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Rated: E · Fiction · Sci-fi · #1994817
The tale of a bounty hunter in a future where mankind live in underground compounds.
This is the tale of a bounty hunter. He goes from place to place in search of work for whatever little money the compound can afford to pay him. His name is Jack. He wears a full black body suit, of a material not dissimilar in appearance to that of rubber, and a tattered brown cloak. His head is covered by a helmet, which is attached to the suit and gives a high vision span. He wears gloves on his hand of a tough, leather-like material, and each of his hands rest on the handles of his weapons. His right hand is curled around the handle of a handgun in its holster, the gun a dull silver colour, and his left is holding the hilt of a katana, sheathed to his belt. On his back is a rifle, in a much better condition than his other battered weapons. It has an aluminium frame and has no visible scratches or tarnishes on it. It also has a scope and a surpressor, attached to the barrel.
He walks inside an airlock and as the inner doors open, his helmet's visor slides into the back of his suit. He has medium length blonde hair, and green eyes. he has a scar on one cheek, and looks about twenty. Waiting for him inside the compound it a man in a lab coat, with brown short hair and glasses.
"Ah." The man says. "You must b­­­e the bounty hunter, jack."
"I am." Says Jack, in a tired voice. He has walked many miles to get to this compound. "The person you want me to hunt down, who are they?"
The man looks uneasy as he says "Ah... were you not told?"
"They never tell
me anything." Says Jack.
"Ah..." He repeats uneasily, staring at his feet. "The thing is, well... You're not hunting down a person, as such..."
"Then why did I trek several hundred miles across the surface to get here?!" Jack asks the man, not even attempting to hide his anger.
"You've been called here..." The man says, suddenly grim. "To hunt and kill a creature that has been attacking our compound. It has already killed thirty-three people, and it kills more every day."
"And what does this 'creature' look like?" Jack asks the man, curiously.
"We don't know. It hides in the shadows, and the ways it has killed the people have been..." Here terror shows on his face "What you could call 'savage'"
"Any patterns to the attacks?" Jack asks, now paying very close attention.
"No." Says the man, looking thoughtful "it has been savaging scientists, miners, and even chemists."
"I'll do what I can," Says Jack, turning away.
He hears the scream and races down the concrete corridor towards its source. In the room, Jack sees the man's point. The corpse is the body of a teacher and she has bruises all over her, and four gashes running parallel along her chest, quite clearly made by claws. Her neck is snapped, and so is one of her legs, the left one.
"What was the bounty on this thing again?" Jack asks the panting scientist who has just caught up with him.
"One Million scrap." The man replies bluntly.
"I think" Says Jack, grinning, "that I'd like half up front."

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