saw a symbol in the middle of them. The symbol was in a shape of a horizontal zig zag with a small circle on top of it. From that, Maria knew they weren't from the Uhri Clan but it was still a mystery to her as to how everyone else knew them.
After an unbearable silence, the group stopped a few inches in front of them, not taking another step when the guards moved into fighting stances. Maria glances at Za'taan, seeing him seething in rage but as for Du'rout, he remains calm and collected in a way that a leader should.
"Welcome. I'm surprised that you could make it."
Again, Maria was in the dark with the Yautja language and it made her frustrated that she didn't know what they were saying. She was going to have a talk with Za'taan about learning his language or else she might go crazy. The lead Yautja moves a step forward and bows his head but only in the slightest, much to Maria's surprise since it felt like it was only out of courtesy and not respect like the others have done.
"My apologies. We had important things to take care of for our Leader. Besides, we didn't think we were invited anyway, given our troubling past with each other and between you and our Clan Leader."
Du'rout took a huge breath, blinking his eyes slowly in response. The unknown Yautjas stood there in silence until the lead Yautja turned his head into Maria's direction. Her eyes widened slightly when the male stared at her with curiosity, not the reaction she would have expected from him.
"Who is this female ooman sitting next to you?"
Maria gapped her mouth open a bit, surprised that he spoke in her language and very clearly no doubt. But as soon as the male asked, Za'taan gets up from his chair and growls fiercely.
"It's none of your business."
Maria sees in his face that he's using all his power to keep his anger in check but it worried her when she looked down and saw his claws starting to dig into the table. He must be very strong to create a dent into something made of pure metal. She looks back at the lad Yautja and glares at Za'taan.
"It is our business when it involves our brother clan. After all, we are part of your mother's clan and everything you do concerns us as well."
What!? Maria's eyes widened in shock when the male declared them to be part of the clan that Za'taan's mother was once was. She remembers from long ago on their first night when Za'taan said about his mother and the Maigu Clan as she recalls. Also, she never forgot how he reacted to speaking about them . . . the fury he showed to her and the fear that soon followed. She knew that something bad happened between the clans but all she had was that Za'taan's mother was murdered by them but the details about it remain unknown. She snaps out of her thoughts when Du'rout interrupts.
"Za'taan. Show respect. Regardless, they have the right to be here. As much as I don't wish it, I must obey our laws."
The lead Yautja glances at Du'rout for a moment and then turns his attention back to Za'taan, letting a grin show on his face.
"He's right. You should listen to your father . . . pup."
The male spits at the word 'pup' at the end of the sentence and it sends Za'taan over the edge as Maria feared. Without warning, Za'taan jumps over the table and stands fiercely tall over the lead male. Maria sees none of them flinching or even showing signs of backing down and she was scared to think what would happen if one of them goes off. She knows that she can't prevent a fight with her strength alone but it doesn't deter her from trying. She gets off of her seat and tries to make her way there but a tug on her arm pins her to the spot. She turns to see Du'rout grabbing onto her arm only enough to keep her still and not cause harm.
"Stay right there."
"But . . ."
Before she could say anything, a huge commotion could be heard in front and Maria turns to see, gasping in surprise when she sees Raith in between Za'taan and the other male, gripping their chest armor to keep them apart. She watches as Raith shoves them away from each other, earning a roar from Za'taan that sent shivers down Maria's back. However, Raith growls back at Za'taan in warning.
After that, the whole room went silent with everyone else staring in a mix of awe and shock. Maria didn't know what to do as the silence bore into her soul like a knife slowly cutting into her . . . unbearable. But then, she sees Raith moving his face closer to Za'taan until they were inches away and she could barely see Raith moving his mouth as if speaking. She wished she could hear but it ended much too soon as Raith lets go of both of them, moving back a little and nodding at Du'rout. He nods back and glares at Za'taan.
"Za'taan . . . I suggest you leave and vent for a while. Now."
