Predator

Chapter 12

Hours had passed quickly as Riddick engrossed himself in his wife’s history. The gods had notated how she wandered the Earth with Ian at her side. With a childlike enthusiasm, she attempted to interact with humanity.

Her telepathy made it difficult to be around the humans and her immeasurable strength caused more than a few ‘accidents’. People thought she was one of the gods and wouldn’t shun her despite the problems she had in their presence. In those days, humans tried to stay in the God’s favor.

Ian did not possess his mate’s zeal for humanity. He preferred solitude but was always a thought away if she needed him.

It was during these days when the world was young that the God of War became infatuated with the Phoenix. He tried relentlessly to gain her notice the only way he knew how…through battle.

His subtle courtship lasted right up to the time when the gods declared war on their creator. It was a history the Olympians were doomed to repeat after they destroyed the Titans…their own fathers and mothers.

The humans’ faith in the Greek Gods began to fade and turned towards a single deity. Without their belief and worship, the Olympians were losing their power in the world. They asked Alex to help them maintain their rule over the humans and depose this new God. She refused.

She told them she would not interfere in the natural evolution of life. The mortals had the right to choose their beliefs. The Gods felt their place in the world fading and rebelled.

They waged war against her; never witnessing her true power; and she effortlessly batted them aside. Her heart wasn’t in it to harm the beings that were close to her in power and that she looked upon as equals.

She offered them positions of power on her home world in an effort to placate them but they refused to give up the Earth. When they attacked again, she annihilated one-third of their number with her bare hands. It was the first lives she had taken.

Her show of power made quite an impression on the remaining Gods. Some worried that her physical strength was too great for them to overcome. Zeus refuted their fears by reminding them of their victory over the Titans. He said if they rallied their forces, they could defeat her. He never got a chance to finish his speech. Sitting on his throne on Mt. Olympus, she reduced their King to dust before his family’s eyes. She wasn’t even present.

Athena; devastated and outraged by her father’s death; called upon the others to continue with Zeus’ plans. Ares was the first to refuse. He argued that her offer was sufficient enough not to wage war against an obviously superior being.

His sister accused him of being in love with her and his thinking was generated from below his belt. Ares did not admit or deny his feelings for the creator. He argued the futility of war against the woman that destroyed a fraction of their race without breaking a sweat and reduced their father to ashes without lifting a finger or even being there.

The other Gods listened to the God and Goddess of War argue their points and divided themselves behind Ares and Athena. The ones who took no part in the attack felt Mt. Olympus shake to its foundation with each passing of an executed God.

When the ground beneath their feet quaked no longer, Alex returned Athena and Hades’ beaten bodies to their home. She looked at Ares with sorrow in her eyes. “I did not want this. Any of it!”

He approached her with no fear and held her face gently between his palms. “I know but you had no choice.”

“I killed your father, brothers and sisters! How can you be so understanding unless…you fear me?”

He shook his head and smiled softly. “I love you, Alexandra.”

“You do not make any sense.”

He wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her softly on her forehead. “I make perfect sense. I’ve loved you since the day we met. We are alike – you and I.”

She saw the sincerity in his eyes and in his thoughts. An understanding passed between them and they knew they would never be separated. “I spared your brother and sister. I’m not sure why since they coordinated the attack but I have a use for them on my world.”

“It is not in the nature of creatures like you and I to spare our enemies.” He warned her. “You might come to regret your decision someday.”

“There is nothing they can do to harm me or mine and they’ll have centuries to see the error of their ways.”

Hades remained the guardian of Tartarus and the Elysian Fields. Athena became the archivist of the Phoenix’s life. Ares bonded with Alex and became her second mate. The remaining Gods were free to roam Ariana and do anything they wished as long as it didn’t upset the balance of order. She even called upon them as council from time to time.

As Riddick read on, he noticed through out her history the changes she went through with Ares by her side. She became more blood thirsty and warlike but only in battle. Alex and her 2 mates made several trips back to Earth over the next several centuries to satisfy their curiosity on the evolution of the planet.

During the late 19th century, she took a solo venture and came across the immortal Duncan Macleod. He was in a sword fight and; when his eyes fell upon her; he was momentarily distracted by her beauty.

