Chapter 3
Who's in charge now?!
So apparently the space lobsters knew their names and could speak perfect english. Nice. Truly fascinating for Mercer, though he now wondered if they remembered that one of them he fought and consumed years ago back at Manhattan. Was a tasty guy, gave Alex some nice secrets and info about life on other planet, his "contribution" would be remembered fondly.
What was even more interesting for Alex was how gutsy these two had been by taking all those fresh kills away from him in a potential field of screams. Such audacy.
So there were two members of the Yautja as they were called in front of him and his men. One was bigger and bulkier than the other, had a more battle focused look. There was something about those eyes and that pose that gave him a military look that resembled many military officers that Alex had seen before. Very authoritarian. He also appeared to be the older one of the two, which automatically made the cocky bastard next to him the rookie for Alex. This was the Warrior.
The other one had a more "hip" vibe going for him. He was shorter but very imposing to a human regardless. His armor wasn't clean like the other one, it was rather dirty and even adorned with some stripes, necklaces and small bony parts that belonged to some poor beastly bastards. He was the Hunter.
Everyone in the group could tell what these two were, but it was Dutch who was more familiar with their species after a deadly tangle so many years ago. He had gotten over the trauma, at the time he was calm and collected but he still remained on guard. There was quite some silence between both parties until the Warrior broke it with a deep chilling voice, one that could have sent shivers down a lot of spines.
"Alex Mercer." He said glaring at the viral abomination, before turning to the cyborg on his side. "And Alan Schaefer."
"You weren't all that hard to find." The Hunter supplied in a cold manner.
"We weren't hiding to begin with." Dutch replied.
"Okay so what the blazes is going on here?" Wilkinson asked out of concern about his team leader's predicament. The two predators in front of them were clearly not moving a hand against the squad but he just wondered the reason for this.
"Aliens, Billy boy. These two have come to earth to rendezvous with us." Alex cleared out turning at Wilkinson before quickly turning back to their alien guests. "Isn't that so, boys?"
"Think this through. We came here looking for a good hunt, then trophies out of it but most importantly, because we need to cleanse a pest." Spoke the Warrior type, going straight to the point, and Alex really liked that.
"So the xenos, they're your hunt now?" Alex inquired further.
"More like a sickness we have to get rid of. It is our duty and mission, and for that we could use your aid." Said the Warrior in that wise and authoritarian voice. When listening closely, Alex got reminded an awful lot of Optimus Prime from those silly Transformers films he would watch with Dana back at home. Pretty alien sounding, if he could use that term right.
All of this had Alex thinking and questioning if he should attack and consume the Hunter and the Warrior right there or just keep listening and see if they could be more useful alive. He opted for the second because the creatures had aroused his interest. Before he said something, Dutch spoke up too.
"Then why don't you bomb the whole place with your toys and call it a day?" He asked, considering the massive space they had vaporized free from xenomorphs. With weaponry like that they could end the outbreak in minutes.
"Let me guess, some sense of honor." Ittin said in a bold guess, figuring out what the Yautja were thinking.
"Aye. A good hunt is it's own reward, you all should know that." The Hunter explained, before turning back to Alex and Dutch. "We know you killed some of us in combat in the past, and for that we salute you and invite you to the hunt."
Oh, how bloody considerate from them to address the facts like that. Alex could really understand what the deal was with the creatures, they were driven by honor, but as admirable as such thing is, it gets people killed often. Alex didn't mind playing dirty, retreating or taking other measures to earn a victory. Still, he could live with teaming up with the predators as long as they didn't get on his way.
"Alright then." Alex agreed. "Tag along if you will, but don't take any kills from me."
The Hunter predator showed what seemed like a smirk.
"Bet I can take more lives than you." The hunter said in a sassy manner. So far Alex felt like the Hunter, being the youngest, was something of a sassy bastard who liked to compete in any way possible but Alex could put with that. It was on like freaking Christmas.
"Challenge accepted." He responded with a grin.
"So that's how things are? We're going to cleanse the whole city with them and you're already betting on who will kill more?" Lynn asked, calm but a little taken back by the idea of Alex and the Hunter wanting to get the highest kill streak each. Alex just chuckled in a honest yet somewhat perverse way.
