Ominae: "Okay guys. Chapter 3's done. I'd like to thank those guys who made reviews for Hunter's Moon. It meant so much to me. (Sniff!) Please review my latest story, Tangling with Shadowlaw. So far, it has 9 reviews. I need more, more! Come on guys, have a heart! "
ShadowHawk: "We'll it looks like we got ourselves some reviews, please continue to review orOminae and myself will refuse to contine this fic."
Chapter 3: The Predator Strikes Again
Somewhere in Mexico - 8:00 P.M.
The young woman ran for her life as she desperately tried to escape her pursuers. Quickly closing in behind her, three unsavory characters continued to chase their prey down the alley. They knew that their quarry would run into a dead end and they would soon have the woman cornered. They all smiled as they were looking forward to having their fun with this woman.
Vanessa Velasquez screamed as loud as she could as she tried to outrun the men who were chasing her. She had been walking home after doing the grocery shopping, when those three hoodlums had pulled her into the alley and tried to tear off her clothes. Seeing that this was an attempted rape, Vanessa had just barely managed to break free of her captors and was trying her best to escape. However, her blood ran cold as she suddenly stopped in front of a dead end as her pursuers closed in on her. She let off another scream as the three thugs blocked off her only route of escape and then began to slowly advance on her.
"Well now, you gave us quite chase pretty lady." The first would-be rapist said.
"Nothing I like better than a little exercise to get the blood flowing." The second one said.
"Don't worry." The third one said as he rubbed his hands together with glee. "We're just going to have a little fun, that's all. We've just been through hell and you're just what we need to work off the tension."
Vanessa shivered as she reached into her purse. "S-S-Stay away from me! I'm warning you!"
"And if we don't?" The first thug sneered.
"I... I... didn't want to have to use this, but I'll shoot if you don't go away!" She brought out a small handgun from her purse and was trembling like a leaf as she aimed it at the hoodlum that was nearest to her. Vanessa had never fired a gun at a living person before and these three appeared to be unarmed. She was hoping that the sight of her loaded weapon would make them back off.
The three thugs took one look at the weapon in the girl's shaking hands and began laughing.
"Oh come on now!" The first one snickered as he took several steps closer taking out an Ingram Mac 10 machine pistol.
"You think that little pop gun is going to scare us?" The second one added taking out his similar to the leader.
"Lady...ours is bigger then yours" The third one said as he also began moving forward taking out the same.
Vanessa swallowed hard as she squeezed the trigger. The gun was quite powerful for its size and kicked in her hand. The bullet went wide, missing the three thugs by more than six feet as it sailed over their heads.
Her assailants kept on advancing on her.
"T-T-That was a warning shot! Stay back!" Vanessa said as she leveled it at the chest of the first hoodlum.
The leader fired his gun at her knocking her gun away from her hand.
She backed against the wall with no way out.
The leader slowly walked towards Vanessa with a smug grin. "Hey babe. We're not going to hurt you."
All Vanessa was to search for a place to hide in the dark alley while saying, "Please, just leave me alone!"
The second thug slowly walked beside the leader. "Sure babe, after we get acquainted."
The leader was now irritated that Vanessa would not accept his "invitation". He pulled out his switchblade and was kneeling next to Vanessa. "Shut up! You're making me angry! You don't wanna know what I do to people who make me angry!"
Vanessa closed her eyes and awaited her fate. "I'm doomed!" murmered the girl to herself.
Something grazes the third thug's shoulder, gout of blood erupting. He starts to turn, the Ingram Mac 10 machine pistol held low, ready to fire, from out of the alley, 75 feet away, Kahless's Shoulder Plasma Caster streaks toward him like a missile. He screams as it enters his back, erupting from his chest in an explosion of blood.
The Leader and his second Thug turned around and sees a vision so brief and fantastic that it seems like a hallucination.
Kahless's masked eyes flare momentarily from the ally before they vanish.
The thugs see their friend, lying on the ground, his chest open, the powerful man, dead.
Kahless de-cloaks in front of them armed with his Combistick that had extended.
Kahless utters an unearthly snarl and hiss from his masked face.
The thugs and Vanessa were dumbfounded.
The leader shouted at Kahless, raising his firearm at the hunter. "What the heck?"
"Ah, hell! Just shoot it, I bet it bleeds." ranted the second thug, who nervously raised his Ingram MAC 10 SMG.
Now everyone in the dark alley heard the same voice as what the second thug had blurted to Kahless, only this time in a low distorted imitation of his voice.
"Ah, hell! Just shoot it, I bet it bleeds."
Kahless rushed toward the second thug and lifted him up in the air by the head with his hand, he began to apply pressure to the head of the thug and the thug's head was crushed. Kahless turn to the leader and advance towards him.
Without warning the leader is hurtled backwards into the wall, Kahless's wrist blades flashing through the air. Blood splashes on Vanessa's face. She screams as the leader's Mac 10 pistol fires a short burst into the air.
