Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Vikta
Yautja Prime

Present Day

A smile touched her lips.

Inhaling deeply, she felt the humid air of the late evening settle into her as she followed up with a long release. Vikta couldn’t remember the last time she had a moment of silence to herself despite her busy days and accompanied nights. With two sons off to their respective training clans, and her mate off on a hunting trip with their daughter – she found she wasn’t sure how she felt about the empty dwelling. If she was honest with herself, she enjoyed the chaos of it all but for now, she would let herself be comfortable with a little down time.

The twin suns were dropping beyond the horizon, letting nightfall slowly engulf the city beneath where her dwelling with Thak’gor laid. As an advisor to the Clan Leader and one of his most trusted enforcers, he had earned the right to build a large vast dwelling with one of the best views of the city. Well, that was Vikta’s own personal opinion. Vikta leaned back against the cushioned backing of her chair, regarding the empty terrace at the top of their dwelling – a recent addition Thak’gor had installed for her as a gift for almost thirty years of being bond mates.

Perhaps it had been silly of her to insist that they celebrate every ten years, as Yautja lived for a thousand years, maybe more. Thak’gor had only been too pleased to let her keep some of her strange human customs – including celebrating major holidays. While he did not particularly understand her need for it, he respected it enough to let her do as she pleased. Vikta felt her smile deepen when she thought about the first Christmas she had conducted here.

“Vikta!” She heard her name called from across the terrace, breaking her out of her memory.

Looking up, Vikta saw two forms ascending the staircase from within the dwelling to reveal her other adopted daughters. Kaija with her long white blonde hair and rounded pregnant stomach, followed closely by Danicka, with her bright cherry red hair growing out and revealing her orange hair and easy smile. Both women had been brought to this planet against their wishes, but within time, they both had decided to remain here with the males of their choosing. Vikta snorted at the difference of experiences to her own – but she quashed that thought down when they came closer.

Kaija lowered herself down onto one of the larger cushioned platforms, with one hand resting on top of her stomach. For all of her griping about this pregnancy, Vikta found that Kaija was glowing from it but she was close to giving birth. Danicka had been right next to her, helping her sit down before she dropped down unceremoniously on the opposite end. She looked flushed as if she had spent the afternoon in the training ring, but it was more likely she had been having her rounds with Fury instead.

“What are you two doing here?” Vikta inquired, pushing herself forward as she turned towards the two women.

“Malice is off on a mission to the Hunting Grounds, taking out a new Warden.” Kaija shrugged, but she rolled her eyes at the next part. “I would have gone but you know, I’m so close to popping that intergalactic travel is just unheard of.”

Vikta let out a soft chuckle, but she watched Danicka cover her mouth with a giggle. “And what of you? Is your newlywed bliss over already?”

Danicka stopped laughing at this, and shot Vikta with a deadpanned expression. “I love Fury but holy fuck, he is driving me nuts. We’ve been going back and forth about making his dwelling more human friendly and finally I just said I needed to check on Kaija.”

Six months ago, Fury had shown up with a woman on his vessel in cryosleep which had shocked just about everyone who knew him. There had been a visible shift in the way that Fury had treated those around him after she crashed into his life, or had it been the other way around? Danicka had chosen to stay, which had been followed by her Blooding ceremony and then their Bonding – now she was spending her time learning how to live with her decision. Vikta had not been very present during her initial adjustment, but she had agreed to help Danicka learn the history and customs.

“Why are you still here?” Danicka furrowed her brows. “I thought you would be off on that hunting trip.”

She would have loved to be off on that hunting trip, but she also knew when Malice approached her several days before his departure, it had been some cause for concern. Since Kaija was so close to her own suspected due date, his own frazzled state was enough for her to agree to stay. In the event that he did not return in time – someone would be here to advocate for his bond mate. “It’s not the healer’s I do not trust, but the decision they will make on her behalf if something were to happen.”

Malice had been right to voice his own concern, the Yautja revered the strong and if the choice came between mother and child, they would choose the stronger. The decision was not theirs to make on her behalf, and when Vikta had been pregnant, she fought tooth and nail for her own autonomy. Kaija made an unhappy noise as she blew out a breath and readjusted herself into a more comfortable position. This brought Vikta out of her thought process.

“Kaija is close to her due date.” Vikta said with ease. “Malice wanted someone in his stead here if she were to give birth before his return.”

“He’s been so overbearing.” Kaija snorted, but there was a hint of a smile. “Was Thak’gor like that?”

Danicka seemed to be interested in this conversation more so than the talk of children, due dates and birth. It seemed she wasn’t ready to start bearing Fury’s offspring any time soon – which Vikta had been supportive of. Fury had two sons, there was no pressure on him to reproduce whereas Malice had not ever shown interest.

“Yes, I believe it was due to the concern of it being a hybrid.” Vikta tilted her head, letting her long black hair shift slightly. “It was practically frowned upon.”

“Interspecies breeding is not a thing.” Kaija explained. “Amongst the Yautja.”

“Oh damn…” Danicka’s eyes widened. “So Crusher broke all the rules.”

Vikta laughed at this. “Our pairing was not the most well received at first. And amongst some clans, it is still forbidden.”

“Vikta, you’ve never spoken of your earlier days.” Kaija mentioned. “I’ve always been curious but I didn't want to overstep your privacy…”

“You have to admit, this is still weird for me… I don’t understand any of this.” Danicka explained with a follow up. “I still wake up some mornings thinking this was all a dream.”

It was the truth, Vikta had never spoken of her earlier days or how her life had changed so much that she found it better to leave it to rest. Her chest heaved for a second as she toyed with the idea of rehashing a life she thought she buried. But, she was a mother figure to these two women sitting across from her, transplanting herself as someone they could rely on for help or questions when needed.

“Well, you have to understand something, my life was not great and I went through a lot to gain the happiness I do have.” Vikta swallowed once more, but pressed on. “Please be patient with me as I tell you, okay?”

Both Danicka and Kaija nodded thoughtfully. “Only tell what you’re comfortable with… if you are up for it.”

Chapter Text

Victoria
Manhattan, New York

“Victoria Emanuelle Hayes.” Her mother’s disappointed tone grated against her ears as she let out a wince.

This was not an uncommon experience, as she had always heard her mother’s disappointment or chastising tone at any point in time. Victoria still winced every time – feeling her shoulders curl inward in an attempt to make herself smaller under her mother’s harsh gaze. From under her lashes, she watched her mother lean against the mahogany table and rub her temples before she was about to hand down whatever punishment she saw fit. No more shopping sprees in Manhattan, no more trips to California in her father’s private jet, and the list would go on.

To think any of those punishments would affect her just reminded her how different she was, and how her mother believed she cared. Victoria only cared about seeing her friends, going to the art galleries and spending her nights at the local concert venues. However, her parents believed this was a rebellion against their social status, living amongst the elite in the Upper East Side. “Why would you spend your time in Brooklyn?” “Why do you insist on seeing that boy?” and the condescending questions would prattle on.

“I have tried my best to shield you from your father’s disappointment.” Her mother’s tone broke her out of her train of thoughts. “But time and time again, you throw your poor decision making and rebellious nature in my face. Your older sister is attending Harvard, and your father is up for re-election.”

Fuck, she hated this part of it. But she kept her mouth closed and averted her eyes to the rug that spread across the marble flooring, an ugly addition to their penthouse. “I cannot help you anymore. This was the last straw. To get yourself caught up with that.” She watched her mother’s disgusted gesture in regard to her boyfriend. “We cannot have the scandal.”

And that’s what her situation had been reduced to. A scandal. A blight on her father’s reputation, her sister’s projected trajectory to continuing the family legacy. Victoria felt the prick of hot tears touch the corner of her eyes as she felt the bearing of the words on her, and there was nothing she could do to change her situation. Victoria Hayes should have been preparing for being valedictorian, going to Harvard like her father and sister, and becoming a powerful woman of the Hayes family.

“Mom…” Victoria started, her voice quiet.

“That’s enough.” Her mother held up her hand, silencing whatever was about to come from her. “You will be sent to your grandmothers in Louisiana where you will live a quiet, and I do mean, quiet existence. You are not Victoria Hayes, and you will not ruin what this family has worked so hard to become.”

“And my last year in school?” The hurt sounded in Victoria’s voice, with the lingering threat of a sob breaking out. "My friends? My art club?"

“You will finish down there.” Her mother stood, smoothing out her designer skirt – a cream textured thing that came with a matching jacket. “You will leave tonight. And Victoria, I would use this time to think about your actions and how it affects other people.”

That was it, and that’s all it would ever be. There were no reassuring hugs and comforting words from her mother ever. That’s not the way she raised her children — that was for families that cared about their relationship more than social status. Victoria inhaled deeply, trying to calm her anxiety as it bared down on her.

“Go pack your bags.” Was the last thing her mother said, before turning to leave the room.

