Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.

Once they loaded everything required for the mission and preparations were handled, the aircraft took off without losing a single second and it made Sara question the cause of such a hurry. True that this is time sensitive but . . .

She sighed, lowering her head when she felt a headache coming on. It had been hours of sitting in the loading dock of the aircraft and boredom nagged like a thorn or splinter in her temple that she could do nothing about. Cleaning her weapons, checking for ammo and supplies, and making sure everything was in order, wasn't enough and the anxiety in her only grew.

Sara looked around from her seat near the window, observing the commotion of soldiers nearby but her focus was drawn to I'koh and Ma'dti who kept their distance and minded their own business. She swallowed but her throat ran dry from thinking about their last interaction that made her wary of them afterward, the way I'koh reacted as if he wasn't there mentally and with her prior history, it always led to worse problems.

Of course, it wasn't going to be easy.

Ma'dti had been keeping a watch on her, one eye on his brother and another on herself, very strange but surprisingly didn't make her anxious. In a deeper sense, it was like he had his reasons that went beyond that and in his way, protecting his brother. But from what?

She lowered her gaze to the floor. Just remember what you have to do. That's all.

With a deep breath and a boost of self-confidence, Sara stood and walked her way to the brothers, receiving glances from the crowd and a few glares to add to the mix but she kept moving, standing tall and in order as soon as Ma'dti noticed her. He immediately growled, low enough that only she, the intended target, could hear while I'koh paused but never glanced in her general direction.

"How are you boys doing?" Sara spoke calmly.

"Why do you ask?"

Ma'dti's response was expected but still stung into her chest like a knife, even more, when I'koh looked away and something inside her began to tear. She sighed deeply and gathered her thoughts, "Is it wrong to ask a simple question?"

The brother hissed but she ignored it, turning to the unresponsive I'koh, "Are you feeling alright?"

Sara almost pleaded and got some form that he heard her, his mandibles twitched and his head tilted to the side to try and get a look without being obvious but Ma'dti's body blocked their paths. It ticked her off and she wasn't shy about saying it out loud, "What's your problem?"

He snorted, the translator babbled for a moment, "Don't trust . . . ooman . . ."

"I already figured that out a long time ago," Ma'dti hissed at the sassy remark, "The only info I don't have is why."

Testing the waters, Sara leaned closer and locked eyes with Ma'dti through the biomask he'd worn, "Well?"

She'd expected him to react aggressively, maybe even physically harm her in some way given that this brother was more into action than using his words and intelligence. Instead, Ma'dti stepped back and froze when he sensed I'koh emitting a low growl. For the first time during their brief conversation, I'koh stood up and tightened his shoulders and fists. Uh oh.

She imagined the worst-case scenario, a fight in the middle of an aircraft flying over God knows what with two hunters, and swallowed a lump of dry air. To her surprise and maybe everyone else who watched from afar, Ma'dti held his hand to force his brother to stop. He spoke something in their language that made I'koh step away but not too far, exchanging a glance with her until she was pulled forcibly in the other direction.

"Hey! What are you—"

"Be quiet."

Ma'dti swung her around and pinned her against the structure of the aircraft, his arms placed on either side of her head to bar her from moving, making her nervous but staying firm, "Okay, big boy. What is your problem with me?"

Ma'dti tilted his head, "Your problem . . . with me?"

Sara pulled her lips in a tight line, not enjoying the mockery of her voice being used against her, "Don't toy with me."

She pushed him away, probably not a smart move but she had enough of the disrespect, "Ever since I met you both, you've treated me like nothing even though I'm the only one being kind to you."

Ma'dti puffed, "A facade . . . ulterior motive . . . not let you hurt . . . . mei'hswei."

Sara raised an eyebrow and her eyes looked behind for a second, noting I'koh still staring at them. His fingers twitched rapidly, a clear sign of nervousness. They're hiding something.

