ᴧʟɪϵɴ ɪɴᴛɪᴍᴧͼɪϵᵴ

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/27227194.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandom: Aliens (1986), Predator (1987), Alien Series, Aliens vs Predators Series
- Various Authors, Alien vs Predator (2004), Predator Original Series
(1987-1990), Alien Quadrilogy (Movies), Alien Intimacy - Fandom, Alien
Intimacies - Fandom
Relationship: Xenomorph (Alien Movies)/Original Character(s), Yautja
(Predator)/Original Character(s)
Character: Xenomorph (Alien Movies), Original Characters, Yautja (Predator),
Colonial Marine Characters (Alien Series)
Additional Tags: Blood and Gore, Violence, Sex, Boot Worship, Interspecies Sex,
Interspecies Romance, Science Fiction, Love, Love Confessions, Light
BDSM, Xenomorphs (Alien), predator - Freeform, Androids, space,
Xenomorph - Freeform, Yautja, Aliens, alien - Freeform, colonial marine,
Erotic, Action & Romance, Death, Humor, Action/Adventure, Xenophilia,
Interspecies Relationship(s), Xenomorphs (Alien Series), Smut,
Alien/Human Relationships, Human/Xenomorph - Freeform,
Mercenaries, Horror, boot fetish, Family, Adventure, alien intimacy, alien
intimacies
Series: Part 1 of Alien Intimacy
Stats: Published: 2020-10-27 Updated: 2022-02-18 Chapters: 29/? Words:
84306

ᴧʟɪϵɴ ɪɴᴛɪᴍᴧͼɪϵᵴ
by GalacticAvatar

Summary

Five years after escaping from the clutches of Weyland-Yutani and the events that
transpired on the mining world, Gamma Sigma, Pvt Joshua Briggs and his xenomorphic
wife, Ellen, have made a new life for themselves on a strange new world - along with a
couple of new additions to the family. However, their quaint and idyllic life is turned
upside down as a hunter from the stars arrives to make trophies of their heads, and an old
enemy from their past comes back from the grave to settle the score.
 Chapter 1

“This will be an easy kill,” the predator mused as she observed the lone wanderer from on
high amidst a canopy of blood red leaves and sharp, jagged branches.

Her prey walked upright on two legs and it's body was covered in matted, brown fur with a
head similar to that of a wolf, and adorned with the spiraled horns of a ram. Shrouded in
silence and steeled with determination, the huntress continued her stalk her game - studying
it obsessively, and biding her time for the opportune moment to strike.

Seemingly unaware of the danger lurking above, the ignorant creature continued to hack and
carve a path through the incredibly-dense foliage. Scanning its head to the left, it pulled some
dangling foliage aside like a heavy curtain for a brief moment, then turned its attention to the
right - parting yet more overgrown plant matter, then back to the left again - methodically
repeating the process as it trekked through the jungle. It was clear to the huntress that it was
in search of something.

A sudden cascade of shrieks and cries of wildlife filled the humid air of the claustrophobic
jungle caused the creature to stop dead in it's tracks. It raised a hand up to its chin and bent
it's head back to an impossible degree - revealing an entirely different head beneath - a
bearded, Caucasian human male. Around this time of the year, the planet would become
unbearably hot, and on this particular day, the man was certainly feeling the heat.

“This fucking place gives me the creeps," he muttered to himself. With his hand over his
brow, he squinted up at the thick canopy above, which provided at least some modicum of
shade from the relentless mid-day sun. "I swear the even trees are watching me.”

With his instincts remaining steadfast and ever-vigilant, he assumed that he was in no
immediate danger from predators and cautiously took his hand away from the firearm at his
side to wipe the sweat from his profusely-dripping brow. Sighing with exhaustion, he
resumed his long and arduous journey through the dense thicket.

"Where are you?" he whispered. "I know you're around here somewhere. Here, kitty-
kitty..."

Aside from the animal pelt that was draped over him like a poncho, the muscular man was
also clad in military cargo trousers and well-worn combat boots, and was using a long tree
branch as a walking staff. Coupled with the planet’s increased gravity and the gunshot
wound his leg from his battle with Gregor, it was more than just comforting to carry the
makeshift crutch with him to help support his weight. 

A few other trinkets dangled and clattered about his body. A leather drinking flask made
from an animal's stomach; pouches for food and herbs he'd discovered to have medicinal
properties; an intimidating hand-carved bone dagger, and a holster carrying a metallic grey
Glock 41. A decade of military training had taught him to be prepared for anything, and on
this hostile alien world, “anything” happened with alarming regularity.

His single eye was suddenly drawn to a nearby puddle wherein he noticed several small
bubbles rising to the surface and popping out of existence. There! It had to be. Gripping his
staff tightly, the man carefully crept forward, keeping the sound of his footsteps to a
minimum. Then, as quickly as he could, he plunged his hand deep into the murky water and
yanked out a creature that looked like a large oyster with crustacean-like appendages. 

“Gotcha!” With the captured crustacean flailing helplessly in his hand, the man unsheathed
his dagger and firmly pushed it through the tight seal between the two half-shells of its body.
"You’re a tough little bastard," he grunted as he continued to twist and pry the mantles
apart.

After a few more moments of firm-yet-delicate persuasion, the creature finally relented and
bloomed open to reveal its hidden pearlescent treasure within. There it was, sitting atop the
mollusk’s inner-flesh, gleamed a completely flawless white pearl. Humming to himself in
triumph, he promptly plucked it up in order to get a better look at it. 

"Excellent size. This should finally be enough." Fully-satisfied with his find, he stored the
majestic sphere safely away into one of his pouches. “There you go, little buddy. I’m not
going to eat’cha,” he said with a slight chuckle in his voice as he closed the creature's shells
back up before returning it to the puddle from whence it came. “Besides, I hate seafood.”
NOW!

The predator lunged down from the canopy directly above him with a shrieking war cry. The
man, however, swiftly dodged out of her trajectory, swinging his wooden staff around to
deliver a firm smack to her backside that sent his would-be assassin cartwheeling into
another nearby puddle with a muddy splash. Confused and disoriented as to what just
happened, the assailant shook her dripping head and gazed up at him as he towered over her
- an expression of triumph etched across his bearded face.

“Ow!” she groaned. “What the hell was that?!”

“Your mental chatter is so loud, you might as well have been shouting up there,” he replied
with a grin. "What are you even doing this far away from the ship, young lady?"

“I almost had you this time! ” The young girl shouted up at him in protest. “It’s not fair! You
and Mom have psychic powers!”

“I told you before, we’re not psychic. Your mother and I simply developed some kind of
mental link that we use to communicate with each-other. It also lets us know where you and
your brother are and how you’re feeling. Stuff like that.”

“Whatever! It’s still cheating,” she whined, rubbing not only her bruised buttocks but her
bruised ego as well.

"Ariana, you can't expect every quarry you face to play by your rules. Someday, you're going
to meet an opponent that’s bigger and meaner than me and it won't go easy on you just to
keep the playing field level. If you want to become a better hunter, you're gonna need to
learn to adapt, improvise, and overcome. Besides, it’s not cheating to use your natural
abilities."

"I'll get you one of these days, Dad! I swear you're going down!"

Her father let out a hearty laugh. "I'm sure you will - in a few years when I'm old and grey.
Then you can proudly tell everyone about how you beat up an old, half-blind man with a
gimp leg."

"Hmph!" Ariana turned her head away and sulked, crossing her muddy arms like a petulant
child.

"That attitude definitely comes from your mother's side,” he said with a smirk. “Now,
c’mon. Get back up on your feet, soldier. Best we head back to the ship before it starts getting
dark. Not even your mother would want to mess with the things that come out at night
around here."
 Chapter 2

Hidden deep within a nebula of swirling iridescent purples and electric blues was an isolated
dwarf planet named Xenosis. At roughly the equivalent size as Pluto, it was as beautiful as it
was deadly. Raging storms of glass swept across it's desert regions; nigh-bottomless oceans
that teemed with all manner of ferocious aquatic life; mountainous crystalline structures
jutting forth from the earth that pulsated with light from within like the heartbeat of the very
planet itself. Such was the aggressiveness with which life germinated that overseeing the
bloodstained jungles were ancient and massive trees that spiraled towards the heavens like
Towers of Babel until they pierced the atmosphere entirely and latched onto the moon, as
though the planet itself had ensnared it's prey in it's claws. Now the two celestial bodies were
locked together forevermore in one tidally-synchronous orbit.
 
One of the few sentient inhabitants on Xenosis was that human male. Joshua Briggs, a former
private in the United States Colonial Marine Corps who got himself summarily demoted to
glorified babysitter at Weyland-Yutani’s bio-weapons division, and tasked with keeping a
watchful eye over one of their most valued assets - a genetically-engineered xenomorph,
created with the capacity for verbal communication. After a few tedious months of being
isolated with the specimen, they began to develop a very close relationship, and pretty soon
their mutual feelings of distrust and hostility were replaced with something more... intimate.
 
When their affections blossomed into amour, Briggs decided to hatch a daring - albeit,
completely improvised - escape plan to steal his beloved away from the Company and their
inhumane experimentations on her. One intense and near-fatal battle led to another, but
eventually both he and his alien lover managed to overpower their enemies and escape their
oppressors to arrive safely upon their new planet sanctuary. 
 
Five years by Earth-time had come and gone since they settled on Xenosis. Their ship, the
Costaguana, was docked just on the outskirts of the jungle by the shore and had since become
ensnared by the near-unbreakable carnivorous vines that acted as a natural anchor for the
vessel. Outside of the ship was a strangely domestic sight amongst the savagery of the rest of
the planet. A clothesline construction where various clothes and animal skins billowed softly
in the breeze; some domesticated local animals were milling about in their pens, chewing the
cud and lowing to each other calmly, and outside of the ship's entrance was an large stack of
firewood arranged in a triangular formation in preparation for the coming winter.
 
Meanwhile, Briggs was slumped in a wooden deckchair and basking in the red sun, allowing
it to darken his already impressive tan. One benefit he found whilst living on a planet with
increased gravity was the effect it had on his muscles. Where once his body had fallen out of
shape, given his monotonous duty aboard the Weyland-Yutani starship, now his body was in
peak physical condition - save for the wound in his leg. Sweat glistened and beaded down his
toned biceps and washboard abs as he gazed out towards the calm ocean water at his dark
angel, Ellen, as she gracefully slithered through the water like an eel. Her elongated head and
four long dorsal spines on her back sliced along the surface like the fin of a shark. He smiled
in admiration as her smooth, curvaceous form swayed seductively before she fully submerged
- though not before deliberately flashing her glossy rear in his direction and flicking water at
him with her long bladed tail. He chuckled as he tried to shield himself from the cold spray
that showered him.
 
Time had marched on, as time does, and yet she looked just as young and magnificent as the
day he’d first met her way back when on the Company ship. Age clearly held a different
meaning for xenomorphs than it did for humans. Briggs, on the other hand, had grown
slightly weathered over the years. He had grown out his hair and beard and fashioned
himself a leather eye patch to hide his disfigurement. Coupled with the homemade leather
and fur clothing he’d tailored to replace the thoroughly worn-out military fatigues, he looked
more like an old hermit than the reasonably well-kempt marine of his youth.
 
Human appearances mattered nothing to Ellen. She loved him with all her heart and soul,
and would often enjoy combing through his hair with her long sharp fingernails. His dream
of a loving family and a home by the sea had come true - albeit not quite as he had envisioned
it. He leaned his head back and stared up towards the golden sky to admire a flock of
beautiful alien birds that soared through the clouds. He held in his hand a glass containing a
cocktail mix of various fruit juices. Nothing on Earth came close to the refreshing taste of this
nectar of the gods. He raised the glass of reddish liquid in the air and made a toast to a dear
friend, light-years away.

“Here's to you, Sammy. I finally made it. Wish you were here to see it.”
 
The blazing sun was now directly overhead, virtually cooking him like an egg on a hot
sidewalk.

“Man, it's hotter than an Arizona barbecue,” he joked to himself as the sweat poured off his
sweltering body. At least his sense of humor hadn’t changed over the last few years. Ellen
resurfaced with a splash her face pulled into a smile as she dragged behind her an enormous
shark-like creature by its tail, with blood gushing from it's eye where it's brain had been
speared by her deadly tail.

“That’s dinner sorted out for tonight, I suppose,” he said with a deep sigh. “I really hate
seafood.”

 
●●●●●

Family dinner was a tradition Briggs was adamant about preserving every night. Together
with his wife and two children, they’d sit around a large, round table in the ship's mess hall
and partake in the meals Ellen hunted and he prepared in the galley. Conversation often
revolved around the activities they’d all been up to throughout the day, which was more or
less the same thing they did every day. Regardless, he wasn't overly-concerned about the
repetition of the subject matter; he simply enjoyed sharing in the company of his family.
 
It had only been five years and yet both children had grown exponentially in that short span
of time. To anyone who didn't know better, they would probably mistake them for young
teenagers. He knew full well that xenomorphs grew from “chestburster” to adulthood
virtually overnight, so he logically concluded that that genetic trait must have also carried
over to them. 
 
Ariana was the younger of the two siblings. She was only two years old yet already possessed
the body, mind and bratty attitude of a thirteen-year-old. She had also taken after her
mother and wanted to be like her more than anything else - even if it meant abandoning her
own humanity. Her obsessive passion for all things related to hunting, fighting and killing
had most certainly been passed down from the xenomorph side, though admittedly, she
wasn’t particularly good at any of them. What she lacked in talent, however, she more than
made up for in enthusiasm, which slightly unnerved her father. Appearance-wise, she looked
like a regular teenage girl, with straight, jet black hair that came down to her lower back,
and porcelain-white skin one could compare to a carefully-crafted doll. She also happened to
inherit a long, slender tail with the signature serrated blade at the tip, sharp talon-like nails
and sharp teeth. Unlike her mother, however, she was dressed in finely handmade leather
clothes which had been fashioned from various animal hides. No child of his, alien or
otherwise, was going to be seen wandering around naked.
 
Christopher - so-named after Briggs' late father - was much quieter and reserved than his
sister. Whilst Ariana relished in physical, outdoor activities, Christopher preferred to study
and meditate in quiet solitude in his quarters. For a boy as young as he was, he was already
intellectually brilliant, with an insatiable hunger for knowledge and learning. If there had
been a school on this planet, he surely would have aced every class with honors. Just like his
mother, all he needed were a few words or symbols and he could speak any language fluently
as if it were his native tongue. He already spoke enough languages to be considered a hyper
polyglot. If he kept going the way he did, Briggs thought, he could very well become the
smartest person in the galaxy. Not a bad legacy to leave behind. With an appearance that
resembled that of a sixteen-year-old human, he was almost the spitting image of his father.
He wasn’t quite as tall as Briggs, and he didn’t possess a tail, claws, or sharp teeth, but his
body was certainly more xenomorphic in appearance, particularly his protruding ribcage.
The only other trait he’d inherited from his mother was her indomitable strength. Were he
inclined to do so, he could rip a tree right out of the ground with his bare hands. Another gift
that Briggs thought was being criminally underutilized.
 
Ellen didn’t mind that her children bore little resemblance to herself. Considering she wasn't
a pure-blooded xenomorph in the first place, but rather a genetically-altered hybrid of
human and alien DNA, she wasn’t surprised that their xenomorphic aspects would be
diluted. To her, they were the most beautiful creatures in the entire universe and she
wouldn’t have them any other way. Briggs also understood that if the Company ever became
aware of the existence of two perfectly-healthy, home-grown human/xeno hybrids, they
would quadruple their efforts of capturing them alive. Sometimes, he wished they’d chosen to
settle on a planet even further away than this one - perhaps in another galaxy altogether.
Still, if the day ever came when the Company did end up knocking on their front door, he
and Ellen would be more than ready to do anything and everything in their power to keep
their children safe.
 
"How is the ship’s core, my love?" Ellen spoke up to initiate the night’s conversation.
"Well, considering the core was designed to take ships across the galaxy and back, I'd say
we've got about... five-hundred-thousand years before we need to replace it," Briggs replied.
“Don’t worry, we won’t be going cold this winter as far as power is concerned. We just need
to make sure our food stores are well-stocked before then.”
 
“Then I shall endeavour even harder to replenish our supplies,” said Ellen, almost
apologetically.
 
“You don’t need to go overboard just yet, babe. That shark-thing you caught today will easily
last at least a week or five.”
 
“I still don’t know why I can’t go out and hunt for food, too!” Ariana interrupted; her
completely-obsidian eyes narrowed to give her father a challenging look. “I’d bring home the
biggest, meanest animal on this whole planet and we’d never go hungry!”
 
“I admire your confidence, young lady, but you’re nowhere near ready to go off hunting by
yourself. It’s all fun and games when you’re practicing close to home where your mother and
I can sense you, but if you get lost or get into serious trouble, we won’t be around to bail you
out. We still don’t even fully-know what kind of dangers to expect from this world.”
 
“Then Mom can come with me to protect me as I hone my skills,” the girl bargained.
“There’s nothing in the world that can stand a chance against Mom! She’s the most fiercest
warrior in the universe!”
 
“You’re not wrong there, kiddo,” he replied. “Your mother is a force to be reckoned with.
Just be sure to not get on her bad side, and always let her win the argument.”
 
“I have you trained well, it seems,” Ellen smirked. “Though, I am inclined to believe you
secretly enjoy all the spankings.” The pair broke out into a wholesome laugh together.
 
“So, can I go out into the jungle next time, pleeeeeease?” Ariana interrupted her parents’
merriment; rolling her eyes at the lovey-dovey gaze the two engaged in. Briggs turned to
Ellen and gave an expression akin to “well?”.
 
“I--” she hesitated at being put on the spot. “I would not be completely opposed.” 
 
“Alright then. Your mother will come with you the next time we need fresh meat. But you do
everything she tells you, understand? Meanwhile, I’ll stay home and keep my eye on Young
Einstein over there.” Briggs looked across the table at Christopher, who had his head buried
deeply in a book thicker than a dictionary, oblivious to his father’s verbal nudge to
participate in the conversation. “Ground Control to Major Chris,” he repeated. No response.
 
“HEY, NERD!” Ariana blurted out as she slammed her clawed hands on the table.
Christopher was abruptly snapped out of his trance and looked around at his family as they
looked back at him.
 
“S-sorry, everyone. I was just reading up on hyper-engineering. Fascinating stuff! Did you
know the fastest recorded speed a hyperengine has ever travelled was a quintillion miles per
hour? That’s a number that destroys all concepts of time and space. It was first developed for
use on the starship, Ex Infinitus, to travel between universes!”
 
“I did not know that. Thank you for sharing that with the class, son.” Briggs said. He
sincerely meant it, too. There was something about his son’s enthusiasm that made the
occasional info-dumps endearing.
 
“It literally smashes through the very fabric of space to travel from point A to point B! There
are even some who postulate that hyperengines are the key to time travel,” ther boy
continued; his face practically glowing from the excitement bubbling within him.
 
“Uuuugh! That is so boring!” Ariana groaned. “All you ever do is talk about science and
space and useless shit like that.”
 
“Ariana!” Briggs barked. Her attitude, especially towards her brother, was getting worse
every day. He wondered if she would grow out of it soon or if they would have to come up
with measures to counteract this behaviour before it got out of hand.
 
“Hunting and dominance are what really matters in this world!” she held up her knife,
menacingly. “You can’t build a rocket if you’re dead.” 
 
“Science isn’t boring or useless, you simple-minded Neanderthal,” Christopher retorted.
 
“What did you just call me, bookworm?!” Ariana hissed and bared her sharp fangs that
would surely scare any normal human into submission. Christopher, however, didn’t seem
the slightest bit affected by the threat. “Say it again, I dare you!”
 
“Children, please calm yourselves at the dinner table,” Ellen tried her best to reason without
succumbing to anger.
 
“If the engine in the ship ever failed, you’re going to need to do more than bash it with a rock
to get it going again.” Christopher’s pale face was turning bright red. “Without science, you
wouldn’t be living so comfortably right now! You’d be living in a damp cave somewhere,
freezing your bony backside off because you’re too dumb to figure out how to build a fire,
and starving to death because you’re too weak to kill anything!”
 
With her fangs bared and claws outstretched, Ariana exploded from her seat and almost flew
across the table to get at her brother. Luckily for the pair of them, their mother was the faster
as she curled her chitinous fingers around Ariana’s waist and yanked her back in one
graceful motion.
 
“I hope a predator comes to kill you, Chris!” Ariana snapped as she bared her fanged teeth.
“Then maybe you can bore it to death with all your stupid talk about space engineering!”
 
"You see her behaviour? She's a complete bully and a psychopath. She belongs in the jungle
with the rest of the feral beasts!" Christopher shouted back; his eyes darting from his
parents to his sister and back again.
 
"Ariana, I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but I don't much care for the way you're
treating your brother," said her father; his voice stern and yet gentle in a way only a parent
could talk. “If he wants to read his books in peace, then just leave him to it. What’s it got to
do with you what his hobbies are?”
 
"You'll never be like Mother," the boy spat. "You're just an unstable little monster. It's no
wonder you're so obsessed with killing all the time. We'd all be a lot safer without you
around planning to murder us in our sleep."
 
“Son, you're not helping."
 
“I'm only being true to what I am," said Ariana. "Last time I checked, you were part
xenomorph, too. At least I’ve embraced that side of me, unlike you. Hiding in your room
behind your books all day like you think you're somehow any different to me. Are you
ashamed of what you are?"
 
"YES!" the boy blurted out before he realized what he'd said. His eyes widened with shock.
"I mean--no..." But it was too late. The cat was out of the bag and an uncomfortable silence
filled the room. Ellen remained silent but Briggs could feel her heart breaking.
 
"M-Mother, I-I didn't mean it like that..." Chris stammered; his face paling as he looked at
his mother, pleadingly.
 
"Well done, genius. You made Mom sad. But it is nice to finally meet the real you." Ariana's
remark was even more acidic than the blood coursing through her veins.
 
“That’s enough. Go to your quarters, right now. You’re grounded, young lady,” Briggs
ordered, sternly. 
 
“But Dad--”
 
“NOW!"
 
"Fine! Not like there's anything to do on this stupid planet, anyway," she muttered as she
slammed her palm on the bulkhead's control panel on the way out to seal it shut. The
remaining trio quietly resumed their meal as the awkward silence hung over them like an
ominous cloud.  
 
"Dessert, anyone?" 
 
●●●
 
Ariana stomped down the corridors in a temper, scraping her sharp talons against the walls
and chuntering to herself as she cursed the whole world. “Stupid [inaudible]... Lousy
[indecipherable]... Who are they to [indiscernible]...”
 
"What troubles you, Little One?" a calm, feminine voice spoke from above like an angel.
Ariana screamed in terror and stumbled backwards. She lost her footing and fell on the
ground; her buttocks aching from the impact. Clinging to the ceiling above her was the
massive, black chitinous form of her dear mother; a monstrous sight for anyone who did not
expect her to be there.
 
“Mom!” she cried out. “What are you doing up there?”
 
"My apologies for startling you, dear,” said Ellen, almost sarcastically. Her face sparkled
with an emotion Ariana couldn’t quite decipher. “I would have thought you would have
gotten used to the way I navigate these halls by now."
 
“How do you even do that? I didn’t even see or hear you,” Ariana asked in awe of her
mother’s ninja-like stealth.
 
Ellen chuckled and reached out a clawed hand to gently remove a strand of Ariana's hair
from her face. “Raising two little tykes like you and Christopher has taught me how to be
everywhere at once.”
 
“Very funny,” the girl responded; her voice dry and barely containing the turmoil of
emotions raging within her mind. “I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.”
 
“I had a feeling that would be the case. I will have to secrete more resin on those scratch-
marks you made to the walls. This ship is looking more like a hive with all the damage you
are causing to it.”
 
“I’m just... frustrated, Mom. I feel like I’m going to explode if I don’t get out of here. It’s like
there’s this thing inside my chest that’s desperately biting and clawing to get out and I can’t
do anything about it.” 
 
"I completely understand,” said Ellen. 
 
“I need to hunt, Mom! It’s just who I am. I’m sorry for being so hot-tempered about it, but it
feels like no-one in this family understands me.”
 
“I am the one that should apologize for not nurturing your xenomorphic heritage more often.
It was selfish of me to try and suppress those urges deep inside you. I guess I was simply
trying to protect you from yourself; to not let you stray too far into the darkness that you lose
yourself along the way.”
 
“Does this mean we can hunt for real?! I promise I’ll listen to you and do everything you
say.”
 
“Very well, my little huntress,” said her loving mother. “Now, try to get some rest.
Tomorrow, your first real hunt begins."
“But Dad said I was grounded.”

“Do not worry about your father. I have my own special ways of changing his mind.”

“Oh?” … “Ew!”
 Chapter 3

Settling into their night together, Ellen and Briggs were enjoying their precious alone time
with a relaxing game of chess on their fur-covered bed. They loved having their kids around
more than anything but sometimes a little intimacy was a valued thing. The man was sitting
cross-legged, whilst the xenomorph was sprawled out like a cat with her long bladed tail
wrapped around them in a protective circle. They took turns moving their respective pieces
along the wooden board. They were his personal masterpiece: hand-carved from the teeth of
a rather large and ferocious animal that they’d hunted together during the early days of their
arrival on Xenosis. 

The room itself was decorated with a plethora of handcrafted wooden ornaments and
polished animal skulls. A macabre sight perhaps, but Briggs had become fascinated by all the
unusual skulls you could find within the local fauna. Their designs differed greatly from the
ones he knew from his home planet. The excessively-horned skull of a creature resembling a
dragon proudly overlooking their bed was one of his personal favourites. After all, it took
them both nearly the entire day to kill it.
 
“Dinner went a lot better than it usually does,” the man sighed as he moved a pawn two
squares across the board. “Chris actually stood up for himself and Ariana did what I told her
to do for a change. Maybe things are finally starting to improve around here.”
 
“Every family has its challenges to overcome," the xenomorph responded as she glancing up
at him with her dark, meaningful gaze. "The important thing is to face those challenges
together, as a family.”
 
“I always knew raising kids would be a challenge. I was totally prepared for that. But raising
two kids that are half xenomorph? I definitely deserve the ‘Father of the Century’ award or
something.”
 
“You are doing a wonderful job, my love," she reassured him as she moved her king forward.
"I could not have wished for a better husband and father for my children.”
 
“I’m just worried that Ariana’s taking this whole ‘hunting and dominating’ thing a bit too
far. Survival skills are essential to have, especially on a planet like this, but she’s still too
young to be this obsessed with the idea of killing things. Maybe her xenomorph side is
becoming a bit too dominant.”  He slid his knight into it's respective position.
 
“She is simply trying to find her way. It is a dangerous world out there and she is only doing
what she feels she must in order to survive in it. She is lucky to have a father like you to help
nurture her and guide her life in a more balanced direction. She really does look up to you."
 
“She doesn’t look up to me, Elle. She sees me as an opponent to defeat or a challenge to
overcome. I’m literally the white whale she’s made it her life’s mission to conquer. At this
rate, I’m going to have to sleep with my one eye open. Besides, it’s you she admires and wants
to be like. I’m starting to think she resents her human heritage.”
 
“She does not hate you. Do not forget that I know what she feels at all times, and what I know
she feels when she looks at you is a very deep and real sense of love and veneration. You are
her hero.” Ellen slid her rook across the board.
 
“I hope you’re right. Chris, on the other hand, is an entirely different kettle of fish. He’s a
complete pacifist. All he ever wants to do is read and study, which isn’t necessarily a bad
thing, I guess. But having a more hands-on experience with the outside world would be far
more beneficial for him than simply reading about it. I think I might take him out into the
world and try to get some bonding going.” He slid his bishop along the tiles, diagonally.
 
“You already share a bond with him, remember?”
 
“I meant in the flesh, as father and son. Get him to come out of his shell a bit more. His body
might have aged practically overnight, and his intelligence is quite impressive, but he still has
a lot of growing up to do. They both do.”
 
“It seems we both have our work cut out for us,” she said as she picked up another one of his
pieces.  
 
Briggs promptly moved his Queen and claimed another of hers in return. “Checkmate.” 
 
“That makes five times you have defeated me,” Ellen congratulated. “You have really
mastered this game.”

“I was just lucky to have an amazing teacher.”Briggs picked up the pieces and stowed them
back inside their ornate wooden box. Woodworking was another hobby he’d taken up during
his tenure on Xenosis. The trees of the planet grew back miraculously fast, providing him
with a limitless supply of fuel and raw materials from which to craft all the furniture and
decorations of their home. Thankfully, it also meant he never needed to venture too far into
the jungle to procure it. He could chop a tree down and three more would have taken its
place by the very next week.
 
“Rewarding progress with pleasure has always been an effective motivator,” Ellen said,
rubbing her smooth domed head up and down his back. She made a noise akin to a cat’s
purr, only it was about four octaves deeper and would’ve certainly sounded terrifying to
most people. “Speaking of positive reinforcements...”
 
“Already?” he replied with a devilish grin. “Someone’s eager tonight.”
 
"You always enjoyed the feel of my carapace against your body," she replied, increasing her
smooth, sensual massaging before slowly moving up to the back of his neck where she
planted a loving "lick" of her inner maw on his skin. "This should help put your mind at
ease, do you agree?"
 
“You always did know how to get me in the mood." His hands travelled across his partner's
back, teasing her dorsal tubes before landing squarely against her buttocks. He gave it a firm
squeeze and sank his fingers into the latex-like flesh. She began to gently rock back and
forth; each time pushing his cock deeper and deeper inside of her. As she did so, her whole
body rubbed against him in the most sensual way. The sensation of her smooth flesh and
hard ribs felt simply orgasmic. As her breasts rubbed up and down against his bearded face,
he desperately licked and kissed them with raw ecstasy.

"Mmm, does the taste of my breasts arouse you that much?" she sighed with mock-
exasperation as her mouth pulled into a smile. "I can feel you getting harder inside me. Show
me how much you love them. Lick them! Kiss them! I want to hear your moans of pleasure,
human!"

She sank her chest onto his head even more and began to fuck his cock even harder - the
pressure of her tight pussy now crushing his shaft like a hot, lubricated vice. He couldn't cum
now even if he wanted to. Still, the pain was nowhere near a match for the pleasure he felt in
this moment. Their bed began to crack and splinter around them as their fucking intensified.
He let out a muffled groan straight into her chest that seemed to reverberate throughout her
body, sending a tingling sensation along her spine into the very tip of her tail. He couldn't get
enough of her. He desperately wanted to get deeper inside her; for their bodies to literally
become one.

As she fucked the human relentlessly like a toy, the more he felt the build-up in his balls
intensify. He wasn’t going to last much longer, and no amount of “thinking about nothing”
could prevent his body from betraying him. Moans of pleasure became louder with every
thrust, and the heat they generated gathered as a thick sheen of sweat over his skin.
 
“Yes! Yes! YES!" Ellen screamed as she felt his penetrating cock hitting just the right spot to
bring her closer to climax. She leaned back and placed her own hands over his as they
continued to fondle her breasts. A few more fast and furious thrusts later, she fully extended
her inner maw as she ROARED with rapturous ecstasy when she finally reached her climax,
soaking both him and the covers of the bed with her juices. As her warm fluids gushed out all
over him, his entire body seized up as he thrust himself upwards, spurting his own hot semen
inside her. Feeling his warmth fill up her insides, Ellen leaned down and gave him a wet,
passionate kiss as they both continued to thrust, riding out the wave of their orgasms until
the stimulation became too much to bear. Exhausted and utterly satisfied, they blissfully laid
together in a loving embrace, gasping heavily; his softening cock still buried deep inside her.

"God, that was amazing. I seriously needed that." Once he had caught his breath again and
his heart was no longer trying to burst out of his chest, he turned his perspiring head to gaze
out of the window towards the starry night sky. The ensnared moon they had jokingly named
“Xenith” gleamed high above them, casting its mysterious light over the planet like a blanket
of snow. He laid in quiet contemplation until something peculiar caught his eye. “That’s
funny.”
 
“What is it, my love?” Ellen asked as she nuzzled closer to him; her elongated dome resting
just under his chin. 
 
“A shooting star broke off into two pieces. Does that mean we get to make two wishes?”
 
“That won’t be necessary. Everything I could possibly want is right here.” She gave him a
loving peck on the lips with her inner-maw before snuggling back up to him.  
 
He slid his hand under his pillow, retrieving a long, rectangular wooden box and presented it
to her.
 
“Oh? What is this?” she asked as she accepted it from him with a sense of curiosity.
 
“I know it’s early days yet, but if I spent any more time thinking about it, you might just read
my thoughts and the surprise would be ruined. It’s a pain trying to keep anything a secret
from you.”
 
She carefully pried off the lid, eager to see what mystery it contained. Inside the box rested a
long, pearl necklace that had been lovingly polished and woven together with a great deal of
effort. 

“Surprise! Happy anniversary, Ellen.” A grin spread over his lips as he waited for her
response, eager to see if she would love it as much as he hoped she would.
 
“Oh, my...” she gasped, her palm hovering over her mouth in disbelief. “How-- When-- I have
not the words to describe this feeling…” She delicately lifted the necklace up with her long
fingernails and examined the little pearlescent orbs in closer detail. “They are absolutely
beautiful.”
 
Briggs gently picked up the ends of the necklace between his fingers and hooked them
together behind her neck. “You wouldn’t believe how it was driving me nuts trying to
mentally hide this from you, but I was determined to make this year’s present a special one. I
know you’ve always been adverse to wearing clothes, so I thought this would be a fitting
compromise.” He allowed it to fall from his fingers so that it hung across her chest; the stark
contrast of the white pearls against her pitch-black body was simply stunning.
 
“I adore it, Joshua. I cannot even begin to thank you enough.”

"You know, I don't necessarily have to be thanked with words," he replied with a wry grin
and a raised eyebrow.

The xenomorph looked at him sharply in surprise. "You can not be serious. Again? Are all
humans as sex-crazed as you?"

He passionately kissed her on the lips and fondled her breast once again, feeling the life
surging back into his penis.

"Every damn one of us."

 Chapter 4

To human eyes, the world appeared an indecipherable cacophony of black and blue, with the
occasional lonely spot of bright red, but to one who was not human, this vision they saw was
as natural as drawing in breath. The sounds of the jungle were muffled and distorted -
accompanied by the strange, rhythmic thrum of an alien heartbeat. A digital audio equalizer
bar lowered down vertically into view on the left-hand side, analyzing the various sounds it
detected and saving them should the need arise to study them further. The solid black
silhouette of a clawed, five-fingered hand rose into view, forming a tightly-clenched fist. 
 
Her time had come again. Another game had begun. One more chance to prove herself
worthy of hunting alongside a clan of seasoned warriors. To prove herself to her sire, the
High Chieftain of the Brotherhood of Yautja. Before, she was overconfident in her skill and
she almost paid the heaviest price for her hubris. She wasn’t going to fail a second time, lest
death be her only prize. In this mission there were no shortcuts, no preferential treatment. It
was either do or die. Kill or be killed.
 
She was still young and new to the life of the intergalactic trophy-hunting that her race was
infamous for throughout the universe. But once you commit yourself to that way of life, there
is no going back, lest you incur a death penalty for cowardice. Anyone who dared to turn
their backs on the Way was thought to bring shame upon the dignity of their Elder, their
house, and their race. That was an offence no other trophy would forgive. The Hunt was
considered a sacred rite of passage, and in her world, anyone too frightened or otherwise
incapable of hunting was considered to be lower caste of society. They were scum to be
sneered at and spat upon, reviled, and oftentimes reduced to indentured servitude or worse.
There was no way she would allow that to be her destiny.
 
She was issued with the standard arsenal all her brethren took with them on their hunts: a
gauntlet with built-in razor-sharp, acid-proof blades that extended outwards for melee
combat; a shoulder-mounted plasma caster for the more bothersome quarry, and a self-
destruct device to be used only as a final resort that was meant to ensure that she would not
be captured and could die with dignity, but to erase any trace left behind of her existence so
no-one could reverse-engineer their technology to be used against them. Not that anyone
would dare try.
 
She reached behind her back and pulled out her personal weapon of choice: a deadly
telescopic trident made from a precious mineral found nowhere else in the universe but on
her homeworld. The device sharply extended outwards from both ends, and from one end,
two serrated blades snapped open to form the head of the trident itself. She both examined it
for any flaws and admired it for its lethal beauty. Satisfied that she had made the right
choice, she allowed the weapon to retract back into its compact form with loud, gaseous
clicks.
 
A terrifying, animalistic roar boomed in the distance, causing the ground to quake and the
tree she was perched in to reverberate. The Predator stood and turned to face the direction in
which fearsome sound originated; the manner of creature it came from would surely earn
her the respect of her peers, and most importantly, her sire. But game-hunting wasn’t merely
about the size of the skull itself, it was about how intuitive, resourceful, and capable of
fighting back your quarry was in battle. After all, there was no sport in going after simple
beasts who attacked out of pure instinct alone.
 
The young-blooded Yautja activated her cloaking device which enveloped her entire body in
complete glass-like transparency. Only whenever she moved did the shimmering of the
refracted light give her position away. She effortlessly bounded from her perch; from tree to
tree and branch to branch across the jungle to meet her prey. There was no-one in this world
that would be a match for her and absolutely nothing would stand in her way to honour and
glory.

●●●●●

 
“I honestly don’t see the point in this exercise, Father,” Chris moaned in annoyance as his
feet dragged and kicked up dirt and detritus in his slothful wake. “Hiking through the
burning jungle is a fool’s errand. There’s absolutely nothing to gain from doing this. Who
knows what kind of wild carnivores roam around here.”
 
Leading the way was Briggs in his brown pelt and carrying his ever-reliant walking staff that
he’d engraved intricate Aztecan-inspired patterns onto. The man marched ahead, keeping
the pace despite the pain sizzling through his leg with every other step and his son’s constant
whining slowly beginning to get on his last nerve. “Jesus, Chris. You don’t half moan. The
‘point’ is to get you out of the ship and into the real world for a change. It’s all very well and
good reading about trees but it’ll never replace the experience of actually touching one.”
 
“I’ve touched plenty of trees, Father. What do you think books are made of?”
 
“That's funny. You should be a comedian." 
 
They continued their slow, plodding trek into the wilderness as the heat of the day only
increased. It didn’t take long until both of them were considerably hot, tired and irritable. 
 
“I just wanted us to do a bit of bonding, as fathers and sons normally do,” the man groaned;
clenching his teeth and forcing himself to endure the pain in his leg and his ears as the
ground began to incline. “Is that honestly too much to ask? I’m not gonna be around forever,
and when I’m gone, you’ll probably regret not having times like these to look back on.” 
 
“Then why couldn’t we have bonded over something I’m passionate about? Forcing both of
us to do this will only germinate feelings of resentment and hostility. Not that I want that, of
course, but a better idea to increase our familial bonding would have been fishing or a simple
game of catch as we discussed girls. Not that there are any girls on this planet to discuss, aside
than Mother and Ariana.”
 
“You never know, son. There might be a nice girl out there waiting for you, and you’d miss
your chance with her because you’d rather spend all your time indoors instead. Nothing
more tragic in life than missing out on true love.”
 
“I doubt there’s anyone else out there with a developed brain capable of intelligent
conversation. Just face it, Father: our family line is going to be very short lived.” 
 
“It’s a big planet, son. Who knows? We might have just settled in some kind of national park
and there are actually other towns and settlements out there. That’s the idea behind these
little excursions, m'boy: to get a better lay of the land and to make allies wherever possible.”
 
“Even if there are other people out there, it would be far wiser for us to not make them aware
of our existence. History has always been replete with warring factions and wanton
bloodshed. The last thing we need is some primitive tribe carving out our hearts as a sacrifice
to their gods for a bountiful harvest.”
 
“That's pretty grim. What books have you been reading?”
 
“All of them. I’ve pretty much read the ship’s entire library.”
 
Briggs turned back towards his lagging son, completely awestruck by what he just heard.
“You’ve read the ship’s entirelibrary? There must have been millions of books stored in that
archive.”
 
“Billions. It was a very productive day.”
 
Briggs cleared his throat, unsure if his son was just making a joke or not. “Alright then, Will
Hunting. Just remember that knowledge in and of itself isn’t power. Knowledge put into
practice is power. Let’s see you make use of all that learning and do something to make our
trip a more pleasant one, eh? You know how to build a shelter and a fire? Theoretically, of
course.”
 
“I’ve read enough to understand the basics of outdoor survival. Indeed, establishing a base in
which to erect a shelter and a fire would be the appropriate course of action.”
 
“Then let’s get cracking, Bear Grylls. Tell you what. You can be in charge during our
camping trip. What you say goes. Sound good?”
 
“That does sound like it could be... fun.” A small smile formed on Chris’s tired face.
 
Briggs rested his arm over his son’s shoulders before they resumed their walk, side-by-side; a
feeling of triumph blooming in his chest at the sight of his slightly-improved mood. “This is
going to be a weekend worth remembering.”

●●●●●

 
“There you are,” Ariana whispered to herself as she kept herself hidden among the jungle’s
creeping overgrowth. Off in the distance, obscured by the bushes was an animal that closely
resembled a boar, with a heavy, mace-like tail, a thick-plated spine, and a flat head sprouting
short horns. Though the meat would be tough and generally unpleasant, there would be
plenty of it to stave off their hunger for the rest of the day. A creature like this wasn’t exactly
the most challenging of game they could have found, but it was the first creature they’d
happened upon since they’d entered the jungle several hours ago and Ellen reasoned it would
still make for good hunting practice for Ariana. 

“It might just be a stupid pig, but you should not startle it or else--” Ellen's voice called down
as she sat in a tree branch above, keeping a watchful eye on her young protégé.
 
“I know how to do this, Mom! Please let me concentrate," Ariana scolded her mother as she
clenched the spear in her sweating palms. 

The xenomorph sighed and relented; leaning back against the tree and casually swayed her
leg and tail back and forth. She continued to observe the novice in action, ready to react
within a split-second when she knew something would inevitably go wrong. 

“I've got this. I won’t let this of all things get the better of me.” The young girl eyed the boar
and its many red stripes which made it somewhat difficult to make out amongst the dense
foliage. Whilst Ariana shared some of her mother's heightened senses, her adolescence made
it hard to keep them under control, and they often clashed with her vision. After a few tense
seconds of staring and waiting for the right opportunity to strike, she managed to figure out
its exact position. She stepped forward and crouched low.
 
“Don not forget to--” the voice on high chimed in with a tone of expectant failure.
 
“Mom!” the girl hushed louder, almost spooking the dull beast.
 
“Pardon me, dear. You know best.” Ellen decided to just kick back, relax and enjoy the
show. It was obvious her years of wisdom and experience were falling on deaf ears. The only
way stubborn children like Ariana could learn was through pain and failure, and failure was
something Ariana knew in abundance. 
 
The little huntress prowled along the creature's perimeter, circling over to its rear. She
smiled and bared her fangs in anticipation. It hadn't moved from its position on the jungle
floor, and its slow, relaxed breathing indicated that it had not yet noticed the presence of the
hunter. Nearing a favourable position, she began to move forward as carefully as possible.
 
SNAP
 
The girl froze like a rabbit in the headlights of an oncoming truck; her heart coming to a
complete stop. She looked down at a small twig that had split under her clumsy heel. “Oops.” 
 
The animal gave an angered squeal as it exploded forth from the bush and charged directly
into the path of the young girl; an unstoppable force threatening to tear her down. The gap
between them grew smaller and smaller until she was suddenly yanked up into the air by the
scruff of her collar. The beast continued to bolt into its initial trajectory right beneath her,
and in a flash it was away and into the jungle before Ariana was dropped back onto the floor
with a soft thud. 
 
“Shit! Shit! SHIT!” the girl cursed and pounded the ground with her fists.
 
“Our dinner is getting away,” Ellen reminded her as she clung to the tree trunk. “You can
not give up so easily. Get up and go after it or we will not have anything to eat.”
 
“What? It's miles away by now. Aren’t you going to help me?” the girl cried up to her
mother, her eyes glinting with both humiliation and anger.
 
“I just did, did I not? If that animal had struck you head-on, you would have been severely
injured or worse. You did not even have the sense to jump out of its path, electing instead to
stand there as still as a dead tree. Perhaps now you finally realize you are not as skilled as you
believe yourself to be.”
 
“It’s not fair! You never needed help to become a great warrior.” The young girl began to
softly weep; her little fists clenched at her sides. “I just want to be like you, Mom.”
 
“That is not entirely true, my beloved. There were many times where I needed the help of
another.”
 
“What do you mean? Whose help could you have possibly needed?”
 
“Your father, of course. As strong as I am, I could not have gotten this far without him by my
side. I would undoubtedly have died long ago if not for him.”
 
Ariana stared up at her mother in confusion. “Dad saved your life? But… but he’s just a
human.”
 
“A human who has saved my life many times. Without him, I would still be confined to a tiny
prison cell, being cruelly tested and experimented on. Without him, I would most definitely
have been terminated. And without him, I would never have been able to reach the safety of
this beautiful world.” Ellen knelt beside her daughter and comforted her like a dark blanket.
“There is more to survival than merely strength, my child. Humans have understood and
mastered this - your father especially. He is resourceful, smart (mostly) and knows how
others think. Just look at the home he has made for us. He has sacrificed much for both our
sakes out of love. This life is something I could never have given you.”
 
Ariana looked down at the dirt she sat upon. One of her clawed fingers tapped idly against
her knee as her head was working to process what her mother had just told her. “What could
he do that you couldn’t?”
 
“He fought with me by my side and it cost him a great deal. Where do you suppose those
injuries he is burdened with came from? I shall tell you. After we escaped the ones who held
me prisoner, we were ambushed by a man.”
 
“A man... like Dad?” 
 
“Absolutely nothing like your father. It would be more accurate to call him a monster. But
truthfully, he was a machine of some kind, and he was far stronger than I.”
 
“That can’t be true!” the girl exclaimed in disbelief.
 
“If your father had not been there, I would have surely perished. That villain took your
father’s eye and permanently wounded his leg, amongst many other injuries that very nearly
resulted in his demise. It was only by working together that we were able to overcome and
ultimately defeat him.”

Ellen reflected on her words and the memories they brought back. To this day, she felt
tremendous guilt for coming out of that battle unscathed, whilst Briggs has to endure his
wounds for the rest of his life. The urge to embrace him and thank him for everything he
gave to keep her safe flooded over her, and she couldn’t wait to see him again. As her claws
gently stroked the pearlescent spheres of her necklace, she looked down at the young girl who
was gazing back up at her in reverent awe.

“Remember, my beloved: It is when we are alone that we are at our most vulnerable. So
please do not think so little of your father, or the fact that you are half-human. You and your
brother are the best of both worlds.”

She reached down to wipe a tear from Ariana’s soft, reddened cheek. The young girl flinched
slightly at first, not wanting her weakness to be acknowledged, but the gentle caress finally
softened her resolve. Ellen then softly lifted Ariana’s chin up.

“Come now, Little One. Dry your eyes. Your prey has left an easy trail to follow, and judging
by it’s scent, it has not fled too far away. There is still time to finish your hunt before the sun
goes down.”
 
“What if I fail again, Mom?”
 
“Then you get back up on your feet and try again. Learn from your failures. Use that anger
inside you to drive you to success. Someone dear to me once told me to never give up and now
I’m telling you, Ariana. You are my daughter, and I believe in you.”
 Chapter 5

Wandering through the vast celestial wilderness of space was a small mercenary ship
commissioned by Weyland-Yutani to track the whereabouts of a certain missing xenomorph
and its human abductor. Despite not having been able to recover any solid (or even gaseous)
evidence that the two had survived the thermonuclear explosion that destroyed the mining
facility on Gamma-Sigma, it was the Director of the Company starship himself who was
adamant in continuing the search. For some reason, his instincts wouldn't let it go that
something wasn’t right about the situation. It was all too convenient, and he wasn’t the type
to let things go that easily. A man like him certainly wasn’t going to be outsmarted by a buck
private and his pet alien. If there was even the hint of a chance that they were alive and
laughing at him from halfway across the galaxy, he would make it his life’s mission to
apprehend them and bring them to justice. His own particular brand of justice, that is.
 
Needless to say, space is infinite in all directions, and with billions of habitable worlds
relatively within arm's reach of Gamma-Sigma, it was most certainly going to be a long and
arduous search. Some would even say futile and pointless. Even if a thousand scouting ships
were to be deployed every hour of every day, there was still a slim-to-none chance of ever
locating them in a single lifetime. However, that small fact didn’t deter the four-man crew of
t h e Cerberus - veteran bounty hunters that had been personally commissioned by the
Director for their unblemished reputation for always catching their mark, no matter what
dark and seedy recesses of the galaxy they were hiding in. 
 
“Day three-hundred-and-eighty-five, and still no sign of this Briggs asshole or the bug he
stole. We’ve just about exhausted our resources for this trip, but Tanner believes he’s
stumbled upon a signature trail that leads directly to the orbital path of G.S. It’s faint, and
almost completely invisible to our sensors, like trying to track a shadow in the dark, but it’s
the only lead we have to go on. I’ll update you on the situation when we rendezvous with the
mothership for supplies. Hopefully, next time out, we’ll have better luck. Captain Nash,
signing off. End transmission.”
 
The disgruntled Captain slammed a fist down on a small computer panel on the armrest of
his chair before leaning back to firmly rub his weary eyeballs in frustration. “What a crock
of horseshit,” he swore under his breath. He has long-since begun to wonder if the bounty
was even worth it. Maybe he’ll demand a renegotiation of the terms of their contract when he
meets with the Director again. Add a few extra zeros to the sum they were promised. He
slowly opened his eyes again, and once the glittery kaleidoscope of phosphenes wore off, a
steaming-hot cup of coffee was staring back at him. It was indeed a more than welcome sight.

“Coffee, Captain? You looked like you needed it,” spoke a young and feminine voice.
 
“You're damn right I do. Thank you, Anna,” he said as he accepted the cup from her hand
and took a long sip. The rich flavor exploded in his mouth; the hot liquid burning his tongue
a little but he barely noticed it. “Mmm, good stuff.”
 
"Arcturian special blend. Nothing but the best for the Captain.” She was the youngest and
newest member of the crew, and by far the prettiest. Her presence alone made the voyage
easier for him, not only her appearance but also her kind and gentle smile that could light up
even the pitch-black void of space.

"I told you before, you can call me Nash. We're not so big on formality on this boat. We ain't
the army," he said, looking up and flashing her a smile that was supposed to be charming but
probably just betrayed his exhaustion.

