The Last Predator by Bernard J. (sight word readers .TXT) 📖

The scenery was no different from the many missions he had already succeeded in the sector of the Milky Way galaxy. The illuminating sun, the coldest moon, and the scattering fragments of planets, mixed with astroid fields surrounded the abandoning planets almost kept the same as the last time he was in the sector. The Milky Way had lost his prestige over the years. It was only considered as a final test between the two great planets that created the best breed of warriors in all the universe. Every sector and sub-sector knew about the Milky Way factor as a final training practice. Practice for the professionals, but missions for the newly cadets that had been cleared with great recommendations from their head captain.

Counted, he had counted his missions with accuracy and trophies. In his three decades at the division, his missions number attained 300 hundreds and he had returned with glory and pride for his captain. Whenever Carter returned from a mission, this was the only time Captain came out to prove his success. Carter, knowing captain insurance behavior, brought irrefutable proof in sense of honor. No one never knew why but it seemed to work for both of them. Not that he would change his mind or his expression about Carter allegedly gift. Yet, their connection was not something as simple as being the new generation of warrior and his captain. It was much more.

He had never known his father. According to the Earthling law he should have had one, but they never found it, so he only recognized his captain as his father in his head, which made it easier for him to follow orders. Orders, this sense of duty streamed in his veins automatically. His body reacted without his consent and his mind did not fight back to question any of them. He could not switch it off even if he wanted too. Not that he wanted to disappoint his captain father figure. Tapping him only in his shoulder after each mission represented much to him than anything. The division did not have time for sentimental attachment, either from the captain side or the cadets. The Captain always gave him that satisfactory look, even though his face did not show much emotions at all. Kept both hands behind his back and walked a straight line without fail. Carter followed right after and got into the training room. In fact, Carter had spent all his days in the training room and the results had been more than satisfactory. His body confirmed his testament with big marks. He weighted 300 thousand pounds and much of it packed in muscles, height around 7.3, and straight handsome figure with big blue eyes, sharp nose. His eyebrows though always folded above his eyes intimidating the circle around him.

From the moment he opened his eyes, the captain had been the person he saw. At the age of 15 years old, he looked exactly like the captain in style and in confidence. Talking for them was done in the battlefield and with extremely need in the camp. The best picture Carter had in his locker was captured in his last days of training with Captain giving him his first blaster for his first mission. The law for him did not have any other name than the Captain. He taught him everything he needed to know in the battlefield and more. Physical contact, weapons, tactics, and patterns; Captain found a promising young warrior to develop at his image and he did not fail to teach him everything. Almost everything, because he did not teach him what he knew from experiences or during his days as a cadet in the division. Carter resulted to be the first full time warrior and emotionally unattached person ready to face the purest form of danger the planet might encounter in the future.

Only both of them remained from the team. From two separated big trees, Carter and her teammate took refuge behind them. The tree resembled the giant pillar in Rome possessed in his time of glory on Earth. Saving their life had been the only thoughts in Carter mind for over two hours. The three first teammates winded up in irreversible condition. Their body did not stay much for him to bring back in case of examination or new discovery in this planet ecosystem. His head played as many scenarios as he could think and he even invented some, particularly with the exact circumstances in their current position. Even with his quick thinking and his tactics, nothing brought him a concrete response. Feeling upset, he bit his lips so hard that he bled over his protective and the blood fell in the soil of ground giving an acidic odor they were not familiar. He closed his eyes under the gargoyles and held tighter his full long range blaster. However the answer he wanted could not come from this simple move. He looked at the blaster and his thoughts traveled again to his captain. The word father came into mind. Impossible, he could not possibly call his father to help him. He did not know the guy. As far as he knew he did not have one, except his captain. His pride would not let him to go down so low, let alone his captain. What a shame it would be for his captain to see him pinned down. He should be the most powerful warrior, yet he had been useless for two hours and a half now and waiting.

"What do you see?" He asked when he tend to look at her teammate in the same condition he was.

"Nothing" she responded, she was breathing loudly - which located exactly where their desperate self positioned from whoever was out there.

