13Disclaimer: I do not own any of the franchizes mentioned in this fanfic, though i do own my characters, who were created from my mind. All credit goes to the book writers and game creators.
A/N: Hello there, this is my new fic! hope you will enjoy it, leave a review and have fun reading it! :) Also i would like to add a note: This fic does not have much to do with the AvP movie, its more connected to the books.
Chapter one – Three Weeks Of Hell
1940 Hours, February 28, 2563 (MILITARY CALENDAR) / Planet Venatio/ Jungle
Kyle jumped through another bush. He zigzagged through the trees and bushes, not allowing himself to be an easy target. He knew that one of those… things was following him.
Fuck, how the hell did I allow myself to lose them? He kept looking to the sides, hoping that he would spot someone of his team. He heard a roar above his labored breaths, coming from the elite, followed by another, one that he never heard before. He couldn't stop wondering if the elite could really somehow slow them down, but he suspected that he failed. As if on cue, the bushes in front Kyle moved and he stopped in his tracks, his MA5B raised. He was an ODST; he had to keep himself calm, in any situation.
Kyle held his breath, expecting to die any moment but the attack never came. He was sick of the anticipation and pulled the trigger. Bullets sprayed from the weapon, ripping bushes apart and pelting holes in the trees, but nothing reacted. His reflexes kicked in and not too late. Kyle leapt forward and just in time: Just as he jumped, a metallic spear missed him by a mere inch, and flew through a tree and eventually stopped at the ground, almost buried to its half. Kyle landed in a roll, and quickly came out of it, his assault rifle aimed at the direction the spear came from. He released another hail of bullets but yet again there was no indication he managed to hit his pursuer. He didn't waste time, he jumped to hit feet and sprinted away, taking care to place as much distance and obstacles between himself and the creature. He managed to cast a little glance behind him and his heart sank down.
The spear was gone.
He gritted his teeth and mustered all the strength he had and put on a burst of speed. He kept running, jumping over bushes and fallen logs and zigzagging through trees. He looked at the trees around him and he started to feel worried. All the trees and everything else around him was looking exactly the same and he felt as if he was already lost. He looked at his HUD, the small NAV marker was still there and he was at the right direction. Something exploded only a couple of feet from him, sending waves of heat and causing him to release a cry of surprise. His HUD was distorted by the EMP of the projectile. He quickly ran to the side and in the corner of his eye he saw another blue bolt of energy flying at him. This one hit the tree in front of him, but this time the bolt exploded, sending a small shockwave. Kyle passed right through the shockwave, his HUD blackened and he lost his footing, without vision. He stumbled down and felt himself hit something hard, probably a tree.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck!' he screamed in his mind. 'Get up Kyle; don't let that fucker catch you!'
The HUD turned back on and Kyle subdued his urge to scream in joy. He quickly got up to his feet, it was indeed a tree that stopped him, and looked to the place where the bolts came from. He narrowed his eyes and he saw something standing there: a shimmering air, probably higher then two meters. He felt that it was looking directly at him and that feel didn't make him feel better. Instead of waiting to see what would happen, and he knew exactly what, he sprinted away. This wasn't their battlefield. To fight here against those creatures was practically impossible. This was their jungle, and for them, they were intruders. He had to get to open ground; maybe there he could even the odds. His ears caught a loud sound, similar to a gunshot but he knew what it was and he saw it in action. He jumped behind a fallen tree and a moment later, three two feet long spikes were embedded into the wood. He took out his weapon and released another hail but a second later the rifle clicked and silenced.
He cursed under his breath and loaded a fresh clip. He heard two more shots coming from the alien weapon and a second later his cover shook and splinters flew into the air. Kyle didn't want to wait until his cover would break apart so he quickly stood up and ran on. The creature shot another round but Kyle was already far from the projectile. He ran as fast as he could, getting as far away as possible from his pursuer, sometimes sending glances, trying to spot the shimmering air again. He was looking to see the shimmering air and because of that, he didn't see the new pursuer getting into the fray.