There were no other words spoken as she heard the sharp clicking of her mother’s heels against the floor. Instead of breaking down in the middle of the living room, she turned on her booted heel and stormed to her bedroom. She swept past the hired help, not bothering to look them in the eye. It was possible that they had already heard the conversation and she didn’t want to see their pity. No, she couldn’t bear seeing how the staff, who remained blissfully invisible in her mother’s eyes, shot her sad looks.

When she found her room at the end of the hallway on the second floor, she closed the door softly. Her entire body collapsed as she released the handle and fell to the floor. The sob she had been holding in escaped her as she felt the tears stream down her face. There would be no goodbyes to her boyfriend, friends and people she cared about here…

No, this was the end of her life here…

__***___

Five years later…
New Orleans, Louisiana

Her breath came out in a long exhale, smoke flowing out in the cool morning air. The cigarette in her left hand dropped down as she tapped it, letting the ash fall onto the wood plating of the docks. Lifting her chin up, Victoria watched the sun rising from across the marsh, peeking through the thickness of the trees lining the river. Within her view, she watched as another pontoon boat started their docking process and the older man behind the wheel maneuvering it.

“You know that will kill you!” His gruff voice sounded, as he lifted his hat and frowned at her. “You’re too pretty to let that nonsense destroy you.”

An amused huff left her, as she pushed herself up from the seated bench on the end of the dock. In response, she took another inhale before snuffing it out and picking up the towline. Victoria dropped the butt into the metal container next to it, and lowered to her haunches, one hand outstretched for tying up the end of the pontoon.

“It’s a good thing I’m still young enough to quit.” Victoria responded, as she knotted the rope to the dock. “You were out late.”

“I was checking the route markers.” He waved her off, grabbing his cane from behind the captain's wheel. “One was damaged by Old Gus, I’m sure of it.”

Old Gus was the alligator that haunted this strip of their canal, often causing issues for the company. Midnight Tours offered exclusive sunset and night tours of the Bayou for tourists. Victoria had been working here for the last four years, and she had found a peaceful existence in the quiet of working for an old man, named Vern. Vern and his wife, Claudia had unofficially adopted her giving her a small house to rent next to their own residence while she finished her GED and went on to the community college. Victoria had found a kinship with the older couple, who didn't ask questions of her past, but simply wanted to experience being parents. While she hadn’t replaced their daughter who passed away years earlier, she found it in her hardened heart to accept what they offered.

“I’m surprised Gus hasn’t become gator meat during the hunting season.” Victoria thought, remembering the month-long gator hunting season had just ended.

“I hope he doesn’t.” Vern chuckled, as he stepped from the pontoon and onto the docks. “He’s a menace but he’s been living here since my pappa was a boy.”

“As long as he doesn’t disrupt our business!” Victoria frowned, as she brushed her hands on her ripped jeans.

Standing up, she walked in casual silence with Vern until they reached the end of the docks. The long path led up to the recently renovated shop where people could purchase tickets. It was still closed but would open later tonight when they resumed their cruises — and Victoria would host her third season running the night ones.

They entered through the back, letting the screen door slam behind her as they started organizing the shop. Vern would be leaving for the morning until a few hours before opening, and she would follow in another hour after she went through her process. Vern passed to the front, and looked back once, and paused.

“Are you sure you’re up for this, Vikki?” Vern’s brow furrowed.

“Yeah, classes ended last week.” She nodded, offering a reassuring smile. “I’m just going to post some new ads and send some offers to the local haunts downtown.”

“If you’re certain, we can hold off for another night to begin the season.” Vern offered, as he picked up his truck keys.

“Nah, go get some sleep.” Victoria waved him off. “I'll be done here in an hour.”

“If you say so!” He shrugged. “Claudia wants you to stop by today to pick up some muffins.”

Muffins! Victoria’s easy smile turned into a full grin as she plopped down into the office chair and fired up the computer. “Only if ya’ll let me cook some jambalaya this weekend.”

Vern harrumphed, but she heard his throaty chuckle as he exited the front door. She heard the engine of his old Chevy truck before it started backing out of the front driveway. She turned her attention back to the computer as she waited, feeling the sense of anxiety coursing through her.

When the screen popped on, she navigated through the screens and connected to the internet. The loud dialing noises filled the room, another recent addition to the business. It had taken several months of showing Vern how the internet could help their business grow — expanding the company’s expansion. He agreed, but grumbled about having to use a computer, which she had dutifully taken over the responsibilities. There was still much to do before she would even consider heading home to catch some sleep before she needed to be out here again for all those people who wanted to experience the bayou in its creepy glory.

Chapter Text

Victoria
New Orleans, Louisiana

She needed a better schedule.

Victoria groaned, as she reached out and slapped the shrilling alarm clock on her nightstand before she flopped over onto her back. As she stared up at the dark ceiling, with only thin strips of light poking through from her heavy curtains as the sun was starting to set. For a moment, she let her mind wonder about why she needed this job, but quickly dismissed it, she liked her job. If anything, she wouldn’t want another one simply because the schedule worked with her semesters at the local community college and Vern overpaid her. But still, it didn’t stop her from questioning her existence as she gathered the willpower to throw off her covers and sit up.

After she switched on her lamp, she checked the time. There was enough time to eat dinner, run her few errands and show up at work with an hour to spare before the first wave of customers would be around. Normally, Vern would run a sunset tour of the Bayou for those who didn't want to be caught out there late at night – and she liked to run the midnight tour for those more geeked for a haunted experience. Pushing up from her bed, she sauntered out into the small expanse of her house, where the dining room was in the kitchen.

Before she could make it another step, the soft rapping at the door had her growling low but it stopped when she heard Claudia’s motherly tone come from the other side. A sleepy smile replaced her frown as she walked to the door and opened it – seeing a shorter woman opening the screen door while trying to juggle what looked to be a breakfast casserole in a dish. “Awh, did I wake you up?”

“No, I was already awake. Sort of.” Victoria shrugged one shoulder as she opened the screen door to let Claudia in.

“Oh lovely.” She sauntered into the kitchen without another glance back, as she started turning on the oven and going through the cabinets. “I brought you dinner. Why don’t you go get ready and we can have a cup of coffee?”

“You’ve got a deal.” Victoria nodded, wiping away from sleepiness from her eyes before she trotted off to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, and her normal routine of getting ready she stepped out from her bedroom to the smell of Claudia’s cooking wafting through the small space. Victoria had not gone through the trouble of trying to manage her wild curls, finding she liked her natural hair better than the braids she often paid to have done. She chose a black Ramones shirt with her ripped jeans, leather jacket and worn converse. Fresh coffee was sitting in the pot as the older woman was finished setting up dinner for two.

Claudia greeted Victoria with a smile, handing over her favorite cup filled with the coffee as she took it and brought it to her nose. With a long inhale, she sighed in relief that tonight would not be as long as she thought it would be, even if she volunteered to work this shift. Victoria plopped down into the chair and waited for Claudia to seat herself across from her with the steaming casserole on their plates.

“You don’t seem happy dear.” Claudia observed, taking a drink of her coffee.

“I am.” Victoria assured her, taking a bite of her dinner before she decided it needed more hot sauce. “I’m just tired, it's the beginning of the season.”

“Are you sure it’s just that?” the older woman tilted his head, seemingly able to look through her white lie.

“I just need time to adjust again.” She offered, as she placed the hot sauce back onto the table. “And this will be a busy season – I think there’s enough tours for the season for Vern to hire someone else soon.”

“Is it that popular already?” Claudia looked stunned at the reveal of this information.

“Yeah, my friend at one of the bars on Bourbon is offering our tours up to the incoming flux of tourists.” She nodded, before taking a bite from her food again. “And since getting the internet, we can offer online reservations. We are booked for the next month and it’s only the start.”

“So, he will be able to be home more often?” Claudia looked hopeful.

Victoria wanted to be able to help them gain that kind of freedom, but she knew it would still take some time for the business to flourish. They had always been there for her in one fashion or another, so this was just a little return she was trying to process on top of her own things going on. “I can’t promise that this season, but if it goes according to plan – it can probably happen next season.”

Despite the soft nod Claudia returned followed by the sip of her coffee, she knew there was an underlying presence of disappointment. The older woman had to know even if Vern did have the time off, he probably wouldn't take it off until he was no longer able to walk. Victoria didn't mention this, deciding she would rather let her have better thoughts than the truth.

__***__

It was too dark…

Victoria looked through the windshield of her car as she stopped at the opening to the long driveway. Killing her headlights, she parked along the mouth of the drive and reached behind her to pull out a shotgun and her sidearm. Every hair on the back of her neck had stood up at the silence of where they were because even with the window down, she could scarcely hear anything. There should have been the late-night chirping from the crickets, the croaking from frogs and the random calls from other wildlife – but it was dead silent.

This should have made her turn her vehicle back around and flee for town, get the local sheriff out to her location. However, she decided she would do an initial investigation to see if anything was remiss with the building as despite the cut power, it could have been due to an outage. She checked her ammunition, loading her shotgun and then pulled the magazine from her sidearm, then she quietly opened her door. Victoria closed the door just as silently as she had opened it and started down the driveway, hearing the soft crunch underneath her converse.

