Disclaimer: I don't own Predator or Aliens or AVP of any type, but the plot of this story and any OC characters that show up I do own!

Ok, so no flames please but constructive criticism is welcome! If you want to help by giving a bit of advice on how something can work or flow better then by all means but if you're just going to be mean yeah please don't. If you don't like then just leave and write your own story m'kay?

Alrighty, now I'm just wasting time, so without further ado!

Sins of the Stars

Light So Dim

"Am I just a lost soul blowing in the wind? Or a coward scared to look within? Or do I have a brave heart with a light so dim? Is that who I am?" ~Is That Who I Am, Chris Carmack

Ch. 5

"Was that really necessary?"

"It's what you get for sneaking up on me!"

"I was trying to wake you without you screaming!"

"A lotta good that did." Mercy snorts, at the glaring woman who was nursing her nose. "I didn't mean to…"

"Nah, it's my fault, shouldn't have gotten so close," She wiggled her nose. "Especially after being chased." The woman gave her a once over, judging her critically before nodding and holding out her hand. "Callie Richards."

Mercy didn't take her hand right away, just looking at the woman covered in mud with a lopsided smile. Slowly she took her hand "Mercedes Lewis, but please call me Mercy."

"I'm Andy!" The boy jumped in.

Chuckling Callie ruffled his hair. "Hey, yea!"

A small brief moment of normalcy filter through them, how long has it been since they had a calm, casual greeting?

The moment was savored.

…

"So, wait...you been here how long?"

"For about 5 hunts?" Callie nods with a small smile, not having a problem with explaining it again. "The suns don't rise and set as they do on Earth so counting the days get kinda hard when you go to sleep then wake up to the suns still in the same positions. Don't even get me started on when the suns finally do set, nights here are crazy wicked… and not the fun type either."

Callie shook her head and gave a shudder. "Anyways, every so often, girls would come floating, some hurling depending how graceful you are, out of the sky. Then those wicked, ass bastard" … She stumbled over the swear words looking to Andy but shrugging it off. "Would come and snatch them up, some would be ushered on as if this all was some sort of game."

Digging in her ear, apparently no longer phased by the concept. "I'm always able to get by without getting caught, each time they go roundin' us up like cattle."

"I'm going to assume the mud?" Mercy asked it would be the only way she wasn't caught.

"Sher dumb luck and dodging by the skins of my teeth." Callie chuckles as she picks up Andy, helping him over a large log, making their way further into the jungle like area. "I was running like a scared rabbit, them right on my cotton ass. With a trip, I tumble ass over tit down a small hill and into a large mud puddle. I was sure they were gonna get me, too scared to move and hope too far gone to fight and yet they scouted the area, passing me over and over; until finally, they gave in, that or I passed out either way when I woke up and well here I am." She threw her arms out wide

"Damn, talk about lucky."

"Yeah, no shit." She snorts. "Though I'm not stupid enough to think I won't be caught soon, lucks gotta run out sometime. I bet he's just ya waitin for it too." She grumbles.

Mercy looked to Callie with a frown, slowing her walk into a cautious stop. "What do you mean?"

Callie stopped with a huff resting her hands on her hips, chewing at the lining of her lips. "I…I think I got one personally following me."

Looking around Mercy snagged Andy closer to her, a rude comment coming to her lips before Callie waved her off. "Nah, Nah he isn't here now, I know when he's around, that crab bastard," Mercy frowned at the name. "Oh, you never see their faces huh? Well, they're ugly mother fuckers, anyways; He's not the sneaky type, loves to scare the livin shit outta meh, he's the one I'm mostly dodging."

Mercy watched the young woman, she wasn't much older than herself; Callie has this odd country accent that seemed to go in and out at random times, she wasn't short either about 5'9 if Mercedes had to guess. Golden tan skin, what look to be long blonde hair in a ponytail. She had a long sleeve flannel shirt tied around her hips, her shorts were baggy nearly hanging off her hips looking as if they once fit. Her shoes had seen better days as they all have but with all that, Mercy noticed the haunted look in her eye as the girl chewed her thumbnail.

