Chapter twelve:

Bouvetoya Island
Whaling Station
October 11th 2004

"Oh my god it's the Queen," Lex gasped while scrambling to her feet. She pulled Elaina with her, forcing the young girl to get to her feet as they backed away from the approaching alien. It was so much larger than the ones Elaina had the misfortune of running into down in the pyramid. Why is it so freaking huge?

"The Queen, are you serious," Elaina whispered back, too afraid to speak any longer in case it would draw the thing's attention to them. Like the smaller ones, which weren't all that small to begin with, this one had no eyes that she could see. Elaina couldn't make out any ears as well on the elongated head but the creature seemed to track them without the senses of hearing or sight.

"Sebastian said she's like the mother of the other aliens," Lex spoke softly back, mimicking Elaina's quite voice. Lex's eyes followed the Queen's movement, watching as it swung its head back and forth as if unsure where they were.

"Pauk," Ci'tde growled out as he extended his spear. He stood with Skl're who had withdrawn his favorite weapon of choice, a shuriken. Ci'tde widened his stance readying himself for the fight that was coming.

Elaina placed a hand over the hand that Lex had around her wrist. The woman wouldn't let go of her and her grip was getting a little painful. Lex appeared ready to make a run for it, though Elaina doubted they would get very far. She had seen this thing catch up to Ci'tde as if he had been merely jogging, there was no way they could out run it. Elaina glanced over at Skl're and Ci'tde. They looked ready to take on the Queen and their lack of hesitation had her locking her feet in place. She could feel Lex tugging on her arm, trying to instigate they're retreat but Elaina felt torn in following the guide or staying and helping.

Her instincts were telling her to get the hell out of there and put as much distance between her and the Giant Alien, but her mind and heart were telling her to stay and help Ci'tde. They had survived the pyramid together. She didn't want to abandon him now, not after all that they had been through. Not after all that he had done to make sure she made it out of there alive.

"Lex- let go," she whispered, trying to jerk her arm free from the other woman's grip.

Ci'tde still had her spear, she realized suddenly. It was still attached at his belt and she could really use its reassuring weight in her hands otherwise she would give in to her screaming instincts to save herself.

Lex ignored the request and instead her grip tightened around her wrist reflexively. She pulled Elaina around to face her, her hands sliding up to grab the smaller teen by the shoulders.

"Elaina listen to me," Lex began, her eyes darting to the alien Queen briefly to make sure it hadn't made any move to attack. "You need to get the hell out of here."

Elaina shook her head stubbornly even though a part of her wanted to nod her head yes and take the guide up on her offer.

"Elaina," Lex's voice came out aggravated as she shook the smaller girl. "Find somewhere safe to hide, leave this thing to them alright!"

"No," Elaina snapped out in response. She was not going to leave Ci'tde alone to fight this huge alien. "I'm not going to run away, I can help."

Lex closed her eyes for a moment, drawing in a sharp breath as her temper flared at the younger girl defying her. She released Elaina, her jaw clenching before she lent down to pick up her spear. Her eyes darted to the Queen as its head swiveling to look their way at the movement. But quickly it looked back at the Yautjas that were preparing to charge. It seemed unsure which threat to take out first.

"Don't argue with me," Lex said her voice rising with the seriousness in her tone. Her expression was fierce, the blooded mark on her cheek made her seem even more stern than usual. The look had Elaina taking a step back, startled.

The Queen's head whipped around at them and it screeched. It was the only warning the Queen gave before she suddenly charged them. Lex whipped her head around, and she brought up her spear defensively. She stepped in front of Elaina, the spear clutched in both hands as she readied herself for battle.

A few feet from them, Skl're reacted to the Queen's attack by readying a spear gun that he had strapped to his right wrist. He aimed at the approaching Queen and fired two harpoon-like weapons into the Queen's shoulder, knocking her back a step. The Queen screeched in rage, her voice roaring at the sky above. Using the few seconds the Queen was distracted, Skl're readied a throwing disc and threw it at the Queen slicing open her throat. The weapon returned to him but the Queen swiped her tail at him in retaliation, throwing the Yautja off his feet and he sailed through the air disappearing between two buildings.