Despite her shaky breathing, Victoria had always reminded herself that the stories she had heard were all just folklore. Legends from the old days, rattled off by the old man who lived on the swamp, would tell her these things before she used to head out there. Victoria had never been superstitious but the feeling she was experiencing was starting to override her better judgement the closer she got to the large metal building. Before it had looked completely dark, but there were one or two lights on inside and the dock light flickering off across the yard.

Vern’s old truck was parked in its usual spot, with the windows still rolled down to let in the warm evening air. All of the immediate yard that she could see everything looked like it did this morning, but the uneasy feeling of dread still bothered her. She slowed her steps as she softly readied the shotgun in a low position, coming up close to the side of the building.

“Vern?” She called out softly, knowing it was another stupid decision.

Yes, let's just call out in the event whoever is out there will answer you! She grimaced, knowing the late-night slasher films were getting the better of her.

But she heard nothing from the other side of the door where she stopped, inhaled and pulled it open before her shotgun was up. The light from above flickered down, where she noticed nothing out of ordinary and it was becoming more and more apparent that she might not find anything. In this situation, she wanted to find something but as she cleared one room, she came into the back of the building where the office was located. Before she could turn, she felt someone grab onto her, small slices cutting through all the layers of clothing as she went flying through the side window.

Victoria heard and felt the sharp pain of glass shattered around her as she slammed into the warm grass around her. She tried to roll off the resulting impact to lessen the damage done to her, as she ended up on her stomach and her shotgun away from her. As she righted herself, she looked around to see who had thrown her, or what had pushed her through the window across the room. The only thing she could think about was the pain radiating up her side, shoulder and hip as she crawled up to her knees.

There was a sharp croaking sounding from behind her as she flipped around onto her ass to come to look at what had done it. Standing just outside the broken window on the ground, Victoria’s borderline shocked and horrified gaze traveled up the figure. The light from inside did it no justice but highlighted a freakishly tall creature with long muscled arms and legs with the skin that resembled an alligator. She noticed sharp claws on its hands, dripping liquid… what kind she really did not want to guess. When she reached its head, it had a metallic mask covering its face and long black ropes of hair stopping at its shoulders.

What in the ever-loving fuck was that thing?! Her mind whirred as she started panicking, moving away from it as fast as she could manage. It stalked forward, and she watched as twin blades elongated from the top of its wrist – from some sort of gauntlet device, which was still wet with what she assumed was the same liquid on its claws. Was that Vern’s blood? Had this fucked up monstrosity killed her boss?

Anger seared through her as she tossed a quick glance over her shoulder and saw her shotgun but turning her back had been her undoing. A locking grasp clasped around her ankle, pulling her back as she pulled at anything she could, and she found herself hanging upside down. The creature made a quick study of her as it pulled back the twin blades, with the intent to stab them through her but she pulled her handgun from her belt line and pointed it at it. Three shots rang out in succession, randomly, anywhere she could wound the creature in order to get it to release her.

Victoria felt her body slam against the ground again as she heard a painful scream emanate from the creature. Righting herself, she looked at the damage she had done, three different spots oozing a bright yellow blood from the creature. While she had successfully wounded it, she knew it would take more than that to incapacitate it, and that spurred her onto her feet as she ran to her shotgun. A stabbing pain racked across her back as she collapsed forward onto the ground again, over top of the gun.

Her hands grasped the shotgun, as she rolled onto her injured back and squeezed the trigger of the shotgun, sending out the buckshot round into the creature. A chunk of its side splattered off onto the ground – flesh, yellow blood and muscle landing with a loud thud next to it. The creature screamed again before disappearing. However, the wounds it had received made it easier for her to track as it retreated in a flash, jumping onto the top of the building and into the treeline behind it.

Victoria kept the shotgun pointed in the direction of where the creature had gone from her half-seated position on the ground. Her heavy breathing and the blood rushing through her body roared in her ears as she looked around, checking her surroundings. Her hands shook around how tightly she held her weapon before she felt the panic returning to her, tears threatened to fall as she slowly got up. She needed to find Vern…she needed to call the police…

Stumbling back to the building, she was slow to look around where she could see, but with how hard she felt her body shaking she didn't make it far. She returned inside and found the landline on the wall – an old blue corded phone as she dialed emergency services. What in the fuck was she going to say?

Chapter Text

Thak’gor
Earth

The rear hatch of his ship opened to reveal the dark swamp that stretched out before him, the humidity hitting his skin as he stepped down the ramp. Heavy thuds sounded from beneath him until he reached the damp soft moss of his immediate surroundings. With one look over his shoulder, he lifted his gauntlet and pressed a sequence of buttons – initiating the cloaking device on his ship. The space around him flickered against the pale moonlight shining down, as what had been there disappeared and he marked the area with a marker that would lead him back. He only needed to finish this mission he had been tasked with – then he could return home.

He took in the scenery, not familiar with where his information had brought him to, this part of the world was different from the last he had been in. Thak’gor had been on Earth a mere two hundred years ago when he had started as an Enforcer, hunting down a rogue unblooded that had stolen a ship and sought his refuge here. The hunt had lasted no longer than three nights – and the unblooded had not seen to return to Prime to stand trial for his crimes. He had broken the Code on multiple fronts after killing his own brother, claiming his serpent head, and trying to take a position that was not his.

It had been Thak’gor’s first mission, his first experience with executing his own kind and it had brought him shame. There was no glory in killing an unblooded, but there had been no other way for that story to end. The unblooded’s sire had publicly outcasted his youngest son and still did not speak of his existence – but every now and then, Thak’gor had wondered if the male mourned his son. Brushing that thought away he checked his gear he would be needing for this hunt – the last one he hoped to be on.

While he took in the sounds of the evening, hearing loud vocalizations of the different native fauna. They're ranged sharp croaking, deep rumbles, and other chirps and shrieks he was not familiar with, but he found he would be soon. It was important to understand everything he could about the area he was inhabiting, even if he was determined to be quick on this mission. His biomask flipped through the different filters finding the correct one to gather more information, as he finished checking all the gear for its place on his body.

Thak’gor brought up his gauntlet and pressed another sequence of buttons and a haloscreen appeared, giving the directional route of the ship he had been tracking. The ship had landed on this planet no more than a few nights before his arrival, and it had been routed to this location. He guessed there was something about the thick foliage of the forest around him, the murkiness of the swamp, and the openness of it all that appealed to Vrak’Nox.

“What is it that you are trying to accomplish?” He found himself musing aloud, despite there was no one else around.

From the haloscreen, he was able to glean that the other ship had landed in the same vicinity of his own, but he was unable to detect it earlier. The tracker had been disabled since the landing, and he hadn’t the faintest idea where to begin – nor why Vrak would want to be here. His father, the Clan Leader, had tasked Thak’gor with finding out why his youngest son had been so active, because reports of dishonorable behavior had been coming to him.

Closing down his gauntlet, he dropped his arm and inhaled a deep breath before moving forward towards his first destination. He wanted to check if Vrak’s ship was where his beacon had last placed him before it had been disabled. Then he would see if he could track him from there, getting an idea of what he was up to on this backwater planet. His return to Prime was not a scheduled event, nor was there any outstanding ceremony he was needed for and the only way he would return right away was by direct order from the Clan Leader.

Thak’gor moved easily through the thick marshland, only feeling his weight sink down in the softest of places. But he did not remain in place for long enough to feel if he had taken a wrong step or had landed in the wrong place during his fast pace. The moon overhead provided enough light that he could see where he was going without the aid of a filter from his mask, and he preferred a more natural sight. Relying on his armor too much made him feel weaker than he was, since he found most of his opponents did not have his technology.

How impressive of a hunter was he if he could not best them with the simplest of tools? The Code demanded he meet his worthy opponents with the same level as their technology allowed. And he followed this as fervently as any honorable hunter would. This is why he dedicated his life as an Enforcer with his clan – meeting out the punishment fit for the violation of the Code. As he stopped at the edge of the first embankment, he lowered himself down and swept his hand over the still water creating a disturbance.

The eerily reflective eyes he had seen earlier, watching him with great interest had followed him since he started moving. The eyes had dipped under the glass reflective surface of the water several times as he traveled but had disappeared from sight when he stopped to survey where he was. With one more swipe of his hand, he pulled back his hand as a long snout flashed from underneath the water towards him, white sharp teeth trying to snap his arm.

In a quick motion, he reached out with his other hand, wrapping it around the upper portion of the animal’s head as he reared back. With the leverage of his height, he pulled the large, scaled creature whose tough skin much akin to his own, slammed its mouth closed. He felt the pain in his hand when the sharp teeth punctured his skin only to have him growl in response and his long twin blades shot out from atop his gauntlet. He slammed them into the skull of the beast, feeling the trashing from its large body fall limp no sooner than the impact landed. He opened his injured hand and the creature dropped onto the muddy embankment in front of him as he dropped down again to study what he had killed.

