Here's the second component! This chapter gets to answer a question that a few readers asked me: "Why did Lex hesitate to leave Earth with Scar when she got the chance?" Hopefully this adds some insight and gives you some comfort. Here we go...


THE ENEMY'S HEART

Unknown Territories

COMPONENT:

PROLOGUE

In a matter of minutes, the light that drowned out the ship peeled back until all that remained was the infinite expanse of space. It would have taken a human vessel weeks, if not months, to make it this far into space – but this was no human vessel…

Lex looked around their galactic surroundings – shocked to find the massive Mother Ship they'd followed out of Earth's orbit was no longer in view. They were alone…drifting. Scar shut down the vessel's engines and sighed as Lex (still laid across his lap), faced him with a befuddled expression. "Where's the others?" she asked softly.

"Will join later…need you…first…alone…"

Lex swallowed nervously at the slight implication in the male's voice. "Alone? For what?"

For the first time since the pair had left, a troublesome expression wears upon the Yautja's features. "You…hesitated…"

Immediately Woods knew what the young hunter was referring to, and she rose to her feet before resting her buttocks against the control panel directly in front of him. With each palm resting on either side of her at the edge of the panel, Lex's shoulders heaved. They had to talk about this – clear the air – so they could move forward. "Say what's on your mind."

Scar slouched into his chair in silence as the two of them stared one another down before finally beginning. "You hesitated. You were…torn. I thought…maybe…you didn't want…"

"You thought I didn't want you…" she finished.

"Didn't come…until they attacked. If they hadn't…" he stops, a mild accusation in his eyes.

An accusation that made the need to take exception rise in her chest – but she strove her best to keep her offense weighed down given the circumstances. He was being honest with her, and it would be selfish of her to grow entirely angry with him for it – although, after what they'd been through in the last couple of days, it was hard not to be offended when her loyalty or feelings for him were being questioned. "What?" she asked as softly as she could. "You think I would have stayed? Yes, Scar. Yes I hesitated. Wouldn't you?"

"No," Scar scoffed hard, his own offense rising.

Lex raised a brow in disbelief. "Scar. All I've ever known was Earth."

"You would…been in danger!" he said argued incredulously – his anger showing more now at the sudden raise of his voice.

Oh, he wanted to get loud? He didn't know where she came from! How desperately she wanted to show him! Despite mentally reminding herself to keep her cool, it happened only naturally when Lex's tone matched his own – causing the male to growl lightly and grip the chair in displeasure. Under normal circumstances her defensiveness may have been amusing – a turn on – but not now. "You think I didn't know that?" Lex almost spat. "Yes, Scar. There was danger everywhere – especially after us. But there wasn't just danger on Earth I would have been leaving behind by coming with you. My friends, my home, all that is left of my FAMILY!" her hand slapped against her chest as a soft crack hitched in her throat. "I knew the moment I saw you in the clearing that I was going with you. I've had the urge to be by your side from the moment we met again. But that doesn't mean I couldn't get emotional and have some conflict about leaving what I loved about Earth behind. I deserve that much. I didn't leave because I was afraid of what they'd do to me."

"Never NOT shown you I WANTED you! ALWAYS…shown I wanted YOU!" argued Scar leaning forward with furrowed brows, insinuating that perhaps he'd had doubts of where her feelings for him lied.

That gave Lex all the reason to stiffen, to pause, and a nearly unbearable silence and tension filled the control room. When she finally allowed herself to speak again, the woman's voice was low – almost as if she were serving a warning to herself. "You've been consistent about your feelings for me from the beginning," agreed Lex with a scowl until her gaze softens and her posture weakens. "But so have I," Woods whispered, and Scar blinked, unsure of this strange palpitation and anxiety that seared through his chest at nothing more than the look on this woman's face, and the tone in her voice. "I've been fighting to keep you alive this entire time. I fought against my own, not for me – but for YOU..." She looked him in his eyes with a great sadness. "Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't have a moment of doubt if you had to leave the Yautja, your way of life, your clansmen behind to stay on Earth with me? A WEAK little human?"