Kahless's footsteps on the upper leg of the corpse, the wrist-blades digging deep, pinioning the body to the ground. Kahless's hand extends, his fingers puncturing the skin at the base of the spine, gripping the vertebrae. With otherworldly strength the arm pulls, the entire spinal column ripping free from the body, a sickly snapping and popping of cartilage separating from bone and tissue.
"RRRRRRAAARRRRRYIARRR!" As he let of his vocal mimicry when he made his kill.
When he was done taking the 2 thug's heads he turned to Vanessa and did a Neuro scan on her. His mask told him she was no threat to him.
His head cocked to the side as if he was curious. He turned away from her with an instant later his camouflage resumes and he vanishes from sight...a rapid, furtive movement in the city night.
Vanessa was in shock and all she could do was crouch down and curl herself into a ball.
Hotel Room, Aristos Hotel - 7:00 A.M.
"Get up guys!" shouted Mark, trying to pull off the blanket sheet off Martin and Java's bed.
"Java no like getting up." remarked Java, who was tugging the blanket with Mark.
"Me too." added Martin in agreement.
"Diana, give me a hand." Diana was now holding one corner of the blanket with Mark on the other and they heaved the blanket of the two sleeping Center agents.
"Get up!" shouted Mark. "There's been another attack in the slums again."
"How?" asked Martin, rubbing his eyes.
"Someone took the heads with their spinal cords attached to it out of their bodies." answered Mark, folding his arms on his chest.
"Ugh! Gross!" blurted Diana, who suddenly turned pale.
"I suddenly don't feel like going." commented Martin, who also turned pale.
"Java now feel sick." added Java, agreeing to Martin and Diana's statment.
"Sorry guys. We have to check the scene out and we have to do it now." Mark now walked towards his closet to take a SIG-Sauer SIG Pro SP 2022 automatic pistol and tucked it inside a Concealed Carry Outfitters Vest with two spare magazines. He then wore the vest over his white polo shirt. He also had dark blue cargo pants and white rubber shoes on.
Martin and Java got up from their bed and walked to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Diana then approached Mark and began to ask him about the case.
"Who do you think is responsible for all this?"
"My hunch is that it's an alien that hunts down its prey, sort of an intergalactic hunter."
"How sure are you?"
"I heard from Center archive files that the Americans have encountered it. But who knows, it could have been someone who heard about it and decided to act like one."
"You may be right." Diana nodded after speaking her mind. "We better check the place out anyway."
Moments later, Martin and Diana emerged from the bathroom, all dressed up and ready to go.
Crime Scene, Slums, Somewhere in Mexico -7:40 A.M.
Captain Rodrigo Gomez once again drove the four agents towards the crime scene.
Once more, it was heavily cordoned off by heavily armed police and masked AFI (Federal Investigation Agency) agents. A white ambulance was parked nearby with a woman sitting inside, who was visibly shaken.
"Here you go guys." said Captain Gomez, parking the Ford Expedition next to a squad car.
"Looks like the honchos from the AFI have been brought in." sneerd Mark, who was sitting beside Captain Gomez.
"Java and I will check on the woman. Martin, you better team with Mark to see what happened." suggested Diana.
"Sure." said the three in unison before exiting their vehicle.
Martin and Mark approached the yellow police tape, which was guarded by a masked AFI agent, wearing a black balaclava, blue jumpsuit, black combat vest and he was armed with a Colt M4 carbine. The two agents showed off their ID cards to the AFI agent, who allowed them to enter.
Diana and Java went to speak with the paramedics to the woman. When they asked her what happened, all she told them was to be careful about the El Diablo.
After conducting their investigation, the four agents were able to reunite once again and spoke about what they've found out.
"Just like the previous night, all of their heads were ripped out like Christmas was around the corner." said Martin, who started the conversation.
"What's even stranger is that the woman kept saying El Diablo all over again." confided Diana to the rest of the agents.
"Martin, activate the Legendex and do a check on El Diablo." ordered Mark.
"Right ahead of you." Martin activated his U-Watch to select the Legendex. "All right, I typed El Diablo and we've hit the jackpot."
"Hmm.." Mark was now examining the Legendex entry. "I knew it, it's the Predator. Made its appearance in Central America in 1987 and in a part of L.A. in 1997 as well as in Antartica in 2004. The only ones who were able to stop two elite Predator hunters were Major Alan 'Dutch' Schaeffer, formerly of the US Army and Lieutenant Mike Harrigan of the Los Angeles Police Department."
"What happened to them?" asked Diana.
"Declared to be insane by the US government, as well as with the other world governments. Both are now living in seclusion in undisclosed places in the United States. Any news on those attacks were censored by various foreign governments aside from the US government." explained Martin, scanning the information on the Legendex.
"What? How could they?" blurted Diana in anger.
"Diana, Would you rather have mass panic in the streets if someone says 'My fellow citizens, there's an alien on the loose, who's killing off people in the streets?'. So they had to cover it up. They had no choice." explained Mark.
"Oh!" Diana answered, who was blushing due to her mistake.
Suddenly, a loud tinkering was heard from a deserted street, which was cordoned off by police.
"Java hear something." Java pointed out to the agents where the origin of the sound was coming from.