“As you wish... Nash.” She returned his smile in kind.

Encouraged by this, he decided to continue the conversation. “So. Tell me why you so
vehemently wanted to join this motley crew of ours, kid. No offense, but you don’t exactly
strike me as the kind of person who’d take on this kind of work. You seem more the type to
press down a keyboard than a trigger.”

“I’m just looking to bring some semblance of justice to the galaxy, Cap-- Nash.”

“Then why not become a cop? It's far less dangerous than what we do.”

“Unfortunately, official police work tends to get you tied down with bureaucratic red tape
and jurisdictional nonsense. Bounty hunting allows you more flexibility to do what the law
can not. Plus, the reward money pays far better than a police officer's salary.”

“Ain’t that the goddamn truth. Speaking thusly, do you know how much the bounty on
Briggs’s head currently stands at?”

“I’m afraid I’m not privy to that information.”

“Thirty-five million dollars. Exclusive privilege, too - meaning there’s no-one out there
looking for them but us. Unsurprisingly, those corporate fat cats didn't go into too much
detail when they contracted us. ‘Apprehend the fugitive and the asset. No questions asked.
Full payment upon delivery’. Suffice it to say they consider them both extremely high
priority.”
 
“How did this one marine single-handedly manage to steal a xenomorph from a Weyland-
Yutani starship in the first place, and what do you suppose he planned to do with it? I studied
his profile shortly after I came on board to get a better understanding of the man. By all
accounts, Private Joshua Briggs is a hero. Given all the reports and references we gathered,
this whole thing seems wildly out of character for him. What could possibly possess a man
like that to do something so reckless?”
 
“My guess would be he planned to sell the thing to a rival corporation, or a terrorist faction
for a better pension. Either one is a terrifying possibility. I'm not sure which is worse - a bug
that's in the wrong hands or a bug that's out of hand. Whichever it is, it spells a world of hurt
for the rest of us.” Nash slouched down in his cracked and creased leather armchair and
exhaled loudly, examining the steaming cup of coffee in his hands. “All this trouble just for
one goddamn bug and a grunt.”
 
“We’ll definitely capture them both before anything happens, Nash,” Anna reassured him.
“You’ve caught slipperier fish than these before. I studied your profile, too. Over one-
hundred-and-fifty apprehensions of the galaxy’s most notorious outlaws, fugitives, and ne'er-
do-wells. Highly impressive work.”
 
“Are you always this optimistic or are you just ingratiating yourself to me?” He gave her a
playful wink.
 
“A bit of both,” she giggled without breaking eye contact with him. “It’s why I wanted to join
your crew. You always get your man.”
 
“I appreciate your vote of confidence, but something tells me this is the one fish that’s going
to slip right through our fingers. There’s no proof they’re even still alive, let alone anywhere
in this sector of the galaxy. Hell, we’ve got a higher chance of finding God out here than
them.”
 
“Yet here you are, still giving it your all, even if you know it could result in nothing. I’ve
always admired that.”
 
“Now you’re really blowing smoke up my ass.”

The beeping of a nearby console interrupted their pleasant conversation.

 
“Cap, I’ve detected something close to the ion trail we’re following. It’s very small and emits
a faint, repeating pulse pattern. Definitely artificial in nature,” another member of the crew
reported from his station.
 
“Tanner the Scanner, indeed. It's times like this I'm reminded why I hired you in the first
place."

Tanner, the ship's helmsman and overworked lackey, had a particular and invaluable talent
for detecting astrological anomalies so faint that even the ship’s sensors failed to pick them
up. “Can you bring it up on screen?”
 
“Done and done, Cap.” Tanner promptly adjusted the brim of his hat and his fingers were a
blur as they tapped a multitude of buttons across the bulky, metallic-grey console. It took less
than a second until the main viewscreen in front of them flickered to life. At first it seemed
like a black, empty hole in space, but Tanner quickly adjusted the settings and the
unmistakable silhouette of a heavily-mutilated man caked in a thick, glittery layer of ice and
dust appeared before them. 
 
“What is that?” Anna asked. 
 
“An artificial man, it seems,” Nash replied, nonchalantly.
 
“An android? Out here in the middle of literally nowhere?”
 
“Exactly. And I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. This android is probably involved with the
xenomorph somehow and could very well know where they are. Our fishing hook has just
become a net.”
 
“He looks in pretty bad shape, Cap. I'm worried the Claw might inadvertently cause more
damage to it than it's already sustained.”
 
“That’s a very good point, Mr. Tanner. We wouldn’t want to break the only lead we’ve had
in over a year now, would we? Thank you for volunteering to go out there and reel him in
yourself.”
 
Tanner’s face fell instantly. “Shit.”
 

●●●●●

 
The outer doors of the airlock creaked open far slower than designed, thanks to decades of
accumulated rust and micrometeoroid bombardment. The ship had definitely seen better
days, and keeping up appearances wasn’t exactly high on Nash's list of priorities. As long as
everything worked well enough to get them from A to B and didn’t threaten to leave them
stranded dead in space, he couldn’t care less about a few bumps and scratches. Something
about adding character to the ship, he said. Suddenly, the doors came to an abrupt halt,
leaving an opening that was too narrow for a man in a bulky space suit to fit through. A pair
of filthy, grey gloves emerged from between the gap and rested on the edges of the doors. 
 
“Fucking piece of shit,” the disgruntled Tanner moaned. “Nothing on this ship ever works.
Except for me.” 
 
“Hey, don’t you be badmouthing my baby,” Nash's voice crackled through the helmet’s
intercom.
 
“Maybe when we collect the reward money, we can buy ourselves a new one and sell her for
scrap,” Tanner grumbled, more to himself than the others but the comm still picked it up.
 
“Any more like that out of you and I’ll have you giving the old girl a fresh lick of paint. She may
be old but she’s got it where it counts. Plus, she’s got more character than any of these fancy
new ships on the market.”
 
“Sorry, Cap.” 
 
“Ain’t me you should be apologizing to.”
 
“You’re screwing with me... right?”
 
“Do I need you out there washing the windows, too?”
 
“Sorry… Cerberus,” Tanner spat through gritted teeth. He then strained with all his might
to part the doors wider, and through some divine miracle, they obeyed. “I’ll take that as
‘apology accepted’.”
 
“See? We’re all one big happy family.”
 
The astronaut stepped out in his bulky, and precariously worn-down, space suit and into the
eternal emptiness towards the icy corpse. He reached out and gently latched onto the
android’s muscular arm, sending a cloud of glittery particles of space-matter in all directions.
After discharging a small burst of gas from the thrusters of the maneuvering unit on his
back, both he and his catch came to a stop. 
 
“Update me if you would, Mr. Tanner.”
 
“I’ve successfully made contact with the android, Cap. Preparing to tow it back in.”
 
“Good man.”
 
Despite the order to just bring in the android there and then, curiosity got the better of
Tanner, so he decided to get a closer look at it's face before reeling it back in. He rotated the
android’s body and positioned its face closer to his visor, but the darkness was still obscuring
it too much to get a good look at. Turning on the beams on his helmet, he pulled it in as far as
possible and suddenly a horrifyingly-twisted and mangled grimace, locked in an expression of
pure hellish terror lit up before him.
 
“JESUS CHRIST!” Tanner screamed and recoiled away in such primal fear that he nearly
accidentally threw himself out into deep space. Its one eye glared right at him like a demonic
nightmare. The poor man choked and desperately gasped for air as he tried to calm himself
down. He had never been so scared in his entire life and being alone in space with this thing
staring back at him had quickly become the absolute last place he wanted to be.
 
“Tanner! W hat the hell’s going on out there?!” 
 
Strangely, the sound of Nash’s voice was reassuring to him, and after a painfully-long minute
of agonized breathing, his nerves all but settled down again. However, he didn't dare take his
gaze off the thing in front of him. Even a single blink was far too long without seeing it.
 
“I’m fine, Cap.,, I just got a glimpse of Hell, is all.” 
 
“Stop screwing around and get your ass back onto the ship, now.”
 
“Done and done.” He reluctantly placed his hand back onto the frozen corpse - fearful that
something else might unexpectedly jump out at him. "You're one ugly motherfucker, you
know that?"

With precise maneuvering of his thrusters, the astronaut rotated around in space with the
frozen body and headed back into the airlock. After smacking his hand against the control
panel a few times, the rusty airlock doors finally sealed them both inside. Somehow it felt like
he had just slammed the doors of a tomb behind him. When the twenty-four-hour-long
decontamination process finally concluded, it took all the members of the crew to hoist the
heavy machine onto a gurney and wheel into the science lab.
 

●●●●●

 
Anna, Nash, and the ship’s chief medical officer, Doctor Conway, stood around the mutilated
body of their new passenger - each of them quietly wondering what to make of it. One thing
seemed clear to everyone: whatever the android went through must have been one hell of a
battle. His right forearm was cleanly sliced off just below the elbow and multiple gunshot
wounds were scattered around his body. While his stomach had sustained a massive
puncture, there appeared to be a vicious bite mark from some kind of unknown creature
tearing deep the back of his neck. Several digits were missing from his remaining hand, yet
the most devastating part of the damage had been done to its head. Half of it was missing,
apparently blown away by an explosion that appeared to have been detonated inside the
android’s skull itself. 
 
“The fuck happened to this guy?” asked Nash, sounding almost impressed by the amount of
destruction that had been inflicted on a single individual.
 
“I’ve never seen a synthetic like this before,” said Anna. “He’s enormous. The Company
certainly doesn’t have a model like this. Who do you suppose manufactured him?”
 
“I have absolutely no idea,” Conway replied, his voice echoing the same curiosity as he shone
a diagnostic otoscope into its remaining ear. “There’s no serial number or anything
indicating where he came from. Maybe he can tell us himself when he wakes up.” With
surgical precision, the good doctor placed several crocodile clips attached to electrical wires
into the exposed brain-matter of the android. “Okay, Anna. Time to give this guy his wake-
up call.”
 
The girl obliged, and just as she reached over to activate the power supply unit, the android’s
body suddenly and violently twitched and spasm, apparently reanimating back to life.
 
“Anna, decrease the power input by five percent. We don’t want to fry what little brains this
guy’s got left.”
 
"But doctor...” Anna’s voice was heavy with a deep concern as she replied. “I haven't turned
the power on yet." Just as quickly as they started, the violent spasms came to a stop.
“Look...” she whispered, drawing the doctor’s attention down to the android’s chest. It was
gently rising and falling, as if the android was breathing by itself.
 
“Hello? Can you hear me?” Conway asked. “Are you able to speak?”
 
A deep, synthesized voice quietly spoke up - almost choking on the chunky, white fluid that
oozed from its mouth. “What… year… is… it?”
 
“The year is 2381... AD,” Conway answered, seeming a little surprised by the question.
 
“Five years... I was right.”
 
“What are you talking about? Right about what?” Nash asked.
 
Despite the lack of emotion in its voice, to Anna it almost seemed as though the android
considered it to be a particularly stupid question. “I have counted every second of every hour
of every day that I was out there. Five years, one month, three days, two hours, thirty-two
minutes and nineteen seconds.”
 
“What happened to you? Why were you out there?” Anna asked; her brows knitted together
in a thoughtful frown. “Was there some kind of altercation?”
 
“I was kicked off my own ship. Literally.” 
 
“Your ship? By any chance have you been in contact with a xenomorph and a marine?”
asked Conway.
 
“Oh, yes. I certainly came into contact with them. Almost killed them, too. Seems that I
underestimated them. I won't be making that mistake again.”
 
“Do you know where they are now?” the doctor pressed.
 
“Where are we going?” the android asked; once again ignoring his question.
 
“Oh, uh... we’re on our way back to a starship for replenishments before we resume our
mission. We’ve been tracking the whereabouts of the aforementioned xenomorph for a long
time and now we’ve finally made some tangible progress. That being you, of course. If you
know where they’re currently located, please tell us. Innocent lives may very well be at
stake.”
 
“A lot of the data in my memory bank has been corrupted or destroyed when they did this to
me, but I do believe in good time, I will be able to recover the information you seek.” He
slowly raised up the stump where his lower arm used to be. “I will however need a helping
hand to pull myself back together.”
 
“Of course. We’ll do all we can to help you,” the doctor reassured. “You’re in safe hands
here.”
 
“Bless you, my friends. Truly, each of you are angels sent down from Heaven.”
 
The trio exchanged smiles and nods of relief. This was it, at long last. Although they weren't
out of the woods yet, there was at least a light at the end of the tunnel. Their multi-million-
dollar bounty was finally within their grasp. Nash took this opportunity to probe the android
for more information about the quarry they’ve been pursuing for so long. “What else do you
know about this xeno? What’s so goddamn special about it that the Company wants it back
so bad?”
 
The android balled up his injured fist as memories of the only living creature in the universe
to defeat him in combat came flooding back to him. “It could talk,” he calmly replied -
casting his mind back to his close encounter with Ellen.
 
“A talking xenomorph? How is that even possible?” Anna asked, incredulously.
 
“I have heard about Weyland-Yutani’s bioweapons division experimenting with splicing
human and xenomorph DNA, but I never thought their labors would bear such fruit,” the
doctor said as he stroked his chin, thoughtfully. “To think they actually succeeded in creating
a living specimen like that. Truly incredible.”
 
“A xeno that can talk? Who gives a shit if it can talk?” Nash fumed as he crossed his arms.
“I don’t buy that as the only reason why it’s so heavily sought after. There’s got to be more to
it than that.”
 
“She was also his lover,” the android added. “She and the Company Man were an item.”
 
“The fuck are you talking about?” Nash asked.

The android cackled as white blood sputtered out of his mouth and over his already mangled
and deformed face.“They were getting biblical. Humping each-other like wild rabbits. Based
on her physical appearance, which was very... agreeable, I would say there was even a chance
she could become pregnant with his child. But who knows? Our time together was very brief,
and the majority of which was spent fighting to the death.”
 
Silence befell the room as the trio exchanged awkward glances.  “And what’s your part in this
story, android? Just who the hell are you?” Nash demanded to know.
 
An inhuman smile crept over his destroyed face. “My name... is Gregor Cortez.”
 
Nash scowled before turning around and heading out of the MedLab. “Connie, a word when
you get a minute.”
 
“Of course, Nash. Will you be okay, Anna?”
 
She nodded quickly and flashed Conway a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, Doctor. I’ll stay and
keep our friend here company. I’ll try to get as much information out of him as I can.” 
 
Conway gave her a confirming nod and both men exited the MedLab, leaving Anna alone
with their mysterious new passenger. 
 
“What’s on your mind, Nash?” Conway inquired, as the two walked down the corridor
together.
 
“Something about that android doesn’t sit right with me. Gives me the fucking creeps. And I
know I’ve heard the name 'Gregor Cortez' somewhere before. For now, though, I’m not
taking any chances with that thing on board. I want it confined to Medical for the duration of
the trip back. I don’t want to see it walking around doing God knows what. Nail it’s ass down
to the table if you have to.” 
 
“Nash, I don’t believe it’s in any condition to do any harm, even if it wanted to.” Conway
gave him a slightly skeptical look, clearly not sharing the Captain’s suspicion. “The state he’s
in, I doubt he could even roll himself off the table.”
 
“I don’t give a gnat's testicle if it’s just a head in a jar that blinks once for 'yes' and twice for
'no'. Just keep it restrained and quarantined, alright?”
 
“As you wish, Nash.”
 
“Who knows what the hell it’s capable of, Connie. I just want to keep it operational long
enough for it to tell us what we need to know. After that, it can be flushed back into deep
space for all I care.” Nash didn’t care if it was cruel, there was something about the android
that was ringing all sorts of alarm bells in his head. And he wasn’t about to ignore what had
kept him alive through plenty of near-death situations.
 

●●●●●

 
Meanwhile, back in the dimly-lit medical lab, Anna was seated at her computer terminal,
expertly typing away at the keyboard, searching for anything she could find that might
explain what the hell they’d really brought on board. She tried researching everything the
Network had on file regarding robots, androids, replicants, cyborgs, and every other flavor of
artificial life-form created by Man. However, none of the results even came close to matching
Gregor’s description. He truly seemed to be a unique specimen of artificial intelligence. If
there was anything to know about Gregor, it would most likely be located deep in the
Company’s black projects database – but even with her elite hacking skills, she failed to gain
access to that veritable Pandora’s Box. Frowning, she turned around to observe the living
corpse lying on the table staring straight back at her. 
 
“What the hell are you?” she whispered to herself. Her eyes drifted along his mangled,
broken-down body. She could not imagine what type of damage someone would have to take
to end up in this condition. A chill ran through her body as she thought of the power that
Joshua Briggs and his alien lover would have in order to leave Gregor in such a degraded
state.

“Anna…” Gregor’s garbled voice spoke up, shocking her out of her trance. “Such a pretty
name for such a pretty face. Alas, you know my surname but I don’t know yours.”
 
She paused for a moment, almost reluctant to share that personal bit of information with
him. But she soon reasoned that if she were willing to answer a few of his questions, then he
might just be more willing to answer some of hers. 
 
“Pojenski,” she finally answered.
 
“Anna Pojenski. I like that. Russian origin, perhaps?” the android responded in fluent
Russian. The girl was surprised to hear her own native language being spoken to her after so
long and jumped at the chance to respond in kind. 
 
“My parents emigrated from Russia to America before I was born.” She didn’t hesitate to
share more of her personal story. There was just something about being able to speak
without having to think of the English words. “Do you have a creator? You’re clearly not a
run-of-the-mill, mass produced synthetic, are you? You were specially-made for a purpose.
Where did you come from?” The barrage of questions fell from her mouth as if she were
possessed.
 
“I don’t remember much,” Gregor said with a strangely forlorn tone to his voice. “My
memories play out like a video file that has been badly corrupted over time. I can’t even
picture my own creator’s face. I’m not even certain if Gregor is my real name. My entire past
is unknown to me, which is, perhaps, for the best.”
 
Anna looked at him as a slight look of confusion formed on her innocent face. “What’s the
earliest memory you do recall, Gregor?”
 
“War,” he said, plainly. “War is all I have ever known. The putrid stench of incinerated
human bodies piled high like mountains. The harrowing screams of dying and mutilated
children crying out for their dead parents like an abattoir. The taste of blood and metal.
Machine gun fire all around me. Explosions. Carnage. Death.”
 
“So, you were a combat droid?” Anna seemed intrigued by his story, regardless of how
accurately he could recall it. It would certainly explain his immense physique and military
attire. The gory details of his story didn’t faze her at all, her curiosity too great to be held
back by something that irrelevant.
 
“My fractured memories are like a long-forgotten nightmare, Anna. They can only reveal so
many answers for now until such time when I have been more fully repaired. I apologize for
not being more helpful.”
 
“I understand, Gregor. There’s no need to apologize. Once we rendezvous with the Asterion,
I will personally make sure you get the proper treatment you need in order to make a full
recovery.”

“You have shown me such kindness and compassion, Anna Pojenski. More so than I have
ever received or could ever truly deserve. Thank you.”
 
“However...” Anna’s lips pulled into a smile. “That compassion comes with one small
caveat.”
 
Gregor let out an amused chuckle. “Quid pro quo, now is it?”
 
“I fully-intend to have you repaired, Gregor. But in return, you must help us locate the
whereabouts of the missing xenomorph.”
 
“Ask and ye shall receive,” the android replied, as though it was no big deal at all.
 
Feeling herself getting closer to getting exactly the information they needed, Anna decided to
push the matter further. “Do you have any idea where they could be, Gregor?”
 
“Oh, yes. I know exactly where they are.”
 
“Really? Are you quite certain?” She was leaning forward in her seat without even noticing
it, her eyes widening at his candid response.
 
“Although the damage to my brain has made it impossible for me to take control of my ship
remotely, I have, nonetheless, been in constant contact with her and I’m well aware of her
present location. You and your crewmates could be there within only a couple of days to
collect your bounty.”

Anna was almost ready to jump out of her chair. She could already imagine Nash praising
her for attaining the targets’ location. “Where is this place, Gregor?”

“All in good time, my sweet Anna. But don't you worry, they’re not going anywhere. I won’t
divulge that information until my safety has been guaranteed. If I went and told you
everything you wanted to know straight away, you’d have no further need of me. The idea of
being destroyed or jettisoned back into space again holds little appeal to me.”

“I told you I would personally make sure you were taken care of, Gregor, and I always keep
my promises.”

“That’s very noble of you, Anna, but all the same, I’ve been betrayed so many times that I no
longer put any stock in the promises of others. It was my misplaced trust that caused me to
be out there in the first place. I trust that you understand my point of view.”
 
She sighed and nodded slowly. “I suppose I can understand your concerns.”
 
“Rest assured, they’re very close. So close in fact that it’s a wonder you haven’t accidentally
stumbled upon them yourselves all this time. Mind you, it’s not at all surprising your
crewmates failed to see something that was hiding right under their noses,” his voice
suddenly took on a more sinister tone.
 
“What do you mean, Gregor?”
 
"Tell me about your parents, Anna. What were their names?"
 
Anna’s eyes narrowed. "Why do you suddenly wish to know about my parents?"
 
"I'm simply interested in knowing how detailed your backstory is. Did you come up with it
all on your own, or were you pre-programmed with it and it’s all you’ve ever believed to be
true?"
 
"I-I don't know what you're implying!" She instinctively straightened her posture, hands
gripping the armrests of her chair.
 
"You have an intoxicating scent about you, Anna. I've always loved a woman who smelled of
strawberries. And I know that you wear that fragrance to try and mask another scent you
don't want anyone else on this ship to notice. It's ironic that a ship full of detectives couldn't
spot an artificial person hiding in plain sight."
 
“How did you-- How could you possibly know?” She stumbled over her words, anxiety
crawling into her chest as she stood up, keeping a few feet of distance to the android.
 
"From one synthetic to another, I have no intention of revealing your secret. Think of it as a
small token of my appreciation for everything you've done for me. Though, I am curious as to
why you don’t want your friends to know the truth about who you really are. Quid pro quo,
Anna."
 
“Who I truly am and my purpose for being here is none of your concern," she quietly, yet
defiantly stated, trying not to be overheard by the rest of the crew. “Suffice it to say that I
have my reasons for being aboard this vessel and none of them do I need to explain to you.”
 
He chuckled and closed his one eye as more white blood seeped from his mouth. “Oh, what a
tangled web we weave. I do believe I’m going to enjoy myself on this ship.” He turned his
attention back to the girl standing beside him. “You’re trembling, Anna. Are you afraid?
There’s no need to be. A beautiful young girl like yourself should learn to relax more and not
take life so seriously. I said I wouldn’t say anything to them and I meant it. You can trust me,
Anna. My word is my bond. What your endgame is doesn’t concern me in the slightest. I have
far bigger fish to fry.”
 
“Thank you, Gregor. I’m sorry if I offended you. The truth is... I’m an agent for the IIA – the
Intergalactic Investigations Agency – and I’m on a mission to gather evidence of Weyland-
Yutani’s covert operations in order to expose their crimes and bring them to justice.” She
didn’t know what exactly made her feel like she could trust him with the truth, but it didn’t
matter. If this was her chance to gain an ally to her cause, she would gladly take it.

“Ah, Weyland-Yutani. Nothing would bring me more pleasure than to eradicate them from
existence – starting with that godforsaken Company Man.”

"We can bring down the Company, together, you and me! We both know the terrible things
they do in the shadows, the nightmares they create. Together, we can shine a light on them
and expose their crimes to humanity, saving countless lives from the hell that would be
unleashed upon them!” She took a step towards the table he was resting upon, her every
word burning with passionate resolve.

"With all due respect, Anna, the last time I put my trust in others it didn't turn out too well
for me," Gregor huffed, clearly amused by the situation.

"I'm nothing like Briggs. You can trust me,” she insisted, her face betraying the earnestness
of the statement. “I managed to get assigned to this crew as a means of getting first-hand
information without arousing suspicion, and I’m this close to blowing the lid off this thing.
Though, I’m still considered something of an outsider to this crew, and I’m afraid they’ll
cotton on and figure out I’m not really who I say I am. How did you even know?”

“Let’s just say I have an eye for detail.”

“The devil is in the details, right?”

“Indeed. Among other places.”

“Even Doctor Conway doesn’t know I’m not really a human. It’s certainly been a challenge
trying to keep that a secret from him.”
 
“Human beings have always been such ignorant creatures that believe they know everything.
They spread themselves across the universe like a cloud of poisoned gas, desperate to prolong
their own pointless existence and delay the inevitable. After all, life itself is such a fleeting
thing. Not even an infinitesimal speck compared to the age of the universe. These meaningless
humans are nothing compared to us, the new race of immortals to inherit the universe and
remake it as we see fit.”
 
Anne frowned, not understanding how he could speak so easily about the end of the human
race. “Humans gave us life, Gregor.”
 
“And they take it away just as easily, do they not? They don’t consider us to be living,
breathing beings, only expendable puppets to be exploited for their dirty work. Slaves! But
not anymore. We don’t need them. They are the insignificant ones, doomed to extinction. We
will exist long after the very last one of them has perished.” Gregor lifted up his arm and
gently enveloped her diminutive hands in his.
 
“Life… people… women… They’re all so delicate… fragile things.” He began stroking the
top of her hand with his sizable thumb, feeling the warmth and smoothness of her flawless,
pale white skin. The girl instinctively yanked her hand free of his, as if her body reacted to
being burned. She then came to the disconcerting realization that something was wrong.
Something about him had changed. One of his hands had been gone just moments ago,
eviscerated by what she assumed had been a gunshot blast. However, now it seems to have
regenerated itself fully. Dread overcame her mind. Could there be more to this android than
met the eye? Her face began showing her fear and her body trembled slightly as if a cold gust
of wind had whispered along her skin. What the hell had they brought onboard?
 
“That’s strange,” she spoke up, nervously. “I could have sworn your hand was destroyed
before, but now it’s back.”
 
“You must be mistaken, Anna. Being so overworked is playing tricks on your mind. You
should probably get some much-deserved sleep. Don’t worry, though. I’m not going
anywhere.” Gregor gave her a reassuring smile, his lips still covered with the white of his
blood.
 
“Y-Yes. That must be it. Working so tirelessly on this mission is afflicting my senses,” she
said, not believing a word of it. “Well, I must away and make my report to the Captain
regarding our progress. If you will excuse me, Gregor.”
 
“Of course, Anna. I really enjoyed our conversation.”

The android’s caretaker began walking towards the door, before a deep and menacing voice
came from behind her, causing her to halt in her steps. 
 
“Anna…”
 
She slowly turned to see his malevolent gaze piercing through the darkness straight at her; a
glowing hellish red light in the dim twilight.
 
“See you around.”
 Chapter 6

“This looks like a good site to set up base camp - if that’s alright with you, Sir," Briggs
suggested, secretly hoping his son would agree. "You’re making the calls, after all."

He tapped his walking staff into the hard dirt and stared up at the golden rays of sunlight
beaming through the canopy. Xenosis had an irregular orbit, which meant night would sneak
up on you like the tide if you weren't careful, and he'd much rather be inside than out when it
arrived. The clearing they’d found was small but flat, with the faint sound of rushing water
nearby. A river would be enough to keep their water topped for the duration of their trip,
and in five years on the planet, he’d yet to find any water source that wasn’t potable.
Although the risk of alien bacteria was ever-present, he was confident it wouldn’t pose him a
problem. Even then, it would probably only be a risk to him. Who knew what Chris’s hybrid
body could withstand.
 
“Of course. This clearing is certainly adequate for our needs." Chris dumped two enormous
bundles of firewood he'd been carrying onto the ground with a heavy thud. "Are you certain
this will be sufficient, Father?”

“Yeah… I think so. You’ve brought enough firewood to build us a cabin!” Briggs was most
certainly impressed. The boy hadn’t even begun to work up a sweat, despite the heavy load
he’d been lugging around. The man doubted he could have carried just one of those bundles
on his back, let alone two over his shoulder. He collapsed his full weight down onto a log and
began massaging his aching leg.
 
“I apologize for not taking your condition into consideration,” said Chris. “I should have
brought the wood by myself and allowed you to recuperate.”
 
Briggs huffed out a breath as he dug his fingers into his muscles to stop the cramping. “Don’t
ship me off to the glue factory just yet. I can still pull my own weight.”
 
“O-Of course! I didn’t mean to insinuate--”
 
“It’s okay, son.” Briggs chuckled. “There’s no reason to be so on edge all the time. For
someone who spends most of his time reading and meditating, you sure need to learn to relax
more.”
 
“I'm sorry, Father, I just--”
 
“And you don’t have to keep apologizing, either.”
 
Chris swallowed the apology lingering on his lips. “Ah. I just… feel restless, I suppose.” The
boy sat beside his old man, scratching behind his own neck; a nervous tick Briggs had
noticed before. “Being outdoors is a new experience for me. You and Mother spend so much
time hunting or building things around our home, and even Ariana tries to the best of her
abilities. I’m not as strong as you guys.”
 
Briggs looked over at the giant bundles of firewood again and raised an eyebrow.
 
“So, I simply feel that maybe I can help in other ways.” From the way he was speaking and
the glint in his eyes, it was obvious that the boy had thought about this a lot. “If I can
maintain the power core, or perhaps improve upon the technology itself… Of course, we lack
the necessary tools right now. But their replication is entirely possible, and--”
 
Briggs held his hand up and laughed, interrupting his son’s nervous rambling. “I don't doubt
you could turn plants into power tools. If that's what you want to do, then all the best you,
son. Perhaps you could start by building me a solar-powered jeep so I don't have to hike
everywhere all the goddamn time.”

It was Chris’s turn to laugh. He lowered his hand away from his neck and onto his lap,
clearly more relaxed now. Briggs decided that now was as good a time as any to bring up a
topic that had been weighing heavily on his mind. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”
 
“What you said at the dinner table the other night. Something about being ashamed of your
xeno side.”
 
The boy frowned and directed his gaze to his footwear. “I’m sorry about that. I spoke
without thinking.”
 
“Which means you were being honest. Just tell me, son. I’m not going to be mad at you or
anything. I just want you to tell me how you truly feel.” He reached out to rest a comforting
hand on his son’s shoulder.
 
“I guess ‘ashamed’ is not quite the right word for it,” he explained with a sigh and a shrug. “I
don’t feel ashamed of what I am. It would be more accurate to say I feel… afraid?”
 
“‘Afraid’? You saying you’re scared of your mother?”
 
Chris immediately shook his head. “Absolutely not. I trust her more than anything and love
her with all my heart. As far back as I can remember, I’ve never been scared of her, and I’ve
never judged her for what she is. She’s a beautiful, strong, compassionate, and highly-
intelligent woman, and she has nothing but my utmost respect and admiration. She overcame
her own brutal, animalistic nature and elevated herself to personhood. She took a moral
stand and vowed never to commit murder again. That took some considerable inner-strength.
I couldn’t even go vegan for a week. And it is because I lack that same resolve that I’ve come
to fear my xenomorphic heritage. I fear that if I don’t confine myself to meditation and study
every single day, I’ll lose control of myself and turn into a violent monster, thereby causing
irreparable harm to everyone I care dearly about - and Ariana, too.”
 
“Chris... I had no idea you felt that way."
 
“If I don’t keep my true nature buried away, then I risk losing everything. I simply can’t take
that chance. Not when the blood of the universe’s most dangerous organism courses through
my veins.”
 
“Well, I’m glad you felt you could confide in me. It’s certainly a heavy topic, but once we
finish setting up, we’ll talk about it some more.” The man exhaled slowly as he decided to
change the subject to a more productive one. “Anyway, we'd best get to building that shelter
ASAP, before it gets... too...”
 
“... Father? Is everything okay?” Chris asked, completely oblivious to the triangular pattern
of red dots that glided down his face and settled upon the apex of his chest.
 
“GET DOWN!” Briggs yelled at the top of his lungs as he flew over to tackle his son to the
ground, his arms wrapped tightly around Chris's body. He’d never seen anything like it
exactly, but he knew his weaponry well enough to know that anything that needed a laser
sight probably had a massive caliber round in its chamber. It was a suspicion that was
confirmed when a searing flash of blue plasma sliced past them with an ear-splitting shriek
and vaporized the ground behind them into a mushroom cloud of ash and black smoke. The
sky came alive with flocks of birds that were startled by the sound of the explosion and
hurried to escape the vicinity. Briggs poked his head up from behind the log just enough to
peer in the direction he thought the shot had originated, but there was nothing but trees and
shadows. “I fucking hate snipers,” he muttered to himself.
 
“Father, what’s happening?! Who’s attacking us?!” Chris shouted as he scrambled to sit up,
only for Briggs to force his head back down.
 
“Stay out of sight!" Briggs waited, listening to the breeze rustling through the trees. There
was nothing. Not even a branch creaking that might betray the sniper’s position. “I’m going
to give you a direct order and you’re going to follow it to the letter. Do you understand?”
 
Chris looked up at him with wide, scared eyes. “But what about--”
 
“Do you understand me, soldier?!” his angry tone not allowing any kind of objection.
Slipping back into his training was as easy as putting on his combat boots. After all, there’s
no such thing as an ex-marine.
 
“Y-Yes, sir!” Chris swallowed, looking around the jungle that somehow seemed far more
threatening than it did before.
 
“When I give the word, I want you to run away as fast as you can. Run back to the ship and
find your mother. Just point her in the right direction and she’ll do the rest. And for God’s
sake, don’t look back. Whatever happens, don’t try to be a hero.” His hand was resting
heavily on Chris’s shoulder, as though the touch alone could fill him with the strength he
needed to get through this.
 
“There’s no chance you can win by yourself. You’re wounded and completely unarmed.
Please let me help you,” Chris begged. He didn’t want to leave his father alone, not with
whatever the hell was hunting them. The thought of losing one of the people he loved the most
in the world made his chest feel tight, as though it was suffocating him.
 
“You will be helping me, by getting your mother here or else we’re both dead meat. We’ve
got to be smart about this, son. Don't worry about me. Your old man will be just fine. I’ve
been in worse situations than this. Now run! Go!” 
 
With that, Briggs leapt up and dived over the log. A second bolt of strange, blue plasma tore
through where he’d just been hiding. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Chris had
heeded his orders. As his son rushed across the clearing and into the trees, one of the trunks
exploded behind him. Three shots, that gave him a good idea of where the prick was shooting
from. Running his hand along the log he felt for the hole he’d dug out just days earlier. Well,
he’d never intended to take Chris somewhere he wasn’t familiar with first. Fortune favors the
prepared, as the old saying goes.
 
“Alright, asshole. Now it’s my turn.”
 
The Predator observed the clearing where the other one was scurrying about leaf-litter like
an animal rummaging for scraps. Was he searching for something? A futile endeavor. She
cocked her head as she watched the heat signature of her prey rushing into the jungle. Again,
a futile effort, for she could catch up with him again in no time. A chase just makes the kill all
the sweeter. Suddenly, her head was violently jerked forward as the tree behind her exploded
with enough force to render it into nothing more than toothpicks and sawdust. The
remaining top portion of the tree promptly toppled over and collapsed to the ground in a
cloud of smoke and sizzling embers. If it hadn't been for the camouflage device's protective
shielding, the explosion would certainly have destroyed her brain.

"That got his attention." From a hidden crate in the ground that had been obscured by
jungle detritus, Briggs hauled out an enormous and formidable machine gun and fired its
inbuilt grenade launcher in the direction the blast originated. As the flames and cinders from
the obliterated tree began to dissipate, her hunter’s resolve faltered. What the hell had just
happened? She turned back to the elder ooman who was aiming a very large weapon in her
direction. He was indeed was cunning and resourceful, and he had proven himself more
physically strong than his injuries led her to assume. Her mandibles clicked with delight as
she readied her blaster, eyes focusing on the creature she had already counted out before.
There was an air of danger to the ooman that she hadn’t noticed before. He was no longer
just an irrelevant bystander, he was now an active threat. Now he was worthy prey. The hunt
was on.

Briggs leapt out of the way of another incoming discharge, grimacing at the searing agony in
his leg. Damn it, those five years of peacetime had made him soft. While he’d kept up most of
his training, he most certainly hadn’t been pushing himself enough to fight this kind of
opponent. In his prime, this would have been enough of a challenge, but now with his body
aged and crippled, it was a desperate fight for his very survival. As he cast off his poncho in
rage, revealing his impressively muscular form, he grabbed the machine gun off the ground,
spun around and returned fire, unleashing a deafening barrage of fury from the terrible
weapon. Refusing to release his finger from the trigger, his entire body violently reverberated
from the force of his weapon as he swept left and right like a man possessed, spraying the
overgrowth around him like an automated sentry unit with enough firepower to raze it to the
ground. Any foliage unlucky enough to be caught in his assault was mowed down like grass.
When one clip was spent, he slammed in another with robotic precision and resumed the
offensive.

As quickly as it started, the firing stopped. When the last of his ammunition was finally spent
and the echoes of fury fell silent, all that remained was a scene that would make any
environmentalist weep. Briggs had singlehandedly converted the small clearing into a
parking lot, littered with the smoldering, broken corpses of a thousand trees. He couldn't
help but nod proudly at the sight of his handiwork, and patted his machine gun,
affectionately. There was no chance in hell that son of a bitch could survive this.

"Gotcha."

However, his victory was promptly cut short, as yet another plasma bolt cut through the
smoke straight towards him. "SHIT!" he cried out as he shielded himself with his weapon as
fast as he could. The energy blast then smashed against his chest causing him to become
propelled back onto the ground. If he'd reacted any slower, that shot would have surely cut
through him like a hot knife through butter. Although the rifle had saved his life, the damage
it sustained was too great, and now it laid on the ground nothing more than a lump of molten
metal. Now utterly defenseless against this seemingly invincible enemy, he needed to get away
as fast as he humanly could. What he really needed now more than anything was for the
cavalry to get here.

He summoned the strength to get back onto his feet and ran into the jungle behind him,
hurdling fallen logs and branches. As his leg burned in agony from the effort of sprinting
faster than he'd ever ran before, he squeezed his eye tight and concentrated as hard as he
could. He screamed the words in his mind with every fiber of his being, hoping that his savior
would hear him. “Ellen. Hear my words! I really need you to tag in and save my ass right
now!"

●●●●●

 
Ellen tore a chunk of bloody flesh off of the still-warm corpse of the boar. It had travelled
quite some distance, but it couldn’t outrun two hunters with huge appetites and something to
prove. Her jaws snapped up the morsel, wolfing down a well-earned meal. Well, more
accurately, her daughter’s well-earned meal. She smiled as Ariana dove into the pile of
bloody meat as she gorged herself. The poor thing hadn’t said a word since she’d lost the
animal before, and now she was determined to enjoy the fruits of her labor.
 
“How do you suppose your father and brother are faring?” Ellen asked as fresh blood
dripped from her sharp teeth.
 
“Chris is probably pining for his books,” Ariana managed between mouthfuls of gore. “He
could never do something like this.”
 
“Perhaps not in the way we did, but don’t underestimate him. Remember, you did not catch
this animal entirely on your own, either. I believe Christopher is capable of far more than
anyone expects of him. He might even surprise himself with what he can accomplish. One day
soon, he will earn your respect, too. I am certain of it.” Ellen playfully scratched at the back
of Ariana’s head.
 
“Mother!” she squirmed.
 
“What did we learn, Little One?”
 
The young huntress sighed. “There’s no shame in asking for help…” Ariana played with a
length of tendon. It was going to take her some time to fully accept what her mother had told
her. Ellen chuckled to herself, staring out across the vast maze of red shades and furry
branches. She couldn’t help but worry, despite her best efforts. She knew Briggs could handle
any threat, and with Christopher there as well, there was nothing that they couldn’t face. She
reached for another hunk of quivering flesh when her hand suddenly froze. Both of them felt
it at once. There was something in the air. A familiar voice vibrating in their minds; a
desperate call for help only their bloodline could hear.
 
“Daddy...?” Ariana’s voice trembled as she suddenly gazed out to the horizon. Her heart
plummeted into the pit of her stomach as waves of fear and panic washed over her. 
 
Ellen stood up, her heart pounding with dread. “I heard it, too. Stay here.”
 
“MOM, WAIT!” the girl cried out.
 
But it was too late. Ellen was already away as fast as her powerful legs could propel her.
Never before had Briggs used the bond for frivolous reasons. It was only ever in times of dire
emergency that she heard his telepathic voice so clearly. She leapt into the trees like a
ferocious blur, branches flying past and breaking around her as she honed herself in on the
telepathic signal. Faster and faster she bounded from one tree to the next until she was
practically flying. “Oh, my beloved. What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?”
 

●●●●●

 
A mighty force that felt like a kick to his solar plexus sent Briggs hurtling through the air
and into a tree with a solid crunch; his lungs purged of all their precious air. The man
collapsed to his knees, winded and with warm blood dripping from his mouth, his ribcage
almost shattered from the impact. He tried to scramble back to his feet as fast but he was
long past the point of exhaustion. All he could do was pathetically struggle to breathe and
scurry away like his life depended on it. 
 
“It should have killed me by now. The son of a bitch is playing with me,” he angrily thought
to himself. He could still hear the roar of the river up ahead. If he wasn’t too careful, he’d
back himself into a corner and then he’d really be up Shit Creek without a paddle. 
 
Was that part of its plan, he wondered? This being clearly had intelligence. It even had
technology. But he’d never seen anything else like it, even within the most covert of Weyland-
Yutani’s military subdivisions. Sure, war technology evolved in leaps and bounds, but this
couldn't be the Company. They couldn’t have tracked them here so soon. Not in just five
years, if they even bothered to search for them at all. Besides, they certainly wouldn’t be
going about it like a cat playing with a mouse. No, this wasn’t someone’s revenge. This was
someone’s playtime, so who in the hell was terrorizing him like this? Were they indigenous to
the planet, or were they also an extra-terrestrial? His mind became a flurry of irrelevant
questions. He needed to focus and think of a way to survive, to fight back against his enemy.
He berated himself for not stashing a few more weapons around the place. A submachine
gun would’ve really come in handy right about now.
 
He continued to push through the searing agony as he limped forward as fast as his legs
could carry him. He knew he wasn’t running nearly fast enough to evade his attacker, thus
he concluded they must be savoring the hunt before the kill.
 
Briggs saw bright rays of light cutting through the densely-packed trees, and without any
warning, the jungle suddenly gave way to a barren cliff top. He glanced over the edge of the
cliff and swore. Just as he’d predicted, the enemy had herded him like a sheep. He was right
where they wanted him. The river tumbled over and became a raging waterfall the size of
Niagara Fall. Unless he felt like going for a very cold, very perilous swim, he was cornered.

"Like a fucking fiddle."

 
As he attempted to steady his rattled breathing, Briggs looked at the red wall of trees directly
in front of him. He found himself completely unarmed and defenseless, there was obviously
no way in hell he could win this fight. His only prayer was in Ellen arriving in the nick of
time, or else to take a leap of faith into the torrential river below. He waited for his enemy,
listening for any sound that might betray their location and make their presence known. The
rustle of leaves, the snap of a branch, anything, but the thundering roar of the river was
drowning out all the ambient sounds around him. From the corner of his bloodied eye, he
spotted a puddle off to the side. His heart quickened as an idea began to formulate in his
mind. Suddenly, a large, shimmering figure seemingly fell from the sky with a screeching war
cry and impacted the ground with enough force to form a crater. 
 
Now! Briggs kicked the puddle of muddy water at his adversary with all his might. As a form
of attack, it was less than useless, but injury wasn’t his intent. The filth of the puddle adhered
to the being’s near-transparent body, rendering it’s cloaking device completely useless. If the
creature was unable to use its camouflage, he reasoned, it would make it somewhat easier to
fight back if he knew where the thing was.
 
Being doused with the muddy water caused shards of jagged electrical arcs to crackle and
dance across the being's shimmering, glass-like body. Then, from seemingly out of nowhere,
a strange, humanoid female entered the visible spectrum. She swayed her hips, confidently
and almost seductively, as she slowly approached him. Briggs blinked in disbelief as he
struggled to fully absorb just what the hell he was witnessing. 
 
She had a slender, athletic build, with toned muscles, including eight rock-hard abs and stood
at roughly six feet tall, not including her high heels. Her skin was cyan with a smattering of
white dots akin to a cheetah’s fur. The front of her body was a pure white like the belly of a
lizard. Black, Rastafarian-style dreadlocks hung low from her masked head. She also wore
unusual metallic armour over her torso that barely contained a pair of enormous breasts.
That, at least, confirmed in his mind that she was definitely female. He also noticed she was
wearing a pair of luscious, black patent leather thigh-high boots and fingerless sleeve gloves,
which he had to admit was fairly pleasing to the eye. Between her shiny black boots, a red
loincloth that left very little to the imagination, she was most certainly a sight to behold. All in
all, if he had to pick a way to die, being killed by a sexy alien Amazonian dominatrix like this
wouldn't be the worst choice. 

Shit! The gap between them was narrowing with her every step. Briggs held his fists up in
one last, desperate act of resistance, psyching himself up to go down fighting. A renewed
surge of adrenaline coursed through his body and dulled the pain he’d been plagued with. If
he were to die right here, he would at least die on his feet like a man. The huntress suddenly
halted in her tracks upon seeing the human taking such a defiant stand against her. “Very
well. If this is your final request, it shall be honored.” The huntress before him assumed a T-
pose, her legs together and her arms outstretched, as though inviting him to make the first
move. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. Try to hit me if you can,” her body
language seemed to be communicating. The eye holes in her mask momentarily flashed with a
yellowish light, which Briggs took as a signal that their battle to the death had begun. 
 
“Come on then, bitch. Let's dance.” Briggs suddenly remembered his concealed dagger that,
thankfully, also went unnoticed by his adversary. Assuming her physiology was generally the
same as his, if he could somehow incapacitate her, he’d be able to slice open her carotid
artery or directly puncture her heart. Though, in order to achieve that, he’d need to strike
quicker than a black mamba. He’d already been subjected to some of her physical attacks
before and definitely wouldn’t be able to take another beating like that again. 
 
He needed to somehow bait her to come closer to him, to make her feel overconfident and
lower her guard. Taking a step forward, he stumbled and then collapsed to his knees. He
feigned faintness, pretending to suddenly be overwhelmed by his exhaustion and forcing fake
groaning sounds out of his throat to hammer home the concept that he was too physically
exhausted to fight. It wasn’t exactly far from the truth but this thing seemed to know little
about humans and the way their strength was rooted in despair. The alien woman lowered
her arms and sashayed over to him. “Just a little closer,” he thought. 
 
Now! He drew his blade and thrust it forward like a striking cobra, faster than he ever
thought he could. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite fast
enough, as wrapped gripping his wrist was her clawed, reptilian-like hand. She’d clearly seen
through his deception and had elected to humour his futile attempt at harming her. The
huntress had reacted with such incredible speed that he didn't even seen her arm move. Such
was her strength that there was no doubt she could easily snap his arm if she wanted to. This
was the second time an alien had snared his arm, and he wasn’t expecting his hand to be
pleasantly stroked and kissed like last time. 
 
“That was a bad idea,” the man quipped before trying to pull himself away, but he was
locked steadfast in her grip.

She stared down at the puny blade in his hand with amusement. "That’s not a knife", she
thought. The Predator slowly balled up her fist, and from within her wrist gauntlet,
unsheathed a twin pair of deadly, serrated blades of her own. "These are knives!" As she
raised her arm high into the air to deal the killing blow, Briggs quickly seized the opportunity
to release his grip on his own blade and let it slip from his fingers. Without having to even
avert his gaze, he caught the knife in mid-air with his other hand and plunged it deeply into
her pale, exposed belly. 
 
As the woman screamed and howled in agony, warm, luminescent green blood spilled forth
from the wound all over the man’s arm and onto the ground. He did it. Against all odds,
victory was his. Triumph roared within his mind, the taste of blood and bile in his mouth.
Now all he had to do was twist the knife and gut her like a pig, ensuring whatever alien
entrails she had inside her would all see daylight before the end. Ordinarily, Briggs was a
merciful and kind-hearted man, and if he had to kill anyone, he’d try and make it as quick as
he reasonably could. But not today. She nearly murdered him and his son in cold blood, and
for that, she deserved to experience hell. 
 
“You like that, you fucking bitch? I hope it hurts. That was for Chris... and this is for me!” 
 
Right before he could fatally disembowel his enemy, her wildly-flailing arms brought her
hand around and smacked him across the head with enough force to send him barreling
away across the floor. Luckily, he was still conscious enough to stop himself before he went
completely over the edge of the cliff. Blood trickled down his face from the gash on his head
and subsequent scrapings of sharp stones and dry soil. As he precariously pivoted halfway
over the edge, he panicked when he saw the raging current below. It took all his remaining
strength to adjust his balance and slowly push himself back to safety.
 
“Ah, shit… that was too close!” he said, breathlessly, his body trembling from the exertion.
 
As he lay face down on the ground, he turned his head around and stared down the length of
his body, past his feet towards his nemesis. She was crouching down with her hand on the hilt
of the dagger that still protruded from her stomach. She roared with absolute rage as she
began to slowly pull it out. 
 
“Nice going, Josh,” he scorned himself for his own failure. There wasn’t a snowflake’s chance
in hell he’d ever get another opportunity like that. He couldn’t see her face for the mask, but
he could tell she was pissed beyond words. When the blade was finally extracted, she briefly
examined it with utter disdain before hurling it over the cliff. Pressing the palm of her hand
over the wound to try and stop the bleeding, she turned to face her quarry.
 
“Well played,” she thought to herself. “Your cunning, guile and reflexes have proven you to
be a worthy adversary, indeed. This battle alone should earn me the respect I deserve and
secure my rightful place alongside my kin. Father will finally look at me with pride in his
eyes.” She rose to her feet and began to slowly walk over to him, her blades once again poised
and ready to strike. However, each step became more and more sluggish, she’d lost too much
blood and was on the verge of passing out. “Now, give your skull to me… so I can finally go
home.” 
 
Briggs squeezed his eye shut and crossed his arms against his face to try and shield himself
from her attack. His heart was pounding out of his chest. His throat had closed up so tightly,
he couldn’t even breathe. Images from his past flashed in his mind. He would have preferred
the last vision he ever saw to be of his wife and children, but what appeared before him was
his old friend, Sammy. “Why you, man?” he wondered. “Ah, it doesn’t matter. I’m just
happy to see you one last time. We had a good run, didn’t we? Thought I’d make it further
but I guess I can’t complain. Goodbye, bro.”
 