As if scolding a child, Du'rout looked at Za'taan with a warning that if he didn't do as he was told, there would be consequences for his actions. Za'taan looks at his father and then to Maria. Her heart sinks when his eyes revealed darkness that scared her to the core. She had never seen him like this before and it worried her. Za'taan shakes his head and before Maria knew it, he pushed Raith out of the way, walked out of the area without pause and disappears. Maria wanted to follow him and make sure he was alright but an unknown feeling tells her to stay put. The lead Yautja grunts and turns around to head out as well with his other members following suit. She slowly sits back down and swallows some saliva that collected in her mouth without knowing. When she did, she felt Du'rout release his grip on her arm as she lowered her gaze down, unable to look up or rather didn't want to.
"Leave him be, Maria. He needs time to calm down."
As much as Maria didn't want to just let Za'taan go, she somehow knew Du'rout was saying it for both of their sakes and for her safety. She shakes her head and closes her eyes tightly, trying to understand what had looks back up and sees Ana running to Raith with a worried look on her. Focusing her mind on making sure her friend was alright, she stands up on her seat and looks towards Du'rout.
"I'm going to check on my friend."
She scoots out of her chair and makes her way around the table but stops at the edge of it when Du'rout calls her.
"About the important matter I wanted to discuss . . ."
"We should wait until Za'taan is calm enough to talk."
Maria tries to move once more but the guard stops her in her tracks, blocking her path out. She turns around to glare at Du'rout but he interrupts once more before she could say anything.
"The matter concerns you."
When she heard him say that, she freezes instantly in shock, trying to understand what he meant by that. She tries to open her mouth and say something but her mind couldn't come up with anything to say. It was like she couldn't think for herself. Du'rout relaxes his gaze as he speaks.
"When you have a moment, we need to discuss privately when you are ready."
With that, Du'rout raises his hand to the guard and on command, he moves out of the way, allowing Maria to rush to Ana, who was standing there in utter confusion. When she reached her, both hugged each other without pause.
"Maria. What the fuck happened?"
"I don't know but . . . I don't know."
The words were able to come out of her mouth. She was just as confused as her friend to what happened. Du'rout's words came back to her and in some way, worried her about what he wanted to talk to her about without Za'taan. Her heartbeat and breathing became heavy from the stress to the point that Maria thought she was having a heart attack, even though she knew it was unlikely. She looks back at Ana who placed her hands on Maria's cheeks.
"It's alright, Maria. Calm down."
She stares into her friend's eyes until she saw Raith coming closer to their sides. Maria pulls away from Ana and turns to face him, unsure if she should still be angry or otherwise. Raith stops and looks back and forth between her and Ana.
"We should . . . go . . . and rest."
Ana looks up at him and smiles, turning back to Maria. "He's right. It's been quite an interesting day and I think we should all retire. Come on, Maria."
Ana raises her hand and places it on Maria's shoulder, urging her to move in the direction of their rooms. "You can stay in my room for now until everything settles down."
Maria turns to Ana and can only nod at her. She didn't have the strength to argue and didn't think it was a good idea to go back to Za'taan's room, fearful that he might still be angry. Her heart wanted to go and find him, as painful as it was to accept that he needed time to himself. Hopefully, she felt that tomorrow will be a better day for all of them as all three headed back for the night.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maria didn't get much sleep that night despite having Ana near her for comfort. The questions swirled in her head all throughout her sleep, waking her up at every hour. What is wrong with Za'taan? What has changed him so much that she began to fear him like the first time they met? What did Du'rout wanted to discuss with her? What is the shaky relationship between the Uhri and the Maigu Clan that makes them so bitter towards each other? She tried to think of an explanation but with nothing to go with, it only made her body ache and the hope that Za'taan might look for her in the morning were dimming after he didn't show up.
After Ana woke up, her friend tried to get her out of bed and get some fresh air but Maria didn't budge despite Ana tugging on the furs that were covering her.
"Maria. You can't hide forever. This isn't like you. Maria?"
Ana called once more but Maria refused to answer. The unknown of what might happen if she did go out after the whole shenanigans at the celebration scared her. She didn't want to cause trouble anymore that she already did. Maria buries herself into the furs more and that made Ana sighs in frustration.