He scanned the creature with his gauntlet, letting it search through the database of known local fauna on his planet. Alligator, male juvenile. The deep guttural rasp of his language concluded as he looked over it again – and he ripped the largest tooth out from its mouth. He wrapped a small black cord around one end and strapped it to the trophy bandolier, knowing a little hunt would not hurt his original mission. It was not an impressive kill, but he would have time to rectify that upon confirming his suspicions.

Returning to his original mission, he left the remains of the body alone as he continued on, jumping from one embankment to another. He avoided going into the water, now with the knowledge of what lurked underneath its waters. He believed he would be able to best any creature that lived here, but he had no intention of spending time fighting them when he needed to be finding Vrak. When he landed on the final beachline, he stopped again to survey the surroundings and check his traveling logs – he was closer, but the ship was still not within his sights.

It wouldn't have been. Thak’gor cursed himself for not realizing that there would be an active cloaking device hiding the ship’s existence. Much like his own, it was positioned off deeper within the swampy marshland, further away from the prying eyes of the humans. Instead, he decided to start checking around the immediate area to find the beginning of a trail, something he could use to follow the carnage he knew was oncoming, if it had not started. Perhaps, if Vrak decided to start hunting the humans that lived in these marshlands, there would be less of a chance he would be found.

There would be no rest for him until he had the answers he sought, and if Vrak was doing nothing that implicated what those reports had mentioned, he would leave it be. Until then, he would continue on as nothing had changed. As he moved deeper into the new area of the swamp, he wondered what the outcome of this would be.

Chapter Text

Victoria
New Orleans, Louisiana

He sounded exasperated with her.

Sheriff McVoy stood across the small emergency room from her, leaning up against the countertop of the built-in sink. He was dressed in a brown uniform, a little wrinkly from the events of the evening after she had called them. His black belt was laden down with all of his official police gear, but it did nothing to help his large stomach protruding over it. In his meaty hands was his notepad and a black pen in the other one while he finished writing her statement.

“Sheriff, I know what I saw.” Victoria held the bag of ice to the side of her head and looked at him. “This was not some common junkie looking to get a score.”

He stopped what he was writing, looked up from his notepad and he wiped away the sweat that beaded at his brow. McVoy was not a superstitious man, despite living outside New Orleans the entirety of his life, so he didn’t believe in any of the numerous sightings of strange creatures. To him everything could be explained with logic and usually, Victoria would agree with him but this time she was not so inclined to agree.

“Victoria.” He started. “There’s been several break-ins throughout the township, and you were wounded badly. I am not saying I don't believe you, but you hit your head. There could be some damage to you…”

“I don’t have brain damage.” Victoria glared at him. “Did you find Vern? I didn’t see him there but his truck…”

The Sheriff flipped close his little notepad and tucked the pen into the front right pocket of his uniform, letting out a long sigh. His belly heaved with the effort it was taking him to find the right way to phrase what he wanted, hence the lingering silence passing between them. When his hands were free, he pushed one through the thinning brown hair atop his head and the other sat on his hip. “We’re not sure, Vikki, he wasn’t on the property after we searched the area. And you didn’t see him according to your statement earlier.”

Victoria’s lips turned down, half of her fear rising that the thing that had attacked her killed Vern and dumped his body somewhere. She knew what she needed to do once she got released from the hospital and visited Claudia to see how she was faring even though she knew the answer. Letting out a long sigh, she looked at McVoy again as he was shifting from one foot to the other in an awkward silence. “Update me if you find anything, please.”
Despite the fact that McVoy was a standoffish old man, he moved across the room slowly and placed the hand that had been on his belt on her shoulder. She felt a light pat there a few times before he pulled his hand back and cleared his throat. “I will be calling on Claudia later today, let me know if you remember anything.”

Victoria nodded and watched as he stepped towards the sliding glass door and pushed it open – letting in the noise filtering from the nurse’s station. She needed the extra noise after sitting in this room for far too long and rehashing everything that had transpired tonight. She hated everything about tonight – it was supposed to be the opening of their tourism season, bringing in all the expected earnings where their plan would start unfolding. Vern could have hired another tour guide, and he could have remained on the property to tend to things how he liked doing, then maybe in another season, he could have retired.

Letting out a long sigh, she found herself getting off the end of the hospital bed and walking over to the sink. She started washing off the dried blood, dirt and mud that had caked on her hands and arms – she could be somewhat clean. Victoria was halfway done with cleaning off the rest of her face before a nurse walked in and cleared their throat when she didn't immediately acknowledge her. She pulled a paper towel off the roll and dried off her face before turning around to see the discharge nurse standing there with a disapproving scowl on her face.

“Here are your discharge papers, Ms. Hastings, and you can pick up your prescriptions in the morning. There is a small dosage in this bag to help with the pain until then.” She started, not bothering with pleasantries. “Please sign here, and you’re free to go.”

The nurse held out a pen expectantly, as if she was busy being here. Victoria only smirked, knowing this woman had never liked her from the beginning – going as much to tell Claudia she was making a mistake renting to her or hiring her. “Yeah okay.”

Victoria took the pen, signed the clipboard and tossed it onto the hospital bed instead of handing it over. She snatched the bag from the nurse’s hand and walked to the door as she heard the old woman grumbling behind her at the display. The door slid closed behind her after she slipped through and started towards the hospital doors – her next stop going home was all she could focus on now, because she knew sleep wouldn't come tonight. Victoria would have to check on Claudia, if she was still awake – and not surrounded by other people surrounding them.

The cool night’s air touched her heated skin, sending a feeling of calm descending over her but she knew it would be short lived. She looked around the parking lot to realize she had left her car at the tourboat property – and a short curse escaped her lips. Until she turned around, intent on going inside to see if she could use a phone to call a taxi, but she noticed a red car sitting in the parking lot, and its owner pushed the door open, revealing the woman she did not want to face.
“Vikki.” Claudia’s soft voice carried over to her as she gestured her over. “Sheriff McVoy called me and said you were here.”

“Claudia…” She started, letting out a shaky breath.

There were no words she could think of that would justify any kind of explanation the woman deserved. Letting out that shaky breath, she slowly walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle and stood a few feet from her. If there was any title she could have given Claudia, it would have been her adoptive mother despite the technicalities of legality. She paused for a long moment, looking at the pavement underneath her battered converse, before lifting it to look at the older woman standing behind the car door.

Claudia had always been a bright older woman, and the lines etched into her ebony skin from years of laughter at Vern’s antics were nonexistent. If anything, she looked tired and worn out, as if she had spent the evening worrying about them – and now she was here, waiting for her. “I-I don’t know where to begin but I’m sorry…and I know that doesn’t make up for anything–”

“Vikki, my dear.” Claudia swallowed down her grief and came over to her, moving at a speed that belied her age. “Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” Victoria let out a disbelieving sigh. “I-no…”

“The Sheriff told me what happened.” She looked down at where their hands had become clasped in another, finding a small amount of solace. “You did everything right. And I am grateful you went looking for Vern.”

“Everything just happened so fast…” Victoria stopped herself, looking down at the woman standing in front of her. “I’m sorry, and I will be here to help you however I can.”

This seemed to soften Claudia, as she gave their hands a squeeze and finally dropped her hands down and gestured for her to get into the car. Victoria didn’t argue with the older woman, appreciating that she had come all the way to the county hospital. It was late, and she had probably been driven down with grief by the whole situation, and whatever information Sheriff McVoy had given her. The last thing she needed to do was add anymore stress to the woman – but she would ask one thing of her, to drop her off so she could get her vehicle. Tomorrow would be long enough with preparations to make, and Victoria was bent on not adding to her stress.

“Claudia.” She made herself comfortable in the passenger side of the vehicle. “Can you drop me off at my car? I will follow you back, I’m okay to drive.”

The drive to the boat house had been unproductive, with Claudia insisting she didn't mind driving her around tomorrow. The woman was adamant about being with company, and Victoria couldn’t fault her for not wanting to be alone. But there was something bothering her about this whole situation and she could not have Claudia in the middle of it – asking questions she didn’t have answers to. Instead, she made a promise that she would stay with her instead of returning to her smaller home at the edge of their property where she rented from them. Tonight, she needed to return to see if she could dig up any other evidence without anyone else around – something else was going on and she intended to find out what it was.

“I still don’t like dropping you off where you got attacked.” Claudia made her disapproval known as they pulled off onto the county road.

“The area should be secured; police are crawling these backroads tonight.” Victoria pointed out as they passed a patrol car headed in the opposite direction. “I’m not going into the scene; I’m just going to get into my car and leave.”

Claudia let out a long sigh, as she slowed the car down until it was stopped at the mouth of the property. Before Victoria could get out, she felt the woman’s hand on her forearm, and she stopped her from opening the door. “What is it?”

“Take my gun.” Claudia pulled out a small handgun from her purse and handed it off to her. “Just in case.”

A soft smile curved the ends of her lips upwards as she took the gun from her and nodded her gratitude. “I’ll be along shortly. I promise.”

