A different type of warrior

Ka'ja'rand had followed the scent of his mate back to the scene of their earlier battle in the street. He saw the armed Oomans on the rooftops yet paid them no mind. He was standing across from the building where he and his mate had ventured earlier. He could smell the the others too, the bull male and his female, and the other male who would one day challenge his place at Pyode Jehdin's side.



The street was desolate, the wreck of the APC still covering much of the thoroughfare. Blood from the fallen police force staining the streets. Alex had positioned his men in the alleys and on the rooftops keeping the street clear in front of the shop. His men had motion detectors on street level and trip wires at the alley exits. Nothing could get in without him knowing about it. He hefted the heavy shotgun, it's barrel magazine loaded with alternating slugs and heavy shot rounds. He stepped back from the triple paned bullet proof glass of Mama Gee's shop window and went behind the counter. Another of his men, was sitting there watching the motion sensor.



“Anything yet?” Said Alex, his voice a bit tense.



“Nothing boss,” Said Mark.



Alex didn't feel right, something was off. He keyed up his comm unit. “Overwatch teams, report by numbers.”

“Team one situation normal, no contacts.”



“Team two nothing moving down here, not even the civilians.”



“Team three, clear here, what the hell are we even waiting on?”



“Team four, we ain't found, Shit!”



The comm burst into static and dust burst from the corners of the triple paned glass and the door rattled. Team four was to the southeast across from team two. “Team two report!” Alex barked



“Fucking hell sir, whatever it is, it's here, team four's building just burst into flames on top I saw one of them, Jack I think dive for the street, he's splattered everywhere! Fuck!”

From the comm unit he heard a few bursts of gunfire. Alex jumped the counter and ran to the window. Sure enough team four's building was burning down, a great pillar of flame and smoke was billowing into the air. He scanned the rooftops checking his men's other positions only to catch a blinding flash as a ball of molten yellow flame shot from just out of his sight to the left. It slammed into the sandbags turning them into liquid glass instantly immolating a corner of the building. He could hear the screams and gunfire from where he stood.



“Sir what do we do?” Yelled one of the teams from the comm.



“Fire back!” He barked



The Oomans were firing in all directions now. Their heavy burners scouring their buildings riddling them with holes, they lobbed grenades which burst ineffectively far away from him. Ka'ja'rand came to the edge of the tall building he'd chosen to start his hunt with a burst of speed he lept his clawed hands outstretched, the other building was twelve meters away he slammed into hit his claws biting into the rough wall. He growled and began to climb again, his claws propelling him up the sheer face. How he longed for a suitable jungle canopy with trees to dwarf these pathetic structures. The second building was a full on blaze now, it spewed smoke in huge amounts into the air. Ka'ja'rand could see the small Oomans, as he crested the rooftop, he was close, they would never see him coming.



With a rush he ran to the edge of the building's roof and with a great lunge he landed inside of their makeshift fortifications rolling up from a crouch to impale one of the Oomans. He lifted the man bodily a grotesque shade of death dripping gore as he hurled it through the air into one of it's comrades. The other man had no time to dodge struck by horror as he was. The body of his friend and he went sailing over the edge of the building to fall screaming the three stories to the street below. Even then Ka'ja'rand spun into the remaining men, his clawed fist backhanding the burner out of the man's hand and his Ki'cti-pa tearing through his neck, then diving into the next man tackling him to the ground like a living spear his blades deep in his chest flushing the light from his eyes. By the end of this the men from the final roof had retreated into the building itself attempting to get to the ground and escape.



Ka'ja'rand targeted the lower floor with his plasma caster. The superheated round like a small sun rocketed through the sunlit street crashing through a lower wall. The building shuddered, a small explosion ripping through the lower levels, it toppled collapsing into the street. Ka'ja'rand looked at the weapon on his wrist quizzically, formidable indeed.



With the nests of foes dead Ka'ja'rand policed one of the Ooman burners laying on the rooftop and jumped to the street below. His landing cracked the pavement with the force of the impact, yet he took the shock in his great legs and ran from the spot the adrenalin pumping through his thick corded neck in torrents as he crossed the distance to the building where his mate was. To his left the collapsed building was smoldering wreckage, it burst apart in a larger secondary explosion, a ball of blue flame sending debris raining in all directions at high speed a noxious cloud of chemical gas expelling into the air. Ka'ja'rand was cast on the ground like a doll by the force of the explosion bouncing and rolling on his side due with the shock wave.



He collected himself slowly, half the street was on fire, chemicals burning slopped on the ground in vicious oranges and yellows. The fire was a dark smoldering black cloud it hissed and popped as it expelled into the air.



