Predator: The Scavenger

ch 10

Picking his way through the overgrown vines, Dart made his way to her near the stepwell and sat down with an exaggerated sigh.

"So, why here of all places?" he asked testily, swiping at the dirt on his pristine navy-blue space suit. "We could have met at a nice cozy bar somewhere instead of on a dead planet that forced you to put up an atmospheric shield just so we don't sleep to death."

With her arms stretched behind her holding her back propped up, Ember let her head lean back between her shoulder blades and stared up at the two suns. Being outside again felt beautiful. The warmth to her skin, the freedom of it all felt so good. When she made it back to the Plover her system read that she had been in that experimental prison for five days.

Five days. It only took five days for her whole existence to change.

Using a good portion of her fuel, Ember pushed her ship past the recommended safety of jumps through space as she fled that ship. Just remembering the angry yellow eyes of that yellow striped yautja and the others surrounding her made the hairs on her arms stand on end. They all seemed so perplexed and angry with her. She couldn't stay there she couldn't risk being captured and trapped again. Although even as she thought it she regretted her decision. In her moment of fear induced flight she ran from the only one she wanted to be with. Furrowing her brow, her mouth set into a scowl as she rebelled against the guilty thoughts. Why should she be angry with herself? She should be angry with that big red idiot for breaking his promise to her. He said he would come get her, not send two other yautjas.

Sensing Dart's eyes on her she turned her head and opened her eyes. With one eyebrow lifted in a speculative point, he stared at her.

"What?" she asked, knowing full well what he was waiting for. Leaning forward she clapped the dust off her hands and swished her feet around in the cold water.

"Are you going to tell me what's up or not? You called me crying, and to point out I haven't heard you cry since the orphanage. You said you messed up and you needed to talk. So here I am with a case of Coolsidemoons and a nice muscular shoulder for you to lean on baby-girl." He wiggled one shoulder suggestively with a smirk.

Laughing she put her elbows on her knees and stared out into the water. "Well it's a pretty long story..."

Looking over to him to see if he was listening, Ember smiled as she watched him lay down with his arms crossed behind his head, ready to listen.

"Regale me darlin."

And so, she did. She told him every detail about the experimental facility up until the breakout. Ember only left out one detail, a detail she nearly missed herself as she ran out of the lab, but that detail was personal.

Sitting up with a jerk, Dart turned to her and gave her a look she had never seen before. Sometimes she forgot that Dart was actually a quite notorious criminal in most of the known galaxies. Growing up with him, her mental image of him would always be of the smiling kid who helped her break into the head mistress's office at the orphanage or the joking bar-fly of every seedy space port in the Cyclon galaxy. But the hard look on his handsome face now was not one she imagined seeing.

"Fuck Ember," he cursed as he scooted closer to her wrapping one long arm around her shoulder bringing her close to lean into his chest. "Fuck I had no idea...goddammit that pisses me off." Looking down at her he gave her an angry glare. "Didn't I tell you not to go chasing after that thing!"

With a groan she rolled her eyes as he gave her a firm shake as he vented.

"I told you back at the bar, to just let that hunter go. But no, you never listen to me, I swear to god you could have been killed or..."