Chapter 6: Breakout

The whole lab became a battlefield . . .

All the scientists around us scrambled to escape or surround my companion, making futile attempts to pin him to the metal mat. I knew he was stronger than a human but what he did next made me wonder how I underestimated his strength.

One scientist, who hovered above his head and tried to hold his shoulders down, screamed in agony when my companion twisted his head to the side and sunk his mandibles into the man's arm. Abruptly, he released his hands from my companion's shoulders, gripping his bloodied arm and toppling to the floor.

For a second, Traeger and the rest of his soldiers were distracted, giving me enough time to break out from my captor's grip and land a punch into his stomach with all my strength, which made him double over. I ran in the other direction, assuming that they would try to recapture me but everyone was so focused toward the center of the lab that they totally forgot about me as I jumped to the other side of a table.

My companion roared with all of his might and I saw that his metal bindings were coming apart, threatening to snap from the pressure.

Traeger and his men dropped everything and rushed to the back door that I previously used to gain access to the lab. One of his men placed a hand on the pad and shouted his name.

"George Thomas Jenkins!"

Immediately, the door opened and Traeger and some of his 'lackeys' passed through it. Their exit closed just in time as my companion ripped from his bondages and was finally released. He twisted his torso in order to perform a swing off of the mat, grabbing one of the scientists that tried to restrain him earlier. The remaining soldiers loaded their rifles and begun their barrage of flying bullets, aiming at my companion but he was faster.

He threw the scientist in front of him and the bullets landed into his back, effectively killing him without a doubt.

I could only watch from behind the table as my companion released all of his fury upon the soldiers. He charged at one that was shooting wildly and killing more scientists than actually harming the alien before them. These guys are crazy! They don't really care at all.

As soon as each one made contact, my companion grabbed the soldier in one hand and threw him over in a swing-like motion. The sound of a body slamming on the mat jolted me as I couldn't help but admire my companion's strength. Even with the wounds that were spilling his unusual, neon green blood, he took it as if it was just like a scratch. Next thing I knew, he plunges a knife-like weapon into the soldier's chest, spraying blood all over the surrounding area, including himself.

Another soldier attempted to intervene but was met with a swipe of my companion's arm, making him fly over the railings and crashing into a table full of chemicals. I couldn't stand to see more blood being shed; at least, not like this . . . and so brutal.

I moved from the table towards a nearby wall while dodging more bullets that were flying and ricocheting off the walls. Jumping from one area into another, I managed to reach the door that I used to enter the lab but when I used the card, it denied access and wouldn't budge. I pounded my fists into the door in frustration, realizing that Trager must have sealed it off after he escaped.

Bastard! He would sacrifice his men so he can escape like the rat he is!

I didn't have time to dwell on it. I needed to find a way out of here so I decided to try the main lab doors that I saw earlier. It was the only exit I could think of that would work but there was a problem: I had to go through the lab again and into the bloody chaos that my companion and Stargazer had created.

With so much adrenaline pumping through my body, I hardly noticed that there were no more sounds other than the alarm. I turned around and saw that my companion was looking down on a table across from where he laid on the metal mat. It seemed as though he was observing something and when I glanced over his side at a safe distance, it was his armor from before. I would have thought he would be glad to have it back but he slammed his hand on the table, making a huge dent in it. Wonder what's eating him . . .

Ignoring the rants of my companion as he growled in frustration, I swiftly rushed across to the main door that appeared to be forced open. I believed that some of the scientists broke through by ramming some metal rods into it. The gap was enough for me to fit and with a tight squeeze, I managed to pull free and into the other side.

The room appeared like a sanitary station, filled with cleaning chemicals that burned my nose a little bit. There were two areas surrounded by walls in the middle but I couldn't figure out what their purpose was. I shook my head in confusion and proceeded to the second pair of doors. However, I tried to pry it open but they didn't budge and I grew frustrated. Just as I was about to ram my fists into the doors, a computer voice called out, "Please observe decontamination protocol."

