Author's Note:
I actually like this one more already. In first "Ascension" I was aiming at first two "Alien" movies for backup, and now I can aim at so much more.
Darker and better - that's the motto I want to follow in writing this one. I can already say that this volume will be much bigger in terms of everything, so it will take a good amount of time to finish.
As always, general response is appreciated. It keeps me going and helps me to return my attention to overlooked things.
Enjoy. Next chapter will be as usual - when it's done.
Pierce didn't even realized that she was screaming from a top of her lungs, when she woke up from the nightmare. Shaking down to the core, she tried to reach the switch nearby, but her clawed hand was shaking too. Pierce suddenly stopped in her tracks, looking at black chitin that was now covering both of her hands from shoulders and down to the small claws, previously nails. The woman pressed both her hands to her face, trying to regain herself from the nightmare, when she felt it.
A presence. In her own room. It was big and powerful, it was making Pierce shiver and be...obedient. The presence emerged from the darkness, towering over the woman on the small bed. It was Grace - the very first successful xenomorph-human hybrid, and she looked very serious...or this is what Pierce felt from her.
- Nightmares, - Grace was softly speaking inside her mind, and maybe in the past in was horrifying to her, but now it felt natural, like it was supposed to be. She held on that thought and reached her private journal, quickly taking notes into it, - You still tracking the changes?
- I must, Grace. I am making a journal about the consequences of such mutation, and how it changes me not only biologically, but psychologically too, - she glanced over Grace, still shaking from the nightmare, - ...I never...
- Amanda, - Grace took several steps forward and set on the edge of the bed, looking right at her, - You are not alone. Not anymore. The decision I made...was a bold one, because I should've asked about this before taking actions. But it was a choice - let you die and let you live. I decided - if you are going to live, I won't leave you, I will protect you as I protect Carl. Consider it...a Hive. You, me and Carl are in one Hive.
- But Carl haven't mutated after any contacts with you...
- IS THAT SO!? - Grace suddenly opened her mouth, quickly turning into an Empress, and shoot a secondary jaw into Pierce's skull.
She woke up again. This time she was alone, and this time she wasn't screaming. Instead, she was crying. She heard some noise in the ventilation conduit nearby, but her thoughts were only about herself.
The "Darkbreaker" woke up five days before the arrival at first destination point - Kepler's Spire. Somehow it was not only the place, where Emmerich stashed his valuable deposits, but it was also a place, where lived David Gibbens. Carl wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Emmerich to come down, since no one on board the "Darkbreaker" wanted to forgive him for everything director did previously on the Man's Fall - Carl himself had no desire to let go of his hatred towards this man, despite the fact that Emmerich saved his - and not only his - life several times. He, and many others, were experiencing many conflicting emotions about this man, but for now he was welcomed here.
In their first day Emmerich along with Willis and Wolbur were having a council - they brought everyone to plan their moves. The three of them created a plan already, and right now was the stage where everyone could add something about it. Willis started:
- Only several people will travel to the Spire via private shuttle. Emmerich will be guarded by Steiner and Volkov, you will secure the money as fast as you can. Carl will take doctor Warren and Murray, make a list of needed supplies in advance, so we won't be wasting our time here. Kormakov and Martinez will be guarding the shuttle. No armor, no guns, no IDs, we don't want to attract anyone. Director.
- The legend of ship will be simple, - nodded Emmerich, taking his turn in planning, - It was created by a previously unknown company, "GravCorp", which is one of the many daughters of "Seegson Corporation". The ship is taking it's first cruise flight, and to make sure that this cruise will be not the last one, "GravCorp" hires small PMC to guard it. One medical doctor, two researchers, one engineer, others are the security forces.
- That will not explain the dropships, APC and weapons from USCM, - noted Wolbur, - That's why we don't want anyone search our ship. Doctor Warren, you know something about quarantine procedures?
- We must secure Pierce and Grace in one compound, and make sure that it's magnetically sealed, - Warren rubbed his chin, thinking for a several seconds before he continued, - We must tell about unknown disease we experiencing on the ship, that's why we are going on a lockdown and will not take anyone on board. In return, they will hold our people for seventy two hours in quarantine zone with a proper examination.
- Five days to reach the Spire, three days in quarantine, - nodded Wolbur, - Director, how much time do you need to get the money?
- From two days up to seven, depending on circumstances.
- Great...Carl, what about ship's condition?