She wouldn't lie and say she felt a connection to the young woman. That hunted look in the woman's eyes, made her feel anything but weariness, rather it was the way she would bump causally into her. Staying close to her or Andy. It was the need to simply be close to someone, companionship. Mercy didn't know how long Callie had been by herself but it was that reason that somewhat eased the tension.

To most people that would put them on guard. To Mercy, it just seemed she was happy to no longer be alone and the fact some creature was following her made her fear loneliness that much more, then the creature itself. That was what spoke to Mercy.

"I'm here now, so outsmarting that crab face should be a walk in the park hmm?" Mercy smiled kindly. "Two heads are better than one."

"And three heads are better than two?" Andy pipped up grabbing onto Callie's hand.

The rest of the walk was filled with comfortable chatter from Andy with Mercy side snarky comments, both kindly ignoring the silent tears and quiet sniffles.

Things were far from ok, but things were just a little better.

"Ah, this feels way too nice for a situation like this." Mercy purred as she dipped herself further into the hot lake water. It was like some kind of natural hot spring, they deiced to wash off the cracking mud and relax their feet for a moment before moving on. Lord knows that Mercy needed this, now if only there were such things as a vodka plant.

"Haha, I said the same thing when I first found this spot to, a little patch of heaven in this hell." Callie smiled her head rest back on a rock with flush cheeks.

Andy mimicking her relaxed state, staring up the bright still sunny morning. "Hey, Callie..." He began.

"What's up tike?"

"…For 5 hunts all you did was wander around?" He looked up at her, his black hair lying flat on his head the ends curling up. "Is there an end? Do they ever stop?"

Mercy looked over to Callie, now that she thought about yeah, they couldn't just keep running forever…right?

She was quiet for a long time, long enough to make Mercy inch closer to Andy, muscles tight and ready to bolt at first signs of a twitch.

"There…there's this place, just beyond the horizon," Callie finally spoke. "It's like a city of some sort— "

"Ok, we'll head there!" Andy nods.

"Not that easy tike..." She sighed.

"How come?" Mercy chipped in.

"Remember that crab ugly I told you about?"

"Yeah, the one that personally follows you?"

"Mhm him, well every time I get close, he suddenly appears and makes it damn hard to get to the gates." She splashes water over her face. "He then chases me until I eventually shake him off… so yeah you can say I wandered. I survive by their graces of floating down crates of food, of course, they are ridiculously booby-trapped."

"Were you ever going to bring this up?" Mercy asked tensely.

"Honestly-" She started.

"That wouldn't be nice."

"Honestly" She started again. "No, well at least, not until you asked." She shrugged.

"And why the hell not?"

Callie looked up to the sky. "As I said, I have been here for 5 hunts, I met a lot of girls and see them snatched away or runoff. The moment I mention the city, their hopes skyrocket and it's like all logical flies out the window, no matter how many times I tell them it's dangerous or needing to wait for the right time, they never listen and well…I'm not wandering alone by choice."

She looked to Mercy as if waiting for something before she continued. "Normally by now they would be yelling at me or accusing me." She paused once more eyeing Mercy, the woman was tense and her eyes locked onto Callie but she could tell she was readying for a fight. Callie smiles.

"I didn't survive this long by jumping head first into something, it's not who I was, on earth and it is damn sure not going to be who I am on this planet." Mercy relaxed back against the rock and Callie pointed to the right and above a tall cliff.

"You'll see the city just over that ridge, I'm not holding you or your brother." Her stomach was tight and she felt sick but she wasn't going to show it, even as the silence went on and Callie was sure she was going to vomit everything in her stomachs, which wasn't much, soon.

"Look, Callie, I get it you been here a long time and seen some shit but I gotta look out for Andy."

