The Komodo arrived at its destination in the mountainous region of Sokovia. The aircraft navigated the jagged terrain with ease. It was in stealth mode, invisible to radar, cloaked, and running silent engines. It hovered briefly, scanning for a suitable landing spot, then slowly descended and landed.
The rear door of the ship opened. The predators and xenomorphs disembarked. The xenomorphs were left to their own devices—it was pointless to explain anything to them. They weren't stupid; they understood and had infiltration methods.
Under the leadership of Jouwa, the predators split up. Each Predator is infiltrating from a different direction. Jouwa would infiltrate from the side abutting the mountain.
They had to move quickly—there were over a hundred personnel inside. Predators were skilled hunters, but not suited to prolonged engagements with large numbers. Analysis suggested that four predators should be enough to handle a small base like this. In the future, perhaps more xenomorphs would be included.
The xenomorphs moved into the tunnels, sowing chaos and terror. When they emerged from the tunnels, they had to strike fast, picking off personnel one by one. Mission required speed. Still, the xenomorphs couldn't defy their nature. One or two lingered and stalked within the tunnels. Even the two who were lagging behind the others caught up.
Jouwa couldn't track the xenomorphs. The creatures had an innate ability to defy tracking, excelling at hiding. He would talk with Dr. Frankenstein about them later. The monsters' instincts proved stronger than Dr. Frankenstein's control. Their natural drive towards self-preservation made them overly cautious. They were strong but timid.
For some reason, Jouwa did like them. This wasn't a matter of spending time with them; he felt repulsed by them, but he also wanted to hunt them. He focused and sent a shock through the collars of the xenomorphs to encourage them to hurry.
If the base activated its shield, the invaders lacked the equipment to breach it. If they waited too long, they would lose their opportunity, and the prisoners, including Wanda and Pietro, might be moved or killed.
The xenomorphs finally slipped into the ceiling vents, moving with eerie silence for creatures of their size. One made its way to the armory, where it tore through soldiers with claws and fangs. Its acidic blood sprayed when hit, burning anyone it touched. The alarm blared.
Baron Strucker and Pierce, alarmed by the chaos, scrambled for information. All they knew was that some monstrous creature had infiltrated the base. When someone finally captured a photo, Strucker and Pierce were horrified. Only Dr. List was fascinated. He had never seen such a perfect killing machine. If Hydra could capture and breed it, its power would be unmatched.
Dr. List shared his thoughts. Strucker and Pierce agreed: they should attempt to capture the creature. If not, then kill it—but preserve the body. Leadership regained some order. Then came a new report—another creature, attacking elsewhere in the base.
With attention focused on the xenomorphs, the predators cleared the exterior. Jouwa, assigned to the mountainside entry, was already in position. Using his stealth tech, he moved unseen, executing Hydra agents with silent precision. He took special care with his kills, ensuring each was delivered with personal attention.
He found his way to a research lab, killing several personnel. Then he found his target—the two teenagers.
The twins sensed something was happening. They strained to see through the bars of their cell.
"Wanda, what's going on?" Pietro asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "But I've never seen them this scared before. Something big is happening."
"We should try to escape," Pietro said.
Wanda considered it. Their powers were growing. She could now lift light objects, while Pietro could run twice as fast as a normal man. She looked out again, then sat back down, seeing nothing. Pietro, more restless, paced constantly.
A strange noise caught their attention. A monstrous creature shimmered into view, making a rattling sound. It had a silver plate over its face with two mechanical eyes, and parts of its body were armed.
Wanda screamed. "What is that!?"
"Stay away from my sister!" Pietro shouted.
He lunged at the bars. The creature chuckled and tossed two canisters—one into each cell. Gas hissed into the rooms. The twins collapsed, unconscious.
Jouwa picked them up, reactivated stealth mode, and slipped away. The xenomorphs and other predators continued their rampage, distracting the rest of the base.
Soon, the other three predators entered. Shifting distortions of light moved rapidly through the halls, cloaked hunters. Dr. List watched the monitors.
"What are these?" he asked.
Baron Strucker frowned. Pierce speculated, "Maybe these are the ones controlling the other creatures."
"Not controlling," Dr. List corrected. "Maybe more like... releasing. These don't look like they're easily controlled."
"You're probably right," Strucker muttered. "Get our best men on this. I'm not sure which to target first."
