Within a few hours, the planet Earth appeared in the window. Lex now saw the blue planet with her new alien eyes. It was a different experience for her now. She felt a rush of familiarity come to her as she saw the North American continent come into view. Part of her thought of her new existence as an elaborate dream but now everything became real to her again. The squad leader eyed her, as the ship established a stationary orbit with the North American continent.

"Time for class," the squad leader told the others.

The Yautja warriors took their seats in a large trophy room; a hologram appeared from the floor showing the planet Earth. "In the Earth year of 1997, one of our warriors hunted in the urban city environment on this northern continent," the squad leader began.

The hologram zoomed in on the city of Los Angeles on the California coast. Lex instantly knew what the squad leader was talking about; she had been to Los Angeles before.

"The warrior was killed, he was a Category 4. He was maimed and killed by his own weapon by a human," the squad leader said disgustedly.

The other warriors seemed to agree with the squad leader's sentiments except for Lex who worked to keep her expression neutral. "In 1987, another warrior, a Category 5 was killed on this strip of land," the squad leader said. The map focused on Guatemala. The Yautja warriors were silent; a category 5 was the same rank as their own squad leader. "We do not know how he was killed. He took off his mask before detonating himself," the squad leader added.

"He was engaged against worthy prey, human soldiers from this land," the squad leader said highlighting the borders of the United States.

The hologram then showed their weapons: mp5, machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launcher, and a long knife. "These weapons are primitive but not to be underestimated," the squad leader lectured.

"Tell us how these weapons work," the squad leader requested of Lex.

Lex felt uncomfortable assisting the Yautja against her own kind but decided to comply. "The weapons fire bullets, small but quick pieces of metal that can penetrate your armor. They also have small devices that are the size of your fist that upon detonation can blast your body full of holes," Lex said.

The squad leader stared at her to continue. "The weapon has a magazine filled with these bullets. When these bullets are used up, the weapon becomes useless. The weapon hits the bullet hard enough to create an explosion inside the bullet. The explosion is powerful enough to send a small piece of the bullet through the barrel towards the target," Lex added.

"A general description of the weapon," the squad leader allowed "Do not become overconfident with your cloaks. Humans have a tendency to fire upon an area regardless of whether they can see the target. Their weapons can penetrate our skin and cause serious injury to our bodies," the squad leader warned.

"What is our target?" one of the Yautja warriors asked.

"We have tracked the weapon to this location," the squad leader said. The hologram zoomed in on a military facility in Colorado. The weapon's signature was detected in one of the buildings in the center of the base.

"We can infiltrate the building, or we can completely destroy the building with the weapon inside. If we destroy the building, there would be an estimated 5,000 human casualties," the squad leader detailed.

"You can't do that," Lex piped up. The Yautja warriors stared at Lex as if she were crazy.

"I mean, how would killing them from orbit be sporting?" Lex clarified.

Some of the Yautja roared in approval at Lex's clarification. The squad leader growled at his subordinates shutting them up. "I agree. We will infiltrate the building and take the weapon without being detected. If that fails, we will have no choice but to destroy the building from orbit," the squad leader said.

"How can we infiltrate this structure?" the squad leader asked Lex.

Lex had no idea. It was one of the most heavily guarded and fortified buildings in the world. The weapon was probably in a safe locked away. "Even with your cloaks and weapons, I don't think you will be able to infiltrate the building unnoticed," Lex said.

"There was a reason why you were chosen for this hunt, Lex," the squad leader said to her. "You were once human. You can become human again temporarily with an injection. As a human, you will infiltrate this building and give us the weapon," the squad leader said.

Lex felt suddenly overwhelmed. She could become human again! The squad leader eyed her as she seemed a little too giddy. "It is only temporary, your transformation to a Yautja is permanent," the squad leader said dashing her hopes and dreams.

Lex didn't care. Just to be human for a moment would be worth almost anything. "Even as a human, I will have difficulty getting inside. I don't have a security clearance," Lex said.

"How can you get this security clearance?" the squad leader asked.

"I would have to be in the American military and it would take too long. It's not possible," Lex said stumped. "You might as well destroy it," she said defeated.

The squad leader considered the situation and then showed a hologram photo of one of the human soldiers from 1987. Lex stared at the man's face. The squad leader pointed to the hologram.

A Yautja pod detached from the ship and accelerated towards the Earth. The sensation was tense for Lex as her body was hit with sudden G forces. Suddenly, the pod slammed into the ground. Lex was safe inside the structure due to an elaborate shock-absorbing system. Lex exited the pod as soon as the doors opened and felt slightly dizzy as she walked out. With her mind, she immediately contacted the ship in orbit.

"I have landed," she reported.

"Head toward the target," the squad leader ordered.

Lex activated a red hologram of her destination. It would be a small hike through the hills of Wyoming. The red hologram showed her a pathway to her destination, a 3D topography map. Lex marveled at the hologram. Such a device would have been useful during her hikes at her foundation. Lex shut down the hologram and activated her cloak.

