Virtuosity of the Endeavor
Chapter One: The Caverns of Dark Matter
Authors Note: I really did enjoy the whole universe of Prometheus and wanted to extend its story to the fullest extent possible. For the open mined audience it was a good trip in the park. Including the answer to everyone's question at the end of the cinema: Why? The whole time I was thinking about Mae Jemison and her place amongst the stars fused within this story. She took pride in what she believed in and without hesitation, stride for her dreams. She will forever be the most inspiringly gracious person to me. Her place amongst the cosmos will forever shine as brighter than the atomic nebulas above the.
Disclaimer: I do not profit nor own Ridley Scott's movie and enterprise Prometheus.
The hallways were dark and ungodly with its cavern's that hallowed the vessel from the inside out. Even the walls were sculpted with an eerie resemblance to bones on a rib cage, as if the ship was alive. The group walked down to the ship's control room to awake the last living engineer on the ship. David assisted his master, Weyland, in to the room while the other armed men and scientist followed behind. Tamera Harrison was one amongst them. The long curly haired ebony skinned scientist had almost begun to lose her wits beneath her suit. All she could think about was turning around to run for the ship to get off this god forsaken world. In all of her young life, she had studied in various universities about the untold histories of mankind, weather it was to preserve the past or rediscover it. But this whole endeavor was way beyond her. Peter Weyland and his little expedition to find the fountain for youth for his own benefit was an absolute shock. They kept him in cryo with only a couple of days left in him to meet his maker. And now he has finally gotten the chance of a lifetime. How absurd.
But what the trillion dollar inventor and CEO of Weyland Corporation had not even considered was that people were dying. Fifield and Milburn were dead for whatever those snake things were. Even her colleague Dr. Holloway was dead. She felt deeply sorry for Elizabeth though. They were really good friends back on earth and couldn't help but cringe like a coward for her loss. David walked over to the cryogenic coffin that housed the engineer. The whole device itself was embedded into the floor's table like controls. As the android kneeled, he gracefully operated the alien controls. He finally has awoken the giant from his slumber.
As they waited for the engineer to wake up, Tamera glanced towards Elizabeth. The other scientist met her gaze and smiled. It was the 'everything is going to be alright' type smile. But her cool mint eyes told a different story. The unknown was full of mysteries; and fear was its numbing consequence. It shook Tamera to her very core. A few moments later the giant released himself from the cryo vault's restraints and gracefully stood before them. Wayland gasped at the sight of the being that towered over their diminutive statures. His pale skin intertwined with his bio suit that was hauntingly carved with immaculate details of a warrior. But his eyes, eyes were stone cold pebbles of darkness that invited you in to the gloomy ambiguity. They could stare right in to you; in to your ambiance.
Weyland walked closer to the great being he called his maker and gestured towards David to come closer. The crippled man hastily spoke in his grand rustic voice, "Tell him why I'm here, David. Tell him-"
The android spoke to the giant in his native tongue before Weyland could finish his sentence.
"Hello. This man here needs your help. He is a human from earth who believes that you are his savior and can help him restore this life and grant him immortality. He is dying and needs your assistance." David intellectually chimed.
The engineer just stared, blank from all emotions before he snapped in fit of rage. He hit Weyland first sending the old crippled into the air, then without a split of a second turned to David and decapitated his head from his body. The milky like nutrients from the android flooded the floor as his head still attach to his spinal cord landed near Weyland. The CEO gasped for air and mumble trying to clear his voice for his final words to his son, "There is nothing."
David had already calculated the projection of the hit times the heart rate and his vitals before he said a word. There was a very low percent chance that Mr. Weyland would survive. The odds of life let alone immortality were definably not in his favor. His circuitry flawlessly moved his eyes and whispered, "I know. Have a nice trip, Mr. Weyland."
The elder's final wasp of air left his lungs as he tried to hold on for dear life.
As he passed on to the other side, the engineer continued to assassinate any human still left in his wake. The female medic, Ford, had her spine snapped while the other two mercenaries were gruesomely demolished. Harrison and Shaw stare in awe shock over the whole event. Fear had penetrated so deep down inside themselves they could barely move. Tamera had then turned to her friend and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Elizabeth run!"
