Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! It means a lot. :) I'm hoping to write other AVP/Predator stories later on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Predators, Aliens, nor Aliens vs Predators. I also do not own Prison Planet Barbarian (I'm including the characters from this book, but I'm unable to create a crossover)

Rated M for gore, violence, language, adult content, and some interspecies sexual content

Enjoy


"Run!"

Nikolai shoved Edwin as everyone scattered, throwing themselves down to avoid a large trunk as it swung down from the canopy. Val threw herself down to avoid getting hit. She whirled around into a sitting position, her eyes finding the giant trunk as it began to swing back. A yelp to her right pulled her attention as Stans scrambled to his feet. Wooden spikes rained down, slamming right where Stans had been laying. The rain of wooden spikes moved towards Val like a creeping cloud. She rolled away from it, her body moving with the momentum and she broke into a run.

Val ran blindly as she heard the deadly spikes thump into the ground behind her. She swerved right and then left, pushing herself to run faster. "Help!"

She slid to a stop, hearing the cries of someone close by. "Help!"

Val bolted across a small clearing, the spikes barely missing her. She felt one whiz right past her arm, but she pushed forward. The ground sloped down and she zeroed in on the hole ahead. Two hands were grasping the muddy edge. Val threw herself down, latching onto Isabelle's wrists just as the woman lost her grip. Isabelle dangled in the pit, her feet flailing a couple of meters above sharp pikes. Val gritted her teeth as she used all her strength to pull her out. Isabelle grabbed onto Val's wrists, her eyes were wide with fear. Val motioned to lift harder, then froze.

Her entire body had shifted forward and Isabelle dropped further into the pit. Val mirrored the woman's fearful gaze. Shit, I'm slipping! Val tried to lean back, but she slid forward even further. "Help!" she called. "Someone help! We're slipping! Hel-!"

Isabelle screamed as a shadow enveloped them. Someone grabbed onto Val by the scruff of her uniform and tossed her off the edge with relative ease. Isabelle flew with her and they both collapsed onto the ground, safely away from the pit. The sniper wasted no time, rolling onto her knees and swinging her rifle into position. Val scrambled onto all fours. Her eyes fell upon the blue alien. He stood beside the pit, his chest heaving as if he had sprinted. Jutari.

"Twelve o'clock," Isabelle announced, startling Val. "110 meters."

"Take him out," she said, moving behind the sniper as she drew her pistol. "Hurry!"

"I don't have to." Isabelle took a deep breath and lowered her rifle. "He's dead."

Jutari walked over as the women stood up. Isabelle gave him and then Val a wary glance before heading towards the source of the traps. Val holstered her weapon and readjusted her vest. The top three buttons had popped off, exposing the vest underneath. She met his gaze, very aware he had been staring at her the whole time. "Thank you."

He gave her a side-smile. Val couldn't help but smile back, a mixture of awkwardness and relief washing over her. She nodded to the others who were converging on the unknown enemy. "Come on."

Luke and Royce had used their machetes to hack away at the vines, clearing up the path. They gathered at the edge of a dry creek bed. Below, a dead man sat with his chest blown wide open. His face was contorted in a frozen scream, dried up blood and bits of organs scattered across his lip and arms. Val frowned, her confusion was now giving her a headache. The dead man wore dirty, grey military fatigues. Strangely, he wasn't rotten away with maggots and flies. "We triggered a dead man's trap," Mombasa said.

She noticed Jutari making his way down. He knelt down in front of the body, silently studying it. "It's two weeks," Edwin informed. "Judging from the rate of decomposition."

"He took up a position here. Shooting in all directions." Nikolai pointed towards the canopy. "This was a last stand."

Jutari grabbed a small book out of the dead man's pocket. He flipped through it for a moment before handing it to Nikolai. "Can you read this?"

The Russian nodded and took the book. "United States Special Forces," he informed. "This is strange. He's supposed to be deployed in Afghanistan...three months ago."

"What's he doing here setting traps for us?" Stans spat. He gestured to Jutari. "Maybe these were for you."

Royce shook his head. "No. He was hunting something else. Something a lot bigger."

Edwin frowned in confusion. He pointed to the alien and whispered, "Bigger?"