- The armor holds out good against micrometeors and other junk, but it was in debris field for far too long. I suggest to hire engineering team to perform external check, - Carl took the lead, crossing arms on his chest, - I can find a good team for a reasonable price, and they could spend a week to search the ship's exterior for any damage, maybe two. Other than that, I will double-check every vital component while we are on the way to Spire, but we should be fine - with the help of director Emmerich I can perform maintenance of internal ship's equipment.
- Grace, you sure that nothing came with us?
- You asked me this question when we landed here, and I say again - no, nothing came with us, - she sighed with slight irritation, - The Empress was a smart one, with a lot of experience, but no newborn xenomorph would have a fraction of her to even think about hiding from my senses. But I can check every corner again.
- Please do it, we don't want any incidents here...questions?...no questions, today's meeting is over.
Carl wasn't minding that Willis, Wolbur, Emmerich and Warren were in charge of their entire operation. Of course, Grace was in some sort of charge too - no one had the means or desire oppose her, and she made no reason to even put people in opposition to herself. Despite her dominant personality, she with Carl's help developed a "common sense", which helped her a lot to understand people and the events around her. But, of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
Some marines survived with Grizzly and Steiner - three from Steiner's squad and two from Grizzly's - and to Carl's surprise they were his main source of trouble all the time since they all left Man's Fall, especially Kormakov and Martinez. The first one was from the same colony, as Dmitri, and he was pretty much young and has always dark look on his face. Martinez, on the other hand, was always smiling, but his smile was a fake one, and he clearly was a latino. Those two were always trying to remind everyone about Grace's nature and the first day after the hypersleep Kormakov suggested to throw Grace into the airlock. Volkov punished him immediately by rendering him unconsciousness with a good punch to the nose bridge, and after that incident they spoke privately. Kormakov became more stable, but only when he saw the higher ranked marines nearby.
That's why when Carl took a punch to the head from behind, he knew who was doing that.
- Oh, look at that, some piece of this ship just broke off and hit you, - Carl turned his gaze backwards to see Martinez taking out a pipe from the nearby wall. The pipe popped out, letting out a huge amounts of steam into the corridor, while Martinez threw the pipe right to Carl with a grin on his smug face, - Better double-check the ship, like you said it, Simmons.
- You know that you are a fucking coward? - Carl slowly rose up from the floor, facing Martinez, - Attacking from behind, making up an excuse? You are a man, or you are fucking garbage?
Martinez jumped right at Carl and threw a heavy punch right to his nose. Carl dropped on the floor, feeling how broken his nose was right now, while Martinez picked Carl with both hands by Carl's jacket:
- No one calls me a coward, smart-ass. That's a lesson for ya to never deal with some fucking aliens.
- She saved you, dumb-ass, - Martinez punched Carl again right into the stomach, but he continued, - ...several fucking times..., - Carl felt another punch to his kidney, - ...why...why are doing it?
- Because I don't like aliens walking around. She can save the fucking UN president and I will still do it, because she is not like us, Simmons. And she will never be...she is using us, - Martinez lifted Carl and pressed him into the wall, - She is using you and us! Everyone knows it, they just hope for some fucking miracle that will get that Princess out of the game. She is the reason why we are here, you are the reason why we are here!
- You could leave when Willis and Wolbur were asking, - Carl growled when Martinez punched him again, aiming at his lungs.
- Yeah, with those fucking colonists? Or get my ass court-marshall'd? No, Simmons, this will not happen...why are you smiling, you cunt?
The next punch was stopped by Grace. She silently dropped from the ceiling behind Martinez and stopped him when he was about to throw next punch. Seeing her clawed hand clamped around his wrist, Martinez widened his eyes in fear and slowly met his eyes with her large head with a shield-crest. She smiled in response, cocking her head to the side, and threw Martinez over herself, pushing him to the ground and stepping on his head with her clawed feet, while she was grabbing his arm tightly.
- Why are you trying to get into a conflict...what is your name? Martinez is a second name, right?
- Get off me, you bi...
- No, that is rude, - she pressed her feet to his head with a little force, making Martinez squirm and yell under her, - I am asking again - what is your name?
- Why should I tell you?!
- Because I can make up a better story of equipment failure and you dying.
- ...Carlos, - growled he finally in response.
- Carlos, why are you making a conflict? I am trying to understand your logic, and I can not.
- He's a xenophobe, I think, - coughed Carl, trying to regains his senses.
- Is that it? - she suddenly lifted Martinez, holding by his neck up in the air, pressing against the wall, - I can crack your little fragile bones in one move, - she was growling and hissing in a low, dangerous voice, - But I will not do it, because I am respecting your...
