Chapter fifteen: Prison break with a yautja..

(Ghardeh's pov.)

As i pummel through a squad of guards i make my way to an area of interest.. It requires a level 5 clearance.. The door is solid unlike. Most here that have glass windows.. I search one of the guards that lay crumpled on the floor when I pause… When had i been shot? A bullet hole in my forearm leaks bright fluorescent green.. I bite the bullet out of my arm and spit it out allowing my body to deal with it quickly.. I take the key card and open the door. There are scientists trying to work not aware of the ruckus outside and around the base. They turn to me.. All 8 of them and i walk past several.. All gasping in fear.. I walk up to one of the men.. After i see my armour behind a bullet proof window and grab his keycard. His mouth gapes as i drag him to the panel with him still sat in his swivel chair with wheels and swipe his keycard. I walk inside and put my armour back on and take my weapons. I see Shanes armour but i won't be able to carry it with me we will have to come back.. The scientists.. Stare at me.. I am clearly not the first yautja some have seen.. I look at the scientist still frozen in his chair..

"May i use that card?" I ask he shakingly nods and trembles as he takes it off.

"T-take it.."

I gently take it and walk to the next door and swipe the door.. It unlocks and i make my way to find Shane. An alarm is sounding.. I swear i am beginning to dislike humans… More soldiers try to shoot me.. But now i have my armour with my shield module I've become difficult to harm with their primitive weapons. I kill the guards when i see a camera feed in a security office and decide to use it.. I have no idea how expansive this facility is and I'm trying so hard not to just blow the whole place to kingdom come.. There are civilians here i won't harm them. I look through the feeds when i finally find him.. Walking towards an area i had passed through.. I turn around and make my way back.. I re-enter the room and all the scientists must have ran. I double back across the bridge connecting with the struts when i see Shane in the distance.. He sprints towards me and i embrace him but Shane pulls away..

"Ghardeh.. You don't feel right.. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know but they injected me with something.."

"They did the same to me Jewel.. I don't feel like.. Me.. Something else killed people Ghardeh…

I nod fervently. We need you in your armour.. Follow me I'll take you to it.

We make our way through the building and Shane sees his armour. Without the platform it simply opened up from the back upon sensing Shane and closes.

His shield glows orange once again and he looks at me..

"Now we need to get out of here.. I'm done dicking around."

"I don't think so.." I turn around to see a familiar face in an exosuit..

Aiming a rocket launcher at the pair of us..

"You know.. I used to like predators..Then you come along and fuck up our whole operation.. Well I'm going to enjoy blowing you the fuck up."

He aims the launcher when we both cloak. He fires when Shane throws up his fire barrier melting the rocket making it to explode causing the Pauk to stagger back.. I waste no time and dive into him with my blades. One in his head.. And one in his chest for good measure.. I throw him aside when Shane shouts my name.. He boosts into something.. There is a deafening roaring.. Shriek. My eyes widen slightly at the hulking creature that picks Shane up and almost skewers him through his armour.. It misses only because he used his thrusters and ended up behind it..

"The fuck is this?!" Shane asks with an injection of fear.. It stretches its arms and roars in Shanes face. It is cut short.. As i fire my pistol at its head shooting one of its dreads.. It screeches and bleeds fluorescent green acid blood. It charges at me and jumps it thrusts its tail towards me and immediately smashes me into the wall behind.. Shane fires a barrage of rockets hitting it.. Causing it to stagger towards me. I kick off of it sliding backwards it manages to pick me up and its mandibles open wide with another roar. My elbow blades open up as it brings its tail up aiming at my head. Several soldiers rush in and take aim.. But who are they aiming at? It whips its tail and misses as Shane rams it behind with a shoulder barge. It turns its head and tries to whips Shane but he grabs its tail and uses his wrist blade to tear it off with a shriek of pain it throws me aside and makes a grab for Shane. I get up as the soldiers open fire on me but i ignore them as i hear Shane shout out.

