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Authors Note: Hello! I see you have clicked on this story, which is the first step:So welcome! However first things first…
This is a purely movie-verse fic.
If Alternate Universe is not your cup of tea— run away now, fast as you can. There will be alsosome liberties taken in regards to what happens in the movie. First of all, the Sarge does not go all crazy-robot-evil in this fan fiction, because it made me cranky. I thought it was pretty random. And because it wouldn't be that much of a story if everyone died.
Also,this story is from the POV of an Original Character so again, run away if these characters a) make you want to cry orb) vomit in your own mouth.This story not going to be a romance… at least, not so far as I know.
This story is for entertainment only—it is not meant to be an in-depth look into military procedures and organizations. I'm just bored on the long weekend!
So, I guess you can flame me if you really want to. Just know you will look like a fool if you flame me about any of the above things because you have been warned.
ANYWAY.
If this AN has not scared you away, I hope you enjoy this story and that you leave me a bit of a review at the end of the chapters as you read! Comments and constructive criticism make my day!
Disclaimer: The only thing's that belong to me are any characters you don't recognize. Everything else belongs to their respective owners.
Summary: AU. Doom re-written. What if there were more survivors? Including a young tech stationed at the Union Aerospace Corporation research facility based on Olduvai, Mars who has crawled into an air vent and finds herself trapped just as the only place she's called home for the past four years suddenly goes to hell.
Rating: M due to language and violence.
Special Ones
Her feet were asleep.
"Shit," she whimpered. As if being crammed into an air vent with minimal oxygen wasn't bad enough. She tried to wriggle her toes and the only result was the dull clanging against the metal from her poor choice of work shoes.
It just so happened that today was not her day. Hailey Ralston should have known that the moment she busted a shoelace of her left running shoe.
Hailey would have scoffed at the superstition if it wasn't for the fact that at the present moment she was hiding in and air vent, with her legs resting horizontallyand her head and shoulders hanging over a sharp decline of the vent. The latter caused the metal to dig painfully into her shoulder blades. There was also the fact that the entire UAC facility was on a quarantine lockdown. Hailey had heard as much before the power cut out. It took the generators a full five minutes to reboot, and by then the facility had descended into chaos.
The intercom cut out and the bathroom faded to pitch black. Hailey widened her eyes in the stall, and sat for a full minute before realizing she needed to get the fuck out of there! So she quickly washed her hands and opened the door looking out into the dark hallway. She heard shouting, but it was a distant sound, and then she heard the sound of feet pounding on metal and a frantic yell. She did the only thing she could think of at the time. She ran down the hallway and turned into a room. It was a supply closet, full of extra latex gloves, syringes, and other medical supplies. There was an airvent two feet below the ceiling. Hailey grabbed a chair and used the shelves as a makeshift ladder, praying that they would hold under her weight. The whole was just the right size for her to squeeze into, so she pried the vent open and then she climbed in.
She found that the creeping feeling of claustrophobia was easier to bear when she was on her back, not on her stomach. She had inched down the vent, knowing she had to get somewhere. Especially after hearing what had happened just outside her air vent.
It seemed like only minutes ago that she had heard the screams—frantic, terrified—and then silence but only for a few seconds before the crunching. Hailey had felt her stomach heave but she'd clamped her teeth shut and forced herself to swallow her vomit. Then she had opened her mouth, and took slow silent breaths. It felt like minutes but it had probably been closer to hours.
Hailey had to move, now. She took a shaky breath and lifted her hands, pressing them to the metal above her head. The only problem was the fact that walking down a hallway was one thing; trying to navigate oneself through a series of air vents was something entirely different.
The pins and needles were slowly spreading up her shin and calf, if she didn't change her position—and soon, her legs would fall asleep and she wasn't about to let that happen.
"All right," she whispered, "just do it already." She inched her hands a few inches past her head, then she bent her legs, flinching as the metal bent and rumbled under her weight. She pushed herself backwards with her legs, trying to use her hands to help propel her.
She gritted her teeth as the edge of the metal bit into the skin of her back. Suddenly she slipped backwards and let out a shriek. Her stomach was resting up in her throat and her hands were pressed to the side of the vent to keep herself from plunging backwards. She couldn't hold herself for long.
"Oh God," she muttered, and then she lost her grip.
She screamed as she fell backwards, she flailed her arms, but only managed to bash her funny bone before her head suddenly made contact with the metal wall of the vent. She moaned, as white dots flashed in front of her eyes.
Hailey tried to gather her bearings and then she heard a low murmuring. She strained her ears. It was a low sound, and muffled to the point of being unintelligible. She shifted, trying to move so she could access the damage on the back of her head and she let out another shriek as her backside slipped into a hole beneath her. The next sound she heard was unmistakable, it was a loud metallic snap—the sound of atrigger being cocked.
"Please!" She cried, "Please don't shoot me." Hailey struggled to sit up, it was a difficult task but finally she managed it. "I need your help!" She screamed, hoping her voice would carry through the vents. She looked down, where her feet were now dangling, and took a deep breath. She pushed off the edge of the air vent and hoped the rusted metal at the bottom of the drop would give out under her weight.
