A/N: Any character or theme or name or creature and anything else from the movie I DO NOT OWN. The plot for this story I do own, as well as Xenayakata and the species Xenyautan. These two are my creatations and mine alone so NO TOUCHIE! If anyone rips off my character or species I will send the real Xenayakata after them and she gets cranky when people rip her off.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

To DrappaWolf; haha, you will have to wait and see!

To Kae-she Katsumi; her human friends are the scientists that made her so their fine...for now...

Thanks for reviewing and enjoy the story ;P

Chapter 3: More Pieces of the Puzzle

It is a very long journey.

Everything twists and turns and soon I am lost. I have no idea where I am in the base. It all looks grey and metallic to me now.

How much further is the safe place? I think to my guide.

Not far. Not long.

Something in his thoughts is strange. He is excited. I wonder why he told me 'not long.'

Suddenly I see the vent stops up ahead. So does the male. I feel it is a time for caution and quiet.

We have to risk a run in the open before we can be safe, don't we? I ask.

Clever, Xenayakata. Learn quickly you do.

I am sure I feel approval in his thoughts.

How far do we have to run? And what are we aiming for?

Just follow me. He insists.

Tell me. If we somehow get separated, or I can't see you, that means I'm stuck. Call it sort of a back up plan. At least if something does happen then I can make my own way.

We not get separated. Hold my tail if think you will lose sight. But anything you do, do with me. You not go from my sight. I not let you get hurt. No worry.

I would feel better all the same…

No worry. He insists.

I am beginning to get annoyed with this male, I think.

Stubborn. I accuse. If you will not tell me, maybe I should find out on my own. Move over. I want to see. I try to push past him but he is an unmoveable wall.

No.

I may not have been a Xeno for very long but I have other skills. I am warning you now, do not get on my nerves. You may not think it but I can hold my own. And I can hurt you if I need to.

I think not. He thinks to me. I feel his feelings. He feels worried but somehow I don't think it is about me hurting him.

Then think again.

I push past even though he tries to stop me. I continue until I am almost at the exit when I feel teeth on my tail.

It is the male. He is trying to pull me back.

You can't go. He thinks to me. Not on your own.

Let go of me! I think to him, rounding back on him and taking a swipe at him. He lets go but in the moment it takes for me to regain my balance he has gotten past me and blocks the exit.

You not go on your own. He thinks to me with a low hiss.

I am not a hatchling. I can take care of my self.

The hell you can! He retorts.

That's a human saying you know. It doesn't suit a Xeno. I think to him trying to annoy him.

Been here a while. Xeno that lives with humans, listening to only human talk, tend to start talking like human. And you sound like human more than me!

Because I was raised by them! I have an excuse! I was really annoyed now.

You would probably be better off as human! He thinks to me and I start to see only red.

I am angry now. But he doesn't stop. What use is Xeno that can't listen? I f no listen, no obey, if no obey-

He does not finish. I have tackled him in my anger and I am pinning him down, my face pressed right up to his as I hiss at him.

I listen well enough to know there is something you are not telling me. I obey my instincts and my instincts only. My instincts tell me to know ahead of time what is expected of me. I trust my instincts more than I trust you, sent by Mother or not. She has always told me to trust my instincts and trust them I do.

Though at the moment my instincts are telling me that I like the feel of this male submissive under my caws. I want to hurt him for the things he has said but I do not want to offend Mother by scratching up the Xeno She has sent to help me.

You finished? He thinks to me.

For now. I f you piss me off more between here and the safe place I might just have to kill you. I hiss at him, not really sure myself whether I meant it or not. Do you have a name? I prefer to be able to have a name to go with a face.

I don't have name. I allowed to chose own but only when succeed in mission. He thinks to me.

You are without a name? How would you know that you are being spoken to?

Mother calls me Predalian. That what she calls my type of Xeno. You let me up now?

I realise that I am still holding him down.

Will you tell me what I want to know?

Yes. I will tell. Otherwise we no go anywhere.

I let him up. He pulls himself to his feet.

At end of vent is room. On other side of room is other vent. We run from this to other. Simple.

I know he is not telling me everything.

I don't buy it. I tell him. What's in the room?

Was kind of hoping you not ask. He thinks to me and I feel his attempt at the rarely seen Xeno humour. I also feel his anxiety.

