Hello everyone! Only one week left of exams for me, then I'm finally free! Yay: D

WhiteDragonHawke: the one occasion Joanne did take out a predator was mostly due to luck than anything else. The story of her first encounter with predators, and her meeting Cth'ctchi is one I'd like to tell once this one is done... will have to see : )

HarrySlytherinson: sorry I didn't update soon! Here is a new chapter... hope you like : )

Dazzler420, OtakusVengence, The Lady of Chaos, Melissa, Solain Rhyon and Silvermoonlight GJ: thank you for your reviews! If you're still reading drop us a line to say hey if you have the time...

Any mistakes/corrections/etc welcome, and any thoughts on the story or where its going/could go are always good to hear! Now onto the chapter and back to revision...


Kelly ran, sobbing quietly but still following Joanne. Her mind was numb, the things she had just seen going against everything she knew, monsters that where real, so much death, Mark… Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision briefly before they fell. She couldn't believe it, any of it…

Joanne also ran.Anything to put as much distance between herself and those things. The predator hadn't been Cth'ctchi but it still terrified her, it was huge! More like the elders in size than the ones she had encountered in the mall. And there were those black things…
Joanne could feel the strong psychic presence exulting all around her. She had never encountered anything so strong, even Cth'ctchi's hatred paling compared to that primal mind. She could also feel Kelly behind her, mind growing fainter as she slipped into shock. Joanne really didn't blame her for following her body's natural reaction to the recent events but there wasn't time…

"Kelly? KELLY? C'mon sweetie, run now, shock later ok?"

No response, but the girl was still moving with her.

"KELLY!" Joanne shouted again, she had to snap her out of it! If they stopped running with her in this condition then Joanne knew she wouldn't start again.Kelly's mind slipped a little more and, desperate to prevent losing the one human left wth her Joanne forced her mind into Kelly's to stop her drifting further.

>Kelly? KELLY! I know you can hear me.

No reply.

>they took him…. But he can't be gone, but I saw and, I was there aa..and his blood, HIS BLOOD IS ON ME… ON MY HANDS, WHY, WHY IS HE NOT HERE ANYMORE?

Joanne was taken back by the state of Kelly's mind, and glancing around with her mind and eyes found a side tunnel not too far ahead which they could stop in.

>Is stopping really worth the risk of being caught? Joanne asked herself. She'd only known this person for half an hour, so why was she going to take such a risk for her? She could just leave her in a quiet spot and she wouldn't even notice when something came along and found her, the state she was in…

>no. I can't do that. I… I just can't

As they drew alongside the passage Joanne ducked into it, pulling Kelly in when she saw the girl either hadn't noticed the direction change or didn't care to follow it. She pushed Kelly gently against a wall once they'd gotten quiet far into the tunnel and propelled her downwards so she was sitting. She just stared blankly ahead of her, shivering slightly. Joanne sat down opposite her, taking both her hands in her own. Physical contact always helped Joanne establish a link, and she didn't care that they looked like some adolescent Wicca wannabes trying to levitate pebbles or something… Joanne smiled briefly at that thought, thinking of several high school time sleepovers when her friends and she had sat like this, trying to 'enchant' guys to like them. Then bringing herself back to the present, she focused on the distraught yet silent girl before her.

>Kelly?
>Kelly don't block me out, please. You're the only one I've got now.
>let me help you.

>Joanne? The thought was weak but it was there. Joanne felt relived and slightly encouraged, at least she had her attention.

>but how? How can you be here? Here is me… I mean… I think… ugh I don't know but you're not supposed to be here…

>I know Kelly, I'm not but I have to right now… You can't stay here.

>why

>its not safe.

>but it is. Here there are no monsters, there is no pain, and, aa..and he's here…

>who is Kelly?

Mark suddenly materialised, his every feature in perfect detail. How often had the couple gazed at each other happily, content to simply look at each other for her memory of him to be this precise?

>Mark…

Then Joanne once again saw his stomach burst outwards. Kelly screamed inwardly while making no physical sound and Joanne gave her the mental equivalent of a slap round the face…

>STOP IT KELLY!

>HE'S GONE AND I'M HERE ALONE… WHY IS HE GONE, WHY CAN'T HE BE HERE WITH ME?

>YOU'RE NOT ALONE! I AM HERE, HERE WITH YOU!

>BUT THOSE THINGS OUT THERE… THEY'RE COMING FOR US, I CAN SEE THEM! REACHING WITH CLAWS SCREAMING FOR OUR BLOOD…

>NO Kelly. We're hidden, safe…

>HOW CAN YOU KNOW! The hysterical girl screamed at Joanne, still without making any real sound. > HOW CAN YOU KNOW ANYTHING?

>Believe me, I do.

>AND HOW ARE YOU HERE? THIS IS MY PLACE… MY, MY THIS IS MY HEAD! MY THOUGHTS! HOW ARE YOU HERE WITH ME!

With this realisation Kelly's thoughts where becoming more frantic as she struggled with the increasing number of impossibilities she'd encountered recently. Joanne was at a loss, how could she explain? More importantly how could he get Kelly out of this state so she could function again?

>Listen Kelly. We're safe for the moment but we need to get moving, the longer we stay here the more chance there is of those things finding us… YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!