"Dammit," Lex cursed beneath her breath as the Queen raced after the fallen Yautja to finish him off. "Elaina get out of here now!"

Lex barely threw the words over her shoulder before she was charging through the snow after the Queen. She raced in between the Queen's legs and thrust her spear up into its exposed neck while it had been kneeling over Skl're, aggravating the open wound already there. Acidic blood sprayed everywhere as the Queen screeched stumbling back. Lex wove around the stumbling Queen, trying to avoid being squashed as the alien staggered back into a burning building.

Lex fought and cursed as her jacket began to bubble from the acid that had splashed across it. She barely managed to get it off as the sweater beneath it began to smoke from the little exposure it had with the acid. She tossed the worthless piece of clothing aside, before turning her attention back to the Queen.

The large alien was struggling to get out of the building while also trying to remove the spear from its neck. Seeing her distracted, Lex hurried over to Skl're who was climbing out of the crates he had been knocked into. He shook his head and roared, his mandibles flaring out as he challenged the Queen to battle.

The Queen managed to climb out of the burning building, knocking the spear free as it returned the challenge with a shriek of its own. Skl're readied his throwing disc and threw it at the large alien. The Queen ducked its head, missing the attack and charged the pair. Finding herself weaponless Lex bolted, heading through some old Whale Bones as she tried to put some distance between her and the furious Queen. The Queen turned, shrieking as it caught sight of Lex trying to make a run for it. Ignoring Skl're, the Queen charged after her.

Seeing the Queen crashing through the bone trying to get to Lex, Elaina found herself taking a couple steps to follow, but Ci'tde stepped in front of her to block her path. He grunted something at her but she couldn't hear it with his mask on and with the wind blowing around them made it impossible.

"What are you doing," Elaina shouted in indignation and she stamped her foot in annoyance. She knew just how helpless she was against the large alien, but that didn't mean she couldn't help.

The sound of Lex shouting had Elaina reacting without really putting much of a plan together. Lunging forward, she grabbed her spear that was still attached to the Yautja's belt and wrenched it free. Ci'tde made to grab her with his hands but she ducked away from him as she raced around him.

What the hell is Lex thinking? She wasn't about to let Lex die. Not like Terminator, not like her father or Max. They all died on this god forsaken barren wasteland, she wasn't about to lose Lex too.

Elaina caught up with the Queen, not by any great feat on her part but because Lex had dove under a water tower and was using it as coverage as the Queen struggled to reach her. The Queen was desperately trying to get to her, bending metal and tearing at the boards to reach her. The alien Queen lashed out with her tail and inner mouth, wanting to tear the woman to pieces.

Finding her courage dwindling as she stood just feet away from the swaying tail of the large Queen, Elaina visibly swallowed. What the hell am I doing? Her fingers tightened around the spear in her hand and its reassuring weight steadied her nerves a little. It hadn't failed her yet. Not allowing her any more time to talk herself out of it, Elaina ran forward. She ducked under the tail as it swept out towards her. It wasn't aiming at her but actually trying to angle itself for another strike as the hole above Lex's head was made bigger by the Queen's talons.

Elaina slipped in between the Queen's legs and thrust the spear up into its gut, at least that is what she hopped she was aiming for. Acidic blood sprayed from the wound causing Elaina to jump back with a yelp. She cried out as the blood splashed across her arm and the acidic content began to eat away at the layer of her light jacket and shirt underneath. Curing beneath her breath, Elaina fell to her hands and knees and buried arm into the snow.

"Damn, damn- damn," she muttered under breath as the sting in her arm started to numb thanks to the snow.

The sound of a roaring challenge had her lifting her head to see Ci'tde charge the Queen. He had his spear out and was paring with her tail as he kept her distracted. Seeing that she was relatively safe, Elaina pulled her arm free of the snow and she fell back on her rear to inspect the damage. She found her blue jacket in tatters, the glove was gone and the top layer of her skin was blistered as if she might have gotten a real nasty sun burn.