Guilt. It was guilt. Scar thrummed his fingers against the arm of his chair. She was right. Care for her as deeply as did, betraying his way of life to be "human" would have been…difficult. But Yautja were usually clear in their paths. They knew what to do, what had to be done, what their goal was and how they wanted it accomplished. It was why he had been able to put all his trust in Lex back on the frozen land they called Bouvet or Bouvetoya. Lex wasn't a Yautja. She was ooman. Their lives and paths were so drastically different from that of his people – so to expect her reactions and decisions to fall so easily in line with his expectations wasn't realistic at all. Reflecting back on it, Lex had always shown her loyalty and devotion to Scar, even when the circumstances had been way over her head and told her do otherwise. He wasn't a second pick. She'd always put his wellbeing at the forefront of her choices, even with the longevity of her mortality in the crosshairs.

For Yautja, death was more than what primitive minds could comprehend. It held great sadness, but each loss meant a growth and gain. They lived to hunt, and in turn lived to die. It was sad, but honorable. They knew that it came for them – just some sooner than others, some more honorable than others; but it would come, and his people tended to handle these things with reverence and respect – better than most species. Were they perfect in the acceptance of it? Never. But still…His desire for her had not considered the probability of positive emotional ties to her home planet – nor the impact Lex might've felt at the removal of them from a life with him entirely. Did he not grieve at the loss of his entire clan at the jaws of the abomination born from his own body? The things and people from Lex's human life weren't dead – but now that she was on this path, they might as well had been.

Scar felt foolish for having his doubts. After all, he had been the one to make the assumption that she would stay and boarded the ship without her. Biting back his pride, he parts his jaws in preparation for an apology when Lex beats him to the punch. "I'm sorry…" she whispers earnestly. "Even though my feelings may have been right, I made you think that what we had…what we have was fleeting—er," she corrected at his confused look, "—not real. I may not understand a lot of things, I may be a little scared, but I know that I want to be here. I've only been sure of three things: 1. That my father was gone forever. 2. That I had to be ready to protect myself and hurt my enemies at all times. And 3? That fate pulled us together – for heaven or hell, I don't know. But…" her heart skipped a beat as a single rush of electricity rushed down her spine, "…I would gladly walk into either if you're by my side."

Almost instantaneously, every single doubt, every thread of anger, melted away and was replaced with a hunger and yearning for something far greater than the extraterrestrial could have ever fathomed. Scar rose slowly from the command chair and stepped toward her, causing Lex to inhale sharply. The massive youth cocked his head to the side and brought the space between them at a close. Lex's legs opened, allowing the alien to step between them…Them. With his tendrils draping to the side, Scar stared into this ooman female's eyes with soul shattering purpose as his hand extended and the talons on his fingers traced the Blooded mark he'd given her out of deference, before traveling down and his palm finding rest against her chest. Scar felt her breaths quicken and then placed her hand upon his own chest. Their heartbeats pumped at different speeds, and yet each pulse seemed to echo after the other – as if they called to one another in a never ending song. He didn't have to say anything. In his eyes were all the words that could not be expressed. The tension had passed. Peace had returned to him once more…and now another need became priority.

"Split from Mother Ship…for other purpose…Lex…" he practically purred.

Lex' breath caught as a searing heat rushed from her chest down to her core – a devilish pulse teasing at her euphoric senses as her voice came out as a breath, "Wh-what other purpose?"

Scar's hand moved from Lex's chest and his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, forcefully pulling the woman up and flush against his body. Instinctively, Woods' legs tied around the Yautja's hips as the creature purred and nibbled against her weak spot – her neck – hungrily. Oh…Lex's arms fought briefly against her tattered shirt before snatching it off her body and discarding it and her bra onto the control room floor as Scar turned on his heels and exited the room, heading down the hall. With ease, Scar managed to remove articles of clothe until by the time they reached his quarter – the hall was strewn in a mess of fabric and clothing.

