Aliens vs Predator Omnibus

by Steve Perry

  People nodded; she could almost feel the fear in the room become less tangible. It was a good thing to remember that most crises just needed some organization and clear thinking to be handled efficiently.

  Hiroki read from a list the first watch team and then suggested another meeting later, at dusk or when the work was finished, whichever came first. As the gathering drew to its close, Noguchi was pleased to see that order and confidence had been restored quickly after Gaunt’s outburst.

  Except—

  Except only a few people had heard what Bobby Sheldon had said. Or seen what the thing in the lab looked like…

  Noguchi shook her head. It didn’t matter. Wishing for other circumstances was pointless.

  She took a deep breath and went outside to do what she could.

  * * *

  Twilight was almost there when it occurred to Noguchi that she hadn’t heard back from Collins.

  Under Hiroki’s capable direction, they had set up an admirable line of defense; the house-sized moving crates had been lined up around the perimeter of the compound quickly; with the willing aid of both the ranchers and the staff, the work had been neatly done.

  A copter crew had made runs to fetch all of the weapons listed by the ranchers; Noguchi had felt her heart sink at the inventory. Twenty-seven scatter guns, ten pistols earmarked for a police force that had never been needed, and six old-fashioned flare guns. There were also a few hunting rifles and handguns. Not much.

  She sat in the ops center hunched over a cup of black coffee that was barely tepid. Her body ached from all of the work; Hiroki had insisted that she take five, and she was only too glad to comply. Hiroki was going to take a team to walk the compound and secure any place they had missed. Around her, four staffers watched screens. Noguchi was exhausted, and there was still too much to do, too many variables to consider—

  Like The Lector.

  Noguchi straightened. The crew outside was just finishing up, and another meeting was coming up within the hour—but had she seen anyone from the ship? That obnoxious Conover—?

  “Weaver, have you seen Collins anywhere?”

  The tall, dark-haired staff woman looked up from her console. “No. I haven’t at least—Downey, have you seen Collins?”

  Sid Downey shrugged. “No one’s seen him since he went to talk to The Lector’s people.”

  Noguchi sighed and stood up reluctantly. “Any progress?”

  Downey shook his head. “The Barkers still don’t answer. And Dr. Revna refuses to be moved to the main building—other than that, everyone is accounted for.”

  Noguchi patted him on the shoulder as she walked toward the door. “Keep up the good work. I’m going to go talk to The Lector folks, see if they’ve kidnapped Collins.”

  She almost collided with Hiroki in the doorway.

  “Where are you going?” Hiroki looked like she felt. Dark smears of dust painted his face, and his eyes looked weary and old.

  “Collins still hasn’t come back from the ship; I’m going to find out what’s going on with them. But first, I’m going to see if I can talk some sense into Dr. Revna.”

  Hiroki frowned. “It’s not safe, Machiko.” His tone was gentle.

  She felt oddly touched by his concern, but she was also tired of not knowing what the hell that ship was up to. “Someone has to go; may as well be me.”

  Hiroki looked at her seriously for a beat and then unhooked his holster strap. He handed the revolver to her, butt first.

  “I see you’ve made up your mind—but take this. It’s a 12.5 mm Smith. It belonged to my grandfather. It is loaded with jacketed bullets, for hunting big game.”

  She stared at the weapon.

  He pushed it into her hands. “If you have to shoot something, make sure it has a thick wall behind it—these bullets will go right through a rhynth. I’ll call the sentries and let them know you’re on your way.”

  Noguchi accepted the weapon gingerly and nodded. She knew how to shoot, of course, it was SOP for offworld execs to take a course. Never knew what you’d run into out on the frontier. For once, the company was right.

  “Fine. Have Weaver set up the sat-link as soon as the suns set, and ask them to cut a deal for Marine support.” She smiled tiredly. “And thanks, Hiroki. Be careful.”

  He smiled in return. “You’re doing a good job, Machiko.”