"Yes, bigger," Jutari answered, startling the doctor. He stood up so suddenly, several of the men tensed. "That pit over there was a deadfall set to five times the weight of something much heavier than me."

Val wiped the sweat from her brow, tucking her wet hair behind her ears. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. "Are there other species out there? Ones that could do this...all without setting off any tripwires?"

Jutari nodded rather nonchalantly. "My guess is one capable of using a high-caliber blaster, but this? This is overkill. As for what species-" he shrugged "-there are handfuls that come to mind. I couldn't say which one."

Royce humphed as he stood up abruptly. Without sparing another glance, he turned westward. "No point in lingering to find out. Let's move."

~o0o~

The group had resumed their single-file formation. Mostly.

Val had grown tired from the rollercoaster of emotions that she'd experienced all day. Jutari walked in tandem with her despite his longer stride. She thought it was cute at first. Now it was getting annoying. Every time she snuck a glance at him, she found him already staring at her. The curiousness in her wanted to study him. A red humanoid alien was already crazy enough, but a 7-foot tall, demon-looking alien? She had been screaming internally at the sheer disbelief. Aliens are real!

Everyone else seemed to be taking the alien news pretty well. Though, Val suspected they were just glad Jutari and Anryss were friendly, and that Jutari had chosen her as his buddy. "So, female," he began, "tell me about home."

"Jesus Christ," she muttered. She had grown used to the jungle ambiance that his deep voice surprised her. "You can call me Val."

"Val? Is that your name?"

"Yeah. And why do you wanna know about Earth?"

"Just curious about what it's like," he said innocently. "Is the sky blue? Is it green? Yellow?"

"It's blue."

"Does Earth orbit a larger planet?"

"No, it orbits the sun. The star of our system."

"And how many moons?"

"One."

"Are you certain?"

Val frowned up at him. "Yes, I'm sure."

Jutari hummed as he gestured to the open sky behind him. "Then I suppose we are not on Earth."

Val followed his gaze and then widened her eyes. She stopped as she took in the sight before her. "Guys!" she called.

Everyone else stopped. They followed her gaze to the sky. A large planet loomed overhead, brown and black and nearly blocking out the sun like a massive solar eclipse. Past it was a planet stripped like Jupiter with various shades of orange and beige, but it had various rocks hovering around it in a broken ring. Val scanned the horizon, not recognizing any of the hills that rolled out like dunes. Endless green as far as the eye could see. No indications of a river or a lake. No structures or signs of civilization. That small voice in the back of Val's mind was screaming now. Not Earth! She swallowed back the urge to vomit. Her mind racing with hundreds of questions.

Royce shouldered his gun and marched over to Jutari, craning his neck to meet the alien's eyes. "You said you don't know where we are."

"I did."

"You don't recognize anything?" he pointed up. "The moons, that big fucking planet over our heads - none of it?"

Jutari stared down at Royce, studying the fierceness in his eyes. "Space is very big if you didn't know. I may have visited a lot of worlds because of my type of work, but there are thousands upon thousands of systems. I couldn't even begin to guess where we are."

"Is it possible this planet is colonized?" Val asked. "Or has some sort of civilization?"

"Perhaps." Jutari flicked his gaze to hers. "Considering the manor of our arrival and the fact that my tech was stolen from me...I suspect this planet was-"

Something fast soared through the air above their heads. The soldiers dropped into a crouch, aiming their guns up. Edwin huddled behind Isabelle and Val. Stans had whipped out his shiv, yelping in surprise when the strange thing whooshed overhead again. "What the fuck?!"

Jutari tried to follow the thing. It moved too fast to be an animal or a bird and he could've sworn it was metallic. Stans stomped his feet, angrily waving his shiv. "You know what? Fuck this. This is bullshit, man. I want a gun!" He glanced at Cuchillo. "Come on, man, you got two motherfucking guns, man."

Cuchillo pointed his submachine guns before Stans could take a step. The inmate flinched and turned away. "Somebody give me a gun! Come on, Russian. You got a big fucking gun."

He glanced at Val who immediately moved into a defensive stance, both hands on her gun. Stans whined then turned to Mombasa. "Come, man. Give me a gun." He sauntered up to the much bigger man, widening his arms in a peaceful gesture. Before Mombasa could respond, Stans surged forward. Pressing his shiv to Mombasa's throat, "Give me your gun. Right now. Give me your gun."

