The Nature of Predators - The New Arxur (6/10)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Raza, Arxur Collective Operative

Date [standardized human time]: August 19, 2154

The endless walking across the countryside was taking its toll on me, though having the destination in sight helped me to press on; the Kizniftor Mountains were visible on the horizon, dark triangles jutting up into the skyline. How did the Sefturna Sniper travel such long distances between provinces without growing weary? Death’s Pass represented a half-day of climbing at its quickest, which was part of the reason why it was so deadly. Exhaustion gnawed at every fiber of one’s body after the first hour, and it might kick in at a spot where there was no safe place to rest. The trek took precise steps and phenomenal grip strength, which must be another of the sniper’s supernatural talents. The more I considered the impossible nature of successfully crossing it a hundred times, the more certain it seemed that our mark had aid or a secret path to make it doable.

There would be no chasing the Sefturna Sniper if they retreated up that deadly pass, so we had to ensure they wouldn’t detect an ambush; the slightest scent might give us away. Hossat’s masking oils might wear off by then, which meant I should think of ways to ditch him as soon as we got across Rissana Canyon. With the sun throwing a few embers onto the horizon, we didn’t have much time before the white, rocky ground beneath our feet became both scalding and painfully reflective. I liked bright settings, but not to the point of having the glare of a star bounced into my sensitive pupils. Using my binoculars, I’d scoped out all three bridges that cleared the chasm; Ilthiss’ soldiers had them all locked down on both sides. My best idea was to go in guns blazing, and make a run for the truck on the side of the central, hourglass-shaped connector. 

“What’s your fantastic plan, Raza?” Hossat seemed to have his own periscope, designed for his lousy side-facing vision. “Use more grenades as a supposed distraction? You don’t seem like the original type.”

I growled at the Nevok. “There’s no way around it. The central of the three is the least-guarded, so we need to try to shoot our way across. Maybe we lure and ambush a lone soldier, try to use them as a shield…”

The prey animal had the gall to burst out laughing. “That’s a terrible idea! There’s a dozen men on each side of the bridge, and you think one meat shield is going to cut it? This is…did Isif train his operatives at all?”

“That’s enough of your disrespect! I am the leader of this team, and my decisions are final. The odds are against us, but there is no choice. The only other way around the canyon is to climb down, then scale the other fucking side; we don’t have time for that. Are you scared, Hossat?”

“Scared of your incompetence? Most definitely.”

“I’ll rip you to pieces myself! Try me one more time, you fucking asshole.”

Zefriss narrowed his eyes, before gesturing toward Hossat. “I’d like to hear his plan. He had the right idea back at Tless. Getting gunned down in a hopeless fight isn’t a plan; it’s suicide. There’s no version of Raza’s idea where we all make it out alive—we’d be lucky if any of us survived.”

“Traitor! Hossat doesn’t know shit about our planet! And his plans: he got caught at his old job, didn’t he? That’s his record! You’ve done just fine for yourself under me. Who taught you survival skills, when we got stuck in Bristh Forest for a week? Who got through Cruelty’s Maw four times—no thanks to you questioning my every whim? Whose plan got the intel that found the Sefturna Sniper to even be here right now?”

Hysran shifted with discomfort. “Raza…you agreed this plan is a longshot. I know you don’t want to lose any operatives unnecessarily. What’s the harm in hearing whether Hossat has an alternative, and comparing it to our dismal prospects?”

“This…this is a mutiny. And for him. That awful Nevok! Really, Hysran?”

“I don’t like Hossat, but if he helps us make it through, then that’s not very relevant.”

“Relevant. What’s relevant, that I said and nobody fucking addressed, is that Hossat’s incompetence is proven! Sniveling preyfolk caught his murders, and if that doesn’t prove he’s sloppy…”

“Hrrr. I would like to hear what happened there, so I can know what his blindspots are before I listen to what he says,” Zefriss commented. “Why did your last ‘great plan’ unravel, Hossat?”

“I was sold out by someone I worked with—they were paid an executive’s ransom for the info of where and when I’d strike. That’s why I should work alone,” the Nevok snapped. “People aren’t worth the risks they pose. Why bother to be charming when that consideration overlooked one key variable? They’ll stab you as soon as it’s in their own self-interest.”