- Lieutenants, - helped Carl.
- Yes, lieutenants. You will show the same respect, or I will put you next time in the medbay for the rest of your life - I know human anatomy well enough to not kill you, but to make you disabled, - she released Martinez, who was now holding his neck and trying to breathe again, - And tell your friends, that they are alive because I put my pride away for all of you in that moment. Disappear.
Martinez quickly retreated. Grace helped Carl to get on his feet and escorted him to the medical bay, where Warren always was for them. When he saw Carl and Grace approaching, he quickly opened the door and helped Carl get on the medical bed:
- Easy, Carl, easy...what happened?
- Someone's displease with the current situation suddenly hit me, - he responded, clenching his teeth from the pain.
- And someone displeased me, - said Grace in low dangerous tone, - Doctor Warren...
- I will not let him move from the medical bay at least for three days, - he nodded, and seeing Carl already opening his mouth in protest, he interrupted him, - You, young man, will not leave this place, until I say otherwise.
- ...alright...Grace, - he called her before she moved far away from the medbay, - Don't be so hard on them.
She nodded after a small pause and quickly jumped into nearby ventilation duct. She was moving fast, knowing already where to move. Her loud noises of crawling inside the vent scared the shit out of Grizzly, who was taking a shower, and Grace had to quickly apologize, still moving through the vents.
She scared everyone at the bridge when she dropped out from the ceiling, looking furiously and too serious, with arms crossed behind her back. Willis and Wolbur were here, startled by Grace's sudden appearance...and so was Martinez along with Kormakov. Martinez even dropped on his ass with large eyes, while Kormakov just took several steps back and put a hand on his sidearm. Grace turned her head towards Martinez and lowly growled:
- I told you to disappear.
- I-I told you! That crazy bitch attacked me! - Martinez pointed his finger towards Grace. She only now noticed, that he had a large cut on his cheek, - And she wants more!
- Calm down, Carlos, - sighed Wolbur, - Grace, Martinez came to us and told, that Carl was badly hit by a sudden decompression. When he and Kormakov were checking on Carl, you appeared and thought, that Carl's injuries were their fault. Kormakov escaped, and you cut Martinez to, quote, "teach him a lesson".
- Now that you came here, we need your side of the story, - continued Willis, nodding to Grace, - To make best judgment.
- You will get their side of the story. The true one, - she revealed her arms and clicked the tape recorder. It wasn't the first incident, and Emmerich came up with this idea - when something happens, make a record, hid it, and then show it when the time is right. She recorded some part of the dialog between Martinez and Carl, and so was recorded everything to the last part. When the tape was finished, she continued, - Carl in the medical bay right now, Warren said that he will be there for three days.
Willis and Wolbur looked at each other, nodded, and punched Kormakov with Martinez simultaneously so hard, they dropped on the floor with a concussion.
- Lying to officer, provoking allied forces, attacking civilian personnel..., - listed Willis, rubbing his chin.
- Recidivism, - suggested Wolbur.
- Steiner! Volkov! - Willis stepped to the intercom console, dialing the arsenal. They responded almost immediately, - To the bridge with two pairs of handcuffs, ASAP.
- On it.
When Martinez and Kormakov were escorted from the bridge, both Willis and Wolbur dropped into the pilot seats, looking wearily at Grace:
- I can guess, that you can't understand, why is this happening, - said Willis first.
- I can not, - she dropped in lotus position right in front of them, crossing her arms on her chest, - I saved you, I saved them, many times, and in return they want to harm me or Carl.
- Those survived marines were transfered to our platoon before we returned to Man's Fall, - started Wolbur the explanation, - They are still not part of our military family, you can see it...but look at them with their perspective - you come to a place, full of people you don't know, and you have to trust your life to those people...and those people are trusting their lives in return.
- It usually takes a several months for newcomers to adjust, - nodded Willis, - And we hadn't those months. They weren't happy when we performed a false quarantine, they weren't happy when we descended into unknown battleground, and now they lost everything - home, career, good names, probably whole future, - Willis leaned in his seat towards Grace, looking at her like a teacher looks at student, - And here comes you, the creature, from their perspective, that isn't allowed to exist in their small world where everything was in order, until you appeared and whole world burned, - he sighed, rubbing his nose bridge, - From what I've seen, you can easily kill everyone on this ship, and no one can stop you - everyone knows that, and even if you will save them on a daily basis, they will still fear you just from the fact that you are not human...but something else...so, basically, it's not just one reason, Grace, it's like an avalanche.