What is in there Predalian? My patience has run out.

Marine post. He admits. Marine sits there all times. No real running. Slow and quiet.

I think about this. This is not good. It is hard to walk quietly on metal when you have claws.

Is there-

No other way to safe place. He thinks to me, cutting off my hopes of such a scenario.

But no worry. He continues. Need marine. He help you grow. You be look out, I do hard part.

What's the hard part? I ask suspiciously.

Getting marine with no noise.

Mother does not like that we kill humans for no reason. Will you kill him?

No. Stun only. Still be alive. Just…sleep.

Good. I like Mother. I do not want to get on her bad side.

I don't either.

Are we going to move? I ask, changing subject again.

Yes. We go now. Quiet and slow.

You mean slow and quiet. I joke.

Whatever. He retorts. I feel he is no longer in mood for games and be quiet.

We move out of the vent, as quiet as mice. I see the marine below us. He does not even know we are there.

Another piece of the puzzle.

The puzzle that has begun in my mind. And it started when I became a Xenomorph, when I met this nameless Xeno Mother calls a Predalian.

I bring my mind back to present thoughts.

Hold on with tail and back feet and look around. Tell me if is clear. He thinks to me.

I do as he says.

I am amazed at how strong my tail is. It could support me on it's own I am thinking but I still hold with my feet; it is safer that way. I lower my self down and look around.

All clear. Not another marine in sight.

All clear. I think to him.

Before I've even finished thinking to him I feel his tail whip past my head and hear it connect with the marine. I turn to catch the marine but already he has been snatched up by the male.

I pull my self up and turn to him. To me he looks pleased. I think he liked showing how fast and strong he is. I certainly noticed it.

Despite his size, this male is fast. His muscles are lean, no extra to slow him down.

I t is then that I pay attention to my own form. I realise that I am the same, a little larger but just as sleek.

My back has the normal double row of Xeno horns along it but I have more of them than the drones I have seen in the pictures Tina has shown me and they do not point straight up like theirs do, they point up on an angle and then out to the sides. If you had a stiff piece of board you could make a table of them, I am thinking.

My head is different also; it is a more flattened shape than the normal banana-like skulls I have seen on Xenos and has seven small points at the end.

My tail does not have a single blade at its tip but three and more spines along its entire length and up my spine, all the way to the base of my skull. I also have blades on my knees and elbows. As I study myself I realise that I have never seen a Xeno that looks like I do. I also realise that the male is studying me also; I feel him looking at me and thinking something about me.

I feel him move to stand next to me.

Did you want something? I ask sassily.

I feel his confidence of something. I try to find what it is he is confident about but his feelings change suddenly.

We should go. Not take long for others to miss him. He tells me.

Give him to me. I think to him as I see him trying to carry the human's dead wait. I can hold him easier because of my back horns and I'm bigger.

You sure you can handle? I sense concern in his thoughts but I feel that it is greatly unjustified and snap back at him;

Of course I'm sure! I am not a hatchling! I've already told you that and I do not want to be treated like one!

Fine. He says simply.

For some reason I feel that this has been too easy; I expected him to argue with me.

He moves the unconscious marine onto my back and I see why he does not argue.

This marine is very heavy.

I feel him being amused as he sees that I find the human heavy. But I refuse to be laughed at. I brace my legs and arms and stand tall though it is still a fair bit of effort because though I am bigger than the male, neither of us is that big at all; a Praetorian is probably at least twice my size.

Are we going or what? I ask as he is just standing there.

He seems very surprised that I have not told him to take the human back.

You sure? I feel great concern from him now and know that he is really is worried about me.

You're repeating yourself Predalian. I tell him jokingly.

And you not answering question. What's your point? He tells me snappily.

I look at him and watch him closely. He is agitated but in an odd way. I know he is not agitated at me. It is like he is agitated for me.

He is protective of me.

I find it odd that he should be so but I suppose it is because he is supposed to keep me safe. It would just not do if I broke something from carrying an unconscious marine.

I'm sure. I think to him. Piece of cake. We going now? I ask as I shift the marine's weight on my back.

He looks doubtfully at me for a moment but then looks ahead.

That way. He says. His behaviour is very curious to me.

Oh well. I think to myself.

More pieces to the puzzle.

-End Ch3