Decontamination? Protocol?

My brain took a second to figure out that I needed to "sanitize" myself in order to access the second pair of doors. With adrenaline rushing through my body and trying to figure a way out, I moved into one of the walled areas and a light appeared soon after I was placed in the middle.

"Area secured. Remove all clothing."

My eyes expanded and I thought they would pop out when I heard that command.

It wants me to strip until I'm fucking naked?

I questioned myself for an instant but hearing the chaos in the lab and the alarms buzzing off everywhere, I had no choice but to do it. The plastic cover of my lab outfit was removed in a second but it took longer to take off my shirt and pants than I thought. Soon, my naked body was completely exposed and my cheeks began to burn with embarrassment. I waited for what seemed like a long time, hoping I would get confirmation that the doors would open and I would be free.

However, in the corner of my sight and hearing, a whimper caught my attention first and was followed by the movement of a shadow on the opposite wall. I glanced over between the two areas and was shocked to whom I found.

It was Brackett . . . She was curled into a ball, trying to cover her naked body while waiting for clearance. It took a second for her to realize I was staring down on her form and she gasped, pushing her body closer to the nearby wall. I flinched in reaction but composed myself so I could understand what was going on.

"Hey. You are the one called Brackett, right?"

I caught a look of surprise on her face and she didn't respond for a minute or so until she spoke, "Yes . . . you must be the intruder from before?"

The nerve in my forehead twitches in anger at that statement. Bitch . . .

I signed to relieve some tension in me, "You can say that but right now, it is not the time to argue. We need to get out of here."

Brackett had an answer to my words, "We can't get out until the decontamination protocol is done. Until then, we are stuck."

The frustration was rising back up within me and I was ready to explode on Brackett for relief. Luckily for her, a sound caught both of our attention. It scared Brackett but I was familiar with the sound as I heard it once before in Mexico.

"CRACK . . . Geo . . . Thom . . . Jen . . . CRACK . . . George Thomas Jenkins!"

The recording was able to open another door panel from another part of the room. Brackett and I just remained frozen in our places, hearing the giant footsteps of something large. I didn't know what it was until a familiar clicking sound radiated in the room.

It's him!

My companion was walking around the two areas, adorned in all his armor excluding his mask and one wrist gauntlet. He soon stopped by an area holding Brackett. I stared at him, concerned as to what he would do next. Next thing I knew, he let out a vicious growl at Brackett, making her gasped and whimper even harder than before.

He's going to kill her!

It's not like I cared for Brackett personally but she was unharmed and no threat to any human being, much less an alien-like my companion. Out of instinct, I rushed into the other side of Brackett's area and stood between her and my companion.

Ignoring everything else, I stretched my hands to both sides of me in a protective stance. My breathing became harsh and my hands began to shake from the nervousness that was seeping inside me.

My companion stopped his growl and tilted his head in curiosity. It was the first time looking into his eyes instead of his mask and they were astonishing. His golden eyes stared into my blue ones. I studied them for a little bit and realized that they resembled that of a human, showing emotions the same way and from looking into his own, there was no anger and hate in them, only curiosity and intrigue.

His eyes were mesmerized, unable to turn my gaze away but I couldn't figure out if it was due to shock or curiosity or both. Out of nowhere, my companion let out a long purr that mimicked a cat's and it sent my nerves on fire due to the shock of hearing it.

What the fuck was that?

It was so quick; my companion turned around to the pair of doors and used his wrist blades to pry the doors open, pushing them to the side with his massive hands. Soon, he was gone from my sight.

I couldn't comprehend what happened in front of me. It felt like a dream that I would wake up from but I knew it wasn't. Why did he purr like that?

Finally, I realized that I was naked in front of him, exposed in a disgusting way. I scrambled to get my clothing from the ground, swiftly putting them on while my cheeks burned hot and my heart pounded hard. I was so focused on the task before me that I barely noticed Brackett calling out to me while putting on her own clothes but at a slower pace.

