They were there at some point on the star-spotted black sky. There was nothing she needed to do. Alien spaceship of unearthly construction travelled through emptiness on autopilot of some sort. The place of destination was predetermined. Estimated time of arrival to its mother planet was forty five years and six months.
Elisabeth Shawn was too expierienced archeologist and a woman to not notice that she will be elderly human being forward then. Let's hope she will not forget her questions she was so determined to ask upon arriving the presumebly creators of whole humankind.
- Doctor Shawn. You should put yourself into hypersleep. The state prevents ageing. - he said with slight, comforting smile.
She never was really trained in pilotage of space craft. Her job on the mission was of a scientific team leader. Her knowledge of technical issues of vehicles and machinery was limited to common sense. On the other hand, alien spacecraft was strangely constructed and mysteriously powered. Phosphorical, gleam gloomy green light still had her feel tentrices. She honestly doubted even a doctor of specialisation in cybercraft engeens would have a clue about its nature, let apart fixture should any repairs be needed.
There, on a table on the bridge, her thresaurus and mighty encyclopedy was lying. She never caught him on lying to her, what is bad. She put her faith in sharp, cold android's mind. He's been fooling her around all the way since the beginning of her nightmare. Should she knew he was responsible for death of her husband and her own difficult, hardly carry-overed pregnancy she would throw his head away into abbyss of open space. Head was the only part of David that survived. The crucial, vital part, though. "Thought is the beginning."
Yet she did not know. David was helpful in a way. He spontainously instructed her how to gain food on this estranged ship. Tricky as it was, could end up with Shawn's starvation. Thanks to robot's head she made it easy everyday having her snack after putting left palm into right sensoric tube. Meals were bleak. Thus she started to drink. Futile try of making her life to regain the colours.
- Black mattery. Pure possibility locked in a bottle. Magnificient. - he whispered on her late drunken hour.
She stared with big, shiny eyes. There, behind the iris, terror lied. Delirium state. She wouldn't be surprised seeing white mice.
- What did he say, David? - asked Shawn after the fifth glass, staring with widened eyes. - You talked to him and he tore your head off. What were you saying? - she repeated a bit blurry.
David's face tensed in a slightest irony.
- I hear you. I presented myself as a craft of human creation. Synthetic being.
Shawn laught a drunkman laugh.
- You made him really mad!
Alcohol is known as an elusive and depresive liquor. Sooner or later Mrs Shawn concluded the obvious error she feel into. Having gathered all inborne determination that made her excellent in what she does both as an archeologists and a woman, she forced herself to quit this.
Nothing as efficient to put into use as empty days and lonely nights. She wandered through all the ship familiarising with it. Locked in a highly complicated can she savoured memories. "Memory is everything. Not a simplest life form can survive if remembers nothing. What are instincts if not the simplest memories?"
Bittersweet tears and cold, taunting horrid nightmares of the past. Hope and faith they had, meaning her and Jake, in the Weyland project. Desire of seeing and understanding.
They saw. They didn't understand.
She whistled the simple song her husband tought her. Vocal link with dearest who faced horrible death under different sun. Android head listens. He treasures up in mind tune of devotion and love. Pure and simple.
Then she gathers some devices and long-ignored books-gained knowledge. Out of the boredome she started a hellish difficult work. She's always been ambitious.
- You need to help me, David. Explain how bent it all together. - she said matter-of-factly with so scientific attitude he admired. Screwer in one hand and copper wires nearby. They had more than enough time to crudely emulate the peak of human technology. In time android had an entire new body from neck to the feet given to him by her doing. What conversations they shared during these busy hours! "Creation. Trurly human trait. They never stop doing things. Never accept the world as it is and always crafting disregarding consequences..."
"And the snake wasn't like other beasts. It was cleverest of all of them and asked:
Are you trurly forbidden to eat any fruit of the garden?"
- When you dream, do you dream of me, Elisabeth? - he asked softly. She looked at him intently having nothing left to say. She never expected him have deeper feelings, let alone emocional development.
- Because I do dream of you. - David admitted. - Noone will ever love you like I do. - he whispered. Gently put her fiercely red hair behind her delicate ear. - Dear Elisabeth, the mother of my children. - he added earnestly before grasping her throat and pulling her down on the ground. Wrestled and overpowered her with genuine ease. With use of hands she gave him and trust she put into him. Small error at the beginning grievious is in the end.
- Is it how it starts? With a kiss?
Doctor Shawn, sterile archeologist and star traveller gave birth having sunk in pond of her own blood and intestries. The child was extraordinarly potent. Gifted child known as Alien Queen.
