The Nature of Predators - Arxur Miniseries (5/6)

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Memory transcription subject: Kaisal, Arxur Dominion Third Fleet

Date [standardized human time]: September 30, 2136

After consuming what meat the humans could scrounge up, I took on a lookout role. Frank and his crew weren’t inclined to hand me a weapon, and Maya wasn’t exactly my full-throated supporter. The omnivores kept me isolated from the Gojid youths, who weren’t as phased by my presence as I’d expect. I could remember how the first natives I saw panicked, then betrayed their ‘friends.’

Whatever I thought of the humans, these social creatures didn’t abandon each other at the first sign of hardship. Every wounded individual was loaded onto the school bus, and they squandered time gathering personal effects from the deceased. There was some grudging respect to be awarded; at least they weren’t cowards. Being ruled by emotions just happened to be a strategic blunder, in almost all scenarios.

Nimlin, the adventurous Gojid, took a shine to Maya. My companion didn’t tell it to stop playing with her long mane. If anything, she seemed to enjoy being a prey toy; the snarl on her face looked playful rather than hostile. The female watched with bemusement as it twirled her hair, giggling.

“Why don’t you have chin hair, like Frank?” the prey asked.

Maya gently removed its claws. “Because not all humans do.”

Frank laughed from the driver’s seat. “I’d shave…you know, trim off, the chin hair if I could. Haven’t exactly had time to spruce up.”

“Yuck! Then your face will be bald,” Nimlin hissed.

“I like it that way, little man. Trust me, it only adds to my natural physique.”

I glowered out the window. Being around chatterbox prey, that spoke in whiny voices, made me want to gouge my ears out. Maya noted my pouting posture, and her eyebrow arched in a quizzical gesture. Nimlin followed her gaze, and I bared my teeth as threateningly as possible. The Gojid screeched, before bolting over to Frank’s lap.

The male human scowled at me. “Asshole! What the fuck was that for, gray? You do that again, I’ll rip every tooth from your mouth…slowly.”

“Your threats are empty bluster. Why aren’t we moving?” I spat.

“I’m working on it. Nobody here has ever actually driven a vehicle before, so I’m going to have to wing it. The cars on Earth drive themselves.”

“You should have just asked me. I can drive.”

Frank hesitated, lips taut with distrust. He glanced out the windshield, where armored vehicles had materialized on the horizon. The Arxur were gaining ground, while we sat here. If these humans had any logic at all, they’d slot me behind the wheel. That was the only way we were moving, without plunging into a ditch.

“Do it. You deviate from our course, or try anything…I’ll blow your fucking head off,” the soldier snarled.

I waited for him to vacate the seat with the Gojid, before prowling up to the wheel. My claws gripped the pawholds, and it took a second to get my bearings. The engine revved to life, which earned cheers from the prey children. Recalling the direction of the military base, I guided the vehicle onto the road and floored the accelerator.

Fortunately, our path was in the opposite direction of the incoming Arxur. The issue was, I doubted our massive bus was quicker than military vehicles. Dominion troops would catch us before long. We careened down the road, our tires catching every pothole. In the rearview mirror, I could see hostiles closing in on us. It only took a few minutes to speed out of the ghost town, but it felt like we were moving in slow motion.

Frank jammed a gun to my neck. “Go faster!”

“Put that down! What, do you think this is a racecar?” I screeched. “Try shooting the Arxur chasing you, not cooperative, friendly Kaisal.”

The human muttered several curses, and slumped his shoulders in exhaustion. Heaving a flustered sigh, he opened the emergency exit on the back of the bus. The soldier clung to a seat for support, trying to line up his rifle. The constant bumps in the road made that next-to-impossible, but I couldn’t exactly slow down.

A digital banner scrolled overhead, as we screeched past the city limits. The gun icon and the arrow suggested that this exit led to the military base. Centrifugal force almost tipped the bus over, as I jerked us onto a curved ramp leading out of the village. Frank lost his footing, and his rifle cascaded out into the street. The human rolled toward the open exit, catching himself with an extended foot.