Pierce stared at the screens. "If we don't want to die, we should leave. Now."
Strucker nodded. "Follow me. I have an emergency exit."
He led them to his office near Central Command. Locking the door behind them, he moved some furniture and activated a hidden switch. A secret door opened, revealing a staircase. As they descended, Strucker felt vindicated. Some called him paranoid—he called it preparation.
While they escaped, xenomorphs and predators advanced deeper into the base. One base commander rallied troops. They had killed a xenomorph and pinned down a predator. The predator deactivated its cloak, useless now, and diverted power to other weapons. Though skilled in firearms, it preferred melee. It fought hard, killing several, but eventually was taken down by Hydra.
Just as Hydra forces began to regroup, another attack struck from behind—another predator. It picked targets carefully, but became more aggressive under heavy fire. It, too, was eventually overwhelmed.
Elsewhere, a xenomorph triggered a hallway booby trap. The explosion tore it apart, but its acidic blood sprayed everywhere—onto soldiers, walls, and support structures. Part of the castle began to collapse.
The final predator located Loki's staff, secured it, and exited undetected.
Jouwa, carrying the twins, reached the Komodo. Regis helped load them into sleep canisters to monitor their vitals. Jouwa returned to the base to assist.
Near the castle, Jouwa spotted movement. Activating stealth, he climbed a tree and observed. To his surprise, the top Hydra leaders: Strucker, Pierce, and Dr. List, had escaped unnoticed.
These would be his prey.
As they moved, a trio of red dots appeared on Strucker's chest. He paused. "What's this?" he muttered.
Pierce saw it. "Duck!" he shouted, diving into the bushes.
Dr. List was too slow. Strucker was hit by a laser, falling dead. List followed seconds later, riddled with fire from the same weapon.
Pierce, watching in horror, searched for a way out. But he knew any movement would expose him.
Then came a sound—a rattling click. He looked up.
A creature uncloaked, dropping from a tree, staring him down.
Pierce stood his ground. "What are you? What do you want?"
No answer. The predator removed its mask. Its mandibles flared.
"You made a mistake," it said in English.
Pierce blinked. "You speak English?"
"You made a mistake," it repeated.
"What mistake?" he asked.
The predator didn't respond. It unsheathed twin blades on its gauntlet, lunged, and stabbed Pierce through the stomach, lifting him in the air.
"You offended Dr. Frankenstein," it said. "He sent us."
As the life drained from his body, Pierce realized—too late—that the boy they had captured months ago had brought retribution in the form of alien death.
Then, he died.
The Hydra base was collapsing. There were no fires, but moments earlier, it had been loud, gunfire vibrant in the air, echoing through every corner of the base. Now, silence reigned.
Jouwa entered the ruined facility and began his hunt, discovering the bodies of two young Predators—his kin. He didn't mourn them. This was the nature of hunting: sometimes, the prey got you. Nearby, he found the remains of two Xenomorphs. One of them, shockingly, was still alive.
Jouwa retrieved a device from his armor. It looked like a pill, but when he tossed it onto the Xenomorph's body, it disintegrated. He contacted his ship and confirmed that the other Predator returned. But there was still one unaccounted-for Xenomorph. It was somewhere in the building. Jouwa decided to hunt it down and bring it back.
He turned and entered a darkened hallway. Suddenly, he sensed movement. Instincts triggered, his left hand blurred, catching something inches from his face—the ghostly, skeletal tail of a Xenomorph. It hissed at him from the shadows.
Jouwa looked at it calmly. "Are you being difficult?" he asked. "Come... or die."
He knew Dr. Frankenstein considered Xenomorphs expendable tools to be thrown at enemies. If this creature didn't come back, it wouldn't matter. Predators, however, were another matter. Jouwa would not allow this beast to believe it could attack him with impunity.
"So you want to die?" he muttered as it attacked once more.
Unsheathing his gauntlet blades and severing the Xenomorph's tail in one swift strike. It howled in pain but lunged, claws slashing. Jouwa's shoulder cannon fired, hitting the creature's upper right torso. It screamed in pain, tore off the cannon, and destroyed it. Jouwa moved quickly, throwing his smart disc. It spun and dodged as the Xenomorph ducked, but missed the creature. It embedded itself into the wall.
