Okay, here goes chapter 2...Note that Nytasha is pronounced Natasha. Also,
this is set in the future, so I figured they'd eventually change the world
to be similar to ours.
~2~
The Predator's Hostage
A cool wind blew through the trees, rustling the browning leaves. Winter was approaching, yet Nytasha enjoyed it far more than the summer months. Unlike earth, LV-1201 was blazing in summertime and a pleasant 65- 70 degrees in the winter.
Nytasha was dozing under a large Kizek tree, one of the few trees native to LV-1201. Its leaves were garnet colored, soon to become sapphire and fall to the ground. She enjoyed sitting underneath this tree immensely. It eased her body and soul, created a sense of peace in the chaotic life she lived on LV-1201.
Nytasha was 16. She had grown up an orphan, raised by the people of colony 64. She never knew her parents. Growing up as an orphan had been hard for her. She'd never really felt loved by any of the townsfolk; she'd been teased about being an orphan.
When younger, the other children had always played little fantasy games about love and marriage, but Nytasha had never been allowed to take part. She wasn't a pretty child, to say the least. Yet, when she hit her growth spurt, her beauty had flourished. The young boys whom had teased her as children were now drooling over her. The other girls were jealous of her, for she was far prettier than any other girl in the colony.
Each boy would compete for her attention, wrestling one another to the ground to prove their strength, or besting one another in mock combat. Afterwards, each would seek approval from her. She found this very entertaining. Being a cunning, but vengeful girl, she led each one on, pretending to fancy them over the others. Once she had a boy brainwashed, she let him loose to boast about his success with her. Then, once the other boys got wind and flocked to her to hear first hand, she would deny having any interest in the boy.
The public humiliation that came from being rejected was enough to keep boys away. Most were humiliated once, some even more. But they grew wise after a while. Then she lost most of the attention that came with her revenge. She still caught boys staring at her from time to time, and it pleased her within.
Yet, her life was incomplete. She had a longing to explore the planet of LV-1201. She had attempted to sneak out of the colony a few times, but was caught each time. It was during one attempt that she met Jeddeck Knighting. He was a strong man, serving in the military.
The two had become good friends. Jeddeck was 19. He was serving in the military to pay for his college education. He wanted to become a chef. Over the course of a few months, the two became almost inseparable. Then, while having brunch at a local diner, Jeddeck confessed his true feelings for Nytasha. She had been so shocked she nearly choked. The two were set to be wed in a month. Then, Jeddeck got called away on duty. Nytasha was nearly heartbroken, but she held up.
* * * * *
The cold air blew through Nytasha's long black hair as she walked down the dirt path that would soon be a concrete sidewalk. She looked around her, looked at the city that was being built from colony 64. Office buildings, hospitals, police stations, and the most recent building to be constructed was the GigaMall. Colony 64 was the guinea pig. They were the first ones to be transformed into a full-scale city.
After the meteor struck, the denizens of earth watched in horror as the dust cloud rose into the air, encircling the entire earth. It was in that time that the earth was finally united, as one. Unknown to the citizens of earth, but several nations had begun searches throughout the galaxy years before, searching for planets that were inhabitable. Russia was the first to find anything, coming across planet LV-1201, named for the sector of the galaxy it was found in.
Nytasha followed the path to the mall, walked through the automatic doors. The conditioned air swirled around her, seeking to escape the chilled mall. Once the onslaught of rushing air was past her, she was overwhelmed by a multitude of smells and sounds. She could taste the scent of bread and pizza on the air; hear music bellowing from speakers mounted high on the ceiling. People walked everywhere, carrying bags of merchandise.
Making her way over to a little Italian restaurant named Kosta's, she walked behind the counter and put on an apron. She walked over to the counter and took a large hunk of dough from a pile. Without even looking at the other young man working there, she began to toss the dough in the air, spinning it so it fanned out.
The young man, setting down his wide piece of dough, walked over to the cash register to tend to a customer. Letting her dough fall onto flour covered board, Nytasha proceeded to cover it with sauce, cheese, and an assortment of toppings.
Then the ground began to shake. It started as a low rumble, perhaps something caused by the construction going on in the city. Then it began to grow. Merchandise began to fall to the floors of stores; drinks began to spill off tables in the food court. Then it grew dangerous. The entire building began to violently shake, items and other objects falling everywhere. The windows began to crack in their frames.
The windows began to burst, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. People began screaming, whether just because of panic, or because they were hit with flying glass or some other object, one couldn't tell. The support beams began to shake; the plaster walls began to flake away.
