Predator: Survivor

Chapter 5

The two human men's screams eventually silenced as they succumbed to the escape pod's velocity.

After some time, the pod stopped spinning and righted itself in one position as it increased its speed. Bracing himself with only one arm above the sleeping girl's head, the hunter reached behind him and unclasped the harness lock at his back. With effort, he stepped back despite the pod's hyperforce pushing against him. Latching the harness back over the girl's prone body, he stepped and turned to the terminal in the middle of the octagonal room.

Squinting through the pressure, he braced his feet against the floor, hearing the clawed toe spikes of his greaves scrape against it as he did.

There were three navigational charts hovering above the terminal. The blue glow was the only thing lighting the dark room. One holographic chart showed their current position hurtling through a galaxy number he could not recall while the other screen showed what looked to be their destination. In the corner, there was a box of unfinished code the girl had been trying to put in before he yanked her back. Reading the string of arrays and elements, he could see she had been trying to override the destination. It was the third holograph that gave him pause however. In the top corner, it showed an image of the once whole Black Mountain base station before flickering to a neatly dissected version that showed all parts of the base propelling away from a skeletal remain. All the sections were projected to break away and converge once again in a nearby galaxy--except one.

He released a growl of frustration and stepped closer to the terminal ignoring the immense pressure against his body. His clawed fingers typed at the blue holographic keys.

Frustration swelled in his chest like a plume of ash as every attempt failed at changing the pod's course. All he could determine was that their destination was six galaxies away from a galaxy he was familiar with, but beyond that his efforts were in vain.

Stepping back from the terminal, he read the computer's warning about the second warp phase. He needed to get back and secure himself once more but he did not move. Looking at the terminal he debated his next move. He could alert the others in his clan. He could let them know of the change in situation and the pod's destination. But the moment the thought surfaced in his mind he banished it. Stepping back he put his back to the female and gripped the handles on either side of her as he felt air and space around him begin to contort under the warp phase.

He did not need assistance. He would endure wherever this fork in the road of his fate lead him.