Nashatyr

      My friends! Honestly, I never intended to write "serious" fanfiction. And it's quite possible this will be my first and last attempt. To be frank, this isn't even really fanfiction in the conventional sense...       What follows will be lengthy. Impatient readers can skip this chapter and proceed directly to the story itself. You can always come back to read the introduction last - if the story happens to pique your interest and you become curious about the reasoning behind this particular plot.       For those who decide to read in order... Well, let's proceed in order then.       It all began when someone once asked me: what exactly is the Alien? I was momentarily stumped. "You're a zoologist," they said, "so explain from a zoological perspective what kind of animal it is." And, believe it or not, I started explaining. Maybe I'll even write about that someday... Since xenomorphs are automatically associated with Predators in people's minds, the conversation naturally shifted to them. And that's when things got interesting for me. What kind of creature could the Predator be? Could such an organism even exist in principle, or is it just an artificially cobbled-together anthropomorphic hybrid of a crocodile and a cockroach? After pondering it for a while, I realized that theoretically, it could exist. As a result of my mental gymnastics, this... opus was born, where our beloved character is literally dissected - in a figurative sense, of course.       So, I present for your consideration a variation on the theme of "how it all could actually be" with a slight scientific bent. I warn you upfront, the Reader won't find battle scenes or politics here, nor musings from the Predator's perspective - after all, we can't possibly know how things really work for them, much less delve into the thoughts of another sentient being. There won't be any "Yautja words" - for the same reason. There won't be telepathy or problem-free communication with representatives of Homo sapiens - in my view, that situation is more than artificial. Also, many will probably be disappointed, but there won't be any romantic storyline. No, the idea itself that two representatives of intelligent life forms can "find each other" doesn't repel me at all, quite the contrary, the topic is worthy of study (even if only hypothetical for now), but not in this case. Simply by its nature, first contact with something alien and unfamiliar cannot generate any reactions other than fear or interest, whether it's a living organism, a food object, or unfamiliar terrain. The main theme of the story is a kind of adaptation to a phenomenon that doesn't fit into the general worldview, an attempt to somehow interpret something extraordinarily new for humans and, possibly, still find familiar elements in it. Therefore, there's no need to look for erotic subtext in descriptions of any tactile interactions between characters, or in the description of human scientific interest in the anatomy of an extraterrestrial being. Emotional - yes, but certainly not erotic.       Since the story pursues very specific goals, and I have no desire to add unnecessary characters or complicate the moral and philosophical components, it will lack parallel plot lines. In essence, it represents a kind of "concentrate" of communication between a human individual and a Predator. I hope this won't tire the Reader.       Now a bit more about what you can actually expect to encounter in this story: a lot of cynicism. Because science is cynical. The narrative turned out to be quite one-sided, but from the perspective of a professional zoologist, with accompanying reflections, observations, and doubts. Of course, I don't promise to provide complete clarity - who knows how accurate the judgments of a scientist encountering a completely unstudied object for the first time might be?..       In general, I suggest considering this work as a kind of "documentary." After all, there is, for example, a BBC film (I believe) about what dragons would be like if they existed. And now I'm going to do something similar. With the same slightly amusing "shoehorning" of fantastic elements into reality and with some inevitable edits to the "canon" where shoehorning fails (I promise not to overdo it). At the same time, my opinion may differ greatly from that of other Authors - here we cheerfully refer to alternative realities, and again everything becomes good and clear.       Let me say a few more words about the plot. It's uncomplicated. I confess, I had to use several "template" situations (after studying other fanfics, I encountered such favorite scenes in every other one). Any Author constructs the plot of a work according to their own considerations. Some like romance or the intensity of certain scenes, others have different reasons for their choices... Specifically, I didn't aim to create an intricately twisted plot, so I didn't bother. As in many similar stories, a young woman randomly saved by the Predator will be in contact with him. In this situation, I'm guided not by the notion that it's normal for women when a man is "just slightly more handsome than a monkey," and not even by the subconscious female desire to "seduce the monster" - although for a psychological or purely artistic work, that would be perfect. No, it's simpler here. Only out of gratitude for being saved and fear of being left alone with unsolvable problems can a rational being follow an unknown individual (of a different species, no less) to an unknown destination, with the barest minimum of trust. And to fulfill this condition, the being itself must be quite defenseless. So we keep this heroic note, especially since it fully corresponds to the "canon," according to which the Predator doesn't kill the weak and unarmed. But, I repeat, Readers have hastily predicted the romance of the presumed relationship. The choice was simply limited. Judge for yourself. A human male, tagging along for research purposes, would