In the Milkey way galaxy, after the invaders came and destroyed it, the planets approached one another and the sun turned as a bacon for warriors and bounty hunters around the galaxy to come and to claim whatever they wanted. By this time, Venus took the place of the center planet with the new wealth it gathered during the time of Renaissance. So the presence of a warrior in the Venus surface would be almost impossible to avoid. Some species preferred the new composition of the atmosphere. It had a lot new gases including oxygen and carbon dioxide. Some gases were stronger than other; however, for some reasons all of them could occupy the same space. Reaction could happen at anytime but in smaller scale. This possibility only permitted anyone or anything to inhabit this new formed planet.

"As soon as your giggles fail, take them off." That sentence had been graved in his mind since his first time in the camp and he performed with the highest IQ. Doing the gesture to take off the gargoyles happened before he could notice. Besides, he felt this nuisance sliding down from his forehead to his cheek, he shook his head to send it away, but the feeling kept on going. He decided to use his hand and for the first time he noticed he was sweating. He heard of it by the cadets who experienced fear in the battlefield. Fear can only catch you in the battle field of you were not prepared or you failed to prepare your surrounding.

"No this can't be happening. I am…" The sentence did not have an end since he did not want to affirm the truth.

This new feeling started to get the better of him with each passing minutes he could not move a muscle. Two more shots fell into the trees behind him. He could feel the impact of the fire, if such fire ever touched someone he knew what would happen. His teammates were the demonstrations. He was afraid and the fear was growing little by little. He left the right hand from the blaster and took a look. The trembling feeling had reached him strongly in his hand and the shaking did not pass until he squeezed his hand into submission. However, how many times would he be able to resist?

The conditions of his predicament worsened every time he could not come up with a permanent solution. Suddenly a kangourex appeared in front of him, at ten feet of his position, leaping with agility and fitness. The animal would reach him with two more leaps. The kangourex had all the dangerous elements in both species. The head with the hard bone on top, the big unbreakable teeth, the boxing arms with the claws, and the big feet to pulverize everything in its path. One of these three touched you and you are a goner. Fixing on Carter position, it jumped without interruption and the meal time just came into play. The ferocious animal got exited when their eyes crossed each other and he could see the fear in Carter eyes. This specie just made his presence known and wanted the prey it fixated. Carter had met countless new species on Venus before and his best method yet had been a single shot in the head. Never failed he used to say in the regiment.

"Carter!!??" her teammate yelled at him twice noticing he could not move a finger. Frozen, fear, the captain had eradicated these emotions from him long ago, so Carter thought. Carter had been trained in the camp since the moment he could hold a first rank blaster. Hesitation, well let just say Carter never knew the words think twice. He moved swiftly and quickly, under pressure or not, on foot or on ship, Carter did not and would not stop for anything other than success. His pose defined the term being aware of his surroundings, he improved it and polished it to the finest point.

All the battle simulation he ever conducted during his training and his missions remained for young cadet to overcome if they wanted to pass the final exam. Their dedication had to be over a 150 percent and their mind had to know only the order at hand. From the score of Carter, captain set a new sort of laws and records to obtain in order to become the next best warrior. Following his name and his accomplishments everywhere, the cadets held him in the pedestal he had earned and he had built in his incredible journey in the division. Anyone would believe in the perfect success knew what he looked like or his name was, Carter. Impossible or imperfection did not exist no more in the vocabulary of the cadets. If he can do it, I can and before dawn half of the division reached the objective.

One, two three shot fired and the kangourex fell before its feet and he pulled back like a baby looking for protection in his mother's arms. "Carter, snapped out of it. We need to leave now." Her teammate stated the obvious to him while shaking him to wake up. He turned his eyes to her and noticed the bleeding in her shoulder. He usually was the one who had the most battle scars after a mission. Scar and mistreated injuries represented the countless number of stars he collected during his missions in the Milkey Way only. "Scars are record for times to come." The captain told him once when he got his first scar in his tenth mission.

In his tenth, he became a bounty hunter to rescue a young lady. During the rescue, he had to affront the kidnappers and one cut him hard in his shoulder. The raging laser blade ravaged his protective suit to catch his shoulder. He shot one, put one unconscious, and sent the other in the vacuum of space. He returned the girl to the authority of the division to do the delivery and continued in his daily missions.

The sound of a firing