"We're with you, sir." Smee clarified, showing support of Alex.
"What are our orders?" Asked Hugh, curious about their course of action. Alex snorted before giving a straight answer.
"First thing's first. I may be armed to the teeth quite literally but you guys will need a temporary upgrade to keep up, isn't that so?" Then Dutch motioned towards the ship.
"Show us where you keep the goods."
The Warrior complied and then motioned for them to follow.
"As you wish."
They all entered the ship. The crew walked through the short halls in the ship, looking to get the arsenal that was offered and admiring the particular alien decoration. It included skulls that used to belong to Xenomorphs and some others that belonged to unidentified creatures, ones they knew nothing about though it also aroused Alex' interest. The Warrior led the way and with a subtle press on the buttons of his wrist computer, a wall opened, revealing some very particular and inventive pieces of arsenal.
"Man, now we're talking big." Mused Ittin taking a good look of approval towards the supply.
There were some big guns that were of Mercer and Dutch's liking. Hunter nodded and motioned towards the stock, giving the squad green light to pick up what they needed.
Wilkinson was the first one since Alex patted his shoulder like a father giving a son the choice of what he wanted from the toy store.
Being a sniper, Bill picked what looked like a precision rifle, long but with a good handle and grip and also a pretty good sight. Looked ready to scope a xenomorph skull as soon as it popped into the radar. It was a plasma carabine of sorts.
"A huntsman's firearm. Good choice." Said the warrior in his calm and respectful manner. Bill just nodded. The others soon followed and chose their weapons wisely, settling for what the predators had to offer.
After a while they exited the ship, everyone packing all they needed and more. They exchanged a few quick looks of approval as they made their way to the heart of the disaster. Alex had witnessed a change on his plans but he couldn't complain. This was shaping up well but he still had quite a lot of trash to take out.
"Not to seem lost here, but where are we going to now, boss?" Smee asked his hooded master for he really didn't know what they were up to but he was pretty damn loyal about it.
"To the heart and nests of those shit stained bugs wherever they are like we rightfully should, Smee. I say we take the subway and blast our way through their masses, see how they hold up and for how long." Alex told Smee as he drew the plan in his mind, checking the pros and cons of it all. But then he heard what seemed like a freaking chuckle coming off the Hunter predator.
"Nice suggestion. How about we move onto the actual orders?" The Hunter remarked, being all bossy and cocky as usual. He then turned to the Warrior as if waiting for him to say something. "Sir?"
"Our main focus is on the sewers, we go in and see if there's any stray prey. We kill them and then rush into the subway to burn their nest to ashes." The older predator explained and ordered, which led Alex to lift an eyebrow.
"So you're the boss now, huh?" Alex questioned, having heard the instructions. He could follow orders if needed to but his boys could only trust and follow one man and that was him. "We're some kinda, hunting pack now?"
"If you say so." Said the Hunter without too much thought. Alex was actually and legitimately starting to like the duo. Now he just had to find a way of dealing with them in good terms and device a plan that wouldn't get the whole squad fucked up.
"Now that sounds just fine but I have an even better idea, we split." Both alien creatures looked at Alex after hearing him out, all too interested in what he had to propose.
Not too long ago, the duo had been travelling through space in search for a good hunt that would be worth the effort. The Warrior had been teaching the Hunter to perfect his skills, to grow not just physically but also mentally and then expand his horizons. When their race told them about the xenomorph outbreak beginning in Earth, they saw the perfect opportunity and they seized it, knowing what to expect.
For many members of their species, Earth had been a golden mine of opportunities. It was the place to go when looking for a different and more revitalizing challenge. So many other hunters could bear witness to that. But there were the hunters who just fought for fun and then there were those like the Warrior, ready and dedicated to fighting for a greater purpose, a worthy cause and a good battle to remember. He also saw the opportunity to teach the Hunter something valuable that would be special for his development. He was still young but he was growing more mature with each conflict.
So yeah, both Hunter and Warrior had their motives to be there and most importantly, to bear witness to the deadly beasts that lived on Earth, specially in the form of the heavy mass of Blacklight that was Alex Mercer. He puzzled them, he just did and they were curious as to where that would take them. Then Schaefer too, the man had proven to be a fine example of what a warrior human was back when he survived and won against the Jungle Hunter with his sheer wit and skills. Alan Schaefer was nothing short of a legend to the Yautja.