"What the hell were you doing?"

I straightened my shirt and tucked my pockets in my pants before I responded back. "Why do you care?"

"Well . . . you saved me from the Predator . . . and . . . I don't know what reason you had for doing it . . . so . . . I really appreciate it."

Just sweet talk. She wants to make sure that she saves her own skin.

I grunted, "That was a one-time deal. I only saved you because you were in the way and I didn't want to see unnecessary bloodshed. I'm not gonna save your ass a second time."

She looked confused at my answer.

"But you could have just saved yourself and let me die. So you must of—"

She wouldn't shut up and soon, I turned on a dime and grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt. My eyes burned into hers filled with aggression.

"Look here. You were in the way. Just because I stopped him from killing you, it doesn't mean that I like you. You are a Stargazer lab dog and I don't give a shit about you. So shut up!"

I let her go and took off through the open doors, ignoring that I left Brackett with a shocked look written on her face.

After running through corridors and opening doors, I managed to escape from the building and into the cold, dark night but I saw nothing of my companion. For someone who looks like a huge monster, he sure can make himself scarce.

Even if I was free, I proceeded cautiously through the open area. I was still within Stargazer territory and I forgot my knife that was left behind in the building. It was a treasured item but I couldn't get it back since the building went on lockdown soon after I escaped.

I had no choice.

I hustled through the lot and reached the area I was in when I first came here. Unlike before, it was full of activity with soldiers running around like an apocalypse was happening. They didn't even notice me as I rushed through without any regard.

After a while, I made it to a water pipe factory that was not too was quiet but I checked around to make sure that there was no one around while looking out for my companion.

Where is he?

I didn't know where else to look and I had no idea where he could be. I wanted to learn more about him and somehow ask him why he saved me back on the ship. I wanted answers and I was going to get them.

However, my moment of thought was shattered when I heard footsteps on the metal platform above me. I was surprised to find Brackett holding some kind of gun in her hands while looking around for something. She didn't notice me so I observed her in silence until a huge metal bang on the other side of the factory caught both of our attention. To my relief, I saw my companion standing on a higher platform, which was just above Brackett's.

I was about to call out to him until something bigger approached us, coming from the sky. All three of us lifted our eyes and what came into my sight frightened me beyond anything else.

A huge ship emerged from the clouds and it eerily reminded me of my companion's ship except larger and darker in color. The rumbling of its engines shook the ground that I stood and sent vibrations throughout my skin. It was so massive that it could cause such a feeling like that from a far distance. The ship passed over us but then I noticed two aircraft were following behind it. From what I remember, Traeger had ordered them to check something out and I figured that the ship is what caught Stargazer's attention.

A dreadful thought passed into my head. Is there more than one alien on this planet?

As soon as both the ship and the two aircrafts disappeared, my companion took off on the platform and was soon followed by Brackett. Immediately, I followed both of them in the same direction. I kept pace with him and was surprised that Brackett was keeping up as well.

Soon, I glanced to my side and saw a huge bus driving next to us, I was able to get a look inside and noticed that there were no soldiers inside but rather some men who looked 'off' to me. One thing was for sure, they were following us.

Once we made it to the end of the platform, my companion leaped off and landed with a roll on the ground. That was impressive!

To my surprise, Brackett jumped off as well. I thought that she was going to break her legs but the bus that was beside us came around and was now in front, giving Brackett a place to land but it was poor landing since she almost toppled off of it. Before I was close to it, the bus began to take off without me.

I need to get on that bus!

I pushed my legs with all my might but it accelerated faster and I couldn't keep up. My exhaustion was getting the better of me and the bus was slipping away. Still, I ran hard and hoped it would stop.

As I was following behind, I heard the sound of a shotgun coming from the front of the bus. I glanced to the passenger side and saw the same person that I met in Mexico, leaning from the door with a shotgun in his hand. It was the Captain.

I wonder how he got here . . .

Also, I didn't know what he was shooting at until I looked further and saw my companion being pursued by the Captain and the crew in the bus. Even Brackett was pointing her gun at him. Why is everyone after him?