“You better, young lady, I don’t have the patience for anything else tonight.” Claudia retorted and placed her handbag back onto the floor at her feet. “Get your ass home tonight, or this will be the least of your problems.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Victoria nodded, fully believing the threat.

Victoria closed the car door and started towards where her car was still parked at the front of the building. Claudia’s car started down the road towards her house, where no doubt, she would be waiting awake until she returned. This did not give her much of a grace period, so she would need to be quick with what she intended to find out. The gun was gripped tightly in her hand as she advanced on her car, parked behind Vern’s truck and she surveyed the area.

She needed to be quick about her business, because she didn’t know if anyone was still here nor did she want a patrolling unit to find her snooping around.

Chapter Text

Thak’gor
Earth

His senses prickled at the new rumbling noise.

From across the wide river that cut through the expanse of the swamplands he inhabited tonight, he found himself on the edge of human occupied territory. Behind him, the sounds of the marshes were loud and bearing down on any invaders that would disturb it, before him it was the opposite. Where there were still some of the same sounds from earlier as he navigated the backwater country, it was muted down with only a quarter of the livelihood. He didn’t like how quiet it had become which meant there was something else larger than the rest stalking through here.

Was it his target? This would have been the fastest hunt he would have to endure, and he was almost grateful that it ended. However, much to his dismay, Thak’gor found the sound of the interruption from an idling contraption at the far end of the mouth of the packed dirt. His night vision allowed him to sense out the scene in front of him, a large warehouse sat on the property situated far from the manmade structures on the river. Floating contraptions were moored to its pale metallic color, two of them only moving when the water below them shifted from some intrusion.

Furthermore, he could pick up two heat signatures inside the motorized vehicle as he guessed it was something the humans called a “car.” Thak’gor had been on Earth enough times in the past four hundred years to understand that these humans had evolved from sticks, stones and sharpened rocks to enter into an industrial age. However, they were far more devolved than his own species, and they did not possess the ability to survive long stretches of time without adequate living structures and a constant food source. He did not categorize all of them in the same lump, but he was not about to go out of his way to meet one to change his overall opinion.

So, he watched from a distance, taking in the shifting colors of the two individuals and the constant heat source from the front of the car. That’s when the car took off with only two heat sources and another started down the path in his direction. What was this human doing? Thak’gor lifted his masked face to the moon’s position, noting that it was late enough to be normal and still too early before the sun would be breaking over the horizon. This meant he had not made any headway in his investigation other than the confirmation of another ship’s presence, and his quarry was indeed in the area he occupied.

He should have turned away and left the wandering human alone but there was something else he sensed in the area. Blood. It was a few hours old and mixed with human blood but the higher copper in the familiar blood was one he would know anywhere. Vrak’Nox had been here – and for what purpose he did not know but he knew he was in the right direction and the tracking had picked up again. However, the one complication walking towards the property was preventing him from slithering into the river and coming up to the other side of the riverbank. It was also another reason he could not simply use his cloaking device because the electrical currents would break up and reveal him as soon as he was submerged – it was the one downside to his armor.

Before he could make a move, there was another deep rumbling noise coming in the direction of where the human was walking. It stopped, keeping two large overly bright lights on which flared his night vision to the point he switched to another lens. He heard a loud voice call out a word, but this made the other human stop what they were doing and turn to face the intrusion. He could barely hear the exchange, but it resulted in the human outside further in the path to call back – and he had grown weary of this. They were impeding on his investigation and preventing him from doing what he needed to accomplish – but he hoped it would be done soon.

Thak’gor used this distraction to slip into the water from where he had been crouched down, surprisingly hidden despite his large frame. He could touch the bottom of the river, and it barely came up to his neck as he waded through to the other side before pulling himself up onto the edge, doing his best to keep out of sight. Except he didn’t think a human would have paid attention to what he had been doing until he stopped and looked up, the human – now he could make out that the female of their species was staring hard in his direction. She couldn’t see him. There was no possible way.

Still, he would not take his chances, so he paused behind the large rubber wheel attached to another contraption humans utilized. Thak’gor peeked from around the corner, to take in what he could about the human standing next to what he assumed was her car. She was on the tall side, with hair that curled from her head in tight ringlets, but any other features were cast by the bright lights that blared behind her. He would not see much else beyond her clothing before she opened a panel from her car and dipped into it. The engine rumbled to life, and the twin lights flashed towards him as he jerked back behind his hiding spot.

Another minute passed and he heard the two rumbling engines draw back, leaving the property in total darkness except the lone overhead lights attached to the large warehouse. When he could be sure he was completely alone, Thak’gor emerged from where he had been and started looking around the area. His search was coming up with nothing of interest until he spotted the broken glass mixed with red and fluorescent green blood mixed with it. The red blood belonged to the human, well a human he had to venture but the other was certainly that of Vrak.

His hand went over the shard of glass still coated in the blood and he grimaced at this – and he would need to remove all the evidence of this encounter. If this had been a simple clean up mission, he would have called Malice in but there was more to this than he could have someone else in on. The woman that had been here earlier had some part to play in this, but he wasn’t sure at the extent of the interaction but he could simply write her off if it had been one of those “UFO sightings” humans liked to claim. For now, he would focus on what was in front of him, which was the existence of evidence that would keep him on the right track.

He continued on, checking around the rest of the immediate area as he catalogued the rest of it before realizing there had been a fight here. The broken glass scattered across the ground beneath him and the window from where it had been from. Inside he would venture that there was enough clutter to determine something had gone wrong, but what had happened? Had Vrak been here looking around and been startled by the human? It would have explained why there was blood everywhere but why had he attacked a woman? The only logical conclusion Thak’gor had come to was that she had presented a threat.

There was no way he was defending Vrak in this case, but he was simply trying to work out the interaction to the most logical conclusion. That’s until he looked deeper, and the smeared blood hidden from view caught his attention and he followed the trail until it stopped suddenly. But the pooling where it had stopped indicated something from higher in the trees, and he already knew what had happened here. What the cause was of killing the human hanging from the tree was yet to be determined but if Thak’gor knew better – it was not done out of the Code. Vrak did not follow the Code, and he used his position as the Clan Leader’s eldest son to hide behind it.

This was all mere suspicion, and he could not accuse him without solid evidence of what had happened. He took in the scene with his mask, cataloging the evidence he would need to bring it to the Clan Leader for review. As he worked, he made his own body go through the process of covering up what had happened as it would need to be away from the human eyes. Their kind was not ready for the existence of greater intelligence as it would cause mass hysteria – and he would not let anything descend into that madness.

As he was finishing the scene behind the warehouse, he heard something off in the distance and his gaze lifted. The sun was close to breaking beyond the horizon, but he still determined he had some time before he needed to return to the safety of the marshlands. Thak’gor heard it before a bright flash of light blinded his night vision again, catching him off guard and something slammed into his shoulder. Pain exploded through him, as the cold metallic spike opened up, tearing through him and causing him to double over as it lodged into his muscle.

He almost let out a resounding roar, but he pushed it down as he reached up and ripped the spiked contraption from his shoulder. He felt the tearing of his flesh long before the pain followed, and he hated how this harpooned arrow had got him. Thak’gor turned slowly in place, deciding there was no point in activating his cloaking device. He had an idea of who had shot him, and his instinct about Vrax had been correct — or else why had he just tried to injure him? There was no logic or honor in doing so, which meant the young hunter was up to something he was not supposed to be.

Going down to one knee, he kept his focus scanning the immediate area. He couldn’t make himself a smaller target, but he could clean up his wound to keep it from getting infected. His blood made it so he was not susceptible to infection at the basest level but if he bled out enough, that was another issue. His mask scanned the area, not picking up any signs of life — which led him to believe he was alone. Vrax would not face him head on, he did not possess the ability to confront him and fight honorably, instead he would hide like a coward.

Thak’gor cursed his position, he should have seen something like this coming. He had been distracted by the earlier presence of humans, and it cost him. He pushed the sealant into his shoulder and depressed the button, the next round of searing hot pain shooting through his shoulder. He should have bellowed out — but it came out strangled as he rode the pain through until it slowly started to numb his torn flesh and clotted the wound.

Much to his dismay, he needed to rest before he went further. The actions tonight did not make sense, Vrax attacking him was not a random event. And the fact that the other male did not attempt another assault on him made Thak’gor believe he had been as startled to see him. He needed more information — and he needed to find his ship, before he could extricate himself from this planet.

But for now, he needed to find a safe area to bed down and sleep off his wound.

Chapter Text

Victoria
New Orleans, Louisiana

She had to wait for evening again.

Victoria had spent most of her day consumed by remaining in the presence of Claudia, helping out where she could make a difference. It had not been hard work, but she was in need of companionship while different members of the community visited. Each encounter had made Claudia grow more tired throughout the day until she retired for the evening well before her usual bedtime. The grandfather clock in her living room had barely struck past eight pm when she ascended the small flight of stairs and bid Victoria a good night. Once she heard the soft click of the bedroom door, she had cleaned up and did the dishes before going into the downstairs guest room where she stayed.