Nytasha began running from the pizza shop, her arms overhead to protect herself from falling debris. Hearing a thunderous crash behind her, she turned to see the roof caving in on the other side of the mall, causing a domino effect. The building was falling down around her. Just as she neared the door, she tripped over the dead body of an old woman. Struggling to get back up in her panic, she hadn't noticed the chunk of roofing that was falling down atop her.
* * * * *
The ground outside the GigaMall was thundering. Buildings were falling down all over the city, giant plumes of smoke rising into the air. The smoke and dust blocked out the sun, casting an eerie darkness over the entire city. All the hard work of the colonists came crashing down around them in a giant puff of smoke and dust.
Jeddeck saw the GigaMall collapsing, knowing that Nytasha was inside. Blindly, he ran towards the mall, groping his way through the dust and smoke. The filthy air burned his lungs, the dirt stinging his eyes. Tears of sorrow poured from his burning eyes. Knowing he couldn't do anything, he turned back, heading out of the dust cloud.
As he exited the cloud of dust minutes later, he scanned the rest of the city. Most of the buildings were already down, reduced to rubble and dust. The dust had risen high into the sky, fanning out. Light was slowly returning to colony 64. That's when Jeddeck noticed the Predators.
Roaming around the city in pairs of two or three, they ruthlessly slaughtered innocent people. Women, children, seniors; the Predators were delighted by their helpless prey. The collapse of the city was obviously their doing. Their minds worked in ways humans couldn't understand. Very little was known about their strange ways.
Predators were known to hunt Xenomorphs, seeing them as worthy adversaries, but they felt humans were inferior. Whenever a Predator killed a Xenomorph, it decapitated its prey and took the head as a trophy. Predators were known to do this with humans, but only the young and inexperienced Predators hunted humans.
That was why this attack seemed so strange. No other colony had every experienced a full attack by more than one clan of Predators. Every now and then a colony would dispatch a clan of younger ones, but never had they seen older Predators attack.
One could tell a Predators' 'age', or hunting experience, by counting the 'rings' on its fingers. Every time a Predator made a kill, it would remove a joint from its prey's hand and wear it like a ring. The Predators running around colony 64 had white fingers, covered with rings.
Then Jeddeck heard the crunching of debris. Whipping out his pistol, he whirled around, scanning around for a threat. Lowering his scanner over his right eye, he searched around for the Predator. Turning to the left, he found the Predator. Staring into his eyes, it glared at him from a foot away. Jeddeck never saw the blade talons coming at him from behind, never felt as they shattered the back of his skull, skewering his brain and piercing his medulla.
* * * * *
Nytasha's scream pierced the air as the chunk of concrete shattered her leg. Pain shot through entire body as she struggled to move the concrete. Blood streamed from multiple gashes up and down her leg. Turning, she put her hands on the floor to try pulling her leg out from under the concrete. Immediately, she wished she hadn't. The glass littering the floor cut into her hands, blood flowing freely from the wounds.
With strength from someplace unknown, Nytasha pulled her leg out from under the concrete and began to hobble towards the exit. Looking up, she saw the roof falling down atop her. Screaming out in terror, she felt a strong arm grasp her wrist and pull her out of the building. Though she could see no one pulling her, she was grateful for the help.
Then the dust cloud washed over her, burning her throat and lungs, searing her eyes. She covered her mouth with her shirt, hoping to keep out the dust. After several agonizing minutes, the dust began to settle, no longer burning her eyes. Peering through the darkness, she saw a large figure walking towards her.
At 6' 9", the being stood extremely tall. It was very well built, with cannons for arms. Kneeling down, the being took her chin in its hand, staring at the young girl lying on the debris-riddled ground.
That was when she noticed the bones. Covering every finger were small white bones, worn as rings. Though they were very similar, they were not from a human. Looking up at her benefactor, she stared into the Predator's eyes. His eyes were glossy looking, filled with mystery and compassion. This Predator was wise beyond belief.
Struggling, Nytasha began to stand. The Predator watched her in disbelief, amazed that the woman could still stand. With a burst of compassion, the Predator held out a hand, helping Nytasha to her feet. As she struggled to her feet, she kept her eyes on the Predator, not willing to risk turning her back.
Staring into the Predator's eyes, or what one could assume were eyes hidden behind their mask, Nytasha saw a compassion that she never thought possible fromShe stared at the creature as she rose, unsure of what to do. What would cause a Predator to act to kindly? Was this a Predator? Or was it some kind hybrid being? Questions boggled Nytasha's mind. Then the eyes hardened, the compassion replaced by stone hard hatred and loathing
The Predator swung his arm up, a small gun in his hand. He placed the gun to Nytasha's throat and pulled the trigger, a small needle shooting into her neck. The world seemed to dim, the dusty sky turning black. Nytasha's eyes drooped as her body fell limp and numb. The Predator caught her in its arms, a throaty chuckle emitting from beneath its mask.