"Damn that was close," she muttered her eyes staring in shock at the damage that been done to her in mere seconds. She rolled herself onto her hands and knees, finding her body quivering as the adrenaline in her veins began to dwindle, leaving her feeling light headed and breathless.

"Elaina!" Lex screamed suddenly.

The fear in the older woman's voice had Elaina lifting her head, her eyes rising from the snow she had been staring at while she caught her breath to look at the guild. Lex was still beneath the water tower and her expression mirrored the terror in her voice.

Elaina grunted as pressure in her left shoulder pushed her face first into the snow, her arms giving out on her from the added weight. She barely had time to worry that she might drown or suffocate, as she suddenly found her arms useless, before the pressure in her arms intensified and she found herself jerked backwards out of the snow. It took a moment for her mind to catch up to the knowledge that she was not controlling her own movements. Elaina's eyes widened at the sight of Queen's tail sticking out through her left shoulder. The tip had gone right through skin, muscle and bone as if it had been merely a knife going through softened butter.

Elaina screamed as the Queen lifted her up from her kneeled position in the snow and into the air, her tail tearing at the wound as she was brought her close to the Queen's mouth. Elaina sobbed, scalding tears leaking from her eyes as the terrible pain radiating from her shoulder. Nothing could prepare her from the agony of it.

Elaina's hands were desperately clawing at the tip of the tail trying to relieve some of the pressure on the wound. She was terrified that the tail would tear itself through her collar bone if she didn't do something to keep her weight off of it. Only instead of relieving the pain, her movements only seemed to make it worse. An agonize sob tore itself from her throat and she dropped her arms to hang there uselessly.

The pain made it hard to focus on anything other than it and she could feel her vision blurring at the edges as she was threatening to pass out. The Queen brought her around until she was just a foot away from its face. "Why grandmother what big teeth you have," she whispered deliriously, as the Queen's mouth opened wide. Elaina stared into the open maw to see the inner mouth hiding within.

I'm going to die, she realized and strangely a sense of calm settled over her. It numbed the pain enough that her vision cleared at the edges and she could see the Queen's massive alien head hissing in her face. Elaina couldn't explain what calmed her. It could have been that she no longer had to fight a losing and never ending battle anymore. It might have even been the blood loss that had physically and mentally exhausted her to the point that her body hung limp and she no longer had the energy to struggle.

So this was how she was going to die. She had survived the horrors of the pyramid only to die this close to making it off this god forsaken island.

Elaina blinked back the last of her tears and her eyes stared up at the drooling mouth above her. The idea of being eaten wasn't very appealing but she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter anymore. If the Queen waited any longer though, she might just die of blood loss before the Queen ate her.

Movement from behind the Queen, had Elaina focusing her eyes on Skl're as he did a spinning jump in the air above them. Elaina's eyes tracked his movements, her mouth falling open in awe at his flexibility and fluid motion. At the peak of his jump, he threw the spear straight for the Queen's head.

Elaina's eyes narrowed and she turned her gaze over to the Queen's face. At least her death wouldn't be a waste. She was able to help the others after all. And Lex would get off this Island. She could live with that. Or in this case, die peacefully with that knowledge. Glaring at the Queen, Elaina put as much venom and hate into her voice as she whispered, "Fuck you Bitch."

The Queen screeched in reaction to her words and the inner mouth lashed out. Just as it neared Elaina's head, the spear hit its mark, cutting through the side of the Queen's skull. The impact had forced the Queen's head to the right causing the inner mouth to slice across her cheek instead of going through her head. The Queen shrieked, its arms flailing about as it tried to grab at the spear. It stumbled in the snow in its disorientation and its tail whipped around wildly in the air.

The numbing calm was suddenly gone and Elaina Shrieked as the tails wrenched free from her shoulder and she was flung across the snowy landscape. She hit the snow, her body rolling and sliding to a stop a few feet away.