- Avalanche? - Grace still had troubles with understanding some words.
- You know, when the snow comes from the mountains, it can start with a small snowball, with the size of my fist, - nodded Wolbur, - The snowball rolls like a boss, and then - BAM! - he starts to grow. He grows, grows, and grows, to the point where he is no more a snowball, but a fucking wall of snow. And that wall comes down from the mountain top, crushing everything and everyone on it's path.
- But in this metaphor, the avalanche - is the problems our marines had, - finished Wolbur.
- And what this "avalanche" crushes?
- Everyone.
She slowly rose from the floor and left the bridge.
The main lab was just nearby medical bay, on the same deck, and here Pierce, Emmerich and Warren were busy with work. Grace allowed to make some studies on her, but only when Emmerich explained those studies to her in full extent. He got no choice - since he had no control over Grace anymore, he suggested cooperative model himself, and Grace agreed only when Pierce and Carl stepped in to persuade her. It was their first study - basically "test", but Emmerich knew, how Grace hated this word - after the hypersleep, and Emmerich right now was discussing some matters with Pierce before Grace walked in. Pierce returned to her part of the science lab, conducting another tests, and Emmerich waved to hybrid:
- Ah, ready for study, Grace?
- Yes. What do you want to do?
- Simple analysis of your outer exoskeleton, I already take samples from Amanda, - Emmerich pointed his hand to the chair with some unknown instruments to her. What bothered Grace, is the fact that the chair had a monitor on the back side and there were strange manipulators right over the chair.
- You know that this is dangerous? My acid can decompress whole ship, - she sit in the chair, looking at Emmerich with a cold expression on her closed lips.
- This is the reason we have a large variety of instruments. Place your hands on the armrest, please...I will control the manipulators in order to take a small sample and not pierce your exoskeleton. Try not to move your arm, since you won't allow me to enable restraints.
Emmerich started to work with the manipulators. The monitor was showing several camera feeds on the manipulators, and there were also two joysticks to control them, along with the sensitivity selector. It took actually twenty minutes to take a small sample with the help of special red laser scalpel, but Emmerich did it right - no smallest drop of acid. He placed the sample he took from the Grace's arm in special container, nodding to her:
- Good. Now we need the sample of the substance you used on Pierce.
- ...I can't do it, - she said suddenly with confused voice.
- Meaning? - Emmerich raised his eyebrows, - We need just a small sample.
- It was...on the instinct, - she said, trying to get the right words. When Pierce was shot, Grace saved her, but in the process of saving her Pierce started to mutate - her whole chest and abdomen along with arms were now like Grace's had, - I will try to get you more, if I will find out, how to...use it again. But I feel that only small amounts left inside me.
- It's fine, take your time, - nodded Pierce to her, - I know, that it must be confusing for you, and I have some time - mutation is not advancing, at least for now...
- You know, how my science teams were calling the substance you used, Grace? - suddenly asked Emmerich, making notes in his private journal, - They were tired of copy and pasting those combination of words, so they decided to call it after the Empress, who produced that substance for the Hive..."Royal Jelly", they called it, - Emmerich snorted in displeased tone, - Pretty simple, not very accurate, but it spread like a wildfire across the teams. And what is amusing to me, is that we have this little game of royalties with Empress, "Royal Jelly" and you, Grace.
- Grace is for "graceful", - snorted she in response.
- Yes, but did you knew, that the old rules of Earth used to be called "Your grace"? Somewhere this expression is still in use by variety of worlds that had so called "kings" and "queens", who decided to take control of the planet into their hands, - director sighed, placing the container with Grace's sample inside strange machine.
- Carl told me about many worlds. Worlds of eternal heat, worlds, where one side of the planet is in eternal darkness and cold, and another side turned to the blazing sun.
- Planets in locked rotation, - said Pierce, looking at her monitor, - Their rotation and movement are aligned with the local star, causing such effect. Humans can live only on the small strip between light and dark.
- And there are other interesting world, like worlds where water holds up to seventy percent of the planet, - continued Emmerich, nodding to Grace, - Worlds, covered in eternal darkness, worlds, where diamonds raining with the incredible speed...there are many wonders in the universe, it's just not even a fraction of them are available to human kind.
- We will see one of those worlds, - suddenly said Grace, - I want to see one.
- You will. Just let us come up with the good cover-up first.
