Predator: The Invisible Prince

12

The corridor from their chambers connected to another identical corridor, and then to another and then another. All were unmarked and all of them were identical. Long black metal corridors with impossibly high ceilings and thin strips of pulsing blue lights at the bottom. In no time, Ahzma was completely lost. Standing in an intersection where four corridors converged, she looked back and forth nervously. She wasn't even sure how to get back to their chambers now. Tremors of panic started in her gut as she contemplated trying to retrace her steps.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Whipping around she called out with desperate hopefulness. "Hello?"

The dark blur of movement was already gone.

"Please, if anyone is there, I just need help finding my way," she called out to the empty hall. She was too afraid to go down the corridor any further.

Hearing and seeing nothing, Ahzma's hope plummeted as she slowly turned back towards the hall, she was reasonably sure she came from. With some luck she may be able to retrace her steps and if so, she could just wait inside until Rakkah eventually came back home.

Stepping forward, she paused when she felt the sudden presence behind her. Turning around, her breath caught in her throat as she looked up to the midnight black yautja. Nearly as tall as Rakkah, but a lot leaner in build, the hunter was nothing like the others she had seen. His scaled skin was so black and shiny it made her wonder if it was covered in a layer of moisture. Yellow stripes decorated his skin in various spots breaking up the impossibly dark hide. His mask was black just like his skin and Ahzma could see that the mask was designed with fangs molded around the mouth portion of the mask, which reminded her of a snake. The eyes of his mask pulsated a bright yellow as they stared down at her.

"Uu..um...I..I," her words felt stuck in her throat all of a sudden.

There was something overwhelmingly menacing about this hunter that forcibly reminded her that she was surrounded by alien monsters, a fact that she kept forgetting after nights in Rakkah's arms.

Forcing herself to regain a bit of her composure through her overwhelming fear, she smiled gently at the hunter. "Please, can you tell me how to get back to my chambers?"

Rolling clicks emanated from his throat as he cocked his head slightly to the side as he considered her for a moment. Slowly he lifted his long-sculpted arm and laid his shiny black hand against the nearby wall. Immediately, the wall lit up. Fascinated she watched as the wall beneath his hand lit up and read out the alien red language. Growling he dropped his hand and gave her an expectant rumbling noise. Mimicking him she lifted her own hand to the wall and softly placed her palm flat onto the cool surface. A blue ring surrounded her hand with multiple red lines sticking out from the circle. Each red line formulated the alien red text before flashing to her language. Near her pinky it read, Rakkah's chambers and on her ring finger it read exit. Each other line had other destinations.

Relieved she smiled. "Thank you so much," she exclaimed, turning back to the midnight hunter.

There was no one there.

Looking around her, she found no trace of him. If she lifted her arm to the spot he was standing in moments ago, she wondered, would she feel his cloaked figure? Smiling she mentally brushed the thought away, she was just happy the scary hunter decided to help her.

Following the directional guide for the exit, she eventually emerged outside. Bright sunlight blinded her for a moment as she shielded her eyes and looked around. Humid air filled her lungs and Ahzma was immensely happy she packed only her Upran clothing. Looking around, she was standing at what looked to be a side entrance on the side of the large metal palace. Stepping forward she turned and tried to look up at the palace to get a better view, but Ahzma was still so close and the structure was so big she couldn't see but one side of the building. All around her, she could hear a symphony of sounds like nothing she had ever heard before. Chirps, whoops, howls, whistles and more sung from beneath and around her. Putting her hands against the thick metal wall of the balcony she leaned forward and nearly gasped.