Stans froze as he felt something hard slide up between their chests. Something cold pressed into his throat. Mombasa cocked the hammer of the pistol, smirking. "I'm ready to die. Are you?"

A distant growl pierced the tense silence. Mombasa and Stans turned in unison towards the sound, releasing each other. The growls grew louder. The group instinctively spread out, readying their weapons. Even Luke withdrew the silver pistol from his waistband. Val took her position beside Hanzo, right behind Mombasa. Jutari went to her side, sniffing the air as he did. "Dogs." He tapped a button on his blaster and it whirred to life. "At least six."

"Six?" Edwin huffed in disbelief. "How do you...you can smell-?!" He was cut off by a wolf-like howl. Anryss hissed as he raised his ax, ready to fight.

Grass ruffled and twigs snapped as a large animal with numerous horns came into view. Gunfire unleashed all at once. Stans, Edwin, and Anryss covered their ears. Val focused on the creature running towards them, shooting as quickly as she could. Nikolai's machine gun landed upon it and it burst into pieces. But before the blood even settled, three more appeared. The alien dogs spread out, two more appearing as they circled around the group. Forcing them to separate into smaller groups.

Within seconds, Val found herself alone. She repeatedly shot at the dog sauntering towards her. Her back collided with a tree, and still, she kept shooting. Blood spurted from the bullet wounds in its head, but it continued on. Growling and snarling even as she shot out its right eye. Whimpers of fear escaped Val's lips. Her gun clicked empty and she ejected the clip. The dog roared, taking the chance as she fumbled for another clip. A piercing roar rendered her paralyzed as Jutari stepped in front of her. He grabbed onto the dog's horns, forcing its head down. The dog thrashed and bucked, slashing at Jutari blinded. He ignored the claws that raked against his arm and shot the dog point-blank in the head. It dropped dead instantly. Jutari turned to Val. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, unable to form words. Her gaze shifted beyond Jutari. Another dog was barreling straight towards them. Val latched on his elbow and pointed. "Look out!"

Jutari whirled around, aiming his blaster. But then the dog suddenly stopped. A shrill whistle echoed through the jungle. Jutari flinched at the sharp sound, hunching his shoulders up to try and cover his ears. The dog stared at them a moment, its upper lip twitching. The whistle sounded again, and the dog turned away, running off back to wherever it came from. Jutari turned back to Val, looking her over. "You're not hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said. Her hand was still on his arm. Her fingers slid down to the jagged scratches. His skin was soft, like suede. "Your blood is red," she noted.

Jutari turned over his four-fingered hand so that her palm settled onto his. "Of course it is."

Val opened her mouth to say something else but Royce appeared, sweaty as he stomped back. He noticed the two of them. His eyes quickly scanned them from head to toe. He nodded east. "Come on."

Jutari and Val exchanged one final glance before following after Royce. The others had gathered around Nikolai who stood over a dead alien dog. He was pacing beside it, muttering to himself. Edwin trudged along beside Isabelle. Once she finally stopped, he took the opportunity to catch his breath. "So they...they just, what, left?"

"The whistle," Val said, gesturing to the air. "That was some sort of dog whistle. They were called back."

Royce took a knee, resting his rifle on his thigh. "All right, listen up. Everybody do a shell count. We've got to conserve ammunition. Reload. Do it now."

Jutari watched the humans as they dug into their pockets. Beside him, Val checked her belt pockets, silently cursing herself for only having two more clips. She had a small revolver hiding on her ankle, but she hadn't packed any extra bullets for it. She met Jutari's gaze as he confusedly looked over his own blaster.

"Excuse me, just what the hell is going on here?" Edwin asked. He turned to Jutari. "What were those things?"

"Tracking beasts." Jutari studied the dog carcass. "But I have no idea what species. I've never seen these things before."

"We're being hunted," Royce clarified. "The cages. The soldier. All of us...all brought here for the same purpose." He paused to secure a new clip into his rifle. "This planet is a game preserve, and we're the game. They sent the dogs in. Flush us out just like you would if you were stalking boar or shooting quail."

