Chapter 4: First Contact

My mind played out what my end would be many times. I tried to figure out how it was possible for an alien of all things to be the one to end my life. I couldn't fathom the idea that it was possible. Not even in a million years . . .

When his blades came crashing down upon me, I just shut my eyes tightly and waited for the pain to follow. I only hoped that it was swift and I wouldn't have to suffer the same fate as the soldiers he took down. Death was coming to greet me.

Yet, it never came nor the pain that I was expecting. The only feeling that poured over me was the quickness of the wind passing by and then, coldness of metal touching my neck. At one point, I didn't want to see what had transpired before me since I believed that I would die but the sound of clicking turned my fear into curiosity, even if for a second. It was enough for me to slowly open my eyes and the sight that greeted me brought shock to my mind.

The stranger had his wrist blades close to my throat but not enough to hurt me. Why didn't he kill me? Was it just a warning?

What struck me next was how close his mask was to my face. If I didn't know any better, it looked like he was observing me, like I was some kind of animal in the zoo. I tried to turn my gaze away but the wrist blades, along with my mixed emotion of fear and curiosity, prevented that.

It seemed like hours had passed before he withdrew his blades and placed them back into his gauntlet as he straightened himself up. With this, I was able to look more closely and with detail. His appearance was striking.

He had leg bracers covering his thighs that shined brightly from the flashlight I had in my hand. He looked like he was wearing a loincloth that was made of metal, which I thought might be uncomfortable but I wasn't exactly a 7-foot alien though. Looking higher, his abdomen was half covered in a thin sheet of armor but revealed his sides that were veiled with ropes that reminded me of a fish net. In fact, it was clinging onto his entire body, so it occured to me that it might be some sort of protection underneath.

One of his arms had the wrist gauntlet attached where the blades were hiding. However, his other arm was bare. I assumed that it was missing cause his outfit looked incomplete with only one of them on. His hands were massive, sharpened with long claws that made me wonder why he needed weapons. He could kill someone with just his looks alone!

His skin reminded me of a crocodile, rough in some patches that were covered in scales while smooth on other areas without them. His chest was completely shielded by some heavy duty armor with a golden striped design in the middle of it, which covered his shoulders as well. From what I can tell, he appeared to be a male, buffed and chiseled to be a hunter. Finally, I managed to raise my head to meet his face, or at least his mask.

The coldness radiating from it striked me first and I reacted with a slight shiver. The design reminded me of a biomask, which can be for either two reasons: to provide air to breathe or to keep something hazardous out. I placed my bet on the first one but then again, I had very little knowledge of how it worked.

Other than his mask, there were long snake-like appendages that were black as night, running down both sides of his mask and falling over his shoulders. To me, they looked like dreadlocks and some were decorated with metal bands that had some small designs embedded in them. It was the only part of him that was decent, if not cool.

Overall, he looks creepy as fuck . . .

After a while, he must have gotten tired with the staring on my part cause he emitted a low growl that got my full attention. We stared at each other, silence swirling around us until he made a set of clicks while raising his hand, pointing towards me.

"What?"

His gesture didn't make sense but then he waved his finger in a way that indicated for me to come closer. I didn't trust him. He killed many soldiers and the xenomorphs earlier but expected me to follow. I really was not in the mood.

"I'm not coming near you so forget it." Crossing my arms like a child, he didn't seem to take it well when he sounded another growl. He motioned again to come to him but I didn't budge. I'm not one to be ordered around.

It didn't matter to him as he just took two steps forward before grabbing me on the shoulder with a vise grip. He was stronger than I thought; the force his hand applied could easily dislocate my shoulder without any effort. I tried to grip his hand and push it away but he just used his other one to grab both of mine and kept them on my side. I fought so hard that I believed bruises would form on my skin.

I grunted, annoyed on how this was playing out.

"What do you want?!"

No sooner did I spoke that he decided to thrust me onto the nearby wall with his hands still on me and my back radiated with a wave of pain from the impact. He was very strong . . .