The shock wave tore through the building shattering the bulbs in the halogen lights. The ceiling rattled around. The room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Alex Swung the shotgun to the door momentarily blind. He could feel his sweat dripping from his forehead. His vision blurred slightly from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. His man gripped his pulse rifle nervously scanning the room to the right. The shotgun pressed into his shoulder biting painfully with the force he was applying to steady himself. The door burst into the room splinters flying from the hinges as it exploded from the wall. Alex fired both barrels of the shotgun into the gap. The other man a hail of pulse rifle fire The electric sound of it recoil as the ammo counter spiraled downward from 99. The rifle clicked empty Alex kept his eyes on the door, nothing moved. The other man edged to the end of the counter his door to the back room. From his belt he fed another mag into the pulse rifle. Alex re-cocked the shotgun and watched the door. His breath was coming in shallow gasps. “Come on you fucker!” He yelled at the silence.



Ka'ja'rand had dropped the human weapon after blowing the door apart. He made his way to the back door. The other human had broken the lock earlier in the day, it opened with little noise. The operation's room was dark. He made his way past the stairwell to the storefront. The man had his back to him. He was reloading his burner. The Ki'cti'pa extended with a 'shink'. The man's head turned to the side, the dull white of his cow eye gleaming with the knowledge of his death. His body contorted slowly responding to his slow mind's command to turn and engage the threat. Ka'ja'rand moved with lightning speed the blade severing through the man's ribs rending his organs and lifting him bodily from the ground. He heard the other man shift. “Holy fuck!” he brought the body around as a shield. The boom of the small burner shook the room as it impacted the other man's chest further. Ka'ja'rand flung the fresh corpse at the second man collapsing him to the ground momentarily. He lunged at him grasping his struggling head and wrenching it sideways with his considerable strength. With a pop and a tear Alex's head tore from his neck with a sick twist.



Kara used the distraction of the explosion to bring her knee into the larger woman's abdomen knocking the air from her. The big bitch's grip slackened and Kara wrenched her arm from her grasp slamming her forehead into the woman's nose breaking it in a small shower of blood and shoving her off to the side. Kara got her feet under her and came up in a crouch to square against her enemy again. Mama Gee looked like some abused gladiator, she spat blood from her mouth in a froth as she gained her feet slowly. From above there was the distinct noise of a small explosion followed by lots of gunfire then a brief silence.



“Even if he makes it down here you'll be dead you swine cunt.” Said Mama Gee



“Prey should not insult the predator.” Said Pyode Jehdin



The large woman snarled and lunged forward with both hands to grab Kara and again use her weight. Kara stepped forward and right bringing her right arm up and locking it around the rushing woman's arm and neck. She lifted with her legs and then fell backward using the other woman's momentum to propel her face into the durocrete. With a sick crack. Kara struggled to move the fat bitch off her, the other woman didn't stir. She used her elbow as a lever to push the corpse off her and then stood slowly. The thing's slime still oozing from between her legs slowly. She sighed and then moved to the controls on the console on the restraint table. It took her a moment to figure out which controls opened the cells, she pushed buttons randomly. The lights in the tanks and the room flickered on and off, then the individual sources in the cells. All but one were occupied. Most of the girls appeared drugged. The last cell had Dutch and Sarah in it, they were laying on the floor peacefully, unconscious or dead, Kara could not tell. The cell next to them had a young girl, she couldn't have been older than sixteen, with long red hair. Her skin was so pale it almost hurt to look at with the Bruises on her wrists and her waist. Her breasts looked tortured, bruised, her nipples puffy and red. She looked up suddenly, her eyes a cold cobalt blue. She seemed lucid.



“Oh my god, please let me go!” She screamed. “I don't want to die, get me out of here before she comes back!”



“Relax, I killed her.” Said Kara “I'm just trying to figure out the console.”



Kara began stabbing at the control panel again. Soon the doors to the cages on the wall released. The girls could now leave. She hit the last in the list and then ran over to check on Dutch and Sarah. They were breathing, and seemed none the worse for ware, yet it would be awhile before the sedative wore off. Kara turned to the sudden screaming of the girl from the other tank. Mama Gee with her ruined face had crawled over to the controls. She looked ghastly her face purple torn and bleeding. Her fist came down on the console hard she began laughing and collapsed to the floor again.



Kara stood as the glass paneling on the Xenomorph's tank as well of that of the larger enclosure slid into the floor below. Kara crouched low hoping to avoid notice until she could think of something. The bug on the other hand was having none of it. It creeped forward slowly over the concrete flooring. It paused by the controls it's tail sinuously flowing out behind it like the body of a snake. In an instant it's hands snatched out it's claws grabbing Mama Gee from the floor and lifting her bodily from the ground it's spiked tail whipped through the air in a single motion impaling her through the chest the heavy black spike splattering the woman's blood all over the console a foot of the tail extending through her chest before the xenomorph discarded the corpse flinging it aside. Kara didn't move. The xenomorph ignored the rest of the room and moved toward her. Thick clear drool dripping from it's layered lips hissing and pockmarking the floor where it landed. It's teeth polished new forged black iron opened in a low intake of breath as it scented the air. It's eyeless elongated head like some perversion of the male sex. It moved slowly toward her it's steps even and sure. She had no defense against this. Kara stared at it's eyeless head knowing this was her death.