Elaina rolled to her side, heaving up the candy she had eater earlier, the pain causing her to throw up. Weak and shaky she rolled back over onto her back. The snow bit into the wound in her shoulder numbing it to some degree but not entirely enough in her opinion.

From somewhere nearby, she heard Ci'tde roar. Somewhere Ci'tde, Skl're and Lex were still fighting against the Queen. She could just barely hear the shouting, the roaring, and the Queen's screeching over the pounding of her heart.

It sounded like the fighting was miles away from where she laid in the snow. The sound of her heart beating seemed to drown everything out with its erratic thudding against her rib cage. Elaina struggled to sit up, worried about the others, because the Queen wasn't dead yet. She grabbed at her shoulder, fighting back a scream as the wound throbbed with each beat of her heart. It had to be the worst pain she ever felt in her life, nothing could compare to the blinding pain radiating from the open wound.

And then there was the blood.

There was so much blood, everywhere. It had coated her shirt, which was now freezing to her skin around the wound and it soaked the snow around her. She was losing too much blood.

Elaina managed to get to her knees, looking ahead to see Skl're and Ci'tde fighting the Queen near the water tower. The pair worked together effortlessly. Ci'tde who was the larger of the two, drew the Queen's attention to him while Skl're attacked her from behind. It was almost like a game of cat and mouse, each taking a turn at getting a good hit in on the large alien.

Ci'tde threw his shuriken, severing the Queen's neck. The head rolled back on itself, just as Skl're leaped up into the air driving his spear into the top of its skull with enough force that it pierced all the way through its lower jaw.

The Queen stilled and then its massive body crumbled to the ground hard enough that it shook the earth. Ci'tde and Skl're stood panting, staring at the body as if expecting it to get back up for another round. The Queen's body remained motionless much to their relief.

"Help me," Lex shouted to them, drawing their attention to her. Somehow, Lex had tied the chain that had been attached to the Queen to the water tank. She was in the process of trying to loosen the rusted bolts that kept the tank from falling over the ledge.

Skl're and Ci'tde hurried to her side and with their great strength, managed to push against the tower, breaking the last restraint that held it in place. The bolt snapped free and the tank slid forward, before going over the side of the cliff. The Queen's body was dragged behind it. There was a splash as the tank hit the icy water below, followed by the alien Queen. The two disappeared into the dark depths below.

Lex stood at the ledge breathing heavily, her shoulders rising and lowering with each inhale and exhale. Behind her, Ci'tde and Skl're bellowed their triumph over the Queen's death. She smiled at their excited gestures as they cheered.

Then suddenly she remembered Elaina. Her head jerked up and she looked around them. Not seeing what she was looking for, she pushed pass the two large males. Lex searched the snow desperately. Her eyes caught sight of a body laying several yards away from them.

"Elaina," she cried out and started for the fallen girl. Lex fell to her knees next to the body when she saw how much blood had already began to pool around her. "Oh Jesus- oh god-"

Lex stared helplessly, her hands hovering over the girl's body as all of her knowledge at tending to wounds escaped her. She couldn't wrap her mind around on what she was supposed to do. There was just so much blood. Blinking from her stupor, Lex grabbed the zipper on the girl's jacket and slid it undone. Quickly she pulled the girl out of the jacket. To her relief, Elaina moaned in pain when Lex had jostled her arm. If she felt the pain, then wasn't dead yet at least. Taking the jacket, Lex wrapped it around the wound and put pressure on the gaping hole in the girl's shoulder.

A rumbling trill behind her drew Lex's attention to see the larger Yautja hovering over her. He was staring down at Elaina, with a soft purr rumbling from his barrel chest. Skl're stood next to him quietly.

"She needs medical attention," Lex said desperately. She looked between the two Yautjas but neither one reacted as if they understood what she was saying. They remained passive the taller one tilting his head to the side as he stared down at them. She wasn't sure how they could help her but they were her only hope of saving Elaina. "Please or she'll die. Please help her." Lex looked at Skl're, when neither one moved to help.