A scream tore out of Hailey's throat just as she felt the impact of her feet against the metal. It gave andit was only free falling and rushing cool air for a few seconds before Hailey landed on something solid that let out a disgruntled:
"Fuck me!"
Whatever Hailey landed on crumpled to the ground, taking Hailey with it. Shelay still for a moment, whoever she had landed on—their elbow was digging painfully into her right shoulder. Her ankles were smarting, and her arms were beginning to throb. She lay still trying to catch her breath.Suddenly something grabbed her arm and wrenched her onto her feet.
Hailey didn't have time to scream before she was thrown back against a wall. She barely felt the impact, her mind was focused on other pains, and her adrenaline was filling in all the other gaps.
"Reaper, you okay?" The man who was holding Hailey asked.
There was a beat before Reaper replied, "Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me."
Hailey slowly opened her eyes, and was face to face with the barrel of a gun, in a beat the barrel was moved to the left and was replaced by a face.
"Careful, Goat."
"…" Hailey opened her mouth to speak, "I—" she finally managed. "My name is Hailey Ralston, ID 4326… I'm a t-tech. My identification and key card are in the inside pocket of my lab coat…"
The man who Hailey assumed was Goat made no move to reach for her ID card; instead he looked back to Reaper who was pushing himself up off the floor.
"What the hell were you doing in the vent?" Reaper demanded.
Hailey wet her lips, "I was in…" she paused, "I didn't have time to get out before they locked us down." She tried to catch Reaper's eyes, "and… something ate—" her voice hitched in her throat, she closed her mouth and then she felt her eyes burn and she blinked. Hailey shrugged.
"What the hell happened here?"
"A level five breech, that's all I caught before the power cut out."
"A 'level five breech' means shit to me," the man holding her snapped. "What got out?"
"I- I'm just an archaeological tech two." Hailey stuttered, "I work with Dr. Stahl and Dr. Grimm; I don't work in Genetics—".
Reaper sighed. "Come on; we'd better let Sarge know andget her to the infirmary."
"Is… that thing, is it still out there?" Hailey asked. Goat took a few steps back, but still kept a tight hold on her arm.
Reaper shrugged, "I have no fucking idea."
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"We found someone Sarge."
Hailey squinted into the darkness at the man called Reaper spoke into what Hailey assumed was a comm. piece attached to his ear. Reaper paused for a beat before he continued speaking.
"She's a civilian," Reaper nodded, "appears to be human."
"Appears—?" Hailey blurted.
"Quiet," Goat snapped and Hailey complied miserably.
Reaper finally nodded, "use extreme caution? Right, over."
Hailey wasn't an expert, but 'extreme caution' sounded anything but good. Goat still had a tight grip on her arm and when Reaper motioned at him to go forward he yanked Hailey forward so she was positioned between the two of them. Hailey took a deep breath; they were right by Dr. Carmack's office which meant they were not too far from the infirmary.
"I think…" Hailey whispered, "I think I broke my ankle." Goat looked back at her and glanced down at her feet.
"Not if you're still walking on it. That cut looks nasty though."
Hailey glanced down at her arm, where her fall through the vent had torn a hole through her lab coat and a two inch gash down her forearm. She snorted, "thanks for the concern."
"We're almost to the infirmary," Reaper said from his position in front of her. "We don't know what is walking around here, so we need to be silent until we get there."
Hailey swallowed and then she nodded. Suddenly there was a noise, it was down the hall. A gasp tore its way out of Hailey's throat and she stumbled back.
"We heard a noise in Genetics," Reaper said into his comm. "we're going to check it out."
"What about me?" Hailey asked.
"You know where the infirmary is?" Reaper asked.
"Yes," Hailey replied.
"Can you get there?"
"I—well, I guess so."
"Then get there," Reaper said gesturing to Goat.
Hailey pulled her key pad out of her pocket and she went forward as Goat and Reaper went to the left. Hailey peered around the corner into the dim hallway. She looked quickly both ways andthen made a mad dash down the hallway. Just as she turned the corner she heard rounds of gunfire—from behind her.
The door to the infirmary seemed miles away, but finally she reached it and scanned her card frantically. Her fingers fumbled over the key pad but the nanowall of concrete dissolved before her and she let out a sigh of relief.
She stepped over the threshold and into the large infirmary; she hit the button on the pad on the inside of the door. Then she turned and slumped against the door, and looked up into the shocked faces of Dr. Grimm and a tall black man that Hailey assumed was another member of the RRTS.
"Hailey?" Dr. Grimm asked, "What the hell are you still doing here?"
"I didn't have anytime to get out." She said, realizing how stupid that answer sounded. It sounded like getting out of a facility after a level five breech just wasn't that important. No more important than going to relieve herself after drinking four cups of coffee. "I was in the bathroom when the power cut out." Hailey took a deep breath, "I think I need to sit down for a minute," she said. She walked over to a stool that sat in front of a computer consol.
