Chapter One

Mysterious Cargo

For over two centuries, space was humanity's greatest challenge. Many lives and countless billions of dollars were lost trying to conquer it. Nowadays, mankind had forgotten that struggle. It had forgotten its own vulnerable, unstable past, full as it was of wars, violence and discrimination. Yet for all its vulnerability, humanity lived a sheltered childhood, protected – for the most part – from events beyond its atmosphere. Sure, there had been events in Central America and Antarctica, inexplicable events that had to be swept under the rug, or filed away for later years, when humanity was ready. Now humanity had left the sheltered nest of Earth and began its slow crawl through the universe. Like a nestling first learning to fly, mankind thought it was invincible. That was about to change.

Todd Scotts watched as Senior Director Brett Smith read his report beneath furrowed brows. This was a proud moment, not only for Todd, but for the entire human race. Three words were accentuated by their bold font, these three words represented the epitome humanity's efforts.

TERRAFORMING PROCESS COMPLETE

"Congratulations, Sir, you will soon become the first president of mankind's first complete and successful terraforming process." Todd told his superior with a smile.

Todd was one of the original team members who arrived with the Senior Director when the first stage of the terraforming process, the atmospheric establishment stage, was begun. It had been a long road for both of them, consuming five years of their lives, but now Eden, formerly classified as KO-265, was completely habitable. The super-continent that dominated the planet, Atlantis, was now home to several human colonies. The wilderness separating the colonies was populated by a vast diversity of both Earth and native animal. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation had even established a local research lab to begin processing samples taken from the as yet uncolonised islands that were dotted throughout Eden's giant oceans.

"I'm sure the Corporation will be very pleased with your success." He added after a moment of thought.

A small smile crept across the aging man's face as he glanced at a sealed file with an unmissable red stamp reading:CONFIDENTIAL. "I'm sure they will be. How is that new enclosure coming along?"

"Excellent, Sir, my people are just putting the finishing touches on the electric fencing as we speak. It should be fully functional by midday tomorrow. What exactly is going to be put in there?"

Smith tapped the secret file meaningfully, before moving on to the next issue with his usual, speedy professionalism. "Good. The USS Valkyrie will be docking at the same time -"

"When would you like me to have its cargo unloaded by?" Scott asked, trying to match his employer's professionalism. The cold look he received from the man sitting behind the desk told him it had been a mistake.

"Actually, Mr. Scotts, I will be overseeing that process myself. All I need from you is to keep the docking station clear until the Valkyrie leaves, and then clear a route from the station to the enclosure for the cargo and its marine escort."

Todd felt a lump form in his throat. He didn't like the marines and their gun-ho nature. His father had been one for twenty years, and he was never really the same man when he came home. Todd was sure he was the source of his marital problems.

As sharp as ever, Smith picked up on Todd's feelings and took off his spectacles to look him in the eye. "Look, Todd, all you need to worry yourself with is keeping those areas clear. As soon as the cargo is safely in the enclosure, the marines will be housed in adjacent accommodation, ten miles from the nearest colony. There won't be any trouble, the Corporation has it well under control."

Smith's words did little to sooth Todd's fears, but he knew now was not the time to press the matter. There was work to be done. After a long pause, he nodded and murmured his agreement. He had a bad feeling about this.

Glares were pouring out of every half open window they passed, Major Zanders could feel it. He couldn't really blame the locals. After years of working and living to themselves, it must be extremely violating to see a platoon of armed Colonial Marines marching through their streets. What was probably more concerning was the way the walked – with half their weapons facing inward toward the large container they were guarding, and the other half pointed outwards, as though the locals were a band of extremists, or infected with a plague.

There wasn't much to like about the situation. Moving through a colony, pissing off the locals like this, then sitting around on guard duty for two months, waiting for relief. A solar storm was raging in the Home System, severing communications with Earth. The only backup that could be expected were small bands of militia from the other surface colonies, and the only extraction method was a single dropship the Valkyrie had left at Eden's orbital station. Not to mention the super confidentiality Weyland-Yutani were treating this with. The whole thing stank, but their noses had been out in the cold too long.

The Marine Corps had been out of work for years now. Ever since the outlying colonies had settled down, they had been growing more and more desperate for work. This place may not be a shithole like Argon, but it was far from paradise. And it would be a month and a half before the solar storms lifted, making it two months before they had any hope of relief.

Zanders thoughts were interrupted as their pointman called a halt. It wasn't hard to spot the problem. A lone colonist was standing in the centre of the concrete road, a semi automatic pulse rifle slung over his left shoulder. An eerie silence descended on the street, like an old fashioned stand-off one read about in the history books. But Zanders knew this wasn't a history book, and things could get real ugly, real fast.