*****Margaret Alexus Woods washed the greens in the kitchen sink as the bustle and noise of the house party filled the entirety of her home. After placing the greens in a large pot, she turned with the cooking utensil and placed it on the circular eyes of the gas stove as two small children scurried past with laughter. Today would have been her late husband's – Colonel Alexander Woods – birthday; and every year they used this day to celebrate his memory with the family coming together in love – and gratefulness for another year of life and time together. Throughout the home was Alexander's three brothers, their wives, and a total of four children and seven grandchildren. On Margaret's side were her two sisters, one of their husband's and her seven nieces and nephews – three of which had their own kids.

But even though she was surrounded by so many loved ones, a heaviness had overcast Margaret's spirit. Not only was her husband no longer alive – but her only daughter, Alexa, had not come. In fact, she hadn't heard from her in weeks. Last year Alexa had been so…different. After some suspicious accident with her Weyland Expedition in Antarctica, Margaret's daughter had become distant; as if she'd become lost to what it meant to live. Being the wife of a Colonel, and having formed relationships within all the military branches no matter rank, Margaret was no stranger to the ugly head of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Yet, what she felt Lex suffered through in silence was beyond anything the mother could ever comprehend…or treat.

Whatever the full details of what happened in Antarctica, Margaret hated the monster of Weyland's Expedition that Alexa had been forced to carry and battle for over a year all alone. The elder Woods headed past her younger sister who was wrapping up the final fixings to her infamous sweet potato pie, rubbing her back lovingly before grabbing a glass of lemonade and heading for the living room where the majority of the family had assembled. The doorbell rang, and Margaret paused – hopeful that Alexa had come at last! But when one of her nephews answered the door and had not returned, Margaret felt a familiar chill encompass her chest.

"Aunt Marge?" called the nephew nervously.

The volume hushed as Margaret cautiously made her way into the hall – some family members following after her. The nephew stepped to the side – revealing two men in formal military wear standing on the porch. Margaret remained frozen. The nightmare she'd been having about Alexa for the past three nights forced its way to the forefront of her frightened mind. No. Not this. Oh God, not this – not again. "Where's Alexa?" she asked them – somehow knowing that it was because of her child that they were here.

She was right. A third man – young with red hair who hobbled awkwardly on a cane despite his youth – made his way up the porch, leaning helplessly against the arm of the militant who helped him up. "Mrs. Alexander Woods? My name is Dr. Lance Henson. I'm a scientist who was recently on an expedition with your daughter-."

Her chest began to pump up and down quickly. "Where's Alexa?!" she asks again – this time in the form of a demand.

Henson's expression grew solemn. "I'm…so sorry…" That's all she needed to hear. The glass slipped from between her fingers, shattering on the floor. Her eldest brother-in-law was at her side at the speed of light, demanding to know what was happening as Margaret's sanity threatened to break down – the warning of a mental slip shining in her widened eyes. Dr. Henson proceeded with as much precaution as he could afford – after all, he had his reasons for being here, and did not want to ruin them. "I'm so sorry, but…during an expedition…Alexa Woods lost her life during an act of terrorism." You could hear a pin drop in the house next door.

"Terrorism?!"

"Oh my God!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! WHY THE HELL IS THE MILITARY TELLING US THIS?"

"YOU killed her!"

The household erupted into verbal chaos as family members surrounded Margaret to console the grief they knew would come, while others demanded the strange militants disperse from their property in boisterous rage. But Margaret shook her head, pushing away her loved ones, and jabbed a finger at Henson before accusing with an all knowing anger: "It's related to Weyland, isn't it?!" All eyes turn for the young "doctor", waiting for the answer that would determine what would happen here.

Henson hesitates, and it feels as if the whole block grows silent – as if the birds themselves were trying to hear what would be said next. The crippled scientist narrows his brows. "Mrs. Woods, we would like to ask you a few…questions about your daughter."

To be continued…


Just what the heck does Henson have up his sleeve? And how many people will suffer for it?