  She walked into the late-afternoon heat and headed for the med center, her thoughts jumbled with exhaustion. There was still a crew of a dozen or so outside, setting the final walls into place. Amazing, that in the space of one day, they’d gone from peaceful town to armed camp. The gun was heavy in her hands. She paused long enough to strap the holster on and settle it on her hip. Still heavy but comforting. She wanted desperately to believe that their measures were needless, but her gut told her otherwise; tired though she was, there was a chilling certainty in her bones that tonight would be a long one, and come morning, things might be very different…

  * * *

  Miriam watched the stats on the screen with something like awe; she was glad to have something to do besides worry over Kesar, and the alien was distracting, to say the least, now that Bobby was gone.

  Her stomach tightened at the thought of her husband; she had always thought that she would know if he was gone—that deep knowing that two people shared if enough years had passed. But there was nothing; she just missed him; she kept thinking of what he would say about the incredible reads that flashed across the console…

  “Doctor…”

  Revna turned in her chair, heart pounding. “Ms. Noguchi?”

  The attractive Japanese woman smiled gently. “I’m sorry, we haven’t heard anything—”

  The doctor took a deep breath. “Then you’ve come to check on our patient.” She tilted her head toward the prone form on the exam table nearby. “He’s still not awake, but he’s making remarkable progress; his respiration has deepened, and I believe that two of his ribs have begun to heal.”

  The gentle smile never left Noguchi’s face. The obvious sympathy there made Revna want to cry, so she turned back to the screen.

  “I’ll let you know if he regains consciousness,” she said.

  “Doctor, I’d like to move you and our ‘Visitor’ to the main complex; the security is better there, and—”

  “Thank you, no,” said Revna “I prefer to remain here. I have everything I need to look after my patient…” She hoped she sounded collected and normal, but she heard her voice crack slightly on the truth. “Besides, this is where Kesar will come when he returns.”

  She didn’t turn around, but she sensed the Noguchi woman’s hesitation. Before, they could have hoped for an accident, with her husband lying injured, waiting for help. But now? Revna could almost hear her thoughts—that she was fooling herself. Kesar Revna had undoubtedly met the same fate as Bobby’s parents. He had gone right to where the wrecked ship lay.

  Miriam spoke again, her voice firmer this time. “I’m fine, Ms. Noguchi. Really.”

  “Very well, Doctor,” she said. “I’ll check back on you later.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Noguchi. Machiko.”

  When she heard the door close, Revna finally relaxed a bit. A lone tear trickled down her cheek; she wiped at it absently and concentrated on the task at hand. He would be back soon; and if he wasn’t, she would find him somehow…

  * * *

  Mason rolled his head and yawned; he and Riley had run out of things to say about twenty minutes ago. The initial adrenaline of the situation was long gone, and their nervous small talk had disintegrated into a watchful silence. At least it wouldn’t get any hotter today; the suns were headed down. And in another hour or so, he and Riley would be inside drinking beer and shooting the shit; he pitied the next watch; being out here after dark would be a bitch.

  “Hi, Riley. Hi, Mason.” The boss lady walked toward them smoothly, a smile of greeting on her lips. Speak of the devil.

  Riley nodded back and Mason steppe
d forward. He dropped his cigarette on the dusty ground and squashed it with one boot.

  “Ms. Noguchi,” he said politely. “Mr. Shimura said you were coming. I’m to escort you to The Lector.”

  “Let me guess, Mason—Hiroki ordered you to follow me even if I declined your escort?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She nodded and sighed. “Well, come on then.” She stepped ahead of him and headed toward the ship.

  Mason glanced over his shoulder to see Riley grinning at him and shot him the finger; smarmy bastard. He jogged to catch up to Noguchi and walked in front of her. This would be a prime opportunity to tell the management what he had been thinking.

  “You know, I think we’re worrying too much. I mean, look at the size of the complex. You’d need an army to attack, right?” He looked back at Noguchi and stopped at the base of the ramp for her to catch up. She didn’t answer, didn’t even look at him, really. He might as well be talking to a block of plastecrete.