Dr. Shaw's eyes snapped as her body obeyed her friends command. The woman fiercely ran like hell taking the fighting chance of life she couldn't refuse. When she made it into the main hall ways Shaw could have sworn Harrison was right behind her when she left but wasn't. Tamera was still in the control room with the engineer. She could still see her back facing the entrance way at a distance standing still with the engineer facing her with a stance.
Elizabeth yelled for her friend's life, "Run Tamera! Come on!"
The other scientist twitched with adrenaline hearing Elizabeth's please. Tamera ran towards the entry to catch up to her, but it was too late. The control room's door closed on her in an instant. Shit, the scientist silently cursed to herself as she hit the door with her fist in desperation. There was no way out of the room. That's when it hits her square in the face. I'm going to die now. Tamera then turns to see the engineer closing in on her. Her shuttered breaths embraced herself for the end that's coming near as a whimper escaped her plush lips and sweat droplets cascade down her soft light brown face. She prays to herself, The Lord is my Shepard. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters . . .
He stops.
And graciously kneels before her. Utterly confused, Tamera's trembling body awakes from her fear and pauses for a clearing conscious. What is he doing? Suddenly his hands cluster her helmet, jiggling and twisting the strange human device off of her head. He placed it on the ground and kindly stares at her face. The engineer's colossal hand brushes the skin of her cheeks. The corners of his lips twitched slightly as he spoke to her. His voice was strangely soft but masculine. It suited him quite well. Sadly Tamera couldn't understand a word he said. He sensed this and stood up, taking her by the arm.
"Hey let me go!" The scientist struggled to unravel from the alien's grip. He just smirked like a typical human male and released her in to one of the command chair. "Hump!" She grunted when she fell backwards into the chair. The engineer tinkered with a few buttons that released straps that tightly held her in place like a seatbelt. She tried to wiggle her way out but it was impossible. The straps were too secure.
"Where are you taking me? Where are we going?!" She shouted nervously.
The engineer stared at her with his hard dark blue eyes that could see into her being and telepathically spoke, "Home." He turned away from her and climbed up to the ship's control. The scientist and decapitated android watched as his helmet came and enclosed around his head preparing to fly his craft off the planet. With a few more flicks of the wrist the craft's engines became alive in seconds. Feeling the trembling if the craft, Tamera nervously knew what he was doing.
"Oh my God! Please don't let this happen." She cries to herself. Harrison nervously looked around to see what else was going on when she noticed that David was still alive. Well technically not terminated yet. The doctor always found the android a bit amusing at time to the point of creepiness, but now was not the time to be judgmental. Besides they only had each other now and if they were going to make it through this, all differences needed to be set aside. Tamera call for him across the room, "David!"
"Yes Dr. Harrison?" He calmly answers.
The frightened young woman asks the android, "Where is he specifically taking us?"
"He is not taking us to earth, if that is what you are hoping for. I believe it is a star system three point seven light years away from our position on Prometheus. Unfortunately, I am uncertain of which star system it is due to my decapitation to my mainframe in my body." David reassuringly states. Her eyes danced between his severed head and his limp body for the longest time. Tamera's mind tried to calculate what the android just said to her but the initial shock started to seep inwards.
Her breaths began to heavily shutter again when she heard this. Unbelievable. "Great. Just fucking great!" The doctor shouts to herself, not caring if David of the giant engineer heard her or not. She was glad Elizabeth had time to get away. Maybe, just maybe she made it out alive through all of this.
A few moments later, Tamera's conscious whimpered a quick prayer of hope, God. Please. I need you now.
Shaw felt vilely regretful for leaving Harrison. She could have saved her, but . . . . It was too late. When it comes down to it you can only save yourself. Just like a horror movie. But this wasn't a cheap flick at the films. This was actually happening. And everyone was a part of the quick pawn of the trade. Including her. She watched Janek and his crew give up their lives to stop the alien space craft from leaving the planet to spread the massive genocide on Earth, while Vickers lifeboat plummet into the earthen surface. As she watched the ship crash in to the larger craft, she thought of what Peter Weyland said to her when she first met him on the ship. Elizabeth asked him why he needed her on his crew knowing that she was just another chest piece in his game. I needed a true believer. He said: A true believer. The words hung high around the doctor's mind.
