Hunting Grounds
Chapter 10
Authors note
If you happen to be of a nervous disposition don't read this chapter, this is were the crack assault team surround the one lonely bad guy. If you've seen Predator 2 think the meat processing plant!
Riley and the team stopped outside a burnt out factory. 'Can't these guys come up with something new?'
Graham looked at him 'Must be against the rules. From here on, absolute silence. Riley you're here for one reason, get the civilian and get out.'
With a half smile Riley answered 'Yes sir.'
Without a sound the small force creped into the shell of a building. Shadows clung to the blackened walls and the only sound any of the twelve men could hear was their own breathing amplified by the confines of the heat proof suits they wore. That wasn't the only thing amplified, instead of bulky shoulder lamps they used night-vision goggles that tinted everything a pail green. To a man it felt like they were walking on a different world. With his training Riley moved faster than his companions, his stun blaster moving left and right following his eyes every move.
Perched on the roof of a near by building the Champion watched the group enter the building. While he could not see the heat of their bodies he could see their movement, he could smell their fear and taste their sweat. After hunting dust feeders for weeks he had honed his other senses to offset the disadvantage of their tricks. He watched as the lead human found the entrance to the underground cavern. The others followed, there was only one way in and one way out. The perfect trap and he bated it with the perfect Prize, the living energy source.
Dawn heard the trap door open and could just about make out the shapes that came down the narrow steps. The effects of whatever happened to her when he spayed her had long since gone leaving a lot of emotions and dejection. One of the shapes slid next to her and whispered in her ear, 'Hi kid, you know your hard to find.'
'Go away Riley, leave me alone.' She muttered back.
'Now why would I do that squirt, I'll have you out of here in a sec and we can get home.'
'Why?' she barely bothered to whisper.
Another shape turned to her. 'Will you shut the hell up. If it finds out we're here...'
Dawn didn't know who was talking but could tell he wasn't that smart 'He's not here.'
All the shapes turned to her 'What?'
'He left a few hours ago, hasn't come back yet.' Riley cut the net and she fell to the floor, able to move for the first time in forever.
'He can't be. We just traced him here. The E.T. has to be here.' No ones voice had risen above a whisper.
Riley looked around the small basement. 'Oh shit... He is here.' Dawn could hear the panic in his voice, it's normal volume seamed far too loud. 'He knew we were coming! The son of a bitch was ready for us!'
'What!'
'He's outside.' Everyone looked up the flight of stairs, three red dots skittered across the wall before vanishing.
'Crap. Cover positions, I don't want anything coming down those stairs.' Dawn was roughly shoved down behind some cover next to Riley as he aimed his gun at the empty space.
For the longest of moments nothing happened. The universe held its breath as the seconds lasted for hours. Dawn could see through the ceiling and the stars twinkling down from space. A cloud passed over head obscuring those pin pricks of light. She could still only see very little in the almost pitch black, as time dragged on some of the team started to shake. Riley's gun was jiggling ever so slightly.
A roar of noise exploded behind them. Instantly the men fired, blue lightning lanced from the strange guns they used. Shots flew wide, shots flew through the gaping hole in the roof some even hit the wreckage just outside the hole. Nothing came back down.
Then it started, a clicking noise that became a cluck before a cackle and ended up as a hollow booming laugh. Coming from everywhere, echoing in the returning darkness. As the laugh stopped the rescuers scanned the room seeing nothing. In a haunting imitation of Buffy's voice what could only be the hunter spoke... 'I'LL KILL YOU!'
The Champion watched as the little prey scurried around. He knew that a true hunter shouldn't revel in the fear of his prey quite like he was at the moment but these prey needed to pay for trying to ensnare him. A few of the attackers fled up the stairs, discarding their weapons and honour as they scrambled over each other leaving only five with the right to be displayed. Stepping out from under the steps he switched off his cloaking field. In one hand he held his staff and in the other his net launcher.
Netting the one closest to The Prize he threw the empty launcher at another before lancing a third. Jumping out of the way the two survivors fired their arc lightning weapons. The heat blast scaring the air. With a practiced flourish the champion flipped forward and tackled one to the ground, his gauntlet knives coring the targets heart.
With two dead and two immobilised the fifth glanced from him to the Prize. It hadn't moved. The Champion switched gauntlet, the small projectile launcher extended. With a screaming spark the mini rocket shattered the visual system attached to the target, blinding it. He crossed the distance between him and the crippled foe quickly and took his trophy without bothering to kill it first.
On his way to pick up his staff he absently crushed the rib cage of the one he had knocked out with the net launcher. Strangely the Prize had not tried to escape or hide, the events had no effect on it. As an experiment he waved his hand in front of it. There was no reaction. The netted human was shouting, absently the champion flicked his shoulder cannon at it and fired.
There was still no reaction from the Prize. In a final effort to gain a reaction he flicked his twin gauntlet knives in it's face. Aside from a subtle shaking it did nothing. The Champion became quite worried, somehow the Prize was broken. He knew so little about it and now it was damaged in someway.
It took him sometime to decide what to do. Within minuets he rushed it back to the Slayer. It would know how to fix whatever is wrong.
Buffy slept in fits and starts eventually she got up and paced her bed room. Never before had she felt so helpless. Riley would be back in the morning with Dawn and everything would be right again. No. Giles and Angel were dead. Their bodies gone, Angel as ash and Giles's head decorating some wall. Things couldn't get any worse...
A quiet noise came from Dawns empty room. In a flash Buffy was there looking at the hunter. In his arms Dawn was draped like a rag doll, her eyes open but vacant. She was a mess coated in dry blood and allsorts of dirt.
The hunter simply dropped her on her bed and looked at Buffy. In a low growling voice it spoke 'Broken. I can't fix. You care for it. You can fix.'
Forcing the anger and fear out of her voice Buffy whispered a reply 'Just so you can take her again.'
'It powerful. It important. You are protector. Good hunter. You Slayer. We fight and winner protect it.' The hunter hopped onto the window ledge.
'You want to fight me for Dawn. Why? And what happened to Riley?'
'It knows. Riley tried to take it back. Worthy. Great trophies.' It cloaked again and before leaving said; 'Honor and good hunting to you Slayer.'
Next chapter's a little bridge before we have the Smack down of the century!!!!