"Big-Blue over here doesn't look all that surprised," Luke said.

All eyes turned on Jutari. Val glanced up at him, seeing the look of knowing on his face. A part of her wondered if his face was too different to really read, but she recognized the look in his dark eyes. He gave a one-shoulder shrug. "As I said, there are thousands upon thousands of systems. But less than half of them are advanced enough to travel through space, and not all of them are members of the Intergalactic Committee."

"What do you mean?" Val asked.

He hesitated for a moment. "There's... a sector of space that belongs to an old and powerful empire that very few have seen and lived. An empire ruled by a species that hunts others for sport. I've only ever heard rumors. I've never seen any of them or their tech myself. They're shadows," he explained. "They can infiltrate any city, board any ship, and you'd never know they were there."

Isabelle raised her eyebrows. "And you think these shadows are the ones who abducted all of us?"

"It's the only answer I can come up with."

"Ajah unu etjeh?" Anryss interjected.

"Wvese ohopss kvdujdic," Jutari said, gesturing to the whole group and then the jungle.

Anryss lowered his gaze, his face growing grim. He glared at the dead dog for a long moment then looked to Royce. "Wves koon kvdujdic. Inna Yautja."

"He says he knows what's hunting us," Jutari translated. "He said they're called Yautja."

Stans scoffed. "Ya-hoo-what now?"

"Ya-oot-jah," Anryss corrected. "Inna Yautja."

"How do know about them?" Val asked. She looked up at Jutari. "How does he know - what does he know about them?"

Jutari relayed the question. Anryss noticed everyone staring at him, waiting. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and began his tale. "I have not seen them myself," Jutari translated, "but a brother of mine has. He was a guard at a prison on Nyxi II. One day, a supply shipment arrived early, carrying...eggs."

"Eggs? Of what?" Nikolai asked.

Anryss shook his head, glancing at the Russian with a sad face. "No one truly knows," Jutari continued with the translation, "but whatever was inside hatched. And they attacked the prison. It became overrun with evil monsters. Then the Yautja showed up. They hunted the creatures and prisoners and guards alike. And they took trophies."

"They were being hunted for sport," Val realized.

"Like us," Royce agreed with a sigh.

Jutari asked Anryss something else, and the red alien answered earnestly. "He says his brother is the sole survivor of the attack. Escaped on a shuttle, but was made a gladiator for displeasing his owner."

"Owner?" Isabelle echoed. "His brother is a slave?"

The blue alien nodded, folding his arms over his broad chest. "Anryss here is an a'ani."

"We don't know what that is, hombre," Luke said.

"My name is Jutari. And a'ani are a long-extinct species, existing now thanks to Cloners. It's why he's red."

Royce settled his rifle onto his shoulder. "Good to know. Now let's move out. We're sitting ducks and we need to get far away from here."

"Wait," Mombasa said. His eyes scanned over everyone. "There are only eleven of us."

Val, like the others, did a headcount. She thought everyone was present. Even the silent yakuza was alive and unharmed, standing behind Nikolai. Then a croaky voice filled the silence. "Help me!"

"Cuchillo," Val whispered.

Royce pointed his rifle and signaled everyone to follow his lead. Val gestured for Jutari to stay by her side as she followed behind Isabelle. He grunted and shoved her behind him. Val scoffed at him and ducked around him, too fast for him to catch her as she marched ahead. She ignored Jutari's glares as the group entered a clearing. Cuchillo was sitting in the middle of an overgrown meadow with his back to them. "Help," he croaked. "Help."

He was sitting oddly still. His shoulders not even moving as he cried out. Isabelle stepped forward but Jutari latched onto her shoulder. "Don't," he warned.

"What?"

"I smell metal," he said. His nostrils flared.

Metal? Val noticed a golfball-sized rock beside her shoe and picked it up. Cuchillo cried out again, almost monotonous. Val tossed the rock into the grass. As soon as it disappeared, vicious metal arms shot out, latching onto nothing as it sizzled with electricity. Everyone raised their guns, ready. Edwin stumbled back behind Mombasa. "Fuck me."

"Help," Cuchillo begged.