I was about to protest until he let go his grip on my shoulder and reached for something on his side. My eyes widened, thinking he was gonna pull out a weapon to kill me or something so I fought with more force but with little success. Soon, his hand reappeared with something in it but when I was about to thrash harder, I stopped abruptly at the sight of something familiar.

In his enormous hand was one of the dual knives that I thought was lost to me. Last time I had them was when I used it to stab the xenomorph, saving his life. I was unfortunate that I couldn't get them back afterward but somehow, he found one and he had it in his possession.

Normally, I would be filled with anger and try to snatch it back but then he lets go of my hands, takes one of them and placed my knife in it. I was completely taken by surprise and I just stood like a statue, trying to make sense of it.

All he did was wait for me to respond back but I figured he was running out of patience since he was clicking repeatedly in frustration. Guess he's the type to get what he wants right now. Not with me, you dick!

I examined the knife and it appeared to have been cleaned of the xenomorph blood but some of its edges were burned. It was still sharp enough to fight with. I had to silently admit that he took care of it well but then again, he had an arsenal of weapons that he was responsible to clean and sharpen.

I didn't like to acknowledge someone who helped me, especially an alien. It was like my Achilles heel that always pops up when least expected. If not for my guilty conscience nagging me to say a proper thanks, it would have tugged at my mind for several days. If that happens, then I wasn't gonna get any sleep for a while.

I deeply exhaled a breath to remove any frustration I had in my chest and spoke to him, "Thank you for what you did back there and bringing my knife back."

The only response from him was a tilt of his mask to his side, either out of curiosity or confusion since he may not know what I was saying. So, why am I thanking him again?

One thing: guilty conscious . . .

I put that thought in the back burner of my mind and watched as the alien in front of me turned his back and walked towards one part of the wall. Not knowing how to get out of this place, I walked behind him. He didn't like that.

He turned sharply, puffed out his chest and let out a huge roar to try and intimidate me. At first, it worked and I stopped in my tracks but when he turned around again, I kept walking behind, only this time, I stayed a few feet away. He must have given up cause I got only a snort and a shake of his head while trotting away.

My thoughts and my body were arguing over which I should choose: continue following him or run like hell.

You need to get out! This guy is creepy.

"But I don't know where the exit is . . ."

Just find one then!

"I could but what if those black things come back?"

You have your knife. Fight them!

"But what if—"

My head crashed with force onto the back of my new 'alien' companion, or least I believed he was since he didn't kill me . . . yet. I've must have been talking to myself out loud since he stopped to twist his head in my direction and stare. My eyes widened when I noticed what I've done and stepped away a few feet from him, filled with embarrassment.

In a sudden gesture, he tilted his head to the side like before but it only lasted a few seconds before he resumed his walk. I was glad when he didn't notice my red cheeks were flushed.

Nice going, genius . . .

I grunted in annoyance and went to catch up with my companion.

He stopped at a wall between two pillars but I wasn't sure why he would go there. It didn't have a code lock or handle so I assumed there was no door. He placed his gigantic hand on the side of it but nothing happened so I moved to correct him, "You know . . . there is no code lock or anything. I'm not sure if you're either confused or an idiot."

I jerked when he turned his head and hissed in warning at my face. I was getting the feeling that he didn't like when someone either doesn't do what he tells them or points out that he's stupid. I found it hilarious and giggled silently. Plus, it confirmed that he knows some of my language, especially the 'idiot' part.

He resumed his action, laying his hand down on a patch of the wall. At first, nothing happened, so I raised my hands in a defeated gesture and began to turn around. Then, the sound of metal rang in the air and I stopped to see the wall rising from the ground, revealing another hidden room. My jaw dropped in amazement mixed with shock. How could I have not seen that?

Once the wall was removed, he passed through the opening while I reached for one of the posts and leaned in to look. It reminded me of a storage room with lots of metal boxes lying on the ground. Some were toppled over and its content spilled onto the floor. I observed my companion as he began shuffling through the boxes but snarled every time when he came up empty. It seemed like he was trying to find something.

"Hey. Looking for something?"

He didn't react and continued looking around. He completely ignored me!

"You know . . . I'm kind of bored just standing here and looking at an idiot in front of me, trying to find an unknown object."