~2~
The Predator's Hostage
A cool wind blew through the trees, rustling the browning leaves. Winter was approaching, yet Nytasha enjoyed it far more than the summer months. Unlike earth, LV-1201 was blazing in summertime and a pleasant 65- 70 degrees in the winter.
Nytasha was dozing under a large Kizek tree, one of the few trees native to LV-1201. Its leaves were garnet colored, soon to become sapphire and fall to the ground. She enjoyed sitting underneath this tree immensely. It eased her body and soul, created a sense of peace in the chaotic life she lived on LV-1201.
Nytasha was 16. She had grown up an orphan, raised by the people of colony 64. She never knew her parents. Growing up as an orphan had been hard for her. She'd never really felt loved by any of the townsfolk; she'd been teased about being an orphan.
When younger, the other children had always played little fantasy games about love and marriage, but Nytasha had never been allowed to take part. She wasn't a pretty child, to say the least. Yet, when she hit her growth spurt, her beauty had flourished. The young boys whom had teased her as children were now drooling over her. The other girls were jealous of her, for she was far prettier than any other girl in the colony.
Each boy would compete for her attention, wrestling one another to the ground to prove their strength, or besting one another in mock combat. Afterwards, each would seek approval from her. She found this very entertaining. Being a cunning, but vengeful girl, she led each one on, pretending to fancy them over the others. Once she had a boy brainwashed, she let him loose to boast about his success with her. Then, once the other boys got wind and flocked to her to hear first hand, she would deny having any interest in the boy.
The public humiliation that came from being rejected was enough to keep boys away. Most were humiliated once, some even more. But they grew wise after a while. Then she lost most of the attention that came with her revenge. She still caught boys staring at her from time to time, and it pleased her within.
Yet, her life was incomplete. She had a longing to explore the planet of LV-1201. She had attempted to sneak out of the colony a few times, but was caught each time. It was during one attempt that she met Jeddeck Knighting. He was a strong man, serving in the military.
The two had become good friends. Jeddeck was 19. He was serving in the military to pay for his college education. He wanted to become a chef. Over the course of a few months, the two became almost inseparable. Then, while having brunch at a local diner, Jeddeck confessed his true feelings for Nytasha. She had been so shocked she nearly choked. The two were set to be wed in a month. Then, Jeddeck got called away on duty. Nytasha was nearly heartbroken, but she held up.
* * * * *
The cold air blew through Nytasha's long black hair as she walked down the dirt path that would soon be a concrete sidewalk. She looked around her, looked at the city that was being built from colony 64. Office buildings, hospitals, police stations, and the most recent building to be constructed was the GigaMall. Colony 64 was the guinea pig. They were the first ones to be transformed into a full-scale city.
After the meteor struck, the denizens of earth watched in horror as the dust cloud rose into the air, encircling the entire earth. It was in that time that the earth was finally united, as one. Unknown to the citizens of earth, but several nations had begun searches throughout the galaxy years before, searching for planets that were inhabitable. Russia was the first to find anything, coming across planet LV-1201, named for the sector of the galaxy it was found in.
Nytasha followed the path to the mall, walked through the automatic doors. The conditioned air swirled around her, seeking to escape the chilled mall. Once the onslaught of rushing air was past her, she was overwhelmed by a multitude of smells and sounds. She could taste the scent of bread and pizza on the air; hear music bellowing from speakers mounted high on the ceiling. People walked everywhere, carrying bags of merchandise.
Making her way over to a little Italian restaurant named Kosta's, she walked behind the counter and put on an apron. She walked over to the counter and took a large hunk of dough from a pile. Without even looking at the other young man working there, she began to toss the dough in the air, spinning it so it fanned out.
The young man, setting down his wide piece of dough, walked over to the cash register to tend to a customer. Letting her dough fall onto flour covered board, Nytasha proceeded to cover it with sauce, cheese, and an assortment of toppings.
Then the ground began to shake. It started as a low rumble, perhaps something caused by the construction going on in the city. Then it began to grow. Merchandise began to fall to the floors of stores; drinks began to spill off tables in the food court. Then it grew dangerous. The entire building began to violently shake, items and other objects falling everywhere. The windows began to crack in their frames.
The windows began to burst, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. People began screaming, whether just because of panic, or because they were hit with flying glass or some other object, one couldn't tell. The support beams began to shake; the plaster walls began to flake away.
Nytasha began running from the pizza shop, her arms overhead to protect herself from falling debris. Hearing a thunderous crash behind her, she turned to see the roof caving in on the other side of the mall, causing a domino effect. The building was falling down around her. Just as she neared the door, she tripped over the dead body of an old woman. Struggling to get back up in her panic, she hadn't noticed the chunk of roofing that was falling down atop her.