The trip through the woods was nostalgic. She almost felt like she was human again. In a few hours that could very well be the case; the squad leader had given her a vial that upon injection would make her human temporarily. But she couldn't use it now, no matter how much she wanted to. She had to save her supply for when it mattered.

A few hours later, she reached her destination: a cabin in the middle of nowhere. There was a well outside the cabin. The cabin itself was two stories tall and appeared well built. She looked around the house scanning the cabin with a different type of visual scanners. All the scans came back negative. Her target was not inside the house. She took a step forward and then heard the familiar sound of a gun cocked. She froze hoping her cloak would conceal her.

"Don't move," a strongly Austrian accent ordered her.

For Lex, the human's voice was refreshing compared to the rough and hard language of the Yautja. Now if only the human weren't pointing a gun at her backside. Lex put her hands up in a very human-like gesture.

"Take off your weapons," the human ordered.

Lex sighed as she began to take off every kind of weapon she had on. First, she took off the plasma cannon connected to her shoulder and mask, then she took off her bladed wrist bands, the thermal detonator attached to her upper wrist, her long knife, her shuriken blade, and her diamond devices. If she had been a normal Yautja she would have felt humiliated by this situation. No doubt the squad leader would chew her out for this. She was supposed to recover weapons, not give more of them out.

When she was done, she stayed still and kept her hands up in surrender. "The mask and your other equipment; take them off now," the human ordered.

Lex did as the human ordered taking off her mask, her hologram computer, and her cloaking device. She also took off the compartments attached to her knees that contained medical supplies. Once she took off her mask, her vision deteriorated in Earth's atmosphere. She was also having a little difficulty breathing. It was like breathing on a tall mountain. Lex was familiar with the sensation and didn't panic.

"Now, get on your knees and put your hands behind your head," the human continued.

Lex complied with the human's demands. This was starting to become humiliating even for human standards. She was going to be executed by this man, and she couldn't really blame him. His entire crew had been slaughtered by the Yautja; his life turned upside down. She realized with bitterness that she was going to die by humans, the same race she was trying to save. The human took a few steps closer to her and seemed to mutter something Lex didn't catch.

"Look, I know you're mad. But I am here to help," Lex said in guttural English.

"More likely you've come to finish the job you started seventeen years ago," the human said bitterly.

"Let me prove it to you," Lex said struggling to pronounce each word.

"How? And why would I need your help?"

"Humanity is endangered of extinction. If you don't allow me to help you, everyone will die," Lex said.

The human then walked in front of her. All she could see of him was that of an outline with some features. She could see clearly that the human had some sort of weapon pointed at her. "Stand up," he ordered.

Lex complied getting to her feet. "Now, take five steps forward."

Lex walked five normal steps forward and realized what the human was doing. She was too far to go get her gear now. She would be shot before she could even get one step backward. "You said you could prove something to me," the human said.

"It's in my medical pack," Lex said.

The human walked around her gear while keeping his weapon on her. He found the medical pack by process of elimination; it didn't look like a weapon. He dropped it in front of her. "Is this it?" he asked her.

Lex looked at the object and then felt its texture; it was the right one. She then opened the device revealing vials and an injection gun. The human watched as Lex felt around the tools and with her sense of touch hooked up the equipment. This was it; if the vial worked she would become human again. She took the injection gun to her neck and then pulled the trigger. There was a slight pain as the injection went into her body. Once she was done, she placed the medical tools back into her pack and closed it up.

"Now what?" the human asked suspiciously.

"It shouldn't take too long," Lex assured him.

Suddenly, a wave of pain hit her. She fought the instinct to roar in pain as it could frighten the human. Her body tensed up as Lex felt more pain than she had ever felt before. The human watched in amazement as Lex became shorter and her muscles decreased in size. Eventually, it got to a point where Lex's armor hung loosely around her body; some simply fell off. Lex closed her eyes and clenched her fists as she tried to shut out the pain of transforming back to her old self. Her skin became darker. Her claws were becoming more like nails again, and her face was changing.

When the pain had stopped, Lex was naked before the human. Embarrassed, she tried to cover herself with her arms. "Do you have some clothes?" she asked pathetically.

"Yeah, in the back," the human said distracted by her form and then led her inside the cabin.

The human led her into one of the bedrooms and picked out a few clothes while still holding an assault rifle in his right hand. Lex ignored him and stared at herself in the mirror in the bathroom adjacent to the guest room. Her eyesight was now more human than Yautja. She could see the changes on her body but also realized she wasn't complete. Her eyes were still yellow, her forehead was too big, she was still slightly taller than six feet, and her spotted pattern still existed on her dark skin. Her jaw was smaller than before but still not human in appearance. She looked like a freak.

Lex wasn't too concerned with this for the moment. She knew the vial would take time to fully work through her system. As long as she stayed away from other humans she would be fine. "Put these on," the human ordered.