"Motherfucker.." It throws Shane out of the window and he falls several stories his thrusters kick in before he hits the floor his armour is damaged as the Predalien used its cut off tail to melt through Shanes armour. It didn't work but he still felt the burning.. The Predalien jumps down and lands with a weighty thud i jump down wrist blades facing downward there is a tearing squelch as my blades rip into its mass it grabs my back digging its claws through my armour causing me to growl in pain throwing me into the pillars of the struts i smash into it with a thud Shane flashes orange.. "You are pissing me off!" I see him jump in the air as his projectiles explode into the Predalien.. It explodes in a fantastic green and body parts. There is shooting from above as Shane falls to a slump. "Not now Shane.." I run to him and grab him. I aim my pistol at the soldiers hitting them in the head when a missile hits us sending us careering into the water.. I torpedo towards Shane and grab him we surface then i throw Shane behind the crates as i jump out. Shane recovers and aims his missiles. He fires causing the bridge to collapse.. His rockets run out. He switches to energy flechettes. We sprint to the elevator and get in.. The glass holds barely.. As soldiers fire at the glass as It takes us back up into the facility proper.

"Ghardeh we need a way off this shit heap.." I leave the elevator first as we make our way to the hangar..

(Lar'ja N'ritja: Uzkielle's pov.)

"It hass been three weekss.. Uzkielle says with a growling undertone as Osh'ikeille begins to also question why the Scorpion is in hush mode around the moon..

"Neens.. We have to go look for them.. We know it's dangerous. But.. Ours to protect Neens.. They are family.."

"Yeah Danny i get it.. It's just.."

"Nina come on.. If this was the other way around.. There would be no hestation.."

"Hesitation Danny, alright.. Fine.. We go back but if we get shot down I'm holding you solely responsible.. Uzkielle.. Punch it.. Set a course.. For earth.."

I look at Osh who nods at me.. "I sure as shit hope this is the right decision my last one almost got us all killed. We will reach earth in a few days.. Here's hoping they are fine.." Uzkielle looks at me and nods..

"You are doing the rright thing.."

"Damn well hope so, what's on your mind Uz?"

He scoffs.

"It took three weeks to realisse something amisss.."

"Bite me."

(Ghardeh's pov.)

The door refuses to open and my keycard no longer works so i resort to my own devices, i dig my talons into the door and pull it open. Shane fires his plasma caster at more soldiers. He is getting used to shooting back. And his conscience begins to suffer as a result. I have to remind him they shot at us first.. Then his yautja side kicks in.. The side i find rather distrubing, it's not Shane at all.. I force open the door and find aircraft available.. Shane looks.. "I'll fly Ghardeh.. I'll get a grasp with this armour.." We get in a vtol bird.. And Shane immediately takes off.. The doors begin to close as we boost out. The dome begins to open up and we leave. Shane boosts as far away as he can when we take fire from behind.. Several craft follow us.. I open fire with my caster destroying the aircraft.

"Fuck they really want us dead huh jewel?!" The sun begins to peak out of the darkness and we find a spot to land.. When i say land.. We crash land.. We are pursued by Weyland craft.. Shane's flying was impressive but he made damn sure to land close to where we first took a hit… Near Louisiana… Marsh island.. He has a plan.. We crash land into wetland and as the engines cut i find Shane leant into the controls. He is not responding. I grab him as the vtol begins to sink and pull him out.

(Shane's pov.)

This was a stupid idea.. He thought..

As the vtol smashes into the wetland and is knocked unconscious. He feels being shifted.. Lifted.. He begins to fade in and out of consciousness.. He is over Ghardehs broad shoulders when she drops him.. He hears shooting.. Rifle fire along with Ghardehs plasma pistol.

"Come on Shane.. Wake up.."