He swiftly stood up from a crouched position and fully turned in my direction, growling at me. Guess he really doesn't like being called an idiot.

"Well, growling at me won't do you any good for . . . whatever you're doing. So if you want to get out of here sooner, then tell me what needs to be found."

The silence between us grew for minutes until he sagged his shoulders and chest. Afterward, he raised his hand and pointed to his mask. At first, I didn't know what he meant until he made a circular motion around the mask and then pointed to the boxes. The meaning of his actions finally reached me.

"Oh, you're looking for a mask?"

He confirmed with a nod and then proceeded to point to his wrist gauntlet on his right arm.

"Okay. So you're trying to find a mask and your other gauntlet, correct?"

He nodded at my question. So he's missing his mask and gauntlet? The sooner we find them, the quicker we can get out of here. I hope . . .

Taking action, I entered the room, passing my companion without glancing at him and began shuffling through the boxes. Some of the things inside made no sense to me. Just a bunch of wires and pieces of metal that must of belong to something, but not what I was looking for.

Minutes had passed and both of us were unsuccessful in finding them. The frustration was building up in both of us and I feared that another fight between us was brewing. If that happens, I knew who the winner would be. No question about that but I would never admit to it out loud.

All of a sudden, a beeping noise echoed in the room and I turned my head in every direction to locate the source of it. It didn't take long when I glanced at my companion who was pressing some buttons on his wrist gauntlet. When the noise stopped, he clicked and raised his head to look up towards the ceiling. I looked up too but there was nothing. However, what he did next amaze but terrified me.

He squatted down low and in an instant; he leaped up into the air and towards the ceiling. I thought he was crazy since he was going to get squashed like a bug. Instead, he used his right arm and punched through, creating a gaping hole. I gasped and ran towards the wall to try and find cover from the falling debris. Next thing I knew, he was gone but stars in the sky brightened the room and my heart leaped with joy. I finally found my exit.

Yeah! I'm outta here!

No sooner did I think those words that I would regret them later. The exit was high and I needed to find a way up. I decided to use some of the metal boxes lying around and stacked them on top of each other. When my makeshift ladder grew bigger, it became harder to get the boxes to the top. Each one was heavy and it didn't make things easier with the stuff inside of them. Basically, I dumped the contents from each box that would go on the top of the pile and climbed up again to place them back.

Sarcastically, I thought for a moment: It would have been nice for my 'alien' friend to help. He has no manners whatsoever.

It was too late to ask anyway. He was gone before I did this.

Finally, I got my makeshift ladder to reach to the top but I still needed to jump from it to grasp the edges of the hole. I prayed that the boxes would hold so I can get a boost. Carefully, I climbed up on them, lightly placing my foot on each one to ensure it was strong enough to carry my weight.

Out of nowhere, as I was making my way up, the sound of gunfire radiated outside from the hole. To me, it sounded like a fight was brewing and with my companion out there, there's no doubt that he might be the cause of the ruckus.

I quickened my pace until I reached the top and before I leaped, I prayed that my ladder would be strong enough. You can do this Anya!

With a push of my feet, I sprang up and reached out for the edge. My hand grabbed the metal side of the exit while my other followed suit. With all my upper strength, I raised my chest over and swung my right leg over until I was fully over the top. I made it!

However, I didn't have time to celebrate. The gunfire I heard before stopped instantly and some fear crept into my mind as I was trying to figure out what happened.

The jungle was still covered in darkness but I could see easily since there were spots of flames surrounding me but I wasn't too concerned with them. I needed to find where the sound of gunfire took place.

I ran over rocks and branches that were knocked over while searching around for anything. Eventually, I stopped to crouch down, staying silently in order to hear. It wasn't long until the scrapping of wood caught my attention but when I looked up, I didn't see anything. The sound kept moving away and I chased it onward. When the noise stopped, I did as well and I placed myself in a bush to hide but still observed.

I scanned above and in front of me, waiting for anything to come into view. Soon, there were rustling of leaves and I pulled out my knife, ready to fight.

