Chapter 1: Surprises Aren't Always a Good Thing
Ripley, Newt and Bishop walked down the second drop ship's ramp with Vasquez limping slowly behind them, using Drake for support, Gorman taking up the back, still feeling guilty for not pulling them out in time, which could have saved many more lives. "Sorry if I scared you, that platform was just becoming too unstable. I had to circle and hope I would still be able to pick you up" Bishop apologized to Ripley. "It's ok Bishop, you did ok for a synthetic" Ripley replied warmly, her hate for all synthetic's diminishing. They shared a brief smile before walking over to Hicks, who was out cold. "He'll be fine, the pain killers knocked him out, we'll need a stretcher to carry him to medical" Bishop said softly as Ripley laid a hand on his face, turning it to look at the damage. Ripley nodded reluctantly parting from him and making her way towards medical where Drake and Vasquez were already waiting. Grabbing a stretcher Bishop and Ripley made their way back to Hicks, leaving Newt with Drake and Vasquez. On the way back down they passed Gorman, who was slowly sulking up to medical to join everyone else. When they got to the drop ship Ripley and Bishop slowly got Hicks onto the stretcher. They had just started to walk away when the hiss of acid had them both spin around. There before them stood an even angrier looking Queen. Ripley's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight. God damnit , how did she get here? "Go" she whispered at Bishop, who quickly ran, as fast as you could wheeling a stretcher towards medical, closing the pressure door behind him, not wanting the Queen to get to the rest of the ship. Besides this way he could alert the others to get some damn guns and go help.
Ripley quickly tried to think of something to do. There was no way she could make it into the drop ship to grab a gun, not to mention load it. Looking around she saw what appeared to be her only option. Running for her life towards a docking area, the Queen in fast pursuit she barely managed to close the large pressure door to a point where the Queen couldn't get under and in. Seeing the larger yellow loader, she got in, turning it on, knowing that they had to kill the queen, even if it meant sacrificing herself. Taking a deep breath she opened the pressure door, revealing the queen, who was standing there, ready to attack. "You fucking bitch!" Ripley screamed moving forward as the Queen did the same. Grabbing onto the Queen's neck she opened the upper door to a larger airlock, intending to drop her and open the airlock so the queen could be blasted into space. Just as she let go of her hold though, the Queen reached up, dragging Ripley down with her. Ripley was somehow able to get out of the loader and start climbing up. She had almost reached the top when the Queen grabbed onto her shoe. Damn she thought as fear washed over her. Holding onto the ladder she opened the air lock and watched things from the room being sucked out into space, along with the loader but for some time the Queen was able to hang onto Ripley's shoe. Just as Ripley was about to let go, the pain in her elbow growing to be too much the Queen, still holding onto her shoe, was sucked into space. Screaming weakly she was able to close the bottom airlock before her arm gave out, allowing her to fall a good eight feet to the bottom. With a thud she landed on her back, falling unconscious. Her last thought through her mind before the blackness and pain overcame her was 'Newt.'