Another hour before Victoria could tell Claudia had fallen asleep, partially because she had started taking her sleeping medication to help. This would give Victoria at least eight hours of uninterrupted time to go back to the boat property and check out what the cops had cordoned off for the investigation. She knew she shouldn't have been doing this, but she needed answers as to what had fucking attacked her – plus she wouldn’t let the county cops tell her she was insane. Something bothered her about what they had reported to Claudia, and she needed the truth, but she would let the other woman have her oblivion. This was for her own conscience.

If Vern was gone, she needed to know for certain but the uncomfortable feeling that settled in her gut. She knew that sensation far too well for someone so young, but she wouldn’t get confirmation otherwise. Victoria set out, quietly getting her stuff together and exiting the house. She had avoided the creaking stairs, the one bad floorboard she knew would wake Claudia up and the rattling doorknob of the ancient front door.

Once outside, she packed her car up with items she would need from her own house. The car door closed softly behind her, and the alarm sounded when she turned it on and backed out of the drive. It kept annoying her until she opened and slammed it shut mid drive. What was she going to do if she ran into that swamp thing again? Was it even a swamp thing? Victoria didn’t know, and right now she was being stupid enough to find out. Maybe it was the missing link? Too many variables to think about so instead she focused on a plan of action.

The fresh air from outside didn’t ease the tension in her shoulders but only served to keep her sane. The audible sounds of crickets, frogs, and any other swamp creature echoed as she stopped just at the mouth of the driveway. Cutting the lights, she pulled off to the side of the road and killed the engine, she would walk on foot from here to avoid detection. Well, that was the plan anyway.

Victoria armed herself, double checking her ammo and brought her shotgun up as she slowly stepped down the drive. She avoided the gravel and kept to the tree line and soft grassy earth as she ducked under the yellow caution tape that crossed the driveway. Dread started building in her, because she was doing exactly what got those white people killed in the stupid slasher films she liked. Ugh.

It all looked as it had the night before, down to the scattered broken glass in the main yard. One overhead light flickered above the garage entrance, the dim yellow cast spreading out as she avoided coming too close. Instead, she slipped behind the garage — slinking between the thick trees and the metal siding. The shadow from the side covered her slender form, as she kept her back to the wall and slowly crept around. Keeping her shotgun level, she peered around the edge and her heart started hammering in her chest.

Something was squatted down on its haunches, a huge hulking form. It must be the swamp thing from the other night! With a deep inhale, she said a silent Hail Mary (despite not being religious) and rounded the corner with her shotgun aimed. Except as soon as she righted herself, she saw the figure standing up — and three long red lines flashing from the side of its mask.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Her mind whirred as she watched in silent disbelief at her shit luck.

Then its hand lifted, claws glinting as it gestured at her. What did it want? The three dots appeared at her shotgun, and he made the lowering gesture again. Victoria was outmatched — and one wrong move would end her here and now. She wanted to live. So, she lowered herself to her knees, placing the shotgun on the ground before shoving it out of her grasping distance. Her hands went up slowly, as she watched his towering form slowly advance. The dots remained on her chest now, and her breathing turned shallow.

“We can work something out…” Victoria managed to find her voice, as low and pitiful as it was.

The creature only tilted its head and then stopped next to the shotgun. He kicked it away, the metallic ‘thunk’ of his boot hitting it as it rolled further away. Victoria craned her neck, lifting her chin so she could study this intruder, slowly perusing from the metal of his clawed boots, his calves and thighs which to his credit displayed taut large muscles. Three long plated metal covers held up by a thick belt laden with different items was secured around the narrow waist. The armor from his belt covered his groin and thighs, strapped to each well-muscled thigh.

Victoria managed to not short-circuit her own thought process when she realized he was wearing next to nothing save a short black kilt underneath his belt. When her eyes roved over the ten, wait was that twelve pack of his abdomen, she swallowed thickly before looking to where the injury she inflicted last night would have been. There was nothing there but old scarring, a crisscross pattern with what appeared to be acidic damage before she finally reached his chest. It really was unfair that a thing that appeared from the swamplands exhibited a form that rivaled any body builder here on Earth.

Across his shoulder was a bandolier with polished white bones or skulls from various creatures she did not recognize. When her gaze finally landed on his mask over his face, outlined by the long black thick tendrils that fell past his shoulders. Victoria should have been in the right mindset to deal with this, but she found the fact that such a body existed on this creature was not in any way fair. It was attractive… and it had no right being it. And here she was on her knees, chin lifted to the perfect position that was in line with the top of his belt as he looked down at her, and the red lines turned off.

This was not the creature from the other night that had attacked her, because the recent wound to his shoulder was not the one she inflicted. If anything, it should have been to the right side of his torso where the shotgun damage had impacted so this led her to conclude there were two of them here. Maybe more? The real question stood to remain, was he friend or foe? Perhaps this male was an enemy of his? If he had been her enemy, she believed she would have been dead by now and not in this precarious position.

Her attention jerked when she felt the coolness of his hand cup her jaw, the unintentional rough tug of him indicating she should be standing before him. She fucking hated being grasped in such a manner but she didn’t have a death wish, so she let him pull her upwards until she stood on her feet. She was only to his chest as she continued to lift her chin and crane her neck back so she could get a good look at him.

“You don't intend to kill me, right?” She blurted out and stared at him.

The swamp man or alien man tilted his head in the opposite direction as he started turning her head from side or side. It looked like he was studying her with a delicate curiosity as she had been doing earlier so she remained still as to not spook him. The gauntlet on his arm probably held some massive sharp daggers, like the ones she had seen on the other one, but she only studied his mask as it was the only thing she could see. Engravings were carved down the large domed portion, and spikes lined the outer rim, ranging from small to large until they reached the top.

“Your friend is out there… he killed my-” Victoria stopped for a moment, trying to come up with the right word to describe Vern. “Dad… I want to know why.”

The emotions she had been holding threatened to fall as she remained at the mercy of this overly large swamp man grasping her chin. Hot tears pricked her eyes as she blinked several times to avoid fully bawling in this moment – what a fucking scene that would have been. The swamp man stopped and watched her facial expressions as she sniffed and motioned to pull out of his grasp. The swamp man had not vocalized anything during her ongoing commentary, but he did release her so she could fully set herself right on her feet.

Victoria moved, turning away for a brief moment to swipe away the errant tear at the corner of her eye. She hated this, she hated crying in front of a random stranger who happened to be a swamp man? Shouldn’t she be having a different reaction to him? Well, if this was one of those old monster movies, she was being a terrible heroine. Turning back, she took him in again, needing the distraction from the onslaught of emotions that barreled through her like a train.

Did he even understand her? It seemed like he had some intelligence, given the updated gadgetry of his weapons and armor. She would hazard a guess he was not from this planet, so swamp man was probably not the right thing to call him. Okay, if he wasn’t from here, he was an alien? For real? Well, she wasn’t in Roswell and he had not tried to kidnap her and probe her with strange instruments. Shouldn’t she be freaking out?

Too much too soon. Victoria let out a frustrated breath as she watched him survey the area before looking back over to her. He gestured something else with his hand, waving it in the direction where she had come from. Was he telling her to leave?

“I’m not leaving, if that’s what you’re telling me to do.” Victoria shook her head. “I have questions, not like you can answer them.”

He reacted and pointed in the direction of the driveway again. This time he was more insistent. And Victoria stamped her foot down, hands balled at her sides, and she turned to fully face him. “I said no.”

And with that, she stormed past him and walked towards the building. Her shotgun was left behind, at least for the moment, she would grab it once he left.

Chapter Text

Thak’gor
Earth

This was not how he envisioned his night.

Thak’gor had found himself a deep burrowed area long abandoned to sleep in. It was not his first choice, but he didn’t have the luxury of being picky and heading back to his ship was a full night’s event. In his wounded state, the best he could hope for was to be left alone while he let his body repair what he could not — which it had. His shoulder was stiff from the protrusion that had ripped his muscle and flesh apart, but the main damage was fixed. He would need another day to heal completely, but if he didn’t get himself into a fight, he should be able to work competently.

Returning to the scene of what happened probably was not the smartest move either. Vrax had been lurking around, had seen him and injured him but he could be anywhere now. He should check to see if his ship was even still around — but he would attend to that later tonight. For right now the little human in front of him needed to be dealt with. Thak’gor didn’t believe in killing females, even when they were armed, but he would keep his wits about him. He had his plasma canon and laser points aimed at her, but he only gestured to the weapon in her hands. She must have not picked up on his request, so he made it obvious and she slowly lowered down to her knees and rolled the gun away from her grasping reach.

The sight of this human on her knees in front of him sent a foreign feeling surging through him. It was subordinate, but he didn’t linger on it, instead he studied her for a long pause. He didn’t find humans particularly attractive or interesting in the sense of physical appearance, but he had in the past admired them for their bravery or fighting prowess. This female was interesting to him because she had come into his path with a fearlessness that perked his curiosity.