Though injured, the Xenomorph was still fast, perhaps even stronger than Jouwa. But Jouwa was smarter, more cunning, and brought every device at his disposal to bear. Acid splashed him, but his body armor resisted it. He signaled the ship with updates.
Regis, watching remotely, looked at the other Predator, Pujo. "Aren't you going to help him?"
The Predator calmly removed his faceplate. "He is hunting. It would not be honorable."
Regis didn't understand these warrior types. They spoke of honor, yet killed in stealth. "If you're so honorable," he muttered, "why not face enemies head-on?" He scoffed. "Such a stupid race."
Some prejudices were hard to unlearn—even for a genetically altered clone. Hate and feelings of superiority could not be programmed out. The Skrulls viewed most races with disdain. They'd once ruled the Kree, until their slaves broke free and rose to create their empire—one that nearly destroyed the Skrull race.
Regis glanced at the Predator with contempt. Honor meant nothing. Survival meant everything. As a Super-Skrull, that meant evolving beyond limits. One day, he would unlock that potential.
Jouwa, meanwhile, was battling fiercely. The Xenomorph seemed to have broken free of Dr. Frankenstein's control. It fought like a wild animal. Was this instinct? Or pure rage?
Questions remained. Did Xenomorphs kill for survival, or did they simply enjoy it? Some scientists theorized that their homeworld was so savage that even they were not the apex predators. In this alternate universe, there was no Xenomorph planet—at least not yet.
Why, Jouwa wondered, was this creature so desperate to survive? It wasn't even a queen. Then he remembered—Dr. Frankenstein bred them all as soldiers. No queens. No reproduction.
But what if Frankenstein had miscalculated?
Some species can change sex to reproduce. What if this Xenomorph had the same trait? Jouwa had to kill it. And he had to find its eggs—if any existed.
Regis was stunned by Jouwa's realization. Even Pujoh looked surprised. Regis activated his command protocols. "This is bigger than one hunt. I have command authority. You need to help him."
"You do not command me. Only Jouwa commands me," Pujoh replied.
"I outrank you."
"You are newer than I."
"But I have the base commander's approval," Regis snapped. "Help him. Kill the creature. And find the eggs. We cannot fail, or Dr. Frankenstein will be furious."
Pujoh grunted. The Skrull was right. He armed himself and rushed into the base.
Back inside, Jouwa was bleeding from several wounds, but the creature lost an arm. Its tail was severed. A deep gash crossed where his eyes should have been. Jouwa's faceplate was destroyed—only his real face remained, growling with bloodthirsty rage.
This was life. This was being a Predator.
The Xenomorph was unrelenting. But Jouwa wasn't backing down. He struck hard and fast. Their fight was brutal—blades, claws, blood. Eventually, he retrieved his embedded disc, aimed carefully, and hurled it into the Xenomorph's exposed chest.
It pierced the heart. The creature screamed and collapsed.
Pujoh arrived just in time. "Good kill," he said.
Jouwa nodded. "Why are you here?"
"The cowardly Skrull sent me. We need to find the eggs—if any."
Jouwa agreed. "Let's search the castle. Destroy them all. But keep one... for Frankenstein."
They split up and moved stealthily through the ruined base. Scanners showed no life signs, but both knew better. After two hours, Pujoh contacted Jouwa.
"I found them. Eggs—in the lower sewer."
Jouwa rushed to meet him. Sure enough, over a hundred eggs. When had the Xenomorph laid so many? Had it found time between kills?
It didn't matter. They destroyed every egg, except one.
Bombs were planted throughout the castle and the sewers. They evacuated, Pujoh carrying the preserved egg. Aboard the Komodo, Regis activated stealth mode. They headed home.
During the flight, the two Predators kept their eyes on the egg. If it hatched and a facehugger escaped, they would have no choice but to kill the host, if they couldn't kill the facehugger first.
Upon arrival, they reported to Romulus, who debriefed Dr. Frankenstein. The egg was secured in a containment pod. The twin teens were moved to a special facility.
Frankenstein was intrigued by the discovery of the eggs. Perhaps he had underestimated the Xenomorphs. Their biology might be more advanced than he had realized.
This mistake could not be repeated, fear grew in his heart. He almost unleashed a monster upon the world again.
But unknown to everyone, in the nearby forest, a few eggs had survived the blast.
They waited.