"Why is that?" She asked, "I know you hate oomans and whether it's because of the biased views or your consideration of us as prey I don't know. But that's no excuse for treating me like trash. Like I'm—"

Her body shuddered as a dark thought rushed into her mind, memories she'd wished she could forget flooded inside along with the raw emotions it brought, the greatest was anger.

You're nothing without me. Just be a good, little girl and deal with it. That's all you're good for anyway.

Sara closed her eyes and counted. One . . . Two . . . Three . . . Just relax.

She inhaled and let the energy leave, the calm composure returned just as Ma'dti growled, "I give respect . . . those who earned it . . . Not you."

"How did I not earn it?"

Do I have to bleed more for you to understand?

Sara waited, waiting for his response that didn't come as soon as she thought. Instead, Ma'dti turned his head in the slightest to check his brother, I'koh still watching them from afar before he came back to her.

"Don't want . . . ooman . . . Betray us . . . again."

The statement, although barely audible, struck her immediately as odd and . . . unnerving. She must have made a weird face because Ma'dti tilted his head, his tusks unnaturally clicking against each other under the metal frame of the mask.

She narrowed her eyes, "What? Why are you doing that?"

Ma'dti stuttered something in his language and that ticked her off, "Spit it out, dickwad."

The translator went static for a moment, "You . . . not know . . . happened?"

"Know what? What happened?"

Before the hunter could answer, his shoulder was thrust back and his body turned, more like pushed aside and I'koh, who was silent for most of the conversation, finally intervened. A series of soft growls and glares were exchanged between the brothers before I'koh came to her side, "You . . . alright?"

Sara opened her mouth but no words would come out, the confusion over this brief span of the argument added to the eerie reaction from both of the hunters brought more questions than answers, all the while the brothers began to rant at each other.

"What are you telling her?" I'koh was the first to ask.

"Telling? I'm warning her."

"About what? I thought we're passed all of this."

Ma'dti growled, "Looks who's talking. You almost had a breakdown in the middle of the ooman's dwelling and now sulking like a sucking. I'm trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" I'koh's body began to burn, "Protect me!?"

The space that was full of chatting and gossip went silent like the dead of night, the soldiers hushed and even appeared worrisome from Sara's point of view, not that it mattered to the brothers who didn't give a fuck.

"I don't need protecting!" I'koh stepped hard toward Ma'dti, "And all you care about is keeping everyone away from us. Like a coward."

Ma'dti hissed, the anger burning the air around them, "Don't you dare call me that! You're the fool who fell over heels with the last ooman and look how it ended! Badly!"

The brothers were right in each other's faces and the air thickened with tension that Sara became frightened a brawl was ready to erupt in a small space with other soldiers who could think less about shooting them based on protecting themselves. When she saw the closest one reaching for his weapon with a deadly spark in his eyes, she intervened.

"Enough! Both of you!"

She pushed herself in between the brother's bodies, pressing on their chests with all her might to keep them apart but it did little to dissuade them. And then more worried soldiers began to stand up and head in their direction. Not good, not good, not good!

"Hey! Stop fighting right now!"

Ma'dti reacted instinctively when she grabbed for his dreadlocks and in a fit of rage, swatted his arm and smacked her underneath her chin, the pain ricocheted to the underside of her jaw as she crashed to the floor and took the breath out of her lungs.

"Sara!"

I'koh kneeled and brought her up to her knees, holding her gently. She gasped, desperate for life before she reached for her neck and felt something warm and sticky, bringing it to her face to realize it was her blood. Shit . . .

It took one look at her injury and I'koh's demeanor morphed into one filled with pure rage, a flip of a switch that made Sara scared, even with his mask on. Before she could open her mouth, he was gone from her side and had his arms on his brother, crushing him to the nearest metal wall of the aircraft.

"Hey!"

Her words fell on deaf ears and the brothers were roaring in their faces, digging their claws into each other, and green blood trickled in between. The soldiers around went into action, weapons out and no doubt they would fire without a second thought.