"Please Scar," she begged him, her voice cracking under the strain of her emotions. "Don't let her die please, you have to save her."

Skl're looked to Ci'tde, who hadn't looked away from Elaina's motionless form. He chuffed beneath his breath, before he approached the two females. As he drew near, Ci'tde took notice and let out a warning growl.

"No harm," Skl're growled out, speaking the human language so that both would understand that he planned to do her no harm. He could see that his brother cared for the female. And while he had no reason of his own to save the small ooman, other than that his honor dictated that he could not let a warrior die like this, he also felt compelled to do so. His human female had saved his life and he felt the need to return the favor.

Hope filled her racing heart. Lex shifted over to allow Skl're room to work but refused to move away entirely. "Thank you," she whispered and was started as tears of relief began to slide down her cheeks.

Skl're nodded to her once and Lex was quick to wipe the tears away before they could freeze to her cheeks.

Skl're knelt down next to Lex and reached into the pack he wore at his side. He removed his medical supplies and set them down next to him. He reached forward and removed the jacket Lex had been using to slow the bleeding. It was a bloody mess as far as he could see. His mask was lost somewhere in the snow and he wasn't able to do a thorough scan of the wound to see the extent of the damage. Skl're took the syringe and filled it with a liquid that would help repair her cells and slow the bleeding. It would cause clotting to form quicker and hopefully slow the bleeding enough that she wouldn't die of blood loss. Skl're inserted the needle into Elaina's arm, close to the wound and injected the liquid.

He ripped away her shirt sleeve to get a better view of the wound as he wiped away the blood with a clean part of the jacket. He managed to clean most of it to see that the blood had slowed but the wound wasn't healing quickly enough. He didn't know how well her biology would react to their medicine. He had never heard of a Yautja trying to save an ooman before. He was more concern what damage the medicine might do to her as she was such a tiny ooman. No other choice, he clicked to himself. They had no other way to treat the female's wound other than with his own medical supplies. Taking a tube filled with blue liquid, Skl're removed the cap.

He held the tube over close to her shoulder and slowly the bluish substance poured from the opening and onto the wound. The moment the stuff touched her, Elaina's eyes flew open and her back arched up off the ground. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Skl're placed a hand on her chest, forcing her back to the ground. He barked out an order to Lex, who quickly moved to put some pressure on the smaller girl's other shoulder to help hold her down.

Elaina screamed long and loud, as Skl're spread the stuff over the wound, smearing it in until it was completely covered. When he was done, she was shaking badly with her chest rising and falling as she panted. Skl're motioned to Lex to help him lift the girl up.

Lex bit her lip, her eyes eying the remaining blue substance in the tube then to Elaina. Reluctantly, she helped pull Elaina into a seated position for him. Lex bit her bottom lip, nearly drawing blood to keep herself from telling him to stop. She knew he was trying to help but seeing the smaller girl in so much pain was too much for her to handle.

"N-no," Elaina argued feebly, her body shaking even worse now. The pain was unbearable. Why were they doing this to her? It felt as if they were ripping her skin off layer by layer. She'd rather still be dangling from the Queen's tail than this. Even still the front of the wound burned as if it had been lit on fire as if she was slowly being roasted over an open flame.

Lex watched with trepidation as Skl're poured more of the substance onto the back side of the hole. This time, Elaina screamed louder, her voice cracking as she screamed and screamed till her voice went hoarse. When he started spreading the substance over the wound, Elaina began fighting them. Skl're held her as still as he could but she managed to hit Lex in the face with her flailing arm.

Cursing beneath her breath, Lex grabbed the girl's arm to help hold her still. Skl're layered the stuff over the wound on her back till it was completely covered before letting her lay back down. He made sure to lay her jacket down first though to keep her off the snow, and keep the wound dry. He then put away the supplies and slowly stood, backing away from them to give the females some room. He did all that he could without a proper medic.