Oh God, she was gonna vomit…

"I know you're lonely and been left behind so many times,"

Please, just stop, just leave…wait no don't leave...I don't want to be alone anymore…

"I would have liked to know about the city beforehand, but— "

They always leave, why don't they see its never that easy!

"Two head are better than one…"

"And three heads are better than two!"

It felt like all the air in her lungs just left, Callie couldn't hold back the choked sounds of relief.

"Not like there's a time limit, hell we might as well have all of eternity." Mercy claps her hand onto Callie's shoulder. "But hey, no more secrets hm? It's hard to stay and trust someone if they keep things to themselves, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah I totally understand." Callie hides her face her body feeling suddenly weak, giving Mercy a watery chuckle.

"Come on, it's ok, we're all in this together. Those other women were just scared and only had to look after themselves but I have Andy, I'm more terrified of what's going to happen to him if I'm caught." Mercy rubbing Callie's shoulders. "So I understand not jumping head first, haha it's the only reason why I didn't stab you…"

Callie looked up in shocked to see Mercy sheepishly shrugging as she pulled up a sharpen rock from the water. "What the hell?!" She barks in a short laugh.

"What? We just met you expect me to trust you just like that?" Mercy shrugs. "You could be some double agent working to lure us in and trap us just to keep yourself safe, or maybe they had a sibling held captive and you are forced to do this, I really don't know!"

Callie blinks in astonishment, before tossing her head back and give a loud resounding laugh from deep with her belly.

"That's oddly specific!" Callie tapered to a giggle, wiping her eyes free of laughing tears.

"I read a load of books and watch a shit ton of movies." Mercy rubs the back of her head.

"And where the hell did you even find this?" Callie grabbed Mercy's hand pointing to the sharp rock she held onto to.

Laughter and giggles filled the air at the start of this new friendship, no one noticing the shimmer in the trees.

"Baby…Shark! doo doo doo doo doo doo, Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo, Baby Shark!" Andy's voice filters the forest air as he sang the song happily…over and over.

Further behind the boy, Callie and Mercy walked slowly with tiring expressions. "He's been singing that song for hours!" Callie groans rubbing her face.

"How can you know it's been hours, it's impossible to tell time here." Mercy trudges.

"I can feel it in my bones!" She whines. "How can you stand it?"

Mercy shrugs one shoulder, looking down as she struggles to tie her hair up with some vines. "When living with a younger sibling or child I guess you get accustomed to the annoyances and just make it all background noise really. I hear the song but I don't really register it."

"I guess that makes sense…" Callie taps her chin looking up to the multicolor sky.

"…. Grandpa shark, doo doo-Ahh"

Mercy's head snapped over in time to see her baby brother being snatched up into a net, that hung from a tree. His yells and cries spooking the native life of the forest having weird bird-like creatures flying up in a panic.

"Andy!"

"No Mercy wait!" Callie hissed reaching for the dark-skinned girl, only to snatch at cloth and air as Mercy dashes forward like startled deer, prancing through the greenery in fear for her brother.

Stopping just below his suspended form, his pale face turning red with tears while the netting that held him swung back and forth. "Mercy, please Mercy I wanna get down!" He wailed reaching for her.

"Shush its ok, I will oh Andy." She reached for him as there weren't ten feet of space between them.

"Oh shit, he's high up there oh damn!" Callie cursed as she rushed up next to Mercy. "We gotta be close to the city then, traps aren't common the further out you are."

"I gotta get him down. I gotta him down!" Mercy chanted looking around her in a panic frenzy, for anything that could help her. "T-t-this, is, is a basic trap, right? Right there got to be a pulley system or um..." With shaking hands, she pointed to Andy, then up to where the net was gathered, up further to the rope.

Catching on Callie, jump-started and race to the trunk of the tree, trying to find the weight that would have been the culprit in pulling Andy upwards.

"Ah-Ha Mercy I found it ohh fuck that's not good."