>those things… the black ones… let them take me, I'll be with Mark then, where nothing can harm us…

>no Kelly, not those. The other ones, the large one with armour

>but, it saved us…

>trust me, the next time we see it it'll be after our heads… we have to get going!

>but how do you know that? It saved us, maybe it wants to help… We should go back and see if its still there… if its ok…

>NO!

Kelly flinched in reaction to the violent psychic outburst.

>Listen to me Kelly. Those things know only how to maim and kill. They care nothing for others, they are the ones who set this up! Don't EVER go near one if you can!

>but… but how do you know this? And how are you in my head? Who are you Joanne!

Joanne sighed.

>I'm just a scared girl, lost and far from home, like you.

>but you know what those things are? What are they! What is this!

>you really want to know?

>YES!

Joanne took a deep breath.

>well, I don't know the whole story but this is my part in it…

Back in the main corridor, Rea'gul slammed into a wall and quickly dodged sideways to avoid the praetorian's striking tail. The creature hissed in pain and frustration as its tail slammed into the metal, Rea'gul rolling out of its range. The fight so far had been more or less even, with both sides giving and receiving hits. Rea'gul backed away a couple more steps to get a better run up to the xenomorph before it started to attack again, and the creauture turned its head to shriek angrily at him. All his attention seemed fixed on the lithe black figure, not noticing another creeping up behind him…

Suddenly, just as the thing began to strike the Predator turned, going to punch the alien in the head with his wrist blades out at maximum. They slammed through the smooth black dome structure and emerged out the other side, the creature jerking and flailing in its sudden death. Using the forward momentum it had generated to attack him Rea'gul swung the twitching corpse into the praetorian who had chosen that moment to attack, thinking Rea'gul distracted by its sibling. Long black limbs entangled with each other as the two bodies crashed to the floor, the still living praetorian now screaming with rage as it tried to get free.

Wasting no time, Rea'gul quickly scanned the area for the other drone that was here, and spotting it he hurled a throwing disc at it in one fluid motion. The razor shape edges popped out at the last minute, cutting deep into the xenomorph's torso. While its acid blood immediately began to disintegrate the weapon, the damage had already been done, leaving the creature with a gapping, fatal wound.

Rea'gul grinned at the dying drone; he could still best these creatures! Even with half his armour gone they could not overcome him!

Then the praetorian, still attached to the dead drone, somehow managed to clumsily leap at him, knocking the predator backwards. Rea'gul, falling onto his back, brought his legs in quickly and kicked his attacker off as he completed the sloppy backwards roll, sending it into the wall. The praetorian was now continually shrieking as it struggled with the corpse it was attached to, finally tearing some of its own spines off as it wrenched free. It turned to face Rea'gul, screaming a challege, but he wasn't there…

Twin blades ripped into the side of its head, exploiting the exposed tendons connecting its jaws together and its head to its neck. The curved blades reached up into the brain cavity and the organ it housed, grating on the inside of the massively thick head dome the praetorian possessed. Rea'gul wrenched the blades sideways, tearing the creatures lower jaws off with his brute strength, acid blood having dulled the edges of his blades.

Rea'gul stood still, then raised his arms and roared in victory, his charged proclamation reverberating through the harsh metal corridors.

In a deeper part of the ship, another scream sounded through the passageways.
Yet this cry was not made in elation, but loss.
Stretching upward as much as the chamber would allow, the Queen voiced her anguish. Three of her children! Taken from her! And one of them a praetorian… one of her beloved elite…
Inconsolable she screeched as loud as she could, simultaneously morning her children's violent passing and vowing vengeance upon the one who had done this.

Back in the corridor, Rea'gul was finishing claiming his trophies. The two drone's heads where stuck on spears attached at his back, having cauterized the bleeding neck stumps with a laser before putting them near his bare flesh. Unfortunately the praetorian's head was too mangled to make a traditional trophy, but he had cut the undamaged ridged dome from the rest of it to take instead. Dousing the head plate with alkali solution to neutralise the acidic blood, Rea'gul set it to one side while he examined his wrist blades. They had been reduced to almost half their original length by the hard meats blood, and had lost the flowing, curved shapes they were crafted in as well as their sharpness. Frowning he released them from their housings, which thankfully hadn't been damaged.
While wrecked wrist blades were a common occurrence when battling these creatures, he still hated tossing away what had been beautiful weapons once. Reaching into his backpack he got a replacement set and slotted them into place, testing the mechanism to make sure it still worked. Then Rea'gul turned and picked up the praetorian's crest, the acid blood neutralised and resulting liquid evaporated so it was safe to touch. Using lengths of the thick cord normally used to attach trophies to belts; Rea'gul bound the crest to his forearm, so it covered his wrist blade's housings and extended up his arm giving his right side a thick, acid proof shield. He clenched his fist again to see if his blades extended past the front of the crest and grunted with satisfaction, pleased with his work.

Then he focused on the floor of the corridor, looking for signs of his next prey. While the grid had allowed most of it to fall into the drainage ducts, there was still a faint trail of warm soft meat blood leading away from the scene. Rea'gul's eyes narrowed as he began to follow the it, softly so his prey would not hear his approach. Unarmed females they could be, but if they weren't… Rea'gul grinned once more. If they weren't then the xenomorphs on his back would have some company.

Hopefully I'll be able to update soon, but can't promise... damm exams. Reviews make revision pain go away: )