Someone who had believed that an intelligent alien race crated the humans for a purpose. But for what purpose is still a misery to her. It angered Shaw even further. How could they just leave us? Alone and abandoned, shouting out to the cosmos for answers. Theory upon theory, it just didn't make any sense any more. Her thought trailed on until . . .
BOOM. The massive structure went down. Elizabeth's body lay trembling to the vibrations of the malevolent crash, soon to realize that the vessel was advancing its way to crush her. She frivolously looked around to see Vickers bitterly crawl her way away from the craft's massive roll. But she wasn't fast enough. The craft's weight crushed the captain's whole body as Elizabeth watched.
The scientist had enough. Her body was beginning to exert on her as she tried to scramble away from the tumbling vessel. She stopped and prayed, oh God please . . .
Just before the vessel came to crush her whole, it stopped. A bolder stopped the ship from rolling even further as the weight made the ship collapse on its side. Her shuttered breaths ceased. She was still alive. Elizabeth laid there on the ground and stared to sob. With some slim chance of faith she made it. All she wanted to do was to lie there and weep but she knew it wasn't over. For the time being the scientist let her mind go blank for her longing to just breathe though this treturous endeavor. And just as she wished to do that her suit's vitals went off. Shaw only had a few more minutes to get to an oxygenated space before her lugs filled up with the toxic silicone atmosphere.
Time was caving around her. Dr. Shaw needed to get to Vickers's lifeboat before her body suit ran out of oxygen. Surly she didn't want the sulfuric gasses to suffocate her, defiantly not when she still had a fighting chance still left in her bones to survive. She limbs rotated in pace as she raced towards the wrecked craft. Finally the doctor made it inside and closed the automatic doors. Shaw paused to catch her breath while she looked around the once beautiful resort now turned into a tethered piece of debris. The once grand chandelier dangled hopelessly torn along with the ships interior wires, whose fuses sparked haphazardly. The place was a mess. And for a lifeboat, you would think it would have a flight module to guide its own landings. Thankful enough though, it didn't bother Elizabeth in the least. Right now it was her only safe heaven to retreat to.
Until she heard movement in the next room. And in that moment, her freshly C-section belly clenched and quivered. Elizabeth walked towards the medical unit and felt the vibrations of her offspring by the door. It was to her no shock that it was still alive only after its malevolent birth, but something else. When it slithered again in the lurking darkness, Elizabeth realized it had overwhelmingly increased in sized. Like a giant squid of the deep misty abyss. It continuously began to thrust itself against the door to break free of its confinements. Shaw ran to the ventilation bank to hide.
"Dr. Shaw, are you still alive." David's voice soothingly comes across her communication link.
Surprised, Elizabeth breathlessly said, "Yes David. I'm still here."
"Good, because the last Engineer is advancing his way towards you."
There was a great boom at the ventilation's exterior door. Shaw's head snaps toward its direction. A pair of massive hands seemingly tries to pry its way through the barrier. The engineer was going to make damn sure he was going to rip her flesh apart. But Elizabeth wasn't going to let that happen. She had other plans. The doctor opened up the other pair of doors between the ventilation and the inside of the lifeboat and ran towards the medical room. Elizabeth stood there in front of the entry's doors while her side faced her offspring and her head faced the engineer's murderous rampage. Her head swiveled towards the prying medical doors of the squid like creature. It was time.
Dark blue eyes ragingly stared upon her and ran to her position. Elizabeth scrambles out the way, allowing her grand escape. The giant reacted to chase after her but suddenly the offspring busted its way out of the medical room and tackled the being to the floor. He struggled to get the thing off of him but couldn't. Slowly the squid like creature begins to digest the engineer whole.
Shaw closed the interior doors and makes her way out to the grey and dismal earthen lands once again.
Then her communication device goes off with David's voice again, "Dr. Shaw, are you still there?"
"Yes David I am." She said a bit annoyed but thankful that someone was still alive and checking up on her status.