“I…thought…you said you could drive!” The soldier gritted his teeth, clawing his way back up the aisle. “What are you doing?”

His squadmates pulled him back inside, as Maya handed him the rifle they’d confiscated from me. Frank accepted the replacement weapon, eyeing the Arxur on our heels. The vehicles were hot on our tail, now visible in stark detail. There were six truckloads chasing after us, which would’ve been more than enough to flush these people out of the school.

I wonder if Frank even recognizes that my advice saved his life. I’m not his enemy. Why does he insist on treating me like one?

The Arxur began firing shots at the bus, which were geared toward taking out the tires. Several bullets collided with the road behind us, and Frank instinctively ducked his head. The male soldier grunted, placing his gun back on his shoulder. He couldn’t aim with the turbulent ride, but he popped off several shots anyways.

I tried to focus on the road, rocketing down the multi-lane turnpike. Abandoned vehicles clogged up the street, so I squeezed the bus onto the shoulder. Our sides brushed with one smaller vehicle, sweeping it away with our greater mass. The Arxur pursuers were happy to follow in our wake, since we were clearing the path.

Frank readied a grenade. “Rot in hell!”

The human bounced it along the pavement, and bared his teeth with visceral excitement. The explosive detonated beneath a truck’s undercarriage, setting off a chain reaction. A fireball swallowed that Arxur vehicle, and its partners swerved out of the way to avoid damage. One of them hooked a bit too far, colliding with an abandoned Gojid vehicle. The hood crumpled inward, leaving the soldiers with a totaled wreck.

“What’s hell, Frank?” Nimlin squealed.

The soldier stiffened. “Uh, it’s, a fiery…”

“It’s a place of punishment for evil people that some humans believe in,” Maya answered flatly.

Frank palmed his head. “Don’t listen to her, or to me. It’s just a story, kiddo.”

I couldn’t believe they were coddling the child, with four armored cars in pursuit. The bottleneck eased up as the military base came within view. Gojid serviceprey had set up a barricade to prevent incoming traffic. Local residents must’ve flooded the area, rushing to the on-site bunker. Restricting entry to foot travel allowed them to control the influx, to some degree.

If we disembarked the vehicle now, we would be gunned down in a heartbeat. My eyes narrowed, and I charged full speed at a concrete barrier. It was half the height of the bus, but I knew this was going to leave a mark. It was my hope that the Gojid transport could withstand the impact.

“Brace yourselves! This is going to be rough,” I shouted.

Frank ducked back into his seat. “What? Slow down, you ignor—”

The bus slammed through the barricade, toppling it via sheer force. My head jerked back from the impact, and a scraping noise resonated through the walls. The barrier failed to redirect our gargantuan lift, which clambered over the downed concrete. I made sure to hold the accelerator in place; the engine roared from the effort.

Frank and his crewmates unleashed a hailstorm of bullets on the approaching Arxur. It seemed to be an attempt to push them back, since the crash slowed us down. The bus struggled onward, limping through the gates to the military facility. Dominion vehicles started to follow, before turning back without warning. My heart sank into my chest.

Maya pumped a fist in the air. “Woohoo! We won!”

“You didn’t win,” I chuckled bitterly. “If they’re pulling back, it’s because they know there’s a bombing campaign planned in the area. This bunker must be in the next set of targets.”

“…I see. Then we better get inside the shelter, pronto. We can’t stay outside.”

My navigation involved following the bright signs, and not crashing into buildings. The bunker, as well as most on-site facilities, were housed hundreds of meters underground. One freight elevator was the only way down, which meant there was no sneaking into the complex. It would unload somewhere the Gojids had full control; they’d have to willingly open the containment doors to the humans.

I flared my nostrils. “You’re all stupid. The bunkers won’t withstand a hundred bombs in the same spot. Also, the second those doors open, the Gojids are going to kill you.”