As much as I wanted them to stop shooting, I figured they wouldn't listen to me.

All of a sudden, my companion shot a knife into one of the front tires and popped it. The Captain was thrown off the bus and the vehicle skidded to an abrupt stop while Brackett landed hard on the roof. This was my chance to catch up to them and hopefully to my companion.

However, by the time I reached the back end of the bus, he was gone from my sight.

Shit! He is good!

I decided to look into the bus but it was empty and I presumed it was abandoned by the crew I saw earlier with the exception of Brackett on the ground lying on her stomach. I didn't know if she was dead or not so I rushed over to her and realized that she had a dart in her foot.

You idiot! Did you shoot yourself in the foot?

I was baffled at the circumstances before me. I had Brackett who was out cold from tranquilizing herself, the crew in the bus was gone and my companion disappeared for the third time. It was not my day.

When it seemed that nothing else could go wrong, a Stargazer soldier caught me off guard while I attended to Brackett. He pointed his gun at us and called out to his superior on the radio.

"Sir, I have Brackett and the intruder in my sight. What are your orders?"

I cursed under my breath. If I had my knife, this guy's head would have been skewered by now.

His radio comes to life with the words that I dreaded. "Shoot them both."

The soldier nods his head. "Affirmative."

Once he lets go of his radio, he grips the body of the gun and aims its sight on both of us. I stood between him and Brackett. I was ready for any opportunity for a distraction but in my heart, I believed, for a moment, that it would be the end for me. I was ready.

Then, a rumbling noise and a beaming light come between me and the soldier. The object crashes into the soldier, knocking him hard on the ground and rendering him unconscious.

I glanced at the unknown object in front of us and realized that it was the Captain on a motorbike. I had to silently admit that he saved both of our asses in our time of need but I stood there, wondering why he was doing this.

"Hey! Do you need a ride?"

He called out to me but I responded quickly. "Why are you helping us?"

Captain raised his eyebrow in confusion towards my direction.

"Well . . . it looks like your friend is out and—"

"She's not my friend . . ."

He put his hands up in defense as if he thought his last statement was offensive.

I snorted out loud for him to hear. "Besides, I can handle the situation myself so—"

"Hey. Hey. Hey."

Bastard! Stop interrupting me!

I was about to reprimand him for his rudeness until he spoke in a concerned matter.

"Look. We don't have time and right now, a group of soldiers is coming our way."

He pointed behind me and I turned, confirming the Captain's words. A huge platoon was coming in our direction and on foot, I knew we couldn't outrun them.

"So? Are you in?" The Captain looked at me for my answer.

As much as I didn't want to ask for help, I didn't have a choice in the matter. I nodded my head towards him as my answer.

The Captain got off his bike and proceeded to pick up Brackett's limp body and place her on the seat with the Captain sitting behind her. I didn't want to know how the bike would fit all three of us until another motorcycle strolls between us.

"You can ride with Nebraska."

The dark-skinned man in front of me must have belonged to the crew I saw in the bus. He tried to look like badass towards me, puffing out his chest in victory. All it did was fill me with disgust.

He grinned, "Don't worry. I won't bite."

I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Disgusting!

As much as I was reluctant to ride with him, the shouts of the platoon grew louder, signaling me to hop on behind the man and hold on to him.

Right on time, the bikes roared with life and accelerated in the opposite direction just before the soldiers began to fire on us. Luckily, we were too far for their gun range.

As we sped off in a direction that is unknown to me, I kept wondering about my companion and where he was at the moment but mostly about the ship from before and what kind of doom it would bring upon us.

All I could do was wonder . . .

Hi Readers!

Hope you are enjoying this story as this chapter is making things interesting. Anya is having a connection with the Predator but will there be more?

Keeping reading and reviewing Twisted Fate. Also, a new story in Noctuary by Colorful Crayola has been posted so feel free to read it and review it. Enjoy! :)