His vocals animatedly cracked with an electronic squeal but cleared up as he spoke, "That's good to know. We need some assistance here in the vessel; Mrs. Harrison and I."
Elizabeth didn't say anything. Her mind was trained on reaching her friend who needed her most. Not some android. Tamera was still alive and the chances of that could be slim.
"I'm on my way." Elizabeth said breathlessly.
Dr. Shaw made it to the control room. The doors looked as if they have been jarred open by the pissed off engineer's hands. The wreck must have done enough damage to cause the otherworldly mechanics to malfunction and stop working. When she walked in she noticed that Tamera was strapped in the giant control chair. Her helmet was off and lying on the floor near David.
"Oh my God!" Shaw cried, "What happened to you? How did you-"
Tamera wobbled her head left and right, "There is not enough time to explain, Elliz, Just get me out of this thing before that damn jack in the bean stock gets back!"
"He won't be coming back, I made sure of that." The other scientist said coldly. Tamera stared at her feeling frightened and disturbed, but completely sane on the outside.
Elizabeth took out her knife from her utility belt but it didn't work. The straps were industrial strength. David mentioned a button to the left module to press it down. When she did the straps released the scientist. Elizabeth helped Tamera stand before reaching David. Shaw kneeled down on the floor next to him with graciously devastating features.
The android looked up from her position and insisted, "We can go back to where we came from-"
"I don't want to go back where we're from." Elizabeth sternly said, "I want to go where THEY came from."
Tamera was about to object but David beat her to the punch. "And then what? What would you do there?" The decapitated android questioned. There was little doubt in Tamera's mind that her best friend will go to extremes for this cause. After all that they have been though, they had nothing to lose but their lives. At least they will die trying.
Elizabeth looked between the both of them. Tamera was on the floor trying to gather David's spine connected head. She pitted her. Shaw knew she didn't want to go through anymore of this but somehow, she didn't want to lose Tamera. She was all she had left in the world and was like a sister her parents couldn't be blessed with.
Shaw blinked and without hesitation spoke her determined mind, "I want to know why they created us humans, then suddenly decided to destroy us."
"Why do you want to know the truth?" The android's mouth twitched.
"Because I deserve to know the truth. You would never understand. You're a robot." She brazenly looked down at him. Charlie was never the one to like androids that much for that reason. They could never be human. No matter how much other humans have tried to perfect the art of synthetic humanoids. They would never have a soul.
The other fellow scientist shook her head, "No, Elizabeth. Don't. We shouldn't be doing this. We should try to go back to earth. This whole trip has gone bad. All of our team is gone because of this and you mean to tell me that you still want to continue?" She said irritably.
"I know you don't want to do this, Tamera. But we both deserve to know. For all of mankind." Elizabeth tied to explain but there were no words in her extensive vocabulary or time to explain how she felt.
Her brow line creased inwardly, "But risking our life is worth it? What happens when we get there? They could kill us or dissect us like little lab rats experiment!" Tamera argued.
"I guess will find out now won't we?" She said brazenly.
David stared between the both of them. He calculated that Mrs. Harrison's actions would most likely leave on a separate ship located in the vessel's cargo bay and pilot her way back home, but chances of her knowing how to operate the ships full navigations are very slim to none. Also without him, she wouldn't be able to navigate through space in the first place. She would be on her own. Then something came across his mind. He remembered how the engineer's reaction towards her being and suggested it aloud. "He took a very keen, and should I say favorable, interest in you Dr. Harrison. You can be very beneficial to all of us if some contact were to occur." David persuaded.
Tamera's head flashed a harsh gaze towards the severed android, "Look, I don't know what the hell he wanted from me and I don't want to find out what the other's want either, okay. I just want to go back home. To Earth. Not their little humble abode!" The scientist argued.
"Please Tamera! I can't go through with this without you." Elizabeth exclaims.
It took the other scientist a good minute to reply. It would pain her slowly knowing that she had left her friend to venture into the darkness alone. Well, not alone with David with her. A moment later the scientist silently cursed and mumbled, "David said the location of their planet was three point seven light years away from our position on Prometheus. If we now leave I'm pretty sure it won't take us long to get there considering the engineer's advanced displacement in technology. Do you agree, David?"
