Predator: Huntress - Alpha

Chapter 19

Rakkah was walking down a palace hall when the alert sounded on his gauntlet. Pausing Rakkah lifted his gauntlet and read the red yautja lettering on the screen. He could feel Iko's silent interest next to him but he knew his second would never ask.

Rakkah looked to Iko. "Where is Justice?"

Iko's red eyes glimmered before he tilted his upright spear to his right. "She trains the children to the south of the palace, near the empty domiciles."

The unspoken question hung in the air around Iko as Rakkah turned on his heel.

"He is back."

#

With her arms crossed, Justice watched as all three little girls held their ready stance.

Walking to their left, Justice circled the tiny line of girls and smiled as Okaj's bright smiling eyes followed her. Silently, Justice pointed two fingers at her own eyes in silent demonstration and pointed them forward. With an excited nod Okaj quickly looked back forward.

"Chamber," Justice called out, watching as all three girls bent their arms at their side and lifted their upward facing fists just above their waist as she taught them.

A familiar little laugh pulled at Justice's attention and she cast a peeking glance to her right where Ahzma and Ember played with Larsa on a blanket off to the side of the black metal pathway they trained on. Held under her armpits, Larsa bounced in Ahzma's grasp up and down using her chubby legs with the help of Ahzma's grip.

Justice held back the longing to go over there and kiss Larsa's fat cheek and focused back on the girls. "Good. Now walking stance."

Stopping back in front of them Justice eyed each girl's feet as they moved it against the black metal pathway that ran between the pyramid houses and back up to the palace in the distance. Never taking their feet off the ground they slid their left foot forward while keeping their upside-down fists locked to their hips.

"Good, now--"

"Jarak!" Okaj brightened, breaking her stance to look beyond Justice. "You're back!"

Justice could feel her lungs seize as she remained frozen in place. If not Ember's shocked gasp and Ahzma's wide eyes in her peripheral validating Okaj's words it was the prickling of awareness that shot through her spine.

Seven days. It had been seven days now since he left her. Pulling the anti-matter rifle from her back Justice felt the thick flow of anger fueled adrenaline flow from her heart spidering down each one of her veins.

"Girls, go to your mother," she commanded and watched as their eyes widened as they looked back and forth from her and to the figure behind her.

Cocking her gun, Justice turned around. "I hope you're ready to get shot your big fucking bast--"

Her throat tightened cutting off her words as she took in the sight of him. Standing a few yards away from her, Jarak stood tall carrying something large on his shoulder. Silent and unmoving he stood there in quiet arrogance staring back at her, his eyes glowing with a brilliant brazenness that made her stomach quiver. As angry as she was there was no other being like him in the known galaxies, no other she would ever want the way she wanted him.

And as the shadowy grip of doubt and fear finally ebbed away from her heart, she looked at the heavy object resting on his shoulder--a large shining black box.

A shudder went through her chest as if she had been shot. Her rifle hung limply at her side as she watched Jarak take a step towards her and heave the heavy black box off his shoulder grasping it with both hands and gently setting it on the ground.

All around them hunters appeared from thin air, deactivating their camouflage as they gathered around them in a curious circle. The shapes of Rakkah and Iko shimmered to life next to the women and children and stared with open interest at her and the box.

"How..." her words were lost on her tongue by the storm of emotions tightening her chest and throat.

Stepping closer to the other side of the box Jarak lifted a clawed hand, his thick black claws catching the sun's light as he gestured to the box between them.

"I will have you whole," his thundering voice sounded like music to her ears. "You need to be complete; I will give that to you. You will have your suit," he said indicating to the box, "and we will bring back your sisters now. Let your enemies come," he challenged, pulling in his thick fingers into a massive fist. "Together we will decorate our home with their bones," he vowed.

Justice wanted to smirk, to laugh, or even say something flip like "you have such a way with words, you big hulking poet," but she did none of that. Tears stung at the back of her eyes, and by sheer force of will she quelled their threat to fall. He really meant it; she could see it in his beautiful aurora eyes that he meant every word. Looking back at her case she let the euphoria of its presence settle over her and what exactly it meant that it was here right now.

Out of the corners of her eyes she could see the gathering crowd of yautja surrounding them shift as they stared at the box in a whole new light.

"How many of them did you have to kill?" she asked, her smile growing inch by inch as her mind accepted the box's nearness and its meaning. He was right, she did feel close to being whole now, like one of the last pieces of her soul finally returning home.

"Enough to get what I wanted," he replied evenly. "Now, give me what I want," he demanded, taking another step forward.

Ignoring the stares of their audience she gave Jarak a sinful little smile that made his chest visibly swell at the sight. "And what exactly would that be, Jarak?" she asked saying his name slowly. "Would that be me?" she taunted pointing a finger to her breasts and sliding it down and past her navel with obvious intent. "Or would that be this fight you wanted from the moment you found me?"

With a predatory shake of his head that made his red-tipped spines whip around his shoulders, Jarak gave her a challenging roar.

With a grin, Justice stepped back putting distance between them. Behind her, the ring of observing yautja moved increasing the circumference of the circle. Flicking her wrist at her sides, she activated her ring and began to type out the commands on the upside down holographic keyboard all the while letting the heady feeling of excitement and growing confidence take over her.

"I will happily give you one, but you must earn the other."

The large box now sitting in the middle of the large circle of yautja and between her and Jarak hummed to life. A solid white line cleaved itself down the middle of the box.

Everyone's attention focused on the box as pressurized air spilled from the vertical seam of white light. Like doors the box opened out on either side spilling more of the thick clouded air inside.

"Access code," requested the female computer voice.

Closing her yes Justice inhaled. "Captain Justice Dominicus Alpha," she said in a loud clear voice.

The edges of the box glowed blue in recognition and the neatly packed metal parts of the box began to extend out on metal arms.

"Status: Operational. Stand by," the computerized voice called out. "Final access code required."

"Are you going to be a robot now?!" Okaj called out. With eyes round with excitement all three girls were practically jumping in place with suspense.

Laughing Justice felt her own excitement grow as well. Looking back to Jarak she gave him a wink before calling out the final code.

"Huntress Paladin."

A/N:

Don't hate me, but I will be late on the upcoming chapters. I'm sorry guys I truly am. We had a death on my husband's side due to COVID and also, my work is tripping hardcore right now. Everything is just compounding on top of my head and I can't seem to see the light at the end of this tunnel of pure shit. So let me trudge along through this whack shit called adulting and I will get back to ya soon. Hopefully I will just be able to finish it all up and post all the chapters in one drop. So do me a favor and just pat my head and tell me you love me as I stare up at you with watery, glistening eyes and a pouty lip. I need internet validation as my healing balm.