Disclaimer: The author does not own Aliens.

Hive-mind

by

Dawnfang434

Is thought

"Is said"

"Is Queen speech"

Wow! 249 Views! Um... Ch 2

Alex found himself standing alone in a place he didn't recognize. All around him lay shrouded in a thick shifting mist. It seamed to move as if it had a mind of its own.

Thinking back he tried to remember how he had gotten there. Frowning he found he had little to no memory of the past few days at all. A feeling of uneasiness crept over him.

Pushing it to the back of his mind he looked at his surroundings. Only to see a thick mist still obscuring everything. The only thing he could see clearly was a narrow bricked pathway he was currently standing on.

As far as Alex could remember his current place of work LV-564, had no pathways out side the colony, brick or otherwise. And the closest it had to mist was dust storms. Reaching for his pda he found that he not only didn't have his pda but he was also missing his jacket.

Turning he looked for any sign of a way out of this sea of fog. To be honest Alex was a little freaked out. It wasn't every day one awoke alone in the middle of a dense fog with no memory of how you got there. From within the fog all around him he heard what he could have sworn sounded like whispering.

Cupping his hands around his mouth he yelled "Hello, anyone out there?"

All he received in response was a distorted "...out there?"

Not seeing anything else to do he started walking down the path. After a few steps down the path indistinct shapes began to appear all around him. They ranged from knee high to almost as tall as a Loader. Stopping Alex looked around, he just couldn't shake the nagging feeling he had been here before.

Walking up to one of the smaller shapes he knelt and examined it. Slowly the mist parted to reveal the most beautiful rosebush Alex had seen. Again it felt somehow familiar to him.

Standing Alex examined his surroundings more closely. The mist still obscured everything but the path and now the bush.

Crossing his arms he thought long and hard on his current situation. At the moment he stood on a brick path next to a small bush surrounded by fog in an yet unknown location.

However the sound of trickling water soon brought him out of his thoughts. Looking in the direction of the sound he wondered why he hadn't herd it until now, but filed it away for later. Turning he followed the sound and soon came across a fountain, at the center of which was the statue of a beautiful Young lady. She wore an old-fashioned armor over her arms, legs and torso, hair tied back in a loose tail. Both her hands rested atop the hilt of a sword embedded in the plinth by her feet. Her face, which was turned to her left had a small happy smile.

Alex starred eyes wide mouth hanging open in shock. He recognized it as the exact same statue his grandfather had one owned. It was a one of a kind piece the old man had been proud of. He had kept it as the centerpiece of his garden on earth. As far as he knew it had been destroyed years ago.

He hadn't been here since his grandfathers funeral. As if his recognition was a gust of wind the mist dispersed. As the shock wore off he smiled. "This must be a dream.", though he couldn't remember having one this real before.

The warm sun light freed from the obscuring fog shined down and reveled the whole garden. Looking around at the carefully tended flowers a wave of nostalgia washed over him. This had been his safe haven, a place he could go to when his father had been drinking when he was a kid.

The rustling of leafs drew him out of his memory's and back to the present. Looking around for the source of the disturbance he spotted a splash of red among the green of the foliage, then in a flash it was gone. Raising an eyebrow he followed it. His footsteps making no sound as he walked on the cracked bricks.

Still smiling turned a corner and found a large wall of green looming before him. Glancing around for a few seconds he attempted to find any signs of where the thing he had been following had gone. Straining his ears to hear if it moves again he heard what sounded like... sobbing? From beyond the bush.

Alex frowned slightly and walked right up to the bush. He knew this particular part of the garden. Pushing some of the brush out of the way he walked into a small clearing. The garden was his haven, but this was where he went to be alone. Heading deeper in he followed the crying.

soon found the source of the crying curled up on the floor in a fetal position his arms wrapped firmly around his legs as his small body heaving with every sob. Alex could see tears staining the ground in the light that managed to pass through the trees above. He couldn't be much older than 11 or 12, with a mop of bright red hair covering his head. Alex frowned slightly, that nagging feeling of familiarity had come back.

Squatting down so he was eye level with the boy he asked. "Hello, little boy?"

The boy just continued to sob without a sign that he had heard Alex at all. Looking closer he noticed a chain that hung around the boys neck, a simple silver chain with a purple crystal hanging from it.

His eyes widened as he instinctively reached for his own, only to find it missing. It had been a gift from his mother, the only one, and this kid had one just like it. That's when he realized this wasn't a dream but a memory, and this 'kid' was him.

Alex frown thought. Why am in a memory?

Looking back at the younger him he tried to figure out when this was. Things like this had happened more than once when he had been younger.

Suddenly a voice cut through his thoughts and made his chest tighten in emotion. "Alex. Alex, where are you?"

Turning Alex watched as his grandfather Tristan Dawson walked through the wall of foliage. His heart both swelled and pained as he looked the older man over. He stood tall for a man in his eighty's with short grey hair. He wore a simple white shirt and faded blue overalls. Looking around the mans normally warm features were one of concern.

Spotting the younger Alex he walked over and sat beside him. Almost immediately the child clung to the old man and continued to cry.

Tristan wrapped his arms around the small boy and whispered "It's okay Alex, sshh."

The boys response was muffled by the overalls but was still understandable. "But why? I don't want to move so far away."

Alex remembered this moment, it was the last time he would speak to his grandfather before he died from cancer three years later. Every word that came from his mouth seemed like a dagger to his heart.

Turning the boy to face him by his chin Tristan looked him in the eye and said. "Listen, and listen well son. Friends come and go, that is a fact. But family, true family stays forever. Family is more than blood and more than just a last name. Family are those you care about and who care about you in turn. Those who are willing to risk their life for you, and those you are willing to defend with your own. Protect those dear to you and you will live a happy life. Plus, I will always be here. Promise me you won't forget that."

Slowly the boy nodded.

Quietly the real Alex whispered "I will...Grandfather."

Then as if they were a mirage both faded as did the room he was in. He didn't even notice, he was to busy wiping his eyes.

Suddenly out of nowhere a headache more painful than he had ever felt before slammed into him like a truck. It was more than just pain however, it was pressure. Like someone was trying to stuff a whole cargo ship into the limited space of his skull.

It was all he could do not to scream in pain. Keeping his eyes shut in pain, he dropped to his knees. As if the pain he had suffered hadn't been enough it began to intensify to a point where Alex was sure his head would explode.

Unable to keep it in any longer he screamed, and screamed. Suddenly he felt a presence touch his mind, and like that the pain melted away.

Alex slumped to the ground exhausted and confused. Knowing what others were feeling was nothing new to him. As far as he knew he had been this way from berth. But this was a whole other story. Never before had he felt something so alien. Yet the new presence radiated only warmth and understanding. the presence left his mind. Before he could digest any of the information darkness flooded his mind.

~*HM*~

Miles away from the colony in a cage lay a xelomorph Queen surrounded by human scientists. Were it's face not hidden one would catch a glimpse of a smile upon her face.

The smile came from the thought of what she had just done."This should prove to be very interesting."

A stinging in her side told her they had injected another drug into her. She could already feel her mind growing unfocused as it began to coursed it's way through her system. They had already injected something that had cut her off from the rest of her hive.

It had taken all she had just to find one mind she could link with, and to her surprise it had been a human."This human is different than the others. Hopefully he will come to understand the gift I gave him."

As the darkness consumed her mind her last thought was "If he survives that long."