AVP Fanfiction: Star Born...
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.
(To quote the words of Arthur C. Clarke, a science fiction writer, TV host and undersea explorer and much, much more...)
-Chapter one: Dark corridors...
Through deep and heavy breaths, and hiding behind nothing but a storage unit as an unholy creature stalked past, one person dared to peer through the dark hallway and watch as the space spawned demon silently walked off elsewhere in search of easier prey.
Amanda Ripley breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she punched a med-kit pen into her right forearm, just above her wrist, she'd been unfortunate enough to run into a malfunctioning android just minutes earlier, leaving gashes all over her arms when it had tried to grab her, another close call. "Shit, that thing won't be gone for long." She whispered grinding her teeth with a nervous tone.
Standing up and creeping over to the control panel, Amanda snatched up the blueprint she had risked her life trying to get. This was the fifth encounter with the alien just today, and she had her serious doubts it would be her last.
Scanning her surroundings, it looked like she was in an old office of some sort, it was dark, dreary and numerous papers were scattered all over the floor lazily, Loose pipes and cables hung from the ceiling, where sparks of electricity or steam would seep out of the damaged rips in the wire.
Taking a moment to glance down at the motion tracker in her left hand, it started to beep detecting movement up ahead. "Could be that monster, or desperate, crazy people..." She paused for a moment flicking on her flashlight and opening the ventilation shaft just off to the left beside Amanda, "...And I'm not sticking around to find out." Taking slow and controlled steps, watching with an uneasy sense of fraught each time her foot hit the ground, with every step Amanda's heart beated faster.
Navigating her way through the maze like vents, she finally found the exit above her head with the familiar reddish ladders fastened into the wall leading up to it, raising an arm to grab the first handle, she stopped when she heard the most dreaded noise she'd feared since Amanda had first arrived on the Nostromo and met Alex, whom briefly after they'd met, had met a gruesome fate at the hands of that monster.
Tapping the side motion tracker with one hand, its incessant beeping refused to cease. "Signals range: ten meters...eight meters...six." Trembling Amanda looked up hearing footsteps above her, "Bring it on you fucker..." Amanda hissed through her teeth, taking out her pistol steadying her hand and aiming for the opening hatch, summoning the courage for the final confrontation with the alien...
...The twenty two year old let out a high pitched yelp as she felt something scurry over her foot, making her drop the controller by accident, grumbling indistinctly she eyed the hooded rat standing on his hind legs on the carpet, twitching his whiskers up at her.
Hearing the hiss of the alien as the death scene played on her television screen, "Dammit Max, you scared me." Gwenn grumbled, leaning forward to turn the game console off, she huffed and used her free hand to gesture to the blank screen as she picked him up, "Amanda died for the third time today, are you happy now?" She asked the rat half-jokingly, she was of course referring to the video game character, the said rodent just climbed onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek affectionately, allowing a small giggle to escape from her mouth.
Glancing around, "Where's Coco and Suzi?" She asked out loud realizing she'd left her other two rats on the floor somewhere, hearing some excited squeaks from behind her, Gwenn leaned over the back of the lounge to find an albino and cream colored rats wrestling on the floor, "Found your sisters." She smiled chuckling to Max, whom had leaped off her shoulder to join the other two rodents on the floor.
Watching Max run across the floor, Gwenn had always thought it was cute the way rats ran, doing tiny hops, and leaps across the floor when they were in full print. Suzi, the albino rat currently had her sister pinned down on the floor and was playfully nipping her tail and paws.
Gwenn found herself letting out an unexpected yawn as she looked over at the clock on the wall, "Eight o clock, shit!" She exclaimed rolling off the lounge and quickly getting onto her feet, she sprinted across the living room to the computer desk in the corner, a newer computer model with great RAM, graphics and video card, Gwenn would spend hours improving and upgrading her computer in her spare time.
Opening up her web-cam and pressing the call button she could barley contain her excitement, "Hi sweetheart!" An aging man with graying brown hair in a marine suit took off his helmet and smiled happily at her, a distinctive scar across the left side of his face, "Daddy!" She shrilled, Gwenn almost sounded like a six year old at Disney-Land, but she didn't care, this was the first time she'd heard from her dad in two weeks.
Gwenn then put her hands on her hips frowning slightly, "You said your squadron would only be gone a week." She said this with a raised brow and a slightly concerned look on her face, her father rubbed the back of his neck a little guiltily, "Yeah sorry, the bug hunt got a little out of hand...We lost Jonson and Paul." His head dipped slightly and his hazel eyes were gazing at the floor as he spoke, Gwenn blinked in slight surprise, her smile then faded, "I'm sorry, I knew you been friends for years." Saying this in a meek tone, vaguely remembering those guys visiting to have beers with dad before they left for space two years ago.
Her dad nodded still looking at the floor, "They were good men..." He started rubbing his eye with a closed fist, "Bad news Gwenn, the hive is still spreading, I'll be gone for at least another month..." Gwenn dipped her head, turning slightly so she was facing the window behind the desk, "I...Understand..." She said meekly rubbing her eyes, her dad forced a smile as some grunt barked orders in the background, "Thatta girl, look after your grandpa for me." He saluted pressing the button and signing off, Gwenn did a halfhearted mock salute as the web-cam closed still frowning as she got up from the desk.
Aside from Gwenn's dad, her grandfather was the only real family she had left, leaving the rats to play on the floor, fully knowing they wouldn't go far, she walked down the medium length hallway to the other end of the one story house, she knocked on the steel door, "Who is it?!" A gruff muffled voice came from the other side of the door, peering through the round peek-hole Gwenn shook her head, "Grandpa its me...Gwenn." She sighed trying to catch a glimpse of him through the small hole, "I don't know any Gwenn!" He answered suspiciously and she rolled her eyes leaning on the door.
