Predator 2 Novel 9

The Predator stopped suddenly in the darkness of the slaughterhouse. Its instincts wamed that something was wrong. The Predator stood completely motionless, cocking its head, listening in-
tently. The digital display on the inside of its scanning visor flickered. The Predator turned up the amplification of the battle helmet, filtering out the ambient noise and scanning for any telltale sounds that did not belong. He turned his head,
concentrating on the sounds.

SCRUNCH.

The Predator's head jerked toward the sound.

SCRUNCH. SCRUNCH.

It heard padded footsteps, human footsteps, moving stealthily. And there was more than one. Moving cautiously, the Predator took several steps forward, approaching the railing of a staircase. Perching on the railing, like a cat, the Predator stared intently into the darkness below. There were unmistakable sounds of movement, but no telltale glow of human heat signatures. Puzzled, the Predator craned its head around, scanning in all directions.

The sounds were coming from somewhere directly below him, but there was no sign of any human intruders. And yet they were there. It could hear them. The Predator gave a faint, barely audible trill of excitement.

There was only one possible explanation. The humans must have discovered some form of camouflage of their own! The sounds of their movement, amplified a thousand times, were clearly audible despite the stealth with which they ad-vanced, and yet they remained invisible. How? And, in an instant, the answer became evident. These fascinating creatures were becoming more clever. Somehow, they must have deduced that the hunter who stalked them could see them by the heat of their bodies, and so they had found a way to camouflage that heat, to insulate themselves.

The Predator trilled with satisfaction. These creatures were becoming challenging game indeed. But it only added to the thrill of the hunt.
With a flicker of visual displays on the inside of the battle helmet's visor, the scanning field shifted. switching to another visual mode, a new wavelength that locked in briefly, then switched again. going through several more wavelength ranges until it locked in on ultraviolet. And there they were. Directly below him.-pg.183-184 chpt.7