Ka'ja'rand checked the room again, his mate's scent was strong here. He was having difficulty locating the hidden panel to the chamber below. He finally located the seam where the wall broke and began prying at it with his hands. It wouldn't budge, it was heavier than it looked. He scanned for some variety of release for the door finding none he went to the counter. The Ooman burner felt small in his hands, he stood as far from the wall as he could and depressed the secondary trigger. The air in the small storefront whooshed into the explosion depleting the available oxygen for a moment. There was a faint light through the smoke from the lower room as the flames flickered from the edges of his impromptu doorway. He hurled himself through the door and down the stairs taking the human weapon with him, he knew his mate would have need of it. His first appraisal of the room was complete chaos.



A serpent stood halfway between his mate and the disheveled corpse of a hermaphrodite. Seeing his female unarmed and vulnerable he roared his challenge charging the drone. It raised it's head in a hiss leaping straight up to latch onto the ceiling and charge in his direction it's tail poised to strike. Ooman females screamed at him from holding cells in front of him yet he ignored them. He brought the Ooman weapon to his shoulder and depressed the firing stud splattering the serpent with fire it's shattered corpse hitting the floor.



Kara ran to him, her feet barely touching the floor. Her heart was in her throat, she'd worried that the big guy was dead, or worse captive. She threw her arms around his neck jumping and clinging to his chest.



“Do not ever leave my side again.” She said



“On my Honor.” He replied softly.



He handed her the pulse rifle, she checked it over quickly. Thirty six rounds and two grenades, she'd rather more ammunition and fewer explosives, yet... complaining didn't seem the best option at this juncture.



“The others are still unconscious.” She said motioning Sarah and Dutch. He walked over to the two Oomans, their vitals seemed good. He produced some of the wakeup stim from his medical kit. The results were pleasantly quick.



“Oh fuck, waking up to see you can't be good.” Said Dutch “Kara, where the hell are you?”



“Waiting on you, you don't look half bad naked old man.” She said



Sarah who was just coming to managed a small laugh.



“What's funny?” He said indignantly.



“We must go.” Said Ka'ja'rand



“What did he say?” Asked Sarah



“We need to get out of here, there may be trouble.” Said Kara

They followed the hunter up the stairs, the great snake having subsided into it's mire, the girls save one too terrified to move. Kara found herself staring again as the pale thing clamored up the stairs behind Dutch and Sarah. She let them pass her into the storefront then barred the girl's progress.



“What exactly do you think you're doing?” She asked



“Take me with you!” Said the girl



“Like hell!” Said Kara “I don't need some fresh pup getting my tail shot off. You go your own way from here, ok?”



“But I...”



“I said No dammit, that means no.” Said Kara, she spun on her bare heal and caught up with the others at the back door, Sarah had a pistol in her hand. Dutch had taken the combat shotgun from the dead man, it was a rather standard affair; Double barrel, magazine fed, alternating fire, single trigger with a secondary mode which would fire both barrels. Heavy shot up close from that sucker would punch a hole through just about anything. He hefted it and smiled.

The big guy was at the door. Peering into the alley.



“It will be a hard fight to get to the spaceport.” She said



“Paya waits for no one.” He said



He keyed the cloak on his bracer and lept through the door. Pyode Jehdin waited for her hunter's call, before exiting into the alley as well. She could hear the sirens of the police units and the rescue teams which were sifting through the rubble of the four ruined buildings that her mate had destroyed in her rescue. The sun was low on the horizon, night was coming, she was thankful, it would help them move in silence. They managed to move across the city without any complications until they came within view of the spaceport. It was under lock-down. Every police unit in the city must have been there holed up and ready to engage. There were patrols of armed men and apc's ringing the structure, sniper nests on the roofs and the building itself had to be crawling with personnel.



“Doesn't look good does it.” Said Sarah



“That's our only ticket out of here” Said Kara



“Even with the big guy,” Dutch said pointing at Ka'ja'rand, he shook his head.



Ka'ja'rand was looking down the corridor however at the pale flesh of a small red haired female. He mentioned her presence to Pyode Jehdin in hand speak.



“Shit,” She said



“Wait here,” She said and sauntered down the alley



The girl saw her coming yet stayed still, it reminded her somewhat of her waiting as the drone approached. Kara wondered if the girl understood the similarity of the situation.



“Why are you following us,” She asked



“I need you to take me with you, my father, I have to get away.” She said



“I don't understand,” Said Kara “and the spaceport is crawling with police, no chance of us getting you in safely, let alone us, you have to go.”



“No don't make me leave, wait, come with me, I know another way off the planet.” said the girl



“I'm listening.” Said Kara



“My father's private yacht.” said the girl



“Not at the space station?”



“No,” she said



“What's your name?”



“Lexi, Cardinia” She said “Who are you?”



“I am Pyode Jehdin, Hunter. Take us to the yacht and you've bought your passage.”



Thanks for reading this far. Ninth chapter coming soon!