The only warning he received was a sharp pain in his side and his feet left the ground. He collided into a tree and his breath was blasted away from his lungs and he suspected that he had a couple of broken ribs from the initial hit and he tasted copper in his mouth. He raised his gaze and saw what attacked him. It was black as space with a banana shaped head with rows of razor sharp teeth, small tube grew from its back, like pipes leading straight to hell, it two hands with claws and two legs with knife like talons and a long tail, ending with a long, slightly curved, dagger-like spike. But what gave it a more menacing look was the lack of eyes. One could never know if one of those bugs looked at him and Kyle didn't know if it had other means to see. To Kyle it looked like a breed between a bug and a lizard. The bug "looked" at him, releasing a silent hiss, long rows of saliva dripping from its mouth. Kyle knew how fast those beasts were and he didn't wasted any time, he raised his weapon and pulled the trigger. The bug moved fast, it charged Kyle but the bullets stopped him in his place. Armor piercing bullets pelted the bug, creating giant holes in its exoskeleton and tearing off one of its limbs. The bug toppled to the ground with a squeal and continued to move for a few moments, its blood and intestines spilling to the ground, starting to hiss and releasing smoke as it touched the ground, melting a hole in the ground.
That was another reason to keep those things at a large distance: instead of regular blood, they bled acid. Kyle stood up with a groan but before he could return to his running he heard another hiss.
He heart sank down even deeper into his chest. He slowly turned his head and he saw another bug looking at him and hissing. Kyle knew that he didn't have much chance to turn around in time, but he had to try. I'm not going to die here, you son of a bitch.
He turned around, his rifle already raised and ready and the bug jumped on him with a squeal.
Before he could pull the trigger, before he could do anything, a large blue bolt intercepted the bug in mid air and the bug was blasted away.
Kyle stopped and didn't dare to move. He slowly moved his head to the direction where the plasma bolt came from and he saw what he expected: The shimmering air. Kyle noticed something move on his chest and he looked down. Fear crept into him, real fear for his life. He saw three red dots, formed in a triangle move on his chest and eventually come to a stop, aimed at his heart. Kyle decided he won't stay here and allow the hunter to finish him, he broke into a run, wincing in pain with each step, and he realized that he did have at least one broken rib. He ran, ignoring the pain and trying to get himself as far away as he could. He knew that the hunter was still aiming at him and eventually he heard him shoot. Kyle glanced behind him, seeing the large plasma bolt flying at him. He waited a second and then he changed his direction. A small smile appeared on his face as he turned and he looked back and the smile faded faster then it appeared.
The plasma bolt turned after him.
He couldn't evade this one; he won't manage to overrun it either. He turned to face the attack and raised his left arm. He activated the wrist shield that he wore and a large energy shield appeared on his left hand. Kyle placed his hand in front of him and hoped that it would protect him. This wrist shield was human-made and it was much more powerful then the old covenant variant.
The plasma bolt impacted with his shield and Kyle stopped feeling his arm. When the bolt hit the shield it exploded, and exploded very hard. Kyle felt himself leave the ground and a very sharp pain in his hand. He flew a dozen feet and landed hard on the ground. He groaned and tried to get up but he couldn't, and he felt as if his left arm was stabbed with thousands of tiny knives. He looked at it and noticed the wrist shield. The grey gauntlet-like object was slightly burned and a thin line of smoke rose from it.
He coughed and tried to get up again but he couldn't. He wondered if he could break something when the bolt struck him but all lines of thought were interrupted as he heard heavy footsteps. He raised his head a little and he saw what came to him. It was the shimmering air, two and a half meters tall. He saw cloaking systems before and he knew that in the jungle it was very hard to spot one who used a cloaking generator. A clicking sound, resembling a growl, came from the cloaked creature and a small red light shone from its head and the three red dots appeared again on him. Kyle looked around himself, trying to see where his weapon was and he saw it, only five feet away from him. He tried to reach it but he knew that he won't reach it in time. The three dots eventually stopped at Kyle's head. Kyle looked at the creature and prepared to die. But before the creature could finish him off a scream, a human scream, interrupted him. A man in a marine uniform jump from the nearest bush, an M90 shotgun armed in his hands.