  “I think those XTs are gonna take one look at Prosperity Wells and go back home,” he continued. Fuck her, anyway. He stepped into the open door at the top of the ramp and pointed his scatter gun at nothing in particular; it was dark in there. He took another step inside and then turned his head to call back to the ice queen.

  “Just give me a second to get the lights.” He edged to the left and groped blindly with one hand. Something wet dripped on his hand.

  “Hey,” he said under his breath. Another drop of warm liquid splashed the top of his head. Fucking disgusting! Where was the goddamn light switch anyway?

  He got the impression of sudden movement overhead—and then there was only pain.

  * * *

  Noguchi stood at the top of the ramp and listened to Mason babble mindlessly. Mason was something of a jerk, that was certain. He stepped into the dark and fumbled for the lights, still chattering away. She turned to look at him—

  —just in time to see him lifted straight up into the darkness. There was a strangled, wet cry—

  —and the darkness rushed forward to greet her, a dozen arms and a thousand teeth, all screaming, all hungry.

  16

  Noguchi grabbed for the revolver in slow motion. The single patch of darkness separated into many forms; she fell backward as the dozen or so nightmares came at her.

  What—?

  She fired four times and stumbled down the ramp without looking. The deafening shots echoed from the walls and in her head and two of the things dropped.

  She backed up against the shield wall, revolver extended toward the huge bugs, Jesus, they were half again her size! They came, but slower, their short, twisted limbs reached for her. They hissed and cried out like demented banshees. Double rows of teeth snapped and dripped a clear, slimy mucus.

  Noguchi didn’t take her gaze off them, even as she heard more of the things come down the ramp.

  She was going to die—

  She panted shallowly and backed farther up the incline, revolver heavy in her trembling hands.

  Another of the bugs rushed forward with a scream. She jerked the trigger again and again. The thing howled in fury and pain and fell—

  She fired again, only—the shots were quiet, dull clicks.

  The gun was empty.

  Was there more ammunition on the belt? Did she have time to reload?

  Yes. No.

  The nightmares advanced; she backed up, her last moment of life. Nothing flashed before her eyes save the horror coming for her, no memories, fond or otherwise, came to haunt or comfort her. She was in the moment and in this moment, the leading bug cried out and jumped—

  —and a hollow thump sounded behind her, as if something had imploded. A rush of heat stirred her hair, and the creature closest flew backward in a rain of hissing liquid, its head gone.

  The horde screamed in unison but stayed at the bottom of the wall, their dark limbs clattering on the ground in—anger?

  Noguchi risked a glance behind her.

  The dragon—?

  It was the monster, masked and armored. It held the spear with the broken shaft—except it was whole now, the long pole mended; the heavy dark weapon it held was slightly different—

  It wasn’t the creature from the med lab. It was one of the others, the killers.

  It aimed the weapon at her and fired.

  Noguchi felt a cry escape her throat—

  —and another of the bugs exploded behind her.

  She looked back down at the advancing army and felt a rush of air again behind her.

  The monster warrior leapt over her and landed on the pack of seething black bugs.

  Noguchi could do nothing but stare.

  The dragon fell into battle, its movements so swift she could barely follow them. The savage spear sliced and cut another bug in pieces. Another shot from the strange weapon and dismembered limbs clattered to the ground.

  The blood of the dark spidery bugs hissed and melted into the plastecrete; some kind of acid—?

  She couldn’t tell from the screams which was which. As the warrior spun and hacked two of the bugs at once, a flash of Noguchi’s childhood came to her—

  —Samurai—!

  More of the bugs came down the ramp, scrabbled wildly to get at the warrior.

  Noguchi, still unable to move, looked on at the storm of death and battle.

  * * *

  Gkyaun had been sent in to scout, but the Hunting he had found was too good to walk away from. Here was a sickly, pale ooman—with no defense! He had watched as the cowering ooman’s small burner died, then as the kainde amedha swarm approached the ooman. It did not seem able to defend itself. Where was its spear? Its wrist knives? This terrified creature was the monster of which he had been frightened as a suckling? It was a joke.