The man's clothes were able to fit as she was the same height and build as him at this point. She put on a t-shirt and some short shorts. For her feet she wore boots. Her feet were still too big for normal shoes and still had claws for toes. "In a few hours, I will look completely human," she informed him.

"Good, because you look ugly as you are," he said.

Lex ignored the insult and followed the man to the dining room. "Take a seat," the man said. It was more like an order than a request.

Lex sat down across from the man; he put his rifle aside much to Lex's relief. However, he then took out a pistol and kept it aimed at her heart. Lex hated guns before her change and this was no exception. She had thought that those who used them simply wanted them to bully other people around. She had thought Rousseau had been paranoid to bring a gun to an ice hike. But this was different; this man was a highly trained soldier. The gun was a way of life for him.

"What's your story?" he asked of her.

Lex told the man about what had happened to her in Antarctica to the best of her memory, then how she became a Yautja, and why she was back. "So, they have a name," the man said disgustedly.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Alexa Woods."

"Well, Miss Woods, I am Allan Schaeffer, but friends call me Dutch. I was born in Austria, came to the US as a soldier in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, I became a Green Beret and served a few tours there. Then, I joined Special Forces ODA, transferred to Delta Five/CIA task force, became a Deputy Director. My team was the best of the best in the world. We were able to do what no one else could. And then after a successful mission, my entire team was slaughtered by one of those monsters," Dutch said bitterly.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Lex said lamely.

He smirked at her as if wondering whether she was sincere. "After that, I was hospitalized for radiation poisoning and then developed leukemia. They were able to put it back into remission but the cancer flares up every so often. So, they kicked me out of the military and gave me disability for the rest of my life," Dutch said shaking his head in dismay.

Lex's eyesight suddenly morphed, and she could then see Dutch clearly. He was completely bald, his face looked aged but not wrinkled, but his body was still fairly impressive for someone in their fifties. But the cancers had taken their toll. She could see it in his eyes. Dutch took out a cigar and lit it in front of her while still keeping his pistol on her.

"You shouldn't smoke with your history," Lex lectured.

He chuckled at that. "The cancer has come back; I won't be able to win this time," he said.

Lex simply stared at him. "They might have something that can help you," she said referring to Yautja technology.

"Thanks but no thanks," Dutch refused.

"I need you alive for this mission," she said to him.

"What mission?" Dutch asked curiously.

"One of the plasma cannons used by the Yautja was confiscated by the military. They want it back," Lex began.

"Good, now we might have a fighting chance against those bastards."

"No, if they don't get that weapon back they will destroy those who have it, and they may even kill every human on this planet. I have seen their weapons first hand. They can't be defeated," she stressed.

"I killed one without fancy technology. I know their weakness. They can't see a person if they're covered in a thick substance like mud," Dutch said confidently.

"Good for you but there are thousands of them. I saw a city full of them, and I have been on their ships. They have colonies all over the galaxy, and they have updated their technology since you last fought them."

"So, what can I do to help? Why me?" he asked.

"You are the only person in the military who knows about the Yautja. I need you to help infiltrate an army base and retake that weapon," Lex said seriously.

Dutch barked a laugh while still smoking his cigar. "And how do you think I could manage that? I no longer have a security clearance and Army security is a lot tougher than two decades ago."

"Don't you have connections? Don't you know people?" Lex asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I still know people who have retired. But I am not sure I want to help you. These aliens may just be bluffing. I took an oath to fight against all enemies foreign and domestic. And now you want me to infiltrate army security for you," Dutch said, as he shook his head.

"I'll make it worthwhile for you. We'll cure your cancer and give you all the money you could want. The Yautja have large supplies of gold, silver, and gems," Lex pitched.

Dutch considered the proposition. "A mercenary," he muttered.

"Whatever, I just need that weapon back or the whole Earth is going to die."

Dutch thought about some of his comrades throughout the years. Many of them had not been compensated by the government very well for their services. Some were even considered an embarrassment to the United States and continued to remain anonymous without identities. Some who had been killed in action had left behind families who were not taken care of sufficiently by the government. "I'll do it for one million dollars and the same goes for the rest of my team," he said.

Lex simply stared at Dutch. "And I want that million before I make any calls," he added.

"They won't accept that," Lex objected.

"Then no deal," he said.

Lex frowned at Dutch with her half-human jaw. Her four teeth were still visible above the skin. Lex then remembered the million that had been wired to her Foundation's account.

"I'm going to need some time," Lex told him.

Fully human, Lex typed quickly on Dutch's laptop. Her fingers were now small enough to type and use the mouse properly. She accessed her foundation's account and was pleased it hadn't been frozen. She entered the necessary passwords and then transferred the million dollars to an offshore account on Dutch's direction.

"Good work. I didn't think you could actually pull it off," Dutch smirked.

"You going to make those calls now?" Lex asked hopefully.

Dutch took out a satellite phone. There was a pause on the other end. "I need a favor."