"Stand down, but stay frosty." He muttered into his headset as he approached the man himself.

"There a problem here, Sir?" Zanders asked, struggling to hide his frustration.

The man took a long puff on his cigarette before letting it drop and smothering it underfoot. "No, no. We get Colonial Marines marching through our town all the time." The man said sarcastically.

Zanders studied the colonist for a moment. He looked downright pissed, yes, but he didn't look like a fool. This was a demonstration, not a death wish. "What's your name?"

"Frank... Frank Jaeger." The man growled, removing his sunglasses and locking eyes with Zanders.

"Well, Frank, we're just passing through. We don't want any trouble." Zanders tried to reason.

"That's good to here. We're all just hoping y'all haven't brought trouble with ya." Frank said, nodding toward the container. "What's in that anyway?"

"Beats me. All I know is that it's something the Company is willing to ship over here all the way from Acheron. When it comes to Weyland-Yutani, I'm still only a grunt."

Frank nodded thoughtfully and seemed to understand where Zanders was coming from, but he still stared suspiciously at the container as he walked away.

"Let's keep moving." Zanders ordered, confident that there would be no more trouble. Little did he know, trouble was brewing. Frank Jaeger's suspicions had been right. The trouble was trapped inside the container, waiting for them, for freedom.

The enclosure was amazing. Not only was it huge, but it was masterfully constructed to prevent any escape. Three rows of electric fences circled the enclosure, but even their twenty foot height was dwarfed by the forty foot tall concrete wall, which was five metres thick and had been coated with some substance supposedly designed to withstand even the most corrosive substances. The base of the wall was even lined with flame jets, controlled from the Central Control of the adjacent Research Lab. Inside the enclosure itself was a dense jungle inhabited by Eden's and Earth's most dangerous creatures.

Todd stood in Central Control, looking through the six inches of glass to study the interior of the enclosure. "All this, for just a few wild animals?" He asked Smith as the Senior Director approached from behind.

"The Company likes to protect its investments, Mr. Scotts." Was the only answer he got before the company man walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.

Todd watched as the man left. He knew the company was up to its usual tricks. This Research Lab, the enclosure, the Colonial Marines... and then there was that mysterious cargo. Something wasn't right, and Todd was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Sir," His escorted began, stepping up to him. "It is time for you to leave."

Todd nodded. "Alright, I will show myself out. Thank you."

As Todd walked through the pearly white corridors he kept his eyes peeled for anything important. He knew he stood out like a sore thumb in his civilian clothes. Everyone here was dressed in either a white lab coat, a security uniform, or a crisp, clean suit. Everyone had a Weyland-Yutani employee badge. Despite only being a private contractor hired by the company, Todd's important position gave him clearance to anywhere on the planet. It sounded better than it actually was, just about the only things worth access to in a colony was the Operations Room, the Board Room and the Armoury. Until now that is.

Taking an impromptu left, Todd followed the corridor until he came to a door with a say reading: Restricted Area. Authorised Weyland-Yutani personal only. Above the doorway, another sign told him this was the Observation Room. There was a beeping as the door's security system scanned his PDT. The beeping cut off and a red light flashed from somewhere. "Warning, you are not authorised to access this area of the facility." The female voice informed him.

"Can it, Muther! Let me in!" All he got in response was the same, automated female voice. Looking over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, he sighed deeply. This was the point of no return. "Muther. Manual Override Code Seven Alpha Two Two Niner."

"Manual override accepted." The voice replied, before a sharp beep signalled the door opening.

The room beyond was pure white, except for a few control panels, which were predominantly black. A small cupboard provided safety equipment, and next to that was an intercom. A small camera in the corner of the room watched everything in silence. The main feature of the room was the glass pane, beyond which was a dark room with a single, rectangular bench running parallel to the room.

"What the fuck..." Todd muttered, stepping up to the glass, which was just as thick as the glass in the Central Control.

Sitting the centre of the empty room, illuminated by a soft white light, were three large, leathery eggs. They must have been at least a foot and a half tall, just shy of a foot wide at their centre. He thought he saw something move inside the centre one. He had never seen anything like these before. Before he had suspected it, now he was sure of it. They company was up to something off the books. That's why he had been hired. The terraforming part of his job was just a ruse... they had really wanted him here to build this "wildlife enclosure." Bullshit. This was a cage, no two ways about it. But a cage for what? Electric fences, fire jets, acid resistant walls? This was some weird fucking shit, and here he was... a private contractor, someone with no previous affiliation with the company... something told him that contract wasn't too legitimate either.

"Todd what the fuck are you doing here?" A stern voice yelled.

Oh shit. Todd thought, knowing the shit had really hit the fan.