Hysran thrashed her head with excitement. “Why did the Nevok banker charge himself a high loan rate? For self-interest!”

“Hossat is awful, like Raza said, but your jokes are worse than anything he’s done. Shame on you,” Zefriss hissed.

“Is nobody going to even acknowledge what I just said?” Hossat’s voice was as low and charged as I’d ever heard from a prey animal. “I answered your stupid question.”

“Oh, I heard the answer, and I’m not that interested in hearing any elaboration.”

The Nevok looked disgruntled for a moment, before returning to his suave expression. “Right. Good, I mean. I don’t want to answer any more dumb questions, so don’t bring it up again.”

“Your plan?” Hysran prompted. 

I sneered in contempt. “Are you stalling to think of one?”

“Of course not!” Hossat snarled. “Since it’s dawn, which is basically the equivalent of changing to night on Ittel, I imagine there’ll be a shift change soon. Even the perfect bloodlines of Betterment have to sleep. In that brief window, while there’s a shuffle and they’re not paying attention, we should be able to make a break for it.”

“‘Should?’ So what happens if they see us?”

“Hopefully, they don’t question it. We say that we were authorized to cross, perhaps something about an initiative to bring back sapient cattle when they see me. But that’ll break down when they radio to the other side to confirm. We pick them off at that point, and pray the silencers keep us silent enough.”

Zefriss’ eyes were skeptical. “Won’t they pursue us, as soon as they notice guards’ bodies on the other side?”

“I suppose so, but I’ll hotwire that vehicle and get us out. If possible, we’ll dump the bodies into the canyon so they’ll only be…missing from their post, not lying dead out in plain sight.”

“Hsss. At least this has more depth than Raza’s plan, which isn’t saying much.”

“Yeah! It’s like saying it has more depth than your personality, Zefriss,” Hysran cackled.

“My personality is fine and normal. You know what doesn’t have depth? Your jokes.”

“You know what does have depth? Your gut! How is your cholesterol looking?”

“Well, it’s higher than your comedy hopes, but that’s not saying much.”

“Enough!” I glowered at my two treacherous squadmates; neither of them had asked whether I approved Hossat’s plan. Did they think this was a democracy? “If I’m still giving any orders around here, why don’t we wait for that shift change in silence?”

“Seconded,” Hossat sighed. “We’ll only have a fractional window. We can’t afford to be distracted by your inane chatter.”

The cliffside was barren of vegetation for the most part, so we huddled behind a lone, shriveled shrub.  It burned me that the Nevok’s plan had some semblance of logic to it, at least giving us a fighting chance. That was supposed to be my role, studying the battlefield and using the strategic mind I’d learned from tliskis. Hossat had discerned the enemy’s weakness without any issues and devised a course of action. Maybe this was why Chief Hunter Isif had assigned him here: to replace me. After all, my own squadmates, who I’d known and worked with for a decade…they were deferring to him over me, after a single evening traveling together! If my supposed friends wanted a sociopath in charge, who didn’t care for their lives and was the equivalent of old-school Betterment, then they could have their wish. This entire mission had been insult after insult.

I’ll never command the proper respect because I’m a defective; I’m lesser than a malevolent prey animal! Let’s hope this shift change comes soon, before the silence allows my thoughts of clawing Hossat to death to grow.

With the sun’s rays stretching further across the landscape, and bathing the white rock in a serene pink, Ilthiss’ personnel did begin to filter off toward their camp on the other side of the canyon. Their replacements would be coming from that direction soon, which meant we shouldn’t dawdle. While Betterment’s men got to snooze at the end of the evening, there was no slumber for us; operatives had to stay awake for long stretches. I was used to the feeling of mental exhaustion, since I always volunteered to keep vigil while Hysran and Zefriss rested. Staying awake had been so brutal at times, but that was another thing I did for them, without complaint, that had gone unappreciated. My eyelids felt heavy even now, though we still had a ways ahead of us. When we rested after the mission was complete, Hossat or Zefriss could keep watch. I was done.