"Why yes Mrs. Harrison." His head slightly shifted in her hands, "If my calculations are as accurate as Dr. Weyland made them to be, we should arrive at our destination in three point two days rather than an estimated Three years. An estimated seventy four hours."
Shaw graciously nodded her head, "Thank you Tamera. Um, we should try together some supplies from the wreckage. At least try to salvage our personal emergency kits. I saw them being ejected out near Vicker's life boat."
"I agree. But how will we get there?" Harrison questioned.
David looked at her stressed face and answers, "There is a vault that holds multiple crafts below the ship. I believe that there is a large vessel cruiser that we can make use of."
"Brilliant David. We need to get you safely out of this ship and in to that vessel. After that Tamera and I will round up supplies and come back."
Tamera smirked at the dismembered android, "Then will get you all fixed up all brand spanking new and leave this God forsaken rock."
It took them a good amount of time to get out of the wrecked ship. Some of the access doors won't open due to the malfunction so Tamera and Elizabeth had to get David's severed body through another route of the dismal ship. They found the vessel deep below the dark and eerie cargo hold. As David estimated, it was pretty large cruise for all three of them to make the trip. They went through the ships interior and placed the android in the control room area. The vessel cruiser's control room was larger and lighter than the larger ship that harbors it. The room even had an all-around view of the outside environment made perfect for deep space travel. Then the two female scientists ventured out to the surface to find supplies for their travels. David reminded them that they only had forty minutes to spare before another silicone storm condenses the area.
Out of the melancholy, Prometheus on the outer surface seemed rockier than before. It was a long distance walk to the estimated area of their emergency supply on the GPS tracker. Elizabeth warned Tamera it won't be long until they got there. While walking Tamera noticed that Vickers lifeboat was launched out of their ship. She didn't know if Vickers was still alive or not but now was not the time to ask. Both of them didn't speak to each other. Both were too tired or too on edge by what just happened. Frightened by these accounts, the silence only drew out the truth. More questions. Elizabeth yearned for their answers. Just why? This whole scientific endeavor has gone to hell while no one on Earth has a clue of what happened on the infamous moon Prometheus. Their whole crew was dead. No contact with Earth. And Charlie. Elizabeth mourned for him solely. He was gone. Left to burn.
The GPS rang. They reached the bundle of personalized survival kits. "Funny," The light brown woman broke the silence, "I guess Weyland was smart. Smart enough to think about the other crew member safety. Personalized emergency kits. Hooray for Weyland. "
Understanding what she meant, Elizabeth nodded as he helped grab their personalized bundles and a few others who won't need them. "Yeah. I had put some extra knitted sweaters if the ship is too cold for us to handle. I'll help you sort through the stuff when we get back."
"That sounds good, maybe the engineers have a sense of taste like we do with food-", Tamera stopped her casual chatter when her eyes gazed at the wound on Elizabeth's stomach, "Jesus! What happened to your stomach, your bleeding Eliz!" She cries, dropping the bundles on the ground to seek to her friends need.
"Tamera I'm fine we just need to-", Elizabeth violently gasped as she felt another flinch of pain shoot through her spine. The other scientist noticed her discomfort and how she tried to play it off as nothing to be concerned.
Tamera shook her head and sternly advised, "We should raid Vickers' life boat for medical supplies and get you all fixed up."
"We have plenty; besides I don't what to go back there. Not where I killed the engineer." Elizabeth persuaded. Then she help grabbed the bundles into both hands. Tamera argued with Elizabeth to let her carry the rest of them, even if she had to leave some behind and gather the rest to make two stops. But Elizabeth declined. Even though they had enough time, the scientist didn't want to risk it. Even when they made it through another a life and death situation. A soon as they were finished gathering, both women walked to the crashed vessel for safety.
"Okay. But I'm getting you fixed up all nice and purdy' as soon as we get back." Tamera promised.
"Now hold still." Tamera cooed as she restricted the large flesh wound into place. Elizabeth was laid sprung out across an oversized bed in a private alcove possibly owned by a crew member of the ship. She sighed and clung to the alien like squishy pillow. Elizabeth had to admit the bed was so comforting, she would have even fallen asleep on her friend while operating. Earlier, Tamera had given her a generous amount of painkillers so that she wouldn't feel a thing, but Elizabeth could still feel the slight tugging of her skin as she stitched inch by inch.
