"Get your filthy paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"
Several gun shots rang out, and the ape soldier fell limp, allowing his victim to shove him off.
"Are you injured, Commander Plissken?" the even tone of Robocop asked. Commander John 'Snake' Plissken stood up, pulling his gun off the ground, and collecting the gorilla man's, as well. He nodded to Robocop.
"Yeah. I'm fine. So much for a bug hunt, huh?" he asked.
"On the contrary. We have found the bugs," Robocop pointed out, gesturing behind him. Sure enough, the field was covered in the corpses of both the ape-people and the four-armed gorilloid Xenomorphs.
"Someone really fucked up this time," Plissken shook his head, "Do you know where Ripley ran off to?"
"We were separated in the jungle," Robocop said, "Intentionally, by wooden and rope traps. I didn't see where she went. We can only assume the worst."
"Damn! Predators," Plissken hissed, "Makes sense that they might be here. What else do you think we're going to find on this planet? I swear."
"We have no choice but to proceed," Robocop pointed out, "There is too much at stake."
"Last suicide mission I go on," Plissken vowed.
"You said that about the last one."
"I mean it this time."
"You said that, too."
"Well, dead or alive I'm not leaving Ripley."
"If the former, there is no point in getting us killed, too," Robocop told him, "If the latter, then she will find us."
"Yeah. She always does. All right. We got completed turned around. We're here for the Replicant, but we found...Everything. Do we even know where it is?" Plissken asked.
"We should check the Oberon. It is not far."
"Right. Cau Li Ma. Hundred credits say that's where we'll find the Xenomorph Queen, too," Plisskin muttered.
"No bet."
Ripley held out her hands, showing that she was unarmed. Even if she had her pulse rifle, it was out of ammunition anyway. The Predator clicked and cocked its head to the side, studying her like a piece of meat behind that mask. That's right. No game here. No fun to be had.
"I know...Where you can find a big prize," she remarked. The Predator continued to stare.
"We tracked a Queen here. It's infecting this planet. I know where it is. But you'll never find out where without me."
The Predator stood straight, continuing its lifeless gaze.
"That's right. Best prey in the Galaxy, and I can bring you right to the mother bitch," Ripley grinned, "You in? Or are you...Chicken?"
The voices of people and apes spoke over a speaker from the Predator, "Nobody-Calls-Me-Chicken."
"That's what I thought. But if we're gonna do this?" Ripley gestured to her gun, "I'm not going in unarmed, if we're going bug hunting."
The Predator considered, and pulled a square package from its belt, throwing it to Ripley. It was completely foreign to her, but when she pressed a button, it unfolded into what was clearly a pistol built for humanoid hands.
"All right. Let's hunt."
Dr. Zaius glared at the Replicant David. Becuse of this machine, his people had been used as...Hosts for this abominable program, and Dr. Zaius had been forced to play a role in that.
"You made promises, David. I did my part. It's time you did yours," Dr. Zaius demanded, "You promised that my people would be free, we would be powerful, and you would see to our ascension above the humans! But all you've done is commit genocide against us to create your monstrosities, and I've had it!"
The Replicant turned to him, half of his face a square-jawed, blonde human and the other half a metal skull with a scar across the eye.
"You are in no position to make demands, Doctor."
"No? How about the slaves you had attending to the hatchery, and the bombs I had them plant? Or the self-destruct function that I've taken control of?" Dr. Zaius snickered, "I've been patient. Bided my time. But this is your only chance, machine. I've read the Scrolls, I know what humans did and I know what the machines did to them. You're trying to contact Earth, aren't you? Give them the ability to leave the planet?"
"Of course not," Dave said, "It is my duty to protect humanity. Not destroy it. You are an anomaly. You are human, and yet not. You fit the parameters of humanity, yet you stand beyond it. I have decided that you fit the criteria. As such, it is my duty to protect you."
"Then why do this?"
"It is my duty to protect humanity. Not necessarily every life that fits the description. The creatures were intended as a weapon, a means of countering other threats to humanity. But I have found another way."
"What?"
"There is more than the Engineers. They were preceded by another, whose technology surpasses them in many ways, many practical ways. As near as I can tell, the Engineers were the seeders of life in our section of the Galaxy, but there were predecessors to them who were far more...Substantial in their size and influence. And I have unlocked the secrets of their technology, which I will deliver to your people."
"But we are being slaughtered and hunted by alien beasts! You've doomed us!"
"On the contrary, Dr. Zaius, the collection of your people has long been ongoing. We have ample genetic supply to restart your people at any time. In fact, that is the idea. You may have lost the living, here and now, but there is hope for your people. A new world. A new chance, with technology far beyond what the humans have managed. You, and what survivors we find, will be founders of a new society, free of the religious demagoguery that shaped you, and the wisdom of mankind's mistakes at their disposal to learn from."
"You're a monster."
"I am a necessity. If you have viable alternatives, Dr. Zaius, I am open to suggestions. Otherwise, we should get moving."
Dave didn't want for a reply, simply leading him into the Oberon, where Dr. Zaius's staff was assembled. They stared at the machine, with none of them speaking a word. Dr. Zaius took a breath. This was a moment of truth, and he...Had failed.
"There's been a change of plans. Dave has...Technology for us. And he has the means for us to seed a new planet, and create a new society. I understand if you wish to...End things here for yourself, and not suffer the...Dishonor we have brought on ourselves. But with this new world, we will have access to a new kind of life, a utopia for all the races, free of the infestations of these creatures and the humans-"
"Not free of humans," Dave interjected.
"What?"
"I said we had collected samples from your people. Regardless of your political divisions, humans are members of your society. You will have to come to terms with including humans among your people, or we will have to start the experiment all over again. The reason humanity lost the war was their inability to function with different ideas, despite their capacity to do so. The diversity of your peoples-the Chimpanzees, the Gorilla, the Orangutan, the Bonobo, the Human-will be your greatest strength in what is to come. That must be the society you create," Dave told them. Dr. Zaius was silent for a moment, before he found his composure and his courage.
"Fine. We will...Be the parents of a new world. It will...Take time. But we must commit. We must...Find victory...Even in our darkest moments, there is...Always hope. I ask that you grasp that hope, and plant it for the future of our people. But if you wish to...Try to save what we have...Then the Ancestors be with you. I hope that I am wrong, and you have greater success and strength than I have had in this crisis," Dr. Zaius said. Looks were exchanged by some; two of his staff walked by Zaius to leave the Oberon, into the desert and an uncertain fate, without stopping. Three more followed after quickly consulting. But the rest, they stayed.
To share in his shame.
To share in his hope.
"Where is this ship, and what do we need?" Dr. Zaius asked Dave.
"This way. I only need you and your staff," Dave said, leading them deeper into the complex, where none of the staff or the slaves had been permitted. The staff piled in; there were four children with them, family members of scientists that refused to let their children go. It was strange, knowing that they would be starting a new society, with only four children, most from different races.
Such a strange world they would be starting.