Adrenaline should keep my blood pumping now, as we scurried over to the vacant bridge. Our team couldn’t advance too quickly, since Ilthiss’ guards were slinking off in lazy fashion. One errant footstep or pebble kicked ahead of us could make their heads snap around, and then, we’d be busted. I wished the hostile sentries weren’t taking their sweet time in departing, as we crouched by the truss that suspended the strangely-shaped bridge. The Arxur did clear the path across for a brief moment, though that was where Hossat’s plan broke down; the vehicle he intended to hotwire was the one they hopped in, and sped off with. Of course, it was there to facilitate a return to their camp. Why would they walk? Our team made our way across, pausing then to search for a way out. There was no ride to speed off in, only more exposed, stony ground.

“Well, that’s just great! There’s no exit strategy now,” I growled.

Hossat ducked behind this side’s truss, as he heard the rumble of an engine. “Of course there is. They’re bringing another ride now. Adaptation is a necessity for any plan; what did you do when things changed last time you were in the field, Raza? Give up?”

“I would never! We can make a run for it, try to put some distance between us.”

“They will see us, and they have a truck,” Zefriss snapped. “Raza, you have been impulsive and exceptionally short-sighted since Hossat arrived. Try thinking without this pride and need to…upstage prey. What you’ve shown us hasn’t been flattering. Isif might’ve been right, when he doubted that you’re worthy to lead this mission.”

“How dare you? I’m not the one that was rude to this entire team, and lied to Isif from the first time we met him. Hossat is unworthy of even…being on our planet.”

“This isn’t the time!” Hysran shouted. “Where do we hide? Or are we shooting them? We could try to set an explosive charge under the truck, where the other one was parked…”

The Nevok pinned his ears back. “Assuming all of the dozens inside the vehicle were taken out of action, an explosion and a failure for any to check-in at their posts would result in Ilthiss’ camp sending five times their number to handle the mess. Plus, then we’d have no truck to escape.”

“So what do we do? We can’t hide here either, since they’ll see us crouching behind a fucking truss as they drive on in; they’re looking right at us,” I growled.

“That’s what the cliffs are for.”

Hossat shimmied down the canyon’s side in a flash, moving down tiny, precarious ledges with ease; I shuddered as I saw bits of loose dirt flake off into the abyss. It was a long way to fall, but the Nevok didn’t seem the least bit daunted. As an Arxur, with much bigger legs and poor balance, I wouldn’t dare to follow. We needed to stall, perhaps by hiding in plain sight once more. The prey creature was the most problematic one to be spotted, since passing off his presence as normal was impossible on any part of this world. Would these guards buy that we were fleeing Tless, just as ordinary Sefturna citizens? With all of the weapons we were carrying, that seemed unlikely; nevertheless, I didn’t dare to throw them down the cliffside. Instead, I ripped off Zefriss’ tote belt, and stuffed his accessory into the rations bag. 

Our handguns did fit in there with ease, which meant we had to hope Betterment didn’t look inside. I slung the tote onto my back, trying to project confidence. Hysran shared a glance with me, before stuffing her charges inside the bag as well. For all of the Nevok’s bluster about being included in our plans, he’d only saved himself when shit went south; we couldn’t climb and he damn well knew it. My final allocation was to wrap Zefriss’ extra-toed paw in gauze, since it might make sense for a burn victim to have wrapped his own wound. It was the best I could do to hide his deformity. The vehicle crested into view, and the soldiers hopped out of the truck with guns pointed at us. I tried to present the strong, impassive front that Betterment mandated, not daring to flinch. Maybe I should’ve gone with Hysran’s plan of setting charges where the transport would be. 

A duo forced us to kneel, while the other soldiers trudged on to their posts; the ones stationed on this side fanned out, keeping an eye on us. I trained my gaze straight ahead, and pretended not to notice the Arxur guard who’d strayed the farthest from our location. A paw reached up from the cliffside like a lightning strike, both pulling and stabbing at his ankle; the hostile tumbled down the canyon while screaming his head off. That diverted the sentries’ attention from us, as their maws twisted in that direction with suspicion. The two crowding us returned their gazes to us, after seeing nothing.