If they had been lucky that day, it was for being in the company of such intriguing specimens of fighters, born and raised on Earth. So when one had a thing to share, they were attent to it.
"You say we split, how do you propose we do so?" The Warrior asked out of curiosity on the virus' methods, listening to his suggestion.
"Glad you asked." Mercer replied with his arms open and a smile on his face. "You know the sewers and the subway are connected by tunnels. You two can take Schaefer and his liutenant with you and head into the sewers like you say you want. Me and my boys? We can take a different approach. Those dirty bloody mudbags we want to kill? I already consumed a whole lot of them and I got more than just a stomachache. Their minds are all wired up and crap like a hive but that means mine is too. Like a web of intrigue."
"This web of intrigue you speak of, can you tap into it? Locate and track down our prey with it?" The Warrior inquired in realization. Alex then looked at him.
"Aye. We save a lot of precious time, pin them in both sides and fronts, then squash them like vermin and fucking laugh at it." Alex said in affirmative. "Is that cool with you?"
After some thought the Warrior nodded in approval. With that settled, Lynn inched closer towards Alex before questioning him.
"You sure you guys can handle all that by yourselves?" To that Alex turned to face Lynn and then cocked his head in an odd angle.
"That a serious question now, liutenant?" Alex replied before patting her shoulder and shrugging. "We'll be fine, now move it."
Lynn began walking along the predators as they headed for a nearby manhole. Before joining too, Dutch shook Mercer's hand with his bionic arm.
"Good luck." He said to the viral abomination with a smirk. Alex gave him a smirk too.
"Good hunt." He shot back. "Come back in one piece, tin man."
"Thanks." Dutch then joined his half of the group as Alex walked off with his men at his side and disposal.
"This is going to be fun, ain't it?" Private Hugh remarked.
"That it will, private." Alex told him. "The time's ticking. Don't know about you but after we're done here I ought to get a nice payback on the cunts who set us up here and then call Foyet for the pick up."
"Amen to that." Agreed Ittin, very supportive of Alex' words.
After a while of roaming with an eye out for xenos, Alex and company made it to the stairs leading down to the subway. They could already feel the presence of hostiles down there plus what must have been a whole nest for the xenomorph to spread their numbers.
Everyone got ready and went in to carry out the cleansing. A few Xenomorphs moved from the shadows, standing on guard for the entrance but this act was proven futile when they were quickly dispatched by Alex and his men before they could even growl at them.
It was pretty damn dark down there. That would have been an issue had it not been for the whole set of visions Alex had developed. Thermal vision would have done them no good against the enemy, the xenomorph were cold enough that they did not appear on a predator's thermal vision, they were like corpses but at the same time they were pretty damn livid when close enough.
Thanksfully, Alex had made other arrangements for solving that problem. All the xenos he had ripped and consumed previously had proven valuable because he could now tap into the hive mind linking them, which meant that nothing would protect them from him. They were safe no more.
Using this newly gained talent, Alex sensed every single threat in the eviroment. They would pose no threat anymore, they had lost the surprise factor and would pay dearly for it. Still, Alex had to be careful to keep his crew alive and warned from the attacks. Give them specific directions on where to shoot and fuck up.
"Sir, do you see them?" Smee asked, keeping his finger on the trigger and very attent to any incoming aliens. He and the others were pretty much forming a circle and moving in synchronization to cover all positions.
"Yes." Alex then focused for a moment and had a glimpse of the first enemy. "Bill, at your twelve!"
Bill did as told and fired his sniper against a stray xenomorph that had been crawling at him. His weapon proved powerful when the first round lodged into the large skull of the alien, splitting it and then the second one blew it all apart for good measure.
Another xenomorph came from the ceiling down on the team but Alex catched it by the skull and crushed it between his palms like a grape fruit. So far the team was holding up well but the darkness was still overwhelming them.
"Shouldn't we light up a flare or something?" Hugh asked, concerned by the lack of visibility that made it hard to keep up with Alex' instructions. "Or would that attract them?"