"That's it," Lex asked incredulously and her eyes darted up to the two towering Yautjas. "That's all you can do, with your high-tech fancy weaponry and shit, you just put some paste over the wound and that's going to help-" She cut herself off, biting her bottom lip before she might say something that would piss them off. She knew exactly what these guys were capable of. She forced herself to turn away from them to look back at Elaina.

The teen was pale from blood loss but at least her eyes were open now. Lex placed two fingers over the beating pulse in the girl's neck and was relieved to feel a steady heart beat tapping against her fingertips. Elaina's breathing wasn't as shallow as before but instead her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared up at Lex.

Elaina's eyes suddenly widened in fear with the pupils dilating till they consumed the iris and Lex looked up sharply to watch as a body materialized before her. This Yautja, made the two behind her appear puny and insignificant. Lex stared, too afraid to even breathe at the giant before her. His appearance gave the impression of royalty. With a red cape billowing out behind him in the wind, the glossy looking armor and the larger skulls that decorated his necklace told her that he was of higher rank. He was definitely older, she could see, as the bristles on his forehead were larger and there were more of them around his exposed face. Some of his appendages were graying and were decorated with intricate rings.

Behind her, Ci'tde and Skl're dropped into a submissive bow. Lex worried if maybe she should do something similar but chose not to leave Elaina alone. The poor girl looked ready to hyperventilate as it was.

The Elder, studied the marked burned into the two ooman female's faces, before turning his attention to the two Yautja's behind them. Out of the three sent on their Chiva, two of them had returned blooded and killed a Queen, which was no small feat even for an aged warrior like himself. He was very pleased with their successful Chiva.

The Elder barked out an order and the two Yautja scrambled from their bowed positions to head to the ship as ordered to.

"W-wait!" Elaina cried meekly, realizing that Ci'tde was leaving, and possibly never coming back. "Celtic," she called after him, crying out as the sudden movement jostled her arm, when she tried to sit up.

Ci'tde hesitated at the ship's entrance, looking back at her from over his shoulder. Skl're had already joined the group waiting inside for them at top of the ramp. Ci'tde didn't dare go to her though. It would be insubordination against the Elder's order to board the ship. Hearing the small female cry out in pain had him turning away from the ship to find her trying to sit up. The other female had gotten to her feet and was hovering over the smaller female as if torn on whether to help her up or force her to lie back down.

Elaina managed to get herself seated, her face scrunched up in pain as she fought the tears that threatened to fall. "D-don't leave," she pleaded with him. She looked passed the Elder, defiantly ignoring him as her eyes beseeched Ci'tde to stay.

Ci'tde looked to the Elder as if to ask him for permission. So far the Elder had remained silent as he watched the scene before him. Surprisingly though, he was not reprimanding Ci'tde for not following orders. He knew the Elder was waiting to see if he would defy him, as he always did in the past. He never gave an order twice. A young blood was expected to follow it without question, without defiance. But Ci'tde wasn't a young blood any more. He was a Blooded Warrior.

Ci'tde squared his shoulders and walked towards Elaina and away from the ship. The barking order of his Elder, made him flinch but Ci'tde had already made his decision. Kneeling down in front of the small female, he steadied her as she struggled to catch her breath. The wound on her shoulder appeared to be hurting her severely.

"Celtic," she muttered, resting her forehead against his chest in relief. She drew in a shuddering breath, finding it hard to breathe as the pain made it hard to focus. "I didn't want you to leave- at least- not until I got a chance-" She lifted her head then to look at him. His mask was gone, having been lost before the battle with the Queen. She didn't even flinch from the sight of him but instead, a small weak smile had the corner of her lips lifting. "I wanted to tell you thank you," she told him softly.

Ci'tde reached up with one talon and touched her red hair, feeling the matted strands against his hide. So different compared to his own tube like hair. Elaina smiled through the pain, her hand coming up to grip his arm for support. "I made it out of that pyramid, because of you- thank you Celtic," she whispered and wrapped her arms around him in a weak attempt at a hug. "I- I'll miss you."