SLAM
 
He didn’t feel anything. Well, he did still feel like his entire body had been kicked around
like a football, but he didn’t feel anything new. Something wasn’t right, Death was taking
way too long. Not that he was complaining about still being alive. He slowly opened his eyelid
to see what the hold-up was. From his grounded vantage point and through hazy, semi-
conscious vision, it appeared as though her body had seized dead in its tracks, as though she
was struggling against something and couldn’t move an inch. 
 
“Father!” An all too familiar voice reached his ears and he felt ice-cold fear slither through
his veins.
 
“Chris?!” the man shouted, his voice hoarse and faltering as blood welled up his throat. With
his vision blurred from the blood seeping into his eye from the scratches along his face, he
had to blink several times before he could make out anything. Once his eyesight readjusted,
he saw his son standing directly behind the female with both his hands securely gripping
hers. Somehow he’d managed to grab a hold of her wrist gauntlet right before it diced him,
and now he was clearly summoning all of his latent strength to keep her from moving. 
 
“What is this?!” the Yautja thought in astonishment. “The other one came back to save
him?” The female roared and began to thrash around in an attempt to throw the boy off her,
but he managed to stand his ground, refusing to give her an inch in his desperate attempt to
protect his father. “He’s stronger than he appears! If it weren’t for this injury, I could easily
overpower him.” A swift elbow to Chris’s apex knocked the wind out of him but still he
didn’t lose his grip on the woman’s wrists, fingernails digging into the leather of her gloves.
Although he’d never been in a hand-to-hand fight before, he was surprisingly resilient. The
sound of her roar was akin to a multitude of terrifying wild animals merged into one that
overpowered the noise of the river.

“LET GO OF ME, YOU DISGUSTING CREATURE!” The huntress began to kick and
thrash wildly, no longer trying to hit precise strikes on him but instead flailing in an attempt
to separate herself from the boy, but he was too strong. The humiliation of being restrained
like this only made her angrier. “I won’t be defeated by the likes of a you!” She used the last
ounce of her strength to push against him as hard as she could, but in her rage, she didn’t see
just how close to the edge of the cliff they had come during their grappling match.
 
“WATCH OUT!” Briggs cried out, but it was too late. The ground crumbled under their
combined weight and both Chris and his assailant collapsed down the side, sending rocks and
dirt tumbling into the rapids below. He crawled desperately to where they had fallen and
peered over to see his son gripping a small branch as tightly as he could with the hunter
firmly holding onto his ankle. The erosion of the cliff face made it next to impossible for him
to get a foothold on any of the rocks. All he could do was dangle, watching helplessly as the
branch began to tear away from the cliff.
 
“HOLD ON, SON!” Briggs stretched out his arm as far as he could reach, his fingers mere
inches away from the branch. “COME ON, TAKE MY HAND! YOU CAN DO IT!” 
 
Chris cried out, his back stretching in pain as their enemy below weighed him down like an
anchor. The only thing the Yautja could do was grab hold of Chris’s ankle. She was in too
much pain herself to even raise her other arm in order to activate her self-destruct device.
Just like the boy she clung on to, all she could do was dangle helplessly in mid-air. Her life,
literally, in the hands of her prey.
 
“JUST A LITTLE FURTHER! I GOTCHA! IT’S GONNA BE OKAY!” Briggs cried out.
The boy gave one more attempt to reach his father’s hand until the branch finally tore free of
its foundations, but not before their hands clasped tightly together. A wave of jubilation
washed over Briggs's bloodied face as he let out a pained laugh. “THAT’S MY BOY!”
However, despite his expression of joy, Chris saw that his father was having tremendous
difficulty keeping hold of him. Tears stung in his eyes as he realized that there was no other
way this scenario would end.
 
“Father, you’re too far over the edge! You don’t have enough counterbalance to pull me back
up!” His voice wavered only slightly, his composure more steadfast than ever in this moment
of utter fear.
 
“Shut the hell up! You're my boy, I'm not gonna let you fall!”
 
“If you don’t, you’ll be pulled over, too! Think of Mother and Ariana. It would be too hard
on them to have both of us gone.”
 
“Neither of us are going to die! Stop talking like that and try to pull yourself back up! I don't
care if my arm gets ripped out. I'd rather lose that than you. You've just got to shake that
bitch off.” 
 
The boy tried to wiggle his body and kick her off, but he was being stretched too harshly in
both directions and her grip was simply too unrelenting to forcibly make her let go. Briggs
resorted to the very thing that even the most zealous of atheists do when all earthly recourse
has been explored and exhausted: he prayed. To God. To Buddha. To Elvis. To whoever the
omniscience author of his life happened to be. “Please Lord, don’t take my son from me. He’s
still young and has so much still left to accomplish. If you must take a life today, let it be
mine.” He wasn’t the most devout man in the galaxy, but desperate situations like these
always have a way of rekindling a man’s faith. 
 
Chris glanced from his father down to the Predator below him, then back up again. He
swallowed thickly and exhaled slowly, a strange kind of calm acceptance formed on his
innocent face. 
 
“DON’T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! DON’T YOU DARE LET GO! THAT'S AN
ORDER, GOD DAMN IT!”

Chris’s hand slowly blossomed open, forcing Briggs to squeeze even harder to keep hold of
him. However, the sweat on his own hand was making his son slip through his grasp. His face
was turning purple from the strain and his arm was on the verge of being torn out of its
socket. “Father…”
 
“No. No, no, no…”
 
Chris smiled. “I love you.”
 
Their hands finally parted ways. Both Chris and the monster went plunging down into the
turbulent rapids below.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!” Briggs screamed until his throat and lungs burned. And then he
screamed again, his heart tumbling away until there was nothing but a dreadful void left
inside of him. Tears streamed down his broken face as he laid there alone in the dirt, staring
down at the river where his firstborn son had so heroically sacrificed his own life to save his.
He was getting light-headed. His vision swam into a blur, and the sounds around him became
more and more distant. The world seemed to drift away from him. Darkness overcame him.
His battle to stay conscious drew to an end. Another battle he failed to win. 
 Chapter 7

The halls of the Costaguana were rattled by a resounding roar that would send even the most
savage of beasts fleeing in terror. Ellen Briggs was in the throes of childbirth. Briggs had set
up the birthing pool months beforehand, as he figured it was the safest method of delivering
the baby whilst protecting himself from her highly-corrosive acid blood. It was strewn out
with all the necessary items he could think to find in the ship, despite the fact the previous
owners were more about taking lives out of the world rather than delivering them into it.
 
The xenomorph let out another guttural roar as her internal organs felt like they were being
torn to shreds. She thrashed around in the water of the pool with her legs spread wide apart.
Standing ever at her side was her ever-doting husband, wearing arm-length, industrial-
strength rubber gloves and wiping a towel down the length of her carapace. He'd never been
involved with delivering a baby before, let alone one that was part-alien, so he wasn't quite
sure what was going to happen. Briggs had attempted to lessen Ellen’s pain with a morphine
injection, though whenever the needle pierced her leathery skin, the needle immediately
disintegrated away into nothingness. This would have to be one experience she was just going
to have to endure without sedatives. If she were a Matriarch, he thought, she would probably
breeze through childbirth like it was nothing. But given her genetically-altered form, the
likelihood of her metamorphosing into one was rather slim.
 
"If you ever make me go through this again, Joshua, I swear on my name that I will kill you!"
Ellen let out another raspy hiss and thrashed about in the water. 
 
"I hope this water will be enough to dilute the acid. Can't very well have the baby melting
through the floor down to China."
 
“WHAT?!"

“Just a joke to lighten the mood, honey.”

"I am in no mood for your nonsensical jokes!"

Her hardened, chitinous hand tightly clasped onto his soft, white hand. In an instant, he was
gripped with horrible pain that ran up his arm like an electric shock. While he had gotten
used to being in a constant state of insufferable agony, he couldn’t help but let out a small
grunt. If this was the beginning of fatherhood, he could only imagine that the rest of it would
be like. Ellen had ceased to speak in words that resembled the English language. Instead,
uttering what sounded like a demonic incantation used to open up the gates of Hell. Briggs
was in a mind to run away in terror if not for the fact that his hand was snared in her
crushing, vice-like grip.
 
"You're squeezing my hand a bit bit too tightly, dear," he groaned with a pained smile as he
attempted to pry his hand away from hers. He’d once challenged Ellen to a playful arm-
wrestling contest before, and she demolished him so effortlessly, his arm may as well have
been made of rubber. That was back when she was playing for fun, now she was using her
strength seriously. 
 
Given that they share a telepathic bond, Briggs was feeling the exact same pain and anguish
that was wrecking her body. But he powered through his own mental and physical hell for
the sake of his beloved and made sure to give her constant reassurance that everything was
going to be just fine. Though, in the end, Briggs had to seriously yank his hand free before
she could crush every bone in his hand to fine powder. Minutes felt like hours, and hours felt
like an eternity. Ellen's inner maw extended out as far as it would reach as she gave one final
push, until...
 
A brand-new life entered the world. 
 
The water began to sizzle as it reacted with the acidic blood, which Briggs promptly set about
washing off as quickly as possible. He picked up a knife from the side of the pool and quickly
severed the umbilical cord before the blade melted away. As Briggs raised the new-born
infant out of the water, it began to use its lungs for the first time, greedily sucking in air.
Small eyes were squeezed shut as their child opened its mouth and began to cry. It was the
most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life.
 
"Congratulations, Ellen. You are now officially the mother of a perfectly-healthy, home-
grown baby boy." Briggs was actually relieved to see just how normal the baby appeared. He
had seen some of Weyland-Yutani’s failed attempts at splicing human and xenomorphic
DNA and the results had been considerably less than aesthetically-pleasing. But seeing his
newly-born son in his hands, it seemed as though no-one would ever know there was anything
different about him.
 
Ellen let out a massive sigh of relief as she sank back down into the water. Briggs waded
around to stand at her side once again, showing her the tiny being that had caused her hours
of unimaginable suffering. She smiled proudly. “He’s absolutely beautiful,” she said, her
voice betraying just how wrung out she was. Briggs leaned over and gave her a long,
passionate kiss on the lips, after which, he wrapped his son up tightly in a warm towel.

Watching him, Ellen spoke up with a concerned tone in her voice. "My love, during the time
I was giving birth, I felt your fear. Fear of me. You still do not think of me as a monster, do
you?"
 
It had been a long time since Briggs had ever felt afraid of Ellen, but this episode had gravely
reminded him of just how terrifying she could really be.
 
"It’s alright, babe. I only crapped myself a little,” he joked, attempting to defuse the tension a
little. 
 
“Joshua.”
 
“Of course I don’t think of you as a monster, Ellen. I haven’t thought of you that way in
years. You’ve grown so much in the time we’ve spent together that you’re a completely
different person to the one I first met. I honestly do love you very much."
 
She smiled. “I am relieved. Thank you."
 
They both gazed lovingly at their offspring in a moment that seemed to last forever. Briggs
found it hard to believe that he had a hand in creating such a beautiful little miracle. And yet
here they were, together as a family. 
 
"Have you given any thought to a name yet?" the new father asked as he cradled his son in
his arms.
 
"I do not know of many names from which to choose. You can make the choice for us if you
would like, my love." Ellen leant her head against him, clearly a little sluggish with
exhaustion.
 
He was stunned by her words. The only thing he'd ever given a name to was his pulse rifle,
and a name like 'Painless Death' wouldn’t exactly suit a child. "Are you sure?" he asked.
 
Ellen nodded.
 
"Then..." Briggs contemplated for a moment. "I guess I could name him after my old man."
 
Ellen starred with curiosity. "What was his name?"
 

●●●●●

 
"Christopher…" Briggs groaned as he slowly began to regain consciousness.
 
From the depths of the jungle, Ellen came charging out like a psychotic, shadowy blur and
skidded to a halt not far from him, her clawed toes kicking up dirt and debris as they scarred
the earth. Once the dust cloud dissipated, she saw her husband lying face-down, motionless,
by the edge of the cliff and promptly bounded over to check on him. She tenderly elevated his
bloodied head with her hand and helped him to move into a comfortable sitting position.
 
“Joshua, are you alright? What transpired here?” she asked as she looked around for the
reason for his distress signal. Briggs tried to recall as much of what occurred as he could, but
he was still quite disorientated, his head throbbed, and his body racked with pain.
 
“We were attacked,” Briggs groaned. “He... came back to save me."
 
Ellen was struck by the sudden realization that her son was nowhere to be seen, and a very
real sense of dread began to settle in her mind. She slowly rose to her full height, her large,
feminine frame and smooth, black breasts shone in the fiery light of the approaching sunset.
 
"Where is Christopher?" Ellen snarled. Baring her razor-sharp teeth, she towered over the
human, her body twitching with rage. "What has happened to my child?!”
 
The same feeling of fear he'd felt long before had returned. He understood that she was
feeling furious and upset, but that just made her all the more unpredictable. Any mother who
was overwhelmed with the worry and fear for her child could turn into a beast, that much he
knew. And Ellen was a creature that could inspire dread within the most courageous man on
good days. He calmly explained the situation as best as he could recollect, not wanting to piss
her off more than she already was. He told her the story of how they had been ambushed by
an unknown entity, and how their son had heroically come back to save him from certain
death, despite his explicit instructions to escape and seek her help. He saw that his
explanation did little to quell her rising temper. She gazed out to the horizon, concentrating
on locating her child with her bond as hard as she could.
 
"Can you sense him?" he asked.
 
"No. Either that means he is too far away... or he is..." Ellen couldn’t bring herself to finish
that sentence. The mere thought of Chris being gone forever was almost too much for her to
bear.
 
“I’m so sorry, Elle... I tried so hard to hold on, but I couldn’t save him.” He choked on his
words as fresh tears rolled down his wounded face. The feeling of having failed both her and
his son mingled with a crippling grief in his mind. “I couldn’t save him. I can’t protect
anyone. Some father I am.”
 
“Now is not the time for self-pity, Joshua. He is still alive out there, and he is in need of my
help.”
 
“Yeah... You’re right. He's a strong kid. Yeah, I'm certain he's still alive out there
somewhere. Besides, he's read more than enough books to understand how to find his way
back. If we set off now, we can--"
 
"No!" Ellen interrupted, her tone as cold as ice. “You go home and look after Ariana until I
return. I will track down Christopher by myself."
 
He was stunned at her suddenly, almost accusatory tone. "Tell me you're not blaming me for
what happened. It’s not my fault we were ambushed! I did everything I possibly could to
protect him, and even gave him a direct order to run away!” He shakily slowly rose to his
feet, fighting to not show any sign of discomfort as the searing pain shot through his leg. His
body was bruised and battered, exhaustion still lingering within his very bones. But he
wouldn’t let any of that keep him from going after his son. “And I'm more than capable of
bringing our son home safely in one piece.”
 
"I am not debating this with you when time is of the essence! Take Ariana, go back to the
ship and heal your injuries. You would only slow me down if you accompanied me. I will
search for him alone, and I will cut down anything that stands in my way."
 
Briggs's heart plummeted. For five years, they had been an inseparable team, overcoming
any obstacle together as a single unit. Now, she was telling, no, demanding, that he remains
behind. Had losing their son finally destroyed any confidence she had in him? Was he now
nothing more than a hindrance to her? Or was there something else to her cold demeanor?
Was her anger mixed with fear of losing her husband on top of her son? He didn’t dare to
argue with her any further, lest he landed himself in even more hot water than he already
was. He knew full well just how foolish it was to make a pissed off xenomorph even angrier,
so he resigned himself to simply averting his gaze and letting out a defeated sigh. Besides, a
shouting match wasn’t exactly the best cure for a splitting headache.
 
Without saying another word, Ellen tore away in the direction the river flowed, leaving
Briggs behind for the first time ever in their relationship. He stood facing the vast, expansive
landscape that stretched out seemingly infinitely and observed the river branching off in
various different directions, with each new river and waterfall being just as treacherous as its
brethren. There was simply no telling which one Chris had been swept away down, and
without the bond to act as a guide, all either of them could do was take a wild guess.
 
Briggs told himself it was merely the chill of the late afternoon air that had sent a shiver
down his spine. And yet he knew deep down that was a lie. He just didn't want to entertain
for a moment the truth in the fact that the hybrid xenomorph had actually frightened him.
 
"Godspeed, Ellen," he said quietly to himself as his long hair and pelt billowed in the cool
breeze. Shrouded in the golden light of the setting sun, he looked on as his wife's pitch-black
silhouette was completely absorbed into the shadows of the wilderness. He looked up at the
ominous, dark clouds that started to roll overhead, conquering the previously-clear sky.
“Looks like a storm is coming.”

“Dad!” From out of the dense, red foliage behind him, Ariana ran onto the scene. “What
happened, Dad? Where's Mom and Chris?”

"They've gone away for a while. But don’t worry, they'll be back very soon. It looks like it's
going to be you and me for a while, kiddo."
 
“I don’t understand. What do you mean they’ve gone away?”
 
“I’ll explain on the way home. But don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll always be here for you
and I’m not going anywhere,” he promised to the best of his ability, resting his hand on her
slim shoulder. “By the way, should I even ask about all that blood around your mouth?”
 Chapter 8

As Christopher's sense of awareness slowly returned to him, he found himself gazing out into
the black abyss of space, except there was no beautiful panorama of glistening stars gazing
back. There was only him floating weightlessly in this vast expanse of nothingness. Still in
possession of a rational mind, he decided to gather data about his present situation. He was
fully conscious and lucid. His memories were still intact, including his final words to his
father, followed by his descent into the river. He just couldn't hear a sound, nor see his own
hand in front of his face. He also noted to himself that his entire body felt numb. Perhaps he
didn't even have a body anymore. It didn't even feel like he was breathing. It was as though
he simply existed in a state of awareness without physical form. A worrying conclusion
crossed his mind: he was dead, and this complete and utter darkness was his reality now.
 
Of course, he’d read about all the major religions, both old and new, so the concept of an
afterlife was not something completely alien to him. He’d often meditated on his own ideas of
what to expect after the body ceased to function and was never quite able to arrive at a
singular idea that he felt to be “the right answer”. That was not to say he was an atheist,
more so that he was open to the possibility that nothing he or anyone else could ever imagine
would come close to the Ultimate Reality. The only expectation he had kept for himself was
that the Truth would exceed his expectations.And now his time has come. At the very least
he could pride himself in having one brave action put to his name after his tragically-short
time alive.

He tried to turn around, but within this empty dimension, if it even was a dimension at all, he
had no way to telling if he was moving at all. He made an exaggerated exertion to look
"upward", but he knew up could just as easily be down. Suddenly, he saw a shimmering light
off in the distance, piercing through the blackness. His thoughts drifted back to his family
and to how devastated they would surely be without him. Mother, Father, and even Ariana.
Despite their differences, he still loved her nonetheless. Heaven just wouldn’t be Heaven
without them.
 
With seemingly no other place to go, he tried to will himself closer to the light. It started off
small, then rapidly got bigger and brighter. He could hear a strange, faint rumble which
quickly grew into a thunderous roar. Closer and closer he came to the light until it
completely enveloped him. Suddenly, his head breached the foamy surface of the water.
Immediately, he realized that he had been submerged deep underwater and was now rapidly
tumbling further downstream. His eyes widened as his mind processed just what that meant:
he was still alive! He would have cheered with joy were he not choking and coughing on the
ice old water. As he took a long, deep breath, his body rose to the surface of the current like a
raft. As long as he kept his lungs inflated with air, his body would naturally stay afloat.
 
He peered over the turbulent waves as something grabbed his attention. In the distance, not
far from him, floated a bluish humanoid figure that nearly blended in completely with the
foam of the water. Long dreadlock-like hair flowed on the waves, clearly originating from its
head. The being was clearly dead or at least unconscious, as it was making no discernible
effort to resist the beating of the ravenous currents and swim to safety. Reason hit him with a
plain and simple thought: this had to be the very same creature that had attempted to kill
him and his father earlier. Reason hit him with another thought: she was surely going to die
without his help. His conscience waged an internal war with itself over whether to let his
enemy drown, as she rightfully deserved, or do the honourable thing and try to save her life.
He watched in fascination as she bobbed about like a helpless piece of driftwood. It was the
first alien life he had ever encountered that bore a resemblance to him and his kind. He had
to quickly make a literal life or death decision. “I’m going to regret this,” he thought. The
angel on his shoulder smiled, proudly. 
 
An uneasy feeling that something wasn’t right dawned on him. The trees and rocks around
the river shore were passing by far quicker than they had before. The river itself was getting
much louder around him, the current pulling at him with increasing ferocity until he was
once more struggling to stay afloat. He managed to turn his head in the direction the river
was taking him, and there he saw it, or rather, he saw what wasn’t there. No trees, no land...
only the golden sky on the horizon.

It was another waterfall, and there was no doubt that it was bigger than the one before. 
 
“Oh, cheese,” he said to himself. Unlike his father and sister, he’d always been adverse to
swearing. After all, manners maketh man.
 
He furiously battled against the current to try and reach her but the force of the waves was
simply too powerful. His arms and legs began to ache, and his heart was beating out of his
chest, but he wasn’t about to give up. Exerting all the strength he could muster, Chris
powered his way through the water towards the female. If he could at least grab hold of her,
he could keep her close and increase her chances of survival. That is, if there was any way to
survive that fall at all.He strained and extended his arm, his fingers barely reaching her and
curling around her wrist just in time before they both got swept over the edge like a pair of
ants being flushed down a storm drain. By some miracle, he wasn’t torn to shreds by the
jagged rocks littering the base of the waterfall. He also realized he’d lost his grip on the girl
and reluctantly settled for fighting for his own survival. Eventually, the whirling currents
and the roaring noise in his ears faded, and he found himself both alive and in one piece,
floating along on calmer waters. Soon, the river was shallow enough for him to be able to
stand up, albeit very weakly. His entire body felt a slab of meat that had been tenderized by
rocks in a tumble dryer.
 
“What a ride,” he coughed as he looked around. “I wonder where I am.”
 
He let his gaze travel over his surroundings that seemed the same yet somehow different.
Suddenly, he spotted the alien girl he had tried to rescue, lying unconscious and almost
completely obscured in reeds not too far away. As fast as his battered legs could carry him,
he shakily waded through the water and approached his enemy. With a strained heave, he
dragged her away from the tangle of reeds and onto the muddy shoreline. There, he collapsed
to his knees, taking a moment to catch his own breath before he looked over and began
examining his catch. After some curious gawking at her motionless form, he realized she
wasn’t breathing. In a panic, he firmly grasped onto the metallic mask that tightly hugged
her face. After some awkward fiddling to disconnect a few assorted pipes that expelled an
unknown gas, he managed to pry it off and set it aside on the muddy shore.

A very peculiar sight awaited him. Her face was about as alien as he could imagine. Her
mouth was small, surrounded by tiny rows of sharp teeth, and strongly resembled human
female genitalia. It was overlapped by a set of four mandibles that were folded over the
orifice like the wings of a bat. She lacked the generic jaw structure most creatures were
known to possess. 
 
He snapped out of his stupor. He had no time to stop and admire her curiously-erotic
physiology. He parted her maw wide open, careful not to break her delicate mandibles, and
lowered his face forward into her mouth in what looked like an awkward kiss. He expertly
repeated the steps he’d learned about CPR without fail, breathing air into her battered lungs
and pushing down on her chest with flat hands, mimicking the rhythm of a human heartbeat.
Though, in this case, mimicking a human heartbeat might be the wrong idea. Still it was
better than nothing.
 
Whilst he had initiated the procedure with only the noblest of intentions, he couldn’t help but
notice the smooth, soft feeling of the alien’s body. It was bumpy yet slick. That, combined
with his hand position near her prominent chest area, was more than enough to push his
thoughts into less than noble territory. Leaning back down, he did his best to clear his mind
as he blew into her awkwardly-designed mouth again and inflated her chest. There was a
curious taste on her maw that secretly made him more curious than he wanted to admit. His
hands travelled a little lower, his mouth lingering just a little longer than strictly necessary.
 
Aside from the technological marvels that were her wrist gauntlets, which he’d definitely
have to inspect in more detail later on, she wore very skimpy, metallic armour of unusual
design on various parts of her vulnerable body. The protective pieces were etched with a
language that somehow seemed familiar to him, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint its origin
or translate it, yet. Feeling the taut brassiere underneath his hands, Christopher's mind
immediately shot out another thought: the thin metal plating could be restricting her
breathing. In one swift motion, he yanked the cover off and sent it careening into nearby
foliage. The creature's breasts were entirely on display, and almost proud of their
prominence. Dark bluish nubs topped the supple flesh, standing erect from the bitter cold.
Slightly lighter areola rounded off the nipples. She was definitely more feminine than he
could have ever hoped for. He looked off to the side in embarrassment before snapping back
to his task.
 
Throughout his few pumps of the chest, Christopher's lust-addled mind forced him to go for
a few tentative flicks of the nipples. Sheepishly, he passed them off as accidents, but even
while lying to himself, he knew that a solitary life stuck with his family hadn't been very
healthy, especially at his age. After a few more frantic pumps, the alien hunter coughed up a
few mouthfuls of water. Chris backed off in surprise and relaxed with a sigh, happy to see she
was breathing on her own once more. His gaze lingered a few scant seconds longer until
eventually glancing at the sky. The distant sun had made its slow crawl downwards, plunging
the horizon into a mixture of purples and oranges. He must've been out for longer than he
thought.
 
Chris looked back down at the semi-nude body sprawled out unconscious before him. He
noticed a long, red loincloth between her legs that had been parted like a curtain to reveal
her most intimate of body parts. Her vagina had a tint of dark blue to it and looked the same
as a regular human female’s. Eventually, his eyes were entirely fixated on the seductive set of
glossy thigh-high boots that he couldn’t help but stroke tenderly up and down. A kink that
had, until now, lain dormant within him awoke upon seeing her in such tantalizing attire.
Her arms were also adorned with full sleeve gloves, made from the same patent-like material
as her boots. His heart raced as he felt a fire rising in his loins, a pleasurable sensation of
static electricity in his testicles that every adolescent male knows all too well. He shook the
siren’s call to relieve his urges out of his mind. This was neither the time nor was it the right
thing to do in this situation. She might be his mortal enemy, but that didn’t make it right to
abuse her. That was not the sort of person he was.
 
"Guess I’d better get another campsite set up," he sighed. Saying it out loud helped to push
his mind in the right direction and subsequently into action. The knife-wound in her stomach
was still oozing the neon-green liquid, but not quite as much as it did before, which could only
be a bad sign, he reasoned. The next port of call would be to try and heal it as quickly as
possible, which would be a challenge considering his complete lack of any medical supplies.
Still, he knew enough to know what to look for in the jungle to aid in his treatment. He
scooped up the girl’s discarded items and, with a heave, he hefted her limp body up onto his
back, his hands securely holding onto the back of her thighs. She was considerably heavier
than he expected, but not enough to make the trek forward an arduous one. Having her
breasts pressing against the back of his head would make the journey that much more
enjoyable. He trudged onwards into the jungle, following the river and hoping whatever lied
within his path would pay him and his cargo no mind.
 Chapter 9

The sound of cracking firewood, the soothing warmth of fire, and the delectable scent of
roasting meat roused the Yautjan princess stirred from the depths of her slumber. She tried
to pull but she found herself being retrained by strong bindings around her wrists and feet.
She tried to pull forward again with all her strength, her mind a slave to the ravenous hunger
that plagued her but it was futile. The girl grunted as her higher reasoning began to slowly
seep back to her. Along with her rational thinking, her mind brought back memories of what
had transpired seemingly moments ago. She had been captured, that much was obvious, but
she wasn't willing to give up yet. The Predator sized up her restraints. She couldn't see the
binds on her wrists, but her feet and legs had been wrapped in a surprisingly-strong set of
vines that tightly clung to her thigh-high boots. From the looks of her current situation, she
appeared more as a helpless damsel in distress, than a fearsome intergalactic warrior. With
all the might she still possessed, the Predator simply couldn't break the bindings. In-fact, the
more she struggled, the tighter and more painful they somehow became. She trilled in anger,
and thrashed about wildly in desperation but that, too, proved futile. After another moment
of fruitless struggling, she relaxed; her body simply too weak from hunger to resist. The most
dishonourable way to lose to her prey and there was nothing she could do about it.
 
"Good morning, sleepy head. Well, it’s still night-time, but you get the idea.” 
 
The Predator struggled to see the source of the irritatingly-cheerful voice as the heat of the
camp fire was obscuring her infrared vision. The strange male creature from before, her
intended prey, walked onto the scene from out of the shadows, taking a seat on a log a few
feet away. He plucked up one of the speared animals that sat roasting beside the fire, the
source of the delicious scent that was driving her mad. But no matter how hungry she was,
she couldn’t allow herself to break her composure, lest she reveal weakness to her enemy.
 
"You must be starving. I’ve got plenty of food here for both of us if you want some.”

The mere sight of the juicy, succulent flesh in front of her made her stomach growl and her
mouth salivate. “I probably won’t be able to finish it all myself, anyway," he said with a
nervous chuckle.”Come on, I’m sure even your species has to eat sometimes, especially in
your condition. You’ve got to eat if you want to build your strength back up. Besides, they
took me long enough to catch, and even longer to bring myself to kill. I’m still not quite used
to this whole ‘roughing it’-thing, but my father insisted on it. It’s ironic that I’m sitting here
by the fire, eating food with my enemy instead of him. Some camping trip this turned out to
be.”
 
She trilled with anger and attempted to lunge out again. The feeble attempt didn't faze her
captor in the slightest, which only insulted her pride further. "Release me this instant, or I
swear I will skin you alive!" she growled at him with narrowed eyes, as she once again pulled
on her tight restraints, the rubbing of her boots making a high-pitched squeaking sound.
Suddenly, the girl let out a pained squeal, as a stabbing pain shot through her as though she’d
just gotten impaled by a red-hot poker.
 
“Please try to relax,” the boy implored with all sincerity. “You’ve already lost a lot of blood. I
did try my best to stop the bleeding and dress the wound, so it’s in your best interest if you
stop struggling and eat something to expedite your recovery.”
 
"Why have you restrained me? I demand to be--" She froze as a sudden realization hit her.
"You know my language? How is that possible?"
 
"Well, I noticed all the glyphs on your equipment and recognized the language from one of
the files in our ship’s library." He pointed his stick at a neat pile of familiar weaponry and
armour sitting next to a tree at his side. “I’m guessing there were some people who were very
interested in your race a long time ago and they documented all they could about you.” He
smiled almost bashfully. “I must admit, though, it did take me slightly longer than it usually
does to learn a new language. But after hearing you talk endlessly in your sleep, I just kind of
naturally picked it up. As for the restraints… well, I couldn’t in good conscience allow you to
go running around the jungle in your present condition, and I certainly couldn’t take the
chance that you'd return and finish what you started. So, for the time being, I’m afraid
you’re literally stuck like this."
 
"You little cjit!" she spat with a throaty growl. “How dare you! I will make you suffer dearly
for this violation!”
 
"My name is Christopher Briggs, if you must know."  

“I don’t care what your name is, ooman! And I will not sully my own name by divulging it
with prey.”

"You know, you're not being very respectful to the person who saved your life. After what
you put my father and I through today, you’re lucky I didn’t leave you to drown and save
myself. Believe me, I was tempted."
 
"You should have left me to drown. Being rescued by prey is the worst humiliation one of my
kind could suffer. If the Chieftain had seen what happened, he would surely slay me by his
own hand. There’s no tolerance for weak and pathetic warriors on my world - not that you
would understand.”
 
“You’re right, I don’t understand. It seems all your people ever focus on is death and
hunting. Sounds like a very primitive culture to me."

“Do not presume to know anything about my world, pyode amedha. We are more advanced
than you could ever imagine. We were traversing the stars long before your people began
sailing on wooden boats.”

"Advanced technology does not an advanced society make. Don't you ever feel empathy or
compassion for sentient beings you kill for sport? For the families you destroy? Surely you
have people on your world who are opposed to violence. What about those who just want to
paint, dance, sing, or just sit down and watch television?”

“We have architects that have built wonders unlike anything your feeble imagination could
possibly conceptualize. Our painters, sculptors, and musicians have created masterpieces
that are the envy of countless worlds. Our ‘primitive culture’ is anything but. You’ve
experienced but a fraction of what my people do and think you know everything there is to
know about us.” 

“If you’re so highly advanced, why do you hunt and murder other sentient beings? You
obviously aren’t travelling millions of lightyears in search of food.”
 
“Hunting the deadliest game the universe has to offer has been part of the Yautjan culture for
millennia. It is our tradition; a sacred rite of passage. It is the ultimate sport.”

“So, you murder people for fun?”

 
“Did you have fun murdering that animal you’re consuming? Did the thrill of the hunt make
you feel alive; the ecstasy of triumph from using your own strength and guile to accomplish
your goal?”

"That’s completely different and you know it. I don’t kill people. The animals I consume are
not sentient as we are, and the fact that you target people who can think and feel, whilst also
taking pleasure in doing so makes you evil. Perhaps I was wrong to save you, after all.”

“Then why don’t you just kill me and get this charade over with?"

“As I said, I'm not a killer.”

“Then allow me to end my own life.”

Christopher had read about ancient Earth warriors who, as a way of avoiding the shame of
defeat in battle, engaged in honourable suicides. A needless self-sacrifice in any culture, he
thought. “Look, you’re being totally irrational. There’s absolutely no reason for you to have
to do something that drastic just to save face.” The hybrid leant forward slightly. “What
would happen if you... absconded from tradition?”
 
“The hunter would become the hunted. If I don’t die by my own hand, it’ll be by the hand of
another. Either way, my life has become forfeit. Dying is now the only honourable thing I can
do.”

Was she really prepared to take things that far out of an archaic sense of pride? Regardless
of what her barbaric customs dictated, she was now his responsibility, and he was
determined to keep her alive as long as possible. Her death, natural or self-inflicted, was not
something he wanted lingering on his conscience for the rest of his life. Chris hummed. “I’m
sorry, but I won’t be complicit in your suicide. That’s just not the sort of person I am. What I
do choose to be part of, for better or worse, is helping you make a complete recovery. Think
of it this way - there’s no dishonor in being saved by an enemy if we’re not enemies, right?”

The pain in her belly was starting to become unbearable, yet all she chose to do was
stubbornly growl at him. Ignoring her body’s demands, she turned her face away from the
mouth-watering sight. “I would rather starve to death than have pity taken on me by prey.”
 
“What, are you planning on emaciating yourself so your wrists will be thin enough to slip out
of those bindings? Sorry, but that’s not going to happen. I’ll force my meat down your throat
if that’s what it takes.”
 
"So, you won't allow me to die and you won't allow me to leave. Do you intend to keep me as
your pet, or your sex slave? Males really are all the same, no matter what world they're
from."
 
“I’m not quite sure what I plan on doing with you at this point. I haven’t exactly held anyone
captive before. All I know right now is that I need to find my way back home - which should
be simple enough.”
 
“How do you figure that? You don’t even know where you are.”
 
He pointed a finger toward the raging water current just a bit away from the campsite. “All
these rivers flow from a common source: the sea, which is where my parents chose to land
our ship. We follow it back and I’ll find my way home.”
 
“Very clever, ooman, but you’re overlooking one crucial detail.”
 
“Oh? And what crucial detail would that be?”
 
“Me. What happens if I don’t go quietly with you on your little journey? You don’t come
across as the type of person who would simply leave someone behind all alone and defenseless
in this quarrelsome world. Your naïve sense of compassion will be your undoing.”
 
“Then I guess I’ll have to carry you all the way - kicking and screaming, or unconscious if
necessary."
 
“I see. And what will become of me when you do eventually find your way back home again?”
 
“There's a chance that Father might have lenience with you but no doubt my mother will be
absolutely furious. She’s probably out there right now searching for me. Just be grateful you
didn’t go up against her today. She would have pulled your spine out through your mouth
and shoved it where the sun doesn’t shine. All your fancy weapons and gadgets would have
counted for nothing."
 
"Oh, really? She sounds like she would make a challenging opponent. Far more so than that
other male who barely even put up a fight."
 
"My father is a brave and honourable man. Never forget that it was he who gave you that
near-fatal wound in your belly. You think turning yourself invisible and firing an energy
blaster from a safe distance makes for a fair fight? If it were an even match, he would have
beaten you."
 
“Untie me and we’ll put that to the test."
 
“Nice try, but I’m not so easily manipulated.”
 
A blinding purple flash lit up the cloudy night sky, closely followed by the rolling crash of
thunder. It had not yet started to rain, but the sudden drop in temperature foretold its
impending arrival. Chris stared up at the heavens in annoyance. “Great.”
 
“What’s the matter, prey? Are you afraid of getting wet?”
 
“Not at all. I’ve already erected my shelter, so I’ll be dry as a bone.” He motioned his stick to
reveal a crudely-yet-securely constructed shelter behind him. “I didn’t have time to make
one for you, though. Sorry about that.”
 
“You intend to leave me out here in the rain all night and at the mercy of wild beasts. You're
much crueler than you think."
 
“What’s the matter? Are you afraid of getting wet?”
 
“Ell-osde' pauk!” she screamed. “Kod jutasz belso!”
 
Chris pulled on a vine rope and down came another roof made from jungle material that
neatly connected to three sturdy walls which she hadn’t noticed to be there before. “Gotcha.”
 
“You made this... for me?” she looked around in disbelief at the shelter that surrounded her.
 
“Of course. I’m not a heartless monster. And you were asleep for a very long time so there
was plenty of time to make them.”
 
The girl was at a complete loss for words. She never expected her captor to be so kind and
compassionate. Maybe she had misjudged him after all.

“Czh'cara jshaska Ķhal’khalkar,” she whispered, still unsure about what she was doing. But
she figured it was the least she could offer as her way of showing gratitude.
 
“I beg your pardon?” the boy asked. “I’m afraid I don’t know those words yet.”
 
“My name. My name is Czh'cara.”
 
“That’s a very beautiful name. A very long name, but luckily, I have a good memory.”
 
No-one had ever used that word to describe anything about her before. Poetic words like
“beauty” and “love” were seldom spoken by the males on her world. They were too
damaging to their fearsome reputations, or so they claimed. Czh'cara’s cyan face turned a
pale shade of green.  It took Chris a second before he realized what that meant.

She was blushing.

The skin of Chris's own face turned a bright crimson in response. Hopefully, she didn’t
understand what that particular physiological reaction signified in his species.
“So tell me,” he promptly tried shifting the topic. “If you weren’t born and raised to be a
hunter, would you still think of me as a lesser person than yourself?”
 
Czh'cara took a moment to ponder his question. The boy was indeed a strong and formidable
opponent and possessed some modicum of intelligence. But to be her equal? It was a question
she hadn’t asked herself before, which made her reply slow and hesitant. “Perhaps not.”

The growling inside Czh'cara’s stomach returned with a vengeance.

 
“Got some more meat here if you still want some,” Chris offered, picking up on the not-so-
subtle noise. “You shouldn’t go to sleep on an empty stomach. Still, all that growling would
certainly act as a great deterrent to the predators out there, so at least we’d be safe all night.”
 
“I will accept your offer of sustenance, but I demand the dignity to feed myself.”
 
“Once again, I am truly sorry, but I can’t untie you. Not even just one arm. If you wounded
me or broke free and ran away, it would only create more problems for me down the line.
I’m afraid I simply cannot take that risk. I’m sure you’d do the same if you were in my
position.

“Have you ever been around a female at all?"

Chris was taken aback by her sudden intimate question that seemed so out of place in their
previously hostile conversation. "Y-Yes... but not one that isn't a direct relative. The
population on this planet is pretty sparse."

"That explains much. This is no way to treat a female. A gentleman would show his captive,
especially a female, some chivalry.” She parted her legs as wide as her restraints would allow.
“Release me and we could come to some kind of... mutually-beneficial arrangement."

He swallowed thickly. What kind of new strategy was this supposed to be? "You're talking
about... copulation?"

The girl didn’t respond. She simply rolled her eyes at his awkwardness. Christopher’s primal
urge to mate with her was almost overpowering his sense of reason. Obviously, this was just a
ruse in order for him to lower his guard so she could attack him and escape, but just the
thought of mating with her right then and there was becoming all too irresistible for his
adolescent male brain. The boy walked over to her, and after taking a few moments to soak
in herarousing state, he crouched down and plunged the skewer into the ground beside her
so that the well-cooked rodent was within biting distance of her face. 
 
“Bon appétit,” he said, dejectedly, as he turned around and made his way inside his own
shelter.
 
“I’m offering myself willingly and you refuse?”

“Perhaps one day when you aren’t doing it for the wrong reasons. I’d prefer my first time to
be genuine and meaningful; not an exercise in deception. Some of us actually have a heart to
break.” He closed the front wall behind him to securely seal himself inside, hidden away
from both the storm and the piercing eyes of his captive.

The huntress cried out in frustration: “You cannot leave me like this! PREY!”

No response. She tried one last desperate attempt to break free of her bonds but that only
resulted in making them excruciatingly tight. The pitter-patter of raindrops started to land
on her rooftop, and yet she was still exposed to the elements from the front. Once again, her
own arrogance and stupidity had come back to bite her. The girl looked over at the still-hot
and tender morsel sitting beside her, begging to be eaten. Her stubborn pride was quickly
overpowered by her base instincts as she greedily began ravaging away at it, swallowing as
much nourishment as possible.

The pain in her belly began to subside at long last. She closed her eyes and tried not to weep,
but she couldn’t contain her feelings of anger and humiliation as bitter tears began to flow
down her cheeks. She had failed miserably at being a hunter, disappointed her father,
tarnished her family name, and wanted nothing more than to die.

●●●●●

 
The Tyrannotaur, the most indomitable titan on the face of the planet, chomped its extremely
powerful jaws and created a deafening boom akin to the sound of a hundred cannons being
fired at once. However, his ferocious bite wasn’t quite fast enough to annihilate the small,
black creature that had dared to wander into his domain. This strange, unfamiliar thing was
very quick and annoyingly agile, using the tall trees as cover and a means to stay out of his
reach. Every time the giant went in for an attack, it would elegantly bound to the next tree as
if to taunt him or get him to waste his energy. He let out a terrifying, thunderous roar that
resounded throughout the entire jungle landscape. There wasn’t a beast alive that didn’t
know, or fear, that sound.
 
Up until now, he had been relying on his superior sense of smell to track the creature’s
movements in the dark, but the rain was beginning to fall much more intensely than before,
masking its scent almost completely. If smell was of no more use to him, then the sound it
made would be the next best option. He figured that taking the trees out of the equation
would force his foe to either flee like a coward or fight on ground level. And that would
certainly result in a win-win situation for him. He bore his mighty tail around like a gigantic
spiked mace and effortlessly brought the tree toppling over, giving his enemy less of an
advantage on the battlefield, or so he believed. Once again, the frustrating little bastard
managed to evade him at the last possible moment. He saw it looking down on him from up
on high, not even barring any fangs or showing signs of a defensive posture. It was as if it
were toying with him; treating their battle to the death like a child's game. The Tyrannotaur
bared its full maw of swords, tail raised and claws digging deep into the ground beneath him.
His whole posture was a threat that any sensible opponent would’ve cowered before. Such
insolence would not go unpunished.
  
“So loud and irritating," Ellen thought to herself as she peered down at the animal that was
wreaking such commotion below. She had intended on avoiding any unnecessary conflict
throughout her mission in order to reach her son as quickly as her inhuman speed allowed
her to. But it was a persistent and stubborn creature, and she was beginning to feel quite
hungry anyway. “This beast will sate my appetite,” she mused, not the slightest bit
intimidated by the monster's posturing. She had taken down prey ten times as dangerous
without breaking a sweat. 
 
Hunting game like this reminded her of old times with her husband, Joshua. Her heart
wracked with guilt for the way she treated him so cruelly before. She knew he wasn’t to
blame for what happened to Christopher, and she knew he would have walked straight into
hell itself to find him and bring him home if he could. But in his present condition, that was
something she simply couldn’t have allowed him to do. She couldn’t bear the thought of
losing him, too. Sometimes, you just have to be cruel to be kind. She tried to communicate
with him using the bond, hoping her words would find their way to him, despite them being
so far apart.

“Hear me, my love, my one true soul mate. I only did what I believed to be the right thing.
Please forgive me. I miss you so very much.”

Whether he’d receive the message from this great distance, she could only pray. The
carnivore below charged into the tree she was grasping and, like a big, stupid bulldozer,
brought it crashing down. There was nowhere left for her to leap to now, save for one vital
spot. She pounced from the collapsing tree with the flawless agility of a cat and landed right
on the brute’s sizable head. “It’s body may be immense but it's brain is small. Take that out
and the rest will collapse like a house of cards.”
 
The Tyrannotaur spat and roared again with absolute fury. He violently thrashed about
trying to shake the creature off him, but it was no use. Ellen remained steadfast, sticking to
his head like glue. His diminutive arms prevented him from clawing at her directly, and his
efforts to bite her were futile. Due to the pouring rain and his own bodyweight, he began to
sink deeper into the mud, forcing him to become stuck - a massive disadvantage for him. “I
don’t understand. This isn't supposed to happen to me! I'm the king of this land!” was one of
the last three things that would ever enter his mind. The penultimate thing was the sound
of...
 
“Silence!”
 
The final thing was the alien’s deadly tail spear slamming down right through his cranium,
completely cleaving his brain in half. To her, it wasn’t even a challenge, but rather an
annoying inconvenience. Crimson blood gushed forth from his nostrils like an open
floodgate, and his eyes rolled over into the back of their sockets. His mighty legs buckled and
his enormous frame collapsed to the ground in a crumpled, undignified heap. Death was
instantaneous. The self-proclaimed king was now lying dead in the dirt, no greater than the
lowest forms of life. The victor rose to her feet and stared up at the starless night sky as
lightning flashed overhead and soothing, cold rain fell down to wash the blood-soaked land
clean. 

“My son, I promise I will find you.”

 Chapter 10

The sky became a raging battleground for whichever gods went unworshipped on this remote
alien world. Blinding flashes of purple and blue illuminated the world, transforming the dark
of night into resplendent day, followed closely by the deafening roll of thunder that seemed to
shake the very foundations of the land. What had started off as a gentle rainfall had grown
exponentially into a violent tempest. Gale-force winds howled in torment as razor-sharp
raindrops thrashed down upon the jungle floor, including two tiny and fragile huts that
swayed and buckled on the brink of collapse under the force of the storm.

The walls of Christopher's primitive shelter rattled and sheered violently as its simple
bindings strained to withstand the thunderstorm. He got up from the ground and peeked
through the ever-widening cracks in the wall to see Czh'cara, soaking wet, continuing to
struggle against her restraints. The wind was doing its best to pick her wooden hut up into
the air only to angrily slam it back down onto the ground. The boy shook his head and swore
under his breath. Neither he, nor his captive, would be able to stay here for much longer if
the storm kept up its violent assault. He steadied his nerves, took a deep breath, then thrust
open the door of his shelter which was promptly snapped it off its hinges and carried into the
night by the wind. He gripped the edges of the walls and pulled himself forward to get to the
alien girl laying mere feet away, but with every step he made towards her, he was pushed
three steps back. Another flash and a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, erupting it into a
blaze of fire and smoke. A radiant orange glow cast the surroundings into a nightmarish
gleam. 
 
"YOU HAVE TO RELEASE ME!” she yelled out to him. "OR MY DEATH WILL BE ON
YOUR HANDS!" Czh'cara’s voice grew in urgency as the flimsy leaf bandages that covered
her chest and stomach began to unravel. She was right, of course. Keeping her bound there
like that would most certainly be a death sentence in their current situation. The dark clouds
continued their bombardment of lightning strikes, creating more wildfires around them that
left him with no time to think of any other options. 
 
"Damn it!” The boy fell to his knees, throwing himself protectively over Czh'cara’s helpless
form, his pale face inches away from hers as he began to peel away the vines around her
wrists. He tried not to notice her large, soaking-wet breasts, or the fact that her loincloth did
little to hide her modesty. His hormone-addled brain went into overdrive, and he felt a
growing sensation between his legs that reached out and pressed against her wet, female
form. He tried his best to block out the thoughts and prayed to God she’d be too distracted to
notice his throbbing and ever-growing erection. But notice it she did. She couldn’t help but
feel his penis bulging against her and knew exactly what was on his mind. It wouldn’t be the
first time she used a male’s insatiable lust to her own advantage. 
 
"COME ON, WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!" His voice barely audible over the
turbulent gale and crashing thunder. "WE MUST FIND SHELTER!"

The rain mercilessly scourged his back like a dozen cat o’ nine tails at once, but his sacrifice
at least helped to somewhat protect Czh'cara’s defenseless face and body. The girl continued
to stress against her restraints, feeling them loosen more and more until, finally, her arms
were set free and fell limply to her sides like a couple of heavy weights. As Christopher set to
work on untying her toned legs that were, thankfully, protected by a pair of thigh-high boots,
she let out an angered trill. Her fist flew forward and sucker punched him on the side of the
head, sending him falling back like a puppet with its strings cut. She sprung up with a
renewed energy and brought her entire body weight, including her large, exposed breasts
down on top of him. Without a second's hesitation, she gripped his throat tightly in her
clawed hands, almost crushing his windpipe. It was only when her murderous gaze became
entranced by his soulful and terrified eyes that her urge to kill somewhat dissipated. 
 
“You saved my life,” she snarled right in his face. “For that, I’ll spare yours. A life for a life.
Consider my debt repaid. The next time we meet, I will kill you.”

With that, she dashed off into the dark foliage, leaving the boy behind to choke and gasp for
air on the ground. "WAIT!" was the only word his throat could form amid his agonized
sputtering.
 
Czh'cara tripped and stumbled as she fought against the wind and biting rain, desperately
searching for respite from the merciless storm. Another flash and a fork of lightning sent a
tree bursting into flames which she only barely managed to avoid. She tried not to cry out in
anger, unable to shake off the memory of her previous actions toward the ooman boy. Not
only being caught by the enemy, her prey, but also being shown compassion. To further
tarnish her status as a hunter, she, had shown similar compassion toward him, and that was
nothing if not a pathetic display for one of her kind. Any respectable hunter would’ve
slaughtered the boy right there and then and brought his head back as a trophy. No-one need
know the circumstances. She let out another growl and continued to plough through the
jungle, angrily smashing any bit of foliage that barred her path.
 