“Who are you? What was that?” came the raspy question.

I gestured to myself. “We are from the village of Tless, which burned down; its flames could push further. I despise that we had to approach together, but there’s one vehicle to use to travel away from the area—and it’s not advantageous to fight over it. Sefturna needs its citizens to stay alive, or those Collective weaklings will overrun us.”

“Why did I hear a scream? Did you see what happened?”

“I don’t pay much attention to other Arxur. It’s a true hunter’s duty to look out for oneself and no others. I imagine it was another burn victim from Tless, because there were many. This is said to be painful.”

The guard pointed at Zefriss. “His paw is burned?”

“It will heal. I will not be an infirm burden,” the male Arxur hissed in response. “Any challenge to my strength will be met with a refutation in the form of your takedown.”

“As if you could take me down.”

“I could and I will, if you won’t back away from a fight. I can take both of you at once—and then, I’ll take your vehicle and leave this overcrowded, bright, wretched place.”

What is Zefriss doing? That would be a way to get them to hand us the vehicle, since honor will demand they answer a challenge; he’s talking to them like weaklings. He’ll have to fight without that paw, and two-on-one—I should’ve volunteered, as the tliskis expert.

The guard snickered, gesturing to the other Arxur who was openly snarling. “Both of us? Fighting words, and stupid ones when I’m the warrior; and you’re the coward living in a toasty village.”

“You’re a real warrior, guarding a bridge from your own villagers. You must be Ilthiss’ champion,” Zefriss taunted.

“Get up! I’ll give you a permanent debility that leaves no doubt whether you need to be executed.”

“So I can strike you now? As you wish.”

Zefriss jumped upright, as the two guards threw their rifles to the ground; their eyes glowed with wicked delight, eager to teach this upstart a terminal lesson. The snarky Arxur waved his unbandaged paw, a gesture inviting his opponents to come closer. He’d backed his hindlegs to the canyon’s edge, which made me nervous that he might not know how close he was to falling. I eyed the rifles on the ground, and weighed whether to intervene. This wasn’t a winnable fight for Zefriss, yet he still beckoned to the two he was dueling—and laughed at their cowardice. The guards both charged with infuriated roars, and swung at him with reckless abandon. The male Arxur was nimble on his feet, ducking and diving out of the way. 

I watched in amazement as the hostile duo failed to skid to a halt, finally noticing the massive dropoff. The wrathful swings had their body momentum hurtling forward, and gave them no opportunity to balance on the edge. The first one lurched over headlong, while the other teetered for a moment; he tried to dig into the smooth stone with his tail, but there was little foothold. Zefriss stepped in to give the guard a shove from behind, and I heard the caterwauling wails as the second of the bunch plummeted. Hossat pounced on the cover of that sound, and reached up to pull another wandering guard over the edge. One-third of the bunch were gone…but the remainder were angry about Zefriss’ “weakling” tactics. I dove for a dropped rifle, and Hysran followed my lead. 

An unarmed Zefriss wrestled a gun away from the nearest guard before she reacted; the disarmed hostile shouted to her straying comrades in a panicked voice, as my male squadmate spun the barrel around and pumped lead into her chest. I opened fire on the other trio in close proximity, gunning them down in a heartbeat. A far-out guard whipped around to study the commotion. I noticed a cloaked Hossat pop back up from where he’d dangled by the cliff’s edge. The Nevok crept up behind the distracted foe and slit that enemy’s throat with the dagger he’d been using to stab ankles. The downed Arxur couldn’t make a sound that’d give the prey assassin away, while he gurgled from the red blood that seeped out in waves. 

“Only four left on this side, but they’re about to get backup!” I shouted, right before Zefriss blasted an Arxur’s head clean off. “Make that three.”