"Hey man," the man standing beside Dr. Grimm spoke suddenly. Hailey jumped and looked up, she realized he wasn't talking to her but into his comm. "Yeah, she's here." He looked up at Hailey and then nodded, "alright, over. That was Reaper," he told Dr. Grimm, "we're supposed to keep an eye on this one. Apparently she fell out of an air vent."
"Jumped," Hailey cut in.
"Are you okay?" Samantha asked.
"In a manner of speaking," Hailey replied. "I'm pretty sure I sprained my ankle, and I cut my arm pretty bad." Hailey tried to smile it off, like it was nothing, but then she saw the man who was being held down on the gurney. "Is that Doctor Carmack?" Samantha nodded. "Is he okay?"
"That's what we're trying to find out."
"What happened?" Hailey asked. "I take that it's not just a rabid dog."
"Nah," the man beside Samantha replied, "you're probably right."
Samantha looked over at him, "Duke, meet Hailey, she's one of my technicians. Hailey, the med kits are in the cupboard behind the counter. They should have gauze and tenser bandages."
"Thanks," Hailey said, she pushed herself up onto her feet. She hobbled over to the counter using it for support as she walked around it.
"Dr. Carmack," Hailey heard Samantha say, "I'm just going to draw some blood."
Hailey pulled open a cupboard door and found a med kit; she pulled one out and tore it open. Inside there was a package of disinfectant gel, a ready syringe of anesthesia, five gauze packs and two tensor bandages. Haley shrugged off her lab coat, laying it across the counter. She looked down at her arm, the cut was jagged but it appeared to be shallow.
She tore open the package of disinfectant and then opened a gauze package—squirting some gel into the center of the pad. She rubbed it along her arm, cleaning the blood from the surrounding skin before she began to work on the cut.
"Oh my God," Samantha uttered.
Hailey looked over to the gurney, Dr. Grimm was bent over.
"There's something in his blood."
Hailey's ears perked up with that comment.
"That's not so good, is it?"Hailey asked.
"I'm just going to do a few tests," Dr. Grimm replied, ignoring Hailey's question.
Hailey quickly squirted some of the antiseptic gel onto another gauze pad. She ran it over the wound, hoping that she would get out any grit that might have got into the cut. Then she unrolled one of the tensor bandages and wrapped it around her arm, using that to secure the gauze pad.
"Just stay there and rest, Dr. Carmack," Samantha said softly. "Everything is going to be fine."
"Isn't there some ethical rule about lying to your patient?" Duke muttered under his breath. Then he glanced up at Hailey, "you need help?"
"Yeah actually," Hailey held up the second tensor bandage, "with my ankle."
Samantha excused herself to another room holding the vial of Dr. Carmack's blood in her hand and Duke came over to where Hailey was standing.
"So you're a technician with Dr. Grimm?" Duke asked.
"Yeah," Hailey said, hobbling over to a stool. She sat down and bent over to unzip her right boot. "I pretty much poke around at the desert all day," Hailey tried for a smile but was certain that it came out as more of a grimace.
"That looks swollen," Duke said as Hailey peeled off her boot.
"Well, it did connect with a metal grate before it connected with Reaper's head," Hailey quipped.
Duke laughed, and then he reached out and tenderly pulled down Hailey's sock. She held out the tensor bandage and Duke took it from her.
He probed her ankle with his finger; he found a tender spot that made Hailey yelp when he touched it. Duke made quick work of her ankle, and patted it gently when he was finished.
"That too tight?"
Hailey tentatively moved her foot, her ankle was supported but the bandage wasn't restraining all of her movement. "Nope, just right. Thanks."
"My pleasure," Duke replied.
Dr. Grimm stuck her head around the corner, "Duke, there's something I think you should look at."
Hailey didn't wait for an invitation before cramming her newly bandaged foot back into her boot and following Duke into the other room where Samantha had run the blood test.
Hailey saw the computer screen, "no blood match?" She asked.
"That can't be good," Duke muttered.
"This is crazy," Samantha sighed. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Does it have anything to do with the breech, and whatever the hell it was that attacked Dr. Stahl?" Hailey asked, hearing the panicked tone of her voice.
Samantha looked Hailey right in the face.
"Everything is going to be fine."
Somehow Hailey found that hard to believe.
"I just have to check on Dr. Carmack, I'll be right back."
Samantha made her way back to the other room, Duke following behind. Hailey took a deep breath.
Everything is going to be fine, she told herself.
"Where did he go?"
Hailey felt the blood drain from her face.
End Note: It may have seemed OOC for Reaper and Goat to talk so much to Hailey, but they know she is a civilian, and they are whispering, not talking in their normal voices.
Also, we're going to pretend that Dr. Carmack didn't escape until roughly ten minutes later than he did. Sorry for that, but for the purpose of this story Jenna Willets left before they took the blood sample.
There are a few lines borrowed from the film, just because I am attempting to run in some kind of sequence with the movie (however loosely).
This story will be continued in chapter two...