Chapter 4: Exploration

Mac-11: I'm back. Here's the next chapter. Also I fixed the computer so it has some of the problems removed, which means I can update faster. Thank you those of you who reviewed. By the way everyone me and Crimson Mistress are writing an AVP fic together. We might call it "Salvation." Crimson Mistress will be the one to post it so be sure to read that when it comes up.

The gang got back from their short and first mission. They had captured the bug and it was still alive. "Damn, anyone got an idea on what the nerds are gonna do with this bug?" asked Jason. "Probably dissect it," answered Steve. They all shuddered at the thought of it being cut open and studied.

They entered the base and pushed the cage holding the acid spitter into one of the portable science labs. From the outside they looked like huge white domes. The marines had nicknamed them "Egg Shells." If it weren't for the tall trees nothing would have made a better target.

The first thing Richard did was what he always did after every mission. He found a place to sit down, grabbed his home-made coffee kit, and made himself some coffee.

Sean looked around and noticed something wasn't right. 'The Reporter!' he thought. They just caught a new kind of alien. The reporter and her crummy cameraman should be all over this for the news. He grabbed his motion tracker. In the dense jungles of this planet all it really did was tell you which way to run from a Predator, but this time it might be able help him find some stupid people that run into dangerous territory unarmed. At first all Sean saw was the base. It was moving and pretty much alive. He increased the range and saw two other blips far out. He guessed one was the reporter and the other either the camera man or something else.

Apparently Jason noticed too for he also has his motion tracker out. Sean and Jason looked at eachother and knew what the other was thinking. "Should we go after them and warn them it's dangerous or let them find out for themselves?" questioned Jason. "It'll only take two of us. One to beat them down for their stupidity and the other to drag both their asses back here. So you and me go," he answered.

Meanwhile…

Shou'nk headed through the jungle in hurry to find his next prey. 'Stupid Netak' he thought. 'What is with that guy anyway. Just because his clan was killed and he's been moved to this one he thinks he's special' he continued thinking.

The young hunter looked at his wrist computer and it read a building close by. That was impossible. He tapped it to see if it was broken, but it was not. There was a large structure close by.

The Predator headed for the structure and found large ancient ruins of a past civilization. It appeared to be of his race since he saw his righting all over it. Shou'nk looked down and saw another Predator walking around the ruins and was inspection them or something. It was none other than Reco'de.

Shou'nk jumped down and approached his clan mate. "Reco'de, do you now what they are?" he asked. "Don't know for sure, but it looks like we built them with all of our language written all over it," his clan mate answered back. "I'll call the others," said Shou'nk. He got on his wrist comp and called everyone to come over to his position.

Meanwhile…

Netak was leaning on a tree trunk and skinning the praetorian's head when he thought he heard foot steps coming his way. He froze and listened harder. Yes, they were foot steps. He pulled out his spear and cloaked.

The reporter had no idea what she was getting herself into. She looked back and could see the marine's base. She thought from that distance it give her just enough time to run back with the safety of all the marines if she needed to. She had a motion tracker in her hand. It had a large blip about twenty meters infront of her. She looked forward, but couldn't see anything. She looked at it again and saw the blip was now off to her right. She could clearly hear something there and looked to her right, but again saw nothing. The sound stopped and all that remained was a low clicking sound, indicating that it was a Predator. The reporter looked down at the motion tracker and noticed that the blip was gone.

Whatever it was must have stopped moving. Just then the blip appeared right behind her at less than a meter. She turned around and a large transparent hand grabbed her and pinned her against the trunk of a large tree and a spear was at her neck. It was made of alien alloy and the edges were glowing red from a heat device. A cloaked figure was holding it. She looked him and he looked back. She didn't know if it was the same Predator that she met on earth, and she also didn't know how many other Yautja had the same spear as Netak.

Netak recognized her though. It was Meagan; the same girl he had saved from a Predalien on her own planet and who had saved him from the Predalien Queen on the same planet. She was unarmed, but the motion tracker in her hand looked enough like a weapon so he had his spear at her neck just incase.

"Um… Hi," Meagan greeted in a shy voice. The Predator made a clicking sound out of amusement. Suddenly Netak felt a slight ticking sound from his computer. He let go of her and opened it to see what it was. It was a meeting call and directions of where to meet.

Just then he heard a human voice behind him. He looked back and saw two marines that clearly saw him. The Yautja jumped away and headed to the meeting area.

Sean and Jason didn't know who that predator was, but they were pissed off at Meagan for running outside the base. When they caught up to her they recognized her, but were still pissed. "Hey, I remember you!" started Jason. "What the hell do you think you're doing out here?!" yelled Sean. Meagan had no real good answer for this question. Sean didn't really care. "Never mind just come with us back to the base," he requested. She followed them back.

Half-way back Jason asked, "So how did you get here?" Meagan looked like she had a long version, but put it into a short one. "After what happened on earth I finished High school and took two years of collage. After that I got a job as a reporter and this was the biggest story so I took it," she answered.

When they got back to base. She gave a hasty report on the captured alien and then got some coffee from Richard.

Meanwhile…

At the ship the clan met. They all had their favorite weapons out and were ready for some hunting action.

As soon as Merc'rk entered the main room Netak began to smirk. 'I must wait for the right moment to challenge him' he thought.

The clan leader took the footage from Reco'de's mask camera and showed it on the big monitor. The footage was clear and they saw all the ruins. The ones of the clan who hadn't seen it were surprised. "Reco'de found these at a place where his area met that of Shou'nk and we are going to explore it tonight," he ordered.

Mac-11: I crack myself up! Remember to review if you want me to update. Be sure look for the story "Salvation" some time.