"Martin, come with me." Mark coolly drew out his SIG-Sauer SIG Pro SP 2022 automatic pistol from his vest while Martin activated his U-Watch to pick up his X-Staff before extending it to a quarterstaff. Diana and Java were to stay behind in case the mysterious person decides to show up near the crime scene.
Once the two agents were on the deserted streets, Mark felt that something was wrong. Sweat drops fell from the heads of Martin and Mark, who were looking for the mysterious visitor.
"Where is he?" asked Martin, who had his quarterstaff close to his chest.
"Dammit! He must be in his stealth unit." commented Mark, who was scanning the area with his SIG Pro SP 2022 pistol.
Kahless disabled his stealth unit and appeared in front of the two startled agents, with his weapons at the ready.
"Martin, get down!" shouted Mark, who dived for cover behind a 2004 Ford Expedition. Kahless targeted the Filipino agent and fired his Shoulder Plasma Caster, which made a dent on the parked SUV.
"Damn you! You'll never hunt any longer!" shouted Mark, who fired his SIG Pro SP 2022 at the weapon. Two shots from his pistol disabled his Shoulder Plasma Caster.
Kahless, in anger, activated his Combistick and charged at Mark.
"EIYAAA!" yelled Martin, who blocked Kahless's attack with his own.
Kahless tried to swing his weapon on the Canadian agent, who ducked beneath it and kicked his shins twice with no effect.
Mark did a ninja teleport and fired a couple of rounds from his SP 2022 pistol at the Predator's back. Unfortunately, it only made hima anger as he shoved Martin away and began to charge him again.
Mark replaced his pistol inside his vest before getting to a Zenkutsu-Dachi (Front Stance in Shotokan Karate) stance. When Kahless was about to strike him with his Combistick, he blocked it with his two hands, kicked him in the chest to gain him some space before executing his Houzanto, which had little effect on the hunter.
"Gale Kick" shouted Mark, who executed a double roundhouse move on the hunter. "Ki Fist!" yelled Mark as he charged Kahless and punched him in his chest area with a flame attack, which made him take the brunt of his attack and lose his Combistick. Frustrated, Kahless now activated his Wrist Blades, now angry after scanning him to be one of his main threats next to Martin.
Mark ran towards Kahless for a short distance before doing his Kubikari, kicking him in his face mask, sending him a few feet more backwards.
Martin crouched down behind the hunter and when he was vulnerable, did a foot sweep that sent him down on the ground.
He tried to stab him with his quarterstaff, but Kahless blocked it with his Wrist Blades and kicked Martin in his legs.
Mark ran towards Kahless too, but was kicked in the chest after he got back to his feet. AS he was about to stab him, Diana and Java came around the corner with a team of heavily armed AFI agents, who fired their M4 carbines at the mysterious creature. Martin got back to safety with help from AFI agents, who escorted him out of the area.
Disgusted with their appearances, Kahless activated his stealth unit. But before he pressed the button, Martin activated his U-Watch to send a homing device to embed itself on his leg. Soon enough, the enigmatic hunter was now gone, leaving a stunned Mark Sy to wonder what had happened.
"Are you all right, sir?" asked one of the armed AFI agents, who slinged his M4 carbine before assisting him up on his feet.
"I'm all right. Did anyone see where he went?" inquired the confused Center agent.
"I'm sorry sir, but he got away." answered another AFI agent.
"Don't worry, guys. I've got the homing device on his leg. We should be able to get a good location on him once it's done with its work." explained Martin, pointing to his U-Watch.
"Okay, we better rendezvous back at the Center with M.O.M." The four agents have now left the area and walked towards
Captain Gomez's Ford Expedition, which would take them back to their hotel.
M.O.M.'s office, the Center, somewhere in Canada - 9:00 A.M.
Martin had requested Billy to give him updates on the precise location where Kahless is hiding before they entered M.O.M.'s office.
"Updates, agents?" inquired M.O.M., sitting behind her desk.
"It was the Predator that was responsible for the killings. Now the AFI has stepped in, the public may be looking at this very closely. I suggest that we end this soon." replied Mark coolly, seated at the chair in front of M.O.M.'s desk.
"Plus, we've got a tracking device stuck on its leg. It should help us get to him." added Diana.
"I agree, M.O.M. Soon enough, the media's gonna be on us every time we step out of our hotel to investigate." commented Martin.
"Java want action!" snarled Java, who punched his open palm with his clenched fist.
"Greeting guys!" said Billy, who hovered inside M.O.M.'s office. "We've checked with the tracking device and the Predator was last located in the outskirts of Mexico City, near the mountains."
"Great! I guess we better leave!" said Martin, who was stretching on his chair.
"Yes, I agree. It's best if we stop the Preadtor in its tracks." M.O.M. then turned her attention to Mark. "You'll be in command of the Special Reaction Squad once you guys confirm the location of the Predator."
"Of course." Mark turned his head towards Billy. "Billy, I'll need my weapons and equipment ready before we leave."
"Right away." Billy saluted Mark before exiting M.O.M.'s office.
"Guess this means we're going to get him after all." said Diana, who felt worried over their next course of action.
Chapter 3 END