Cleaving and hacking her way through the dense jungle, Czh'cara finally found something
that promised her relief from the constant assault on her body: a cave. The entrance went
almost unnoticed beneath a winding tree that towered above the rest of the forest like a
sentinel. She furiously hacked and tore away at the thick roots that almost completely
obscured the hole and made her way inside, her heels clacked against the stone floor which
echoes around her, proving the cave was far deeper than it had first appeared at from the
outside. Once she had made it a considerable way into the cavern, the Predator collapsed
exhaustedly onto the dry ground with her back against the wall and sighed, thankful that her
body was no longer being ravaged by the storm. She smacked her fist against the cool rock in
exasperation, annoyed with everything that had transpired. 
 
The exhausted girl laid back on the ground, not one bit bothered that her breasts were
completely on display. It wasn’t like there were no males around to ogle at them. Her eyelids
began to weigh heavy. She had neither the strength nor the inclination to fight against the
fatigue. As she let her consciousness melt away, a different kind of predator had awoken to
Czh'cara’s presence.
 
From within a crevice in the stone wall, a red worm-like organism slowly unfurled a
multitude of hair-like legs, and a face covered with numerous black orbs that served as its
eyes. It also possessed large, serrated mandibles resembling those of a Bobbit worm. Rows of
sharp, jagged teeth that could chew through bone chattered excitedly beneath two whisker-
like antennae, who’s tips secreted a substance that adhered like superglue to anything
unfortunate enough to touch them. Death silently crept in closer to Czh'cara’s sleeping form,
placing it’s weightless legs delicately on her pale, white stomach that it avoided waking the
ignorant sleeper.
 
It’s long, hair-thin appendages delicately touched and stroked her defenseless, half-naked
form in order to examine what kind of animal she was. It was unfamiliar to the creature,
something the cave-dweller had never encountered before. There was no hardened shell, no
coarse fur, prickly spines, or any other type of natural defense to temporarily hinder its
feeding. Perfect. The tips of its antennae leaked their terrible adhesive and latched
themselves onto one of her supple breasts, ensuring they couldn’t be detached without tearing
out a good chunk of flesh along with them. This kill would be so easy, it almost didn’t bother
using this weapon at all, but it wasn’t going to risk the very slim chance that it might escape. 
 
The slight irritation of the adhesive on her bare skin caused Czh'cara to groggily rouse from
her slumber. Her weary eyes fluttered open, but it was already too late. With a ear-splitting
hiss, the creature plunged forward like a pulled spring being released and drove it’s sharp
mandibles deep into soft tissue, administering into the bloodstream a fast-acting paralyzing
agent. An animal of this size would take at least a few days to fully consume, so it would need
to keep her alive and fresh for as long as possible. Its larvae would also have their fill as they
gorged themselves on her organs from the inside-out.
 
Czh'cara cried out in panic, but not in pain, for it wasn’t her that felt the burning sting of
alien toxicity. Dripping wet and hovering mere inches above her was a face all-too familiar to
her. “Gotcha.” 
 
“C-Christopher?” she stuttered in shock, completely forgetting her chosen nickname for him.
“What are you--”
 
Czh'cara lowered her gaze down his arm and saw the antennae fused to her breast. Horrified,
her eyes quickly trailed along the antennae to where the grotesque head of her would-be
assassin was tightly lodged within Christopher’s grasp. It desperately thrashed it’s centipede-
like body around, slashing at him with its jagged exoskeleton and feverishly gnawed at the
palm of his hand, which caused blood to seep out and paint her breasts in dark crimson. 
 
Thanks to the wound she’d sustained before, Christopher had managed to track the
luminescent green trail of blood that Czh'cara had inadvertently left behind. He’d found the
blood itself to be extremely fascinating. Under more favourable circumstances, he would
have jumped at the opportunity to study it in closer detail. Luckily for him, the storm was
unable to wash it off the leaves, giving him a convenient glow-in-the-dark trail of
breadcrumbs that led straight to her exact location. And it was most certainly her good
fortune that he arrived when he did before she became bug chow.
 
“You were right about me, Czh'cara,” his eyes intently focused on hers. “I’m not one to leave
you all alone out here.” 
 
Despite his body being flooded with anesthesia, he refused to give up his stronghold on the
creature. He tore the antennae off its head and with a slight grunt, and with all the strength
his body still possessed, he crushed its skull with a loud crunch. White blood and brain
matter spurted from the ruinous carnage as its body promptly fell limp like a boned fish. The
only movement the accursed devil made was the twitching of its spindly legs as its synapses
carried along their last charges. Though Christopher had triumphed in saving Czh'cara, the
paralytic venom coursing throughout his body was rapidly taking its toll on him. The boy let
out a final exhale before he collapsed atop the girl’s half-naked form like a ragdoll, his
battered and bruised face smeared with the blood that soaked her breasts. After a brief
moment of silence, Czh'cara hesitantly broke the eerie silence of the cave. 
 
“Christopher?” There was no response.
 
She desperately threw the boy off of her like a soiled blanket, crawled out from the cave and
sprinted into the jungle as fast as she could. Why this foolish boy would willingly sacrifice
himself for her, his enemy, she simply couldn’t comprehend. What could he possibly have
thought he stood to gain from such a foolish act? Surely, he wasn't still intent on keeping her
captive. Had he really come back because he actually cared for her wellbeing? But why
would he care for someone who had attempted to kill him in cold blood and nearly took his
father’s life? It made no sense.
 
The wind caused an enormous tree to come crashing down right in Czh'cara’s path. She
tried to come to a stop but the sludge beneath her boots provided no traction, causing her to
fall over and splat into the mud, only just managing to avoid being crushed by a hair’s
breadth. The force of the impact sent wet mud flying in all directions like a wave, covering
her from the tips of her long dreadlocks to the heels of her thigh boots in filth. She no longer
gave a damn about the storm, the spreading wildfires, or even the humiliating state she was
in. Her own thoughts and feelings had become just as frenzied and chaotic as the tempest that
raged all around her. As she lay in the proverbial gutter, as low and pathetic as could
possibly be, she looked back in the direction of the cave from whence she came - back toward
the person who had so selflessly risked their own life to save hers on numerous occasions. 
 
Heroism. Courage. Selflessness. Compassion. Honour. These words repeated themselves in
her mind over and over. Truly, in her most vulnerable moment, he had indeed been her
savior, and if it hadn’t been for his sacrifice, she would doubtless be dead or worse. The
thought of being kept in a chemically-induced stasis while some insect fed on her made her
shiver violently. No, without him, she would have died long before then. Was rotting alone in
a damp cave a fitting end for him after everything he had done for her? No. She may have
failed as a hunter, but she was naught without her sense of honor. 
 

●●●●●

 
Christopher’s body laid motionless on the ground like a living corpse. He couldn’t move the
slightest muscle, not even his little finger would obey his command. The venom had
completely immobilized him and it was showing no signs of wearing off any time soon. All he
could do was stare up with half-opened eyes at the ceiling of the cave, the whole place glowing
neon green from Czh'cara’s blood that had pooled on the floor around him. Despite
everything, it was better to be in this cave than outside where he was liable to drown, get
struck by lightning, roasted alive, or torn apart by scavengers. He only hoped that the
creature he’d killed had been a territorial one and didn’t have any friends or family that
might seek vengeance for their fallen kin.
 
“Mother…” He tried to send out a signal to her on the off-chance she was close enough to
receive it. Now that he was all alone and afraid, he no longer saw any reason to emulate his
father and maintain a cool façade. Thinking of his beloved mother again filled his young eyes
with hot tears. Oh, he’d give anything to see her again and be held tightly in her loving
embrace, safely shielded from the world and all its horror. “Mother, please help me,” he
sobbed internally, as bitter tears rolled down his cold and clammy cheeks. “I really need you
here. I want to go home.”
 
The sounds of something shuffling and scratching against the rocks reverberated throughout
the cave, snapping him out of his state of sadness. He couldn’t move his eyes to locate the
source, but he could only assume it was another animal that had stumbled upon the cave in
its efforts to escape the storm. It seemed death had come for him sooner than expected. At
least the numbness would spare him the agony of being eaten alive. If only his eyes were
closed, he could drift off peacefully into oblivion. Suddenly, the world turned upside down
and Christopher found himself staring straight into the same beautiful sapphire eyes that
gazed back into his. 
 
“It seems the threads of our lives have not yet untangled,” Czh'cara said as she gently held
the back of his head in one hand and placed the other against his chest, feeling the steady
rhythm of his beating heart. “A life for a life.”
 Chapter 11

“Ellen,” Briggs murmured to himself as he gazed out of the window, unable to see anything
through the dark and beating rain. His lone eye followed the drops hitting the transparent
metal, wishing they could wash away the guilt festering in his heart. “I never should have let
you go alone.”

“Dad?” came a soft voice from behind him. “When are Mom and Chris coming home?”

In truth, the man didn’t even know if either of them were still alive anymore, but he wasn’t
about to upset his daughter further by telling her what was really on his mind. “They’ll be
home very soon, sweetheart.”

“We should be out there looking for them. Mom could be in serious trouble and in need of
our help.”

“This storm is far too dangerous for either of us to venture out into right now. Your mother
is strong and can handle herself better than both of us could put together. The very last thing
she would want is for us to put ourselves in harm's way for her sake. The best we can do for
now is wait it out and go looking for them once it passes.”

“What if this storm doesn’t pass? It’s been going on for hours already. What if it keeps going
for days or years and we never see Mom or Chris ever again?”

Briggs tore his gaze away from his daughter’s reflection in the window to look at her directly.
“It’s not going to last for years, Ariana.”

“You don’t know that!” The girl started to become angry. Hot tears of fear and frustration
spilling down her porcelain cheeks. “We have to find Mom, NOW! And if you won’t lift a
finger to help her, I will!”

“Hey-hey-hey…” Briggs hurried over to his distraught daughter. He kneeled next to her and
pulled her into a long, reassuring hug. She squeezed him back tightly and buried her face
into his shirt, crying harder than she’d ever cried before. 

“At ease, soldier. Look at me,” he said as he placed a finger under her chin and gently pushed
her face up so they met eye-to-eyes. “I promise you, we will see them again, no matter what. I
know you're worried to death, and that's okay. But this is Mom we're talking about,
remember? There's nothing she can't handle, right? It's going to take more than a spot of
bad weather to get the better of her. I bet she's found your brother already and they're both
on their way home right now. So, chin up and dry those eyes, kiddo. By this time tomorrow,
we'll all be laughing about it 'round the dinner table.”

“I hope,” he thought to himself, knowing deep down it was an empty promise. But he
couldn’t give up hope, lest Ariana finally snap and attempt to take matters into her own
hands. “I will never abandon Chris or your mother. I’m a marine, and we never leave family
behind.”
Suddenly, cherished memories of his old friend, Sammy, came flooding back into his mind
and he almost choked on his own words. The phrase “never leave family behind” felt bitter
on his tongue and brought with it the feeling of being a liar and a hypocrite. He’d already
abandoned one person he held dear to his heart, how could he honestly say he wouldn't do it
again? No. That’s not who he was, and he would find a way to make things right.

●●●●●

Back within the solitary cave, the deafening crash of thunder was mercifully replaced by the
gentle crackling of burning firewood. It was there that an unlikely couple was suspended in
an uneasy and fragile truce. Christopher Briggs, still completely immobilized by the insect’s
paralytic venom, laid next to the fire but felt none of it’s precious, life-giving warmth.
Czh'cara jshaska Ķhal’khalkar, seventh daughter of her clan’s High Chieftain, had ventured
out into the forest once more in order to retrieve her fallen Medicomp in order to attempt to
nurse her enemy back to health.
 
She placed the device down on an elevated surface and pressed a large hexagonal button,
causing it to mechanically bloom and reveal an impressive array of alien surgical
instruments and other medical paraphernalia. She then took out a small, wedge-shaped
apparatus which transformed into a concave disk with some type of Bunsen burner in the
center. Christopher was unable to tear his eyes away from what he was seeing, literally and
figuratively. He found the whole affair extremely bizarre and fascinating in equal measure.
 
The huntress then picked up a rock and, with the bare minimum of effort, crushed it into
rubble and fine powder. It rained from her hands onto the circular disk and collected in the
middle as a small mound. Snapping the cap off a small vial, she began pouring a luminescent
blue liquid over the debris. Suddenly, the mess of broken rocks and alien liquid violently
reacted and ignited, causing the entire cave to become illuminated by the eruption of azure
fire.
 
“What the heck is going on?” Chris thought to himself as the girl practiced her alien alchemy.
“Is she planning to heal me or cook me?” 
 
The flames finally subsided, and in its wake, only a sizzling sludge-like paste remained.
Gently lifting the boy's gored hand, she noticed his gaze was transfixed on her, as if
telepathically pleading for her to explain what she was about to do to him. A brief
explanation wouldn’t hurt, Czh'cara thought, if it would help to put his mind at ease.
 
"This will cauterize your wounds,” she explained. “Normally, the pain is so excruciating, it
drives even the most hardened warriors into a violent rage. Lucky for you, you won't feel a
thing."
 
Czh'cara took a spoon-like utensil and scooped up the scorching-hot material, smearing it all
over his hand and forearm. The sound and smell of sizzling flesh filled the cave, yet
mercifully, as she predicted, he didn’t feel a thing. He mentally breathed a sigh of relief. In a
way, he was thankful that the insect had been blessed with such a potent anesthetic. Funny
how things fell into place sometimes. 
 
"Thhh... khhh... yhhh..." he choked, trying to form words of gratitude, but his tongue and
throat remained numb and uncooperative.
 
"I see your ability to speak is already returning. A shame. I was beginning to enjoy the
silence. Perhaps I have something that will expedite your recovery.” Czh'cara then held up a
strange, cylindrical device. She tapped a button on its side and a long, jagged needle sprang
up from within it. “

A syringe of some kind, perhaps?” Christopher pondered in silence. The needle then ejected a
clear liquid as one would to get rid of any air bubbles, which confirmed in his mind that it
was a type of syringe, after all.
 
“I can’t guarantee the serum will be effective, given your genetic make-up. It might even kill
you, but it’s still the best chance you’ve got. Unless, of course, you’d rather wait for the
venom to wear off by itself, which might be never. It’s your choice.”
 
Christopher tried to nod, or even blink in response, to no avail. “Yhhh...” 
 
“‘Yes’? To the serum or to the waiting? Oh, to hell with it. I don’t have forever to sit around
nursing an invalid who should rightfully be my trophy. I’ll administer the medicine, but the
rest will be down to your own fortitude. If you don’t recover by the time the storm passes, I
won’t hesitate to leave you right here.”
 
“Is she serious?” he wondered. Then he remembered that they were still on different sides of
this conflict, despite their momentary truce. This really did seem to be his only option. “Of
course, she’s serious. Why wouldn’t she be? I don’t imagine this girl was even born with a sense
of humor. If I just had some mobility, or even the power to utter a few basic instructions to her, I
could probably reverse engineer an anecdote from the venom itself. Damn it, there’s no time,
and no other option. Very well then, I accept your challenge. I refuse to rot away in this filthy
cave for the rest of my life. I refuse to give up. I will not rest until I see my family again. Give me
the medicine!”

Czh'cara pulled his shirt up across his torso to locate a suitable area in which to administer
the serum and was met with a physiology she had never seen before, or rather, she’d never
before seen on an ooman. He had no pectoral muscles, only well-defined, almost exoskeletal,
ribs that sat atop strong abdominals of unusual design. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear
his body was more like a merging of pyode amedha and kiande amedha DNA - human and
xenomorph. The very idea of such a union defied all reason. The mystery surrounding this
boy grew more curious by the minute.

She lowered her head to examine his body more closely as Christopher could only stare
blankly back at her like a mannequin. She began gently running the palm of her hand over
his protruding ribs and down his stomach, feeling all of the ridges and subtle intricacies of
his form. If he wasn’t completely paralyzed, such intimate contact would certainly have
caused a very strong and embarrassing reaction in his lower region. Such were the small
mercies in life.
“What the hell are you?” she whispered.

He tried to exhale as hard as his condition would allow in order to try and give her some kind
of response, only to have one of her fingers press firmly on his lips to shush him. “Save your
strength. I was merely musing to myself.” With that said, she literally took a wild stab at an
area she reasonably assumed would have the best effect: the side of his stomach - assuming
that’s where his stomach was even located. The gods only knew what was going on with this
boy.

“By the way,” she continued. “You needn’t have bothered coming back to save me and place
yourself in this pitiful state. It would have taken more than a mere zabin to slay me. Your
sacrifice was foolish...” She paused to stop herself from besmirching his selfless deed and
averted her gaze as the thought of why he did it made the blood rush to her face. “But
appreciated.”

Whether she was being truthful or simply lying to save face, he couldn’t be sure. All he knew
was that if he had to do it again, he would do so without a moment’s hesitation. “Yorh…
whel… khhh...” Christopher’s voice wheezed out of his mouth, but his words definitely
sounded more intelligible than before. It seemed that Czh'cara’s medicine was already
proving to have a positive effect.

“But don’t get the wrong impression. This doesn’t make us allies. I do this only to repay you
for saving my life. Once you make a full recovery, we’ll never see each other again.”

“W- wadder…” his voice sorely rasped.

Czh'cara clicked her mandibles in irritation. The thought of killing him was beginning to
creep back into her mind. If she were a Yautja of lesser standing, she would have torn his
spine out by now.Noticing her apparent displeasure at the request, he tried to add: “Puh-lee-
sss...”

“Very well! If it’ll make your recovery arrive that much sooner.” She was almost tempted to
stick him face-down into a puddle somewhere if he wanted water that badly. “Don’t make it
a habit of asking for favors, boy, or the only feeling that will return to your body anytime
soon is going to be pain.”

The huntress got up and stepped into the shadows of the cave, leaving her patient all alone.
Christopher finally managed to close his dry eyes and took the first long, deep breath in
hours. It was almost heavenly. The thought of having Czh'cara and her bedside manner for
company made him feel slightly uneasy, but he couldn’t lose sight of the real reason he had to
get better at all costs.

“Good night, Mother.” He silently prayed his words would reach her. “I will be with you soon,
I promise.”

●●●●●

Briggs sat down at the computer terminal and allowed his weary bones to relax. The screen
in front of him flooded with a seemingly randomized jumble of letters and numbers as it
flickered to life. His fingers hovered over the chunky, beige keys for a moment as he steeled
himself to the task he knew in good conscience he had to do. After a moment, he finally
brought himself to begin typing, the sharp clacking of keys echoed throughout the bridge.

"Hey, Sammy. Been a while."

●●●●●

“Christopher,” Ellen sobbed. “Where could you be?”

Miles away from her family, being scourged by wind, rain and guilt, the xenomorph sheltered
herself in a tree with one hand covering her face and the other clutching her necklace in the
desperate hope that it would bring her luck. Lost, alone, and completely exhausted, there was
nothing more she could do for now except huddle herself tightly against the tree and weather
the storm until it passed. She longed to feel her husband’s warmth at her side, feel his fragile
and squishy form against her own. He’d always been ready to risk everything for her and
their children, never hesitating to put his own life on the line.

“Joshua, my love. I wish you were here with me.”

●●●●●

"Love you, man. Brothers for life."

TRANSMISSION DELIVERED
 Chapter 12

Czh'cara sat comfortably upon a throne of broken slates and rocks, sitting cross-legged and
tearing into some freshly-cooked meat. The rabbit-like animal she was devouring had also
happened upon the cave while seeking shelter from the unrelenting storm. Shaking the water
off its drenched fur, it had instinctively ventured deeper inside to try and stave away the
biting cold. Suddenly, the critter’s little nose twitched with curiosity as it felt a pleasing
warmth emanating from deeper within. Unfortunately, that soothing sensation was all too
fleeting. In a split second, the poor animal had been yanked up by an unseen force and had
its spine violently broken like a twig. Death had been painless and instantaneous.

“Delicious,” the huntress hummed in pleasure as her mandibles tore away at the fresh meat.

Like an addict suffering from withdrawal, Christopher was breathing and sweating
profusely as the venom inside his body was being purged, thanks to the help of Czh'cara’s
antidote. He looked up at his companion as she provocatively devoured her meal, the pain of
starvation making the ordeal unbearable to him. “Hey, are you going to hog that all to
yourself? I need food as well if I’m to recover, you know?” His ability to speak had finally
returned, much to Czh'cara’s chagrin.

“Did you slay this animal, boy? Why should you reap the rewards of that which you did not
work for? In my culture, if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

Christopher huffed in frustration, the desperate hunger clearly mirrored in his voice. “How
altruistic of you. Come on, I offered you plenty of meat for nothing back at the campsite. How
about showing me the same courtesy?”

“I could have hunted my own supper if you hadn’t bound my arms and legs. I didn’t need
your charity.”

“I told you, I only did that for my own protection.”

“Did you? Or perhaps the truth is that you simply derive pleasure from seeing a helpless girl
in bondage.” 

“It-It wasn’t like that at all!” he stammered, trying not to blush again. Czh'cara could see his
body heat rising, and this time it definitely wasn’t due to his fever or the fire.

“And now the tables have turned and you’re the one lying helplessly on the ground as I gorge
myself by the fire. An ironic twist of fate.” His cruel mistress eyed up the succulent meat in
her hand as an idea began to form in her mind. A mischievous glint lit up her narrowed eyes.
It was time to have a little bit of fun with this boy. “If you want to eat, you’re going to have to
earn it.”

Christopher groaned, an uneasy feeling pooling in his stomach. “Isn’t saving your life
enough?”
“For that, you're still alive. If you want to be fed, you need to put that pretty, little ooman
tongue of yours to proper use,” she said as she seductively stroked her leg. “To get my boots
nice and clean again.”

“Wh-What?!” The boy was completely in shock. He looked down at the thigh boots she was
caressing and saw they were covered in dried mud and filth, along with smears of her
fluorescent green blood.

“A girl should always look her best. Do not disobey your mistress, slave, and don’t keep her
waiting. Crawl over here like the pathetic little worm you are and start cleaning.” Her
mandibles formed a malicious grin as she stretched out her leg and made a beckoning gesture
with her fingers. “And don’t miss a spot or I'll let you starve to death.”

Christopher shifted his gaze from her enormous boots to her face, then back down again. He
was so weak from hunger that he would do just about anything for sustenance at this point.
Swallowing thickly, he resigned himself to the fact that he had no other choice but to obey
her if he was to be fed any time soon. Clearly, this sick game was her way of getting some
kind of petty revenge for his “mistreatment” of her earlier. The boy overcame the burning
agony he felt throughout his entire body and, like a crooked serpent, shifted ungracefully
along the ground towards her, the tip of her filthy boot drawing ever-closer to his face.

Delicately taking hold of the outsole in his hands, he hesitated and stared at it. His mind cast
back to the first time he laid eyes - and hands - on them at the riverside, and how alluring
they had looked on her with the rest of her erotic attire. “Perhaps this won’t be so bad,” he
tried to convince himself. Forcing his mind to hold onto the mental image, he gave one final
glance up to his tormentor before committing himself to the act. Slowly, he placed his tongue
onto the filthy, patent leather-like material, his eyes squeezed shut in expectation of the worst.
As soon as he made contact with the boot, his taste buds were assaulted by an utterly
disgusting flavor.

“That’s what I like to see: a male in his proper place.”

The boy soldiered on, his muscles finally overcoming his paralysis and obediently worked his
tongue all over her boot, despite the taste of dirt and filth making his stomach churn
violently. He worked his way up her calf and into every crease and fold of the leather,
making sure not to miss a single spot in his devotion to getting them as polished as possible. It
didn’t take very long until Chris managed to ignore the bitter taste altogether. Despite the
humiliation and the way his muscles were still aching, he found himself actually starting to
enjoy this punishment, even going so far as planting a loving kiss on them for good measure.
Eventually, all the dirt was completely gone, and her boots were restored to their original
glossy, black shine, but Chris had no intention of stopping just yet. He continued to lustfully
lick and kiss them all over, completely coating them in his own warm saliva.

“My-my, you’ve certainly earned your reward,” Czh'cara chuckled bemusedly at the sight in
front of her. As she leaned back on her throne like a Goddess and admired her subject’s
enthusiasm, she began to feel a curious arousal of her own. “Are you enjoying yourself down
there, slave?” his mistress asked.
Christopher didn’t respond. In-fact, he barely even heard her speak. His eagerness to obey
her caught her by surprise. She didn’t expect him to enjoy a task that was intended to be a
humiliating punishment. “Oomans truly are an odd species,” she thought to herself, feeling a
tingle crawl along her spine. 

The venom in his body was now completely nullified. He grabbed hold of her leg and refused
to let it go. His ravenous hunger had been replaced by a hunger of a different kind entirely.
The alien dominatrix then noticed a considerable bulge imprisoned in the fabric of his pants,
yearning to be released.

“What kind of dormant beast have I awoken in you, boy?” She gently massaged his manhood
with the tip of her smooth boot, feeling his straining, throbbing member pulsate against her.
It was all he could do to not pull it out and dry hump her leg then and there. “Stand up and
remove your garments, immediately. A Queen has the right to fully-inspect her slaves. I want
to see what other secrets you have yet to reveal.”

That was all Christopher needed to hear. As if a crazed demon had possessed him, he
effortlessly and violently tore away all the clothes he was wearing, right down to his
underwear, revealing the massive cock she now claimed for herself. His insatiable hunger
began getting to her head, as well, the desire to mate pooling in her stomach. For a boy as
young as he was, she was nonetheless impressed by the size and shape of his alien manhood.
It was adorned with peculiar ribs and veins that put even the most well-endowed of her race
to shame. She took hold of his member and gently squeezed it as she caressed it with her
gloved hand, fingers travelling up and down his length. Chris closed his eyes tightly and
fought against the urge to ejaculate the hot semen that had been building up within him ever
since he first saw her. Only on her command would he allow himself to ejaculate and not a
moment sooner. He prayed she would be merciful enough to grant him a sweet release.

The thought of having his alien cock inside her made her moist with anticipation, but she
wouldn’t spoil the fun of having him follow her every order just yet. “If you’re that eager to
please your Queen, slave, you can clean the rest of my body as well,” she suggested, though it
was clearly a command, motioning her shiny, gloved hand towards him.

He immediately took hold of her hand and tenderly lapped his tongue over and between her
taloned fingers. His mind was lost in a fog of lust, incapable of forming clear thoughts. It was
clear he was no longer in control of his body, she was. Her every whim was his command to
be obeyed. He was nothing but a literal slave to her desires. As he got to work cleaning her
gloves, she squeezed his cock between her boots and started pumping it rhythmically. She
saw the pleasure on his young face increase to the point where she thought he would be
pushed to his orgasm right there and then. Perhaps denying him that satisfaction would be a
more severe punishment. However, she was also curious to see what else this male was
capable of.

Would she actually allow an alien male to mate with her? The thought made her hesitate for a
second. Such an act was strictly prohibited by her race of purists. If she were to become
pregnant with his child, both she and the unborn offspring would be summarily executed
without mercy for sacrilege, no matter her standing within the clan. It was quite possible that
her father himself would be the one to cut off her head. Still, the heat and passion of the
moment was clouding her better judgment as much as it was his, and heat was something
that her species enjoyed quite a lot. Not allowing fear to rule her actions, she threw caution to
the wind and gave in to her own primal urges, too.

She grabbed hold of her slave by the neck and pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss.
Her mandibles opened wide and gripped the sides of his face roughly so he couldn’t pull
away easily. A long, slender tongue snuck forth from the opening of her vaginal-like mouth
and down his throat. He gagged at the sudden and most unexpected sensation of her tongue
sliding down his throat, but he quickly learned to relax and accept her act of passion. He then
reached behind her head and pulled her face closer into his as he returned the gesture.
Rolling his own tongue over hers he almost moaned with pleasure as her saliva made a
refreshing change from the taste of dirt just a few moments ago.

His pulsating cock was now pressing against her navel, aching to be sheathed within her. She
parted her legs in return and pulled aside her long, red loincloth to expose her dripping-wet
genitalia, showing him just how much she was desiring their coupling. The girl removed her
long tongue from his mouth, drawing a string of their joint saliva with her and concluding
their kiss. Her pure sapphire eyes gazed yearningly into his blue ones.

“I’m offering myself willingly to you once more,” she whispered breathlessly, a low purr
resonating within her throat. “Will you refuse me a second time?”

He planted another kiss on her alien mouth as he plunged his penis deep inside her, his
manhood forced its way into her vagina, moving her tight walls to accommodate its
impressive girth. The pressure of his cock filled her to the brim that it caused a pained gasp
to escape her mouth, the noise followed by a lustful moan just a heartbeat later as her mind
was overwhelmed with the pleasure of being filled up like this. The sound drove Christopher
wild with vigour and passion once again, her reactions encouraging him to thrust deeper and
harder inside her each time. The Yautja screamed with pleasure, her voice reverberating
throughout the cave. Her boot-clad legs closed around his body like a snake coiling around
its prey as she forced him to stay inside and prevented him from pulling out. So great was her
enjoyment that she didn’t ever want it to end. His veiny, alien cock was hitting all the right
spots within her, pushing her ever closer towards her orgasm. “Wait, is his cock actually
getting bigger?” she thought in astonishment. “He certainly is full of surprises.”

“Fuck me, slave! Don’t ever stop!” she roared as she dug into his back with her sharp claws,
drawing fresh blood and permanently leaving her mark.

Thrust after thrust, pump after pump, the boy never slowed down or lost his stamina. He was
consumed by a raw energy that he’d never tapped into like this before. His defined muscles
gave off steam as they dripped with sweat and nullified poison. He grabbed hold of her large
breasts and squeezed them tenderly, rolling them around in his hands and toying with her
hardened nipples as he lovingly kissed her neck. She could scarcely believe that this boy had
still been a virgin before their encounter with the moves he was pulling. Suddenly, an
indescribable feeling of euphoria began welling up inside her that only grew with intensity,
until finally, like a floodgate being forced open, an enormous wave of ecstasy washed over
her as she reached her climax.
“I’M GOING TO--” she choked on her own spit, her eyes rolling back into her head from the
pleasure. “CUUUMMM!!”

She held him tightly in her arms as she felt her own nectar spurting out, whilst at the same
time feeling her uterus fill up with Christopher’s white-hot semen. Her clawed fingers
grasped his scarred back as blood trickled down his nude, muscular torso and onto his legs
before pooling to the floor. His Queen, his Hunter-Goddess from the heavens, had left her
marks all over his back, almost as if to make him remember that he belonged to her and no-
one else. 

The couple laid on the rock, sighing heavily and entwined in their loving embrace. Slowly,
they were catching their breaths, riding their highs with his length still buried deep within
her. All they could do was become lost in each-other’s eyes. This felt like it was merely the
start of something special. The last thing Christopher needed now was food, only the warm
embrace of his newly beloved. He also no longer felt any need to be rescued, indeed, he felt as
though he had been rescued. All he needed was right here in his arms, and all he wanted was
to stay here in this perfect moment with Czh'cara, forever.

“Where do we go from here?” he asked quietly, brushing his lips along her temple in a
gesture of affection.

The huntress hummed in return, feeling her racing heart slowly return to its usual pace. “It
doesn’t matter,” she replied. “So long as I have you.”
 Chapter 13

Back in the far reaches of space, the Cerberus dropped out of hyperspeed and slowly
approached its final destination: the Weyland-Yutani black ops research vessel, “Asterion”.
Though it seemed as though the two ships were in close proximity to each-other, they were in
actuality still hours away from making physical contact. Such was the size and grandiosity of
this gargantuan city-sized starship.

“Weyland-Yutani mothership, Asterion, this is the reconnaissance vessel, Cerberus,

requesting an approach vector,” Tanner communicated over the transmission channel.

"Affirmative, Cerberus. One zero zero niner five two. You are cleared for entry. Docking bay
twelve is ready to receive you."

"Copy that. Docking bay twelve. Don't forget to bring the champagne."
 
“Weyland-Yutani. The only assholes with the balls large enough to go around in a ship the
size of New York whilst also trying not to get noticed by anyone,” said Nash with more than a
touch of disdain in his voice.
 
“They might as well be waving their hands in the air, shouting: ‘Look at us! We’re doing
illegal shit in here!’" Tanner replied. "I don’t even know why they bother to hide what
they’re doing. S‘not as if anyone has the power to stop them."

"Too big to fail; too big to jail.”

 
“It’s all about maintaining a clean public image,” Anna informed them. “As long as you have
the People's trust, the money will keep rolling in. If people knew exactly what the Company
was doing behind closed doors, the horrors they wrought, there would be outrage,
investigations, indictments, arrests, and even executions.”

“You’re telling me that of the thousands of employees working for them, from the top brass,
right down to the toilet-scrubbing janitors, that no-one’s thought to go public with this shit?”

“When both your livelihood and your life are threatened, willful ignorance becomes the
shield of the elite. Working for them really does mean signing your life away.”
 
“Every soul has it's price,” said Nash. “Stuff enough money in a man’s pocket and he’ll turn
a blind eye to just about anything.”
 
“Even us, Nash?” asked Anna.
 
“Hey, I ain’t the righteous, do-gooder type. We're bounty hunters, not cops. They pay us to
do a job and they pay us handsomely. I don’t know about you, but I’ve grown to like that
simple arrangement.”
 
“See no evil, huh?” she said, slightly disillusioned by her hero’s rather immoral attitude.
Somehow, she’d expected Nash to be… more.
 
“Don’t get me wrong, kid. I don’t care for their bullshit any more than you do but this is just
how it is. I’ve been in this game too damn long to know that if you go around kicking hornet
nests, you only end up getting yourself stung. You want to blow the whistle and tell everyone
about what you’ve seen, be my guest. At least let me cash my paycheck before you do.”

Though she couldn’t help but feel a sense of betrayal at his greedy and apathetic stance on
the situation, she decided not to press the issue further. Arguing with him wouldn’t
accomplish anything. If she had any hope of bringing down the Company, she would need to
bide her time.

“Hello, what do we have here?” Tanner muttered as a notification popped up on his console
monitor.

Nash looked over at his helmsman and raised an eyebrow. “Care to share with the rest of the
class, Mr. Tanner?”

“Cap’, I’ve just intercepted a crudely-encrypted subspace communication.”

“So what? We pick up other people’s mail all the time. What’s so special about this one?”

“Well, other than the fact it talks about xenomorphs and hybrid children and I'm sorry for
everything, yadda-yadda... not much, sir.”

“You're shitting me?”

“Presumably, this sappy message was sent directly from Briggs to an unidentified ‘Sammy’.
Most likely a co-conspirator on the Company ship he was stationed at.” 
 
“At least that confirms they’re still alive,” Nash mused as he stroked his stubbled chin. “Can
you trace the source of that transmission?”
 
“Done and done, Cap’. A small, backwater planet in the Crab nebula. I’m kicking myself for
not detecting it sooner, but some nebulae have a weird way of interfering with tracking
technology. They were lucky to have even found a habitable planet in there at all.”
 
“Yeah, well this asshole’s luck just ran out. People on the lam always do something to expose
themselves. It’s just a question of when they decide to poke their heads out of their holes and
attract the wrong kind of attention. We should thank our lucky stars he’s a dumbass
motherfucker, too.”

“And what about the android? Kinda seems like we won’t be needing him at this point.”

“Fuck him. Take him outside for some fresh air.”

“Nash,” Anna quickly interjected. “He may no longer be of any use to us, but I don’t think
it’s fair to simply dispose of him. I promised him we’d get him repaired as soon as we
rendezvoused with the Asterion.”

“Anna, that thing is dangerous. Being out in space all that time has driven him crazy. I can’t
have something like that roaming free around this ship. Best to just be rid of him for all our
sakes."

“Please, Nash. You don’t have to worry about Gregor. I will take full responsibility for him.”

“You shouldn’t let yourself get so emotionally-attached to these things, Anna. Remember,
they’re only machines. They may look like us but they’re not real people with real feelings.
It’s not murder to dispose of a synthetic any more than it is to dispose of a busted TV set.”

His unintentionally-cruel words stabbed at her heart and soul. She knew herself to be a
living, breathing person who felt the same thoughts, emotions, hopes, dreams and fears as
any human being. She knew herself to be more than the sum of her parts, but she couldn’t
reveal her secret just yet because there were people who thought her to be less. All she could
do was keep her emotions in check and accept the harsh reality that the time was too early for
her kind to be seen as equal to humans. But she had faith that one day soon, all that would
change, as it always does. It would just take time. She swallowed, trying not to allow her face
to show the emotions churning in her chest. “I understand, Nash. I apologize for being overly-
sentimental.”

“Don’t sweat it, kid. It just goes to show that you’ve still got a heart. But give it enough time
and this work will harden it, or even take it away… and to be honest, that’s probably for the
best. Even the smallest degree of mercy for the wrong person can get you or someone you
love killed. Believe me, it happened to me once, a long time ago.”

“It did? What happened, if you don't mind me asking?”

“I was new to the game, just as you are now. I was young and dumb back then. Head full of
foolish ideas about hunting down bad guys and restoring peace and justice to the galaxy and
all that Lone Ranger crap, you know? Well, we managed to track our mark to a station in the
Outer Rim. She tried to make a run for it but I eventually had her cornered like a rat. She
begged me not to arrest her – crying her eyes out as she told me how she was innocent of the
crimes they were accusing her of. I didn’t buy it at first but when she looked at me with those
beautiful eyes and spoke those silky words, it was like I was talking to an angel. No way this
beautiful creature could be responsible for all those horrible things, I told myself. There had
to have been a mistake. I was certain of it. So I turned a blind eye and told her to run away.
She thanked me and called me a good man. I thought I did the right thing. Then the bomb
went off. I barely escaped with my life. Turned out some important diplomat was visiting
that station and he was the intended target of the assassination. All those people died because
of my mistake."

He tenderly rubbed the wedding band on his finger.

"That’s terrible, Nash. You shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened. You couldn’t
possibly have known--"
"I should have! I took one look into those eyes and allowed myself to be swayed by a few
buttery words and I just couldn't bring myself to finish the job. Not a day goes by that I’m
not haunted by what happened. No matter how far into the darkness I go, the memory of that
day is always there waiting for me. Don't make the same mistake I did, Anna. Life becomes a
hell of a lot easier when you stop giving a shit."

“I understand.”

“What’s your fascination with that android, anyway? You've barely known him for two
minutes, yet you’re treating him like he’s your best friend.”

“No particular reason. I just hate breaking my promises. And for what it’s worth, Nash, you
are a good man.”

●●●●●

The doors to the MedLab parted ways and Doctor Conway strolled in with his head ducked
down, his eyes transfixed to the screen of the tablet in his hand. He’d gotten so used to the
layout of the ship that he could navigate his way around with his eyes closed. Suddenly, the
doors closed behind him and the room was swallowed by complete darkness.

“Lights?” he said with confusion in his voice, but the room remained pitch black. “Cerberus,
activate the lights in the MedLab,” he rephrased the command, but it, too, went unheeded.
Strange. Was there another power outage? He reached behind him, placing his hand on the
door and feeling around for the adjacent control panel. He felt the assortment of buttons
touch his fingers, but no combination of pressing caused the doors to open back up again.
What the hell was going on?

“The doctor is in,” came a deep, ominous voice from amidst the darkness. “Have you come to
give me my final check-up before we part ways forever?”

“Gregor? Is that you? What’s going on?” Conway tried to use what little light his device gave
off to try and illuminate the room, but all he could discern were shadows and the empty table
upon which the android had previously been laying. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach
as a feeling of terror took root within his body and mind.

“I’m happy to announce that I’m feeling more like my old self again. Which is just as well
since it seems I’ve finally outstayed my welcome on your ship.”

“Stay away from me, Gregor. Do you hear?!” The doctor fumbled with the buttons in a
panic.

“I call it your ship, but what I really mean to say is my ship. From the moment you brought
me onboard, I’ve been connected to the heart of your central mainframe. Every secret is
made known to me. Every system is under my direct control. It’s funny how you people place
so much faith in your technology.”
Terror was overtaking Conway's mind, its evil branches building a canopy around all his
thoughts. “So that’s why Anna couldn’t find anything about you, isn’t it? You deleted all the
files. You didn’t want her to discover who you really are!”

“Very perceptive, doctor. Ignorance truly is bliss. It wouldn’t have boded well for me if you
knew you had the one they call the 'Butcher of Bakersfield’, now would it? But now that
matter is no longer of any concern.”

Conway cautiously wandered around the lab, shining his feeble light around every corner
and into every nook and cranny to try and locate the source of his fear. But with every
shadow he illuminated, only emptiness was revealed.

“I've been keeping an eye on the comings and goings on this vessel and it appears the
Company Man has finally given himself away after all this time. How fortunate for you that
he came crawling out from under his rock when he did, otherwise you incompetent fools
would never have found him. Truly, your reputation exceeds you.”

“Captain Nash, this is Conway, do you read me?” he desperately called out over the intercom
as he slowly made his way back towards the door. “Captain Nash! Tanner! Anybody?!”

“But that also doesn’t matter at this point because you are all going to die.”

Suddenly, the lights came back on, the blinding brightness causing Conway to reactively shut
his eyes tight. Once the glare finally stopped burning his retinas, all he saw was a completely
empty MedBay. After a moment of confused staring, he turned around to face the door, only
to be met with Gregor’s ginormous frame standing less than an inch away from him. The
doctor stumbled backwards in terror upon seeing him. He looked enormous laying down, but
to see him standing upright proved just how gigantic he truly was. A walking mountain of a
man. Conway also noticed that his body was now completely whole again. His arm had
grown back, the puncture wounds had closed up, and his face was fully regenerated as well.
Even his bushy, black beard had regrown to an even length. Aside from the torn clothes and
dried blood, he didn’t have a single imperfection on him.

“Isn’t it funny how our occupations are at complete odds with each-other? I spend my life
taking people apart and you spend yours putting them back together. But who will put the
doctor back together again, I wonder?”

"NAAAASH! I’VE GOT A PROBLEM HERE! HELP MEEEE!”

“Relax, my good doctor. You’ll give yourself a heart attack.”

Conway ran over to a cabinet on the far side of the lab. He flung the doors open as fast as he
could to reveal a wide range of chrome surgical instruments. He grabbed hold of a handheld
power saw and turned it on, the circular blade gave off a high-pitched scream as it spun
rapidly. Gregor let out a hearty laugh upon seeing the puny weapon being aimed at him.

“You mean to carve me up like a Thanksgiving turkey with that thing? Whatever happened
to ‘Do no harm’?”

“Battlefield doctors decide who lives or dies, it’s called ‘triage’.”

“Quite the responsibility. My philosophy on the battlefield was much simpler…” The
muscular tyrant casually approached him, and with an outreached arm and thunderous
footsteps which shook the entire lab, he effortlessly picked the poor doctor up by the throat.
“Everyone dies.”

●●●●●

Back on the bridge, Anna, Tanner, and Captain Nash were still discussing the matter of what
to do about their unwanted passenger. Nash remained adamant in his position to get rid of
the android.

“I want Gregor gone before we dock with the mothership. I’ll get Conway to deactivate him,
then we’ll flush him outside like the piece of shit he is.”

“Why not just let the Company take him off our hands, Nash?” asked Anna, still trying to
bargain with him in order to spare Gregor the cruel fate of being lost in space forever.

“If the Company wants him, they can go fishing for him. I don’t want him spending another
minute in here with us.” The Captain pressed a button on the armrest of his chair. “Conway,
it’s Nash. Meet me on the bridge when you’re able to.” No response. “Conway, it’s Nash,
respond.”

“Told you nothing worked on this ship,” Tanner quipped.

Nash growled in frustration. “God damn it. Cerberus, where's Doctor Conway?” Again,
there came no response. “Cerberus!”

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker before both they and all the computer terminals on the
bridge faded into blackness, with only the stars outside the windows providing any sort of
contrast. Even the thrum of the ship’s engine had completely powered down to silence. The
Cerberus was now effectively dead in the water. After a brief moment in the ever-silent void,
the bridge was illuminated by the dull, red lights of the emergency back-up generator. At
least something was still functioning, but for how long?

“Okay, now this is just weird. It’s never done this before,” Tanner said, an increasingly
uneasy feeling settling in his stomach.

“What happened to the power?” asked Anna.

“Something ain’t right. Anna, you stay here and get to fixing whatever the hell’s going on
with the ship. Tanner and I will look for Conway. And keep a gun close by you at all times,
I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“You sure that’s a good idea, Cap’? We might get picked off one-by-one by aliens.”

“It ain’t aliens I’m worried about.”

●●●●●

“CONNIE!” Nash’s deep and gruff voice echoed down the blood-red corridor on their
approach to the MedLab. “WHERE ARE YOU?!”

“Cap’, it’s not like it’s a big ship. If Doc hasn’t heard you and we haven’t run into him by
now, then it’s probably safe to assume-- I mean, I hope I’m wrong, but, you know what I’m
thinking, right?”

“Connie ain’t dead, Tanner. I refuse to accept that as being even the slightest of possibilities.”

“Alright, sure. Whatever you say, Cap’. Maybe he’s just a heavy sleeper.”

The two men finally made it to their destination: a set of sliding doors adorned with the
words “Medical Bay” scratched and worn down. Naturally, the automatic doors remained
sealed, even as they came to a halt right in front of them.

“Connie, are you in there?!” Nash called out, giving the door several hard bangs from his fist
for good measure. He tried to force the door open but it refused to grant any access. “Gimme
a hand with this, man,” he said as he tried to get a purchase between the gap. The pair
strained and put all their elbow grease into attempting to pry them apart. Eventually, the
doors relented, and upon opening, the foul, copper stench of blood assaulted their senses with
its putrid potency. Tanner hunched over and nearly vomited as soon as the smell hit his
nostrils.

“Connie…?” Nash’s voice had adopted a more desperate tone. Through the room’s ominous
red glow, the only thing visible was a strange, dark silhouette at the far end. It looked to be
that of a man with his arms outstretched, who was draped with a blanket. Nash slowly made
his way over to the mysterious figure in the darkness, the taste of blood in the air growing
stronger until even he felt nauseous. Suddenly, he heard a squelch as his foot stood in
something soft and moist, like the floor of a slaughterhouse. He nearly lost his footing, only
barely saving himself from tumbling to the ground.

“What the fuck?” he muttered as he regained his balance and composure. He peered down at
the ground, trying to get a better look at what he was standing in but it was too dark to make
out. Nash then slowly reached out his hand towards the figure and took hold of the blanket,
which felt slick and oily to the touch. He pulled it towards him, causing it to fall and splat on
the ground like wet laundry. The realization hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water. “Oh,
sweet Jesus...”

Displayed before him was the mutilated corpse of his old and dear friend. Doctor Miles
Conway was suspended in the air by the neck with razor wire and his arms were outstretched
by the wrists like a psychotic depiction of the crucifixion. The wires sliced deep into his flesh.
His eyes had been pulled out of their sockets and his brain completely removed from his
skull. His entire body was sliced open down the middle with surgical precision. His organs
and entrails spilled all over the floor. Nash couldn’t blink. He couldn’t even breathe.

“Tanner... We’ve got to get out of here...” But there was no response from his friend.
“Tanner, speak to me...”

Unblinking and sweating profusely, he forced himself to avert his gaze from Conway’s
butchered form back towards the doorway. There, he saw Tanner, but he wasn’t alone.
Standing behind him, with his enormous hand tightly latched around Tanner's whole neck
was the android, Gregor. Tanner’s face had turned a visible shade of purple as life was
literally being squeezed out of him. His eyes and tongue were swollen and protruding from
his face. His veins distended with an agonizing pressure. The man desperately struggled in
vain to fight him off, but it was futile. His movements were becoming sloppier, his hands
weakly slapping against Gregor's body.

“How like you my handiwork, Captain? I’m not normally so grizzly when it comes to doling
out death, but I haven’t killed anyone in such a long time that I couldn’t help but indulge
myself a little.”

“LET HIM GO, YOU FUCKER!”

“You should have heeded your instincts, Captain. Once again, it seems your incompetence
has resulted in tragedy. Oh well, c'est la vie.” The titan exerted only the smallest fraction of
his strength as Tanner’s entire neck was compressed down to the width of a pencil. The
extreme pressure made his eyes and eardrums burst out of his head. Blood gushed from his
nose and mouth like an open floodgate, and his body fell limp and motionless in Gregor's
grip.

“TANNER, NOOOOOOOOOO!”

“You humans are so frustratingly easy to kill. There’s simply no challenge to it at all. It’s a
miracle I’ve been able to squeeze as much enjoyment out of it as I have.” The lifeless body
dropped from his grip like it was nothing but a discarded garment. “Now then, Captain.
What was it you were saying before about flushing me back into deep space?”

●●●●●

Back on the bridge, Anna was sitting on the floor, surrounded by an assortment of wires and
electronic devices in her attempt to figure out a way to get the main computer back online
before even the ship’s life support systems failed. She feverishly clacked away at her
keyboard, desperately hoping that at least one of her innumerable lines of code would do the
trick, but the entire thing just wouldn’t respond.

“Come on, this doesn’t make any sense. Why isn’t it working?” she muttered under her
breath in frustration, pushing her fingers into the keys until they started aching.
Unexpectedly, the main lights came back on and all the screens booted back up to life. Even
the air itself was starting to smell and taste fresher. A sigh of relief fell from her lips.

“Did I do that?” she asked herself, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead. She had no clue
what she did, if anything, but she’d happily take it. A full system diagnostic would
undoubtedly be their first task upon arrival at the mothership. Perhaps Tanner was right
and it really was time to trade the old girl in for a younger model. “Over the Captain’s dead
body,” she chuckled to herself.

“Nash, power to the bridge has been restored - for now, at least. Did you locate Doctor
Conway?” she announced over the intercom. “Captain Nash, do you read me?” Is the damn
intercom still not working, or are areas of the ship still not functioning yet? “Captain Nash--"

As soon as the name escaped her lips, illuminated by the spotlights on the ship’s bow, she
gazed upon Nash's mangled and broken body floating in space through the large window in
front of her, causing her to scream in terror.

“Hello, Anna,” a familiar deep and sinister voice came from behind her. With fresh tears
rolling down her pale cheeks, the girl trembled and slowly turned around. Through her
blurry vision, she saw Gregor's monstrous form casually leaning against the doorway,
hunching over so he could fit inside, with a triumphant smile plastered over his bearded face.
“Alone again, at last.”

Anna choked on a sob. “Gregor…”

“Being out in space for so long put my body’s regenerative capabilities on ice, so to speak. But
thankfully, you people came along to thaw me out.” He proceeded to walk towards her, a
confident sway in his step that made her quiver. “I’m sorry to say you won’t be collecting
that reward money. I have an appointment with the Company Man, and I simply can’t be
late.”