Sara scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could, "Stop! That's enou—"

The aircraft shuddered and everyone tumbled to each side like being on a rocky boat, shouting, and gasping as many tried to keep on their feet. Sara was less fortunate and hit the floor on her injured side, the cut in her neck ripped open further and her vision began to blur. Keep pressure on! Don't pass out!

Again, I'koh came to her side right as another shake hit the aircraft and she would have been thrashed if not for I'koh holding her in a tight embrace.

"What's going on!?"

Sara heard many voices all at once screaming the same question but none had the answer as the aircraft shook like a boat in the middle of a terrible storm, many people were flung back and forth as it grew worse. If I'koh wasn't holding onto her, she would have more to worry about than a cut in the neck and her vision blurring in and out. The intercom and alarms soon came on erratically, red lights flashing and obscuring her limited vision while her hearing barely caught the muffled commands.

Code Zero! Code Zero! We're under attack! Code Ze—

The intercom went dead as a blast obliterated the side of the holding bay and a gush of air rushed through before being sucked back outside. Bodies flew from the initial attack while others suffered a worse fate, being pulled out of the aircraft and to the outside to meet their death below. Sara could hear their dying screams, their pleas for mercy, and the death rattles that came all too soon. She clung to I'koh's arm, keeping the pure fear building inside her chest from being unleashed.

This isn't happening . . .

"Ma'dti!" I'koh roared for his brother and got a glimpse of him standing a few feet from the hole in the ooman ship, and didn't like how he was looking outside, frozen and doing nothing to act, "Brother!"

Ma'dti hissed and his body tensed in a mere second, "He's here, I'koh! He's here!"

I'koh went cold, the familiar terror that he felt so long ago flooded his senses and he gripped Sara even more. C'jit! That pauking pau'jit!

"We need to get out of here!"

"What about the oomans?! And . . .?" I'koh looked down at the weak and probably scared Sara.

"We don't have any choice! Let the oomans take care of their mess! We need to—"

Suddenly, the aircraft began to plummet nose first and everyone in it began to slide toward the front. I'koh and Ma'dti grabbed onto anything to keep them from following but the oomans were less fortunate, screaming as they piled up at the bottom. I'koh held onto Sara as hard as he could but he knew she wasn't doing too well, the injury from his brother was becoming serious and she was going in and out of consciousness.

Hang on Sara! Just a little longer!

But then, he heard humming from far away, one both of the brothers were too familiar with what that meant, growing in volume as it came closer. He roared as loud as he could to Ma'dti.

"Hold on!"

I'koh shielded Sara as their surroundings were engulfed in blue light for one moment until crimson flames destroyed everything in its path, taking the holding bay with it. The aircraft broke apart through the middle and I'koh, Sara, Ma'dti, and everyone else were thrown into the open air. When he saw they were heading toward the backwater planet below, he held tightly to her, closed his eyes, and prayed to Paya.

For a brief second, Sara opened her weakened eyes as they fell from the sky, too blurry though to see in detail except for one thing. Emerging from the clouds, she noticed something flying toward them, a massive metal ship armed to the teeth with electricity popping along its surface.

What . . . is . . . that?

Darkness took her and she clung to the warmth of I'koh before she felt nothing, couldn't move or even think except for one fact that rang in her head.

Death is here.

Hello, my fellow readers!

I finally got this chapter finished and ready for all of you to read and enjoy! I can't tell you how much writer's block I had along with still cleaning up my new house from the move but thanks to watching Prey multiple times, I got my mind back into gear (Still love it!)

On top of that, I wanted to shout out for a new story from a new writer (and dear friend Potatis :)) and I believe this is worth reading! Check it out!

Stubborn by Potatis at AOV (Sorry. Seems like I can put the link on here :((((

Thank you very much for your great support and everything and can't wait to hear from all of you!

Enjoy and Good Hunting!

Normal = Human speaking human language

Bold = Yautja speaking ooman (human) language

Bold and Italics = Yautja speaking Yautja language

C'jit = Shit

Mei'hswei = Brother

Pauking = Fucking

Pau'jit = Bastard

Suckling = Yautja pup (equal to a human baby)