Another Kind: A Predator/Mimic Fanfiction Crossover Novel

P’taal backs out of the main corridor, and into a connecting hallway leading to the transport hangar. Dr. Boyd is only a few steps ahead of him; trailing behind N-Vorl, Mau-Nis, and Glotis—who are each sprinting at a very fast pace.

“Here,” Teresa says excitedly. “We’ll plant the last device here.”

She and P’taal kneel on the floor. They secure the last explosive as quickly and efficiently as possible. Teresa sets the timer and glances up at P’taal with a grim smile.

“All set,” Teresa whispers. “Let’s go.”

P’taal climbs to his feet, sparing only a brief glance over one shoulder. His long dreadlike braids whip to and fro as his head pivots. P’taal is just turning around when two sharp forelegs pierce his back, just above each shoulder blade. Green blood splatters as the Judas’ large forelegs exit the front of P’taal’s shoulders. The fierce yautja is yanked off of his feet and drawn backward.

Teresa hears the sickeningly wet impact of the Judas’ assault. She quickly spins around; her rifle training on where she assumes the sound came from. She fears what she will see. She does not expect to see P’taal dangling in the air—suspended by two enormous forelegs. The Judas queen’s crest becomes partially visible, as splashes of P’taal’s blood land on her reddish-brown carapace.

Putting all pretense aside, the queen halts the vibration of her wings—in order to become completely visible. P’taal dangles literally about a couple of feet from the enormous insect’s gnashing mandibles. The queen pays no heed to Dr. Boyd as she toys when her presumed meal.

The Judas queen’s mandibles open wide, and her mouthparts rub together in anticipation. With a triumphant screech, the Judas prepares to chomp down on P’taal’s legs. P’taal futilely ejects his wrist blades, ready to fight to the death.

Teresa’s automatic rifle fire slams into the side of the large Judas’ head. The eye on the side of the queen's head, where the shots strike, bursts wetly. Thick liquid splatters over the vile insect, P’taal, and the floor. The queen screeches again. This time, in agony. Out of sheer anger, she wrenches free one of her knifelike forelegs and slams P’taal into the opposite wall with her other foreleg. She is now blind on one side and mad as hell.

Whipping the foreleg still holding P’taal in the other direction, the large queen watches with her one remaining eye as he crashes into a wall and slides down it. She is remembering where he fell. So that she may pick up where she left off. After she is done tearing apart the creature which dared take away half of her sight.

Whirling on Teresa, the female Judas receives another rifle blast to the face. The blast takes off a portion of the queen’s crest and facial armor, as well as a large chunk of her head. However, this does not stop the raging creature. The queen vibrates her wings, preparing to use her camouflage. Teresa remembers their fight in the main lab. How the queen had been brought low by strategic shots to her forelegs and wings. No wings; no camouflage. No legs; the stupid bug won’t be able to charge her. Teresa goes for the wings first. If the queen manages to camouflage herself; it’s over for them all.

Teresa raises both weapons and fires a duo blast into the queen. The armor piercing rounds strike the queen a split second before she fades from view. With equal swiftness, Teresa lowers the rifle in her right hand and reaches into a side pocket. Retrieving a small flare gun, scavenged from the ruined weapons locker, Teresa aims it directly at the queen roach. The flare lands between the queen’s outspread wings, just behind the spiny joints where wing meets crest.

The queen screeches as her wings catch fire. The crest on the queen’s large head, adorned with the blatant mimicry of Elder Glandis’ visage, begins to show signs of charring—as flames travel down the fine hairs on her body. The queen shakes herself and then charges Teresa.

On the floor, a few feet away, P’taal repositions himself for a clear shot. Angling for accuracy, P’taal’s shoulder cannon fires once. The blast catches the queen mid-thorax. She is nearly upon Teresa when the blast hits her. The queen’s front legs pinwheel as she is propelled backward and to the side. She crashes onto her side and scrambles to right herself. Teresa fires another flare at the Judas matriarch—directly into the hole left by P’taal’s shoulder cannon.

It is almost as if the queen’s insides become molten. The heat of the flare causes the insect’s innards to bubble, and they splash up and out of the open wound. Some of the horrid mix of guts and insectile blood lands on Teresa’s cheek and the back of her hand. Teresa yelps with the sudden pain, but flinches very little. Not taking chances, she switches back to her Orville rifle and fires multiple rounds into the struggling insect on the ground.

Finally, the queen is still. But the duo’s problems are far from over. A flurry of activity can be heard inside the corridor they came from only moments before. The queen’s cavalry will soon arrive.

Teresa fires a third flare down the corridor, to temporarily drive the approaching Judases back. She quickly races to P’taal’s side, and struggles to get the large yautja on his feet—glancing down the corridor every few seconds. P’taal peers up at her and shakes his head. Teresa wishes that he were not wearing the mask, so that she could see his face—his eyes.