His opponent seized the advantage and gained the upper-hand. When Duncan was on the verge of defeat, she called out to him. “You are better than this. I cannot believe you’ll let a simple distraction be your undoing.”

A surge of strength swept through him and he battled his foe with renewed vigor. She casually leant against a tree and studied his technique. He was a perfect warrior except for one flaw. He did not like to kill.

When the fight swung in his favor, he used his skill to disarm his adversary and took his head. She stood in witness to the Quickening and was overwhelmed by the powerful emotions that coursed through him.

When he fell to the ground exhausted, she rushed to his side and held his shaking form in her arms. As she gently comforted him by running her hand from his hair to his back, she entered his mind and saw everything.

This race of immortals was made with one weakness. If you lost your head – you lost your life. They were forced to fight until only one remained. Some were good and some were evil. The good were content to live out their lives without participating in the Gathering. The evil ones left them no choice when they fought greedily for some promised prize that was to be granted to the last of their kind.

This man had already lived for 2 centuries and was weary of it. He felt lonely, sad, and bored. Living was becoming monotonous when everyone you cared for died; either by human standards or the immortal beheading. His pain made her heart hurt.

A soothing Scottish accent met her ears and she withdrew from his mind. “Who are you?”

She pulled back slightly and looked deep into his soulful eyes. “Someone who understands with perfect clarity how you feel.”

“You are not one of us. I would feel it if you were.”

“No. I’m not one of you but I’m like you.” She saw the question in his eyes and elaborated. “I have lived longer than you can possibly imagine and I’ve watched people I care for die by either time or my own hand.”

His hand moved to her face and his fingers wiped away errant tears that ran down her cheeks. “I know why you cry.” He whispered in understanding. “I am Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod and I am honored to meet you, milady.”

She was about to introduce herself when she heard a loud snap. She looked up at his face and saw pain and shock in his eyes. Then she smelled the blood. He had been shot in the back. “Duncan!”

She laid him gently down on the ground and cupped his cheek. “Get away from here. Save yourself.” She felt his desire for her safety in his heart and it warmed her; as of late; cold one.

“No. I’m going to save you.”

“For goodness sake, woman, I will recover from this! I beg of you to run!”

The men hunting Duncan were approaching quickly. They had also witnessed the Quickening from a distance and thought he was some demon or witch. She stood and faced them. “Stand aside, ma’am. I don’t know what that thing is but we’ll kill it.”

Her hands fisted at her sides from his cruel description of Duncan. Her bloodlust kicked into high gear when she thought of them murdering him for no other reason than fear of the unknown. “I’m afraid I can’t let that happen.”

The man who spoke to her seemed surprised by her response. He was downright startled when she brought a straight-ridged hand down and cleaved his rifle in half. A quick sidekick to his chest sent him crashing into a tree. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Of the 3 men remaining, two rushed towards her. She headed them off, jumped into a roundhouse kick that snapped across both of their heads, and watched them crumble to the ground. Another loud crack split the air and she fell to her knees clutching her chest.

“No!” Duncan cried out in anguish. This woman sacrificed her life to protect him and they had just met. “What kind of man shoots a defenseless woman?”

“Who are you to question my manhood, freak?” He reloaded his rifle and turned his back on Alex to aim at Duncan. “And I wouldn’t exactly call her a woman.”

An arm wrapped around his neck and she growled in his ear. “I wouldn’t call me defenseless either.” His eyes widened when he saw a glowing sword erupt from his chest. “We may be freaks but we don’t kill out of ignorance.” She pulled her blade from his back and let him fall at her feet.

“You’re alive.” She looked up and smiled at Duncan. “How is this possible?”

She moved to his side and placed her hand on his chest. “It’s complicated and so is this.” Her hand glowed and his wound healed faster than it normally would have.

“You are an angel.” He covered her hand with his own and held it over his heart. “And a very impressive warrior.”

“Duncan, I’m not an angel. Look at what I’ve done here.”

He looked at her downcast eyes and felt her regret. His free hand parted the torn material of her shirt between her breasts and saw her own wound knit closed. “You heal like I do.” He moved his hand to lift her chin and stared into her black tear-filled eyes. “You don’t die.”