After she was done, Tamera snugly wrapped the gauze. The scientist helped Shaw up from her tiredly sprawled position upwards. "Thank you." She gasped, brushing away the sweat drenched hairs from her face.
"No problem," Tamera assured and stood up, "I still don't know how the hell you had a C-section and still managed to move the way you did." She fidgety waved her arms.
Elizabeth grunted, "I'll explain later right now we just need to leave."
"David's getting the ship ready to launch right now. We'll just have to wait."
To wait, Elizabeth heard only those two words and drifted into herself. She nimbly grazed her sensationless wounds, feeling a bit lighthearted from the drugs. Her eyes met Tamera's when she began to realize what happened; happened. It was real. This wasn't some visionary dream or surrogate fabrication that played tricks on her mind, but somehow her mind did shut down on its self of what was real in order for her to survive. And she did. Elizabeth sobbed. A spine curdling whale escaped her mouth for she couldn't hold her emotions anymore. She thought of Charlie. She thought of him so desperately within this moment of repentance. Shaw felt so sorry for her crew who will never see their families and love ones again. She felt sorry for Tamera who she had persuaded to come along this endeavor in the first place. She felt the pitiful sorrow for herself, for being alive. Charlie should have taken her place.
Tamera knew by the look of her friends face what she was thinking. Her eyebrows pulled together with concern. It brought tears to her eyes to see Elizabeth hurt. Tamera slowly walked to her to wrap her arms around her chest and squeezed warmly. In reaction, Elizabeth did the same.
"Come on we have to push through." Tamera whispered through her sensitive voice, "Not just for us. For Charlie, and the others. If we stop now, they have risked their lives for nothing."
Elizabeth pulled away and stared at her friend with red eyes and milky blue irises, "I know. I know, but would it hurt to say that I don't have all the cards yet. We don't know what we are up against when we get there. What we are about to go into . . . we might not come back home. I'm putting g your life at risk!-"
"And I'll risk it gladly. This is not mankind's endeavor anymore. It's ours. This is personal. Like you said 'we deserve to know.' We deserve the truth."
Elizabeth looked up and chocked up. "I-", She was about to say something when David's voice came across the communicator. "Mrs. Shaw, Ms. Harrison, we are ready for departure."
She looked up and answered, "Alright David. Thank you."
The dark vessel gradually began to float. Its engine lightly rumbled for its accelerators were preparing for deep space at the near speed of light. Elizabeth watched in the cockpit as they lifted farther and farther away from the dreary and desolated earth. Shaw felt like a feather against the wind; her soul was repurposed. No more than she could possibly fathom how she could have survived this horrid endeavor, only to be destined with a new task. She hungered for the truth. Maybe it was the drugs getting to her weakening immune system, or possibly not. A new world awaited them, ready and full of answers, so she thought.
The doctor sat snuggly strapped in the traveler's set next to her colleague. She felt the slight vibration that grew even further as David began to count down, "Thrusters are set and the countdown for departure is ready. Five . . . . "
Elizabeth blinked. Within these short seconds she thought of Charlie and whispered a quick prayer, "I'm sorry Charlie. I wish you were still here. Watch over us, will you my love?"
After that, she would think of him no more throughout the mission. It would only break her in the happening and Elizabeth knew she had to be strong for this. If they fail they will die, and all will be lost.
"Three . . . . ", David chanted.
Tamera winced as she nibbled on the inside of her lips. The scientist didn't want to comply and venture with them, but what was said is done and what was withered has now dried to dust. This mission for the truth was beyond her. And she dreaded each second David accurately vocalized, "Two . . . . "
Shaw shuttered. She whispered her last regrets to God and prayed for forgiveness, as if it would be her last farewell to all she has known.
"One . . . ."
The ship's exhausts lit up into a bright blue that blinded the earthen terrain.
BOOM.
Blasting off into the obscure edges of space, to the edge of the loathsome cold and the unpredictable unknown.