"Wound one man," Mombasa began, "make him suffer. Make him bleed. Make him call out for help, and set a trap, and kill those who come. I know because I have done this."

"But he isn't wounded." Jutari sniffed the air. "He smells dead."

"Then how is he calling out?" Luke countered.

Stans clicked his tongue. "Does it matter, man? We're gonna leave him right?" He paused as Isabelle turned around to face him. "Come on, look at him. He's dead. Blue guy said so. There's nothing we can do. Right?"

Val glanced up at Jutari. "He's dead. You're sure?"

He nodded, tapping his nose. Val looked over at Royce. He, too, waiting for Jutari's answer. Royce glanced at Cuchillo's back. "We leave him."

"We can't," Isabelle said. "He smells dead...doesn't mean he actually is."

"Then that's on you." With that, Royce turned away, leaving the meadow.

Stans and Edwin avoided Isabelle's gaze as they turned to follow after Royce. Val met the sniper's gaze, silently relaying what they all already knew. She shook her head and turned away. Jutari didn't hesitate. He glanced up at the canopy as he followed after Val, smelling something odd in the air. He scanned the branches but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Uncertain, he exited the meadow.

Royce led the group several yards away into a thicker part of the jungle. Val had unbuttoned her shirt all the way, letting it flow loose. She had readjusted her hair, slicking it back into a ponytail. They stopped at the edge of a creek bed and Royce knelt down in front of a patch of mud. Edwin threw his hands up in the air as everyone else took a defensive position, protecting the group from all angles. Luke, Stans, and Anryss stood in the center with Edwin. "What are we gonna do?" the doctor asked.

"We should go to higher ground," Isabelle said. "We're vulnerable in this valley."

"Really? We're trapped on an alien-hunting planet," he spat. "You think the solution is to walk more?"

"And what's your suggestion?" Val asked, hands on her hips.

"How about finding the edge of the preserve? Maybe your radios can-"

"It wants us to run," Royce interjected. He picked up a smashed leaf, studying it. "That's how they hunt. The...Yautja. This is their jungle. Their game. Their rules. We run, we die."

Val knelt down beside him, furring her brows at the leaf he twirled between his fingers. "So what's the plan?"

"We need to know who we're dealing with." He dropped the leaf and pointed to the fresh prints in the mud. "Tracks go that way. We go after it."

~o0o~

They found the edge of the camp just as the sun began to complete its long arc across the sky. Val waited with Jutari and Nikolai as Isabelle scouted the camp. After several moments, she lowered her rifle. "No movement."

Royce grunted and signaled for everyone to form up. He took the lead with Isabelle and Nikolai flanking him. Val took her position behind Nikolai, protecting the right side with Jutari. The camp wasn't like anything she could've imagined. Basic and barbaric, hardly any sign of advanced technology. Several fires blazed, making the already humid jungle even hotter. Bones had been tossed around like garbage. To the left, a freshly skinned humanoid body hung upside by its feet. Val noticed something protruding from the base of the body's spine. "Is that a-"

"A mesakkah," Jutari said. He clenched his fists tight, his knuckles turning a lighter blue.

"We ain't the only ones they're hunting," Stans said. He pointed to a butcher's block several meters ahead. Almost as large as an altar, the head of an a'ani and a headless human body laid upon it.

"I don't understand," Luke spoke up. "These yahoos abduct us and drop us here. They obviously got super-advanced tech...why live like this?"

"Yautja," Anryss corrected.

"Whatever."

Val rolled her eyes and continued after Nikolai and the others. The camp was large. She walked across several more butchering stations and skins of unknown creatures. However, she noticed no sign of sleeping quarters. No tents or protection from the weather. If anything, this seems like a pit stop camp. Or they're sleeping elsewhere. Her eyes flicked to a hanging pelt of blue skin, nearly the same shade as Jutari. Shivers ran up Val's spine, and she turned away from it. Something glittered in the firelight and she tensed, her hand flinching over her gun.

Past the mesakkah skin, something red as chained to a wooden stake. Val stepped carefully as she approached. As she got closer, she realized that something was humanoid. Two red, scaly arms were tied above a head with short, bright red hair. Val got closer, realizing the humanoid was female. Its - her clothes were tattered, practically falling off her feminine curves. Drying blood pooled at the scaly woman's feet, some of it seeping from ugly scratches decorating the exposed parts of her body. Val froze suddenly. "Hey," she called. "This one's alive."