  The ooman was thei-de without him; he would save the ugly creature for later.

  First, the Hard Meat—

  Gkyaun’s heart hammered with glory as he caught the ooman’s attention by burning the first drone. The drone exploded.

  The others cringed, drew back, looked upon him with the respect befitting a Blooded warrior. On some deep cellular level, they knew his kind. Knew the danger he presented.

  This dtai’kai’-dte was nothing! He could have won in infancy! Yautja would cry his name this night, victor of drone and ooman alike. He would bring the ooman’s blackened skull to drink from—

  He fired again, and was again rewarded with a shower of acidic thwei. The Hard Meat screamed in loss.

  Gkyaun howled the war cry and jumped. He landed amid the hissing drones and moved among them like the setg’-in, deadly and quick. So easy! He spun and slashed, burned and cut at the same time.

  Two bugs fell with one slice of his spear.

  A drone from behind lost its head; he gutted yet another.

  He was Paya, the conquering warrior! Thwei ran at his feet, the Hard Meat shrank in terror—!

  More came at him, a relentless flow of fury and sound. He pivoted, Hunted, his every movement was an arc of doom and pain.

  * * *

  Noguchi gulped air and pushed herself backward, toward the top of the shield wall. The warrior was a dervish of wild energy and prowess—the nightmare creatures fell all around him.

  But more monsters flooded toward him. And despite the fighter’s speed and strength, he fought poorly; he hadn’t allowed for any outcome other than victory. It was as if he were a karateka who had mastered kata, but had never faced an opponent in actual combat…

  The clamoring dark animals surrounded him, pulled him down. The warrior struggled, but to no avail; one of the giant bugs ripped off his mask with one spidery clawed arm and plunged its razor teeth forward—

  Noguchi scrambled backward and to her feet, atop the wall. She ran back toward the complex and didn’t look back. The cries of hunger and triumph followed her, told her the warrior was no more.

  What were these things? What new disaster had come to visit them?

  17

&
nbsp; The noise came from a million klicks to his right. It was a familiar sound, one he had known for a very long time—back on Earth, from before he knew what it meant.

  He felt his consciousness as it rose upward, swam to the surface of a depthless abyss—the knowing part of him, the tomes of understanding. He fought to keep it from happening, but was helpless to stop it. There was something that he didn’t want to know, was terrified of knowing…

  The sound again. Scott? Scott, are you?

  Scott?

  Scott was him. The blissful nothing dwindled away as the aches in his body stepped in to greet him, coupled with a horrible, consuming hunger.

  “Scott?”

  Scott opened his swollen eyes to blackness and took a deep breath. He almost choked on the cloying, wet air.

  “Scott, are you awake? Can you hear me?”

  He coughed, the minor movement sparking a thousand pains. “Yeah.” He swallowed gummy spittle and turned his head toward the voice. “Tom?”

  “I think I can get my arm free,” the other pilot said.

  Scott couldn’t see him, but his friend was only a few meters away from the sounds of hurried struggle.

  The rest of the nightmare clicked in to place. “Where did they go?” Scott strained to see in the dark room, memories of hissing motion and giant teeth adding sharp panic to his dull and clouded mind. “Tom, did you see them? Where did they all go?”

  “Shh! I’m almost out—” A grunt of exertion and Tom’s welcome face appeared in front of him, grimy, fearful, pale.

  “Hurry! Jesus, where did they go? Get me out of this, hurry, please!”

  “Be quiet!” Tom spoke in a harsh whisper and reached for Scott’s immobilized hands. The ropes of resinous dark material holding him in place snapped and crumbled to the floor.

  Tom glanced over his shoulder every other second, eyes wide.

  As soon as one of his arms was free, Scott tore at the weird matter at his midriff and leg—and tumbled to the floor.

  He had been suspended a half meter in the air.

  Tom slipped an arm around his waist and helped him up, speaking quickly and quietly.