Then, a male pops out from the bushes with heavy gear and camouflaged armor on him. At first, I thought he was one of Stargazer's men but his outfit reminded me of a military squad, not like the Stargazer's black ones. I saw that he was carrying a sniper across his chest, poised and loaded. My confusion settled inside me, asking more questions at this bizarre predicament.

What is an army guy doing out here? He's definitely not Stargazer material.

I watched as he kneeled down at a certain spot near a huge piece of the ship and raised something off the ground. My eyes widened when I saw a mask in his hands. It was the same one as my alien companion with the exception of scratches on its left side. Must be what my companion was looking for . . .

He inspected it until footsteps approached him and he turned to raise his handgun in its direction. I too was ready with my knife until another military man appeared, looking weary and scared.

The demeanor from the man with the handgun changed to relaxation and he lowered his weapon, "Jesus . . . Where's Hanes?"

The other one shook, "I don't know. Comms aren't fucking working."

I squinted my eyebrows in question. Who are these guys?

Soon, the first man picked up another item from the ground and I realized that it was a wrist gauntlet like my companion's. Those must be what he was looking for!

I saw the man put the mask in the bag but instead of doing the same for the gauntlet, he placed it on his left arm. I didn't know why he would keep it but I got my answer anyway.

"It's evidence. No one is going to believe this one."

"What is it, Captain?"

Captain? When I hear that word, I came to the conclusion that the first man was the head of the two but I still didn't know whom they belong to.

The Captain observed the gauntlet when it locked on his arm, "It's above our paid grade."

Well, your paid grade is a pile of shit then.

The other man tried to use a radio to call for some guy named Hanes but with little success. Then, the same scrapping of wood I heard before echoed and caught both the attention of the two men and me. It was followed by something else and it was eerily familiar.

Crackling* . . . Crackling* . . . Don't . . . Know . . . Comms aren't fucking working . . .

The sound reminded me of a recording playing back an event but from what it was saying, it sounded like what the other guy was saying just recently. What the hell?

Without warning, a loud snap of a branch ringed out in the jungle and when I looked up, it was the most horrifying sight I had ever seen: a dead man hanging from a branch.

The worst part was that its skin was peeled off, revealing muscles underneath and droplets of blood slowly descended onto the ground, creating a crimson pool. The sight made me throw up in my mouth, leaving a bitter taste. I couldn't look away though as I tried to fathom what or who did this.

The Captain and the other man were in shock too. I could see it in their faces but it was more than that. What the Captain said next sent chills down my spine, "Hanes?"

So that was his other man? What a way to die . . .

Soon, I heard a familiar sound of clicking in the air and I registered that it was my companion up in the tree when I saw him appear and then disappear. He did that to Hanes!

There was no time to think; the Captain screamed in defiance, "Light it up!"

Another rain of gunfire shot towards my companion and I could see his silhouette jumping from one tree to another, avoiding the hail of bullets. The two men kept shooting and hoping that he would go down. Next, my companion stopped and I placed my hands over my ears when I saw his shoulder gun firing at the men. A blast came and I heard screaming and grunting but nothing else.

I removed my hands from my ears and peaked between the bushes to see the outcome. One of the men, the scared one, was lying on the ground with a hole on the side of his chest. Immediately, I knew he was dead. So, where's the Captain?

I got a view of him on the other side of the blast and he was clearly in pain. He crawled little ways to a rock but then there was a loud thump across him and my eyes caught sight of my companion who was still camouflaged.

He began to walk towards the Captain and jumped on a rock until a sound of gears made me turn to the Captain. The wrist gauntlet he was wearing activated and released a shuriken that was heading towards my companion. I heard the slicing of flesh and the shrilling cry of him as he fell to the ground and the shuriken flew, cutting Hanes' body in half and sticking on the tree with a thud.

I inhaled in surprise that my companion would be taken down so easily. He killed a dozen men at ease but then was taken down by a shuriken from the Captain. It didn't look good to me.

Before I realized it, the Captain took off like a rabbit and disappeared into the deeper part of the jungle.

Leaving me alone, I saw my companion covered in blood from Hanes' body. He was trying to get up but struggled to get to his feet. That's when I noticed a neon green substance on him. A closer inspection showed that he was bleeding and it was deep. Something inside me cried out to help him but I was unable to move.