* * * * *
The ground outside the GigaMall was thundering. Buildings were falling down all over the city, giant plumes of smoke rising into the air. The smoke and dust blocked out the sun, casting an eerie darkness over the entire city. All the hard work of the colonists came crashing down around them in a giant puff of smoke and dust.
Jeddeck saw the GigaMall collapsing, knowing that Nytasha was inside. Blindly, he ran towards the mall, groping his way through the dust and smoke. The filthy air burned his lungs, the dirt stinging his eyes. Tears of sorrow poured from his burning eyes. Knowing he couldn't do anything, he turned back, heading out of the dust cloud.
As he exited the cloud of dust minutes later, he scanned the rest of the city. Most of the buildings were already down, reduced to rubble and dust. The dust had risen high into the sky, fanning out. Light was slowly returning to colony 64. That's when Jeddeck noticed the Predators.
Roaming around the city in pairs of two or three, they ruthlessly slaughtered innocent people. Women, children, seniors; the Predators were delighted by their helpless prey. The collapse of the city was obviously their doing. Their minds worked in ways humans couldn't understand. Very little was known about their strange ways.
Predators were known to hunt Xenomorphs, seeing them as worthy adversaries, but they felt humans were inferior. Whenever a Predator killed a Xenomorph, it decapitated its prey and took the head as a trophy. Predators were known to do this with humans, but only the young and inexperienced Predators hunted humans.
That was why this attack seemed so strange. No other colony had every experienced a full attack by more than one clan of Predators. Every now and then a colony would dispatch a clan of younger ones, but never had they seen older Predators attack.
One could tell a Predators' 'age', or hunting experience, by counting the 'rings' on its fingers. Every time a Predator made a kill, it would remove a joint from its prey's hand and wear it like a ring. The Predators running around colony 64 had white fingers, covered with rings.
Then Jeddeck heard the crunching of debris. Whipping out his pistol, he whirled around, scanning around for a threat. Lowering his scanner over his right eye, he searched around for the Predator. Turning to the left, he found the Predator. Staring into his eyes, it glared at him from a foot away. Jeddeck never saw the blade talons coming at him from behind, never felt as they shattered the back of his skull, skewering his brain and piercing his medulla.
* * * * *
Nytasha's scream pierced the air as the chunk of concrete shattered her leg. Pain shot through entire body as she struggled to move the concrete. Blood streamed from multiple gashes up and down her leg. Turning, she put her hands on the floor to try pulling her leg out from under the concrete. Immediately, she wished she hadn't. The glass littering the floor cut into her hands, blood flowing freely from the wounds.
With strength from someplace unknown, Nytasha pulled her leg out from under the concrete and began to hobble towards the exit. Looking up, she saw the roof falling down atop her. Screaming out in terror, she felt a strong arm grasp her wrist and pull her out of the building. Though she could see no one pulling her, she was grateful for the help.
Then the dust cloud washed over her, burning her throat and lungs, searing her eyes. She covered her mouth with her shirt, hoping to keep out the dust. After several agonizing minutes, the dust began to settle, no longer burning her eyes. Peering through the darkness, she saw a large figure walking towards her.
At 6' 9", the being stood extremely tall. It was very well built, with cannons for arms. Kneeling down, the being took her chin in its hand, staring at the young girl lying on the debris-riddled ground.
That was when she noticed the bones. Covering every finger were small white bones, worn as rings. Though they were very similar, they were not from a human. Looking up at her benefactor, she stared into the Predator's eyes. His eyes were glossy looking, filled with mystery and compassion. This Predator was wise beyond belief.
Struggling, Nytasha began to stand. The Predator watched her in disbelief, amazed that the woman could still stand. With a burst of compassion, the Predator held out a hand, helping Nytasha to her feet. As she struggled to her feet, she kept her eyes on the Predator, not willing to risk turning her back.
Staring into the Predator's eyes, or what one could assume were eyes hidden behind their mask, Nytasha saw a compassion that she never thought possible fromShe stared at the creature as she rose, unsure of what to do. What would cause a Predator to act to kindly? Was this a Predator? Or was it some kind hybrid being? Questions boggled Nytasha's mind. Then the eyes hardened, the compassion replaced by stone hard hatred and loathing
The Predator swung his arm up, a small gun in his hand. He placed the gun to Nytasha's throat and pulled the trigger, a small needle shooting into her neck. The world seemed to dim, the dusty sky turning black. Nytasha's eyes drooped as her body fell limp and numb. The Predator caught her in its arms, a throaty chuckle emitting from beneath its mask.