"Where, where is it…" There was a pause before a loud "da fuck is that?!"

There before them was…well it was a thing, like two metal disc hovering several feet apart from the other. It wasn't very clear but to Mercy, it seems that the two-disc were magnetic… and that was as far as it went.

Both Mercy and Callie couldn't tell you what was going on besides that, the disc was glowing a pale blue that pulsed with agitation, like a LED light on a phone with an unread message, arrived.

"Ok so where fucked on that end." Callie inputted jumping on the balls of her feet.

"Don't panic, don't panic just think Mercy…uh ok…climb!"

"Wha.." the blonde never got to finish her word as Mercy took a running start to climb up the trunk. There was a lot of slipping and sliding before it was clear to Callie that Mercy wasn't going to make up that tree in her state.

With a running leap Callie scaled up the trunk with ease, and in an authoritative tone, she directed the panicked girl. "We don't have a lot of time, I'm positive that those crab faces are on their way here…or watching for shit and giggles. Go to Andy and be ready to catch him, once you've gotten him, run don't wait for me."

"Right!" Mercy nods taking off to her stand below her brother trying sooth his wailing.

Callie blinked feeling kinda offended that she didn't even try to fight her on this, not even a but!

Rushing up the tree she shimmied and scooted her way along the branch to the sobbing boy. Wrapping her legs around the bough she slowly flipped herself over until she was hanging upside down.

"Yo Andy!" Callie called trying to get his attention, but the 7-year-old was frightened, and nothing else matters but the soothing tones of Mercy. "Hey, hey Andy candy, it's ok I need you to look at me, now!" She snapped that last part getting the boy to jerk away with wide eyes.

"Look you see this?" She taps the metal balls that was holding the net closed. "I need you to climb up closer and help me open them to get you out ok?" She nods.

He looked down to Mercy, who nods quickly, then to her and nods with a small "okay."

"Good, good the hard part will be the climb, but you gotta be strong ok?" She beckons him up as she grabbed the metal balls untwisting their knot they made around each other.

Mercy paced back and forth like a pent up tiger, looking seconds away from vomiting, they been here too long, long enough for her to wear a path in the grass. She nearly collapsed with relief then Callie grabbed Andy by his arms and letting him climb up her body to the branch.

Quickly righting herself, Callie looked down to Mercy and without giving the boy a chance to rest she tossed him over the branch down to his sister. "Mercy Catch!"

"Fuck Callie!" Mercy rushed forward catching her brother with a grunt as they crashed to the ground.

Looking around them Callie shook her head. "Stop complaining, we been here too long." Callie snorts turning around to head to the trunk of the tree she paused. She could see there was nothing in front of her but the heat coming just before for her was unnatural. "Mercy run, run now!"

"Cal-

"Shut it and gun it!" She yelled as the air before she shimmered just as the sounds of Mercy's rushing footfall could be heard.

The cloaking fell away leaving a giant reptilian like male before her, oh goody he had his mask this time, his body was relaxed with his strong thick arms laid over his equally thick thighs as he balanced on the balls of his feet. Just staring at her, not paying any attention to Mercy or Andy, it was creepy.

"Well Crab Ugly, it's been a while since our last tango," Callie eyed the male before her knowing he was her Crab Ugly and not some other one if the rusty orange markings were anything to go by. "Damn… I really wish I had a smoke." Eyes narrowing, she moved her feet under herself.

"Alright, buddy lets dance."

He lunged.

Ok, Well, that's ch5! Aren't you all proud of me that I updated so soon! Yay! I hoped you all loved it! So it is ch7 that Mr. Sexy Yautja will appear! So excited for that one yay!

All right, so Thanks to everyone who reviewed you all made me excited, and to all of the follows and favorites. I love each one of you! Please remember to Review! They do make me write faster haha!

Also FYI my internet being acting wacky so hopefully, next chapter won't take so long to update I already started it so if my internet permits I can get it up and out soon!

Until Next Chapter!