One enemy soldier had gotten his rifle upright, and had it angled toward Hysran’s center of mass. By the time I voiced that split-second concern, I knew it would be too late; my own weapon wasn’t facing the right direction, and I felt like I was turning in slow motion. The lethal Arxur’s paw began to curl down on the trigger, as an oblivious Hysran took out a different grunt who had zero accuracy with their shots. Two left, but all it took was one good shooter to kill my best friend. My heart seized at the thought of losing the brightest personality on our team; I didn’t have the first aid necessary to handle it, if such a serious injury was meted out! Without explanation, the hostile’s barrel lurched downward, and he toppled over. It was then I could see the knife planted into the back of his skull, cleaving through his brain. Hossat retrieved the bloodied instrument, giddiness in his eyes.

The Nevok bastard is having fun with this! Sick fuck, but at least he saved Hysran’s life. The one good thing he ever did.

I gunned down the final enemy on this side, and caught a glimpse of the other dozen rushing back across the bridge. “Everyone good? More enemies inbound. Hossat, can you hotwire the truck?”

“Sure.” The Nevok stooped over the body he’d stabbed in the back of the skull, and unclipped keys from their holster. He deposited them in my paw with a smug expression. “Done.” 

“What do we do about them?” Hysran demanded.

“Get the charges out of the bag!” I decided swiftly. “Line a few up here, and blow up the supports. It can collapse while they’re running across.”

Zefriss moved in to help without being asked, grabbing one with each paw; the bandages made that a bit unwieldy, but he managed. Hysran copied his lead, hastily spacing her two charges out. The snarky male slapped his down as well, and both primed their devices. I watched as they scampered backward, keeping low to avoid the hail of bullets from the enemy squad hurrying across the bridge. While the three of us sprawled out flat on the stone and covered our heads, I noticed Hossat watching with anticipation—like this was the best scene of his favorite movie. The Nevok was hanging back, seeming to have some weapon held under his cloak…just in case any made it over. That concern proved unnecessary, as the series of explosives ripped across our side. 

Chunks of stone that connected the bridge to this side of the canyon were punched away; the blast left it stapled solely on the other side. More pieces crumbled and slanted downward in a chain reaction, which sent several soldiers sliding to their demise. Gravity’s tug was unraveling the entire structure, with the trusses collapsing. The few hostiles that managed to hold on scrabbled desperately, while the angle grew steeper—until it was a small island dangling vertically from the other side. Hossat’s eyes watched the final enemy that hadn’t been sucked downward, whose claws were digging into a crack. She held on for painstaking minutes, until her grip strength waned and her claws slipped. The Nevok seemed to be committing that moment to memory, before he marched over the vehicle.

“That was spectacular, but what happened to what I said about explosives? That it would lure in five times that number?” Hossat grumbled, hopping into the passenger seat.

I shot him a triumphant look. “I dealt with the immediate problem, as the leader of this team is supposed to. People coming after us were the least of our worries. We just have to get through the camps by Death’s Pass before whoever they send looking for us.”

“One more stop to go!” Hysran declared. “Then, we catch the sniper in their tracks.”

“That’s right. It’ll only be a short nap, but why don’t you guys get some rest on the ride to camp?” This is still my team, who I care about. I’ll watch out for them, because I’m not Hossat. I don’t just serve my own self-interest. “I want you rested and at your best before we face such a legendary killer. We only get one chance at this.”

Zefriss leaned his head against the window, as I began speeding away from the canyon. “Let’s worry about getting to Death’s Pass first. It’s bad luck to count our cattle before the raid; especially while Raza is driving.”

“You have a point, but maybe don’t use that idiom,” Hysran cackled. 

“What do you mean, he has a point?” I hissed with irritation. “Get some rest, before I rescind my kindness and let one of you two drive.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The commandeered truck hurried onward toward the mountains, which weren’t the distant shadows they used to be. We had one more encampment to get to before reaching the sniper, and there was hope that this mission would see completion. Whatever Zefriss had said earlier, I was determined to prove to Isif that I was more than worthy to lead his team; we’d been his best operatives for a reason. I wanted us to pull this off, for both the Collective’s sake and my own. 

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A/N - Not going to make a super long note since I’m on writing break right now, but hope you enjoyed seeing Hossat go full Metal Gear Solid and learning how he got caught. What do you think of his skillset? Will Raza get over her bruised ego after they looked to him for a plan?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!