Val squatted down and gently touched the woman's neck. Her skin was oddly smooth unlike a reptile's. Val felt the familiar throb of a pulse. "Hey," she whispered to the alien. "Hey, can you hear me?"

The woman's eyes fluttered as she groaned. Val glanced back at the others. "Help me get her down."

"It's dead weight," Royce said. "Leave it."

Val stood up straight. "For whatever reason, she's being kept alive. She might have information. We should help her."

The human men fidgeted, eyeing the scaly woman warily. Jutari stepped forward, pulling out a knife to cut the bonds. He looked down at Val, his heart surging at seeing the gratitude in her eyes. "This female is a Drakoni," he explained. "You are right in that she'll have intel...but drakoni are sly and untrustworthy."

The Drakoni groaned. She finally opened her eyes. They fell on Royce and released a strangled exhale, smoke billowing from her lips. "And they breathe fire," Jutari added.

Val sighed and waved Hanzo over to help. He walked over silently, taking the Drakoni into his arms as Jutari freed her. The alien's golden eyes half consciously gazed over them, noticing their weapons. "Coming...back..."

"Who?" Val asked. "What are they?"

The Drakoni closed her eyes for a moment, summoning whatever strength she had. Her gaze shifted away from the humans, towards the center of the camp. Val, Royce, and Isabelle turned around. At the center of the camp, a metal totem jutted out. Exactly like the one they had seen earlier. They moved towards it. Hanzo threw the Drakoni's arm over his shoulder as he walked her over. Bound to the metal totem, a creature hung like a pathetic trophy. Bigger than Jutari and unlike anything any of them had ever seen. It had the face of some sort of crustacean. Large, flesh-coated mandibles hung loosely around its shallow jaws. Its close-set eyes were closed and sunken deep into its inhuman face. The creature's large, bulbous head peaked up at a slant casting its face low and its head tall even at the odd angle it hung. At the crown of its head, long black appendages hung like a curtain around its neck and shoulders like dreadlocks. Its skin was speckled and striped like a snake. Even though it utterly terrified her, Val couldn't help but see its beauty.

Nikolai stepped forward. He glanced back at the others, just as nervous. He raised his machine gun and tapped the creature's shoulder. It whipped it's head up and roared. Everyone jumped back. Jutari instinctively stepped in front of Val, drawing his blaster. Stans had screamed. "What the fuck?! What the fuck is that thing?!"

"This was a mistake," Isabelle said. "We need to leave."

No one needed to be told twice. Luke moved to the otherside of the Drakoni to help Hanzo carry her out. "Hey," Edwin called. "Where's the tough guy?"

"He's right..." Val's voice trailed off. She had pointed past Anryss but Royce had vanished.

"He's here," Mombasa assured them. "Let us-?!" He stumbled as something hit his chest. A red spot appeared on his shirt as he glanced down, touching it. Then spears burst from the ground, piercing Mombasa and lifting him up in the air. He screamed as he squeezed the trigger of his rifle. Jutari grabbed Val and yanked her back to avoid the bullets.

The otherside of the camp erupted. Royce appeared, firing at nothing. "Run!"

Val yelped as her world spun. Jutari had scooped her up bridal style and took off after Royce. Hanzo and Luke ran as well, ignoring the Drakoni's cries of pain. Nikolai unleashed gunfire on the invisible hunters, giving everyone else cover to escape. "Zapustit'!"

A strangled scream reverberated through the jungle. Surrounding trees and branches exploded. Val latched onto Jutari's shoulders. He moved so fast that it took all her strength to pull herself up to look back. She had a moment of catching Royce's gaze, preparing to unleash the questions building in her mind. But he disappeared. Val screamed as she fell out of Jutari's arms and landed on hard dirt. Gravity pulled at her side. Val slammed onto the ground again and again, her vision nothing but a blur of green and brown. Her limbs flailed about as she bounced. More screams mixed with the rush of air.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared. Val flapped her arms uselessly, barely registering the lake below. She hit the water just as Jutari did. The dull thuds of the others hitting the surface prompted Val to swim away from it. The water was clear enough for her to make out rocks up ahead. Val kicked as hard and fast as she could, grabbing onto the nearest rock. Large hands grabbed her waist and lifted her into the air. Val instinctively threw her elbow back, colliding with a blue eyebrow. "Ah, chinga!" she screamed.