probably be killed by the Predator, taking his persistence as a threat. An elderly person of any gender in such an encounter would, in the worst case, die on the spot from a heart attack, and in the best case, would simply cross themselves after seeing the alien walk into the forest on its business, and the story would also have no continuation. Contact with a child could be interesting, but a child wouldn't make important scientific conclusions for us, which would completely devalue the story. So by process of elimination, we're left with a woman. Moreover, an educated woman who's even slightly obsessed with her research, and therefore quite reckless. And Russian. Because she "would enter a burning house" and because it's more convenient for a Russian Author. And I'll immediately answer the question that will naturally arise for the Reader: yes, I'm a herpetologist, and no, I don't mean myself as the heroine, but she does convey my thoughts.       Such a ubiquitous moment as the Predator's injury also couldn't be avoided, although, I must admit, I really wanted to - well, it's strange when such a super fighter, super hunter so clumsily exposes himself to bullets. But I had to sacrifice him once, otherwise there would be no opportunity to speculate about the strange color of his blood. And pay attention to the speed of his "return to duty"...       Warming up the human individual through the Predator. An interesting moment that for some reason appears in many places. This scene just amuses me, so I used it, but in a completely different way... Well, I found a practical application for it too.       Smell. Everywhere people love to mention the mysterious male musk that drives the female crazy. Sorry, I disagree. There's a concept called species-specificity. Only organisms very closely related in evolutionary terms can react to each other's pheromones. In our situation, we can't speak of even distant kinship. The smell of organisms belonging to other systematic groups is usually perceived as unpleasant, or not perceived at all. Nevertheless, the episode from "Predator 2" where the alien was found by scientists by smell is very interesting...       Bathing. And again, no romance. I just couldn't think of another way to "undress" the hunter for research purposes. You might ask, why didn't I choose another, more convenient plot development - the Predator falling into the hands of scientists? Now that would seem to be where I could really run wild with my theme! You could do anything with him there - not only look and touch, but also take full analyses, run him through an MRI, and even dissect him in the end... Nevertheless, I preferred "field conditions" because, firstly, you can observe the alien's behavior in them, and secondly, there's no need to delve into his physiological features - I would have to go too deep into modeling this object, as it would require the level of "established facts," not just "hypotheses." Agree, it's too much - to invent how the digestive or respiratory system of a deliberately fantasy character is arranged, and to do it in a way that everything is as realistic as possible. I'm already fooling around too much here as it is... And finally, I don't want to support the "evil scientists" plotline, as it's inherently incorrect, even if it suggests itself in this context.       Despite all of the above, the Reader shouldn't think that the work will be completely soulless. Its characters are living beings, they have feelings and emotions; each of them has their own story. But, as happens in life, most of this story will never surface.       Readers accustomed to the standard description of the Predator as a character may be surprised when they meet the hero of this narrative. He's a warrior, sure, but still not a robot. He can doubt, be frightened, or frankly act stupid, depending on the circumstances. In his "off-duty" time, he can get distracted, behave frivolously, and even oversleep until noon. He can be absent-minded and bump his head on a branch, his stomach can growl, he might need to scratch at the most inconvenient moment. But when necessary, he will mentally prepare himself and go to cut off heads...       The relationships between the characters will develop in some way throughout the story - that's inevitable. Maybe in some places it will be quite predictable for the Reader, and in others unexpected. There will be amusing moments too, how could there not be? In general, read on - you'll see and understand everything for yourself.       And lastly. What does this work mean for the Author herself? Why did I actually start all this? I'll answer. Because I'm not alien to modeling. And because I don't like biological blunders in fiction. I warn you again: much of my view on the possible anatomy of Predators will differ from some established views in the field of fanfiction. I'll try to stick to the "canon" as much as possible, since that's how the character was created, but there will be noticeable discrepancies with other fanfics. Well, outside the "canon," everyone has equal rights to their point of view, right?       And finally, one more reason for creating this work. I myself really want to understand how a randomly, almost hastily invented screen monster (I won't retell the history of the character's creation here) could generate such a powerful audience response. What attracts all of us gathered here to the Predator, originally conceived as a decidedly negative character? Maybe it's the glimpses of morality in the form of following a certain code of honor, sharply contrasting with his bloodthirstiness? Maybe it's his undisguised primitiveness, which humans have long lost and secretly long for? Something indeed touches a nerve when you see this strange combination of advanced technologies and barbaric traditions - we could never achieve that. Maybe even the fact that the first Predator costume was worn by a good, positive, kind person... I still can't decide. Will you help?