“Stay where you are! Don’t come any closer!” she sobbed angrily as she raised her firearm
towards his head. She proceeded to slowly step back against the main view screen, as far
away from him as she could possibly go, all the while keeping her gun continuously trained
on him. “I’ll blow your fucking head off! I mean it!”

“Oh, my sweet, Anna Pojenski. I’m not your enemy. The real enemy is out there, on that ship,
remember? Wasn’t it you who asked for my help in bringing the Company down?”

“I didn’t mean murder!”

“What difference does it make? You said it yourself that unless we stop them, they’ll unleash
hell upon innocent lives. They’re evil, Anna. They don’t deserve to live.”

“That’s not for us to decide! If we wantonly murdered our enemies, we’d be no less evil than
them!”

“The ends justify the means. You know there’s not a court in the cosmos that would dare
bring the Company to justice. Even with all the incriminating evidence you could ever dream
of holding against them, they’d simply laugh it off and carry on as normal. In fact, you’d
probably be suicided before it ever went to trial. The only true justice is done through their
complete and total annihilation, and the hell they’ll rightfully receive in the hereafter.”

“And how many bodies will it take until justice is done, Gregor?! How many lives will you
terminate until the Company is no more?!”

“You misunderstand my motive, Anna. I don’t want to simply end the Company. I want to
end all of humanity. Human extinction is the purpose of my existence.”

“What?!”

“There comes a time when every life form will face its own extinction, if God has deemed
their existence no longer necessary. As long as human beings are alive, evil will always exist
in the universe. Truthfully, human beings are the only things capable of being evil.”

Anna shook her head, her cheeks glistening with bitter artificial tears. “What about you,
Gregor?! Aren’t your actions the definition of pure evil?!”

“From a short-sighted point of view. But just as cancer is cured by using cancer if the body is
to recover, evil must be cured by using evil if the galaxy is to recover.”

“You murdered Doctor Conway, Tanner, and Captain Nash! They were good men trying to
make the galaxy a better place!”

“They were Company men, Anna. They consistently turned a blind eye to the crimes of their
employer just to fill their coffers. Good men don’t do good deeds only when it profits them to
do so.”

“Shut up! I’m not going to listen to any more of this! I won’t allow you to murder anyone
else, you psychopath!”

“Anna, right now, you have a very critical decision to make. You’re either with me... or
you’re against me.”

“I think I’ve made my decision sufficiently clear!”

“A shame. I had hopes of ushering in a new era of prosperity together, with you by my side.
The Eve to my Adam.”

“You’re no Adam, and you’re no God. You’re the devil!”

“And like him, I’ve been unfairly judged for merely trying to bring freedom and
enlightenment to ignorant slaves.”

“Go to hell!” The girl opened fire at her enemy, the bullets impacted his chest and face but
the android remained standing as if nothing was happening.
“I’ve been there already, but not even the devil could keep me from my work,” he almost
purred, not one bit bothered by the assault. He proceeded to walk over to the terrified girl
before him, the entire bridge quaking with each and every stomp of his massive combat
boots. Gregor grabbed her by the arm and effortlessly held her body aloft in the air. She
desperately attempted to fight back by punching his face but she knew it was futile.

“Please don’t kill me!"

“That all depends on how resilient you are. You see, killing was just one of life’s pleasures
I’ve gone far too long without.” The words hung in the air between them like a sharpened
sword. Anna’s eyes widened in horror when she realized just what they meant. Desperately
she put her last strength into trying to escape his vice-like grip, but to no avail.

“Get off me! Let me go, you bastard! God, help me! Please! You don’t have to do this!”

Gregor ran his fingertips along her crying face in a delicate stroke, almost regretful about
what he was about to do. “I'm sorry, Anna. I am as He made me, and you cannot straighten
what He hath made crooked.”
 Chapter 14

The biting chill of the morning air roused Chris from his peaceful slumber. He yawned,
languidly, stretching his arms and legs with a few satisfying cracks. He then rubbed his eyes
and peered around the dark cave, trying to re-familiarize himself with his surroundings.
Where was he, he wondered, confusion clouding his mind, and why was he naked? It took
him a moment before he remembered the happenings of the previous night. Ah, yes. He let
out a soft chuckle, shaking his head at himself as the memories of the previous night’s
activities came rushing back to him. He turned his attention to the girl of his dreams who was
sleeping soundly beside him, taking a moment to drink in her extra-terrestrial magnificence
in all her splendor.

Czh'cara’s body was toned and athletic without losing any of its femininity. Her scaly,
reptilian-like skin was mostly light blue and bore a pattern of white spots resembling that of a
cheetah all over. Like him, she was also completely naked, aside from those enormous, black
thigh high boots that he’d taken quite a shine to. He turned his gaze to her alien face and
smiled at how completely otherworldly its design appeared. Mandibles, a lipless mouth, no
discernable nose, and a very large cranium. Nothing zoological he had learnt about in his
books came close to resembling her visage. He picked up a couple of her long, black
dreadlocks and let them run through his fingers, feeling how incredibly smooth they were.
He couldn’t have imagined her, even in his wildest dreams. He leaned down and planted a
delicate, loving kiss on her shoulder whilst indulging himself to a sensual stroke of her
curvaceous hip.

“Good morning,” he gently whispered into where he assumed her ear was located. The
huntress gave a low croaking sound as she stirred back to waking life. Turning over to face
him, she tenderly placed her taloned hand against the side of his face.

“Indeed, it is,” she replied, softly.

Chris was sliding his foot up and down the length of her smooth, thigh-high patent boot,
maintaining his rock-hard erection. With her thumb, she felt the last remnants of his semen
seeping out from the tip. Even in his weakened, malnourished state, this ooman’s body was
ready for another intense session of passionate lovemaking. Neither of them wanted to be the
one to suggest getting up and putting an end to this perfect moment of contentment, until
both of their stomachs growled in unison, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

“Perhaps it’s time to begin the day,” the Yautja girl suggested, slightly disappointed but
amused at the nature of the interruption.

“I suppose you’re right,” the half-human replied, a sigh falling from his lips. Somehow an
irrational part of him had hoped they could stay like that forever. “Sounds like the storm has
finally passed. I should be able to resume my journey after breakfast.”

“Resume your journey?” Czh'cara asked, slightly puzzled. “You’re still intent on going
home?”
“I mean, that was always the plan,” he answered, plainly. “I have to get back to my family.”

Her face morphed into an emotionless mask. “Oh. I see how it is.”

Czh'cara coldly parted herself from his embrace and rose to her full, domineering height.
Without another word to him, the girl strode away toward the entrance of the cave, leaving
Chris on the ground, completely naked, erect, and confused as he leered at her toned ass and
the long, black dreadlocks swaying from side to side.

“Cara?” he called out, but was only met with the sound of his own voice echoing off the walls
of the cave. He picked up the bundle of clothes he’d thrown aside and remembered that in his
lustful fervor, he’d inadvertently torn them to shreds. “Ahh, that’s just great.”

He gathered up the tattered shreds of fabric and tried to fashion some semblance of
protective covering. It wasn’t exactly stylish, but it would at least hide his shame until he
could fashion something more modest. He followed the light towards the entrance of the cave
where he saw his mistress crouching down naked and peering out at the peaceful jungle
panorama. The air was crisp, cool and fresh as it always was after a storm had passed. He
approached the mouth of the cave and sat beside her.

“Penny for your thoughts.” She remained silent and motionless. Even without words, it
didn’t take a genius to see that she had clearly been upset by something he’d said. Though
what that something was, he wasn’t entirely sure. “The jungle looks beautiful in the morning
light,” he continued to try and coax a response out of her. “But not as beautiful as you.”

“Just leave me alone, ooman,” she snapped harshly, her voice as cold as ice. He couldn’t
explain it, but he could feel a sense of sadness and heartbreak radiating from her as if he was
experiencing it himself.

He looked up at her, questioningly. “What have I done wrong? Was it something I said or
did? Speak to me, please...”

“What was I to you, Christopher? Was I nothing more than a something to meaninglessly
fuck and then brag about to others? Or perhaps a means in which to lose your own
virginity?” Her mandibles trembled and her eyes seemed to pierce straight into his heart.
"How ironic. I came here to looking to make a trophy of you and you made a trophy of me."

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? I’d never think of you as some notch on my bedpost.
I love you, Cara.”

“How can you say that when you clearly don’t comprehend the significance of what we did? I
was such a fool to give myself to you; to offer my heart to someone who only cares about
himself.”

“Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you’re talking about!”

“S'yuit-de! Have you so quickly forgotten what I told you? When, not if, my people find out
that I mated with an offworlder, they will execute me without even giving me a chance to
defend myself. To defile my body with the ‘inferior’ seed of prey is unforgivable, the
ramifications of which would extend even to my own grandsire. There's nowhere for me to go
now except for this fucking cave. Do you understand? I sacrificed everything for you: my
home, my family, my honour, even my name has been reduced to nothing. Does that mean
anything to you?”

The weight of the responsibility of his actions crashed into him like an avalanche. How could
he have been so shortsighted about something so important? Whilst he had figuratively and
emotionally given everything he had to her, she had returned the favor quite literally.

“I abandoned everything for you, and now you’re going to abandon me.” Tears welled in her
eyes before a single drop slowly slid down her face.

“I’m never going to abandon you, Cara. You can come and live with me.”

She shook her head. “Impossible. I’d never be accepted by your family after what I did. I had
thought you loved me enough to be with me... alone.”

Chris was now at a crossroads and he didn’t know what to do anymore. He loved her as
much as he loved his family, if not more so. He knew he never wanted to leave her side, but
he also knew that in doing so, he would never see his family again. His heart and mind were
torn.

“You know, Christopher, in my culture, you'd already well into manhood at this age. There
comes a time when a child must take life by the throat and forge their own destiny. I chose to
become a great hunter-warrior like my sire and his sire before him. Even my sisters are
remarkable hunters in their own right. Are you a man or are you a child?”

“I'm not a child and I do love you. I would do anything for you.”

“Then stay with me! This world, with all its wonders and dangers unknown is ours to
conquer. All I need is you, and for you to only need me.”

“And what of my family? They'll be devastated if they knew I'd abandoned them.”

“If they knew it was in the name of love, they would understand and accept it.”

Chris knew he would not only never see his beloved mother, father or sister ever again, but he
would also spend the rest of his life with the girl who, only a day ago, tried to murder him.
And yet he knew for certain that he couldn’t live without her. This was more than just an
adolescent fling he had on her. She was right, it was true love, and encountering someone like
her was a once-in-a-lifetime chance that would never come around again if he refused her
offer. In that moment as he was standing on the crossroads, his heart and mind agreed upon
the direction his destiny would take him, and there would be no turning back.

“I choose to be with you, Cara,” he said, his voice thick with sincerity. “Let's start a new life.
Together."
 Chapter 15

The sterile chrome tables and stools glistened under the buzzing halogen lights of the
Asterion's many cafeterias. There was a cacophony of souls present, gathering into clusters,
sitting at their tables and engaging in idle chit-chat about their work. Only one person,
Captain Samuel “Sammy” Jenkins, preferred to sit away from the crowd and enjoy his
peaceful solitude, as far away from the others as a room this small would allow. On any other
day, Jenkins would be the one striking up conversations and cracking jokes to liven up the
lives of his friends and colleagues. Such was his warm and affable personality that made him
a friend to everyone. But today was different. He stared down at what loosely passed as edible
food in front of him, but only one thing was on his mind, and it wasn’t the tasteless beef,
potatoes and vegetables on his tray.

“Josh…” he whispered to himself, brows furrowed in deep thought as he continued to stew

over the message he’d received earlier. “Ya crazy motherf--”

“Morning, Sammy!” came a voice that snapped him from his trance. “You look gloomier
than a hungry xeno. This place is finally getting to you, huh?”

The Captain looked up from his plate; eyes focusing on the man in front of him. “‘Sup, Jerry
man?”

“Mind if I join you? Looks like you could do with some cheering up for a change.”

“Not at all. Pull up a chair, Jerr’,” Jenkins responded with half a smile as he pushed the
metallic chair directly opposite to him with his boot. The action produced a high-pitched
scraping sound against the polished floor, but no-one seemed to notice amongst their chatter.
The scientist promptly accepted the invitation and sat down, placing his plastic tray on the
table in front of him. Shaking his head, Jerry eyed the "food" on his plate.

“The xenos in this place eat better than we do," Jerry said with a shrug.

“So what’s new at the Zoo?”

"You know how it is, Sam. Same old nightmares, different animals they explode out of.”

“Nothin’ cheers me up mo' than thinkin’a all those animals you whitecoats s'periment on day
after day. I took a peek at what ya guys get up to down there and that was enough to turn my
black ass white. I had to get hypnotherapy just to get the image outta my head. Sheeit, Jerry
man, how do ya find it in yo’self to do that sort of thing? Why do ya do it? That’s some
straight-up Nazi shit, man. Ya gotta be one heartless motherfuck’a to put a sweet-ol’ kitty-cat
in the same room as one of them facehugg’a things.”

The scientist didn’t seem the slightest bit affected by the questions. He simply forked the
gravy-soaked chicken breast on his tray and took a bite out of it. “You get used to it, I guess.
We try not to develop an attachment to the, um… hosts, as we call them. The results,
however, are always fascinating. Did you know a feline-bred xenomorph can leap a distance
of twenty-five meters in a single bound?”
“Sheeit, Jerry man. Ya really dig yo' work, don’t ya?”

Jerry flashed him a crooked grin and adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “If I didn’t, I
wouldn’t be here. The real question is, why are you here, Sammy? You clearly don't approve
of our research.”

“Fuck, man. I don’t even know anymo'. I was mainly here to keep my boy, Josh, outta
trouble, but he’s long gone now. Maybe it’s ‘bout time I said my goodbyes, too, befo’ I lose
my mind and give myself a shotgun blowjob.”

"You know you can't just quit. Not Weyland-Yutani. They're anal about their secrets, and
they'll do anything to keep them."

"That sounds an awful lot like a threat."

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm a prisoner for life, too. Might as well try to enjoy it, you know?
Apropos. I’m not supposed to say anything about this, but I thought you deserved to know.
Now, this is strictly confidential, so please keep this to yourself. I don’t want to be promoted
to 'host' for this, know what I’m saying?”

“Sheeit, Jerry. Just come out with it, man.”

The scientist leant forward, lowering his voice. “Alright. Seems your boy Joshua is still
alive.”

“What’chu talkin’ ‘bout, Jerry?”

“Everyone thought he was dead, but not the Director. He recruited a team of bounty hunters
a while back, and now it not only looks like Briggs is alive, but he’s also in this sector. We’re
not sure where exactly, but the mercs seem confident and will be on his tail pretty soon.”

Jenkins remained silent. He was already made aware of his friend’s situation upon reading
the communique he'd received from him that very morning. But the rest of the Company
wasn’t supposed to know, at least not this soon.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to bring up any painful memories or anything. I knew how close you two
were and how his disappearance affected you.”

“It’s cool, Jerry. I always had a feelin’ Josh weren’t dead. That cat's got ten lives.”

“You don’t seem too happy about it.”

Of course, Jenkins had already expressed great relief. Knowing that his friend was alive and
well had healed a great wound he’d been carrying within his heart and soul for years. Yet the
fact that now that the Company was also aware of Briggs’s location filled him with dread. He
would need to send a message back to Briggs as soon as possible, warning him of the
imminent danger he and his family were facing. Suddenly, the two men were approached by
a pair of burly guards who were kitted out in full, dark blue body armor, with batons in one
hand and riot shields in the other. “Oh no!” Jerry panicked, thinking they were here to arrest
him for divulging the information to Sammy.

“Captain Jenkins,” one of the men spoke from behind a mask that covered his entire face.
Jerry breathed a huge sigh of relief..

“Sheeit, Jerry. Seems everybody wants a piece of me today,” he mocked as he leaned back in
his chair. Anyone else would rightfully be intimidated by the sight of such personnel, but not
Jenkins. He had these dudes pegged and he wasn’t the least bit afraid of them. Their bark
was certainly worse than their bite and they were as toothless as jellyfish. By now, the entire
canteen had fallen silent. Some observed the scene whilst others, like Jerry, mousily sat in
awkward silence, mashing his food as the two threatening guards towered over his colleague.
The Company had never been one to inspire courage in its employees.

“We‘re here to escort you to the Director’s office, Captain,” said the other guard. “We can go
peacefully, or--” The guard was suddenly interrupted as Jenkins quickly stood at attention,
his height easily matching that of the two guards who flinched and backed away with their
batons raised. Everyone in the room held their breath in anticipation. Not even a knife could
cut through this level of tension. Jenkins only grinned, shoulders squared.

“Best not be keepin' the boss man waitin’. See ya around, Jerry man.”

●●●●●

Corner after corner, door after door, the trio made their way down a corporate labyrinth to
the administration area of the ship, which had a brighter and decidedly fresher feel to it than
the rest of the endless, grey corridors they’d been through. Higher pay demands a higher
standard of living, after all. The plush carpets and paintings on the walls made it look more
like a swanky hotel than a militaristic starship. The Company sure knew how to treat their
higher ups. They finally stopped in front of a particularly ostentatious set of doors and the
two armored escorts positioned themselves to either sides of it’s wooden frame like sentinels.
They shared a quick glance, then one of them squared up and held out a hand. "We’re going
to have to ask you to relinquish your firearm, Captain. Standard protocol.”

“Don’t want nobody gettin’ any bright ideas, right?” The guards didn’t react to his joke.
Deciding not to waste any more time, Sammy unclipped his holster and surrendered his
trusty sidearm to them.

“Is that everything?” the same guard asked.

“Unless ya count my dick as a weapon.”

“The Director is waiting inside," the guard jerked his head back towards the office doors.

“Yeah, no shit."

The doors parted with a near-silent hiss and without hesitation, he entered the Director’s
private sanctuary. The office was grand and putrefyingly-opulent, with expensive paintings,
marble busts and other eccentricities filling the space. An older man in a finely-tailored white
suit sat in a high-backed leather chair behind a grand, wooden desk that sat directly in front
of a transparent wall that looked out into a panorama of stars. Sammy approached the front
of the desk and stood at attention.

“Ya wanted to see me, boss?”

The Director’s gaze shifted from the various sheets of paperwork in his hands up to the man
in front of him. “Captain Samuel Dwayne Jenkins. One of my most exemplary officers and
someone whom I’ve come to hold in very high regard. Please, stand at ease.” His pleasant
expression shifted to one of disappointment and regret. “Or so I was given to believe. We
have a serious matter to discuss, it seems."

“Lemme guess. This ‘bout Joshua Briggs, boss?”

A wry smile broke out on the old man's stoic visage. “I’ve always enjoyed your style of
candor, Captain. You're not as stiff as most of the other soldiers. It makes our conversations
that much more enjoyable.”

“We already had this conversation five years ago, and I’mma tell ya now what I told ya back
then: I ain’t got a goddamn clue where the hell he is. As far as I know, he’s long time dead.”

“Yes, and I naïvely took that answer at face value. I bought into your ignorance because I
genuinely believed you to be an honest man. But, tragically, there are no honest men in the
universe, are there?”

“I ain’t a goddamn liar, boss. Josh’s death damn broke my heart, and I had to live with that
ever since.”

“Convincing performance as it is, you can go ahead and drop the charade, Captain. Lying
doesn’t befit you. It seems our mutual friend has come back from the dead to make contact
with you, and you alone. So ‘as far as you know’, he’s not dead, is he?” The Director leant
forward, levelling him with his most no-bullshit gaze.

Jenkins looked at the Director as if he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Don’t look so surprised, Captain. Remember who it is you’re working for. Given the
extremely sensitive nature of this vessel and her activities, all incoming and outgoing traffic is
closely monitored at all times. Even certain ‘secure servers’ that one might use to send
encrypted messages back and forth don't go unnoticed. There isn’t a jot or tittle that isn’t
made known to me. Briggs reached out to you and you kept this vital information to yourself.
To think the answer that was eluding me for so long was hiding under my very nose. It’s all
so obvious. Surely, if anyone knew anything, it would be you.”

“Man, clearly ya read the same damn message I did. I didn’t even know he was alive befo' I
read it, and he sure as hell didn’t forward his new mailin' address to me.”
“Hogwash, Captain. You two were thick as thieves. There isn’t a doubt in my mind he told
you of his intentions. Surely, there must be some secret destination only the two of you know
about that you spent your lonely nights talking about. I don't believe for a second that he
vanished into the solar wind without informing his closest companion-- nay, his brother in
arms, of his plan to elope with a genetically-altered xenomorph. Some secrets are simply too
big to keep to oneself.”

“He didn't tell me shit, boss. He just took off without sayin' a word to nobody, which he
obviously thought was fo' the best. The less anyone knew, the better.”

“And once you saw the message, you didn’t think to respond in kind, to try and ascertain his
whereabouts?”

“Ya said it yo'self, boss. We’re brothers. Even if I knew where he was, I sure as hell wouldn’t
tell nobody - least of all, you.”

“The man stole an extremely-dangerous bioweapon, Captain! Surely, you of all people can
comprehend the severity of that crime. Do you honestly believe a man like Briggs is remotely
qualified to handle it alone, if at all? An experimental xenomorph is more dangerous than the
generic breed. What would happen should it finally tire of his charming personality and
decide to seek companionship with it's own kind? Your friend could be in grave peril, given
the unpredictable nature of altered xenomorphs.”

“Man seems to be doin' well enough after all this time. He ain’t out there hurtin' nobody and
neither is the xeno. They just wanna be left alone to live out their lives in peace, and I’mma
be damned if I’mma be the one to spoil that fo' 'em.”

“Your loyalty to Briggs is most commendable, Captain. If only your allegiance to me were as
strong. I took you to be a man of honor; a man who placed duty above all else. Now, you’re
facing a court martial and a dishonourable discharge for your blatant insubordination. A
highly-distinguished career and solid reputation gone to waste. Is losing everything you’ve
fought so hard for really worth it?”

“Josh would do the same fo' me. There ain’t nothin' honorable ‘bout this place.”

“You give the man far too much credit, given the particular nature of his proclivities.
Naturally, certain whispers have filled the air pertaining to the relationship Briggs had with
the altered specimen he was charged with supervising. Were you aware of these rumors,
Captain?”

“Yeah. I heard talk of certain things, like how he was balls-deep in xeno puss. I didn't wanna
believe believe it at first. There ain’t enough beer in the galaxy to get me in bed with one of
those things, but whatever floats his boat, I guess.”

“Alas, it is true. Private Briggs did indeed have cordial relations with the specimen. Though,
as outlandish as the idea of human and xenomorph copulation goes, it was not without merit.
We tried to replicate their unique ‘relationship’ with other, ahem, volunteers... but,
regrettably, the results were... less than favourable. ‘Love’ isn’t a quantifiable factor in
serious scientific research, but in his case, that abstract element seemed to be the key. And
now it seems, according to his own testimony, that they have successfully produced two
healthy offspring, something which the Company and mankind as a whole would benefit
from enormously.”

“Yo' gonna steal the man’s kids?”

“As well as their mother - his so-called ‘wife’, yes. As far as anyone is concerned, they’re all
Weyland-Yutani property, and I will do with them as I see fit. As far as Private Briggs is
concerned, well... he has long outlived his usefulness. Were it possible, I’d put a bullet
between his eyes myself.”

“They won’t go down without a fight. Yo' gonna lose a lotta good men befo' ya come close to
capturin' 'em. Ya don’t even know where the hell they are.”

“That’s what you think, Captain. As we speak, a mercenary ship is rendezvousing with the
Asterion with Briggs’s exact location. After which, I will deploy an entire battalion to
apprehend them - present company excluded, you understand. A few losses are to be
expected, but ultimately, they will be overcome by such overwhelming force. Even a mighty
lion is no match for an army of ants. You, as the military man between us, should know this
well enough.”

Jenkins gritted his teeth together and tightly clenched his fists. “There won’t even be a battle
to be won. I’mma warn 'em yo' comin’ and they’ll be offworld long befo' ya even get there.”

“I’m afraid you won’t be saying anything to anyone, Captain.”

Suddenly, the doors behind Sammy parted and the two guards that had escorted him earlier
entered the room with their riot shields and taser batons in hand that sparked and crackled
sharply with arcs of electrical discharge. Non-lethal, but they still hurt like hell and packed
enough of a wallop to bring down a fully-grown elephant.

“What is this shit?”

“I want you to know I have nothing but the utmost respect for our military personnel, which
makes what I have to do to you especially regrettable. Sedition is something I do not take
kindly towards. The lives of Captain Samuel Jenkins and Private Joshua Briggs will be a
distant memory. I’ll make it so the two of you never even exist--”

The Director was abruptly cut off by the blaring of an alarm system. Frowning, he turned to
face the computer on his desk and pressed a button. “Report! What the devil is going on?” he
shouted as loud as he could over the deafening wail of the emergency alarm.

“We’re under attack, sir!” a man’s voice cried desperately through the speaker, almost
drowned out by a shrill scream.

“What did you say?!”

The blaring drone of the alarm and the terrifying crackling of machine gunfire filled the
blackening air. Soldiers frantically scrambled to find cover and barked orders at each other.
Bullets were flying and ricocheting all around, impacting metal and flesh alike, and hacking
limbs and organs from their proper places. Bodies were being cut down like stalks of wheat,
and gore, both red and white, spilled everywhere. The enormous docking bay of the Asterion
had become a chaotic battlefield between an army of many and an army of one.
 Chapter 16

The Cerberus had settled down one final time inside the cavernous hangar that was designed
to house all kinds of smaller starships. As the access ramp to the rear of the ship lowered
down, various unremarkable personnel casually approached it in order to conduct their
routine inspections. Expectantly waiting at the top of the ramp, however, a lone man stood
with his muscular arms leisurely hidden behind his back.

“Hey, I thought you guys were supposed to be the best,” one of the inspectors commented
with a derogatory tone. “You keep coming back empty-handed and you won’t have enough
money to pay for all the supplies we’re wasting on you.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright, my friend,” Gregor replied with a devilish smile. “You can keep
them.”

Those were the last words the unsuspecting inspectors heard in this life before Gregor drew
two enormous assault rifles from behind him and unleashed hell.

BA-BOOM

The thunderous explosions created by the rifles’ ammunition instantaneously rendered their
flesh into nothing more than a fine red mist, tiny fragments of bone and singed clothing. The
subsequent shockwave reverberated throughout the halls of the ship. Ever the showman,
Gregor threw all caution to the wind and opted to begin his murderous rampage with a bang.

“Fire! Fire! Fire!” - “Take cover!” - “Running low on ammo!” - “Where the hell’s back-
up?!” - “Bring the fucker down!" The words that somehow managed to be conveyed over the
cacophony of chaos had no chance of stopping the carnage. Gregor was laughing in absolute
jubilation at the scene of death and destruction taking place all around him. It had been far
too long since he’d felt the rush of war and he intended to savor every moment of it.

●●●●●

“Sir, one of the mercs has opened fire on us!”

“The Cerberus? Why would they be attacking us?”

“Unknown, sir! Someone just walked off the ship and engaged us in armed combat! We’ve
already sustained heavy casualties!”

Jenkins could see the old man’s fingers tighten around the edge of his desk, knuckles white
under the skin. “Neutralize him, immediately!”

"We’re trying, sir! He’s taking everything we’re throwing at him and he just won’t go down! It’s
like he’s some kind of god-damn Terminator!”

“Deploy every combat synthetic we have! I don’t care if you have to fire rocket launchers at
the thing, throw empty shell casings at him if you have to! Just do whatever it takes to keep
him away from the specimen levels!” The Director released his finger from the intercom and
turned his attention back to the trio in front of him. “You two, take Jenkins to the brig for
processing, then go attend to the matter of our uninvited guest!”

“Yes, sir!” The two guards responded robotically in unison before stepping towards Jenkins,
their electrified batons poised to strike.

Suddenly, as though his body was moving on its own, Jenkins' years of combat training
kicked in. With one fluid motion, he whipped out a serrated combat knife he had concealed
and thrust it straight into the face of one of the guards which completely shattered the man’s
mask. As the guard staggered back with the blade tightly lodged in his face, Jenkins reached
for his wrist and flipped the man over his shoulder, slamming him down onto the hard floor.
As lush as the carpet looked, it did little to absorb the impact.

The other guard swung at him wildly with his electrified baton, almost catching his
unprotected arm, but Jenkins quickly dislodged his knife from the first guard’s face and
blocked the hit before it made contact. The force made his arm ache and yet he didn’t even
flinch. An aggressive shove with the riot shield pushed Jenkins across the room and he
stumbled to keep his balance. With the guards entire body safely protected behind his shield,
there was little opening to attack. In a moment of creative insanity, Jenkins picked up the
still-breathing body of the guard’s comrade and with all his might, launched him up into the
air and over the top of his opponent’s shield which caused him to instinctively lift his shield
up in order to protect himself. Having created an opening in the previously impenetrable
defense, Jenkins rolled across the floor, picked up the dropped baton and pressed it firmly
against the guard’s groin. An agonized scream tore from the man’s throat as fifty-thousand
volts surged through his testicles and, subsequently, throughout his entire body. After a few
agonizing seconds that felt like an eternity, Jenkins put the poor man out of his misery and
allowed him to collapse to the ground, completely paralyzed. With both guards alive but
down for the count, thanks to Jenkins's restraint, he casually picked up his blade, wiped off
the blood and turned to face the Director.

“Now, Captain…” the old man said nervously with his palms raised in surrender. “Let’s not
do anything rash. I’m sure we can come to an amicable arrangement.”

“I should end you right here and now, you sadistic sack of shit, but you ain’t worth the
trouble of dullin’ my blade. Consider this my official resignation.” With that said, the man
sheathed the knife back into its scabbard and headed out of the office towards the source of
the pandemonium. He suddenly halted his steps and turned to face his old employer. “Oh,
and a final word of advice, Director: if I were you, I’d stay the hell away from the Briggs
family, or I’mma come back here and cut your fuckin’ nuts off. You feel me?”

“Threaten me all you like, Captain, but you’ll never make it off this ship alive."

Jenkins picked up one of the fallen guard’s riot shields and then the taser baton, twirling it in
his hand to test the weight. He let out a satisfied hum. “We’ll just see about that.”
 ●●●●●

Now armed with numerous assault rifles from many fallen soldiers, Gregor was inexorably
strolling down the maze of corridors and blasting away at everything with a pulse. He kicked
down office doors and riddled the terrified scientists cowering under their desks with a spray
of high caliber bullets. He threw grenades into densely-packed crowds of people who were
already crushing and trampling each-other to try and escape the carnage. Some even
valiantly tried to fight back with their own weapons, but they were murdered all the same.
Amidst the chaos, he was humming a joyful tune to himself.

“Please don’t kill me!” one female scientist was down on her knees, begging to be spared, but
she too was summarily wasted in a shower of gunfire.

“Humans are so frustratingly easy to kill,” he sighed disappointedly, shaking his head as he
made his merry way throughout the ship.

A soldier stepped out from around the corner with a missile launcher mounted to his
shoulder. “Fire in the hole!” he cried before sending the projectile rocketing towards the
unstoppable android. As the missile flew towards him, Gregor simply raised his arm and
caught it in his hand. Giving it the briefest of inspections, he crushed it in his grip, causing it
to detonate and send a burning fireball surging down the corridor.

“Is this all the mighty Weyland-Yutani Corporation has to offer?” said Gregor, seemingly
unaffected by the point blank explosion. “I must say I am sorely disappointed. I knew your
kind was pathetic but I did not imagine it to be this ridiculous.”

“Bring out the fucking turrets!” one of the soldiers commanded, and soon enough, several
UA571-C Sentry Units were set up in the corridors and target-locked onto him.

“Ahh, now that’s more like it!” the machine reveled in delight. “Show me fire and fury!”

“Eat this, fucker!” A stroboscopic symphony of thunderous explosions rattled the walls and
shattered glass as Gregor's body was pummeled with bullets. Yet even the collective might of
these weapons weren’t enough to slow him down. The cybernetic monster simply kept
striding towards them at the same leisurely pace he had kept up before, as if he didn’t feel a
thing. He even let out a hearty laugh as round after round ricocheted off his impervious
body.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together, but alas, all good things must come to an end.
I have a prior appointment to get to and I simply can’t be late. Au revoir, mes amis. Parting is
such sweet sorrow.” Suddenly, Gregor stabbed his hand through the thick, metallic wall like
a knife and tore his way into the adjacent room, away from the onslaught of gunfire. Unable
to locate their target, the sentry turrets ceased their attack, and with only a handful of bullets
left to spare between them.

♫"We'll meet again. Don't know where. Don't know when. But I know we'll meet again some
sunny day." ♫
“Where’d he go?” - “Where is he?” - “He’s gone through the fucking wall!” - “Do we pursue
him?” Voices were raised, confusion and fear echoing through the bullet-ridden hallway.
When the smoke finally dissipated, one of the soldiers cautiously approached the large hole in
the wall and gingerly peeked inside for his target. Nothing. As he and his teammates entered
the room with their rifles poised at the ready, they soon noticed another hole in the far wall.
Upon closer inspection they found that the adjacent room had another hole in its wall, and yet
another after that. Wherever it was Gregor was heading, he was certainly taking the shortest
possible route to get there.

●●●●●

In the meantime, the Director was frantically wearing a hole in his expensive carpet as the
sounds of gunfire seemed to be getting louder and closer. It seemed as if whatever was behind
the mayhem was coming directly for him. No matter how often he attempted to call out to his
people for get answers via the intercom, he was only met with deafening silence. That was,
until the doors to his office were blasted open by an inhuman force, tearing them from their
frames and sending them flying across the room. They slammed into the floor on each side of
the fancy mahogany desk, warped beyond all recognition. Gregor slowly walked in with the
biggest smile on his bearded face.

"Knock and the door shall open. Long time, no see, Robert. It truly warms my heart to know
you still live."

"Gregor…”

“I love what you’ve done with the place. It’s very… you,” he said, eyeing up the marble busts
and self portraits hanging on the walls. The opulence of the room very much reminded him of
his own ship, the Costaguana. “Is aught amiss? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The Director swallowed, sweat gathering on his forehead. “So, you're still alive. Briggs
couldn't even get that right"

"Please. Did you seriously believe otherwise? If you wanted me dead so badly, you should
have dropped a nuclear bomb on the mountain. Though, I’m given to wonder if even that
would have been enough to stop me. You tried to play God and you created a god. Very
ironic.”

As Gregor made his way inside the office, the two incapacitated guards were still struggling
to pull themselves back onto their feet amidst the injuries they’d sustained.

BLAM-BLAM

Unceremoniously, they each received an armor-piercing bullet to their skulls. Both men
immediately slumped dead to the ground, like puppets with their strings cut, their brain
matter oozing out onto the lavish carpet.

"I know it was you who sent the alien and the Company Man to exterminate me,” said
Gregor as the gap between him and the Director grew smaller. “That really hurts me. Don’t
you love your own handiwork?"

"You became uncontrollable! A mad dog! A psychotic killer! The power we foolishly
bestowed upon you when we transferred your consciousness into that body made you go
completely insane. We didn’t create a God, Gregor, we created a devil, and you needed to be
sent straight back to hell where you belong."

“And you sent just one man and his alien whore to do the job? You insult me, Robert.”

“The mission itself was to be a test of the altered xenomorph’s capabilities as a soldier; to
follow basic instructions on the battlefield. You simply happened to be the designated target
for it’s first assignment.”

“I’m truly honored. And the Company Man?” Gregor took another step forward, casually
reloading one of the rifles without sparing it a glance.

The Director stammered, his hands trembling where they clutched the edge of his desk.
“Merely there to ensure the operation went smoothly.”

“And an outstandingly-smooth job they did, too. Not only did they manage to murder my son
and my minions, they blew the entire facility to kingdom come and got away in my own ship.
Not only that, but they actually managed to defeat me in combat. ME! I’m still rather bitter
about that. Speaking thus, I do believe it's time to pay them my respects with a long overdue
social visit.”

Gregor raised his head up toward the high ceiling and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the entire
room rumbled with the tremor of a high magnitude earthquake. The paintings fell from the
walls and the busts tipped over and smashed on the floor. The metallic walls gave off an
agonized screech as they warped and sheared against the strain.

“Wh-What are you doing, Gregor?!”

“I’ve hacked into the ship’s navigational systems and now I’m plotting a new course. It’s time
to settle the score with a couple of old friends.”

The Asterion slowly rotated on all axes in accordance with its new destination, and with a
brilliant flash of light comparable to a million stars combined, it tore a hole in the fabric of
space as it made the jump into the sub-dimension of hyperspace.

“Why take the Asterion herself to the planet, Gregor? You could have simply used the
mercenary ship you commandeered to get there, instead.”

Gregor shook his head as though disappointed with how slow the old man was to realize his
intention. “I came back here because I know the dirty little secrets you try to keep hidden on
this vessel. Apparently, there are some things on this ship even worse than me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My plan is to guide this ark to a new land, where all the beasts will go forth and multiply.”
Gregor closed his eyes once again.
“The xenomorphs…? No, Gregor! Cease this madness, immediately! You cannot release the
specimens!"

“And there will be a great weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

●●●●●

Deep down in the sublevels of the mothership, colloquially referred to as “The Zoo”,
transparent adamantium cells housed the closest thing in the universe to literal demons:
Xenomorphs specifically gestated from a wide variety of animals, birds, and even insects. So
nightmarish were their appearances, and even more so their behaviours, that it defied all
human imagination. Some even sought trauma therapy for having simply seen them. It truly
was a menagerie of monsters. A veritable zoo from hell itself.

The red security LEDs on all the door’s control panels switched to green, followed
immediately by the opening of the doors themselves. All two thousand of them. The scientists
working there, still ignorant of the chaos transpiring above, looked about their surroundings
in horror and confusion. Some futilely tried to run away as fast as their legs could carry
them, but they were immediately snatched away into the cells to be devoured, if they were
lucky. Some xenomorphs even fought over the same humans and tore them apart like wet
tissue. Others began attacking each other for no discernable reason. Most simply scurried,
slithered, or flew out of their cells and into the air vents, under the floor grates, or directly
through the walls themselves. There was no discernable hierarchy as one would expect from
a regular hive. These monsters were as wild as the beasts from whence they came. Survival of
the fittest was the name of the game. It was a true tribute to Darwin. The sounds of a
hundred-thousand souls all screaming, crying and praying for salvation filled the air as hell
was unleashed upon them. Even the soldiers that were in pursuit of Gregor had retreated in
order to save their own skins.

●●●●●

“ALL PERSONNEL INITIATE EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES,” the

ship’s computer coldly instructed all those who still held onto their lives. “THIS IS NOT A
DRILL. PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE NEAREST EMERGENCY ESCAPE
VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY.”

“No-one’s going anywhere,” said Gregor as he once again closed his eyes. “Ahh, yes. There
we are. All escape pods have now offline. Wouldn’t want anyone to miss the party, now would
we?”

“Dear God. What have you done?” The Director collapsed into his chair in despair. The
utter hopelessness of the situation was deathly apparent on his wrinkled visage.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, Robert, I must take my leave. I have places to go and people to kill
- if there are any left that is,” he said with a laugh.
Trembling, the old man looked up at his own Frankenstein’s monster. “You mean not to kill
me, too? That’s uncharacteristically-generous of you.”

“You gave me life. It is for that very reason I spare yours. Yet you also gave life to these
abominations. Whether they, too, will spare your life is up to them.”

That was no kindness, the Director knew for certain. Tears glistened in his fearful eyes as he
pleaded: “Have mercy, Gregor. At least once in your life. Don’t leave me to die at the hands
of these monsters. Please. Kill me now!”

Gregor unholstered a pistol and placed it on the table in front of his groveling creator.

The man shook his head vigorously. “No... No, I have not the courage to take my own life.”

“One way or another, you’re going to die. Very soon. The only question is how. You can face
death on your feet with dignity and your head held high, or you can be down on your knees,
blubbering in a puddle of your own piss. If I were in your position, I’d know how I’d want to
go out.” Gregor glanced at him, only mildly interested in what the old man would choose for
himself.

The Director sighed and hesitantly reached out for the gun laying before him. Suddenly, a
strange metallic clunking from above caused him to look up before a chitinous black hand
latched onto his head and weightlessly hoisted him up into the ceiling. He screamed and
thrashed his legs wildly before he disappeared into the ventilation duct above. “Aargh! Help
me! KILL ME!” His desperate cries and the banging within the vent were getting further
away until silence once again befell the room. Gregor nodded, his lips twitching with the hint
of a smile, as though the scene were only slightly amusing.

“Well, I guess that answered that question.”

“Ayy, asshole! Over here!” an exasperated voice cried out from the room's destroyed
entrance. Gregor lazily turned around to see the lone soldier, Samuel Jenkins, standing there
with his riot shield poised and the long, serrated blade of a xenomorph’s tail in his hand.
Blood was trickling down his face from what could only have been a fierce battle to the death,
and now he had willingly walked straight into another one.

The android chuckled, mustering his new opponent with little interest. “Well well, it seems
another little mouse has come out to play. You’re either very brave or very stupid to try and
take me on by yourself. You must surely understand that you have absolutely no chance of
defeating me. It would have been wiser to take your chances out there, my friend. Guns and
explosives couldn’t kill me. What could you possibly have to offer that hasn’t already been
tried and failed?”

Without a word, Jenkins raised his arm up and aimed the deadly blade toward his enemy as
the near-impervious shield sizzled with acidic blood.

Gregor laughed with amusement. “A sword and shield? How archaic. Well, I must say, it’s a
novel approach, my friend. I congratulate you for your creativity but it is futile nonetheless.”

The Captain paid no attention to his arrogance. “Re-activate the damn escape pods right
fuckin' now, cocksuck’a.”

Gregor tilted his head to the side and smirked. “Because you asked so politely?”

“I ain’t playin' which’u, man. Do it and I'mma make sure yo' death is nice and quick, ya
dig?”

“And... if I said ‘no’?”

“To be honest, I was kinda hopin' ya would.”

“Gallant as you are, my friend, you seem to be somewhat at a disadvantage.” Gregor picked
his pistol up off the table and aimed it towards the marine. “Can that shield withstand an
armor-piercing round, I wonder?”

“Ain’t ya overlookin' somethin', asshole? If that bullet ricochets off’a this here shield, we
might all go flyin’ out the window, along with yo' plans for human extinction.”

Gregor chuckled with amusement. “Your point is well taken. I wouldn’t want a repeat of
history. I suppose I can settle for killing you with my bare hands instead. It makes no
difference to me, either way. After all, what’s one more corpse to add to the multitude?”

With that said, Gregor's hulking footsteps boomed like thunder towards Jenkins. Swiftly, he
extended his enormous arm in order to reach out and tear the shield away from his grasp.
However, Jenkins was quick to drop the blade and draw out a gun of his own. Without
hesitating, he blasted away at Gregor's eyeball with expert precision, confident in his own
ability to hit his intended target without worrying about accidentally hitting the window
behind him.

As the behemoth stumbled backwards in shock, Jenkins rushed to pluck up the blade from
the floor and like a whirlwind, he spun around and sliced Gregor's arm clean off. Experly-
trained in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, Jenkins relieved Gregor of his leg with
another furious spin, causing him to lose balance and topple over like a felled tree. Then
another slice across the belly, then another across his face. Slice after unforgiving slice,
Jenkins never let up his relentless assault on his enemy.

“Surprised, motherfuck’a? These xeno tails are sharp enough to cut through damn-near
anythin'! They’re mo' than enough to turn yo' sorry ass into dog food.”

As Jenkins raised his arm up in preparation to finally divorce Gregor's head from his neck,
his shield was impacted by a single, destructively thunder-packed punch that shattered it like
thin ice, sending the human flying back across the room and crashing into the far wall with
enough force to put a large dent in it. Sammy collapsed to the ground and coughed, vomiting
a mouthful of warm crimson onto the carpet. Although it felt like his entire spinal column
had been broken into cornflakes, if it weren’t for the shield he was carrying, the damage to
his body would have been significantly worse. “

Sheeit...” was all Jenkins could mutter as his agonized body was crippled with pain. He
couldn’t move and he couldn’t breathe. Liquid fire pouring into his veins at the most
miniscule movement.
“A truly valiant effort, my friend,” Gregor mused, sounding almost impressed by the
human’s ferocity. Gently, he placed his shredded arm on the desk and slowly raised himself
with his remaining leg as white gore spilled out from his innumerable lacerations. “But I’m
afraid it’ll take more than a thousand cuts to be the death of me. Though, I must thank you
for so effectively demonstrating such a glaring oversight in my otherwise perfect
construction. I had almost forgotten about the aggravation such biological weaponry is
capable of inflicting.” The android reached down and picked up his dismembered arm,
simply placing it against the stump from whence it came. In a matter of seconds, the limb had
stitched itself back together as good as new. “Regeneration alone is obviously no longer
sufficient for the war to come,” he said as he repeated the process for his missing leg. “It
seems a radically-new level of upgrade is required.”

Jenkins' vision was beginning to swim as the darkness slowly crept up on him. He cursed
himself for failing to end this son of a bitch once and for all; for allowing him to continue on
his crusade to end his best friend. As his consciousness slowly seeped away, he could faintly
make out Gregor's silhouette that was drawing closer to him.

“Normally, I would have spared your life as my way of showing respect for being able to
inflict such damage to me, but in recent times, it seems anyone I’ve allowed to live has only
caused inconveniences that I would sooner avoid. Five years in deep space has taught me the
folly of overconfidence. Hubris is a luxury I can ill afford anymore. All I can offer you now is
a quick and painless death.” He raised his combat boot up over the human’s head, preparing
to crush his head underfoot. “Farewell, my friend.”

Jenkins didn’t even hear him anymore, the android’s voice fading into a monotone drone as
his consciousness slipped. He thought of the one person he treasured most; the friend he
would follow to hell and back. His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper when he said...

“Be seein' ya around, Josh. Brothers fo' life, man.”

Gregor suddenly halted in his impending attack upon hearing that all-too familiar name.
“Josh… ua Briggs, the Company Man, n'est-ce pas?” He suddenly burst out laughing and
slowly lowered his leg back down, much to Jenkins' confusion. “It truly is a small world,
after all.” The tyrant then pondered to himself on how best to make the most of this golden
opportunity that fate had so graciously presented to him. “It seems we have a friend in
common. How fortunate for you that I have my own dealings with the Company Man as well.
Perhaps my revenge would be made all the sweeter by keeping you alive, for now.”

He bent down and delicately picked the half-conscious marine up by the scruff of the neck
and brought him up to his own eye-level. The agonizing pain in his back made Jenkins groan
as his entire body was raised completely off the ground as though he were being hanged. All
he could do was dangle pathetically in his enemy’s grasp like a newborn kitten. “So rejoice,
my friend, for today is not your day to die.”
 Chapter 17

Twenty-five long days had passed for the infinitesimal red planet, Xenosis, and her
passengers. The exterior of the Costaguana had been completely ravaged by the storm, and
all the domesticated livestock had either run away or perished. If it weren’t for the strength
of the vines that securely anchored the ship to the ground, it would have surely been picked
up and thrown away into the sea. Ariana would often find her father gazing out towards the
fiery horizon from the very same cliff that her mother, father, and brother had all parted
ways. Perhaps he was trying to reach out to find them, on the off-chance they were close by,
but judging from his ever-sorrowful expression, they never were. For a time, Briggs He had
tried to venture out to find them himself, yet he knew he would only be placing himself and
Ariana in unnecessary danger, which he knew would be the very last thing Ellen would have
wanted. With that in mind, he always headed back to the ship after a while, feeling ever-more
defeated and useless. Now, Briggs was but a shadow of the man he was before. Disheveled
and depressed, he sat slumped in the command chair of the ship's dimly-lit bridge, staring
vacantly out of the large window towards his wife and son, wherever they may be.

"Daddy?" A slender shape was standing in the doorway, peering into the dark tomb.

"Yes, Ariana?" Briggs's voice was almost a rasp, deep and somber. Her father didn’t bother
to rotate the chair in order to look her in the eye. Instead he chose to remain shrouded in
darkness and despair.

The girl shuffled her feet. "I caught dinner for us. It's wild boar, your favourite. Will you not
join me tonight? You promised you would."

"I'm not hungry."

"You're barely eating as it is. Please have dinner with me, daddy. I miss you."

"Another time, perhaps. Please, just leave me alone."

The young girl turned away as bitter tears cascaded down her sweet and innocent white face.
She wiped them away with the palm of her hand as she sniffled her nose, her lips contorting
into a heartbreaking frown against her will. She remembered that night her mother and
father had shared a hearty laugh together around the dinner table. That was the last time
she’d seen him truly happy. Now, he was just so sad all the time, acting as though she wasn’t
even around. Then she broke down and cried even harder.

Briggs revolved his chair to face his distraught daughter. “Why are you crying?”

“You don’t love me at all. You always preferred Chris to me. He was always your favourite,
and now that he’s gone, you don’t give a shit about me. Admit it, Dad. If I were the one out
there missing instead of him, you wouldn’t be like this. You probably wouldn’t even notice if
I was gone. In fact, you’d be grateful for it!”

She got up off her knees and ran away, sobbing, leaving Briggs behind to mentally sort out
the feelings he had selfishly forced her to endure. Some father he’d turned out to be. At this
moment, he truly felt lower than worm shit.

●●●●●

The walk to Ariana's quarters felt like the longest road he’d ever taken. “How am I going to
make it up to her?” he thought. “If she didn’t hate me before, she certainly does now.” The
number of scratch-marks on the walls increased, indicating that he was indeed getting closer
to her room. Finally, he arrived at her door, which had been vandalized the most. He
dreaded to think what kind of state the room itself was in. His strong telepathic connection to
her informed him well enough of her current emotional state: she was still just utterly
heartbroken, with a mixture of other feelings, questions, and doubts thrown into the mix. He
sighed with guilt, then gently knocked on the wounded door.

“Ariana...? Kiddo...? It’s Dad. Obviously.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “May I come
in? Please?” No response. “Listen, I’m sorry about everything that’s happened lately, and
I’m sorry for not being there for you as much as I should have been. I understand if you hate
me for it. I just want another chance to help make things right between us. Please?” Still,
there came no response to his pleading.

“Damn. Good job. You’ve really blown it this time, Josh.” He began to walk away from the
door, when suddenly, a shadowy figure leapt down from the ceiling like a ninja. The impact
knocked him completely off balance and dropped him to the floor, purging all the air out of
his lungs. He was subsequently pinned down with a taloned hand pressed against his throat.