Her pitch-black hair stood up around her head in a shock of wild curls, framing a round face with eyes that matched the golden hue of Prime. A straight nose and full mouth, with the stubborn tilt of her chin lifted in the air to level a fierce glare at him. Thak’gor was aware that humans came in several different skin colours, having seen many in his six-hundred years. This female was the same color as some of the darker shades of his own scales, a dark brown. It reminded him of the warrior queen from the African continent who almost bested him in single combat with spears. That had been almost five hundred years ago, when he was a newly blooded warrior.

Pushing the memory away, he noticed she was looking around as if she was looking to get away. But she stopped, and his curiosity got the better of him as he deactivated the plasma canon and reached out, taking his chin in the softest grip he could manage. He wanted to study her, and since she was not fighting him, he took this moment to continue to look at her while she spoke in her human language. His biomask translated across his screen and within his translator — something he was grateful for. It seemed that she didn’t believe he could understand her, so he let her have her fantasies.

No, he didn’t intend to kill her, it was against his personal Code, but he knew others would not hesitate when she wielded a weapon. Thak’gor inhaled deeply, smelling the faint sense of something sweet and another heady earthen smell that reminded him off the plains of the other part of this continent. He liked this too, and that presented him with a problem — he liked what he was seeing and smelling but he was not a simple male. The human moved, pulling back as the next set of words made his blood run cold.

Your friend killed my dad… and his translator confirmed the term for that of a sire. He released her and backed up one step in surprise. There had been no confirmation that Vrax had committed the crime, but he wouldn’t have put the deed past the other male. However, this male he was hunting was not a male he would have been associated with. That made him sneer at the thought that he was capable of lowering himself to spend time with Yautja like Vrax. He would never do so.

This was a situation Thak’gor had to maneuver carefully, due to the sensitivity of humans. Her sire had been killed and from the cycle of emotions this human seemed to be going through, he needed to know the truth. Had her sire presented a worthy opponent he could not deliver punishment, but had the male been weakened in some state — that would need to be individually evaluated. For the moment he was relieved she would not be able to understand his responses.

For the moment she seemed to be dealing with her own internal struggles. He released a long breath, and despite his fascination with this human, he needed to get back to the original mission. She would only complicate matters so he did the only thing he could do — he pointed in the direction she had come from. She needed to leave and let him be.

“I’m not leaving if that’s what you’re telling me to do.” She narrowed her eyes up at him. “I have questions that you can answer.”

He didn’t care for her questions right now; he had his own he needed to answer. Why was this human so insistent on staying around? He let out a frustrated huff, wishing he could expand his mandibles. Maybe the sight of his face would be enough to scare her off? Thak’gor contemplated it because his mere existence didn’t seem to startle her as much as it should have.

When he gestured again, she stomped her little foot then stormed off towards the building. “I said no!”

Well, this night was off to an even worse start. He preferred the harpoon arrow to his shoulder from the night before. He instinctively checked the sealed wound again, feeling the hollow ache of muscle and skin repairing itself. If he was wanting that experience again over this stubborn little human, he knew he was in for a long evening.

Thak’gor followed, slowly checking the perimeter as he should have done last night. He scanned the area for any other heat signatures that were close to his and her forms. There was only the skittering of small creatures in the wooded areas that surrounded this place. When he finished a preliminary scan, he saw her crouched down in a spray of broken glass and fluorescent blood dried onto the ground. Well, this female had injured Vrax — and given the injuries she sustained, he did the same to her. However, given her choice in weaponry he suspected Vrax had gotten the worst end.

“I don’t know what your friend wanted, assuming he is a friend but since you’re not trying to kill me, maybe not.” She was talking about Vrax again, and he was not going to kill her. Not yet anyway, not that he particularly wanted to.

Thak’gor grunted in response which made her look up from her investigation. He made a series of gestures he was aware of that would indicate he would not be killing her but rather hunting down Vrax.

“Well, I didn’t catch all of it but I’m safe? Well, you’re not going to kill me anyway?” One of her black eyebrows perked upwards.

He nodded, and he could see the drop of her shoulders from the confirmation. Thak’gor was not intimate with all human gestures, but he believed she may have been consigned to his response. She didn’t say anything else but pushed herself up to her feet, careful to avoid the glass spattered around the grass.

“Are you looking for him or her too? Because I am… I want to know why he or she killed my father.” She commented again, looking straight at him with her arms now crossed over her chest.

There was a pause, he had to be thoughtful about how he answered her. He could understand her, but humans had such primitive technology he could not link up their speech communications. So, Thak’gor slowly began to maneuver and gesture in a way she could understand him in the most basic sense.

“You’re… looking… for… oh him” She sounded out to his maneuvers, but a smirk twisted her lips when he pointed to his groin. “Because he’s bad?”

“Wait, are you familiar with sign language?” She made a flurry of movements with her own hands, and he paused for a moment. This was not unknown to him, but he would have to download something from his database about Earthen languages to continue.

Thak’gor shook his head, feeling his long tendrils shake before pointing to her, his mask and affirming he understood her. “Well, that’s something…”

While the language upload downloaded in his mask, he paused to think about why he was even bothering. This human did not need to be here, and she was complicating his ability to do his job. He had gestured for her to walk away, betraying the Code, well sort of. He was not her friend — he was Yautja. But she was not prey and she had not proven to be dangerous to him when she relented her own weapon when he demanded it. For some reason, he also had the inkling suspicion that there was nothing he could do, short of killing her, to keep her from investigating.

The human stood up and continued to put distance between them as if she was in search of something. What that something was, he did not know, and with the language barrier, it would not be apparent anytime soon unless she kept her incessant chattering. Thak’gor should have just knocked her unconscious because it would have made this whole encounter end that much quicker but then he would have to move her form. The aftermath of that decision landed him with too much responsibility if she were to be killed if he left her defenseless.

Thak’gor let out a deep resigning sigh, as he followed her from a short distance, and watched her continue to investigate. The only positive he could imagine from this short liaison was the possibility that she might have seen something the other night. The blood trail of bright yellow blood she followed ended at the mouth of the forest, where there had been only a few droplets scattered amongst the tree bases compared to the puddles from earlier. Whatever injury this human had done to Vrax, he had retreated just as fast as Thak’gor would have considered if he was this damaged.

He wanted to ask her, but the language download was still searching in his mask, and he would continue to wait until he could learn it. He was about to move forward to check if there was a partial trail that she could have missed when something similar to the harpoon arrow sailed past her. He heard the yelp of pain, and then she collapsed onto the ground with one of her small hands covering where it had sliced through the jacket she had been wearing. Thak’gor moved faster, stepping back in time to let it fly past him before he jerked his attention towards where it had come from.

There was a faint outline he could make out in the darkness without utilizing any of his filters applied in his mask. The cloaking device was not as effective if he could understand what he was looking for, which was a subtle shift in the night, and where the moonlight from above did shine through the broken canopy for the treetops. It flexed and bended around a sliver beside a tree when three bright red lines focused on him as he let out a loud growl and started in that direction. A large plasmaray shot in his direction, and Thak’gor dropped low at the last second, sliding across the forest floor as he lifted his left gauntlet and shot out poisonous darts from their ejector. After his entire body somersaulted across the ground until he righted himself to a half-kneeled position. With one knee on the ground, with one large, clawed hand he looked up, righting his own plasma caster in the direction his darts had flown to.

This was not an honorable way to fight, Vrax was still cloaked in his invisibility, which angered Thak’gor more than it should have. Not facing an enemy was considered beneath them if they found their opponent worthy of a fair fight and this was the Clan Leader’s son trying to press his luck again. It was unbeknownst to him that his own sire had sent out the summons for Thak’gor to hunt him down and retrieve him. He would have preferred that Vrax come willingly and face his punishment, but Thak’gor did not believe that it would be that easy. Vrax would consider this a betrayal in his own mind and would fight until either he was dead or his captor would die.

It could not continue.

He heard the loud growl of the other male from a few feet away, and Thak’gor jumped to his feet and smashed into the shimmering outline. The immediate impact would have been enough to kill a human male, but the Yautja could withstand it. However, it did not stop the exhalation of air that he heard escape Vrax, and he landed onto the ground and rolled once away from him. He didn't hesitate to get righted to his feet as his plasmacaster landed on the other male – who had his cloak deactivated.

“You dishonor your clan!” Thak’gor spoke, the deep guttural language sounding into the night between them. “You dishonor your sire and the Code with your actions.”

“I am above the code!” Vrax yelled back at him, as he slowly pushed his injured form to his own feet.

“No one is above the Code.” He responded. “Come with me willingly and there may be leniency in your trial.”

“I will not stand trial for views that I do not uphold!” Vrax yelled, his indignant tone rising as he stepped back, creating distance between them. “My sire should have been overthrown. My brother should be where he is!”

“Clan Leaders are chosen by Elders and have proven themselves by the Code, and the honor of the hunt.” Thak’gor only shook his head in disappointment. “Your actions are a blight upon his reign, that is why he has sanctioned your retrieval."

“My sire would not.” He seemed in disbelief at this revelation.

“He has given me authorization for your capture, and return – by any means necessary.” Thak’gor shook his head, feeling his tendrils scrape over his back.