- Miss Yutani, priority two call.
Rain. It was raining a lot, and she loved to watch the whole city under her being covered in rain. But you can't just stay here and ignoring the such calls, which her counterpart wasn't even noticing. She pressed a button, opening her intercom monitor, and soon enough the connection was established via private satellite. She regained herself and put on her favorite smile, when she was very familiar face.
- Michiko.
- Michael.
- I was wondering, when you will tell me about the Man's Fall second incident. Apparently, you decided to not let me tell anything.
- This incident is already being taking of, as we speak, Michael, - her smile was not sincere, but at least polite, while Weyland was showing his emotions. He clearly was pissed off.
- Your science teams...
- Our science teams.
- ...our science teams, - Weyland wasn't pleased that he was clearly losing start of the battle, - That were under your personal supervision.
- And yours too. I can show you the papers and even repeat the record of our dialog.
- Michiko, we lost too much money and effort, and now we are on the square one. Again.
- No, we are not, - she let her smile to be a little bigger this time and even more official. It was enough to annoy Weyland, which she loved to do.
- ...pardon me?
- We have a trace of particles by three different engines. Two of them we know - one was used by USCM, and another one was unknown ship without any ID or traces of origin, but it clearly used our technology. The third ship is the ship which Emmerich used to escape with the Subject One.
- Why are you so confident about this?
- This is the only reason why he stole the prototype, using holes of every law possible. He is a paranoid person, which is both his strength and predictability, - she leaned back in her comfortable chair, crossing her fingers together and putting her elbows on the table, - I can say you right now, that he stole it and escaped from the Man's Fall, probably along with marines and Subject One...along with the "Pavlov" project.
- "Pavlov"?
- It was a project to make Subject One more...cooperative, by making a bond with another human being under the pressure and control, to be basic, - she pressed the button in her table, enabling a second monitor and keyboard on her table, - ...and this guy, who passed the "Pavlov", is named Carl Simmons. Twenty four, not married, no persecutions, no parents alive, no close relatives known so far, was born somewhere on Io...good engineering skills, he finished his education brilliantly..., - she returned her gaze towards waiting Weyland, and she couldn't help by making her fake smile again, - No wonder we are getting into trouble with personnel, this young man alone worth the position in one of our shipyards for prototype construction.
- Get to the point, Yutani.
She smiled again with a little pause. She loved when he called her by a surname, clearly indicating his impatience.
- We got the boy - we got everyone. Our best bet is to...
- You will not be part of this, - Weyland suddenly interrupted her, - We had it your way, and all I saw - is a massive failure.
- That is probably true, but I don't know - after incident on LV-426 I thought that you are the expert on massive failures.
- Hold your tongue, Yutani!
- Why? You can't stand the critic? - she kept assaulting him in response, keeping her smile as cold as possible, - Or is it because I told you that the idea of making a colony on the planet with a crashed alien space vessel, after what we have learned from it, was...shall I say - clearly stupid? - she rose from her seat, looking at the monitor from up to down, with a cold glare in her eyes, - You, dear Michael, know how to make a profit on everything you see and touch, you even made a profit of yourself with those "Bishop" series androids, and that is a very great accomplishment, I can't even start to understand how you see the world around you marked in dollars on every corner..., - she took a little pause, just to breather a little, - ...but you know nothing about real power, and especially you don't know that power comes with patience and humility. You don't have both, that is the reason you failed on LV-426, that is the reason we both failed on Man's Fall - you wanted the results so badly that you intervened in my security protocols, dear Michael. You thought I wouldn't notice? You thought, that playing behind my back will not backfire at your narcissistic egocentric self? - she never rose up her voice, but she put as much poison and cold for Weyland to hear, - If you were here in person, and not with your android doppelganger, you would be here for hours behind sound isolated walls, - she sat back in her seat. Weyland was looking grim, but he still listened to her. He had too.
- I am going to give you a proposition, - said Weyland with a reluctance in his voice.
- Oh? I am all yours already by the contract, or you want even more?
- Let's say that we are going to have a...wager. About catching Subject One.
- Call her Grace. That's the name she adopted from Simmons...what we are waging?
- I catch her first - she comes with me, and you will support my lab with fundings for...five years. And all bribes are on your side. But I will share the data with you, don't worry.
- I will do the same in return, just so we could be even, Michael.
- Good. Handicap?
- None.
- You already sent the search parties, are you?
- I will always several steps ahead of you, dear Michael, - she smiled again.