"Elli," he growled her name. Carefully, he removed her arms from around him, taking care of the one that was wounded. He watched her face, seeing how moving her arms caused her pain and he gently set them down in her lap. He patted the top of her head. "N'ghi-ja Elli," he said and slowly stood.

The Elder was looking at him in disapproval but Ci'tde turned back towards the ship and joined his brother inside.

The Elder growled beneath his breath at the lack of discipline, before he turned his attention to the two females. One appeared to have been injured, while the other hovered over her protectively. He didn't approve of marking oomans during a hunt but he had seen them fight against the Queen, with the strength and bravery of a Yautja warrior. He trilled to the pair, trying to ease them. He knew how weak and easily scared female oomans could be.

"Blooded warriors," he growled out. It came out slight gravely and rough, much like Ci'tde's was whenever he tried to speak their language. He bowed his head to them and held out the spear he held in his left hand. With a slight squeeze of his hand the spear shrunk to a smaller size, startling Lex. "Thank you," he trilled.

Lex stared wide eyed, taking the offered spear with her mouth slightly agape. She watched as with an elegant twirl, he spun on his heels, with his cape flying out behind him. He started towards the ship.

Skl're and Ci'tde stood there watching, reluctant to head inside. As the Elder approached the opened bay doors, he barked another order to the two younger Yautjas, making them jump slightly and forcing them to hurry inside. After the Elder climbed into the ship, the door sealed shut and the ship lifted up from the ground.

Elaina clenched her teeth in pain as she craned her neck to follow the ship's movement. She turned her head, watching as the ship lifted up pass the clouds and then disappeared from sight.

They sat there for a long time, listening to the cold wind howl around them. When the cold became too unbearable to ignore, Lex helped Elaina to her feet. With her arm thrown over the other woman's shoulder, they hobbled to the single vehicle still left standing in the aftermath of the blast that had destroyed most of the Whaling station.

Once safe inside, Elaina sat in the passenger seat staring out the window. "Jesus," she whispered, staring at the wreckage. Lex followed her gaze once she got the vehicle started. "What the hell are we going to tell everyone?" Elaina looked over at Lex for an answer.

Lex shrugged her shoulders, not really having an answer. "We sure as hell can't tell them the truth," she answered. She stared at the strange spear she still held in her hand. She shivered, not liking the feel of it. "Here," she muttered and handed the weapon over to Elaina. "I don't really want anything to remind me of this nightmare."

Lex shifted the gearshift, forcing the truck to back up. She managed to get the truck turned around and then they were on their way. The GPS attached to the dashboard was directing them back to the ship, back to civilization. It was barely snowing now with the sky dark but clear. Elaina had her head resting against the glass, her body feeling comfortably numb. The heater was doing a wonderful job of warming her body, and thawing her out, but whatever stuff Skl're had spread over her wound had made the pain bearable.

The two women were silent as they drove across the open landscape. There was nothing but miles and miles of snow ahead of them.

"Hey Lex," Elaina asked after a while of silence. She was recalling what she had wanted to do on the way out to the Whaling Station. "Do you think I could drive?"

Lex looked over at the young teen incredulously. All she saw was the slightly vacant look the girl had as she stared out the window. She knew what the girl was thinking. Swallowing thickly against the lump that had lodged itself in her throat, she looked back out through the window before her. She shifted the gearstick.

"Sure kid," Lex said at last and a small tight smile found its way onto her face. We're going to be okay, she tried to convince herself. "Why the hell not."

The end for now…

Keep a look out for The Hunt Continues.

AN: O_O Its over. Oh my god! Kidding. it's not over... not by a long shot. This is only part one. Keep an eye out for part two, The Hunt Continues. Hopefully this story was to your liking, and that everyone isn't too mad with how I ended part one. I love AVP but I hated how all the predators died, I think at least one of them should have lived. And this is how my story was born. I know there wasn't much romance in this story but it's not like there was much time for them to get all hot and heavy with each other. Trust me their time is coming.

Let me know what you think. I appreciate the reviews and the feedback.

Inky Out