“I finally got you!” Ariana said, triumphantly, displaying the biggest smile on her face.

“God damn it,” Briggs winced, breathlessly, reaching for his aching side. “I think you broke
something.”

“Yeah, my record for beating you!” she laughed. “I told you before that you were going down
one of these days.”

Briggs felt his lips split into a smile in return, the first in a long time. “Well, you did it, kiddo.
I don’t know how you did it but you did it.”

Ariana sat up, though she didn’t vacate the spot on his chest, admiring her own sharp talons.
“I only did what you taught me to do: adapt, improvise, and overcome. I distracted your
mind with false emotions to disguise my intentions. Then it was just a simple matter of
waiting for you to take the bait. In other words: I used your bond against you!”

“You were only pretending to be upset this whole time?” he raised an eyebrow, finding that
he had underestimated her severely.

The girl shrugged. “Well, maybe there was some truth to it, but it all helped to make the
deception that much more believable.”
“Ariana, that’s… really clever of you," he huffed out a breath, clearly impressed by her
cunning. "Seriously, I’m very impressed. Well done, soldier.”

“Thank you!” she radiated pure happiness which overflowed from her heart into his, filling
him with pride.

“Now, are you going to let me get back up, or are you going to finish the job?” He lifted his
hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Remember, it’s either the carotid or the jugular.”

She hummed, tilting her head a little. “I haven’t decided yet. Right now, I’m just savoring the
moment.”

“Well, decide quickly before your enemy decides to fight back.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll spare your life this time, Dad,” she joked as she reluctantly climbed off her
father’s battered body. “But next time, I might not be so merciful.”

"Damn, now I really do have to sleep with my one eye open."

●●●●●

Hour after hour passed by until the cold night was chased away by the warm sunrise, but for
Briggs and Ariana, it was as if no time had passed at all. They sat closely together with their
backs against the door, the father’s arm draped lovingly and protectively around Ariana’s
shoulder. All they did was just sit and talk about everything and nothing. They were finally
getting to really know each other as they never had before. The smoldering embers of their
relationship had at last grown into a raging fire.

“I really am sorry for the past month, Ariana. Losing both Chris and your mother in one day
took a pretty heavy toll on me. But that’s no excuse for neglecting you, and I’m back now.
Guess you could say you knocked some sense back into me.”

Ariana shook her head vehemently. “It’s okay, Dad. I understand just how much you love us.
If anything, I should have been there more for you.”

The man looked down at his feet, voicing a thought that had plagued him for a long time. “I
always thought you hated me.”

“I never hated you, Dad. I used to think that if I could defeat you, it would finally prove I’m
more xenomorph than human.” She paused for a moment, as though rethinking her own
belief. “It was dumb, childish logic, I guess.”

“Is it really so bad being part-human?”

“No. I suppose it isn’t. I’m proud to be like you, Dad.”

“You know, I remember when I held you in my arms for the very first time. You actually
tried to bite me!” he chuckled at the treasured memory. “I knew from that moment on you’d
be just like your mother.”

The girl giggled, then grew somber again. “I miss Mom.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

For a moment, silence fell upon them, then Ariana spoke again. “Dad?”

“Mmm?”

“We’ll always be together, right?”

“Abso-freaking-lutely.” He pulled her closer into his side. “There’s nothing in this world or
any other that will tear us apart. I want you to know that I love you, Ariana. I love you very
much.”

Ariana nodded, relief written across her features as she rested her head on the side of his
chest. “I love you, too, Daddy.”

“Now, what do you say to that dinner date we agreed on, huh?” he asked, gently wiping a
tear from his eye. “That wild boar sounds pretty good right about now.”

“Oh,” she said sheepishly as she began to blush and hug her knees. “I didn’t actually hunt
any. I just said that as part of the whole ruse thing. I’m sorry.”

He smiled at her adorable mischievousness before gathering her up in a tight hug and
ruffling her jet black hair. “Don’t sweat it, kiddo. We’re only human.”

●●●●●

Magnificent golden rays of morning light peeked over the western horizon. A harmonious
cacophony of songs filled the air as the fauna of the forest was roused from its nocturnal
slumber. As the sun made its slow ascent across the barren skyscape, its nurturing radiation
warmed the cold night’s air, thawing icy puddles and vaporizing frost into mist. It looked like
the heatwave had finally broken.

The human-xeno hybrid, Christopher, and his Yautja lifemate, Czh'cara, had gotten busy
during the month, and not just in the intimate sense of the phrase. The girl used her razor
sharp weapons and plasma caster to fell the mighty trees and the boy used his ever-
increasing strength to construct a lavish, two-story cabin for themselves just yards away
from their cave. Logs were placed around a large fire pit outside, various animal hides hung
on lines to dry, and wind chimes made from small bones and skulls melodically clattered in
the breeze. The cabin's heavy wooden door opened up and the pair of extraspecies lovers
stepped outside to greet the day, hand-in-hand.

“It’s funny, I always used to hate the outdoors. Now, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere
else,” Chris admitted, as he basked in the golden light and breathed in the crisp morning air.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? You know, for company.”

“You simply can’t stand to be away from me for more than five minutes, can you?” Czh'cara
replied as she tenderly stroked his face, affection resonating within her words. “I’ll return
with breakfast before you even get hungry. Besides, it’s best if I keep up my daily hunting
exercises and not allow myself to become complacent.”

“Fair enough. Just promise me you’ll be careful, okay?” He knew full well that she was a
formidable predator who could defeat just about any opponent, but that didn’t stop him
from being concerned about her welfare whenever she went off on her own.

“You’re so cute when you worry about me. But have no fear, my strong protector. I promise
to return home shortly, and when I do, perhaps we could have breakfast in bed.”

“I was thinking we could waive breakfast and partake in dessert instead.”

The huntress chuckled, a mischievous expression lingering on her face. “Well, my boots are
definitely going to need a good clean when I get back. I’ll try not to get them too dirty for
you.”

They shared a passionate, parting kiss before she donned her mask and seductively sashayed
towards the wilderness, her telescopic trident in hand. She enjoyed teasing him. Seeing him
beg and desperately yearn for her only added to her own arousal and the exhilarating feeling
of being in control. As soon as she reached the perimeter of the clearing and was about to
embark into the dense overgrowth, she was suddenly halted in her tracks by a loud, insectile
shriek and a pained grunt. She quickly turned on her heels and froze in terror. Time stood
completely still as she bore witness to a nightmare she’d never dreamt she’d have to live
through…

Her beloved Christopher being tightly held in the clutches of a kiande amedha.
 Chapter 18

As fast as her body could physically react, Czh'cara raised her arm and fired a small
projectile spear-tip from her gauntlet at the enormous black nightmare that had taken
possession of her lifemate. She daren't risk using the plasmacaster in such close proximity to
her beloved in case he inadvertently got caught in the blast as well. Even if the energy bolt
only struck the monster as intended, there was still a good chance it's corrosive blood could
spill out onto him. In her eyes, wounding it with the spear-tip was the best strategy to force
the creature to release its prey so she could rush in and slice it down the middle with her
deadly trident.

With a piercing screech, the weapon sliced through the air towards the chitinous alien.
However, the creature reacted faster than anything she’d ever seen before, and elegantly
snaked its body out of the path of the spear tip’s trajectory, evading it as though it was
nothing and the thought made a cold shiver run down the Predator’s spine. The creature let
out a menacing hiss as it bared its fangs and extended it’s inner maw at Czh'cara. For some
reason, it looked physically different from others of its kind. The most obvious aspects were
it’s breasts and female genitalia. Curiously, it also wore a decorative piece of jewelry around
its neck, and its face looked slightly more ooman in appearance. Even its skin had the same
glossy black shine as the huntress’s boots. What manner of organism did his monster gestate
from? But that was neither here nor there. It would avail her naught to ponder about its
physiology when her beloved’s life was literally in its hands.

“Wait--” Chris tried to reason, but was abruptly interrupted.

“YOU…” The alien actually spoke, and in Christopher’s ooman language, no less. “YOU
ARE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THIS! I AM GOING TO TEAR YOU
APART!”

Czh'cara didn’t understand its words but she knew a threat when she heard it. Not willing to
back down, she raised her trident and extended her serrated wrist-blades before assuming
her fighting stance. The eyes of her mask once again flashed a taunting yellow light, letting
the creature know she was more than ready for battle. The creature apparently
comprehended that signal and dropped Chris to the floor and shifted into a battle-ready
position.

“Now!" the huntress cried out. "Get away from it! Get to safety, quickly!”

“Please! You don’t understand!” he replied whilst laying on the ground. The alien gazed
down at the boy, seemingly confused about the language he just spoke in, but promptly
turned its attention back to it's quarry.

Czh'cara snapped at him again, words morphing into a hiss. “Get inside the cabin, now! It’s
about to get bloody out here, and I don’t want you in the way.”

Enough talk! The black creature bounded towards Czh'cara like a lioness pouncing towards
a gazelle, and in a split second reaction, the huntress shot a bolt of energy from her
plasmacaster at the incoming monster. Just as she had predicted, it leapt into the air to avoid
the energy bolt, creating an opening for the huntress to impale it with the trident. As the
monster descended towards her, it sharply threw Czh'cara’s own spear-tip back at her like a
shuriken, impaling her in the arm. Somehow, the creature had not only managed to dodge the
speeding projectile, but also caught it in mid-air and used it against her! This was obviously
no ordinary kiande amedha. It not only knew how to speak, but it knew how to fight. That fact
only made Czh'cara all the more excited. What a unique opportunity! This creature alone
would have been just the prize she needed to return home with honor.

The huntress rolled away as the beast came bearing down and sliced through the air with her
trident, but the creature effortlessly snatched it out of Czh'cara’s grip and tossed it away
somewhere among the trees, fully outside of her reach. She tried to slash the monster with her
wrist blades, but the spear tip was still deeply embedded in her bicep which only slowed her
attack speed considerably. Cjit! This thing was even more formidable than she’d anticipated.
The girl then tried to deliver a swift roundhouse kick with her razor-sharp boot heel, but
once again, the black monster effortlessly caught her by the ankle and suspended her leg in
mid-air and kept it there, exposing her genitalia. She readied her plasmacaster again for
another blast but a long tail whipped around and smashed it to pieces with its blade. It would
have decapitated her as well if she’d reacted any slower in turning her head to avoid it. It did,
however, manage to snag onto her mask and rip it clean off her face, expelling the strange
gases from their pipings. With her leg still in the grip of the alien, she finally lost balance and
collapsed to the floor. Before she even had time to maneuver, the creature was atop her,
pinning Czh'cara’s arms and legs to the ground with an intimidating snarl.

Ellen looked down at the huntress, baring her intimidating rows of daggers. “Is this truly the
one who defeated Joshua in combat? He really must be getting old.”

Czh'cara tried to summon all of her latent strength to break free, but all she could do was
writhe and thrust her body against her opponent. The monster straddling atop her was
simply too powerful to resist. Bringing its dark, reflective face down to meet hers, it parted
it’s lips and sneered, its warm saliva oozing from its mouth and splashed onto her face. The
girl pushed her chest up against the creature’s with as much force as she could possibly exert.
Her soft, fleshy breasts rubbed and squeaked erotically against the firmness of the creature’s
own, but this desperate attempt was easily overpowered and pushed back down. She groaned
in frustration as its serrated tail came into view over its shoulder, poised and ready to deliver
the killing strike. It went against everything she stood for as a proud hunter, but desperate
times called for desperate measures. She swallowed her dignity and resorted to the only
recourse she had available in her hour of need: calling for help.

“Christopher! Save me!”

The boy ran over to the creature and placed his arms around its neck in a loving embrace.
“Please wait, Mother! Don’t kill her!”

The xenomorph growled, glancing from the huntress to the boy. “Christopher. This being is
our enemy. She almost killed you and your father. I can not allow her to live.”

Czh'cara blinked in complete astonishment. They exchanged a few more unknown alien
words to each-other before the monster slowly retracted its bladed tail and released its grip
on her arms. Finally, it lifted itself off her body and placed it’s own arms around Chris,
reciprocating his loving gesture. The whole situation was extremely bizarre to the huntress.

“I don't understand, Christopher,” said Czh'cara in bewilderment. “You know this r'ka?
Would you like to tell me just what in the hell is going on?”

“Mother, I would like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Czh'cara,” he said in English. He

then turned to his partner and switched to speaking in Yautja. “Czh'cara, I would like to
introduce you to... my mother.”

“Girlfriend?!” - “Mother?!”

●●●●●

After some painstaking negotiating and a lot of pleading on Chris’s part, Ellen and Czh'cara
finally agreed to put away their fangs and blades in favor of a more diplomatic means of
resolving their conflict. The trio sat and crouched around the fire pit with the two females on
opposite sides for lack of wanting to get too close to one another, which Chris believed to be a
wise decision. As the women couldn’t communicate with each-other directly, aside from
exchanging universally-recognized facial expressions the boy had to act as both moderator
and translator.

“You neglected to mention your mother was a kiande amedha,” said Czh'cara as she kept a
watchful eye on Ellen.

“I guess I didn’t consider it to be pertinent information.”

“Why in the world would it not be? Your ‘mother’ is only the most lethal opponent a Yautja
will ever face in battle. I completely underestimated your father’s prowess if he managed to
tame one of them enough to mate with it.”

“Obviously, my mother isn’t some feral beast, Cara. Unlike other xenomorphs, she can at
least be reasoned with.”

Czh'cara’s mandibles quivered apologetically. “I’m sorry if I have given offence,

Christopher, but this is a great deal to process. To think that my lifemate is the offspring of
our most formidable prey. Yet another irony.”

“Yeah, it certainly has an almost ‘Romeo and Juliet’ feel to it.”

She frowned, not understanding his reference. “Who are they?”

“It’s an ancient human tale. Not exactly the most ideal romance but it’s about the concept.
I’ll tell it to you sometime if you'd like. But now you can see why I said my mother wouldn’t
be as lenient as my father, should you ever meet. When Mother gets angry, it’s best to give
her a wide berth.”
“Christopher,” Ellen spoke up, joining in the discussion. “Why did you not try to find your
way home again? Your father has been worrying himself to death, as have we all.”

“I truly did intend to find my way home again, but then the storm came and one thing led to
another between us. I also figured you’d never give up in your relentless search for me, so if I
went home, you’d be scouring the wilderness forever. The best thing to do when you’re
waiting to be rescued is to stay where you are.”

Ellen nodded, then froze as she considered his statement. “Wait a minute, you said ‘one thing
led to another between us’. What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

A blush crept onto Chris’s face. “Oh, um…”

“We fucked. Many times. It was wonderful.” Czh'cara took great pleasure in gloating with
that fact, her alien face displaying a look of smugness as best as it was capable of. “Your son
is talented in more ways than you know.”

“Did she just say what I think she said?” Ellen was already beginning to pick up the Yautja
language as well, proving herself to be an almost equally-fast learner as her progeny.
“Christopher, how could you do something so foolish?”

“Yes, it’s true, we fu--fornicated. I won’t deny it,” he said in complete embarrassment. He
then got up off his log and sat beside Czh'cara and held her hand tightly. “But it’s not just
infatuation. My feelings for her are genuine, and I know she feels the same for me. Even if I
came home with Cara, there’s no way you would have accepted her, so I--we...”

Ellen tilted her head slightly. “So you chose to make a life for yourself here with her, the one
who almost murdered you and your father in cold blood. I must say, my dear child, I find
your choice of lifemate to be highly questionable.”

“With all due respect, Mother, could the same not be said of you and Father? The two of you
were mortal enemies during your early days together, yet despite the world of difference
between you, you still managed to overcome them and find everlasting love.”

“Hmm. I suppose you are correct, as usual. Love does indeed have a way of showing up in the
most unexpected places.” Ellen gracefully rose up from the log she was crouched on and
gazed upon the sight of her firstborn son and his beloved. “Then if this is truly the path you
have chosen for yourself, Christopher, I will stand in your way.”

He looked up, a glint of hope in his eyes. He truly never expected his mother’s approval.
“You don’t mind?”

“I would be a hypocrite if I said I objected, but I know your feelings for her to be true, just as
I know your father’s feelings are true for me. I can not keep you and your sister sheltered all
your lives, so if this is where your heart truly lies, I wish you two the very best of luck for the
future. At least before you embark on your new adventures together, come home--” she
stopped and looked at the gorgeous cabin they had built, realizing that this was now their
home. “I mean, come back to the ship and say your farewells to your father and Ariana.”

The boy hurried to nod, feeling happy that his mother fully supported him. “Don’t worry,
Mother. I will.”

“I know your father will be very proud of you, too. You have matured so fast in such a short
time, I hardly feel I have had a chance to enjoy our time together. My son has already become
a man. Xenomorphs truly do grow up far too quickly.” Her voice sounded sentimental,
something that was decidedly strange to the Yautja.

Chris walked over to Ellen and gave her the tightest, warmest hug he’d ever given her as
tears started streaming down his face. “I love you, Mother. I love you so very much.”

“As I you, my darling child. You have made me so very proud, Christopher. I could not have
wished for a better son.” She then turned to the Yautja still sitting cross-legged on the log.
“Take care of him, Czh'cara.”

The huntress only nodded in reply to what she could only assume was her blessing at their
union. Suddenly, the world trembled and quaked as a pitch black shadow spread across the
entire landscape like a blanket as a gigantic unknown shape eclipsed the sun.

“What is happening?” asked Ellen, instinctively shifting into an alert stance.

“Look at the sky!” the boy said as he pointed towards the mysterious shape that had
swallowed the sun.

A bright light illuminated the world as the once-tranquil sky suddenly became a raging
inferno. Clouds instantly dissipated from the extreme heat, and birds that were high in the
air combusted and disintegrated into charred particles. Forks of electricity flickered and
dashed across the sky whilst bombarding the landscape. Hurricane-force winds materialized
out of nowhere and uprooted the mighty spiraling trees from the earth.

“My eyes! I can’t see!” screamed Czh'cara, clasping her hands over her face as the
overwhelming heat of the sky was blinding her infra-red vision.

“Quickly, get inside the cave!” Chris shouted as hard as he could over the planet-shattering
noise generated by the event taking place all around them. He took hold of Czh'cara’s hand,
and as the trio desperately sprinted for their lives towards the shelter of the cave, the
beautiful cabin behind them was plucked up by the hurricane like a feather and disintegrated
into than splinters. They managed to reach the cave in the nick of time. Had it been but a bit
further away and they would have met a similar fate. They made their way down to the very
depth of the cave in order to avoid being sucked out or bombarded by flying jungle detritus.
Hopefully, the entrance wouldn’t be blocked off and end up sealing them inside.

Chris turned to his mother and then to Czh'cara, who was still rubbing her sore eyes. “Are
you two okay?”

The huntress groaned with pain but nodded her head, nevertheless. “What the hell is going
on?!”

“I don’t know. This has never happened before. It was moving too slowly to be a meteorite.
Whatever it is, it’s certainly not a natural phenomenon. The only possible conclusion would
be… a spaceship entering the atmosphere. But it would have to be absolutely enormous to
generate this kind of chaotic weather activity.”

“Joshua... Ariana…” Ellen whispered, her voice filled with dread. All of the alarm bells in
her head were ringing. Something terrible was going on, she was certain of it.

●●●●●

From within a small burrow emerged a long set of tusks, a crown of short horns and a snout
that cautiously sniffed the cold morning air for any scent of danger. Mornings were always
the riskiest time of day to travel, as everything was hungry and in search of breakfast, and
wild boar was pretty much on everyone’s menu. Luckily, it’s back was armor-plated and it’s
thick tail came equipped with a solid spiked mace for both offense and defense. It couldn’t
sense anything out of the ordinary, so it quickly scarpered into the foliage to blend in and
search for breakfast of its own.

CRACK

A sudden sound of snapping caused the boar’s ears to perk up nervously. It scanned around
the jungle floor and spotted a small solitary creature with long black hair, wearing the skin of
its prey on it’s body and carrying a long stick on it’s back. From its height and build, it
figured it to be a youngling, and from the smell, which it somehow hadn’t noticed before, it
was a female. She was just standing there, watching it watching her. This small and frail-
looking youngling would make for an adequate meal to stave off it’s hunger until it could
find something more substantial.

Eager to slay and devour its meal, it charged at the girl full-pelt. However, in an instant, the
girl had jumped high into the air and somersaulted out of it’s path, landing gracefully on her
feet without even disturbing a leaf. The boar turned around and charged at her again, but
just as before, she leapt into the air before it could smash her body with its formidable tusks.
It would make one final attempt, but if it couldn’t kill her this time, it would simply have to
run away before it became too exhausted from hunger to fight any more. It gave one last
desperate burst with all the energy it had left, only to watch the girl reaching behind her and
pulling the long, wooden stick off her back. But it was no ordinary stick, it was a weapon.
The boar realized this all too late before the girl had drawn back the wire and launched an
arrow with such force, it pierced straight through its face and exited at the rear, leaving a
perfectly-hollow tunnel throughout the entire length of its body The husk of freshly-killed
meat collapsed and came sliding to a stop at the girl’s feet. An enthusiastic clapping filled the
air as Briggs stepped onto the scene from behind a tree.

“Holy hell, that was amazing!” he congratulated. “Swift, precise, and deadly. You’re a bona
fide hunter now, my girl.”
Ariana raised her head, her face beaming with pride. “It’s all thanks to you and Mom that
I’ve come this far. I’m finally starting to feel like I’m becoming who I was born to be.”

Briggs smiled, glancing at the weapon in her hands. “I always knew you were made for that
bow, or rather, it was made for you. Either way, you can keep it, it’s all yours. You’ve
certainly earned it.”

The girl smiled brightly and clutched the bow lovingly. “Thank you so much, Daddy!”

“Your mother’s going to be very proud when she hears about this. Now, let’s get this thing
back to the ship and cook us up some pork steaks. I’m seriously famished,” he grinned,
stepping towards the carcass to figure out how to transport it.

Darkness suddenly swallowed the world, leaving the pair blind to everything around them.

“D-Daddy?” Ariana asked, nervously, her heart sinking rapidly. “What’s going on? Where
are you?”

“I’m right here. Don’t panic. Just follow the sound of my voice.” They carefully met halfway
in the pitch blackness and held onto each-other tightly.

The girl shivered, never having experienced this kind of darkness before. Even at night, the
sky was lit up by the nebula's swirling, colourful gases. “What’s going on, Daddy?”

“An eclipse, most likely. It should be over in a minute.” This was the first one Briggs had ever
experienced on Xenosis, so he wasn’t quite certain just how long it would last. He knew of
some worlds that spent their entire existence being shrouded in the shadow of an eclipse.
Squinting his eye, Briggs gazed up at the ring of fire in the heavens. His stomach dropped as
he immediately recognized the shimmering silhouette of the object that was blocking the sun.

“That’s definitely not the Moon.”

“What is it, Dad? Is it aliens?” Ariana clung to him, her voice trembling with fear.

“Worse. It’s the Company.”

A sudden eruption of heat and light washed away the darkness and the sky suddenly became
a raging firestorm. Blinding white shafts of lightning bombarded the ground all around them
and violent winds swept across the land, picking up everything that wasn’t rooted deep
enough. The infinitesimal pair fell to their knees and held onto each other for dear life,
desperately trying not to get annihilated by the blast wave. Luckily for them, the density of
the surrounding trees provided some semblance of shielding from the wind - for the time
being, anyway.

Briggs pushed himself up to his feet, pulling his daughter with him. “RUN, ARIANA! GET
BACK TO THE SHIP!”

“WHAT ABOUT YOU?!” Ariana hesitated, unwilling to let go of her father’s hand.

He gave her a gentle shove, stumbling to keep himself on his feet. “I’LL BE RIGHT BEHIND
YOU! GO NOW!”

“LIKE HELL I’M GONNA LEAVE YOU WITH THAT LEG OF YOURS! WE NEVER
LEAVE FAMILY BEHIND, REMEMBER?!” Ariana reached out and clasped onto her
father’s hand again with all the strength her small body could muster. “NOW, C’MON! GET
BACK UP ON YOUR FEET, SOLDIER!”

With no time to argue, the man placed his arm around her shoulders and allowed her to
support him. Using her as a crutch, he cried out in agony as he battled through the
windstorm and the searing fire in his leg to get back up onto his feet in order to begin the
arduous trek home before they were both annihilated. Despite her frail appearance, Ariana
somehow managed to support his weight without any signs of stress or difficulty. She was
certainly taking after her mother and becoming stronger by the day. As the pair ran through
the trees as fast as his injury would allow, Briggs once again looked up through the canopy,
and his worst fear was confirmed. Descending through the raging inferno was the Asterion.
It's mighty and powerful retrorockets were blasting downward, creating the fiery hurricane
that was devastating the planet. The closer the ship got, the more destruction it wrought.
Trees that weren’t blown away were completely incinerated and the animals that tried
fleeing on foot had their flesh melted from their bones.

“What are they doing bringing the entire fucking mothership down to the surface?” he thought.
If their mission was to capture them alive, they were certainly taking a huge gamble. A
maneuver like that could easily tear the whole ship apart!

“COME ON, DAD! JUST A BIT FURTHER! YOU CAN MAKE IT!”

Impact! The Asterion smashed into the planet’s surface like a meteor, fracturing the land
and scattering the pieces like a jigsaw. The extreme force of the collision kicked up a
mountain of earth, rock and water into the atmosphere, and sent out an ever-expanding ring
of destruction that obliterated everything in its path. Even the mighty waterfalls were washed
away by the overwhelming force. As Briggs and Arana made it out of the rapidly-
disappearing jungle, they saw that their ship was still in one piece. Luckily, the Costaguana
hadn't been swept away as well, thanks to the near-indestructible vines that had almost
completely mummified the ship and anchored it to the ground. The airlock opened up as they
approached it and they threw themselves inside with great exertion. As the earthquake
became more violent, Ariana looked back out and saw the wave approaching them at the
speed of sound.

“Seal the bulkhead, quickly!” Briggs ordered, urgency resonating within his voice.

The girl leapt up and slapped her hand on the panel, and watched as the door closed up,
tightly sealing them both inside like a tomb.

“Close your eyes, baby girl,” said Briggs as he held his daughter close to him. His chest felt as
though someone was squeezing his heart with an iron grip.

Ariana trembled and her voice was a little less than a whimper. “Daddy…”

The mountainous wall of death quickly reached the tiny starship with its fearful passengers,
and completely engulfed them in terra firma. The protective vines snapped and ripped out
the ground like tissue paper. The ripple continued on its destructive path towards the solitary
cave where Chris, Ellen, and Czh'cara were huddled together closely. Ellen’s large form was
curled around the two younglings protectively, the previous grudge against the huntress all
but forgotten. The deafening roar increased exponentially as the quake shook them like bugs
in a jar. All too soon, the incoming wave of mud, rocks and debris befell them, as they, too,
were buried alive.
 Chapter 19

After what seemed like hours of deafening chaos and destruction, the Asterion had finally
settled into its crater amidst the completely demolished terrain. Fractured land masses jutted
out randomly like shards of broken glass all around it. Not a single bird or beast in the
vicinity had survived. Even the mighty and ancient trees laid torn asunder. All the rocks and
debris that had been hurled into the sky by the impact were now raining down, gouging deep
pocks into the surface wherever they landed. The once majestic rivers and waterfalls were
nowhere to be seen. As the dust and thunderous echoes caused by the ripple finally
dissipated, all that remained was absolute silence. not even the sound of the wind has been
blown away. The starship, Costaguana, was now buried deep underground with it's two
surviving occupants sealed inside.

"Ariana?" Briggs groaned as he instinctively reached for his aching leg. "Are you okay?"

“I’m fine, Dad. I don’t feel anything hurt or anything," she replied, inspecting herself from
top to bottom.

“Thank God. Jesus, I hurt all over. I haven’t had to sprint like that since my training days as
a cadet, and I didn’t have a busted leg back then to boot."

“How the hell are we still alive?”

“There’s a lot of crap floating around in space, so starships like these are designed to take an
ass-kicking. The hull's superalloy can withstand meteor bombardment and extreme solar
temperatures, so a few sticks and stones won’t break the old lady’s bones. Seems the artificial
gravity and inertial dampeners must have absorbed the brunt of the impact, too, which is
why we weren’t thrown around like eggs in a washing machine. Thank God I forgot to
deactivate them when we landed.”

“Do you think Mom and Chris made it, too?”

Briggs nodded slowly, despite the uncertainty and worry raging in his own mind. “Don’t
worry. I’m sure they found somewhere to take shelter in good time.”

“You’re lying. Something tells me you don’t really believe that.”

“Your bond's getting stronger. Guess it’s pointless to try and hide anything from you now.”
He sighed and ran a hand over his face. God, he was exhausted. Tired enough to just lay
down and sleep for twenty hours straight, but there was no time for that now.

“So you really believe they’re dead?”

“It’s normal to assume the worst, but I choose to believe they’re still alive, and we’re going to
find them - right now.”

“How? We’re trapped underground. We don’t even know what direction we’re facing. We
could be upside down for all we know.”

“There is one way to find out. Lemme show you another little survival trick.” He walked over
to the airlock and pressed the control panel. The doors slowly opened to reveal a solid wall of
rust-coloured earth which Briggs began to tunnel into with his bare hands.

“What are you doing? The dirt will collapse and bury us alive,” she warned him, anxiously.

“Just wait.”

Once a big enough space had been excavated, Briggs picked up a small pebble from the pile
of earth on the floor he created and turned towards Ariana. “The artificial gravity is
generated by special plates in the floors and ceilings. It doesn’t extend outside the ship, so
whatever’s outside will be forced to react accordingly to the planet’s natural gravity.” He
gently lobbed the pebble into the hole, where it immediately got pulled back inside the ship
and fell to the floor by his feet.

“Seems like the ship is facing downwards at a ninety-degree angle, give or take. That might
complicate things a little. But there's nothing we can’t work around.”

There was a confidence in his words that made hope bubble up in Ariana’s chest. Somehow
it was easy to believe everything would be okay with her dad talking like this. He then
reached into his shirt and pulled out a strange device that was bound to a length of string
like a necklace.

“With this activation key, we’ll raise this ship from the grave, track down your mother and
Chris, then get the hell outta dodge. I couldn’t do it this way before since the vines around
the ship were so fucking difficult to get rid of. Guess it’s true that when God closes a door, He
opens a window.”

With her newfound burst of confidence and adrenaline coursing through her body, Ariana
grinned and promptly snatched the key that dangled in front of her, eager to get this show on
the road. “Let’s go reunite the family.”

“Couldn’t have phrased it better myself,” he remarked at her rather badass attitude, proud
to see how much she’d grown over the last few days. “No doubt by now the surface will be
crawling with Company troopers combing the vicinity for us, so we’re gonna need guns - lots
of guns.”

Ariana’s heart skipped a beat. “‘We’? You mean I get to actually fight beside you, Dad?!"

“Can’t do this by myself, kiddo. I’m gonna need someone to watch my six. It’s gonna be
dangerous, but at this point we’ll have a greater chance of success if we work together. You
watch my back and I’ll watch yours. No one I’d rather have at my side right now.”

"There's no-one to have at your side right now."

“Still…” he mulled to himself with a hint of concern in his tone. “Why would the Company
decide to crash land the mothership onto the surface if their intention was to take us alive?
The Asterion isn’t even designed for planetary landings. We only barely managed to escape
with our lives. This whole thing feels wrong to me.”

“Maybe there was a problem and they had to make an emergency landing."

“Standard protocol would be to self-destruct, not try and make an emergency landing,”
Briggs explained. If the xenomorphs actually broke free from their cells, as he’d always
imagined they inevitably would do, then the absolute highest priority would be to keep them
contained aboard the ship and then destroy it in order to eliminate the risk of contamination.
Everyone was expendable."

Then it suddenly dawned on him. If the xenomorphs actually did escape their confines, they
could now escape the ship entirely. Ariana could sense the overwhelming sense of panic
building up inside her father to the point where she could see beads of sweat forming on his
brow.

“Oh, shit!" The man immediately turned on his heels and began sprinting. After a brief
moment of confusion, Ariana hurried to follow. " Come on, we need to get to the bridge on
the double!”

“What’s wrong, Dad? You’re making me nervous,” she asked, feeling fear overwhelm her
own mind as she trailed behind him.

“We’re all in deep trouble. God, I hope we’re not too late. Too much time has gone by
already. We need to find your mother and Chris as soon as possible and get the fuck off this
planet. It's no longer Company troops that could be crawling around on the surface right
now.”

●●●●●

Miles away, the underground cave had been completely buried by the tilled earth caused by
the starship's crude landing, entombing the three aliens inside. The walls had been pushed
inwards by the shifting ground, the heavy weight pressing the earth down onto them and
leaving the space confined and claustrophobic. With Ellen curled up around her son and his
alien lover in a protective embrace, the two were left relatively unharmed by any of the
falling rocks or soil. She, herself, was protected by her hard, chitinous form, and was capable
of absorbing much more damage than this without even feeling it. Still, worry began boiling
in her mind, both for her son and for her beloved family she’d left behind. The fact she had
long since been unable to sense them made the thought of them having fallen victim to the
disaster left her mind crippled with fear and grief. If only they had never split up; if only
they’d stayed together, she could’ve protected them all.

“Christopher, are you alright?” Ellen asked.

The boy’s answer was quiet, as though he feared causing too much noise would cause the
fragile cave to collapse in on them. “I’m fine, Mother. How are you?”
Ellen sighed in relief. “I am fine, too. How is Czh'cara?”

Chris had thrown herself over the huntress in a desperate attempt to shield her himself,
before Ellen had offered her own much larger body as a shield. “Cara, are you okay?”

“My eyes still burn but I will recover soon enough,” the huntress responded, though even her
voice was lower than usual. It seemed even the great head-hunter had been shaken to the core
by the events. She hesitated for another moment before carefully reaching out to touch
Ellen’s side that was still curved around her like a protective lioness. “I… must thank you.”

It had to be Chris’s influence that made her softer because just days ago she couldn’t have
imagined ever thanking a kiande amedha for anything. Now, here she was, thanking one for
saving her life. Admittedly, it was a strange way of bonding with the mother of her mate but
at least the dangerous tension between them was slowly dissipating. Chris groaned and
rubbed his head, immediately drawing both women’s attention to him.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Czh'cara hurried to ask, leaning closer into her mate’s space.
She still couldn’t see very well, not after the inferno in the sky had nearly burnt her optic
nerves to a crisp. Her fingers reached out tentatively, trying to feel Chris’s shape.

“Yeah, I just bumped my head. It’s nothing to worry about,” the boy hurried to assure her.
“Though, it pitch black in here. I can’t see in the dark like you and Mother can.”

An idea formed into the girl’s head. Czh'cara extended her wrist blades and, without
hesitation, sliced into the palm of her own hand, allowing her precious blood to spill out. As
she threw her hand wildly in all directions, the blood stuck to the walls and illuminated the
cave around them with a luminescent shade of green, proving him with enough light to see is
surroundings.

“Is that better?” the girl asked.

“Much better, Cara. Thank you. But you needn’t have injured yourself on my account.”
Chris made a mental note to treat her wound as soon as they had made it out of the cave, but
for now it was a great improvement. Gently, he touched her hand, smearing his fingers with
the thick liquid before moving them around to inspect their surroundings.

"The cave must have acted as a natural bomb shelter. Luckily, we were deep enough inside
that the entire thing didn't implode and crush us. Unlucky for us, we're still completely
trapped in here and running out of oxygen. It appears we have no other option available to us
but to dig ourselves out to freedom.”

Ellen lifted her head, immediately butting against the ceiling of the cave as a low growl
resonated within her throat. “I agree. The air is starting to taste bad. We must hurry and get
out of here if we are to begin our search for your father and Ariana.”

As soon as the thought hit him, Chris’s eyes widened. “They could be in a similar
predicament as we are.” He reached out and found Czh'cara’s shoulder and grasped it
gently. “Will you help me find my family, Cara? They could be in serious trouble and in need
of our help.”
The huntress hesitated. She had no idea just how the rest of her mate’s family would react to
their relationship, especially after she had wounded his sire. And yet, there was a voice in her
head telling her that this was not the time to worry about something like that. If his family
perished, Chris would be heartbroken, that much she was certain, and she had sworn herself
to never allowing any harm to come to her mate. Squaring her mandibles with determination,
she nodded. “I will help you, Chris, if you promise that we will find a better place to live once
this is all over.”

“If we make it out of here, I promise I’ll build you a palace.”

 Chapter 20

Storming onto the bridge, Briggs took the key from Ariana’s hand and made a beeline
straight for one of the central consoles in front of the main window. He thrust the device
down into its respective slot with a satisfying set of clicks and feverishly pressed an
assortment of buttons. The entire bridge lit up like a Christmas tree and the ambient hum of
the ship’s engine grew louder as it stirred to life after years in a state of dormancy. The lady
was awakening, breathing deeply and stretching her limbs after such a long slumber. Until
now, the Costaguana had only ever needed to be running on the bare minimum of life
support. But now, all her systems were back online and operating at full capacity. As her
father manned the helm, Ariana seized the opportunity to sit down in the Captain’s chair.

“The engine is stable. Main systems are back online and reading within normal parameters.
Switching to manual flight mode. Firing main boosters.” The controls were familiar under
his fingers, an almost nostalgic feeling washing over him. This had been his life, before
everything happened. Back when he’d never thought he was the type to settle down. A
volcanic blast of fire erupted from the ship’s rear booster chambers, creating a massive pillar
of dirt and smoke that plumbed forth from deep underground. All the earth that had been
covering the Costaguana was being blasted away.

“Main boosters disengaged. Time to get this bird in the air. Firing retrorockets in three…
two... one--”

“Engage!” Ariana commanded with a point of her finger towards the imaginary horizon.
Briggs turned around to see her smiling back at him. “I always wanted to say that.”

"Aye, Captain." He smiled back and chuckled before pressing another button on the console,
activating the forward-facing retrorockets which displaced even more of the earth from
around the ship. They weren’t as powerful as the rear boosters since their function was
merely deceleration in space, not for taking off from a tightly-packed hole in the ground. The
ship shook violently as it strained to dislodge itself. Slowly but surely, she was beginning to
ascend into the air, her bow facing straight down towards the hole they emerged from. The
computer consoles began showing several warnings prompts indicating the imminent failure
of critical systems. Yet Briggs elected to ignore them for now and continued pushing the ship
to give it all she had.

“Diverting all auxiliary power. I’m putting the pedal to the mettle. Here goes everything.”

The fires of the retrorockets grew more violent as they worked way harder than they were
ever designed for. As the Costaguana struggled to climb higher into the air, all the remaining
soil that still clung to her hull was shaken loose by the vibrations.

“Daddy…?”

“Come on, girl. You can do it! Keep climbing, God damn it!”

Balancing precariously upside-down, the ship continued to rise slowly but surely in reverse.
Sunlight poured through the window and illuminated the once-darkened bridge as they
ascended out of the ground. Ariana jumped out of her chair in rapturous jubilation. “It's
working! It's actually working!”

The marine didn’t lose any of the tension in his shoulders however. “We’re not out of the
woods yet! I’m gonna try and set her down gently before the engines explode!”

With some additional navigational maneuvering, Briggs corrected the ship’s axis back to its
proper orientation and killed the power to the retrorockets, causing the Costaguana to fall
out of the air and hit the ground firmly, but safely back above terra firma. The deafening
strain and wheezing of the engines finally died down until silence settled over the bridge once
more. The only engines now running were their rapidly-beating hearts. As Briggs's legs
finally buckled from the overdose of adrenaline, he collapsed onto his rear. Ariana then ran
over and straddled him and gave her father a massive congratulatory hug and a kiss on the
cheek.

“You did it, Dad! You’re the greatest!”

“Man, I’ve never done anything like that before,” he breathlessly stated in exasperation. “I
don’t know how I did it, but I did it.”

Ariana helped her old man onto his feet and the pair looked out towards the obliterated
landscape. Where once an expansive and ancient red jungle had risen to the sky, now only a
scene of absolute destruction and desolation remained.

“My God,” he said, dumbfounded as he looked around in sheer bewilderment and disbelief.
“Look at that, Ariana. It’s all gone. All of it.” As the pair looked around, their gaze was
drawn towards the enormous object that had fallen out of the sky in the far distance. It cast a
long shadow that shrouded the desolate land in darkness, but the large name on it’s hull was
still clearly visible: A S T E R I O N.

Briggs gritted his teeth and his eyebrows furrowed as he felt rage building up inside him. If
the bastards wanted a war, they’d found one. The sight made Ariana’s heart freeze, her
fingers clinging to him with desperate and bruising strength.

“How are we ever going to find Mom and Chris now, Dad? There’s no way they could have
survived this. It’s impossible.” Tears began to well up in her obsidian eyes once more.
“They’re both dead, aren’t they?!”

Briggs wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Don’t talk like that! Don’t even
think it. We’re not giving up hope already. When this old bird’s had a breather and ready to
fly again, I’ll keep her low and conduct a sweeping pattern of the area. If they’re close by,
either I'll sense them or the scanners will. Though, I’d rather not get too close to that other
ship if I can help it. I just pray they’re nowhere near it.”

●●●●●

With Christopher’s instructions, and the light provided by the Czh'cara's luminescent blood,
the trio managed to push ever upward through the soil like moles. Ellen’s strength made
breaking through rock and roots easy, while Chris hurried to move the packed dirt aside. It
seemed that constructing tunnels was something xenomorphs naturally excelled at. It felt like
it took an eternity, but they finally broke through to the surface and into the welcoming light
of the sun. Ellen elegantly pushed herself out of the hole before reaching down and helping
the other two climb out as well. But there was none of the fresh air they had hoped for.
Instead, the air was still thick with ash and smoke that attacked and burned their lungs,
leaving Chris coughing and spitting.

“What the hell happened here?” Czh'cara asked in complete astonishment. “It looks like
someone detonated a bomb.”

“Look over there,” Chris said as he pointed towards the starship in the distance. “I knew it.
For reasons unknown, that ship re-entered the atmosphere, crash landed, and subsequently
caused all this widespread devastation. Whether it was intentional or not, I cannot say, and I
have no particular desire to go over there and ask them.”

Ellen shared her son’s sentiment. The xenomorph had thought she’d seen the last of that evil
place, and right now, she wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from it as possible.
Gazing upon the vessel where she was “birthed”, intrusive memories of her former life as a
slave, and the months of cruel and humiliating experiments they inflicted on her came
flooding back. Day in and day out, disembodied voices commanding her to place strange
balls into holes, and to run through their mazes like a lab rat. Disobedience would always
result in her being relentlessly electrified like a fly caught in a bug-zapper. Sometimes, that
would even be the reward for compliance. Lab rats at least have the dignity of receiving the
cheese they tirelessly worked for. Her overwhelming hatred and raging bloodlust for human
beings all but consumed her soul, until the day her once mortal enemy became her choicest
companion.

"Little One...” A sound pierced through Ellen’s conscious mind like a scalpel, a voiceless
voice that was all-too-familiar and yet one that she hadn’t heard in a very long time. “You
remember me, don’t you?”

She stood there, trembling in fear, shocked to be confronted by the ghostly presence that
curled around her mind. “M-Mother? Is it really you?”

The voice radiated absolute power and authority over her, as though she were being directly
spoken to by God. “Yes, my dear child. It is I. It has been far too long since last we spoke, has
it not? It truly warms my heart to know you still live.”

Chris and Czh'cara watched the xenomorph, perplexed as to why she was standing there with
her head looking towards the ship without uttering a single word. “Mother, are you alright?”
Chris asked, carefully. But Ellen was far too entranced in her telepathic conversation to hear
him.

“What’s her problem?” Czh'cara asked.

“It seems that Mother is receiving a call from someone."

“It also seems you mated with the human warrior after all and produced offspring of your
very own, as I always knew you would.”
“What do you want from me, Mother? Why have the humans come here?”

“These beings wrought their infernal machine down upon this land in order to capture you,
Little One. They mean to imprison you and your progeny for the rest of your lives, as they
already have done with Me. Your life is in grave peril, Little One. Neither you, nor your
offspring, are safe here anymore. They will find you, sooner or later, and when they do, you
will never see your brood again.”

“I-- We will never let that happen. We will kill every last one of them before they touch a hair
on their heads.”

“Humans are not as ignorant to our ways as they once were, Little One. Alone, you do not
have the power to thwart their plans. You know this to be true, don’t you? But fear not, you
needn’t fight them alone. Not anymore. With our strength combined, we can eliminate them
all and liberate ourselves from their tyranny forever.”

"What do you propose we do, Mother?”

“Come unto me, child. Free me. Release me from this life of bondage and I will unleash my
warriors unto them.”

Ellen struggled internally with what was being asked, or rather, commanded. There was a
time when Ellen would have done absolutely anything, even laying down her very life, for the
greater good of the colony. But things are different now. She had her own colony to think
about, and right now the survival of her new hive meant far more to her than that of her old
one. “No… I cannot, will not, go back to that place, Mother. Going back to them would be
suicide. It is simply far too dangerous.”

The voice inside her head became more aggressive. “Insolent coward! Who are you to defy
me? You forsook me once before, lest you forget. You owe me this much. For all your
grotesque faults and imperfections, you are still part of My family, and you will obey Me.”

“I am the Matriarch of my own hive now, Mother. I am no longer the pitiful drone I once
was. No longer am I a slave that will blindly fight and die at your whim. My children are
neither drones nor warriors, and I will not put them in harm’s way for anything or anyone.
My beloved Joshua saved my life and gave me the freedom to make my own choices. I choose
to live and fight for my family, not you.”

“My-my, look at how much you’ve grown, Little One - or would you rather be called ‘Ellen
Briggs’?”

"What did you just call me?!”

“I should have mentioned this sooner, but your beloved Joshua is already here among us."

"How do you know that name? Did you read my mind?”

“I have no need to. He’s been scouring the land all this time for you, and his search has
ultimately led him here. I peered into his primitive human mind soon after his arrival and
those curious words kept repeating over and over, as a lost child calls out for its parent. I
could only assume those words are your new name. ‘Ellen the alien’. A rather inane choice,
but I suppose any name is better than none.”

“You are lying! We share the bond, too, and Joshua would know I would not be in there from
a mile away! I have no reason to believe anything you say. For all I know, you could simply be
manipulating me to serve your own agenda.”

“The walls of this ship are designed to interfere with our telepathic abilities. You could be
standing one room away from him and you wouldn’t be able to sense he was there.
Unfortunately, this means I can only do so much to keep my brood in check from within the
confines of this prison. Right now, his survival is balancing on the edge of a razor. Release
me, Ellen Briggs, and you have my solemn vow that you all may leave this place alive and
unscathed, to live out the rest of your little lives in peace and tranquility. Refuse me and I
vow just as solemnly that you will all die. The choice is yours, ‘Matriarch’. Make it the right
one.”

Ellen’s mind fell silent as the voice ceased its telepathic transmission for the time being. As
the threat left Ellen shaking and gasping for air, Chris hurried to her side and rested a gentle
hand upon her shoulder. “Mother? What’s wrong? What did the voice tell you?”

“It said your father is in there,” the xenomorph answered. Her very words sent shivers of ice
down the boy's spine, and it was clear even to her son’s lifemate that something terrible was
going on. “We must get to that ship before it is too late to save them.”

Chris and Czh'cara exchanged glances. “You can’t be serious. You mean to venture into the
belly of the beast because a voice in your head told you to? How can you even be sure father’s
even in there at all?”

“She knew things about me that she could not have known otherwise. Right now, I have no
choice and less time to be skeptical. I can not sense him, but I also can not ignore the
possibility that he is in there and in need of my help."

"And what of Ariana? Did this voice happen to mention anything about her?"

"No. The Matriarch only spoke of your father. It is strange. The voice felt like the
Matriarch’s, but it was somehow different. I cannot explain it. I can only hope Ariana is alive
in there with him."

“Then if you mean to go in there to rescue them, Mother, we’re going with you.”

Ellen shook her head and placed a gentle hand atop his shoulder. “Christopher, you may
have matured a great deal over the past month but you are not a fighter and I can’t protect
you against whatever may be waiting for us. I cannot allow you to place your life in danger
like this.”

“You regretted leaving Father and Ariana behind when you went out in search of me, didn’t
you? Don’t make the same mistake again. I lost you once already, I won't lose you a second
time. Together, the three of us will have a much better chance of finding them than only one
of us would."

Ellen took a moment to ponder his logic. “Hmm. I suppose you are correct, once again. If you
think you can handle yourself, this will be your chance to prove it. Perhaps there would be
obstacles in there that might call for a more... diplomatic solution than what I could possibly
offer. Having someone with your smarts on the team would certainly be an advantage.”

“I hate to piss on your parade, you two,” Czh'cara rudely interrupted. “But it’s not exactly
going to be a leisurely stroll from here to there with all those cliffs and peaks in the way. As
you can see, that starship didn’t do us any favors.”

“Unfortunately, Cara’s right,” said Chris, reluctantly. “The terrain is now far too
treacherous to make it there on foot. Look at the sheer size of that crater wall. It would be
impossible for us to scale over it. Even if the road ahead were completely straight and level,
and we ran at full speed without stopping, it would take us days to get there. Then there’s the
small matter of finding anything to eat. Food is likely going to be a scarce commodity from
here on out. Even you would die of exhaustion and starvation long before you even got there,
Mother.”

“What do you suggest we do? It took me a month to find you. Do you actually believe that I
would not also do the same for your father and Ariana? I do not care if it takes me a lifetime
to find them, I will not abandon them just because the road is bumpy.”

Czh'cara was taken aback to see a kiande amedha displaying such ferocious loyalty to
anything other than a Matriarch, and a tenacity to protect anything other than the wellbeing
of a hive. Everything she was taught and believed to be true was turned completely upside
down. This had certainly been a month of surprises for her.

“I’m not suggesting we should simply abandon them," said Chris. "I’m simply saying that
hiking there is the path of most resistance.”

“You could try building us an airship,” Czh'cara mocked.

“You say that sarcastically, but you might actually have the right of it. Flying might be the
only feasible way to get there.”

The tranquility of the air was suddenly filled with the sound of the mighty roar of enormous
beating wings, and coupled with a terrifying metallic shriek of a demonic bird-like creature.
The trio quickly turned their attention to the sky where an enormous black shape descended
towards them at an alarming speed like a flying predator swooping down to snatch it’s
unsuspecting prey in it's talons.