Frank lumbered toward the exit. “Then I’ll go. We have to get the kids somewhere safer. If anything happens to me, the rest of you can figure out a Plan B.”

“How will we know if anything happens to you?” Maya questioned.

“Camera on my helmet; Dana can access the feed on her holopad. Hope the signal holds up that deep. For what it’s worth, it was an honor serving with you all. Come along, kiddos…Uncle Frankie’s gonna take you to safety.”

The soldier herded the Gojids out of the bus, watching as they bounced down the stairs. He studied his firearm for a long moment, before discarding it on the ground. This man was insane, to approach the prey without a gun; they were going to murder him in a heartbeat. I didn’t understand why none of his packmates attempted to dissuade him.

The one called Dana connected her holopad to the bus’ projector. Frank’s camera was angled at the Gojids, as the elevator rapidly flicked through dozens of levels. It hurtled toward the bottom, and the soldier’s ragged breathing was audible on stream. It was obvious the omnivore expected to die; that frightened him more than he let on.

The resolution dipped on the video, as the lift neared its destination. The human dropped to his knees, and placed his arms behind his head. The Gojids wouldn’t accept a predator’s surrender; it was absurd to even try. A light chime sounded, and the doors parted in a decontamination room.

The prey aren’t going to let Frank go anywhere. They have to open the bunker doors from the inside.

“Hey, I come in peace! Please help the children,” the soldier croaked. “I’ve lost so many people trying to protect them. We risked everything to save them from the school. Whatever you do to me…don’t let my friends’ sacrifices be in vain.”

The video feed lurched upward, as Frank tilted his head. The human gazed at a blinking red light, which must be a Gojid security system. Choking sounds carried over the feed, and I hoped the predator was sobbing to manipulate the Gojid prey. It was despicable for a military man to show such weakness, either way.

“I’m so tired. I want to go home, but I know I’m never going to see Earth again,” Frank sputtered. “Kill me now, if that’s what it takes to save the kids. I just want them to live.”

There was another long silence, with no response from the bunker. The human cast another pleading gaze at the surveillance camera. Several Gojid children began wailing, as the soldier grew more distraught. The coddling male was on the verge of a breakdown; his tone sounded so desperate. He was resigned to his fate, but speaking to an immovable audience.

To my amazement, the hermetic doors grinded open. Several Gojids crept up to the entryway, with guns in their grip. They shouted at the kids, who Frank ordered to go inside the bunker. Nimlin was the last to skitter away from the predator, shooting multiple glances back. Dozens of barrels were focused on the surrendering human, who was about to die in cold blood.

A shaky voice piped up from the shelter. “Why do you want them to live?”

Frank twitched in surprise. “Because they’re just kids. They’re innocent, and they’ve never hurt anyone in their lives.”

“You don’t care about that. You’re a predator. A bloodthirsty, sadistic monster.”

“We’re people, who never got a chance because of the Arxur. I’m here to protect Earth. I know we’ve done some bad things to each other, but we never looked to the stars with anything but hope. All we want is to be your friends…”

His binocular eyes had the Gojids’ spines bristling; I was amazed they’d refrained from shooting him. Perhaps safety in numbers was enough to outweigh their animal side, for a brief moment. The children were checked for bitemarks by the elders, who seemed shocked at their unharmed state. Murmurs passed through the group, as they studied the cowering tree-dweller.

“NO! Frankie, I don’t want you to sleep forever!” Nimlin screamed.

The human sniffled. “It’s okay. Be strong, little man. Uncle Frank’s glad he met you.”

The spiky animals watched the dialogue with bewilderment; they barely stopped Nimlin from running to the omnivore. Frank shook his head, imploring the child to stay put. I didn’t understand human behavior at all, unless it was deception that fooled me too.

“You brought t-the children here, and I cannot fathom how that is evil. We h-have heard you’re fighting the Arxur. We will spare your life,” a Gojid voice decided.