Cha'kun'da cursed under his breath when his spear missed his pray. Until now he was partially impressed, but also disappointed. This Ooman was a worthy pray but it did not meet his expectations. From when he was a suckling he was told that Oomans were dangerous and should be taken seriously but this one simply ran away from him and didn't fight back. Almost didn't fight back, he corrected himself when the Ooman released a hail of projectiles from his Burner and Cha'kun'da leapt to a branch, ten feet away from him, and silently landed on it. The Ooman didt saw it and it kept shooing at his last position for few more seconds and then it kept running further. The warrior jumped down and picked up his spear. The spear folded inside itself, becoming much smaller and compactable. Cha'kun'da slung his spear over his shoulder and drew his Burner, a small one-hand weapon, resembling the one the Ooman have.
The hunter jumped up to a branch above him and leaped to the next one, all the time following his pray with his eyes. He reached to a convenient spot and aimed his burner. The Ooman was fast, but not fast enough to escape. He reminded himself that his other 'eyes' could not find see him. Cha'kun'da hunted Oomans before but those who came here recently were different, they did not produce heat. His other 'eyes' could still see him but it would be best if he would not allow him to get too far away. His mandibles moved to form the yautja smile as he thought about the other Oomans. His skull would be a great addition to his trophy wall and he wanted to catch the other Oomans as well. Those Oomans entered a hive of the hard meat, and got out, no small feat. Even the bravest Yautja would think twice before entering into a hive and even fewer would get out of there unscathed. Their skulls would be a worthy trophy. This hunt would bring him more glory and his tale would be sung for centuries and the females… He planned to sire more then a hundred sucklings, to spread his bloodline and to create dozens of warriors like him. Females liked great warriors and he was going to be even greater. He was blooded only a few years ago but he accomplished many things and he was honored by many. The next thing he wanted was to become Leader, and for that he needed to hunt more.
He stopped his daydreaming. In order to accomplish nay of the things he thought about he would have to catch this Ooman first, before the others could escape. He fired his burner. The bolt of energy flew toward the Ooman but it missed him. He fired again, this time the bolt struck the tree right in front of the Ooman, who ran a few feet and the stumbled and fell down. Cha'kun'da looked at the Ooman and chuckled. He suspected –No, hoped- that the Ooman was still alive, and soon enough the small warrior rose to his feet and looked directly at him and continued running. The hunter looked at his burner, eight shots left. There were still more then enough Oomans on the planet and he needed to save every resource he had. He returned his burner to its place and drew his Spear-gun that was slung over his shoulder.
He jumped to the next branch and quickly aimed at his prey. Cha'kun'da pulled the trigger and the rifle shot three spikes. The Ooman though, heard the shot and jumped behind a fallen tree. Cha'kun'da cursed himself; the Ooman began to earn his respect. He saw the small warrior's burner come out from behind the cover and shoot. He chuckled; none of the bullets were even close to hitting him. He aimed at the Ooman's hand and released two shots, this time single spikes but the Ooman returned his hand behind cover. Cha'kun'da growled in frustration, this small warrior began to annoy him. If he hadn't moved his hand, the spikes would've impaled his hand to the tree, leaving him an easy target but the Ooman already started to run. The hunter released another shot but the Ooman easily avoided it.
He slung his weapon over his shoulder and followed. Cha'kun'da jumped from branch to branch, staying in the high ground where it was easy to follow his prey but the hunter noticed another thing that was following his prey: Hard meat and two of them.
The hard meat followed the Ooman, who obviously didn't notice it, and when it was close enough it pounced and tackled the Ooman at its side. Cha'kun'da knew that such an attack could be deadly, he saw many Yautja fall down from such an attack and few even die from it. This was his prey, his trophy. He would not allow a simple drone to take away what was his. The small Ooman warrior dispatched the first one but it did not see the second one, who approached him from behind. Cha'kun'da drew the Plasma caster, a small burner came out on his shoulder and he locked on the hard meat. The hunter opened fire just as the hard meat leaped. The plasma bolt zipped through the air and eventually stopped at the hard meat's torso. The bug's middle section exploded and it fell to the ground. He aimed now at the standing Ooman and charged the shot. An uncharged shot could kill an Ooman in a single shot but a charged one would end it quickly, and this Ooman deserved it. It was a good hunt but Cha'kun'da was tired from him and he had other to hunt. The small warrior stood there for a moment and as if it understood what was going to happen it ran. The shot was now fully charged and he released it. The bolt flew towards him and the human switched his direction and turned to the right, an understandable and expected maneuver, thought Cha'kun'da.