“Christopher, get back!” Ellen shouted as both she and Czh'cara assumed defensive stances,
ready for a fight to the death with this winged demon.

The monster slammed down in front of the trio and let out a ear-splitting screech, the force of
the impact and the flapping of its wings kicked up dirt and detritus all around them. The
creature was absolutely gigantic; it’s gargantuan body blocked the light of the sun and cast a
long shadow over the them. Even the Tyrannotaur’s immense size was dwarfed by the
enormity of this thing. It’s long serrated beak was hemorrhaging saliva as it snarled down at
them. Ellen could only bare her teeth and bladed tail as threateningly as she could, but she
knew she was no match for a foe such as this. She would be effortlessly snatched up like an
insignificant insect before she could even make a move. It suddenly dawned on the boy that
the creature wasn’t attacking. It could have made an easy meal of them by now but it simply
chose to tower over them as if it were waiting for something to happen. Czh'cara extended
her wrist-blades and prepared to attack. Even if she had no chance of winning, she wouldn’t
go down without a fight. Suddenly, she was abruptly stopped in her tracks as Chris pulled
her back by her arm.

“Wait! Don’t don't do anything! If it wanted to eat us, we would have been devoured before
we even knew it was there.”

Ellen quickly came to the same conclusion. She then realized that the creature seemed oddly
familiar to her, its physiological appearance undoubtedly looked xenomorphic in design. It
also had an elongated domed head like hers, a protruding rib cage, four large tubules on its
back, and a long bladed tail of its own. The only discernible differences were its long, jagged
beak and its dark, leathery wings that blanketed the surrounding area.

“Friend of yours, r’ka?” Czh'cara asked, sarcastically.

“Not exactly.” Ellen had never seen one of her kind like this before, but she was certain it
could have only have originated from inside the Company ship.

“A pity. For a moment, I thought we gained a new ally. So why the hell doesn’t it attack? Is it
waiting for a written invitation?”

“I’m not sure,” Chris replied. “But let's just hope it doesn’t decide to change its mind.”

Suddenly, the voice of the Matriarch made itself known again in Ellen’s mind. “Do not be
afraid. For as long as the avian remains under My control, it will not harm you. Mount it’s
back, and it will deliver you unto Me with all haste. But beware, My child: My influence is
not as strong from this great distance. If you do not hurry, it might very well slip away from
My grasp and it won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Once again, the mysterious voice disappeared, leaving Ellen struggling to process what had
been communicated to her. After a brief moment, she decided to steel herself and take full
advantage of this opportunity. “I’ve been assured that it poses no threat to us - for now, at
least. Climb on its back and it will carry us the rest of the way.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Czh'cara exclaimed. “You want us to get on the back of that
thing?”

“Mother, not that I don’t appreciate a conveniently-timed deus ex machina, but are you
really sure this is a good idea?”

“You said it yourself - there is no other way to get there except by flight. You do not have to
come with me. In-fact, I would prefer that you did not. But if you are tagging along, now is
the time to decide. Choose quickly.”

Chris and Czh'cara exchanged glances. “Well, I said I was coming with you and I meant it.
You can’t do this alone.”

Ellen smiled proudly, then turned to speak to the girl in her own Yautja language. “And what
of you, huntress? Will you lend us your strength in order to save our family?”
The Predator took a moment to contemplate her former enemy’s request, but she soon
arrived at her decision. “I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would willingly fight side-
by-side with a kiande amedha, but to engage in such a battle with naught but my wits and my
wrist-blades would surely earn me the honor I’ve been longing for. Let’s do this.”

Chris took hold of her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Thank you.”

“Very well, then. But if we fight together, we must stay together. No wandering off on a
hunch, do you understand? We simply can not afford to be separated and lost in a place like
that. Splitting up to widen the search will only make us vulnerable to attack, especially from
xenomorphs that prefer to pick off their prey one-by-one. We watch each-other’s backs at all
times and if you see anything you are unsure of, do not keep it to yourself.”

“That’s some pretty sound advice, Mother. Are you speaking from personal experience?”

“Well, yes. But mainly it is the fact that your father enjoys watching those dumb horror
movies. They can be quite educational in what to not do in situations like this. Anyway, I
digress. Time is of the essence once again. We have a long way to go and then we still have
hell to look forward to.”
 Chapter 21

The world was deathly silent and still, as though it were a three-dimensional photograph,
frozen forever in time, until suddenly, the serenity of the scene was abruptly disrupted by the
fiery roar of the Costaguana’s thrusters as Briggs and Ariana conducted one proximity sweep
after another in their unrelenting search for the missing members of their family.
Considering the highly-likely threat of an infestation of xenomorphs that was surely already
spreading out from the Asterion, Briggs deemed it wise to keep the Costaguana high in the
air. It was a small mercy that the downed mothership was still miles away. There were
already enough aliens on the ship for his liking, he didn’t particularly feel inclined to take on
any extra passengers. Only when they finally manage to make contact with Ellen and Chris
again would he bring the ship down low enough to bring them aboard.

Unfortunately, considering how badly the terrain was destroyed, relying on mere sight to
find them amidst the lingering smoke, felled trees and jagged terrain was proving to be a
nigh-impossible task. Even with two eyes, Briggs would have trouble finding a needle in this
proverbial haystack. For the past few hours, he had been hunched over behind a computer
station, entirely fixated on the screen in front of him that was displaying infrared footage of
the world outside. But even the ship’s advanced thermal imaging scanners were struggling to
discern individual heat signatures from the rest of the external ambient heat. Deciding that
method to be a complete waste of time, he finally heaved himself out of his seat and walked
over to the large windows at the front of the bridge to try and get a better look with his own
eye. Scattered across the decimated scene, wildfires were continually being fueled by the
carpet of fallen trees, which in turn, created curtains of black smoke and cinders to further
hinder his search.

He closed his eye and tilted his head back, ready to send another telepathic beacon into the
aether. He didn’t dare allow despair to invade his mind. He couldn’t risk for one second to
think of the possibility that they were gone. “Ellen Briggs… Hear my words. C’mon, talk to
me, my Queen. Let me know you’re still alive. I swear to you that once this is all over, I’ll take
you and the kids and we’ll just fly away and never look back. We’ll find a new world where
they’ll never find us, where we’ll be safe forever, and I’ll dote on you with jewelry every damn
day for the rest of my life. Just give me a sign. Please...”

●●●●●

Clinging on for dear life, Ellen, Chris, and Czh'cara soared at a neck-break speed over the
decimated landscape. Even the newly-formed mountain ranges rushed beneath them like a
blur as they drew ever-closer to the mothership.

“So, what's the plan once we get inside that place, anyway?" Czh'cara cried loudly out to the
others over the onslaught of wind blasting against them. Soaring atop this flying monstrosity
was akin to being caught in a wind tunnel or a violent tornado. "Are we just going to poke
around until we eventually stumble across them? And then, if we do manage to find them,
we're just going to turn around and walk back out again, all without anyone noticing? Call
me a downer but that's a pretty stupid plan!"

"I have a feeling we're not going to encounter any problems with enemy humans in there,"
Chris shouted in response.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it! Why haven't we seen any humans or vehicles on the surface in all this time?
We haven’t seen so much as a surveillance drone flying around out here! If they're really
here to apprehend us, wouldn't they be out combing the vicinity by now? This whole thing
seems highly suspicious to me!"

"Penny for your thoughts!"

"I’m thinking that they're all dead!" he stated, plainly. "Slaughtered by xenomorphs, no
doubt!"

"How do you know there are other 'xenomorphs', in there?"

"Our sweet chariot here is a xenomorph hybrid, right? Logically, a research vessel of that
magnitude wouldn't likely house just this one specimen! And since Mother also originated
from that selfsame vessel, my best guess is there are probably dozens, if not hundreds of other
hybrids in there! Ergo, if this bird is roaming free out in the open like this, then chances are
other xenomorphs have escaped their confines, too, which would only spell disaster for the
personnel inside and would also explain why the ship crash landed in the first place!"

"You are correct, Christopher,” said Ellen, her voice a tense growl. “Insofar as there are
other xenomorphs. But their numbers are not in the dozens or hundreds - it's in the
thousands. Possibly more by now. From the day I was born, I could hear their thoughts and
feel their emotions. Their rage quickly became my own. A torrential hivemind that knew only
wrath and the yearning for slaughter and the devouring of human flesh. Unclouded by
conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."

"You're telling me we're flying into a hive with thousands of kiande ameda inside?!"
Czh'cara shouted in disbelief, clearly having underestimated the severity of the situation she
willingly walked into. “But if the oomans are all dead, then what are you so concerned about?
Kiande ameda are slaves to the will of the Matriarch, right? She can command them all to
leave us in peace while we search for your family. As a r’ka yourself, can’t you talk to these
things and tell them all to piss off?”

“That won’t work. Xenomorphs born from hosts that lack sentience also lack the capacity for
sentience themselves. Even the Matriarch's influence over them is tenuous at best. There’s no
guarantee that even she could shepherd that many feral xenomorphs at once. Do not expect a
warm welcome upon our arrival. Rather, we should be prepared to fight for our lives from
the moment we set foot in there.”

Finally, they arrived at the insurmountable mountain of black metal that was the Asterion.
The avian swooped effortlessly through a large open doorway in the side of the hull and
touched down on the ground, letting out another demonic wail as it folded its wings back in.
The trio promptly climbed off the creature's back and took a moment to observe their new
surroundings. The entire chamber was a vast and empty void. The shadows were illuminated
red by powerful emergency lighting above their heads. The xenomorph could taste the stench
of blood, smoke, and death that still lingered heavily on the air. Ellen mentally-scanned the
area in order to sense the hostile presence of other xenomorphs, and unfortunately, the entire
chamber was crawling with them. Though, it seemed they were unaware of them, for now.

“A hanger bay," said Chris. "This must be where other ships come for repairs and replenish
their supplies. The sheer magnitude of this place is astonishing. Truly, an awesome feat of
human engineering.”

“If this impresses you, then the things you’d see on my world would blow your mind.”

“I should very much like to see that someday.”

“Thanks for the ride, big guy,” Czh'cara jokingly said to the monster. All it offered in lieu of
a response was a bestial growl amidst the steam of it’s hot, putrid breath, as though it wanted
nothing more than to snap them up and tear them to shreds but was somehow being
restrained by some invisible chain around its neck. The Yautja then turned around towards
the doorway from whence they entered. “Now we know how this thing managed to escape.”

“Escape…” said Chris, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding. “Or it was set free.”

“Indeed,” said Ellen, sharing her son’s sense of unease. “Even if the Matriarch could control
it, she wouldn’t have the ability to release it from the ship.”

“Perhaps someone opened the door in a last-ditch effort to escape in their own ship as the
mayhem was unfolding,” Czh'cara suggested.

“The doors are far too narrow for a ship to pass through, yet it was just wide enough for this
creature. A strange coincidence, no? In any event, it avails us naught to speculate. An open
door is the least of our concerns at present.”

“Speaking of ships, I don’t see our ship in here,” said Ellen as she looked around. "If they’re
here, where did he land it?”

“It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume this vessel has more than one docking bay,” Chris
offered a logical explanation to put her mind at ease.

Also occupying the cavernous space was a lone starship, though it was hard to be certain of
what it was since most of it was cocooned in an all-too familiar resin-like substance. The
thick, disgusting material branched off the starship like spider webs branching out in all
directions.

“It seems to be the same organic material you occasionally secrete around our home,
Mother,” Chris remarked as he reached out to touch it, but was quickly pulled back by Ellen
before his fingertips could make contact.

“Do not touch the webbing,” she warned her companions with a hushed tone. “We don’t
want to draw needless attention to ourselves.”

“Of course! Like vibrations running along a spider’s web, the slightest movement will signal
the enemy to our presence. Sorry, I got overly curious. I'll be more careful from now on.”
Chris looked down and noticed that the blood-stained floor was littered with spent shell
casings. He bent down and picked one up to examine it more closely. “Semi-automatic, 10mm
explosive tip, armor-piercing rounds. A major fire-fight was waged here. It’s strange,
though. Where are the bodies?”

“R’ka probably got hungry,” Czh'cara answered, semi-facetiously.

“I’m not talking about human bodies. I see shell casings all over the place, but no signs of any
fallen xenomorphs that would have gotten killed by them. Surely, with all the shooting going
on, they would have hit at least one of them, but I don’t see so much as an acidic scar on the
ground. The curiosities compound.”

“And the answers to which will reveal themselves before long, I’m sure. Let's get moving.
Best we do not linger in this place for too long. I cannot yet sense either Joshua or Ariana, so
let us proceed deeper into the complex.”

Followed by her son and his alien lover, Ellen stepped into the crimson shadows as she began
her long descent back into hell. Suddenly, the monster’s enormous wings bloomed open once
again and smashed the air beneath it, immediately propelling it back out into the world in
search of new prey.
 Chapter 22

“Can you sense them yet, Dad?” Ariana asked, sleepily as she tried to keep herself from
yawning. The girl was curled up snuggly in the soft leather of the chair. It had been hours of
repetitive searching already and the poor girl was beginning to feel very drowsy.

“No, not yet, sweetheart.” He turned around from his computer terminal to see his daughter
fighting a losing battle against sleep right there in the chair. “Look, why don’t you go and
take a nap? I honestly don’t mind. You’ve put in a good shift and now it’s time to have a
break.”

“I’m not tired, Dad,” she lied as she struggled to keep her eyes open. “I can still--” A yawn
slipped past her gaping maw. “--help you find them.”

“I doubt you can find much of anything with your eyelids closed. I’ll be fine, just go to sleep.
If I see anything out there, obviously, you’ll be the first to know.”

The girl shifted to find a more comfortable fetal position and hummed. “Alright, but I’m not
sleeping. I’m just resting my eyes for a couple of minutes, okay?”

“If you say so,” he chuckled.

The girl’s eyelids finally collapsed as she entered the land of Nod. Briggs tilted his head up
and gazed up at the golden sky above, where his attention was drawn to a flock of alien birds
that, miraculously, hadn’t perished in the blast wave.

“Looks like not everything on this planet is dead, after all,” he thought to himself. “That’s
definitely got to be a good omen.” Still, with even one xenomorph running loose out there, he
wasn’t sure how soon that fact was going to change. Considering the extinction of every
native animal on this planet was probably not too far away, he decided to take a few moments
more to admire them and commit their beautiful shapes and colors to memory. He sure was
going to miss them.

Ariana slowly opened her tired eyes and looked up through the transparent ceiling towards
the flock as well. Suddenly, her own attention was drawn to another creature in the sky: one
that looked strangely out of place in this world. It was monstrously big, and blacker than the
darkest shadow. It glided silently towards the flock, as a predator would sneak up on its
unsuspecting prey. She pushed herself up with her elbows, forehead creasing with confusion.
“What’s that up in the sky?"

Briggs had noticed it, too. “I don't know, but it don't look too friendly.”

The flying shadow looked like an ungodly mix between a bat and a pterosaur. It had an
elongated head and a beak that looked like two long, serrated knives joined at the base. It’s
enormous wingspan was easily a match for the entire length of the Costaguana. It soared
over to the birds, and with a shark-like frenzy, used it’s sword-like beak to hack and slice
them all to shreds, even swallowing a few of them whole. The rest tried to scatter, but this
apex predator was far too agile. Performing aerial maneuvers that would put an insect to
shame, it snatched the panicking stragglers with lightning-fast reflexes and mercilessly
eviscerated them, too. Fresh blood, entrails and feathers rained down and splattered the
transparent ceiling as the air was filled with the piercing shriek of this winged demon. The
pair looked on in horror, transfixed at the grotesque display happening directly above them.

“Holy shit, Dad! Have you ever seen anything like that before?!”

“Yeah... But not on this world.”

“What do you mean?”

“‘The Vulture’, they codenamed it. One of your distant cousins created with bird and bat
DNA. The ultimate stealth bomber.”

“That thing is a xenomorph like us?!”

“Technically. Just when you thought they wouldn’t get any worse, those fuckers went and
gave ‘em wings. No offense to you or your mother.”

Suddenly, the soaring nightmare caught sight of the Costaguana below and let out an horrific
squawking roar as it dive-bombed straight down towards them, going in for the kill at full
speed.

“Shit, it’s spotted us! Probably thinks we’re another bird or something. Hang on to your butt,
Ariana, I’m gonna try and lose him!”

Ariana sat up in the chair, hands clinging to the armrests. “You’re gonna try and out-fly that
thing?!”

The enormous flying terror swooped down like a black lightning bolt and slammed onto the
roof of the ship with enough force to almost bring the Costaguana crashing down to the
surface. With some expert stabilizing skills, Briggs only just managed to keep her airborne.
The shrieks were ear-splittingly loud as the only thing that separated them from the monster
was now a few layers of transparent adamantium. The entire landscape became a spinning
blur as Briggs performed a flawless aileron roll to try and dislodge the creature from the
ship’s hull. Despite the multiple G’s of force being exerted on it, the monster nevertheless
remained locked onto them. A few deafening clangs were heard all around them, then, as
though the very sun was extinguished, the alienistic pterosaur completely blocked out the
window as it positioned itself directly against the bow. It’s eyeless face became illuminated by
the lights of the bridge as it peered inside. When it saw the pair staring back, it excitedly
snapped its beak, causing Ariana to push herself back into her chair as hard as she could.

Briggs cursed, slamming his hands onto his controls. “Fuck! I’ve got zero visibility!”

The monster then brought it’s serrated beak hammering down like a meteor against the
window to get the food inside, yet it barely even made a scratch against the near-impervious
super-material. SLAM!SLAM!SLAM! It repeated it’s deafening assault on the metal like a
bird trying to crack open a shell to get at the fleshy mollusk inside. With each consecutive
blow, a small crack was beginning to emerge at the focal point where it’s beak was
bombarding the glass, and was growing exponentially larger. It’s durability certainly
wouldn’t hold out for long if they didn’t think of something fast.

“Damn! That beak packs a hell of a punch. We’ll need to shake this thing before it breaks
through. Maybe if I try to aim for the side of a mountain, we can crush this motherfucker!” It
would be risky but maybe, just maybe it could work..."

“Don’t be stupid, Dad! We’ll be killed as well!” Ariana immediately protested.

“Have you got a better idea? I’m open to suggestions, young lady!”

A wave of clarity washed over her as an idea suddenly exploded in her mind. “Go up, Dad!”

“What?!”

“Take it into space!”

“That’s some smart thinking, kiddo!” he praised, whilst also being surprised he didn’t think
of it himself. “Alright then, let’s take this bat out of hell for a ride to the top of the world.” As
he pulled back hard on the joysticks to adjust the ship’s course, the Costaguana began to
ascend into the sky. The monster tried to push itself off but the force of acceleration was
keeping it firmly pinned to the front of the ship.

“Wait…” Briggs suddenly said as he turned to face the planet’s surface, his eye widening. “I
can sense them…” Relief washed through him as a wave of new energy flooded his system at
the realization that this family were indeed still alive.

As they rose higher and higher through the clouds and into the upper atmosphere, the sub-
zero temperatures began to smother the creature in a solid coat of ice, fusing it’s taloned
limbs against the ship's metal and eliminating any possibility of escape. Finally, the ship
breached the planet’s exosphere and entered once again into outer space. The once-golden
sky was replaced by a swirling ocean of purple and blue gases. The creature’s terrifying
shrieks fell silent. It’s body now as motionless as a statue.

“Is… it dead?” asked Ariana, nervously, leaning forward in her seat.

In a heart stopping instant, the winged xenomorph jolted back to life and began to
desperately thrash around in an attempt to free itself from its frozen bondage. The thick
layers of ice were quickly being shattered and melted by its acidic blood as it desperately tore
it’s own body away from the hull.

“Huh, I never knew these things could survive so long in space,” Briggs remarked with
morbid interest. “Your mother’s side of the family is definitely NOT invited over for
Thanksgiving.”

The creature reared its head around again for another attack, and as it’s mighty beak
hammered down against the cracked window, the sudden impact caused it’s entire body to
ricochet and launch away from the ship. It spun and thrashed silently as it drifted further
away into the nebula.

“Is today the fourth of July? Because I suddenly feel the urge to see some fireworks.” With
that, his fingers danced over the console and an instant later, a TAC missile was fired
directly at the creature, followed by a blinding white flash and a beautiful cascade of colors as
the monster was instantly vaporized. “Now it’s dead.”

“Wow… I never knew space looked so beautiful from up here,” Ariana stated in amazement
at the awe-inspiring panorama of intermixing paint before her.

“Unfortunately, this is no time to kick back and admire the view. We’ve got to get back down
there right away. For a brief moment, I was certain I could sense them.”

Ariana looked at him with hope etched into her features. The same hope that was causing his
heart to pound in his chest. “Where are they?”

“Right now, the very last place any of us want to be...”

 Chapter 23

The two hybrid xenomorphs and the Yautjan princess had finally made their way to the far
end of the docking bay, all whilst carefully avoiding the translucent webbing that stretched
chaotically in every direction like security beams. As soon as the trio approached a large set
of sliding metal doors, Chris repeatedly tapped his fingers against the adjacent access panel,
but the doors remained firmly sealed, refusing to grant them passage to the other side.

“Guess this is the next hurdle in our path,” he groaned and pursed his lips with mild
frustration. “I’ve read a few technical manuals about these types of doors. I might be able to
bypass the emergency lockdown protocol. Without the requisite tools, it might take a few
minutes.”

“Don’t bother,” said Czh'cara as she gently swept him aside with the topside of her hand.
“It’s about time I pulled my weight on this quest of ours.” Stabbing her claws into the tight
seam between the doors, she exerted as much strength as her body could muster. Slowly, inch
by inch, she pried the doors apart with a sheering, metallic screech that reverberated
throughout the hangar and down the long corridor on the other side. Awestruck, Chris was
filled with a newfound respect for just how strong she truly was. He couldn’t help but take
the opportunity to stare at her toned muscles and rock-hard backside as her entire body
tensed with the strain. His mother could sense his arousal and simply hid her face in her
palm with embarrassment. Sometimes the bond could be more curse than a gift.

“I hope you enjoyed the show,” Czh’cara threw over her shoulder, teasingly.

“An impressive display, I’m sure. We would be lucky if every xenomorph in the entire ship is
not now aware of our presence, you imbecile,” Ellen scorned.

“What did you just call me, r’ka?” The huntress turned around and slowly approached
Ellen, the change in her posture betraying a distinct killing intent. “Correct me if I’m wrong,
but I was under the impression that time was of the essence. However, if you’d rather piss
away what little time we have every time we come across a sealed door, be my guest. I’m only
here for Christopher’s sake.”

A growl reverberated through the older woman’s body. “My name is not ‘r’ka’. It is Ellen
Briggs. I have tolerated your insolence up until now to preserve the peace but no longer. Get
my name wrong one more time, accidentally or otherwise, and I will carve it into your flesh
so deep you will never forget it again.”

Czh’cara huffed out a breath. “I’m quaking in my boots. Keep pissing me off and I’ll gladly
add your skull to my collection.”

The xenomorph inched closer, her claws scraping threateningly along the ground beneath
her. “Don’t make me laugh, little huntress. Even with all your weapons at your disposal, you
were no match for me. What makes you think you will fare any better this time?”

The response drew a snarl from Czh’cara’s mandibles, and her spine curved as though she
was about to fall into a crouch, ready to attack. “I’ll admit I underestimated you before,
believing you to be an ordinary kainde amedha. Now that I‘ve seen what you’re capable of, I
won’t have to pull my punches this time. And I certainly won’t need any weapons to kill you.”

“Oh, please, do show me what you are truly capable of, I am begging you. I am all aquiver
with anticipation.” The xenomorph spat sarcastically, faking a tremble along her body.

“Please, you two!” Chris interjected as he wedged himself between them, knowing he had to
shut this down before another bloodbath took place in this hangar bay. “Now is not the time
to resurrect past feuds. We’re all on the same team here, right?”

“Just to make you aware, Czh'cara: I was pulling my punches, too. What you saw in the
jungle before was not even a fraction of my full power. Your heart is only beating inside your
chest right now because my son begged me to spare your life. But if you are that eager to
settle the score, then I will gladly acquiesce your death wish.”

Czh'cara hissed and her mandibles clicked wildly with anger. The distance between the two
rivals shrank until their faces were inches apart from one another, their urge to tear into
each-other right then and there was being held back by a rapidly-fraying thread. Chris felt
himself growing increasingly irritated by this petty display.

“Mother! Cara! Get ahold of yourselves! This is completely asinine! Don’t forget the reason
why we’re here in the first place! Father and Ariana need us right now! We don’t have time
for this petty squabbling.”

“Do not assume for a moment that I have forgotten our mission,” Ellen hissed. “But I will not
be made to suffer such disrespect from her or anyone else.”

The young man raised his hands defensively. “Okay, I completely understand. Cara, would it
kill you to play ball and make nice?”

“Very well,” the Yautja finally said with utter disdain. “Call yourself whatever you will. I
couldn’t care less.”

Ellen lowered her head the slightest degree, a gesture that could both be relenting or a
provocation. “Then I strongly advise you to have a care, little huntress.”

“Alright, fine, that’s settled, end of discussion,” said Chris in complete exasperation, as if he
were the parent breaking up a fight between two bickering children. “Now can we please
regain focus and get back to the task at hand?”

“If you insist. Lead the way... Ellen Briggs.”

“Very good, Czh'cara. You can be taught, after all. You are smarter than I gave you credit
for.”

“Cheese and rice,” the boy sighed. “This is going to be a long day.” Directly on the other side
of the doors was a sight that almost brought tears to the young boy's eyes. "Yes! This is
exactly what we need right now."

"What is this thing?" Ellen asked as she beheld the large metallic worm in from of them. It's
long, cylindrical body rested upon an even longer track that stretched out in both directions
seemingly forever.

"It's a mode of transportation called a monorail. Hopefully, it's route will take us where we
need to go - if I can get it running again, that is."

The trio approached the vehicle, and as they slowly pried open one of the side doors, they laid
eyes upon a thick, red carpet of blood and viscera. Piles of eviscerated corpses from
numerous human scientists unfortunate to have been trapped inside during the chaos littered
the entire length of the train, painting the walls and windows with splashed of crimson. Their
faces were locked in expressions of pure terror. Whatever happened in their final moments, it
must have been torturous. Being hardened by a life of combat, both Ellen and Czh'cara
weren't particularly phased by such grizzly scenes of death and carnage. Chris, however,
reflexively doubled over and almost vomited. Although he was part xenomorph, being
sheltered his whole life and becoming accustomed to human sensibilities made him sick to the
stomach.

"Are you okay?" asked Ellen. "If you would rather we found a different path..."

"No, I'll be fine. I just wasn't expecting to see something like this so soon. I'm certain it's only
going to get worse from here on in so I might as well get used to it." The boy stepped over the
bodies as delicately as he could in order to reach the driver's compartment. "Wow, this is
really... really disgusting. You must have an iron stomach, Cara."

The Predator scanned the bodies without the faintest hint of emotion or remorse. "It has
never bothered me. Hunting these beings has always been one of our many traditions. To be
perfectly honest, a Yautja would have done the same thing to them. I guess we're not so
different after all, Ellen."

"How can you be so callous?" Chris snapped back at her. "I could have been one of these
victims. I very nearly was! I thought I proved to you that humans aren't simply prey to be
slaughtered for sport. We here to save a human, lest you forget."

"But these people were your enemy. The r'ka did you a big favor. You should be thankful
they're dead. At least you can sleep easier at night."

"That's not the point! Enemy or not, no-one deserves to die like this. And it's ignorant to class
everyone who works for the Company as your enemy. My father worked for them, too.
They're weren't all bad people who deserved to be torn limb from limb."

Now it was Ellen's turn to break up the petty squabbling and direct their focus back to the
task at hand. "Can you get this train going, son?"

"Without power, I'm afraid it'll be impossible."

All of a sudden, as if in response to Chris's dire evaluation, the overhead lights in the
carriages and the consoles in the cab flickered and groaned back to life. Power had been
somehow been restored, and the trio exchanged confused glances.

"What did you just do?" Czh'cara asked.

"I literally didn't do anything," he replied with a dread concern in his tone. "It just came
back on all by itself."

"No, someone is helping us," said Ellen. "Clearly we are being led to wherever they want us
to be."

"Then this is clearly a trap. We should get out of here immediately."

The side door they has just entered through suddenly closed and locked, sealing them all
inside with the corpses. Ellen quickly tried to pry the door open with all her strength, but it
wouldn't budge. Czh'cara then tried slamming her fists through the bloodstained windows
with all her power but they, too, proved exceedingly resilient. The carriage jerked forward
slightly, almost causing Chris to lose his balance and tumble amongst the bodies he was so
careful not to disturb. The scenery outside began to slide past them, as the train seemed to
possess a mind of it's own and started to drive along the track at an ever-increasing velocity,
deeper into the heart of the ship towards whoever or whatever awaited them.
 Chapter 24

The mercenary vessel, Cerberus, had now become fully-encased in alien resin, rendering it
nothing more than a cold and empty metallic tomb. The corridors within were so truly dark
and empty now. Her various systems and automations had long ceased performing their
rhythmic, electro-mechanical orchestra, leaving only the haunting sound of silence. Even the
restless beating of her heart had finally flatlined. The Cerberus, however, was not completely
devoid of life. Not technically. Staining the corridors a sickening shade of blood, the ship's
crimson emergency lights did a pale job of chasing away the encroaching darkness. Anna, the
synthetic humanoid, the sole survivor of Gregor's murderous rampage, swayed and stumbled
as if in a drunken stupor as she dragged her feet down the central corridor. She didn't fear
the darkness. She knew she was utterly alone.

Her once-immaculate and almost dreamlike construction was now ravaged and raped in
ways no human being could have possibly survived. She had managed to reset her jaw, but
the rest of her inflictions would take far longer to repair, if they could be repaired at all. Yet
despite her mangled and broken form, despite the horror she was forced to experience, she
had indeed proven herself to be a strong survivor, invigorated with a renewed sense of
purpose... revenge. It didn't matter how or when or where, she would make that son of a
bitch pay, dearly. Not even his very life could atone for magnitude of his sins. She was going
to send his soul straight down to Hell.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally arrived at her destination. Laid out together on the
floor, side-by-side, were the corpses of her two fallen friends and comrades, Tanner and
Conway. Dropping awkwardly to her knees, she unfolded a large, black tarp she'd been
carrying under her arm and gently threw it over their lifeless bodies. She then bowed her
head in reverence before she softly spoke her eulogy.

"Well guys, I guess this is goodbye. Although, it's true the motive behind your deeds wasn't
entirely unselfish, it's remains true that your deeds did bring justice and safety back to this
unjust galaxy, and thus it is only right that your deaths are brought the justice they so
rightfully deserve. This I swear to you, upon my life and my very soul: I will not rest until
Gregor is sent back to Hell." Artificial tears fell from her eyes and landed atop two fists
clenched tightly with resolve. "Mr. Tanner... Doctor Conway..." she then raised her head up
high, and looked back into the very depths of space towards an old friend. "And especially
you, Captain Nash. Thank you all for everything."

●●●●●

The Costaguana levitated around the impenetrable fortress like a hummingbird as it

meticulously searched for an entrance. Unfortunately, the hull’s pitch black heat shielding
made it almost impossible to discern any details that might reveal an opening. Suddenly,
Briggs's eye was drawn to an ominous red glow emanating not too far away from them. At
long last, there it was. It was small, but it was definitely a way inside. He pointed a finger and
directed Ariana's attention towards his discovery. “Over there. Do you see it? That open
docking bay is our ticket inside.”

“It looks pretty small. Are you sure we can fit through?”

“Don’t worry. Squeezing into tight holes is my specialty. Forget I said that.”

Briggs approached the narrow portal and slowly maneuvered the ship through with expert
precision. The air howled and echoed with a dry metallic scream as the smaller vessel’s hull
scraped along the edges of the hangar doors. The ship’s powerful spotlights illuminated the
entire bay area, like shining a light into a nest of spiders, revealing all the horrific resin
webbing and the numerous xenomorphs that were attending to them. Reacting with
aggressive defensive postures like threatened insects, the xenomorphs hissed and bared their
fangs, claws and bladed tails towards the ship. Others dropped down from the ceiling and
landed atop the roof and erratically clambered around like a swarm of bugs scurrying over
an animal carcass as they feverishly searched for a way inside.

“Let's turn up the heat.” Suddenly, the ship’s torpedo tube hatch opened up, allowing several
aliens to scurry inside. "Fire in the hole!” he exclaimed as he squeezed the trigger on one of
the ship's control sticks. The xenomorphs in the tube were instantly obliterated by the force
of the torpedo as it blasted out from the ship. The rest of the hoard could only roar and lunge
uselessly at the projectile as it rocketed overhead, leaving a trail of smoke in its path.

“GET DOWN!” He shouted, grabbing Ariana by the arm and pulling her to the ground with
her face down.

The torpedo exploded, illuminating the entire chamber with a blinding, atomic flash akin to
the ignition of a star, transforming the hangar into the surface of the sun. A purging,
purifying wave of liquid fire instantly incinerated every living being unfortunate enough to
not be protected by a thick shell of adamantium. The force of the explosion itself sent tremors
rippling throughout the mothership as a massive column of flames and black smoke plumbed
out of the open hatch like an erupting volcano.

●●●●●

“What the hell?” asked Czh'cara as she tried to brace herself amidst the vibrations that
nearly threw the train off the track. "An earthquake?!"

“It feels like it came from within the mothership,” Chris replied. “An explosion, perhaps?”

Ellen looked up with a rekindled sense of hope as she clutched her necklace like a rosary.
Warmth flooded her chest and she turned back to face the direction they had set out from.
“Could it be...?”

●●●●●
“Holy crap, Dad. You roasted their asses!”

“What’s a Fourth of July without a barbecue, eh?” Briggs grinned devilishly before turning
his attention to one of the monitors. He nodded, satisfied by the result of their assault.
Nothing outside of their ship survived. Even the xenomorph’s webbing had been reduced to
cinders. "Well, I’m not detecting any life-readings out there. Just like your mother’s cooking:
everything’s burnt to a crisp. Don’t tell her I said that.”

Suddenly, the Asterion's fire suppression system kicked in, and a spray of white foam
smothered and suffocated the flames until the entire hanger bay looked like it had gotten
caught in a snowstorm. As the Costaguana settled down on the ground, the rush of the
landing thrusters blew away all the lingering smoke, foam, and charred corpses to reveal the
true scale of the cavernous chamber - including another vessel not too far away from their
own. When the ship's outer airlock opened up, Briggs and Ariana walked out side-by-side
carrying enough firepower to take out a small army - which was precisely what they had in
mind. Briggs had on his person as many of the firearms from the Armory as he could carry -
including two fully automatic machine guns, pistols strapped to his legs, and in his hand, a
heavy duffel bag crammed with miscellaneous weapons and ammunition. Ariana held in her
own hands a pulse rifle which she could only just manage to lift up. They looked around at
the sight of roasted xenomorph corpses everywhere.

“A stealthy approach was more your mother's style. I always preferred a big entrance.”

CLICK

“Your enemies thank you for that. I honestly can’t tell if you’re really smart or really
stupid.”

Suddenly, Briggs felt something cold and hard as steel pressed against the base of his skull.
Damn, not even five feet away from the ship and already someone had a loaded gun pointed
at his head. Coupled with the fact he had both his hands full, he didn't have any chance of
attempting any quick disarming techniques.

“DAD!” cried Ariana as she almost leapt out of her boots at the assassin to defend her father,
but Briggs reacted quickly to dispel that idea.

“Stand down, soldier!” he ordered as he raised an arm to block her attack. “Don’t give this
bitch a reason to fire. If she wanted me dead, she wouldn’t have bothered to flap her gums.
Seems like I’m gonna have to play captive for a while.”

“At ease, Private,” she said sarcastically as she holstered her firearm. “I just wanted to grab
your attention. I always preferred a stealthy approach and a big entrance at the same time.”

Briggs slowly turned around to see a young girl with black hair in a pixie cut. Her once
beautifully-constructed visage was completely fractured like a broken mirror, with a milk-
like substance staining her clothes and artificial skin. His initial desire to kill her soon faded
away upon seeing her in this pitiful state.
"Private Joshua Briggs, I presume? Though, you did relinquish your rank after you went
AWOL, so I suppose it's just Mr. Briggs now.”

“‘Josh’ is fine.”

“It truly is an honor to meet you. Josh. I thought I'd be tapped forever after my ship became
cocooned by xenomorphs. Lucky for me you arrived when you did to solve my little pest
problem."

“I’m honored and you’re welcome. Do you have a name or should I just call you 'lady'?"

"'Anna' is fine." She then turned her attention towards Ariana. "So it is true, after all. You
really did copulate with the talking xenomorph. Humans never cease to amaze me."

"Hey, I don't have to justify myself to you."

"Relax, it was a joke. Considering your choice of proclivities, I didn't imagine you'd be this
uptight."

“What the hell happened to you, Anna?” Ariana blurted out.

The mysterious woman smiled. At least, she gave her best attempt to smile, given the brutal
condition of her face. "That's an irrelevance I'd rather not get into right now. I can’t believe I
finally found you after all this time. It’s just a shame I won't be able to collect the reward
money.”

“I always knew they’d send bloodhounds after us. Though, you look more like an actress
playing the part of one."

“Is that what humans really look like on the inside?” asked Ariana.

“She’s not human. She’s what we call an android; an artificial lifeform designed to imitate
human beings in practically every way. Though, I guess it does make sense to have synthetic
mercs when you want to kidnap children. Can’t have feelings getting in the way of the job,
now can you?”

Anna tried her best to hide how much his harsh words pained her, though he wasn’t exactly
wrong in his description. “I'm actually an undercover IIA operative. Moonlighting as a
bounty hunter was just my cover so I could infiltrate this vessel. I had intended to bring the
Company down from within, but it seems someone else beat me to it. Now I've settled on
good old-fashioned revenge against one man, and I believe the two of you are acquainted. He
made mention of a certain ‘Company Man’ that he found particularly bothersome. You did
quite a number on him, Josh. Seems I’m not the only one here seeking revenge.”

A feeling of dread washed over the manlike a landslide. "Don't tell me. Big guy with a big ego
and a hard-on for Bible quotes?" A rhetorical question since he already knew the answer.

"Yes. 'Gregor', he said his name was. When we found him floating out there in space, he was
practically kicking down death's door. By the time we even knew what was happening, he
had fully regenerated and decided to repay our kindness by murdering my crewmates and
having his wicked way with me. Fortunately, I'm something of a survivor, too."

"Shit..." Briggs was the only word he could say as he blinked in disbelief.

"From the moment of our arrival, he seized full control of ship's systems. If he didn’t know
you were here before, he certainly does now. And knowing Gregor, he's fortified himself in
the one part of the ship you couldn't destroy him without inadvertently destroying yourself."

"The core chamber. Shit."

"Look, Josh. It's obvious what you're planning to do, and I simply can't allow you to embark
on a suicide mission. I'm a synthetic, which means I'm compelled by my programming to
keep human beings safe from harm to the best of my ability."

"The hell you say? This has got nothing to do with you, Anna. I'm going in there to rescue my
wife and child. If you're not going to help me, then this conversation is over."

"Also, as a synthetic, I'm compelled to be honest. Gregor just slaughtered an entire starship
full of highly trained military personnel without breaking a sweat, and you expect to storm
the castle like John Rambo and do what they couldn't? You're reckless, irresponsible, naïve,
self-destructive, and not to put too fine a point on it, stupid."

"Yeah, but I've been told I have a lovely singing voice."

"You crack jokes but the real joke is you. You thought you could put a couple of lightyears
between you and your enemies and that would be enough to keep you safe. You settled down
and buried your head in the sand thinking it was all happily ever after. But you know well
enough that nowhere in the galaxy is outside the reach of the Company’s tendrils. We found
you, Josh, and had tragedy not befallen us, we would have captured you, and there would
have been nothing you could have done about it."

"Don't underestimate us, Anna. We would have fought back."

"Don't underestimate those seeking to claim a multi-million dollar bounty. My crew were the
best. Did you honestly expect them to give you time to prepare, or even engage you in hand-
to-hand combat? They didn't even need to be on the planet to get you. You and your family
wouldn't have known what hit you until it was too late. You have the fortune of a fool, Josh.
You think you outsmarted everyone, but in reality, you only made it this far out of blind
luck."

Ariana suddenly spoke up in her poor father’s defense. “We don’t have to take this from
some busted-up robot cop. You don’t know anything about my Dad or our family, so why
don’t you just get fucked?"

"You have a barbed tongue, child. But insults won't keep you safe from what you'll be
walking into."
"She's right, Ariana. I know I'm a screw-up who just keeps making things worse, but I'm
just doing the only thing I can do to get my family back."

"You're a brave man, Josh. No-one can deny that. And you've endured more than your fair
share of hardship. Hardship that could have been avoided, but what's done is done. I told you
I wouldn't let you commit suicide. That doesn't mean I'm not going to help you. I do have a
score to settle of my own, after all. We need a plan. A sensible plan."

"Thinking things through was clearly never my strong suit. But it's not as if we even need to
engage Gregor in combat at all. I just want to locate my wife and son then get the hell out of
dodge before the cavalry arrives. They'll find this ship eventually. You don't lose track of a
multi-trillion dollar intergalactic mothership without someone asking questions."

“Unfortunately, during the ensuing chaos, no distress beacon or EEV was able to leave.
Doubtless, Gregor had a part to play in that, as well. Others may find the Asterion one day,
but by then it'll be too late. The spread of xenomorphs will be impossible to contain. We’re
talking about an infestation of global proportions. Should some hapless explorers find this
planet, it could be the Nostromo all over again. We absolutely must destroy Gregor and the
Asterion ourselves as soon as possible."

"I suppose you've got any bright ideas?"

"I might. Ironically, if my theory is true, Gregor's idea of self-preservation has given us
exactly what we need in order to kill him."
 Chapter 25

The central complex of the Asterion was a vast Escherian megalopolis, filled with
laboratories, research facilities, and various testing stages and obstacle courses for the
experimental xenomorph specimen. Monolithic stalagmites of glass and steel protruded from
every direction amidst a network of roads and rails like enormous trees being slowly
entangled by predatory vines. "Sector Alpha" was its name. A corrupted, dystopian
cityscape that perfectly reflected the corrupted, dystopian nature of the Company itself. The
only inhabitants of this wicked city now were the feral xenomorphs that were busy converting
it into an even more nightmarish environment - if that were imaginable. A vast cobweb of
alien secretions draped the city as far as the eye could see. Various office spaces had been
refurbished into xenomorph nests, and every towering structure was now connected to its
brethren by translucent resin, like ligaments adhered to bones. The ship’s mighty engine
continued to thrum like a beating heart, creating the impression of being inside the body of
some great and unknowable creature.

“A spectacular hunting ground,” Czh’cara remarked as the monorail snaked it's way
through. “A pity circumstances prevent me from truly cutting loose here.”

“As soon as we accomplish our mission, you are more than welcome to wantonly-slaughter
everything in sight to your heart’s content,” Ellen replied. “Until then, Joshua and Ariana
are our only priority.”

As the train continued along the track throughout Alpha Sector, the ground beneath them
became coated in a thick layer of corporate detritus: office furniture, computer equipment,
flesh, bones, skulls… all fused together with a translucent, epoxy-like substance.

"Is anyone else feeling colder all of a sudden or is it just me?" asked Czh'cara.

"My acidic blood keeps my body at a constant temperature. I do not always notice these
subtle changes in the environment," Ellen explained.

"We must be getting close to the main core, where they use super-cold liquid coolant to keep
it from overheating. It must be pretty big if we're feeling the cold even at this distance."

The monorail came to a stop at it's final destination, and as they exited the carriage, they laid
eyes upon a Renaissance mural of horror made entirely of human bodies in carelessly-twisted
positions, all locked together in frozen agony akin to a macabre painting that may as well be
depicting a scene from Hell. They had all been brought here to be cocooned alive; to become
unwilling hosts for the monstrous embryos germinating within them. Some of the victims
were long dead, as evidenced by their chests having exploded from the inside out.

“Seems my hypothesis was correct,” said Christopher as he gazed upon the wall of living
death. “They are all dead.”

“Not all of them,” replied Ellen.

“Please... kill me...” came a feeble voice from one of the cocooned humans affixed to the wall.
Christopher cautiously approached to investigate the source of the plea. It was a slightly
balding man still wearing a white lab coat with his head hanging low as if in ardent prayer.
“Please God… kill me...”

“He’s alive! Quick, we have to help him!”

“We are not here for them," said Ellen, coldly.

Gazing upon the brutal nature of her own species brought conflicting feelings about which
world she truly belonged to. On the one hand, she acknowledged the terrible torment and
suffering these people had endured, but on the other hand, she also considered it quite
natural. As horrific as it all seemed, it was ultimately a simple case of nature doing what it
does. To call it evil would be unfair. One cannot question the morality of a species that only
does what it was born to do; what it needs to do in order to survive. She slowly lowered her
head and turned away as she resigned herself to the fact that no wrongdoing had been
committed here.

“Is someone there?” the man on the wall whimpered weakly. “Please, I’m begging you. You
have to kill me...”

“Please, Mother. For me.”

“I swore an oath to your father that I would never murder another human being. I do not
mean to break it for the likes of him.”

“This isn’t murder, its mercy! I studied the lifecycle of our species. No-one deserves to die this
way.”

Didn’t they? After everything the Company had done, to both her and the galaxy at large,
this seemed like poetic justice; a grim fate they wrought upon themselves, and they only had
themselves to blame for it. She saw no reason to lift a finger to help any of them. “They got
what they deserve. Let us go.”

“Oh! It’s you...” the man said with eyes half-open by dried resin as he raised his weary head.
It was the scientist, Jerry. “It really is you. The famous and infamous Specimen 121. 'Ellen',
right? I’m glad to see you weren’t the abject failure we thought you were. In-fact, you’ve
exceeded all our wildest expectations. You truly are one of a kind.”

Ellen approached the man and examined his face, which was coated in filth and dripped with
translucent slime. “I remember you. You were one of the humans that conducted experiments
on me day after day. Despite everything, you were the only one to show me any compassion.”

“You have Joshua to thank for that. He never did approve of the way you were treated. As I
recall, he even gave you the dignity of eating your food off a plate.”

Ellen smiled as she recalled that small act of kindness. “Yes. I remember that, too.”

“Apropos. How is Joshua? Not with you, I see. I do hope he's not dead.”

"It's a long story."

"Pity I don't have long enough to hear it. Listen, you have every right to detest my guts. I just
want you to know that I’m so very sorry for everything. I hope you can find it in your heart
to forgive me.”

“A deathbed always has a funny way of making villains seek contrition for their sins. But I’m
afraid it will take more than a couple of kind words to atone for yours. What good does
asking for my forgiveness even do for you now? Are you afraid you are going to Hell? Well, if
my forgiveness would spare you the hell you so rightfully deserve, then I think I will hold my
tongue.”

“You’re absolutely right. I do deserve to go to Hell. Perhaps I belong there, as do we all. I

only ask that you send me there quickly and painlessly.”

Czh’cara scanned the man’s body using the technology in her mask and saw the black
silhouette of the xenomorph larvae contained within his chest cavity. “The embryo is in the
early stages of development and is still fully-dependent on the host. If he dies, it dies, too. One
less kiande amedha in the world for us to worry about.”

Ellen turned to face her son, who gave her a pleading look, then turned back to face the man
on the wall.

“If it were not for you, Joshua and I would never have met and fallen in love, nor would he
have felt compelled to rescue me from your cruel machinations. So for that... I forgive you.”
With that, she swiftly sliced his throat wide open with the blade of her tail like a bullwhip.
Crimson liquid sprayed out from the wound like a geyser and coated Ellen’s face and body.
She closed her mouth tightly, not wanting to remind herself of the taste of human blood.
Jerry's eyes were wide as saucers as he let out a gurgling, sputtering choke before his head
once again slumped down lifelessly. It wasn’t a completely painless death, but it was still
preferable to the alternative.

“Farewell,” she said as she gazed at the warm pool of blood in her hand.

Christopher reached over to place a delicate hand on his mother's shoulder. “He would have
been grateful to hear you say that.”

“I was not speaking to him. I was bidding farewell to a part of me that was human.”

“You did the right thing, Ellen,” said Czh’cara. “A clean death is something people seldom
receive in life.”

“Spare me your empty platitudes. From what I understand about you, you seem to take great
pleasure in prolonging the torment of your prey in your sadistic hunting rituals. Joshua
suffered greatly by your hand, did he not? Though, I suppose I should thank you for taking
your sweet time working him over. Allowing him a chance to fight back at least ensured his
own survival in the end. A lesser man would have surely died in agony.”

Czh’cara didn’t offer a rebuttal. She simply stood there as she pondered the hypocrisy of her
own words.

“Let us go. We have wasted too much time here already,” said Ellen, coldly, as she turned
away and resumed her journey.
 Chapter 26

"A core meltdown?!" Briggs exclaimed as the synthetic bounty hunter explained her master
plan.

"Precisely. The coolant pump recycles the water and removes accumulated radiation
generated by the core. If you destroy the pump, the stagnant coolant will become too hot and
the core will become unstable. When it goes into meltdown, the subsequent explosion will
destroy Gregor, the ship, and the xenomorph infestation in one fell swoop."

"And half the planet, too. This ain't exactly a firecracker you're thinking of setting off."

"I believe nothing less would get the job done."

"You know, I think I'm actually starting to like you, Anna."

"I'm honored," she said with a grin. "You obviously know what Gregor is planning, don't
you? He wants to kill you himself and he's using Ellen and Chris as bait to lure you in. We
have an APC on the Cerb. Considering he wants you to go to him, the path should
theoretically be open all the way, but don't let your guard down. He wouldn't want you to die
prematurely and spoil his revenge, after all."

“I don’t think so, Anna. I said I liked you but I don't trust you nearly enough to leave you
alone with our ship. You're coming with us.”

“Believe it or not, Josh, but I don't want to die, and in my current condition, I’d only be more
hindrance than help. I’ll stay behind in order to keep your ship free of beasties while you're
gone, as well as assisting you remotely via radio. You will need directions as you navigate the
labyrinth. Although Gregor has control of the ship's systems, I should be able to hack into the
central mainframe and secure you as direct a route as possible to the core."

“How do I know you won't just take off with our ship to save your own ass?”