He slips in again.. Hearing a thudding. Feeling vibrations.. Almost like Ghardeh is being shot.. He is dropped.. Shane's eyes shoot open as his yautja side kicks in and sees Ghardeh in a bad way. He sees soldiers behind her as she releases her wrist blades and the soldiers open fire.. A fiery barrier appears in front of Ghardeh.. Orange ripples form as every bullet hits the barrier and melt..

Shane stands up and grabs her shoulder..

"Ghardeh.."

He burns up and as his fiery wings spread he jumps and brings up his hands and throws fire projectiles at the soldiers causing them to turn into Ash.. He turns to her.. She is bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.

"What took you so damn long Shane?"

Shane talks.. "Not Shane."

Her expression is non readable behind her mask but her body language says it all.. Shane walks past her. "Must keep moving." She follows with pained breathing leaving fluorescent blood trails in her wake. They are running at a reasonable pace. He sees they are surrounded by water all around.. Shane sees another vtol on its way.. He balls his fists then aims his grapple.. It gets closer.. Then fires.. He hits the cockpit and the pilot.. It goes down with a thunderous splash.. Another to their right.. Ghardeh grabs him and jumps into the water..

(Ghardeh's pov.)

"Pauk enough of this!"

I grab Shane or whoever this entity is.. And jump into the water.. My wounds sting as i enter.. And torpedo forwards.. My heat vision casts blues and greens as we swim past fish and alligators. Shane can stay under indefinitely but i begin to feel the need to surface after twenty minutes. Then i claw soggy mud as we begin to rise out of the murky water. I need to tend to these bullet wounds. Shane looks at me.. "Holy shit Ghardeh you've been shot.."

I finally sense Shane..

He hovers his hands over my back and torso..

"You need to call in the Scorpion Jewel…"

"M-di not yet.. We can't risk it.."

"How are we here.. Where is the vtol?"

I snort.. "The other you borrowed your legs…you were unconscious from crashing us into marsh island.."

"Louisiana.. Yes.. Yes that was it.."

"Why here Shane?"

"A hunch.. So remember that asshole we met at the festival the xeno bastard? He said Roy Stevens was the one who wanted to look for xenomorphs in the area.. He knew that there in fact were xenos around but not where. It then occurred to me.. Maybe they have a blacksite here.. Or near here.. I looked through files while in the banks and i found that they were moving the files and data to the second blacksite.. But before i could get the exact location i was locked out. So i blew the whole place up.. Louisiana is made up of sixty five parishes Ghardeh.. Only.. There are sixty four KNOWN parishes.. One of them is a front.. We need to contact Nina.. She will know.."

"Are you sure about this Shane?"

Shane nods… "Bring in the Scorpion. I need to get out of this armour while Weyland has their pants down bringing in more troops.." He looks at my mask..

And puts his head to mine..

"I've missed that.." He says.

"Let's go.."

Something washes over me.. Something i have considered. Shane. Is changing.. Much like Nina has changed.. Becoming.. Yautja.. In his mannerisms.. The way he was while captured.. I was reverting to my natural huntress instincts while in that place.. But Shane.. He was.. Evolving? It seems there are two Shanes.. The one known to me but then there is the.. 'Yautja Shane.' Possibly a coping mechanism when he is in great danger.. Was this something Uzkielle meant by keeping an eye on him? I surely hope this version of Shane does not stick.. Maybe it's to do with his ascendant abilities.. Three weeks we have been in that hell hole.. We are not going back.. Even if it means i have to kill every last one of them..

Author note: You know what they say... The bigger you are.. That Predalien had no idea who it was messing with.. Almost felt bad for thr blighter.. And this is why you should let Ghardeh fly Shane spiv! Hopefully they get out of the world of crap they currently inhabit.. This chapter in particular i had a lot of trouble with.. I had to re-write it a whopping five times before i felt the pacing was right. It also shifted point of views quite alot which i wasn't happy with originally the predalien barely drew breath before it was killed but i wanted a little suspense. Anyway. Take care peeps!

Yautja words:

M-di- No.

Pauk- F^ck.

Yautja- Predator species. (Guuh!)