“Go…,” P’taal says in a hoarse voice. “Leave me. Follow the others.”

Teresa adamantly shakes her head and continues to struggle with the big warrior’s massive bulk.

“No,” Dr. Boyd stubbornly protests. “I told you…I’m not letting you die. Not here…Not now. Now, get the hell up and move your ass! Your legs aren’t injured! It’s just your arms. You can still run! Get up!”

Teresa’s angry tone is enough to get P’taal’s blood up and motivate him to get moving. The warrior braces himself for the pain, his mandibles clicking furiously. Pushing upward, with his ravaged shoulders, P’taal uses the wall and Teresa as supports while climbing to his feet. Teresa adjusts P’taal’s arm around her shoulders and encourages him forward. Before long, his green blood has soaked through the material of her clothes.

The noises in the corridor grow steadily louder, and the scurrying of clawed feet sounds closer than before. Teresa looks around for somewhere they can hide or escape to. Her eyes land on a large metal cart. An engineering cart. Perfect.

Engineering carts are typically utilized by busy engineers seeking to navigate the halls of a crowded ship. Battery-operated, wheeled, with a tabletop, and numerous drawers for storing tools; the engineering cart serves as a mobile shop of sorts. But what Teresa needs the cart for, is not so complex. A smile builds on Dr. Boyd’s face and she nods towards the cart.

“You see that square cart, P’taal?” Teresa yells over the sound of her heart in her chest—and the scurrying of vile insect feet.

“Yes,” P’taal agrees.

“When we reach that cart, I need you to hop on it. Kind of a belly flop, okay?” Teresa explains. “It’s got wheels on it and it’s drivable. But I’m gonna have to squeeze in between your legs to use the controls. So don’t get weirded out, okay? It’s nothing personal.”

P’taal nods agreement, but says nothing. Teresa can tell that the pain from his injuries is immense. Reaching the cart, P’taal does as Teresa instructed. He springs onto the cart and lands stomach down. The wheels on the engineering cart are locked. So it does not roll away. However, the cart does rock due to the yautja’s added weight. Teresa climbs onto the small platform at the back of the cart. Planting her feet, she pulls her tablet from inside her weapon’s harness and plugs in. In less than ten seconds, the cart roars to life.

The first Judas insect screeches and lunges for the cart. Just as the engineering cart surges forward and out of reach. Teresa’s hands fly over the controls and she pushes the cart to its limit.

The first detonation rocks the California’s habitat wing. The ship quivers with the force of the massive explosion. Judases shriek, while scrambling up the walls and ceiling of the ship—trying to get at the fleeing quarry. Dr. Boyd mentally wills the cart to go faster.

After a few moments, they catch sight of the trio of yautjas headed for the transport exit. Inch by inch, they gain on N-Vorl and the others. Until the cart finally overcomes and passes them. Teresa looks over her shoulder with a grin. She waves one arm mockingly.

“Come on, slow pokes,” She yells. “They’re gaining on you! Let’s go!”

With a small chuckle, Teresa turns back forward. The exit looms only a few yards away. A Judas leaps from the ceiling and lands directly in front of the cart. The engineering cart slams into the insect at full speed. The bug is torn apart by the impact and P’taal goes flying through the air. The yautja spins and lands with a loud crunch on the hard metal floor.

Teresa is only slightly luckier. P’taal’s bulk, and her hands gripping the cart, keep her from being thrown as he had. Teresa unplugs from the cart, shoves the tablet in her bosom once again, and races to where P’taal lies stunned on the floor. Teresa tries dragging P’taal, but is barely able to move him. His oozing green blood makes her hands slick and she struggles to find a good grip.

Back in the other direction, the other three yautja warriors are dispatching several Judases which managed to get too close. Glotis aims her netgun at an approaching Judas. The insect is repelled forcefully backward as she fires the weapon.

N-Vorl stabs one Judas with his combistick, while firing on another with his shoulder cannon. He pivots to his right and slices off the foreleg of a third Judas, which was climbing on the wall beside him. Another swift motion, with his wrist blades, and the tumbling insect’s armored head rolls away. N-Vorl sidesteps to avoid coming into contact with the downed bug. His shoulder cannon angles backward and finishes it off.

Mau-Nis uses his mech-arm gun to cut down two Judases clambering on the ceiling. The insects fall to the floor, but continue scrambling forward. Mau-Nis makes short work of them both with rapid fire from his weapon. With no more immediate threats, the three yautja head for Dr. Boyd and P’taal.

Teresa waits for N-Vorl and Glotis to arrive and assist. In between shooting insects, they haul the bulky warrior the rest of the way toward the hangar exit. Mau-Nis climbs out first and reaches back, with his one remaining arm, to assist the others.

The second detonation occurs as N-Vorl leaps from the downed human freighter. A portion of the California erupts with flame—debris spraying toward the sky. It won’t be long now. The four yautja and the solitary human make hurried tracks away from the exploding ship.