Frank heaved a forceful sigh. “Thank you. I know I have some audacity to ask, but the remnants of my unit are topside. Our intelligence suggests the Arxur are about to bomb this location, so I was wondering if we could seek shelter with you. At least for now.”

Anxious murmurs rippled across the Gojid group, and they inspected the predator anew. I could see fear in their side-facing eyes; nobody wanted the human in the same shelter as them. Despite that, there was another emotion in the animals’ eyes. It looked something like pity, or concern.

The Gojids don’t want this man, who they just met, to die. Why did those herbivores try to kill us, but then can view these creatures as people?

“How many of you are there?” The prey voice that responded was wrought with trepidation. “You’re really not going to eat us, if you’re cooped up here for days?”

“There’s 4 of us moving of our own volition, plus 6 wounded. Our injured are in poor shape, and our medic is dead,” the human answered. “We won’t bother you, but it’s a death sentence, to be aboveground now. I assure you, the thought of eating a Gojid makes me want to puke. There’s nothing more despicable.”

A pang stabbed at my chest, as I realized Frank’s headcount made no mention of me. He never intended for me to accompany them. More than likely, my refusal would’ve been automatic; the last thing I wanted was to be holed up with Gojids, and to fight temptation for days. But the human was pretending I was never part of the group…surely Maya would say something.

“We’re going to keep you quarantined, and set up a partition. Constant watches,” came the Gojids’ verdict. “If you come near the main populace, we’ll have to exterminate you. We don’t want you in our space.”

Frank slowly lowered his hands. “I understand. We won’t cause a problem, and we’ll mind our own business. Your house, your rules.”

“Very well. Send the other predators down. No weapons.”

The human soldiers had already re-summoned the elevator, and were hauling the wounded over to the car. It was insanity to lodge with prey; this bunker was going to get buried under waves of antimatter, like all the others. Maya struggled to her feet, flagging me down with a wave. She wrapped an arm around my neck, and for some reason, I helped her to the lift.

The omnivores placed their weapons into a bag, not leaving any where I could attain them. The duffel of guns was tucked in the elevator’s corner. Maya slumped onto the floor, offering a nod of gratitude. I studied her fleshy form with curious eyes; an unfamiliar twinge flared in my chest.

The female human bared her teeth. “Frank is right, Kaisal. We can’t bring you around Gojids. Besides, hauling an Arxur down there…they’d change their minds in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah, of course. I don’t want to coddle prey,” I huffed.

“I’m letting you go. You’ll find your own way off this rock. After that, you should defect to Earth.”

“Right. Sure.”

Maya tugged the folded-up map out of her bag, passing it to me. The other humans implored her to speed up this good-bye. I couldn’t help but feel cheated, as our bargain concluded with her setting me loose. Going back to my people was the last thing I wanted. Weren’t these pack predators the type who didn’t leave anyone behind?

“A little something to remember me by; to find your way,” she said. “Perhaps one day, you’ll live by more than your stomach, Kaisal.”

The elevator doors sealed shut, and obscured the humans from view. My gaze turned to the map in my grasp. A furious roar poured from my throat, echoing off the buildings around me. I shoved the paper into my maw, tearing it apart with frantic bites. The shreds floated to the ground, and I began stabbing them with my claws.

The fury dissipated once exhaustion kicked in, and I staggered back to the bus. My grip locked around the accelerator; for my survival, it was time to vacate the area. A plan hatched in my mind, one which put any hopes of a human escape to rest. I would rendezvous with the Arxur that abandoned our pursuit, and use my intel on the new predators to prove my usefulness.

There was no escape from my life; I was doomed as soon as I was born an Arxur. There was only finding a better way to play the game, and living to starve another day.

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A/N - The penultimate chapter of the miniseries! The humans are able to reach the base, despite Arxur pursuit, and to talk their way into the bunker. However, Kaisal was not included in the invitation...

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! Stay tuned for the epilogue; we'll learn our narrator's fate.