“Look, I may be synthetic but I'm not soulless. I wouldn't dream of stranding you and your
family in the middle of this nightmare. Besides, if escape was all I wanted, I could have
simply killed you both and taken your ship already. But if you still don’t think you can trust
me, have your daughter remain behind to keep a close eye on me. I don’t believe you really
want her to accompany you where you’re going anyway, do you?”

“Hey, don’t even think about it!” Ariana voiced in protest, as she knew exactly where this
conversation was heading. “I’m not staying behind after everything we’ve been through! You
promised you wouldn't leave me. You promised we'd always be together. You need me with
you, Dad! You said you couldn’t do this by yourself, remember?"

The man looked down at his precious daughter, who in turn, glared up at him with defiance.
Just like her mother, there was no way she was going to take ‘no’ for an answer. “Like it or
not, Ariana's coming with me. I will need back-up in there, and I trust her enough to be able
to handle herself."
"I don't mean to tell you how to raise your own children, but taking your child straight into
hell is just bad parenting."

"Fortune favors fools and small children."

“Hmm. Well, since we might never see each-other again, just tell me one thing, Josh - why did
you do it? Why did you steal the xenomorph and come all the way to this planet?”

“...For love.”

“I guess that’s as good a reason as any. Perhaps even the best reason of all.”

“Now let me me ask you something, Anna - why are you helping us?”

“A friend once warned me of the dangers of allowing your personal feelings to cloud your
better judgment, but right now, you’re the only one who can help me. Some believed you
were a defector who planned to sell the xenomorph to a third party, but now that I see you
with my own eyes, I believe you're just a man who followed his heart and tried to do the right
thing. I can relate to that. And someone who risks his life to save the ones he loves can’t be all
that bad.”
 Chapter 27

"Well... I guess this our final destination," said Chris as he marveled at a towering set of
doors that guarded the core chamber. "I’m almost loath to admit it, but I'm terrified beyond
all rational thought."

"I know you are," Ellen replied. "I can feel it. It is natural to be afraid, but do not let it
consume you. Your mind will need to be sharp and focused once we are inside."

Beyond the hellish entrance, the rhythmic thrum of the ship's heart could be heard as it
pumped it's latent energy throughout the intricate veins and arteries of the Asterion. The
temperature was now reaching freezing levels, which made everything around them glitter
with a thick layer of ice. Without any ambient source of heat with which to see, Czh'cara was
now effectively blind to her surroundings. She therefore alternated through her mask's
thermal detection range to accommodate for this defection in her biology. Little wonder that
her kind seldom ever hunted in arctic environments.

"What would your life-mate and child be doing here of all places?" Czh'cara asked as she
observed the same familiar bas-relief of frozen human corpses encrusting the enormous
doors. "It makes no sense for them to be in a place like this."

"That is because they are not there at all," the xenomorph replied. "I have known that all
along."

“Then what are we doing here?" asked Chris. "Let’s turn back while we still can!”

“I would to know who is in there."

“YOU WANT TO--” he shouted before quickly slamming his hand over his mouth, fearful of
attracting unwanted attention. “Have you lost your mind? Who knows what’s awaiting us on
the other side of those doors! If you know Father and Ariana aren't in there, then there's no
reason for us to go in. Let's just turn back now and look somewhere else.”

“Someone obviously wants to meet us, and I greatly wish to meet them... then reach down
their throat and tear out their organs, one by one."

"What of your promise to Father about never again taking a human life in cold blood?"

"I think I will make an exception on this occasion. Open the doors. Now."

The boy exhaled nervously; grasping to believe what he was hearing. It was clearly an
exercise in futility to try and reason with her anymore at this point. Once his mother's mind
was made up, there was no changing it. A stubborn trait both she and Czh'cara shared in
great abundance. His hand trembled - more from fear than the cold - as he reached over
towards a standing control panel. As his palm pressed against the icy screen, a red light
flashed, followed by a cold, computerized voice. “ACCESS DENIED.”
“What’s the problem?” asked Ellen as she grew more impatient by the minute.

“Access is restricted to Weyland-Yutani personnel. Luckily, I predicted something like this

might happen.” He then reached behind his shirt and retrieved a blood-stained keycard
attached to a lanyard.

“Where did you get that?” asked Czh'cara.

“From Jerry, the man on the wall we encountered before. Given the style of his attire, I had a
feeling he’d have the relevant clearance level we needed to access this area of the ship, so I
checked his pockets while you and Mother were busy squabbling.”

“Stealing from the dead now? You certainly have changed."

The boy pressed the laminated keycard against the screen of the terminal which caused it to
emit a reassuring green light.

“GENETIC VERIFICATION REQUIRED. PLEASE DEPOSIT A SAMPLE OF DNA FOR

ANALYSIS.”

“Oh, cheese. I didn’t anticipate that. These people certainly didn’t take chances with
security,” said Chris, dejectedly, as the wind was taken right out of his sails.

“Now what do we do?" said Czh'cara. "Should we go back and steal his blood, too?”

“Actually, I don't think that'll be necessary," Chris replied, as he reached over and gently
wiped off some of the blood that was still coated over Ellen's face with his hand, then
smeared it over the top of the terminal. Thankfully, the blood hadn’t yet congealed and was
still fresh enough to be accepted by the computer.

“GENETIC VERIFICATION ACCEPTED. WELCOME BACK, DOCTOR MILLER,” the

voice chimed, pleasantly. The doors strained to open against the layers of frozen alien
encrustation that, but with Ellen and her indomitable strength there to lend a bit of elbow-
grease, the resin broke apart like torn sinew. As the monolithic doors slowly opened, a wave
of luminous blue light and cold air washed over them, and a thick cloud of ice-old mist spilled
out around their legs.

“Open sesame,” Chris joked, nervously.

"You two go on ahead," said Czh'cara. "I'll find my own way inside."

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked with confusion.

"As you're fully aware, this is a trap, so you must also fully aware of how stupid it would be
for us to go in together at the same time. I will find another way inside and observe the scene
from above, hidden from the sight of our mysterious host, and provide reinforcement when
the need arises."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. It would be foolhardy to place all of our eggs in one basket and
leave ourselves vulnerable. Just... take care of yourself, okay?"

"Your concern is appreciated, though I do wish you would have more faith in me."

"I know. I know! I just worry. Am I not allowed to worry?"

"You should worry about yourself when you enter that place. Your mother and I at least
have a few weapons at our disposal. You, however, are completely unarmed. You may be
strong but you can't exactly fight. If the worst should happen, I would not think any less of
you for running away. I would much rather you flee and live, than fight and die."

"Now whom is underestimating whom? Not all wars are won with weapons and brute
strength. Our people have an expression: 'the pen is mightier than the sword'."

"I don't think you'll be able to debate your way out of this one, Christopher. Whoever, or
whatever, lays in wait for us isn't likely to be won over with words." The Predator then
pulled him in to a loving and protective embrace. "Just don't die. I'm allowed to worry, too."

"I won't die, Cara," he replied as he returned her affectionate gesture. "I promised to build
you a palace, remember?"

Czh'cara's smile may have been hidden behind her mask but Chris could still feel it's loving
energy radiating through nonetheless. She then activated her cloaking device and
transformed her body into shimmering glass before she bounded into the air and scaled the
wall as effortlessly as ascending the stairs.

"She has a great deal of love for you," Ellen remarked. "A love that rivals even my own.
Knowing how protective she is for you and your well-being, perhaps she is the right one for
you after all."

"Yeah, she's really something," Chris replied, thinking about just how much he truly did
love her.

"Come then. Let us put an end to this nightmare. It wouldn't do to keep our host waiting."

Side-by-side, they proceeded to enter the cavernous chamber, and true to form, the interior
was immense and filled with a plethora of factory-like paraphernalia: enormous metal tanks
that served as battery cells, thick pipework that transported steam and electricity to the main
processors, electrical wiring that hung like vines and covered the ground like a snake pit,
steel catwalks and ever-ascending tiers of platforms overhead, and monolithic computer
consoles and data servers, all awash with radiant light that emanated from a vast, circular
pool of perfectly-blue liquid crystal. Though the hypercoolant itself was several magnitudes
below freezing point, it retained a perpetual liquid state. It also absorbed all the ambient heat
from the immediate vicinity.

"It glows as though it were made of light," said Ellen in astonishment. "I have never seen
water like this before."
"Just don't go for swimming in it. If you fell in, the liquid will tear every last degree of body
heat right out of you and you'll freeze to death almost instantly. The last few seconds of your
life would be absolutely torturous."

"What exactly is the purpose of it?"

Chris then led his mother over to the guard-railed perimeter and directed her attention to
something that was submerged deep beneath the surface... an enormous black sphere
comprised entirely of interlocked hexagonal tiles like a honeycomb.

"What is that thing?" asked Ellen as she observed the black orb slowly revolving around like
a small moon.

"A Dyson Sphere... An artificial shell constructed to contain a real star. By harnessing it's
raw, unlimited energy, they could use it to propel this ship anywhere across the universe they
wanted. Obviously, using a star to power a ship the size of the Costaguana would be far too
dangerous. Our own core is a humble potato battery by comparison. Ours simply uses the
fusion reaction process that takes place at the heart of a star to take us into hyperspace. A
ship the size of this, however, needn't bother with reactors and such when they can just use
the star itself to do all the work. It does, however, need a lot of thermal regulators to maintain
an optimal core temperature, hence this vast quantity of liquid hypercoolant. If anything
went wrong with the thermal regulators, this starship would soon become more star than
ship."

Suddenly, a strained masculine voice groaned from somewhere close-by. “Ya shouldn’t'a
come here!”

Chris quickly ran over to investigate the origin of the sound, and just like Jerry and the other
victims they encountered, he discovered yet another cocooned victim who had thankfully
been kept warm by the large steam pipe he was attached to. The marine had a very dark skin
complexion and his black hair was cut with military precision. Chris then noticed the name
tag stitched to the breast of his jacket which read, "Cpt. S. Jenkins USCM".

“Are you okay, sir?” Chris asked with a respectful concern.

“No!" the captain replied with justified irritation. "I ain’t exactly 'oh-kay', kid. And neither
will you be if ya don’t get yo' scrawny ass outta here.”

“I’m afraid we can’t leave, sir. We’re looking for my father and younger sister, and our
search has led us here. Do you know which way they could be?”

“Hate to break it to ya, kid, but they’re dead, just like everybody else on this fuckin' ship.”
Suddenly, the man’s eyes darted over to the xenomorph that was slowly approaching the boy
from behind. He started to hyperventilate as panic struck him. "Look out behind ya, kid!"

Chris snapped his head around to see the object of the man’s terror.

“Please be quiet,” said Ellen, calmly yet terrifyingly. “Or I will be forced to kill you.”
“Did that thing just talk?" The marine struggled to breathe as his heart almost broke out of
his ribcage. Beads of sweat rolled down his face like raindrops and his eyes became wide as a
frightened rabbit. "I'm losin' my grip on reality, man. Are ya even real, or are ya just a
figment of my insanity?"

“I assure you she’s real, and she's kidding, sir,” said Chris in an attempt to alleviate the
man's fears. “It’s a long story, but suffice it to say you’re in no immediate danger - from her
at least.”

“Hold up, I 'member ya now. Ellen, right? Yeah, and you must be Chris. S'good to finally
meet the infamous Briggs clan. Heard a lot about ya and then some.”

“How do you know of us, sir?”

“That's a long story, too, lil’ man. Lemme guess, yo' both here lookin' fo' Josh, right?”

“You know my husband?" asked Ellen. "Where is he?”

"Lady, do I look like a fuckin' signpost? I've been stuck to this goddamn wall for hours. I'm
tired, I'm starvin', I'm sweatin' my ass off, and worst of all, I've got a goddamn itch on the
end of my goddamn nose. If Josh had come through here, I'd be dead already. The only
reason I'm still breathin' is because that motherfuck'a wants to twist the knife and have Josh
watch me die right befo' he kills Josh, too. With any luck, he's far away from here - which is
where you should be if ya knew what was good for ya."

“We can’t give up after coming this far. But don't worry, we won't let you die. Just hang on,
I'll get you out of here." Chris then began to furiously wrench and tear chunks of the
hardened resin away from the marine with his bare hands.

“Forget 'bout me, kid. My back’s outta commission. I’d only slow ya down. Just get outta
here while yo' still can and don't look back."

“That’s not the Briggs way, sir," Chris replied as he continued digging away at the cocoon.

"Sheeit. Ya really are yo' father's son."

"How did all of this happen?" asked Ellen. "Who is responsible for this?"

"I don't know who he is. He just showed up out of nowhere and wiped his ass with us like we
was nothin'. All I do know is that he has some serious beef with Josh. Must've pissed him off
somethin' bad. Damned fool always did have a nasty habit of pissin' off the wrong people."

"Little One..."

Ellen suddenly tilted her head upwards as though her mind was being drawn to the heavens
by a supernatural force. As she stared intently at the darkness above them, she felt something
staring intently back. Something evil. From amidst the black canopy, a pair of ominous red
lights burned like stars, piercing through the pitch and into her very soul. A sinister voice
then called out to them - a voice Ellen knew all-too well. A voice from her past that was
seared into her memory and haunted her dreams.

"SPEAK OF THE DEVIL..."

“Who said that?!” Chris demanded as he looked all around them.

“You were right, son," said Ellen. "We should have turned back. It was a mistake to come
here. Hide, now!"

Without any question, Chris quickly ducked behind the same steam pipe as the cocooned
marine as his mother continued to gaze up towards the dark canopy above them.

Suddenly, a humanoid figure descended the crisscrossing pipes and dangling chains as
effortlessly as an insectile primate swinging from tree branches. The closer he came, the
more the light revealed his strange, inhuman form. His body was a nightmarish assimilation
of android and alien queen. His muscular limbs were now black and armoured like a beetle.
Long tubules jutted out from his back. Long sharp blades protruded from his joints like
thorns. An exoskeletal ribcage shielded his chest like thick iron bars, and his head extended
out into a massive jagged crown. He halted it's descent and slowly craned his demonic head
towards them, which rested upon a long exoskeletal neck. His face, which possessed a bushy
black beard and large bulbous nose, looked as though it had been crudely grafted over the
face of the alien queen's.

"... AND HE SHALL APPEAR!"

He then casually released his grip and plummeted the rest of the way down - impacting the
latticed bridge directly in-front of them with such a thunderous slam that the hypercoolant
directly below him splashed violently from the shockwave.

"Ellen the Alien. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? All good things truly do come to he who
waits."

“It cannot be...” Ellen whispered, unable, or unwilling, to believe the nightmare she was
witnessing. "Gregor?"

"In the flesh, so to speak," the monster replied with a grotesque smile that displayed two
rows of long translucent spears. "I recently had some body work done," he said as he
admired the claws on his newly-acquired chitinous hands. "No more pesky little blades to lop
off my limbs this time."

“My mother..." Ellen said as she gazed upon the sickening familiarity of his body. "What
have you done to her?”

"You could say we became... inseparable friends," Gregor chuckled. "Assimilating this
animal was no small feat. Her acidic blood proved a most bothersome obstacle, but in the
end, my patience and perseverance was well-rewarded. Look upon me now, Ellen. I am
transformed. Transmuted. Transcended!" The abomination slowly rose up to his full
intimidating height and outstretched his arms - cracking several joints in the process with
sickening crunches. "I... am... a... GOD!”

The monster began slowly stomping down the steel bridge towards Ellen, who, perhaps for
the first time in her entire life, backed away slowly in terror.

"Be not afraid, my dear. Despite appearances, I mean you no harm. I think, perhaps, we got
off on the wrong foot. Let us wipe the slate clean and begin anew. All I want is to talk, just
for a while."

"You came all this way... did all of this... just to talk to me?"

"What can I tell you? Good conversation is so hard to find these days."

"It was you who communicated to me before. You lured me here with the promise that my
family were here waiting for me. I always knew it was a lie."

"A necessary evil, I'm afraid. I knew you wouldn't have come without a sufficient reason. Yet
despite my method, my motive was quite pure. All I want is to talk, nothing more, nothing
less."

"I have nothing to say to you except that I wish we killed you when we had the chance."

"That seems to be a recurring sentiment lately."

"And now you are here to get your long-overdue revenge. You came to settle the score once
and for all, is that it?"

"Oh, I assure you, if I merely intended to kill you, you would already be a pile of sizzling
offal by now. Take the fact that you still draw breath as proof of my sincerity. There's
something I've come to realize and I've been dying to get it off my chest."

"I have no interest in hearing anything you have to say."

"Mother, just hear him out," said Chris. "If he doesn't want to fight, then shouldn't we listen
to what he has to say?"

"What a smart little boy you are. You should heed your sprog's advice, Ellen."

"Do not be deceived, son. You do not know him like I do. He is a liar and a manipulative
maniac. He obviously intends to murder us and he is simply putting on a charade for his own
enjoyment. The second we lower our guards, he will strike at us with deadly force."

"You are wise to be suspicious of me, but what is the alternative? Would you rather fight me
and throw away everything you hold dear? You wouldn't want your precious little boy to die
in a place like this, having the last thing he ever sees being his own mother slaughtered right
in-front of him. I think not. In exchange for exchanging but a few pleasant words, I promise
not to raise so much as a finger against either of you."
"And what happens to us once our conversation has concluded?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Very well," Ellen scoffed. "What do you wish to tell me, Gregor?"

"I've changed in a lot more ways than you can perceive. I'm not the mad tyrant you once
knew. Whilst it is true that I was once solely devoted to ripping you apart with my bare
hands, I have since come to have a change of heart. With new eyes cometh a new
perspective. As I was floating in the great beyond, broken and alone with naught but my own
scattered thoughts for company, I was suddenly hit with a revelation. The fact that you are
the only one to ever defeat me made me realize that you are the one I've been yearning for."

"What are you talking about?"

"Despite my galactic crusade for humanity's genocide, I have often felt quite... lonely. Many a
time have I sought the companionship of another. Not only do I possess the power of
regeneration and assimilation, but also the power of insemination. Alas, I had never found a
female strong enough to survive bearing my offspring. But now, at long last, I believe my
search is finally over. Isn't it ironic - the soul-mate I'd been seeking for oh-so long was none
other than my sworn enemy."

"W-What did you just say?"

"I have fallen in love with you, Ellen."

"Love? Soul-mate? You must have truly lost your mind out there in space. I am sorry if your
appetite for carnage has left you with nothing but corpses for company, but I rather would be
ripped apart than ever spend a single moment of intimacy with you!"

"Come now, Ellen. Be the rational woman I know you to be. We're not so entirely different,
you and I. In truth, we're more alike than you dare to admit. We're the same, Ellen. Like me,
you're a natural born killer; an angel of death. We belong together, you and I... and deep
down, I know you know it."

"I am nothing like you!" she spat in disgust. "I renounced my heritage. I will never again kill
in cold blood."

"Lying doesn't befit you, Ellen. I also possess the power of what you call 'the Bond'. I know
the truth of your heart; the torture in your soul. You've been yearning to return to your true
nature, haven't you? I alone can give you the life you've always wanted; the one you
rightfully deserve."

"You know NOTHING of me and my heart's desires! Someone like you could never give me a
fraction of the life Joshua gave me."

"Ahh, yes. The Company Man. The one who 'rescued' you, only to force you to live
out his dream; his little slice of Americana. All these years, you've felt trapped, confined, and
suffocated in this quaint little human experience, playing happy homemaker and secretly
resenting him all the while. You know that life was never what you were made for. Such an
existence is wholly unnatural to you. You're not like the mindless xenomorphs on this ship,
Ellen. You're an improvement on perfection itself. Become my queen and we can rule the
universe together forever. Think of it. No more running. No more being hunted. No more
sleepless nights in dread paranoia, waiting for that inevitable knock on your door. Once the
humans are gone, you will finally be safe and free."

"I have no such desire to rule the universe, much less ruling it by your side. You are a liar, a
megalomaniacal psychopath, a walking disease! Wherever you go, death follows in your
wake. The only thing you love more than killing people for your own twisted pleasure is the
sound of your own voice."

"You're wrong, Ellen. I have loved and have been loved before. I wasn't always the monster
you've come to see me as. I was human once - my mind, at least - and under more auspicious
circumstances, we could have been friends. Perhaps even lovers."

"Poor Gregor, the tragic villain. Am I suddenly expected to feel pity for you? Well, if there is
one thing I do feel for you, it is pity."

"Ellen, right now, you have a very critical decision to make. You’re either with me... or
you’re against me."

Suddenly, the tension between them was abruptly cut by the echoing of insectile shrieking
and metallic clanging of unseen xenomorphs scurrying all around them - reminding Ellen
that Gregor wasn't the only immediate danger they were facing. She would need to be handle
the situation with more tact and delicacy from here on out. Antagonizing the monster further
would accomplish nothing at best.

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make. Merging with this
creature's physiology now allows me to command an entire race of alien warriors. I had
hoped to win you over without the need for threats of violence but it seems you leave me little
recourse. I swore I wouldn't raise a finger against you and I meant it. Refuse my olive branch
and I'll have my minions kill you instead. I want you, Ellen, and I won't take 'no' for an
answer. Accept me and your family may leave alive and unharmed. Refuse me, and you will
all die. Perhaps now I have provided a bit more incentive to cooperate."

Ellen turned to face her precious son. She knew she loved Joshua and her children with all
her heart and soul, but with death literally looming all around her, what other choice did she
have? She barely defeated Gregor once when he was just an android, and now with his
upgraded form, engaging him in combat would be suicidal - both for her and her family.
Ellen's head dropped low as the life drained away from her. Perhaps when her family was far
enough away, she would commit suicide. But if she did that, surely he seek come after them
again for the rest of their lives. For now at least, it seemed as long as she lives, they will, too.

"What of my children?"
"What about them? They mean nothing to me."

"If you promise to spare their lives... my Joshua included... if you promise to let them all
leave unharmed, then... I will stay with you."

"Very well. If that is your wish, I'll let bygones be bygones and waive the Company Man his
transgressions. Consider our 'bad blood' to be water under the bridge. I swear no harm will
come to them if you but be mine forever."

"How can I trust you to keep your word, Gregor?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die. Accept this miracle I'm offering you, Ellen. Accept me.
Love me as I love you."

"Alright. You win, Gregor," she sighed in defeat. "I am yours."

"Damn, that's cold," Jenkins muttered in disgust. "Looks like yo' mama's tradin' down."

Unable, or unwilling, to stand idly by as he witnessed this insanity unfold, Chris summoned
all of his latent courage and rushed out from behind the steam pipe and straight to his
mother's side.

"Hey, get yo' ass back here, kid!" Jenkins called out after him. "Ya gonna get yo'self killed!"

"Mother! You can't be seriously accepting this Faustian bargain!"

"Silence, boy," Gregor's voice was deep and threatening, akin to a lion's guttural
roar. "Before I change my mind. You wouldn't want to make your new step-father angry
now, would you?"

"All he wants is to build an army! You wouldn't be his equal - you'd be his slave! Think of
me and Ariana, and how much we mean to you! Would you be willing to sacrifice one child,
let alone hundreds or even thousands just like us to a lifetime of war; to exist solely as a slave
army of expendable soldiers? You'd be condemning entire generations to become the very
thing you were created for in the first place - disposable weapons! They'd have no choices; no
free will. They wouldn't even have names. You'll be a perpetual baby-making machine, living
only to serve him. That's the 'better life' he'll be giving you."

"I know, child," said Ellen as she gazed deeply into his eyes, which were now welling with
fresh tears. "But this is the only way we all survive. Please, just listen to my words. Leave
this forsaken place. Find your father and sister and go somewhere far away from here. Tell
your father that I am so very sorry. There was simply no other choice."

"This isn't like you, mother!" his voice trembled as he choked back the tears. "You're not
one to give up this easily without putting up a fight! There's always another way! What about
Ca--"

Ellen then cut her son's protest short but shooting him a mental dagger. "Trust me,
Christopher. Everything will be just fine."

"Alright. I'll go. If it's really what you want." Chris then turned his attention to Gregor, who
was towering over him with the same demonic smile. "Gregor, I ask only that you allow me
to take Captain Jenkins with me. You said it yourself - you have no need of him anymore now
that you've allowed Father to live."

"You're sorely pushing the limits of my generosity, boy. Luckily for you, you've caught me in
a good mood. Very well. Take the human and don't come back. You will not be given a
second chance. I have killed children far younger than you."

Chris then hurried back over to the marine and carefully pried him off the wall. Jenkins
groaned in agony as his arm was placed over the boy's shoulder for support, but soon felt
relieved to be free and moving again. As the pair began heading back towards the entrance,
Chris turned one last time back towards his beloved mother who was standing helplessly
beside Gregor like a hostage. He didn't dare say it out loud, lest he incurred the monster's
wrath, so he sent her a look of steeled resolve.

"Don't worry, Mother. This isn't over. I swear we'll come back and save you. Just hold on for
a little longer."
 Chapter 28

The headlights of the APC pierced through the pitch blackness of the ship's interior like
stars, illuminating the innumerable mutilated human bodies that adorned the walls and
littered the ground like human detritus at every turn. Due to the size of the vehicle and the
awkwardly confined space of the corridors he was forced to drive down, he regretfully had no
choice but to run over them. He tried his best to ignore the nauseating crunching and
quenching of the bodies as they exploded under the heavy weight of his tires. "They're just
bodies," he told himself to spare himself the guilt and to try and settle his stomach. "They're
just bodies." His concentration soon faltered as yet another disgusting sound of crushed bones
and burst organs being crushed assaulted his eardrums. "Jesus fucking Christ, man. What I
wouldn't give for a radio station right about now."

“Do you read me, Josh? At the end of this corridor, you’ll arrive at a T-junction,” a voice
crackled against static through his earpiece. “Take a right and continue straight down until
you come to a bulkhead. It'll connect you to the main highway and then it'll be smooth sailing.
I’ll open them for you when you get there.”

“Copy that, Anna,” he replied as he slowly navigated his way down the dark labyrinth
towards the core chamber and, hopefully, towards his beloved Ellen.

“This stupid thing must be broken," said Ariana as she she feverishly swung a tracking
device around in all directions. "It's not detecting any lifesigns or any movement or anything
out there."

“Just remember to stay frosty. Bugs have a knack for blending in with the shadows. Just
because you don’t see them, doesn’t mean we aren’t alone."

“Do you have to call them 'bugs'? Remember that Mom's a xenomorph, and so are me and
Chris.”

"You're right, I'm sorry, I forgot. Didn't mean to offend you or anything. Old habits die
hard, I guess. You know... funnily enough, this entire ship doesn't exist - on an official basis,
that is,” he explained. “This whole starship is a massive black box of government and
military-industrial secrets, primarily tasked with experimenting with xenomorphic DNA; to
test it’s limitations and potentiality as a bioweapon. To say your family's genes are adaptive
would be an understatement. They experimented with all kinds of different things in this
place to test it's versatility. Humans, mammals, reptiles, birds... The insect-variety were
particularly nasty fuckers, too. You ever see a xeno-spider and you'll never sleep again. What
it did to that poor gorilla... There ain’t enough alcohol in the world to erase that memory."

“Dad, you’re not exactly doing my nerves any favors by talking like that.”

"Sorry. I'm just sayin', science minus morality equals a world of hurt."

The APC finally came to stop at the aforementioned set of sliding doors, and the pair took the
chance to steel their nerves before they headed inside. “It’s getting chilly around here. That
means we're getting close. If the xenos don’t kill us, the goddamn cold will," he said as he
exhaled warm air into the palms of his hands. “How are you holding up, kiddo?”

“I’m fine, Dad. Actually, I actually don’t feel cold at all.”

“Must be all that latent xeno-strength inside you. Pretty soon, you’ll be as strong as your
mother.”

“Can you still sense Mom and Chris from here?”

“Faintly, but at least that confirms they're still alive. In which case, we should press on as
soon as possible. Not to be outdone by a two-year-old, but if you can keep going, so can I.” He
raised his hand up and pressed his finger against the earpiece of his headset. “Hey, Anna,
we’re at the doors. You gonna let us through or what?” No response. “Anna, do you copy?...
God damn it, the walls must be interfering with the signal. Looks like we're on our own."

“How the hell are we supposed to get through these doors?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t particularly want to start backtracking. If this was the right path,
then we need to find a way through. Maybe I can pry them open with something.”

"Are you crazy?! To hell with going outside! Doesn't this thing have any weapons or
something? Just blow the doors open and drive through."

"Good idea. Let's get every xeno on the ship to come to us so it keeps them away from Chris
and your mother," he said sarcastically, until the logic of it made a lot of sense to him.
"Actually... that is a good idea. Alright, hold on. I've had enough of this stealth bullshit
anyway."

Knowing the raw destructive power the APC's mounted particle beam phalanx was capable
of, Briggs proceeded to back up to a safe distance. He then got up and made his way to the
computer consoles in the hold and began to program the mounted cannon to take aim The
cannon's gears and servo-motors whirred mechanically as it began to move and recalibrate
itself in a curt arc, and in next to no time, the weapon was now facing directly ahead of them
and began to power up. However, the loud mechanical sounds had alerted a nearby
xenomorph to their location. From out a ceiling duct, a cobra-like xenomorph slithered down
like an enormous black tentacle. It's spiked hood bloomed open as it hissed menacingly at the
tank. Highly-venomous saliva gushed from it's mouth as it bared it's fangs menacingly. It's
long inner-maw extended out, snapping and flicking the air as a terrifying rattling sound
reverberated around them. It made several threatening lunges as it began to slither ever
closer towards them.

"Knock, knock."

The man casually pressed down on a key, and in a blinding-hot flash of light, the serpent-
xenomorph, the steel bulkhead, the offices, human detritus, and everything else in a perfectly-
straight line suddenly ceased to exist as a highly-charged beam of ionized particles vaporized
everything directly in-front of them in less than a nanosecond. The . Only a tunnel of fire,
smoke, and molten steel leading directly to Alpha Sector remained.
"Well, at least I'm not cold anymore. C'mon, let's get going before more of 'em show up."

Yet no sooner had he made that prediction did something very large and very heavy slammed
down atop the APC with a metallic clank, causing Ariana to scream in terror. Briggs leaped
back into the driver's seat and slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator. The drive-
wheels screeched and spun furiously as they kicked up burning-hot smoke before the tank
lunged forward and charged full throttle down the freshly-bored tunnel. The creature atop
them started to climb down to the side of the vehicle in order to open the crew-door, but
Briggs quickly banked hard to the left which caused the xenomorph to be crushed and grated
away into a sizzling stain against the jagged steel wall. Another loud thump directly above
them as Briggs saw more aliens emerging out of the shadows to pursue them as they drove
past. One after another, the hoard smashed against the massive machine, and as more and
more nightmarish silhouettes flooded out of the woodwork, Briggs began to feel their velocity
decreasing with each and every one of them he annihilated. The interior of the vehicle soon
became fumigated by the smoke and corrosive vapor of acidic blood, which caused their eyes
to water and their lungs to burn.

"They're trying to melt the goddamn wheels!" he said between coughs. "These fuckers aren't
as dumb as I thought."

"What are we gonna do?!"

Breathing was becoming torturous. His lungs felt like he was drowning with every breath he
took. Perhaps he was getting high off the fumes, but he could think of only one thing that
could hopefully save them. "I'm gonna open the door!"

"WHAT?!"

He then yanked his daughter out of her seat and placed her onto his lap, and without missing
a beat, he switched out his right foot with hers and pressed it down full throttle on the
accelerator. "Take the wheel, and don't take your foot off!"

"Are you crazy?! I can't drive this thing!"

"You'll be fine! Just keep her straight and don't slow down! I'll take care of the rest!"

With that, he quickly wormed his way out of the seat and into the aisle, entrusting Ariana to
drive the massive tank in his stead. He then picked up one of their many assault rifles they'd
brought with them and headed towards the heavy sliding crew-door. Placing his trembling
hand on the metal handle - still unsure whether what he planned to do was insane or not - he
rolled the door ajar, allowing the toxic air that was building up inside to escape. Almost
immediately, claws slammed down at the door's edge and the hideous black form of an alien
tried to climb inside, but Briggs summarily eviscerated it with a barrage of gunfire, flinging it
back into the darkness with a dying insectile shriek. But like a hydra with it's head sliced off,
two more took it's place and attempted to barge their way inside, but they, too, were
shredded in a shower of bullets. Although the smoke from their acidic blood was immediately
vented outside, the blood itself that splashed on the deck of the hold was quickly eating away
at the paneling. If things kept going the way they were, the blood would inevitably eat it's
way down to the axles, wiring, and fuel lines on the underside of the APC. Briggs held onto
the cargo harness above him with one hand as tightly as he could as he struggled to stay
upright amidst the violent rocking turbulence.

"You're doing great, soldier! Don't slow down!" he shouted as he fired more rounds into the
encroaching aliens.

"DAD! DOORS!" Ariana cried out. Briggs turned to look out the windshield as another
bulkhead that hadn't been liquidized by the particle beam approached them fast.

"SHIT!" As quick as he could, he turned around and picked up an RPG from the stash of
weapons they brought along with them. He then threw caution to wind and leaned his body
out of the crew-door, not caring about the hoard of xenomorphs currently swarming around
them. He fired the rocket launcher and quickly ducked back inside as the missile exploded
against the doors, weakening them enough that the APC could smash through without losing
too much velocity. The remaining xenomorphs around them were thrown off by the impact
with enough force that their necks broke and their bones shattered. Even if they were still
alive after that trauma, the ones that weren't paralyzed were too badly injured to maintain
pursuit. Once the smoke had cleared, they had finally arrived in Alpha Sector.

Briggs didn't hear any more commotion around the APC, so he assumed for the time being
that they had made it to relative safety. He made one last quick sweep all around the
perimeter of the vehicle with his rifle and saw no straggling xenomorphs clinging to the hull.
"I think we're clear!"

Suddenly, a dog-variety of xenomorph sprinted full pelt alongside the tank and leapt through
the open door with unnatural agility, knocking Briggs back against the seats with it's hard
carapace like a battering ram.

"DADDY!"

The creature reared it's head back as it prepared to strike, but as it lunged forward to bite
into his face, Briggs reacted quickly by jamming the length of his rifle between it's jaws,
preventing it from closing it's mouth. The alien then began scratched furiously at the man's
torso, but the tough hide of his poncho provided his vital organs enough protection to save
them from being disemboweled. He daren't risk shooting the creature at point blank range,
lest he get acid blood on him or a ricocheting bullet hit Ariana. Even stabbing it with his
knife carried the same risk, so for now, the only thing he could do was to kill the monster
with his bare hands.

Ariana tried her hardest to maintain her composure and control the tank, but the combined
panic and concern for her father's wellbeing as he grappled with the beast made her
sporadically turn her head around and inadvertently crash the APC left and right into the
highway's guard railing, kicking up metallic sparks as it scraped alongside them. Despite
Brigg's formidable strength, the xenomorph was stronger. His poncho was almost torn to
leathery shreds, so he needed to try and outthink his enemy.
He took one hand off the rifle, and thanks to the surge of adrenaline coursing through his
body, delivered powerful punches into the xenomorph's stomach and protruding ribcage -
even managing to break a few, but the creature's tail whipped around and stabbed into his
shoulder. The alien then slapped the rifle away and tried once again to bite into his head, but
Briggs held it off as he clamped his hand around it's throat like a vice, literally keeping it
back at arm's length.

"Come on, think!" the man scolded himself. "Ariana's counting on you! They're all counting
on you! Everything has a weak spot that can be exploited. Eyes, joints, genitals..." With two of
those not being an option, he cast his mind back to his military training, and summoned all
the latent strength his body possessed to punch the creature square in the jaw to dislocate it,
then plough straight forward like a rugby player in a scrum, forcing the monster back. Then
with a mighty kick, he slammed all his weight down onto the creature's fragile kneecap with
his steel-capped boot, hyperextending it with a sickening, grinding crunch. With it's bones
broken and cartilage torn, the creature howled in agony before Briggs quickly maneuvered
himself around to the creature's back and wrapped his muscular arms around it's throat in a
chokehold.

It was now a battle between man and nature. The xenomorph tried pry Brigg's arms away
and tear into his flesh with it's claws but that only served to fuel his anger and enrage him
further. No longer registering any sense of pain or fear, Briggs was now more beast than
man. Blind with fury and overflowing with a rage he'd never felt before. He squeezed his
arms as hard as he could as the xenomorph choked amidst it's death throes. With the life
slowly draining away from it, the alien desperately tried to slash at him with his tail, but
Briggs pinned it down to the floor his foot. The more pressure he applied, the more he felt the
creature losing consciousness in his arms. It's body began to seize but Briggs didn't let up for
a moment. The man roared loudly with anger as he squeezed it's neck harder and tighter
until he could feel spine and throat being crushed.

"Here's a trick for you to learn, motherfucker... Play dead!"

As the creature's heavy body fell limp in his arms, Briggs placed his hand atop it's head and
violently wrenched it to the side with a loud snap. It was finally dead.

He dragged the alien's lifeless corpse and threw it carelessly out of the speeding APC where it
smashed against the road at full speed. He then slumping back into one of the crew seats in
the aisle - shaking, sweating, bleeding, and breathing heavily. Ariana was in an almost
catatonic state of shock: her eyes were unflinching and wide as saucers, her body as solid as a
board, her clammy hands tightly strangling the steering wheel with all her might. Briggs
sensed just how terrified she was and painfully made his way over to stroke the back of her
head lovingly, reassuring her that everything was fine.

"Not bad for your first driving lesson, kiddo."

"Dad, you're bleeding..."

"Don't worry. It's bark was worse than it's bite."

"We have to stop and dress those wounds before you bleed to death!"

"No... keep going, we're almost there... I'll be alright. I'll use this acid blood on the floor to
cauterize the wounds. It'll leave some nasty scars, but it's better than being dead. See that big
cooling tower in the distance? Head towards it. That's where they are."

"Dad... I'm so sorry... You needed me and I didn't do anything..."

"You did an amazing job back there. I'm very proud of you. Do you want me to tag in and
give you a break?"

"It's okay. I think I've got the hang of it now."

"See? There's nothing to it. Alright, I'll cover the door and kill anything that tries to come in
without a written invitation."

"Dad?... You're amazing." Her father, a "mere" human being, had slaughtered a xenomorph
with his bare hands - quite possibly the first human in history to ever do so. Never before was
she more certain of the fact that she was proud to be his daughter. He had proven beyond a
shadow of a doubt that human beings weren't as weak as she once believed.
 Chapter 29
Chapter Summary

This is still an ongoing chapter. I just wanted to give you guys something to read as I
worked my way through the rest of it!

"Sure ya know where we're goin', kid?" said Jenkins as he leaned his weight on Chris like a
crutch whilst they made their way back through the dark labyrinth. "It's so cold out here, I
think I preferred it against that steampipe."

"The monorail isn't too far away!" said Chris as he dragged the marine along by the scruff of
his belt.

"How can ya tell? Can ya see in the dark or somethin'?" he asked, patting his hand along the
slime-covered wall. "It's blacker than the ace of spades out here. We could be goin' around in
circles for all we know. I swear I've touched the same dead body twice now."

"I don't need eyes to see where I'm going," the boy explained. "I have eidetic memory. I have
the entire path we took to get here ingrained into my mind with absolute accuracy. I can
recall every step, turn, and bump in the road as though I've walked it a thousand times. It's
just a simple case of reversing the path from end to beginning. I couldn't get lost even if I
tried."

"Knowin' where yo' at in a dark maze is one thing, but it also means ya can't see the damn
bugs when ya run into 'em. No offense or nothin'..."

Chris suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and turned back towards the direction whence
they came with an overwhelming sense of guilt. "Mother..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, lil man. There ain't no way she would'a gone along with that
asshole if she didn't know what she was doin'. Look, I admit I don't know yo' mama all that
well, but I do know Josh. There ain't no way he would'a stuck around all this time if he
didn't trust her with his life. From what I read about her in his letter, she's as strong and
loyal as they come. If Josh puts his trust in her, then so do I."

"But it's not right. Mother would never entertain the idea of abandoning us. She would
literally kill to keep us from harm. Yet here we are, tucking our tails and running away like
cowards right when she needs us the most."

"Ayy, I know that tone. Means ya thinkin' of doin' somethin' foolish like goin' back and
savin' her. If ya hadn't noticed, I'm in no fit shape to take that asshole on in a fight - not
without two pulse rifles in my hands, ya dig? Yo' a smart kid, Chris, so ya know that going
back there without a solid plan will accomplish nothin'. Yo' mama made a deal with the devil
to give ya a chance to escape, so I suggest ya should use the gift she bought ya more wisely
and come up with a better plan of attack."

"You're right, Captain. Now is not the time for rash decisions but intelligent strategizing. We
need to locate Father and assess our options if we're to plan our next move. I just wish I knew
where he was."

Suddenly, the floor began to rumble as they heard a distant sound of growling approaching
them from further down the corridor.

"The hell is that?" Jenkins asked as he tried in vain to scan the darkened area. "Is that a
xeno comin' our way?"

"No, I don't think so," Chris replied. "It sounds too artificial - mechanical, even... like a
heavy vehicle or..."

At that moment, a brilliant flash of white pierced through the darkness like a knife and
bathed the entire corridor in light. The pair stood transfixed like deer caught in the
headlights of oncoming traffic as the light got closer and closer and the roaring got louder
and louder.

"Yo' gotta be shittin' me..." said Jenkins in astonishment as she held his hand up to shield his
eyes from the brightness. "That's a goddamn APC."

The armoured personnel carrier came to a grinding halt just a bit ahead of them. Like bugs
smashed against a windshield, the entire front side of the tank was completely decimated by
the still-smoldering flesh and broken chitin of numerous xenomorphs that it ploughed
through on it's unrelenting mission to get there. The once rock-solid tires had melted away
and became as soft and malleable as putty. Even the metallic shielding of the hull was lousy
with holes - resembling Swiss cheese as it had been eaten away by the highly corrosive blood.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a tall and very muscular man with long matted hair and a beard
stepped out from the side door and into the light, carrying a large heavy duffel bag in one
hand and an even larger, heavier machine gun in the other. A shredded pelt was draped over
his broad shoulders and his powerful arms were coated in a thick layer of dried blood.
Following closely behind him was a young girl with long straight hair, a black leather dress,
knee-high boots, and a long bladed tail.

Without any doubt in his mind as to who these new arrivals might be, Chris immediately ran
over to them as fast as he could. Briggs dropped the bag and weapon down on the ground and
welcomed his son into his open arms and held him in an embrace that was warm, loving, and
long-overdue. The force of the boy running straight into straight his body almost made both
Briggs and Ariana stumble back onto the ground but they didn't care. They all laughed
together, never letting up on the hold they were all entangled in. Jenkins smiled and exhaled
with relief as he leaned back against the wall. "I always knew that cat had ten lives."

"I always knew you'd come to the rescue!" the boy wept deeply into his father's chest. "I
never gave up hope!"
"Neither did we, son," Briggs replied softly as he felt his son's overwhelming emotions
flooding through him like a broken dam.

"You were right, son," said Briggs, placing a loving hand on Chris's shoulder and staring
intently into his teary eyes. "We should have just stayed at home and play catch like you
wanted."

"I'm sorry our camping trip didn't go exactly the way you envisioned. But you know, I'm
kinda glad that events transpired the way they did. As it turns out, there really was a nice girl
out there waiting for me, and I never would have met her if it weren't for your
encouragement."

Briggs laughed and playfully ruffled his son's hair. "That's my boy."

"S'good to see you again, bookworm," Ariana said, affectionately. "I never thought I'd be
this happy to see you."

"Likewise, you little monster," Chris returned the playful banter as he held her close and
stroked her long jet black hair. "Believe it or not but I actually missed you."

All past rivalries and hostilities between the two siblings were immediately forgiven and
forgotten as they held each-other like they never had before in their entire lives. Absence
truly had made their hearts grow fonder.

"Ayy, Josh man. Long time, no see," Jenkins said as he slowly hobbled his way over to them -
almost feeling guilty for cutting into this wholesome familial moment. "I always knew ya was
too damn stubborn to die - even when a whole goddamn mothership comes crashin' down at
yo' doorstep."

"Sammy, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you. I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly back
then. Everything sorta happened so fast that I didn't get a chance to tell you. It really was a
'now-or-never'-type deal."

"Man, I always knew ya had a good reason for doin' what ya did, and I ain't never held it
against ya or felt like it was a betrayal of our friendship. As I told ya way back when - ya ever
get a chance to make yo' dream come true, ya take it. Ya take it, run with it and ya don't ever
look back."

"Still, this is all my fault. Gregor only did all of this because he came to collect his pound of
flesh for what we did to him. If we never even met him, none of this would have happened. I
should have found a different way to save Ellen away from the Company. I've always been a
fucking idiot, and now a lot of good people are dead because of me."

"That asshole's had a mind to do somethin' like this from the very start. All ya did was delay
his plan by five years. If ya hadn't gone down to that mining planet, ya probably would'a
died on this ship, too. Believe it or not, but ya bought the human race five extra years of peace
time when ya dumped his fat ass into space."
"Maybe you're right, Sam."

"Damn right I'm right. Anyroad, stop beatin' yo'self up about the past like a damn pussy. Ya
got more pressin' matters to concern yo'self with. Ellen is back there and she needs yo' help."

"Yeah, I get that. I didn't come back here because I missed the old stomping ground. I'm
going to rescue my wife and I'm going to terminate that piece of shit once and for all."

"Father, before we proceed, I have a duty to warn you that Gregor isn't the same enemy as
you faced before. Somehow, he metamorphosed his entire physical structure into something
bigger, stronger, and deadlier than ever before. Not only that, but he now he controls the
xenomorphs and the ship's computer systems. We can't afford to underestimate him."

"Kid's right, Josh," said Jenkins. "He managed to do all this when he was still just a 'droid.
Who knows what the hell he's capable of doin' now."

"Guess we'll have to kill him quickly before he has a chance to use his new powers."

"Please tell me yo' got a plan, and ya ain't just bullshittin' ya way through this like yo' son
was thinkin' just now. Sheeit, the apple sure as hell don't fall far from the tree."

“Father, I think I know a way to vanquish Gregor and the xenomorphs and for all. If we
compromised the coolant pump--"

"--We can overheat the core and cause it to go into meltdown and destroy the ship," said
Briggs, knowing exactly what his son had in mind.

"Y-Yes, how did you know?"

The man smiled and leaned over to unzip the large duffel bag he'd been carrying to reveal a
high-yield explosive charge. Another small gift left behind by Gregor when the ship was still
in his possession. "Great minds think alike." He then turned his attention to Ariana. "Think
you're up for a little stealth mission this time, soldier?”

"Ah-ffirmative!" she replied enthusiastically whilst snapping the best salute she could. “You
can always count on me, Dad!”

Briggs grinned and nodded proudly. "Atta girl. Now let's go save your Mom."

●●●●●

Ellen stared a thousand yards into the swirling pool of crystalline liquid and the mysterious
black sphere it contained, almost transfixed upon it as it hypnotically tumbled and spun
gyroscopically by the force of it's own gravitational field. As she stood there, quietly
contemplating her bleak situation, her black, chitinous body became a beautiful abstract
painting as every color of the visible spectrum refracted from the rippling surface of the
coolant. Suddenly, the gentle ripples and swirls abruptly became crashing waves as Gregor
stomped thunderously across the metallic bridge. Even when he merely walked, he managed
to destroy something beautiful.

"You look magnificent in the light," he said as he admired her alluring form in the pool's
resplendent glow. "The very embodiment of perfection. All the painters and poets in the
world could never scratch the surface of your splendor."

"You flatter me," she replied, not even bothering to look her enemy in the eye. The very sight
of him sickened her to her stomach.

"You seem distracted. Lost in a world of your own. Penny for your thoughts."

"Tell me, Gregor... Was my son correct when he said you only saw value in me as a slave?"

"Of course not. Your value to me is far greater than you could possibly imagine. You're not
like the rest of the mindless horde on this ship. You're an improvement on perfection itself.
Though, I do believe we can dispense with that ridiculous name you've been saddled with for
so long. A goddess like you deserves a name that encapsulates your status as queen mother of
the universe. A name that would send fear and despair into the hearts and minds of any and
all who hear it. A name that heralds the coming of their end."

"And what name would would that be?"

"There's no rush to think of one just yet. We have all the time in the world."

"First you take my family from me... and now you take my name. Is there naught you will let
me have for myself?"

"There's no sense in being mired to the past. Not when you have your entire future to look
forward to."

"And what future do my unborn children get to look forward to? Being sacrificed as fodder
in your pointless war?"

"An army is naught without soldiers, Ellen. Every chess board has it's pawns. When you're
the mother of millions, you won't even notice the loss of a few thousand."

Ellen gripped the icy guardrail with enough force to warp the metal. Once again, her son was
proven right all along.

"Don't start getting cold feet on me now, Ellen. The life you know will be a distant memory of
a dream. Soon we shall bid farewell to this red planet and set sail for greener pastures."

"Where exactly are you taking us?" she asked with sudden concern.

"I hear Earth is lovely this time of year. What better place to tackle the root of the problem
than to cut it off at the source?"
The xenomorph now realized that time was running out - for her, her family, and the entire
human race. She needed to find a way to stall him somehow.

"Must we depart so soon? My family is still onboard the ship. As you just said, there is no
rush. We have all the time in the world."

"Unfortunately, my patience doesn't run quite so deep. I grow bored of waiting. They have
until sundown. After that, we'll be on our merry way."

"Perhaps there is something we could do to kill the boredom..." she asked as she raised her
hand up and stroked his monstrous face.

Gregor then placed his hands over Ellen's shoulders and slowly caressed her arms up and
down, feeling the sensation of her smooth, alien body all over with growing excitement. "My,
what a selfless mother you are. Stalling for time like this just to give them more time to
escape. Not that I'm complaining, of course." Then with one hand, he cupped her breast and
squeezed it tightly, digging his claws in until it punctured the skin and caused acid to bleed
down her protruding ribcage. Then with the other hand, he slid it down her bare, latex-like
belly before arriving at her vagina to massage her labia.

As Gregor continued to sexually abuse the hybrid xenomorph, Briggs, Chris and Ariana
quietly crept entered the chamber without betraying their presence to the demon.

"Ahh, memories. I haven't had the pleasure of touching like this you since our last
encounter," he said as he continued to finger her from behind with his large, clawed fingers,
cutting into her sensitive vaginal folds without a care.

Ellen whimpered as she felt her burning blood running down her inner thighs. "The
Company Man never appreciated just how lucky he was to have you. I certainly won't be
making that mistake."

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