"My translator didn't catch that," Jutari said as he carried her out of the water. "Are you speaking human?"

Val cradled her arm, her mouth frozen in a pained O-shape. She glared up at the unharmed ridges along his brows. "What the fuck are you made of?"

The corner of his mouth twitched as he stopped on a dry rock. Jutari ran his fingers through his black hair. "My kind has natural plating." He pointed to the ridges on his face. "Like armor."

"Sahss cho-keen, mesakkah," called the Drakoni. She was dropped unceremoniously a few meters away. Hanzo leaned on his knees, his back heaving hard.

"Keff off," Jutari spat.

The scaly alien snickered then broke into a coughing fit. The others had swam over, spreading out to catch their breath. Val did a headcount, noticing that Anryss was missing alongside Mombasa. Isabelle walked over to Val's side and laid her rifle down. "Hold this."

Before Val could answer, Isabelle marched right up to Royce's side and punched him square in the jaw. "You set us up!" She met his challenge as he loomed over her. "You led us into that death camp, then hid and waited for that thing to strike. You used us as bait."

"I needed to know who we were up against," Royce said, stepping back from Isabelle as he wiped the water from his face. "Now I do."

"Two men are dead because of that," Stans pointed out.

Royce frowned at him. "This morning you were ready to kill them."

"It ain't this goddamn morning, is it?!"

"At least he didn't die in vain."

Val got to her feet, slapping away Jutari's attempt to help her. "Why?" she asked Royce. "The whole point was to find out who's hunting us, not get two of us killed. For nothing."

"No, not nothing. There's more than one of them," he argued. "They use projectile and energy-based weapons. They have some sort of cloaking tech, and they bigger than us - bigger than him-" he pointed to Jutari "-and stronger. But also heavier."

Val scoffed. "Isabelle's right. You put all of us at risk for yourself."

Royce looked away, refusing to hold her gaze. He flicked his glare to Isabelle, sneering. "Why don't you tell everyone the truth?"

"What truth-?"

"You know what I'm talking about. The way you looked at that thing that was strung up, the way you reacted. None of the aliens recognized it, but you did."

"No...I-"

"She knows what it is!" he told the others. "Don't you?"

Isabelle sagged her shoulders. She held his glare for a moment before submitting, sitting down on a rock. "There's no name for them," she began. "1987, Guatemala. A specs ops team went into the jungle. Six men plus a CIA liaison. Only one made it out. In his debrief, he gave a detailed description."

Val scoffed in disbelief. She pointed over her shoulder. "The thing on the totem? Are you serious?"

"I didn't believe it either...until now," Isabelle sighed.

"Ihreaid."

All eyes turned to the Drakoni. She holding herself up on shaky arms. Her golden eyes were dull. "The Yautja you humans speak of...Ihreaid is his name."

"That thing has a name?" Edwin frowned. "Wait, he's a Yautja? The ones Anryss was talking about?"

"How do you know all this?" Jutari asked.

The Drakoni slowly flicked her gaze to him. "He was hunting me, but we were both abducted. Held prisoner as you saw."

"By what?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. Ihreaid threw so many insults, I couldn't ascertain what they're called. But they use the same technology. Camouflage, multi-spectrum vision...but they're crueler." She slowly swiveled on the rock, displaying her back. "They took my wings."

Two angry gashes ran parallel along her spine. Dried blood caked the wound and her clothes, turning her red skin almost black. It amazed Val that the alien was still alive. "Whatever it is, wherever they're from, we're going to kill them all," Royce said. "We set up a defensive perimeter. Make it look like we're holing up. That'll bring them to us. We force them into a choke point. We get them in overlapping fields of fire. It can be done. We can take them out. But I can't do it alone."

Val closed her eyes for a moment, summoning the slivers of strength left in her body. She walked over and handed Isabelle's rifle to her. "Guess we better get to work."


End of Chapter 3