"Okay. I'll give you some time alone. Feel better okay?"
Maria doesn't move as she hears Ana's footsteps reaching for the door to head out. No doubt that she's going to go with Raith again. But then, the footsteps stop for a brief moment until she hears Ana's voice.
"Oh. Raith left you a present on the table. He said it's something to cheer you up so when you get the chance."
There was a moment of pause between them and Maria wondered if Anac was waiting to see if she would respond but no such luck. She hears Ana sighed once more, closing the door on her way out until the room became silent.
Maria waits for a few minutes to make sure she was alone. She lifts her head out of the furs and looks, confirming that Ana had left the room. Once in the clear, Maria throws the furs off of her and sits on the edge of the bed, lowering her head between her knees while clawing at her scalp. She grunts in pain from the headache that soon came, hoping that in her current position would it go away. After a while, Maria lifts her head and notices the small box sitting on the table. She assumes that it's the present Ana mentioned that was given to her by Raith. Curious, Maria walks over to it and slowly opens the lip and gasped a little when she saw what was inside.
After a few moments of observing it, she carefully moves her hands into the box and lifts it up, revealing a skull that resembles a human and making every hair on her body stand. She turns it back and forth and noticed that it had been cleaned and polished like a trophy. She tightened her eyebrows in confusion. What was Raith thinking of giving her a human skull as a present to comfort her? She didn't get the point of it until she moved the skull so its face was staring at her. She looks a little more detailed on it and saw the golden canine tooth. Her eyes widened in realization that it was Sergeant Wilson's skull. She looks back and remembers that she did kill him with a knife but can't recall taking his head along with her. She had to assume that it was Raith who brought it along. She didn't know why he thought this would cheer her up but strangely, it did if only a little bit. Knowing that Wilson was never going to bother her or anyone else ever again was a bit of relief she needed to get herself moving.
She places the skull back on the table and stands up, stretching her muscles and deciding to head out of the room. Ana was right that she shouldn't stay locked up forever. Just keep a stiff upper lip and push forward . . . not act like a weakling.
Maria shakes her head and heads out towards the door until something began bussing on the side of her waist. She stops and reaches down to her belt, pulling out the device that Walter had given her. She forgot that she kept it on her this whole time and wondered why it was buzzing all of a sudden. Walter didn't need to communicate with her like this anymore so why now? Grunting in annoyance, she decided to answer it, ready to give Walter a piece of her mind.
"Really, Walter? Is this necessary to call me like this?"
"Who said this was Walter calling?"
Her entire body froze in panic when she realized the voice didn't belong to Walter but someone else she recognized all too well. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably while her breathing started to become labored. The voice from the other line began to chuckle, shocking her nerves as if someone tased her.
Her mouth gaped open and close like a fish out of water, trying to say anything but the only thing that came out was a name that she wished she never had to hear again.
"Weyland . . ."
The voice chuckled again. "Hello, Maria. Long time, no hear."
From his voice, her body gets shocked once more as Maria's problems were just beginning.
Hi Readers!
Lots of drama that happened and lots more questions to answer. Looks like Weyland hasn't kicked the bucket yet, which means that he might not be done with torturing Maria and everyone else around her that she loves. How did he survive and what plans does he have in store for her?
As for Za'taan, he didn't take the arrival of the Maigu Clan that once was his mother's. What happened in the past that made these two Clans hate each other? What did they do that was so horrible enough to make Za'taan very angry? Along with that, Du'rout has some things to discuss with Maria but what are they? What does he want with Maria in the first place?
So many questions but will find out some answers when Chapter 13 comes next week.
P.S. Appreciation to Anonymous-E, Maria, Paul Lenzen, and Guest for the wonderful reviews on Metamorphosis. Really helps me a lot and I hope you all continue to enjoy my stories. As for Anonymous-E, we finally found out what happened to Wilson's skull and it's pretty funny in some way. Typical for a Yautja to present a trophy as a gift but not sure for an ooman. Oh well . . . :)
And for you request story, let me know and I'll see to it.
Thank you and enjoy! :)))))