“Then you will not take me alive…” Vrax had growled. “I will not stand for this farce of a trial by Elders who have not seen the signs of chance coming.”

Thak’gor did not get a chance to respond, because one cracking sound behind him made both males turn in time for a loud shot to echo through the trees. A blast came from the human’s weapon, pelting small projectiles in Vrax’s direction, but only one or two embedded into his shoulder. It did not have the aforementioned damage she had delivered to him if his patched upside was any indication. Vrax screamed, a deep roar that was intended to scare the intruder, but the woman did not seem in any shock at this.

“That’s for my father!” She yelled, and pumped the weapon again, the sharp click before she squeezed the trigger, letting out another hail of bullets at him. “And this is for me, you ugly-ass motherfucker.”

Vrax moved quicker this time, jumping out of the line of shot and intended to go for her but Thak’gor immediately swept past her flank, and shoved her behind him. He had no intention of letting Vrax harm her – for it was within the Code that she was protecting herself. From the altercation last night, Vrax had initiated the first fight without merit or cause, and this was enough for Thak’gor to defend. And if the woman was telling the truth, and Vrax had killed her father in cold blood, she was more than within her rights to initiate her own fight with him.

“What the fuck?!” Her sharp tone sounded out until she realized what was happening. The anger seemed to subside at him and return back to the other male.

“You will not get away with this Vrax.” Thak’gor tried to reason once more. “If you surrender now, I can offer you a fair trial back on Prime.”

“I will not be judged by them!” Vrax roared again, and before any of them could move to one another, the male initiated his cloaking device again and disappeared.

Chapter Text

Victoria
New Orleans, Louisiana

Tonight, just proved she was not, in fact, insane.

At least she had that small measure of comfort despite the glaringly obvious shitshow she found herself involved in. Did she think that she would become mixed up with aliens? No, but that seemed to be the cards she had been dealt tonight. Victoria let out a long-frustrated sigh as she went to push herself up back to a standing position when she noticed the large, clawed hand being held out for her. Despite her initial recoil, she forced herself to take it and immediately found her curiosity had peaked. It shouldn't have been despite everything that had just happened.

In one swift movement, Victoria felt the lighter tug on her hand and arm, which hauled her onto her feet. She didn't let go of him, because she found herself on the verge of falling forward and landed straight into his arms. Her entire body smacked against a hard wall of muscle as she let out a startled sound, grabbing at anything for purchase which happened to be him. For a long minute, she found her balance and then realized she was pressed up against him and a deep flush creeped up the back of her neck.

Victoria moved to extricate herself from him, but his hold had left her hands and settled on the expanse of her waist. The feeling of heavy hands encircling her entire hip span was jarring, because her traitorous body responded and a flipping sensation in her stomach occurred. Wasn’t she supposed to be feeling disgust from an alien touching her? Wait, what was the norm for this? His hands weren’t moving across her body, roaming and exploring uninvited, but rather it was steady as if he was keeping her from tumbling over again.

She curled her fingers away from the hard planes of his chest and released the leather-like strap that expanded across it. God he was fucking huge, she barely came up to his chest, and Victoria was well over six feet herself. His hands slid away from her body, the oddly comfortable sensation of safety sliding away with his movement. She put distance between them and looked upwards to see his masked face peering down at her again, intently watching her as she stepped back and smoothed down the front of her shirt.

That had been a temporary distraction, and her lack of a romantic partner didn't help that she felt touch starved. Victoria thought about the exchange between the two males and couldn’t help but notice they had spoken with a familiarity. There was more to the situation going on than she would be able to understand without understanding him. There was sign language, but she was rusty at it, since she barely used it, and it had been a few classes through her high school and college semesters she had been interested in.

This alien seemed to understand the human language, and despite all the different languages and dialects, English seemed to be one he was familiar with. That raised more questions she didn’t have the time to search for answers on, but she could start with bridging this language barrier. Victoria thought for a moment, as she slowly processed each sign and moved her hands accordingly, while speaking what she intended to ask him.

“Do you understand sign language?” She followed up with the flurry of movements, concentrating on getting her fingers correct.

There was a pause, before he nodded and returned with slow deliberate signs of his own. Yes, I learn.

A smile crossed over her lips as she moved her hands to respond. “You can understand me when I speak. But you cannot speak back to me.”

No. He responded. Human speak less deep.

She frowned at this; she didn't fully understand the ‘less deep’ portion and there could have been a myriad of reasons for it. Deciding not to dwell upon that portion of his answer, she decided that he was able to understand and reciprocate to a certain degree. It would just be a slower process of extracting information if he was even going to share any to begin with. “I have questions, will you answer me?”

He paused again but then nodded. Only some. Not answer all.

Well, she would take what she could get at this point. “Why are you here?”

Hunt. Male law break. There was a moment he hesitated to answer, or he was thinking about the best way to explain it. I am oath bound.

“He’s a criminal? From where you are from?” Victoria pondered this aloud, and when he nodded, she continued to explain it. “You are oath bound to bring him in?”

Yes. He continued on. His sire demands.

So, that made a little more sense at his presence, but it didn’t explain why the other male was killing humans. She had more questions but there was a chance he wouldn’t answer them nor would he be able to explain the intricacies of the whole situation. Instead of pressing for more information, she needed to find out his name – she couldn’t keep calling him ‘alien man.’

“What is your name?” She pointed to him, then pointed to herself. “I am Victoria.” She spelled out her name for him.

Vikta. He returned, and it was close enough. She would not be correcting him on a technicality, plus she liked the abbreviation rather than him trying to call her Vikki like everyone else. My name not…in your words.

“Well, there has to be some minor translation.” Victoria smiled softly.

Crush. He shrugged his shoulders, which was oddly a very human-like gesture. This told her he was familiar with Earth more so than she had knowledge of.

The word he chose to reveal complimented him, because he was a large male, even next to the other one that had fled off after fighting them. It did not surprise her that his name would have some meaning of that effect, so she nodded. “Crusher.”

My name in your words? He signed, his slightly tilted head turning straight, and he scanned the area before settling back on her.

“Yes.” She nodded. “We both are after this male, we need to work together.”

Crusher jerked his head down to look at her and immediately shook his head. He had been compliant up until this moment and she knew she would have to be convincing. “I’m not going to stop. I need justice for my father. I need this… and not you or any other of your kind is going to stop me.”

This was not going to end well in her favor, and she was aware of just how out of balance this encounter was. Crusher was a highly intelligent alien from another world, probably outside of her galaxy, armed with more technologically advanced weapons – she was just another human to him. He could disappear without a trace at this moment, and she would never be able to find him again – and her only lead to catching her adoptive father’s killer. Swallowing down her rising discomfort, Victoria placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin in a confident manner. However, her outward appearance was betraying the fraying anxiety bubbling in her mind and stomach.

Danger. And not human friendly. Crusher signed, in what she was guessing would be in a bid to make her understand the dangers of this request. Male will kill you. No stop.

There was more Crusher wanted to say to her, but she knew the lack of communication was making it tough for them both to understand one another. Whatever technology he possessed gave him the edge to take in more than she could – but she was not without her wits. Victoria had spent more than eight years from her primary education, taking classes in sign language and putting it to good use. In her mind, there had been no reason to learn it and not understand the intricacies of it. So, she had found a youth center that relied on volunteers to help with the hearing impaired, and she volunteered there a few days a week. What she had come to learn was that those children had taught her more than she had ever taught them – or maybe they had both taken away something valuable.

“I know you have no reason to work with me.” Victoria started. “But I need answers or maybe I need revenge. I’m not sure where the line started to blur, but I’m going to do this. It would just be easier if you helped me.”

She hoped that simple explanation would capture all the thoughts and words she couldn’t form into a coherent one. Victoria was not trying to impress him, but she wanted to stay close because he was her only chance and if he said no, she didn't know where she could go. And before he went to reply to her, she cut him off and exclaimed. “I know these marshlands, tributaries and stuff like that back of my hand – if you’re hunting him, he’s disappeared deep and you’ll need my help to get back there.”

That wasn’t exactly accurate, but she wasn’t going to admit that now that she had professed her knowledge. Vern had known these waters like the back of his own hands, since he had been fishing, gator hunting and surveying the land for longer than she had been alive. However, Vern had started passing down his knowledge to her in the last few years and she had done well to heed his advice. There were a certain set of rules that living out here and depending on the land required, and Vern made sure she learned, heeded and lived by them at all times.

Folks around these parts looked out for one another, because getting stuck out there without any backup plan was a recipe for disaster. Victoria didn’t know if that would apply to Crusher but a part of her felt compelled to help him after he saved her life.

Yes. He nodded. You heed me. Male danger. Your safety.

Had this male been anyone else, and not an alien lifeform, she would have told him to take his demands and shove them up his ass. However, she had a feeling he was only agreeing if she followed his rules, and she had to be smart about this if she wanted to come along. She could survive out there with the creatures she did know about – but this male was out of her element so this time, she would heed his advice.