Why would you help him? He's better off without us. Just get out!

My head was going to explode, trying to decide what to do with him. My mind told me to get out of here but my heart and body told another. I was going insane.

In an instant, more footsteps were coming in our direction and I had no choice but to stay underneath the bushes. There were a lot of them and definitely human so I thought that the Captain came back with reinforcements.

They were men but not the ones I hoped for. More Stargazer dogs came through and surrounded my companion but at a safe distance. There were too many for me to take them on so I observed at what they were going to do next.

My chills returned when Traeger came into my view and right then, I knew it wasn't good. My companion growled, warning them to stay away but he was still weak from the last fight. I saw Traeger give his signature grin and raised his hand up and quickly bringing it down again.

It was a signal to his men; some of the soldiers began to shoot at my companion but I noticed that small, furry things were popping out of his skin. Soon, I understood that they were darts instead of bullets since I had previous experience with them.

My companion roared and thrashed around in order to get a swipe at the men but his movements began to slow down. I saw that he was getting groggy and after some time, he slumped to the ground and didn't move anymore.

Oh no . . . They're putting him to sleep. They are going to take him away!

The memories of my time in their labs flooded inside me and I clutched my chest, feeling the same pain back then. I vowed to make sure no one would ever go through that but here I was, watching as the soldiers took a stretcher, placed him on it and strapped him down. I could only gaze as they lifted him up, disappearing into the jungle.

I didn't know what to do. Horror from my past and the determination of my vow mixed in a chaotic manner. I never wanted this. This was too much for me and I was lost. My body shook as I curled into a ball like a feeble child. I didn't know what to do. What to do . . . What to do . . .

Come on Anya! You're better than this!

I stopped shaking and listened to the words in my mind.

You came all this way just so you can cry like a baby? After all, you have been through?

I picked myself up on my knees and stared in front of me.

Didn't you say you vow to never let anyone go through what you have gone yourself? Didn't you promise that no matter what, you would stop Stargazer at all cost?

I shook my head again as a silent answer.

Then follow them! Even if he's an alien, no one deserves the torture that they are capable of. So, stop sitting here and do something!

Those words were enough for me. The feeling of determination grew in my chest and soon spread throughout my body like wildfire. I raised myself to my feet, placed the knife in my pocket, and began to run in the direction of the soldiers.

Not bothering to stay silent, I raced through branches, bushes, and trees, disregarding the cuts they embedded into me. There was nothing to stop me.

I reached the edge of the jungle and saw a whole platoon of soldiers along with dozens of trucks and tanks. It was a whole army that was ready for a fight. I observed around to find my companion and soon, I caught sight of him being carried by a group of soldiers and being loaded into one of the trucks.

Traeger walked towards the truck holding my companion and signaled to the men, "Alright! We got the specimen loaded! Let's move out!"

All the trucks' engines roared to life and I knew that this was my chance to get on one and follow them. I targeted the truck nearest me and noticed it only had supplies inside with one soldier driving it. This is my ride. Let's get on!

I snuck around the soldiers who were still standing around and made my way to the back of the truck. I jumped in and dug myself into the supplies that were just some weird equipment but I didn't care. I saw the tarp beside me and covered myself so I could blend in. My plan succeeded when I felt the rumbling of the engine and then the truck moving across the ground.

All I could do was wait until we reached their destination but while waiting, I couldn't help but think about my companion. Somehow, during my time with him, I wanted to learn more about himself and why he was here. He must have a good reason for coming to Earth.

I couldn't think anymore as a yawn erupted from my mouth, telling me that I haven't slept in a while. I decided to use the time to take a nap so I closed my eyes and let the rumbling of the engine soothe me until darkness covered my vision, taking me into oblivion.

Hi Readers!

Looks like there's trouble a-brewing for Anya and her 'alien' companion. Now, they're traveling but to where? What horrible things will happen to them? Find out in the next chapter :)

Also, wanted to give a shout out for Colorful Crayola for working hard on her stories. Take a moment to read them cause they are awesome ;)