“I die. I just don’t stay dead and; unlike you; there is nothing that can permanently end my existence. Are you well enough to move?” He nodded his head. “Good. Let’s get out of here before anymore of these fools show up.” As they rose to their feet, she looked at her 4 victims and Duncan’s headless foe. “This won’t do at all.” With a gesture of her hand, the corpses disappeared.

“How did you do that? Where did they go? Where is your sword?”

“Mr. Macleod, you ask a lot of questions and someday I might tell you but we have to move.”

They went on in relative silence for a while and Duncan took the opportunity to observe his companion’s discomfort by her mannerisms. “May I ask one more question, milady?”

“Sure.”

“What is your name?”

“I’m sorry, Duncan. We got a little sidetracked during our introductions. My name is Alexandra.”

“That is a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” She smiled and flushed slightly with the compliment. “Alexandra, I can tell you are upset. I’m sorry that you killed those men because of me.” His voice was like music to her ears even when it cracked with emotion. “I begged you to run and now you have this on your conscience.”

She stopped and slowly turned to look into those soulful eyes again. “It isn’t my conscience that is bothering me, Duncan. My heart is heavy from the pain we both are burdened with from our extended lives. The fact that we are forced to kill just to continue this existence is the final nail in the proverbial coffin.”

“I told you before that I know why you cry and I know the pain you speak of.” He clutched her hand to his chest and smiled for the first time in fifty years. “I also know there were happy times in my life and I cherish every moment…every memory. I imagine you have some of those too.”

That day brought Alex and Duncan together with a heartfelt bond. After a couple of years of adventures and travels, they had a traditional Scottish wedding.

Riddick learned of the immortals inability to breed and how she used her power to alter Duncan’s genetic structure just enough to rectify that problem. Eight days later, she bore him his son, Dean. Ares; not wanting to be one-upped by an immortal; insisted upon having a child as well. They were gifted with Brandon.

It wasn’t long after that a race of beings from a world bound for extinction captured Dean. The Velusians were dying from a biological disease that was unleashed on their planet by a neighboring world, Boria. They had heard of Dean’s superhuman abilities and hoped to harvest his cells to find a cure. His skin was near impenetrable but the scientists; in their desperation and haste; managed to cause him excruciating pain.

Alexandra was driven to the brink of insanity from the shared torture of her son. Her body wracked with agony while the fastest ship in the armada sped them to Velusia. “Stop the cruiser well outside of their orbit.”

The captain did as his queen ordered and Duncan followed his wife to the front view screen. “Alex, how are we going to get him back?”

“You’re going to wait here. I’ll be right back.” Before he could say another word, the flames erupted around her body and everyone present stood in shock as she phased through the bulkhead like it wasn’t there.

They ran to the view screen and watched the flames take shape into a bird of living fire. She turned to the planet of her son’s tormentors and flew into its center. Fire spread across the surface of Velusia and within moments the Phoenix enveloped the entire globe. One minute after she entered its atmosphere, Velusia exploded into dust and debris.

Alex and her son were all that remained in the space that use to be occupied by a world of people. As she flew back to the cruiser carrying her son in her arms, she cast a glance at Boria and it followed its neighbor’s fate with a simple nod of her head.

Everyone on board refrained from speaking while she healed her son’s injuries. Duncan cast a sad glance at his wife but hid it quickly when she collapsed from the strain. Not a word was mentioned about the incident after they returned home but her point was real clear.

Touch me or mine and die a horrible death.

Riddick leant back in his chair and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. He had covered 6000 years of her life already and wanted to continue but he needed a breather. Everything was spinning in his head and he needed to put it into place.

“Very impressive, my lord.” Athena said in earnest. “No one has read that much of her history in so short of time.”

“I was an A student. Athena, are there any records of her time before you?”

“She imparted some of that knowledge to me a long time ago but it isn’t allowed to be recorded.”

“Why not?”

“Why are you curious?”

He thought he saw someone on a majority of the flexis that looked familiar but the person in question was always just out of sight. ‘It couldn’t be. He’d be thousands of years old.’

“My lord?”

“I’m going to finish this and you are going to ‘impart’ me with that knowledge when I’m done. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Sire.”