"They can detect us no matter what." Alex replied while lifting the meaty remains of a xenomorph and consuming them. Then an idea went through what he called "brain" and it was like the proverbial light bulb of thought had lit up on his crest.
A series of fleshy tentacles constructed from his chest and his back formed and then wrapped around the waists of his colleagues. A security rope. They didn't mind, he had to ensure they wouldn't all split during the attacks. He then lit up a flare and tossed into the direction he planned to take.
It was down the railways where the hive prowled. Lurking in the shadows of the tunnel and crap, Alex knew them all too well. He knew their kind now more than ever. That was their destination. He had to thank the predators for the valuable weaponry they supplied him, specifically in the form of the power charges they gave him that were now stored safely within the biomass that composed his body. Who needed pockets with that, huh?
"We head in there and put our charges up to exterminate the freaks. It's gotta be close and deep so that there will be zero chances of survival within the blast radius. The whole hive will be buried in rubble and debris if we do it right."
"All clear then." Said Bill with a nod. Though the squad had flashlights attached to their weapons, they would still have to rely an awful lot on Alex for visibility. The tunnel was dark and the beasts in there were all too sneaky to let themselves be sighted easily.
As they walked in closer, Alex kicked the flare a lot further away, making the darkness of the pit way more bearable due to the light. They were getting closer when they saw some odd shapes away from the light shaking and trembling in an eerie manner. It took them less than a second to realize those were xenos trying to get them by surprise by playing dead. With a series of precisely placed shots, Ittin and Smee made it official. They kept going.
A lot of headshots later, in the middle of the murk, the squad began noticing more and more what they were looking for: a hive. Some eggs were laid around the place, and they knew exactly what they were meant for. The damn face-huggers were all mowed down and reduced to wet chunks of mush on the floor before they could even try to jump. Hugh made sure to shoot every single one of those bloody death traps for good measure.
Alex kept leading the way until he felt the next big threat, stopping his steps cold and gesturing for his men to do so too. No one could see anything moving around, not even a bug of any sort, it was like a phantom had just decided to prey on them. They looked around for a while until Alex clarified the true general direction of their attackers. He turned to his men to warn them in time.
"In the walls!" He yelled at them. Everyone then got in position and watched how a bunch of xenomorphs broke through the walls in a wild frenzy.
The ones attacking them were no random jobbers, they were soldiers, praetors even. Alex took notice of that and realized that he and his men were in the right direction and doing well, the presence of enemies that dangerous could only be justified by the existence of something truly important and worth defending.
Basic shit.
With that in mind, Alex rushed at the bigger and more threatening foe he glimpsed and formed his blade, ramming it straight through the praetor's chest. The aliens he had consumed once again proved to be worth the pain and very useful because his Blade was now stronger and unaffected by the acid of the creature. It tried to grip his shoulders to fight back but Alex raised his Blade all the way up, slicing the xenomorph in half from the waist up. He quickly turned to see how his men faired against the other attackers in that close quarter brawl. They were firing at the praetors non stop, jumping and rolling for cover as they did. Their shock batons would be very useful for when the aliens tried to get all close and personal.
With a growl, Alex shoved a hand through the closest xenomorph's chest, seizing it's spine, then with a wild yank he ripped it off with it's skull fully attached and then he swung the whole thing hard enough to shatter it to pieces against some ugly bastard's elongated jaw.
He formed a pair of Hammerfists and with a vicious look he went on with the fight.
"Okay. So who the hell is next, huh?!"
AN: That was a bitch too write due to very poor circumstances, but I've done it. Couldn't leave you hanging that bad, it's bloody february now, I just hope you can forgive my delays. I worked on other stories over the time that you could check but this was my most followed one so I had to prioritize it. Do leave your thoughts and input too. I will aim to be more efficient from now on and update faster, I owe you guys as much for your support. It really means a world to me.
The pen or The sword: I really took your words into account, the xenomorphs alone may not be a huge threat to Alex right now but there's more to it. Got some twists and stuff in mind.
Paradox009: Thanks, mate. Very touching even. I do keep a lot of what you say in mind.
DragonLordRynn: Now that's just freaking awesome coming from you. Wish you the best with your works too. Glad you got the reference, lol.