The Ooman stopped in his tracks when he saw that the bolt followed him. He was going to meet his death honorably without running away from it, the hunter thought but then, something unexpected happened. A shield of energy appeared on the Oomans left hand and he presented it to shield himself.
The bolt impacted with the shield with a small explosion. The shield failed and the Ooman was sent away from the blast. Chan'kun'da narrowed his eyes, the ancients were right, Oomans were more then they apparently were and full of surprises. He leapt to the next branch and from there he saw the small warrior, who was still moving. If not for the mask he wore, Cha'kun'da would've spat on the ground but still, this hunt was over. He jumped to the ground and approached the Ooman.
He was trying to get up but he couldn't. Cha'kun'da would finish this quickly. He aimed his plasma caster at the small warrior's head.
"It is over." Cha'kun'da said to the Ooman, though he doubted he could understand him. He was about to shoot but before he could do so, another Ooman holding a burner jumped through the bushes, screaming something Cha'kun'da couldn't understand, and fired the burner.
The most intense pain that Cha'kun'da had ever felt coursed through his stomach. He screamed in pain and then another one of the burner's projectiles hit him and then another one. Cha'kun'da grasped at his wounds without looking at them and when he raised his hand he saw that it was full of pale green blood, his own blood. He took some steps back and he felt himself lose his footing. He managed to look at his body before he fell down: three gaping holes full of blood, two in his stomach and one in his chest.
He cursed himself for being caught like this, by a cursed Ooman. He felt consciousness trying to leave him but he tried to hold it for as long as he could.
Three people moved through the bushes and trees.
Damian followed Ramirez and Akura to the place where the gunshots came from. They somehow managed to lose Kyle and now they had to find him. He shouldered his BR55 and prepared to be fighting for his life in any moment now, the last explosion was really close and he didn't want to be fighting before he needed to. C'mon Kyle, Where the fuck are you? Ramirez, the marine, took the front and Damian and Akura took the rear and covered the flanks.
"Wait… I heard something." Ramirez suddenly said. Everyone stopped, listening closely.
And then Damian heard it: Heavy footsteps. Kyle was close, and that meant that so was the hunter.
Ramirez raised his M90 shotgun and slowly walked toward the sound, followed closely by Damian and Akura. The three of them tried to be as silent as possible but it was impossible, braking twigs and moving bushes could alert anyone nearby, Damian could just hope that the hunter didn't have a good hearing. They continued to move that way for few more minutes but then, without any warning, Ramirez broke into a run. Damian and Shigawa followed closely.
"Come get me you ugly son of a bitch!" Ramirez screamed on top of his lungs and opened fire.
Damian ran through a bush and the whole scene opened for him. Kyle was lying on the floor, apparently alive and in front of him was a shimmering air, which Ramirez was firing at. He watched in amazement as gaping holes appeared at the shimmering air and pale-green colored blood flowed down from them. The cloaked creature screamed, took a few steps back and fell to the ground. Damian ran to Kyle.
"Are you okay?" he asked him.
"Where the fuck were you… I was looking for you for ages and that fucker over there chased me…" he said and coughed.
"Can you move?" Damian asked. He inspected Kyle. His left hand was slightly burned and the wrist shield was totally roasted.
"I can't get up and I think my left hand is gone… can't feel It." he answered and tried to get up.
Damian helped him to stand up and he steadied Kyle, who was obviously dazed and his left hand was limply hanging on his side. He looked at the hunter. Ramirez was standing near it, his weapon still aimed at the alien, as if he expected he would get up any moment. Akura helped him steady Kyle.
"First feet into hell eh?" Damian said to Kyle.
"Literally." He answered with a chuckle.
Damian recounted the last three weeks. Those bugs and those hunter aliens, and each one of those wanted them dead and actually when he thought about it, everyone here wanted everyone else dead. Kyle was right, this was almost hell. How the fuck did they end up in the middle of this?