On top of being extremely paranoid her grandfather had dementia, believing aliens are one day going to invade, he spent most of his time in his "bunker" or bedroom with the door locked, "Come on open up!, I know where you hide the skeleton key." She warned closing one eye and trying to look through the peek-hole again.
Hearing some muffled and indistinct curses from behind the door, Gwenn heard the satisfying click as her grandfather unlocked his bedroom door, as the door opened something was thrown into her arms, "Think fast!" She heard him shout as Gwenn nearly dropped the thing, she gasped when she realized he'd pulled the pin from one the old hand grenades he collected.
She shrieked tossing the thing out the door, she furrowed her brow as her cheeks grew red listening to the old mans maniacal laugh, "Fooled ya, those things haven't been active in over a hundred years..." He said emerging from out of the closet still chuckling, Gwenn put her hands on her hips, "That's not funny..." She retorted turning away slightly, clearly still a little exasperated.
For a man of aged seventy five her grandfather Daniel Somers, didn't look a year over fifty. Well built with muscular arms and a tall physique, only the wrinkles and gray hair gave away her grandfathers age. He was a war veteran, a marine, countless scars decorated his arms and legs, each told its own story.
He never took off his goddamn uniform, every day her grandfather would insist on wearing his army boots, camo pants and a simple old white shirt. The window had been barricaded with planks of wood, nailed to the windows rim, his old pulse-riffle leaned against the wall near his bed, old posters and maps decorated almost all the spare space on the walls.
A single hanging light bulb hang from the center of the ceiling providing minimal light, along with dozens of coat hangers hanging from hooks, although she had her doubts a few coat hangers would ward off a potential alien invasion.
He had often been called to clean up the messes Weyland Industries made back in the day, all the "bug hunts" had taken its toll on the poor old bloke, making him very paranoid, and quite frankly a little insane.
She blinked when she turned and saw him bend down beside the bed and pulling out an old box from underneath, looking through a card board box full of papers, blueprints, maps and much more. "What's that you're messing with?" She asked him curiously trying to look over his shoulder, with his back turned to her, she watched his head raise a little before resuming his search through the box.
"Do you remember the stories I told you when you were little?" He asked turning to face her, holding a piece of paper in his hands, she shrugged, "A little, it was about those space monsters right?" She answered calmly, he shook his head, "Xenomorphs luv, the stuff of nightmares." He corrected handing Gwenn the hand drawing, it was a pretty accurate sketch of a xenomorph queen with her large crest and four tiny arms, it even had her thorax behind her with a few eggs drawn on it as well, the artist signed themselves as "Bishop, drawn in the year 2179." She blinked looking up, "That was only five years ago, you retired before then." She said eying her grandfather who was still preoccupied going through his stuff.
He turned and nodded, "Took it from your dad's mission file after he left..." He trailed off furrowing his brow in thought for a moment, "Can never be too careful." He added quietly getting up and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Know your enemies kid, knowledge is power, you best never forget that." He was looking her directly in the eyes, it was a little unnerving, but she nodded meekly before turning and heading out, pausing with her hand still on the door, "You want some dinner?" She asked smiling, he didn't look up as he answered, "I already ate." He answered in an emotionless tone, Gwenn sighed before closing the door and leaving him to his own devices.
Walking back down the hallway and gathering up the rats, she coaxed them into their large wire cage with multiple stories and toys in her bedroom. She fixed herself a dinner of leftover macaroni and cheese and a slice of garlic bread.
As she sat on the stool facing the counter of their fairly modernized kitchen, it was large and pretty high tech. A large fridge, electric stove and dishwasher, all the modern comforts and conveniences any girl would need.
Glancing over at the window she took in her surroundings, she could see the medium sized portable swimming pool about a meter tall off the ground in their backyard, their short brick layered wall overlooked the mountains and plains of Yellowstone park, rose bushes decorated the back of the yard against the wall and were flowering as it was in the middle spring at the moment.
A perfectly clear night sky decorated the mountains and forests just on the edge of the Yellowstone national park, it had been a privilege that their home had been made just on the side of the mountains ledge on the edge of Montana where some parts of the park extended to the borderlines, "Looks like a great opportunity to get the old telescope out." Gwenn mused getting up and putting her plate away...
(Meanwhile elsewhere orbiting the Earths atmosphere a small yautja ship was scanning the planets base for a suitable hunting ground, Yellowstone park seemed like a good a place as any to hunt dangerous and impressive game.)
-Unknowns POV
A clawed hand seeped itself over the control panel, clicking its mandibles as it pressed a few button commands labeled with some kind of alien language, the elder explained that after finishing his chiva, this young blooded yautja should take the opportunity to study the fauna of this planet, in particular he had expressed great interest in the Pyode Amedha and had suggested he should study their peculiar behavior.
The young blooded alien had expressed a somewhat limited interest in such creatures, in the only thing he wanted to study was the ooman skulls he would display on his trophy wall.
He shrugged knowing he should not disrespect his elder, the older even having the nerve to suggest that some hunters find the strange creatures attractive, he scoffed at the thought. Although he did try to reserve whatever judgment he had for the oomans for when he would actually see one, "Who knows, maybe one will prove themselves honorable." He chittered out loud to himself, he than laughed, but hey...
...Stranger things have happened.
(I've worked pretty hard on this first chapter and I hope its good, please let me know what you think as I'm still deciding if its worth making a story out of it...
...With that in mind, please review :)
(PS, there will be an eventual yautja/human pairing, yay for eventual romance!
And because I'm pretty weird I'm bound to put this poor yautja in many crazy and awkward situations, I'm not sorry, just the way I am, Bye :)
(Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing)